While the committee deliberated behind closed doors, the professor tinkered with Prosecution Exhibit I. She juggled spots, sketched prisms and scribbled labels. Exhibit I (variation):
The professor daydreamed Spade five led against 3N, to the queen and ace. A heart to the king and partner's ace. I signal even hearts. My like disclosed pair -spades and hearts; my single suit -clubs. Partner's spade nine holds. My LO jack wins the spade continuation. Partner gets it: Me...odd clubs. Odd Prism. Declarer...even clubs..3=3=3=4. On the spade king East's discards the diamond four -even single suit. I exit a diamond and partner gives count -odd diamonds...and spades. On the next diamond East plays LO. I get it:
A tidy prism syllogism. On declarer's last diamond I discard a heart and save clubs. The professor's harbored nightmare doubts about prism first discards. That inefficient diamond four. Maybe first discards should give count not parity. Let's see, if I switch round threes... "All rise!" The chairman herded the committee in and summarily announced the verdict. "We find Ms.Peep guilty as charged. Have you anything to say before I pronounce sentence ...Dearie?" He took a long, smug drag and exhaled. Second-hand smoke shrouded the professor. A murmured riddle drifted from the cloud. "Declarer shows out. Every spot, say first, middle and lo, known. Lo says 'This is my single suit.' Otherwise echo. And... "Middle first. All is revealed. Lo and behold the echo. First will be last, last first." Slam! The chairman's gavel crashed, punctuating a cruel and unusual sentence: fifteen years to life at hard labor, developing and implementing espoused defensive principles...prism time.
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