would lead to actual danger for Reed. But, danger or not, it must be horrible to be kept a prisoner and to know why, for surely part of the fun would be in telling him he was suffering because he had her, Kate, for a wife.
On the other hand, Kate thought, if this really was a radical and probably mad fringe of the religious right, they might go further, as they so often had, even in academic surroundings. One of the chief spokesmen for the radical right, for example, had sat in on the class of a French scholar at Harvard, with her permission, and then maliciously misrepresented what had gone on there. Dartmouth, to mention no other college, provided ample evidence of right-wing malice in action. Hardly an encouraging thought. Kate was hoping for a fraternity prank, though kidnappingwas serious and they would suffer for it. That she had long since promised herself.
Reminding herself of the waiting Harriet, Kate searched her notes for the addresses of the four resentful students. Not, she realized, that they are necessarily still living there. Students move around a lot, and some of them had given just their parents’ address. As she had guessed, none of the four, two men and two women, lived in a college or graduate dormitory.
List of addresses in hand, Kate returned to the living room. “I’ve a task for you too,” she said to Harriet. “Here are four addresses with names. Would you go to the two addresses where the women live and dream up something—you’re inspecting for roaches, the university is thinking of combining apartments, whatever. You’re better at this than I am. You’re so delightfully harmless looking—grandmotherly, not to put too fine a point on it—that I don’t think they’d hesitate to let you in if you’re both unthreatening and persistent. I want to know the same stuff Toni’s finding out: would it be possible for them to be hiding Reed? Don’t do anything about it, just investigate and then let me know.”
“Right you are,” Harriet said, rising to her feet. “Back to the old entrance trick; I’ve always claimed gray-haired women of sufficient age can get in anywhere and are later unidentifiable. I’ll report soon—that is, if Toni hasn’t insisted on abandoning you and the case. Oh, hell, I’ll let you know what happens,whatever happens. Don’t forget to check for messages tomorrow at the vet’s, sometime in the afternoon.”
And Harriet was gone.
Five
W HEN Kate and Banny went around to their training class the next afternoon—the classes were offered at various hours, and once enrolled, owner and dog might come to the class most convenient to their schedule—there were two messages offered by Ovido. Toni, her annoyance at the flaunting of her orders fairly sizzling off the paper, reported that her assignment was complete, and that she would report to Kate that evening,
not
in Kate’s apartment, but above the boat basin on Seventy-ninth Street in Riverside Park, Kate to turn up with dog at seven P.M . Don’t look for her; she would spot Kate.
The second message was from Harriet saying she would be at Kate’s apartment at six with extraordinary news. It was with some difficulty that Kate keptherself attentive to the lesson and Banny’s tendency to wander off and inspect the other dogs. Kate’s barely controllable urge to rush home and wait for Harriet was all too clearly apparent to Banny, who kept heading for the exit. It was not one of their better sessions.
Eventually the class was dismissed, not without a frown at Kate (not Banny) from the patient instructor. Kate departed guiltily but immediately, and they ran home—with Kate carrying Banny, who was not prepared to rush at so pell-mell a pace.
Harriet was there.
“Well?” Kate said when they arrived upstairs. She knew Harriet would not have held out the promise of news if there was not news, probably good news, in the offing.
“Sit down,” Harriet said. “This is going to take some working out, so
On the other hand, Kate thought, if this really was a radical and probably mad fringe of the religious right, they might go further, as they so often had, even in academic surroundings. One of the chief spokesmen for the radical right, for example, had sat in on the class of a French scholar at Harvard, with her permission, and then maliciously misrepresented what had gone on there. Dartmouth, to mention no other college, provided ample evidence of right-wing malice in action. Hardly an encouraging thought. Kate was hoping for a fraternity prank, though kidnappingwas serious and they would suffer for it. That she had long since promised herself.
Reminding herself of the waiting Harriet, Kate searched her notes for the addresses of the four resentful students. Not, she realized, that they are necessarily still living there. Students move around a lot, and some of them had given just their parents’ address. As she had guessed, none of the four, two men and two women, lived in a college or graduate dormitory.
List of addresses in hand, Kate returned to the living room. “I’ve a task for you too,” she said to Harriet. “Here are four addresses with names. Would you go to the two addresses where the women live and dream up something—you’re inspecting for roaches, the university is thinking of combining apartments, whatever. You’re better at this than I am. You’re so delightfully harmless looking—grandmotherly, not to put too fine a point on it—that I don’t think they’d hesitate to let you in if you’re both unthreatening and persistent. I want to know the same stuff Toni’s finding out: would it be possible for them to be hiding Reed? Don’t do anything about it, just investigate and then let me know.”
“Right you are,” Harriet said, rising to her feet. “Back to the old entrance trick; I’ve always claimed gray-haired women of sufficient age can get in anywhere and are later unidentifiable. I’ll report soon—that is, if Toni hasn’t insisted on abandoning you and the case. Oh, hell, I’ll let you know what happens,whatever happens. Don’t forget to check for messages tomorrow at the vet’s, sometime in the afternoon.”
And Harriet was gone.
Five
W HEN Kate and Banny went around to their training class the next afternoon—the classes were offered at various hours, and once enrolled, owner and dog might come to the class most convenient to their schedule—there were two messages offered by Ovido. Toni, her annoyance at the flaunting of her orders fairly sizzling off the paper, reported that her assignment was complete, and that she would report to Kate that evening,
not
in Kate’s apartment, but above the boat basin on Seventy-ninth Street in Riverside Park, Kate to turn up with dog at seven P.M . Don’t look for her; she would spot Kate.
The second message was from Harriet saying she would be at Kate’s apartment at six with extraordinary news. It was with some difficulty that Kate keptherself attentive to the lesson and Banny’s tendency to wander off and inspect the other dogs. Kate’s barely controllable urge to rush home and wait for Harriet was all too clearly apparent to Banny, who kept heading for the exit. It was not one of their better sessions.
Eventually the class was dismissed, not without a frown at Kate (not Banny) from the patient instructor. Kate departed guiltily but immediately, and they ran home—with Kate carrying Banny, who was not prepared to rush at so pell-mell a pace.
Harriet was there.
“Well?” Kate said when they arrived upstairs. She knew Harriet would not have held out the promise of news if there was not news, probably good news, in the offing.
“Sit down,” Harriet said. “This is going to take some working out, so
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