Free Killing Kirshner (A Psychological Suspense Thriller) by Mason Black

word I said. He just kept looking at me waiting for me to crumble,” Amanda said.
    “It’s over for us. If he really thinks we cheated and he goes to the dean, it’s over for us,” Sean said.
    “He’s right. We will be thrown out of Miami University, and we will never be able to get into another law school. Our legal careers are over before they even got started,” Will said.
    “We all agree that he did not believe us,” Jack said.
    They all agreed. “But why does he think we cheated – because we had similar answers? We are in a study group together. Wouldn’t that explain it for the dean?”
    “From what I hear, Kirshner has a lot of pull at the university. He is a flagship professor. Believe it or not, a lot of students come to Miami University because of his reputation. He gives this school a lot of clout, so, I’m thinking, if he says we cheated, the dean will go with it,” Will responded.
    “We can’t just let this piece of shit ruin our lives; there’s got to be something we can do,” Abrams yelled.
    “I say we go to the dean first and plead our case. What exactly is the process for a violation of the honor code? Amanda, do you have the student guide?” Will asked.
    Amanda went into her bedroom and found the student guide on her bookcase. Unlike the rest of the group, Amanda actually read the student guide cover to cover. Will rubbed her hand as she pulled away and sat back down on the edge of the couch.
    Will flipped through the book searching for the exact procedure for a violation of the honor code. “Here it is – accusations of cheating. Upon the accusation of cheating, the accused student will be temporarily suspended and will not be able to attend class. Within three weeks, a hearing will be held before five randomly chosen members of the tenured faculty and the dean. The accused has the right to legal representation.”
    “I can’t go through all that,” Amanda cried.
    “I think just being accused of cheating will end our careers, no matter what they find,” Jack said.
    The five of them sat quietly for a few minutes. Finally, Abrams spoke up. “There’s just no way around it. We have to stop Kirshner from going to the dean.

C hapter 35
    Professor Kirshner sat in his office reviewing the five students’ examinations he suspected. He had gotten an anonymous tip that these five students had cheated on his exam. This was not the first time Kirshner had gotten a tip that someone had cheated in his class, but most of the tips had proven to be false – just a very competitive student trying to get rid of his competition.
    So, Kirshner wanted to be sure that there was actual cheating and not one of his student’s little game to get the coveted “A” in his class. He glanced at his notes that he took from his questioning with each of the students. He made a photocopy of all five examinations and laid them next to each other on his desk where he began highlighting the similar sentences in each exam with a yellow highlighter.
    His highlighter flew across the pages, highlighting several sentences on each of the pages. He shook his head and a smile came to his face, as if he actually enjoyed catching students cheating. This was not the first time Kirshner actually had a student cheat on his exam. Back in 2008, Kirshner gave one of his famous mid-term examinations. Although most professors used a proctor to administer the exam, Kirshner insisted on proctoring the exam himself. Once the exam was over and the students had exited the room, Kirshner was about to leave when he saw a small piece of paper on the ground.
    His eyes lit up as he unfolded this small piece of paper; he was amazed at how small the writing was, but it was still large enough for him to make out. It was a miniature outline of Criminal Law. He stuck the note in his pocket and went back to his office. He laid the small piece of paper on a copy machine and blew up the writing as much as he could.
    At the beginning of his