The Case of the Defunct Adjunct

Chapter Two

My hands flew into a defensive posture and I stepped back, half-aware of the students stampeding out behind me. Bret remained in his seat, gazing serenely at the weapon, running his fingers dreamily over the jagged teeth. I stumbled backwards until I reached the classroom door. Then I grasped the jamb, swung out, and broke into a run. I reached the emergency call station on the other side of the building and pressed the big silver button. Silence. I looked back over my shoulder. No one was chasing me. I mashed the button again. This time I heard a dead click. The emergency call station was out of order. I reached into my laptop bag for my phone, only to remember that I had left it back in my office, charging.

I ran down the concrete walkway, past the Language Building, all the way to the College of Commerce Building. I passed the out-of-order elevator, sprinted up the stairs and down the hall, fumbled for my keys, unlocked the door to my office, pulled it shut behind me, and stood, hands braced on my desk, wheezing.

The air conditioning in my building was out again. Sucking in the warm, heavy air was like trying to quench my thirst with a milkshake. When I had recovered enough breath to speak, I called security. No one was answering the phone, so I gave up and called Emma.

Emma Nakamura from the Biology Department was my best friend at Mahina State University. She would know what to do.

Unfortunately, Emma wasn't picking up her phone either. I didn't leave a message on her voice mail, because I know she never checks it.

I pulled a pocket mirror out of my bag, dabbed the mascara smears from under my eyes, and smoothed down the curly hair-tentacles that had sprung free from my ponytail. Then I went down the hallway to talk to my department chair.

I knocked on the door frame of Dan Watanabe's office, and he motioned me in. Dan already looked weary, and I didn't like adding to his burdens. He had to know, though.

I parked myself in his visitor chair, and told him what had happened in class.

"That young man needs to be referred to counseling," I concluded. "And he needs to be removed from my course immediately. For everyone's safety."

"I'm sorry, Molly. I wish I could do something, but I don't have the authority to remove a student from class. For something like that, you'll have to talk to the dean."

"Please, Dan, there has to be some other way."

Dan reached for the gigantic jar of antacid tablets he keeps on his desk, and shook out a handful. I thought he was going to offer me one, but instead he stuffed them all into his mouth.

"Look." He took a few seconds to chew and swallow. "You should give Bill a chance. He'll do the right thing."

"No he won't. He'll just tell me to try to work it out with the student."

Dan shrugged. "I don't know what to tell you, Molly. He's the boss. You'll have to take it up with him."

I thanked Dan and trudged down the hall to the dean's office. Serena, the dean's secretary, looked up quickly when I came in.

"Aw, you okay, Molly? Heard about what happened in your class. Terrible that thing." At least one person seemed sympathetic.

"Serena, it's so frustrating." I propped my forearms on the wood-grain Formica counter, enjoying the momentary coolness. "Dan says I need Bill Vogel's permission to remove a disturbed student from my class."

"Well, don't get your hopes up." Serena swiveled her chair around to face her computer. "You know the dean doesn't like to turn away paying customers."

"I know. It seems like no one's going to do anything until there's a classroom massacre or something."

"Probably not even then. Didn't do anything after the last one." Serena tapped on the keyboard. "Okay Molly, I got you one appointment with the dean for four o'clock, right after the retreat. It's starting soon, you know. You' better get going."

"Oh, I wasn't planning to go to the retreat. I have all those textbook evaluations to do—"

"It's not optional." Serena swiveled her chair back to face me.

"How can it not be optional? It's summer. My paycheck stopped on May fifteenth."

"You're here teaching summer school," Serena said. "And you're working on that other thing too."

"Yeah. Remind me never to volunteer to do that again."

"Sorry, Molly. Student Retention Office told us it's mandatory. Not so bad, you know. You get coffee and free food, and the banquet room has a nice ocean view."

"Where was it again?"

"Lehua Inn ballroom. You' better get going. You don't want to miss it when they hand out the campus teaching award."

"No, wouldn't want to miss that."

"And you know who's a finalist this year?"

"Is this going to make me feel better, or worse?"

Serena grinned mischievously.

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