Smoke in Mirrors

speculation,” Leonora said after a while.
    “Not entirely.” Thomas looked at the bracelet. “Whatever else we can say, we know that Meredith opened that door behind the card catalog.”
    “What made you decide to go exploring today?” Deke asked.
    “I was playing detective,” Leonora said. “I’ve noticed that Julie and Travis have a habit of disappearing together at lunchtime. I followed them today. They’re using one of the empty rooms on the third floor as a, uh, trysting spot.”
    Thomas cocked a brow. “Trysting?”
    “I believe that would be the correct technical term for it, yes,” she murmured.

    He whistled softly. “I do admire you academic types,” he said. “Must be nice to have such a wide-ranging command of the English language.”
    She glared. “What would you call it if a couple of healthy young people disappeared at lunchtime for the purpose of having sex?”
    “A nooner,” Thomas said.
    Deke grinned fleetingly. “Gotta love the English language. Such nuance. Such subtlety.”
    Leonora blinked, startled by the flash of humor. Deke’s amused smile brought home the family resemblance between him and Thomas as nothing else could have done. The grin was gone in the next moment but not before it gave her a whole new insight into the real Deke.
    “Something else happened today,” she said. “I’m not sure what it means, but given that we are all trying to weave a conspiracy theory, it may be important. Then again, it might mean absolutely nothing.”
    “What’s that?” Thomas asked.
    “I have reason to think that one member of our trysting couple went through my satchel. Julie, to be precise.”
    Thomas and Deke both looked at her.
    “She was in the library office while I was in the stairwell on the other side of the wall. I could hear her opening drawers. When I went back into the office I checked my things. It was obvious she had gone through them.”
    “She take any money?” Thomas asked. “Credit cards?”
    Leonora shook her head. “Nothing was missing as far as I could tell. But it made me recall something she said to Travis when the two of them left their little hideaway upstairs.”
    “What was that?” Deke asked.
    “I think she told him that they had to hurry because there was something she had to do today if she got a chance.”

    “Well, hell,” Thomas said softly. He took a sip of beer and put down the bottle. “Well, hell.”
    She looked at him. “Now what?”
    “This Julie Bromley. She have a ponytail? Wear a red leather jacket?”
    “How did you know?” Leonora asked.
    “Because I saw her this afternoon. Visiting Alex Rhodes. I told Wrench I didn’t think she was a client.”
    “Oh, wow,” Leonora said. “Julie and Alex Rhodes. I don’t like the sound of that.”
    “Neither do I,” Thomas said.
    “Funny you should mention Rhodes,” Deke said dryly. “This is probably as good a time as any to tell you why I came calling this evening. I learned a few things about our friendly neighborhood antistress counselor.”
    “You have our undivided attention,” Thomas said.
    “A few years ago Rhodes was ABD at a small college in the Midwest,” Deke began.
    “ABD?” Thomas said.
    “All But Dissertation,” Leonora explained. “A Ph.D. candidate who hasn’t quite finished all the requirements.”
    “Got it. Go on, Deke.”
    “Rhodes was working as a graduate teaching assistant in the department of chemistry. His contract was, as they say, not renewed.”
    “Meaning he was fired?” Thomas said.
    “More or less.” Deke made a face. “From what I could find out online, Rhodes was let go because he had a hobby of seducing his female students.”
    “Why am I not surprised?” Thomas said.
    “One of the sweet young things was the daughter of a very wealthy alumnus who had given a lot of money to the school. Said alumnus was furious when he discovered that his precious offspring had been fooling around afterhours in the chemistry lab with Rhodes. He insisted that the college dump Rhodes.”
    “I don’t blame him,” Leonora said.
    “After he got kicked out, Rhodes seems to have moved around a lot. He got some one-year contracts in the chemistry departments of various small colleges. Never lasted very long anywhere, though. Apparently he continued to engage in his hobby of seducing the wrong students. There were complaints.”
    “I’ll bet there were,” Leonora said.
    “Here’s the really interesting part.” Deke sat forward on