Free Grey Dawn by Clea Simon Page A

catching Dulcie and Raleigh in her embrace. Dulcie looked at her friend, her blonde hair lit by the moonlight, and wondered if she’d been drinking. Then again, the pink in her cheeks could be attributable to the frosty night.
    â€˜Trista, what you did mean, back there?’ The more she thought about it, the more likely that Thorpe was innocent. As for Mina’s boyfriend, well, she didn’t see him as the violent type at all.
    â€˜What? When?’ She blinked at her friend. ‘Back when we were talking about Professor Sexy?’
    â€˜Yeah.’ Dulcie nodded. She’d never seen her friend so besotted. So entranced. ‘You called him a “lone wolf,” and I was wondering …’
    â€˜Dulcie, where’s your classical education!’ Trista smiled, open-mouthed, and Dulcie found herself looking at her friend’s teeth. Her strong, white teeth. ‘Lukos, that’s his name, isn’t it? Professor James Lukos? It’s Greek, Dulcie. Lukos means “the wolf.”’

THIRTEEN
    T he problem was, there was no food. Dulcie realized her mistake within minutes of entering the party. Raleigh and Lloyd had quit squabbling by then, both agreeing on the political expedience of attending. And Trista had calmed down, somewhat, as well. But by the time they reached the little clapboard, it had been packed. And although someone handed Dulcie a plastic cup of sherry as soon as she walked in, there was no refreshment of a solid kind to be seen.
    She should have anticipated this, Dulcie realized. She would have if it had been any other night. Between her suspicions and her strange anxieties, however, it had slipped her mind. Besides, she had wanted to change and get out of the apartment quickly. She knew she wasn’t doing anything wrong, but to explain herself to Chris would have just taken too much time. If only she’d grabbed an apple, she’d be better able to concentrate. As it was, she was sweating in a packed room, and her stomach was rumbling.
    â€˜Nancy!’ She saw the departmental secretary over by the coffee maker. If anyone would know about the snack situation, it would be her. ‘Nancy!’ The older woman’s usual confidence seemed shaken by the crowd, and she turned away. Dulcie started to go after her, when she was jostled by an overlarge teaching fellow, who nearly knocked the sherry onto her good blouse. Dulcie looked around for a surface. Not seeing one, she downed the small cup and knelt to leave the cup on the floor. The room was going to be trashed anyway.
    â€˜Nancy!’ Despite the fact that both she and the secretary were shorter than almost everybody there, Dulcie had managed to keep track of her and finally caught up to the older woman over by the coffee maker. Up close, she could see: Nancy definitely looked upset. ‘Are you okay?’
    â€˜What, dear?’ Nancy was looking around. ‘Did you need something?’
    â€˜Well, I was hoping there were some snacks,’ Dulcie admitted, a little abashed.
    â€˜There was a cheese tray.’ Nancy looked around in vain. ‘But those freshmen … I told Mr Thorpe that we should have ordered more. But he …’ She left it with a shrug, unwilling to bad-mouth her boss.
    â€˜Ah.’ Dulcie nodded. Now it was becoming clear. Under the guise of being budget conscious, Thorpe was trying to sabotage the reception. ‘Is he here tonight?’
    â€˜What?’ She was looking around again. ‘Oh, no. I don’t think he felt up to it. Poor man.’
    â€˜He’ll still have a teaching position here.’ Dulcie tried to summon up some sympathy. ‘I mean, if the worst happens.’
    Nancy shook her head sadly. ‘I don’t know, Dulcie. This has been awfully hard on him, and it’s just been getting worse. These last few days …’
    Nancy let the thought trail off, and Dulcie nodded with what she hoped was a sympathetic