The night was peaceful, cold, and moonlit. The clouds had just begun to shed small, dancing white pearls, all in a hurry to get to the ground. With the snow casting a protective shell over the land, the clouds seemed abnormally bright as they enviously reflected the earth. Under this wondrous expanse, a single streetlight lit a small playground. The swings, abandoned by children who now lay asleep, creaked softly in the gentle breeze. All was silent.

The pounding of running footsteps rang through the empty night, disrupting the tranquil stillness. Heavy, panicked panting ran ragged as the silhouette of a young girl halted beneath the streetlight.

"Wh-Why are you doing this?" she cried.

"This is your fault!" a coarse, rough voice howled in rage. The silhouette of a young boy confronted her under the pale yellow light. "You betrayed me! You rejected me!"

"I… I didn't! I never meant for it to get this far! We were just friends!"

"Liar!" the boy screamed. "How can you lie like that to my face!"

"I'm not lying! Please!"

"You're going to pay!"

"No! Raven, stop!"

"Bright! No! Briiiiight!"

xxx

Autumn rapped harshly on the large, wooden door in front of her. "Hey! Open up! I know you're in there! Luminero!" she shouted, knocking continuously.

Klaus yanked the door open. "Well, if it isn't my little Autumn," he greeted her cheerily. "My day just got a whole lot better!" He wore a bright grin on his face that told the young defense attorney he'd been having a good day anyway.

"It's Miss Lakes," she corrected him resignedly. "And I need those files. I know you have them."

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't," he chuckled, shrugging and leaning against his door frame.

"You are such a child, Luminero! Pulling pranks on other people in the Prosecutor's Office is one thing, but going out of your way to come to my office and prank me is completely unacceptable! And don't pretend you didn't do it! I saw you come in singing that stupid Mission Impossible music!"

Klaus seemed incredulous. "But… you weren't there! I waited for you to leave!"

Autumn sighed and shook her head. "It's called a security camera, Luminero."

Klaus's face fell. "…Oh. And I thought I'd done so well, too…"

"Prosecutor!" a woman's voice shouted. Autumn turned to see a blonde young woman in a purple tailcoat storming up to them. When she reached Klaus, she popped her bubble gum in his face. "Give me back my painting!"

"What painting?" Klaus asked, acting confused.

"The one from my office! The Scream! Edvard Munch! Geez!"

Autumn turned to Klaus and stomped her foot. "You see? Geez, Luminero, you're such a jerk!"

The woman turned to Autumn. "Oh. It's you. Autumn Lakes."

"Umm… yes. Who are you?"

The woman popped her gum. "Prosecutor Elizabeth Queenson." She turned back to Klaus. "You have better things to do than pull pranks, Prosecutor! You're the one who has this next case! And you better not blow it like last time!"

"Wait… you're taking a case?" Autumn cried. "Why didn't I know about this?" It had been a month since their last time together in court, and the holidays had come and gone with relatively little disturbance. The New Year had just begun, and Autumn's resolution was to finally put the prosecutor in his place.

Klaus laughed. "Because you're not a prosecutor, Autumn. Although I could arrange that career change, if you want."

Autumn growled angrily and stomped away, leaving Klaus and the other prosecutor arguing loudly behind her.

xxx

When Autumn arrived at the Detention Center, she came across a young girl with short, brown hair and a newsboy cap. The poor thing looked quite upset, practically running into the defense attorney on the way out of the visiting room. Autumn shrugged and walked inside.

She was surprised when a young boy awaited her inside. He couldn't have been more than sixteen. His hair was jet black and his eyes were a dark brown, almost black. His skin was pale, and he wore a black leather vest, black pants, a black shirt, black… everything. Chains hung from his pants and his (black) gloves.

On her way down, she'd run into Ema. It had occurred to her that she'd rushed off without finding out what the case was about. After teasing her for her rashness, Ema had filled her in. Despite the circumstances surrounding the case, Autumn wasn't sure she'd expected something like this quiet boy. Still, he did have a rather hostile look about him.

A young schoolgirl, Brighton Earley, had been murdered late last night, in Vitamin Square. The suspect was Raven Neite, her ex-boyfriend. Autumn supposed that was this boy. There was only one witness: Brighton's best friend, Dakota Bismarck.

Autumn sat down across from the boy. "So, are you Raven Neite?" she asked kindly.

"…Yeah," he said, looking at her mistrustfully. His dark eyes didn't meet hers, but darted across her face, exploring, considering.

"I'm Autumn Lakes. I'm an attorney."

"…I didn't kill her," Raven said flatly, meeting her eyes straight-on now. "If you're here to ask me why I did it, or whatever, you're out of luck. 'Cause I didn't."

Autumn sighed and pushed her hair back from her face with one hand. She hoped he wouldn't be this obstinate in court; it would hurt his chances severely. "You've got it all wrong," she argued, showing him open, face-up palms. "I'm a defense attorney. I'm here to prove that you didn't do it. If you'll agree to me defending you, that is."

"So… you believe me?" Raven seemed shocked, disbelieving. His eyebrows raised slightly and his mouth hung open. His eyes were a bitter mixture of hope and despair. Autumn doubted he'd gotten much understanding through his ordeal this far.

Autumn shrugged. "That's my job. If you really didn't do it, you've got nothing to worry about. I'll definitely help you. If you did do it…" She eyed him, judging him, leaving the statement open for him to answer.

"Well, I didn't. So we don't need to worry about what would happen if I did." Raven sighed and looked at her honestly. "No one else believes me but you." His eyes flicked away from hers; he was obviously uncomfortable. He added quietly, "Even Cody thinks I killed her."

"Cody? Who's Cody?"

"Oh, Cody is… was… Bright's best friend. She's… the witness in this case. Dakota Bismarck?"

Autumn nodded solemnly, examining the boy's face. He was trying very hard to act tough, she noted. Trying. "You call her Cody, though. Are you two friends?"

"Yeah. Cody and I… we go way back." Raven paused. "But… I don't really know how close we'll be after this."

"Raven, can I ask you something?" Autumn asked.

"You didn't give me much of a chance," Raven mumbled. His mouth twitched with the memory of a smirk, as if he thought he'd made a joke. Autumn just paused, unsure of whether she'd gotten a yes or a no.

"Fine," Raven accepted quietly.

Autumn wasted no time in asking. "Did you see anything at the night of the crime?" she questioned him bluntly, leaning forward in anticipation of the answer.

Raven pursed his lips. "I saw someone kill my Bright," he said softly. "It wasn't me."

Autumn frowned. He didn't seem like he was lying, but the way he said "my Bright," sounded so... possessive, somehow. It was probably just her imagination. "Do you have any idea who it could be?" Autumn asked hopefully.

"Look, lady, it was dark," Raven said, "I don't know about you, but I can't see in the dark. But it was a guy. That much I know."

Autumn cursed silently. Abruptly, she got up, her chair scraping on the floor. "Excuse me, Raven, but I should get going. You'll let me defend you, correct?"

"Sure," Raven said, with a shrug, "You know, if you really want to."

Autumn smiled at the boy's tough act. "All right."

She walked out of the detention center, and ran into the same girl who'd run into her earlier. She looked even more worried than last time. "Are you okay?" Autumn asked the girl.

"Forget about me!" the girl snapped, "Is Ray okay? I know he acts all tough, but he really isn't! Oh wait, don't tell him I said that."

"Umm... what?" Autumn was taken aback by the sudden waterfall of words that had simply tumbled from the girl's mouth. "Oh, do you know Raven Neite, by any chance?

"YES! We're like, best friends!" The girl glared at Autumn, "And you didn't answer my question! Is Ray okay? And who the heck are you, anyway?"

"That's actually two questions," Autumn corrected her. This young girl was starting to wear on her after only a few moments of conversation. "First of all," she continued, "the boy is fine. Second of all, I'm his defense attorney. I'll be his ally in court, and I'll be working to prove that your friend didn't commit the murder. Does that satisfy you?"

"...I guess." The girl said, "I'm Dakota Bismarck. So, you're Ray's attorney? That means you think he didn't do it, right?"

Autumn nodded, but started a bit at the girl's name. So this was the witness in the case. Maybe she should take the time to talk to her… but no. Surely the girl would seek her out later, if she believed so strongly that Raven didn't commit the crime. And Autumn had to get to the crime scene before all the evidence had been found if she even wanted a chance in this case. "That's right," she answered simply. "Anyway, I'd better get going. I have to examine the crime scene." She turned and began to walk away.

"I'm coming with you!" Dakota insisted energetically. "Ray is my friend, and I'm honestly not sure if I trust you to do this right without my supervision."

Autumn smiled and shook her head. The girl seemed to have guts, but the question was if she trusted Dakota, not the other way around. "Oh, your permission? I'm sorry, but that is simply impermissible. I can't risk your safety, or the investigation." She waited for the girl's reaction, staring at her very sternly. How Dakota acted would be central to the investigation, and if she was irresponsible or wasn't determined enough, Autumn couldn't risk her presence.

"Listen, lady," Dakota said, scowling at Autumn with her hands on her hips, "I'm coming with you. There is nothing – and I mean nothing – that you can say or do that will change that. So let's get going, okay?"

Autumn nodded, smiling faintly. "Very well. I can see that your resolve is solid." She beckoned for Dakota to follow her outside the building, but then hesitated. "Wait. Will your parents be okay with you... you know... getting inside a complete stranger's car?"

"What kind of a question is that?" Dakota laughed.

"Well… I am a lawyer," Autumn reminded her. "I have to think about these things. I don't want to get sued."

"Well, Mom probably wouldn't care, and Dad would understand after I explain it's for Ray's sake." Still Autumn paused, and Dakota laughed, "Do I need to sign something for you? Let's go!"

Autumn shook her head, laughing inwardly at the girl's enthusiasm. After Dakota was safely strapped in, Autumn pulled out of the parking lot. "By the way, I'm Autumn Lakes. I guess we're not so much strangers anymore, huh?"

"Well, then I guess my parents won't have a problem with my riding in your car," Dakota said, "It's nice to meet you, Ms. Lakes."

"So, this park," Autumn went on, "Is it close?"

Dakota seemed troubled. "Yeah, it's… pretty close by here. It's right across the street from my house, actually."

Autumn frowned. It must have been hard for the site of her best friend's murder to be so close to her house. She remembered when she had been in the same situation. She couldn't have been much younger than this girl. "How old are you, Dakota?" she asked out of sudden curiosity.

"I'm 16," Dakota said. She stared out the window thoughtfully, "How old are you? You don't seem that old."

Autumn laughed. "Oh, I'm twenty-two. Am I too young to be an attorney?"

Dakota thought for a moment. "Probably," she said with a shrug, "But you're all Ray has, so I'm going to have to trust you."

Autumn nodded soberly. "I've been an attorney for two years now. I'll admit I've lost some cases. But I really think your friend's innocent. And I'll die before I let an innocent person go to prison."

Dakota looked at Autumn and smiled. "Thanks," she said, "I...really needed to hear that."

Autumn grinned at the girl. It wasn't the defense attorney's normal behavior to be so open and even... happy. But something in this girl made even grouchy Autumn loosen up. "Hey. It's the truth, right? Besides, if your friend's a murderer, he's the wimpiest one I've ever seen." She laughed softly. "You're not the only one who sees through his act."

Dakota snickered. "He is kind of a wimp," she said. "I swear, I don't think it would be possible for him to kill anyone."

"Well, looks like I'll just have to prove it, then. Anyway, it looks like we're here. This is Vitamin Square, right?"

"Yup. This is it. Oh, but be careful. See that restaurant over there?" Dakota pointed at a pink building next to the park, "A mad Frenchman ex-con runs it. Be careful."

Autumn sighed. "I think I can handle a wimp like a Frenchman, even if he is an ex-con," she said, thinking immediately of her father and smiling. "What's he gonna do, spray perfume on me?"

"YES. HE WILL." Dakota said, unbuckling her seatbelt and jumping out of the car, "And it's some really foul-smelling stuff, too."

Autumn took her keys out of the ignition, climbed out the car, and slammed the door shut, locking it. "Well, let's look around for clues," she sighed, putting her hands on her hips and scanning the park suspiciously. It seemed like a perfectly normal playground. True to its name, all the play equipment was shaped like different fruits. She smiled and shook her head. It was almost ironic. Actually, it was incredibly ironic. A murder, here? It seemed impossible. But the swarm of detectives and policemen, black and yellow tape surrounding the park, the red blood staining the pure virgin snow, and the crazed jumble of footprints told a different story.

"Y'know, I heard a murder occurred in that restaurant over there," Dakota said, pointing to the scary-pink building. "It got closed down, but no one ever bought the property because it smelled so strongly of French food. Now it's open again. Kinda strange how many people have died here, though."

Autumn nodded, but didn't say anything for a while. She frowned and shuddered with a strange sense of foreboding. She could usually sense when something wasn't right with a crime scene. This was no exception. Things were too simple. And the only witness was the girl beside her, who had all but sworn on her life that the defendant wasn't guilty.

"Well, are we investigating or not?" Dakota asked eagerly. She seemed half excited, half anxious. Her smile was tight, but she pretended it wasn't. Autumn smiled back and decided she liked this kid. Maybe she would be helpful after all.


No chapter for February! I'm soooo sorry! (I was in a play that was kind of being written from scratch, so it was rather time-consuming...) But now the new chapter is up! Hoorah! A new case! (Sorry again!) Also, a very good friend of mine helped me out with this chapter! I'd like to give her credit, so everyone go check out anathema15 right here: .net/u/1678241/ ! She has a really cool DragonFable fanfiction going called All About Eva!