I headed out through the front doors of the Administration Building, knowing that Ms. Priscilla Estavez would shortly summon this girl into her office to plot the demise of Mark Pappas.

As I retraced my path down the marble steps I considered lying in wait for Mark’s accuser and having it out with her on the spot. I am a direct sort of person and I like to face difficulties head-on. I saw a bench sitting beside the walkway she would take when she left the building. It would be easy to spot her from there when she appeared and then intercept her.

If I could get her to admit that she had framed Mark, maybe she would drop the charges. Whatever the specific charges, there couldn’t be any truth to them. When she saw the error of her ways my impetuousness would be justified.

On the other hand, if she refused to drop the charges it would be curtains for Mark when my relationship to him became known because Ms. Estavez would be able to say that he had revealed his accuser to me, despite the gag order. And although that could be argued, I knew what chance we had of winning the argument. Zero.

“Professor. Professor.”

The voice behind me called twice before I understood that I was the one being hailed, among all the people walking by, perhaps including other professors. I stopped and turned around as the girl from the Administration Building reception area ran up to me, panting.

She was dressed in a style similar to Mark’s accuser, wearing jeans and a sweater, but no jacket. I couldn’t help comparing them. They were about the same height, but her hair was an indeterminate brown color, her eyes and face normal but unremarkable, her body slightly chunkier than the other. Small differences, perhaps, but huge in the way the world would treat her.

“Professor,” she said again, somewhat out of breath. “I wanted to talk to you.” She gulped some air and continued, “When I poked my head in Priscilla’s office to tell her about her next appointment I heard you mention Dr. Pappas.”