We've reached 100 hundred reviews. Hurray! I never thought that would happen, but it did and thank you all. The story only has a few more chapters in case some of you are wondering.
William
Dunbar sat in a interrogation room of the police department. He knew
very well why he was here. Leaning back on his chair and playing with
his thumbs as he continued to wait for someone to come in. ' Should
of shot you in the head.' William said to himself. He had shot
Ulrich in the chest, because he'd die slowly instead of instantly.
He laughed to himself, ' Another backfire.' The detective who had
talked to Ulrich stepped into the room and sat in the chair on the
opposite side of the table.
" Do you know why you're here?" The detective asked.
" I was going to ask you," William lied.
" You have been accused of murder. Do you know a Ms. Yumi Ishiyama?" William nodded. " Do you know that she's dead?" William nodded again, making himself look sad about it. William took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly. " Nervous?"
" I'm in a police department in the interrogation room. Of course I am," William said as convincing as possible. The detective began with the usual questions, where were you, who were you with, why were you there? William lied on them all, trying to make himself sound honest. He thought he was doing a good job. After about twenty minutes William left as the detective wrote down the last words from William's conversation. ' I don't trust him.' The detective said to himself.
Ulrich sat in his hospital bed, waiting for something to happen. It had been three days since he woke up, and Ulrich wanted to know if his confession against William came through. The detective walked into his hospital room, and sat on the chair next to Ulrich's bed. " So what happened with William?" Ulrich asked.
" We don't have any evidence to get him with anything. You'll be going on trial in two days." Ulrich lowered his head. " I think your telling the truth though. Something isn't right with that kid. His records are clean for the most part, but I know he's lying."
" Hook him up to a polygraph," Ulrich said.
" I legally can't do that without probable cause. I know you telling me his name sounds good, but they won't trust your word enough to take a second glance at him. Just tell the jury what you told me, stay calm, and hope." The detective stood up and walked toward the door, then stopped halfway and turned around. " Good luck, I hope this works out."
Two days later Ulrich left the hospital in handcuffs as his police escort made their way to the court house. The story had made a lot of press, the stairs of the court was filled with reporters. Ulrich's police car pulled to the curb as the reports swarmed around the car. The detective was with Ulrich who looked out the window and sighed.
" Keep your head down, and keep moving. Push, shove if you have to, but get up there and do it quick." The detective opened the door for him as three police officers blocked the reports.
" Mr. Stern , Why did you do it?" Several asked. " What do you see as the verdict?" Ulrich pushed his way through the crowd with his head down. Camera flashes were hitting him as microphones were pushed into his face. " Do you see any chance of winning this case?" As Ulrich passed through the crowd he saw a familiar face away from it. Leaning against the wall looking straight at him with an insidious smile on his face, was William. He gave Ulrich a playful wave, as Ulrich used every bit of restraint to not attack him.
Ulrich made his way through the crowd as the doors to the courtroom were opened for him. More camera flashes greeted him as he walked down the aisle and took a seat next to his father's lawyer. Behind him his parents sat on the benches, along with everyone else. The Ishiyama's sat first row on the opposite side, glaring at Ulrich like he was the killer. William sat in the back, not wanting it to look obvious he was interested.
The courtroom was filled with chatter that died down when a guard said, " All rise for judge Solvia."
Everyone stood up with their best posture as a tall man walked into the courtroom and took his seat at his bench. When he sat down everyone else did as he looked at the papers on his bench and then looked out to everyone in the courtroom.
" The case we have is the french department of justice, versus Ulrich Stern." The judge looked at Ulrich and said, " Please rise." Ulrich stood up and looked back at him, keeping eye contact. " Ulrich Stern, you are accused with the kidnaping and murder of Yumi Ishiyama, how do you plead?"
" Innocent," Ulrich said without any sign of false trust.
" Have a seat." Ulrich did as told as the judge said, " Prosecutor, you have floor." The lawyer for the department of justice stood up and stood in the center of the room.
" I would like to call a witness to the stand," the lawyer said to the judge.
" Who?"
" I would like to call Ulrich Stern." The judge nodded and Ulrich got to his feet and walked to the stand. Placing his hands behind his back he stood in front of Ulrich and began. " What were your motives for murdering Yumi Ishiyama?"
" I didn't kill her," Ulrich said to him.
" When did you murder her?"
" I didn't kill her," Ulrich said again.
" Why did you kidnap her?"
" I didn't kill her," Ulrich repeated, aggravated.
" Did you do anything to her while the authorities were searching?"
" I DIDN'T KILL HER!" Ulrich shouted at him, slamming his fists against the wooden frame of the stand.
" Your honor, he's badgering my client," His fathers lawyer said to the judge.
" No more questions, Ulrich you may have a seat," Ulrich walked away from the stand and sat back down behind his table. " You may make a statement, or call someone to the stand." Ulrich's lawyer stood and looked at the judge.
" I'd like to call someone to the stand." The judge nodded and the lawyer continued. " I'd like to call my client to the stand." The judge nodded in approval as Ulrich made his back to the stand.
" Where were you the night she was kidnaped, and when was the last time you saw her?" He asked Ulrich like he was a witness instead of a suspect.
" I was in my dorm room when it happened. The last time I saw her, was when she left my room," Some members of the jury looked at each other.
" Why was she there?"
" She was helping me with my homework I missed while I was in the hospital." Ulrich said to him. It was the original reason she had come over, but not the final. He was being accused of murder, and knew that being physical with her in any way made him look more guilty than he already wasn't.
" When did you find out she was kidnaped?" again Ulrich felt relieved by how the questions were asked.
" When I received a phone call from the kidnaper." The audience erupted with conversation about that. The judge called for order.
" The kidnaper called you, did you report this call to the police?"
" No, he gave me an ultimatum."
" LIAR!" Shouted Mr. Ishiyama, who at this point thought Ulrich was telling a story. Mrs. Ishiyama tried to hold him down, but he stayed to his feet and glared at Ulrich angry.
" Mr. Ishiyama, I will remove from this courtroom if you disrupt this again!" The judge shouted at him. Mr. Ishiyama looked at the judge for a few seconds, then brought himself under control. " Continue please."
" What was the ultimatum?"
" He gave me a riddle and told me to find her in twenty four hours or I'd get another upsetting phone call. The riddle I can't remember, but the answer was the abandoned factory. He said, no friends, no cops."
" What did you do when you found out?"
" Got to the factory as fast as I could. When I found her, she was weak, barely breathing, and cold," Ulrich said, choking on his own voice. "She was tied to a chair, so I untied her and tried to save her." The crowd watched as he began to sob in front of them. Every memory of that night came back, hard. " I held her. Tried to wake her up. But she died. Died right there in my arms. Then I heard a voice."
" Who was it?" his lawyer asked. They hadn't reviewed about talking about this, but it was working well for his defence.
" The kidnaper. He told me everything he did, then he shot me."
" It was said you shot yourself after injecting her with poison."
" If I wanted to kill myself effectively, I'd shoot myself in the head." The crowd erupted in voices again. " I didn't kill her. I didn't kidnap her, but I know who did, and why he did it." Ulrich hated the fact he could put William on trial. He had him, but he didn't. " My accident when the car hit me, wasn't an accident. The same person hit me, because I was in love with Yumi, and so was he."
" You loved this girl?" Ulrich sadly nodded. " And he attempted to kill you because you did. But when you lived, and Yumi loved you, it sent him off edge." William in the back of room was sweating. They were pinning his character down. " So he killed Yumi, and framed you. Then faked your unsuccessful suicide."
" Your honor. Ulrich Stern is on trial, not some imaginary kidnaper." The prosecutor shouted.
" Over ruled." The prosecutor sat down as Ulrich finished his questions and took a seat.
For the next two hours the courtroom was a battleground. One half attacked Ulrich, the other defended him. Several more people we're called to the stand. Odd, Jeremie, and Aelita were called to the stand. All three pleaded in Ulrich's defence.
" Mr. Robbia, do you believe Ulrich killed Yumi Ishiyama?" The lawyer asked Odd." Not in a million years." He nodded as Odd walked back to the his seat behind the gate.
" Your honor can we have a witness who isn't friends with the defendant?" Mr. Ishiyama was called to the stand next. " What would you call Ulrich Stern and your daughters relationship with each other?"
" Friends. Good friends." The lawyer asked a few more questions, and then asked the one every wanted to hear the answer to.
" Do you think that boy," The lawyer began pointing at Ulrich, " Murdered and kidnaped your daughter?"
Mr. Ishiyama looked at Ulrich who looked back at him. At first Mr. Ishiyama just wanted to point fingers. He was angry and needed someone to blame. When he looked at Ulrich who sat there looking back at him. Nothing said Ulrich was the killer. He seemed upset, and like he didn't deserve to be put on trial for false evidence.
" No." The crowd was shocked, because of his earlier outbreak against Ulrich. " No. I don't think he did, or could for that matter. He was pathetically in love with my daughter." He took his seat, as Ulrich tried to hold back a smile. He was pathetically in love.
" All rise for the verdict." Everyone in the courtroom rose to their feet and the jury stood up with a made decision. They had been bickering for about an hour before coming back into the courtroom. " Has the jury come up with a verdict for the defendant."
" We have your honor."
" Proceed, you have the floor."
The man in the jury box who looked most official, (though no one on jury duty looks official) cleared his voice and began.
" After hearing both testimonies, we have come up with a verdict." Ulrich and anyone with him held their breath. " Do to the overwhelming amount of evidence against Ulrich Stern, and lack of suspects in this hearing. The court finds Ulrich Stern," Ulrich heart began to go faster. It was pounding out of his chest. He closed his eyes and heard. " Guilty of all charges."
