Braxton Campus Mysteries Collection - Books 5-8

Chapter 5-1

With the phone secured in my pocket, I meandered toward the cable car station to return to South Campus for Myriam"s staff meeting. As I approached the corner, a gray-haired man barreled down the walkway and smashed directly into me, launching my glasses to the curb. “Whoa, slow down. You"re gonna kill someone if you don"t watch where you"re going, sir.” When I located my undamaged spectacles, an irate beast with a protuberant jaw and cauliflower ears fumed and waved robotically.

“Do you know who I am? My family built this college. If anyone should mind his step, it"s you.” Hiram Grey swatted at me with a giant paw to shove me to the side. Given his broad shoulders and large ribcage, the man wielded a powerful physical prowess. “That"s better. Have a good day.”

“Ummm… Judge Grey, we"ve met briefly once before. I"m Kellan Ayrwick. I know several members of your family, and I believe you"re acquainted with—” I choked out before he repeatedly snapped his fingers inches away from my lips.

“Seraphina"s nosy grandkid. You bought my house, son.” His jowls relaxed, and the red puffiness around his face subsided. “My apologies. I thought you were some random student in my way.”

I looked younger than my age, but I couldn"t pass for a student anymore, at least I didn"t think so. Could he be more perceptive than I? He had met many people in his line of work. After realizing I hadn"t responded, I smiled. “Yes, that"s me. We"re almost done with the first round of renovations. I"ve always wondered about the rumors concerning the place.”

“There are no ghosts. It"s just a bunch of foolish gossipmongers with nothing to do but fabricate stories. My son Damien claimed weird things happened in the past, and one of my others, Xavier, wanted to hire spook doctors to perform an exorcism. I believe in hardcore facts and tangible evidence. I lived in that house fifty years ago, and never once did I see an apparition or have an otherworldly experience.” He excessively shook his hands and wobbled on his feet for dramatic effect.

“I understand. I don"t believe in them either, it"s just that… well….” I stumbled on my words as I didn"t know how to explain what a few of us had experienced lately.

“I don"t have time to dillydally, Mr. Ayrwick. I"ve just heard there"s a skeleton in the Memorial Library ruins, and people think it"s my Prudence. I need to find out for myself.” Judge Grey pushed past me and shuffled across the road toward the library. “Please give Seraphina my regards. Tell her I"ll invite her to brunch one of these days.” No opportunity presented itself to check the socks he wore.

Moments later, his shadow was dust, and I hopped on the cable car. I"d never interacted with the magistrate during our real estate transaction. Paper pushers had handled everything, and not once had he personally given me a tour of the place or met with me to discuss the price or terms. Nana D had conveyed the offer, and they worked out the initial deal. Afterward, he"d disappeared to let his attorney lead the transaction. Thinking back, the harrowing man must"ve hidden something important.

If he was that determined to find out whether the skeleton belonged to Prudence, perhaps he had naught to do with her death. Could he have been an innocent party impacted by whatever had happened fifty years ago? I wasn"t even certain the skeleton belonged to Prudence. It was all hearsay at this point. Until verifiable evidence assured us of the victim"s identity, no one had a legitimate clue. I"d have thought a judge would feel the same way, rather than stomp across campus in a maniacal fury. What was that niggling sensation beginning to form in the back of my mind? Did it have anything to do with April"s text message about how the skeleton had found its way into the library? For an older man, he had an intimidating brute strength and forceful demeanor. Was Hiram Grey my persistent stalker?

I arrived in the nick of time for Myriam"s staff meeting in the third-floor studio. She scowled upon noticing my attempt to scan her ankles, then snapped her fingers at me like the judge. “There are little ghosts on the heels. You just can"t see them. Keep your eyes where I can see them, Dr. Peepers.”

Dr. PeepersI stifled the innate desire to laugh boisterously, joined the group at the department"s conference table, and sat next to a bemused Dr. Hope Lawson. “Why does everyone assign me weird nicknames?”

“You should"ve seen Dr. Castle watching the clock. She kept making a point of how much time was left before we would start, then looked sardonically at your empty chair.” Hope smiled facetiously, kicking me under the table. When I checked, she wore spider-covered black-and-white striped stockings.

“Thirty seconds to spare,” I whispered to Hope and glimpsed at Myriam, observing the faint evidence of the black eye from her struggle with Calliope. “Did you see that look of death I just got?”

“We can at long last proceed, now that our esteemed colleague has considerately joined the rest of us who thoughtfully arrived early.” Myriam rapped her knuckles on the wooden table and pointed a bony digit at me to ensure I knew to whom she"d been referring. “I thought we"d do things a little differently this time. Dr. Lawson, why don"t you regale us with your thrilling acclimation to Braxton.”

esteemedHope"s elongated neck craned upward, a splotch of alarm forming in her composure. “Oh, certainly. I"ve had lots of assistance with the technology programs and library processes. Dr. Ayrwick,” she paused and gently placed a hand on my shoulder, “has been incredibly kind with his time and knowledge. I couldn"t imagine a stronger mentor than him.”

“If I haven"t made myself clear enough, please tell us how your classes are proceeding and how the students are responding.” Myriam cleaned an imaginary spot on her glasses and puffed the dust in my direction. “Though age from folly could not give me freedom, it does from childishness.”

classesstudents“Though age from folly could not give me freedom, it does from childishness.”I cringed at Myriam"s quote from Antony and Cleopatra, staring as my boss gently touched the tender spot under her eye. Hope summarized the two classes she taught, then passed the baton to me. I remarked how well I thought she was adjusting to the change in styles from her former campus. Myriam belittled my attempt to praise our newest visiting professor like a whirlwind, then continued with the rest of our colleagues. After snootily resuming control of the meeting, she issued guidelines for working in Memorial Library during the upcoming renovations.

Antony and Cleopatra,“Has there been any news on the skeleton they found?” Hope inquired, staring around the room until everyone failed to respond. “Is there anything we should do to assist with the bizarre mystery?”

“It"s clearly none of our concern, Dr. Lawson. We are here to teach. I suggest you remind students of their purpose at Braxton and leave the investigations,” she curtly stated, then exaggeratedly wrinkled her nose at me, “to those who are qualified to handle such endeavors. Wharton County has a highly skilled and expertly trained team of police officers and detectives who will, I"m certain, work tirelessly to close this case. Bombastic busybodies need to mind their own business.”

Had Myriam forgotten I"d solved the mystery surrounding her wife"s stalker and potential killer? While April and Connor had helped to research the international connections, I"d found the body and discovered the murderer"s identity before he added Ursula to his list of victims.

“I understand. It"s just that the Grey family holds tremendous clout on campus. I"m a little concerned whether this county"s judicial system has the appropriate checks and balances,” Hope interjected with a noticeable equilibrium of passion and decisiveness. “I"ve heard a few students talking about the skeleton potentially belonging to the magistrate"s first wife. I believe her name was Prudence. Some even suggested he"d been responsible for her death.”

“What precisely is your worry, Dr. Lawson?” Myriam stood and melodramatically threw her hands to her hips. “Perhaps because you are new to this town, you might not realize the sense of camaraderie we have for one another. I won"t tolerate someone on my staff spreading vicious gossip about a key leader on our Board of Trustees. Judge Hiram Grey is a well-respected man who hails from one of this college"s original founders.”

“I think what Dr. Lawson is trying to convey,” I chimed in, bent on preventing a larger squabble from occurring but also to clarify Hope"s exact connection to Braxton, “is what—”

“Dr. Ayrwick, I didn"t ask for your opinion. Dr. Lawson, please respond to my question from before your discourteous colleague"s interruption.” Myriam sat, the feet of her chair painfully scraping the floor as she slid under the table.

“Pardon my frankness, but I"m curious how Braxton plans to address the situation, substantially if Hiram Grey is indeed connected to a fifty-year-old missing persons case. We"ve just discovered a skeleton from around that time in a place where the victim had last been seen. Wouldn"t you be wary of the man"s involvement?” Hope peered around the room for anyone who might support her concerns but found no one willing to verbally back her.

“At the risk of Dr. Castle biting my head off again, I understand Hope"s apprehension. There needs to be a consistent message and process, and while I"m confident in the fortitude of the Wharton County Sheriff"s Office, there"s been nothing official released from Braxton"s administration.”

“I acknowledge what you are both blathering about,” Myriam surrendered, then waved her hand toward the door to indicate the end of the meeting. “I"ll discuss this with Ursula Power and update everyone in the next few days. I"m assured our president has a suitable plan in place.”

Everyone but Dr. Lawson and I exited the room. She sighed heavily. “Is Dr. Castle always that stubborn and dismissive?”

“You caught her on a good day, Hope.” I suppressed the urge to laugh. Myriam might be listening on the staircase, ready for round two without a leering audience.

“I"ve been researching the Grey family. Did you know Hiram stole his first wife"s inheritance?” Hope fervently massaged her temple before collecting various belongings strewn about the table.

“What do you mean?” I wondered why she held such an extreme curiosity about the Grey family. “By the way, you suggested your mother might"ve grown up in Braxton. What is her name?”

“Forgive me, I must get to my next class. I"ll email you my research about the Grey family. Suffice it to say, Hiram had no money before he married Prudence. When she died, he inherited millions of dollars and became one of the richest men in the county.” Hope tossed a colorful tote over her shoulder and marched toward the door. She stiffened with her last comment, losing the normal breezy and friendly demeanor I"d come to know and appreciate. “My mother"s name is Raelynn Lawson, but I never said she grew up here. I found a picture of her in front of the library, that"s all.”

Once she left, I remembered the portrait Maggie had provided and grabbed my satchel. I eagerly ripped open the envelope and glanced at a black-and-white photo from before the Vietnam War protest had erupted on campus. Two women stood with their arms entwined. The girl on the left looked exactly like Imogene Grey, a former student, also Lara Bouvier"s daughter. Given Imogene was also Damien"s daughter, it became clear which woman was Prudence. I couldn"t believe how similarly they resembled one another. The woman on the right was taller and darker skinned—at least in terms of the shading present in the photograph—and her expression offered a mix of respect and intimacy. The quality of the snapshot was grainy, yet it didn"t seem important once locating the caption underneath.