The trial was nearly over. The rest of the evidence and witnesses were brought forth the following morning, and when they were close to finishing, it was plain as day that the deck was stacked against Mrs. Hudson, no confession or pleading or character witness would save the life of our accused housekeeper. She was going to die. Moriaty was going to kill her, maybe not directly, but he would have killed her all the same, just as he killed my sister.
"Recess!"
The courtroom stilled. The judge looked curiously at me after my impassioned outburst. Chest heaving, I gulped some air, trying to calm my pounding heart. I could hardly believe that the very sound had escaped my own lungs, even as I had jackknifed to my feet without conscious thought. "If it please the court, might I request a recess in the proceedings until tomorrow morning?" Murmurs flew around the court.
"Mr. Holmes," the judge answered, "It is highly irregular for a member of the crowd to demand a recess during a trial, hardly to be borne."
"But I'm not just a member of the crowd, am I, your honor," I ask, pleading. "The victim was my sister; the accused, a member of my household staff. So, I ask you again," I looked into his eyes, "May the court be adjourned until tomorrow?"
Clearly displeased, but willing to cater at least a small bit to the whims of a leading family in the ton, the judge nodded. "Court is adjourned until 8 o'clock tomorrow morning– at which point," he glared at me, "I expect no more recesses or dallying." I nodded, grateful. As I turned to exit the courtroom, I saw the puzzlement in John's and Molly's faces, but I had no time to answer their questions or give any heed to their concerns. I had twenty-three hours to save my housekeeper.
For the next near day, I all but cursed myself for letting my deductive skills get so rusty. But there was no time to lament for what I did not have- I had to make the best of what I did. I poured over every piece of so-called "evidence" that was brought to the trial. I re-examined the scene where Eurus was found and where Mrs. Hudson had taken her rest. Midnight lamps burned, John keeping watch nearby, as I worked through chemical processes that would, hopefully, prove that Mrs. Hudson was innocent of the crime she was accused of. Finally, as the sun began to rise the next morning, I gathered the last pieces of data I would be able to find before the return of the court. Wiping the grit of a sleepless night from my eyes, I prepared for battle.
Thankfully, the defense was willing to call on me as a last-minute witness, though I don't believe they grasped my upcoming testimony as more than a character witness, like those that had failed before.
Finally, the moment of truth, I was called to the stand. Once there, I embarked on a deductive journey like I had never before pieced together in my life (excepting that one notable, drug-riddled catastrophe). Fact after fact, reason after reason, spun together into a web of truth seeking to not only cast doubt onto Mrs. Hudson's guilt, but highlight the facts showing her innocence. As I wrapped up my speech, jury, judge, and spectators astounded by what they had heard, I laid my final card on the table. "And if you will not believe this, then look on these," I pulled out the IOU papers, "I discovered these near where Eurus' body was found. See how they are tinged in Eurus' blood. And it is Eurus' blood- I have tested it with means I derived for such a purpose while away in London. If you doubt their veracity, I will show you that these are neither my hand, nor Mrs. Hudson's, nor anyone in our household. Look. See." I showed a few of the scraps to the jury, handed another piece of parchment to the judge.
Taking the paper, he looked it over, before looking over the edge of his spectacles at me. "This is the most compelling piece of evidence in her defense yet! Why did you not bring them forward sooner, indeed, at the first?"
"Perhaps, because they made me frightened of what they signified, but not more frightened than the idea that a sweet, kind, innocent lady—for a lady she is in heart, if not in station- should be falsely put to death for killing one that she loved more than her own life."
"Have you anything else to add, Mr. Holmes," the judge inquired, "or may I now dismiss the jury for their deliberations?"
I shook my head, "That is all, Your Honor."
He nodded. As I went back to my seat, the judge faced the jury and released them to their chamber. It was done. There was nothing more to be done. It was up to the jury now.
My family and I were on tenterhooks as the jury deliberated. We had gone outside to gain some fresh air and some distance from the horror that the courtroom had become. I now freely indulged in pacing before my family, while Molly looked on with fretting hands, wringing first one way and then another. John stood nearly silent with posture all too reminiscent of his formal military bearing- he, like us all, must have felt as if he were in the middle of a battle.
The lawyer's assistant stuck his head out of the door. "The jury's back."
We all took our seats again with a barely concealed feeling of dread.
The jury came. The judge called for their verdict. The foreman stood.
Author's note: The case thickens, and Sherlock gets involved. Do you think it will be enough, or will Moriarty win this round? Let me know what you think in the comments!