The Bone Harvest

by Stacy M Jones

  Hope looked directly at Cooper and started slowly, “I worked in this library when I was going to school here. Jordan would come in all the time. I think she spent more time here when she wasn’t in class than she did anywhere else.”

  “That’s true,” Adele interrupted. “She always said she was here more than in her dorm.”

  Hope nodded. “She was and she sat at the same table.” Hope pointed to a table across the aisle and two rows down from where they sat. “Jordan was here so much I think other people knew it was her spot because no one ever sat there in the evening. Sometimes Jordan would read upstairs, but more than not, she was at that table.”

  “You said you thought you knew who took her?” Adele prodded.

  “Right, I do. Probably a month before Jordan went missing, one of the professors… well, he wasn’t really a professor. He was a lecturer. Michael Hayes was his name. He must have struck up a conversation with Jordan at some point because when she was here, he would often show up and they’d talk.”

  “What is a lecturer?” Cooper was a bit fuzzy on the term. He had no idea how that differed from a regular university professor.

  It was Adele who answered. “A lecturer is someone who may teach a class or two but isn’t a professor working full-time at the university. They often have another job and expertise in a subject. Many focus on research, too.”

  “Would they move around from university to university?”

  “They could. Some teach at different universities or even online. Some will move around depending on their research or specialty.”

  Cooper wondered how that might fit the killer’s pattern. He fits in a university environment, knows several universities and kills unnoticed in different locations. It clicked for Cooper and he was anxious to hear more.

  Leaning into the table, Cooper encouraged, “Tell me about this Michael Hayes, everything you can remember.”

  “Michael was young then, probably not more than thirty years old. I don’t have any background on him. I don’t know where he got his degrees or where he was from. I do know that after Jordan went missing, I never saw him again, the rest of that term or any other. He had taught one class, an American history class.”

  Hope corrected herself. “It wasn’t really a class. It was more like a lecture series. They were open to everyone, both faculty, and students. I think they even had some open to the whole community. Michael was an expert on the Civil War or something like that. I’m not sure I’m remembering correctly. But anyway, he started coming to the library at the same time as Jordan, and they were friendly with each other.”

  “My sister was studying to be a doctor. She was taking biology, calculus, chemistry. She had no interest in history,” Adele countered. “I wonder what they talked about.”

  “Do you think Michael had a romantic interest in Jordan?” Cooper suggested.

  “I did think that at first, but I didn’t think that Jordan would have been interested. She was all about her studies. Maybe she just enjoyed the attention. Michael was an attractive guy. He was pulled together, well-spoken and intelligent.”

  “This is all interesting,” Cooper acknowledged, but he still wasn’t connecting the dots. “Why do you think this guy took Jordan?”

  “Well, the thing is, most times he’d come into the library right through the front door like anyone else. Other times, I’d see him in here, but had no memory of him coming in. At the time, one of the other women who worked here also commented that Michael was in the library, but she wasn’t sure how he came in. Finally, we figured maybe he was slipping in the side staff entrance.”

  “Could professors and other university staff come in that way?”

  “No, it was just library staff.” Hope frowned. “I noticed that he wouldn’t always come to Jordan’s table though. Sometimes, he’d call her to the back. Cooper, you know those steps you walked down towards the basement, which also goes outside? That’s where I mean.”

  Cooper turned to look at the back hallway. There was room to stand there talking, but the door to the stairway was right there. As he found the day before, all he had to do was walk down a flight of stairs and there was the door that opened to the delivery entrance.

  “Do you think he was trying to hide being here or was he just walking in the easiest way without realizing he was supposed to use the main door?”

  Hope folded her arms across her like she was cold, but the temperature was comfortable to Cooper. “I don’t know. He kind of lurked around here so I used to think at the time maybe he didn’t want anyone to know he was here. Once someone even saw Jordan and him talking in the basement.”

  “That’s odd.” Adele looked at Cooper, but he didn’t have anything to offer.

  Cooper wasn’t sure where Hope was going with this still. “Tell me about the day Jordan went missing,” he directed gently.

  Hope shifted in her seat. “I wasn’t working, but I was here studying. I was trying to find a book in one of the stacks upstairs. I happened to look down and there was Michael coming out of the back hall. The library was fairly empty at that time of night. He approached Jordan but didn’t sit down. He said something to her and she followed him. I watched them walk through the back and then they were out of sight. I didn’t think much of it at the time. Looking back that was the last time I ever saw her.”

  They were all quiet for several moments. Adele asked, “Did you know Jordan went missing right away?”

  “No,” Hope said sadly. “That was part of the problem. I didn’t know for nearly a week. And even when I found out, it was probably another few weeks until I learned she had gone missing from the library. I didn’t even connect it was that same night for a while, but thinking back, I realized I hadn’t seen her since that night. I immediately went to my advisor and then a school administrator. They both told me that Jordan ran away. They assured me that the lecturer was probably just talking to Jordan. I remember one of them telling me she saw Jordan at one of his lectures. I didn’t think anything of it at first, but it’s bothered me ever since. Especially because he was gone right after Jordan.”

  “You didn’t see him on campus or back in the library after Jordan disappeared?” Cooper asked. He had taken out a small black notebook and jotted down notes.

  “No, at the time I thought it was strange. He was just gone.”

  “Couldn’t his lecture series have just been completed?” Adele suggested. She pinched the bridge of her nose. Cooper wasn’t sure if it was stress or agitation.

  “That’s what everyone told me, which is why I didn’t think about it, but there’s something else. When I went back to find all the information on that semester’s lecture series, it was scrubbed. I couldn’t find a thing. Other lecturers who were here that year, yes, but nothing for Michael Hayes. It was like he didn’t even exist.”

  CHAPTER 57

  I curled up in an oversized chair my mother had bought for my bedroom when I was in college. It was the most comfortable chair I had ever sat in and the oldest thing in the bedroom. My mother had bought a new bed and made some slight changes to the room sometime after I officially moved out. Even with the changes, it still felt like my bedroom.

  After Liv and I discovered her journal, she spent at least an hour worrying about how she could have died that night. I tried to calm her down and reassure her, but I was just as freaked out as she was thinking about how horribly it could have gone.

  I had called Jack to see if he had any old photos of Michael Bauer in the files. He told me he’d search. In the meantime, I would search for the man online. I also needed to see if Luke could send me the composite sketch to see if anyone looked familiar to Liv. Not that I thought she’d recognize him after all this time. She certainly couldn’t be considered a reliable witness, but her memory of the man was similar enough to the killer Luke caught on surveillance video.

  Before my mother came home, we had decided to leave her in the dark about Liv’s discovery. My sister wasn’t too keen on disclo
sing, even after all these years, that she had snuck out that night. Telling my mother Liv had potentially caught sight of the killer and was possibly the last person to have seen the victim alive was not high up on the list of things either of us wanted to share. We played it cool when my mother had arrived home and my sister left shortly after. My mother was in her room now watching television, and I was waiting for Luke to call.

  He had texted me when he left the station and indicated he had a small break in the case. I was excited to hear and to share with him what my sister had told me. I tried reading a book to distract myself. I had even texted Cooper, but he hadn’t responded.

  Before my patience completely ran out, my phone rang. I clicked to accept the call and blurted, “I think my sister saw the killer and was possibly the last person to see the victim alive.” I had held it in for so long, it all came rushing out at once.

  There was silence on the other end of the phone. I’m sure Luke was processing and taking it in. After a few seconds, I heard the shock in his voice. “Tell me everything and then I’ll fill you in on what’s happening here.”

  I spent the next twenty minutes going over every detail of my day and capping it with my sister’s discovery. “I feel so lucky that she was safe that night. I don’t know if anything will come of it, but it’s another bit of information we didn’t have before. I feel like we are building slowly over time. That cemetery though is creepier than I remembered.”

  Luke laughed. “I didn’t think you believe in ghosts.”

  “I don’t know if I do or not, but it’s not someplace I want to spend time regardless. We got talking though and I agree with Jack that the killer had scoped out the spot and knew the area. But enough of this case, tell me what you know.”

  Luke detailed for me what he found out from Katie and Megan. I agreed with his assessment that Katie must have had some contact with the killer beforehand whether she knew it or not. It made me wonder if the case here was similar.

  Luke finished by saying, “Captain Meadows wouldn’t let you interview Katie anyway, but I wish you were here. I think you could probably get more out of her than I can. She seems like a tough nut to crack.”

  “Does she have money?” I asked. Dusty came into my room at that moment seeking my attention. I patted his head and rubbed behind his ears the way he liked.

  “She acts like she has money, but I don’t really know. I think I should probably talk to some of the other girls first and see if I can get them to crack before taking another swing at Katie. Why did you ask if she had money?”

  “I was thinking that if she came from money, she might feel a little more entitled and that’s why she’s being so defiant with you. But maybe not, it was just a thought.”

  “What do you think about me interviewing the other girls first?”

  “I like it. Do you think Megan can tell you who the weakest girls are? She would know who might crack first. If you have a bunch of statements, it’s going to be harder for Katie to lie.”

  “True,” Luke said agreeing. “I can always use the drugs if I have to, but I’d rather not go that direction. I’m not looking to arrest her unless I find out she has a direct connection to the murder. I just want to know what she knows.”

  I shifted in my chair, tucking my feet underneath me. I pulled the blanket around me a little tighter. I stifled a yawn and asked, “How are you doing? I know you were pretty stressed coming back from Fayetteville. Are you in your groove yet?”

  “I’m getting there. I feel like we are getting some lucky breaks. I just hope they continue. It would be better if you were here.”

  I smiled. I knew how Luke felt about me and how much he loved me, but it was good to hear. “I wish I was there, too. But it’s not as bad being back home as I thought it would be.”

  Luke grunted in response. I heard movement like Luke was changing clothes or moving the phone around. “What are you doing?”

  “Getting into bed. I just took a shower. I figured talking to you was the last thing I’d do tonight. I like hearing your voice before I fall asleep. Tomorrow I’ve got a rough day interviewing those girls.”

  “Just be your charming self, and I’m sure they will be falling all over themselves for you.”

  “You think I’m charming?” Luke asked, his voice husky and low.

  “Of course, I think you’re charming. Sexy, too.”

  “What are you wearing?”

  I looked down at my gray shorts and tee-shirt. Not sexy in the least. I knew Luke well enough to know what his mood was when his voice was low like that. I wondered where this conversation was heading. Not that I was opposed to a little dirty talking but my mother was right down the hall. I got up, moving Dusty as I went, and closed the door.

  “What are you thinking about?” I used the sexiest voice I could muster.

  It was met with silence.

  “Luke?” I asked and waited. “Luke, are you there?”

  Luke snored softly. I laughed aloud and then worried I woke my mother. Here I thought we were going to have a little fun and he fell asleep on me. Even Dusty looked at me with a doglike smirk.

  CHAPTER 58

  The next morning Luke was ready to go. He had a game plan in place to interview the girls. From what Megan had told them, Luke knew he had enough leverage. Just like the day before, none of the girls had answered their phones or returned his earlier calls. He’d have to track them down.

  Luke had picked Det. Tyler up at the station, and after grabbing some coffee, they hit the university’s administration office to obtain each of the girls’ class schedules. The woman behind the desk hesitated for only a second. Tyler reminded her nicely that a freshman had been murdered and they should do everything in their power to cooperate. She relented and took each of the girls’ names.

  Within minutes, the woman had clicked her keyboard, walked to the printer and returned, holding out several pages of class schedules. She even offered them a campus map so they could find the buildings easier. Luke and Tyler set off in different directions to interview each of the girls. There were seven in total not including Katie and Megan. They split the list in half with Luke taking four and Tyler taking three.

  Luke walked clear across the campus until he found the humanities building. Once inside, he checked his watch. Five minutes left until the class period ended. He found the classroom and stood outside the door. Within minutes, the doors of all the rooms opened and a wave of university students rushed towards him. Luke had no idea what the girl looked like. He hadn’t planned for these many students at once. Luke needed to find Amelia. He did the best thing he could think of and called her name loudly in the hallway.

  A kid in a gray sweater pointed to a girl who had already walked by Luke. He nodded his head to the kid in thanks and followed after the girl. Luke caught her as she took the stairs down to the front door of the building.

  “Excuse me, Amelia,” Luke called. He reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. She jumped under his touch. “I need to speak with you.”

  She looked up at Luke. She didn’t argue. “We can meet over there,” Amelia said, pointing to a bench under a tree not far off from the building.

  As they sat, Amelia asked, “Are you a lawyer?”

  “No. Why would you need a lawyer?”

  Amelia didn’t respond. Luke pointed to the badge on his hip. “I’m with the Little Rock Police Department. I’m Det. Lucas Morgan. I’m here to talk about Cristina.”

  Amelia immediately got up to leave.

  Luke reached his hand out to her arm. “You don’t have to talk to me if you don’t want to, but some of the other girls already have. I know about the drugs. I know quite a few things. All I need from you is to confirm it.”

  That was the approach Luke and Tyler had agreed upon that morning. If they went into the interviews acting like they already knew everything, Luke hoped they’d confirm Megan’s story. Luke hoped that once they got the girls talking maybe they’d provide some other de
tails.

  Amelia asked with hesitation in her voice, “Who told you?”

  “I’m not at liberty to share that with you. We’ve talked to enough of the girls that your stories add up. You’re better off just telling me what you know.”

  Amelia wavered. She took a step to walk away and then turned back. She looked at Luke and the spot next to him on the bench.

  “If you didn’t hurt Cristina, you don’t have anything to worry about. I have no reason to believe you’ve done anything wrong. I just need to make sure that I have a full understanding of what happened that night from all of you.”

  Amelia came over and sat. She folded her hands in her lap, but wouldn’t look at Luke. Frustrated, she said, “I didn’t even want to go out that night. I had a paper to write. Katie kept bugging me to come along. Then she got this idea that we should all do ecstasy.”

  Amelia looked Luke directly in the eyes. “I don’t do drugs, Detective. My parents would kill me if they knew. Katie said it was fun. All the other girls were doing it. I thought okay just this once. I did have fun until Cristina started acting weird.”

  Luke held his hand up to stop her. “Before you feed me a lie, we know Katie encouraged all of you to tell the cops the same thing. That Cristina was sick and she left. We know that’s not the real story. Why don’t you tell me the real story?”

  Amelia protested, but Luke held firm. When she still didn’t say anything, Luke cautioned, “You can get in trouble lying to the cops. You might need that lawyer then. Is Katie worth getting in trouble? You’re worried about your parents finding out about the drugs. I don’t think they would take well to you lying to the police.”

  “Katie said she was going to call a lawyer for us if we needed. That’s who I thought you were,” Amelia said finally.

  “Why would you need a lawyer?”

  Amelia bit her fingernail. “I don’t really know. Katie has been acting really strange. She told us all what to say, and then she said we’d all get in trouble if we didn’t say exactly that. I don’t know what we’d get in trouble for, to be honest. I thought the drugs, but then she told us she told you about that.”