Episode 2: A Study in Turnabout

Part 8: A Tale of Two Tigres

July 12th, 8:10 AM

Lower Canopy Upper Courthouse - Defendant Lobby No. 3

Monty Gosland checked a pocket watch while calmly sipping some tea. His suit was still in self-inflicted tatters, yet his posture was more dignified than ever. "Thank you all for coming here," he said, looking not just to his lawyers but to the other mammals in attendance.

"Of course!" Sunny smiled back, the sun bear standing tall in spite of it all. "You know we're here to support you, Monty."

"Even though we also kinda testified against you and junk," Ria added, the cheetah rubbing the back of her head. "Our bad."

"Think nothing of it," the mongoose insisted. "You were only telling what you saw, as was your legal obligation. That said…"

He turned his gaze to Delilah. "What exactly is your plan going into trial today?"

"Oh, uhhhhh…" Delilah floundered for a good reply. "Y'know... It depends on what Kyle throws at us."

Monty lowered his muzzle to give her a skeptical look through un-spectacled eyes.

Delilah looked away, not meeting them.

He sighed. "You intend to accuse the Tigres, don't you?"

"Whaaaaat? Noooo!"

"I'm not an idiot, Ms. O'Possum. I know what you're going to do in there."

(Like this wasn't gonna be hard enough…)

"And I understand."

Slowly, she turned her head back to face him. "Wait, you do?"

He nodded. "Yes. You see, I've come to something of an epiphany. Do you know why I intended to take the fall for Lord Tigre's death?"

"I believe you said you did it for Chef Humphrey's sake," Eric recalled.

"Not just his. Yes, Ellias deserves to be together with Lara. Lady Tigre deserves to be free of her monster of a husband. And Sunny and Ria, you two deserve happiness as well. You are good souls who care for the household, in spite of your quirks."

"Awww, you really think so?" Sunny asked, wiping away a tear.

"Whoa, we're talking about souls now?" Ria spaced out. "This is getting deep, little dude."

"My point is, you all deserve better than to go to prison in his name," Monty continued, looking down at the snake tattoo exposed by his ripped sleeves. "But me? I'm just a lowly criminal thug who happened to catch a lucky break. I wanted to take the fall because I'm the one that Casa Tigre could most do without. Consider it housekeeping on a grander scale."

"Monty…" Delilah started.

He raised a paw to stop her. "That's what I thought anyway. But seeing you and Aunt Lucy fighting for me, and my friends here supporting me, I'm forced to admit that perhaps I do hold value for some mammals, even if I don't value myself."

She frowned. "So what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that you have my permission to do whatever you feel is right," Monty finished. "I will not stop you this time. I only ask that you be mindful of the consequences."

Delilah couldn't help herself. She gave the guy a hug. "Don't worry. I have a secret plan if we really get into a bind."

"You do?" Eric said in surprise. "Shouldn't we have discussed that earlier?"

"Of course not. Then it wouldn't be a secret," she said as if that were obvious.

"Well, you can share it now at least."

"I don't think you're grasping the point, Rick. Besides, everyone knows secret plans never work if you discuss them outloud."

"I'm going to need some citations on that one."

But there would be no time for that.

"Court is about to begin! The defense and prosecution will take their positions!" the anteater bailiff called.

"Good luck, Monty!" Sunny cheered. "We'll have a celebration back at Ria's shed when it's all over!" He flinched, suddenly seeing the flaw in that idea. "Erm, I mean I guess you won't be able to attend regardless, but—"

"Yeah, shed party!" Ria cheered, not getting it. "That'll be way better than that time Lord Tigre took us out to watch him play ostrich polo." She froze up, eyes going wide. "Why were there so many ostriches? The brochure said there would only be a few ostriches…"

"You better get going," Sunny said in concern. "She might be like this for some time."

"Shall we?" Monty asked, holding out his paw as if asking her to dance.

And in a sense, she was. (This is it. One way or another, Casa Tigre's legacy will be decided today.)

"Once more unto the breach…" Delilah muttered, stepping inside.

8:16 AM

Lower Canopy Upper Courthouse - Courtroom No. 4

The walls of the wood-carved courtroom surrounded them once again. Delilah hadn't missed that outdoorsy smell. It reminded her too much of home, but even more stressful.

"Court will now resume for the trial of Montgomery Gosland!" Judge Loggins announced. Her gavel remained fresh and polished, but the same could not be said for her thoroughly chewed-up bench. No one seemed willing to comment on it.

"The defense is ready, Your Honor!" Delilah declared.

"...Zzzzz." Kyle, meanwhile, was already asleep.

(And I guess the prosecution rests.)

"Prosecutor VanDal!" Loggins said warningly. "Wake up or I will hold you in contempt!"

"I'm up, I'm up!" Kyle said in an irritated tone, yawning. "Apologies, Your Honor. It's been so long since I've bothered to show up for a second day of trial that I seem to have forgotten my manners."

Judging by her expression, Loggins still had plenty of contempt for him. "Members of the jury, are you prepared?"

"Prepared to waste another three hours watchin' a buncha mammals scream at each other?" Classy Jaguar asked. "Youse lucky I even came back."

"Ooooh, I couldn't sleep a wink thinking about this case!" Otterly Adorable squealed. "I was up all night trying to figure out who the killer is! No spoilers!"

"I guess I am kinda curious," Biker Wolf admitted. "Not about the case. I wanna know what this guy thinks he's doin'."

He pointed a thumb over at Camo Cat, who seemed to have ditched his ghillie suit in favor of a full-body wolf costume. "I don't know what yer talkin' about, fellow lupine. I've decided to stop hidin' my face, is all."

"Now that's just offensive," Grumpy Yeen said, crossing her arms.

"Seriously. Face reveals are so mainstream," Hipstapir scoffed. "Even subverting it is a cliché now."

"...I'm not even going to ask." Loggins pinched her brow. "My headache from yesterday is still present."

"Hey, speaking of questions," Grumpy Yeen started, "Is there a reason that the back of my chair is covered in bite marks?"

"Termites."

"They're kinda big for—"

"The prosecution will now give its opening statement!"

"Of course, Your Honor." Kyle pulled out a file, leaning back against the wall to read it. "As you might recall, the question of the day during the previous trial was whether or not the devious Delishafish had been set out purposefully for Mr. Urshine to find. That question is no longer relevant, due to the discovery of new evidence at the scene and inside the victim's body."

"And this wasn't discovered during the first autopsy?" Loggins asked. "I'm seeing a troubling pattern as of late."

"There are a lot of deaths in the city, Your Honor," Kyle replied. "And we only have two qualified individuals on-hand to perform autopsies. They're overworked, and they'll occasionally overlook details that, at the time, didn't seem important."

She didn't look too convinced, but nodded anyway. "Continue. What is this new evidence?"

"...For that, I will call upon the dedicated Detective MacTalon."

(Is it that much of a hassle to present your own points?!)

"He gave up on that opening statement even sooner than the last one," Eric remarked.

Detective MacTalon stepped up to the stand once more, a full report already prepared. "Closer examination of the victim's stomach revealed that he had ingested no fish that day, in direct opposition to the theory posed by the defense. The missing chunk that was cut off was later found inside the thorns near the window. Therefore, that deadly meal isn't what killed him at all."

Both the gallery and the jury were instantly in an uproar.

"I knew it! The defense has been leadin' us all on a wild goose chase!" Classy Jaguar spat. "And not the kind for sport! I've had enough!" Before the trial had even begun in earnest, he slammed his torch and sent a fireball into the guilty side of the scales.

"You made that poor sun bear cry for nothing!" Grumpy Yeen scolded. "It was weirdly familiar, but still effed up. Guilty!" And in went another flame.

Delilah wished she had Millie's sweater right about now. (It was a reasonable conclusion, leave me alone!)

"Wow, that has to be some kind of record," Kyle said, giving a low whistle.

"Order!" Judge Loggins slammed her gavel, looking pointedly at the detective. "I hope you don't mean to tell me that we still don't know what actually killed him."

"Worry not, ma'am. The true source of the victim's poisoning was also found," MacTalon assured. "The defendant's lapel pin taken from the scene was discovered to be laced with the toxin, consistent with a pinprick wound found below the victim's chin. In short, we believe that Lord Tigre was pricked with the poisoned pin procured by the perp and promptly perished."

"Perplexing," Loggins observed. "So in the end, we've come full circle to the butler stabbing the victim. Funny how that worked out."

(Trust me, it's even funnier the second time.)

"…How interesting." Kyle glanced over at her. "The defense seems to be taking this news remarkably well. And if I'm not mistaken, I did not hear the distinct sound of an autopsy report being updated."

"Grrk!" Delilah shot up straight. "WHAT?! It was on the lapel pin?! Kyle, you devious monster, you got us again! GAAAAAAAAAGH!" She clutched her chest and fell over.

Kyle pushed his glasses up his nose. "Well. It seems the detective and I need to have words about the value of discretion."

Delilah couldn't see MacTalon from her position on the floor, but she could feel her glaring into her soul. (Guess we won't be reconciling anytime soon.)

"Is it just me or is Kyle neglecting to mention something rather important?" Eric pondered.

Delilah's eyes snapped open. This was no time to be playing dead!

Hold it!

She sprang back to her feet, pointing back at Kyle. "Prosecutor VanDal, you have not given a full summary of events! Such as the other incident that occurred at Casa Tigre yesterday."

"Another one?" Loggins asked in surprise. "Please don't tell me there was a second murder."

"We're gonna be here forever," Biker Wolf groaned.

"Don't be led astray by the defense's alarmist tendencies, Your Honor," Kyle said. "What she is referring to concerns a fire that broke out in the victim's study yesterday afternoon. Thanks to the efforts of Mr. Urshine, it was put out in short order."

(We were there too, you know!)

"In any case, this is the trial of Monty Gosland," he reminded. "And as he obviously had no role in this incident, I deemed it irrelevant to bring up."

"Irrelevant?!" Delilah slammed her palms down. "Someone lit the crime scene on fire and you call that irrelevant?!"

"No evidence was destroyed, and nobody was hurt," Kyle replied, nonchalantly taking off his glasses to clean them. "So yes. It is, in fact, irrelevant. The poisoned lapel pin in question also survived, as we collected it before the fire occurred. Given that the defendant is the only one known to have been in direct physical contact with the victim, he had a very strong motive, and the murder weapon belonged to him, we didn't really need all of his confessions yesterday to see his guilt."

"Makes sense to me," Camo Dog grunted. "I knew I should'a stuck with my gut." He slammed a cloth paw onto his lever, taking great pains to avoid touching the flame as it flew into the scale.

(The tides are turning against us even faster this time. I didn't think that was possible!)

"That reminds me," Loggins interjected. "What is Mr. Gosland's stance now? To be frank, if he still insists he's guilty, I have few qualms considering him such."

"The defendant vehemently denies using the lapel pin to stab the victim!" Delilah confirmed. "And we have strong evidence that indicates the possibility that a third party was responsible."

Kyle didn't look surprised. But of course he didn't. After all, he certainly knew about this already. "I seem to recall him just as 'vehemently' saying he was guilty. But go ahead. I know you've been waiting for this."

(Just as I thought. A trap. Welp, time to plunge headlong into it!)

"The evidence I'm referring to is…"

Delilah pulled out a set of photographic prints, hanging them from her tail. "We investigated the drainpipe outside the study window and scanned it for pawprints. In addition to the defendant's, we discovered the prints of a female tiger going up and down the pipe multiple times."

The gallery seemed to realize what she was getting at, erupting into rabbles immediately. Loggins shut them up just as quickly. "Tigress prints?" she asked. "You mean they're the prints of Lady Tigre? Or her daughter?"

"Yes," Kyle answered. "We were unable to distinguish exactly whom they belong to. But as the defense seems intent on accusing one or the other, I suggest we simply pick up where we left off and summon both of them to the stand."

"Very well," Loggins conceded. "Bailiff! Bring the Ladies Tigre to the stand at once!"

The anteater bailiff looked a bit pleased with himself getting to escort such powerful felines. A shame they barely acknowledged his presence.

Lady Tigre was still in her extravagant peacock feather dress. She nervously fanned herself, covering the lower half of her face. Her eyes darted around the courtroom, as if in fear of being attacked.

Lara seemed more intent on doing the attacking, glaring silently at Delilah already. Lenore busily preened herself on her shoulder.

"Witnesses, please state your names and professions," Kyle ordered, knowing full well that neither of them actually worked.

"Laurelle Tigre. Matriarch of Casa Tigre," said the demure tiger who would continue to be known as Lady Tigre.

(Hmm. A match for the name on the pill bottle, just as we thought.)

Lara calmly pulled up her digital notebook and tapped on it with her stylus pen.

"I'm Lara Tigre."

"A poet and a scholar."

"Don't call me Laura."

(That's ONE way to say you're a college student.)

"I... see," Loggins gave them the side-eye. "I want both of you to testify about the day of the murder. Including the matter of those pawprints on the pipe."

Lady Tigre gave a shaky nod. "Yes, Your Honor."

"Whatever," Lara said with a sneer. She fed Lenore a seed.

Witness
Testimony

~ The Breakfast Flub ~

Lady Tigre: "As you all know, the incident started that morning at breakfast time."

Lady Tigre: "Dominic stood up and suddenly announced that he was firing all of our staff!"

Lara: "We have no idea why. The whole thing just came outta nowhere."

Lady Tigre: "He stormed out of the dining room and we stormed after him, demanding an explanation."

Lady Tigre: "But we got nothing of the sort. He just locked himself in his study and we went upstairs."

Lara: "That's where we stayed until the murder."

Lady Tigre: "As for those pawprints, who knows where they came from?"

Lara: "They could've been left at any time, right? Then you can't say for sure they're even related."

Lenore: "CAW!"

Judge Loggins sighed. "Dang. I was kinda hoping we'd finally get an answer as to why Lord Tigre fired his staff, but I guess that's one mystery that will forever remain unsolved."

Delilah's mouth hung open in shock. (Unsolved my ass! Are they seriously still hiding this?!)

"Old habits die hard," Eric said. "Evidently, so do secrets."

"Don't be so sure," Delilah replied. "I think by the end of this cross-examination, we'll know a lot more about everything that's been going on."

From the corner of her eye, she saw Kyle's ears prick slightly with interest.

"I'm curious to see what the defense can uncover here," Loggins said. "You may begin your cross-examination."

Cross
Examination

~ The Breakfast Flub ~

Lady Tigre: "As you all know, the incident started that morning at breakfast time."

Lady Tigre: "Dominic stood up and suddenly announced that he was firing all of our staff!"

Lara: "We have no idea why. The whole thing just came outta nowhere."

Hold it!

"Are you sure about that?" Delilah asked. "I'm pretty sure YOU especially have an idea why this all happened, Lara."

In response, Lara simply put pen to pad.

"I said I don't know."

"And that's all you're going to get."

"Give it up, possum."

"I will not!" she said defiantly. "Because I know for a fact that you've got a thing for Ch—AAAAAH!"

"CAAAAAAW!"

Delilah ducked under the bench as the black messenger of death divebombed her head. "Get lost, Lenore!"

The raven returned to Lara's side, landing on her shoulder. If it was possible for a bird to look smug, she was nailing it. "I believe I've made my point," Lara said.

(I guess the beak is mightier than the pen.)

"It seems that Ms. Tigre is very determined to keep her secrets," Eric noted, brushing a stray feather off his shoulder.

"Too bad for her. She's not keeping this one when lives are on the line."

Lady Tigre: "He stormed out of the dining room and we stormed after him, demanding an explanation."

Lady Tigre: "But we got nothing of the sort. He just locked himself in his study and we went upstairs."

Hold it!

"Lady Tigre, I'd just like to confirm something."

She poked her head out from behind her feathered fan. "Yes? What is it?"

"You told us yourself that you both went upstairs. But you also said that you and Lara weren't together the whole time, right?"

"Oh! Yes, that's right!" Lady Tigre confirmed. "Neither of us felt very talkative after our row with Dominic. So we only spent a few minutes together, then went to our separate rooms."

"Then neither of you can vouch for where the other was during that time?" Delilah asked.

Lady Tigre flinched, holding up her fan to shield her face. "W-Well no. I suppose we can't."

Lara picked up her pad and pen to push the possum back.

"If you have something,"

"That proves we did something wrong,"

"Show it, or silence."

Delilah growled in frustration. (I've got to get one of them to slip up!)

"If the lawyer's done with her ominous empty threats," Lara continued. "We'll continue testifying. We went to our rooms…"

Lara: "That's where we stayed until the murder."

Hold it!

"Neither of you has any kind of alibi here!" Delilah argued. "The pawprints on the pipe prove a perpetrator purloined—"

Objection!

"Purloined isn't the word to use in this instance," Kyle corrected. "Also, even a non-poet like myself can tell you that alliteration is tacky."

From somewhere in the gallery, Delilah could feel MacTalon's glare actually shift away from her for once. (It's like a great, choking miasma no longer wants me to do push-ups.)

Lady Tigre: "As for those pawprints, who knows where they came from?"

Lara: "They could've been left at any time, right? Then you can't say for sure they're even related."

Hold it!

"You really expect me to believe that?! What, one of you just used that pipe as a shortcut to the bathroom one day?" (Ignoring the fact that I did exactly that.)

Lara stared blankly. "You don't have to believe us. But you also can't prove otherwise. Right, Lenore?"

Lenore: "CAW!"

Hold it!

"And what do you have to say for yourself?! Huh?!"

"...Caw?"

"Defense, are you aware you're questioning a bird?" asked a concerned Loggins.

"No, no, don't stop her!" Kyle said, falling over himself in laughter and banging a fist on the bench. "This is great!"

But Delilah had just enough discipline to stop herself. "Dammit. This is like arguing up a brick wall."

"Don't you mean 'with'?" Eric asked.

"No."

"Well, there must be something that can make them come clean. Or else we're not going anywhere, and neither is Monty."

"They're too good at keeping secrets…" Delilah muttered.

But something about that fact made her tail curl. "Lara and Humphrey were together for a long time before Dickhead Tigre found out. They must have gotten pretty good at hiding it. Even in plain sight."

Amongst their gathered evidence, a glint of light caught Delilah's eye. It was the reflection off the knife Lara had dropped earlier. (No way. It can't be that obvious.)

She picked it up, and looked it over. When Delilah found the answer she'd been looking for, she started to cackle like an evil demon with a fresh soul to torment.

Other Knife updated in the Court Record

Both witnesses shared a very disturbed look. Loggins just rolled her eyes. "The witnesses will ignore the defense's antics and continue their testimony. Defense, cease your antics."

Delilah stopped cackling. "Ahem. Yeah. Of course, Your Honor."

Lady Tigre: "As you all know, the incident started that morning at breakfast time."

Lady Tigre: "Dominic stood up and suddenly announced that he was firing all of our staff!"

Lara: "We have no idea why. The whole thing just came outta nowhere."

Objection!

"What now?" Lara growled, Lenore already getting into attack position again.

"The defense would just like to share a brief message with the court." Delilah grinned, holding up the knife.

The judge's eyes widened. "Exactly what sort of message are you trying to send?"

"Delilah, please get on with it before the bailiff tackles us," Eric advised.

The anteater bailiff hardly looked interested, but Lara did. "W-Where did you get that?!" she yelled, frantically checking her pockets.

"Looks like you dropped the one thing most important to you. Poetic, don't ya think?" Delilah pinched the plastic handle of the knife, slowly sliding it off to reveal words carved into the wooden surface underneath. "And speaking of poetic…"

She cleared her throat and began to read.

To my dearest Lara, you make me complete

You've done something to my heart that won't fit on a baking sheet

My feelings don't mix, but they will blend

Poured into a bowl, I recommend

My love isn't brittle, like frozen peas

It burns at an even 450 degrees

The timer we set, over days, months, and years

As long as it takes, don't give in to your fears

Our dish will be made, and even if it comes out lumpy

Just remember, I'll always be your Humpy

The whole court stared in horrified silence... for about five seconds.

"What the hell!?" Biker Wolf yelled.

"Did she just proposition the witness?!" Classy Jaguar's eyes were bugging out.

"And then she called herself Humpy!" Even Otterly Adorable looked offended.

"Ugh, it's like listening to those posers at Snarlbucks," Hipstapir groaned.

(Hey, I'm not the one who wrote it!)

Loggins glared at Delilah fiercely. "Defense. I think I speak for the court when I say you had better have a good reason for subjecting us to that."

But they all stopped as a long, low whine erupted from the witness stand.

Lara Tigre was ugly crying. Like, worse than Sunny. Her makeup was running, tears and snot were everywhere, and she let out a mournful wail worthy of the legendary banshee. "Huuuumpyyyyyyy. Whyyyhyyyhyhyyyyy?!"

Delilah, Eric, Kyle, even the judge and jury, all reeled back in shock. "M-Ms. Tigre," Loggins stammered. "Are you alright?"

"There there, Lara," Lady Tigre said gently, pulling her daughter into a hug and eliciting an 'Awwwww' from the gallery. "It's going to be okay."

"Hold up. So it's true then?" asked Grumpy Yeen. "She really had a thing going on with the chef? I mean, I'm not in the most conventional relationship myself, so I can't really judge…"

"Wahahaha!" Classy Jaguar laughed. "The daughter of the Tigres gettin' involved with the likes a him? It's a scandal waitin' to happen! I almost wish that rich prick was still alive to see it!"

"This comin' from the guy who kept makin' bedroom eyes at Lady Lang?" Biker Wolf muttered.

"WHAT DID YOUSE SAY?!"

"SHUT UP, ALL OF YOU!" Lara snarled, clutching her stylus pen so hard that it visibly cracked. "Yeah, Humpy and I were together! We still are! Deal with it or BITE ME!"

(Well, that moment of vulnerability didn't last. But at least Kyle can't deny their relationship now.)

Kyle lifted his head, pushing up his glasses. "Defense. There's only one thing I'd like to say right now."

He smirked. "…Thanks a bunch!"

Delilah blanched. "Say what?"

"I knew you couldn't get anywhere until you broke through this wall of teenage drama, but the same was true for me. Ms. Tigre?"

Lara glared through runny eyes. "What?"

"I'd like to clear this up right away. Those pawprints on the drainpipe. They're yours, aren't they?"

She continued glaring. "….."

He slammed a paw down. "Answer the question!"

"CAAAAAAAAW!" Lenore swooped in to attack.

Kyle calmly pointed his finger gun, and clicked it.

"AAAAAAAAWK!" Lenore hastily retreated.

"Fine," Lara spat. "They're mine. What of it?"

"If my deduction is correct, I'm guessing you've used that pipe many times, to discreetly go and visit Mr. Humphrey?" Kyle guessed.

Lara growled, looking down at the stand. But nodded.

Drainpipe Prints updated in the Court Record

"Perfect." Kyle folded his arms, smirking. "And there you have it. A perfectly reasonable explanation for the tiger prints, completely unrelated to the crime at hand."

Objection!

"That's conjecture!" Delilah countered.

"No, it isn't," Kyle shot back. "It's a series of events that occurred, as unfortunate as they may be for you, confirmed by the witness in question." He pointed his finger gun at her. "It's your theory that's conjecture."

Delilah flinched, clutching her heart. "But it's still a possibility! They both have a literal window of opportunity to commit the murder, including a possible route into the room. You can't deny it could've happened!"

"I wouldn't be so sure," Kyle replied. Stubborn as she was being, he didn't seem frustrated. As a matter of fact, he had a telltale glimmer in his eye. He was having fun with this. "I suppose there's no other option but to request more testimony then."

"More testimony?" Lady Tigre asked, meekly hiding behind her fan. "Whatever for?"

"The defense is asserting that either of you could've stolen Mr. Gosland's lapel pin, poisoned it, and then murdered Lord Tigre through the window," Kyle summarized. "I'd like you to explain why that is impossible."

"Hey, that's leading!" Delilah argued.

"No, it's common sense," he replied smugly. "As the witnesses will now make abundantly clear."

"...Ah, yes. I see what you mean." Lady Tigre gave a nod, lowering her fan. "Very well then. Lara?"

"Whatever."

Witness
Testimony

~ You Can't Pin This On Us ~

Lady Tigre: "Yes, it's true that this all started because of Lara's relationship with Ellias."

Lady Tigre: "But while either of us could have grabbed that pin during breakfast…"

Lady Tigre: "...neither of us had access to the nogu toxin."

Lara: "Ask any of the servants and they'd all tell you that we left the dining room right away."

Lara: "Which means that we couldn't have gotten into the kitchen where the toxin was."

Lady Tigre: "Furthermore, we couldn't have entered the kitchen at any point later."

Lady Tigre: "Even if one of us used that pipe, we would have to pass through the foyer where Sunny stood guard."

Lady Tigre: "And he would attest that I remained upstairs the entire time."

Lara: "The same goes for me. I pretty much just stayed in my room."

Lara: "So there's no way either of us could have poisoned that pin!"

Lenore: "CAW CAW!"

"Now that they put it that way…" Delilah slumped forward. "How did they poison the pin? I'm stumped."

"If we want to find out, it's now or never," Eric said. "We need to break their testimony here or we'll go no further."

Delilah leaned in intently. "Then let's start digging. One of them had to have stuck Lord Tigre, like how the fish sticks its predators to inject them with poison."

Objection!

She did a double-take, glaring over at Kyle. "Seriously? At least let me make my case before you dunk on it!"

"In due time. But what I'm objecting to is your use of the word 'poison'. In this context, 'venom' would be more appropriate."

"...I'm going to start cross-examining now."

He winked. "I'd be disappointed if you didn't."

Cross
Examination

~ You Can't Pin This On Us ~

Lady Tigre: "Yes, it's true that this all started because of Lara's relationship with Ellias."

Lady Tigre: "But while either of us could have grabbed that pin during breakfast…"

Lady Tigre: "...neither of us had access to the nogu toxin."

Lara: "Ask any of the servants and they'd all tell you that we left the dining room right away."

Lara: "Which means that we couldn't have gotten into the kitchen where the toxin was."

Hold it!

"But couldn't you have just gotten it from your boyfriend sometime before the argument?" Delilah asked.

Lara snorted derisively. "Fiancé, and no. Do you think he just gives me bottles of poison as a gift? What kind of psycho would do that?"

(The kind that writes love poems on a knife?) "Okay, but it didn't have to be a gift. You could've gotten it from him for some other reason."

"Like what? Torturing the pigeons?"

"Ms. O'Possum," Loggins cut in. "The court would appreciate it if you stop implying terrible things about this young couple."

"Yeah, leave them alone!" Grumpy Yeen agreed.

(I see the court is fully tuned in to this love drama.)

"Neither of us had any kind of motive to do anything before that point," Lara finished. "We only got what could be considered a motive during that argument."

Delilah hummed to herself. (Could she have gotten the toxin at that point?)

- Yes

- No

(No. She would've been seen. It's not possible for her to have gotten the toxin before or during the argument.) "Alright then. Please continue."

Lady Tigre: "Furthermore, we couldn't have entered the kitchen at any point later."

Lady Tigre: "Even if one of us used that pipe, we would have to pass through the foyer where Sunny stood guard."

Hold it!

"There's no way to access the kitchen other than the foyer?" Delilah asked.

Lady Tigre shook her head. "The only window into the kitchen was blocked by the thorn bushes. Given that we're both wearing the same clothes as we were on that day, I think you'd easily be able to see if they were ripped and torn."

"And either way, Ria would've seen us," Lara added. "Even if she's high, someone sneaking around the garden and dangling from the side of the house would be super obvious."

Delilah closed her eyes to ponder that. (Are they telling the truth? Could they have gotten the toxin after they left?)

- Yes

- No

(No. Ria was in the garden at that point. She definitely would've seen them.) "Ugh. Carry on."

Lady Tigre: "And he would attest that I remained upstairs the entire time."

Lara: "The same goes for me. I pretty much just stayed in my room."

Hold it!

"'Pretty much?'" she echoed. "Could you elaborate?"

Lara growled. "You're really gonna make me say it? I did use the bathroom a couple times too. But I didn't exactly think that was worth mentioning."

"I'll decide what's worth mentioning," Delilah replied. "Even the unmentionables."

(But I probably should think this through before things get too awkward. Lara was in her bedroom or bathroom the whole time. Is there any point during that when she could've obtained the toxin?)

- Yes

- No

Delilah slammed her palm down. "Lara Tigre! I believe there's a point you could've gotten the toxin at that time."

Objection!

Kyle slammed his own bench in defiance. "Surely you can't be serious… is what I'd say if I didn't know better. Tell me, where exactly do you think Ms. Tigre could've gotten it?"

"Yeah!" the tigress snapped, clutching her pen even tighter. "I already told you, there's no way I could've gotten into the kitchen!"

Delilah shook her head, smirking. "You didn't need to. We've all been so focused on the kitchen that we've overlooked another source of nogu toxin that was even closer."

"Where would that be?" asked Judge Loggins. "And you had better have solid evidence to back it up."

(Surprisingly, I actually do.) "Of course, Your Honor. This is the other source of the toxin."

Take that!

"You might recall that during yesterday's trial, Mr. Urshine told us about the botched Delishafish he accidentally brought to Lord Tigre."

"We remember," Kyle said impatiently. "It's a wonder the poor bear can sleep at night with you dredging up these memories."

"Then you'll also remember the fate of that fish. Lord Tigre threw it out the window. The same window that was directly below the second floor bathroom window. It was buried after that, but I'd say you could still get at it pretty easily if you knew where it was."

"I see your point," he replied. "But this is a stretch even for you. Are you suggesting that the witness just happened to be looking out the bathroom window when this occurred?"

"It's more likely than you think," she countered. "According to Sunny's testimony, this happened at about noon, right? Well I have evidence that strongly suggests Ms. Tigre was in that bathroom at that very time."

"What?!" Kyle hissed, leaning forward with a scowl. "How could you possibly have such a thing?" Yet the intrigue in his voice was unmistakable.

"As I said, it's more likely than you think. Here's the evidence I'm referring to."

Take that!

"Ms. Tigre, if I'm not mistaken, you keep a bottle of medication in that room, don't you?"

"Rrrgh…" Lara started to sweat, avoiding eye contact while tapping on her tablet much more aggressively.

"Your lack of respect for the privacy of others is truly remarkable," Kyle said dryly. "Are you going somewhere with this?"

"I should hope so," Loggins said, glaring at her with gavel raised menacingly.

She wisely got to the point. "According to the directions on the bottle, this medication is meant to be taken every day... at noon. And considering we found it spilled over, there's little reason to think she wasn't following them."

"Now wait just a minute!" Lady Tigre snapped. She realized she had raised her voice and swiftly lowered it again. "You read the directions, but didn't you notice the prescription label? It isn't Lara's name that's on that bottle."

"That's right," Eric recalled. "It was prescribed to 'Laurelle Tigre', which we now know is Lady Tigre's full name. So wouldn't it belong to her?"

"I've been thinking about that actually," Delilah said. "And no, I don't think that's the case. Just think about how the rooms are arranged and it doesn't make sense." She looked to the matriarch. "Lady Tigre, if this medicine was really prescribed to you, then it would've been kept here!"

Got it!

"Why would you keep your medicine all the way over by Lara's room when you have your own bathroom right there? The only reasonable conclusion is that you simply got the prescription in your name! The medication itself belongs to Lara!"

"Eeeeeeeek!" Lady Tigre shielded her face with her fan as peacock feathers flew from her gown.

Medicine Bottle updated in the Court Record

"That means it's very possible for her to have seen the flying fish! And that's not all!"

"T-There's more?" asked Lady Tigre. Lara remained silent.

"During our investigation yesterday, Sunny testified to witnessing an unknown mammal at Lord Tigre's window when he delivered the fish. That's evidence enough that someone was there, and now we have evidence of who that someone was." She extended her arm and pointed. "It was you, Lara Tigre!"

Lara kept tapping at a feverish pace.

But then it slowed to a crawl.

"...Going through my pills…"

"...Taking away my Humpy…"

"Vex us NEVERMOOOOOOORE!"

Lara stabbed her pen into the screen, audibly breaking it. The tigress slowly looked down at her damaged tech, mouth hanging open in a silent scream.

(She had to say it at least once.)

"Shhh. Lara, shhh. It's okay," Lady Tigre soothed, holding her daughter tight. Lara clearly did not agree with the sentiment.

Nor was Delilah about to back down. "If we assume that Ms. Tigre knew about the buried fish, then suddenly it all makes sense. Using the drainpipe, she climbed down to ground level and dug it up, then cut off a piece of the fish using the very utensils that were thrown with it. This created the illusion that Lord Tigre had eaten it, an illusion that was only broken on further examination. She then stuck the fish with the lapel pin to poison it, leapt back onto the pipe, and stabbed Lord Tigre through the window!"

Lady Tigre and Lenore wrapped their arms/wings around Lara's head, while she continued to glare and growl at her.

Objection!

Kyle just stood there with his finger extended, saying nothing for a moment. Then he let out a cough as a trickle of blood trailed from his nose.

"Prosecutor VanDal, are you alright?!" Judge Loggins asked in concern.

He calmly wiped the blood away with a handkerchief. "…Yes, Your Honor. Forgive me. There were just so many holes in the defense's theory that I suffered a minor aneurysm trying to decide where to start."

"Oh. Well. Please take your time then."

"And what 'holes' would those be?" Delilah challenged.

"Let's just bullet point this, shall we?" Kyle held up a finger. "A) Ms. Tigre would have had to do most of this before the victim saw her there. And from her position, she wouldn't have been able to tell where the victim was at the time."

Delilah flinched. "W-Well, um… She could've used Lenore! You know, as a… scout?"

He held up a second finger. "B) If she really wanted to give the impression that Lord Tigre had eaten that piece of fish, why leave it in the thorns? A much more obvious method of disposal would have been to take it back up to the bathroom and flush it."

"Err… Okay, yeah, but—"

"C) This whole premise still relies on her spotting the fish by random chance, even though stealing the lapel pin would imply a premeditated crime."

"C-C'mon, you're moving too fast he—"

"And D), which stands for the most damning contradiction of all, is the lapel pin itself. How do you suppose it ended up where we found it?"

At that, she shot up again. "Ha! That one's easy! She just threw it inside the study once she was done with it."

"Is that so? Then perhaps you could remind me where inside the study it was found?"

"Uh…" Delilah's mouth went dry as she recalled. "...It was under the desk?"

"That's right!" Kyle praised. "Silver star for you! Not gold, because you haven't explained how exactly it got under the desk after being thrown through the window. Such a trajectory would be physically impossible."

"Not if she went into the room!" Delilah argued.

"Why?" Kyle demanded. "That would only leave more evidence of her passing. Of which, I remind you, there is none within the study!"

Delilah almost argued further, but stopped herself just in time. (There IS evidence. The bronze figurine that Monty talked about, and the burnt scraps from the fireplace. But I can't tie either of those things to Lara, or explain how they're connected.)

Kyle noticed her hesitation, and smiled. "Good. You're learning. But I'd be willing to entertain the notion if you could at least explain why she would go in there."

Delilah flinched. "Well…"

She wracked her brain for a moment. (What could make the killer have to enter the study? Doing it just to place the pin wouldn't be worth the danger, when there were easier places to leave it, just like the fish. There had to be another reason. Grrr! I can't believe he knocked me back that easily!)

The bouncing screensaver in Delilah's head hit the corner of the screen, causing a stroke that was thankfully of brilliance and not the regular variety. "I can't prove it for certain, but I have an idea."

"Oh please, do tell!" Kyle urged.

Delilah removed her attorney's badge from the inside of her jacket, and straightened the pin keeping it on into a needle.

Take that!

Then she jabbed Eric with it.

"Ow! What the bloody, bag-wearing, ham-hock hell!?" Eric stumbled back in shock, tripping over his own feet and falling over backwards.

"She's turnin' on 'im!" Camo Dog yelled. "I knew it! She's the spy!"

"Defense!" Loggins glared at Delilah. "What is the meaning of assaulting your co-counsel?"

"Sorry, Rick." Delilah helped him up. "Had to prove my theory. Otherwise they'd just call me crazy."

"I'd be half-inclined to agree with them…" Eric muttered, straightening his suit indignantly. "But I'm willing to suffer for our client, so I forgive you."

"I see." Kyle actually nodded approvingly. Whether that was because he agreed with her theory or with causing Eric pain, she wasn't sure. "That does make a small amount of sense. If he were stabbed from the front, it is possible that Lord Tigre would recoil in shock and fall backwards in his death throes. The killer would then have to enter the room to rearrange his body in a way that fits their narrative. It would have been easy enough, using the very chair he sat in."

"You're not objecting to it?" Delilah asked in surprise.

"I'm not accepting it either," he clarified. "There's no evidence for or against it. It is indeed a possibility. But it does nothing to prove Lara Tigre's guilt, so I feel no need to actually object. It's the same either way."

(In other words, we're at a stalemate. Except no, because he still has more evidence against Monty.)

Hold it!

That yell had come from the most unexpected of places. Lady Tigre slammed a paw on the witness stand, brandishing her fan in a surprisingly aggressive manner. "This has gone on long enough! You dare accuse my darling daughter when you don't even have any real evidence?"

(Uh oh. Tiger mom is coming out.) "It's not like that! This is just where my logic's led me and—"

Lady Tigre swung her fan, with enough force that the resulting gust of wind blew her fur back. "This is a court of law. Unless you show me some hard evidence of Lara's guilt, I demand we be allowed to leave at once. I know for a fact that she is no murderer!"

Lara stared at her in shock, and actually a bit of respect. "Mom…"

Delilah wasn't cowed. "You know for a fact she's not guilty, huh?" she pressed. "I dunno about Prosecutor VanDal, but if you know something that can clear all suspicion off of her, I'd love to hear it. Trust me, I'd much rather the answer be something else too."

"As aware as I am that the defense is cornered and desperately grasping at straws," Kyle said, chuckling, "...my parents never taught me not to play with my food, and I'm curious. So the prosecution has no objections."

"Very well." Loggins banged her gavel. "I'll allow Lady Tigre to testify on her daughter's innocence. But I'm warning you, defense. If nothing comes from this, I will release both of these witnesses. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal," Delilah said firmly. (Oh yeah, there was that snow fox I ran into once named Crystal. Ought to see if I still have her number after this.)

Lady Tigre closed her fan with a loud snap. "If you insist."

Witness
Testimony

~ My Loving Lara ~

Lady Tigre: "My sweet Lara is not a killer!"

Lady Tigre: "Yes, she may neglect to clean her room sometimes."

Lady Tigre: "And she may sneak out with her friends sometimes."

Lady Tigre: "And she may listen to her music too loud sometimes."

Lady Tigre: "And she may forget to take out the trash sometimes."

Lady Tigre: "But she is NOT a killer!"

Lara: "Moooooooooom!"

Lenore: "Caaaaaaaaaaw!"

Delilah certainly thought she was ready for her testimony. (What am I supposed to do with THAT?)

"Don't go looking to me for help, defense," Kyle said. "You were literally asking for this."

"What is it? Did I say something wrong?" Lady Tigre raised her fan, starting to fall back into form again.

"No, not at all," the raccoon assured. "Not my problem to deal with at least…"

"Defense, you may begin your cross-examination," Loggins announced. "Good luck with that."

"Can we just not?" Lara asked, blushing profusely. "I really don't need to hear that again."

But unfortunately, Delilah did. (I can't believe I'm still doing this. I don't even WANT to keep accusing her! But I need to see what lies at the end of this road.)

Cross
Examination

~ My Loving Lara ~

Lady Tigre: "My sweet Lara is not a killer!"

Lady Tigre: "Yes, she may neglect to clean her room sometimes."

Hold it!

"What's her room like?" Delilah asked. "I haven't been in there."

"Oh, it's so interesting!" Lady Tigre gushed. "Lara is very into music. She has whole racks of CDs and an excellent sound system! She's mostly into heavy metal, but I know for a fact that she has a weakness for that cute new boy band that was in the news recently."

Lara looked mortified.

Hang on!

"You got something to say, Lara?"

"Oh thank god." Lara gave a relieved sigh as her mother was interrupted. "Mom, please stop letting out embarrassing details like that. Nobody needs to know this!"

Lady Tigre chuckled. "Sorry dear. I suppose I got a little carried away."

And that was the end of it. Delilah frowned. "Huh. That's weird."

"What is it?" Eric asked.

"It's just that normally when we do that, the results are a lot more… relevant."

"Well, she is a teenager," Eric muttered. "I suppose it's only natural she'd be embarrassed by pretty much anything her mother shares about her in public."

Delilah grit her teeth. She'd really been hoping that would lead to something important. (Hmm. What else did she talk about? Even if it doesn't seem relevant, there might still be a connection somewhere.)

"Where was I?" Lady Tigre pondered. "Oh, right."

Lady Tigre: "And she may sneak out with her friends sometimes."

Lady Tigre: "And she may listen to her music too loud sometimes."

Hold it!

"So, about her music," Delilah started. "Do you hear it often?"

"Well, I don't know about often, but when she does play it, you can usually hear it from halfway across the manor. The servants have even started setting their schedules to it."

Lara pulled her ears down and groaned.

Hang on!

She was starting to enjoy this. "Something on your mind, Lara?"

"It's just how I focus, okay?!" she snapped, partly at her and partly at her mom. "Music is my inspiration, the vector of my creative spirit! Without it, I'd explode! Is that what you want, huh?!"

(I feel like that'd do the opposite of helping you focus, but you do you.)

But just when she thought this was another dead-end, she spotted Lady Tigre looking away, muttering behind her fan.

Hang on!

"What did you say, Lady Tigre?"

"Hm? Oh. I'm so sorry." Lady Tigre put her fan over her face in embarrassment. "I was just venting a bit about how she could stand to turn it down on occasion."

"I don't play my music too loud!" Lara protested.

"Oh yes you do!" Lady Tigre shot back, shaking her fan at her. "It was especially loud yesterday!"

"It's metal! That's how it's meant to be listened to! It's not real metal if you can still hear afterwards!"

(This was a terrible mistake.)

"But you weren't listening to it!" Lady Tigre protested. "When the fire alarm went off, not only could I barely hear it over your music, but I saw you coming out of the bathroom! You weren't even in your room!"

"Which means that I obviously could hear it, doesn't it?!"

"Order! Order!" Loggins yelled, slamming her gavel repeatedly until the two felines quieted down. "I am qualified to bring order to the courtroom, not parental squabbles, so please refrain from doing that again."

The Tigres both looked away from each other and huffed.

"In any case, it is becoming apparent to me that this testimony provides nothing of use." The beaver shook her head. "Which means I will now end the cross-examination of—"

Hold it!

Delilah slammed both palms down. "Not yet, Your Honor! As a matter of fact, I believe these witnesses just let slip something vital."

"And what would that be?" Kyle asked sardonically. "More conjecture for you to accuse Ms. Lara of the murder?"

"Delilah, I really hope you know what you're doing here," Eric urged.

(Me too. But I think I've got something big.) "In regards to Lara Tigre, at this time the defense would like to…"

- Accuse her of murder.

- Accuse her of something else.

- Not accuse her.

"The defense would like to accuse her… of the crime of arson!"

That was enough to make all three of them reel back in shock.

"Eeeeeeeek!"

"Aaaaaaaah!"

"Caaaaaaaw!"

"So you're bringing this back to the fire again?" Kyle asked, equal parts incensed and curious. "On what grounds?"

"When the fire was started at Casa Tigre, Eric, Millie, and I were all downstairs trying to put it out," she explained. "Afterwards, we saw Lady Tigre come out of her bedroom on the second floor. Lara then appeared at the top of the stairs, and with the music blaring from her room, we all assumed that was where she must have been."

She glanced at the goth feline, currently avoiding her gaze. "But if what Lady Tigre said is true, she actually came out of the bathroom! I'm sure you can see what I'm getting at."

Kyle staggered, sweating bullets that were not the right caliber for his gun. "Y-You mean…"

"That's right! What seemed like a foolproof alibi was actually the perfect means for Ms. Tigre to light that fire. Here's how I think it happened:"

She proceeded to lay it all out, visualizing the scenario perfectly in her mind.

"First, when no one was around, Ms. Tigre snuck up to her room on the second floor and cranked up her music. According to her ma, this was such a regular habit of hers that anyone who heard it would naturally assume she was in her room. And that was exactly what she wanted us to think!"

"With her alibi established, Ms. Tigre then scurried back downstairs and entered the study. There, she started the fire on the victim's carpet. Probably with the lighter that I'm just going to assume she's in possession of. In any case, she knew it would only be a moment before the fire alarm went off, so she had to act fast!"

"Exiting the way she came in would've been too risky, so Ms. Tigre used another route she knew all too well. She made her way to the window and grabbed onto the drainpipe. From there, she climbed up to the second floor bathroom and emerged into the hallway, only shortly after we had left it. Just in time for her to appear at the top of the stairs and act super shocked over the incident she'd caused!"

Lara was clearly nervous, but that didn't stop her from shakily tapping out a haiku on her damaged tech, screen sparking with each word.

"It's a nice story."

"But I bet that's all you've got."

"Show me some proof…bitch."

"Indeed," Kyle added. "This court has no more time for your wild conjecture. And I know you can't possibly have any evidence of this claim."

Delilah grinned, folding her arms. "As a matter of fact, I do."

"Wait, really?" Eric asked. "I don't remember collecting any…"

"Think about it, Rick. While we were investigating the bathroom, Lara must've been right below us starting the fire. And if that's the case, we have all the evidence we need."

"Quit stalling, defense!" Kyle demanded, slamming a fist on his bench. "Just what evidence are you referring to?"

Take that!

He adjusted his glasses. "The drainpipe prints again? Haven't we already covered those?"

"Only the ones left at the time of the murder," Delilah clarified, wagging her tail tip at him. "But more prints have been added to that collection since. Just yesterday, we used the pipe ourselves to sneak upstairs, getting our sweaty pawsies alllllllll over it!"

"You seem awfully proud of yourself for desecrating a piece of evidence."

"Sure am! 'Cause that's just the proof you're looking for! Let's lay it all out again. First, Lara leaves several sets of prints up and down the pipe while visiting Chef Humphrey. Then, Monty leaves his own prints while fleeing the study, overlapping hers. After that, we leave our own prints, overlapping both of theirs. If we were the last ones to use the pipe, that's all we would see." She smiled. "But if Ms. Tigre had used it right after us, then there should now be another set of tiger prints overlapping ours. Well, Lara? Shall we check just to make sure?"

"CAAAAAAAAAAW!"

Lenore swooped at her, but Delilah scared the raven away with an especially fierce point. "Quoth the defense attorney, I'll put up with your bullshit NEVERMORE!"

Lara no longer knew how to respond, tapping spastically on her screen without rhyme or reason.

Tap tap tap

Tap taptap tap taptaptap

Taptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptap

"Waaagh!" That last tap was hard enough to catapult the whole tablet up into Lara's face, giving everyone a good look at the frowny cat face design printed on the back of it.

Only then did she find her words again.

"This… court… is…a joke."

"Nothing but… stupid… rabble."

"You… can all… bite me."

Then she fainted dead away.

"Lara!" Lady Tigre was immediately at her daughter's side, both she and Lenore fanning her. But the younger Tigre remained out cold, her eyes a blank white.

(Please tell me she's just being dramatic. Even I'm not sure.)

"…She's not dead, right?" Loggins asked. "I don't know how to classify a death like that."

But after a few moments, Lara recovered from that shock to her system, and her face. She slowly got back to her feet and slumped onto the witness stand in a daze, Lenore flying circles around her head. "Urrrgh…"

"Lara, are you alright?" asked Lady Tigre.

"I'm even more troubled than usual, so no, not really."

"You did do an arson on an important crime scene," Delilah pointed out.

Lara growled and folded her arms, but her shoulders sagged. "Yeah... I was just so pissed. After everything that's happened, I needed to do something. Even everything you did, possum fuckface, was still that dickhead's fault! I wanted to just burn away any trace he ever existed!"

"Why didn't you say anything?" Lady Tigre scolded, but gently. "At the very least we could have talked. I could have been there for you."

"Mom…" Lara actually teared up a little.

"I hate to ask this," Loggins said with some hesitation. "But your daughter has in fact committed a crime, so I must. Do you wish to press charges?"

"Of course not!" Lady Tigre snapped. "She's my daughter and she had a good reason! I'm offended at the very idea that I wouldn't forgive her!"

"Alright, alright!" Loggins actually looked a bit intimidated. Despite their respective positions, she was still a beaver staring down an angry tiger. "I'll leave any punishment to you then. Let's move on."

"Move on with what exactly?" Kyle asked. "It is as I said before. Focusing on this house fire has been nothing but a waste of time. It is irrelevant to the murder."

Objection!

"Sorry, but that's not gonna fly anymore," Delilah argued. "Lara Tigre is now a suspect of the murder. You can't dismiss her attempt to destroy the crime scene as irrelevant!"

"…Objection sustained," Loggins said, even more hesitantly. "I'm afraid the defense is right. We can't simply overlook this connection."

Lara bit her lip, looking away anxiously. Lenore landed on her shoulder, patting her back.

But Lady Tigre made it even clearer how she felt about this. "Are you serious?! Even now you continue to accuse my daughter?!"

"I—" Delilah's attempt to interject was violently cut off by a gust of wind.

"I have no more interest in what you have to say! Why are you doing this?! Do you really hate her that much?!" Lady Tigre snarled, rage-filled eyes brimming with tears. "You're no lawyer! You're just a bully willing to throw anyone under the bus as long as it's convenient for you!"

"That's not—" Delilah was actually blown off her feet by the next gust.

"Who are you even protecting?!" Lady Tigre snapped. "If Lara is convicted, she won't even be able to visit Ellias anymore! They will be separated for years! Guilty or not, Monty was willing to sacrifice his own freedom to protect them, while you're still chasing the one outcome that nobody would be happy with!"

Delilah's face froze. "I…"

"I hate to say it, but I think she's right." Otterly Adorable looked downcast. "Even if he didn't do it, the butler at least tried to kill him. I don't think slinging more accusations and causing more pain over the death of a right bellend is gonna be of help to anyone." She gently tapped her lever, sending a fireball towards guilty.

"I'm with the little lady," Biker Wolf agreed. "To be frank, it seems like the ass deserved it. On a weird level, if the butler didn't do it, I can respect him not snitching on who did. This is more pointless than sharpening a mechanical pencil." He too slammed his lever towards guilty.

Once again, the scales were 5-1 against them, with only Hipstapir as the holdout. "I'm not jumping on this bandwagon again. I've got a reputation to uphold."

"Delilah, we need to do something," Eric stressed. "Hipsters are notoriously fickle. Delilah?"

The possum was facedown on the bench, her claws digging into the surface. She didn't even seem to have heard him. "What am I doing? She's right. I've just been stumbling around from one suspect to the next, latching on to anything I can. It's like dumpster diving, but with evidence." He couldn't see her face, but with the way her body was trembling, he wasn't sure he wanted to.

And he really wasn't sure he was equipped to handle this. Delilah… Delilah didn't act this way. "It's true that we have changed our stance a few times. But that's just where the logic's taken us. It's not your fault."

"Yes it is!" She raised her head, only to slam it back into the bench. "I could've just done what my client wanted in the first place! I could've avoided all of this! He even warned me this could happen and I ignored it!"

"I'm saying that you have my permission to do whatever you feel is right," Monty finished. "I will not stop you this time. I only ask that you be mindful of the consequences."

"I wasn't being mindful at all! I just kept barrelling forward without direction and now we're stuck!"

"You'll have time for self-pitying later, defense," Loggins said impatiently. "We are in the middle of a trial. How will you proceed?"

(If I give up now, Monty will be found guilty and everything I've done will have been for nothing! But if I keep going, I'll risk doing even more damage and ruining this couple's life for good! Is saving Monty even the right thing? I'm supposed to defend my client until the end, but what if I don't LIKE how it ends? What do I do?)

- Indict Lara

- Give up

"I… um… The defense… chooses to…"

"Wait. There is one other option," Eric reminded her. "Didn't you say you had a... secret plan?"

She stopped. (Yes, of course!)

Delilah slowly lifted her head, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath to steady her nerves. She was going to need them. "Your Honor. The defense would like to call a new witness."

Eric blinked. "Excuse me?"

"A new witness? At this stage?" Kyle shook his head. "Who on earth could you possibly have in mind?"

Both Tigres looked just as curious, as cats tended to be. Lenore tilted her head.

"There is still a third party we have yet to hear from," Delilah continued. "One closely tied to this case, watching over everything from afar."

Eric's eyes widened. "Wait, Delilah. You're not thinking about calling—"

"A witness within this very room. A black angel of death, swooping about on dreaded wings. You thought they had no voice here, but you thought wrong."

"Delilah, seriously—!"

But Delilah soldiered on. "That's right. The defense would like to call…" She paused for dramatic effect. "An expert witness."

"Oh god! Delilah don't do this, I…" Eric paused. "Wait, what?"

"An expert witness?" Hipstapir sounded confused. "What do you mean by that?"

"Simple." Delilah's devious grin returned. "Someone who knows a lot about a certain subject, and can testify about it to the court. In this case, one who knows a lot about flying around, going unseen, and murders."

"That's crows!" Eric argued.

"Lenore is a raven!" Lara confirmed.

"CAAAW!"

Delilah ignored them. "The defense would like to call…"

Eric braced himself for the worst.

"...Ms. Lucy Sang!"

He let out a breath of sincere, intense relief. "Oh thank god. I honestly thought you were going to call the bird." Then it registered, and he shot upright so fast that his belly burst out of his shirt. "Wait, WHAAAAAAT?!"

Kyle grimaced, gripping his arm. In the jury section, Grumpy Yeen also looked profoundly troubled.

"Lucy Sang?" Loggins echoed. "I know of her. I presided over her most recent trial. But I don't think it's worth the effort of calling a long recess to get permission to haul her here from prison."

"It won't take as much effort as you think, Your Honor." Delilah's smirk only grew bigger.

Then the lights went out.

There was panic, but only briefly before a spotlight shone down from somewhere in the gallery, aimed at the witness stand. Or rather, the laptop that now sat on it.

The silhouette of a mousette in a fancy dress reached over and clicked a few buttons.

The screen lit up. There was a little swirly wheel of a loading screen.

And a giant green eye popped up. "BOO!"

There were honest screams of terror from the gallery and jury.

Lucy backed up. Apparently she was now in the exercise yard. The bat put a wing to her ear to enjoy the screams. "Ah, the cheers of my adoring fans! Thank you, thank you!" She did a bow like she'd just performed the play of a lifetime. "Witness Lucy, reporting for duty!"

To be continued…

Court Record:

Attorney's Badge

This old thing? Well, it does let me do my job, but it mostly just sits in my pocket until I get the sudden urge to flash it at someone for kicks.

T&C Business Card

Those two are really gonna regret hoisting this off on me. I can think of a LOT of uses for a small piece of cardstock that were probably not intended.

Lord Tigre's Autopsy Report

Cause of death believed to be poisoning through injection of nogu toxin. Estimated time of death is between 3-4 PM. Victim died almost instantly. No trace of Delishafish was found in his stomach. Pinprick found below his chin consistent with Monty's lapel pin.

Crime Scene Photo

Shows Tigre collapsed on his desk as if taking a nap, somewhat undercut by the gaping hole in his neck. The rest of his desk is mostly visible, though the papers right under him are obscured. Side note: Totally a Number 4. Nailed it.

Food Cart

Monty's ticket inside the study, brought there by the bodyguard. Credit where credit is due, that was a pretty clever plan. Shame he mucked it up afterward, but then again we might not have a client otherwise.

Wine Bottle

Brought to Lord Tigre on the cart. Contains a grape wine and is partly empty. Also contains deadly pufferfish toxin. Bears Monty's pawprints.

Spilled Ashtray

Found on the floor and stepped in by Monty, leaving a trail of tiny tracks that lead around the desk, up the side, and out the window. Let this be a lesson, kits. Not everyone is cut out to be a murderer.

Termination Papers

Almost no blood was found on them despite being right under Lord Tigre at the time he was stabbed, proving that he was already dead. Suck it, Lilac!

Lapel Pin

Monty's personal possession, that he didn't leave at the crime scene after all. He left it in the dining room instead, which isn't much better because it means anyone had the opportunity to swipe it. Was eventually found to be laced with nogu toxin, making it the real murder weapon. Found under Lord Tigre's desk.

Tigre's Gun

This is it! We're at the climax and it's finally time to see how this gun solves the case! I can't wait!

Burnt Scraps

Scraps of some weird material found in the fireplace. It seems kind of like paper, but doesn't have the right texture. Where the heck did it come from?

Manor Map

A map of Casa Tigre so 'graciously' gifted to us by Kyle. I'm half-tempted to relight the fireplace just to chuck it in, but I bet that's exactly what he WANTS us to do so we're gonna use it anyway! Out of spite!

(Archived under 'Casa Tigre Map' on Berserker88x's Deviantart.)

Delishafish Dish

Apparently this dish is a big deal among rich folks and super hard to make right. Even Chef Humphrey screwed it up on the first attempt. Oh, and it turns out it's deathly toxic if you screw it up, which REALLY would've been nice to know beforehand.

Spoiled Delishafish

The first version of the dish that Humphrey screwed up, though the arguably bigger screw-up was leaving it out for Sunny to find. Luckily for him, it looks like Lord Tigre didn't actually eat any of it, but he still threw it out the window anyway. Later buried by Ria, utensils and all. The missing chunk was found in the thorns.

Kitchen Knife

A large and thick steel knife given by Humphrey to Monty. The murder weapon? Not even close.

Other Knife

A smaller and thinner steel knife taken from Humphrey by the ZPD. Later dropped by Lara. This seems to be the knife that was used to prepare the Delishafish, containing a hidden love poem written by Humphrey. Which is appropriate, because reading it made me want to stab myself.

Wall of Thorns

A spiky ring of pain that surrounds the whole perimeter of Casa Tigre. For when you're just too classy to get a barbed-wire fence. Can confirm: hurts like hell.

Monty's Testimony

After being given a knife by Chef Humphrey, he got smuggled in on a food cart, stabbed Tigre in the neck, and then fled up to the roof with the knife before getting caught. Despite this, he remains insistent that he didn't poison his lapel pin or commit the murder. Finally a straight answer from this guy.

Sunny's Testimony

Due to a tragic misunderstanding, he accidentally delivered deadly Delishafish to Lord Tigre around noon. There he witnessed a conversation between him and someone else outside the window. Later, after delivering the food cart to Lord Tigre's study at around 3:30, on Monty's orders, he locked the door with the master key and stood guard outside until the murder went down.

Humphrey's Testimony

Lord Tigre announced that the staff was being fired at breakfast around 8 AM, in response to finding out about Humphrey dating his daughter. He then became Monty's accomplice and poisoned the wine bottle.

Ria's Testimony

She was witness to flying fish, surprisingly not a hallucination. Which she then proceeded to bury and not tell anyone about. She later spotted Monty on the roof after he stabbed Lord Tigre, watching as he climbed down a tree and fled around back to enter through the servant's quarters. She and Sunny caught him inside trying to plant the knife.

Lady Tigre's Testimony

After arguing with Lord Tigre over the breakfast incident, she and Lara retreated upstairs to the second floor. She visited Lara briefly, but they otherwise stayed apart. She claims they were both on the second floor for the entire span of time until the murder, but this also means that neither of them have alibis.

Bronze Figurine

A scary-ass effigy of Lord Tigre holding a sword and looking like he wants to cut you with it. According to Monty, it's currently facing the opposite way that it usually does.

Gardening Gear

Protective clothes used to get through the thorns without being sliced up. Lended to us by Ria. Shame we had to leave it all behind. It would've made a sick Howloween costume.

Drainpipe Prints

A set of tigress prints found on the drainpipe connecting the study to the second floor bathroom, going up and down multiple times. They belong to Lara Tigre, having used them to sneak out to see Humphrey. Monty's prints overlap them. And our prints overlap his. And her prints overlap ours.

Medicine Bottle

An anxiety medication found in the second floor bathroom. I won't even try to write its name, but it was prescribed in Lady Tigre's. However, the medication itself actually belongs to Lara. According to the directions, two pills should be taken daily at noon.

Profiles:

Delilah O'Possum
Age: 24
Species: Sassy Possum

Finally, it's my turn to shine! I am gonna rock the hell outta this case and show the world that I can handle murder too! Solving a murder case, I mean. Glad nobody else reads these.

Eric Badge
Age: 24
Species: Stuffy Badger

My best friend and partner in (solving) crime. He can be a bit of a stick in the mud sometimes, but I'm always happy to pull him out of it.

Millie Muskerson
Age: 22
Species: Polecat Who Wants to Tap That

Old friend, old defendant, current intern. Honestly worth the effort of hiring her just to see her make goo-goo eyes at Rick all day, but she's pretty well-organized too. Strikes a good balance between my lack of tidiness and Rick having entirely too much of it.

Lucy Sang
Age: 29
Species: Literally Bloodthirsty Vampire Bat

I hope all the trouble I went through to get her to hire us back was worth it. At the very least, the heart-to-heart was nice. Just so long as she doesn't get TOO close to my heart.

Martina
Age: 29
Species: Questionably Alive Mouse Girl

Lucy's… friend? Servant? Voodoo zombie slave? Was debating even adding her to this, but I get the impression she doesn't have much in life, so here's to you, Marty!

Monty Gosland
Age: 23
Species: Mongoose That Buttles

Our defendant, for better or for worse. Slightly better now.

Lord Dominic Tigre
Age: 40
Species: Dead Tiger

The victim. Apparently big into shooting birds for sport and living in high society. Well, formerly living. The more I hear about him, the more I don't feel sorry for his death.

Lila Lilac
Age: 28
Species: Stuck-up Skunkette

One of Tooth & Claw's lawyers. Likes: being a tool. Dislikes: peripheral vision. This isn't the only list she's going on today.

Pierce Pierson
Age: 28
Species: Porcupain

Another Tooth & Claw lawyer and a prick in more ways than one. Seems pretty aggro for a guy who's so into defense.

Sigrid 'Siggy' MacTalon
Age: 25
Species: Wolverine on a Warpath

I really hoped I wouldn't have to add her to this. Let's just say mistakes were made and now this hardass detective kinda hates my guts. It's going to be mentally draining dealing with her, and physically draining if she makes me do any more pushups.

Kyle VanDal
Age: 26
Species: Rival Raccoon

This sly prosecutor is known for his keen eyes and dirty tricks. He's also known for half-assing most of his trials these days, earning him a very non-fancy nickname, the 'Apathetic Attorney'. For someone who's been such a jerk so far, in a weird way it's like he needs us in order to give a shit again.

Lady Tigre
Age: 43
Species: Bird-infused Tigress

Lord Tigre's widow, and the only one who seems to feel any kind of sympathy for him. That speaks much more to her character than his. She seems like a good mom too, and definitely willing to put her daughter (and me) in her place when needed.

Lara (Not Laura) Tigre

Age: 19
Species: Teenager

Okay, I get that I put her fiancé in jail and all, but does this girl have to be THAT out to get me? I wish I could say things were gonna get better, but…

Lenore
Age: 6
Species: Poetic Stereotype

Lara's faithful pet raven. Or familiar, just in case she's some kind of sorceress and takes offense. Probably eats telltale hearts or something. I dunno, I'm not into poetry. Or birdology.

Sunny Urshine
Age: 26
Species: Teddy Bear

Lord Tigre's ex-bodyguard, obviously not doing too great right now. Accidentally offing the guy you're supposed to protect will do that. I think HE'S the one who needs a hug now. I'll volunteer Rick.

Ellias Humphrey
Age: 20
Species: Camel 2.0

Lara's not-so-secret fiancé. Gotta admire this guy's commitment to his craft. Even at the expense of being an effective murderer. I feel a little bad about putting him behind bars, but maybe he'll get to be a prison chef. I bet his cooking will be better appreciated there.

Ria Nepeta
Age: 31
Species: High As a Cat

Casa Tigre's gardener, and she sure 'enjoys' her job. She may be a cheetah, but she's definitely not quick on the uptake. I guess we should be grateful she saw anything of use and it didn't interfere with whatever sensory nightmares she experiences on a daily basis. Did interfere with the investigation though.

Judge Loggins
Age: 45
Species: Beaver of Authority

Always nice to see a familiar face in these strange surroundings. Better than Kyle's at least. I wonder if she'd chuck her gavel at him if he annoyed her enough. That'd almost make it all worth it.

Warden Smiles
Age: 39
Species: Wocka Quokka

Lucy Sang's warden, a position I do not envy. The question is, was he always this cheerful, or did something in him just break after a while?