“Wait, Grace, Greg.” It was Mitch who spoke up. “I think we can do both.”
Navarro winced. “Both? How?”
Mitch said, “If you put Penny on the stand, the jury will see one of two things, I’m certain of it. They’ll see Eve, who will be ice up there, not one bit of nervousness. And seeing icy Eve up there will add credibility to your claim. Or…”
Mitch held up a finger as a point of emphasis.
“Or she enters a dissociative state while she’s on the stand, not saying it’ll happen, but it could, and the jury can see for itself what I have on video. Seeing Penny out of her mind, not really cognizant of her surroundings, will be an even more convincing demonstration than a rope would be. It’s a win/win either way.”
Mitch folded his arms across his chest in a “case closed” gesture. Grace nodded emphatically.
“Yes, yes, that sounds good to me,” she said, that determined look still in her eyes. “I want Penny to take the stand, Greg. Let the jury see what Mitch just said. Fine. We can’t go for an acquittal. But Penny on the stand could be the make or break we need. I’m not beyond my threat of going to the court to try and get another lawyer here. This is my daughter’s life at stake. The judge may not like it, but I’m sure she’ll listen.”
Tense moments passed in silence.
“Okay,” Navarro said with a huff of air. “Penny testifies. We’ll put her on the stand. Defendants can always testify on their own behalf. But Grace…” He fixed her with a cold stare. “If she gets convicted, if she gets life, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
CHAPTER 43
GRACE CAME TO A stop in front of her house, her body a jangle of nerves, a mix of highs and lows. She’d gotten her wish, got Navarro to agree to her demand, but now the implications were setting in and the weight felt heavy on her shoulders. What if the plan backfired? What if the jury came back with a guilty verdict because Penny testified? She’d never know if Navarro’s approach might have been enough on its own.
Still, the rope marks were proof that Penny couldn’t have committed murder, not one as violent as the attack on Rachel had been, not with her hands bound tightly enough to cause ligature marks. Penny was bright, but she wasn’t Houdini. Someone else was there that night. She believed it. Mitch believed it. But if Navarro was to be believed, it wasn’t enough to convince a jury. Grace vowed to fight on appeal. Someday, somehow, she promised herself, Penny will be acquitted.
As was her habit in the warmer months, Grace parked in the driveway instead of the garage, where Arthur’s car remained during all seasons. It was the same car Penny had taken without permission on the night of the murder, the one that had been impounded and eventually returned, and soon it would be sold to a dealer to help fund her daughter’s defense. At least she didn’t have to hurry up and get a new lawyer.
Tomorrow, Grace, Jack, and Annie—Ryan too, if he wanted to come—would go to Edgewater together to tell Penny, tell Eve, tell all of her alters, about the new plan. Tonight, however, was for resting and recharging.
Grace exited into total darkness, having forgotten to leave any house lights on, inside or out. She couldn’t see the paving stones of the walkway beneath her feet. No stars out tonight. She managed to get the key into the front lock and open the door. The alarm beeped to be disarmed. She keyed in the code, using the illuminated buttons as her guide, before turning on a hall light, sending a blaze of brightness into her eyes. Her vision quickly adjusted. It was quiet inside.
Ryan was at the restaurant. Jack was back at school. Annie was home cleaning up after the meeting. And Grace was alone again. These were the moments when she felt Arthur’s absence most profoundly. The hole he’d left behind in her life followed her like a cruel shadow. What would Arthur tell her to do about the trial? Take Navarro’s advice? Hope for the best?
No, he’d say what she said to herself: Trust yourself. She’d pushed Mitch on accepting the DID diagnosis, and he did. Pushed Navarro to put Penny on the stand, and he did. She’d been pushing hard every minute of every day, just like her marathon training, only this race never ended.
She’d call Navarro in a bit to make sure there were no hard feelings. First though, she needed some tea.
Some thirty minutes later, Grace still hadn’t picked up a phone. She’d changed into her pajamas and put her hair up in a loose bun before finding a comfortable spot on the couch from which to watch, of all things, a nature show. It made her think of happier times, of Arthur and a much younger Penny doing the same.