Chapter 165: I'm Looking for Ben Parker
Bernie contacted Detective Thomas at the Third Precinct and asked him to send the completed sketch as soon as possible.
Within the hour, they had the composite portrait in hand. A teaching assistant studied it carefully, then looked up with recognition. "This looks like Linda Susan Parker."
"Linda Susan Parker took our class last school year."
The teaching assistant continued holding the sketch, examining it more closely. Then he began shaking his head, his certainty wavering. He studied the drawing with increased scrutiny.
The face resembled Linda Susan Parker; he felt sure of that much, but the clothing and overall style seemed completely unfamiliar, utterly different from the Linda Susan Parker he remembered from class.
Bernie glanced back at Theodore.
Theodore flipped methodically through the suspect list until he located Linda Susan Parker's name. This academic year, she was enrolled in a course on classic religious literature.
They made their way across campus. The two agents went to find the teaching assistant responsible for the classic religious literature course.
The teaching assistant examined the sketch for several long moments, then nodded with more confidence. "That's Linda Susan Parker." He also informed them that Linda had failed to attend class or submit any assignments for the past two weeks, last week, and this week. This represented highly abnormal behavior for her.
In the teaching assistant's assessment, Linda Susan Parker was an exemplary student. She never missed class, listened attentively during lectures, participated actively in group discussions, and completed her assignments with genuine conscientiousness.
The only concerning issue was that she consistently allowed other students to copy her work. Sometimes she even wrote assignments for different students entirely. The teaching assistant had spoken to Linda about this problem on several occasions, but the situation had not improved. This pattern made him suspect that Linda might be suffering from bullying, that other students were coercing her into doing their academic work.
The teaching assistant stated emphatically that Linda was somewhat shy by nature, preferred reading to socializing, and didn't particularly enjoy interacting with her classmates. She was precisely the type of student who became an easy target for bullying.
Bernie pressed him for additional information about Linda.
The teaching assistant could only shake his head apologetically. His entire interaction with Linda had been limited strictly to the classic religious literature course. He knew nothing about her life beyond his classroom.
Theodore and Bernie temporarily concluded their interview with the teaching assistant and returned to the university archives. They located Linda Susan Parker's student file and confirmed her declared major: second-year International Relations.
Linda Susan Parker's complete class schedule for the current academic year was documented in her personnel file. It showed she would be swamped today, with classes scheduled throughout the entire day. The two agents cross-referenced her schedule against the current date and confirmed what they already suspected—she hadn't attended a single class today.
According to consistent feedback from multiple teaching assistants, Linda Susan Parker had maintained a spotless attendance record. She had never skipped class before, and her assignments were invariably submitted on time. Although her grades in specific major courses were admittedly poor, her academic attitude and effort had always been unquestionably earnest.
Two weeks ago, on a Monday, she had skipped class for the first time in her academic career. That particular day, she had missed only one class—but things had deteriorated rapidly from there. By the following week, she was no longer attending her required International Relations courses at all, attending only a handful of elective literature classes that interested her personally. Now she had stopped coming to campus entirely.
Bernie carefully compared Linda Susan Parker's attendance records against the timeline of the two criminals' documented actions. "On April 1st, the two suspects first stole a police vehicle. Two days later, on Monday the 3rd, Linda Susan Parker skipped class for the first time in her academic record."
"On April 8th, the two suspects committed their first armed robbery. Two days later, on Monday the 10th, Linda Susan Parker stopped attending all her International Relations courses. She only showed up for elective classes that personally interested her."
"On April 15th, the two suspects committed a second armed robbery. Two days later—today—Linda Susan Parker is no longer attending any classes whatsoever."
Theodore glanced at him and nodded slowly. "She didn't suddenly decide to experiment with skipping class on April 3rd."
"She's wanted to do this for a long time. The crimes gave her permission."
The campus security director looked deeply worried. He wiped perspiration from his brow with a handkerchief. He had been following Theodore and Bernie throughout their investigation and had overheard Bernie's detailed case presentation in the president's office earlier, so he had a basic understanding of what they were dealing with.
He was responsible for campus security. His primary duty was maintaining safety on university grounds. If Linda Susan Parker had actually purchased a BAR rifle and a Thompson submachine gun—colloquially known as a Chicago Typewriter—it would be manageable if she intended to use them for target shooting somewhere off campus. But what if she decided to bring them here? What if she started shooting on campus grounds?
The director couldn't allow himself to think any further down that path.
He asked gravely whether Linda Susan Parker's absence from classes today meant she had successfully located a seller and purchased the BAR rifle and Chicago Typewriter.
Bernie shook his head firmly. "She's a complete rookie. She doesn't know anything about the illegal weapons market."
"A BAR rifle sells for eight hundred to a thousand dollars on the street—but if she tries to buy one, the price would at least double. Sellers take advantage of inexperienced buyers."
"It would be tough for her to raise that kind of money in a short timeframe."
At that moment, he suddenly remembered the telephone number and home address listed in her student file. He suggested contacting her parents directly.
According to Theodore's behavioral profile, Linda Susan Parker came from an affluent family, enjoyed a comfortable upbringing, and had no prior contact with criminal elements. Her street experience should be virtually nonexistent. This limitation was clearly evident in the two criminals' amateurish performance during both armed robberies they had committed.
Her only realistic avenue for obtaining substantial money should be requesting it from her parents. Given this constraint, directly contacting her parents to ask whether she had recently requested a considerable sum of cash would clarify whether she had already purchased the BAR rifle or was still planning to acquire one.
Theodore glanced at him and did not object. He also wanted to make contact with the parents of these two young criminals. However, his purpose differed significantly from Bernie's practical concerns.
Theodore wanted to learn more about the two suspects' childhood development and family environment directly from the people who had raised them.
Bernie did not immediately take action.
Instead, he turned his attention to the campus security director.
The campus security director was currently preoccupied with catastrophic scenarios involving a BAR rifle being discharged on campus grounds.
He desperately wanted Theodore and Bernie to apprehend Linda Susan Parker as quickly as possible. He didn't hesitate much in his response, but he did propose informing the university president before they proceeded.
Bernie's purpose in looking at him had been precisely to elicit this suggestion. He immediately nodded his agreement.
The three men walked down the corridor together. They proceeded directly to the president's office.
Bernie formally requested permission to contact Linda Susan Parker's parents and explained the investigative situation in thorough detail.
The campus security director then provided the president with an unsettling explanation of the destructive capabilities of the BAR rifle and the Chicago Typewriter, the kind of damage these military-grade weapons could inflict on human beings in a confined space.
Bernie added matter-of-factly, "She currently has a Winchester Model 1912 shotgun and a revolver already in her possession."
The president waved off further explanation and immediately reached for his telephone.
A few minutes later, Linda Susan Parker's complete student file was hand-delivered to the office by the president's personal assistant.
The president opened the folder and glanced through it briefly, confirming that she was indeed a currently enrolled student at American University in good standing.
He handed the file across the desk to Bernie, asking Bernie to verify he hadn't made an identification error.
Then he took the file back, examined it once more himself, and handed it to Bernie again. He approved Bernie's request without further objection.
Not only that, but the president also stated clearly that he would cooperate with Theodore and Bernie's investigation to the absolute fullest extent possible. Whatever they needed, they would receive.
Bernie accepted the file and felt genuinely surprised by this dramatic reversal. Compared to yesterday's resistance and this morning's obstructionism, the president seemed remarkably, almost suspiciously, accommodating now.
The president apparently assumed Bernie intended to make the telephone call from his office.
He pushed the heavy desktop telephone across the polished wood surface toward Bernie.
Bernie considered the situation for a moment, then decided not to refuse the implicit offer. He lifted the receiver from its cradle and carefully dialed the number registered in Linda Susan Parker's student file.
A professional operator's voice came through the receiver almost immediately. "This is AT&T Long Distance Service. Where would you like to connect?"
Bernie read the information directly from the registration form. "Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, number XX-xxxx."
After several seconds of crackling static and white noise on the line, a woman's crisp voice emerged from the receiver.
"Parker Steel Company. Who are you calling for?"
Bernie paused for a fraction of a second, processing this unexpected information. "I'm looking for Ben Parker."
[End of Chapter]