Killing Kirshner (A Psychological Suspense Thriller) (13 page)

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.

C
hapter 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.

C
hapter 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.

C
hapter 64

Dean Samuel Hirsch waited in his office for Detectives 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.

“I’m not sure; that’s strange that he would post grades if he was not done grading all of them. The only thing I can think of is maybe five students were absent on the day of the test. So, maybe they have to do a make-up exam.”

“Is there any way we can find out for sure if there were any students missing on the day of the exam? Also, I want to know whose grades are missing,” Shazhad requested.

“I’ll have my administrative assistant get you that information first thing tomorrow,” the dean responded.

Pitman and Shazhad walked out of the school next to each other. “Five missing grades, five intruders reportedly breaking into Kirshner’s home – this still keeps leading us back to our five favorite law students,” Pitman pointed out.

“I know, but I still have a feeling Agent Petty is going to want us to look into the Miami Mangler angle,” Shazhad argued.

“No chance of avoiding that now with the press on it.”

C
hapter 65

Pitman jogged into Los Ranchos, an Argentina restaurant; he was late for his dinner date with Jill. She smiled as she saw him maneuvering his way through the crowd of people that were waiting at the entrance. Los Ranchos was always busy, especially at night. Pitman pushed and shoved his way to the front; Miami was not a friendly city and Pitman knew that if he wanted to get somewhere he had to push and shove. He was used to this after living in Miami for many years.

“Sorry I’m late. I-95 was a sea of cars, and we got held up at the university,” Pitman apologized as he sat down.

He quickly drank the water that Jill had ordered for him; he was thirsty from his jog from the parking lot. Soon after, a waiter came to the table to take their order. Pitman always got the same thing – Churracso steak, well done – and Jill ordered the chicken special.

“So, what happened at the university?”

“Well, the dean had nothing more for us about Kirshner. This guy was a mystery to most, it seems. Although, he did say that a woman professor at the school was semi-friendly with him. We waited around for her after her class, but she apparently had left early because she was sick. So, I brought Shazhad back to the station and here I am,” Pitman smiled.

“Speaking of Shazhad, how’s that new partnership going?” Jill asked curiously.

“I like him; he’s a good cop and a decent guy. I was thinking maybe we could take him and his wife out sometime,” Pitman suggested.

“That is a great idea. I’m so proud of you for being open-minded. I know you were worried about the whole Muslim thing.”

“Yeah, that was silly of me. I’m glad I took your advice.”

The waiter brought their food, and another server followed the waiter closely behind serving rice and beans, and plantains. Pitman cut his steak like a surgeon, gulping up pieces of his delicious meat. Jill picked at her chicken slowly, as she examined each and every piece to make sure there was no grizzle.

“You don’t think Kirshner is another victim of the Mangler, do you?” she asked.

“I don’t, but you never know. It’s possible, I guess.”

“The preliminary report of Kirshner’s house struck me as really odd since the place was spotless. What bothered me the most was something I forgot to mention earlier.”

“What’s that?” Pitman questioned.

“There were no fingerprints. Dave said he tried in several rooms – door knobs, kitchen cabinets, television remote – nothing. Someone did an amazing cleanup job in that place. Whatever happened to Kirshner happened in that house – I am sure of it,” Jill said.

“I agree, but if they did that great of a cleanup, it is going to be very difficult to get any evidence. I need Kirshner – his body.”

“So, you think he’s dead?”

“Absolutely, a famous law professor with tons of money does not just disappear.”

C
hapter 66

Agent Petty paced the floor, waiting for Pitman and Shazhad to arrive at the station. Shazhad arrived first, and Agent Petty immediately motioned for him to come into his office.

Shazhad was thrilled that Agent Petty was meeting with him because he knew exactly what Agent Petty was going to ask him – could Kirshner be another Mangler victim? Agent Petty wanted a full detailed briefing on what Shazhad and Pitman had discovered so far. He read through the file, pacing back and forth in the little office, as Shazhad studied his movements.

“So, how strong is the case against these five kids?” Agent Petty asked.

“As you can see, we don’t have any hard evidence – just circumstantial. Kirshner’s house was completely clean. They couldn’t even find any fingerprints.”

“Wait, this sounds like the Mangler’s m.o. No physical evidence, no fingerprints, no sign of a break-in – what’s your gut telling you?”

Shazhad could not believe Agent Petty was asking his opinion of the case, and Shazhad knew there was only one way to answer the question. “My gut tells me that this is the Mangler’s work. I think he’s been working his way to someone like Kirshner, a high-profile victim. It makes sense to me.”