He tried to take his costume back at the register, but Nicky kicked him in the shin and tossed it on the conveyer belt with everyone else's. Aaron tossed a couple vials of face paint and fake blood on top. Nicky split the bags between himself and Aaron on their way out to the car. When Neil was sure they were heading back to campus he texted Dan a ten-minute warning.

Finding a parking spot at Fox Tower on a Saturday afternoon was tricky. They ended up in street parking a short walk away. They took the stairs up to the third floor and Nicky snagged Neil when Neil continued past the cousins' room.

"Where are you going? You've got to try this on."

"I'm checking in with Dan," Neil said. "She messaged earlier to say something was up."

"Did she use punctuation?" Nicky asked.

"I'm convinced she never does."

"She does when she's angry," Nicky said. "Thinks it gives her words more emphasis or something. Did she?" He waited while Neil checked his phone, then tugged Neil's shirt again when Neil shook his head. "Good, then it can wait. Come on. This will only take a couple minutes."

"So will this," Neil said, shrugging out of Nicky's grip and going next door.

Dan answered his knock almost immediately. Instead of inviting him in, she stepped out into the hall with him and pulled her door most of the way closed behind her. She looked from Neil to Nicky, who was waiting like he thought Neil wouldn't really come over afterward, and then at the cousins' open door.

"Close that," she said. Nicky frowned but did as he was told. Dan waited until the latch clicked before speaking again. "We've got a visitor. He came by a little while ago looking for Andrew. I sent him to the library café to wait and called him when Neil said you were on the way back. I'm surprised he not back yet."

"Someone important?" Nicky asked.

"Yeah." Dan hesitated when the elevator dinged. Neil and Nicky turned and watched a stranger step into the hallway. Neil tensed. The stranger was dressed in jeans and a casual button-up shirt, but he had a cop's swagger as he approached them. Dan lifted her voice in greeting and introduction. "This is Officer Higgins of the Oakland PD."

"Whoa." Nicky held up his hands like he could ward Higgins off. "Wait. Oakland as in California, right? You are way out of your jurisdiction."

Higgins' mouth twitched into a half-smile that didn't reassure any of them. "I'm not here on official business. Not yet, anyway. I just want to talk to Andrew where he can't hang up on me. It's important. He's here?"