Chapter 17: Kreese Gets Deposed
John Kreese has just finished answering his attorney's questions, so now, it was time for Jacob Kidman to cross examine him.
"So, Mr. Kreese, you said that you did not attend the 2018 All Valley Under 18 Karate Tournament, and that you found out about the resurgence of Cobra Kai a day later through a newspaper article, is that correct?" Asked Jacob.
"Yes, sir, that is correct." Answered Kreese.
"And you also said that you did never confronted him in person about him restarting Cobra Kai without your permission?" Asked Jacob.
"Yes." Answered Kreese.
"And you also said that you made one phone call to him the day after the tournament, and that you threatened him with legal action if he continued using the name Cobra Kai?" Asked Jacob.
"Yes." Answered Kreese.
"Well, Mr. Kreese, Defendant John Lawrence, my client, says that after the tournament, you visited him at the Cobra Kai dojo that night, and that the two of you got into a fight, and that you called him less than 24 hours later asking him to meet with you at Smitty's diner the following morning at 8 AM to discuss the matter, and after my client told you that he wouldn't accept you into his dojo, you went back to the dojo during the evening, and that he, again, still wouldn't accept your offer to be the co sensei at the Cobra Kai dojo." Replied Jacob.
"That is not true." Replied Kreese.
"Alright, Mr. Kreese, In this folder I have right here(Jacob points to the folder on the table in front of him), I have a series of pictures that were taken from surveillance videos from the places that I just mentioned." Replied Jacob. "I would like for you take a look at them."
Jacob opens the folder, and he pulls out a picture of a man with an uncanny resemblance to Kreese, dressed in black, standing over a balcony at the All Valley Sports Arena, watching the 2018 All Valley Tournament. He gives the picture to Kreese.
"Look at that picture." Said Jacob.
Kreese looks at the picture of himself at the All Valley Tournament, and is shocked to see the photo. He never thought there would be photographic evidence of him at the tournament.
"Now, turn the picture around so the cameras can see it." Ordered Jacob.
Kreese turns the picture face front so the cameras can see it.
"Now, turn the picture back and look at it." Continued Jacob.
Kreese turns the picture back and looks at it.
"Now, describe what you see in the picture." Said Jacob.
"I see a man standing over a balcony watching the tournament." Answered Kreese.
"I don't know about you, but I think the man in the photo looks an awful lot like you, don't you think?" Asked Jacob.
"Well, there is a resemblance, but it's not me." Answered Kreese.
"Alright, then." Replied Jacob. "But what about this picture?"
Jacob takes another picture out of the folder, and hands it to Kreese. Kreese looks at the picture, and it's a picture of the same man from the tournament photo, standing outside the Cobra Kai dojo, at night, about to enter.
"Turn the photo around so the cameras can see it." Requested Jacob.
Kreese turns the photo around face front so the cameras can see the photo.
"That photo is from a surveillance video that was recorded at the Reseda Strip Mall that the Cobra Kai dojo is located at on the night of May 19th, 2018, the same night of the tournament. This photo is also from around the same time my client says you visited him." Continued Jacob. "Are you going to tell me that this isn't you either?"
"That's not me." Answered Kreese.
"Okay." Replied Jacob. "Would you hand me the picture back, please?"
Kreese hands Jacob the picture back.
"Thank you." Said Jacob.
Jacob puts the picture back in the folder, and pulls out another picture.
"Take a look at this." Said Jacob.
Jacob hands Kreese the picture, and he looks at it, and sees that it's a picture of him, dated May 21st, 2018, around 8ish, and Johnny Lawrence, sitting across each other at a table, talking, at Smitty's Diner.
"Describe what you see in that photo." Requested Jacob.
"Well, it looks like Mr. Lawrence and another man are sitting across each other at a table having a conversation." Answered Kreese.
"Turn the Photo around so the cameras can see it." Requested Jacob.
Kreese turns the picture around so it can face the cameras.
"That photo was taken from a video camera inside Smitty's Diner on May 21st, 2018, around the same time Mr. Lawrence said he and you met up with each other at that exact location." Said Jacob. "Are you positive that the man sitting across from Mr. Lawrence is not you?"
"Absolutely, 100 Percent Positive that it's not me." Answered a defiant Kreese.
"Okay, then." Replied Jacob. "Now, please give me back that picture."
Kreese gives Jacob the picture back, and Jacob gets out another picture.
"Finally, here is this picture." Said Jacob while handing Kreese the photo.
Kreese looks at the photo, and sees that it's a picture of him, from the night of May 21st, 2018, outside the Cobra Kai dojo, carrying a bag.
"Describe what you see in the picture." Requested Jacob.
"It looks like a man about to walk into the dojo while carrying a bag." Said Kreese.
"Will you please show the picture to the cameras?" Asked Jacob.
Kreese turns the picture so the cameras can see it.
"Don't you think the man in the picture looks an awfully lot like you?" Asked Jacob.
"Well, yes, but I swear it's not me." Answered a defiant Kreese.
"Alright, then." Replied Jacob. "Please give it back to me."
Kreese hands the picture over to Jacob, and Jacob puts the picture back in the folder.
"Thank you." Said Jacob. "Earlier, during this deposition, you said that Mr. Lawrence was your karate student from 1979 to 1984, is that correct?"
"Yes." Answered Kreese.
"And, that after he lost the 1984 All Valley Tournament, you kicked him off the team, and that all your other students decided to quit after that?" Asked Jacob.
"Yes." Answered Kreese. "That's true."
"Is it also true that you broke his 2nd place trophy and put him in a chokehold?" Asked Jacob.
"No." Answered Kreese. "Absolutely not."
"Well, my client says you did." Replied Jacob.
"Well, he's lying." Replied an adamant Kreese.
"Well, Mr. Kreese, I got something for you." Replied Jacob.
Jacob pulls a document from out of his folder, and hands it to Kreese.
"That document right there is a sworn affidavit from a man by the name of Daniel LaRusso, a man I'm positive that you're familiar with, and in that affidavit, he says that he witnessed the incident, and that he and his karate teacher, The Late Nariyoshi Miyagi, put a stop to the whole incident." Continued Jacob.
Kreese just continues looking at the document.
"And not only that, he has told me that he would be more than willing to testify in a court of law about not only that incident, but also everything he says you, your friend Terry Silver, and your student Mike Barnes put him through during the fall of 1985." Continued Jacob.
"Mr. LaRusso is a liar." Replied an irritated Kreese.
"Oh, really?" Asked Jacob.
"Yes." Answered Kreese.
"Now, why would he lie about this?" Asked Jacob. "Why would Daniel LaRusso, a man who came from nothing, and then grew up to become one of the biggest car dealers in the Valley, decide to risk everything he's worked hard for by committing perjury?"
Kreese thinks for a moment about what to say.
"Um, I don't know." Answered Kreese. "All I can say is that he's lying, and I'm not."
"Yeah, just like you didn't lie about visiting my client, and just like you didn't lie about attending the tournament." Replied a sarcastic Jacob.
"Look, I'm telling you the truth." Replied an Adamant Kreese.
"Well, let's look at the two scenarios." Replied Jacob. "Either you have a long lost twin brother who attended the tournament and visited my client pretending to be you, or it was you. So, I'm going to ask you one more time: Did you do all the things my client has accused you of doing?"
"No." Answered Kreese.
"Would you kindly give the affidavit back to me?" Asked Jacob.
Kreese hands Jacob the affidavit, and Jacob puts it back in his folder.
"Now, Mr. Kreese, I have one more question for you, and then, this deposition will be over." Said Jacob.
Kreese has a nervous look on his face, knowing that Jacob has been destroying him throughout the entire deposition.
"Are you aware that perjury is a crime?" Asked Jacob.
Cut to: A little bit later, at Shannon Keene's Apartment.
It is around 7ish at Shannon Keene's apartment, and she and her son Robby have just finished putting up all the groceries from the grocery store, with the exception of one frozen pizza that Shannon bought. Robby is holding the box in his hands and is about to ask him mother a question.
"So, mom, you want to heat up this frozen pizza and watch a movie?" Asked Robby.
"I'd love that." Answered Shannon.
Robby smiles, and Shannon walks over to the oven to preheat it.
"So, Robby, how are things going between you and Yasmine?" Asked Shannon.
"Pretty Good." Answered Robby. "I mean, she's on vacation with her folks."
"Where are they?" Asked Shannon.
"Paris." Answered Robby.
"Oh, that's nice." Replied Shannon. "How's karate going?"
"It's going great." Answered Robby. "Everyone's making progress."
Shannon smiles.
"That's great to hear, champ." Replied a smiling Shannon.
Robby smiles too.
Meanwhile, at Sal's burger place.
Johnny and Jacob are at a table, sitting across from each other, eating burgers.
"Aw Man, you were awesome." Commented Johnny. "You crushed him."
"Yeah." Replied Jacob after he finished swallowing his latest bite. "Did you see the look on his face?"
"Priceless." Replied a smiling Johnny.
Jacob sets his burger down on his plate.
"I can't wait to cross examine him at the actual trial." Continued Jacob. "I'm telling you, Johnny, I'm positive that we're going to win this thing, I mean, not just with the pictures, but also, your story about him choking you, and with LaRusso's testimony, I guarantee you that will sway the jury in your favor."
"Yeah." Replied an unenthusiastic Johnny after hearing LaRusso's name.
"And that's not even the best part." Continued an enthusiastic Jacob. "I found an obituary from 2008 that lists a man named John Kreese, which confirms your story about seeing an obituary for a John Kreese. And under California Law, a business owner cannot be found liable for business plagiarism if he or she thought that the original founder of the business was dead."
Johnny smiles and sets his burger down on his plate.
"I'm telling you, we're gonna win this thing." Continued Jacob. "I'm very optimistic about it."
"Thanks, Jacob." Replied a smiling Johnny. "I can't tell you how grateful I am to you for taking my case. You're the best lawyer I've ever had."
Jacob smiles.
"Thanks." Replied a smiling Jacob. "I get that a lot."
Johnny and Jacob both chuckle, and then, Johnny notices a ring on the ring finger of Jacob's left hand.
"Hmm, I see you're wearing a wedding ring." Commented Johnny.
Jacob looks at his wedding ring, and smiles.
"Yep." Replied Jacob. "Married to my High School sweetheart."
"Oh, that's nice." Replied Johnny.
"You want to see a pic of her?" Asked Jacob.
"Sure." Answered Johnny.
Jacob pulls his smartphone from out of his pocket, and pulls a up a Facebook picture of him and his wife, and shows it to Johnny.
Johnny looks at the picture, and he sees that she's a gorgeous blonde.
"Wow, She's beautiful." Said Johnny.
"Thanks." Replied Jacob.
Jacob stops showing Johnny the picture.
"So, do the two of you have a kid?" Asked Johnny.
"We have a two year old daughter." Answered Jacob.
Jacob pulls up a picture of his daughter on his phone, and shows it to Johnny.
"Aww, she's adorable." Said Johnny.
"I know." Replied Jacob.
Jacob stops showing Johnny the picture and puts his phone back in his pocket.
"So, Johnny, tell me about Robby's mom." Requested Jacob.
Johnny is hesitant to tell Jacob about Shannon, but he decides he'll tell him just enough.
"Well, she just got out of rehab." Replied Johnny. "And she also needs a job."
"Well, I'm hiring for a new secretary. Ask her if she'd be interested." Recommended Jacob.
"Okay, I will." Replied Johnny.
Johnny and Jacob get back to eating their burgers.
Cut To: About 50 minutes later, at Shannon's.
Robby has just finished washing his hands, and Shannon has just finished cutting the pizza. Robby grabs a plate, gets himself a slice of pizza, goes over to the couch, sits down, sets the plate on the coffee table, picks up the remote, turns on the TV, and goes to Netflix to see what's on. He scrolls for about 8 seconds until he finds a movie that looks interesting to him, and that movie is none other than "The Dead Zone", a 1983 film starring Christopher Walken and Martin Sheen, Directed by David Cronenberg, and based on a book by Stephen King.
"Hmm, The Dead Zone." Commented Robby.
Robby turns his head backwards and looks at his mom, who is over at the sink, washing her hands.
"Hey mom, I found this old Stephen King movie called "The Dead Zone", ever heard of it?" Asked Robby.
"Oh, that's a good one." Answered Shannon. "Let's watch that."
Shannon finishes washing her hands, grabs a plate, gets herself a slice of pizza, and sits next to Robby on the couch. Robby pushes play and they begin to watch the movie.
Meanwhile, in Hawk's bedroom.
Hawk is sitting on his bed, shirtless, facetiming with Demetri on his phone while his body is facing the wall.
"So she noticed you had a hard on, so what? Big Deal." Said Hawk
"She laughed at me, Eli." Replied Demetri on the other line.
"So what if she laughed at you?" Replied Hawk. "She rubbed sunscreen on you. She likes you."
"That was before she laughed at me, Eli." Replied Demetri.
"Whatever, Demetri, just look on the bright side." Continued Hawk, trying to cheer Demetri up. "You got to lie down and tan on the beach with a couple babes."
"It was torture, Eli!" Replied Demetri. "All they did was argue over which guy on the beach had the hottest abs."
"Umm, earth to Demetri, they're girls, of course they're gonna argue over crap like that." Replied Hawk.
"It was annoying to listen too." Replied Demetri.
"I would kill to be that annoyed." Replied Hawk. "Look, just don't give up."
"Why not, Eli?" Asked Demetri.
"You still got a shot with her." Answered Hawk.
How?" Asked Demetri.
"Robby's with Yasmine, Miguel's with Sam, and I'm with Moon." Answered Hawk. "The three Alphas of Cobra Kai are taken, and do you think she would even consider Assface and Douchebag?"
"You mean Mitch and Chris?" Asked Demetri. "What's your point, Eli?"
"My point is she's got nowhere else to go." Answered Hawk. "So don't give up, man. That's all I gotta say."
Hawk hangs up on Demetri. Then, suddenly, Hawk's mom knocks on his bedroom door.
"Eli, can I come in?" Asked Mrs. Moskowitz.
"Shit." Hawk whispers to himself.
Hawk turns around and faces the door so his mother won't see his back tattoo.
"Come in, Mom." Said Hawk.
Ms. Moskowitz opens the door and walks into Hawk's bedroom.
"Eli, I heard you arguing with someone over the phone, what's going on?" Asked Mrs. Moskowitz.
"Oh, nothing special, mom." Answered a smirking Hawk. "Demetri was whining about his first date not going well for him, I was just trying to knock some sense into him."
"Well, that's very kind of you, Eli." Replied Mrs. Moskowitz.
After hearing his mother call him Eli, instead of Hawk, his smirk turns into a pout.
"Mom, for the millionth time, It's Hawk, not Eli." Replied an annoyed Hawk.
"Eli is the name your father and I gave you." Replied Mrs. Moskowitz.
"I don't care, mom." Replied Hawk. "Hawk is the name I prefer, and I wish you would respect that."
Suddenly, his mom's cell phone starts ringing, so she gets her phone out of her pocket.
"I gotta take this, I'll talk to you later." Said Ms. Moskowitz.
"I'll be in the shower." Replied Hawk.
Ms. Moskowitz answers her phone and leaves Hawk's bedroom. After she left the bedroom, Hawk gets out of his bed and closes his door and locks it.
"Few, that was a close one." Hawk whispered to himself.
After locking his door, Hawk walks over to his bedroom bathroom so he can take a shower.
Author's Note: Okay, everybody! I hoped all of you enjoyed this chapter! Until next time, take care, and Chapter 18 will hopefully be done in the near future. Peace Out!
