Hello everybody! Here's a new chapter to this story that you all were no doubt waiting ever so patiently for it to come into existence and read. Sorry that it took a while for this to come out. I was busy trying to raise up my grades for college and could not handle this kind of very complex thought while intensely studying. However, I then started work on a less stressful story that did not have me like constantly study up on what I was writing to make sure I was not contradicting myself. It was really more of a way to help me relax which then ended up becoming a new story that I posted on here.
For those of you who don't know, the story is called "Apocalypse: The Beginning of the End". It takes place during a zombie attack and uses the characters from the comic book universe, "The Young Avengers," the very first American comic I've ever read starting one month ago. Yes, I went through 20 years of life without reading a single American comic until this series, and I'm glad I did since it's a pretty good series. The only problem is that I sometimes get confused since it apparently cross-references with previous events in past Avengers series. Oh well, nothing that a good check on Wikipedia can't fix, right? Funny enough how I used it to make the Young Avengers story before I even read any of the comics.
But yeah, that's enough about my personal life and stories that isn't even this current one. Let's get back to the main topic. I hope that you do enjoy this new chapter that will prove to be very interesting. This was definitely the hardest one I ever had to write as I'm sure you'll understand once you read it. It literally took me a whole week to write it out once I got back into the groove of things. And yes, my classes ended a week ago; so I was able to spend a lot of time for this new chapter.
Please don't forget to leave a review before you move onto the next story you want to read, though. They are always very helpful, especially when you point out mistakes that I accidentally made or just you asking for clarification on something. They also help in a encouraging fashion in that it keeps me writing this and my other stories so you can all continue reading and see the events unfold. And thanks to Princess Toady, the most recent reviewer who has been reviewing my chapters. They are real helpful and really makes me happy to hear you really enjoying the story and also getting occasionally confused. That means I'm doing something right with the whole mystery aspect.
And just one more thing before I shut up and leave you all alone to read. I will change very minor details in some of the evidence and the profiles starting now. It's nothing too major that it derails my plans or will confuse you; it's just things that need to change in order to complete what I already have in mind. That and it's also to correct some mistakes that I accidentally made with both the type and how the evidence is supposed to be interpreted. With all this out of the way now, until the next update to this or any of my other stories everybody!
Evidence:
Attorney's Badge: Sonic's badge proving that he's a genuine defense attorney. Ever since getting tied into a murder because of him losing it, he's since taken precautions to make sure that it stays secured within the inside of his gloves.
Pistol: The weapon that was recovered at the Mobius Dock. The ballistic markings on the bullet extracted from Ms. Mae's body matches to the gun. Signs show that it was fired twice. It also bears Shadow's fingerprints. It also appears that this also used in the LK-9 Incident as the weapon to have murdered Maria Robotnik.
Letter: A piece of mail found in the lighthouse basement and brought by Knuckles from the forensics department. The contents seem to indicate that Mr. Pryce had some kind of connection to the perpetrators of the LK-9 Incident. While a handwriting analysis is desirable, it's impossible to conduct because of a lack of comparison to a specific individual.
Picture: a photograph given to Sonic by Knuckles who had received it from Salemand Eres. It shows a picture of a white-furred lion with occasional blue spots on all fours like a wild animal and looking at the camera and smiling. Amazingly, his face looks almost child-like despite his rather strong-looking body. It's clear that he has the rare genetic disorder Feralisis Syndrome.
LK-9 Case File: A case file summarizing all the information gathered by police and detectives at the height of the LK-9 Incident. A copy of the file was given to Sonic and Tails by Vector in hopes that it would help them obtain the answers they seek about the case. The original and digital versions were destroyed by someone; Vector's and Silver's official copies are the only two left to exist.
Vector's Account: Testimony recorded by Tails and detailing what Vector saw in the courthouse lounge on the day of Knuckles' acquittal. He said he saw Mephiles entering the lounge for the first time in his entire career and watching over Sonic's case. He then said the old prosecutor left the room after hearing Shadow exclaim that Ace be held in protective custody.
Notes: Notes taken by Tails depicting what he, Sonic, and Silver had discussed regarding possible connections with Sonic's cases and the LK-9 Incident. It's speculated that all the murderers in the previous cases were orchestrated by one mastermind who seems to be in some kind of smuggling ring.
Case Summary File: A file found in the LK-9 Case File that summarizes the scene of the crime. The crime took place that the Mobius Dock's lighthouse that was then a business called "Prycey Seafood". It was owned by three people; two of them were Lois and Maxwell Pryce who owned a lesser percentage of the business. An unnamed third person had owned a majority of the business before it closed upon being a spotlight of a murder.
Witness List: A list of witness found in the LK-9 Case File. According to the list, there were four potential witnesses to the murder. Two of them were Max and Lois Pryce and have been recorded as supplying witness statements to the police. The third person was Salemand Eres who appears to have been working at the Prycey Seafood at the time, although Shadow states that he was merely working undercover then. A fourth person, the third owner of the business, was kept anonymous for some reason and had his wish to refuse to testify be granted.
Victims' Report: A report that supplies basic details of the victims of the LK-9 case. One of them was a senior detective by the name of Charles Hedgehog, Sonic's uncle. The second victim was a defense attorney called Maria Robotnik, Shadow's good friend and apparently a relative of Dr. Robotnik.
Charles' Autopsy Report: Charles was found dead with a single strike to the head with a blunt object. The bruises covering his body and on his fists show that he was in a fight prior to dying. The murder weapon has never been recovered.
Maria's Autopsy Report: Maria was found dead with a single gunshot wound to her head. The bullet was shot at point blank range and went straight through her skull. The entry wound was from the back and exited the front. There were no signs of any struggle.
Written Statement: A statement written by the fourth anonymous witness in the LK-9 case. They speak of how they can't be a suspect because of having performed important business elsewhere. The person also hints that they might have some kind of connection at the time with the local Precinct. The handwriting seemingly matches with that on the Letter and hints that this witness might have something to do with the previous case.
Profiles:
Sonic Hedgehog: He's a seventeen-year-old cobalt hedgehog who has taken upon himself to act as the defense for the LK-9 Incident despite the clear lack of a defendant. He wishes to obtain more information on the case in its last day of legal life and to try solving it.
Miles Prower: A twelve-year-old two tailed fox who likes to go by his nickname "Tails" and is now working at the Robotnik Law Firm as their local detective. He's now working alongside Sonic in an attempt to find answers that lie hidden within the LK-9 Incident.
Knuckles Echidna: An eighteen-year-old red echidna who is a detective at the local Precinct and now watching the proceedings of the LK-9 trial. He delivered the evidence from the LK-9 Incident to Vector after learning of someone destroying both the electronic and paper versions of the case file.
Salemand Eres: A twenty-six-year-old ebon black cat who's looking for his missing brother. As revealed by Vector, he is a member of Interpol currently on an assigned mission in Mobius and using his current name as an alias. His real name is unknown to all except Vector. It is suspected that he might know something concerning the LK-9 Incident.
Shadow Hedgehog: An eighteen-year-old ebon furred hedgehog who became a prosecutor at sixteen in a country that allowed bar exams at younger ages. He has been cleared of murder and is now overlooking the case from the gallery to see what new details will surface during the trial regarding the LK-9 Incident.
Silver Hedgehog: A nineteen-year-old silver furred hedgehog who is the country's youngest Senior Detective. He has taken it upon himself to testify to the courts as if he were one of the detectives from the initial investigation of the LK-9 Incident.
Mephiles: A sixty-five year old veteran prosecutor whose ruthlessness is well known both inside and out of the courtroom. If not trying to leave a strong impression in all his cases, he expects nothing but obedience and cooperation from the officers and detectives overlooking the collection of evidence in the cases he's working on. He's known to get any officer or detective who dared to defy his direct orders in trouble with the Precinct. For unknown reasons, he has chosen to refuse to preside over the LK-9 trial.
Vector Crocodile: A twenty-three-year old local prosecutor who is friends with Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles as well as Shadow's coworker. He has decided to continue with his work as a freelance detective along with Charmy Bee despite the conviction of his friend and partner Espio that caused shadows about the integrity of his work that soon quickly dissipated. He has also taken it upon himself to oversee the LK-9 Incident as a prosecutor.
Leukis Kruger: Salemand's eighteen-year-old younger albino lion brother who has been afflicted with the rare genetic disorder Feralisis Syndrome. He is apparently a member of Interpol with his name simply a code name. According to Salemand, he has been missing for a few days. As accidentally revealed by Vector, his real name is actually Leon.
Charles Hedgehog: Sonic's uncle with greyish blue fur who was once a resourceful and reliable senior detective down at the local precinct. Because of the events from five years ago, he became an unfortunate victim of what is now known as the LK-9 Incident.
Maria Robotnik: Shadow's good friend with beautifully long blond hair who was once a defense attorney. She apparently has some relations to Dr. Robotnik. Because of the events from five years ago, she became an unfortunate victim of what is now known as the LK-9 Incident.
Chapter 30: The LK-9 Case Turnabout Pt. 3
"Do you think Salemand and Vector are going to make it here on time?" Sonic whispered to his little brother as he leaned on his table in a rather unprofessional fashion. It had been ten minutes since Vector went out to contact the black cat to try and bring him in to testify. They were quickly losing both time and patience with the Judge who constantly stole glances at the clock above the courtroom entrance. "They're cutting it pretty close. The Judge doesn't look like he's going to entertain us trying to stall for more time when the fifteen minutes are up and the two of them aren't here. He most likely knows that we're just grasping at straws and trying to keep this case open."
"I'm sure he'll be here," Tails replied in a sure tone that was in complete contrast with his worried look. "We've already tied him in with the LK-9 Incident since his name was mentioned in the Witness List. You can't possibly be any more connected than that. If anything, he should be allowed to testify about what he knew and saw at the time without fearing the repercussions of his higher-ups.
"However, I wouldn't put it past him in that there's a limit to exactly how much he can say," he continued on as he seemed to recall something. "Remember what he told us when he visited us in Vector's office last night? He said he'll tell us what he can about this case if we could make him abide by the rules of our jurisdiction. But I have a feeling what we used to connect him isn't going to make him say a whole lot."
"What I mean is that you might end up accidentally exploiting a loophole that was purposefully created by my employers for specific reasons. Since I'm currently within the jurisdiction that you work under, I have to abide by your rules. As such, you can pull out as much information as you want out of me provided you can give me a suitable reason as to why I should answer you under the rules of your jurisdiction."
"Oh yeah," the cobalt hedgehog responded as he recalled the conversation his little brother just repeated. "He did say something like that. I guess he was talking about an occasion like this. So you're saying that he's now obligated to answer whatever we ask him now that we've exploited his work's loophole?"
"Uh, not exactly. I mean, we did uncover a loophole, but he'd probably only tell us what he's supposed to say in order to satisfy the court. I wouldn't put it past him to be thinking like that so as to keep from spewing otherwise classified information. We'd probably have to make the hole even bigger to make him give us some more in-depth information. I'm sure you feel the same as me when I say that there's more to this than what we can see, especially when Shadow said earlier that he was already working undercover five years ago. If we want answers, then we're going to have to make him talk."
"So you're saying we'll probably have to find even deeper connections concerning him and dig up whatever secrets lie in this case before he talks about what he was undercover for," the other concluded as he let out an annoyed groan. "Great, as if our job wasn't already hard enough without having to deal with him. Why can't anything for once go our way with this stupid case?"
Before he could say anything else, the doors to the courtroom suddenly opened. Vector had come back from trying to get Salemand to come and testify in court about what he knew concerning the LK-9 Incident. However, it looked as though he was completely alone with nobody following him into the room.
"Now that Prosecutor Vector has returned, I would like for court to reconvene," the Judge announced before banging his gavel to restore order in the courtroom. "Prosecutor Vector, did you manage to bring Mr. Eres here to testify?"
"Uh, I'm afraid we might have run into a slight problem with that, Your Honor," Vector responded with some hints of hesitancy in his words. Both Sonic and Tails found it strange that he who was usually confident to a fault was suddenly hesitant. "You see, we kind of hit a bit of a snag during the break."
"What kind of a snag?" Tails asked with trepidation as he saw his brother's shoulders tense and his fists tighten. To say that they both felt a bit uneasy about the coming answer was a complete understatement.
"Well, I did manage to get into contact with Mr. Eres. However, he happened to be in a meeting with his executive at the time. Needless to say, his boss overheard our conversation and told Salemand to hold off on coming to testify."
"Are you saying that he isn't able to come by?" Sonic nearly shouted as a crestfallen look dawned on his face. "But he's the only witness we have left! Didn't you tell his boss that the court requested his presence?"
"He said he needed to review the conditions of the summons before he can make a decision," the crocodile explained as he shook his head. "Until then, he told us to continue on for the time being without Mr. Eres's testimony."
"B-But that means we have nothing else to work with if he doesn't come over and testify!" the two tailed fox breathed out, his bottom lip bruising a bit from being in between clenched teeth. "Without him, we won't be able to figure out who the fourth witness from that day is!"
"Th-then how about we ask for Ace Sleuth to testify?" the cobalt hedgehog quickly suggested out of desperation. "The defense has reason to believe that the ex-detective can impart to us some information regarding this case. Perhaps we'll be able to discover something that'll help give us an idea to work with."
"Normally, I would ask what your reasons for calling an otherwise unrelated witness would be," the crocodile said with a frown. "However, it's completely unnecessary this time around. You see, I heard from Prosecutor Shadow during the recess about the ex-detective. It was right after I had finished contacting Mr. Eres. Despite having been in protective custody since he was arrested, Mr. Sleuth was found murdered in his safe house!"
"Wh-What did you just say?!" the Judge exclaimed as the court began talking amongst themselves upon hearing this shocking news. "How is this possible? I remember the case concerning the man, and I remember Prosecutor Shadow telling me the conditions of why he wanted Mr. Sleuth to be placed under protective custody. How could a man placed under such tight security be not only discovered but then murdered? Who else could've known about the ex-detective's whereabouts?"
"As a trusted friend, Shadow had chosen to indulge to me as to where he chose to hide Mr. Sleuth. I can assure you that nobody except the two of us knew of the man's whereabouts from the time of his arrest until his murder.
"However, I can say for certain that neither of us had the opportunity to kill him," Vector quickly added as suspicious eyes quickly roamed to the crocodile and the ebon hedgehog sitting in the gallery. "You see, somebody had sent an anonymous handwritten note to the police department stating the address he was hiding out in. Needless to say, the police arrived and found him dead. A preliminary autopsy report has already been conducted, and it says that he was killed this morning at around nine. Prosecutor Shadow was still in police custody at the time. I happened to be talking to Senior Detective Silver in the Precinct cafeteria about the possibility of this case being brought up today before coming here.
"But if that's not enough proof to convince you, then the results of the handwriting analysis on the note should be the icing on the cake. They had just finished before we were to reconvene and said that the writing did not match either of our hands. However, I had requested a picture of the note for reference's sake and noticed that it was in the same hand as the person who authored the Letter in our evidence list. I believe it's clear that the man who was the fourth witness in this case and the orchestrator of the murder involving Ms. Lois Pryce has chosen to take matters in his own hands and murder Mr. Sleuth."
"So that's you two's alibi in regards to Mr. Sleuth's death," His Honor murmured in a thoughtful tone. "I must admit that it's quite irrefutable what with you two having provable alibis at the time and the handwriting on the note not matching either of you. Did the man happen to leave any clues about his attacker? Anything that could help provide us with an answer as to why he was murdered?"
"We only have speculations at this time based on the reason why he was placed under protective custody, but the investigation is still ongoing. They have yet to find anything of a conclusive nature."
"Hmm, this poses a problem rather unusual to the courts. With the two witnesses the defense wants to summon either dead or unavailable, I find it hard to see how the defense plans to continue on with this trial. It's because of this I feel that we are not going to unearth any more new information regarding this case at this time. I am not at liberty to have this court wait at the hands of a witness held back by his employer, especially when this case already seems like it has struck a dead end."
"O-Objection, Your Honor!" Tails exclaimed in desperation as he tried to keep things from completely falling apart. "We still have questions that need to be answered. You can't just call off the trial with the way things stand now, especially when today's the last day to deliberate on this case. It would be premature of you to do so!"
"Premature or not, I'm afraid I have little choice in the matter. The judges before me who have presided over this case felt it necessary to order this into cold storage for a reason. I only reopened it under the guise that you found a new connection from our previous murder case, but I see now that it has led nowhere. So long as we have no new evidence or witnesses to look over, it is redundant to continue on. However, I am curious as to how Mr. Eres's current employer believes that he has the authority to instruct his employees to ignore a court summons," His Honor added as an afterthought.
"As I stated before the recess, I happen to know the witness on a personal level," Vector explained as he seemed to recover from his hesitant state. "As such, I know of the reasons why his employer feels he can refuse his employees from answering a court summons. If you would like, I can indulge you on those details once this trial is over.
"However, I must object to Your Honor's thoughts in that this trial should now be put to an end," he continued on in a stoic manner before listening to his music through one ear. Sonic and Tails immediately turned their attention towards him upon hearing this statement. "We still have the ability to continue on with the proceedings."
"And how do propose this to be possible, Prosecutor Vector? The defense proclaimed just now that Mr. Eres was the last person who could possibly identify the mysterious fourth witness. And whatever reason they had for wanting to summon Mr. Sleuth is now irrelevant due to his untimely death."
"Don't forget that the defense isn't the only person in court who has the ability to call upon a witness. I as a prosecutor also reserve that right."
"Are you saying you have someone in mind that can shed more light to this case?" Tails asked, his voice failing to hide his amazement at how Vector was managing to find a way to keep the trial from stopping.
"But of course. However, the witness I have in mind doesn't know any more about our elusive witness than we do. In fact, he's the person who testified to us first that this fourth person initially had nothing to do with this case.
"I'm not sure if anybody noticed, but Senior Detective Silver has yet to tell us everything he knows about the case before the defense got all excited about the new information concerning the anonymous fourth witness. Until us as the judge and attorneys presiding over this trial have heard the entire explanation of the case through the detective's eyes, I believe it to be premature to call and end to it."
"… … …I suppose the prosecution does raise a perfectly valid argument about this," the Judge begrudgingly agreed after a moment of deliberation. He then said after a few more seconds of deliberation and a bang of his gavel, "Very well; I'll allow Detective Silver to take the stand once more! However, I will make it clear to you all that I will not be condoning any acts of stalling or other time-consuming shenanigans during the testimony. I do not want this trial to be dragged on without proven reason."
"And I as the prosecutor will make sure that that the defense doesn't needlessly waste our time. Now that we're all in agreement as to what's happening, I ask that Senior Detective Silver Hedgehog to take the stand once more!"
"I-I can't believe it!" Sonic exclaimed in a whisper as he stared at Vector in shock. The crocodile simply stared back calmly with only a minute nod of his head. "Vector actually found a way to keep the trial going. Not like I doubted him before, but I guess this proves he really is helping us with this case."
"But he's clearly just stalling for time," the two tailed fox replied as he sneaked a glance at the Judge looking somewhat annoyed at how things were going. "He's probably trying to buy Salemand more time to make it here. Oh, of all the times for his boss to come by and have a conversation with him. I don't think the Judge is going to entertain anything else after Silver unless it's Salemand himself."
"Then we're going to have to do our part and stretch out our time with Silver as much as possible!" the cobalt hedgehog stated as Silver took the stand. "Vector's already gotten us this far, so it's only fair we put in our share of the work. Let's just hope that stupid black cat can make it before we're through."
"We're sorry to make you take the stand once more, Senior Detective Silver," His Honor apologized. "However, we would like to hear more information from you regarding this case. Do you mind telling the court the details that you couldn't tell us before the revelation of our fourth witness's suspicions in this?"
"Um, could I please have a moment, Your Honor?" Silver requested hesitantly, giving Sonic and Tails the feeling of wanting to commit a face fault. Even Vector seemed somewhat taken aback at how the detective was seemingly having a hard time trying to improvise without being too obvious about it. He then added in a barely believable tone, "I…lost my track of thought during the break."
"I thought he knew what he was supposed to say next!" the defense attorney hissed out in surprise as he looked towards the crocodile for an answer. All he received was a concerned gaze. "Don't tell me he's also trying to improvise on the spot. God, this isn't going to end well if we keep up like this!"
"Well, I don't think I ever talked about…how the victims died in detail!" the detective managed to come up as he kept his face as stoic as possible. "I know that we already have their autopsy reports, but they only say so much in relations to their deaths. I was planning on elaborating more on the subject before we became engrossed with our anonymous fourth witness being a person of interest."
"I don't see how this is of any importance, but I suppose it wise to hear more in regards to the victims," the Judge finally agreed but not before letting out an agitated breath. "You may go ahead and testify to the court about this."
"Thank you, Your Honor."
"Get ready, Sonic," Tails whispered out in a sigh as he rubbed at his left temple. "Make sure you're ready for whatever's going to happen. I have a feeling that this is going to be one wild ride."
"And I doubt we're going to get out of this one smelling like roses. Let's just try to keep the damage to a minimum and stay alive. And here's to hoping that Vector hasn't accidentally led us to a complete dead-end. I don't think that I'll be able to explain to the Judge why I'm having a hard time with the cross-examination."
Death of the Victims
As I explained earlier, Detective Charles was found outside the lighthouse bludgeoned to death after sustaining non-lethal injuries. Maria Robotnik was found inside shot in the head. And just as Charles's Autopsy Report explained, his murder weapon was never recovered. But as luck would have it, we found the Pistol that killed Ms. Robotnik. And while not recorded on the autopsy reports, she was the first of the two to have died. From these details, it has been widely acknowledged that Detective Charles fought with somebody outside the lighthouse. At the same time, Maria ran inside in search of the four kidnap victims.
End Testimony
"Hmm, this testimony sounds a lot like a recap of what you told us at the start of this trial," the Judge surmised with an unsure look on his face. "Are you sure this is all you can add, Senior Detective Silver?"
"Unfortunately, that's all I can say on the matter," Silver answered as he tried to keep a professional posture despite his fingers fidgeting a bit. "I'm sorry that it sounds like a repeat, but I had felt it necessary to remind us about what might've been forgotten. However, I did add in a couple new details that were not present in my previous testimony. I hope that it ends up being of some help to you."
"Still, I'm not pleased with the information you have presented to us," His Honor said, his voice clearly reflecting his displeasure at how the trial was being dragged on for no good reason. "Prosecutor Vector, I fail to see how this really provides us with anything new that we haven't heard."
"Well, I believe that any confusion will be cleared up when as the defense goes along with their cross-examination," Vector smoothly replied as he threw the ball into Sonic's court. If he was feeling worried at how badly constructed the testimony was, then he was doing a pretty good job hiding it. "Some new information can only be unearthed when picked at, and I believe that it's the defense's right and obligation to do just that."
"But the detective is the witness that you chose to have testify to us," His Honor stated in dissatisfaction to the crocodile's explanation. Apparently, he caught on to the prosecutor's attempt at trying to give Sonic the chance to dig up information but managed to make it sound like he was merely disagreeing with the old man. "I find it hard to believe that you did not know that the detective did not have any new information to impart to us. In fact, I'm partial to believing that you're merely trying to waste the court's time with frivolous testimony. I've a mind to call an end to this trial here and now because of this."
"Objection!" Tails exclaimed in an attempt to defend Vector's decision on having Silver testify again. "Your Honor, you are a facilitator of the law. You're right now planning on acting on an assumption that you've just made. However, you run under the same guidelines as the defense and prosecution in that you need evidence to prove your speculations to be true. Do you know for sure that Prosecutor Vector did in fact not know that Senior Detective Silver did not have any potentially new information for the case?"
"…I must admit that I have no such evidence that shows my supposition to be a possible truth. However, let me say for the record that I never once said that was actually going to end the trial immediately. I was only stating my opinion in the matter, an opinion that I'll hold onto until I can be proven wrong."
"Then allow me to help rid your mind of these doubts by revealing the new information that's hidden within this cross-examination!" Sonic said as he caught a thankful glance from the crocodile for having helped defend his character. "I'll prove to you and the rest of the court how important this testimony is."
"You know that talk doesn't amount to anything here, right?" the crocodile asked in a stern tone, although his eyes gleamed with appreciation at being defended from the judge's wrath. "Why don't you put your money where your mouth is and start conducting your cross-examination? If you really want to prove the Judge wrong in his feelings, then you better start sooner rather than later."
And that's what I intend to do, the cobalt hedgehog thought as he gave an agreeing and thankful nod to the prosecutor. I'm going to get to the bottom of this case if it's the last thing I do! Here's to hoping I can pull it off.
"Very well; the defense may begin with their cross-examination," the Judge replied as he banged his gavel. "Just keep in mind what I said earlier. If there are any hints of stalling or any other kinds of time-wasting shenanigans, then I'll put an immediate end to this trial. I hope this is understood by both sides?"
Both sides wordlessly nodded their heads as they prepared to try and stall for some much needed time until Salemand arrived at the courtroom.
Begin Cross-Examination
"Detective Silver, both you and Charles' Autopsy Report say that he was killed due to a strike to the head," Sonic started as he tried to pose a suitable opening question in order to avoid the Judge's wrath. "It's also made known that the murder weapon could not be found within the vicinity. However, were there any statements made by the coroner stating what kind of weapon it was that killed him?"
"What are you getting at, Mr. Sonic?" the Judge asked, his tone sounding like it was dead set on this question being just a waste of time. "I hope for your sake that this question has some relations to the detective's testimony."
"Well, I doubt that the police then would've gone about searching for anything that could be used as a weapon," the cobalt hedgehog hastily explained as he tried not to look or sound flustered in the process. "It would've been like looking for a needle in a haystack; a complete waste of their time. They must've had something as an indicator for what the weapon might've looked like."
"Well, they did make a report saying that the shape of the wound on Detective Charles's head reflected that of some kind of cylindrical object," Silver explained without any hesitation. "Naturally, the cops at the time searched every part of the lighthouse for anything that fit the description, but they uncovered nothing. There wasn't even a single trace of blood to be found apart from where Ms. Robotnik was found murdered. It's clear from this that the weapon disappeared without a trace."
"I see. Then perhaps the weapon is simply lying out in the open clean of any suspect material and posing as a normal item. Is there any way that the murderer simply got rid of all traces of blood from the weapon?"
Right after making this statement, the entire courtroom brought their eyes to the defense attorney. They looked at him like he was crazy, and he was becoming quite uncomfortable at so suddenly be put under the spotlight. Even Tails could not resist committing a face palm in reaction to the dumb question. It was like he had just asked something so completely stupid that everybody already knew the answer to.
"…It's impossible for traces blood to just disappear barring some kind of miraculous feat," the detective responded calmly despite still looking at Sonic with a what-the-heck glance. "You can effectively clean up any bloodstains with bleach and destroy its DNA composition, but you can't hide it from a simple Luminol test. Luminol can detect the most heavily bleached bloodstain. I'm confident that the police sprayed that building from top to bottom two times over before giving up their search. They even went and dragged the river for the heck of it but couldn't find anything since the current was terribly strong."
"Okay, then what about the bruises on his body? It's clearly shows that he was in a fight of some kind. Could the coroners tell from the amount of bruises how many people he was in a fight with before dying?"
"They suspect he was fighting with only one person since they didn't see an excessive amount of bruises on him. However, they were seen on vital areas that most likely rendered him incapable of fighting back. That's probably when the murderer took the opportunity to strike him on the head."
"Can we please move onto another question, Mr. Sonic?" Vector suggested with an annoyed bite in his words as he began fiddling with his gold chain. "Obsessing on information for one person isn't exactly the most productive way of questioning. That and your questions are starting to lack in meaning."
"Then how about we learn more about Maria Robotnik's death?" Tails quickly suggested before the Judge could get a word in. To be honest, he was uncomfortable wanting to hear what the old man wanted to say in fear that he might shut them down and would rather keep him quiet as long as possible. "I'm sure the court would like to hear more information about that. To start off, was there any chance that she could've survived being shot for even a second? I've heard of instances where people still live for a bit after such a critical injury."
"Unfortunately, no," Silver replied just as quickly, ignoring the sour look the Judge gave at not being able to say anything. "She wasn't one of those lucky few seeing how the bullet blew through most of her brain. Why did you ask about that?"
"Well, I was just wondering if she could've had a chance to leave us a message of some kind," the two tailed fox said with a shrug of his shoulders. He was not going to admit that it was actually the first question he could come up with at that moment. "It certainly would make it easier on us if she did."
"I think that either Vector or I would've seen it mentioned somewhere in the case files were that to have been the case. In other words, there was nothing of the sort found on or near her person."
"And no, there were no messages written in blood and wiped away later," the crocodile quickly added before the fox could open his mouth. "The Luminol would've been able to pick up something like that. But like the detective said, Ms. Robotnik died instantaneously. Any semblance of a message from her would immediately be construed as fake no matter how convincing it looked."
"Uh, then how about be move on to the bullet?" Sonic slowly asked as if he were having a hard time trying to form the question. Truth be told, he was struggling trying to keep the Judge appeased with important-sounding questions. "I don't think we've heard anything about it yet. Did the police end up finding it? I'm sure that's probably one of the first things they went searching the scene for."
"I believe I have what you're asking for right here," the crocodile quickly announced as he held up an evidence bag that had a rust brown bullet in it. Written on the baggie was the case file designation code, LK-9. "This is the Bullet found lodged in the wall just a couple of feet from where Ms. Robotnik was found. Thankfully, it retained its shape despite having struck both bone and a brick wall."
"The court accepts this as evidence," the Judge announced as he finally seemed intrigued upon seeing new information being presented. "So this is the bullet that took the good lady's life. I would suspect that tests have been conducted connecting this bullet to the Pistol currently in our possession."
"I can vouch for that," Silver said with a nod of his head. "I've seen it stated quite a few times in the files regarding this case that the ballistic markings matched the Pistol. The blood was also an exact match with the victim."
"So we now have the Bullet that was shot from the Pistol and killed Maria," the cobalt hedgehog murmured as he felt that he now had a bit more leeway what with the Judge's slightly better attitude. "If you don't mind me asking detective, how exactly did the detectives conclude that Maria was the one to die first? I don't believe any of the witnesses questioned were able to provide any information regarding this."
"Again, it was the expert opinion of the coroners that allowed the investigators to come to this conclusion," the witness simply responded. "Despite having been struck in the head, the attack did not immediately kill Detective Charles. It merely knocked him into an unconscious state that he never woke up from. Also, the place where Ms. Robotnik's body was found also lends credence to this."
"What does the fact of where her body was discovered have to do with determining who died first?" Tails asked with a questioning eyebrow raised. "I don't see how that can be used in terms of determining the order of the deaths."
"That would normally be the case, but investigators were able to use the placement of her body in the lighthouse to make their conclusion."
"Detective, do you mind explaining to the court about this?" Vector asked, his fists repeatedly tightening and relaxing as if he were stressed.
"Yes, even I'm curious as to how the body placement could indicate who was the one to die first," the Judge admitted as he clearly allowed the crocodile's request for Silver to provide further explanation.
"I'll be happy to," the detective said with a nod of his head. "I admit I was confused myself when I first read about this."
New Statement
Ms. Robotnik's body was discovered in front of a bookshelf that was situated on the other side of the foyer.
End New Statement
"Detective Silver, I'm afraid that we're still have a hard time understanding how this has anything to do with showing whether or not she died first," Tails admitted as he looked even more confused by this new statement. "Could you describe to us what techniques the police used to come to this conclusion?"
"Well, investigators had dusted the floor for shoeprints," Silver explained as he scratched his head in thought. "They found prints that matched Ms. Robotnik's shoes and tracked them going from the door to the office area before stopping where she was killed."
"So they were able to retrace her steps from the moment she entered the lighthouse," Sonic surmised as a thoughtful look crossed his face. "But I don't remember there ever being an office area when I investigated the lighthouse with you. Is it because in the five years since the incident that the interior has been changed so much?"
"That would make the most sense since the building did transform into an actual home after the Prycey Seafood business went defunct," the detective explained with a nod of his head. "However, we do still have a Diagram made at the time that documents how the interior was set up at the time of the crime. I have the Diagram here for you to see."
For the next couple of seconds, Silver took a piece of paper out from his coat pocket and placed it on the projector on the prosecution's table. A picture then appeared on a blank wall showing a Diagram of the lighthouse as it was from five years ago. Both the rooms and pieces of furniture were clearly indicated.
"As you will see in just a moment, the office is located towards the right once you enter the lighthouse," Vector began to explain as he took out a red sharpie. "When we follow Maria's footsteps, we can see that she immediately headed towards the bookshelf on the other side of the foyer when she came in. There are points near the shelf where her shoeprints overlap one another. This indicates that she spent some time probably searching for something. After that, she went over to where the office was and seemed content to search the desk for something, again indicated by the overlapping footprints. They then lead back to the bookshelf where she was later found shot at point blank range from behind."
"So when she went into the lighthouse to look for me, Sonic, Knuckles, and Shadow; she first went to the bookshelf," the two tailed fox concluded as he traced the red sharpie's path with his eyes. "She then headed towards the office for some unknown reason and spent some time around the desk. After that, she went back to the shelf where she was killed soon after. But if she were trying to look for me and my friends, why would she willingly waste time in obviously unrelated spots? That seems like a waste of time."
"I found it strange myself when I first started looking through this case," the crocodile admitted as he began strumming his fingers to the tune on his headset. "Why would someone who has taken it upon themselves to look for four kidnap victims waste time meandering in clearly unrelated areas? She's already placed herself in a rather precarious situation; I doubt she wanted to stay there any longer than needed. I also doubt that she just spontaneously decided to search for something with the urgency and danger level so high.
"However, questioning ourselves about her actions isn't going to get us anywhere," he continued on as his voice changed to an objective tone. "We're merely dwelling on things that we can't possibly answer. Unless you Mr. Sonic or your assistant can provide the court an explanation as to why she would willingly waste time like this, I suggest that you both drop this line of thought."
"Uh, then perhaps we should ask Detective Silver what he thinks on this matter," the cobalt hedgehog responded as he seemed somewhat perturbed about Maria's actions before dying. "Detective, do you have any professional opinions on why Ms. Robotnik was moving around so strangely? Is there any kind of case knowledge that has yet to be mentioned that might explain all this?"
Instead of immediately providing an answer, Silver was silent for a while as a thoughtful look was plastered to his face. He was technically the only person in the courtroom who could provide an expert opinion, but even he knew that this was just a stall tactic. As such, he was trying to formulate an answer that sounded professional.
"…The only thing I can think of is that she was looking for something in the two places she stopped at," Silver explained with a shake of his head after thinking for a couple seconds. "I can't say for certain exactly what she was looking for, and I'm sure that the detectives at the time couldn't come up with any reasonable answer for this. If that were the case, then I'm sure we wouldn't be debating of this now."
"Then what was the reason for her to move around so strangely in clear enemy territory?" the cobalt hedgehog murmured under his breath as he scrutinized the Diagram and the red markings on it. It was almost like there was something about the evidence that was bothering him. "Maria was like an older sister to Shadow; she would do anything within her power to help him and his friends out. Pair that up with the fact that my Uncle Chuck was also there and they were both clearly set on a rescue mission. Why then waste time when she was already inside the building? It doesn't make any sense!"
"Anyway, we've strayed pretty far from our original reason on pursuing this question," Vector quickly announced as he broke the courtroom silence. "We only asked about where she was killed in order to figure out how detectives five years ago determined which of the two victims died first. Seeing as how Ms. Robotnik spent her time in the lighthouse at two locations, it's doubtful she was inside for long before being shot. When combined with the fact that Detective Charles most likely lived for a few minutes even after being struck in the head, she's most likely the one to have died first. I believe this adequately answers the question that the defense posed to us."
"I'd even go so far as to say that every question raised by this cross-examination has been answered to the satisfaction of the court," the Judge added as he seemed content with the results of the testimony. "I believe that the defense has asked everything that they can regarding this testimony. Despite all this deliberation, what has been spoken of apart from the fourth witness has already been discussed by earlier detectives. As such, I request that the defense bring their cross-examination to a close."
"I-I object, Your Honor!" Tails stammered out right after hearing the Judge's sudden announcement. "The defense still has questions that we would like to ask! There are certain details that have yet to be cleared up."
"I'm afraid that I must agree with the defense on this," the crocodile responded as he tried to back the fox up. "I feel that there is still room for debate regarding certain details in this case. Also, there are still some key questions revolving around the interests of the fourth witness that has yet to be resolved."
"But you admitted yourself Prosecutor Vector that the detective here doesn't have any new information regarding this person," His Honor simply replied. The prosecutor began to nervously fiddle with his gold chain. "I also feel that whatever details that have yet to be cleared are simply for the benefit of your curiosity.
"However, if the defense can convince me that they learned something completely new that had yet to be uncovered from the start of the investigation five years ago, I'll be more than happy to hear it," he added before concentrating his attention on Sonic and Tails. "Is this what you were getting at when you objected earlier?"
Instead of answering, the two tailed fox bit his tongue and thought hard about what they heard from Silver's testimony. Unless he could discover something that the detectives from five years ago somehow missed, this trial was as good as dead. Even Vector could not help them out with this problem.
"Wh-What are we going to do, Sonic?" he whispered to his brother who happened to still be staring at the Diagram as if it were about to come to life. "Salemand still hasn't made it here yet. We need to buy him more time, but the Judge isn't going to allow us to continue on with the cross-examination. How are we going to buy more time?"
"… …By raising a contradiction regarding on how things were in the lighthouse between then and now!" the hedgehog simply replied as realization dawned on him. Tails was confused by what he meant but chose to keep quiet when he saw a serious smile approach Sonic's face. "Just watch what I do and back me up when I need it."
End Cross-Examination
"Your Honor, I would like to introduce to the court a contradiction that has just been brought to my attention!" Sonic suddenly announced with such enthusiasm that everybody in the courtroom, including the Judge, actually flinched. "I believe that this will have you further reconsidering your thoughts on this case being frivolous."
"There's no need to project such forcefulness, Mr. Sonic!" the Judge responded, his gaze stern upon hearing a sudden exclamation. "It's almost like you're going to announce an attack on us. In a calmer tone this time around, just what exactly is this contradiction that has gotten you so excited?"
"I've been studying this Diagram for some time now," the hedgehog explained as he lowered the level of his enthusiasm but held to his excitement. "Ever since Ms. Robotnik's movements inside the lighthouse had been determined, something had been bothering me. I couldn't pinpoint it exactly, but it felt like I was seeing something different. I've only just realized just what difference was."
"Mind sharing with the rest of us what this revelation is?" Vector asked as he panned over to the Diagram once more. "I'm afraid I can't see any contradiction whatsoever with how I retraced Maria's movements."
"That's because I'm not saying there was anything wrong with your markings. Then again, I'm hardly considered able to object to something like that since I've no direct details. What I'm talking about is the placement of the furniture!"
"The furniture?" Silver repeated with an eyebrow raised in confusion. "How can the furniture provide you with a contradiction? Except for this Diagram, I doubt that you have any kind of knowledge of how things were placed at the time."
"Oh, I'm not trying to object to how things were placed then. Rather, I want to point out something strange in the lighthouse foyer. But first, I would like to ask you something detective. Has that building ever undergone a renovation in the past five years?"
"No," the witness answered. "The only thing that has changed most likely is the interior decorating seeing how it's been transformed into a house."
"Can you please get on with the reason why you say there's a contradiction?" the crocodile asked in annoyance.
"I'm sure you're not aware of this prosecutor since you never once set foot inside the lighthouse. I would like to draw the court's attention to the bookshelf where Ms. Robotnik was found dead. My assistant and I have been in that lighthouse a couple of days ago. If that building is the same as it was five years ago, then there's something missing in this particular Diagram! Namely, the door to the basement is non-existent! There's no mention of it anywhere on these floor plans!"
"…Oh my god; you're right!" the senior detective exclaimed as he looked over the Diagram once more. "I've seen this Diagram so many times; I never even noticed it when I investigated the lighthouse for the first time. I just saw it as another room that I could search for evidence."
"W-Wait a minute!" the crocodile quickly butted in, clearly confused yet concerned at the same time at what was happening. "All you're saying is that a bookcase in the past just happened to be where the basement door should be in present time. Apart from the transition to business to house, that's the only thing about that wall that's changed. I hardly see how this is of any great importance, Mr. Sonic."
"Prosecutor Vector, what does the official report say in terms of what my friends and I said we were being held?" Sonic simply asked instead of explaining the prosecutor's concern. "Being that you've been studying up on the case with Senior Detective Silver, I'm sure you've been able to access statements thought to have been useless in terms of the investigation. I believe our Statements regarding where in the lighthouse we were imprisoned should be there, as well."
"Uh, I have you guys' Statements from them right here with me," the prosecutor replied as he shuffled through his papers. "And since the defense brought it up, I'll just go ahead and submit it as evidence. Now let me go ahead and read it since I have a feeling they're going to request me to do so.
"My friends and I were blindfolded when we were brought to the lighthouse," Vector read. "After they forced us inside, we went down some stairs before they had us stop. They then took off our blindfolds. However, the room was completely dark with no windows, so we might as well have been kept blindfolded. The only light came from the open door which was quickly closed and left us in total darkness."
"For the record, it doesn't matter who was speaking in that Statement," the cobalt hedgehog explained. "The four of us ended up giving the same testimony that had no difference between them."
"Hold on a second!" the crocodile suddenly exclaimed, realization hitting him as he did a double-take with the Statement. "You're saying that there were a set of stairs that led downward into a windowless room. However, the official report says that the detectives never found a room that matched the description! That's why this Statement was considered useless then. And to top it off, you all were ultimately found on the second floor where the lighthouse maintenance equipment were being kept. Are you saying you have evidence that this room does exist and thus prove you were held there at some point?"
"I think you should ask the detective yourself. After all, he was the only one to have entered said room when he accompanied us for the investigation of the lighthouse for my previous case."
"Mr. Sonic's telling the truth here," Silver confirmed with a nod of his head. "That lighthouse does have a basement area to it. There aren't any windows, but there's a ceiling lamp that lights up the room. Without it, the description of where the defense and his friends were held matches exactly."
"And that's where we have our problem!" Tails stated as he caught up with his brother's track of thought. "We've just proven that our Statements from five years ago were the truth. So how was it that the detectives then failed to notice the room? Our answer lies with the bookcase that's positioned in the same place as the basement door. It's the defense's belief that the shelf was, in fact, the door to the basement then. It's the only explanation that makes sense considering the facts before us. And since it was quite an unsuspicious object, I'm sure the detectives didn't give it a second glance apart from investigating it for any connections to Ms. Robotnik's murder.
"Of course, we don't have any proof of this being the case," the two tailed fox admitted. "However, I'm sure that even you, Your Honor, would have to agree that this is the most likely truth of things. And if you think about it even further, it would explain why Ms. Robotnik had chosen to spend most of her time in that area. She knew the bookshelf was the basement door and was trying to open it and free us."
"Objection!" Vector suddenly objected. "I find it hard to believe that she would've had any kind of knowledge about this bookshelf door. Reports have indicated that neither she nor Charles set foot in that building until that very moment. How could she have possibly known about that particular trick? If I were in her position, I would've checked every room on the first floor before making my way upstairs. The only thing that can answer this contradiction is that Ms. Robotnik was one of the people to have planned the kidnapping!"
"Now just hold on there!" Sonic quickly exclaimed as he now found himself trying to defend Maria's good name from the crocodile's reasonably sound claim. "As far as I know, there hasn't been any evidence that portrays the woman as having played some part in our kidnapping. She was simply an innocent woman trying to rescue us."
"While it may be true that I have no evidence suggesting such a thing, it also goes to say that you have nothing proving her innocence. However, I believe that her actions from first entering the lighthouse is proof enough. Instead of searching the entire first floor frantically, she simply made a beeline for the bookshelf. This itself proves that she knew about the trick beforehand. All she had to do to make herself look innocent was to open the door and 'rescue' the four of you. After all, she already knew how to open the door and most likely had the means to open it on her."
"Hmm, the prosecution does have a point here," the Judge admitted with a nod of his head. "It's appearing that Ms. Robotnik did play some part in this tragedy."
"But I have evidence that says otherwise, Your Honor!" the cobalt hedgehog objected. "Prosecutor Vector has just said that Ms. Robotnik 'had the means' to open the bookshelf door. Would I be right in assuming you mean that she already knew whatever trick was involved to opening it and would then have no reason to head anywhere but that shelf?"
"Are you saying that you have something that disproves my claim?" the crocodile asked with an eyebrow raised in question.
"I believe you'll have you answer if you look at the Diagram once more. By your own hand, you mapped out for us the movement that Ms. Robotnik made when she entered the lighthouse. As you said earlier, she did indeed make a beeline for the bookshelf without bothering checking the other rooms.
"However, that's where a contradiction with your explanation comes to light. If she really did know how to open the bookshelf door, why would she then make her way to the office for no particular reason? If she really were a part of the kidnapping plot and wanted to look innocent, I doubt she would bother wasting her time heading to an unrelated room. And let's not forget that she made her way back to the shelf after meandering around the desk area. It is my belief that she did know the trick to the shelf but did not have the means to open it. She most likely headed towards the office where she ultimately found something and then made her way back a second time. Why would she not have the necessary key if she were in fact a part of the kidnapping plot? It doesn't make sense no matter how you look at it!"
"Gah, you got me good there!" Vector admitted as he tugged down at his gold chain in frustration. "It's true that her own movements seem to indicate she did not have the means to open the bookshelf door. It does lend credence to the thought that she was not a part of the kidnapping group. However, this still leaves us with one other question."
"And what is that, Prosecutor Vector?" His Honor asked with an eyebrow raised.
"Exactly how Ms. Robotnik knew about the bookshelf trick beforehand," the prosecutor explained. "Her movement also proves she knew about it. If she isn't indeed a part of the whole kidnapping scheme, then how did she know about it? Unless we can answer this question, we can't be sure whether she is innocent or just became an unintended casualty of her cohorts' actions. And because of this, we don't know whether or not we have to question the people connected to her. If that's the case, then we can't possibly continue on with the trial seeing as how this process can't possibly be completed by today."
"Wh-What?!" both Sonic and Tails exclaimed as they glared daggers at Vector while the gallery began talking excited amongst themselves. Even Silver sent him a disconcerting look. All the crocodile did was sent them both a barely noticeable apologetic look. Despite promising before the trial started to try and not derail one another, it seemed that he unintentionally made it happen by mentioning the thought of questioning the people that Maria knew.
"Order!" the Judge exclaimed as he banged at his gavel. "I will have order! Prosecutor Vector, are you suggesting that we have no other course of action besides questioning the people Ms. Robotnik knew? If so, then I can't possibly see how this trial can continue seeing as how the process requires more than just a couple hours."
"Um… I… Well, that is to say…!" the crocodile stuttered as he tried to come up with a way to rectify his case-stopping mistake. "I… I…suppose that's what I'm suggesting. I mean…, there isn't really much else we can do given the circumstances."
"Objection!" Tails exclaimed as he was the first to recover from the shock. "Prosecutor Vector, you have yet to provide us any evidence that shows this plan to be necessary. There's no need to be ending this trial over this!"
"Overruled," His Honor quickly countered with a shake of his head. "I find this to be quite a fascinating line of thought. So long as the possibility of Ms. Robotnik being one of the kidnappers is true; I can't discount the need to question the people connected to her. However, I've already said that this process takes more than just a couple of hours to perform. As such, it's my belief that this trial can no longer be conducted with the information already in our possession."
"Th-That can't be…!" Sonic whispered as he kept his teeth clenched in worry. "There has to be something else we can do! We can't just let all our hard work end here. We've already gotten further than any of the people who looked over this case could! We can't just let it end like this!"
"Senior Detective Silver, I thank you for providing us with your testimony," the Judge thanked. "You may now leave the stand."
In an almost begrudging manner, Silver left the stand after sending Sonic and Tails an apologetic look and Vector an annoyed glance.
"Now then, I would like to call an end to this trial. While we have indeed gotten further than anybody ever could in this case, I believe it's time to put it to rest. We have run out of any immediate information that we can listen to without a moment's notice. All we have left is something that requires much more time than we have. Before I end this, though, does either the defense or prosecution have any closing remarks?"
Both Sonic and Tails could not muster the energy to make another objection to the current situation. And even if they could, they felt that the Judge would not accept it barring a surprisingly good reason or introduction to more new information. Vector was still reeling from the mistake he made; he could not come up with a single thing to say. He knew it was his fault they were now in this irreversible position but could do nothing about it.
"…It seems as though neither side has anything else to say," the Judge replied as he shook his head at the silence. "If that's the case, then I would like to call an end to this trial. While very informative, we never learned about who the true culprit in this case was. We never learned of the fourth mysterious witness who seems to have some connection to both the previous case and this; but I feel it will soon come to light when an unofficial investigation is conducted once this is closed after today. Until then, it's time to end this official trial."
"Objection, Your Honor!" a voice suddenly exclaimed just before the Judge banged his gavel and officiated his ruling. "You still have access to information that has yet to be fully reviewed."
"Wh-Who said that?!" His Honor asked as he along with the defense and prosecution looked around the courtroom.
"Look down at the witness stand," the person simply explained as everybody's attention was directed there. Standing on the stand was an ebon black cat with eyes as red as blood rubies.
"I-Is that…?!" Sonic breathed out in disbelief, his eyes not believing who was standing in front of him. Even Tails was too shocked to say anything. But nothing could beat the sight of Vector's eyes bugging out in complete surprise.
"Salemand Eres here at your service!" the black cat introduced himself while flashing a big smile. "I believe you made a request for my help earlier."
New Evidence:
Bullet: The bullet that was found lodged in a wall after killing Maria Robotnik. It was proven five years ago through ballistic testing that it was fired from the Pistol that was used once again on Prosecutor Flora Mae.
Diagram: Floor plans that show the interior of the lighthouse five years ago when it was still known as "Prycey Seafood". Vector has written in a red sharpie on it the path Maria took upon entering the lighthouse. She first went to the bookshelf on the other side of the foyer before making her way to the office and then back where she was ultimately killed.
Statements: Statements made by Sonic and friends five years ago about their kidnapping ordeal. All four said the same thing and that they were blindfolded when they entered the lighthouse. They felt themselves going downstairs and were then left in a pitch black and windowless room. However, detectives failed to find said room. That and they were ultimately discovered on the lighthouse second floor, so the statements were thus considered useless and shuffled away.
New Profiles:
Ace Sleuth: A former Senior Detective who was jailed for the murder of his fiancee. He was then sent to a secluded safe house courtesy of Shadow upon discovering he had some connections with the LK-9 Incident. However, some unknown person discovered where he was hiding and killed him. An anonymous note sent to the Precinct telling officers about the murder seems to have been written by the mysterious fourth witness and thus implicates him for the murder.
Updated Profiles:
Salemand Eres: A twenty-six-year-old ebon black cat who's looking for his missing brother. As revealed by Vector, he is a member of Interpol currently on an assigned mission in Mobius. His real name is unknown to all except Vector. It has been proven that he was at the scene of the LK-9 murders five years ago and thus has been called to court to testify.
Well, that's it for this new chapter. I hope you liked how I made it all work. So many times the Judge felt that the case is going nowhere and wants to close it. How many more times can they keep him from stopping the trial under the basis of either no new information or lack of information that can be immediately discussed and proven true or false? What is Salemand going to testify about, and is it going to help our very cornered attorneys? How long can I keep this up before I really bury myself into a very deep hole?
But yeah, I'm seriously backing myself into a corner, and I'm the writer! It's not good when the writer himself gets trapped. But I feel that makes the story all that more interesting in that I'm like you readers and not knowing what the heck is going to happen next except for a few choice details. However, I can say for sure that this trial is going to go on for a very long time. If I think about it, it's probably in the middle of the afternoon for these guys seeing as how they're trying to figure out everything while keeping the information and all correct.
Anyway, I'll let you all go now. Just please don't forget to leave a review before you move onto the next story that you want to read. As I said earlier, they are always very helpful and encouraging and also great when you use it to point out mistakes I accidentally made. And please go and read my other story that I made mention of earlier, "Apocalypse: The Beginning of the End". That is my first serious attempt at writing a zombie story, and whatever feedback you can give me would be very helpful.
Well, that's it from me for this story for today. I'll leave you with the new evidence that was introduced this chapter. Until the next update to this or any of my other stories on this site everybody!