This is suppose to be Sentinel Rant. Therefore the darker side of sentinel and guide are a great possibility. Not happy? So, what else is new? Oh yeah, my mood was light when I wrote this.
Payback
I won’t let them. They can’t do this to Sandburg he’s suffered enough. That bitch. I won’t let her get away with this.
Blair has been gone a week. He thought it would be easier to stay at the academy, than for me to drop him off everyday. I don’t like it, but I understand. He doesn’t want it to appear like he’s getting preferential treatment, but I don’t know how much longer I can stand the silence or the clutter of boxes, posters and tapestries that are piled up next to the front door and spill out from his room into the kitchen. There really wasn’t any time to put this stuff away before he left. I wasn’t much help with my leg still sore and frankly he was too freaked out by what he’d done to deal with the mess.
I met him at the university to clean out his office not surprised to find him nearly in tears over all the stuff he had to leave behind. I took a lot of it over his protest and made copies so he wouldn’t loose so much of the information that was important to him. Damn them for this. His dissertation hadn’t been submitted. They had no right to call a press conference. His mother…shit…can’t say anything about Naomi. If she hadn’t interfered… Doesn’t she realize Blair would have had more time to decide what to do? Maybe… Who am I kidding I didn’t give him a chance, just like always I decided what he was going to do and how. Betray James Ellison. I believed he betrayed me with Alex and no matter how much he tried to heal things between us I wouldn’t let him. I don’t want him hurt and all I do is hurt him. I don’t want him out there, but without him I can’t be a cop. I’m scared to death he will get killed for good this time and there won’t be any jungle visions to help me get him back. So damn paranoid I let him destroy himself again. He keeps saying things are the way they were meant to be. Now he can be at my side and that’s a good thing, but it’s not right. Not the way it happened and now they want to take away all he had before this dissertation fiasco. This letter says that the university wants to rescind the degrees he already received. They want to denounce the papers he’s written and call into question his findings on sites he went to years ago. I won’t let that bitch get away with it.
She came down to the office while I was there hissing at Blair talking about how embarrassed the university was and that his behavior was reprehensible. I almost walked out of the stacks and gave her the Ellison riot act, but Blair shut her up.
"I never authorized that guy to publish anything and when I advised you of the fact, you went ahead with the press conference anyway. Neither you are the committee ever looked at it! I must have said it fifty times and no one listened. But you remember this, my dissertation had not been submitted and if you keep getting in my face I will get a lawyer in here and believe me if you think the university is embarrassed now wait till the media finds out what you did. I can sue you and that jerk from New York."
I could hear the dean’s heart rate speed up. She was one pissed off woman. But she shut up and left.
"Jim come out here. Look big guy, don’t start freaking out on me okay? I am not going to get a lawyer and sue anybody."
"Blair, it would serve them right if you did. You could say how they forced you to make that statement. How the exposure endangered my…prevented me from performing my duty." I can only stand there looking at his bleak features. Even now I can’t get past it. My heart is drumming, near panic with what he might say.
"Jim, if I got a lawyer, and let me say it again, I’m not going to. The dissertation would have to be submitted as evidence. We would be back where we started."
He walks over to me and puts his hands on my shoulders shaking me a little.
"I do not have a problem with my decision, it was the only way. I…ah…I…oh man."
I can feel the tremble skim over his body and he tries really hard to choke back the tears.
"Chief, I’m so sorry."
He tries to turn away from me but I pull him back and wrap my arms around him. The tears don’t fall, but he doesn’t pull away. Just rest his head on my shoulder for a long time.
It’s bad enough he won’t ever teach anywhere again, now they want to call into questions everything he’s ever done. I won’t allow it. Blair made me promise not to do anything about a lawyer. Leave it alone he says I’m where I’m supposed to be Jim, right here with you. But this will surely break him and I can’t let this happen.
It doesn’t take me long to find out when the dean is in her office. I know I shouldn’t put myself in the position where I could be accused of breaking any laws or harassing her or anything but I have to convince her that going after Blair would be a mistake.
I sit in the parking lot at the university for quite awhile before I go to the main offices. The dean did not want to see me when I called for any appointment and that pissed me off. Sometimes people help me live up to my reputation. Her receptionist is talking to her over the phone and I mark ever word. I wait until the young lady hangs up before strolling right past her to the office.
"Sir, sir you can’t go in there…Sir!
"What’s the meaning of this. How dare you…"
"You talk to me now or you talk to the lawyers and I’ll have a press conference."
"Who are you and…"
I watched the light go on behind her eyes and wait while she calms the flustered assistant and sends her back to the outer office. The dean is nervous but tries to look calm and reserved as she sits behind the big carved desk. It actually makes her appear more vulnerable than powerful.
"I won’t beat around the bush. Do not harass Blair Sandburg anymore. You can’t afford to have more negative exposure and you don’t want people to find out all the facts. If you make any attempt to rescind his other degrees or omit his name from any papers written in his field of study I will give a press conference that will exonerate him. When I’m through all that money and prestige you thought you missed out on will be an even bigger dream."
"Don’t try to threaten me detective. You wouldn’t dare do such a thing. I heard how the reporters followed you around when the announcement was first made. Besides how heightened could your senses be? Sandburg is an anthropology student. How accurate could his tests have been, if he did any?"
"He was right, you didn’t read his paper. You want proof. Not quite fifteen minutes ago you picked up a call from your daughter. She’s in trouble again. New boyfriend old problem. Stop bitchin’ about my lifestyle mother and wire me the money. You slammed the phone down so hard you smashed your finger.
If that’s not proof enough, your receptionist was talking to you over the phone when I came in. Even if you cancel your dinner engagement to take this meeting you won’t get the funding for a new building. A Professor Endicott just convinced the same corporate representative into giving his department the money for a research grant. I heard him talking in his office. He’s still there. You can call him. I was in the parking lot, the visitors parking lot."
I watched her face change from haughty to indignant and then shock.
"This is impossible, how…"
"Do you know Professor Boundus, Rebecca Boundas?"
"Of course. A highly respected member of our faculty and certainly no friend of Sandburg."
"Well, I didn’t know that. It’s perfect."
And I laugh at the irony that would land one of Sandburg’s detractors in my lap.
"When I pulled into the lot I saw her walking by. I identified myself as a detective with the Cascade Police Department. I explained I was testing out a theory about how long it took a suspect to get from the lot to these offices and I wanted her to time me. I gave her my stopwatch, had her start it at the beginning of your phone conversation and began to walk over here. She couldn’t lie on the witness stand about where I was during your call and your receptionist would also have to state I wasn’t in the office listening to you. Let Blair alone. He doesn’t intend to sue the school for this fiasco, but that won’t stop me if you try anything else."
"You don’t want exposure detective. I think this whole conversation is pointless. There’s really nothing you can do."
"Blair has already shown me how far he’ll go to protect me. Don’t assume I won’t risk exposure to ruin this schools reputation."
I stand up and lean over her desk, allow the menace I feel toward her to show.
"I can do more than hear well lady, way more. Do you realize that no one else can hear this conversation? I was the best in my unit at damage control."
She tries to brazen it out, but there aren’t too many that can out glare James Ellison. I hold her gaze until her heart begins to race. I pick up the faintest whiff of unease and release her eyes. I can see the finite tremors start in her body. She’s frightened. Good. I would never hurt her. Not…really.
I should be arresting myself, but then she won’t do anything more to Blair. On the way home I’ll get rid of the letter so he’ll never know. It’s burning a hole through my shirt, like acid you can’t wash away.
I turn around and leave without another word. I’ve said more than enough.
The end