The Campus Killer (Detective Ali Ryan Series Book 1)

by Andrew Hess

  “We were wondering if you had anything on a woman that was sent here last week. Her name was Rachel Walker.”

  “Ah yes the young girl that died from being too drunk.” Dr. Wu opened a nearby filing cabinet and pulled a report. “Ah yes, here we are. We received the toxicology report last night. There were no drugs in her system, but her BAC level was over a two.”

  “There’s no way she blew a two,” Rodney exclaimed. “I worked the bar scene for years. She would’ve had to drink a keg and a few bottles of liquor to be that drunk.”

  “Her friends said she had been drinking a lot, but they didn’t indicate she drank that much.” I recalled my interview of Rachel’s friends and turned back to Dr. Wu. “How far could someone walk in that condition?”

  “They’d be lucky if they could stand,” he replied. “Why?”

  “Her friends said she walked them back to their dorms, dropped them off and walked back to her dorm.”

  “Impossible,” Dr. Wu said.

  “Maybe the test was wrong,” Rodney suggested.

  “Excuse me?” Dr. Wu slammed the file on a small silver tray; making a clanking sound as the folder connected with the metal. “I don’t make mistakes. If you don’t believe me, you can read for yourself.”

  He pushed the tray over to us. Dr. Wu was right. Rachel’s BAC level was higher than any I’ve ever seen.

  “Maybe she drank a lot more after she dropped off her friends,” Rodney suggested.

  “Where,” I asked. “There were no bottles found in her room and nowhere to drink on campus. It still doesn’t explain how she got back to her room.”

  Dr. Wu let out a yawn. “I can’t help you with that. Let me know if there’s anything more you need. But for now, I need to get back to work.”

  We excused ourselves from the room and returned to the car.

  “We have to find out what happened to Rachel,” I exclaimed.

  “You need to drop it Ali. It doesn’t matter how she got back to the room. Rachel Walker died from drinking too much. It’s in the report. You read it yourself.”

  A thought crossed my mind and racked my brain to recall every report; every statement and all the contents the officers cataloged from Rachel’s room.

  “Did you find her student ID card when you went through the room?” It was the one thing I couldn’t remember seeing on the list and was needed to get back into the dorm and her room.

  Rodney thought about it for a long moment as he inserted the key into the ignition. “I don’t remember seeing it on the list.”

  My eyes grew wide as I put all the pieces together. This was my proof that someone helped Rachel back to her room. Someone had her ID card and we needed to find out who had it.

  Rodney clapped a hand to his forehead. “Why do I get the feeling you’re not gonna let this go?”

  “Because you know I won’t give up till I have all the facts.”

  “Great; just remember when the Lieutenant reams you out for this that I tried to warn you.

  Chapter 20

  We arrived back at the station an hour later with fire in our eyes. Rodney and I refused to budge on our opinions on the Rachel Walker case. Our opposing views on the investigation left us in a stalemate; wondering if we should continue searching for how Rachel got to her room or if we should close the case completely.

  We walked quietly to our desks, but the silence was disturbed by the loud crash of a wooden door smashing against the wall. The Lieutenant stood in the doorway; glaring at us menacingly.

  “Where the hell have you two been?”

  Rodney and I stared at each other; afraid to tell the Lieutenant that we were poking our noses into the Rachel Walker case instead of waiting until the results officially came in.

  “We were in Kingston,” Rodney began as he stood up from his desk. “We wanted to check with the M.E. about the Rachel Walker case.”

  The vein in the Lieutenant’s forehead pulsated visibly and violently as he stared a hole through us. His lips pursed together; almost biting the inside of his lip to keep from screaming at us.

  “Get in my office now,” the Lieutenant said through gritted teeth; emphasizing each word.

  Rodney and I exchanged nervous glances and reluctantly followed Lieutenant Esposito into his cramped office. I sat in a chair opposing the Lieutenant as Rodney closed the door.

  “I just wanna say…” Rodney began as he pulled up a chair.

  “Keep your trap shut Johnson. This has nothing to do with you.” Esposito paced around his chair. “I thought I told you to leave this case alone Detective.”

  “Yes but…”

  “But you figured it was better to go against my explicit orders?”

  “No sir. We were just following up with the M.E. to get their reports so we can officially close the case.” It was a bold face lie and he knew it. I was looking for any way to keep the case open.

  The Lieutenant laughed and hovered over me. “Fine, I’ll play your little game. Tell me; what did you find?”

  I told him about our meeting with Dr. Wu and how Rachel’s blood alcohol content was over two. “There’s no way she was able to get back to her room on her own.”

  “It doesn’t matter how she got back there,” the Lieutenant snapped. “It doesn’t change how she died. The fact remains; Miss Walker died from alcohol poisoning and choking on her own vomit.” Esposito pointed a stern finger at each of us. “I want both of you to write up your reports confirming the case is closed, and I want it by the end of the day.” His eyes focused on me. I could feel the heat from his stare. “Dismissed!”

  We quickly escaped Esposito’s office. Rodney pulled me aside. “Why didn’t you tell him about the missing ID card?”

  “Because he wasn’t going to listen no matter what I told him.”

  “So what are you gonna do?”

  I batted my eyes playfully and pushed my shoulders inward; rocking from side to side. “I’m gonna do my report like a good girl.”

  “Stop messing around. What are you really gonna do?”

  I grabbed the file and made copies of each report. “I’ll work on it on my own time.

  Chapter 21

  It was another busy Friday morning for the students on the New Paltz campus. A cool breeze swept through; leaving a chill in the air for the handful of students who scrambled to get to their last classes before the weekend.

  Mark planned his attack all week. He thought about it while he walked the same paved path he took when he attacked Rachel Walker; leading to the back door of Estrada Hall. He took Rachel’s keycard from his pocket and swiped it along the keypad. The lock buzzed; permitting him the access he needed. Mark threw the grey backpack over his shoulder and entered the rear stairwell.

  He opened the third floor door; finding a small cluster of students dragging their feet as they sleep walked their way to class. Mark rounded the first corner; finding the dorm room he visited a week earlier. He wanted to burst through the door; knock his victim around a bit; degrading her; making her feel the way he felt for the last two years. But he couldn’t; not yet. He had to wait just a few more hours to get his revenge.

  He could hear a high pitched voice through the door. “Yes mom, I know I have to just deal with my issues, but I need to come home. I need a few days away from this.” There was a long pause as if Nicole’s mother was trying to convince her to stay put. “I-I just can’t deal with this right now. I have class in a few minutes. I’ll call you later.”

  Mark hid behind the wall; hiding his face in his backpack; pretending to make sure he had his books or homework. The door closed behind him; making him burry his face deeper into his bag; letting his eyes peak out over the zipper.

  Nicole bounced by with her peacock feathered earrings which blended in with her long black hair. She strutted by with her books in hand; brushing past Mark; not recognizing him from their encounter the day before.

  He watched her closely and waited for her to disappear into the stairwell before
swiping the ID into the handle of the door. The lock buzzed. Mark reached for the handle and pushed his way in.

  His eyes swept the room; resting on the empty bed in the corner. Mark let out a low maniacal laugh as his eyes darted towards the pink comforter behind him. He placed the grey bag on Nicole’s bed and checked the open laptop.

  “Time to get to work,” Mark whispered as he pulled the wooden chair away from the desk; pushing the pink area rug into a ball.

  His fingers rapidly clicked the keys; bringing up web pages about suicide hotlines, how to make a noose, and finally typed up a note explaining how she can’t live with her mistake.

  “There, that should be enough.” Mark pushed the chair in and fixed the rug. “Now we wait.”

  Chapter 22

  The breezy day switched to a brisk cool summer night. The green luminescent numbers on Mark’s watch read 10:00pm.

  “She should be here any minute,” Mark whispered. He hid inside a cramped closet; keeping watch through a small crack in the wooden door.

  Nicole’s high pitched voice could be heard from the hallway. He knew she was about to enter, but forgot to consider she might not come back alone.

  “Thanks for walking me back,” Nicole’s voice echoed through the walls. “Are you sure you don’t mind driving me home tomorrow?”

  “Yeah, it’s no problem,” the man assured her.

  “Thanks, I really need to get out of here for a while.” She glanced at her bedroom door and sighed. “I guess…just give me a call when you’re ready to leave and I’ll meet you out front.”

  Mark heard the buzzing from the lock as the door opened. A shadow of a woman entered the room; clicking the lamp on next to her bed. She dropped a stack full of books onto her desk and pulled her chair out.

  Nicole turned on the computer; started checking her emails and found a strange file at the bottom of the screen.

  “What the hell is this,” Nicole snapped. A chill ran up and down her body as she read her supposed suicide note. “Is this some kind of sick joke?”

  Nicole’s eyes darted around the room; wondering how someone got inside her room and put this on her computer. Her heart was beating faster; worried that she wasn’t alone.

  Mark knew he was running out of time. Nicole’s suspicion was growing and she was about to go for help. He opened the door slowly; tip toing several feet; gripping a thick brown belt in his hands. Nicole was focused on the letter; re-reading her final words someone else wrote. She could feel someone near her, but was too late. Mark’s hands wrapped the belt around her throat; pulling back forcefully.

  Nicole’s fingers ripped and tore at the belt; trying to pull it away; trying to catch her breath. One breath; she thought. One breath is all I need.

  She tried to fight off her attacker; catching a glimpse of him in her mirror. Her finger pointed to the reflected image of the man strangling her; the man she bumped into yesterday; the man she knew for the last two years. But before she could speak his name, her hands went limp; falling to her sides as she fell into Mark’s arms. Nicole’s eyes were closed but her chest barely rose with each breath.

  Mark stood over her unconscious body. “That’s one way to finally shut her up,” he laughed as he pulled the grey backpack from the closet. In it was a newly made noose; one he spent the day working on from the countless searches he typed on Nicole’s computer.

  Mark threw Nicole over his shoulder; straining to lift her off the ground. “This wouldn’t have happened if you weren’t such a nosey bitch.” He checked to make sure no one was coming and exited the room; Nicole draped over his right shoulder, and the noose gripped tightly in his left hand.

  Chapter 23

  I ran around my bedroom looking for the perfect outfit to wear. The red glowing digits on the clock told me Matthew was minutes from picking me up. I pulled on a pair of tight blue jeans; the kind that would make men stop and stare as it clung to my fit body. I paired it with my favorite frilly black blouse with a low cut neck line and my black open toe pumps.

  I entered the living room; finding the headlights of a 2006 Camry beaming through the window; reflecting off a small mirror that hung over the mantle.

  “Eight on the dot; punctual like usual,” I said quietly while checking the time on my cable box.

  I opened the front door and there he was; my six foot two handsome man. Matthew looked incredible in his black dress pants and light blue button down. He curled his arm around me; pulling me in close and planting a big one on me. I ran my fingers through his short thick black hair.

  “Hey there beautiful,” he said softly with a hint of his Puerto Rican accent slipping through.

  My heart skipped a beat as I looked into his big brown eyes. I pulled him in for another passionate kiss. “Hello yourself,” I replied.

  He was taken aback by my response. “You know, we can stay here tonight if that’s what you want.”

  “Nice try,” I laughed. “But I was hoping for a more suitable date; something along the lines of going out for food; preferably Italian.”

  “I know just the place.” He held out his hand; letting me lace my fingers with his.

  “How was your day?”

  “It was good; just a normal day for me; yours?”

  “It was slow for the most part. You know, you never told me what a typical day is for you.” I knew I was probing, but Matthew was very secretive about his job. He told me he was a liaison for a major corporation, but always refused to go into any details.

  He opened the car door for me; letting me get in the passenger seat. “There’s not much to it. I go in around nine; make a few calls; meet with a few clients and leave by five.” He smiled as he walked around to the driver’s side and started our long crazy night.

  Chapter 24

  Matthew pulled up to a large brick building on Route 9. If it wasn’t for the dark green circular sign telling us it was an Italian restaurant, I probably would’ve overlooked it while driving. We entered the parking lot and walked up the concrete steps to the main entrance.

  Inside was beautiful with various paintings lining the beige and gray walls as we walked up to the main podium. Matthew took the lead; telling the young girl we had a reservation. My eyes fixed on her; noting she was young; maybe in her last year of high school or even her first year of college. It made me think about Rachel Walker again and left my head spinning with nagging questions I had yet to answer.

  The girl led us through a maroon curtain with violet butterflies on it. We entered the main dining area. The large room was filled with customers, but had the walls lined with wooden cabinets filled with glasses and mirrors with rustic gold frames. It made me feel like we were walking through someone’s home while they were eating a Sunday dinner.

  The girl took us out a glass door on the side and sat us at a small table that overlooked Route 9. My eyes glazed over as I stared out the window; watching the stop and go traffic next to us. I was lost in my thoughts and didn’t even remember ordering my food.

  Matthew grabbed my hand; ripping me from my obsessive thoughts that searched for the person responsible for bringing Rachel Walker home.

  “Is everything all right,” he asked with concern. “You seem a little too quiet tonight.”

  I shook my head and focused on Matthew. “I’m fine; just have a lot on my mind.” I stopped and watched as our waitress brought two plates of food; placing one in front of Matthew and the other in front of me. The waitress departed from our table and checked on her other customers.

  I reached for my fork and pushed around the Chicken Caprese on my plate. Matthew began cutting up his chicken but kept his eyes on me.

  “You want to talk about it?”

  “It’s nothing; just a case I’m working on.”

  Matthew’s eyes perked up. “Really, which one?”

  I knew I couldn’t divulge information about an ongoing case to him, but Rachel Walker was no longer an active case. I told him about the way we found her and how I was fo
rced to close the case despite my gut instinct.

  “I plan on looking into it a little more on my own time.”

  “Are you sure it’s a good idea to investigate on your own?”

  “I just wanna make sure we have all the facts. I don’t wanna miss anything important.”

  “You really are a dedicated detective.”

  I smiled and scooped more of my chicken into my mouth as a low ringing sound emanated from my purse. “This will only take a minute.” I reached into my purse, pulled out a small phone; finding Rodney’s name and answered the phone.

  “Ali, you need to get down here,” Rodney’s voice shouted over the sound of police sirens.

  “Where? What happened?”

  “A call came in just a little while ago. Another body was found on campus. It was Rachel Walker’s roommate.”

  I nearly came undone at the thought of someone else being found dead on campus; let alone the roommate of the first dead girl.

  I cupped a hand to my mouth. “What? How?”

  “The call came in a few minutes ago. The RA found her hanging from one of the shower stalls. I’m pulling up to the campus now.”

  “Okay, I’m in Wappinger’s Falls. I’ll be there in an hour.”

  Matthew waived the waitress over. “I think we need these wrapped up and the check.”

  I looked up; my mouth hung open as I placed the phone back in my purse. “Remember how you said I’m a dedicated detective?”

  “Let me guess; you have to run.”

  “I’m really sorry, but I need to get down there.”

  “Already a step ahead of you.” The waitress brought over a leather black book with the check inside; placing it on the table and helped us put our dinners in aluminum containers. Matthew signed the paper and stood up. “Wanna drive?”

  Chapter 25

  Matthew let me drive back to New Paltz believing I knew the roads better and could get us there much faster than he could. It was typically a forty-five minute drive; worse if it was earlier in the day, but we made it there in under a half hour.