Page 17 of Mending Fences
CHAPTER NINE
By the time her Tuesday prep period came, Mandy’s students had mostly returned to their less-active selves. Today she’d brought a sandwich for lunch so she could eat at her desk. When the lunch bell rang, she continued working on the windows of the mansion.
Near the end of the hour, her phone rang. She struggled to understand the excited voice on the other end.
“A new lens and camera were donated?” Mandy resisted the urge to recheck the phone to make sure the call was really from Professor Christensen.
“It showed up this morning in the dean’s office by special carrier. No return address. Campus security swarmed the place, thinking the package might be a bomb since it wasn’t delivered to central receiving.” Dr. Christensen chuckled. “They were ready to send it through the X-ray and a bunch of other tests until I pointed out it was an original Nikon box with the seals still intact. They still cleared the office while the one officer volunteered to open it.”
“Any idea who sent it?” Mandy tossed the remains of her lunch in the trash.
“No. Since it wasn’t a bomb, security stopped trying to find the guy who’d made the delivery. Did you get any of the grant requests out?”
“I only finished writing them this morning. I was going to email them for your approval.” Mandy closed the mansion photo.
“It is odd that someone would donate to the university in a way that wouldn’t get them a tax deduction. Eighty thousand isn’t exactly a small gift.”
“Eighty? I thought the replacement cost sixty.” Mandy jotted the number on a pad. So many circles.
“Newer camera and better lens.”
“Wow.” Mandy sat back in her chair.
“Since we have no idea where it came from, the dean decided you don’t owe the school any money. I think he is happy not to have to aggressively pursue the insurance claims.”
The bell rang.
“Thanks for calling, Dr. Christensen. My next class is going to begin. I’ll see you Thursday.” Mandy disconnected the call as the first few students bounded into the art room.
Candace removed the black plastic microwave tray from Mandy’s hands and replaced it with her tablet. “Check this out.”
Daniel’s face filled the screen. Mandy set the tablet on the couch next to her. “I’m not interested in seeing any more of Daniel Crawford.” Maybe if she ignored him, the microscopic crush would shrivel up and die.
“Read the headline.” Candace sat down next to Mandy and picked the tablet up.
“If You Can’t Beat ’em, Join ’em: DC Buys Paparazzi-Worthy Camera.” Mandy took the tablet from her roommate’s hand.
Daniel Crawford was spotted exiting a high-end Chicago-area camera store Monday evening. According to our sources, he purchased a camera and telephoto lens valued at more than $80k after spending approximately an hour talking with the store owner, who declined to comment.
DC has been rather vocal about his distaste for the paparazzi since the Summerset Vandemark incident last December, calling for stronger ethics and privacy guidelines for the industry, including those who buy and publish photos.
Several of the photographers who took pictures of an apparently inebriated Summerset Vandemark after her fall at a New York City hotel before New Year’s are facing charges for assault after blocking emergency medical personnel at the scene. The trial is set for early April, as well as a suit against the hotel by Miss Vandemark. Mr. Crawford is expected to be a key witness in both trials. Close sources claim she was at the hotel with Mr. Crawford, who was not present at the time of her accident but arrived in time to render assistance.
Rumors persist that the couple has not separated. Despite the fact, Daniel has been seen publicly with several women since mid-January, including Summerset at an Academy Awards after-party where witnesses report she dumped Daniel in a drunken rage.
Is Daniel trying to maintain his relationship with the socialite, disguised as one of the photographers who follows her every move, or is he doing research for the upcoming trial? We hope to have all the answers for you as the trial begins next week.
Mandy handed the tablet back.
“Well?” asked Candace.
“Well, what? He bought a camera. He is a billionaire; he buys lots of things.” Mandy tried to shrug off the question.
“The night before, a camera of the same value is mysteriously donated to the Art and Design school?”
She refused to be baited. “Coincidence.”
Candace huffed. “Seriously? Are you blind? He bought the camera for you.”
