The Campus Killer (Detective Ali Ryan Series Book 1) Read online

  The Campus Killer

  By Andrew Hess

  Published by Phoenix Entertainment and Development 2015

  Chapter 1…………………..Page 7

  Chapter 2…………………..Page 10

  Chapter 3…………………..Page 12

  Chapter 4…………………..Page 15

  Chapter 5…………………..Page 17

  Chapter 6…………………..Page 20

  Chapter 7…………………..Page 23

  Chapter 8…………………..Page 25

  Chapter 9…………………..Page 28

  Chapter 10………………….Page 31

  Chapter 11………………….Page 33

  Chapter 12………………….Page 36

  Chapter 13………………….Page 38

  Chapter 14………………….Page 40

  Chapter 15………………….Page 43

  Chapter 16………………….Page 46

  Chapter17………………….Page 48

  Chapter18………………….Page 51

  Chapter 19………………….Page 53

  Chapter 20………………….Page 56

  Chapter 21………………….Page 58

  Chapter 22………………….Page 60

  Chapter 23………………….Page 62

  Chapter 24………………….Page 63

  Chapter 25………………….Page 65

  Chapter 26………………….Page 67

  Chapter 27………………….Page 69

  Chapter 28………………….Page 71

  Chapter 29………………….Page 72

  Chapter 30………………….Page 73

  Chapter 31………………….Page 75

  Chapter 32………………….Page 78

  Chapter 33………………….Page 79

  Chapter 34………………….Page 81

  Chapter 35………………….Page 83

  Chapter 36………………….Page 85

  Chapter 37………………….Page 86

  Chapter 38………………….Page 88

  Chapter 39………………….Page 90

  Chapter 40………………….Page 92

  Chapter 41………………….Page 94

  Chapter 42………………….Page 97

  Chapter 43………………….Page 101

  Chapter 44………………….Page 104

  Chapter 45………………….Page 106

  Chapter 46………………….Page 109

  Chapter 47………………….Page 111

  Chapter 48………………….Page 113

  Chapter 49………………….Page 114

  Chapter 50………………….Page 117

  Chapter 51…………………. Page 119

  Chapter 52………………….Page 122

  Chapter 53………………….Page 127

  Chapter 54………………….Page 129

  Chapter 55………………….Page 131

  Chapter 56………………….Page 133

  Chapter 57………………….Page 135

  Chapter 58………………….Page 137

  Chapter 59………………….Page 140

  Chapter 60………………….Page 141

  Chapter 61………………….Page 143

  Chapter 62………………….Page 145

  Chapter 63………………….Page 147

  Chapter64………………….Page 150

  Chapter 65………………….Page 152

  Chapter 66………………….Page 155

  Chapter 67………………….Page 157

  Chapter 68………………….Page 159

  Chapter 69………………….Page 160

  Chapter 70………………….Page 162

  Chapter 71………………….Page 163

  Chapter 72………………….Page 165

  Chapter 73………………….Page 167

  Chapter 74………………….Page 170

  Chapter 75………………….Page 173

  Chapter 76………………….Page 176

  Chapter 77………………….Page 177

  Chapter 78………………….Page 179

  Chapter 79………………….Page 181

  Chapter 80………………….Page 184

  Chapter 81………………….Page 185

  Chapter 82………………….Page 187

  Chapter 83………………….Page 188

  Chapter 84………………….Page 190

  Chapter 85………………….Page 191

  Chapter 86………………….Page 193

  Chapter 87………………….Page 195

  Chapter 88………………….Page 199

  Chapter 89………………….Page 200

  Chapter 90………………….Page 202

  Chapter 91………………….Page 203

  Chapter 92………………….Page 205

  Chapter 93………………….Page 206

  Chapter 94…………………. Page 209

  Chapter 95…………………. Page 211

  Chapter 96…………………. Page 213

  Chapter 97…………………. Page 216

  Chapter 98…………………. Page 217

  Chapter 99…………………. Page 219

  Chapter 100………………… Page 221

  Chapter 101………………… Page 222

  Chapter 102………………… Page 225

  Chapter 103………………… Page 227

  Chapter 104………………… Page 230

  Chapter 105………………… Page 231

  Chapter 106………………… Page 233

  Chapter 107………………… Page 234

  Chapter 108………………… Page 237

  Chapter 109………………… Page 239

  Chapter 110………………… Page 242

  Chapter 111………………… Page 243

  Chapter 112………………… Page 245

  Chapter 113………………… Page 250

  Chapter 114………………… Page 251

  Chapter 115………………… Page 252

  Chapter 116………………… Page 255

  Chapter 117………………… Page 257

  Chapter 118………………… Page 259

  Chapter 119………………… Page 261

  Chapter 120………………… Page 264

  Chapter 121………………… Page 265

  Chapter 122………………… Page 267

  Chapter 123………………… Page 269

  Chapter 124………………… Page 273

  Epilogue…………………..... Page 275

  Chapter 1

  It was a bright sunny day in August of 2006. The birds were chirping loudly outside the bedroom windows as the town of New Paltz sat quietly; waiting for the new school year to begin. For a few hundred students, this would be their first year on campus; their first taste of freedom, they would meet new people and would make memories that would last forever. For so many more, it was a return to their boring classes; late night cram sessions till four in the morning for a class that began at eight and of course lots of parties. But there was one man in particular who was chomping at the bit for the school year to begin. In fact, he planned on making it the most memorable year ever.

  He was an average sized man in his early twenties and typically had short brown hair that stood on end in the back with a small curl in front. His thick black glasses gave him a geeky appearance, but all
of that was about to change.

  He entered a three story house from the front door and looked around nervously before climbing the narrow stairs to his apartment; room fourteen. Sweat dripped down his forehead as he carried three large bags. The plastic handles stretched and ripped until they dropped below his knees causing him to nearly trip over them as he fumbled with his keys.

  The lock struggled to turn until he heard the sound of the bolt unlock the dirty white door. He flung the bags quickly onto his unkempt bed next to the red comforter that was still rolled in a ball at the foot where he left it that morning.

  “Shit, I knew I should’ve left the windows open,” he said as he felt the sticky heat of the eighty five degree weather which by midday made his room feel like a sauna.

  He looked around his apartment. It was a rundown oversized bedroom that was converted into a studio apartment. There was hardly any furniture except for a small black metal desk that sat behind the door with his TV on it, a corkboard that hung over an old wooden dresser, a small refrigerator, an old disgusting stove, and a wooden table with two matching chairs that sat on a sloping floor.

  “I need to get out of this hell hole,” he grunted as he pulled the windows up; letting a warm gentle breeze flow throughout the room. “Can this place get any hotter?”

  “Did you hear the weather for tomorrow,” a woman’s voice shouted from the hall.

  He turned around to see Jess, a neighbor that lived in the room across from his. She was petite with short reddish brown hair that came to the middle of her neck. She was in a pair of blue short shorts and white tank top. His eyes hit the floor and rolled up; carefully taking in every inch of her body before looking her in the eyes.

  “Hey Jess, how’s it going?”

  “It’d be better if they let us put air conditioners in our apartments. It’s supposed to be ninety tomorrow.”

  “Great, I think I’ll just spend the day sitting under the cold water in my shower.” He glanced over at the closet sized shower with glass doors and thought about how difficult it was to stand inside; let alone sit there for hours.

  Jess laughed and stepped inside the man’s room. “Looks like someone went on a little shopping spree. What’d ya get?”

  He snapped his head back and jumped in front of the bags; shielding them with his body. “Just a few things before the semester begins; some new clothes and books. I figured I’d get them out of the way before the school store opens the gates of hell.” He emphasized the last few words; adding a dramatic effect.

  Jess laughed and thought about the long lines they faced every semester. “I tried finding the books I needed online, but only two of my classes had them listed.”

  “I guess you’ll be down there with the rest of the animals.”

  Jess scowled at him before walking further into the room examining her neighbor extensively with her hypnotic green eyes.

  “There’s something different about you.”

  His paranoia seeped in; making him question if she figured out he was planning something fiendish. Maybe she noticed the change in his demeanor or maybe she saw the black gloves and mask sitting in the shopping bags or maybe…

  “You got a haircut,” she said with a smile; checking out the shorter brown hair spiked up with gel in it. “I like it. It brings out the green in your eyes.”

  “But my eyes are hazel.”

  “They look a little more green today then they usually do.” Jess stared into his eyes for a few moments.

  “What are you doing for dinner,” he asked.

  Jess looked at the time on a nearby clock and saw it was a quarter after three. “Shit, I’m gonna be late. Sorry, I’m supposed to be at work in fifteen minutes. I’ll see you tonight when I get back.”

  Jess ran out the door; leaving the man behind. His lips curled into a smile as he considered the possibility of dating Jess; even scoring one date with her would mean the world to him.

  He closed the door and hurried to a long mirror that hung over the kitchen/bathroom sink that was filled with dirty dishes. He looked at his reflection; admiring his new hairstyle and the twenty pounds he lost over the summer.

  “Time to get rid of the geek,” he whispered as he opened the first bag; pulling out a small blue box. He tossed his glasses onto the counter and popped two contacts in his eyes. They filled with tears instantly; turning his hazel eyes into a brighter shade of green.

  He was beaming with confidence; something he never had in the past. He looked at the flyer taped to the fridge. The bottom of the flyer had a broken picture frame with a black and white photo of a man with glasses lying on the floor. The same man stood over it; dressed to the nine in an Armani suit with a hot blond wrapped around his arm. The bold caption read: Find the Success You Want.

  He pulled it off the fridge and stared at it; remembering the rainy Thursday afternoon during his sophomore year when he exited the Lecture Hall and found the flyer posted on each of the bulletin boards. He had broken up with his girlfriend of three years; the same girl he moved to New Paltz to be with. They had fought about him not being the kind of man she wanted. She wanted someone with confidence; someone that could treat her right; someone who had ambition and passion in his life. None of that described him until the day he found that flyer.

  “I guess I don’t need you anymore.” The man tore up the paper into tiny pieces and threw them into the tall beige trash can next to the sink.

  A calendar rested above his head with two dates circled in red marker. The first was marked for August 23rd, the first day of school. The other was circled multiple times; creating a bullseye over September 1st. He placed his finger on the target and smiled before returning to his desk.

  The drawers creaked out a loud high pitched noise; worse than nails running along a chalk board. He shivered as a chill ran down his body. His hand slipped into the drawer and pulled out a small wrinkled piece of paper with four names written in black ink. He stared at the names intensely and whispered to himself.

  “Vengeance will be mine.” He pulled the bags closer to the desk; removing the new clothes and placed them on the bed. “I think it’s time for Mark Thompson to make his debut.”

  Chapter 2

  September 1st 2006, a day no one in New Paltz would ever forget. It was typically marked as the official end of summer; a party at a local house on South Oakwood that kicked off the new school year. Returning students anticipated the first Friday of the fall semester; while freshmen jumped at the opportunity to go.

  Mark Thompson sat eagerly in his new Civic, down the block from the large white house. He wore his tight blue jeans, black tank top, and a black button down that he kept unbuttoned. This was his night. He was debuting his new look while setting a trap to take the life of his first victim.

  Mark watched the cars driving slowly up to the house searching for nearby parking spots; their music blasting loudly through the rolled up windows as crowds of college students gathered in the front yard of the Oakwood party house. There was one group in particular his eyes focused on which raised the corners of his mouth.

  Mark clapped his hands excitedly. “She’s here.” He scrambled out of his car and hurried up the road; passing lines of parked cars until he stood in front of the large beat up looking white house with peeling white painted railings. The bass pumped loudly throughout the house; letting small bursts of music out every time the door opened.

  Mark approached the door; finding a six foot three inch monster standing in the doorway. His muscles bulged through his tight black t-shirt as he blocked the entrance.

  A smaller red headed man sat on the stool in front of him with a metal tin placed on his lap. “Money and ID,” the red headed man said sternly.

  “How much,” Mark replied while handing him his driver’s license; wondering if they would question his picture.

  “Ten bucks to get in. You get one red cup for the keg; you’ll find it in the backyard. We got dollar shots in the kitchen.” He checked the ID briefl
y; handed it back and collected the money before putting a blue band around Mark’s wrist.

  Mark nodded that he understood, but none of it mattered to him. He wasn’t there to drink like the rest of the fools. He had only one thing on his mind and knew it was only a matter of time before he found her.

  There were over forty people crammed inside the house; dancing to the deafening music with red cups in their hands. Mark scanned the crowd for his target; finding a group of women grinding on each other while a circle of men gawked at them like lions stalking their prey.

  “Maybe this wasn’t the best idea,” he mumbled. Mark entered the kitchen; finding a table of students playing flip cup inside the kitchen. “This is a fucking waste of time.” The back door opened; letting Mark see the crowd gathered on the back porch. “She’s gotta come out here at some point.”

  Mark swiftly maneuvered his way through the kitchen; dodging the drunks as they nearly spilled their beer all over him. He slipped through the door; finding a rail thin girl being lifted upside down as she put the keg spout in her mouth; slurping down beer.

  Mark hid himself behind the group of college boys standing behind her. “Party time!” the crowd cheered and applauded as beer spilled from the girl’s mouth. They returned her to her feet and congratulated her for being the first girl to do a keg stand. But Mark knew what they were thinking; this girl was ready to get laid.

  Mark narrowed his sights on the girl as she stumbled towards the house. Not tonight boys. She’s mine.

  The girl brushed passed by Mark. Her black ponytail brushed under his chin as if telling him to come and get her. It was a game to him. He stalked her all night; noting how much she drank, who she hung out with, and when she left. He spent most of the night ten feet away and she never remembered who he was or the time they spent hanging out during freshman and sophomore years. In fact no one could. His makeover was the perfect disguise.

  “Hey Rachel,” a girl shouted over the music. The dark haired girl turned around; her face flashed on Mark momentarily as she turned to her friend. “It’s getting late. We should get going.”

  Rachel downed the last of her beer and placed the cup on a counter top. The students became a blur as she followed her friends out the door. Mark’s face twisted into a sadistic smile as he threw his cup away and exited the party.