Under Control…
Part Three
The immediate reaction to Dave’s death announcement was
chaos. Some girl on the other side of the room screamed then began loudly
crying, several kids tried to rush the door to escape and a few simply sat,
stunned. The librarian grabbed several sheets of paper from the printer, taping
them over the door windows as she turned the deadbolt lock.
Dick Grayson slipped out his cell phone and called Bruce—or rather Robin called
Batman, filling him in on what had just happened. “I just heard there’s been
another killing, I’ll see what I can find out; it could be a rumor but more
police are here and an ambulance just drove up. I’ll call you as soon as I learn
more.”
But the school, of course, was on lock down and unless he was willing to make
the change to Robin—in broad daylight and out himself as a student at Brixton,
he had to sit and wait just like every other student. It was frustrating, but it
was either sit on his hands or reveal his identity. For now, at least.
So he waited, doing what little he could to find out details. According to the
rumors flying through texting, tweeting and phones, Dave was found in the
walk-in refrigerator, his shirt torn opened. The room was supposed to a mess,
boxes and cans of food thrown around and probably caused by Dave’s fighting for
his life.
Police were walking the hallways and the K-9 unit back again looking for—well,
who knew what they were looking? Weapons? Drugs? A stray killer looking for the
bathroom?
Meanwhile, as twenty, thirty and finally forty-five minutes went by area outside
the main gate became jammed with distraught parents tried to get their children.
News vans blocked the residential street and reporters tried to interview and
get statements from anyone they could. This was going out live, someone found
and turned on a TV up by the librarian’s desk and the hostages crowded around.
“A student’s death is shaking this quiet, up-scale community for the second
time in two days as…”
“Panicked parents are converging on Brixton Academy this afternoon as we wait
information…”
“No word from authorities regarding rumors of another young person’s murder this
afternoon…”
There was a knock on the library door, startling and frightening several of the
students locked inside. The librarian lifted a corner of the paper, looked
through the small, wire-reinforced window and slipped the lock open. A Brixton
Officer came in, obviously shaken but trying for authoritative.
“The halls have been checked and are clear so I’m going to lead you outside;
stay with me, move quickly and quietly. When we get to the main door walk
straight out and keep going. Go home but don’t travel alone—no one travels
alone, do you understand me? If you don’t think anyone will be at your home or
if you have to walk by yourself, either go to a friend’s house or stay with the
crowd until we get buses here to transport anyone who needs it to the station.
We have a safe room set up for you to wait there until someone you know can get
you. I don’t care if you live half a block from the school—no one goes home
unescorted or to an empty house. Okay, let’s go.”
They did as they were told, joining other groups of students also being led out
under escort. The students, all young teenagers, were scared, a number of them
crying and larger number in shock with several close to panic.
Outside, Dick looked back at the school, the threat wasn’t the same as, say
Columbine where there were random shootings. The victims were either found or
taken to a secluded area, overpowered and killed. This wasn’t the work of an out
of control shooter. This was the result of someone who had planned out what they
were going to do in advance, had made plans and preparations, someone who was
familiar with the layout of the building.
A student? A disgruntled employee?
He didn’t know—yet. Dick saw the Bentley about a hundred yards down the line of
parked cars, Alfred looking anxious as he scanned the kids then suddenly
relieved when he caught sight of ‘the young Master’. Pushing his way past a
reporter and camera crew, ignoring their questions, ‘Were you terrified? Did you
know either of the victims?’, he took hold of Dick’s arm, pulling him in the
direction of the car.
The drive was silent; Alfred letting Dick set the tone of the ride. Finally, the
car in the garage and the overhead door closed behind them, Dick looked over,
both still sitting in the front seat, the engine off. He noticed how unusual it
was for Alfred to allow one of ‘the family’ to not use the front door as was
proper, proof of how upset the old man was.
“I’m more sorry than I can say, truly, I am.”
“The kid who was killed today? Dave? I knew him, he changed next to me in gym,
he was a good guy.” Dick’s hand was around the door handle tight enough to turn
his knuckles white. “It’s an inside job, it has to be. I mean it has to be
someone who knows about the school, knows the layout, knows how the place works;
this isn’t random. I think Dave and Amy were targeted.”
“Then you know what you have to do.”
He hesitated for the briefest moment. “I know, I’ll see what I can find on my
own until he gets home.”
“I spoke with Master Bruce just before I left to get you just now, he said that
the DNA has been analyzed—the same person who killed Miss Stanford is also
responsible for the murder in Akhram Acres last week.”
Serial killer, that was no surprise and it was hardly their first. Batman and
Robin had to catch whoever was doing this and they had to do it before there was
another death.
Before dinner they received an automated phone can from the school; “Good
evening, this is Principal Gatling. We are all aware of the terrible events at
Brixton Academy over the last two days, because of this the Board has decided to
suspend all classes, clubs, meetings and the athletic schedule until Monday, the
seventeenth. You will be contacted should there be any changes or additions to
this decision. Our hearts and prayers go out to Amy Stanford and David Metcalf’s
families and friends, we grieve with them and I know you all join me in sharing
with them our deepest sympathy and condolences. I’m sure you all know that
everything possible is being done to bring the person or persons responsible for
these heinous acts to justice. Thank you and be safe.”
Bruce took the practical view of this, “So, more time to crack this case.”
Dick shook his head. “No, this guy is targeting the school, now he’ll either lay
low until we’re back in session or find another school to hit; this isn’t over
and I don’t think he’ll take a break.”
Dick went straight down to the cave, working the computer, learning what he
could, hacking into Brixton’s police computers when he heard footsteps, Bruce
was home. He leaned over Dick’s shoulder, looking at the monitor and speaking.
“By the way, did you hear that the DNA results are in? It was the same person at
Brixton and at AA.”
“I heard, we know it’s the same guy.”
“But the tests were inclusive beyond that.”
“What?”
“‘Lab screwed up; no blood typing, no gender.”
“So redo the testing.”
Bruce shook his head. “’Can’t, not enough material to try again.”
Dick exhaled in exasperation. “…Incredible. I hope the cops are watching the
neighboring schools now since Brix is shut down. I know what I said yesterday,
but this is almost starting to feel personal; this guy is in my space now.”
Bruce held up his hand. “I know this is hitting close to home but you were right
yesterday; don’t let your emotions get in your way. Of course you want to solve
this, but don’t get in your own way.”
Dick nodded. “I know, I won’t. Don’t worry about it, I’m good.” Privately he
thought that this was a little like when he found Donna’s birth mother for her.
That was personal and so was this. A couple of weeks ago he’d gone over to
Dave’s house with some of the guys from school, it hadn’t been anything major,
just hanging and pizza but they liked one another. If things were different,
maybe they’d have been real friends.
This was Thursday; they had tomorrow and the weekend before school was back in
session, at least probably.
Three and a half days to solve this and make an arrest.
It was winter, getting dark early and so Batman and Robin were out and about by
seven that evening. They searched the Brixton Academy area with a fine tooth
comb, using scans for blood, found trace amounts of chloroform again (something
the police seemed to somehow have missed completely) in and around the kitchen
and walk-in fridge. The searched for ore traces of the killer’s DNA, finding
some stray hairs which proved to match the Akhram Acres DNA.
Then, reading those results down in the cave, Robin called over to Batman on the
other computer. “It’s a woman.”
“Excuse me?”
“According to this, the killer’s a woman. That would help explain why she used
the chloroform—it would knock out the victims fast; they wouldn’t know what hit
them.”
“’Makes sense. And since the school was in lock down when Dave was killed, I
think you may also be right about it being someone in the school, or at least
someone who wouldn’t raise any suspicions. Good work, Dick.”
“So, a teacher? A cop there to protect the students?”
Dick nodded. “Maybe. Let’s see who was there yesterday, pull up the
faculty/staff list for Brixton. I’ll see if there are any women on the local
force then see if anyone seems to have any motives or reason to go down this
road.”
* * *
The next day, Friday, other schools in the area the ones within a fifteen miles
radius had all decided to take the situation seriously. The various local police
departments had stationed officers at all the local school, high, middle and
elementary schools in case the murderer decided to vary his victim’s age. The
absentee rate was twice the norm.
TBC