Hello everybody! Here's a new chapter to this story. I know, it's amazingly fast compared to the two month hiatus period I had earlier. I just happened to be on a roll and didn't want to stop. that and I've found myself with a lot of free time these past couple of days in order to procure a new chapter for you all to read. Now that the whole "investigation" is completed from the last chapter, it's time to get on to the juicy bits that I'm sure you've all waited ever since I introduced the LK-9 Incident to the story.
I really do hope that you enjoy reading this new chapter as much as I had making it. To be perfectly honest, it was hard to make the court scene for this case seeing as how the case has started out dead with the two attorneys using the same evidence that brought previous investigators to dead ends. The only difference now was the circumstances, but that's hardly enough to make much adequate forward progress. Here's to hoping that I'll be able to pull something great out of my hat with the accidentally limiting information I put myself on.
But yeah, please don't forget to leave a review before you move onto the next story that you want to read. Especially since this is so close to the official end of this story, I would really like feedback as to how you guys liked the story as a whole as well as how I started this new case. Since I've already done all the pre-trial talking in the last chapter, I had decided to just start off with the Judge beginning the proceedings. I figured that it'd be a good way to get right into the action and showcase how serious the trial is going to be from this point on.
Until the next update to this or any of my other stories on this site everybody! I'll go ahead and leave you with the evidence and profiles that will be in existence for this case.
Evidence:
Attorney's Badge: Sonic's badge proving that he's a genuine defense attorney. Ever since getting tied into a murder because of him losing it, he's since taken precautions to make sure that it stays secured within the inside of his gloves.
Pistol: The weapon that was recovered at the Mobius Dock. The ballistic markings on the bullet extracted from Ms. Mae's body matches to the gun. Signs show that it was fired twice. It also bears Shadow's fingerprints. It also appears that this also played some role in the LK-9 Incident.
Letter: A piece of mail found in the lighthouse basement and brought by Knuckles from the forensics department. The contents seem to indicate that Mr. Pryce had some kind of connection to the perpetrators of the LK-9 Incident. While a handwriting analysis is desirable, it's impossible to conduct because of a lack of comparison to a specific individual.
Picture: a photograph given to Sonic by Knuckles who had received it from Salemand Eres. It shows a picture of a white-furred lion with occasional blue spots on all fours like a wild animal and looking at the camera and smiling. Amazingly, his face looks almost child-like despite his rather strong-looking body. It's clear that he has the rare genetic disorder Feralisis Syndrome.
LK-9 Case File: A case file summarizing all the information gathered by police and detectives at the height of the LK-9 Incident. A copy of the file was given to Sonic and Tails by Vector in hopes that it would help them obtain the answers they seek about the case. The original and digital versions were destroyed by someone; Vector's and Silver's official copies are the only two left to exist.
Vector's Account: Testimony recorded by Tails and detailing what Vector saw in the courthouse lounge on the day of Knuckles' acquittal. He said he saw Mephiles entering the lounge for the first time in his entire career and watching over Sonic's case. He then said the old prosecutor left the room after hearing Shadow exclaim that Ace be held in protective custody.
Notes: Notes taken by Tails depicting what he, Sonic, and Silver had discussed regarding possible connections with Sonic's cases and the LK-9 Incident. It's speculated that all the murderers in the previous cases were orchestrated by one mastermind who seems to be in some kind of smuggling ring.
Case Summary File: A file found in the LK-9 Case File that summarizes the scene of the crime. The crime took place that the Mobius Dock's lighthouse that was then a business called "Prycey Seafood". It was owned by three people; two of them were Lois and Maxwell Pryce who owned a lesser percentage of the business. An unnamed third person had owned a majority of the business before it closed upon being a spotlight of a murder.
Witness List: A list of witness found in the LK-9 Case File. According to the list, there were four potential witnesses to the murder. Two of them were Max and Lois Pryce and have been recorded as supplying witness statements to the police. The third person was Salemand Eres who appears to have been working at the Prycey Seafood at the time, although Shadow states that he was merely working undercover then. A fourth person, the third owner of the business, was kept anonymous for some reason and had his wish to refuse to testify be granted.
Victims' Report: A report that supplies basic details of the victims of the LK-9 case. One of them was a senior detective by the name of Charles Hedgehog, Sonic's uncle. The second victim was a defense attorney called Maria Robotnik, Shadow's good friend and apparently a relative of Dr. Robotnik.
Profiles:
Sonic Hedgehog: He's a seventeen-year-old cobalt hedgehog who has taken upon himself to act as the defense for the LK-9 Incident despite the clear lack of a defendant. He wishes to obtain more information on the case in its last day of legal life.
Miles Prower: A twelve-year-old two tailed fox who likes to go by his nickname "Tails" and is now working at the Robotnik Law Firm as their local detective. He's now working alongside Sonic in an attempt to find answers that lie hidden within the LK-9 Incident.
Knuckles Echidna: An eighteen-year-old red echidna who is a detective at the local Precinct and now assigned to the Shadow's case thanks to the efforts of Senior Detective Silver. He delivered the evidence from the LK-9 Incident to Vector after learning of someone destroying material linked to the case.
Salemand Eres: A twenty-six-year-old ebon black cat who's looking for his missing brother. As revealed by Vector, he is a member of Interpol currently on an assigned mission in Mobius and using his current name as an alias. His real name is unknown to all except Vector. It is suspected that he might know something concerning the LK-9 Incident.
Shadow Hedgehog: An eighteen-year-old ebon furred hedgehog who became a prosecutor at sixteen in a country that allowed bar exams at younger ages. He has been cleared of murder and is now overlooking the case from the gallery to see what new details will surface during the trial.
Silver Hedgehog: A nineteen-year-old silver furred hedgehog who is the country's youngest Senior Detective. He has taken it upon himself to serve as one of the detectives from the initial investigation of the LK-9 Incident.
Mephiles: A sixty-five year old veteran prosecutor whose ruthlessness is well known both inside and out of the courtroom. If not trying to leave a strong impression in all his cases, he expects nothing but obedience and cooperation from the officers and detectives overlooking the collection of evidence in the cases he's working on. He's known to get any officer or detective who dared to defy his direct orders in trouble with the Precinct. He has chosen not to oversee the LK-9 Case after losing to Sonic.
Vector Crocodile: A twenty-three-year old local prosecutor who is friends with Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles as well as Shadow's coworker. He has decided to continue with his work as a freelance detective along with Charmy Bee despite the conviction of his friend and partner Espio that caused shadows about the integrity of his work that soon quickly dissipated. He has also taken it upon himself to oversee the LK-9 Incident as a prosecutor.
Leukis Kruger: Salemand's eighteen-year-old younger albino lion brother who has been afflicted with the rare genetic disorder Feralisis Syndrome. He is apparently a member of Interpol with his name simply a code name. According to Salemand, he has been missing for a few days. As accidentally revealed by Vector, his real name is actually Leon.
Charles Hedgehog: Sonic's uncle with greyish blue fur who was once a resourceful and reliable senior detective down at the local precinct. Because of the events from five years ago, he became an unfortunate victim of what is now known as the LK-9 Incident.
Maria Robotnik: Shadow's good friend with beautifully long blond hair who was once a defense attorney. She apparently has some relations to Dr. Robotnik. Because of the events from five years ago, she became an unfortunate victim of what is now known as the LK-9 Incident.
Chapter 29: The LK-9 Case Turnabout Pt. 2
"Court is now in session!" the Judge announced a minute with a bang of his gavel after everybody was in their correct positions in the courtroom. "Are both parties ready to adequately present their case?"
"The defense is ready, Your Honor," Sonic replied as Tails gave a sure nod of his head beside him.
"The prosecution is ready, Your Honor," Vector answered in a cool fashion. And just like the first time Sonic encountered him in a courtroom, he was fiddling with the headset resting on his neck.
"Very well, then let's get this trial underway!" His Honor stated. "As you all know, this trial is quite unique. We're right now opening up the LK-9 Incident, a case that's five years old, under the claims the defense has made about connections with the previous case. However, today is the last day that it can ever be brought up to a court of law, so I ask both sides to refrain from wasting the court's time with petty and unimportant details. I will not hesitate to put an end to this trial if that should occur.
"Now that I've adequately warned you both, will the prosecution go ahead and begin with their opening statement?" he continued as he brought his attention to the prosecution.
"Gladly, Your Honor," the crocodile said as he nodded his head in acknowledgement to the earlier warning. "The LK-9 Incident revolved around the murder of two people who had a career in the world of law. They were Senior Detective Charles 'Chuck' Hedgehog and Defense Attorney Maria Robotnik. They were found murdered at the Mobius Docks Lighthouse, the scene of a crime from the previous trial held. The reason they were murdered was simply because they had went to the lighthouse in order to rescue four kidnap victims that were meant to deter them from the case they were working on.
"If it would please the court, I would like to present the autopsy reports for both victims," he added as he procured from his desk two files. He then said as he opened one, "For Senior Detective Charles, he was found dead with bruises covering his body. They were also apparent on his knuckles, and it has thus been proven that he had been engaged in a fight prior to dying. As to the cause of death, it was a result of a clean and heavy blow to the side of his head with a blunt object. The weapon has never been recovered, but it's believed that it was thrown away into the river.
"And now I'll move onto Maria's Autopsy Report. She was killed by a single bullet that shot straight through her skull. Upon close examination, there were traces of gunpowder residue on the back of her head, indicating that she was shot at point-blank range from behind. There were no signs of a struggle, so she was either taken by surprise or held hostage by her killer before dying. Thankfully, the weapon was recovered and has been in the defense's possession since the start of the previous case."
"What exactly do you mean, Prosecutor Vector?" the Judge asked with clear confusion in his voice. "How could the defense possibly be in possession of a piece of evidence regarding the LK-9 Incident at this time? I highly doubt that they were able to simply stroll into the evidence room at the Precinct and ask to take it out."
"I believe I can explain that in adequate detail, Your Honor," Sonic spoke up as he showed the court the Pistol. "As you'll all remember, this Pistol was the weapon used to Murder Ms. Lois Pryce in the previous case. However, you will also remember that I also used this to prove a connection of sorts to the LK-9 Incident. In fact, it's only with help from the prosecutor that I've learned this was used in the murders of that case. Namely, it was used to kill Maria Robotnik!"
"Are you saying that this Pistol was once in the evidence room and was somehow taken in order to become a weapon in another murder?" the old man questioned with shock evident in his voice. "My god, what exactly is going on at the Precinct?! It sounds almost as if there's someone so casually breaking the law and committing serious crimes!"
"Be that as it may, the fact remains the weapon used to murder Maria is now in the hands of the defense," Vector coolly replied as if it were no big deal as he fiddled with his gold chain. "Once this case is over, I'll file a petition personally that there be an intense investigation of the Precinct from an outside organization. As you've stated, it's clear that there are some shady shenanigans taking place.
"Apart from that, I would like to move on with the case. I request that Senior Detective Silver Hedgehog take the stand and testify as to the conditions of the scene of the murder when first discovered."
"Very well; the witness may take the stand!"
With that decree, Silver was seen quickly making his way to the witness stand ready to answer whatever questions were to be thrown his way.
"Name and occupation please," the crocodile said as per court protocol.
"Silver Hedgehog, senior detective at the local Precinct," the detective introduced himself. "While I've had no jurisdiction to the LK-9 Incident at the moment it started, I've assumed the role of head investigator as I'm the only detective in the Precinct who knows enough of the case. As such, I'm acting as head investigator for the sake of this trial."
"Alright, then can you please provide the court with an account of how the scene was set up when the police had arrived? I understand that it may not be an accurate description, but I'm sure that we'll be able to overlook it due to the special circumstances of this trial."
"I'll do my best."
"Well, here we go," Sonic murmured to Tails as he let out a deep sigh. "Time to finally get this show on the road. Let's just hope this doesn't become a crazy circus act like the last case was."
"And what are the chances of that happening?" Tails asked as he let out an amused chuckle. "Don't forget people before us couldn't get anywhere with the case. It'd probably take another bout of insanity in order to really learn more."
"Oh, I figured you'd say that," the cobalt hedgehog replied with a groan as he prepared himself to listen to the testimony.
The Scene of the Crime
In the LK-9 Incident, two people were murdered in their attempt to rescue four kidnap victims. They were reportedly held hostage at the lighthouse on the Mobius Docks. Senior Detective Charles Hedgehog was found dead just outside the lighthouse heavily bruised and bleeding from the head. Defense Attorney Maria Robotnik was found later inside the lighthouse with a gunshot wound to her head. All witnesses on scene were questioned, but no leads have arisen from them. As such, the case has since been in a standstill.
End Witness Testimony
"Hmm, it sounds almost like when the case was first brought to court five years ago," the Judge replied as he had a thoughtful look on his face. "I've doubt much has changed since then."
"If that were the case, then why has Your Honor chosen to allow this case to be brought to trial?" Sonic countered as he mulled over the testimony just made. "I'm sure that the connection I've made earlier has made room for more investigation into this. The testimony my generally be the same, but the situation surrounding it is completely different."
"Whether or not conditions are different from then and now remains to be seen," Vector said as he began listening to music through one side of his headset. "Let's take care of one thing at a time and try to get a clearer picture of what exactly transpired that day. And I ask that the defense try not to bite off more than they can chew," he added in a cocky tone. "This case hasn't been put in cold storage all this time for no reason."
"Thanks for the friendly warning, prosecutor," Tails said as he took note at the genuine warning in the prosecutor's tone. However, he still could not help the feeling of annoyance at the cockiness in it. "Then let us go ahead and see if we can unearth more to this case than the attorneys and detectives of the past could. Let's start off by scrutinizing the good detective's testimony."
"I'm more than happy to second that motion," the cobalt hedgehog replied with a sure nod of his head. He then added in a low whisper so that only his little brother could hear, "And here's to hoping that we can get further into this than the initial investigators could."
"If you can handle Mephiles's strong attack, then I'm sure you'll be able to blow some new leads into this cold case," the two tailed fox stated in an encouraging tone. "For now, let's just handle everything one step at a time."
Begin Cross-Examination
"First off, you stated that there were four kidnap victims prior to Charles and Maria's deaths," Sonic stated as he tried to ignore the bitter feeling forming in his stomach. "I would assume then that the LK-9 Incident was born because of the kidnapping."
"You'd be right on that," Silver replied with a nod of his head. "Although the start of the case was officially stated as when the murders occurred. All the kidnap victims survived the ordeal, so at least that was something going for the police there."
"It's sad, however, how we lost two good people in law enforcement," the Judge replied in a sad tone as he shook his head at the memory. "By the way, where exactly are the victims of the kidnapping? Perhaps we should hear from them if they're readily available."
"If it would please the court, you've already seen all four of them," Vector answered as he looked over at the defense. "Mr. Sonic and his assistant Tails are two of the victims from said case. Detective Knuckles and Prosecutor Shadow were the other two involved.
"However, they were proven to not have any information that was pertinent to the investigation," he quickly added as the court started to talk amongst themselves. "They were all questioned and said that they were held in a windowless room and had no opportunity to have seen their kidnappers. Therefore, to hear from them of their account would both be a waste of time and an unnecessary evil on our part to make them remember."
"I second that motion even if only on personal grounds," the cobalt hedgehog agreed with a nod of his head. "For the four of us, this event isn't something that we'd like to get too deep into personal detailing. It adds nothing new to the case."
"Well, I suppose we can skip over your testimonies since both sides of the court are in agreement," the old man replied somewhat uneasily as he regained order in the courtroom. "Now if you would please continue on with the cross-examination?"
"If it would please the court, let us move onto the lighthouse in question," the defense attorney quickly moved on as he tried to get away from the uncomfortable air that was hanging in the air. "That building is the same crime scene as from our earlier case. However, the difference between these two cases is the five-year gap. How much would you say that the lighthouse has changed during those times?"
"That lighthouse has changed drastically during that timeframe," Silver explained as he recalled what he studied up from the past couple of years. "At the time of the LK-9 Incident, it was actually a privately owned business called 'Prycey Seafood'. It was a business that dealt in the production and sale of high-end seafood. It had been debunked in the weeks following the start of the murder five years ago. It was quite sudden seeing as how they were still doing good business despite the murder, but we can only speculate whether or not that was the reason for the abrupt closing."
"Do you know who the owners of the business were then?" Tails asked despite having already known what the answer was. "I'm sure the police had some questions to ask them since the crime was committed on their property."
"There were three owners altogether, but this entire courtroom should already know of two. Those two are the people who have been introduced to us in the case connected to this, Maxwell and Lois Pryce. The third owner was left anonymous during the course of the investigation. I've asked questions as to whom this person was, but I failed to find any more information on the subject. However, it was discovered that he was the leader of the business being that he held the majority of the business's stock."
"How is it that one can remain anonymous in the events of a criminal investigation?" the two tailed fox asked with an eyebrow raised in confusion. "Seeing as how the business was the scene of a murder, wouldn't it only stand to reason that the owners would be questioned by the police? After all, the crime took place under a place that's under their personal jurisdiction. I'm sure their names would have to be recorded at some time."
"The only way I can think of where they can avoid being named in an investigation is if they have strong ties with someone in the force. Allow me to say that this doesn't automatically say that there was some sense of conspiracy taking place then. It could be that it was found he had nothing to do with the case and was thus conveniently left out of the naming process. It's not entirely impossible despite it being a rather uncommon occurrence."
"Judging by what the last case ended up unearthing, I wouldn't be surprised if it ended up that we're looking at another moment where illegal activities were taking place in the Precinct then," Vector stated in a thoughtful fashion. "However, there isn't any evidence that states such an assumption as fact, so it's pointless to be advancing down this avenue. So how about we move onto something else?"
"…Fair enough," Sonic agreed with a shrug of his shoulders after a moment's thought. "I also think it best we move onto something else. Detective, do you mind telling me how many witnesses there were exactly and when they were questioned?"
"Well, excluding the four kidnap victims, there were four people who were questioned immediately after the discovery of the murder," the detective began to explain. It seemed like he really was prepared to answer any and all questions thrown his way despite not being the original lead investigator on the case. "Naturally, they were the three owners and a worker who happened to have been working overtime that night. Their testimony has been recorded but ended up unearthing nothing new to the whole investigation. As such, the case has been in a standstill and kept away from the courts until today."
"So you're saying that they all provided the police with their account of what they did that night," the cobalt hedgehog stated as he repeated what was just said. "They all spoke with a detective and provided their accounts, right?"
"That's what I said," the detective replied with a brow raised in confusion. "Did I say something wrong?"
"Mr. Sonic, I hope you're not repeating the detective's words just because you find it funny to do so," the crocodile objected with an annoyed sigh escaping his lips. However, his eyes seemed to have a knowing glint to them as if he knew what the hedgehog was trying to lead up to. "If you have something important that you want to mention, then hurry up and get to it. None of us are in the mood for games."
"Mr. Sonic, are you suggesting that there's something of contradictory nature in the detective's testimony?" the Judge asked as he glanced over at the defense.
End Cross-Examination
"Detective Silver," Sonic started as he failed to answer the Judge's question. "Just now, you've testified to the court that all the witnesses present at the scene of the crime save the kidnap victims were immediately questioned. Do you stand by that statement?"
"Of course I do," Silver replied with a sure nod of his head. "Those are the facts that I've studied up on since I first took interest in this case. Is there something wrong?"
"Unfortunately, there is," the cobalt hedgehog said as he pulled out the Witness List from earlier. "If you read this list, it reports on the four people who were at the business the moment the murders took place. It clearly states that three of them gave their testimony and also named as witnesses in the investigation. However, we run into a problem when it comes to the fourth person. Apart from being anonymous, he also managed to have his request for refusing to provide testimony be granted. How can you say then that every single witness at the time was fully questioned?"
"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that I must object," Vector quickly countered as he produced a piece of paper from his desk. "That argument isn't going to hold up very well. While it does say on that list that the fourth person refused to provide testimony, it doesn't put into account what happened later. You see, the person apparently had a change of heart and did, in fact, submit a written version of his testimony to investigators. I have his Written Statement right here."
"The court accepts it into evidence," the Judge announced as the paper was put on the overhead monitor for all to see. Unfortunately, he seemed to be having trouble reading the evidence from his position. "Do you mind reading to us what it says, Prosecutor Vector? The handwriting is kind of hard to read through the overhead."
"It'd be my pleasure," the crocodile replied as picked the paper up and cleared his throat. "Here's what it says: 'First off, I would like to keep in mind that I prefer to have my identity withheld from this investigation. It should be clear that I have no connections whatsoever to the unfortunate murder that took place. After all, I was nowhere near the lighthouse at the time of the incident. I was out conducting other business that happened to be more pressing. As such, I feel it redundant that the police are wasting their time questioning a man who clearly has no relation whatsoever to their case. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that you're merely questioning me because my business happened to be the backdrop for this unfortunate incident. I find it embarrassing that I must associate myself with the dealings of the Precinct system on a daily basis.'"
"Hmm, I've forgotten about that piece of evidence," Silver admitted as he kept his gaze on the Written Statement. "Then again, I haven't shuffled through the evidence for this case since I was interning for my mentor who was in charge of the initial investigation. I apologize to the court for accidentally leaving out this detail."
"The court does not hold this against you," the old man assured the detective with an understanding glance. "After all, you only know what you know based off of the information you've studied on from your mentor and his partners."
"But still, I kind of find this Written Statement to be a bit peculiar," Tails wondered out loud as he seemed to heavily scrutinize the new piece of evidence. "The whole statement is written quite normally considering the circumstances. However, the last part is kind of sticking out to me. I mean, the last statement seems to indicate that the witness had some kind of ties within the law if he's repeatedly dealt with the Precinct."
"I've noticed that, as well," Vector agreed in a stoic tone. "I've tried to dig up some leads with my own detective agency as to see if we can identify our anonymous fourth witness, but we've unfortunately come up short. Either he had retired soon after the incident or simply had ties to the Precinct through a person who was already a member of the force. Regardless, this is also another dead-end if you're planning on trying to pursue it."
"Boy, you sure read my mind there," the two tailed fox in amusement as he crossed his arms in further thought. "If what you say is the truth, then how exactly are we going to figure out who the writer of this statement is? While I do admit that this document is as good as a notarized statement being that it was recorded in the presence of an investigator, I feel uneasy about the person him or herself. I'd rather that the person be in the courtroom testifying before us instead of just sitting around behind the scenes."
"But that's quite impossible," the Judge stated as he shook his head at this suggestion. "Apart from the fact that we have no way to identify who exactly this person is, we've no idea where exactly they are at this exact moment."
"…Hey, wait a minute!" Sonic suddenly exclaimed as he began digging through his compilation of evidence before taking out the Letter. He then asked as he put it up on the overhead next to the Written Statement, "I think I can find a way to bring us closer to the identity of the mysterious witness. I mean, just take a look at this Letter first discovered in the lighthouse basement from the previous case. Doesn't the handwriting from these two documents look identical to one another?"
"…Well, I believe you're right!" the old man replied with surprise clear in his words. "I'm no handwriting expert, but even I can see that the writings are identical. But what exactly does this mean?"
"It means that the person who claimed he had no relation to the case five years ago was most likely lying!" Tails explained as he quickly came up with the only logical conclusion. "I'm sure you all remember how this Letter spoke of details that only the murderer from the previous case would know of. It also makes reference to the LK-9 Incident itself! It only stands to reason that whoever that mysterious fourth witness was does in fact hold great importance to this case and has somehow managed to keep his name out of the investigative reports so he won't be connected should an event like today happen."
"So you're saying that this person thought this far ahead in keeping his identity hidden when he made himself anonymous?" Vector asked as he played with the cord of his headset with intrigue. "I agree that this does make good sense in the scope of things. However, you can't really expect the court to entertain this idea at this time."
"And why not?" the two tailed fox asked.
"While I do admit this brings us closer to whom exactly this person is, it still doesn't provide us with a name. If we could have a handwriting analysis done, then it'll solve all of our problems. However, that can't be done since we lack a person of interest to compare it to. And even if we do somehow manage to get a name, there's no guarantee that the person may even be alive. This might end up being one of those infamous dead ends that first brought this case into cold storage."
"Then let's ask Detective Silver about it," the cobalt hedgehog suggested as he turned his attention to the witness stand. "Detective, do you remember ever seeing or hearing of the person who was responsible for drafting the Written Statement?"
"Unfortunately, I've got nothing," he replied in an apologetic tone. "You see, the case happened two years before I started interning at the Precinct. Even then, I wasn't privy to those kinds of sensitive information. I've only became very involved with the case the moment I was employed as a full-fledged detective. And through all that time, I've never ran into the name of the anonymous fourth witness. It never crossed my mind to ask my mentor about it until he unfortunately passed away."
"And so we find ourselves at an impasse," the prosecutor concluded with a shrug of his shoulders. "While I do admit that this fourth witness is of great interest, that's all we can conclude. Unless we can figure out his identity, we can't move further into this case. It is thus in my personal opinion that we cannot move on. We can't very well go asking Lois about who her partner was seeing as she's now dead, and I highly doubt her brother would be cooperative in all this."
"Hmm, it seems as though the defense has run out of legroom to produce any further productive arguments on the subject," the Judge noted as he seemed deep in thought. "As long as this issue stands in our way, I find it infeasible that we'll be able to get any further. However, I do commend the defense in that they managed to get slightly further than the investigators from five years ago could."
"And it's our belief that we can go even further, Your Honor," Sonic quickly spoke up before His Honor could say anymore. "While it's true that Mr. Pryce will most likely prove to be of no help to us, there is still one more person who can possibly shed some light on all this. The defense requests that the worker from that night, Salemand Eres, takes the stand and testify! He was clearly identified as having been there at the time of the murder, so perhaps he can be of some help to us beyond just identifying his boss."
"B-But how can you be so sure that he's even still alive after five years?" His Honor asked in an uncertain fashion. "And even if he's alive, he might be on the other side of the planet now."
"I assure you, Your Honor, that Mr. Eres is both alive and within close distance of this courtroom," Vector announced, inciting a few murmurs within the gallery. "I happen to know him on a personal level, and I can arrange for him to arrive at this courtroom to testify. All I ask is that you allow me fifteen minutes to bring him here."
"Hmm, are you sure that he'll be able to arrive in such short notice? After all, it's unheard of for anybody to ever appear in court without so much as an advanced request."
"I promise you that he'll be here," the crocodile promised as his eyes seemed to plead with the Judge to honor his request. "If there is any way left to possibly identify our anonymous witness, then we should explore that possibility to the best of our abilities. All I ask is that you allow the trial to be suspended for fifteen minutes!"
"… … …Very well," the Judge begrudgingly granted the prosecutor's request after a long pause. "The prosecution's motion is granted. The trial shall be put on hold for fifteen minutes. Go ahead and summon Mr. Eres here to the courtroom, Prosecutor Vector. Have him come in here immediately upon arriving. And note that I'll only wait on him for fifteen minutes. This case cannot be kept waiting if you all hope to proceed further."
"Thank you, Your Honor," he thanked before quickly rushing out of the room with his cell phone in hand. Silver followed closely behind as he saw he was no longer needed to testify upon the witness stand.
"Well, looks like we managed to drag Salemand into all this," Sonic whispered to Tails. "He said he had details concerning this case but couldn't say anything without breaking the rule of secrecy with Interpol. However, we can see a clear connection with him and the case now that we know he was working undercover as a worker at Prycey Seafood on the day of the incident. Perhaps that'll be enough to loosen his tongue without fear of retribution."
"But what about his little brother Leon?" Tails asked as he pulled out the Picture from their compilation of evidence. "I don't think he's ever been found yet. Either that or we just never received word of him being found."
"As much as I'm worried there, let's just try to concentrate on this case," the cobalt hedgehog stated as he could not help but stare at the photo with slight worry reflecting in his eyes. "We've got enough on our mind as it is without worrying about something the Chaotix Detective Agency is already working on. Let's just pray here that Salemand really will be able to give us more information when he gets here."
"Provided that he can even get here in less than fifteen minutes," the two tailed fox groaned out as the gallery started to talk amongst themselves in boredom. They were clearly intrigued with what was transpiring and could not wait to hear what was going to happen next with the supposedly dead case.
New Evidence:
Charles' Autopsy Report: Charles was found dead with a single strike to the head with a blunt object. The bruises covering his body and on his fists show that he was in a fight prior to dying. The weapon has never been recovered.
Maria's Autopsy Report: Maria was found dead with a single gunshot wound to her head. The bullet was shot at point blank range and went straight through her skull. The entry wound was from the back and exited the front. There were no signs of any struggle.
Written Statement: A statement written by the fourth anonymous witness in the LK-9 case. They speak of how they can't be a suspect because of having performed important business elsewhere. The person also hints that they might have some kind of connection at the time with the local Precinct.
Well, that's if for this chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I had writing it. This is the start of the trial for this case. Hopefully, our fellow attorneys will be able to uncover the answers before they either run out of steam or use up all their time. Talk about playing with fire while walking on razor sharp glass.
But yeah. I really need to stop staying up so late here. It's like almost three in the morning here where I'm at. Oh by, am I tired. As such, this ending author's note will also be very short. Please don't forget to leave a review before you move onto the next story that you want to read. They are always very helpful and can also unintentionally give me inspiration as to how the next chapter will be structured. Until the next update to this or any of my other stories on this site everybody!
