CHAPTER FORTY EIGHT – FIND A CLUE

Sarah's eyes widened. "That's a serious accusation, Joan. Are you sure?" Joan nodded grimly. "I'm not certain, but it fits. He's always had it out for me, and this report came out of nowhere. Will you help me investigate?" "Of course," Sarah replied without hesitation. "Where do we start?" Joan laid out her plan. They would go through the plagiarism report with a fine-tooth comb, comparing the flagged passages to the original sources. They'd also reach out to a few classmates who had faced similar issues with the Wallaces in the past. Over the next few days, Joan's apartment transformed into a war room of sorts. She, Sarah, and three other graduate students – Michael, Aisha, and Trevor – pored over documents, cross-referencing citations and analyzing writing styles. "Look at this," Michael said on the third day, pointing to a passage in the report. "The source they're claiming you plagiarized from wasn't even published until after you submitted your draft." Joan leaned in, her he