What did any of that mean? A guy could be a creep and not a killer. Look at the guys her mom had brought home. Nearly every one a creep. Some of them criminals. A few even violent. Had any of them been murderers?

She remembered the last time she spoke to Sophia, right there in her apartment. She’d told Sophia everything about Hoffman—about him putting his hand on her knee and appearing to suggest that something more go on between them while he directed her thesis. Madeline watched Sophia’s face flush red. Even the tips of her ears turned the crimson color of a winter sunset.

“That is such fucking bullshit,” she said. “Hoffman? Really?”

“I’m not naive, Sophia. I’ve seen my mom deal with this stuff all her life. I know men always gave her that kind of shit. Comments about her looks. Even outright assault. Pinching. Grabbing. She ate that shit for years because she needed to work. I guess I thought it would be different in college.”

Sophia laughed, and it was one of the few times she sounded bitter or cynical. “It’s not different anywhere, Madeline. No way.”

Once Sophia said it, Madeline felt like a fool. Why did she think Commonwealth would be different from the rest of the world? Why did she think anyplace would be different? Wherever there were men, there were creeps. . . .

“I want to be done with him,” Madeline said. “But he’s involved with my thesis now. He has a lot of power over me.”

Sophia shook her head. “No, you don’t have to avoid him. You have to report him. That’s the only way it stops. You shouldn’t have to change your life because Hoffman is such a creep. He needs to learn how to be appropriate with students. Every institution has a way to report these things. You just tell someone in an important position, and they have to deal with it. I know this from working at our nonprofit. It’s the law. If they don’t do anything once you’ve reported it, they can face charges.”

“But if I tell . . . I’d have to give my name. And then Hoffman would know. And everyone at the school would know. All the other professors. I’m not sure that’s the best way to handle this.”

Madeline already regretted dragging Sophia into the middle of the mess. She didn’t want to go to anyone and report anything. She wanted to handle everything quietly and smoothly, without making a big mess—for herself or anyone else. After Zach had come on to her that way at the party, Madeline told Rebecca to keep it quiet. Not because Madeline felt she’d done anything wrong but because she wanted to handle it as quietly as possible. She hated attention, hated having anyone know what she was thinking or feeling.