Stepping Up To Love (Lakeside Porches 1) (3 page)

“Thank you, James. The lady and I are just finishing and will be out of your way momentarily.” Joel stood up and helped her to her feet. It did not surprise him that she swayed at first. He kept his hand on her back as they walked out of the breakfast room. “Task number one,” he directed Manda, “you will check the shower for your glasses. Can you do that?”

She nodded.

“And I will find out if Professor Kristof is at home. As soon as the way is clear, we will drive over there to retrieve your laptop, etc. and then drop you at the college for a long talk with the substance abuse counselor.” He was already punching buttons on his smartphone. He sensed resistance. “Any argument so far?”

“No argument, but I need a bodyguard.”

He searched her face and remembered the bruises on her arms and belly and back and thighs. She was right; Sir Lancelot on a white horse was not the solution. “I’ll take care of it. Find your glasses; make a list of everything you want to rescue from the house; prioritize it, because you’ll have very little time to get it and get out. I’ll meet you out front in one hour.” He tapped her watch. “Eleven o’clock sharp.” He gave her a gentle push toward the spa, and signaled Remy to let her pass into the guest locker area.

Joel stood a moment watching her, trying to make sense of the beautiful, bruised, naked woman in the shower, dressed now in someone else’s classy clothes, admitting her alcoholism, and doggedly trying to complete her semester’s work at the college, come what may.

Manda Doughty was tempting, but the whole package was too hot to handle.

Right now he needed to do some serious digging into her story and re-think all his assumptions about his junior accountant. And involve the authorities. And dig into Kristof’s extracurricular activities. And the Presidential Scholars debacle. He gave Remy a brief, “Thanks for your help with this,” to tell Remy that letting an employee use the spa showers was not the biggest problem today.

Remy nearly shook with relief. “Anything else I can do, boss?”

“Find her a scarf or something.” Joel took a back stairway to his office, the smartphone at his ear.

Joel speed-dialed the office of the president at Tompkins College. “Wendy, it’s Joel. I need time today with the president on an urgent matter.”

The unflappable secretary offered, “One o’clock?”

“Beautiful.” Joel pitched a jumbo paper clip in the direction of the wastebasket and missed by a few inches. “Please organize a conference call at two for as many trustees as you can manage.” The next shot hit the wall. “And I need to be connected to the provost’s office immediately.”

“Lydia is with Professor Kristof until noon on an urgent matter.”

Joel absorbed the information. “Then half of my agenda will come as no shock to her.”

“I can schedule you for noon in her office. I’ll have lunch sent in for both of you.”

“Good. Salad and iced tea for me.” Joel tried again, and the paper clip ricocheted off the wall into the basket. “Who would I speak with to have a student see a substance abuse counselor, the sexual harassment liaison, a physician, and a therapist in that order this afternoon?”

“I will set that up for you, Joel. May I tell them the name of the student?”

“Manda Doughty.” He spelled it. “Honor student, senior, works for me at the Manse.”

“That’s a new one. I’ll get back to you with her appointment times. Any parameters?”

“Starting shortly after noon, running no later than four o’clock. I need to have her see an eye doctor for a new pair of glasses at four.”

“Am I scheduling that?”

“I am. Is Tony Pinelli on today?”

There was a delay while Wendy looked up the daily schedule for campus security. Joel opened a few more jumbo paper clips to just the right angle for smooth sailing; he pitched one and it dinged the side of the basket.

“Tony is not on today.” Wendy’s voice held a question.

“Good. I will have him deliver Manda to campus for her first appointment and return for her in time for the eye doctor.”

“You had me worried there.”

“Tony is part of the solution. One more thing, Wendy, and this may be impossible, I understand, even for a miracle worker like you.”

He heard her chuckle across the connection. “Lay it on me, Joel.”

“I need a safe place for Manda to live for the remainder of the semester. Can you find a place on campus?”

“I’ll do my best. Assuming I succeed, I’ll need an account number to cover this,” she added tactfully.

“Pick one and I’ll cover it.” The paper clip landed squarely in the wastebasket this time. “Thank you, as always, Wendy.”

The next call was to his friend Tony Pinelli. “Need you to transport a student,” Joel prefaced, “and do a little AA twelfth step work and body guarding at the same time.”

“I’m your man,” Tony agreed without question. “You coming with us?”

“If I can get away, yes,” he said at first. “Or not. I’m not sure I want her to know I’m in AA at this point. Listen, pal, I know when we talk to a drunk about the AA program for the first time, we’re advised not to do it alone, but she’s already convinced about her alcoholism.”

“So it’s more of a ‘get acquainted with how the AA program can help her.’ Sure, I’m cool with that. Are you serious about the body guarding?”

“She’s got a body covered with serious bruises, and she’s terrified. I’m counting on you to find out everything you can about what happened to her last night. I’m meeting with the provost at noon about the professor in question.”

“Why noon?”

“Because the provost is in a closed session with him until then. I need you to be here at the Manse by eleven and out of the Kristof house by noon.”

Tony whistled. “Kristof? News to me,” he told his friend. “And our mission is?”

“Retrieve as much of her stuff as she wants and document anything you can about what’s been happening in that house.”

“You called the cops yet?”

Joel’s stomach took a dive. “No. I’ll do that.”

“Have someone meet us at the house or at least be in the area. You talked with Lorraine yet?”

“My next call. Gotta go, pal.”

Joel put in a call to Lorraine Kristof at her ivy-covered mansion in the Thames valley west of London. Next, he arranged an emergency visit for Manda to his own eye doctor at four o’clock. “Check her vision and have her pick out new, very chic frames. This is on me, Paulette. Anything you can do to make this an upbeat experience for her will be much appreciated.”

Joel hesitated, gathered his courage, and made the next call. “Chief, Joel Cushman. Thank you for taking my call. One of my employees, who is also a student at the college, has made me aware of a crime committed against her by her employer, who is also a professor. I don’t know where the definition of domestic violence begins and ends; she was until yesterday his live-in housekeeper, and the home was the scene of the crime. The college will investigate from the standpoint of sexual harassment, but I believe this also involves you.” He inhaled deeply, held the breath, and exhaled to clear the turmoil in his stomach.

“If there has been sexual activity between the employer and the live-in employee, whether consensual or coerced, then yes, we do need to be involved.”

“I understand it was coerced.” Joel noticed his knuckles were white, and he willed his fingers to let go of his coffee mug.

“Joel I can hear how difficult this is for you. I need you to answer some questions now, and we will need to talk with the student as soon as it can be arranged.”

Joel responded to the police chief’s questions as directly and completely as he could. They agreed a car would be in the area when Manda went back to Kristof’s for her things later this morning, and they agreed Manda’s interview would be handled by a policewoman at the college during Manda’s round of appointments this afternoon.

“Joel, I hear your tension.” His old friend asked, “What’s your biggest worry that I can address?”

“Her safety first. Also, the publicity. Both the impact on the young woman, who is fragile at this point, and on the college.”

“We’ll determine the right measures to safeguard her. That’s our job, and we do it well. I’ll do what I can around the publicity. It’s not the first time I’ve heard this professor’s name, and nothing’s been in the media yet.”

“You’ve heard his name in connection with this student and this situation?”

“Not at all. Between you and me, he’s a smooth operator, well connected. If he’s come to your attention, though, he’s making very big mistakes. We’ll get him. The report from you and from the student will help.”

Joel let out his breath as he hung up from the call. His hands were shaking, but he knew he wasn’t finished with his mental to-do list. What was he missing?

He called catering and arranged for breakfast in his office at eight o’clock the next morning, dictating Manda’s preferred menu and his own. He put in a call to his attorney; he would leave it to the president to engage the attorneys for the college.

He walked to the window and looked out at the woods, still choked with snow. The bare trees were quiet right now, but he had seen robins this week, so spring was not far away. The minutes stretched on without a return call from Lorraine or his attorney. The hour he’d given Manda to get ready was running out.

Joel decided he needed his workout in the fitness center more than he needed to accompany Tony to the Kristof home. He would give Manda a positive send-off with Tony. Even though it was against the rules, he’d take his phone to the weight room. He needed Lorraine Kristof’s input for his discussions with the provost, the president of the college, and the trustees.

He reached for another jumbo paper clip. “Catherine,” he called to his secretary, “I’m out of paper clips again. I’ll be in the weight room from eleven to eleven forty-five and at the college for several hours this afternoon. Reschedule whatever you can.”

On his way out, he saw Catherine staring at him.

“Please,” he added. “And why not take a long lunch today.”

Manda was waiting at the curb when he stepped through the front door into dazzling sunshine. He told her, “My good friend Tony P. is on his way, and he’ll drive you to Cady’s Point. I have a crisis.”

“Ran out of white linen napkins?” Manda guessed.

Joel grinned. “If we can keep you out of the dining room, we may make it through dinner.” What was it about this woman that made him laugh in the face of life-changing circumstances for her and professional crises for him? “You didn’t find your glasses in the shower?”

Manda shook her head.

“No one had taken them to Lost and Found?”

Manda shook her head again and scanned the drive. A truck had turned in from the highway and was making its way up the tree-lined avenue. “They weren’t in my car either.”

Joel wondered if she’d lost them at the house last night. He decided not to push it. Let Tony find out.

He gave Manda the itinerary. “Tony will help you retrieve your things and keep them in his truck until we know where everything’s going. He’ll drop you at the college, where the substance abuse counselor is expecting you. Others at the college are on the hunt for housing for you for the rest of the semester.”

“Joel, I can’t afford it.”

He squeezed her shoulders. “You’re not responsible for the tab.”

“Who is?”

“It’s being taken care of. Don’t fight it,” he told her.

She opened her mouth to protest but closed it again. “Thank you,” she said humbly.

“And if it doesn’t work out living in the dorms, I expect you to tell me. Sooner rather than later. I need you to keep your priorities straight,” he ordered.

She repeated their agreement. “I will keep my mind on my courses and on my work, and I will stay away from booze in any form.”

“Good. Go,” He propelled her toward Tony’s battered white truck. “Check in with me first thing tomorrow. Eight o’clock sharp.”

Manda waved her understanding.

Joel reached a decision. Whether Lorraine approved his plan for compensating Manda or not, this was his one and only opportunity. As Manda pulled open the passenger door, Joel called back to Tony, “Look for the bike. We can park it here for now.” With that, he hustled back inside.

Manda contemplated the giant step up into the cab.

“You okay there?” Tony asked. He held out a big square hand to her. She took his hand and let him draw her up onto the seat. “You know me from the college,” he introduced himself. “Tony Pinelli. I work Security, and I teach the self-defense classes.”

“Manda Doughty,” she told him. “Your class saved my life last night.”

Tony had pulled away from the curb, but he slowed at her statement and threw the truck into park. If this woman was lying, he wanted to know it now. He tested, “Should I be carrying?” He saw the fear in her eyes and noticed a bruise on her neck that wasn’t quite covered by the jazzy silk scarf.

Tony climbed out of the cab, unlocked a box in the back, rummaged through, and tucked his gun under his jacket.

“Anything else you need to tell me about this mission?” he asked as they resumed the drive.

“Does your cell phone take photos?”

He nodded.

“Unless the cleaning crew has been there already today, you’ll see what I want recorded.”

Tony maneuvered the truck onto the highway and pressed the accelerator. “Planning to sue the guy?”

She shook her head. “I want some documentation. I don’t think he’s finished with me, and I need to protect myself.”

“I’ll bet this cleaning crew knows a few things,” Tony offered. “Any idea who they are?”

“No, and I’m sure they’re well compensated to keep quiet and remove the evidence.”

“So, we need a plan for today,” Tony told her. “Joel is sure Kristof is in a meeting at the college until noon. That gives us about an hour.” He was betting Manda didn’t know the level of Joel’s involvement. Nor would he, Tony, clue her in. “That may seem like a long time to grab a laptop, but when it comes right down to it, can you make fast decisions about what’s most important to take and what you can do without?”