A/N: FORGIVE ME FOR HOW LONG I'M TAKING WITH THIS FIC! It's just… the chapters are so long… and I have school work… and work work… and these chapters take hours to write. *sob*
But I shall push on!
Review Reply to Gamergirl: Yay! I'm glad I'm making it better for you. I had fun with Clay, to be honest, hehe. You're kind of right about Ema, by the way. I have to decide when to have her reveal it. Hm… I'm glad you're enjoying it!
Now, ONWARD!
…
Chapter 15-1: The Second Trial
June
I paced around the Defendant Lobby, my stomach churning. My first case had been nerve wrecking. This case was heart attack inducing.
Not only was it my first case without a mentor (and my second case overall), but if I didn't prove my client innocent, there was a good chance I'd be sleeping with the fishes.
Literally.
It didn't help that Trucy had decided to stay home with Dad today, who's 'old foot injury' was acting up. I groaned, dropping onto the couch and holding my head in my hands. I felt physically ill.
"Apollo?" An all too familiar and incredibly welcome voice said. My head snapped up, and I found Clay standing in front of me.
"What are you doing here?"
"Truce said you might need a co-counsel, since she was staying home with Mr. Nick," he said. I jumped up and hugged him.
"Thank you, thank you!" I blurted. He laughed, patting my back.
"I have to say, you don't seem nervous at all," Clay said sarcastically. I shook my head, laughing at that.
"A little," I admitted, letting him go. "But you never studied law…" I realized.
"Yeah I did, when I was helping you study. Remember?" he said. I nodded.
"That's right."
"I know how you can get rid of those nerves though," Clay said with a grin. I chuckled and took a deep breath.
"I'M APOLLO WRIGHT, AND I'M FINE!" I yelled.
"…I'm fine! I'm fine! You know what I'm saying!?" the dulcet tones of my client suddenly yelled. I fell quiet and looked over.
"Uh… G-good morning!" I said, forcing a smile. Clay grinned from next to me, giving a little wave.
"Yo, 'sup. Hit me with the guilty verdict, G! See if I care. You just hang loose and let things go with the flow. You know what I'm saying!?" Wocky Kitaki said, crossing his arms with a scowl.
"Uh, not really," I said, though I knew exactly what he was talking about. Wait! This is my chance to talk to him!
"Wocky! Don't be running your mouth like that in here!" a gravelly voice suddenly snapped from behind me. I jumped, my eyes widening as I recognized that voice. My heart attempted to escape as well.
Big Wins Kitaki was behind me.
"See, that's the difference between me and you, old man. I ain't afraid of no cops. Real G's can't keep it real till they spend some hard time in the pen," Wocky shot back with a not-very-intimidating scowl on his face. I could feel the anger radiating from the man who stood behind me.
"You have absolutely no idea what you're talking about," Mr. Kitaki growled.
"Uh, Apollo? It's time to go in…" Clay hissed softly. I groaned, dropping my face into my hands.
My worst fears realized… The trial's starting and I still haven't had a real talk with my client! I thought as we made our way into Courtroom four.
"Court is now in session for the trial of Wocky Kitaki," the Judge announced once everyone was settled. I stood up tall, trying to push my nerves away.
"The defense is ready, Your Honor," I announced.
"Ready to rock 'n' roll, Herr Judge," came the faux-accented voice from across the room. My head snapped over to face him.
"Uh-oh. It's the man from yesterday. Trucy's 'prince'," Clay muttered. I scowled.
Prosecutor Gavin. No wonder he was at the scene yesterday… I thought grimly.
"Long time no see, Prosecutor Gavin," the Judge said pleasantly. "Were you taking a leave of absence?"
"You know that little band I started in my free time?" the blond asked with a winning grin. "Thing is, we got real popular. Hard to say 'nein' to your fans when three of your singles go platinum, ja?"
"Oh… the Gavinners," Clay gasped softly. I looked at him.
"You know them?"
"Ex-Girlfriend. Big fan," he said by way of explanation.
"Ah."
"I see," The Judge hummed. "To be honest, I was a little concerned. I feared that you might still be distraught over that one trial…"
Zak's trial…
"Not to worry, Herr Judge. I wouldn't miss this day in court for the world. It's worth even more than VIP passes to one of my concerts, ja? How could I pass up a chance to see the true strength…" he suddenly looked at me, "of the little boy who bested my brother?"
L-little boy!? I thought indignantly.
"It was worth canceling a show or two," he added with a smirk.
"Understood. You may give your opening statements to the court," the Judge said.
"Before that, I was thinking… is the air in this courtroom not a bit… serious?" Gavin asked. I sighed softly, reminded of a time seven years ago, when Dad was standing where I currently was, dealing with this… kid.
"It is a court of law," the Judge said.
"That's no way to get the crowd jumping, Herr Judge."
"They're not supposed to jump! This is a courtroom!" the Judge argued.
"Achtung, baby!" Gavin yelled, pointing to someone in the back. Rock music suddenly started, and Clay groaned. "Today, we play it my way!"
What's that… noise?
"Sometimes you have to get up in order to get down," Gavin flashed another grin. "To prosecuting!"
This is crazy! Are you drunk or something? This isn't one of your concerts!
Gavin looked down at a sheet of notes in front of him, snapping along to the song. "The victim… Pal Meraktis, director of the Meraktis Clinic. The scene… People Park. He was found pulling a noodle stand," he said, making it sound a lot more dramatic then an opening statement really should.
"What in the world was a doctor doing pulling a noodle stand!?" the Judge demanded in surprise.
"Yes, I believe… you will only find that out by asking the defendant, right here, right now. Because it's an undeniable truth that he shot the victim!" Gavin announced. I scowled, slamming my fists down on bench in front of me.
"What do you mean, 'undeniable?'" I demanded. Gavin smirked at me.
"If you are going to glare at anyone, Herr Wright, glare at the punk in the defendant's chair. His crime was witnessed quite clearly, you see," Gavin said. I narrowed my eyes slightly.
"Very well," the Judge said, cutting across my cleverly crafted retort. "Please admit this witness to the court."
Suddenly, a guitar riff played through the court, Gavin's hands moving as though he were the one playing it. "Nein! Not yet!" he called once the riff w as over. "First, there is a little matter to be cleaned up…"
Could you talk without the accompaniment? I thought scathingly as Clay snickered beside me.
"How is this guy a prosecutor?" he demanded softly.
"What is it, Prosecutor Gavin?" the Judge asked.
"The 'motive,' Herr Judge. Why did the little punk do it? Why did he kill the director of the Meraktis Clinic?" Gavin said.
"Objection!" I yelled, pointing at the blond man. "Not so fast! The defendant doesn't have to explain that!" I snapped.
"Oh?" Gavin asked with an amused smile. "But what if the defendant specifically requests to do so? As he did this morning? I want to 'give a shout out to all my homeys!' I believe he said," Gavin said.
"Whaaaaat!?" the Judge gasped as my head snapped around to face Wocky. He had his arms crossed, a smirk that he probably thought was bad-ass playing across his face.
Going by everything he's said so far, this seemed exactly the type of thing he'd do.
"You're dead," Clay said softly, patting my shoulder sympathetically.
"I'm dead," I replied.
"Well, this is highly unusual. But… the court will now hear from the defendant concerning his motive in the crime!" the Judge said. A bailiff accompanied the boy to the stand, where he crossed his arms, attempting to look tough. "So… you, son, are the defendant… Wocky, are you?" the Judge asked.
"I ain't your son, old man!" Wocky snapped. I cringed.
"So dead," Clay breathed.
"You step to a Kitaki, you best be prepared to step strong!"
"You 'step' to a public official, you'd best be prepared to step into jail," Gavin replied.
"Got to hand it to him," Clay muttered. "Wocky sure has guts."
It's not HIS guts I'm worried about…
"Well then, the court will now hear testimony on the defendant's motive… from the defendant himself!" the Judge announced. Wocky grinned.
"I'll tell you one thing, that doctor was a quacker! Someone had to show him what's what! I was in his clinic 'bout half a year ago. He messed up my op something bad. And then he just lets me go, without a word." Wocky shook his head with a scowl. "See ya later, bye! So I gotta go in, get another doc to patch me up again! That was the day I done figured it out. No O.G.'s gonna let that pass! That's why I went to his pad that night, know what I'm saying!?" Wocky finished with a scowl.
"You're saying you were one of the victim's patients!?" the Judge gasped.
"Lotta stuff goes down when you're keeping it real on the street. Tru dat." Wocky crossed his arms, shaking his head. "I tell you one thing, that doc was wack!"
"Hmm…" the Judge hummed thoughtfully. "Very well, the defense may begin the cross-examination."
"First time hearing about all of this?" Clay asked, arms crossed as he watched Wocky.
"Yep."
And I can't believe this, either…
Taking a deep breath, I got started.
"So you were a patient at the Meraktis Clinic half a year ago?" I asked. "For what reason?"
"I had what you might call a 'mark of honor'," Wocky explained.
"Can you explain precisely what was wrong?" Gavin asked.
"We had a little run in with the Rivales Family," he explained.
"Creative name," Clay said with a small grin.
"That's when I pulled a jack move… and ran into an ambush. G busted a cap right in me," Wocky explained.
"According to my sources… you 'couldn't stand the stress of waiting… and ran in fifteen minutes before the appointed time.' …By yourself," Gavin said with a smirk.
"Hey!" Wocky snapped. "I was more than a match for those guys!"
"So you were carried to the Meraktis Clinic from there?" the Judge asked.
"Apparently he was shot in the heart," Gavin said offhandedly.
Shot in the heart and he's still alive!? I thought in shock.
"Trucy can catch bullets between her teeth," Clay added helpfully. I sighed at that, but a small part of me knew he was making jokes to keep my stress levels down and help me focus.
"The bullet stopped just short of my thumper, you know what I'm saying?" Wocky said, thumping his chest with his fist. "I woulda been golden if it weren't for that wack doc! Can't even taking out a stupid bullet!"
"…So, as you say, the surgery was a failure," Gavin said.
"That ain't all of it, homes!" Wocky snapped. "Remember, he just let me leave without even telling me!"
"What do you mean, he just let you go without telling you?" I gasped in surprise.
"It sounds as though Herr Doktor wished to hide his mistake…" Gavin said with a smirk.
"That accent is actually kind of annoying," Clay muttered, before shaking his head. "Though I can't blame, err… Herr Doktor," he added. I glanced over at Mr. Kitaki before nodding in agreement.
"Seriously…"
"He's a liar, straight up! He's a badder G than me!" Wocky snapped.
"So, this bullet is still…?" I started, before trailing off.
"You know it!" Wocky said, before putting a hand to his chest again, this time more gentle. "I can still feel it… Right there in my chest, pressin' up against my heart!"
"'You words are like a bullet shot straight into my hearts.' …or something to that effect? Incidentally, that's from one of our hit singles," Gavin said thoughtfully.
"No one here cares about your music," Clay muttered, and I had to turn my snort into a cough.
"Well, that sounds like a straightforward case of malpractice!" the Judge said.
"Word, J-man. Weren't no accident, that's fo' shizzle," Wocky said. I shook my head, thinking over his testimony once more.
"So, you 'went to his pad'…?" I asked. "Did you have an appointment to meet with the victim? In the park, perhaps?"
"You out of your mind!?" Wocky demanded. "Who makes an appointment to get the drop on someone!? I came ready to fight my way into that clinic of his. Shortest way to the clinic from my place is through that park, know what I'm saying?" he explained.
...He's right. That does seem to be the shortest path, I thought, picturing a map of the area in my head.
"There I was, cold walking through the park," Wocky started again. "When he comes popping up out of nowhere, right before my eyes! I figured someone up on high was looking out for me, know what I'm saying?"
"Hmm…" the Judge hummed. "It seems that there were issues with this doctor."
"Man, putting him down was like doing the world a favor!" Wocky said.
"Wocky!" I exclaimed. "Please consult your lawyer before saying things like that," I nearly begged.
"So, which is the more difficult client? Wocky… or your Dad?" Clay asked, amusement lacing his voice. I stepped on his foot, and he hissed, elbowing me.
"But, why did this mistake only come to light that day?" the Judge asked.
"It was found during the Family health check-up," Gavin announced.
"The F-Family check-up?" I asked. Great, another thing I didn't know about until now.
"That was the wackest thing of all! All us G's lining up, taking eye exams 'n' all that," Wocky shook his head. "I don' know why we be needing all that! Better to die young than fade away, bizzoy!"
"…A relief to hear," Gavin said, and I suddenly felt sick to my stomach, wondering what new surprise he was about to spring on the court.
"Eh? Wh-what's a relief!?" Wocky demanded.
"Oh? Did your father not tell you? That bullet you carry so close to your heart… if not attended to immediately… it could kill you," Gavin announced.
"Wh-whaaaat!?" I gasped, lurching back.
"Dude…" Clay breathed.
"Yes, Herr Doktor Meraktis had knowledge concerning this ticking 'time bomb' in you. Knowledge… that could have saved your life," Gavin said.
"No way!" Wocky said, shaking his head. I could hear fear in his voice though. "Th-that's wacked!"
"There is proof," Gavin said. "Your check-up report." He held up the file in question, and I quickly took note of it in my court record. "How ironic that you would kill the one man capable of helping you. You're almost as careless as he was!" he said, laughing. I frowned, trying to figure out if I should object. I quickly glanced at Wocky, who's eyes were wide and scared looking.
"Well, now that the place is hopping… Let's get this gig started!" Gavin said with a grin.
"S-started…?" the Judge asked, shocked.
"We've had enough of a warm-up act, ja? Time to hear from the witness!" the prosecutor announced. Wocky was lead from the stand, his eyes glued to the floor. He looked pale.
"Wocky's tame all of a sudden," Clay said. I watched after my client, my heart going out to him.
"I'm a little uneasy myself," I said, before glancing at Clay. Is this Gavin's strategy…?
A tall man, wearing graduation robes and cap, carrying a large book, stepped up to the stand. He looked vaguely familiar.
"So," Gavin started. "You will tell us your name and occupation."
"My name… is Wesley Stickler," he started, flipping idly through the pages of his book. "By 'occupation' I take it you refer to some labor that 'profits' society at large, and supports a livelihood under which definition I must confess to being 'unemployed' however, we must acknowledge the meaning of 'identity' which is commonly attached to this notion of 'occupation,' and once we have accepted this reality, we see that our confusion is not Gestalt, per se, but derives instead from the 'vagueness' inherent in all representations of thoug—"
"By which he means to say that he is a student," Gavin said, cutting off the man's tirade. "A junior at Ivy University if I'm not mistaken?"
"Oh lord, I hope neither of us were like that in college," Clay groaned.
"Probably not. He's probably a philosophy student," I said with a small grin.
"Yes," the man said, answering Gavin. "In the Department of Science and Engineering," he added. Clay suddenly groaned.
"Oh god, I remember him now!" he moaned softly. I grinned. That's right. Clay graduated from that Department. Hehe…
Stickler continued talking, until he was once more cut off.
"Herr Stickler, please direct your curiosity to the case at hand today," Gavin said.
"Very well, Mr. Stickler," the Judge said. "Please testify to the court about what you saw on the night of the crime."
"You ask, quite simplistically, 'what I saw.'" Stickler started again, and I started remembering the boy Clay sometimes complained about, and how he had a big, know-it-all mouth. I wondered if this was him. "However, we must understand that homo sapiens possess two eyes, each of these designed to receive and interpret data, sending images in the form of signals to the—"
"Just testify!" Clay suddenly snapped. Stickler looked at him, before frowning with a huff, looking away. Going by the way Clay's eyebrow was twitching, it was safe to assume I was correct.
"That night, I passed through the park on my way home from shopping… when I saw them!" Stickler started. "One man, pulling a stand. Another man, facing him. I saw them quite clearly. The man facing the victim was the defendant. In his hand he held… yes, a pistol! It was pointed at the man pulling the stand. A shot! The bullet hit the man pulling the stand from the front, square in the forehead!" he explained.
"Hmm… what there anyone else in the park at that time?" the Judge asked.
"I can say with 100% accuracy that there was not," Stickler replied with a self-important air.
"The pistol our witness refers to… is this," Gavin said, holding an evidence baggy up with a pistol inside. I quickly made note of it.
"Very well. Mr. Wright, you may cross-examine the witness," the Judge said. I nodded.
"…Yes, You Honor," I replied, before taking a deep breath.
"I bet something's wrong with his testimony. Stick it to him, Apollo," Clay said. I grinned and nodded.
"Can do," I said, before turning to Stickler.
"Mr. Stickler, how can you be so sure it was the defendant you saw at the scene of the murder?" I demanded. "The crime took place at night! It would have been too dark!"
"…Perhaps I was remiss in not mentioning this earlier," Stickler mused.
"Huh?" I asked.
"You see, in class, I always sit in the backmost seat. Do you know why?" he asked.
Do I look like I care!? I replied silently.
"Because I do not wish anyone to copy my perfect notes!" Stickler replied, his eyes sliding over to look at Clay. Guess he recognized him from a few classes.
"Excuse me?" Clay demanded, his arms crossed as he quirked an eyebrow at the science junior, who seemed unfazed.
"And this relates to your testimony how?" the Judge asked before Stickler could answer Clay.
"I mention this to illustrate my predisposition to that which is 'perfect.' It was dark, you say? Yet there are lights in the park. If I say the defendant was in the park that night, then he was in the park that night. It is a hard, immutable fact," Stickler replied like it should be obvious.
"That presumptuous know-it-all!" Clay growled softly. I patted his shoulder.
"Yeah, but he seems to be telling the truth," I said before sighing, thinking over his testimony again. Something suddenly stuck out to me, and I quickly checked over my evidence again, noticing a contradiction between the pistol and the testimony.
"Are you absolutely certain only one shot was fired?" I asked.
"Yes. Of course it was one shot. Why do you ask?" Stickler replied.
"Mr. Stickler. According to the Court Record, the pistol was fired twice. A clear contradiction!" I replied.
"Objection!" Gavin yelled. "Good eyes, Herr Wright. You're cool. Real cool," he said.
"Eh? What?" I asked, thrown off guard by the sudden complement.
"Yet, there is no reason why this other shot had to have been fired that night," he continued.
Of… course.
"Meaning?" the Judge asked.
"The pistol came from the Kitaki Family mansion, ja? I think it's not unreasonable to assume the pistol had been fired once before that night. During perhaps… another altercation?" Gavin suggested with a smug look, snapping along to some tune in his head.
Ugh… he's got a point…
"Judging from his expression, Apollo, I'd say that was a trap," Clay said. I thought about the testimony again, going over it in my head and comparing it to all of the other information we got so far. Suddenly, I got a burst of inspiration. Flipping through the evidence again, I smirked.
"Objection!" I yelled. "That was not the only contradiction! Take a look at this!" I said, holding up my chosen piece of evidence.
"The… autopsy report?" the Judge asked. "Is there a problem with the autopsy report?"
"Well, yes. The problem is the location of the entry wound," I replied, thoughtfully pushing my finger against my forehead.
"The location?" the Judge asked. I dropped my hand and looked at the witness.
"You testified that the killer shot the victim 'square in the forehead,' did you not?" I asked him.
That was the wrong thing to do.
"Ah, I have already determined your 'angle' of inquiry," he started. "Allow me to explain. It is quite simple, really: First, understand that when I say 'square,' I speak not of the geometrical absolution. What do I mean by this? For example, the defection of a 'meter' is 1,650,763.73 times the wavelength of the light emitted by a krypton particle, as we all know. In addition, it is a well known fact that krypton particles are rare, and invisible to the naked eye, which points to a basic fallacy in your line of reasoning, namely, that wh—" My eye twitched, and I could see Clay chewing on his tongue, from the way his jaw was working.
"Mr. Wright," the Judge suddenly said. I looked up, thankful for the break in the buzzing of Stickler's voice.
"Yes?" I asked.
"Was your objection to these, er, krypton particle things?" he asked. I opened my mouth to answer, only for Gavin to interrupt.
"This is the big time, and you are obsessed with something so small? You disappoint me."
"N-n-no!" I stuttered, thrown off guard. "I'm obsessed with something big!" I suddenly realized how I sounded. "I mean, there's a bigger, less nitpicky problem here!" I tried again.
"Do tell…" the Judge said.
"Just look at the autopsy report!" I said. "The location of the entry wound was… the right temple!"
"T-temple?" Stickler asked, sounding almost faint.
"Mr. Stickler, you said quite clearly that the victim was shot 'square in the forehead!' That's a contradiction!" I announced pointing at the man. My confidence suddenly dipped. Isn't it? It is, right?
"Objection!" Gavin suddenly yelled. "Herr Justice… Oh, Herr Justice," he said in a disappointed tone, shaking his head.
"Yes…?" I asked, almost scared.
"Your tactics are outdated. Trying to shake the witness by objecting to trifles? Surely you haven't forgotten the fatal wound your father suffered seven years ago?" he asked. I growled, slamming my fists onto the bench. Before I could say anything, though, Clay grabbed my wrist.
"He's just trying to rile you up, get you unfocused," he hissed. "You're onto something. Ignore the pop star and keep pushing your point."
"Right…" I said, taking a deep breath and wrenching my glare away from the prosecutor, turning it instead on Stickler, who seemed to wither under it. "According to your testimony, you said the forehead. The autopsy clearly states the right temple. That means there's a contradiction, one you didn't see, despite your perfect view!" I reasoned, pointing at the man.
"Urk!" he gasped.
"Hey, Herr Forehead…" Gavin suddenly said. I lurched back, my head whipping to look at him again.
F-"forehead"!?
"Let us imagine you are walking through the park. You see two men facing each other. One with a pistol trained on the other. What would you do, Herr Forehead?" he asked. I ignored the nickname, trying hard not to let him under my skin.
"Well…" I thought about it. "I would try to stop them. I'd probably shout 'stop!'" I answered honestly.
"And you, Herr Assistant?" he asked, looking at Clay, who crossed his arms thoughtfully.
"Either that, or make some kind of surprised noise," he answered.
"And you, Herr Stickler?" He turned to the witness stand with a small smirk. "What did you do, I wonder?"
"Ack!" I gasped, realizing where he was going with this. If the victim turned his head at the last moment… I gulped at that thought, watching my beautiful contradiction die.
"Ah… yes. Thank you for jogging my memory," Stickler said with a small smile.
"It sounds like an addendum to the testimony is required," the Judge said.
Stickler nodded, starting once more. "As soon as the killer raised his pistol, I took action. 'Cease this at once, you two!' I cried… with composure. The victim turned in the direction of my voice… and a shot rang out. Whereupon our cowardly killer, the defendant, appeared to have become frightened. Tossing the pistol aside, he fled from the scene," he explained. I thought over everything he said, trying to find the contradiction. It wasn't as clear as the last one.
"I see," the Judge hummed thoughtfully. "So you attempted to stop the crime."
"Indeed," Stickler said. "…With composure."
"Composure my foot," Clay snorted. "He probably startled the killer with that high pitched voice of his, causing the gun to accidently go off…"
"Th-that doesn't really matter now, unfortunately," I reminded him, causing him to sigh.
"Right."
"Let us consider this new testimony, shall we?" Gavin said, gaining the attention of everyone again. "Observe the diagram, if you would." A diagram of the scene of the crime appeared on the monitors of the courtroom. "The witness… Mr. Stickler, was it? Stood here." A 'W' appeared perpendicular to the killer and victim, to the left. "He shouted 'Oh stop! Please!' or something of this nature. And the victim responded by looking in the witness's direction! If the killer were to have fired at just that moment… as we can see, the bullet would have struck the right temple, as in the report," Gavin explained.
"That does seem to be the case," the Judge mused. I narrowed my eyes slightly. 'If'? 'Seems'? Dad had been yelled at or penalized for using such unsure terms before. Course, the prosecution and judge are always treated better then the defense…
"Witness the power of a Junior in Ivy University's Department of Science!" Stickler boasted. Clay groaned softly.
"He gives people like me a bad name…" he growled.
"Very well, Mr. Wright, you may cross-examine the witness," the Judge said. I nodded, thinking over everything again.
"So, you saw a raised pistol," I said, a finger to my forehead thoughtfully. "Weren't you frightened?"
"It can be said we students of Ivy University know no fear," Stickler responded. Clay and I glanced at each other before quickly looking away, trying to kill the urge to laugh. "The moment I saw that pistol, my inner sense of justice compelled me to take action!"
"Maybe he should be a law student," Clay muttered. I stepped on his foot, and he gasped softly.
"That was certainly brave of you," the Judge suddenly said. "You might have gotten shot!"
"Eh!?" Stickler gasped.
"You certainly were lucky. If I were in the killer's shoes, I certainly wouldn't have left a witness behind," Gavin said with an easy going grin. Stickler's face became slick with sweat as he looked between the two men.
"Wow. He had no idea of the danger he was in…" Clay muttered, shaking his head.
"R-Regardless, I attempted to halt the bloodshed!"
"Did you hear the gunshot at the same time as the victim turned?" I asked, switching tracks.
"Indeed. I would say 'about' the same time, to be precise," Stickler replied.
"And the victim didn't ask you for help?" I pressed.
"It can be said that he didn't have time to ask. He didn't even have time to take a single step," Stickler sighed tragically. I shook my head at that.
"The killer defiantly fired because of Stickler startling him with that voice of his," Clay said.
"Don't say that too loudly," I muttered, thinking back to the testimony. "You didn't try to apprehend the criminal?" I asked in a louder voice.
"It all happened so fast, I'm afraid I hadn't the time," Stickler admitted.
"Something's odd," Clay suddenly said. I looked over to where he was crossing his arms, looking thoughtful.
"What is?" I asked.
"The killer was in a hurry, right? He shot, then tossed the pistol and ran…" Clay reasoned
"According to the testimony, that's what happened, yes," I said.
"In that case, shouldn't we, or at least you and Trucy, have found something? Something that we didn't find?" Clay asked. I thought for a moment before gasping.
"You're right!" I said, before turning to the court. "Wait a second!" I called.
"Tsk, tsk, another misleading request," Stickler said. "Yet you're so beholden to your own mode of 'discourse' you can't see how it affects you!"
"Um… come again?" I asked, confused and distracted. Part of me wondered if he did this on purpose.
"Wait a 'second,' you say? A 'second?' Are we intended to wait just that, a single second, one sixtieth of a minute? That's hardly enough time to draw a breath, let alone make a statement in court! Now, had you asked for a longer period of time, say, three minutes, thirty-five seconds, th—"
Thankfully, the judge cut him off. "Mr. Wright."
"Yes, your Honor?" I asked, looking up at the man.
"Am I to understand you are objecting to the length of a second?"
"Yes!" I realized what he asked. "I mean, no! Here, just look at the pistol," I said, pulling it out and presenting it. "It doesn't have a single fingerprint on it!"
"Ah, a common ploy, made all the more common, I fear, by the prevalence of television. Criminals these days are loathe to leave fingerprints," Stickler sighed. I shook my head.
"But wait! You said the killer tossed the gun and ran!" I reminded him.
"That's right!" Clay added with a smirk, crossing his arms. "He didn't have time to wipe the gun for prints!"
Stickler's eyes grew wide at that realization.
"Ah, the two little boys sticking it to the university student. There's a song in there…" Gavin said with a smirk. I scowled deeply at him.
"We're not little," I reminded him, making his laugh.
"Then let's think like adults, shall we?"
"Eh?" both Clay and I asked.
"What if the killer… the defendant, was wearing gloves?" Gavin pointed out.
"Huh. Didn't think about that one," Clay muttered. A slow smirk was crossing my face, though, as I remembered the little lesson in science Ema gave us yesterday.
"There are two reasons why the defendant could not have been wearing gloves," I said. "The first is that the court record is very clear about the gun being wiped for prints. The second, is this," I held up the evidence baggy containing the knife we found yesterday.
"Is that… a sword? I saw one of those on the late night movie last night!" The Judge said brightly.
Great, a sleep-deprived judge… "This knife was found at the scene of the crime… with the defendant's prints on it," I explained.
"His prints!?" the Judge gasped.
"This single piece of evidence proves two things," I stated, having a sudden epiphany. "One, that what the defendant threw down wasn't a pistol. Two, that the defendant wasn't wearing gloves!" I announced. The court erupted with the usual mutterings. The judge slammed his gavel a few times before looking at me.
"Hmm… indeed!" he hummed.
"Oh, Herr Forehead?" Gavin said. "You're forgetting two other things you've just proven."
"Huh?" I asked.
"One, that the man the witness saw was the defendant, Mr. Wocky Kitaki. Two, that the defendant was holding a knife, with the intent of harming the victim!" the prosecutor pointed out.
"Oh," I muttered. The back of my neck suddenly felt like it was on fire, and without turning, I know it was Big Wins Kitaki glaring at me. Perhaps trying to decide which blade he was going to decapitate me with.
"Hmm… indeed!" the Judge hummed again. "This court is of the opinion that our witness is fond of making assumptions. In that light, I believe it would behoove us to hear what really occurred… with less assuming, please!"
"It's always the saem with you people," Stickler sighed. "'Mark left the house on foot, and five minutes later, his brother left after him. How long would it take for Mark's brother to catch up to him… assuming that Mark never had to stop for a traffic light!' 'Assuming'… yes, that's what I said. 'Assuming!' As if that were a probably situation at all! Yet here you are 'assuming' that my 'assumption' is no better!" he ranted.
The judge cleared his throat. "What this court 'assumes'… is that the witness will testify as to what happened after the shot was fired!"
Stickler sighed once more, but took a deep breath.
"I could not prevent the killer from leaving the scene. Nor could I simply leave the scene in good conscience. Ergo! I used my cell phone to call the police. Until the police arrived at the scene ten minutes later, I saw no one else," he concluded. I felt my bracelet tighten, but couldn't spot any tells or lies.
"Why didn't you chase the killer?" I asked.
"He was, as you say, a killer. Of course, I could have run him down, yet what would he have done when cornered? Sadly, it takes more than an aptitude for solving quadratic equations to know that," Stickler replied.
"Hmm…" the Judge hummed.
"Did the testimony earlier nor prove the defendant's presence at the scene? And do we not also now know that there was no one else there?" Gavin asked, before smirking. "It seems clear that we have our killer. Does it not?" he asked. The fire on the back of my neck intensified, and I started feeling sick.
"Does it not, Mr. Wright?" the Judge asked.
I-I'd better find a way to take this testimony down quick! I thought, trying to focus on what Stickler had said.
"Which way did the killer run?" I demanded.
"By that time, it was clear the killer had noticed me. Naturally, he ran in the opposite direction," Stickler said. I looked at the diagram.
That would mean he ran in the opposite direction from the Kitaki mansion…
"Achtung!" Gavin snapped. "Don't even think about pointing out that he was going away from his home. All he had to do was look back once he was out of sight."
Ugh… how did he know that's where I was going…?
"You were certainly composed for someone who had just witnessed a killing," I stated.
"If one is to devote one's life to the pursuit of science… one must never flinch at the sight of a little blood. Not be so moved by a chemical discovery that one drops one's flask upon the lab room floor," Stickler replied smoothly.
"Oooh, cool answer. Very cool," Gavin said with a grin. My stomach was rolling at this point.
Hmm… so nothing strange about how he acted…
"You said you called the police. Wasn't your first thought to call an ambulance?" I demanded.
"It can be said that I have dabbled in medicine… The injury I witnessed, namely a single shot to the head, tends to result in death. Ergo, there was no need for me to call an ambulance! Oh… a perfect syllogism… a proof in three parts! Exquisite! Simply exquisite!" he sighed, his eyes brimming.
…He actually looks like he's going to cry. I know I am… I thought, attempting to wipe some of the sweat off of my forehead.
"C-can you tell us in detail about those ten minutes?" I asked.
"I stood in a state of heightened awareness. Anything could happen at any moment. Anyone could appear from any direction!" Stickler explained.
"Is… that all…?" I asked.
"No one came. Nothing happened at all. I saw it all, which is to saw… I saw nothing," the student said with a shrug.
"It was late at night. It's not odd to think there would be few people around in the park," the Judge reasoned.
So he just stood there, watching? Hmm… not much to go on there. Not much to go on anything at all in this testimony! I thought over everything said once more, before dropping my head into my hands. Argh! I can't find a single problem with that testimony!
"…Had enough at last, Herr Forehead?" Gavin asked. I looked up at him, thinking everything over. My thoughts were starting to become muddled, though, in panic. I could feel Mr. Kitaki glaring at me from the gallery, and I knew Wocky was innocent. But how do I prove it with a testimony like this!
"Nnk!" Argh! There's nothing fishy about that testimony at all!
"It appears there are no objections to the witness's current testimony.
"There are any number of ways to explain the lack of prints on the pistol, I assure you. Perhaps the killer really was wearing gloves which wiped the previous user's prints off. Then, after the deed was done, the knife fell out of his pocket as he was throwing the gun away. A mistake befitting a small-time punk, in my opinion," Gavin explained smoothly.
"No…" I breathed.
"It seems we've come to the end of the line here," the Judge sighed.
No… that can't be all! I thought. I could feel the heavy sweat on my face, and my neck felt even hotter then before.
"How unfortunate. It seems that you weren't cut out to stand on the same stage as me. Were you, Herr Forehead?" Gavin asked with a smirk.
"I believe this brings the cross-examination to a close. This court will now declare a verdict for the defendant, Wocky Kitaki," the Judge said, raising his gavel.
I'm dead. I just hope they leave Clay, Trucy, and Dad alone…
"Gah!" Clay suddenly gasped from next to me. I whirled to find him clutching his chest, a pained look in his eyes. His breathing was quick and shallow as he fell to his knees.
"Clay!?" I gasped, dropping next to him.
"Herr Judge, I feel it would be wise to adjourn the court for a twenty minute recess," Gavin said, watching the two of us.
"Indeed. Bailiff! Get a Medic!" the Judge yelled, slamming his gavel. I was in a panic. What was wrong with Clay!? Did they push him too hard in his endurance training?
Would he be okay?
…
A/N: And here we go! I got a lot of positive feedback last time for have Clay, so I decided to have him again, hehe.
Also, I played up on Apollo's fear of the Kataki threat, mainly because I feel like it should have been there in the game (I mean come on), how Clay and Phoenix reacted to the news of his client got to Apollo a little, and now he's worried about his family too.
Again, I'M SORRY FOR TAKING SO LONG TO POST!
