I just realized I forgot to put my end-tag at the end of the previous chapter. Oh well.
July 3 12:15 PM
District Court - Defendant Lobby No. 3
Julius paced back and forth throughout the room, like a caged tiger.
(Ngh! What's taking them so long?! It's already been 15 minutes!)
"Jules," Orbis spoke up, "just stop moving, will ya? You're gonna put a rut in the floor."
Julius turned to look at Orbis for just a moment.
...
"It's linoleum!" He finally retorted.
"Okay, okay," Orbis raised an eyebrow, "you're worried about the cop! I get it!" He paused a moment before giving a thoughtful look, "Sooo... Do you even know where we're going with this?"
"Of course I do! Thiffing testifies, I poke holes in his testimony, and I get Nerio acquitted... Sorta?"
"Well, it's a plan." Orbis chuckled.
"I'll do whatever it takes."
"What?"
"I said I'll do what it takes."
"Whatever it..." Orbis began, giving him an odd look. Unfortunately, his skepticism was cut short by the bailiff.
"Court begins in one minute."
"Ugh, never mind." Orbis dismissed the thought, looking as if a little concerned. "Let's just get back in there."
...
(... What happened just now?) Julius thought to himself as they walked back to the courtroom, (Did I say something? ... Something tells me that I just rubbed HIM the wrong way...)
July 3 12:20 PM
District Court - Courtroom No. 3
Court Is Back In Session
All Rise
"Court will now reconvene for the trial of Casey Nerio." The Judge announced "Is the defense ready?"
"Huh? Oh. Yes, the defense is ready." (He asked me first? Usually, it's the other way around... ... Oh... wait. I think I know why.)
"And is the prosecution, um, ready...?"
"Yes, your honor." Contammis answered, as if nothing happened.
"And you, um... Were able to detain and calm down your witness..." The Judge trailed off as Contammis did nothing but stroke his chin; his eyes closed.
"right...?" The Judge finally finished.
Contammis didn't respond.
...
(Don't just stand there, say something! For Goodness' sake, say yes!)
"Yes..." Contammis finally answered, "we found him, yes, and... somewhat calmed."
"... Well, that's better than nothing, I guess." The Judge assured, "Then if the bailiffs will bring him back into the courtroom..."
Thiffing, back at the stand, stood there as if nothing had happened. He did, however, speak calmly to Julius, "Scarf-boy?"
"M-me?" He answered, (Ugh, this can't be good...)
"You remember what I do...?"
"Firearms expert, right?"
"You know that I'm also a good aim, right?"
"Uh... Yeah..."
"..."
"What?" Julius asked as Thiffing did nothing but glare passively at him.
"You remember what he said about shooting lawyers, right?" Orbis reminded him.
"... ... Oh..." (I guess words aren't even necessary at the moment...)
"Welcome back, witness." The Judge nodded. "Will you please cooperate this time?"
"Yes."
"Witness," Contammis rejoined, "thanks to Mr. Thiffing's desperation, this court, even The Judge himself, has labeled you a suspect. Do you have anything to say to that?"
"Yes. It's STUPID! There's no way I could've shot him!"
"Very well," The Judge began, "if that's your assertion, you will have to testify about it. Witness, please tell the court why you couldn't be the one who shot the victim."
WITNESS TESTIMONY
-My Aim-
"It's simple as this... I'm a good aim. Perfect, actually."
"The killer missed killing both the tramp and that Fohawk guy, right?"
"If I was the killer, Fohawk would've died instantly."
"SO NOW THIS TRIAL IS JUST STUPID!"
"Witness, are you alright?" The Judge asked, a little squirmy.
"I'mjustfine,thankyou!" Thiffing fired back.
"See, greenhorn?" Contammis revealed, "if you hadn't cornered the witness when you did, he wouldn't be getting ugly like this now."
(He's getting ugly because I found something that he didn't want me to find.)
"The defense will now cross examine the witness." The Judge announced after banging his gavel.
CROSS EXAMINATION
-My Aim-
"It's simple as this... I'm a good aim. Perfect, actually."
"The killer missed killing both the tramp and that Fohawk guy, right?"
HOLD IT!
"Firstly, it's Hawkfenn." Julius corrected.
"So what?!" Thiffing shot back, "He's dead right?! I'll call him what I want! He's got a fohawk, so I'll call him Fohawk!"
(Methinks Hawkfenn deserves a lit-tle more respect than that...)
"If I was the killer, Fohawk would've died instantly."
OBJECTION!
Court Record
Evidence:
- Attorney's Badge: This badge is a must for all attorneys. Taking the defense bench without one is a federal offense.
- Recall Ring: Apparently, a ring that allows me a glimpse of someone's past. A souvenir from my first trial.
- Adrian's Bloodstain: A bloodstain on the sidewalk. This is where Adrian was shot in the right shoulder.
- Lester's Footprints: Found near the cemetery's northeast exit. Another set was found near a grave stone. Turns out they belong to the victim.
- Lester's Autopsy Report: Time of death was around 4:45-4:55 AM. Death was caused by loss of blood due to a bullet wound in the left shoulder.
- Cemetery Diagram: A map of the cemetery, showing killers, the victim and other things.
- Casino Ad: A flyer advertising the Nerio Casino. It provides, for lack of a better word, a small map of the casino.
- Thiffing's Vest: A vest dropped by Snipe Thiffing, near the Nerio Casino.
- Thiffing's Address: Apartment 13, Direct Apartments. The building is a straight shot from the casino.
- Adrian's Letter: Adrian's last words to me before he died. Right now, I don't have time to read it.
- Handgun: A .38 handgun. It's been proven to be the murder weapon.
- Ballistic Report: The report for the rifling marks on the murder weapon.
- Sunflower: This is the flower that Mr. Rigget claims to be allergic to. He asked me to get rid of it.
- Evidence Vault Security Footage: Apparently, Thiffing's had business at the police station just before the murder. It shows him walking by the evidence vault. The camera was disabled immediately afterwards.
- Evidence Vault Lock: A very complicated lock. Even when successfully picked, the tool won't escape without a special mark.
- Evidence Vault Entrance Photo: Someon had broken into this vault. The only theft we confirmed is a handgun from 'VH-5'.
- Nerio IOU: Thiffing owes the Nerio Casino well over $900, placing the casino itself in bankruptcy.
- Twisted Coat-hanger: This was likely the tool used to break into the evidence vault. Found in Thiffing's apartment.
- VH-5 Ballistic Report: The ballistic report from a past case three years ago. The gun in this report is the same as our current murder weapon; a .38 caliber.
- Empty Evidence Bag: This must've been what held the murder weapon identified by the 'VH-5' ballistic report.
Profiles:
- Adrian Hawkfenn - Age 36: My former mentor... He died just recently, and I have reason to believe he was the intended victim of this case.
- Casey Nerio - Age 41: My client for this case. Currently runs the Nerio Casino.
- Homer Lester - Age 29: The victim of this case. Was homeless before his death.
- Gaten Bulder - Age 39: The detective for this case. As far as detectives go, he certainly wasn't what I was expecting...
- Gray Rigget - Age 37: The grave-keeper, though a bit confused with his occupation. A witness to the murder.
- Snipe Thiffing - Age 27: A firearm consultant. Recently part of Detective Bulder's investigation.
- Phoenix Wright - Age 37: A legendary attorney. Apparently a very good friend of Adrian's.
- Apollo Justice - Age 26: Another attorney. Employee of the Wright Anything Agency. Sub-ordinate of Phoenix Wright.
- Athena Cykes - Age 21: Another attorney of the Wright Anything Agency. Energetic co-worker of Apollo Justice.
- Orbis Fey - Age 17: The same kid that gave me my ring. Apparently banished from Kurain.
- Vera Misham - Age 23: Close friend and former client of Apollo. Currently working with police as crime scene sketcher.
- Director Hotti - Age ?: So-called "director" of Hickfield Clinic. Certainly not someone I'd make friends with...
- Brutus Contammis - Age 25: The prosecutor for this case. Practicing law for three years, he has earned the nickname "Prosecutor Hades".
Until next time. In the meantime, what do you say about that testimony?
THX & God bless
~RLS legacy