As I walked out of the Hillside dormitory, keys in hand, I was wondering what to expect from the ominous description in our assignment handbook. There wasn’t even an address – just a set of coordinates and a brief description of how to get to the scene. As I pulled into Rice Rips Road, the first thing I noticed was the noise. The sound of water rushing through a girthy pipe immediately pulls your attention to the right. As I exited the car and walked down the unassuming and woodsy path along the pipe, the frequent leaks in the pipe were squirting water, reaching all the way to the other side of the path, hitting our ankles.
As I move closer to the abandoned building at the end of the path, I realize that there is a stream on the other side of me, the opposite side of the pipe, and trees line the path. When I arrived at the building, my curiosity got the better of me, and I went into the cave.
When I entered, the space opened up, and there was a room on either side of me.
An immediate chill went through my spine. Has a criminal been standing in the same spot as me? Has someone been victimized in the little cave that I am looking into? To be completely honest, the overall ambiance of this site was terrifying. It was so secluded, it felt like if you screamed, no one would hear you. The possibilities of how someone could be killed here were endless. Were they pushed off of the top of the building? Drowned in the stream? Hit over the head with one of the many sharp rocks at a killer’s disposal? I considered every single one.
I would be lying if I said I didn’t run out of that building. It felt as if at every doorway, someone was hiding on the side, ready to pounce. So, what happened at the Central Maine Power co. Plant off of Rice Rips Road? Is it the unassuming abandoned building that it seems to be, or is it the site of a gruesome murder? (358)