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CHAPTER SIX M.O. Money, M.O. Problems
CHARACTERS
Ben Dover, Age 46 -- newly-hired Criminal Justice Instructor, Kings College
Dr. Adam Klein, Age 54 -- Chairman, Department of Criminal Justice, Kings College
Martin Oberdorf III, Age 20 -- Student at Kings College, President of the on-campus Chapter of the Sons of Purity.
Rhiannon ap Owen, Age 21 -- student
Luke Lonnigan, Age 26 -- student, former Marine
Cory Donovan, Age 21 -- student and surfer boy
"Mr. Dover--or may I call you Ben?" Adam Klein, Chairman of the Criminal Justice Department at Kings College gave his new colleague a warm smile and a friendly handshake. "We really appreciate you coming in to sub for Dr. Young on such short notice! His loss was a real tragedy and he'll be missed. Still, your `real world' experience should be an--interesting--change for our young academicians!"
"My lack of `advanced education isn't going to be a problem is it?" Ben was careful to minimize his folksy accent although some of the Southernisms slipped through. "I heard there were a few--how shall I put this delicately? Objections t' me bein' hired?"
Doctor Klein looked ever so slightly uncomfortable. "Oh, I forgot--you are guesting with your brother and his partner who is our Dean of Students!"
"Is that a problem Doc?"
"Certainly not!" the older man replied. Now he was back on "familiar ground" Klein felt more comfortable. "Being a private school Kings College doesn't have the same hiring restrictions a State school like UC Santa Barbara down the coast does! Yes, there were a few objections to hiring a man without an advanced degree but the courses you will be teaching are subjects with which you are intimately acquainted! Besides--if you weren't able to fill in for these two summer courses the college would find itself in a most awkward position!"
"I'll certainly do m' best!" Ben promised.
Klein stopped at a door labeled NORMAN YOUNG, PhD DEPT. OF CRIMINOLOGY #215 "Ah-hmm--we'll have to have that name plate changed as soon as possible!" he commented.
"Am I s'posed t' be sharin' this Office with anyone?" Ben asked. The big man could hear noises behind the door.
"Ah--no..." Klein looked confused. "The only people who have keys are myself, the Maintenance and Janitorial Staff: Maintenance didn't notify me of a work order for this office and the Janitors don't star work `til after the building closes at 10:00 PM. Why do you ask?"
"Someone is in there!" Ben told the other man. Klein looked surprised as he listened and heard the noises coming from behind the door. "Get b'hind me Dr. Klein!" The Academician was quick to comply as Ben silently opened the door and peeked inside to find a doughy-faced young man clad in full Sons of Purity gear (Long Sleeved black shirt with a white armband bearing a red Maltese Cross over a golden sun, black pants and Doc Martins. He was obliviously rifling through a file cabinet. "Lookin' f'r somethin' Son?"
"Who the fuck are you?" The doughy face had blond hair cut so short you could barely see it, piggy blue eyes set deep in fat rolls and he clearly suffered from "Dunlaps Disease." A profound gut hung over his belt.
"I might ask you th' same question, Son!" Ben growled. "Now--start talkin' b'fore I start roughin' ya up!" The Texan had clothed himself in full "Texas Cop" mode that didn't brook any backtalk. "Who r' you? How didja get in here and what r' ya doin' in MY Office!" he barked.
"My name is Martin Oberdorf III!" the kid said. "My grandfather is a big Donor to this college!"
"That's one question answered!" Ben growled. "Now--what `r' y' doin' in MY Office BOY?"
"Hey Doctor Klein--who is this Fuckhead?" the kid asked, choosing not to answer Ben's question. "Where'd you get this guy--Retards `R' Us?"
Ben briefly considered beating some sense into this entitled little Motherfucker but decided instead to see how his new Boss would treat the situation: it would speak volumes about Klein's character and how the college ran.
"Mr. Oberdorf--this is CAPTAIN Dover--formerly of the Houston Police Department's Narcotics Division," Klein told the young man. "He is Dr Young's replacement and will be taking over his classes for the remainder of the Summer Terms. Your language violates our Code of Conduct. Please address him in a manner befitting his position in this institution!"
"I'm sowwee!" the kid drawled insolently. "I'm sorry you're a Hick who doesn't know his ass from a hole in the ground! Hey--it's not Halloween yet! That's a really STUPID `Pirate' costume! What happened to your eye? Did you shoot it out when you were cleaning your gun?"
"Actually Son, that's a souvenir from when a Mexican Drug Cartel tried t' kill me!" he said blandly. "They're all dead r in Jail now!" Then: "I couldn't help but notice y' failed t' answer Doc Klein's question--care t' elucidate? That's answer' in case y' have got that far in y'r `Word o' th' Day' Calendar!"
"You can tell us or you can tell the Campus Police," the other man said with deceptive mildness.
"Like they're gonna do anything!" young Oberdorf sneered. "Pussies!"
"Son, y' got two choices as I see it!" the Texan drawled. "Y' c'n walk out o' MY Officer `r I c'n grab y' by y'r piggy l'il throat an' drag y'r Lard Ass out o' here an' d'posit ya on th' lawn! PICK ONE!"
The tubby student looked from Ben to Dr. Klein and back to Ben. There was fear in his eyes. "Are you gonna let that hillbilly talk to me like that?" he finally ground out. "My Grandfather donates a TON of money to this pissant college! You best put your dog on a leash!"
"Son--I'd be careful this DAWG don't rip y'r throat out!" Ben growled.
Oberdorf looked for support from the Department Chair but found none. He glanced at Ben, realizing maybe he'd overstepped. In the end the young man backtracked. "Sorry," he said., "I turned in a paper with data for another class! I was just looking for it!"
"You're in my office without my permission." The Texan was careful to watch is words and pronunciation. "Give me your contact information an' I'll happily return anythin' of yours I find. Will that be acceptable?"
"Dude--I NEED those notes!"
"That doesn't give you permission t' toss an Office," Ben told him, still careful to enunciate (almost) every word. "Should I find anything that belongs to you I'll arrange for its prompt return! That's th' best deal you're going to get Son--take it or leave it!"
Oberdorf knew when he was outmatched (for the time being at least) so he finally gave the two men a gruff nod and stomped his way out of the office. "Notice how that young `un never told us how he got in here?" the Texan said.
"I did!" Dr. Klein replied. "I suppose I shall have to have your locks changed as soon as may be."
"Were young Mr. Oberdorf and Dr. Young involved?" the big Texan asked a bit indelicately. "Even as friends?"
"Not that I ever heard!" Klein responded. "Norman Young was an Elder in our local LDS Church who took his job VERY seriously! He was also an absolute stickler for propriety! He wouldn't socialize with ANY student--even a fellow Mormon which young Mr. Oberdorf is not!"
"Do students have keys t' buildings here on Campus?" Ben asked.
"Some..." Klein replied. "Rehearsal Rooms, Labs. That sort of thing! Students shouldn't have access to Instructors' Offices unless they are a Teaching Assistant! And Martin Oberdorf isn't qualified to be anyone's Teaching Assistant!"
"Which means he either stole a key, picked the lock `r bribed one o' th' Staff t' get in here!" Ben said. Klein nodded in agreement. "Now we just hafta find out what Mr. Oberdorf was really after!"
"So, you didn't buy that cock-and-bull story about him being in here looking for an assignment?"
"No Sir!" Ben replied. "This school has students submit their work electronically! If he had an assignment all he'd have had t' do was check th' SENT box on his e-Mail an' pull it right up!" He gave the Department Chair a jaundiced look. "I studied th' `Orientation Materials y'all sent over!"
"Ah-hmm--well..." The Department Chair looked a bit uncomfortable under the Texan's steady blue-eyed gaze. He finally reached into his pocket and gave Ben a small key ring. "These are the keys to your office and classroom," he told the man. "You can use those until we get the locks changed at which point we will issue you new keys..."
Ben stepped into the Office and found it still cluttered with objects from its former occupant. "Did the Police do a sweep in here?"
"Why would they?" Klein looked confused. "Dr. Young died in an--unfortunate auto accident. There's nothing nefarious about his death!"
If there's nothing "nefarious" why was Oberdorf 3.0 tossing the place? Ben wondered to himself. (Klein, for all his "book smarts" clearly lacked a Detective's instincts.) The young Neo-Nazi clearly wanted something bad enough to engage in a little "B&E" or bribery to get into a locked Office where he had no business. What was in there that was so important? Ben realized he'd caught a break: nobody had come to pack the place up after the previous occupant's unfortunate demise. All he had to do was play his cards right...
"So," Ben said casually, "it looks like Dr. Young's things haven't been packed and sent on to his next of kin..."
"I'm afraid that little detail slipped through the cracks," Klein admitted. "We don't often find ourselves replacing an instructor mid-term: I can have some of the Janitorial Staff in here to clean up if you'd like."
"There's no need t' make extra work for em!" Ben said with deceptive mildness. "If they c'n send up some boxes I'd be happy t' pack ever'thin' up and send it on! Since I'm only teachin' two classes f'r Summer Quarter I've got plenty o' time n' I'm happy t' do it!" This would give Ben the perfect excuse to give the office a thorough (and professional) going-over.
"You don't mind?" Klein seemed oddly relieved.
"Not a bit!" Ben replied. "I'm happy t' assist! I want t' be a `team player'!" The Department Chair seemed oddly pleased by this: very likely the man had dealt with a number of "Prima Donnas" who'd have lost their minds at finding another Instructors belonging in THEIR office! For Ben it was a Golden Opportunity not to be missed: he could give the office a thorough examination while he packed up everything without fear of disturbance or recrimination. For the ex-Narcotics Officer this was perfect! "Get me th' boxes an' were good t' go!"
Once Dr. Klein was gone the Texan set about to give the place a thorough examination. Oberdorf 3.0 was going through the files so Ben started there but all he found were several years of tests and lesson plans. Those things would be useful in his new position but the man rather doubted that's what the intruder was looking for. Ben used his phone to photograph several pages for later study then moved on.
The desk yielded much more useful information: it was clear Norman Young was a man with an orderly mind and a sense of tidiness that bordered on the obsessive. You could almost use a ruler to line up each object on the desk: everything was laid out to perfection in a grid pattern. (Ben found himself wondering how the good Doctor would have reacted should someone have been so bold as to move his oh-so-carefully arranged items out of place. The bottom draw had a lock (to which Dr. Klein had thoughtfully provided a key) and that's where Ben struck pay dirt.
Buried beneath a collection of answer keys was a battered old Day Planner. Tucked into the pocket were several pages of neatly-penned and dated notes. The first, dated roughly a year ago, read; M.O. DONATES 5 M. TO COLLEGE. OK--M.O. Martin Oberdorf? Was he trying to buy his son/grandson into the College? If so--why? Kings College put the LIBERAL in Liberal Arts so why would an Archconservative like Oberdorf Sr. and Jr. want to send their family scion here? (Wouldn't Oral Roberts University be a better fit?)
Ben read on: next he found a passage that read: VISIT FROM M.O. TODAY--MOST DISTURBING. Dr. Young didn't elucidate what had disturbed him so the Texan continued reading. ANOTHER VISIT FROM M.O.: ATTEMPTED BRIBERY (WHICH I REFUSED!) So, the Mysterious M.O. had tried to bribe Dr. Young--next question "why?" The Texan found himself wishing for a moment of Awen that would answer his questions but it never came. Ah well, he decided, the Awen didn't work that way. At least not for him...
ANOTHER VISIT FROM M.O. was an entry dated a few weeks later. MORE $$$ OFFERED. Ben was growing frustrated: clearly "M.O." wanted SOMETHING Dr. Young could provide--now what was it? How could he find the answer?
That came in the next note. M.O. VISITED AGAIN!!! This time the last word was underlined. TOLD HIM THE CAMPUS CHARTER WOULD NOT ALLOW WHAT HE WISHED NO MATTER HOW MUCH $$$ HE OFFERED!!!
Things began to click into place for the big Texan: M.O. (he assumed it was a Martin Oberdorf) wanted to change the rules that governed Kings College. (Ben remembered Nils saying Dr. Young was a mover-and-shaker in the Faculty Senate. He headed the "Conservative" Faction of the group which fought hard to keep the institution from becoming "too progressive". Yes, that would fit with Oberdorf Sr. and Jr.'s belief system: if you were female, LGBTQ or a Minority you didn't belong in their world!
Ben found another entry dated four days after the last one: M.O. MEETS WITH S.F.: VERY CONTENTIOUS! Sebastian Fredricks had been a big Donor to the College as well as Chairman of the College Board of Trustees until his death. Why was their meeting so contentious?
The answer, or at least some of it, came in a note dated two weeks after the last one. S.F. CAME TO ME ASKING FOR HELP. SAYS M.O. IS THREATENING HIM. HE FEARS FOR HIS LIFE--AS DO I. THERE was the connection he'd been looking for! Now--did Norman Young fear for just Sebastian Fredricks life or his own as well? Damn English for being an imprecise language!
Another note dated the next day intrigued Ben. M.O. MET WITH R.Z. WANTING TO CHANGE THE COLLEGE CHARTHER. R.Z. IS HAVING NONE OF IT. MEETING DID NOT END WELL. Now--who is/was R.Z.? At least now the former Detective had a good idea of what Martin Oberdorf wanted: he was out to amend the School Charter.
Not that it would have done him any good--Valerie Seabolt-Clifton was responsible for the founding of Kings College back in the early 1950s after the suicide of her much-beloved only son, Ben knew the boy had been much troubled by his homosexuality and had been bullied for most of his life: Mrs. Seabolt-Clifton had decided to create a "safe space" where students like her son could get a quality education without fear. She had donated ten billion dollars to create Kings College (and, in fact, the Seabolt-Clifton Trust still owned the land the campus was built on) but she had included in the School Charter that there would be NO DISCRIMINATION based on race, gender, sexual preference, religion or nationality.
Ben realized he'd need to do some research into the legalities of the Charter: Kings College was in a rather precarious position--it owned the buildings but the land they sat on was owned by the Trust. What would happen to the College if the Charter was amended? Ben suspected the institution would be forced to relocate or close its doors--which might be what Martin Oberdorf was after! Kings College, after all, stood for everything he was opposed to--gender and racial equality and freedom of expression. At least now he had a motive. Ben knew Oberdorf and his friends had the resources to pull off multiple murders. Now all he had to do was prove opportunity and he had a case!
Ben took a final look at himself in the bathroom mirror before heading into his first class: the brown curls on the top of his head were slightly tousled but still neat. The eye patch nicely concealed the scar on that side of his face. His beefy torso was encased in a short-sleeve Chambray shirt with a "Rep Tie" in several shades of blue and a little gold that tied in nicely with his khaki Dockers. Carefully polished brown boots and a heavy gold watch completed the ensemble: Ben decided he looked acceptable for his first day at a new job.
The big Texan stepped into the classroom to give his students a quick once-over. The class was about two-to-one in favor of men (not surprising since those taking this course were likely to be heading toward careers with the Police or as Prosecutors. Most of the class was pretty standard issue--short hair, neatly if casually dressed, and well built. There were a few standouts that quickly drew his attention though.
Martin Oberdorf III slouched in the back of the room in all his Sons of Purity glory and he had a pair of matching attendants on either side: all three were busy playing with their cell phones. Off to one side a well-upholstered young Earth Goddess with long red hair of a shade never found in nature stood out like a parrot among a flock of crows. Ben found himself wondering if she was in the right class. Front and center slouched a muscular young beach God, bare-footed with long and muscular tanned legs that were mostly on display in scandalously short shorts. A tank top showed off a lot of nicely developed chest and well-muscled arms which were just as deeply tanned as the legs. He had a lazy smirk on his face and Ben knew from the jump that this kid was going to be trouble.
Right near the center of the class sat a very well-built young man with short yet wavy blond hair. He had a broad square-jawed face that went perfectly with his heavily-muscled body. This one seemed slightly older and more attentive than the others which made Ben wonder what his story might be.
Ben stepped up to the center whiteboard and wrote MR. DOVER CRIMINAL JUSTICE 335. "I will be teachin' this class f'r th' remainder o' th' Semester," he said. "If anyone is in th' wrong classroom now is a good time t' vamoose!" He looked half-expectantly at the scarlet-haired "hippie chick" but she stayed in her chair.
Oberdorf 3.0 raised his hand. "Dover--are you any relation to that fag Druid Bio instructor? He asked with a smarmy grin.
"Dr Dover is m' brother..." Ben said, choosing (for the moment at least) not to engage the student on his level.
"Are you a fag Druid too?" This question came from one of Oberdorf's cronies. There were nervous titters from about half the class.
The Texan fixed the student with a hard and cold blue gaze. The Son of Purity broke first. Ben carefully enunciated his response. "My religion n' sexual preference r' irrelevant t' th' subject at hand. This is CJ 335. Are there any questions related to that?
"I noticed you introduced yourself as MISTER Dover--not DOCTOR Dover..." This came from the Hippie Chick. "I thought all instructors at Kings College were required to have at least ONE Doctorate. When will you be completing yours?"
"I won't," Ben said flatly. This caused more nervous laughter.
"So--what qualifies you to teach this class," the girl challenged.
Ben looked at his roll sheet. "You would be?" he asked.
"Rhiannon ap Owen."
"Interestin' name Miss..." Ben drawled. "Didja make it up yourself?" Most of the class burst out laughing.
"Ooh--that fat dude burned you!" This came from the barely-dressed surfer boy front and center.
"I'd appreciate an answer to my question," the girl snapped.
"Very well Ma'am," Ben said. "I am a High School graduate. After graduation I enlisted in th' United States Army and remained their f'r eight years--six of which were served with th' Rangers. I retired with th' rank of Master Sergeant. After I left th' Army I signed on t' th' Houston Police Department as a Patrol Officer. I remained f'r th' next nineteen years. I left Houston PD with the Rank o' Captain and Chief of th' Narcotics Division. This course is Police Procedures: I have taught this to ACTUAL Patrol Officers and I have reviewed Dr. Young's notes! I believe I'm more `n qualified t' be y'r instructor. Is that satisfactory Ms. ap Owen?"
"Captain Dover has real world experience." This came from the Captain America clone. "He's done this work under actual conditions. I think we should give him a chance. Some of you wet-behind-the-ears punks might learn something!"
"God, Lonnigan, you're a kiss-ass!" Oberdorf commented. The Captain America clone merely made loud kissing noises which made the class laugh. Oberdorf looked none too pleased to be made the butt of a joke.
"CAN we get on with it?" Ben said. "Time's a-wastin'!"
When class was over most of the students couldn't get out of the classroom quick enough but the Captain America clone stopped by his desk. "Thank you for your Service Sir," he said, snapping Ben a smart and military-perfect salute.
"An' you are," the Texan asked.
"Luke Lonnigan, Sir," the young man replied. He had a midwestern accent.
"Did you serve?" Ben wanted to know.
"Yes Sir," Lonnigan replied. "United States Marines--I did two tours in Afghanistan."
"Thank you f'r YOUR service Son," Ben said with a smile. "I was wondering if y' served: you've got that bearin'..."
"Eight years Sir," Luke told him, "just like you. I didn't make promotion after my second terms so I decided to go to school. I applied all over the country but when I was accepted here, I jumped at the chance!"
"God Lonnigan, why don't you just suck his dick already?" This came from the surfer boy who had been showing himself off the entire class. "That's what I plan to do to make sure I get top grades!"
Ben looked at the young man and frowned. "Name!" he snapped.
The boy looked surprised and a bit uncomfortable. "Donovan," he said, "Cory Donovan!" Now that he was close to the Instructor, he found himself rather unsettled and just a bit afraid.
"Well, Donovan, Cory Donovan," Ben said, looking at the boy with one hard eye. "I b'lieve in professionalism--even if that's a foreign concept t' you! There will be NO dick-sucking f'r grades in my class! Are we clear on that?"
"Yes Sir!" Cory snapped a salute that wasn't nearly as professional as was Luke's but then he grinned. Ben sighed. This was going to be a very long semester.
END CHAPTER SIX