May 11, 5:46 P.M. District Court, Defendant Lobby No. 3
Phoenix asked, "Randall, do you assure me that you did not commit this crime? Are you actually in need of me, or are you trying to get let off of the hook?"
Klein yelled, "OF COURSE NOT! Why would I waste your time like this? Do I look like a person who would waste your time?"
The attorney sighed, "No."
Suddenly, Pearl jumped up behind them.
She asked, "Mr. Nick, what is the charge this time?"
Phoenix shook his head. "Third-degree murder."
Pearl gasped, "Oh, you're in for it now, Mr. Defendant! What did you think that you were doing?"
Maya grabbed Pearl by her arms. "Pearly! That guy is innocent! He didn't do anything!"
The 8-year-old protested, "He looks guilty! Ever since that de Killer guy kidnapped you, I am on the alert for men with black hair who are on trial."
Maya facepalmed herself.
"Pearls, not all guys with black hair are assassins who kidnap Fey women and kill celebrities for a living! You need to use common sense!"
Phoenix felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around and saw a familiar face.
He yelled, "Armando?"
Diego's faceplate turned maroon, possibly indicating the emotion of disgust,
"Mr. Trite... er, Wright, it seems that you have identified me. Now, you may think that I am mental, but the prison released me."
Maya's irises appeared to turn red for a second. "What the?! How did you convince them to let you go free?"
"They looked through my records. Found that I was mentally insane, and had killed your mother because of them."
Phoenix sighed, "Let me guess... I have to go up against you in court... again?!"
The former defense attorney certified, "Yep. Let's see if you are as good as you were the last time I went up against you..."
May 11, 6:00 P.M. District Court, Courtroom No. 7
The courtroom was filled with a massive jury, and there were 7 news cameras rolling, broadcasting the trial on live TV. Phoenix felt a slight sense of nervousness enter himself as the judge entered the room. The crowd of reporters exploded towards him.
One man asked, "Your Honor, do you believe that this case will be short, or do you think it will be complicated?"
The judge replied, "If you really want to find out, sit back, relax, and observe this trial!"
Randall tapped Phoenix on the shoulder. He asked, "Mr. Wright, are the trials you are in usually this crowded with reporters?"
The attorney answered, "Not usually. But I guess this train incident has reached national news, since I can see the CNN logo on the main camera."
The judge, now seated, looked somewhat angrily at the 13 reporters at the back of the room, and raised his gavel slowly. It came down with a crash.
He said, "The court is now in session for the trial of Mr. Randall Klein."
Diego Armando scratched his head and dictated, "The prosecution is ready, Your Honor."
Phoenix, as usual, stood up and addressed the judge. "The defense is ready, Your Honor."
The judge inquired, "How is the defendant pleading?"
Randall stood up and answered, "Not Guilty."
The jury gasped in shock and disbelief. The reporters focused their cameras on the judge, as he banged his gavel three times.
"Order! Order in the court! Mr. Armando, would you please give your opening statement?"
Diego was in the middle of drinking one of his blends of coffee when the judge's order came in. He slammed the cup down on the counsel bench.
"Your Honor, Randall Klein is most obviously Guilty of third-degree murder due to his negligence. Because he did not move the track switch, it caused a derailment, and the massive accident that followed."
The judge then ordered, "Mr. Armando, you may call your first witness."
He replied, "Your Honor, the prosecution calls Officer Mike Meekins to the stand. He was the police officer that arrested the defendant."
The judge banged his gavel. "Officer Meekins, I would enjoy it if you could act semi-normal on the stand this evening."
Meekins raised his megaphone and screamed, "ARE YOU SAYING THAT I AM MANIACAL, YOUR HONOR? IS THAT THE CASE? IS THAT WHY YOU ARE TELLING ME TO REMAIN CALM?!"
The judge sighed, "Officer, I would also prefer it if you would lower the decibel level. You don't need to amplify your points to prove them."
Officer Meekins began his testimony. "I was outside of the defendant's home, sir, and I walked up to his door. I opened the door and told him to come outside. He was shaking and worried, and I told him the he was to put his hands behind his back. I told him that he was under arrest, read him the Miranda warning, put him in my police car, and drove him to the Detention Center."
The judge asked, "What happened then?"
"I took him inside, where I proceeded to question him for several hours, sir. But he wouldn't give a confession, so I put him into isolation. A few hours later, I questioned him some more, but then Mr. Wright entered the area, so I left and headed back to the precinct."
Maya groaned, "Officer Meekins has risen the level of insanity in this room to the Moderate Level! This guy is waaay too big for his own britches!"
The judge nodded, "I see. That was a rather lengthy testimony. Mr. Wright, would you Cross-Examine this witness?"
Phoenix agreed, and Officer Meekins delivered his testimony again.
"I took him inside, where I proceeded to question him for several hours, sir. But he wouldn't give a confession, so I put him into isolation."
Phoenix screamed, "Objection!" and pointed his finger at Officer Meekins.
"Officer, you stated that you put Mr. Klein in isolation. Is that correct?"
He replied, "Of course, I did, sir!" Meekins rose the megaphone again. "WHAT DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND ABOUT IT, SIR?"
The attorney slammed his hands down on the desk loudly. "Officer, when I walked in, you were screaming bloody murder at him! You were questioning him in an unauthorized area, so you were technically never questioning him at all! You were simply berating him for all of those inside the visiting area to see!"
Officer Meekins broke a sweat and hesitated slightly. "S-Sir! I-I didn't know where the questioning area was!"
Phoenix shook his head and grinned ear to ear, almost like Pearl does when she spots Maya and him making out in public.
He laughed, "You don't know where the questioning room is, Officer? It's in the back of the visiting area! You are supposed enter there to question people! All police officers should know that!"
The judge agreed. "The defense has a point, Officer. Why were you questioning him in an unauthorized area?"
Officer Meekins' knees appeared to snap. He fell down and smashed his head against the witness stand. "I-I got so carried away that I forgot where I was supposed to question him!"
The judge banged his gavel. "Officer, please get back up on your feet and give your testimony, please. We all make mistakes from time to time."
Meekins brushed himself off and said, "So maybe I forgot where I was supposed to question him, sir, but that doesn't mean that I was totally wrong! In fact, I asked him almost 156 questions in those 3 hours of questioning, and they all pointed to the fact that he was sandbagging me the whole time!"
The judge's eyes opened wide. "That is quite descriptive, Officer. Mr. Wright, you may Cross Examine the witness."
Meekins repeated, "So maybe I forgot where I was supposed to question him, sir, but that doesn't mean that I was totally wrong! In fact, I asked him almost 156 questions in those 3 hours of questioning, and they all pointed to the fact that he was sandbagging me the whole time!"
Phoenix screamed, "Objection!"
"Officer Meekins, how could you tell that he was 'sandbagging' you?"
He replied, "I swear it! I could tell that he was lying, sir!"
The lawyer sighed, "Officer, did you conduct a polygraph test?"
Meekins' face shrunk and wrinkled up.
"N-No..."
Phoenix yelled, "Then there's no evidence to prove that he's lying! He could be telling the truth!"
The judge banged his gavel. "Officer Meekins, it seems that you are unable to prove your testimony through evidence. You are dismissed from the stand."
Officer Meekins waved to the reporters as he came down from the stand, yelling, "I will prove that he's lying! I swear it! Just... not now..."