First Impression II: At Second Glance

Chapter Twenty-Four - Courtyard Confidences

Chapter Twenty-Four – Courtyard Confidences

Around a week later, Danielle got back to me with the info I had asked for.

"Richard Jenkins' only surviving family is his daughter. She lives with her maternal grandfather. No other relatives. Paternal grandparents died couple of years back. The grandfather is a cultural anthropologist, quite well-known in academic circles. His address and email are written here." She handed me a piece of paper.

After that, a quick search online revealed that Mr Sursette used to teach cultural anthropology in several universities, with a focus on the place of calligraphy within different cultures.

I stabbed my cake listlessly. I had gotten it for an afternoon snack after school but now, I had no appetite.

I needed to find out what kind of person Mr Sursette was before I could even begin to broach the subject of Richard Jenkins' relationship with Palmer.

So how to approach him? How?

And how to go about finding Palmers' masters' thesis and Jenkins PhD research?

How how how?

Stab. Stab. Stab.

"Why are you murdering your food?" Danielle said, sliding into the seat opposite me.  Alice and Kat were both down with the flu so it was only Danielle and I at our usual hangout at the school café. "Miss Jane Marple?"

I glanced up at her with narrowed eyes. "Edward?"

"Who else," Danielle replied in a very matter-of-fact tone. "So what's troubling your little grey cells?"

I rolled my eyes. "I think you got Marple confused with Poirot."

"Doesn't matter," Danielle waved her hands dismissively. "Now spill, what's buzzing your little brain."

"Nothing, nothing," I said.

Danielle raised her eyebrows. "Yeah. Right."

I smiled sheepishly. Keeping secrets from Danielle was probably the task of the century.

Danielle harrumphed and turned her attention to her own pie, occasionally giving me the dirty eye.

I squirmed but said nothing.

The silence continued for ten more minutes until Danielle gave up.

"Fine, don't talk to your most resourceful friend who has helped you out of a dead end countless times by supplying you with information you would never have gotten otherwise. Fineeeeeeeeeeee. Only come to me when you need me." She turned up her nose after the last sentence.

I gave up too. I was at a dead end and I had neither Danielle's resources nor her incredible journalistic nose.

"Okay, okay," I said, putting my hands up in defeat. "But not here."

Danielle immediately smiled. "What are we waiting for then?" she said, dragging me to deposit our trays and then out to the courtyard.

It was empty at this time of the year.

"I still can't tell you everything," I said.

Danielle narrowed her eyes but only said, "Go on."

"I need to investigate something about Richard Jenkins," I said.

"His death?" Danielle interrupted.

My heart stopped. How did she know? Did she find out something?