CHAPTER FIVE
“Did you get it all?” asked Quinn walking into comms. Hiro stared at him with a strange expression. “Right. Of course, you got it all. What do we know about this guy?”
“He transferred to Tulane Nursing for the master’s program from the University of Arkansas.”
“Arkansas? He didn’t have a southern accent at all,” said Finn.
“His transcript says he was born in Conway, Arkansas, north of Little Rock. I’m still trying to find a driver’s license or something that will confirm his identification. I can’t find a photo from high school, which worries me a little.”
“He was seriously spooked by us being there, and pissed off,” said River.
“It was weird because it didn’t look like he was trying to make a move on Willa but then again, we were there. It was just odd behavior all the way around,” said Finn.
“Just give me some time and I’ll find something. Everyone has a photo somewhere. I’m trying to get into his social media accounts now but they’re locked up pretty tight. Again, very odd.”
“Thanks, Hiro,” said Finn. “I appreciate the extra effort.”
“When it’s one of ours, always,” he smiled.
Finn, Quinn, and River walked toward the cafeteria to meet with Ham, Frank, Kev, Abe, and Rush . Whatever was going on with this guy was damn sure weird.
“What’s up?” asked Frank.
“We had a strange experience today when we went to pick up Willa from her exams,” said Finn.
“Pick her up? I thought she drove,” said Kev suddenly concerned.
“She did, which was part of the problem.”
They explained what Willa had experienced and then what they witnessed during lunch. There was nothing concrete to say that this guy was up to some shit but everything they saw was pointing in that direction.
“What did Hiro come up with?” asked Ham.
“So far, just that he was a transfer student but he’s having a hard time finding photos of this guy, other than student ID’s,” said Quinn.
“Why am I not feeling good about this?” asked Kev.
“For the same reason I wasn’t, sir. There’s definitely something weird happening with the dude, we just don’t know what it is. What makes it worse, is that he seems unusually interested in Willa.”
“I trust you boys, but I want to know what the fuck is happening with all of this,” said Kev.
“We’ll keep you informed, Kev,” said Ham.
He nodded and stood to find Tila so he could ease her concerns as well. Although, in fairness, his concerns were greater than when he sat down.
“I think we need to speak with some of her classmates,” said Frank. “And I think we should do it when this guy isn’t around. Do we have a list of their names?”
“Already got that,” said River.
“Okay, we’ll send some guys to speak with them before her Friday exam. Why are these being done in person anyway? Don’t they do everything virtually now?” asked Ham.
“For a normal undergraduate program, yes. But this is a specialized master’s program and there are some labs and live demonstrations they have to complete,” said Finn.
“Okay. Irish, Hoot, and Gator should get into town and see if they can speak to someone.”
It took three tries to find someone who was actually at home. As it turned out, they were sisters, not twins but close enough.
“Hi, are you Samantha?” asked Gator.
“Arantha,” smiled the girl. Gator frowned. “Sorry, our parents had a weird sense of humor. My sister is Samantha. I’m eleven months older. Irish twins.”
“Hey, that’s what they call me. Irish,” he grinned.
“Can I help you guys?” she asked.
“We’re friends of Willa’s and we just wanted to ask you some questions about one of your classmates,” said Hoot.
“Let me guess. Morris.”
“So, he’s been weird with you?” asked Hoot.
“Why don’t you guys come in and I’ll get my sister. We were just studying.”
They stepped inside the small apartment and took a seat in the living area. The place was relatively clean, with a few dirty coffee cups sitting around. When the sister walked out, they all realized that the women could have been twins other than the length of their hair.
“Hi,” said Samantha. “Ara said you guys had some questions about Morris.”
“Yes, thank you for talking to us. Willa was a bit concerned by his reactions to her announcement today. Did you guys notice that?” asked Gator.
“Definitely. He’s been weird since he joined our class. He was a transfer from somewhere,” said Samantha.
“Arkansas,” said Ara.
“Right. Arkansas. He doesn’t say much and from what I can tell he’s not a great student. I mean, he passes but just barely. Not exactly someone I want working on me.”
“Has he ever approached either of you for a date or to ask to study with you?” asked Hoot. The two women smiled at him.
“You can study virtually now, you know, through chat groups and stuff,” said Ara.
Hoot nodded realizing that the world was spinning by him.
“But to answer your question, no. He’s never asked for anything like that.
The other day was just odd all the way around.
We were going as a group. It wasn’t like he asked Willa on a date. ”
“But she said he seemed almost angry when she spoke about her fiancé,” said Irish.
“He did seem surprised by it, for sure,” said Ara. “But honestly, we all were. Willa’s never mentioned having a boyfriend.”
“In fairness,” said Samantha, “she never spoke much about her family or private life. It’s one of the things I love about her. She’s very private and I respect that.”
“Has Morris ever lost his temper with any of you? Maybe with the professors?” asked Hoot.
“I don’t remember anything like that,” said Ara. “Listen, he was weird and I’m sorry it spooked Willa but I think he’s harmless. Weird but harmless.”
“Thanks for your time,” said Gator standing to leave.
“No problem,” said Ara. Gator stopped and turned toward the girls.
“You said Willa is very private. What about this guy? Is Morris private? Does he ever share any details of his own life or past?” he asked. The sisters looked at one another and nodded. Samantha spoke up.
“I’d say he’s more private than Willa. We know absolutely nothing about him.”