The stairs

Chapter 12

Clark sat up straight. She looked like she was trying to decide whether to take this seriously or not. Cassie's expression was serious - there was a hint of triumph there, perhaps, but it didn't look like she was joking.

"How do you know that?" asked Clark.

"So you haven't noticed," said Cassie, "well, I'm more familiar with the terrain, so I suppose that gives me the advantage here."

"Well, tell me what you've discovered."

"The key is the position of security cameras. Here, in the university, there are security cameras near the entrance to the dorm, placed close to the roof. That is it. The second point is that the murderer is clearly aware of security cameras and understands how much a threat they are. That is of course, based on their behaviour during the previous murder."

"I agree. Continue."

"There are two ways to exit the dorm and still remain unrecognized - or rather, three. One is to wear a mask or obscure their face in some way. I think we can eliminate that, given that the murderer is very cautious," said Cassie.

"I disagree, but I want to hear your theory anyway," said Clark.

"Option two is to climb down the tree next to the dormitory. I doubt it - it'll leave the tree smell on you, and besides, it's very tiring, so the perp will have to shower."

"Agreed. I wouldn't consider it a viable option at all."

"Option three is to just walk out wearing a large hat and raincoat to obscure your figure and features. If you cross back into the lawn between dorms, you can simply take them off," said Cassie, "besides, that area is poorly lit, so the chances of anyone spotting you is low."

"And, how would he proceed from there?"

"Cross the lawn, cross the path between those two sets of dorms over there - he may have been caught on camera there - and entered the grove of trees in that direction. It's unlit, there could be snakes and various other dangerous things in there, so no normal person would look in there. Chances are, he burnt the raincoat, gloves, hat, and possibly shoes - at least the inside of it - there. An accelerant may have been used."

"Then, how do you proceed? Being spotted leaving the grove would give you away instantly," said Clark.

"Not really," said Cassie, "It's possible to avoid the cameras and walk into the area next to the convenience store."

"And? Someone appearing near the convenience store, suddenly...

"Is not suspicious if they bought something edible first, and moved to the area the convenience store in order to eat it."

"But then..."

"Not at all. A lot of people read stuff on their phones while eating and lose track of time. But we are looking for them, so..."

Cassie stopped and gave her a meaningful look.

"If you're right, they should have left a lot of evidence on the way."

"Or we could have a wildfire on our hands," said Cassie, "well, I've told you my deductions. You haven't questioned me yet, Detective Clark."

"Give me a minute first," replied Clark.

The other detective sitting next to her called another policeman over, and whispered something in his ear. He left. Then Detective Clark turned to Cassie.

"Getting to the questions I wanted to ask you, I want to tell exactly what you heard, and why you were there at the scene of the crime. I also want to know where you were between 00:30 and 01:30."

"I woke up for no reason, and I heard a scream. I couldn't quite place it, so I was planning to leave my room and check it out. In the end, I was too much of a chicken to do it. Then, I heard stuff from the next dorm, which is why I called Lex. I was worried about him. So he checked it out, told me what had happened, and I joined him there. I forgot all about the knife."

"And, what about..."

"I was sleeping, I believe. My phone was probably logged into the campus WiFi, but I don't know whether that counts as an alibi," said Cassie.

"Is there anything else you'd like to tell me?" asked Clark.

Cassie thought for a moment. There was another way someone could have given the security cameras the slip effectively, even in the middle of the night, but the distances involved were greater. It was less likely to succeed, but it would probably give the killer a longer time to operate. 

"No, there is nothing," said Cassie, "Can I leave, then?" 

"Sure, let Lex in on your way out. And, Cassie, don't take any unnecessary risks."

"Yeah, sure," Cassie replied. 

She went in and told Lex to go meet Detective Clark. She sat down on the corner of the bed. Rosa was standing in a corner, Phillip was fast alseep on a chair, and Robin was sitting on a corner of the bed.

Of course, this was the person who pulled off a near perfect, possibly perfect murder in a crowded mall. A camera could have been blocked for a significant length of time at night, but lights weren't as easily replicated on a paper. On the other hand, it was less likely that someone was actually monitoring those cameras all the time in a university.

Cassie waited for Lex's interview to finish. Afterwards, Phillip was called in. He returned in a couple of minutes. Beryl went next. Rosa and Robin followed. By now, it was past three in the morning. Cassie felt relatively safe, given that Lex was there as well. She started to doze off.

"Cassie!"

She woke up. It took her a minute to realise that it was Clark. Cassie's sight was a little fuzzy, so it took her a minute to process the expression on Clark's face. The events of the night came back to her. There was only one conclusion - her deduction - at least the one she told Clark, was wrong.

"Um, Detective Clark..."

"I'd like to talk to you again, but, if you're that exhausted, maybe we should talk in the morning..."

"No, no, it's alright," said Cassie, getting up. She followed the detective into the next room. 

"Take a look at the CCTV footage yourself," said Clark, turning a laptop, which certainly hadn't been on the table before, towards Cassie.

Clark hit play. It was from the camera near the entrance to the dormitory. The time stamp was 00:32. The image was slightly visibly pixelated, and the frame rate was clearly on the low side - probably to increase recording capacity. Still, the image was clear enough, if a little sped up.

At the 00:34 mark, Cassie noticed some movement on the pathway outside. Someone walked in. But whoever it was, was completely out of view of the camera. The camera was fixed near the roof, and whoever it was, was carrying an umbrella. Still, Cassie could see a little of their footwear - and it looked like pretty cheap canvas shoes.  The umbrella entered the dorm and went out of view.

About twenty minutes later, the umbrella came into view again. This time, as they left, Cassie watched intently. This time, she saw a that the person in question was wearing a blue raincoat. She estimated him to be somewhere in the 170-180 cm range. She could see that he was wearing jeans. The way they walked made Cassie think it was a man, but she wasn't sure.

He disappeared from view.

"You're not surprised," observed Clark.

"True."

"But you know who it is."

"Not with any certainty, not enough to swear on it," said Cassie, "it's Robin, isn't it?"