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What had she said to Bill, with that lost, haunted look? ‘You’d really subject your own child to a terrible thing like that?’ And how had he answered her? Grinning? ‘It’s no worse than what you’re willing to subject her to.’

Scott Velie saw the cab with Janice Templeton in it pull away from the kerb. A few seconds later he saw Bill Templeton descend the steps and head in the direction of Pinetta’s.

Velie heard himself sigh. There’d be a cold and lonely bed in the Templeton household this night.

Velie knew about cold and lonely beds. The last five years qualified him as an expert.

*

Judge Langley entered his courtroom determinedly for a change, with a jaunty step and a flourish of robes. Settling himself onto his elevated perch, he silently contemplated his constituency. Another packed house, he was pleased to see. Another day in which Part Seven would fulfil its sacred trust to render justice fairly, impartially, and judiciously and uphold the public’s right to know - the public’s inalienable right to gawk, titter, whisper, and express their oohs and ahs at the drama unfolding before their eyes. That’s what it was, by God! A drama! A goddamn spectacular. A whizbang meller with more thrills, spills, and chills than a three-ring circus.

A note of awe entered the judge’s thoughts. A lawsuit like this one came but once, if ever, in a jurist’s lifetime, and though it was tardy in making its appearance in his own lifetime, it had finally come, and he vowed, by God, to make the most of it. Having his picture taken, having his expert opinion constantly sought after by the press, and, just last evening, being offered that contract by one of the country’s most exclusive and important lecture agencies gave Harmon T. Langley the gloriously buoyant feeling of having at last arrived.

A sudden hush and sense of expectancy in his courtroom encroached on the judge’s daydreams of the good life that lay ahead and caused him reluctantly to wrest his mind back to the day’s order of business.

‘If you are ready, you may proceed with your rebuttal, Mr Velie,’ said the judge, his eyes shifting between the battle stations of the opposing attorneys, while, to himself, adding the silent prayer, ‘And please, God, for my sake, grant them the wisdom to keep the ol’ pot boiling.’ Velie rose and smiled stiffly.

‘Thank you, Your Honour. I recall Dr Gregory Perez to the witness stand.’

At the defendant’s table Brice Mack sat relaxed and comfortable, letting a weary smile indicate his lack of concern over the prosecution’s recall of his own witness. Shortly, however, his smile would become frozen as the import of Velie’s questions gradually unfolded.

‘Dr Perez,’ began Velie, approaching the witness with quiet deference, ‘I understood you to say earlier that hypnosis is a therapeutic tool utilized by most psychiatrists, including yourself, is that correct?’

‘Yes. Many psychiatrists employ hypnotic techniques in their therapy.’

‘And is one of the techniques used by pyschiatrists called hypnotic age regression?’

Perez looked at Velie impassively.

‘Yes.’

‘What exacdy is meant by hypnotic age regression?’

‘It is the process by which an individual under hypnosis is brought back to an earlier time in his life and then can re-experience feelings, memories, thoughts, behaviour that were characteristic of that period. A person who has been regressed under hypnosis will behave just as though he were literally back at that time.’

As the question was being answered, the prosecutor slowly turned towards the jury box, so that he was now facing the defendant’s twelve peers as he put his next question to Dr Perez.

‘How far back can a person be regressed hypnotically?’

Theoretically, there isn’t any limit, except that one would not use age regression to bring a person back to a time before that person could speak.’ The doctor’s voice trailed behind Velie as he began a slow walk towards the jury box. ‘Theoretically, one could take a person back to infancy, but since he couldn’t speak in infancy, he couldn’t report to you what he was experiencing, so that, normally, when we take a person back under age regression, we usually do it to young childhood in order to recapture memories of events that took place and are now repressed but that may be causing an effect on the adult’s behaviour and feelings. In order to try to remove those things that produce neurotic behaviour now, we try to recapture the earlier, “hidden” memories through age regression.’

Velie paused at the jury railing.

‘But it is possible to regress a person to infancy?’

‘Yes.’

‘Is it possible to regress a person to a time prior to infancy? To some stage, say, of foetal development in his mother’s womb?’

Perez hesitated.

‘It’s theoretically possible to do so, provided there is consciousness and awareness, but again, there would be nothing one could learn since a foetus cannot relate its thoughts and feelings.’

Velie gripped the jury railing, pressed his body forward dramatically, and clearly enunciated, ‘Dr Perez, is it possible through hypnotic age regression to take a person back beyond the foetal age, beyond the barrier of a current existence, and into a past existence?’

The question elicited a burst of nervous laughter from the doctor.

‘Well, there are those who have claimed to be able not only to regress patients back prior to their birth but actually to regress them back to different personalities.’ His words tumbled forth in rapid staccato. ‘They have had patients claim, under hypnosis, that they had lived before, at another time and with other identities and who, in the hypnotic state, had spoken languages that they did not know in the awakened state. To answer your question, is it possible to do this, I would have to say, theoretically, yes, it is possible. It is believed by some and disbelieved by others. It’s a controversial issue, but there are people who have claimed to be able to regress patients into other existences.’

Velie’s eyes made a circuit of the arena, covertly studying the reactions of reporters, spectators, and, particularly, the defendant and his attorney, who were engaged in a subdued, yet energetic discussion. It seemed to Velie that Hoover was restraining Brice Mack from objecting, and he was pleased to see the noxious effect his questions were having on his youthful opponent, who seemed ready to jump out of his skin at suddenly finding himself on the receiving end of his own horseshit.

‘Dr Perez,’ said Velie, turning back to the witness, ‘if this court asked you to attempt it, would it be possible for you to regress a subject back beyond the barrier of this life and into a prior existence, if indeed such a thing exists?’

Perez shrugged nervously.

‘I have never attempted such a thing.’

‘Would you be willing to try?’

Perez stirred restively.

‘I would be willing if the court wanted me to.’

Brice Mack, incapable of further restraint, exploded from his seat.

‘Objection, Your Honour,’ he shouted. ‘This is pure speculation! It is obvious what the district attorney is leading up to, and I register my strongest possible objection. It is not only highly irregular, but a cheap and tawdry attempt on the part of Mr Velie to influence and inflame the jury!’

A hum of excitement swept across the courtroom. A light tap of the gavel quickly restored order, whereupon Judge Langley addressed himself to the defence’s objection.

‘You are probably right, Mr Mack,’ said the judge courteously. ‘The questions do call for speculation on the part of the witness, but insofar as he is an expert witness, I’m inclined to permit the district attorney to continue this line of questioning until I see where it’s leading.’

Velie picked up on the judge’s ruling swiftly.

‘Your Honour,’ said the prosecutor soberly, ‘I have what may be an unusual request to make of the court, but I think this is a most unusual case. It’s a case that has excited national and even world attention, and I think that in the interest of seeing justice done, and to try all possible means of arriving at the truth in this matter, Your Honour should authorize the conducting of an experiment whereby Ivy Templeton is put under regressive hypnosis by Dr Perez to ascertain whether or not, in fact, she had a prior life and, if so, whether or not that prior life conforms with the defendant’s claims and whether the hypnosis will reveal it. I further propose that the experiment be conducted under controlled conditions in the hospital in Darien, Connecticut, where Ivy Templeton is presently recovering from injuries sustained a few days ago. I have taken the liberty of calling the hospital and ascertaining what facilities it has. It can provide this court with a large room in its psychiatric wing that is normally used as an observation theatre to permit doctors and students the opportunity of studying cases from an unseen vantage point. The room contains a substantial viewing space behind one-way glass which can comfortably seat the jury, defendant, all the lawyers, the court reporters, and this court. I have been assured by the doctors attending Ivy Templeton that she is physically able to withstand the hypnosis, and they foresee no problems arising from such an experiment. With the understanding, Your Honour, that this test be conducted under rules that you promulgate to make sure it is fair to both sides.’ A stiff smile formed on Velie’s face. ‘I’m sure the defence will welcome this experiment if, in fact, the defendant believes in reincarnation as fully and completely as he says he does.’

Brice Mack had remained standing throughout Velie’s proposal, his face a mime show of shock and incredulity. His voice, after he had struggled to find it, was held to the level of a stunned whisper.

‘Your Honour, this is unbelievable.’

‘Is defence objecting?’ Langley inquired.

‘Yes. Defence objects most emphatically on the basis that such a test could not possibly be conclusive. There is no way such a test could be conducted with any guarantee of accuracy.’ A helpless note of amusement entered his voice. ‘Look, Your Honour, if the hypnotist is unable to bring Ivy back beyond her birth, that won’t prove that reincarnation doesn’t exist. All it would prove is that he’s not a very successful hypnotist.’

Velie smiled derisively.

‘It was not the prosecution who introduced Dr Perez as a qualified and trustworthy expert in his field, but the defence. And now the defence is seeking to impugn the professional credibility of his own witness.’

Judge Langley swivelled about to consider the position, but in truth, his decision had been reached the moment Scott Velie propounded the motion. Moving the entire court into a hospital theatre with all those juicy little dramatic touches - the one-way glass, hypnotizing a child, the search for a former lifetime conducted under the hard, uncompromising scrutiny of both science and the law - offered just the right dash of spice to round out his coming lecture tour, even though, as the defence rightly contended, such a test could not possibly provide evidence of a conclusive or substantive nature.

The softening, almost sensual drifting of the eyes and the slack, succumbing expression on the judge’s face, an expression whose meaning both attorneys had come to know, communicated itself to them simultaneously and brought an immediate roaring objection from Brice Mack.

‘I reiterate my objection most strongly, Your Honour! This test is not only highly irregular, but—’

‘I do not object, Your Honour,’ shouted Hoover, overpowering his attorney’s objection and springing lightly to his feet, which quickly brought the guards to their feet. ‘I want it done and give my permission!’

The suddenness of Hoover’s countermanding statement brought several reporters to their feet and a heightened atmosphere to the courtroom.

Brice Mack glanced grimly at his client.

‘I will not withdraw my objection. Your Honour,’ he said coldly and defiantly.

‘And I insist on the experiment,’ said Hoover tightly.

Chairs squealed as spectators in the rear stood up to gain a clearer, less encumbered view of the action.

‘Sit down, Mr Hoover,’ ordered Judge Langley wearily. ‘You have a lawyer representing you, and you’re not permitted to speak.’

Anger flooded Hoover’s sallow cheeks.

‘Then I discharge my lawyer, Your Honour.’

Brice Mack went white. ‘May I have a few minutes, Your Honour?’ he said.

‘Granted,’ said Judge Langley.

Startled into wariness, the attorney approached his distraught client and began a low-voiced conversation at the defence table. The court waited patiently as the two men engaged in vigorous discussion with much hand waving and head shaking. Finally, Brice Mack stood up and faced the bench, striving to maintain an air of command over a bad situation.

‘I withdraw my objection, Your Honour,’ he said firmly. ‘My client is most anxious that this test be conducted, as he feels he will be vindicated by it.’

Sunk down on his spine, Bill Templeton stared fixedly and with enjoyment at the ignominy of Brice Mack’s disgrace. It was a come-uppance the young cock richly rated.

‘I see no reason why this court should not permit this test,’ said the judge with unusual mildness. ‘After all, this is a case of truly unique dimensions and, as Mr Velie so rightly pointed out, of international concern. Since I have permitted the defendant a wide latitude in presenting his defence, I do not feel that I can now place arbitrary restrictions on the prosecution’s right to seek its own path to the truth. However, I do demand that there be some specifications of how the test will be conducted and what safeguards can be provided to ensure that it’s being conducted properly, that it’s doing a fair and unbiased job of seeking a true result, and that the person or persons conducting the test are highly qualified to do so.’

Judge Langley addressed his next remarks to the district attorney.

‘In the light of the defence’s objection, Mr Velie, I have decided that in addition to Dr Perez, two other psychiatrists be selected to participate in the test, both of whom have used hypnosis in the treatment of their patients. The court will name the two experts and will seek to retain the most highly qualified people it can find.’

The courtroom remained tensely quiet as Judge Langley made a notation on his pad, then looked blandly up at the sea of expectant faces, and said, ‘If there are no further questions, we will recess the case till Monday morning, which should give the court enough time to arrange for the additional psychiatrists and the procedures for testing. The defendant is remanded to custody.’