Her hand clasped warmly in his, Nancy and Ned walked the short distance across campus to The Coffee Shack, a popular student hangout where Nancy had arranged to meet Alicia. Reveling in one another's presence, the pair were unable to resist stopping occasionally to indulge in soft, sweet kisses, Nancy's new status as student in Emerson still novel and fun.
Though it was well after nine, it was still relatively bright, the last glow of the sun relinquishing its perch in the fading blue of the sky. Contrary to recent weather reports which had promised a week of glorious sunshine, the evening was unusually cool, the dark clouds rolling in across the otherwise blue sky, an indication that for not the first time this year, the meteorologists had got it wrong.
"Am I going to see you tonight?" Ned murmured hopefully, cupping her face in his hands and pressing his lips to hers softly.
"Definitely," Nancy agreed with a smile, reaching up on her tiptoes to return his advances eagerly. "What do you have in mind?"
"What do you think?" Ned returned with a sly smile, his hand grazing over the length of her body suggestively.
Pulling away from her boyfriend, Nancy folded her arms resolutely and fixed him with a look of forced disapproval. "What I think, is that you could bring me on a real date, Nickerson," Nancy retorted hotly, punching him jokingly on the arm. "And bringing me to your buddies' frat party doesn't count."
"Am I that transparent?" Ned replied laughing, grabbing a firmly nodding Nancy in his arms again and holding her warmly.
Enjoying the closeness, Nancy closed her eyes as she burrowed into his chest. Ned really was an amazing boyfriend, even if sometimes he wasn't the most romantic.
"Tell you what," he whispered softly in her ear, Nancy melting as he brought his lips to hers softly. "Call me when you finish here and I will come and meet you and we'll do something."
"Like a surprise something?" Nancy asked excitedly, a smile spreading over her face as Ned nodded uncertainly, as though suddenly fearing the weight of her expectations for their date.
Pausing outside the coffee shop, Nancy glanced quickly at her watch before pulling her boyfriend down to her for a final kiss. "Ned, I have to go, I'm going to be late to meet Alicia," Nancy mumbled apologetically as she reluctantly disentangled herself from her boyfriend's arms and ran her fingers self-consciously through her hair. "See you later, okay?"
"Promise me you'll call when you're finished with the reporter?" Ned pleaded with Nancy insistently, well accustomed to his girlfriend's complete disregard for her personal safety. "There's no way I want you walking out here alone with that psycho on the loose."
"Okay," Nancy agreed with an exaggerated sigh, knowing that Ned was only looking out for her but hating the underlying suggestion that she wasn't able to handle herself. "I promise that I'll call but you better have something good up your sleeve for our date or you know that something I promised we could try out tonight?
"Uh huh," Ned replied uncertainly, not sure he liked at all where this conversation was heading.
"Well something might just come up," Nancy shrugged with deliberate breeziness, pressing a light kiss to his cheek before pushing open the door to the coffee shop.
Men, Nancy thought, suppressing a smile as she scanned the mostly empty coffee shop for sign of the young reporter.
Sometimes it was just too easy.
Drably decorated in varying shades of brown and green, The Coffee Shack was typical of every coffee shop Nancy had ever been in. Apart from a few students tapping away lightly on their laptops, too early in the year to concern themselves with studying, the place was mostly deserted, the lone waitress already making a reluctant start to the long-winded, end-of-night cleaning process.
Jarring with the overly casual dress of the students, a lone woman, professionally dressed in a navy skirt and matching blazer, sat sipping coffee thoughtfully in the furthest corner of the coffee shop. An open file lay strewn untidily across the table and a smart briefcase was shoved under her chair.
It has to be her, Nancy quickly decided, distractedly ordering a coffee before edging her way carefully over to her between the mostly empty tables.
"Alicia Brown?" Nancy asked uncertainly, gratified when the other woman smiled and gestured for her to sit down. She was younger than Nancy expected, a charm bracelet on her left wrist at odds with her otherwise businesslike dress.
Taking a careful sip of her still steaming coffee, Alicia gazed at Nancy thoughtfully. "I'm so sorry for how I was on the phone earlier," she apologized sheepishly, running a hand over her sleek blonde bob. "You wouldn't believe how many calls I get a week from Emerson students. It gets tiring after a while, as you can imagine," she finished with a strained smile.
"Don't worry about it," Nancy replied dismissively, eager to begin questioning Alicia on the events of the previous weeks.
"How is your friend doing?" Alicia asked thoughtfully, concern evident in her voice as she sifted through the small pile of papers.
"Not good," Nancy sighed cheerlessly, before smiling her thanks at the passing waitress who carefully presented her with a much-needed mug of coffee. "She's refusing to talk about what happened, even to her boyfriend. It's not like her," Nancy confided worriedly. "And of course the police have been complete assholes, so that's not helping."
Rolling her eyes in annoyance, Alicia pulled out a dog-eared legal pad from her briefcase and started immediately scribbling notes.
"They were the same with the other girls," she commented distractedly as she sat up and gazed curiously at Nancy. "Now what is it exactly you want to know?"
"The other three girls," Nancy began hesitantly, unsure of how much information the young reporter would be willing be share. "Do you know who they are?"
"I do," Alicia agreed reluctantly, as she drained the end of her coffee. "They are all students at Emerson, but unfortunately I'm not at liberty to provide you with any names."
Nodding her understanding, Nancy tucked a lock of red-blonde hair behind her ear before resuming her questioning. "What about a connection between the girls?" she persevered hopefully, knowing such information would be invaluable in bringing the culprit to justice. "Maybe they were in the same sorority or studied the same subjects?" she tried.
"There was none," Alicia shrugged helplessly, distractedly tearing strips of paper from a discarded sugar packet. "Believe me, I looked into it and as far as I could tell, the girls had never even met."
"There has to be something," Nancy insisted, shaking her head in frustration. "These girls aren't talking for a reason. Our attacker must know something we don't, he must have some hold over them."
"I've read about you, you know," Alicia smiled slightly, frank curiosity on her face as she shifted her gaze to Nancy. "Something triggered in my brain when you introduced yourself as Nancy Drew and sure enough, a quick search on Google revealed you as that teenage detective who had uncovered that betting scandal in the Emerson basketball team. You're a smart girl, Nancy,"
"Thanks, I guess," Nancy cringed embarrassed, hating when anyone brought up her past accomplishments. That case in particular resonated unpleasantly with Nancy because in the course of the investigation she had had reason to suspect Mike O' Shea, Ned's best friend, which ultimately resulted in them breaking up. Thankfully, they had resolved their issues in the months afterwards and their relationship now was stronger than ever.
Carefully replacing the contents of the file carefully into a folder, Alicia looked at Nancy pointedly. "Can I give you a piece of advice, Nancy?"
"Sure," she agreed uncertainly, sitting back in her chair and gazing at the reporter expectantly.
"As you probably already know, Nancy, the victims' names are included in the police reports, but what you probably don't," Alicia advised, a twinkle in her eye as she drained the end of her coffee. "Is the ridiculous lack of security they have in that police station. I'm sure a girl with your capabilities would have no problem getting a hold of them."
"Do you think the girls would talk to me?" Nancy wondered, her eyes narrowed curiously as she uncrossed her long tanned legs.
"It's worth a try," Alicia shrugged doubtfully before pushing out her chair and dusting some stray cookie crumbs from her lap. "Now, Nancy I've really got to go," she informed her regretfully. "I'm due to meet my sister for dinner and I'll never hear the end of it, if I'm late. Call me if you want anything else, okay?" she finished with a smile, reaching out to shake Nancy's hand before standing up and walking out into the night.
--
"That was amazing," Nancy sighed happily, resting her head contentedly against her boyfriends shoulder as they wandered hand in hand out of Gianno's, a popular Italian restaurant located in a neighboring town. "I was beginning to wonder if I was ever going to taste anything other than ramen noodles for the next four years of my life."
"Did you ever consider maybe cooking something?" Ned retorted jokingly as he shook his head in disbelief.
"What can I say, I've been spoiled," Nancy shot back defensively. "It's all Hannah's fault. And anyway, making ramen is cooking. Well kind of," she shrugged, ignoring Ned's bemused expression.
Making good on his word, Ned had put considerable effort into their date and as they crossed the parking lot to his car, Nancy tucked the pale yellow rose he had presented her with into her hair. "Thanks for tonight, it was perfect," she murmured softly, tilting her head up gratefully to accept his kiss.
Brushing back a lock of windblown hair from her face, Ned pressed his lips to hers again, their kiss deepening as he pinned her against the door of his car. "Where to now?" he murmured impatiently, pulling his keys from his pocket before reluctantly releasing Nancy from his embrace. "Though I'd say your place would probably be a better option, as I'm sure the guys have some people over. Do you think Bess will be in your room?"
"She has a date with Parker, so probably not but since we're not going to my dorm, it's not going to matter anyway," Nancy replied, cringing as she turned to face Ned guiltily.
"So we're going to back to mine?" Ned prompted her hopefully, groaning resignedly as Nancy shook her head warily.
"We're actually going to pay a visit to the police station," Nancy began hesitantly, her eyes pleading with him for his understanding. "There are some police reports there that I need to take a look at."
"You mean break in to the police station, don't you," Ned sighed audibly as he inserted his keys in the ignition of his car and started the engine resignedly.
Nancy always did have a problem with boundaries.
"You know me so well," Nancy smiled as she pressed her lips to her boyfriend's cheek, knowing she was already forgiven.
"And later?" Ned cut in hopefully, backing out of the parking space and making his way carefully out of the crowed parking lot.
"Later, we can do whatever you want," Nancy assured her boyfriend brightly as she stretched out her long legs, the action resulting in her mini-skirt riding far up her thigh, revealing a large expanse of tanned flesh. "It will be worth it, I promise you," she finished, flashing him an enticing smile.
"It better be," Ned grunted doubtfully as he forced his gaze away from his girlfriend and onto the dimly lit road, guiding his car carefully through the shadows.
--
The Emerson University Police Department was a stately red-bricked building, nestled snugly among faculty offices and other administrative facilities. Bustling by day, the area was generally swarming with students handing in papers and desperately clamoring to meet with their faculty advisors to beg for an extended deadline but by night, the street was deserted, students and staff alike having long abandoned their scholarly duties for the day.
From previous experience with working cases on Emerson, Nancy was certain that the police officers that operated in the university were worse than useless. Therefore it had been no surprise to her that the Emerson Police Department only opened for a few short hours a day, the on-campus security obviously expected to pick up the slack in their absence.
"So what's the plan, Drew?" Ned asked quizzically as they paused momentarily on the corner of the building, Nancy silencing him with a firm look as an older couple suddenly entered her line of vision, the pair ambling hand-in-hand along the street.
"Shit, that's Dean Jarvis," Ned whispered urgently, catching sight of the man's face. "Just go with this, okay?" Nodding her understanding, Nancy moaned theatrically as Ned pinned her roughly against the hard brick of the wall and started kissing her deeply.
Having the dean recognize them would be a mistake of catastrophic proportions. Dean Jarvis was well aware of Nancy's capabilities, having himself hired her in the past to investigate several potentially embarrassing school scandals, and it wouldn't take a genius to work out the culprit if it was reported that the police department had been broken into the previous night, particularly if the dean himself could place Nancy at the scene of the crime. Nancy doubted her father, Carson Drew, would be very impressed if she managed to get herself expelled before classes had even begun.
They could hear muttered disapproval and exaggerated sighs, and then the voices were gone, their footsteps echoing noiselessly around the corner.
"That was close," Nancy sighed in relief as she muffled a nervous laugh into Ned's shoulder.
"Too close," Ned agreed, pressing his lips softly to Nancy's again before releasing her reluctantly. "Now what exactly do you want me to do?"
"Stay here and keep a lookout for any potential trouble, okay?" Nancy replied, pulling her long red-blonde hair securely under a bobbed brunette wig and pushing ridiculously oversized sunglasses onto her face. The disguise, though simple, was surprisingly effective, the heavy wig and glasses rendering her virtually unrecognizable. "Call me if there's a problem. I have my cell phone on me."
"Don't worry, I will," Ned promised, scrutinizing her for a second before tucking a stray lock of hair gently under her wig. "Be careful, Nan," he murmured tenderly, locking gazes with her for a moment. "It would be terrible for you to be caught and kicked out of Emerson, now that I've finally got you here to myself."
Leaning into his embrace, Nancy smiled as Ned bent down and kissed her warmly.
This was always her favorite part of solving a case, the kisses, the hug, the whispered words of tenderness. The threat of danger always brought out a endearing sense of overprotectiveness in Ned that never failed to make Nancy feel wanted and loved.
"I'll be back before you know it," Nancy promised, giving his hand a final squeeze before crossing the street to the darkened police station.
Quickly climbing up the few white painted steps that led up the front door, Nancy gazed over her shoulder furtively before casting her eyes impatiently over the lock. Rummaging in her bag for her lock picking kit, Nancy was surprised at the simplicity of the lock that was, at the moment, the only thing blocking Nancy's access to the police station and the police reports she so desperately wanted. The security here was a joke. Nancy knew the Emerson University P.D. wasn't The Pentagon but she at least expected something that would provide a little more of a challenge for her to break into.
Sliding the thin, metal tool into the lock, Nancy cheered inwardly as the lock quickly gave way, hoping the joke of a door lock was an indicator of the level of security inside the building.
She wasn't disappointed. The office was tiny, chaotic and cramped and bore serious signs of disorganization. Files and police reports lay unsecured on desks and a cursory examination of a drawer yielded a hefty bunch of keys which presumably provided access to the vast number of filing cabinets that lined the back of the room.
The room was unsettlingly dark, the moonlight slicing through the gaps in the blinds, casting shadows menacingly on the wall. Relying solely on the dim light thrown out by her cell phone, Nancy carefully negotiated the cramped office before beginning the tedious job of trying the keys in each individual lock.
The first drawer Nancy opened was the bottom drawer of the furthest filing cabinet to the left and was filled with case files that were decades old, the papers yellowing and curling on the edges. Based on this, Nancy moved further right, hoping but not counting on the fact the department would operate an efficient filing system. Her methods proved successful as the next drawer yielded reports filed from the previous summer. Glancing curiously through the carefully filed papers, Nancy noticed that the vast majority of the reports dealt with alcohol related offenses and other relatively minor infractions. It was hardly surprising that the police officers had handled the reported sexual assaults so badly. More accustomed to breaking up an out-of-control frat party than dealing with a serial rapist, the police officers were ill-equipped and too inexperienced to handle the case properly, probably finding it far easier to pin the blame on the supposedly drunk victims than actually apprehending the criminal and bringing him to justice.
Casting a worried glance at her watch, Nancy was aware that time was ticking away at a ferocious pace as she worked her way through the seemingly never-ending multitude of drawers. Ned would be getting worried, she had been gone far longer than expected, and every second she lingered in the Emerson University P.D. was another second she risked being caught.
Fumbling wearily with another key in another tiny lock, Nancy was gratified when her perseverance finally paid off and a quick rummage through the drawer revealed a number of reports filed in the previous weeks. Most were for the usual drunken, public order offenses but one report in particular, caught Nancy's eye. Dated the ninth of July, it correlated with Alicia's reporting on the first of the assaults and described in great detail the ordeal the victim was subjected to. A further search yielded the other three reports, though the detail included in those reports were sketchy at best. The handwriting was the same, a quick glance at the name on the top of the report verifying that the reporting police officer on all three cases was one and the same man, yet the inconsistency in his reports was puzzling.
A faint wail of a siren echoed in the distance and Nancy knew it was time to go. Using the Xerox machine to make a copy of the reports, Nancy replaced the contents of the files back into their drawers and locked them carefully. Using the sleeve of her jumper, Nancy meticulously wiped down every surface she'd touched, having long realized the importance of not leaving fingerprints. A careful once over and she was done. Slipping quietly out the door, it was as though she'd never even been there.
