“What?” Professor Jeremy Martin almost shouted into his office telephone.
Across campus, Meagan, the Dean’s assistant, turned her back on the hearing officers as she prepared to speak more loudly.
“I said that the Dean would like to ask you a few questions about Professor Emerson and Julianne Mitchell. Professor Emerson just confessed to having broken several university policies with respect to her. Can you hold the line, please, while I put you on speaker phone?”
“Holy God,” breathed Jeremy, blinking and gaping like a fish.
“Professor Martin? The hearing officers would like to speak to you now.” Meagan turned and locked eyes with the Dean.
“I’ll be right there. Ask the Dean not to do anything until I arrive!” Jeremy slammed the telephone down on his desk and quickly exited his office, forgetting to close and lock the door behind him. He jogged out of the building and across Queen’s Park, pausing only to avoid being run over by downtown traffic. By the time he’d traversed the few blocks to where the hearing committee sat, he was winded, disheveled, and incredibly annoyed at how out of shape he was.
“Stop,” he panted, bursting through the doors. He placed his hands on his knees so he could attempt to catch his breath.
“Thank you for joining us, Professor Martin.” The Dean’s tone was sarcastic.
“I came — as fast — as I could. What’s — going on?”
The Dean gestured to his assistant to fetch the ailing professor a glass of water, which he drank gratefully. The beverage gave him a moment to find Gabriel, who was sitting stoically next to his lawyer.
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The Dean frowned. “It appears that things are amiss in your department. Professor Emerson has just confessed to pursuing Miss Mitchell and engaging in an amorous relationship with her while she was his student. I’d like to know how long you’ve known about this.”
“Excuse me?” Jeremy grabbed a chair and sat on it heavily.
“You told us Professor Emerson disclosed his relationship with Miss Mitchell to you this semester, but that you couldn’t recall when. I’m wondering if you had any inkling that they were involved last semester?”
Jeremy’s eyebrows knitted together in confusion. “I — what?”
“Gabriel Emerson tried to cover up his affair with his student by transferring her thesis supervision and seminar work to Katherine Picton,” Professor Mwangi explained. “What did you know about this and when?”
Jeremy’s expression grew grim. “With respect, am I on trial here or is Gabriel? I was told that you wanted to ask me questions about a matter arising between Gabriel and Miss Mitchell. I was offered no indication that I was under suspicion, otherwise I would have informed the Faculty Association and brought my union representative.”
Professor Mwangi abruptly closed his mouth.
“Jeremy, there’s no need to be defensive. We’re simply interested in whether or not you can shed any light on the account Professor Emerson has offered us. That’s all.” The Dean offered a withering look in Robert’s direction.
“We can return to the question of the timeline in a moment. I’m interested in an email that Miss Mitchell sent to Professor Emerson in which she accused him of harassment and told him that she would be returning the M. P. Emerson bursary. What can you tell us about that?”
Jeremy’s eyes slid over to Gabriel’s.
He had no idea why Gabriel had confessed; it didn’t make sense. He was far more likely to avoid any kind of discipline if he said nothing. Having confessed, he’d handed his career to the Dean in an act that could only be described as academic hara-kiri. Moreover, he’d implicated Jeremy with his confession, and that was something he did not appreciate, not one bit.
“I know of no such harassment. In my position as Chair of Italian Studies, I have a spotless record of upholding university policies.”
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He glanced in Meagan’s direction. “And I’d like my administrative record to be included as part of this proceeding.”
The Dean waved a hand at his assistant, acquiescing to Jeremy’s demand.
He looked at the hearing officers. “Has Miss Mitchell filed a harassment complaint?”
The hearing officers shook their heads.
“May I see the email?”
The Dean nodded to Meagan, and she quickly passed a piece of paper to Jeremy.
He used this opportunity to buy some time for his over-wrought brain, hoping to get some clue from Gabriel’s body language as to what the devil he’d been thinking. But still, Gabriel would not look at him, simply sitting stone-faced, clenching his fists.
“Since Miss Mitchell never reported the harassment, I can only infer that she changed her mind. Perhaps she sent the email in haste and repented at leisure. It sounds as if she didn’t hold his behavior against him.” Jeremy handed the paper back to Meagan.
“What do you know about the bursary?” asked Professor Chakravartty.
Jeremy’s eyes flitted to the Dean’s. “I advised the Dean in an email that donor services was approached by a philanthropic organization from the United States, whose name escapes me. The charity wished to bestow a bursary on the top MA student in my department. That’s all I know.”
“What’s the connection between Professor Emerson and the bursary?” asked the Dean.
Jeremy shrugged. “None.”
Professor Mwangi clasped his fingers together on the table in front of him. “I find that difficult to believe. There is a coincidence of name, department, and student. Miss Mitchell seems to have associated the bursary with Professor Emerson — why else would she threaten to return it?”
Jeremy smiled wryly. “Do you remember what life was like when you were a grad student? Living on coffee and ramen noodles and going without sleep? Students engage in all kinds of erratic behavior under those conditions. I’m sure we’ve all seen worse.
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“I assure you — ” At this, he nodded in Gabriel’s direction. “Professor Emerson had nothing to do with the bursary. I’m the one who awarded it, and I did so based on the fact that Miss Mitchell was the top master’s student admitted into our program. You can speak to Tracy in donor services about the charity that made the donation and you can view her paperwork.”
Gabriel tried very hard to hide his surprise at the fact that his chair was defending him. He fidgeted in his seat, swiping a hand through his hair as he waited to see how the Dean would respond.
“That won’t be necessary.” The Dean took off his glasses and nibbled at one of the ends of the arms thoughtfully. “As you’ve heard, Professor Emerson has confessed, taking upon himself full responsibility for his involvement with Miss Mitchell. By his own admission, he played on her vulnerability, promising her that ‘he would take care’ of their situation. His use of Professor Picton seems to bear that out, as does Miss Mitchell’s nervous behavior during these proceedings.
“Since Professor Emerson was in a position of power over Miss Mitchell, and since more than witness has testified that he was initially very harsh with her, we don’t believe that their relationship was consensual.” At this, his eyes met Professor Chakravartty’s, who nodded triumphantly. “Consequently, we are inclined to excuse her perjury, since it was clearly under duress, and we will dismiss any allegations against her. Unless you can suggest a reason why we shouldn’t.”
Gabriel caught Jeremy’s eye with a stare so sharp, Jeremy almost winced.
“I see no reason why Miss Mitchell should be punished, no.” Jeremy tugged at his shirt collar uncomfortably.
“We will be encouraging Miss Mitchell to consider the possibility of filing a harassment complaint. Having said that, and given the fact that Professor Emerson has been forthcoming, I’m not inclined to drag this matter out. However, I wonder if I should recommend to the Provost that your department be placed under scrutiny. We’re facing a lawsuit from another of your students, Miss Peterson. And Miss Mitchell has filed a harassment complaint against her. That’s several unfortunate events in one semester, Professor Martin. What is going on in your department?” The Dean gave Jeremy a stern look.
He straightened his spine. “I am as surprised and distressed as you are. But surely you can’t blame me for failing to have a prurient interest in the personal lives of those in my department.”
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“No, but we expect you to maintain a safe environment for students, especially females.” Professor Chakravartty’s tone was firm and disapproving.
The Dean nodded in her direction. “Nevertheless, I am cognizant of your spotless record and the reputation of your department. So I’d like to ask for your input on what we should do in terms of consequences for these policy violations, and I invite you to meet with us while we discuss it.” The Dean waved Jeremy over.
Jeremy cleared his throat. “Thank you. I’d like a word with Professor Emerson first.”
“His testimony has been minuted. Meagan will provide you with a transcript.”
“Since I am his supervisor, I’d prefer to ask my own questions. I doubt you’d deny me that right, as his Chair.”
The Dean frowned. “Very well. You have five minutes.”
With a nod of his head, Jeremy walked to the door, waiting for Gabriel to join him.
Gabriel waved aside John’s attempt at accompanying him and walked slowly strode toward his old friend, his shoulders sagging.
“What the fuck have you done?” Jeremy hissed, turning his back on the hearing officers.
Gabriel mirrored his position. “They were going to suspend the meeting and launch an extended investigation. Julianne would have lost her spot at Harvard, not to mention the fact that she was in danger of being punished for academic fraud and perjury.”
“What the hell do you think is going to happen now? The Dean could dismiss you!”
“Before I made my statement, my lawyer asked for leniency. The Dean agreed, provided I wasn’t involved in any criminal activity.”
Jeremy scrubbed at his face with his hands. “So you went ahead and admitted everything? Are you crazy? You should have kept your mouth shut.”
“And ruin Julianne’s life? Never!”
Jeremy gave his colleague a long, cold look. “They could revoke your tenure. If you’re dismissed, no university will touch you. Your career will be over.”
Gabriel’s expression hardened. “I don’t care.”
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“Well, I do!” Jeremy fumed. “I’m not about to lose one of my best professors over some grad student. With all the funding cuts being made in our division, I might not be able to replace you. It’s bad enough we have only one Dante specialist. How am I supposed to run a decent department without one?”
“That isn’t my problem.”
“The hell it isn’t.” Jeremy glared. “You and Julianne and — and that Christa are crippling my department in one fell swoop. Even if I could get permission to replace you, who is going to want to work for me when news of Christa’s lawsuit gets out? Not to mention your affair with Julianne!”
“It wasn’t an affair,” Gabriel whispered, stubbornly. “The Dean promised complete confidentiality. That’s why I agreed to speak on the record.”
Jeremy shook his head in disbelief. “You just don’t get it, do you? I’m your friend. And you made me look like an imbecile in front of my boss. It’s quite possible they’re going to investigate me in order to discover what I knew and when. I’ll have to appear before God knows how many committees and possibly in court!”
“I’m sorry,” said Gabriel stiffly.
“You should be. I look like an idiot who allowed a predatory professor to wreak havoc on two female grad students. You’re lucky Tara is on the committee and not the Chair of Women’s Studies. She would have strung you up by your balls in the middle of campus.”
Gabriel straightened his shoulders. “I’ll tell them you knew nothing and take the consequences.”
Jeremy took a step closer, staring his younger colleague straight in the eye. “Don’t give me that martyrdom bullshit. You’re hurting a lot of people in your quest to protect your conquest. Now my ass is on the line. What do you think is going to happen to her if they fire you?”
“If they try to fire me, I’ll sue them.”
Jeremy put his hands on his waist. “It will be too late. As soon as you’re dismissed, the people at Harvard will hear about it and Julianne’s MA will be tainted. You’ll ruin her and my reputation and the reputation of all the other professors and students in my department. We’ll all be tarred with your brush.” Jeremy shook his head. “How could you do this to us?”
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Gabriel was silent, slowly clenching and unclenching his fists.
Jeremy swore loudly and was about to turn away when Gabriel caught his arm. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s too late for apologies.”
“I didn’t realize this would have implications for you and everyone else. I wasn’t thinking.” Gabriel paused, a tortured look on his face. “Help us. Please.”
Jeremy stared in disbelief. Professor Emerson looked panicked and desperate, which was an expression he’d never seen before. “You’ve done a tremendous amount of damage trying to protect her. You should have denied everything.”
“Then the Dean would have punished her or dragged the investigation out.”
“She could have re-applied next year.”
“And been turned down outright. The longer the investigation continued, the more likely that details would be leaked. It’s a small academic community and you know it.”
“Of course I know it.” Jeremy shook his head. “And you knew better than to fuck a student.”
Gabriel’s face reddened and he took a menacing step forward. “I didn’t fuck her.”
“The hell you didn’t. Now we’re all fucked,” Jeremy snapped.
Gabriel’s nostrils flared as he held back an angry retort.
Jeremy gave his friend a long, searching look. “My first priority is to my department. But I don’t want to see you or Julianne ruined. Enough young women have suffered at the hands of their professors, don’t you agree?”
Gabriel was silent, his lips pressed together.
“I’ll help you, but we’re doing this my way. Do you understand? I’m not risking everything so you can turn around and fuck it up again.”
Gabriel paused. Then he nodded his agreement.
“Now all I have to do is convince the Dean to be satisfied with an ounce of your flesh rather than a pound.”
With barely an acknowledgement, Jeremy walked to the front of the room and joined the hearing officers in their deliberations.
Gabriel hung his head, breathing a restrained sigh of relief.
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