Dead Soldiers Read Free Page B

liked toy soldiers, too, and maybe even a chief of police wasn’t immune to temptation.
    “You really should talk to the police,“ Burns said. “They’re professionals. They know how to deal with this kind of thing.“
    “There’s a problem,“ Partridge told him.
    Yeah, Burns thought, and its name is Boss Napier .
    He couldn’t say that, however, so he asked, “What’s the problem?“
    “The problem is the circumstances. The soldiers were stolen during a party at my house.“
    Burns’s feelings were hurt. He hadn’t been invited to any party at the dean’s house.
    “What party?“
    “Last weekend. The party for our honor students. I invited them to my house to meet the members of our board and receive their congratulations.“
    “Oh,“ Burns said. “That party.“
    At a recent faculty meeting, Partridge had announced her intention of honoring HGC’s top students. The football players got letter jackets, she had said, so why not do something for the scholars? A tea at the dean’s house. It wasn’t a letter jacket, but it was something.
    “You can see the problem,“ Partridge said. “If word gets out that something was taken from my house, the students will get the blame. That would result in some very unfavorable publicity.“
    Everyone in the administration at HGC seemed concerned about bad publicity, not that Burns blamed them. There had been an unseemly number of problems at the school recently, and while everything had worked out for the best in the end, there had been some touchy moments.
    “You don’t think a student is guilty?“ Burns asked.
    “That’s always possible. But I’d rather not think so. For that matter, I’d rather not think that anyone is guilty.“
    “Someone has to be, if the soldiers are missing.“
    Partridge nodded. “That’s why I wanted to talk to you. I was hoping that you could look into things. I know that you can be discreet.“
    Burns was getting the picture now, but he decided to make sure.
    “I don’t know that I can do anything, but what if I do find out who took the soldiers?   What then?“
    “I thought you might be able to persuade him or her to return them. I wouldn’t press charges. I just want to get the pieces back as quietly as possible.“
    Burns didn’t want to look into anything or try to persuade anyone. But he couldn’t come up with any good reason to refuse. He tried hard to think of one.
    Seeing his hesitation, Partridge said, “It wouldn’t have to interfere with your teaching or your other duties on campus. It would be very low-key.“
    Burns knew that he was going to be sorry, but he said, “All right. I’ll do it. Do you have a list of the people who attended the party?“
    “ Melva has printed one out for you. She’ll give it to you when you leave.“
    “How many names are on it?“ Burns asked, a little depressed that Partridge had been so sure of him.
    Partridge didn’t meet his eyes. “About one hundred.“
    “One hundred?“ Burns said. “You’re kidding.“
    “I’m afraid not.“
    “But that’s impossible. I can’t go around questioning a hundred people. It would take forever.“
    “I might be able to help you narrow it down some,“ Partridge said.
    She punched a button on her intercom and asked Melva to bring in the list. Melva opened the door, walked past Burns and laid the list on Partridge’s desk.
    “Thank you, Melva ,“ Partridge said, and Melva departed without a word. Burns thought that she probably hadn’t been invited to the party, either.
    Partridge looked over the list and said, “I was wrong. There are only eighty-six names here.“
    “That’s close enough to a hundred for me,“ Burns said. “Could I have a look at it?“
    Partridge handed the list across the desk. Burns struggled with the chair and finally managed to rise to a half-standing position and reach for the list. As he fell back into the chair, he scanned the list rapidly. Boss Napier’s name wasn’t there, and Burns sighed