The union hummed with midday activity—students hunched over laptops, groups gathered around tables, the scent of coffee and grilled sandwiches filling the air.Bill spotted April immediately, seated at a corner table with a clear view of the entrance.Smart girl.
April raised a hand in greeting as he approached.She wore a Jefferson Bell sweatshirt and jeans, blending in with every other student.
“Bill,” she said, standing to greet him.“Thank you for coming.”
He gave her a brief, reassuring hug.“Of course.Your mom would have come herself if she could.”
They sat across from each other, Bill positioning himself to keep the entrance in his line of sight.
“Have you seen him today?”Bill asked, his voice low despite the ambient noise of the busy commons.
April shook her head.“No.Not since that time in the cafeteria last week.I still can’t believe he was one of Mom’s students.He seemed so...normal.”
“That’s what makes someone like Dillard dangerous.”
“He never mentioned Mom.Not once.”
“What did you tell you about himself?”
“Not much.He mentioned that he was working in a local bookstore until he could save up enough money for tuition.Other than that, we talked about books we’d both read.At the time, I just thought he was making conversation.”
Bill leaned forward.“I’d like to speak with your professor.The one teaching the American Politics class that Dillard was auditing.”
April nodded.“That’s Professor Elena Winters.Her office hours should be starting now.I can show you where her office is.”
“Good,” Bill said, standing.“I’ve also arranged for campus security to increase patrols around your dorm and classroom buildings.And I’d like you to check in with your mother or me at regular intervals until we locate Dillard.”
As they walked out of the student union into the midday sunshine, students streamed past, backpacks slung over shoulders, engaged in animated conversations or staring at phones.
“Professor Winters’ office is in Hamilton Hall,” April said, pointing toward a stately building across the quad.“Second floor.She’s really nice—intense about politics, but fair.She lets people audit classes pretty freely, says it encourages civic engagement.”
“Has security spoken with you yet about Dillard?”
“This morning,” April confirmed.“They took down his description and said they’d check the visitor logs and surveillance footage.But if he wasn’t officially enrolled...”
“We’ll find him,” Bill assured her, though he knew that if Dillard had any sense—and obsessives like him were often quite cunning—he’d be keeping his distance from campus now.
They crossed the quad, Bill maintaining a position slightly behind and to April’s right—a protective stance instinctive to his training.He noted with approval that she walked with awareness, her gaze systematically scanning their surroundings.
“There’s Hamilton,” April said, gesturing toward a four-story brick building with white columns framing the entrance.“Professor Winters’ office is Room 237.”
As they climbed the steps to the entrance, Bill felt a peculiar mixture of emotions.Pride in April’s composure.Anger at Dillard.And something deeper, more personal—a fierce protectiveness.
He realized with sudden clarity that somewhere along the line, April had become like a daughter to him.Not just Riley’s daughter, but someone he cared for deeply.He thought of his own sons, now living far away with his ex-wife Maggie, and felt the familiar ache of their long absence—an ache somehow soothed by his new growing bonds.
“It’s this way,” April said, leading him down a hallway.She stopped before a door with a small nameplate reading “Prof.Elena Winters, Ph.D.”Beneath it, a handwritten note announced “Office Hours: M-W-F 12–2 PM.”
“Do you want me to wait?”April asked.
Bill shook his head.“No need.Why don’t you head to your next class?Text me when you get there, and again when it’s over.”He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.“We’re going to handle this, April.Try not to worry.”
She nodded, attempting a brave smile that reminded him so much of Riley that his chest tightened.“Thanks, Bill.For coming all this way.”
“Always,” he replied simply.
As April walked away, Bill turned toward Professor Winters’ door.Finding Leo Dillard had just become his highest priority, not just for Riley’s peace of mind, but for his own.
***
