Author Notes:
Okay, third chapter! Awesome! This time will feature the cross-examination, where Frost and Gullivan
will face off for the first time! For your convenience, I've added a key to help the reading flow.

Words in BOLD are either sound effects, details such as time and places, or important words.
Words in (parenthesis) and italics are Arthur's thoughts.
Words in only italics are part of the witness testimony.
Words in BOLD and italics are being yelled.

Hope this helps! Now, onto the story...

"Let the cross-examination begin!" Gardner declared.

SMACK!

CROSS-EXAMINATION
-What I Witnessed-

"I was at South Bridge on the day of the crime, sketching the bridge for an art project."

"HOLD IT!"

"That's certainly a strange place for you to be working," Gullivan observed. "Why did you choose that location?"

"Well," Alise said, avoiding eye contact and fiddling with her hair, "The college I go to overlooks that bridge, and I often look at it out the window of my classroom...
I thought it would be nice to draw for my art project, but when I went outside to draw..."

"It was raining really hard, so I drew from the shed nearby."

"HOLD IT!"

"It seems to me that if you were busy sketching, you probably weren't paying much attention to anything else."

"Well, I do get a little wrapped up in my work sometimes..." Alise admitted, fidgeting with her hair. "But I'm sure about what I saw..."

(Good, she's doing well. She's blowing off Gullivan's questions.)

"Don't get too cocky," Jonathan warned him. "Gullivan isn't going to let a simple testimony like that stop him, you know."

"The victim was already on the bridge when I got there. He was just standing idly, so I didn't pay him any mind."

"HOLD IT!"

"So, you saw the victim beforehand, did you?" He asked.

"Yes, but as I said, I didn't pay him any mind..."

"Really? Because if you 'didn't pay him any mind', then it seems to me that there's some room for doubt in your testimony."

"What do you mean, Mr. Gullivan?" Gardner asked, leaning in inquisitively.

"What I mean is, are you entirely sure that you saw the victim on that bridge?"

"Ah, well..." Alise began to stutter. "I'm pretty sure it was him..."

Gullivan swung his fist in an arc over his head before slamming it down on his desk.

"'Pretty sure' doesn't cut it here, Ms. Witness. Did you or did you not see the victim on the bridge?"

"BACK OFF!"

Arthur slammed his own desk before continuing.

"The witness has already stated that she saw the victim! What more do you need?"

Gullivan shook his head and chuckled softly.

"You look nervous. Are you afraid I'm going to find a flaw with the testimony?"

"That's irrelevant."

"Oh? Well, you see, to me it seems like this little lady isn't entirely sure."

He flashed a sparkly grin at Alise, who gripped her sketchbook tightly in response.

"I'm just doing my job to make sure that she's not lying," Gullivan said. He then pointed an accusatory finger at the witness.

"Well, witness? Are you 110% certain that the man you saw that day was the victim?"

Alise looked nervous, and clenched her sketchbook tightly.

"Well, I did see him, but..."

"But what, witness?"

"I... saw him from behind only, so..."

"OBJECTION!"

Gullivan slammed his desk once more and grinned slyly.

"So, witness, what you are saying is that the man you saw may not have been the victim!"

"OBJECTION!"

Arthur shouted, finger extended.

"Just because she saw him standing the other way doesn't mean that she didn't see him!"

"Yes, but this pretty little witness here had never met the victim before, had she?"

Alise slowly shook her head, and Gullivan smirked in satisfaction.

"Therefore... It is perfectly conceivable that the man she saw was someone else entirely!"

"Argh!" Arthur flinched backwards as if the words had dealt him a physical blow.

Gullivan took a bow, and then proceeded to point directly at Arthur.

"I'm not done yet, you know. I think it's about time I gave my Counterargument."

COUNTERARGUMENT

-Gullivan's Logic-

"Well, it seems that our little miss witness here is a little doubtful, eh?"

"I'm willing to bet that the person she saw wasn't the victim at all!"

"Therefore, the rest of the testimony is irrelevant. Looks like you're out of luck, Rookie!"

"Well, that was some pretty solid logic there, Mr. Gullivan," Gardner said.

"Why thank you, Judge," Gullivan took another bow.

(Solid! It's sheer speculation!)

Jonathan shook his head. "Is this what's become of the courts nowadays...?"

He turned to face his protegee, and for once, he did not smile. "Listen, Arthur. You can't fight him using traditional tactics. He's going to do everything in his power to get his point across, and you have to do the same, evidence or no evidence. Break his theory. Keep pressing him until it gives away. And when the time is right, then present some solid evidence, and drive the final nail into his coffin!"

"Yes, sir!" Arthur replied, clenching his fists.

(Gullivan, I won't let you win!)

REBUTTAL

-Gullivan's Logic-

"Well, it seems that our little miss witness here is a little doubtful, eh?"

"I'm willing to bet that the person she saw wasn't the victim at all!"

"HOLD IT!"

"Do you have any proof?" Arthur asked.

"Proof?" Gullivan shook his head. "Sorry, but the burden of proof is on the prosecution, isn't it?"

"Well, when it's the defense making claims, then usually they have some evidence to back it up, right?"

Gullivan slammed his desk. "Oh, really? I know of a certain defense attorney that had plenty of things to say, but was constantly denied because of you sneaky prosecutors!"

He struck a heroic pose and pointed an accusing finger at Arthur.

"If it hadn't been for you corrupt lawyers, the truth could have been revealed long before!"

"OBJECTION!"

"I request that you stop right there in the verbal assault of my profession!" Arthur demanded angrily.

Gullivan merely smiled cockily in return. "Heh, that's just like you prosecutors. You get all worked up over the smallest things..."

"Why you..." Arthur's fist clenched in anger.

"Arthur, calm down," Jonathan reminded him. "That's exactly what he wants. If you lose your cool, it's game over."

Arthur's fist slowly unclenched. "Fine, let's continue."

"Therefore, the rest of the testimony is irrelevant. Looks like you're out of luck, Rookie!"

"HOLD IT!"

Arthur slammed his desk.

"Mr. Gullivan, your theory hardly proves anything! If we are to believe a word you say-"

"OBJECTION!"

"Let me guess," Gullivan said, sneering at Arthur, "You want proof, right? Well, let me ask you something: Do you take the jury for a bunch of sheep? Do you think you can just herd them around every which way with your 'evidence' and such?"

He shook his head and grinned briefly before continuing.

"Face it, Rookie. You may say my claims are baseless, but it's YOU who's making baseless claims!"

Arthur cringed, and hurriedly checked the Court Record.

(There has to be something... There has to be something...!)

"Judge!" Gullivan said, startling Gardner, who had been nearly dozing the entire time.

"Huh? No, I was merely, uh, considering both side's arguments..." He quickly shook the sleepiness from his eyes.

"Don't worry, Judge," Gullivan said, "You'll have plenty of time to nap later. For now, I think it's time to wrap this trial up."

He slammed his desk. "The defense would like to call a real witness, Your Honor!"

(Wait, what!)

"The defense can call witnesses too, Arthur," Jonathan said, as if reading his mind.

"S-Sir," Arthur said, looking ashamed, "I-I'm sorry..."

"Don't worry," Jonathan said, his ever-confident smile returning. "This is where the REAL trial begins."

Okay, that's it. Sort of short, I know, but it's good to at least have this chapter done.

This was mostly to show how the defense has become corrupt, and basically rules the courts. I promise to get into more
serious stuff in the next chapter.

Thank you for reading, and please review!