Page 66 of Private Tutoring
I hadn’t seen him like this in years. “Everything that’s happened is centered around Harmony. Now she’s saying she’s taking the semester off. It just doesn’t feel right.”
“Agreed.” Matthew stood. “Let’s see if we can talk to her.”
We had to either make things right or at least understand what had gone wrong.
My cell phone rang, followed by Matthew’s. I slid mine from my pocket and grimaced at the number. “It’s the dean.”
“Same.” Matthew answered with a brisk, “Hello?”
I joined the call while glancing at Stephen.
He shook his head. “Forgot my phone this morning.”
I grunted as Dean Carpenter’s voice reverberated in my ear. “Matthew, I want you, Roberto, and Stephen in my office. Now.” He ended the call with a jangle that meant he’d slammed the receiver down on his landline.
Stephen grimaced. “That doesn’t sound good.”
“No.” Matthew agreed. “We’d better go see what he wants. We can look for Harmony afterward. I’ve already sent her a text message, but she’s not responding.”
The three of us shuffled from my room and hurried across campus to the main administrative building. Students greeted us as we walked past, but none of us stopped for a chat. The last of the classes had dismissed for the day while we talked, and the areas between the buildings were packed with kids. I ducked when a frisbee flew overhead and tried to smile when the kid who’d tossed it shouted an apology. None of that mattered.
The route from my building to the dean’s took us behind the science building and around a crisp lawn that led to the employee entrances.
We rarely had cause to enter Dean Carpenter’s domain, and this didn’t feel like the best time to be in the man’s office. We had bigger problems than whatever the dean had going on. He hadn’t given us a choice, and I understood why the instant his secretary ushered us into the man’s office.
The white walls and blue carpet were meant to be welcoming, but the sight of Harmony sitting off to the side in an uncomfortable looking plastic chair stopped my heart.
Dean Carpenter, a sixty-seven-year-old veteran of the BAI, glowered at us from behind his walnut desk. “Sit.” He pointed a thick finger at the trio of chairs in front of him. The setup put Harmony close but out of sight.
“What’s this I hear about the three of you having sexual relations with one of your students?” His cold accusation landed square in my gut and twisted.
I almost turned to ask Harmony why she’d felt the need to tell the dean, but he cut me off with a stare.
“I had a student come in here an hour ago, telling me how they’d seen you kissing her in your classroom.” That pointing finger landed in my direction. “And before that, I had a written complaint dropped in my email from a student in your class.” He shifted to point at Matthew. “That one states that you offered Miss Vogel the lead in the musical.”
“I did. Because she has the talent and the previous lead is struggling with the part.” Matthew sounded far too at ease for the situation.
My pulse beat a rapid tempo that I felt all the way into my fingertips. We’d faced a few accusations before, but not like this.
“Be that as it may, the email also stated that you’ve been having sex with Miss Vogel.” Dean Carpenter’s cheeks reddened. He was a by-the-books kind of man who appreciated honesty.
He would not understand how we’d managed to let this happen.
“I’m trying to figure out the truth.” Dean Carpenter eyed each of us in turn but avoided Harmony.
As the student, she was not the one to blame. We were. I’d understood that from the beginning. We had to take responsibility.
Harmony stood. “It’s my fault, sir. I tried to seduce them to improve my grades. I was failing my classes with Professor Harding and Professor Rossi. And I wanted the lead role inLes Misérables.”
“Miss Vogel.” Dean Carpenter dropped his hands to his lap and shook his head. The head of gray hair was supposed to show his wisdom, but all I saw when I looked at him was our doom. Deep lines creased his cheeks, and his shirt and tie bunched beneath a thick neck. “I’m disappointed in this entire situation, but I’m more prone to believe these three did the seducing.”
“No, sir.” She walked close enough to stand beside him. “This is my fault, and I take full responsibility.”
“Do you understand the repercussions of this situation?” Dean Carpenter asked.
Harmony nodded. “Yes. All I ask is that you let them keep their jobs. I’ll be withdrawing from the institute. Effective immediately. The rumors will die down, and everything can go back to how it was. You shouldn’t have to lose three of your best professors because of me.”
Dumbfounded, I watched her take the fall for us.
