She was struck by how calm and pretty the campus seemed. A blue sky and morning sun bathed the buildings in postcard-perfect light. Yesterday’s events—the trip to the morgue, running from Rudker, protesters in front of the building—seemed surreal now, as if they had all been part of a crazy dream.It was no dream, and it wasn’t over.Paralyzed with fear, she was unable to get out of the truck. She wanted desperately to walk away and avoid the confrontation she knew was coming. The chance that she could salvage her job was so slim, it hardly seemed worth the humiliation of going back in there. Because the chance existed at all, she had to try. Sula willed herself to open the door and step out. Once she had the momentum going, she kept moving.Inside the building, Cliff stood at his usual spot next to the metal detector walk-through. Sula braced herself for the possibility that he would hand her a small box containing her personal items and turn her away. Instead, he greeted her cheerfully.
