Charlaine Harris Mysteries by Charlaine Harris

Author:Charlaine Harris
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Group US
Published: 2012-09-05T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 3

I’D ALWAYS REGRETTED THAT CELESTE’S HOUSE didn’t actually face the campus, whose landscaped gardens made a beautiful view; but the house stood only half a block away from the college’s southwestern corner.

I borrowed Mimi’s car for this first trip to the campus, since I didn’t want to arrive for my appointment dripping with sweat. I should’ve realized the unfamiliar strain of driving would make me even more anxious than I already was. I bit my lip until I turned safely into the college’s main drive. The campus was fully as impressive as I’d remembered—green and welcoming, if slightly frazzled near the end of the fierce summer.

With a glance I checked the campus map spread on the seat beside me, to verify the location of the English department. The college grounds were empty and quiet—in a dreamy calm before the storm of freshman students soon due for orientation. I saw the occasional parked car, so a few staff members had to be tucked away somewhere. But workers on the grounds crew were the only living souls I glimpsed.

I slid the Chevrolet awkwardly into the first parking lot I saw. I’d walked about ten feet when I realized, from a further study of the map, that I could have parked much closer to the English building. I hesitated for a moment, but it didn’t seem worth the extra strain of maneuvering the car again. The gardens were always worth a visit, anyway. I shrugged to myself and set off down the concrete path.

Houghton’s gardens were quite famous. When Mimi’s great-grandfather had founded the college, he had planted them as a combination public service/tourist attraction. Photographs of the camellias and roses in bloom were always prominently featured in Houghton publicity material. It was easy to see why Houghton was a popular site for outdoor weddings. The sidewalk I now followed led through the heart of the gardens and emerged to one side of the library, crisscrossing other paths.

The foliage was dusty but lush, and the grass had been trimmed to a carpet texture. The day lilies were blooming, their rich orange flaring brilliantly against the dark green. It was good to see so much flora after New York. I bent to run my finger lightly over the curve of a petal. I felt a sort of grateful relaxation deep inside me. I knew the name of almost every plant; my mother had been an avid gardener before she turned to drinking.

I recalled all the times Mimi and I had sauntered through these gardens as teenagers, pretending we were real college coeds. At least that part of Mimi’s dream had come true, though she’d been unfortunate in other ways. Now I was going to make it happen for myself. A real Houghton College coed. How young those kids were going to seem to me.

Thinking of the young faces that would soon surround me reminded me again of one Houghton student I would never meet: Heidi Edmonds, achiever, whose adventure had ended in getting raped and going back home defeated.

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