Chapter 12 Chapter Twelve

Ashley Paterson sat in her cell at the Santa Clara County Jail, so traumatized that he didn't even try to figure out how he got there.She's very happy that she's in prison because the bars are going to keep out whoever is doing this to her.She wrapped the cell around herself like a blanket, trying to ward off the horrible, unthinkable things that were happening to her.Her whole life had become a screaming nightmare.Ashley thinks about all the mysteries that have been going on: someone breaking into her apartment to tease her...a trip to Chicago...writing on her mirror...and now, the police are accusing her of something she didn't even know Unspeakable things.There was some terrible conspiracy against her, but she had no idea who might be behind it, or for what.

Earlier that morning, a prison guard had come to Ashley's cell. "There are visitors." Prison guards took Ashley to the visiting room, where her father was waiting for her. He stood there, looking at her, his eyes full of sadness. "Honey... I don't know what to say." Ashley whispered, "I didn't do any of the horrible things they said I did." "I know you didn't. Something has gone terribly wrong, but we're going to clear everything up." Ashley looked at her father, wondering how she ever thought he was the guilty one. "...you don't worry," he was saying, "it's going to be all right. I'm getting you a lawyer. David Singer, he's one of the wisest young men I know. He'll Will come to see you. I want you to tell him everything."

Ashley looked at her father and said hopelessly, "Father, I... I don't know what to tell him. I don't know what's going on." "We'll find out, kid. I won't let anyone hurt you. Nobody! Ever! You mean so much to me. You're the only one I have, my dear." "You're my only family, too," Ashley said softly. ※※※ Ashley's father stayed for another hour.After he left, Ashley's world shrank to the small cell she was kept in.She lay on the cot and forced herself not to think about anything.Soon it will all be over, and I will find out that it was only a dream...just a dream...just a dream...she fell asleep.

※※※ The voice of a prison guard woke her up. "You have a visitor." She was taken to the visiting room, where Shane was waiting for her. He stood up when Ashley entered. "Ashley..." Her heart started pounding. "Oh, Shane!" She had never been so happy to see anyone in her life.Somehow, she knew that he would come to her rescue, that he would arrange for them to let her go. "Thank you, I'm so glad to meet you!" "Nice to see you, too," Shane said awkwardly.He looked around the dead visiting room. "I gotta say, maybe not the time, when I heard the news, I...I couldn't believe it, what happened? What made you do this, Ashley?"

Di's face slowly lost its color. "What makes me... you think I..." "Never mind it," Shaney said quickly. "Don't talk about it. You shouldn't be talking to anyone about this except your lawyer." Ashley stood there, staring at him blankly.He believes she is guilty. "Why are you here?" "Um, I... I really hate to do it now, but in... being in this situation, I... the company is going to fire you. I mean... naturally, we can't talk to people like that. There's no connection whatsoever. It's bad enough that the papers have mentioned that you work for Universal Computer Graphics. You understand that, don't you? There's nothing personal about it."

※※※ On the drive to San Jose, David Singer made up his mind about what to say to Ashley Paterson.He'd get as much out of her as he could, and pass the information on to Jess Queller, one of the best criminal defense attorneys in the country.If anyone could help Ashley, it was Jess. ※※※ David is ushered into Sheriff Dowling's office.He handed the sheriff his business card. "I'm a lawyer. I'm here to meet Ashley Paterson." "She's waiting for you." David looked at him in surprise. "yes?" "Yes." Sheriff Dorian turned and nodded to an adjutant.

"This way please," the adjutant said to David. He led David into the visiting room, and a few minutes later Ashley was ushered in from her cell. David was very surprised by the change in Ashley Paterson.He had seen her once a few years ago, when he was in law school and driving her father's car.She had seemed to David a charming, bright little girl then.Now, he found himself looking at a beautiful young woman with eyes full of terror.She took a seat across from him. "Hi, Ashley. I'm David Shiger." "My father told me you would come." Her voice was shaking.

"I'm just here to ask a few questions." She nodded. "Before I ask, I want you to know that anything you tell me is chartered confidentiality between the two of us. But I need to know the truth." He hesitated.He hadn't intended to ask so deeply, but he wanted to give Jess Quiller all the information he could in order to persuade him to take over the case. "Did you kill those men?" "No!" Ai Bulei's voice was very sure, "I am innocent!" David pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and glanced at it. "Do you know Jim Creelli well?"

"Yes. We...we are going to get married. I have no reason to hurt him. I love him." David looked at Ashley for a moment, then at the paper again: "And what about Dennis Tibble?" "Dennis works for the company I work for. I saw him the night he was killed, but I had nothing to do with it. I'm in Chicago." David was watching Ashley's face. "You have to trust me. I... I don't have any reason to kill him." David said, "Okay." He glanced at the paper again. "What's your relationship with Jean-Claude Parente?" "The police asked me about him. I never even heard of him. I don't even know this guy, how could I kill him?" She looked at David pleadingly. "Don't you understand? They got the wrong guy, they got the wrong guy." She began to cry, "I didn't kill anyone."

"Where's Richard Melton?" "I also don't know he's accurate." David waited for Ashley to regain control, and asked, "Where's Adjutant Black?" Ashley shook her head. "Adjutant Blake stayed in my apartment that night to guard me. I was followed and threatened. I slept in my bedroom and he slept on the sofa in the living room. They...they found his body in the alley." Her lips were trembling, "Why would I kill him? He was helping me!" David was eyeing Ashley, a little puzzled.Something is terribly wrong here, David thought.Either she's telling the truth, or she's such a super actress.He stood up: "I'll be back in a moment. I want to talk to the sheriff."

Two minutes later, he was in the sheriff's office. "Well, you've been out with her?" asked Sheriff Dorian. "Yes. I think you got yourself into trouble, Sheriff." "What does that mean, lawyer?" "Which means, you may have been too quick to catch people. Ashley Paterson didn't even know two of the people you accused her of killing." There was a smile on the corner of the sheriff's mouth: "She fooled you too, right? She fooled us too." "What are you talking about?" "I'll show you, sir." He opened a folder on his desk and handed David some papers. "These are the autopsy reports, the FBI report, the DNA test report and the Interpol report on the five murdered and castrated men, each of whom had sex with a woman before being killed, in each There was vaginal discharge and fingerprints at the homicide scene. It was originally thought that three different women were involved. However, the FBI checked all these physical evidence and guess what? The three women turned out to be the same person, Ash Ray Paterson. Does her DNA and fingerprints match those left over from every murder?" David stared at him in disbelief: "You... are you sure?" "Yes. Unless you think Interpol, the FBI, and five different coroners combined to fabricate facts to frame your client. That's pretty obvious, sir. One of the things she killed was my brother-in-law. Ash Ray Paterson will be tried for first degree murder and she will be found guilty. Is there anything else?" "Yes." David took a deep breath. "I want to see Ashley Paterson again." They took her back to the visiting room: when she walked in, David asked angrily, "Why did you lie to me just now?" "What? I didn't lie to you. I'm innocent. I..." "The evidence they have against you is enough to burn you a dozen times. I told you, I want the truth." Ashley stared at him for a full minute, and when she spoke, her tone was calm: "I told you the truth. I have nothing more to say." As he listened to her, David thought: She really believed what she said.I'm talking to a madman.What am I going to say to Jess Queller? "Would you like to speak to a psychiatrist?" "I don't—yes. If you want me to." "I'll arrange it." On the way back to San Francisco, David thought: I have fulfilled my promise in the agreement.I talked to her about it.If she does think she's telling the truth, she's crazy.I'll turn her over to Jess, and he'll file a complaint of insanity, and that'll close the case. He was full of sympathy for Steven Paterson. ※※※ At San Francisco Memorial Hospital, Dr. Paterson's colleagues comfort him. "What a disgrace, Steven. Of course something like this should never happen to you..." "It must be a terrible burden on you. If there is anything I can do to help..." "I don't understand what's happened to the kids all these years. Ashley keeps looking so normal..." And behind every comforting word, is this thought: Thank God, this is not my child. After David returned to the law firm, he hurried to see Joseph King. King looked up and said, "Well, it's past six o'clock, David, but I'll wait for you. Have you seen Dr. Paterson's daughter?" "Yes, I see you." "Has your attorney represented her?" David hesitated. "Not yet, Joseph. I'm making arrangements for a psychiatrist to see her. I'll be there tomorrow morning and talk to her again." Joseph King looked at David in bewilderment. "Oh? Honestly, I'm surprised you're so involved. We can't let the company have anything to do with trying something ugly like this." "I'm not really involved, Joseph. It's just that I've given her father a lot of favors. I made him a promise." "It's not written down, is it?" "No." "So it's just a moral obligation." David looked at him for a moment, hesitated to speak. "Yes, it's nothing more than a moral obligation." "Well, we'll talk about it later when you're done with Miss Paterson." No mention of partner qualifications. ※※※ When David got home that night, the apartment was dark. "Sandra?" no answer.When David was about to turn on the lights in the hallway, Sandra came out of the kitchen suddenly, holding a cake with candles. "Surprise! We're going to celebrate..." She caught sight of the look on David's face and stopped talking. "What's the matter, honey? You didn't get it, David? They gave it to someone else ?” "No, no," he assured her, "it's all right." Sandra put down the cake and moved closer to him, "What happened?" "It's just a...a delay." "Isn't your meeting with Joseph King today?" "Yes. Sit down, honey. We need to talk lightly." They sat on the couch and David said, "The unexpected has come up. Steven Paterson came to see me this morning." "Really? What's the matter?" "He wanted me to defend his daughter." Sandra looked at him in surprise. "But, David...you're not..." "I know. I tried to make it clear to him. But I was a criminal lawyer." "But you don't do it anymore. Did you tell him you were going to be a partner in your firm?" "No. He insisted that I was the only one who could defend his daughter. Of course, there was no reason for that. I tried to suggest someone like Jess Quiller, but he wouldn't even listen. " "In any case, he's going to have to find someone else." "Of course. I promised to talk to his daughter, and I did." Sandra sat back on the sofa. "Does Mr. Jin Kaide know about this?" "Yes. I told him. He wasn't interested." He imitated Kim's voice. "'Of course, we can't let the company have anything to do with trying something as ugly as this.'" "What does Dr. Paterson's daughter look like?" "In medical terms, she's a fruitcake." "I'm not a doctor," Sandra said. "What does that mean?" "It means she really believes she's innocent." "Is that impossible?" "The sheriff in Cupertino showed me the files on her. Her DNA and fingerprints were all over the murder scene." "What are you going to do now?" "I've called Lois Salem. He's a psychiatrist employed by Jess Queller & Associates. I'm going to ask him to examine Ashley and give the report to her father. If necessary Dr. Paterson can go to another psychiatrist, or give the report to whichever attorney is going to take the case." "I see." Sandra surveyed her husband's troubled face. "Did Mr. Kincaid say anything about partnership qualifications, David?" He shook his head. "No." Sandra said briskly, "He will. Maybe tomorrow." ※※※ Dr. Lois Salem was a tall, lean man with a Sigmund Freudian beard. Maybe that was just a coincidence, David thought to himself, certainly he wasn't trying to look like Floyd. "Jess talks to me about you a lot," said Dr. Salem. "He's very fond of you." "I like him too, Dr. Salem." "The Paterson case sounds interesting. Apparently it was the work of a psychopath. Are you going to plead insanity?" "Actually," David told him, "I'm not taking the case. Before I get a lawyer for her, I want to make an assessment of her mental state." David briefly briefed Dr. Salem on what he knew. "She claims she is innocent, but the evidence shows that she committed those crimes." "Okay, let's take a look at that lady's psychology, shall we?" ※※※ The hypnotherapy will take place in an interrogation room at the Santa Clara prison.A rectangular wooden table and four wooden chairs are placed inside. Ashley was ushered into the room by a female guard, pale and emaciated. "I'll wait outside." The female guard said, leaving the room. David said, "Ashley, this is Dr. Salem. This is Ashley Paterson." Dr. Salem said, "Hello, Ashley." She stood there, nervously looking at this and that, without grunting.David had a feeling that she was about to flee the room. "Mr. Singer told me that you have nothing against being hypnotized." silence. Dr. Salem continued, "Would you like me to hypnotize you, Ashley?" Ashley closed her eyes for a second, then nodded: "Yes." "Why don't we start?" "Well, I'm going to go," David said, "if..." "Wait a minute," said Dr. Salem, walking up to David. "I want you to stay." David stood there, very depressed.He now regrets that he has gone too far.I'm not going to get too deep into this, David made up his mind.That's the end of the matter. "Okay," said David reluctantly.He’s eager to get it over with so he can get back to the office, his upcoming meeting with Kim Kaede looming on his mind. Dr. Salem said to Ashley, "Why don't you sit on this ride?" Ashley sat down. "Have you ever been hypnotized before, Ashley?" She hesitated for a moment, then shook her head: "No." "It's really nothing, all you have to do is relax and listen to me. You have nothing to worry about, no one is going to hurt you. Feel your muscles relax and that's it, just relax and feel your own eyes getting bigger and bigger. The heavier you are. You've been through a lot and your body is tired, very tired. All you want to do is fall asleep. Just close your eyes and relax, you're getting very sleepy...very sleepy..." It took ten minutes to put her to sleep.Dr. Salem walked up to Ashley, "Ashley, do you know where you are?" "Yes. I'm in prison." Her voice sounded hollow, as if it came from afar. "Do you know why you're in prison?" "People think I've done something bad." "Is it true, then? Have you ever done anything bad?" "No." "Ashley, have you ever killed anyone?" "No." David looked at Dr. Salem in surprise.Aren't people supposed to tell the truth under hypnosis? "Do you know who might have committed those murders?" Suddenly, Ashley's face contorted and she began to breathe heavily, short and harshly.The two men watched in amazement as her face began to change.Her lips tightened, and her facial features seemed to change.She sat up straight, and a flash of anger suddenly appeared on her face.It's a staggering metamorphosis.Unexpectedly, she began singing in a provocative voice with a British accent: "Half pound and twopence rice, ½ pound syrup, Mix it well and make it tasty, Puchi!The weasel ran away. " David listened in amazement.Who did she think she was fooling?She's pretending to be someone else. "I want to ask you a few more questions, Ashley." She shook her head and said in a British accent, "I'm not Ashley." Dr. Salem exchanged glances with David, then turned away. "If you're not Ashley, who are you?" "Toni. Toni Prescott." And Ashley was doing it all with a straight face, David thought.How long will she go on with this affectation?She's wasting their time. "Ashley," said Dr. Salem. "Tony." She made up her mind to pretend, David thought. "Okay, Toni. What I want is..." "Let me tell you what I want. I want to get out of this shitty place. Can you get us out of here?" "That depends," said Dr. Salem. "You know those . . . " "The murders that that prudish lady came in because of? I can tell you about..." Ashley's expression suddenly began to change again.As David and Dr. Salem watched, Ashley seemed to shrink in her chair, and her face began to soften and undergo an incredible transformation until she seemed to be something else. a different person. She said softly with an Italian accent, "Toni...don't say any more, don't say a word." David watched in bewilderment. "Toni?" Dr. Salem moved closer. Said softly, "I apologize for interrupting you, Dr. Salem." Dr. Salem asked, "Who are you?" "I'm Aliette. Aliette Peters." My God, this isn't a show, David thought.This is real.He turned to Dr. Salem. Dr. Salem said quietly, "They're alter ego." David stared at him, utterly bewildered. "What are they?" "I'll explain it to you later." Dr. Salem turned to Ashley. "Ashley...I mean Elliott...you... how many of you are there?" "Besides Ashley, it's just Toni and me," Alette replied. "You have an Italian accent." "Yes, I was born in Rome. Have you ever been to Rome?" "No, I've never been to Rome." I can't believe I'm listening to a conversation like this, David thought. "It's very beautiful there." "I'm sure so. Do you know Toni?" "Of course I do." "She has a British accent." "Toni was born in London." "Okay. Elliott, I want to ask you about the murders. Do you know who?" David and Dr. Salem watched Ashley's face and personality change again before their eyes.Without her saying a word.It was known that she had become Toni. "You're wasting your time telling her, dear." There was that British accent. "Alette doesn't know anything. I'm the one you're going to have to talk to." "Okay, Toni. I'll just talk to you. I have a few questions for you." "I'm sure you have a question, but I'm tired." She yawned. "Miss Prudence didn't let us sleep all night. I need some sleep." "Not now, Toni. Listen to me, you have to help us to..." Her face hardened: "Why should I help you guys? What has Miss Prudence done for Aliette and me for so long? All she did was keep us from having fun. Come on, I'm sick of all this, and I Tired of her. Did you hear me?" She was screaming, her face contorted. Dr. Salem said, "I'm going to take her out of hypnosis." David was sweating profusely. "OK." Dr. Salem moved closer to Ashley. "Ashley...Ashley...it's all right. Now, close your eyes. They're very heavy, very heavy. You're completely relaxed. Ashley, your mind is peaceful. Your body is relaxed. Yes. I'll count to five, and you'll wake up, completely relaxed. One..." He glanced at David, then back at Ashley, "Two..." Ashley began to move.They watched as her expression began to change. "three……" Her face softened. "Four……" They could feel her waking up, and it was an eerie feeling. "Fives." Ashley opened her eyes.She looked around the room. "I feel... I fell asleep just now?" David stood there dumbfounded, staring at her. "Yes," said Dr. Salem. Ashley turned to David. "Did I say anything? I mean... Is there hope for me?" My God, David thought.she does not know!She really doesn't know!David said, "You're doing great, Ashley. I want to speak to Dr. Salem alone." "Ok." "I'll see you later." The two men stood where they were, watching the female guard take Ashley away. David sat in a chair. "This...what the hell is going on?" Dr. Salem took a deep breath. "I have practiced medicine for so many years, and I have never seen such a clear case." "A case of what?" "Have you ever heard of multiple personality disorder?" "What is this?" "It's a condition in which there are several completely different personalities in one body. It's also called split personality disorder. It's been in the psychological literature for over two hundred years. It's usually the result of childhood The patient avoids that trauma by creating another personality. Sometimes a person has dozens of different personalities or alter egos." "Do they know each other?" "Sometimes. Sometimes not. Toni and Elliot knew each other. Ashley was apparently oblivious to both of them. I was created because the host couldn't handle the pain of trauma. It was a form of escape. Every time a new panic occurs, a new alter ego may be born. The literature on the subject in psychology shows that alter ego can be quite different from one another. Some alter egos are stupid and some are smart. They can They speak different languages. They have different tastes and personalities." "How... how common is this?" "Some studies suggest that as much as 1 percent of the entire population suffers from multiple personality disorder, and as many as 20 percent of all patients in psychiatric hospitals." David said, "But Ashley looks so normal, and..." "People with multiple personality disorder are normal...until an alter ego takes over. The host can have a job, raise a family and live a completely normal life, but the alter ego can take over at any moment. The alter ego can control an Hours, days, or even weeks, and then the host suffers from a fugue, a loss of time and memory while under the control of an alter ego." "So Ashley...that host...has no memory of anything I've done?" "Not at all." David listened intently. "The most famous case of polyelectric personality disorder was that of Bridette Murphy. It was this case that first brought the subject to public attention. Since then, there have been countless cases, none of which have attracted as much attention as Murphy's." Notable and well-known." "It...it sounds so unbelievable." "This is a subject that has fascinated me for a long time. Some patterns almost never change. For example, we often use the same initials as their hosts...Ashley Paterson...Alette Peet S... Toni Prescott..." "Toni?" David began, and then he understood, "Antoinette?" Annotation) "Yes. You've heard the phrase 'second side of personality,' haven't you?" "yes." "We all have, to some degree, a second side of our personality, or multiple personalities. A kind person will act cruelly, and a cruel person will act kindly. There is no limit to the richness of human emotion. "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde"② (Note: This novel is usually translated as "Dr. Jekyll", written by RL Stevenson, a British novelist in the nineteenth century. A drug invented by himself and turned into another murderous person. It is often used to refer to a person with a dual personality of good and evil.——Annotation) is fiction, but it is based on fact.” David's mind raced, "If Ashley did those murders..." "She'll have no idea. It's one of her other me doing it." "My God! How can I explain all this in court?" Dr. Salem looked at him in surprise. "I thought you said you weren't going to be her lawyer." David shook his head, "I'm not prepared. I mean, I don't know. I... at this moment... I am also a multiple personality." David was silent for a while, "Is this disease curable?" "Usually yes." "If it doesn't cure, what will happen?" There was a pause. "The suicide rate is quite high." "And Ashley doesn't know anything about it?" "have no idea." "Would you...would you explain that to her?" "Yes, of course I would." ※※※ "No!" It was a scream.She was crouching against the wall of her cell, her eyes filled with terror. "You're lying! It's not true!" Dr. Salem said, "Ashley, this is true. You have to face it. I've explained to you that what happened was not your fault. I..." "Don't come near me!" "No one will hurt you." "I want to die. Help me die!" She began to cry uncontrollably. Dr. Salem looked at the female guard and said, "You'd better give her some sedatives and monitor her closely so that she doesn't commit suicide." ※※※ David called Dr. Paterson. "I need to talk to you." "I've been waiting to hear from you, David. Have you seen Ashley?" "Yes. Can we meet somewhere?" "I'll be waiting for you in my office." ※※※ On the drive back to San Francisco, David thought: There's no way I'm taking this case.My loss is too great. I'll find a good criminal lawyer for her and call it a day. ※※※ Dr. Paterson was waiting for David in his office. "Have you talked to Ashley?" "yes." "How is she?" How can I answer this question?David took a deep breath. "Have you ever heard of multiple personality disorder?" Dr. Paterson frowned. "I have vaguely heard..." "It's one or more personalities—or alter egos—in one person and controlling that person from time to time, without the person knowing about it. Your daughter has multiple personality disorder." Dr. Paterson stared at him dumbfounded. "What? I... I can't believe it. Are you sure?" "I listened to what Ashley said when Dr. Salem put her under hypnosis. She had two alter egos. They controlled her at different times." David spoke faster now, "Sheriff Show me the evidence that will be used against your daughter. There can be no doubt that she committed the murders." Dr. Paterson said: "Oh my God! So she's... she's guilty?" "No. Because I don't think she realized she committed the murders. She was at the mercy of one of her other selves. Ashley had no reason to commit those crimes. She had no motive, and she couldn't control it Herself. I think it might be difficult for state attorneys to prove motive or intent." "Then your defense will become so..." David cut him off. "I'm not going to defend her. I'm going to recommend Jess Quiller to you. He's an excellent trial attorney. I've worked with him and he's the most..." "No." Dr. Paterson's voice was stern. "You must defend Ashley." David said patiently, "You don't understand. I'm not the right person to defend her. She needs to..." "I've told you before that you're the only person I trust. My daughter means everything in the world to me, David. You're going to save her life." "I can't. I'm not qualified to..." "Of course you're qualified. You were a criminal lawyer." "Yes, but I..." "I won't ask anyone else." David could see that Dr. Paterson was trying to control his temper. That doesn't make sense at all, David thought.He tried again. "Jess Queller is the best..." Dr. Paterson leaned forward, flushed. "David, your mother's life was very important to you. Ashley's life was as important to me. You asked me to help you once, and you took your mother's life into my hands .Now I'm asking you to do me a favour, and I'm putting Ashley's life in your hands. I want you to defend Ashley. You owe it to me." He just won't listen, David thought desperately.What happened to him?A dozen reasons for objection flashed in David's mind, but they all paled in front of the sentence "You owe me this".David made a last effort. "Dr. Paterson..." "Yes or no, David?"