A/N: Only one more chapter in this fic, and I still haven't quite started on Tennessee Turnabout... orz
May 1, 10:00 AM, District Court, Courtroom no. 9
"Court is now once again in session for the trial of Lars Ennie," said the Judge, "before we begin: Mr. Fey, I have to ask… how is Alois?"
"Still in the hospital," Miguel said. He looked completely unconcerned, although it plainly out of a deep conviction that things would work out just fine instead of any kind of apathy. "Disoriented and, I believe, hallucinating. I heard from my sister that his condition is only temporary, though."
"That's good," said the Judge, nodding, "moving on…"
"The prosecution is ready, your Honor."
"The defense is ready as well, your Honor," said Apollo.
"Now, yesterday, before the interruption, the L. A. Holmes massacre four years ago was brought up as being potentially related to this case. Mr. Fey, does the prosecution wish to pursue this line of reasoning?" the Judge said.
"Absolutely, your Honor," Miguel said, "the two cases are definitely related."
"Are you claiming that my client is the culprit from the case four years ago?" Apollo said.
"No," Miguel said, "although it's possible that the culprit from the case four years ago was at the crime scene." He took a sip of coffee. "The blood on the victim's clothing that belonged to neither her nor the defendant, and the blood on the carpet four years ago that belonged to no one in the house…" he smirked toothily, "they're the same blood."
"So the victim had an encounter with the culprit from four years ago," Apollo said, "Prosecutor Fey-Armando, what makes you say the culprit from four years ago was at the crime scene?"
"The knife from Ennie's kitchen," Miguel said. "After I took over the case yesterday, I had forensics do a more detailed analysis of the blood on the knife. There was a trace - so mixed with the other blood that it's understandable that forensics missed it the first time - of blood that matched that on Jantje's clothes."
"So the culprit from four years ago was injured with that knife, and the blood got on Jantje," Apollo said, frowning in thought, "and since the knife came from my client's apartment, you assume this took place at the crime scene."
"Yes," said Miguel.
"Who do you think did it?" Apollo said, "my client, or Jantje?" He crossed his arms. "If Jantje was the one with blood on her clothing, then it's likely that she attacked the culprit from four years ago with that knife."
"Only partial fingerprints were found on the knife. She never held it."
"Is it really important who attacked the culprit from four years ago?" the Judge said.
Before Apollo could answer yes it is, Miguel did so for him: "It's of the utmost importance, your Honor."
Apollo raised an eyebrow. He would have been bluffing if he had been the one to say that, and he more than suspected Miguel was in the same boat. But everyone knew Miguel had a personal stake in the L. A. Holmes case, so if he could use the Lars Ennie trial to finally get to the bottom of it? Fine. Let him.
"So what you're proposing," Apollo said, "is that this case actually had two victims - one of murder, Jantje, and one of attempted murder, L. A. Holmes."
"Essentially," Miguel said. He finished his cup of coffee and neatly caught the other one that slid to him over the bench. "I believe Mr. Ennie may have been dispensing a little vigilante justice while drunk in his apartment last weekend."
"Vigilante justice?" Apollo said.
"Jantje was clearly related to the massacre in and of herself. I assume my kitten mentioned it yesterday?"
"He mentioned she had a piece of evidence from that case on her," the Judge said, "but he didn't get the chance to say what."
"It was a slip of paper, your Honor," Miguel said, "with a very important number on it: 6YJL401."
"The license plate that allowed the police to find the converted hotel where the serial kidnapping victims were being held," Apollo said.
"Yes, exactly. But…" and Miguel took a swig of coffee, "that number was never released to the public. Only those directly involved in the case, or had access to the files of those who were, could have known that number."
Directly involved in the case, huh…, Apollo thought. Combined with the 'vigilante justice' comment… "Prosecutor Fey-Armando, do you believe that Jantje was some kind of accomplice in the incident four years ago?"
Miguel didn't say anything for a moment, his face serious, and Apollo couldn't tell if he was thinking about it or just being dramatic, then he said: "Yes. Yes, she was." Then he stretched his hand out, back to his normal insufferable smugness. "The defendant has a few things to say about this subject that I think the court needs to listen to. Get up here."
Ennie took the stand.
"Witness, name and occupation."
"My name is Lars Ennie… I'm the CFO of Central California Bank."
"You have kids, Mr. Ennie?" Miguel was smiling at him.
"Yes… one daughter, Ash. I'm divorced from her mother-"
"Any sons?"
Ennie was silent. Apollo narrowed his eyes.
"Not anymore, right?" Miguel said, and pulled out a piece of paper. "This is the list of victims from the L. A. Holmes massacre on July 8, 2050. I couldn't help but notice a name here… Garth Ennie, age fourteen. Went missing in Tracy in '46."
"My wife blamed me," Ennie said in a hoarse whisper, then he put his hands up to his face and sobbed. "She was right, I should have been watching him more closely… my beautiful son, gone in an instant, and then Roma took Ash away from me, too…"
"Your Honor," Miguel said casually, turning towards the Judge, "the motive."
"I see…" said the Judge.
Apollo's jaw worked. Ennie's apparent lack of connection to Jantje was a huge point in his favor, but if she really was involved with L. A. Holmes, that went right out the window.
He slammed his fists on the desk. "How can you say for sure that Jantje was an accomplice in the L. A. Holmes case? We don't know anything about her background - maybe she lost a brother or friend and was trying to get revenge, herself. Maybe she only obtained the plate number through her own investigation!"
Miguel grinned at him. It was very much an 'I know something you don't' look. "Maybe we should look a little deeper into the L. A. Holmes case; I'm sure we'll find our answer there. Ennie, you're dismissed. …the prosecution calls Detective Ema Skye to the stand."
Apollo groaned internally. Cases with Juniper presiding and cases with Ema investigating were bad enough on their own, but the two of them at the same time?
"Witness, name and occupation."
"Ema Skye," she said with a cold emphasis on her last name, "homicide detective."
"I suppose you were the one who worked with Mr. Fey on the case four years ago?" the Judge said stiffly. She and Ema were glaring at each other, and Apollo could swear the temperature in the room had raised a couple degrees. (Miguel was completely unconcerned by all this.)
"I was," Ema said, her voice flat.
"Well," Miguel said, "give us an overview of the massacre, Detective."
Ema snorted, and directed her testimony towards Miguel rather than Apollo or the Judge. After a quick summation of events, she went on: "Ked Napp was found innocent when Diego Armando, his defense attorney, proved that the real culprit had escaped before the police entered the building. His proof was that there was unidentified blood in the carpet in one of the rooms on the third floor, where one of the hostages had been killed. Most likely the culprit escaped through the underground tunnel that connected to the building's laundry room - which the police did check beforehand, but ruled out due to the lack of blood in the passage. After all, the crime scene had been incredibly bloody, so naturally we expected the culprit to have gotten some blood on them…" She ate a few Snackoos before continuing. "Mr. Armando proved that the reason why no blood had been found in the passage was because the culprit had stripped before leaving, and that was why Ked Napp was found wearing women's clothing."
"So L. A. Holmes is probably a woman?" Apollo interrupted.
"Potentially," Ema said dismissively.
"I guess you never know with these serial killer types," Apollo mumbled to himself.
Ema glared at him. "L. A. Holmes was a serial kidnapper and a mass murderer, not a serial murderer," she sniffed.
"Detective," Miguel said, "there was something else strange about the crime scene, wasn't there? Something we never quite figured out?"
"Well, I suppose if it's public knowledge now…" Ema said, "Alois was discovered unconscious but unharmed in a closet after the dust settled. Ordinarily we'd assume that he'd managed to hide during the massacre itself, but he had blood on him, indicating that he was present for at least one murder. Since it's unlikely that he, himself, escaped from the culprit once the killings were underway, we thought he had been… spared."
"But, due to the fact that the culprit got lucky that he didn't remember anything, that was never a move that made sense," Miguel said with a grin, "or at least, until now."
"What are you saying?" Apollo said.
"If we assume Jantje was present at the massacre, then we finally have our explanation as to why he survived - she's the one who spared my kitten."
"Objection!" Apollo said, "you've been arguing that Jantje was an accomplice! Why would she spare-"
Miguel slammed the bottom of his coffee mug on his desk, and Apollo cut himself off. Miguel had a very strange, and slightly manic, look in his eyes. "She was in a position to stop the massacre entirely, and save twenty-five lives," he said, "but chose only to save one. That makes her complicit by criminal negligence in my eyes."
"I'm sure the defendant would see it the same way," Ema chimed in, "since one of the twenty-five she chose to let die was his son."
"Objection!" Apollo objected again, "I'd like to see some actual proof that Jantje was at the crime scene four years ago!"
Ema frowned, and twisted a lock of hair between her fingers. "We don't exactly have concrete proof," she said slowly, "although she was definitely related somehow, and it does make all the pieces fall into place…"
"The court is willing to follow this assumption," the Judge said, "as long as it actually leads us back to the case at hand."
"Naturally, your Honor," Miguel said, "Detective Skye, about the culprit's blood…"
"How it got there, right?" Ema said, "well, the most likely thing is that they were attacked. We've always assumed that the bleeding came from a laceration when one of their victims fought back and managed to get the culprit to cut themselves, but we didn't find matching blood on the knife-"
"Wait," Apollo said, "this sounds familiar."
"Doesn't it?" said Miguel. "We think now that, four years ago, Jantje attacked L. A. Holmes with a weapon of her own."
"Or maybe L. A. Holmes attacked Jantje four years ago," Apollo said, "and it happened again this weekend." He slammed his fists on the defense bench. "The culprit of the case from four years ago attacked Jantje in my client's apartment, and was injured when she defended herself - that's why their blood was on the knife, and on Jantje's clothing!" He pointed dramatically. "The defense proposes that the real killer in this case is the same one behind the hostage massacre!"
"Interesting," Miguel said, and Apollo blinked. He would have expected him to put up more of a fight than this. "It's true that, if our theory about Jantje being present at the massacre is correct, L. A. Holmes has a foregone motive: she might've talked. But then," he leaned forward, "why let her live in the first place? If Jantje attacked L. A. Holmes four years ago, then her escape would make sense. But if L. A. Holmes attacked Jantje four years ago, you'd think Jantje would have been dead for four years already."
"L. A. Holmes was injured," Apollo pointed out.
"Judging by the amount of blood," Ema said, "the only way L. A. Holmes would have been incapacitated was by head wound. That's not a very likely thing to inflict on someone when you're trying to defend yourself from a knife."
"Whether Jantje attacked them or the other way around," Apollo said, shaking his head, "L. A. Holmes has a solid motive. My point is that last weekend, L. A. Holmes' blood made its way to the crime scene by way of the fact that they are the one who killed Jantje." He crossed his arms and smirked at Miguel. "So, your theory that Jantje was involved in the massacre is a double-edged sword after all, Prosecutor Fey-Armando."
Miguel shrugged. "We have our motive, and you have your idea of who it could have been if not the defendant. I'd say we came out about even, Mr. Justice." He smirked toothily. "Except for all the evidence against Mr. Ennie, of course."
Apollo's hair drooped. Yeah, that was still a bit of a mess. He was tempted to object to the whole line of reasoning they'd just been through, since really it was just conjecture, but… he did feel he was onto something with L. A. Holmes being the real killer. Maybe…
Plus, he did find it a bit strange how Miguel had led that entire conversation, like he already knew exactly what had happened in that old hotel four years ago.
"There's one thing I still don't get," Ema said, "why would Jantje choose Alois, out of everyone there, to hide in a closet? There's nothing that indicates she even knew him."
"…who knows," Miguel said, impassively drinking his coffee, "I'm sure she had her own reasons."
Apollo raised an eyebrow. Why should that be where Miguel steps down? Well, moving on, he said, "I'd like to address all the evidence against Mr. Ennie, actually, starting with the cross-examination from yesterday I was never able to finish."
"Go ahead," the Judge said, "Detective Skye, you may go."
"Finally," Ema snorted, then slinked out of the courtroom. The Judge visibly relaxed once she was gone.
"The defense calls Jackie Proserpine to the stand."
She took the stand again. Miguel asked her her name and occupation. She gave the same introductory line from yesterday: "My name is Jackie Proserpine. I'm the coroner's assistant at the Los Angeles County Morgue."
"Go ahead, Mr. Justice," Miguel said, sipping his coffee.
"Ms. Proserpine," Apollo said, standing up straight, "you're neighbors with the defendant, correct?"
"Correct."
"And your apartments have the same layout?"
She raised an eyebrow at him. "How do you mean?"
Apollo pulled out a map of the apartment complex that he'd gotten from the superintendent the day before. "All the apartments on each floor of the building have the same layout," he said. "The doors all look the same, too. Now, witness, do you think it's possible to fool a drunk man into thinking he'd entered his own apartment by switching the nameplates and mimicking his own furnishings?" He folded his arms.
"That sounds like something out of a manga," Miguel commented.
Apollo didn't respond to that, because he didn't want to admit that he only realized the possibility in the fist place when he remembered an old manga he had once read.
"Even if the nameplates were switched and the apartments looked more or less the same once you got in," Jackie said, unruffled, "even that drunkard would realize he had the wrong apartment when he couldn't put in the door code."
"Unless the person switching the apartment changed their door code to match his," Apollo said.
Jackie rolled her eyes. "Just say you think it was me."
"I'm not levying an accusation just yet, Ms. Proserpine. However," he pulled out a piece of paper, "while he wasn't legally allowed to disclose the codes themselves to me, your superintendent did tell me that you suddenly changed your door code the day of the crime, and changed it again the day after."
"That's not a crime," Jackie said.
"I agree," Miguel said, "unless, of course, you have proof that the witness was changing her door code for the sake of tricking Ennie."
"Plus," Jackie said, "even if my apartment looked like his, it wouldn't have his things in it. What about his suitcase?"
"You could have easily placed that in your own apartment while he was out," Apollo said, "and if that were so, it explains why there were no traces of blood found on the suitcase."
"Come on, Mr. Justice," Miguel said, "this whole set-up only works if Proserpine can guarantee Ennie would immediately fall asleep on the couch, instead of going into 'his' room."
"Witness," Apollo said, "how long have you and the defendant been neighbors?"
"…almost four years now."
Apollo shook his head. "I don't find it unlikely that she would know his drunken habits."
"Mr. Justice," the Judge said, "as plausible as you make it sound, your speculation is just that - speculation. Do you have any concrete proof that this room swap took place?"
"It explains why the crime scene wasn't cleaned up at all," Apollo said, "which you have to admit is unusual."
"I said concrete proof, Mr. Justice."
"Er… the lack of blood on the suitcase."
The Judge gave him an unimpressed look, and Apollo could practically taste the upcoming penalty, when Miguel swooped in: "It just doesn't stand up against the evidence we have against the defendant. For instance, that quarter."
"Actually," Apollo said, turning back to Jackie, "I wanted to ask about that, too. You're the coroner's assistant - could you describe, in detail, the nature of the quarter being found in the victim's body?"
Jackie shrugged. "It was found in her abdominal cavity," she said, "it looked as though it had fallen from Ennie's pocket, and got pushed in deeper by the tip of the knife. I doubt he noticed it."
"What's the possibility that it was intentionally planted?" Apollo said.
"Low," Jackie said, "as I said, it was pushed between her organs by the point of a knife. If it were planted, Ennie would have been more likely to use his fingers, which would have displaced things slightly, and it would come up in the autopsy."
"Just out of curiosity," Apollo said, "who discovered the quarter - you, or Dr. Kamosinko?"
"…me," Jackie said warily.
"Speaking of curiosity," Miguel said casually, "does anyone else think that the victim's nails are awfully clean for a homeless woman's?"
There was the briefest lull while everyone wondered what the heck Miguel was bringing that up for, then Apollo realized he was right. "Yeah," he said, flipping to the photographs in the autopsy report, "they are clean."
"Does this matter?" said the Judge.
"Your Honor, the victim had defensive wounds, meaning she clearly fought back against her attacker," Apollo said, "and almost always, when the victim fights back like this, bits of skin from their assailant will end up under their nails. It's enough that you could actually do a DNA test with it."
"I see," said the Judge, "and this DNA evidence was intentionally removed?"
"Evidently."
"You certainly know your forensics, Mr. Justice," Jackie said, side-eyeing him.
"I married Detective Skye," Apollo said, "of course I do."
"Hmm," Miguel said, pensively swirling his coffee around in his mug, "is it just me, or is that level of forensic knowledge a bit out of the grasp of a banker…"
"…and more in-keeping with a coroner's assistant?" Apollo said, crossing his arms and smiling determinedly, "yeah, I'd say it is. And as coroner's assistant, it'd be incredibly easy for her to plant damning evidence against my client under the guise of 'finding' it during the autopsy."
"What is this?" Jackie said, her lips drawing back in a snarl. "You have no right to be hounding me like this. All of the evidence points towards Ennie!"
"And all of the evidence could have very easily been fabricated by you," Apollo said, "you know, witness, sometimes when evidence piles up like this, it starts to get suspicious."
"I'll admit that the prosecution doesn't have an adequate explanation as to why the defendant wouldn't have cleaned his apartment before he left for Tracy," Miguel said, "so there may actually be merit to the defense's theory that he didn't set foot in his apartment at all that night."
"Plus," Apollo said, "considering you work in a morgue, you'd be used to moving around dead bodies, so you can't even claim that it would have taken a man to take Jantje to the dumpster."
Jackie slammed her fist on the witness stand with a resounding bang. "What reason would I have to kill some homeless woman!" she shouted.
And while this would have stopped Apollo in his tracks two hours ago, he instead said: "Ms. Proserpine, my assertion that the real killer is the mass murderer from four years ago has not changed."
"Garth Ennie" is a really bad way of trying to do "gardeny". Hey, there are only so many words that end in -eny…
"Roma", that is, "Roma Ennie" is a pun on "Romani". So… I guess dude married a gypsy?
Apollo and Ema's exchange about serial murderer vs. serial kidnapper and mass murderer was based off of an actual conversation I had with Sith about this fic. (I was Ema.)
The "sounds like something of a manga" thing is a nod to the fact that I totally got the idea from some case in Detective Conan. Actually, now that I think about it, more than one case used this trick, iirc.
