The Campus Killer (Detective Ali Ryan Series Book 1)

by Andrew Hess

  Mark raised an eyebrow and smile. You must be the detective, he thought. I’m sure we’ll get to know each other real soon.

  Mark glanced at the chubby girl he’d known for two years. Tears were running down her face as she told the detective everything she could about her friend and roommate.

  “I’ll be seeing you soon Nicky; sooner than you think. I promise.” Mark continued off down the hall and down a set of stairs leading to the bright sunny campus.

  Chapter 11

  I walked down the hall; finding an officer walking aimlessly looking down each set of rooms.

  “Are you okay officer,” I asked. He glanced back at me with a confused look on his face . “You lose something?”

  “Someone,” he replied. “I caught a boy walking around acting like a wise ass.”

  I laughed at him; picturing the officer as an older man shaking his fist at a younger man calling him a whipper snapper. “What’s so wrong with that?”

  “He was lurking around the victim’s room and asking questions about her death.”

  I shifted my eyes towards Rachel’s room. “Did you get his name or a description?”

  “No, he was gone before I grabbed my notepad. He just asked a few questions and disappeared.”

  I brushed my hands over my face; feeling it getting redder by the moment. We purposely kept the rookie cops to patrol the area; keeping everyone in their rooms instead of interviewing the students. There were too many people to interview and important information could go missing, or in this case someone.

  “Find him,” I shout as Rodney exited a dorm room.

  “What the hell is going on out here,” he asked.

  “One of the students was snooping around; asking questions, and this one didn’t get the kid’s name, description, room number, or get any answers from him.” I pinched my fingers on opposite sides of my nose just under my eyebrows. “Did you find out anything?”

  Rodney shook his head sideways. “No one saw her leave; no one saw her come back. You get anything out of the roommate?”

  “She wasn’t well liked; had a few friends and usually had a few drinks during the week before going out. Have you interviewed the RM yet?”

  “No, but she should be in her room.” Rodney flipped through the pages in his small notepad. “It’s just around the corner. Her name is Bette Willis.”

  We rounded the corner and knocked on the door. There was a bit of silence before the door slowly opened. A shorter curvy woman with her pulled back black hair and glasses appeared.

  “Can I help you,” Bette asked.

  “I’m Detective Ali Ryan and this is my partner Officer Rodney Johnson. I was wondering if we could come in and ask you a few questions.”

  She nodded and stepped aside; allowing us into her bedroom. It was unlike other dorm rooms. There was only one bed in there whereas others have two or three in each. It was larger and had a small studio apartment feel to it; just without the stove and bathroom inside.

  Bette pulled out two chairs for us and took a seat on the bed. We noticed her face was red and blotchy as she looked at us with her heavy brown eyes.

  “As we understand it,” Rodney began as he flipped to an empty page. “You were in the lobby last night monitoring the front door.” He waited for her to acknowledge him with a head bob. “What time did you begin your watch?”

  “I came down around ten and was there until three.”

  “And during that time, did you see Rachel Walker?”

  “No,” she cried. “Only a few students came through those doors between eleven and one which is normal.”

  “What about the rest of your shift,” I asked.

  Bette cupped her hands to her face. “I-I don’t remember.”

  “What do you mean you don’t remember,” Rodney snapped.

  Bette sobbed into her hands. “I was doing homework and fell asleep. I woke up around three and went to bed.”

  “How convenient that someone died on your shift and you were asleep downstairs in the lobby.”

  “Officer Johnson,” I snapped; catching him off guard. He turned his head towards me with anger in his eyes. “Outside; now!” I held the door open for Rodney to leave and he complied.

  “Ali, I’m sorry but…”

  “But nothing. I’ll handle the interview from here. Go cool off and I’ll find you later.” I closed the door; keeping Rodney from entering the room. “I’m sorry about my partner.”

  “It’s okay,” Bette whimpered. “He’s right. I screwed up. I should’ve stayed awake. Maybe I would’ve seen Rachel and could’ve got her some help.”

  I crouched next to Bette; gripping her hand. “Were there any other people watching the doors?”

  “No, all the doors lock after midnight. The only way in is through the front doors.”

  “So if she came in later than that, Rachel would’ve passed by the lobby. Are there any cameras or a way of seeing when she used her card to get in?”

  “No,” Bette cried harder into her hands; thinking she was the only person that could have helped Rachel.”

  “Have you ever seen Rachel with liquor in the dorms,” I asked; hoping she would say yes to prove Rachel drank in her room.

  “I’ve heard her and her roommate laughing loudly and using a blender, but I never found anything. I’m not permitted to search their closets or dressers, but I knew they were drinking.”

  I wanted to push further, but I didn’t think Bette would be able to tell me anything useful to the case.

  “Thank you Bette. I’ll be in touch if we have any further questions.” I patted her arm gently as I handed her a tissue.

  I exited the room feeling a weight lifting from my shoulders. There was a good chance Rachel came back early enough to slip through the back door and drank more in her room, but I wasn’t fully convinced; not yet.

  Chapter 12

  I roamed the halls of Estrada Hall until I found myself outside of Amanda’s room. The Lieutenant sat on one of the plush maroon chairs outside the room; restricting access to the room to only a select few.

  “Has anyone talked to her,” I asked.

  “Rodney came by a few minutes ago.” The Lieutenant knocked on the door lightly.

  The door swung open slowly; replaced by Rodney’s large frame. He leered at me through squinted eyes. “She’s clear.”

  The Lieutenant’s lips curled into a smile. “Did either of you find out anything useful?”

  “The victim’s name is Rachel Walker,” I began. “She was at a party on South Oakwood last night. Her roommate provided a list of friends that Rachel was at the party with. I gave it to Officer Adams who should be informing the girls of Rachel’s death.”

  The Lieutenant laughed. “You mean you actually delegated work to someone other than Rodney.”

  “Why should we have all the fun?” I smiled while turning my head between Rodney and the Lieutenant.

  Rodney cleared his throat. “According to the residents I interviewed, Rachel was a constant party girl with not a lot of friends.”

  “Her roommate corroborated those reports. Rachel would find a way to sneak bottles of beer into the dorm and went out every Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.”

  “What about the RM,” the Lieutenant replied.

  “She fell asleep roughly around one this morning, but never saw Rachel coming in. According to her, there are no surveillance cameras covering the front or back doors and no way to prove when Rachel came back to the dorm.”

  The Lieutenant let out a sigh and glared menacingly. “Is there anything else?”

  Rodney watched me out of the corner of his eyes; almost shaking his head no at me. “I believe the victim was brought back to her room by an unknown person sometime after one this morning.”

  “And what do you base this off of?”

  I told the Lieutenant about finding Rachel in bed fully clothed including her shoes while her bed was still made; making the case that any drunk person that made it b
ack on their own would have slept on their side or face down with the covers pulled up over them.

  “So you think someone was in there with her?”

  “Yes sir.”

  He pondered the thought of someone helping Rachel back to her room; leaving her on her back where she ultimately died.

  “Did the victim have any enemies?”

  I flipped back through my notes; finding my interview with Nicole Sherman. “The roommate said our victim was a psych major that liked to point out other student’s flaws. Apparently she ruffled quite a few feathers.”

  The Lieutenant paced in front of us; piecing everything together. “And your case ruling?” This was what he wanted even more than us presenting the facts. He wanted to know if this was a closed case or homicide.

  “Still pending,” I replied.

  There was a vein above the Lieutenant’s eyebrow; pulsating as he heard my decision. “Why?”

  “Before I close the case, I need to know how she got back here. Someone helped her and I want to know who.”

  The Lieutenant turned to Rodney. “And yours?”

  “I think we should wait to hear from her friends and wait for the test results to come back before making a decision.”

  The corner of the Lieutenant’s lips curled. He patted Rodney on the back; ushering him away. “There’s hope for you yet.” He turned back to me. “Oh and Detective,” he shouted throwing a set of car keys towards me. “Make sure you gas up the car before bringing it back to the station.”

  Chapter 13

  Mark hurried back to his apartment; grinning from ear to ear holding a small brown bag. He unlocked the dirty white door; entered his room and silently closed the door behind him. He took a seat at the black metal desk while placing the bag on top and pulling the middle drawer open; retrieving a list from it

  Mark took a red marker and crossed out Rachel Walker’s name from the list. “One down; three to go.” He was free and clear; feeling like he was on top of the world.

  Then he heard a soft knock on his door. Panic set in. Mark’s heart pounded loudly in his chest. Did I fuck up; he thought. I wore gloves; so there’s no way I left a print. Did someone see me? Did that cop follow me? His hand shook nervously as he dropped the paper back into the drawer. He listened for another knock as he moved closer to the door. Mark placed his hand on the knob; took a deep breath and opened it.

  Jess stood in the doorway wearing a pair of black workout shorts and black tank top. Her short brown hair perfectly framed her face.

  “You’re up early,” she smiled.

  “Yeah, I had a few errands to run.”

  “Did you eat yet?”

  Mark glanced at the brown paper bag sitting on his table. “No not yet; why?”

  “I was wondering if you wanted to get breakfast together.”

  Mark pushed everything from the night before out of his head. A flirtatious smile spread across his face. “Sure, I’d love to.”

  “Great, just give me five minutes to get ready.”

  She ran across the hall and looked back before entering her room. Her smile gave him a hope; hope that there would be a life for him after the chaos of his murders settled down.

  Mark stepped into the hall; quickly locking the door behind him. He rocked back and forth; sitting next to the landlord’s greenroom as he waited for Jess to return.

  She appeared within minutes; dressed in tight blue denim shorts and a white short sleeve shirt. They walked down the hall together; their hands grazing each other as if Mark was afraid to grab her hand. He swiftly moved to lace his fingers with hers. Jess’s eyes met his with surprise, but did not withdraw her hand. They smiled and continued out the front door.

  Chapter 14

  I took Amanda to lunch; knowing campus was buzzing with rumors at the sight of all the squad cars. There were too many answers to uncover, but Amanda didn’t need to be the center of it; not until I had the chance to prepare her.

  We found ourselves a few blocks from campus; wandering around Main Street.

  “You hungry,” I asked.

  “Maybe; you buying?”

  I stood across the street from my favorite bar and smiled at the green awning with the large bold white letters P&G on it.

  We were greeted the moment we walked through the door by a kid with a small goatee. His ears were pierced with small black circles that kids typically called plugs. The cop in me saw how much smaller his were than others I’ve seen before. They were new; must have been only a few months since the needle plunged the first hole into his ear.

  “Hello ladies,” the man said with a smile as he held up two fingers. I nodded affirmatively. “Right this way.” He escorted us to a small booth in the corner with a flat screen TV hanging on the opposite wall showing highlights from last night’s baseball games. His eyes locked on to Amanda. “Your waitress will be over in a minute.” He placed the menus in front of us. He lingered for a moment; smiling at Amanda before walking back to his post at the front of the restaurant.

  “Alright sis,” Amanda snapped. “Out with it. What’s going on?” Amanda was dying to know all the details of the investigation, but there was only so much I could tell her.

  “What do you know about Rachel Walker?”

  “What is this; an interrogation?”

  “Sorry, but I need to see how much you know about her.”

  “Not much,” Amanda replied while skimming through the menu. “We didn’t exactly run in the same crowds.”

  I picked up the menu; placing it on the edge of the table so no one could see us talking. “What kind of crowds did she hang out with?”

  “The only people I saw her with were a group of know it all girls that liked to party.”

  “Did you ever run into Rachel at any parties?”

  “A couple I guess. I never really notice other girls when I’m out.” Amanda looked up from her menu; catching my mouth as it displayed a small grin. “What?”

  “So does this mean you notice the boys” I laughed. “Does Sean know you’re checking them out?”

  Amanda blushed. “I wasn’t checking them out. I was just…”

  “I waived her off; returning to my questions. “Did you ever see Rachel around any of those guys? Was she flirtatious or did she play hard to get?”

  “I don’t know Ali.” Amanda slammed her menu on the table; making a loud thwacking sound. “What’s with all the questions? I thought she died from drinking.”

  “She did, but there was something off about the way she was positioned; almost like someone placed Rachel on her back instead of stumbling into the room.”

  “Why would that matter?”

  “I just,” I thought about my theory; thinking I was reaching too far; too much to make this a homicide. “I just wanna be sure.”

  “Sure of what? You think someone murdered her?” Amanda gave a small light hearted laugh. “People drink too much all the time; especially in college.”

  I knew she was right, but I wanted to keep probing until I got the answers I was looking for. I dropped the menu to browse it when our waitress stepped up to the table. She was short; maybe five four wearing a revealing black top that let her busty chest leave little to the imagination.

  “Afternoon ladies,” the waitress said as she pushed her black rimmed glasses closer to her face. “I’m Stacy; your waitress for today. Can I start you out with something to drink?”

  Amanda pulled her menu open and searched for what she wanted. “I’ll have an iced tea and a grilled chicken sandwich.”

  “I’ll have the same but with water,” I replied.

  Stacy grabbed the menus. “Great, I’ll put these in for you and will be right back with your drinks.” She turned on her heel and strutted to the bar.

  “So now I have some questions for you Detective.” Amanda plastered a smile across her face. “What happened on your date last night?”

  My cheeks felt like they were on fire. My mind returned to the night before; seeing Ma
tthew as he held my hand while we walked through the city or holding in his long arms as we rode the train back to Poughkeepsie.

  “It was nice,” I replied; trying to suppress the glowing look on my face. “We went to see a show in the city and had dinner with a few drinks at OSho.”

  Amanda lightly banged her fist on the table. “I need more than that. Come on Detective; I want the facts.” We laughed at her impersonation of the Lieutenant.

  “Okay fact; Matthew took us out for sushi. Fact; we had a few drinks while we were there. Fact; we had a nice night together and plan on seeing each other again. Fact; my sister is too nosey for her own good.”

  “Consider it my inquisitive nature,” Amanda laughed. “I guess the police curiosity rubbed off on me.”

  “Fine, but next time I need to see your warrant, or maybe have my lawyer present.”

  We continued having a good laugh at my dating life. It wasn’t something I liked to discuss, but sometimes I missed having girl’s day out with my sister; especially when it was long overdue.

  Chapter 15

  I dropped Amanda back at my house before returning to campus. There were questions that still needed to be answered and I planned on getting them.

  I called the officer I sent to talk to Rachel’s friends and found out they lived in Capers Hall; a ten minute walk from Rachel’s dorm. I walked up to the glass doors and badged my way passed the RA.

  “I’m looking for these girls.” I handed her the paper with the list of names. She ducked into a small box-like room to look up the names and their room numbers. It took a few minutes, but she returned with the list and accompanying me to each room; finding the first two empty.

  The girls were huddled together in a room near the back of the building on the first floor. It was small; too small for multiple students to share. There was a bed on each side of the room with a dresser on opposite sides of the wall, and three girls sat together in the middle of the room.

  “Excuse me ladies,” the RA said; startling the girls while they sobbed into each other’s arms. “This is Detective Ali Ryan. She has a few questions for you.”