Law School Murders: A Young Man Stood Up

Ink dried quickly. Her smile didn’t vanish like the permanence of her signature. A billboard with her and a pistol and handcuffs stood right next to the table.

The book had been in the works before the frat brothers had been murdered. It was right after the acquittal from the Susan case.

“I wanted to be you when I was little. I followed your whole career,” the girl was probably seventeen years old. Kim didn’t feel threatened or bothered. She agreed to a joint photograph with the young lady. The girl bought a book. Kim looked at the manager to the glorious box store which smelled like paper and coffee grounds.

“Alright, ladies and gentlemen. Let’s thank Professor Jergensen for her appearance here.” Applause followed. Kim checked her bank account and saw the numbers swell. She smirked. When she got to her car, she noticed that someone had keyed it. She didn’t feel angry or vulnerable. Instead, she considered buying a Goulding and to park in the security guarded garage. Until then, though, she had to ride with battle scars. Her detective senses prompted her to check her tires which were slashed and if anything was taken from the vehicle. Nothing had been stolen.

Kim then called for a wrecker and decided to ride share for the night. This would be the last time she would put herself in this position. By taking every precaution to keep herself alive, she still retained her Marine sensibility, her detective thoughts, and even a bit of training from the Academy.

As she returned to her walk-up, she held on to a .22 pistol she kept in her shoulder holster, she expected anything after her brief encounter with damage to her property.

Dreams came to her and she felt leaden in her sleep. She awoke. When she looked at herself in the mirror, she knew what she was looking at but wanted to know how to go back to sleep. Was this a panic attack, a night terror, or both?

The next morning, she was slightly off her game due to sleep deprivation. The students didn’t pick up on it. This wasn’t her first time being without sleep and still had a job to fulfill.

“Who can tell me why the perpetrator waited until the last person to kill to alert the authorities? Why did he wait past the two other murders?”

“Because he wanted a higher body count than the previous Delaware serial killer. He wanted to look at Amanda as an achievement. She was like a feather in his cap.”

“Are there any other suggestions?”

A young woman, flowing black hair with epicanthic folds and high cheekbones stood.

“He just wanted an odd number.”

“Yes. That is the answer. He had an OCD that made him only want odd numbers. If he had carrots and celery, there always had to be an odd number. This started in childhood. He wanted to always make things ‘odd’ like him,” Kim explained. “Now, with his seventh and final victim, he took on the cops willingly and without resistance. He’s still doing time in federal maximum security prison in Colorado. He has a legion of female friends and was even married behind bars. He divorced but married again, three times in total to keep the odd number of wives count in check. Rue committed these crimes for everyone else. What does that mean?”

A silence blanketed the lecture hall. Then, a young man stood up.

“He was selfless and destructive,” he said.

“Right on target. That is why any fraudster, thief, murderer, or rapist is dealing with. While motives change, the thrust behind their actions is unselfishness and tearing down lives.”