Murder in the Arboretum (Cold Creek Book 2)

by Christa Nardi

  I tuned in quickly and saw Brendon sit down. Dirk sat down as well. The two glared at each other as I passed out quizzes. The other students continued to look at them throughout class. Without saying a word, these two students grabbed everyone’s attention. As class drew to an end, I wasn’t sure what to do if anything.

  “Okay, that’s all for today. Be sure to read the chapters for next time! Quiz!” I looked around. I was about to call to Dirk and Brendon, but Brendon catapulted out of his seat and took off like his feet were on fire. I searched the classroom for Dirk. He wasn’t in as much of a hurry. He looked up and I telegraphed nonverbally for him to come see me. I figured that way I wouldn’t embarrass him. He shuffled to the front of the room slowly.

  “How’s it going Dirk?” I asked.

  “Okay I guess. No problem really,” he answered. He stared at the floor as he spoke.

  “If you aren’t going to talk about the tension, go on. When you want to talk to someone let me know.” I huffed as I spoke.

  Dirk shook his head and walked away, still shuffling his feet. I pulled all my things together and stopped at Georg’s for a fresh cup of java. I continued to ponder the tension still there between Dirk and Brendon and about collided with Jack. “Oh, Jack! I’m so sorry. I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

  “Not a problem, Sheridan.”

  He started to walk past me and I added, “And congratulations again on your award.”

  “Thanks.” He again started to walk away and then turned back. “Sheridan, who was that with Kim last night. He looked familiar, but I can’t place him.”

  “That was Garrett, Garrett Cooley. He’s an investment advising type with MJ Insurance or something in Richmond.” His face reflected his thought processes with a pained expression. After a minute, he seemed to let it go.

  “I don’t recognize his name or the company name. Something about him, though …” Jack shrugged and this time, he walked away and out the door.

  Coffee in hand, I walked up the stairs. As I passed Kim’s office, she waved me in She was on the phone but motioned for me to have a seat. I drank my coffee while she finished. As she made one excuse or another for not doing something, I recalled the many conversations I’d had like this with Wayne. I was pretty sure it wasn’t Wayne. I suspected it was Garrett she was trying to subtly give the brush. She finally hung up and lifted her arms and hands as if to say “I give up.”

  “Sher, that’s the third call from Garrett in the last two hours. I have tried every nice way to say I’m busy for the rest of my life, but he isn’t getting the message.” Her frustration showed through.

  I shrugged my shoulders. I had no magic answers. I remembered a song or movie on how to lose a lover in the back of my mind, but doubted it would help. I asked, “What’s his problem? Or is he suddenly in love after two dates?”

  “I don’t know what the trigger was, but he suddenly seemed much more tense last night. His questions about Brett were pretty pointed. He at one point asked how come I hadn’t told him Brett was a cop. I explained that he was there as your date, not a cop, so it wasn’t relevant. He asked a lot of questions about Brett’s involvement in the murder. I don’t think he believed me when I said Brett wasn’t on the case. When he left last night, I didn’t even think I would hear from him again.” She raised her arms in the air for effect.

  “So what did he say today?”

  “Well, first he apologized if he was rude. Said he preferred small, intimate settings and groups made him nervous. Said he didn’t like surprises and blamed it on Max. He suggested we go out to dinner, just the two of us. Sher, I got the feeling he was trying to play me. It didn’t ring true.”

  “Sounds like it,” I answered, still confused.

  “Anyway, I declined. I told him I thought he was a nice man, but I just wasn’t ready for anything serious.”

  She shrugged her shoulders and continued, “His answer was one of disbelief. He suggested I think about it. Then he called back about half hour later. Wanted to know if I had changed my mind, asked me to give him another chance. This last time, he started by asking if there was any news on the murder. Then suggested we get lunch and I could tell him anything I knew. Each time, I said no, again explained that I didn’t think it was a good idea.”

  “Geez! That is odd. Whatever you do, don’t go out with him again. That would just make it worse,” I advised. I told her Jack had asked about Garrett. We joked that maybe Jack was interested in her. Maybe seeing her with Garrett made him jealous.

  We talked a bit more and I went back to my office. The new locks were still a bit intimidating, but email and such waited for me. At some point, I got a sandwich, but otherwise just kept working. Brett texted me to confirm dinner and I went off to my class. The afternoon class was not as tense as the morning one. It occurred to me that possibly some of these students knew Brendon and Dirk, but it wouldn’t be good to ask what was going on.

  I wondered if Mitch might have some insight. Besides I hadn’t touched base with him since before the awards dinner. Instead of going back to my office I made my way to his office. He was closing the door as I got there, but invited me in. We chatted for a few minutes.

  I shared with him how the awards dinner had progressed and even how odd Garrett had behaved. When he asked about Max I made sure to point out that he had been very helpful. He looked surprised and then commented, “Good for him.” Then I asked him about Brendon and Dirk.

  “Dirk? I don’t think I know him at all. Brendon was in the human sexuality class in the fall though. His family is pretty well respected in the community, you know ‘old money.’ Brendon’s comments in class were consistent with what you might expect. He comes from privilege and power and knows it.” Mitch shrugged.

  He continued, “Cold Creek College tries to do its best for strong students who aren’t privileged. Most of the other students don’t seem to care. Whether a student is on scholarship or pays tuition doesn’t much matter to them. But there’s always a few. Brendon is one of them. He strikes me as a bit condescending. When a scholarship student got a better grade on a paper than he did last semester, I heard him ask the other student where he bought the paper.”

  Neither of us said much for a bit after that. So far plagiarism and use of online services to pay for term papers hadn’t been a big deal at Cold Creek. Faculty used the programs that check for that sort of thing when there is any suspicion and students knew it. And, thankfully, we’d so far had no problems with students hacking into the grading system. As much as technology has made our lives easier, it has also made it more complicated.

  Mitch stood and that was my hint that he was ready to leave. We chatted briefly about the upcoming trial and the tension that would bring to the campus. It would be best for all if the murder had no connection to the College. He walked me to my office and then he was gone. I worked for a bit more, locked up my office, and went home.

  Chapter 19

  I arrived home before Brett and walked Charlie. Brett got there a little after we got back to the house. We discussed our options for dinner and I explained about Garrett and Kim.

  My phone and Brett’s phone rang almost at the same instant. We turned and walked in opposite directions to answer. Caller ID indicated my caller was Cold Creek Police Department.

  “Hello?”

  “Dr. Hendley, this is Officer Hirsch ma’am. The Chief asked me to call you. Can you come down to the station please?”

  “I don’t understand. What can I do?”

  “Honestly, ma’am, I think the Chief wants you to help with parents and a couple of kids who are here and are a bit upset,” he answered.

  “Thanks for the honesty, Officer. I will see what …” I stopped as Brett approached, his hand up like a stop sign. “Hold on a second, Officer Hirsch.”

  I pushed mute and looked at Brett. He relayed his conversation. Chief Pfeiffe was the caller and wanted his assistance at the police station. Taking the phone off mute, I assured Officer
Hirsch that I would be there shortly.

  We opted to take Brett’s state car. The police station wasn’t very far, and it also wasn’t very big. At the station, chaos abounded. We made our way through the doors, but several parents and Cold Creek students were yelling at each other. In order to get to the main desk in the small front area, Brett pulled out his ID and yelled, “State Police, let us through, please!”

  The crowd parted and we walked through to the main desk. The officer on the desk looked nervous and kept fussing with the book in front of her. Brett let her know who we were and she nodded but kept her eyes on the scene behind us. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed as Officer Hirsch came through the doors.

  “We all need to remain calm here. It is important that you all calm down. We will get to the bottom of this in time. If you are not the parent or family member of one of the people in custody or a witness to the fight, please go home.” Officer Hirsch shouted as he walked toward the crowd. With his command, the crowd seemed to calm and many of them left.

  He cleared his throat. “Immediate family of Brendon Whitfield? Please come with me.”

  I tried to stifle a gasp. A distraught woman and man about my age stepped forward. He was in a suit and she in a stylish dress and heels. I guessed they had been out for the evening. They stood ramrod straight but her eyes were puffy and she looked about to cry again. He looked cold and angry. They disappeared with Hirsch.

  Hirsch returned and asked for the family of Roy Daniels. Roy had been one of my students in the fall. A man stepped up and disappeared with Hirsch. Roy was a scholarship student and his father was still in his work clothes, the brand for Miracle Mechanics on his shirt.

  Hirsch’s third trip he asked for the family of Dirk Muldoon. For Dirk, only a woman stepped forward, shaking but working hard to hold it together. Mrs. Muldoon looked older than I expected. She was dressed conservatively, but nowhere near as stylishly as Mrs. Whitfield. Hirsch took Ms. Muldoon through the door as well.

  This time when Hirsch came out, he addressed those remaining. He cleared his throat and passed out paper to each person. He indicated the benches and asked them to each write down what they saw without talking to each other. He directed the officer at the desk to keep an eye on them. They had probably all been talking to each other so his admonishment seemed a bit late. Amazingly though, they all calmed down with a task assigned to them.

  As Hirsch approached us, Brett asked, “Okay, Officer Hirsch, I give. Why are we here? What’s the story?”

  Hirsch positioned himself between the potential witnesses and us, his back to them. He spoke very quietly.

  “There was a big blow out at the ChickShack. By the time we got there it was pretty much a free for all. We pulled in several of the college kids and some of the others showed up here, each trying to tell their version of the story. I guess some parents were there, too.”

  He shook his head and took a deep breath before he continued. “Based on what we have determined so far, the fight centered around Brendon, Roy, and Dirk. A few of the adults reported hearing something about money.”

  He looked at Brett and continued, “Chief Pfeiffe thinks this may be the tip of the drug ring, so he wanted you to come in. He’s sure that Dirk and Roy are involved, and they are both friends of Johnson. His take is that Brendon found out and threatened to turn them in.” He shrugged. I gathered he didn’t quite buy this explanation.

  Then he shifted his attention to me. “Dr. Hendley, the Chief is hoping that you can talk to them and convince them to open up. If you can even get one of them to talk to you, we might be able to get to the bottom of this. He’s hoping you can at least figure out what the beef is all about and do some mediation or something.”

  He turned to check on the handful of students and adults writing away. “Be sure to put your name and how to contact you on the page. Let me know when you finish.”

  One adult stood and he collected the paper from her. He read it, thanked her, and looked back at us. He waved us forward past the same doors he had walked through before.

  As we entered the back part of the station, we saw Dr. Wellburn disappear into a door on the left. I looked at Hirsch with a questioning expression. He explained that all three students needed some medical attention.

  Hirsch directed us into a room with one-way mirrors on each side. Brendon and his family were on one side; Roy and his father on the other side. The Chief flipped a switch on Brendon’s side and told us that Brendon’s parents weren’t being very helpful. Considering that Brendon’s father was a lawyer, I wasn’t surprised. He told Brett that he was going to go in and try to talk to them and wanted Brett to join him.

  Brett looked at me and then nodded to the Chief. They both left and Hirsch pointed to Roy and his father. Roy looked scared. His father just leaned forward, his head in his hands. He told me that Dirk and his mother were in another room waiting their turn. He suggested I go in and see if Roy wanted to chat. I wasn’t sure if that was exactly the way things should go in a situation like this. It struck me odd, but I went ahead.

  As I walked in, both Roy and his father immediately sat up straight. His father looked puzzled as he well might. He looked at Roy and Roy asked, “Dr. Hendley, what are you doing here?”

  I walked over to his father and introduced myself. “Mr. Daniels, I’m Sheridan Hendley. I work at Cold Creek College. I’m not associated with the Police Department, but they’ve asked me to help figure out what happened tonight.”

  “Roy, have they explained your rights to you?” I asked. I needed to be sure that he and his father didn’t say something that would incriminate Roy.

  Mr. Daniels looked at his son as if waiting for an answer. “The officer, he told me I was under arrest and I could make one call. I called my father. Nobody’s said anything to me since. It was all just a big misunderstanding, Dr. Hendley.” Roy shook his head, and with a quick look at his father, he contemplated his feet.

  “I don’t get why you’re here. You’re not a lawyer are you? If he talks to you, you gonna tell the police what he says?”

  “Yes, Mr. Daniels, anything Roy tells me, I would have to tell someone. I am not a lawyer,” I explained.

  “Roy, you don’t always listen to me and you’re an adult, but don’t say anything. If and when they actually arrest you, we’ll find you a lawyer.” Mr. Daniels crossed his arms over his chest and stared hard.

  I wished Roy well and left the room. Hirsch met me in the hall. “No Miranda, Officer Hirsch? Really?” I shook my head and waited.

  “Chief Pfeiffe didn’t feel it was necessary.” He looked around and then added, “Look Dr. Hendley, the Chief isn’t about to arrest a Whitfield. Unless Brendon says Roy and Dirk attacked him for no reason or tried to mug him, he can’t hardly arrest them and not arrest Brendon. He’s just hoping that by making them sit here a bit, one of them will crack. He’s sure it has to do with Justin Blake’s murder.” He sighed and looked defeated.

  “I’m sorry, but I can’t and won’t try to get them to incriminate themselves. Not any of them,” I answered. He nodded and asked if I wanted to go wait in the lobby or listen in on the Chief.

  Curious as to how it was going with the Whitfields, I opted for listening to the interview of Brendon. Hirsch went to see about other statements. Back in the two-mirrored room, I could see Brett standing off to the side. The set of his jaw told me that he was not thrilled with whatever the Chief was saying or doing. Hirsch had flipped the switch before he left and I could hear the Chief.

  “If you could just help us out here Brendon, tell the State Police Detective and me what went down, we could all just go home. I understand you don’t want to rat out your buddies, but at least you could go home.”

  Brendon opened his mouth as if to speak and his father interjected, “Chief Pfeiffe, are you really going to arrest Brendon over a silly disagreement? Obviously, Brendon has no record. If there were any damages at the ChickShack, we’ll happily pay the bill.”

 
Brendon’s mother sat there, looking from one male to another. She didn’t say a word. Mr. Whitfield touched her hand and the movement startled her.

  Chief Pfeiffe looked startled as well. Mr. Whitfield had just called his bluff and he had nothing else to offer. He looked at Brett. Brett didn’t respond, but his expression was none too friendly.

  After what seemed like a long time, the Chief answered, “No, Mr. Whitfield, I suspect these young men will find another way to settle their differences. You’ll have to check with the ChickShack’s owners about the damages. You’re free to go.”

  With that, Chief Hirsch stood and left the room, leaving the door open. Brett waited a second or two and followed. The Whitfields left soon after. Once they were all gone, I turned to check on Roy and his father. They were still sitting there waiting.

  I left the room and met up with Brett and we moved toward the lobby. There were still a few students talking to Hirsch about their statements. I asked when Dirk and Roy would be let go. Hirsch shook his head again and mumbled something about the Chief. Brett let him know we were leaving as the Chief entered the lobby.

  It was a quiet ride home. Brett’s jaw was still set so I didn’t press. Almost to the house, Brett spewed out a string of profanity and several other choice adjectives about Cold Creek’s chief of police. I gathered that the Chief had tried to feed them what he wanted to hear, that Roy and Dirk were dealing or doing drugs and Brendon found out. Brendon also hadn’t been told his rights, though his father had asked about the Miranda at least twice.

  What scalded Brett was that as Dr. Wellburn was fixing them up, at the Chief’s request, he got a blood sample for drug testing. Brett was livid at the way the Chief was handling this. No matter what the drug test showed, the results wouldn’t be admissible and it was a blatant violation of their rights.

  By the time we got home, Brett had vented and we both realized we were hungry. Two hours at the police station and we still hadn’t eaten dinner. We searched the freezer and came up with a hodgepodge. It wasn’t exactly gourmet but it worked.