“Dr. Booth, I’m calling from David Singer’s office. He’s defending Ashley Patterson. You testified in the Dickerson case. We’re interested in your expert testimony… We would like you to come to San Jose and testify for Miss Patterson. We need your expertise…”
“Dr. Jameson, this is Sandra Singer. We need you to come to . ..”
And so it went, from morning until midnight. Finally, a list of a dozen witnesses was compiled. David looked at it and said, “It’s pretty impressive. Doctors, a dean…heads of law schools.” He looked up at Sandra and smiled. “I think we’re in good shape.”
From time to time, Jesse Quiller came into the office David was using. “How are you getting along?” he asked. “Anything I can do to help?”
“I’m fine.”
Quiller looked around the office. “Do you have everything you need?”
David smiled. “Everything, including my best friend.”
On a Monday morning, David received a package from the prosecutor’s office listing the state’s discovery. As David read it, his spirits sank.
Sandra was watching him, concerned. “What is it?”
“Look at this. He’s bringing in a lot of heavyweight medical experts to testify against MPD.”
“How are you going to handle that?” Sandra asked.
“We’re going to admit that Ashley was at the scenes when the murders took place, but that the murders were actually committed by an alter ego.” Can I persuade a jury to believe that?
Five days before the trial was to begin, David received a telephone call saying that Judge Williams wanted to meet with him.
David walked into Jesse Quiller’s office. “Jesse, what can you tell me about Judge Williams?”
Jesse leaned back in his chair and laced his fingers behind his head. “Tessa Williams .. . Were you ever a Boy Scout, David?”
“Yes…”
“Do you remember the Boy Scout motto,—’be prepared’?”
“Sure.”
“When you walk into Tessa Williams’s courtroom, be prepared. She’s brilliant. She came up the hard way. Her folks were Mississippi sharecroppers. She went through college on a scholarship, and the people in her hometown were so proud of her, they raised the money to put her through law school. There’s a rumor that she turned down a big appointment in Washington because she likes it where she is. She’s a legend.”
“Interesting,” David said.
“The trial is going to be in Santa Clara County?”
“Yes.”
“Then you’ll have my old friend Mickey Brennan prosecuting.”
“Tell me about him.”
“He’s a feisty Irishman, tough on the inside, tough on the outside. Brennan comes from a long line of overachievers. His father runs a huge publishing business; his mother’s a doctor; his sister is a college professor. Brennan was a football star in his college days, and he was at the top of his law class.” He leaned forward. “He’s good, David. Be careful. His trick is to disarm witnesses and then move in for the kill. He likes to blindside them… Why does Judge Williams want to see you?”
“I have no idea. The call just said she wants to discuss the Patterson case with me.”
Jesse Quiller frowned. “That’s unusual. When are you meeting with her?”
“Wednesday morning.”
“Watch your back.”
“Thanks, Jesse. I will.”
The superior courthouse in Santa Clara County is a white, four-story building on North First Street. Directly inside the courthouse entrance is a desk manned by a uniformed guard; there is a metal detector, a railing alongside and an elevator. There are seven courtrooms in the building, each one presided over by a judge and staff.
At ten o’clock Wednesday morning, David Singer was ushered into the chambers of Judge Tessa Williams. In the room with her was Mickey Brennan. The leading prosecutor from the district attorney’s office was in his fifties, a short, burly man with a slight brogue. Tessa Williams was in her late forties, a slim, attractive African-American woman with a crisp, authoritative manner.
“Good morning, Mr. Singer. I’m Judge Williams. This is Mr. Brennan.”
The two men shook hands.
“Sit down, Mr. Singer. I want to talk about the Patterson case. According to the records, you’ve filed a plea of not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity?”
“Yes, Your Honor.”
Judge Williams said, “I brought you two together because I think we can save a lot of time and save the state a great deal of expense. I’m usually against plea bargaining, but in this case, I think it’s justified.”