Death of the Ayn Rand Scholar by Gray Cavender (red scrolls of magic TXT) 📗

Wes exited the tunnel first, reached down and gave Jillian a hand, mainly for balance. She needed it. She was shakier than she’d realized.

It seemed noisy after being down in the tunnel, and unusually bright. There was still plenty of sun left in the sky, low and blinding, and Jillian had to turn away from it. The area also was very hectic: two Tempe PD cars; two unmarked Tempe PD cars; an ASU PD car; two ASU PD motorcycles; two SUVs—one Tempe and one ASU—and a Tempe PD forensics van. And, a lot of people milling around.

Officer Cuevas and a Tempe PD uniformed officer were busy. They had commandeered some barricades that had marked-off the tunnel construction, and cordoned-off the area around the tunnel entrance to keep the growing crowd away. Other barriers lined-out toward the larger sidewalk that was a major artery across the campus. They also left an opening for the police and the EMS vehicle. Jillian heard the siren in the distance.

Officer Cuevas said, “That’ll be EMS. I called it in.”

Wes said, “Quick response, Officer Cuevas…down there and up here. Good work.”

Officer Cuevas beamed. Then to Jillian, he smiled and said, “But the real good work is you.” He pointed at Jillian with the index fingers of both hands.

“Thank you,” was about all she could say. For some reason, she looked into the crowd, wondering if she’d see anyone she knew. Mostly, they were a blur.

Wes asked, “Do we need to get you checked-out, Jilly?”

She knew to think before she answered, to take a physical sounding. So she did. Then, she took a deep breath and exhaled. “No. I’m really OK, Wes. I think mainly I’m just coming down from the adrenalin.”

She hesitated, then added, “And I guess from being scared. I rounded a curve in the tunnel and he was on me. But he didn’t… I guess I’m just on overload.”

“That’s understandable. Let’s get you out of here. Cup of tea, glass of wine…whatever.”

“OK, but first, could we go to ASU PD? I want to get my IPAD. It’s in my car. I want to show you what I saw. What led me here,” she said, looking over toward the tunnel entrance.

Wes seemed to about to say something. Instead, he just looked at Jillian for a couple of seconds, then smiled.

“What?”

He shook his head, then said, “Sounds good.”

His car—one of the unmarked Tempe PD cars—was close by. As they opened their doors, both waived to Officer Cuevas, who beamed another toothy smile. He controlled the crowd so that Wes could back up, turn around, and head out.

Wes drove slowly on the wide sidewalk between the MU and the Business Building, took a left onto the intersecting sidewalk and headed toward College Avenue. Jillian glanced again at Discovery Hall and the Business Building, and exhaled a deep breath.

Wes cut his eyes over toward her, but mostly stayed focused on threading their way through the late afternoon batch of students and faculty. There were fewer at this time of day, but that meant that the bikers just rode faster.

Where the sidewalk ended and College Avenue began, Wes stopped to let the Tempe Fire Department truck pass by them, and onto campus. The truck carried medic-trained personnel. Once it was past, Wes proceeded. As he approached College and Apache, the light turned green.

Jillian said, “You can’t go straight here, Wes…you have to turn left or right.”

He pointed to the uniformed Tempe PD officer in the intersection who was directing traffic. Wes was already rolling down his window. He reached his badge out, then pointed with it to the ASU Campus PD building. The officer checked the traffic, then used his hands and his whistle and stopped the traffic in all four directions, and waved them through.

Wes drove straight through the intersection and then made a left turn into the parking lot. Jillian gave him the key code. He punched it in, entered the lot and parked a couple of cars away from her Corolla.

She said, “I’ll get my car and follow you over to Tempe HQ.”

“Nothing doing. In the first place, you shouldn’t be driving right now. And second, we’re going to go in there,” he pointed to the ASU PD, “and bask in your glory. You just captured a murderer…single handedly…and I intend to be there when Al comes out of his office to shake your hand…and to thank me for sending you over here.” He raised his eyebrows and jutted his head toward the building entrance.

Jillian flinched. “Don’t you think we need to be over at HQ when they bring Professor Roberts in?”

“Definitely, but that’ll be a while. The EMS people will take him to an ER first and get him checked-out, and Doc and Georgia are going there to cover us. So, no rush.”

Wes parked and Jillian retrieved her IPAD from her car. When she and Wes entered the building through the employees’ entrance, her colleagues were waiting in rough a semi-circle. They immediately broke into applause. Al, standing a step or two out front of everyone, led the applause.

Jillian looked surprised. Al said, “Officer Cuevas called it in…everything…the take-down…even that you and Wes were headed here first. He overhead you talking. I know you and Wes are on the move, but great work, Jillian.

”Thanks Al…Chief.”

“I’ll expect the full story tomorrow. But first, are you OK?” As he asked, he looked her over carefully.

“Yes. It was scary, but he never really touched me.”

“She OK, Wes?”

“She’s OK, Al. Maybe a little shell shock, but that’s to be expected given what she’s gone through.”

“OK, tomorrow then,“ Al said.

When she and Wes reached the exit, Al called, ”Jillian...”

She turned, and said, “We’re proud of you, Detective Sergeant.”

More applause.

Wes stuck to his guns about Jillian not driving yet, and drove them to Tempe HQ. He promised to drive her back for her car later. There was another round of applause in the Homicide Division at Tempe PD when they entered. Everyone talked at once, so it was bedlam.

Lt. Flett, acting