corner.
“She didn’t look like Mr. Hoffman’s daughter,” Tess said.
“She’s not. But I know who she is. I’ll explain later. Right now, we have to get back to that street.”
Easier said than done. The streets didn’t necessarily run in straight lines, I found out, and it took me about ten minutes to return to the vicinity of the apartment. When I did I parked about 50 feet from it instead of directly in front. Donna’s car was gone.
“This would be a lot more fun if I knew what was going on,” Tess complained.
“All will be revealed in good time,” I said. “Right now, we have to watch for Elise. We’ll give her ten minutes and if she doesn’t show up we’ll get out of here.”
To keep Tess interested I decided to tell her about Donna, and we were pondering the relevance of the fact that Donna and Elise were apparently roommates when I noticed that something looked different about the apartment window.
“It looks as if the drapes behind the white curtains have been opened,” I said. “They were closed before.”
“Donna might have opened them,” Tess said.
“I don’t think so. I’m going to the door again.”
“Be careful.”
As I walked up the sidewalk to the front door I confirmed my observation about the drapes. Somebody was inside and it wasn’t Donna. As I rang the doorbell I felt a lot tenser than when I had tried it the first time.
I heard a noise from within and the door opened. I looked into the stunning eyes of Elise Hoffman.
For a few interminable seconds I lost the power of speech. Then I said, “Hello, are you Miss Hoffman?”
She nodded and gave me a look that said, “And what are you trying to sell?”
“I’m Lillian Morgan—Professor Morgan. May I come in a minute?”
Whether it was the “professor” or the fact that I looked harmless, she reluctantly stepped aside and let me in, closing the door behind me. She remained where she was, with one hand on the doorknob, and didn’t offer me a seat. Unless I could thaw her quickly this would be a short interview. I knew I couldn’t mention her father so I had to find another way to break through her reserve.
I took a look around at the sparsely furnished front room, complete with posters on the wall. And pictures. Several of the pictures were of Elise in a leotard, doing gymnastic routines. I said, “You’re a gymnast, aren’t you?”
Elise nodded again.
“Were you on a team in high school?” I didn’t know whether Crescent Heights College had a gymnastics team.
“Yes. We went to the state championships two years in a row.”
She stated it as a fact, without bragging. She had warmed up a few degrees. “It’s wonderful to be so athletic. I was always too tall for gymnastics, but I played tennis.”
“I play some tennis too. But I wasn’t good enough to make the team in high school. And I don’t have time for any sports here.”
I had been prepared for Elise to be a conniving bitch, but she didn’t appear to be malicious or scheming. She didn’t seem hard or emotionally distant. I was sure her reticence now was normal when talking to a stranger. I decided to be frank with her.
“Elise,” I said, “I need to say some things to you. Listen to me for two minutes and then you can ask me to leave if you want to. I am a friend of Dr. Pappas, but he didn’t give me your name or ask me to come here. I discovered your name by luck. He hasn’t violated any part of the sexual harassment rules.”
Mark’s name had registered in her expressive eyes. If I had had any doubts about whether she was his accuser before, they were gone. As I paused to collect my thoughts, I waited for her to kick me out, but she didn’t say anything.
“Dr. Pappas—Mark—is a good person,” I continued. “He would not intentionally hurt anybody. I have heard his version of what happened between you two. I haven’t heard your version and I won’t make a judgment about who’s right and who’s wrong, but let me say
“She didn’t look like Mr. Hoffman’s daughter,” Tess said.
“She’s not. But I know who she is. I’ll explain later. Right now, we have to get back to that street.”
Easier said than done. The streets didn’t necessarily run in straight lines, I found out, and it took me about ten minutes to return to the vicinity of the apartment. When I did I parked about 50 feet from it instead of directly in front. Donna’s car was gone.
“This would be a lot more fun if I knew what was going on,” Tess complained.
“All will be revealed in good time,” I said. “Right now, we have to watch for Elise. We’ll give her ten minutes and if she doesn’t show up we’ll get out of here.”
To keep Tess interested I decided to tell her about Donna, and we were pondering the relevance of the fact that Donna and Elise were apparently roommates when I noticed that something looked different about the apartment window.
“It looks as if the drapes behind the white curtains have been opened,” I said. “They were closed before.”
“Donna might have opened them,” Tess said.
“I don’t think so. I’m going to the door again.”
“Be careful.”
As I walked up the sidewalk to the front door I confirmed my observation about the drapes. Somebody was inside and it wasn’t Donna. As I rang the doorbell I felt a lot tenser than when I had tried it the first time.
I heard a noise from within and the door opened. I looked into the stunning eyes of Elise Hoffman.
For a few interminable seconds I lost the power of speech. Then I said, “Hello, are you Miss Hoffman?”
She nodded and gave me a look that said, “And what are you trying to sell?”
“I’m Lillian Morgan—Professor Morgan. May I come in a minute?”
Whether it was the “professor” or the fact that I looked harmless, she reluctantly stepped aside and let me in, closing the door behind me. She remained where she was, with one hand on the doorknob, and didn’t offer me a seat. Unless I could thaw her quickly this would be a short interview. I knew I couldn’t mention her father so I had to find another way to break through her reserve.
I took a look around at the sparsely furnished front room, complete with posters on the wall. And pictures. Several of the pictures were of Elise in a leotard, doing gymnastic routines. I said, “You’re a gymnast, aren’t you?”
Elise nodded again.
“Were you on a team in high school?” I didn’t know whether Crescent Heights College had a gymnastics team.
“Yes. We went to the state championships two years in a row.”
She stated it as a fact, without bragging. She had warmed up a few degrees. “It’s wonderful to be so athletic. I was always too tall for gymnastics, but I played tennis.”
“I play some tennis too. But I wasn’t good enough to make the team in high school. And I don’t have time for any sports here.”
I had been prepared for Elise to be a conniving bitch, but she didn’t appear to be malicious or scheming. She didn’t seem hard or emotionally distant. I was sure her reticence now was normal when talking to a stranger. I decided to be frank with her.
“Elise,” I said, “I need to say some things to you. Listen to me for two minutes and then you can ask me to leave if you want to. I am a friend of Dr. Pappas, but he didn’t give me your name or ask me to come here. I discovered your name by luck. He hasn’t violated any part of the sexual harassment rules.”
Mark’s name had registered in her expressive eyes. If I had had any doubts about whether she was his accuser before, they were gone. As I paused to collect my thoughts, I waited for her to kick me out, but she didn’t say anything.
“Dr. Pappas—Mark—is a good person,” I continued. “He would not intentionally hurt anybody. I have heard his version of what happened between you two. I haven’t heard your version and I won’t make a judgment about who’s right and who’s wrong, but let me say
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