I contemplated this. It was no surprise to me that the local officers hadn’t taken more interest in O’Connor’s disappearance. The Black Raptor Society had at least two members, if not more, working for the force, one of which had been Wes’s boss. It was why so many of the society’s misdeeds had been overlooked. Covering up a murder was simple when you had the cops eating out of the palm of your hand.
“I was wondering when I would see you, Nicole,” said Eileen.
“I’m so sorry that I didn’t check in sooner. It was terrible of me—”
“No, no. I’m not trying to guilt trip you, honey,” said Eileen sweetly. “I’m not sure if you noticed, but George became quite… distracted before he disappeared.”
My stomach tightened. Of course, O’Connor had been distracted. Being hunted down by a murderous group of Waverly students and alumni had that effect on a person.
“He talked about you often though,” continued Eileen. She rotated her wedding ring again as if searching for flaws in the smooth gold. “More and more as time went on. You were his best student—that I knew already—but he seemed to take so much more of an interest in you than any of his previous teaching assistants.”
An uncomfortable feeling grew in my gut. I wasn’t sure where Eileen was heading with this information, but it sure didn’t sound good. “Eileen, Professor O’Connor was my mentor. Nothing more.”
“Oh, I know, dear,” said Eileen, easing the strain in my body. “I just can’t help but wonder why he cared so deeply for you, like a daughter almost.”
That was news to me. As much as I’d appreciated O’Connor’s teaching abilities, our relationship had never expanded beyond bickering over theories of societal collapse or whose turn it was to grade the midterms. While our banter wasn’t exactly professional, we kept each other on our toes. Working with O’Connor was enjoyable, but I hadn’t considered our repartee reminiscent of a familial bond. Then again, with no father-daughter relationship of my own to compare it to, maybe I simply hadn’t recognized the signs.
“Eileen, I have to tell you something,” I said. I set down my coffee cup, ignoring the vanilla scone. I was far too queasy to eat anything. “Ever since O’Connor—George, I mean—disappeared, I’ve been trying to figure out what happened to him.”
“Oh, dear,” said Eileen solemnly.
“What?”
“You’re deep in this too, aren’t you?”
Confused, I asked, “Pardon?”
Eileen sighed, breaking off a piece of my untouched vanilla scone and helping herself to it. “I suspected as much. George tried to keep you out of it for as long as possible, but I do believe he knew you were bound to get involved eventually.”
My mouth dropped open. “How much do you know?”
“Nothing at all, really. Are you going to try this scone or not? I made them from scratch.”
“I’m not very hungry. Eileen, this is important. What did O’Connor tell you?”
She took her time commandeering my dessert, daintily biting off the end. “I told you, Nicole. He kept me in the dark. It was for my own safety, according to him. I used to ask questions. I tried to get him to let me in. George is a very private person. He deflected well, but as time wore on, he became more and more agitated with me. I stopped asking questions after a while. We’ve been married for over thirty years. I assumed that once he was ready to share with me, he would do so. It wouldn’t be the first time he needed to process something on his own before letting me in on it. Now, I don’t suppose you’re going to tell me what’s going on?”
I bit my tongue. Eileen assumed correctly. Her safety was at stake. Not to mention, I didn’t have the heart, or the courage maybe, to deliver the news of her husband’s untimely demise. Eileen deserved more than the tragedy that had befallen her family, but I wasn’t ready to pop her bubble of blissful ignorance quite yet.
“It’s safer if you don’t know,” I said finally.
Eileen hummed in acceptance. “I figured.”
“Listen, Eileen,” I said, leaning over the TV table to place my hand on top of hers. “I’m trying to figure all of this out, and as soon as I do, you’ll be the first one to know. I promise. But in order for me to do that, I need more information. Did O’Connor have a laptop or a desktop computer that he used to work from home?”
“He was a teacher. Of course he did.”
“Can I have it?”
“Certainly, if it will help you.”
The lack of argument on her part and the fact that she trusted me completely with her husband’s personal property took me aback. “R-really?”
Eileen nodded, rising from the sofa. She collected the scone plate. “I’ll go and get it for you. Sit tight.”
I settled into the armchair, listening to Eileen’s slow footsteps ascend the staircase to the second floor of the home. For a minute or so, I watched the tabby cat chase the shadow of his tail across the living-room floor, ignoring the voice in the back of my head that told me obtaining O’Connor’s computer was too easy. Thankfully, Eileen returned, carrying a laptop case, before I could run away with my thoughts.
“Here you are, dear,” she said, handing over the case. “He worked frantically on this thing. There were days I barely ever saw him because of it. I’m afraid I don’t know the password though.”
“That’s okay,” I said as I stood up to accept the laptop from her. Cracking O’Connor’s password would be a piece of cake for Lauren. “I need to head out, Eileen. I appreciate this though, and I promise to keep you updated. In the meantime, just… lay low, okay?”
“You worry too much, Nicole.” She walked me to the door, patiently waiting as I pulled my winter coat on again, but as I made to let myself out, Eileen took me by the hand. “If you need anything at all, don’t you hesitate to
