Race With a Heart
Chapter 144: Breakthrough in a Murder Case

Chapter 144: Breakthrough in a Murder Case

Poor professor Moore, meanwhile, did feel discomfort both when sitting and standing, not even mentioning walking. It was, of course, solely his fault, because he had allowed Jack to have this hot fun. Not only that, he caused it himself.

Now, as he stood in his office at the university and prepared for the lecture he was about to deliver, he was giving himself unrefined epithets. Kevin was a professor. He was even considered wise. He was praised both by the scientific community and by everyone else with whom he came into contact, yet he showed no wisdom at all that night. He knew what he was risking. No, that’s an understatement. Moore knew perfectly well what his night games with Jack would end with, yet he rejected his good upbringing and education and let himself be completely carried away by the most primal desires.

That Jack Lambert ...

What the hell made Kevin hang out with this man? Were the few night games worth the discomfort Kevin felt inside himself at that moment?

In fact... it was. Moore smiled at his memories. It was definitely worth it...

"Knock Knock!" someone said as he opened the door to his office. The smiling gray head of the dean peered inside. "Our young professor at the post as usual."

"Mr. dean, good morning!"

"Good morning, good Morning."

Dean Shelby stepped inside.

"Have you got a moment, Dr. Moore?" He asked.

"Of course," he assured. "Please come in. Would You like to drink something?"

Shelby waved his hand. He was quite a sizeable man who, at first glance, looked more like a former construction worker than an intellectual.

"No, no, I just dropped by for a moment and I won’t be taking up your time. I just wanted to ask, how are the preparations for the charity party going? "

Kevin stared at the dean in bewilderment.

"Is this the time of the year already?" He asked.

The Dean laughed kindly.

"Young scholars are always the same! I used to lose track of time myself. Yes, it’s time for our annual charity party."

"Sorry," Moore said, embarrassed.

A charity party for the university was organized each year in the second half of autumn. Some of the money raised went to finance additional research and some to scholarships for talented but poor students. The party was organized by a foundation owned by the Moore family and run for nearly thirty years by Kevin’s mother. For several years, these matters were dealt with by her successor as the president of the foundation, with the very active participation of Michael and Kevin. However, since father and son stopped talking to each other and Kevin focused on developing his relationship with Jack, the matters of the foundation vanished from his mind.

But it wasn’t just a matter of seeing Jack and making the whole world upside down just for him, because it wasn’t like that. The dean was right that the young scientist was also absorbed in scientific research, and there was also the case of Rita’s murder, the attempted murder of Steve Paxton and the whole nervous situation around the Fergus Stables along with the suspicion of the third driver ...

"It looks like I have neglected my duties," Moore admitted somewhat embarrassed.

"Don’t worry about it" dean Shelby patted him on the back. "My wife and daughter got involved in the preparations vigorously. Did I tell you my Emma just came back from Paris? I must introduce her to you! This party will be a great occasion for that. "

Kevin felt awkward. It was not the first time someone wanted to introduce him to their daughter, granddaughter, niece or just a good acquaintance who, as it turned out, was single. When he was younger it was only limited to the daughters of businessmen. After he started a scientific career, there were also proposals from scientific circles.

It was the 21st century, and people still believed that the best solution for social advancement, no matter in what circle, was marriage.

In fact, any charity event was a great opportunity to introduce Kevin to the lonely pearls of houses of businessmen’s, professors’ and artists’. Neither the girls (with a few exceptions) nor Moore himself were interested in entering into such a "contractual" marriage, but there was no event where the older generation would not try to match the young. It was going to be a repeat in this year.

This time, however, was different. This time, Kevin Moore was no longer available. He had someone in his life with whom he hadn’t been with for a long time, but from the first ’yes’ he told him, he knew that he wanted to be with him to the end.

"I don’t know if my companion will like it," he smiled apologetically. "He can be very jealous."

Magic word ’he’ fell from Kevin’s mouth, causing the dean to be amazed. Shelby was clearly not expecting that kind of response. Who knows, was he really not betting too much on Moore’s potential marriage to his daughter? The corners of his mouth twitched. Regardless of his private convictions, as a public figure with a high dean status, he could not afford to be tactless, which Shelby could cause after he found out about the different sexual orientation of one of his subordinates.

"I’m sure he can’t be jealous of every new person you meet. Anyway, I didn’t know you were in a relationship right now. I must congratulate you!"

The Dean deliberately made no reference to Moore’s orientation. He did not ask questions, showed no interest or obvious disgust. Kevin, however, felt the dean’s gait. Is it because Moore turned out to be gay, or because of the disappointment that nothing would come of the marriage between Kevin and Miss Emma Shelby?

"I try to keep my private life private," he answered truthfully and politely. "At work, I focus on work."

"Good approach" praised the dean, but this time he did not pat Kevin on the back.

Moore had absolutely no evidence to believe that his supervisor’s sudden chill was due to Kevin’s sexual orientation. It might have been sheer disappointment at the rejection of the dean’s daughter. Somewhere in the back of his head, however, there was an assumption that his image in the dean’s mind had changed only because Moore was dating a man. This picture has changed for the worse. It was as if his education and brilliant science career suddenly lost relevance when faced with the fact that Kevin is gay.

Well, a man can’t have only friends in the world, so since Moore is going to have malevolent people already, his being gay is just as good a reason as any else. Anyway, on the part of Kevin, these can really only be unsubstantiated assumptions.

He smiled at his dean.

"I will ask the president of the foundation about the progress in the preparations. I’d like to keep you up to date. I don’t know why she hasn’t done it so far. "

"Don’t worry about it, Dr. Moore!" Shelby waved his hand. "I’m sure if something was wrong, my wife would have complained to me by now," he laughed.

The dean was almost the same as always. Almost. In fact, he might not have minded his subordinate’s different sexual orientation at all, he was just surprised and had to absorb this new information. But there was still a sense in the back of Kevin’s head that he had just experienced a subtle subconscious social rejection. Although, of course, Moore could be oversensitive.

Kevin imaginatively took a deep breath.

Sexual dissimilarity, like any other dissimilarity, frightens people because it is alien and unknown. Kevin himself, before Jack stormed his heart, despite the fact that he had a gay friend, was not entirely free to think about being with a man. The thought even disgusted him somewhat. It was Jack who changed everything, but not immediately. Now Moore accepted what he was, in its entirety, but did he have the right to require others to do the same, without a transitional period in which these people would just get used to the new information?

For some reason, Kevin thought of his father. The news that his son is gay must have come as a great shock to Michael. No more arranged marriage and no more dreams of a grandson. A selfish son chooses rule over duty to the corporation and to the family. Disappointment, sadness and regret ...

Everyone needs some time to absorb new information, new facts. For some it is easier, for others it is more difficult. This is related to the type of personality that a given person has, but also to his personal experiences. Not everyone adapts to changes as quickly and not everyone is a calm process.

It may be particularly shocking for a man to discover homosexual inclinations within himself. Kevin remembered how difficult it was for him, and he remembered Martin as well when he tried to deal with his desires and emotions. Acceptance of being different, which previously seemed to be a degeneration to some extent ...

The shock of discovering homosexual inclinations in oneself ... An attempt to cope with the new situation ...

Is it...?

"Mr. Dean, I’m sorry, I have to leave urgently!" Kevin suddenly exclaimed, surprising Shelby and himself.

"What happened?" the dean exclaimed in surprise.

" Breakthrough in a murder case!"