August 7
Defendant Lobby No. 4
9:30 AM
Chrysalis Starr
The night came and went, and Cotoli dropped me off at the courthouse early the next morning. I yawned on my way in, shuffling over to the couch on the opposite side of the defendant lobby. To put it simply, I didn't sleep well the night before, and I didn't know if I would be able to fight in the courtroom adequately. Still, that didn't mean I wasn't going to try. It was the least I could do for the sake of James, Anton, Yuri, and everyone else who was counting on me to win a not guilty verdict for James. No matter how utterly crummy I felt, I was going to try my best. It's just how I am.
The reason for my general feelings of nastiness could be blamed on the murder, as a matter of fact. To the surprise of no one, seeing a dead body might not be the best thing to remember when you're trying to sleep. No matter how exhausted I got, I couldn't find a way to push myself off to sleep, and it was an absolute nightmare to deal with. I didn't want to bother Cotoli, who has a sleeping schedule that's just as irregular as mine, so I just sat in the darkness for hours while staring up at the ceiling. I was glad to have the ability to apply my thoughts to how I would help to solve the crime rather than just thinking about how uninvolved I was, but I still felt awful about it all.
In our branch of work, you'd expect us to be used to seeing bodies. Still, no matter how many times it happens, I still feel terrible and nauseous when something does happen. I hate seeing people in pain, and there's nothing I can do for people who have died, so all I can do is sit by and think about it.
I instinctively looked over at the door in desperation, praying that Felicity would come in soon and break through my darker thoughts about the night before. I took in a slow, careful breath just to make sure I didn't forget how to breathe in my stress. Oh, boy, this was going to be one of those miserable days.
Instead of seeing Felicity by the door though, I saw her just off to my left. I instinctively jumped and let out a yell, curling up over myself and clapping my hands over my mouth out of surprise. I cringed at my own dramatic reaction before letting out a sigh. "Morning," I greeted simply.
"Someone's jumpy today," Felicity commented before sliding onto the couch beside me. She set both of her arms against the backrest of the couch, and I leaned forward before cupping my face in my hands. My eyes slipped shut as I nodded in response. I couldn't really bring myself to say much of anything else, so I didn't bother trying. As long as I was able to hold myself together in the courtroom, I was going to be alright.
Yuri and Anton suddenly came walking over to me. Even if my eyes were shut, I was able to tell that they were there. Yuri's footsteps were incredibly distinctive even among the general cacophony of the defendant's lobby. There were lots of people coming by to see James' trial because of his celebrity status, but I still managed to pull out Yuri and Anton's familiar sounds. I pried my head away from my hands before looking up at them, sighing once again before painting a smile on my face. I didn't want to worry Anton, and he would certainly notice if I hadn't slept well the night before. I didn't want to bother him either, so I grinned up at both of them as if that would make everything better.
"Do you think you're going to be able to help James out?" Anton questioned, though I realized belatedly that the inquiry was directed at Felicity rather than me. I was relieved for such, to say the least, as I wasn't entirely sure if I was going to be able to answer him without wavering at least a little bit. I've always been pretty good at lying, but there's only so much I can manage to hide before I just start to fall apart.
Felicity, however, had no such reservations, and she grinned at Anton firmly. "There's nothing for you to worry about! Everything is going to be perfectly okay. We're going to show everyone that he would never kill anyone, and then he's going to be freed from the detention center. There's not enough evidence for anyone to say that he could have killed the victim, and we're going to take advantage of that," she assured him. She reached out one hand and placed it on his shoulder as she continued to smile at him.
"Yeah! Everything is going to be okay," Yuri chimed in. I could tell that she was grinning as well, and I couldn't help but smile in response. Her positive attitude most certainly was infectious, especially on my worst of days.
Anton looked back and forth between Felicity and Yuri before smiling and nodding to himself. He pulled Yuri into a hug a few seconds later, and she was more than happy to return the gesture a few moments later. I grinned at the exchange, but something else soon caught my attention.
I saw a familiar flash of blonde hair from the entrance of the defendant lobby, and I was left cringing at the explosion of camera lights that followed. James slowly managed to worm his way through the rest of the room to wind up at Anton's side, and he was smiling tiredly when our eyes met. It seemed that he hadn't had a much better night than me, and I couldn't help but feel for him. After all, the detention center is a nasty place, and it's never been easy to sleep there.
"We're going to prove your innocence," Felicity said quickly. "Everything is going to be alright. I promise you." She was smiling brightly in James' direction, and I had to admit that I was impressed with her optimism. Even at such an early point in the morning, she was able to keep a smile on her face.
"I have faith in you," James replied, nodding to both me and Felicity. "If there's anything that you need from me along the way, all you need to do is ask. I owe you both a great debt, and this is the very least I can do for you to make this courtroom battle easier."
"We've got everything under control," I told him. I opened my mouth to say more, but I was cut off when the bailiff let out a cry to call us into the courtroom. I cringed at the piercing sound before letting out a sigh and pushing myself to my feet. My body was firmly against the action, but I still went for it.
"Looks like that's our cue," Felicity grinned. "We're going to take care of everything now, so there's nothing for you three to worry about. We trust that you'll be able to handle yourselves on the stand, and we're going to use your testimony to show that James didn't do it. Now, how about we get on in there to take care of everything that requires our attention at the moment?"
James, Yuri, and Anton all nodded their agreement before turning towards the courtroom doors. As soon as their backs were turned, I let out a quick sigh, not wanting to demoralize them but needing to release some of the tension building steadily within my chest. Felicity clapped a hand against my back, and I nearly stumbled forward. An awkward laugh left my lips as I recovered my balance, and Felicity giggled in response. She gently guided me towards the courtroom's doors, and I was all too happy to let her push me in the right direction. The time had come for action, and I couldn't allow my own nerves and exhaustion to get the best of me when James was counting on us to prove that he was innocent.
We were going to win. We had to.
August 7
Defendant Lobby No. 4
10:00 AM
Felicity Amaya
As Chrysalis got settled into our place behind the defense bench, I glanced around the rest of the courtroom with a small smile on my face. I saw Prosecutor Lin standing with Prosecutor Wood on the other side of the room. The older of the two figures was obviously far more optimistic about what was to come. Prosecutor Wood, on the other hand, could barely keep herself still from nerves, shifting with papers constantly. I didn't think there was much of a point to her actions, suspecting instead that she was only doing it because it gave her something to focus on aside from the trial to come. Still, given how anxious she seemed, I wasn't going to stop her.
The judge at the top of the courtroom was Eriko Frost, and she had her gavel in one hand. Her expression was just as hardened as it always had been, and she watched as James took his place behind the witness stand for the opening segment of the trial.
Just before her gavel came down, I stole a glance at Chrysalis, who released a yawn before settling her expression into something solemn. I could tell a mile away that she hadn't slept all that well the night before the trial, though I couldn't blame her for having troubles in the slightest. I would probably struggle to settle down for the night if I had found a dead body seemingly out of nowhere the day before too.
Judge Frost hit her gavel against the bench before her, and I looked up at her carefully as she spoke. "Court is now in session for the trial of James Devine," she declared. "Are the defense and prosecution ready?"
Prosecutor Lin answered without a moment of hesitation, and she placed a hand on Prosecutor Wood's shoulder. As soon as she did, the younger girl went tense before her shoulders relaxed and she fell still. "The prosecution is ready," Prosecutor Lin declared as soon as her coworker was calmed down.
"The defense is also ready," I confirmed without even bothering to look over at Chrysalis. I knew exactly what her answer was going to be when I asked, so I simply went ahead with telling the court that we were prepared.
Judge Frost nodded before looking at the gallery of the courtroom. "Before we get any further, I would like everyone here to be aware that there will be no shenanigans tolerated as long as this trial is going on. We are here to discuss what happened the day of the crime, not to take pictures for a magazine or gossip website. Thank you," she announced. I could already hear the irritation in her voice, and I was thankful that her harsh tone wasn't directed at me.
When I looked up at the gallery, I saw exactly why she had felt the need to address this subject. Nearly all of the people in the gallery were carrying cameras, notepads, or phones. They were undoubtedly there because of who the defendant was, and I couldn't hold back my frustrated sigh in response. They really didn't have any sensitivity, huh?
I shouldn't have been surprised by this, and yet, I still found myself disappointed by how humanity managed to let me down again. There was nothing I could do about it aside from prove James' innocence, but I still found myself glaring up at one of the particularly large cameras. When I looked over at Chrysalis, I saw that she was doing the same, leaning over with her palms pressed against the defense bench before us as she waited for the cameras to be switched off. When nothing happened, her scowl only deepened.
"Now, how about we get started with the trial?" Judge Frost questioned. She looked over to the prosecution with a frown. "Prosecution, please give your opening statement about what happened at the time of the crime."
Prosecutor Wood nodded. She had settled in her constant shifting motions, staring down at one piece of paper in particular on the bench before her. She took in a deep breath before starting to speak. "The crime took place at Lady Bird Studios, and the victim was Dire Rector, the director of the TV show that the defendant has starred in for the past two years or so," she began. "He was shot in the side of the head, and he died instantly. We've got an autopsy report that says he died early in the morning the day of a guided tour that was being held as part of a deal with a local radio station."
Judge Frost nodded as Prosecutor Wood continued to speak. "The only person to show up for the tour was the defendant, and he walked around with the people who had come on behalf of the radio station. One of those involved was a cameraman who caught the discovery of the body on camera. The victim was found in the dressing room of the defendant, but we suspect that he was moved there after being killed elsewhere due to the lack of blood in the area," she went on.
I was shocked out of my listening trance when I saw Mukuro appear at my side. She had the autopsy report in one hand, and I realized that she had been sent to give us a copy of it. Chrysalis nodded to her as Mukuro returned to her place with the other witnesses of the case until she was called upon.
I slowly opened the envelope as Prosecutor Wood continued her opening statement. I didn't look at the autopsy report in detail, trusting that what she was saying was honest. "We aren't sure of where the victim died, but we can say that his body was uncovered in the defendant's dressing room. All of the rooms in the studio were unlocked aside from one, and that room just so happens to be his office. We suspect that there's something inside that would reveal the truth behind where he died, but we can't say for sure until we're able to get in."
"We've been trying to get into the office since the police arrived at the scene," Prosecutor Lin explained. "Of course, we haven't found success with this yet, but as soon as we're able to get through the locked door, we're going to look around and see if there's anything notable that would prove where the victim was killed."
"Thank you, prosecution," Judge Frost declared. She looked over to Prosecutor Lin and Prosecutor Wood after she had finished speaking. "I believe the time has come for you to summon your first witness. Please summon the first person you would like to have speak to us as soon as possible."
Prosecutor Lin nodded before smiling up to the witness stand. "Head on up there, detective," she declared, snapping her fingers gently. Something about her was simply captivating, and I could certainly understand how she had come to get the attention of so may people.
Mukuro appeared behind the witness stand soon afterwards, a smile on her face. She looked up to Judge Frost as the latter prompted her to state her name and occupation for the court before offering a reply. "I'm Mukuro Erikson, and I'm a detective-in-training at the local precinct," she explained.
"Please testify about the details of the case," Judge Frost instructed sternly. She watched Mukuro with serious eyes.
In response, Mukuro smiled and nodded, seemingly unbothered by the pressure that was already being dumped upon her shoulders. "I'd be happy to."
~ Witness Testimony ~
~ The Case's Details ~
-"The murder took place in the Lady Bird Studios the same day as a tour was taking place."
-"The winner of a local radio raffle got to enter the studios and meet the cast, but it didn't turn out that way."
-"Only the star of the show wound up showing at the studios from the tour, and the rest of the cast stayed at home."
-"The body was found in the defendant's dressing room at the studios, but we suspect it was likely moved."
-"We aren't entirely sure how the body could have been moved, but there wasn't enough blood at the scene for him to have been killed there."
-"Someone being shot in the head causes quite a bit of bloodshed, and yet, there's nothing there... It's suspicious."
-"There's nothing that we have in mind regarding the events of the crime and the body's movement... Maybe there will be a clue in the locked office."
As soon as the testimony was over, I frowned and looked up to Mukuro. "Out of curiosity... Were you able to get results on the metal clothing rack that we found yesterday?" I questioned, tilting my head slightly to the side.
"Clothing rack?" Judge Frost echoed with a frown. She watched me interrogatively, and I could tell she was wondering about what I was talking about even before she said anything.
"There was a clothing rack found in the defendant's dressing room, but we noticed that it had articles of clothing from many random rooms around the studios. We found that to be rather suspicious, and we were wondering if perhaps that specific area had been hidden on purpose," I explained.
Mukuro nodded. "As a matter of fact, there was something that the rack was hiding... We found some blood on the side of the rack, and we suspect that the victim was near the rack at some point," she explained.
I looked over to Chrysalis, who nodded at me. I got the feeling she had come to the same conclusion that I had, and all of a sudden, everything was starting to slip right into place. I looked up to Mukuro with a smile. "Could you please repeat your testimony for the cross-examination?" I questioned.
Mukuro nodded. "Of course."
~ Cross-Examination ~
~ The Case's Details ~
-"The murder took place in the Lady Bird Studios the same day as a tour was taking place."
-"The winner of a local radio raffle got to enter the studios and meet the cast, but it didn't turn out that way."
-"Only the star of the show wound up showing at the studios from the tour, and the rest of the cast stayed at home."
-"The body was found in the defendant's dressing room at the studios, but we suspect it was likely moved."
-"We aren't entirely sure how the body could have been moved, but there wasn't enough blood at the scene for him to have been killed there."
-"Someone being shot in the head causes quite a bit of bloodshed, and yet, there's nothing there... It's suspicious."
-"There's nothing that we have in mind regarding the events of the crime and the body's movement... Maybe there will be a clue in the locked office."
"Objection!"
"I believe that I've figured out exactly how the body was moved," I declared, a smirk on my lips as I crossed my arms.
"Then how was the body moved?" Mukuro questioned with a light frown.
"The clothing rack had blood on it, and if the body was moved, the culprit would likely want to use something with wheels to make the process easier," I pointed out. "Moving the body on their own could be problematic, so why not use the clothing rack? We saw that it has wheels yesterday. The culprit wiped away the blood after they were finished moving the body, and then a bunch of random clothing from other dressing rooms was thrown on the rack to make it seem as if there was nothing there. The killer was trying to hide it from being tested by Luminol."
"Of course, that didn't work out in the end," Chrysalis commented from my side. "We were able to figure out everything rather easily... This does beg the question of where the victim was really killed though. There has to be a sign around here to prove to us exactly where the gun was used to shoot the victim."
"If you want my opinion, I'd still say that the victim was killed in the director's office," Mukuro declared. "I mean, it would be totally possible for him to have been shot in there before the door was blockaded. Why would the killer be trying to hard to keep us from getting inside? There's got to be something on the other side of that door."
"You should return to the crime scene," Prosecutor Lin suddenly commented with a frown. "As soon as you're able to get into the room of the victim, you should return here and tell us of the update. We need to know as soon as possible so that we can continue our investigation."
"If there's no way to get into the victim's office now, we should prepare to adjourn court for a second day," Judge Frost declared. "As it is, there's no way to say conclusively that any one person did it. However, we will want to hear as much testimony as possible from the witnesses that we do have gathered. It would be pointless for us to adjourn the trial now without getting anything done to work towards the truth."
"Check that out. We've already got ourselves cleared for another day of investigation," Chrysalis hissed from beside me as she nudged at my side with her elbow. "I'd certainly say that plays into our favor, but we had best be careful with it. There's only so much we're going to be able to do, and if we push her patience, it could hurt us in the long run."
I nodded my understanding before closing my eyes. I heard footsteps to indicate that Mukuro had stepped away from the witness stand. Prosecutor Lin spoke next, and I could hear the smile in her voice even with my eyes shut. "The prosecution would now like to call its first primary witness to the stand. Yuri," she prompted.
I opened my eyes at the sound of the familiar name, and I watched as Yuri walked up to the stand. She was smiling wearily, trying to keep herself held together in the face of tragedy. I saw her shoot James a kind glance before she settled fully behind the podium.
"Please state your name and occupation for the court," instructed Judge Frost sternly.
Yuri nodded before answering. "I'm Yuri Rinko. I'm a high school student, but I work on the side at Morix Law Offices," she explained.
"Interesting," Judge Frost commented with a light nod. "You were part of the tour investigating the scene of the crime the day of the murder, yes?"
"Yup!" Yuri chirped. "I went there with a few of my friends since I was the one to win the radio station's raffle. We met up with James there, and we started to look around... I feel like you can put the pieces together on what we figured out from there."
"Why don't you tell the court about everything you saw at the time of the crime?" Sora suggested with a grin. "We'll happily listen to whatever it is you have to say."
"I'll get right to it," Yuri assured her. She snapped her fingers together as she winked in our direction, and I knew that was our cue to do what we could to figure out the truth behind this case. Yuri was counting on us, and I wasn't about to let her, or anyone else who was heavily involved with this case, down. There was too much riding on this victory. The future of Monsieur Cat was at stake!
~ Witness Testimony ~
~ The Discovery of the Body ~
-"The victim was found in the dressing room belonging to James, and we all discovered the body."
-"There was a sign in front of the door that told others not to go inside, and James mentioned that he didn't put it there."
-"When he opened the door, we saw the victim doubled over on the floor, and I'm sure you can imagine our surprise."
-"The entire thing was caught on camera. The radio station sent someone to follow us around for their website, and he saw us discover the body."
-"We didn't find much of anything else there at the time, but I do have to say that I found the tour thing odd..."
-"I mean, I was happy to spend time with James, but it sort of seems strange that nobody else showed up for something so important..."
-"We never heard any alerts about the tour being canceled... I'm not quite sure what this could mean, but I don't like it."
When I looked over to Chrysalis after Yuri was finished with her testimony, I could see that she was frowning. There was something intense and fiery in her eyes, and I couldn't help but cringe at the sight. She certainly looked lost in thought.
"There's something weird going on here," she commented. "There just has to be... Then again, I suppose it's our job to prove that's the case, so what are we still doing waiting around for?"
I didn't have an objection to her remark, so I simply shrugged. I heard Judge Frost instruct Yuri to start her testimony over from the start, and I took that as our cue to get started. I looked back to the witness stand and nodded to Yuri. At my gesture, she began to repeat her testimony from the start.
~ Cross-Examination ~
~ The Discovery of the Body ~
-"The victim was found in the dressing room belonging to James, and we all discovered the body."
-"There was a sign in front of the door that told others not to go inside, and James mentioned that he didn't put it there."
-"When he opened the door, we saw the victim doubled over on the floor, and I'm sure you can imagine our surprise."
-"The entire thing was caught on camera. The radio station sent someone to follow us around for their website, and he saw us discover the body."
-"We didn't find much of anything else there at the time, but I do have to say that I found the tour thing odd..."
-"I mean, I was happy to spend time with James, but it sort of seems strange that nobody else showed up for something so important..."
-"We never heard any alerts about the tour being canceled... I'm not quite sure what this could mean, but I don't like it."
"Hold it!"
"Does anyone else find it strange that this crime feels oddly... I don't know... Set up?" I questioned with a frown. Judge Frost tilted her head to the side in curiosity, so I continued. "The victim's body was found in James' dressing room, and he was the only one who showed up at the time of the tour to show everyone around."
"There's something strange happening for sure," Chrysalis confirmed. "Think about it this way. If he had been the culprit, he would have had access to the keys that the victim carried around. He would have known what rooms to take us to, and he would have steered clear of his own dressing room. It simply doesn't make sense. Why would he set it up for all of us to find the body in his dressing room? It would clearly make him a suspect."
"Then there's the matter of the sign sitting outside the room," I commented next. "Why would it be there? James was the only person there, and he wouldn't need to remind himself not to go into his own dressing room if there really was something wrong. If you ask me, there must have been at least one other person there to mess around with everything that was happening at the scene of the crime."
"What could have happened to this person after the tour started?" Prosecutor Lin questioned. "It isn't as if we have any ideas on how someone could have snuck out without being seen by you or anyone else in the tour. Besides, where could they even hide? Even if the set is rather large, they would have certainly been spotted while attempting to flee from the scene of the crime."
"Nobody could be hiding in the director's office. If they tried to hide there, they'd be exposed as soon as the door opens. There's no way for them to escape without being seen, and I'm sure that they're already fully aware of it. I believe that the culprit got away before the tour arrived somehow... We just have to determine their method of escape and when they got away," Chrysalis remarked.
"I believe it's time for the prosecution to call its next witness," Prosecutor Lin declared. "We can ask our next witness about the camera footage being taken at the scene of the crime. That could give us an idea of what to search for as soon as we have the video on hand for examination."
"Go right ahead," Judge Frost agreed with a firm nod. She looked down to the witness stand, ready to dismiss Yuri, but the young girl didn't need to be cued.
Yuri started to walk away before Judge Frost could send her away, and I saw her shoot a brief glance over in James' direction. Her eyes bled sympathy, and she took her seat in the area designated for witnesses. I watched her sit before my attention shifted back to the prosecution in preparation for them to get us started on the next step of the trial.
Prosecutor Lin nudged at her coworker, and Prosecutor Wood frowned before speaking up. Her voice was quiet, but I could still make out the words clearly spoken out of nerves. "The prosecution calls Anton Burke to the stand!"
I should not have slept in an extra hour today
-Digital