by C. M. Sutter
He watched as her expression changed to confusion then panic. She held her hand to her throat and coughed as if something had blocked her airway.
“Did the wine go down wrong?” He feigned concern and watched her every move.
Watching you die fills my heart with pleasure.
“I… I… can’t breathe.” She sucked in gulps of air, but they weren’t filling her lungs. Her passageway was closing. Her raspy voice cried out as she clawed for his help. “Please, my heart … I think I’m having—”
He backed away to avoid being scratched. “What? I can’t understand you, Daphne. Speak up. What seems to be the problem?” He watched her thrash and convulse for several minutes before she went still. He pressed the back of his fingers against her throat and felt for a pulse, but there wasn’t one. Her mouth gaped open, and her blue eyes bulged. He stared into those eyes and saw emptiness.
“That’ll teach you to screw around with me. You wanted a passing grade, but you weren’t willing to pay the price to get it. Everyone wants a handout these days. See what happens when you don’t take my warnings seriously.”
He crossed to the kitchen, chewed a handful of aspirin, then grabbed the dish towel. He returned to her side, and with the towel covering his hands, he closed her eyes and mouth so rigor wouldn’t freeze them open. Satisfied, he slugged down the rest of his wine and dabbed his lips. “Finals week is a real killer, isn’t it?” He thought of his options.
I can’t risk taking you to your apartment since the boyfriend might be there, but I can leave you at the university. You’ll surely be found first thing in the morning.
He knew where every camera was located at the campus, and there weren’t any facing the faculty parking lot. That would be the best place to leave Daphne and her car. He could slip into the shadows unseen, walk to town, then order a driver through his phone app. He’d be home before midnight.
He gathered her things, turned off her phone and his own, and slipped on a pair of gloves. After wiping down her phone and keys to remove possible fingerprints, he carried Daphne to her car and placed her in the passenger seat. The click of the seat belt secured her in an upright position, then he climbed in behind the wheel and headed down the driveway. Because he lived on the outskirts of town, off country roads, she had no doubt gone unnoticed as she drove to his house earlier that night. He’d slip out just as quietly as Daphne had slipped in. Memories of Isabelle filled his mind as he drove the short four miles.
Women can’t be trusted. Isn’t that right, Isabelle? You cheated on me dozens of times, but you were too wrapped up with those college boys to realize I knew what you were doing all along. Paid the price too, didn’t you, bitch?
He killed the headlights and turned in to the empty faculty parking lot then checked the time—it was closing in on eleven o’clock. Hugging the outside edge of the lot, he used the tree canopy as cover and inched forward until he settled on a spot a good distance from the pole lights illuminating the area. In the morning, the parking lot would fill up quickly, and the unfortunate person who parked next to Daphne would definitely notice something was wrong.
A quick scan of the lot told him he was still alone. He stepped out of the car, reached in, unfastened her belt, and pulled her across the console. It was a struggle to situate her in the proper position, but it had to be perfect. He placed her feet at the pedals, her hands in her lap, and the driver’s side seat belt over her chest and right hip, then he clicked it closed. Another look at his surroundings confirmed the coast was clear. He rounded the vehicle to the passenger side, pulled the phone from Daphne’s purse, turned it on, and set it in the cup holder. He placed her purse on the passenger seat and made a final check of the interior.
Keys in the ignition, purse on seat, phone turned on and visible, and Daphne correctly positioned behind the wheel. I’m good to go.
He headed for the tree line, where the shadows swallowed up his movements as he walked east toward town.
Chapter 13
I ran for my life, but he closed in rapidly, like a wild animal chasing its prey. The claws were out, and the deadly strike was only seconds away. I looked over my shoulder and saw him mere inches behind me.
He’s after me again. Why won’t Robert Lynch die?
The cornstalks slapped my face as I raced through the field, doing what I could to hide from my attacker, but I tripped over the furrowed rows again and again. He was gaining speed and getting too close—I couldn’t outrun him. Dirt clods flew up behind me as he neared, and I felt his hot breath on the back of my neck. Any second now, I’d feel him reach out and grab me, then he’d have me and pull me to the ground. He’d gut me with his Bowie knife that glinted in the moonlight, and I’d be dead.
My feet came out from beneath me. He jerked me backward by the hair, and I fell hard. It was over, and I closed my eyes and accepted my fate as he straddled my body. The first searing strike hit me in the left side under my ribs. He raised the knife again and buried it to the handle, then he gave it an extra twist for good measure. Strike after strike, I felt the burn of the blade puncturing my flesh and organs. I prayed to God for a speedy death.
I was shaken into the moment by Amber, who was sitting on the edge of my bed.
“Kate, Kate, wake up! You’re having a nightmare.” She clicked on the table lamp and brushed my hair out of my face.
I held my stomach and cried out in pain. I looked down, expecting to see my disemboweled intestines, then I stared at my hands and wondered why they weren’t covered in blood.
“Kate, it was a dream.”
I looked into Amber’s eyes, still confused. “He… I’m… the knife—”
“There’s nothing wrong with you. You’re safe in your own bed.”
I looked at the doorway, and Jade was walking toward me with a wet cloth in her hand.
“Here, hon, hold this against your forehead. You’re drenched in sweat.”
“What happened? My pain is real.” I winced as another attack seared through my midsection.
As Amber headed for the door, Jade took her place. “I’ll get you a cup of peppermint tea and the heating pad. They’ll help your stomachache.”
With my shaking hand, I wiped my tears. “It was Robert, Jade. He was in that cornfield again, and this time he caught me. He stabbed me repeatedly with his Bowie knife, and I think I died.”
“But you’re alive, and the dream probably came on because of your stomachache. Take some deep breaths and lie back. Amber will be here with the tea and heating pad soon. They’ll help. I’m sure of it.”
I heard Amber’s footsteps as she descended the stairs.
She set the cup and saucer on the nightstand, plumped the pillows behind my back, and placed the heating pad at my side. She handed the cup to me. “Here you go.”
“Thank you.” I took a sip. “It’s good. You know I never get stomachaches, right?”
Amber nodded. “I’ve never known you to have them until today.”
“Robert was stabbing me in my dream, and Jade thinks that’s why I felt the pain.”
“Then why the stomachache in Lena’s office?”
“Good question, but I truly believe it has something to do with Becca. The description Lena gave of her stomach and esophagus and the timing of my sudden stomachaches are too coincidental. I believe whatever caused Becca’s organs to look that way is what killed her.”
“And you may be onto something, Kate.” Amber reached for the cup. “How is the pain now?”
“It’s starting to go away, and I appreciate your help, both of you. I know my dreams interrupt your sleep, and I’m so sorry.”
Amber swatted the air. “They solve cases too, so don’t give it another thought.”
“I need to talk to Lena tomorrow about Becca. I’m positive the toxicology results will solve that case.”
Chapter 14
Jack noticed my lack of attention during our morning update. “Is there somewhere else you’d rather be, Detective Pierce?
”
“What? Sorry, Boss, I guess my mind is on Lena.”
Jack frowned. “Why Lena?”
“I need to talk to her about Becca Morbeck’s case. I—”
Amber interrupted. “Kate had a nightmare last night, and she thinks it’s related to Becca.”
I rolled my eyes and glared at her. “Can I tell my own stories?”
Clayton chuckled. “Here we go.”
Jack held up his hand. “Will everyone please stop?” Jack turned to me as he took a seat on the edge of my desk. “Lena is in meetings with the families of the burn victims. She might be a while. Want to share your dream?”
I huffed. “Thanks, Amber. I wanted to get Lena’s opinion before I voiced my ideas to the rest of you, but”—I tipped my head toward her—“apparently she knows best.”
Amber began her rebuttal, but Jack gave her a zip-it gesture. “Go ahead, Kate. Your instincts are usually right.”
“The dream isn’t completely related, but I’ve had several instances of severe stomach pains and bile in my throat after Becca was brought into the coroner’s office. Then when Lena described Becca’s red, inflamed stomach and throat, it made me think the two were related.”
Jack raised a curious brow. “As if her condition transferred to you?”
“I guess that’s the only way to say it, but yeah. I’m thinking she’s using me as the conduit to tell us what killed her.”
“That’s an interesting theory, and there may be some merit to it. I’ll text Lena and ask her to let us know when she’s finished with her meetings. I’d like to sit in on the conversation too if that’s okay.”
I nodded. “Thanks for having an open mind.”
Jack pointed at Clayton. “Okay, let’s begin. What’s on your agenda today?”
“Whatever you need me to do.”
Billings spoke up. “Same here.”
“Then I want the two of you to head to the university and find out what courses Becca had finals in this week. Interview those professors and ask if anything seemed off with her. Talk to her advisors and find out who her friends were. Get a list from Admissions of the classes she took over the semester and talk to everyone she knew.” He turned to Amber and me. “You ladies can start working on a press release. Of course, we don’t know the cause of the accident yet, but you can organize what we do know according to the scene and witness statements. I’ll look it over before we hand it off to the press.”
I gathered my laptop and legal pad then jerked my chin at Amber. “Come on, bigmouth. Let’s work in the conference room.”
Jack’s office phone rang just as the four of us were about to leave the bull pen. “Hang on a minute, guys,” I said. “This could be Lena with some additional information.”
We dropped back into our chairs and waited. When I heard cursing coming from Jack’s end of the call, my head snapped toward his office.
I cupped my hand and whispered. “Whatever that’s about can’t be good.”
Seconds later, Jack stormed out and motioned to all of us. “Let’s go. A call just came in that a student was found dead in her car in UWWC’s faculty parking lot. Clayton, tell Forensics to head out, and let Lena know she’ll have to wrap up her meetings.”
Billings clipped his badge to his belt. “Holy shit. I have a feeling it’s going to be one of those weeks.”
We checked out two cruisers and headed west. Silver and Ebert were already at the scene and had the parking lot blocked off with crime scene tape. Thankfully, the campus wasn’t as populated during finals week as it normally was, but there was no way to keep the death of another student under wraps—the yellow tape was a dead giveaway. Social media accounts would blow up and wild rumors of UWWC students dying would hit the airwaves within hours. The news would go viral in no time.
We parked at the taped barricade ten minutes later. Once we exited our vehicles and dipped under the tape, Jack shouted out orders to the deputies. “Ebert, keep those students back at least a hundred yards, and Silver, block that car with your own until Lena gets here with a portable barrier. I don’t want to see any cell phone pictures on the news or social media.”
“Right away, Lieutenant.”
Ebert lowered the tape so Silver could block the view of the victim’s car with his own.
Jack approached Ebert. “What have we got? Walk me through this.”
“Car is registered to a Daphne Cole, aged twenty, and lives with a roommate on Fifth Street in an upper duplex. DMV shows a previous address in Manitowoc.”
“Her parents’ house, maybe?”
“Probably.”
“Who discovered the body and at what time?”
Ebert pointed at a woman standing with a good twenty other people near the faculty entrance. “The woman wearing the orange sweater called it in. Her car is the black one pointing at the nose of the vehicle with the deceased student in it.”
“So she parked and noticed someone sitting in the other car and thought to take a closer look? Why?”
Ebert shrugged. “No idea. The interview halted when you guys arrived.”
“Sure.” Jack shielded his eyes, looked around, then jerked his chin straight ahead. “Take her over to that bench. I’ll be there in just a minute, and I want the rest of these gawkers gone. Tell those professors or whoever they are to go inside the building. I want this lot, the sidewalks surrounding it, and the building entrances cleared. The only people out here should be law enforcement and county personnel. Got it?”
“You bet, Lieutenant.” Ebert headed toward the woman in the sweater.
Amber and I joined Jack as he gloved up and approached the vehicle. We stood at the driver’s-side window and peered through. He tried the door, but it was locked.
Jack groaned. “Jesus. What the hell is going on with young kids these days?”
“If we only knew.” I stared at the blonde, whose chin was against her chest. Her hair—tumbled forward—hid the sides of her face, and the clasped seat belt suspended her inches from the steering wheel.
Amber rounded the vehicle to the passenger side and looked in. “Her purse is clearly visible on the seat, and there’s no sign of an attack, plus her cell phone is sitting in the cup holder. It’s apparent she wasn’t trying to call for help.”
We followed Jack to the driver’s-side door of the black car and faced the victim’s vehicle. That vantage point didn’t show us without a shadow of a doubt that we were looking at a dead person sitting behind the wheel.
Jack pointed at the victim. “If you glanced at her while getting out of this car, would you automatically think she was dead, or would you think she was looking down at a cell phone in her hand?”
Amber responded. “I wouldn’t think anything of it, and I’m a cop.”
“Exactly. Kate?”
“To be honest, I’d say she was looking down.”
“Then why would anyone walk over to investigate? Most people park their vehicles, grab their stuff, and go about their business.” When car doors closed at our backs, Jack looked over his shoulder. Forensics and Lena had arrived. “I’m beginning to think finals week is cursed. Too much stress on the students. They’re either killing themselves or each other.” Jack’s frustration was showing. “Okay, I’ll update these guys quick, and then I have to talk to that witness.”
“What do you want us to do?”
Jack looked at me. “Damage control. Chase those students off the sidewalk and into the building. Make sure nobody is lurking around and taking pictures from the tree line either. Clayton and Billings, go inside and talk to other faculty members. Find out if anybody saw something or someone that seemed out of place when they pulled into the parking lot this morning.”
Clayton elbowed Billings and tipped his head toward the building. “On it, Boss.”
Amber and I headed for the sidewalk. “How’s the stomach?”
“It’s behaving. I’m not looking forward to the autopsy on the latest victim, though. Who knows what might have
caused her death.”
Chapter 15
“Okay, people, the show is over. Go on inside. I’m sure all of you have exams to take.”
Groans sounded throughout the crowd, and questions were flying at Amber and me.
A man stepped out of the crowd and addressed us. “Who’s in that car? Are they dead?”
Amber pointed at the coroner’s van. “You do see what it says on the side of that vehicle, right?”
I nudged Amber and gave her a frown then took the lead. “Sir, unless you’re a family member, we can’t disclose information to you or anyone else. Are you?”
“No, but—”
“Sorry, then you’ll have to go inside with the rest of the group. This is a sheriff’s office matter. You’ll know what’s going on once we release information to the press. We’ll have questions for certain people later after we learn more about the victim.” I turned back to Amber. “What was that about?”
“Nothing, I just don’t do well with people who fake ignorance.”
“Maybe he wasn’t faking.” I noticed a young woman among the crowd who was wiping her eyes, and I called out to her. “Do you know the person in that vehicle?”
“Yes, I recognize the car. It belongs to Daphne Cole, my best friend and roommate.”
Whispers and gasps sounded among the growing crowd.
I wiggled my finger at the female who made the comment. “You’re coming with us. Everyone else, keep moving.” I whistled to get Ebert’s attention. “Come take over for us. We have questions for this young lady.”
Ebert headed toward the sidewalk, and Amber and I led the student to our cruiser.
I opened the back door. “Have a seat and tell us what you know about Daphne.”
The young woman stared at Daphne’s car in the distance. “What happened to her?”
Amber pulled a notepad and pen from the console. “We don’t know yet. What’s your name?”
“Jennifer Tenley.”
“And you and Daphne were best friends?”
