Paws and Effect Read Online Free

schedule. The four of us ended up at the same lab bench.”
    â€œAnd?” I nudged, knowing from the sound of his voice that there was more to the story. His face reddened. I raised an eyebrow at him à la
Star Trek
’s Mr. Spock.
    â€œWe were staining slides. We had to use a Bunsenburner for one of them . . . and then a fire extinguisher.”
    â€œSo the four of you bonded when you started a fire in the biology lab and then had to put it out with a fire extinguisher?”
    Dani shook her head. “No, it wasn’t like that,” she said, laughter sparkling in her green eyes. “And technically it was the sprinkler system that put the fire out.” She held up a hand before I could say anything. “
And
it wasn’t our fault that the sprinkler system activated in the first place. That was because of Dr. Martindale’s hair.”
    â€œYou’ve lost me,” I said. “Who’s Dr. Martindale?”
    â€œBio prof,” John said, frowning as though the answer should have been obvious.
    â€œAnd it was his hair that set off the sprinklers?” I was still lost.
    He nodded.
    â€œBecause he was wearing a tiki-torch hat?”
    â€œVery funny,” he said, “but no. When Travis set his slide on fire with the Bunsen burner he dropped it in the sink. The problem was whoever had been in the lab before us had dumped alcohol down that sink.”
    â€œWhich was not my fault,” Travis interjected.
    â€œI think I get the picture,” I said. “But I still don’t understand how the professor’s hair set off the sprinklers.”
    â€œIt wasn’t exactly
his
hair, if you get what I mean,” Dani said with a Cheshire-cat grin.
    I nodded. “I’m starting to.”
    â€œDr. Martindale was an excitable kind of guy.”Travis looked toward the front of the restaurant. When he caught Claire’s attention he pointed at his cup the same way I’d seen him do earlier.
    â€œFlaming hair will do that to you, I’m guessing,” I said.
    Claire arrived at the table with the coffeepot then. As she filled my cup I met her gaze and held up one finger. She nodded almost imperceptibly and I felt confident that she knew I intended to take care of the bill.
    â€œOkay, Dr. Martindale’s alleged hair was on fire,” I said as I doctored my coffee. “Then what happened?” It was impossible to keep my smile contained.
    John made a face. “He had on a pair of those big plastic goggles you wear in the lab and when he pulled them off his hair got caught in the strap and it”—he made a rolling motion with one hand—“kind of somersaulted into the sink.” He shrugged. “You know, I was never really sure that hair
was
human hair.”
    â€œYou’re making this up,” I said, shaking with laughter. Even Marcus was smiling at the memory.
    â€œNo, we’re not,” John insisted. He held up one hand, palm facing out. “I swear it’s the truth. There was a lot of smoke, the sprinklers went off and we had to evacuate the building. That was the end of the lab. We all ended up at this bar just off campus.” He shrugged again. “That’s really how we got to know each other. We all pretty much agreed without talking about it that we weren’t going to say a word about Dr. Martindale’s hair being the reason the sprinklers went off.”
    â€œI can see how it would have been a hot-button issue for him,” I said, dissolving into laughter again.
    â€œI think we were probably the reason Dr. Martindale retired at the end of the year.” John winked at me and reached for his coffee.
    â€œYou mean the field trip,” Travis said. The smile on his face was more like a smirk. “Yeah, I think that cemented it for Martindale.”
    A look passed between Marcus and Dani, so quickly that I wasn’t completely certain I’d seen it at all.
    Dani