[MD2, 2:42PM, Orchard Road]


[Karellon University, personnel department,] the voice on the phone said.

Kate took a deep breath before starting on this again. In the five or so minutes she'd been waiting for Craig to return, she'd already made three phone calls, none of them seeming to get her any closer to the answers she wanted. She couldn't help being curious about Burrell's past. It was something she'd wondered about anyway, and Carol Drazinski's suggestion that she look into it doubled her curiosity. "Is this Joe," she asked the man on the phone.

[Yep.]

"Good. This is Kate Calloway. I talked to you a few minutes ago."

[The FBI agent, right?]

"Good memory. You told me to call records for information on Dr. Burrell. I called them, and they referred me to the chancellor's secretary, who told me to call you."

[Oh. Well, we're really not allowed to give out any information.]

"Then I'm assuming that you do have the information I need, since you aren't allowed to give it out?"

[Well, sure. All the personnel files are on record here.]

"I wish you'd just told me that to start with! I can get a warrant, but all I really need to know is where he taught before coming to Karellon. Can you tell me that?"

[I suppose that wouldn't hurt. Hold on.] The line was dead for a few minutes before Joe returned. [He came to Karellon five years ago. Before that, he was at the University of Alabama, Birmingham.]

"I don't suppose you could tell me what university issued his degree?"

Joe thought about it for several seconds. [Why not. Naughton, in St. Pete's Florida.]

"Thank you," Kate said and cut the connection. She glanced down the street at the house where Craig was apparently talking to Janet Drazinski's boyfriend. No sign of him yet, so she figured that he must be having some luck. She dialed information and got the number for Naughton University. After a few more transferred calls, she was talking to an administrative secretary in some department or another, she'd lost track of exactly which one.

[Sure, I remember Ramon,] the secretary said. [Nice fellow. Taught psych 101 all through his doctorate program. Strange what happened though.]

"What's that," Kate asked.

[Well, the day after his degree was conferred, he just up and disappeared. No one heard from him again. This is a small school. Everyone gets to know each other real well. Most of the graduates stay in touch with someone. There were rumors at the time, I didn't believe them.]

"What sort of rumors?" In the rearview mirror, Kate saw the door of the Drazinski house open. Carol peered out, looked around, then disappeared into the house again.

[A lot of people thought that he'd run off with one of his students.]

"What was her name?"

[*His* name. Albert Richmond. He was a strange kid, real quiet, but when he did talk it was always about magic and mystical powers, really creepy.]

Kate was speechless for a moment. "Uh, would you happen to have photographs on file of Burrell and this Albert Richmond?"

[Oh, I'm sure I could dig some up.]

Carol opened the door again. This time, she came out, pulling on a jacket as she rushed down the sidewalk to an old Chevy that was parked in the driveway.

Kate quickly thanked the secretary and gave her a fax number. As she started the car, she dialed Craig's number. He answered on the second ring.

[Hermes.]

"Kate here. I talked to Janet's mother. She's on the move. I'm going to follow her. How're you doing there?"

[I think I might have something. Go ahead and I'll catch up with you.]

Carol pulled her car out of the driveway and turned it in the direction of the rental car. Kate ducked down until she passed, then turned the car to follow.


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