EVIL CRIMES a gripping crime thriller full of twists by MICHAEL HAMBLING

Author:MICHAEL HAMBLING [HAMBLING, MICHAEL]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Joffe Books Mystery, Crime Thriller, Suspense Fiction
Published: 2017-11-28T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter 22: Demons

Rae visited the campus security director’s office first thing on Friday morning. She wanted to identify the spiky-haired student and find out more about her relationship with Hattie, then find out more about the staff members Hattie seemed to be embroiled with. But she’d need to tread carefully, as Sophie had warned her during their long telephone conversation at breakfast time. It was one thing to carry out a covert watch on a student, rather more sensitive if a visiting lecturer was involved, but one of the university’s most senior professors was a wholly different story. Sophie didn’t want to risk anything getting out, particularly since the nature and extent of Hattie Imber’s network of shady relationships was unknown. So Rae merely asked about the unknown fellow student. She imagined she would be on a similar course to Hattie’s, although that wasn’t certain. The fact that this friend might be foreign would help. She searched for Spanish, Italian and finally Greek students but got nowhere. Then she noticed that there was a Greek Society and found from the website that the current secretary looked a lot like Hattie’s friend. There she was. Maria Katsaros was studying economics and business, and had occupied the room next to Hattie during their first year. Maria’s fresher photo showed her with long hair but with the same gentle smile that Rae had noticed the previous day. Rae noted the relevant details about Maria, thanked the security chief and left. Investigations into the two staff members would have to be done elsewhere, possibly using online data.

Rae called Barry, then returned to her hotel room, dug out her laptop, and set about finding out all she could about Maria, Markham and Professor Murey.

Maria was clearly a very committed student. Rae read through her profile, and the long list of societies and groups that she belonged to, some as a committee member. The Feminist Society, the Drama Society, the LGBT group and a social support group for foreign students. The Film Society, the Swimming Club and the Tae Kwon Do Group. She had taken lead roles in several student drama productions and had still found time to volunteer as a coach in a self-defence class for women students. She was open about her lesbianism, and proud of it. According to her profile, she’d achieved marks in the top ten per cent in her first year exams, and was on course for a first-class degree.

Doctor George Markham had a one-year placement as a visiting lecturer under a Commonwealth exchange scheme, specialising in tall structure engineering. He was to remain in Exeter until the end of August, advising research students. He had little contact with the undergraduates. He listed his interests as walking, climbing and church organ music. Rae wondered whether it was his profile post that had sparked Hattie’s interest in him, though it was always possible that the university community hosted a group with that particular interest.

Professor Paul Murey was clearly very influential both within the university and beyond.

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