by Ali Franklin
☐ ☐ ☐
Ryan’s phone rang. Noting the Caller ID, she grimaced.
“Hello, Oscar.”
“Tell me you’re making progress,” he growled.
Dr. Oscar Martinez was president of Haverwood College and Ryan’s boss. They’d worked closely together in the few years since Ryan had become the dean of students. They had a great relationship, but he was still her boss.
Ryan admitted they still had no clues about the Paladin’s identity. She stressed the fact that she, Kyle and Nicki were working hard on every angle.
“We still think this is not an issue of identity theft?” he asked.
“That’s right. It appears they only accessed phone numbers to send the text, even though they could have accessed a good deal of other data.”
“What does Kyle think about that?”
“He thinks they only wanted to prove they could use the alert system.”
The president didn’t answer.
“Look, Oscar, we’re working with all the information we have. We just don’t have a lot.”
“You’re tracing how he hacked into the alert system, correct?”
“Yes.”
“And you’re working with the Herald staff regarding the ad in the paper?”
“Yes.”
“That’s two solid lines of inquiry,” said Oscar. “That should be enough to get you some answers. I want this wrapped up ASAP.”
“Oscar, we’re—”
“—Look, Ryan. I’ve heard from three faculty members already this morning, and more are leaving messages. They don’t appreciate being threatened, and they don’t appreciate their students treating them like they have something to hide.”
She swallowed her frustration. “We’ll get to the bottom of it.”
“I don’t want to lose any faculty over this. Stop him before he scares anyone away.”
Ryan was suddenly indignant as she imagined professors fleeing to avoid being caught in the Paladin’s trap. “He must be focused on one person in particular. Once we figure out who that is, we can put a stop to it.”
“Do it sooner rather than later.” Oscar sighed heavily. “I have a meeting with one of the regents this afternoon. I may have to tell her—and the entire board—about this.”
“Are you sure?”
“I don’t want them to hear it from someone else. And I can’t have them thinking I’m not in control here.”
“We just need a little more time.”
She could hear the hope in his voice as he responded.
“We’ve made it through worse trouble than this, and you’ve never let me down. You can have any resources you need—just say the word. Catch this guy, Ryan.”
“You can count on it.”
☐ ☐ ☐
Brianna Eatherly entered the residence hall common room and slumped to the couch. She leaned forward long enough to pull the strap of her messenger bag over her head, then let the bag fall to the floor.
“Rough morning?” asked her friend David, who was sitting nearby. He was a friend of Brianna’s and a resident on the same floor. He and Brianna had shared many late nights in the common room and the campus computer lab while working on projects and discussing life after college.
“Carpenter is such a jerk,” said Brianna. “I could fit what he knows about today’s business world on a three-and-a-half-inch floppy disk.”
“Isn’t Eli in that class with you?”
“He’s not going anymore. Carpenter trashed his midterm project, so he figures there’s no way he’s going to get an A. He’s using the time to work on something else.”
“’Straight-A Barnett’ is expecting at a B? He must be pissed.”
“I keep telling him our grades don’t matter. Our degrees won’t even matter, once we have our IPO. We’re just here so our parents pay the bills while we work on it. But he insists on having a perfect record.”
“Are his parents going to be mad about him not having perfect grades?”
“I don’t know much about them,” said Brianna. “Except that they put him in some fancy private boarding school from sixth to twelfth grade so they could travel around Europe.”
“Whoa. Is his family rich?”
“I’ve never asked. He gets a quiet whenever anybody talks about it, so don’t bring it up. I need him in his best frame of mind so we can fix the issue we’re having with ‘Tiny T-Rex.’”
“You guys sure pick some weird code names. You act like you’re working on the Manhattan Project or something.”
“We’re just practicing operational security. You know how many people wanted to take credit for creating Facebook?”
“I know, I know, you’ve told me.” David lifted both hands in surrender. “But you have come up with some doozies. I think my favorite was ‘Narcissus Nightjar.’”
“Oh, that was an early one. How about ‘Vapid Viper?’”
“Frostbitten Ferret.”
“Accidentally Alpha,” said Brianna. She shifted her body until she was lying on her back. She stared at the ceiling.
“I haven’t heard of that one. Is it new?”
“It’s something Eli’s working on. He hasn’t even told me what it is.”
“Is ‘T-Rex’ on hold?”
“No way. He’s doing ‘Alpha’ on the side. ‘T-Rex’ is still our number one priority.” She swung her legs to the floor and reached for her bag.
“When will it be ready?”
Brianna stood and walked to the hallway. As she turned the corner, she called over her shoulder:
“When it’s perfect.”
Five minutes later, Brianna knocked on the door of Eli’s room. There was no answer.
She knocked again. “Eli? It’s Brianna.”
Nothing. She turned the knob. The door opened to reveal a room occupied by one person, four computers and at least ten monitors. Brianna could see the top of a head behind one of the monitors. It was bobbing—probably to whatever was coming from the headphones perched on it.
Grinning, Brianna rested her chin atop one of the monitors until Eli noticed her.
“Hey,” he said. “Carpenter’s already done listening to the sound of his own voice?”
“Yeah. Same as always: he droned on and on about how he saw the Enron scandal coming.”
“I wish he’d get past that. A lot’s happened in the last twenty years. I wish he’d teach us about what companies are doing today.”
“Not likely.” She straightened and came around the side of the desk. “So how’s it going?”
With a single keystroke, the visuals on the monitors disappeared. Brianna took a step back.
“Sorry. I guess you want to keep that under wraps a little longer.”
Eli slapped the armrests of his chair and stood. “I need a break anyway. C’mon. Let’s walk to the pond. I’ll buy you a hot dog.”
They left Milton Hall and walked past Lois Hall and the bell tower. As they neared the library, they stopped to talk with their friend Luke, who’d brought his two golden retrievers to play at the pond. Brianna scratched the dogs’ ears, then Eli laid down in the grass and wrestled with them.
“Take it easy, Eli,” laughed the dogs’ owner. “You’ll wear them out before we can get home.”
“All right, all right.” Eli stood and brushed the grass from his jeans. He patted each dog on the head. “See you next time, guys.”
Brianna and Eli said goodbye to Luke, who whistled to the dogs and headed toward the water.
Eli smiled as he watched them go. “I wish they’d let us have dogs in the dorms.”
“Geez, Eli. Some people don’t even pick up their dirty clothes. Do you think they’d pick up after their pets?”
“Ew. I can’t wait ‘til I have my own place.”
They reached the hot-dog stand outside the SUB, where Eli ordered two sauerkraut dogs for himself and a chili dog for Brianna.
“Thanks,” she said, then started laughing.
“What is
it?”
She reached up. “You have sticks in your hair from when you were rolling around in the grass. Squat down a little so I can reach.”
He obliged and she brushed her hand through his curls. Tiny sticks and pieces of grass dropped to the ground around them.
Brianna smiled at the sheepish look on his face, then frowned. His eyes had focused on something over her shoulder. His mouth formed a grim line.
He straightened. “That’s enough.”
She sneaked a glance behind her. Students were walking in and out of the SUB, but she didn’t see anyone they knew. Two professors stood talking near a bench.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
He didn’t answer.
The vendor called out, “Your dogs are ready.”
Brianna and Eli thanked him and began walking back toward Milton Hall, eating as they went. As soon as Eli had finished his first hot dog, Brianna spoke.
“You okay?”
“Yeah.”
“Did something upset you back there?”
Oh,” he waved his free hand. “Nothing.”
“You sure?”
He stopped and turned, looking back toward the big building. “I just wish some things were different around here.”
“What do you mean?”
“You know about tenure?”
“Sure. Once a faculty member gets tenure, it’s almost impossible for them to lose their job. So?”
“It just seems like some of the tenured professors don’t care anymore. They know they’re bulletproof, so they do whatever they want.”
“Like Dr. Carpenter living in the past?”
Eli grunted. “Yeah, but I mean some of them…they do bad things.”
“Bad things? Like what?”
“I’ve heard about professors taking money for grades.”
“Me too. Is that what’s bothering you?”
“Some professors get students to do things for them.”
“Like doing research that the professor takes credit for? Everybody knows about that.”
“No. Other things.”
“Other things?” She looked at him, then her eyes widened. “Oh. Other things. You mean like sleeping with them?”
He nodded.
“I’ve heard stories,” she said. “But I’ve never known anyone who did it.”
“They do it. It’s so…inappropriate. Unethical. And the professors have all the power. Once they’ve got a student, they can make him do whatever they want.”
“Like what? Make the student pick up their dry cleaning? Wash their car?”
“Yeah. And other things.”
“I don’t think a professor could force a student to do anything. Students talk too much. They’d get the professor in trouble.”
“No way,” he said. “A professor can ruin someone’s academic career. All those professors know each other. It’s so unfair.”
Brianna tried to lighten the mood. “Think anyone’s ever slept with Dr. Carpenter?”
“Gross. Don’t make me throw up my hot dog.”
They walked in silence for a few minutes.
“It does seem wrong that a professor could have a hold over a student like that,” she said. “But if the student’s an adult, it’s their own fault for getting into that situation.”
“You don’t get it. Every professor has leverage over every student. It’s their responsibility to be ethical.”
“You sound like a public service announcement.”
“Whatever.”
“Eli, I don’t know why you’re so bothered by this. It’s not like it happened to us.”
“But somebody should do something.”
“It’s not our problem.”
He didn’t respond.
She nudged him with an elbow, then started running toward their residence hall.
“Come on, you big downer,” she called. “Let’s go work on T-Rex. We’ve got a lot of code to figure out.”
7
Faith Cho glanced up at the little clock above the stove in her kitchen. It was nearly six o’clock and Lance would be home for dinner any minute. She walked into the entryway and checked her outfit in the mirror.
She was wearing a sheer pink top with a lacy hot pink bra underneath. The top flowed over flared beige linen slacks. Her feet were clad in barely-there tan sandals. She grinned. Lance always appreciated seeing her toes.
She twisted her necklace to hide the clasp at the back of her neck. It featured a huge diamond heart, an anniversary gift from her husband. Lance loved to see her in the expensive jewelry he bought. He’d say, “It shows all the other men how much I love you—and makes their wives jealous.”
Faith knew she was lucky. Not everyone was fortunate enough to have a life like hers. Tonight she was going to make sure Lance knew how much she appreciated him.
She heard the garage door open and smoothed down her hair. She checked her teeth for lipstick and hurried into the dining room, lighting the candles she’d set out for their romantic dinner.
The door to the mud room opened and Lance called out:
“Sweetheart, I’m home. What was it you wanted to talk to me about?”
She met him in the kitchen. His eyes widened in appreciation when he saw her.
“You look fantastic.” Confusion passed over his face. “I didn’t miss an anniversary, did I?”
She laughed. “Of course not, silly.” She took his hand and led him into the dining room. “I just wanted to cook my man a nice dinner to show him how much I love him.”
He wrapped her in his arms and they kissed.
“This is my kind of surprise. I’m glad you called.”
“Now you just sit here,” she said, pulling out his chair. “I’ll get your drink and bring in our dinner.”
“Are you buttering me up for something? Because the answer is yes, whatever it is.”
“Can’t a girl just cook her guy a meal?” Faith laughed as she set down his martini. She gave him a peck on the cheek and disappeared back into the kitchen. She returned with two plates loaded with salmon and vegetables.
“Is this that salmon recipe I love?” he asked.
“It is. I also marinated the squash just the way you like it.”
“What did I do to deserve this?”
“You’re just your wonderful self.”
He took a bite of the salmon and smiled appreciatively. “You should cook this more often.”
They enjoyed their dinner in silence for a few minutes. Then he looked up.
“How was your day?”
“A little upsetting. There’s something happening on campus that might create a bad situation for some of our faculty.”
“What do you mean?”
Faith outlined the Paladin’s moves during the week. She omitted the message she and two other faculty members received the day before. “I’m actually working with Nicki Statton, the chief of campus police. We’re going to build a profile of this guy so we can stop him from ruining people’s careers.”
He smiled proudly. “That’s my girl. Always part of the solution. The college is lucky to have you.”
“I don’t know about that,” she said, ducking her head. “But I’m going to help in any way I can.”
He reached across the table and grasped her hand. “Help them find this guy, babe. I want to finalize our summer cruise.”
“Oh, Lance, I can’t think about that right now. These are my friends and I’m concerned about them. Besides, I also have to prepare my final exams.” She looked into his eyes. “I want to spend all summer with you. I do. But I just need to concentrate on this.”
“I get it. Help your friends. I’ll take care of our summer plans.”
“Thanks for understanding.”
She looked at the table then stood, forcing a smile. “Looks like you need a fresh drink. I’ll be right back.” She disappeared into the kitchen.
As she mixed the drink, she forced herself to concentrate on the moment. The im
portant thing was her relationship with Lance. Whatever happened, it had to stay strong.
She took the martini into the dining room. “So tell me about your day.”
“I was talking with Joe Henderson. You know, he’s one of the strength coaches?”
Faith raised her eyebrows, signaling for him to continue.
“Anyway, he’s engaged, and we were talking about his pre-cana. Do you know he doesn’t want to do it?”
“Is he Catholic?”
“He is, but his fiancee isn’t.”
“I did it, even though I’m not really Catholic.”
He smiled. “I’m not through with you yet.”
Faith steered him back to his original point. “Your friend doesn’t want to do the pre-wedding classes?”
“I told him how great it was for us. I just think that Catholics have a responsibility to do what the priests suggest.”
“Sweetheart,” said Faith, “everyone has a different level of commitment to the church.”
“I know, but there are some things that are too important to ignore.”
“I love that you care so much about your friends, Lance.”
He smiled, then seemed to snap out of his funk. “And you care about your friends, too.” He winked. “What a pair we are.”
“I’m afraid more than one of my friends are in for a tough time over this Paladin thing. When he starts putting information out there, a lot of people are going to be judged—whether or not the assertions are true.”
“But they’ll investigate, right?”
“Of course,” said Faith. “But for some, the damage will already be done. Some people’s relationships are hanging on by a thread. Right or wrong, the accusations could be devastating.”
Lance’s eyes widened as he watched Faith become more and more distressed. Finally, he stood and moved to her. He wrapped his big arms around her shoulders and squeezed. “Babe, relax. You’re doing everything you can to help your friends.”
A tear rolled down her face as she turned toward him. “Oh, Lance. What if he starts saying things about me? I don’t think I could stand it.”
He squeezed harder. “There’s nothing they can say that will make me stop loving you.” He cradled her face and gave her a tender kiss. “We’re a team. No one will ever change that.”