by Mason Black
“When’s the crime unit getting here?”
“Probably not until later today. I have a feeling this is not going to turn out pretty for our professor.”
“I think you’re right.”
Chapter 58
Amanda sat on the edge of her bed gazing at the blank wall. She thought about the father that she barely remembered, taken from her when she was so young. Luckily, her mother was an extremely strong woman – enough woman to be a mother and a father to Amanda.
A tear rolled down her left cheek, as she sat in silence. She nearly fell off the bed as the phone rang out, rattling the terrible headache she had developed a few days earlier.
“Hello,” she mumbled.
“Ms. Martin, this is Detective Ahmed of the Miami/Dade police. We are going to need you to come down to the station.”
“I don’t understand. What is this all about?” She asked.
“Professor Kirshner. We need to ask you some further questions regarding his whereabouts,” Shazhad responded.
“But, I don’t know anything. I was just in his class, that’s all.” She was panicked.
“Ms. Martin, I need you to come down here within the hour. I can come and get you if that is necessary,” Shazhad warned.
“No, I’m on my way,” she muttered as she hung up the phone.
There was a loud bang on her door.
She ran to the door and looked through the peephole; it was Will. She threw the door open and collapsed in his arms. “Thank God it’s you,” she mumbled, looking into his eyes.
“I guess you just got a call, too.”
“What are we going to do, Will?”
“It’ll be fine. We just have to stick together. We need to call the others and see if they called them, too,” Will suggested.
He pulled out his cell phone and quickly dialed Jack, who did not answer his phone. Sean’s phone just rang, and Abrams’ phone went straight to voicemail. It was just the two of them versus the entire Miami/Dade police department.
Chapter 59
Abrams sat in an interrogation room at the Miami/Dade police station. The police had picked him up at his home right in front of his wife. Abrams knew that it was very unusual to bring someone down to the police station over a simple verbal threat. He knew that this was not just about Todd; it was about Kirshner.
This was confirmed when the interrogation room door opened and Detective Pitman walked in. “Mr. Freeman, it’s nice to see you again.” Pitman sat down across from Abrams.
“So, why did you threaten Todd Garner?” Pitman asked.
“I didn’t threaten him. We got into an argument and I lost my temper. That’s all there was to it.”
“He has a different version. He says you attacked him because of what he told us. Do you know what he told us, Mr. Freeman?” Pitman asked.
“No, not exactly, but I am sure it was bullshit.”
“He told us that he overheard you and your friends talking about how you would like to kill Professor Kirshner.”
“Big deal! We all hated him – that’s no secret. Everyone in that class hates him. So, we joked around about what it would be like to kill him. There’s a big difference between that and actually killing another human being, which I can assure you that we did not do,” Abrams argued.
“I agree, it’s not unusual for students to imagine what it would be like to off their most hated professor. But, I’m afraid it does not end there, Mr. Freeman. Kirshner’s neighbor reported seeing five intruders running from Kirshner’s home – he was apparently chasing after them. What was most interesting was that one was a woman. Just like your little study group – four men and a woman.”
“You think we broke into Professor Kirshner’s house. Why would we do that? I didn’t even want to see the guy in class, much less at his home,” Abrams quickly responded.
“I’m going to ask you this question one time, and one time only. Did you have anything to do with the disappearance of Kirshner?”
“No, I did not,” Abrams answered.
Chapter 60
Will and Amanda arrived at the police station together, bumping into Abrams as he was leaving. Detective Pitman was walking closely behind him. Will thought it was good that Abrams was leaving the station instead of being a guest in its jail cell. “Mr. James and Ms. Martin, have a seat in the lounge and we will be right with you,” Pitman announced as he walked Abrams outside the station.
Will and Amanda held hands as they sat waiting for Detective Pitman to return. Amanda was trembling. She could not stop shaking. Will held her hand tightly and stroked her leg with his other hand trying to calm her down.
As Pitman was about to talk to them, Shazhad came walking up to him with a file in his hand. Pitman read what was in the file, and instantly glanced at Amanda and Will.
“How’d you get this?” Pitman asked.
“I got lucky. I was just trying to look up some of his past clients he had gotten off, and I came across this,” Shazhad whispered.
Pitman motioned for Will to come with him, and Shazhad took Amanda to a different interrogation room. “Ms. Martin, have a seat. The reason Detective Pitman and I brought you back in today is because we think you might know something about Professor Kirshner’s disappearance. So, I have a few questions that I need you to answer for me.”
“Okay, but I don’t know any more than what I told you last time,” Amanda said in a shaky voice.
“That’s fine. Have you ever been to Professor Kirshner’s house?”
“No. Why would I?” Amanda responded.
“So, he did not chase you and your four friends down the street?”
“No, I have no idea what you are talking about.”
“Ms. Martin, do you know you are shaking? People that tell the truth don’t nervously shake.”
“I’m shaking because I am in a police interrogation room being asked questions that I don’t have any answers for. I really don’t need any added stress in my life. I just want to go home.” Amanda raised her voice slightly.
“Did you have anything to do with the disappearance of Professor Kirshner?”
“No, I have no idea where he is or what happened to him. I don’t know, detective,” she said as she stood up to leave.
“One more question before you go, Ms. Martin.”
“What?” she angrily shouted.
“How did your father die?”
“My father? What does that have to do with anything?”
“Your father’s name was Alex Martin. He was born in South Carolina in 1961. He died a horrible death in 1985 in Charleston, South Carolina. The man accused of murdering your father was Jacob Little,” Shazhad recited.
“Yeah, that’s all true. But, he never got any jail time for what he did. The jury found him not guilty,” she sobbed.
“I know. I read some of the newspaper articles. At the time, it was a very controversial and well-publicized trial.”
“I was really young; I don’t remember much.”
“Ms. Martin, do you know who happened to be Jacob Little’s attorney?”
“Like I said, I was only a child. I have no idea,” she quickly responded.
“You were never curious to read about your father’s trial and how the man that allegedly killed him got off? I find that hard to believe, especially considering you’re now in law school.”
“I don’t know, detective, and I really don’t like the fact that you are talking about my father.”
“Okay, I’ll play the game. The attorney that represented Jacob Little was Isaiah Kirshner, your Criminal Law professor.”
A few moments of silence went by before Amanda spoke. “But I didn’t know. How can that be?”
“Here it is in black and white.” Shazhad handed her some newspaper articles.
“How could you think I would sit in that man’s class? Take his abuse, after what he did to my family? I would have never been able to look at him,” she cried.
“So, you’re still
saying you did not know Kirshner was the attorney that got your father’s killer off?”
“I didn’t know, detective. And now I want to go home. Please don’t bother me again,” she said as she walked out the room.
Shazhad remained sitting in the chair and let her walk out of the room. He now had an even stronger motive, but he still had no body. But he felt something deep down in his gut. Amanda Martin knew something about Kirshner’s disappearance and so did her study partners – he was sure of it.
Chapter 61
Will sat in the interrogation room. He was not afraid of Detective Pitman; he actually looked a lot like his deceased grandfather. In some strange way, this comforted him.
Pitman shuffled some papers inside a blank folder. Will tried to see what the papers were, but Pitman did a great job of hiding them. In reality, these papers had nothing to do with Will or any of his friends. It was just a ploy by Pitman to make Will think he had something on him.
“Mr. James, have you ever tried to break into Professor Kirshner’s home in Coral Gables?”
“I don’t even know where he lives.”
“Is that a no?”
“I didn’t try to break into his house. Why would you think that?”
Pitman did not answer him.
“Do you have any idea where Professor Kirshner is?”
“No, like I told you last time. I don’t know anything about him or where he is.”
“What about your brother? How’s he doing these days?” Pitman quickly asked.
“My brother?” Will was completely caught off guard.
“Yeah, your brother, Kevin James. You know, the brother that was expelled from Miami University after Kirshner caught him cheating,” Pitman responded.
“He’s fine,” Will answered.
“From what I hear, your brother was in pretty bad shape after he was expelled. Does he still have a problem with alcohol?”
“I’m not sure; I haven’t seen him in a few years.”
“You must really hate that Kirshner – he sounds like a real prick. Some of your classmates told me how he picked on you. Do you think he did that because of your brother? Because he knew he was a cheat?”
“He was not a cheat, detective. And, I don’t know why he picked on me. From what I hear, he always has one student in every class that he likes to torture, and it turned out to be my bad luck to be that student this semester. So, if you’re done trying to upset me, I’m leaving. You have no cause to hold me, so don’t bother to contact me again, unless you have evidence to charge me with.” Will walked out of the room, slamming the door.
As Will walked down the hallway to the exit, he passed Shazhad’s desk. Will saw Detective Shazhad reading a book – The Psychology of a Serial Killer.
“Interesting,” Will thought to himself.
Chapter 62
“Hey, babe, Dave just got back from the Kirshner house. It was negative on blood; he did a full sweep with a backlight of the whole house and found absolutely nothing,” Jill reported to Pitman over the phone.
“Damn, I really thought were going to find something,” Pitman replied.
“That’s just it; the house was immaculate. Dave said he couldn’t find anything at all – no blood, bodily fluids, hair, skin – nothing. Nothing, as in someone did an unbelievable cleaning job on the place, from top to bottom. Dave said there was definitely some heavy chemicals used on the tiles and in the kitchen – probably bleach or maybe even something stronger.”
“That’s good stuff, but it still does not give me anything to go on.”
“Well, I’m sure something will come up. It always does. Are you still coming over for dinner?” Jill asked.
“You bet, let me get going. We are heading to Kirshner’s school to talk to the dean again.”
“Good luck; see you later, alligator.”
Pitman remained silent. “Come on and say it …” Jill begged.
“After a while, crocodile,” Pitman embarrassingly mumbled.
Shazhad laughed at Pitman. “I never would have pegged you for the corny type.”
“Hey, this stays between us, partner,” Pitman joked.
“Okay, you got it. So, where are we at? What are you thinking?”
“Well, the girl and Will James both have more of a motive now that we know about the father and the brother, but I still don’t think that’s it. I can’t put my finger on it.”
“Me neither,” Shazhad agreed as he turned up the radio.
A local newswoman discussed the hunt for the ongoing Miami Mangler and a possible new victim. “I’m here in Coral Gables, standing at the last place Professor Isaiah Kirshner was seen alive. Kirshner was reported missing three days ago. Kirshner was a prominent criminal attorney and professor at Miami University. The dean of the university said he was extremely worried as Kirshner had never missed a day of class. An insider with the Miami police department told Local 10 News that there was evidence to suggest that Kirshner might be the next victim of the Mangler. We will bring you any further updates as they break. I’m Anjanette Flowers for Local 10 News.”
“Shit, there goes the neighborhood,” Pitman yelled.
“Insiders? We’re the detectives on the case. Why didn’t they talk with us?” Shazhad asked.
“That’s how the news works in Miami – all sensationalism.”
“You don’t think this is the work of the Mangler, do you?” Shazhad inquired.
“I doubt it. I think we’re on the right track, but I have a feeling that once Agent Petty and his crew get a hold of this we may be led in a different direction.”
A huge smile came over Shazhad’s face. He looked away from Pitman, out the window, to hide his smile. “The Miami Mangler,” he whispered. Shazhad may have just been thrown into the biggest man hunt that the United States had ever seen; his wish may just have come true.
Chapter 63
Sean and Jack joined Amanda, Will and Abrams in Amanda’s apartment. Sean and Jack had just left the police station. They were all nervous, except for Will.
“So, they asked you guys about breaking into his house?” Sean said.
“Oh yeah, four men and one woman. That’s us, alright,” Abrams said.
“Yeah, but they don’t have any proof that we were there. We actually didn’t even do anything wrong. We looked through the window and ran when he saw us. That was it,” Jack argued.
“He’s right. We really didn’t commit a crime by going to Kirshner’s house. I’m not worried about that. They have nothing on us. They’re just trying to scare us,” Will responded.
“There’s nothing to have. We never did anything. We abandoned the plan and went home. So, we are all safe. Right?” Sean pointed out.
“He’s right. So, let’s just get back to our lives and school. Remember school?” Jack said.
Amanda turned on the television. She was tired of thinking about Professor Kirshner. On the television screen was a huge picture of Kirshner. “Holy shit!” Abrams yelled, pointing at the television. They all turned toward the television to listen to the Hispanic reporter tell the story of the missing Miami University law professor that might be a possible victim of the Miami Mangler.
“Wow, your plan would have worked perfectly, Will,” Abrams said.
“This is really freaky. This is exactly what we planned to happen. What are the chances of this?” Sean asked.
“I guess it is bound to happen with anybody that goes missing here. The next victim could be anybody,” Jack said.
Abrams’ cell phone rang – it was his wife. “I got to run, guys.”
“I’m out, too; I have to still read the chapters for Property,” Sean said as he headed out the door.
“What are we going to do?” Amanda asked.
“I’m glad they brought us into the police station. I saw something very interesting there that may get us out of all this,” Will said with a smirk.
Chapter 64
Dean Samuel Hirsch waited in his office for De
tectives Pitman and Ahmed to arrive. Although this was later than the dean usually stayed at the school, he wanted to help find his missing professor. While he did not necessarily believe in Kirshner’s classroom antics or even like him personally, he knew that Isaiah Kirshner’s name brought students and money to the school. Despite his reputation as a professor, he was a very famous criminal attorney.
The dean flipped through the school newspaper as he waited for them. The phone rang, startling him. It was Detectives Pitman and Ahmed. They were waiting in front of the school because they were not sure where the dean’s office was. The dean walked to the front of the school and led them back to his office.
The dean told them everything he knew about Kirshner, and let them read through his personal file. “There’s no emergency contact information for him. Didn’t he have any relatives nearby?” Shazhad asked.
“As far as I know, he had no family. He was not the easiest guy in the world to talk to; he was very closed and private. After working with him for ten years, I can honestly say I don’t know him any better than on the day he started.”
“How about other staff here? Maybe another professor? Did he associate with anyone?” Pitman asked.
“The only person I have ever known him to talk to was Shelia Ferguson, our Property Law professor. She might be able to tell you a little more than me. She is actually teaching a class tonight, and it should be done at 6:50. You’re more than welcome to wait for her,” the dean suggested.
“Okay, sounds good. Can we see Professor Kirshner’s office again?” Pitman asked.
“Of course, follow me.”
Pitman and Dean Hirsch went into Kirshner’s office, and Shazhad stayed in the hallway staring at the bulletin board. Dean Hirsch opened Kirshner’s drawers up and motioned for Pitman to sit behind the desk. Pitman shuffled through the papers that were neatly placed into the drawers. Pitman realized that Kirshner’s desk was as neat and tidy as his home. He closed the drawers, as Shazhad yelled for the dean to come into the hallway.
Shazhad was pointing to the grades that were posted on the bulletin board. “Why are there fives scores missing?” Shazhad asked.