Shakespeare Under Cover

by Erin Wade

  Pat shook her head. “I don’t know. From past experience and knowing Radford, I’d believe the girl.”

  “My sentiments exactly,” Peyton jeered.

  ##

  “You really like her,” Brandy said to Joey as they had coffee in the SUB. “I can tell by the way you blush when I mention her name.”

  “At least I’m not sleeping with her,” Joey declared.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “You know.” Joey grinned. “You’re practically living at the professor’s place.”

  “I am thinking about moving in with her,” Brandy confided in her brother. “I love her, Joey.”

  “What does she think?”

  “It’s her idea. She asked me to.”

  “Damn, Brandy, you get all the gorgeous women. I can’t believe the professor is a lesbian. Or did you turn her?” he added, tongue in cheek.

  “Don’t make me hurt you, Joey,” Brandy growled. “It’s not like I’m a vampire that can turn women into the same thing I am. You know that.”

  “I’m just jerking your chain, Sis. Don’t get all defensive. But damn, she’s hot.”

  “I had to tell her who we are. She didn’t want to get involved with me if I was sleeping with you.”

  “So you threw me under the bus to get into the professor’s bed.” Joey chuckled. “Did you tell Peyton that the professor knows we’re undercover agents?”

  “Not yet. I’m heading over there after I finish my coffee. She’s with Chief Sawyer right now. She’ll probably rake me over the coals.”

  “Yeah, but I have a feeling Professor Shaw is worth it.” Joey hugged his sister’s shoulders.

  “Your little Texas sidestep isn’t going to work,” Brandy quipped. “Do you like Paula Lambert?”

  “What’s not to like?” Joey wrinkled his brow. “She’s drop-dead gorgeous, incredibly intelligent, witty, and kind. She’s also a terrific mom. I’m as crazy about Trent as I am about her.

  “I spent the week with them. Only not as intimate as your week. I went home to an empty dorm every night.”

  “So . . . man-to-man,”—Joey snickered—“what’s it like with Professor Shaw?”

  Brandy sobered. “I’m not discussing my sex life with you, you big idiot. But I will tell you she is like no one I’ve ever known. She’s the one, Joey. I want to spend my life making her happy.”

  “I’m happy for you, Sis,” Joey said. “Really happy that you’ve found the right woman.”

  Now if I can just convince her I’m serious about a lifetime commitment, Brandy thought.

  Chapter 29

  Peyton perused her file one more time. She felt confident she had enough evidence with Paula’s statement and Trent’s DNA match to get the district attorney to file charges against Bob Radford, providing Chancellor O’Brien the opening she needed to start interviewing for a new athletic director.

  “Are you ready to do this?” She smiled confidently at Paula as she slipped the file into her briefcase and stood.

  “As ready as I’ll ever be,” Paula said.

  They chatted about mundane things as Peyton drove to the DA’s office. She pulled the car into a reserved parking space in front of the building that housed the offices of the district attorney and the cubbyholes of the public defenders.

  “This could get rough,” Peyton told Paula one more time. “It’s not too late to change your mind.”

  “I want the bastard to pay for what he did to me and scores of other women seeking a college degree.” Paula opened her car door. “Let’s get this over with.”

  ##

  District Attorney Beverly Barnes was ecstatic over the evidence and statements Peyton had compiled. “You have no idea how many women have sought justice over this arrogant asshole’s behavior,” she said. “I’d like nothing more than to put him behind bars for twenty years. He thinks he’s untouchable. With this file I’ll have my hands all over him, especially around his throat.

  “I’ll get a warrant for his arrest and pick him up today. By Friday, he’ll be someone’s girlfriend in the county jail. Give him a taste of his own medicine.”

  “You know he’ll come at you with a bevy of attorneys,” Peyton warned.

  “Will the college stand behind him with their legal department?”

  “I’m fairly certain I can convince Chancellor O’Brien to take a hands-off approach to this.”

  “She’s a sharp cookie,” Barnes said. “I’ve met her on several occasions at various functions. I’ve always been impressed with her. I’m sure she will steer the university away from this.”

  Peyton agreed. “It’s a nasty business.”

  AD Barnes personally managed the arrest of Radford, timing it so he was picked up at seven in the evening at his home.

  The arrest happened after the normal day’s news cycle had completed and attorneys had gone home. Picking Radford up from his home avoided a scene on campus and forced him to spend the night in jail before his attorneys could arrange bail. By noon he was out of jail and storming into Chancellor O’Brien’s office.

  “You’re responsible for this,” he said, shrieking like a wounded banshee. “You’ve been after my job from day one.”

  Agent Peyton King arrived at the office shortly after Radford. “You need to leave, Coach,” Peyton suggested politely.

  “I don’t need to leave, and I don’t need to take orders from you,” Radford stormed. “You’re just her lap dog.”

  “I’m going to do you a favor,” Peyton said. “I’m going to count to three. If you haven’t left this office by the time I reach three, I’m arresting your butt again. Of course, you probably enjoyed being in jail with all those big, burly men. One!”

  Radford took a step backward toward the door. “You don’t scare me.”

  “Two!”

  Radford rushed to the door and slung it open. It bounced off the wall with a loud bang. “You and Paula what’s-her-name will rue the day you came after me.” He whirled around and was gone.

  “That went well.” Katherine snickered as Peyton closed the door. “I believe I owe you a dinner, Agent King. We can go out or I can cook. Your choice.”

  “What’s for dessert?” Peyton grinned impishly.

  “My house it is,” Katherine said, chuckling as she gathered her purse and laptop.

  Chapter 30

  Peyton was late getting into work the next morning and was surprised to see Paula’s car parked in front of her makeshift office building.

  “Good morning, Paula,” Peyton said cheerfully. “How are—”

  Paula burst into tears and held out a sheet of paper to Peyton. “He’s . . . he’s—”

  “The son of a . . . .” Peyton stopped short of cursing a blue streak as she read the paper Paula handed her.

  “It’s a subpoena,” Peyton muttered. “He’s subpoenaing you to bring Trent to court. He’s filing for his parental rights as Trent’s father. He’s filing for custody of Trent.”

  Paula sobbed louder as Peyton read the information she’d handed her.

  “He’s trying to take my son,” Paula wailed.

  Joey knocked on the door and then peeked around it at the two distraught women. “What’s going on?” He immediately moved to provide Paula a shoulder to cry on, and she accepted it.

  Peyton frowned. “It’s a long story. Why don’t you take Paula for a cup of coffee while I make a few phone calls?”

  Joey put his arm around Paula’s shoulders and guided her out the door. Peyton waited until she saw them heading across the campus before she picked up the phone and called Chancellor O’Brien.

  “Katherine, I need to see you immediately,” she said when Kate’s sultry voice came on the line.

  “My door is always open for you, Agent King. Come now. I’ll have fresh coffee waiting for you.”

  Peyton reached Katherine’s office in record time. As promised, a cup of steaming hot coffee awaited on the coffee table. “I thought we’d relax on the sofa,�
�� Katherine said as she motioned for Peyton to sit next to her. “Now tell me what’s so important it couldn’t wait until tonight.”

  Peyton sipped her coffee and tried to clear her mind. Her leg brushed the chancellor’s, sending an unexpected thrill through her. The contact was soft and warm, and Katherine didn’t seem to mind.

  Peyton explained what was happening with Paula Lambert and Bob Radford. “The bottom line is, Paula is trying to do what’s right, and Radford may very well end up taking away the only thing she cares about—her son.”

  “If he admits Trent is his son,” Katherine reasoned, “he’s admitting he raped her.”

  “He’s now swearing they had consensual sex and that he has the right to his son.” Peyton squinted, trying to stave off a vicious headache. “He’s produced five witnesses that will swear that Paula flirted with him all night and then pulled him on top of her on the sofa.”

  “So he lied in the statements he gave to the Austin police,” Katherine noted. “He said he’d never seen Paula before and never had sex with her.

  “Go visit him. See if you can hold him off until after Christmas.” Katherine patted Peyton’s knee. “Maybe we’ll have a Christmas miracle.”

  Speaking of Christmas miracles, I wouldn’t mind finding you in my Christmas stocking, Peyton thought. She suppressed a smile as a vision of the well-endowed chancellor popping out of a Christmas stocking flashed across her mind.

  “Why do I feel your mind is somewhere else?” Katherine chided.

  “What makes you ask that?” Peyton mumbled, clearing the lump that had formed in her throat.

  “That foolish grin on your face,” Katherine said, elbowing her.

  ##

  Peyton called Radford from the car as she headed to his office. His secretary assured her that he would be there all afternoon. She wanted to talk to him as soon as possible to head off Paula’s problems.

  Peyton tried to think of ways to present her proposal to Radford that would convince him to give up his claim on Trent, but her mind kept going back to Katherine O’Brien. She wondered if Katherine ever gave her a second thought.

  Radford was on his phone when Peyton entered his office. He pointed toward a chair in front of his desk and continued his conversation.

  “That was the father of our best receiver.” Radford scowled as he slammed down the phone. “He’s threatening to pull his son out of UT and send him to Alabama. This sex scandal shit you’re stirring up is destroying my recruiting efforts.”

  “I think the sex scandal is your baby,” Peyton huffed. “Don’t try to lay that at someone else’s feet. Besides, I believe the murders of your head coaches are what brought your sordid mess to the forefront.”

  “And now you’ve dragged up that little tramp Paula Lampley—”

  “Lambert,” Peyton corrected.

  “Whatever.” Radford waved his hand as if shooing away a gnat.

  “I wanted to discuss Paula Lambert with you,” Peyton said, plunging ahead. “I have over a dozen women who are willing to testify in court that you raped them”

  Radford batted his reptilian eyes and shrugged.

  “I have witnesses and one of the men who supplied you date rape drugs on a regular basis.” She continued to bluff.

  Radford began to squirm in his leather chair. “Look, Agent King, can’t we solve this without the university suffering? I mean, this crap is destroying our football program.”

  “You could resign or retire, or whatever it takes to get you off this campus,” Peyton advised. “I’ll try to get Paula to drop her charges.”

  Radford leaned across his desk. “You don’t seem to understand, Agent King. I want that little boy. I have no children, and I want him. Just for the record, I intend to die in this job.”

  Peyton glared at the despicable man, trying to rein in her temper. “Why don’t we all back off and get through the holidays? No sense in destroying everyone’s Christmas. I won’t take any further action right now, and we can get together in January and work out something that works for everyone involved.”

  Radford nodded thoughtfully. “I can agree to that.”

  Chapter 31

  “Paula, please tell me what’s wrong,” Joey pleaded as he drove Paula home. “Is Trent okay? I mean, he isn’t ill, is he?”

  “No, Trent is fine. It’s all very complicated, Joey, and I have to decide what to do. You’ve been so sweet. I appreciate everything you’ve done for Trent and me.”

  “This is beginning to sound like the big kiss-off,” Joey mumbled.

  “Believe me, you don’t want to get involved in my problems. You’re the star quarterback. You need to go play football and worry about graduating. Trent and I will only be a distraction.”

  “A very beautiful and precious distraction,” Joey said, trying to cheer her up.

  “I . . . I just need some time to think.” Paula forced a weak smile.

  “Just remember that I’m here for you and Trent,” Joey reassured her. “Please call me.”

  “I will,” Paula said, getting out of the car and running toward the house before Joey could walk around and open her door.

  As he pulled his car from the curb, Joey pushed the button on his steering wheel and instructed his system to call Brandy. She didn’t answer until the fourth ring.

  “Are you still in bed?” Joey marveled. “Is Professor Shaw with you?”

  “Yes, and yes.” Brandy giggled.

  “I need to talk to you about Paula Lambert,” Joey said. “Can we meet for coffee—just you and me?”

  “Sure. Give me time to shower. How about the Greek Spot across from the campus in an hour?”

  “Make that an hour and a half,” Regan whispered in her ear as she slipped back into bed.

  “Joey, better make that an hour and a half,” Brandy repeated. She rolled over and pulled Regan into her arms.

  ##

  Regan collapsed onto Brandy. “I love laying right here,” she said, trying to catch her breath.

  “I love you laying right here.” Brandy tightened her arms around the brunette’s waist. “You’re so gorgeous. I love the way you look in the morning, with your hair all mussed and your sleepy, bedroom eyes.”

  Regan purred as Brandy rubbed her back. “Is everything alright with Joey?”

  Brandy snickered. “Paula Lambert has him chasing his own tail. He is really smitten with her and Trent.”

  “What is she doing with Peyton?” Regan stretched like a big cat and rubbed against Brandy.

  “I don’t know. I know that Peyton is interviewing everyone who ever filed a complaint against Radford. She’s trying to nail his butt to the wall. When something is rotten in any program, it usually comes from the top.”

  Regan stretched again. “I have to go teach a class. I’ll see you this afternoon in English lit. I suppose you and Joey will come in acting like hormonal teenagers.”

  “That drove you crazy, didn’t it?” Brandy laughed out loud.

  “You have no idea, dear.” Regan considered making love to the blonde one more time but knew she’d be late for class. “Now, the only thing that drives me crazy is you.”

  ##

  Joey had secured a booth in the deepest corner of the Greek restaurant. “I ordered baklava and coffee,” he said as he stood and hugged his sister.

  “Baklava?” Brandy cocked an eyebrow at him. “You’re eating sweets? This must be serious.”

  Joey got straight to the point. “Tell me what you know about Paula.”

  “No more than you,” Brandy said. “I know she filed a complaint against Radford about four years ago, but other than that I know nothing. Have you talked to Peyton?”

  “Yeah.” Joey snorted. “Peyton just says that Paula and a dozen other girls and two men are involved in her ongoing investigation of Radford. Do you think the son of a bitch molested her?”

  “I don’t know. I’ll talk to Peyton and see if I can find out anything more,” Brandy said.

  “Th
anks, Sis. This means a lot to me.”

  The alarm on Brandy’s cell phone sounded, and she smiled. “Almost time to go to English lit.”

  “I’ve never seen you look so happy about going to a class,” Joey said, teasing his sister. “You have it bad, girl.”

  “I know.” Brandy shrugged. “I’m just not sure Regan feels the same way about me. Something is holding her back. I can feel it.”

  “She’s giving a pop quiz today,” Joey blurted.

  “How do you know? She didn’t say anything to me about it.”

  “My roommate called me on my way to meet you and gave me a heads-up. He said the quiz has one question on it.”

  “What?”

  “Write a line from The Twelfth Night. Have you read it?”

  “Once, but I remember a couple of lines that hit home.”

  “Give me one,” Joey pleaded. “I haven’t cracked the book open.”

  “‘Many a good hanging prevents a bad marriage.’”

  “I’ll use that.” Joey grinned.

  “Okay. I’ve got another one just as apropos. ‘Love sought is good but given unsought is better.’”

  “I don’t know,” Joey said, “I think the harder we have to work for it, the more we treasure it.”

  ##

  Regan didn’t look up when Brandy and Joey entered her classroom. She knew the look in her eyes would give away her feelings for the young woman. The rest of the class laughed at their antics as Joey kept putting his hand in Brandy’s hip pocket, and she continued to slap it away.

  Regan got to her feet. “Joey Sloan, Miss Brandywine—enough! Joey, I want you to sit on the far right of the front row, and Miss Brandywine, you sit on the opposite end.” Or in my lap, she thought. She hid the smile that threatened to give away how delighted she was to see her sassy blonde student.

  “How many of you read The Twelfth Night over the weekend?”

  Everyone’s hand went up.

  “I’m impressed. We’re going to have a quick quiz over it,” Regan informed the class. “Then we’ll review for the midterm exam, which is next Monday.”

  A groan went up from her students as they pulled out their notebooks. “This is simple,” Regan continued. “Write one quote from The Twelfth Night. One simple line. You have ten minutes.”