Disclaimer:
They are not mine. I don't make profit from this.
Feedback is welcome (be kind; English is not my first language.)
Pineapples were not harmed in the writing of this story.
*Part 5 "The trial begins"
Present year, one week ago.
To get into the room, Ezra sneaked past a group of reporters that crowded the doors and the guard.
As he entered, he instinctively took notice of everything and everybody there.
Somehow Nathan and Ezra managed to take seats in the front row. The DA had already finished his speech claiming that the accused, Vincent Tanner, was a public menace and a murderer that needed to be put away for life.
Now it was Tanner's lawyer's turn to speak, but the young man was nervous and seemed to have trouble with his own notes.
The Judge, annoyed at the delay, suggested a short recess.
Ezra smiled at the opportunity and used the time to approach the dark haired lawyer.
"Hello, Mr. Dunne is it? My name is Ezra Standish and I'm a psychic with the FCPD."
The young man sighed. "Good for you, but I can't talk right now," he said and turned back to his notes.
Ezra narrowed his eyes, remembering the jury's reaction when the young lawyer looked through his notes tensely, and recalled one of the women looking disgusted and acting blatantly bored.
"Somebody in the jury doesn't like you," said Ezra getting the lawyer's attention.
Standish closed his eyes and focused in the memory of the female juror with the expensive dress and jewelry. "She's the one in the first row, she doesn't like y…"
"Well, I don't like her either," interrupted the lawyer.
Ezra threw a side-glance to the woman and compared her mannerisms with those of his mother. //She is so fashion-addict// he thought.
"She dislikes how you look," he clarified. "Let me see," he said assessing the appearance of the smaller man.
"The shiny black hair and the style give you a friendly-boyish look, the suit looks good enough even if the color is a little somber, clean shoes, you're not ugly…"
"Thank you… I think," mumbled Dunne.
"You need to look more confident: don't slouch, get your head up, look at the people not at the ground, let them see your eyes so they can trust you, you already know what you are going to say, don't you?" he asked.
"Yes."
Ezra smiled. At least the man wasn't mumbling anymore.
"Yuck!" the green eyed man almost shouted before remembering where they were. "Let's get rid of the handkerchief and the tie, we need something that matches your new image, something that breaks the somber look, to show the people that you are optimist." Ezra snapped his fingers and turned to Nathan. "Lend me your tie."
"What?" asked Nathan surprised "No, this is one of my best ones; is silk and…"
"We have no time to argue Nathan, the Judge is ready again, just lend me your tie."
Nathan scowled at Ezra, fuming as he complied and passed his tie to his best friend.
Standish switched the ties.
The lawyer was looking better now, standing straight and with a touch of color in his wardrobe.
Ezra nodded to himself and caught the intrigued look on Tanner's face at the other end of the table before the Judge called order and the hearing recommenced.
The young attorney spoke loud and clear, calling special attention to Tanner's time in the army, the commendations, actions and medals, and lack of criminal record.
It was a good speech and Dunne was glad to notice that the jury had been receptive, even the woman who frowned at him earlier.
The judge then declared that they would continue the trial after lunch and dismissed the audience.
Ezra jumped the partition and went to the lawyer's side. "I told you, man!" he exclaimed proudly. "You gave them something to think about."
Dunne smiled brilliantly. "Yeah, thanks." But then the despaired look came back and he slouched and gazed to the floor. "Look, I'm really grateful for your help, and I'll be glad to hire you… but I can't; my boss doesn't really want…"
"To win?" interrupted Ezra.
"No," said the lawyer, puzzled. "He doesn't like…"
"Salsa in his chips?" interrupted Ezra again.
"What?" Dunne was really confused now.
"Your boss, he doesn't really want… what?" asked the fake psychic.
"Oh. It's the case. He wouldn't take it; said it was a lost cause and there would be too much media coverage so…"
"Don't worry I'll take care of the media," stated Ezra, "and you wouldn't need your boss authorization or anything because you won't be hiring us."
Standish saw a flash of disappointment in the lawyer's eyes and hurried to explain. "Because we'll do it for free."
Dunne was perplexed. "You will?"
"Of course we will," Ezra stated, smiling.
"You have the potential to be a fantastic lawyer; all you need is more confidence and…" he paused for a dramatic effect. "The best psychic-legal counsel around. So let's go see your notes and everything," said Ezra and sprinted out of the courtroom, leaving behind the dumbfounded lawyer.
Outside Ezra saw Detective Larabee in the hall next to a beautiful woman, and Ezra waved in greeting, but Chris´ gaze went past the fake psych, directed behind the shorter man.
Curious, Ezra turned and saw that, at the end of the corridor the guards were escorting Tanner.
Feeling the eyes on him, the longhaired man turned toward the men and ignoring Ezra too, nodded at the cop before going into a room.
Intrigued, Ezra approached the detective "Mr. Chris," he greeted, receiving the standard growl: "It's Detective Larabee to you," which the psychic ignored, as always.
"I noticed you watching Mr. Tanner across the hall, do you know him? Maybe from your time in the army?" asked Ezra.
Chris glared at the younger man. "Who told you I was in the army?"
Ezra just smiled.
Larabee grimaced. "I arrested Tanner," stated the detective.
"Really?" asked Ezra "judging by the soap opera moment I thought you were long lost siblings separated at birth, or that maybe you were one of those fanatics with criminal's faces printed on t-shirts to show them your support, but not that you were the one who threw the guy in a cell."
Ezra saw Chris's eyes cringe involuntarily at his words.
"But I'm sensing something," said the fake psychic, waving his hands at the detective. "Discomfort, doubt and… are you thirsty?"
Larabee clenched his hands to keep them from wringing the younger man's neck.
The blond had been receiving commentaries hinting that Ezra suspected his drinking problem, but why would the kid know anything? It wasn't as if Chris, even drunk, would give that kind of information.
The woman next to Larabee didn't look happy either and tried to get the detective away from the younger man. "Have you been discussing the case with everybody?" she asked, fuming.
Larabee got angrier. "Maybe I should, as the D.A. and the judge's office have been ignoring me."
Ezra got between the irritated pair and redirected the detective's attention towards himself before Larabee did something he would regret. "Ok, big boy, go to your corner to refresh before the next round."
"Who do you think you are?" asked the woman, annoyed.
Ezra put on his best fake smile before answering. "I'm Ezra Standish, head psychic with the FCPD."
He narrowed his eyes, remembering where he had seen the woman before, and the comments he had heard about her around the PD.
"And you are Mrs. Gaines, you work… with a judge, oh! Not just any judge, but Judge Leland! The one in charge of Mr. Tanner's trial! Wow! That you've been ignoring the arresting detective would affect the case; would look bad for your boss, too," finished the fake psychic.
Larabee smiled at Ella's enraged expression.
"And you know what else?" continued the fake psychic. "I am working with Mr. Dunne as a legal consultant for Tanner's case and we will be glad to hear what the detective has to say."
The men left the judge's assistant and went to talk with Nathan and the lawyer.
There, the detective explained that he had doubts about the case and had sent a memo to the DA´s office that questioned whether Tanner had any motive at all for the killing, but the memo was never admitted into evidence and the DA hadn't explained why.
"Well?" Nathan asked after Larabee explained.
John Dunne stayed in silence.
Ezra shrugged. "I'm not sensing anything," he said and smiled. "That means that Mr. Larabee may be on the right path."
"How so?" asked John.
"I'm not sensing anything, because there was no motive for Tanner to kill the guy; and there was no motive for him to make the bloody mess at the warehouse," the conman explained.
"That means that we need to focus on the witness thing," he concluded.
Nathan and JD nodded and took the heavy folders with the forensic reports, transcripts, witness lists and testimonies.
The psychic shuddered and shook his head.
"Guys," Ezra said to Nathan and the lawyer. "The geek types can do the reading. I need to go to the real source."
Larabee, quickly deciphering the meaning, stated: "You are not going to the crime scene."
"I need to go there to see, to smell… to feel the truth!" The young man waved his hands in the air, then with a smile and batting his eyes at the blond detective he teased, "You can come too, if you are so worried about me. I knew you cared!"
The detective narrowed his eyes. "In your dreams, Standish."
"I wanted to go," Nathan said petulantly.
He wasn't pleased with the plans; after all, he was Ezra's partner.
The fake psychic smiled at his oldest friend. "Sorry pal, but I don't need a partner who, if there is blood on the floor, runs away screaming like a girl."
The black skinned man recoiled and tried to defend his reaction. "Once, Ez. It happened once and it was because there were dead bodies in the room." But he understood that it was for the best that Larabee went with Ezra.
The conman chuckled. "You know Nathe, it's a good thing that that advanced program you took in college was about law and not anatomy."
Nathan rolled his eyes at the jibe, while Ezra went toward the door. "Well, if you'll excuse me, gentlemen. I have a crime scene to break into," he said and left.
JD and Nathan chuckled as Larabee ran after the fake psychic growling, "Standish!"
*
(to be continued)
*