Murder in the Dorm

by C. G. Prado

  “Professor Douglas, hello. Look, I know it’s very late but I’m at the university on some business and I wonder if you’re free for lunch? It’s on me; Raymond, Teller has a corporate membership at the Faculty Club because of the number of clients we have at Meredith.”

  Charlie quickly agreed and they arranged to meet at twelve-thirty. It was just noon but Charlie walked to the Club to be early and get a good table, all the time wondering what Berger could want from him.

  At precisely twelve-thirty Berger stood in the doorway to the dining room looking for Charlie. He had a table for two by the window and waved her over.

  “Thank you for meeting with me on such short notice, Professor Douglas.”

  “My pleasure, but please call me ‘Charlie.’”

  Berger sat down and Charlie handed her a menu.

  “Thanks. Okay, Charlie, I’ll get right to the point. What I wanted to talk to you about is that I’ve made up my mind to come back and do a doctorate. My intention is eventually to teach computing, like Professor Sommers. I hope to start in September. Professor Sommers thought you might write a letter of recommendation for me. I realize you don’t know me very well, since I did only the one course with you, but I’d provide you with my cv and other stuff you’d need for a letter.”

  “Well, I’m quite willing to write for you, but I wonder what weight a letter from someone in the Humanities would carry for your admission.”

  “I’ll have two letters from the computing department. Professor Sommers thought it would help to have one from outside. She said there’s greater value put now on breadth of interest, and the mark you gave me is right up there with the best I got in computing.”

  “Okay, send me your cv and permission to have a look at your record, and I’ll do a letter for you.”

  “Great. I’ll email you my cv and the permission; I know that’s necessary now. And if that’s settled, I’m wondering if there’s anything you can share with me that you’ve learned about the Kelsey and McDermott case. I’m curious about it.”

  Charlie decided he’d tell Berger what he could to judge her reaction.

  “I managed to come up with some interesting stuff. I think Kelsey and McDermott were running a scam that involved stocks and computer hacking. In fact, I’m glad you raised the issue because I’d appreciate your views on whether you think they could have been doing what I think they were doing on their own. I tend to think they’d need help from an insider.”

  “What do you think they were doing?”

  This is where Charlie had to be careful. He paused for a few moments, making it clear that he was considering what and how much to say. Best to have her think he knew more.

  “I think they were fiddling automatic-sell orders.”

  “That’d be a tricky scam. They’d have to be super hackers and if they were doing that they certainly would benefit from having an insider’s help. Have the police come up with anything specific.”

  “I’m sorry. I can tell you what I think, but I can’t say anything about what the detectives think or have told me.”

  Which wasn’t a hell of a lot, Charlie thought.

  “Of course. But you certainly seem to be plugged into the case. I hope when it’s over you’ll be able to say more.”

  With that Berger went back to talking about her doctoral application and Charlie felt disappointed that she’d not pressed him for more and maybe even given something away. Perhaps she was satisfied to have learned about the interest in order manipulation. Or perhaps she didn’t want to pursue the matter because she was involved.

  After lunch they reiterated their arrangement about her cv and record and Charlie and Berger left the Club. She thanked him again and headed for the parking area. Charlie went to back to his office.

  That evening Charlie told Kate about his lunch with Berger.

  “So you’ve no more nor less reason to think she might be the third party.”

  “Not really. She’s bright, though, and may well have pulled off being a little interested but no more than that. I’m assuming her plan to apply for admission is real enough. I thought of checking with Sommers but decided not to bother her.”

  “I’m sure Berger will supply what you asked for, and no doubt apply. Whether she’ll go through with quitting her job and registering, assuming she’s accepted, is another question and won’t be answered for months.”

  “You’re right. In any case, I can’t think of what else I can do at this point. DeVries was right that what more I might learn about Kelsey and McDermott from people at the university probably wouldn’t help much, if at all.”

  “Charlie, you’re just down because of what she said. Just put the whole thing aside for a while.”

  With that Kate went to fix something for them to eat and Charlie, to pick up his spirits, got out a bottle of Syrah from Washington state, a lovely wine. Charlie considered Walla Walla another exception to his California wine preference.

  Dinner and the Syrah cheered Charlie up and afterwards he was comfortably ensconced with a good book not giving a thought to the Kelsey-McDermott case. He read comfortably for a while but at nine o’clock the phone rang. Kate was watching one of her favorite shows so he put the book down and went for the phone, which was, of course, just out of reach.

  “Charlie, this is Janice Sommers. Sorry if it’s a little late, but I just got off the phone with Kim Berger. She told me you had lunch and that she asked you for a recommendation. I did tell her it’d help if she had a letter from someone outside computing but didn’t mention you specifically. I hope you’ll write for her. I know you think she might have had some involvement with Kelsey and McDermott, but I really can’t believe that. Are you willing to write for her?”

  “I think so. My suspicions are just that. I told her I wanted to see her cv and have access to her records. I also told her I didn’t think a letter from someone in the Humanities would do much good.”

  “Well, that’s not so. Our admissions people are looking for some breadth of interests and accomplishments. Anyway, it’s up to you, but this was only one reason for my calling you. My other reason is that I wonder if you’re free for lunch tomorrow. There’s someone that I think you definitely want to meet. She’s also a former student of mine, but I won’t say anymore until you meet her. Are we on?”

  “Definitely. Lunch it is. I’ll be there at noon and will grab a table if I get there before you.”

  With that Charlie and Sommers said goodnight and hung up. Charlie then wondered who it was that Sommers wanted him to meet. She no doubt thought it was someone with knowledge relevant to the case and that Charlie was still helping the police. He certainly wouldn’t tell Sommers that DeVries had dropped him. And being realistic, maybe DeVries was right. Maybe he wasn’t going to come up with anything of further use. Then again, maybe Sommers’ friend might have some useful information.

  Chapter 14

  The Third Thursday

  Charlie’s epistemology class went unusually well that morning, prompted by a productive dispute between students defending postmodern relativism and others supporting traditional objectivism. The fact that things went well was all to the good, but discussion with the students continued after the class and made Charlie late to the Club. He was concerned that he’d made Sommers and her friend wait. Charlie caught sight of Sommers waving at him from a table and he quickly went over and apologized for being late. Sommers introduced him to a young woman dressed in jeans and a Meredith sweatshirt.

  “Charlie, this is Victoria Gerrard. Victoria, this is Professor Douglas.”

  Charlie and Gerrard shook hands and Charlie was taken with her light blue eyes, which seemed to be peering straight into his mind.

  Charlie sat down and asked Sommers and Gerrard what they would like to drink. On Charlie’s recommendation they settled on a California zinfandel blend.

  “Charlie, I’ve been telling Victoria about the Kelsey and McDermott case and how you’re helping the police. I also told h
er I’d introduced you to Kim Berger, who was a classmate of Victoria’s. Now let me tell you a bit about what Victoria does, or rather, what Victoria used to do. Victoria, who was then ‘Vicky,’ was involved with some people who were stealing credit-card pin numbers from rigged ATMs and hacking into the accounts. Wisely, Victoria was of great help to the prosecution when her, ah, associates were arrested and she got off with a suspended sentence. Victoria is now working for a credit-card company, as so often happens in these cases, developing security procedures. Does that sound like her experience might interest you?”

  Charlie was afraid that his big grin had already given him away and the small smile on Gerrard’s face made it clear she’d noticed.

  “Does it interest me? It most certainly does. Let me lay out the basics, Victoria. Kelsey and McDermott were hackers and I think they were running a scam involving the triggering of automatic-sell orders. I also think they had a falling out, probably about how they split what they made, and that McDermott killed Kelsey. But somebody then killed McDermott, so there’s a third party involved. I’m unclear, though, as to the third party’s role.”

  “Professor Douglas, why do you…”

  “Please; ‘Charlie.’”

  “Right. So, Charlie, why do you think there was a third party? Just because someone killed McDermott? Or do you know enough about their scam that there had to be someone else involved?”

  “I’m assuming someone else was involved who provided them with information. I think it was someone in a brokerage firm who gave them accounts to target. I also think when McDermott killed Kelsey, the third party killed McDermott for self-protection.”

  “Yes; I can see how that makes sense, but there are a couple of things you need to consider. First off, if Kelsey and McDermott were good at what they were doing, they wouldn’t need anyone else. In fact, a third party would be a liability, as I proved to be to some people. A good hacker wouldn’t need anyone to provide account numbers. He could access them once he’d hacked into a brokerage’s site.”

  “What about ensuring that their low-ball bid for a stock overrode other low bids? Wouldn’t they need someone working at the brokerage to help with that?”

  “I don’t think so. If one or both were really expert hackers, and one or both were triggering automatic sell orders, they’d be able to block other bids or most likely to give their bid priority by working that into the triggering of the automatic-sell order. It wouldn’t be easy, but they could do it. My guess is if there was a third party, it was someone who provided information about what particular accounts they should focus on. That would save them time checking out balances and trading activity for individual accounts. That would be helpful, but not necessary, so you’re looking at someone who was involved but not essential and so certainly not running the show. If that third party killed one of the hackers, he or she did it for self-protection, I’d bet.”

  Charlie thought this a most useful point and thanked Gerrard, who then announced she had an interview for a better job to get to, thanked Charlie and Sommers for lunch, and left. Charlie poured the rest of the wine for Sommers and himself and they soon got up to go. Charlie thanked Sommers for introducing him to Gerrard and asked her a question he’d had at the back of his mind.

  “Janice, with respect to Kim Berger’s application, how serious do you think she is about the Ph.D program?”

  “I don’t know, but I’d be very surprised if she’s ready to go for it next Fall. The last time we spoke about that sort of thing she mentioned how important her income is because of her mother.”

  “Her mother?”

  “Yes. The poor woman was bilked out of her retirement savings by one of those bastards who prey on the elderly. Kim didn’t find out about it until she was called from a McDonald’s where her mother had applied for work. Can you imagine serving hamburgers in your seventies?”

  “Well, I’ve seen a lot of elderly employees at fast food places.”

  “Oh, I know, but that’s mostly people who are finding it hard to live on their pensions. Kim’s mother lost everything. She barely kept her house but then had to sell it to pay debts and medical expenses. She moved into a rental apartment. I think Kim has been pretty much supporting her, and Kim couldn’t continue to do that even if she got a very good scholarship.”

  On his way back to his office Charlie wondered if it could have been Kelsey and McDermott who bilked Berger’s mother. Over dinner that evening Charlie filled Kate in on what he’d learned from Gerrard and Sommers. She disagreed about Kelsey and McDermott ripping off Berger’s mother. She thought Charlie was jumping to conclusions because of his focus on them, pointing out that taking an old lady for everything she had was quite different from running a complex stock scam involving highly sophisticated hacking.

  “Well, right now I’d like find out a couple of details, such as when Berger’s mother was taken for all she had and if Berger knows anything about who it was that did the taking. I could tell her that I learned from Sommers that she’s taking care of her mother and that I’m wondering how serious she is about the application. One thing I won’t ask but does puzzle me is why Berger never mentioned the bilking to me even when we were talking about the case. Her email address in on the card she gave me. I’ll do it that way.”

  Seeing no reason to delay, Charlie emailed Berger after dinner. He kept things to the point: he’d heard she was responsible for her mother so needed to know how likely it was that, if admitted, she could start the Ph.D program in the Fall. He generously added that he could write the letter specifying it might be used at a later time. He sent the message, shut down his laptop, and got into the mystery he was reading.

  Charlie didn’t expect an answer from Berger until at least the next morning and he almost went to bed without checking his email. On impulse he fired up his laptop about eleven-thirty and was surprised to find an email from Berger. He read it twice before calling Kate over to see what she thought of the response.

  “Professor Douglas, I apologize for having taken your time. Your email came at a surprisingly appropriate time. I had dinner with a good friend and talked things over with her and realized that I was being unrealistic. I had convinced myself that a good fellowship would be enough, perhaps with a little part-time work, but my friend made me appreciate that it wouldn’t be enough. In answer to your question, no, I couldn’t start the Ph.D program in the Fall or for that matter next year. I’m not abandoning the idea but it will have to wait. Thank you again for your willingness to write for me. I hope to take you up on that before too long.”

  “Now you don’t know if she was serious or only pumping you about the case.”

  “Right, so I’m nowhere ahead on this.”

  “Could you ask Janice Sommers?”

  “I don’t think there’s much point. She very likely doesn’t know any more than I do and probably doesn’t yet know that Berger isn’t going to proceed with the application. But you’re right that Berger could have been either genuine or just fishing.”

  As he drifted off to sleep Charlie had to admit that DeVries had probably been right. He felt as if he’d come down a very long way from the Wilson case. Maybe he should cut his losses and just forget about this one.

  Chapter 15

  The Third Friday

  Once at his office Charlie was determined to put serious time and effort into his paper and not give a thought to Kelsey, McDermott, or Berger. By the time lunch was a half hour away he’d written some good stuff and managed not to think about the case at all. His internal clock told him to wrap things up and go for a leisurely lunch. He saved his work, shut down his laptop, and was just getting up when the phone rang. It was DeVries.

  “Charlie. Hope I’m not disturbing you but I felt I owed you a call. When last we spoke Guy and I were working on some stuff that I thought would most likely take the McDermott case away from the university and it turns out I was right. I’m sorry if I sounded, well, dismissive, but I had a lot going on. I also
didn’t want you wasting your time. The reason I’m calling is that I felt I really should tell you this: we’ve got McDermott’s killer and a very strong case against him.”

  “Wow. So you got the third party?”

  “No. I knew that’s what you’d think, but the shooter wasn’t involved in any scam with Kelsey and McDermott. In fact, he was a victim. He’s a widower in his mid-forties with two sons in university and a hefty mortgage. He was hit very hard by Kelsey and McDermott’s scam. He’d taken all the cash he had and put it into a telecommunications IPO or initial public offering. It looked like a sure thing and he was hoping to pay all or part of his mortgage with his gains. He intended to sell as soon as he made a significant profit but had an automatic-sell order in place in order not to risk losing everything. Well, Kelsey and McDermott did their thing and he lost big time.”

  “You’re sure about this guy? And how did he know about McDermott?”

  “Oh, we’re sure. He foolishly kept the gun. He hasn’t confessed, but I think his lawyer is working on him to do so to get leniency. As for how he knew, we’ll learn that when he talks.”

  “How did you get on to him?”

  “Hard police work. Even though the uniforms canvassed the area where McDermott was shot, Guy and I personally did it again and the first break came when we found a homeless guy who admitted to having seen a man waving a gun at a guy in the alley. Alleys aren’t as private as some think. We got a description and started searching, even though it seemed rather hopeless with only that. Then we got the second break; we found out about a car that was ticketed twice for parking in a red zone just down from the bistro. We think the shooter waited for McDermott and just left his car where it was. Anyway, the license plate gave us a name, the owner fit the description, and the rest was routine. What is more puzzling than how the shooter learned about McDermott is how he knew where to find him. As I said, though, I think he’s going to come clean. Neither Guy nor I think this man had anything to do with Kelsey’s death. We still think that was McDermott’s doing.”