“Yes.”
She was not as thrilled as she ought to be. “Can you do it?”
“After this bad publicity I’m going to have trouble getting anyone to let me use their database.”
“Damn!”
“But there is one possibility. I’ve already run a sweep of the FBI fingerprint file.”
Steve’s spirits rocketed again. “Dennis is sure to be on their files. If the third one has ever had his prints taken the sweep will have picked him up! This is great!”
“But the results are on a floppy disk in my office.”
“Oh, no! And you’ve been locked out!”
“Yes.”
“Hell, I’ll bust down the door. Let’s go there now, what are we waiting for?”
“You could end up back in jail. And there may be an easier way.”
With an effort Steve calmed down. “You’re right. There has to be another way of getting that disk.”
Jeannie picked up the phone. “I asked Lisa Hoxton to try to get into my office. Let’s see if she succeeded.” She dialed a number. “Hey, Lisa, how are you.…Me? Not too good. Listen, this is going to sound incredible to you.” She summarized what she had found out. “I know it’s hard to believe, but I can prove it if I can get my hands on that floppy disk.… You couldn’t get into my office? Shit.” Jeannie’s face fell. “Well, thanks for trying. I know you took a chance. I really appreciate it.…Yeah. Bye.”
She hung up and said: “Lisa tried to persuade a security guard to let her in. She almost succeeded, then he checked with his superior and almost got fired.”
“What do we try next?”
“If I get my job back tomorrow morning at the hearing I can just walk into my office.”
“Who’s your lawyer?”
“I don’t have a lawyer, I’ve never needed one.”
“You can bet the college will have the most expensive lawyer in town.”
“Shit. I can’t afford a lawyer.”
Steve hardly dared to say what was in his mind. “Well … I’m a lawyer.”
She looked speculatively at him.
“I’ve only done a year of law school, but in our advocacy exercises I scored highest in my class.” He was thrilled by the idea of defending her against the might of Jones Falls University. But would she think him too young and inexperienced? He tried to read her mind and failed. She kept looking at him. He stared right back, gazing into her dark eyes. I could do this indefinitely, he thought.
Then she leaned over and kissed him on the lips, lightly and fleetingly. “Hell, Steve, you’re the real thing,” she said.
It was a very quick kiss, but it was electric. He felt great. He was not sure what she meant by “the real thing,” but it must be good.
He would have to justify her faith in him. He began to worry about the hearing. “Do you have any idea of the rules of the committee, the procedure for the hearing?”
She reached into her canvas briefcase and handed him a cardboard folder.
He scanned the contents. The rules were a mixture of college tradition and modern legal jargon. Offenses for which faculty could be dismissed included blasphemy and sodomy, but the one that seemed most relevant to Jeannie was traditionaclass="underline" bringing the university into infamy and disrepute.
The discipline committee did not in fact have the final say; it merely made a recommendation to the senate, the governing body of the university. That was worth knowing. If Jeannie lost tomorrow, the senate might serve as a court of appeal.
“Do you have a copy of your contract?” Steve asked.
“Sure.” Jeannie went to a small desk in the corner and opened a file drawer. “Here it is.”
Steve read it quickly. In clause twelve she agreed to be bound by the decisions of the university’s senate. That would make it difficult for her to legally challenge the final decision.
He returned to the discipline committee rules. “It says you have to notify the chair in advance if you wish to be represented by a lawyer or other person,” he said.
“I’ll call Jack Budgen right away,” Jeannie said. “It’s eight o’clock—he’ll be at home.” She picked up the phone.
“Wait,” Steve said. “Let’s think about the conversation first.”
“You’re so right. You’re thinking strategically, and I’m not.”
Steve felt pleased. The first piece of advice he had given as her lawyer had been good. “This man holds your fate in his hands. What’s he like?”
“He’s chief librarian, and my tennis opponent.”
“The guy you were playing on Sunday?”
“Yes. An administrator rather than an academic. A good tactical player, but my guess is he never had the killer instinct to make it to the top in tennis.”
“Okay, so he has a somewhat competitive relationship with you.”
“I guess so.”
“Now, what impression do we want to give him?” He ticked points on his fingers. “One: We want to appear upbeat and confident of success. You’re looking forward eagerly to the hearing. You’re innocent, you’re glad of the opportunity to prove it, and you have faith that the committee will see the truth of the matter, under Budgen’s wise direction.”
“Okay.”
“Two: You’re the underdog. You’re a weak, helpless girl—”
“Are you kidding?”
He grinned. “Scratch that. You’re a very junior academic and you’re up against Berrington and Obeli, two wily old operators who are used to getting their own way at JFU. Hell, you can’t even afford a real lawyer. Is Budgen Jewish?”
“I don’t know. He might be.”
“I hope so. Minorities are more likely to turn against the Establishment. Three: The story of why Berrington is persecuting you like this has to come out. It’s a shocking story, but it must be told.”
“How does it help me to say that?”
“It plants the idea that Berrington might have something to hide.”
“Good. Anything else?”
“I don’t think so.”
Jeannie dialed the number and handed him the phone.
Steve took it with trepidation. This was the first call he had ever made as someone’s lawyer. Pray God I don’t screw up.
As he listened to the ringing tone, he tried to recall how Jack Budgen played tennis. Steve had been concentrating on Jeannie, of course, but he remembered a fit, bald man of about fifty, playing a well-paced, wily game. Budgen had defeated Jeannie even though she was younger and stronger. Steve vowed not to underestimate him.
The phone was answered in a quiet, cultured voice. “Hello?”
“Professor Budgen, my name is Steven Logan.”
There was a short pause. “Do I know you, Mr. Logan?”
“No, sir. I’m calling you in your capacity as chair of the discipline committee of Jones Falls University, to let you know that I’ll be accompanying Dr. Ferrami tomorrow. She’s looking forward to the hearing and she’s eager to lay these charges to rest.”
Budgen’s tone was cool. “Are you a lawyer?”
Steve found his breath coming fast, as if he had been running, and he made an effort to stay calm. “I’m at law school. Dr. Ferrami can’t afford a lawyer. However, I’m going to do my best to help her present her case clearly, and if I go wrong I’ll have to throw myself on your mercy.” He paused, giving Budgen the chance to make a friendly remark or even just a sympathetic grunt; but there was a cold silence. Steve plowed on. “May I ask who will be representing the college?”
“I understand they’ve hired Henry Quinn, from Harvey Horrocks Quinn.”
Steve was awestruck. It was one of the oldest firms in Washington. He tried to sound relaxed. “A deeply respectable WASP law firm,” he remarked with a small chuckle.