Cari looked out the little window in the conference room door when she caught movement from the corner of her eye and heard a commotion in the hallway. Detective Runimoss was marching AD Whitham down the hallway in handcuffs. AD Whitham?! Whitham’s face was growing redder by the second and she could hear him shouting at the detective.
“You’re making a mistake! Think about how this is going to hurt the university, the students, all the programs—you’re ruining it for everyone!”
Marjorie had joined her and was trying to peer out the window too. Cari was about to open the door and start asking questions when the door opened and Genevieve walked inside.
“Hey Cari. It took some convincing, but you got it. You get the story. We’re holding back the news conference until this afternoon so that you can get the exclusive.” She handed Cari a file. “This isn’t the whole story, but it’s what the department is willing to share.”
“Genevieve, wow! I can’t believe it.” She looked at Marjorie. “Is it safe for her to leave and go to class and all that now?”
Genevieve nodded. “You’re welcome to stay and hear the rest of the story first, if you want.”
Marjorie nodded. “That would be great, thanks.”
“Let’s see. Where should I start? You already know some of the story. After Dr. Hartfeld killed Dr. Delamont, he started getting mysterious texts from an unknown number. They grew increasingly hostile, which led him to make a video telling us his side of the story. He left that on his laptop. Unfortunately, he didn’t know who was harassing him; he just knew why. The person had seen him leaving Delamont’s house with a package of the powder that Dr. Delamont gave to the athletes. They wanted it back.
“We were able to get Hartfeld’s phone records and found out who was behind the unknown number. Unfortunately, sending menacing texts doesn’t prove that the person was our murderer. However, another person had been in contact with Hartfeld too. One of his students, who was also one of the athletes in Delamont’s program, had requested help with the biochemistry course Hartfeld taught. On the surface, that seemed innocent enough, but in a case laced with coincidences, we couldn’t overlook it.
“We brought both the student and Whitham in for questioning. Luck did not favor the bold today. AD Whitham was spotted by the student leaving the biochemistry building. Shortly after that, the athletes were informed that the powder had been recovered and the program was back on. We found the powder in Whitham’s office after we executed a search warrant.
I’m sorry if you missed your class this morning, Marjorie. I’m sure your professors will understand, though. Can I give you a ride somewhere?”
Marjorie looked from Genevieve to Cari and back again. “Actually, Stephen’s parents are on their way up here now. As you probably know, they are finally going to let them have his body. They just have to fill out some paperwork and then the mortuary can do whatever they do. Thank you, Detective Viacorte. What is going to happen with this powder now? Are you sure that you got it all back?”
Genevieve nodded. “We contacted each of the student athletes. No one has any left. They are all being screened for Rhabdomyolysis as well as some other conditions that Dr. Hartfeld’s colleagues have suggested. They will be monitored over the course of the next two to three months to make sure no one has any damage that’s gone undetected.”
Marjorie’s phone chimed with a message. “That’s Stephen’s parents, so I need to go. I don’t know what to say except thank you.” She shook Genevieve’s hand and gave Cari a hug.
Genevieve watched her walk down the hallway before turning back to Cari. “Listen, Cari. I’m sorry again for not taking your theory more seriously at the beginning.”
Cari waved her off. “No, no need to apologize. I show up out of the blue after years of radio silence and try to worm my way into your case. You were just doing your job. However,” she paused and turned her head sideways. “That doesn’t mean that we can’t do a better job of staying in touch. Who knows? Maybe this will become a regular thing, me helping you solve cases.”
Genevieve started to frown. “Now, Cari, you know—”
“I’m just saying, let’s not close the door on this. We work well together, don’t you think?” She smiled. “I need to go chat with my boss. Thank you for this.” She waved the folder at Genevieve.
“Thank you, Cari. Good luck with your story.”
Cari stepped forward and gave Genevieve a hug. While she was grateful for the story, she was also happy to have reconnected with her friend. Even if Genevieve didn’t want to include Cari in her investigations, they could still make time for their friendship. Speaking of friendships, Cari thought. She needed to give Stephen’s roommate a call before the story broke.