Adele rubbed her forehead. “Why didn’t my sister tell anyone that he was bothering her?”
Cooper turned the desk chair to face her. He said gently, “Maybe he wasn’t bothering her. I know everyone thinks of your sister as a bookworm, totally focused on her studies. I’m not saying she wasn’t. Is there a chance Jordan could have simply liked the attention?”
Adele balked at the idea.
“Think about it,” Cooper encouraged. “Jordan didn’t have many friends. She wasn’t really experiencing university like most freshmen. Here was a man who was taking an interest in her. I’m sure a lot of university freshmen would have felt flattered. It doesn’t mean your sister did something wrong.”
“I know,” Adele groaned. She made eye contact with Cooper. “We were raised pretty sheltered. I’m sure she was flattered by the attention. I just wish it hadn’t gotten her killed.”
Big fat tears spilled down Adele’s face. Cooper wasn’t sure what to do. He hesitated for only a few seconds and then went over to her and sat on the edge of the bed near the chair. Cooper reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. Adele put her hand on top of Cooper’s. The two sat there like that for a few minutes while Adele cried.
After a few moments, Adele pulled herself together. She chided herself for the outburst and smiled at Cooper. “I really appreciate your support in this. I’ve not had any help with my sister’s case. I’ve been carrying this alone for a long time. My parents are older. They don’t like to talk about it. Friends and work colleagues treat me like I have the plague. Like if I talk about it, it could happen to them. I really appreciate you just being here.”
Cooper felt oddly comfortable with Adele. “I do know what you mean. When my friend Luke lost his sister, I felt paralyzed. There wasn’t much I could do, but it wasn’t my loss. I knew Lily and cared about her, but I wasn’t family. I’ve always felt like I had to keep it together for Luke, but I was grieving, too. I felt the loss, not like he did, but I felt it. It’s been hard especially the times over the years Luke has tried to look into the case. He loses himself completely. I feel a sense of obligation to help get this solved, not just for your family but for Luke’s and all the others.”
Adele gave him a sad smile. “You’re a good friend. Luke is lucky to have you.”
Cooper stood, feeling uncomfortable by his admission. “We aren’t going to solve this by sitting around feeling sorry for ourselves. Let’s try to track down Michael Hayes.”
Adele reached for his hand and squeezed it. “It’s okay to have feelings, you know. We both can’t be tough all the time. You seem like one of those guys who avoid emotions at all cost.”
Cooper ran a hand through his hair. “You caught me. I’m the strong silent type.” He laughed at his own joke.
Adele laughed, too. “Let’s find Hayes.”
Cooper sat down at the desk and Adele pulled up her chair. Together they searched several websites and social media platforms but were coming up with nothing. There was no Michael Hayes to be found that matched his description and background. If Hayes was just about thirty in 1993, Cooper figured the man would be in his mid-fifties now. They were coming up with a blank.
“It’s like he doesn’t exist,” Adele said frustrated.
“He exists. I’ll start looking at some of the universities on the list and see if they have heard of a Michael Hayes. I’m going to ask specifically for the years of each murder. If we can’t track him down now, at least we can see if he had a connection to other colleges.”
Adele checked her watch. “That’s a great idea. I have to head to my office for a bit. Call me if you find anything. Can we meet tomorrow?”
“Sure.” Cooper walked her to his door.
Standing in the hall, Adele reached up and gave Cooper a hug. “I really do appreciate all you’re doing to help me.” Adele kissed him on the cheek before she turned and left.
Cooper stood there for several moments. He traced his fingers along his cheek where Adele’s kiss had lingered. There was a chemistry between them Cooper hadn’t been expecting. Not that it meant anything or was something he was going to explore. It just surprised him.
Cooper watched Adele walk down the hall. Before stepping onto the elevator, she turned and waved. Cooper waved back and then stepped into the room, the door sliding closed behind him.
Cooper rubbed his eyes and yawned. This case was taking a toll. Years of not finding answers and running into dead ends were catching up with him. Cooper picked up his cellphone and stared at it. He wasn’t sure who to call. He pulled Luke up in his contacts but didn’t have much solid to report. Cooper tossed the phone back on the bed and went back to his computer.
For the next couple of hours, Cooper called each university where a victim had gone missing. He pretended to do a background check on Michael Hayes for future employment. Many of the universities had not heard of him or Cooper was routed to human resource personnel who would need to get back to him with employment dates. That’s all Cooper needed to verify. He just needed to know if Michael Hayes was teaching any lectures at the universities the same years the victims went missing.
In the end, Cooper confirmed that Michael Hayes was at four of the universities the same years that victims went missing. It was not enough to convict the man, but Cooper felt a growing confidence in his gut. He finally felt like he was on the right track.
CHAPTER 65
Hours after the interview with Katie, Luke still reeled from the girl’s coldness in playing a part in someone’s murder. Luke had even contemplated arresting her, but Det. Tyler and Captain Meadows had talked him out of it. Both believed that while Katie was cold, they didn’t think she meant any real harm to come to anyone. They agreed that no good would come from arresting her right now. They convinced Luke they were right. Even though Luke was uncomfortable with letting Katie off the hook, he made the strategic investigative decision to let it ride for now. Luke swore though that he still considered arresting her.
Before Katie was driven home by Det. Tyler, because Luke could not stand another second looking at her, he had confiscated her cellphone. He put an immediate call into her cell provider with a warrant for all call and text records. Katie provided Luke the number the killer had been texting from, but Luke hadn’t done anything with it yet. He was biding his time. His plan was to hold on to the phone and see if any texts came in from the killer.
Luke clicked through files on his computer, not even sure what he hoped to find. He was so focused on what was in front of him, it took him a moment to register that Captain Meadows slid a bagged letter across his desk. “This came in while you were interviewing Katie. It’s postmarked from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.”
Luke cursed. He turned the bag right side up and took in the killer’s now-familiar handwriting.
Lucas,
You disappoint me. I thought you would have made some progress by now. I’ve been watching the news carefully and you seem to have absolutely no leads. I know you may be keeping clues close to the vest, but you seem no further along than when we started this little game. I thought you were a worthy adversary. You’ve disappointed me greatly. You’ve let your sister down once again. The mouse only lets the cat chase for so long before he grows tired and retreats back to his home. I say farewell for now. Better luck next year on the harvest fields.
The Professor
Captain Meadows studied Luke’s face carefully as he read the letter. Luke felt his boss eyeing him with each word he read. When Luke was done, he had a smile on his face. “He thinks he’s won. He really has no idea that we have as much information as we have.”
“I thought you’d like that.” Captain Meadows sat at Tyler’s desk. “What’s your plan now?”
Luke held up Katie’s cellphone. “I’m going to figure out what I want to say and text him, pretending to be Katie. I’ve got a call into the provider so we can ping the location. He moves around so much, I need up to the minute info. We know he was here. We need to know where he is now. It
looks like he’s moving north. A letter postmarked from Georgia and now Pennsylvania. First, though, I’m going to the bar to see if anyone interreacted with this guy and see if there is surveillance coverage. The uniformed cops said no when they checked the bar, but I want to confirm for myself.”
“Do me a favor and call Gabe in Fayetteville first. I want to see if we have any leads from the dark web.”
“Will do.”
Captain Meadows got up. He made it across the room and turned back to Luke. “Get some rest, too. I don’t want this case consuming your life.”
“No worries, Cap. I’ve got it under control this time.”
“That’s what I like to hear.”
As soon as Captain Meadows was gone, Luke put a call into Gabe. The detective was quick to answer, but unfortunately, said everything was fairly quiet in the chat rooms. He promised Luke they’d keep at it. He also told Luke that Aaron Roberts produced a solid alibi for Friday night. He had been in Texas and was nowhere near Little Rock.
Before they hung up, Luke was struck with an idea. He asked Gabe to take another crack at Aaron Roberts related to his sister’s case and see if the man was hiding any skeletons in his closet. Maybe Roberts was nothing more than one of the killer’s helpers like Katie and the two men. Maybe that was why he drove Lily home that night. At least if Gabe was digging around in the man’s past, Luke hoped they might stumble on something. Gabe agreed.
Luke gathered his things and left the station. He drove to the bar the girls had been at the night Cristina went missing. Along the route, he checked for security cameras but nothing jumped out.
Luke rolled up to the dive bar and was surprised to see cars in the lot. It was early still and the place didn’t strike him as somewhere people went until late into the night. They had no food menu. The drinks were cheap and the clientele ran from locals to university kids. Luke always thought it was kind of an after the regular bar kind of place.
Luke pulled open the door and the six men inside, sitting on barstools, turned to look at him. It was like Luke was interrupting some sort of meeting. As Luke took a step inside, they all turned back to their drinks. Most of them looked older than Luke. He’d probably place them well into their fifties and beyond.
Luke slid up to the bar and motioned for the bartender. Luke flashed his badge and handed him the photo and composite sketch. “I’m looking into the disappearance and murder of the university student. This was the last place she was seen. We have reason to believe a man abducted her after leaving this bar. From our understanding, he was here at the same time. Does he look familiar?”
The bartender studied the photo and sketch, taking each one and lifting it to his eyes, then setting it back down. He handed both back to Luke. “I’ve seen him for sure. I don’t know his name. He’s been in a few times. He doesn’t drink, which I thought was odd. Why come to a bar, especially here, and not drink?”
“What do you mean he doesn’t drink? Does he just sit here?”
“He orders a beer but nurses it until it gets warm. A couple of times, he’s carried it to the bathroom with him. When he came back, the bottle was empty. I didn’t catch on at first, but it’s a small place, and he’s kind of an odd guy.”
It didn’t surprise Luke that the guy didn’t drink. Most people who thrive on control don’t do things that let their inhibitions slip. “You got any surveillance in here?”
“No, we never did. I tried to get the owner to install it, but he’s too cheap. Look at the place though. It’s falling down. We aren’t going high-tech now.”
“Understood.” Luke looked around the bar, hoping something would strike him out of the ordinary but there was nothing. It was small. He imagined when it got crowded people were elbow to elbow.
The bartender poured one of the patrons a drink and then wiped down the counter. Luke called out to him. “You ever talk to the guy? Find out anything about him?”
“Not really. The guy was in here maybe three or four times. He’d sit, nurse a drink. He might have talked to other patrons but otherwise, he kept to himself.”
Luke’s attention diverted to a man at the end of the bar who had interrupted the conversation. Luke looked down the length of the bar at him. “I didn’t catch what you said.”
The man got up from his seat and walked towards Luke. He took the photos out of Luke’s hand and appraised them. He handed them back. “I’ve talked to him. He’s not from around here. He’s from up north.”
“How do you know that?”
“I heard him on the phone once. I caught a couple of words. When he was done, I asked him where he was from because it wasn’t the south.”
“What was his response?”
“He looked like I scared him. Like he was really surprised anyone noticed. My wife is from the northeast, and you know as sure as I’m standing here, that accent isn’t easily hidden.”
“Did he say anything?”
“He got a real sly smile on his face after a couple of seconds and then told me he was from the home of Uncle Sam.”
Luke raised his eyebrows. “Uncle Sam? Like the guy with the white beard on the posters?”
“That would be the one.”
“Where would that be?” Luke had no idea what that meant. The home of Uncle Sam. Luke thought he was a fictional character, some general representation of the government or something.
“Don’t know. I thought he’d lost his damn mind.”
CHAPTER 66
Jack and Frank picked me up in front of my house. As soon as I sat in the backseat, I detailed everything I had found on Michael Bauer including his education, background and that he often lectures at universities each summer and fall.
I explained, “Michael Bauer is fifty-five years old and has been lecturing since his twenties when he was a Ph.D. candidate. He primarily travels in the northeast and south with occasional trips to the west. He’s highly intelligent, from Troy, and comes from a family of considerable wealth. He could easily be the killer.”
Frank turned around to look at me from the passenger seat. “That’s kind of a jump. Those are some interesting facts, but you got anything else?”
“No,” I said dejectedly. “I only just started looking through. I have to cross-reference universities he’s lectured at with dates of murders, but I thought it was a good start.”
“It is,” Jack admitted. He switched lanes on the bridge to turn onto the highway. “Let’s get the interview with Shawn Westin over and we can talk more.”
Frank dug around in the bag he had on his lap. He pulled out a file folder and handed it back to me. “We have everything in there. Shawn went back south for a few months after graduation. He came back though and got a job in Albany. He commuted by train to New York City to take graduate courses at Columbia. He’s unmarried, works for an investment firm, and sits on a few nonprofit boards.”
I read over the file, taking in everything that Frank had just said. It put to rest all the questions about where Shawn had gone after university and what he had done. He was here in Albany. If he was the killer, there was no other university connection like there was for Michael Bauer. If Shawn Westin killed Amanda, I’d be hard-pressed to make the case that he killed the rest, at least with the information in front of me. It just didn’t feel right in my gut. I told that to Jack and Frank.
Frank responded before Jack could. “It’s a lead, that’s all it is. We don’t know what we don’t know. Let’s ask him some questions and see what he has to say. At the very least, he might know more about that night than he told Jack the first time.”
I couldn’t argue that point. We rode the rest of the way in silence. I wanted to get back and focus my efforts on Michael Bauer. Nearly twenty minutes later, the three of us rolled up to a simple two-story house in a nicer part of Albany, near St. Peter’s Hospital. I checked my watch. It was close to seven. Shawn should be out of work by now, and the lights in the house indicated that at least someone was probably home.
; I lagged behind Jack and Frank as they made their way to the door. Jack rapped twice loudly against it. A woman, with dark red hair tied back in a ponytail and wearing simple jeans and flats, answered the door.
“Is Shawn Westin home?” Jack asked.
The woman looked at the three of us and turned to yell for Shawn. A man smaller than I was imagining walked towards the door. He couldn’t have been much taller than I. He had closely cut blond hair and was drying his hands on a dishtowel.
The woman moved out of the way for Shawn. He looked us over and then recognition took hold. He remembered Jack. “How can I help you?”
Jack made introductions and asked if we could come in. Shawn obliged. The woman made herself scarce as the four of us sat in the neat, modernly furnished living room. I had to admit that Shawn had good taste or the woman did.
“I remember you,” Shawn said, looking directly at Jack. “You’re a cop. The detective that was involved when Amanda went missing. How can I help you after all these years?”
Jack looked to Frank and then back at Shawn. “What can you remember about that night?”
Shawn sat back. He looked toward the ceiling. When he looked at us again, his eyes were watery and red. “Amanda and I got into an argument and she left. That was the last I saw of her. I’ve always been mad at myself for not stopping her from leaving. I was a drunk college kid. I was in a world of my own, one that didn’t have things like murder. I had no idea that Amanda wouldn’t have made it safely home. I thought we’d patch things up the next day.”
“You had a vehicle then, right?” Frank pressed.
“Yeah, a lot of us did.”
“You were also missing for about an hour when no one can account for you. Is that correct?” Frank leaned forward on the couch and rested his arms on his knees. He was an imposing guy even sitting.
Shawn fumbled over his words. He regained his composure and explained, “I was angry with my girlfriend. We had a huge argument in front of our friends. I went upstairs to my room and slammed the door. I sat there and got high. I didn’t want to see anyone or talk to anyone until I calmed down. I don’t know how long I was up there. Next thing I knew, a few of the guys came looking for me. I don’t even remember now who that was. I’m sure it was in my statement from then. By the time I went back downstairs, Amanda was gone.”
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