NOTE: Please stop spamming my private inbox with messages that only has my name or other extremely irrelevant topics as the message. Not only is it annoying; it borders on harassment that it is done every single time I post a new chapter. And yes, I'm talking to you SonicBoomFan64. I've no qualms of pointing you out since you've done it for the past six months with every new chapter I post. That goes for everybody else; do not spam my message space with irrelevant topics or acting like a creepy stalker by only putting my name on it.
Hello everybody! Here is the long awaited update for this story that has been on an unforeseen hiatus for the past two months! I'm telling you, this was difficult to write mainly because of how I had things set up. Yet somehow in all the confusion and frustration, I came up with a way to get past that roadblock and onto the finish line that is the end of this chapter. Yay for me!
But seriously, work and school have also started to pile up against me. I have a lot of paperwork that I have to fill out and submit so I can start my student teaching position. For those of you who haven't heard yet, I'm right now working on becoming a teacher. The key step to that is to become a student teacher and be graded by an actual teacher who will be observing my actions. Like that isn't going to be a lot of pressure, huh?
That means there will most likely be a slowdown in the amount of chapters I can post within a timely fashion. Since I will be creating lesson plans for an entire class and having to attend those important but boring staff meetings, whatever free time I have now will most likely be obliterated into nothingness. Oh well, such is life when one decides to become a responsible and productive adult.
That said, I hope you enjoy this new chapter and will continue to be patient with me as I go through the various bumps that life puts my way. I promise that updates will come when things seemingly slow down. Just know that those slow down moments are when I'm trying to keep up with life and not get drowned by the many responsibilities that are thrown my way.
Evidence:
Attorney's Badge: Proof that Sonic is a genuine defense attorney. He's had it for a little over a year, and his reliability with the public has risen since. Even though not currently on the clock, he has it with him as a force of habit.
Ms. Norton's Autopsy Report: A report detailing Cybil Norton's death. She died at one in the afternoon due to poisoning from Wolf's Bane. With the finding of a partially dissolved Capsule in the victim's body, it's noted she died within minutes of ingesting a two hundred milligram dose.
Capsule: A partially dissolved pill laced with poison found in Ms. Norton's body during the autopsy. The coloration of both the shell and powder matches the pills found in Ms. Norton's regular medication.
Prescriptions: Medicine that Ms. Norton was required to take on a daily basis. It has yet to be proven whether or not the laced Capsule was mixed into the bottle.
Wolf's Bane: An extremely potent poison in which only major pharmaceutical companies are allowed to work with. It was placed into a pill in which Ms. Norton mistook for her medication. Just two milligrams is enough to be fatal within a couple hours.
Witnesses' Testimonies: Testimonies gathered from Ms. Norton's coworkers. While good at her job, she was often disorganized. Mr. Gunn often retrieved her medication whenever she forgot. He did the same the day she died. He is the only one at work allowed near her medication.
Profiles:
Maurice "Sonic" Hedgehog: An eighteen-year-old hedgehog who's been in the legal business for a little over a year. He runs the M&M LA (Maurice and Miles' Legal Agency) alongside Tails.
Miles "Tails" Prower: A thirteen-year-old fox who co-owns M&M LA alongside Sonic. He's returning to Mobius after a failed attempt to take his finals with Interpol for his Investigator's Badge due to an unforeseeable incident.
Alexander Gates: A twenty-two-year-old man on the same flight as Sonic and Tails. He prefers to be called Alex and apparently likes to dress casually. He is the younger brother of Allison Gates and is related to the founder of the Cybernetic Gates.
Vector Crocodile: A twenty-four-year-old prosecutor and Sonic's good friend/rival. He's currently overseeing a trial and has asked Sonic to help him achieve a "not guilty" verdict.
Cybil Norton: A thirty-four-year-old woman who was head of cyber security with the Cybernetic Gates. She died after taking her medication laced with poison.
Thomas Gunn: A twenty-seven-year-old man who was Ms. Norton's private secretary. He is suspected of killing her because he handed the laced medication to her.
Chapter 14: First-Class Acrobatic Trial by Fire Pt. 3
Sonic had downed a three cups of water in the past few minutes and was working on his forth. To say he was anxious about the coming events would be a gross understatement. Not only had he never worked a trial through teleconference before; there was also something daring to threaten everybody in the courtroom. The situation was more high-stakes than he would have liked. Lives other than the defendants were on the line, and they would only be saved when a "not guilty" verdict is delivered.
If these were normal circumstances, he would consider this impossible because of Vector having gone through the case the past two days. He even admitted himself he had proven almost everything to support his position. However, he was now being asked to do the near impossible, to attain a "not guilty" verdict in spite of the mountain of evidence already disputed which said otherwise. He was not going to work with a clean slate this time; it was a blackboard with the instructions nearly fleshed out and completed.
Despite the grim outlook, he could not help but wonder who the person who had the courtroom in the palm of their hands were. Regardless of the circumstances, trials are never to be controlled by outside influences. Then again, Vector did claim their lives depended on Sonic agreeing to try the case. Whoever they were dealing with either had power unlike any he heard of before, or they found some way to exert unignorably strong pressure. He knew that would come clear when the trial started, but it did not stop him from wondering about what he was getting into.
Tails, on the other hand, was clearly lost in thought. Whatever it was about, Sonic had no idea. However, he knew the fox pretty well. Whenever they tried cases together, he was always willing to speak his mind and offer suggestions on how they should proceed. Never was he at a loss for words unless he was thinking hard on something. Even then, it only lasted for a short while. Not once since Vector ended the call did he try to say anything. At least he was good at being productive while worried.
Thankfully, their time of silent brooding came to an abrupt end. A beeping noise suddenly pierced the room's silence and was followed by a symbol on the projector indicating an incoming call. Sonic spilt some of his water as a result; Tails also jumped before relaxing and reaching for the control to accept the call.
"Are you there, Mr. Sonic?" a voice, familiar but not belonging to Vector, asked. The image had yet to pop up, but Sonic recognized the person.
"Yes, Your Honor," Sonic replied as he brushed water off of himself. He then said after taking a glance at the screen, "I can't see anything, though."
"Yeah, just give us another second on that," another voice, this time Vector's, explained. "Forgot to activate the camera feature. There we go!" The image suddenly popped up, and Sonic and Tails had a view of the courtroom as though they were standing on the defendant's side. While not as full, there were still some spectators seated in the stands behind the prosecution's table.
There was also a camera set presumably in front of the Judge's podium, and this allowed a better view of the witness bench. This also included the seat where the defendant was seated. That was Thomas Gunn, a man who looked fresh out of high school instead of twenty-seven. The fear and exhaustion managed to make him seem younger, his disheveled blond hair and clothes only adding to the allusion of a teenager rushing to school. Despite that, the curiousness at the unique situation was clear in his eyes as he looked straight at Sonic.
"You getting the image now?" the prosecutor asked as his face suddenly popped into the frame.
The two nodded. Tails then asked, "I'm guessing that man we just saw is the defendant?" Vector nodded before moving aside to show Thomas once again. "Are you sure we can do a trial like this? It seems pretty unprofessional. What if something happens that can only be fixed by us physically being there?"
A hint of worry flashed on the Judge's face before he recovered. "I normally would've advised against it for those reasons, but these are extenuating circumstances. Didn't Prosecutor Vector explain everything to you earlier?"
"I thought it best to save time and make it a part of today's opening proceedings," the crocodile explained as he made his way to his side of the room. "I wanted to get them ready with the preliminary information first. After all, our 'guest' doesn't want us wasting more time than is necessary to finish this trial." Sonic could practically hear the sarcasm dripping off his words.
The Judge frowned. "Of course. We don't want to do anything to disappoint him. I just hope we can meet his demands. But yes, let's get on with the proceedings.
"Today is the final day of deliberations for the murder of Ms. Cybil Norton," he announced while banging his gavel to officiate the day. "Due to unforeseeable circumstances, we were required to have Mr. Sonic stand in for the original defense attorney. Naturally, there hasn't been time for an official transferal of evidence. Still, I know that Mr. Sonic is able to do pretty well on the fly, as it were. That said, I must ask you this; are you ready to represent your client?"
Even if Sonic wanted to say no, he did not think he could what with the desperate looks cast his way. Instead, all he could do was nod silently.
"Very good. And are you ready to start, Prosecutor Vector?"
"I don't have much choice in the matter." Vector had picked up his headphones that had been on the table and placed them over his neck. That was enough of a sign to show he meant business.
"Then let's begin. Since this is Mr. Sonic's first time on this case, would you do the honor of recapping what has happened?"
Vector nodded while clearing his throat. "Ms. Norton was murdered two days ago while on the job. She worked for the Cybernetic Gates Corporation as head of cyber security in there branch office here in Mobius. She was busy at work when she became violently ill and died as a result. An autopsy revealed she had been poisoned with a Capsule that was laced with Wolf's Bane. For those who don't remember, it's an extremely deadly poison only accessible by major pharmaceutical companies.
"The suspect, Mr. Thomas Gunn, is charged with her murder. Thanks to the Witnesses' Testimonies at the security office, we learned he was the only one who had direct access to Ms. Norton's Prescriptions. She was noted to be forgetful, and Mr. Gunn always took the medication to her. The same happened the day of the incident. To make her willingly take the poison, he made a Capsule that looked like her regular medication. She obviously didn't notice, and she died within minutes of taking a dosage that was almost a hundred times the lethal limit."
"Yes, you established that it takes just two milligrams to kill someone. It's a wonder why pharmaceutical companies want to work with it!" the Judge exclaimed.
"They hope to one day create a cure for the poison or even a new medication based off it," Vector explained. The passive shrug he gave showed he agreed with the Judge's sentiment. "From what I heard, the company who creates it will be given a lot of money for the new drug. Of course, it's yet to be establish if any kind of medicine can be made from it."
"Excuse me," a voice suddenly cut in. It was obviously modified; the male voice could easily not have been that. "I fail to see what this has to do with anything."
"Who said that?" Tails asked. He could not see anyone within range of the screen.
Vector groaned. He then pointed to a phone set up beside him that both Sonic and Tails managed to miss. "That'd be our esteemed 'Guest' here. They'll be speaking to us through this phone so long as we refuse to trace it. Then again, they'd be pretty stupid to come after having threatened to blow us all up."
"Wait, there's a bomb in the courtroom?" Sonic exclaimed. He was looking for signs that it was an insanely cruel joke. Unfortunately, everybody's gaze was the same as when he first saw them, scared and nervous. "How the hell did something like that get in there? Security is supposed to be on the lookout for weapons!"
"They were delivered in a box of chocolates to the previous defense attorney," the prosecutor explained. There was a distant look to his eyes as he said it. "That's the reason why we also needed you to stand in as the defense; the box she had blew up as she was holding it. Obviously, she's in no condition to be trying the case now."
Sonic's eyes bugged out at the explanation. Tails was also shocked but composed enough to continue talking. "The box of chocolates was a bomb? Didn't they check it before letting it in?"
"They did, but I made sure it didn't look like a bomb," the Guest replied. There was no hiding the pride in their voice. "I knew they would open the box to make sure nothing illegal was inside, so I placed small triggers in plastic I melted and rolled into the shape of chocolates. All I had to do was give it the color of chocolate and deliver it in a believable box. Nobody was the wiser until I set it off."
"So you killed the defense attorney?"
"No, she's still alive," Vector cut in. "Thankfully, the blast was more incendiary than explosive. She suffering from burns on her hands and chest. It's not life-threatening, but it was enough to shake up today's proceedings. She's being treated right now in the courthouse's first aid room. That's the best we can do as of now?"
"As of now? Why haven't you brought her to the hospital? She needs to be examined!" Sonic exclaimed.
"I'm afraid that's also my doing," the Guest said. "You see, I called the good prosecutor before I set off the bomb. I wanted him fully aware of my demands and the lengths I would go to see them through. After I took the defense attorney out, they were more willing to listen to what I had to say. Not to mention that the attorney seemed inept at her job, so this helped me to, pardon the expression, kill two birds with one stone.
"However, I never said anything about using another bomb," they continued in a teasing tone. "You all naturally assumed I had more because of my first attack. However, I'm not a one-trick pony; I never give my enemies a chance to predict my next move. Nobody knows what else I've set aside in case things don't go my way today. And if any of you try to leave, I have a way to handle them, as well.
"But that's neither here nor there. What I want now is for this trial to start. That's the only thing you all should be concerned about. Don't forget that I'm wanting a 'not guilty' verdict by the end of today. Make sure this is done properly, though. I don't want to drag the good prosecutor's name in the mud for suddenly abandoning his claim despite everything he's managed to prove thus far." This was accompanied with a chuckle that honestly could be described as sadistic.
Vector rolled his eyes. "Thanks for your concern to my job. It's not like my life is more important or anything.
"But yes, this is what we'll be dealing with today," he continued while shuffling through his notes. "As much as I hate to bend to a psychopath's will, we need you to prove my claims wrong, Mr. Sonic. I hope you're up to the task." Sonic could only stare in shock. Even Tails was left speechless at knowing exactly how dire the circumstances were.
The clearing of the Judge's throat cut through the silence. "How do you wish to proceed, Prosecutor Vector?"
"The previous attorney brought up a good point against me when we ended yesterday's trial. Despite the mountain of evidence against Mr. Gunn, the key question was how exactly he got his hands on Wolf's Bane. Even with connections to a pharmaceutical company, it isn't easy for one to get their hands on it. However," he added while crossing his arms, "I'm now ready to present evidence to answer her question. To do this, though, I'd like to call Senior Detective Silver to the stand."
"Well, that does sound like a good place to start. While I highly doubt it, I must ask if the defense has any objections to this." Neither Sonic nor Tails said anything against it. "Very well; I'll allow Detective Silver testify again. If he would please take the stand?" he asked as he banged his gavel.
In the next few seconds, Silver came onto Sonic's and Tails's screen. He was the first person they had seen who did not look like a nervous wreck. Then again, they never really saw him scared before. Either that or he was putting on a brave face. Regardless, he was right now putting on the face everyone expects from an officer, calm and collected.
"Name and occupation for the court please," Vector instructed.
"Senior Detective Silver Hedgehog; lead investigator for the case," Silver introduced. His tone was unusually short, almost as if he were annoyed to be on the stand. Apart from that, it was just like his normal professionalism. To Sonic, however, he understood it to be his way of masking whatever fears he had.
"Detective, I asked you yesterday after the trial to look into what the previous defense attorney brought up," Vector began as he adjusted his headphones. "I understand that you have some new information to share?"
"Yes, I do. If you don't mind, however, I'd like to first do a recap of the past few days. I would like to make sure both Mr. Sonic and Mr. Prower are up to speed. Of course, that's only if nobody has any objections to it."
The Judge was clearly pleased by the suggestion. "Not at all, Detective Silver! By all means, get the defense caught up. It wouldn't be a fair trial, after all, if we continued from where we left off."
The Guest clicked their tongue in disappointment. "I don't approve of this obvious waste of time. However," they added as Vector snapped his attention to the phone in a heartbeat, "I'll admit this won't be any fun if the playing field isn't leveled. I may be the one making demands, but even I like to watch a game not unfairly stacked in one's favor at the start. Go ahead then, detective; prove your talents today and explain what it was the court covered these past two days. Just be sure to make it quick."
"Nice to know the Judge's just an ornament," Sonic muttered quietly under his breath so only Tails could hear. "That person's not even letting him have a say in anything!" The fox merely sighed and prepared to become better acquainted with a case that had been thrust onto them.
If Silver wanted to comment against the Guest, he held back. Instead, he crossed his arms so tightly; it was clear he was trying to repress some feelings best left unspoken. That and he obviously was not used to listening to the demands of a criminal. Then again, what officer of the law ever wanted to be controlled by one?
What was also clear was that the Guest really did have total control of the trial. At least they were willing to make amends when needed. That then begged the question as to how much he would accommodate before losing patience. While wanting to avoid such a scenario, Sonic had a bad feeling it will happen at least a couple times. Hopefully, that would not happen in the first testimony of the day.
Recap of the Past Two Days
The first day of deliberations went by normally. The previous defense attorney was struggling, but she was able to pose a key question. It wasn't cemented at the time as to when Ms. Norton was poisoned. The second day came around, and Prosecutor Vector had proof of when it really happened. She made other claims afterwards, but they were quickly shot down. I got to give her points on her tenacity, though. Her last question about how Mr. Gunn could've gotten ahold of the poison granted her a final extension.
End Testimony
Sonic took a moment to think before asking, "Is that it? I know you're giving me the cliff-notes, but that's all the important stuff that happened?"
Silver nodded. "For the most part. I personally testified the past two days, so I know most of what happened in this trial. On that note, this's the first time I've ever been put under so much scrutiny," he added lightheartedly. He obviously was trying to break the tension, but it was not that well received.
Tails was the first to break the ensuing silence. "So what happened that made it hard for Prosecutor Vector to disprove the previous defense's claims?"
"She tried a lot of ways to discredit my position," Vector explained with a wry smile. The detective was clearly more than happy to pass the reigns to him. "Most revolved around Detective Silver's various testimonies; it could've passed as her trying to indict him at the rate she was going. I had other witnesses, of course! She just didn't seem all that interested in them. She apparently thought the detective to be the weakest point in my argument.
"I'm not saying she didn't do a good job!" he added with a fond smile. "The fact she lasted so long against what seems a lot like a solid case for me is commendable. Her point of attacks simply weren't able to completely follow through with her claims. Still, I admire her tenacity even though it was at my expense."
The Guest gave an amused chuckle. "And that, in turn, bought me time to concoct this plan. Had I known she would be so inept at her job, I'd have taken care of her after the first day. I'm amazed she kept the case going to today. I suppose that's proof of how tenacious a defense attorney can be when pushed to a corner.
"Alas, waiting seems to have paid off as I now have all members of the 'Guardians of the Law' working out of my hand," they continued with an amused huff. "I even get to see the boy who's managed to avoid most of the publicity thus far. I'm sure that's subject to change after today, though."
"That's all thanks to you, I'm sure," Tails said. Neither his face nor tone betrayed any emotions.
"No need for that; it's been long overdue for you. Your mind has been of much praise since your involvement in cracking the LK-9 Incident. I can't wait to see what magic you can do with almost nothing.
"Of course, it hinges on how well you work with the others today," the Guest added with an amused chuckle. "Lives hang in the balance, after all. The people here are depending on you and Mr. Sonic's success."
That comment was enough to silence the courtroom. Everyone was scared at the threat of impending death, and the Guest was keen on poking fun of the situation. It did a great job of portraying a psychotic person turned tyrant king due to the power they wielded. The worst of it was that nobody could do a thing about it. There was no way to dethrone this psychotic king; the only way to win was to beat them at their own game.
"Oh, come on; don't get tongue-tied now. The fun's only just beginning!" There was no hiding the sadistic smile behind their words. "I'd love to see one of Mr. Sonic's miraculous wins that he so often achieves. So go on then; proceed with the trial!"
"As you wish, your Majesty," Sonic sarcastically bit back. Despite the stern look from Vector telling him to not do that, the Guest merely laughed it off.
"Now there's the sass I've come to associate with you, Mr. Sonic. Do me one better now and prove you're worthy of being a Guardian of the Law!"
"It sounds so much worse coming from you, you know?" Tails elbowed the hedgehog to shut him up. Again, the Guest laughed.
Begin Cross-Examination
Sonic took a moment to recover before asking, "So the defense attorney before me had been struggling this whole time?" Vector nodded. It was obvious he was holding back a smug smirk. "Despite the fact we're on the final day of deliberations, did you guys really think the case would be that simple?"
Silver shrugged. "At the time. She kept trying to claim someone other than Mr. Gunn murdered Ms. Norton. Her big problem was the lack of evidence to support it. The best she could come up with were suppositions. If I'm to be perfectly honest, she was actually worse than you at your low points."
There was no ignoring the annoyed look on Sonic's face. "If you weren't a good friend, I'd take that as an insult."
"As if you were one to get angry at a jab like that," the detective replied with a shrug. He then added, "Though to her credit, the two suppositions she used to extend the trial were pretty good."
"Yeah, the first one had her wondering when the victim was poisoned," Tails said as he recalled what Silver said earlier. "That at least puts to question where it originally started. I'm guessing, though, that was before you discovered she took a poisoned Capsule?"
"We figured working backwards from her time of death would be the best way to figure it out. Once we found out Wolf's Bane was the poison, we backtracked based on the two hours it takes for it to work. She had taken an early lunch in anticipation for a busy afternoon. That worked with the idea of her having ingested it then."
"Was Mr. Gunn with her?"
"They always had lunch together. He claimed it was the best time to recap her on the day's schedule."
Sonic raised an eyebrow. "How's that supposed to be a lunch break? He's still doing work for her!"
Vector simply shrugged. "Technically, all he has to do is answer phone calls and make appointments for Ms. Norton. The recap of her day is completely optional, but everyone said he was willing to do it. He was eager to do well, and she was willing to take advantage of anything that made her day easier.
"Regardless of work sentiments, though, they had lunch together the day she died," he continued. "There must've been many chances for him to have poisoned her food. But because the previous attorney was adamant about Mr. Gunn not being responsible, she convinced the court to perform another autopsy. This time, it was to see if there was another way she was poisoned."
"And that was when you realized she actually took a Capsule that looked a lot like Ms. Norton's Prescriptions?" Both Vector and Silver nodded. "That obviously didn't do much for Mr. Gunn since he was the only one at work who handled them. If anything, it just helped to make him look more suspicious!"
"Which I'm sure she didn't take lying down," Tails added as he crossed his arms. "You said she made more claims after that, Detective Silver. Do you remember what they were?"
Silver took a moment to think on it. "Well, tried claiming that somebody other than Mr. Gunn could've tampered with the Prescriptions. Prosecutor Vector, however, quickly proved it wrong by quoting from the Witnesses' Testimonies that only the defendant was allowed near her medication.
"She then came up with a different angle by saying the Capsule couldn't have been the cause of death. She argued there was no way for it to have dissolved so quickly within minutes of taking it. It was a valid claim, so we had forensics examine it again."
"Long story short, the remains of the Capsule was made of medical-grade material," Vector concluded while looking at his notes. "But thanks to that angle, we learned there were trace amounts of sugar on the edges. It was assumed then that the other half was just a sugar shell. Obviously, it'll start to melt within seconds of entering the mouth. She must've taken it quickly to not have noticed it. That explained why the poison worked so quickly."
Sonic groaned. "Geez, I see why this was looking like an open-and-shut case for you. I'm surprised it's lasting this long!"
"Like I said before, you have to give her points for her tenacity. Doesn't mean it didn't annoy us, though," Silver said with a sardonic chuckle.
"But what about the motive?" Tails asked. "Did you ever find evidence of one you could work with?"
"For the most part," the crocodile replied as he fiddled with his headphones. "It wasn't a secret the defendant and victim didn't see eye-to-eye very often. In fact, everyone was amazed he lasted on the job for so long!"
"What do you mean by that? Can you give us more to work with?"
"Are you essentially asking me to testify? I'm not the one on the witness stand." Despite saying that, there was no hiding the amusement in Vector's tone.
"But you did explain the point. Besides, I think we can agree this isn't a typical trial," the fox said with a shrug. "I figured doing a couple things outside of proper protocol wouldn't be too out-of-the-question this time around."
"Well, that was presumptuous of you," the Guest suddenly cut in. "Then again, you haven't been trained in the ways of the courtroom. At best, your style almost mimics that of precinct detectives in the field. Very interesting."
"And how would you know about that?" Sonic asked. Despite trying to get more info on the case, he was hoping this statement would at least bring them closer to figuring out who the mysterious person was.
"Oh, I know a good bit about the legal system. I suppose you could consider me a well-read person. It's always interested me, but I never liked how the process can be so slow at times. If it were faster, I probably would've taken on a job as a representative of the law. But alas, that wasn't meant to be.
"That said, don't think I don't know you're thinking of using my own words to figure out my identity," they continued with a disapproving tone. "I'm no fool. Why would I go through the trouble of disguising my voice and then slip on a simple comment? It would completely defeat the purpose.
"But I digress," they sighed as Sonic face-palmed at being so easily found out. "Please continue on. Don't let me interrupt an entertaining trial. I want to know how this approach will pan out."
"I never thought a trial would become subject to this," the Judge said as he released a sigh. Everybody knew he would have shut all this down under normal conditions. Then again, this was anything but normal. His power had been usurped by the Guest, and it made him into a mere figurehead. "Then again, I'm not in much position to fix it. If you would please entertain Mr. Prower's request, Prosecutor Vector?"
"I intended to from the beginning," Vector assured after noticing the Judge's worried look. He then turned to Tails and asked, "If you would please repeat what you wanted me to respond to?"
"What did you mean when you said earlier the defendant and victim didn't always meet eye-to-eye?"
Vector's Additional Statement
It's reported they often got on each other's nerves and avoided contact as much as possible.
End Additional Statement
"Was it that hostile of a work environment?" Sonic asked.
"They managed to keep it professional. It wasn't a secret, though, that they didn't like each other," Vector explained as he shrugged his shoulders. "Witnesses said they disagreed and argued a lot. It was either him trying to help make things easier or her accusing him of making rookie mistakes. Arguments were a pretty common occurrence, although they were reportedly minor at best."
Tails frowned. "So it was just her being a tyrant and not appreciating her hired help. Sounds like one of those office horror stories come true. I'm really amazed Mr. Gunn lasted so long at the job."
"You're telling me," Silver said with a sigh. "Everyone saw them avoid each other as much as possible. They only met up when it was either time to take her Prescriptions or if they needed to go over the day's events. Otherwise, they always kept away."
"I'm amazed about why they didn't bother trying to work it out between them," the Judge said while shaking his head. "There's only so much time we all have to live; spending it having petty arguments is such a waste."
"If only the world were that simple, Your Honor," Vector simply explained. "It's like asking why we're even bothering to entertain the whims of a lunatic who's too much of a coward to show their face."
The Guest laughed. "Thank you for the flattering remarks."
"Funny; I meant to insult you."
"P-Prosecutor Vector!" the Judge exclaimed. Both him and the rest of the court were on edge at the jab against the person threatening their lives.
The Guest merely responded with a more boisterous laugh. They then said after calming down a bit, "And you're quick-witted, too. Not many would dare give lip against the one who controls whether they live or die. This'll definitely be the most fun and memorable job I've ever taken!"
"Nice to know you're enjoying this," the detective sighed. The tension in his shoulders dissipated as they went lax.
End Cross-Examination
"Putting aside warped sense of humors," Sonic said in an attempt to steer the court away from unnecessary harm. "Prosecutor Vector, I'm having a trouble coming to grips with your explanation of things."
"Take issue with it all you want; I'm just the prosecutor," Vector replied. "I can only work with what I got. But like I said, I'll play along with being a temporary witness. What exactly did I say that's making you uncomfortable?"
"You said the defendant and victim hated each other so much; they actively avoided each other. However, that doesn't go along with what Detective Silver said earlier! He said, and I quote, 'They always had lunch together. He claimed it was the best time to recap her on the day's schedule.' If these two made so much effort to avoid each other at work, then why are they always together for lunch? That doesn't make sense!"
The prosecutor hardly seemed fazed by the objection. "Maybe the defendant's some kind of masochist. He just prefers to be in pain outside of work."
The hedgehog groaned. "That usually has to do with gaining sexual gratitude in return. I really doubt that's what they do on their lunch breaks."
"My point there was that your note about their lunch is irrelevant. The fact remains they were not cordial with each other when at work. Maybe the atmosphere outside the office made it easier for them to be amicable. Believe me when I say this doesn't change my opinion about the defendant."
"The previous defense attorney tried this angle, too," Vector added with an annoyed sigh. "She found herself running into multiple dead-ends. It'd have been funny to watch if she wasn't driving us nuts in the process!"
The Judge nodded. "I dare say she was worse than you in your most desperate moments, Mr. Sonic."
"But we're not her!" Tails countered just as Sonic opened his mouth to complain. "We have our own way of working. Maybe we can approach this differently. We just need a chance to try, especially since we only started today!"
"Having a fresh pair of eyes can be beneficial," Silver mused while absently scratching behind his ear. He was clearly voicing his thoughts rather than trying to convince the court. "If anything, we might see one of your signature 'stab-in-the-dark' moments work out." He then said in a more professional tone, "At the risk of undermining your authority, Vector; I say we hear them out. Circumstances notwithstanding, it couldn't hurt to give them a chance to prove they can progress on the issue."
Vector thought on it for a moment. "I suppose that's fair. I can't exactly put them on the same playing field as the previous defense attorney.
"That said," he quickly added when Sonic began to smirk, "what exactly do you have planned? There hasn't been any evidence that shows the victim and defendant having lunch as being unusual. It easily could've been work-related between them."
"Not unless he doesn't get paid for his lunch hour," Sonic quickly countered. "If that's true, then it'd be very unusual!"
"That's a pretty weak claim, Mr. Sonic. Some people work through their lunch break, you know? Let me save you the trouble on this, though. Mr. Gunn gets lunch pay," Vector explained. "That means he can be put to work if the demand is needed."
"I'm guessing the previous attorney also tried that angle?" Tails asked with a sigh. The prosecutor nodded. "Then how about asking around at where they had lunch and figuring out if they were really doing work?"
Silver shot the fox a sympathetic glance. "That's also been done. The waiter who served them noted they were busy either on their phones or penciling things in their notebooks. In the case of this last luncheon, it was work-related."
"And what about previous lunches?"
"The last three were also work-related as noted by the servers," Vector explained without bothering to hide the annoyance in his tone. "Because of that, we didn't see the need to look into their other lunches. And if you're gonna argue otherwise, then I hope you have evidence that'll showcase its importance."
Sonic and Tails had nothing to say against that. They practically had nothing to work with at the moment, and they did not know enough about the case to come up with a plausible reason. That and Vector had taken strides to examine that line of thought against the previous attorney. There was clearly no point in continuing that line of thought.
"May I take the silence as your resignation on the topic?" the Judge asked.
The Guest made a clicking sound. "Well, this's disappointing. And here I thought the defense couldn't be thrown by roadblocks like this. I suppose I placed too much stock on their abilities."
"That's why it's better to underestimate rather than overestimate," Silver said as he rolled his eyes. His bottom lip being bitten, however, contrasted with his confidence.
"And yet to hold a prestigious community-coined title such as 'Guardian of the Law' speaks volumes of the one holding it. It's like a presidency; everyone expects the one behind that desk to do the right thing. They are then the first to blame the moment something goes wrong. Aren't I not allowed to hold that same mindset here?"
"Only if you weren't constantly rubbing it in our faces," Sonic grumbled through gritted teeth. "It's nothing more than insults meant to distract us at this point!"
Tails shrugged. "Of course, that doesn't mean we can't work around it. In fact, setbacks like right now will only make us work harder. I guarantee you we're not planning on letting this rest anytime soon!"
"That's sounding suspiciously like you found another angle to work with," Vector mused with a knowing smile. "Or are you just blowing around hot air?"
The fox smiled playfully. "Might be a bit of both. To be sure, though, I need to ask you something. Was Mr. Gunn ever asked to testify?"
"There never was a need for that. Like I said earlier, it was nothing but a dead-end for the last attorney. We forced her to move on after a while."
"Then why don't we pick up where she left off? Let's have him tell us about why he had lunch with the victim!" Everyone was confused at the suggestion. Even the Guest was quiet; it made Sonic worry about what they were thinking about.
"What is your basis for that?" the Judge asked once he collected his thoughts. "Like with the previous attorney, you don't have any evidence to support it. I'm inclined to enforce the halt on the questioning I made yesterday!"
"But don't forget this is Mr. Sonic and Mr. Prower we're working with," Silver cut in, his arms crossed in thought. "They only took part in this case today. As such, it's fair that they're trying to exploit something we haven't done so as to make the lunch issue relevant. In this case, it's the defendant never having had the chance to testify on it. Of course, I'm with the majority in saying this is a waste of time. There's no proof this'll be relevant.
"Still, I think it fair we give them a chance," he added as Sonic started to protest. "As I just said, this's their first day on the case. It's not fair we put them on the same restrictions we posed on the previous attorney. They have different methods of working, after all. So despite my reservations, I'm all for letting Mr. Gunn testify."
"Even if extenuating circumstances didn't exist, I'd still agree with Detective Silver's suggestion," Vector stated with a nod. "Let Mr. Sonic have his fun with the defendant. I might even discover something new I can use to cement my claim."
"And bring everyone in the courtroom closer to their doom?" the Guest asked. This drew concerned murmurs from everybody.
The prosecutor merely gave an amused smile. "Only because you insist on having this trial run as normal as possible. Even if I have to seemingly put everyone in danger; I need to defend my position to maintain the normalcy you want."
"Touché, prosecutor. Didn't think you'd use my words against me. It shows the guts you have to see this through."
"A-Anyway!" the Judge stammered while clumsily clearing his throat. "The court recognizes the defense's request. The defendant will take the stand to testify! If you would escort him there, detective?"
Silver nodded before turning around and heading towards Mr. Gunn who stood up upon being called. With a simple gesture of his head, the defendant nervously walked ahead of the detective to the witness stand. Both stood side by side, one still acting like everything is normal while the other constantly played with his hands.
"Mr. Gunn, I assume you understand what has been discussed thus far?" The man simply nodded at the Judge's question. "Then you'll know what it is we'll ask of you. Please explain the discrepancy the defense mentioned regarding your animosity with the victim and repeatedly having lunch with her."
"It's like the detective and prosecutor said," Thomas meekly replied, his voice finally heard for the first time by Sonic and Tails. Were it not for the case notes on all parties involved, they would have thought him to still be in high school by his vocal tone alone. "All the lunches I had with Ms. Norton were work-related. There's nothing unusual about it."
"Even so, I'd like to hear it explained in your own words," Tails gently pressed. "It may sound the same, but there are things only you can clarify for us."
"Like why you would waste your lunch hours being with someone who hated you," Sonic suggested. That caused Tails to face-palm and Vector to sigh in unmasked frustration. He asked with his head cocked, "Did I say something wrong?"
"It's more about your approach," Silver stoically explained. "You've worked trials for over a year now. We expected at least a bit of tact from you by now."
Vector frowned. "Honestly, being that blunt doesn't win you confidence. And you did it to your own client, too!"
"Maybe acting funny is his a part of his plan," the Guest teased. "Feint attacks are good for critical strikes, after all."
Nobody asked you! Sonic then cleared his throat before saying aloud, "Let's stop wasting time on this. I'd like to hear Mr. Gunn's testimony sooner rather than later."
"On that, I agree with you," Vector said with a sigh. "Let's get over this idiocy and so we can move on to more important matters! If you please, Mr. Gunn?" Thomas nervously nodded before clearing his throat.
Lunches with the Victim
Except for when I first started as a secretary; I always had lunch with Ms. Norton. Because my lunch hours were paid, I decided to work through them whenever I was swamped. We always kept a professional relationship despite our differences.
End Testimony
"That's it?" Sonic asked after noticing Thomas's prolonged silence.
Thomas cast him a nervous glance. "What else do you want me to say? Meeting up for lunch was the best way for us to keep up with our work. There's really nothing more I can say about them!"
"Which is why we never allowed the previous attorney to pursue this," Vector concluded. "Were it not for the extenuating circumstances surrounding today's trial; I'd have stood behind that decision. Regardless, you now know why this is a waste of time. However, I get the feeling it isn't going to stop you from conducting a cross-examination," he added with a sigh that was both in annoyance and expectance.
"We work with what we're given," Tails simply replied. "Besides, not everything should be taken at face-value. I'm sure there's something important in this testimony. We just need to do a bit of digging."
The Guest chuckled. "Going against the grain, are we? Most would simply throw away something so obviously useless. Then again, you always manage to make something out of nothing. Let's see if that tenacity rings true today, as well."
"My feelings exactly, except for different reasons," Sonic mumbled so only Tails could hear. "You probably just want the entertainment value out of this."
"What's torture for us is entertaining for others," Tails said with a shrug. "Just ignore him and concentrate on the testimony. What Mr. Gunn said might honestly be completely worthless, but we still need to dig around. We might end up finding something everyone else overlooked!"
"Fat chance, but I guess it's worth a shot. At least things can't get any worse than they are now."
"Is the defense ready to start yet?" the Judge asked as he cleared his throat. This snapped the two out of their private conversation. "I'd like to see the end of this trial sooner rather than later."
"Sorry, Your Honor," both apologized.
"I can already tell things are about to get interesting," Vector sighed as he adjusted his headphones.
Begin Cross-Examination
"Anyway, we already know you always had lunch with Ms. Norton. I'm also aware that it's most likely a waste of time to be on that topic. However," Sonic added as Vector grinned smugly, "I think this's the first we heard about when you first started working for her. What did you do at the start of your employment?"
"Just the basic things any new hire would do," Thomas explained with a shrug. "I never had a hand on the more complicated procedures until later. I guess it could've been considered probationary status. They needed to see how good of a secretary I was for any occasion. I didn't get to be with a singular person until a few months later."
"So you never had lunch with her until you were paired up?" The witness nodded. "I'm guessing that also means you didn't know her until you were hired?" Another nod. "And did you start having your lunches before or after you hated each other?"
"It was before. They were nothing more than us touching base on what she thought was important, though."
"What's this have to do with anything?" Vector argued. He had taken off his headphones and dropped them onto the table in frustration. "There's nothing important we can possibly learn by pursuing this! Please don't make me get everyone killed by making the Judge put an end to your cross-examination!"
"I was just trying to establish when they started hating together! Even a detail seemingly unimportant can be useful later." The silence was evidence of how everyone knew Sonic was futilely trying to explain himself out of this hole. "What's the silent treatment for? I've done it before!"
"That wasn't when multiple lives were literally at stake," Silver murmured as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Just move onto something else before you make things worse."
"My thoughts exactly!" the Judge hastily agreed. There was a hint of panic mixed into his words.
Sonic wearily sighed. "Fine, I'll forget about it for now. Then let's talk about why you worked through every one of your lunch hours. I know you said you had a constant flood of work, but was it that bad every day?"
Thomas shrugged. "Most days at least. It's enough to keep me on my toes all day long! Then again, it's to be expected since I was working for the head of cyber-security. She always had a lot of work to do."
"Did that translate to you having to meet up with her for lunch every day?"
"Not all the time. There were days when I managed to get everything done. However, she started wanting to see me every day after we started hating each other," he added with a grimace.
"So you're saying she made you work through your lunch hour because of personal reasons," Tails surmised. "How is that supposed to reflect a professional relationship? You said in your testimony earlier you both kept one despite your jarring differences. How can Ms. Norton be considered professional when she's forcing you into work lunches because of that hatred?"
"It's because of my own stupid fault. I actually kinda deserved it, so that's why I never complained."
"You deserved it? Sounds almost like something a masochist would say," Vector grumbled as he rolled his eyes. "Mind explaining to us why you felt resigned to working through all your lunch hours?"
Additional Statement
Our work relationship turned sour when I almost ruined an important meeting.
End Additional Statement
"When did this happen?" Sonic asked.
"While I was only a couple months into the job," Thomas explained. "I accidentally left some key notes back in Ms. Norton's office. I only realized just as the meeting was about to start. Needless to say, she had to stall them while I rushed back to her office," he added with a wince. "It took a while, but I managed to the notes in time."
"But she never forgave you for that," Silver surmised. He still stood at the witness stand in guarded vigil.
The defendant frowned. "Yeah. I don't blame her, either. From what I heard, she was starting to sound like an idiot towards the end of her improvised presentation. She's never let me live it down since."
"So her forcing you to meet with her every day for lunch was her way of keeping tabs on you?" Tails asked. Thomas nodded. "And how long have you been on the job under these conditions?"
"About three years now."
Sonic raised his eyebrows at the comment. "She's been on you about that this whole time? Geez, that's someone who knows how to hold a grudge!"
"How would you describe the work relationship between you two this whole time?" the detective asked. Even though it was odd for him to be asking the witness questions; nobody minded him putting in his two cents to the discussion.
"I'd probably say stifling and difficult to grow as a secretary."
The Judge appeared quizzical. "Are you satisfied with the defendant's testimony, Mr. Sonic? Apart from uncovering the workplace atmosphere, I haven't heard anything of note so far."
"I doubt he can get any further on this," Vector grumpily said. He clearly was not happy at Sonic keeping them on this cross-examination. "He's pushed on every possible detail they could; there isn't any more room to move!"
"Not exactly, Prosecutor Vector," Sonic confidently countered. "There's still something else I want to ask Mr. Gunn about. Don't worry," he quickly added upon seeing the crocodile glare daggers at him. "It has to do with what he just said."
"What're you talking about?" Silver asked.
"Call me picky, but Mr. Gunn's description about his work relationship with Ms. Norton feels a bit vague for my liking. If possible, I want him to elaborate on it."
"You're picking at both straws and my patience, Mr. Sonic," the Judge warned. There was, however, no denying the spark of intrigue in his eyes. "Still, I can't exactly deny what you're saying. What's your opinion on this, Prosecutor Vector?"
Vector scoffed. "Do you even have to ask? I'd rather we put an end to the defense's obvious attempt to feed relevancy to a dead lead!" He then let out a heavy sigh. "But since even I have to admit the defendant's explanation wasn't completely succinct; I'm reluctantly willing to see where this'll lead."
"Then it's settled. Mr. Gunn, please elaborate on how things were stifling and hard to grow professionally!" the Judge ordered with a bang of his gavel.
Additional Statement
Ms. Norton wouldn't trust me with anything, not even with her personal business!
End Additional Statement
Sonic spent a moment lost in his thoughts. He then asked, "So would you say she was micromanaging you?"
Thomas nodded. "Granted that some instances were learning experiences; she never gave me a chance to learn for myself."
"In other words, we just proved the victim was a control freak of sorts." Vector picked up from his desk his forgotten headphones and put them against his neck. "You know that just gives more weight to a possible motive, right?"
"What do you mean, Prosecutor Vector?" the Judge asked.
"My stance the entire trial was that Mr. Gunn is the murderer. His motive was because the hatred between him and Ms. Norton had reached a tipping point. This testimony solidifies that scenario! The defendant himself admitted he was being micromanaged ever since making a mistake at the start of his career. Add to it being forced to attend lunches with her to touch bases and not being allowed to professionally grow; he had enough. It's as simple as that!"
End Cross-Examination
"It may be simple to you, but I believe it's more complicated than that," Sonic countered as he crossed his arms. "You say this testimony is a means to cement my client's motive to kill. I say it instead poses a contradiction to your theory!"
"A contradiction?" the Judge repeated. His shock was mirrored by the low murmurs of those in the gallery. "Are you suggesting your client misremembered something?"
"He could be, but I think it's more possible he's lying."
Vector scoffed in amusement as he placed his headphones over his ears. "So now you're calling your client a liar? Granted that you haven't known him until today; I hardly see grounds for you to be thinking so."
"Then it seems like you've forgotten about a small detail mentioned in the Witnesses' Testimonies."
"What could possibly be contradictory between the two?"
Sonic immediately placed the statements on the projector for all to see. "Thanks to Detective Silver, we have the testimonies of those who were present at the time of the murder. Since they all said mostly the same thing, their statements were consolidated into one. They all agreed Ms. Norton was often disorganized and relied on the defendant to keep tabs on certain things."
"So she relied on him more than she was willing to admit," Silver said with a frown. "I don't know how that supposedly helps you."
"That's because I'm not concerned with that part. Don't forget the witnesses also said he was the only one allowed near her Prescriptions. They always saw him handing it to her if she ever forgot to take them. How's that reflective of a boss who wouldn't trust him to take care of even her most basic personal business? That means he's lying about how things between them at work really were!"
The Judge banged his gavel in an attempt to quell the gallery that was steadily becoming louder. It was a few seconds before they finally calmed enough to continue. He then asked, "Is this true, Mr. Gunn? Have you not been truthful to us about the work relationship between you and the victim?"
Thomas chewed at his bottom lip for a moment. It seemed he was thinking about what to say next. "So she tasked me to handle her medicine every day. She knew she often forgot to take care of herself, so it's not that unusual she threw that responsibility on me. She probably thought it as another way to vent her frustrations."
"That still doesn't explain the jump from her not trusting you to basically giving you the chance to control her life! I'm assuming the Prescriptions were important to her health in some way?"
Silver nodded. He seemed to figure out where Sonic was going with this. "They're for her heart. There apparently was an abnormality that caused her to often go into cardiac arrest. With the medicine, it would at least make such attacks less frequent and less severe. To say they kept her living a normal life wouldn't be too far from the truth."
"And yet Ms. Norton clearly entrusted her medical lifeline to the one person whom she supposedly didn't trust," Vector concluded. The lightbulb in his brain had obviously just turned on. "That doesn't reflect the relationship we've established between them these past couple days!"
"But what exactly does this mean?" the Judge asked. "Why would the defendant choose to lie about something so minor? I don't see how it benefits him!"
"And yet it somehow must," Tails said. He was pinching the bridge of his nose, deep in thought about the recent events. "What might be irrelevant to us could be something worth it for Mr. Gunn to hide. We just need to figure out what could be hidden between him and Ms. Norton under the guise of mistrust and hatred."
"Well, I hope it doesn't involve cross-examining the defendant again. Looks like he's ready to clam up!" Sonic looked over at Thomas upon hearing Vector's comment and saw his client biting his lips with more fervor. He avoided making eye contact with everyone as though he were a scared child.
"Mr. Gunn?" Sonic gently called. Thomas tilted his head slightly in his direction before shifting back to stare at the podium.
Vector shook his head at the scene. "I doubt anything short of exposing his reason for lying will make him talk now. I'm assuming you have an idea what it is?"
Tails frowned. "How would we know if we just figured it out ourselves?"
"Then I'm afraid we're stuck again," Silver concluded with a sigh. "At least we have something new to work with. It's unfortunate, though, that it kinda casts doubt on Prosecutor Vector's case. Still, I think we can try to fix this."
The Judge raised an eyebrow. "What did you have in mind, detective?"
"I suggest we call a recess and take some time to look into this new lead. If the defendant and victim really were on better terms, it could destroy his only motive for murder. As such, we need time to thoroughly investigate this matter. Of course, that's if everyone here agrees with my suggestion."
"I've no objections," Vector immediately agreed. "If the defense is also fine with it, I'll have the detective pour his resources onto this lead. What say you, Mr. Sonic?"
Sonic nodded. "It's what I've been wanting since I've pointed it out. Like Detective Silver said, this's a chance to finally prove Mr. Gunn's innocence. I'd be crazy to not give it a shot."
The crocodile grinned. "You do know this's an uphill battle, right? If you don't end up proving my position wrong, you'll almost definitely lose this case. You're ready to handle that kind of pressure?"
While Sonic saw Vector's jabs to be the playful bouts they were; he knew there was an underlying seriousness to it. With the Guest threatening to kill everyone should a "Guilty" verdict be given, this lead was extremely important. If it did not pan out, then the front pages of the Mobius Times would be about the mass deaths in the county courthouse. To say he was not ready to handle such pressure would have been an understatement. Then again, he already fell this far into things; a little more added pressure should not be too much of an issue.
"The silence isn't a good sign," the Guest said in a teasing tone. "Has this become too much for you to handle, Mr. Sonic?"
"I've handled worse," he automatically replied. He could not think of any situations that were worse than this, however. "Let's see what Detective Silver's investigation into the matter will turn up."
"Then that's settled!" the Judge proclaimed. "Court will adjourn for a one-hour recess. In that time, Detective Silver will look into the lead the defense brought up regarding the defendant's lie about his work relationship with the victim." He then banged his gavel and made a quick retreat to his chambers.
"I've never seen the Judge move so fast before," Tails said just as the sound of a door slamming was heard.
"You can't blame him for wanting to hide from the situation," Vector explained with a shrug. He walked over to the monitor and picked it up. "Anyway, don't disconnect your end of the call. I don't want to waste time trying to establish the connection again. Just hang tight and be available in case new developments come around."
"Well, isn't that the most uncomforting thing I've heard you say," Sonic groaned as he turned away. The jostling from the crocodile's footsteps shook the screen to the point it gave him a headache. "Just make sure it's not more bad news. I don't think I can handle any more pressure."
New Profiles:
The "Guest": A mysterious person who has the courtroom under his control with the threat of death. He is insistent that Sonic proves Thomas innocent while still adhering to the normal rules of the courtroom.
Updated Evidence:
Prescriptions: Medicine that Ms. Norton was required to take on a daily basis for her heart. It has yet to be proven whether or not the laced Capsule was mixed into the bottle.
And that's all there is to this new chapter. Yep, it's one doozy of a chapter with a lot of reveals about the nuances of this particular trial. I'm setting myself up for one monumental headache just to make the whole thing interesting for you guys, you know?
Anyway, that's all I have to say for now. I really don't have much in terms of end of story content to talk about. So with that, I'll just leave things here and hope that the next update doesn't take another two months like this one did. Until the next update to this or any of my stories on here!