by H K Christie
Brendon leaned over to speak directly into her ear. “Is this what you thought it would be like?”
She looked up at him. “It’s a lot louder and with a lot more people than I would’ve thought.” Easy to get lost in the crowd and lose the person you’d come with.
“Yeah, it can get pretty crazy, but it can be fun too. Do you like to dance?”
“Sure.” She couldn’t remember last time she’d danced.
“Well, come on.” He led her into one of the main rooms that was loosely being used as a dance floor.
They flailed about, dancing their hearts out to a Lady Gaga tune. Brendon was a terrible dancer. Selena wasn’t much better. They giggled as he twirled her around in a faux dramatic dance move. They danced until they were sweaty and laughing so hard they had to get off the dance floor to catch their breath.
Leaned up against a wall covered with striped wallpaper, Brendon gazed down at her. “I have the best time with you. I really lucked out that you were assigned to my floor.”
“Me too.”
He gave her a light kiss and then stepped back. “Have you seen enough? You wanna get out of here?”
She hadn’t planted the cameras yet. Shoot! She had nearly forgotten the entire reason for coming here. “Yeah, I, uh, just have to go to the bathroom first.”
He gave her a bit of a strange look. “Can you wait until we get back? This place is a little sketch.”
Things were a little sketch around here? How much did Brendon know about what went on at the frat? “It’s okay. I’ll be quick. I really need to go. I’ll be right back.” She patted him on the shoulder and ran off to find the bathroom. Her first lie. She shook off the guilt and told herself it was for a good cause.
She hurried down the hall and tried to blend in with the drunken partygoers. She made a quick right and hopped up to the top of the stairs. There was an outlet right in the center. She pulled out the USB charger, which was actually a secret camera, from her shoulder bag and quickly plugged it in. Next she made her way to the first open door. A bedroom with a king size bed, two nightstands, and a furry bean bag chair in the corner. She hesitated about planting another device. A bedroom seemed like a good place to record but also like a huge violation. Like maybe a jail-time kind of violation. No, she’d plant one in the living room and at an outside socket instead.
She turned around to leave and froze. She was face-to-face with Tyler. Shit. “What are you doing in here?” he asked.
Selena feigned innocence. “I was just looking for a bathroom. Can you help?” The excuse that literally everyone makes when they sneak around in someone else’s house.
“The bathrooms for guests are downstairs. Wait, don’t I know you?”
Selena’s nerves rattled. “I don’t think so. I’m, uh, Tina. You are?” Be cool, Selena, be cool.
A creepy smile lit up his face. “I’m Tyler. It looks like you need a drink. “
Um. No. “Oh yeah, actually, I’m here with a friend I should get back. Maybe later. Okay, bye.” She didn’t wait for a response. Instead, she rushed past him, down the hall, and down the stairs, hoping he wouldn’t follow. The last thing she needed was for Tyler to find out what she was up to.
At the bottom of the stairs, Brendon stood with a puzzled look on his face. “What were you doing up there?”
Double shit. “Oh, I was hoping for a more private bathroom. It’s okay now, we can go.” She grabbed his hand and gave him a nervous smile. She’d have to plant the other cameras another day. Shit. This was not going according to plan.
She tried to lead him out, but he stopped. “What’s going on, Selena? You’re acting strange.”
Think fast. “I just really have to go. I, uh, started my period.” Lie number two. Now her nerves were officially shot, and she just wanted to go home.
Brendon’s face turned a pale shade of pink. “Oh, okay. We can go.”
Both relief and guilt flowed through her. She didn’t like lying to him, even if it was for a good cause.
14
Selena approached the house and tugged her black knit beanie down almost to her eyebrows. It was a frigid night and her black turtleneck and hoodie with black jeans and black boots was appropriate attire, but skulking around in the dark not so much. She scanned the steps and porch of the Delta Kappa Alpha house. There wasn’t anybody outside. Apparently, the only night they didn’t party was on Mondays.
Coast clear, she tiptoed alongside the house. She paused and stared at the now dead grass. Was that where Dee was attacked? Is this where they attacked all their victims? She turned and kneeled down. Power outlet on the porch. Check. She pulled out a camera from the pouch on the front of her hoodie and plugged it in. A bit of an oddity if anyone noticed it, but she had to take the chance. She stood back up and scanned the perimeter. No one was around.
Hunched down, she continued on. She crept up to the first window and peeked in from the corner. It was the side living room where the dance floor had been located. Now there were just a few guys sitting on some sofas. Not assaulting anyone. Good job, guys. It was nobody she recognized. She kept on until she reached the kitchen window. She peeked inside, but there was nobody in the kitchen.
She ducked back down and crept along the wall until she reached the gate to the backyard. She stopped and listened. Silence. She slipped her arm over to undo the latch and pulled it open as quietly as she could. Her heart sped up as the creak of the hinges made far too much noise. If there was anybody out there, she would’ve been found out.
She kept her hand on the top and let it slowly close without relatching. She surveyed the backyard. There were several sets of low tables with matching chairs and a large fire pit in the center. She focused her attention to the right. There was a sliding glass door that led into the house. She shimmied along the wall to take a peek inside.
She leaned out to take a quick glimpse. There were three men standing in the corner, two she didn’t recognize and one she did. It was only a side profile, but she would recognize that mustache anywhere. What the hell was Detective Grayson doing inside the Delta Kappa Alpha house?
He turned his head and she stepped back, hoping she wasn’t visible. Adrenaline soared through her veins and her hands began to tremble. She needed to get out of there now. She walked backward until she hit the gate. She turned quickly and spotted another outlet. She pulled the second camera out and stuck it in. The slider began to open and she turned to make a run for it.
She made it to the front of the house, next to the porch, when she heard someone call out, “Hey!”
She instinctively turned to look. Shit. Tyler ran down the stops.
He was fast.
Now face-to-face, he asked, “What are you doing here?
“Oh, I thought I left something at the party last week and I was just looking for it.” Dressed in head to toe black.
He gave her a devilish smirk. “Really? What exactly is it that you lost?”
Not buying it. C’mon, Selena, try harder. “My bracelet. It’s gold and has a little dangling heart on it. Have you seen it?” She knew she wasn’t being believable, but she needed to get the hell out of there. She’d now technically met Tyler three times. He could probably identify her. That was just dandy, but what she really needed was to ensure Detective Grayson didn’t lay eyes on her—she needed to get away and fast. Detective Grayson would know something was up immediately if he saw her lurking around.
He said, “No. Sorry.”
“Okay then, well I checked and didn’t see it either. I must’ve lost it somewhere else. Thanks anyways. Bye.” She tried to casually stroll off, but he grabbed her by the arm, swinging her back around.
“Not so fast. I remember you. I found you in one of the bedrooms. Tina? Maybe you and I should get more acquainted.”
Oh, hell no. “I really have to go.”
He squeezed her arm harder. “No, I don’t think that’s true. I think you should come inside with me.”
She was certain
ly not going inside the house with a rapist. She put her hand in the pouch of her hoodie, hand on baton, ready for action. “No, I won’t be doing that. I’m going to go.”
His hands were stronger than she expected. He wasn’t letting her go. She looked him dead in the eyes. “Let go of my arm or mark my words, you will regret it.”
“What are you gonna do, little girl?”
She pulled the baton out of the pouch and flicked it to full length, rotated her arm, and whacked him on the wrist. He immediately let go and cried out in pain. He shouted, “You bitch!”
She sprinted at top speed until she reached the Towers. Fighting in real life was not at all like she’d practiced in the gym. In the gym, fear and rage hadn’t been a factor. By the time she’d arrived at her dorm room, sweat trickled down her back and her hair was soaked beneath her beanie. The mission hadn’t gone great, but she did manage to plant two more cameras. She took off the beanie and caught the elevator up to the third floor.
What the hell was Detective Grayson doing at the DKA house? Was he investigating? Did he know about the rapes at the house? Was he helping them cover it up? Was he in on it? He acted like he hadn’t known Tyler when Dee had shown him his photo, but that couldn’t have been the case. What the hell had she stumbled upon?
15
Out of breath, Selena slammed the door and engaged the deadbolt before rushing over to her bed and popping open the lid to her laptop. From across the room, she heard, “How did it go?”
Selena continued working on the laptop without looking over at Dee. “They’re installed, but I didn’t get away undetected. I ran into Tyler. He wouldn’t let me go, so I hit him with my baton and ran as fast I could back here.”
“Oh. My. God. Seriously?”
Selena said, “uh-huh” as she remained focused on the screen. “And you’ll never believe this.” She furiously tapped the keys of her laptop to access the camera she’d just installed. It opened up. There was nobody in the side yard. She moved to outdoor camera two in the backyard. Detective Grayson was standing with the two men and now Tyler. She couldn’t hear what they were saying, but she could tell that Grayson was questioning Tyler based on his hand gestures and the direction of his eyes. It appeared he was asking about Tyler’s wrist, which he held with his other hand. She’d hit him as hard as she could. She wouldn’t be surprised if she’d broken it.
Selena spotted Dee in the corner of her eye as she scampered over to Selena’s bed to watch the screen. “Holy shit. Is that Detective Grayson?”
Selena turned to her. “Yep. He was inside the house when I got there. I hurried out because I saw him through the window heading toward the back patio. But when I jogged out, I ran into Tyler. Like I said, I hit him pretty hard.”
Dee shook her head. “Why would Detective Grayson be there?”
“My friend, that is a very good question.” She inched closer to the screen and watched as they headed back into the house. Thankfully, they hadn’t been compelled to investigate why she’d been there in the first place. If they found the cameras, her efforts would be for nothing. Despite the small win, her nerves continued to rattle and she begun to wonder if she was in over her head.
Maybe she should confess her covert investigation to Martina and get some backup, but she knew Martina wouldn’t be pleased by her actions.
She could wait. There were only four days left before winter break and the fraternity was throwing a big party before everybody went home to celebrate the holidays with their families. She would give it a little more time. She switched to the camera inside the house. Nothing unusual. Just the typical empty staircase and hallway. She could feel Dee staring at her. “What?” Selena asked.
“Nothing. It’s just crazy that you were able to get video surveillance and be virtually undetected. It’s cool and kinda scary. You don’t have any cameras in here, do you?” Dee nudged her playfully.
Selena gave her a puzzled look. “Of course not. This is solely for the purpose of shutting down these assholes. I’m not some kinda creeper.”
Dee chuckled. “If you say so.”
Selena eyed Dee. She was glad Dee found a reason to smile, even if it was at her expense. She refocused and retrieved the saved footage from the Cloud to see if the interaction with Tyler had been recorded. Bingo. At least now she had a defense if Tyler tried to say he was attacked unprovoked, if he chose to report the incident. Hopefully, he knew better than to do something that stupid. She didn’t exactly want to have to show footage that was obtained with her secret camera, but she would if it kept her out of jail.
With recording and saving verified, she was ready for the next party. She’d review footage between now and then as she had time, but she had a feeling she wouldn’t get anything usable until the party on Thursday.
Then she’d stake out in front of her laptop. Luckily, all of her finals would be done by then. It would be her last chance before the break to catch them in the act and hopefully stop another attack and get them shut down for good.
Dee stood up and curled back up on her bed. “Why do you think the detective was there? I suppose he could be questioning them, but I really don’t think so. Do you think he’s covering up the assaults for them? But why would he do that?”
Selena mused. It would be a bonus to understand why Detective Grayson was at the fraternity in the first place. He was clearly friendly with the fraternity brothers in the house.
Dee interrupted her thoughts. “Do you know how to do background checks and search for any connections?”
Not a bad idea. Selena shook her head. “Not without the team at work knowing about it. But maybe they would be okay with it if I explained that it was to see if he had a reason to drop all of the cases. I don’t have to say because I saw him at the frat. I should be able to do it without raising any suspicions that I’m running my own investigation. That’s a great idea, Dee.”
Dee chortled. “I have my moments.”
Her nerves were calming now. It was empowering to be able to take action against these people, instead of just waiting for the next victim to show up in their support group. She wondered what she would find in Detective Grayson’s background.
She looked across at Dee. “Yes, you do. Yeah, I’ll do the background tomorrow when I get into the office. We still have a few days before the big party.”
Selena’s back pocket buzzed. She slipped the phone out and stared at the screen. It was Brendon. Had he seen her running down the hallway?
She answered it. “Hi, Brendon,” she said and used hand signals to let Dee know that she was going to take the call in the living room.
Selena curled up on the sofa.
“Hi, I was just calling to see how you’re doing and wanted to know if you maybe want to go out and get a bite to eat?”
What if she ran into Tyler when she was out with Brendon? She needed to lay low until after the big party on Thursday night. Maybe they could stay in. “Would you want to order a pizza and maybe hang out instead?”
“Sure.”
“Is your roommate home?”
“Nope. He just went to a study group thing. You want to come over here?”
“Okay.”
“I’ll order the pizza. What do you like on your pizza?”
Selena said, “Mushrooms, olives, and maybe sausage?”
“Sounds great. I’ll call right after I get off the phone with you. When can you be over?”
Selena scanned down her body. She was sticky from dried sweat. She’d need a shower and primping time before she went over to Brendon’s. “Give me thirty minutes.”
“Okay, see you then.”
“Bye.” She pressed end and set the phone face down on the sofa. She was excited to see him, but she needed to keep her head on straight. She’d had a win tonight, but also a setback; Tyler had remembered her fake name, but not her real name from their actual first meeting. She had to be careful to not run into him again before the party. And then, hopefully, all of this would be
over. She wouldn’t have to worry about Tyler or having to lie to Brendon anymore. She really hated lying to him.
16
Selena glanced down at her phone and read Brendon’s latest text: Are you sure you can’t take a little study break? She sat at the dining table, watching the cameras at the DKA house. It was nearly 11 o’clock on Thursday night, and so far nothing illegal had happened other than what was likely underaged drinking. Brendon had wanted to hang out since both of them were going home to see their families the next day.
I’m totally swamped, last minute studying for the take-home final. Maybe later. Talk soon.
Lie number three. Dishonesty wasn’t a great way to start out their relationship, especially since she really liked him.
Was jeopardizing her relationship with Brendon worth shutting down the Delta Kappa Alpha house? Yes. This wasn’t just for her or for Dee, this was for all the women who could be spared a brutal attack. This was bigger than herself. But she didn’t exactly like the idea of having to make a choice if it came up. She’d hoped she’d be able to keep her relationship with Brendon intact and take down the frat. Fingers crossed.
Okay. TTYL.
She replied with an emoji blowing him a kiss.
Her focus returned to the screen. People were parting it up in the backyard smoking cigarettes and other smokable devices.
She now understood why Martina insisted patience was valuable in this line of work. She been watching the cameras for two hours and she was on her fourth cup of coffee. It was her first stakeout and, so far, it was pretty damn boring. She didn’t even have Dee to keep her company.
Dee had decided to go home early since her finals were finished. Selena encouraged it but now wished she’d had some company. If she weren’t on a stakeout, it would’ve been a great opportunity to have Brendon over so they could have their own celebration before they went home for the holidays. But she had priorities and she had to think of more than just herself and Brendon. She personally knew five women who were assaulted at that fraternity house and at a minimum she wanted to shut it down, kind of like a Christmas gift to the women of SFU.
