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

.”
    Rilynne joined Matthews in his enjoyment. They were still laughing several minutes later when Officer Vega walked in.
    “Come on in,” Matthews said, walking back to the conference room. “Julio Vega, this is my partner Rilynne Evans. Please, have a seat. No, not that one,” he said pulling the chair Clark had been sitting in toward the back wall. He took his seat on the other side of the table and pulled out his notebook. “Now, I know that you and Shane were really close. What can you tell us?”
    “I don’t know,” he said somberly. “I don’t know why anyone would want to hurt him.”
    “Did he ever talk to you about the case he was working?” Matthews asked.
    “No, I haven’t talked to him much since he went under,” he explained. “I’ve seen him maybe two or three times, but only in passing.”
    Rilynne could see that he still had the same conflict on his face, but like before, she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.
    “We heard that his wife had been upset when he took the assignment. Do you know how their relationship has been since?” Rilynne asked.
    Vega shifted in his seat uncomfortably. “They’ve been working on their problems. The last time I saw Jane she said he was going to take a desk job as soon as he wrapped up the case so they could start a family.”
    “Is there any thing that you have seen in the past with Shane that would explain why he had drugs in his pockets when he was killed?” Matthews asked hesitantly.
    “It must have had something to do with the case,” Vega responded. “Shane’s older sister died of a drug overdose when he was in middle school. It was the reason that he wanted to become a cop. He was determined to keep the drugs off the streets and out of the hands of children. There’s no way that he would ever get involved in that kind of activity.” He was just as confident with his response as Clark had been.
    Matthews sat his pen down and leaned back in his chair. Rilynne had the vague feeling he had also sensed that Vega was holding something back. If he considered bringing it up, he decided against it. “We know that Shane kept a journal. Do you know where he would have kept it?” he finally asked.
    Vega shook his head. “He never mentioned it to me.”
    “Okay, well that’s all for now,” Matthews said, rising from his seat. “Find us if you think of anything else.”
    Matthews and Rilynne stayed in the conference room when Vega walked out. When he had rounded the corner out of the detective’s office, Rilynne sat back down in her seat. “So you noticed it, too.” It wasn’t a question.
    He let out a long sigh, running his hands over his face. “That he was hiding something?” he asked. “Yeah, I noticed it.” He leaned back in his chair and stared up at the ceiling in quiet contemplation. “Let’s check the duty logs,” he said several moments later. “I don’t believe he could have had anything to do with Shane’s death, but let’s make sure.”
    “What’s the story with the two of them?” Rilynne asked.
    “They grew up next door to each other, and have been friends since they could both walk. When Shane decided to become a cop, Julio followed suit,” he said. “Julio was even the best man at Shane and Jane’s wedding. I’ve never seen two men closer. They were really more like brothers than friends.”
    Rilynne left Matthews glaring up at the ceiling as she walked back to her desk. She had just pulled up the duty log on her computer when the phone rang.
    “This is Evans,” she said, pulling the receiver to her ear.
    “Detective Evans, this is Dr. Andrews. I wanted to let you know that I have just finished the autopsy on Shane Villarreal.”
    “Good. What did you find?” she asked pulling out her notebook.
    “Well,” he said. “He was shot three times at close range. The first two shots were made while he was standing. The one to the shoulder was a through and through, and the second hit him in the chest.