Chapter Fourteen

 

Bancroft solemnly regarded the seven people he had asked to the meeting. They were in the small boardroom across from his office. Everybody had arrived promptly and was looking at him with various levels of anticipation.

"Lady and gentlemen," he looked over at them. "Let's not mince words about this whole business. It does not reflect well on this school or the community. I asked you all here today because we want to nip this whole mess in the bud before it gets worse."

"Do you have any updates for us detective?" He looked at Natasha enquiringly.

"Well, we have narrowed down an area where we suspect that the rapist might be found and we are working in that area…semi undercover. When we isolate who he might be then I'll use myself as bait."

"Isn't that dangerous?" Chief campus security Green asked.

"I have a black belt in both Kick Boxing and Aikido." Natasha assured him. " I am quite capable of handling myself. Besides, Detective Beaker will be around."

"I might not need to do anything much." Tony chuckled. "I have seen her box and kick a 250 lb bag so expertly that it had me scared."

"What I want to know," D.M. Carter chairman of the board of trustees for the university and Bancroft’s main enemy said," is what you have been doing to secure the interests of this school?"

Bancroft bit the fiery retort that was on the tip of his tongue. "We have contained the publicity of these events to only the Mount Faith area. We have run delicately worded school announcements admonishing students to be safe, walk in groups, keep aware of their environment. Jiselle Newman is really the only broadcasted case so to speak, and by and large we have kept her name out of the public sphere."

D.M. Carter nodded and turned his eyes on Taj. "What do you think, Dr. Jackson, about these rapes?"

Taj cleared his throat. He was so fascinated with the dynamics between D.M. Carter and Bancroft that D.M.'s question caught him off-guard.

"I really have nothing to work with to get an accurate profile of this rapist. Maybe I should have a meeting with the detectives. All I can say for now is that the psych center will be opened and fully operational by the end of this week. We have a staff of 22. We will standby to help."

D.M. nodded. "Very good Dr. Jackson. Is that all Bancroft? I have a plane to catch."

Chief Green cleared his throat, "I have beefed up security around the darker areas on campus, and we have been monitoring the close circuit cameras, especially at night."

Bancroft nodded. "That's all. Thank you everyone for coming."

He sat at the table brooding long after everyone had left. He had several meetings to go to and several things to do but he had a niggling worry at the back of his mind. It centered on his final appointment by the board of trustees. He was also worried about Micah and the rape charge.

He was also feeling empty and lonely—quite unlike the days when he used to get up early in the morning and do some Bible study and prayer. Back then he would find these problems a breeze to handle because he had God on his side, but now he had no time for that sort of communicating and connecting with God. The job was squeezing that out, but he knew he had to make the time, or he would be overwhelmed.

In his quest for power, everything around him was slowly going downhill, his family especially. On top of that, he didn't have a genuine friend he could count on. He was single handedly losing everything—the real things that mattered.

He sighed a heartfelt vulnerable sigh that filled the room and then died away.

When he was about to get up, the door to the boardroom opened abruptly and framed in the doorway was an angry looking Senator Edward Durkheim.

"Your secretary said I could find you here."

Bancroft sat back down abruptly.

"So," the Senator walked in to the room fully. He was a muscular man—in his early fifties—who looked at least a decade younger. He had almond shaped eyes, a pug nose and a wide mouth. His right eyelid was twitching, which it usually did when he was bottling up anger and forced to be civilized.

"Where is Micah?" he asked his voice biting. "I thought I would find him in lockup when I got here, only to hear that there has been several rapes on campus and he is still roaming free. Is that how you are running this school now… protecting your son while he runs around and assaults women?"

Bancroft cleared his throat. "Have you ever heard about innocent until proven guilty?"

"My daughter said she was raped," The senator said stiffly. "She was crazy about your son, for whatever reason I don't know, but if she said she was raped…she was."

Bancroft held up his hand. "Micah is an adult I am not responsible for his actions, Edward. Stop treating me as if I raped your daughter."

Edward snorted. "Right now, I am so mad I could blow. Where is Micah?"

Bancroft took up the phone. "I will call him to get over here. Please don't hurt him."

When Micah came on the line he sounded very pleased and Bancroft was taken aback. "Senator Durkheim is in the boardroom across from my office. He wants to see you."

"Fine," Micah said. "Tell him I'll be there in five minutes."

Bancroft hung up the phone. "He will be here in five minutes."

The senator frowned and rested back in his chair.

When Micah got the call from his father he was so elated he could sing. The boardroom had a projector that he could use to hook up the camera. He reached the presidents building in three minutes and ran to the boardroom panting.

"Senator," he said entering the room, "before you kill me, watch this." He plugged in the video and turned on the projector, his office came on screen.

It started just when Deidra entered. When she made her confession—the senator who had not said anything yet—looked troubled, like he had swallowed something particular poisonous and was on the verge of choking.

When the video ended, he looked at Micah and shook his head. "I must apologize."

Micah shrugged. "As I said in the video, Deidra needs help and I would be very grateful if these charges are dropped."

The Senator got up. "If you'll excuse me gentlemen. I must now have a talk with my daughter and put a stop to this injustice against you Micah."

Micah nodded and watched as the Senator walked stiffly to the door.

Bancroft looked at Micah in relief.

"That was a good idea! I never thought about that."

Micah sat down, a heady sense of relief washing over him. "The lawyer came up with the idea yesterday. I must call him and tell him that it worked. I am sure Deidra has to withdraw the charge now that her father has seen it. Did you see how mad he got when he was watching it?"

Bancroft nodded. "I am very relieved for you Micah."

"And relieved about your job prospects, I bet."

Bancroft half smiled. "This job that I want so badly may be the only thing I have left. I messed up with my children… my wife. I was just assessing my life and realize that while I have been pursuing my dreams, I neglected quite a bit."

Micah was looking at his father in shock. "I can't believe that you are admitting that to me."

Bancroft frowned. "Why not?"

"We don't have heart to heart talks," Micah said slowly, still befuddled that his father was talking to him like he was an adult with a brain, "we have shouting matches."

"That's also my fault." Bancroft sighed. "Unfortunately, I have a meeting, so this heart to heart will be terminated. Maybe another time?"

Micah shook his head. "That would be nice…weird...but nice."