Chapter 19 – Philip
It’s a good hike across campus to the police department, which is located in the main administrative building.
We arrive five minutes before our scheduled appointment with the detective.
The timing couldn’t be better because I’m pissed as hell.
These intrusive text messages need to stop.
And we need to find out how this asshole knows Haley’s every move.
Bauer is waiting for us when we walk into the police station. “Hello, Haley.” He shakes her hand, and then mine. “Philip.”
Bauer gestures to an open door across the room. “Let’s go talk in my office. I have some information for you about the evidence collected last night from Haley’s dorm room.”
We follow Bauer into his office. Haley and I take the two seats in front of his desk while Bauer closes the door and walks around to his chair.
While we’re waiting for him to get settled, Haley reaches for my hand. I give her what I hope is a reassuring smile.
“I’ll get right to the point,” Bauer says.
“The county forensics team did a rapid antigen test on the fluid in the condom. It’s definitely semen, by the way.
Finding a DNA match will take longer, assuming the suspect’s DNA is on file.
If he’s a student, and presumably pretty young, his DNA might not be in the system. ”
The detective smiles apologetically at Haley. “I’m sorry, Haley. I hate to do this because I know you’ve been through it all before, but I need you to walk me through everything that’s happened related to the stalking, from the start until last night. Tell me everything.”
I squeeze Haley’s hand just to remind her I’m here.
“It started Friday, I think,” she says. “The first thing I noticed was a note under my door. He said he hoped I was going to attend my dorm’s Game Night. When I didn’t, he sent me another message telling me he missed seeing me there.” She runs through all of the events as best she can recall.
“Did you save any of those notes?” Bauer asks. “The rose? Obviously, we have the magazine page and the condom.”
Haley shakes her head. “Honestly, I was so freaked out each time, I threw the items away. I’m sorry. I realize now I should have kept everything.”
“It would have been nice to have a handwriting sample,” Bauer says. “If you get any more handwritten notes, be sure to give them to me right away. Is there anything else?”
“Show him your phone,” I say.
“Oh, right.” Haley brings up the recent text messages from UNKNOWN and hands Bauer her phone. “He sent both of these within the past hour. And there was another text earlier.”
Bauer reads the texts, his frown deepening. “Haley, would you please forward these to me?” And then he gives her his phone number.
“Now tell me, Haley, is there anyone on campus you suspect? Anyone you’ve met since the term started who’s been paying a lot of attention to you? Who’s said anything inappropriate or given you reason to distrust them? Even if it’s just a gut feeling or a suspicion. Even if it’s circumstantial.”
“Well.” She blows out a breath. “There is someone.”
Bauer nods. “Go on.”
“There’s a guy in my chemistry class.”
“Lecture or lab?”
“Both,” she says. “He’s intense. And he’s always staring at me, and it’s creepy.” She looks at me. “And he’s always snarky around Philip, or when he mentions Philip to me.”
“What’s his name?” Bauer asks. “I’ll look into him.”
Haley frowns. “I don’t want to draw attention to someone who might be innocent.”
“I’ll be discreet,” the detective says. “But it sounds like he is a lead worth investigating.”
“His name is Mark Hoffman, and he’s my lab partner.”
Bauer winces. “That’s certainly awkward. How about if I talk to your lab instructor about you swapping lab partners? Is there anyone in that class you’d feel more comfortable with?”
“Just one person,” she says. “Her name is Andrea Pearce. But she’s already partnered up with someone. I’d hate to break them up.”
Bauer makes another notation. “You don’t need to worry about that. I’ll see about swapping you for Andrea’s current lab partner.” He smiles. “I’m sure it’ll be fine. When is your chemistry lab?”
“Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at one o’clock.”
Bauer checks his wristwatch. “I probably won’t get a chance to talk to her before your class this afternoon, but I’m sure we can arrange something by Friday. Now, is there anyone else you can think of? Anyone I should look into?”
She shakes her head. “I can’t think of anyone else.”
* * *
After our meeting with Bauer, we head back across campus in the direction of her chemistry lab. We still have a few minutes before class starts.
While we’re killing time, we find an available park bench in the student quad and have a seat beneath the shade of a huge oak tree. I lay my arm along the back of the bench, and Haley tucks herself against me and lays her head on my shoulder.
After the meeting with Detective Bauer, she seems so demoralized. I’d love to get my hands on whoever is doing this to her.
Five minutes.
That’s all I need with him. Just five minutes, and I guarantee he’ll never think of bothering her again.
Haley places her hand on my chest, and I cover it with my free hand, linking our fingers together.
I lean over and kiss the top of her head. “It’s going to be all right.”
“I hate this,” she says, her voice so quiet I can barely hear her. “I’m supposed to be focusing on my classes, furthering my education, but instead I’m dealing with this insanity.”
“This won’t go on forever,” I tell her. “We’ll identify him and he’ll face the consequences for his actions. Then you can go on with your schooling as if nothing ever happened.”
“I hope you’re right. This is making me paranoid, and I hate it. Like, right now, he could be watching me. Watching us. And where am I going to live? I can’t stay in the dorm, and I don’t want to take this crap home to any of my parents.”
“Your dad wouldn’t like it, but you can stay with me. The building’s pretty secure.”
“I don’t want to inconvenience you either. And how would I get to school? Take a taxi back and forth? Or call a rideshare service? That would get pricey pretty quickly.”
“Let’s just wait and see what Shane has to say at this afternoon’s meeting. I’m sure he’s devising a plan as we speak.”
* * *
Soon, it’s time for her to go to her chemistry lab class. I can tell she’s dragging her heels, and I don’t blame her. She has to endure sitting beside Hoffman for the next hour. And if he is the culprit, he’s not going to take my presence well.
When we reach her classroom, we see Hoffman is already seated at their lab table. Haley hangs back in the hallway as long as she can.
I reach out and touch her cheek, gently brushing her soft skin. “I’ll be right here the entire time. If there’s a problem, just give me a signal.”
“What kind of signal?”
“Just holler as loud as you can. I’ll come running.”
She smiles at that, as I hoped she would. “Thanks.”
She’s so apprehensive. Constant anxiety is eating her alive. I can see it on her face. She’s barely eighteen. She’s not equipped to deal with something like this. I pull her into my arms, wrapping her in a bear hug.
The instructor comes forward to shut the door. “Haley, are you coming?”
“Yes.” Haley glances up at me one last time before she turns and walks into the room.
The instructor pauses as she’s about to shut the door. “I’m sorry, can I help you?” she asks me. “It’s time for class to start. You can come back in an hour.”
Looking a bit irritated by my presence, the instructor shuts the door in my face and stares at me through the glass.
Fortunately, from my vantage point, I can see Haley clearly. Hoffman, too.
Hoffman glances back at me and frowns. When he turns his attention to Haley and says something to her, she shakes her head.
God, I would give anything to be inside that classroom. I hate not knowing what he’s saying.
Haley glances back at me with a forlorn expression, but at least she seems calm. She’s not hollering for me to storm in there and rescue her.
The next hour crawls by at a snail’s pace. I keep checking the time, wishing it would speed up.
Haley and Mark are both on their feet, standing at the table as they perform some kind of science experiment with glass bottles and test tubes and various liquids. All they’re missing are the white lab coats, and they could be mad scientists. They do have safety glasses on, though, so there’s that.
Hoffman is doing most of the talking. Haley’s only making brief one-word replies and occasionally nodding or shaking her head. Every once in a while, I catch her looking back at me, as if to reassure herself I’m still here.
Yes, baby, I’m here.
Hoffman has noticed where her attention is, and he frequently looks back at me and scowls. By the end of the class period, Hoffman looks downright pissed, and Haley has stopped talking to him at all.
Finally, when class is nearly over, they start cleaning up their table.
When class ends, Haley is the first one out of the room. She grabs my hand and pulls me along with her as she heads out of the building.
“Hold on,” I say once we’re outside and out of the hearing range of anyone who matters. “What the hell happened? What did he say?”
She turns to me, fuming. “He’s an egotistical narcissistic asshole! Ugh!” She glances around to make sure no one heard her.
I struggle not to laugh, because the situation isn’t at all funny, but seeing her so riled up like this is a first. I try again. “What did he say, Haley?”
She frowns. “He said you’re—” The words die in her throat.
“He said I’m what?”
Adamantly, she shakes her head. “It’s not worth repeating.”
I refrain from laughing, but a grin does slip out. “Honey, I don’t care what he says about me, but he obviously said something that pissed you off, and I do care about that.”
“He called you a neanderthal.”
Now I do laugh, hard. “Is that it?”
“No, but the rest I won’t repeat.”
“Okay. I’ll let it go.” I take her hand. “Come on. Let’s go. We have just enough time to get downtown to the McIntyre building for our meeting.”