13 – This Gift, This Curse

 

 

An hour later, after a short stop at the drop-in spot where Mick managed to get a decent pair of boots and a lightweight jacket—he now wore it under his heavier one—they arrived at the campus.

 

"How the hell are we going to find them?" Mick muttered, watching all the students moving between the buildings.

 

"Good question," Will replied. "Luck, maybe."

 

"Luck, definitely. Too bad we don't know if he lives on campus or not."

 

Will frowned, trying to recall the back of the building from his vision. "I don't think he does," he said. "The place I saw was definitely much older than the buildings here and too small to be a dorm."

 

"Would you recognize it if you saw it again?"

 

"Probably, but it's a big city. We could spend weeks checking out all the apartment buildings."

 

"When you were in college, did you live far from campus?"

 

Will cocked an eyebrow. "What makes you think I went to college?"

 

"Well, you couldn't have been a teacher if you didn't go," Mick replied, while keeping his eyes open for anyone who looked like the guy they were searching for.

 

"Why are you fixated on the idea I was a teacher?"

 

"Because you're good at it." Mick glanced at him. "Were you?"

 

Will threw up his hands in defeat. "Guess there's no reason not to say at this point. Yeah," he lied, "I was for a while, before I ended up on the streets."

 

"How come you quit doing it?"

 

"Because. And that's all you get as an answer for now."

 

"Geesh. You're more tight-lipped than…a gangster."

 

Will laughed. "And how many tight-lipped gangsters have you run into?"

 

"None, except in some of the books you've found for me to read. And you never answered my original question. Did you live far from campus?"

 

"Actually, no, since I didn't have a car. I stayed within walking distance."

 

"So maybe this guy's the same way."

 

"I suppose it's a starting place, because for sure we'd have to be very lucky to spot him here."

 

"No shit. So let's go troll the alleys." Mick grinned. "Maybe we'll find you some new clothes while we're at it."

 

Will resisted the urge to flip him off, mainly because he didn't want to reinforce that sort of thing with Mick, even though he knew it was too late. Instead, he took off at a fast pace down the street with Mick right beside him.