She was a few minutes early for her seven-o’clock appointment, but the door was open several inches. Hesitantly, she knocked. “Good morning,” called a muffled voice. “Come in.” Tracy pushed open the door and blinked. No lights were on, and the blinds were closed, making the room dim after the brightly lit hallway. “Thanks for seeing me on such short notice.” She stepped inside and shifted her load of library books to one hip. “It’s important, or I wouldn’t bother you.” “Back here.” Thinking the professor must be using the copy machine in an alcove in the far corner of the office, Tracy moved past the desk. “It’s about my research paper,” she said. “I know it’s due on Friday, but I’ve got this jerk ex-boyfriend, and—” The tall figure rose out of the shadows like a malevolent ghost. Tracy opened her mouth to scream, but a fist slammed into her midsection, knocking the air out of her, making it impossible to utter more than a strangled whimper. She would have fallen from the force of the blow, but her attacker lunged past and seized her from behind.
