Chapter 4
Dr. Ron Hunter looked up at Lilly and Vera, shifting in his seat as he looked from one detective to another.
Vera shook her head, while looking at the document in front of her. "You're got an interesting work record, Doc. Seems you had a little problem keeping your hands to yourself at your last job."
Hunter quickly pointed a finger at Lilly. "That accusation was completely false! She was an angry, disgruntled young woman who lashed out because I rejected her advances!"
"I'm having a little trouble believing that." Lilly said. "Especially since we know you didn't reject Allison Parks' advances."
"Is that what she told you?" Hunter sneered.
"No, that's what the videotape Brian had of the two of you together told us" Vera said.
"You have that?" Hunter suddenly looked at Vera, his look of indignance replaced by one of fear. "Who else knows about that tape?"
"I'd be a little more worried about being the prime suspect in a murder." Lilly snapped.
"Murder?" Hunter cried. "That's ridiculous! I barely knew that kid!"
"Well, he sure knew about you." Lilly continued. "Brian told Debbie Rosenberg he had some leverage to make you give the research assistant's job to her instead of Allison's brother. Did Brian try to blackmail you with that tape, and then you decide to throw him over a walkway?"
Hunter sat there, his mouth agape. "That's insane!"
"You really expect us to believe Brian wasn't trying to blackmail you?" Vera asked.
Hunter looked back at Vera, then sighed. "He showed up at my office the night before he died."
Dr. Hunter perked up at the knock of the door. Allison said she was going out with friends that night. Who else could it be at this hour?
"Come in." He said. His eyes betrayed his surprise slightly when he saw who it was. The young man who entered was about the last person he expected to see. "Oh, hello. Brian, isn't it? What can I do for you?"
Brian glared at Hunter, and without a word, sat in the chair across from Hunter's desk. "Dr. Hunter, I don't know if you know, but I'm a film student. I've done a lot of camera work."
Hunter leaned back in his chair. "I'm not sure I'm following you."
Brian looked slightly nervous, but steeled himself and continued. "All right, then let me spell it out for you. Earlier in the week, I was down here trying out one of the cameras. Your door was open a crack and without even meaning to, I picked up a real nice shot of Allison and you together."
Hunter's face maintained it's composure, even as it drained of color. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Brian's eyes narrowed. "I think you do. You knew damn well I was seeing her."
"Look if this is some sort of jealous boyfriend situation--"
Brian put up his hand. "No, no. You know what, I don't even care. If that's the kind of person she is, I don't want anything to do with her. I don't care that you're a married man, or how many times you've done this with students. One thing I do have a problem with, though, is you basing who gets ahead in your class on whose sister you're screwing."
Hunter looked confused. "Wait, this is about Gary getting the assistant's job?"
Brian's look grew angrier. "Yeah, it is! Debbie's twice as smart and works ten times as hard. Trust me, I've seen the work she's done in class. She deserved that job but instead you gave it to Gary so could impress Allison. Well, you know what? Now you're gonna make that right. I want you to give that job to her. Tell them you've reconsidered or something, whatever. Just do it, otherwise that tape I made the other night is gonna find its way into the Dean's mailbox!"
"Wait a minute! If you think I'm going to be coerced into changing my decision--"
"Oh, don't you dare take some moral high ground with me!" Brian snapped. "Not after what you've done! Now I'm gonna check with Debbie on Monday to see if you changed your mind. If I like what I hear, I'll give you the tape. If not, you're probably gonna need to start updating your resume, got it?"
Hunter squared his jaw and remained silent for a few seconds. "Fine." He finally answered between his teeth. "Is there anything else?" He asked sarcastically.
"Yeah." Brian spat as he got up and turned toward the door. "Go to hell."
"I thought the prudent thing to do would be to go along with his demand." Hunter said.
Vera shrugged. "But hey, how do you know he wouldn't make a copy and hit you up for something else later, or just screw you over and release it anyway? Maybe you decided it was a hell of a lot more 'prudent' to throw Brian over the edge of a walkway."
Hunter shook his head quickly. "I'm telling you, I had nothing to do with that boy's death!"
Lilly leaned in closer. "So if we check the security logs and see if you entered the theater department building that night we won't find anything?"
Hunter was taken aback. "No! For one thing, the night that he died, I was at a fund-raising dinner with several other prominent academics. I gave a speech in front of two hundred people, for God's sake! Ask anyone who was there!"
"So maybe you don't like getting your hands dirty and had someone else do it for you." Lilly glared at Hunter.
"No, no!" Hunter pleaded. "I swear to you, I never told anyone about that tape!"
"Somebody sure found out about it." Vera said.
Lilly looked up with an idea. "What about Allison?"
Hunter looked over at her with disbelief. "Allison?"
"You did have a few late-night rendezvous with her in your office. Maybe she overheard you two that night."
"That's insane!" Hunter said. "I mean she wouldn't--" He stopped, as though suddenly remembering something.
"What?" Vera asked.
Hunter put his hand to his head. "Oh my God." He whispered.
"What?" Lilly asked more impatiently.
Hunter closed his eyes. "I keep a spare keycard in the top drawer of my desk. A few days after Brian's death, I noticed it was missing. I asked her about it and she admitted she took it because she'd lost hers. I didn't think anything of it at the time but..." He sighed.
Lilly nodded in acknowledgment and the two detectives started towards the exit.
"Listen," Hunter said smiling nervously. "I cooperated, so no one else needs to know about this, right?"
Lilly just shot him a glare as she walked out.
Allison flashed Lilly and Jeffries a smile as the two detectives walked into the editor's office.
"Hello again, Detectives." She said to Jeffries before turning to Lilly. "Is there anything else I can help you with?"
Lilly nodded with a smile. "Yes, we were just hoping to clear up some problems with the story you gave us."
Allison gave a puzzled look. "What problems?"
Lilly's smile faded slightly. "The fact that it was full of lies."
Allison's eyes widened. "Excuse me?"
"We know for a fact that you weren't seeing Brian at the time of his death, you were seeing Dr. Hunter." Lilly said. "Brian probably made for a good cover so no one suspected you were sleeping with a professor, but we have a tape that says otherwise."
"And the security logs have Dr. Hunter's keycard being used to enter the theater building at 7:30, a half hour before Brian was found dead." Jeffries added.
"Hunter has an alibi though." Lilly said. "You don't."
Allison leaned closer, concern in her eyes. "Detective, please. You have to believe me. I haven't been a perfect person. I've made some mistakes. One of them was not appreciating a sweet guy like Brian when I had him. But I'm the kind of person who would ever do something to hurt him."
Lilly just looked at her. She'd seen the pleading, innocent girl routine in her sister enough times not to be fazed by it. "I think you are, and I don't you really gave a damn about Brian, alive or dead, especially after you found out he knew about the two of you." Lilly turned to see Gary standing out in the main office looking at them, clearly looking troubled at what he saw.
Allison's look of concern slowly turned to one of contempt. "So, what? You think I pushed Brian over a walkway now? Is that it?"
Lilly looked at the small-framed Allison. Admittedly, it was hard to picture her pushing Brian over a railing by herself. She then looked back at Gary, who was now walking towards the office. "Maybe with a little help." Lilly said.
"What's going on?" Gary asked peeking into the office, looking nervous.
"Nothing." Allison said, glaring at Lilly and Jeffries. "These detectives were just leaving."
"Is this about--" Gary started.
"Not a word, Gary!" Allison snapped, holding up a finger at him.
"Your sister always seems to have your back, doesn't she?" Lilly looked at Gary.
Gary gave her a sad look and opened his mouth to say something before a glare from Allison silenced him
"You people couldn't even tell if that was an accident or not." Allison said, turning back to Lilly, a smug grin ruining her otherwise pretty face. "And if you think me or Gary are going to say anything, you're even stupider than Brian was. So have a real good time trying to prove anything."
This isn't over. Lilly thought. You're not getting away with this. She shot Allison a look that she made sure conveyed that and walked out.
The detectives sat around their office, with Stillman watching over them.
"I say we go after them." Scotty said. "We know they used the keycard to get in. We got motive, means, and opportunity."
"We've also got a death we still can't prove wasn't an accident." Jeffries said.
Kat looked up at Stillman. "What do you think, Lieutenant?"
Stillman shrugged. "I'll talk to the DA's office but without anything more than what we've got, I wouldn't get my hopes up."
The detectives traded looks of disappointment for a few seconds before Vera noticed the figure standing in the doorway and gestured to the others to look.
"Gary." Lilly said matter-of-factly as she stood up, careful not to betray her surprise.
Gary looked back at Lilly and the others, a tired look in his eyes. "Is there somewhere we can talk?" He asked.
Gary looked down at the table in the interview room while Lilly and Scotty looked back at him.
"My whole life, my sister's been watching out for me." Gary said. "I can't remember a thing I've ever had that she didn't help me get, which I guess means I've never gotten anything myself in my life." He gave Lilly and Scotty a glance, then continued. "One thing you need to know is Allison and Dr. Hunter were seeing each other long before I was up for that job, so it's not like she slept with him just to get me the job, not that she hasn't done that kind of thing before. I actually tried to convince Allison to go out with Brian. I thought if they started dating, she'd stop wanting to see Dr. Hunter. Instead she just started telling me what a great cover it would be."
"You and Allison found out about Brian's tape, didn't you?" Lilly said.
Gary lowered his head slightly and nodded. "Allison went back to his office to get something and heard the whole thing. She didn't want me losing that job so she decided we needed to get tape from him." He rolled his eyes. "So once again, I was counting on my sister to bail me out."
"That's why the two of you were at the theater building that night." Scotty said solemnly. "You were looking for the tape."
"Nothing was supposed to happen. We just wanted the tape. We didn't go there looking to hurt anyone. It was just..." Gary sighed. "...bad luck..."
Brian stuffed the last of his papers in to his backpack and glanced at his watch. 7:30. If he hurried, he'd have just enough time to get over to his dorm room and change before meeting Debbie at the restaurant. This is the girl of your dreams, he thought. It isn't gonna look good to be late on your first date together.
He heard a distant rumbling sound and looked up, before remembering it was supposed to rain that night. A moment later, he heard another noise, this time from inside, and turned around. Looking to see the source, he frowned as he saw Allison and Gary standing in the doorway, both slightly wet from the rain. "What the hell do you two want?" He sneered.
"I want that tape." Allison said coldly.
Brian cocked his head to one side. "Is that right?" He asked, looking her over. "Well, you and Hunter can have it when he gives Debbie back the job you two stole from her."
Gary shook his head and stepped closer. "That not gonna happen, man. Now just tell us where it is."
Brian looked at Gary and rolled his eyes. "Oh, what is this, the chemistry goon squad? Forget it, I'm not telling you anything!"
Allison looked at Brian for a moment, then stepped closer herself, smiling and caressing his arm. "Come on, Brian. Isn't there anything I can do to change your mind?"
Brian pushed her hand away and stared at her in disbelief. "You gotta be kidding me. Everything you ever said to me was a lie."
Allison's smile quickly turned to a smug glare. "What? You didn't actually think you had a chance with me, did you? I mean you're 'hard-luck Halley', for God's sake. You were a pathetic loser in high school and you're still one now."
Brian just looked at her, his face impassive. "I cannot believe I ever actually liked you. You and Hunter deserve each other." Putting on his backpack, and zipping his jacket, he continued. "Now I've got places to be and better people to be with."
Gary's eyes narrowed and his hands clenched into fists. "I'm not kidding, man. We're not leaving here without that tape!"
Brian leaned in closer, getting in Gary's face. "Look this has been fun, but I'm leaving now and I'm not telling you anything." Brian hissed. "Now unless you want to get your ass kicked in front of your sister, I suggest you get out of my way."
Brian and Gary were the same height with Gary having a bit more mass. The look in Brian's eyes, however, made him look like he had at least another fifty pounds on him. The look continued until Gary gritted his teeth and stepped aside.
Brian looked at Gary, shaking his head. "You're pathetic." He turned back to Allison. "Both of you." His point made, Brian nodded and walked out into the hallway, walking towards the stairs to the outside door. Allison and Gary looked at each other and followed him out.
Brian glanced at his watch and broke into a half-walk, half-run, not realizing at first that Allison and Gary were rushing up behind him. The moment he noticed them, Gary grabbed him by the shoulder and spun him around.
"Gimme that tape, man!" Gary yelled, grabbing at his jacket pockets. "You got it on you, don't you?"
"Get off me!" Brian yelled, pushing him away, though Gary pushed back and started grabbing again, while Allison tried to open the zipper on his backpack.
The struggle pushed Brian up against the railing of the walkway and his back began to curve back. Neither noticed this until his legs shot up. By the time Gary made a feeble attempt to grab Brian's leg, they'd already swung up and over the railing. They heard Brian let out a brief cry as he fell before it was cut short by a sickening thump below. Gary swallowed as Allison peered over the railing, her eyes made it clear what she'd seen, when she turned back to him.
"Oh my God!" Gary whispered, his breathing getting heavier. "What are we going to do?"
Allison said nothing, though her eyes darted around the hallway until they came to rest on an open janitor's closet, a mop and bucket inside.
She took a deep breath and walked over to the bucket. Making sure it was filled with water, she tucked her hands into her sleeves and took a hold of the bucket. "Give me a hand with this. Make sure you don't get any fingerprints on it." She said.
"What?" Gary asked, not moving.
Allison shot him an impatient look. "You want to go to jail?"
Gary shook his head nervously.
"Then help me!"
Gary stood still for a moment, then walked over, tucking his hands in his sleeves, and grabbed a hold of the bucket. The two pushed it over to where Brian had fallen and Allison began shaking it. The water inside began to slosh around until larger and larger amounts began to spill out over the edge onto the floor. The two continued this for a minute, moving the bucket around the area until Allison gestured back to the janitor's closet.
"There." Allison said coldly as they pushed the bucket back where they found it. "It's raining. The floor was wet and he slipped."
Gary squinted his eyes and looked at her. "What? Nobody's gonna believe that."
"Sure they will." Allison gestured to where Brian had fallen and gave a slight smile. "'Hard-luck Halley', remember?"
Gary didn't smile back. "What about the tape?"
Allison smile faded slightly but she remained calm. "Well he's not gonna be showing it to anyone now, is he?" She put a hand on her brother's arm. "It's all right. Everything's all right now." She looked towards the exit. "Let's get out of here."
As Allison rushed off, Gary stayed behind and looked over the railing. He had to see just once.
Brian lay sprawled across the hallway floor, a pool of blood growing around his head. His lifeless eyes stared up at the second floor walkway from which he'd fallen and at Gary looking down on him from the walkway.
He heard Allison yell for him to come and ran off, leaving Brian alone...
(Note: For the full effect, the end montage works best with the song "Fall to Pieces" by Avril Lavigne)
Gary sighed as Scotty handcuffed him and led him out of the interview room. Lilly noticed the surprisingly satisfied look on Gary's face. He'd paid a heavy price for it, but he was finally free of his sister's influence...
A large number of students gathered and watched as Lilly and Jeffries led Allison, also in handcuffs, out of the university towards a police car. Debbie emerged from the crowd and looked on with surprise when she saw who they were taking away. Allison looked up in time to see Debbie shoot her a look of disgust as she passed her by...
Placing the last item from his now-bare office into the box, Dr. Hunter picked it up and walked out, seeing glances and glares from students and staff as he passed them by. Walking out of the university, he wasn't thinking about where he could get a new job, even though the Dean had just fired him. Nor was he thinking about what he would say to his wife, even though she'd told him not to come home. Instead, he was trying to figure out which of those damned detectives had given them that tape...
Mike smiled at students passing him by in the hallways as he passed out pamphlets on local endangered wildlife. He turned to see Jamie looking at him, a mischievous smile on her face, holding up two tickets to the next Phillies game. The two laughed as Mike took her in his arms and leaned in for a kiss...
In the middle of an explanation to his class on camera placement, Tony Garcia stopped as he suddenly found himself thinking of Brian. Looking down at the ZR-20 on the table next to him, he smiled slightly and continued his lecture...
As Kat shut the lid on the case box marked "HALLEY, B. OCT '04, CLOSED on the side, Vera lifted it up and stacked it among the other cases, before the two of them walked off...
Debbie walked into Hurley's and looked around. Despite not having been in here for well over a year, little appeared to have changed. A moment later, she smiled as she spotted Mike and Jamie wave at her from the booth in the corner. The two stood up and embraced her in a hug when she reached their familiar table. Sitting down, the three friends quickly settled in to an evening of catching up and trading stories about Brian. As Mike recalled one amusing incident in the tenth grade which started Jamie laughing, Debbie looked over to see a familiar face standing a few tables away.
Brian gave Debbie a warm smile, which she readily returned, and looked over his friends one last time before walking off and fading away...
THE END