then she surprised herself by bringing up a subject she had thought she didn’t want to discuss. The words just slipped out of her mouth before she could stop them. “Have you heard any more about Dr. Stark?”
Coop shook his head, sending a strand of dark hair sliding across his forehead. He pushed it back impatiently. “She still can’t walk. That’s all I know. Haven’t heard anything about the summer job in the lab yet, either.”
“Dinah said Dr. Stark wasn’t wild about Sid,” Shea said. “Isn’t that a good sign? For you, I mean?”
Coop laughed. “She yelled at everyone in the lab, not just Sid. And she came up behind me in the hall one day and heard me telling Tandy I wondered where Stark parked her broomstick.”
Coop’s expression turned grim. “My whole life flashed before my eyes when I saw her standing there. I could feel that summer job slipping right out of my hands and into Sid’s. But … that was before she ended up in the hospital. Now, who knows? Maybe someone who doesn’t hate my guts will make the decision.”
Shea almost asked Coop then about the snake named Mariah. He’d know whether or not the snake really was harmless. Or she could always ask Sid. Even Dinah, who often stopped in the lab to visit Sid and talk to the animals.
But she couldn’t ask any of them about it. Because if she did, who was the first person they’d suspect when the snake turned up missing? Their good friend, Shea Fallon.
Burgers Etc. was packed with sleepy people sipping coffee, wolfing down pancakes, talking about weekend plans. Shea’s eyes scanned the long, narrow diner, wondering again what kind of face she should attach to the sinister, whispering voice. Was it a tall voice, a short voice, was it thin or fat, blonde or brunette, male or female. … ?
The last thought startled her. She’d been thinking of the deep whisper as male. But of course it could be female. How could you tell from a whisper?
“Feel like taking in a movie tonight?” Coop asked casually as they got up to leave.
Oh, gee, I’d love to, she answered silently, but I’ve got a snake to steal. Aloud, she said, “Can’t, sorry. I have to … study.”
“Tomorrow’s Sunday,” he pointed out. “No classes.”
“That doesn’t mean I don’t have to study,” she said sharply. Why couldn’t he just take no for an answer? Hadn’t anyone ever told him no? “I’m really behind,” she added in a milder tone. It wasn’t his fault she was such a wreck. “I need every spare moment I can find, or I’m not going to make it through finals.”
“Dinah will be disappointed.” He held the heavy glass door open for her and they left the diner. “She and Sid are going, too. I told her I’d try to talk you into making it a foursome.”
Sid and Dinah? Sid and Dinah almost never doubled. Sid didn’t like “sharing” his time with Dinah. At least, that’s what Dinah always said.
“Dinah will understand,” Shea said. “She gets straight A’s without blinking an eye, but she knows I don’t.”
“She wasn’t getting an A in bio,” Coop said, taking Shea’s hand to lead her across the highway.
Shea looked up at him in surprise. “She wasn’t? How do you know?”
“Sid told me. He said Dinah was really shook. Apparently, she’d argued with Dr. Stark about two of her grades this semester, thought they were unfair. But Stark refused to budge.”
Frowning, Shea said, “She never told me that.”
“Tell you the truth,” Coop went on, “I think Dinah’s a little bit relieved that Stark won’t be finishing out the year. Probably thinks she’ll have a better chance with someone else. Dinah would never say that, of course. She’s too nice.”
No, she’s not, Shea thought, remembering the night at Vinnie’s when they’d all been raking Dr. Stark over the coals. Dinah had been as vocal as anyone in her criticism of the teacher. Shea hadn’t thought anything of it then, because they were all doing it.
Coop shook his head, sending a strand of dark hair sliding across his forehead. He pushed it back impatiently. “She still can’t walk. That’s all I know. Haven’t heard anything about the summer job in the lab yet, either.”
“Dinah said Dr. Stark wasn’t wild about Sid,” Shea said. “Isn’t that a good sign? For you, I mean?”
Coop laughed. “She yelled at everyone in the lab, not just Sid. And she came up behind me in the hall one day and heard me telling Tandy I wondered where Stark parked her broomstick.”
Coop’s expression turned grim. “My whole life flashed before my eyes when I saw her standing there. I could feel that summer job slipping right out of my hands and into Sid’s. But … that was before she ended up in the hospital. Now, who knows? Maybe someone who doesn’t hate my guts will make the decision.”
Shea almost asked Coop then about the snake named Mariah. He’d know whether or not the snake really was harmless. Or she could always ask Sid. Even Dinah, who often stopped in the lab to visit Sid and talk to the animals.
But she couldn’t ask any of them about it. Because if she did, who was the first person they’d suspect when the snake turned up missing? Their good friend, Shea Fallon.
Burgers Etc. was packed with sleepy people sipping coffee, wolfing down pancakes, talking about weekend plans. Shea’s eyes scanned the long, narrow diner, wondering again what kind of face she should attach to the sinister, whispering voice. Was it a tall voice, a short voice, was it thin or fat, blonde or brunette, male or female. … ?
The last thought startled her. She’d been thinking of the deep whisper as male. But of course it could be female. How could you tell from a whisper?
“Feel like taking in a movie tonight?” Coop asked casually as they got up to leave.
Oh, gee, I’d love to, she answered silently, but I’ve got a snake to steal. Aloud, she said, “Can’t, sorry. I have to … study.”
“Tomorrow’s Sunday,” he pointed out. “No classes.”
“That doesn’t mean I don’t have to study,” she said sharply. Why couldn’t he just take no for an answer? Hadn’t anyone ever told him no? “I’m really behind,” she added in a milder tone. It wasn’t his fault she was such a wreck. “I need every spare moment I can find, or I’m not going to make it through finals.”
“Dinah will be disappointed.” He held the heavy glass door open for her and they left the diner. “She and Sid are going, too. I told her I’d try to talk you into making it a foursome.”
Sid and Dinah? Sid and Dinah almost never doubled. Sid didn’t like “sharing” his time with Dinah. At least, that’s what Dinah always said.
“Dinah will understand,” Shea said. “She gets straight A’s without blinking an eye, but she knows I don’t.”
“She wasn’t getting an A in bio,” Coop said, taking Shea’s hand to lead her across the highway.
Shea looked up at him in surprise. “She wasn’t? How do you know?”
“Sid told me. He said Dinah was really shook. Apparently, she’d argued with Dr. Stark about two of her grades this semester, thought they were unfair. But Stark refused to budge.”
Frowning, Shea said, “She never told me that.”
“Tell you the truth,” Coop went on, “I think Dinah’s a little bit relieved that Stark won’t be finishing out the year. Probably thinks she’ll have a better chance with someone else. Dinah would never say that, of course. She’s too nice.”
No, she’s not, Shea thought, remembering the night at Vinnie’s when they’d all been raking Dr. Stark over the coals. Dinah had been as vocal as anyone in her criticism of the teacher. Shea hadn’t thought anything of it then, because they were all doing it.
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