Chapter 291: Paige: You Think You're Qualified to Claim Insanity?
Princeton University
Student Dormitory.
Young Sheldon and his group arrived.
Although he was too young and stayed at Beverly's house, the university president had offered him a dorm room for afternoon rest—in exchange for his help securing research sponsorships.
A luxurious single, no less!
The arrangement made other college students green with envy.
Fortunately, young Sheldon always seemed blessed with survival instincts that led him to make the right choices.
When upperclassmen asked to "borrow" his dorm to "study," he felt they were "educating themselves" and readily agreed.
As a result, one study session after another—mainly male-female pairings, but not exclusively—took place in young Sheldon's dorm.
Eventually, it escalated to the point where Sheldon personally created a scheduling system.
For Sheldon, who loved making schedules, this was double the joy.
Then the truth came out, which disgusted Sheldon so much that he personally sanitized the room repeatedly.
Yeah.
The person who enlightened him was naturally Chuck.
"Wow, this place is buzzing!"
Leonard and Howard's eyes lit up as they entered, watching energetic college students zipping past on electric scooters in the hallway to upbeat music.
"It's co-ed!"
Howard's eyes widened when he saw a girl in minimal clothing walk by. "I love it here!"
"Please. You're not Sheldon,"
Beverly shook her head, reminding him.
"..."
Howard's head dropped.
He might be smart, but he wasn't at the level to be in college at twelve.
"I don't enjoy this kind of chaos!"
Sheldon frowned. "But there's nothing I can do. Wherever I go, I'm destined to be the most popular.
Like back in high school, when I helped my dad coach the football team to victory after victory.
Every time I walked into school, everyone would greet me enthusiastically.
Those girls were especially annoying—they'd just grab me and squeeze me so hard.
You know, it's suffocating..."
"I'd gladly suffocate!"
Howard's eyes reddened with emotion.
This was the first time he'd heard about Sheldon's experience in such detail, so much so that he couldn't even muster his usual sarcastic remarks, instantly conjuring that glorious scene in his mind.
He was filled with envy and resentment toward Sheldon.
He'd known before that he wasn't as intelligent as Sheldon, but he'd actually looked down on him somewhat.
Now, for the first time, he felt an overwhelming desire to trade places with him.
"Obviously you haven't experienced that kind of terrible situation, or you wouldn't say that,"
Sheldon said matter-of-factly, glancing at him.
Not just Howard—even Leonard had to restrain himself from showing his envy and resentment too obviously.
He had a strong premonition that if he did, his mother Beverly would absolutely not spare his feelings but would directly expose some of his personal secrets that he never wanted said out loud again...
"Let's begin,"
Beverly reminded him.
"Alright!"
Sheldon nodded. "They confiscated my megaphone, so let's use the RA's authority to cut the power and Wi-Fi and force them to come to my room."
"That's the best approach,"
Beverly agreed.
So the four of them, after cutting the dorm's power and internet, waited in Sheldon's room for the entire building to react.
Moments later, the students who'd been having a great time grew restless, opening doors and gathering in the hallway.
"It's him again?"
"Who else would it be?"
"No way, he looks so wimpy—how could he pull this off?"
A group of students approached angrily, some even pounding on the door with their fists.
"Open up!!!"
The door opened, revealing Sheldon, chin held high, looking fearlessly at the crowd. "Yes?"
"Did you cut the power and Wi-Fi again?"
someone demanded.
"I did. It's my right as Resident Advisor,"
Sheldon said. "The president granted me this authority, and I've shown you the documentation."
"We didn't see any documentation."
Naturally, no one would admit it.
Ignoring it, even pretending not to know and tearing up the president's authorization, was one thing. Openly admitting it was something else entirely.
This wasn't some diploma mill where students didn't care about their degrees.
This was Princeton University!
Offending the president would have consequences they couldn't afford.
"Restore the power now!"
The aggressive guy who had previously duct-taped Sheldon to the wall pressed closer, threatening in his ear. "Unless you want to be stuck on the wall again, little genius!"
"I don't think so."
Sheldon glanced back at Beverly and the others. Seeing them nod, he pulled a newspaper from his pocket.
"What's this? Another fake authorization letter you printed..."
The students tried to dismiss it, but a quick glance revealed their surprise—it wasn't an authorization letter.
"What is this?"
The aggressive ringleader was stunned for a moment, then stared speechlessly at Sheldon. He was about to join the other students in mocking Sheldon when he realized no one was behind him anymore.
"Wait! Where did everyone go?"
The guy was completely dumbfounded.
"They left."
Sheldon and Beverly exchanged a glance, their eyes gleaming with the smug satisfaction of a successful experiment.
They'd just witnessed it firsthand: when he pulled the newspaper from his pocket, the aggressive guy didn't recognize it, but some students immediately recognized the now-infamous Esther.
Those who could get into Princeton weren't idiots—quite the opposite. They were intelligent enough to immediately understand Sheldon's implication.
Although they didn't quite believe Sheldon would actually go villain over something like this, they clearly didn't want to risk it.
So after whispering among themselves, they all quickly retreated.
Only the aggressive ringleader, standing at the front, hadn't caught on yet.
But soon his phone buzzed. He pulled it out and saw what his classmates were concerned about.
Then he couldn't help but look into the dorm and saw Beverly, wearing a similar expression to Sheldon's, smiling and nodding.
There were also two other boys beside them. The one with the extremely creepy expression even turned up his collar, revealing a photo of himself with Esther.
The aggressive guy, realizing what was happening, couldn't help but shudder, then chuckled awkwardly and backed away.
"It actually worked."
Young Sheldon glanced at Esther's picture in the newspaper. "Maybe being the villain isn't so bad."
"Are you sure about that?"
Young Leonard couldn't help but scoff. "Think about where she is now. Prison! You couldn't last one night there!
And who put her there? Even if you really wanted to go villain, you could never become a world-dominating evil mastermind!"
Chuck's image immediately flashed into Young Sheldon's mind, and his previous excitement vanished instantly, replaced by a sullen mood.
Chuck, whom they were discussing, was playing chess with Beth Harmon and Linda at Paige's apartment when he received a call from Police Chief Randy Tisher.
"Chuck, we've got a problem. Word is that Esther has chosen Harrison Powell as her defense attorney."
"And?"
Chuck asked calmly.
"I know he lost to you before, but he's still the top criminal defense attorney on the East Coast,"
Randy said worriedly. "The prosecutor and I are both concerned."
"There's nothing to be concerned about,"
Chuck said bluntly.
"Dr. Wolfe,"
the prosecutor's voice came through the phone. "I'm not worried about the charges—the evidence is ironclad.
I'm worried Harrison will argue that the defendant is mentally ill and therefore not criminally responsible.
I just reviewed the new evidence he submitted.
Why don't you come take a look?"
"Alright."
Seeing how concerned they were, Chuck didn't argue and agreed. He hung up and everyone looked over.
"Is it about Esther's case?"
Linda and the others hesitated to speak, but Monica had no such reservations and asked directly.
"Yes."
Chuck said as he headed for the door. "You stay with them. I'll head over."
"Any new developments?"
Monica followed Chuck to the door. "Is there still an issue with this case?"
"The defense attorney wants to use mental illness as grounds for acquittal,"
Chuck explained, pausing.
"How is that possible!"
Monica frowned immediately.
"Even if mental illness isn't a crime, she won't just be released, right?"
Linda exclaimed anxiously. "She'd still be locked up in a psychiatric facility, wouldn't she?"
"Yes."
Chuck nodded, and just as Linda breathed a sigh of relief, he bluntly reminded her, "But even being locked up in prison isn't foolproof. There are various sentence reduction programs, and she could be released early.
Let alone a psychiatric facility.
As long as she has connections or can act convincingly, she can be released prematurely.
Let me give you a classic example and you'll understand.
There was once a mental patient with obvious serial criminal tendencies. The psychiatrist clearly diagnosed that he would absolutely commit crimes if released.
But due to various factors, he was still discharged.
This resulted in a series of violent crimes.
The innocent victims all died horribly.
But after this criminal was caught, he was still found not guilty by reason of insanity and institutionalized again, beginning the cycle anew.
If you've read DC Comics' Batman, this should sound very familiar.
Good old Gotham City—city of heroes and villains.
These plots and settings aren't invented from thin air—they're based entirely on reality."
"How is that possible?"
Beth Harmon frowned, looking at Chuck with complete incomprehension. "If that's acceptable, then anyone who commits murder could just fake being mentally ill. Wouldn't society collapse into chaos?"
"If something exists, there's a reason for it,"
Paige laughed. "Not everyone qualifies as mentally ill. Only the wealthy and powerful who commit crimes can develop this convenient illness.
It's just one of the privileges reserved for a tiny elite at the very top of society.
Most ordinary people, unless they're extremely lucky or have Oscar-worthy acting skills, simply can't convince a jury.
Fake mental illness?
Ask them if they're even qualified."
As she said this, she gave Monica a knowing half-smile.
"..."
Monica's lips twitched. Having spent considerable time with Paige, she immediately understood the subtext.
This was another of Paige's classic observations that had unsettled her before: "Super-geniuses all have mental disorders, and there are several in our immediate circle!"
She secretly decided that when she saw Joey again, she'd warn him to be careful about his relationship with Paige's mother, Linda.
Because if Esther—this fake child prodigy and fake genius—could commit murder and arson yet still be so difficult to convict, imagine what a real child prodigy and real genius like Paige could do.
Not only would Paige be nearly impossible to detect if she truly wanted to commit a crime, but even if discovered, her age, her appearance, her intelligence, and her acting skills would give her a high probability of acquittal.
If Paige ever went villain, that would be truly terrifying!
"What should we do?"
Linda asked fearfully.
"Don't worry, Chuck's here!"
Monica reassured her. "He'll definitely put Esther in prison."
"Don't forget—you're the one with money and power now."
Paige glanced sideways at her, looking down on Linda with obvious disdain.
"I..."
Linda was stunned, then appeared thoughtful.
Before, controlled by her manipulative husband, she hadn't truly grasped what this identity meant.
But now that her husband was dead, his assets were hers, plus the $10 million life insurance payout. With tens of millions in assets, she was legitimately wealthy even by American standards.
And America is precisely that kind of society where 'money talks'!
Chuck ignored their conversation, immediately went downstairs, and drove to the prosecutor's office.
Randy and the prosecutor met with Chuck and showed him newly submitted video evidence from Harrison Powell's defense preparation.
The law requires that evidence submission be disclosed in advance to allow the judge and both prosecution and defense sufficient time to evaluate the evidence's reliability and determine how to address it.
"Chuck, take a look,"
Randy said, playing the video.
It showed a private attorney-client meeting room in the detention facility.
Harrison Powell had arranged for the evidence-gathering camera to record as he began talking to Esther.
The previously manic and ruthless Esther now appeared timid and frightened on camera, like a cornered animal. Guided by Harrison's questioning, she delivered a crucial piece of information:
"I don't know what happened. I don't even know why I was there... but I'm actually used to it, because this kind of thing has happened before..."
"Dr. Wolfe, you saw it."
After Chuck finished watching the evidence video, the prosecutor shook his head. "Harrison clearly wants Esther to fake dissociative identity disorder.
One personality is the innocent her, and the other is responsible for the crimes.
And because the innocent personality frequently experiences memory loss, she knows nothing about the criminal alter.
This isn't exactly a novel defense strategy!
But this time it's particularly troublesome.
There's no getting around it.
You saw it yourself.
This Esther is a natural-born actress!
If I didn't trust you and Randy, and set aside my preconceptions, I'd actually doubt whether it might be genuine.
And if even I feel this way, imagine how jury members will react.
In court, we can repeatedly remind the jury and judge that she isn't actually a child, so they shouldn't view her committing such heinous crimes through that lens.
But ordinary people's judgments aren't based on logic—they're based on emotion.
Someone like her, even without pleading not guilty, might actually sway some jurors and be acquitted.
In the past, Harrison would definitely have gone for a not-guilty plea.
He probably only switched strategies because this case involves you, Dr. Wolfe."
(End of Chapter)
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