Officer Deeptrouble turned on his walkie-talkie. "Marguerite!"
"Yes, Yurin?"
"Get the evidence envelope! The trial's about to begin!"
"Yes, der fueher."
Deeptrouble's cheeks flushed pink. "I can't help it if my mother was German," he muttered.
"Don't freak out, Kim." Ron said. "Sure, my entire career as your sidekick and best friend is at stake, not to mention my reputation and my freedom. And if I'm convicted, this would turn the whole American justice system into a travesty because Drakken's the prosecutor, but no pressure."
"I'm not freaking out," hissed Kim. But I'm getting close. She turned on the Kimmunicator. "Wade, the trial is in a few minutes. If you've got anything useful, now would be the time to disclose it."
Wade tapped his keyboard. "I checked both the open and the black gem markets. There was nothing that matched the remaining loose stones of the Clutchcoin necklace. Whoever stole those jewels probably still has them."
Kim thought a moment. "Ron, where exactly did you go last night?"
"I stopped by the florist to order a bouquet, then I went to Delaney's."
"That fancy furniture store?"
"That's the one."
Wade grinned. "You sure how to look suspicious." A map popped up on the Kimmunicator's screen. "Delaney's is in the neighborhood of the Clutchcoin estates."
The screen blacked out. A white-gloved hand was on the power button.
Kim looked up. "Shego?"
"Forgive me for turning off your little toy, Kimmie," Shego laughed.
Ron groaned. "They're wearing the exact same suit!"
"Uh oh," squeaked Rufus.
Kim scanned her rival. "I actually like the look of you in grey. It makes your skin look half-way normal."
"Since when do red hair and grey go together? They clash like Titans." Shego shot back.
"Oh, they went into style about the same day no brains and a briefcase did."
"Kim?" came a familiar voice.
Kim spun around. "Lin?"
"What are you doing here?" they asked in union.
"You first," offered Lin.
"I'm Council for the Defense. You?"
"Offering moral support for my uncle's trepidation of Order Rodentia."
Phobe walked in. "It's not a trepidation. Rodents are our natural enemies."
"Who, me?" squeaked out Rufus.
Phobe turned to Shego. His jaw dropped.
Officer Deeptrouble entered. "Phobe! Cut that out!"
"Get backup, Yurin, because this girl has stolen my heart."
The police officer rolled his eyes. "You're married to the police department. Now quit it!" He stamped his foot. A lace handkerchief embroidered "M" tumbled out of his pocket. The cop blushed and snatched it up, but not before everyone saw and exchanged giggles.
Phobe leaned his arm on Shego's elbow. "Do you come here often?" He felt an electric shock course through his body. His head stood on end, but his backwards cap stayed on top of it. "Boy. They aren't kidding when they say love is electrifying."
"Well, if it isn't Peter, Paul, and Mommy," whispered Judge Strickley under her breath as she passed by.
***************************************************
"All rise for her honor, the modest and unassuming Bettina M. Strickley!" announced the Bailiff. Everyone in the courtroom rose, except the man at the end of the jury box.
"Zzzz..." snored the man.
"Oh, great," muttered the judge. "Blue Irving has jury duty again. WAKE UP!"
Blue's eyelids fluttered as he struggled to sit up. "I'm sorry, ma'am," he mumbled. "I can't help being narcoleptic."
Judge Strickley sighed and took her place at the desk as everyone sat down. The stenographer sat at her left, with the witness box to her right. The prosecution and the defense were on opposite sides of the room, with the audience behind them. The jury sat at the far left. A television set with a VCR, an overhead projector, and an easel were on the far right.
The Bailiff cleared his throat. "The defendant, Ronald Stoppable, is charged with burglary and grand theft. How do you plead?"
"Not guilty," retorted Ron.
"Yeah!" squeaked Rufus.
"Prosecution, give your opening statement."
Drakken stood up. "I, Dr. Drakken, aim to prove that this unruly teenager is guilty of all charges."
"Defense?"
"The opposite of what Drakken said," said Kim through clenched teeth.
Shego stifled a snicker.
The Bailiff ignored her. "Prosecution, call your first witness."
Drakken gave his characteristic smirk. "I call Mr. Marquis Adamas to the stand."
Marquis Adamas rose and sat in the witness box.
The Bailiff held up a thick ream of paper. "Mr. Adamas, place your right hand on this Kim Possible episode script." The jeweler did so. "Now, do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?"
"I do," answered Marquis.
"May the questioning commence."
"Is it true, Mr. Adamas," began Drakken, "That you sold the Clutchcoins the necklace in question?"
"Yes. The diamonds were hand-selected by me and set." He opened a large envelope and removed a clear plastic sheet. "Diamonds are bought based on the Four C's: color, clarity, cut, and carat weight. There are very few flawless diamonds. And Mr. Clutchcoin had forgotten his anniversary and needed a necklace overnight to appease his wife, so he settled for six slightly flawed colorless diamonds. Albeit imperfect, these diamonds were still very valuable. When diamonds of such high value are sold, the diamond's characteristic cut and flaws are mapped. It's called a plot." He handed the transparency to Drakken. "These are the plots to the six diamonds in the Clutchcoin necklace."
Shego turned on the overhead projector.
Drakken took the evidence envelope from Marguerite and removed another transparency. "These are the plots of the diamonds found in the defendant's pocket." He projected both on the screen. "As you can see, the three found are identical to three of the Clutchcoin diamonds." He turned off the projector. "No further questions, your honor."
"Would you like to question Mr. Adamas, Miss Possible?" asked the judge.
"No, your honor."
Marquis stepped down.
"I now call Mr. Steve Barkin to the stand," continued Drakken.
What evidence could Mr. Barkin provide? thought Kim. She shook her head. Steve Barkin was a mystery to her.
The oath process was repeated.
"I don't see what this is about," snapped Barkin. "Stoppable may be the clumsiest, goofiest, and most troublesome goldbrick this world has ever seen, but he'd never stoop to burglary."
"Hey!" whined Ron. "Is this 'everyone insult Ron' day?" He turned to Phobe. "Do you want to insult me too?"
"Not now, maybe later," the cop replied dreamily, not taking his eyes off Shego.
Shego wrinkled her nose and turned her back.
Dr. Drakken shook his head and held up a copy of the videotape he had previously given Kim. "Well, non-believer, I have proof that the buffoon indeed stooped to burglary!" He popped the tape in the VCR and pressed "play."
"Man...was in the forest..." came a deep, gravelly voice.
Drakken's blue skin turned red as he ejected the Bambi tape and replaced it with another. The entire courtroom burst out laughing. "Laugh at me, will you? Well, you won't be laughing now!" as he pressed play. He pointed at the screen. The mysterious burglar was creeping across the hall. "The camera does not lie!"
"But you do, Drakken," sneered Ron.
Mr. Barkin scoffed at the image. "That doesn't prove anything. You can't even see much."
"The Clutchcoins put better lighting in next year's budget," quipped Al Arm.
Drakken leaned in the teacher's face. "Did you see the buff--er, defendant on the night of the robbery?"
"As a matter of fact, I did!" retorted Mr. Barkin. "I was buying some aspirin at the drugstore and as I was walking out, I saw Stoppable walking on the opposite side of the street. Then I saw someone crash in them. They both fell down. I didn't get a good view of who it was."
"Zzzz..." snored Blue Irving.
Kim smacked her forehead. "Your honor, can we please wake him up? He's missing the case."
"I object!" snapped Drakken. "We know the verdict's going to be guilty anyway."
"Objection overruled," replied the judge, slamming down her gavel. "WAKE UP!"
The lights went out.
"Storm?" asked the Bailiff.
"Blew a fuse?" suggested Yurin.
"Maintenance was supposed to fix this!" complained Judge Strickley.
"Good morning," said Blue cheerfully.
The lights came back on.
Blue went back to snoring.
Strickley slammed down her gavel, harder. It snapped in two. She let out a howl.
The Bailiff handed her another one. "That's the sixth one you've broken this month."
The narcoleptic jury member yawned and sat up.
"Finally," the judge sighed. "Defendant, do you agree with what our witness has said?"
"Yeah," answered Ron.
"Do you know who bumped into you?"
"I couldn't tell. I was too busy comforting Rufus."
How can anyone have that much affection for that beast, pondered Phobe.
"What time was it?" Kim asked Mr. Barkin.
"I checked my watch. Approximately 1755 hours."
"Huh?" asked half the courtroom.
"Military time," explained Officer Deeptrouble. "5:55 in civilian time."
"Which brings me to my next point," quipped Drakken. "The clock on the security camera says '5:30' when the burglar comes into view. The burglar takes two minutes to walk to the safe, five minutes to crack it open, two minutes to grab the necklace, and another minute to run out of view. I now call Al Arm to the stand."
Mr. Barkin stepped down and Al stepped up.
The Bailiff held up the episode script and swore in the security expert. "This is getting very old very fast."
"Is it true, Mr. Arm, that you designed the security system the Clutchcoins use?" asked Dr. Drakken.
"Yes. I installed it just last week. The fence around the property is topped by very tangled barbed wire and the gate is locked except between the guard's shifts when it opens for five minutes to let the guards and servants in and out. The swing shift begins at 5:25, so our burglar could have slipped in and taken five minutes to sneak in through a vent or through a window. The gate, made of powerful titanium steel and a very secure lock, cannot be forced. The safe itself was made of concrete a foot thick."
Shego took a map of Middleton and clipped it to the easel.
Drakken strolled over and pointed to a spot in Middleton's northeast side. "This is the location of the Clutchcoin house." He pointed to a square several blocks away. "Here's the drugstore. The buffoon could have left the house and run down the street past the drugstore. Anyone will a good pace could have done it."
Kim stood up. "I object, your honor. 'A good pace' is not in Ron's athletic abilities."
"Hey!" whined Ron.
"That's a very good, thought-out objection, Miss Possible," the judge said cooly. "Overruled. Opinion cannot take the place of proven fact." She glanced at the watch on her wrist. "It's now 12:00. We'll have an hour-long restbit for lunch. Don't be late!"
"Yes, Yurin?"
"Get the evidence envelope! The trial's about to begin!"
"Yes, der fueher."
Deeptrouble's cheeks flushed pink. "I can't help it if my mother was German," he muttered.
"Don't freak out, Kim." Ron said. "Sure, my entire career as your sidekick and best friend is at stake, not to mention my reputation and my freedom. And if I'm convicted, this would turn the whole American justice system into a travesty because Drakken's the prosecutor, but no pressure."
"I'm not freaking out," hissed Kim. But I'm getting close. She turned on the Kimmunicator. "Wade, the trial is in a few minutes. If you've got anything useful, now would be the time to disclose it."
Wade tapped his keyboard. "I checked both the open and the black gem markets. There was nothing that matched the remaining loose stones of the Clutchcoin necklace. Whoever stole those jewels probably still has them."
Kim thought a moment. "Ron, where exactly did you go last night?"
"I stopped by the florist to order a bouquet, then I went to Delaney's."
"That fancy furniture store?"
"That's the one."
Wade grinned. "You sure how to look suspicious." A map popped up on the Kimmunicator's screen. "Delaney's is in the neighborhood of the Clutchcoin estates."
The screen blacked out. A white-gloved hand was on the power button.
Kim looked up. "Shego?"
"Forgive me for turning off your little toy, Kimmie," Shego laughed.
Ron groaned. "They're wearing the exact same suit!"
"Uh oh," squeaked Rufus.
Kim scanned her rival. "I actually like the look of you in grey. It makes your skin look half-way normal."
"Since when do red hair and grey go together? They clash like Titans." Shego shot back.
"Oh, they went into style about the same day no brains and a briefcase did."
"Kim?" came a familiar voice.
Kim spun around. "Lin?"
"What are you doing here?" they asked in union.
"You first," offered Lin.
"I'm Council for the Defense. You?"
"Offering moral support for my uncle's trepidation of Order Rodentia."
Phobe walked in. "It's not a trepidation. Rodents are our natural enemies."
"Who, me?" squeaked out Rufus.
Phobe turned to Shego. His jaw dropped.
Officer Deeptrouble entered. "Phobe! Cut that out!"
"Get backup, Yurin, because this girl has stolen my heart."
The police officer rolled his eyes. "You're married to the police department. Now quit it!" He stamped his foot. A lace handkerchief embroidered "M" tumbled out of his pocket. The cop blushed and snatched it up, but not before everyone saw and exchanged giggles.
Phobe leaned his arm on Shego's elbow. "Do you come here often?" He felt an electric shock course through his body. His head stood on end, but his backwards cap stayed on top of it. "Boy. They aren't kidding when they say love is electrifying."
"Well, if it isn't Peter, Paul, and Mommy," whispered Judge Strickley under her breath as she passed by.
***************************************************
"All rise for her honor, the modest and unassuming Bettina M. Strickley!" announced the Bailiff. Everyone in the courtroom rose, except the man at the end of the jury box.
"Zzzz..." snored the man.
"Oh, great," muttered the judge. "Blue Irving has jury duty again. WAKE UP!"
Blue's eyelids fluttered as he struggled to sit up. "I'm sorry, ma'am," he mumbled. "I can't help being narcoleptic."
Judge Strickley sighed and took her place at the desk as everyone sat down. The stenographer sat at her left, with the witness box to her right. The prosecution and the defense were on opposite sides of the room, with the audience behind them. The jury sat at the far left. A television set with a VCR, an overhead projector, and an easel were on the far right.
The Bailiff cleared his throat. "The defendant, Ronald Stoppable, is charged with burglary and grand theft. How do you plead?"
"Not guilty," retorted Ron.
"Yeah!" squeaked Rufus.
"Prosecution, give your opening statement."
Drakken stood up. "I, Dr. Drakken, aim to prove that this unruly teenager is guilty of all charges."
"Defense?"
"The opposite of what Drakken said," said Kim through clenched teeth.
Shego stifled a snicker.
The Bailiff ignored her. "Prosecution, call your first witness."
Drakken gave his characteristic smirk. "I call Mr. Marquis Adamas to the stand."
Marquis Adamas rose and sat in the witness box.
The Bailiff held up a thick ream of paper. "Mr. Adamas, place your right hand on this Kim Possible episode script." The jeweler did so. "Now, do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?"
"I do," answered Marquis.
"May the questioning commence."
"Is it true, Mr. Adamas," began Drakken, "That you sold the Clutchcoins the necklace in question?"
"Yes. The diamonds were hand-selected by me and set." He opened a large envelope and removed a clear plastic sheet. "Diamonds are bought based on the Four C's: color, clarity, cut, and carat weight. There are very few flawless diamonds. And Mr. Clutchcoin had forgotten his anniversary and needed a necklace overnight to appease his wife, so he settled for six slightly flawed colorless diamonds. Albeit imperfect, these diamonds were still very valuable. When diamonds of such high value are sold, the diamond's characteristic cut and flaws are mapped. It's called a plot." He handed the transparency to Drakken. "These are the plots to the six diamonds in the Clutchcoin necklace."
Shego turned on the overhead projector.
Drakken took the evidence envelope from Marguerite and removed another transparency. "These are the plots of the diamonds found in the defendant's pocket." He projected both on the screen. "As you can see, the three found are identical to three of the Clutchcoin diamonds." He turned off the projector. "No further questions, your honor."
"Would you like to question Mr. Adamas, Miss Possible?" asked the judge.
"No, your honor."
Marquis stepped down.
"I now call Mr. Steve Barkin to the stand," continued Drakken.
What evidence could Mr. Barkin provide? thought Kim. She shook her head. Steve Barkin was a mystery to her.
The oath process was repeated.
"I don't see what this is about," snapped Barkin. "Stoppable may be the clumsiest, goofiest, and most troublesome goldbrick this world has ever seen, but he'd never stoop to burglary."
"Hey!" whined Ron. "Is this 'everyone insult Ron' day?" He turned to Phobe. "Do you want to insult me too?"
"Not now, maybe later," the cop replied dreamily, not taking his eyes off Shego.
Shego wrinkled her nose and turned her back.
Dr. Drakken shook his head and held up a copy of the videotape he had previously given Kim. "Well, non-believer, I have proof that the buffoon indeed stooped to burglary!" He popped the tape in the VCR and pressed "play."
"Man...was in the forest..." came a deep, gravelly voice.
Drakken's blue skin turned red as he ejected the Bambi tape and replaced it with another. The entire courtroom burst out laughing. "Laugh at me, will you? Well, you won't be laughing now!" as he pressed play. He pointed at the screen. The mysterious burglar was creeping across the hall. "The camera does not lie!"
"But you do, Drakken," sneered Ron.
Mr. Barkin scoffed at the image. "That doesn't prove anything. You can't even see much."
"The Clutchcoins put better lighting in next year's budget," quipped Al Arm.
Drakken leaned in the teacher's face. "Did you see the buff--er, defendant on the night of the robbery?"
"As a matter of fact, I did!" retorted Mr. Barkin. "I was buying some aspirin at the drugstore and as I was walking out, I saw Stoppable walking on the opposite side of the street. Then I saw someone crash in them. They both fell down. I didn't get a good view of who it was."
"Zzzz..." snored Blue Irving.
Kim smacked her forehead. "Your honor, can we please wake him up? He's missing the case."
"I object!" snapped Drakken. "We know the verdict's going to be guilty anyway."
"Objection overruled," replied the judge, slamming down her gavel. "WAKE UP!"
The lights went out.
"Storm?" asked the Bailiff.
"Blew a fuse?" suggested Yurin.
"Maintenance was supposed to fix this!" complained Judge Strickley.
"Good morning," said Blue cheerfully.
The lights came back on.
Blue went back to snoring.
Strickley slammed down her gavel, harder. It snapped in two. She let out a howl.
The Bailiff handed her another one. "That's the sixth one you've broken this month."
The narcoleptic jury member yawned and sat up.
"Finally," the judge sighed. "Defendant, do you agree with what our witness has said?"
"Yeah," answered Ron.
"Do you know who bumped into you?"
"I couldn't tell. I was too busy comforting Rufus."
How can anyone have that much affection for that beast, pondered Phobe.
"What time was it?" Kim asked Mr. Barkin.
"I checked my watch. Approximately 1755 hours."
"Huh?" asked half the courtroom.
"Military time," explained Officer Deeptrouble. "5:55 in civilian time."
"Which brings me to my next point," quipped Drakken. "The clock on the security camera says '5:30' when the burglar comes into view. The burglar takes two minutes to walk to the safe, five minutes to crack it open, two minutes to grab the necklace, and another minute to run out of view. I now call Al Arm to the stand."
Mr. Barkin stepped down and Al stepped up.
The Bailiff held up the episode script and swore in the security expert. "This is getting very old very fast."
"Is it true, Mr. Arm, that you designed the security system the Clutchcoins use?" asked Dr. Drakken.
"Yes. I installed it just last week. The fence around the property is topped by very tangled barbed wire and the gate is locked except between the guard's shifts when it opens for five minutes to let the guards and servants in and out. The swing shift begins at 5:25, so our burglar could have slipped in and taken five minutes to sneak in through a vent or through a window. The gate, made of powerful titanium steel and a very secure lock, cannot be forced. The safe itself was made of concrete a foot thick."
Shego took a map of Middleton and clipped it to the easel.
Drakken strolled over and pointed to a spot in Middleton's northeast side. "This is the location of the Clutchcoin house." He pointed to a square several blocks away. "Here's the drugstore. The buffoon could have left the house and run down the street past the drugstore. Anyone will a good pace could have done it."
Kim stood up. "I object, your honor. 'A good pace' is not in Ron's athletic abilities."
"Hey!" whined Ron.
"That's a very good, thought-out objection, Miss Possible," the judge said cooly. "Overruled. Opinion cannot take the place of proven fact." She glanced at the watch on her wrist. "It's now 12:00. We'll have an hour-long restbit for lunch. Don't be late!"