He looked at her, and then over to me for an unpleasant moment, then back to Deborah. "Officer," he said, "I am trying very hard to cooperate here. But you've accused me of so many different things I'm not sure which one

I'm supposed to answer." "Is that why you haven't answered any of them?" I asked.

Wilkins ignored me. "If you can tell me how Halpern's paper and Tammy Connor fit together, I'll be happy to help any way I can. But otherwise, I've got to get going." Deborah looked at me, whether for advice or because she was tired of looking at Wilkins, I couldn't tell, so I gave her my very best shrug, and she looked back at Wilkins. "Tammy Connor is dead," she said.

"Oh, my," Wilkins said. "How did it happen?" "The same way as Ariel Goldman," Debs said. "And you knew them both," I added helpfully. "I imagine that dozens of people knew them both. Including Jerry Halpern," he said.

"Did Professor Halpern kill Tammy Connor, Professor Wilkins?" Deborah asked him. "From the detention center?"

He shrugged. "I'm only saying that he knew them, too." "And did he have an affair with her, too?" I asked. Wilkins smirked. "Probably not. Not with Tammy, anyway." "What does that mean, Professor?" Deborah asked. Wilkins shrugged. "Just rumors, you know. The kids talk. Some of them think Halpern is gay." "Less competition for you," I said. "Like with Tammy Connor."

Wilkins scowled at me and I'm sure I would have been intimidated if I was a university sophomore. "You need to make up your mind whether I killed my students or screwed them," he said.

"Why not both?" "Did you go to college?" he demanded. "Why yes, I did," I said.

"Then you ought to know that a certain type of girl sexually pursues her professors. Tammy was over eighteen, and I'm not married." "Isn't it a little bit unethical to have sex with a student?" I said. "Ex-student," he snapped. "I dated her after the class last semester. There's no law against dating an ex-student. Especially if she throws herself at you."

"Nice catch," I said. "Did you sabotage Professor Halpern's paper?" Deborah said.

Wilkins looked back at Deborah and smiled again. It was wonderful to watch somebody almost as good as I am at switching emotions so quickly. "Detective, do you see a pattern here?" he said. "Listen, Jerry Halpern is a brilliant guy, but…not exactly stable? And with all the pressure on him right now, he's just decided that I am a whole conspiracy to get him, all by myself." He shrugged. "I don't think I'm quite that good," he said with a little smile. "At least, not at conspiracy."