Still no one moved.

He needed a second opinion.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Sophia arrived at the campus and searched around for the lecture theater. She found it with twenty minutes to spare but when she pulled the door open, the room was dark. This didn’t bode well for the evening. She couldn’t even remember if she had posted her lecture on the board. Oh well, she could always set it up for another night. She was exhausted anyway.

She moved her hand up and down against the wall, searching for the light switch and when she finally found it, the room was flooded with light. The theater wasn’t too big but daunting enough when, as she saw it, only a handful of students would arrive to hear her. It wasn’t nerves, for years of ballet had conquered her fear of the stage, but Sophia didn’t want to waste her time. One thing she could have done with the evening was catch up on some much needed rest. She had spent the day searching a computer that contained no information because it had been erased, most likely remotely. She couldn’t get out of her mind the look of shock on Elaine’s face.

Heading to the front row, Sophia pushed down one of the theater seats and sat down. She had to set up her computer for the presentation but decided to wait until the first student arrived. Above her, she could hear the hum of the lights and behind her, one of the fluorescent bulbs flickered.

Someone knocked on the door. A petite woman, dressed in an old, gray trouser suit stood in the doorway.

“Ms. Evans? Hello, my name is Lucy. I meant to ring you, but I got busy this afternoon. We moved your lecture to another room upstairs. Follow me.”

“A smaller room I hope.”

“It’s a bit smaller but I think it will do.”

Sophia followed her up two flights of stairs to a room at the end of the hall. The lights were on in that room and she could hear the din of people talking. When the woman opened the door for her, Sophia counted about twenty students milling about the stage.

“Everyone, our speaker is here.” Lucy turned to Sophia. “I hope this suits you.”

Sophia looked around. Much better. It was almost a classroom instead of a theater and more personal. The students looked so young. She didn’t recognize any in the group. Well, at least young people were still interested in math. She turned toward a young man close to the podium and asked, “Would you be able to help me set up the cables?” She pulled her laptop and various devices from her bag.

Five minutes after the time she was supposed to start, she finally pressed the button and a white screen came down from the ceiling. She looked up and was about to start when the door to the classroom opened and about five more students trickled in. She waited until they settled into their desks.

“Today, we’re going to be discussing the Huffman Compression Function and Linguistic Stenography—Its Use in the Real World. If you didn’t understand what I just said, you’re probably in the wrong lecture room.”

A few students laughed. The door opened again and a few more entered and took their seats.

Page by page, Sophia discussed the topic she had been preparing for over a year. She had meant to give the speech months ago but with all her cases, she kept pushing back the date. For a time, she was worried she would have to change the title from Real World to Ancient World.

When she received blank stares, she would ask if anyone had questions. That was when she saw Liam, hiding in the back.

Why was he here? She knew he wouldn’t understand anything she said. In fact, he was reading a car magazine. Sometimes he made her so angry.

When the lecture had finally ended and the students had asked their questions, she breathed a sigh of relief. Students approached her, shook her hand, and on occasion asked her an unrelated question or two. She hoped her facts were correct on a variety of theories. It had been ages since she looked into some of them and she knew some were being expanded and revised.

“What are you doing here?” she asked Liam when he finally approached her.

“I have always found math fascinating.”

“Hardy-har. How about being a dear and helping me pack up all my things?”

He helped her tidy her papers as she unhooked her computer and cables.

“So why are you really here and not in some cubby hole staring at a steel box filled with wonderful weaponry? Isn’t that your idea of a perfect evening?”

“Yes, well, I have to visit the watchers in about two hours but in the meantime—”

“In the meantime you spend the evening listening to a boring lecture instead of sleeping? I don’t buy it. You’re here to check up on me. To make sure I don’t bring home any crazy fans.”

“I’m an asshole but you, my dear, have too high an opinion of yourself.” He tapped her on the cheek with his hand. “You know what you need?”

“Sleep?”

“No. You need a nice chocolate brownie with a dollop of vanilla ice cream on top.”

“Oh, I don’t want that.”

“Do you want another assignment?”

“No, not that either.”

“Well, you choose. Delectable dessert with me now, or watcher duty tonight?”

“If I go with you, will you promise never to put me on assignment ever again?”

“I can’t make that promise.”

“Well, you’re right about one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“You’re an asshole.”

Sophia followed Liam into the coffee shop. She didn’t know what she was doing there. What was she thinking? Sometimes he could be so nice and the next minute, he completely changed into an insensitive luddite. She didn’t understand him at all.

The coffee shop was busy even at ten at night. Couples filled all the tables and for a few minutes, while she stood in line, she considered telling Liam they should call it off on account of the lack of seating. However, Liam looked around the room nervously and the reason behind it intrigued her.

“You’ll love the coffee. I put a dash of cinnamon in mine. And, if you’d prefer, the lemon tart is also worth trying.”

“I think coffee will be fine, Liam.”

“Are you watching your weight?”

“I’m just not that hungry, all right?”

He threw up his hands as if to surrender. “Well, thanks for coming with me anyway.” When they approached the counter, Liam ordered a mushroom soup and two coffees.

“I really can’t imagine you come here. You seem like a pub man.”

“Yeah, I am, but you don’t seem like a pub girl.”

A couple stood up from a small table in the corner and Liam rushed to grab it. An elderly woman, holding a coffee, stomped off in protest.

“I think she had been waiting for this table,” Sophia said when she sat down.

“Nonsense. She was nowhere close to it.”

“The job has marred your conscience, I think.”

“You’re saying that because I wouldn’t let her sit here? That’s a bit insane.”

“You’re calling me insane?” This was such a mistake.

“Look, if it will make you happy, we’ll give up our seat. Is that what you want?”

Sophia looked around for the woman but she had found another seat on the opposite side of the shop. “Forget about it.”

A young girl wearing an apron approached the table with their order.

“Look, Evans,” Liam said, placing his hand on her arm briefly, “I don’t want to fight. Let’s just drink our coffees and you can go home.”

She poured a drop of milk in her coffee and took a sip. Liam didn’t look at her, instead he fished around his soup for pieces of potato and mushroom.

“How long have you been seeing . . . whoever it was in your flat? Is it that Daintry woman that works on the second level?

“Daintry?” He gave her a blank stare.

“Really, you don’t ever know her name?”

“Ah, Sarah.” He looked back down at his soup.

“Oh, Liam. If she is who I think she is, she’s been into you for weeks. She even asked me if it was all right if she asked you for a drink. I guess she thought we had some sort of relationship. I assured her it was perfectly all right.”