Death of the Ayn Rand Scholar by Gray Cavender (red scrolls of magic TXT) 📗

walked…I mean nothing planned or anything…really, we didn’t even know each other. Anyway, we went over to the MU and talked…me, the girl, Kishonna, and the dude, Sydney. And we decided to do a grievance against her. So, Kishonna whips out an IPADs and we crank-it-out. Sydney and I helped, but mostly it was Kishonna who wrote it.”

“And the outcome?”

“Yeah, well, she claimed that she was just against affirmative action and regulations like that…said they were unfair to students and that they also imposed on her academic freedom,” he overemphasized this last phrase as if to disparage it. “And yeah, well, they decided in her favor…duh.”

“So, what happened next?”

“Nothing…what’d you expect?” He paused, but when Jillian said nothing, he continued. “They let us drop her class…I really don’t know why I signed-up for it in the first place…guess I wanted to check-out this controversial professor…my bad. At least by letting us drop, we didn’t have to sit down for some heart-to-heart with the lady. Anyway, we all got into something better…at least something that wasn’t insulting.”

Jillian was quiet; so was Paxton. Finally, he added, “I mean, she can say what she wants and ASU can have her back, but I was there…I know what she said, and it was obvious how she meant it.”

The only movement in the room was Paxton’s hand, which had started drumming on the table again. He took another sip of water.

“Have you seen Professor Siemens since then…or lately?”

“Not really. So, I’m a graduating senior, and I’ve been to the English Department a couple of times to talk with an advisor…you know, senior checkout? But I didn’t see here either time.”

Paxton thought for a few seconds, then said, “The only time I saw her was not long after the decision came down on our grievance…I was in the building because of an appointment with another professor. As I was walking down the hall, all of a sudden she comes around a corner…she just looks right through me…like I’m not even there…you know?”

Jillian nodded, then said, “OK, so let’s change topics…tell me about the ‘disturbing the peace’ incident.”

“Oh yeah, you know about that, too?”

She nodded again.

Paxton’s fingers were drumming like crazy now. “Yeah, well…so OK, I went to this rally on campus…on the lawn above the library. The people holding it were Neo-Nazis…I mean, they call themselves ‘the Alt-Right’ or ‘White Nationalists,’ but they’re Neo-Nazis. And I called them out…and one of their security guys got in my face…and one thing led to another…what can I say? I had a public defender and he said it was best for me to cop a plea…disturbing the peace…a misdemeanor. I got on probation…no time in Arpaio’s ‘tent city…’ plus I had to take an anger management course. The thing is, though, I had to pay for being on probation AND for that course...can you believe that…I mean, talk about the correctional industrial complex.”

“What about the other guy…who you were fighting with?”

“Same class…even the same night as me…the guy…what a jerk.”

“Did you have any more run-ins with him?”

“No, we figured they’d be surveilling us, wanting us to get into something…so they’d get more fines, more money for the state. So, when it ended…the class…we just walked away from each other.”

“Anything else, Mr. Paxton?”

He thought for a few seconds, then said, “She wasn’t a nice lady…still,” he paused and made a motion with his hand…”sorry she’s passed. On the news they said she was murdered.” His eyes went out of focus, and he shook his head, as if in disbelief. He refocused and said, “That’s about all I know.”

Wes wasn’t around, but she saw the door to Detective Sergeant Kostelac’s office was closed, and she thought maybe Wes was in there. She went to her office to organize her notes with Paxton.

Wes came in a few minutes later. “I was in Stu Kostelac’s office…Peter Voss was there, too. He’s coordinating some of the other uniforms who’ve been assigned to our investigation…canvassing and such.”

“Officer Voss?”

“Yeah, Peter is thinking about maybe shifting over to being a detective…so he’s getting his feet wet, and helping us out, too.”

“In terms of the meeting, anything I should know?”

“No, just the usual…lines of communication, that sort of thing. Oh, yeah, Peter will check with Legal on getting a copy of the Professor’s will. Anyway, the meeting was mostly boiler-plate business, which is why I didn’t ask to delay the meeting till you could come…figured what you were doing was more important. Besides, we’ve got an appointment over in the Professor’s BAC office.”

As they walked from Headquarters to the BAC, Wes joked that they were having to rough it, being without Jillian’s Batmobile…his new term for her golf cart. Along the way, Jillian briefed him about her interview with Andrew Paxton. She’d already told him about the broad outline of the walkout and the grievance, so she fleshed-out this overview with details of the interview, and also with her observations about Paxton.

In answer to his question, she said that “the other two students are African-American and Paxton is white.

He nodded, then asked, “And the other two students are now out of state?”

“Yes, I checked.”

They walked on, then he asked, “Do you think there’s anything there, Jilly, on Paxton?”

“My immediate reaction is no. He’s very nervous and defensive, Wes, which he hides behind a false bravado. On the other hand, he’s a big, tall guy…he obviously had issues with Professor Siemens, and he’s willing to mix-it-up…that fight at the political rally. Maybe I should dig deeper.”

“I think so, yes. Why don’t you ask Grace Wilson if there’s been any more fallout on all this…if his name has come-up anymore.”

“OK. For now, though, let me change gears and give you my take on Carla Nagel.”

As they walked, Jillian described her conversation with Carla Nagel, including her concern about the student’s mental state.

Wes asked, “What about counseling services?”

“Done. She has their card…provided by Ms. Grace Wilson yesterday morning, even as she allowed Ms. Nagle to head to her next class.”

Wes smiled.

Wes