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Richard's brow furrowed. “You know?
“Yes. I know.”
Cheers for that, Taylor. I risked my already unstable work relationship with McCoy to confront him and you reported him anyway! Oh well. At least she’d done the right thing eventually. Richard was far better equipped to handle this kind of thing than me.
“Why didn't you tell me?” Richard asked.
“Because Taylor didn’t want me to.”
“Well, she changed her mind. She was in a really bad way, Leah. You should have come straight to me.”
I hated that I’d disappointed him but when Taylor made me swear I would do as she asked, I couldn’t betray her trust, especially after what McCoy did to her. She needed someone on her side, not stabbing her in the back.
“I'm sorry,” I said. “I wasn't prepared to go against what she wanted. What would have been the point in telling you if she wasn't planning to follow through with the complaint?”
“I thought you of all people would know why. I thought you had the measure of McCoy.”
“Oh, I do. But I couldn’t drag an eighteen-year-old girl through the drama of a sexual harassment case when she wasn’t sure about making a complaint in the first place.”
Richard waved a dismissive hand
in the air to let me know we’d have to agree to disagree. “The reason I wanted to talk to you was to ask if he ever did anything like this to you,” he said. “Has he ever tried to touch you in an inappropriate way, or made you afraid to come to work?”
The question made me feel sick. Yes, he’d tried to kiss me but I’d let him, and he’d tried to make me dance with him at the club and pushed me up against the doors at my apartment. It was never fear that I felt though.
You are sick.
I shook my head. “I’ve never been scared around him, but I’m not a teenager who doesn’t know how to handle idiots. I can see how he might seem intimidating to her. It doesn’t matter about me though, does it? It’s what he did to her that’s important.”
“Yes. But if there was someone else, someone who could give a bit more weight to the allegation, it would make my job easier.”
“What’s the procedure in situations like this? For one thing, he totally denies it. It won’t be easy to prove.”
“Not unless a witness appears,” Richard agreed. “First of all, I need to talk to him.”
“And if he continues to say he didn’t do anything?”
“It’s all in Taylor’s hands to decide what to do next.”
“You believe her, don't you?”
“What I believe isn't important. Until I have proof one way or the other, my main concern is keeping this quiet. If it gets out, it’ll ruin McCoy. If he did it, that’s what he deserves. If he didn’t … I’m not risking my best player’s reputation.”
“I know you're right,” I said with a sigh. “But I believe her.”
My shoulders are still wet from her tears.
Richard nodded. “She was very upset, and I doubt anyone would fake that level of fear, but these things happen. I need to be sure before I do anything else.”
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
“If you can send McCoy here to see me it would help a lot. I’ve got some work to do before training starts, and I don’t want to draw attention by hauling him in here in front of everyone. I’ve already tried calling him but it goes straight to voicemail.”
“I can do that,” I said, even though I’d hoped I wouldn’t have to talk to him.
“Thanks,” Richard answered with a smile. “I really appreciate your help with this.”
I gave him a half-hearted salute, then left his office and went back to my own.
