"Mr. Moon," Jade Tusk began calmly, the doe slowly pacing back and forth in front of the witness stand, her gaze shifting from Buster to the jury each time, the hodgepodge of animals watching and listening intently to Jade Tusk as she begins her cross-examination of Buster Moon.
"In your testimony, you explained how excited you were to work for Mr. Crystal."
This caught Buster, Suki, and for that matter Charlie off guard, all three surprised at the seemingly genuine smile Jade Tusk was giving Buster. In fact, one might assume that the defense lawyer was attempting to strike up a friendly conversation. However, Charlie knew better, immediately sensing that this was a ploy by the doe to put Buster at ease. Lulling him into a false sense of security would certainly cause Buster to feel a little TOO relaxed and let something slip. But, for now, that was pure speculation. All Charlie could do was sit and watch in mild anxiety as he watched Buster actually fall prey to the ploy, the showman's shoulder's relaxing as a little smile graced his lips.
"Why, yes, Ms. Lu, I very much was."
Jade Tusk returned the smile, though from where he sat, Charlie could most definitely tell how fake it was.
"And your show?" she continued with feigned glee, "truly a sight to behold, from what I've heard."
"Yes, yes," Buster responded, his smile growing bigger and bigger by the second. But, despite this little change of attitude from Jade Tusk, the remaining troupe, Suki and Clay watched in in great confusion, each wondering what it was they were witnessing; Jade Tusk, buttering up Buster Moon as if they were old friends. Yes, something didn't feel right…and Charlie knew it.
What are you up to, Lu? He thought, his eyes squinting with intense scrutiny as he attempted to piece together what Jade Tusk had planned.
UNFORTUNATELY, he didn't have to wait long.
"Well, if that was exciting," Jade Tusk continued, "it must have been truly more exciting to have gotten the invitation to audition for Mr. Crystal."
Buster's smile was gone in a flash, the exuberant expression replaced by many more, from confusion, to realization, to one of mortal dread. And it wasn't just Buster who had this look on his face, it was Charlie, who realized what Jade Tusk had done. In fact, it reminded him of one of his favorite musical pieces by Shubert; A fisherman grows weary of attempting to capture an elusive trout. So, he jumps in the water, muddies it up, disorients the fish. The MOON fish, dazzled by the sparkling mud of praise, does not realize until too late he has been lured into a trap.
"I-I," Buster stammered, the koala shrinking back into the chair, his shoulders now hunched as he looked up at Jade Tusk, the doe's expression melting into one of smug satisfaction. Charlie would have been impressed at that moment if he wasn't so shocked at the fact that Jade Tusk actually had gotten her foot in the door. It was at that moment Charlie realized that Jade Tusk was not the "fly by the seat of her pants" lawyer that Jack Burro was.
And it was really starting to show.
Nick sat now in the back of the courtroom, while Dax and Sam sat near the front, but they all could tell Buster was now in some real trouble if he could or couldn't answer Jade Tusk's question.
"I-I'm sorry, Ms. Lu," Buster continued to stammer, the nervous grin on his muzzle making the smug one on Crystal's face grow by the second, "what was that?"
"The invitation," Jade Tusk reiterated, her smug smirk still present but her voice still conveying that false civility from before.
"You and your friends were invited by Suki Lane to audition for Mr. Crystal, were you not?"
"Lie to her," Dax whispered loud enough for Sam to hear him.
"Forget it, buddy," Sam objected.
"It will only be worse if he does."
"W-well," Buster continued to stammer after a moment, the nervous smile on his face fading to nothing as he twiddled his fingers in his lap, his gaze briefly shifting from his hands, to Jade Tusk, to a now very nervous Suki, the female's lips taught in a straight line as her eyes were wide with the realization that Jade Tusk had caught them in her little trap. And Suki knew it was only a matter of time before Jade Tusk would use her little incident five years ago to her advantage.
"We…ahem…we weren't exactly…invited."
A soft murmur began to resonate through the court at Buster's hesitant admission. What did he mean by they weren't invited? At this point, the rest of the Moon Troupe were fidgeting in their seats. Even Clay found himself to be slightly on edge at the fact Buster may have just backed himself into a corner once again. And needless to say, Suki felt the same way, same as Charlie, though the seasoned lawyer was more skilled at hiding his discomfort, though his grip on the arm of his chair was increasing so much he might actually break it as Jade Tusk continued his cross-examination.
"Not Invited?" he inquired, his face now contorting into one of faux confusion and curiosity.
"How do you mean?"
"He's so screwed," Nick groaned.
Buster gulped nervously. Already, this was not off to a good start. Just from ten minutes on the stand, Buster could see he had definitely made a critical mistake. And while he definitely wanted to plead the fifth, a tactic mentioned by Charlie, he knew that while Jade Tusk wouldn't be able to use his silence as a means to push Buster's guilt, Buster had still been advised by Charlie to veer away from that tactic as much as he could so as not to offer any implications to the jury.
According to Charlie, be as honest as you can without overly incriminating yourself.
And so, after taking a deep breath, Buster did something Jade Tusk did not expect.
He just flat out told the truth.
"We were NOT invited. In fact, Suki said we weren't good enough."
And while Jade Tusk was caught off guard by this blunt, straight-faced admission, she had to maintain every bit of will power she had to keep from smiling, especially upon seeing Suki's wide-eyed expression, the doe and saluki's eyes meeting for a brief moment, one conveying great glee…and the other sheer dread. And it wasn't just Suki. Jade Tusk could see Charlie, although visibly calm, was mentally strangling Buster on the witness stand.
"So," she began, turning to the jury, pacing in front of the multitude of animals as she questioned Buster.
"You admit that despite not being invited to audition for Mr. Crystal, you and your friends traveled to Redshore, trespassed into Crystal Towers, presented your show, was once again rejected, but pressed a new show staring Clay Calloway despite not knowing him personally, and putting on the show behind Mr. Crystal's back after it had been shut down…because you cannot handle rejection?"
That did it for Charlie as he, albeit shakily, jumped to his feet and, in as calm, but still firm voice as possible…
"OBJECTION! Defense is leading the witness!"
Not a second later…
"Sustained," Prides responded, his voice calm and even, silently conveying that he did not sustain the objection out of bias, but because he himself believed it was a leading question. And while the objection and subsequent sustaining of said objection did take the wind out of Jade Tusk's sails, she still found her ship with the wind behind it, and if she maintained that course, she definitely could gain some significant headway.
And one thing was for sure, the gust gotten from Buster's damaged pride would definitely get her to calmer waters as, despite the objection, the koala became an incensed Poseidon.
"No," he responded firmly, his sudden statement causing all eyes to immediately land on him. At that point, Charlie's blood pressure spiked, his eyes wide in alarm at the fact that Buster was still going to answer Jade Tusk's question.
"Buster," he growled in a low warning, though no one could hear him.
"What's he doing?" Nooshy breathlessly whispered to Johnny, the gorilla only sitting in shock.
"Oh, this isn't good," Miss Crawley whimpered as she hunched her shoulders in submission.
"What do you mean 'no,' Mr. Mo-?"
"I mean I did not bring my friends to Redshore because I could not handle rejection."
The sudden interruption by Buster had definitely caught everyone by surprise. Even Crystal found himself intrigued by this koala's sudden burst of fiery defiance, Buster glaring hard at Jade Tusk as the doe took a moment to recover from this outburst.
"When Suki said we were not good enough, I was beside myself. I had thought that everything I had planned for, my hopes, my dreams, all ended right then and there. I understand she was just doing her job, but I don't think she needed to be so condescending about it."
At this point, Suki was glad she was looking at the table, a slight glint of shame in her eyes as she heard Buster blatantly tell the court what he had initially thought of her rejection…and to a lesser extent, her. She just couldn't bring herself to look at Buster, or the others for that matter, as she felt a few judgmental glares burning into the back of her skull. But a reassuring pat on the shoulder from Charlie did quell her worry…just a little bit.
"So, you went to Redshore to prove her wrong?" Jade Tusk added, her smugness now replaced with genuine curiosity, the doe lawyer actually wondering what Buster's thought process was.
"We went to Redshore to prove we at least deserved a shot."
"Well clearly you were not worth a shot in Miss Lane's eyes. Though I can't really fault you for it. I know of Miss Lane's personality. Meticulous, driven, ambitious. In fact, so driven that she may have fabricated an accusation of sexual harassment to gain her position."
Charlie, despite Jade Tusk's rather overt and blunt insults of his sister, perked up at this.
"And she was doing so well," Charlie whispered to himself, a slight trace of smile forming on his lips. Charlie had instantly recognized that Jade Tusk's previous statement, said with an almost condescending tone, which might come off to some less law-savvy folks as fact, was actually something that could be used against her. It showed bias. And given the subtle glares of judgment from the jury, Charlie knew that was the case. But he wouldn't count it a win…not yet.
But what Jade Tusk said next, did cause some skepticism in the court of Suki's credibility.
"And would it surprise you to know, Mr. Moon," she continued with an almost cruel smirk, "that when Mr. Crystal said, 'his team' had gotten in touch with Dr. Lane, he really meant SUKI?"
Buster, upon hearing this, cast his wide eyes to Suki, the female's own eyes wide, along with her brother and the rest of his friends.
"What?" Buster said in barely a whisper, which made Jade Tusk smirk more as she continued.
"BITCH!" Nick, Sam and Dax minds shouted in unison.
"And as Head of the Board of Directors for Crystal Entertainment, it might be suggested that she stood to gain a lot if Mr. Crystal was put away."
"OBJECTION!" Charlie bellowed, an indignant frown on his face.
"Defense's statement is irrelevant!"
A long pause occurred as Prides contemplated this, the lion looking between the doe and saluki with great interest until finally he responded.
But before he could respond…
"Well, how would you know I wasn't worth a shot, Ms. Lu?"
And like that, the satisfaction was gone.
"Goddamn it, Buster, put down the shovel," he once again growled to himself.
"The courtroom is my stage, Mr. Moon," Jade Tusk quickly rebutted, the doe catching on right away what Buster was getting at, the koala immediately realizing he should have kept his pride in check.
"Like your performers, I look at the 'show' I will be putting on, and plan accordingly."
"Exactly," Buster countered, his face now firm again.
This caused another murmur to echo in the packed chamber.
"Order," Prides called as he lightly tapped is gavel on his desk, the murmuring subsiding in seconds.
"Ms. Lu, let me put my actions into a way that you, as a lawyer, can understand."
Jade Tusk, and for that matter the prosecution and the Moon Troupe, despite the shock from Buster's newly assertive personality, couldn't help but feel any respect or little respect they had for him growing by the second. Finally, Jade Tusk, with an indifferent shrug, the nonchalant gesture fueling Buster's ire, but a great extent, conviction.
"Let me tell you what I have learned about the sexual harassment case…more specifically JACK BURRO'S Role."
Despite her smirk still being present, Jade Tusk's frame tensed in irritation on being reminded of her predecessor's biggest blunder. And it was at that moment she realized that Buster was preparing to call her credibility into question, which would almost certainly undermine her accusations against Suki.
"He lost, and the legal world tore him apart. There was a time when following that incident that he removed yourself from the public eye, a sort of self-imposed exile of self-loathing as they all praised Charlie, but labeled him 'a deluded, washed-up charlatan who never had a hit in his career.'"
It was at that moment, Jade Tusk, despite the anger boiling beneath the surface of his calm demeanor, recognized that Buster was speaking in a way that did not reflect on the defense lawyer, but himself.
"That is what they said about me a year ago. I had reached a low point in my life so deep I thought that was where I belonged. But my dad always told me that when you hit rock bottom, there is only one place left to go, and that is up."
Buster paused, his eyes reading Jade Tusk to see if what he was saying was getting through to her. And he was, though Jade Tusk didn't show it on her face, but her eyes. And while his friends felt Buster was digging himself deeper, Charlie, despite feeling this as well, also realized that Buster was actually bolstering his case, drawing parallels between himself and Jack Burro in a way that showed empathy, and would most certainly level the playing field a little bit more. And a frowning Crystal knew this.
"We both found that spark and worked our way back up," Buster continued, his expression and voice now so soft that one would assume he was speaking to a child.
"We built ourselves back up to the point we were at, then we kept building until we reached great prominence. I caught a fraction of what he would have thought when he saw Charlie walk into the courtroom yesterday. That everything you worked for was about to come crashing back down. That is how I felt when Suki rejected myself and my friends."
This made Suki feel even worse. Had she really been so callous, so dismissive that she had pretty much led an aspiring showman to nearly give up? To feel like he had nothing left to push for. Now, she knew her words had cut deep into other performers and producers before, but she just couldn't quite figure out why Buster's words just seemed to…hurt.
"But my friends and I found that spark again," Buster continued, "and we pushed forward. We instilled a fire in ourselves in order to prove ourselves. And I was determined not to let all of our hard work, from my cast to the production team, set designers, etc. go to waste."
Buster paused as he looked past Jade Tusk, past Charlie...to his friends, each returning the loving and caring smile he sent to them. Even Porsha found herself moved to tears by Buster's touching statements. And while the jury seemed to remain neutral, some of the member couldn't help but feel moved by Buster's speech.
"I owed it to them," he finally said, before his eyes landed on Rosita.
"I owed it to Rosita."
"Why Rosita?" Jade Tusk inquired after a moment, her face and voice devoid of any expression or emotion.
Charlie didn't like this.
Don't Buster, he thought to himself.
"Because she had been through enough already."
Dammit.
"Elaborate please."
Once again, Buster realized he was leading himself into a trap, but he needed as much of the truth out as possible, the koala not considering how Jade Tusk might use his next statement against him.
"Rosita had dreamed of performing in Redshore since she was a kid. When she told me this, I wrote the lead roll for 'Out of this World' specifically for her. Then Mr. Crystal came and forced me to give the lead role to Porsha."
Upon hearing this, Jade Tusk let a slight smirk tug at the corner of his mouth, the doe getting exactly what she wanted to get the right momentum for his case, the sudden expression causing Buster to finally realize just how much his mouth would truly get him into trouble as it had before.
"So, resentment?" Jade responded accusingly, the accusation itself causing Charlie's brows to furrow in irritation.
"A desire to get even…is that what you're saying?"
"OBJECTI-!"
"It's quite alright, Dr. Lane!" Jade Tusk immediately cut off, her smirk now a full-on smile.
"I have no further questions. And if Dr. Lane has no questions, I would like to call Rosita Reese to the witness booth."
"Mr. Lane," Prides immediately added, "your witness?"
For a solid minute, Charlie just stood there, his eyes glancing down at the table in front of him. It was clear to Buster, Suki, Jade Tusk, Crystal, and the others that he was weighing his options in his head, trying to find the best course of action. Now, at first, he thought he might try a filibuster option, keep Buster on the stand as long as possible. But it wouldn't matter. In the end Rosita would still be called to the witness stand. And if it went the way he thought it was going to go, it would result in Porsha being called to the stand.
GURRR!
Charlie was interrupted in his musings by a rumble of his stomach. This perplexed him. He had only just had breakfast before coming to the courthouse. Looking to the clock situated behind Prides, Charlie could see that it was only…
2:43!
To anyone who had been so engrossed in the testimony and cross-examination like Charlie was, both would have seemed to have taken only half an hour. But, if one were to go into the more nitty-gritty details of it, it was in reality much longer. But then again, Charlie had been in the game so long, all the action just seemed to blur together. When he became so engrossed in something, time just seemed to be nonexistent.
And still no Jerry Stilwell.
But, to Charlie, this was a perfect opportunity to reevaluate his approach.
"No questions from me your honor," he responded with great civility, "and given the time, I believe a recess is due."
Upon looking at his watch, Prides' own eyes seemed to widen some in surprise.
"Yes," he said with a slight nod, "I do believe you are right, Dr. Lane. Mr. Moon, you are dismissed until called upon again. We shall take a one-hour recess for lunch…well, given the time I will allot an extra fifteen minutes. And I must remind the jury that there must be no discussion of this case or its details outside of this courtroom. Court will reconvene at 4 P.M."
With that, a gentle thrum of multiple conversations filled the ears of the defense and prosecution as they were led out of the courtroom. To what they could hear, there were speculations of guilt and innocence, which of course could be suspected. But as Buster joined them, the Troupe, Suki, and Charlie could only focus on him, though the koala could only focus on the floor beneath him. But, as both sides of the case were led into separate rooms down the side hall of the courthouse, Crystal casting a very visible sneer toward Suki and Porsha in the process, the unnerved teen being pulled into a comforting embrace by Suki, Charlie placed a hand on Jade Tusks's shoulder, the donkey turning to meet the gaze of his opponent.
"Ms. Lu…walk with me."
At first hesitant, Jade Tusk, after informing Crystal that he would be just outside, closed the door behind him, and Charlie vice-versa.
"I'll give it to ya, Ms. Lu," Charlie said as the saluki and doe walked down the otherwise vacant hall, the faint clacking of his cane on the linoleum tiles coming unevenly with the heels of their shoes.
"You've impressed me."
This caught Jade Tusk off guard, but he refused to let it show. She would not give Charlie Lane the satisfaction that something the dog said had filled her with a strange sense of accomplishment. But, having a strong sense of professional civility, she did let her eyebrows raise as she nodded her head, a small grunt of acknowledgement sounding from her throat.
"I appreciate that, Dr. Lane," he said with surprising earnestness, "truly I do."
At that moment, Jade Tusk's appreciative expression gave way to one more along the lines of accusatory.
"But…you did not invite me to walk with you just to say that?"
Charlie paused for a moment, the saluki DA actually finding himself more and more impressed with the fact that Jade Tusk was more entuned with observational skills than Jack Burro. Yes, as Charlie himself observed, Jade Tusk was nothing as slow witted as that donkey those five years ago when he tried, and failed, to have Suki thrown out of Crystal Enterprises.
And therein lies the rub…
The conflict of interest that had been mentioned in the courtroom.
"Tell me Ms. Lu," he began bluntly, a neutral expression on his face as they briefly came to a stop, both lawyers turning to face each other as Charlie spoke, the saluki holding his neutral expression as Jade Tusk held a more attentive one.
"Are you fond of Jimmy? Do you believe he is innocent? Or is there some sort of vendetta you have?"
For a long, solid minute, Jade Tusk stood in silence, the doe's gaze briefly shifting to both lawyer's shoes. Her gaze came back up, the doe letting out a quiet tsk from his teeth as she crossed her arms over her, as Charlie noticed, admittedly busty chest, her right foot swaying slightly as she returned her gaze squarely on Charlie, the saluki being slightly caught off guard as his opponent continued down the long corridor, going at a, as Charlie could only surmise, a thoughtfully slow pace for the handicapped dog.
"Well," she finally answered, "I'm fond of his money. When he hired me on, he offered me twice my usual rate if I could get him off. Triple if I could take Suki, Moon, and the rest of them down in the process."
Charlie would be lying if he didn't see that little bit of information coming. Even under arrest and his main assets frozen, Jimmy probably still had access to money in separate, more secret accounts.
"Two," Jade Tusk continued, his tone becoming eerily more nonchalant, "he's guilty as sin. Told me so himself. And even if the jury itself finds him guilty, he'll want to make sure he takes that lot down with him. But you need to remember, Charlie, even if the client is guilty, we have an obligation to uphold our oath; to uphold the bylaws of the constitution and the rights of every American citizen. That each may receive a fair trial by a jury of their peers, and for us to be faithful to our clients. Innocent until proven guilty."
It was upon hearing this spoken with a cruel, condescending tone that Charlie realized that Jade Tusk was no regular lawyer. And with each word he began to realize what that anonymous note meant.
"Three…there is vendetta, but more one that needs Jimmy as a tool to enact."
Once again, Jade Tusk stopped in her tracks, the doe placing himself right in front of the saluki, stopping the canine dead in his tracks. Another long pause, which, combined with Jade Tusk's hard glare, led Charlie to believe that his opponent had more to say.
"And you're one to talk about a vendetta. I know you."
This actually made Charlie stiffen, the taller lawyer actually starting to feel rather small next to Jade Tusk.
"You wanted Crystal gone long before that mess with Suki. You're not doing this for those twerps in the courtroom, are you?"
"Of course, I am," Charlie snapped back, his teeth clenched and his eyes burning, the ferocious gaze actually making Jade Tusk take a few steps back, the doe actually becoming somewhat fearful of Charlie, though she wouldn't let it show. Though if she was being honest, this display of power was actually turning her on a bit.
"I refuse to let more lives be ruined because of Jimmy Crystal. You've said it yourself Ms. Lu, he's guilty as sin. And you can't sit there and tell me that WHEN the jury finds him guilty, he will not have gotten what he deserves."
"Of course, he'll have gotten what he deserves," Jade Tusk interjected with a laugh, closing both her hands in a lose grip around his tie as she spoke, "I never said he wouldn't. I believe what Moon says, that he and his friends are good people that just made a bad choice. And everybody deserves a second chance. And I'll be honest, after hearing him talk about what happened a year ago, I decided to leave it out of my cross-examination. But don't think that means I'm trying to sabotage myself. I'm still going to do my best. But at the end of this, it's just another recruitment job for my main boss. I could care less what happens to Moon or Crystal."
"Long as you get paid," Charlie added with a sigh of a chuckle, the saluki actually being pulled a little bit into the doe's charm.
"Now you're catching on," Jade Tusk said as she suddenly released his tie, taking a step back, a curious glint in her eye as she seemed to study the saluki before her.
"You are a rare breed of lawyer, Charlie."
"How so?"
"You are not driven by ambition or money. You are driven by your own firm belief of justice. You cannot be bought or swayed to deviate from your present course. I will admit, I admire that about you. But it is also a flaw. For that, I want to amend what I said. You ARE doing this for them…but not just them, or Suki, or yourself."
Charlie paused briefly, his expression softening as he took a deep breath.
"I am doing this for Porsha."
Another pause as Charlie tried to steady his still uneven breathing.
"She deserves this kind of closure after what happened to her mother."
Jade Tusk stilled at this. She knew what Charlie was talking about. The late Amelia Crystal, mother of Porsha and wife of Jimmy, who was one of Redshore's rising stars. Sure, her marriage to a wolf fifteen years her senior might be considered scandalous, but in the end, Jimmy Crystal, up until that point, had always been seen with some young piece of eye-candy on his arm. Amelia was just the lucky one. And not one year later, the couple had welcomed Porsha into the world. Yes, they were truly the ideal power couple.
But the Lane siblings had always known better.
"Amelia was our best friend," Charlie continued, his eyes slowly brimming with tears, the sight actually making Jade Tusk feel uneasy, a look of great discomfort etching its way onto her muzzle.
"She was nothing like Jimmy. She saw everyone beneath her as equals. She knew nothing but love and respect. Suki and I loved her as a sister. She always came to us when she needed someone to talk to. She was always welcome to the Lane household. She always brought Porsha with her. Oh, Suki loved that little pup, still does. It broke our hearts the first time she told us about who Jimmy really was."
Another pause as Charlie clenched his eyes shut in anger.
"Jimmy was lucky her fur was so thick it could hide the bruises. Before I shipped out on my last tour, Amelia came and told me she had found someone who made her feel happier than she ever did with Jimmy. She asked Pop if he would represent her in the divorce proceedings. Jimmy caught wind of it…and well…"
Another pause as Charlie's face went totally slack, void of all emotion...
Only a cold, hard glare.
"Nobody makes Jimmy Crystal look bad."
And Jade Tusk knew at that moment, that Charlie had really begun to connect the dots between Crystal…and the murder of Amelia.
"The truth will be revealed Ms. Lu," he practically growled, "one way or another. And it starts when the police drag Jerry's miserable tail in here."
At that moment, Jade Tusk's expression shift from surprise to small grin…one that greatly unsettled Charlie.
"That may be a bit difficult, Dr. Lane…since Jerry is in a secret location compiling a lot of dirt against your little friends."
It was around this time that Kayla and Kris's plane landed. The lovely mother otter held baby Jason close to her. His little green eyes locking onto hers as he began to fuss. It was feeding time and Kris knew it, so she sat herself down on a bench, opened her shirt and let her hungry child got to town on her milky tit. As the baby nursed from his mother, Kayla went and made a call, to be picked up and be taken to the hotel Nick was staying at.
Boy, would he be surprised to see his mother and wife and son.