Molly grabbed her red pen and attacked the paper in front of her. Three misspellings, two fragments, and a split infinitive all in the first paragraph.
Someone coughed. Molly jumped and looked up. A young woman stood in her doorway.
"Professor Hughes? I'm sorry to bother you, but I just finished my paper. Is it alright if I turn it in late?"
Molly forced herself to smile. "Okay, Katie, I'll take it."
Katie let out a big sigh of relief and started digging through her backpack. "Great! I was so worried! I worked so hard on it but I've been so busy with my other classes and we're all really sorry about what happened to you and we're glad you're back now and Professor Calvert did okay teaching us but it's not the same as having you there and here you go!"
Molly took the crumpled paper. "Thanks, Katie."
Katie shot a glance at the cane leaning against Molly's desk. "So you're okay now, Professor?"
"I'm fine," Molly said firmly. "I'll see you in class on Monday. Could you please close the door on your way out?"
After Katie had reluctantly left, Molly stuffed the crumpled paper into the middle of the stack in front of her. A quick tattoo sounded on her door, and she jumped again. "Yeah?" she said shortly.
A blonde head peered around the door. "Am I coming at a bad time?"
"Oh, hi Jen. I'm actually trying to catch up on some work. Everything's really piled up."
"What are you doing to that poor kid's paper?"
Molly's eyes followed Jen's down to the desktop. Red ink dripped off the wounded paper on top of the stack. She shrugged. "They're not teaching kids anything in high school these days."
"Looks like you could use a break. Let's go get some coffee."
Molly shook her head. "Thanks, Jen, but I can't. I missed almost two weeks of classes and I've got two assignments to grade and the reading to do for next week."
"Molly! Would you listen to yourself? You were kidnapped for Pete's sake. Some psychopath nearly killed you. Nobody's expecting you to keep up with your damn syllabus!"
"You don't understand, Jen. Nothing that bad happened. I lost a couple of unnecessary pieces of flesh and a few days' time."
Jen just stood there, mouth hanging open.
"Really. I'm fine," Molly said. "I was feeling sorry for myself for a while there, but when I found out what happened to those other women I realized how ridiculous I was being. I got off easy."
"Easy."
"Yes, easy. You should have seen what those other women looked like when he was done with them."
"What are you talking about? When did you see the other women?"
"I saw pictures down at the detectives' room, when I went to give my statement."
"They showed you pictures?"
"Well, no, it was an accident. But that Lieutenant Flynn told me I needed to know the truth. He introduced me to one of the women's husbands, too."
"Sounds like a lovely guy. Is he the one who told you to pretend nothing has happened, to act like this psycho isn't still out on the streets?"
"No, not exactly. But he wasn't there with M-Mackie. I spent days with the guy and we talked a lot. I know I was getting through to him. He's not going to try to hurt me again."
Jen crossed her arms. "Really? Is that why you're jumping at every shadow?"
"I'm not jumping-"
"And biting everyone's heads off?"
Molly crossed her own arms and pouted.
"Look, Molly, I know you hate it when I meddle, but I'm really worried about you. Is there any way you can get a leave of absence and just get out of town for a while?"
Molly was shaking her head. "No way. I'm not letting that jerk drive me out of town." She forced herself to keep her voice lowered. "Look, Jen, I appreciate your concern, but all I really need right now is to get back to work. Can you just let me do that?"
Jen sighed. "Okay. Will you at least call me if you need anything?"
"Will do," Molly said. She already had the red pen in her hand, and as soon as the door had closed behind Jen, she started scribbling on the illiterate kid's paper again.
Two hours later, right hand aching from gripping the pen, left hand aching from fading Percocet, she finally decided she was caught up enough to head home. She piled the rest of the papers into her big, flowered totebag, watered her office plants, and headed to the faculty lot. She was getting used to the walking cast, and as she hobbled along her mind wandered to Jen. God, she could be exasperating! She had always been a meddler, setting up blind dates and trying to get Molly to socialize more. This time she was genuinely worried, though, and Molly felt a little bad for cutting her off. The truth was that the Lieutenant had also suggested leaving town or at least getting a bodyguard. He even had names he could suggest, retired cops who did some private security work. Her response to him had been even ruder than her response to Jen.
As she reached for the driver's side handle of her little hatchback, her eyes caught the glint of something shiny on the steering wheel. She froze. Was that a scalpel blade glowing orange under the fluorescent lights of the parking lot? And another? What the hell? It looked like a necklace of them draped over the steering wheel. She heard a rustle in the bushes to her left and her paralysis broke. She turned quickly and scanned the lot. A group of kids was leaning against a sports car in the student section of the lot, talking loudly. She sighed with relief and walked toward them, pulling her phone out of her bag as she went. When she was close enough to them to feel safe, she dialed the number she hadn't even known she had memorized.
"Professor Hughes?"
"Lieutenant Flynn, I'm sorry to bother you on a Friday night."
"That's okay. What's up?"
"He's been here."
Flynn pulled into the breakdown lane and flipped his hazard lights on. "Where is he?"
"I don't know, but he broke into my car sometime this afternoon."
"How do you know?"
"There's medical stuff in my car, scalpels and stuff."
Flynn's grip on the steering wheel tightened. "Where are you now?"
"At the faculty lot off of 14th street."
"You're on campus?"
"Yeah, I am." She sounded defensive.
"Alright. Is that lot close to a taco place, Tito's or something like that?"
"Tico's, yeah, they're right across the street."
"Okay, go over there and stay put. I'll be there in ten minutes." Flynn pulled back onto the freeway. Thank God he had been heading to a Westside meeting tonight; the campus wasn't too far away. What on Earth had she been thinking going to work like nothing had happened, even parking in the same damn lot from which she'd been abducted before? Was she trying to get herself hurt? And where the hell were the uniforms he had talked to about keeping a close eye on her apartment? They were due for a good chewing out.
When he walked into the crowded restaurant, he spotted her right away. She was sitting in a booth, reading a book, a neglected plate of nachos on the table in front of her. She glanced up as he slid into the seat across from her.
"You okay?" he asked.
She nodded. "You got here fast."
"I was close."
"I'm sorry I bothered you. I should have just called in a report in the morning. It's not like he was waiting for me in that parking lot. I guess I just panicked."
Flynn counted to ten before he felt able to open his mouth. "Molly. Here's what's going to happen. SID is on their way over. They're going to go over every inch of that car. While I go get them started, you are going to sit here and eat your dinner. When I come back I'll take you to a safehouse where you will stay until we find Mackie." He held up his hand. "No. No argument. Order me one of those vegetarian burritos and I'll be back in a few minutes." He grabbed her car keys off the table and left before she could say anything.
The SID van was just pulling into the lot when he got there. The Chief's car pulled in behind them. Flynn unlocked Molly's car and let the tech open the driver's side door. They all stood for a moment and looked at Mackie's handiwork. Dozens of scalpel blades strung on what appeared to be medical gauze, draped like a deranged Christmas garland over the steering wheel and down to the gear shift lever.
"Be careful, gentlemen," the Chief said. "He may have left us some surprises."
Flynn pulled out his flashlight and lay down on the asphalt to inspect the underside of the car. No suspicious wires or batteries. This lot was busy during weekdays, fortunately. He probably hadn't had time to do more than decorate the interior. "Check the ignition switch before you turn it on," he said to Gary, the young tech who had joined SID last month. Gary nodded seriously at him.
"Lieutenant, where's the Professor?" the Chief asked.
"Over at that restaurant, Chief. I'd like to get her out of here."
"See if you can get her a safehouse, please, Lieutenant."
"Already taken care of, Chief. I called on my way over and they've got a place available tomorrow. I'll take her to my house tonight."
"Are you sure, Lieutenant? She can stay with Fritz and me."
"No problem, Chief. I've got plenty of room. Plus, she already hates me so there's nothing to lose."
Brenda grinned. "Thank you, Lieutenant. I'll let you know what we find out about the car."