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Book: Suspicions with Murder (A Rilynne Evans Mystery, Book Four) by Jenn Vakey
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Authors: Jenn Vakey
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entrance and provided the perfect vantage point to see what was going on below.
“Come on,” Nancy said, excitement flowing through her voice.
Rilynne let out a resigned sigh as she succumbed to the fact it would be impossible to get a look around the house until Nancy was thoroughly distracted.
She leaned against the rail and watched the guests arriving. She was surprised at how many of them she actually recognized. One of the first cars to pull up held the chief of police. The next several cars belonged to the mayor, chief of surgery and his wife, and… Ben.
Chapter Six
S he couldn’t believe what she was seeing. More shocking than the fact that he was at the Lewis’ fundraiser was what he was wearing. She had never seen him in anything more formal than khakis and a button up, but as she looked down at him, she could see he was in a full tuxedo.
“Wow,” she gasped. After the initial shock from his appearance, she was overcome with confusion as to why he was there. She understood the other guests, because they were prominent figures in the community, but Ben was-Ben.
“What?” Nancy asked as she walked up next to her. “Not used to seeing so many important people? Oh, that one’s cute,” she said excitedly as she looked down at Ben. “Maybe I should head down there and make myself visible. I was hoping to hang out with Danny, but he seems to have disappeared. Besides, a girl’s got to keep her options open. How great would it be to catch a guy like that?”
The moment Nancy turned away, Ben looked up and gave her a quick wink. She looked down at him curiously, but he just grinned and walked inside. As much as she wanted to go downstairs to try and get a moment alone with him, she knew this might be her only opportunity to get a good look at the underground tunnels.
Luckily, Rilynne didn’t meet anyone before reaching the conservatory at the end of the east wing. She had only seen the tunnel entrance in the kitchen, but she knew it would be nearly impossible to slip in undetected. She considered going in through the west wing entrance, but she was more likely to be spotted by a member of the staff while she searched for the door.
It only took her a few minutes to find the door hidden behind a curtain on the back wall and slip through it. The lights in the tunnel were motion activated, so as soon as she stepped onto the staircase, it lit up brightly.
She examined the stairs carefully as she made her way down, but quickly decided they couldn’t have been the stairs the victim fell down. These stairs were carpeted and would have been left with visible stains if any blood had fallen on them. Though there was the possibility the carpet could have just been replaced since the incident, she found it unlikely as there were distinctive wear patterns from what appeared to be years of use.
The hallway itself was nothing like the dark, dank tunnel she’d imagined. If she hadn’t known better, she would have thought it was just another hall in the house. Faux windows had been installed, which depicted the property surrounding the manor. There were also fake doors put in every twenty feet, making it look almost comfortable.
She moved slowly down the long hall, pulling everything she could find in an attempt to find a hidden panel. She was almost disappointed when she reached the other end without finding anything. Not because she hoped to find where Brittney could have been removed, but because she had always wanted to find a secret passageway in a house.
It took an hour for her to completely examine the hall and immerge in the linen closet near the staff bedrooms. Instead of going straight to her room, she decided to take a detour to the ballroom to see if she could find Ben.
When she walked in, she found Nancy lingering behind the potted bamboo palms just inside the door.
“Decided to scope out the market too, I see,” Nancy said. Though she had a smile on her face, her tone said she wasn’t
“Come on,” Nancy said, excitement flowing through her voice.
Rilynne let out a resigned sigh as she succumbed to the fact it would be impossible to get a look around the house until Nancy was thoroughly distracted.
She leaned against the rail and watched the guests arriving. She was surprised at how many of them she actually recognized. One of the first cars to pull up held the chief of police. The next several cars belonged to the mayor, chief of surgery and his wife, and… Ben.
Chapter Six
S he couldn’t believe what she was seeing. More shocking than the fact that he was at the Lewis’ fundraiser was what he was wearing. She had never seen him in anything more formal than khakis and a button up, but as she looked down at him, she could see he was in a full tuxedo.
“Wow,” she gasped. After the initial shock from his appearance, she was overcome with confusion as to why he was there. She understood the other guests, because they were prominent figures in the community, but Ben was-Ben.
“What?” Nancy asked as she walked up next to her. “Not used to seeing so many important people? Oh, that one’s cute,” she said excitedly as she looked down at Ben. “Maybe I should head down there and make myself visible. I was hoping to hang out with Danny, but he seems to have disappeared. Besides, a girl’s got to keep her options open. How great would it be to catch a guy like that?”
The moment Nancy turned away, Ben looked up and gave her a quick wink. She looked down at him curiously, but he just grinned and walked inside. As much as she wanted to go downstairs to try and get a moment alone with him, she knew this might be her only opportunity to get a good look at the underground tunnels.
Luckily, Rilynne didn’t meet anyone before reaching the conservatory at the end of the east wing. She had only seen the tunnel entrance in the kitchen, but she knew it would be nearly impossible to slip in undetected. She considered going in through the west wing entrance, but she was more likely to be spotted by a member of the staff while she searched for the door.
It only took her a few minutes to find the door hidden behind a curtain on the back wall and slip through it. The lights in the tunnel were motion activated, so as soon as she stepped onto the staircase, it lit up brightly.
She examined the stairs carefully as she made her way down, but quickly decided they couldn’t have been the stairs the victim fell down. These stairs were carpeted and would have been left with visible stains if any blood had fallen on them. Though there was the possibility the carpet could have just been replaced since the incident, she found it unlikely as there were distinctive wear patterns from what appeared to be years of use.
The hallway itself was nothing like the dark, dank tunnel she’d imagined. If she hadn’t known better, she would have thought it was just another hall in the house. Faux windows had been installed, which depicted the property surrounding the manor. There were also fake doors put in every twenty feet, making it look almost comfortable.
She moved slowly down the long hall, pulling everything she could find in an attempt to find a hidden panel. She was almost disappointed when she reached the other end without finding anything. Not because she hoped to find where Brittney could have been removed, but because she had always wanted to find a secret passageway in a house.
It took an hour for her to completely examine the hall and immerge in the linen closet near the staff bedrooms. Instead of going straight to her room, she decided to take a detour to the ballroom to see if she could find Ben.
When she walked in, she found Nancy lingering behind the potted bamboo palms just inside the door.
“Decided to scope out the market too, I see,” Nancy said. Though she had a smile on her face, her tone said she wasn’t
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