Chapter 10—Wright

August 3, 2016

The Prosecution Lobby was relatively quiet. Some man in a purple suit—a witness—was sitting on the sofa, looking at Lana. The fact that he looked away whenever he noticed she was glaring at him told her that he probably found her attractive.

"Chief, why are you here?" a high-pitched, nasally voice asked. Lana turned her head to see the source: Winston Payne. Payne was known for his inability to push a point through. When the defendant was guilty, he usually got his verdict, but he did sometimes give in to his cowardly side and let a defense attorney's arguments slide, especially if his opponent was someone with a strong voice, such as Marvin Grossberg. Whenever that man yelled "Objection!" it literally shook the courtroom. Payne, on the other hand, had a timid voice that rarely expressed any confidence.

"I've been given permission to do as I please today," Lana replied. "I thought to see how you'd handle this case, since I'm no longer allowed to assist investigations."

"This one will be child's play," Payne said confidently. "I am the Rookie Killer, after all."

"It's over!" a breaking voice from behind the wall cried. "My life, everything, it's all over!"

"Hee hee hee…" Payne laughed. "Sounds like the defendant knows his fate."

"Death! Despair! Ohhhh! I'm gonna do it, I'm gonna die!!"

What a pathetic man, Lana thought.

The rest of the defendant's crying was relatively inaudible.

"Mr. Payne, it's time," a bailiff said, entering the lobby.

"I'll be watching from the gallery," Lana said.

A whack of the judge's gavel silenced the gallery.

"The court is now in session for the trial of Mr. Larry Butz," the judge said.

"The prosecution is ready, Your Honor," Payne said.

"The, um, defense is ready, Your Honor," the defense attorney said. Mia had said that this man was her student. He expressed the nervousness typical of a rookie.

The judge cleared his throat. "Mr. Wright?" he asked. "This is your first trial, is it not?"

"Y-Yes, Your Honor," Wright managed to say. "I'm, um, a little nervous."

"Your conduct during this trial will decide the fate of your client. Murder is a serious charge. For your client's sake, I hope you can control your nerves."

"Thank… thank you, Your Honor."

The judge seemed to think for a moment. "Mr. Wright, given the circumstances, I think we should have a test to ascertain your readiness."

This isn't like him, Lana thought. Judge Clous is usually too busy making heads and tails of the case to bother with the attorneys.

"Yes, Your Honor." Wright slumped a little. It was hard to make out from her seat in the gallery, but Lana could have sworn she saw sweat running down his cheeks.

"The test will consist of a few simple questions. Answer them clearly and concisely. Please state the name of the defendant in this case."

"The defendant? Well, that's Larry Butz, Your Honor."

"Correct," the judge said with a nod. "Just keep your wits about you and you'll do fine. Next question: This is a murder trial. Tell me, what's the victim's name?"

Wright grasped his chin after a moment, then slumped into a cold sweat again. He had apparently forgotten that one. Typical rookie.

"Phoenix!" Mia interrupted, addressing her apprentice. "Are you absolutely SURE you're up to this? You don't even know the victim's name!?"

Wright muttered something. Mia said something in response. Lana couldn't make out the conversation. After a moment, Wright took out the Court Record and looked at the case report.

"Let's hear your answer," the judge said, a tad impatient.

"Um…" Wright paused, still searching. "the victim's name is Cindy Stone."

"Correct. Now, tell me, what was the cause of death? She died because she was…?"

"She was struck once, by a blunt object."

"Correct. You've answered all my questions. I see no reason why we shouldn't proceed. You seem much more relaxed, Mr. Wright. Good for you."

"Thank you, Your Honor," Wright said before slumping again.

"Well then…" the judge turned to face Payne. "First, a question for the prosecution. Mr. Payne?"

"Yes, Your Honor?" Payne asked.

"As Mr. Wright just told us, the victim was struck with a blunt object. Would you explain to the court just what that 'object' was?"

"The murder weapon was this statue of 'The Thinker.'" Payne was holding a figurine made to look like The Thinker. "It was found lying on the floor, next to the victim."

"I see… the court accepts it into evidence."

Mia said something to Wright. A moment later, the judge banged his gavel.

"Mr. Payne, the prosecution may call its first witness," he said.

"The prosecution calls the defendant, Mr. Butz, to the stand."

Wright turned to Mia and said something. Mia said a few things in response. Wright began sweating as Butz was escorted to the stand. Payne cleared his throat.

"Mr. Butz," he said. "Is it not true that the victim had recently dumped you?"

"Hey, watch it, buddy!" Butz screamed. "We were great together! We were Romeo and Juliet, Cleopatra and Mark Anthony!"

Not the best examples of good couples, Lana thought, rubbing her ears from Butz's high-pitched scream. She noticed that Wright seemed to think the same thing.

"I wasn't dumped!" Butz continued. "She just wasn't taking my phone calls. Or seeing me… Ever. WHAT'S IT TO YOU, ANYWAY!?"

"Mr. Butz," Payne started, apparently unabashed by the defendant's screeching, "what you describe is generally what we mean by 'dumped.' In fact, she had completely abandoned you… and was seeing other men! She had just returned from overseas with one of them the day before the murder!"

"Whaddaya mean, 'one of them'!?" Butz shouted. "Lies! All of it, lies! I don't believe a word of it!"

"Your Honor, the victim's passport," Payne said, holding up a US passport. "According to this, she was in Paris until the day before she died."

The bailiff handed the passport to the judge, who examined it. He appeared to look at all of the visas before closing it and handing it to Wright.

"Hmm…" the judge muttered. "Indeed, she appears to have returned the day before the murder."

"Dude… no way…" Butz managed to say.

"The victim was a model, but did not have a large income. It appears that she had several 'Sugar Daddies.'"

Butz was almost inaudible.

Not a lifestyle I'd choose to have, Lana thought.

"Yes," Payne said in response to Butz's little squeak of a question. "Older men, who gave her money and gifts. She took their money and used it to support her lifestyle."

"Duuude!" Butz exclaimed, shocked.

"We can clearly see what kind of woman this Ms. Stone was. Tell me, Mr. Butz, what do you think of her now?"

Mia said something to Wright as Butz seemingly pondered the question. Wright slammed his desk with both hands just as his client opened his mouth to speak.

"My client had no idea the victim was seeing other men!" he argued. "That question is irrelevant to this case!" Wright's way of pointing at the person he was speaking to reminded Lana of Mia.

Like mentor, like student, she thought.

"Oof!" Payne blurted out. He winced.

"Dude!" Butz exploded. "Nick! Whaddaya mean, 'irrelevant'!? That cheatin' she-dog! I'm gonna die. I'm just gonna drop dead! Yeah, and when I meet her in the afterlife, I'm going to get to the bottom of this!"

The judge banged his gavel before the gallery could start up. "Let's continue with the trial, shall we?" he requested.

"I believe the accused's motive is clear to everyone," Payne said.

"Yes, quite."

The whole time, Wright was sweating grapeshot.

"Next question!" Payne exclaimed. "You went to the victim's apartment on the day of the murder, did you not?"

Butz swallowed, but didn't say anything. He was sweating almost as much as his lawyer.

"Well, did you, or did you not?" Payne insisted.

"Heh?" Butz responded. "Heh heh. Well, maybe I did, and maybe I didn't!"

Wright slammed his desk, then grasped his chin, then pointed at Butz. A signal, no doubt.

"Er…" Butz mumbled. "Yeah! Yeah! I was there! I went!"

"Looks like this one's an easy verdict," someone near Lana said. The judge's gavel broke up the small commotion.

"Order!" the judge demanded. "Well, Mr. Butz?"

"Dude, chill! She wasn't home, man… So, like, I didn't see her."

"Objection!" Payne screeched. "Your Honor, the defendant is lying."

"Lying?" the judge asked.

"The prosecution would like to call a witness who can prove Mr. Butz is lying."

"Well, that simplifies matters. Who is your witness?"

"The man who found the victim's body. Just before making the gruesome discovery, he saw the defendant fleeing the scene of the crime!"

"It's over now…" the same voice from the gallery said. "The Rookie Killer's killed another rookie."

The judge whacked his gavel. "Order! Order in the court! Mr. Payne, the prosecution may call its witness."

"Yes, Your Honor," Payne said. "On the day of the murder, my witness was selling newspapers at the victim's building. Please bring Mr. Frank Sahwit to the stand!"

The man in purple from earlier took the stand. He had his hands clasped together, moving with his arms. He looked like some sort of sleazy salesman who wanted to con his customers out of their money.

"Mr. Sahwit, you sell newspaper subscriptions, is this correct?" Payne asked.

"Oh, oh yes!" Sahwit answered. "Newspapers, yes!" He sounded like some rookie thief trying to create an alibi.

"Mr. Sahwit, you may proceed with your testimony," the judge said. "Please tell the court what you saw on the day of the murder."

"I was going door-to-door, selling subscriptions when I saw a man fleeing an apartment. I thought he must be in a hurry because he left the door half-open behind him. Thinking it strange, I looked inside the apartment. Then I saw her lying there… A woman… not moving… dead! I quailed in fright and found myself unable to go inside. I thought to call the police immediately! However, the phone in her apartment wasn't working. I went to a nearby park and found a public phone. I remember the time exactly: It was 1:00 PM. The man who ran was, without a doubt, the defendant sitting right over there."

The judge mumbled. Wright slumped and began sweating. His suit would probably need some washing after the trial was over.

"Incidentally," the judge started, "why wasn't the phone in the victim's apartment working?"

"Your Honor, at the time of the murder, there was a blackout in the building," Payne said.

"Aren't phones supposed to work during a blackout?"

"Yes, Your Honor. However, some cordless phones do not function normally. The phone that Mr. Sahwit used was one of those. Your Honor…" Payne opened a file folder and removed an envelope. "I have a record of the blackout, for your perusal."

"Now, Mr. Wright…"

"Yes!" Wright barked. "Er… yes, Your Honor?"

"You may begin your cross-examination."

"C-Cross examination, Your Honor?"

Idiot, Lana thought. A defense attorney who doesn't even know how to cross-examine? Mia must be slipping…

Mia said something to Wright. Wright said something back. Mia replied.

"Lies!" Lana heard Wright say. "What?!" The rest was inaudible. Wright jumped a bit after hearing something from Mia. Wright asked something. Mia responded with a bit of a briefing.

Wright looked at the testimony's transcript. He grasped his chin with one hand. He then looked at the Court Record. He dug out the autopsy report and looked at it.

"Objection!" he shouted, pointing at Sahwit. "You found the body at 1:00 PM. You're sure?"

"Yes," Sahwit said. "It was 1:00 PM, for certain."

Wright slammed his desk. "Frankly, I find that hard to believe. Your statement directly contradicts the autopsy report." Wright held the report in his left hand, occasionally flicking it with his right. "The autopsy notes the time of death at sometime after 4 PM. There was nobody to… er…" He put the report away. "no 'body' to find at 1:00 PM! How do you explain this three-hour gap?"

Wright had a confident smile on his face, his hands on his hips. Sahwit started moving a little faster. He appeared to be sweating. "Oh, that!" he managed to say. "Oh, er…"

"Objection!" Payne interrupted. "This is trivial! The witness merely forgot the time!"

The judge shook his head. "After his testimony, I find that hard to believe. Mr. Sahwit, why were you so certain that you found the body at 1:00 PM?"

"I… er… well, I…" he stuttered. He had some sort of secret. "Gee, that's a really good question!"

Mia said something to Wright.

"Wait!" Sahwit said. "I remember now!"

"Would you care to give your testimony again?" the judge asked.

"You see, when I found the body, I heard the time. There was a voice saying the time… It was probably coming from the television. Oh, but it was three hours off, wasn't it? I guess the victim must have been watching a video of a taped program! That's why I thought it was 1:00 PM! Terribly sorry about the misunderstanding…"

"Hmm… I see. You heard a voice saying the time on a taped program. Mr. Wright, you may cross-examine the witness."

Mia said something to Wright. Wright said something in response. He was then handed the transcript. He needed almost no time to find a weak point.

"Objection!" he yelled, again pointing at the witness. "Hold it right there! The prosecution has said there was a blackout at the time of the discovery!" He took out the report and flicked it a few times. "And this record proves it!"

Sahwit got nervous again. Wright pointed accusingly at the witness.

"You couldn't have heard a television… or a video!"

"Gah!!" Sahwit yelped, his toupee jumping. "I… well… urk!"

"The defense has a point," the judge said, nodding. "Do you have an explanation for this, Mr. Sahwit?"

"No, I… I find it quite puzzling myself! Quite!" He paused. "Aah! W-wait! I remember now!"

"Mr. Sahwit? The court would prefer to hear an accurate testimony from the very beginning. These constant corrections are harming your credibility. That, and you seem rather… distraught."

Sahwit's toupee jumped again. "M-my apologies, Your Honor! It… er, it must have been the shock of finding the body!"

"Very well, Mr. Sahwit. Let's hear your testimony once more please."

"Actually, I didn't 'hear' the time… I 'saw' it! There was a table clock in the apartment, wasn't there! Yeah, the murder weapon! The killer used it to hit the victim! That must have been what I saw."

"You saw a clock? I guess that would explain it. The defense may cross-examine the witness."

"Gladly," Wright said. He was handed the testimony. "Objection!" he yelled again, pointing at Sahwit. "Wait just a moment!" He slammed his desk. "The murder weapon wasn't a clock. It was this statue! Now how is this supposed to be a clock?"

"Whaa!?" Sahwit yelped. His toupee jumped. He began shaking his fist at Wright. "Y-you with your 'objections,' and your 'evidence'… Just who do you think you are!?"

"Just answer the question, Mr. Sahwit."

"Hey, I… I saw it there, okay! That's a clock!"

"Your Honor!" Payne cut in. He was sweating. "If I may…"

"Yes, Mr. Payne?" the judge asked.

"As the witness stated, this statue is indeed a clock. The neck is a switch. You just tilt it, and it says the time out loud. As it doesn't look like a clock, I submitted it as a statue. My apologies."

"I see. So the murder weapon was a table clock after all. Well, Mr. Wright? It appears that the witness's testimony was correct. This is a clock. Do you have any problems with his testimony now?"

"Your Honor," Wright started, "there is a gaping hole in the witness's testimony! The only way he could have known the weapon was a clock is to hold it in his hand." He held the testimony and flicked it a few times. "Yet the witness testified that he never entered the apartment!" He slammed his desk. "Clearly, a contradiction!"

"Hmm… indeed!"

"The witness knew it was a clock, because he…" He paused, pointing at Sahwit. "You're lying! You were inside the apartment on the day of the murder!"

"Oh yeah?" Sahwit insisted. "Prove it! Prove I went in there!"

Wright slammed his desk again. "I'll do better than that! I can prove you were the one who killed her! You struck her with the clock, and the shock of the blow triggered the clock's voice! That was the sound you heard!"

"Yeah, he has to be the killer!" someone in the gallery yelled. The judge's gavel stopped him from continuing.

"Order in the court!" Judge Clous demanded. "Intriguing. Please continue, Mr. Wright."

"Yes, Your Honor," Wright said. "Mr. Sahwit. The sound must have left quite an impression on you. Understandable, since the murder weapon spoke just as you hit the victim! That voice was burned into your mind. That's why you were so certain about the time!"

"Objection!" Payne shrieked. "W-w-what's the meaning of this? This is all baseless conjecture!"

"Baseless…?" Wright countered. "Just look at the witness's face!"

Sahwit mumbled something.

"Would the witness care to elaborate?" the judge asked. "Did you strike the victim with the clock?"

Looks like we have our killer, Lana thought. I had a feeling Butz was innocent. Why would he kill someone he loved?

"That… that day… I… I never!" Sahwit was losing it. "Look… I… the clock… I heard, no! I mean, I saw… Saw… nggg!" He grabbed his toupee and screamed as he hurled it at Wright's face. It slid off. Wright was not amused. "Shutupshutupshutup! I hate you! I-it was him, I tell you! I saw him! H-he killed her and he should burn! Burn! Give him death!"

"Give it a rest, slimeball!" someone in the gallery jeered. The judge silenced the gallery.

"Order!" he shouted. "Order in the court I say!"

"Your Honor, a-a moment please!" Payne squeaked. "There isn't a shred of evidence supporting the defense's claims!"

"Mr. Wright!"

"Your Honor?" Wright asked.

"You claim the sound the witness heard came from the clock… Do you have any evidence?"

"Yes, Your Honor. The sound Mr. Sahwit heard was definitely this clock. A fact which is clear if you simply…" he paused. "Let's sound the clock now, here in this court. Your Honor, may I have the clock? I ask the court to listen very carefully…"

"I think it's 8:25," the clock said after Wright tilted its neck.

"That certainly is a strange way to announce the time," the judge said.

"Well, he is 'The Thinker,' after all."

"So, we've heard the clock. What are your conclusions, Mr. Wright?"

"Mr. Payne… can you tell me what time it is now?"

Payne checked his watch. "It's 11:25… Ack!"

"As you can see, this clock is exactly three hours slow! Precisely the discrepancy between what Mr. Sahwit heard and the actual time of death! So, Mr. Sahwit… Try to talk your way out of this one!"

Sahwit's heavy breathing stopped for a moment. "…Hah!" he laughed. "Hah hah! You forgot one thing!"

Wright started sweating.

"While it may seem like that clock IS running three hours slow… It proves nothing! How do you know it was running three hours slow on the day of the murder! If you can't prove that, you don't have a case!"

Wright slumped over, sweating.

Come on, Wright! Lana thought. That's child's play!

"Mr. Wright?" the judge called. "It seems you lack the critical evidence to support your claim."

"Yes, Your Honor," Wright said, defeated.

"This means I cannot let you indict the witness. Unfortunately…" he banged his gavel. "This ends the cross-examination of Mr. Frank Sahwit."

"I come all the way down here to testify, and look what happens!" Sahwit shouted. "They treat me like a criminal! A criminal! You lawyers are all slime!"

Wright slammed his desk. He didn't say anything, though.

"Not so fast, Mr. Sahwit!" Mia yelled.

"Mia!" Wright yelped. "I mean, Chief!"

"Listen up, Wright!" she said. The rest was inaudible. They talked for a bit.

"Wait!" Wright chirped. "Maybe I can prove it!"

"Well, Mr. Wright?" the judge asked. "You say the clock was running slow on the day of the murder… Have you found evidence to support this claim?"

"Of course. There is a piece of evidence in the Court Record that can prove my claim beyond a doubt!"

"Hah!" Sahwit barked. "Tough words! Let's see you pull this one off!"

"Let's see this evidence that proves why the clock was running slow!" the judge ordered.

"Take that!" Wright shouted, tossing the passport to the judge. "The victim had just returned home from abroad the day before the murder. As we all know, the time difference between here and Paris is nine hours!"

I doubt the judge knew that, Lana thought.

"When it's 4:00 PM here," Wright continued, "it's 1:00 AM the next day there." He pointed at the judge. "The clock wasn't three hours slow, it was nine hours fast! The victim hadn't reset her clock since returning home! That's why the time you heard when you struck her dead in her apartment was wrong!" Wright slammed his desk. "Proof enough for you, Mr. Sahwit? Or should I say… Mr. Did It!"

"Ngh!" Sahwit yelped. He foamed at the mouth and fainted. The whole gallery started up before being silenced by the gavel.

"O-order!" the judge bellowed. "Order, I say!" He waited for the gallery to quiet down. "Well… This case has certainly turned out differently than we all expected. Mr. Payne… your client?"

"He… er… he was arrested and has been taken away, Your Honor," Payne squeaked.

"Very well," the judge said with a nod. "Mr. Wright?"

"Yes, Your Honor," Wright replied.

"I have to say, I'm impressed. I don't think I've ever seen someone complete a defense so quickly… and find the true culprit at the same time!"

"Thank you, Your Honor."

"At this point, this is only a formality, but... This court finds the defendant, Mr. Larry Butz, not guilty."

The gallery cheered. The judge silenced them with his gavel.

"And with that, the court is adjourned."

Back in the Prosecution Lobby, Payne was banging his head against the wall. Lana almost pitied him. He had been so sure of the case, yet it turned out that the defendant was innocent. Still, he had had no way of knowing beforehand.

"Just as defense attorneys have to believe that the defendant is innocent, prosecutors have to believe that the defendant is guilty."

Miles's words echoed in her head as she watched the "Rookie Killer" rant about his defeat. It was true, to some extent. There was no way to know for certain that the defendant was innocent or guilty. That was why the trial system existed: to find the truth.

I hope when Miles tastes his first defeat, he won't react like this guy, she thought.