Arya: Having dinner with Tavi. Will text when on my way to HH
I smile and glance up at Tavi. “We do like to be around each other.”
“That’s more important than anything. It’s why I’m marrying Trem. Erik’s perfect for you.”
“I don’t know about perfect,” I scoff, but I do feel optimistic. Biting the corner of my mouth, I shrug.
Tavi is sixty-one inches of sunshine and rainbows. I need to stay best friends with her for life and never lose touch, even after we leave GU.
Pausing at the door to the restaurant, I glance at a white van that idles in the corner of the parking lot. Exhaust clouds the air near the back end. I’m not sure if it’s been there the whole time or if it pulled in after us.
Still chatting, Tavi goes inside. I step back, watching the van. There’s no logo on the side to suggest it’s a delivery van for the restaurant. And if someone was coming to eat or leaving afterward, wouldn’t they have already done that?
After a moment, the van pulls out of the parking spot. I watch until it’s turned onto the street. The driver was probably reading and answering text messages with the heat running. I do that a lot.
Drawing in a breath, I shake my head. Casanova has made me completely paranoid.
* * *
ERIK
I crossedthe campus half a dozen times, gathering information on Declan’s dead aunt and uncle. I hoped it would serve a dual purpose. First, as background forDispatcharticles covering their life and death as prominent GU alums. But also to help me uncover any ties to the current faculty or students we don’t know about.
My efforts lead to nothing but dead ends, and frustration weighs on me. I wanted to be closer to identifying Casanova by now.
Hungry for dinner, I head toward Heyworth House. Getting there before Arya will allow me to talk to Declan and Reynolds about their progress narrowing down the Casanova suspects.
I want to shield Arya. As soon as she arrives, I’m cutting off all talk about the investigation.
As I drive along Greek Row, I slow to a stop in front of the Lambda Delta house. I haven’t been inside since the party where Shane got into a fight and I backed him up.
The huge house is pitch black.
My eyes narrow. As far as I know there’s no big bash on campus tonight that would cause the house to be empty. And what are the chances that every single one of them went to bed before eight o’clock?Zero.
Maybe they’re holding a meeting in the basement.
I pull around the house to the back door, scanning the windows. From top to bottom, all dark.
I exit the truck and ring the bell. When no lights appear, I lean forward to look inside the empty kitchen. Not a single guy is cooking or eating? What’s going on?
I walk back to my truck and text Shane.
Erik: Where are the Lambda Deltas tonight?
I shift gears and pull out onto the street.
Heyworth House is only a few blocks away, but I don’t turn in that direction. I’m thinking about the Lambda Delta grudge against Arya. Octavia was with her that night, and they’re together again tonight.
The girls should be done with dinner by now. I call Arya. She doesn’t pick up, but it could be because she’s driving. Sometimes her phone is buried in her purse.
I pull out of the Lambda Delta driveway and head toward Octavia’s apartment building. My phone buzzes with a text from Shane, and I raise my phone to read it.
Shane: No idea. Y?
As I pass a side street just before the turn into Tavi’s parking lot, I slow. Her building isn’t high-rent like Eden’s. And yet, I spot a line of expensive vehicles.
There are no Lambda Delta stickers on the BMW that’s first in the row, but there’s a GU parking permit hanging from the rearview mirror. The hair on the back of my neck stands. The cars could belong to anyone, but…
