Alligator Park Read Online Free Page B

the
agreement GWI had with the university and he threatened to end it.” 
    “Science is the search for
truth and knowledge. It’s not about opinions,” I snap back.
    “But you’re wrong,” he says.
“Science is, and always has been, shaped by ideology... and power. You well
know how common it is for researchers to tweak data to fit conclusions.”
    “Is that what you
think I did?”
    “No, not at all.” 
    I stare at my drink, take
another sip. I was so convinced Logan would fix everything I couldn’t even
imagine something like this happening. Logan takes my
hand, squeezes it gently .
    “I tried everything. Dean
Haas won’t budge. I attempted to reason with her. She wouldn’t have any of it.
She even threatened my job when I pushed her.”
    I feel myself getting mad, pull my hand back.
    “So in the end it’s just
about money,” I say.
    “We’re talking a half a
billion dollars. For a university, that’s not just money, that’s survival.”
    The margarita is really
making my head spin. I get up, search the complementary snack bar for some
appetizers to fill the void in my stomach and absorb some of the alcohol.
Nothing left. Out of desperation I ask the bartender for a menu. He tells me
the kitchen is closed for the night. I retreat to the table, join Logan. Reality
sets in.
    “So what you’re saying is I
have to start over?”
    Logan avoids eye contact,
rubs his chin. I hate it when he does that. He musters up the courage, stares
right at me.
    “What I’m saying is... it’s
done.”
    “What?”
    “Dean Haas fired you from the
grad assistant job.”
    “Why did she do that?”
    “Right now you’re too hot to
handle. They don’t want anything to jeopardize that half a billion dollars.”
    I’m stunned; I don’t know
what to say.
    “I’m sorry. Maybe you can get
that restaurant job back.”
    I stare at the wall
emotionless. Logan gets up.
    “I have to go. The snow’s
getting deep.”
    “Call me when you get home,”
I say.
    “I don’t think that’s a good
idea,” he responds.
    Is he snubbing me? In my time
of need, when I am most vulnerable, he is snubbing me?
    He quickly leaves the table,
walks out the door without turning to say goodbye, or wave, or anything. This
is what I get for totally believing in someone, giving him all my trust? I
think about all those years of working with him, he telling me over and over,
“I’m here for you.”
    It’s clear now... it was all
bullshit. 

CHAPTER 3
     
     
     
    I gulp down the last of my margarita,
gather my things, and then slip out the front door. Another couple of inches had
fallen. News reports had warned this would be the snowfall of the decade and it
was turning out to be true. The gale-force gusts drive the snow sideways
forcing me to shield my face. The street is deserted except for a handful of
students in ski parkas and wool hats engaged in snowball fights. I cross the
street trying to avoid them. A lone woman is always an easy target, even if
they are only being playful.
    Up ahead I see the black-iron
gates that mark the entrance to the University. They’re closed. It’s unusual to
see the gates closed, except for Christmas, Thanksgiving, and New Year’s Day
when both faculty and students return to their families turning the university
into a ghost town. But tonight is not a holiday, and they’re closed, creating a
pervasive air extraordinaire to this massive storm. I approach the gates
wondering if they are locked. I lean against them, trying to get a glimpse of
what’s behind, and then, unexpectedly, they move away from me letting out a
loud squeal as they open to full width. Good, they’re not locked, I think to
myself.
    The campus is dark and foreboding
illuminated only by ancient gas lamps. Not a soul in sight. I contemplate the options,
cutting through to save time, or going around which takes twenty minutes
longer. As freshmen, we were often warned not to travel alone on campus late at
night. There had been a