Dwayne was not sociable, preferring his own company. He was fairly good looking. Height five foot ten inches; slim; black straight hair; a non-smoker; very polite. One thing he was good at was mimicry. Given a voice for one minute and he could imitate it completely. A skill that would come in handy later on.
Although he couldn't recall when he developed his plan for revenge on Professor Stone, he was certain about how to execute it. He was going to perform several dissections and leave them where the Professor would find them. He would show his technique so that he would get an A+ for his work. That way, he would show his true worth. To do this, he needed to find somewhere that the Professor, and only the Professor, would go. He would have to follow him both to and from work.
One afternoon, at six o'clock, he waited outside the Veterinary school looking for Professor Stuart Stone as he finished work. At ten minutes past six, Dwayne watched the Professor as he walked to his car, started it, and exited the car park. He followed him home.
'Well. That was easy. There is the Professor pulling into his driveway and getting out of his car. He has got no idea he is being followed. Now to do the morning routine.'
His shift at the abattoir didn't start until eight o'clock and so, from six o'clock the following morning, Dwayne waited for the Professor to arrive at the university. He watched as the Professor's car pulled into a parking space at seven o'clock. He got out, picked up a gym bag, and went into the building only to leave again, minutes later, in jogging gear. Dwayne watched as the Professor ran up the side of the building, followed by a woman, Tanya, the laboratory assistant, and Dwayne's girlfriend. There must be a path but Dwayne had to start his shift and so would return that afternoon to explore.
Later, after his shift, Dwayne returned to the university, parked near the Veterinary school, and walked up the side of the building where there was a well-worn path. This must be the route the Professor took. Dwayne walked on and came to a T junction. Now he had a problem. Which direction would the Professor take? To the right or to the left? Dwayne turned left and came across a wood. He devised a hiding spot that allowed him to observe without being detected. He would return tomorrow to determine the direction the Professor took.
The following morning found Dwayne in his hiding place in the wood waiting for either the Professor, or Tanya, to come jogging by. He didn't have to wait long before the Professor came up the track. What a stroke of luck! He had turned left. After he had gone, Dwayne followed the track back to the T-junction. There was no sign of Tanya and so he reasoned, correctly, that she must have taken the right-hand path instead.
'That was even easier. I now know what car he drives, where he lives, and the route he goes jogging and the time. I think that's all I need to know.'
His plan for the Professor was taking form.
He got into his car, drove to the abattoir, and started his shift early, feeling very pleased with himself. Throughout the shift, he was planning how to go about the dissections. He would do at least ten, starting with a frog and finishing with his pièce de résistance, which he hadn't figured out yet. He needed to take care and hide his dissection kit. Covered by a rug, there was a loose floorboard in the lounge, so he would always hide it under there when he had finished with it.
In common with her Professor, Tanya started her day at seven o'clock with a jog. She waited until he set off and followed him at a safe distance. When they got to the T-junction, she went right as the Professor went left. She wasn't sure if he knew she was there; it didn't matter anyway. The right turn meant she got back to the university first and, after a shower, was in the lab before the start of the day.
Tanya was twenty-four, five foot ten inches tall, brunette, and just about the right weight (due, no doubt, to the jogging every day). If anyone asked her if she had a thing for her boss, she would laugh and deny it, although she did secretly have a crush on him. One thing was for sure, they made a good team and they ran their dissection labs like clockwork. Tanya had a degree from the Veterinary school but did not do the extra four years of specialism needed to qualify. The Professor had taught her and supported her application for her job as laboratory technician. Her appointment filled her with joy. This is her dream job. Tanya lived with her parents, to the south of the city, about ten minutes away from work by car. Hers was a simple life. In her spare time, she studied Taekwondo self-defence, and could come and go as she pleased. Her parents were supportive of everything she did. Particularly her mother.
"Why not go back and finish the course? You did the first half without too much difficulty. I am sure the Professor will allow you to complete the degree."
"Oh mum. I like my job. I have a very easy-going boss who doesn't stress me out. I make enough money to get by on. My job suits me and I suit it."
"All I'm saying is, if you want to go back to finish the course, we will help you in any way we can. If you want to stay a lab technician, that is fine with us. Just do what makes you happy."
"Thanks mum. I'll stay as I am."
The Professor had been in his current job for ten years. He was a tall man, six-foot one inch, with a head of unruly brown hair and glasses. He was young, by Professorial standards, only fifty-four years old. Twenty years of work made him the world's foremost expert on Feline Immunodeficiency Virus, or FIV. Married to Suzy for twenty-five years, theirs was a childless marriage built on mutual respect. They had a child substitute, though; a black Labrador named Henry. He was the focus of their life and they didn't know what they would do without him. Henry was their third dog. They had always had rescue dogs. Their first was Rex, a German Sheperd, as loving as you ever thought. Henry was a typical Labrador. Just plain silly. The Professor lived with his wife, Suzy, about twenty minutes' drive from work. He did not know what Dwayne had in store for him over the next two weeks.