March 12
Courtroom No. 1
11:40 AM
Cotoli Morix
Fiora made her way to the witness stand after the cry came from Prosecutor Bespoke for her to do so. Judge Diaphan watched her sternly in the same way that she watched seemingly everyone in the courtroom. "Witness, please state your name and occupation for the court," Judge Diaphan said, getting right down to business without a moment of hesitation.
"F-Fiora LeTeir... I'm an ice skater," Fiora replied after swallowing nervously. "Um... I guess I should talk about what happened on the day of the crime, right...? I-I think that's how this is supposed to go..."
"Describe what happened when you found the body the day of the murder," Prosecutor Bespoke instructed of her. He braced himself by pushing his shoulders back and clearing his throat. "Whenever you're ready, we'll go on and begin." Fiora responded with a small nod before forcing herself to speak once more.
~ Witness Testimony ~
~ The Day of the Crime ~
-"I found the body when I was going to get a backup costume for the one that I wear in the show."
-"You see, I accidentally ripped it, and I had to make sure that I was ready for the performance."
-"When I got there, I... I saw the body on the floor of the closet... I screamed, and the members of the defense came running."
-"Venus arrived soon after that... She seemed just as surprised as anyone else would be that Aes was dead."
-"I know that Venus and Aes argued that morning, but... I don't know if she could have killed her..."
-"A-Anyways, I didn't see anything out of place at the scene at the time... I guess that means Venus must have done it... R-Right...?"
After Fiora finished her testimony, I frowned to myself. That sounded just like what we had heard the day before, and I couldn't see anything that seemed to be contradictory. If there were no holes in the testimony, then we were going to have to figure something else out for better or worse.
"The fact that the defendant and victim argued is important to the story here. There aren't any other people within the cast that seem to have a motive behind killing the victim. That means that there's only one true direction that we can point our thought processes... The defendant is ultimately suspicious, and that isn't something that we can deny," Prosecutor Bespoke said.
"I believe that we'll be able to decide if the defendant is guilty or not after we've had the chance to examine the witness' testimony," I pointed out. "If it would be alright with everyone here, might I go on and get started?"
"Of course," Judge Diaphan nodded, her expression just as detached and passive as ever.
Chrysalis nudged me with her elbow as she glanced up in my direction. "You know, I think that there's something weird about this whole situation," she murmured. "I'm not entirely sure how to phrase it, but... There's one piece of evidence here that feels off to me, and I think that our first step should be to try and figure out why it's so strange when placed with the rest of the case."
"I think I know what you're talking about..." I muttered with a nod. "The costume copy that Venus supposedly took out of the closet is what's bothering me. I feel like there's something strange about it that we have to show to the rest of the court. The ice skates could have easily been stolen, but a bloodstained costume is a bit harder to refute."
"The costumes are likely custom made to fit the person that is meant to be wearing them during the show, so that means that we have to figure out a way that the costume could have been covered in blood aside from using it as a buffer for the splatter," Chrysalis said. "For now though, let's focus on seeing what we can get out of Fiora... There has to be something here for us to latch onto."
I nodded and glanced up in Fiora's direction. She seemed to understand that the time had come for her to repeat her testimony from the start, and she did so without hesitation.
~ Cross-Examination ~
~ The Day of the Crime ~
-"I found the body when I was going to get a backup costume for the one that I wear in the show."
-"You see, I accidentally ripped it, and I had to make sure that I was ready for the performance."
-"When I got there, I... I saw the body on the floor of the closet... I screamed, and the members of the defense came running."
-"Venus arrived soon after that... She seemed just as surprised as anyone else would be that Aes was dead."
-"I know that Venus and Aes argued that morning, but... I don't know if she could have killed her..."
-"A-Anyways, I didn't see anything out of place at the scene at the time... I guess that means Venus must have done it... R-Right...?"
"Objection!"
I glanced over the pieces of evidence that I had at my disposal before finding what I was searching for. It hadn't been too obvious to me at first, but it was clear as could be that there was something more going on here, and I had the proof to show it. "Witness, if you don't mind my asking... Did you happen to see the victim holding onto anything at the time of the body's discovery?" I asked.
Fiora shook her head carefully. "I-I guess I wasn't paying attention at the time... I was a bit disoriented at finding a body in the first place... Was she holding something? I-I suppose I just didn't notice it..."
"There was something in the victim's hand, as a matter of fact," I told her. I held up the small scrap of fabric that we had attained the day before. "This was grasped tightly in her fingers when the body was discovered, and as far as I can tell, this is the crucial piece of evidence to show that somebody aside from the defendant was responsible for the crime."
"What exactly is that fabric supposed to be anyways?" Prosecutor Bespoke asked, his eyes narrowing. "Why didn't I know that it existed?"
"The police likely missed it during their initial investigation," I replied before looking back to Fiora. "Now, witness... I'd like to know if you recognize this fabric's appearance and texture. Is there anything about it that feels familiar?"
Fiora nodded. "Yeah... I think that's the same fabric that's used for the uniforms of the stage crew," she replied. "Their outfits are blue to blend in with the ice, and the fabric is pretty thick and heavy duty to deal with the cold."
"That's exactly what I thought," I smirked. "As everyone can see clearly, the victim was holding this piece of torn fabric at the time of the body's discovery. That very clearly implicates someone aside from the defendant as the culprit."
"She could have placed it there as a way of throwing the attention off herself," Prosecutor Bespoke cut in. "I'm afraid that does little to prove your point."
"I would disagree," I said with a shake of my head. "The defendant complained of her skates going missing a few days before the crime took place. Furthermore, the costume closet would be a place that a member of the show's crew could access. The culprit could have taken the costume out on their own time, and that would have allowed them to falsify the appearance of the spare costume being used to soak up blood splatter. This is much harder to forge, you see. After all, if the costumes are as heavy duty as the witness has stated that they are, then that means that it would have been difficult, if not completely impossible, for the victim to pull off the edge of someone's sleeve without them noticing, and yet, nobody has mentioned that in the slightest."
"The fact remains that there's blood all over the costume though," Prosecutor Bespoke pointed out. "Unless you can refute that, then there's notable evidence that the defendant could have been involved in the death of the victim. Something must have been used to soak up the blood splatter before she decided to hastily give herself an alibi. What is it that the costume was used for if not as the subject of the blood splatter to throw off suspicion when she was first found?"
Chrysalis let out a gasp and snapped her fingers. "Hold on a moment," she told me. "We know that there was blood in the backstage area that was wiped up. That's something that we heard yesterday. The crime took place backstage, and the blood was wiped away by someone after the murder took place. The body was moved to the closet from there... What if the costume was never used for blood splatter in the first place? It could have had a completely different purpose, right? After all, we still haven't figured out what was used to soak up all the bloodstains on the ground to throw off the location of the crime."
As soon as I realized that she was right, I let out a small yelp under my breath. She most certainly had a point. I glanced over to the costume that was covered in blood where it sat on Prosecutor Bespoke's bench on the opposite side of the courtroom. There was most certainly something odd about the costume, but it wasn't anything that I would have expected at a first glance. In fact, it was because this was so unexpected that we were going to be able to take suspicion and heat off Venus in the first place.
I straightened myself out and allowed a smirk to cross my features. "There is a way for the costume to have been used in the crime without being used to soak up blood splatter," I declared. "The costume was used to soak up blood, but it wasn't in the way that you would think given the context in which the prosecution has presented the evidence."
"What are you talking about?" Prosecutor Bespoke questioned, crossing his arms over his chest. "What about the context that I have proposed could possibly be considered so strange to you?"
"You've stated that the costume was used at the time of the murder. According to your theory, the defendant wore the costume during the time of the crime, and she was covered in blood because of the violent manner in which the victim was killed. After that, she attempted to dispose of the costume, though it was ultimately found by the investigation team. All of this with stolen skates and a stolen costume would make it seem as if the defendant was the victim rather than the perpetrator... At the very least, that's what you've been telling the court," I began.
"And that's what I continue to believe even now. What is it that you think is so odd about all of that? Was the costume used in a different way? Do you have any proof to show as much?" Prosecutor Bespoke asked.
"The costume was used in a different manner... And I do have proof in the form of the costume itself," I replied. "I would like everyone in the courtroom to take a look at the pattern of the bloodstains on the costume. If an article of clothing was used to soak up blood splatter specifically, what pattern would you expect it to have?"
"Speckles and splatter," Chrysalis answered, a smile starting to spread across her face. "And yet, that isn't what we're seeing here... There's something completely different on the costume in terms of the pattern of the bloodstains."
"Exactly," I said. "The bloodstains are instead in a pattern that seems to indicate that it was used to wipe something up. There are smears on the costume rather than splatter. I knew that there was something strange about the costume when it was first presented, and I believe that this is just what I was noticing."
"The fact that the bloodstains were wiped up using the costume doesn't do anything to change the fact that the defendant still could have done it," Prosecutor Bespoke cut in. "Even if the costume was used in a different way than I proposed, the defendant is still a suspect because she had easy access to the costume without any issues."
"A member of the crew would be able to access the costume closet as well, I believe," I pointed out. "And that would explain where the scrap of fabric comes from... Besides, didn't you think that it was almost a bit too easy to find the discarded costume in the first place? Where was it located during your investigation?"
"It could be found in a small cubby of the backstage area. It was peeking out rather notably... Ah. I see," Prosecutor Bespoke muttered. "It was rather easy to find. You believe that the culprit made sure that we would be able to locate it by placing it somewhere that made it seem as if the defendant made an attempt to hide it."
"If the defendant was really trying to hide the crime, then there wouldn't be so many obvious pieces of evidence to point to her," I announced. "The stolen ice skates would lead back to her no matter what. The costume being used to sustain bloodstains would make her seems suspicious as well. If she had access to the costume closet, then she could have taken any of the outfits there to use. Even if they didn't fit properly, anything large would have worked just fine and would have pointed attention away from her. If you ask me, this all seems to point to a set up meant to frame the defendant for a crime that she did not commit. Trying to seem like the victim of theft was too risky."
"The theft of the skates implies that this case was premeditated. If she planned it in advance, then she would have no reason to use her skates and costume. It wouldn't be logical in the slightest and would point back to her in the end. How would that do anything to help her? She couldn't have known that people would come to her defense. If she really was the culprit, she wouldn't be making such illogical decisions," Chrysalis agreed.
"Then... This means that Venus didn't do it...?!" Fiora questioned. When I responded with a nod, she practically melted from relief. "I'm so happy to hear that! I-I really didn't think that Venus would hurt anyone like that, but... I-I guess I shouldn't have doubted her in the first place when I know that she wouldn't want to lash out at Aes that way..."
"If your theories are to be believed, then that leads us to one crucial question, defense," Prosecutor Bespoke suddenly said, looking oddly smug all of a sudden. "Let's say for a moment that your assumptions are correct. If that is all the case, then who was the one to kill the victim the day of the murder?"
I shook my head at his words. "I'm afraid that there's no way to say for sure who the culprit is at this moment in time, but it should still be clear as can be that the culprit is not the defendant," I pointed out. "The defendant would not have done all of this if you think about the process logically, and it's important that we keep from straying into the dangerous idea that she was responsible for this."
"According to the defense's proposal, another person stole the defendant's ice skates a few days before the crime, seemingly planning on using them for something nefarious. This person also happens to work as part of the crew for the ice skating show and was able to use this position as a way of getting into the costume closet that can be found at the skating rink," Judge Diaphan began. "The costume closet contains a duplicate costume that the defendant could have worn during the show, but it was instead used to wipe up the blood splatter at the scene of the crime by the culprit as a way of framing her for the crime."
"Exactly," I agreed with a firm nod. "The defense is of the confident belief that someone else within the skating show is attempting to frame the defendant for this crime. The person attempting to use her as a scapegoat is involved with the crew, and during the struggle between the victim and culprit, this happened."
"You know... I heard something happen not long after that argument," Fiora suddenly cut in. "It was after Aes stopped arguing with Venus... I didn't hear the details of their argument, but I guess that doesn't matter now. The point is that I was in the deep backstage area, and... I think I heard something fall over. It freaked me out, so I stayed where I was for a while. I've never liked loud noises, and I didn't want to go out and see what the cause of the sound was, so I just... I hid for a while."
"If you ask me, there's one easy possibility that could define the falling sound that you heard at this time," I announced with a small smirk. "If you think about it, there's only one true noise that would be applicable in this situation... The crime took place in the backstage area, you see. We all know that thanks to the results of the Luminol test back there that show the bloodstains in the region where the performers prepare for their entrances to the stage."
"And the witness was in the backstage area at the time," Prosecutor Bespoke muttered. He was silent for a moment before he perked up, his eyes going wide. "You can't truly mean that...!"
I nodded. "That's exactly what I'm trying to imply. The defense is of the opinion that this witness overheard the murder taking place and simply didn't realize it! The falling sound that she heard was the noise of the victim's body falling to the ground after she was struck in the back of the head by the ice skate!"
As if on cue, the people in the gallery began to chatter, and I glanced over to Chrysalis with a smile. "I think that we're finally starting to get somewhere," I told her. "I'm sure that we're on the cusp of figuring out the truth... Even if we don't have a specific person in mind as the culprit, we can still say that we're on the right path, and I think that's important given the circumstances."
"I'm inclined to agree," Chrysalis said with a nod of her own. "We're going to need a bit of extra time to look around the scene of the crime though. After all, we don't have any ideas as to who this mystery culprit could have possibly been, and I somehow doubt that Prosecutor Bespoke knows who they are either. That means that we've managed to stave off the executioner's axe... At least for a little while longer."
"The one thing that I still don't understand though is the lack of a motive," I confessed. "Even if the victim was generally unpleasant to everyone, we've only heard about Venus having an actual reason to lash out at her, but since that didn't happen, then that leaves you wondering... Why was it that the culprit felt the need to kill the victim at the time of the crime? I'm certain that there's an explanation out there somewhere, but what could it be?"
Chrysalis shrugged. "That's one question that I don't have the answer to yet, but I guess that we'll just have to see where it takes us from here," she pointed out. "What we've managed to do here today has all pointed us in the right direction, and we should take advantage of that as much as we can for the time being."
Judge Diaphan managed to finally get the courtroom under control as Chrysalis finished speaking, and her glare was piercing enough to silence anyone who felt the need to speak even in the wake of her attempts for quiet. "It seems as if a legitimate possibility has been presented regarding an outside figure being responsible for this crime," she announced. "Witness, please tell the court what you remember from the time that you heard the crime took place... Assuming that this was when the victim was killed, that is."
"I don't think that there's really all that much else to it besides what I've already said..." Fiora confessed softly. "It was because of that loud noise that I got all spooked and had to go and find a replacement costume before the show started though... I slipped and cut my dress with my skate because of how much the noise frightened me."
"How long did you stay in the backstage area after hearing this sound?" Prosecutor Bespoke questioned, his eyes narrowing at Fiora.
She hesitated before shaking her head. "I think it would have been somewhere between ten and fifteen minutes... I didn't think that it was that big of a deal though. I didn't realize that a murder had taken place... I guess I just assumed that it was a prop that fell over, and somebody else would be able to take care of that if it was the case... I-I feel really bad for not doing anything about it now..." Fiora muttered.
"It's good that you stayed where you were," I assured her. "After all, if you had strayed too far from your position, you could have been harmed as well, and the culprit would have taken two lives rather than one. Now, we're going to figure out who was responsible for this and ensure that they see justice for the harm that they have perpetrated against you and the rest of your company."
"Thank you for everything... I-I really do appreciate it," Fiora said with a gentle smile spreading across her face. "I know that you're going to be able to find the truth behind who would do this to Aes!"
"It appears to be rather clear what the timeline of events was at the time of the crime now," Judge Diaphan announced. "The victim and defendant got into an argument at the scene of the murder, and their conversation was overheard in part by the witness, though she couldn't make out any details. After the defendant stormed off, she encountered the defense team. The victim remained backstage and was found by the true culprit. During the ensuing struggle, the victim managed to pull off a shred of fabric from the culprit's clothing, and that was when she died. The witness overheard the sound of her body falling to the floor. The culprit used the defendant's spare costume to wipe up the blood, hence the smudged bloodstains rather than splatter marks."
"What we need to figure out now is who killed her, what motive they had, and why the body was moved in the first place," I announced. "There must have been a way for the culprit to transport the body without being seen by anyone else and called suspicious. Given how violent the murder method was, anyone who crossed paths with the culprit at the time would undoubtedly call them out for doing something awful."
"The method of the body's transportation is key to this case, in other words," Chrysalis murmured. "I'm not sure how she could have possibly been moved, but I guess that we're going to have to figure it out soon enough. For the time being, the trial is probably going to end for the day. Prosecutor Bespoke is sweating bullets over there, so I doubt that he knows what it is that could solve this puzzle."
"The court requests that the defense and prosecution both investigate this case more over the course of the next day," Judge Diaphan announced, her eyes closing in silent contemplation. "When we come back together tomorrow, I will expect that you have found new information that could lead to something new for this case."
"The defense has no objections," I announced. I glanced over to Chrysalis and saw her nod her agreement.
"The prosecution... The prosecution has no objections either," Prosecutor Bespoke said, his eyes narrowing as he glanced over in my direction. I forced myself to look away.
"In that case, court is adjourned," Judge Diaphan declared, slamming her gavel down on the podium without hesitation.
March 12
Defendant Lobby No. 1
12:55 PM
Cotoli Morix
When we arrived out in the defendant lobby, the first thing I did was release a heavy breath that I hadn't even noticed was being kept in my chest. "I'm glad that we were able to pull through there... We've got a clear path to go from here. All that remains is for us to figure out what the best next step would be," I told Chrysalis.
She nodded and let out a gasp before waving. I watched as Venus approached us, and Cassidy and Yuri came towards us from a different direction. "You did amazing in there!" Venus said with a bright grin as she clapped her hands together. "I didn't realize that you had so much potential! Who would have thought that talking to somebody on the ice would change my life so completely?"
Chrysalis looked away from Venus, pretending that her cheeks weren't as red as they were. "We just did what we had to in order to try and find the truth. If all goes well, we're going to be able to show that you didn't do it sooner rather than later. You're probably going to have to stay in the detention center for a little while longer, but... We'll come and make sure that you're freed soon enough," she said.
Venus deflated and shook her head. "At least you seem to have all of this under control... I'm trusting that you'll be able to handle your investigation. I guess that you kind of have to go on and get onto that now, right?" she asked.
I nodded in response. "I'm afraid so. We're running on a tight timeline since the trial is bound to resume tomorrow. I wish you the best at the detention center. After we've figured out all that we can, we'll come to visit you. I promise," I assured her.
Venus gave us a light wave in response. "I'll be counting on it," she replied before turning to Yuri and Cassidy. Both of them were buzzing with nervous and excited energy in the aftermath of the trial, and I was glad to see that they were at least feeling somewhat relieved in the aftermath of all that had taken place. After all, the day's trial had hardly been easy for any of us involved.
Chrysalis gestured for me to follow her out of the defendant's lobby, but much to our surprise we were cut off by an imposing figure entering through the very entrance that we were attempting to leave through. I felt a gasp leave my lips as my eyes went wide with shock. "Prosecutor Bespoke...!" I said breathlessly. "What are you doing here? I would have expected you to be off to take care of the investigation..."
"I wanted to congratulate you on your impressive performance in there," Prosecutor Bespoke replied with a loose shrug and a small yet personable grin. "I don't think that I've ever seen a new attorney put up quite as much of a fight as you have."
"We have to make sure that Venus is shown to be innocent. We know that she didn't do it, and it's our job to fight on the side of justice to the bitter end," I told him simply, remaining as wary as possible so that he didn't see any cracks in my armor.
"And that's an admirable goal. Truly, I'm glad that you're pushing for it so hard. It feels so easy for people to just give up on the truth and focus only on victory for their own ends, especially when you're first starting off. A rocky beginning leads to everything falling apart," Prosecutor Bespoke went on. "You've made some fine points about the defendant being innocent of this crime. From here on out, we're working together to find the truth. You're an impressive man, Cotoli Morix. I can certainly respect that."
I stared at him for a long moment, blinking in confusion as I tried to figure out what I could even say to that. Prosecutor Bespoke simply chuckled and shook his head as I scrambled for the right words. "You don't need to say anything else. I'm glad to help you out. For the time being, you should head on down to the scene of the crime. I've got some other business to take care of... After all, there's one thing that I've learned about murder motives. They're always rooted in past incidents, and if we can figure out what incident is driving this case, then we can figure out the truth," he told us. He flashed me a brief wave before turning on his heel and leaving the room. "I'll be looking forward to seeing what you happen to come up with from here."
Neither Chrysalis nor I could say much of anything after that encounter. Chrysalis glanced up to me with dumbstruck eyes, and I knew that I looked much the same way in return. Prosecutor Bespoke certainly was an interesting character in the same way that he had praised me. I shook my head and forced myself onwards again a few moments later. "We should get down to the scene of the crime. We don't have much time left," I pointed out. Chrysalis nodded, and she followed me out of the courthouse as I tried to figure out just what was going on inside of Prosecutor Bespoke's head.
Gay tension!
-Digital