“I didn’t know that the disk was stolen!” Alice protested frantically. “I didn’t even know what was on it until it was too late!”
The judge positioned himself behind her and touched her rump with the cane, gauging the distance. “Every day, I sentence felons whose guilt is obvious to all. They are dragged from my courtroom protesting their innocence. Ignorance of the law is no excuse.”
The cane whickered, and Alice was jolted by the impact. Fire followed, a ball of pain that grew.
“Every mental patient is convinced of his own sanity,” said the judge. “They blame everything on those who plot against them.”
The second stroke was lower. It found the thin skin where bottom met thigh, rapping against the padlock dangling from her labia and making it swing. Alice sang a rising note.
“Don’t y
