A/N: It's the final chapter of The Promised Turnabout! How close were you to the real truth? Read on to find out. For the final time, it's time for mystery!
Chapter 27: Glimmer of hope
September 26 2029
District Courthouse, Courtroom #4
2:09 p.m.
The Judge closed his eyes, processing all the arguments that had been presented to him thus far. In the gallery, Juniper was also trying to to make use of all the pieces of the puzzle. From the very beginning of the case, she believed in Logan's innocence. Even so, watching the trial had allowed her to understand the arguments of both sides better.
Apollo was putting up a fierce fight, but Juniper found she couldn't deny that Robin's counterarguments rung true. Someone from the outside looking in would see Logan as very suspicious. To Robin, Logan as the culprit would make more sense, given his prior actions and the evidence.
Except what Juniper had wanted Robin to understand during their fight was that it was wrong to see Logan through a filter made up of his crimes, much the same mistake Logan himself had made so long ago. The fall of Logan and his family, Robin's own private struggles- these had intersected, and it was all coming full circle. Despite all this, Juniper still felt an unwavering faith in Robin. Faith that Robin would come into her own, as a person and as a prosecutor. She just needed someone to stand opposite to her, countering her every move.
If Juniper herself had to be that person on occasion, as she had done during the first trial day, then so be it.
"Mr. Justice, the prosecution has just asked you to substantiate your claim," The Judge said. "Are you prepared to do so?"
"I am, Your Honor!" Apollo declared confidently, despite having no idea of what he was doing.
"Then address the contradictions in your case that the prosecution has raised."
"So do we tackle Robin's points in order?" Hugh asked.
"I don't think so," Apollo answered. "We should probably tackle only what we can manage."
"Taking a more methodical approach, I see," Hugh said, smirking. "Then let's use our combined intellect to turn the tides."
Of the three points, the first seemed to be the most important, but Apollo had a feeling now wasn't the time to bring it up. Just as important was the third point, motive, but Apollo was still in the dark about that. That left the second point: how did Lisette pull off her escape? Looking over the court record, Apollo found a piece of evidence that answered it just fine.
"Detective Marsh did say that wasn't there when the investigation started," Hugh said after seeing the evidence. "So you're probably on the right track."
Then it was time to start the final attack against Lisette. Connecting her to the crime point by point until she could no longer escape.
"TAKE THAT! In the alley where the culprit escaped, we found a large sports bag," Apollo said to the court. "Investigation by Detective Marsh revealed that it was placed there a few days after the shooting, and inside the bag is the shooter's hoodie with Michael's hair planted inside."
"But all this only seems to be relevant to Michael, doesn't it?" The Judge asked.
Hugh shook his head. "With all due respect, that's a dull conclusion. This bag wasn't found the day of the crime, and yet it showed up days later. This is obviously the work of the shooter."
"Which brings us to Lisette," Apollo continued. "How can she be both the shooter and pursuing the shooter? If you look at the layout of the alley and where the bag was found it's perfectly clear."
At the witness stand, Lisette started twisting her pigtails again.
"That's right! If she was working, then she'd be in uniform. As the shooter, she was wearing the disguise we've covered before over the uniform," Apollo said. "So once she lept over the fence, all she had to do was get out of sight, take off the disguise, put it all in the sports bag, then hide the bag itself where no one would look. After that Officer Lisette Sullivan takes one of the alley's exits and joins the chase, her fellow officers none the wiser!"
"KYYYAAAA!" Lisette screamed, yanking on her pigtails hard.
"Which also plainly answers another aspect of this case," Hugh said. "Once she felt it was safe, all Lisette had to do was retrieve the bag, then dispose of the evidence that pointed to her. Then she would forge the evidence that points the Michael and place the bag back in the alley where she knew people would look."
"OBJECTION!" Robin shouted. "That's not quite a complete answer, don't you think?"
"What do you mean?" Apollo asked, preparing himself for Robin's counter.
"Why did Lisette need to go through all this effort to frame Michael if Logan wound up as the primary suspect?" Robin asked. "It's a fact that a bullet with Logan's fingerprints in it is inside the gun. Wouldn't that be the first thing she'd remove?"
The objection didn't phase Apollo. If anything, it told him that he remained on the right track. All he had to do was string together the logic of Lisette's actions.
"Essentially, the prosecution has asked two questions, both of which can be answered," Apollo said. "Why did Lisette frame Michael? Because the two of them had met previously, when Michael was a cop. What's more, Michael's residence in the alleyway is well known to the cops, including her! All Lisette had to do was go find where Michael slept to get a hair to frame him with. But she made a crucial mistake: she didn't realize that the hairs could be too old!"
In the defendant's chair, Logan's expression was becoming steadily more anguished. The facts of the case were slowly destroying any objections he might have had. Seeing this made Apollo start pitying him, but it wasn't over.
"Then there's the second question: why is Logan the defendant if Michael was being actively framed," Apollo said intensely. "And the answer to this one will turn the entire case on its head. Now, what is the most unnatural action the shooter has committed?"
"That would be dropping the gun," Robin said, who had started sweating. It seemed she had figured out where Apollo was going.
"Exactly. And one of the first things established in this trial-" Apollo slammed his fists onto the bench. "Is that the gun was dropped on accident!"
"Stop right there, citizen!" Lisette yelled. "That theory does not connect me to the crime. What's more, what's to say the gun wasn't dropped on purpose?"
"OBJECTION! That's not going to fly, Lisette," Apollo said. "As the shooter, you have absolutely no reason to drop the gun, and as we covered before it's clear that you were trying to frame Michael!"
"Which brings us to your brother," Hugh said, adjusting his glasses. "The court will remember that our client attempted to commit suicide a few days prior, which is why a single bullet inside had his fingerprints on it. But what happened to the gun after that?"
Lisette jerked back in surprise. "No way. Logan actually told you about that?!"
At the defendant chair's, Logan closed his eyes and looked away from the proceedings.
"What happened is that none other than Lisette showed up and stopped her brother," Hugh continued. "Which means there was a perfect chance for her to obtain the gun."
"OBJECTION! So what you're saying is that in that moment, Lisette began plotting this shooting?" Robin asked, horrified.
"Exactly! After what she just saw, I can't imagine Lisette was in the best state of mind," Apollo exclaimed. "All you need to do is look at the other aspects on the gun. When Lisette loaded the gun, the bullet Logan had loaded was still inside! What's more, the gun was wiped of fingerprints. Since Logan was the last one to use it, it makes sense for Lisette to clean the outside of the gun before using it herself."
"I imagine Officer Sullivan was in quite a panic when she was being chased away from the scene," Hugh said. "And she realized she no longer had the gun. There was a one in five chance that suspicion would fall on her brother, a chance that did come to pass. Which means Lisette has the motive to frame Michael."
The Judge glared down at Lisette. "Are you going to explain yourself, witness?"
Despite the desperate look in her eyes, Lisette began smiling. "I knew I picked correctly with you, Mr. Justice."
"What are you talking about?" Apollo asked.
"Your Honor, I'd like to be excused," Lisette said. "The defense has outlined a scenario where another person is the true shooter, with me as an example. As such, I believe there is enough reasonable doubt to pass a Not Guilty verdict."
"Lisette is trying to slip away again. The moment she does she'll just pin this crime on someone else." Hugh said angrily.
"HOLD IT! You're not finished yet!" Apollo shouted at Lisette.
"But Mr. Justice, despite accusing her of this crime this witness has been nothing but helpful to you," The Judge said. "I do have sufficient reason to pass my verdict in your favor."
"But this witness knows what mask the shooter used," Apollo said. "Because she is the shooter! She tried to evade the issue by distracting the courts with other points, and now she's trying to get away!"
"I' don't have to explain myself," Lisette said pleasantly. "My only interest is saving my brother."
"Hmm. What are your thoughts, Prosecutor Newman?" The Judge asked.
Robin giggled. "This trial isn't over quite y-e-t. The court will recall that the gun used in the shooting belongs to the Sullivan family. Only one of the twins could have wielded it."
Lisette made a sound akin to a cat being strangled.
"We can have Lisette arrested on the knowledge of the mask alone," Robin said. "But she maintains innocence in the crime. Does the defense have evidence that points to her and her alone?"
"That's a good question," Hugh said to Apollo. "Do we have evidence?"
"Our best bet might be her pager," Apollo answered. "But I researched pagers this morning and they can't be tracked. We may need to bluff it."
Apollo put on his fiercest glare and presented the pager. "TAKE THAT! We established earlier that on the day of the crime, Officer Sullivan didn't answer her pager. We'd like to take a look at it for a moment."
"And if I don't want to show my pager?" Lisette asked, forcefully gripping her pager.
"You are under serious suspicion, witness," The Judge said. "So this court orders you to show your pager!"
A bailiff pried the pager away from Lisette, then handed it over to the defense. Apollo and Hugh scrolled through the entries before arriving to the day of the crime.
"According to Lisette's pager, the first message about the crime was sent at 1:15 p.m." Apollo looked through the court record, and found a piece of evidence that matched. "Now look at this photo of the shooter that Prosecutor Newman took. The timestamp also says 1:15 p.m.!"
"That's just a coincidence!" Lisette yelled. "I already told the court I had lost it!"
"Then let's fast forward. The chase continued for twenty minutes before reaching the alley," Apollo explained. "Now, earlier this very trial Lisette testified that the other officers arrived at 1:35 p.m., and she arrived a few minutes after."
"Your point, Mr. Justice?" The Judge asked.
Apollo checked Lisette's pager and found exactly what he wanted to see. "Lisette claims she was patrolling near Tender Lender when she checked her pager," Apollo said. "Yet the first time she answered her pager was also at 1:35! The only way it's possible for her to answer at that time and only be a couple minutes late is if she was already in the alley. And the only reason Lisette would be in the alley is if she in fact got there first- as the shooter and true culprit of this crime!"
A sick grin slowly spread on Lisette's face. "You've done it!" She suddenly shouted. "You've figured out! Just as the defense says, I'm the one who shot Athena Cykes!"
The people in the gallery spiraled into chaos, forcing the Judge to slam his gavel repeatedly just to quell everyone. Apollo got a sinking feeling in his gut. Something about this didn't feel right.
"Well done, Mr. Justice, Mr. O'Conner," Lisette said. "You both figured out almost everything, except for my motive. But I'd be more than happy to spill."
Witness Testimony
Lisette's last stand
Logan told me that he was going to meet with Miss Cykes
But I didn't want that to happen, so I wanted to stop it.
I hid myself at Vitamin Square and waited for Athena to arrive,
And took my shot! As I fled I did drop the gun by mistake.
I fled to the alleyway with Miss Newman in pursuit,
And put my disguise in a bag I had prepared.
The bag I placed in my nearby police cruiser, where I knew it was safe
Then I set about to frame Michael just as the defense described.
I only wanted to keep my brother safe from Miss Cykes,
So I shot once to warn her off.
End Testimony
*ba-dump*
"My bracelet's reacting!" Apollo told Hugh.
"But why would Lisette be nervous about anything if she's confessing?" Hugh asked.
"Because she might be hiding something much worse," Apollo answered. "Though what that might be, I can't even begin to imagine."
"Will the defense be cross examining this final testimony?" The Judge asked.
"We will, Your Honor!"
Scanning Lisette's testimony at a first glance, most of it matched up to what Apollo had been trying to prove all along. Then he came upon a statement that just seemed fishy.
"Officer Sullivan, could you repeat the last statement in your testimony?"
Lisette looked unsure about this, but still obliged. "I only wanted to keep my brother safe Miss Cykes. So I shot once to warn her off."
Apollo focused very carefully as Lisette talked. Taking in every tiny movement that her body made. When she reached a certain point in her testimony…
"GOTCHA! Feeling trapped, Officer Sullivan?"
"I am confessing on the stand. Why do you ask?" Lisette said, managing to smile weakly.
"When you said, 'I only shot once', your fingers started playing with the trigger of your gun," Apollo explained. "You must be recalling something about the shooting that you're trying to hide."
"I'm not hiding anything!" Lisette claimed, even as she started playing with her ponytails.
Now that Apollo had seen her nervous twitch, he knew what was wrong with the testimony. "TAKE THAT! Then answer me this. If you only intended to shoot once, then why are there six bullets in the gun?"
"AAAAHHHHHH!" Lisette screamed, yanking on her pigtails.
"Why are there six bullets in the gun?" The Judge asked curiously.
"The prosecution remains firm in their opinion that this was part of a premeditated murder," Robin said. "I guess Lisette wanted to kill Athena that badly."
"I wasn't trying to kill Athena!" Lisette exclaimed.
"Y-yes! Lissy is telling the truth! So just end this already!" Logan shouted.
This caused a spark in Apollo's brain. Something about Lisette's words did ring true. This entire case had been built on the presumption that Athena had been the intended target. And yet...
"Logan! What time was the meeting supposed to be between you and Athena?"
"It was at one-thirty," Logan answered, confused. "Except wasn't Cykes a whole half hour early?"
In fact, she was, something that Apollo had mulled over just yesterday. They were trying to answer what Lisette was trying to accomplish. But what was Athena trying to accomplish? What if the two aims were related to each other?
"I think I need to go over this crime one last time. To expose the full truth of this incident once and for all!"
Apollo retreated into his mind, laying out all the facts before him.
The case right now is riding on a lot of assumptions. Let's go back and see if we can't clear up a few of them. First things first, what's one aspect of this crime we've yet to find an answer to?
Why the number of bullets
Why the specific gun
Why the alley
The number of bullets. All six chambers were loaded, and even if Logan loaded one Lisette did leave it inside, even if by accident. She meant to bring the gun fully loaded. Is there anything about this crime that's remained the same?
The fact that it's premeditated
The intended target
Lisette's motive
The other two points are still up in the air. But there's no mistaking it- from the very beginning this shooting was meant to be a premeditated murder! So what exactly be Lisette's motive to kill?
To silence Michael
Revenge for her brother's attempted suicide
She had no motive
Another constant in this case is Lisette's genuine love for her brother. Add in the way Logan and Lisette grew up, and it becomes clear that Logan's attempted suicide is what spurred Lisette into action.
Now, who was Lisette's intended target? Athena arrived early to her own meeting on purpose, so let's turn that around and pretend she didn't. Given this and everything we've learned up until now, who was Lisette trying to kill?
Athena Cykes
Robin Newman
Juniper Woods
None of these are correct.
Six bullets are in the gun. Lisette took that gun to Vitamin Square to kill. The reason Lisette wanted to kill is because Logan wanted to kill himself. And the reason Logan wanted to kill himself is because of the news report he watched. Which means-
Lisette wanted to kill both Juniper and Robin.
That's it! In Lisette's mind, both of them would be responsible. And Juniper did say she talked with Athena about her date at Vitamin Square, a conversation that Lisette was eavesdropping on with the wiretap. So the real truth is that Lisette wasn't waiting for one person- she was waiting for two of them!
Suddenly, all of Athena's actions over the past few days made total sense. The mysterious meeting with Logan, Athena becoming so secretive even to the people she cared about, the note to Apollo to check the phone that turned out to be bugged. Apollo felt a chill that shook him to the very core of his being.
Athena had intentionally arrived early to a meeting she herself had set up. If she even suspected for a second that Juniper and Robin were in danger- there was no doubt in Apollo's mind that Athena would do everything in her power to put a stop to it.
"Your Honor! We've all made a grave error in our assumptions of this crime!" Apollo shouted.
"I've just confessed! What more do you want from me?" Lisette asked disbelievingly.
"OBJECTION! If the defense wants to poke holes in their own scenario, I won't stop them," Robin said, winking at the defense to show she understood what they wanted.
"I've just come to realize why Lisette was at Vitaman Square," Apollo said. "She was there to kill, and not just one person. She aimed to kill two of them!"
"I assume you have a decisive piece of evidence to prove this?" The Judge asked.
Did he? Apollo skimmed the court record and didn't find anything that immediately caught his eye. He needed to completely substantiate Lisette's true plan if wanted the indictment to stick.
"So you truly believe Lisette had another plan going into Vitamin Square," Hugh said, thinking carefully. "In that case, I think you should keep in mind that most of this crime was planned far ahead of time. There must be evidence that alludes to this."
With this in mind, Apollo searched the court record again. This time, he came upon Michael's notebook. According to the cop himself, it was for recording his daily activities. Apollo turned to the entry for the day of the crime, then turned the page. It was then that he noticed a page had been torn out.
"Wait a second. It's clear that Lisette planned to frame Michael from there beginning," Apollo muttered to himself. "Which meant she wanted to frame him for Juniper and Robin's deaths. So how did Lisette plan to convince everyone Michael would want to kill two people he's never met?"
Without further thought he presented the evidence. "TAKE THAT! I present Michael Brash's notebook. The court will notice the torn page. Let's see what happens if we take a pencil to the page below the torn one."
Hugh lent Apollo a pencil (given to him by Myriam), which Apollo then used to lightly rub on the page below the torn page. Soon, a message began to surface, which read, "9/23/29. Vitamin Sqaure. Two in the back and one in the head, then they shall be dead."
"So my hunch was correct. This is the final evidence that show why Athena was shot, and will expose Lisette's true scheme once and for all!" Apollo declared.
"How does a handwritten message in Mr. Brash's notebook prove anything?" The Judge asked.
"Well, the gun had six bullets," Robin said, thinking out loud. "If we take the message at face value, it would indicate that someone wanted to kill two people by firing three bullets at each of them."
"Now remember that Michael is being framed, and has no reason to write this," Apollo said. "Which means logically, only the person framing him would write it, which in this case would be Lisette. A handwriting test is all we need to prove that Michael didn't write this!"
"Which raises the question of why this page is torn out," Hugh continued. "Unless it suddenly became damning to the culprit."
"But wait, Mr. Justice! What does Miss Cykes have to with any of this?" The Judge asked. "Isn't she just the victim?"
Apollo crossed his arms, smiling smugly at the silent, sweating Lisette. "Simple. Up until now, we haven't had a explanation for why the gun was dropped, other than an unexpected surprise. Well, what if Athena herself was that surprise?"
"OBJECTION! So you're saying that Athena was shot because Lisette wasn't expecting her there," Robin asked. "And that's also why the gun was dropped?"
"It's a fact that Athena purposely arrived early to her meeting with Logan at Vitamin Square," Apollo said. "We still don't know why. So let's turn it around. If Athena hadn't shown up, who would have been the next people to arrive there?"
"Well, that would have been me…. and…. Juniper…." Robin's voice trailed off as the implications hit her like a freight train.
"Exactly! Lisette's true scheme was to murder Miss Newman and Miss Woods in cold blood!" Apollo shouted. "That's why Lisette has been so desperate to avoid indictment for this crime. Why she tried to pass it off as an accident in her confession. Lisette did shoot Athena by complete accident."
"But somehow, Athena suspected that something was going to happen," Apollo continued. "So after she set up the meeting with Logan, she showed up early to Vitamin Square for one reason, and one reason only. Just admit it, Lisette. This is the real truth behind Athena's shooting. After all-"
Apollo slammed his fists, then pointed at Lisette before screaming,
"Athena made sure your plan was a failure from the very beginning!"
Lisette continued to tug at her pigtails, her face becoming increasingly stricken.
"I'm sorry, Logan. I'm so sorry this happened!" She cried out.
Abruptly, Lisette snapped to attention, her vision fixed at some point in front of her.
"Athena? What are you doing here? You're supposed to be in the hospital." Lisette raised her gun in front of her, her arms trembling. "I-I shot you! You can't be here!"
Lisette's eyes began moving around erratically, as did her arms. "Huh? Why are there three of you? Athena, don't get any closer!"
Lisette futily pulled the trigger of her empty gun over and over, the sound of clicking filling the air. "No! Please stop! Please put down the guns! I didn't mean to shoot you!"
Lisette's face was utterly crazed, her breathing rapid and shallow, as she yelled, "Don't fire those guns! Yes, I did want to kill them! I wanted to kill them because- because- BECAU-"
Suddenly Lisette's words cut off, and for a moment she stood completely still. Then she slumped forward onto the witness stand, her gun slipping from her grip and clattering onto the courtroom floor.
September 21, 2029
Sullivan Residence
11:15 p.m.
"Why, Logan? Why did you have Dad's gun in your mouth?"
"I'm sorry, Lissy. Our promise….I couldn't keep our promise."
"Don't worry about it, Logan! We can try again! There's nothing we can't do together."
"No, it's too late. There's nothing in this world for me. I'm so useless."
"No, you're not! You're my brother. You could never be useless. Please stay with me…"
September 26 2029
District Courthouse, Courtroom #4
"Something snapped in me, that day," Lisette explained, having collected herself. "I was so angry at myself. What kind of cop was I, if I couldn't even protect my brother?"
Everyone in the courtroom listened in silence. In all honesty, no one knew how to process what was being said.
"Then I laid eyes on the gun my brother had left. Just as the defense surmised, I loaded the other five bullets, in my feverish state of mind it didn't occur to me what the bullet Logan had loaded would end up doing. I confess. I was trying to kill Miss Woods and Miss Newman, for driving my brother into such despair."
"So the wiretap was also you?" Apollo asked. "That's what tipped Athena off. She left a note for me to check the phone before she went to Vitamin Square."
"Yes, I planted the wiretap," Lisette said. "After I broke into the agency to plant it, I convinced my chief to let me stake out across the street in case the mystery culprit of the break in came back. The chief didn't know it was me, of course. So I stayed in the hotel across the street and listened in on the phone. That's how I knew Miss Woods and Miss Newman were going to be passing through Vitamin Square. They were on their way to that eating place, Tres Bien."
Robin and Juniper both had completely blank expressions on their faces. Understandably, they didn't know how to react to being the targets of a murder plot. Logan was once again averting his eyes from the entire thing.
"I had it all planned out," Lisette said ruefully. "After killing those two, I would plant my family's gun on Michael, then report it stolen. Then I would arrange all the evidence that has already been seen: The jacket with Michael's hair, the note in his notebook. All to make sure he would take the fall. That way, I couldn't be pin either for this shooting or my previous scheme against Miss Skye."
"But that's when Athena arrived." Hugh said. "To put a stop to you."
"Yes, Miss Cykes arrived, looking around the park," Lisette said. "Then she looked inside the plastic strawberry and spotted me. She started backing away while reaching for her phone. When I saw her dial a nine, I knew what she was doing. I was filled with so much panic in that one moment that without thinking, I fired a shot."
"That's when it happened, didn't it?" Apollo asked.
Lisette nodded. "Yes. As I was getting out of the strawberry, I made a fatal mistake. I dropped the gun. That's when my true targets arrived on the scene. Miss Newman immediately charged at me, and I was already in a panic. So I ran towards the alley where I had my bag ready. In my mind, I knew Logan might end up falling under suspicion, and I didn't want to get caught either, so I modified my original plan. I managed to get my hands on Michael's notebook and destroy the note I left. Then I did one last thing to ensure Logan's safety."
"You asked me and Hugh to be Logan's defense attorneys," Apollo said, making sense of Lisette's actions early in the case.
"The lawyers of the Wright Anything Agency are renowned for defending even to most hopeless cases," Lisette said, actually smiling again. "I knew Logan would be in good hands. But as a precaution, I sprayed Mr. Justice with pepper spray so he couldn't use that talent of his on me, with Mr. O'Conner sprayed to look like an accident. I also made sure to point them in Michael's direction, so he would be framed instead."
"You should have known better, Lisette," Apollo said. "You should have known we'd find the truth."
"I suppose so. Once the defense and the prosecution started seeing eye to eye, I was done for."
Lisette sighed. "If only I had known how all of this would play out. Go back and make sure my plan succeeded."
"You mean, you wish to have committed a double murder? But why?" The Judge asked.
"None of you get it. I love Logan more than anything in the world. If it meant he would be happy, if it meant he would be safe, I would do anything. No one else matters to me but him. Because-"
Lisette smiled sincerely as she said one last thing to the court-
"I'm a simple girl, after all."
Lisette was lead away in chains, to be replaced at the stand by Logan. For his part, Logan was shaking fiercely, a devastated expression on his face. Apollo once again felt pity well up in him.
"Mr. Sullivan, are you going to be okay?" The Judge asked worriedly.
"I don't know. Right now I just feel numb," Logan answered. "Lissy really did all that… for me."
" It makes sense that you feel that way. I can never condone Lisette's actions," Apollo said firmly. "But I will say that to you, the doors of the agency are open if you ever need anything. We'll understand if you decide to see Athena despite all this."
Logan turned to his defense attorneys. "Mr. Justice, Mr. O'Conner. I will never forget what you've done for me today. You both defended me even when I gave no reason to believe in me. Thank you."
"Just doing our job," Apollo said, caught off guard by the thanks and now flustered as a result.
"A brilliant defense job, but our job nevertheless," Hugh added.
Unexpectedly, Logan next faced towards Robin. "...Prosecutor Robin. Perhaps it was a good thing I never became a prosecutor. Being in the same office as you would have driven me crazy."
"What do you mean?" Robin asked, gobsmacked at the sound of Logan saying her first name.
"Even now, I can't look at you without feeling revulsion," Logan said, each word clearly taking a great effort to say. "Yet, I also can't deny one thing I realized when I saw you ensnare Lisette in the trap regarding the mask. You...are a far better prosecutor...than I could ever hope to be."
Then Logan turned to face Juniper in the stands, and for the first time a small smile spread on his face. "Miss Woods, I don't know what would have happened to me without you. To believe in my innocence so strongly, even over your own girlfriend. To care about me so much after what I've done. You kept my spirits from sinking completely these past few days."
"I-I'm glad I could do that for you," Juniper said, stammering slightly.
"Lissy… after all she's done she'll likely be gone forever," Logan said, his voice shaking. "I can already feel the pain of it in my heart. Yet, I know she wouldn't want me to go off the deep end like she did. Like Mom did. I want to try to carry on. Maybe someday, I can begin to see the world like you do, Miss Woods."
"Lisette Sullivan held a lot of devotion inside her. But she let that devotion lead her astray, and she must pay for her crimes," The Judge said. He looked at Logan with a serious expression on his face. "On the other hand, you have been given a second chance, Mr. Sullivan. Throughout the cases I've presided over, I've found that second chances are a rare and precious thing. So I hope you make use of yours."
"I understand, Your Honor," Logan said. "I will strive to make the most of the life Lissy sacrificed everything to preserve."
"Very well. I truly believe you can do anything if you set your mind to it. Without further ado, I will pass my verdict. This court finds the defendant, Logan Sullivan,"
NOT GUILTY
Cheers issued forth from the gallery as always, and likewise did confetti fall from the ceiling. Amidst all this, Apollo and Hugh observed Robin and Juniper. Both girls still seemed to be in shock.
"Court is adjourned!"
September 26 2029
District Courthouse, Defendant Lobby #5
3:15 p.m.
Even after all the grand declarations that had just been made, it had to be asked. For safety reasons, if nothing else. So once they were in the lobby Apollo took Logan aside.
"So what are you going to do now?"
" I'm not entirely sure," Logan answered. "I definitely want to process my release soon. After that, I think I will see Athena again. To apologize for what Lissy did, if nothing else."
"That depends on if Athena wants to see you," Apollo said, noting that Logan had just used Athena's first name. "But don't worry. She'll understand."
Apollo let Logan leave with an escort. Next, Hugh entered into the lobby guiding a dazed Juniper.
"So where are you going now, Juniper?" Apollo asked in a more concerned tone.
"Back to Thena's place. I need to lay down and think about everything that's happened." Juniper answered.
"So you're not going back to your house?" Hugh asked.
Juniper shook her head. "I'm not ready to return home just yet. But while I do want to go back home, I don't need to return right away. I think after Robin and I both have had a little more time to think about this, I'll be ready."
"Well, until you're ready I'll stick around," Hugh said. "So let's get you to Athena's house in the meantime."
The two of them left the lobby, but Apollo stayed. He was waiting for someone, and just as he thought Robin soon entered the lobby. She faced Apollo with a regretful expression.
"I really made a mess of this trial, didn't I?"
"I wouldn't call it a good debut," Apollo said bluntly. "But then, I don't think anyone's really proud of their first trial. I don't even want to think about my debut. And don't bother asking, I won't say a word."
Robin just stood there silently, and Apollo knew he needed evidence. Evidence to prove that this stinging defeat wouldn't hurt her permanently. Fortunately, he knew just what to present.
"TAKE THAT! Robin, you may have lost, but you did accomplish something a lot more valuable."
"That's the gag order I placed on Lisette's mask," Robin said slowly.
Apollo nodded. "Once again, you stopped the truth from becoming lost and helped catch the real culprit. Thanks to Lisette's schemes, I might have pinned this on Mr. Brash, who was completely innocent. But thanks to you, not only did you help expose Lisette's fake evidence, but you were a big part of why she could be cornered. Everytime she tried to slip away from me, you made sure to keep her pinned. It all started with how you got that slip of the tongue about the mask out of her."
"All I did was attack the holes in your case," Robin said. Even so, Apollo could see the fire in her start to flicker.
"Well, I'm grateful that you did," Apollo said. "In fact, I'm looking forward to seeing you in court again. Because I know I can count on you to bring a fiery end to any contradictions in any case with me. Which doesn't mean I will go easy on you."
That did it. Apollo could see Robin's drive roar to life inside her. Robin clenched her fists and pumped them excitedly.
"WELL SAME TO YOU!" Robin shouted. "If you're going to bring your all, then so am I! So be ready, Apollo. The next time we meet in court, I'm going to bring MY FULL MIGHT DOWN ON YOU!"
"I wouldn't expect anything less," Apollo said, trying to ignore the ringing in his ears.
"Thanks, Apollo. I need to go n-o-w," Robin said. "Before anything else, I need to make sure of something. I need to make sure I don't lose the most precious person in my life."
With that, Robin left. As Apollo also exited the lobby, he contemplated the events that had just transpired. Despite all odds, they had finally reached something of a happy ending. All that was left was for Athena to wake up. Then Apollo could tell her everything. Mainly, Apollo would tell her that the Robin and Juniper, whom Athena had protected even with her very life, were safe.
December 22 2030
That's the full account of how my first case went. It's true that I did lose, in the end. But that incident reminded me of what really mattered. Even to this day, all of us involved in that trial carry the scars from it. But back then, I understood that I couldn't allow it to cause anymore damage.
So I worked to find my own happy ending from the ashes of that case. Slowly but surely, Juniper and I took our relationship and reforged it. We managed to find good deep inside that awful tragedy.
The final set of memories that make up our three years together. I can see them filling up my mind even now…
Arc 5, The Promised Turnabout: End.
A/N: So now that the case has ended, how did everyone find it? Let me know. Now, TSOMS is actually going on hiatus now. The final arc starts next chapter. Once I know I can deliver the best finale, I will start writing it. Everyone has a chance to catch up in the meantime! Until then, this has been Orion Fowl, and thank you for visiting my Corner of Romance.