Chapter 6: The Hearing That Turned Against Him
The emergency school-board hearing began the following morning.
Marcus sat between Renee and Leo while Dr.
Cole, Mrs.
Vance, and Principal Daugherty occupied the opposite table.
Board Chair Evelyn Grant tapped her pen.
“We will hear facts, not speeches.”
Dr.
Cole’s attorney stood.
“The physical score sheets came from a recycling bag.
Their custody cannot be verified.”
Rosa leaned toward the microphone.
“I removed them myself.”
“And you dislike Mrs.
Vance, don’t you?”
“I dislike being ordered to destroy signed records.”
Mrs.
Vance shook her head.
“She misunderstood a routine disposal request.”
Marcus rose before Renee could stop him.
“Did you put those copies in my backpack?”
“I did not.”
“Did you take my trophy?”
“I secured it after you became aggressive.”
“Did you push me?”
“You rushed at me.”
Leo lifted his phone.
“That is not what the recording shows.”
The board’s technician played the video on a large screen.
Tomato leaves filled the image, but Mrs.
Vance’s voice came through clearly.
“You were never supposed to get this award.
It doesn’t belong to you.”
Then came Marcus’s protest, the sound of the stool rolling, and Mrs.
Vance saying, “Someone else should have received this award.”
Mrs.
Vance gripped the table.
“The camera angle shows nothing.”
“It records the sound of Marcus falling,” Renee said.
“It does not show what caused it.”
Dr.
Cole’s attorney stood again.
“Nor does it prove score manipulation.
At worst, it shows a teacher handling a tense student poorly.”
Chair Grant turned to Reynolds.
“Do you have the greenhouse security file?”
“The local cache was cleared,” he said.
“The district backup has not yet been recovered.”
“Then we cannot consider footage that does not exist.”
Dr.
Cole leaned back.
For the first time since the hearing began, he smiled.
Chair Grant looked at Marcus.
“Without the original sheets or video, the board may have to treat this as conflicting testimony.”
Marcus stared at the tabletop.
Mrs.
Vance’s smile appeared beside Dr.
Cole’s.
During a short recess, Dr.
Cole followed Marcus into the hallway.
“You can still end this,” he said.
Marcus turned.
“By lying?”
“By signing a statement that Mrs.
Vance attempted to calm you after a scoring dispute.”
“You want me to blame myself.”
“I will restore your summer scholarship and personally recommend you to every university program on your list.”
Renee stepped from the hearing room.
“Get away from my son.”
Dr.
Cole lowered his voice.
“If he refuses, his name will remain attached to stolen judging sheets.”
“You planted them.”
“Prove it.”
Ethan appeared at the end of the hallway carrying a tablet.
“I can.”
Dr.
Cole’s smile vanished.
“Give me that device.”
“No.”
“Ethan, I am your father.”
“And Marcus was my friend.”
Ethan opened an email folder.
“Dad used my school account because he thought nobody would question his own son.”
Dr.
Cole lunged for the tablet, but Ethan passed it to Officer Reynolds.
“You have no right to expose private family messages,” Dr.
Cole snapped.
“You used my name to change his score,” Ethan said.
“You lost the right to hide behind me.”
Reynolds scrolled through the emails.
“There are instructions to Mrs.
Vance, copies of the altered sheets, and a message about placing committee papers in Marcus’s bag.”
Mrs.
Vance stood in the hearing-room doorway.
“Adrian told me the documents would only justify a temporary suspension.”
Dr.
Cole pointed at her.
“Do not pretend you were innocent.”
“I did what you asked because you said Helen approved it.”
Inside the room, Chair Grant called everyone back.
Reynolds placed the tablet on the evidence table.
“There is one more message,” he said.
“Dr.
Cole asked who could authorize the score override.”
Marcus read the reply on the screen.
It had come from Principal Daugherty.
May you like
Her answer contained only four words:
LEAVE THAT PART TO ME.
