A/N: First trial day of this case! Apollo and Hugh find themselves facing off against Robin. And Robin still seems gripped by a sickness... It's time for mystery!
Chapter 23: Put it all on the line
September 25, 2029
District Courthouse
The judge, face obscured by shadow, nevertheless glared down at Robin. "Do you understand the charges being raised against you?"
"I understand them!" Robin shouted from the defendant's chair. "But I don't understand why they're being brought up now!"
"But you don't deny that you committed these crimes," Logan said smugly from the prosector's bench. "Face it. You can't run from your guilt anymore."
"My guilt?" Robin turned to the defense's bench, only to find no one there. Next she desperately looked the the Judge. "Just what do you want from me?"
The judge leaned forward, and Robin found herself staring right into her own face.
"You know exactly what I mean, don't y-o-u?"
Robin jerked herself awake from her napping spot, a couch in the Prosecutor's lobby. That nightmare was a recurring one, but it was a first time it had been so clear. Robin could only begin to guess what had caused it. It might have been returning to an empty home yesterday. Just as likely it was the anticipation of today's trial.
When she first looked over the paperwork for today's trial it made the prosecutor want to laugh. Not only did the defense consist of her best friend Hugh and Apollo, but it was to be held in courtroom number four.
Courtroom number four, where her friendship with Hugh and Juniper had been placed to the ultimate test. Where Robin's life had been changed forever, and also where an explosion had almost taken Juniper away forever….
It was almost as if her entire life up until now had been preparing her for this case, for this trial today.
Robin fiercely gripped her proof of friendship. Once again, her bonds were being hacked away, and she could actually lose a lot of precious people this time. But she was far too committed to this trial to just stop. She would just have to take this head on, as she always did.
Juniper Woods sat in a chair in the witness waiting lobby, accompanied by Detective Marsh but effectively alone with her thoughts. She had spent the night at Athena and Ema's place- returning home was too painful a prospect right now. Thankfully Ema and her sister Lana had been very accommodating. Even more painful was the fact that she had yet to see Robin again. The last time had been after Juniper had left Robin's office after their fight, and it was Detective Marsh had showed up to escort her to the courthouse this morning.
Two things kept Juniper going right now- the first being the hope that as desolate as everything was things could only get better, and the second her resolve to guide this case to the best of her ability. All her memories, her feelings, would be laid bare on the witness stand today. Juniper was determined to do this, even if it was on her own.
September 25, 2029
District Courthouse, Defendant Lobby #5
9:30 a.m.
In the lobby three men stood in a circle in the middle of the room: Hugh, Apollo, and Logan.
"Well Hugh, today's going to be the first time you officially stand in court as a defense attorney. How do you feel?"
"A lot like I'm about to be sick, actually." Indeed, Hugh was looking rather green.
"Don't worry, that's normal," Apollo said, while hoping Hugh wasn't about to throw up.
"This isn't exactly instilling a lot of confidence in me," Logan muttered.
"I'm not sure it's the right time for confidence," Apollo stated bluntly. "Something about this case just doesn't feel right."
At this point he would have asked Mr. Wright for advice, but he was currently on one of his mysterious missions. Likely ironing out the details of the Jurist System, which was still being integrated. This trial wouldn't be making use of it, unfortunately.
Across from him Hugh grew thoughtful. "I think I know what you mean. It's like there's something hiding just out of view."
"You both….are going to be able to do this, right?" Logan asked nervously.
Apollo pumped his fists. "Don't worry, we will win this trial. But I think some Chords of Steel are in order. I'M APOLLO JUSTICE AND I'M FINE!"
Hugh reluctantly followed this up with, "I'm Hugh O'Conner, and I'm fine."
"Oh, am I next? I'm not sure what this point of this is, but here goes- I'm Logan Sullivan, and I'm fine!"
September 25, 2029
District Courthouse, Courtroom #4
10:00 a.m.
Day 1
Court is now in Session
ALL RISE
The familiar sound of the gavel striking the podium rang through the courtroom, followed by the Judge's voice.
"Court is now in session for the trial of Logan Sullivan."
"The defense is ready, Your Honor!" Apollo announced. If there was one constant in life, it was the sight of the familiar grey-bearded judge that had presided over all of Apollo's trials. After hearing of Athena's experience with Judge Courtney, Apollo was privately glad deal with someone he knew well.
"The prosecution is ready," Robin stated simply from the other side of the courtroom.
Hugh immediately frowned at this. "Whatever kind of mood got ahold of Robin yesterday is still here today. This isn't good."
"I understand that this is your debut trial, Prosecutor Newman," The Judge said.
"Oh, I k-n-o-w," Robin said. "But I fully intend to see the defendant pay for his crimes."
"Well, at least some things are the same?" Apollo said uncertainly. "Hopefully we aren't too badly off."
"The Prosecution can now give it's opening statement."
Robin's expression grew angry. "Two days ago, someone went to Vitamin Square to commit cold-blooded murder. AND ATHENA WAS THE TARGET! So I'm here to prove that the shooter was the defendant, Logan Sullivan."
The crowd in the gallery chattered amongst themselves, already forming their own opinion on what happened.
"Should we do something?" Hugh asked.
"With how little we know about this case, maybe we should get more information first," Apollo answered.
The Judge mulled over the opening statement.
"The prosecution's passion aside, this is a very serious charge."
"Which is why I have two witnesses lined up to prove my case, Your Honor," Robin said, an uncanny grin on her face.
"Very well. You may call your witnesses." The Judge said.
"The prosecution calls to the stand the detective assigned to this case!"
When Detective Marsh took the stand, the defense noticed he had what looked like a sandwich in his right hand.
What, did he miss breakfast or something? Apollo thought to himself.
"Name and occupation?" Robin asked.
"John Marsh. I'm the lead detective on this case," John answered.
"I see you have a sandwich with you," The Judge noted. "Food isn't allowed in the courtroom."
"I know, but I pulled an all-nighter preparing for today's trial and I haven't eaten yet," John said irritably. "So you'll excuse me if I eat here just this once."
"I'd hope you get to enjoy that grilled-cheese sandwich," Robin said playfully. "Justine woke up early to make it just for you."
"H-hey, don't go spouting off stuff like that!" Detective Marsh exclaimed, turning bright red.
"Justine Courtney is his adoptive mother," Hugh told Apollo in clarification.
"Wait, so his mom still makes him breakfast?" Apollo said incredulously.
"Just this once, okay!" John shouted. "I'll have you know that-"
Robin struck her hand against the bench. "Let's drop it so we can get to the testimony, kay? Tell us about what happened at Vitamin Square."
"Got it, Boss."
Witness Testimony
Outline of the crime
A week ago the defendant arranged a meeting with the victim.
On the day of the crime, the victim met with the defendant, only to be shot.
At this point a pair of witnesses came upon the scene,
Which caused the defendant to drop the gun at the scene.
One of the witnesses chased after the defendant,
While the second called for an ambulance.
The nature of the crime is a clear indication of intent.
In other words, this shooting was meant to be a premeditated murder.
End Testimony
"OBJECTION!" Apollo slammed his fists onto his bench. "While my client admits to arranging a meeting with Athena, he states that she didn't show up!"
"And yet Athena wound up taking a bullet anyway," Robin countered. "So excuse me if I don't believe Logan."
"Looks like we have to dig around for a contradiction," Hugh said. "It shouldn't be too much trouble."
Apollo examined the statements to see which one would require a closer look first, and decided on the first.
"HOLD IT! You're being a little too vague here," Apollo said. "Why would Athena meet with Logan in the first place?"
"I would think you'd know the answer to that," Detective Marsh said. "He is your client, after all."
"He, um, hasn't made that entirely clear," Apollo said, aware that he had a point.
"To answer your question, we investigated the defendant," John continued. "And found that his phone records show he did indeed call Miss Cykes a week ago. But since conversations aren't normally recorded, we can't know how the conversation went, and the defendant is being oddly tight-lipped about it."
"Oh. That's good to know," Apollo said, already feeling himself deflating. He had allowed Logan his silence since Logan supposedly had nothing to do with the crime, but that was looking more and more to be a bad move.
Back at the cross-examination, Apollo looked for somewhere safer to attack next. He zeroed in on the last statement, and knew he couldn't let it stand.
"HOLD IT! Premeditated murder? So you honestly believe Logan called up Athena just to kill her?"
Robin put on a thoughtful look as she twirled her hair with her left hand. "Hmmm, maybe you're right. Maybe he didn't mean to kill her at first. But the meeting certainly turned violent quickly."
"What do you mean?" Hugh asked.
"If you w-i-l-l, Detective Marsh."
John pulled out what appeared to be large photos from a file. "If you'll look at this picture taken by the paramedics that arrived at the scene."
The picture was of Athena laying on face-down on the ground, a visible bullet wound on her back around the torso area. In one hand she was holding her cell phone.
The paramedics were focused on saving Miss Cykes' life, so they left the phone alone," Detective Marsh said. "When I saw the phone, I noticed it had a nine on the screen."
"In other words, the victim feared for her life enough to start calling for the police," The Judge said.
"Eh heh heh. But she was cut off by Mr. Sullivan here deciding to shoot her," Robin added.
"Was that supposed to happen?" Hugh asked nervously. "Because I think we made everything worse."
"How I wish I could tell you this was unusual," Apollo said, now getting a dreadful feeling in his stomach.
Cell Phone added to the Court Record.
One look at the Judge told Apollo that he needed to act fast, of the trial would end really fast. Looking over the testimony, he realized that Ema's findings would come in handy.
"OBJECTION! So Detective Marsh. You think Athena confronted the my client? Well have I got evidence for you," Apollo said smugly. "At Vitamin Square there's a giant plastic strawberry."
"What of it, Mr. Justice?" Detective Marsh asked.
"Well, we found trace evidence inside there. Evidence that says that the shooter was inside the strawberry at the moment of the crime!"
John, who had been in the middle of eating, started choking on his sandwich. "Wh-what? Why is this the first I'm hearing of this?"
"This is even supported by the earlier evidence," Apollo continued. "The report on Athena's wound states that the shot was from at least ten feet. Which is well within the range of the giant strawberry."
Robin started giggling. "Oh, so what you're saying is that Logan was inside the strawberry. In other words, he was waiting for Athena at their meeting place so he could shoot her. Sounds like premeditated murder to me."
"No, that's not what I meant!" Apollo said hurriedly. I meant, while Athena was waiting for Logan to show up, the shooter was already there and intercepted her."
"Weren't you listening to me yesterday? Clean out your ears," Detective Marsh said. "They only two people at the park besides the shooter and the victim were two witnesses, and neither of them could possibly be the culprit."
With Juniper being one of the witnesses, Apollo was inclined to agree, but admitting that would likely cost him the case. As it was, he would have to play risky and try for the mystery second witness.
"Well, we already know one of those witnesses is going to testifying," Apollo said. "What about the second one? Why haven't they been called to the stand?"
On the other side of the courtroom, Robin's expression took on a lifeless gaze again. "Simple. That's because I'm the second witness."
In the stands an uproar arose, with the main question being how the prosecution could have witnessed the crime.
"I was on a date with my girlfriend," Robin explained. "And we came upon the crime by chance."
"This certainly explains a lot," Hugh said sympathetically. "Including why Juniper and Robin have been acting so strangely. I can't imagine how they feel right now."
"As bad as that is, this isn't doing our case any favors either," Apollo said. "I wonder just what exactly they saw?"
The Judge slammed down his gavel.
"Enough. I believe we have a clear picture of the crime," He said.
"Glad you see things our way," Detective Marsh said. "Because we aren't done presenting our case yet."
"N-e-x-t, we answer the question of why the defendant committed the crime," Robin said.
Hugh turned to Apollo. "Did you get the sense that Logan would have a reason to want to hurt Athena?"
Apollo caught onto Hugh's train of thought. "No, I didn't. Which means that this next testimony will likely have the contradiction we need!"
Witness Testimony
Logan's motive
The defendant was the one to reach out the Miss Cykes first,
So Logan likely already had a topic in mind to speak with her about.
And there is only one connection between these two:
The fact that Miss Cykes contributed to Logan's imprisonment.
So when they met in Vitamin Square this was likely what they discussed,
And thus the reason why Logan shot Athena.
End Testimony
The two defense attorneys processed the testimony. Hugh decided to speak up first.
"So Robin believes that the Shadow incident is connected to this."
"Unfortunately, I'm not sure we have what we need to break this testimony head on," Apollo said. "Let's hammer away at it until we find a crack."
The game plan was the same as it was whenever Apollo found himself in situation like this: Press everything.
"HOLD IT! So are you honestly suggesting my client called up Athena to arrange a murder?"
"That is what I'm saying," Detective Marsh said. "After all, it can't be a coincidence that this crime occurred during this meeting."
"And with how Mr. Sullivan's life has been recently, it would make sense if he felt a lot of resentment." Robin added.
No evidence seems to help here, and pressing doesn't seem to do much good. So then the best thing to do is….
"The let's ask Logan ourselves," Apollo said, exuding confidence. "Logan, you don't hold what happened to you against Athena, do you?"
Logan stayed silent for an uncomfortably long time, then finally said. "Newman, let me ask you something. Did you actually see me at Vitamin Square?"
"Apollo, why didn't he answer the question?" Hugh asked worriedly.
"Because he knew we wouldn't like the answer, Hugh," Apollo said, starting to feeling angry at their client.
Robin shook her head. "Ah ah ah. You know full well that we didn't see you."
"...! You didn't actually see Logan? How is that possible? And how did you come to the conclusion that he was the shooter?"
"If that's all you want to know, we can answer that just fine," Robin said. "If you will, Detective Marsh."
Witness Testimony
Truth behind the mystery
The defendant arrived the park prepared:
He dressed himself in concealing clothing,
With the intention of making sure no one could recognize him.
Which would have worked, if he hadn't made a fatal mistake.
He dropped his gun at the scene of the crime.
A gun that is registered to the Sullivan home.
It was through analyzing the gun that he was revealed as the culprit.
Because it is decisive from several different aspects.
End Testimony
"OBJECTION! If this gun was truly decisive, then why wasn't it presented at that start of this trial?"
Robin twirled delightly. "Ah ha ha ha ha! I was always planning to present this evidence," She said. "But not before making sure there's no hole in my case."
"Hmph. It seems like we've reached the crux of the matter," Hugh said lightly. "But I know Robin. For her to save something like this for last means she's not sure of it."
"Then I won't hold back. Look out testimony, here comes Justice!"
Even a cursory glance at this testimony proved Hugh's point: for example, "concealing clothing" was overly vague.
"HOLD IT! Just what do are you claiming my client was wearing?"
Detective Marsh flipped through his notepad. "A black hoodie, a pair of slacks, running shoes, and a pair of gloves."
"Something interesting about those clothes," Robin continued. "As far as we can tell, all of them were the wrong size."
"The wrong size? Isn't that proof against your case?" Hugh said.
"You would think so, but in fact it's intentionally misleading," Detective Marsh explained. For example, the pants were a size too small. It would be uncomfortable, but not impossible to move in. The jacket we estimate to be a size too large, which was likely picked to better hide his body type and head. It's when we get to the shoes that the trick is revealed."
Detective Marsh produced a pair of grey running shoes, as well as the pants. "These shoes are a size and a half too big. But inside the shoes are balled up pieces of paper. Clear proof that the culprit was trying to throw us off his scent with the mismatched clothing."
Culprit's outfit added to the Court Record.
"This all makes a lot of sense," The Judge said. "Does the defense have anything to add."
Apollo slammed his fists onto the bench. "I do, Your Honor! Why hasn't the hoodie been presented?"
"Unfortunately, we have yet to find it," Robin said. "Logan must have stuffed it somewhere more inaccessible, or gotten rid of it. After all, his head would leave traces of him in the hood, like a hair."
The prosecutor dug around in her pocket. "Thankfully, we can still see what it looks like!"
She presented a photo to the court. "While I was chasing the defendant, I managed to snap a pic of him with my cell phone."
Depicted in the photo was the back of someone indeed wearing a black hoodie. The front of the person couldn't been seen, which was good news to the defense. A timestamp in the corner of the photo read, "1:15 p.m."
Photo of culprit added to the Court Record.
"I don't see Logan in this picture. However, Robin did chase someone," Apollo observed.
"That's Robin for you," Hugh said affectionately. "There's still the gun to take care of."
The gun being where Detective Marsh had suddenly stopped cooperating. Was it because it was good evidence, or was it just the opposite?
"HOLD IT! I'd like to ask the Prosecution something. Why did the shooter drop the gun?" Apollo asked.
"Why e-l-s-e? Because of Juniper and me," Robin said. "After the culprit saw us they clearly became panicked, considering the next thing they did was run."
"Seems like a reasonable enough conclusion," Hugh said. "Unless there's something strange about this testimony?"
Apollo shook his head. It seemed like this line of questioning was a bust, so the only thing left to do was try again.
"HOLD IT! Besides being owned by the defendant's family, what is decisive about this gun?"
Detective Marsh produced the gun in question. "There were six bullets inside this gun before it was fired," He explained. "A bullet was found buried in a tree behind the victim, and rifling marks prove it came from the gun."
"Six bullets? That seems a little excessive!" Apollo exclaimed.
"Or, it could be a mark of a determined murderer." Robin said.
On the stand Detective Marsh kept explaining. "If you couldn't already tell, this is a six-shot revolver. .35 caliber, so it does a lot of damage to a target while still being relatively safe to use for the shooter."
Revolver added to the Court Record
"I still don't see how this points to our client," Apollo said, emphasizing the point.
"Well once again, Mr. Sullivan tried to pull the wool over our eyes," Detective Marsh said. "This gun's grip is covered in glove marks. However, we can tell it was wiped clean at some point previously."
In the defendant's chair Logan began to squirm, much to Apollo's alarm. Just what was going on here?
Glove Marking data added to the Court Record.
Hugh looked over to Apollo. "Looks like there's a lot Logan failed to tell us, though I'm not to surprised. What's your take on things?"
"Our client aside, there's still something wrong with this testimony. Let's see what happens when bring it up," Apollo said.
At this point in the trial aggressive action had to be taken, so Apollo drew in his breath and yelled,
"OBJECTION! When we compare the gun used in the crime to Detective Marsh's testimony, there's a clear contradiction."
"Oh? And just what might that be?" Robin asked.
"This weapon, in no shape or form, indicts Logan of the crime!" Apollo declared. "Anyone could have used the gun as long as they had it with them."
"Oh! The defense is absolutely correct," The Judge said. "Does the prosecution have anything to say to this?"
Robin started giggling at this, while at the witness stand Detective Marsh gave the defense a pitying look. "You both must think we're pretty stupid, huh?" John snarled.
"Well, if the prosecution would be more willing to share information we wouldn't have this problem," Hugh fired back.
Robin set up a miniature easel on her bench and placed a paper on it. "Oh, is that all you wanted? Our bad. It's true that the gun's outside has no real evidence. Which is why I had John look inside the gun. At the bullets in the barrel."
"And of the six bullets, one was fired, while five remained inside, with four covered in glove marks," Detective Marsh said. "Then there's the fifth bullet. Dusting it revealed a damning piece of evidence: Logan Sullivan's fingerprints."
"Wh-WHHHHHAAAAAATTTTTT!"Apollo screamed, rearing back so far he managed to smack himself against the gallery behind him.
Bullet added to the Court Record.
A panicked Hugh looked at Logan. "What is the meaning of this, Logan?"
"I don't know why that's in there!" He shouted desperately.
"But it's perfectly clear," Robin said, wagging her finger at Logan. "All it takes is a single moment of carelessness. Forgetting to wear the gloves just once. This bullet reveals that you loaded the gun. There's only one reason anyone would load a gun: to shoot someone with it."
Logan turned towards Apollo again. "Please tell her, Mr. Justice. Tell Newman that I didn't shoot Cykes!"
Before Logan could say another word bailiffs restrained him, and the Judge slammed his gavel down to settle the court.
"Is there anything left we can do?" Hugh asked.
Apollo looked over the evidence, eyes darting back and forth. "I honestly don't know, Hugh. I'm supposed to believe in Logan's innocence. But right now I don't know what to think!"
The Judge shook his head. "It seems…. There will not be a need to listen to the second witness."
"Your Honor, if you'll just let us-"
"Unfortunately, I see no room for doubt in the case as it stands, so I'm prepared to hand down a verdict."
Apollo and Hugh could do nothing but stand there, words failing them.
"This court finds the defendant, Logan Sullivan-"
"OBJECTION!"
As soon as the objection rang out, everyone tried to see who had called it out, only to see no one. Then the doors to the courtroom burst open, and Juniper Woods strode inside and walked to the witness stand.
"Was that shout from you, young lady?" The Judge asked.
"It was," Juniper answered, her eyes blazing with resolve.
"Now why on earth would you do that?"
"To tell the prosecutor-" She pointed straight at Robin. "That this trial can't end just yet!"
Already bailiffs were starting to approach Juniper, while Hugh and Apollo still couldn't find anything to say. While the interruption of the verdict was a relief, neither of them knew just what was going on in this trial anymore.
"Prosecutor Newman, should this woman be escorted from this courtroom?" The Judge asked.
When Juniper first burst into the courtroom Robin had of course been surprised. But at her girlfriend's words, the prosecutor actually started grinning.
"Ah, you believe in your conclusion this much," She said. "I see now. No, she can stay. As it happens, this is my second witness."
"I'd like to testify for the court, if you'd let me," Juniper said, her expression now a lot harder to read.
Detective Marsh, still at the witness stand, shoot a concerned look at Robin. "We could wrap things up right now."
"If Juniper wants to give her testimony so badly, let her." Robin answered. "I call her to the stand!"
Detective Marsh left the witness stand, to be replaced by Juniper. Whatever had propelled her to interrupt the verdict seemed to leave her, as she grew meeker and more nervous with each passing minute.
"State your name and occupation."
"I-I'm Juniper Woods," Juniper said. "My occupation? Um, I'm an intern at the Wright Anything Agency."
"Tell the court exactly what you saw at Vitamin Square on the day of the crime."
Witness Testimony
What I saw
On the day of the crime I was on a date,
On the way to an eating place with my girlfriend.
But when I arrived at Vitamin I saw Thena *cough cough* get shot.
And when the shooter saw us they ran away.
After that Robin *cough cough* ran after the shooter.
And I called an ambulance.
I waited by Athena until the ambulance arrived.
No one else arrived at the playground while I was there.
End Testimony
"*cough cough* *cough cough cough*"
Juniper grabbed at her chest as coughs wracked her body. The testimony clearly put great mental strain on her.
"Junie!" Robin exclaimed as she started leaving her bench.
"Juniper!" Apollo called out as he did much the same.
Juniper held out a hand to stop the two of them, before breathing from her inhaler. "I'm okay," She said, her determination returning to her. "I'm not leaving until we resolve this case."
"Your resolve is admirable, Miss Woods," The Judge said. "But this trial has already burned a lot of time, and it is clear that this testimony is stressful for you. So I have will place a condition on this cross-examination: The defense is allowed only one question. If they fail to discover any new information, I will pass my verdict."
"The defense sees no problem with this condition," Hugh said confidently, before turning to Apollo and dropping his facade. "Do you see any openings in Juniper's testimony?"
"I'm not sure," Apollo admitted. "This is almost identical to Detective Marsh's testimony from earlier. But if we don't find anything, we're finished."
"Why do trials always seem to come to this?" Apollo couldn't but mutter to himself. Cases always seemed to come down to the wire, and this case was no different. He had only one chance to press one of the four statements before him, and pray it amounted to something.
But the more he looked over the testimony, the more ironclad it seemed to be. For the life of him Apollo could see nothing they hadn't already covered. Next to him, he could see Hugh chewing his lip, lost in his own thoughts.
"Maybe we don't need anything decisive, just yet," Hugh said slowly. "We just need to unearth something the court hasn't heard to continue this trial."
With this in mind, Apollo studied the testimony one last time, and found a statement he wanted to hear more about, and hopefully the Judge felt the same way.
"HOLD IT! If I understand you correctly, you saw the culprit with your own eyes, correct?"
"I-I did," Juniper said.
"Which means you may have seen something that no one else in this court could possibly know." Apollo said.
"That's what I believe," Juniper said, actually smiling weakly.
"Then testify in exact detail what the shooter looked like, and what they did!" Apollo demanded.
"I'm not sure I understand the defense," The Judge said. "Didn't that kid from earlier already cover that?"
"He was the detective, Your Honor. And a grown man," Apollo corrected. "Well, Prosecutor Newman?"
Across the courtroom, Robin remained unfazed. "Sure thing. After all, I saw the culprit too."
"Then I'll go ahead and testify."
Witness Testimony
Profile of the culprit
The culprit and Athena were facing each other
And when they saw me and Robin they ran away.
The culprit wore a black hoodie, plastic gloves,
Tight jeans, and running shoes.
And the gun was at the crime scene
It was still smoking.
Because of that, I can only think
That the shooter was there to kill Thena….
End Testimony
Right off the bat, Apollo could see something bothering him. This was supposed to be a direct witness account, right? So then why….
"OBJECTION! We've heard several times already that the shooter was wearing a hoodie. But Juniper saw the culprit head on. So then why didn't she describe the culprit's face? Even with the hood up, she should have seen something!"
"HOLD IT!" Robin slammed her hand to the bench. "I'll handle this. It's because the culprit wore a mask."
"This is the first we've heard of this," Hugh said. "I can't help but wonder why."
Robin giggled as she shook her head. "T-w-o reasons. One, because the mask, like the jacket, has yet to be found. Which leads into my second reason: I've placed a gag order on information regarding the mask. Right now, only four people in the world know what it looks like: Detective Marsh, Juniper, me, and the culprit."
Missing Mask added to the Court Record
Gag Order added to the Court Record
"The more we dig into this, the more we find out," Hugh noted. "Which should mean that a major contradiction could still be hiding away somewhere."
The Judge looked sternly down at the defense. "Even so, the defendant remains on thin ice. Please commence the final cross-examination of this trial!"
Apollo approached the testimony with caution. They had certainly found out something new with the mask. But that didn't seem to be applicable right now. The evidence of Logan's fingerprints on the bullet still hung over them.
"Any suggestions, Hugh?"
Hugh thumbed his way through the Court Record. "Every direct approach we've taken so far has failed, so let's not be direct. Hmmm...Juniper doesn't seem sure about herself when she talks about the gun."
Apollo rubbed his golden bracelet. Normally his senses would have told him that, but his eyes had yet to fully flush out the pepper spray.
"Here goes nothing…..HOLD IT! So where exactly was the gun, Juniper? Was it in the shooter's hands?"
Juniper considered this carefully. "Let me think….Ah! No, it wasn't. When I arrived at the crime scene, the gun was already in the sand."
"Could you show us on the map where it was?" Robin asked.
Juniper pointed to a spot right behind the shooter's feet. "It was right here. If I remember correctly, about a minute passed between the when I heard the gunshot and when I arrived at the park with you."
Vitamin Square map updated.
"Well, at least I know I remember things right," Robin said cheerily. "The facts haven't changed."
To Apollo, however, the crime suddenly took on a whole new significance. Both of them remembered the crime the same way. Which meant the crime itself….
"OBJECTION! So you're absolutely sure of this account, Juniper?"
"I am. I carefully wrote down every detail."
Apollo crossed his arms smugly. "Thank you very much for your testimony."
"OBJECTION! Now what are you talking about," Robin said. "As far as I can see we've just gone around in a big circle, right back to what Detective Marsh said earlier."
"That's we're you're wrong," Apollo said. "Detective Marsh didn't specify when the gun was dropped. But Juniper has very clearly. The culprit dropped the gun before you and her arrived at the scene. The gun wound up behind them, at that. And if that remains true-"
Apollo slammed his fists down. "Then the sequence of the crime as suggested by the prosecution no longer makes sense!"
For the first time Robin broke out into a profuse sweat. If she genuinely hadn't seen the problem earlier, then she certainly seemed to realize it now.
"Just what difference does it make when the gun was dropped?!" She shouted.
"Simple. The crux of the case against Logan is two-fold: that the entire crime is premeditated, and that the arrival of witnesses on the scene caused him to drop the gun," Hugh explained.
"But Juniper's testimony fatally contradicts both points," Apollo continued. "The gun was dropped when it was just the shooter and Athena at Vitamin Square. If the crime was truly premeditated, then this action is completely unnatural. Furthermore, while having Juniper and Robin at the scene caused the shooter to flee, they certainly didn't cause them to drop the gun!"
"OBJECTION! No… I refuse to let this stand! All of the talking you've done doesn't disprove one thing: That it was Logan at the park! The evidence is clear on this!" Robin shouted.
"OBJECTION! But is it really that clear cut?" Apollo said. "If you work backwards from the what the culprit did at the scene, then the evidence presented so far takes on a whole new light."
"Hmmm. I can't deny the possibility," The Judge said. "Very well. Present your case."
"Gladly, Your Honor," Apollo said. "A meeting was arranged at Vitamin Square, and a shooter hides themselves at the scene. A culprit dressed in an outfit that doesn't fit the client, with the most identifying aspects currently missing. The weapon used was carefully cleaned, yet conveniently has the single bullet with my client's fingerprints. Most of all, this was all planned to kill the victim- and yet the shooter seemed to stop the act halfway through. This has all the markings of a frame up!"
"This does leave one question- why did the shooter, regardless of who they are, drop the gun?" The Judge asked.
"I can't answer that right now," Apollo said. "My best guess is that something else happened at the scene. Something that surprised the shooter badly enough to stop their crime."
"Ahhh. AHHHH!" Across the courtroom, Robin's expression was filled with anger and fear. "No! I can't accept this! The defense has done nothing but raise questions that can't be answered!"
Apollo shook his head. "But we're not the ones that need to answer those questions. After all, as long as the mysteries remain-" He slammed his fists onto the bench. "Then this case can't be considered solved!"
Robin took a few steps back, hugging herself while breathing raggedly.
Hugh turned to Apollo, looking panicked. "Apollo, cover your ears!"
"Why…?"
"Just do it!"
Apolllo and Hugh plugged their ears as Robin became more unwound.
"Ah...ahhhhh…...AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, the noise filling the entire courtroom-
Before she toppled backwards onto the ground.
As Apollo uncovered his ears, he could swear they were still ringing. Looking around the courtroom revealed that he wasn't alone, as Hugh, the Judge, and even people in the gallery were rubbing their ears.
The sole exception was Juniper, who was still standing at the witness stand. She seemed completely unaffected and was instead looking at where Robin used to be standing with a worried expression on her face.
"With the prosecution currently passed out, we can no longer continue the trial," The Judge said. "And the defense has demonstrated that this case is still far from solved. So I will grant them the rest of the day to investigate."
"Thank you, Your Honor," Hugh said, looking about ready to pass out himself.
"Be warned. If you fail to produce results at tomorrow's trial, it will be very bad for your client. Court is adjourned!"
Apollo found he couldn't say anything. They had successfully made it through the day, it was true. But there was so much of the case they knew nothing about. Such as the most important question that hung over them:
Just what exactly happened at Vitamin Square?
To be continued.
A/N: Tomorrow's investigation kicks off the case into overdrive, as we delve into the second half of this case! When I write this case, I listen to the Apollo Justice OST, because I feel it fits it best. Question for my readers: What AA OST do you feel associate with this case? Share your thoughts. Until then, this has been Orion Fowl, and thank you for visiting my Corner of Romance.