Part 20 (1/2)

”Me too,” chimed in Roz.

”James, Jennifer, Roz, will you tell that to the panel in addition to what you already plan to testify to?”

”Sure, no problem.”

”Betchera.s.s!”

”That will really give this charge against you the deep six along with Sarah's testimony,” Roz said excitedly as the whole bunch of happy people left their food and joined each other in a wild victory dance. Premature for sure, but the powerless and the innocent naively take their joy where they can find it.

When the hearing commenced again, the panel appeared subdued, and listlessly turned over pages of notes as Henry told Diana to call her next witness and cautioned her that, ”they should be addressing the specific charge here.”

”Just a moment,” Jane demanded. ”Before we have the next witness, I'd like to ask you a question, Diana. You said earlier that you were not free to call witnesses from your department. Why?”

Trenchant, who was on her way to the door to get her next witness, paused and said, ”They asked me not to. They felt it would be impossible for them to testify since they most probably would contradict their chairman.”

”You are saying they are afraid to testify?”

”That's correct. Just like you saw Jean was. Her knowledge and belief in me was the only thing that made it possible for her to overcome her fear of losing her position.

”It is much worse for people in my department and for that matter for medical students who have not been allowed to testify.

Things can be made very difficult for them.”

Esther pursued, ”Are you stating that Lyle has discussed this case with the department?”

”Oh, yes. Very definitely. After he accused me, he went in to Ann Biggot's office and told her. My job was offered to two people in the department around the same time.

Lyle has told others besides me that this hearing is only a formality.

Remember, he's the one that decides the raises.”

”What sort of thing could people in your department testify about?”

”They could substantiate what I have said about the negligent, careless way the evaluation process is carried out and how little import is placed on it. They could confirm that the evaluations were often laying around on someone's desk or in the secretaries' office.

”They could explain that the evaluations got mixed together from year to year and unless one happened to be dated, there was no way to separate one year from the next.”

”They could tell you the reason for the problems that occurred in the radiology course and affirm that my manual was plagiarized.

”Being right there where the business of the department is carried out, they could tell you that one of Lyle's first acts when he came into the department six years ago was to eliminate my position. When I protested this act of discrimination to the Attorney General's Office and they brought charges, he claimed that he had only told me that he would keep me if he had the funds. . .”

”You are saying. . .you are painting a picture of suspicion and allegation that are hearsay and unsubstantiated,” a.n.u.se interrupted, bald pate aflame with anger.

”Correct. And we've heard tons of unsubstantiated hearsay in testimony from previous witnesses.”

”That doesn't matter. We are only interested in these doc.u.ments, nothing else. Those are side issues and not a part of this investigation.”

”They most certainly are a part of it. If what you say is true, the dean would have just written one sentence in his letter.

He would have written, 'I want her out of here because. . . .'

Instead, he wrote two pages filled with unsubstantiated hearsay and charges of insubordination and dishonesty based on Lyle's accusation and I want to answer them!”

”Nonsense, the charges are clear. You forged seven SmurFFs.