The Gilded Sanctum Read online

  Walker entered the room and glanced at the eclectic array of posters which clung to the empty space on the walls, including inspirational quotes, band posters, and faux famous paintings. He grinned at the collection. If you’ve seen one dorm room, you’ve seen them all, he thought to himself. What irked Walker most of all, however, was the fact that nothing was out of the ordinary. It was familiar in every sense of the word. And for that reason, it would provide no additional clues to him.

  The left side of the room appeared to have a current occupant, evidenced by a scattering of books on the desk and clothes on the floor, whereas the other side seemed empty and sterile. Amanda’s side. He rotated to the closet door and opened it. Her clothes all hung neatly — separated by type and color — and an impressive collection of shoes neatly lined the floor.

  Walker turned and walked toward the desk at the far end of the room, brushing up against Amanda’s bed and running his finger along the edge of the linens. Upon reaching the desk, he scanned the shelves above, looking for any clue as to Amanda’s state of mind. It was your standard collection of textbooks, teacher-made packets, and the latest fiction novel, all stacked neatly on the wooden ledges. No self-help books, drawing pads, or journals — which would give Walker some insight into Amanda’s psychological well-being — were present. Discouraged, he looked to the other side of the room, but aside from the slightly more chaotic appearance, it was the same story, and exceedingly normal in every possible way.

  Because the most important items to this case — Amanda’s backpack, laptop, and cellphone — were still missing, the dormitory room provided nothing of any real value to the investigation. Except for a roommate: Heather Yates.

  Chapter 12

  Just inside the entrance to the girls’ dormitory, there was a large study room filled with circular tables and wooden chairs. Massive windows provided for an easy distraction, so in the back of the large space, there were also three private study rooms. The private rooms were miniscule, but that was good. It reminded Walker of an interrogation room — small and uncomfortable — which put the subject at an immediate disadvantage. He wanted the kids to feel somewhat claustrophobic and be looking for a way out. The truth will set you free, so to speak.

  The only thing in the room was a square table with a chair on either side. A thin pane of glass was cut into the wooden door, but other than that, it was completely private. The doors did not lock. As Walker sat in the far chair, so he could see the students as they entered, he was sure many interesting things had probably happened in these mostly private rooms, but for right now, it was the location of his first interview in a case he desperately need to solve.

  Castillo led Heather Yates into the room, closed the door, and leaned against the wall, directly behind Walker. Studying Heather as she sauntered into the room and unwillingly took her seat across from him, Walker noticed that her body movements suggested a tough exterior, but most likely hid some vulnerabilities inside. Her shoulder-length, dirty blonde hair — streaked with pink — was pulled behind her ears, revealing several piercings, and her lipstick was bright red, in stark contrast to her otherwise light and clear complexion. Her expression was one of scorn and disinterest. It was obvious from her demeanor that this was the last place in the world she wanted to be.

  Walker smiled. “Hi. My name’s Ryan Walker. I’m a private investigator.”

  Heather simply huffed and glared at Castillo for bringing her into this situation. She was seemingly prepared for this encounter, so Walker decided to dispense with the pleasantries and launch right into the interview, knocking her off balance and perhaps triggering a reaction.

  “Were you and Amanda friends?” He started.

  “Roommates.” She answered quickly.

  “That’s not what I asked,” Walker quipped. “Were you friends?”

  Heather flinched and gave Walker a puzzled look, seeming to realize that this interview would not be as simple as she had thought when she stepped into the small room. She paused for a moment, appearing to carefully consider her answer and struggling to determine who she was up against. “We were friendly if that’s what you mean, but I guess not, no, we weren’t friends.”

  Heather could have stopped there, but she didn’t. Walker imagined he had riled her with his first question, and so she wanted to push back, telegraphing to him that she wouldn’t simply cave under his applied pressure. Like a rebellious teenage daughter trying to aggravate her father, she added with a smirk, “I like to experiment a little more. Amanda was a goodie two shoes, so she didn’t do that kind of thing.”

  Walker smiled on the inside. “Experiment?”

  “Yeah, you know?”

  “Can you explain?”

  “Is this interview about me or Amanda?”

  “You're right. I'm sorry.”

  Walker watched Heather relax, satisfied that she had put an end to his clever questioning with her colorful banter, so he continued to push. “I guess daddy never bought you that pony,” he whispered, looking at his notes.

  “What?” she snarled.

  “Never mind.”

  Castillo laughed.

  Walker could see the anger building in Heather, sure that these two over-the-hill men were making fun of her, so she decided to put them both on notice. “Listen. I don’t want to be here, okay? I don’t know where Amanda is. I really don’t care, but I didn't have anything to do with it, okay?”

  “We didn’t say you did,” Walker said calmly.

  Heather huffed again, increasingly pissed off by the interaction.

  Walker reclined in his chair. He had succeeded, had gotten Heather frustrated — perhaps not thinking clearly — so if she was going to make a mistake, now was the time. He decided to methodically retrace her steps the night of September 23rd to determine if she was indeed telling him the truth.

  “So,” he began, “let’s talk about the night of Amanda’s disappearance.”

  “Okay,” she said with relief.

  “When was the last time you saw Amanda?”

  “About 9 PM that night.”

  “What happened at 9 PM?”

  “She got a text and left the dorm.”

  “Where was she going?”

  “I don’t know. I think to see her boyfriend.”

  “Josh Easterly?”

  “Yep.”

  “She didn’t tell you?”

  “Nope. She took all of her stuff with her, so I assumed she was going to see Josh.”

  “Her stuff?”

  “You know, her backpack and stuff.”

  “Did she always take her stuff with her when she went to see Josh?”

  “Yeah.”

  “And is that why you thought she was going to see Josh?”

  “Yeah.”

  “But she never actually told you that?”

  “Right.”

  “Where were you that night?”

  “I was in my room.”

  “All night?”

  “Most of it.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means I didn’t go out until later.

  “I thought you liked to experiment?”

  Heather shot him a glare and sighed. “I was going to go out later, but I had a chemistry exam the next day. I had to study for it. I’m not doing very well right now, and if I don’t pass this semester, dad said he’s going to pull me out.”

  “Dad?”

  Heather grunted.

  Castillo interjected, “Jonathan Yates. CEO of Organic Enterprises.”

  “Whoa,” said Walker.

  “Whatever.” Heather said, scowling again. “Anyway, I have to do well, so I had to study. I went out about 9:30 and got back at 11. Amanda still wasn’t back, so I got worried.”

  “Why were you worried?”

  “She was usually back by then even if she went to Josh’s place.”

  “Did she usually go over to Josh’s?”

  “Sure. Probably two or three times a week.”
/>   “So why were you worried?”

  “She would always text me if she was going to be late. We kind of have this thing between us, you know, where we text each other just in case, so we can help each other out. A girl thing, you know?”

  “That’s good. And so, there was no text that evening?”

  “No, so I texted her a couple times, but nothing. That’s when I called the campus police.”

  Walker already knew that Heather’s cell phone corroborated the texts to Amanda as well as her lack of response. “And Mr. Castillo was notified?” pointing his thumb toward Castillo.

  “Yes.”

  “Did you talk to Mr. Castillo that night?”

  Heather shifted in her seat. “Yes.”

  “And what did you talk about?”

  “He just asked me what had happened.”

  “Anything else?” Walker probed.

  “No.”

  “You didn’t see her at all while you were out?”

  “No.”

  Walker, again already knowing the answer, turned to Castillo, “And you can corroborate Heather’s story about going out between 9 to 11?” Castillo nodded, while Heather continued to glare, knowing full well that the cameras had captured her exploits that night.

  “Do any drugs that night? Drink any alcohol?”

  “No.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, I’m sure. I was just hanging out with friends.”

  “So, no experimenting that night because you had a big test the next day?”

  Heather paused for a long moment then deadpanned, “Where did they find you?”

  Both Walker and Castillo laughed. Walker decided to change the subject. “What do you know about her boyfriend, Josh Easterly?”

  “He’s okay, I guess.”

  “Nice guy?”

  “Maybe.”

  “You see him much?”

  “No, I wasn’t into that kind of guy. I’m more into jocks. He’s a prep. Boring. And he’s into all that secret society shit.”

  Walker’s interest was piqued. “You think Josh is a member of a secret society?”

  “Yeah, you know, the Sons of Liberty. At least that’s what I’ve heard. He’s weird like that, so probably.”

  “The Sons of Liberty?”

  As Heather started to speak, Castillo interrupted, “It’s nothing. An old story. Doesn’t exist. Anyone the kids don’t like is automatically in the Sons of Liberty. Isn’t that right, Heather?”

  She shrugged.

  Walker looked at Castillo, who said, “I’ll fill you in on the history later.”

  Turning back to Heather, Walker asked, “So how did Amanda get along with Josh?”

  “Well, they had a huge fight that day if that’s what you mean.”

  “They did?”

  “Yeah, but it was like that every day with them. They were always fighting.”

  “You witness it?”

  “Not that day, but yeah, a couple of times before.”

  “What did you think?”

  “He was an asshole. Actually, they were both assholes. They bugged each other. Shouldn’t have been together.”

  “Was she going to meet him to make up after the fight?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “And she didn’t tell you where she was going?”

  “I told you already. No.”

  “Did you think it was odd that she took her stuff with her and didn’t tell you she was going to see Josh?”

  Heather shifted again in her seat, appearing more uncomfortable. “She doesn’t always tell me, she texts me. Like I said, we weren’t friends. I didn’t know where she was every second of the day. Maybe she was embarrassed because she had just fought with him like two hours earlier, said she was going to break up with him, and now she was crawling back to him.”

  “She said she was going to break up with him, that she didn’t want to see him again?”

  “Yes, but she always said that, and she always eventually went back with him. Or he would come crawling back to her. It was pathetic. They definitely weren’t good for each other.”

  “Did you ever see Josh touch Amanda or see any physical violence between them?”

  “Not that I remember. Honestly, I didn’t pay much attention. They made me want to puke. They were all affectionate one minute and then screaming at each other the next. It was sick.”

  Walker circled back. “So you assumed she was going to meet her boyfriend because she took her stuff.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Maybe?”

  “I said I didn’t know where she was going, but sure, if she took her stuff, she was probably going to meet Josh.”

  Walker paused. “Were the two of you fighting that day be any chance?”

  “No.”

  “Did the two of you ever fight?”

  “Sure, but just dumb shit. You know, roommate stuff.”

  “Heather, did Amanda ever express any frustration with anything – with school, with life, wanting to get away from it all?”

  “No. Never. Amanda loved it here.” Heather said with a hint of scorn.

  “Okay, last question. If Amanda was going to meet Josh, and you’re assuming she was going to meet Josh because she took her stuff with her, she should have texted you if she was coming home late that night. Is that correct?”

  “Yes. And that’s why I called the campus police.” Heather slumped, exhausted and overwhelmed by all of the questioning.

  Walker nodded his head and realized the interview was over. Heather obviously knew more than she was willing to tell him, but there didn’t appear to be anything suspicious about it. She just wanted to give as little information as possible to stay out of the crosshairs of law enforcement and avoid jeopardizing her current tenuous situation with school. “Okay, Heather, thank you so much for your time.”

  Heather looked relieved as she rose from her seat, did not say another word, and hurried from the makeshift interrogation room.

  Walker leaned back in his chair and turned toward Castillo, “You believe her?”

  “Hard not to,” Castillo said as he made his way to Heather’s seat across from Walker. “Her story checks out. Cameras and cell phone records confirm everything she’s saying, at almost the exact times she said it.”

  Walker let out a long sigh.

  Castillo continued, “We interviewed the friends she was with that night, and again, everything checks out. For once, I think they were just hanging out. We didn’t find any evidence of drugs or alcohol, and all the alibis were clean. To be honest, I don’t think she cares enough about Amanda to be that involved. She’s obviously very detached.”

  Walker agreed. “Yeah, she wasn’t really that broken up about it, was she?

  “Nope.”

  Walker leaned forward and folded his hands. “Tell me about this secret society.”

  Castillo huffed. “Bullshit.” He leaned back. “It started a few years ago. Some of the boys wanted to be like their college brethren, so they decided to start a secret society — a skull and bones club, if you will. They called it the Sons of Liberty. I guess that’s what you get from smart kids.”

  “Did it exist?”

  “Yes, but we went after it pretty quickly. Threatened expulsion and the like for anyone associated with it. We came down hard, so it broke up.”

  “Or went further underground?”

  “Maybe. But we kept a close eye on it ever since and we’ve never seen it reappear.”

  “Is Josh a part of this club?”

  “I doubt it.”

  There was a knock at the door. Josh Easterly had arrived for his interview. Castillo looked over and smiled. “But I guess you can ask him.”

  Chapter 13

  Heather had been right. Josh Easterly was the epitome of a preparatory school student. He was dressed in his Washington Academy blazer, emblazoned with the school’s emblem on the pocket, and his khaki pants. His black hair was longer, yet styled atop his five fe
et ten inch slender body. Although not the toughest skinny kid Walker had ever seen, Josh seemed to be very sure of himself. Nervous but cocky.

  Greetings were exchanged, and Walker decided to take the same approach to knock Josh off kilter, if that was possible. “Did you and Amanda have a fight the day she disappeared?”

  Josh groaned, visibly angered by the question. “Are you saying I had something to do with her disappearance?”

  Walker held up his hand to calm the tension, proud of his accomplishment, but realizing it may have worked a little too well. This guy obviously had some anger issues, so he worked to calm him down. “Of course not, Josh. We’ve just heard that you had a fight with Amanda that day. Is that true?”

  Josh settled back in his seat, making eye contact with both Walker and Castillo before answering, appearing to consider his options. “Yes.”

  “And did you fight often?” Walker followed up.

  Josh again paused before answering. “Yes.”

  “What did you guys fight about?”

  “Girlfriend and boyfriend stuff.”

  “What did you fight about that day?”

  “I can’t remember.”

  “Would you call it your worst fight?”

  “No, we’ve had worse.”

  “Amanda’s roommate tells us she wanted to break up with you?”

  “I don’t think so,” Josh dismissed.

  “You think Heather is lying?”

  “No, she just doesn’t know what she’s talking about. She didn’t know us. We couldn’t stand her anyway, so we didn’t spend much time there. Amanda was always at my place.”

  “She was at your place often?”

  “Mostly. A couple times a week.”

  “You have a roommate?”

  “I live in a single”

  “Where were you that night?”

  “Out.”

  “Out where?”

  “Hanging out with some buddies.”

  “You see either Amanda or Heather that night?”

  “No”

  “You sure?”