College Curse Murder

by Candy O'Donnell

  Sandy Day Mysteries:

  College Curse Murder #2

  Candy O’Donnell

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any form or means without the written permission of the author, except in cases of brief quotations. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used factiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2018 Candy O’Donnell

  O’Donnell Publishing 2018

  ISBN: 9781728887685

  Book Cover and Interior: Candy O’Donnell

  Chapter One

  Sandy left her History class and walked by wooden cutouts of painted pumpkins, paper ghosts, and whatever people came up with around Halloween. She arrived at her dorm to see a large gathering near her dorm. Other students were talking among themselves about what was taking place at the park. Sandy noticed Ralph was there accompanied by his four officers. When Sandy was about to yell at Ralph and wave, Rena raced to her out of breath through the crowd.

  “What’s going on?” Sandy questioned. Her eyes searched the crowd of people to see what Ralph and his officers were doing.

  “They… found… bodies… in the park.” Rena inhaled and exhaled swiftly.

  “Oh, this is not good.” Sandy listened to another student mention something about a ‘college curse’ from years ago cropping up again. She wanted to ask the other girl what she meant by it when Rena dragged her from the scene and to their dorm door.

  “Ralph told me every year around this time college students play a prank on all freshmen. I don’t think it’s a prank this time, Sandy. I believe those are real bodies they pulled out of the pond.” Rena cringed at the thought of more bodies.

  Sandy chewed on her lower lip and nodded. When she spotted Ralph heading in their direction, she captured his attention and wanted to ask him what was going on. He waved her away and stood near the coroner’s van. Sorrow was written on all faces in attendance. Sandy could tell immediately something horrible was taking place. They were real bodies.

  ~~~

  Sandy sat in a chair at Amore Pizzeria as Armando delivered them an all cheese pizza. No response came out of her when Armando asked, “Why so glum, Sandy?”

  “Nothing, it’s nothing.” She mumbled, picked up a plate, and placed a slice of pizza on it.

  Armando left her to assist another customer of his, but Rena concluded she had to cheer her friend up.

  “You’re not a cop, Sandy. You cannot know everything.” She crushed her slice of pizza into her mouth.

  “I know.” She didn’t want to think about the park, Ralph, or what might have taken place there. When her phone dinged, it was Ralph texting her. She grinned when she read:

  We found two bodies in the water. They look as if they had been in there for years. I won’t get back to you when I know who they are. In the meantime, don’t check out this website for our office to see how many people, especially girls have gone missing.

  Sandy blinked and texted back. I won’t look into it.

  There is also a name I don’t want you to remember: Robert Fry and his family. Robert was never an issue, but his father and grandfather had a hold on this town for years. I broke the disastrous chain when I came aboard. No one else would stand up to them. I did, and I won.

  Sandy had a relieved expression on her face.

  “What did he say?” Rena was squirming in her seat with anticipation.

  “Remember, Robert Fry?” Sandy looked up at Rena.

  “Yeah, I remember. We thought Robert was at fault for Pauline and Breeze’s murder. What’s up with him? Is he now a suspect?”

  “Nope, his family is.” Sandy lowered her voice. “Apparently, his family ruled this town, and we are now in charge of delving into it head first.”

  Rena squinted her eyes. “This is going to get sticky, Sandy. I can feel it.”

  “I know. I’m ready for another mystery, Rena.” Sandy worked it out in her mind how she was going to go about how to research all this.

  “Uh-oh, I know that look, Sandy.” Rena chewed on another piece of pizza.

  “Yep, we are on the case, Rena. After we eat, I say we go back to my room and do some research on the Fry family. I bet we’ll come up with a lot of stuff.” Sandy sipped from her ice water.

  “That’s what I’m afraid of. You’re adamant about searching out these things. I hope we stay sane during this.” Rena reluctantly murmured back.

  ~~~

  “Okay, here is the board and let’s get started.” Sandy pulled out her laptop and turned it on. Rena was already doing some research on Robert Fry’s father, Richard Fry.

  Rena wrote Richard’s name on a sticky note and placed it on the board. There were a few other things to say about him. He attended the college at the same time as a lot of girls had gone missing previously. “I can tell by the dates of these missing girls that Richard could have known them all.”

  “How can you tell, Rena?” Sandy asked.

  “I’m actually guessing, Sandy. I don’t really know. I will keep looking.” She went back to her research.

  “Richard’s father was Damian Fry. Wow!”

  “What?” Rena came to see what she was surprised about. After peering at Sandy’s laptop, she opened her mouth and said, “Oh, I see what you’re jolted about. They look so much alike. It’s scary.”

  “Yes, it is. How could anyone tell those two apart? The two of them look like twins, Rena. It’s kind of creepy.”

  “Like those Halloween decorations throughout campus.” Rena shivered.

  “Get over it, Rena. They are just decorations.” Sandy laughed.

  “They’re scary to me.”

  “Just because one guy dressed up like Hannibal, you’re freaking out about everything hanging, dangling, and swinging around here. They are just wooden and paper decorations. Can we get back to the research at hand?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay, great. I bet father and son attended school almost at the same time or at least within the last ten years of each other.” Sandy presumed.

  “Are you sure?” Rena queried.

  “Not sure, but pretty sure. See here.” Sandy pointed at her computer.

  “Okay, you’re very close on that. Have you thought about going into law enforcement?” Rena wrote down the years 1969-1978. “They practically overlapped one another.”

  “Richard was finishing up his bachelors in criminology. What a crazy thing for a possible killer to go into and his father, Damian, was in his final year at University down the road for biology. This is beyond creepy, Rena.” Sandy set her laptop down and began writing what they studied and why they might have gone through those particular courses.

  “What did Robert Fry study while here and at University?” Rena sat staring at Sandy’s writing hand.

  “It looks like he went into a few majors, but settled on Cultural Studies.” Sandy shook her head. “Why that major of all things, especially when your family took dove into deeper subjects. It’s odd. Don’t you think, Rena?”

  “Richard attended University down the road for exactly one semester before he left due to unpaid tuition. I wonder if his father didn’t have the money or if Richard ran out of funds. It’s odd.” Rena wrote it all down on sticky notes. Soon, the board looked like a yellow canvas.

  “Let’s take a look at Robert deeper. We know he was a good student. Maybe he didn’t wish to be associated with his family anymore.” Sandy stopped reading and closed her eyes to think.

  “He was sick and tired of them because he moved out of the area. It shows hi
m living in the next town. I wonder why.”

  “Rena, let’s write that down too.” Sandy encouraged.

  Chapter Two

  Sandy sat in the library and watched who came and went from the upper floor where she and Rena studied. Faces came and left, but their words remained with her. After hearing their individual conversations, she could almost repeat them with precision. It was always the same. Homework, parents, food, and books. It is rarely varied.

  After delving back into her Psychology homework, she was interrupted by a young man she thought she knew but wasn’t sure.

  “Can I help you?” She asked when this young man sat down at the table she was at.

  After looking around him, the guy slipped a piece of paper in her direction. Sandy lifted it, unwrapped it, and read: Will you go out with me Saturday night? ~Jared

  She twisted her lip to the side and looked back at him. “I think we can make that happen, Jared.”

  “Great, I will pick you up at four if that’s okay.” He grinned from ear to ear.

  “Yes, where are you taking me? I want to dress appropriately.” Sandy held the note in one hand.

  “Sippy’s Café, if that’s okay with you.”

  “I have only been there one other time. That sounds good.” She watched Jared stand with his short dark hair clutching his scalp. His hazel eyes danced when he looked at her.

  “Good.” He waltzed from the library and down the stairs. When he passed Rena, he muttered a polite, “Hi, Rena.”

  “Hey, Jared.” She held onto her books and headed toward Sandy. A look was thrown back at her, and this prompted Rena to say, “What’s up? Did he finally ask you out?”

  “We’re going out this Saturday night. He is taking me to Sippy’s Café.” Sandy blushed.

  “I bet he will be a perfect gentleman. A lot of girls wish he would ask them out, Sandy. You’re lucky.” Rena sat down and cracked open a book. Her eyes stared down at the words without reading.

  “Are you tired of homework too?” Sandy looked up at the spider decorations hanging around the entire library.

  “I’m tired of Halloween already, Sandy. It’s not my favorite holiday.” She shrunk back from them.

  “I think it’s an alright holiday. Besides the bodies that were found in the pond.” Sandy looked down at the note in her hand. Rena reached for it and read the words written down.

  “Jared likes you. He’s been watching you ever since you set foot on this college campus. Do you remember that?” Rena handed the note back.

  “Yes, I remember. Jared’s hazel eyes are always smiling at me. It’s like he has planned out our entire lives together.” Sandy smiled.

  “And you like it.” Rena teased.

  “I think he’s a good one, Rena. This night needs to be perfect.” Sandy closed her book and allowed herself to think about him and the upcoming date.

  “I think we need to study first. Our tests will not take themselves.” Rena pushed open Sandy’s book and forced her to read.

  ~~~

  “Okay, okay, I will wear the black one, Rena. Are you happy?” Sandy pulled the black shirt out of her closet and laid it across her bed.

  “You’re just about ready for your hot date, Sandy. Please be careful and text if you get into trouble.” Rena pouted.

  “I will.” Sandy hugged her and left with Rena by her side. “I am predicting we will have a great date night.”

  “I hope so. No more bodies, Sandy.” Rena called her friend when she came to the stairs and descended down.

  “Nope, no more. I hope.” She mumbled the last sentence under her breathe.

  Sandy met Jared near the dorm door. His dancing eyes took hold of her and refused to let go. “Are you ready?” He curled his arm through hers and walked in the direction of Sippy’s Café.

  “Thank you, sir. I’m a little nervous about all this.” Sandy confessed.

  “Thank goodness. So am I. I have had to dry my sweaty palms on my pants at least half a dozen times on my way here, Sandy.” He looked at her and grinned.

  “I have not been on any kind of date since before I came here.” She murmured.

  “Really? I thought every guy at this school would ask you out.” Jared looked at her.

  “No, not at all.” Sandy pretended she didn’t notice Robert Fry when he walked by them. Once past him, her heart slowly calmed down after racing like a marathon runner upon meeting Jared.

  “You recognized him, didn’t you, Sandy.” Jared didn’t stop walking up the sidewalk and off the college campus.

  “Yeah, that’s Robert Fry.” She glanced over her shoulder at him.

  “Would you rather go out with him instead?” Jared asked stopping to release her arm.

  “No, way. He’s scary… from what I’ve heard.” She continued to walk as she wrapped her arm around his. “That is not someone I would want to date.”

  “I hope not.” Jared walked on in silence as did Sandy.

  “I’m sorry about that, Jared.” She clarified with these words, “I know his family might be culprits for the numerous bodies found in the pond. I heard about that through stories and such.”

  “I understand. Those stories are something one tells around a campfire. Robert’s family has a torrid history, and I get how nervous you are to even be around him.” Jared consoled her visible emotional wreckage.

  “Thank you, Jared. I appreciate your understanding.” She continued the walk beside him when they saw the café. Its awnings were purple with a layer of dust caked over them, and the glass windows were painted with various menu items showing off to the public what they offered.

  “Here we are, Sandy.” He held the door open for her.

  “Thank you, Jared.” She swerved into the café and saw it was full of customers.

  “Wow, it’s busy tonight.” Jared let the man standing at the desk know they needed a table for two.

  He went in search of one and left them to talk while other couples were seated on bench seats near the front door. A child was babbling on his mother’s lap as her husband complained about not being seated right away with a toddler.

  Sandy watched as the man came back and seated three other couples first. They had been waiting a while.

  When he came back, he held two clear-coated menus and showed them a small table with two chairs near one of the front windows. “Here you two are. Enjoy your meal.” He briskly left them to attend to a large family entering the establishment.

  Sandy looked over her menu and picked out a burger, fries, and a chocolate shake. “It sounds good to me.” She explained her choices.

  “Hey, I love strawberry shakes myself. That sounds good to me.” He looked up at the waitress and ordered for himself, then he waved his hand at Sandy who ordered the burger too.

  “I will be right back with two glasses of water.” Her dark blond hair and black eyeliner stood out to Sandy.

  “Do you eat here a lot?” Sandy queried.

  “Not as often as I’d like. This place has great food and great tacos. I think you’d like them.” He glanced out the window and saw Robert walking by. “What the heck?”

  Jared was about to stand up when Sandy encouraged him to stay seated. “Let it go, Jared. He’s not worth it.”

  “I want to know why he’s back. I mean did the school reinstate him or something.” He fumed sitting across from Sandy.

  “Just let it go.” She whispered.

  “That’s easier said than done, Sandy. When Robert left the class, I was in he pushed my books off the desk in math class one afternoon. Everything hit the floor, and one of the pages tore. I didn’t want to pay for it but had to. That’s why I’m not happy with him. Besides, I’m with the best-looking gal at school, and he doesn’t get to look at you.”

  Sandy lowered her head and felt her cheeks warm. “Thanks. He’s still not worth your anger.”

  “Okay, I’ll calm down or let it go as you said.” Jared set his eyes on Sandy and left them there until their food was set b
efore them.

  “Thank you so much.” Sandy gripped her shake and sucked. “It’s so good.”

  “I’m glad.” The waitress grinned, then left them to eat.

  “It is perfect.” Jared cut his burger in half and lifted one side up and took a bite.

  Sandy inhaled the scent of their food and began to eat after slicing her burger in half too. After chewing a piece of her burger, she nodded how delicious it was.

  Jared devoured his meal almost too fast.

  “They have amazing food here.” He reached over and stole one of her fries and chewed happily.

  “I am enjoying my food.” Sandy slowly ate the other half of her burger.

  “I usually do, but my stomach needed to be filled.” He shoved the straw into his mouth and drank down the last of his shake.

  “Full doesn’t even cover it. I’m almost full up to my eyeballs.” She laughed and finished her shake.

  Jared left a decent tip and paid the waitress at the table before they headed out into the dusk. Street lights were on, and few people were wandering around. The air had a hint of moisture in the air.

  “I feel a storm is rolling in.” Sandy looked up at the large dark clouds moving swiftly overhead. “Yep, it certainly looks like it.”

  “I agree. We should get going before it starts pouring on us.” He moved quickly over the sidewalk with Sandy by his side. Jared swiveled his head around him to ensure no one or nothing was around any corner.

  Sandy took note of this and moved closer to him for security. Safety settled in, and she thought about dating him again. “You have the best taste in food.” She blurted near his ear.

  Jared slowed down and grasped her hand as large drops of rain began to pelt their heads. “We need to hurry.”

  Sandy was running ahead of him through the rain now drenching them. The dorm was up within their sight when they entered and shook like dogs with water soaking their fur.

  “Can we do this again?” Jared stopped with water dripping down his beautiful face.