Part 18 (1/2)

”I don't know. These are copies. Copies are suspicious.”

a.n.u.se interjected demanding to know why.

Diana explained to him that she had done a great deal of research, since she had first been charged, into doc.u.ment examination.

Accomplished doc.u.ment examiners insist on original, authentic standards.

Except for a couple, all of these so-called standards are copies.

In addition, as you will recall from her answer to the questions I asked her, the examiner you engaged admitted that she did not know of her own knowledge that I had written the standards she used.

”A competent examiner would have the person in question write the standards in his or her presence. That way the a.n.a.lyst is unbiased, and can swear that the standards are authentic.

”I also learned that one should never identify copies as one's writing because copies may be altered and recopied so the alterations do not show.”

”Now these came from the administration and you certainly can't think that any alteration went on,” scoffed a.n.u.se.

”I certainly can think it's possible. Just as I know it's possible to forge handwriting so even the experts cannot tell.”

”No, that is incorrect. The a.n.a.lysts testified that she could tell forgeries.”

”She also testified that I had written these 'suspect'

evaluations but admitted that she had not authenticated the standards used nor insisted on original standards.

”As far as believing that tampering could be done, I remind you that one of these 'suspect' doc.u.ments was tampered with and Lyle admitted doing it.”

”What!” blurted Henry, ”what. . .”

”This one here.” The accused held up the evaluation that had a three word printed comment on the course. Stapled to it was a note reading, 'Lyle, have a happy Christmas, Diana'.

”This was given the doc.u.ment examiners as 'suspect' evaluation #6, yet clearly Lyle knew that he had prejudiced it by putting six additional words on it that he knew I had written. This is original writing on Christmas paper and not part of this evaluation, yet from the report the examiners made, it was treated as part of a 'suspect' doc.u.ment.”

Henry quickly told Janet that she could stop taking notes while the committee huddled off the record. Feverishly, he opened the a.n.a.lyst report and scanned the relevant paragraph.

After a few moments, Henry and Frank a.n.u.se exchanged glances.

a.n.u.se nodded and Henry told Janet they were back on record.

Immediately, a.n.u.se sarcastically claimed that he didn't under stand what all the fuss was about. He could see no tampering.

Trenchant explained again. ”It is obvious. A known standard is affixed to an unknown doc.u.ment. It is made a part of that unknown doc.u.ment.”

a.n.u.se seemed to deliberately misunderstand. He continued this over and over, taking different tacks but essentially he was bent on wearing Diana down.

Careful, thought Henry. A court would say a.n.u.se was badgering the witness. Henry knew this was not proper questioning, it was arguing, but he let it continue.

”Oh,” a.n.u.se would say in an annoying, baiting way, ”it was not altered since Lyle had stapled it there so it wouldn't get lost.”

and ”I don't understand where you have a problem with this.”

After several minutes of this, he dismissed the whole complaint.

Scathingly, he said that it didn't matter since the whole doc.u.ment had been written by Trenchant anyway. The doc.u.ment a.n.a.lyst had said so.

”Yes they had,” Diana agreed. ”Despite the fact that there were three PRINTED words on the SmurFF. The WRITING they identified was only on the slip of paper that Lyle had attached.

The panel was silent. Trenchant addressed them. ”When I was first charged with writing these critiques, I spoke to a few professional doc.u.ment examiners. Right off, I discovered that I could not afford to hire one to do an unbiased a.n.a.lysis.