Barton's cheek twitched. I could see him running over all the possibilities in his head. I had a job that I didn't love and was getting edged out of anyway. My sister was established in her medical school and her reputation was beyond reproach. We had no other family and no fortune.
Then Barton glanced at Jackson. A red lens dropped over my eyes and I stepped in front of him. My hands clenched in to fists as I fought to control myself. "You're not going after anyone else just to scare me into staying quiet."
He leaned back then shuffled one foot back very slowly so his friends wouldn't notice. Barton looked in my eyes one last time, but couldn't find a trace of fear. He cleared his throat. "Well, then I guess congratulations are in order. You finally grew a set."
Every muscle fiber in my body tensed with the desire to deck him. I took a deep breath and kept Clarity foremost in my mind. She was the reason I was here and because of that, I could let Barton's jabs bounce off.
"I tell you what," I said as I advanced on Barton. "I'll take you up on the offer of an introduction."
"Great idea, glad to see you're ready to get back into journalism. Let's go join them—"
"Not them," I snapped. "How about you introduce me to your friend at Landsman, the football coach."
"The football coach?" Barton asked. "What would I have to do with him?"
"Oh, only the fact that you donated new video equipment to him this fall. Bet he loves being able to play back games, zoom in, and coach his players with all the cutting edge technology."
"How do you know that?" Barton cut himself off. "So, you did your research. Why do you need me to talk to the football coach for you?"
I grinned like a wolf. "Because you are going to convince him to tell me all about how another donor forced him to pressure a player into handing in a plagiarized paper."
Barton frowned. He knew exactly who I was talking about and he had to weigh his friend's agenda against his own. "Fine. Give me your phone. If I get him to talk, you're not going to let this trace back to me."
#
"Oh, man, I am never going to get over the look in Barton's eyes. He really thought you were going to clock him and he got all smug, like he could already see you losing a personal injury trial. Then, you told him and everything just changed. Ding! Like a light finally turned on in his lizard brain. That's what happens when you don't let a bully bully you," Jackson crowed. He pulled into the Landsman parking lot and turned to grin at me. "You've got to be feeling like a million bucks."
"That's probably what all this is going to cost me in libel suits if I can't pull it off," I said.
"Buzz kill. Get out of my car." Jackson laughed. "Oh, and good luck with that next windmill. She's a doozy."
I thanked Jackson, got out of the car, and then saw Florence Macken strolling down the sidewalk. She pretended to be on the phone so she could stall long enough for me to have to pass her on my way onto campus.
Sure enough, I was four feet away from her when her phone call magically ended. She beamed at me and said, "Professor Bauer, I'm glad I caught you."
"Sorry, ma'am, I've got to get to class," I said. I refused to slow down even when she moved her formidable figure into the center of the sidewalk.
"Now, just a minute, professor," Macken said.
I dodged around her. "Don't worry about calling me that anymore. It never sounded good the way you said it anyway."
I left her flabbergasted, and as much as I wanted to look back and savor it, I kept marching across campus. It wasn't until I reached Thompson Hall that I realized my department head was close on my heels.
Any hope I had that she was just returning to her office was dispelled when she cleared her throat.
"Professor Bauer, I must insist you stop right now," Macken barked as we stepped into the echoing lobby.
"Not now, Macken. I've got to get to class," I snapped over my shoulder.
"Class? You don't have a class at this time. Have you lost your mind? Do I need to call security?" The volume of her voice elicited the attention she was hoping to garner. "You do realize that insubordination is grounds for termination, Professor Bauer."
I spun on my heel and braced for impact. She stopped herself just in time and her chunky heels squeaked on the tile floor.
"Just go ahead and start the paperwork. I'm sure you've got it all queued up and ready to go. Go ahead and do it now if you've got the time, but I'm not stopping."
I pulled open the lecture hall door and strode over the desk. My colleague looked confused but nodded when I asked to speak with a student.
"Clarity? A minute, please?" I asked the crowded hall.