Deception with Murder (A Rilynne Evans Mystery, Book Two) Read Online Free PDF Page A

again for all of the help. I’ll see you tomorrow, I’m sure.”
    “See you then.”
    Despite the size of her whirlpool bathtub, it took surprisingly little time to fill up. Rilynne poured herself a glass of wine and put on some smooth music before sliding down under the bubbles. She closed her eyes and let her head fall back onto the built in headrest. It had barely touched down when a scene started to develop in front of her.
    Ben was sitting in the middle of her bedroom floor, screwdriver between his teeth, as he positioned the pieces of her bed together. His shirt was off and sitting on the stack of boxes by the door, so she could see the beads of sweat running down his back. Rilynne felt her eyebrow rise involuntarily. Then he was carrying the boxes, two or three at a time, through the bathroom and into the closet. After moving the last box, he glided his hand gently along the side of her assembled and made bed, adjusting the sheets one last time before grabbing his shirt and heading for the bathroom. He ran the water in the sink, splashing it on his face before using his shirt to pat his sweat soaked body dry.
    “Mmmm,” she said on a low moan as she opened her eyes. She had given up denying the feelings she had been having when it came to Ben. Although she knew nothing would ever be able to come from it, she had been unable to prevent herself from feeling them. It had been easier when the department had the strict no-fraternization rule, because it set a clear line that she knew she could never cross. Detective Wilcome had informed her, however, that the rule had been eradicated, which left her free to pursue a relationship with him if she so desired. The only barrier in place now was Christopher.
    Christopher was Rilynne’s husband, who had been attacked by her old partner fifteen months before. Though his body was never found, based on the amount of blood left and the fact that there had been no signs of him since that night, he was believed to be dead.
    That did not stop Rilynne from holding on. Christopher had been her college sweetheart, and the only person, other than her mother, to know of her secret. In her heart, they were still very much married.
    That deep dedication, along with her feelings for Ben, left her twisted and confused inside. In some ways, she still felt like she was cheating on Christopher by just having feelings toward another man.
    She reached up with her toe and pulled the drain on the tub, but did not move until all of the water was gone. By the time she climbed out and wrapped a towel around her, it was just past midnight. Rilynne hesitated, staring at the pile of boxes in her closet before deciding against searching for pajamas. She climbed into her soft bed, pulling her down comforter over her still damp body, and drifted into an instant sleep the moment her eyes shut.
    The sun was shining through the canopy of trees above. The path ahead of her was lined in red leaves, making it look like a trail of flower petals. As she started to move forward, she could feel her feet taking off beneath her. The archway made by the trees lining the path became a blur as her feet carried her even faster. She felt free, as if she could fly if she wanted to.
    Her eyes moved to the end of the path in front of her. A bright light the size of a pinprick was shining from just above the red trail. With each long stride, it grew larger and brighter until it was the size of a large door. By the time she reached it, the light was so bright that she could not keep her eyes open a second longer.
    Suddenly the scene around her grew darker. She opened her eyes to find herself standing on the side of the lake, just before sunset. She was considering jumping in for a quick swim when she heard voices coming from the small grove of trees behind her.
    “Who’s there?” she called out, unable to make out their faces.
    “We’ve been waiting for you,” a familiar voice said. “What took you so long?”
    Her heart