"She seems to be safe enough. Shecertainly isn't happy. I talked to her outside for a minute."

Bradshaw tilted his head in my direction."What did she say?"

"Nothing sensational. She made noaccusations against Kincaid. In fact she blamed herself for the breakup. Shesays she wants to go on with her education."

"Good."

"Are you going to let her stay here?"

Bradshaw nodded. "We've decided tooverlook her little deception. We believe in giving young people a certainamount of leeway, so long as it doesn't impinge on the rights of others. Shecan stay, at least for the present, and continue to use her pseudonym if shelikes." He added with dry academic humor: "'A rose by any othername,' you know."

"She's going to have her transcriptssent to us right away," Dean Sutherland said. "Apparently she's hadtwo years of junior college and a semester at the university."

"What's she planning to studyhere?"

"Dolly is majoring in psychology.According to Professor Haggerty, she has a flair for it."

"How would Professor Haggerty knowthat?"

"She's Dolly's academic counselor.Apparently Dolly is deeply interested in criminal and abnormalpsychology."

For some reason I thought of ChuckBegley's bearded head, with eyes opaque as a statue's. "When you weretalking with Dolly, did she say anything about a man named Begley?"

"Begley?" They looked at eachother and then at me. "Who," she asked, "is Begley?"

"It's possible he's her father. Atany rate he had something to do with her leaving her husband. Incidentally Iwouldn't put too much stock in her husband's Asiatic perversions or whatever itwas she accused him of. He's a clean boy, and he respects her."

"You're entitled to youropinion," Laura Sutherland said, as though I wasn't. "But pleasedon't act on it precipitately. Dolly is a sensitive young woman, and somethinghas happened to shake her very deeply. You'll be doing them both a service bykeeping them apart."

"I agree," Bradshaw saidsolemnly.

"The trouble is, I'm being paid tobring them together. But I'll think about it, and talk it over with Alex."

chapter 6

In the parking lot behind the buildingProfessor Helen Haggerty was sitting at the wheel of the new black Thunderbirdconvertible. She had put the top down and parked it beside my car, as if forcontrast. The late afternoon sunlight slanting across the foothills glinted onher hair and eyes and teeth.

"Hello again."

"Hello again," I said. "Are you waitingfor me?"

"Only if you're left-handed."

"I'm ambidextrous."

"You would be. You threw me a bit of a curve justnow."

"I did?"

"I know who you are." She patteda folded newspaper on the leather seat beside her. The visible headline said:"Mrs. Perrine Acquitted." Helen Haggerty said: "I think it'svery exciting. The paper credits you with getting her off. But it's not quiteclear how you did it."

"I simply told the truth, andevidently the jury believed me. At the time the alleged larceny was committedhere in Pacffic Point, I had Mrs. Perrine under close surveillance inOakland."

"What for? Another larceny?"

"It wouldn't be fair to say."

She made a mock-sorrowful mouth, whichfitted the lines of her face too well. "All the interesting facts areconfidential. But I happen to be checked out for security. In fact my father isa policeman. So get in and tell me all about Mrs. Perrine."

"I can't do that."

"Or I have a better idea," she said with herbright unnatural smile. "Why don't you come over to my house for adrink?"

"I'm sorry, I have work to do."

"Detective work?"

"Call it that."

"Come on." With a subtlemovement, her body joined in the invitation. "All work and no play makesJack a dull boy. You don't want to be a dull boy and make me feel rejected.Besides, we have things to talk about."

"The Perrine case is over. Nothingcould interest me less."

"It was the Dorothy Smith case I hadin mind. Isn't that why you're on campus?"

"Who told you that?"

"The grapevine. Colleges have themost marvelously efficient grapevines, second only to penitentiaries."

"Are you familiar withpenitentiaries?"

© Alexander Sviyash, 2009