Joe took the list of names and headed across campus to the administration building. After a short wait, he was admitted into the Dean's office.

"And what can I do for you?" Dean Ravelson asked, smiling at Joe.

"I need the records on these students," Joe requested, holding out the paper he held.

The dean took the paper then punched a button on the intercom on his desk. He requested the files for everyone on Joe's list, thanked his secretary, and then turned the intercom off.

"This is quite a list," Ravelson said, waving Joe to a seat.

"Tell me about it," grumbled Joe.

"Not ready to give up on this case, are you?" the dean asked in concern.

"Not by a long shot," Joe denied, scowling at the suggestion. "We don't quit."

"Of course not," the dean apologized, feeling threatened for some reason. "I didn't mean that the way it sounded."

"Forget about it," Joe told him, his happy countenance coming to the fore.

"You're graduating in a little over a year from high school, aren't you?" Ravelson asked Joe.

"Yes," Joe acknowledged with a nod.

"Have you decided on where you're going to attend college?"

"Probably here," admitted Joe. "I have a 3.4 GPA and have been taking college prep courses."

"Have you seen our curriculum guide?" the dean asked.

"Not yet," Joe replied. "Frank has one but he's been pouring over it and I haven't gotten a chance to glance through it yet."

The dean stood and walked over to one of the shelves that lined his wall and pulled out a thick paperback book. He returned to his desk and, sitting on the corner, handed it to Joe. "This is the book we send our prospective students," he said. "It tells not only about the various fields of study and courses offered for the upcoming year, but also about our teachers, residence halls, bookstore, library and every other area of the university. It even gives our history." He paused for a breath but the smile on his face never faltered. "We update this every year so when you are ready to attend, the curriculum will be altered and since we are continually expanding there will be more ground for you to explore. But take this and go over it. I would be honored to have you and your brother as students here."

"Thank you," Joe said, looking at the back of the book where a miniaturized map of the university could be seen.

"We have an excellent legal curriculum as well as geological and environmental," the dean continued his spiel. "As a matter of fact, our environmental department is the best in the country."

"Would wolves be included in that field of study?" Joe inquired, his mind returning to the professor he had kept encountering the previous evening.

"Yes, but it can also fall under veterinary science," the dean informed him. "Fancy wolves?" he asked. "We have a leading authority on them. A Dr. Boris Mayhem. He has a doctorate in three fields. Genetics, Veterinary Science and Environmental Studies."

"Wow!" Joe said, impressed. "He didn't seem that old!"

Dean Ravelson laughed. "Actually, he's thirty-four. But the man's a bona fide genius. He graduated high school when he was eleven and had his first doctorate by the time he was sixteen."

"How long has Dr. Mayhem been with the university?" Joe inquired. Okay, so the man is brilliant. But he could still be involved, thought Joe.

"This is his first semester. We had to lure him here with a grant for his research," the dean confided. "But we're hoping he will decide to stay on permanently."

No telling the dean Mayhem may be involved, Joe noted silently.

There was a knock on the door and Ravelson's secretary entered carrying several folders with her. After she had left, the dean handed the folders to Joe. "There's a vacant room down the hall and on your right," he informed Joe. "When you're finished, return them to my secretary."

"I will," Joe assured him. "Thank you," he added, taking the files and leaving the dean's office.

An hour and a half later, Joe returned the folders and left the building. Three of the people he had researched were students of Dr. Mayhem. Joe stopped at the first payphone he saw and called home.

"Dad, have you found anything out about Dr. Mayhem?" Joe asked when his father answered.

"I have," Fenton replied, then proceeded to tell Joe much of what the Dean already had.

"I'd like to take him up on his offer," Joe said when Fenton had finished.

"Why?" Fenton demanded curiously.

Joe told him about the three students. "It just seems too much of a coincidence to me," he ended.

"If Mayhem is involved it could be very dangerous," Fenton said, his forehead creased in thought. "I don't think I want you staying with him."

"What if Frank stays too?" Joe asked.

"He was invited?" Fenton inquired.

"Nooo," Joe replied hesitantly. "But if I can get him invited too, can we?"

"Very well," Fenton relented.

"Have you heard from Frank yet?" Joe asked.

"He called form Angela's," Fenton told him. "He was heading over to see someone named Elie Whitlock."

"She's the photographer for Professor Aliem's project," Joe informed his dad. "I'll head on over to the science building," he continued. "I guess Frank will show up there before too long."

"Be careful," Fenton cautioned. He knew the words were useless where his rash, headstrong son was concerned but he felt obligated to say them none-the-less.

Joe hung up and headed over to the science building. He stopped at the top of the first flight of stairs and took a deep breath, then began coughing. The breath he had taken to calm himself down reeked of smoke!