“No answer,” I said, after about seven rings. “And looks as if Trey hasn’t set up his or her mailbox.”

“Feckless,” Jack said. “When will people learn to use technology effectively?”

I decided not to mention that it had taken me six months before I’d gotten around to setting up the mailbox for my own cell phone.

“And the last one is from Jasper, according to the message. Let’s see if he answers.”

I dialed and we both waited. Eventually his voice mail kicked in and I hung up.

“No answer,” I said. “And under the circumstances, I’m not sure I want to leave a friendly message for the guy. Wish I had a nickel for every minute I’ve spent listening to phones ring over the last two days. Anyway, that’s the lot. Not much use.”

“Sorry about that. Anything else you want me to investigate?”

I thought about it for a moment.

“Yeah,” I said. “Nadine.”

“Nadine have a last name?”

“Probably; most people do. Unfortunately, I don’t know it. But she works in the college’s Financial Administration office. She’s Karen’s boss.”

“Let’s check the college Web site, then.”

After a few minutes of typing, interspersed with frowns and the occasional muttered insult at the amateurism of the college’s Web site designers, Jack broke into a smile.

“Here we are. Nadine Hanrahan. Office in the third floor of Grover Pruitt Hall.”

“That’s her,” I said.

“What do you want to know about her?”

I frowned. Jack waited, patiently.

“I don’t know,” I said, after a few moments. “I’m not even sure why her name popped into my head when you asked who else I wanted you to investigate.”

“Maybe your subconscious finds her suspicious.”

“Yeah,” I said, slowly. “Or it could just be that my subconscious doesn’t like her. I know my conscious doesn’t. She’s exactly the kind of college bureaucrat who makes Michael’s life miserable. Now that I’ve met her, I understand why everything that comes through the Financial Administration office takes so much paperwork and hassle. What else can you find out about her?”

“I could probably figure out where she lives. You could flamingo her yard.”

“It’s a thought,” I said, with a laugh. “Actually, I’d really like to flamingo Michael’s department head’s yard, but only if he never finds out I had anything to do with it. But yes, let’s see where she lives.”

“Nadine seems to have an unlisted number,” Jack reported after a little bit of typing. “Let me check the county property records. Ah, here she is. In Westlake.”

“Westlake? Are you sure?”

“See for yourself.” He turned the monitor so I could see the record on Nadine’s home. My eye landed on the purchase price and my jaw dropped.

“Two million dollars!” I exclaimed. “Holy cow! Working in financial administration must pay a whole lot more than working in the drama department.”

“I doubt it,” he said. “And it’s just her on the property record, so it’s not like she’s got a husband who’s a real estate tycoon or anything.”