By Reason of Insanity Randy Singer

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.Table of ContentsSpecial Copyright Notice123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110Acknowledgments and Author's NotePraise for Randy Singer* * *BY REASON OF INSANITYbyRANDY SINGER* * *Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.Carol Stream, IllinoisVisit Tyndale's exciting Web site at www.tyndale.comVisit Randy Singer's Web site at www.randysinger.netTYNDALE and Tyndale's quill logo are registered trademarks of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.By Reason of InsanityCopyright (c) 2008 by Randy Singer.All rights reserved.Cover photo copyright (c) by Veer.All rights reserved.Interior inkblot (c) by Cheryl Graham/iStockphoto.All rights reserved.Author photo copyright (c) 2008 by Don Monteaux.All rights reserved.Designed by Dean H.RenningerSome Scripture quotations are taken from the New American Standard Bible(r), copyright (c) 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.Used by permission.Some Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION(r).NIV(r).Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.Used by permission of Zondervan.All rights reserved.Some Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, King James Version.This novel is a work of fiction.Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of either the author or the publisher.Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication DataSinger, Randy (Randy D.) By reason of insanity / Randy Singer.p.cm.ISBN-13: 978-1-4143-1633-8 (hc)ISBN-13: 978-1-4143-2287-2 (Palm)ISBN-13: 978-1-4143-2286-5 (Mobipocket)ISBN-13: 978-1-4143-2285-8 (MS Reader)ISBN-13: 978-1-4143-2288-9 (Sony)1.Serial murders--Fiction.2.Trials (Murder)--Fiction.3.Insanity defense--Fiction.4.Traumatic neuroses--Fiction.I.Title.PS3619.I5725B9 2008 813'.6--dc22 2008005506Special Copyright NoticeThe text of this book is an eBook file intended for one reader only.It may be used by that reader on computers and devices that he or she owns and uses.It may not be transmitted in whole or part to others except as stated above.Up to 500 words of this work may be quoted without written permission of publisher, provided it is not part of a compilation of works nor more than 5 percent of the book or work in which it is being quoted.The full title, author's name, and copyright line shall be included.No more than 500 words of this work may be posted on a web site or sent electronically to other users.In all uses of quoted material from this book, the full copyright line shall appear in a readable type size where the text appears.The author's name shall not be used in the title of a web site or in the advertising of the site.The author's name may not be used on the cover of any other book in which a portion of this material is quoted without written permission of Tyndale House Publishers.Quotes in excess of 500 words, use of the text as part of a compilation, use of text that is greater than 5 percent of the book in which it will be quoted, or other permission requests shall be directed in writing to Tyndale House Publishers, Permissions Dept.351 Executive Drive, Carol Stream, IL 60188."I'm starting to see my own handwriting on the wall, and it looks mysteriously like a guilty verdict."Quinn Newberg1Quinn Newberg rose to face the jury one last time.The pressure of the case constricted his chest and pounded on his temples.He had to remind himself that he had done this more than eighty times before, with stellar results."A legal magic act" was how one of the newspapers described him.Juries love me.But he couldn't shake Dr.Rosemarie Mancini's words from the prior night, after his spunky expert witness had listened to a dry run of Quinn's closing."The whole world hates the insanity plea," she said."Ninety-five percent of these cases result in convictions." She forced a smile."Including, believe it or not, even a few where I testified.""Do you have any advice?" Quinn had asked."Or just doomsday statistics?""Take the jury where the pain is," Rosemarie said softly."Throw away your notes." She must have sensed Quinn's reluctance, noticed his unwillingness to even look at her as he considered this.Notes he could do without, but he had no desire to put Annie through her nightmare again."It's our only chance," Rosemarie said.Those words echoed in Quinn's ears as he approached the jury empty-handed, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes to gather his thoughts.He opened them again and looked at the jury--his jury.He heard the judge say his name--his honor's voice coming from the end of a long tunnel.Another moment passed, and the stillness of the courtroom became the stillness of that dank house on Bridge Street, over two decades earlier.He started pacing even before he uttered his first word.Rosemarie was right--a good lawyer would start by describing this scene.But a great lawyer would do more.A great lawyer would take them there.By the time Annie turns thirteen, her father has been visiting her bed for nearly a year.Holidays are always the worst because they give Annie's father an excuse to drink.Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Eve, Memorial Day--they all end the same.Like this night undoubtedly would: July 4, 1986.Independence Day.Annie goes to bed early--a holiday custom of her own--hoping she won't see her father come home.She leaves the light on in her room and prays for a miracle.A car accident.A heart attack.A mugger who goes too far.She prays that tonight her father might die.The answer to that prayer, the same answer she has received so many times before, arrives a few minutes after midnight.She hears the sound of car tires on the gravel drive.She listens through the thin walls of the small house as the engine stops and the driver's door thuds shut.Her father enters through the laundry room, his heavy footsteps taking him into the kitchen.Petrified, Annie lies in bed and stares at the ceiling, the covers pulled tight to her chin.She hears the television.The sound of dishes.Murmured curses.There is silence for an hour, her father probably sleeping in the recliner, but Annie does not sleep.Eventually he stirs and wakes.He trudges up the stairs, his footsteps and labored breathing magnified by the stillness of the house [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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