Chapter 299: The Three Strategic Assets, Sweeping Away All Doubts!
"All rise for the Honorable Judge Jackson!"
With the bailiff's announcement, the judge entered and walked toward the bench.
The courtroom was arranged as follows:
The judge sat on the elevated bench in the center, looking down at the proceedings.
Below were several symmetrical rows of seats.
In the middle was an aisle.
The prosecutor and assistant prosecutor sat in the front row on the left side of the aisle.
The defense attorney and defendant sat in the front row on the right side of the aisle.
The jury sat in two rows of seats on the right, angled toward the judge.
The court stenographer was positioned below the judge's bench, not far in front of the defense table, at a 90-degree angle to both the bench and the defendant.
In other words, Lisa, the Texas girl who had just replaced the bald stenographer as the new court reporter, was facing Esther from the side.
As the saying goes, perspective matters.
A mountain range appears different from every angle.
Some angles are subtle and understated.
Others are dramatic and striking.
And Lisa, being the quintessential Texas woman, was truly spectacular from this particular vantage point.
Even with repeated self-reminders and tugging from Harrison Powell, Esther struggled to maintain her composure.
Her once captivating performance was completely shattered.
However, this didn't attract much immediate attention.
Most eyes were fixed on the most attention-grabbing figures in the courtroom that day.
Lisa, the Texas girl who had just arrived in town, naturally drew considerable attention.
The vast majority of the gallery were irresistibly drawn to her because of the perfect sight line.
The jury, on the other hand, were focused on Chuck and his companions, completely captivated by the two women flanking him:
Mrs. Beth Berland and Mrs. Gloria Pritchett.
Both women had deliberately worn clothes that emphasized their figures, clearly displaying their impressive physiques.
After Judge Jackson took his seat and gestured for everyone to sit, his gaze swept across the room, momentarily uncertain where to look.
There was no avoiding it.
It's not without reason that some people feel certain aesthetics are universal in America.
This is evident even from basic human preferences.
A simple preference for the word "substantial."
Yes.
Just like certain beverage advertising campaigns that emphasize natural assets.
Actually, this is a shared aesthetic hardwired into human DNA through evolution.
And now Esther was facing this kind of primal impact.
Judge Jackson finally managed to control his gaze, then noticed that everyone in the courtroom, except Chuck—whether it was the gallery, the jury, or the staff—had their eyes wandering and attention clearly divided.
"Prosecution, you may proceed."
Judge Jackson shook his head helplessly.
"Yes, Your Honor."
The bald prosecutor smiled and rose. "After testing conducted by Dr. Beverly Hofstadter and several intelligence assessment agencies, Esther's IQ is only average—at most above average, not genius level, and certainly not super-genius level.
Therefore, the so-called benevolent primary personality Esther is demonstrably lying.
With her ordinary aptitude, it would take her three to four years, or even longer, to learn explosive theory and research and construct such sophisticated remotely-detonated devices.
Moreover, acquiring such dangerous knowledge and materials also requires considerable time and effort.
It's definitely not something a so-called malevolent alter personality, who only takes control when threatened, could learn and accomplish in those brief intervals with at most above-average intelligence.
Therefore, it must be this so-called benevolent primary personality Esther who had the time and resources to do this.
And why would a girl with a so-called mental age of only 9 years old spend so much time learning and practicing such dangerous knowledge before committing crimes?
Why lie publicly after committing such brutal crimes?
There's only one answer.
As Dr. Wolfe testified, there was no such thing as a malevolent alter personality named Emma.
There was only one malevolent Esther from the beginning!
She knew everything and was always preparing for violent crimes.
Crucially, she exploited the compassion and goodwill of kind families toward orphans, using this to infiltrate one potentially happy family after another, and then deliberately destroy them.
This destroyed not only these families,
but also people's willingness to adopt, making good people hesitate.
It deprived orphans who needed and hoped to be adopted, to experience the warmth of family, and to grow up in loving homes of that hope.
This is the true heinous crime!
Your Honor, members of the jury, I hope you will consider this point and deliver an appropriate verdict."
Under the prosecutor's impassioned closing argument, the jurors also shifted their attention from the two striking women, nodding frequently.
Harrison Powell's face darkened as he noticed that the two jurors he'd previously considered wavering were now nodding in agreement.
"Damn Detective Chuck! Using such an underhanded tactic!"
Harrison Powell cursed internally, his hand gripping his notepad tightly.
This tactic might not be sophisticated, but it depended on who it was used against—clearly, it was devastatingly effective on Esther.
The classic principle summed it all up: cuteness loses to sexiness every time!
Or: cuteness is for children!
The appearance of Chuck's strategic assets had completely diverted the attention of the gallery and jury, directly negating Esther's captivating performance and allowing them to approach the case more rationally.
But this wasn't his biggest worry.
His greatest fear was Esther's own intense reaction to this arrangement, which made his heart race.
"Your Honor, members of the jury,"
Harrison Powell said, standing and slowly approaching the jury box to begin his closing argument.
"Everyone is unique, and therefore everyone's situation is different.
Whether every super-genius has multiple personalities, and whether each of these personalities is equally gifted, is entirely unknown.
The few existing cases are simply insufficient to draw definitive conclusions.
To rashly use this to convict my client, sending the innocent primary personality, Esther, to prison for the malevolent alter personality, Emma, lurking deep within her psyche, would be far too cruel.
She is just a little girl with a serious medical condition, forever unable to mature physically.
Her traumatic experience in Russia has even permanently frozen her psychological age at nine.
How could such an innocent little girl possibly control or be aware of a malevolent and intelligent alter personality, Emma?
It's perfectly reasonable that she knows nothing.
Therefore, the most prudent and responsible approach is to have her treated in a psychiatric facility, not to send her to prison.
Imagine a nine-year-old girl, imprisoned, helpless and alone—what despair and fear that would be..."
Before he could finish, Esther, who had been sitting at the defense table, suddenly lunged forward, viciously reaching for the Texas girl, Lisa, shouting, "Bitch!!!"
The courtroom erupted in chaos.
Everyone watched as the petite Esther and Lisa began to grapple.
Compared to the shock, bewilderment, or desire to watch the drama unfold, Chuck had already reached the front before the bailiffs and restrained Esther.
No matter how fiercely she tried to break free, she was firmly held suspended, facing the jury, causing them to recoil in alarm.
"It's over."
Harrison Powell, seeing this, knew the final outcome with a sinking feeling.
And indeed it was.
Esther's ferocious and terrifying display completely dispelled any remaining doubts in the jury's minds, and they unanimously chose to believe the prosecution's case.
After the Verdict
After the jury declared guilty and the judge handed down a harsh sentence, a dazed Harrison Powell blocked Chuck's path. "What happened? Why did Esther suddenly lose control?"
"Want to know?"
Chuck looked at him.
"Yes."
Harrison Powell stared at Chuck defiantly.
"I'm not telling you."
Chuck said seriously.
The three women immediately burst into laughter at Chuck's unexpected response.
At that moment, Harrison Powell seemed to understand something.
When he went to see Esther in detention and after repeated questioning, he realized he was right.
It turned out that while he was passionately defending Esther, the Texas girl at the stenographer's station was typing with increasingly exaggerated movements.
While not as obvious to everyone else, it was Lisa, the Texas girl sitting to the side!
This was already unbearable for Esther.
And then, at the critical moment, Lisa, as Chuck had instructed, glanced at Esther with a knowing smile—this gesture was what finally made Esther snap.
You see, due to her medical condition, Esther's physical appearance was permanently fixed at the size of a nine-year-old.
But her psychological age continued to develop.
At 33, her desire for romantic and sexual relationships, unfulfilled in reality, had long been severely distorted.
After all, a normal adult man seeing her would only feel paternal affection, not attraction—except for the disturbed individuals she'd learned to manipulate.
Twisted and warped, each time she was adopted, she would spy on her adoptive parents' intimate life, which would become increasingly unbearable, leading her to attempt to seduce her adoptive father.
Unlike her experience in America, where she'd discovered a new approach and learned to use her appearance to manipulate predators,
in Russia she'd instinctively chosen to steal her adoptive mother's cosmetics and clothes, trying to make herself look like a mature, sensual woman.
She was the one who felt and believed most deeply that 'cuteness is nothing compared to sexiness.'
Therefore, her appearance being permanently frozen at age nine caused her extreme insecurity, envy, and rage—especially when facing typical mature women.
And typical mature women felt similar insecurity, envy, and inadequacy when facing Lisa, the quintessential Texas woman.
One can imagine the visual impact of Lisa, sitting not far in front of her.
How could the intelligent and extremely sensitive Esther not understand the purpose of these arrangements!
In her twisted and violent mind, only a last shred of rationality allowed her to suppress the urge to explode.
Chuck, having arranged for Lisa to sit there, wasn't just going to let her sit passively.
The natural movement of Lisa's body as she typed, intentionally or unintentionally exaggerated, constantly irritated Esther's sensitive and volatile nerves.
Most importantly, there was that sudden, deliberate smile, which in Esther's eyes was like a spark thrown into a powder keg, instantly triggering an explosion.
Over the years, facing various challenging situations, the thing that most easily ignited Esther's extreme malice was romantic rejection.
Almost every crime she committed erupted into brutal violence after failing to seduce her adoptive father.
And those rejections were usually relatively subtle and gentle.
Even so, she couldn't bear it and resorted to murder.
Now, the Texas woman who had made her feel utterly inadequate suddenly smiled at her while blatantly emphasizing what she could never have—the explosive effect was far greater than the rage after romantic rejection.
What rationality?
What performance?
To hell with it all!
She had to attack this woman immediately!
"I see."
Harrison Powell sighed helplessly, knowing his suspicions were correct.
Even as a man, he could imagine what such mockery meant to a psychologically disturbed woman.
No wonder Esther lost control.
The only infuriating thing was that he, who'd had the advantage and felt certain of victory, had lost again.
"Tell him I won't let him get away with this!!!"
Esther, now understanding this was all Chuck's orchestration, snarled at Harrison Powell. "He'll regret this!!!"
"Hopefully,"
Harrison Powell said with a bitter smile, "though the chances are slim."
"If only you would help me..."
Esther's eyes were fierce and dangerous.
"The case is closed."
Harrison Powell's heart skipped a beat, and he politely declined with a forced smile.
He did resent Chuck and wanted to defeat him, but he would compete within legal bounds, at least avoiding being caught by Chuck and imprisoned himself.
Now, Esther clearly wanted to pursue more extreme and illegal revenge.
He admitted he wasn't that brave.
Outside the Courthouse
After leaving the courtroom, Chandler jokingly said to Chuck, "Now, can I speak for everyone and sum up our collective reaction in one phrase?"
"Go ahead,"
Chuck nodded.
Chandler became serious, and drawing out each word, exclaimed, "Holy... SHIT!!!"
Yes!
This was the phrase any normal person would instinctively think upon seeing any one of Chuck's three strategic assets.
Especially all three together.
Three exclamation marks were needed to even begin to convey the impact!
Faced with such reactions, Mrs. Beth Berland appeared somewhat reserved, but her eyes betrayed her inner satisfaction.
After all, she'd previously been a struggling housewife in difficult circumstances.
Now, not only had she been invited by Chuck, the most renowned detective in the area, to attend a nationally publicized trial, but she'd also played a crucial role.
How could she not be pleased?
Gloria, meanwhile, wore a confident smile, her posture becoming even more striking, exuding extreme self-assurance.
She was actually quite familiar with this approach.
When her husband's business required it, she often used her advantages to create opportunities for him—a skill she'd long since perfected.
(End of Chapter)
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