"Objection! ...How was that?" Peggy asked, looking at the trio at the other side of the courtroom.
"That was great!" Athena exclaimed.
"Meh, I thought it could be louder..." Apollo states,
"You want louder? I'll give you louder. Objection!"
"There, that's perfect."
"Ha! So... You think I could beat your so called 'chords of steel'?"
"Well... Nope. Not at all."
"Oh yeah? Okay then, ahem. Objection!"
"...Seems like I have quite the competition..."
"C'mon guys, this courtroom is going to be set up for a trial soon..." Phoenix pointed out.
"Oh yeah, for the case Apollo is in?" Athena asked.
"W-Wait! Can I be your assist?" Peggy asked.
"...Sure, I mean, yeah." Apollo answered.
"Alright! How much do you know about the case...?"
"...Well, the murder weapon was supposedly this knife...! ..."
"Apollo?"
"We'd better get to the lobby. We should be more private there..." Apollo quickly whispered as he grabbed Peggy by her wrist and pulled her in the court lobby.
"What's wrong Apollo?"
"Sorry, I saw something suspicious..."
"What was it?"
"Er... Nothing. I just got suspicious. That's all." Is this really happening again...? No, I told myself this wouldn't happen again. It has to be a coincidence... Apollo thought, as he went through all the evidence he had gathered.
"Court is in session for the trial of Katch Klutz. Is the defense ready?" The Judge asked.
"We're ready, Your Honor." Apollo answered, as he looked towards Peggy. We don't have much, but I think we'll pull through... And maybe I could teach Peggy here a few tricks...
"Is the prosecution ready?"
"Prosecution has been ready. You just took to long to ask me." The woman on the other side of the courtroom attacked. She look to be around her early forties, had dark-with-faded-gray hair, wore a purple and black scarf and a sweater jacket the color of blood red.
"Hm...? Who are you?" The Judge asked the woman.
"Me...? Just call me... Medusa, because this trial will go so fast, that you'll be petrified by my skill." She raised her ego just the little bit more.
Typical egotistical Prosecutor... Tch... Apollo thought, as he looked at Medusa's scarf. And back to Peggy. And back to Medusa. They both have the same scarf... "Hey, Peggy?"
"I saw her at the same store I shop at." Peggy quickly answered, "And don't call me Peggy."
"...What am I supposed to call you?"
"...Call me Mal."
"Does that have some sort of sentimental meaning?"
"The name of my friend. She died a year ago."
"I see... I'm sorry."
"Ahem! If we could get back to the trial. Judge, you were going to ask me about my opening statement, correct?" Medusa asked.
"Ah, yes, of course."
"Alright, the suspect, Katch Klutz, was seen walking into convenience store, grabbed the victim, Arill Klutz, and knocked her out. He proceeded to kidnap her, take her to his house and kill her."
That was... Darker than usual... Apollo thought as he received a copy of the autopsy report. Cause of death... stab in the shape of a circle...? It was located on the chest. The knife was still in the body. She also had bruise marks all over her body...
"Now, I would like to call the defendant to the stand." Medusa announced.
"W-What? I didn't do anything!" Katch exclaimed.
"Name and occupation."
"K-Katch Klutz... I work at that convenience store you were talking about..." He said, as he got out a sign with the arrow on it. It says, "C'mon! Buy something! We got everything you need!"
Sign spinner...? I always wanted to meet one of those... Apollo thought, as he watched Medusa, ready for anything she was going to throw at him.
"I'd like you to testify about the day of the murder."
"R-Right..."
Witness Testimony: Day of the Crime
I was outside the store...
I wanted to show off my skills to this girl I liked.
People walked in and out of the store, so one suspicious walked in...
When I walked back in, I saw my sister...
She was gone, her shirt was covered with blood.
And she had a big bruise mark over her forehead.
I didn't kill her! What would even be my motive?!
"Mr. Klutz has a good point. Medusa, does he have a motive?" The Judge asked.
"Yes, we have thought of one. His sibling and him are orphans, but the sister got to see their parents, so out of jealousy, he killed her sister."
That's crazy! But, I can't object, I don't have any evidence... Apollo thought, as he looked towards Mal.
"Hey Peggy- Ugh!"
"Don't call me that." Mal threw her brush at Apollo, luckily, she had another one.
"Okay... Why are you brushing your hair?"
"It helps me think."
"Mr. Justice, you may start your cross-examination."
"Yes, Your honor."
Cross-Examination: Day of the Crime
I was outside the store...
I wanted to show off my skills to this girl I liked.
"Hold it! What kind of skills are you talking?" Apollo asked.
"Oh, I flip, twist, and spin signs to get the attention of oncoming cars." Katch answered, as he started spinning the sign.
"Okay. Did you see anybody suspicious?" Apollo asked.
People walked in and out of the store, so no one suspicious walked in...
When I walked back in, I saw my sister...
She was gone... her shirt was covered with blood.
And she had a big bruise mark over her forehead.
"Objection! Katch, there was only one bruise mark?" Apollo asked a lead-in question.
"Yeah, it was big, and over her forehead..." Katch answered, as he threw his sign up in the air.
"Only one? I find that hard to believe..."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"In the autopsy report, it says that there were bruise marks all over her body!"
"Wha- Youch!" The sign fell on Katch's head.
"What I find odd is how you wouldn't notice that." Apollo explained.
"Well witness? Do you have an explanation for this?" The Judge asked.
"What...? How could I have not seen it...? No, I don't."
"And?" Medusa asked, the question pointing towards Apollo. "Does it matter whether or not he saw the bruises?"
"...!"
"Apollo, she has a good point, what does it matter? It still doesn't change the prosecution's case." Mal explained.
"I know..." What does him not seeing the bruises mean? "Wait... Medusa, you said that the suspect kidnapped the victim, brought her to his house, and killed her. This may have something to do with Mr. Klutz not seeing the bruises."
"What do you mean?" Medusa asked.
"If Mr. Klutz only saw the bruise on the victim's forehead... That means that the other bruises came later!"
"Then where did the other bruises come from?"
"...The real killer!"
"Objection! That makes no sense!" Medusa objected.
"Objection! The victim wasn't dead by then! She was only knocked out! Like you said!"
"You have no proof!"
"Argh! Then have the defendant testify on it!"
"I will!" Medusa ordered the defendant to talk about the victim's status when he walked in.
Heh, I tricked her... Apollo thought, as he watched Katch.
Witness Testimony: Status of the Victim
When I walked in...
I saw my sister, slumped over the counter...
Blood was on the back of her shirt...
Her head was facing me, so I could see the bruise on her forehead...
"Hah! Cross-examine that!"
"Okay, I will."
Cross-Examination: Status of the Victim
When I walked in...
I saw my sister, slumped over the counter...
Blood was on the back of her shirt...
"Objection! On the back of the shirt?"
"Yeah, why?" He said as he threw the sign up again.
"Again, in the autopsy report, it says that the wound that killed her was on her chest."
"...What?! Ow!" The sign fell on him again.
"I'm starting to question whether you actually saw the seen or not-"
"Objection! He saw the seen! We have proof!"
"Really? ...S-Show us!" Darn... Didn't expect that.
"We obtained the video tape on the camera in the store."
"Bailiff! Can you get the TV?" The Judge asked.
"Yes sir!" He yelled, as he carried the TV back to the court room.
"Bailiff...? Where is the Tape recorder?"
"What are talking about sir?!"
"We need that to review the recording!"
"But sir! You only told me to get the TV!"
"...Get the tape recorder."
"Sir, yes sir!"
The video showed the defendant walking into the store, running to his sister, who was described exactly how Katch described it as. "Sis?! No! C'mon! Wake up! No!" Then, the girl that Katch was talking about entered the room. "K-Katch? A-Arill? Is she... Dead?!" The video cuts there.
Well, it wasn't too bad. At least it didn't show Katch kill his sister...
"Apollo."
"Hm...? What?"
"Take another look at the video. Don't you see anything wrong?"
"What?" What is she talking about... Oh! "Hold it! There is something wrong in the video!"
"Hah! I doubt it!"
"Mr. Justice, what are you talking about?"
"Hm..." Where was it? Oh yeah! "Look at the body. See anything wrong with it?"
"No. What are you talking about? I think this deserves a penalty-"
"Hold it! You said there was nothing wrong about the body, correct?"
"Um... Yeah?"
"That's the oddity about. The body is slumped over, but in the autopsy report, it is said that the knife was still in the body. Can you tell me how the knife could still be in the chest?!" Apollo pointed out.
"W-What?!" A wind started blowing Medusa's scarf. "B-But! That's impossible!"
"Mr. Justice, how do you explain this contradiction?"
...My client didn't kill his sister, someone else did, but he still has a crime to atone for. Apollo thought, as he opened his mouth...
"Shut your face!" Medusa yelled, as she threw a chocolate cookie into his mouth.
"Ack! Ch-Choking... H-Help!" Mal quickly threw her brush at his stomach making him spit out the cookie.
"Medusa... Never. Do. That. Again."
"You can't tell me what to do!"
"Whatever... Getting back on track... I plea not guilty, but that doesn't mean my client didn't do something illegal."
"Mr. Justice, what do you mean?"
"Your honor, this recording is a play! The defendant and the witness acted this scene out- Argh!"
"Stop talking!" Medusa yelled as she kept throwing cookies of different flavors.
"S-Stop... Please..." Just then, Mal used her brush like a sword to deflect the cookies, like a samurai blocking objects thrown at her.
"Thanks, Mal."
"No problem."
"So, 'Justice.' You say that the defendant and and the witness acted this scene out? Hah! I doubt that! Do you have any proof to confirm your theory?"
Dang it. I knew she would use this excuse...
"Apollo, you don't have any evidence. You have to give it up for now."
"You're right..."
"Now that we are done with that useless time waste, I'd like to prep my next witness. May I have a recess?"
"Yes, right. Any objections?"
"..."
"Alright. I will give you a 20 minute recess. Court is adjourned!"
I need to ask Katch a few things. If everything works out... This should be finished today. I can already guess who the witness is...