Murder in the Arboretum (Cold Creek Book 2)

by Christa Nardi

  I heard Brett exhale in exasperation and I imagined his characteristic head shake and eye roll. In a small town, there weren’t a whole lot of secrets. I chuckled and then became serious as I explained, “One of the grounds keepers and a Horticulture student found a body in the Arboretum. It was on the black path, near the Town Hall entrance. That’s all I know.”

  After a second’s hesitation, I added, “Well I know it’s already becoming a media zoo, too.”

  “Okay, well, I’m on my way back to Cold Creek, at least to check it out.” It was his turn to chuckle. “I guess there are some advantages to the small town thing and everyone knowing your business. See you soon,” he added, his voice softened.

  “Sounds good to me. I do like those silver linings,” I answered and disconnected. I didn’t make it to my office before I ran into Kim.

  “So what do you know about what happened?” Kim demanded. She wasn’t quite as keyed up as earlier but still on edge.

  “A body was found in the Arboretum by a landscaper and a student. Both pretty shook up,” I answered, shaking my head. I continued, “Brett got called to come down here, but he didn’t seem to know much either.”

  I knew that my cheeks had colored just thinking about Brett. I hoped to avoid Kim’s usual teasing as I added, “And the media arrived. Hirsch said the Chief will make a statement later. What do you know?”

  “The counseling center isn’t exactly a hotbed of activity,” Kim answered with a shrug. “I’m not too sure where the Chief got the idea that students were going there. Priscilla Montrose was not exactly thrilled when I showed up. I don’t know what the Chief was thinking.”

  Priscilla was the faculty advisor for the Student Counseling Center even though she was not licensed as a psychologist. Kim, Mitch or I would have been the obvious choice, but all of us were already on too many committees. Inevitably that meant that in a crisis, one of us had to go help out and that rubbed Priscilla the wrong way. Not much I could do about that.

  We chatted and complained a bit about Priscilla and her brusque, sometimes rigid and defensive response to any challenge or crisis. She even looked rigid and uptight with angles where I tended to have curves.

  After a few minutes, Kim went to her office and I headed to mine. I was relieved to see my bag on my chair. I’d have to thank Wesley for helping me when I saw him. I sat down at my desk with every intention of checking email and getting some work done before my advanced research seminar at 3.

  I logged on and pulled up KCCX, the local station, to see if anything was online yet. I smiled to myself as I wondered if the cameraman got her fall on tape. The ‘breaking news’ spot indicated there had been an accident at Cold Creek College and to stay tuned for a statement from Chief Pfeiffe. I left that site active and pulled up my email on my other screen.

  I deleted the most recent batch of spam with glee, then scanned the topics on the listserv emails and deleted most of them. Deleting was definitely the easiest way to deal with them. Seeing the number of unread messages decreasing was very rewarding. Instant gratification. Unfortunately, there were still many I would have to deal with. One from the head of the psychology department, Jim Grant, caught my eye. He directed me to handle whatever the crisis was, as soon as possible. I shook my head at that one.

  Feeling a little better now I was back in routine, I checked to make sure I knew the topic for the seminar today. I was relieved to see that today was mostly led by students and discussion. That required less preparation on my part. I did have to be prepared to fill in if discussion waned. Relieved, I started grading the morning’s quizzes, but before long I was interrupted.

  “Sheridan, have you heard? They found a body, a dead body, at the Arboretum. Do you think this is another murder? Was it a student? I just can’t believe it,” rattled off Max Bentley.

  Another colleague, Max tended to be a bit melodramatic, as well as demanding. This combination created a lot of stress in students and faculty alike. On the other hand, just this past fall, one of our colleagues was murdered at the Rec Center so his reaction was not completely off kilter.

  “Yes, Max, I heard about it. But I didn’t hear that they confirmed who it was. And I didn’t hear if they decided it was accidental or murder.”

  It would be interesting to see what kind of yarn Chief Pfeiffe could spin to make this an “accident” but I didn’t want to add any fuel to Max’s near hysteria. Max’s eyes already were wide and his facial expression reflected his excitement. Given a chance, there was no telling what outlandish and complex explanation Max would come up with for this person’s death.

  “I don’t know, Sheridan, I think it’s murder again. Your detective friend will be in the thick of it and after me again. I just know it,” he argued. He shook his head, his longish and somewhat wild black hair flying. Somehow he managed to always look as if he needed a haircut.

  “Max, I’m sure the Chief will make a statement soon. With all the media out there, I can’t imagine he can avoid it,” I said and shrugged my shoulders.

  I purposely ignored the bait about Brett. Max about made Brett see purple! In the fall, Max had gotten on Brett’s bad side from the very beginning and it went downhill from there. The hostile feelings were definitely mutual. Frequently, Max’s explanations for things had to do with someone out to get him or a conspiracy theory. Brett definitely brought out Max’s paranoia.

  “I don’t know. This is probably another sex scandal and it will ruin the College. Cold Creek is a pretty conservative community, you know,” he continued. He smiled like he knew a secret and added, “That’s one of the reasons I need to get out of here and go to a big university.”

  “Max, you need to chill. There’s no indication of anything sexual here,” I responded after a slow count to ten.

  “Well, why else was this person in the Arboretum in the middle of the night. Even one of the campus security said it was probably an act of passion, a tryst gone bad,” Max rambled, convinced that he’d identified the motive for the supposed murder.

  “Max, do you ever question what you hear or think to wait for the facts?” I huffed out of exasperation, not making the count to ten this time. I should have known better and kept my mouth shut.

  “Sheridan, how dare you insult me? I feel betrayed. You of all people should know that I work in science and facts! I just can’t believe that you asked that! I am not a gossip you know!” he ranted, stomped his foot, turned, and stormed away.

  I‘d hear about this for at least the next week or so, maybe longer. I was sure Max had a good heart, but he sometimes made me crazy.

  I shook my head and went back to grading quizzes. It was almost 12:30 and I was getting hungry. I went downstairs to Georg’s to grab something to eat. I no sooner got there and Brett called again. He was here on campus and would be over to my office in a few minutes. I got us each a sandwich and a brownie, as well as two coffees. Back in my office, my next interruption was Kim at my door.

  Chapter 3

  “Sher, KCCX just announced that a statement will be issued about the incident in five minutes,” she explained as she dropped into a chair. I pulled up the live feed from the web site. We chatted as we waited.

  When the announcement came on, KCCX had our rapt attention. Surprisingly, the Chief didn’t speak himself, but rather pawned it off on the mayor, Jemison Standish. The online update was posted at about the same time as the announcement began:

  “This morning a person was found dead in the Cold Creek Arboretum. We have been told that the discovery of the body came in the course of scheduled maintenance. Campus Security and Cold Creek Police investigated as soon as they received the report. The death is being considered ‘suspicious’ at this time. Cause of death is pending investigation. No information on the individual is being released pending notification of next of kin.

  We are assured that this is NOT a Cold Creek student or faculty member. Chief Pfeiffe has asked that students please text or call their parents to assure them of thei
r safety and to allay any fears. Parents who cannot reach a student should call the Cold Creek Police Department directly. Both President Cramer and Chief Pfeiffe indicated that they do not feel students or faculty should be alarmed but should exercise caution.

  Again, this was NOT a student, but there has been a suspicious death on the Cold Creek campus this morning. Anyone with information should contact the CCPD.”

  The newscaster rephrased most of the statement after the mayor walked away. He later repeated parts over and over again all day along with the telephone number for the CCPD. Thankfully, it sounded like someone realized that parents would be concerned and some means of assuring them would be appropriate. That was one bit the newscaster emphasized even more than the mayor.

  Certainly, the coverage did not add much to what we already knew. Kim and I were both re-reading the statement when there was a knock on my open door. Brett leaned against the door jam and smiled at me. His six-foot plus barely fit in the door frame, but certainly looked good. He pointed to the sandwich and coffee by the remaining open chair and I nodded.

  “Hi, Kim! How are you two holding up?” He rubbed my back and sent tingles down my spine. Then he sat down and attacked the coffee and food.

  “Doing okay, Brett. So what do you know? Or at least what can you share with us?” As usual, Kim went straight to the heart.

  Between sips of coffee and bites of sandwich, Brett told us what he knew. The identity of the person had not been confirmed, but the Chief was working on it. He was male, older than the typical Cold Creek student and the Chief didn’t recognize him. Neither did any of the paramedics or the security officers who were around. In this small town, that suggested the victim was not a Cold Creek resident.

  Brett shook his head. No cause of death had been determined for sure, but his clothes were a mess. The Chief said it looked like he had been in a fight. Suicide hadn’t been ruled out, but wasn’t likely. Accident wasn’t likely either despite the Chief’s first statement to the press of an accident. Brett said the media already knew all this and harassed the Chief to get more information. In the meantime, Chief Pfeiffe wasn’t sharing much.

  “And so, what made the Chief think he needed to call you in?” I asked. It didn’t seem normal for the State Police to be called in for something local.

  Brett shook his head and took a deep breath. “The Chief said he wanted to be conservative and not exclude the possibility of some complicated explanation. He seemed most concerned that this might have some political ramifications, particularly so soon after the murder on campus last fall.” Brett’s expression and uplifted open hands relayed his confusion on the matter. He didn’t say much else and continued to eat.

  It seemed to me that a good public relations person for the College could focus on the fact that the body was found closer to the Town Hall entrance. The Arboretum is a joint endeavor of the town and the College to maintain beauty and green space. But then, most members of the Board of Trustees for the College also were involved in town politics. This was another problem with small towns. Pretty much a no-win situation when everyone knew or was related to everyone else. Instead of six degrees of separation, it was more often closer to four.

  Neither Kim nor I had much to say in response to Brett’s explanation or the murder. Violence against others was more and more commonplace. Another murder certainly did nothing to enhance the reputation of the College. Max was right on that score. Ultimately, the decision to call in the State Police was the choice of Chief Pfeiffe. Whether Brett stayed involved would be the decision of his superiors.

  “So, Brett, what is your take on it? Suicide, accident, or foul play?” I asked.

  “I didn’t get to see the body and the Chief isn’t saying. I’m not sure if that’s just because he’s keeping it quiet or what. Offhand, just from the facts of the case, I’d go with foul play.” He shrugged again and attacked his brownie. Obviously, I wasn’t the only one in need of comfort food. Unfortunately for me, it looked much better on Brett.

  I nodded and asked, “So how do you fit into the investigation now that you’re here?”

  Brett made a good attempt at a straight face, but it came out as a smirk. “I get to stay here in Cold Creek until it is determined if I have a role in the investigation. Help out where I can. So I guess you’re stuck with me for a day or two at least, Sheridan.” He winked and I smiled, pleased with that outcome at least.

  “I have another case the other side of North Shore and a lot of paperwork to complete. That should keep me out of too much trouble,” he added with a chuckle.

  After we ate, he said he had to go back to the Arboretum and see what Hirsch had to say. We agreed that either he’d be by my office later or I would call when I was ready to leave for home.

  As he left, he added, “Oh, yeah. You two might want to stay away from the Student Union. That’s where they are setting up a media circus – I mean center!”

  Left alone, Kim and I both sighed. She stood to leave and there was Mitch in the doorway. He came in and plopped down in the chair Brett had just vacated. Kim sat back down.

  “I heard. So, I guess we need to come up with a plan,” Mitch said with obvious resignation and dismay. “For the next day or so at least, there won’t be much else anyone will be thinking about or talking about.”

  “You’re right, Mitch. Kim and I already were enlisted this morning to deal with the immediate stuff.”

  “The crisis plan says we set up sites for students seeking counseling or support. That plan was intended for suicide prevention or for a major incident on campus, like a shooting. I’m not sure this is the same. Hell, we don’t even know this wasn’t simply an accident, like the Chief said this morning,” Kim suggested as she shook her head.

  “Having plans just makes people feel good,” responded Mitch with his usual pragmatism. “We probably have to play it by ear until we know if it was an accident or what.”

  Kim, Mitch and I were the ones who had developed the crisis plan. Somehow I got the short straw and I’m the first one the administration calls when there is a crisis. I’m the one who then lets Mitch and Kim know we need to implement the plan. So far, nothing that fit the plan had occurred.

  Mitch shook his head and then teased, “So is your friend Brett going to be around a little more?”

  “Funny you should ask. The Chief requested that he help with the investigation. Pfeiffe called the field office and told them he was sure Brett was in town. So he’s already here,” I answered.

  I did my best not to blush though I knew I failed miserably. Changing the subject was so far my best defense. With that in mind, I offered, “Maybe we could let all the dorm resident assistants know that we are available.”

  Kim nodded and added, “That should work for now. We can decide if we need to do more when we see how much traffic we have and find out the cause of death.”

  Mitch and I both nodded. We chatted a little more until I kicked them both out as I went down to lead my research seminar.

  The seminar was in a small room, with cushiony chairs arranged like a parlor. I suspected it had been a parlor way back when. There were seven students in the class, all seniors who had taken the seminar in the fall as well. They were all abuzz when I walked in. They got quiet as I sat down.

  “Good afternoon. Somehow I suspect you weren’t just all talking about research ideas or basketball,” I stated.

  “No, ma’am. We were talking about the announcement about the person who died. It seems strange that nobody knows what happened to him – or her,” Wesley offered. Chandler nodded.

  “Dr. Hendley, do you know anything? You were in the middle of it last fall,” Jeff, another student, asked.

  Wesley added, “And you are again, huh?” He nodded as he spoke. He obviously made the connection to why he’d been asked to take my bag to my office.

  One thing was for sure, though. As the primary person to coordinate a campus-wide or student-centered crisis situation, it looked like I was
n’t going to have any choice about being involved again.

  I smiled in embarrassment at being described like that, but answered, “I don’t know any more than you do at this point. Last I heard, the police hadn’t ruled out an accidental death, but were being very careful before reaching a conclusion.”

  I looked around and added, “Drs. Pennzel, Pilsner and I will be available to any students who are feeling anxious or need some support.” I suspected I would be saying that same statement many times in the coming days. I waited a few seconds and said, “Okay, Wesley, I think you are the ‘teacher’ for today, so how about if you take it away?”

  Wesley did just that and discussed the differing approaches to generating research questions. The hour went by quickly. As class ended, I thanked Wesley for his help earlier. By the time I left the room, the students were back to talking about the death. I went back upstairs to the department and my office.

  I stopped at the main office to see Ali and Terra, our office staff. Because all of the departmental faculty members talk to them, they often have the skinny on what is going on. It also didn’t hurt that Terra’s husband, Joe, worked for the newspaper.

  We chatted a few minutes. They didn’t have anything new to share. The general sentiment was the obvious. It is sad when someone’s life comes to an end, regardless of the cause.

  I let them know that we would be available if any of the students seemed upset about the death and then went to my office. I went back to work on grading the quizzes from the morning. I certainly didn’t want to be taking work home with me. Not now that Brett was staying a few more days.

  I checked my email again and the KCCX website for any updates. I was about to text Brett that I was ready to head home, when there he was. He sure looked good leaning against my doorframe. His hazel eyes and dimples smiled at me. I could tell the color was again rising in my face. He chuckled at the blush, his dimples getting deeper, and asked if I was ready to go.