A.N: Hey Guys!
I wrote this 'Trial' chapter but hit was 20 pages so I cut it in two, part 2 will be posted soon.
I would like to take a minute to thank all my reviewers. You really bring a huge smile on my face. Thanks for being so awesome.
I also wanted to thanks shadowkissed23 for proofreading this story temporarily until Jessa, my usual beta is back in function.
I really hope you will enjoy this chapter and don't forget to review. It sure makes me feel good during my tiring move.
Take are guys
Steffy.
Chapter 4a:
"Rose?" I turned toward the bars and found Mikhail and Liam standing side by side. "It's time," the former said as if he wished it weren't.
I nodded with a weary sigh. I barely dozed off last night, waking up at least every thirty minutes. I finally gave up on the idea of sleep a couple hours ago. I simply sat on the bed with my legs up, resting my forehead on my knees.
I was taken aback for a second as I noticed that Liam was holding a pile of clothes for my shower.
"But these are official Guardian's clothes," I said as he opened the cell door.
"So? You're still a Guardian, for now," he replied nudging me in the direction of the bathroom.
"Always so charming," I said through gritted teeth.
I showered quickly, dressed and tightened my wet hair into a high bun as my father had advised. 'You need to remind them what a warrior you are. You aren't of the breed that go, kill old ladies in their sleep,' he had told me. 'And hold your head high Rose. No daughter of mine should ever look down in front of those people.'
I looked at my reflection in the mirror, knowing that there was no turning back now. I was about to face one of my worst nightmares, worse than any Strigoi. I would soon be entering a courtroom full of people who hated me, people who were accusing me of something that I didn't do and worst of all probably even the guilty party. There would be an official Judge, but I knew that every person in that room would be judging me, hoping to find me guilty.
I also knew that if my father's defense tactics failed, I would be as good as dead. I wouldn't try to escape. I had already screwed up so many things, careers and lives. Part of me started to wonder if I didn't belong here after all. I was a traitor…I had broken Victor out of a high security prison and set him loose.
I closed my eyes resting my forehead against the cold glass of the mirror. Maybe I was just tired of all of this.
"Rose," I heard Mikhail behind me. He rested his hand gently on my shoulder.
I opened my eyes and moved slightly so I could see his face in the mirror. "I'm scared," I whispered and I only realized now how true it was.
He squeezed my shoulder. "Me too," he whispered back and it was exactly what I needed to hear. No pretenses, no lies.
I turned around swiftly and pulled him into a hug. He was startled at first, but quickly hugged me back. "Okay let's go," he said once I released him.
"Hands behind your back," Liam commanded as soon as I walked out of the bathroom.
"Oooo I didn't know you liked it that way," I said as he locked the handcuffs. "Mean, rude and frisky? How did I get so lucky?"
He grunted and nudged me forward. We began walking down the long corridor with Liam on my right side keeping a hand on the chain of my handcuffs as Mikhail walked to my right.
Abe was waiting for me at the top of the stairs, wearing another designer suit, in black this time. He accessorized his suit with a red tie, emerald cufflinks and a black fedora with red trim. He looked a lot more like a stereotypical Mafia Godfather than a lawyer, but at the end of the day that was probably what he was.
"Old man, I thought we discussed your fashion sense," I said trying to hide my fear and apprehension behind my legendary smartass attitude.
"Little girl -" he frowned, going into full mobster mode. "What happened to her?" he asked Liam.
Liam shrugged, "I have no idea."
"If any of you hurt her, I swear th-"
"If I could say something, since you know… I'm the principal witness here," I waited for him to stop glaring at the others and concentrate on me. "I had a bad dream, jumped from my bed and fell. Honest."
He clacked his tongue in his mouth like he did when he was mad.
"I swear! Geez, how can I get the Judges to believe me if my own blood doesn't!" I snapped angrily.
Mikhail and the guard behind the reception desk looked around confused, but weirdly enough, Liam didn't even move his eyes. However, I couldn't tell if he already knew or if this was his poker face.
"Sorry," said Abe coming to stand in front of me and putting his hands on each side of my face. He scrutinized my face and smiled. "It's all good. It will make the people wonder what happened to you, 'Poor girl beaten up in jail'."
I rolled my eyes, but couldn't help to smile at my father's slyness.
He kissed my forehead startling me. That was - if I remembered correctly- the first affectionate gesture he had ever given me. "It will be fine. Nothing will happen to you. Nefes aldiğım sürece, sen benim kanim, güvenli olacaktir.'' (As long as I'm breathing, you, my flesh and blood, will be safe). He smiled. "Kizimi saviyorum'' (I love you my daughter).
"I didn't understand."
"You weren't supposed to." He took a deep breath. "Come on. It's time to make it all blow in their faces. Remember Rose, head high."
My dad took the lead, with me and the two Guardians just behind.
"Your blood?" whispered Mikhail.
"Yes I-"
Liam cleared his throat loudly which meant 'shut it' in asshole language.
As I walked into the courtroom, I heard the small muffled sound of conversations stopping instantly. It was eerie how suddenly calm the courtroom became. My heart started to beat faster in my chest, but I kept my head high. My Guardian poker face was firmly in place as I locked my eyes on the seat I'd be taking during the trial.
I could feel Lissa close by. She was startled by the way I looked, the obvious lack of sleep, and she hoped nobody had hurt me.
I had decided not to look at the other people sitting in the room. I knew that meeting their accusatory eyes, or their compassion, might destroy my - barely there - guardian façade. But Lissa was Lissa; I needed to let her know I was okay. I quickly glanced her way, and gave her a tiny smile.
'Are you okay?' she asked directly in my head.
I nodded discreetly as Liam helped me into my chair and removed my handcuffs.
"Don't forget you owe me an ass kicking, and you need to be free to do that. Fight with all you have," he whispered in my ear as the cuffs slid of my wrists. I was so startled by his comment that I couldn't think of a reply before he was already too far away.
I was grateful that I was sitting at a table with my back to most of the audience. I didn't want to meet any eyes that could shake my poker face. Mikhail took the seat beside me, and I felt grateful for this friendly presence.
"You look sexy, even while on trial. It's so unfair," I heard Adrian whisper from his seat on the other side of Abe.
I wanted to ask him what he was doing here, sitting at the table. But I didn't get a chance as Iris Kane, the prosecution lawyer - and probably my number one fan, based on the murderous glare she threw me - entered the room.
"Oh joy, the bitch is in," I whispered as she took her place at the other table with her three assistants.
"I bet she's feisty," whispered Abe with a wink.
"You really are unstoppable," I said pinching the bridge of my nose. If Dimitri thought I was a permanent 'trial' for him, he should meet my father.
"Please stand up for the Court," said a man from beside a big wooden door. At this moment, the same Judge from my hearing, Judge Paula Gregory, entered, followed by the eleven members of the Council.
I watched them sit down, face grim. They sat in alphabetical order with the Judge in the middle; Badica, Conta, Dashkov, Drozdov, Ivashkov, the Judge, Lazar, Ozera, Szelsky, Tarus, Voda and Zeklos. Part of me was happy that my best friend wasn't on that Council right now. What could she do against the majority? Once they were all seated, we were allowed to sit back down too.
"Well, let the trial of Ms. Rose Hathaway begin. Miss Hathaway is being prosecuted for the murder of our Queen, Her Majesty Tatiana Ivashkov. What is the accused pleading?" asked the Judge.
"Not guilty," Abe said happily with a loud sure voice.
"Very well then." The Judge wrote something on her pad. "The prosecution has presented their evidence during the preliminary hearing, so it will be up to the defense to start this case. Are you ready to begin?"
"Of course!" Abe almost scoffed. Tune down with the attitude old man! I thought exasperated. This is my life at stake!
The Judge crossed her hands on her desk, lips pursed.
Abe stood up, "I would like to call Mr. Ian Bridges to take the stand please."
"Who the hell is Ian Bridges?" I muttered to myself with my best 'what-the-fuck' face.
"Objection Your Honor!" said Iris almost jumping from her chair. "Mr. Bridges is not on the defense's list of witnesses."
Abe turned to Iris with a face so calm that it actually crept me out. "Well, since you're the one using his testimony for the whereabouts of Mr. Ivashkov the night of the murder, I think it's more than legal to cross-examine the only witness that places him in my client's room at 9:20 a.m. May I state that this exactitude is almost eerie, by the way? But let's get back to that later," he said giving Iris his best predatory smile which made her lose her smug attitude for a minute.
He turned back to face the Judge. "It is stated in the Case of R v Moore that if there is only one witness able to situate someone at a given place, at a specific time, and if the prosecution presented this testimony, then the defense can cross-examine this witness, using undisclosed evidence, to assess the veracity of the testimony."
"I know the law Mr. Mazur," said the Judge, but she was apparently impressed that Abe did his 'homework'.
As for me, I had never been prouder to be his daughter, whatever the issue of this trial might be. I understood now, that Mr. Bridges was the Moroi Janitor who said he saw Adrian when he joined me that night.
The man was pretty old and walked stiffly. He was even sweating slightly. But to be fair, I would probably do the same if I were to face this version of Abe, innocent or not. After taking his oath, the man sat down. When he looked up our gazes met briefly, but as soon as he met my eyes he quickly looked back down.
"Oh my God, he's a liar!" I whispered urgently to Mikhail.
"Shush Rose, please. Let Mazur work, he knows what he's doing," he whispered back.
"Mr. Bridges, how are you doing?" asked Abe with a smile that was apparently meant to be friendly. But his eyes were still threatening no matter what. He always had this dark, sly edge there… well almost always, except when he was looking at me.
"Fi-fine, thank you," he said looking at the crowd behind us, I would have loved to see who he was looking for.
Abe turned around to scan the crowd as well. "Are you looking for someone?"
"I don't see the relevance of that question," said Iris - the cunning bitch - with a cold voice.
"Please, Mr. Mazur, we're not here to socialize," said the Judge with clear warning.
Abe shrugged dismissively. As he walked back to the table he gave me a quick wink. He extended his hand and Adrian handed him some papers out of a red folder.
Man, Adrian really was his assistant here. No wonder his mother busted a vein yesterday. I thought feeling bad for the woman yet again. She had been so nice to me.
Abe turned back to the Janitor scanning the piece of paper in his hands. "The Queen's murder was committed - based on the medical examiner's estimate - between 7:00 and 8:00 in the morning. You have declared under oath that you saw Mister Adrian Ivashkov," he said pointed to Adrian, "entering the building where Miss Hathaway resides at 9:20 a.m. sharp. Am I correct?"
"Yes."
"Are you sure about that?" asked Abe again.
"Yes."
"Positive, positive?" he insisted.
"Objection, Your Honor! Is he trying to intimidate the witness or," she turned to Abe, "What part of 'yes' don't you understand?"
Giving Abe Mazur attitude when you are not his flesh and blood is pretty stupid chica. I thought seeing Abe's dark eyes light with anger.
"What's your point Mr. Mazur?" asked Prince Badica calmly. I hated the fact that the members of the Council themselves could intervene during the trial. I mean, they loved me so much… NOT!
"Well, I'm sorry to be so insisting, but…" He walked back to where we were sitting as Adrian set a brown box on the table. Adrian then took out what looked like four mini laser disks with weird, red logos on them. Abe took them and turned around to show them to the Council, causing some of the members gasp.
"I have evidence proving that this man is lying," he said jerking his head toward the Janitor.
"How did you get that?" asked Rufus Ivashkov apparently completely stunned. "These are ultra-private security footages! Only the Queen and some of the higher members of her guard have access to these footages."
"There is nothing illegal for me to have them. There is no law or jurisprudence refusing the use of some of the Queen's ultra-private security footages."
"Maybe so, but it's common knowledge. A tacit agreement had been given by the Queen that the…. ummm…. recordings of these cameras should stay a secret, and be for viewing only, not recording," Rufus added uncomfortably. "I don't know how you even knew these recordings existed!"
"Well the agreement is dead along with the Queen, Prince Ivashkov," said Abe making some people gasp behind me. I had his genes alright. "Don't worry. The parts I care about are only concerning my client and that man's testimony. There's nothing more on these disks."
Rufus seemed to relax a little. I guessed Adrian wasn't joking when he talked about Rufus' two mistresses.
"I would still love to know who gave them to you," Rufus insisted.
"Does it really matter? We're here to let the truth prevail, no?" Abe asked with a voice full of sarcasm. "You'll see that the videos are legit, the protective filigrees are on the footages. And as you know very well," he added locking eyes with Rufus, "it's impossible to tamper with these tapes."
I looked around, trying to find Liam. I didn't know why, but a little voice inside of me kept telling me that he was the one responsible for this. As soon as our eyes met, I saw the left corner of his mouth twitch in a crooked smile and immediately knew I was right. The question was… Why did he help me?
"You may use them," said the Judge before Rufus could add anything more. I was starting to love that woman.
"Objection!" shouted Iris again. "I wasn't made aware of these pieces of evidence."
"This is bound to get very old, VERY soon," snapped Abe really glaring at Iris now. "Didn't you listen to the R v Moore argument stated before? Or were you too busy trying to figure out which of your assistants you were going to try to lure into your bed tonight?" His voice was so cold it made me shiver.
I looked at the Council, and almost fell off my chair when I saw little smiles on Prince Badica's and Princess Ozera's faces.
"He's right Ms. Kane. Maybe you should check the jurisprudence before jumping with 'objection' every time you feel like it," said the Judge.
She sat back down.
"Thank you, Your Honor," said Abe sliding the disk into the DVD player. "As you can see in this first footage," Abe pointed at the big flat screen, "Mr. Ivashkov left his quarters at 7:11 a.m. On this one, you can see him near the center fountain at 7:24 a.m. And if you look there," Abe paused the third footage, "the camera isn't directed at the Guardians' dorms. However, you can clearly see Mr. Ivashkov entering the building at 7:29 a.m. So I can't help to wonder…." he turned to Iris. "No objections? We're good?"
Iris pursed her lips and I looked down, trying to hide my smile.
"It doesn't prove anything," she said finally. "He could have left and come back later when Mr. Bridges saw him."
Abe smiled brightly. "I'm glad you pointed that out Ms. Kane. On the last footage, you can see Mr. Bridges eating what seems to be a…. ham sandwich."
"How is that relevant?" asked Iris.
"Well, as you can see, this is the staff room in the left wing of Court. Mr. Bridges, you were there at exactly 9:17 a.m. I timed the walk personally from the Guardians' dorms to this staff room twice, and it takes exactly twenty-eight minutes.
"So, Mr. Bridges, I'm confused. How could you have seen Mr. Ivashkov entering the building at 9:20 a.m., when you weren't there? Moreover, Mr. Ivashkov went there almost two hours earlier, giving my client much less time to possibly commit that murder."
The Janitor was looking around eyes wide. I would have almost felt sorry for him - almost- if he wasn't trying to ruin my life. "I-I…"
"You?" tried Abe as he approached him again. I could hear the quiet buzz of conversations behind me.
"Maybe my watch was broken. Maybe it was 7:20 a.m. when I saw him."
"But that makes a big difference, doesn't it Mr. Bridges? It 'almost' gives my client an alibi. I don't have any more questions Your Honor. But you can expect us to file a formal complaint against Mr. Bridges in the VERY near future," he added before walking back to the table and handing the DVD's back to Adrian.
Paula nodded. "Ms. Kane?"
"No questions, Your Honor," she said. I could hear the defeat in her voice.
"You may go Mr. Bridges, but please remain in the room. We would love to have a word with you later," said Princess Evette Ozera.
"Mr. Mazur?" tried the Judge.
"I would like to call Guardian Stone to the stand." He grabbed another file as Adrian put another box on the desk.
Guardian Stone was the guardian who retrieved 'my' stake from the Queen's chest. He walked stiffly to the stand and took his oath.
"Guardian Stone," said Abe reaching for an evidence bag. "Is this the stake you retrieved from our late Queen's chest?"
The Guardian took the bag and turned it around. "It looks like it."
"Thank you," said Abe taking the bag back to the evidence stand. He reached for a big piece of cardboard and turned it around for everyone to see. It was a picture of the stake that showed fingerprints glowing a sort of violet color. "Are those the fingerprints that have been retrieved from the stake, and are, supposedly, my clients?"
"Objection, Your Honor! Guardian Stone is not member of the Crime Scene Unit. He has no authority to confirm or infirm that information," blared Iris.
I swear to God 'objection' was the only word that woman knew! I thought with anger. Was it what she screamed during sex too?
"So let me get this straight," said Abe looking at the Judge. "Guardian Stone had enough authority and credentials to declare that the fingerprints belonged to Ms. Hathaway during the preliminary hearing, on which this trial is based, but he's not competent enough now? That is very interesting."
"You may continue Mr. Mazur. Ms. Kane, just sit down," said the Judge in irritation.
"So?" pressed Abe. "Are these the fingerprints that were found?"
"Yes, they are."
Abe nodded and gestured to a Guardian by the door. The Guardian nodded in return and joined Abe in the center of the courtroom with a training dummy.
"What is this?" asked the Judge.
"This is a training dummy, and I need it to prove a point."
"This is a Courtroom, not a training class!" said Prince Zeklos.
"It will prove an essential point," said Abe with a voice as sweet as honey.
The Judge didn't seem convinced, and looked at him with narrow eyes. I was pretty sure she was about to object when Prince Lazar leaned toward the Judge and whispered something to her.
"You may continue Mr. Mazur. Just don't turn this into a show," warned the Judge.
Abe nodded and laid the dummy flat on an empty table. "Guardian Stone could you please join me?"
The Guardian looked around, apparently caught off guard, but slowly walked to Abe, who handed him a stake. "I would like you - with your Guardian training - to stake that dummy please," he said taking a step to the side.
The Guardian looked at the Council as if asking for permission. Prince Ivashkov looked bored, but gestured for him to proceed. Guardian Stone staked the dummy.
"Thank you. If you could step to the side," Abe gestured as he put on latex gloves. Once they were firmly in place and Guardian Stone was out of his way, he removed the stake from the dummy's chest. He sprayed some kind of product on it, and the fingerprints immediately started to glow purple like the ones in the picture.
"As you can see," he said holding the stake high. "None of the fingerprints match those on the stake retrieved from the Queen's chest."
The spectators gasped. Even Guardian Stone lost his poker face, looking as if he just had a revelation.
"Now," said Abe apparently pleased by the bomb he just dropped. "We copied the prints found on the murder weapon here," he said pointing at the picture, "onto this stake. Please Guardian Stone, could you superpose your fingers to these fingerprints and stake the dummy again."
The Guardian shrugged, superposed his fingers to the prints and tried to stake the dummy.
"I-I can't!" he said frowning. "I can't get enough pressure."
"That's all I need Guardian. You may sit down."
"What was the whole point of that demonstration?" asked Princess Conta.
"Well, as you can see, the fingerprints might have been Ms Hathaway's, but they're not the ones involved in the staking. It's clear that the person who staked the Queen wore gloves. It would have been pretty pointless for Miss Hathaway to use her own stake, knowing that her fingerprints were already on it."
Prince Ivashkov whispered something to Princess Drozdov who nodded.
"I don't have any more questions," said Abe sitting down beside me.
"You're just like Johnny Cochrane old man. I'm impressed," I whispered to him.
He reached for my hand and squeezed it. "I'm even better," he whispered back.
"Ms. Kane?" asked the Judge.
"Yes, just one question Guardian Stone," she said as she stood up. "It was impossible for you to stake that dummy following the fingerprints on the stake. But it MIGHT be possible that someone else could manage it, right?" she asked with a big smile pressing on the 'might' as if she wanted to hint him toward an answer.
"No, that's impossible," he said so categorically that Iris lost her smile.
"I'm sorry?" she asked taken aback.
"No, it's impossible. See -"
"Thank you Guardian Stone. I have no more questions." Iris turned around abruptly and walked briskly to her chair.
"I'd like to hear the rest of his answer. If you don't mind Guardian," said Princess Evette Ozera. "Why is that impossible?"
Guardian Stone nodded and sat down again. "Well, you see, the heart is very well protected by the ribs, the muscles and so on. The way we're taught to hold a stake is the only effective way to get through all those layers and pierce the heart. The hold I had on the stake didn't give me the ability to go even halfway through, and I'm a 220 pound man. Guardian Hathaway is what, 135 maybe140 pounds?" He shook his head. "If I can't do it, she sure as hell can't either."
I'm 128 pounds, thank you very much, you assbutt! But since you are trying to save my life I'll let it slide, I thought still glaring.
"Thank you Guardian Stone. You are excused," said the Judge.
"Mr. Mazur, do you have anything else to add?" she asked after the Guardian left the stand.
Second part of the trial will be posted soon.