Earth-717: Daredevil Vol 1
Chapter 7: Shark Tank
"Stacy?!"
"Yes," said Matt. "The latest victim has been confirmed as Stacy Krisman."
Jacob put his left hand on his face and shook his head. His right hand was handcuffed to the table. Matt and Foggy both frowned as they allowed him to take a few moments to himself. Karen looked to the side with a somber face, but stayed silent. Jacob's eyes watered as he looked back up at his lawyers.
"What happens now?"
"Well," said Foggy, "given the evidence at her disposal, and the fact that you have an explicit connection to both victims, the Assistant District Attorney assigned to the case has decided to prosecute for both counts of murder."
Jacob looked devastated. Consumed by grief, he was silent for a couple minutes. After wiping the tears away, he closed his eyes and let out a deep breath.
"I've lost two friends. And the world wants to punish me for it."
"This isn't the end, Mister Griffin," said Matt. "We're going to go to trial, we're going to plead not guilty, and we're going to fight this."
"Will we win?"
Matt paused. Foggy and Karen glanced at each other. Jacob gulped. The tension seemed to stifle all of the oxygen in the air.
"Mister Griffin . . . ."
"Will we win?"
Matt could sense the fear emanating from Jacob. He knew that the man sitting in front of him was innocent, but he honestly did not know how he was going to prove it.
"We're going to do everything we can," said Matt. "I promise."
"We're gonna get wrecked."
Foggy threw up his hands as he and Matt walked down the street towards the New York State Supreme Court Building. Karen was walking behind them, with a large purse that contained all of the files and documents they were going to need in court.
"We're going to be fine," said Matt.
"Are you kidding?! We're going up against Rachel Dreyfuss! Rachel Freakin' Dreyfuss, man! She isn't just any shark, Matt! She is like, the Megalodon of New York! She makes the shark from Jaws look like the shark from Finding Nemo!"
"Maybe movies aren't the best metaphor to use with me, Foggy."
Karen raised an eyebrow.
"Isn't she running for something or . . . ."
Karen then looked out at the street as a bus passed the group. The bus had a campaign advertisement for Rachel Dreyfuss attached to its side. The advertisement showed an image of Rachel standing with her arms folded, her face both stern and intense.
RACHEL DREYFUSS for MANHATTAN DISTRICT ATTORNEY
Safety for citizens. Not for criminals.
Karen pointed at the bus.
"Hey, that's her!"
"Yeah, that's one of her campaign ads," said Foggy, before glancing back at Matt. "She's sorta looking upward, like diagonally, you know? She looks like a dictator or something. All she needs are a few bombers flying overhead."
"She's just doing her job, same as we are."
"Oh, I know that much. I'm just saying that she probably considers eating people to be part of her job description."
The group reached the steps that led up to the courthouse. Foggy stopped after a couple steps and turned to face Matt.
"Matt, you gotta know why Rachel is pushing to prosecute. She's trying to do this so it'll look good right before elections. She's gonna come at us like we're sushi rolls."
"I know exactly why she's doing this. I also know that a high profile murder case wasn't exactly the starting point we had in mind. But this is what we have to do. We both passed the bar. We both belong in that courtroom. We have just as much the right to be there as Dreyfuss does."
Matt gently patted Foggy on the shoulder.
"And don't forget the blood spatter report. The position of the blood and of the laceration on Jennifer's neck is low enough that it might cast doubt on whether or not a man of Jacob's height committed the act. We're not letting Rachel get away with throwing Jacob under the bus for her own gain, and we're going to do it together. No Murdock without Nelson."
Foggy exhaled.
"No Nelson without Murdock."
"And me," said Karen, smiling.
Foggy nodded at Karen before looking back at Matt.
"Alright. Lead on, Macduff."
"It's lay on," said Karen.
"What?"
Karen shrugged.
"Forget it."
The group proceeded to walk up the stairs. As they did, Matt's senses were drawn to a particular female voice that was speaking at the top of the staircase. He did not recognize the voice, but for some reason he couldn't help but feel that the voice was exactly the one he was supposed to focus on at that specific moment.
"Officer. I certainly hope you have some good news for me."
The next voice was male, and it was coming through the woman's cell phone. While the voice would have been, by design, too faint for anyone else to hear, Matt's superhuman senses allowed him to hear it clearly enough to understand.
"All good news, Mrs. Dreyfuss. The job's done."
"Excellent," said Rachel. "And you followed all of the directions I gave you?"
"Every one," said the man. "Everything's all in order. Or out of order, as it were, heh heh."
"Good. I'll have Sarah contact you later tonight to deal with payment. I have to get to court. I'll talk to you later."
Rachel hung up the phone and placed it in her purse. Sarah was standing next to her, holding a document in one hand and a legal briefcase in the other. Matt, Foggy and Karen reached the top of the stairs, and Rachel looked over at them. Matt could instantly tell that he was the focus of her glare, and a shiver crawled down his spine.
"Nelson and Murdock."
Matt and Foggy stopped as Rachel approached them. While they kept straight faces, Karen narrowed her eyes. Rachel put on a smug smile as she looked at each member of the group in turn.
"I understand that we will be meeting on opposite sides of the Jacob Griffin case."
"That's correct," said Matt.
"Quite a trial by fire for your first case in private practice. I certainly hope there won't be any . . . . hard feelings."
"I suppose we'll see once we're inside," said Foggy.
"Yes," replied Rachel. "I suppose we will."
Rachel then turned away and walked into the courthouse, with Sarah following after her. Karen shook her head.
"We sure she wasn't the one who murdered those girls?" she asked. "I got the creeps just from looking at her."
"Not gonna lie," said Foggy. "I wouldn't be shocked."
As the group was about to enter the court house, a familiar voice called out.
"Matt?"
Matt cleared his throat as he turned around to face Dakota, who was heading up the stairs towards him.
"Dakota."
"Another friend?" asked Karen.
"Can't be," said Foggy. "I'm his only friend."
"What are you doing here?" asked Dakota.
"I'm working," answered Matt. "My firm is acting as the defense for Jacob Griffin. These are my associates, Foggy Nelson and Karen Page. Guys, this is Officer Dakota North. She's uh . . . . a recent acquaintance."
"Wait, wait, wait, wait," said Dakota. "You're on the defense? You're a lawyer? And you're assigned to the Griffin case?"
Matt nodded.
"You didn't tell me any of that."
"You never asked."
"Okay, guess that's fair. Just surprised to see you here."
Foggy shrugged.
"Well, if you're sticking around for the trial, you're gonna see a lot more of him."
"Rachel Dreyfuss show up yet?" asked Dakota.
"Yeah," said Karen, grimacing. "Only saw her for thirty seconds and I already know she's a meat grinder."
"Meat grinder is right," said Dakota. "She's out for some serious blood. You guys are gonna want to watch yourselves."
Dakota frowned as she looked straight at Matt. She then sighed before reaching forward and kissing him on the cheek. Foggy and Karen glanced at each other.
"Good luck," said Dakota.
"Have a little faith," said Matt, smirking.
"Court is now in session, with the Honourable Judge Finn Lewis presiding. The case is The People versus Jacob Griffin."
Jacob clicked his feet together. Karen noticed this gesture of anxiety and gave him a compassionate look. He gulped in return as everyone was instructed to sit down by Judge Lewis, who proceeded to give his standard instructions to the jury. Foggy looked over at the prosecution's table, where Rachel was sitting with a posture of absolute confidence as Sarah hurriedly organized all of their documents.
"Mrs. Dreyfuss," said Lewis. "Is the prosecution ready to deliver its opening statement?"
"Indeed I am."
Rachel stood up and walked around her table. Her stride was slow and calculated, with the sound of each step lingering in the minds of the people in the room. She sauntered up to the front of the jury and scanned her eyes across the twelve men and women before her. She took several seconds of silence before she started, ensuring that everyone in the room was giving her their full attention.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury."
Rachel started to slowly pace side to side in front of the jury.
"Today is an important day for all of us. Everyone here in this courtroom. It's important, because today is the day that a murderer with no respect for the sanctity of the law will be brought to justice. Two women have been killed by the defendant that you see before you today. Two women who considered themselves his friends. Two women who trusted him, and had that trust betrayed in the most violent of manners."
Matt listened to the various hearts in the room as Rachel delivered her statement. He could make out Dakota's heartbeat from her seat in the main viewing area.
"Jennifer Leigh and Stacy Krisman were both known friends of the defendant. Both victims were found in their apartments, killed by someone who they trusted to let inside. Both victims were found with a custom-made toxicant in their bloodstream, something that could only be created by a professional chemist, which the defendant happens to be."
Jacob looked down, fighting back his inclination to cry.
"Ladies and gentlemen, today you are the arm of the law. No longer will this murderer hide in the shadows, waiting to strike at his next, helpless victim. Your verdict, your judgement, will be what drags him and the heinous nature of his crimes into the light. And at the end of this process, when you pronounce him guilty, you will know that you stopped him from inflicting such horrible violence on anyone else in this city. That process begins today. Thank you."
Rachel returned to her table, leaving most of the people in the room seemingly spellbound. Foggy wiped a couple drops of sweat off of his right temple. Matt, meanwhile, kept a straight face the entire time. Lewis then turned his gaze to the defense table.
"Is the defense ready to proceed with their opening statement?"
Foggy and Karen both looked at Matt with worry on their faces, but Matt was unfazed. He stood up with confidence and held his cane with both hands.
"Yes, your Honour."
Lewis nodded as Matt walked to the front of the jury. Rachel folded her arms as she carefully watched the body language of her opponent. Matt cleared his throat and took a few seconds just to breathe and tune himself in to his own heartbeat. He was not focusing on anyone else but himself, and once his mind was clear, he was finally ready.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I want you to consider a hypothetical situation for a moment. Imagine that you have developed a true emotional bond with someone. A lover, a friend, a family member, whatever you prefer. All that matters is that this person is important to you. And then suddenly, that person is violently murdered and taken away, never again to be in your life."
Karen and Foggy both started to breathe faster.
"But your pain doesn't end there. Not only is this person gone forever, but before you even have time to grieve, a police officer arrives at your house and says . . . . you. You're the person who committed the crime. You killed your loved one. You have your life pulled right out from under you, and you don't even get the chance to pick up the pieces because the law has decided that you deserve the punishment for your pain. That is exactly what has just happened to my client."
Rachel sneered. Jacob's heart sank.
"But the law is clear, ladies and gentlemen of the jury. The prosecution must prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt, and they must use facts to accomplish that. Their evidence is circumstantial, rushed and incomplete, all things that justice has no right to be. My client, Jacob Griffin, is not guilty, and justice will only be served once you pronounce him so. Thank you."
Matt returned to the defense table, and both Foggy and Karen gave him reassuring nods. Lewis then looked back at Rachel. Sarah slipped a piece of paper in front of Rachel, causing Matt to raise an eyebrow. Rachel flipped the paper over and smirked as she saw what was written inside.
"Is the prosecution ready to call its first witness?" asked Lewis.
"Your Honour," said Rachel, standing up. "There is an urgent matter that needs to be addressed before the prosecution can proceed with calling witnesses."
Jacob looked over at Karen with worry.
"What's going on?" he whispered.
"I don't know," answered Karen. "Don't worry. I'm sure it'll be fine."
"And what urgent matter is that?" asked Lewis.
"My assistant was looking through the case files and evidence reports and appears to have discovered an anomaly with one of pieces of evidence that has been entered for consideration. This anomaly was not detected during the initial evidence motions. However, given the nature of the anomaly, I have no choice but to bring it your attention."
Matt immediately stood up.
"Objection, your Honour. All evidence was cleared by both the prosecution and the defense."
"Overruled," said Lewis. "If you have something to bring to our attention, Mrs. Dreyfuss, now is the time. But this had better be important."
"It is, your Honour. According to my assistant's findings, there is an issue with the chain of custody regarding the blood spatter report. The logs between when the evidence was accessed by the chief forensic technician and the court's evidence clerk are missing."
Foggy tugged at his collar. Karen widened her eyes. Matt furrowed his brow, and listened to Rachel's heartbeat. She was lying through her teeth. Suddenly, the conversation that he overheard on the phone made sense.
"Given the nature of this anomaly and the fact that there is the potential for the evidence to be contaminated or doctored, I am motioning for the blood spatter report to be rendered inadmissible."
"Show me," said Lewis.
Sarah handed Rachel a file folder. Rachel placed the piece of paper into it, along with several other documents. She then carried the file folder up to the judge's podium and laid it down in front of him. He took a couple minutes to look it over, before calling out one of the other officers. As this was happening, Foggy frantically looked through their updated case files.
"Is she serious?" asked Karen.
Foggy gulped as he looked at the evidence package.
"The evidence collection wasn't totally finished," he said. "We only have documents up to when the blood report was with the chief technician. Shit."
Karen shook her head.
"Somebody has to have some record!"
A couple moments later, after looking over a report handed to him by one of the officers, Lewis cleared his throat.
"After looking over multiple copies of the evidence documents, I must concur with the prosecution's assessment. The chain of custody on the blood spatter report has been broken. In the interest of the court, I must deem the evidence inadmissible."
Rachel nodded before shooting Matt a sly smile. Karen reached out and placed her hand on Jacob's, trying to console him. Foggy anxiously rubbed his hands together. Dakota put one of her hands over her face. Matt exhaled and sat back down before taking off his glasses.
The trial had barely begun, and already Rachel was tearing their case out from under them.