“Then we take it one step at a time. I really don’t recall any of our cases being easy, and we made it through okay.” Kane turned the corner onto the sweeping driveway leading to the college. “Once we find out the drowning victim’s name and Wolfe has made a determination, it will make life easier.” He smiled at her. “You know darn well, once you lay the cases out on the whiteboard everything will fall into place.” He chuckled. “Knowing you as I do, you’ll have figured out a list of possible suspects by noon.”
They parked beside Wolfe’s van and walked to the amenities center. Jenna glanced at Kane. “I’ll speak to the paramedics and the cleaner. Find out who opened up this morning and which security guard locked up last night. I’d like to know how come he missed seeing a body floating in the pool.”
“Okay, and I’ll go check the CCTV footage as well.” Kane frowned. “If someone tampered with the cameras again, I figure we have a killer on campus.” He headed off with Duke at his heels, tail wagging.
A shiver ran down Jenna’s spine and she pushed away the familiar rush of dread that gripped her at a crime scene. The back of the ambulance was open and a middle-aged woman was sitting inside, wrapped in a blanket. Jenna couldn’t see Wolfe or Rowley anywhere, so she approached the two paramedics speaking with a security guard. “Which one of you called it in?”
A short man with close-cropped hair and a round face held up a gloved hand. “That would be me, Sheriff. I’m Bob Jamison.”
Jenna nodded. “Okay. Is the woman who found the body well enough to make a statement?”
“Yeah, she’s a bit shaky but she should be okay.” Jamison nodded toward the entrance to the pool. “The ME is inside with the other deputy.”
Jenna pulled a pair of surgical gloves from her pocket and pulled them on. “I’ll go see the body then come and speak to the cleaner. What’s her name?”
“Gladys Birch.” Jamison cleared his throat. “I called the dean as well and he’s on his way.”
“Thanks.” Jenna headed for the entrance to the pool. Maybe he’ll be able to ID the body.
Twenty-One
Kane stared at the footage on the screen in the security guard’s office and shook his head in disbelief. The camera outside the entrance to the amenities center had blinked out in exactly the same manner as the previous night and around the same time. In the hour before that, two students had entered the pool area, one male and one female. This time, the camera activated again at 10:35 p.m. and caught the security guard entering the building at 11:05 p.m. Seconds later he came out, locked the gate, then went on his way.
He straightened and cast his gaze over the security guard. The man was in his sixties with a belly hanging down over his belt. His white-streaked greasy hair hung down each side from an attempted comb-over. It was only a couple of hours max since he’d started work but his clothes looked as if he’d slept in them. Pudgy hands with dirty nails gripped a stained coffee cup. Kane wrinkled his nose, wondering how he kept his job. An odor like the football locker room after a game with added onions hung in the office as thick as fog. “Did you have the system checked out after the last failure?”
“Me? No, the request for maintenance was sent through the normal channels. Who the hell knows if anyone will come out and fix the darn thing.” The security guard shrugged. “I didn’t go inside the pool either, I just unlocked the gate for the cleaner and left. I had a couple of students waiting on me to unlock the gym.”
Kane made a few notes. “Do you keep a log of your shifts?”
“Yeah.” He pushed a tattered book in Kane’s direction. “It’s just for when we do our rounds, and we make a note if anything unusual happens.” The guard placed his cup on the desk and leaned back in his chair, making it groan under his weight. He folded his arms across his substantial waist and looked at him. “There’s no mention of the malfunction. I guess the guys were out on their rounds.”
How convenient. Kane glanced over the entries and snapped a few shots of the relevant pages over both days with his cellphone camera. “I’ll need to speak to the guard who locked up last night.”
“That would be Dirk Voss. He locks up and Tim Brannon handles the library. By eleven most of the students have left.” The guard was scanning a file on his computer. “I’ve found his number. I’ll give him a call.” He dialed the landline and after a brief explanation handed the receiver to Kane.
Kane took the warm, greasy receiver and, avoiding contact with his skin, gave his name. “What time did you lock the amenities center last night?”
“Around eleven.” Voss sounded as if he’d just fallen out of bed.
“Did you go inside to make sure no one was using the pool?”
“Kinda. I went to the doorway and called out, waited some, then called out at the entrances to the locker rooms. It was as quiet as a tomb.” Voss yawned. “Why? Did I lock someone inside? All the kids have cellphones—one call and someone would go let them out.”
Annoyed by the man’s unprofessional behavior, Kane stared at the floor. “I’ll need you to come by the sheriff’s office this morning to make a statement. Your inability to do your job could’ve cost a man his life. The cleaner found a body floating in the pool this morning and he’s been there all night.”
“You sayin’ that’s my fault?”
Kane grimaced. “I’ll leave that to the sheriff to decide. If you’re a no-show by noon, I’ll be dropping by to haul your ass downtown.” He dropped the phone onto the cradle and reached into his pocket for a card. “Email me a copy of that section of tape. You do know how to do that?”
“Yeah.” The guard took the card from Kane. “I’ll do it now.”
Kane nodded. “Thanks, I’ll show it to the sheriff.” He headed out the door, glad to be breathing fresh air again. “Come on, Duke. Let’s go see who’s been killed this time.”
Twenty-Two
Wolfe’s investigation was in full swing as Jenna walked poolside. Markers littered the area around the ladder, and to one side the uncovered, pale-skinned body of a young man lay on a gurney. Wolfe was deep in conversation with Rowley and they both looked up at once as she approached. “What have we got?”
“At first glance, an accident.” Wolfe walked her to the body. “He slipped climbing up the ladder and fell, hitting his nose on the top rung, fell i