Betrayal with Murder (A Rilynne Evans Mystery, Book Three) by Jenn Vakey Page A

knots?” Lori asked.
    Rilynne grinned. “Happy knots.”
    After dinner, Rilynne followed Lori back to her house. She tucked Kim into bed and read her a story while Lori took the dog out for a walk. By the time she returned, Kim was already sound asleep and Rilynne was opening a bottle of wine.
    “Did she give you any trouble?” Lori asked as she unhooked the dog.
    “Of course not,” she replied, pouring two glasses and walking into the living room. “She’s an angel. You did an amazing job with that one. I’ve never had such an adult leveled conversation with anyone so young. She really is the smartest child I’ve ever seen.”
    “She’s a clever little thing,” Lori said with a proud grin. “She’s started drawing people with all of the important facial features, as well as cheeks for some reason.”
    “Wow,” she replied after taking a quick sip. “I didn’t think three year olds drew people at all.”
    “They usually don’t. Generally, children don’t start drawing people until four, but don’t start adding features until five,” she explained. “She can also write all of the letters in the alphabet unassisted.”
    “Like I said, smart.” Rilynne held her glass up. “So, I’ve been meaning to ask; what ever happened with that guy you were dating?”
    “Donald?” she asked, though she didn’t wait for a response. “I found out he had another girl friend in Madison. They had apparently been together for close to two years but the distance left him a little lonely.”
    Rilynne drained half of her glass before responding. “That’s horrible,” she stated shortly.
    Lori shrugged. “You tried to warn me that something wasn’t quite right. It’s my fault for not listening.”
    “It’s his fault, not yours,” Rilynne said firmly. She couldn’t help but blaming herself a little, though.
    Shortly before leaving for Addison Valley, Rilynne had a flash of Donald with a petite, dark haired woman. She knew she couldn’t tell Lori what she had seen, so she tried to just convince her something was a bit off. She couldn’t blame her for not leaving him at that, though, because even knowing the truth, Rilynne never saw any sign of it from him. He was remarkably good at covering it up.
    “How did you find you?” Rilynne asked curiously.
    “Apparently, one of her friends was in town and saw us together. She called his girl friend and followed us around while she made the drive in. We were already back here by the time she arrived. She barged right past me when I opened the door and attacked him. I ended up having to arrest her after she took my lamp to his head.” She seemed to be almost chuckling as she finished.
    “Wow, that’s a story every girl wants to tell. You find out your long term boyfriend is cheating on you, then you end up getting arrested by the other woman when you confront him.”
    “I definitely felt bad for her,” she replied as she refilled their glasses. “I don’t think he pressed charges, though. Actually, last I heard he was trying to win her back. I was just glad I got out of it before anything became too serious. I hadn’t even introduced him to Kim yet, which I’m glad about now.”
    “You were together for months,” Rilynne stated. “How on earth did you swing that one?”
    “We would meet for lunch while she was at daycare, and he never came in the house unless she was already asleep,” she explained. “My mother always had men stopping by, and I didn’t want Kim to go through that. When I brought her home from the hospital, I made myself a promise that I wouldn’t bring a man into her life unless things were serious.”
    In a lot of ways, Lori reminded Rilynne of her own mother. Amber had sacrificed a lot to raise Rilynne on her own. She knew that like herself, Kim would never be able to express how much it meant.
    After saying goodnight to Lori, Rilynne took the long way back to her hotel. On the way, she stopped by her old house; the one she had