I parked directly behind the sorority house, choosing a space beside a dumpster to better conceal us from view. Cam stood beside the van, fidgeting in a pair of Ramón’s grease-stained coveralls as Vero zipped them around him. Vero had dug them out of her cousin’s closet that morning before we’d left for campus. After turning them inside out to hide theTOWING & SALVAGEpatch on the front, she’d torn out all the instruction-and-care tags and told Cam to put the coveralls on.
I kept an eye on the windows above us, making sure no one was watching as Vero dragged a beanie onto Cam’s head.
“Here,” she said, handing him a pair of mirrored sunglasses. “If anyone asks, you work for maintenance, and you came to check on a stuck window in the house director’s office. Happens all the time in these old buildings, especially in the spring. No one will think too hard about it.” She fastened one of her cousin’s utility belts around Cam’s waist. It sagged on his narrow hips, and she removed everything but a few screwdrivers to keep it from sliding to his ankles. She passed him a plastic tool bucket and stood back to admire her handiwork.
“Not bad,” she said, hiking up his belt. “As long as no one looks too closely, you should be able to get into her office without anyone getting suspicious.”
“Where’s Zoey?” he asked, working a finger inside the neck of the coveralls.
“When Celeste’s meeting starts, Zoey will meet you at that door.” Vero pointed to a fire door at the rear of the building markedSTAFF & RESIDENTS ONLY. “She’ll take you through the kitchen and down the hall to Celeste’s office. Celeste will be in her meeting when you pass the library, so be sure to keep moving. Once you’re inside her office, you’ll have to work fast. Zoey will keep an eye out for Celeste, but I don’t know how much time you’ll have.”
Cam took a deep, fortifying breath as Vero and I put on our own sets of coveralls and tied back our hair. “Got it. Do I smell okay?”
“’Scuse me?” Vero looked at Cam like he’d spoken in tongues.
“I tried some fancy body wash stuff I found in your cousin’s bathroom.”
“You smell very nice,” I said, throwing Vero a look before she could crush whatever hopes had motivated Cam to wash his only shirt that morning.
“Thanks, Mrs. D.” He tucked Arnold into his tool bucket andpatted the dog on his head. Arnold sat up, his front legs propped on the lip, his ears perked and tail wagging at the promise of an adventure.
“Are you sure you don’t want Arnold to stay with us?” I asked.
“And leave my wingman behind? No way. Arnold Schwarzenegger is a chick magnet,” Cam said proudly. “Besides, if we do get caught, he’s a great distraction. I mean, look at that face, Mrs. D. No one’s going to givemea second look while this guy’s around.”
“Not one word,” I said to Vero before she could sling the obvious comeback.
“There she is,” Vero said as Zoey poked her head out the back door.
Her wide eyes made a quick pass over the parking lot. She waved urgently at Cam, checking over her shoulder as she held the kitchen door open for him and reached for Arnold’s bucket. “Don’t worry. Arnold will be safe with me. I won’t let him out of my sight. Come on. We should hurry.”
“Vero and I will be right outside the office window if you run into any problems,” I told them.
Cam nodded and followed Zoey inside.
I handed Vero a shovel from the back of the van and took one for myself.
“Are you sure no one will recognize you?” I asked her as we tugged on our beanies.
“Grounds maintenance crews are out here all the time in the spring,” she said. “Everyone who lives on Frat Row is used to seeing people working outside the buildings. They probably won’t even look at us.” She kept her eyes cast toward the ground as we carried our shovels around the side of the building. Her transmitter belt strained against the inside of her coveralls, the weight of it making her gait uneven as she trudged across the lawn.
Vero paused beneath one of the windows. She leaned her shovel against the brick façade and stood on her toes to peep inside. I kept watch, standing beside her to obscure any view of her from the road, but the students playing flag football and sunbathing on the lawns seemed too busy to notice us.
The window above us slid open. Cam peeked out. “I’m in,” he said, pretending to adjust the lock with his screwdriver as he stole glances over his shoulder toward the office door.
“Where’s Zoey?” I asked.
“She’s keeping watch in the hall. She said to tell you she left a window cracked in the library this morning. You should be able to hear when Celeste’s meeting is wrapping up. You can give me a heads-up when she’s on her way back.”
“Good idea.”
“I know, right? Zoey’s really smart, and Arnold likes her, too. You think I should ask her—”
“Just do what you came to do and get out of there!” Vero whispered.
I carried my shovel to the next window, a few yards down, while Vero stayed beside Celeste’s office. Just as Zoey said, the window was cracked a few inches, and raised voices carried from inside. I pretended to tidy the mulch as I cocked my head to hear them better.
“I understand you’re upset, Mr. Willingham. I’m sure the loss of your son’s tuition money has been difficult for you—”
