Story Of My Life

Chapter 20

Wednesday morning found Kacey, Harry, and Clarissa sat in the office of Amelia Williams, the Crown Prosecutor. After offering them something to drink, she glanced at DCI Sheppard before continuing.

"Ms. Day, Kacey, I wanted to make sure you were aware of the disposition of this case. The defendant, Carol Pinkerton, has made a plea of 'not guilty by reason of insanity.' She has been examined by a panel of psychiatrists and has met all the requirements for the M'Naghten Rule. She will spend a year under the supervision of her personal physician with monitoring by the court."

"That's bullshit!" Harry blurted out, his hands fisted on the arms of the chair. Kacey reached out and put her hand on his arm. "She almost killed Kassidy! And she gets no punishment?"

"I understand your frustration, Mr. Styles, but she met all the requirements," Ms. Williams explained. "If her defense had not raised the issue, then I would have had to."

"I cannot fucking believe this. You think the law is there to protect you and then--" Harry growled, throwing his hands in the air.

"Harry," Kacey said quietly, tugging on his arm. "Harry, look at me. Please. We don't know what her struggle was. It's not up to us. No matter what happens with her, it doesn't affect us any longer. Please try to let it go."

Harry looked at her and saw her eyes welling with tears. He felt guilty for upsetting her, for making this stressful day worse. He cleared his throat and said "I'm sorry, baby. DCI Sheppard, Ms. Williams, Clarissa, please forgive my behavior. Hearing that this girl would be out and free to try again is a shock."

"She is not a threat to anyone when she is on her medication," Ms. Williams said.

"How can you be sure that she will take it regularly? She stopped once before and no one noticed until she tried to kill my girlfriend."

"She will be required to have routine blood tests to monitor her compliance along with regular visits to her physician."

"And what if she skips one. Or two? What then? How long will it take the people monitoring to find her and bring her into compliance? Will she have enough time to find Kassidy and finish the job? She stabbed her FIVE TIMES. Broke four ribs. Gashed her head open. She almost bled to death. I saw all the blood!" his voice broke, and he covered his face with his hands.

Kacey's tears overflowed and ran down her cheeks. She reached to hug Harry, resting her head on top of his. Clarissa snatched several tissues from the desk and handed them to her. They sat there for several minutes comforting one another until they could regain their composure.

Kacey looked at Clarissa and asked, "What about a restraining order...or whatever you call them here?"

"Yes, we could apply for an AntiSocial Behaviour Order. I will explain all the steps and schedule an appearance before the judge this afternoon."

Ms. Williams looked at the clock on the edge of her desk and said "We should move to the conference room to get settled. The girl will be here soon."

*

The conference room at the Crown Prosecution Services office was much like any other. There was a large table surrounded by 14 chairs with several more against the wall. The neutral color of the walls, a dull shade of beige, was relieved only by a picture of the Queen. It was boring and quiet and empty apart from a carafe of water, a set of glasses and several boxes of tissues placed strategically around the room. Kacey walked in, moved to the far side of the wide table, and sat with her back to the wall and the windows. The thought that the girl would walk in behind her frightened her; she wanted to face her from the beginning. Clarissa sat down next to her but Harry walked to the far corner of the room. He was not happy about the situation at all and wanted to keep as much distance as possible between himself and the girl. He wasn't sure that he could control his anger and was staring out the window to try and focus. Ms. Williams sat at the head of the table. They had just settled in when there was a knock on the door.