The Orphan (Sword and Lead Book 4) Read online

  Detective Harry Rogers walked into the dean’s office and inquired if the dean was in. The middle-aged secretary nodded and waved him on without lifting her head from the computer.

  “Good morning, Detective Rogers. It’s a pleasure to see you. Although I wasn’t expecting you this early.” The dean rose to his feet and shook Harry’s hands.

  “Good morning, dean. I assumed you were expecting me, so I didn’t bother to call. My apologies.”

  “Oh, it’s fine,” The dean replied, smiling generously as he motioned for Harry to sit down.

  “Do you care for a cup of coffee?” the dean asked Harry as he got up and made his way to the table at the corner of the office.

  “No. Thank you,” Harry replied.

  “I learned that the suspect in the murder of Miss James has been charged. I must commend you for a job well done, Detective Rogers.” The dean returned with two cups of coffee and placed one in front of Harry. “I think the least I can do to show our gratitude is to offer you a cup of coffee.”

  “Thank you,” Harry forced a smile. He wished the dean would cut the pleasantries and go straight to the point.

  “Detective Rogers, I had the privilege of meeting Dr. Wilson Rogers at the University’s fundraising dinner for the expansion of the Music Department. And he was kind enough to tell me you’re his son.” The Dean’s change in demeanor clearly showed that he revered Harry’s Father.

  “Yes, Dr. Wilson Rogers is my father.” Harry wasn’t entirely pleased that the dean had uncovered the identity of his father. He assumed the dean would start to treat him differently, and he didn’t care about that. But Harry couldn’t blame the dean. He knew it is extremely difficult to conceal his identity when he shared the surname of a millionaire philanthropist.

  The dean took a sip of his coffee and returned the cup on the saucer. “Your father mentioned that you didn’t like the attention. But I guess there’s little you can do when your father is Dr. Wilson Rogers,” the Dean smiled in a casual manner that suggested to Harry that he seemed to have forgotten why he was in his office.

  “You said a student came forward with some information about the murder of Miss James,” said Harry, trying to bring the conversation back to the reason for his visit.

  “Yes, two days ago a student who resided in Miss James’ block said she heard some unusual noise the night of the murder.” The dean began writing on a note pad. “Perhaps, she might have additional information on the murder.” The dean tore out the page he wrote on and handed it to Harry.

  “Thank you.” Harry stood up to leave, and the dean got up and walked him to the door.

  “Detective Rogers, I must confess, I’m impressed with the pace at which you solved Miss James’ murder. Your father has been very generous to this university, and now you have also apprehended Miss James’ killer. We’re profoundly grateful to your family.”

  “I am only doing my job,” Harry replied with a smile.

  Detective Harry Rogers sat on the hood of his car in the parking lot. He brought out a pack of cigarettes from the pocket of his jacket and put a cigarette between his lips. He was about to light the cigarette when it occurred to him that this might be a No Smoking environment. Harry looked around for any ‘No Smoking’ sign, but he couldn’t find any. Despite the absence of the sign, Harry put back the cigarette inside the pack.

  Harry looked at his wristwatch and saw that the time was just a few minutes before 10 AM. He brought out the piece of paper the dean had given him and dialed the phone number written on it. The phone rang for a few seconds before a woman picked up the phone. Harry spoke for a few seconds over the phone before hanging up. He had arranged a meeting for 11 AM with the student who had come forward with more information. That morning, Harry had driven to the University with a keen curiosity, and when the Dean told him the student said she heard some noise the night Jennifer was murdered, the information wasn’t dramatic enough to arouse his curiosity any further. However, Harry knew that in his field, no information was irrelevant. So he decided to go to the café to grab a cup of coffee before the interview.

  CHAPTER 5

  Detective Harry Rogers sat in the meeting room located at the dean’s office. The last time he sat in this room was when he interviewed Professor Smith. Harry had left that interview fully convinced that he had found his suspect because, at that point, everything pointed to Professor Smith being guilty. The case had been threading on a straight line until Harry logged onto the scholarship website and be found Catherine Underwood’s name. This discovery had created a twist that led Harry to arrest Catherine Underwood for the murder of Jennifer James. Harry hadn’t expected to ever be sitting in the Dean’s meeting room again. As he waited for the student, he wondered if her information would bring yet another twist to the case.

  The student walked in just five minutes past 11AM. She was an artificially blonde Hispanic woman in her early 20s. She took her seat. Harry offered her a cup of coffee, which she accepted with a warm smile. Harry saw that she was a little nervous, and he understood that it was not easy for most people to talk to the police, especially minorities and migrants.

  “Good morning Miss Lopez. I’m Detective Rogers, thank you for meeting with me.” Harry smiled at her in a professional manner to help her ease into the interview.

  “The dean told me to expect your call,” she said, and took a sip of her coffee.

  “I learned you might have some information regarding the night Miss James was murdered?” Harry said.

  “I don’t know if this information is useful, but that night I heard some noise coming from Jennifer’s room.”

  “Can you tell me who was making the noise?”

  “I heard Jennifer arguing with someone who sounded a lot like Amanda, but I’m not sure.”

  “You heard the voices of Miss James and her roommate, arguing?” Harry’s asked with a voice that indicated a sudden interest.

  “Yes, I heard Jennifer yelling at someone, but I’m not sure if the other person was Amanda, because it was only Jennifer’s voice that was loud enough to hear. The other person didn’t speak up.”

  “Did you hear what they were arguing about?”

  “No, I couldn’t. My room is two doors away, so I couldn’t hear clearly.”

  “How long did the noise last?”

  “About ten minutes.”

  “Can you remember what time it was when you heard this noise?”

  “It was around 11 PM.”

  “Why didn’t you go and check what the cause of the noise was?”

  Miss Lopez looked at Harry with a confused look, like he had just asked the dumbest question anyone could possibly ask. “Because girls from different rooms argue lots of times. There was nothing special about it.”

  “Did Miss James and her roommate argue a lot?”

  “I don’t think so. I barely remember ever hearing them argue.”

  “Miss Lopez, Miss James was murdered over three weeks ago; why has it taken you so long to come forward?” Harry spoke with a calm voice that made the question look more like he was thinking out loud.

  “Probably because I didn’t think there was anything special about the information. But I decided to come forward now because I heard the killer had been caught, and maybe the killer was the person Jennifer was arguing with.”

  Harry jotted down something in his note pad. “Thank you, Miss Lopez, for meeting with me.” He gave her his card and asked her to call him if she remembered anything else.

  Harry remained in his seat after Miss Lopez left the meeting room. The information he had just received from her wasn’t the type to turn the case on its head. The only thing the information proved was that Jennifer might have seen and even engaged in an argument with her killer – it didn’t cast any doubt on the evidence against Catherine Underwood. Harry left the office and headed for his car. The only thing that interested him from his interview with Miss Lopez was that if Jennifer had seen Catherine and argued with her, why hadn’
t Jennifer tried to draw the attention of her neighbors to her room? Or perhaps Jennifer had tried to draw attention by raising her voice, but it wasn’t enough to have her neighbors knocking on her door. After all, Miss Lopez already said the voices of two people arguing wasn’t an unusual occurrence in the hostel.

  Harry got into his car and drove out of the University. On his way to the Precinct, Harry kept thinking about his interview with Miss Lopez. There wasn’t much to the information, but he couldn’t stop working the angles. Harry began to think, What if Jennifer had been arguing with Amanda? But when he interviewed Amanda, she said she had left the room at 8 PM and she didn’t return until 5 AM the following morning. Miss Lopez thought Amanda was the person Jennifer was arguing with, but she wasn’t sure because she only heard Jennifer’s voice. Harry wondered if the other person could have been Amanda, and perhaps Miss Lopez was right. That would mean that Amanda lied to him when he interviewed her. Harry was reluctant to believe that Amanda lied during the interview, but there was only one way to find out. Harry hit the brakes, turned the steering wheel, and headed back for the University.

  CHAPTER 6

  Detective Harry Rogers knew that if he wanted to find out if Amanda had lied to him, he would have to consult an infallible source. At the moment, that wasn’t Amanda. So Harry decided against meeting Amanda. Instead, he headed for the campus security office.

  At the campus security office, the campus Chief Security Officer was surprised to see Harry. The CSO also echoed the praises of the dean and let Harry know that it was a huge relief for the entire University that Jennifer’s killer had been apprehended. When Harry requested to view the security footage of the night Jennifer was murdered, the CSO was happy to oblige. The CSO was under the impression that Harry wanted to collect the tape as evidence to be tendered by the prosecutor in the case against Catherine Underwood. Little did the CSO know that Harry wanted to view the tape to verify a piece of information that could create yet another twist in the murder of the University’s top student.

  Harry rewound the tape to an hour before 11 PM and watched different people walk in and out of the hostel. There was Professor Smith walking out of the hostel. He also saw Catherine Underwood walking out of the hostel with a suspicious urgency. The images showed Harry how he had gone from arresting Professor Smith to arresting Catherine Underwood for Jennifer’s murder. And in these tapes, they might just be yet another twist to the mystery of Jennifer’s murder.

  Just barely thirty minutes after Catherine walked out of Jennifer’s hostel, Harry saw the unmistakable figure of Amanda Johnson walking into the hostel. Harry kept watching, and about forty-five minutes later, Amanda walked out of the hostel wearing a change of clothes. Detective Harry Rogers couldn’t believe it had been in front of him all along. He had spent hours looking at the tapes on two different occasions, but he only ended up seeing what he was looking for. Harry guessed the old saying was true – people only see what they want to see. Harry thanked the CSO and left the security office.

  Outside, Harry contemplated what he should do next. The tape had confirmed that Amanda lied to him, but it didn’t prove anything else. Harry considered interviewing Amanda for a second time, but decided against it. He knew that if Amanda had anything in the slightest to do with Jennifer’s murder, interviewing her could destroy any chance of finding out. Harry decided that it was better to keep an eye on Amanda over the next few days.

  Harry drove out of the University for the second time that day, on his way back to the Precinct. He knew he couldn’t take his discovery to his chief or the prosecutors because so far it was of no significance. The Justice Department was currently trying to handle the media scrutiny of the trial of Catherine Underwood. Felicia Brown had applied for bail, which the judge had granted, setting the bail bond at a million dollars. Catherine’s family paid the bond without breaking a sweat. The granting of bail had created a heated racial tension in the State of New York. The trial was of huge interest, and Harry knew that if there was going to be another twist to the case, he had to uncover it before the trial went any further. At the moment, Catherine was responsible for the crime. And if it turned out she was innocent as she had vehemently stated when he interrogated her, the next few days would be very important in uncovering the truth.

  CHAPTER 7

  Detective Harry Rogers rode into the University on his power bike. He rode straight to Jennifer’s hostel and parked outside. Today was the first day of Harry’s surveillance, and he was hoping it would also be the last. He knew he would have no problem blending into the University crowd. Although he was thirty-two years old, his face could pass for a twenty-four-year-old. He wore a black leather jacket with a bright blue pair of ripped jeans and desert-colored Chelsea boots. Harry had contemplated renting a car, but he instead decided to ride on his bike because it was appropriate for going under the radar, which his surveillance required.

  Harry had looked up Amanda’s social media pages last night, and he had gotten some useful information about her favorite hang out spots. Harry knew that carrying out surveillance of any type without a court warrant was unlawful and against police protocol. If he were caught, he would be in trouble, but Harry wasn’t bothered. He knew that there was only a slim chance of being discovered. And even if he were, he knew the Police Disciplinary Committee would let him off with a warning.

  Harry's first experience with the Police Disciplinary Committee was after the operation in that human trafficking case. Harry had acted recklessly, and his recklessness had almost led to his partner's death. He thought that he was either going to be fired or demoted, but the Disciplinary Committee had only handed him a short suspension. The Disciplinary Committee’s verdict shocked Harry because he had expected the worst. It was months later that he learned that the police were aware of his father’s identity, and it influenced their decision. Harry’s experience with the Disciplinary Committee left him feeling like a privileged kid who lived off his father’s influence. This had spurred him on to get better at his job, so he could be judged on his merit. But in spite of his stellar record since then, Harry knew his father’s influence would always shadow him no matter how hard he tried. With that knowledge, Harry wasn’t bothered about getting caught carrying out unlawful surveillance. The NYPD can’t afford to fire one of its most competent detectives for bending the rules a little. And surely, no Disciplinary Committee would want to harm the son of one of New York’s richest men.

  Harry followed Amanda all through the day. He followed her from her classes to her hostel and around the University environment. By the time Harry followed Amanda back to her hostel that night, he had found nothing strange in Amanda’s movements. He was beginning to question the sense in the surveillance. Harry sat on his bike outside Jennifer’s hostel and looked at his wristwatch. It was 8 PM, and he decided to leave. Harry’s surveillance had proved to be ill-conceived, and he had no intention of returning the next day. But just as Harry was leaving, he saw Amanda coming out of her hostel, and he decided to follow her. Harry left his bike at the parking lot in front of the hostel and followed Amanda. After walking five or so minutes, she stopped in front of a private apartment where a young man was waiting for her. Amanda hugged the man, and they kissed. Harry brought out his small digital camera, and he was able to take some pictures before Amanda entered the apartment.

  Harry walked back to the hostel, collected his bike and rode out of the University. Harry concluded that today was the last day of the surveillance because he already knew who he would be interviewing next: the young man he had seen Amanda embrace. As Harry left the University, he was glad the surveillance had supplied him with new information after all. Tomorrow, he would return to interview Franklin Michaels, Jennifer’s boyfriend.

  CHAPTER 8

  Detective Harry Rogers sat in the meeting room at the Dean’s office complex. Two cups of coffee stood next to his note pad as he waited for Franklin Michaels to show up for their second interview. The first time Harry
interviewed Jennifer’s boyfriend, it had been a short, straightforward interview. At the time, Harry had a feeling that their paths would cross again during the course of his investigation, but the case had unraveled in quite a different way than Harry had expected. The facts first led him to Professor Smith, and later to Catherine Underwood. The murder seemed to have been solved, and Harry had no cause to see Franklin again. But the Dean’s call seemed to have created another twist in Jennifer’s murder.

  Franklin walked into the room and took his seat opposite Harry. The atmosphere in the room was filled with tension. Harry offered Franklin a cup of coffee, which he declined. Harry pushed the cup of coffee close to him, but Franklin didn’t even glance at it. It was obvious to Harry that Franklin was nervous about meeting him. Franklin had ignored Harry’s calls yesterday, which had forced Harry to speak to the dean to summon Franklin to meet with him. Harry was fully aware that Franklin’s presence in the room was by no means a voluntary act. Franklin was only in the room because the dean had made him understand that if he continued ignoring Harry, Harry would have to arrest him and bring him in for questioning.

  Franklin did a poor job concealing his discomfort. It was obvious when he spoke. “The dean said you wanted to meet me?”

  Even a rookie detective would have noticed Franklin’s body language, and Harry was no rookie.

  “You seemed determined to avoid this meeting. So I had to speak to the dean. I believe he gave you a little talk about avoiding arrest,” Harry fired back.

  “What do you want from me?” Franklin asked angrily. “I already told you everything I know. And you already found Jennifer’s killer. So why do you want to talk to me?”