She's been doing it our entire marriage. Julian stared at me, pieces clicking into place in his mind. Oh my god. Yeah. Oh my god.
I stood up. Julian, you're going to get a call from the police. They're investigating the fire and the academic fraud. When they call, I strongly suggest you tell them the truth. All of it.
Nathan, I save it. You made your choices. Now you get to live with the consequences. I left Julian's office feeling oddly satisfied. Not because I'd destroyed him.
He'd done that himself, but because I'd finally said everything I'd wanted to say 3 years ago. My phone buzzed as I walked across campus. A text from Mark. Emergency. Meet me at Murphy's Bar.
Now, Murphy's was a faculty hangout near campus, the kind of place where professors went to complain about students and administration over overpriced beer. Mark was waiting in a corner booth, looking agitated. We have a problem, he said as soon as I sat down. What kind of problem? A lease kind of problem.
She's been calling everyone in the department trying to get them to sign a statement saying you've been bothering her and and she's getting some support. Not from people who know the truth, but from people who think you went too far at the symposium. I ordered a beer and considered this. How much support? Enough to make trouble.
She's claiming you orchestrated a campaign to destroy her reputation, that you've been spreading lies about her work for years, and that you're using your male privilege to silence a successful woman. Male privilege. I'm an adjunct professor at a community college in Iowa. Logic is in her strong suit right now. She's also claiming the symposium was a setup that you and I conspired to humiliate her.
Did we? Mark looked uncomfortable. Well, yes, but she deserved it. That's not going to matter if she can convince people she's the sufferer here. There's more.
She's hired a lawyer, some hot shot from Chicago who specializes in academic discrimination cases. I felt the first stirring of real concern. What kind of case does she think she has? Gender discrimination, harassment, defamation. She's claiming the university created a hostile environment that damaged her career prospects.
Based on what evidence? Based on the fact that her career imploded after you exposed the ghost writing? She's arguing that even if you did help with her work, that's not unusual in academic marriages. And you only revealed it to hurt her. I had to admit it was a clever strategy.
Reframe the narrative from academic fraud to gender discrimination. Make herself the sufferer of a vindictive ex-husband rather than a cheating academic fraud. Mark, how many people in the department know the truth about her dissertation? Most of the senior faculty suspected something, but suspecting and proving are different things. And how many of them are willing to go on record?
Mark was quiet for a long moment. Not many academic politics, you know. Nobody wants to get involved in a messy legal battle. I finished my beer and stood up. Then I guess I better make sure this doesn't become a legal battle.
Nathan, what are you planning? I'm planning to give Dr. Elise Mercer exactly what she's been asking for all along, which is I smiled. A chance to prove she's as smart as she thinks she is. Elisa's lawyer was exactly what I'd expected.
Expensive suit, perfect teeth, and the kind of aggressive confidence that comes from winning cases through intimidation rather than facts. His name was Richard Steinberg, and he'd made a career out of turning academic disputes into discrimination lawsuits. The meeting was held in Dean Wexler's conference room with all the major players present. Wexler himself looking deeply uncomfortable, Dr. Patricia Wells representing the faculty senate, Mark as the symposium organizer, Julian pale and nervous, and detective Callahan who was still investigating the arson case.
My client has been the sufferer of a systematic campaign of harassment and defamation, Steinberg began, his voice carrying the authority of someone accustomed to being listened to. Dr. Mercer's reputation has been destroyed by false allegations made by a vindictive ex-husband with a history of controlling behavior. I almost laughed. Controlling behavior from the man who'd written his wife's dissertation and never asked for credit.
Furthermore, Steinberg continued, the so-called symposium was nothing more than an elaborate trap designed to humiliate my client in front of her peers. The university's participation in this charade represents a clear violation of Dr. Mercer's rights as a faculty member. Dean Wexler shifted uncomfortably. Mr.
Steinberg. The symposium was a legitimate academic event organized by Dr. Mercer's ex-husband's friend, Steinberg interrupted, with the explicit purpose of providing a platform for Mr. Mercer to make his false accusations. This is harassment, plain and simple.
What exactly are you looking for? Dr. Wells asked. Full reinstatement of Dr. Mercer's academic standing, a public apology from the university, and substantial damages for the damage done to her career and reputation.
And if the university refuses, Wexler asked, then we'll see you in federal court for gender discrimination, hostile work environment, and violation of Title 7. It was a strong opening gambit. Academic institutions were terrified of discrimination lawsuits, especially ones involving gender bias. Even if Steinberg couldn't prove his case, the legal costs and bad publicity would be devastating. But Steinberg had made one crucial mistake.
He'd assumed I was just a bitter ex-husband looking for revenge. He hadn't done his homework. "Mr. Steinberg," I said, speaking for the first time since the meeting began. "Before we go any further, I think there's something you should see. " I pulled out a thick folder and placed it on the conference table.
"These are the original files for Dr. Mercer's dissertation. Every draft, every revision, every email exchange, all timestamped and digitally verified. " Steinberg barely glanced at the folder. "Mr. Mercer, your presence at this meeting is highly inappropriate.
This is a matter between my client and the university. Actually, it's a matter of academic integrity. And since your client has accused me of making false allegations, I think I have a right to present evidence supporting those allegations. I opened the folder and pulled out a stack of papers. This is the first draft of chapter 3 saved on my computer on March 15th, 2019.
Note the file name, the timestamp, and the metadata. Dr. Wells leaned forward to examine the documents. This appears to be in your writing style, Mr. Mercer.