Nicoletti broke into a light jog while the ambulance raced by, his foot hitting the curb as the siren switched from wail to yelp. To his right, a pay phone receiver crashed into its cradle. He watched the flustered caller walk a few steps from the phone, only to step back and resume dialing.
Pandori’s report of the discovered corpse, the siren, and the angry man at the pay phone confirmed Nicoletti’s belief that all towns, no matter how tranquil they appeared on the surface, had an undercurrent of violence and anger.
Nicoletti looked back across the street at the café. He had left the patio without saying a word to the two women under the green-and-purple umbrella. Donning his best smile as he passed their table, he’d slowed his step. For some unknown reason, he had expected the woman with the chestnut braid to reach out and touch his forearm. In his mind, she calmly whispered, “Please stay. I want to know you, again. I have so much to tell you.” In reality, neither woman had even glanced in his direction.
“You are such a schmuck, Nicoletti,” he mumbled out loud.
He consoled himself with the idea that it was a small town and he would see them again. He promised himself that the next time, he wouldn’t hesitate.
“What makes you think you deserve a second chance, putz?”
To his left was the entrance to Jesse Hall and the door through which the man in the gray coat had passed. The security mechanism required an activation of the lock by some type of identity card. Nicoletti timed his approach to coincide with two coeds on their way out. They pushed open the door and he grabbed it, allowing them to exit before he entered. Did the creep belong here, or did he get in the same way?
Looking around the lobby, he realized the man could be anywhere within the dormitory. Even if someone had noticed him, everyone in the lobby was either coming in or going out; anyone who might have seen him enter the building was long gone by now.
Along the campus walkways, students moved leisurely, alone and in groups, talking and laughing. Only occasionally did one of them acknowledge Nicoletti with a nod or a brief smile.
After a few minutes of wandering aimlessly, he gave up. The guy was gone. At least Nicoletti wasn’t likely to find him. The women were gone from the café patio too.
Walking across the mouth of the campus parking lot, Nicoletti had to jump back as a gray Suburban raced past him and into the street. The vehicle missed him by inches, but the driver never touched his brakes or honked his horn.
“Maybe this town is too dangerous for me,” Nicoletti said.