Author's Note: This chapter deals with the case, so some clinical discussion will occur. As always, I appreciate your feedback. Enjoy!

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The trial was proceeding quickly, with Morty Berger showboating and attempting to throw wrenches in the prosecution's case. During the course of the trial both Alex and Olivia were called as witnesses.

Alex and Olivia sat waiting to be called. "How you holding up?" Liv asked with a gentle smiling handing Alex a styrofoam cup of tea.

"Wanting this to be over with. It's so different in there on the witness stand. I hate it." Alex grabbed the cup and brushed Olivia's fingers with hers. The contact was short but electric.

"Ok, you'll both likely be called after this recess. Everybody ready?" ADA Grayleck spoke from the door.

Olivia nodded but doubted the question was for her.

"Yes."

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"And your clinical impression of Dani, Dr. Huang?" Morty Berger asked.

"Acute sexual identity disorder."

"And, as Ms. Barker stated, she was prone to violent rages. Is that consistent with your impression?" Berger paced in front of the stand.

Huang nodded. "It can be, yes."

"Any opinions on what might cause a rage?"

"In this case it would be anything that made her feel remotely feminine. A word, a phrase...even a response to an action."

"It seems as though Dani would then have a hair trigger, correct?" Berger folded his hands.

"Possibly, yes. But there are other times when she is calm, cool and collected." Dr. Huang kept his tone professional and even.

"Could one of these rages turn deadly?" Berger suggested from the defense table.

"Of course." The doctor answered.

"Would she be in control of her actions at that point?"

"Objection, your honor." ADA Grayleck stood.

The judge raised her eyebrow.

"Calls for soothsaying on the part of Dr. Huang."

"Sustained. Rephrase counselor." Judge Donnelly cleared her throat.

"Could she have lost control of herself?" Berger rephrased with a gesture.

Dr. Huang pursed his lips in consideration. "Possibly."

"No further questions." Morty Berger sat down.

"Redirect, your honor?" Kim stood up at the judge's nod and approached Dr. Huang. "Doctor, if you went to the bodega down the street and purchased a lottery ticket this afternoon, might you win the jackpot?" She tilted her head smugly.

The good doctor smiled. "Possibly."

"No further questions."

"Thank you, Dr. Huang, you may step down."

"The people call Alexandra Cabot"

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"And upon finding the body, Ms. Cabot what did you do?" The ADA stood in front of the witness as though they were casually chatting.

"I was stunned...frightened initially and disbelieving. Once I regained my senses, I called 911." Alex sat with perfect posture and spoke directly to the ADA.

"Thank you. Your witness, counselor."

"Ms. Cabot, you say you had a six month relationship with Ms. Talbot, correct?" Morty approached Alex.

"Yes."

"And the relationship was sexual in nature?" The season attorney rocked on his heels in front of the witness.

Alex sighed. 'Where is this going?' "Yes."

"And to your knowledge, Ms. Talbot was faithful?"

"Yes." She was having trouble keeping her annoyance out of her voice.

"Were you happy together?"

"Yes." Alex was struggling internally for self-control.

"Would you consider yourself sexually compatible with Ms. Talbot?"

"I beg your pardon?" Alex was angry now.

"Objection! Where can this lead, your honor?" The ADA stood with a flourish, brow furrowed and hands stretched out.

"I'm curious on that point as well. Mr. Berger?" The judge regarded the defense attorney with concern.

"Your honor, if I may get a moment's indulgence, I'll make my point." He ran a hand through his silver hair and smiled.

"You get one moment. Overruled, for now. You may answer, Ms. Cabot." The judge stroked her chin.

Alex took a deep breath. "Yes, we were."

"But, Ms. Barker testified that a big fight you had with Ms. Talbot was about a difference of a sexual nature." Berger raised his gray bushy brows.

"No, that was about whether or not I wanted to bring a strange woman in to our bed. Big difference." Alex shifted in her seat.

"I see. So, if she had approached you with a woman known to you both, you might have consented to what Ms. Talbot had in mind?" The gray eyebrows lifted again in question.

"I couldn't say as those were not the circumstances I was presented with." Alex folded her hands in her lap and stared the defense attorney down.

"Thank you, Ms. Cabot."

Grayleck stood immediately. "Redirect."

The judge nodded with a scratch of her head.

The ADA approached the witness stand. "Ms. Cabot during the course of your monogamous six month relationship with Martha Talbot, did you ever dine out?"

Alex raised both eyebrows. "Yes."

"Would you consider your tastes in food 'compatible'?" Grayleck crossed the room.

"Yes."

"Did you ever have trouble deciding on a restaurant?" The ADA leaned against the jury box.

"No." Alex shook her head.

"Did you and Ms. Talbot ever order the same thing while dining out?" The ADA spoke to the jury.

"Uh, not that I can recall, no." Alex was at a loss for where they were going and hoped the new ADA had a plan.

Grayleck nodded. "So, you'd enjoy the same restaurant, but different entrées?"

"Yes." Alex's eyes widened as it dawned on her.

"So, just because you'd have chicken and she'd have steak didn't mean you couldn't both dine together, correct?"

"Correct." Alex said with a single nod.

"No further questions." Kim Grayleck prepared to call her next witness.

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Olivia had answered all the routine questions from the ADA with her usual professionalism. Her experience as a witness and ability to exude competence and confidence were almost unmatched.

"Your witness, Mr. Berger." Kim Grayleck returned to her seat at the prosecution table.

Olivia took a deep breath and looked at Dani. Dani was leering at her from the defense table.

"Detective Benson, during the course of your investigation, you had a list of suspects, correct?" Morty Berger addressed her from his seat.

"Yes."

"Can you tell us how many people were on this vast list?" Berger stood next to the defense table.

"The list had three people on it prior to Dani Murdock. Alexandra Cabot, Reverend Jeremiah Austin and Tanya Barker." Olivia sat with her hands folded and her back straight.

"Alexandra Cabot? How interesting. Can you elaborate on why she was more than a person of interest?" Morty questioned her as he slowly approached.

"Ms. Cabot discovered the body in her home. She was considered a suspect until we verified her alibi and then forensics eliminated her completely." The detective's hands were still folded and resting on the rail of the witness stand.

"I see. And would you describe the nature of your relationship with Ms. Cabot?" Berger sidled up to Olivia.

"She was the Assistant District Attorney for my squad for a number of years, so I had been professionally acquainted with Ms. Cabot and considered her a friend during that time." Olivia was nonplussed by the question.

Morty nodded. "And now?"

"Until the night of Councilwoman Talbot's grisly murder, I hadn't seen Ms. Cabot in several years. We became reacquainted over the course of the investigation." Olivia sat back and opened her body language to Morty and the jury.

"And you and your squad never thought that it might be a conflict of interest?" He raised his voice slightly as he turned toward the jury.

"Never. That is not the way the NYPD operates. If anything, we are more diligent in investigating our own to make sure we retain a higher standard." Olivia smiled confidently.

Morty bobbed his head and scratched his cheek. "Is this 'higher standard' also why Ms. Cabot stayed at your apartment while she was still considered a suspect?"

'What the fuck?' Olivia cleared her throat and blinked. Then she raised an eyebrow. "Yes, actually."

Now it was Berger's turn to raise his eyebrows and stare wide-eyed at the detective for several moments with his mouth open.

ADA Grayleck stood. "Does counsel have a question or is he going to regale us with his guppy imitation all morning?"

"You'll check your sarcasm, Ms. Grayleck, no matter how appropriate." Judge Donnelly tilted her head. "Mr. Berger?"

"Ah, nothing further, your honor." Morty walked dejectedly back to his table.

Olivia waited to see if Grayleck would redirect. She did not and was dismissed.

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"Hey." Alex was waiting outside. "How'd it go?"

"Eh, the prosecution's ahead by a mile." Olivia joined Alex on the bench. "Maybe one more day and then it's in the hands of the jury, unless Berger comes to his senses and pleads her out."

Alex nodded.

"How is it going being home again?"

"It'll never be home again. I've contacted the landlord to change apartments." Alex shrugged.

"That's probably a good idea. Well, I've got to get back. Call me if you need anything, ok?" Olivia smiled at Alex.

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Morty Berger stood and approached the witness. "Dani, according to the testimony of Dr. Warner, Ms. Talbot's death was brutal and intended to inflict the most pain. You admitted your crimes to Detective Benson. Can you explain what happened?"

Dani's eyes were cloudy and wild as she recounted the events of that night. "Marty wanted a special surprise for her girl's anniversary, so she asked me over to, uh, help them celebrate, you know?"

"Objection! I don't believe anyone here 'knows' what Miss Murdock is talking about, your honor." The ADA's brow furrowed.

Dani's nostrils flared.

"Sustained. Miss Murdock you'll elaborate." Judge Donnelly scratched her forehead.

"Stop it! Stop calling me Miss, doll. And you," she smiled seductively at Kim Grayleck, "you should call me Dani."

The gavel banged loudly. "This is MY courtroom, Miss Murdock, not a club. Mr. Berger instruct your client on proper courtroom etiquette or you'll both find yourselves in contempt." The judge seethed on the bench.

Dani nodded her head, rolled her shoulders and took a deep breath. "Sorry, your honor and Miss Grayleck." Her leering eyes defied her apology. "I showed up at her place and she showed me what she had planned. Her girlfriend was running late. So, we decided to warm up a little before the little woman got home." She cracked her knuckles one at a time.

Morty cleared his throat. "So, at this point things were consensual?"

"Hell yeah. But, then, then she had to go and ruin it." Her breathing became heavy and beads of sweat formed on her upper lip. "She kept calling me 'sweetie' and 'princess'…I, my head just snapped. The next thing I remember…I was covered in blood standing over her dead body."

"Nothing further. Your witness."

Grayleck walked over to the witness. "Miss Murdock, you say you snapped. What did you do? You were standing over a dead body covered in blood."

"I, uh, I ran out of there. I didn't know what to do." Dani shifted in her seat.

"Ah, you ran. You ran like a scared little girl, didn't you?" The ADA tilted her head and stepped back as she watched Dani's face change.

Dani rose to her feet, her face beet red, veins in her forehead pulsed and she screamed. "I DID NOT YOU STUPID BITCH! I REMEMBER ALL OF IT!!! SHE HAD IT ALL COMING AND SO DO YOU!" She lunged at the ADA about the time the bailiff got to her. "ARROGANT BITCHES!!!!"

"Order! Order!" Judge Donnelly shouted from the bench as the scene unfolded.

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