revelation would cause Leone was only one of its charms. The main target remained the main target. This story of the serial killer, along with the doubts that could be raised about the legitimacy of the university’s title to its land, would have a cumulative impact. With Leone he had spoken of compensation. Of course the lawyer took him to mean money. Well, if there was money to be had, he would take it, but there were deeper, more satisfying compensations. Even in his elation, Orion did not think of what he was doing as revenge.
20
“I’VE SEEN THEM TOGETHER. In the library. It’s all like it was before . . .”
“He has to use the library.”
“Marcia.” Scott Byers looked at her with tragic sympathy. Scott said he loved her; he pestered her to death, threatening to carry her off where Orion could never find them, but he left her cold. Scott was right about Orion. He walked all over her and she kept coming back for more. Of course she blamed it on Laverne.
The only reason she had told Orion about Scott Byers was that he insisted on telling her all about Laverne, the daughter of his professor, as if he were trying to say what he had put aside for her. He said all this with undisguised regret, as if she were to blame for thwarting his life. How could she keep quiet about Scott in such circumstances? Orion had feigned disinterest.
“He’s a graduate student too. In mathematics.”
Orion began to refer to him as X, the Unknown Quantity, as if he didn’t believe her. But the time he came into the Huddle and found her having a coffee with Scott during her break, he saw that X was real. Seeing them together, Orion came and stood beside the table with an odd expression on his face as he looked down at the seated Scott. Scott looking up at him as ifhe were a waiter interrupting a conversation. Marcia could see that, objectively speaking, Scott was by far the better looking. When he got up to shake Orion’s hand he was a head taller. He left them, husband and wife, but Orion took a different chair from the one Scott had sat in.
“Who’s he?”
“I’ve told you about him.”
“The loser?”
“If you’re the winner.”
He laid his hand on hers, and emotion swept over her. Orion was not a demonstrative man, and she really didn’t ask much. The feel of his claiming hand on hers wiped away any remote feelings of regret she might have had talking again with Scott.
“I don’t want him bothering you.”
“Don’t worry.”
“Worry? No, I won’t worry.”
How swiftly he changed, one moment almost tender, the next threatening. Even so, the point she had wanted to make had been made, and by accident. He had Laverne in his past, she had Scott. She said to him then, “And I don’t want Laverne bothering you.”
“Who’s Laverne?” His hand returned to hers.
He had been curious about Scott. He looked him up and got to know him a bit. Marcia heard this from Scott himself. Scott thought Orion was nuts about the Indian stuff and maybe he was, but it had become an obsession with him. When he included Laverne in his big campaign, she asked Scott to come along. Orion seemed to think he had asked Scott to come. He had certainly filled his ear with his theories. During their infrequent conversations, she and Scott went into the student lounge, out of the Huddle. It would look worse if Orion cameupon them there, but he never did. It was there that Scott gave her the shock of her life.
“What else does he have?” Scott asked. They had been talking of the series of incidents that had been put in motion by Orion. Scott had not been involved in meeting the chancellor’s plane and at the time he had felt awful about it, but his candidacy orals of course took precedence. Marcia had the feeling now he was glad he hadn’t taken part.
“What do you mean?”
Scott looked at her, then looked away. “Sometimes I’ve wondered what I would have done with my life if I’d been cut out of the doctoral
20
“I’VE SEEN THEM TOGETHER. In the library. It’s all like it was before . . .”
“He has to use the library.”
“Marcia.” Scott Byers looked at her with tragic sympathy. Scott said he loved her; he pestered her to death, threatening to carry her off where Orion could never find them, but he left her cold. Scott was right about Orion. He walked all over her and she kept coming back for more. Of course she blamed it on Laverne.
The only reason she had told Orion about Scott Byers was that he insisted on telling her all about Laverne, the daughter of his professor, as if he were trying to say what he had put aside for her. He said all this with undisguised regret, as if she were to blame for thwarting his life. How could she keep quiet about Scott in such circumstances? Orion had feigned disinterest.
“He’s a graduate student too. In mathematics.”
Orion began to refer to him as X, the Unknown Quantity, as if he didn’t believe her. But the time he came into the Huddle and found her having a coffee with Scott during her break, he saw that X was real. Seeing them together, Orion came and stood beside the table with an odd expression on his face as he looked down at the seated Scott. Scott looking up at him as ifhe were a waiter interrupting a conversation. Marcia could see that, objectively speaking, Scott was by far the better looking. When he got up to shake Orion’s hand he was a head taller. He left them, husband and wife, but Orion took a different chair from the one Scott had sat in.
“Who’s he?”
“I’ve told you about him.”
“The loser?”
“If you’re the winner.”
He laid his hand on hers, and emotion swept over her. Orion was not a demonstrative man, and she really didn’t ask much. The feel of his claiming hand on hers wiped away any remote feelings of regret she might have had talking again with Scott.
“I don’t want him bothering you.”
“Don’t worry.”
“Worry? No, I won’t worry.”
How swiftly he changed, one moment almost tender, the next threatening. Even so, the point she had wanted to make had been made, and by accident. He had Laverne in his past, she had Scott. She said to him then, “And I don’t want Laverne bothering you.”
“Who’s Laverne?” His hand returned to hers.
He had been curious about Scott. He looked him up and got to know him a bit. Marcia heard this from Scott himself. Scott thought Orion was nuts about the Indian stuff and maybe he was, but it had become an obsession with him. When he included Laverne in his big campaign, she asked Scott to come along. Orion seemed to think he had asked Scott to come. He had certainly filled his ear with his theories. During their infrequent conversations, she and Scott went into the student lounge, out of the Huddle. It would look worse if Orion cameupon them there, but he never did. It was there that Scott gave her the shock of her life.
“What else does he have?” Scott asked. They had been talking of the series of incidents that had been put in motion by Orion. Scott had not been involved in meeting the chancellor’s plane and at the time he had felt awful about it, but his candidacy orals of course took precedence. Marcia had the feeling now he was glad he hadn’t taken part.
“What do you mean?”
Scott looked at her, then looked away. “Sometimes I’ve wondered what I would have done with my life if I’d been cut out of the doctoral
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