Hello, everyone! I hope you're doing well. This time we're listening to our new witness. Let's see how this turns out!
THE COURTROOM:
The judge said, "We will now reconvene for the trial of William Brand."
"The defense is ready, Your Honor." I said.
"The prosecution is also ready, Your Honor." Mr. Payne replied.
"Man, I want to get rid of this guy, but for the sake of the trial, I'll endure him." I thought.
"The prosecution will bring out the next witness." Mr. Payne said.
Then a woman wearing a floral shirt appeared on the stand. Mr. Payne said, "State your name and occupation for the record."
"My name is Polly Bloom. I'm a photographer." she answered.
"You were there at the zoo the day of the murder, correct?" Mr. Payne asked.
"Yes, I was taking pictures of all the animals." Polly responded.
"This witness has submitted photos of the victim and the defendant while she was visiting, Your Honor."
Seven photos were shown, but they were showing more of Pepper than anything else. William and the animals were there, but they didn't seem to be the main focus of the photos. Athena asked, "Something up, Terri?"
"I don't think she was at the zoo to photograph the animals." I told her.
"The witness will begin their testimony." the judge said.
Polly straightened her jacket, then cleared her throat, "I arrived at the zoo at 10:00 am, I started to take pictures everywhere. Then I tool one of the man over there talking to the lady. I wasn't close enough to hear their conversation, but, man, did it look juicy!"
What in the world? The judge said, "The defense may begin their cross-examination."
I cleared my throat, then asked, "Ms. Bloom, you mentioned that the conversation between the defendant and the victim looked 'juicy'. What do you mean by that?"
"The way they were moving, I was thinking they were arguing." she answered.
I looked at the photos that were submitted. I looked at the time on the first photo. It was stamped at 9:30 am. I yelled, "Objection!"
Athena looked at me. I said, "Ms. Bloom, you said that you arrived at the zoo at 10:00 am. That's not what the first photo is telling us. What kind of camera did you use?"
"Nikon. It's a birthday present from my grandmother." she answered.
"You know, the best things about cameras these days is that they capture the exact moment you push the button." I mused.
"What is your point, Ms. Vera?" the judge asked me.
"Ms. Bloom, this picture puts you 30 minutes prior to when you said you arrived at the zoo. What were you doing there at 9:30?" I asked.
Polly looked rattled. Everyone in the courtroom murmured. The judge banged his gavel, "Order! Order in the court!"
Everyone was quiet. The judge said, "Witness, what is the meaning of this?"
She was shaking. Athena told me, "She's shaken up already. I wonder what she's trying to hide."
"You and me both." I answered.
"I wanted to see the animals asleep. Whenever I get there when the zoo is open, they move around a lot." Polly told us.
"There's something else I want to address, Ms. Bloom. In these photos, the animals don't seem to be the main focus. In fact, the victim, Pepper Sprout, is in every single one. Can you explain the reason behind that?" I asked.
Polly was shaking again. Athena said, "She appears to be under a great deal of stress."
"Say, Athena, do you think she needs to read more...thoroughly?" I asked.
She looked at me and smiled, "That's how it seems."
I looked at the judge, "Your Honor, the defense would like permission to give the witness a therapy session."
The judge said, "This witness does seem rather shaken. I'll allow it."
Athena nodded, then turned on her Mood Matrix.
So, we have a therapy session in the next chapter. What did you think? Please review!