A Boarding Case Mystery Box Set: Vol 1-5 (Laura Greene Mystery Thriller Collections Book 3)

by Laura Greene

  “No, I wouldn’t even think of doing that.” Nick is shyly looking down. Then he draws forward towards her as if to reassure her that he means what he is saying. He takes her hand off the keys of the laptop and looks into her eyes, “You are a woman any man would be blessed to have and I’m going to treat you as the precious gem… the woman of worth that you are.”

  “Are you trying to make me blush again?”

  “Is it working?” And just like that, Nick is back to being a goofball as he lets go of her hand and takes a sip of his water. Tina, however, quietly glances down in deep thought. She is not looking at the laptop just off to her right, but at the small USB drive that is plugged into it. It’s called “The List.” I cannot lose this, Tina thinks, it’s crucial to this case. Slyly she unplugs the USB from her laptop and sets it in her pocket without bringing attention to her date what she has in her possession. The drive was supposed to be turned in to evidence when Officer Barnes and his team took away Dean earlier this evening, but Tina intercepted it before they walked into the library for her own investigation.

  As though her movements have wrought unwanted attention to the USB, Nick asks her, “So tell me,” he begins with excitement in his voice. Tina tightly wraps her fists around the USB in her hand and lifts her head up like she was startled. “Oh, I didn’t mean to catch you off guard. Are you...”

  “I’m fine,” Tina says as she nestles the drive in her pocket and buries it with, for the time being, the secret of The List. She, herself, is not yet ready to reveal it until she has had a chance to unearth what is on it.

  One of Julie’s servers appears at the table with their tea and coffee, before she rushes off to check on their food. Coffee is the only thing that has kept Tina alert this past twenty-four hours without sleep. The night is still young and if her investigation goes well, she expects to have yet another late night tonight.

  “Tell me how you knew that Ella and Dean were together? Even I did not suspect anything for some time and I’m the guy everyone confesses to, yet you figured it out in your first week here!” The pride and intrigue on Nick’s face is beaming through the house lights. He respects Tina’s talents as a detective.

  Everything is perfect; Christmas music is lightly playing in the background with tinsel tones making the atmosphere romantic and relaxed. Nothing in the air is reflective of the story she is about to share.

  She takes a gulp of her coffee, “I first knew when I saw them lip-locked in the foyer at Anna’s memorial service. They weren’t exactly subtle. What was odd to me is how carefully Ella was to not be seen when she returned into the service.” The server named Lotte appears again with food professionally balanced on her hands this time. Tina pauses her story to thank her and Nick prays over the food. Then she says, “It got me wondering what else Ella may have been trying to hide. After the service, I stopped by the nurse’s office and enquired. Hmm, the food is delicious.” Tina says stopping to take a bite of her Eggplant Parmesan sandwich.

  “Yes, it is. Julie certainly knows her craft,” says Nick as he devours his Reuben. “I didn’t realize I was so hungry.”

  “Me neither,” responds Tina, then she continues, “Remember how I interviewed Ella in the Chapel on Tuesday morning?” Nick nods his head and pops a fry into his mouth. “She was supposed to be at a hockey match the day before. She turned in a sick note from the nurse’s office, but I found out that she actually skipped to be with Dean.”

  “She was with Dean?”

  “Yes, only problem is, she never reported to the nurse’s office in the first place.”

  “She turned in a fake?”

  “Yes.”

  “But how?” Nick is hooked on the story, he has stopped eating his Reuben.

  “That was my question also, in the black duffle bag that Dean had, one of the items he forgot to hide before running was a stack of Nurse’s sick slips that, I’m certain, he was availing to his lovers.”

  “That’s sick. He was playing doctor with those poor girls.” Nick appears to have lost his appetite. He takes a few sips of his tea, while he processes the news. Then his appetite returns, “What I still don’t understand is how did you and Olsen end up in a team? I thought you were arch nemeses.”

  “It was pretty strange wasn’t it?” Tina has now switched to eating her chips, finding it easier to munch on them while telling her story. “When I visited Olsen at the station, I still didn’t know Dean’s real age and why he was signing those nurse’s slips. Olsen revealed that Dean was romantically involved with the girls. Next, I ran a background check on him and found out he left college without graduating – there was something on his record about being romantically involved with the faculty there which helped confirm my suspicion. It was enough to also show that he lied about his age.”

  “Was that the paper you gave me when you came back?”

  “Yes.”

  “Clever. And how did Olsen get out so quickly? Didn’t he threaten you?”

  “At first I thought he might have been behind my home invasion and my car break-in, but I quickly wrote both off. I mean,” Tina shrugs her shoulders as she says this, “it helped that he was in jail the two times I was targeted, so I don’t think he was the one after me. He actually confessed that in an attempt to get his dad’s attention, he got involved with a drug dealer. And in exchange for the dealer’s name, Officer Barnes said he’d drop the charges.”

  “That’s why he was released.” Understanding is forming on Nick’s expression. “Then, did that give you time to hash out how you would get Dean’s confession?”

  “Exactly. We did all that before his lawyer walked in.”

  “So, was that tiff you two had in the hallway part of the plan?”

  “Yes, it was. We had to make it look believable. Even when I came to find you, I’d already talked to Amy on my drive back from the station. She knew the plan, she even told me where Dean was. I was just giving Olsen time to go and get his water gun from his room.”

  “No wonder Amy seemed calm.” Nick’s voice is trailing off as he contemplates Tina’s response. “And I was just playing a part in your master plan. What about Olsen’s dad, was he in on it too?”

  “No, Senator Hunt didn’t even know his son was coming out of jail. Unfortunately, I do think his threats may have been real. The truth is, Olsen’s dad or someone else, may still be out to get me.”

  Confidently puffing his chest out, Nick answers, “Not as long as I’m here; I’ll protect you.”

  They exchange a smile, then they continue eating their dinner. Tina wants to believe Nick will protect her, but she’s worried he may be in over his head this time.

  Chapter 2

  On the drive back to Hartford Boarding School, Tina sits in the passenger seat like a little girl entranced by the bright reflections of Christmas lights. For the first time since she arrived, she is finally seeing the holiday spirit of Newport. It’s night time and the scenery is breathtaking. The night has swallowed up the mansions and made way for beautiful white lights to glisten above. They brightly magnify the outline of rooftops while slightly smaller lights highlight the unique features of each home they pass. One mansion in particular is strikingly rich in accents – gilded around its four towering pillars are tiny, cream globes, glowing majestically in the night. Tina is sure she has seen this mansion before, “Isn’t that Marble House?”

  “It is!” Nick is surprised to see that Tina knows the mansion. “Have you toured it?”

  Without taking her eyes off the window, Tina says, “I read about it. My parents and I wanted to visit when I was a little girl, but we never got to.” Tina wanted to go, but talks of visiting Marble House quickly seized when her parents’ marital problems heightened. In an attempt to reason in her mind why her parents were divorcing, she blamed her desire to go to Marble House for causing her family bliss to unravel; so, she vowed not to mention Marble House again. It was only in her late teens that she realized she had nothing to do with the divorce. Sel
f-blame is common among children of divorced parents.

  They pass Marble House and turn off Bellevue Avenue. Nick notices that Tina has been lost in thought for a while and decides to break the silence. “You don’t know this about me yet, but I’m a bit of a history buff.”

  “Really?” Tina turns to look at Nick mischievously with her bright eyes.

  “Yes. I’ll prove it. That Marble House, back there, was built in the late 1800s for the Vanderbilt family. During that time, it was common to see upscale families coat anything and everything inside the home in gold. What most people don’t know until they visit Marble House is that it was built with hidden floors so that the servants could work undisturbed as well as unseen.”

  “You mean, like secret rooms only they are full floors with complete amenities?”

  “Yes. It’s an optical illusion really. Unfortunately, that part of the tour is not offered for obvious political reasons.”

  “I’m sure. It would be insensitive to some ethnicities because the servants were really slaves.” Tina chimes in and Nick nods his head. “And here I thought Newport, Rhode Island was just a seaside excursion.” They laugh.

  “I told you I knew my history,” Nick says as they pull into the school parking lot. Nick hurries to open her door and when she steps out of the car, he embraces her in his chiseled arms. She feels the tingle of his warm breath on her neck. The way he holds her makes Tina feel safe; their tender embrace sends a satisfying sensation all over her body. When he releases her, Tina’s heart knows there is something very right about her and Nick; he is different from anyone she has dated before – he genuinely cares for her and wants more than someone to cozy up with.

  Tina wants to take things slow with Nick, yet she already feels she can be herself with him. What she loves most is that they can laugh together. She can tell things are moving in the right direction between them.

  They go inside to meet Janitor Charlie.

  When they reach the locked stairwell, Janitor Charlie unlocks it and grants them access. Walking behind Janitor Charlie, Tina remembers the night she first walked up these stairs and how the videos Charlie showed her led to Olsen’s arrest. At first, she pauses at the thought of what new discovery she might stumble upon tonight. Nick walks beside her and brushes against her arm in the pitch-black stairwell. Noticing her hesitation, Nick feels for Tina’s hand and takes it in his. Tina lets him and he guides her up the stairwell. Even in the dark, she feels she is safe with Nick. And together, they walk into Janitor Charlie’s CCTV room.

  “Whoa! This is a nice setup!” Nick says as he lets go of Tina’s hand and takes in the room. “Is that an FP500 Cam? Those just came out!”

  “Yes, only the best.” Charlie says with equal excitement. “Are you a techy? Here, let me show you something.”

  “I dabble here and there,” Nick says. Charlie walks Nick to a control board filled with buttons – some flashing, some sliding – and explains each button’s function using technical terms.

  Tina is still standing at the door. With her eyes, she follows Nick around the room as he discovers the CCTV equipment with Charlie and wonders if she is the only one in the room who still speaks English in a tech world. She could try to take an interest in their hobby, but Tina is resolute to not get distracted from the reason why she is there.

  Tina takes out her laptop, the USB in her pocket and opens up The List.

  Before long, the world about her starts to drown out like a distant noise as the world in her computer comes to life. Her eyes widen. Staring into the computer, she slowly uncovers and decodes the puzzle to her case, and Nick and Charlie – who are still absorbed in tech-talk – have no idea what important discovery Tina has stumbled upon. With echoes of unbelief in her voice, Tina says, “Guys… guys… you need to come see this.”

  For a moment, the noise and excitement in the room diminishes and all the rush of thought and connecting clues is in Tina’s mind as she hurriedly pieces together the evidence.

  “What is it Tina? Your face is pale.” Nick says now worried. He and Charlie are standing close to her and Nick is bent down with an arm on her back.

  Tina is consumed in the evidence. She frantically pens down details, numbers, names, then she sets her pen down and sighs. “It’s called The List,” Tina begins. The exhale in her voice is enough to disclose her relief for uncovering the answer and her remorse for not knowing it sooner. “How many girls could have been saved?” Tina shakes her head then looks up at her friends with tears in her eyes. In her mind, a conspiracy made up of three members has just formed.

  Nick and Charlie sit down next to her. There is dread in the room of what she might have discovered. Neither say a word. They wait for Tina to speak first.

  “Dean kept a record of all the students he tutored including those he had relations with. There are over fifty students’ names here.” Anticipating the question already printed on Nick and Charlie’s expressions, she answers, “I know this because I kept the USB with the names instead of giving it to Evidence.” She notes the suspicion now withdrawn from their eyes, then continues, “I know it wasn’t Dean. I’m sure of it. The way he reacted to Anna passing was too compassionate for a killer; which means that our killer is still at large.”

  “Who do you think it is?” Nick asks.

  “I’m not sure yet, but I think The List will help us find out who it is.” Tina points at the piece of paper she was scribbling on. “Here are the names of all six girls who are dead.”

  “Are you thinking something about them might stand out from the rest?” Nick asks as he scratches his head.

  “That’s right. I looked for any commonalities they had between them and there was only one.”

  “What?” Charlie is also following Tina’s reasoning.

  “All six girls room alone.”

  “So, if we can search the list for anyone else who has a dorm room to themselves,” Nick begins. He is now standing up and pacing back and forth.

  “Already ahead of you.” Tina interjects. “I found three names.” She shows her co-conspirators the paper.

  “Wait, is that…?” says Nick. One name on the list is all too familiar to him and the urgency of solving this case hits him.

  “Yes, Ella.” Tina says. She knows that tomorrow, Ella’s parents are coming to take her home on a short leave. Principal Amy called and told them about Dean. She does not reveal this news yet. She doesn't know why, but something tells her to not say it.

  “So what are we going to do?”

  “Stakeout. We’re going to watch all three girls closely tonight and for the next few nights if we have to. If they are next, they will lead us to our killer.”

  With that, Charlie sets up the cameras and all three conspirators get comfortable in the room and await any action.

  An hour goes by. Two hours. Then three. Nick, who was the most excited for the stakeout is the first to bow out. He is not used to staying up late at night. He returns to his apartment on campus and says to call when any action happens. Soon after him, is Charlie. He starts dozing off and Tina sends him to bed. He takes a moment to remind Tina that his room is next door. All she has to do is call and he will come back to help her catch the killer. Tina agrees. She is used to stakeouts. Coffee and snacks is all she needs to make it through the night. Thanks to Charlie, she has both.

  Another hour goes by. Then two. The night is far spent and Tina starts to wonder if she should also call it a night. Going two nights without sleep can’t be good for anyone, not even a detective.

  Then, some movement. As if to reward her patience, out of one of the cameras, appears a young feminine figure. It’s Ella Conwell. She’s wearing pajamas and she’s holding a bed sheet.

  Tina’s heart stops for a moment. The feelings of dread and remorse fills her entire body like a paralyzing chill. She dreads what will happen next and she regrets not knowing about the USB sooner. It takes all the strength in her to shake the dread and remorse off and run to call Charlie
for backup.

  Tina bangs on Charlie’s door and he rushes out shouting, “I’m coming. I’m coming.” Tina runs back into the CCTV room. Ella is exiting the west doors towards the forest.

  “Hurry, she’s getting away.” Tina has her weapon ready.

  A panting Charlie appears at the door, his hair is ruffled from sleep. “Don’t worry I know the woods like the back of my hand.” They run out after Ella. Charlie leads the way and Tina follows behind him. Will she really take her own life? Tina has yet to see anyone take their own life in front of her. In her training she has seen suicide by cop videos, but not...this. She’s not sure her conscience can handle seeing a young girl taking her own life.