Part 3
Part 3 · 2 min read ·
I looked at him.
“You came prepared to watch one.”
The dean opened the envelope.
His voice carried through the auditorium.
“Findings of the Academic Integrity Review: all allegations against Jessica Vance are determined to be fabricated. No evidence of academic misconduct was found.”
A wave of murmurs rolled through the hall.
Stephanie went pale.
I continued before she could speak.
“The university asked me not to discuss the investigation until law enforcement finished preserving the evidence.”
My mother gripped Stephanie’s arm.
I saw the exact second fear replaced smugness.
Stephanie recovered fast. “Anyone can fake a report.”
I almost admired the stupidity.
Dean Harrow turned the page.
“The forensic audit identified unauthorized access originating from an account registered to Stephanie Vance.”
Silence.
Then someone near the back whispered, “Oh my God.”
Stephanie’s boyfriend stood abruptly and headed for the aisle.
Two campus police officers stepped from the side entrance.
Luca stopped.
Stephanie stared at them, then at me.
“You set me up.”
“No,” I said. “I documented you.”
She shook her head violently. “This is insane. Mom, tell them.”
My mother opened her mouth.
Dean Harrow read another line.
“Recovered communications indicate coordinated efforts by Stephanie Vance, Luca Reed, and at least one additional participant to falsify academic evidence.”
My father sank into his seat.
That was the clue Stephanie had missed.
The envelope was not my revenge.
It was only the receipt.
The murmur in the two-thousand-seat auditorium swelled into an overwhelming roar.
Stephanie’s jaw quivered as she looked frantically from the stage down to Luca, who was currently being flanked by the two campus police officers at the end of the aisle.
“Officers,” Luca stammered, pulling at his collar, his arrogance vanishing in an instant. “I didn’t do anything! This is a family matter!”
“You’re named in a felony warrant for conspiracy and unauthorized access to a state university’s secure server, Mr. Reed,” one of the officers replied, his voice projecting across the quieted room. “Put your hands behind your back.”
The metallic click of the handcuffs echoed with terrifying clarity through the house speakers.