"I wish I didn't have to do this... It was supposed to be a simple operation..."
*BANG*
"Wait... That was...!"
*BANG*
*SPLASH*
"Who's there...?! Ah! Is that...?!"
"I wish it didn't have to come to this, but this is what you get."
January 26
Defendant Lobby No. 1
9:35 AM
Deirdre Brigit
I found myself tapping my foot impatiently on the ground before me as I sat on the couch. I shot a sideways glance at Mr. Morix, silently begging him to find something to talk about. He didn't seem to notice, instead looking over the case file we had been handed half an hour ago for what felt like the hundredth time.
My name is Deirdre Brigit. I work as an attorney at Morix Law Offices, an agency focused on finding clients innocent in court. The owner, Mr. Cotoli Morix, is the one helping me out with this case. Of course, his help would probably be much more helpful if either of us knew what we were doing...
"Do you know where she is?" I asked of him.
"I'm afraid not. I don't know any more than you do," Mr. Morix told me with a shake of his head. "She should be here soon though. I can't imagine the defendant would be this late to her own trial."
"Sorry we're late."
I looked up when I heard the voice. A tall man was standing there with a rugged and tired smile on his face. There was a girl at his side. She had short blonde hair and wore a white lab coat over a purple shirt. She had pale blue jeans on with white tennis shoes. Her eyes were blue and distant from behind her violet glasses. I noticed her fingers, which were hidden by black gloves, were intertwined tightly.
"Hey there, Detective Erikson," Mr. Morix said with a smile, rising to his feet. "I'm glad to see you."
"I'm sorry it took us so long. The traffic was awful," Detective Erikson explained. "At least I got her here on time. I know you don't have much time to ask for details, but it's something, right?"
"We appreciate it regardless," Mr. Morix assured him. "You must be Aria Claris."
The young girl looked up silently. Despite appearing to be about my age, she was half a foot shorter at least. When we met eyes, a flash of recognition crossed her eyes. Something about her felt familiar to me too, but I didn't make any blatant remarks on the matter.
"I'll leave you three to talk," Detective Erikson told us before walking away. "Trial starts in twenty minutes," he managed to call over his shoulder before leaving earshot.
I looked down at the young woman, Aria Claris, it seemed, and smiled gently in hopes of consoling her. "What have you been charged with?" I asked gently.
"Murder," Ms. Claris answered bluntly.
I glanced over to Mr. Morix, praying he had something to say to me on the matter. I hadn't been given the chance to look over the case's details, and from what I could tell, the file he had didn't contain much information anyways. He didn't respond, instead shrugging loosely.
We had been assigned to this case a few hours after closing time the day before. Mr. Morix had called me at nine to say we had a trial to take care of. I didn't know anything about it, as apparently the case was open and shut. We had been given the case last minute when the previous lawyers bailed and said they couldn't do it.
Unfortunately, because we were given the case so late, we didn't have time to investigate. We were going in blind. The last time something like this had happened, it had been when Lily, one of my coworkers, was trying to solve a murder involving a stabbing and an arson. At the very least, Mr. Morix knew what he was doing at the time, but in this case, we didn't even know the name of the murder victim. All we knew was that somebody had died and our client, Ms. Claris, was being accused of it.
"What do you know about the case? Who are you being accused of killing?" I prompted, hoping it would be enough to get an answer out of her.
"Her name is Flora Rensicks. She was a teacher at a college near here," Ms. Claris replied. Her tone was deadpan, her face blank. She almost looked more robot than human.
"What was your relationship with the victim like? How did you two know each other?" I questioned.
"She was doing me a favor. I was doing her a favor. It doesn't go further than that," Ms. Claris answered. "I don't even know why they think I killed her. I barely knew her. We had only been talking for a few days."
"Where was the crime scene?" I asked next. "How did the victim die?"
Ms. Claris opened her mouth to speak, but she was ultimately cut off when the familiar voice of a bailiff rang out. "The trial will be starting in less than five minutes!" he declared.
I looked to Ms. Claris and Mr. Morix. Ms. Claris didn't meet my gaze, instead sharing a telling stare with Mr. Morix for no more than three seconds before walking quickly towards the door.
Mr. Morix watched her disappear before turning to me. "I suppose she's just shy," he proposed.
"Shy or not, I was hoping we could get a few other details out of her," I sighed. "I guess it will have to wait for the trial."
"The prosecution should be willing to fill us in. I asked for that favor in advance," Mr. Morix assured me. "Come on. There's no point in loitering around out here. We have a job to do, don't we?"
I nodded my agreement and followed him into the courtroom. I had no idea what this trial held, but I was already getting nervous about the outcome due to our lack of knowledge.
January 26
Courtroom No. 1
10:00 AM
Deirdre Brigit
When we arrived in the courtroom, I glanced around it silently. It had been months since I was last in here. Cases had slowed down dramatically since my previous endeavors regarding a murder at Interpol. We had barely gotten anything since then. While the aura of the courtroom was unfamiliar, part of it was somewhat cozy at the same time. It felt good to be back, even if the feeling of knowing what I was doing had long since abandoned me.
The prosecution on the other side of the courtroom was made up of two women. I recognized them both. One was Prosecutor Polly Burke, Mr. Morix's current girlfriend. They had been together for two years, I had learned recently, though he masked it rather well. While she was stern, she had a caring heart beneath that rough façade.
The other woman was Mr. Morix's younger sister, Prosecutor Sora Lin. We had met many months ago, but I had never seen her in court. She appeared to be the leader of this case, so I was going to have to figure out her angle while simultaneously learning details about the murder. In other words, I was likely in for a challenge.
The judge, one Ophani Diaphan, sat in her regular seat high above the rest of the courtroom. Her mask shone dully in the overhead lighting as she played around with her gavel mindlessly. She watched in silence as the defendant took the witness stand.
Once Ms. Claris was in place, Judge Diaphan spoke. "Court is now in session for the trial of Aria Claris," she announced. "Are the defense and prosecution ready?"
I looked over to Mr. Morix, who nodded silently, before giving my reply. "The defense is ready, Your Honor."
"The prosecution is also ready," Prosecutor Lin declared. It felt odd seeing her in such a solemn setting. Prosecutor Lin was normally such a bubbly and friendly woman. It was something new entirely to see her act so down to earth and serious.
"Prosecutor Lin, please give your opening statement to the court," Judge Diaphan announced, getting right down to business.
Prosecutor Lin nodded and picked up a piece of paper. I could see through its thin surface with the help of the bright overhead lights. I couldn't read the tiny words scratched onto the page, but I could tell there were a lot of them. "The defendant is one Aria Claris. She is being accused of the murder of Flora Rensicks. The crime took place yesterday at the local Blackgate Community College. The victim was shot to death in a room overlooking the gymnasium of the school. Here, I have a diagram of the scene of the crime."
Prosecutor Lin approached the defense bench where Mr. Morix and I were standing to hand us a map. She met my eyes for a brief moment. I saw something in her gaze that said something serious was taking place, but I didn't speak on it. Instead, I turned my attention to the map.
"The gymnasium of Blackgate is on the larger side. The main area is where sports are played. There are bleachers that can fold out for sporting events. However, at the time of the crime, the bleachers were shut, so they're shut in this diagram as well," Prosecutor Lin continued. "At the top, you can see a small square room. That's the commentary area where students in the broadcasting department watch games and talk about them for when the games hit live TV. Only broadcasting students and members of the staff are allowed up here ordinarily."
"If that's the case, how did the defendant get up there?" I asked with a frown. I didn't know much about this case due to our lack of investigation time, but from what I could tell, Ms. Claris wasn't a student or teacher at the school. She seemed far too young to be the latter, and she would have told us if she attended the school for sure.
"The defendant has a special relation with the victim. About a month ago, Ms. Claris approached the victim and asked for her help in analyzing something. The victim was one of the forensic science teachers at the school and would be able to help her should she need any pieces of evidence looked at with a scientific viewpoint. The victim agreed to help her, but only if she did a favor for her in return. Since the victim was in charge of the graduation ceremony taking place the day of the crime, she asked for the defendant to help her set up the auditorium for graduation," Prosecutor Lin went on.
"In a nutshell, the victim needed help with decorations, and in exchange for having something analyzed, the defendant helped her," Prosecutor Burke cut in.
"Their relationship should have been built off mutual benefits, but in the end, something happened to make it crumble. The defendant grew impatient with how long it was taking the victim to analyze her evidence. Apparently, the day before the crime, she asked the victim to return her evidence to her, but the victim refused. We believe this to be the motive," Prosecutor Lin declared.
"What is this mysterious piece of evidence the defendant wanted analyzed?" Judge Diaphan asked.
"We aren't sure. We pressed the defendant on it excessively yesterday, but she refused to say a word. She said she never got it back though. The victim supposedly still had it last time she was aware," Prosecutor Burke replied.
"They seemed to get along up until the day before the crime in other words... It's certainly something to keep in mind, though I highly doubt the defendant committed this crime," Mr. Morix remarked.
"What makes you say that?" I questioned.
"I looked over the details of the file we were given earlier. There wasn't a picture of the crime scene, but there were details regarding the victim. Apparently, she was a foot taller than the defendant. Somehow, I doubt a small girl like Ms. Claris would have been able to overpower her," Mr. Morix answered.
"The prosecution now presents the photo of the crime scene to the court," announced Prosecutor Burke. "We also have a copy of the autopsy report for observation purposes."
When we got our hands on the picture and autopsy report, Mr. Morix and I decided to look at the picture first. It was of a woman with dark brown hair collapsed on the ground. She was splayed on the ground with a prominent wound on her chest. There was writing beside her that spelled out 'CLARIS' in bold, bloodied letters. A gun was discarded at her side.
"The victim died to a gunshot wound to the chest at point blank range. A bullet hit her heart and killed her instantly," Prosecutor Burke announced. "We believe the defendant entered the room overlooking the gymnasium and shot her to death."
"It's worth noting though that there were two shots fired from the gun used to kill her. One of them hit the window behind her, shattering the glass. The second shot hit the victim and killed her. The gun didn't have any fingerprints on it, as they were all wiped away," Prosecutor Lin continued. "The remaining four bullets were all found within the gun, so there's no way any other bullets were fired at the time of the crime or otherwise."
"Are there any witnesses to the crime?" I asked next.
"There are two. There's Clarith Blake, who saw the defendant exit the gymnasium near the time of the crime. Next, there's Denton Barr, who also saw something relating to the crime," Prosecutor Burke replied. "However, we'll get to them soon enough. Our first testimony won't come from either one of them. We'll be having the detective assigned to the case, Detective Erikson, testify first to offer us with some details regarding the murder."
"May we call him now, Your Honor?" Prosecutor Lin asked, looking up to Judge Diaphan with an innocent smile.
"Go right ahead," nodded Judge Diaphan.
"The prosecution calls Detective Toby Erikson to the witness stand," Prosecutor Lin declared, pointing triumphantly to the stand.
Upon hearing his name, Detective Erikson made his way to the stand. He looked to Prosecutor Burke, waiting for her to prompt him further. I knew exactly what statement he was waiting for.
"Please state your name and occupation for the court record," Prosecutor Burke instructed when they met eyes. She was behaving much more professionally than the bright and chipper Prosecutor Lin standing at her side, that was for sure.
"My name is Toby Erikson. I work as a homicide detective at the local precinct," Detective Erikson answered. "I'm working as the lead detective on this case."
"Please tell the court about the events we believe led up to the crime," Prosecutor Lin told him.
"I'll get right to it," Detective Erikson nodded before beginning his testimony.
~ Witness Testimony ~
~ Breakdown of the Case ~
-"The murder took place at the local Blackgate Community College, specifically in the room overlooking the gym."
-"The victim, Flora Rensicks, was doing a favor for the defendant by analyzing evidence for her."
-"When the suspect asked for the evidence back, the victim denied her and kept it."
-"In a desperate bid to get the evidence back, the defendant shot her to death with a gun."
-"She took the evidence off the victim and left her to die."
-"The victim managed to write her killer's name in blood before succumbing to her wounds."
"And we still don't know what this mysterious piece of evidence is?" Judge Diaphan asked with a frown.
"I'm afraid not. The defendant claims it is irrelevant to the case and refuses to say what it is," Detective Erikson explained.
"Will anything change your mind about telling us?" Prosecutor Lin asked, turning her attention to the defendant.
Ms. Claris shook her head. "It's not related to the case. I don't even know where it is. It's hard to explain without showing it off anyways... I don't have it. You would have known it if you found it on the body, so I'm going to assume it's missing," she said solemnly. Her monotone speech only made her seem more robotic than before.
"Can you at least try and tell us what it is?" Judge Diaphan pushed.
"Perhaps we should let the defense examine the testimony first," suggested Prosecutor Burke. "We'll have more time to ask about the mystery evidence later on."
~ Cross-Examination ~
~ Breakdown of the Case ~
-"The murder took place at the local Blackgate Community College, specifically in the room overlooking the gym."
-"The victim, Flora Rensicks, was doing a favor for the defendant by analyzing evidence for her."
-"When the suspect asked for the evidence back, the victim denied her and kept it."
-"In a desperate bid to get the evidence back, the defendant shot her to death with a gun."
-"She took the evidence off the victim and left her to die."
-"The victim managed to write her killer's name in blood before succumbing to her wounds."
"Objection!"
I couldn't help but smirk to myself as I pulled out the autopsy report beneath the pile of papers I had regarding the case. Granted, it was a small pile, but it was something. "The victim couldn't have possibly written the defendant's name in blood," I declared.
"And why not?" asked Detective Erikson.
"It says in the autopsy report that the victim died instantly. The gunshot wound killed her right away, so she wouldn't have been able to write the defendant's name. I propose that somebody is trying to frame my client for killing the victim. After all, it would make no logical sense for her to write her own name in blood if she killed the victim. It would only make her look suspicious, and it would likely prove itself to be damning evidence if somebody managed to overlook the autopsy report," I explained.
"I suppose it would make sense if somebody framed her," murmured Mr. Morix. "After all, we believe in our clients. She wouldn't kill anybody."
"You seem to believe in her despite barely knowing her," I commented softly.
"You should do the same, Deirdre. It's a matter of what we know about the case and its details. The people surrounding the murder point to why we should believe in our client. I can't give you all the answers right now, but I have faith you'll figure it out eventually," he answered with a small smile.
I didn't ask him for clarification on what he meant, as I got the feeling that since he had resolved to keep this secret to himself, he wasn't going to be opening up to anyone. Only his sisters could worm information like that out of him, and from the way he was talking, I already got the feeling Prosecutor Lin knew.
"If the defendant and victim didn't write the name in blood, then who do you propose did it? I need a name," Prosecutor Burke pushed with narrowed eyes and a harsh glare.
I opened my mouth to speak, but a hand on my shoulder from Mr. Morix had me pausing. "We don't have any details that could point to a true culprit," he told me. "She's trying to bait you into saying something you'll regret later. I've gone up against her in court enough to know how her gambits work."
"I suppose we'll need to just wait and see if a potential culprit makes themselves known," I said.
"I agree. I already see a contradiction in the facts. I don't know how we can propose it with this testimony though. We'll need to talk to someone else to bring that detail into the light," Mr. Morix went on.
"Is there somebody you want to speak with in particular?" I questioned.
"As a matter of fact, yes. The prosecution mentioned there were two witnesses to this case. We can speak to either Clarith Blake or Denton Barr. We got more details about the testimony details of Clarith Blake. I think we should start with her," Mr. Morix explained.
"What are you whispering about over there?" Prosecutor Burke cut in.
"The defense wishes to speak with another witness regarding the case," I said firmly.
"Oh? Who is it you want to talk to?" Prosecutor Lin asked with a tilt of her head.
"We would like to call Clarith Blake to the witness stand," I announced.
Prosecutor Lin looked to Detective Erikson. "Is that alright with you? Are you okay with handing over the stand to someone else so soon?" she questioned.
Detective Erikson nodded. "Of course. You know what you're doing. I trust you'll find the truth," he replied. He walked away from the witness stand, sharing a peculiar look with Ms. Claris as he passed by. She stared at him, her features bearing no expression, and he frowned in return before taking his place near the prosecution bench.
Not long after, a young woman appeared in his place. She was short in stature, being about the same height as our mysterious and silent client. She had white hair that fell down her back and reached her waist. She had a white dress on with black flats. Her eyes were hidden behind dark sunglasses. She had a pale gray jacket on that fell over her hands, which were hidden by black fingerless gloves. I couldn't tell if she was meeting my eyes, but she seemed pretty interested in me and Mr. Morix for whatever reason.
"Please state your name and occupation for the court," Prosecutor Lin demanded, tapping her nails on the prosecution bench.
"C-Clarith Blake... I-I'm a intern at Blackgate Community College..." the girl replied, fiddling around with the fingers on her gloves.
"You wanted to call her to the witness stand. Do you have any questions for her before she starts talking?" Prosecutor Burke asked, crossing her arms.
"I have one," Mr. Morix spoke up. "I want to know why there was a graduation celebration taking place in January. Don't most schools get out of session in April or May?"
"Oh, I can explain that... Blackgate works off a semester schedule rather than a full year... There are some students who finish up their time there in the first semester of a year... Of course, the ceremony had to be pushed back this year due to snow days that halted our progression... It's an odd time, but it couldn't be helped," Ms. Blake answered. It was difficult to hear her above the whispers of the courtroom. I hoped she would try and speak up for her official testimony, as it would be nearly impossible to hear her if she didn't. My sense of hearing had always been strong, so if even I was having trouble hearing something, it was certainly an issue.
"Anything else?" Prosecutor Burke asked.
Mr. Morix tapped my shoulder before pointing to something on the defense bench. I frowned. "Is this... the diagram of the gymnasium?" I questioned in a hushed tone.
"Yes. I want you to look over it. Remember how I mentioned I had noticed a contradiction but didn't know how to point it out? I think we'll be able to bring it to light with Ms. Blake's testimony and this diagram. Give it a few moments. I'm sure you'll see an issue with it when she's done explaining what she saw," he explained softly.
"Defense?" Prosecutor Burke prompted impatiently.
"Sorry about that. We had to discuss something briefly. We're back," Mr. Morix assured her, a relaxed smile on his face.
Prosecutor Burke's tension seemed to melt away when she noticed how calm he was. "Alright. I get it. Witness, it's time for you to begin your testimony. Tell us about what you saw the time of the murder, okay?" she said, turning her attention towards Ms. Blake.
"I'll get right to it," Ms. Blake nodded.
~ Witness Testimony ~
~ Seeing the Defendant ~
-"I was helping Ms. Rensicks out with the graduation ceremony..."
-"I've been interning with her for a semester now, and she wanted my help, even if I don't go there yet."
-"I was carrying a few streamers over to the auditorium when I saw her..."
-"Aria was leaving the gymnasium with blood on her hand!"
-"She didn't see me... She was shaking and seemed out of it..."
-"I could smell the blood radiating from her... And I managed to catch something off her..."
"You saw the defendant leaving the crime scene with blood on her hand?" I asked, a frown on my face. This was already shaping up to be a disaster.
"Yeah... I did. She looked pale too," Ms. Blake responded, fingering with the edge of her hair. "I didn't think this was the case at the time, but I guess she was nervous because of the killing..."
I turned to Mr. Morix with a frown. "I don't understand. What does the diagram have to do with this?" I questioned in a hiss. I looked down at the diagram, praying internally it would grant me a hint as to what Mr. Morix had been talking about all this time. It appeared there were two exits from the gymnasium, one from the upper room and one from the lower area where games took place. Unlike most gymnasiums, there wasn't an exit on either side. Instead, there was just the sole bottom floor exit at the southern end of the gym.
"I don't think we'll be able to show it yet. We need to resolve this issue first. I want to know what the 'something' is Ms. Blake got. We'll get to the diagram eventually. For now, it's time to press more information out of her," Mr. Morix told me.
"I thought that was suspicious too. I'm glad we're on the same page," I nodded curtly. "I'm going to assume the diagram will come up later though. You seem pretty confident that's going to be the case."
"Trust me. It's going to be relevant soon. It's all about the way Ms. Claris exited the crime scene. That's what Ms. Blake's testimony seems to be focused on. If we can poke a hole in that, which we'll need the diagram to do, we'll both ruin her credibility and show Ms. Claris is innocent," Mr. Morix said.
"Again, if you're done talking, we have a testimony to examine," Prosecutor Burke cut in impatiently.
Mr. Morix looked to me and chuckled under his breath. "I apologize for her. She can get in a bit of a rush sometimes. I suppose you could call her fiercely competitive," he commented.
"You're so radically different. In a way, it's strange to know you get along so well," I admitted.
"Opposites attract," Mr. Morix shrugged.
"Defense, it's time for your cross-examination," declared Judge Diaphan.
"We'll get right to it, Your Honor," I nodded.
~ Cross-Examination ~
~ Seeing the Defendant ~
-"I was helping Ms. Rensicks out with the graduation ceremony..."
-"I've been interning with her for a semester now, and she wanted my help, even if I don't go there yet."
-"I was carrying a few streamers over to the auditorium when I saw her..."
-"Aria was leaving the gymnasium with blood on her hand!"
-"She didn't see me... She was shaking and seemed out of it..."
-"I could smell the blood radiating from her... And I managed to catch something off her..."
"Hold it!"
"What exactly did you get from the defendant at this time?" I asked with a frown.
"I snapped a picture of her leaving the crime scene," Ms. Blake explained.
"The prosecution would like to present a copy of this photo to the court," Prosecutor Lin announced.
"Did you have this picture all along?" Mr. Morix asked with a frown.
"We did. We didn't know when we should present it, so we decided instead to just wait until Ms. Blake was ready to give her testimony," Prosecutor Burke replied.
Prosecutor Lin handed us the picture. Mr. Morix accepted it from her with a gracious nod before setting it on the bench for both of us to see.
"It's in black and white," I couldn't help but say. It was the first thing I noticed about the picture. The next thing I noticed was that it detailed Ms. Claris coming around a corner with a dizzied look in her eyes. There was a substance that certainly appeared to be blood dripping from one hand as well.
"I was taking themed pictures of the graduation setup for Ms. Rensicks... She wanted a few in black and white, so my camera was set to that filter. I was too frazzled to change it," Ms. Blake explained. "I could smell the blood though... I'm sure that's what it was..."
"This sure is incriminating," Mr. Morix murmured. "However, we have a way to refute this piece of evidence. I know there's a contradiction between her testimony and the evidence we have."
"You saw the defendant coming out of the gymnasium area, yes?" Prosecutor Burke asked.
"I did... It was at 12:30 PM. I could tell by the timer on the camera from when the picture was taken," Ms. Blake answered.
"That's five minutes after the death of the victim," Prosecutor Lin said. "She died at 12:25 according to the autopsy report."
"I already get the feeling this case is going to be much more complicated than we thought," I muttered.
"We won't be able to take care of things unless we start from where we are now though. Look back over the evidence. I'm sure you'll be able to figure out where to go next. I think it's time we have Ms. Blake repeat her testimony one more time," Mr. Morix told me.
I nodded. "You're right. Let's get right to it," I agreed, looking to Ms. Blake as a prompt for her to begin once again.
And thus, the sequel begins!
This is the second installment in the Morix series. Please read the first book, Quiet after the Hurricane, before reading this one for the sake of spoilers. Thank you.
-Digital