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

on him unless it was somehow related to a case.”
    Rilynne had known several officers over the years that had delved so deeply into their undercover lives, they were forever changed. Shane Villarreal had been on assignment for over a year, so despite Matthews’ assurances, she knew the possibility was still there.
    “Officer Clark,” he called out over her shoulder. Rilynne spun around in her chair to see a scruffy looking man walking in.
    In lieu of a standard police uniform, he dressed more like a homeless man. His baggy clothes were covered in dirt, and judging by the smell, urine. His hair was long and matted, and equally as dirty. If Matthews had not identified him as an officer, she wouldn’t have been able to pick him out of a line up.
    Matthews directed him toward the conference room at the other side of the office. “Collin Clark, this is Detective Rilynne Evans,” he said as he pulled out a seat for Clark near the door. Rilynne chose the seat across the table from Clark to escape the smell. “What can you tell us about the case Shane has been working on?” he continued.
    “There have been a string of home invasions the last two years, which have been growing increasingly more violent,” he explained. “We’ve been able to tie thirty-nine robberies to the crew based on the M.O. They were all rear entry via a broken window either on or near the back door, with both the power and the phone lines cut. At first, they were knocking on doors to see if the homeowners were home. If someone answered, they would pretend to be selling something and would leave. Lately, though, they don’t seem to care if the home is occupied or not before entering.
    “We managed to flip one of the men in the crew and were able to get Shane in. He’s been working with two low level thugs fencing the stolen property, but he hasn’t been able to identify the ringleaders. The last time I spoke with him he said he thought he was getting close. He sounded really excited.” His last words seemed to hit him hard.
    “If he had found something, who would he have told?” Rilynne asked.
    “He was checking in weekly with the sergeant. If he had anything definite, it’ll be in his reports.” He hesitated before continuing. “He had a couple false leads his first few months on the case, and he told me he wasn’t going to let it happen again. If he just had suspicions about something, he wouldn’t have told the sergeant about it. He always wrote everything down in his journal, though.”
    Matthews jotted a few lines down in his open notepad. “Do you know where we could find his journal?” he asked.
    Clark shook his head. “He would have kept it somewhere no one would be able to find it, but where it would still be easily accessible for him. Start with his undercover apartment or a locker at the gym,” said Clark.
    “When was the last time you spoke with him?” asked Rilynne.
    “Let’s see,” he leaned back in his chair, running his hands over his dirty face as he thought. “Six days ago.”
    “What was his mental state?” she asked. “Did he seem worried about anything?”
    He shook his head quickly. “On the contrary. He was actually pretty excited. He said he thought he would be meeting the men in charge soon. He was eager to get back to his old life, I think. He and Jane had been talking about starting a family just before he went under. Shane said he was ready, and he was actually considering taking a desk job. He knew it would be safer and that it would make Jane happy, which is all he really cared about.”
    “From your observations, how was his relationship with Jane?” Matthews leaned forward uneasily. Rilynne couldn’t help but think it made him uncomfortable sifting though the life of a friend. “I know he was not the type of person to share problems at home, but is there any thing you have observed that would suggest they might have been having problems?”
    Clark fidgeted with the pen that had been