Read Online The Grim Steeper: A Teapot Collector Mystery by Amanda Cooper - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Amanda Cooper
Ads: Link
danger of inappropriate friends pretty quickly.
“Why did you get into that with a student?” he said.
“I don’t even know,” she said, feeling about two inches tall. She put her head in one hand. “I don’t normally babble; you know that. But I was uncomfortable, and she looked so harmless. I’m sorry. I need to learn to keep my mouth shut.”
He sighed heavily. “It’s okay. You couldn’t have known the girl was a writer for the newspaper.”
“She said she was there in support of you! That she wanted to start a petition to
help
you.”
“She’s a muckraker. She ought to do well in media.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Okay. It’s all right.”
“Jason, who do
you
think did it?”
He was silent for a moment. “I wouldn’t want to accuse someone unjustly.”
“I promise I won’t say a word to anyone. I’ve learned my lesson.”
“It has to be someone who either loves the basketball team or cares about Mac personally. I’m thinking either Heck Donovan or Mac’s academic adviser.”
“Kimmy Gabrielson. She told me herself that she wasone of the few people who could have done it and had access to the content management computer program. Would she tell me that if she had done it? If you know what I mean?”
“Would she have said that to you if she was the one who changed the grade? She’s smart. It would be a great bluff.”
“True. She didn’t think Heck Donovan
could
have done it. She said she’s not sure he would even have had access to the software.”
“You’ve discussed this in depth, haven’t you?”
“Jason, you never told me a thing. I was blindsided and shell-shocked,” she said, stung by his acerbity. She flung herself down in a chair in her living room and tossed a pillow at the wall. If he wanted to get into it, then she’d tell him the truth. “I think that’s why I talked about it; I was so taken aback.”
There was silence from his end, and she worried she’d offended him. But then he said, “You’re right. I’m sorry, I’m just . . . this is a mess. Anyway, as you know, Mac was benched pending the investigation, and Heck is furious. He and the dean had a battle royal, I guess. Dean Asquith’s secretary spread the tale across the campus. Heck came storming into my office this afternoon and gave me what for.”
They talked a few minutes more, then said good night. Unsettled by the whole thing, Sophie was tired but edgy. She watched some TV, her favorite true crime stories, and then went to bed to toss and turn with wild dreams of running through the halls of her old boarding school, plaid kilt flapping around her knees, escaping from some maniacal killer who specialized in schoolgirls. After that disquieting night she was happy to awaken in the pretty bedroom and descend to the sunny kitchen to bake scones and cookies and make soup and stew.
Before the tearoom opened she called Dana. She wanted to tell her friend what Jason had said about who he thoughtwas responsible, but Dana didn’t even let her finish her first sentence.
“Soph, I hate to say it, but I just heard from Kimmy. The dean made a public statement to the students and press this morning. He said in light of the grading scandal, that the one responsible has been discovered and will be dealt with summarily.”
“But that’s good, right? If they’ve found out who did it?”
“I’m not so sure of that. Kimmy thinks they’re going to scapegoat Jason.”
Chapter 6
S ophie hung up quickly, told Nana she’d be down to open with her, then ran upstairs and texted Jason to call her. She didn’t want to bug him, knowing that weekends were filled with course work, grading tests and essays, and work on his doctorate, but she needed to know what was happening. She paced and fretted, biting her nails, an old habit she thought she had grown out of. He called back ten minutes later.
She breathlessly asked him about the dean’s address to students and the media, and he said she had heard
“Why did you get into that with a student?” he said.
“I don’t even know,” she said, feeling about two inches tall. She put her head in one hand. “I don’t normally babble; you know that. But I was uncomfortable, and she looked so harmless. I’m sorry. I need to learn to keep my mouth shut.”
He sighed heavily. “It’s okay. You couldn’t have known the girl was a writer for the newspaper.”
“She said she was there in support of you! That she wanted to start a petition to
help
you.”
“She’s a muckraker. She ought to do well in media.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Okay. It’s all right.”
“Jason, who do
you
think did it?”
He was silent for a moment. “I wouldn’t want to accuse someone unjustly.”
“I promise I won’t say a word to anyone. I’ve learned my lesson.”
“It has to be someone who either loves the basketball team or cares about Mac personally. I’m thinking either Heck Donovan or Mac’s academic adviser.”
“Kimmy Gabrielson. She told me herself that she wasone of the few people who could have done it and had access to the content management computer program. Would she tell me that if she had done it? If you know what I mean?”
“Would she have said that to you if she was the one who changed the grade? She’s smart. It would be a great bluff.”
“True. She didn’t think Heck Donovan
could
have done it. She said she’s not sure he would even have had access to the software.”
“You’ve discussed this in depth, haven’t you?”
“Jason, you never told me a thing. I was blindsided and shell-shocked,” she said, stung by his acerbity. She flung herself down in a chair in her living room and tossed a pillow at the wall. If he wanted to get into it, then she’d tell him the truth. “I think that’s why I talked about it; I was so taken aback.”
There was silence from his end, and she worried she’d offended him. But then he said, “You’re right. I’m sorry, I’m just . . . this is a mess. Anyway, as you know, Mac was benched pending the investigation, and Heck is furious. He and the dean had a battle royal, I guess. Dean Asquith’s secretary spread the tale across the campus. Heck came storming into my office this afternoon and gave me what for.”
They talked a few minutes more, then said good night. Unsettled by the whole thing, Sophie was tired but edgy. She watched some TV, her favorite true crime stories, and then went to bed to toss and turn with wild dreams of running through the halls of her old boarding school, plaid kilt flapping around her knees, escaping from some maniacal killer who specialized in schoolgirls. After that disquieting night she was happy to awaken in the pretty bedroom and descend to the sunny kitchen to bake scones and cookies and make soup and stew.
Before the tearoom opened she called Dana. She wanted to tell her friend what Jason had said about who he thoughtwas responsible, but Dana didn’t even let her finish her first sentence.
“Soph, I hate to say it, but I just heard from Kimmy. The dean made a public statement to the students and press this morning. He said in light of the grading scandal, that the one responsible has been discovered and will be dealt with summarily.”
“But that’s good, right? If they’ve found out who did it?”
“I’m not so sure of that. Kimmy thinks they’re going to scapegoat Jason.”
Chapter 6
S ophie hung up quickly, told Nana she’d be down to open with her, then ran upstairs and texted Jason to call her. She didn’t want to bug him, knowing that weekends were filled with course work, grading tests and essays, and work on his doctorate, but she needed to know what was happening. She paced and fretted, biting her nails, an old habit she thought she had grown out of. He called back ten minutes later.
She breathlessly asked him about the dean’s address to students and the media, and he said she had heard
Similar Books
