I swallowed, sat up straight, chin up defiantly, though my heart was jackrabbiting in my chest.
“Last night, I went to the auditorium to retrieve my laptop around six p.m.,” I began, only the slightest quaver in my voice. “Dr. Langford arrived and told me that Orion had won the contest because of his family’s influence, but that he—Langford—could change the outcome if I…cooperated.”
“And what did you take ‘cooperated’ to mean?” the lawyer asked.
“That he wanted me to have sex with him,” I stated clearly.
Sterling and the Mercers visibly flinched while Orion’s face was a mask of rage.
“And what gave you that impression?”
I clenched my teeth against the tide of humiliation and said in a rush, “He touched me inappropriately on my arms, my face, my neck. I told him to stop. He refused. He had me caged in.” My voicewas beginning to break down. “I fought him off and ran. I hid in the storage closet until a janitor found me and then I left. To Atlas Hall.”
“Why didn’t you go home if you were so distraught?” the lawyer asked.
“Is that relevant?” Ezra interjected.
“I’m merely trying to get the whole picture,” he said.
“I went to Orion. Dr. Langford was waiting for me in the parking lot,” I said, and everyone shifted uncomfortably. “I told Orion everything, and then—”
“And then spent the night at his place?”
“Bloody hell, man,” Ezra snapped.
“Professor Wolfe.” Dr. Sterling placed a hand on his desk. “You will have an opportunity to ask questions momentarily.”
“Yes,” I said. “Because I was exhausted and scared. The next morning, I immediately came here.”
The lawyer and Sterling conferred, and then Sterling said, “Dr. Langford, would you like to give your version of events?”
My entire body stiffened. Froze. As if it were in the auditorium all over again. I kept my eyes straight ahead, at a fixed point on the wall.
“I was in the auditorium last night, wrapping up NoSci business,” Langford said. “Harper was there, and she was upset about the committee’s decision. She expressed a dire need for the prize money. I told her I couldn’t change the outcome or influence the other judges, nor would I try. The conversation became emotional, so I removed myself.”
I wonder how it must be to lie so easily. Without a shred of remorse or hesitation.
The lawyer for the school nodded, made a note. “There was no further interaction?”
“That’s correct. It was a very short conversation. As for waiting in the parking lot, it’s true, I lingered. I was upset. Unsure about the threats she had made and what might happen to my reputation. If there is security footage, I’m certain that’s what it will show.”
Ezra snorted. “So thoughtful of you to bring that up first.”
Sterling and the lawyer conferred, and then Sterling folded his hands on his desk. “Well, this seems rather inconclusive, I’m afraid.”
I went cold all over. That was it? Nothing more to say or do? They were going to drop it, and he was just going to get away with it? And do it again and again…
My hands twisted in my lap, and I winced. My middle finger was swollen and red around the ring Orion had given me after I had struck Langford last night. Ezra’s gaze flickered down at my hand, then over at Langford, but he remained silent, eyes narrowed, like he used to do when he was listening to us play in piano class.
“Inconclusive?” Orion burst out. “That’s it?”
“Without evidence or corroboration, there isn’t enough cause to take any further action.”
“You can’t afford to suspend your precious award ceremony, you mean,” Orion said, disgusted. “This was never about getting her a fair hearing. It was about damage control.”
“Orion, please,” his mother chided.
“Be that as it may,” Sterling said, “I have an institution to run. Rumors are flying—”
