Chapter 15
Edward was up early the next morning, regretting the way his date went the night before. He was truly hoping he could befriend Gracie, but he blew it. He threw on his running gear and set out toward a small park he walked by. A good run would help clear his head and get him ready for the week to come. After a few miles of running, he went back to his flat and took a long hot shower. He shut the water off and heard his phone go off.
Joseph.
He knew he had to call him and keep him in the loop. He promised. Wrapping a towel around his waist he walked into his bedroom scooped up his phone and saw a voice mail and six texts. None of them were from Joseph though. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, afraid to read them after he saw Gracie’s name on each one.
He set it back down and went back into the bathroom only to hear it go off again.
“What have I done?” he asked the image in the steamy mirror.
His phone went off again and he slowly walked back into his bedroom. He picked his phone up and sat on the edge of his bed. He hit the voice mail button and listened.
“Hi, Eddie. It’s Gracie. Listen, I want to apologize for my behavior last night.” Her voice sounded shaky and uncertain. “I was so nervous and I don’t drink, so the few I had to calm down made things worse. I’m not usually like that.” He heard a long pause before she continued. “I hope I didn’t hurt my chances of seeing you again. I really…. Um, take care.” Just before she ended the call, he heard her sniffle as if she had been crying. It made him feel bad and second guess his thoughts about her. He opened the texts and read them.
Good morning, Eddie. I had a great time last night. Hope to hear from you soon. Gracie.
He deleted it and went to the next one.
I wanted to apologize for my pushy antics last night. It isn’t like me to act that way. Give me a call. Maybe we can have lunch together.
He quickly went through each of her texts and they were all pretty much the same except for the last one.
Call me when you get a chance. I can help you get what you need for your research.
He wanted to get to those files, to find out more about Eva and where she was staying, but he wasn’t quick to jump back into Gracie’s company. Maybe he could find a different route. She was quick to respond to him, maybe he could find someone else who worked for the university. But what were his chances they would have the same opportunities Gracie seemed to have with the student files?
He took a breath and hit the reply button.
Gracie. I’d like to be friends… despite what happened last night. Years down the road we can look back on our first date together and laugh about it.
He sent the text then followed up as an afterthought.
Let me know how you can help with my research. Anything at all would be a big help.
Within a few moments, her response came through.
Meet me at the administration building in an hour.
Edward tried the door at the administration building, but it was locked. He checked his watch and confirmed the time. The hours of operation posted on the door stated it was closed on Sundays. Maybe Gracie wasn’t aware. He pulled his phone and started texting her when she ran up the stairs toward him.
“Come with me,” she said urgently. She ran back down the stairs and he tried following her but lost sight of her when she ran around the building.
“Gracie? Where are you going?” He had to pick up his pace to catch up to her. “What is this a spy movie?” he joked.
She grabbed him and pulled him closer to the bushes. “Shhh. Don’t say anything.”
“What are you doing?” he whispered.
“Helping you.” She snuck around the bushes and to a back entrance of the building. She slid her hand into her pocket and produced a key that unlocked the door and led them into the darkened building. She turned toward him and put her finger to her lips before creeping along the wall. The only light they had was from the exit signs over a few doors on opposite ends of the hallway. She opened a door and flipped on a light switch after the door closed.
They were inside an enclosed room with no windows. Filing cabinets, stacked on top of each other lined the walls. It all looked so primitive. There were a few long tables with computers but she didn’t go to them.
“This is the room where all of the student files are kept.”
He looked at some of the closer file cabinets and saw how they were labeled. Each cabinet had the year of graduation and the last names of the students.
“Seems easy enough, I guess. Why did we sneak in?”
“I don’t have authorization to be in here. This is private information for certain staff members only.” Her voice had a sarcastic tone.
“How did you get the key then?”
“I used to be part of the staff here, but apparently, I didn’t do my job to their standards and they demoted me last year.” She was obviously still upset about it but Edward thought it was better left alone. “Anyway, I made you a copy.” She held out a shiny silver key toward him.
“What? I thought I would just get a little info now.”
“Oh, hell no. I’m not sticking around. You want this kind of information you have to come in on your own risk.” She jetted the key sharply toward him until he took it from her. “Just remember, it’s on the first floor in room 105.”
He nodded, wishing he wasn’t in this darkened building with her. “Thank you, Gracie, for all of your help.” He turned and quickly left the building with her right behind him. He vowed to never get wrapped up with Gracie and to never go in the administration building without trying to get permission first. There was something very off about her and about sneaking around someplace you’re not supposed to be.
During the course of the day, he did some shopping to fill his refrigerator, emailed some information to Joseph and got through some errands he needed to get through, all the while thinking about Eva and how he was going to find her. He wondered what she was doing and how close he was to her. Maybe going back to the administration building wouldn’t be so bad after all. If he did so late at night, how risky could it be? He’d be in and out fast enough that no one would even know he was there.
He stayed in his flat until after midnight then took a leisurely stroll toward the campus. When he reached the administration building, he felt the small flashlight in his jacket pocket and looked around. When he saw that he was alone he walked around to the back of the building like Gracie had done earlier that day and tried the key that she gave him. The key slid into the lock easily and turned all the way around. He slowly opened the door and peered inside, looked behind him and quickly went in. He walked along the wall until he reached room 105 and slowly went inside. His hand rested on the light switch as he turned his flash light off. When the door closed completely he flipped the light switch. The bulbs flickered on, blinding him at first. He went to work immediately wanting to find Eva’s file as quick as he could. He calculated the year of her graduation and pulled a cabinet open labeled BR-CA. He rummaged through the tabs until he came to Brooks, John.
“No, Eva.”
He closed the drawer and moved to the next year. He moved a ladder to the second row of cabinets and climbed to one labeled BL-BR. He pulled the drawer out and shuffled through the files. When he saw Eva’s name, his heart rate picked up. His finger slid over her name and he pulled it from the file, opening it and seeing her picture stapled to the cover. He stared at her eyes, in awe at how beautiful she was.
The door opened and Edward stumbled, falling off the ladder, the file still tightly in his hand. He landed on his butt and quickly got up, closing the file and tightening his grip on it behind his back. He turned toward the door to face the consequence of getting caught.