Despite all that, Black still did his best trying to remain collected.
"I must say it's impressive." thought Franziska. "To be able to stay calm in his position…he certainly has a lot of guts."
"I…I got nothing to say. I am done." he said.
"Oh, not so fast." said Franziska. "We are just getting started."
"What do you want?"
"Tell us about your criminal operation. I think it's important to get all details out of the way."
"Got nothing to say. Story is conjecture."
"Then why don't you testify about it?"
"Don't want to."
"But you will." said Simon. "Because if you don't, we will both sit here and keep pestering you."
"Exactly." said Franziska. "I can do this all day. I can stay here and keep pressing you however long I please."
"Don't."
"If you want us off your hair, then testify! Until then…"
"Hmph!"
Witness testimony
Conjecture
Got nothing to hide. No smuggling operation.
Never had anything to do with smuggling.
Got no proof of anything.
…
"You are saying you are innocent?" asked Franziska. "You are just making things harder for yourself."
"Don't care. End this."
"Very well. Time to cross-examine this uberfool!" thought Franziska. "Let's see how this will go."
Cross-examination
Got nothing to hide. No smuggling operation.
Hold it: "Your nervousness when questioned about it is proof in itself."
"No. Got nervous. You were too annoying."
"Why would you get nervous if you are innocent?"
"You are being too pestering. That's all."
"This is getting nowhere." she thought. "Pressing is not working on this one. I need to hit him with hard evidence. And hit him like there's no tomorrow!"
Never had anything to do with smuggling or stealing.
Hold it: "Then why are you in here?"
"Unrelated. Got nothing to do with stealing."
"What was it?"
"Not your business."
"Your denial is making you even more suspicious, you know." said Simon.
"Don't care."
"He really doesn't care." thought Franziska. "He is not even trying to deny it. He is not trying to play dumb. He just thinks he is outside the law's reach. But it's time to show him how far the law's arm can reach!"
Got no proof of anything.
Objection
"Mr. Black. Your lies are not going to help you."
"Not lying."
"We already talked with the deputy warden, Bill Toughy. He has stated you were originally convicted of grand larceny. You had your own gang of robbers and thieves!"
His jaw again flinched, but he tried to hide it.
"He told us everything." said Simon. "We know all about your past. Your dark deeds. Maybe that's why they call you "Spider.""
"Lies." said Black.
"What?"
"Deputy warden lying. Not true. Making things up."
"Trying to shift the blame on the poor man, are we?" said Simon. "Too bad it's not going to work."
Black remained silent.
"I am a prosecutor, remember?" said Franziska. "We can pull your file and see everything you were accused, tried and convicted for. Every single thing from your past will be in our arsenal. Do you want to do this the hard way? Or just make things simpler for all of us?"
Black didn't seem affected.
"So what? Did a few robberies. Don't prove a thing. Don't know nothing about smuggling."
"Then testify further about that." said Franziska. 'We need to hear more about your so-called innocence."
"Pah!"
Witness testimony
No smuggling
Know nothing about this.
Got no relation to smuggling.
How? Got no way to contact.
Takes too much planning. Don't got that.
…
"You still refuse to confess?" asked Franziska, who was getting fed up with his antics."
"Yes."
"Why not give up?"
"No reason to. No proof."
"Then I will give you the proof!" she thought. "And I will rub it in your smug smarmy face if I have too!"
Cross-examination
Witness testimony
No smuggling
Know nothing about this.
Got no relation to smuggling.
Hold it: "How can you say that? Your background would have made it child's play to plan and execute this."
"She is right." said Simon. "You certainly had the experience for it.
"Doesn't matter. Don't got the means."
"What do you mean by that?"
How? Got no way to contact.
Hold it: "You get visitors once a month at the visitor's room."
"Not enough. Not liberty to talk. Would have needed more time to plan."
"I believe I explained that. You just used burner phones to communicate."
"Can't prove that."
"I can!" thought Franziska. "I have the evidence right here! Just need to present it at the right time! Then he will have nowhere left to go!"
Takes too much planning. Don't got that.
Objection
"Mr. Black." said Franziska "You certainly seem like a very shrewd and calculating man. And your experience is nothing to sneeze at."
"Sure."
"That being the case, I have difficulty understanding why you would make such an obvious mistake."
"Mistake?"
Franziska took out the burner phone that had been found in Black's cell.
"What's that?"
"A burner phone. It is used by criminals. I assume you have seen quite a few of them in your career."
Black didn't seem at all scared. In fact, he seemed calm.
"So what? What does that prove?"
"W…what?" thought Franziska. "He…he is not reacting? Why not? He should be panicking now!"
Simon decided to find out.
"An officer found this in your prison cell. It was under your bed. How did it end up there?"
Black started looking concerned.
"Don't know."
"What?"
"What is that supposed to mean, you utter fool?!"
"Don't know where that came from. Never seen it before."
"You…you are lying!" said Franziska. "This was in you cell!"
"Don't know anything. Somebody planted it there. Trying to frame me."
"You…" said Simon.
"Do you think anyone is going to buy that?!"
"Don't care! Never seen that phone before in my life."
"We can easily find out!" said Franziska. "Prosecutor Blackquill! Take this to an officer. Have them check the fingerprints on it."
"Okay. I'll be right back."
Hee left with the phone. Franziska was left alone with Black. He still seemed unworried.
"W…why is he…how can he be so relaxed? This evidence should seal his fate…why is he not reacting?!"
Eventually, Simon returned.
"Well?"
"They are examining it right now. They will let us know when they have results."
"Okay. Let's wait."
Franziska tried to hide it, but she was very worried. Black being so calm was making her more nervous. There was an awkward silence. Surprisingly Black was the one to break it.
"You know, I can help you."
"Help? How?!"
"I feel sorry for you."
"Sorry?!"
"Got nothing. Out of leads. I did see something. About murder."
"You…"
"You fool!" said Franziska. "Why didn't you say it from the start?!"
"You asked about smuggling. Not murder. Wasn't obligated to say it."
She felt an urge to whip him into next week, but held it back.
"Fine! Just tell us what you know!"
"Okay. It won't help, but…"
Witness testimony
What I saw
It was dark. Late at night.
Woke up, saw someone at the cell across.
Standing up, looking around. Seemed nervous.
Something in his hand. He left after that.
I fell asleep. End of story.
…
"You…you saw a man in the cell?!" asked Franziska.
"Who was it?!" asked Simon.
"Don't know. Too dark."
"What time was it?!"
"No idea. No watch."
"Crap! I thought we finally had something!" thought Franziska.
"This is too vague!" said Simon. "Nevertheless, it's worth a try. Or rather, a cross-examination."
"Right." said Franziska. "Let's get this over with."
Cross-examination
What I saw
It was dark. Late at night.
Woke up, saw someone at the cell across.
Hold it: "What did he look like?"
"Don't know. Too dark."
"You didn't see anything?"
"No. Just a silhouette. Nothing more."
"Dammit!" thought Franziska. "I thought he could actually help us, but…with this description, it could be anyone."
Standing up, looking around. Seemed nervous.
Something in his hand. He left after that.
Hold it: "What was there in his hand?"
"Not sure. Some kind of item."
"Was that item perhaps long? And thin?"
"You mean a rope?"
"Yes."
"Hmmm. No, don't think so."
"What?!"
"It seemed…round or rather…cylindric. Like…a bottle."
"A bottle?"
"Yes."
"Why would the killer have a bottle?" asked Simon.
"No idea. Your job to figure out."
"You think you can tell us our job when you can't even provide us with an accurate testimony?!"
"I said what I saw. Nothing more."
"So, you didn't see anything else."
"Actually...did notice something more."
"What was it? Add it to your testimony!"
"Okay."
His other hands flashed at some moment. Had something shiny."
Hold it: "W…What do you mean shiny?"
"Not sure. Was too far away. Did seem…like a metal."
"Metal?"
"A metal object. The moonlight made it shiny."
"Hmm. A metal object…" said Simon.
"Enough!" said Franziska. "This has gone too far!"
"What do you mean, Ms. von Karma?" asked Simon.
"This man is clearly lying!"
"Why lie about that?"
"Because you are enjoying this! You are playing us both for fools!"
"Don't care."
"I don't believe you words! There was nothing shiny or a bottle there! You never saw a thing!"
"I said the truth. Believe me if you want. Got nothing more to add."
"As I thought!" said Franziska. "He is not to be trusted. We should…"
Right then, am officer walked up to them.
"S…sir! M…ma'am!"
"You!" said Franziska. "You have a report to give?!"
"Y…yes, ma'am."
"You examined the fingerprints on the phone?"
"We…we did."
"And?" asked Simon. "What are the results? Tell us!"
"We have found some fingerprints on that phone."
"You have? And?"
"We…don't know who they belong to."
"Wait…you don't mean…"
"Yes. They do not belong to Mr. Black. we already compared them."
"No!" said Franziska. "H…how could this…"
"Told you." said Black. "Never touched phone. No idea. Somebody tossed it in there when I was away."
"Th…this must be a joke!" said Franziska. "I…I was wrong again?!"
"Don't feel so bad about it!" said Simon. "Remember what I told you earlier? Curveballs."
"I know! But…now we are really out of leads! How will…"
"Actually," said the officer. "the doctor wants to talk to you."
"The doctor?"
"He is done examining the body. He is waiting for you at the infirmary. The warden is there too."
"Then we will go there next"" said Simon. 'Coming, Ms. von Karma?"
"Okay. Let's get this over with."
"Go!" said Black. "I am done!"
They walked away. As they headed for the infirmary, Simon spoke out:
"I've been meaning to ask you something."
"Yes?"
"Look, I…I'm just curious. But…if you don't want to, you don't have to answer."
"What is it?"
"That man….Waterloo…were you in any way affiliated with him."
"Why do you ask?"
"B…because…well, you appeared…quite emotional after his death. I was wondering…did he mean anything to you?"
"No. He was just a murderer. I had nothing to do with him, nor did I care for what happened of him. However…his death affected me. I was hoping to use him for my own mission."
"Mission?"
"I am on an…Interpol mission."
"Oh, right. I did hear something about that. What does it involve?"
"I am in hot pursuit of a gang of drug traffickers."
"Drugs? That…that sounds serious indeed."
"Mr. Waterloo was a member of that group. And he knew the identity of the mastermind, the big cheese as they say."
"You were hoping to interrogate him and find out who the boss was?"
"Yes. But not here. I knew Waterloo wouldn't speak if he didn't feel safe. I wanted to take him to Interpol quarters with me. There we could speak in more safety. But, unfortunately, that can't happen overnight. I needed to gain permission from headquarters. Then I needed all the paperwork to be prepared. It was taking too long and I was getting too restless. And now…it's too late. I lost my only chance. If I had taken him earlier…"
"Hey, don't feel bad. These things happen. Nothing can be done about it."
"If I had been more careful…"
"it's not your fault. You did what you could. Now things hinge on one thing."
"What?"
"Finding Waterloo's killer. He must know the boss too. And when you do find him…I will help you ensure hi safety until he can testify."
"Thank you. I appreciate it."
"To be honest, I'm relieved."
"Why?"
"You seemed to care about him…but I couldn't picture you as the person who socializes with this kind of people."
"I would never do that."
"I know. Now we must see this to the end."
They went straight to the infirmary. There, they found the doctor and Chains. Waterloo's body was lying on the bed.
"We are here." said Franziska.
"Nice to see you again, Ms. von Karma." said Chains. "We were expecting you."
"Then I take it you have some more evidence?" asked Simon. "Something we can use?"
"Possibly." said the doctor. "But first, I wanted you to take a look at the body. Maybe you can see something I didn't."
"Okay."
Franziska and Simon looked at the body. At first glance, they didn't see anything extraordinary.
"Have you determined the cause of death?"
"Yes. It's strangulation. The marks on his neck match the rope, so he was definitely strangled with that."
"Any wounds?" asked Simon. "Defensive injuries?"
"Not per se, but…there is this."
He lifted Waterloo's shirt. Beneath it, they saw a bandage. It was wrapped around his belly, where he had obviously suffered an injury."
"W…what is this?" asked Franziska.
"Looks like the meeting was not bloodless." said Simon.
"It seems he suffered a single stab wound in the belly." said the doctor. "It didn't strike any vital organs, so he wouldn't have died, but there was significant blood loss."
"That sounds…wrong. Doesn't it, Ms. von Karma?" asked Simon.
"It does."
"And why is that?" asked Chains.
"Well…there was no blood at the scene. If he was injured, why was there no blood?"
"Good point." said Simon. "It seems there is more to be found here. Warden, if an inmate was injured could he have tended to his own wound?"
"No, he couldn't have. Inmates don't have the supplies for that. He should have come here to be treated."
"Doctor, did you see Mr Waterloo at all on the day he died?" asked Franziska.
"Actually, I don't remember. I have to check my log."
He went over to his counter to look at the log. Franziska meanwhile started considering the facts.
"What are you thinking?" asked Simon.
"He was injured with the knife."
"Yes, so we've heard."
"And Mr. Black testified he saw a man in his cell holding a shiny metal object. Could it have been…a knife?"
"You think he's telling the truth now?"
"I just want to give him the benefit of the doubt."
"But that doesn't solve the problem. Why wasn't there any blood at the scene?"
"I think this is where his other strange statement comes in."
"The one about the bottle?"
"Yes. What if that bottle…contained some kind of…"
"Detergent?"
"Yes, that's what I was thinking."
"That does make sense. The killer came in with the rope. He intended to kill Mr. Waterloo and make it seem like a suicide."
"But it didn't work out." said Franziska. "Mr. Waterloo woke up and tried to fight back."
"The killer, who had brought a knife for that very situation, stabbed him. Not to kill him…"
"But to weaken him. Then strangling him would be much easier."
"He then left and returned with some kind of detergent to clean the crime scene…"
"And a bandage to mask his wound. He was hoping it would go unnoticed."
"I believe you are correct." That was the doctor. The two prosecutors turned to face him.
"What do you mean?"
"I checked. Mr. Waterloo never came to me on the day he was killed. In fact, he never came throughout his whole stay here."
"So our assumption is correct."
"But…where would he get a bandage?" asked Chains.
That's when something lit in Franziska's head.
"Wait…could it be…no...but what if…"
What are you thinking?" asked Simon.
"Mr. Chains." she said. "Mr. Toughy has his own first-aid kit, doesn't he?"
"He…he does, yes. But…why do you ask?"
"Well…we went to his office and saw it. He had a bunch of bandages laid out in his locker."
"Laid out?"
"Yes, on a pile."
"But that alone doesn't prove anything." said Simon. "Maybe that's how they were meant to be."
"No…not it's not." said Chains, who seemed shocked. "They were in a sealed box. If the box wasn't opened, you wouldn't know what was inside it."
"So, he opened the box?"
"Still seems normal." said Simon.
"But…" said Chains. "I went to his office the day of the murder. Around noon."
"And?"
"The box was still on the floor. Sealed and untouched."
"So…until the murder, the box of bandages in his office was untouched…" said Franziska. "And right after, it was opened and the bandages were placed in a pile in his locker. Does that seem strange, prosecutor Blackquill?"
"Remember. If you are too rush, you risk being humiliated. I wouldn't want anyone to…"
"I know. I will not make any accusations. Not yet. But you can't deny he has to give us an explanation!"
Blackquill turned to the officer standing nearby
"You!"
"Y…yes, sir!"
"Go fetch, Mr. Toughy. We need to have a word with him!"
"Okay."
"Oh, and…"
He approached the officer and whispered something in his ear.
"Got it!"
"O…okay. Sure."
The officer left.
"What did you tell him?" asked Franziska.
"You will find out soon. For now, let's wait for Mr. Toughy. He is the one who need to give answers."
"Bill Toughy…you have a lot of explaining to do." thought Franziska. "You explanation better be convincing. Otherwise…Bad things happen when you lie to a von Karma. That applies to everyone!"
To be continued
