Becca's Baby

“You’ve been pretty involved in the project?”

“No.” Todd shook his head like a proud papa.

“She’s done the whole thing on her own. From conception to conclusion.”

Will cringed at Todd’s choice of word. Conception. That was all he needed. And on top of that, his longtime friend had just shot his “Todd and Stacy together for the independent study” theory all to hell.

Looking at Todd, the new lines on his face, the graying at his temples, the other changes time had made, Will felt damn sad. And sorry. There was no way in hell he wanted to ask his friend if he was having an affair. Todd deserved his trust.

Besides, if Todd was doing something so crazy, so foolish, Will just plain didn’t want to know. Not right now, anyway. Todd had been his friend long before he’d been his colleague.

And Will needed a break. At least for a day or two. Long enough to get through the fact that his wife could be, at that very moment, on her way to Tucson to kill their baby.

Then he thought of Martha, home sewing a dress for Ellen, Todd’s daughter, who was only five years younger than Stacy Truitt. Anger started slowly, but came quickly to a boil. How dared Todd do this to his family? To his children? He had it all. A job he loved. A beautiful wife. And a strong healthy family. He had the children Will would never have. Children Will would’ve given anything to have.

And he was willing to throw it all away? On a coed? Surely there was some other explanation. Will had known Todd since they were kids. Shared life’s ups and downs with him. And Todd would never do what he was accused of doing. He would never have an affair with a student. He wouldn’t be unfaithful to Martha, period. Todd was a decent honorable man. He loved his wife. Hell, Will had stood up for them when they’d gotten married.

“Does Stacy live on campus?” Will asked, aware that she had an apartment downtown.

“No.” Todd shook his head. “She didn’t want the distraction of dorm life.”

“She lives with a relative, someone she knows in town?”

“She’s got an apartment, lives alone,” Todd said, though he seemed to be choosing his words a little more carefully. His glance was furtive, and Will liked that least of all. “But you already knew that, didn’t you?” Todd asked softly, looking at Will from beneath lowered lids.

Will nodded.

CHAPTER FIVE

TODD’S SILENCE was virtually an admission of guilt, and Will couldn’t stand it. He felt physically ill.

He wasn’t sufficiently equipped at the moment to deal with the personal ramifications of this particular disaster. He settled for the professional, instead. Montford had very clear standards. And ironclad policies that enforced them.

“How far has it gone?” he asked.

Todd didn’t answer, just gazed at the pattern he was tracing with one f

inger on the tabletop.

“Yeah.” Will pushed his empty coffee cup away.

“Maybe it’d be best if you told me nothing.”

He knew he should ask outright. Because if Todd was indeed guilty, as he seemed to be, Will would have to take action against him.

But he didn’t have to ask today. He could do the research first. He’d have to do it, anyway, to build a case before any action was taken. He could pretend for a little while longer that his entire life wasn’t careening out of control.

Ignorance was sounding more and more like bliss. He sure as hell wouldn’t be suffering so much if Becca had kept her news to herself.

“Does Martha know?”

Todd glanced up. “Know what?”

Todd hadn’t told her, either. Now, why didn’t that surprise him?

As angry as Will felt, as betrayed, he couldn’t just hang his friend out to dry—for the same reason he’d gone home to Becca every night during the past week.

“There’ve been formal complaints,” he said quietly, giving his friend a commiserating nod when Todd’s head shot up. “There will have to be an investigation.”