Back To School Murder #4 by Leslie Meier Page B

room. Sami, would you go in and tell her that her mom’s here?”
    â€œSure, Mr. C.” Sami obediently trotted off, her plaid kilt bouncing and her blond ponytail streaming behind her.
    â€œLizzy’s a promising player,” said Mr. Cunningham. He was tall, and stooped a bit to talk to Lucy. She thought he was rather homely, with a beak of a nose and a silly mustache, but she could see why Toby and Elizabeth liked him. He seemed relaxed and friendly. “I think she’ll make a real contribution to the team.”
    â€œReally?” Lucy raised an eyebrow. “Somehow I don’t think of her as a team player.”
    â€œLizzy?” He sounded surprised. “She has a natural flair with the stick,” he said, walking along with her to the car. “Did you play?”
    â€œMe? No,” said Lucy, with a little laugh. “I’m not much of an athlete.”
    â€œWell, field hockey’s different. It’s a great game and the girls love it. It’s a chance for them to let out some of that teen aggression.”
    â€œNo wonder Elizabeth’s good at it,” said Lucy, grinning as she hopped back in the car and started the engine.
    Pulling around to the front steps once again, she saw Elizabeth waiting for her. Zoë laughed and bounced in her safety seat while Elizabeth loaded her book bag and sports bag and hockey stick into the car.
    â€œHow was school?” asked Lucy, wondering if Elizabeth was still mad about the night before.
    â€œOkay,” admitted Elizabeth, staring straight ahead.
    At least she answered, thought Lucy. Encouraged, she plowed ahead. “Mr. Cunningham seems nice. He said you’re a natural at field hockey.”
    â€œYeah, he’s great. He makes practices fun, you know?” She smiled, and Lucy’s heart lifted. It was like the sun coming from behind the clouds after a long gray spell.
    â€œI was surprised you let him call you Lizzy.”
    â€œHe said Elizabeth is too long—he can’t yell it across the field very well.”
    â€œI think it’s kind of cute,” said Lucy.
    Elizabeth groaned. “You won’t tell Toby, will you?” she asked anxiously. “I don’t mind Mr. C. calling me Lizzy, but he’s the only one. I don’t want Toby doing it.” She turned and stared out the window, chewing on a fingernail.
    The clouds were back, thought Lucy, pulling into the IGA parking lot. Leaving the girls in the car, she hurried inside and picked up a loaf of garlic bread, an action-packed video, and a box of microwave popcorn.
    When she arrived home, she was greeted by the rich, cheesy aroma of the baking lasagna. She tucked the garlic bread in the oven beside it, quickly assembled a salad, and served dinner promptly at six. At half past six the dishwasher was humming and she was on her way to the seven o’clock class at Winchester College, having left the video and popcorn for Bill and the kids.

CHAPTER EIGHT
    W inchester College was a venerable liberal arts college located on the outskirts of Tinker’s Cove. With its spacious campus, the college was both part of and apart from the town. Students were often seen on Main Street and frequented the shops and restaurants, where their parents’ dollars added to the local economy. Some Tinker’s Cove residents found work at the college as secretaries and maintenance workers.
    For the most part, however, the college was a community unto itself. The professors tended to live in houses near the campus, and socialized with each other. The college sponsored numerous concerts, lectures, and plays throughout the year, but few Tinker’s Cove residents ventured onto campus to attend. They were working people, for the most part, and such high-brow entertainment didn’t have much appeal for them. The division between town and gown was very real.
    When Lucy parked her car and crossed the quad to Tyndall Hall, where her class