Dear Irene by Jan Burke Read Free Book Online Page B

professor’s old boyfriends. The one I most wanted to talk to was a man by the name of Steven Kincaid, who appeared to be Dr. Blaylock’s most recent conquest. But Kincaid was either out or didn’t answer his phone. That was further than I got with four of the remaining five, who had disconnected the numbers Mark had for them. Fleeing media attention, I thought, until I reached a fellow by the name of Henry Taylor.
    “A few more minutes and you would have missed me,” he said in a pleasant voice. “Does the paper want to interview me again?”
    “I just had a few more questions,” I said. “Could we meet somewhere?”
    “Gee, no, I’m sorry, that’s what I was trying to say. The semester’s over. My girlfriend will be here any minute now. We’re going to be flying back to Michigan, to her parents’ house. I’m going to pop the question at Christmas.”
    “Pop the question?”
    “You know, ask her to marry me.”
    “Excuse me, Mr. Taylor, if I sound a little confused. It’s just that your name has been associated with—”
    “Edna, yeah, I know. Really sad. Oh, you mean, is Connie upset about that? No, hell, she knows it was years ago.”
    “Years ago?”
    “Yeah. Edna and I had a brief little fling about two years ago. My senior year, before I started the MBA program.”
    “You’re not a history major?”
    “Hell no. History major? No money in it. All undergraduates have to take a semester of U.S. history. I took a history class from Edna to satisfy the bachelor’s degree requirements. I was expecting to be totally bored, but she made it interesting. And something about the lady attracted me, I guess, but nothing came of it then. I was seeing somebody else. But then I broke up with that girl, and the next semester, I saw Edna in a local club one night… and I don’t know, I guess we just decided to go for it.”
    “How old were you then?”
    “Twenty-six.” He paused then added, “I work and go to school, so it’s taking me a little longer.”
    He sounded embarrassed about it, so I told him I had taken more than four years, and not just because I worked. “But listen — about Dr. Blaylock — can you tell me if she ever mentioned anything about Greek mythology, or the zoo?”
    He laughed. “We didn’t really do a whole lot of talking when we got together, if you know what I mean. It was just a brief affair. Nothing very involved. I think we both realized that it wasn’t for the best — not for either of us.”
    “Did she ever mention anyone who might be angry with her, or seeking revenge?”
    “The cops and the other reporters asked me about this kind of stuff,” he said easily. “I’ve got nothing to say, really.”
    “I won’t quote you. I just need to get a lead on this.”
    “You’re a little late on the story, aren’t you?”
    “I’m the one he mailed the letter to.”
    “Oh.” The chipper attitude seemed to drop away.
    I waited.
    “I guess I can understand why you’re still looking into it, then.”
    “Can you help me out?”
    “Look, Miss…”
    “Kelly. Irene Kelly.”
    “Okay, Irene Kelly. I don’t like to be so blunt about it, especially talking to a woman, but I can’t see any other way to get this across before Connie comes walking in here — at which point I will definitely not discuss it any further. Edna Blaylock and I got together for sex. That’s all. Just sex. That’s all either of us wanted at the time.”
    “But if she talked to you…”
    “I don’t think you could type up more than ten sentences if you quoted every word we said to each other that wasn’t just small talk. We’d go out to a bar, drink, dance and then go home and have terrific sex. At least, it was terrific at first. I guess I felt sort of turned on by the idea of having sex with this sophisticated older woman. A professor, for godsakes. But the thrill wore off pretty quickly, for her as well as for me. I didn’t learn her secrets, and she didn’t learn mine. I was sort