Kinsella (Kinsella Universe Book 1) Read Free Page B

afternoon at one o’clock I want you to present an experimental plan to me.  We will go over it, and if it’s satisfactory, you may begin the day after tomorrow on it.”
    “That would be a Saturday, Professor,” Stan said, trying to sound reasonable.
    “Thirty days, counting today.  You can take the whole thirty days off as holiday, for all I care.  Or not.”
    Johnny spoke up, “Professor, our budget is pretty well used up.  We never had much.  Stan and I did a lot of the work ourselves, scrounging things.”
    “How large was your budget?” Stephanie asked him.
    “A thousand dollars,” Stan said.
    Stephanie fished in her purse, pulled out her checkbook and wrote a check.  She handed it to Stan.
    He looked down and blinked — another thousand dollars!
    “Before you start salivating,” Stephanie said coldly, “I am a proactive grant giver.  That is, you will keep receipts.  At the end of the experiment I want an accounting of the money, every penny.  It will not have been used on pizza or soda pop — just on the experiment.  Am I clear?”
    “Yes, Professor,” the two students chorused.
    “Tomorrow at one in the afternoon,” Stephanie commanded.
     
     
     
    The next afternoon, the two presented a hastily prepared experimental plan to Professor Kinsella.
    Stephanie read it through and then looked at them.  “This is barely adequate.  You may, however, begin.  You do not need my permission to deviate from this plan, but I want a written addendum to the plan within a day of any change, the reasons why the change was made and the results.  In any case, I want a report every three days, except I expect the first progress report on Monday at this time,” she told them.
    Later, the two of them ran over the equipment list, and then divided it up.  Johnny went after the items needing scrounging, Stan after those that needed to be bought.
    Days passed, hectic, busy days.  The only notable thing in their first meeting was after Stephanie finished listening to their report when she asked if they’d made any changes in their experimental plan.  They assured her they hadn’t.
    The second meeting was a Thursday and again she asked at the conclusion of their meeting about any changes.  “We learned our lesson, Professor Kinsella,” Stan Benko told her.  “We won’t make the same mistake twice.”
    She nodded, her eyes bright.  “Anything else to report?” she inquired.
    “No, Professor,” Stan replied.  “Although, I was wondering — our next report is due on Sunday.  Is that correct?”
    “If I’m not going to be in my office for one of your progress reports, I will inform you in advance.  I will be here Sunday, so there won’t be any problem.”
    Stan and Johnny exchanged glances, but they didn’t say anything until they were out of her office.  “I wanted to take my wife out Sunday after church,” Stan said with disgust.
    “I could come by myself,” Johnny told him.  “There’s nothing hard about making the report.”
    “I’ll think about it.  The Lord knows what she’d do if I skipped a progress report.  I’m not sure I’m ready to find out yet.”
    Sunday was the same thing all over again.  The testing occurred per the plan, there were no changes to report and the results were such and such.  Stephanie did add another question.  “Have you considered the theory behind this?”
    “We’re still working on gathering raw data,” Stan told her.
    “There’s a lot of it,” Johnny agreed.  “We were going to spend some time analyzing it this week.  It’s there in the plan.”
    “Good,” she told them, “you do that.  Follow your plan, let me know about any changes.”
    Outside, walking away, Stan was upset again.  “What did we say that couldn’t have waited until tomorrow?”
    Johnny Chang sighed.  “Nothing.  But I get this feeling we’re out on a limb and there’s someone sawing it off behind us.”
    “She’s a bitch, pure and simple!”