Page 36 of Shattered Truth (Off The Grid: FBI #15)

Chapter Twenty

Monday morning, on the drive to Westbridge University, Matt was still wondering if he'd made the right decision in allowing Haley to go with him. But unless he arrested her, she was going to leave whatever safehouse he put her in and talk to whoever she wanted to talk to.

She'd also argued that as Landon's sister, she might be able to get more out of Professor Harrington than he could, and it was a valid point.

He just hoped he wasn't making a huge mistake.

Although his biggest mistake so far had probably been kissing Haley in his kitchen last night.

He'd been fighting his attraction to her, and he'd slipped up.

It had been one hell of a kiss, too, and it was probably fortunate that Anthony had called just in time to derail whatever runaway train they'd gotten on.

After that, they'd eaten dinner in relative silence.

Then Haley had said she was going to bed, and he'd gone into his office to write down his thoughts on the investigation.

He'd spent a couple of hours going over everything they'd learned so far, and while there were a lot of pieces on the game board, he couldn't connect any of them directly to a crime.

But whatever was happening now had started at Westbridge, and it was time to go back to the beginning.

His phone buzzed, and he put it on speaker, eager to hear how Jason's visit to the hospital this morning had gone. "Jason, how's Brooke? Were you able to question her?"

"Yes. But she was still out of it. The doctor said she lost a lot of blood, and she's very weak. She could barely keep her eyes open. He told me to come back later today."

"Did she say anything at all?"

"She told me she was scared. I asked who she was scared of, and she said everyone. I told her there were guards outside her door, and I was going to restrict visitors, including her boyfriend, until she was feeling better. She was fine with that. She didn't fight to get Kyle in or anyone else."

"That's interesting."

"Jill Adler, Trent Adler, and Kyle Vance were in the waiting room. They all displayed the appropriate amount of shock, concern, and ignorance."

"What about the Russian man who was there last night?"

"Wasn't there this morning, and we haven't dug up any information on Viktor Danilovich other than what I sent you last night. I'm heading back to the office now. Derek thinks he might be close to a breakthrough on the drive, so I'll let you know as soon as that happens."

"Thanks."

"I'm glad Brooke is still alive," Haley said. "I just hope she has more to say."

"We'll give her time to recover and then press harder."

He turned his focus back to the road as he drove down the Pacific Coast Highway to the hills of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, where the campus was located.

As he got closer to Westbridge, he left the highway, entering the winding roads of the peninsula where the woods thickened, and city living quickly dropped away.

He slowed as the campus gates came into view: smooth stone walls, an engraved sign that said Westbridge, and a security kiosk.

He showed his badge at the kiosk, and they were waved on.

The road curved upward, and then the campus suddenly opened in front of them—a breathtaking vista of red-tiled roofs and cream-colored stone buildings set on terraced hills above the Pacific Ocean.

Tall oak trees created natural boundaries between academic quads, while perfectly manicured lawns stretched between Spanish colonial buildings that looked like they'd been transplanted from a European monastery.

"It's beautiful," he murmured.

"It's supposed to be," Haley said. "Everything here is designed to look perfect. To make you believe that nothing bad could ever happen in a place this pristine. But, of course, that isn't true."

He drove down the main road past the library—a massive stone structure with Gothic windows—and the student center, where clusters of young people sat at outdoor tables under umbrellas.

The cars in the parking lots were BMWs, Mercedes, and a few Teslas.

This wasn't a place where scholarship kids blended in easily.

"Turn left here," Haley said suddenly, pointing to a smaller road that led away from the main campus. "Fraternity row is down that way. I want to show you the fraternity house before we go to faculty housing."

The road curved through a grove of pine trees before opening onto a street lined with large houses, each one displaying Greek letters and surrounded by well-maintained landscaping. They looked more like expensive suburban homes than college housing.

"Stop," Haley said as they approached a large Tudor-style house. "That's it. That was Landon's fraternity."

Matt pulled over, studying the imposing structure. Behind the house, the manicured lawn gave way to a wooded area.

"The pond is back there, behind the house," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Through those trees. I need to see it again."

"Haley, wait."

She gave him a tense look. "Why?"

"It's going to be upsetting."

"Everything is upsetting. I need to see it again. I need to go back to the beginning."

Her words echoed his earlier thoughts, and he got out of the car. He couldn't let her go back to the beginning alone.

They walked around the side of the fraternity house, past a patio with expensive outdoor furniture and a barbecue area. Beyond that was a thick wooded area with a narrow dirt path leading through the trees. The air grew cooler as they descended, the sounds of campus life fading behind them.

The pond was smaller than Matt had expected, maybe thirty feet across, fed by a creek that meandered through the woods. The water was dark and still, reflecting the overhanging branches. Someone had built a small wooden dock that extended a few feet into the water.

Haley stopped at the edge of the water, her hands clenched into fists at her sides.

"When I got here that morning," she said, her voice hollow, "his body was still on the ground.

Right there." She pointed to a spot not far away.

"In a black bag. I couldn't believe it was him.

I thought there had to be some terrible mistake.

They told me I didn't have to look, that his fraternity brothers had already identified him, but I had to see. "

He stayed quiet, letting her process the memories, knowing how horrendously painful that moment must have been for her. Landon had been an extension of herself—not just her brother—her best friend, her whole family.

"There were people everywhere," she continued.

"Police, paramedics, campus security. They had yellow tape around the whole area.

But I couldn't hear anything but the pounding of my heart and the unzipping of the bag.

And then I saw his face." Her voice caught in her throat as she looked away from him to some point on the ground near the water.

"It was him. But I still didn't want to believe it.

His face was blue. His hair was wet. He looked frozen.

It was the most horrible image I've ever seen, and I'll never forget it.

I fell to the ground, and I couldn't stop crying.

I don't know how long I was there until the police detective—Julia—helped me up.

She gave me a hug and said she was going to find out what had happened.

She was like an anchor for me in a storm of emotions.

The only one who seemed able to look me in the eye.

Because when I turned to the fraternity brothers, they all glanced away.

No one wanted to see me. No one wanted me to see them.

" She drew in a breath and looked back at him.

"I think his killer might have been standing right there, behind the tape, in the crowd of onlookers. "

He didn't say anything, sensing she needed to talk through the memories.

"I started screaming at them. 'How did this happen?

Why didn't anyone help him?' They just stared at me.

Henry, Trent, Drew—they were all there that morning.

And no one had anything to say. Julia pulled me away and asked me if I had someone I could call to come and be with me.

I said, no. Landon was the only person I could have called, and he was gone.

She had another officer take me down to the station, and after a while, I was calm enough to talk to them, and we went over everything I knew, which was very little.

After that, I went to Landon's apartment, and that's when I ran into Brooke. "

"When did you first talk to the frat guys?"

"The next day. But they told me nothing.

I stayed in a motel for almost two weeks after that, talking to Julia every day, until she told me I needed to go home, return to my life, my work, and let them do their job.

So, I did. But it was less than a week later when she informed me the investigation had concluded.

Landon's death was deemed an accidental drowning, a result of the high level of alcohol in his body.

They did next to nothing to really investigate.

I pleaded for them to keep looking for answers.

Julia told me there was nothing more that could be done officially, but she'd keep asking around.

She stayed in touch with me for a while, but nothing new ever came up.

It took me a long time to stop asking for updates.

When she left the force, that was the end of it.

" Her chest heaved with another ragged breath.

"I can't believe I'm back here." She surveyed the scene once more.

"It's such a pretty area, so calm and quiet.

How could Landon die here in this pond that isn't even very deep? "

"We're going to find out, Haley."

"I've heard that before. It never happens."