Ballantine.
“I don’t know anything about his politics.” replied Dean Hanbury. “He has never discussed them with me, or with the president, to my knowledge.”
“How about his article in The Windrift on Vietnam and the
Array?”
“I don’t recall it. Miss Ballantine. I don’t believe I read it.” She swiveled her chair around and gazed out the window at the street below.
This was more than Judy could take, she jumped to her feet. “That’s a crock of shit and you know it. Everybody in school read that article and everybody talked about it.”
The dean did not answer. Instead, she rose and went to the door. “You’ll have to excuse me,” she said, and walked out, closing the door behind her.
They looked at each other uncertainly. Selzer turned on Judy. “You asshole, he said.
“Now, abner. Judy didn’t mean anything.” said Ekko. “Hanbury probably just went to the can.”
“Or maybe to see Prex.” suggested O’Brien. “She’ll be back.”
“Maybe she just wants to let on she’s sore, then when she comes back, we feel funny and don’t push so hard.”
They discussed it, wandering around the room, looking at the pictures on the wall, pecking at the keys of the typewriter while waiting for her to return.
“If she was going to walk out on us,” said Judy after awhile, “wouldn’t she have told us to leave?”
Ekko still thought she’d gone to the can.
“Well, maybe.” said Selzer. “but if so, she’s been there a long time now. It’s at least ten or fifteen minutes.”
“Well, women are that way,” said Ekko.
“How about you?” demanded Judy. “You can tie up the John for an hour.”
Ekko grinned.
Selzer came to a decision. “Look Judy, you go down to the women’s John and see if she’s there. Yance, you go up to the president’s office. Me and Mike, we’ll check around the other rooms.”
“How about me?” asked Ekko.
“Somebody’s got to stay here in case she comes back.”
Alone in the office. Ekko sat down in the dean’s swivel chair, teetered back and forth, and then hoisted his feet onto the desk. While he would have preferred that someone besides Judy had disrupted the meeting, he was not sorry it was over. Obviously. Selzer had forgotten he was supposed to play down the Fine issue, the dean was one shrewd cookie, and he was sure that if the meeting had continued she would have led them on and then sprung Fine’s letter on them. It would get all over the school, and his friend Fine would really be hurt.
They began to drift back into the office, one by one. Finally; Selzer appeared. “I checked every goddam room, corridor, telephone booth from the top floor clear down to the basement, she’s gone.”
They looked at each other. “What do we do now?”
Chapter Thirteen
Millicent Hanbury., outwardly cool and unruffled, pressed down the release bar on the front door of the administration building and let herself out. Outside, she hesitated and glanced up at the window of her office, then hurried across the deserted street to where her car was parked.
When she pulled into her driveway and glanced at her watch, she realized how fast she had been driving; she’d made it from school to her house in just thirty-five minutes, her best time yet.
Closing the door behind her, she leaned against it for a moment as if to reassure herself she was within the sanctuary of her own four walls. But only for a moment, she went to the phone.
“Barnard’s Crossing Police Department. Sergeant Leffler,” came the response from the other end.
“This is Millicent Hanbury, Sergeant, at 48 Oak Street.”
“Yes. I know the address. Miss Hanbury.”
“Ive just returned home and I found a window in my living room open. I’m sure I closed it when I left.”
“Was anything taken, Miss Hanbury? Does it look as though the place has been ransacked?”
“No,” she said. “Everything seems to be in order, but I haven’t gone through the rest of the
“I don’t know anything about his politics.” replied Dean Hanbury. “He has never discussed them with me, or with the president, to my knowledge.”
“How about his article in The Windrift on Vietnam and the
Array?”
“I don’t recall it. Miss Ballantine. I don’t believe I read it.” She swiveled her chair around and gazed out the window at the street below.
This was more than Judy could take, she jumped to her feet. “That’s a crock of shit and you know it. Everybody in school read that article and everybody talked about it.”
The dean did not answer. Instead, she rose and went to the door. “You’ll have to excuse me,” she said, and walked out, closing the door behind her.
They looked at each other uncertainly. Selzer turned on Judy. “You asshole, he said.
“Now, abner. Judy didn’t mean anything.” said Ekko. “Hanbury probably just went to the can.”
“Or maybe to see Prex.” suggested O’Brien. “She’ll be back.”
“Maybe she just wants to let on she’s sore, then when she comes back, we feel funny and don’t push so hard.”
They discussed it, wandering around the room, looking at the pictures on the wall, pecking at the keys of the typewriter while waiting for her to return.
“If she was going to walk out on us,” said Judy after awhile, “wouldn’t she have told us to leave?”
Ekko still thought she’d gone to the can.
“Well, maybe.” said Selzer. “but if so, she’s been there a long time now. It’s at least ten or fifteen minutes.”
“Well, women are that way,” said Ekko.
“How about you?” demanded Judy. “You can tie up the John for an hour.”
Ekko grinned.
Selzer came to a decision. “Look Judy, you go down to the women’s John and see if she’s there. Yance, you go up to the president’s office. Me and Mike, we’ll check around the other rooms.”
“How about me?” asked Ekko.
“Somebody’s got to stay here in case she comes back.”
Alone in the office. Ekko sat down in the dean’s swivel chair, teetered back and forth, and then hoisted his feet onto the desk. While he would have preferred that someone besides Judy had disrupted the meeting, he was not sorry it was over. Obviously. Selzer had forgotten he was supposed to play down the Fine issue, the dean was one shrewd cookie, and he was sure that if the meeting had continued she would have led them on and then sprung Fine’s letter on them. It would get all over the school, and his friend Fine would really be hurt.
They began to drift back into the office, one by one. Finally; Selzer appeared. “I checked every goddam room, corridor, telephone booth from the top floor clear down to the basement, she’s gone.”
They looked at each other. “What do we do now?”
Chapter Thirteen
Millicent Hanbury., outwardly cool and unruffled, pressed down the release bar on the front door of the administration building and let herself out. Outside, she hesitated and glanced up at the window of her office, then hurried across the deserted street to where her car was parked.
When she pulled into her driveway and glanced at her watch, she realized how fast she had been driving; she’d made it from school to her house in just thirty-five minutes, her best time yet.
Closing the door behind her, she leaned against it for a moment as if to reassure herself she was within the sanctuary of her own four walls. But only for a moment, she went to the phone.
“Barnard’s Crossing Police Department. Sergeant Leffler,” came the response from the other end.
“This is Millicent Hanbury, Sergeant, at 48 Oak Street.”
“Yes. I know the address. Miss Hanbury.”
“Ive just returned home and I found a window in my living room open. I’m sure I closed it when I left.”
“Was anything taken, Miss Hanbury? Does it look as though the place has been ransacked?”
“No,” she said. “Everything seems to be in order, but I haven’t gone through the rest of the
Similar Books
