Free Grey Matters by Clea Simon Page B

all solicitious.’ She fiddled with the handle of her cup, and Dulcie felt herself blush. ‘Although, I have to admit, I do think those rules about students and teachers are way out of date.’
    Dulcie kept quiet. This girl had already confessed her past. But just then another thought crossed her mind. ‘You’re not . . . There’s nothing going on with Professor Bullock, is there?’
    To her great relief, the younger woman laughed, throwing back her head and revealing perfect teeth. ‘The old Bull? God, no.’ Her humor was contagious, and Dulcie found herself giggling along. Of course not. If Bullock was involved with any of his students, it would more likely be an older one. One of the graduate students who was already spending hours with him. Was already beaten down by his will. Her mind flashed to Polly and, regrettably, to Lloyd. But Raleigh had started talking again.
    ‘I’ll tell you, though, Cam thought something was wrong with the old guy.’
    Dulcie looked at her, her own thoughts joining with what the younger woman was saying. She sipped what was left of her own tea, loath to voice her suspicions.
    Raleigh leaned forward. ‘Plagiarism.’
    Dulcie choked and the two spent the next few minutes with tissues and glasses of water, Raleigh patting her tutor’s back until the erring tea had been redirected.
    ‘That’s unthinkable.’ Dulcie whispered the second word. It was, she thought, the only appropriate one for the sin that Raleigh had mentioned. ‘It’s just not possible.’
    ‘I don’t know for sure.’ Raleigh shrugged and slipped back into her seat. ‘Cam wouldn’t tell me exactly what he was thinking, just that something was up with the old guy. But Cam was really sharp about people, and he was sure of it.’ The pretty brunette considered Dulcie. ‘You’d better watch out that he doesn’t pull a fast one on you.’
    ‘Why? What do you mean?’ Dulcie was still reeling from her last suggestion. It fit too well with Lucy’s last dream. And from what Lloyd had said, the professor might be that desperate.
    ‘You know.’ Raleigh had the grace to look abashed. ‘The typical professor thing?’ She even kicked at the ground.
    ‘No, Raleigh.’ Dulcie tried to concentrate on what the undergrad was saying. ‘I don’t know what you mean.’
    ‘Well, that he might do what they say professors do.’ She looked up, finally, her face serious. ‘That he might just steal his student’s work.’

ELEVEN
    A s Dulcie watched her new charge take off into the Cambridge afternoon, she felt the energy drain out of her. Had she ever been that confident? That smart? Young Raleigh was not what Dulcie had expected, and any fleeting fantasy of a close mentor-student relationship was fading as quickly as the autumn light. It wasn’t only the younger woman’s looks, though if she were being completely honest with herself Dulcie had to admit that the senior’s willowy beauty made her feel both shorter and chubbier than usual. It was that air of entitlement. What had she said about ‘old books’? Dulcie had spent her academic life in just such worn-out pursuits. Had felt like she’d found herself deep in the stacks. And that comment about Professor Bullock? No, it couldn’t be. Or, Dulcie thought as she shrugged on her own coat and prepared to face the chill, if it was, it just might be too late.
    What exactly was the professor working on? Dulcie made a mental note to grill Lloyd further, wondering again at her officemate’s apparent discomfort in the presence of the beautiful young student. Well, thought Dulcie as she shrugged her heavy bag back on to her shoulder, maybe that wasn’t so odd. How often does someone like Lloyd see a beauty like that? She couldn’t be sure of Lloyd’s orientation, but if any part of his connection with the professor depended on . . . Dulcie didn’t even want to go there.
    Instead, she watched as the lithe undergrad gradually blended into the rush-hour crowd and