identified by experts as being in Diana's handwriting."

"We'll take some of your writing to the document examiner. That will
settle it." Esther beamed at having such a great idea.

"No. You already have a sample of my writing. I won't have anything
more to do with those people. Look how they made this mistake. I
don't like how those people are." Sarah did not have much faith in
document examiners--she of all people had reason not to.

"Well, we can do nothing here with this. It is just hearsay or...."
Frank's voice trailed off as he looked to Henry for a ruling.

Frank Anuse is trying to sweep the evidence under the rug, thought
Jane. He came into this hearing with his mind made up. Any attempt
Henry and Anuse have made toward impartiality is a sham.

Diana addressed the panel, speaking forcefully. "Sarah has identified
the evaluation under oath. You have that document as a sample of her
handwriting. I think that is sufficient and you are upsetting her with
your badgering."

"Well, the analysts are convinced that you wrote it." Anuse had turned
ugly again.

"Handwriting evidence is not always conclusive," retorted Diana.

Anuse turned his hostility toward Sarah. "How do you recognize that as
yours?" Ignoring the fact that this had been asked and answered.

Patiently, Sarah said, "Because it is. It looks like mine and that is
what I wrote."

Henry made a monumental blunder and didn't realize it until it was too
late. After consistently arguing that the university would never send
student handwriting off campus to a document examiner, he proposed just
that! "We have samples of your handwriting in the university files
that we can send to have checked," he threatened.

"No. You cannot do that with student files. You have no right to send
my records away like that. You already have sent my SmurFF and you
have that as a sample of my writing if you need it."

"Are you afraid?" Henry tried for intimidation to cover his faux pas.
"Of what?"

"Yes, I'm afraid. I'm afraid of who's on the other side of this. I'm
afraid of who is lying about Dr. Trenchant and what could happen to me
for coming here to testify."

Once again, Anuse led her through questions, to explain how she had
seen the copy of this evaluation. Finally he said, "and what did you
think when you saw it?"

Her answer, delivered in a soft but firmly decisive tone, landed like a
bombshell in the midst of the panel. They sat in