The Peculiar Case of the Petersburg Professor: Michelle Kilpatrick Mystery by Sharon Kay

Author:Sharon Kay [Kay, Sharon]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781960581013
Publisher: Hale & Thornton Press LLC
Published: 2023-08-13T16:00:00+00:00

chapter eleven

Friday, October 18th

True to form, T.J. was ready and waiting for me as I pulled into his driveway. He ran down the porch steps and flung the passenger door wide open, dropping his books on the floorboard as he hurriedly climbed into the car.

“Are you going to the memorial service for Ladd today?” He stopped and studied what I was wearing—a black skirt, black shirt, black cardigan, black nylons, and black shoes. “Oh, I guess so.”

“I don’t look too morbid, do I?”

He shook his head. “No, you look…very professional.”

“That’s a nice way to put it.” I smiled.

“You know it’s supposed to snow today, right?”

“Yeah, my coat’s in the back seat. Gotta love the weather around here—65 degrees this morning and snow this afternoon!” I laughed and then noticed he had his black wool pea coat in his lap. “Aren’t you going to be hot carrying your coat with you all day?” I paused. “I wish I had a spare key to give you, and then you could keep it in the back too.”

“That’s okay. I’ll leave it in the Commuter Lounge and get it this afternoon. I’m sure somebody can watch it while I’m in class.”

“Good idea.” I put the car into reverse and started backing up. Several cars whizzed by before I could pull into the street. While waiting, I turned to T.J. “You wanna go with me to the memorial service?”

“I would if I could, but I have a group project I’m working on, and we’re meeting after our photography class.”

“That’s a bummer,” I said.

T.J. looked at me over the rim of his sunglasses. “You gonna be okay?”

“Sure, I’ll be fine,” I straightened up in my seat. “You know me.” I smiled out of habit and added, “I’ll probably sit near the back and slip out early.”

“Not a bad idea!”

“Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask, how are things going with you and that girl in your class? Meg?”

T.J. turned and looked out the window. “Uh, well, we’re going out tonight.”

“You’re kidding? I didn’t know you asked her out,” I said, trying to sound happy, although I didn’t feel that way at all.

“Yeah, no big deal. We’re going to see the new Airport movie.”

“That’ll be fun.” I twisted the knob on the radio and turned the volume up. I no longer felt like talking.

Copies of today’s Wildcats’ Daily News lined our walk to class, making it impossible to avoid seeing Professor Ladd’s photo on the front page. I picked up a newspaper from the pile lying on the floor outside our classroom and when I took my seat, I started reading the article underneath Ladd’s large black-and-white photo. The writer documented the professor’s professional accomplishments and included several quotes from her colleagues.

Before I could finish reading the teaser in the sidebar about an upcoming article about Professor Ladd that you won’t want to miss, someone tapped my shoulder. I jumped and then realized it was T.J.

“Are you sure you want to be reading all that stuff? You don’t look so good.

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