“Perhaps you’d be more comfortable on a couch. Would you like me to have a couch brought in here for you?”

A few snickers from around the room.

She hadn’t been dozing. She’d been deep in thought, but still, her teacher’s question deserved a reply.

“No thanks. Your teaching is soporific enough. Oh wait, you went to a government school, didn’t you? You probably don’t know what that means. Soporific: sleep-inducing. It’s from the Latin.”

“I’m proud of my public-school education. And you should be thankful for yours.”

“There’s no such thing as a public school.”

“Really?” He was smirking.

“‘Public’ simply means ‘government-run.’ It’s just that it plays better to say ‘public’ instead. People don’t like being reminded who’s behind our failing education system—after all, we all know how efficient and effective government employees, like you, are at—”

“That’s enough.”

“Really? ’Cause I can keep going.”

“In the hall, young lady.” His eyes were ice. “I’ll be out to speak with you in a moment.”

She collected her things.

Oh well.

No, this wasn’t her first time getting kicked out of class. She knew the routine: she was supposed to wait in the hallway and then talk with him, but today she didn’t feel like doing either of those things, and she figured she could deal with the consequences for leaving school later.

Go to Sabian’s place. Deliver the journal. Get your book signed. It works out better this way anyhow.

++++

Ralph was still en route, so I brought everyone up to speed on what we’d found out this morning at Julianne’s place and at Sabian’s house.

“Sabian lied about the gun?” Thurman said reflectively.

“Yes.”

“Are you thinking he’s working with Julianne?”

“He told Ralph that she contacted him because she was looking for a partner. When Ralph pressed him about that, Sabian claimed that she meant a financial one, but we already know that she visited Blake looking for someone to kill with. In either case, she’s still missing, and Sabian has a clear connection to her.”

“Which means he has a connection to Blake,” DeYoung concluded.

“Yes. Also, he seemed to indicate by his word choice that he believed Julianne was no longer running her website.”

“And we have surveillance on him—on Sabian, I mean?”

“Ralph set it up. There’s a team stationed outside his place. They know to follow him wherever he goes. Ralph’s on his way back here.”

DeYoung nodded agreeably. “What else do we know?”

One of the agents I’d only been introduced to this morning said, “We’ve been investigating how they’re getting the Selzucaine around the country. Looks like a trucking company called Transit Corp. I’m studying their routes and their drivers’ backgrounds.”

“Good.”