Both Sides of the Story

BOTH SIDES OF THE STORY

TRANSCRIPT

Date: May 26, 2021

Time: 08:32

Interviewer #1: Detective Terry Waits

Interviewer #2: Detective Carlos Ito

DET. WAITS: Could you identify yourself for the record, please.

PANDORA: I’m Pandora and this is my twin, Angelica.

ANGELICA: We’re identical twins. In fact, we’re mirror twins. That means that we look identical, but mirror each other.

PANDORA: Right. So Ang is right-handed, and I’m left-handed.

ANGELICA: And Dora’s hair parts on the left, and mine parts on the right.

PANDORA: And if you watch us walk, I lead with my left foot, and Ang leads with her right.

ANGELICA: I sleep on my right, and Dora sleeps on her left."

PANDORA: Exactly. We are mirror twins. It’s like we’re the same person, but we’re looking in a mirror at each other.

ANGELICA: Except we’re different in the way we act."

PANDORA: That’s right. Our parents always said that we were the extremes."

ANGELICA: That if you put us together, we would be one normal person."

PANDORA: A normal person. I don’t think that there is anything like a normal person.

ANGELICA: Maybe, but our parents said that together we were grey, but Pandora was all black and I was all white.

PANDORA: Nice way to set up your kids, right? Paint them as mirror images but one good daughter and the other an evil daughter. Even our names reflect that. Angelica — all sweet, and loving, and God’s fair messenger. Then Pandora — the one who opened the jar containing all the evil and misery, and unleashed it on the world — which is apparently me. And, according to my parents, an apt description.

ANGELICA: I don’t think they meant that. Do you? Or maybe they did. [Pause] Unfortunately, our parents aren’t here anymore, so you can’t ask them. It’s just the two of us now.

PANDORA: Yeah, too bad. But I believe our naming was intentional. I believe that they thought that I was evil, and Ang was goodness, and they raised us that way.

ANGELICA: That’s can’t be. Can it? They didn’t even know us when we were born. I’m not sure that they could determine our being so early in our lives. Or maybe they knew us better than we thought. Our mother carried us for nine months, so maybe she had an inkling. I’m not really sure. But maybe, right?

PANDORA: I think it was one hundred percent nurture — they treated us the way they thought we would turn out, based on our names.. Angelica always was treated like she was made of porcelain. Me, not so much. 

ANGELICA: That’s not true, is it?

PANDORA: Come on Ang. Think about it. You were always told that you were good. I was always told that I was rotten — that I was a bad seed.

ANGELICA: I guess that’s true. I just hadn’t considered it.

PANDORA: Shoulda. It would have been better for everyone concerned.

ANGELICA: Maybe. I guess. I don’t know. I think everything was good, considering.

PANDORA: Considering what Ang? Considering the fact that I was always being vilified? When they spoke to us, who did they always compliment? Not me. When we went shopping, who did they buy stuff for? Not me. But when something — anything — went wrong in the house, who did they blame? Me.

ANGELICA: Is that true? I’m not sure. I guess it could be true. I hadn’t noticed that.

PANDORA: It is. How about when the cat got out, and was hit by a car? Who was blamed?

ANGELICA: You.

PANDORA: How about when some kids were playing baseball across the street, and the window got broken? Who was blamed?

ANGELICA: You.

PANDORA: How about when someone forgot to pay the Visa bill, and Father had to pay interest? Who was blamed?

ANGELICA: You.

PANDORA: Anything — absolutely anything — that went wrong, or was broken, or just happened, I got blamed for it. It was always my fault. I can’t stress that too much. Always my fault.

ANGELICA: That’s true. I think. Maybe. [Pause] I must have gotten in trouble for something, growing up, don’t you think?

PANDORA: Name one time you got in trouble from Mother and Father. One time they blamed you for anything? Just one time. Come on, Ang, just one time.

ANGELICA: [Pause} I can’t actually think of anything I ever got blamed for. Huh. I never realized that. That’s what you’re saying, right?

PANDORA: That’s what I’m saying.

ANGELICA: It doesn’t seem right, does it? [Pause] Or maybe it is right. I can’t really decide. I could have been good all the time. It’s possible, right?

PANDORA: [Suspect looks directly at the camera.] That’s the problem. She can’t really decide. About anything. Ever.

ANGELICA: That’s not very nice, Pandora. I can make decisions. Sometimes. Okay, rarely. But you and Mommy and Daddy always made my decisions for me. I never had to make a decision. Someone always chose which clothes I wore, what food I ate, where I went, what I did. That made it so much easier for me. Now that Mommy and Daddy aren’t here, I will have to start making my own decisions. It’s not going to be easy, you know. I’m probably going to struggle. But, I’m not indecisive — I’m just like everyone else, because making decisions is hard!

PANDORA: Please stop whining, Angelica. Please. Stop. Whining.

ANGELICA: You don’t have to be mean to me, Pandora. That’s not why we’re here, is it? I’m sure it’s not so you can be mean to me.

PANDORA: No, Ang. We’re here to talk to the police about what happened to Mother and Father. They think that one of us had something to do with their deaths.

ANGELICA: What? I’m pretty sure I didn’t have anything to do with their deaths, Dora. I’m a good child. Only a horrible child would hurt their parents.

PANDORA: Horrible? Like me?

ANGELICA: Oh, no. I wouldn’t say that. Ever. It’s just …

PANDORA: Just what, Ang?

ANGELICA: Well, you know . . . [Pause] Mommy and Daddy always said that if something bad happens—

PANDORA: —it’s Pandora’ fault. I know. But, I didn’t have anything to do with the fire.

ANGELICA: Fire? Fire! There was a fire! That’s horrible! How could you do that?

PANDORA: I didn’t do anything, Angelica. And stop saying that I did. And what is the matter with you? And you knew there was a fire. We were both there.

ANGELICA: You’re always so impulsive. Someone makes you angry, and you punch them in the nose—

PANDORA: Once, and I was in grade two.

ANGELICA: You give people the finger when you drive—

PANDORA: Like every other driver on the planet. And what do you know about that? You don’t even drive. You couldn’t decide whether or not to take the test.

ANGELICA: Last Christmas you just stomped out of the house, and left. Who leaves on Christmas Day? That’s so rude. [Pause] I think it’s rude, and you shouldn’t have done it.

PANDORA: I was rude? Me? Mother just told me that I was a bad seed, and suggested that I have myself voluntarily sterilized. Who says that to their daughter? On Christmas morning? A monster, that’s who!

ANGELICA: Oh Pandora, stop saying mean things about Mommy and Daddy. Please stop. They aren’t here anymore. Don’t speak ill of the dead.

PANDORA: Well, yes, they are dead, but I will speak about them any way that I want. [Pause] You were angry at them, as well, Ang.

ANGELICA: I wasn’t angry. Not really. Just a bit miffed. You know, they wanted me to, you know, decide some stuff.

PANDORA: Right. Like what you’re going to do with your life. And where are you going to live, because — and I quote, here — “It’s time for you to spread your wings, and go out into the world and conquer it.” Unlike me, who they told to get out. No wing spreading, no conquering. Just get out.

ANGELICA: But I wasn’t angry. I was just stressed because I couldn’t make up my mind. School — what school? Where to live — way too many choices. And they wanted me to make up my mind, like, right now. I couldn’t. They didn’t have to push me , did they? I don’t think so. I wasn’t hurting anyone just staying at home. It was all okay. I was happy.

PANDORA: I don’t know why you’d be content to stay there. It’s so dysfunctional.

ANGELICA: Only when you’re there, Dora. You’re the one that makes everything weird.

PANDORA: True. But I wasn’t there when the fire started. You were. What happened, Ang?

ANGELICA: Nothing. I swear. It was all fine.

PANDORA: Really?

ANGELICA: Really. I was in my room, trying to make some lists about what I want to do in the future. Mommy said that lists might help me make some decisions. Daddy told me that he does it all the time, especially for stuff at work. So, I figured, What the heck? How hard can it be? So I sat down, and started making lists. But none of them were very good, and I was getting frustrated. I had a bunch of half-finished, discarded lists all balled up, on the carpet. I’d been working on this for hours. It was after midnight, and I was completely stressed out. So I decided to light a couple of candles. You know, to calm me down. I was just sitting there, trying to meditate. Then I guess I knocked one of the candles over, and it went into the pile of balled up paper, and a fire started. At first I didn’t realized what I had done. Then when I realized that my floor was on fire I started to panic because I didn’t know what to do. I jumped up, and ran to get some water. But what if it didn’t work? Then I thought I should stomp on it, but by then it was really flaming — my carpet and bedspread were on fire. So I thought, maybe I should get out. But I couldn’t decide what I should bring with me. It was getting really, really hot, so I grabbed my phone, and ran. I couldn’t stay in my room, or I would have burned up. And I didn’t want that. 

By the time I decided to get out, the fire was on the walls and ceiling. I thought about getting Mommy and Daddy out, but they were sleeping, and I wasn’t sure that I should wake them up. I figured that the smoke detector would wake them up, but it wasn’t going yet. So I went outside, and decided to call Mommy and Daddy, but I didn’t know who to call first — Mommy or Daddy. I finally decided on Mommy because Daddy has that sleep apnea machine, and he wouldn’t hear the phone. By that time I could see the flames in all the upstairs windows. I hoped that Mommy and Daddy had gotten out, so I called to tell them that I was safe, but they didn’t answer their phones.

PANDORA: Why didn’t you call nine-one-one?

ANGELICA: I couldn’t decide who to call first — Mommy and Daddy or nine-one-one. It was really scary. By the time I had tried Mommy and Daddy’s phones, the fire trucks were already here, and I didn’t have to call them.

PANDORA: Ang, you let our parents die in a fire. You could have helped them."

ANGELICA: It wasn’t that easy, Dora. I couldn’t decide what to do. I was panicked.

PANDORA: So, I didn’t kill them.

ANGELICA: Neither did I. It was an accident.

PANDORA: Sure, but it was your accident. Because you can’t make up your mind. Who to call? What to do? God, Angelica, you’re hopeless.

ANGELICA: STOP BEING MEAN! I didn’t want anyone to die! Not really!

*****

"Well that was unnerving,” said Detective Carlos Ito. They had just finished the interview, and were headed back to the surveillance room to watch the suspect from the main monitor.

“Very unnerving,” said Detective Terry Waits. She sat down at the monitor. “It was like she interviewed herself.”

“I think it’s got to be the most unusual interview yet,” said Ito.

“It certainly was,” concurred Waits.

Ito looked at the monitor, which showed the suspect sitting alone in the interrogation room, head swivelling left and right, lips moving. "She’s never going to trial, is she?"

"Nope, not in this lifetime," said Waits 

Both detectives turned toward the door as the police psychiatrist, Dr. Aurora Belkins, walked into the room. She’d been watching the interview from behind the one-way glass in the observation room.

“Hi Terry, Carlos. I’m glad you called me for this.”

“Hey, Aurora.” said Waits.

“Doc,” said Ito.

Dr. Belkins walked towards Waits and Ito so that she could watch the monitor with the detectives.

"Unless I’m mistaken, this woman — " Dr. Belkins looked at her notes, "Kathleen Dorian — is suffering from Dissociative Identity Disorder,” she said.

"Like multiple personalities?" asked Waits.

"Yes. Exactly. It used to be known as Multiple Personality Disorder, or Split Personality Disorder. New name, same condition.”

Waits looked at the doctor. "Do you think she’s faking it?"

"I don’t think so. I’m not a specialist in D.I.D., but she showed all of the symptoms. What I’m not sure of is whether her condition is been ongoing and currently being treated, or if she’s had a psychotic due to the fact that she may have caused the fire which resulted in her parents' death, and the Angelica and Pandora personalities are the result. But she’s going to need a full psych work-up. And it should be done in the hospital, where they have the doctors best able to help her.”

Ito looked back at the monitor. "Did you see the way she kept swinging her head left for Pandora and right for Angelica? It was way creepy. She never messed up — she always looked right for Angelica, and left for Pandora. I think she really thought that there were two of her."

"She has two completely different people in her mind," said Dr. Belkins. "They are in charge, and right now, she’s just a spectator."

“She almost looked like she was following a conversation between two other people, and she was in the middle. Even though she was doing all the talking.”

Waits spoke up. “Pandora was decisive, bold, tough, but kinda mean. Angelica was indecisive, well-behaved, and couldn’t — literally — make a decision, to save her life." She paused. "Did you notice when Pandora was speaking, it was Mother and Father, instead of the Mommy and Daddy Angelica used. It was so distinct.”

"You’re right, Terry. These two personalities are very different from one another. But it was interesting that they were sisters. Usually, with D.I.D., the personalities are strangers living in one person’s mind,” said Dr. Belkins. “My best guess is that they are how Kathleen sees herself — as both Angelica and Pandora. It’s almost like she needs both personalities to understand and validate her own behaviour."

Waits nodded. "But, is what she says true? About the fire?”

"Yes I suspect that it is. She’s just breaking her actions down between the two personalities, and laying the blame at their feet, not her own."

‘So, she was responsible for the fire?" asked Waits. 

Dr. Belkins nodded. “More than likely.”

“And it was either a terrible accident, or a malicious act,” said Waits. Dr. Belkins nodded again. “But, we’ll never know, for sure, which it was?” said Waits.

“No. Probably not" said the doctor.