Bree reaches over and squeezes her hand.
“How about some wine?” asks Alex.
Melissa nods and wipes her eyes. Alex picks up the bottle and pours her a glass.
“Thank you, Dr. Cross.” She takes a sip, then lets out a long breath.
A cheery server appears at the table. “Good evening, folks. Can I start you off with one of our appetizers?”
Alex gives him a tight smile. “We need a few minutes.”
The server nods. “Of course. Whenever you’re ready.” He walks off.
Melissa takes another sip. She looks across the table at Alex, then at Bree.
“Dr. Cross, Chief Stone, again, I’m so sorry I wasn’t up front with you from the start. I should have called you right away.”
“Yes,” says Bree. “And you should have told us about the professor and his student.”
“She’s his TA, not his student,” says Melissa. “Teaching assistant. Most of us grad students are also TAs in undergrad classes. So Amy helps out in Professor Lucas’s undergrad class, collecting assignments, grading exams. That kind of stuff.”
Alex leans forward, hands folded on the table. “What’s Lucas like? Do you guys think he’s a good teacher?”
Melissa nods. “Yes, definitely. He’s inspiring, makes you think. And he’s active in the same causes Damon and I support. Voters’ rights. Literacy. Anti-poverty programs. We see him all the time at rallies and meetings. He’s been like a mentor to a lot of us.”
“What about Amy?” asks Bree.
“I don’t know her that well, honestly. We’ve talked at a few TA meetups. She’s nice. Smart. Quiet. Doesn’t say much. I’ve seen herwith Professor Lucas at events and speeches. I think they have the same philosophy about things. Makes sense. I mean, he hired her, right?”
“What about Michaelson Woods?” asks Alex. “The Young Freedom Fighters guy. Did Darius Lucas have an opinion about him coming to campus to speak?”
“Oh, yeah,” says Melissa. “Out of all the faculty, I’d say Lucas was the most outspoken against it. He thinks Woods promotes hate speech.” Melissa lowers her eyes. “One time, I remember some white dude shouting at Lucas and Amy at a rally after Lucas spoke up.”
“Shouting what?” asks Bree.
“Well … Professor Lucas is Black. And Amy is white. And the guy yelled something about how Lucas should watch his mouth around true Americans. And that …” Melissa hesitates. She clears her throat. Her face flushes.
“And that what?” asks Alex.
Melissa says in a nervous whisper, “He said that Professor Lucas needed to leave ‘our women’ alone. And he used the N-word.” She grabs her wineglass and takes a big gulp.
Alex leans back. “I’ve heard the word before.” He looks at his wife. “So has Bree. We’ve heard it all our lives.”
Bree turns to Melissa. “Okay. As long as we’re being blunt, is there any chance Lucas and Amy were a couple?”
“No way,” Melissa says flatly.
“What makes you so sure?” Alex asks.
“Because Amy Tyne is gay.”
Bree’s phone rings inside her purse. She pulls it out and glances at Alex. “I should take this. It’s Elena.”
Bree gets up and heads for an alcove on the other side of the room. Alex looks over at Melissa. “Elena’s her boss,” he explains.
After an awkward silence, Melissa asks, “So what do we do now, Dr. Cross? About finding Damon?”
“I’m hoping Bree is getting some information right now. The toll-free number she had you put on the flyers goes directly to her company.”
