Mountain Peril. Sandra Robbins

into the hall, and he followed. As they headed across campus to Tricia’s dorm, she couldn’t help studying Jack out of the corner of her eye. When she’d first met him, he’d seemed like a hard-hearted man. Last night and this morning he’d given her a glimpse into the private places of his soul, and she liked what she saw. She’d thought the ice inside him was beginning to melt, but now she wasn’t so sure. There seemed to be too many layers to him, and she doubted if she would ever dig through to find the real Jack Denton. Maybe it would be best if she didn’t even try.

      SIX

      Danielle turned the key in the lock and pushed the door to Tricia’s dorm room open. She stood on the threshold and thought about the talented girl who’d lived here only yesterday but would enter no more. Danielle blinked back the moisture about to spill down her face.

      “Are you all right?” Jack asked. The impassive expression on his face held none of the concern for her she’d seen last night.

      She straightened her shoulders and pointed down the hallway. “Jennifer and I lived in the second room on the left. I haven’t been in this dorm since I’ve been back at Webster. Just couldn’t make myself enter.”

      “If you’d rather not do this, go back to your office.”

      She shook her head. “No, I’ll be okay. I want to do anything I can to help.”

      Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the room and flipped the light switch. The cluttered room looked like the living space of a college student. Books lay in stacks on the desk next to a laptop, and the twisted blankets on the bed looked as if Tricia might have jumped from bed and rushed off to class. A bicycle leaned against the wall where a small corkboard hung with pictures displayed of life on the Webster campus.

      Jack followed her into the room and stood in the center of the floor looking around. “So this is where she lived.”

      Danielle nodded. “Where do you want to start?”

      He looked toward the desk. “I think I’ll go through the desk first.” His blue eyes studied her for a moment. “You don’t have to stay if you don’t want to. My partner’s coming to help.”