“The collective agreement with the faculty union ensures confidentiality in all judicial proceedings.” The Dean’s voice grew very cold. He took a moment to consult with his colleagues, then nodded in Julia’s direction.
“If Professor Emerson offers testimony that implicates your client, you will be given the opportunity for rebuttal. Any matters not bearing on your case, Miss Mitchell, will be kept confidential. Miss Harandi, Miss Mitchell, you are both dismissed for the present. My assistant will notify you when your presence is required.”
Soraya shook her head but took Julia’s arm and tried to pull her toward the door at the back of the room.
Julia planted her feet. “Our relationship was consensual. I knew what I was doing and I don’t regret it. At all. This is not a tawdry affair. There was no harassment.”
The Dean couldn’t help but notice as Professor Emerson began to rub his eyes and mouth, cursing silently.
“Miss Mitchell, you will have your chance for a rebuttal. Now if you please…”
Soraya quickly pulled Julia out of the room. She tried in vain to catch Gabriel’s eye before she exited, but he hung his head, eyes shut.
Chapter 24
“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.
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.