Forensics Camp

by Kate Banco

The man answers, “Fair Haven, it’s where my mom is from.”

  Joy tells the county office to call the funeral director for pick up as soon as possible. The man thanks us and we leave.

  As we get back in the car Joy says, “That wasn’t too bad, was it?”

  “No, but I thought you have to do more to determine time of death and in case it’s suspicious.”

  “Normally, we do. But with a ninety-year old woman pretty good chance she died in her sleep when you find her in her bed. There’s no reason for suspicion. Now I go back to the lab and write up what we observed. Next time I’ll have you write the report for practice.”

  “Great, I would like that. I want as much hands-on experience as possible,” I say.

  “There will be some you won’t want to observe, believe me. When you get the first ugly case with decomp you won’t sleep for a couple of nights. But if you are interested in the work you’ll get over it. Let’s get you back to town.”

  CHAPTER 4

  Oswego, New York

  I spend Fall Semester riding along with Joy as much as possible. She begins to train me on more lab-type things, she even teaches me how to draw blood. She says she could get in big trouble if anyone knew. She makes me laugh every day. I guess if you are going to work in this field you have to have a sense of humor.

  Much to our relief Marcos and I both pass our TOEFL exam. In order to take academic classes for credit we both have to pass the English proficiency test. We hoped to pass the test first semester so we could start our forensics and science classes second semester. All went well and we both registered for Forensics 101 Spring Semester. We have two classes of Forensics together, but we go to our other classes at different times. Marcos says it’s good we go separately because we will speak more English to other people. We are meeting a lot of nice people.

  Two students we meet in Forensics 101 are Dana and Marilyn. Dana is a tall, blonde, Nordic-looking guy. Marilyn is a Chinese student, just as tall as Dana but struggles with English a little. She wasn’t in our ESL classes, but communicates well. We form a lab group with Dana and Marilyn. We become good friends, both are hard workers and love learning about investigations. I ask them how they met. They both laugh and say, “Here, in class.” Marilyn answers.

  “You look like you’ve been together forever,” Marcos says.

  Dana blushes and says, “That would be nice.”

  Marilyn laughs and says, “Why don’t you ask me out then?”

  “Okay, we’ll talk later,” Dana blushes again.

  It’s obvious to me he will ask her out.

  I ask Marilyn if her name is popular in China. She laughs and says, “No, we were told when we got to the US to choose a common name. I chose Marilyn because I always loved her.”

  “Marilyn Monroe?” I ask.

  “Oh no, not her. Marilyn Munster, I started watching the Munsters when I arrived in the US and I loved her. So I chose Marilyn,” she says with a smile.

  “It’s a beautiful name,” Dana says.

  Professor Ricks starts our class a little late today, but I’m glad we got to talk to Dana and Marilyn. I have to remember to invite them over for dinner soon.

  When we enter the class we see an interesting figure standing next to Professor Ricks. An older, gray-haired, bespectacled man with baggy pants, worn-out sweater and bloodshot eyes. He looks like a figure from a crime TV show. We all glance at him as we go to our seats. When everyone is seated the professor closes the door and turns to speak to the class.

  “Okay everyone, let’s get started. Today I’ve asked my friend, Fred, to help us solve a mystery. Fred has worked with the crime lab here in Oswego for years. He is our local expert and also he likes to dress up as a drunk crime investigator. I can assure you he doesn’t always look this way. He dresses this way to play the role of a bad crime scene investigator. I’ve set up two crime scenes on the floor for today’s class. Fred, I’ll let you take it away. Do what you do best.”

  For the next hour Fred keeps us all entertained with stories he has heard or true stories that are interesting because he was there. The time passes by quickly. He finishes up by writing on the blackboard his name, phone number and email. He tells us to use it anytime we have questions.

  Professor Ricks laughs and says, “Okay, let’s get out of here a little early today. It’s icy out there. Everyone be careful.”

  We all are relieved to get out of class early. We start out the door and hear an announcement over the PA.

  “Attention staff and students. The campus is closing early today to allow everyone to get home ahead of the predicted ice storm. Listen to local radio stations tomorrow for info about school closings. Get home safely everyone.”

  Marcos grabs my hand as we exit the building. “Lets see if we can get home before that ice storm starts.”

  We walk out and see crowds of students exiting the buildings, we hear laughter, shouts and people cheering. Getting out of class early seems to have made everyone happy.

  Dana catches up with us, “Do you guys need a ride? I’ve got my car in the parking lot if you want to get home quick.”

  We walk with Dana and Marilyn to the parking lot, get into Dana’s jeep and are grateful for the ride.

  A few minutes later after dropping Marilyn at her dorm room, Dana puts on his turn signal and turns in to married student housing. We tell him he can drop us anyplace, but he says he’ll take us to our door so he knows which apartment is ours. We thank Dana and get out of his jeep. It is starting to freeze and we are grateful to be home. If this keeps up we probably won’t have classes tomorrow. More time to work on our homework.

  We don’t know Dana that well, but we both feel he and Marilyn will become good friends. We also think they will become a couple. In the next few days there are no classes because of the ice storm. Marcos and I stay home and catch up on our studies.

  After the long break everyone is happy to be back in class. When we enter Professor Rick’s we realize Dana and Marilyn are very friendly to each other. It’s obvious they’ve spent time together the past few days. Marcos and I walk home and are looking forward to the weekend even though we just had a three -day break.

  Monday night after dinner I grab my laptop from my bag and open it up to check my email. I scan through any incoming messages. There is an email from Dana marked urgent. I click on the email and read through it.

  “Marilyn has been picked up by immigration. What are we going to do? We need to help her. She said she had the correct paperwork and her parents had sent her here to study. Do you think it was a lie?” The email reads.

  “Dana needs us to call him, Marilyn has been kidnapped,” I say.

  “I’m going to call Dana to see what he knows,” I say as I pull my cell phone from my bag. I notice I have three missed calls, all from Dana. I call him and he answers right away.

  “Margarita, I’m so glad you called back. I’m frantic, I don’t know what to do,” he cries in to the phone.

  “What happened, when did they pick her up?”

  “Today, there was a sweep, someone called ICE and said there were undocumented students in the dorms.”

  “What time did it happen?” I ask as I put Dana on speaker phone.

  “Early this morning, people were still asleep and not even dressed. My friend Sierra called me, she saw them take Marilyn. They took them in their pajamas. I hope they let them grab coats and boots, it’s cold out today. Sierra said they came in early and started knocking on doors. They knew who they were looking for, but I think they thought if they scared everyone the others would point them in the direction of the students they were looking for.”

  “How terrible! Do you have any idea where they took her?” Marcos asks.

  “No, I’m trying to find out. I’ve called immigration but they won’t answer or give any information about ICE sweeps. I nee
d to contact campus security in case they have any idea of what happened. Can I come over to your house? I don’t want to sit alone, I need help to come up with ideas of what to do.”

  “Sure, come on over,” I say without hesitation.

  “Okay, I’m on my way. I need to ask my room mate if he heard anything new, then I’ll be over.”

  I hear the call click and I look at Marcos, “How awful. That could be us. If we were still undocumented they could have picked us up.”

  “I know, but it’s not so don’t worry about thinking what-ifs, we need to help Dana find Marilyn.”

  We finish clearing the table and cleaning up the kitchen. I look out the window and see Dana’s Jeep pull in to the parking space in front of our apartment. That didn’t take long I think, he must be worried sick.

  Marcos opens the door before Dana has time to knock, “Come on in Dana, we want to help any way we can. Tell us as much as you know.”

  “Marilyn’s story doesn’t add up. When I ask her questions about how long she will be here and how often she speaks with her family she gets all quiet. She says she has family in New York City. She never mentions any family back in China. I think maybe she isn’t documented like she says. What if they deport her?” He says.

  “Let’s not think about that yet, maybe it’s all a mistake. Maybe there’s confusion about paperwork. How many people did they pick up?” Marcos asks.

  “The info I got from my friend is she saw them take two Chinese students and put them in the ICE van. She doesn’t know if they got more from other dorms. It seems like a huge disruption just for two students. If it is really a sweep it seems like they would have taken in more students don’t you think?”

  “It does seem like a huge commotion for two students, and there weren’t any Hispanics?” I ask.

  “Not that my friend saw, but it could be they had more than one van and were entering different dorms at the same time, so some couldn’t warn the others.”

  “You know who we should call,” I say to Marcos in a whisper.

  “Don’t. We can’t do that and you know it. Maybe we can call Fred. He may have connections with someone who was aware of the sweep this morning. Do you have his number?” He asks me.

  Dana looks so worried and I ask if he has eaten anything. His answer is obvious as he shakes his head and says, “I haven’t been able to eat.”

  “Let me call Fred and then I‘ll make you a sandwich, okay?”

  “Thanks, I think I need to eat,” he leans over and puts his head in his hands.

  “Marcos why don’t you call the school newspaper and radio station to see if they have any information. They should at least know what happened and maybe how many people were picked up.”

  “Good idea, I’ll go to the other room and call. Be right back.”

  I take Dana to our family room and tell him to get comfortable for a few minutes while I call. He looks worried sick. He’s only known Marilyn for a short time, but it looks like he really likes her a lot.

  “Fred, sorry to bother you. This is Margarita from Professor Ricks class, do you remember?”

  “Yes, Margarita. Of course. How can I help you?” He answers and I can tell he is smiling by the tone of his voice.

  “Marcos and I wanted to call to ask some questions about our project, but something else has come up in the meantime. We have some questions about a friend. Do you think you might be able to help us?”

  “I can try, why don’t you tell me what problem your friend has?”

  “This morning one of our friends from our lab group was picked up by ICE. There was a sweep in her dorm this morning and they took her away. Do you know anything about that?” I ask.

  I hear him cough and clear his throat, “Margarita, when did this happen?”

  “This morning early, do you know anything about it, or who we can call? We are worried sick and her friend Dana is here and is so worried.”

  “Let me make a few calls and I’ll get back to you. Is this the number to call you back?”

  “Yes, thank you. We appreciate any help we can get.”

  Just as I put my phone down Marcos comes back into the room. He has a worried look on his face.

  “What? What did they say?” Dana asks.

  “The school newspaper knows nothing about a sweep by anyone this morning. They wanted to know where I got my information. I told them the other students witnessed it. They said they did hear two guys came in to a dorm and took away two girls, but it wasn’t ICE.”

  “What do you mean, my friend saw them. They had a white passenger van with ICE in big black letters on the side. The guys wore black and had jackets with ICE printed on the back.”

  “Who could it have been if it wasn’t ICE?” I ask.

  My cell phone rings and I answer, “Hi Fred. Yes, I’m listening. Of course you can come over. I’ll text you my address. See you soon.”

  “Fred is coming right over. He didn’t want to discuss any details over the phone. I’m going to make some tea, Dana I’ll make you a sandwich.”

  In the kitchen I put the hot water kettle on to boil and I can’t help but think of people like my Tío Enrique. What if it’s not ICE that picked Marilyn up. It could be worse. What if they are kidnappers dressed as ICE? I don’t want to remember how I was almost kidnapped in the Caléxico bus station. I can’t start to think about that or I won’t be of any help to Dana. I need to help him find Marilyn. I finish making a sandwich and put the teapot and cups on a tray. I carry the tray back to where Marcos and Dana are. I hear a car pull up outside and go to the front door.

  Just as Fred knocks on the door I open it. He is surprised and startled, “Oh, I didn’t expect anyone to answer so quickly. How are you Margarita?”

  “So worried about Marilyn, I hope you can help us. Come on in please, Fred.”

  I show him to the family room where Marcos and Dana are waiting, both stand to greet Fred, “I hope you have some information Fred, I’m worried sick,” Dana says.

  “Hi Fred, I’m glad you could come over. Estás en tu casa.” Marcos says.

  “Thanks, I hope I can help. But I don’t think I have the news you want to hear.”

  The look on Dana’s face gives away his fear, “Don’t tell me she has been deported already.”

  “No, she hasn’t been deported. But, I don’t have good news. I called my connection in Immigration. He will usually tell me a yes or a no when I ask questions. He can’t tell me a lot, but he can say yes if he knows about a certain case or person.”

  “What did he say?”

  “Well, I didn’t have her name or personal information. All I asked is if there had been an ICE sweep this morning on campus. I told him I have some interested friends who are concerned about one of the girls who got picked up.”

  “And what did he say?” Dana almost shouted.

  “No, ICE did not come on campus this morning. There was no sweep, they weren’t even in the neighborhood.”

  “What does that mean?” I ask.

  “My friend saw the van and saw the men with ICE on their jackets. Who were they?” Dana asks.

  “He doesn’t know, but he says you can buy the jackets online now. Companies are selling FBI, ICE, CIA and all kinds of jackets online. It’s not hard to look like an immigration official. Black slacks, white shirt with the jacket, throw in a pair of aviator sunglasses and walkie talkies and they look official.”

  Dana gasps, “Where is she then and who were those men?”

  “Dana, I’ve called the detectives and they will come over in a few minutes. I want you to give them as much information as you know. Give them the name of the friend who witnessed the kidnapping, because that is what this is, a kidnapping.”

  Marcos and I both stand and go over to Dana. We wrap our arms around him because none of us knows what to do. We just hold him for a
few minutes without saying anything.

  “I don’t understand. I don’t think Marilyn’s family is wealthy. I’m not sure she has enough money to finish school.”

  “It isn’t always about the money, Dana. There are other reasons.”

  “Like what?” He asks.

  Marcos looks at me and indicates I should try to answer.

  “Dana, did you say she has family in New York City? Do you know their contact information?”

  “No, we were just getting to know each other. She told me her aunt owns a type of Chinese Restaurant Nightclub someplace in the city. She used to work there.”

  I look over at Marcos and wish I didn’t know so much about the possibility of sex trafficking. I wish I could share with Dana what we know, but of course we can’t.

  “Maybe when the detectives come we can go over to her dorm room. We might find more information and phone numbers in her room. Does she have a roommate?”

  “Yes, but they don’t get along very well. The other girl wants to have an American roommate, not a Chinese student. She told Marilyn many times she wanted her to move to another room so she could have a different roommate.”

  “Well, her roommate will have to answer to the detectives when they show up, if not she’ll be taken downtown for questioning. We also have to notify the administration. They need to know there are two Chinese students missing, possibly kidnapped,” Fred says with authority.

  We agree to meet the detectives at Marilyn’s dorm room. Fred calls the admin at the university and lets them know we are coming on campus with detectives. He asks for their full cooperation and asks why they are unaware there has been a kidnapping on their campus and the police and media haven’t been notified.

  The university security is at the dorm when we arrive to Marilyn’s room. Dana isn’t sure of the name of the other student who is missing, but tells campus officials she was also Chinese he believes. They contact the registrar’s office and leave a detailed message. The security has access to a database of students. They run a search for Chinese students who are residents of the same dorm as Marilyn. They find the other student’s name is Vivian and her room was on the third floor. Marilyn’s room is on the second floor.