Rei Ryghts: Rookie Attorney
The Ten-Year Turnabout
By Derald Snyder
Trial- Final Day
Court Record:
Crime Scene Photos
Crime Scene Diagram
Testimony Notes
Avalon Hotel Work Permit
Korsak's Weapons Permit
Old Class Roster
Autopsy Report
March 30, 9:50 AM
District Court
Defendant Lobby No. 1
"Ya found the body?!" Peterman almost couldn't believe his ears. "And it was under th'hotel like you said?!"
"Th-that's right," Rei nodded. "The autopsy c-confirmed it was Rich C-Clark..."
"So that means I'm innocent!" the fisherman declared. "I wasn't anywhere near that place that day! So why's th'trial still goin' on?!"
"B-because P-Prosecutor Millhouse and I w-want to figure out th-the whole t-truth b-behind th-this case..." The lawyer then explained about Clarence Robarts' forged identity...
"Are you sayin' I was set up?!" Paul growled angrily. "Just 'cause that bastard didn't wanna risk his career?! I suffered for ten years- TEN YEARS just 'cause of one man's pride!"
"YOU LISTEN, MAGGOT!" Rei suddenly shouted, causing her client to recoil slightly. "You might not have a high opinion of Mr. Robarts, but Millhouse does! That's why he wants to get to the bottom of this! Yes, your acquittal may be all but assured, worm, but I don't need you being held in contempt and throwing all my hard work away, just because you couldn't control your temper! Do I make myself clear, fool?!"
Peterman seemed to be somewhat cowed by Rei's sudden outburst. "Ugh... a-all right, all right... I admit I gotta hair-trigger temper sometimes... But, I'll try to rein m'self in."
"Good." Rei nodded curtly. "Just keep your mouth shut and leave things to me, and you'll be fine. Besides... don't you want to see the real shooter go down for his crimes?"
"I would love t'see that," Paul agreed. "You're sayin' y'know who he is?"
"W-we have a p-pretty good idea of wh-who the c-culprit could be," Rei said as she reverted to her timid personality. "He's b-being b-brought in t-to t-testify t-today..."
"He is?! Well, why didn't ya say so in the first place?!" Peterman muttered.
"M-Miss Ryghts, court is about to begin," the bailiff abruptly interrupted, sounding a bit nervous. "W-would you kindly bring the defendant with you a-and take your seat at the bench?"
"Oh, c-certainly," the former goddess assented. "I-I'm sorry if I s-scared you b-back there..."
March 30, 10:00 AM
District Court
Courtroom No. 1
The judge banged his gavel. "Court is now in session for the trial of Paul Peterman."
"The d-defense is ready, Your Honor," Rei acknowledged.
"It's a day later than I would have liked, but the prosecution is at last prepared to proceed," Millhouse said.
"Indeed. And this is the last day allotted for trial," the judge observed. "One way or another, a verdict has to be rendered today, so both sides will need to present solid evidence with their arguments."
"I-I understand," Rei nodded.
"Very well then. Prosecutor Millhouse, your opening statement," the judge instructed.
"Yes, Your Honor," Millhouse assented. "In the previous court session, it was suggested that Rich Clark's body was not disposed of at sea, but rather, buried underneath the foundation of the Avalon Hotel, which was still under construction at the time of the murder. So, after getting approval from the manager, I had a demolition company excavate the hotel's basement."
"And was your search fruitful?" asked the judge.
"It was indeed," Millhouse nodded with a slight smile. "We found human remains beneath one of the cement pillars, wearing a shirt consistent with the uniform of Fourth Third Bank that was used ten years ago. The autopsy confirmed via dental records that it was indeed our murder victim, Rich Clark." The gallery started muttering in mild disbelief at this.
"Order!" the judge banged his gavel. "Well then! If Rich Clark's body was there this whole time... doesn't that completely destroy the prosecution's case against Mr. Peterman?!"
"I suppose so, Your Honor," Mike nodded. "That being said..." He slapped a hand on the bench. "This trial cannot come to an end just yet, for there are still too many unanswered questions in this case! Questions that can only be answered with further deliberation!"
"Such as?" the judge blinked.
"For starters, the most obvious question... who truly murdered Rich Clark in that alley ten years ago? We know it cannot be Dean Schmucker, as he is too tall to match the forensic evidence."
"W-which means it had to be someone else!" Rei declared as she slammed her fists on her bench. "A th-third person! One that Schmucker lied t-to c-cover for!" The gallery muttered a little.
"But who could that be?" the judge mused, his eyes closed in thought. "One of Dean Schmucker's old co-workers, perhaps?"
"Indeed, they would be the most likely suspects," Millhouse nodded. "So I had Detective Pericles look into it, and he found a possible person of interest. So after discussing things with his lawyer, said person agreed to come in to testify. Bailiff, if you would bring in the witness?"
"Yessir, Prosecutor!" the NPC saluted, walking out of the courtroom, then walking back in a minute later with Donald Korsak in tow, as well as a middle-aged lawyer with slicked-back black hair, black eyes, and a black suit that made him look as if he had all the money in the world.
(That must be the sleaze lawyer Millhouse had to strike a deal with,) Rei thought to herself in mild disgust. Said lawyer whispered into Korsak's ear briefly, the short man nodding before taking the stand, climbing onto a step-stool to make himself more visible to the gallery.
"Witness, please state your name and occupation," Millhouse instructed.
Giving a brief glance over at Rei, the man replied, "Donald Korsak. I work as middle-management for Lowee General Construction." He then shuddered before blurting out, "So why didn't anyone tell me Rei Ryghts was the defense for this case?!"
"Is there a problem, Mr. Korsak?" the judge inquired.
"Yeah, like the fact that she scared the crap outta me yesterday!" Korsak shouted, causing the gallery to chatter.
"I-I'm sorry! I'm so very sorry!" Rei apologized. "B-but you p-pointed a g-gun in my face! I was s-scared f-for my life!"
"Order! Order in the court!" the judge banged his gavel. "Is this true, Mr. Korsak?"
"My client admits he acted rashly yesterday," Korsak's lawyer abruptly spoke up. "He was paranoid about multiple thefts in his neighborhood, though that does not excuse his actions. Isn't that right, Don?"
The short man heaved a sigh. "Yeah, yeah, OK... I'm sorry I pointed a gun at you, all right?"
"...Apology accepted," Rei said after a moment.
"Excellent," Millhouse stated. "Now that that's all settled, could you testify to the court, Mr. Korsak? Specifically, about the actions of your co-worker, Dean Schmucker, from ten years ago."
"Ugh, ten years... that's a long time," Korsak complained. "But, I'll try to see what I can remember..."
(Anything he says is most likely going to be a lie,) thought Rei. (But I'll bet his lawyer coached him beforehand... this won't be easy.)
"So let's see, the day that bank clerk was killed..." the short man folded his arms in thought. "Dean left as soon as our shift was over, but I chose to stay behind to take care of some other things... About a half-hour later, he calls me, all freaked out... all I could make out was that he saw a murder, so I told him to come back and tell me in person what happened, which he did. I helped him get in touch with a lawyer, and took him to said lawyer's office, and they went off to the police station together. That's about all I know."
"Hmm..." the judge mused. "It sounds as if you and Mr. Schmucker are quite close with each other..."
"We've been buds since high school," Korsak affirmed. "The Dynamic Duo, Dean & Don, that's what they called us."
"I see, I see," the bald man nodded. "Miss Ryghts, your cross-examination."
"Y-yes, Your Honor." (So where should I start?) the horned lawyer pondered. "...M-Mr. Korsak, d-do you remember why D-Dean Schmucker was heading over t-to Fourth Th-Third Bank in the f-first p-place?"
"Something about problems with the payroll," the witness answered. "I remember the boss bein' pretty steamed about it... he was all like, 'How can I get this project finished if my workers don't get paid?!' And seein' as Dean was the numbers guy on our team..."
"Indeed, Mr. Schmucker himself said that was why he was sent, to help the victim figure out what went wrong," Millhouse nodded.
"S-so what happened w-with the p-payroll after Mr. C-Clark died?" Rei asked.
"Actually," Korsak sighed, "we ended up losin' the contract outright, and another crew was brought in to finish the job. Not long after, Dean left to pursue a career in accounting, though he and I remained in contact..."
(More like he got the hell out of Dodge before anyone could suspect he was the one skimming off the top!) Rei thought to herself.
"Do you have any other questions for the witness, Miss Ryghts?" Millhouse prodded.
The bluenette nodded in response. "M-Mr. Korsak, when Mr. Schmucker c-came b-back to th-the c-construction site, d-do you know if he c-carrying anything large in his c-car? Like, in th-the t-trunk?"
"Uh..." the witness hesitated for a moment. "N-not to my knowledge..."
"...Is that so?" Rei muttered, before abruptly slamming her fists on the bench. "Sorry, worm, I don't buy it! Because I have evidence that proves otherwise!"
"E-evidence...?" Korsak began to sweat a little. "Whadaya mean, 'evidence'?"
"TAKE THAT!" Rei declared, presenting the autopsy report. "This is an autopsy report for the victim, Rich Clark! And guess where he was found..." She slammed her fists on her bench. "Underneath the foundation of the Avalon Hotel, where you were working ten years ago!"
"Ngaaaaaahhh!" the short man cried out, pulling at his hair, causing the gallery to start murmuring.
"Perhaps you'd like to revise your testimony, witness?" Millhouse deadpanned. "After all, your friend Dean Schmucker is currently sitting in jail for lying under oath..."
"Argh!" Korsak grunted, looking over at his lawyer, who simply gave him a grim nod. "O-okay, I admit it! I-I left something out!"
"Order! Order!" the judge banged his gavel. "Mr. Korsak, you're on thin ice here. I will give you one more chance to testify truthfully..."
"Y-yessir, Your Honor!" the man nodded.
"Now then, please tell the court what you 'left out.'"
"Right..." Korsak took a deep breath to calm himself. "OK... the truth is... when Dean came back to the construction site... he had something in a large sack in his trunk. He told me he needed it hidden at all costs... s-so I got one of the excavators, and we buried it underneath where a concrete pillar was going to be poured." He heaved a sigh. "I kinda had a feeling about what was in that sack... b-but I didn't want to believe it... I didn't think Dean would've ever been capable of such a thing..."
"...so in other words, you went into denial and willingly turned a blind eye," Millhouse summarized.
"I-I know, it was wrong of me... b-but Dean's my friend, ya know?" Korsak grunted.
"You do realize that because of your silence, an innocent man may have been sent to prison?" The judge shook his head in disappointment. "Miss Ryghts, your cross-examination."
"Y-yes, Your Honor." (That was a pretty good performance... but he's really just throwing Schmucker under the bus to save his own hide. But he's not getting away with it!) Rei vowed. "Mr. Korsak, a-are you aware th-that the forensics indicate th-that th-the shooter was s-someone sh-short in stature?"
"Really...?" the witness muttered. "W-well, maybe Dean got on his knees when he shot the guy... Y'know, to throw off the police..."
"Or maybe YOU shot him!" Rei accused. "After all, Dean Schmucker is not licensed to carry a firearm... but you are!"
"Oh, come on!" Korsak protested. "Yes, I have a gun, but that doesn't prove I shot anyone!"
"But I have proof! TAKE THAT!" The former goddess declared as she presented Korsak's weapons permit. "Your permit authorizes you to carry a .38-caliber firearm... the same caliber as the bullet that killed Mr. Clark! And you were the only one on the construction crew authorized for that type of firearm ten years ago!"
"Ngooooohh!" Korsak pulled at his hair again.
"OBJECTION!" Korsak's lawyer abruptly interrupted. "Alright, that's enough. Don, step down. You're done."
"Excuse me?" the judge asked with a hint of anger in his voice. "Just who gave you the right to end a cross-examination?"
"Actually... I did, Your Honor," Millhouse solemnly admitted. "In exchange for Mr. Korsak's testimony, his lawyer reserved the right to end the examination if he felt his client was being unnecessarily badgered..."
"Wh-whaaaat?!" the bald man gasped in disbelief. "Prosecutor Millhouse, you cut a deal behind the scenes? YOU, of all people?!" The gallery started chattering at this...
"Come now, Your Honor," Korsak's lawyer spoke up, "I think I'm well within my rights here to protect my client from the likes of former villains like Miss Ryghts here. Especially given what happened between them yesterday..."
"I-I said I was s-sorry...!" Rei bowed her head in shame.
"Hmmm... But wasn't it your client who was the first to make an aggressive gesture?" the judge pondered. "In light of that, this hardly seems like a fair deal, Mr... I'm sorry, what was your name, again? I don't believe you've introduced yourself..."
"Ah, yes, forgive me," the black-suited lawyer nodded. "My name is Casey Dodge, attorney-at-law." He then turned to Rei. "Now then, Miss Ryghts, you're clearly a rookie, so let me give you some advice, lawyer to lawyer... As I'm sure you've been told, evidence is everything in a court of law. But the evidence you've presented is only circumstantial- far from decisive."
"H-how's that?" the horned woman inquired.
"Well, for starters, while it's true that my client carries a .38-caliber gun, and has for over ten years, that doesn't prove it's the murder weapon," Dodge explained. "Unless you can match the rifling patterns on the bullet that killed Rich Clark to Donald's weapon, any assertions you make are but conjecture."
"Urk..." Rei grunted. (Much as I hate to admit it, he's got a point...)
"And one other thing," Casey continued, "you also have no proof that my client was anywhere near the scene of the crime at the time of the murder. The only one you can prove that was there was his friend, Dean Schmucker, on account of his firsthand testimony."
Rei blinked a few times as something suddenly occurred to her. "...speaking of Dean Schmucker, th-there's something I w-wanted to ask you about th-that, Mr. Dodge."
"Oh?" the elder attorney looked intrigued. "I don't really see the relevance, but as your senior, I'll allow you to pick my mind..."
(Talk about arrogant!) Rei thought to herself. "W-well, Mr. Korsak said in his t-testimony th-that he h-helped Schmucker g-get an attorney t-to represent him when he t-testified at th-the original t-trial... W-was that you, b-by any ch-chance?"
"Ah," Dodge bowed his head in acknowledgement. "Well, in the interest of full disclosure... yes, I was indeed Mr. Schmucker's representation ten years ago, at Don's request. Mr. Korsak and I have had a working relationship for many years..."
"I see," Millhouse spoke up. "So in other words, you're the attorney that told Dean Schmucker to lie under oath ten years ago?"
Dodge jerked his head up at this. "E-excuse me?!"
Mike picked up a piece of paper. "You see, when Miss Ryghts proved that Schmucker had been lying about where he'd been standing at the time of the murder, the witness had this to say:"
("I-it was my lawyer... he told me not to say where I'd been actually standing. He was all like, 'If you tell those guys you were standin' next to the guy who pulled the trigger, they'll finger you as the accomplice for sure!' S-so, that's why I lied!")
"WH-WHAT?!" Dodge cried in shock, starting to sweat. "Why that big, ungrateful, conniving-! He dares to throw *me* under the bus like that?! ME, of all people?!" The gallery chattered at this.
"Order! Order! Order in the court!" The judge declared as he banged his gavel several times. "Well, Mr. Dodge? Is this true? Did you in fact, suborn perjury?"
"Of course it's not true!" the veteran attorney protested. "What I told Schmucker was not to say anything about where he'd been standing if he wasn't specifically asked! That's perfectly within the realm of the law, Your Honor! It's not MY fault he misinterpreted my instructions to mean, 'Lie about where you were standing'! That's on him, not me!" The audience murmured somewhat in apparent disapproval.
"And yet you let his lie stand after the fact," Millhouse observed. "That would be extremely neglectful at best..."
"I was young and green back then!" Casey countered. "Look, refer me to the Ethics Committee if you wish, but I did nothing criminal!"
The judge banged his gavel to try and settle things down. "I do agree with Mr. Dodge in one aspect- what he did wasn't criminal. But it was quite unethical!"
(Not criminal?) Rei thought. (Maybe not in that particular instance, but... if Casey Dodge is who I think he is, we might just be scratching the surface here!) "I-I'm so very sorry f-for g-getting you in t-trouble, Mr. D-Dodge... th-that wasn't m-my intention..."
"It's fine, Miss Ryghts," Dodge shook his head. "It's not exactly your fault..."
"Th-thank you," the former goddess bowed her head in gratitude. "Th-that b-being said... I d-do have one m-more question... d-did you ever meet with th-the original p-prosecutor f-for the c-case?"
The black-suited attorney blinked, slightly nonplussed. "The original prosecutor? You mean Clarence Roberts? Well, of course I met with him, to make sure we had my client's testimony in order..."
"OBJECTION!" Rei suddenly shouted. "The man's name is Robarts, not Roberts!"
"OBJECTION!" Millhouse retorted. "Come now, Miss Ryghts, is such a small discrepancy really worth objecting over?"
"As a matter of fact, it is!" the lawyer asserted. "I don't believe that mistake was just a random slip of the tongue! And I can prove it!"
"Hmm..." the judge pondered. "While I don't quite see the relevance, Miss Ryghts seems quite confident, so I'll allow her to proceed. Now, show us your proof."
"Thank you, Your Honor. TAKE THAT!" Rei declared, presenting the old class roster. "This is a Phoenix Law School class roster from 20 years ago. IF you read over it, you'll see Casey Dodge's name is on the roster... as well as Clarence Roberts!" Prosecutor Millhouse gasped at this, his eyes going wide in realization. "However, this Clarence Roberts dropped out and currently runs a demolition company!"
"...I'm afraid I still don't see the relevance," the judge shook his head.
"Then allow me, Your Honor," Millhouse spoke up. "It has recently come to the prosecution's attention that Clarence Robarts may have been, in fact, using a fabricated identity. Because when we tried to look into his past before joining the Prosecutor's office..." He slapped one hand on the bench. "This old class roster was the only thing we could find!"
"WH-WHAAAAAAAAATT?!" The judge screamed in utter shock. "C-Clarence Robarts... a false identity?!" The gallery began chattering in disbelief at this...
"OBJECTION!" Dodge abruptly shouted. "Again with the circumstantial evidence! Just because Mr. Roberts- I mean, Robarts was using a false name, that doesn't prove that I knew that!"
"But you were Clarence Roberts's classmate way back when!" Rei asserted, slamming her fists on the bench. "So when you sat down with our Prosecutor Robarts, you knew he was a fake! And you used that knowledge to blackmail him!"
"Order! Order! Order!" the judge cried as he gaveled down the audience. "...Well, Mr. Dodge? How do you respond to the defense's assertion?"
"I respond thusly: Is that the best you can do?" Casey Dodge retorted without missing a beat.
"Wh... what?" Rei gaped in disbelief. (How can he counter-argue that...?!)
"All you've proven is that I've gotten Prosecutor Robarts' name confused with my old dropout classmate's from law school," the black-haired lawyer pointed out. "Both 'Clarence' and 'Roberts' aren't exactly uncommon names, Miss Ryghts... Did you ever consider the possibility that the similarity is but mere coincidence, and nothing more?"
"Uh..." Rei sweat-dropped as her ego deflated like a popped balloon.
"Now look here," Casey sighed, "for a rookie lawyer, you've performed quite admirably. But I can tell you're still in your star-struck 'crusading lawyer' phase... you think that you can tie up every case you're handed perfectly with a neat little bow. But that's not how the real world works... sometimes there are some loose ends in a case that are never resolved. But as far as I can see, you've already proven that your client, Paul Peterman, could not have been the one who shot Rich Clark dead ten years ago. If I were you, Miss Ryghts, I'd leave it at that and accept your 'not guilty' verdict."
The judge nodded grimly at this. "I have to admit, Mr. Dodge has a point. We do seem to have strayed considerably from our purpose here... While the fact that Prosecutor Robarts might have forged his identity is more than a little disturbing, it really doesn't seem to have any relevance to the case at hand..."
(No...!) thought Rei in despair. (Where... where did I go wrong? I thought I had this case solved! Completely! But all I did was destroy the reputation of Mike Millhouse's mentor, with nothing to show for it!) She bowed her head and closed her eyes, on the verge of tears... (I'm so sorry, Mr. Millhouse, Mr. Samson... I couldn't live up to your expectations...)
But just then, as the judge was about to render his verdict...
"HOLD IT!"
Rei's head jerked up as the courtroom doors slammed open, Snooper rushing to the witness stand, looking a bit out of breath. "M... Mr. Millhouse!"
"Detective Pericles! Can't you see we're in the middle of trial?! You can't just barge in like that!" Millhouse scolded his subordinate. "Stunts like these are why your salary keeps getting cut...!"
"I'm really sorry, sir, but this couldn't wait!" Snooper apologized. "I decided to look at the other names on that old class roster you found, and I hit pay dirt! Take a look at this!" He held up a large black/white photo. "Look familiar, Prosecutor?"
"Why, that's... it's Clarence Robarts!" the judge gasped. "A bit younger then I remember him, though..."
"It's his yearbook photo from Phoenix Law School, Your Honor," the detective explained. "Turns out, his real name is Jason Bork, and he graduated at the top of his class!"
"J-Jason Bork?!" Millhouse gasped, recoiling slightly.
"Ah...!" Casey Dodge gasped, beginning to sweat profusely.
"That's right!" Snooper nodded. "So I looked into his background... turns out, he's got a record. He spent a year in jail for felony assault, but was paroled for good behavior. Not long after, he took out a student loan and entered law school..."
"Felony assault..." Prosecutor Millhouse closed his eyes and chuckled. "I see. Now it finally all makes sense."
"I-it does?" Rei asked in mild confusion.
"Indeed," Mike nodded. "The law couldn't be clearer... 'Persons with felony convictions on their records cannot become prosecutors.' Full stop. Thus, Jason Bork had no choice but to hide his record if he wanted to join the Prosecutor's Office... Thus, he took the name of his dropout former classmate, and changed one letter in the last name to cover his tracks, becoming 'Prosecutor Clarence Robarts.' And due to his impeccable record, no one ever thought to look into his past... until now."
"Nnngh..." Dodge grunted with gritted teeth.
"Hmhmhmhmm... HAAAA-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!" Rei let loose with an evil laugh. "So much for your claim that Robarts' name was just a coincidence!" she addressed Casey Dodge. "You miserable worm... when you and Schmucker sat down with the prosecutor, you recognized him as your old classmate Jason Bork right away, didn't you?! And you took full advantage of that situation, you sleaze!"
"N-no! I-I didn't...!" Dodge desperately denied, his arms crossed, his hands gripping the sleeves of his suit jacket tightly.
"Oh, but you did!" the former villain asserted with a sinister smirk. "I imagine your exchange went something like this:"
("Now, now, Jason... I'm a fair man. I'm not one to just destroy a man's career willy-nilly... All I'm asking is this: that fisherman was already arrested for the crime, correct? All you have to do is ensure that he's convicted... oh, and also, once that's done, perhaps you might also purge the evidence file? Do this one thing for me, and I swear I'll never bother you again...")
"...so that's why he did a 180..." Paul Peterman muttered under his breath from the defendant's chair. "It all makes sense now..."
"Indeed, the evidence file was purged," Millhouse stated. "Unfortunately for you, Dodge, your classmate couldn't rid himself of that final shred of dignity... so he left one piece of evidence behind: the Avalon Hotel work permit. Not to mention, just before he retired, he put together a mock-trial based on this exact case. And I now believe he did so in the hopes that someday, someone would realize all the contradictions and set things right... How ironic that his design was fulfilled by an ex-villain, of all people."
"M-mock trial...? Work permit...?" Dodge stammered. "Th... that backstabbing... we had a deal...!"
"W-wait... y-you blackmailed the prosecutor?!" Donald Korsak said in disbelief. "Th-that's why y-you were so confident this wouldn't c-come back to us...?!"
(Korsak didn't know?!) Rei pondered, before it hit her. (Wait, of course he didn't know! Plausible deniability! That sleaze had it all figured out, or so he thought...)
"Now that sounds like a confession to me," Millhouse observed. "I'm afraid, Mr. Dodge, that this is far worse than an ethics violation! Blackmail... tampering with evidence... accessory after the fact... and of course, suborning perjury. I'd say you're looking at disbarment at the very least..."
"Disbarment?!" Rei shook her head. "To hell with that! Casey Dodge, you deserve to go to jail for what you pulled!" she pointed dramatically. "Do not pass go, do not collect 200 credits, worm!"
"D-disbarment...? Jail...?!" Dodge grunted as 'Confess the Truth 2009' began to play in the background. "J... JAASOOOOOONNN!" he suddenly screamed as he began to literally tear his expensive suit to shreds! "My, my money! My career! My prestige! It's all gone! I'm finished, washed up! Stick a fork in me, I'm DOOOOOOOONE!" He collapsed over the witness stand, now half naked, sobbing his eyes out as pieces of his clothing floated down all around him, the gallery buzzing in shock. Meanwhile, Donald Korsak could only bow his head and clench his fists- he knew it was all over.
(And I thought Trevor Turnaround's breakdown was over the top...) Rei thought, sweating slightly.
"Order! Order! ORRRRRDEEERRR!" the judge screamed as the music faded out, banging his gavel repeatedly...
*After a brief recess to calm everyone down...*
"Well, I must say," the judge shook his head in disbelief, "this was quite the unexpected outcome. Who would have imagined that Clarence Robarts was actually working under a false identity... and that one of his old law school classmates blackmailed him so his clients would escape scot-free? It boggles the mind...!"
"I'm also having trouble believing it, Your Honor," Millhouse agreed. "But the truth isn't always pretty..."
"...so then, what about Casey Dodge?" the robed man inquired.
"Currently being measured for a prison jumpsuit, Your Honor," the prosecutor replied. "He has confessed to his heinous misdeeds. All of them. His only request... was to be isolated from the general population, most likely so Dean & Don won't come after him for revenge. On that note," he continued, "we've also arrested Donald Korsak and confiscated his gun. Though I have little doubt the rifling patterns will match the bullet recovered from the victim's corpse."
"So what about me then?!" Peterman spoke up in mild anger.
"Oh, Mr. Peterman!" the judge exclaimed. "...it has become clear that a grave wrong was perpetrated on you. Though I know no apology will make up for the many years you've suffered... on behalf of the court, I am exceedingly sorry that our justice system failed you. Perhaps, had we thought to question Prosecutor Robarts' record a bit more, it wouldn't taken ten years for your name to be cleared..."
"HA!" the fisherman scoffed. "Robarts can rot in hell for all I care! Or Jason, or whatever his name was..."
"*Ahem!*" Rei cleared her throat loudly.
"Uh..." Peterman gave a quick glance over to his lawyer. "But, ah, comin' from you, Your Honor... apology accepted."
The bald man nodded in satisfaction. "Very good. Well then, I suppose it's time for me to render my verdict and correct the tragic mistake that was made ten years ago."
"On the charge of murder in the first degree, this court hereby finds the defendant, Mr. Paul Peterman..."
NOT GUILTY
The gallery immediately broke into cheers and applause, confetti falling from the ceiling, Peterman suddenly trying hard not to cry as he wiped his face with his forearm... Rei and Mike looked at each other, smiling and nodding in concert. Together, they had found the truth, and justice had finally prevailed.
The judge patiently waited for the cheers to calm down, before declaring, "That is all. This court is adjourned!" He banged his gavel one final time to bring a formal end to proceedings.
*To be concluded...*