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Reaching behind him, he dimmed the lights in the room and stepped out from behind the lectern, gripping the microphone. He flicked it on and cleared his throat. “If you checked the syllabus, you know we’re going to delve into the Constitution today and how it affects criminal justice. We’ll start with the Sixth Amendment, but we’ll cover the Fourth, Fifth, and Eighth before we’re done.”
He detected a few groans among the clicks and taps as the students readied their laptops and notebooks for class. A few students even took notes on their phones. Whatever worked.
Finn’d received high marks from students on the professor rating sites for keeping his classes lively andinteresting, and he spent the next hour working extra hard to uphold his reputation. He’d managed to engage his students with the subject matter, but he always took questions at the end of the lecture. If he stopped now, they’d get suspicious.
He ended the slideshow and flooded the lecture hall with light. “Questions about the material we just covered?”
They managed to get through two questions about the Sixth Amendment, then the floodgates opened with the third question.
“Any news on Morgan’s murder, Professor Karlsson?”
Everyone in the class started talking at once until he held up his hand. “I don’t know any more than you all do, which means the police don’t even have a person of interest yet. I want to remind you to be careful. Don’t go out alone at night. Travel in packs and stay away from the forest.”
He took a few more questions about the case that he couldn’t answer, and then said, “One last question.”
He paused for several seconds, waiting for the floor mic to make its way to the next and final student.
A woman cleared her throat. “Do you think Morgan Flemming’s murder is connected to the murder of Tiffany Hunt ten years ago?”
A shot of adrenaline spiked through his system, and he jumped from the desk where he’d settled. “No! That’s not possible. The Creekside Killer, Avery Plank, murdered Tiffany Hunt. He confessed.”
The woman started to ask another question, but he cut her off. “That’s it for today. Read chapters five through seven and email me a response to one of the amendments before class next week. It can be a set of questions or an analysis.”
Finn’s hand had a slight tremble as he turned his backon the class and shoved some folders into his briefcase. He hadn’t even discussed the Tiffany Hunt case in class yet. A lot of these students didn’t even know about the murder, although most were familiar with the serial killer Avery Plank. Someone had been reading up on the university’s crime stats.
“You didn’t let me finish my question.”
He spun around at the sound of the voice behind him, and he peered over the edge of the stage at the woman with one booted foot planted on the first step. From above, the wavy blond hair subdued into a ponytail lit a spark of recognition in his chest. When she tipped her head back and he met those luminous hazel eyes, he almost dropped his computer.
He took a deep breath, not wanting her to see that she’d rattled him. Lifting his shoulders, he slid his laptop into the bag on the desk. “We were running out of time, and there’s not much more to discuss on the subject.”
She climbed the remaining steps to the stage and squared off in front of him. “Oh, there’s a lot more to discuss, Professor Karlsson… Deputy Karlsson, badge number 2852.”
He narrowed his eyes as a muscle twitched at the corner of his mouth. “What are you doing back in school, Jessica? Looking to ruin more careers?”
“C’mon, this suits you so much better.” She waved a hand at him. “You look good in civilian clothes, although you looked pretty good in that uniform, too.”
His jaw tightened. “You don’t need to resort to your fake flattery now. I have nothing to do with the Morgan Flemming case. I’m guessing you’re here to stick your nose into the latest homicide on campus?”
“You make my interest in her murder sound so—” she rolled her eyes to the ceiling “—trivial.”
“There’s never anything trivial about any murder.” He hoisted the satchel over his shoulder and ran a hand through his hair.
“I know that better than anyone.” She caught her bottom lip between her teeth. “I found something at the crime scene.”
About to brush past her, he tripped to a stop. “You were at the crime scene?”
“It’s not off-limits anymore. Tape is down.” She flicked her ponytail over her shoulder, and the golden waves danced and caught the light. “That’s not the point. Did you hear what I said? I found something at the crime scene.”
“Look, I know you’re some hotshot forensic scientist now, but I’m pretty sure the deputies already went over that scene and didn’t miss a thing.”
Her eyes widened, and she tilted her head. “Really?”
He swallowed and jogged down the steps of the stage past her. Damn. How pathetic had he just made himself look by admitting he’d followed her career? He mumbled, “I’ve seen your name on a few local cases.”
She snorted. “I meant really, are you so sure they didn’t miss anything.”
“If you found something at the scene, you’d better turn it over to the sheriff’s department.” He turned his back on her “You’re a professional now, not a college student interfering in a case and causing trouble.”