Murder to Go

by Brenda Donelan

  “She was in one of my classes but I never talked to her. I don’t remember seeing her other than that one class last year,” Dom reported.

  “I’m going to tell you three something and I don’t want it to leave this room. It will probably become common knowledge later, but I don’t want the story being spread around because I said anything. Agreed?” Marlee asked.

  The three students nodded with enthusiasm, sitting up just a bit straighter in anticipation of top-secret information being shared with them. Marlee then relayed the story of Roxie being sexually harassed by Dean Green and the dean’s ultimate dismissal from MSU based on other information that came to light.

  “What?” exclaimed Jasper, not sure he had correctly comprehended the story.

  “Have any of you heard anything about this?”

  “No,” the three students said in unison.

  “Have you heard anything at all about Dean Green being handsy with women on campus?” Marlee asked.

  Dom and Jasper shook their heads but Donnie hesitated. “One of the girls I worked with at the information desk in the Student Union said something about him one time. I don’t think he did anything to her, but she seemed to know something about him harassing one of her friends.”

  “Who was this girl you worked with, Donnie?”

  “Her name is Bethanny Hayes. She’s on campus this summer, taking a couple classes and working, but I don’t know where. They don’t keep the information desk staffed in the summer because so few students are around. I can ask one of my friends how to contact Bethanny,” Donnie said.

  “That would be great. If possible, can you call your friend tomorrow and get Bethanny’s contact information? I’d like to talk to her as soon as possible and see what she knows.” Donnie nodded her agreement and Marlee continued, “The reason I’m asking about Dean Green’s behavior is that I think I saw him driving away from the motel in Chamberlain that night we stayed there. Roxie was arguing with someone and a man looking a lot like Ira Green drove out of the parking lot. At first I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me, but now I think my first hunch was right. Maybe Bethanny knows something about Dean Green’s behavior with other women on campus. That might link in to Roxie’s death.”

  “Wait, you think Dean Green killed Roxie?” Dom asked.

  “No, not necessarily, but he has some explaining to do if it was him arguing with Roxie at the motel on Monday night. I’m just trying to find out more information about Roxie and in doing so, I have to find out more about Dean Green’s behavior,” Marlee said, not quite understanding her own line of thought. “Did any of you see Roxie on Monday night after we finished talking in the motel lobby?”

  “Yeah, she came to the pool and acted just as crazy then as she did at the women’s prison,” said Jasper. The other two nodded in agreement.

  “Did you see her at any other time that night? Or hear anything from her room or outside?” Marlee asked.

  Donnie, Dom, and Jasper all denied hearing or seeing anything out of the ordinary after they left the pool.

  Before she left the students’ room, Marlee felt she should ask them about their feelings and how they were dealing with Roxie’s death. They all assured her they were handling it in an acceptable fashion and that they were talking to each other continuously about Roxie’s demise. She left their room feeling like she had done her job as a caring professor, but also that she gained a bit more information about Dean Green. How that would apply to the death investigation of Roxie Harper, she wasn’t sure.

  The next stop was the room shared by the Stone sisters, Violet and Paula, and their long-time friend, Johnny Marble. Marlee knocked on the door and it was opened by Paula, who had changed into a long green nightshirt, and held her toothbrush in her hand. She motioned the professor in and Marlee entered and looked around the room. It was exactly like the previous room she had been in, as well as her own. Violet sat on one of the two beds with her head propped up with four pillows, two of which she must have brought with her because they were extra fluffy and depicted Betty Boop. Johnny was nowhere to be seen. The toilet flushed and he walked out of the bathroom wearing knee length sport shorts and a ratty off-white MSU t-shirt.

  The spiel about why she was visiting all of the students’ rooms was repeated. Since Violet was in her first year at MSU, she was taking mostly general classes and not too many in her major. Thus, she didn’t have any information about Roxie. “I’ve never even had a class with her,” Violet reported.

  Paula Stone knew Roxie, as they had shared several of the same classes, although Paula could not report any relevant details about their now deceased classmate. “I’ve known who she was for a couple years now, but I don’t really know her. I noticed she always sat alone, so I sat by her a couple times and tried to strike up a conversation before class. She just didn’t want to talk about herself.”

  Johnny Marble, also a criminal justice major at MSU, had little knowledge of Roxie other than what he had heard about her since starting Criminal Justice To Go. “Not really anything I can tell you. She seemed nice enough until she exploded at the women’s prison.”

  “Did you guys go swimming last night?” Marlee asked.

  Paula shook her head. “We wanted to watch Dancing with the Stars finale last night, so we didn’t go swimming. We thought that was more important. I heard Roxie was acting bizarre at the pool.”

  Marlee launched into her speech about coming to her if they had any problem dealing with Roxie’s death. “If you want to talk or just want company, let me know.” Johnny gave a noncommittal nod and Marlee doubted he would be running to her with his thoughts and feelings anytime soon. Paula and Violet, on the other hand, were enthusiastic over the offer and Marlee suspected she might have opened the floodgates with those two.

  The room with the USD students was Marlee’s last stop. She intentionally left them until the end because they would not have any information on Roxie other than what they observed along with the rest of the class. This stop would be a quick check in, and then she could go back to her own room and relax.

  After knocking three times, Bart flung the door wide open. “C’mon in,” he slurred. Marlee could be see that Bart had been drinking and could also smell it. Marlee entered the room and saw a red cooler placed in the middle of the room. The lid was up, exposing cans of beer and two bottles of hard alcohol. Marlee really didn’t care if the students drank after they were through with the tours for the day. As long as they were not drunk or hung over during the tours, she had no problem. She was not naïve enough to think the students would remain alcohol-free the whole week. Most of the students probably brought something with them or bought it in the towns they stayed. She had her own bottle of rum in her suitcase, so to forbid the students from drinking seemed hypocritical. Plus, they would do it anyway. It was best to give up the farce of a no-drink rule on the trip.

  Katie walked past the cooler and gave it a hard kick on the side, as if stubbing her toe. It had the effect of knocking the lid shut and hiding the drinks. “Come in, Dr. McCabe.” She motioned to the chair beside the dresser and Marlee sat down. She ran through the purpose of her visit for the third time that night.

  “Did any of you know Roxie before this class?” Marlee asked, assuming that none of the three knew Roxie since they all attended USD and were only taking this class because it was the only course like it offered in the state.

  “No. I never said one word to her,” said Becca who was standing in the corner near the television, searching for the remote to reduce the volume.

  “I said hi to her, but that was it. She didn’t seem very friendly,” said Katie, sitting on the edge of the bed near the cooler.

  “Me neither,” slurred Bart, now leaning against the dresser in what Marlee guessed was more for stability than anything else.

  “Did you guys see her at the pool on Monday night?”

  All three nodded and repeated the same story she heard from Marcus, Dom, Jasper, and Donnie. With t
hat, Marlee finished by reminding the students to talk to her if they needed any support or just wanted to vent about Roxie’s death. With that, she stopped by the pop machine on the way back to her room. With a caffeine-free diet Pepsi in hand, Marlee entered her own room and fixed herself a cocktail in one of the plastic cups provided by the motel. It was after ten o’clock, and she was itching to call Vince’s house again. She desperately wanted to know why he had met with his old girlfriend that night, but she was also afraid of the answer. This was a conversation that could be delayed until the following day.

  There are two types of prisons. One is the place where criminals are sent. The other type of prison takes the form of restrictions we place on ourselves.

  Chapter 9

  It was Wednesday and, if past instances of Criminal Justice To Go were any predictor, this would be the day the shit would hit the fan. The past two summers she taught the class, Wednesday was the day from hell. The novelty of the class had worn off at that point and the students were starting to get on each other’s nerves. Cliques had formed and alliances made. Roommates were spatting and a few people ganged up on one or more students they found irritating. Marlee tried not to intervene unless the situation became intolerable. Unfortunately, the students tried to pull her into their dramas, wanting her to side with them and sanction their opponents.

  Everyone met in the breakfast room of the motel before seven-thirty, and nearly everyone had a sad face. The early mornings, late nights, different foods, and lack of their own personal comforts took a toll. Marlee typically hated each and every one of the students by Wednesday, but this morning, she was in a strangely positive mood. She was halfway through a class that she would despise by the end of it, a student had died while in the class, and her boyfriend was spending time with his super-model ex-girlfriend. Marlee’s life was in the crapper and there was not much reason to be happy, yet she was.

  After a brief chat with the tables of students breakfasting on sugary rolls, make-your-own waffles, and cereal, Marlee returned to her room to grab the last of her items and place them in the car. Before leaving the room she decided to give Vince a quick call on his home phone. She usually didn’t call him on his work cell because that line needed to be free in case there was an emergency with one of the felons he supervised in the community.

  Marlee rang the number and after the third ring, a husky female voice answered, “Hello?”

  Marlee ended her call with one swift press of the END button on her cell. She was mad, sad, disappointed, and brewing for a fight all at the same time. Clearly, Suzanne had spent the night with Vince. How convenient, I’m gone for a week and Vince uses the time to court his ex-girlfriend. Of course now Marlee was most likely the ex-girlfriend. Marlee was out and Suzanne was in.

  “Vince Chipperton, you asshole!” Marlee yelled, turning off her phone and shoving it in her purse. She was so mad she feared she would cry just to release some of the emotion. Taking a deep breath, she left her room and proceeded to lead the class to their next tour.

  Marcus didn’t say a word when he saw Marlee’s scowling face. He knew something was up, but didn’t feel he should ask. They parked on a side street near the Federal Prison Camp and walked into the main building lobby to be screened and given further directions. Only males sentenced in federal court could be imprisoned in the Federal Prison Camp.

  The Bureau of Prisons oversaw the custody, control, and care of individuals sentenced to a term of prison in one of the country’s federal correctional institutions. After being sentenced in federal court, the BOP decided where the offender would be located. Being a South Dakota resident did not ensure they would be housed within the state, or even the Midwest. Although the BOP tried to place offenders close to home, that was not their main goal when designating someone to a prison. Placement issues in the federal prison system were based on the type of offense committed, length of the sentence, prior offenses, and the level of violence in the offender’s past.

  The BOP also sought to keep offenders separate from their codefendants and other known criminal associates to reduce the chances of them forming alliances or planning future criminal activities. Non-violent offenders were placed at prisons that had lower security levels and allowed more privileges. Those convicted of violent offenses were typically placed at prisons with much higher levels of security since they were deemed more of a threat to society.

  The only federal prison in South Dakota was considered a country-club prison because it housed only non-violent offenders, most of whom were convicted of white collar crimes. The lack of fences and gates, the visibility of a volleyball court and other recreational areas, and the fact that two streets bisected the prison grounds perpetuated the idea that the prison in Yankton, South Dakota was indeed for those who committed crimes like securities fraud and embezzlement, and could only be punished in posh surroundings.

  The BOP designated the facility in Yankton as a prison camp because camps had the lowest security of all federal institutions. The lack of bars, wires, and armed guards made the general public wonder what kept inmates from just walking away. Occasionally, this did occur, but most inmates realized there was a high probability they would be caught and then incarcerated at a much more secure facility. Plus, more time would be added to the sentence as punishment for the escape. Since it was a low security prison, any inmate who walked away from the prison camp would be much more likely to embezzle from a victim’s bank account than to perpetuate a murder, rape, or robbery. An escapee wouldn’t be an immediate danger to the community.

  The prison had at one time been a college campus and was later repurposed into a prison. The recreation areas were holdovers from the college days, as were the large, stately buildings. Inmates were kept busy tending to the grounds with non-powered push mowers and small hand tools. Other inmates were occupied with maintaining the polished and pristine interior of the old buildings. Brooms and dust mops were in the hands of most inmates inside the administrative prison buildings at Yankton. The work of the inmates was evident in the shining wood floors, stairs, and banisters in the buildings and the well-tended green space outside.

  The general public tended to lament the prison population for refusing to work while incarcerated. This was far from accurate. Most inmates wanted to work to help pass time. Twenty four hours spent in a cell or barracks passed very slowly when there was nothing to do. Although it was possible for inmates to refuse to work most wanted to work to fight boredom. Plus, they earned a small amount of money which could be used to purchase snacks and hygiene items at the prison commissary.

  Marlee and the students awaited their tour guide after being greeted by Deputy Warden Michael Fluharty and given an overview of the prison and its programs. The group had already been screened and approved for a tour, so now all they needed to do was wait for their guide to appear. They sat on overstuffed couches as inmates in tan pants and shirts walked to and fro, seemingly without any restriction on their whereabouts.

  Rosalita Diaz joined them, introducing herself as a case manager in the prison and their tour guide for that morning. Rosalita was in her late twenties, heavy set and quick witted, tempered with a kind personality. She was immediately liked by Marlee and the students.

  She explained that her work as a case manager involved making sure the inmates followed the directives of the court while in prison, such as paying restitution, fines, court fees, and child support. Most inmates were restricted from contacting their victims by telephone, mail, or in person or through a third party and Rosalita worked to ensure that none of those contacts occurred. In addition, she encouraged inmates to complete their education, participate in support groups, and to work in various parts of the prison such as grounds keeping and automotive repair. She also made contact with the U.S. Probation Office that would be providing supervision to the inmate once he returned home. For those who could not return home, due to estrangement from spouse or family or because the house had been seized in their federal invest
igation, Rosalita helped the inmates find other living arrangements. Some she would assist in placing in a halfway house, which would provide them a group facility to live in in the community, allowing them to work and participate in everyday activities. Once inmates saved enough money for an apartment, they were able to leave the halfway house and live independently, although still on supervision by the federal court system through their probation officer.

  Rosalita showed them the talking books program. Inmates read books out loud in one of the studio rooms. The audio tapes were provided to people in the state with vision impairments.

  One of the new regulations implemented in the federal prison system was a ban on smoking. Prisoners were irate when they found out they would no longer be allowed to smoke anywhere on the prison grounds, thus turning them into non-smokers. “We had a really angry bunch of inmates for a while, but then they calmed down after the nicotine left their systems. Once in a while somebody smuggles some in, usually through the visitor’s lounge, but otherwise we don’t have much of a tobacco problem anymore. Just the new guys. The ones that are just brought in have a really hard time giving up their smokes.”

  “Before the smoking ban, where could the inmates smoke?” Marlee asked. She knew the answer to the question, but since none of the students commented on it she decided to ask.

  “There were designated smoking areas outside. Smoking hasn’t been allowed inside buildings for years. Now they can’t even smoke outside,” Rosalita replied.

  “What about staff here? Can they smoke on prison grounds?” Marlee inquired.

  “Nope. I know of one correctional officer who sneaked in a smoke here and there outside but he was written up twice and all of a sudden he was gone. I can’t swear the smoking is what got him fired, but it had to be a major factor.” If Marlee were a betting woman, she would place cash on the supposition that Rosalita was a smoker. She seemed sympathetic to the inmates and the fired correctional officer as well as a bit put out by the infringements on smokers’ rights.