Noli stood alone in the courtroom, trembling. Everyone was staring at her with huge question marks on their faces. Autumn hadn't made it in time, after all.

"She'll be here," she insisted, her voice quivering.

The judge shook his head. "I'm afraid we've waited for the defense long enough. We must continue with the trial."

"But…"

"Hold it!" Alethea cried. Beside her, Klaus looked surprised that she had spoken. "Do you think Ms. Lakes would disappear of her own free will? Something must have happened! You have to search for her!"

The judge shook his head once again. "Several officers witnessed Ms. Lakes drive away in her car. The action was voluntary."

Alethea looked terrified. Suddenly, she clutched her stomach, doubled over, and groaned.

"Alethea!" Klaus cried, taking an instinctive step towards her. "Are you okay?"

"N-No…"

"Oh, please!" Andolay protested from the witness stand. "She's faking!"

"Alethea, where does it hurt?" Klaus went on, oblivious to his surroundings as he clutched her shoulder. "What's going on?"

"It hurts!" she cried, collapsing to her knees. Klaus knelt beside her, his face a chaotic mix of emotions as he tried to figure out what was wrong.

"She'll do anything to help her friend! Can't you see that?"

"SHUT UP, ANDOLAY!" Klaus roared.

"Water…" Alethea mumbled.

"What?" Klaus asked, his eyes now wide with panic.

"Water, please, I need water!" She broke down into a coughing fit that was mixed with sobs, her entire body shaking.

"She needs to be taken to the hospital! Now!" Klaus demanded, standing and pointing his finger at the bailiff. "Hurry, call an ambulance!"

"Hold it!" someone shouted at the top of their lungs. Everyone jumped as the courtroom doors banged open, revealing Autumn, breathless and pointing her finger. "What's going on here?"

"Autumn!" Klaus cried, his frame collapsing from relief. Autumn took one look at Klaus's stricken face and Althea's crumpled body and cried, "Honestly, can't anyone around her manage without me?"

"An ambulance is on its way, ma'am!" the bailiff cried, as if to prove his usefulness.

Klaus hurriedly scooped up Alethea and carried her out of the courtroom. Several offices protested that they could take it from here, but he shrugged them all aside. When he returned, he seemed anxious, but more than that, he was determined. Autumn knew that this was the Klaus Luminero who'd worked so hard to become a lawyer – now it was serious.

"Right, well let's get this over with," he said, looking at Autumn as if to say, "Hurry up and get that guy proven guilty!" Autumn wondered what Andolay had said during her absence to make Klaus change his convictions.

Autumn nodded. "Mr. Andolay, do you have anything more to say to the court?"

Andolay nodded, smiling sweetly. Autumn nearly gagged – his act was sickening, considering more than half the court thought he was guilty at this point. But how could she prove it?"

"Of course, Ms. Autumn. I believe I have just the testimony you need."

Autumn gestured for him to proceed, her face betraying no emotion. It was always at this point in the trial when she felt no anger, no desperation, no feeling at all. This was what it came down to – just her and the witness, the final battle for justice. "By all means, then, Mr. Andolay."

Sam Andolay's Testimony

An Apology

"I owe an apology to the court for not mentioning this sooner. You see… I never saw the moment of the murder."

"Hold it!" Autumn cried, surprised. "What do you mean? The reason you are on the witness stand is because you were an eyewitness to the murder! You can't possibly testify if you never saw it!"

"I'm getting to that, Ms. Lakes. I have a perfectly logical solution to this puzzle… trust me.

"I saw everything leading up to the murder: the chase, the confrontation, and the struggle. However, at the critical point, I was forced to look away. Because you see… I was attacked!"

Autumn's eyes widened. "H-Hold it! What do you mean you were attacked? By whom?"

"Why, the accomplice, of course!"

There was a long, drawn-out silence as everyone stood frozen in shock.

"…Well, don't just stand there!" the judge cried finally, unable to handle the suspense. "Can't you tell us who the accomplice is?"

Andolay was silent for a moment longer, milking the moment for all it was worth. Finally, he continued, "Of course I can tell you… although I'm afraid you'll all be very disappointed, seeing as you just let her get away."

Klaus suddenly became very anxious, clenching his fists tightly. "Y-You're not claiming that…"

Andolay nodded gravely. "I am indeed, Sir Prosecutor. That girl, Alethea, is the murder's accomplice!"

"No!" the prosecutor cried, aghast. "That's… that's impossible!"

Autumn slammed her desk. Klaus was incapacitated, so she'd just have to do all the work for him. "Mr. Andolay, you will testify about this attack, immediately!"

Andolay shrugged. "Very well, Madam Attorney. No need to get all worked up about it."

"Excuse me, Mr. Andolay, but I believe there is a large reason to get worked up over this!" the judge cried. "You're accusing someone of aiding and abetting in a murder! This will have serious consequences… for everyone involved!"

Autumn nodded seriously. I'm a little surprised the judge asserted himself like that just now. Normally, he just lets me do all the work… "Your Honor, that is completely right. So, Mr. Andolay, I suggest you concentrate… and give an honest testimony for once!"

"Very well. You will have your wish."

Sam Andolay's Testimony

The Attack

"Just as the struggle began, I heard a voice behind me. It wasn't very loud, but of course it was enough for me to hear. It said, 'Get away from there! You'll ruin everything!' I turned around, and that small girl was holding up a small switchblade!"

"Hold it!" Autumn cried. "Alethea doesn't have a switchblade! There's no way…"

"Objection!" Klaus cried. He didn't seem pleased about having to say it. "Ah… um…"

"What is it, Mr. Luminero? Do you have an objection or not?" the judge cried.

"Well… that is… Alethea did have a small switchblade. In fact, I have it… right here." He held it up for the courtroom to see.

The judge nodded. "The court accepts this switchblade into evidence."

"But… if you were distracted, how do you know that Noli is the murderer… or that Alethea is an accomplice?" Autumn protested.

"Oh, that! I believe you'll be satisfied with my explanation… because I have hard evidence to prove it!"

"Wh… Whaaat?" Autumn cried. "How could you possibly…"

Sam Andolay shook his head and sighed. "Believe me, I am not in possession of the evidence in question… but that girl is!"

Autumn looked at Noli, whose eyes were wide with fear. "I don't…" she started.

Autumn shook her head. "I know." She turned to Andolay. "Any evidence you believe this girl has, the police have now confiscated it."

Again, Andolay shook his head. "But they didn't take… her doll."

"What?" Autumn cried. "How can there be any evidence in a doll?"

The man shrugged. "I'm sure I am right. Take the doll… and see for yourself!"

Autumn looked at Noli. "Do you mind if I…"

The girl shook her head and clutched the doll closer, stroking its hair and whispering to it.

"Please, Noli, I could prove you innocent with this. Just trust me."

Slowly, unwillingly, the girl handed Autumn her doll. Autumn looked it over carefully. As she lifted up its fine hair, she saw something glued to the back of its head.

"It's a… an earpiece," Autumn said disbelievingly. "Like one of those people use to communicate with each other…"

"You see? I was right, wasn't I? Alethea most likely has the other one."

"How could you possibly have known about this?" Autumn cried.

Andolay smiled and tipped his hat. "It's merely a puzzle. Why else would she constantly be talking to it? You think she's crazy? No madman could pull off such a cold murder!"

Autumn's mind raced at the speed of light. Klaus still wasn't saying anything; it was up to her to prove Andolay wrong. Alethea has the other one? Wait…

"Mr. Andolay, is it possible that Alethea dropped her own earpiece in your struggle?"

"Yes, it's possible, I suppose…"

"And, Mr. Andolay, did you two go into the alley during your struggle?"

"Of course not! Why would we? There was a murder going on in there! That's just crazy!"

Autumn smiled triumphantly. "Because, Mr. Andolay, we have already found the other earpiece. And it was found… in the alley!"

"A… Ahh!"

"So, Mr. Andolay, that leaves two possibilities. Either Alethea was in the alley at the time of the murder, or you were!"

Andolay seemed nervous. "W… Wait!" he cried desperately. "I can prove where I was… with testimony!"

Autumn shook her head, growing surer of herself now. "You can try, Mr. Andolay, but be warned. If you can't prove that you weren't in the alley, you're going to have some problems. Understand?"

"Yes, yes! I understand! I can prove it, I swear!"

Autumn smiled to herself. He can't put together his best lies on the spot like this. We've already seen that. Mr. Andolay, I've got you now!

Sam Andolay's Testimony

Where I Stood

"I watched the crime unfold from right here," Andolay explained. He pointed to the map. Autumn looked at it carefully. The dead end alley was formed by three walls. The one on the left was one building. Around the corner of this wall was where Sam Andolay had stood. The back wall was formed by another building, which shared a common wall with the left building, but was larger so that it could form that back wall. And the one on the right was formed by the Borscht Bowl Club.

"When Alethea attacked me from behind, I ran away from her, across the entrance to the alley and towards the Borscht Bowl Club. She stopped chasing me then… probably to help her friend."

"Objection!" Autumn cried. "Mr. Andolay, you told us you could prove that you weren't in the alley… but already you're heading down the wrong track! I've already found a contradiction in your testimony!"

"Wh… what? That's impossible!" Andolay shouted.

"It's perfectly logical, Mr. Andolay! Take a look at this map again, and I believe you'll see the problem! Directly in the way of your path to the Borscht Bowl Club was a trash can!"

Andolay was silent for a moment before saying, "…Oh. That."

"What do you mean, that?"

"Well, you see… when I began to run away from Alethea, I ran into the trash can. So I had to jump over it to get away. That's all."

"Objection!" Autumn cried once more. "Mr. Andolay, perhaps you don't know this… but when the crime scene was investigated, there was indeed a trash can… however, it was not upended!"

"N… No! I'm sure I heard that loud noise… before I heard the gunshot! What else could it have been?"

Autumn shook her head. "There's only one thing it could have been, Mr. Andolay. You've forgotten… at the beginning of the trial, we established that Detective Strong also fired a shot! So, Mr. Andolay… where were you, really?"

"I was… I did run towards the Borscht Bowl Club. I was in such a panic… what if I did run around the trash can, into the street?"

Autumn grinned. "And now we get down to it. You see, Mr. Andolay… that's exactly what the victim and the murderer did… and they got wet feet for their efforts. But you didn't, Mr. Andolay! And I hardly think you would make the effort to avoid the same puddle those two did, while you were being attacked!"

"Noooo!" Andolay cried.

"Wait…" the judge interrupted. "Then, where was he?"

Autumn nodded. "I was just wondering the same thing, Your Honor. And I have an idea. When Mr. Wright and I emerged from the Borscht Bowl Club, we didn't see anyone there… let alone a panicked gentleman running for his life from an attacker. So, it would have had to be somewhere we wouldn't think of looking."

"And where is that, Ms. Lakes? Tell us!"

"There's only one place where Sam Andolay could have observed the murder and escaped, without us seeing him. And this is it! The roof of the building to the left of the alley is the only answer!"

Everyone was silent for a moment. Suddenly, Andolay chuckled darkly. "That's an interesting theory, Ms. Lakes. But, how would I have gotten up there?"

"Well, the obvious answer when pondering how to get to the second floor of a building is… use the stairs."

"I always use the elevator, myself," the judge put in.

"Regardless, Your Honor, there is a ladder to the rooftop of that building. It's meant for easy access for maintenance workers and such. This ladder is located… in the alley itself! So… now how do you prove you didn't go in the alley, Andolay?"

Andolay smiled. "I believe the question is, Ms. Lakes, can you prove that I was on the roof in the first place?"

"I believe I can do that, and more, Mr. Andolay. I can prove that you were on the roof… and that you are involved with this crime! You see, I did a little investigation of my own on the roof… and I found this!" She held up the remains of Andolay's smoke bomb.

"What is that?" the judge cried.

"These are the remains of a single smoke bomb, Your Honor."

Andolay laughed loudly. "Oh, Madam Attorney, you are a laugh! Just why do you think that proves anything?"

"Oh, it doesn't prove anything… by itself. But I found the same object yesterday, in a service alley not a long distance away from the crime. And I found it… just after I had been shot at by a sniper!"

"What?" Klaus cried, speaking for the first time in ages. "You were attacked? Why didn't you tell me?"

Good to hear from you, Sir Prosecutor. I was beginning to worry you'd passed away over there. "It wasn't relevant. Regardless…"

"Excuse me… Madam Attorney," Andolay called. "Just how does this prove that I was on the roof that day? It could have been anyone!"

"I…" Autumn started, but she stopped herself. She didn't have any more evidence that connected the attacker on the roof to an accomplice who was still on the loose… what could she do now?

Klaus shook his head. "Unfortunately… Mr. Andolay is right. You've created a convincing story… but you have no concrete evidence on which to base your claims."

The judge nodded. "Yes… although I'm still not sure about a number of things, I believe Mr. Andolay has nothing more to give to this trial. I believe another day of investigation is called for… Mr. Andolay, you are free to go."

"Thank you, Your Honor," Andolay said with a tip of his hat.

No… if I let him go… he won't be back to testify… and I won't be able to prove anything! He'll get away!

Just as Andolay turned to leave, the courtroom doors banged open. "OBJECTION!"

Autumn gasped. "Ema!" she shouted.

"Prosecutor Luminero, we found the Detective's bullet!"

Klaus stepped back in shock. "What?"

"Where was it?" Autumn demanded. "Tell us!"

"You'll never believe it! It was lodged in the left alley wall… almost on the roof!"

"What?" Klaus cried. "But that definitely means…"

"It means that there was someone on top of the roof… and Detective Strong saw him!" Autumn cried.

Ema stepped forward, saying loudly so that everyone could hear. "There's more! A while ago, I was asked by… someone… to re-analyze the bullet that killed Detective Strong. I compared it with the bullet that had been shot at Ms. Lakes… and they were the same. That means that the gun we confiscated… Noli's gun… was not the murder weapon!"

Autumn's heart soared with triumph. Her victory was short-lived, however, when Sam Andolay said, "That's great and all, but it still doesn't prove anything about me. Can I leave now?"

Autumn cursed under her breath. After all of Ema's hard work, she still didn't have enough to pin this guy. What could she possibly do?

"Hold it!" For the second time, the doors burst open. Alethea ran in, looking as if she had never suffered her mysterious sickness.

"Alethea? You're supposed to be in the hospital by now!" Klaus cried.

Alethea seemed awkward. "I… I got better. Please, can I… request a recess?"

"Why?" Klaus asked.

"Because I can prove it! I can prove Noli didn't do it! So, please… a ten minute recess… and, keep Mr. Andolay here in the meantime!"

The judge hesitated, then nodded. "Very well. You may have this recess. The court will reconvene after ten minutes." He slammed his gavel, and everyone retreated out of the courtroom. Autumn was puzzled, but elated. Alethea had faked her illness, after all… and she couldn't be more grateful. Maybe this day would finally turn around.

Author's Note: Two chapters in one month, you say? Well, that's because my computer broke down in December, so I'm making up for it by typing at nearly light speed. And thanks to the lovely Martin Luther King, Jr., I may get a chance to finish this case within the month. I'll try!