It was the same afternoon that I met up with one of the other professors in anthropology at the university. Dr. Cage had told me that talking to Dr. Velmer would have to be my first priority, since she was the first one Dr. Cage told about her tremendous discovery in Cairo. So there I was, standing in the doorway of Dr. Velmer's large office in the college anthropology department. Samantha Velmer was tall and lean, with jet-black hair and a pair of almond-shaped green eyes. With a figure to knock even the above-average woman off her feet - myself included - she looked like a supermodel as opposed to a professor. As soon as she opened her mouth, however, I knew the woman had an IQ that'd probably shoot through the roof of the Empire State building. "Detective Monroe, it's nice to meet you," Dr. Velmer said as she approached me with an extended hand, her fingernails perfectly manicured. She wore a gray suit with her hair pulled tight against her head, exposing a pronounced widow's peak. "It's nice to meet you, too, Dr. Velmer." Her handshake was surprisingly firm and sturdy. "Please, call me Samantha." She smiled and batted her eyelashes twice. Moving to the area behind her desk, she asked, "Won't you sit?" "Yes, thank you." I sat on the other side of her desk. "First, I'd like to say how sorry I am to hear that such an artifact was taken from Melissa," she sighed. "She's worked so hard to get to this point, it really is a shame." "Indeed it is," I replied. "How exactly do you know Dr. Cage, may I ask?" "Through the school library, back when we were still students ourselves. We bumped into each other, looking for books about Egyptian artifacts. I've remained loosely acquainted with her since then." "Do either of you do anything after school hours?" I asked, bringing out my trusty notebook and pen. "Like what?" "Oh, I don't know...coffee, lunch...maybe the occasional game of put-put golf?" She laughed quietly. "We'd go out for coffee sometimes, when she first began teaching here. We don't anymore, though. For me, being a professor and a single mother doesn't leave much room for coffee with colleagues." She paused. "Though, she did come over to my house before her trip to Cairo for some tea. I invited her, sort of a celebratory tea, if you will, with the rest of the professors. It was her first time taking students out on an excavation with her. She was nervous and needed to be around a few familiar faces." "What day was this?" "Mm...let me see, she left that weekend...Thursday, I'd say." "Was she acting strangely?" I asked, writing down the information she had disclosed so far. "Melissa always acts strangely," Dr. Velmer laughed. "But she didn't seem too bothered. Mind you, it's not easy taking a bunch of college students to an excavation site. She had her worries, and rightly so. Other then that, though, she seemed perfectly alright." "When's the last time you were in Dr. Cage's house?" "I've never been," she admitted, "but I hear it's a lovely place, from what some of the students tell me." "Students?" My brow rose in question. "Oh yes. Melissa tutors students sometimes." "I see..." "You mustn't worry about any of them, though," she said, frowning slightly. "They might be a little rowdy at times, but we have only the best students in our department. If they had any intention on studying one of the artifacts she's collected, they'd surely ask before doing so." "Ah." I closed my notebook and put my pen behind my ear. "I think I have enough information at the moment." I stood. Dr. Velmer once again extended her hand, and we shook. "If there's anything I can do to help, please let me know." "I will." "Do you think it would be alright if I called Melissa later on this evening, just to see how she's doing? The poor dear must be a wreck." "I don't see why not. Your business is yours, ma'am." We said our farewells and I left the college campus, pulling my trench coat tightly around me after a cold gust of wind, and headed back to Dr. Cage's home. When I arrived, she opened the door anxiously and granted me entry. Much to my surprise, Spencer was standing at her heel, looking just as worried. "Spence, ole buddy!" I exclaimed, making a grab for him. He climbed into my arms and began purring. "I saw him sitting in the window. Couldn't leave him out in the cold. So he's yours, then?" "Yeah, he's my sidekick." I smiled and scratched him behind the ear. "What did Dr. Velmer have to say?" Dr. Cage asked nervously. I shrugged. "She answered all my questions, was very helpful. But now I have a task for you." "Oh?" "I need a list of the students you tutor, and the students that were on your excavation trip with you." "Of course," she said. I sat on her couch with my notebook and pen as she rattled off the names of her students. "You don't think they had anything to do with it, do you?" she asked once she was through. "Well, Dr. Cage...there's only one way to find out." NEXT TIME: TEACHER'S PET