Both stopped. One went completely still. Ryan laughed under his breath. Look, Professor. This doesn't concern you.
The stranger reached the bottom step. His gaze settled on Ryan. You asked what witnesses there were. Ryan's smile faded slightly. The man stopped at the edge of the circle.
I told you. His voice remained quiet. I am. Behind him the doors of Heritage Hall flew open. A woman in a navy suit hurried outside clutching a folder against her chest.
She saw the man standing in the courtyard. Then she saw Maya. Then Chase's fist. The color drained from her face and for the first time since he had stepped into Maya's path. Ryan Whitmore looked uncertain.
The woman in the navy suit hurried down the last few stone steps. One hand gripping a leather folder. The other raised as if she were trying to catch someone's attention before a meeting disappeared without her. "President Carter," she called. The trustees are waiting in the East Conference Room.
I told them you'd only be... She stopped. Laura Bennett, 45, Executive Assistant to Crown Bridge University's newly appointed president, stared at the scene in front of her. At Maya, at Ryan, at Emily's raised phone, and finally at Chase whose fist was still hovering behind Maya's head. President Carter?
Someone whispered near the fountain. The words moved through the courtyard. Ryan's face lost its color. Chase lowered his fist so quickly that the motion itself looked like an admission. Emily's phone dipped several inches.
The quiet black man standing before them did not look at Laura. His attention remained fixed on Chase. Keep your hands where I can see them. His voice was calm. Chase obeyed.
Ryan looked from Laura to the stranger and back again as though waiting for someone to explain how the ordinary professor he had dismissed had suddenly become the most powerful administrator at Crown Bridge. Daniel Carter had been president for less than a week. His appointment had been announced during the semester, but his formal installation ceremony was still several weeks away. Most students knew the name. Far fewer knew the face.
Ryan apparently belonged to the second group. You're… He swallowed. You're Dr. Carter? Daniel did not answer immediately. Maya turned toward him.
For the first time that morning, something almost like relief entered her face. "Hi, Dad." The courtyard exploded into whispers. Oh my God. That's her father?
She's President Carter's daughter? Ryan stared at Maya, then at Daniel, then at the faded backpack he had mocked and the old brass key hanging from its blue cord. His mouth opened. Nothing came out. Emily stopped recording.
Maya noticed. "Why'd you stop?" Emily looked at her. You said you were recording every second. Emily's thumb hovered over the screen.
Maya's voice remained quiet. "Keep recording." A few students exchanged glances. Daniel finally looked at Maya. "Are you hurt?"