Love Can Be Murder

were practically public domain. "Dr. Oney said you weren't teaching as many classes as you used to."
    "That's right—although I'm doing more counseling and advising."
    One-on-one with those lovely student bodies. Immediately she felt contrite—Carl couldn't help it if the female students were infatuated with him. And she certainly couldn't blame the girls—that would be the pot calling the kettle black. "Well, I'd better let you get back to work," she said, suddenly anxious to escape and do some heavy thinking.
    "When can I see you again?"
    She smiled as she slipped into her coat. "I hear you're on the auction block tonight."
    His face reddened. "I don't know how I got talked into that."
    "Maybe I'll come and drum up your bids."
    "That would make the evening tolerable."
    "Except I don't have much cash," she warned with a laugh.
    He pulled her into a loose hug. "You don't have to pay me to spend time with you. Let's have a romantic dinner tomorrow night at my place."
    She hesitated, but only for effect. "Do you still live at the same address?"
    He nodded. "Do you remember how to get there?"
    "I think so." Although she'd only been there a couple of times for student cookouts—never alone with Carl. Too tempting.
    "Meanwhile—" He kissed her lightly. "I'll see you tonight?"
    "Yes," she said, feeling better. When she left the building, her step was lighter. The whole heebie-jeebie thing was just because she was accustomed to her association with Carl being furtive, clandestine. Almost delicate. The fact that they didn't have carnal knowledge of each other had made their relationship seem like the stuff that classic novels were made of—a bond that transcended a physical union. This freedom would take some getting used to.
    "Roxann?"
    She turned in the direction of the shout and balked at the woman jogging across the lawn, dodging students. "Elise." Since Elise had been a track star, she quelled the urge to make a run for it.
    Her former roommate came to a bouncing stop in front of her, copper curls springing wildly about her elfin face. She wore spandex shorts and a sports bra with sweat stains. "I thought that was you. I didn't know you were coming up for Homecoming."
    "It...was a last-minute decision. I'm staying with Dr. Oney for a few days." The woman's eyes were glassy, and her mouth loose—she was on something, probably one of those "performance enhancers" she bought from a guy named Sid who buzzed the Biloxi Y in a Firebird. "Elise, you dropped off the face of the earth—Tom is going crazy wondering where you are."
    Elise started cracking her knuckles one at a time—a nervous habit that had always driven Roxann nuts. The woman's hands were enormous. "I just couldn't take it anymore, Roxann. Dealing with all those people, all those problems. I know I should call Tom. I will. I really will." Her gaze darted all around, and she was still cracking.
    "Where are you living?" Roxann asked.
    "In Biloxi, with a friend I met over the Internet."
    Surprise, surprise. "How long have you been here in South Bend?"
    "Since Saturday. I ran a marathon to raise money for the new counseling center." Now she was cracking her neck—repeatedly.
    "Elise, someone broke into the duplex Friday. Do you know anything about it?"
    "No. No, I don't." But without eye contact, she couldn't tell if the woman was being truthful. "Roxann, I'm sorry about the way I handled...things."
    "Neither one of us handled the situation well," Roxann said carefully.
    Elise shifted from foot to foot, bouncing on the toes of her running shoes. "I realized that the reason I've been so unhappy all these years is because of a relationship I had in college that I never quite got over."
    Get in line.
    "But I'm working through things," she said, nodding with shaky confidence. Suddenly she laughed, a wild, artificial noise. "Too bad that counseling center wasn't here ten years ago." She started to shiver, and rubbed her hands up and down her arms.
    Roxann slipped off her jacket and hung it over the woman's shoulders. "Elise, you don't look well—let's walk down to the clinic."
    "No!" She yanked off the coat. "I'm f-fine, I just need to finish my run." She jogged away a few paces, then turned around as if she suddenly remembered Roxann was still standing there. "I hope we can be friends someday," she shouted. Then she jogged away, and not in a straight line.
    She watched Elise until she was out of sight to make sure she didn't run out into the street, or