It's not quite over yet, folks. Dumon still has his winning card to play before the jury can make its decision.
"Does the defense wish to call any more witnesses?"
"No new witnesses, your Honor, but in light of new evidence, I would like to recall Miss Tori Meadows to the stand."
"Objection, your Honor!" Caswell cried out. "My client has already been subjected to a cross-examination by Mr. Kastle."
"What new evidence would this be, Mr. Kastle?"
"Well, if you'll just take a look at this, your Honor…" Dumon said, picking up his notebook and bringing it over to the Judge's seat. "You see, your Honor, I've detected several loopholes in Miss Meadow's story, and I'd like permission for her to answer to them. That's all." Dumon explained hastily, pointing out various notes to Judge Kay as he spoke.
After examining the notes, Judge Kay called Bailiff Kaboom over. "I just want to make sure your notes are accurate," he said. He looked through the minutes that Anna had been keeping and compared them to Dumon's notes. "It appears that you have been keeping excellent notes," Judge Kay observed. "You have my permission to proceed."
Yes! Dumon thought, resisting the urge to do a victory dance.
Judge Kay brought his gavel down with a startling bang. "Objection overruled. Miss Meadows, please return to the stand. And I remind you, that you're still under oath."
"Yes, your Honor," Tori said, evidently struggling to maintain a polite tone. She took a seat and looked at Dumon, as if daring him to try and prove her a liar.
Of course, Dumon thought, that's the whole reason I'm here. "Miss Meadows, I would like you to try and remember something that you told me the last time we were here. I asked you how Mr. Kastle's jacket, made of thin material, was not subjected to any damage while you were struggling with him. However, we have heard from your friend Jen's testimony that, and I quote, 'his purple jacket was still in the kitchen, on the back of the chair he had been using.' Did you replace the jacket on the chair after your struggle with him?"
"I suppose I must have."
"Why?"
"What else was I supposed to do with it?"
"Well, I thought that you managed to pull Mr. Kastle's jacket off of him during the struggle. I'm rather surprised that, although you didn't damage the jacket in any way, you still managed to pull it off of your assailant while he was trying to rape you."
"I said I wasn't strong enough to rip the jacket. I didn't say I was incapable of pulling it off of him."
"Very well. Mr. Kastle said that he left your house at about 5:17. We know from Miss Kastle's testimony that this is probable, considering what time he arrived home. Do you believe that Mr. Kastle was mistaken about the time?"
"Why should he be?"
"Well, Miss Meadows, your friend Jen said that she heard you start to scream at about 5:30. But you said, and I quote, 'I began to fight back. I kicked and flailed and bit him on the hand, and that was when he let go of my mouth. I screamed. I screamed and I screamed and screamed! I was so scared that I didn't stop screaming until my friend Jen arrived and I realized Shark- Mr. Kastle- had left.' So, either Jen is mistaken about when she heard you start to scream, or you screamed for 13 minutes straight. Which is it?"
"I don't know. I was so shocked that I wasn't paying any attention to the passage of time."
"But then, Miss Meadows, if that's all it is, how do you explain the other nuance in yours and Miss Williams's testimony?"
"Don't speak in riddles and try to trip me up, Mr. Kastle," Tori hissed. "What nuance would you be referring to?"
"The fact that you said that you 'didn't stop screaming until my friend Jen arrived,' and found you in hysterics on the floor; but that, just now, I asked you if you had replaced Mr. Kastle's jacket on the chair he had been using, and you said that you supposed that you must have. What did you do, Miss Meadows? Perhaps while you were screaming hysterically, you somehow decided and managed to replace Mr. Kastle's jacket on the chair, and then go back into your living room and lie back down? No!"
Tori was breathing heavily, realizing she was caught. "This is what really happened, Miss Meadows." Dumon continued. "Reginald Kastle refused to sleep with you. Stung by the rejection, you paced around your house, asking yourself how you would get your revenge. You put Mr. Kastle's jacket on the back of the chair he had been using, because in a panic he had fled your seduction and left it in your hands. Finally, you decided to claim that Reginald had attempted to rape you, you tore up your own clothes, then messed up your living room to make it look like there had been a struggle, got down on the floor, and began screaming around 5:30, when you knew your friend Jen Williams would be walking by and be able to hear you. Isn't that what really happened? ISN'T IT?"
Tori was trembling in rage and humiliation. "Reginald Kastle attempted to rape me!" she screamed. "I don't care what you say or what tricks you try to pull- he tried to molest me, and if there's one decent soul in this room, you'll send him to death row for it!" With that, she burst into tears. Caswell rushed forward and helped her down, half supporting, half carrying her back to her seat.
Dumon turned to the Jury triumphantly. "The defense rests."
Well, that's the climax? Did you like it? How may people figured it out? How many of you were completely taken by surprise? I'd love to hear your thoughts!