David took his seat, furious.
Brennan walked back to his desk and picked up a stack of photographs and handed them out to the jurors. “These are not pleasant to look at, ladies and gentlemen, but this is what the trial is about. It’s not about words or theories or excuses. It’s not about mysterious alter egos killing people. It’s about three real people who were savagely and brutally murdered. The law says that someone has to pay for those murders. It’s up to each one of you to see that justice is done.”
Brennan could see the horror on the faces of the jurors as they looked at the photographs.
He turned to Judge Williams. “The prosecution rests.”
Judge Williams looked at her watch. “It’s four o’clock. The court will recess for the day and begin again at ten o’clock Monday morning. Court adjourned.”
Chapter Nineteen
ASHLEY Patterson was on the gallows being hanged, when a policeman ran up and said, “Wait a minute. She’s supposed to be electrocuted.”
The scene changed, and she was in the electric chair. A guard reached up to pull the switch, and Judge Williams came running in screaming, “No. We’re going to kill her with a lethal injection.”
David woke up and sat upright in bed, his heart pounding. His pajamas were wet with perspiration. He started to get up and was suddenly dizzy. He had a pounding headache, and he felt feverish. He touched his forehead. It was hot.
As David started to get out of bed, he was overcome by a wave of dizziness. “Oh, no,” he groaned. “Not today. Not now.”
This was the day he had been waiting for, the day the defense would begin to present its case. David stumbled into the bathroom and bathed his face in cold water. He looked in the mirror. “You look like hell.”
When David arrived in court, Judge Williams was already on the bench. They were all waiting for him.
“I apologize for being late,” David said. His voice was a croak. “May I approach the bench?”
“Yes.”
David walked up to the bench, with Mickey Brennan close behind him. “Your Honor,” David said, “I’d like to ask for a one-day stay.”
“On what grounds?”
“I—I’m not feeling very well, Your Honor. I’m sure a doctor can give me something and tomorrow I’ll be fine.”
Judge Williams said, “Why don’t you have your associate take over for you?”
David looked at her in surprise. “I don’t have an associate.”
“Why don’t you, Mr. Singer?”
“Because…”
Judge Williams leaned forward. “I’ve never seen a murder trial conducted like this. You’re a one-man show looking for glory, aren’t you? Well, you won’t find it in this court. I’ll tell you something else. You probably think I should recuse myself because I don’t believe in your devil-made-me-do-it defense, but I’m not recusing myself. We’re going to let the jury decide whether they think your client is innocent or guilty. Is there anything else, Mr. Singer?”
David stood there looking at her, and the room was swimming. He wanted to tell her to go fuck herself. He wanted to get on his knees and beg her to be fair. He wanted to go home to bed. He said in a hoarse voice, “No. Thank you, Your Honor.”
Judge Williams nodded. “Mr. Singer, you’re on. Don’t waste any more of this court’s time.”
David walked over to the jury box, trying to forget about his headache and fever. He spoke slowly.
“Ladies and gentlemen, you have listened to the prosecution ridiculing the facts of multiple personality disorder. I’m sure that Mr. Brennan wasn’t being deliberately malicious. His statements were made out of ignorance. The fact is that he obviously knows nothing about multiple personality disorder, and the same is true of some of the witnesses he has put on the stand. But I’m going to have some people talk to you who do know about it. These are reputable doctors, who are experts in this problem. When you have heard their testimony, I’m sure that it will cast a whole different light on what Mr. Brennan has had to say.
“Mr. Brennan has talked about my client’s guilt in committing these terrible crimes. That’s a very important point. Guilt. For murder in the first degree to be proved, there must be not only a guilty act, but a guilty intention. I will show you that there was no guilty intention, because Ashley Patterson was not in control at the time the crimes occurred. She was totally unaware that they were taking place. Some eminent doctors are going to testify that Ashley Patterson has two additional personalities, or alters, one of them a controlling one.”