Chapter 26 Chapter Twenty-Three

Massachusetts, Boston Friday, June 9, 2006 nine: twenty-three in the morning Jack pulled the battered Hyundai over to the sidewalk and parked behind a brown UPS truck.This is the parking lot of a building on busy Cambridge Street.The long, curved building with arcades faces Boston City Hall.Jack knew that despite his quick fix, the odds of getting a parking ticket were almost 100 percent.He also hoped his car wouldn't be towed, but he carried his travel bag just in case.He also took with him a large envelope with the address of the Forensic Service printed on the upper left corner. He rushed quickly up the front steps and into the courtyard in front of the Suffolk High Court.Without delay for a moment, he ran to the gate at full speed, and was stopped by the security guard, who asked him to put the travel bag, envelope and mobile phone on the X-ray machine for inspection.When he reached the elevator entrance, he desperately squeezed into the first elevator.

The elevator went up, and Jack looked at his watch.He hadn't forgotten that he was going to be married in four hours.And he is still stranded in Boston, which makes him a little anxious.When the elevator reached the third floor, he struggled to get out of the elevator.Fortunately, he is still reasonable, otherwise he would think that everyone in the elevator is deliberately blocking the way. The first few times Jack entered the courtroom, he tried not to make a sound.Today he went straight ahead, and felt that the louder the movement, the better.He walked unhurriedly along the aisle in the middle to the partition between the trial area and the auditorium.At this point most of the audience turned to look at him, including Alexis sitting in the front row.Jack nodded at her.The court clerk was sitting on his seat looking at the file in front of him, but he didn't look up at Jack.The jurors sat in the jury box, impassive as usual, watching Randolph.Randolph stood at the podium, apparently just beginning to wrap up his arguments.The judge sat on the bench and looked at several documents on the table.The court clerk and the judge's secretary are busy in their respective seats.In the dock, Jack could see the backs of the heads of Craig and Randolph's assistant.On the plaintiff's side, Jack could see the backs of the heads of Tony, Jordan, and Tony's assistant.The courtroom is in perfect order; the wheels of justice are like an old-fashioned steam locomotive, although it is slow, but it continues to accelerate without hesitation, driving towards the end.

Jack's purpose is to hijack the car.He didn't want it to derail, he just wanted it to stop and change course.He walked to the divider and stopped.He saw the eyes of the jurors turn to him, but there was no change in the usual indifference on their faces.Randolph continued his concluding remarks in that cultivated, sweet, flowing tone.His words, shining golden like the late spring sun, shone in through the high windows, through the airtight venetian blinds, and cut like knives through the dusty air of the courtroom. sorry!Jack said.sorry!Seeing that Randolph was still going on, he shouted again, raising his voice.Jack wasn't in Randolph's sight, but after he called a second time, Randolph finally turned his head and glanced in his direction, confusion and irritation in his blue eyes.The court clerk didn't hear what Jack said the first time, but he certainly did hear it the second time.He stood up.Maintaining order in the courtroom is also one of his responsibilities.

I need to talk to you right now, Jack said.There was silence in the courtroom, his voice was loud enough for everyone to hear.I know this is an inappropriate time, but what I have to say to you is crucial if you want to avoid misjudgment. Lawyer, what the hell is going on here?asked Judge Davidson.He lowered his head slightly, looked over his reading glasses, and motioned for the court clerk to stay in his seat. Randolph was still a little confused, but after all, he had many years of trial experience, and he quickly recovered his calm and graceful attitude.He glanced in the judge's direction, then turned his attention to Jack.

It's urgent, I have to, Jack added, lowering his voice.He saw all the members in the plaintiff's and defendant's seats turn their heads to look at him.But he only cared about two of them: Craig and Jordan.Jordan looked even more surprised and distraught by Jack's sudden visit. Randolph turned to the judge.Your Honor, may I take a moment of the court's precious time? two minutes!said Judge Davidson grumpily.The reason why he allows Randolph to talk to Jack is to drive Jack away.The judge was obviously not happy that someone dared to break into the courtroom and interrupt the trial.

Randolph walked to the railing, glanced haughtily at Jack, and said in a low voice, "This is too unreasonable." I do it a lot, Jack whispered, resuming his old sarcastic habit.You can let me testify in court! I have no power to make you testify in court.The reason I've said it before, man, I'm in the middle of my closing statement. I did an autopsy and can attest that Dr. Berman did not malpractice.My evidence is accompanied by sworn affidavits from a Massachusetts medical examiner and a Massachusetts toxicological examiner. For the first time, Jack sensed a crack in Randolph's calm shell.His eyes betrayed him, moving nervously and quickly back and forth between Jack and the judge.There is not enough time to think about it, let alone weigh the pros and cons.

Mr. Bingham!cried Judge Davidson impatiently.It's two minutes. I'll try it, Randolph whispered to Jack.Then he returned to the podium.Your Honor, may I approach the bench? Come on, Judge Davidson looked a little unhappy. Tony sprang to his feet and walked to the bench with Randolph. What happened?Judge Davidson whispered angrily.Who is this man?He took a quick look at Jack standing in front of the divider, like a supplicant.Although he had put down the travel bag, he still held the envelope in his hand. This is Jack.Doctor Stapleton, said Randolph.He is a registered medical examiner with the New York Medical Examiner.As far as I know, he's been praised for his expertise.

Judge Davidson looked at Tony.do you know him? Met once, Tony didn't elaborate. What was he trying to do by rushing in like this?At least, it doesn't make sense. That's what I told him, Randolph reported.He wants to testify in court. How could he testify in court!Tony said angrily.He was not on the witness list, nor did he make a forensic record.This suggestion is simply too much. Why are you making such a fuss?Judge Davidson spoke to Tony as if he were teaching an unruly child.Why did he testify in court? He claimed to provide exculpatory evidence that Dr. Berman did not malpractice, and said his evidence was accompanied by sworn testimony from a Massachusetts medical examiner and a Massachusetts toxicology examiner.

Absurd!Tony blurted out.How could the defense suddenly call witnesses at the last minute?It simply violates the provisions of all legal codes since the signing of Magna Carta. Stop sighing and complaining, lawyer!Judge Davidson snapped. Tony tried his best to control himself, but he couldn't hide his anger and despair, his thick lips bent into an inverted U shape. Do you know how he found this evidence? He mentioned it to Patience.Stanhope performed an autopsy. Since an autopsy has the potential to exonerate the accused, why not do it sooner so it can be brought up during discovery.

There is no reason to doubt the evidentiary competence of the autopsy.It is believed that Mr. Fasano agrees with this.The clinical evidence involved in this case has never been in dispute. Mr. Fasano, are you aware of this autopsy? All I know is that they considered doing an autopsy. Damn it!Judge Davidson said in a drawn out voice.Doesn't this give me a dilemma? Your Honor, Tony can't hold back anymore.If he is allowed to testify in court, then I will I don't want to hear your threats, lawyer.I am well aware that Dr. Stapleton cannot testify if he wants to, there is no doubt about that.Now the trial can only be postponed, and Dr. Stapleton and his findings will be submitted for evidence discovery.But in this way, my schedule will be completely messed up.I don't want to do that, but I also don't want to see the case reversed on appeal.If Dr. Stapleton's evidence is as startling as he claims, there is a good chance that the original sentence will be reversed.

Would you like to hear Dr. Stapleton's evidence?Randolph suggested.This can make your decision-making process a lot easier. Judge Davidson nodded as he considered. To save time, you can meet him in chambers, Randolph said. Bringing witnesses into chambers is an anomaly in itself. But it's not without precedent, Randolph went on. But witnesses will go to the media to talk nonsense.I do not like this. Get the court clerk involved, Randolph said.And put this on the record.The point is not to let the jury hear.If you feel that the testimony is irrelevant to the case and not substantive evidence, you can also have a little more information so you can decide what to do next. Judge Davidson considered it and nodded.Not a bad idea.I'm calling a short adjournment, but I'm leaving the jury where it is.We need a quick fix.Mr. Fasano, do you agree to this? I think the idea sucks, Tony complained. Do you have a better idea?asked Judge Davidson. Tony shook his head.He was going crazy.He thought he had won his first malpractice case.But seeing that he was only one step away from victory, who knew that Cheng Yaojin would be killed halfway, and his previous efforts were all in vain.He walked back to the dock and poured a glass of water.His mouth is dry now, and his throat is about to smoke. Randolph went to the fence and opened the small door, letting Jack into the trial area.You can't testify in court, Randolph whispered.However, after deliberation, it was decided to let you tell the judge your testimony, and he will decide whether to let you testify before the jury in the future.Now you go to the inner court with me.The judge will only give you a few minutes, so please get to the point and keep it brief.Understand? Jack nodded.He wanted to tell Randolph that he could only spare a few minutes, but thought about it and said nothing.The judge just announced a short adjournment, but hopes the jury will stay.Jack saw that Jordan was asking Tony nervously, wanting to hear him explain the whole story.There was a commotion in the gallery, and everyone was guessing what happened and who Jack was.Jack looks at Craig again, and Craig smiles, and Jack nods at him. All rise!cried the court clerk.The judge stood up, walked quickly from the bench, and walked out of the side door in a blink of an eye, but he deliberately left the door open, and the court clerk followed. are you ready?Randolph asked Jack. Jack nodded again.That's when he realized Tony was staring at him.If looks could kill, I'd be dead, Jack thought.The man was obviously about to explode. Jack followed Randolph through the empty witness box and judge's clerk's box, Tony close behind.Jack laughed to himself, he hadn't seen Franco, and wondered what his reaction would be if he asked Tony about Franco's recent situation. Entering the inner court, Jack was a little disappointed.The inner courtyard he imagined should be dark furniture covered with wood and leather, exuding the aroma of high-end cigars, like a members-only men's club.But in fact, it was definitely a shabby place, with peeling paint on the walls and government-issued furniture.The whole house smelled of cigarettes.The only bright spot is a huge Victorian desk.Judge Davidson was sitting in a high-backed chair, leaning back, with his hands folded on the back of his head, looking very comfortable. Jack, Randolph, and Tony sat in low-backed polythene-wrapped chairs, looking far below Judge Davidson.Jack felt that this was specially arranged by the judge so that he could feel superior.The court clerk sat at a small table nearby. After a brief introduction, Doctor Stapleton, Judge Davidson spoke.Mr. Bingham informed me that you found exculpatory evidence in favor of the defendant at the last minute. That's not quite true, Jack said.My exact words are that I can provide evidence supported by other witnesses that Dr. Berman did not malpractice the treatment.According to the definition of the law, he did not have dereliction of duty. Isn't this exoneration?Don't you want to play word games? Not really a game, Jack said.Under the current circumstances, it can be said that on the one hand, he was exonerated, and on the other hand, he was convicted. I think you'd better explain, said Judge Davidson, putting his hands on the table and leaning forward.His attention was completely absorbed by Jack. Jack inserted his finger into the mouth of the envelope, opened it, and took out three files.He leaned forward, placed the first document on the table, and pushed it in front of the judge.The first written testimony, signed by a registered funeral director in Massachusetts, attested that the body undergoing autopsy was indeed that of Patience.stanhope.Jack produced a second file.This written testimony proves that Latasha, a registered medical examiner in Massachusetts,Wylie participated in the autopsy, assisted in the extraction of all samples, and shipped the samples to the Boston University Toxicology Laboratory for Alan.Dr. Smithson. Judge Davidson went through each of the written depositions.The handover procedure is very standardized and worthy of praise, he raised his head as he spoke.What was the last written testimony? It's Dr. Smithson's report, Jack said.Are you familiar with puffer fish poisoning? Judge Davidson gave Jack a wry smile.You'd better speak up, boy, he said condescendingly.The jury is still out there twiddling its fingers, waiting to get out. It is a deadly poison usually caused by eating puffer fish sushi.So pretty much limited to Japan. You don't mean to say Patience.Stanhope died of sushi poisoning, Judge Davidson said. I hope so, Jack replied.The poison involved in this case is called tetrodotoxin, which is a very interesting compound, which is very poisonous.To give you some ideas, it is a hundred times more venomous than the black widow spider, and ten times more venomous than the coral snake, the most powerful venomous snake in Southeast Asia.Once ingested, a very small amount of tetrodotoxin can kill a person immediately.Jack leaned forward and handed the judge the last file.The last written testimony was given by Alan.Dr. Smithson's signature, attesting to all the Patiences he examined.Stanhope's cadaver samples all contained tetrodotoxin in levels that suggested initial ingestion was a hundred times greater than that required to kill. Judge Davidson scanned the file quickly, then handed it to Randolph. You may ask: Is tetrodotoxin testing reliable?Jack continued.The answer is extremely reliable.The chance of a positive false positive is close to zero, and Dr. Smithson used two very different tests.One is high-pressure liquid chromatography plus mass spectrometry; the other is radioimmunoassay using tetrodotoxin-specific antibodies.Test results are conclusive and reproducible. Randolph hands Tony the written testimony.Tony snatched it irritably, clearly aware of what the testimony meant. You mean, the deceased didn't die of a heart attack?asked Judge Davidson. She didn't die of a heart attack, but of a tetrodotoxin overdose.There is no effective treatment for this, so it makes no difference at all when she arrives at the hospital.In fact, she was certain to die when she swallowed the tetrodotoxin. Suddenly someone knocked on the door, and the heavy knock echoed in the room.The judge let the knocker in with a roar.The clerk poked his head in and said the jury asked for a break.How should I answer them? Let them rest then, the judge waved impatiently.He stared at Jack with eyes as deep as the barrel of a gun.This should be the exoneration part.What about the conviction part? Jack settled himself in the chair.This part was the trickiest for him.Because of its alarming toxicity, the use of tetrodotoxin is strictly limited, especially in this day and age.But this compound has another magical effect.The molecular layer mechanism of action that makes it highly toxic makes it an excellent material for the study of neural and muscle sodium conduits. How does this affect the case? Craig.Dr. Boman's published papers and ongoing research are all related to sodium pipeline, which requires the use of tetrodotoxin in large quantities. The room was dead silent.Jack and Judge Davidson stared at each other across the table, while the other two looked on.For a full minute, no one spoke.In the end, the judge cleared his throat and said, apart from being exposed to the toxin, is there any other evidence to prove that Dr. Boman had specific poisoning behavior? Yes, Jack said reluctantly.When it was determined that Patience had tetrodotoxin in his system, I returned to the Bermans as a guest.I know that Dr. Berman gave the deceased a small bottle of pills on the day of her death.I took the vial back to the toxicology lab.Dr. Smithson conducted a rapid test on it, and the tetrodotoxin test on the inner wall of the drug was positive.Right now he's doing a final full check. okay!Judge Davidson said.He rubbed his hands briskly and glanced at the court clerk.Suspend record, return to court to resume.He leaned back, making the old chair creak, with a serious, thoughtful expression on his face.I could announce an adjournment to allow this new information to go into discovery, but it wouldn't make much sense.It's not negligence in a civil case, it's murder.Guys, let me tell you what I think.I will declare this case a mistrial and refer the case to the District Attorney's Office.Is there a problem?He looked at the people in the room, and his eyes stopped on Tony.Don't be so depressed, lawyer.You should enjoy the joy of justice.And your client can still sue for wrongful death. The problem is that the insurance company has nothing to do with the case.Tony said contemptuously. The judge looked at Jack.The investigation was well done, doctor, admirably. Hearing the judge's praise, Jack just nodded, but he was not at ease.It was his duty to report this startling discovery to the court.It pains him to think about the impact of this decision on Alexis and the children.They will endure a protracted investigation and the disastrous consequences of a new trial.It was a disaster for everyone involved in the case, especially Craig.The man was deeply narcissistic and completely without conscience, which surprised Jack.But at the same time he felt that Craig was a victim.The medical academic system is highly competitive, boasting altruism and enthusiasm while rewarding selfishness and apathy.Being sympathetic and kind to patients won't make you chief resident.In the early days of medical training, Craig continued to work part-time to raise tuition fees, virtually losing normal social interactions, and there was no way to weaken these negative information in the process of interacting with people. Well, gentlemen, Judge Davidson said.This farce can end.He stood up, and the others also stood up.He then walked around the desk and toward the door.Jack followed the two lawyers, and the court clerk followed Jack.In the distance, Jack heard the court clerk yelling for everyone to stand. Jack walked out of the inner court, and the judge had already walked up to the trial seat, ready to take his seat.Randolph and Tony were also walking to their seats.Jack realizes that Craig is away.Immediately he will know that his secret has been exposed, and he doesn't know how he will react.Thinking of this, Jack couldn't help shivering. Jack walked calmly across the bar, and behind him the judge was ordering the clerk to call the jury.Jack opened the door to the divider.He saw Alexis' eyes.She was staring at him with a suspicious, bewildered but hopeful expression on her face.Jack politely apologized to the row of observers, and slowly moved to sit next to her.He squeezed her hand, and found that she had brought him the travel bag that had been placed by the partition before entering the inner court. Mr. Bingham, Judge Davidson said aloud.I found that the defendant was not in the dock at the moment. My assistant, Mr. Cavendish, told me that the defendant had just asked to go to the bathroom, and Randolph stood up from his chair as he spoke. Understood, Judge Davidson replied. At this time the jury was led into the courtroom and entered the jury box one by one. What happened?Alexis asked.Have you found evidence? Found everything that shouldn't be found, Jack admitted. Perhaps someone should have informed Dr. Berman that we had reopened the court, Judge Davidson said.The upcoming trial is very important to him. Jack squeezed Alexis' hand again, then stood up.I went to see Dr. Berman, he slowly moved out of this row of seats, and motioned for Cavendish, who was about to go out to find Craig, to sit down. Jack pushed open the door to the corridor.Next to the elevator in the corridor, people gathered in twos and threes to talk in low voices as usual.Jack went straight to the men's room.He looked at his watch, it was ten-fifteen.He pushed open the door and walked in.An Asian man is washing his hands by the sink.No one around the urinal.Jack walked to the cubicle and bent down to look under the partition.Only the last compartment is occupied.Jack walked to the door, not knowing whether to wait or call.Time was running out, so he decided to call out. Craig?Jack asked. There was the sound of water being flushed from the compartment.After a while, the latch clicked, and the door swung open, revealing a young Hispanic man.He looked at Jack in bewilderment, then walked past him toward the sink.Jack, who had mustered up his courage to face Craig, was taken aback.He bent down and checked again, and there was indeed no one in the other compartments.Except for the two men by the pool, there was no one else in the room.Craig was nowhere to be found.Intuition told Jack that he had already run away.