Corpse in the Campus

by Harry Glum

  From Jennings Drive, they took the direct path any university student would have taken for reasons of convenience, and went up Campus Street until they got to the student complex center where there was a tower that loomed over a large courtyard that was called ‘The Belltower. On the way there, they had come across relatively deserted areas that were mainly used as parking lots.

  —Heck, Ron —exclaimed Stevens, as he kicked the air—, it is practically impossible to take a body there without being seen by somebody.

  —Think of the time. It’s on a peaceful campus, and surely or dead or alive, the victim was taken there in a car —objected the investigator.

  Gordon looked upwards toward ‘The Belltower’ and was able to see that it was getting late for lunch, according to one of the four clocks that decorated this tower. He felt impotence, and anger, and both of these were bad news for a detective that should stay calm and that should be discovering a way toward the truth as soon as possible. He had not yet been able even to come up with a hypothesis, and that in itself made him feel more martyrised. Would he be what Sarah Brown and her family needed so that justice could be served? Once again he felt a deep pang of pain in his stomach.

  —You are right. Let’s go on.

  Both men kept moving along Campus Street to the end. It ended up at 19th Street and there on the right were Prime Falls apartments where the victim had lived. Stevens looked around in all directions, as if he had some kind of radar, and he were capable of detecting some piece of evidence that the person or persons guilty had left behind in the area.

  —You know, Ron, something just doesn’t fit in....

  Davies knew the university better and all the streets in Cedar Falls like the back of his hand due to the fact that he had patrolled all of that area for half of his life. He did believe that the pieces of this puzzle were fitting in.

  —Yes. I think you are right. They weren’t able to carry her the way we came. That is, they didn’t want to do that.

  —How do you know?

  —Because they had better alternatives. I would have gone down 19th Street to Hudson Road, and I would have gone down to University Avenue. From there in a minute you can be on Jennings Drive, and you have taken a big roundabout route, but on the other hand you have only used main thoroughfares on which you are not very conspicuous.

  The detective smilingly faked a punch at his companions jaw. It was the first time he had smiled since the previous Friday.

  —You’re a genius, you know that don’t you?

  —My wife says so almost every night —answered Davies laughing.

  The sound of Stevens Smartphone pulled both agents out of their speculations. It was Karen Phillips.

  —Gordon, where are you?

  —With Ron taking a walk around the campus, trying to put ourselves in the criminal or criminals shoes, those that killed Sarah —answered the detective, in a serious tone, and suddenly letting go of all that nice relaxed atmosphere they had had for an instant in which they had had a brief respite.

  —Great, that way I have you both located. I need you here as soon as possible at the headquarters offices.

  —Has anything happened?

  —I have the coroner’s preliminary report in my hands. It is pretty revealing.

  VI

  When the detective and the investigator arrived at the police department, Karen was already waiting for them before a blackboard on which she had drawn two columns.

  —You haven’t taken very long.

  —You know very well how to call a couple of mature and attractive guys attention —said Ron, winking at her and laughing.

  Gordon, who was less of a jokester sat down and started staring at the blackboard.

  —What do we have, Karen?

  Davies got the hint and went over to sit down next to his colleague. He was always making an effort to smooth over uncomfortable situations with a little of his benevolent sense of humor, but he knew that his innocent pranks were not always well received.

  —The coroner had established Sarah’s death at between 8 and 16 hours previous to the discovery of her body. That gave us two hypotheses—said the agent, as he was writing on the board—. The first: that Maddie truly heard the gunshot that killed the victim at around 2:30 AM on Saturday. The second: that she was killed before that time and she was taken afterwards to the trees. Both possibilities fit into the time frames.

  —Has the autopsy revealed any additional data? —inquired Stevens while dozens of thoughts that he was unable to manage were running through his head.

  —Yes. She was shot at a very short range with a 22 caliber gun, something that could already be deduced judging from the hole in her temple. The girl was right handed, so we can totally rule out suicide.

  —Are there any other signs of violence? —asked Ron who was already getting chills only imagining how much the girl must have suffered before death.

  —None. Not even a small bruise. There are no signs of sexual aggression either.

  Gordon thumped on the boardroom table with his knuckles; it was a habit he had had since he was a teenager, and that made him be able to concentrate even when things seemed the darkest. It was as if he were releasing part of the stress to the wood. This was how he found it easier to liberate his thoughts.

  —At the time, she had to be with someone she knew well, someone she trusted and didn’t fear in the slightest.

  Karen kept noting down everything that was being written down on the big plastic board with a blue marker. Somehow, however sad it might have been deep down for her, she still felt excited to be there with an investigator and a detective; involved in the solving of a homicide case. This was a bitter satisfaction, but she couldn’t avoid feeling euphoria. Now she should channel all of this bulldozing energy in her effort to do justice in Sarah Browns case.

  —It is also possible that they drugged her somehow without her being aware of it, and that made her vulnerable to a stranger —suggested Davies, who had heard about similar cases through police investigation programs broadcast on television, which was the kind of program he was addicted to. He was always justifying himself to his wife saying that he needed to see these as part of his training.

  Karen quickly checked a folder that had preliminary information gathered for the coroner. She just wanted to check something that she already knew ahead of time.

  —Ron lets rule out that option. There are no drugs on her body; what’s more, no type of toxic substance. It’s true that there are still more tests to be done on stomach residue, but the coroner has already made this observation.

  —In that case, there is no other option: everything seems to point to the fact that someone close to her killed her; that is, someone that knew her well.

  —Have you finished the interrogation with her friends? —asked Gordon, who had expressed that he wished to be present if some interesting option were to come up.

  —Well, we are still gathering a lot of information. We are still expecting to talk to Mark Walton, the girl’s boyfriend. We have thought that it is best to do it once we have gathered information about the kind of relationship they had: if everything was going well, jealousy, arguments, fights; that kind of things—answered the agent sure of herself.

  —I think that is good strategy. And her two friends that she had agreed to go to Waterloo with. Have you been able to interview them?

  —We have interviewed one of them that is Carol Weight. I was at the interview this morning. We were interested in it because she is the last person that saw the victim alive, and you already know the saying....

  —The last witness is the main suspect —mumbled Davies, in a sarcastic tone, as if this were a torturing ritual that he had had to repeat all his life.

  —What then? —asked Gordon impatiently.

  —Nothing that would interest anyone. She has reiterated to us things that we all already knew. And fortunately or unfortunately she has a very solid alibi for all of Friday and early Saturday morning:
she spent the night with her friend and her friend’s family.

  —In that case, we need to interrogate the other friend and the boyfriend as soon as possible.

  An agent came into the room abruptly without having knocked on the door. He was surprised to find Ron and Gordon there and toned down.

  —Sorry, I thought that Karen was here working alone.

  —No problem. Anything new? —asked the detective, sensing that the breaking in should have a good reason.

  —Yes. We have a suspect.

  —A suspect? —asked Davies, shocked, as if he didn’t give credit to what his ears had just heard. For a moment he felt that he and Gordon had been wasting time while the rest of their workmates had been working tirelessly.

  —Yes. We thought of looking among records for persons with records that had access to the campus and... ¡bingo! There was one guy that has been working in maintenance the last few months that attempted a rape not too long ago, and who also has other lesser incidents in his past.

  —Hell! —exclaimed Stevens as he pounded on the table angrily. He was in a fury that things like that could happen in the United States. He was convinced that having a good shared data base on a state level, and less doubting and complacency shown by some judges in particular, this type of people could be held away from this kind of employment that allowed them to have their victims within their reach—. Good job. Do we know where this person is?

  —He is here. We have arrested him and he is in one of the interrogation rooms.

  VII

  Karen, Ron, and Gordon took their time before entering the interrogation room where Jeff Simpson, Prime Falls Apartments maintenance employee was waiting for them. This was the place Sarah Brown had lived at to the day she disappeared.

  They were wanting to get to know this man a little better before launching into him. This was a suspect that seemed to have a lot against him, and the police chief had been right to order his immediate arrest. However, now that they had him under custody, they couldn’t afford to make any mistakes because this could have grave consequences in the immediate future.

  After reviewing his record several times, they decided that Gordon should be the spokesperson for this process, since he already had some experience with this kind of persons. They also decided that he should enter alone while Karen and Ron watched the interrogation through the window.

  Stevens tried to exhibit his best smile, swallowing all his frustrations the best he could and held out his hand to the maintenance employee as kindly as possible.

  —HI Jeff. My name is Gordon, and I am a Black Hawk County Sheriff’s office detective.

  Simpson, a muscular introverted black man with somewhat sunken eyes was pouring with sweat. He had big beads of perspiration running down from his forehead to his jaw, and the blue shirt he had on was damp in the chest and armpits areas.

  —I shouldn’t be here. You are making a big mistake. The reason is that I’m black and poor, and you want to shove off the murder of that girl so that you can quickly pin on a medal—mumbled the detainee while he was scouring every corner of the room.

  —Things don’t work that way, Jeff. And I think that you know that well. You have already had problems with the law in the past.

  —Teenagers pranks. If you had been raised in the neighborhood that I grew up in, in Detroit, I can’t imagine the things you might have done in my place.

  —Well, it is true that your record seemed to be clean since you moved to Iowa. Yes. Anyone would have said that you had been making a great effort to start a new life. But Jeff, there is the rape attempt and kidnapping a few months ago. Have you forgotten what happened in Davenport so easily?—asked Gordon, as a sponsor or a good friend would talk. He knew that this was the right way to act and that it would work, but it was hard to hold back the nausea most of the time.

  Simpson blurted out a loud snort, almost groaning. Later, he tried to calm down, and he began to talk more slowly.

  —That was a senseless accusation. I have already asked my lawyer to have that taken off my record. However, since he is a public defender, he already has a thousand things to do and that crap is still there like a chain. I didn’t do anything. Absolutely anything. I was in the wrong place and a witness took me for someone else, and that is all. I have asked for DNA testing, or whatever you call it. I have passed the lie detector, and the judge has let me off without charges, but there we have that damn black mark on my record!

  The detective felt confused. This guy seemed to be sincere, and really angry with the system. He could be a damn good actor, but it was true that he had passed the polygraph, but his being an impostor was not the impression he was getting from him at less than three feet distance.

  —In that case, Jeff, why are you so nervous?

  —Hell, man, hell! I’m scared to death. A few months ago I had to move to another city for something I hadn’t done. In spite of everything, I have been able to get a decent job here in Cedar Falls no less than at the university! I don´t have such a great salary but I can pay my rent and buy myself something I like, now and then. It seemed that life was finally looking up for me, and now this happens to me and you want to pin this on me with no evidence to support you! Whatever the result I’m going to be screwed.

  Simpson couldn’t avoid beginning to sob. Naturally, Gordon didn’t feel sorry for any detainee, or any suspect, and much less for those suspected of murder. But this time it was different, and for some reason he felt moved.

  —Alright Jeff. Tell me what the hell you were doing last Thursday starting in the morning until well into the evening.

  —On Thursday?

  —Yes, March 6th—answered Stevens, knowing that he would never be able to forget that day for the rest of his life.

  The maintenance employee thought about it for a few seconds. He really seemed to be going back in time, trying to place himself for the previous week.

  —Now I remember! I was at the McLeod Center all day. There was a water break and we had to work hard to solve it.

  —We had to?—asked Gordon, noticing that his legs were trembling. It seemed that nobody had been worried about knowing where the suspect had been at the time the victim had been kidnapped.

  —Yes, I was with Leonard, another maintenance employee. There was also a plumber that the insurance company sent, but I can’t remember his name.

  —Jeff, are you sure that what you are telling me is true?

  —I can swear to you on the Bible, if you want me to. Besides that, all you have to do is ask them. Also, several groups of students saw me there, because they wanted to know when the showers would be working again. They play basketball there, and they are not very happy about having to come out all sweaty in the cold winter. They aren’t as tough as everyone thinks...

  Stevens gently dropped the stack of papers he had in his hands on the table. He felt frustrated, indignant and worn out.

  —I’ve got to check your alibi. If what you’ve told me is true, I myself will see that you can get out of here right away and that you don’t have any trouble in your job.

  Simpson was cofounded. He didn’t understand anything, but it seemed as if everything was going to work out as if by magic. That tough serious looking character he had before him would end up saving him. Suddenly he felt that a hot current of indignation was taking over his guts.

  —The truth is that I am grateful to you; you know I am infinitely grateful. But, why the devil didn’t your people begin asking me that question before arresting me?

  That was what Gordon was thinking as he was leaving the room and going to look for Karen and Ron. They met in the middle of the hall and the detective couldn’t repress his indignation.

  —Hell, how could you forget something so obvious?

  —Calm down, we still have to check that this man is telling us the truth —answered Philips, in a soft but firm tone of voice.

  —Karen, I guarantee you 100% that he has just told me the truth. I don’t have the sl
ightest doubt —sentenced Stevens, trying unsuccessfully to repress his anger.

  VIII

  Two days after interrogating Simpson, the whole group investigating the case had the sensation that they were at a dead end. Leonard, the other maintenance employee on the campus, and the plumber that had been sent by the insurance company ratified without a shadow of a doubt the alibi given to Stevens. Also, several students on the basketball team that trained at the McLeod Center confirmed that Jeff had been there all that Thursday March 6th.

  Gordon was attending a meeting held by Patrick Thomas, the local police chief. He was a tried but balanced man that knew how to keep cool. He himself, on the other hand was very angry, and thought that he wasn’t doing enough, and that they were goofing like rookies. However, in a sense he had never ceased to be just that: they had never before had to face a case like that nor even similar to it. Surely that which most shocked Stevens, that is, what made him uneasy was not that the group in that place on the whole were incapable of dealing with the situation; what really was torturing his mind was the idea that he personally were not capable of handling the situation, that he personally were to let that poor girl down, and for this reason for justice not to be done. He woke up at night soaked in sweat, and tormented by strange nightmares, which were the result of the cruelest and completest desperation.

  —According to the parents’ version, Sarah was a very much loved girl, who had no known enemies. This was an opinion shared by her teachers and acquaintances. Nobody wanted her death, and she had never received not even the slightest sign of a threat—mumbled Thomas, distracting the detective from his anguish and tribulations.

  —Excuse me, but it is evident that someone did desire her death, because it is a fact that she has been murdered. Another very different thing is that we have not been able to discover it —said Gordon, with a dry and fatigued tone of voice.