Chapter Twenty-Three

There was never a comparison to first class when it came to flying. That's the only way Stephanie travelled. If part of her cover were that she had to fly coach, she would always turn down the job without fail. But that wasn't the case as she flew out of Los Angeles International Airport. The only drawback was that a man in his fifties was sitting beside her, and Stephanie couldn't believe how ugly he was. He had a big nose, was fat, and was losing his hair.

"So, where are you headed?" the Ugly Man asked.

"I'm going to Europe for a while," Stephanie said.

"Backpacker, huh?" the Ugly Man asked impressed.

Stephanie looked away and rolled her eyes. Then she looked back at the Ugly Man smiling and held out her right hand.

"I'm Lizzie," Stephanie lied.

The Ugly Man reached for her right hand, but before he could even touch her, Stephanie grabbed the Ugly Man's hand and knew what pressure points to squeeze to cause him pain.

"If you talk to me again during this flight, I won't just cause you pain, you fucking piece of shit!" Stephanie whispered. "I'll say that you tried to touch me, and based on my looks and based on yours, who do you think anyone is going to believe?"

The Ugly Man nodded, and Stephanie let go of his wrist. Once she was satisfied, he would leave her alone, and she was satisfied she would enjoy the rest of the flight.

XXXXX

Whenever she went anywhere, Daphne would always wear her signature dress, but she didn't wear it that day. She was wearing a light grey skirt and a business shirt. Her stockings matched, and Daphne wore high heels. The sunglasses she wore were the one item that gave her a little comfort. It was difficult for public members to see her eyes; that was what Daphne wanted. As she approached the courthouse entrance with Fred, her heart broke. There were protesters holding signs that read "Daphne Is A Killer!" and "The Mystery Inc. Murderess Must Fry!" She looked at Fred, and he could see the tears streaming down her face behind the lenses of her sunglasses.

"We both know you're innocent," Fred said. "Try to focus on that,"

Daphne wished she could focus on that, but that was impossible when people were yelling and screaming for her to die. Then, the Female Journalist who had been their supporter walked up to Daphne and had a camera crew with her. Fred didn't want that to happen, so he walked between Daphne and the Female Reporter.

"We're not making any comments today," Fred said. "Please leave,"

The Female Reporter ignored Fred and looked at Daphne.

"So, how are you feeling today?" the Female Reporter asked. "Do you think the jury will find you innocent?"

Daphne looked at the camera, hoping she would have the strength to say something. Something that would make her look good, but under all the pressure of the trial she was going to take part in and the crowd making it clear that they wanted her dead, she couldn't think of one damn word. The Female Reporter loved that Daphne wasn't saying a word and knew she could use that to her advantage.

"Haven't you got anything to say for yourself?" the Female Reporter urged. "You're live in Coolsville, and this will be broadcast internationally. Don't you want to say anything?"

And that was enough for Daphne to snap.

"I DON'T KNOW WHO KILLED ROBERT, BUT IT WASN'T ME!" Daphne yelled. "THAT'S WHAT I'VE GOT TO SAY FOR MYSELF, YOU FUCKING VULTURE!"

The Female Reporter couldn't help but smile, and Fred saw enough.

"GET OUT OF HERE!" Fred yelled. "DAPHNE IS INNOCENT, AND SHE DOESN'T DESERVE THIS!"

"We'll see what she deserves," the Female Reporter replied smugly.

The Female Reporter walked away with her camera crew quickly. As Fred watched them walk away, he hadn't noticed that Daphne had collapsed on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. Daphne knew she didn't have a chance, and based on the way she had, Fred had just behaved on live television was just another step closer to a guilty verdict.

XXXXX

Once Daphne was inside the courtroom, it was worse. Outside, she had to deal with the crowd's noise and the media's chaos. There was mostly silence inside, and Daphne couldn't handle that. Fred sat right behind her, and the Lawyer sat next to Daphne. As the Judge walked in, Daphne felt she was looking at the Grim Reaper, ready to pass a sentence before being heard. The Judge was a man in his late fifties with grey hair.

"All rise," a court official said.

Everyone in the courtroom stood up. Daphne had the most difficulty standing.

"The honorable Judge Reynolds," which all Daphne could remember.

The process was a blur for her. Daphne was overwhelmed that she was in court and hadn't been home since she was arrested. Then came the next part of that morning that she could remember.

"Murder in the first degree," Judge Reynolds said. "How do you plea?"

"Not guilty, your honor," the Lawyer said.

For a second, Judge Reynolds looked at Daphne with an expression that said, "Are you kidding me?". But in the next second, professionalism returned to his demeanour.

"Okay, the trial will take place next week,"

Daphne hadn't missed the expression in Judge Reynolds' eyes, and she knew that he hated her for wasting the court's time and that she should have pleaded guilty. But how could she plead guilty when she knew the truth?

XXXXX

The week after the initial hearing, it felt like only seconds had passed for Daphne. She couldn't remember returning to the police station and waiting for the trial to start. It was like she had never left the courtroom. She sat next to the Lawyer, and Fred sat behind her. Shaggy and Velma weren't there as they had to be at Mystery Inc. in the hope the business was still running. So far, there have been no signs of new business thanks to Daphne's trial. In the courtroom, she watched the Prosecuting Attorney and listened in horror to his opening statement. He was a man in his early thirties with red hair and green eyes. The Prosecuting Attorney's matching hair color to Daphne's didn't go unnoticed by the jury.

"Daphne Blake has a unique reputation in Coolsville," the Prosecuting Attorney said. "She's a founding member of Mystery Inc. Her photos have helped crack cases all over town. She even became a cartoon character in the beloved animated series. The cartoon representation of her and her friends was wholesome, to say the least. But who could forget after the series was cancelled, she did the controversial interview on Coolsville Excitement and the calendar she posed for,"

Daphne looked at the Lawyer desperately.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" Daphne whispered. "He's tearing my life apart!"

"Be quiet," the Lawyer whispered back. "If he says anything objectionable, I'll object,"

"Excuse me," the Prosecuting Attorney said.

Daphne was surprised that she had gotten his attention. The Lawyer felt embarrassed.

"Am I interrupting anything important?" the Prosecuting Attorney asked sarcastically.

"No, you're not," the Lawyer said before she looked at Judge Reynolds. "My apologies for the interruption,"

"Councillor, control your client," Judge Reynolds said, irritated.

"Yes, your honor," the Lawyer replied.

"Shall I continue?" the Prosecuting Attorney asked.

"Yes, you may," Judge Reynolds replied.

"Thank you, your honor," the Prosecuting said to Judge Reynolds before he returned his attention to the jury. "Like I was saying, Daphne had a great reputation in this town until she murdered Robert Ballard,"

The Lawyer stood up immediately.

"Objection, your honor!" the Lawyer said. "My client has not been established as Robert Ballard's killer,"

"Sustained," Judge Reynolds said to the Lawyer before he turned his attention to the Prosecuting Attorney. "Stick with the facts,"

"My apologies, your honor," the Prosecuting attorney said to Judge Reynolds before he returned his attention to the jury. "When the trial starts, you'll see how the facts point in the direction of Daphne Blake and before my colleague can object, that's the end of my closing statement,"

As Daphne looked at the jury, it was evident they liked the Prosecuting Attorney; some laughed at his closing statement, and most were smiling at him. Once Daphne's Lawyer stood up to give opening statements, all the jurors stopped smiling, and Daphne felt like her life was doomed.