Chapter 67

I had hopedthat a night of sleep would clear my mind, but the next day, I wake up feeling just as uneasy as the night before. I wish Abe were around, because I want to talk this out with someone—try to get someone else's perspective. But it seems like I haven't seen Abe around the apartment in days. Where the hell is he anyway?

When I get to school, I check my watch and see that I still have twenty minutes before my first class. When I arrive early, I usually make a stop in the cafeteria for some much-needed breakfast and a strong cup of coffee. However, this morning, I make a beeline for Dr. Conlon's secretary's office, which is right next to his.

Dr. Conlon's secretary, Anita, looks like a grandma. She's short and chubby with poofy white hair and is always offering us "sweets." I've talked to her a handful of times, and she's always real nice to me.

"Hello, Mason!" Anita says when I walk through her open door.

I flash my most charming smile. Old women always love me. "Hi, Anita. How are you?"

"Mason, Mason…" Anita leans forward across her desk. "You don't have a girlfriend, do you? Oh, I'm sure a handsome young man like you is already attached…"

"Actually, I don't," I say.

"Oh?" She raises an eyebrow. "Well, I don't know if you'd be interested, but my niece is a very sweet girl. She's about your age. You'd really like her."

I hate it when older women try to set me up with their daughters, nieces, and granddaughters. But I force a smile. "Sure, give me her number."

Anita's face lights up, and she pulls out a sticky note to write out the number of some girl named Margo.

"You'll love her, Mason," Anita gushes. "She's such a cute girl. And so funny! And smart too… Oh, but you boys don't like smart girls, do you? Don't worry. I'm sure she's not smarter than you are. After all, you're a—"

"Anita," I interrupt, unable to tolerate another second of hearing about this girl I'll never call. "I was wondering if you could look up some information on our cadaver."

Anita looks confused. "Oh? What information?"

"I was just curious if you have the cause of death listed," I say. My stomach fills with butterflies as I wait for her response.

"Well, we should," Anita says thoughtfully. "I mean, we have to know that so that there's no chance of the person having a communicable disease."

"So, um…" I bite my lip. "Could you look it up for me?"

Anita is about to respond when Dr. Conlon limps into the office. He looks surprised to see me standing there. I swear silently to myself.

"Hi, Mason," Dr. Conlon says with a friendly smile. "What are you doing here? Anything I can help you with?"

I look down at my hands and see they're trembling. I'm about to reply when Anita speaks up. "Mason is just trying to find out some information about his cadaver."

The smile vanishes instantly from Conlon's face. His eyes darken the same way they did before. He looks like he wants to reach out and strangle me.

"Mason," he says quietly. "Didn't I tell you before that all cadaver information is confidential?"

"Well, I was trying to—"

"Don't you have a biochemistry test tomorrow?" Dr. Conlon raises an eyebrow.

"Uh, yes."

Dr. Conlon looks over at Anita. "Any information on the cadavers in the lab is strictly confidential. Nobody is to receive that information." He looks back up at me. "Is that clear?"

My stomach feels like lead.

"Yes," I say. "It's clear."

Dr. Conlon is still staring at me in a way that is pretty terrifying. He knows I'm onto him—I can see it in his eyes. I've turned myself into a threat, and now he has to deal with me.

But I won't go down without a fight.