I drove home, still thinking about the murder, Adam, and the possibility that sooner or later someone was going to hone in on Ali, or more likely Kim, since she was at the rec center. Of the two, Kim would be the one person other faculty would describe as highly emotional, hot-headed, and dramatic. She also worked out regularly and was competitive, at least in sports. She was involved with him in the past and present. At some level, she had motive and opportunity. Not knowing how he was killed, I wasn’t sure about the means. But I couldn’t see her actually killing someone, or if she did, not screaming about it. Keeping secrets was not one of Kim’s strong suits. She’d get excited, start talking, and so much for secrets.
It sometimes amazed me that she had been in a private practice, doing counseling. She obviously was much better about compartmentalizing the counseling she did and being careful to ensure confidentiality. Every once in a while, she would talk about the practice, the ups and the downs of it, and the clients, most dealing with adjustment issues rather than severe pathology. But she never mentioned names or anything that would have breached confidentiality. She was capable of keeping other people’s secrets, just not her own.
I suspected that she liked the practice, but catching her business partner with her husband resulted in the breakup of both partnerships. A bit fragile and not coping well, she’d ended up here at Cold Creek the year before I did. It was during that vulnerable time that Adam had befriended her, and she rebounded right into his hands. That was right up until he showed up at a college function with wife-to-be number four and barely spoke to her. Months later when I came to Cold Creek, there was still some pity talk about how he used her and humiliated her. We became friends and I knew she hadn’t dated or even considered dating for almost a year.
If she hadn’t started seeing him again, it would be easy to argue that if she wanted to kill him, why would she wait 4 years? That reasoning wouldn’t work though given Kim’s admission that they were seeing each other again.
Probably someone had seen them out together. Cold Creek was a small town, and even if they went over to North Shore or Altavista, the two closest towns, for dinner, they’d likely run into someone one of them knew. And Adam being who he was, anyone who saw them would have mentioned it to their friends, and so on.
Ali also had dated him for a while and almost quit her job because of him. I never heard the details of that romance. She did not have a positive thing to say about him. On the other hand, she never said anything negative either. Her favorite response was “I’m not gonna go there – leave me out of it,” and then she’d walk away.
Like Kim and me, she lived alone, so no built-in alibi. But like me, she rarely used the facilities at the rec center. Ali was a hard worker, in her thirties, and generally quiet and reserved. I found it hard to imagine her with Adam, but then she might have been putty in his hands given his charm and manipulative style. She was blonde and fairly slim, except in the right places. She tended to dress very conservatively though, unlike Katie. It was easy to see why he would have been interested in her. And he may have seen her conservative side as a challenge. I pulled my car into my driveway feeling frustrated.
After greeting my dog, Charlie, and letting her out in the backyard, I made myself some dinner and pulled out the articles I’d brought home. I read the same article three times, and didn’t remember what I had read. Usually I enjoyed reading the articles and deciding which ones would work for the activities I’d planned, but tonight that wasn’t happening.
I finally gave up, pulled out a blank piece of paper, and put Adam’s name in the middle. Then, like I was doing a story map or brainstorming, I added the names of all of us in the department. I drew a line from Adam to each of us and marked it as positive, negative, or neutral. I obviously was only guessing on some of the lines. I tended to err to neutrality if I didn’t have evidence for positive or negative.
When I was done, I had negatives by Kim, Ali, Max, Doug, and me. As much as I might want to believe it was Max, given his overbearing attitude, I couldn’t see him killing anyone unless they messed with his research. To him, his research was paramount and his ticket to one of the coveted universities. Doug didn’t strike me as having enough emotional get-up-and-go to kill anyone. Then again, no one thought Ted Bundy was capable of being a serial killer.
I sighed for about the hundredth time because I was right back where I started and no closer to alternate suspects instead of Ali and Kim. I had one circle not connected, representing students. It was possible that some parent found out that Adam had been inappropriate with his daughter or used his power as a faculty member to coerce her in some way.
Alternatively, maybe there was a husband out there Adam royally pissed off so I added another circle for unknown husbands. And, of course, there were all those ex-wives, each of those got their own circle. The phone ringing interrupted my musings.
“Hi Sher. It’s me Kim. Did you see the news tonight? It was Adam.” She sounded like she’d been crying and was having a hard time holding herself together.
“Oh, Kim, I’m sorry. Are you okay?” I asked, as I flipped open my laptop and pulled up KCCX so I could see what information was released. I realized I hadn’t jumped the gun and told her because I was afraid of her reaction.
“I can’t believe it. I don’t want to believe it,” she sobbed. I read the story, which was very short. It basically identified the victim as Adam, indicated that foul play was considered likely, and the investigation was ongoing. He’d been found in the weight room by another faculty member, Dr. Scott Hickson in Technology. The story also included Adam’s position on the faculty and that he frequently worked out at the rec center.
“Sher, did that detective tell you anything? Who they might suspect?” Kim asked with a catch in her voice.
“Not really, but I’m sure he’ll be back tomorrow asking more pointed questions about Adam. Kim, you need to be honest with him, but you don’t need to tell him all the details,” I cautioned her.
“I know, I know. It wasn’t me, Sher. This time I was using him as much as he was using me, honest. And I have trouble killing spiders.”
“Kim, I believe you. But you know the first people to be considered are the ones closest to the victim. In Adam’s case, that would include whoever he was seeing and his ex-wives first, and then the rest of the faculty,” I offered, trying to put it in a realistic frame.
“But that puts me in the pile twice! He was seeing me AND I work with him. But then, I’m not the only one in that boat,” she added. I assumed she was referring to Ali, but when I asked her, the response threw me for a loop.
“Not Ali, Sher. Though I guess she would fit as well. But their dating didn’t last long enough to matter much. I was talking about Katie. She was Adam’s second wife. They came to Cold Creek together 10 years ago. They got divorced within the first two years, and he was onto wife number three. I don’t remember number three’s name, but she worked in Fine Arts and left after the divorce. And you know about Misty, the admin assistant to the Provost, who became number four. I heard she was dating someone in Health and Kinese these days,” rambled Kim.
“Kim, how do you know all this? Katie?” I asked, incredulous at her knowledge of Adam’s relationship history. And a little worried about how Kim’s knowledge of Adam’s relationships might seem to McMann or any other detective.
With a sigh, she explained, “Well, when I dated him the first time, Katie tried to warn me about him. I didn’t believe her, and said some not-so-nice things to her. I was so sure that with me, it would be different. When it was over, every time I saw her, I felt like she was giving me that ‘I told you so’ look. Of course, she is a big flirt herself. Possibly that was one of the things they had in common. Did you know she dated Doug for a while? Can you even imagine that?”
I was totally blown away by that piece of information and told her so. I also pointed out she shouldn’t offer any opinions to the police. She should stick to the facts and not elaborate
, like if she were being deposed in a case related to her practice. That seemed to at least generate discussion of her practice and the few times she had to be deposed in relation to divorce, battering, or damages.
As she finished talking about those cases, I again admonished her to follow the same guidelines when McMann or anyone else asked her about Adam. I was pretty sure someone would be talking to her first thing in the morning. I was a little concerned about how good my friend would look as a suspect.
After we hung up, I went back to my relationship map, and adjusted the picture so that Katie was number two wife as well as colleague. Then I made that one negative. I also added Misty’s name to the number four wife spot and noted that she was seeing someone in Health and Kinesiology. He could potentially have a motive as well. I didn’t envy McMann given this tangled mess. I was fairly sure, with my limited interactions with Adam, and what I learned in the last half hour, that there were more circles than I had on my piece of paper.
Charlie nudged me and I let her outside again. Then I turned on the news to get the full discussion and not the short version I had accessed online. Charlie back in, I decided to make it an early night, and headed for my bedroom and my book. The phone rang, and from caller ID I knew it was Terra. It was odd she would be calling me at home, this late at night.
“Dr. Hendley, this is Terra. I am sorry to bother you at home, but could you make time tomorrow to talk to Ali? I talked to her a few minutes ago and she’s very upset. She’s afraid that detective is going to talk to her tomorrow, this time more specifically about Adam. Joe thinks so too. Maybe you could help her relax, talk to her and help her to see that she needs to talk to the detective?” she asked. She sounded very earnest and I empathized with her concerns.
I assured Terra that I would come in early and talk to Ali. I also pointed out that what Ali told the detective or anyone else was her choice and her business. Ali tended to be a private person. I didn’t see that she would confide in me. But I also wanted to make sure that Terra knew I wasn’t going to share anything Ali said.
Terra agreed and expressed her concern that Ali was likely on the ‘persons of interest’ list and that she was worried about her. I told her I appreciated that. After not much hesitation on my part, I had to ask who else she envisioned on that list.
“Well, I would guess that is going to be a long list, Terra. Katie may be at the top of the list, don’t you think?” I asked.
Terra chuckled, and said, “Katie, Kim, Misty, Ali, and a few of the women in about every department on campus! Not to mention a few who have left because of him. You’re about the only single woman who didn’t fall for his lines, you know. Yeah, that is going to be a long list, but I would rather Ali wasn’t on it. I don’t think she has a lot of friends or a strong support network. She doesn’t go out much and never did.”
Terra and I chatted for a few minutes, but I didn’t get any more information. I reassured her I would talk to Ali, though I wasn’t sure what good it would do. I went back to my relationship map and looked again at all the possibilities. Given that Adam targeted single women, unless they were seeing someone else, all of them likely did not have an alibi. That included me.
I hardly knew Katie, but felt bad that she too would be a suspect. It occurred to me that probably one reason Katie and I had never become friends was the animosity between her and Kim. It also struck me that for a psychologist I hadn’t been paying a lot of attention to the people I worked with.
As I started to get changed for bed, the phone rang again. I looked at Charlie and she rolled over. Most nights, most weeks, my phone doesn’t ring much at all. My sister calls usually over the weekend to complain about her life and criticize mine. Every so often Kim calls or texts to see about going to a movie. Three calls in one night? Definitely a record. I answered the phone noting from caller ID that it was Wayne.
“Sheridan, how are you? I saw the news. It must be so shocking,” he offered solicitously. I imagined he was shaking his head in disbelief.
“Hi Wayne, yes, it is shocking. Did you know Adam?” I asked, figuring that even Adam had to see a dentist once in a while.
“Not really, but here in Cold Creek, everyone knows everybody. I was concerned how you might be taking it. Maybe we could go to dinner this week. You know, take your mind off this awful situation.”
“Thanks for thinking of me, Wayne. I do appreciate it, but I think I’ll pass on the dinner. With this hanging over our heads, and the first week of classes looming, I think I’ll keep a low profile,” I offered as a tactful decline to his invitation.
This was not the first time, and would likely not be the last, that I was declining his invitation. He was consistent though. His invitations were always to take my mind off something like the rain or the heat, or to celebrate something. He was, if nothing else, persistent. He wasn’t a bad guy and he wasn’t unattractive, but his conversational skills were limited. More importantly, there was definitely no chemistry. Even with my brief brush with McMann, I knew there was more chemistry there than with Wayne. We finished the phone call with me again thanking him for his concern. I wondered when he would give up.
I shook my head and glanced at the phone again, daring it to ring again. I finally managed to put on my nightgown and get ready for bed. Charlie jumped up on the bed with me as I curled up with a novel. Reading helped to stop my ruminating over the day’s activities. At least the novel pushed them out of consciousness. Then lights out.
Chapter 4
As I promised Terra, I was on campus early. I parked my car in the faculty lot and looked toward the rec center, which was relatively quiet. I couldn’t see any obvious signs that someone had been murdered there. There were no official vehicles sitting there and I couldn’t see any crime tape or such. Everything looked deceptively calm and peaceful. I took the stairs to my office and put my bag down before I went to the main office.
“Hi ladies, how are you doing this morning?” I asked directing the question to both Terra and Ali. I noticed that Jim hadn’t gotten in yet, so they were the only ones in the office area.
“Hi yourself, Dr. Hendley. Be right back,” Terra answered as she made a hasty exit, leaving Ali and I alone. Ali smiled and shook her head.
“Subtle as a sledge hammer, Terra is. She asked you to talk to me didn’t she?” Ali asked. She smiled but the smile was not reflected in her eyes. Her eyes seemed pained.
“As a matter of fact she did. Ali, Terra is worried about you,” I said with a sigh. “Anything I can do to help?”
“I know, I know. I’m really okay. I don’t see why she is so worried. All water under the bridge,” she answered with a wistful look that belied her words.
“Ali, you know that the detective or someone will be in to talk to you about Adam, if not this morning, then some time, right?” I asked.
“I do, and I was worried about that at first. But I didn’t kill him so I’m not going to worry about it,” she said with a shrug. Her puffy eyes told a different story, but I wasn’t about to argue with her.
“Okay, that’s a good attitude.” I hesitated before saying anything else. “Ali, do you by any chance have anyone who can vouch for where you were Sunday night and yesterday morning when they found Adam?” I asked, knowing I was pushing my luck.
Ali chuckled and said, “About as good as you do! My cat can vouch for me, and I bet your dog can vouch for you!” I smiled and nodded. Not the most often voiced problem of being single, but obviously being single left us without an alibi.
“Touché! Feel free to come by if you need to talk, Ali.” I smiled and went back to my office. I hadn’t even gotten my computer turned on and gracing my doorway was McMann. I realized I wasn’t likely to be getting much done today or tomorrow. It occurred to me that spending the day with a very nice looking man whose smile seemed to heat up my world could be a good thing. On the other hand, it wasn’t so good when it was limited to talking about Adam and all the people who might have killed him. Includin
g Kim and Ali, who I liked. And I still had my classes to prep.
“Good morning Detective,” I said, with less enthusiasm than the words implied.
“Good morning, Sheridan. I brought you a cup of coffee,” he added as he offered me the coffee with a smile.
I thanked him, waved to the chair he’d occupied yesterday, and waited. He explained that he had some additional questions, most having to do with Adam and his relationships. To cut to the chase, I showed him the relationship map that I’d drawn the night before. He studied it, nodded and then looked at me as if to say, “and you did this why?”
“I kept thinking about it and decided to draw the relationships I knew about. When doing family therapy or systems therapy, I’d do this kind of drawing to help me keep track of what I thought I knew, and then update it as more information came up in therapy,” I explained with a shrug. I had often used these drawings when trying to figure out the why of various behaviors in the residential treatment center. Sometimes it helped. Sometimes it didn’t, but it always made me feel like I was doing something.
“I see. This is helpful. I don’t recall you mentioning that Katie van Anst was an ex-wife when we chatted yesterday,” he added, his brows knitted.
“I didn’t know that when we talked yesterday. Of course, everyone is talking about Adam after it was on the news last night that he was the victim. That came out in conversation. I also added Misty in as number four. So far, nobody has mentioned to me the names of one and three,” I explained. McMann was looking at me very intensely. If he was trying to intimidate me, it was working. The warm feeling I had left with yesterday was fading quickly.
“Sheridan, okay, so you drew this for what reason?” he asked. The careful wording made it seem like he was attempting not to sound threatening.
“Just trying to make sense of it all. It’s a fairly human reaction, detective,” I answered a bit defensively.
Murder at Cold Creek College Page 4