Chapter 5—The Demon Prosecutor
August 8, 2015
The gavel rang out, beginning yet another trial. John Grozny, another one of White's people, had been arrested—this time for murder. He was rather clever (the detective in charge of the investigation almost arrested the wrong person), but ultimately, thanks to information provided by Mia Fey, he became a suspect, and a search of his house revealed decisive evidence of his involvement in the murder.
"Court is now in session for the trial of Mr. John Grozny," the judge said. It was the same judge Miles usually had to convince of the defendant's guilt.
"The prosecution is ready, Your Honor," Miles said.
"The defense is ready, Your Honor," the defense attorney said. Miles had never faced Alice Payne in court before, but a fellow prosecutor—her father—had mentioned her more than enough.
Hopefully, this lady is a tougher attorney than her father, Miles thought. It had been a while since he had a good challenge.
"Mr. Edgeworth, your opening statement?" Judge Clous requested.
"Bluecorp—a powerful company that specializes in information," Miles began. "It is only natural that the employees know a large amount of secrets. John Grozny, the defendant, is an executive in said company. Like most executives, he is suspected of backroom dealings and blackmail. If someone—say, someone whose reputation was hurt by the company—managed to get her hands on a file revealing that truth, then that person would become a threat to Mr. Grozny.
"Ms. Ann Thrax, a woman suffering from a chronic illness who could not afford the proper medical care thanks to Bluecorp's revelation that she was an illegal immigrant, managed to obtain such a file. It goes without saying that she probably planned on blackmailing the company to pay for her medical care—or possibly just for revenge.
"The defendant's home was searched, and evidence of his involvement in the crime has been found. The prosecution stands to prove that Mr. Grozny killed Ms. Thrax in order to protect the secrets she had come across."
"The court acknowledges the prosecution, the judge said. "Please call your first witness, Mr. Edgeworth."
"The prosecution calls the detective in charge of the overall investigation, Detective Bruce Goodman, to the stand."
A calm-looking man in a white trench coat approached the stand.
"Witness, please state your name and occupation," Miles requested.
"Detective Bruce Goodman," the detective replied. "I was put in charge of the overall investigation of this case."
"Please testify to the court about the defendant's arrest," the judge said.
"Yes, Your Honor," Goodman said. "After receiving a lead from a third party, we were given a warrant to search the defendant's house. During the search, we found some evidence that implicated him in the murder and also established that the victim had at one point possessed a damaging file on Bluecorp. The file established his motive. In addition, his alibi could not be confirmed by any credible sources. So, we arrested him."
"Well, that certainly throws suspicion on him," the judge commented. "Ms. Payne, please begin your cross-examination."
"Understood, Your Honor," Payne answered. She thought for a moment. She had most likely picked up on some of the traps in the testimony.
"What exactly happened during the arrest?" she asked the detective. "You seemed rather vague about it in your testimony."
"Oh, well, his wife and son happened to be there when we searched his house. It really hurt to have to arrest Mr. Grozny in front of them."
"How old is his son?"
"Objection!" Miles interrupted. "The witness has answered the question."
"Objection sustained," the judge said."
After thinking for a moment, Payne decided to press a more dangerous part of the testimony. "Detective, you said my client's alibi could not be confirmed by any credible sources. What sources were there and how did you come to decide their testimony was not credible?"
"The only source was Mr. Redd White, the CEO of Bluecorp. He said that Mr. Grozny was in a meeting with him. There was no proof, though."
"And how exactly does that make his testimony impermissible? I can't prove that I had toast for breakfast, but that doesn't mean I'm lying!"
"Objection!" Miles interrupted. "Ms. Payne, did you even listen to the detective's statement? Unless you have evidence proving that the defendant was in a meeting, your argument is nothing more than conjecture. In addition, the fact that Mr. Grozny is a valued employee of Mr. White costs him his credibility as a witness. Could we please continue?"
"Of course we can't!" she replied. "Just because someone is connected to the defendant doesn't mean they're not a credible witness! White might be able to prove that my client was in a meeting with him! He could be a decisive witness!"
"Objection!" Miles shouted. "Ms. Payne, 'might' and 'could be' are not going to suffice for a court of law. If you want Mr. White to be called to the witness stand, you will have to provide solid evidence that his testimony is credible." Miles had heard that Payne had been denied the right to testify in a case against her boyfriend because of her relationship with him. He was found guilty—a guarantee whenever Manfred von Karma is the prosecutor. He could have brought that up, but it might have been considered a personal attack on the defense.
Payne sighed. She thought again, then, sensing a trap ahead, asked another question. "Detective, about the file that 'established his motive…' How exactly is it connected to the crime? It could just have been an incriminating file that happened to be at my client's house during the search. What proof do you have that it's at all related to the murder?"
Goodman jumped a little at Payne's sudden change in tone. "Well, it… is… a file that incriminates Mr. Grozny. If it was stolen, then he'd definitely try to get it back—by any means necessary."
"But what proof is there that it was stolen?"
"Ah!" Goodman jumped again. He started rubbing his nose, something he often did when trying to think.
"Ms. Payne…" Miles started, his calm voice the complete opposite of Goodman's flustered yelps, "the forensics department examined the file at my request. I can safely say that this file was stolen by the victim. After all, her fingerprints were found on it. Ergo, the file is strongly connected to this case!"
"Erh!" Payne yelped. She seemed to fall backwards, hitting the back of her head on the wall behind her. She then bent her head forward and rubbed the area that was hit.
"Are you quite done, Ms. Payne?" Miles asked, already knowing the answer.
"I'm not done yet." Payne looked back at the detective. She seemed hesitant, as though she knew that whatever she asked was going to spring another trap.
"Detective, who's this 'third party' who gave you a lead?" she asked.
"Defense attorney Mia Fey," Goodman replied.
"For those who are unaware," Miles cut in, "Ms. Fey has been looking into Bluecorp and its connection to crime in this district. She shared her files on Grozny with the police—much of the data in the file found in the defendant's house matched what Ms. Fey had uncovered in her files."
Payne sighed. "Okay…" She cringed. Miles knew what was next, and apparently, she had a good sense of the future, too. "About this…" She paused and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly before continuing. "About this 'evidence that implicated him in the murder…' Just what is this evidence, and how does it implicate my client?"
"Well," Goodman started, "a very nice Blackhawk revolver was found mounted on the wall in his living room. Since the bullet found in the victim was a .38 Special, we examined the gun, even though Mr. Grozny said it was just a decoration. Sure enough, it had been fired recently. The ballistic markings on the bullet matched the gun."
"Oh my!" Judge Clous exclaimed. "You mean the defendant's gun was the one that committed the crime?"
"Objection!" Payne cried. "Detective, what kind of idiot would kill someone with a gun and then put that weapon on display in his living room? If I were the killer, I would have disposed of the weapon as soon as I got the chance!"
"Objection!" Miles countered. "Ms. Payne, perhaps you should put that attorney's badge of yours on display in your living room. The bullet that killed the victim was a .38 Special whose ballistic markings matched those of the defendant's 'decoration.' Regardless of how odd it is to hide the murder weapon in plain sight, the fact remains that this is what was done. If you're going to deny that, I suggest you present some evidence."
"Fingerprints," Payne said, rubbing her forehead with her left thumb and index finger in thought. "Whose fingerprints were on the gun?"
"No fingerprints were found on the gun," Miles answered. "It goes without saying that if one is going to hide the murder weapon, one might as well wipe off any fingerprints on it. Now, shall we move on? If the defense has no further questions, I would like to move on. Now that the defendant's motive has been established, in addition to the conclusive evidence against him, the prosecution will now establish that Mr. Grozny indeed had an opportunity to kill Ms. Thrax."
"Well, Ms. Payne?" the judge asked. "Anything else you need to know?"
"The defense would like to hear more about the Mr. Grozny's family."
"Mr. Edgeworth? Any objections?"
"The family is a dead end," Miles replied. "I will allow testimony about them if the defense allows the defendant to testify about the night of the crime afterwards."
"Well, Ms. Payne?"
Payne didn't answer. She rubbed her forehead with her left index finger, trying to think. Miles had made it apparent through his request that he believed the defendant's testimony would ultimately benefit the prosecution. In addition, he had also indicated through his proposal that he didn't see the testimony she requested as a threat to his case. She was most likely just trying to figure out if Miles was bluffing or he really was that confident.
Of course, the "safe" course was just as dangerous for the defense. After all, the crime scene had yielded some rather conclusive evidence that Grozny was there when the crime was committed.
"The defense accepts the prosecution's terms," Payne finally answered.
"Very well," Miles said. "Your Honor, I would like to temporarily relieve Detective Goodman from the stand. The prosecution would like to call a witness who can easily prove that the defendant was the only person in the family who had the opportunity to kill the victim."
"Request granted," the judge said. "Call your witness, Mr. Edgeworth."
"The prosecution calls Mrs. Anastasia Grozny to the stand. Her testimony will prove beyond all doubt that she and her son did not have an opportunity to commit the crime."
A woman in her thirties approached the stand.
"Witness, please state your name and occupation," Miles requested.
"Anastasia Grozny. I'm the manager of the Gatewater Hotel in La Jolla."
"Oh, my!" the judge cut in. "I remember that hotel. I sometimes stay there just to have their room service!"
"Could we please proceed with the testimony, Your Honor?" Miles asked.
"Of course. Witness, please testify about what you and your son were doing at the time of the crime."
"Okay," Mrs. Grozny said. She seemed hesitant. It was understandable, considering that she was testifying in her husband's trial. "Our son, Peter, is in a chorus. He had a concert that night, so I had to drive him. I had promised him I'd attend, so I was there until the concert was over. John said he had a few reports to file, so he couldn't come. So you see, my son and I both have an alibi."
"Indeed you do, Mrs. Grozny," the judge said. "Ms. Payne, you may cross-examine the witness."
"Mrs. Grozny, what chorus is Peter in?" Payne asked, obviously hoping to get an answer that she could prove to be false.
"The North Coast Singers," Mrs. Grozny answered. "I still have a program from their concert that night. Mr. Edgeworth asked me to bring it as proof of our alibi."
"Your Honor, this is the program from that concert," Miles said, handing the judge a green booklet. "If you look at the roster for Giocoso, you will see that Peter Grozny is indeed a member."
"Hmm… You're right," the judge said. "This does indeed prove that the witness's son was at the concert."
"Objection!" Payne cut in, as Miles knew she would. "All that proves is that the witness's son is in Giocoso! It does not prove that he was at the concert!"
"Objection!" Miles countered. "Ms. Payne, I will admit that the program does not conclusively confirm the witness's alibi, but it does establish how unlikely it is that the witness's son was the killer. After all, each singer's grade is shown in the program. Does the defense truly intend to accuse a second-grader of murder?"
The gallery started jeering at Payne. The judge banged his gavel, silencing them.
"I never said that the witness's son was the killer," Payne said. "The defense concedes that Peter Grozny is unlikely to have been the killer. However, this does not clear the witness herself!"
"Then please continue with your cross-examination, Ms. Payne," Miles said.
"Mrs. Grozny," Payne started, returning to the witness, "how many cars does your family own?"
"Two," Mrs. Grozny replied. "I use one to go to work, and John uses the other for his job."
"What about your son?"
"Objection!" Miles cut in. "What does this have to do with the case? I can understand asking about the number of cars, but asking about where the witness's son goes after school?"
"Objection sustained," the judge said. "Ms. Payne, please stick to the case itself."
Payne sighed. She then continued. "You said your husband 'had a few reports to file,' correct?"
"What about it?" Mrs. Grozny asked.
"What were those reports?"
"I have no idea, Ms. Payne."
"You have no idea? I'd think they'd have to be pretty important for—"
"Objection!" Miles interrupted. "Have you forgotten what the defendant is on trial for, Ms. Payne? He simply said that to give himself an opportunity to commit the crime he is accused of. Or perhaps you have proof that the defendant did indeed file reports?"
Payne sighed again and pressed her hand against her forehead. "I have no proof," she said. "Going back to the alibi aspect, there's no decisive proof that you and your son had an alibi. Yes, the concert you claim to have attended is real, but there's no proof you were at it. What proves beyond all doubt that you were there?"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Miles chuckled. "Of course there's proof. One thing Mrs. Grozny told me about the concert was that it was filmed by a few people in the audience. I had Detective Goodman track a few of them down and get copies of their videos. Both Mrs. Grozny and her son were caught in this one quite well." Miles took a video out of the bag behind his desk and put it on his desk.
The bailiff, catching the cue, went out and brought in a television set. The video was put in, and Miles fast-forwarded to a part in which both Mrs. Grozny and her son were visible. The gallery started murmuring, quickly being silenced by the judge's gavel.
"Well done, Mr. Edgeworth," the judge said. "You never seem to miss a spot in your investigations."
"I make sure to be prepared," Miles said, taking a bow.
"Ms. Payne, any further questions?" the judge asked.
"I'd like to take a look at this video," she answered.
How predictable, Miles thought. He knew that by holding the video back, he would be able to trick the defense into thinking there was a problem with it.
After some time and some untrained singing voices, Payne placed her left elbow on her desk and grasped her forehead with her hand. She had apparently realized that it was a trap.
"Will that be all with the video, Ms. Payne?" Miles asked, sure of the answer.
"The defense has no further questions for this witness," she answered, removing her hand from her forehead.
"Then, as per the deal, you will allow your client to take the stand and testify."
"Before we do that, however," the judge added, "we will take a ten minute recess."
"Sir, why didn't you tell me about the fingerprints on the file?" Goodman asked Miles in the Prosecution Lobby.
"I didn't think it was necessary," Miles answered. "Besides, it made for a good trap for Ms. Payne."
"A trap, sir?"
"Defense attorneys will use every weapon at their disposal to prove their clients not guilty. Thus, we sometimes need to harm their credibility."
"Well, uh…" Goodman let the thought trail off. He had no suitable response. "Uh… How do you think the defendant will behave, sir?"
"He will no doubt lie to protect himself. If Ms. Payne fails to point out those lies, I will do so myself, getting her a sizable penalty in the process."
The judge's gavel began what would no doubt be the final phase of the trial.
"Bailiff, please escort the defendant to the stand," the judge ordered. The bailiff led Mr. Grozny to the stand and stood next to him in case he tried to flee.
"Mr. Grozny," Miles started, "I would like you to testify to the court about the night of the crime. Just what were you doing at the time?"
"I was filing some reports, just as my wife testified. Peter and Ana were at the concert, so I had the house to myself. After I was done with the reports, I watched a little TV. Then my family returned. I never left the house at all."
Miles chuckled. He knew the defendant was lying.
"Please begin the cross-examination, Ms. Payne," the judge requested.
"I'm sorry to ask you about something that your company might consider classified, but it's critical to your case," Payne said. "What were the reports about?"
"They were on the scandal involving Aaron Space," Mr. Grozny answered. "I had been tasked with cleaning up the mess he had made with the company's money."
"Where's your proof?" Payne asked.
"The reports have probably been filed away in the company's HQ."
"Please amend your testimony about the reports, Mr. Grozny," Payne said.
"Okay. The reports were on Aaron Space's crimes."
"Objection!" Payne shouted. "Mr. Grozny, don't lie to me. I'm supposed to be on your side, but I can only defend you if you tell the truth."
"What?"
"I spoke with Detective Goodman during the investigation. He said the reports in your office about Space were dated almost a month ago. What were you doing filing old reports?"
The gallery started up, silenced by the judge's gavel. "Mr. Edgeworth, your thoughts?" the judge asked.
"You don't need them; it's obvious what I think," Miles said, his arms crossed.
"Defendant, what do you have to say about this contradiction?"
"I'm pleading the fifth," Mr. Grozny said.
The gallery started up again, silenced by the gavel.
"In that case," Miles started, "the prosecution would like to present decisive evidence of the defendant's location when the crime was committed."
"What's your evidence?" the judge asked.
"A doorknob." Miles took out a cut-out portion of a wooden door. The lock below the doorknob was very severely damaged—it looked as though something hard had smashed it.
"A doorknob?"
"Not just any doorknob, though. This doorknob is from the victim's front door—and it is teeming with the defendant's fingerprints."
"Objection!" Payne cut in. "That only proves my client has been to the victim's house."
"Objection!" Miles countered. "Don't tell me you can't see the damage that was done to the lock. This was clearly a break-in. Yes, the defendant attempted to break into the victim's house and steal the incriminating file. However, the victim was home. When she saw the defendant, she panicked, making herself known. Mr. Grozny, fearing he would be turned in to the police, shot her."
The judge closed his eyes. "Yes, it's becoming very clear to me now." He banged his gavel. "This court sees no reason to further prolong this trial. The case is very clear to me, and I have no need to further look into it."
"Objection!" Payne interrupted. "The doorknob only proves my client broke into the house! There's no proof that he did that when the victim was being killed!"
"Objection!" Miles shouted. "Actually, there is proof," he said more calmly, knowing the end was near. "The victim's blood was found on this." Miles took a briefcase out of his bag. The case was not damaged at all, but it had a bloodstain on it. "What makes this important is that the defendant's fingerprints are on it. Specifically, they are on top of the bloodstain." He slammed his right hand against his desk. "Ergo, the defendant was at the scene of the crime after the murder was committed!"
"Objection!" Payne countered. "That doesn't prove—"
"Objection!" Miles interrupted. "Doesn't prove that he was there when the crime was committed? Do you know how close the victim's house is to a police station? One block! The police were there in less than a minute! If the defendant had broken in after the crime was committed, he would have been arrested on the spot! He had no time to break in and flee without being noticed by the police!"
The whack of the judge's gavel echoed through the courtroom, silencing the gallery, which had been getting noisier ever since Payne objected to the doorknob. "That's enough!" the judge barked. "Ms. Payne, I commend you for your effort, but I see no reason to doubt the prosecution's case. I will give you one last chance to turn this case around. If what you do does not bring to light anything important that the prosecution cannot counter, I will render my verdict right then and there."
Payne thought. It was all too obvious what she was thinking. What is there to prove? What can turn this case around?
"Mr. Edgeworth," Payne finally started, "you said the police were there in less than a minute, right?"
Miles held his hands open and shook his head. "I know what you're going to ask. 'How could my client have fled in that time?' It's simple." Miles started wagging his left index finger. "The briefcase was found very close to the door. All he had to do was shoot the victim and steal the file."
"Exactly. Where was the file? I imagine my client would have needed more than a minute to search the victim's house for a file."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Miles chuckled. "I'm so sorry, but I forgot to mention one other thing the file clears up: the defendant's opportunity. You see, the victim's blood was found on the file. Now, where exactly was the victim shot?"
"Ack!" Payne fell backwards and hit the back of her head on the wall behind her.
"The front door," Miles answered. "Therefore, the defendant needed only a matter of seconds to steal the file. It was just bad luck for him that the victim was home. If she had only been out at the moment, no one would have died."
"Indeed," the judge said. "Ms. Payne, it appears your objection has fallen flat. Therefore, I am prepared to hand down my verdict. This court finds the defendant, Mr. John Grozny, guilty. The accused will surrender to the court immediately, to be held pending trial at a higher court within a month from today's date. That is all. The court is adjourned!"
When Miles left the courthouse, he saw Gumshoe waiting for him.
"How'd it go, sir?" Gumshoe asked.
"Guilty, as always," Miles replied.
"Man, you're the best, pal. You're such a good prosecutor that people are starting rumors about you."
"I've heard a few of them. They say I'm more merciless than Genghis Khan."
"Who's that again?"
"A ruthless leader, a vicious warrior, and a mighty conqueror. He led the Mongols and expanded their empire across much of Eurasia. The empire collapsed shortly after he died, however."
"Wow. That must mean you're pretty good."
"A good prosecutor, yes. I've gotten a lot of enemies from being so good, though. Some have taken to calling me 'The Demon Prosecutor.'"
"Well, don't let it get you down, sir."
"It may offend me as a person," Miles started, "but as a prosecutor, it is nothing short of a compliment. You know you're good when people falsely accuse you of playing dirty to reach the top."