Page 91 of What They'll Say About Us

"That's what he told you?"

"Is it true? You can't really believe he would kill anyone."

"It's funny to hear you call him by his first name—Robert. How well do you know him?"

Carrie stared back at me, suddenly hesitant. "Well enough to know he wouldn't kill a woman, especially one of his students, the star of his play."

"What if she was threatening to tell the dean about their affair? What if she was going to ruin his reputation?" I challenged.

"Paige wasn't going to do any of those things. Hale had given her everything she'd ever wanted, the star role. She wasn't going to ruin him. If she tried, she'd ruin herself. Why would she do that?"

"Maybe she couldn't live with what she'd done to get that part. Did she tell you they were having an affair?"

"She didn't call it an affair. She said she'd made a mistake, but it wasn't his fault. It was hers. She didn't blame him at all. She blamed herself. I think the rumors you started were what put her over the edge. That's when she really began to feel bad about herself." Carrie paused. "Where is Robert? Why isn't he calling me back? He wasn't here yesterday. Now he's not here today. What's going on?"

"I don't know where he is, but I do know that the police want to talk to him about Detective Cabot. Professor Hale was friends with the lead detective looking into Paige's death. And he visited Detective Cabot the day he died."

Her gaze widened. "So, this isn't about Paige? It's about that old detective?"

"It's about both, Carrie. If I were you, I would be glad Hale isn't here. I'd put some distance between you two. He makes people believe he has their best interests at heart, but I think it's his own interests he's focused on."

"That's not true. He got me this part."

"And what did you have to do to get it?"

Her sudden flinch told me all I needed to know. "Carrie, you don't need him. You don't need his influence, his approval?—"

"Of course I do. I've gotten nowhere in my acting career until now, until he helped me."

"Well, it's time to stand on your own. Be the actress you've always wanted to be."

She let out a heavy sigh. "I'm not sure I can do this. The pressure is way more than I ever imagined. This show could shut down if I screw up. I'm starting to understand why Paige was so scared those last few days. She felt so much stress. She told me it was unbearable, and I didn't get it. I thought she was whining. I told her to get a grip. She had what every other girl in the drama department wanted, including you." Carrie paused. "You asked me earlier if I thought someone had killed Paige, and I said I thought it was an accident."

"Yes," I said.

"I don't think it was an accident or murder. I think she might have killed herself."

I took a quick breath at her theory; one I hadn't allowed myself to consider. "Did you tell the detective that? Did you tell anyone else what you thought?"

Carrie shook her head. "I didn't want to hurt her reputation." She took a breath, then said, "Is there any way I could get you to leave? Because when I saw you sitting here, it threw me off-balance. That's partly why I was sucking so bad. Could you go?"

"I won't be here for long. But I do need to speak to my aunt."

"Do that now, and then go," she said, moving past me down the aisle and into the lobby.

My aunt came up the aisle. "I saw you back here. I didn't want to interrupt what looked like an intense conversation. Is everything okay?"

"For the moment," I said, seeing her concerned gaze.

"My friend told me Morgan called and said you'd both checked out. She gave her a credit card number to cover the bill. Why did you leave?"

"Because someone came to that hotel. They followed Morgan. She was able to get away, but she didn't want to stick around and give them another chance."

"I don't understand," Vivienne said. "I didn't tell anyone where you were, and the hotel wouldn't do that, either."

"It wasn't you. Someone had put a tracker on the car I was driving, the one Detective Barclay loaned me. Anyway, it's all good."

"It doesn't sound anything close to good. This is terrible, Tessa. As much as I want you to stay in Chicago, I really think you should leave."