“Yeah, I know.”
“That really doesn’t seem to make all that much sense. It’s inconsistent. If the underlying function of the place bothered you so much, why didn’t you just quit? Before it got to this.”
“I have a cousin who was an ROTC officer. He served during the Cuban Missile Crisis. He once told me that he went into the navy knowing it meant he’d be training as a professional killer. He knew what ROTC meant. But when he had to strap on a .45 and get ready to board a Russian ship, the idea of being a professional killer hit him hard. Maybe that’s the kind of thing that went through my mind … I don’t know. He’s a pacifist now. He always says, ‘The Pacific made me a pacifist.’”
“Isn’t it possible that you are just as unfeeling and hypocritical as you judge all the rest of them to be?”
“No, I’m not.”
“But you work there too.”
“How many times are you going to tell me that I work there too?”
“I am simply trying to understand you. You say you are empathetic toward the animals and that it bothers you to have to euthanize them, and yet you continue to work in the very position that requires hands-on participation in their killing. You are not working in the office like Philip and Marcy. You are not simply sweeping up and washing the floors like Renaldo. You are, in a sense, flipping the switch.”
“You do not have to remind me.”
“Well, then please try to explain to me why you did not just quit.”
“I don’t know.”
“My job is to determine your state of mind and to make a recommendation to the court. You really should try to be more helpful in communicating your true feelings and thoughts to me. It could be a matter of life and death for you.”
“Is that supposed to scare me?”
“No. Not at all. But once I sign my report, it’s all over. So let’s try to get through this as evenly as possible. And you should also know that I will be speaking with others about you as well.”
“Others? Who?”
“I’ll not say right now.”
“My mother?”
“Probably.”
“No.”
“Ms. Troy—”
“I won’t allow it.”
“You don’t have a say in the matter. But I can assure you that any and all interviews I do will be with the intent of delivering as honest an assessment of your current state of mind as possible.”
“Do you think I’m crazy?”
“Tory, listen. I do not want to write a report that will leave the judge no other choice than to recommend … well, let’s just say, I would like to arrive at conclusions that work in your favor.”
“My favor? That means you have to say I’m crazy, right?”
“No. Simply not mentally competent to stand trial. If I find that you are fit to stand trial, then the jury will determine if you were sane when you … when the precipitating incidents occurred.”
“All right. What do you want to know?”
“Why don’t we begin with how you decided you wanted to work at the animal shelter.”
2
Dr. Baraku Bexley
District Attorney Brawley Loren
“Can you give us a preliminary report?”
“No. I am nowhere near ready to show you anything.”
“Doctor, I hope I do not have to remind you that you are on the taxpayers’ nickel, and that every day that goes by without you filing a report is another day that justice goes unserved?”
“No, District Attorney. You do not have to remind me that I am being paid by the commonwealth. I am made aware of that every time I cash my biweekly check and see the state crest above my name. But please listen carefully. I hope I do not have to remind you that I am first and foremost a doctor and that it is my obligation to treat this young lady as a patient, not a suspect.”
“She is a suspect.”
“That is not my concern. I was commissioned by the court to examine this woman and determine if she is mentally competent to stand trial. My conclusion will affect everything that happens from the moment I sign my name to the report, and it will also impact greatly the future of this young woman.”
“Yes, Doctor. This is not the first time we have dealt with a court-ordered psychiatric examination.”
“You needn’t sound so smug.”
“Well, I apologize if I come off as a little irritated. I hope you will forgive my tone and any future insults to your dignity.”
“Now you give me sarcasm.”
“Doctor, please listen to me carefully. This young lady—your ‘patient’—has been charged with six capital murders. Six premeditated Murder One charges. Now, I fully understand that there is a good chance that if you declare that she is mentally incompetent, she will avoid trial and spend the rest of her life in a mental hospital, enjoying three meals a day, complete health and dental care, and cable TV. I think they even get HBO. This upsets me, sir. Six bodies are lying in the morgue due to the actions—sorry—the alleged actions of this girl. And you may be the one person who will prevent justice from being served. Thus my sarcasm and impatience with you and your ‘profession.’”
“I will not rush my examination, nor will I make any statements that I do not fully believe. I know what you want, District Attorney. Regardless of what I believe to be the truth, you want me to state that she is fully competent and that she is capable of understanding the charges against her and participating in her own defense. You will then be able to prosecute her to the fullest extent of the law and work diligently toward guaranteeing her a lethal injection. But what if a jury later decides that she was insane at the time of the murders, sir?”
“I don’t really care, Doctor. We’ve got enough evidence to convict her, and convict her is what I want to do. Whether she was nuts or not does not bring those poor people back to life, now, does it?”
“No, it does not. But unless you can rewrite the law on your own, she may not be legally responsible for the crimes if she was not mentally competent. And, again, it is my job to make the determination whether or not she is able to understand this and stand trial.”
“I don’t like the way this is heading. I can try to get you pulled off this case, you know.”
“Go right ahead. You’ll be assuring the defense of grounds for an appeal and everything will have to start all over again. And what makes you think the next doctor the court assigns to this case will make you happy? And also, by the way, what makes you so sure I’m going to issue a report that will state she is incompetent?”
“I’ve just got a feeling about you. You come off like an anti-death-penalty liberal. It’s just a vibe I’m picking up off you, but I feel like you are going to look for any possible hook, no matter how weak or improbable, to hang an incompetent label on her.”
“‘An anti-death-penalty liberal,’ you say? Why, thank you, Counselor. I’m flattered. I’ve always loved being prejudged. Why don’t you simply wait for my report, though, before coming to a conclusion about me? Is that too much to ask?”
“No, Doctor, it is not. And I do not have a choice in the matter, now, do I? I will tell you this, though. If you come back with a determination of mental incompetence, I will go to the judge and demand a second examination, no matter how much it costs or how long it takes.”
“That’s fine with me, Mr. Loren. You certainly don’t mind spending those taxpayers’ nickels when it’s for something you want, eh?”
“We’re finished, Doctor.”
“Always a pleasure, Counselor.”
3
Dr. Baraku Bexley
Mrs. Viviana Troy
“How long have you and Tory’s father been divorced?”
“About fifteen years. Is she going to be put to death, Doctor?”
“I think it’s much too early to be thinking along those lines, ma’am. Why don’t you just answer my questions and we’ll leave that for later, okay?”
“Yes, I suppose. It’s just that I love
her and worry about her so much.”
“I understand. How could you not worry? You’re her mother.”
“Yes.”
“So you and her father divorced fifteen years ago, correct? Could you tell me why you two split up?”
“He drank. And he hit me. And he cheated.”
“I see. All three, eh? When did this behavior toward you begin?”
“When we were dating.”
“And yet you married him anyway?”
“I loved him.”
“Did your daughter witness any of his physical violence toward you?”
“Oh, yes. Her father and I were together until she was in her early teens, so she saw everything.”
“Did he ever physically abuse your daughter?”
“Do I have to answer that?”
“No, of course not. You are not under oath or on trial. And this is not a deposition either.”
“Why do you want to know that?”
“Mrs. Troy, I am a doctor who has been given the assignment of determining if your daughter is mentally fit to stand trial. What I can tell you is that the more I know about your daughter, the more accurate will be my determination, which will be best for everyone in the long run.”
“I understand. Then, yes. The answer to your question is yes, my husband did abuse our daughter.”
“Physically?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“With his belt. And his fists. And …”
“Go on.”
“His cigars.”
“He burned her with the ends of his cigars?”
“Yes.”
“Did you ever tell anyone about your husband’s abuse of you and your daughter?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“I was afraid we would end up on the street with no money and nowhere to live.”
“How did your daughter react when her father abused her?”
“She fought back.”
“I see. Did your husband ever sexually abuse your daughter?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“With his hands.”
“Did you know about this when it was occurring?”
“Yes.”
“Did your daughter fight back when he molested her?”
“Not at first, but as she got older, she did.”
“How?”
“She would lock herself in her room when she knew he was going to come to her. Sometimes she would fight with him. And eventually, she stabbed him in the eye with her nail file.”
“What happened?”
“I took him to the emergency room. But he lost the eye.”
“All right. Let’s move on to the years after you and your husband divorced. What was your daughter like after your husband was out of the house?”
“She was like a completely different girl.”
“How so?”
“She was happier. She smiled more. She ate better.”
“You do know what your daughter is charged with, yes?”
“Yes.”
“Six counts of premeditated murder.”
“Yes.”
“And you do understand that she faces the death penalty if she is determined fit to stand trial and a jury finds her guilty?”
“Yes.”
“Well then, ma’am, let me ask you this. Is there anything you think I should know that might help your daughter?”
“She always loved animals.”
“I see.”
“She always loved animals.”
4
Tory Troy
Dr. Baraku Bexley
“Last time we met, you were telling me about your decision to apply for a job at the animal shelter.”
“Did you talk to my mother?”
“Yes.”
“What did she tell you?”
“I can’t talk about it.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s unethical and inappropriate.”
“Even though she told you stuff about me?”
“Precisely because she told me ‘stuff’ about you, Tory. Now, can we move on, please? What made you decide to apply for the job at the animal shelter?”
“Animal World.”
“The cable channel?”
“Yes.”
“How did Animal World spur you to apply for a job at an animal shelter?”
“Can’t you figure that part out?”
“I’d like to hear it from you, please.”
“It was because of a documentary. About leopards.”
“Go on.”
“The documentary showed a bunch of assholes with cameras and guns and trucks invading a wildlife area where families—leaps—of leopards lived. That’s what a group of leopards is called. Did you know that? A leap of leopards. Isn’t that funny?”
“Yes, Tory. It’s hilarious. Please continue.”
“I remember it was raining out when I was watching the show. I was home alone and I had just microwaved some macaroni and cheese. I like it with ketchup, if you can believe it. But it makes sense when you think about it. What is ketchup but pureed tomatoes, right? You wouldn’t think it odd if I cut up some fresh tomato and mixed it in, or even if I bought a can of those Contadina diced tomatoes my mother likes to use and mixed those into the mac and cheese, right?”
“Tory …”
“Sorry. So, like I said, I had just eaten and I was alone watching Animal World. I was in the living room. I think. I may have been lying in bed. I’m not sure.”
“You can’t remember where you were in your house when you were watching a TV show that had such an enormous impact on you?”
“Crazy, right? Oh. I probably shouldn’t say that. No, I really can’t remember. Let’s say I was in the living room, because that’s probably where I would have flopped after I ate.”
“Okay. You were in the living room.”
“Yes. The show started at eight.”
“What do you remember about the show?”
“I remember everything about it.”
“How did it begin?”
“Sunrise on the veld.”
“The veld?”
“It’s an open grazing area in Africa.”
“I always thought it was veldt.”
“It’s either.”
“All right. Go on.”
“They showed this beautiful expanse of grass waving in the wind, and then the camera moved to show leopards walking across the veld.”
“What do you recall about these animals?”
“They were so incredibly beautiful my heart almost stopped beating. That’s what I recall about them. Their coats were gorgeous, their limbs were muscular and perfectly shaped. Their eyes were clear, and focused, and serious. They were in complete control of their environment. They did not need us, that’s for sure.”
“What does that mean?”
“That means that mankind is completely irrelevant to these magnificent creatures. Every human on earth could die tomorrow from some weird exotic virus and those spectacular animals wouldn’t miss a beat.”
“How did this realization make you feel?”
“Embarrassed.”
“How so?”
“Even though I was tens of thousands of miles away from Africa, and I was watching something that had probably been taped months earlier, I felt like an intruder. I felt like we did not belong there and that I was seeing something I had no business seeing.”
“All this went through your mind during the introduction?”
“Yes.”
“How did you feel when the camera crew and all the others involved in the show appeared?”
“Horrified. I had just experienced some kind of epiphany, Dr. Bexley … of insight, I guess you could call it … and then there they were … these guys in khakis and sunglasses, driving jeeps and trucks that you just knew were belching out exhaust smoke … barreling through the grass like they goddamned owned it. It was dis
gusting.”
“So what did you do?”
“I sat there hugging a pillow to my chest and sobbing.”
“Did you watch the entire program?”
“No. I couldn’t.”
“How much of it did you watch?”
“I turned it off after I saw a mother leopard start growling and hissing when a cameraman got too close to her cub. That was it. But I’ll tell you this, Dr. B. As I changed the channel with the remote, I said a prayer that mama would bite somebody’s something off.”
“You prayed that someone would get hurt?”
“Yes, I did. And I’m not ashamed to say it.”
“Why would you wish such a tragedy upon someone you don’t know and who never did a thing to hurt you?”
“Because he and all his cohorts upset me. They shouldn’t have been bothering that mother leopard, and they deserved to be punished for it.”
“Very well.”
“Boy, you sure are making a lot of notes. I must have struck a nerve.”
“Just routine note-taking, Tory. The same type of recording I do in all my interviews.”
“Yeah, right.”
“Let’s continue, please. Is there anything else about the Animal World documentary that you remember affecting you in any way?”
“No, the leopard stuff was what really bothered me. Baraku. Is that an African name?”
“It’s probably Bantu, but I’m not positive of that.”
“Bantu?”
“The official language of Tanzania.”
“Is that where your people come from?”
“Yes, my father emigrated to the United States. Can we get back to the night of the documentary, please?”
“How old were you when he came here?”
“I was born here. The documentary?”
“Oh, all right.”
“You turned off the documentary after it made you cry. What led to you then deciding to apply for a job at the animal shelter?”
“I just decided that I wanted to help animals.”
“How long after that night did you apply?”
“The next morning.”
“You went to the animal shelter the very next morning to apply for a job?”
“Yes. As soon as they opened.”
“Can you tell me about that?”
“There’s nothing really to tell. It’s only a few miles from my house over the Q-Bridge. I’ve known about it a long time. I just walked in and went to the front desk. I told a girl that I now know was Marcy that I was looking for a job, and the next thing I know I was sitting in Jake’s office.”
Dialogues Page 3