A/N: Second chapter of trial! Where we dig deeper into the current witness, then go down an unexpected path of logic. Who will be able to follow this path? I look forward to the result. Enjoy, my readers!

April 28th, 2029

District Courthouse, Courtroom #4

11:30 a.m.

The Judge now looked at Mr. Solomon with great suspicion. "It is clear that you are not an innocent party in this. So the court demands that you tell us the significance of this new information."

"I… I will elect to take the fifth." Mr. Solomon said, crossing his arms.

"...! Mr. Solomon. What is the meaning of this?" Juniper asked. "I thought it was established that you couldn't be the culprit?"

"Because he's guilty of a different crime," Robin said, her eyes intense. "Of course, he's not going to tell us what that crime is. So we need to figure it out for ourselves!"

"Then a review of the case thus far is in order," The Judge said. "The victim was killed in a private room. While Mr. Solomon himself is excluded from suspicion, that does not hold true for the contestants. It has just been revealed that Miss Scribe and the defendant were the ultimate winners of the 'Worlds Collide' contest. So then, where does that leave us?"

Um, if I may, Your Honor. There's a question that the defense has been considering for a while," Juniper said, tugging at her pigtails. "The most likely motive to kill the victim was the prize for first place. However, this theory ran into a problem: We couldn't figure out why Miss Scribe wasn't killed sooner if that was the case."

"One can presume that the killer would not be aware that the victim was the winner," The Judge said. "So they only killed her once the contest drew near."

"But wait a second! Now we know that's not the case!" Athena exclaimed urgently. "The winner is decided ahead of time, so there was an opportunity for someone else to learn that it was Miss Scribe!"

"No, there wasn't." Mr. Solomon spoke up suddenly. "When the envelope was submitted to the court, did you notice something about it?"

"Yes. The envelope was golden, and it had wax seeeAAAHH!" Juniper screamed, snapping her pigtails into her eyes.

"Exactly. That wax seal has sealed the defense's case. Into a tomb, that is," Mr. Solomon said. "So never speak against me again!"

"Junie! Don't let this slip away! Remember that this guy tried to plead the fifth earlier!" Athena said. "There has to be something more to this!"

The Judge held up the envelope with his hands. "However, no matter how closely I look at this, I don't see how someone could have opened it without breaking the seal."

The light of the courtroom filtered down, and for a split second, Juniper saw-

Could it be? Was opening the envelope not needed in the first place? I hope that wasn't a trick of the light I saw just now.

"Your Honor! Um, please turn that envelope around!" Juniper said. "And hold it up to the light!"

"I don't see what the defense is driving at, but…" Suddenly, the Judge's eyes widened. "Oh my! I can see right through this now!"

"That makes sense! Even though it looks like it's made out of gold, it's still paper," Robin said. Then she slammed her palm onto the bench. "But what are we supposed to make of this, defense?"

"It means there was a perfect chance for someone to learn that Miss Scribe was the winner. Your Honor, could we get an enlarged photo of Mr. Solmon's desk?"

Once it was presented, Juniper looked at it to confirm her theory. Once she did… "TAKE THAT! I'd like the court to look at this lamp!"

"Yes, there appears to a lamp on that desk. What significance could this have to the case at large?" The Judge asked.

"Imagine this. One of the contestants enters the Judge's room for unknown reasons. Then, they spot the envelope on the desk. They want to see what's inside, but they're caught if they break the wax seal. So using the nearby lamp…" Juniper slammed her palms onto her bench. "They peeked into the envelope!"

"There's one way to know for sure if this theory is correct! Mr. Solomon, testify on if it's possible that someone had the chance to get their hands on it!" Robin demanded.

Mr. Solomon did not say anything, instead glaring at everyone in the courtroom.

"Refusing to testify again? You coward!" Athena yelled. "But that means someone did see inside the envelope!"

The Judge slammed his gavel. "The defense's co-counsel will settle down! Perhaps your theory is correct. But we are left with our earlier question- how does this incriminate the witness in a crime?"

Somewhere in Juniper's head, something clicked. A certain piece of the puzzle slotted into place, and shone new light on previously discussed evidence. "I think… I think I finally understand! Mr. Solomon might be an accomplice to the crime."

"An accomplice? Then I presume the defense has evidence to present?" The Judge asked.

"It's evidence that we've discussed previously, so it does not need to be presented again," Juniper said. "Throughout the trial, we've wondered how the killer could access the wallpaper used to wrap the body if it was under lock and key. We didn't consider a certain possibility."

Robin's eyes narrowed, and she clenched her fists. "Mr. Solomon! Did you personally give the killer the wallpaper? Because if this is proven, then you'll be arrested as an accessory for murder!"

"...That's only if you prove it." Mr. Solomon said, crossing his arms.

In the gallery, people chattered amongst themselves again.

"After all this time, the defendant is still a suspect!"

"But there's clearly something fishy going on about everything!"

"What is the prosecutor doing? This trial is out of control!"

At the prosecutor's bench, Robin was sweating profusely, and clenching her fists repeatedly.

"Order! Order!" The Judge repeatedly slammed his gavel. "Quiet down, or you will all be asked to leave!"

Once there was silence, he closed his eyes. "This is the court's opinion. There is strong evidence suggesting that Mr. Solomon was involved in this crime, but it has not been decisively proven. And he has invoked his right to remain silent. So pending further evidence, the witness is excused to the witness lobby."

"No! We can't just let him get away after all this!" Athena shouted, slamming her hands onto the bench.

"OBJECTION! Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do!" Robin pointed out. "At least, not right now!"

"Ugh, the worst part is that Robin is right," Athena said, frowning. "And it's tearing her up inside!"

"Then, what does the prosecution plan to do next?" The Judge asked.

"Clearly, the next step in this trial is to prove which contestant murdered Miss Scribe," Robin said. "And to do that, I call the witness from yesterday- Miss Sapling!"

Now Miss Sapling was on the witness stand. She was playing with her ponytail, but aside from that gave no indication that she was feeling nervous.

"Do you I have to give my name again? I already gave it yesterday," Miss Sapling said, pouting.

"Sorry about it! It's standard court procedure," Robin said, putting on her best smile. "Just bear with us, o-k-a-y?"

"This is why no one likes going to court, ya know. Alright, I'll do it," Miss Sapling said. "My name is Dakota Sapling, and I'm an author of dreamy love stories."

That's not all!" Athena cut in. "You're one of contestants of the 'Worlds Collide' contest!"

"That I am. Are you planning to make a big fuss about it?" Miss Sapling asked.

"There doesn't need to be a big fuss if you play along," Robin said, wagging her finger at her. "So just tell us what you did at the Los Angeles Convention center on the day of the crime!"

-Witness Testimony-

-Dakota's account-

"For most of that day, I was walking around the convention center," Miss Sapling said, running her thumbs on her overalls. "I don't think any of that matters."

"Later on, there was something I absolutely had to do!" Miss Sapling put her hands to her chest and swooned. "I was lucky enough to bask in that presence!"

"Nothing unusual happened while I was there, which is why I didn't mention it before."

"So then once the event I was attending to ended, I explored the convention center some more," Dakota said. "I don't believe I saw anything related."

"Lastly, I took a taxi home! And I already testified about this in court yesterday, so I won't bother to repeat myself!"

-End Testimony-

Uh oh. I don't see anything wrong with this testimony. None of my evidence seems to be related either.

"Thena? Please tell me you spotted something," Juniper asked nervously.

Athena was grinning, and she punched her open palm. "Si, yo lo tengo! There is discord in her voice!"

"Ah, so you're about to give the witness a therapy session!" Robin exclaimed. "The prosecution has personally experienced how effective they are! So I grant permission for this!"

"The court sees no issue with this." The Judge looked at Miss Sapling. "Will the witness accept this therapy session?"

"I guess I don't see why not. Except I don't really know what you're doing," Miss Sapling said, tugging at her ponytail.

"Don't worry about it! Just repeat your testimony for me!" Athena tapped Widget's face, and a digital interface appeared in mid-air.

"So Junie. Would you like to take this lead?" Athena asked.

"Do you really think it would be okay? You've done this all the time, and I've only ever been on the other side of Widget," Juniper pointed out.

"Think of it as valuable experience. Knowing how to sift through people's emotions can lead to truths that would otherwise be lost," Athena said. "I believe you can track down the source of discord!"

"Alright, I'll at least try." Juniper studied the Mood Matrix program. Right now, it was showing an image of Dakota walking down a hall. The emotions were a minor nervousness, but large amounts of joy.

Then Juniper flipped over to the next statement, and noticed a drastic change. The happiness now seemed to cover half the screen.

"This event that you were talking about, and this presence too. Are they related to a certain person?" Juniper had a feeling she already knew the answer. "Whatever they are, it certainly makes you happy."

"Is that so? Well, darn. I can't remember what it was that I did," Miss Sapling said, scratching the side of her face.

"Isn't that so convenient," Athena snarked. She turned towards Juniper. "Why don't you refresh her memory?"

Juniper presented the signed copy of the book she'd been given. "Does this help you-"

"Hey, now wait a cotton-picking second!" Miss Sapling took out a small trowel, then waved it at Juniper. "When did you get that? Give it to me!"

"I guess that answers that. The event you went to went was related to the author Edward Iraman." Onscreen, Juniper noticed the discord meter decrease.

"Okay, so it was. He was doing a book signing, and then a meet and greet with his fans. That's the kind of man he is," Datoka said, sighing in a dream fashion. "I was so lucky to be there!"

"Alright, that's more testimony! And usually, that means new emotions to study," Athena said.

She was right- as soon as Juniper updated the Mood Matrix, something very unusual surfaced. "I don't doubt that you were happy, since Mr. Iraman was your favorite author. But, suddenly, you seem really sad too. What happened?"

"What happened. It was… it was…" Dakota suddenly took her trowel and stabbed it into the witness stand. "It was awful! It was so unfair!"

"Witness! I ask that you not damage court property like that!" The Judge exclaimed.

"Woah!" The Mood Matrix was giving off a shrill alarm, and the screen was bombarded in colors. "I think I broke it, Thena!"

"No, the Mood Matrix is fine! The one that's not is Miss Sapling." Athena's expression was concerned as she studied the program. "There are two overflowing emotions here: surprise and anger. And I've never seen overflowing surprise. I didn't even think it was possible!"

"Okay, I think I know what to do next. I need to find out what the source of these emotions are." Juniper looked through the images supplied by Miss Sapling's testimony. It was then that she noticed something strange. "Could you come take a look at this?"

Right now, the Mood Matrix was showing an image of Miss Sapling waiting in line, while on the stage Mr. Iraman was standing near a small, round wire cage. "Well Junie, now you see the true beauty of Widget! We're seeing what Dakota is feeling- even stuff we wouldn't have known about ourselves."

"Oh, that's so cool! But, about this cage that's with Mr. Iraman. I think I finally know what it's for." A seemingly useless piece of evidence was suddenly very relevant.

"TAKE THAT! Miss Sapling, could the source of your surprise be related to this?" Juniper held up the bag containing the paper slip found on Skylar's body.

"Yes! That belonged to Miss Scribe!" Then Dakota clapped her hands over her own mouth.

"Well now! It looks like we need to know more about this event that our witness attended," Robin said. "Like you said before, we'd like to avoid a 'big fuss', if at all possible!"

"Okay, okay, stop picking on me!" Dakota exclaimed. "It was a raffle. The winner would get a one-on-one meeting with him. But… I didn't win! And I bought so many tickets!"

That explains it, then. This paper slip was an entry into a raffle.

Paper slip updated to Skylar's Raffle Ticket in the Court Record

The surprise in Miss Sapling's testimony fell, leaving only the anger. Juniper kept following the line of logic- she had a feeling knew where this was going.

"I think I know why you're so angry. Did Miss Scribe win the raffle instead?" Juniper asked.

"She did! But, wait… you ain't gonna accuse me of murder again, are ya?" Dakota said, clutching her hands together.

The Mood Matrix updated again, now showing a triumphant Miss Scribe on stage. "I don't want to, but then why were you so angry at her? Was it just for winning the raffle?"

"No, you don't understand. That woman didn't win the contest fairly. She cheated!" Dakota yelled.

"That accusation is out of line!" Robin shouted suddenly. "Skylar would never ever do something like that!"

"Prosecutor Newman, you will watch your tone!" The Judge said severely. "You were warned yesterday about controlling yourself!"

"But what the witness is doing is slandering the dead! That can't be allowed!" Robin countered.

"It's not slander! I have that proof you fancy pants lawyers love so much." Dakota took out a wire raffle cage filled with slips of papers. "After the raffle, I snuck up to the stage and borrowed this!"

"You mean you stole it," Athena pointed out, sweating.

"That's not the point! What's important is what's inside this cage!" Dakota took out several slips of paper, and showed them to the court. They all had the number 25 on them.

"...What? What the heck?!" Robin exclaimed, rearing back.

"That conniving girl must have stuffed this with fake ballots when no one was looking!" Dakota said triumphantly. "So there!"

The image on the Mood Matrix shifted to Skylar with the raffle cage behind the stage, putting slips into it. The discord vanished from the testimony, ending the therapy session.

Raffle Cage added to the Court Record

"Uh oh. That didn't go as planned," Widget whimpered.

"Now Skylar's name is being dragged through the mud and it's our fault!" Athena said, trying to fight back tears.

"OBJECTION! Even if what you're saying is true, and I don't think it is…" Robin slammed her palm onto her bench. Her entire body was shaking. "That still doesn't clear you of suspicion! If anything, it gives you stronger motive to kill her!"

"Will you stop at nothing to bully me? You aren't solving anything! All you're doing is wasting time!" Dakota snapped, her face red.

"That's right! But now I'm here to save the day!"

The doors to the courtroom opened, and the young boy in hero tights burst in, running up to the witness stand. He barely reached the top of the witness stand, but that didn't seem to bother him.

"And who is this now?" The Judge asked, his eyes wide.

"I am John Kent, and I'm a true hero!" John declared. "And I am here to stop this villain!"

"Oh, it's you again," Athena said, just as surprised. Then she put on an artificially wide smile and overly sweet tone. "We've got this handled, so why don't you run back to your parents, okay?"

"For your information, my parents already know I'm here!" John said. "They gave me permission to be here, because it would be educational!"

"...Something about that deeply concerns me," Juniper said.

"Before we hear your testimony, can the bailiff get a milk crate for the witness?" On the Judge's command, Bailey entered the room with a milk crate. John stood on it, elevating himself above the witness stand.

John fluttered his cape, then dramatically pointed at Robin. "You have bullied innocent people long enough!"

"Me? I've been bullying people?" Robin said, her face going pale.

"Who else but a bully would be picking on a lady like her," John gestured towards Miss Sapling. "And who else but a villain would try to send an innocent man to jail?"

"An innocent man… is that what you think I've been doing this whole time?" Now Robin's body was shaking again,

"Yes! Which is why when I defeat you, he's going to be let free!" John declared, smiling proudly. "I am going to be the hero for everyone in this courtroom!"

Amazingly, John's words seemed to be having an effect on the crowd in the gallery. Their faces became filled with doubt, and they whispered among themselves again.

"Could this little kid be right? Even if he's dressed in such a gaudy hero outfit, he seems to have a point."

"But, there's all the evidence against the defendant…?"

"What are you talking about? Just one look at the defendant and anyone could see he's innocent!"

"Yeah! If anyone is wrong, it's that prosecutor!"

Then the gallery at large began to boo at Robin, with some of them even throwing trash at her.

"Hey! All of you stop that!" Athena yelled, repeatedly banging her hand on her bench.

"Order! Order! The audience will cease at once!" The Judge demanded.

Robin's eyes darted around, and her shaking was getting worse. She cradled her head in her hands, and her breathing was getting heavy.

"What I was doing… I am… this trial…." Robin threw her head back and screamed at the top of her lungs. "AAAAAAAAHHHH!"

Robin staggered backward, until she hit the gallery stand before her, after which she slumped to the ground.

"Robin! Robin, please get up!" Juniper pleaded. "Come back! Say something! I- I still need you!"

To be continued.

A/N: There is an art to writing an AA case, where following leads seems to do nothing but make things worse. And things have certainly gotten much worse. Has anyone spotted the traces of the real truth hiding in this? Let me know. See you next time! Please review.