Trial By Fire
"All rise, court is now in session. The Honorable Edward Hanson presiding..."
Monday morning. Ten o'clock. On one side of the courtroom sat Adam with his lawyer and his few supporters. On the other side sat the Assistant District Attorney, Adam DeSantos with his second, the lovely, but tough, Anna Kincaid. Behind him sat many of the WWE superstars that were not being used as witnesses.
"Good morning. Is everyone ready to proceed?"
"We are, Your Honor." Both lawyers said simultaneously.
"Let's begin."
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is what we call an open and shut case. You will hear testimony that earlier this year Adam Copeland did cause the death of Eric Stryker, a former co-worker and rival for the affections of one Jeff Hardy. You will hear expert testimony to how this was carried out, and we ask that you do justice to his memory by finding the defendant guilty of the crime of murder of the first degree."
"Mr. Harper?"
"The Defense waives it's right to an opening statement at this time." Adam's lawyer half-stood to address the court.
"Very well. Proceed, Mr. DeSantos."
"The State calls Dr. Caroline Olivet."
Once she was sworn in and her qualifications were stated for the record...
"You did examine the body of the deceased, one Eric Stryker?"
"I did." She replied
"And what were you findings as it relates to the cause of death?"
"The deceased suffered a massive stroke."
"And what could have possibly caused that?" DeSantos referred to his notes. He'd prepped the witness himself, so he already knew what the answer was. He just did this to make it seem spontaneous.
"In my opinion, an air bubble entered his blood stream and went to his brain, causing the stroke."
"Nothing, further, Your Honor."
Adam's lawyer, stood, staring at something he'd scribbled on his yellow legal pad. "Doctor Olivet, correct me if I'm wrong, but was the decedent already being treated for first and second degree burns when he died?"
"Correct."
"Now. Is it possible, that something else caused his fatal stroke? Say, maybe a blood clot?"
"It is possible, but..."
"Or maybe an allergic reaction to his medication?" Harper pressed her.
"Like I said, it is possible.."
"Thank-you, nothing further."
The rest of the morning was taken up with testimony from the crime scene investigators, both from the police department and those hired by Vince McMahon, who went step by step through their investigations of the crime scene, the evidence they collected, and their conclusions. It all added up to a pretty damning conviction of Adam.
"I think now is a good time for the lunch break. Court will adjourn in one hour."
Spectators and lawyers alike filed out of the courtroom, while Adam was escorted back to holding.
"How'd it go?" Jeff asked
"So far, so good." DeSantos answered "We took a little hit on cause of death, but it's nothing we can't fix in closing. Just be ready... you're up first after lunch."
"I'm ready." Jeff swallowed nervously
"I'm sure you are..."
"The State calls Jeffrey Hardy."
Jeff took his seat and was sworn in.
"State your name for the record."
"Jeffrey Nero Hardy."
"And your occupation."
"Sports entertainer." Jeff answered
DeSantos like to throw a few easy questions at his witnesses to put them a little more at ease when they first took the stand.
"And you first met the deceased when?"
"It must have been in May of last year." Jeff replied, chewing his lower lip.
"What'd you think of him?" DeSantos leaned on the stand and looked into the gallery, like Eric was sitting right there.
"I dunno. He was arrogant, stuck-up, a little conceited..."
"But..."
"I feel in love with him the first time I laid eyes on him." Jeff blushed, remembering the day in question.
"It was something special, wasn't it?"
"Yeah... until he took it all away from me!"
"Objection... assumes facts not in evidence." Harper interrupted
"Sustained. The jury will disregard."
DeSantos continued unabashed. "You've known the defendant, Adam Copeland, for quite along time, haven't you?"
"About ten years." Jeff replied "We sorta came into the business at the same time."
"And what was your relationship with him?"
"We had our differences, but we were always friends."
"Did you know that he had romantic feelings for you?" DeSantos was still leaning against the witness' box, like a child hearing a favorite story.
"Who didn't?" Jeff barked "I mean, he tried to hide it so badly, but everyone knew."
"And you did nothing to encourage him, correct?"
"Not a thing. I told Edge... I mean, Adam that I was happy with Eric and I still wanted to be friends, but that was it." Jeff sat back. "I thought he understood."
"Objection! This witness is not qualified to discuss what may or may not have been going on in my client's head."
'I'll rephrase. Did the defendant give you any indication that he had a problem with you and Eric being together?"
"No."
"What were his exact words, if you can remember them?"
"I believe he said, `Ok, sure, whatever'." Jeff stated
"And what did you take that to mean?"
"I thought that meant everything was cool between us. All of us." Jeff answered
"Thank-you. Nothing further."
"Your witness."
"Thank-you. Mister Hardy, you said you did nothing to encourage my client to pursue you, is that correct?"
"Yes."
"Could you please explain what happened at the Christmas party last year?"
"I don't understand..."
"I have statements from people at that party that say you got drunk."
"We tipped a few. So what?"
"But, according to these, you got so drunk, you took of all your clothes and ran through the hotel with a lampshade on your head!"
"Clothes are evil." Jeff replied
"I see. Do you remember where you woke up?" Harper smiled
Jeff thought hard. What had happened that night? "No, I don't."
"Would it surprise you to learn that you burst into my client's hotel room and passed out in his bed?"
"I could see where that might cause some confusion..."
"And that you nuzzled against him for the entire night?"
"Now that I don't remember." Jeff replied, hesitation creeping into his voice.
"I suggest to you, Sir, that you had been sending out mixed signals, even after supposedly claiming to my client that you just wanted to be friends!" Harper shouted
"If he had a problem, why didn't he say something, instead of all this?" Jeff retorted
"You have been leading my client on like a lost puppy. Considering you didn't even know who you wanted to be with most of the time, how could Mr. Copeland?"
"I loved Eric." Jeff stared at his lap, a tear forming in his eye.
"I'm sure you do. That doesn't excuse what you did." Harper was making it sound like Jeff encouraged Adam, maybe even suggested that he do something. "Nothing further."
Jeff left the stand, obviously shaken.
"The state calls Matthew Hardy." DeSantos said
After going through the same process with Matt as he had Jeff... stating his name, occupation, et cetera, they got down to the meat of his testimony.
"Before the defense decides to make you look bad, let's get it out in open... you also had feeling of a romantic nature toward the deceased, did you not?"
"Not to the extent my brother Jeff did." Matt replied "In fact, I stepped back when I realized how serious Jeff was about him."
"But you did attempt something recently, did you not?" Obviously, he was referring to the incident in the motel room in Philadelphia.
"Yes, I did." Matt explained his role in the entire sting.
"But this was not your plan, was it?"
"No. After I realized what everyone else thought about the Eric and Jeff situation..."
"Explain." DeSantos interrupted
"Well, Eric was probably one of the last people whom anyone would expect to get involved in this sort of a thing..."
"You mean same-sex?" DeSantos needed Matt to spell it out.
"Yeah." Matt agreed "And Jeff had this great plan for what he called his 'one year of happiness'... he was gonna disappear and then send Eric chasing after him with just clues to follow."
"Okay. But something happened, right?"
"Yep. Eric started doubting both himself and his relationship."
"Tell the court when this started, if you know."
"Right after he went back to Cameron. The first clue sent Eric to our family's farm. I wasn't there, but I heard my Dad really ripped into Eric. It wasn't that he didn't approve of Eric's relationship, he just didn't like the way Eric wouldn't acknowledge it in public, but I guess that wasn't Eric's way..."
Matt continued for the next five minutes, relating the tale of what had happened in the mall, and everything else.
"And what happened in the arena?"
"Well, Jeff had hung the next clue from a catwalk at the top. When Eric went to get it..."
"This is when the defendant first talked to you about this idea of his, correct?"
"Right. While Eric is climbing, Adam, the defendant, turned to me and said something like "You know, if you got with Eric, I could get with Jeff..."
"That's a lie, Hardy, and you know it!" Adam stood
The judge banged his gavel. "The defendant will sit down. Any more outbursts and he will be removed from the courtroom."
Harper pulled Adam back to his seat.
"And you went along with this. Why?"
"I don't know why I agreed with it." Matt looked sullen. "It was a mistake. I screwed up my friendship with all of them."
"All of them?"
"Yeah, Adam cut me off, Eric refused to talk to me, and Jeff wouldn't even acknowledge me in public, unless it was work-related." Matt answered
"And what would you say was the defendant's mind-set during this time. Did he say anything to you about what he hoped the outcome was going to be?"
"Did he. He wouldn't shut up about it! How the four of us were going to be happy... me with Eric and him with Jeff, and how nothing was going to change that." Matt stared Adam dead-on.
"Nothing further."
"Mr. Hardy. It has been mentioned that you had feelings for Eric, yet you admitted that you stepped back, as you said, to allow your brother to pursue it himself... how do you explain these actions... I have a tape I wish to play for the court... defense exhibit one."
Harper showed the tape of the match on Eric's final night with the company.
"It would appear to me that you were willing to sacrifice everything for him. Is that what you call stepping back?" Harper seemed smug.
"No."
"No?" Harper repeated, like he'd misheard Matt. "Then what would you call it?"
"Scripted. That was all part of the show." Matt answered "As you'd probably know if you'd done your research. Everything we do in the ring is written beforehand."
Realizing this had failed, Harper changed his attack. "You are here testifying for the prosecution today... why?"
"I want to see justice done." Matt replied
"Is that the only reason?" Harper probed
"What do you mean?"
"Is it not true that the only reason you're on the stand is that the prosecution threatened to drop any charges they were planning to lay against you for the attempted rape of your brother!"
The jury gasped. The crowd gasped. The oxygen level dropped ten per cent in the courtroom.
"And is it not true that this whole plan was not my clients, but yours! It had nothing to do with my client getting what he wanted, but all about you getting what you wanted, namely the deceased. And when you realized that he wouldn't get with you, you decided to get rid of him!"
"That's a lie." Matt hissed "I would never..."
"You wouldn't... then why would you willing pin your own brother down to allow my client to get with him. If you weren't a part of this, like you'd like us to believe, then shouldn't you have stood up for him from the beginning! Well, Mr. Hardy, what do you have to say for that?"
Matt was speechless.
"I thought so. Nothing further for this witness, Your Honor." Looking triumphant, Harper returned to his table. Despite his early setback, he seemed to have recovered nicely to put some serious wear on Matt's testimony.
Matt calmly walked from the courtroom. Once he was out in the hall, all the air went out of him and he collapsed on a bench.
"How'd it go Matty?" Jeff asked
"That idiot lawyer tried to make it seem like it was all my idea. You know I wouldn't hurt you like that, right?"
"Of course." Jeff plopped down beside him. "Skittle?"
"Thanks."
"Your Honour, at this time, the state calls John Cena to the stand."
John came forward and was sworn in.
"We've heard some interesting stories so far today. As someone on the outside of all of this, maybe you can give us an objective opinion. How would you describe the relationship between Jeff and Eric?"
"Jeff was totally committed to Eric. There's nothing he wouldn't've done for him." John responded
"And Eric."
"The same. Those two were made for each other."
"And Adam?"
"Sheesh. Everyone in the locker room knows that he'd had a hard-on for him since day one. I don't know why he didn't say something sooner." John replied
"To the best of your recollection, did Jeff do anything to encourage the defendant?"
"You got it all wrong, yo. If anything, Jeff kept pushing him back. I think Adam wasn't thinkin' with his brain, if you get my meaning." John had unintentionally slipped back into character. The few wrestling fans in the gallery laughed. The judge soon put an end to that, however.
"We heard testimony that Jeff may have brought some of this on at the recent Christmas party. You were there. How did you see it?"
"I always thought whatever happened at the Christmas party stayed at the Christmas party... but we got a little silly. What the hell, it was open bar." John commented "Yeah, Jeff got naked and ran through the hotel. So what? It was all in fun."
"And sleeping in the defendant's bed."
"The way I saw it was Jeff just went into the wrong room. He and Eric were staying in 423, Adam was in 432. Easy mistake to make, y'all." John answered
"Would you make that mistake?"
"If I'd had that much to drink, probably."
"No further questions."
"So, let me see if I got this right. You dropped Jeff off at the hospital and then took off, correct?"
"No. I went as far as Eric's room. When I saw that Matt was already there, I left."
"Did you not have an agreement with both the decedent that you would keep an eye on Jeff?"
"Yes, but like i just said..."
"So why would you leave a man you had sworn to protect, alone in a room with someone whom you knew was probably involved?"
"That's where you're wrong, Jack. I didn't know what Matt's story was. I knew he and Jeff had been on the outs for a while, but when I saw they was those two hugged, I figured everything was cool, you know what I mean?"
"Mister Cena, where were you when the victim was murdered?" Harper changed his horse in mid-stream yet again.
"Driving to the airport."
"Can anyone vouch for you?" Harper asked, a gleam in his eye.
"I dunno, man. I usually drive alone." John answered
"So, basically, you have no witnesses to account for the time between when you say you left the hospital until you arrived at the airport, correct."
"I guess. If you think that I would hurt anyone like that, you're wrong." John pounded the stand.
"Your flight left at eleven a.m., the last time anyone saw you was at nine. It's a fifteen minute drive to the airport... so where were you for the other hour and forty-five minutes? Longer, if you consider that your flight left half-an-hour late. I suggest to you that it would've been easy for you to hang around the hallway, see that both Jeff and Matt left shortly after you did, pop back in, and do in Mr. Stryker and still be at the airport with plenty of time to catch your flight!"
"No. That didn't happen!" John shouted
"I didn't say it did! I just said it could've. Nothing further."
The prosecution's last witness was Show, who basically testified to what he'd seen in the corridor involving Jeff and the Edgeheads.
"Just one question, Mr. Wight. Do you have concrete evidence that my client ordered those two young men to attempt to kidnap Jeff?"
"No, sir, I don't... but..."
"That is all."
"At this time, the prosecution rests." DeSantos stood
"I think this would be a good time to adjourn for the day. Will the defense be ready to present its case tomorrow?"
"Yes, we will."
"Then court is adjourned until nine o'clock tomorrow. The defendant is remanded into custody." Judge banged his gavel.
The spectators filed out. DeSantos and his assistant were the last to leave. In the hall, they were confronted by the Hardys.
"How'd it go?" Only being witness to their own testimony, both were anxious to hear what the led attorney thought.
"I think we made our case. A couple of minor snags, but nothing to worry about. I am curious to see if Harper has any tricks up his sleeve. I will see you both tomorrow."
"Thank-you sir." Matt answered
DeSantos nodded.
"Wanna get dinner or go to the hotel?" Matt asked
"Room service?" Jeff pleaded
"Okay. I gotta piss first." Matt said
"Me too."
Entering the men's room, they found John Cena, staring at the mirror, which had been broken, probably by a fist. Who's fist? It was obvious who's fist it had been by the blood oozing some several lacs on John's right hand.
"What the fuck, Cena, you okay?" Matt asked, his need to urinate suddenly diminished.
"What do you think?"
"Something you wanna talk about?" Matt went to put his arm around him, but Cena batted him away.
"No." He groused
"Okay. Fine with me." Matt took his place at the urinal. When both Hardys had finished their call of nature, John finally spoke.
"That idiot defense lawyer made it seem like I killed Eric." He said. It was obvious now what had triggered the mild psychotic episode.
"He was just doing his job, John." Jeff snuggled up to him, and wouldn't let him push him aside, no matter how hard he tried. "Don't take it so hard."
"I hate bein' played like that." John pounded the sink, sending droplets of blood flying everywhere.
"We're goin' back to get some room service. Wanna come? We promise no funny stuff!" Jeff offered, adding the last bit when John gave him a strange look. "It'll just be the four of us."
"Four?" John looked suspicious.
"Yeah, you, me, Matty, and Bunny!" Jeff sang "We'll have a party!"
"Don't that rabbit have a curfew?" John asked
"When she goes to bed, we'll just have to be quiet. Y'know... watch a movie or somethin'?"
"Sure." John acquiesced
"Let's get your hand bandaged up and maybe we can even get out of here without getting burned for the mirror." Matt wrapped John's oozing mitt with paper towels.
With his hand securely in his pocket, John made it out of the bathroom without incident, Matt and Jeff close behind. Reading body language, you could see that John was still angry, but under control.
Back in their suite, Matt did a better job of cleaning John's hand. Thankfully, no glass had become embedded in it, so it was a simple matter of washing out the wound and putting some band-aids on. While he did this, Jeff alternated between playing with Bunny, surfing the television, and ordering room service.
When the food and wine arrived, they dove in.
"Uh, guys, before we get too gorged, I'd like to make a toast." John held his glass up. "To Eric."
Matt and Jeff looked at John, then each other.
"I guess you really do have emotions. To Eric." Matt clinked his glass.
"Yeah. To Eric." Jeff raised his and Bunny's glass. Don't ask why Bunny was drinking, but I guess she was of age.
"But if you tell anyone, I'll deny it." John laughed
"Don't worry. Your secret is safe." Matt replied
To Eric....
TO BE CONTINUED
How will defense do? It seems pretty clear to me that Adam did it, but then again I'm writing this stuff!
Reviews are always welcome!
P.S. I didn't realize Eric had such a fan base! My e-mail has been filling up!