"Are you okay, Athena!?" Mia asked in shock.
"No, I'm not okay." Athena said, hugging herself. "Prosecutor Riddles is really cruel."
"He's trying to wreck you before even starting. Don't let him get away with it."
"T-that's easier said than done."
"Are we sure that the defense is ready?" The judge asked.
"Y-yes, Your Honor." I can't let him get the best of me.
"And the prosecution has already an opening statement?"
"Yes, Your Honor." Riddles said, looking through the pile of papers in his desk. " I'll tell you piece by piece." Why don't he just shut up!? "Yesterday morning, the traffic guard Amber Redgreen was murdered in the building lot for the Godly Tailor Department Store. Here's the autopsy report and a photo of the crime."
Autopsy report added to the Court Record.
(Victim: Amber Redgreen. Cause of death: Stab wound to the heart. Time of death: Between 6AM and 10AM on January 14th.)
Photo of the crime added to the Court Record.
(The photo pictures Amber Redgreen's body lying on the ground next to a pool of blood.)
"There's a witness and a lot of evidence to prove the defendant's guilt. I'd tell you more, but I don't want to spoil the next witness' testimony."
Detective Copper took the stand. "You call that an opening statement?"
"Can you do better?"
"Is that a challenge?"
"Whatever that makes my job easier."
"Then, behold the true power of a prodigy!" Copper said, hitting his chest. "The defendant is guilty! And there's no room for error! Admit your defeat already, Brat!"
"What?" Athena asked.
"Delaying the unavoidable, I see. Don't say I didn't warn you."
"This guy couldn't be any more annoying if he tried."
"Is that a challenge?"
"No! Testify already!"
"But he has yet to testify his name and occupation." The judge noted.
"I'm Barney Copper, the famous and peerless prodigy detective."
"Really?" The judge said. "I've never heard of you."
"Don't worry, Your Honor." Riddles said. "This is the shiny debut of our prodigy."
"But when the world knows about my feats, the word 'prodigy' will have to be redefined."
"Huh...You're going to testify at some point, right?" Athena asked.
"Well, if your so eager I guess that...We can wait a few more minutes! Hahahahaha!"
"Jerk." Widget beeped.
"Witness, the court would like to hear your testimony now." The judge said.
"At your service, Gavel Guy." Copper pulled out his notebook and started turning pages.
Witness Testimony
-Evidence against the Big Shot-
"We have very good reasons to think that the defendant is guilty.
First of all, the detective who arrested him caught him red-handed.
And I mean literally. He was covered in blood.
Also, the pocket knife used to kill the victim was found near him.
And there's the position of the footsteps in the crime scene.
It proves their confrontation."
"That sounds pretty decisive." The judge said.
"That's because it is decisive." Copper replied. "But don't cry yet, Brat. We still have to go through the cross-examination."
"There must be something heavy enough in the court record." Athena muttered.
"You mean evidence heavy enough to deny his claims?" Mia asked.
"Actually, I meant something heavy enough to knock him out." Athena replied. "I'd give anything for a single brick right now."
"You should watch out, detective." Riddles said. "Ms. Cykes here is an expert at dismantling testimonies. Among many other things."
"I take it back. I'd give anything for two bricks right now."
"You may cross-examine the witness." The judge banged his gavel.
Cross-examination
-Evidence against the Big Shot-
"We have very good reasons to think that the defendant is guilty.
First of all, the detective who arrested him caught him red-handed.
And I mean literally. He was covered in blood.
Also, the pocket knife used to kill the victim was found near him.
"HOLD IT!" Athena shouted. "Near him? As in his personage?"
"If that were the case, I would have said just that, don't you think?" Copper said. "We found the pocket knife near where he was arrested."
"So...you found the murder weapon at the crime scene. That's not really that suspicious. Is there really a reason to think that the knife belongs to the defendant?"
"Well, it's a pretty normal pocket knife. The kind you can find in any shop. And there aren't any fingerprints on it. But the blade matches the wound in the body. And if it's the murder weapon, then it must belong to the culprit, namely, the defendant."
Pocket knife added to the Court Record.
(The murder weapon. There aren't any fingerprints on it. It was found near where the defendant was arrested.)
"Do you have a problem with that statement, Ms. Cykes?" The judge asked.
"Yes, Your Honor!" Athena banged the desk. "The knife isn't a proof of the defendant's guilt at all! And one more thing! Was the defendant wearing gloves when he was arrested?"
"No, for all I know." Copper said.
"But if the defendant was caught red-handed, he wouldn't have had the time to dispose of a pair of gloves! And if he wasn't wearing gloves, he would have left fingerprints! But there aren't any fingerprints on the knife! That only can mean...that the defendant is not the culprit."
"AGH!" Copper flinched and squeezed his notebook.
The gallery burst into chatter.
"Well done, Athena." Mia said.
"Order. Order." The judge banged his gavel. "Ms. Cykes is right. It seems that the defendant is not guilty."
"HOLD IT!" Copper shouted. "Not bad, Brat. But you can't compete with my prodigious mind."
"What do you want now?" Athena asked.
"I've just come up with the way the defendant could have committed the crime." Copper said, hitting his chest. "He used a handkerchief or something like that to grip the knife without leaving fingerprints."
"Were any handkerchiefs found on his personage?"
"I don't know, but his trenchcoat would have worked too."
"Huh...Shoot."
"That's a point for the prosecution team." Riddles said.
"We'll be a team when you do anything, Sloth." Copper said.
"I should have quitted while I was winning." Athena muttered, sweating.
"Don't worry, Athena. You've proved that the knife isn't conclusive evidence." Mia said. "Maybe you haven't defeated him yet, but you stroke a blow. Keep pressing him and his testimony will eventually crumble."
And there's the position of the footprints in the crime scene.
It proves their confrontation."
"HOLD IT! How exactly do that proves their confrontation?"
"You should try using your own brain every now and then, Brat. " Copper said. I wonder if they'd penalize me if I a punched him. "But I'll explain anyways, so the kids can understand."
"How nice of you to think of the children in the gallery!" The judge said.
"Who said anything about the gallery?" Hold on, Athena. Don't lose it. "In the crime scene, three set of footprints were found: The victim's, the defendant's and the witness'. Since the witness' got to the crime scene later than the defendant and the victim, his footprints aren't important. The footprints of both the defendant and the victim finish where the body was found, and they're in opposite directions. You can see some of them if the photo of the crime. This proves that the defendant and the victim did face each other...the moment of the crime!"
"That looks like solid evidence." The judge nodded. "What do you think, Ms. Cykes?"
What do I think? "I disagree, Your Honor. There's something in the court record which shows that this evidence isn't very solid. TAKE THAT!"
"The photo of the crime?"
"Yes. There's something off in it."
"Then show it to the court."
"TAKE THAT!"
"The victim's feet?"
"Actually, the victim's shoes. Look at the shoelaces. Don't you think the way they're tied is really weird?"
"You're right." The judge said. "It looks like they're tied backwards. It's kind of unnatural."
"Exactly. As if...someone else had tied them."
"Wait. Are you suggesting...?"
"Yes! The culprit used the victim's shoes to fake the footprints and then put them back in the body!"
The gallery burst into chatter.
"Order! Order! So then...everything would be a trick to pin the blame on the defendant!?"
"Exactly!"
"HOLD IT!" Copper shouted. "I can explain this contradiction."
"Really?" The judge asked.
"Of course. She tied them before putting them on. It's not that hard to put on an already tied shoe."
"Why in the world would she do that?" Athena asked, grimacing.
"I don't know. A new trend?"
"That's just stupid."
"But you can't deny the possibility."
"Well, I guess it's possible, but..."
"It's not just possible. It just the only way it could have happened. Because all the evidence is pointing to the defendant!"
"What? It's not just that. The murder weapon, the footprints...Nothing in this testimony holds any water!"
"You're just grasping at straws."
"You're the one grasping at straws!"
"But my straws are way bigger than yours!"
"What's that even supposed to mean?"
"It means that you're a loser."
"Stop insulting me for no reason!"
"What are you going to do? Tell it to your mom?"
"You're about to make me really mad and I wouldn't recommend it to you."
"Oh, no! The Brat is angry! She'll headbutt my shin!"
"Do you want to settle this with our fits!? That's what you want!?"
"Is that a challenge!?"
"OBJECTION!" Riddles shouted, kicking the desk. "Stop already, lovebirds. Good job taking apart the testimony, Ms. Cykes. As expected."
"Do you want to settle it with the fists, too!?" Athena shouted.
"Ms. Cykes!" The judge said. "If you can't control yourself, I'll have to accuse you of contempt of court."
"Calm down, Athena." Mia said. "This is what Prosecutor Riddles wants. Don't play his game."
"Right. I-I'm sorry, Your Honor. It won't happen again."
"I take your word." The judge said.
"You can leave the stand now, detective." Riddles said. "You were here to prove the defendant's guilt and you've failed at it. Not that I expected different. But I though that an expert in fails like you would realize his fails sooner." Detective Copper looked away, squeezed his notebook and gritted his teeth. Wait. Did he just shut him up. I though it was impossible . "Now it's time to get serious." Riddles looked down and his hat shadowed his eyes. "Nah, I'm just kidding. There's no need for that."
"Well, actually, the proper mood in a court of law is..." The judge started to say.
"Yeah, yeah, you're very good at your job, we get it. Moving on. I think it's time to call the eyewitness. "
"Well, then." The judge banged his gavel. "Bailiff! Call the witness!"
Court record:
Profiles:
Pearl Fey (Female; 17): An old friend of Mr. Wright. Ask later why he hanged out with little kids.
Ema Skye (Female; 26): A self-proclaimed scientific detective. Apparently she knows Apollo and Mr. Wright.
Scruffy (Male; 40): The defendant and head of the Criminal Affairs Department. He's also an old friend of Mr. Wright. Ask later why he knows so many important people.
Maggey Byrde (Female; 31): Chief Scruffy's secretary. She's a very unlucky person. Or so she says.
Scarlett Dycatt (Female; 25): One of the detectives in Criminal Affairs. She's a bit paranoid.
Amber Redgreen (Female; 28): The victim. A traffic guard.
Douglas Gusler (Male; 30): One of the detectives in Criminal Affairs. He loves donuts.
Snakey Butcher (Male; ?): An assasin for hire. He killed Case Close the day of the crime.
Barney Copper (Male; 20): A rookie detective in charge of the investigation. He's a jerk.
Matthew Selak (Male; 75): One of the detectives in Criminal Affairs. He doesn't like the idea of retirement.
Rudy Riddles (Male; 23): The prosecutor for this case. There's something wrong with him.
Mia Fey (Female; Deceased): She was Mr. Wright's mentor when she was alive. She's awesome.
Evidence:
Attorney's badge: Nobody believes that I'm a lawyer unless I show them this.
Voice message: "Hello. I know this sound weird but...I think I just ticketed that man we were talking about the other day. The guy ran a light. Can you come here and lend me a hand? I'm at Wonder Street, near the building lot for the new department store."
Traffic ticket: For: Not respecting traffic lights. Money to pay: 200$. Time: 7:35 AM Date: January 14th.
Candlestick: Snakey Butcher killed Case Close with it. It was found in his car.
Hairpin: It's big and shaped like a bird. Found in a high beam near the crime scene.
Autopsy report: Victim: Amber Redgreen. Cause of death: Stab wound to the heart. Time of death: Between 6AM and 10AM on January 14th.
Photo of the crime: The photo pictures Amber Redgreen's body lying on the ground next to a pool of blood.
Pocket knife: The murder weapon. There aren't any fingerprints on it. It was found near where the defendant was arrested.