Mallow wrapped up the interviews. Doro got word when President Winwood spoke with her and her boss to inform them not to return to work until Monday. Classes were canceled at least that long.
As soon as the administrator left, Doro turned to Floyd Quartine, the head librarian. “Students may want to use the library before next Monday,” she said. “Hours have already been cut.” As had staff jobs. Prior to Winwood’s arrival, there had been another librarian, a secretary, three student aides, and a page. All women. Now, it was only Doro and Mr. Quartine with a student to help re-shelve books once a week. Because the tomes piled up long before then, Doro ended up doing the task daily.
Quartine’s gray brows went down as a frown formed on his angular face. “I can’t subvert the president’s orders.”
“Of course not,” Doro agreed.
A long, rumbling sigh escaped Quartine. “Take some time for yourself, Doro. You work hard, and you deserve to relax.”
Her boss was a good, kind man. Doing Winwood’s bidding did not come easily to him, because Mr. Quartine put students first. Next came his staff, so seeing some put out of work upset him. Doro knew he disliked the changes, probably enough to retire at the end of the school year. The thought saddened her. He’d been the head librarian for as long as she could recall. “Thank you.”
He nodded. “You go along. I’ll be leaving soon myself.”
With reluctance, Doro gathered her things. Since Mallow had not returned her bag, she reluctantly stopped at the table where he and Constable Lammers were going over notes. They both stood.
The constable, a muscular man of middle height and years, offered a rueful smile. “I’m so sorry I didn’t get here sooner. Davey fell out of a tree at recess and broke his arm. I was still making my rounds when Dr. Silton found me. My boy was at his house with Mrs. Silton and their maid fussing over him. They were kind enough to keep Davey for the day, but I needed to finish checking all the businesses. I didn’t know about Professor Corlon until noon.”
“I hope Davey is all right,” Doro said.
“He’s hurting now, but keeping him from climbing and such for the next month will be hard,” the constable said. With one hand, he pushed an errant lock of hair off his face, but it fell back almost immediately.
For as long as Doro could remember, Wade Lammers’ stick-straight hair had given him the same trouble. The only difference now was that his nearly coal black locks were shot with bits of gray. “I’m sure it will,” Doro observed. The eight-year-old was active, to say the least. “Will he be able to go back to school tomorrow?”
“Doc thinks so,” Lammers replied. “If not, Mrs. Silton assured me the boy could stay at their place while I’m working.”
“That might be best,” Doro murmured.
Mallow broke into the conversation. “We have a lot to go over, Miss Banyon. Did you need something?”
She pulled her attention away from the constable. “I’m sorry to bother you, but we’ve been told we should leave until Monday, and I’d like to take my bag.”
“That’s not possible,” Mallow replied.
When the security officer did not continue, the constable offered a smile. “Officer Mallow wants to go over all the evidence again, but you’ll get it back as soon as possible.”
“Evidence.” Alarm ballooned inside Doro until she could hardly draw breath. The officer’s previous suspicions had put her on edge. After a few hours, she had relaxed. Now, all her anxieties rose full-force. The urge to argue with Mallow hit Doro hard, but she swallowed it back.
“Nothing to be alarmed over,” Lammer said. “I can drop it off at your place later.”
A scowl darkened Mallow’s face. “I doubt I can ascertain if it contains important information that soon.”
Annoyance pierced Doro’s anxiety. She turned to Lammers with a smile. “Thank you, Constable. I certainly don’t want to stand in the way of justice, but student papers are in my bag. I’d like to grade them.”
Mallow’s expression softened. “As the constable said, we’ll get it to you soon. We not only talked with many people, we needed to examine the muddy footprints, such as they were.”
The revelation piqued Doro’s interest. “I didn’t notice any clear ones.”
“Unfortunately, they weren’t true prints, just muddy splotches and puddles. Nothing that will help solve the case,” Mallow admitted.
His disclosures encouraged Doro to ask for more details. “Did others know anything to help?”
“Bits and pieces,” Wade replied.
Mallow nodded. “Most sang your praises.”
Since Doro couldn’t read the sentiment behind the words, she made no reply. At this juncture, silence seemed sensible.
“You’re a favorite of many folks on campus,” Mallow observed.
“And in town,” the constable added. “I remember Doro from when she was born. I’d just left school and hired on with the railroad, but when I got home, my mother was over the moon about the new baby at the Banyon place.”
Warmth spread through Doro at the image created by his recollection. “How is your mother?”
Lammers grinned. “Pretty well. If she gets stronger, she’ll be able to help with the children. Then, I can respond to crimes quickly. Not that we need more big cases around here.” Color rose in his ruddy cheeks. “How about your momma? How is she doing?”
“The dry air in Colorado agrees with her,” Doro replied.
“So, she and your pops won’t be moving back,” Lammers said.
“No, they won’t. Her health is better in a dry climate, and Dad loves his job at Colorado College.” She touched the locket beneath her blouse. When her mother had left over seven years ago, she had given the piece of jewelry to her only child as a talisman and said, “We may not be in the same place, but I’ll always be with you.” Doro, deeply touched by the sentiment, rarely took it off.
“We’d hate to lose you,” Lammers put in.
His sincerity touched her. “I’m not departing soon.” As long as her grandmother was alive, Doro planned to stay put. Later, she might move to Colorado. Only time would tell.
“Good,” the constable replied.
Once again, the new security officer interrupted. “Before you go today, I have a couple more questions,” Mallow put in.
“I’m happy to answer them for you.” Not true, but Doro fought to remain impassive.
The officer gestured toward a chair across from him. “Please take a seat.”
Although Doro wanted to escape as soon as possible, she followed his request, or order, depending on the interpretation. Both Mallow and Lammers returned to their chairs.
“As the constable said, we’ve spoken to many people. You indicated, Professor Corlon didn’t get along well with more than a few folks,” Mallow observed. “Miss Agatha Darwine made a point of telling me that, too.”
His attention never left Doro’s face, which made her feel like a specimen in one of the science department’s microscopes. “She did?”
Mallow nodded. “Are you friends?”
He made the question seem accusatory, another reaction that upset Doro. She wasn’t privy to the other interviews, but surely someone other than Aggie had revealed the professor’s run-ins with multiple people. “We are.”
“Close friends?” Mallow asked.
“Does it matter if we’re close or not?” Doro heard the irritation in her voice and hoped he did, too.
“It might.” His steady gaze remained on her.
“Aggie is as honest as the day is long. So is Doro,” Lammers said.
Although his expression remained congenial, an undercurrent of authority laced his tone. Doro could have hugged the man for supporting both her and her friend.
“I wasn’t suggesting otherwise,” Mallow said.
When the silence became oppressive, Doro asked, “What’s your other question, Officer Mallow?”
He cleared his throat. “A couple of people mentioned the president of YWV…sorry, I forgot the rest.”
“YWVEJ. Young Women Voters for Equality and Justice,” Doro put in. “But YWV is fine.”
“Right,” he said. “Anyhow, two professors said Miss Kitty Tenseng is president of the group. Evidently, she and Corlon have clashed.”
Doro brushed off his failure to remember the group’s name and concentrated on the case. Since Mallow had not asked a question, Doro took care with her response. “Professor Corlon doesn’t support the group, as I already said.”
“What about Miss Tenseng’s clashes with him?” Mallow asked.
Anxiety hit Doro as she wondered what Aggie had revealed. Hopefully, not much. “She was in his class last year, and that exacerbated the problems.” So had Corlon failing Kitty’s beau, but Doro kept that to herself. Maybe Mallow already knew. If not, he could ferret the information out on his own.
“I’d like to speak with the girl,” Mallow said.
“She’s probably in her dormitory room, since classes are canceled until next week,” Doro suggested.
“No, she isn’t,” Mallow said. “I had someone check. Her roommate reported Miss Tenseng leaving very early this morning or late last night and not returning. The girl can’t be sure exactly when, because she woke up to find Miss Tenseng gone.”
The news made Doro’s stomach clench. Only yesterday, Kitty had been in tears over Corlon threatening to have Pierce Dudley, the girl’s beau, expelled. Before stomping out of the library, Kitty had vowed to get even with the instructor. She would never have killed the man, but her words—along with her absence—would put Mallow hot on her trail. “I’m sure there’s an excellent reason. Kitty has family in Toledo and in Richfield Center, a little town a few miles away, so there may be an emergency.”
“How would she get word of an emergency? My understanding is that the college operator is off-duty from nine at night until eight-thirty the next morning. According to her roommate, Miss Tenseng left before then,” Mallow said.
“Not all students reside on campus.” Doro began to feel her way along to a sensible, safe answer. “Kitty has been stepping out with a boy who lives in one of the boarding houses. He might’ve gotten the message and passed it along somehow.” But how? If he had pelted Kitty’s window with pebbles, wouldn’t her roommate have heard? Uneasiness filled Doro. Kitty’s beau had lost his basketball scholarship after failing Corlon’s class the previous year, which meant Mallow would see the girl as having two motives…if Doro revealed the details. For several seconds, she debated what to do. Then, the officer interrupted with another question.
“Have students always been allowed to live off-campus?” Mallow made the question seem accusatory.
Beneath the table, Doro clenched her ice-cold hands together. “For some time, yes.”
Mallow looked suspicious. “For how long?”
“Since President Adams took over as president, although only seniors can live in a boarding house. There are two. Both are run by lovely women who mother their tenants.” Doro didn’t reveal Winwood’s intention to end the practice, which would hurt the widows who owned the establishments.
“I’m sure they do,” the officer said with a trace of asperity.
“I’ll testify to that fact,” Lammers replied. “One landlady is my mother, and the other is my aunt.”
Dark color surged into Mallow’s cheeks, which had Doro fighting to withhold a chuckle. “Your sister has been in town helping your mother, hasn’t she?” Wade Lammers’ aunt was closer to his age than she was to his mother’s, but the family was close-knit.
“She was, but Ma is strong enough now to handle her boarders. They’re all fine young folks, who pitch in around the house and in the yard. But Kitty’s suitor boards with my aunt,” Lammers said.
The red in Mallow’s face intensified as he shifted in his chair. “I see. Perhaps, you would speak with the young fellow, Constable.”
“Sure thing,” Lammers agreed in his usual amiable voice.
“Was that your only other question?” Doro kept her tone well-modulated. Withholding her amusement at Mallow’s discomfort was more challenging. Insulting local folks, especially the constable’s family, was not a good way to garner respect.
“It was,” he replied, “so you’re free to go. But not away from Michaw. We’re borrowing a fingerprinting kit from the county sheriff. A deputy will bring it out. When I get it, I’ll be printing various people.”
He didn’t need to say she would be one of them. After that, Doro wasted no time in bidding the men farewell and heading toward Wheaton Hall. Although the rain had ended earlier, a chilly dampness continued. Doro hurried along the path to her quarters. When she reached the main door to the building, it opened before she retrieved her key from her pocket. Her friend, Agatha Darwine, stepped back to let Doro enter.
“Come in and get warm,” the other woman said. “You must be cold and exhausted. The walk from the library nearly froze me to the bone. Such unseasonably nippy weather, and the rain made it worse. I have the kettle simmering, so I can make tea in a jiffy.”
Since she was both weary and chilled, Doro didn’t argue. Instead, she followed Aggie to the second floor and into a cozy apartment. Aggie had made the small suite into a haven. A colorful quilt laid over the end of the loveseat and two armchairs framed the small fireplace, where flickering flames provided warmth and cheer. Some of Doro’s tension drained away. “Thank you. I’m sure my place is cool by now, and I haven’t been warm since I left it this morning.”
“Sit down by the hearth. I’ll be right back with tea and cookies.”
While Aggie rushed into the adjoining kitchenette, Doro slipped off her coat and hung it on a hook by the front door before settling into a chair. As the soft cushions cradled her, Doro sighed with relief. After several moments, she leaned forward to warm her hands.
Soon, Aggie was back. After placing the tray on a tiny table between the chairs, she sat opposite Doro, poured a cup of tea, and handed it to her friend.
“This is wonderful,” Doro said after taking a sip.
Aggie prepared her own tea, took a cookie, and leaned back to enjoy both. “Did you have lunch?”
Doro shook her head. “After Officer Mallow interviewed me, I tried to catch up on paperwork but kept getting distracted. There was a parade of people in-and-out of the library until about an hour ago. Besides, I wasn’t hungry.” The knot in her stomach had gotten worse ever since she saw the body. It still had not completely loosened. Even now, she felt residual tension and distress.
“I could see the stream of folks from my office window. When I returned to the English department, we were told we could go at noon. Since things were quiet, I stayed and caught up on grading. With no classes until further notice, I wanted to be free to write.”
Doro smiled. Her friend not only taught several literature classes, she was a gifted poet. “You’ll likely have several days free. Before I left the library, I was informed not to plan on coming back until Monday, at the earliest.” Her good humor faded, and with it, her smile. Mallow had also ordered her to stay in the area. Had he issued the same directive to everyone? Doro took another sip before asking Aggie, “Were you told to stay close to campus?”
Her friend’s eyes widened. “No. Were you?”
“Yes.” Because she wanted another opinion, Doro voiced her fear. “Officer Mallow sees me as a suspect.”
“That’s ridiculous.” Aggie finished her cookie and laid down her cup. “He’s rather brusque, but he probably wants to get off to a good start in his new job. Investigating the murder of a professor, one who’s close to President Winwood, can’t be easy. Especially when Officer Mallow should’ve had a few more days to settle in.”
Doro mulled over her friend’s assertions. Maybe she was being too hard on the man. “True, but he asked a lot of questions about me not getting along with Corlon. I’m sure Winwood shared that information, and their two buddies, too.”
“Professor Jerritt is out-of-town this week,” Aggie said. “From what I heard, he left on Sunday and won’t be back until Saturday.”
“Then, only Winwood and Pottiger can cause trouble right now,” Doro said. “Mallow kept my bag, and he mentioned fingerprinting people as soon as a county sheriff’s deputy brings a kit.”
Aggie’s gaze widened, but she shook her head. “That doesn’t mean he thinks you did it. He’ll weigh all the facts. If nothing else, Constable Lammers will be sure Officer Mallow does.”
Doro laid her cup and saucer down. “I suppose so, but you’re right about Mallow being brusque. He’s as starched as his shirt.”
A low laugh left Aggie, and her eyes sparkled. “He was nattily dressed and good looking.”
Denying the assertion was impossible, so Doro focused on her dilemma. “It doesn’t matter how he looks or dresses. He wouldn’t even let me bring my bag home because it needs to be examined. Like there’s evidence in it. But there are only class papers. How will I grade them? Midterm reports are due next week.”
“Don’t worry about that. Everything is topsy-turvy. Many students will go home for a few days, and the rest will gossip about the murder. Same with faculty and staff.”
Doro shifted in her chair. Would some gossip be about her? Maybe it was already. “I suppose people are talking now.”
Aggie rolled her eyes. “Of course, they are. A murder is big news.”
“Are they discussing suspects?” Doro’s voice trembled, along with her hands. Her friend briefly looked down at the small table between them. When the silence expanded, Doro asked another question. “Are people saying I did it?” Her heart thundered so loudly, she could scarcely hear her own words. Other suspects existed, but Doro didn’t want to be among them. Didn’t people know her better?
“No one with sense believes such a thing,” Aggie hurriedly replied.
“Which means a few are talking about me killing the professor.” The knot in Doro’s stomach doubled. Only a handful of faculty members, all new since the departure of President Adams, found fault with Doro being outspoken. So far, they had been careful about airing their preference for a male-only school, but they supported the Fearsome Foursome.
Aggie lifted her cup and took a long swallow. “Only a couple, as far as I know. I overheard two talking in the department conference room. They said you found the body and sometimes that person is guilty. Which is ridiculous.”
“It is, because I didn’t kill him.” Doro gripped the cup tighter. “Both you and I are avid mystery readers, and we know that sometimes happens in stories.”
“Pshaw. Those are fiction. In real life, I doubt that’s true.”
“But how much do either of us know about real crime?” Her friend’s failure to quickly respond telegraphed the answer, so Doro supplied it herself. “Very little.”
“Maybe we don’t, but we both know you didn’t kill Corlon,” Aggie said, “and most everyone else does, too. I’m sure other suspects will be discovered in short order. They probably have been already.” Aggie offered a reassuring smile.
Although she realized her friend was trying to be positive, Doro felt no uptick in her emotions. “True, but Officer Mallow has me on his list.”
Aggie’s brow furrowed. “He showed his list to you?”
“No, but his attitude revealed as much, although I may not be at the top.” Her mind returned to Mallow’s mention of Kitty Tenseng.
“You look worried. Who else is under scrutiny?” Aggie asked.
Doro replied with what Mallow had revealed about Kitty and finished by saying, “I’m sure there’s an explanation for her disappearance.”
“Since Constable Lammers said he’d check with her beau, she could be eliminated soon. Pierce probably got a call at the boardinghouse about an emergency and drove her to the train station in Sylvania, since Kitty doesn’t have her own vehicle.”
“I hope so.”
“Officer Mallow asked me about Professor Corlon’s dealings with faculty and students. Of course, I told him the truth. The man had run-ins with a few folks.”
“You mentioned them by name?” Hope flared in Doro’s heart. Mallow had not asked her for such information, but he had wondered about the number of people who argued with Corlon.
“I certainly did,” Aggie replied. “Just last week, Corlon had a shouting match with Professor Gibling. That was after their meeting. Stanley was yelling that he better not get passed over for tenure, and Corlon said he should be more collegial, if he wants to stay.”
Doro put one hand to her mouth. “You didn’t tell me about overhearing them.”
“I didn’t want to upset you. Stanley Gibling is vocal about more women being hired as faculty and staff. He’s been supportive of the YWV group, too.” Aggie paused for a moment. “He even supported Coach Ayers when he argued with Winwood and his cronies. Stanley is a big supporter of the athletic teams.”
“But the Fearsome Foursome isn’t.”
“Stanley thinks they want to cut sports, and Coach Ayers does, too,” Aggie commented. “Professor Corlon talked about making Michaw College a more academically oriented institution, which is ridiculous. It’s always been a fine school.”
Doro wondered how often Aggie and Stanley, who had been stepping out until a few months ago, chatted. Personal matters could be discussed at a future point, not now when so much else was on her mind. “I’ve heard Winwood say the same thing, but they stop before actually stating sports should go.”
“True,” Aggie agreed. “Stanley accused Corlon of wanting to end intercollegiate athletics. Of course, Corlon denied it, but I’m sure the entire Fearsome Foursome believe a truly elite, scholarly school has no sports teams or women. All of them talk about how institutions of higher education operated a century or more ago. That’s their standard.”
“They’re backward beyond belief.”
A slight chuckle left Aggie. “Stanley told Corlon as much at a department meeting. His candor hasn’t done him any good, but he hasn’t stopped.”
Doro studied her friend’s troubled expression. “Which worries you?”
“It does,” Aggie admitted. “After the last meeting, Stanley was furious with Corlon. On his way out of the department, he saw me.”
“What did he say?”
Aggie stared into her cup. “He said the entire campus would be better off if Corlon was dead, and his buddies, too.”
Doro gasped. “Stanley said that out loud?”
“He didn’t say he’d kill the professor,” Aggie hurried to reply. “And I’m sure he didn’t. But others heard him. Officer Mallow interviewed some of them before me. Since the exchange was revealed, I couldn’t deny it.” A soft sigh left her. “But I wish I could have.”
“Stanley won’t hold it against you,” Doro assured her friend. Aggie looked and sounded like she hoped to reconcile with Stanley, who had been the one wanting to step out with others. As far as Doro was concerned, Aggie deserved better.
Her friend’s voice sounded again. “Maybe, maybe not. But he’ll probably leave Michaw since it’s out that Corlon planned to block his tenure.”
For a moment, Doro pondered the situation. “Stanley’s situation is similar to mine, since he teaches American literature, not British classics. The Fearsome Foursome all think Mark Twain, Stephen Crane, Louisa May Alcott, and others are not worth studying.”
“They feel the same about some of the poetry I include.” Aggie grabbed another cookie and began munching. “In any case, someone as smart and good-looking as Stanley will move on and not look back.”
The expression on her friend’s face echoed in Doro’s heart. “There are other fellows around.” Stanley’s heated exchange with Corlon bothered Doro almost as much as his treatment of Aggie.
“Probably so, but I’d like a family of my own. I miss not having one.”
“You have me and my family. My grandmother anyhow, since my parents are in Colorado.”
“She’s been lovely, and I appreciate being invited to her house for holidays and summers.”
Doro’s heart went out to her friend. “I wish you’d come to Colorado with me sometime.”
A sigh left Aggie. “Maybe I will, but working in the summer helps me put money in my France fund. I’ve only seen my brother once since the war. He and Monique have three children now. All under seven. It’d be difficult for them to get here, so I want to go there again soon.”
“I understand.” Her friend’s parents were both deceased, and her only brother had married a French woman during the Great War. The couple now made their home near her family in Paris, which left Aggie mostly on her own.
Aggie laid her cookie on her saucer. “I shouldn’t be having another one. I’m already too chubby.”
“You are not. You’re fine just as you are,” Doro assured her.
A half-shrug lifted one of Aggie’s shoulders. “Easy for you to say. You’re slim and can wear the latest styles.” She looked down at herself. “I look ridiculous in them.”
“Fuller skirts are becoming fashionable again, and none of the female faculty wear flapper-style attire. Very few women do.”
“Maybe not, but you look lovely in the long straight tops and matching skirts. And your hair suits the shorter cut. With my curls, a sleek bob is out of the question. On the top of that, it’s red.”
Doro shook her head. Her friend lacked self-confidence, which was a shame, because Aggie was an accomplished poet, a sweet person, and a cute girl . “Your hair is a gorgeous shade of auburn. As for curls, I wish mine had some wave. It’s straight as a string.” A few years back, Doro had convinced Aggie to get a bob. When long, the waves were nearly impossible to control, even in a braid, which had been her friend’s preferred style when they met.
A rueful smile touched Aggie’s lips. “We always think what others have is better, I guess.”
“Maybe so,” Doro agreed.
Aggie waved one hand in the air. “We’ve gotten away from the case,” she said with a trace of asperity. “Others have clashed with Professor Corlon.”
“They have,” Doro replied. “We could make our own list.”
“We could.” Aggie rose, went to the keyhole desk on the far side of the room, and took out a notepad. She retrieved a pencil and took both to Doro. “Getting the names down is a good idea, and your handwriting is neater than mine.”
A chuckle escaped Doro. “Yours is fine, when you don’t have writer’s cramp. Of course, you’re constantly creating poems in your vast array of journals.” She pointed to a bookcase crammed with notebooks. “It’s no wonder you can barely hold a pen after your hours and hours and hours of scribbling.”
Aggie laughed along with her friend. “You exaggerate. I wish I could write all day, but other duties impinge upon my poems.”
“Which is a shame,” Doro said with sincerity, “because you’re talented.”
“Thank you,” her friend replied before saying, “we should get back to suspects.”
Since Doro concurred with the last assertion, she took the supplies and jotted down Stanley’s name. “I’m putting Stanley on the list, even though I don’t see him as a viable suspect.” Or maybe she doesn’t want to see him in that light.
“Neither do I, but Mallow probably will.”
“Probably so,” Doro replied.
“Who else clashed with Corlon and might’ve done it?” Aggie asked.
Doro met her friend’s inquisitive gaze. “Myself. We know I didn’t kill the man, but Mallow is suspicious.” An image of his handsome features, as rigid as a statue’s, came to mind. Since she didn’t know many law officers, Doro didn’t know if his demeanor was typical. Constable Lammers was affable, but Doro had known the man all of her life, so his behavior wasn’t a sound yardstick.
“He listened to me about the others,” Aggie said, “so he’s probably being thorough is all. I’m sure he wants to make a good first impression.”
“I suppose,” Doro replied, but she didn’t like the new security officer being handpicked by President Winwood. “I’m glad we’re making our own list. Since we have time off, we can ask around campus and town. Discreetly, of course.”
“Very discreetly would be best,” Aggie put in. “Getting in the way of lawmen isn’t a good strategy.”
One of Doro’s questions rose to her lips. “I haven’t heard many details about Mallow. He mentioned being a policeman for a year before taking a job with the Prohibition Bureau. All I knew before today was hiring him was the president’s idea.”
“Winwood and his cronies were all supportive of a campus security officer,” Aggie added. “Evidently, there was one at their previous school. Somehow, they convinced the trustees having someone here was a good idea. If you’d listened to campus gossip during the hiring phase, you’d know more.” When Doro started to speak, Aggie put up both hands. “I know you don’t like to engage in tittle-tattle. Nor do I. However, on occasion, information is gleaned that way.”
“I can’t deny that, but I don’t understand how Winwood has so much sway. Except that he and two of the current trustees went to college together. There’s been a turnover on the board since President Adams left.” One longtime member had died, and another had suffered serious health issues. Two additional seats were left vacant when terms ended. Now, four of the seven had served for less than a year-and-a-half. “But that has little to do with the murder.”
Aggie grimaced. “I hate to think about a colleague or student being guilty.”
“But you named a few to Mallow.”
“Under duress,” Aggie said, “although I didn’t think of Kitty.”
“She may be removed as a suspect soon.” Doro tapped her pencil against the notepad. “Who else came to mind?”
A look of contrition tightened Aggie’s features. “I didn’t want to tell Mallow, but you’ve likely thought of the same people.”
“I’ll let you know as you reveal your list.” Doro made the statement with a smile, a smile that wavered when she thought about Kitty.
“Who is on the list so far?” Aggie asked.
“Kitty, although I’m sure she didn’t do it.” Sure might be too strong a word, but such an action would be out of character for the young woman. “Stanley and me.”
“We know you weren’t involved,” Aggie voiced a hasty objection.
“To be fair, we need to list anyone who might’ve had opportunity and motive. The means is already clear,” Doro commented.
“Hitting someone over the head with the drawer from a card catalogue has to be unusual. I certainly never considered one as a weapon.”
“Because you’re a scholar and poet. I suppose someone angry enough to kill might use whatever was readily available.” Doro made some notes before leaning back in her chair. “Which goes back to motive, in a peripheral way.”
Aggie’s auburn brows rose a fraction. “How do you mean?”
“The killer didn’t follow Corlon with a weapon, so maybe they argued and the person acted without forethought.”
“Good point. But that doesn’t help us generate leads. Anyone who was upset with Corlon and company might’ve been pushed to the point of no return.”
“That’s true,” Doro agreed. “Still, we know the murder wasn’t planned. But opportunity means the killer was up and out early.” Doro refined the point. “Stanley has a ten o’clock class, with office hours before it, right?”
“He does on Tuesdays and Thursdays.” Aggie sighed. “I hate to say it, but he might’ve been on his way to his office and seen Corlon go into the library. After their argument, another confrontation seems likely.”
“Even though we don’t want to believe he did it, I put his name down,” Doro said as she made another notation.
“I know. Even if he isn’t the killer, Stanley always gets to his office early. Any number of folks might’ve seen him.”
The observation increased Doro’s edginess. “And they probably shared that detail with Mallow.”
“I imagine so.”
“Let’s concentrate on people who are usually out on campus early, since not many would know Professor Corlon’s class was coming to the library this morning.”
“His students would,” Aggie said. “I know several are struggling in his class, because they came to me wondering what to do. Two basketball players and Coach Ayers wondered if the boys could transfer to my class, but it’s too late. Ayers already clashed with Professor Corlon over eligibility. Pierce Dudley isn’t the only one off the team due to grades, and Coach was furious. He accused the professor of grading his players’ papers much harder than he did other students’ work.” Aggie ran one forefinger around the rim of her cup. “You know many female students have the same complaint. Kitty is only one of them.”
“I’ve heard a lot of terrible stories. At first, I thought the girls were exaggerating. It’s gotten worse and worse, according to the members of YWV. At the last meeting, one broke down and sobbed. Another told me Professor Corlon not only gave her a failing grade on an essay, he humiliated her in class and refused to explain what was wrong with her writing.”
A scowl darkened Aggie’s face. “He’s done that to other coeds. Several left school last year due to his nastiness.”
“The topic comes up at our group meetings. Only two shared their stories. They asked others to do the same, but the rest refused. Afraid of repercussions,” Doro said. “I wish you could come to the gatherings.”
“Maybe next term. Now that Corlon won’t be making course assignments, I might not have such a heavy course load, which gives me a motive,” Aggie said. “I complained to him many times.”
“You were still in your apartment this morning when I left for the library,” Doro commented.
“But I could have gone out and come back.”
The comment set Doro to thinking. “Did Mallow say that?”
Aggie grinned. “He mentioned it.”
“Awful man. He is so suspicious.”
“He’s a lawman,” Aggie said with a shake of her head.
“As is Constable Lammers, and he isn’t accusatory and officious,” Doro pointed out.
“You’ve known the constable all of your life,” Aggie said. “Besides, he never worked as a city policeman like Mallow has. I’m sure they see more crooks and killers. Especially since Prohibition started. And remember, Officer Mallow is an agent. I hear there are plenty of speakeasies and bootleggers around Detroit. Toledo, too. Dealing with them had to put him on guard.”
The suggestion gave Doro pause. “Do you know if Officer Mallow is from Detroit?”
“That’s what I heard, but he’s been living in Toledo.” Aggie stared at her friend. “Evidently, not much campus gossip gets to the library.”
“If it does, I’m too busy to hear it.”
“You’re more overburdened than I am. You’re teaching a class, advising a student group, and doing three more jobs at the library. Winwood ought to be ashamed for cutting positions there.”
“He isn’t. As far as I can tell, the man is shameless, but so are his cronies.” Doro didn’t keep the censure from her voice.
“Professor Jerritt isn’t as vocal as the others, but he supports whatever Winwood, Pottiger, and Corlon do or say. Winwood will move Heaven and Earth to find his friend’s killer, and Pottiger will be at his side.”
“Jerritt will be, too, when he gets back. All the more reason for us to work this case.”
A smile kicked up one corner of Aggie’s mouth. “You’ve waited a long time for another investigation to come along.”
Although Doro couldn’t completely disagree, she shrugged. “We found out who pilfered an exam ages ago. I haven’t thought much about it lately.” The statement was valid, because Doro now had many other concerns and interests filling her mind. “I still love reading whodunits, but more to get material for my class and as a form of escapism, not as a pattern to sleuth around myself.”
“You seem set on cracking this case.” The amusement stayed in Aggie’s voice and expression.
Warmth rose in Doro’s cheeks. “I can’t deny that I’d like to find the killer and prove it’s not me.”
Aggie readily agreed before asking, “What about the two girls who spoke up at the last meeting?”
Doro mulled the question over. “I don’t think either is a good suspect. They both work in the dormitory cafeteria from six o’clock to eight-thirty. Mrs. Fields has rousted tardy helpers out of their rooms, so she would know about where they were and why.”
“So, I’ve heard,” Aggie said with another grin. “It’s one of the reasons I didn’t seek employment in the kitchen when I was a student.”
“Very wise.” Doro chuckled as she spoke, but the humor left when she asked, “Anyone else come to mind?”
“Not right now.”
After scanning her notepad, Doro made an observation. “We have Coach Ayers, Stanley Gibling, Kitty Tenseng, Pierce Dudley, and me. All of us have a motive. As far as opportunity, I was in the library. We don’t know about the others. Coach always gets out early for a walk. Sometimes, I see him if I happen to be looking out my window to check the weather. But I didn’t this morning since I was in a hurry.”
“I suppose we need to ask others who are out early what or who they saw.”
“Good idea,” Doro replied.
“We know President Winwood was near the library before you saw him.” Aggie frowned.
“He takes a daily constitutional, although not usually quite so early,” Doro replied. “But he had to prepare for a big meeting, so he might’ve walked sooner than normal.”
“In the chilly rain?”
Doro shrugged. “You know how he is. Regimented to the extreme.”
“I suppose.”
The lack of certainty in her friend’s voice, and the observation itself, gave Doro pause. “Professor Corlon and President Winwood were close friends, so he has no motive.” She tapped her pencil against the notepad. “At least he has no obvious motive.”
“Exactly.” Aggie nodded. “Are you going to put him down?”
“I suppose we should include anyone with opportunity.” Doro made a note in her book.
“Did you see anyone else?”
Doro shook her head. “No one.”
“What about Mrs. Jones? Wasn’t she in the office when you went there?”
Again, Doro felt a stab of alarm. “Surely, you don’t think she killed Corlon.”
“No, but I don’t believe you or Kitty did, either. In fact, none of the people we’ve discussed strikes me as a killer,” Aggie replied. “But someone murdered the man, and we both know the guilty party isn’t necessarily the most obvious suspect.”
“You’re certainly right on that count.” With reluctance, Doro jotted the secretary’s name down. “But it’s possible someone else, someone we haven’t considered, did it.”
A long moment of silence filled the room before Aggie spoke. “I suppose so, but we aren’t close to the railroad tracks, and the campus is south of town, while the main road is north.”
Doro tapped the pad with her pencil. “Although I agree a stranger isn’t the likely killer, let’s keep the idea on the back burner.”
Aggie nodded.
“Now, we have a list, but how are we going to expand or shrink it?”
“An excellent question.”
The trace of amusement in her friend’s voice made Doro smile. “Do you expect me to answer it myself?”
A half-shrug lifted one of Aggie’s shoulders. “You’re good at unraveling whodunits. And you teach a course on the mystery novel. Think about how the amateur sleuths in them get information.”
Doro took little time to respond. “They pry around. As carefully as possible, with a few exceptions. And there are always gossips ready to tell all they know. Or think they know.”
“And this campus has more than its fair share of big mouths.”
A chuckle escaped Doro. “I can’t argue with that.” After again scanning the list, she glanced back at her friend. “Mrs. Jones is a lovely lady…”
“But she falls into the gossipy group.”
“She does and has as far back as I can remember. Mrs. Jones and my mother were good friends, but Mother couldn’t abide the tittle-tattle.”
“I can’t, either, but I’ll listen in this case. We’ll surely learn a little from her.”
“True. Mrs. Jones might’ve seen someone we haven’t considered. Or she might know if Corlon had a recent run-in with another professor.”
“Someone other than Stanley.”
“Of course.” Although Doro expressed agreement, she wondered about Coach Ayers, who could be volatile. His altercation with Corlon was only one example. The man had shouted down more than one colleague at faculty union meetings.
“You don’t sound convinced.” Aggie shifted restlessly in her chair. “Coach is opinionated and argumentative at times, but he’s harmless.”
“I’m sure he is,” Doro replied. But how sure was she? Not one-hundred percent. “As far as talking with Mrs. Jones, we may have to go to her house. The library is closed and all classes are canceled, so President Winwood might’ve told her to stay home for a few days.”
“Maybe so,” Aggie agreed. “Can you call the office and find out? She might be the best person to interview first, since she sees all the comings and goings in the administrative office.”
Doro rolled the pencil between her hands. “I don’t want to call Winwood’s office. If Mrs. Jones went home, he’ll answer, and I’d rather not speak with him again. I’ll make a call to her home later.”
“Good. Now, who else is an early bird?”
Doro rolled her eyes. “If you mean, who is out at the crack of dawn like Coach Ayers, I have no idea. I like to wake after sunrise, especially when the days are quickly getting shorter. I rarely leave for the library until eight-fifteen. Mallow asked about me coming early because of Professor Corlon’s class, and he knew about my run-ins with the man.”
“Stop fretting. It’s a minor point. Plenty of others argued with Corlon, and a whole lot more people disliked him.”
“All true.” A soft sigh escaped Doro as she laid pad and pencil aside before pouring herself another cup of tea. After a long sip, she spoke again. “We have a list, and a plan of sorts.”
“Who, other than Mrs. Jones, should we interview?”
Doro grinned. “Interviewing makes us sound like serious detectives.”
“We are, aren’t we?”
The amusement left Doro. “We’ll have to be, because I don’t trust Officer Mallow not to do Winwood’s bidding. Wade Lammers won’t succumb to pressure, though.” She studied the list in her lap. “I made a separate column for people to interview and put Mrs. Jones in first place. Maybe we should go to her place in the morning instead of me calling tonight.”
“I agree. We don’t need anyone listening in.”
Her friend made a solid point, so Doro nodded. “Tomorrow morning, we can walk uptown. I’m allowed to go that far.” Mallow’s admonition rankled far more than was sensible. She wasn’t guilty of anything. Facts would show as much. She rose from the chair. “I appreciate the snack and conversation, but I am exhausted. I think I’ll go to my place, take a hot bath, and get into bed.”
“You need to eat something more nutritious than cookies.”
“I’m not starving. If I am later, I’ll fix a sandwich.”
“All right,” Aggie replied. “Why don’t we plan to have breakfast here tomorrow morning? Since the campus is virtually shut down, we can sleep late and meet at nine o’clock.”
“Let’s make it nine-thirty,” Doro said. As tired as she felt, a long snooze sounded wonderful. With luck, she could escape her troubled thoughts. And Mallow’s accusations.