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“I think the person was trying to spy on us. Listen to our conversation. I never completely close my office door unless I’m alone. I’d left it ajar, and anyone in the corridor could’ve heard our conversation. Voices carry down that hall, so the person wouldn’t have even had to have been that close. He heard me announce that I was going to throw the trash into the can and started moving toward the stairs.”
“Why would someone be spying on us?”
“I don’t know. We’ve been asking a lot of questions of a lot of people. I questioned Macy and the cops knock on his door the next day. He must know I put them onto him.”
She rubbed her arms. “Do you think that was Deke?”
“Wish I had caught up with this guy.” He glanced at his useless shoes. “Should’ve worn some running shoes to class.”
“I think I left your door wide open when I followed you out here.” She pushed off the wall. “Maybe he came back and stole something.”
“To do that, he would’ve had to run out here to the main quad, and then circle back into the building from the front. I think he was more concerned with getting away. He couldn’t have known you’d follow me, anyway.”
“Unless he was hoping to find me alone in your office.”
Grabbing her hand, he tugged her. “Let’s take a look.”
He led her to the main entrance to Waverly Hall, one of the four lecture halls that fronted the quad. Head down, he studied the steps to the front door. “If he came this way, he would’ve left footprints from the wet grass we went through to get here. I don’t see anything, do you?”
Jessica lifted her own foot, leaving a damp imprint onthe step. “None but ours, but his could’ve dried by now. We stepped in some dewy grass, not the Sound.”
One of the double doors to Waverly stood open and yellow light spilled onto the steps. Finn asked, “Is this how you came into the building earlier?”
“It’s the only way I knew how before you went charging out of that side door. Didn’t see anyone, and nobody followed me.” She ascended the remaining steps and stepped into the building. “Maybe someone was after you this time.”
* * *
THE FOLLOWING EVENING, Jessica got ready for the university’s candlelight vigil in honor of both Morgan and Missy. The gathering had several functions—to pay respect to the women, of course, but also as an informational safety meeting for the students and although not advertised, law enforcement would use it to scan the crowd for unusual activity or people.
Jessica knew she’d be keeping a sharp eye out for the latter. The spy at Waverly Hall last night had scared her more than she’d let on to Finn. If the person had been an innocent student, why not stop when Finn spotted him?
Would the killer really be so bold as to try to eavesdrop in an empty college building? What would’ve happened if Finn had caught this person? The killer didn’t use a knife or gun on his victims, but that didn’t mean he didn’t carry a weapon. She knew Finn had a conceal-carry permit from his days as a cop, but the university didn’t allow guns on campus—and that rule extended to the professors.
She tucked her own weapon in her purse. It might extend to visitors, too, but she was a member of the Washington State Patrol. She could make a strong case for carrying.
Finn had come to campus today for a departmentmeeting and had stayed in his office marking papers and entering midterm grades. Was he hoping to catch the spy again? She planned to meet him at his office and attend the vigil with him. It wouldn’t take them long to get there as the main quad right outside his building was hosting the gathering.
She grabbed a jacket on her way out of the hotel room and waved to the clerk as she stepped outside. She texted Finn before starting the drive to the university. She didn’t want him thinking she was the spy creeping up on his office.
When she reached the campus, traffic came to a stop. The regular lots were already full, a couple of TV news vans taking up more than their share of spaces.
Jessica turned onto the side street where she usually parked and took the back way to the campus. She used the newly discovered side door to Waverly Hall and tripped up the steps, making sure her low-heeled boots made plenty of noise.
She nodded to another professor heading down the hallway on her way to Finn’s office. His door stood wide open, but she tapped anyway as he hunched over his laptop completely absorbed.
“Hey, Professor Karlsson, what can I do to get an A on my test.” She batted her lashes when he glanced up. “I’ll doanything.”
He rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. “Damn, I thought that was a legitimate offer coming my way.”
She made a face at him. “You’ve been hanging around Deke Macy too long. His ick is rubbing off on you.”
“Speaking of old Deke. I heard from my buddy at the sheriff’s department, and that karaoke alibi for Morgan’s murder is rock solid. They found security cam footage of him at the bar well before and after her time of death.”
“I thought it might be too good to be true.” She wedged a shoulder against his doorjamb. “Are you ready? It’s getting crowded out there.”
“I got halfway through the grading.” He closed his laptop and packed up his bag. “I’m going to keep my stuff here. I don’t want to take it down with me, and I don’t want to leave it in the car.”
“The campus police are out in force tonight. I’m sure Detective Morse is going to be looking at all the male attendees very closely.”