Mistaken Identity Crisis: Death On The Cable Car (Braxton Campus Mysteries Book 4)

by James J Cudney

  I also suffered through a departmental staff meeting where Myriam notified everyone of changes in the fall schedule. An adjunct professor had backed out of a job because she'd been awarded an assistant professorship role at Woodland College. “I need a volunteer to interview a potential new candidate next week.”

  I had no time to take on anything additional, prompting me to keep my head down reading the remainder of the bullet points on her tedious agenda. I'd gotten distracted when the meeting ended and hadn't realized everyone else except Myriam exited.

  “Thank you, Kellan. I appreciate your generosity,” she said, thrusting a resume at me.

  “Wait, what did I do?”

  “You volunteered to help me with the interview process. Did you not stick around after the meeting as I informed everyone to do if they were interested?” Myriam adjusted her glasses and pursed her irksome lips while waiting for my response.

  She had me there. If I confessed my failure to pay attention, it would hurt me eventually. No one else had stuck around. If I didn't accept the task, she'd just assign it to me anyway. “Happy to help save the day,” I contritely replied and began to leave the room.

  “Let none presume to wear an undeserved dignity.” Myriam cited a well-known line from Merchant of Venice, then waited for me to redirect my attention to her. “One more item. A student in your class visited me yesterday.” A puzzling grimace danced eagerly on my boss's face.

  “Another satisfied customer?” I pushed my glasses higher, above the small bump on my nose.

  “That would make you quite pleased, wouldn't it? Unfortunately, no, that is not the case. While she didn't request any changes, the student wanted me to know that she was unhappy about the group she'd been assigned to work with.” Myriam recited her personal opinion on how to handle the issue, then asked me what I planned to do about it.

  “Will you at least tell me who it was?” I wouldn't confront the student, but I'd know to tread carefully in the future. I was convinced it had to be Imogene or Krissy. Both were frustrated when class had ended on Monday, even though they'd claimed to be okay with the compromise for the group's topic selection.

  “It's best that I do not. If she returns, we'll have a deeper discussion about the problem. For now, please be certain you are more attentive to student issues and preferences. We can't always kowtow to their every single need, but we also shouldn't alienate them,” Myriam warned as she collected her belongings. “You must be careful about this situation. It could become a problem for your future at Braxton. I'll be putting a note in your file with Human Resources.”

  Once Barracuda Boss left, I bought lunch in the cafeteria and chatted with a colleague about his summer lectures. I finished early enough to swing by Cambridge Hall to surprise Gabriel before my class. On the walk across campus, I noticed him entering the building's front doors. I picked up enough speed to almost catch up, but before I could arrive, the elevator door closed. Inside, he held an animated conversation with one of my students, Krissy Stanton.

  Gabriel worked on the second floor in the science labs. Rather than wait for the elevator, I ascended the stairs at the end of the hallway. Upon arriving, I realized I didn't know exactly in which lab he'd spend his afternoon. I'd been in the building a handful of times but never to meet him. I asked a distracted lab assistant if she knew where Gabriel's office resided. With her hands flapping and bobbing about, she whined, “He doesn't have his own place, kinda hangs out in different labs and keeps things in order. He got off the elevator, but like, I don't know where he went. I'm not his keeper!”

  “Got it, thanks.” Was everyone nuts today? I walked around the entire floor but couldn't locate him anywhere. Ten minutes later, I exited the building and headed to class. Where had he disappeared?

  I stopped at my office to collect my lecture notes, then strode to the classroom on the first floor. A few students were already assembled in their seats. Siobhan approached me at the desk. I didn't think she was the student who'd complained to Myriam, but I'd poke around to discover whether she knew anything. “How're the twins doing?”

  “They're flying it… doing well, I mean. I sometimes forget you're not Irish. I'm knackered, I'll tell ya,” Siobhan responded, collapsing into a chair across from my desk. “With Mrs. Crawford needing some time off this week, my schedule has been quite hectic.”

  “Come again?” I didn't understand her news. “Was Bertha Crawford working for you?”

  “Aye. After she left the Paddington estate on account of the cancer, she needed more income. Mrs. Crawford watched the twins while I attended work or class. It's easy pay for a few hours when I couldn't bring them to daycare.” Siobhan covered her mouth as she yawned. “After what happened to her son, Quint, she couldn't handle it anymore. I don't blame her. Just left me a bit stuck, ya know? I had to find a new sitter. Today is the new girl's first time watching my babies.”

  I hadn't realized Siobhan knew the Crawfords. “It's an awful shock for Bertha. How's she doing?”

  “Haven't seen her since it happened. When the police contacted her, she was watching the twins. I left work and went to get them. Your mother was very understanding about me needing to take the afternoon off after I was already late that….” Siobhan paused as a few more students walked into the room, including her groupmate, Raquel.

  “I guess you must've known Quint?” It wasn't my business, but I didn't want to jump directly into my question about any potential complaints with the groups.

  “Oh, he was a clever bloke. I… uh… didn't know him all that well. I'm sorry that he died, but… well… I don't have much to say about that topic. Anyway, I'm a little worried what it's gonna be like in this group with those other two,” she said hesitantly, then breathed deeply and waved to Raquel. “Not her, Raquel's a doll. I mean Krissy and Imogene. Krissy gave me quite an earful after our last class.”

  “Really? About concerns with the course? Were you happy with the last session?” I asked, finding my opening but also curious about the relationship between the other two women. Also, had I imagined it or did Siobhan clam up when I asked whether she'd known Quint well?

  “This class? Aye, it'll be fun. I might just have to keep the others under control. Krissy and Imogene used to be best friends, but after—” Siobhan stopped speaking when someone rushed into the classroom, creating an uproar worthy of a bad referee call on a football field.

  “Sorry. I'm late. Got held up talking. I'm here now. Class can start.” A frowzy and somber Krissy squirmed through the desks, knocking over books and a chair, then plopped down in a frenzy.

  While several students sighed profusely and picked up their belongings, I checked my watch. We were one minute shy of the lecture's start time. I really wanted to know what Siobhan had almost revealed, but I'd have to confront her afterward. I also sought an explanation for why Krissy and Gabriel had been together. “It's okay, we're just about to begin.” I looked around the room, confirming all but one person was in attendance. “Let's give Imogene another minute before we dive in.”

  “She's not gonna be here today, you can proceed.” Krissy huffed, grabbed a pen, and fixed her hair as she settled into the seat. “Everyone else has finally quieted down.”

  I wasn't fond of Krissy's overly direct and bossy way of speaking to others, but if she'd been the student who'd complained, it wouldn't help to provoke her in front of everyone. “Sure, I'll call Imogene tonight to let her know what she missed. Let's talk about Grierson's Nanook of the North, the first original American documentary produced in….”

  I taught for ninety minutes, then took a ten-minute break. I motioned to Siobhan, but she frantically rushed out of the room, one ear glued to her cell phone. I assumed she wanted to check on her kids and didn't interrupt. Instead, I approached Raquel and Krissy, who were engaged in a lively discussion. “Pardon me, I thought I'd take an impromptu poll to see how you both felt about the class so far. We're still early enough if you had anything to share, I could make some a
djustments.”

  Raquel was quiet, but Krissy speedily responded. “You're a great lecturer. I was very connected with today's lesson. I knew you'd be a good professor, just as a friend of mine told me,” she said with a quick but obvious wink. I assumed she'd meant my brother, Gabriel.

  Raquel nodded, “I agree. I'm really excited about the next chapter, but we only have a few minutes remaining, and I need to use the restroom.”

  When Raquel left, I refocused my gaze on Krissy. “May I ask how you knew Imogene wouldn't be attending this afternoon? I am only curious because I need to make a note of her absence. I'm allowing two for this summer's course without any grade penalizations.”

  “Did you hear about that guy who died working on the cable car, Quint Crawford?”

  “Yes, I did. I was the one who—”

  “Quint was Imogene's ex-boyfriend. They used to date back in college before she dumped him for Paul Dodd, the new councilman. Now, she's engaged and hardly ever sees her friends anymore,” Krissy said with a defiant and palpable aggravation. “Except suddenly she's all broken up about Quint's death and couldn't bring herself to attend today. Ugh, I'm upset about it too, but….” Krissy paused and began to sob in front of me. A few students in the room looked over awkwardly.

  “Are you okay? Did you know him well?” I asked, unsure whether to pat Krissy's shoulder or give her a moment of privacy. The relationship between her and Imogene was beyond odd. I handed a tissue from my pocket to her, wondering why she'd been with Paul the night of Nana D's birthday party.

  “We were all friends years ago. I cared about Quint too, but I forced myself to show up today.” Krissy hurriedly cleared her tears and fixed her makeup.

  “When you say all, does it include my brother, Gabriel?” I figured it was the most apt time to confirm the names in their convoluted octet—my innocent questions re his death required answers.

  “Yep, there was a whole bunch of us who hung out during our freshman and sophomore years. Then, the group sorta broke up, and everyone went their separate ways. I tried to reunite the rest of them, but not everyone stuck around Braxton. I guess you knew that already, huh?”

  “Yes, I did. I just saw you with Gabriel, didn't I?” I lifted my eyes to match hers and held my ground. I wanted to see how she'd respond to my question before inquiring who else had left town.

  “Oh, yeah, he saw you as we went up the elevator. I ran into him on the way to class. We were catching up, but he was in a rush to check on an experiment,” she explained, as the door opened with a flurry of students rushing in. Raquel and Siobhan were included in the group who sat closest to Krissy.

  “Looks like we need to get started. Maybe we could finish our discussion after class?”

  After Krissy cautiously confirmed, I returned to the front of the classroom and finished the lecture. By the time it ended, she was packed and ready to leave. I had little chance to stop her before she exited Diamond Hall and tore off for the parking lot.

  Raquel, tossing her long dark locks to the side, approached me. “She's a little scatterbrained. I wouldn't take it personally.” She deftly applied pink gloss on her plump lips and smacked them together with a snappy pop. The color added a fresh glow to match her naturally smooth and silky skin.

  “She's just lost a friend she'd known for a long time. I understand what that's like. What can I do for you?” I said, shutting off a display screen and laptop.

  “I wonder if I could talk to you about the courses you'll be teaching next fall. I want to enroll in something else, but I'm not sure which would be best for me,” she added, rearranging her books and pulling out her phone. “I'm free tomorrow morning. Could we get coffee at The Big Beanery? Isn't that where all the students and teachers hang out?”

  “It is,” I said guardedly. Her tone was more suggestive than I expected. I might have misread the situation, but it never hurt to be too careful, especially if she was the girl who'd complained. “I'll have office hours on Friday. How about we block thirty minutes at five o'clock after class ends?”

  “Oh, sure. I guess I can wait until then. It will give me enough time to read up on a few things.” Raquel batted her suspiciously thick eyelashes while entering the details of our appointment into her phone, thanked me, and withdrew from the room.

  Siobhan was also out of pocket, so we couldn't finish our conversation. I headed directly to North Campus where Emma's bus would arrive momentarily. While walking, I considered everything I'd learned that afternoon. It unearthed more questions than answers, and I still didn't know which student had expressed concerns about my last class. Could Myriam have exaggerated what'd been said, to make me feel nervous or uncomfortable? Or had one of the students lied to me tonight about how she felt?

  Emma and I spent the evening cooking dinner together and training Baxter how to sit and let us know when he needed to go potty. At sixteen weeks old, he was learning basic tricks, which made Emma as excited as a proud parent. After we read a short story, she nodded off to sleep. As I poured myself a glass of wine, the phone rang. When the caller ID indicated it was the Castiglianos, I chugged every remaining drop of liquid courage, poured myself another to guarantee an enjoyable time, and pressed accept. “What will it take to be rid of your constant barrage of complaints and intrusions?”

  Chapter 6

  After I explained Cristiano's instructions, Cecilia blasted me. “I warned Vincenzo his plan wouldn't work. Now, I must assume control. Do not be alarmed, Kellan, I have the solution.”

  I tried to elicit basic details or an explanation from my mother-in-law, but she told me there wasn't any room for children in the games she currently played. “I still don't understand why Las Vargas is involving you, but apparently they think it will make things more successful. If only they knew weak men like you weren't cut out for this life. I always told Francesca you'd be her downfall. Now, my proclamation has come to fruition.”

  “I don't like being the mediator either, but since Cristiano threatened Emma's life and informed me that I'd be his primary point of contact, we're stuck. Aren't we, Mommie Dearest?” My anger and frustration had reached its limit. I was being played on both sides, and there was little way I could ever assume control or gain the upper hand in this war. I had to sit back and wait for two devious players to move their pawns on an unstable board until someone dared to attempt the final gnashing kill.

  After we disconnected, I needed a distraction from everything that was slowly eroding my sanity. I caught a couple of minutes of my favorite television series and watched a rerun of the episode of Dark Reality that I'd directed in Los Angeles the previous year. I'd been anxiously awaiting the executive producer's decision on whether he'd consider letting me direct my own true crime show, rather than the reality series I'd been stuck working on before my boss had been fired. I wasn't due to find out until the beginning of next year, which timed out well with the end of my one-year teaching contract in Braxton's communications department. I wasn't sure what I'd do if neither place offered me a permanent role, but that wouldn't occur for at least another six months.

  Just as I changed into a pair of comfy shorts and a t-shirt, my cell phone rang again. I put the ringer on mute in case I forgot to do so after talking to Nana D. I was desperate for no further interruptions and a full night's sleep. “Hi. What's going on?”

  In the background, a television blasted Lara Bouvier's local news segment covering the upcoming inauguration ceremony.

  “Paul Dodd claims Krissy Stanton was harassing him at the park. He'd been at home working on his campaign speech and decided to go for a walk. She found him there and followed him around until he got a call from Imogene about the break-in at Lara's place.”

  “Do you believe him?” I heard voices talking on top of the news report. “Wait, where are you?”

  “Kirklands. I'm having a drink with Eustacia. She heard it's a happening place. We came to check out my constituency. Let me guess, you're in bed already?” Nana D teased.

>   “Whether I'm in bed or not isn't the point. It's been a long day. You didn't answer my quest—”

  “Can it, brilliant one. I don't want to keep you from your precious beauty sleep. I believe Paul, but he also said something interesting.” I waited for her to continue speaking, but all I could hear was Eustacia debating what drink to order with their waitress. “Earth to the eccentric woman bugging me?”

  “You're getting belligerent like your cranky old father, Kellan. Come meet us for a drink?”

  “Emma is sleeping, and it won't help my social life to be seen hanging out at local bars with my grandmother, the mayor,” I explained, hoping it would keep her from delaying the conversation any further. “What did Paul say?”

  “I'll pretend I didn't hear that part about your social life. And you can pretend I didn't say your social life is equivalent to the existence of the Loch Ness monster,” Nana D replied with a chortle and a burp. Then, Eustacia cackled and screamed through the phone at me, “Meaning you ain't got one, boy.”

  “I'm hanging up.”

  “Ugh, fine, you wet blanket. Paul told me Krissy tried to convince him that Imogene was cheating on him. He claimed he didn't believe her, but I saw the anger flare up in those dreamy eyes of his. He was mad as a hatter, especially when I told him Imogene was hanging out at the Pick-Me-Up Diner with Marcus. He offered no explanation, mind you.”

  Nana D and Eustacia continued to share their opinions on how attractive Paul was, then shifted to how crass Marcus Stanton and his daughter, Krissy, were. I could barely understand them once they began shouting over one another and the screechy television.

  “Thanks for finding out. How is it you persuade everyone to talk to you, Nana D?”

  “A girl's gotta have some secrets, brilliant one. Go drink your hot cocoa and tuck yourself into beddy-bye. Let the Sandman bring the baby a dream! Can't have you getting ill-tempered because I kept you up past the witching hour. To think, the sun just finished setting and you're conking out already.”