Wrecked(27)

Uncle Bruce has been blathering for so long that when he suddenly stops speaking, the room is eerily quiet. Which makes what he’s said feel even more like a gut punch.

“Me . . . What?” Richard asks.

“You for Jordan’s advisor.”

“Yeah, right,” Richard says without hesitation. “Give me a break.”

“I’m not joking.”

“Sure you are.” Richard stands. “This whole conversation’s a joke. What part of ‘I wasn’t there, I’m not involved’ do you not get?”

“Richard, please sit and hear me out.”

“I think we’re done.”

“All you’d have to do is attend a few meetings with Jordan.”

“I don’t have time to go to meetings with Jordan.”

“You’d just sit there.”

“I don’t have time to sit. I’m a busy guy.”

“Richard, this is a good solution for you. If you’re Jordan’s advisor, the investigator would probably never question you.”

“Why would he question me? I wasn’t there!”

“You never know.”

“And for the record: you all seem super worried about what I might say.”

“You bet I am. I’m trying to make sure orange jumpsuits don’t become a permanent fixture in my nephew’s wardrobe.”

It takes a second for his meaning to sink in, but when it does . . . Richard sits. Uncle Bruce runs one hand over his face, rubbing his eyes. He suddenly looks very tired.

“You think Jordan’s guilty.” The words slip past Richard’s lips unintentionally.

“No. But I do think he stands a very good chance of being expelled. In a court of law, you have to find someone guilty ‘beyond a reasonable doubt.’ At a college hearing? You’re guilty if ‘the preponderance of the evidence’ suggests it’s more likely than not that you did it. That’s a low bar. Guys like Jordan are getting thrown out every day. I’m sure some are guilty as hell. I’m also sure some are not.”

“Is that why you told him to withdraw?” Richard asks.

“If he withdraws, he starts fresh, with nothing on his record. If he’s kicked out for sexual assault, I can’t think of another school that’d take him.”

“Jordan says he didn’t do it, and if he withdraws he looks guilty.”

Uncle Bruce makes an impatient noise. “Listen, Richard, I’m going to be brutally honest with you. If he were my son, his room would be packed up and we’d be halfway down the highway by now. He thinks he has a chance of winning this, and since nobody ever says no to him, his parents are letting him try. Jordan is unfamiliar with consequences. He has no clue what’s waiting for him.

“So at this point, I just want to keep him out of jail. You see, we don’t know if this woman plans to go to the police and pursue criminal charges. Maybe she’s already started that process, maybe not. But she could, at any time. Even months from now. And if she did, all the testimony from the college hearing could be used against him in a criminal court.”

Uncle Bruce looks at him meaningfully. But Richard is slow to understand why any of this has anything to do with him.

“Richard,” he finally says, “she needs physical evidence or a confession to prove rape. Let’s not hand her a confession.”

It’s as if a light flicks on and he finally gets why Jordan’s uncle is here.

“Listen, Mr. Bockus—”

“Call me Bruce.”

“Yeah . . . To be brutally honest with you: I don’t want to be Jordan’s advisor. It makes it look like I’m on his side. And I’m not on any side, you know? I don’t know what went down, and I don’t want any part of it.”

“Believe it or not, Richard, I know exactly how you feel,” Uncle Bruce says. “But here’s the fact: you are involved. You got involved the second Jordan confided in you.”

Richard sighs. He doesn’t like this guy. But he’s right. The stink of this is all over him, whether he wants it or not. Damn Jordan. Damn this whole freakin’ house. What a complete and utter fail. He wishes he had sucked it up with a random basement single somewhere. “How much of a time commitment are we looking at?”

“Not much. You don’t even have to go to every meeting or hearing. Just a few, show the flag a bit. It’ll all be over before the semester ends.”

Richard glances out the window. The afternoon sun slants low; he’ll have to skip either his run or dinner if he’s going to make it to tutoring on time. Damn.

“All right. I’ll do it,” he says.

“Thank you,” Uncle Bruce says. The relief is evident on his face. He stands. “I’m meeting Jordan for dinner before I head out tonight. He’ll be pleased.” He shakes Richard’s hand. He also reaches into his pocket and produces a card, which he thrusts at Richard. “I’ll be in touch. But in case you have any concerns or questions, you can reach me at these numbers.”

Uncle Bruce turns to leave. Richard thinks of something.

“You said I’m one of two. Who’s the other person Jordan told?”

Uncle Bruce smiles. “I thought you said the less you know the better.” He turns on his heel and walks out of the building.