September 1
Defendant Lobby No. 6
9:25 AM
Yuri Rinko
After staying behind a lot longer than I would have wanted to, I finally managed to get home the night before and catch some sleep. I really shouldn't have underestimated that paper work. It was so long, I swear, the words started blurring together since I was sitting in front of that stack for what felt like countless hours. In truth, it had only been about two hours, but the point still stands that it was super boring.
I flopped down onto the couch in the defendant lobby as Lily and Deirdre came into the room. They seemed to be a lot more alert than I was, which I suppose I could count as a blessing. If they were tired, we were bound to end up in all sorts of trouble when the trial actually started. The difficulty this case was bound to bring us was not going to help our tired minds at all, but I guessed it was better me than them.
"Are you guys ready for this?" Lily asked, a determined grin on her face. She seemed a bit tired too, but I didn't want to press it for now. I could always tell her to catch a cat nap when we weren't dealing with a painfully difficult murder case.
"I suppose I can be," I shrugged. "What about you, Deirdre? You look like you've been thinking a lot these past few hours. You did sleep a little bit, right?"
"Of course, I did," Deirdre assured me, sitting down at my side. "I'm a bit nervous, if we're being perfectly honest, but I don't want to let it show for the sake of M. I can imagine that he's already panicking enough as it is. Throwing in a nervous attorney probably won't help the situation one bit."
"We have faith that things are going to be okay too, so that means that we're going to be fine!" Lily chirped, clapping her hands together. "You two shouldn't be all mopey like this. Like you've already mentioned, M is counting on this. Plus, we can use this as a chance to lock up a killer once and for all. I'd call that a win at the end of the day. We're taking one more criminal off the streets, which is always a positive. It's all about perspective."
"I hope that it's as okay as you're insisting it will be," I sighed with a shake of my head. I had always been the optimistic one at the agency before Deirdre and Lily showed up since Mr. Morix and Venus were realists most of the time and Chrysalis was one of the biggest pessimists I had ever met. She could be upbeat from time to time, but if we're talking about the majority here...
Lily was really taking my spot in this regard. I would just have to be even more happy to take it back! It was part of my duty as the bright and smiley youngest member of Team Morix!
"I'm glad to see you all got here early."
Speaking of Team Morix, Mr. Morix was now walking up to us, his hands shoved coolly in his pockets. That was just like him. He had always been the epitome of cool-headedness, even when things got rough and seemed impossible.
"Hey, Mr. Morix!" I exclaimed, already embracing the idea of overtaking Lily as the most cheerful of the agency's members. "How are you doing this fine morning?"
He let out a yawn and rubbed at his eyes with one hand. "I'm tired, that's for sure. I couldn't sleep very well last night since I was worried about Chrysalis. She's always been the type to panic when in a bad situation like being stuck overnight at an airport," he told us. "I know that she'll be okay, but I couldn't help but worry. I guess it's just the duty of a big brother."
"You two sure are close," Lily commented. "I mean, I like to think that I'm pretty close with my older brother, but you two even put our relationship to shame, which is no easy feat."
"It's always been like that. I can't really tell you why, but we've always been close this way," Mr. Morix told her with a small shrug.
"I think it's sweet. Somebody as cool and relaxed as you can still become a bit of a mess where she's concerned," I giggled. "Of course, I suppose that's natural given the fact that you two are basically glued at the hip. I'm surprised you even let Chrysalis go on a school trip without you because of how protective you can get, Mr. Morix. I mean, it's not like that's a bad thing, but it's still unexpected."
His face flushed red. "I don't think I'm that protective... I just want her to be safe. That's what any brother would want for his little sister, right?" Mr. Morix asked, turning away from us to hide the red tinge rising in his cheeks.
"Perhaps we should stop trying to embarrass Mr. Morix and focus on the case at hand," suggested Deirdre. "We won't get anything done by just standing around here and talking about other things."
"I agree," Mr. Morix nodded. "Are there any other things you want to know about the case?"
"Do you know who the prosecution is set to be?" Lily asked. "I mean, we heard about Chief Prosecutor Bespoke, but I don't know who his assistant is going to be, assuming he even has one for this trial..."
"He's going to be up at the bench alongside his adoptive daughter, Niamh Wood. She's a sweet girl, but a bit new at prosecuting. I'm sure that you remember her from the carnival case not long ago, Deirdre," Mr. Morix answered.
"Niamh is a good kid. She's shy, but she has good intentions. I'm just glad she isn't prosecuting you now," I smiled.
"It's not like she was really going to have me locked up anyways," Mr. Morix shrugged. "I mean, if she was working with Prosecutor Kalles, the chances of that happening were slim at best. I've been friends with her for years now, so I doubt she would randomly decide to convict me of a crime she knew I wouldn't commit."
"I hope this trial isn't as difficult as it's sounding like it will be," Deirdre murmured. "Everything that we've found seems to be stacked highly against our case. In order to make the case crumble, we're going to have to be careful to eliminate all potential threats that could have M on a one-way street to jail."
"Speaking of M, I wonder where he is," I frowned. "I find it weird that the defendant would come so close to being late to his own trial. Maybe there was an issue with traffic or something. I can't exactly say I know what's going on, but I suppose I can still guess."
"We can talk about the case until he gets here," Lily pointed out. "We should start out by showing that he couldn't have done it through use of the power room. If we show that it wasn't M that turned off the power the day of the murder, the accusations against him committing the crime will fall apart."
"In that respect, it's similar to Yuri's trial from earlier this year. If we show that the defendant couldn't have turned off the power, that means that they couldn't have killed the victim. I'm glad we at least have experience with that part," Deirdre said. "However, this time we're dealing with digital evidence and the testimony of a witness we haven't even met yet, which could very easily complicate things severely... The lack of physical proof has the possibility to bite us later."
"We can surely press on regardless of that though. We can hope that the prosecution decides to call in the agent who figured out that the hacking had taken place," Lily commented.
"I called Ghastly last night to ask if he knew who he was going to call for witnesses today. He said that he wasn't planning on asking that agent to come in, but after I asked him to have him come and speak, he threw it together at the last minute. I can hope that will help your case at least a little bit," Mr. Morix told us. "It's not much since we still don't know what he's going to say, but it should at least be a small blessing."
"Thank you for your help, Mr. Morix," I smiled. "We're going to take full advantage of that. I know that M won't end up in prison today. At the very least, we can try and push off the verdict to tomorrow. We can ask that agent to see who hacked the system. If he's really as tech savvy as we've heard, he can surely pull something like that off. Well, I hope he can... Hope doesn't really get you far in court, but it's something, right?"
"Here comes M now," Lily cut in, pointing to the door. M was being escorted in by Detective Wattson and Detective Erikson. "I guess we can talk to him a little bit before the trial kicks off, though we really don't have much time... I'm sure it's fine though. No worries, right?"
M approached us, a frown knit tightly into his features. "Are you ready for today?" he questioned.
"Of course," nodded Deirdre. "You don't need to worry. We have everything under control."
M nodded, but I got the feeling he was still doubting us a little bit. I gently punched him in the arm and smiled to try and cheer him up. "You're going to be back home in no time! No need to sweat it!"
"Alright," he said simply. He didn't move to rub his arm after I punched it, so I assumed I hadn't been too hard on him. Besides, he was a mountain of a man that stood over a foot above me. I don't think I'd be able to hurt someone like that no matter how hard I tried given how petite I have always been (unfortunately).
"Where's N?" asked Deirdre. "I got the impression he stayed by your side all the time. It seems strange to see you without him..."
"He's going to be here soon. He said he would come to the trial, and I doubt he would really ditch me. He wouldn't ever, actually," M replied. "He's probably being kept by... Never mind. It isn't important."
I chose not to press it, figuring that it wasn't something important. I would have pursued it if I had thought it vital to the case, but I was probably fine. It was no big deal, so why bother?
"O should be testifying today, yes?" Deirdre questioned to change the topic. "I can't imagine the prosecution would miss out on calling her to the stand."
"I'd assume so, yes," M replied. "She and N are vital to figuring out the truth behind this case."
"Do you know if N will be taking the stand?" I asked of him.
"Maybe, maybe not. The prosecution didn't exactly give much of a straight answer. He seemed like he hadn't even decided if he was going to call N or not, if you can believe that, so I figured I wouldn't be able to find out ahead of time. If I had known, I would have told you yesterday," M answered with a frown. "I don't think he'd want to testify against me though. He's been loyal to me for quite some time now, so he wouldn't randomly turn against me the second charges arise."
"We can count that among our blessings then," Lily sighed in relief. "I don't want to deal with any extra testimony that could be stacked against you. It will just make things harder, which is the last thing we need in a murder trial."
"Is the prosecution still maintaining its motive of you being Oracle or you being involved in the project somehow?" Mr. Morix asked. "Deirdre, Lily, and Yuri told me about it last night."
"Yeah, that's right," M nodded. "I don't have much of anything to refute it. Chief Prosecutor Bespoke asked me if I had a solid alibi for the previous cases in which Oracle has appeared, but since I was unable to provide something, he can say that I was probably at the scene of the trials watching to ensure my coworker was not in danger... Of course, that's complete bull. I wouldn't work with somebody like that, regardless of how just they may or may not be."
"I see... It's not like you could really be Oracle anyways," I shrugged. "From what we've seen, Oracle is a young woman who's at least a foot shorter than you. It would be hard to call you, a very tall man, the same person as Estella Burns, and that's probably putting it lightly..."
"We can use that to our advantage then," nodded Lily. "Mr. Morix, how do you think Chief Prosecutor Bespoke will respond to that?"
"I can't say for sure. He's quite knowledgeable when it comes to Oracle. Much like me, he's been digging to figure out more ever since they first arose two years ago. He hasn't come across anything fully conclusive, but what he has could still be used against you. If M doesn't have an alibi for the previous appearances of Oracle, anyone could say that he was in the gallery watching the cases. Oracle probably doesn't move alone and likely always has someone there to help them. M could be accused of being one of those coworkers, which would easily land him in trouble."
"Luckily, I've already figured out a way to avoid that. The motive can easily be refuted with a piece of testimony we've heard from multiple witnesses," Deirdre smirked. "In other news, we have this motive situation all under control."
I opened my mouth to ask her what it was she had up her sleeve, but Deirdre didn't get the chance to answer. The loud cry of a bailiff signaled to us that it was time to head into the courtroom. I looked around at the others in the little circle we had been standing in. Deirdre, Lily, and I shared a nod. M closed his eyes and headed into the courtroom.
Mr. Morix pointed to the door leading up to the gallery. "I'm going to head on up there. Try and stay out of trouble, will you?" he asked with a small and relaxed smile. "I don't want to have to dig you out of trouble here, regardless of how difficult this case will be to solve."
"We'll be fine," I assured him with a flick of my hand. "You don't need to worry a bit!"
"I'm glad to hear that," Mr. Morix smiled before leaving the defendant lobby.
It was just Lily, Deirdre, and me in the room now. Lily picked up on this and frowned. "We need to ask him sometime soon about Oracle. He so obviously knows something, but we haven't had the chance to confront him. It might be best to do it while Chrysalis is gone. That way, we don't have to worry about any covering she may do," she remarked.
"Do you think she would try to cover up the truth if he is involved?" asked Deirdre.
"I think she would say anything necessary to get us off her brother's back. The two of them are as close as it gets, so if she thinks we have him cornered, she'll probably jump in to defend him. If she doesn't know, she'll talk to him about it in private. That's just the sort of person she is," I told them. "I agree that It's definitely best to take care of this while she's still out of town."
"In that case, we can ask after our investigative phase today. I'm sure we'll have the time to sit down and talk to him for a moment or two. He can't hide the truth from us any longer. We've spent the past few weeks waiting for the right chance, and now that it's here, we can't let it slip away," Deirdre declared. Lily and I nodded our agreement. "That being said, we need to power through the trial before we can ask him about who Oracle is. You can't eat your food without cooking it and all that."
"Then let's do our best to stall the investigation for now. We don't have any suspects for who the real killer could be, which means we're going to need another day of investigation. When we get that extra time, we go and corner Mr. Morix and tell him we know the truth. It's that simple," I said. "Come on. Time's a-wasting."
We all walked into the courtroom together to take our places behind the defense bench. All my exhaustion had faded away by now. It had been replaced with hope and faith in our skills for this trial. I was excited for the next investigative phase since we'd undoubtedly be able to find the culprit behind all of this.
At the same time, I couldn't help but feel a bit nervous with everything regarding Mr. Morix going on. We had been friends for so long, so I didn't want to believe he could be involved in a spy project like what the Oracle had concocted. He was in danger if that was the case. I didn't want to believe he was lying to us, but at the same time, I knew I had to find out the truth. If he was part of Oracle's team... I needed to know it. I was going to give him hell for it, but I needed to hear the truth from him. I just hoped it wouldn't distract me too much during the trial...
September 1
Courtroom No. 6
10:00 AM
Deirdre Brigit
The courtroom wasn't as alive with buzz as I would have expected. I looked up at the gallery and frowned, realizing how empty it was. I turned to Lily upon noticing this. "What's going on with the onlookers? I would have expected more people to be here with a case taking place at Interpol," I frowned.
"Well, this case was in a high-security government building. I'd assume the bailiffs would be stingy with allowing people inside in case any top-secret information ends up coming out," Lily replied. "I can't really think of another logical explanation."
Yuri pointed up at the judge. "That's Judge Diaphan. I'm sure you remember hearing about her from the case Mr. Morix told us about a few months ago. You know, the one where Oracle was exposed and Jackson Blocker was murdered," she hissed at us. "I've seen her a few times on cases back from when I was a bit younger and first starting to work at the agency, but I haven't seen her since you two have come into the agency. It isn't your fault or anything. I guess that's just how the cookie crumbles sometimes." She shrugged.
"Court is now in session for the trial of M," Judge Diaphan announced. When I looked at her, I realized just how peculiar the mask she wore was. Mr. Morix had mentioned it briefly, but I hadn't expected it to look so strange when I saw it in person. "Are the defense and prosecution ready?"
"The defense is ready," I declared after sharing a telling nod with Lily and Yuri.
"The prosecution is also ready," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke announced from his place on the other side of the courtroom. Prosecutor Wood was at his side, though she looked rather nervous. She was still a bit more relaxed than she had been when Yuri and I had seen her during the case at the carnival, so maybe she was just generally anxious.
"In that case, please begin your opening statement, Chief Prosecutor Bespoke," Judge Diaphan instructed. She was toying with her gavel as she spoke. I couldn't tell if she was looking directly at any of us since her eyes were hidden behind her shining mask.
Chief Prosecutor Bespoke nodded, clearly not at all bothered by the mask. From what I had heard from Yuri, he had been the prosecutor on quite a few cases she had taken on while still starting off at the agency, so he was probably used to this by now. "The crime took place at the Interpol headquarters in the area. The victim was one Y, but since Interpol agents are meant to keep their names hidden, we can't disclose her real name in this trial. She was found dead in her office yesterday, having been hit on the head with a vase, causing her to die instantly. Not many clues were found at the scene of the crime," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke began. He was silent for a few moments after this before nudging Prosecutor Wood.
The young girl seemed to be startled out of her nervous daze. He whispered something to her that I couldn't quite hear (which was an impressive feat on his part given how powerful my ears are), prompting her to begin speaking. "A stack of files sitting on her desk went missing after the crime. We believe the culprit killed her to steal those files. The victim was the main investigator on the Oracle case to try and determine the true identity of the Oracle of the Law, so she obviously had all the knowledge needed to track the spy," Prosecutor Wood continued.
"The victim approached the defendant a few weeks ago to tell him that she had figured out who Oracle really was. When she offered to tell him, he declined the offer, but she still kept the files with all her evidence in her office. At the time, Oracle was actually a huge help to the agents of Interpol. A few agents from the technological branch were revealed to be selling secrets of the company to the highest paying customer. Oracle exposed to M through a letter that this dark trade was happening. They continued to send letters to M to help him reveal who had turned against the company until they had all been rooted out," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke went on.
"M didn't want to learn who Oracle was until he was in a place where letting them go would be beneficial. He didn't have Y tell him a thing about Oracle for these weeks, instead keeping himself in the dark. However, there is a theory that he really didn't want to know because he's an associate of Oracle, which is where our motive comes from. We think that he was working alongside Oracle before this incident took place, but to keep his coworker safe, he kept it on the down low," Prosecutor Wood said. I could hear her voice clearly shaking, but I didn't say a thing on the matter, instead silently listening to the opening statement.
"This is where the murder comes into play. We believe that M snuck into Y's office to take her files relating to Oracle before killing her to keep her quiet. Afterwards, he turned off the power of the building from the power room at the center of the floor with the victim's office," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke told us. "He was even found inside of the power room after the power eventually came back on, which only points to show that he's incredibly suspicious. If he was in the power room, he could have easily turned off the power, not having an issue with it thanks to his high authority in the company."
"Plus, if you think about it, he could have been put at risk with the agents leaking information. Think about it. If he was working with Oracle and that information got out, he would be in a lot of trouble. He used Oracle's help to root out the spies before killing the threat to his safety, otherwise known as the victim," Prosecutor Wood interjected.
"Thank you, prosecution," nodded Judge Diaphan solemnly. "You're in for a rough case here, defense. With all this evidence stacked against you, can you really prove that M didn't commit this crime?"
"We certainly can," I assured her with a tight frown on my face. "You don't need to doubt our abilities. We have it all under control."
"In that case, it's time to call the first witness, prosecution," Judge Diaphan declared. "You'll be calling one of the lead detectives to the stand, yes?"
Chief Prosecutor Bespoke nodded. "We will, as a matter of fact. Detective Erikson, head on up there," he said. "Detective Wattson already headed back to the scene of the crime to do a bit of extra digging for evidence not yet found. She will not be able to join us today because of that."
Detective Erikson appeared at the witness stand, hands shoved in his pockets. He adjusted his hat briefly before pushing his hands back into his pockets.
"Please state your name and occupation, witness," Judge Diaphan told him.
"I'm Toby Erikson, a homicide detective down at the local precinct. I'm also the leading detective on this case," he responded. "Is there anything in particular you want me to talk about, Chief Prosecutor Bespoke?"
The prosecutor nodded. "Please tell us about the information selling issue Interpol has had in the last few weeks, detective," he said. "Any and all details you have will be helpful, whether it be agent names, wording from Oracle's letters, or the response of M and his partner, N."
Detective Erikson nodded. "I can get right to it then," he replied.
Witness Testimony ~
~ Selling of Information ~
-"M and his coworker, N, found out about the selling of information a few weeks ago."
-"Oracle sent them a letter saying a few agents from the technology branch had been selling trade secrets for a high price."
-"We don't know for sure how they managed to get the letter into M's office, where it was found."
-"M and N began snooping, and with a few other letters from Oracle, they found all the agents they knew were selling information."
-"We can't say for sure what information was leaked through this process since the traitors, who have since been arrested, refuse to tell what they leaked or who they told."
-"The police force is trying to determine who received this critical information now."
-"We assume a few secrets involving the technology branch were revealed, but any higher-leveled information is up in the air at the moment."
"So, we don't know a thing about what was officially sold," frowned Yuri. "All we can do is make predictions here, is that it?"
"It's not like it was any different yesterday, but it's still a bit of a disappointment," Lily remarked with a shake of her head. "I had been hoping for a little bit more..."
"It's easy to assume that if somebody got their hands on the information regarding Oracle's identity being known, it would have been sold out," I told them. "Detective Erikson, who was told that Y knew of Oracle's real name? Was it just M and N?"
"To our knowledge, it was just the two of them," he replied. "However, there is the distinct possibility the leader of the technology branch knows the truth. We've heard that he has a way of hearing things, regardless of if he's involved or not, thanks to his technological prowess."
"That agent, Q, will be coming to the witness stand a bit later in the trial, so if you want to ask him questions, you'll have your chance," Chief Prosecutor Bespoke assured us. "Until then, should we go on and have Detective Erikson repeat his testimony for the cross-examination?"
I nodded. "That sounds fine with me," I answered.
Cross-Examination
~ Selling of Information ~
-"M and his coworker, N, found out about the selling of information a few weeks ago."
-"Oracle sent them a letter saying a few agents from the technology branch had been selling trade secrets for a high price."
-"We don't know for sure how they managed to get the letter into M's office, where it was found."
-"M and N began snooping, and with a few other letters from Oracle, they found all the agents they knew were selling information."
-"We can't say for sure what information was leaked through this process since the traitors, who have since been arrested, refuse to tell what they leaked or who they told."
-"The police force is trying to determine who received this critical information now."
-"We assume a few secrets involving the technology branch were revealed, but any higher-leveled information is up in the air at the moment."
"Hold it!"
"What information does the technology branch have access to?" I asked.
"They know what agents are on what cases and where agents are when doing field work. They also work on developing new technology for the company to use, but we don't have any specific examples at the moment. Right now, it's all basic outlines and such," Detective Erikson replied.
"Do you think there are any potent hackers in the company?" I questioned next, an idea already forming in my head of what I would do if he gave the answer I was hoping for.
He paused for a moment. "The possibility is there, I suppose. I mean, these agents are the best at what they do from all over the country, so it wouldn't really surprise me if anyone had the ability to hack into other technology for cases," he answered.
"I can answer that question for you," M piped up, completely ignoring the protocol involving what should have been a prolonged silence due to his place as the defendant. "Assuming that would be alright with you, Your Honor."
Judge Diaphan nodded solemnly. "Go ahead," she said.
I think I just saw the single most terrifying baby doll commercial ever, but aside from that, life is good.
As for why I'm not updating other things, I haven't had motivation to write EA or DOD lately. I know those stories tend to do better in the views department, especially DOD, but I don't want to spit out a chapter that's completely devoid of life or substance. I'm going to wait for motivation to come before I start those up again.
That being said, I'm off. I hope you enjoyed!
-Digital