When he reached out to touch her shoulder, she slapped his hand away. “Get out of my office.”
He backed up and when he turned to go, Marcus was standing near her office door, his arm upraised as if getting ready to knock. Evan walked past him and meandered down the hall.
“Amanda?”
She gathered up papers for her next class, her breath coming fast, her hands trembling. “What?” she asked, her voice betraying her tension.
Marcus spoke soft and low, a clear counterpoint to her agitation. “I came by to see if Cecelia was okay. I saw how she reacted when Evan put his hands on her yesterday.”
She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. “She was upset, but we talked about it. I think she’s all right now. Thanks for asking.” Her hands were still shaking as she reached for her briefcase.
“You’re upset. Do you want me to go knock his block off?”He pointed down the hall.
So Marcus had guessed what Evan had been up to. She moved closer to the door, keeping her voice down. “Are you trying to play Sir Lancelot for the fair maiden?”
“I don’t think you need rescuing, but if you want me to play the part, I will.”
“He’s taller and a lot heavier than you are. You might have some trouble knocking him down.” She started to smile. “And it isn’t necessary. But thank you for offering.” She did not want to imagine how such an encounter might end.
He took a step forward. “I saw him try to kiss you yesterday. What should I conclude from that?”
“What are you asking, Marcus? Don’t you trust me?” She looked into the deep blue of his eyes—eyes the same color as her daughter’s, eyes that calmed and excited her, eyes that told her what he was thinking, what he was asking. Her pulse quieted before he could answer. “You can conclude anything you want. He was out of line. I told him so.”
“I’m glad.” He shuffled his feet. “Any chance we can have dinner soon?”
“I’m working on it.” She kissed her fingers and as she brushed by him to go to class, she pressed her fingers to his lips. “That’s the best I can do for now,” she whispered and one corner of her mouth lifted in a slight grin. “Just so you know, she wants nothing to do with Evan.”
He nodded and followed Amanda out of the department.
“Marc, it’s Mike. I have some news for you—from Stan, the detective in Madison.”
“Give it to me.” He sat down and closed the pizza box.
“That little girl in those clippings you found in that guy’s closet a while back?”
“I’m sitting down. Go ahead.”
“Your guy was probably the one who killed her. Her mother recognized the scarf. Some of that other stuff you sent had fingerprints on it, too. They matched his. Blood on the scarf was from the child.”
Marcus’ heart thudded in his chest. “How did the cops get a match?”
“He was in the system. A few years ago, he had a DUI conviction.”
“Are you sure he killed the little girl?”
“According to the detective, they seem pretty convinced that he did it—his prints were in her bedroom and other places—also in a backyard playhouse the little girl had. But they didn’t have enough to make a case against him at the time, so he was never arrested.”
Marcus was quiet. “What was his relationship to the child?”
“A neighbor. He sometimes babysat when the mother went out, which is why no one thought it unusual that his prints were in the house. The mother remembered he always wore that scarf when he came over. She never considered him a threat. He always seemed very nice. He was teaching high school at the time. And he never came on to anyone there. His MO appears to be younger kids. Prepubertal.”
“You’re giving me the willies, Mike. I keep thinking how lucky Cecelia was.”
“I hear you.Do you know where he is now?”
“No one has seen him in months. He never finished out the academic year. And when I stopped by his apartment, it looked like he’d already left.”
“Hmm. Too bad. I think the DA in Madison would like to talk to him. If he surfaces again, ask the local cops to call Stan.They’ll know what to do.”
Marcus looked for the paper where he had written the name and number of the Madison detective. “Thanks, Mike. Is Evelyn there?”
“Just a sec.”
“I’m here, Marcus. What can I do for you?”
“You’re a woman. If you had a daughter and she came close to being assaulted and you found out the person who did it may have killed another child, would you want to know that?”