The Professor's Women Ch. 08

When he was sure that they were out of sight, Jackson walked the ten blocks to the Holliday Inn and sat at the far end of the bar and nursed a draft beer until he saw a familiar redhead walk into the bar and sit at the booth in the rear near the restrooms.

He finished his beer, and walked back toward the restrooms. As he passed her booth, he glanced at her, and their eyes met for an instant. He continued on and entered the Men's room, and opened the single stall door to verify that no one was present. Assured that he was alone, he walked back to the door, and held it open a few inches.

A short time later, the redhead walked past the open Men's room door, glancing at him, and headed into the Ladies'. A few moments later, the Ladies' room door opened, and she motioned for him to join her. As soon as he got passed the door, she closed and locked it behind her.

She got in Jackson's face immediately and said, "Jesus Christ Jackson, what the fuck have you gotten me into? That stupid cunt is in a pile of shit up to her neck! They arrested her for conspiracy, and selling forged prescription forms. The State Police Narcotics Squad busted a drug dealer in Heyworth holding a dozen blank prescription forms with her signature on them."

She continued, "They have been running a sting operation for the last two years, and about six months ago scripts with her signature on them started showing up everywhere from Rockford to Carbondale."

Jackson looked at her calmly and said, "Let me guess, this particular dealer specialized in methamphetamines and benzodiazepine, right?"

J. P. looked surprised and said, "Yes, how did you know that and what does that have to do with your sister-in-law?"

"It has everything to do with what has been going on for the last four months. What you have uncovered is the last piece of the puzzle." Jackson said and continued, "Saul tried to keep you out of this, and he's going to be angry as hell with me for involving you. Unfortunately, I have dropped you into the middle of a conspiracy. This whole thing was started by a smart-assed spoiled kid trying to hurt my daughter because she embarrassed him after he failed while trying to drug and rape her."

Jackson continued, "The kid's parents had powerful friends, and someone made a second attempt to get to my daughter. I thwarted it and started to investigate the source of the drugs used in their second attempt. The information you sent to Saul were the results of my investigations. The only thing that was missing was how their 'chemist' got his hands on the raw materials to make his 'concoction'. You need to get this information to Saul so that he can contact the US Attorney's office in Chicago. They will be able to step in and make a 'deal' for Becky, provided she will cooperate with them. By the way, where is she, right now?"

J. P. stood with her mouth open and finally said, "Muther Fucker Jackson, you just scared the shit out of me. I have Becky stashed in a Motel 6 in Chenoa, why?"

Jackson grabbed her firmly by the shoulders and said, "As soon as you get back to your office, no matter how late it is, call Saul and update him on these new details. Then drive your Caddy to the Peoria airport tomorrow morning, park it there, and rent a bland looking sedan. Go pick up Becky and drive her to wherever Saul tells you to. Do not tell Becky about why you are doing this, because she will freak out if she realizes how much danger she is in. You need to trust Saul and I about this. Becky is the key to bringing down a huge criminal conspiracy that has its roots deeper than even I suspected."

J. P. finally settled down and told Jackson that she would do what he had told her. He told her to wait in the bathroom for five minutes after he left. He told her to pay her tab and walk out of the bar without acknowledging his presence. He would watch to make sure no one was following her as she left.

As he left the restroom, he heard her go into a stall, presumably to keep from wetting her panties, that is if she was wearing any. Jackson went back to the bar and ordered another beer. He was about half way finished when the redhead walked back to her table. She left a 'Hamilton' on the table to pay for her martini, and walked quietly out of the bar.

Jackson did not watch her leave, but he felt her presence as the other four patrons and the bartender were captivated by her cleavage, sexy ass in the short skirt, fishnet stockings and four inch heels. As soon as the door closed behind her, Jackson finished his beer, put a twenty on the bar, and left. He stood in the shadows next to the entrance and watched as she walked across the parking lot, got in her red 1979 Coupe Deville, and drove away. When he was sure no one was following her, Jackson used the payphone in the lobby to call Saul. The Chicago lawyer was quite angry with his cousin, but calmed down when Jackson told him about the drug 'connection'. He thanked Jackson and told him that he would 'take care of everything'.

The Professor hung up and walked back to the campus, and arrived just in time to see the old Mercedes with the Massachusetts plates pull into the faculty parking lot. Jackson watched from the shadows as his proxy parked the car and walked into the Student Union. He saw the same old 'cop car' cruise around the lot three times and finally leave, disappearing into traffic on College Avenue.

When he walked into the lobby of the Student Union, he saw Wilbur sitting in a corner, shaking like a leaf. Jackson walked over to him, sat down and put his arm around the petrified young man. "Christ Professor, I have never been that scared in my life. There were two big guys following me in a cop car everywhere tonight. You didn't tell me I would be doing anything illegal." the nervous young man said.

Jackson tried to reassure the young man by telling him that the people tailing him were not the police, but were probably drug dealers. That did not calm Wilbur at all, and he ran to the nearest trash can and vomited.

When the young man finally calmed down, Jackson explained the connection between the men that were following him and the contents of the package he had given the professor in the spring. Jackson apologized to Wilbur and told him that his cautious nature had kept him safe, and that he had nothing to worry about. He told the young man that he now had the final 'piece of the puzzle'. Wilbur handed him back the car keys, and left.

As Jackson walked across the Quad, he felt the presence of someone following him. He walked briskly, staying out of the shadows and among as many people as he could. When he walked through the doors of his apartment building, he glanced over his shoulder for the first time and saw a shadowy figure disappear into the same old 'cop car' he had seen earlier.

He went to his room and wrote down the license number of the old Ford sedan, got undressed and went to bed.

Jackson woke up early on Tuesday, July 19 and was starved. He hadn't eaten dinner the night before because the turmoil and 'close calls' of the day had caused him to lose his appetite. He dressed and walked to the coffee shop at the edge of the campus and at a huge breakfast.

With his hunger taken care of, he walked to his office, going over his presentation for his first weekly staff meeting in his mind. Leslie was waiting for him outside his locked office door when he got there. He apologized for the locked door and promised to have a key made for her as he unlocked it. Once inside, he asked her if she was ready for their 'trial by fire'. She said she was really excited and couldn't wait to watch him make them 'squirm'.

Then she asked him how his sister-in-law was doing. He said, "I don't know for sure."

He held up his index finger to his mouth wrote a note on paper that said 'The walls have ears, tell you later'. Jackson asked her if she had made arrangements for several large coffee urns with cups, sugar, and creamers to be delivered to the meeting room. Leslie said that it should be there very soon. He looked at his watch. And seeing it was 9:15, asked her if she would go downstairs to check, and he would join her at 9:45. She told him she would and left. He spent the next twenty minutes practicing his talking points and rebuttals. When he was sure he was ready, he grabbed his notes and headed downstairs.

He walked into the room and saw that the coffee service had been set up on a long table at the rear of the room. There were three dozen chairs arranged in three rows. At the front of the room was another long table with two chairs behind it. Leslie was sitting in one of them, and she had placed a tablet and pencil on all of the empty chairs, as per his instructions. He poured himself a cup of coffee and walked to the front of the room and sat next to his secretary to wait for his staff to arrive.

Soon after he sat down, the members of his staff started to arrive, one and two at a time. At about five minutes till ten o'clock, there were only six empty chairs in the room, and just as the minute hand on the clock on the wall reached twelve, the last six chairs were filled. Jackson nodded to Leslie and she walked to the rear of the room and closed the door.

As she walked back to her chair, Jackson stood and walked in front of the table at the front of the room and stood quietly, scanning the room.

Finally he started to speak, "Good morning gentlemen, thank you for attending the first of what I hope will be many weekly staff meetings. I know that all of you know who I am, but just in case you have forgotten, I am Doctor Jackson Powell. Because of the resignation of Doctor Palmer, Chancellor McKinley has appointed me Interim Chair of the School of Psychology and Psychiatry, pending my confirmation by the entire Board, next month. For those of you who are new here, I have been a member of the staff here at ISU for nearly twenty years. I will not waste any more time being nostalgic, because our house is in a mess and we all need to pitch in to clean it up. Let me make something very clear to all of you right now. I have been put in charge of rebuilding the shambles that has been left by nineteen rears of uninspired and incompetent leadership. I will need every one of you to cooperate with me, as well as with each other. There is no 'Me' any more, we all need to work together."

Jackson continued, "At this time, I would like to introduce to you someone who I feel is indispensable to our success, Ms. Leslie Becker, my personal assistant."

As he motioned to her she stood and bowed, and about half of those in the audience clapped, and he went on, "In the past her position was given a member of the secretarial pool, but I see her as much more than that. She is my right hand and confidant, so anything you say to her will be passed on to me. I know that some of you are older than me, and have more tenure. I will understand that you may resent my being promoted above you, but this is none of my concern. If you feel uncomfortable about serving under me willingly and unquestioningly, I ask only that you give me a chance to prove my worth to you, and the University as a whole."

He continued, "If this is something you cannot commit to, kindly tender your resignation or transfer request to my office by 5PM this Friday the 15th. If you do that, I will write you a glowing letter of recommendation, to help you advance your career. If after thirty days of doing your best to help all of us rebuild this department and the university as a whole, you still feel the same way, I will give you the same then, as well. However, if any of you do not try your best, or work against me, or any of my staff, you will be discharged for cause, with prejudice." and looked directly at Archie Barton, who turned beet red but said nothing. He continued, "Some of you may be thinking 'He can't do that, I have tenure!' and any other time you would be right. However, recent events have triggered a seldom used clause in the contract you all signed when you joined the staff called the 'non-compliance clause'. I do not wish to anger anyone at this point by threatening you. I do need your help to turn this department around, and if you decide to leave, I will not stop you, and will wish you well. It is those of you who decide to stay and attempt to undermine my authority that will pay a heavy price."

Jackson concluded, "I am now going to shut up and listen to what all of you have to say, and what you have to offer to help us make our department better. Please raise your hand, and I will give you three minutes to say your piece. Remember, I am looking for contributions right now. If you have criticisms, please make an appointment with Ms. Becker, and I will meet with you privately to hear your grievances."

The next thirty minutes were filled with suggestions and questions, mostly from the younger members of the staff, with the senior members remaining ominously silent.

Jackson addressed all of the concerns and questions offered him with positive answers that surprised most of the attendees with his grasp of the subject matter and how many of them he agreed with. Jackson was thrilled all but one of his ideas were suggested by members of the audience. When he would agree with their proposals, he applauded them, and told them he had planned on doing as they had suggested.

Finally Jackson said, "There is one more thing that none of you have mentioned that I want to propose. The subject of diversity of race and gender needs to be addressed in this 'Old Boys Club'."

Jackson stood calmly and waited for the commotion and mumbling in the room to quiet, and then said, "The Twentieth Century ended more than five years ago. Half of the population of our great nation, and nearly half of the student body at this university are women. Non-whites and women comprise over half of the student body, but seventy-five percent of the faculty are White Men! The Civil Rights act passed Congress thirty years ago, and yet our faculty, with the exception of the Athletics Department, still looks like it did during the late Nineteenth Century."

He continued, "I realize that this is an idea that may be very troubling to you. Racism and misogyny are rooted deep within our upbringing, but that does not make these doctrines right. I do not expect all of you to agree with me on this, because it is something I have been struggling with my whole life. I grew up in a working class neighborhood in Cranston, Rhode Island, and got a chance to attend Harvard. Cambridge was as much of a culture shock to me as the central Illinois cornfields were."

He hesitated to let the laughter in the room die down, and continued, "But I adjusted to the changes. We need to accept that, just because someone doesn't look like us or talk like us, they are still our equal. The purpose of education is to make you think and question. This is how we learn, and this is how we teach others. My grandfather one spoke the wisest words I have ever heard; 'A day that you do not learn something is a day you have wasted'."

He finished, "Gentlemen, this has been a very productive meeting. I want to thank all of you for your patience and participation. For the present, I want all of you to continue in your current positions with the exception of someone I would like to offer my congratulations to by announcing that, effective immediately the position of Assistant Chair, my previous position, will be held by Professor Archibald Barton." Everyone in the room stood and applauded, and Archie stood, shocked and pale, as everyone around him shook his hand and patted him on the back. When the noise calmed down, Jackson said, "Meeting adjourned. Anyone wanting to meet with me, see Ms. Becker, she has my schedule with her now," and he walked over to congratulate his colleague and potential nemesis.

When the crowd thinned out, Jackson led Archie into the corner of the meeting room out of earshot of those crowded around Leslie who was scheduling meetings with his staff. Finally Archie said, "What the hell was that about Jackson?"

Jackson answered him, "Look Archie, I know you thought the Assistant Chair was supposed to be yours nineteen years ago, and I was more surprised than you when the 'Old Man' gave it to me. Willoughby didn't want to promote Palmer to the Chair, but the Board forced him to do it. Promoting me was his way of thumbing his nose at them. I really didn't want the job because I didn't think I deserved it, but I accepted out of gratitude to my mentor. Once in the job, I found it gave me the flexibility to do the things I loved to do without being mired in the political B. S. I have to do now."

He continued, "I'm sorry I came down so hard on you yesterday, but I've got a massive job ahead of me, and I need someone I can trust to have my back. I hope you will agree to be my 'Mark Anthony", not my 'Brutus'." and shook his hand.

"You want my help, after all I've said to and about you all of these years?" Archie asked, confused.

"Archie, you are the only one here who is willing to call me out when I'm 'full-of-shit'. I'm counting on you to keep me from getting a 'swelled head'. I want to be leader like Willoughby, not a demagogue like Palmer. Please tell me you'll stick around at least long enough to help me fix this mess. This place has been my whole life since my Elizabeth died, and I don't want to see it all go down in flames."

The two men shook hands again, and noticed nearly everyone had left. Archie walked out the door as the last two people left the room. Jackson walked over to Leslie who remarked, "That went well, I think. You started off asserting your dominance, and shifted gears to ask for their help. You humanized yourself, and encouraged them to participate. They came back at you with everything you wanted to propose, and then you messed with their heads by throwing them a curve ball. You weren't really serious about that diversity stuff, were you?"

Jackson looked directly into her eyes and said, "I have never been more serious about anything in my life Leslie. Janice Griffin, and my Traci were Valedictorian and Salutatorian of the class of 2005 at University High School. Gomez Rodrigez and Jared Umbutto were in the top ten percent of their graduating class. Do you think that they are not more qualified than Jeremy Knuppel who isn't even in the top twenty percent? I believe it is my duty to see that kids like them can get a chance to be considered for positions on staff here, and that rich entitled assholes like Jeremy are limited to attending community college."

"I know that your dream won't come true any time soon, but you really fucked with their heads, and threw the old farts off their game." she said and added, "By the way, good move promoting Archie, 'Keep your enemy's closer'."

"Oh you don't know the best part." he said and told her what he said about not wanting his previous job, thinking Archie should have had it. He told her he told Archie that he wanted him 'by his side', and wanted him to be his Mark Antony, not his Brutus.

"Wow Jackson, I'm really impressed," she said, "You have inspired your supporters and confused your detractors with one fell swoop. By the way, you have a full schedule of meetings for the next three days, do you want to hold the meetings in 'our' office, or someplace else?" "In our office definitely, I want to watch for your reaction to what they say. I trust your judgement, and because of our long friendship I know you would never lie to me." he said.

"Jackson, what was that you said about someone listening to us in our office this morning?" his secretary asked.

"Leslie, there are things happening that I must keep you in the dark about. As Sir Arthur Conan Doyle often wrote 'the game is afoot'. For your safety, I cannot share any of it with you for now. Trust me that I will tell all when the time is right." he said.