March 12

Defendant Lobby No. 1

9:40 AM

Cotoli Morix

When the next day arrived, Chrysalis and I got to the courthouse as soon as we could. The atmosphere around us was tense and heavy, but that wasn't going to stop us from giving this case everything that we had. Venus was counting on us, and I refused to yield or do anything that would potentially find her in trouble.

"Well, I guess that we've really got our work cut out for us," Chrysalis murmured to herself, her eyes falling shut in contemplation. "We don't have anyone in mind that could have killed her. I somehow doubt that Fiora was the one who did this. She doesn't seem to have a motive for doing anything to the victim, and we know from Venus that the argument that took place prior to the murder was nothing related to the crime."

"The fact that the ice skates went missing a few days before the crime really does make you think," I murmured under my breath. In my eyes, that was a sign that Venus couldn't have done it. Why would she make it seem as if her own ice skates had gone missing just so that she could use them in the murder? All it would really accomplish was making herself seem more suspicious, and I didn't think that was logical in the slightest.

"The culprit had to have done that, and that seems to imply that the crime was premeditated," Chrysalis remarked. "We just have to figure out who could have taken the skates and why they would want to in the first place. That should lead us to someone who at least seems suspicious, and if we go down the path that the clues point us..."

"Then we'll find the truth," I finished for her with a nod. She nodded as well, and I glanced down to the ground. This was not the first time that Chrysalis and I had solved a crime together, and it certainly would not be the last. I was glad that we had at least a little bit of experience in this department since it would make the shift to the courtroom at least a tad less jarring, but it still wasn't going to be easy. Venus was counting on us though, and I refused to allow her to give up hope as long as there was something we could do to help her through this difficult time.

"So, how do you think it's going to go?"

As if on cue, I heard Venus speak from behind us. I turned to face her and saw that she was standing near her sisters and an older woman with eyes worn down by the hands of time. If I had to wager a guess, I would have said that this woman was her mother. The woman in question was conversing with Cassidy and Yuri, both of whom seemed nervous. She bore a striking resemblance to Venus, so I allowed that to satisfy my curiosity for the time being.

"We're going to make sure that nobody thinks you did it," Chrysalis said simply, and I had to confess that she was doing a shockingly strong job of keeping herself composed given the embarrassing way that she had been behaving the day before. She refused to admit it to me, but when she got home, I saw the way that she slammed her face into her pillow as she realized just how she had behaved around Venus when they first met. Venus might not have noticed at the time, but Chrysalis knew that she would not be granted such mercy forever.

"Yeah... I hope that you're right," Venus told us quietly. "I've been trying really hard to stay positive, but it isn't all that easy. I didn't do it, and I would never hurt anyone like that. At the same time, I'm just so... Freaked out. That doesn't mean that I don't trust you, of course, but-"

"You don't need to justify yourself to us," I assured her. "We know how you're feeling. The nerves are difficult to calm, and we aren't going to ask you to do such a thing. Keep that in mind."

"Okay," Venus sighed. She perked up a moment later and smiled in Chrysalis' direction. "I'm wishing you both luck. I know that you'll be able to do this... I'm hoping for that, anyways."

"We're going to make sure that you come out of this fine on the other side," Chrysalis proclaimed firmly. "You can keep your confidence in us. Just... Do what you can to try and relax, okay? We can handle everything from here, and I don't want you to get too wound up due to stress."

"Thanks. It's really nice of you to look after me that way," Venus grinned. She set one hand down on Chrysalis' shoulder, and my sister's face immediately went bright red from embarrassment. By some stroke of a miracle, Venus didn't even notice, and I was left to wonder just how somebody could manage to be so gullible yet so shamelessly charming at the same time.

A bailiff cried out that it was time for us to go into the courtroom soon afterwards, and Chrysalis looked up with her jaw dropped. She corrected her expression a moment later, and I could tell that it had less to do with her feeling uncertain about the trial and more to do with how sudden the bailiff's shout had been. Chrysalis shook off her shock and hesitation before she took Venus' hand between her fingers. She squeezed gently at Venus' hand with her own as she spoke. "Everything is going to be fine. I promise," she assured Venus.

"Thanks," Venus smiled. She took a step back and gave us a brief, albeit shaky, wave before dashing off into the courtroom. I watched her go with a small smile of my own as the other people within the lobby entered the space as well. I could see Yuri and Cassidy going inside with their mother as well, and the youngest of the Rinko sisters spared us a frown before she was forced to turn away and focus on the task at hand.

Chrysalis glanced up to me, letting out a sigh of her own. "Well, we've got our work cut out for us and someone that needs to be defended, so let's go on and get to it," she told me. Her cheeks were flushed from embarrassment because of what Venus had done, and I was left hoping that she would be able to pull herself away from her distracted state before the trial truly entered its full swing stages.

"I'm sure that we'll be able to handle it," I said. "We've done all of the searching that we could. I hope that the prosecutor isn't too difficult to confront though..." I didn't elaborate any further than that, knowing that there was no reason for me to do so. Chrysalis already fully understood. We had both held minimal trust of people within the legal system for quite some time, and all of the hidden secrets about prosecutors forging evidence seemed to be drawn to our ears thanks to our outside connections. It was a concern that I hadn't wanted to bring up previously in case it dashed Venus' hopes, but Chrysalis knew exactly what I was referring to.

"We'll do what we can no matter what. Let's just take things one step at a time and see where it leads us," Chrysalis suggested. I nodded my agreement before turning towards the courtroom. "We've got this." Those final three whispered words from my sister were all that I needed to hear, and I allowed myself the chance to smile before entering the courtroom a moment later. We knew what we had to do, and we were going to do everything in our power to ensure that Venus was acquitted of all charges. It was our only option.

March 12

Courtroom No. 1

10:00 AM

Cotoli Morix

When we arrived in the courtroom, we heard the banging of a gavel from overhead. I glanced up to see a woman sitting in the judge's seat with red hair and a turquoise mask that concealed the upper half of her face seamlessly. When I glanced to the nameplate that was sitting atop the judge's bench, I could see the name 'Ophani Diaphan'. That was undoubtedly who would be overseeing the proceedings, and I allowed myself to commit the name to my memory. "Court is now in session for the trial of Venus Rinko," the woman declared firmly. "Are the defense and prosecution ready?"

"The defense is ready, Your Honor," I announced, surprised at how easily the words came to my lips. I glanced to Chrysalis out of the corner of my eye and saw that she was staring down the prosecution, and I felt like that was my cue to do the same thing.

The one standing behind the bench was a man with deep brown hair that almost seemed to border on being black. He had brown eyes as well, though one of them was covered by a segment of his hair. He wore a dark jacket that, as far as I was aware, was made out of leather. In all honesty, with that combined with the rest of his appearance of dark clothing, I couldn't help but wonder if he was a biker of some sort. He certainly looked the part.

That had to be the Prosecutor Bespoke character that Venus mentioned the day before. Much to my surprise, he allowed his expression to soften as he glanced up in the judge's direction. "The prosecution is also ready," he announced, his voice lightly altered by the influence of a delicate accent that seemed to be distinctly European.

"Sora told me that his name is Ghastly Bespoke," Chrysalis hissed to me, quiet and unheard by the rest of the courtroom. "I asked about him after we spoke to Venus yesterday."

I nodded to myself, glad to have the extra piece of context. A first name didn't matter much when formalities were key in the courtroom, but I was still glad to be able to have it at my disposal. I would have to thank Sora for her generous donation of information another time after the trial had ended.

"Please give your opening statement to the court," Judge Diaphan announced. She had set down her gavel and was now watching Prosecutor Bespoke with a passive, detached gaze from behind her mask. Even though her face was mostly hidden, I could still see her expectations, and the weight of them already felt suppressive even without the pretense of the trial's length.

Prosecutor Bespoke nodded. "The crime took place yesterday at the Blackgate Ice Center. The victim was one Aes Cater, a skater to be performing in the show at the Ice Center that day. She was killed by a single blow to the back of the head with an ice skate, and she died instantly. A while before the body was found, the victim was heard arguing with the defendant. Even though the details of their argument are still in question, what is known is that the defendant lacks an alibi for the time of the crime, and there seems to have been bad blood between the deceased and the suspect. This certainly paints an unsettling picture, wouldn't you say?"

"Indeed," Judge Diaphan said with a simple hum. "I take it that the defense still seeks to clear the suspect of all charges?"

I nodded. "We do," I confirmed. I was confident that Venus hadn't done this, and I knew that we had a perfect place to start as far as proving it. Prosecutor Bespoke had made a mistake in his opening statement, and it was up to us to blow it wide open and use it as our vantage point to showing that Venus was not the culprit. Even if the true identity of the one responsible remained a mystery, that seemed like a problem for a later point in the trial. New information was bound to come to light, and I simply had to count on that being the case.

"I see," Prosecutor Bespoke said simply. Something about his tone almost seemed a bit sleepy, but he didn't show it on his face. Instead, he glanced in the direction of the witness stand. "The prosecution calls the leading detective from this investigation to the stand to testify about the details of the crime."

It didn't take long after that for Detective Erikson to find himself behind the witness stand, a weary smile on his face. He glanced over in my direction, and I frowned to myself. I knew that this was hardly an ideal situation, but we were going to have to make the most out of it. Chrysalis had certainly returned to her senses since her encounter with Venus in the lobby, and she was watching Detective Erikson with notable curiosity.

"Please state your name and occupation for the court," Prosecutor Bespoke instructed. His voice had shifted to a halfway casual drawl, and I knew couldn't help but wonder what he was like outside of the courtroom. He hardly seemed to be the ruthless sort of person that Chrysalis and I had heard much about from Sora, but he was also far from being as chipper as our informant. I assumed that I would learn more about him as the trial went on, but for the time being, he remained a mystery to me.

"Detective Toby Erikson. I specialize in homicide investigations, and I'm the primary investigator on this case," Detective Erikson explained with a gentle smile and a tip of his hat in the direction of the prosecution.

"Please tell the court about why the defendant has come under suspicion," Judge Diaphan told him.

"Of course," Detective Erikson replied with a nod.

~ Witness Testimony ~

~ Details of the Crime ~

-"The victim was killed by a blow to the head delivered by an ice skate. The blade of the skate was lodged in the victim's skull, causing an instant death."

-"The skate in question belongs to the defendant, Venus Rinko. Cast members claim that the skate and its corresponding match went missing a few days ago, but her fingerprints are the only ones found on the skate."

-"The victim's body was discovered inside of a costume closet that can only be accessed by the staff involved with the show itself."

-"That morning, the victim had gotten into a notable argument with the defendant that was heard by other members of the skating show's cast..."

-"Add all that together with a lack of an alibi, and... Well, you can see why the defendant has come under so much suspicion."

After Detective Erikson was finished with his testimony, he offered the rest of the courtroom a gentle smile. "I hope that description was to your liking," he said, not lacking in kindness in the slightest. It was a small comfort of familiarity against the newness of taking a case to court, and I was glad to have at least that much on my side.

"It most certainly was," Prosecutor Bespoke confirmed with a small smile on his face. "As the court can very clearly see, there were many factors that went into our arrest of the defendant. It seems as if this case is a perfect storm that lined up for her to be considered suspicious, and that's what brings us here to this courtroom today."

"Even if there is this supposed perfect storm, there still have to be some cracks in that defense," Chrysalis murmured to me, and I nodded my agreement. In fact, there was already one fact that I could see that was unsettling to me. I didn't know exactly where it was going to lead us from here, but I figured that we might as well see what came next. After all, we weren't going to be able to find the truth if all we did was twiddle our thumbs and wait for something good to happen. We would have been left waiting forever as far as I was concerned.

"I believe it's time for the defense to begin its cross-examination," Judge Diaphan announced, turning her attention in my direction. "I take it that you know what to do on this matter?"

I nodded in response. "I do, as a matter of fact," I assured her. Even if this was my first time taking a case to court, I knew that this was what had to be done. I had watched more than enough trials to have this figured out, and I had a feeling that I knew where this cross-examination was going to go on top of that. That had to be a positive considering that this was my first case, right?

"In that case, go on and get started with speaking to the witness," Judge Diaphan instructed as she folded her hands neatly on top of the defense bench. I nodded in response before looking back to Detective Erikson. There was only one place for us to go from here, and I was going to do what I could to pick apart the prosecution's case one little bit at a time. I just knew that Venus was innocent, and I was going to prove it.

~ Cross-Examination ~

~ Details of the Crime ~

-"The victim was killed by a blow to the head delivered by an ice skate. The blade of the skate was lodged in the victim's skull, causing an instant death."

-"The skate in question belongs to the defendant, Venus Rinko. Cast members claim that the skate and its corresponding match went missing a few days ago, but her fingerprints are the only ones found on the skate."

-"The victim's body was discovered inside of a costume closet that can only be accessed by the staff involved with the show itself."

-"That morning, the victim had gotten into a notable argument with the defendant that was heard by other members of the skating show's cast..."

-"Add all that together with a lack of an alibi, and... Well, you can see why the defendant has come under so much suspicion."

"Objection!"

I shook my head after I declared the word as I settled back into my normal stance. "You say that the defendant has no alibi for the time of the crime, but I know this to be false. The defendant was seen skating for practice out in the ice rink in full view of the audience at the time that the crime could have occurred," I explained.

"Was she now?" Prosecutor Bespoke questioned, raising one eyebrow in curiosity. "I'd like to hear what you have to say on this matter, if you don't mind."

"I was at the scene of the crime myself the day of the murder. My younger sister was with me, and she can attest to such a fact. We were there when the body was discovered, and we were present before that as well. We were in the auditorium when the defendant came out onto the ice and started doing some last-minute skating warmups in preparation for the upcoming performance. We even spoke to her about the upcoming performance," I explained. "In other words, our conversation with the defendant could very easily be considered an alibi!"

"I wouldn't get so confident if I were you," Prosecutor Bespoke replied with a smile that seemed to be almost somber rather than smug. "After all, there is a possibility that the defendant only came to speak with you as a way of covering her tracks. If she was with you, then it would appear as if she had an alibi even though the crime likely took place before the fact."

"You believe that the defendant could have murdered the victim, moved the body, and then come out to the skating rink in such a short span of time without being seen?" I questioned. "As far as I can tell, the last time that the victim was seen alive was less than an hour and a half before the body was discovered in the costume closet. The defendant could not have done all of that while still carving out time to come out onto the ice and put on a brief show for myself and my younger sister."

"Moved the body?" Judge Diaphan questioned, raising an eyebrow in confusion. "What has pushed you to draw the conclusion that the body was moved in the first place?"

"Look at this photo of the scene of the crime," Prosecutor Bespoke explained. "As you can see here, the murder weapon is lodged into the back of the victim's skull. As you can see, the weapon is one of the ice skates belonging to the defendant. The color is different from the skates that she was wearing when she was arrested, and others within the cast of the show have testified as to the skates going missing before the murder took place."

"The murder weapon could have easily been stolen and then used intentionally to frame the defendant. It's hardly decisive evidence that she's the one who committed the crime," I pointed out, my hands coming down on the bench before me as a way of proving my point.

"The defendant's fingerprints were the only ones found on the ice skates at the time of the body's discovery, I'm afraid," Prosecutor Bespoke told me with a shake of his head. "The point that I'm trying to get at here is that there wasn't enough blood splatter around the victim's body for the crime to have taken place in the closet. Such a severe injury undoubtedly caused much blood loss, and there isn't enough blood in this photo, or at the scene of the body's discovery, for this to have been where the murder took place."

"If that is the case, then just where did the victim die? I take it that the prosecution has some evidence to point in the right direction this way, yes?" Judge Diaphan prompted with an intense, heavy frown.

"I do know, as a matter of fact," Prosecutor Bespoke replied. "There was a reaction to Luminol backstage in the area where the performers wait prior to the start of the show. The only people with access to this space are those that are involved with the show itself, so the culprit could have only been someone within the performance rather than an outside figure. When you add in the fact that the defendant was the last to see the victim alive after their argument... You can see quite clearly why it is that she has become a suspect in the first place."

"The victim's wound was severe, and this is an important fact to note," I declared. "The blood splatter from such an injury would have been intense, and I doubt that the defendant would have been able to clean up all of that in such a short span of time. If the blood splatter was really as bad as you're making it seem, then that also brings us to another important question... What happened to the culprit being splattered with blood?"

Chrysalis nodded her agreement from my side. "You must have thought of that, right? The blood splatter wouldn't have just gotten on the floor surrounding the victim. If there was as much of it as you're claiming, then it would have gotten all over the culprit as well, and that would be difficult to cover up. Blood is hard to wash out as it is, and I can only imagine that it would be harder in terms of a sparkling costume like the one that the defendant was wearing at the time of the crime," she said.

"Why do you think the costume closet was chosen then?" Prosecutor Bespoke questioned. "The victim's body was planted in the costume closet as a way of covering up for the fact that there was so much blood splatter. Anyone would notice that a crime so brutally violent would have immense blood splatter behind it, and that would force the culprit to hide the splatter. The body was deposited there, and coincidentally enough, a spare costume belonging to the defendant was found missing from the scene of the body's discovery."

I let out a strangled cry at his words. Why hadn't we heard about this previously?! That felt like a pretty important fact to leave out, and yet, it hadn't been brought up at all during our investigation. When I glanced over to Chrysalis, I could see that her thumb was pressed in front of her mouth as she thought in pinched concentration about where we were meant to go from here.

"I acknowledge the prosecution's point," Judge Diaphan remarked with a light hum. "All of these facts certainly do seem to point to the defendant at the very least being a suspicious character."

"The murder must have been premeditated," I announced firmly. "The ice skates going missing makes it seem as if the culprit knew that this was going to happen. Why would the defendant claim that her skates were gone, having been stolen by others, if she was going to use them in a crime a few short days later? The skates' disappearance points to the fact that the culprit was someone else who stole the skates as a way of framing my client for the crime."

"It may not seem logical to you, but keep in mind that killers often make illogical choices in the heat of the moment. For all we know, there was enough bad blood between the victim and the defendant for the latter of the two to decide that murder was the best option," Prosecutor Bespoke pointed out. "This would have been a way to make herself seem like the victim rather than the culprit. Only members of the show have access to the costume closet and related areas, and she would have easily been able to take her own costume without drawing suspicion, giving her the chance to change out of it without any issues."

"Venus' things specifically going missing is strange to me," Chrysalis murmured. "It doesn't make sense that she was the only one who began to lose items in the days leading up to the crime... Somebody must have been planning to frame her for this murder for quite a while."

"What motive would the defendant have beyond the argument that she shared with the victim shortly before the body was discovered?" I questioned of Prosecutor Bespoke. "There wouldn't have been a motive in the first place as far as I'm concerned. The discussion between the defendant and the victim was petty at worst, and it's hardly anything to turn murderous over."

"The victim had an ego problem that seemed to spread throughout the rest of the cast," Prosecutor Bespoke explained. "She had a few select friends among the cast, but the rest of them were far from being close with her. She spoke with them rather than the rest of the cast at large, and as far as I can tell, she frequently held discussions regarding her distaste for the defendant."

"That doesn't sound like what Fiora told us yesterday," Chrysalis hissed. "I suppose that Fiora isn't part of this inner circle that Prosecutor Bespoke is talking about. It's something that we're really going to have to look into. Again though, this... This feels awfully petty. Why is it that the victim would hate Venus for seemingly no reason? I guess it's just in her nature given the recent revelations, but... Venus wouldn't want to lash out over something like that."

"I know that this may not seem like a big deal, but I want you to consider this: the victim was treating the defendant poorly behind her back, and when she found out, the two began to argue. This spiraled outwards into the victim talking about the defendant's family, and in a fit of anger, she lashed out and killed the victim. From there, she wiped up the blood splatter and then moved the body to the costume closet. She switched out her costume for a replica of it kept in the closet, and she went out onto the ice to create an alibi for herself," Prosecutor Bespoke pointed out. "It was about the final straw that broke the camel's back."

"If you're so intent on telling us about this other costume, then where is it now? What's the deal with this duplicate costume that you claim the defendant used in the crime somehow?" I questioned, my eyes narrowing in his direction.

"It was discovered at the end of the investigation yesterday just before the police disbanded for the night," Prosecutor Bespoke explained. "It's covered in the victim's blood, and it's the same model as the costume that the defendant was wearing at the time of her arrest. I'm sure that you can see such a fact for yourself. After all, you were there when she was arrested and when the body was discovered."

Prosecutor Bespoke held up a picture, and I found myself glaring at it silently. That was a picture of a duplicate costume alright, and it was covered in blood. Still, I couldn't shake the feeling that there was something wrong with this image. Something about it just didn't feel right to me in a way that I struggled to properly articulate aloud.

"But I believe that we've had enough of this back and forth. I think that it's time for us to call our next witness to the stand, if that would be alright," Prosecutor Bespoke continued without a beat of hesitation as he set the photo down on the bench before him once again. He glanced up to Judge Diaphan, and when he received a nod of confirmation in response, then he smiled to himself. "Thank you for your assistance, Detective Erikson. Now, the prosecution would like to call to the stand the one who discovered the victim's body, Fiora LeTeir!"

Ghastly no bad Ghastly

-Digital