Cliff

Chapter 8 -- Sally and Tom Compare Notes

They got to the Coffee House at about 10 o'clock. It was slow from about 8:30 until the lunch hour. They went to a table in a corner.

Sally had a lot to say. "I saw the Dean this morning. He says he doesn't know anything about it. He hadn't cleaned out the office. He seemed a little puzzled that the office was empty, but admitted that he really didn't know how much Bob had used the office." He wanted to know where the keys were. And did I know that those keys cost $2.50 each to make? I told him the constable had them.

After a long pause, Sally said quietly and very seriously, "We thought the dean cleared out Bob's office, too. But he didn't. So who did clear out the office? And where is the rest of Bob's stuff? Who else is doing things, Tom? We've talked to every friend of Bob we could find, and I can't believe any of them is doing stuff in on their own and not letting me know. So what's going on, Tom?"

There was another long silence. Finally, Tom asked "Who had a key to Bob's office?"

"Probably half the staff out here and at least half the graduate students in oceanography, past and present, who forgot to turn them in when they surren- dered the office. This is a community of scientists. Scientists aren't terrifically good at security. For example, the dean never asked me how I got in to Bob's office. People change offices, and borrow offices. Then there are always pass keys. One key fits all. Not to mention what building maintenance could provide. They could have let someone in themselves. They've let me into my office when I didn't have my key with me. My key fit Bob's office door, you notice."

"Sally, I don't want to sound silly about this, but I think it's real strange that things are happening that we aren't being told about." He paused, then apparently haven chosen to go on, said, "I think we need to be a little more careful about this from now on. At least, until we know who is helping us. You mailed the notices to your list of people?"

"Yes, this morning, at the post office downtown."

"Let's kind of keep quiet until we see if anyone writes back. What return address did you give?"

"My own, of course. My post office box number. OK. Let's not say anything more about it to anyone. Maybe we'll hear something that will ex- plain everything. I'll let you know if anyone writes, though." She paused. "There's something else, Tom. Bob's research paper. We didn't find anything about it. There should be notebooks, papers, computer disks. I'm writing one too, and there are notes about it everywhere. Bales of paper. But not Bob's. Nothing at all. Not one notebook, not one field jorunal. No data, nothing. You don't write a paper that way. There has to be something. It's all gone missing."

"I keep most of that kind of stuff in a personal notebook. For me, it isn't office type stuff. I write anywhere. When I do write, that is."

"And that's another thing," Sally said, "Where is Bob's computer? He had one, you know, that he was writing his papers on. Where did that go?"

Tom looked interested, at least. "I don't know. I don't use one, but now that you mention it, Bob did have an old one, and it wasn't there."

"We've seen everything of Bob's. What else is there? He didn't have a car. Who keeps research material in his car, anyway? Or a computer? It just isn't there, Tom. And it should be. He was going to submit the paper in six months. I want to find it."

"Why? Was it so bad that he threw himself over a cliff over it?"

"No. I don't know. I only know that it should be here, somewhere, and it isn't. And I want to find it. I'll know why when I do find it. It might have something to do with his death."

"OK, it's on my list of things to think about. There's something else I can do, too. Bob had books checked out of the library on semi-perminant loan. All the grad students do. Sometimes they even read them, but mostly they use them for office decorations. I can find out which ones Bob had out."

Tom paused. "I want you to promise me one more thing, though."

"That you won't tell anyone how silly we sound talking like this. I have enough trouble with my friends without being thought paranoid."

Sally had a vague look on her face, as though she didn't want to talk about it. "Yeah, me too", she said.

We left it at that.