"Hi, there! I guess I should probably introduce myself before we get started. My name's Storm. Storm Sente. I'm an undergraduate student at the Femley School of Law... or rather, I was. On the 15th March, 2019, was the triennial FemCon. That's the Femley Convention, which every law student goes to as well as every defence barrister in the country. Practically no exceptions. But, as luck would have it, my alarm clock decided to break down on me that day of all days... Yeah, I know: it's an exceptionally clichéd way to start a story but, that's what happened. As it turns out, I was really lucky. That morning... That morning... Was the morning of what would since be referred to as the FemCon incident. It came without warning... An explosion at my university that left no survivors. If it weren't for my rubbishy alarm clock... well, I'd hardly be talking right now, would I? That wasn't all that happened that day. That was the day of the murder of Kathryn Davies... the day of the trial of Richard Kingsley... and the day of my first ever trial. Uh-huh; that definitely came without warning..."
Storm Sente walked into the defendant lobby. The trial was to start in ten minutes. Across the room he saw Richard Kingsley, his client, wearing a horse costume. It was peculiar but wacky so he allowed it. Richard also didn't have any other clothes. That was odd.
Charlie Lawrence walked in then!
"Mwa ha, I'm proud of you, Storm," said Lawrence. "Approved to stand in court at 20!"
"Yeah, because almost every other lawyer and law student in the country is dead."
"Oh, yeah, that's pretty sad," said Lawrence not sounding very sad at all.
"Oi stop jabbering and get into the court you crackers," said the bailiff.
Storm, Lawrence and Richard entered the courtroom.
"Let the trial of Richard Kingsley... BEGIN!" said Justice Sullivan.
"Yes," said Haxin Payne.
"Prosecutor explain the case," said Sullivan.
"The defendant murdered Kathryn Davies in her apartment evidence is the gun witness is Benjamin Mendax."
"Yeah," said Mendax who walked in spinning a spatula.
Testimony
"I saw that man walking down the street yes I did yessiree, it was highly suspicious."
"Then I went down the same road."
"OBJECTION!" shouted Storm Sente. "That makes you equally suspicious!"
"Shut up," said Payne. "Continue dear witness."
"I went into the apartment and there was blood on her chest."
"OBJECTION!" shouted Storm. "But she was shot in the head!"
"Yeah and the blood came from there and landed on her chest."
"Oh."
"This happened at 8:15 by the way."
"OBJECTION!" shouted Storm, but more confidently this time. This time he caught the bastard. "The victim was killed at 10! There was no body to find there at the time!"
"Nyaaaah!"
In that moment, he knew. The adrenaline, the pointing finger, the shout of objection... this was what Storm was born to do! Solve baby puzzles and act like a badass while doing it.
"Wait sorry I meant 10:15," said Mendax. "And then I phoned the police immediately."
"Any last contradictions, boy?" asked Payne.
Storm said nothing so Payne did a dance to mock him while Mendax left.
"Why do we think Richard did it anyway?" said Storm.
"Because the gun has his fingerprints," said the next witness, Lizzy Harrison.
Testimony
"The gun has Richard's fingerprints."
"We found it in the toilet bowl."
"OBJECTION!" shouted Storm. "But then it would be wet so there couldn't be fingerprints on it!"
"Ooooh!" gasped Lizzy.
"There must have been an interference during the investigation!" said Lawrence who was experienced. "Tell us about that!"
"Uhh Pilfnam got to the scene first after the crime was reported at 10:45 by Mendax," said Lizzy.
"WAIT A MINUTE!" shouted Storm. "Mendax said he found the crime scene at 10:15! Why did it take half an hour to call the police?"
"Yah!" shouted Payne.
Mendax was called back to testify.
"I just passed out," said Mendax. "There was a lot of blood so yeah."
Storm considered his words wisely and noticed something odd.
"You said there was a lot of blood splatter and that appears to be the case... but then why isn't there any blood splatter ON THE WALLS?"
"HUH?" yelled Mendax.
"This is irrelevant!" said Payne but the judge penalized him.
The court adjourned temporarily to discuss this issue.
Defendant Lobby
"Good work, my student!" laughed Lawrence.
"Um, Storm," said Richard. "I confessed."
"WHAT WHY!" shouted Storm.
Richard said nothing.
"It must be because he's being blackmailed," said Lawrence. "That's very typical of our legal system to bow to corruption. I'm off to fight fire with fire."
Lawrence left. Storm did not know what he meant by his parting words but he was sure Lawrence would come back with some very decisive and very legal evidence.
Back in the courtroom
"Right, let's continue where we left off!" said Sullivan.
"Witness, explain yourself!" yelled Payne. "First you start talking about how there was blood on the victim's chest and the boy pointed out that she was shot in the head, and since then you claimed to have witnessed the crime hours before it happened and now there's no blood on the walls?! This doesn't make sense, tell the truth!"
Mendax fidgeted with his spatula.
"Y-Yeah, quite a problem, eh, mate?" He spun his spatula.
Storm slammed his fists on the desk. If Mendax got away with his endless handwaving - or rather, spatulawaving - he'd walk away a free man. So Storm turned the situation on it's head and tried to think of an actual reason why blood wasn't left on the walls.
"Mr. Mendax, the victim was brutally murdered, yet there's inexplicably a lack of blood on the walls. Doesn't that suggest something?"
"What?"
"I think Ms. Kathryn Davies was murdered... SOMEWHERE ELSE!" Storm pointed. Everyone was shocked to hear such a deduction, Storm was a fucking genius.
"Objection!" shouted Mendax. "But she was found in her room..."
"Only because she was moved there! And I have a good idea by who!"
"Well, tell us," said Sullivan. "Who moved the body to the apartments?"
"It could only have been... uh, well, er..." Storm began sweating profusely. "(I can't do it!)"
"It's okay Storm," said Richard. "I moved the body."
"WHAT? YOU?" yelled Sullivan. "WHAT IS EVEN GOING ON ANY MORE?"
"This crime becomes very simple when you realize Richard was being blackmailed," said Storm. "First, Mendax broke into the victim's flat at 8:15AM and threw a rope out the window! Then he went to work and murdered Kathryn Davies there! He loaded the body into one of their vans and forced Richard to drive him and the body there. Then, Mendax went to the victim's apartment while Richard attached the rope to the body so he could pull the body into the apartment."
"I see," said Sullivan. "That was a very illegal thing to do, Mr. Kingsley, but since you were blackmailed I'll go easy on you."
"Thanks, Milord," said Richard.
"OBJECTION!" YELLED MENDAX AND HE THREW HIS SPATULA AT STORM! "YOU HAVE NO PROOF!"
"Dammit, I thought I had him," said Storm. "I'm sorry Richard..."
"OBJECTION!" shouted a man, and the doors flew open and Lawrence ran in.
"MY LORD POSTPONE THAT VERDICT!"
"What for?" said Sullivan.
"I just searched Mendax's office in The Beefy Mare and found a massive bloodstain on the carpet!"
Lawrence pulled out a photo.
"Objection!" shouted Payne. "Isn't that guy suspected of forgery?! That could be ketchup!"
Payne's argument made sense, as this was a fast-food restaurant ketchup was abundant, but he had no proof to back it up so the evidence was accepted.
"Well, Mr. Mendax?" said Storm. "Can you explain this bloodstain?!"
"NO! NO! NO! I, UH, I, I HAD A NOSEBLEED, LOTS OF THEM!"
"Bailiff, taking him away," said Sullivan.
"CURSE YOU CHARLIE LAWREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENCE!" screamed Mendax.
"And so, on the charges of murder I find Richard Kingsley NOT GUILTY!"
Storm and Lawrence returned to the lobby where Richard was.
"Thanks, Storm!" said Richard.
"Sorry I couldn't save you from being found out as an accomplice," said Storm.
"It's okay I'll bribe the judge into letting him go," smirked Lawrence.
"I knew you had it in you," said a voice behind Storm. He turned around and saw his idols, John Phoenix and Phoenix Wright were watching the trial!
"Yeah," said Phoenix. "The moment I saw you and your excellent taste in clothes I knew you were destined to great things!"
"That's my Storm! Wahahahaha!" chuckled Lawrence.
THE END