Grant Me The Moon

by Caroline Clemmons

  “My brother Ted and his wife Serena live in Atlanta and both have demanding careers that have made them workaholics. My sister Annette and her husband Britton are in Denver and she’s a stay-at-home mom with two small kids. My parents are in Dallas but Mom had cancer two years ago and is just now recovering her strength. I’m the unattached one, so I’m the one who could come take care of Grandma.”

  “You appear devoted to her.”

  “I am. Secretly, I’m her favorite, although she tries not to show partiality when my brother and sister are around. Her name is Emily Victoria, and she’s happy I was named for her and have the same type personality. Ted and Annette are very different from me.”

  “Oh, how?”

  “Ted is convinced he has to make a million a year by the time he’s forty. Annette appears sort of laid back but she’s really organized. She’s a vegetarian who only eats organic and non-GMO foods and is a terrific mom. They’ve both married people who are perfect for them.”

  They reached the outskirts of Lubbock. “Okay, tell me where we’re meeting your friend.”

  She named the restaurant and location. “You don’t have to say ‘your friend’ as if he’s some sort of alien species. He’s a nice guy.”

  That’s what bothered him. How nice a guy was he? So nice he and Tory had been in an intimate relationship? He parked at the restaurant and they went inside.

  A tall, lean man waited in the lobby. He hugged Tory. “Nice to see you again. Who’s this you’ve brought?”

  Tory slipped her arm through Grant’s. “This is Grant Grayson. He and his family are ranchers near Post. Grant, this is Kurt Long. We were grad students together at TCU.”

  “Let’s get seated and then you can go over why you set up this meeting.” Kurt held up three fingers to the hostess.

  They were shown to a table at one side. Grant seated Tory before Kurt could.

  She said, “Nice that we’re near the wall so we can talk almost privately.” She explained about the murder and her student being arrested.

  Kurt looked from Tory to him. “Sounds like you’ve both had a bad week.”

  The waitress appeared with a basket of tortilla chips and salsa and they placed their orders.

  Kurt waited until the server had moved away. “Where do I come in?”

  Grant leaned forward. “We hoped you could check out the grad students, Dr. Lawson, and Dr. Bedford. Kind of poke around for any bad feelings between Lawson and anyone else.”

  Kurt frowned. “I can already tell you Lawson was not popular with staff or students. He was a pompous dictator. Rumor is he harassed some of the female students until they had sex with him. No one’s come forward to complain officially.”

  Tory dipped a tortilla chip into her red salsa. “What about the male students?”

  “How would you feel if a girl was given an A for the same work for which you received a C? Apparently that’s happened numerous times.” Kurt snagged a chip, loaded it with salsa, and popped it into his mouth.

  They paused the conversation while their food was set in front of them.

  Tory waited for her food to cool enough to eat. “Do you know a grad student named Heidi Jensen? She’s a cute woman with short brown hair and brown eyes.”

  Kurt’s eyebrows raised. “She lives in my apartment complex and you’re right, she is very cute.”

  She paused as if searching for the right words. “How can I put this tactfully? Would you be willing to ask her out to eat and pry into her situation with Dr. Lawson? I mean things the sheriff wouldn’t hear?”

  A broad smile split Kurt’s face. “If dining with a pretty woman will help you, I can take one for the team. I still owe you big time anyway.”

  Pure jealousy shot through Grant. “Oh, why is that?”

  Kurt laughed and held up his hand. “No need to get pissy. I was in a… difficult situation and Tory rescued me. This other grad student in our section was a girl named Angela who was convinced if she stalked me long enough, I’d fall in love with her.”

  Tory met Grant’s gaze. “As if it weren’t bad enough we were in the same classes and had to share an office. Angela showed up everywhere as if Kurt had a Siamese twin.”

  Kurt braced his elbows beside his plate. “I tried reasoning with Angela, I did everything but cuss at her. Although I didn’t want to be hateful, I was desperate. Tory and I talked about what would discourage this woman since nothing I’d tried worked. Finally, Tory said if I had a fiancée, Angela would get the picture.”

  Tory laughed. “Since I was available, we were engaged for several months. It wasn’t a match made in heaven but I still have the fake ring.”

  Kurt pretended to be hurt. “Fake? Hey, I paid fifteen dollars for that ring. To a grad student, that’s big bucks.”

  Grant wondered how engaged they were and hated himself for his suspicions. “So, did the plan work?”

  Kurt leaned back and smiled. “Yes. I can’t tell you how relieved I was. Tory and I were just friends, but we met for lunch or dinner frequently. We studied together.” He put a hand to his heart. “Angela lived through the loss of her one true love.”

  Tory told Grant, “Our engagement ended when we graduated.”

  Kurt protested, “No, we never officially called it off. I guess that means we’re still engaged.”

  Grant stared at the other man. “I think now would be a really good time to end the engagement.”

  Kurt grinned mischievously. “I’ll bet you do. Well, if I’m going to ask Heidi out, I guess I’ll have to break it off with Tory.” He reached across and patted her hand. “Sorry to break it off, Dear, but it looks to me like you have someone to console you.”

  The rest of the meal went well. They parted with Kurt promising to call Tory the next day and report anything he learned.

  As they drove away, Grant asked, “Anything else you want to take care of while we’re here?”

  “I don’t suppose we could see Dr. Lawson’s office but maybe we could see the lab.”

  He didn’t see how that would help, but he didn’t mind taking her wherever she wanted to go. He turned into the campus from University Avenue, the most scenic entrance. The campus had changed since he was a student but he remembered which building they needed.

  Tory peered out the window. “That looks like a statue of Will Rogers on his horse. Wasn’t Rogers from Oklahoma?”

  “The statue was dedicated by Amon G. Carter from Fort Worth. Apparently he was friends with Will Rogers and thought West Texas was a fitting place for the tribute. Rogers is on his horse Soapsuds and the piece is titled ‘Riding into the Sunset’. I’ve always liked seeing him as I drove by.”

  “This is a beautiful campus. They must have a killer horticulture department to grow so many flowers.”

  He chuckled. “I don’t know who’s responsible for upkeep of the grounds but there is a great horticulture school here.”

  “On one in-service day last fall, I was able to arrange bringing a couple of busloads of students to the Ranching Heritage Museum. That is so amazing.”

  “I figured you’d be in heaven at that place with all the different historical structures to see. I have to admit I enjoy going there, too. They’re always adding something.”

  “Earlier this year we went to the Lubbock Lake Site. The kids and I were so disappointed a hard rain kept us from visiting the dig going on behind the museum. That must have been the downpour that uncovered your cave.”

  He turned into a parking lot. Since it was Saturday, he found a great park. “Okay, this is the building. I doubt anyone will be around on Saturday afternoon but how are you going to explain our presence if there is?”

  She grinned and blinked at him. “Why, I was so eager to see the artifacts they’ve found so far and wondered if there’s a display yet.”

  He shook his head. “Might work. I get the feeling you’ve used that batting-your-eyes ploy before. You’re not going to convince anyone you’re a dumb blonde.”

 
She unfastened her seat belt as if it were an enemy. “Shows what you know. People make horrid assumptions before they know me. Blondes are dumb, redheads have a bad temper, overweight people are stupid and lazy, sick people just need to toughen up, yada yada. Very annoying.”

  “I can tell.” They left the car and walked into the building. He guided her to an elevator. “As I remember, the department is on the second floor.” He pressed the button for the second floor.

  “Can students use the elevator?”

  “When I was here, you could only use it if you were disabled. Convenience was for professors and their staffs.” The car stopped and he leaned near her ear. “I felt like a rebel just now pushing the button.”

  She punched his arm lightly. “Come on, you revolutionary. Show me where Dr. Lawson’s office is.”

  “Shh. Hold my hand and look casual.” He twined their fingers. “We’re just out enjoying a day in the city.”

  Hand in hand, they strolled down the hall. When they arrived at Dr. Lawson’s office, Carl Bedford sat at the desk. Surprise on his face, he looked up.

  Grant didn’t have to feign surprise. “Carl, good to see you. Can’t believe you’re even working on the weekend.”

  The other man stood and gestured to the stacks of papers on the desk and file cabinets. “I had to this weekend. We lost so much time on the project because of Fred’s death. I’m trying to recover from his loss while I make sense out of his piles. You can see nothing is filed.”

  Grant didn’t think one day would be enough for Carl to organize this mess. “Doesn’t he have a secretary?”

  “He’s had a series of them. When the last one quit, he didn’t replace her. The department has clerical help he utilized. Fred didn’t want anyone but him touching anything in this office.”

  Tory widened her eyes at Grant then stepped inside the room. “We’d be happy to help, Carl. We’re just taking a break today.”

  “I couldn’t ask you two. I’ll get Abby or Darrell to help out. They’re familiar with the subjects. But, thanks.” He offered a puzzled frown. “You guys in this department for a reason?”

  Tory squeezed Grant’s hand. “Since you mentioned it, I nagged Grant to bring me here in case some of the finds from the dig are on display.”

  Carl shook his head. “Sorry, way too early for that. We haven’t cleared half the grid yet. Fred was positive there’s another layer beneath the one we’re working that will prove much older. Would have been a feather in his cap to discover the second site.”

  Tory did a good dumb blonde routine. “I find all this so fascinating. You must be excited to have a dig so close.”

  A frown furrowed Carl’s brow. “Yeah, although I’ve sure used a lot of gas going out there five days a week, plus I got a ticket from the highway patrol. I’m trying to organize a car pool.”

  Grant examined a framed spear point. “Sounds like a good idea. Our highway patrol is well known for catching speeders going up and down the Caprock. What do you think Lawson was doing at the dig late at night?”

  Carl gave a disgusted grimace. “Frankly, I suspect he was meeting a woman. The man couldn’t keep his zipper closed.” He gasped and his mouth snapped closed as if he wished he hadn’t been so honest.

  Tory made a face. “He was hardly nice looking or charming. I would think he’d have trouble attracting a woman.”

  Carl gave a shrug and leaned with his hands on the desk. “You couldn’t convince him of that. Acted like he was a regular lady’s man. Maybe he was because he managed to always have something going on. He kept that side of his life private, but I have my ideas.”

  Grant acted innocent. “Oh, like what?”

  Friendliness changed to a frown. “I won’t comment since I have no proof. Fred’s not here to defend himself.”

  “Right, of course.” Grant imitated his brother’s charm. “So difficult when a coworker, especially your boss, has blots on his reputation. Will you be taking Lawson’s place in the department?”

  A stony expression crossed the man’s face. “Ha, not likely. I suppose the university will bring in a professor from outside to take Fred’s class load. Until then, I’ll fill in. Either Gentry Colton or Max Sebastian will be made department chair.”

  Tory advanced a couple of steps. “Your position is safe, though, isn’t it? I mean, here you are working on a Saturday afternoon and you’ve spent all that time at the dig. I would think your dedication would be rewarded.”

  Carl dropped onto the desk chair. He swiped a hand across his face. “You don’t know how university politics work. I don’t know how to play the game and I don’t ooze charm or kiss up to the right people. Don’t even know how to try.”

  The assistant professor seemed to realize he was being pumped for information. “I hate to seem rude, but I’d better get on with this. You two have a nice day.”

  Grant tugged on Tory’s hand. “Come on, Dear. Let’s get on with our sightseeing.”

  Tory gave a little wave at Carl. “Hope to see you again, Carl. Don’t let all that’s happened get you down.”

  They strolled to the elevator as if they had nothing better to do. They waited until they were out of the building to discuss what they’d seen.

  As they walked to the car, Tory said, “Well that wasn’t as revealing as I’d hoped. Did you get anything out of our little excursion?”

  “When you think about everything Carl said, we did. As we suspected, Lawson was meeting a woman. Carl suspects who but won’t tell. I think he was looking for something specific in that mess of papers.”

  She tilted her head and peered at him. “Yes, I agree with each of those points. I wanted names, though. I wish he’d mentioned specifically who he suspects. We know that Abby and Darrell were more familiar with his office than Carl. That in itself is odd.”

  “You know more about university hierarchy than I do. To me, it seems Carl should have been in on whatever he and Lawson were working on. Certainly Carl should know more about the project than the grad students.”

  Tory waited until they’d passed a couple of people in the parking lot before she spoke. “You’re right. Carl was supposed to be Lawson’s right-hand-man. Why wasn’t he?”

  They’d reached the Navigator. After they’d climbed in, he faced her. “Your chauffeur is at your command. Now where to?”

  She blushed prettily. “Don’t make fun, but I’d like to drive by Dr. Lawson’s house.” She dug in her purse. “I have the address right here.” She read the street and house number.

  “That’s north of here. When I used to come here as a kid, the town seemed enormous, which it is compared to Post. Since then, I’ve traveled a bit and realize Lubbock is not the big city I thought. Still, it’s the largest in this part of Texas.”

  “It’s a nice area if you don’t mind the dust. I prefer Post because I like a small town. Of course, having a city close enough for shopping for things Post doesn’t have is a definite bonus.”

  He turned right onto a residential street. “Should be about five blocks or so.”

  She watched as they drove. “This is the right block. There it is on the right. Oh, there’s a car in the drive. Is that Lawson’s?

  “No, he drove a silver Buick. That’s looks like a Kia Soul. Hey, there’s someone coming out of the house. Can you see who it is?”

  Her voice rose with excitement, “Looks like a woman but she’s wearing a hoodie. I hate those darn things. Can you block her car?”

  “Too late, she’s seen us and is already in motion. Well, no doubt one of his girlfriends had a key to his house and just removed incriminating evidence. She’s too late. I’m sure our sheriff has already been through the house.”

  Tory copied the license plate then leaned back in her seat. “Hmph. They might have missed something. They’re not the FBI and don’t have the manpower to go inch by inch.”

  “All this sleuthing has made me hungry again. Want to grab a pizza and a beer?”

  She giggled. “Sure, wh
y not? My weight is bound to be skyrocketing as we speak. Why should I worry about one more meal?”

  He joined in laughing at her joke. “Hey, we can order light beer.”

  Chapter Eight

  Tory devoted Sundays to her grandmother. They attended church and then ate at a local restaurant. Another fattening meal but Grandma enjoyed the outing.

  She hoped Kurt would call this afternoon to report on anything he’d learned from Heidi. Secretly, she hoped he and Heidi would hit it off. He hadn’t had a serious girlfriend since he’d been jilted several years ago.

  Hmm, she wondered why she hadn’t introduced him to Pamela. She didn’t usually try matchmaking, but Pamela wanted and deserved a nice man. Kurt deserved a nice woman. Oh, well, she’d better keep her nose out of their romances.

  She and Grandma had just watched a Netflix movie when Kurt called.

  “I have to thank you for giving me the nudge to ask Heidi out with me. I had a great time and made plans to see her again tonight.”

  “Wonderful. I was just thinking you deserve a nice woman in your life. Did you learn anything about Dr. Lawson?”

  “She hated the man and so did his other students. He was a lecher and tried to lure her into a liaison. When she declined, her grades suffered. She thinks he was a closet misogynist. He resented women who did well.”

  “I’d believe that even though I only met him once. He was an unpleasant phony.”

  “She did mention that she thought Abby might have given in to him. Her grades soared even though she didn’t work hard.”

  “I see.” She wondered if Abby was the girl leaving Dr. Lawson’s house yesterday.

  “His sexual harassment caused a revolving door of secretaries. When his last one left, she filed a suit against him. When that happened, several other former secretaries heard and joined with her. The university censured him and told him he couldn’t have a secretary any longer.”

  “That would explain why he didn’t have help even though he was department chair.”

  “If I learn anything else, I’ll let you know.”

  “Thanks, Kurt.”