Jenn Vakey - Rilynne Evans 07 - Revenge with Murder by Jenn Vakey Page B

snap and kill someone,” Ben stated.  “Do you remember that guy a couple months ago who killed the guy in the cubicle next to him because he ate his sandwich?”
    Rilynne nodded.  “Yeah, but stealing people’s food leads to some pretty heated arguments these days.”
    “He’d just gotten them mixed up,” Ben said.  “They both had sandwiches in the same type of containers.  The poor guy just made the mistake of grabbing the wrong one.  That inspired enough rage for the guy to staple the victim’s lips shut after he bashed his head in.  Who knows what this victim could have done that rubbed someone the wrong way.”
    Rilynne finished the last of her beer before dropping her head down on his shoulder and gently running her fingers along his forearm.  “We know she got into a pretty big fight with her husband at some point before she was killed,” Ben offered.  “Maybe he didn’t catch a boat off the island like everyone believed, or Perez was right and he came back after establishing an alibi.  Or he could have hired someone.”
    “You never told me, did you get the results back on that blood test?” she asked.
    “Yeah,” Ben nodded.  “There weren’t any obvious signs she had been exposed to a poison prior to her death.  I will have to run some more extensive test, but it doesn’t look like someone was already poisoning her when she was killed.”
    “Until we have a chance to talk to everyone, we won’t know who did or didn’t have a reason to kill her,” Rilynne stated.  “What I want to know, though, is why she wasn’t just put into the refrigerator.  I know we’ve talked about it before, but it still doesn’t make any sense to me.  The fact that she was left in a popular diving location is also confusing.  I would think that any local would know to leave a body somewhere else.”
    “So maybe the husband did come back and killed her,” Ben said.  “He wouldn’t be as familiar with the island, so he probably wouldn’t know the places to avoid when disposing of a body in the ocean.  Putting her on the outside of the fridge might have been an attempt at ensuring that the sea creatures would make a meal out of the remains.  If she had been in the water any longer, I’m sure that would have been the case.”
    Rilynne processed through everything, pausing briefly to watch a pair of monkeys playing tag in a nearby tree, before sitting back up and turning toward Ben.  “So right now it looks like someone who isn’t familiar with the island with enough rage toward the victim to kill her and also to inflict the post-mortem wounds.  I told you what I felt when I saw those; the killer enjoyed them.  This wasn’t just someone who she rubbed wrong and they acted out in a fit of rage.  This was someone who had so much anger that they wanted to keep hurting her after she was dead, and they took pleasure in doing it.”
    “Speaking of hurting, how’s your wrist?” Ben asked, gently taking it into his hands and looking it over.  “Do you need me to get you any ice?”
    Rilynne shook her head.  “It’s not that bad.  The only time it really bothers me is if I forget and try to use it.  I’m not very eager to find out how it’s going to feel in the morning, though.  I’m sure it will tighten up some more.”
    “Well try soaking it in a hot bath before you get in bed,” he said.  “I tell you what, I’ll even keep you company while you’re in there.”  Without waiting for her to respond, Ben stood and started for the door.  When he reached it, he turned back around.  “Are you coming?”
     

Chapter Six
    H er bare feet crunched the dead leaves coating the ground beneath her.  The trees surrounding her looked dead; their branches stood naked as they gently swayed from side to side.  They seemed to almost be reaching out for her.  Surprisingly, it wasn’t a startling sight.  Instead, she wished they were.  She wanted them to take her away.  The moment the