Over the Borderline by Leanna Floyd

Author:Leanna Floyd
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
Published: 2019-06-07T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 23

Brooke sat staring out the window in her cramped faculty office. Sunlight filtered through dull blue skies that kept shifting and undulating, more like waves than clouds. It was cool and windy outside, typical for early November, and the air conditioning in the building made her grateful for ‘Old Faithful’, the navy cardigan she kept in her office. Her coffee had grown cold and she couldn’t concentrate.

“Got a minute?” Dr. Gregory said, popping his head inside her door. “Looks like you could use a break anyway.”

“Of course,” Brooke smiled, grateful to see her friend and mentor. “I’ve always got time for you.” Actually, she’d probably been taking too long of a break, staring out the window and pondering what to do about Jacob. Maybe talking to Dr. G would restore her focus on the research she was collecting for her dissertation.

Dr. Gregory came in, dressed in a dark wool sport coat that had seen better days, a pastel blue oxford-cloth shirt, and jeans. With his inquisitive eyes and salt-and-pepper beard, he looked every inch the quintessential professor.

“I brought you a present,” he said, placing a small tower in front of her. Dozens of manila folders, along with several issues of the APA Journal, topped off by half a dozen black hardback books that she recognized as bound library copies of past dissertations, threatened to spill over. Brooke sorted through the pile and skimmed titles, quickly realizing all involved profiling serial killers.

“Wow, thanks,” she said. “Your personal treasure trove? I thought I was supposed to do all my own research for this dissertation.”

“Very funny.” He smiled and sat in the only other chair available, one obviously not intended for his long legs. “Actually, once you dive into that stuff, you’ll realize that most of it is ancient history—cases and theories you’re well aware of. These are just some of my personal materials that I wanted you to review in case you get put on the stand.”

Brooke’s eyes darted up from the page she’d been skimming to read his intent. “What do you mean in case I get ‘put on the stand’?”

“I’ve been called down to Miami to assist the FBI and their state team with the Surfside Killer case. I assume you’ve heard about it?”

“Only a few sound bites and Internet headlines,” she said.

Dr. Gregory nodded and said, “It’s probably worse than they’ve admitted to the press. Four victims this year—all young, working-class women—who were last seen getting off a late shift at work or having a drink in some beachside bar. But reviewing open cases from the past two years, it’s likely this killer has been at work for some time.”

“God, that’s terrible,” said Brooke. She and Dr. Gregory, though accustomed to talking shop about some of the darkest aspects of the psyche, tried never to forget they were talking about actual flesh-and-blood human beings. “So how can I help?”

“Well, depending on how long I’m down there, I may need you to provide expert testimony in the Barton case,” he said.

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