anywhere.
"I wanted to ask you a couple of questions about the night Josh Kirkwood disappeared," she said. "It won't take long, but if you'd rather I come back—"
"I heard he's been returned unharmed." Priest raised a bony hand to rub his chin. "A fascinating turn of events. Obviously, Dr. Wright didn't return the child—not that I believe Garrett took Josh in the first place."
"We believe otherwise, Professor."
He put his head a little on one side and looked at her as if he were an android attempting to decipher the illogical workings of the human mind. "Do you truly believe, or are you following a path of least resistance?"
"Believe me, prosecuting a well-respected member of the community is hardly a path of least resistance."
"However, he is the bird in the hand, so to speak."
"Just because there's still one in the bush doesn't mean this one isn't guilty," Ellen pointed out. Priest just blinked at her, frowning the way he probably frowned at students who couldn't grasp the latest computer language.
"I want to clarify a couple of points about that night," she said. "You told the police you were here working."
"In the computer center, yes. Garrett and I have a group of students working together on a project involving learning and perception. One of those students was here with me."
"Mike Chamberlain," Ellen said. "Whom you sent on an enrand around five o'clock—an errand he never accomplished because he was involved in a car accident."
"That's correct."
"The accident that kept Hannah Garrison at the hospital when she would have been picking Josh up from the hockey rink."
Priest looked down at his loafers. "Yes," he said softly. "If I hadn't sent Mike out at that precise moment, perhaps none of this would have happened. You can't imagine how that makes me feel. I think the world of Hannah. It was such a relief to hear she'd got Josh back—unharmed."
The professor's cheeks colored as he spoke of Hannah Garrison. Interesting. And a little odd. He didn't seem the sort for romantic crushes. Or perhaps the shy glance at his shoes was something else altogether.
Megan O'Malley didn't believe that car accident had been an accident at all, but rather the first move in the kidnappers' game. Was the involvement of Priest's student in that car wreck accidental, or was that all part of the plan as well? If one professor could be involved, why not two?
"After Mike Chamberlain left, you were here alone?"
Priest's eyes narrowed a fraction. His skinny shoulders pulled back. "I thought I was past needing an alibi, Ms. North. I voluntarily took a lie detector test on Sunday."
"I'm aware of that, Professor," Ellen said without apology. "Did you see Dr. Wright here that evening?"
"No. I wish I could say I did, but I was in the machine room in the computer center, and Garrett was in his office."
"So he claims."
"Only the guilty live their lives with alibis in mind."
"You and Dr. Wright are friends. You work together, founded the Sci-Fi Cowboys together. You don't happen to jointly own any property, do you? A cabin, maybe?"
"We're friends and colleagues, Ms. North, not husband and wife."
The door behind him opened, and a tall youth with angry dark eyes glared out over the professor's head. "You got a problem here, Professor?"
"No, Tyrell. There's no problem," Priest said evenly.
Tyrell kept his gaze fixed hard on Ellen. "Hey, you that bitch lawyer."
"Tyrell . . ."
Priest turned and attempted to contain the trouble to the classroom, an effort as futile as trying to shove the cork back in a champagne bottle, the door swung wide and two more members of the Sci-Fi Cowboys stared out, arrogant and indignant and big enough to pick their mentor up and set him aside like a child.
"Dr. Wright is innocent!"
"He's gonna kick your ass in court!"
"Guys! Please go back to your seats!" Priest ordered. They
"I wanted to ask you a couple of questions about the night Josh Kirkwood disappeared," she said. "It won't take long, but if you'd rather I come back—"
"I heard he's been returned unharmed." Priest raised a bony hand to rub his chin. "A fascinating turn of events. Obviously, Dr. Wright didn't return the child—not that I believe Garrett took Josh in the first place."
"We believe otherwise, Professor."
He put his head a little on one side and looked at her as if he were an android attempting to decipher the illogical workings of the human mind. "Do you truly believe, or are you following a path of least resistance?"
"Believe me, prosecuting a well-respected member of the community is hardly a path of least resistance."
"However, he is the bird in the hand, so to speak."
"Just because there's still one in the bush doesn't mean this one isn't guilty," Ellen pointed out. Priest just blinked at her, frowning the way he probably frowned at students who couldn't grasp the latest computer language.
"I want to clarify a couple of points about that night," she said. "You told the police you were here working."
"In the computer center, yes. Garrett and I have a group of students working together on a project involving learning and perception. One of those students was here with me."
"Mike Chamberlain," Ellen said. "Whom you sent on an enrand around five o'clock—an errand he never accomplished because he was involved in a car accident."
"That's correct."
"The accident that kept Hannah Garrison at the hospital when she would have been picking Josh up from the hockey rink."
Priest looked down at his loafers. "Yes," he said softly. "If I hadn't sent Mike out at that precise moment, perhaps none of this would have happened. You can't imagine how that makes me feel. I think the world of Hannah. It was such a relief to hear she'd got Josh back—unharmed."
The professor's cheeks colored as he spoke of Hannah Garrison. Interesting. And a little odd. He didn't seem the sort for romantic crushes. Or perhaps the shy glance at his shoes was something else altogether.
Megan O'Malley didn't believe that car accident had been an accident at all, but rather the first move in the kidnappers' game. Was the involvement of Priest's student in that car wreck accidental, or was that all part of the plan as well? If one professor could be involved, why not two?
"After Mike Chamberlain left, you were here alone?"
Priest's eyes narrowed a fraction. His skinny shoulders pulled back. "I thought I was past needing an alibi, Ms. North. I voluntarily took a lie detector test on Sunday."
"I'm aware of that, Professor," Ellen said without apology. "Did you see Dr. Wright here that evening?"
"No. I wish I could say I did, but I was in the machine room in the computer center, and Garrett was in his office."
"So he claims."
"Only the guilty live their lives with alibis in mind."
"You and Dr. Wright are friends. You work together, founded the Sci-Fi Cowboys together. You don't happen to jointly own any property, do you? A cabin, maybe?"
"We're friends and colleagues, Ms. North, not husband and wife."
The door behind him opened, and a tall youth with angry dark eyes glared out over the professor's head. "You got a problem here, Professor?"
"No, Tyrell. There's no problem," Priest said evenly.
Tyrell kept his gaze fixed hard on Ellen. "Hey, you that bitch lawyer."
"Tyrell . . ."
Priest turned and attempted to contain the trouble to the classroom, an effort as futile as trying to shove the cork back in a champagne bottle, the door swung wide and two more members of the Sci-Fi Cowboys stared out, arrogant and indignant and big enough to pick their mentor up and set him aside like a child.
"Dr. Wright is innocent!"
"He's gonna kick your ass in court!"
"Guys! Please go back to your seats!" Priest ordered. They
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