Chamber's College
Tox decided to go back to the fireplace. Any tunnel would remain in the morning -- but vital clues at and near the fireplace could be lost at any moment. Turning, he left the small room with its tiny spa and stepped out into the hall. He paused, then stepped back into the locker room. There was now just the one person there: the woman who had been showering. She was now standing just outside the open shower stall on a perforated rubber mat, drying herself with a towel. She looked up incuriously as Tox approached.
"Did you know the ... um .. did you know ... " Tox fumbled with his words as his mind tried to recover the dead girl's name. "Did you know Miss Beau?"
"No, not really," the girl replied, still toweling off. "I mean, I knew her name and her face, but I didn't really talk to her much. I don't think anyone did, really. She was sort of a loner. Not that I can blame her, with her condition and all."
"What condition?"
"She had a kind of narcolepsy. She'd kinda go into these trances. Spooky." The woman seemed to take interest in Tox suddenly, peering steadfastly into his face.
"How sad," Tox said, filing away this new information about the victim for future reference. "And now this. How tragic."
"Yeah, really bad. Say," the girl said, eyeing Tox carefully, "After what happened I'm not sure I want to walk outside alone. Would you mind waiting while I dress, and escorting me back to my dorm?"
"Did you know the ... um .. did you know ... " Tox fumbled with his words as his mind tried to recover the dead girl's name. "Did you know Miss Beau?"
"No, not really," the girl replied, still toweling off. "I mean, I knew her name and her face, but I didn't really talk to her much. I don't think anyone did, really. She was sort of a loner. Not that I can blame her, with her condition and all."
"What condition?"
"She had a kind of narcolepsy. She'd kinda go into these trances. Spooky." The woman seemed to take interest in Tox suddenly, peering steadfastly into his face.
"How sad," Tox said, filing away this new information about the victim for future reference. "And now this. How tragic."
"Yeah, really bad. Say," the girl said, eyeing Tox carefully, "After what happened I'm not sure I want to walk outside alone. Would you mind waiting while I dress, and escorting me back to my dorm?"