THE SANDMAN - PART 2

This is PART 2. To read PART 1, click here

Rex Young wore the same jacket every day through fall, winter, and spring. Today was no different. He was reading a copy of the student newspaper, The Daily Universe, at a table in the main terrace of the Wilkinson Student Center when a long legged, attractive brunette came to his table holding a lunch tray. “Is this seat taken?”

“It’s yours if you want it.” He didn’t even look up. He was half expecting her. Even though they had broken up (it was mutual) after 6 months of dating, he and Jamie ate lunch together just about every other day. “Good article you wrote about the newest members of the BYU Student Association,” Rex said matter-of-factly as he folded his paper and looked at Jamie. Undoubtedly she was one of the most attractive girls at school. He was reminded of that as he noticed out of the corner of his eyes nearby guys checking her out. He smiled at their failed attempts to make their stolen glances subtle.

“Thanks. Have you ever seen Muppet Treasure Island? Do you remember Mr. Bimbo, the man that lives in Fozzie’s thumb? He has more power. Granted, who wouldn’t want to hand out hot chocolate to students?”

Rex half smiled, half laughed. He never tired of Jamie’s sense of humor. Most other guys would eventually be turned off by it. It was kind of biting and sarcastic. But very funny. He rose from his chair. Jamie put her things down on the table, marking her spot. “Let’s get some lunch,” said Rex. “What are you in the mood for today? Subway, L&T Wrap…?” They walked over to the many different lunch counters and got in line for some lettuce wraps.

“A wrap sounds good. Now comes my least favorite part about having an article published: Deciding what to write about next,” Jamie said as they moved through the line and ordered lunch. Sure, she and Rex had broken up a few weeks ago but she still preferred his company to that of anyone else. Besides, the break-up was mutual after they both decided they felt more like the others’ sibling rather than someone of any romantic interest. They had even started talking about others in whom they were each interested.

They each stepped up to the cashier with their tray of food. The cashier was also a student, but she looked young enough to be fresh out of high school. “That’ll be $8.57, please,” she said to Rex. He reached into his wallet and pulled out his student ID and debit card.

“So, when does your missionary get home?” he asked the cashier.

The question caught her off guard. There was an awkward moment of silence.

“I’m sorry,” said Rex, a little embarrassed. “I figured that since there’s a cheap ring on your ring finger, and your name tag says you’re in the class of 2016, this must be your freshman year. We’re only a few months into the school year so I guessed it was too soon for you to be engaged.” He often noticed such things without realizing many others didn’t. He pressed his lips together. “But I’m totally sorry if I’m wrong,” he said quickly.

“No, you’re right. I just haven’t told many people. He gets back in a year.” said the cashier. She charged Rex’s card and handed it back to him.

“Well, good luck with that, sister,” said Jamie sarcastically as she lifted her tray. “You can’t go to a buffet and expect to fast for too long. Believe me.” Her eyes got wide to emphasize her last point.

As Jamie and Rex were walking back to their table, Jamie’s phone rang. She looked at the number on the display. It was the editor of the Daily Universe. They set their trays down on the table. Rex sat down and started on his wrap but Jamie stayed standing and answered her phone.

“Hello?...Hi...I’m in the Wilk eating lunch with Rex...Really? Oh my gosh. On campus?... When?....Yeah I can be there right away...For sure. I’ll call you when I’m done.”

“Who was that?” asked Rex.

“That was David Dean, my editor. He says there’s a story he wants me to cover. It’s unlike any other story I’ve done so far, from the sounds of it.” Her face was really serious. She started to pack up her things, including her food. Rex was still focused on his lunch.

“Really? What kind of story?” He asked with his mouth full.

Her voice got a little lower and quieter. “Come with me and I’ll tell you about it where there aren’t so many people.”

Rex grabbed as much of his lunch as he could, stuffing half his wrap into his already-full mouth as they headed for the door and out into Brigham Square. Despite there still being water on the ground from last night’s rainstorm, the noontime sun was shining down brightly on the busiest part of campus.

“David said they found a body,” said Jamie. “He wants me to meet the campus police in the parking lot of the Wilk and take some notes.”

“Really? Wow. Do they know who it is?” Rex was making progress on the food in his mouth.

“He didn’t say.” They took the pedestrian crossway over East Campus Drive. From the elevated position they could already see a lone car in a sequestered part of the lot surrounded by police tape and men in uniform. They descended the stairs down to the parking lot and quickened their pace as they approached the chief of campus police, Chief Mackay.

“Ah, Jamie. David said you’d be coming.” The Chief had worked with Jamie before on a few articles before. Those, however, typically dealt with stolen bikes or a newly-wed student that hadn’t heard from his-or-her spouse in 12 hours and reported it to the police (the bikes had been borrowed without permission by some roommates and the missing spouse was found in the basement of the library where there was no phone reception). “Who’s this?” asked Mackay, pointing to Rex.

Jamie hesitated. “He’s…my boyfriend,” she lied (technically). “...and photographer.” She lied again. She knew he probably wasn’t supposed to be there but Rex had been with her for a lot of her articles. She had just sort of gotten used to him coming along.

Rex looked into the car and saw a body that had already been covered in a sheet by the police. She was sitting in the front seat of her car. Her arms protruded from under the sheet, lying in her lap. They were covered in blood.

“Her name is Alyson McBride,” continued the chief. He was bending over, inspecting the body and the car.

“Alyson McBride?” Jamie gasped. She pulled out a pencil and small notepad. “She’s my TA in American Heritage.”

“You  mean she WAS your TA,” said officer Mackay. He straightened up and looked at Jamie and Rex with one eye closed to shield it from the glare of the noonday sun. He put his hands on his hips, slightly brushing back his suit coat. “We’ve been here since 6:00 this morning when Officer Cory was making his rounds and noticed the car sitting all by itself. When he approached it he found this.” He outstretched his arms to indicate Alyson’s car.

“What happened?” asked Jamie.

Chief Mackay twisted around behind him. An officer behind him wearing white rubber gloves lifted a Ziploc bag. Chief Mackay pulled out a small revolver from the bag.

“Looks like a suicide. She used this. Probably kept it in her glove compartment. It was open. Plus there’s an imprint of the gun on the owner’s manual. The license plate radar says she drove in here at 12:43 this morning. Parked her car, took out the gun, put it to her temple, and BANG!”

Jamie was taking notes. She asked, “But no sign as to why she did it?”

Rex had started to walk around the scene. His brow sort of furrowed in deep thought as he looked intently at the dead body before him.

Chief Mackay held up a yellow piece of lined paper. “She did leave this.” On the paper was Alyson’s loopy cursive handwriting.  “Nothing too special. She says she loves her family and is sorry. My guess is her workload was too much. She got depressed. We’ve got an officer looking into her medical records right now. Listen, Jamie, in a few days you can write about all these details, but for now just put out a short blurb saying that Alyson McBride was found dead. Nothing about a suicide. We’ve already notified the parents. They’re on their way down from Bountiful right now.”

Another officer tapped Chief Mackay on the shoulder and asked him to step aside for a second. “Feel free to look around for a sec while I take care of something over here. Just don’t touch anything.” Chief Mackay walked a few steps away and began discussing something with the other officer and signing some papers.

“Look at her right hand,” said Rex loud enough for only Jamie to hear. “She’s written something on it. Can you see it?”

Jamie leaned a little closer and squinted. “There’s a lot of blood but…it says ‘Hair - tomorrow 4:30.’” She returned to her pad and pencil. “I write appointments on my hand all the time. So?”

“That’s just it,” said Rex. “She had a hair appointment today. Clinically depressed people that are about to take their own life don’t typically schedule hair appointments.” The tone in his voice said that he was thinking very hard.

Chief Mackay walked back over to Jamie and Rex. “How’s it coming?”

Jamie blinked her eyes and shook her head as she came out of the daze she was in still thinking about what Rex had just pointed out. “Um, well, I’ve got some good things written down. But Rex pointed something out that I think you should look at.”

Rex pointed out the note written on the hand and repeated what he had just said to Jamie. “I don’t think she killed herself,” Rex repeated to the chief. Mackay looked at Rex like he was still thinking about what was being said.

“Plus, look at this,” Rex further explained. He looked on the ground but seemed unable to find what he was looking for. He extended his gaze to a tree a few yards away on the grass. He ran over and picked something up. The chief and Jamie couldn’t see what. He returned with broken branch small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. He held it out toward the Chief. “Chief, if you’ll do me a favor and pretend this stick is a handgun. Now take it from me and pretend to shoot yourself in the head.”

Chief Mackay looked at Rex as if he was crazy. The chief took the stick-gun with his hand and put it to his temple. He jerked it back as if he was discharging a gun.

“Great. Thanks. Okay Jamie, now you do the same.”

Jamie reached out her hand, took the stick, and repeated the motion just done by the chief.

“Ah, now see that? The Chief took the stick with his left hand and shot himself in his left temple. I figured you would do that when I saw you use your left hand a moment ago to sign that paper the officer over there gave you. However, Jamie, who is right-handed took the gun with her right hand and shot herself in the right temple.”

The chief was still looking at Rex suspiciously, wondering where he was going with all of this.

“Now look at Alyson’s suicide note,” continued Rex. “See how the words sort of smear from left to right? That only happens with left-handed writers. That’s because their hand goes over the ink as they write. But Alyson shot herself in her right temple.” He paused for a moment, waiting for Jamie and Chief Mackay to catch up. “So either she didn’t write the note …or she didn’t shoot herself.” He swallowed hard.

Chief Mackay saw where Rex was going with this. “Someone else was here.”

“Are you saying…” started Jamie.

Rex took a deep breath and stared at Alyson’s body. “This wasn’t a suicide. This was murder.”

...Continued in PART 3