Straightening up, she looked at the ceiling as if trying to find inspiration from it. 'I guess it must have been Tuesday night,' she replied. 'Before Thanksgiving. We were all playing cards.'

'How did it go?'

'Good,' Conni said, but looked away from Spencer as she said it. Only Albert had looked unflinchingly at Spencer. Only Albert had not shifted in his seat or looked at his hands. Only he seemed relaxed and concerned and only he made all the right noises. Maybe too relaxed, thought Spencer. Shit, I'm just driving myself crazy.

'Was that the last time?'

'Yes,' she said, but didn't look at him, and this time Spencer demanded Conni lift her gaze.

'Yes,' she repeated in a quieter voice. 'That was the last time.'

She's lying, thought Spencer.

'Were there any problems during the poker game?'

Conni was silent. She's weighing her options, Spencer thought. She knows I've already talked to Albert.

'Nothing serious.'

'No fight?'

'No, nothing, just nerves, midterms coming up, we always lose to Frankie, you know, stupid things.'

'I see. Jim didn't storm out of the lounge, furious?'

She was silent. 'Nah, not furious, the game was already over.'

'Did he storm out?'

'Not really.'

'Do you remember over what Jim didn't really storm out?'

'No, I can't remember.'

'All you guys seem to have extremely poor short-term memories,' Spencer said. 'Is that a problem during exams?'

Conni laughed. 'Oh, you're so funny,' she said. But Spencer wasn't laughing. And Conni's laugh sounded fake to him.

'What time did you come back to your room?'

'I didn't look at my clock.'

'And you didn't see Kristina after that?'

'No.'

'What did you do for the rest of the evening?'

'Spent it with Albert.'

'In his room or yours?'

'Mine,' she said, in a small voice.

'You came back from the lounge and never left each other's sight?'

'No, we did. Albert had to pack.'

'Did you go with him to his room?'

'No, I stayed in mine.'

'Okay, why don't you tell me everything you did until the time you went to bed.'

'I really don't remember very well. It was a while ago.' She seemed at a loss for words. Spencer didn't like it.

'Tell me what you remember.'

'Let's see ... Albert went to his room '

'What time?' Spencer interrupted.

'I think right around midnight.'

'Okay, and then what?'

'Then? Nothing. I packed, tidied up a bit, got my clothes ready for the trip home, went to wash.'

'Okay, and then?'

'And then? Well, then, I gee, I really don't recall. I think I called Albert's room to see when he was coming back down. His line was busy. I waited a few minutes and called again. It was busy.'

'What time was that?'

'Around ten to one, maybe. I remember thinking it was pretty late for him to be on the phone.'

'Yes.'

Spencer waited. When Conni didn't say anything, he prompted her further.

'Then I I waited a little longer. Then I called Frankie's line to see if Albert was talking to him.'

'And?'

'He wasn't. I mean no one picked up.'

'So then what did you do?'

'I called Jim's room. No one picked up there either. I was a little surprised by that. Jim is a very early to bed type. I thought maybe Jim was with Kristina, maybe they made up.'

Spencer looked at Will meaningfully. Will nodded. That Jim, Spencer thought.

'What did you do then, Constance?'

'I went upstairs to see Albert. His door was locked and everything was quiet inside. So I went back downstairs and called again, and the phone was busy. So I realized it was probably off the hook or something.'

'What then?'

'I still didn't know where he was, so I went down to the lounge.'

'Was he there?'

'No. Well, actually, he was, he was just in the bathroom. But I didn't stay long. I just glanced in and left.'

'What did you see when you glanced in?'

'Die Hard on TV. One guy sitting in a chair.'

'The lights were out in the lounge? Could it have been Albert?'

'No.'

'How do you know Albert was in the bathroom?'

'He told me he was. He told me, he just came down for a beer and got caught up in the film.'

'I see,' said Spencer thinking hard. Nothing was coming to him. 'What then?'

'I ran back upstairs to my room, grabbed my coat, and went outside.'

'Where did you go?'

'I don't recall.' Conni was looking at her hands, at the table, at Will, at her hands again. But she wasn't looking at Spencer.

'How long were you gone?'

'Maybe twenty, twenty-five minutes.'

'Albert said he went up to your room around quarter past one or so and you weren't there. And that you didn't come back to the lounge till quarter to two.'

Conni rubbed her face. 'Yeah ... I guess. So maybe thirty, thirty-five minutes.'

'In the time you were gone, did you see Kristina?'

'No,' Conni said in a high voice. 'I told you, I was looking for Albert.'

'What was the panic?'

'He wasn't in his room. I got worried.'

'Worried about what? That he might have been kidnapped? Killed? Robbed? What?'

Jittery, uncertain, her bubbliness gone, Conni said, 'I can't say.'

'Try.'

'I don't know. I just got worried. He said he'd be in his room, and then he wasn't.'

'It sounds like you guys just missed each other. He went to say good-bye to Kristina '

'He did?' Conni exclaimed.

Ahhh, though Spencer. I knew it.

'Yes,' he said.

Conni was silent for a few moments. Her hands looked tense and white.

'It was just a misunderstanding between me and Albert,' she said at last. 'You know?'

'I don't know,' said Spencer. 'Let me ask you, where were you looking for him?'

'All over. All over campus.'

'Around the back of Feldberg Library? The bridge?'

'No!' exclaimed Conni. 'God, why would I look for him there?'

'Did anyone see you looking for Albert around campus at one in the morning?'

'I don't think so.'

'I don't think so either. Heavy snow, freezing cold, very late. Everyone was sleeping.'

Except Kristina, who was dying.

'You sure no one saw you?'

'I'm pretty sure.'

'Yes. Not so good.'

Silence. Then, hesitating, stuttering, she said, 'That's the truth, that's what happened.'

Spencer was getting a headache. This had been a long day for him. At nine o'clock in the evening, he was usually finished with work. This girl in front of him, small, perky, cute, was giving him a huge headache with her nonanswers.

Suddenly he remembered a small girl hurrying into Hinman Hall earlier. What did he remember about that girl? The size certainly matched. What else? The coat she wore a jacket. Yes, a jacket with a white D on the back. That's it.