He checked Ella’s door again on the way out, then found a coffee bar. He sat at a small table in the corner, soaking up the atmosphere, the small huddles of students, surges of laughter and conversation. These too seemed like good people and Lucas felt comforted, reassured.
He went back half an hour later. Ella’s door was still closed but he could hear movement inside and when he knocked, she shouted for him to come in. She appeared to be a good way into the process of packing her room up. She looked around as he closed the door behind him and froze midway through folding the duvet.
‘I’d begun to think you might not come.’
She didn’t look well. Or maybe it wasn’t that she looked ill, but that she looked hardened. He couldn’t quite pin it down and then he became conscious that he was staring. He turned his attention to the room and said, ‘Looks like I’m just in time.’
She looked around and said, ‘Yeah, I’m leaving, until next year at least.’ She put the duvet down on the bed, adding, ‘I can still offer you a coffee, though.’
‘No, I’m good.’ He pointed at the chair. ‘May I?’
‘Of course.’ She sat on the edge of the bed. ‘Thank you for coming.’
‘I read Persuasion.’
She looked confused by the comment. These were the parts of conversations he still found difficult, the decorative borders around the real business.
‘Oh, good. Did you enjoy it?’
‘Yes. Not life-changing or anything but a good book. I read some more of hers too.’ She smiled politely, maybe because she hadn’t read any more Austen herself and didn’t know how to respond, maybe just because this wasn’t how people talked to each other. ‘You want me to find the people who killed your family.’
She nodded, looking relieved.
‘And if I find them?’
‘I wanna see whoever it is sent to prison. I want justice.’
Probably the biggest favor he could do her right now would be to get up and walk out. She wanted the truth of what had happened to her family, he could understand that, but she thought it could all be neatly sealed up, that justice would be done if only the evidence could be put before the system.
‘I can find them but I’m telling you straight, you won’t make anything stick. And even if you did, the justice handed out wouldn’t be enough, not for what they did to you.’
‘I don’t understand.’ That looked like an understatement, her expression one of complete bewilderment. ‘You’re saying you can find them but it’s pointless.’
‘It isn’t pointless but you have to be true to yourself about what you really want. If the person who killed your parents and brother was standing in front of you right now, what would you want? Truthfully, what would you want?’
He didn’t say any more, giving her time to think, hoping for her sake, and maybe for his, too, that she’d come down on the tougher side of the fence. He was determined to let her know exactly where the seductive pull of revenge would take her.
A knock on the door broke her introspective spell. She pointed for him to stand by the cupboard, out of sight from the doorway. He moved, and listened as she opened the door.
‘Hello, Brian.’
‘Hello, Ella.’ It was an older man’s voice. ‘I’m really sorry to bother you with this but you know I have to check these things out.’
‘Of course. What is it?’ Lucas knew immediately what this call was about and couldn’t believe the guy from the kitchen had been stupid enough to report it after what he’d said to him. He felt like killing him just as a service to the gene pool.
‘Al Brown claims one of your visitors assaulted him and uh, well, uh . . .’ He sounded embarrassed, as if what he was about to say sounded preposterous even to his ears. ‘He says your visitor threatened him with a gun.’ Ella laughed, the man’s laughter joining hers. ‘I know, I know, but I do have to check it out, and he’s got a black eye.’
‘Brian, I haven’t had any visitors and as it happens, I’m packing. I’ve decided to leave and come back next year.’
‘Oh.’ He sounded disappointed. ‘Mind you, I can understand. It’s not been an easy time for you.’
‘No, it hasn’t, and you can tell the dean that it hasn’t been made any easier by people like Al Brown harassing me and pulling stupid pranks like this.’
‘I see. I didn’t realize but I will certainly mention it to the dean. Now, you will come and have a chat before you go?’
‘Of course. I’ll see you later.’ She closed the door but held her finger up to her lips and waited. A moment or two later she relaxed and smiled but was still quiet as she said, ‘Porter—nice enough. You don’t know anything about hitting somebody, threatening him with a gun?’
Lucas shrugged and said, ‘I’m not used to people being rude to me.’
‘Don’t worry—most people around here would vote to give you an honorary degree, a doctorate if you’d killed him.’ She laughed and sat back on the edge of the bed.
‘What about my question?’