Page 8 of Hawk and the Cougar

Chapter Three

The ring of the doorbell pulled Liz from the contract she was reviewing on her laptop. She rose and wound her way from her office at the back of the house to the front door. She looked out the window and saw two men on the stoop.

She opened the door. “Can I help you?”

“Good afternoon, ma’am,” the first man said. “I’m Detective Carlisle and this is Detective Lyons. Are you Elizabeth Williams?”

Detectives. So, Professor Hawkins must have reported what happened last night, as promised.

“Yes,” she said. “I’m Elizabeth Williams.”

“We would like to talk to you about an incident last night at the university parking lot,” Detective Carlisle said.

“Can I see your badges, please?” she asked.

Both men showed their badges.

Liz nodded and stepped aside. “Come in.”

She seated them on the couch in the living room, then sat on the nearest chair.

“What can I do for you?” she asked.

Detective Carlisle said, “We have a report that a black SUV tried to run you and Professor Hawkins down in the university parking lot last night.”

Liz nodded. “Yes.”

Both men took out small notebooks.

“Did you get a look at the driver?” Detective Lyons asked.

Liz shook her head. “No. Their headlights blinded me before I had a chance to see anything.”

“You say ‘they,’” Detective Carlisle said. “Was there more than one person in the vehicle?”

“Two men,” she said.

“You’re sure they were men?”

“They looked larger than women.”

“What were you doing at the university?” he asked.

Heat rippled through Liz at the memory of her accusations that the professor was having an affair with Emma. “My daughter is a student in Professor Hawkins class. I was there to speak with him about her.”

“Really?” Detective Carlisle’s gaze bore into her.

Why did she suddenly feel as if she was on trial?

“Yes. You can check with the school. But what difference does it make why I was there? I’m the one who nearly got ran over.”

“Did anyone know you were going there?” Detective Lyons asked. “Is there any reason someone would want to hurt you?”

She shook her head “No. Professor Hawkins told me he believes they were men working for Vance Reid, the developer.”

“Why would he do something like this?” Lyons asked.

“I guess there’s some kind of dispute over land that involves Professor Hawkins,” she replied. “He must have told you all this.”