Mystery fiction; Trials (Murder) -- Fiction; United States -- Fiction
"Living seems to be full of situations where you can't do a good
thing without an accompanying evil. I suppose it's questions of
this kind that make people give up trying to solve their own
ethical problems and ask some supernatural authority to do it for
them. And yet I would think that the only answer in any such
dilemma is to decide which is greater, the evil or the good. If
they seem to balance, doubtless inaction is better than trying to
perform your good act. But if one is clearly greater than the
other, isn't the answer plain? I know this goes contrary to your
religious views, but Jimmy, this once, think whether I may not be
right and yourself mistaken.
"I am trying to think straight, about the years ahead, the child,
about living with you, the difficulties we'd face. I'm trying not
to remember that you did look at me yesterday once or twice as a
lover might, and with the sunlight falling across your cheekbones,
before I quit playing with the Wayne kids and wandered off. Maybe
some time I'll tell you where I went and what I did.
"I can't think of Ann as anything but an innocent bystander. She
needs you in the common ways, but I--"
Members of the jury, the letter ends there. The State rests.
JUDGE MANN: The Court will hear any motions.
MR. WARNER: Your Honor, I move that the case of the People against
Callista Blake be dismissed on the following grounds: one, that the
prosecution has not demonstrated that the death of Ann Doherty resulted
from a criminal action; two, that the prosecution has not, by witnesses,
connected the defendant Callista Blake with the death of Ann Doherty
beyond a reasonable doubt.
JUDGE MANN: The motion is denied, Mr. Warner. Are there other motions?
MR. WARNER: No, your Honor, not at this time.
JUDGE MANN: The Court stands adjourned until 1 P.M.
7
Upon this, by us has she been required to voluntarily declare
herself to be, and to have always been, a demon of the nature of a
Succubus, which is a female devil whose business it is to corrupt
Christians by the blandishments and flagitious delights of love. To
this the speaker has replied that the affirmation would be an
abominable falsehood, seeing that she had always felt herself to be
a most natural woman.
Then her irons being struck off by the torturer, the aforesaid has
removed her dress, and has maliciously and with evil design
bewildered and attacked our understanding with the sight of her
body, the which, for a fact, exercises upon a man supernatural
coercion.
BALZAC, _The Succubus_
I
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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