CHAPTER 15


 There was something about the setting that Daniel missed. The sounds of students wandering out of a lecture hall, those privy little conversations going on in the corners, the professor answering questions up by his lectern, it all just felt right too him. It was how academia was supposed to be. Too bad it seldom was. Daniel was supposed to be an academic! Of course, on the other hand, he had never quite figured out exactly what that meant so who cared? Right?

    

He had wanted to talk to a certain professor while he was here anyway. He had actually managed but then he did not get to ask the questions he wanted too. Instead, he was now forced to play detective and that was something else he never thought of himself as. Daniel was stuck with asking the professor if he could point out a particular student. The man did so and acted too busy to do anything else but point. That almost made Daniel laugh. It had been men just like this professor that had tossed him out on his ear. If only they knew!

“Excuse me,” said Daniel to the young girl he was looking for. She was gathering her things preparing to leave the classroom,

“Doctor Farok told me I might find you here. Are you Mindy Sterngood?”

Suddenly her pleasant smile went sour. The girl was almost hesitant to say anything at all. She grimaced, “uh yeah. Look if you’re a cop I’ve…”

“No, no,” Daniel tried to remain easy in hopes it would rub off on her. “I’m Daniel Jackson. I’m a friend of Cassie Frazier. I was just hoping…”

She started walking, “look I’ve told the FBI everything I know already. If you’ll excuse me I’ve got another class.”

Daniel hurriedly followed her into the hall and mentioned, “what would you say if I told you that I knew she wasn’t kidnapped.”  

That stopped the young girl in her tracks. Slowly, and even more cautiously, she turned to face Daniel, “you really aren’t a cop are you?”

“No I’m not,” Daniel gave his hand for a shake, “that’s how I knew to find you. Cassie’s mother told me you were a friend of hers.”

 Even if this Mindy was less cautious she was still squirming but, now, Daniel suspected, for a much different reason. 
 She bit her lip before responding, “does her Mom know about Jack?” Then Mindy went to pleading, “Cassie said that if her Mom ever found out she would like totally freak.”

Daniel agreed and more than the girl would ever realize. He could think of a few others who might as well. None of which was important right now, “that would be an understatement. Look, I hate to put you on the spot but this really is important. Cassie knows that too.”

Now Mindy drew back, “you want to know where they went don’t you?”

“Um,” Daniel was as diplomatic as possible, “yes but, another thing too. Who told the police it was a kidnapping?”

 She just shrugged, “I don’t know. I mean nobody around here except for maybe me and two other girls knew they were going away for the week but, nobody thought she had been kidnapped till the Feds showed up.” Suddenly a thought flashed through Mindy’s mind. Daniel saw it and waited. She meekly said, “look, if I give you the phone number where she is, she’s not like going to get into any trouble or anything is she?”

“Mindy,” Daniel hesitated, “I’m not her mother.”

With gritted teeth Mindy shrunk, “yeah that’s what I thought. Mine mom’s like that too.”