MEL REYNOLDS . . . WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION

After recanting her allegations of underage sex with Congressman Mel Reynolds, then spending a week in jail for refusing to testify against him, Beverly Heard took the stand to restate her original accusation thatReynolds had sex with her when she was 16. Looking nervous but determined, Heard -- testifying under a guarantee of immunity -- told the court that she and Reynolds had sex two or three times a week over a period of several months beginning in June, 1992. Sometimes, she told a crowded Chicago courtroom, Reynolds paid her $50 for sexual intercourse, sometimes $100; when Reynolds called her at home, she referred to him as "Stan" to disguise his identity from her family. On at least one occasion, Heard said, another Reynolds aide, Sophia Green, joined Reynolds and Heard in bed. Why the repeated flip flops on Heard's story? "There are any number of rumors flying around Chicago, which is finding the titillation of this case irresistible," says TIME Chicago correspondent Julie Grace. "Some say she's still in love with him, some say she fears she's in danger, and some say a large amount of money is involved, but there are many other rumors as well." Today is the only day Heard was scheduled to testify.