Chapter 10 - ADRIAN’S OLD JOB
Adrian Vale had not been a university investigator in 2022.
He had been outside counsel.
Junior partner at a law firm representing Bellamy's research office during the Pulse shutdown.
His role:
Preserve data.
Interview staff.
Advise on research exposure.
He had temporary consultant access to Aster.
“Why didn't you tell us?”
I asked.
We were still in the same room.
No one trusted moving locations anymore.
Adrian looked toward Allison.
Then back at us.
“Because I was hired for this review based partly on my familiarity with the old case.”
“That isn't an answer.”
“No.”
He took the hit.
“The board knew. I assumed the participants didn't need my employment history before initial interviews.”
Vanessa laughed.
“You assumed.”
“Yes.”
“Interesting theme.”
Adrian nodded.
Fair.
Brooke asked:
“Did you send any of the 2022 prompts?”
“No.”
“Current ones?”
“Rachel's official interview request only.”
“Can you prove it?”
“I expect IT can.”
Good answer.
Not offended.
Then Allison slid another record over.
Adrian's account had accessed Aster on October 18, 2022.
After the project was frozen.
“What were you doing?”
“Exporting logs.”
“Did you delete anything?”
“No.”
“Who did?”
“I don't know.”
Vanessa leaned forward.
“The raw login records expired. Convenient.”
Adrian looked at her.
“I agree.”
Then I saw a routing document.
His initials beside:
Archive disposition — duplicate test data may be removed after counsel review.
My stomach tightened.
“You approved destruction.”
“No.”
“You initialed it.”
“I routed it.”
“Difference?”
“The recommendation came from university IT. I sent it to Martin Bell with a preservation objection attached.”
“Do you have that objection?”
“No.”
Of course.
“Why?”
“Because it was in Bellamy's legal archive, not mine.”
Allison opened her binder.
“I do.”
Everyone turned.
She had copied the entire 2022 review packet after realizing debriefing was being held.
Adrian's email:
Do not delete raw authentication or message-override data until affected student scope is resolved. Current preservation is insufficient to determine who initiated unauthorized prompts.
There.
He had argued to preserve.
Martin Bell replied:
Noted. Follow existing retention unless litigation hold required.
No litigation hold was issued.
Data expired naturally later.
Bad governance.
Not secret shredding.
Adrian looked at me.
“I should have pushed harder.”
That was the most I believed from him all day.
Then current consequences arrived.
Dean Reed's office formally extended the interim restrictions on Vanessa and me.
We both objected.
She told us:
“The old manipulation explains context. It does not erase the courtyard.”
Correct.
Vanessa sprayed me.
I slapped her.
She punched me.
She shoved me.
I punched her again.
No one else moved our hands.
My fellowship committee allowed me to submit a written explanation but kept the interview postponed.
Vanessa lost voting privileges in student government until review.
Brooke's newspaper recusal stayed.
All three of us hated it.
None of us could call it unfair simply because another mystery existed.
Then Vanessa did something I did not expect.
She handed Adrian her phone.
Not physically.
A secure export.
Messages from her father.
Graham Cole.
University trustee.
He had texted after the courtyard video went viral.
Do not let this turn into some revived Pulse nonsense before the vendor vote.
Then:
I can speak to Allison about keeping your conduct issue separate.
Vanessa had replied:
Don't.
Her father:
I'm trying to help.
Vanessa:
That's the problem.
I stared.
“You're giving this to the board investigator?”
“Yes.”
“It could hurt your dad.”
“Yes.”
“Did he do anything wrong?”
“I don't know.”
Good.
No dramatic betrayal for its own sake.
Graham Cole had supported the current student analytics vendor renewal.
He was not on the 2022 research team.
But his instinct was still to manage optics and offer influence.
Vanessa had spent years being accused of benefiting from that.
Now she was giving investigators the text before anyone could say she hid it.
Costly.
Specific.
Then Brooke got an alert from the newsroom archive.
Another file had appeared.
This time not a taunt.
A photograph.
Screenshot of an old spreadsheet.
Four participant IDs.
C-3:
Rachel.
Vanessa.
Brooke.
C-4:
REDACTED
But someone had left one adjacent field visible.
Current status: ACTIVE STUDENT EMPLOYEE
Brooke stared.
“The fourth person never left Bellamy.”
Adrian looked at the screenshot.
“Maybe.”
“Active student employee.”
“Could be old data.”
Nora joined by speaker.
“No.”
“What?”
“That field was added during migration this year.”
Everyone stopped.
May you like
The fourth participant from the 2022 experiment was still at Bellamy.
And someone with access to current HR data had deliberately updated their status.
