Just spent the day babysitting 12 month old twin girls… I'll just pass out now…

But first! I'm sorry, I should have done this before but to those of you who do not spend inordinate amounts of time watching crime shows, here's a quick glossary of terms I have/will/may use throughout the trial.

COD: Cause of death

ME: Medical examiner

PI: Private investigator

Perp: Perpetrator

I'm trying to stick with more "realistic" dialogue which includes the lingo. I can't think of any more at the moment… but if you see one and don't know what it means, don't hesitate to ask!

But for now… Onward!

IV

Christine couldn't stop thinking about the shy smile the defendant—Erik—had given her the day before. Already she could see how difficult it would be for her to remain completely impartial as her heart went out to him and his innocent demeanor. That didn't mean he wasn't guilty of some sort of crime, she was not so naive as to believe that, but there was something almost childlike and bashful about him that stirred an emotion deep within her.

And so far she had been unable to identify what it was.

Despite her preoccupation with thoughts of Erik, she had slept remarkably well the night before. She was grateful for the sleep as starting today she didn't know when she would feel rested again. Between the trial and dinner service she was likely to be utterly exhausted before long, but she was grateful for the work all the same.

She walked through the door of the courthouse and the security guard smiled at her before rifling through her proffered purse. He quirked an eyebrow at her curiously at the lumpy addition of her work uniform to her already full bag. "Big plans later?"

She laughed dryly. "Hardly. Just moonlighting as a waitress now that I've found my true calling as a juror."

The guard chuckled, passing her bag back to her. "Pity. A girl like you should be out having fun with a boyfriend after having to listen to all this morbid stuff."

Before she could respond and ask how he had known to which jury she belonged, another person stepped through the metal detector and his attention was diverted.

The guard was middle aged and a wedding ring adorned his hand so she didn't think he was trying to be flirtatious—if anything he seemed genuinely concerned for her.

She sighed, wondering what it would be like to have a man to count on—to take her to restaurants and buy her flowers, and think she was something special.

Christine sank onto the same step she had frequented the day before and brushed away a tear hurriedly.

She knew what that was like because her papa had loved her so, and still she carried an ache in her heart from the loss of him.

People always looked at her oddly when she confessed she had never been on a date before. She did not think that twenty-one was really so terribly old, but she supposed that many had dated and been in relationships throughout high school. Her papa had always told her to wait until she was older and to, "Leave those boys at school to percolate a little before you think about accepting a date. They don't know anything about life yet, least of all how to treat you right."

She had believed him.

Some people even accused her of lying about her lack of experience—though who would actually do that she didn't know—while others offered unnecessary assurances that the right man would come along some day. She had not meant to imply that none had offered, but every time she even considered getting close to a man, especially in a romantic sense, she became all the more aware that she wouldn't survive losing another that she loved.

So she would politely stutter through a rejection, always feeling guilty at the sad smile left on a once hopeful face.

Unlike the day before, the court convened much closer to the appointed time—although a reason for the abrupt ending to yesterday's proceedings was not supplied. While the judge still frightened her, she did hope that if the note had indicated a family emergency that it hadn't been anything too serious, and not simply because the added strain would make him even more gruff and intimidating.

She knew what an unexpected death meant, and she wished it upon no one.

The judge briskly entered the courtroom, waving off the bailiff before he could even attempt to announce him and bid everyone rise. "It is my hope that we can get through quite a bit of testimony today so let's skip over the niceties, shall we? Counselor, your next witness?"

The prosecutor looked a little startled but covered it quickly as he stood behind his desk. "Of course, your honor. The State calls Mr. Abdul Nadir to the stand."

Christine had avoided glancing in Erik's direction so far, knowing that her steadily growing compassion for him would impede her judgment if she allowed it to. But even so, she couldn't help stealing a single peek and for some inexplicable reason she was almost disappointed that he wasn't looking at her with that small hint of expectation as he had yesterday. Instead, he was staring at the man approaching from the waiting room, Erik's expression almost one of… annoyance?

Only a few days ago he had seemed nearly catatonic as he stared down at the empty desk top, and she wondered if his sudden emotionality was a positive thing or not.

After the witness had been sworn in, the prosecutor approached, a polite smile on his face. "Good morning, Mr. Nadir. Thank you for joining us here this morning."

The judge cleared his throat. "I said we were dispensing with niceties, Mr. Sorelli. I can assure you I was including you in that statement. Let's get to the testimony."

Christine saw a flicker of a scowl cross the prosecutor's face but he hid it quickly. "Yes, your honor." He turned back to the witness. "What is your relationship with the accused?"

Mr. Nadir shifted slightly in his seat, his eyes moving toward Erik briefly. Erik had stopped looking at him, but almost in a pointed manner—something that apparently did not go unnoticed by Mr. Nadir, who frowned faintly.

"I was… am… his friend of many years."

Christine made another note at the almost wistful way he referred to Erik. No matter the facts of this case, it was obvious that something personal was involved and she was uncertain how that would influence the ruling.

"And what is your profession?"

"I am a private investigator by trade."

"Please explain to the court how you came to be employed by the late Mr. Poligny and Mr. Debienne."

Mr. Nadir leaned back in chair, his hands steepled in a mimicry of relaxation. "I was approached by those two gentlemen after some of the stagehands complained about props going missing. Nothing overly troublesome, in my opinion, but in conjunction with the letters and threats they received, they were beginning to become nervous."

"Objection, your honor, the witness cannot attest to their state of mind."

"Did they specifically tell you that they were growing nervous about the letters?"

Mr. Nadir gave a half-shrug. "In my experience, men rarely admit so bluntly when they are afraid. In the case of Mr. Poligny, he preferred to refer to my services as a 'safety precaution'."

"Hm… objection sustained."

The prosecutor grunted. "Very well then. When you actually began investigating at the opera house, what did you begin to uncover? Was it simply carelessness on behalf of the staff or was someone behind the mishaps?"

The witness shook his head. "Not all of it. The incidents were too frequent and too precise to have merely been accidents. No one was ever injured, which in it of itself was rather suspicious if negligence was at work." He glanced in Erik's direction. "Some know how to create fear without physical harm."

Christine made a note how Mr. Nadir's words had no effect on Erik's expression.

"So the nature and result of the supposed accidents led you to believe that someone was behind them?"

"That is correct, especially when…"

The prosecutor quirked an eyebrow at Mr. Nadir's hesitation.

The man sighed. "I uncovered a tunnel within one of the dressing rooms. It was filled with various traps and I… unfortunately managed to trigger one of them. Erik came to look into it almost immediately."

"And how did you know it was him? Was his face uncovered?"

Mr. Nadir chuckled dryly. "There is no mistaking Erik, mask or no. He can be quite… unsettling when it so pleases him."

Christine tried to look at Erik critically. There was nothing pleasing about his face, that was absolutely certain, yet all she could think about was the trembling smile he had given her and her heart quickened yet again. Yet pushing that aside, she was certain that if she was within the confines of a darkened tunnel and a man of his great height approached with a mask covering his face, she would be thoroughly intimidated.

The prosecutor appeared almost excited by Mr. Nadir's response. "Were you afraid that he would hurt you? That you life was in jeopardy?"

He frowned. "Our relationship is… complex. Erik has threatened to kill me many times over the years but if you are asking if I truly believed he would carry out that threat, my answer would be no."

Mr. Sorelli was mildly surprised. "Really? You were in a dark tunnel, your whereabouts unknown to any other person, and you admit that you had stumbled into a booby trap already, yet you did not believe that the man responsible would harm you?"

This time there was a hard edge to the man's voice, and Christine found it a curious change. "Erik has had a difficult past, and I expect him to respond defensively. I had intruded upon his home and I was prepared for him to react to that invasion."

The prosecutor scoffed. "His home. If the other charges were not already so severe I would have added trespassing to the list of offenses!"

"Objection!"

"Withdrawn, your honor."

The judge pointed accusingly at Mr. Sorelli. "Counselor, you will keep a civil tongue in my courtroom. Now is not the time to confuse the jury with additional accusations.

"My apologies to the Court."

Christine's opinion of the prosecution was rapidly diminishing. His suit might be very fine and he exuded competence, but there was something… arrogant about him that made her question his own biases. While of course an attorney must strive to do their job as proficiently as possible, he seemed to relish the notion of Erik being put away.

Did that mean by the end of the case his guilt would be more than clear or was Mr. Sorelli merely blinded by his prejudice?

She hoped something concrete would provide her an answer.

"You previously stated that you have known the accused for many years. Did you suspect him to be involved before you accepted this case from the victim and his partner?"

Mr. Nadir shook his head. "Not at all. I was not even aware Erik was within the state. It was uncommon for us to be in contact for any significant duration and he moved frequently, but as things began to happen within the theatre I did begin to suspect that perhaps he was involved."

"Thus you began to search for secret tunnels hidden in the walls?"

The witness smirked. "Just exploring every eventuality. If it was indeed Erik who was haunting the theatre, it would not be unheard of that he would make certain… alterations to the structure to suit his needs. Or at the very least he would exploit whatever tunnels and hidden passages had been boarded up over the years."

"So your suspicions were confirmed when you did in fact locate the accused within one such tunnel."

Mr. Nadir simply nodded.

"And what was the nature of your conversation? Did he reveal any of his plans to you?"

"It wasn't like that. He told me how surprised he was to see me in the city and asked why I had wandered into such 'an unpleasant little hole.' Then he released me from the trap and suggested I restrict my coming to the opera during performances."

"Yet you didn't take that as a threat?"

Mr. Nadir looked at the prosecutor incredulously. "He had just pulled me from a coffin made of concrete. If anything I would call it a word of wisdom, not a threat against my person."

Christine jotted down another notation in her notepad. Why was he a witness for the prosecution when he seemed nearly… reluctant in his testimony?

Mr. Sorelli returned to his desk, rifling through one of the neatly stacked folders. "In your official police statement you confirmed that Erik was a danger to the theatre and its patrons. Would you like to amend that account?"

With an almost pained look upon his face, Mr. Nadir shook his head. "Erik can be unstable. When I heard about the death of Mr. Poligny I knew that something had gone terribly wrong. Erik likes to be valued and obeyed and if they crossed him…"

He trailed off and hung his head, but Mr. Sorelli wouldn't allow his declaration to go unfinished. "What, Mr. Nadir? What would he do?"

The man's voice was quiet but the microphone placed upon the rail of the witness stand made his words perfectly audible to the jury. "It would not be beyond my belief that Erik would kill someone should they flout what he considers his authority. He is a brilliant musician, of that there is no question, and to him it might seem that he was… helping the theatre with his interference. If they disregarded him, I could see how he would become… enraged. I'm sure I don't need to tell you what men are capable of when they lose their tempers."

Mr. Sorelli smirked. "No, you certainly don't." He glanced back down at the folder before walking back to the witness stand. "What prompted you to make Erik's presence known to Detective Mifroid?"

Mr. Nadir was silent for a long moment, and it was plain to Christine that he was choosing his words with the utmost care.

What was it about Erik that made these witnesses so careful with their testimony?

So long was he quiet that the judge intervened. "Did you not understand the question, Mr. Nadir? For I would remind you that you are under oath and it is required that you give an answer."

He swallowed thickly. "We had an… altercation. I wasn't satisfied that Mr. Poligny's death was an accident and when I asked Erik about it he laughed. He said that sometimes men were forced to take extreme action when they were cheated. He was so… withdrawn, far more than usual, and I knew then that something was terribly wrong and felt it necessary to contact the police."

Christine frowned down at her notepad. If the case for extortion was true, his comment would make sense if the victim had ignored his demands and he had grown angry. She hadn't even been to that particular opera house but she had heard her father complain about management at his own theatre enough times to know how frustrating musicians could find businessmen who thought they understood the arts.

But to take a man's life because of it?

This time when she glanced at Erik he was staring at her. He did not try to smile at her and for that she was glad because she didn't think she could muster up even the semblance of one for him, not when she felt such disappointment at his apparent confession.

They eventually broke for lunch and Christine dug through her purse collecting what few coins remained to raid the vending machine for something resembling food of nutritional value. The granola bar was hard and sticky, but she forced herself to eat it, feeling strangely despondent as she sat on her lonely step and wished that things could be different.

She made a quick trip to the water fountain and ladies' room before court resumed for cross examination.

Christine couldn't wait for the hurried dinner service to take her mind off the trial.

Mr. Chagny approached the witness stand, smoothing down his electric blue tie as he went. Christine decided that focusing on the way it remarkably brought out the color in his eyes was far preferable to trying to decide if Erik was indeed the murderer he was accused of being.

"When my client made this comment to you allegedly in reference to the victim, did you believe it to be a confession of his guilt?"

Mr. Nadir's face took on a pinched appearance. "Clearly, otherwise I wouldn't have involved the police."

Mr. Chagny's expression turned into one of mock surprise. "Really? Tell me, in this apparent friendship of yours, how do you see yourself?"

The witness's head cocked to the side. "I'm afraid I do not understand the question."

The defense council smiled thinly. "Pardon me, allow me to rephrase. Do you believe that my client is a good man? Do you believe the best of him or do you think that it is your responsibility to keep him in 'check' as it were?"

"Objection. Is there a point to all of this?"

Mr. Chagny turned to the judge. "I assure you there is, your honor."

The judge waved his hand. "Keep it snappy, Mr. Chagny. Continue."

"My question is the same, Mr. Nadir."

His brow furrowed, his tone thoughtful. "I think that… Erik is the product of some horrific experiences." He glanced at the jury. "As you can imagine he hasn't been… widely accepted by the world due to his deformities. Because of this I worry for his conscience and do try to steer him toward being more compassionate to others."

It happened so quickly that she may have imagined it but Christine could have sworn that Erik gave the tiniest of eye rolls.

She made a note of it.

Mr. Sorelli stood quickly. "Your honor, surely Mr. Chagny is not going to suggest that a murder charge can be dismissed because someone had a rotten childhood."

The judge glanced at the defense. "Well? Is that your intention?"

Mr. Chagny barely suppressed a huff of irritation. "Of course not, your honor. If the prosecution would allow me to finish he would have a much better understanding of my case."

The judge sighed. "Mind your tone, Mr. Chagny and sit down Mr. Sorelli. You may proceed."

The defense council took a brief moment to collect himself before returning his attention to the witness. "You said that you were concerned for my client's conscience. Is this because you believe him to be incapable of empathy?"

Mr. Nadir's lips thinned. "I didn't say that."

"In fact, you testified earlier that these 'accidents' around the theatre resulted in no injuries… that, allegedly, they were specifically designed so that none would be harmed. If my client were in fact the one to have orchestrated these events, does that sound like someone who cares nothing for the wellbeing of human life?"

Christine certainly didn't think so. Someone callous and selfish didn't care who they hurt, they were solely preoccupied by their own interests.

Like the man who had killed her papa.

It was too inconvenient for him to leave his car at the bar and hail a taxi home. So instead he decided to risk the lives of everyone around him and drive while severely impaired—and she would live with the grief of that choice for the rest of her life.

"No, it doesn't."

Christine couldn't help but notice the genuine surprise on the man's face as he made the admission. She was not an expert on friendship by any stretch of the imagination. There had been one girl she was fairly close to in the group home, but Meg had aged out of the system much sooner than Christine and they had lost touch. But what she did know was that it was important to think well of people, especially if you considered them your friend, and it seemed odd to her that this man would be so surprised that Erik was not as cruel as he supposed.

Perhaps more than the jury needed to be reminded that Erik was not a monster.

Mr. Chagny's voice gentled and he took a small step forward. "Could it be that your past experience with my client has influenced your expectation of him? That maybe you heard what you wanted to hear instead of what he actually meant?"

The witness shook his head slowly. "I didn't want him to have committed this crime!"

"I would not suggest that you did. Only that sometimes when we expect certain things from someone, we have a funny way of making them come true."

Mr. Nadir's expression hardened. "When the police and I travelled further into the tunnels we located a room which appeared to be where Erik was living. There were masks there, one identical to the one the man wore in the video. I hardly think it fair to suggest that I made all of that up!"

The defense attorney backed away slightly his hands raised placating. "I wouldn't presume you did. I only suggested that your perception of what these things meant could be tainted by your history with this man."

The judge interrupted. "Jurors, just to make things clear, certain details of this witness's testimony have been deemed unfit for your hearing as they could unduly influence your opinion of the accused. You are to base your decision on the evidence presented in this case, not any alleged past wrongdoing. Understood?"

The jury murmured their assent before the judge motioned for Mr. Chagny to continue.

"Would you say that your confidence in my client's guilt is based more on intuition or in evidence? And please, consider your answer carefully before speaking."

Mr. Nadir appeared slightly resentful but to his credit he did seem to weigh his words carefully. "My experience in this profession has taught me many things and while I do fully believe that Erik is guilty… I will admit that instinct plays a large part in that assurance."

Mr. Chagny nodded, a satisfied smirk on his face. "Thank you, Mr. Nadir; I have no further questions for this witness."

The witness left without even a parting glance in Erik's direction.

And with a heavy heart Christine found herself wondering how Erik must have been treated by the rest of the world if he could so easily be discarded by a man who called himself Erik's friend.

Sooo… Who's mad at the Persian? Do you think he could have a good reason for "betraying" Erik by testifying? Or should we just string him up right now? After all, is any reason good enough? I'll give you a hint, my answer is no…

But we'll have to wait and see if he can at least provide an attempt at a good enough reason…

Also, anyone notice that's the first time in a story I've given him a name? This is certainly the story of firsts for me!

Please review!