Free Wanted with Murder (A Rilynne Evans Mystery, Book Five) by Jenn Vakey

the wall. Just as she did, she saw her own face flash across the screen.
    As if a switch was flipped, the entire room went silent. Rilynne had only seen it happen once before, and it had resulted in a bar fight. Her jaw dropped as the voice coming through the television filled the room.
    “It has just been confirmed that Detective Rilynne Evans, a member of the Addison Valley Police Department, has been named a person of interest in the murder of Marshal Teich,” the news anchor stated.
    “Marshal Teich is the man responsible for the murder of the tourist, Andrew Fields, earlier this week. His body, along with that of one other man, was discovered in his apartment by a neighbor two days ago.
    “A source inside the police department has confirmed that the weapon used to kill both men was registered to Detective Evans. It is unknown at this time if the weapon was still in the possession of the detective when it was used in the murder, but as we said, Detective Evans has been named a person of interest.”
    Almost simultaneously, all eyes in the bar shifted from the television to Rilynne. Unlike the looks she received from her fellow detectives, these did not hold understanding and support. They were accusing and judging. Her chest tightened as she felt a wave of panic overtaking her. “I should go,” she found herself saying, still looking around at the curious crowd.
    “Screw them,” Steele said. “This is our bar. Don’t let them make you feel like you aren’t welcome. If they actually believe that nonsense, they can leave.”
    Ben placed his hand gently on her shoulder, but it didn’t ease her desire to run as fast as she could out the door. “No,” she said, trying to keep her voice steady. “I’ve got a lot of stuff I need to do tonight. We were just stopping in to see if you had made any progress.”
    She avoided their eyes as she pushed her chair back. “Let me know if there’s anything you need my help with. You guys have a good night.”
    Without waiting for a response, she turned and walked out of the bar, Ben following close behind her.
    “Don’t let it get to you,” Ben said. He had to jog to catch up to her. “As soon as this is all cleared up, no one will even remember any of this. It will all blow over soon.”
    “And what if it doesn’t?” she asked abruptly. She stopped in her tracked and turned to face him, causing him to almost collide with her. “What if we can’t find who’s responsible for this? Even if I’m removed from the suspect list, there will always be a cloud of suspicion hanging over me. People will always be wondering in the back of their minds if I actually killed a man and got away with it. And what if I’m not cleared? We’ve both seen people convicted with less evidence.”
    He cupped her face in his hands and stared deeply into her eyes. “Listen to me,” he said firmly. “I don’t care if they dig up someone who swears up and down they witnessed you killing those men. We are going to get this figured out and clear your name. If anyone can, it’s you. You just can’t give up.”
    Rilynne opened her mouth to argue, but knew there was no point. He was right. If she let herself give in to the anxiety bubbling inside of her, there would be no chance of her seeing anything useful. With the evidence piling up against her, it was likely to be the only hope she would have.
    He slid his fingers down her arm and took her by the hand. She followed him to the car, and neither spoke another word before they pulled up in front of her house ten minutes later.
    Rilynne climbed out of the passenger side and started to the front door. She only made if half way up the walkway when Ben again took her by the hand. “Come on,” he said, leading her around the side of the house. Rilynne didn’t question him as they walked through her back yard and out the gate. She followed him without thought as they stepped through the tree line.
    Unlike the last time they had made that