It was Darnell.
“Where you going?”
“Ivy’s in trouble. Stay here. Deal with Devon.”
“I’m coming with—”
“Stay here, Darnell! And brush your fucking teeth before you speak to anyone else. Got it?”
?Chapter 60
Not quite perfect...
Missing number...
Ivy was too tired to figure out the riddle.
The last two numbers, at least, were self-explanatory: they were GPS coordinates.
Outside Dr.Moorehead’s office, she spotted one of her colleagues. One of the few other female professors in the math department.
“Hey, have you seen Dr.Moorehead?” Ivy was having a hard time speaking. Her throat was raw and bone-dry.
“He left about an hour ago.”
“Know where he went?”
“No idea. Seemed to be in a hurry, though.”
“Thanks.”
She coughed a little. Frowned when she felt the burn.
“Hey, Dr.Reeves, you hear anything about a student?” The woman scratched her head nervously. Her eyes kept darting to the angry red marks on Ivy’s throat.
“Student?”
“Yeah—a rumor’s going around that a student stabbed someone. Can you believe that?”
“No, no I can’t.” Deep down, Ivy knew she was lying, but it didn’t feel like one. Everything from the time that Zeke had gripped her throat to seeing Rebecca lying on her back, Vaughn’s fingers pressed to her skin, seemed like a terrible nightmare.
One that couldn’t possibly be real.
Ivy went outside. The PPD station was only a stone’s throw from Fine Hall, and Vaughn arrived in six minutes. Twenty-seven minutes... twenty-one remaining. Why twenty-seven? And why did that seem familiar?
Vaughn started to get out of his car, his face pinched.
“No, stay in.”
Ivy slid into the passenger seat.
“What the hell’s going on?”
Ivy produced the note and passed it to him.
“Found this in Dr.Moorehead’s office—the envelope had my name on it.”
“What the fuck...” Vaughn muttered. He turned to her. “You sure this is—”
