been work-related.
“Glen’s theory has me kind of freaking out. Today, I went to the Library of Congress to do some research, and on the way back I imagined that someone was following me. The last thing I needed was to have George’s nephew staring in the window.”
“It might have been your imagination, Adina, but trust your instincts. Be careful. If you think someone is following you again, call the police.”
“Enough talking about me and my troubles. How have you been? Still seeing Nate?”
He smiled and went on to tell me about their plans for a weekend getaway in Stroudsburg. “Everyone tells me the Poconos are beautiful, especially in the fall when the leaves are changing colors.”
“Never been there, although it sure sounds great. Hope you have fun.”
It was getting late, so we said our good-nights. Daniel made me take the rest of the cheesecake home with me. As always, he watched as I let myself into my apartment and closed the door behind me.
Chapter 19
Fall is my favorite season. Unfortunately, it’s also prime allergy season. I woke up all stuffy, and took an antihistamine before my eyes were even fully open. I put on water to make a cup of chamomile tea and got dressed while the tea cooled to a drinkable temperature.
The onset of sniffles meant making sure I had easy access to lots of tissues. I put on a flowered dress in shades of tan, rust and brown, and a dark brown blazer with deep pockets. Perfect for a day when I’d probably work my way through a generous supply of tissues.
I ate a few bites of cheesecake straight out of the box, drank the last of my tea, and headed out. I was lucky enough to snag a seat on the Metro even if it was on the aisle, with people standing almost on top of me. Then, without warning, I sneezed. And when I sneeze, people notice. Family and friends claim you can hear it miles away. I heard several passengers’ “Bless you” at the same time as people in my immediate vicinity took a step away. Great. Even on the subway my popularity was dwindling.
I reached the DIPPeR a few minutes past nine and made myself another cup of tea. The few people in the kitchen greeted me in passing and went about their business.
Back at my desk, I was glad to see that Matt had left me a project proposal to edit. I didn’t quite feel up to concentrating on the Land Use Survey. I was in the middle of working on Matt’s proposal when I realized I was not alone. I looked up to see Carol standing at my desk.
“Adina, Dr. Stickler would like to see you in his office. Now.”
“Alright. I’ll be there in a minute.”
“Good.” She turned around and sauntered toward the kitchen.
I saved my work and knocked on the open door to Dr. Stickler’s office. He motioned for me to come in.
“Adina, I received a very disturbing call from Detective Saks. What were you thinking, discussing the Land Use Survey with him? Don’t you know that our work is confidential?” He continued to rant on about proprietary data and such, without allowing me to respond. “Not to mention potentially involving us in a murder investigation.”
“I’m sorry if I told the detective anything that I shouldn’t have, but Hilary was working on the project when she was killed.”
“So what? That’s merely a coincidence.”
“I hope so, but I was worried after talking to one of her contacts yesterday. He suspected it might be tied to her research.”
That touched a nerve. Dr. Stickler was back on the offensive. “The detective told me about that, too. In fact, he seemed to know more about what you have been doing than I do. Why did you contact that activist anyway? Who authorized you to do that?”
His face got redder the more he ranted. “If I had known you were so undisciplined, I would have asked someone else to help with those graphs and charts. You are not my research assistant. Stay out of things that are none of your business.”
Ouch. I’d never want to be his assistant. His words
“Glen’s theory has me kind of freaking out. Today, I went to the Library of Congress to do some research, and on the way back I imagined that someone was following me. The last thing I needed was to have George’s nephew staring in the window.”
“It might have been your imagination, Adina, but trust your instincts. Be careful. If you think someone is following you again, call the police.”
“Enough talking about me and my troubles. How have you been? Still seeing Nate?”
He smiled and went on to tell me about their plans for a weekend getaway in Stroudsburg. “Everyone tells me the Poconos are beautiful, especially in the fall when the leaves are changing colors.”
“Never been there, although it sure sounds great. Hope you have fun.”
It was getting late, so we said our good-nights. Daniel made me take the rest of the cheesecake home with me. As always, he watched as I let myself into my apartment and closed the door behind me.
Chapter 19
Fall is my favorite season. Unfortunately, it’s also prime allergy season. I woke up all stuffy, and took an antihistamine before my eyes were even fully open. I put on water to make a cup of chamomile tea and got dressed while the tea cooled to a drinkable temperature.
The onset of sniffles meant making sure I had easy access to lots of tissues. I put on a flowered dress in shades of tan, rust and brown, and a dark brown blazer with deep pockets. Perfect for a day when I’d probably work my way through a generous supply of tissues.
I ate a few bites of cheesecake straight out of the box, drank the last of my tea, and headed out. I was lucky enough to snag a seat on the Metro even if it was on the aisle, with people standing almost on top of me. Then, without warning, I sneezed. And when I sneeze, people notice. Family and friends claim you can hear it miles away. I heard several passengers’ “Bless you” at the same time as people in my immediate vicinity took a step away. Great. Even on the subway my popularity was dwindling.
I reached the DIPPeR a few minutes past nine and made myself another cup of tea. The few people in the kitchen greeted me in passing and went about their business.
Back at my desk, I was glad to see that Matt had left me a project proposal to edit. I didn’t quite feel up to concentrating on the Land Use Survey. I was in the middle of working on Matt’s proposal when I realized I was not alone. I looked up to see Carol standing at my desk.
“Adina, Dr. Stickler would like to see you in his office. Now.”
“Alright. I’ll be there in a minute.”
“Good.” She turned around and sauntered toward the kitchen.
I saved my work and knocked on the open door to Dr. Stickler’s office. He motioned for me to come in.
“Adina, I received a very disturbing call from Detective Saks. What were you thinking, discussing the Land Use Survey with him? Don’t you know that our work is confidential?” He continued to rant on about proprietary data and such, without allowing me to respond. “Not to mention potentially involving us in a murder investigation.”
“I’m sorry if I told the detective anything that I shouldn’t have, but Hilary was working on the project when she was killed.”
“So what? That’s merely a coincidence.”
“I hope so, but I was worried after talking to one of her contacts yesterday. He suspected it might be tied to her research.”
That touched a nerve. Dr. Stickler was back on the offensive. “The detective told me about that, too. In fact, he seemed to know more about what you have been doing than I do. Why did you contact that activist anyway? Who authorized you to do that?”
His face got redder the more he ranted. “If I had known you were so undisciplined, I would have asked someone else to help with those graphs and charts. You are not my research assistant. Stay out of things that are none of your business.”
Ouch. I’d never want to be his assistant. His words
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