Episode 18: A Disgruntled Superintendent

“A Mr. White would like to speak with you, Senator,” the guard interrupted them.

“Let him in,” Senator Travis replied.

The superintendent walked purposely across the room toward the senator. “What was that all about today?” the superintendent asked. “Whose side are you on?”

“I represent Dr. Andrews.” The senator stood up. “I don’t represent you, or the school district, or the legislature, or anyone else in this affair.”

“You made me look bad,” The superintendent pointed out. “After I brought you in and arranged everything for you, and I’ve been helping you out.”

“Mr. White,” Senator Travis pointed out, “my goal is to make Dr. Andrews look more sympathetic to the jury. He’s the little guy caught in the middle who should never have been put in this situation. I know it was uncomfortable for you on the stand. But that testimony helped cement Dr. Andrews’s status as the victim in this affair.”

“I don’t see why you had to make me look bad to do it,” the superintendent countered. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Perhaps not,” the senator acknowledged, “but you DID leave Dr. Andrews with conflicting instructions. You expected him to sort it out, and… well, you’ll notice who’s sitting in the jail cell because of all this.”

The superintendent didn’t appear convinced. “He agreed to it. And we at the school district have his back. I don’t see why you had to throw me under the bus.”

“The discomfort you experienced for a few minutes on the stand today was a valuable contribution to the overall defense strategy,” the senator assured him. “Think of it as an opportunity to help out the overall cause one more time. We all appreciate your many contributions to the effort including your performance on the stand today. Every bit helps.”

“I appreciate that,” the superintendent thanked him, “but you could warn me, the next time you’re going to do something like that.”

“I’m sorry we didn’t have time to go over your testimony in advance,” the senator apologized. “But we do appreciate your efforts. Now, speaking of going over testimony, I need to get back to work with young Dr. Andrews here, so we’re ready for tomorrow. If you’ll excuse us?”

Mollified, the superintendent departed.

“There’s another lesson for you, Mike,” the senator pointed out after the superintendent departed. “Sometimes you have to be willing to take shit from unreasonable people and stroke their egos to get what you want.

“Let’s get back to work. We need to be ready for you to testify as soon as tomorrow.”