“Nasty stuff, that. I lived through the Satanic panic in the eighties. It was a load of overblown rubbish if you ask me, but some crazies took it a bit too seriously. You still get the occasional criminal Satanist these days but they’re…”
The screen pinged and interrupted Hunter’s spiel. 0 RESULTS FOUND.
“Damn, sorry girl. End of the line.”
Ella cast her head back towards the ceiling. Disappointment again. “Like I said, it was a long shot. Thanks for trying.” Ella headed back to the door.
“Hold up a second,” the sheriff called. “You’ve got my mind whirring.”
Ella spun around then held on to the doorframe, hoping the sheriff had a miracle up his sleeve. “I’m all ears.”
“Santeria. I’ve heard that word before. Where have I heard it?”
Ella shrugged. “Could be a million places. It’s banned in this country. Maybe something to do with that?”
Hunter threw his glasses on the table then tapped the back of his head against his chair. “No, no. There was a case a few years ago. I remember it because it reminded of that guitar player. Santana.”
Hope sprung anew. Ella felt the rush. “A case involving Santeria? You’re kidding?”
“No siree. Hold on. Let me work my magic.” Hunter typed away, frustratingly slow. “There was a kid. Some grad student. He’d flipped a lid and tried to kill his professor.”
“A kid? Like a teenager?”
“More like twenties. How old are kids in their last year of college? Twenty-one?”
“Yeah, more or less,” she said.
Hunter’s computer pinged. “Bam. Look who won the pony. Check this out.” He waved his hand in excitement.
Ella rushed over and glared at the screen. 1 RESULT FOUND. Hunter clicked into the listing and up came a mugshot of an acne-ridden boy, dirty black hair covering his forehead. He had that dead-eye look, like he’d definitely stomped on a few small animals in his time.
“Holy cow. Who’s this guy? What did he do?”
“This my friend is Daniel Garcia. Twenty-one years old, lives right here in Elsmere. This lunatic attacked his professor sometime last year, tried to kill him. We were called to the university to sort things out.”
Ella scanned his file. He looked like a puny figure, someone easily able to sneak in and out of places without being seen. And it looked like he had a penchant for aggression too.
“He fits the profile, but what’s this got to do with Santeria?” Ella asked.
The sheriff clicked onto the next page and scrolled through the notes. “There. The bottom section. Have a read of that.”
Ella did, and couldn’t quite believe what she was seeing.
“Oh… damn.”
“Told you.”
A few seconds later, she was back in her office with car keys in hand.
***
During her rush to the car, she’d run into Byford outside the police precinct. She hadn’t told him everything, just that they needed to check someone out pronto. Ella drove while Byford checked Daniel Garcia’s profile on his phone.
“You’ll have to explain this to me, Ella.”
They got onto the Delaware streets. The GPS told her that the university was only five minutes away.
“You’ll think I’m crazy, but hear me out.”
Byford audibly sighed. “Alright.”
Ella let it pass. No more arguments, she told herself. “I was looking into this ancient religion called Santeria. It’s an old diasporic religion originally from Cuba but quickly moved all across the world. One of their traditions is human sacrifice which, get this, involves burying the dead with coins.”
“Right. I’m following.”
“I searched the police database and found nothing, but then the sheriff remembered a case from last year. This Garcia kid was an ancient studies major who had a violent outburst and attacked his professor.”
“Okay,” Byford shrugged, “but why?”
“Because the professor rejected his paper. And guess what his paper was on?”
“Oh, I see. Santeria.”
“Exactly. And this guy fits the bill too. He’s agile, has a history of violence and can’t control his impulses. He’s also pretty smart if he’s a college kid.”
Byford turned down the dial on the radio. “Well, I must say that’s pretty good work. I’m impressed you got that so quickly. The problem I’m seeing here is that there’s no address for this suspect.”
“Yeah, I noticed that too. Hopefully the professor who got attacked will have some answers for us.”
The university grounds came into view, occupying Ella’s entire vision. She found the parking lot with some intense navigation and pulled in a space. The agents got out and walked across the grounds, coming across a statue in the form of a giant book. A young woman was sunbathing on it.
“Foyer, this way,” Byford said. It had only been a few years since Ella had been to university but the whole establishment seemed alien to her now. Bodies swarmed past her, most glued to cell phones. Others sat around in groups on the vast and lush greenery. She felt a little uncomfortable here, like she was too old to be in such a place.
“Feels strange, doesn’t it?” Byford said.
“You feel it too?”
“Oh yes. That’s the generation gap at work. It only gets worse as you get older too.”
Ella laughed. Finally, some personality. After what seemed like an endless walk, they reached the reception area. Ella buzzed for assistance and waited. Eventually, an older male rushed to the desk from a back room.
“Hello, sorry to keep you,” he said. “How can I help?”
Ella held up her badge. “We’re with the FBI. We’re looking for a Professor Casey. Do you know where we can find him?”
The receptionist hadn’t taken his eyes off Ella’s badge, like she was showing him a picture of a gruesome medical experiment. “Umm, yes. I can get hold of him. Can I ask what this is about?”
“I’m afraid not. It’s confidential.”
“Okay, I’ll just be a moment.” The receptionist hurried into the back room. Ella used the opportunity to break open her new partner a little more.
“What university did you go to?” she asked.
Byford straightened his loose-fitting tie in the reflection of the reception window. “Illinois. I actually studied law.”
Makes sense, Ella thought. He looked like a lawyer. “Wow, Illinois’s a major one. The FBI is kind of a step down after that,” she laughed.
“You could say that. The Bureau actually headhunted me. I couldn’t say no. But sometimes I wish I had, given some of the things I’ve seen.”
Ella wanted to ask more but the receptionist came back. “Professor Casey will be down in a moment,” he said. “Would you like to take a seat while you wait?”
They did. Members of the student body came and went, casting them sly glances as they passed by. Ella knew they looked out of place but found it quite comforting that she did, in a way. She hadn’t really liked her university years, and she was glad they were behind her, but she definitely missed the lack of responsibility.