April 11

District Courthouse

1:15 PM

Cotoli Morix

Officer Hoope let one hand come up to rest on her hip as she examined us all with a critical gaze. "So?" she prompted. "What is it that you wanted to talk to us about?"

"We were hoping to see if you would be able to corroborate a story that we heard from another witness regarding this case," Detective Erikson commented. "On top of that, I wanted to ask if there were any new updates regarding the victims. They're still being taken care of, but I know that the medics promised to send back any new information as soon as they found it."

"The knife that was used to stab them seems to be the same one that was used in the May Lin case," Officer Wills replied after a moment of brief hesitation. "We aren't sure where the knife could have gone, but it clearly isn't anywhere around here. The culprit's probably already made off with it."

"If it was the same knife, then I feel like it's even safer than ever to say that there's a firm connection between these two cases," I declared. I resisted the urge to glance off in Mr. Mennon's direction, knowing that doing so would only make him more confrontational in a time when that was the last thing that any of us could afford.

"That's certainly what it seems like," Detective Erikson agreed with a light nod. "How are the victims themselves doing? Are they going to survive, or are we still not sure of what's going to be happening with them?"

"It seems like they're more likely to live than die at this point, but right now, everything is still kind of up in the air," Officer Hoope shrugged. "It's hard to say what's going to happen when there's so much that we still don't know about."

"But there is one thing that we can confirm," Detective Erikson declared. "We heard from Mr. Mennon that the two of you were waiting just outside the defendant lobby at the time of the discussion between Mr. Mennon and the two victims. I was wondering if either one of you was willing to back up something like that. After all, we need all the testimony that we can get, and backing up other stories is certainly something that will help in discovering the truth behind this case."

"Of course we can back it up," Officer Wills said without missing a beat. "Nothing happened at the time, and after that, he just walked out of the room like nothing was wrong. After that, the suspect must have shown up and decided that it was time for her to walk all over the victims by attempting to kill them. I'm just glad that she didn't succeed, though I suppose that all of us are happy that she wound up failing on something like this. It wouldn't have been good for anyone if she wound up actually murdering them."

"They're still unconscious, so it isn't as if we're going to be able to hear all that much in terms of who attacked them from the victims themselves," Officer Hoope shrugged. "I think that it would be easier if we just went on and said that the suspect did it. After all, she was found at the scene of the crime standing over them when they were unconscious and covered in blood. You can say all that you want that she couldn't have been the culprit for a few reasons, but that doesn't change the fact that she's the only person who could have done it. She was the only one who was there.

"I don't think that this case is that simple," I frowned. "Why would she attract attention to herself after committing the crime by screaming? That would only cause her to come under suspicion. If she had done it, then you would expect her to just leave the area so that fewer people would find her actions to be odd. That would leave the victims in a position where they would be more likely to die as well, and I can only assume that is what the culprit was going for at the time of the attack."

"You never know with criminals, you know," Officer Wills pointed out. "They do all sorts of things that most other people just don't understand. And how are we meant to understand it? Their minds work in ways that just don't make sense sometimes, and we have to work around that nonsensical nature just so that we can figure out what happened. Right now, I think that the most sensible thing for us to do would be to just arrest her and ask our questions later. After all, she's right here, and she would have had a perfect reason to do it. She even admitted that she was trying to find them at the time of the attack, and she didn't have an alibi."

"You forget that we were with her through quite a bit of this time when she supposedly didn't have an alibi," Chrysalis interjected. "We can say that she was alright and not doing anything notably criminal for at least half of that time. I think that should be more than enough to say that she wasn't the one who did this. How could she have done something so complex and gruesome in such a short period of time? It just doesn't make any sense."

"I believe that he just told you that criminals don't make sense. We just have to get in their way and make sure that they don't do anything to harm anyone. We may have failed this time, but we can make sure that this doesn't happen again. Officer Wills arrested her when she was standing in the doorway of the room. We know that she had a reason to attack the two of them. I feel like the answer to all of this should be obvious, and yet, you keep on insisting that there's more to this than there actually is. Why don't you make this easier on all of us and just back off? You have no idea what you're talking about in the first place, so save us the time, why don't you?"

Chrysalis shot her a dulled glare, clearly wanting to do more but not able to find the confidence or the desire to potentially ruin our chance at an investigation. She understood the consequences much better than most others her age likely would have, and for that, I was grateful. I placed a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to try and aid with her concerns, but I knew that it wasn't going to do all that much in the grand scheme of things when we had so much to battle as it was.

"I suppose that we all agree on this matter then," Mr. Mennon declared. "Nothing happened while I was in the defendant lobby with the victims, and the suspect must have been the one to do it. Who else would have had the reasoning or the time to do something of this nature? She had to have attacked the victims because she was upset at them for how the trial turned out."

"I would never attack anyone!" Sora cried out as she glared at him fiercely. "You were the one who did all of this! I saw you kill my mother, and you... You can't just get away with this! The knife that shows that you did it was used in this crime too, and if we can just find the murder weapon, then we can prove that-"

"Again with this insistence that I did it!" Mr. Mennon exclaimed with a heavy sigh. "I would have thought that you had learned by now, but I suppose that there are some people who just don't understand when to quit... That's fine with me, of course. You made this mistake, and all I can do is push you in the right direction to understand that you're incorrect. You're the one who did all of this, and I don't think that you're going to be able to escape your guilt no matter what happens."

"I think that right now, our priority should be to try and find the murder weapon from the May Lin case," Detective Erikson cut in, holding up two hands in the directions of Sora and Mr. Mennon to bring the argument to a screeching halt. "If that truly was the same weapon that was used in this case, then that means that it's more important than ever to figure out where it went. The courthouse is on lockdown and has been for quite a while now as part of the investigation. If we're ever going to have a chance to gather more information regarding what happened to the knife, this is going to be it. We should focus on searching the building and asking witnesses what they could have seen if they were in the area."

"And when we do find the murder weapon, then..." Sora's voice trailed off, but she was glaring so intensely at Mr. Mennon's feet that it was easy enough to put the pieces together regarding what she was trying to say. She was hoping that this would be the chance for everything to go to court once again and prove that Mr. Mennon was the one behind what had happened in both cases.

"I already told you that I wasn't the culprit. Besides, how could I have snuck a knife into the courthouse? I was in the detention center up until the trial began, and I couldn't have taken the knife from the police either. It simply wasn't a possibility for me. Like I said, I was a bit busy being held in detention at the time, was I not?" Mr. Mennon questioned.

Sora hesitated for a long moment before she sighed, and Mr. Mennon offered her a smile that I knew was too condescending for its own good. "I'm glad that we all understand one another. I couldn't have been the one to do this, and even if you aren't able to fully comprehend that yet, I'm sure that the truth will come to you soon enough. It's just a matter of time before the pieces come together in that little head of yours, and then, you'll finally understand just how ridiculous you're being by accusing someone like me of both of these crimes."

I held up one hand, and this was enough to earn me Detective Erikson's attention just as I was hoping. "Would it be alright if the two of us talked to Sora for a moment?" I questioned, gesturing to myself and Chrysalis to show who I was talking about.

Detective Erikson was silent for a long moment, clearly trying to figure out what our intentions could have been, but he eventually nodded. "I suppose so," he said softly. "Besides, we do still have to look through the building to see if we can figure out where the knife is. Our search has been unsuccessful up to this point, but at the same time, there's a lot that goes into something like this. The courthouse is huge, and it could be quite a while before we're able to locate the object of our curiosities."

Officer Hoope looked completely flabbergasted at the fact that Detective Erikson had agreed to let us talk to Sora alone, and she whirled to face the man a moment later. "You can't just let her go that easily!" she cried out. "For all you know, this is her attempt to try and get away with everything that she's done! Those two could be her accomplices, lying by saying that she has an alibi when she's actually just lying through her teeth about everything!"

"And right now, we have a thousand other matters to take care of at once," Detective Erikson said simply. "They'll still be in this room even if they are talking in a somewhat private manner. Nothing is going to happen that shouldn't be happening."

"This conversation shouldn't be happening in the first place," Officer Wills continued to protest. "You never know what criminals like her are capable of doing. You already saw what happened at the time of the attack. If she was the one who did that, then we can't just bend to her whims! I caught her on the scene, and I'm not going to let anyone forget about that!"

"I would prefer it if you simply listened to what I say on the matter," Detective Erikson told him roughly, his patience finally starting to wear thin. "I'm the one in charge of this case, and right now, I say that the three of them get to talk. We still have a knife to look for, and unless you're willing to defy orders on that too, I suggest that you start to search for it. We've heard your testimony, haven't we? It's time to get to searching."

Officers Hoope and Wills were both stuck to the spot at the words from their superior, and for a long moment, none of the people in the room dared to speak a word. Eventually, Officer Hoope let out a heavy sigh, defeat finally shining through her words. "Understood, sir," she muttered bitterly. From there, she started to walk towards the door, and Officer Wills trailed in her footsteps. Mr. Mennon watched them go with surprise in his eyes.

Detective Erikson sighed as soon as they were gone, and he shifted his attention up in my direction a moment later. "I apologize that you had to see that. You can go on and talk now. I'm going to do what I can to articulate orders to everyone else that we have to search for the knife," he told us. There was a weariness to his eyes all of a sudden, and I couldn't help but wince. He seemed like such a kind man, but it seemed as if everyone had their limits. I was glad that he had been able to help us on this matter given how much I desperately wanted to talk to both of my younger companions.

And on that note, I took this as my chance to step away from where Detective Erikson was standing with Mr. Mennon. I glanced back and forth between Chrysalis and Sora with a light frown on the face. "What do you think we should do next?" I questioned. "There has to be some piece of evidence out there that will show that Sora wasn't the one who did this. It's just a matter of finding it now, I suppose."

"The knife is our best bet if we want to show that she didn't do it, but there's no way of saying how easy it's going to be to track something like that down," Chrysalis pointed out with a heavy sigh. "I can't believe that the knife was the same one used in the murder case though. That means that the culprit is someone who works at the police station and also is at the courthouse here today. That has to narrow it down at least somewhat, right?"

"I would think so, but I don't know where to start when it comes to looking for something like this," Sora confessed as she looked down at the ground. "I'm sorry that you were both roped into this and accused of being my accomplices... I didn't think that something like that was going to happen. I wouldn't ever want to drag other people into something like this, especially given all that you've done to help me up to this point..."

"Wait a moment... Accomplices," Chrysalis murmured under her breath. "Those officers were awfully quick to say that we were working with Sora when we pointed out that she couldn't have done it."

"And yet, they were more than able to prove that Mr. Mennon didn't do it since they were with him at the time that he was speaking with the victims," I remarked with a shake of my head. "I can't be the only one who doesn't think that logic entirely adds up."

"But what could that possibly mean for us?" Sora asked. "I don't understand it at all... Those two situations don't really seem like they can be easily compared, so... What are you trying to say?"

"I think that there might be a bit more going on behind the scenes of this case than we've realized us to this point," I told her simply. I glanced down to Chrysalis with a light frown before shifting my focus back to Sora. "Let's say for a moment that the culprit did have accomplices. What do you think that would mean?"

"Um... The culprit would be able to say that they had an alibi if they actually didn't, I suppose," Sora began to say. "And... Well... I'm not entirely sure what you're trying to get at here, Cotoli."

"The one thing that we know about this case is that the weapon that was used to attack the victims was the same one that was used in the murder of your mother. The weapon was stolen from the police station in the midst of the investigation sometime between yesterday's search for evidence and the trial this morning. I think that it's safe to say that the one who took it would have had to be someone involved with the investigation and the police station who was also at the trial. That seems to be the only explanation that makes sense," I told her.

Chrysalis let out a gasp as the piece started to slide into place in her mind. "You mean to say that the accomplice was the one who got the weapon for the culprit before passing it off to them. From there, the crime was committed, and the two victims were attacked in the defendant lobby when the culprit got them alone."

I nodded. "That's my current theory on the matter, at the very least... Let's think about this. If the culprit who committed this crime was Mr. Mennon, then he would have needed help to get his hands on the weapon to begin with. After all, he wouldn't have been able to get it as long as he was in the detention center, and he lacks any ties with the police station to get his hands on it in the first place. Furthermore, the two people who were supposedly standing guard outside the lobby at the time of the crime were..."

"Police officers..." Sora murmured, her eyes going wide. "So... Are you trying to say that Officers Hoope and Wills could have had something to do with all of this? Were they the ones who helped him to get the murder weapons o that he could attack Prosecutor Yin and Mr. Yang?"

"That's my current theory, at the very least," I told her with a loose shrug. "I admittedly don't have anything in terms of evidence to back that up right now, but I feel like it's still something that we're going to have to keep in mind. If there were accomplices for this case, then that seems to be the best way to explain everything."

"But we're going to have to find a way to prove that so that other people actually believe it," Chrysalis pointed out. "Nobody is going to buy it if we say that this is just our theory. We're going to have to actually come out and make sure that we have evidence so that everybody knows that we're serious."

"You know... There is one thing that's sort of bothering me right now," Sora cut in. "I know that I might be jumping to conclusions on this, but... Don't you find it weird how Officers Hoope and Wills weren't the ones who wound up bringing Mr. Mennon back to us in the midst of the investigation?"

I frowned, glancing down to Chrysalis as I tried to see what my sister thought of it. She seemed confused, so I shifted my attention back to Sora a moment later. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, Detective Erikson said that he wanted those two to bring Mr. Mennon back so that we could talk to him, but they weren't the ones who wound up bringing Mr. Mennon to see us. I don't know... I guess I just sort of find that a little bit strange," Sora shrugged. "I would have expected them to be the ones to find him since they were the first ones looking."

"You mean to say that it's odd that somebody else found him first despite not looking as long," Chrysalis realized. "So the other officers here must have heard about the search through word of mouth, and from there, they brought Mr. Mennon to see us as per Detective Erikson's instructions... Hm... I guess that it is kind of strange that they weren't the ones who wound up bringing him to speak with us. It doesn't make all that much sense, does it?"

"If those two really are accomplices behind all of this, then... I don't know. I guess that... They were trying to help him get away instead of actually looking for him," Sora suggested. "I don't have anything to back that up, and I'm fully aware of that fact, but... I don't know. It seems weird that the people who were first designated to look for him ended up coming up so short and weren't even the ones to bring him back for the investigation."

"It is strange, as a matter of fact..." I agreed quietly. "There are too many facts here for this to be a coincidence. If those two truly are accomplices to this case, then we're going to have to talk to Detective Erikson about it right away. This could be the chance that we need to show that they were the ones who did all of this."

Chrysalis' eyes went wide. "We're going to have to get them back here as soon as possible so that we can talk to them... They're out looking for the weapon that was used in this crime right now, and they could easily take this as a chance to get rid of it so that we don't have any evidence to show that they were involved!" she cried out.

My chest went tight as I realized that she was right. If we left them unattended for any longer than we had to, then this wasn't going to end well for us. Our best option was going to be to track them down as soon as possible, and from there, we could talk to them and Mr. Mennon about what they claimed happened during the conversation in the defendant lobby. It was our best lead at this point, and as far as I was concerned, the possibility that they were destoying evidence far outweighed the fact that we didn't have much in terms of evidence to implicate them to begin with. This was our one inkling of truth, and since Sora wasn't the one who did it, we were going to have to pursue this to the bitter end regardless of what trouble it potentially brought us.

"Let's go talk to Detective Erikson then," Chrysalis concluded with a firm look of hardened determination in her eyes. I nodded my agreement, and we immediately began to move in the direction where we could find our detective companion.

Detective Erikson seemed surprised to see us when we approached him in such a panic, and he looked at us with a frown on his face. "Are you three alright? You seem awfully flustered all of a sudden," he commented.

"We may have figured out the truth behind this case, but we really need to talk to Officers Hoope and Wills," I told him. "Preferably, we would be able to talk to them at the same time as Mr. Mennon, but I understand that now probably isn't the time to be picky about what we can and cannot do."

Detective Erikson raised an eyebrow in my direction out of confusion. "I don't know what you're trying to get at... Do you think that they know more about this case than they're letting on right now?"

"We know that the weapon that was used in this case was stolen from the police in the midst of their investigation into what happened at the time of May Lin's murder. The weapon still eludes us, but we know that the person who took it must have been from within the police station," I explained. "Those two were officers who were involved with the investigation and were here at the courthouse at the time of the crime. One of them swooped in all too quickly to arrest Sora as the one behind the crime but didn't find anything wrong with the fact that Mr. Mennon was speaking with the two victims not long beforehand. As far as I'm concerned, there's something going on here, and we have to talk to all three of them at once so that we can iron out the details of this case."

Detective Erikson stared at me for a long moment, his eyes wide in surprise, before his gaze grew hardened and focused. "These are grave accusations that you're making," he commented softly. "Do you think that this is truly something worth investigating?"

"It wouldn't make sense for Sora to have been the one to do it, and if we're going to figure out who actually committed this crime on behalf of the victims, we have to act fast. Officers Hoope and Wills are out right now trying to supposedly find the weapon that was used in both the attempted murder and the May Lin case. I think that this could be their chance to try and get rid of the weapon," I told him. "We have to talk to them before they can destroy any of the evidence in the area."

Detective Erikson paused for a long moment before he nodded. "You've given me no reason to distrust you up to this point... And if you think this is something worth looking into, then I suppose that we might as well," he said simply. "I'll go and see what I can do to find them, and after that, we'll figure out what took place at the time of the crime."

Detective Erikson was gone soon afterwards, and I found myself bouncing back and forth on the balls of my feet out of anticipation. I didn't think that I had been this filled with nervous energy in a long time, and truth be told, I had no idea what I was supposed to do with all of it. This investigation was pure, unfiltered chaos, and I just wanted to try and figure out what was going on. I had no idea how to make heads or tails of what had taken place, but the least that I could do was try for the sake of Sora and the two victims of the attack.

"Do you really think that we're going to be able to show that I wasn't the one who did it?" Sora questioned, her eyes wide with anxiety. "I know that I wasn't the person who attacked them, but... It didn't seem like anyone really wanted to listen to me last time that something like this happened. I'm worried that they aren't going to believe me this time either."

"We're going to make sure that nobody accuses you of this again. I promise," Chrysalis assured her. She hesitated before she went on. "This is what the legal system is supposed to do, isn't it? This is how people find out the truth behind everything that happens, and we have to do what we can to show that you weren't the one who did this. We're getting closer to figuring everything out. I can just feel it."

I nodded my agreement, but I would have been lying if I said that I was completely in agreement with what she had said. It was what the legal system was meant to do, but as for if it actually accomplished such a task... That was something that was up for debate, and I didn't know if there was ever going to be an easy answer for something of that nature. However, there was one thing that I was confident in right then: I had to help Sora. Even if this had started out as an investigation for the sake of my own curiosity, I truly had grown to care about her even in such a short span of time. She was vulnerable and had no one to stand by her, and I wasn't going to let anything happen to her as long as there was something that I could do about it.

"You can count on us," I told Sora with a light smile, placing one hand on her shoulder. "We're going to make sure that everything is alright... I know that it might not seem like it now, but the truth always finds a way out. One way or another, we're going to show who actually did it, and everything is going to be fine."

Sora sniffled, raising one hand to rub at her eyes. "Thank you again... For all of this," she told us. She shook her head as tears began to stream down her face, but she didn't bother to rub them away after the initial attempt to stall them. "It really does mean a lot to me."

Before any of us had a chance to comment further on this, Detective Erikson reappeared, and I swallowed dryly at the sight of our three suspects gathered together in front of him. I knew what had to come next, and it was hardly going to be pretty. This was the final stage of our search for the truth as far as I was concerned, and we were going to have to win this final push no matter what came of it. I was sure of that much.

My puppy is so silly but I adore her

-Digital