Tell Me Your Dreams

Your client is innocent. Are you going to let her die?

Leave me alone.

Judge Williams's words kept echoing in his mind.

"You can't hypnotize her in my courtroom."

And three words kept repeating themselves - "in my courtroom."

At five o'clock in the morning, David made two excited, urgent phone calls. As he finished, the sun was just beginning to appear over the horizon. It's an omen, David thought. We're going to win.

A little later, David hurried into an antiques store.

The clerk approached him. "May I help you, sir?" He recognized David. "Mr. Singer."

"I'm looking for a folding Chinese screen. Do you have something like that?"

"Yes, we do. We don't have any real antique screens, but-"

"Let's see what you have."

"Certainly." He led David over to the section where there were several Chinese folding screens. The clerk pointed to the first one. "Now, this one - "

"That's fine," David said.

"Yes, sir. Where shall I send it?"

"I'll take it with me."

David's next stop was at a hardware store, where he bought a Swiss Army knife. Fifteen minutes later, he was walking into the lobby of the courthouse carrying the screen. He said to the guard at the desk, "I made arrangements to interview Ashley Patterson. I have permission to use Judge Goldberg's chambers. He's not here today."

The guard said, "Yes, sir. It's all set. I'll have the defendant brought up. Dr. Salem and another man are already up there, waiting."

"Thank you."

The guard watched David carry the Chinese screen into the elevator. Crazy as a loon, he thought.

Judge Goldberg's chamber was a comfortable-looking room with a desk facing the window, a swivel chair, and near one wall a couch and several chars. Dr. Salem and another man were standing in the room when David entered.

"Sorry I'm late," David said.

Dr. Salem said, "This is Hugh Iverson. He's the expert you asked for."

The two men shook hands. "Let's get set up fast," David said. "Ashley's on her way here."

He turned to Hugh Iverson and pointed to a corner of the room. "How's that for you?"

"Fine."

He watched Iverson go to work. A few minutes later, the door opened and Ashley entered with a guard. "I'll have to stay in the room," the guard said.

David nodded. "That's all right." He turned to Ashley. "Sit down, please."

He watched her take a seat. "First of all, I want to tell you how terribly sorry I am about the way things went."

She nodded, almost dazed.

"But it's not over yet. We still have a chance."

She looked at him with disbelieving eyes.

"Ashley, I would like Dr. Salem to hypnotize you again."

"No. What's the point in - "

"Do it for me. Will you?"

She shrugged.

David nodded to Dr. Salem.

Dr. Salem said to Ashley, "We've done this before, so you know that all you have to do is close your eyes and relax. Just relax. Feel all the muscles in your body letting go of all the tension. All you want to do is sleep. You're getting very drowsy...."

Ten minutes later. Dr. Salem looked at David and said, "She's completely under."

David moved toward Ashley, and his heart was pounding.

"I want to talk to Toni."

There was no reaction.

David raised his voice. "Toni, I want you to come out. Do you hear me? Alette...want you both to talk tome."

Silence.

David was yelling now. "What's the matter with you? Are you too frightened? That's what happened in the courtroom, isn't it? Did you hear what the jury said? Ashley's guilty. You were afraid to come out. You're a coward, Toni!"

They looked at Ashley. There was no reaction. David looked at Dr. Salem in despair. It was not going to work.

"Court is now in session. The Honorable Judge Tessa Williams presiding."

Ashley was seated at the defendant's table next to David. David's hand was wrapped in a large bandage.

David rose. "May I approach the bench? Your Honor?"

"You may."

David walked toward the bench. Brennan followed him.

David said, "I would like to present new evidence to this case."

"Absolutely not," Brennan objected.

Judge Williams turned to him and said, "Let me make that decision, Mr. Brennan." She turned back to David.

"The trial is over. Your client has been convicted and-"

"This concerns the insanity plea," David said. "All I'm asking for is ten minutes of your time."

Judge Williams said angrily, "Time doesn't mean much to you, does it, Mr. Singer? You have already wasted a great deal of everyone's time." She made her decision. "All right. I hope this is the last request you'll ever be able to make in a court of law. The court is recessed for ten minutes."

David and Brennan followed the judge to her chambers.

She turned to David. "I'm giving you your ten minutes. What is it, Counselor?"

"I want to show you a piece of film. Your Honor." Brennan said, I don't see what this has to do with - "

Judge Williams said to Brennan, "I don't, either." She turned to David. "You now have nine minutes."

David hurried over to the door leading to the hallway and opened it. "Come in."

Hugh Iverson walked in, carrying a sixteen-millimeter projector and a portable screen. "Where should I set it up?"

David pointed to a corner of the room. "Over there."

They watched as the man set up the equipment and plugged in the projector.

"May I pull down the shades?" David asked.

It was all Judge Williams could do to hold back her anger. "Yes, you go right ahead, Mr. Singer." She looked at her watch. "You have seven minutes."

The projector was turned on. Judge Goldberg's chambers flickered onto the screen. David and Dr. Salem were watching Ashley, who was seated in a chair.

On the screen, Dr. Salem said, "She's completely under."

David walked up to Ashley. "I want to talk to Toni.... Toni, want you to come out. Do you hear me? Alette...want you both to talk to me."

Silence.

Judge Williams sat there, her face tight, watching the film.

David was yelling now. "What's the matter with you? Are you too frightened? That's what happened in the courtroom, isn't it? Did you hear what the jury said? Ashley's guilty. You were afraid to come out. You're a coward, Toni!"

Judge Williams got to her feet. "I've had enough of this! I've seen this disgusting performance before. Your time is up, Mr. Singer."

"Wait," David said. "You haven't - "

"It's finished," Judge Williams told him and started for the door. Suddenly, a song began to fill the room.

"A penny for a spool of thread.

A penny for a needle.

That's the way the money goes,

Pop! goes the weasel."

Puzzled, Judge Williams turned around. She looked at the picture on the screen.

Ashley's face had completely changed. It was Toni. Toni said angrily, "Too frightened to come out in court? Did you really think I would come out just because you ordered me to? What do you think I am, a trained pony?"

Judge Williams slowly moved back into the room, staring at the film.

"I listened to all those bloody gits making fools of themselves." She mimicked one of their voices. " 'I don't think that multiple personality disorder exists.' What idiots. I've never seen such - "

As they watched, Ashley's face changed again. She seemed to relax in her chair, and her face took on a shy look. In her Italian accent, Alette said, "Mr. Singer, know you did the best you could. I wanted to appear in court and help you, but Toni wouldn't let me." Judge Williams was watching, her face blank. The face and voice changed again. "You're bleeding right wouldn't," Toni said.

David said, "Toni, what do you think is going to happen to you if the judge gives Ashley the death sentence?"

"She's not going to give her the death sentence. Ashley didn't even know one of the men. Remember?"

David said, "But Alette knew them all. You committed those murders, Alette. You had sex with those men and then you stabbed them to death and castrated them...."

Toni said, "You bloody idiot! You don't know anything, do you? Alette would never have had the nerve to do that. I did it. They deserved to die. All they wanted to do was have sex." She was breathing hard. "But I made them all pay for it, didn't I? And no one can ever prove I did it. Let little Miss Goody Two-shoes take the blame. We'll all go to a nice cozy asylum and - "

In the background, behind the Chinese screen in the corner, there was a loud click.

Toni turned. "What was that?"