Darkness Follows (8 page)

“I
feel sick Blake.”Aurina bent over and tried to take deep breaths.

“Everything’s
gunna be okay.” Blake whispered as Aurina concentrated on her breathing, and
felt Blake's hand rest gently behind her shoulder. “You’re gunna be alright.”

The
breeze was soft, blowing through Ryanne’s hair as she crossed the lawn. She was
eager to finally have the opportunity to go online by herself, and do some
research on the murders. She remembered hearing about the last victim, Ellie
Cane. Although Ryanne hadn’t known her, one of her professors had. She
remembered Professor Galley taking time before one of their classes to remind
the students to make sure they didn’t go off on their own at night, and that
they should take advantage of the campus security that was there to walk them
home or to the parking lot on week nights.

As
she reached the path to Blake’s house, she looked over her shoulder and saw
Jenkins put his feet up on the dashboard. She wondered if he thought it was
unusual for her to be going into Blake's house, but he didn’t seem to care as
he returned to his reading. She opened the front door, secretly pleased with
herself for predicting it would be unlocked. The first thing she noticed was
the smell. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but it was pleasantly
musky, and earthy, as if he had hung a pine scented car air freshener in his
home.

The
front doors led directly into the living room and kitchen area with a small
bathroom beside the front closet. It was more spacious than it appeared to be
on the outside. No little knick knacks on the living room table, and hardly any
appliances on the kitchen counters. There were pictures of Blake with his mom
and dad hung on the wall and copies of Men’s Health, and Auto Shop magazines
sitting atop the packed bookcase in the living room. The area rug under the
table made the place feel cozy and inviting, as did the worn brown leather
recliner situated in front of the television.

Ryanne
found Blake’s laptop sitting by the end of the kitchen counter, and brought it
over to the kitchen table, taking a seat facing the door. She began typing in
the address of her email service provider, but deleted it before finishing.

She
tucked her leg up under her and leaned into the screen.

She
began by searching “Murders at Longhearst University”, and found what she was
looking for immediately. Each girl’s name was attached to a different link, and
all three were found in the most recent one, along with David’s name.

She
decided to go back to the beginning and look at the first murder. Maggie Drows
had lived just off campus in a basement apartment. She was found by her
landlords, strangled in her bedroom. She was last seen by some of her
girlfriends at the campus pub the night before her body was found. There were
hardly any other details besides some quotes from her family.

The
second girl, Julie Donohue, lived alone off campus in a one bedroom apartment,
where she was found by her boyfriend. Like Maggie, she was found strangled in
her bed. There was a small blurb stating the girl’s boyfriend was a suspect in
the murder, but in a different and more recent link, he was found innocent.
Julie was also last seen at the campus pub. In subsequent news stories
involving her death, Jones was mentioned, and references to the previous murder
that could be connected were made.

Ellie
Cane, the girl who had been murdered just weeks ago was found on campus in her
dorm room, strangled in her bed. The connections to the previous two murders
were made, and with the similarities in the cases, talks of a serial killer
began in the news, which was when the articles about “The Campus Strangler”
came about. Parents of all the girls were demanding justice, and Jones’ name
came up multiple times, with the most recent being in connection with evidence
found at the scene. “The suspect has become
sloppy,
and left evidence at the crime scene. Please know that we are doing all we can
to follow this lead.” Jones had quoted to the news reporter.

When
Ryanne searched for further details, there was hardly anything new mentioned in
the other articles she read. She found memorial websites set up for the first
two girls, and a notice regarding the third girl’s funeral along with
visitation times and dates. She read that the bartenders and security
interviewed by police couldn’t remember seeing anyone suspicious at the campus
pub. But, other than their school, location, and age group, Ryanne couldn’t
find anything to tie the girls together.

She
wished she had access to the police files that no doubt held more information
regarding the murders that were being kept from the public. She had a gut
feeling that it was quite possible for details to have gone over-looked.

For
her final search, she typed in the name Jeremy Evans, and Toronto, Ontario.
There were a few matching results, but none that matched their Jeremy.

Ryanne
was most concerned with why Jones was so interested in her, and how he knew she
would be a trigger for David. It had to be a coincidence that David ended up
dating a girl whose sister went to the same school they were murdering girls
from, but Ryanne didn’t understand why Jones thought she was connected. She
didn’t share any of the same classes with the girls, and she wasn’t exactly any
of their ages. She didn’t know any of the girls and neither did Aurina, and yet
Jones still saw a connection. She wondered what he knew that she didn’t.

She
heard the gravel crunching down the road, what she assumed was Blake’s truck
coming fast toward the house. She deleted the computers browsing history, and
shut it down just as she heard the vehicle pull up in the driveway. After
placing the computer back on the counter, she hurried over to the door, and
calmly stepped outside as Blake and Aurina jumped down out of the truck Blake
had parked in their driveway.

Ryanne
took a second look, and realized Aurina had been crying.

When
Ryanne walked out the front door, Aurina hurried over to her and hugged her.
Blake hung back in the driveway. Aurina told Ryanne about David’s murder, and
although the news came as a shock to her, Ryanne couldn’t say she was surprised.
Nerds surely got picked on in jail, Ryanne thought, especially ones who murder
young women.

Aurina
hadn’t cried when she told her the news, as Ryanne would have expected, but her
eyes were red and swollen. They went back to the girls’ house, Blake and Aurina
seated themselves at the kitchen table while Ryanne put the kettle on. When
someone knocked lightly on the door, Blake squeezed Aurina’s shoulder, and then
hurried to let Chief Crawley in. The Chief took his boots off as he entered,
and left them by the door before joining everyone at the table. His customary
toothpick was noticeably absent. Ryanne wondered if his visit was about David
or Jeremy.

“Aurina,
I hate to do this now, but I need to ask you some questions. Jones sent them to
me this morning after telling me about David. I need to send the answers back
to him quickly.” Crawley looked at Aurina, and then to Ryanne. “I’ve got a few
for you as well.”

Ryanne
felt eager to hear the questions, hoping to be able to add more to the
investigation, (and in no small part to learn more about her own involvement).

Crawley
had brought his notebook and pen, and sat down across from Aurina and Blake,
beside Ryanne. She quickly poured them each a cup of tea, and brought them over
to the table. Blake nodded his thanks and she settled in beside Crawley again,
anxiously preparing herself for the coming questions.

“Aurina,
when you and Ryanne signed the contract back in Toronto, you agreed to have
your apartment searched. They need to know what, if anything David had left in
your apartment. Anything belonging to him, or that he gave to you.”

“I
left my glasses on my night stand before we came here, but he left his second
pair of glasses there all the time, so the ones in my room on my dresser are
his...
were
his.” Aurina answered
quickly. “He also gave me a butterfly necklace, it’s the only one I have like
that so it should be easy to distinguish. It’s in my jewelry box.”

“Okay,
anything else?” Crawley asked as he scribbled.

“He
also gave me a pair of pearl earrings a week or so ago, but I lost them.”

“Okay,
is that it?”

“I
think so.”

“Alright,”
Crawley finished scribbling. “Ryanne, did he ever give you anything?”

“No.”
Ryanne answered quickly. That had been an easy question. She wondered what the
gifts had to do with the murders, and remembered something else.

“Aurina,
had you ever been to Ryanne’s campus with…”

“Wait.”
Ryanne interrupted, “David gave our dad a box of cigars and mom a charm bracelet
this past Christmas.” Crawley nodded slowly, and wrote some more. Ryanne felt
David was constantly seeking approval from their parents, and trying to get
into their good books, especially their dad. When David brought them each a
present for Christmas, it was unexpected because of how short a time they had
been dating. Their mom seemed slightly swayed by the kind gesture, but their dad
had simply placed the cigar pack aside with a grunt of a thanks. He hadn’t
brought anything for Ryanne, but she thought nothing of it at the time except
that she was glad because she hadn’t gotten him anything either.

“Okay,”
Crawley scribbled some more and then looked at Aurina once again, “Did you and
David ever visit Ryanne on her school’s campus together?”

“No…
well he helped my family and me to move her in, but that was the only time.”
Aurina told him looking to Ryanne, and she nodded as well. She remembered their
dad telling Aurina she should enlist David to help move her things into
residence, and Ryanne wished he hadn’t asked. She remembered the day had been
awkward. There wasn’t much more than a bed, desk and boxes to move in. David
didn’t end up being much of a help, and he stuck by Aurina’s side until they
all left Ryanne to unpack her things.

“Okay, so neither of you ever went with
David to the campus pub, or to any other bars or pubs in the area?”

“No, never.
Why?”

“Jones
told me a bartender who worked at a pub near campus, but was fired, recognized
David and Jeremy from pictures he'd been shown.
Recognized
them from the night of Ellie Cane’s murder.”
Crawley looked down at his
notebook.

“So
they can prove they were there together?” Blake asked.

“Do
they think that’s where they found their victims?” Ryanne asked. She had been to
the pubs near campus a few times at the beginning of the year, but had slowly
moved on to other bars in the city with her friends, and hadn’t been back since
her first semester. She definitely couldn’t remember seeing David there during
the few times she went, but some guys around his age weren’t uncommon to find
there.

“I
think that was the assumption, but now they
have
proof.” Crawley said. “They searched David’s apartment after they brought him
in on his charges, and didn’t find anything incriminating there. Not one thing
that belonged to a woman. Aurina, did you ever leave any of your things there,
maybe when you’d stay over?”

“I
guess not. David came over to my place more often than I went to his. I rarely
stayed over there.” Aurina thought back to the few nights she had stayed over
at David’s place and shuddered. The thought of sleeping in the same bed with
him made her stomach churn and she covered her mouth as she tried to clear the
creepy memories from her mind.

“Well,
Jeremy’s place wasn’t as clean. There were several pornographic magazines, and
videos. I don’t wanna get into details, but he was interested in some very
violent things. They didn’t find anything linked to the murders though, and
nothing to help in finding him. He hasn’t returned home and he hasn’t shown up
for work since David’s arrest.  His family has been searched and
questioned.
All dead ends.”
Crawley adjusted his hat,
and closed his notebook.

“So
they don’t have anything on Jeremy except for David’s initial confession, and a
potential witness who saw him with David at the pub?” Blake asked and then put
his arm around Aurina. Ryanne noticed how glazed her eyes were as she stared
off into space. It reminded her of the way David had looked the last time they
saw him.

“Jones
has some theories. He hasn’t told me what he learned yet, but I’ll find out
soon enough.” Crawley told them.
“One last question.”
He pulled out a picture from his notebook. It was black and white, and Ryanne
assumed it had been faxed over by Jones. “Do either of you recognize this man?”

The
picture was of a man at what looked to be a picnic or barbeque. He was standing
beside a picnic table alone, and in the background there were groups of people
talking, and eating. Ryanne concentrated on the man’s face. He wasn’t looking
at the camera, and may not have noticed the picture being taken. He had a big
smile on his face with lots of bright white teeth showing, and his muscular
build was shown off in his tight white collared t-shirt.

“No,
I’ve never seen him before.” Aurina told Crawley. “Is that Jeremy?”

Crawley
was watching Ryanne, as she took the picture in her hands and brought it
closer.

“Take
your time.” Crawley told them as he made brief notes in his book.

“I
know I’ve never seen him.” Aurina told Crawley shaking her head. “I’m certain.”

Ryanne
noticed a face in the background.
A man sitting on a picnic
table bench behind Jeremy, alone.
It was David, she was sure of that.

“That’s
David.” Ryanne kept her finger on his face and turned the picture to Crawley
and Aurina.

“Yes
it is.” Crawley took the photo, and put it back in his notebook. “That man was
Jeremy, and the picture was taken at their work picnic last summer.”

“I
didn’t know David then. We met in early fall of last year.” Aurina told Crawley.

“Well,
since neither of you recognized Jeremy, you’ve likely never met him before, as
Jeremy, or as someone else. It’s good you’ve seen ‘em now though.” Crawley told
them as he grabbed the book and stood from the table.

“Was
that it?” Ryanne asked. She thought there might be some sort of breakthrough,
something new Jones had learned from David before he died. There might still
be, Ryanne thought, as she stood as well.

"Oh,
Jones wanted me to let you know your parents send their love, and ask you to
look after each other." Crawley turned to Aurina. “I’ll leave you now to
rest. Jenkins will be outside and I’ll need to get back to the station.”

As
Crawley did his boots up, Ryanne went to the door.

“Is
there anything else you can tell us?”

“That’s all for now," Crawley said
opening the door, "You take care now.”
Crawley told
her, and headed for his car parked on the road.

Crawley
walked straight over to Jenkins’ car. Ryanne watched them speak for a moment,
and then Crawley left. Ryanne thought back to meeting Jenkins and realized it
was the first cold reception they had received in Dersten.