***** Vol.3 Chap.29 Storm arriving *****

Frank thought he had maintained a good research team all along, but the collaboration was being strained. Loose ends had surfaced. Closet skeletons came out. Ghosts of the past appeared. He could not put his finger on anything. The ghosts were as elusive as ever.

No matter how much soul-searching he did, he could not recall what he did wrong. Disponded, he gave up and head for bed. The next day would come soon enough.

He slept as if he had never slept. Strange dreams seemed to haunt him, though he did not know what the dreams were. All he knew was that he woke up more tired than the day before. It was a restless night. He got up and had his usual cup of coffee. The morning air was clear and refreshing. He jogged around his neighborhood. The fresh morning air lifted his spirits only slightly.

When he arrived at the departmental office, he noticed the secretaries were quietly chatting among themselves but stopped abruptly and looked busy when they saw him walking in. No one talked to him as he checked his mail, but one can sense noticeable tension in the air.

He walked past the department chair’s office. The door was closed. He could hear some mumbling inside, but the sound was too muffled to be deciphered intelligibly. He walked back to his office and noticed that the message waiting light was blinking on his telephone. Immediately, he knew who that was. He pressed the code for the message.

“Dr. Abdulcizi? This is Dr. Summer. Please call me as soon as you can. I think you know what this is about.”

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know what this is about. Seriously annoyed, he mumbled to himself as he dialed the number.

“Hello?”

“Dr. Summer? Frank here.”

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“Frank, I am so glad you called. I guess you know why I called.”

“Not really.”

“Well, there seemed to be another complaint about you. This time it is from Dr. JB Smith.”

“From JB? What was the complaint?”

“Well, I am not really at liberty to discuss this over the phone. There are formal procedures to follow according to the faculty handbook.”

“Of course.”

“As the chair of the Academic Appeals Board, my job is to notify you of the established procedures. I am sorry about what has happened. But I must follow approved guidelines as well.”

“Sure.”

“The proper procedure calls for a committee to be formed. In the meantime, as soon as all the supporting document from the complainant is received within the next two days, we will forward a copy to you for your response. You have one week to respond. After that, we will have a preliminary hearing to determine if there is any substance to the allegations that warrant a formal hearing.”

“I see. What do I need to do at this point?”

“Nothing. You should get a package from me within two days and I look forward to getting your response. Is there anything else I can help you with?”

“Nothing that I can think of since I do not know what was in the complaint.”

“If you need a lawyer, I do have a list of well-respected lawyers in the community.”

“Why do I need a lawyer?”

“It is not uncommon for the defendant to have legal representation.”

“Does the complainant have a lawyer?”

“It is highly irregular for me to comment on the complainant.”

“I am not asking you to comment. I am just asking you if she has a lawyer.”

“I cannot tell you. Anyway, I don’t know.”

“OK, thank you for your help.”

“I am just doing my job.”

“I understand.”

“Again, if you want a list of lawyers, I do have a list of highly recommended ones here.”

“Thank you. If I want to contact any lawyers, I will find one myself.”

Frank is pissed and thoroughly annoyed now.

“That is indeed your prerogative. Good luck and good bye.”

“Bye.”

He slammed the phone down.

A lawyer? Why do I need a lawyer? He thought to himself. I have done nothing wrong. There is no need to get a lawyer.

Plagiarism? What is going on with JB? Did I offend her somewhere? Perhaps she wanted to write the NSF grant herself? Maybe I should have let her write the grant, but she could have just come and talked to me and I would have told Mark not to write the proposal.

Frank sat in his chair and considered for a long time but could not understand JB’s action. She had been fighting him every inch of the way recently. Frank thought that when the whole thing was over, he should really let JB make her career elsewhere.