“Still waiting on it?”
“They go home at five o’clock on the dot. Even so, from what I gather, the school pumps out ‘graduates’ so fast, I doubt teachers bother to learn their names.”
“So one missing student wouldn’t exactly cause alarm.”
“Unfortunately, I don’t think so.”
I leaned back in my chair, staring at Calvin.
He raised a light-colored eyebrow. “What?”
“Which academy is it?”
“You know I’m not supposed to tell you any of this.”
“But you will,” I said, smiling a little.
Calvin held my gaze.
“Please,” I added.
He threaded his fingers together and rested them on the tabletop.
“You’re the most handsome detective to ever grace the NYPD,” I concluded.
“Flattery will get you nowhere.”
“Doesn’t mean it isn’t true.”
Calvin finally smiled, like he couldn’t hold it back anymore. “Smooth.”
“Thanks,” I said, grinning.
“Sunrise Film Academy,” he said before pointing a finger at me. “And don’t you dare go there to snoop around.”
“SunriseFilmAcademy?” I repeated.
“Yes, that was not lost on me,” Calvin answered.
“Hold on!” I raised both hands in sudden excitement, knocking one into my coffee mug. “Oh shit!” I grabbed the cup, spilling half the drink onto my hands and the tabletop. “Hot! Motherf—ffft!”
Calvin grabbed his cloth napkin, took my hands, and blotted them dry.
I clenched my jaw and hissed, “Thank you.”
He let go and sopped up the mess on the table before the dark liquid could reach my books.
“What’s their school logo look like?” I shook my hands and wiggled my fingers a bit.
“Here we are, gentlemen,” our waiter said, returning to the table. “Omelet and waffles.” He set the plates down and refilled the mugs. “Anything else I can—oh!” He took a rolled napkin from his apron pocket and gave it to Calvin before picking up the soiled one from between our plates.
“This is great, thank you,” Calvin answered. He waited until our server left, then reached into his coat pocket to remove his cell. He poked at the screen, turned it around, and said, “Here’s their homepage.”
I pushed my glasses up and leaned in close. It looked like a sun rising over a hillside. Or rather, a film reel with a bit of celluloid probably meant to emulate the sun’s rays. “Holy shit.”
“What?”
I pointed at the phone and looked up at Calvin. “Do you know who goes to this school?”
