FRIDAY MORNING MEYER LIBRARY UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-SUNNYDALE

God bless overcast days. Spike could almost delude himself into believing that the Big Man upstairs was giving him a break on his search for the truth. The cloud cover the weatherman predicted to hang around all day would allow him to move about at will. The investigation would go much quicker thanks to that.

Spike stepped into the cavernous library and looked about in awe. The place was massive in structure. High arching ceilings. Stained glass windows. For a moment Spike thought that perhaps he had stepped into a Victorian church.

"This has got to be Giles' wet dream."

There had to be hundreds of thousands of volumes lining the shelves. He had never before scene such a collection of books in all his years. Slightly intimidated as he was, Spike shook off the feeling. He had work to do. He stopped at the front desk and asked an elderly worker where a computer lab was. She pointed him to a hallway off the east wall. Spike thanked her and followed her direction.

Upon entering the hallway, Spike noticed a sign hanging above indicating the computer lab was the last door on the right. He found the lab to be nearly empty. He walked past a pair of sorority girls and blushed slightly when he realized they were checking him out. He smiled as he took a seat at a terminal.

He chuckled slightly at what Buffy would think of him doing this. She, along with the rest of the Scoobies, probably figured Spike was ignorant to most modern technology. That was simply not true. One didn't survive as long as he had by being ignorant. Darwin wrote that those who adapt to the environment are the ones that survive. And Spike was certainly a survivor.

He expertly clicked on the Internet Explorer icon and pulled up the university's web page. He clicked on the Current Students link. Spike frowned when he didn't find what he was looking for. He clicked back to the main page and tried again on Information. This time he struck gold. He clicked a small circle labeled People Search next to a browser. Spike typed in Amanda Richards and hit Enter. Three hits were shown.

"Well shit," Spike mumbled. He thought back to the autopsy report. Didn't it say she was twenty-one? That would make her a junior or perhaps a senior. He clicked on the first Amanda. Nope. Freshman. Cross her off. He then tried the next two. The first was a junior and the second was a senior. Spike clicked on the Print icon and was pleased to hear the whir of the printer. Looks like he'd have to check out these two possibilities the old fashioned way. In person.

Spike logged off the computer and grabbed his pages from the printer behind him. He folded them up and slipped them into his duster. Passing the two sorority girls again, Spike winked at them. He was pleased when they winked back. He then nodded his thanks again to the desk worker and left. Spike still had much work to do, and he wanted to get it done quickly.

JUANITA BAKER HALL STUDENT DORMITORY

Well, the first Amanda Richards, the senior, turned out to be a bust. The search had taken him to the Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority house. That Amanda Richards, a tall and attractive blonde and political science major, was very much alive. And while the prospect of lounging around with a houseful of virile and attractive young women was tempting, and despite how much they seemed to enjoy his presence, Spike excused himself to continue his search. The second Amanda Richards, a junior biology major, lived in room 701A of Baker Hall. Somehow he doubted this one would there to greet him.

Spike was thankful when the elevator finally came to a stop on the seventh floor. Accompanying him on the way up were a couple boys bragging about some sexual conquests they had experienced. Considering the acne both seemed to be dealing with, Spike doubted their stories and told them so.

"If you'd ever gotten laid in your miserable little lives you both would have clearer complexions."

"Fuck you, dude!" one boy shouted. Of course, he waited until the door had just about closed shut behind Spike. The vampire shook his head in annoyance and looked about. Right across the elevators was a door marked 701. Spike shrugged and went over to the door and knocked. He didn't hear anything, so Spike twisted the knob. It was unlocked.

The door opened to a small common area and a kitchen. To the right he saw a door that seemed to be the bathroom. Ahead of him, Spike saw doors marked A and B. He knocked on the A door. He heard a soft "Come in".

Spike opened the door slowly. His eyes had to adjust to the fact the blinds were shut and the lights were off. In the far corner of the room was a wooden desk. When he could finally focus, Spike saw a small blonde sitting in a chair, her knees pulled up to her chin as she played a game of solitaire on a laptop.

"Are you Amanda Richards roommate?"

"Yeah," she answered softly. "I'm Becky. Who are you? A cop?"

"A private investigator," Spike lied smoothly. "My name is William Summers. I've been hired by the relatives of the accused to look into this ordeal." Spike was incredibly surprised by the cool and professional tone he was using. Maybe when this was all over he could see if Angel had a position for him.

"I'd like to start by saying that I am very sorry. This must be a terrible time for you. Being roommates, I imagine that the two of you were close."

"Yeah. This would have been our second year together." Spike shielded his eyes for a moment when Becky flicked on a table lamp. "Sorry," she apologized.

"It's okay. Listen, I would like to ask you some questions. Is that fine with you?"

"Okay."

Spike crouched down so that he would be looking up at Becky. He didn't want to intimidate the girl, and he felt that this was the best position. Not having the experience of being an investigator, Spike had to pause a moment as he considered his opening question.

"You knew Amanda quite well, correct?" Becky nodded that she did. "To the best of your knowledge, did Amanda use any illegal drugs?"

"No," Becky said. "As far as I know, she never did weed or anything else. I mean, she drank once and a while. It's college. Who doesn't?" Spike nodded his understanding. "Why do you ask? I haven't been able to find out anything. Do the cops think she's been doing drugs?"

"She was found with Ketamine and Ecstasy in her blood," Spike admitted.

Becky frowned. "The date rape drug? Who's the guy that did it?"

Spike paused a moment before speaking. He was curious to see what her reaction would be. "It wasn't a guy." Becky didn't give it a second thought. Spike then asked, "Did you know that Amanda was gay?"

Becky just stared at him a few moments. She carefully considered what to say before settling on the truth. "Yeah. I knew she was gay. And before you ask, we were close, but we weren't that close."

Spike nodded his understanding. "Was Amanda a social girl?" Becky glanced at him strangely. "Would she have gone out somewhere on Wednesday? A bar perhaps? Maybe to meet someone?"

"You mean a gay bar?" Spike did. "Maybe, but not likely. Thursday's and Saturday's are the big party nights around here."

Well, scratch that theory. If Amanda didn't met Willow at a bar or something then that means they had to have met earlier in the day. But where? Class was a possibility, but if that were the case, wouldn't Willow remember seeing her before? Plus, Willow was a psychology major. Amanda was biology. A little research had shown that those two majors frequented different buildings for the bulk of their classes.

"Do you know what Amanda's schedule was like that day? What classes she had? Where she might have hung out? Anything like that?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Because this girl accused of killing Amanda claims to have never met her before. If that is true, then she met her sometime on Wednesday. I need to figure out where."

"Oh. Yeah, uh, in the morning she would have had her Developmental Biology class and then College Algebra. After that she normally went to work for a couple hours. She's a cashier at the campus bookstore. I meet her at lunch over in Kemper at noon. After that she has a Microbiology lab."

"Is that it?" Becky indicated it was. "Do you recall her talking to anyone new? At lunch perhaps?" Becky shook her head. "Did she mention meeting anyone?" Again he received a no. "Are you sure she wouldn't have done something else that day?"

Becky suddenly thought of something. "Come to think of it, Amanda had been talking Tuesday night about going to some meeting that afternoon."

Spike perked up at that. "A meeting? What kind of meeting?"

Becky slowly stood from her chair and moved over to what Spike assumed was Amanda's desk. For the first time he noticed that Becky appeared to still be wearing pajamas. Spike felt a wave of sympathy for the girl. She really was taking this hard if she was sitting around in the dark with her nightclothes on. He watched as she shuffled some papers around on the desk. Finally she produced a pink sheet of paper.

"Lucky you came here when you did," Becky commented. "Her parents were coming in from Portland tonight to pick up her stuff." She handed the paper over to Spike. A sense of déjà vu swept him.

"Battling addiction? On the road to recovery? Need someone to talk to? Better Tomorrow is there for you. Come see us today, so you can have a Better Tomorrow." Spike sighed. He found the same flier in Willow's room.

"She had just quick smoking but still had the cravings. She went to see if they could help."

"I know the feeling," Spike admitted. "Just quit myself." He held the flier up and asked, "Can I have this?" Becky said it was fine. "I best be going now. I'm sorry to intrude." He stood up and walked towards the door. He stopped at Becky's voice.

"This girl. Do you think she killed Amanda?"

Spike turned back and looked into a pair of sad blue eyes. "I don't know," he answered honestly. "But I guarantee that I will find out the truth." That answer seemed to placate her. Becky turned back to her solitaire game. Spike slipped from the room quietly and left the girl alone.

CRAIG HALL UC-SUNNYDALE

Bradley Keller peered around the small group assembled in the conference room. He scratched at his goatee and decided to call on the newcomer. "William? Would you like to speak with the group?"

Spike looked surprised to be called upon. "Uh, do I have to?"

"Of course not," Bradley assured. "Oftentimes people new to the group do not speak at their first meeting. They often prefer to get comfortable by listening to others. But then again, we cannot help if you do not speak. It is your choice."

Spike glanced around the room. One or two looked disinterested in what he had to say. A few gave encouraging smiles. And was that brunette winking at him? "Well, uh, okay. I've been trying to kick the habit as of late."

"What habit would that be, William?" Bradley prodded lightly.

"Smoking."

"And what prompted you to do so?"

"A girl, actually. There's this girl that I like, ya know? I thought maybe, you know, if I made a few changes, cut out some bad habits, maybe she'd like me like how I like her."

"And how long did you smoke?"

"Feels like decades."

"And how do you feel about quitting?"

"It's the right thing to do. It's a nasty habit. Blackens the lungs. Plus, second hand smoke isn't good for said girl's little sister. Anyway, it didn't feel like I should smoke anymore. But it's still tough."

"Do you feel cravings?"

"Oh yeah. All the time. It feels weird for my mouth to not have anything to do." Spike reached into his duster and pulled out a pack of wintergreen gum. "Been chewing on this stuff lately. Tastes like shit." A few of the girls giggled and watched him intently. It was slightly unnerving.

"And how does the gum work?"

"Okay, for a bit anyway. Few minutes after I spit it out, I'm feeling the urge again."

Bradley nodded enthusiastically as he chewed on his pen. He had apparently heard this story before. "Okay. Well, I believe I can help you with that. You see, smoking is as much a psychological addiction as it is physiological. If you can win the battle in your mind, you can win the battle of the body."

"Okay."

"It's all about willpower. Focus the energies of your mind into conquering your addiction."

"You mean like all that Eastern meditate-y stuff?"

"Precisely."

"Well I can do that."

"Ah! There you go! You're already gaining the positive mindset needed to accomplish the goal." A small, goofy grin crossed Spike's face. He was accomplishing his goal. "An addiction is nothing more than a mental signal saying that you cannot live without performing some function, which in truth, is not necessary. When you realize that, you can turn your focus away from the desire to smoke, and direct it towards more meaningful goals. Can you do that?"

"Damn straight I can."

"Excellent! And remember, if at any point you feel yourself succumbing to your addiction, repeat this phrase: Mind over Matter."

"Mind over matter. I can do that."

"Wonderful! Now, class, how about we all say it together?" The entire group repeated the phrase several times. "Great! Now, we will adjourn for the day. I hope to see you all at our next session."

The group stood and prepared to leave. Spike noted that a few of them appeared to be students. That is, if the backpacks were any indication. He spotted a tall and willowy looking blonde smiling shyly in his direction. Spike smiled back and noted the blush creeping into her cheeks. Yup, he had a winner. She quickly turned away and walked out of the room. Spike trotted after the girl and caught up with her as she moved to a stairwell.

"Excuse me? Miss?" The girl turned back and blushed again when she found Spike smiling down at her. Spike even found himself blushing slightly. It'd been awhile since he'd done this. "I hope you don't get weirded out. After all, some strange guy is running after you, but I was wondering if you wanted to get some coffee?"

Spike wondered if it were possible to blush oneself to death. If it were, this girl was well on her way. "Okay," she grinned.

"My name is William, by the way." Spike offered his hand and the girl shook it happily.

"My name is Caroline," she answered.

"Caroline," Spike smiled. "What a beautiful name." He offered his arm to Caroline. "Shall we?"

STUDENT UNION UC-SUNNYDALE

This whole talking to girls thing was far easier than Spike remembered. But then again, as a human, William was a loser. After being turned into a vampire, his relationship with Drusilla had never been based on talking. Spike thought he was doing remarkably well. His smile was genuine as he listened to Caroline jabber excitedly. He would have thought the girl had too much caffeine if not for knowing her coffee was of the decaffeinated kind.

That was apparently the reason she attended meetings with Better Tomorrow. Caroline had informed him that during her freshman year, she had become addicted to caffeine pep pills so that she could do all-night study sessions during finals. Finals filtered into midterms, and midterms filtered into everyday. But she said she was clean now, despite the fact she talked a mile a minute.

"I'm sorry," Caroline apologized again. "I know I'm going really fast. It must be some residual caffeine in my blood or something. Or it could just be that I'm talking to a guy. Most guys don't talk to me. Since I'm not a cheerleader or a sorority girl, they don't pay much attention to me and I should really shut up for a while so I don't bore you." Caroline stopped to catch her breath after her marathon talking. Spike just chuckled in amusement. He imagined Willow acting much this way when she was younger.

"It's okay. You've got a pretty voice, so I think you can be forgiven." He shook his head in amusement as she blushed again. "Besides, I haven't been around all that many women recently. My pick up lines are a bit rusty." Spike gazed down at his hands as they tightened around the coffee cup. He hated to do this next part. He didn't want to hurt the girl's esteem. "I hate to admit this, but I actually had a duel agenda asking you for coffee."

Caroline looked slightly alarmed. "Oh?"

"Yeah," Spike admitted. "I mean, first, you're a very beautiful girl. I bet you don't hear it much, but I think you're quite the looker, and you seem like a sweet girl, so before you go on to your next class, I want to warn you, I will ask you out on a date."

The girl had a pretty smile. "Thank you."

"But I'm also a private investigator," Spike put forth. "I've been hired to look into a death, and I was hoping you could help me out."

Caroline deflated a bit. This was too good to be true. A cute guy asks her for coffee and she expected just coffee? Of course there was a second agenda. "Okay."

Spike reached into his duster and removed the picture of Amanda Richards he had swiped from the morgue. "Do you recognize this girl?"

Caroline nodded slightly. "Yeah, she was in group a few days ago. She was a smoker like you."

"What can you remember about the last day she was here? Did she say anything? Talk to anyone? Did she seem normal?"

"I guess so," Caroline shrugged. "She talked for a bit that day. She sat next to some redheaded girl. They seemed to be pretty friendly."

Spike removed a photo of Willow from his duster. "Is this the redhead?" Caroline nodded that it was. "Did it seem like they knew each other?"

"No. I sat close by. I heard them introduce themselves to each other. I tried talking to them a bit before the group started, but they seemed to be in their own little world."

Spike frowned. So this was definitely the first time they had met. But how do they go from a group meeting for addicts to a hotel room across town? Spike knew with certainty that Willow wouldn't just jump into bed with some strange woman. There had to be a catalyst, and it had to be in connection with this meeting.

"Can you remember anything else?" Spike prodded.

"I remember Bradley asked to speak with both of them after the meeting. I don't know why. I had to run off to a class."

Ah ha! Bradley had solo contact with them. That certainly warranted investigation. "Does Bradley Keller work for the university?"

"Yeah. He's a lecturer with the Health and Human Services department. He's got an office in Glass Hall, I think." Caroline then zipped her backpack shut and prepared to leave.

"Where are you going?"

"I've got an English Composition class in fifteen minutes. I need to go," Caroline answered sadly.

"But you can't go before I ask you out."

Caroline just stared at him skeptically. She then shook her head morosely. "You don't have to do that. I know you just wanted to talk about your case or whatever."

"Does eight o'clock tomorrow sound good?"

Caroline was about to walk away, but something in his eyes said not to. She pulled a magic marker from her bag and took Spike's hand. She quickly scribbled her phone number. "Eight sounds nice. What should I wear?"

Spike smiled widely and shrugged. "Whatever it is that young people wear for a night on the town these days."

"These days? What are you, my grandfather?"

"I hope not. I'd be strange to ask my granddaughter out on a date. Something not quite right about that."

Caroline giggled and waved goodbye. Spike watched for several minutes until she disappeared from sight. Wow. That was the first time he'd asked anyone for a date in over a century. She was far more receptive than most Victorian women. Spike drained the last of his coffee and tossed a ten- dollar bill on the table. Caroline mentioned that Keller had an office in Glass Hall. Spike figured that is where the investigation should go. He pulled a stick of gum from his pocket and stuffed it into his mouth. He repeated, "Mind over Matter," a few times. Spike was then off to talk with Bradley Keller in a more personal setting.

*********** GLASS HALL DEPT. OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Spike stood in front of the directory hanging on the wall trying to find Keller's office as he munched on a Snickers bar he just bought from a vending machine. He peeled back the last bit of wrapper and popped the last piece of candy into his mouth. Spike had never been a big candy fan, but that was some good stuff. Better than the gum he'd been chewing.

"Excuse me?" Spike asked to a passerby. "Where would room 418 be at?"

The student answered quickly. He seemed like he was late for class. "It's up on the fourth floor. Take the elevator and hang a couple of lefts and it'll be the last door on the right. It's across from the computer lab."

"Thanks," Spike called after the hustling boy. Spike pitched the wrapper into the trash and moved to the elevators. He snuck in right behind a professor looking chap and some fat girl.

When he finally reached the fourth floor, he took the time to step over to the railing and look down into the lower level's lobby. Any other day and Spike would be frying to a crisp right now. The entire front of the building had glass windows that would let the sunlight shine onto all the floors. The vampire again briefly considered the possibility of divine intervention since it was an overcast day. He then realized that when the interview with Keller was over that it wouldn't matter. The sun, covered as it may be, would be dipping beneath the horizon.

Spike turned away from the dark clouds and headed off in the direction the student had indicated. He walked silently as he passed through a section of hallway that appeared to encompass offices. His vampire senses twitched as a voice that sounded distinctly like Bradley Keller's drifted through the halls. Demon stealth took over automatically. Not even his boots clicked on the tile floor as he approached.

"Tell the guy to keep calm, Tom. The guy paid for results and we will give him results. I've got another one later. If I find some that will work, then we'll go ahead with it. Just keep everything ready."

Spike held back a curse when a door shut loudly behind him. He turned and found an older looking male professor exit an office with a young blonde student. They were giggling and flirting until they spotted Spike.

"Uh, Kendra, I'll grant you an extension on that paper," the man rambled. "Turn it in to my mailbox by Monday afternoon."

"Yes, Doctor," Kendra agreed. She cast a quick embarrassed glance at Spike before hustling off. The doctor avoided his gaze all together and disappeared back into his office. By the time Spike turned his attention back to Keller's office, it became apparent that he had hung up the phone. He huffed in annoyance before switching gears and putting on a friendly façade.

Spike stepped up and knocked gently on the door. "Mister Keller?"

Bradley turned from his computer screen. "Ah! William, is it?" Spike nodded. "What is it that I can do for you?" Bradley picked up a few files from a guest chair and offered Spike a seat. The vampire graciously accepted.

"I just wanted to speak with you in person. I've heard some wonderful things about you."

"Have you now?"

"I have. In fact, you were actually recommended by a friend of mine. She said that I absolutely had to attend one of your meetings."

"Really? And who is your friend?"

"Willow Rosenberg."

Spike could feel Bradley's heart speed up by about five beats per minutes. An infinitesimal pause also went a long way in telling Spike what he needed to know. Bradley Keller was nervous. At it was Willow's name that did it.

"Miss Rosenberg, you say? Pretty little redhead? Talks in a peculiar manner?"

"That'd be her," Spike acknowledged. He had to give Keller credit. The guy calmed down fairly quickly.

"I was disappointed not to see her today. She only attended one meeting, and that was a few days ago. She didn't talk much during it. Never did find out her problem. I'm surprised I made such an impression in such a short amount of time."

"Well, that's the Willow we all know and love," Spike smiled. "She's a smart girl and a good observer. She's also good with people. She must have seen something she liked. I think I know what it is. You have such a positive attitude. Even someone as cynical as myself could believe they could kick the habit after listening to you."

"Thank you for the compliment," Bradley smiled. Spike could tell, however, that it was slightly forced. 'What are you hiding?' the vampire wondered. "And as much as I would love to hear more praise, I really must wrap this up. I still have one more group tonight to moderate."

Spike dutifully took his cue to leave. "I won't keep you, then." He stood up and carefully readjusted his duster. "One last question. What days do you do group?"

"Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Will I be seeing you again?"

"Count on it. I have the mantra going through my head, but I finished off a pack of gum and a Snickers on the way over here. Good night, Mister Keller."

"Good night, William." Bradley watched as Spike left the office, a small scowl playing at his face. Spike allowed himself a small smile. He was now certain that Bradley Keller was someone he should look into. Then there was this Tom person he was talking to. It would take some digging, and Spike knew he wasn't the most qualified to do it. However, he did know a bloke that owed him a favor.

Before he did that, Spike decided to hole up somewhere and get a bit of rest and some vamp food. He then thought a visit to Willow was in order. He was growing fairly confident that she was innocent. He just needed a few more leads to prove it. Hopefully Spike would get those leads tonight.