Gabriel's Inferno: Gabriel's Rapture Part 30

The Dean nodded at his a.s.sistant, Meagan, who was typing notes furiously on her laptop. "Duly noted," he huffed. "We'll discuss that issue shortly. Professor Emerson?"

"With respect, Dr. Aras, my client is not obligated to respond to supposition and speculation. Perhaps Miss Mitch.e.l.l might take a different view." John cast a snide look at Soraya, then smiled innocently at the hearing officers.

"Very well. Miss Mitch.e.l.l?"

Soraya glared at John before turning to face the committee.

"My client has already been subjected to a hara.s.sing experience by the Dean's office when she was forced to defend herself against a serious but entirely malicious complaint by another student. In view of the stress and emotional trauma that has already been inflicted on her, I ask you to direct your questions to Professor Emerson. He instigated the transfer of my client's thesis supervision to Professor Picton, it's his signature on the forms, and we have nothing to say on the matter."

Julia leaned over to protest in Soraya's ear, but Soraya waved her off.

Julia gritted her teeth.

"Ah. A cla.s.sic prisoner's dilemma emerges. I wonder if either of you realize the outcome you are headed toward if you continue in this manner." Dr. Aras cleared this throat. "I can allow you a short recess in order for you to confer with your attorneys, Miss Mitch.e.l.l and Professor Emerson, but I expect you to answer our questions expeditiously and truthfully.

"In the absence of any testimony at all, we reserve the right to decide the matter for ourselves, based upon the evidence we have been able to gather. And to refer the matter to the Provost's office so he can lay charges, if that is our recommendation. You have five minutes." The Dean's voice was cold and dispa.s.sionate.

"Since relations.h.i.+ps between professors and students in the same department cannot be consensual, I move that we excuse Professor Emerson so we can interview Miss Mitch.e.l.l." Professor Chakravartty gave Julia a sympathetic look. "Let me a.s.sure you that this is a safe s.p.a.ce. There will be no reprisals from the Department of Italian Studies because of anything you disclose to us. If you've been a victim of s.e.xual hara.s.sment, we can help you."

Tara's sympathy immediately morphed into disgust when she glanced in Gabriel's direction.

Julia quickly rose to her feet. "I wasn't hara.s.sed by Professor Emerson."

Soraya clutched her arm, but Julia ignored her. So Soraya stood beside her, waiting for the appropriate moment to interrupt and to object.

Gabriel began shaking his head in agitation, but Julia couldn't see him, fixated as she was on the hearing officers.

"We weren't involved while I was his student. And our current relations.h.i.+p is consensual."

The room was silent for a moment, before the silence was broken by the sounds of the hearing officers' pens scratching against paper.

The Dean sat back in his chair, looking remarkably unsurprised.

This was Julia's first indication that something had just gone very, very wrong. She sat down slowly, ignoring the hiss of Soraya's voice in her ear and turned to look at Gabriel. He stared straight ahead, but she knew he could feel her looking at him, she could tell by the set of his jaw. He crossed his arms angrily over his chest, his eyes fixed on the Dean's like a cobra waiting to strike.

"Thank you, Miss Mitch.e.l.l. So the relations.h.i.+p is amorous." Dr. Aras glanced in Gabriel's direction before looking at Julia again.

"Since you've been so forthcoming, allow me a follow up question. When did you purchase the airline ticket to Italy, knowing that you would be traveling with Professor Emerson?"

Julia gazed at the Dean blankly.

"Surely the tickets would have been reserved before December eighth, which would place the purchase date squarely within the semester. So prior to his submission of your grade, you must have had a conversation about your intention to accompany him to Italy as his guest. That seems problematic for the professor-student relations.h.i.+p, does it not?"

Julia opened her mouth to speak, but Soraya interrupted her.

"With respect, Dr. Aras, you're speculating."

"Actually, Miss Harandi, I'm making a reasonable inference of a quid pro quo." The Dean's lips visibly thinned. "Moreover, I'm suggesting your client just perjured herself. She said she wasn't involved with Professor Emerson last semester. Are we to believe that they magically became involved the moment the semester ended?"

Julia inhaled loudly, the sound echoing off the walls. Across the aisle, Gabriel's anxiety was telegraphed by the way he clenched and unclenched his fists, trying to hide them at his sides.

The Dean began to speak but he was interrupted by Professor Mw.a.n.gi. "Miss Mitch.e.l.l, at this point I need to remind you of the penalties for perjury and also for the violation of the non-fraternization policy of this University." His calm and kind voice was a studied contrast to the Dean's impatient directness.

"Perjury can result in expulsion or serious sanctions. A violation of the non-fraternization policy can jeopardize your academic standing in last semester's seminars." He shuffled a few papers on the table in front of him.

"You were writing your thesis with Professor Emerson until the beginning of November, about a month prior to your trip to Italy. You were registered in his Dante seminar for the entire fall semester, and awarded a mark of A.

"The non-fraternization policy exists to protect students from being preyed upon by their professors and to prevent any possibility of unfair preferments being dispersed. If you'd dropped Professor Emerson's cla.s.s, we would not be here today. But since you remained in his cla.s.s, we have a problem."

Professor Mw.a.n.gi handed some papers to Meagan, who walked them obediently to Julia and Soraya. While Soraya glanced at the doc.u.ments, Julia gaped in horror. She looked over at Gabriel once again, but he wouldn't return her gaze.

"Professor Martin testified before this committee that he has no recollection of any conversation with Professor Emerson about having Professor Picton grade your work in the Dante seminar. The Registrar's Office reports that it was Professor Emerson who submitted your grade via the online grading system. We have dated copies of those electronic doc.u.ments, which you've just received."

"Dr. Mw.a.n.gi, since we are just receiving these doc.u.ments now I'd like a short recess in order to speak to my client." Soraya's voice broke through Julia's shock.

"Those moments are past, Miss Harandi, since your client has already perjured herself." The Dean's voice was harsh.

"I disagree," Professor Chakravartty interjected. "Miss Mitch.e.l.l might not be in the best position to judge whether or not she was the victim of coercion. Certainly, any perjury on her part would be excused if she's the victim of hara.s.sment."

"Professor Picton graded my work in the Dante seminar. I'm sure she could clear up this misunderstanding." Julia's voice took on a stubborn tone that contrasted sharply with the tremor in her voice.

"Dean Aras, forgive me for interrupting, but I've just received an email from Professor Picton." Meagan's voice broke in hesitantly. She walked over to the Dean and presented him with her laptop.

He scanned the screen quickly before waving her aside.

"It would seem that Professor Picton confirms your story, Miss Mitch.e.l.l."

Soraya leaned forward in her chair. "Then that should clear up any problems. Respectfully, we ask this committee to conclude the investigation and end this matter."

"Not so fast, Miss Harandi." Professor Mw.a.n.gi looked between Gabriel and Julia curiously. "If the relations.h.i.+p truly is consensual, then why is Professor Emerson hiding behind his lawyer?"

"All you've done is present us with speculation and fantasy. Why should my client respond?" John's tone was contemptuous.

"We're ent.i.tled to come to our own conclusions with respect to evidence. I can't speak for my learned colleagues, but I'll state that in my opinion, your client and Miss Mitch.e.l.l were involved last semester. Which means they violated the non-fraternization policy, and Miss Mitch.e.l.l perjured herself."

John stood to his feet. "If this body intends to continue in this way, then we will be invoking the a.s.sistance of the University of Toronto's Faculty a.s.sociation and the Canadian a.s.sociation of University Teachers, as well as pursuing all legal means. I would caution the hearing officers against slandering my client."

The Dean waved a dismissive hand in the air. "Sit down. We don't respond to threats."

He waited until John took his seat before he tossed his pen on the table in front of him. He removed his gla.s.ses and placed them next to the pen.

"Since we seem to have hit upon an iceberg here, perhaps it would be best if I suspend this hearing, pending further investigation."

Gabriel gritted his teeth, knowing that any delay would further jeopardize Julia's admission to Harvard.

"Before we suspend the hearing, I think that Miss Mitch.e.l.l should be given the opportunity to have her story heard without having to be in the same room as Professor Emerson." Professor Chakravartty nodded in Julia's direction.

"Professor Emerson is a powerful man. Perhaps, Miss Mitch.e.l.l, you were worried about your status and he took advantage of that. Maybe you believe that the relations.h.i.+p is consensual now, but did you always feel that way? More than one witness has reported that he was very harsh with you last semester."

"This is outrageous! Dr. Aras, are you just going to sit there while my client is slandered by one of the hearing officers? I want my objection minuted, and I want it noted that I intend to file a complaint with the Provost about Dr. Chakravartty's unprofessional behavior." John was nearly apoplectic as he jumped to his feet.

"I want the professor to stay," said Julia, quietly.

"Very well." Professor Chakravartty's voice softened. "I'm sure this situation is stressful and confusing. But you should know that the committee is already aware of the email you sent to Professor Emerson, in which you pleaded with him to stop hara.s.sing you. Once again, I want to reiterate that we are here to discover the truth."

Julia blinked as the room around her grew fuzzy. m.u.f.fled sounds a.s.saulted her eyes, almost as if she were sinking in water. Everything slowed down, especially her mind, as the enormity of Dr. Chakravartty's revelation crept over her skin like a frozen finger.

Meagan pa.s.sed a few sheets of paper to John and Soraya.

John glanced at them quickly, before tossing them aside. "It's completely out of order for you surprise us with doc.u.ments that were not mentioned in the letter you sent to my client."

"This is not a trial; it's merely an investigatory hearing. We aren't bound by the rules of discovery, Mr. Green. Professor Chakravartty, you may proceed." The Dean leaned back in his chair, giving Tara his full attention.

"I know that you didn't file a s.e.xual hara.s.sment complaint against Professor Emerson. But it isn't too late to do so. If you wish, we can have him dismissed from the room so we can discuss this."

John shook his head. "My client unequivocally denies any hara.s.sment, s.e.xual or otherwise, against Miss Mitch.e.l.l. If anyone should be investigated for hara.s.sment, it should be Christa Peterson, who maliciously instigated this mess in the first place."

"Miss Peterson will be held accountable for her actions, don't worry about that." Professor Mw.a.n.gi's voice was smooth and direct. "Miss Mitch.e.l.l, I'm also interested in the email exchange we have here, in which you direct Professor Emerson to stop hara.s.sing you. Can you give us the context in which you made that statement?"

"It was a mistake." Julia's voice was low, yet it echoed loudly in the room.

"A mistake?" Professor Chakravartty repeated.

"We had a-misunderstanding. I should never have used the word hara.s.sment. I was angry. I didn't mean it."

Soraya began whispering in Julia's ear but she pulled away, wringing her hands.

"There was no hara.s.sment. That's why I didn't file a complaint."

Professor Chakravartty stared at Julia skeptically before addressing the Dean. "I'd like to move that we suspend this hearing. I have a lot of unanswered questions that I'd like to pose to the other witnesses. And I'd like to interview Miss Mitch.e.l.l in a less hostile environment." She glared in Gabriel's direction.

"Miss Mitch.e.l.l denied the allegation. She hasn't filed a complaint against my client, and under paragraph ten of the university's policy on s.e.xual hara.s.sment, she can't be compelled to do so. Can we move on?" John objected.

"I don't need you to tell me how to run this proceeding, Mr. Green," the Dean snapped. "We can take all the time we need to investigate any matter pursuant to the matters before us."

The Dean gestured to the other hearing officers to move closer to his chair so they could whisper among themselves. The mere mention of a delay caused Julia's heart to pound, and she fixed frightened eyes on Gabriel, whose face had turned very red.

A few minutes later, the Dean put on his gla.s.ses and looked around the room.

"As Professor Chakravartty has suggested, I'm going to suspend this hearing. You've been forthcoming, Miss Mitch.e.l.l, and for that I thank you. But you, Professor Emerson, have told us nothing. Your lack of cooperation has left us with no choice but to go back and speak to all the other witnesses. In particular, I have a few questions I'd like to put to the chair of your department, Professor Martin.

"If the relations.h.i.+p between you the two of you was consensual, you're both at risk of having violated the non-fraternization policy. And you, Miss Mitch.e.l.l, have possibly perjured yourself about when the relations.h.i.+p truly began. On the other hand, the email that you sent to the professor is inconsistent with your other statements. There's also the issue of the M.P. Emerson bursary, which you mention in your email.

"I'm not about to allow this proceeding to rush to judgment. So a delay is in order for us to complete our investigation. This delay could take several weeks, depending upon the level of cooperation we receive. Of course, if you'd rather not have a delay, you could simply answer our questions." At this, the Dean gave Gabriel and John a stern look.

Julia watched as Gabriel closed his eyes, his lips moving as if he were whispering something to himself. Then his eyes snapped open and he stood to his feet.

"Enough," he said.

Six pairs of eyes swung to stare at the angry looking professor as he glared defiantly at the hearing officers.

"There's no need for a delay. I'll cooperate." Gabriel's jaw was set, his blue eyes flas.h.i.+ng.

Julia's heart sank.

"It appears we've finally captured your attention, Professor Emerson, and persuaded you to come out from behind your lawyer," said Professor Mw.a.n.gi sarcastically.

"Such a remark is beneath you." Gabriel waved a dismissive hand in the air.

"Are you willing to answer the committee's questions?" The Dean interrupted the staring match between the two men.

"Yes."

Once John got over his surprise, he stood at Gabriel's side. "Dr. Aras, my client has retained counsel. Can you give me a moment to consult with him?"

The Dean nodded, and John began whispering hastily in Gabriel's ear.

Julia could see that he did not like what John was saying, and she watched him mouth the words "No, no, no."

Eventually, Gabriel dismissed John with a murderous look. "I am willing to answer any and all questions, but not while Miss Mitch.e.l.l is in the room. Some of the answers I wish to give are of a personal nature and for various-ah-reasons I prefer to keep those answers confidential."

The Dean measured Gabriel intently and nodded. "Very well. Miss Mitch.e.l.l, you are dismissed for the moment, but please don't leave the building. We might have need of you shortly."

"If Professor Emerson is intending to malign my client, he can do so in front of us," Soraya protested.

"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 reb.u.t.tal. Any matters not bearing on your case, Miss Mitch.e.l.l, will be kept confidential. Miss Harandi, Miss Mitch.e.l.l, you are both dismissed for the present. My a.s.sistant 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 relations.h.i.+p 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 hara.s.sment."

The Dean couldn't help but notice as Professor Emerson began to rub his eyes and mouth, cursing silently.

"Miss Mitch.e.l.l, you will have your chance for a reb.u.t.tal. 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.