The Trial Part1

"The court is now in session. Will you please be upstanding for Judge Phillips?" The usher called out to the courtroom.

Judge Phillips entered and took his seat. "Be seated." He addressed the room and looked at his notes in front of him.

"We are here today to get a verdict on the Bristow case. Are there any more witnesses to be called by the bench?"

They both shook their heads. "No Your Honour."

"Then I call Sydney Bristow to the stand for your questions."

The judge nodded to the court usher.

Sydney was brought into the courtroom. She was wearing an orange all-in-one suit and her legs were chained together to prevent any escape. The US Marshall who brought her in unlocked the handcuff on her right wrist and relocked it on a steel bar to her left.

"Please put your hand on this bible, Ms Bristow," the Marshall asked. "Do you promise to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?"

She looked around the room. The only person she recognised was her father. As this was a public case no one had shown up from work and her friends hadn't been informed, yet. So far she'd been lucky and the case had been kept out of the newspapers.

If only I could tell the whole truth! I can't believe I have been forced to lie in a court of law, but if this is what it takes for my secret identity to be kept hidden then this is what I have to do.

Sydney swallowed. "I do."

"Sit down." He ordered.

"Ms Bristow," Judge Phillips began, "You stand here today accused of murdering Melissa Taylor. Do you have anything to say?"

Only that I believe Melissa Taylor's dead as much as I believe in Santa Claus!

"No Your Honour."

"Mr Banks," the Judge looked at the lawyer on the in front of him, "your defendant."

Mark Banks stood up, straightening his tie and cleared his throat. "Ms Bristow, we have previously heard accounts from your boss at Credit Dauphine, Arvin Sloane, your father, Jack Bristow and Melissa Taylor's partner, Gregory Brown but we have not yet heard, in your own words, the events of the night of the 5th of October 2004.

"According to Mr Sloane you were on The Kindness for business…" He led intending for Sydney to carry on.

Sydney cleared her throat and lent forward to speak into the microphone in front of her. "Yes, Melissa Taylor was hopefully going to be a big business deal for Credit Dauphine." She lied. "Mr Sloane asked me to go on the boat trip with Melissa and two of her bodyguards…"