The jurors who were not judges looked at one another. Especially the ones he was addressing, the ones who had been hauled in front of those courts.

“This is a waste of time,” said Gertie.

“The least you can do is let my client tell her side of the story. Even if the case isn’t really about her, but about the things her dead relatives did. Especially because of that, you need to let her speak.”

“It’s fine,” argued Carl Denis. “I actually want to hear this. We all should. Even if I don’t trust this traitor. I can’t believe we let him back in after what he pulled.”

Donny decided not to remind Carl of the time he got him out of detention after they busted him downloading 3-D printable mortar plans. He had his eyes on Heather, who looked simultaneously scornful and squirmy.

“Let her talk!” said some voices in the crowd.

“Set up a chair,” said Ellen.

And they did. A group of the jurors put one of the chairs there in the middle of the room, and another group led Heather to it.

“What if I don’t want to talk?” said Heather.

“Why wouldn’t you want to let us hear your side?” said Ellen.

“I don’t trust this guy either,” said Heather, pointing at Donny.

“Come on,” said Donny. “I just want to ask a few questions. All you have to do is tell the truth. How hard can that be?”

“Your truth and ours may no longer be the same thing, Donny,” said Bettina.

“I think you’ll find we can all agree on the facts I want to get on the record,” he said.

“She needs to answer the questions,” said Joyce, speaking up for the first time. “She’s still our prisoner, even if we call her a guest, and our rules are premised on total transparency.”

“Fine,” said Heather. “I have nothing to hide. You already heard for the second time the sins encoded in my name.”

“We heard a lot about your grandfather and great-grandfather this morning,” said Donny. “Now can we talk about your mother?” he asked.

She visibly tensed at the subject.

“I know it must be difficult,” said Donny. “And I think everyone here knows you helped cause what happened to her and the rest of your family.”

“Come on, Donny,” said Carl. “This is just cruel.”

“Well, then why don’t I ask you, Carl? Did she help your team that took those hostages?”

“That wasn’t ‘our team,’” said Ellen. “Those were independent actors.”

“Was Slider one of them?”

“You would know better than we,” said Ellen. “You were the one who defended him, I hear.”

“The case I have for him involves the death of his parents,” said Donny. “He’s just the plaintiff. And now it’s too late to ask him. So I’m asking Heather.”