Chapter 4: The Chairman Walks In
William Vance didn't hurry.
That was the first thing Marcus noticed.
Hundreds of people were staring at him. Security officers had just moved toward the principal. His name had appeared on the AV screen as the account deleting graduation files.
And still, the chairman of the school board walked down the center aisle as if he were arriving at a dinner reservation.
“What's going on here?”” Vance asked.
His voice was smooth.
Controlled.
Dr. Hayes stepped to the edge of the stage.
“Mr. Vance, stop where you are.””
Vance stopped.
A faint smile touched his face.
“Rebecca, surely we're not going to conduct district business in front of students.””
Marcus glanced at Dr. Whitmore.
She looked terrified.
Not embarrassed.
Terrified.
Claire spoke from the AV table.
“The deletion stopped.””
Dr. Hayes looked toward her.
“When?””
“The second Mr. Vance entered.””
A murmur spread through the auditorium.
Vance's smile disappeared.
“Are you accusing me of something?””
“No,” Claire said.
“I'm reading the access log.””
“Claire,” Dr. Hayes warned gently, “don't engage.””
Vance stared at the teenager.
“You're the AV assistant?””
Claire straightened.
“Student technician.””
“And you believe you're qualified to interpret district network logs?””
“I don't believe it. I'm looking at them.””
Several students laughed nervously.
Vance's jaw tightened.
Dr. Hayes descended the stage stairs.
“Mr. Vance, your administrative account accessed the graduation folder minutes ago.””
“Then my credentials were compromised.””
“That is possible.””
Vance seemed relieved by her answer.
Until she continued.
“Which is why nobody will touch those computers until district IT examines them.””
Dr. Whitmore suddenly stepped forward.
“Exactly. This has obviously become a technical misunderstanding.””
Marcus looked at her.
“You knew he was coming.””
She froze.
“I said no such thing.””
Marcus pointed toward the live microphone.
“You said, ‘He wasn't supposed to be here.’”
A wave of murmurs rolled through the auditorium.
Dr. Whitmore glanced toward the microphone like she hated it.
Vance's expression hardened.
“Evelyn, don't say another word.””
The command came too quickly.
Too naturally.
Dr. Hayes noticed.
So did Marcus.
“So you two have discussed this morning's ceremony?”” Dr. Hayes asked.
Vance exhaled.
“Of course we have. I'm board chairman.””
“Did you discuss removing Marcus as valedictorian?””
“No.””
Dr. Whitmore looked at him.
It was tiny.
A flicker.
But Marcus saw it.
So did Angela.
“She's looking at him like he's lying,” Angela called from the aisle.
Vance turned.
“And you are?””
“My mother,” Marcus said.
Angela stepped closer.
“And the woman whose son was just told he doesn't represent this school properly.””
Vance adjusted his jacket.
“I haven't heard the entire context.””
“You heard enough to start deleting files,” someone shouted.
Applause and angry voices erupted.
Vance raised his voice.
“That accusation is irresponsible.””
Claire's fingers moved over the keyboard.
“I have the login timestamp.””
Vance stared at her.
“Stop accessing confidential records.””
Claire immediately lifted her hands from the keyboard.
“Fine.””
She pointed at the screen.
“But everyone can still see it.””
The projector showed the access history.
ACCOUNT: WVANCE_ADMIN.
LOGIN: 10:17 A.M.
ACTION: REMOTE ACCESS.
ACTION: DELETE DIRECTORY.
Marcus checked the large clock.
10:21.
Four minutes ago.
Vance looked toward Dr. Hayes.
“My credentials were stolen.””
“Then you'll want an investigation.””
“Absolutely.””
“Good.””
Dr. Hayes turned toward one of the security officers.
“Please ask Mr. Vance to surrender his district laptop and phone until IT can preserve relevant access records.””
Vance laughed.
“No.””
The single word changed the atmosphere.
Dr. Hayes stared at him.
“No?””
“You don't have authority to seize my personal property.””
“Your district-issued laptop isn't personal property.””
Vance's face reddened.
“Rebecca, think very carefully.””
“I am.””
“You work for the board.””
“I work for the district.””
“The board employs you.””
“And the board doesn't authorize evidence destruction.””
The audience erupted again.
Vance looked around.
For the first time, his confidence slipped.
Then Marcus saw Dr. Whitmore slowly backing toward the curtain.
“She's leaving,” he said.
Security turned.
Dr. Whitmore stopped.
“I need my medication from my office.””
“We'll have someone retrieve it,” Dr. Hayes said.
Whitmore's eyes flashed.
“You can't imprison me here.””
“No one is imprisoning you. But you're not entering an administrative office alone while records are apparently being deleted.””
Vance climbed the stage stairs.
“Enough.””
Security stepped between him and Dr. Hayes.
The chairman stared at the officer.
“Move.””
The officer didn't.
Vance pointed toward Marcus.
“This entire spectacle began because one student refused a reasonable administrative request.””
Marcus felt his mother's hand grip the railing.
“A reasonable request?”” Angela said.
Vance ignored her.
“This young man could have stepped aside, allowed the ceremony to continue, and addressed his concerns privately.””
Marcus finally stepped back to the microphone.
“No.””
Vance looked at him.
Marcus's hands were shaking now.
But his voice wasn't.
“You wanted me to disappear privately.””
The auditorium fell silent.
Marcus continued.
“Dr. Whitmore wanted my speech privately. Those student awards disappeared privately. Those files were being deleted privately.””
Vance's eyes narrowed.
“You should be careful making accusations you can't prove.””
Marcus looked at the projector.
“I haven't accused you of anything.””
He pointed.
“The computer is doing that.””
A roar of applause hit the stage.
Vance's face hardened.
Then Blake suddenly spoke.
“My dad has the messages.””
Richard Harrison turned toward his son.
“What messages?””
Blake looked shaken.
“The donor group chat.””
Dr. Whitmore whispered, “Blake, don't.””
Blake stared at her.
“You lied about Marcus.””
He pulled out his phone.
“I'm done protecting adults who lie to kids.””
Vance stepped toward him.
“Blake, whatever private messages you possess are not relevant here.””
Blake backed away.
“That sounds like you're scared they are.””
“Give the phone to your father.””
“No.””
Vance's voice sharpened.
“Now.””
Richard Harrison stepped between Vance and his son.
“Don't order my child around.””
Vance stopped.
Blake unlocked his phone.
“My dad left his tablet open last week. The donor chat was synced.””
Richard's face went pale.
“Blake…”
“I took screenshots.””
Marcus felt the entire room lean forward.
Blake scrolled.
Then his expression changed.
“What?”” Marcus asked.
Blake looked at Vance.
“You wrote this.””
Vance didn't move.
Blake walked toward Claire and handed her the phone.
“Put it up.””
Dr. Hayes said, “Wait. Claire, preserve it first. Don't display private contact information.””
Claire nodded.
A few seconds later, a cropped screenshot appeared on the giant screen.
The sender's name was visible.
WILLIAM VANCE.
And underneath it, one sentence.
We cannot let scholarship optics dominate graduation again this year.
Nobody spoke.
Marcus read it twice.
Then a second message appeared.
This one was from Dr. Whitmore.
Understood. I already have a replacement in mind.
Marcus looked at her.
She stared at the floor.
But Claire suddenly frowned.
“There are more.””
Vance lunged toward the AV table.
Security blocked him.
“Don't show another message!”” he shouted.
Claire froze.
Dr. Hayes turned toward him.
“Why?””
Vance realized too late what he had done.
Claire looked at Marcus.
Then at Dr. Hayes.
“The next message isn't about graduation.””
“What is it about?”” Marcus asked.
Claire swallowed.
“Admissions.””
May you like
And when she put it on the screen, Marcus saw a list of student names dated nearly a year earlier.
His little sister Naomi's name was at the top.
