Plot

Laura Hewes' divorce is nearly complete. After an experiment in his class, her husband learns she is in town staying with another couple. A plagiarism charge compounds his problems. When he is murdered, Laura is charged.

Professor Ronald Hewes, an English professor at Euclid College, stages an exercise in observation in which a man that Hewes has hired bursts into his creative-writing class and shoots him with a gun, which, unknown to the students, is loaded with blanks. The students are quickly calmed after the prank, but when Hewes returns to his office, the fake gunman is there and reveals that had he fired a second shot, Hewes might well have been killed because someone had put in a clip with live bullets. During all of this, Hewes happens to be separated from his wife Laura, who is supposed to be out of town. Sally Sheldon then accuses Hewes of plagiarizing the manuscript of his bestselling novel from her late sister, who had overdosed on sleeping pills after learning she was pregnant. Sally wrote the original story for her dead sister, which describes the decadent life on a college campus. Professor Hewes learns that Laura is staying with friends, Dr. Curtis and Esther Metcalfe, so they agree to meet at the Metcalfe home. When her husband is found dead, Laura is charged with his murder. Ronald had previously contacted Perry to meet with them, and Perry agrees to defend Laura.—garykmcd