WITNESS TESTIMONY: ENCOUNTERING THE VICTIM

On the way, I saw Mr. Semblar descending the stairs.

I caught a glimpse of hatred in his eye when we met.

Instantly, he drew out his gun and tried to shoot me.

I struggled against him.

Before I knew it, I was knocked backwards.

I might have been unconscious that's why I didn't hear a gunshot.

"You were knocked down?" Payne inquired.

"It slipped my mind," Capt. Flynn justified. "Given the pace of events – that things happened all-of-a-sudden – I couldn't recall everything there was… until now."

"What do you think defense?" the Judge turned to Athena.

Athena's Mood Matrix had already projected a holograph. "Usually, psychoanalysis is given to those who need a therapy because of mixed or clouded emotions." She folded her arms and glared at the witness. "This witness… is experiencing a flurry of emotions that are interfering with his thoughts about the version of events."

"W-What do you mean by that claptrap?" Capt. Flynn snarled.

Athena bumped a fist against her palm. "It means that you're not testifying truthfully because you're experiencing something very contradictory to what you're saying."

The witness scratched his head. "I don't get you, attorney."

("Although I could use my Mood Matrix at this point, I'd rather fish for a contradiction by cross examination. After all… his emotions are running everywhere.")

I might have been unconscious that's why I didn't hear a gunshot.

Objection! "You claimed to have heard the gunshot and saw my client point her gun at him? That's claptrap."

Capt. Flynn stood at the ready.

Athena glared at the witness. "Unfortunately, it was established in the flight recording that the gunshot was at the last part of the recording in which the client was still in the control room!"

"W-W-What?!" Capt. Flynn recoiled, startled. "But how…?"

"During the break, the Aviation Board also submitted a report that the last loud sound was indeed a gunshot," Athena clarified. "It also captured Ms. Nuncer's voice who was present in the control room when the gunshot occurred."

"Y-You've got to be kidding me," Capt. Flynn hissed and pounded the stand. "Y-Your Honor, c-can I explain?"

The Judge sighed. "The more you try to plead for an explanation, the lesser your credibility becomes."

"And the more the suspicion against you raises," Athena added.

"Please, Your Honor," Payne pleaded with the Judge. "The witness is confused about a lot of events that happened."

The Judge sighed again. "Very well, but I'll give you only one chance to explain yourself, witness."

"Th-Thank you, Your Honor."

("He's going to give an update to his testimony.")

Then I heard a gunshot and saw her point the gun at him!

Objection! "And you're making another lie," Athena told him angrily. "The Browning retrieved from the crime scene belonged to the victim." She had the witness photograph projected on the screen. "The pistol here in the photograph is Ms. Nuncer's gun as she was using hers to defend herself. She also picked up the gun found in the crime scene." She slammed hard on the desk. "And what's more… this photograph was taken… after the victim was pushed out from the window!"

Capt. Flynn had a look about him as if he was about to faint. "Why… why are these… contradictions existing?"

Athena pointed a finger at the witness as she outstretched her arm. "It's because you are the killer! You're covering up your crime by building one lie after another!"

The spectators this time went bedlam. They shouted and demanded for justice. Capt. Flynn was looking around for help, but even Prosecutor Payne, his final lifeline to put him off the hook, was speechless. The Judge tolerated the staccato for a while before he shouted for order over the roars.

Objection! Payne yelled, silencing the crowd and providing a glimmer of hope for the witness. "That's quite a statement, Ms. Cykes. But please be warned that should you fail to provide the Court with a satisfying explanation… all your claims about Capt. Flynn will be discredited." He adjusted his shades. "Where's your evidence to prove that the witness killed the victim in cold blood?"

The dizzy Capt. Flynn immediately rebounded. "Yes, girlie? Where's your evidence? I don't see what you can find."

("Evidence…? Do I have evidence…?") Athena slumped over, frustrated that the winds of victory were suddenly blowing away. ("I… I don't…!")

"As I expected," Payne spat. "You've been wrangling for the past hour claiming that my witness killed Mr. Semblar using his possession as the most critical evidence. But it turns out… your basis is nothing but a puff of stupidity!"

Athena almost lost control. She slammed the desk with both palms and leaned forward. "How. DARE YOU!" She had the urge to leap from the defense's bench and launch herself across the Courtroom to land furious blows.

"Order!" the Judge interfered, his temper rising. "I will not allow badgering from and on both sides."

Payne sighed. "The burden is now on the defense to provide evidence."

The Judge turned to Athena, who looked at the defendant gazing at her with fierce determination to win. "Ms. Cykes, you have one chance. It is either you prove Capt. Flynn guilty or I hand down my verdict for Ms. Nuncer. And just so you know… the verdict will be guilty."

("I… I'm backed here… and…") She was starting to shake uncontrollably as she grasped herself to keep herself calm. Her focus was steadily dropping, her confidence waning. Without the evidence she needed to secure victory, Athena would lose everything she worked so hard to gain. ("This cold feeling… it's back… just like that time. I thought I already moved on. But when this feeling comes back… it's almost as if… I'm destined to lose!") Her Mood Matrix was a bleak black, a sign of the overwhelming dread blocking every avenue of rational opportunities to think.

She took one last look at the prosecutor, who was confident for a victory on his side. She looked at the Judge, who was waiting for an answer. She looked at the witness, who was grinning maliciously knowing that he was going to drive the final nail. Athena couldn't bear to glance, but glance she did and she was the tears flooding from Anna's eyes… the tears that shed the enmity of surrender, that her attorney had nothing else to go forth.

"It's over… it's over… it's over… it's

over

..

.

Objection!

As if Athena was roused from a nightmare, she turned to the Courtroom doors. As if the Courtroom had sucked itself into a void of darkness, providing ounces of misery for the defense attorney, the radiating light from the Courthouse hallway seemed like light breaking through the darkness. And leading the light like a knight in shining armor… was Mercury Thinker who pointed at the witness in his best "Objection!" pose with his smile of confidence and his eyes of sheer determination.

"I'm back."

Athena gasped. "M-Mercury…"

Mercury made his way to the defense bench and helped Athena recover. "Hang in there, Athena."

"I'm sorry," she told him apologetically. "I did everything I could…"

For the first time, Mercury's radiant expression was replaced by seriousness. "Athena, Capt. Birdie Flynn killed Hans Semblar in cold blood." Payne leaned forward while Capt. Flynn raised a fist in dire threat.

Athena blinked. "W-What? But how? We don't have decisive evidence."

"We should turn our thinking around," Mercury suggested.

("Turn my thinking around? That's it!") Athena closed her eyes in deep thought. ("I shouldn't be focusing on evidence that Capt. Flynn killed Hans Semblar. If he was there in the crime scene, did he miss something? Did he miss some crucial detail?")

"Think back to the testimonies – especially in the part about Ms. Nuncer witnessing the killer," he advised.

Athena struggled as she closed her eyes and recalled the testimony.

("We are in very dangerous turbulence. Either we go through the storm… or we crash in defeat.")

"There is one part there that we almost did not consider," Mercury continued while Athena concentrated. "What was the killer doing? Searching the evidence, right?"

"Right."

"So if the killer fled the scene because he might have been spotted, did he take something else with him?"

Athena thought about it for a moment. She visualized the scene based from the pictures given by Mercury. She visualized the perspectives as if she were an invisible spectator to the witness of events. Then when she got to the part about Ms. Nuncer testifying about how she displayed anger when she saw the killer, Athena suddenly opened her eyes.

("T-That's it! It was right here all along!")

Mercury smiled, knowing that Athena found the answer. "Atta girl. Go get them!"

("Thanks a bunch, Mercury. You've only been with us for a short time… but you're really loads helpful.")

Athena turned to the witness once more, her confidence returned. "Witness, if it's evidence you want. Then this is the evidence you need." She pointed a finger from her outstretched arm. "Prepare for your utter defeat!"


VISUALIZATION

"Considering the evidence so far, the killer and the victim scuffled, the denouement being the victim shot. After the killing blow, the victim was pushed or tossed out from the window. Therefore, there has to be something else that fell along with the victim. This something is…

A. glass shards
B. the victim's badge
C. Browning revolver

Glass shards fell with the victim

"Indeed. Glass shards fell with the victim when the window broke. But there was something else about it that had me concerned at the beginning of the trial."

A. The killer's badge was torn off
B. The glass shards were missing
C. The revolver had Nuncer's print

The glass shards were missing

"The killer was looking for the badge… but the glass shards went missing at the same time. So if the killer had to flee or risk possible arrest, what else did the killer bring with him?"

A. The glass shards
B. The victim's badge
C. The Browning revolver

The killer took the glass shards

"I see now! Combined that the victim, who was shot, fell along with the glass shards and that the killer took the glass shards with them… That's right! So if he took the glass shards from the scene even without meaning to, then the decisive evidence is found in the shards! That evidence is…

A. moisture
B. sweat
C. blood

THE GLASS SHARDS
ARE STAINED
WITH BLOOD

"Of course! The killer scrambled around to look for the badge but he had to flee. At the same time, the shards were stuck to his footwear while he was looking for the evidence. But the glass shards had one important piece of evidence that will bring justice its well-deserved touchdown!"

With the visualization complete, Athena began to explain the series of events of what happened that fateful evening. She explained how the witness, Capt. Birdie Flynn, fought with the victim, Engr. Hans Semblar. Athena treaded carefully on Ms. Nuncer's testimony on how the witness was searching for the evidence. "However," she told the witness, "the glass shards that fell along with the victim when he was hurled out of the window scattered around, setting up a landmine for anyone who would desecrate with the crime scene." Athena watched the prosecutor break in multitudes of perspiration while the witness clenched his right fist. She moved to the point that the killer stepped on the glass shards while he was looking for the evidence. However, he forgot to note one very important thing.

"And how do you propose to present this decisive evidence?" Payne said, one last attempt to save his witness.

Athena grinned. "Witness, you will submit one thing to the Court! The Court will want your footwear to the crime laboratory to have it analyzed."

"W-What for?" Capt. Flynn snarled.

She folded her arms. "Glass shards."

Capt. Flynn laughed. "Did you think I was that gullible to leave my prints at the crime scene? I wash my footwear every day to make sure it remains speck and clean whenever I work!"

Objection! "But you were suspended until you got back your badge," Athena countered. "And even if you washed your shoes, it still doesn't clear you. Glass is a very durable material and even miniscule shards will stick to the sole of the shoes."

"J-Just where are you going with this?" the Judge interrupted.

"The decisive evidence… is the victim's blood," Athena answered. "If the crime lab happens to pick up glass shards on the witness's footwear sole along with the victim's blood, this will make clear once and for all that you are Mr. Hans Semblar's killer."

Capt. Flynn was already struggling to keep his composure. "Y-Your Honor, I demand a recess."

Athena slammed her palm on the table. "I'm afraid you can't do that. Well, Capt. Flynn? With bloodstained glass shards on your footwear…" and with one last fierce gaze and an outstretched arm – finger flexed and pointed – toward the witness, Athena proclaimed, "your plane of lies comes crashing down!"

That did it. All the lifelines to save the witness snapped neatly. Capt. Birdie Flynn knew that he had been nailed. The existence of the evidence still in his personage gave him away. As he looked around, he collapsed into the illusion of being lifted into the sky. "W-What's going on?" Still being in the flight for the truth, he was kicked out from the plane. "B-But my chute…!" He scrambled wildly as if trying to get back into the plane. However, Capt. Flynn continued falling… falling… falling… until he landed (or collapsed) on the Courtroom floor with a large thud. "No… no… no…" he muttered followed with "guilty… guilty… guilty…" until his voices couldn't be heard.