Wicked

by Jana DeLeon

  Shaye told Grayson about the dead bolt.

  “That’s good,” Grayson said. “When you’re in common areas, make sure there is more than one other person around. Don’t be alone, even with another girl. Women are not beyond such crimes and even if it was a man who chased you, he could have someone working with him. Same goes for showering. Do it at a time when you’re in the room with more than one girl. Do you have a roommate?”

  “Yes, but she’s at her parents’ house right now. She had her tonsils out,” Tara said. “You don’t think she’s in danger, do you?”

  “I don’t think so,” Detective Grayson said, “but if things aren’t resolved by the time she’s due back, you’ll need to inform her of the situation so that she can decide if it’s better to stay put.”

  Detective Lamotte leaned forward. “A couple of things—when you return to the dorm, open the door and leave it open until you can check the closets or anywhere else a person could hide. Once inside, engage the dead bolt immediately. Every single time. If your roommate returns, tell her to do the same.”

  “Exactly,” Detective Grayson said. “He can’t get through the dead bolt without breaking down the door, which he won’t do with a dorm full of students, so I think you’re safe in your room. Do you have any night classes?”

  “No.” She’d had two night classes the semester before but had been fortunate to get everything that she needed during the day this semester. If she’d had night classes, she probably would have ended up dropping them.

  “Good,” Detective Grayson said. “It’s better if you’re not out at night at all, but especially on campus alone.”

  “So I should stay in at night?” Tara asked. “I shouldn’t even go somewhere there’s people?”

  “You’re better off sticking to the rec room in your dorm,” Shaye said, “and only when others are around. Amber disappeared from a party at a frat house. With all the noise and drinking, it’s easy for someone to drug a drink and then appear to be helping a drunken girl home. That’s probably why no one noticed her leave. And there’s also the travel back and forth between your dorm and wherever you go. I know you’re borrowing Ethan’s car, but you still have to navigate parking lots, and that’s the easiest place to wait for someone.”

  Tara bit her lip. So many things she’d never thought about. Hadn’t needed to think about. It wasn’t like she’d ever been stupid, but she probably hadn’t been as careful as she should have been, and now she had to be more careful than ever.

  “Okay,” Tara said. “I’ll stick to the dorm at night and surrounded by people unless I’m locked in my room. And I won’t take food or drinks from anyone or leave mine where someone else has access to them.”

  “Do you have Mace or pepper spray?” Detective Grayson asked.

  “Yes, and I keep my phone charged and on me unless I’m in my room, and then it’s still close by.”

  “If you don’t mind,” Shaye said, “I’d like to link your phone to my Findiphone app. Someone did that for me, and it made me feel better.” She glanced over at Detective Lamotte.

  “Sure,” Tara said. “I don’t mind at all.”

  “And any time you get scared or think there’s something wrong, you can call me,” Shaye said. “Day or night. Doesn’t matter.”

  Detective Grayson pushed two business cards across the table to her. “That is my contact information and Detective Lamotte’s. Same goes for us. If you learn something new or feel that something isn’t right, call either one of us.”

  Tara took the cards, her hands shaking as she put them in her purse. “Thank you,” she said, tearing up as the words tumbled out.

  Finally, she had people who not only believed her but were willing to help find Ethan and protect her while doing so. It was comforting to know that such capable people were there for her, and at the same time, she was scared to death that she needed them to be. The entire thing was so overwhelming, she was certain she was unable to process even one more thing.

  The only thing she could think about was what Ethan must be going through.

  And that terrified her more than anything else.

  He watched as they entered the police station—Shaye Archer and the nosy one, the other cheater. The first cheater had paid the price for attempting to change the rules of the game. Now this one needed to as well.

  He didn’t know her school schedule, but just as soon as he took care of Ethan, he’d be watching her to find out. Maybe he’d get lucky and she’d have class at night, or maybe she’d be foolish enough to think she was safe outside the dorm and in the company of other people. Even if she stuck to the dorm like glue except for classes, a smart person could always find a way inside.

  Tara wasn’t stupid, but she wasn’t nearly as smart as he was. And she was also something he wasn’t.

  Afraid.

  Archer was a problem. Her reputation as the ultimate victim, championing the underdog, was the kind of thing legends were made of. Clearly, the local media didn’t know she was back in town or she wouldn’t be able to open a blind without someone there to film it.

  He smiled. He’d just figured out the simplest way to get rid of Shaye Archer.

  14

  When they finished the interview, Tara asked for directions to the restroom and Shaye hung back in the meeting room to speak to Grayson and Jackson. She knew they wouldn’t give details about Brenda’s death in front of Tara, but maybe now that the girl was out of the room, they’d be willing to give her more information.

  “Is there anything else you can tell me about Brenda?” Shaye asked as soon as Tara disappeared into the restroom.

  Jackson looked over at Grayson, who nodded.

  “A homeless man found her,” Jackson said. “He’d been squatting in the house for some time. He didn’t expect a visitor, especially a dead one.”

  “I’m surprised he reported it,” Shaye said.

  Grayson nodded. “He wasn’t a bad sort. Cleaned his act up recently and is working now. Wasn’t planning on being in the house much longer.”

  “He’s probably wishing he’d cleaned up a few weeks sooner,” Shaye said. “So you don’t like him for it?”

  “No reason to that I can see,” Grayson said, “and my guess is he’s going to have an alibi once we have time of death from the ME. He works nights at the docks.”

  “How was she killed?” Shaye asked. She didn’t know why but something told her it mattered.

  “He covered her mouth with plastic and duct tape,” Grayson said, “then taped her hands and feet together so that she couldn’t remove the binding on her face.”

  Shaye stared at Grayson for a bit. “Oh my God. That’s horrible.”

  “It’s definitely one of the less pleasant cases I’ve seen,” Grayson agreed.

  Shaye frowned. “They all died by suffocation.”

  Jackson nodded. “That and the texts are the main reasons to think they were all committed by the same person or persons.”

  “Suffocation is his method,” Grayson said. “If I had to guess, I’d say he likes the fact that they struggle before dying. It’s sick, but there’s no accounting for crazy. We all know that.”

  “No doubt,” Jackson said. “We should check for similar cases. And not just here. If this is the same guy, there’s a reason for his choice in method and his victims. If we can figure out either, we’ll have a better chance of nailing this guy.”

  “Do you have any forensic evidence?” Shaye asked.

  “Plenty, but these were college students out partying,” Grayson said. “Except for Brenda, who’s still being processed, we probably have DNA from fifty different sources per body.”

  “But only one would be common to all of them,” Jackson said, getting excited.

  “I’ll get the lab to compare the findings from each case and see if we have a match,” Grayson said.

  “Even if you find a match,” Shaye said, “it might not lead to an identification. If he’s never been processed for anything,
he’ll still be an unknown.”

  “True,” Grayson said, “but if we have matches across all the murders, it will be strong evidence for a trial when we catch him.”

  “What else do you know about Brenda?” Shaye asked. “If you can say.”

  “She’s a student. Her mother works for the university,” Grayson said. “Single parent. She collapsed when we told her. She thought Brenda was still in bed when she left for work, but apparently, Brenda had rigged a dummy in her bed to fool her mother and slipped out her bedroom window sometime last night.”

  “Did you recover her cell phone?” Shaye asked.

  Jackson shook his head. “The only thing on her was a fake ID in her pocket. Same name but different birthdate.”

  “He took the phone,” Shaye said. “No one under the age of fifty leaves their house without a cell phone, especially a teen girl. I wonder where she was going.”

  “Probably to meet friends or a boy,” Jackson said. “The dummy in her bed was fairly elaborate, down to the wig that matched her own hair. My guess is she’s been using that ploy for a while.”

  “Overprotective mother. Rebellious teen,” Grayson said. “Usually it leads to a bit of trouble, maybe an arrest or two before they outgrow it. I wish that had been the case here.”

  “She’s connected to the rest of them somehow,” Shaye said.

  “I don’t doubt that,” Grayson said. “Not with everything laid out the way it is. It’s just a matter of finding that connection.”

  Shaye nodded. “I know how the climate is here right now and I don’t have any rights to be in the loop, but if you discover anything that affects Tara’s safety, will you please give me enough information to ensure she’s secure?”

  “Of course,” Grayson said. “The last thing we want is another victim. You were smart to install the dead bolt on Tara’s dorm. And it was nice of you to stay with her last night. I’m sure she was terrified.”

  “Probably even more so now,” Shaye said. “In the morning light it’s all clearer, and then Brenda…I hope Tara can hold it together long enough for you to catch this guy.”

  “I’ll request a patrol unit make sweeps past her dorm,” Grayson said. “As long as she keeps to what we told her to do, I believe she’ll be okay.”

  “I hope so,” Shaye said. “I’ll check in on her regularly, and you should both know, I still consider her my client and will continue looking for Ethan.”

  “We can’t prevent you from doing your job,” Grayson said. “We just can’t aid you, and if you interfere with our investigation, I’ll have no choice but to arrest you.” He gave her an apologetic look. “I’m afraid that some of the courtesies extended before are no longer available.”

  “I understand,” Shaye said. “I didn’t expect anything more. If I find anything, I’ll let you know.”

  “And we’ll inform you if we feel the risk to Tara has altered or increased in any way,” Grayson said. “Thanks for bringing her down. Working all of the deaths and Ethan’s disappearance as a single crime changes our focus and will hopefully yield leads sooner than working them individually.”

  Shaye grabbed her keys and headed down the hallway. Tara was just exiting the restroom. Her face was a little pale and Shaye noticed the girl’s hands shaking as she put lip balm back into the side pocket of her purse, but she seemed steady enough.

  “Let’s get out of here,” Shaye said.

  “That would be great,” Tara said, her anxiety clear in her stiff posture and her voice. “Are we going back to the dorm?”

  “Eventually,” Shaye said, “but I thought it would be a good idea to stop by a grocery store and get you some supplies first. We don’t want you starving, and vending machines aren’t the best choice for a decent meal.”

  Tara’s shoulders slumped. “I hadn’t even thought about food. I almost always miss lunch because of my class schedule so dinner was my big meal. Walking to the sandwich shop after dark isn’t an option anymore.”

  They headed out of the police department and into the parking lot where Shaye was parked.

  “What am I supposed to do?” Tara asked as she slid into the passenger seat. “The more I think about it, the more I just want to go to my aunt’s, but then I’ll mess up everything for my parents and myself. I know you guys think I’ll be safe in the dorm but what if I’m not? I sometimes think that if I had money, I’d get on the first plane out of here and stay gone until the police catch the guy. Then I remember that Ethan is out there somewhere, and we have to find him before he’s killed too.”

  She covered her face with her hands and started sobbing.

  “And more than anything,” Tara said through the sobs, “I’m disappointed in myself for not being stronger. I swear, I’m not a weak person but right now, I feel like the biggest loser and wimp. What’s wrong with me?”

  “Nothing is wrong with you,” Shaye said, surprised at how stern the words came out.

  It must have surprised Tara as well because she stopped sobbing and looked over at Shaye. “How did you handle everything you went through?” Tara asked. “Why didn’t it break you?”

  “Because I didn’t allow it to,” Shaye said. “So many times I thought it would be easier to just give up. And I had all that money you talked about. I could have gone anywhere in the world and stayed there forever.”

  “Why didn’t you?”

  “Because then I would never have known the truth. And regardless of how awful the truth was, it’s still priceless to have it. A lifetime of wondering is a lifetime of living under a dark cloud of oppression.”

  “Do you think Ethan’s still alive?”

  “I have to believe so. That’s what motivates me the most.”

  Shaye started the SUV and pulled out of the parking lot. She wasn’t lying, exactly. She hoped Ethan was still alive, and if the killer was living up to his end of the text message bargain, then Ethan would remain alive for another day. But Brenda’s murder changed things. Whatever plan the killer had was now off track, and that made him even more dangerous than ever. Which meant Shaye needed to figure things out quickly.

  There were two different directions she could go. The first was establishing the connection between the victims in order to identify the killer. The second was cracking the code on the phone in order to find Ethan. Both made large assumptions. The first assumed that the victims were connected in a way that would identify the killer. The second assumed that the clue was actually relevant and provided legitimate information as to Ethan’s location.

  And then there was Tara. The girl was holding it together, but barely. Shaye considered keeping the girl safe as much her job as finding Ethan. It was a whole lot of things for one person to cover. She had to pick a place to start.

  And then something else occurred to her. A horrible, awful thought. She looked over at Tara, trying to gauge her stress level. The girl was still pale and was fingering the hem of her T-shirt as she’d been doing in the interview room at the police station, but her breathing appeared to be more normal than before and she didn’t look as fearful as she had when they first got in the car.

  “I want to put a theory out there,” Shaye said, “but I don’t want to upset you any more than you already are.”

  “I’ve calmed down some. Besides, this won’t get better until it’s over, so I need to get used to handling the really bad stuff now.”

  “The killer could be another student.”

  Tara’s eyes widened and she sucked in a huge breath, then blew it out. “I already thought about that. I mean, he’s only killing students, right? And he chased me on campus.” Her expression darkened. “When I ran to Ethan’s dorm room that night, I found leaves stuck to Brett’s hoodie. The same kind of leaves the shrubs on campus have. It kinda freaked me out, but then, there’s a lot of reasons the leaves might have been on his clothes. I’ve gotten them on mine.”

  Shaye processed Tara’s words and recalled her conversation with Brett and any impression she’d gotten
about him. He hadn’t struck her as a good candidate for a killer. He was too obvious. Not outwardly clever. But then that could all be a ruse. Maybe Brett was a lot smarter than he pretended to be. It was definitely something to look into.

  “There are a lot of reasons to have leaves on your clothes,” Shaye agreed, “and it’s far more likely that Brett is exactly who and what he appears to be. But if it’s another student, you have to be extra careful, even in your dorm.”

  “Oh my God! What if he lives in my dorm?”

  “Anything is possible, but as long as you stick to all the things we discussed at the police station, he won’t be able to get to you.”

  “Tonight maybe, but what about when Darla comes back? He could wait for her to go to the bathroom and I’d be in there alone without the dead bolt drawn. If I’m sleeping, I wouldn’t even know it before it was too late.”

  “Don’t worry about that right now. I’ll come up with something before Darla gets back. You just do everything we talked about.”

  Tara nodded but she didn’t look convinced.

  Shaye wasn’t convinced, either.

  Ethan cried out as the broken broomstick he’d been using to dig the hole snapped in half. It had been growing weaker and finally, it couldn’t hold up any longer against the hard clay ground. A piece of the wood splintered as the stick broke and he fell forward, jamming the splinter into his finger. He sat on the ground next to the hole and inspected the damage.

  The splinter was a good size and had jammed clean through the side of his finger. If he pulled it out from the bottom, he risked it splintering further and getting a smaller piece lodged under his skin. If he pulled it out through the top, he had to force the larger end through the smaller hole, which would be far more painful.

  Another wave of hopelessness passed through him and he struggled to keep from crying. He wasn’t made for this. He was the quintessential geek. His survival skills included things like knowing tips and tricks to pass a science exam or the quickest way through level-seven dungeons in MMORPGs. He didn’t know anything about escaping locked buildings or performing on-the-fly medical procedures. Those had been the kinds of things his roughhousing neighbors had been into.