Page 16 of Facade

On Tuesday, Jace sat next to her at the faculty meeting, lending silent reassurance with his steady presence. The focus was mainly on the curriculum, and the underage students enrolled that year.

Clarke appreciated getting a sense of the personalities of the professors and department heads. She was welcomed warmly by everyone but the other monitors. Mitch and Ray weren’t rude, they just didn’t seem to care, giving a tepid response.

Clarke was already beginning to see why they rubbed Jace the wrong way. Both frequently checked their phones, rather than paying attention to the discussion. They gave the impression of being bored, and having better things to do.

Conversely, Russell Bridges, the assistant librarian, was overly enthusiastic to meet her. He acted like they were reunited BFFs. Several faculty members gave him curious looks, meaning that this wasn’t typical behavior.

That made Clarke wonder if he had ulterior motives. She had the impression that Jace wasn’t a fan of Russell either. Professor Halston, who had made a few humorous quips when everyone was getting settled prior to the start of the meeting, was now frowning at the assistant librarian.

Everyone, excluding Russell, Mitch, and Ray were pleasant, and seemed devoted to their jobs. Clarke immediately liked Bruce Walker, the head of powered studies, and his second, Wayne Sterling.

After the meeting, Clarke drove into Clementine for more groceries. With students arriving the next day, this could be the last night she and Jace would be able to have a quiet dinner alone for a while.

“I paid close attention to everyone at the meeting,” Jace said as they ate. “No one seemed to suspect that you aren’t a man, or have ulterior motives for being here. None of them showed signs of nervousness or wariness around you. Was your intuition pointing you in a particular direction?”

“I’m tempted to focus on Ray, Mitch, and Russell. But that has nothing to do with my intuition, which was quiet,” Clarke replied.

Jace nodded before speaking, “Russell is homosexual, and probably hopes that you will be a romantic prospect he can pursue.”

“Ah, that explains why he was so thrilled to meet me,” Clarke said when she thought about it. “I was positive he has an agenda, but my instincts weren’t screaming that he, or anyone else in the room, is a villain. Everyone is a suspect, deserving of equal attention.”

“I agree,” Jace said. “The fact that I don’t like Mitch and Ray doesn’t make them criminals. Same for Russell. He made you uncomfortable, which set off my protective instincts. But, he might not know anything about Charlie. We could miss something important if we ignore the rest of the staff in favor of watching these guys.”

“Let’s stick to the plan we made on Sunday,” Clarke suggested. “We’ll keep searching the campus. You’ll watch for odd behavior, since you know the staff and older students. I’ll try for a vision next week.”

It was difficult to be patient, having no idea what her dad might be suffering. But Clarke knew that she had to be smart about this, and think of the long game.

Arousing suspicions among the staff could put her dad in more danger. Whoever was responsible for Charlie going missing could also be more guarded in their speech, or take care to hide the evidence Clarke needed to find. It wasn’t worth the risk.

“Sounds good to me,” Jace said.

“In regard to Russell, working shifts in the library might help me figure out what, if anything, he’s up to,” Clarke said. “If he’s just salivating over coworkers, I would expect Russell to pursue Professor Halston.”

Heath Halston, a caster, was the youngest professor on staff, and stupid hot. He was blonde, blue-eyed perfection, with a face like a Roman god, broad shoulders, and narrow hips.

More importantly, Halston showed signs of having a fun personality with no malice, as well as being extremely intelligent. His eyes twinkled with genuine mirth when he cracked a joke, and all his comments were astute. It had been difficult not to stare at him during the meeting.

Jace snorted. “Russell openly lusts after Heath, and has from the moment he was hired, according to the campus grapevine. Heath isn’t gay, or bi. I guarantee that he shot Russell down.”

“And now Russell is looking elsewhere for romance. That makes sense,” Clarke said.

It was logical, but she was surprised he would be so open about it at a faculty meeting. Clarke determined to get a better sense of Russell’s personality when she had a shift with him.

Jace cleared the table, and put the dishes in the dishwasher while Clarke put away the leftovers. She liked the domesticity of it.

He hugged her tightly for a long moment, and kissed her on the forehead. “Get some rest. Tomorrow will be a long day.”

“You too,” Clarke said as she walked him to the door of her unit. “Goodnight, Jace.”

“Night, Princess Primrose,” Jace said with a smile.

Clarke closed the door behind him, grinning like an idiot. As kids, she had often been a princess in a tower. Jace was always the knight who battled dragons, and saved the day.

Clarke had called herself Primrose, after her mother’s favorite flower. She had forgotten about that until now. Jace obviously hadn’t. It was sweet, and nostalgic.

Wednesday was the definition of chaos. The first students and their parents arrived at seven. They were the smart ones.

By ten, the parking lot was full, horns were honking, and students fought over luggage carts. Clarke found herself mediating arguments, controlling traffic, and ensuring no one hogged the carts, while making sure none of the students ended up in the wrong room. It was exhausting.