Deadly Pasts (Agent Nora Wexler Mysteries)

by CR Wiley

  Caroline stepped out to make the phone call, and Steph went to look for a place to sit. Nora stayed with Lauren, whose shallow breathing was of immediate concern. Nora came closer, looking her over for any signs of what had happened. Lauren’s hair smelled like alcohol, not exactly a startling revelation.

  “You’re going to have to help us, Lauren. What happened to you after the game?” Nora asked.

  She spent a quiet minute looking at the girl in the bed, who was also likely to have things only get worse for her once she got up. Her instincts were kicking in, pushing her to try to solve everything as a way to cover the profound sorrow she was feeling.

  There were footsteps rushing down the hall. By the time Nora looked up, a man in a dress shirt and tie was at the door.

  “I’m sorry I’m late. I came as soon as I could,” he said, striding in and extending a hand to Nora. “You must be Caroline Devonshire. You have my deepest sympathies.”

  “Actually I’m her friend, Nora,” she said, shaking his hand. The guy was about her age, maybe a little older, with short reddish hair a shade lighter than hers. He appeared lean, muscular, and undeniably attractive in a way that caught her off guard. “Other than maybe the police, we didn’t know anyone would be coming.”

  “Oh, the nurse didn’t tell you. That’s all right. I’m sure there was so much to cover. My name is Chip Wallace, and I’m the on-campus Victim Advocate,” he said.

  Nora did a double-take.

  “I’m surprised,” she blurted out before she could think better of it.

  “And why’s that?” he asked, his lips curling up at the edges. He had a few freckles on his cheeks near his eyes.

  Reluctant to answer, Nora bit her lip until there was no choice but to spit it out.

  “I would have expected a Victim Advocate to be a woman is all,” she said.

  Chip nodded confidently.

  “I’ve only been on the job a few weeks but I’ve already gotten that a lot. Some people plainly say that I should be thrown out and a woman should be put in my place. Up until a few months ago, I was working at a law firm in San Francisco, but I couldn’t see myself slaving away at eighty-hour weeks for the next twenty years to make partner when I could actually make a difference elsewhere. The university hired me because I was the best.”

  “I didn’t mean to imply you weren’t good or couldn’t do the job because you’re a man,” Nora said, trying to cover.

  “Don’t worry about it. I know you didn’t,” he said. “So anyway, that’s my story. You’re Caroline’s friend? What do you do?”

  The question was like a needle in her heart. After hearing Chip’s impressive story, it would’ve felt good to match him with her own credentials. Saying she was unemployed was out of the question. On the fly, she came up with something that wasn’t a total lie.

  “I’m a private investigator,” she said. Chip’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.

  “Are you serious? I thought people only really did that in the movies,” he said.

  “Not just in the movies anymore. I’m starting out by helping Caroline and Lauren get through this ordeal,” she said.

  Chip nodded with a finger over his mouth.

  “It sounds like we’ll be working together a lot. This is my first case as well. Ever since the governor signed the active consent law, campuses that receive federal funding are required to have an on-campus advocate that informs victims of their rights and helps them navigate the process with the campus disciplinary committee, should it get to that point.

  “I only know what the nurse told me about the case at this point, but I can tell you because of the law there’s no chance Lauren will face any repercussions for drinking underage should she come forward to report sexual assault. The active consent part of it requires that Lauren clearly articulate her approval for any sexual activity that took place, and if that consent was not received we should be able to secure a favorable outcome from the disciplinary committee,” he explained.

  Nora nodded, wondering how much they’d need to lean on those rules once they found out what actually happened to Lauren. A voice coming from the door startled them.

  “Nora, was it really necessary to get a date for this?” Steph said, leading Caroline and the nurse back in the room. Nora rolled her eyes and shrugged at Chip.

  “Don’t mind Stephanie. She’s got a flare for the scandalous. And this is Caroline,” Nora said. “This is Chip Wallace, the on-campus Victim Advocate. He’s the first lawyer I’ve ever seen working on a Sunday, and he was telling me a little bit about what active consent means for any case brought to the university’s disciplinary committee,” she said.

  “I realize you must be devastated,” Chip began, extending a hand to Caroline. But instead, Caroline threw her arms around him and put her head on his chest.

  “She’s got a flare for the sentimental,” Nora said.

  Caroline grinned sheepishly as she pulled away. “Thank you for coming on such short notice. It’s been a hectic morning for all of us. My parents are already looking at flights,” she said.

  They were all gathered around the middle of the room, the bed and its occupant against the wall on the side, when a shaky voice came from the other side of the room.

  “Where am I?” Lauren asked.

  CHAPTER 9

  TANG CENTER, BERKELEY UNIVERSITY HEALTH SERVICES

  2222 BANCROFT WAY

  BERKELEY, CA

  “My goodness, Lauren, are you all right?” Caroline asked, rushing to the bed. Lauren struggled to pull her eyes open. She rubbed her face with her hand.

  “What? What?” she asked, her voice not sounding nearly as clear as it did the previous day. The nurse was at the other side of the bed.

  “Can you hear me? I’m Nurse Chan and you’re at the health center. We’ve been checking your vital signs and running some tests,” she said in a calm manner that Nora didn’t think she could’ve mustered.

  “Lauren, we need you to tell us what happened to you last night,” Caroline said. Tears were running down her face and it had a startling effect on Lauren, who recoiled.

  “Last night?” she muttered.

  Caroline swallowed and took her sister’s hand.

  “There was the football game, and then you were found by the side of the road a few blocks away. Were you trying to walk somewhere?” she asked. Lauren put her hand to her head and moaned. Chip had a pad and pen out, ready to take notes.

  “I don’t remember trying to walk anywhere. I’m so tired and my head hearts. My whole body hurts,” she went on. It was painful to watch. “I was at the football game, and then I went with some girls to the TKE house. I wanted to interview Preston for my class. We were drinking. And now I’m in the health center.”

  Caroline shot a look back to Nora, who nodded. Even just mentioning TKE, pronounced “teek” for Tau Kappa Epsilon, spoke volumes. Nora remembered some accounts she’d heard of what went on at that frat house while she’d been at school. Fortunately she’d heard plenty before she was ever tempted to go there.

  “Do you remember anything else?” Caroline asked, begging and squeezing Lauren’s hand. “It’s OK. You can tell us anything. We need to find out what happened, and then we can help.”

  Lauren coughed and the nurse immediately gave her a sip of water.

  “It’s just…‌there’s nothing. I was drinking and then I’m here,” she said. She furrowed her brow and squirmed. The pain was getting to her. Whether she was hung over or dealing with after effects of drugs, it became clear they wouldn’t learn anything more from Lauren.

  “Mom and Dad are going to get here as soon as they can,” Caroline said.

  “What? No!” Lauren moaned. “I don’t want any of this. There’s a quiz to study for. Why can’t I get out of this bed? What happened to me?”

  Caroline gave the nurse a pleading look.

  Nurse Chan cleared her throat and leaned closer to Lauren.

  “You were found early this morning in a st
ate of partial undress. We’re going to run some more tests, but it’s possible you were a victim of sexual assault. What we need you to do is relax. Don’t focus too hard on remembering, but if anything comes to you let us know immediately. As for the rest of you, I think giving her some space and privacy while we conduct these tests is a good idea,” Nurse Chen said, before Lauren interrupted her.

  “I’m so sorry. Mom and Dad are going to kill me,” Lauren said, whimpering and crying.

  Nora’s eyes had long since watered over, but remarkably Caroline was able to hold it together, taking her sister’s hands in hers.

  “You have nothing to be sorry about. This isn’t your fault. Just focus on resting and recovering. We’re all here for you.”

  The nurse urged everyone out of the room. Before they made it to the door, Lauren blurted out again how sorry she was. It tore Nora up inside, and she was supposed to be the professional. Caroline barely made it to the lounge before dropping into a chair and covering her face.

  “It’s going to be OK,” Steph said, putting her arm around Caroline.

  “What’s going to be OK? I am glad she doesn’t remember whatever those guys did to her, but it means we have to figure it out ourselves,” she said, fighting back more tears.

  Nora and Chip exchanged a look, both of them reaching for their phones at the same time.

  “I’m going to call the counseling center and make sure they’re aware of the situation. Lauren’s entitled to counseling and other support services as soon as she’s ready for it,” he said.

  “I’ll coordinate between city and campus law enforcement. We need to take statements from everybody at the TKE house last night for starters,” Nora said. She went to the end of the lounge and stood by some tall windows. The view overlooked trees and shrubs along a nice section of campus in the early morning light. At the moment it seemed wrong for anything to look that beautiful.

  Her first call was to the city police station. As it happened, the man who answered was Officer Plevy.

  “Hi, this is Nora Wexler, I was in yesterday about the murder from a few years ago, but actually I am getting in touch about another situation. Has anyone from campus police contacted you about the student who was sexually assaulted last night?” she asked.

  “Ahh, no, we haven’t heard anything about that,” he said.

  “Oh,” Nora said, surprised. “I figured you would’ve already known and sent someone over by now. But I can give you the details and some information about it. We really don’t have any time to lose with this. The victim’s name—”

  “I’m sorry to have to stop you there,” Officer Plevy said, “but generally these matters are handled by campus police.”

  Confused, Nora glanced at her phone. It couldn’t have been working right.

  “What? You’re going to get someone over here to handle the police report, start taking some statements, and get things ready to pass along to the district attorney,” she said.

  “Miss Wexler, you’ll have to pass those requests along to campus security, which I’m sure is already on top of it. It’s just not something we’re responsible for.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me!” she said, no longer holding back. “Campus security does not have your resources, and this happened in your town. How many of these kinds of incidents have happened while you sat on your hands? I used to be with the FBI, and I’ve worked with a lot of local law enforcement that would be already scrambling to get to the bottom of this. We still don’t know exactly what happened to her!”

  There was a pause on the line.

  “It’s regrettable, but this is the way it is. I’m going to hang up now. Please direct further communications to campus security, or the FBI if that’ll help you.”

  “This is unbelievable!” Nora managed to say before the line cut off.

  She gritted her teeth at her phone and shook her head. She’d heard stories about that kind of abdication of responsibility when it came to campus matters, but she never believed it. She tried to put it behind her by calling campus police and telling them that Lauren had mentioned she’d been at the TKE house last night. They sounded swamped and said they’d get to it as soon as they could.

  Deeply unsatisfied, Nora took a deep breath and tried to put on a happy face when she returned to Caroline and Stephanie. Telling them that the local police wouldn’t touch the case and that campus police would get around to it at some point later wasn’t going to cut it. That was the last thing Caroline needed to hear.

  If Nora knew her friend at all, she’d want to know someone was taking decisive action to help. Chip seemed like a nice enough guy and easy on the eyes, but a good first impression didn’t mean he had his act together or that he would follow through in the long run. As usual, there was only one person Nora could count on. Herself.

  “What’d they say?” Caroline asked. Nora squeezed her friend’s shoulder.

  “We decided we needed to call in the big guns for this case. I’ve decided I won’t be flying home tomorrow. I’m going to see this through. I’ll keep looking into what happened to Maria, and I’m not going to leave until everything has been properly taken care of,” she said.

  Caroline smiled through her tears. It was clear she’d been touched. But if Nora had to guess, Steph was searching her face for a hidden motive.

  “That’s a great idea, Norwex,” Steph said, using Nora’s old college nickname. “I really don’t have any place to be until this baby pops out. Ta da, my maternity leave just started. As long as my due date doesn’t roll around, I’m not going to leave before we make sure everything gets resolved properly.”

  Caroline sniffled and tugged on Nora’s sleeve. When Nora bent down, Caroline wrapped her and Steph in a hug.

  “You two are killing me with sweetness. I could never return the favor if I lived to be a thousand years old,” she said.

  “You don’t have to, but maybe tomorrow you can make the bacon,” Nora said, smiling.

  Stephanie sighed and leaned back in her chair. “I hope my handsome chemist doesn’t mind that I won’t be back in Boulder for a while,” she said, but her wistfulness struck a sour note for Nora, who realized she had another awkward call to make.

  “Would you excuse me for a minute? I’ve got to let someone know I won’t be coming home tomorrow,” she said.

  “I think I’m going to check on Lauren if she’s still awake,” Caroline said, taking Steph with her.

  Nora settled into the vacated seat, closing her eyes and wondering how she was going to explain it.

  Planning ahead didn’t seem to do much good, and she went ahead and made the call. Travis picked up on the second ring.

  “Hey, is this a bad time?” she asked.

  “How could it be? It’s Sunday and we all know that no one works on a Sunday,” Travis said, immediately making her smile.

  “I’ll take that as a ‘I’ve got a lot going on but I’ll put it on pause for you’,” she said.

  “That’s a pretty good read,” he said.

  Nora ran her hand through her hair. She couldn’t bring herself to break the news to him.

  “Does that mean you’ve figured out something about Danny and the hacking?”

  Travis’s soft laughter echoed on the other end of the line.

  “What, it’s been forty-eight hours and you don’t think I’ve solved that already? Maybe I haven’t, but actually I have a clear path forward on that. Now I just need to walk it and see where it takes me. I don’t want to make any promises, but we’re going to find out if Boffman and the higher-ups had any reasonable excuse to fire you.”

  Nora understood what Caroline had meant about really having someone there for her in the most sincere way.

  “I know you’re going out on a limb for me on this, and I need you to know that I appreciate you for it. I’m not sure there are many guys out there that would go to such lengths for a girl like me,” she said.

  “A girl like you? You mean one of the most promisin
g new FBI agents to come out of Quantico in years? I’m only doing what’s best for the bureau,” he said. This time Nora laughed. It felt almost like he was there with her in the room. It was his presence that she found irresistible.

  “Only what’s best for the bureau? You can’t expect me to believe that you don’t have any personal interest in what happens to me,” she said, grinning.

  “I’ll tell you what. If you’re looking for personal interest, why don’t we meet for dinner after your flight gets in? I’m sure I’ll have a lot more to tell you face-to-face,” he said.

  There was something sexy in his subtle come-on, allowing her imagination to run with all of the things they might end up doing after dinner when they were face-to-face. The truth of it was that it wouldn’t come to pass anytime soon. Somehow despite losing her job she had even less time to spend with him, not to mention that the entire country was now in the way as well.

  “Travis, the reason I’m calling…‌I’m so sorry but I’m going to have to take a rain check on dinner. Things are spiraling out of control here and there’s no way I can leave. I’ve been looking into my friend Maria’s death and realized that she must’ve already known the killer, but even worse is that we just found out that Caroline’s sister was assaulted last night. I’m in the health center now. We don’t have any idea what exactly she went through, but I doubt we’ll get far unless I personally take care of things.”

  The disappointed sigh she heard over the line was the best she could’ve hoped for.

  “I know they need you. It makes sense. I want you to be there to help. Don’t forget that I need you and want you too. I’m ready to put more into us. All we need is the time for it.”

  Nora ached with desire to be with him. He’d never say she was letting him down, but she needed to give him something that could keep him going, to make it worth the wait. Gorgeous guys like Travis didn’t hang around waiting forever, and who knows what could happen the next time his witchy ex-girlfriend Vanessa came back.

  “Travis, can you listen to me for a moment? I want to put more into us too. In fact, if I were there right now we’d be attached at the hip from sundown to sunup.”