Page 22 of The Lawyer's Quandary
“What the hell happened?” Mark asked, but all he could see was a toppled chair and a bunch of unrolled tape.
“Message him now,” Greg snapped.
Mark typed a message to Steven.Greg and I are in my office.He sent it as the front door of the aquatic center banged open. Mark hurried back out into the hall as Steven raced down to him. Steven clutched him into a hug, and Mark closed his arms around him, holding Steven as he shook from head to toe.
“I fucking did it,” Steven whispered over and over. “I did it.”
Mark turned to Greg, who wound the recording back a few minutes. Sure enough, Bates made a play for Steven. Only this time he kissed him and pressed him back against the chair. That was clearly a violation, but what happened next shocked him.
Steven lunged forward, pushing Bates off him, and then backhanded him hard. Bates went down, the tape flying into the air as Steven stood over him for a second. Bates had disappeared from the camera angle, but Steven lunged for the door and was gone.
“Fucking hell,” Greg said softly, and turned to Steven. “What you did was brave as all hell.”
“I did it. I stood up to the bastard,” Steven said.
Greg nodded. “Yes, you did, and I’m so damned proud of you.” Steven sat in one of the chairs, his foot bouncing, and Mark gave Steven some space. “And I hate to sound cold, but I need a copy of that recording. Send it to me now.” He sounded worried and maybe a little frightened.
“What’s going on in your head?” Mark asked as he formatted and sent a copy to Greg from his iPad, using an internet email account.
“I need you to go over to the rec center under the guise of welcoming Bates back and see how he’s reacting to all this. And as soon as you possibly can, get that camera out of the office. Steven hit his assistant coach. The clock on this is already ticking. I’m going to stay here with Steven, and we’re going to call the other players and get them over here so we can explain our plan going forward.”
“Okay. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” Mark hurried out of the office and out of the building, forcing himself to walk at a normal pace between the buildings and to Bates’s office in the rec center, where he stuck his head inside. “Welcome back. You gave us all a scare,” he said, playing ignorant. Bates turned to him, a red welt forming in his cheek. “What happened?”
The office had been put back to rights, and Bates sat at his computer. “One of my players just took a swing at me while I was taping his ankle.” He seemed furious. “I’m sending a note to HR, admissions, and the provost right now with a formal complaint.What a way to come back from being sick.” He didn’t even look up from his screen as he typed furiously.
“I know this is a shock and all. Do you need something to drink? Maybe some water and a chance to give yourself a little time to think?” Mark wanted to get Bates away from his office, because as soon as anyone saw that tape, they would come looking for the camera, and he needed to get it the hell out of there.
Bates shook his head, and Mark was running out of ideas.
“Bates,” Coach Littleton said from behind him, and Bates turned. “Hey, Mark. Is there something you need?”
“No. I was just seeing how he’s doing since he’d been out.”
Littleton nodded and shifted his gaze to Bates. “Can you come to my office? I have some things to go over.” He turned and left. Bates groaned and locked his computer before hurrying out of the office.
Mark waited until they were out of sight, closed the door, and used the wooden chair to stand on so he could lift the false ceiling. After using his sleeve to cover his hand, he got the tiny camera and slipped it into his pocket.
Once the office was the way he found it, he opened the door, checked the hall, and walked out, heading for the exit.
“What’s goingon?” Greg asked as soon as he stepped into his now very full office.
“It’s as we thought. He’s already making a complaint. Guys, take Steven back home and do your best to act as normal as possible. Let him make his complaint. These things take time to percolate through the system. Steven, you contact me as soon as you hear anything.”
“But what if they try to take him or something?” Connors asked.
“Isn’t there some sort of disciplinary hearing with the provost or student dean?” Greg asked. “What’s the process?”
“It’s all through the provost’s office. They will receive the complaint, and one of the first things they will do is launch an investigation.”
“Okay. All that takes some time, but I suspect in this case, it could happen in the next few days. I really need to think about how I want to use the information we have at our disposal. I hate being at the mercy of someone else. It’s always best to be the one in control. Not that I don’t understand his reaction, because I really do. But Steven hitting Bates changes everything.” His mind went a million miles an hour as the players filed out of Mark’s office.
Mark understood that. “What do we do now?”
Greg moved closer. “I can’t tell you what to do with the equipment. That is something that is up to you. The same goes with your phone and iPad. But make sure you have a copy of that video saved off.”
“There is nothing on any of the school systems,” Mark said. “I’ll take care of everything, and you don’t need to know about any of it.”
“Excellent,” Greg said with a smile. “Now I need to go and get off campus before any of this hits the fan. But call me as soon as something happens, and I’ll get here as fast as I can.” Greg gave him a quick kiss and then left the building.
