Marlee nearly broke her leg getting out of the Caldwell building fast enough and over to Sanjay’s office at noon. She could not wait to hear what he had uncovered about Logan’s computer and the short stories he wrote. Joe was already in Sanjay’s office when Marlee arrived. She shut the door behind her, and they all spoke in hushed tones. “So, what did you find?” Marlee asked before she even took off her coat or set down her bag.
“I sent copies of everything to you at your personal email address,” Sanjay said, nodding in Marlee’s direction. “I didn’t make hard copies of anything, other than the short story and some access information.” Sanjay handed them each a small stack of papers, clipped at the top. “First, the short story is just as you detailed it. It’s based on a gay professor at a small campus who kills himself. Logan’s death really does mimic many of the details from his story. The other stories I read were on a variety of topics, and none of them seemed particularly autobiographical. Finally, from looking at the system restore files, I was able to determine the file access dates for other users.”
“So what does that mean for those of us who don’t speak computer geek? Uh, sorry. I mean…” Joe faltered, looking for the right words as a blush crept up his cheeks.
“Hey, no offense, man. What it means is that someone other than Logan had access to his computer from the time he started work here in August until after his death,” said Sanjay.
“Sure, we know the computer center had access, had loaded some software for him and had helped him with a couple glitches. We also know that the police looked at his computer after he died,” said Marlee, with a hint of impatience.
“Here’s where it gets interesting,” said Sanjay, speaking faster and faster as the momentum of his story increased. “One other person accessed his computer more than once. And, I also see someone with computer center credentials accessing Logan’s computer when they were not authorized to do so. This happened on at least two occasions before Logan died and once again after he died.” Sanjay looked at Joe and Marlee with a sense of satisfaction, still enjoying his role as superhero.
“Someone from inside the computer center accessed Logan’s computer when they weren’t supposed to? When was this?” asked Marlee.
“Well, let’s see,” said Sanjay, scrolling through documents on his computer. “Here it is. The first time was about a week before he was killed, and the second was the Saturday before his death. The last time was the same day that the crime scene tape came down. The unknown person, not affiliated with the computer center, accessed Logan’s computer twice, on the same day. It was the Friday before Logan died.”
“Could any of these accesses have been police related? Maybe someone from the PD or their forensics lab?” Joe asked.
“Nope, these are all non-police accessed-dates. What the police did is easy to find and label,” said Sanjay.
“Who from the computer center would access Logan’s computer without authorization?” asked Marlee. “Is there ever a reason to do that?”
“Like I said last night, we can do a lot of things, but it’s not an accepted part of the protocol. We can actually get sanctioned if we access information from faculty or staff computers, even though the computers are technically government property and the faculty member has no right to an expectation of privacy. Just because we have the know-how to do it, doesn’t mean it’s acceptable,” said Sanjay.
“Who has the ability and the credentials to do this?” asked Marlee. “And, can you tell who did it?”
“Several people have the ability in the computer center to go into a computer and access whatever they want. According to the protocol, each of us needs approval from our supervisor before we can take any action,” Sanjay reported.
“Who’s in charge of the computer center now?” asked Marlee. She knew there had been some turnover during the semester, but she had never heard who had finally secured the position.
“Alan Haskell is the new director. He just started in September. He comes from somewhere down south. Alabama, maybe? I don’t remember. I can’t stand the guy,” Sanjay said, with a disgusted shake of his head.
“Why is that?” Joe was intrigued by the strong reaction Sanjay had toward his supervisor.
“He totally changed everyone’s duties when he started, so that put everyone against him right away. He must have figured out that he’d gotten on the bad side of everybody in the computer center, so he had us all over for a party at his apartment. It was one of the worst experiences of my life. Al got really, really drunk and started saying really harsh things about people. I think he may have gotten into some trouble over it,” said Sanjay.
“Why do you think so?” asked Marlee. She knew people at MSU associated with each other socially, but she’d never heard of a supervisor getting sloppy drunk and alienating all of his employees.
“A couple days after the party, he sent around an email to all of us, apologizing for his intoxication and the insensitive comments he had made about people of other races,” reported Sanjay.
“Al made racist comments?” asked Marlee.
“He was telling jokes. The problem is that his jokes all have punch lines that are derogatory to blacks, gays, women and other groups too. He’s a jerk. I think someone from the party talked to someone in administration and he was reprimanded,” said Sanjay.
“Ugh, that’s horrible,” said Marlee. It would be bad enough to hear those types of comments from anyone, but hearing them from your direct supervisor put the employees in a precarious situation.
“Yeah, we all walk on eggshells around him. After hearing some of his drunken comments, we all know what he really thinks of most of us,” said Sanjay. “He doesn’t have anyone’s respect anymore and I think he knows it.”
“Do you think he’ll stick around at MSU very long?” Marlee couldn’t imagine Alan Haskell’s blatant racism, sexism and homophobia would be tolerated for long at the university.
“I don’t know. I guess he was anxious to take this job because his brother lives here. Oh, he was at the party too and was just as much of an asshole as Al,” said Sanjay. “He’s been acting weirder than usual and keeping to himself more the past few days, so maybe he knows he will be given his walking papers by the administration and is looking for another job.”
“Can you think of any reason he would want to access Logan’s computer? Did he even know Logan?” Marlee asked.
“No, I don’t know why he would do that. I’m not sure if he knew Logan, but they lived in the same apartment building,” said Sanjay.
Marlee’s jaw dropped as she realized that Al Haskell was the man from Logan’s apartment building who had harassed him with gay slurs. She turned to Joe, who had just come to the same conclusion. Sanjay looked at them quizzically, and Marlee filled him in.
“Yeah, that sounds like Al. He’s a jerk, alright,” Sanjay grimaced, baring his startlingly white teeth.
“Based on what you know of him, do you think Al would kill Logan?” asked Joe.
Sanjay thought for a few moments. “It never felt like he was violent. He seemed like a big blowhard, but not somebody who would physically hurt another person. Of course, do we ever really know people?”
“What if he was with his brother and maybe another like-minded person or two, and they’d all been drinking? Do you think they could become violent toward someone they didn’t like or didn’t approve of?” asked Marlee.
“It’s possible. I guess people do things in groups all the time that they wouldn’t do alone,” concluded Sanjay.
“That’s right. Sociologists call it groupthink. People act in ways in groups that they would never do alone. They get swept up in the group enthusiasm or anger. This is how peaceful demonstrations can turn into riots so quickly,” Marlee stated.
Joe and Sanjay both looked at Marlee, their eyes glazing over. It was a scene she saw regularly in her classes when the students were losing interest. Marlee backed off lecture mode and asked, “So who is the non-computer
-center person who accessed Logan’s computer?”
“That’s a bit trickier, because I haven’t tracked the person down yet, but I can tell you it came from someone on campus. I’m trying to figure out the building and then the office or dorm room. Then I should be able to narrow it down to the person. All this takes time, but maybe I’ll have it by later today.” Sanjay leaned back in his swivel chair and interlaced his fingers behind his head.
“Thanks, Sanjay. This is awesome work. We couldn’t have made it this far without you. Just give me a call when you find out the building, office or person it came from,” said Marlee.
“Will do!” exclaimed Sanjay, as he flashed Marlee a wide smile.
As Marlee and Joe left Sanjay’s office, Joe said, “That guy’s really into you.”
“I know. He asked me out before, and I lied and said I had a boyfriend. I feel kind of bad flirting with him now so he will help us,” said Marlee.
“That was flirting?” asked Joe. “You talked to him professionally. That was all. There was no flirting.”
“It felt like flirting.” Marlee was confused. She felt like she had really turned on the charm with Sanjay.
“You’ll still go out on a date with him, like you promised, right,” asked Joe, feeling a bit sorry for Sanjay.
“Of course I’ll go through with it. I just don’t think it will turn into anything more. He’s a nice enough guy, but not really my type,” said Marlee, trying to remember why she thought they didn’t have anything in common. Sanjay was a few years younger than Marlee, but that didn’t matter. It wasn’t as if she would be labeled a cougar for dating him. He was weird, but not in a creepy way. Marlee brushed her thoughts aside. She didn’t have time to contemplate dating right now. She had a murder to solve!
Marlee walked to the parking lot and angled toward her vehicle. When she was two rows away, she could see a flyer underneath the driver side windshield wiper. She quickly looked at the other cars in the lot. None of them had flyers, so it was not an advertisement. Marlee’s stomach tightened as she neared the car and reached for the folded paper. Written in block lettering was, “BACK OFF BITCH! THIS IS YOUR LAST WARNING.”
With a rapidly beating heart, Marlee grabbed the flyer and put in on the passenger-side seat in the car. The first note was somewhat threatening, but this one certainly held a dire message. Marlee’s hands shook as she put her vehicle in reverse and backed from the parking lot. Who would be so brazen as to put notes on her car during the light of day?
Joe and Marlee had a quick lunch, and she told him about the latest note. Both were at a loss as to the identity of the author. It had to be somebody on campus who felt very comfortable being in the parking lot during daylight hours. They rehashed what they now knew about the case after their meeting with Sanjay. Marlee felt fairly certain that Alan Haskell, the new Director of the Computer Center, was Al the homophobe from Logan’s apartment building. She felt equally sure that he was the person from inside the computer center who had accessed Logan’s computer before and after his death. Marlee still struggled with what motivation he would have to access Logan’s short stories. She also didn’t know why he would want Logan dead. Being a homophobe did not necessarily translate into murder. Other than disliking Logan because of his sexuality, was there any other motive for killing him? Besides Al, who was the person on campus who accessed Logan’s computer? Were Al and this person in cahoots, or did they have two unrelated motives? Maybe the second person had a benign reason for accessing Logan’s computer without his permission and was not involved in his murder. If not, what could this second person’s motive be for wanting Logan dead?
Marlee didn’t have office hours that afternoon, so she didn’t need to return to campus, but she did so anyway. She wanted to correct the quizzes she had given in Intro to Criminal Justice after they finished the hands-on activity in class that morning. There were 45 students, and it would take some elbow grease to grade all of the quizzes. If she finished them this afternoon, it would be one less thing to worry about over the weekend. She went to her office and shut the door behind her, knowing she would be better able to concentrate if she were distraction-free. Marlee was in deep concentration while grading but heard some rustling outside her door and then an envelope slid underneath. Another threatening note, she thought. She jumped from her chair and flung the door open to see who was responsible. The only person visible was Jeremy, Alice Olson’s work study student. He held an armload of papers and was attempting to pin something up on a bulletin board.
“Jeremy, did you see who put this under my door?” Marlee shouted, waving the folded piece of paper.
“Some older guy was by your door, but I didn’t see him put anything under it,” said Jeremy, as he continued his attempt to tack an announcement on the bulletin board with one hand.
“Which way did he go?” asked Marlee.
Jeremy pointed to the hallway that led the opposite way from where they stood. Marlee tore off in search of him, fully expecting to find Al Haskell. The only older man she saw as she followed the hallway down the stairs was Dean Green. He gave her the stink eye, and she glared back. At this point he had already told her that her career was over at MSU. There was no need to play nice with him anymore. Marlee raced past the dean and stopped at the exit on the first floor. She flew out the door and looked in all directions before deciding to head toward the computer center. She ran as fast as she could, stopping to catch her breath twice. When she arrived at the computer center, she was told by the secretary that Alan Haskell was in a conference call and had been for the past half hour. It was at that point that she realized she didn’t know what Al Haskell looked like. She ran to Sanjay’s office.
“Do you know if Al is in a teleconference right now?” asked Marlee.
“I’ll check,” Sanjay said, walking out of his office and around the corner. He returned thirty seconds later and shook his head. “Yeah, he’s in there. Why?”
“Somebody put this note under my office door while I was in there. A work study student told me an older guy was near my door, so I thought maybe it was Al with another note warning me to keep out of the case,” said Marlee.
“Couldn’t have been him,” said Sanjay. “He’s been in his office for a while on that call. What does the note say?”
Marlee unfolded it and read the now familiar block letters: “IF YOU ASK ANY MORE QUESTIONS BE PREPARED TO DIE!” Her hands shook. This was the second threatening note she had received in less than two hours. Somebody was deadly serious about wanting her to stop asking questions.
“Well, if it wasn’t Al, then who was it?” Marlee muttered more to herself than Sanjay.
“Did you see any other older guy as you came over here?” asked Sanjay.
“Just Dean Green, but it couldn’t have been him. He’s not subtle enough to use notes to convey his messages. He would just barge in my office and start yelling if he had something else to say,” said Marlee.
“Are you sure?” asked Sanjay. “Maybe he’s leaving you the notes knowing you wouldn’t suspect him, since it’s not his usual style. Besides, he can’t exactly threaten to kill you when he talks to you face to face. That’s illegal, I think.”
“It is illegal, but I just don’t think Dean Green would do this,” said Marlee. “If he thought I was an actual threat to the safety or reputation of MSU, he could probably have me suspended, pending some type of investigation. He wouldn’t need to leave cryptic notes. I guess I’ll track down Jeremy and have him give me a description of the man by my door. Have you had any luck figuring out who from outside the computer center accessed Logan’s computer? “
“I haven’t figured out who did it, but I know it came from within Scobey Hall. I’m not one hundred percent sure, but it looks like it was somebody with administrative clearance,” said Sanjay.
“The dean? That still doesn’t make any sense. What would possibly be his reason for secretly accessing Logan’s computer? And if he did, what connection does that
have to Logan’s death? Why would the Dean want him dead? This is getting more and more confusing all the time,” said Marlee. With every step forward, this investigation seemed to take two steps backward. On her way out of the computer center, she stopped to look at the photos of those who worked for that department. Front and center was Alan Haskell. He was very non-descript, of medium build and with medium brown hair and hazel eyes. Nothing about this guy stood out. He would be able to move around in public and go unnoticed because everything about his appearance was unremarkable.
Marlee went to Alice’s office in search of Jeremy. When she got there, Alice said that Jeremy was out hanging up flyers on bulletin boards all over campus. The flyers advertised the upcoming English Club meeting, a Speech and Debate contest, and the first annual MSU Holiday Dinner. Alice indicated that Jeremy would be back within the next few minutes.
Marlee sat down on the edge of Alice’s desk and briefly updated her on the findings on Logan’s computer. Alice seemed happy for the distraction and eventually chatted on about her plans for the weekend. Logan’s death still weighed heavily on her, but Marlee was glad to see that Alice was able to focus on other things, at least occasionally.
“I have a scrap booking conference this weekend. It starts tonight. I thought about cancelling my registration. Since Logan died, I just didn’t feel up to it. My daughter talked me into going to get my mind off Logan. I think she was right. I’m actually leaving work a little early today so I can get some supplies for tonight’s first session,” said Alice.
“Will Jeremy lock the office for you if you leave early?” asked Marlee.
“Oh, yes. He will make sure the mail is delivered to the campus post office, turn off all the lights, log both of us off the computers and lock the door. He’s very dependable. I really don’t know what I’d do without him. He’s been so helpful, especially since Logan died,” said Alice.
“It’s great that you can depend on him, especially since he has so much going on with his mother’s illness,” said Marlee.
Day of the Dead Page 25