Trevor Hale. Something changed. Small. But Nia saw it. His shoulders shifted.
His tone changed from concern to caution. How long have you known Trevor? New of him? Yes, a few months. Have the two of you had personal disagreements?
Nia stared at him. This is the disagreement. Sloan folded his hands. I just want to understand the context. The context is in the folder.
Of course, he turned another page. Some of these messages could be interpreted as immature joking. Nia felt the hope begin to thin. He followed me. We don't know that.
Those pictures weren't public. That doesn't necessarily prove Trevor took them. I didn't say Trevor took them. Sloan paused. Nia continued.
I said someone connected to this has information they shouldn't have. Sloan leaned back. Nia. Wellington takes student conflict seriously. Conflict?
Yes. This isn't conflict. What term would you prefer? Harassment. The word settled between them.
Sloan looked toward the window, then down at the folder. Have you responded to Trevor or any of the others in a way that could have escalated the situation? Nia almost laughed. Not because anything was funny, because she suddenly understood exactly where the conversation was going. I told him to stop.
Anything else? I asked him not to touch me. Have you raised your voice? Does that change what he did? I didn't say that.
You asked. Sloan opened another page. Were there witnesses to the wrist incident? Yes. Names?
Nia pointed to the list. He read them. Several students, two staff members. Sloan nodded slowly. Have any of them submitted statements?
Not yet. That's a problem. No. That's silence. Sloan's eyes lifted. Nia held his gaze.
If twelve people watch something happen and none of them wants to get involved, that doesn't mean it didn't happen. I understand your frustration. I don't think you do. His expression tightened. Barely.
Then he softened it again. Nia. My job is to separate feelings from facts. My bruised wrist is a fact. Sloan glanced toward it.
The mark had faded slightly but was still visible. He looked away faster than Nia expected. That told her more than anything else. He knew. Maybe not everything.
But enough. Nia leaned forward. Does Trevor's last name matter here? Sloan's face became still. What do you mean?
He told me his family paid for half the building. Students say things. Did they? Sloan was silent. Nia looked through the window at the athletic center.
Then at the brass plaque on the wall beside his office door. Hale meridian construction. She had seen the name yesterday. Now it clicked. Charles Hale.
Sloan did not answer. Trevor's father. Yes. The word came reluctantly. Charles Hale is a major supporter of Wellington.
How major? Nia. How major? Sloan exhaled. Hale meridian has been involved in several campus expansion projects.
And Trevor knows that. I'm sure he does. And you know it too. Sloan's voice cooled. I need you to be careful what you're implying.