Major update! All of Turnabout Timber's chapters are now available form the comfort of the Beach!
EDIT 7/7/2021: Oh boy, boy oh boy. I was young when I wrote this and I don't think I can delete threads. Keep in mind if you're going to read this that there is an autistic character handled very poorly, and ableism near the end of the story. I'm sorry for not tagging this earlier, I didn't quite realize what I was doing back then.
For those who aren't on PokéBeach or want to read the story on-the-go, here's a PDF!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0UygpSOwUwqbzM1SGw0OVVjc3M/view?usp=sharing
Hello there, PokéBeach! My name's [], a boy who loves writing Nintendo fan-fiction stories and playing Pokémon TCG as part of the Play! Pokémon community. Me and two friends– @thegrovylekid (credited as ThatPichuKid) and @ExcalAura4D –decided a while back to start writing our own Ace Attorney cases, complete with brand-new OCs created for the stories. We started this project around one month ago and I'm glad to say that Turnabout Timber has finally been finished and is available to the public in a PDF format!
Please, don't be afraid to talk to me about the stories and characters! I love to talk about them and the universe in which they live. It's something I'm really passionate about, so I'd love to hear your thoughts on Turnabout Timber! There WILL be other cases, too, which are currently being written, so I'll let you know when those go up, too!
...Oh yeah, tell me about errors or typos I've made, please. That would be nice.
Thanks, from []
EDIT 7/7/2021: Oh boy, boy oh boy. I was young when I wrote this and I don't think I can delete threads. Keep in mind if you're going to read this that there is an autistic character handled very poorly, and ableism near the end of the story. I'm sorry for not tagging this earlier, I didn't quite realize what I was doing back then.
April 26, 2008 9:41 pm
Cloviet Residence
“Back off!”
“What?!”
“Yeah, you! Outta my way! I’ve things to... reclaim here!”
“B-But I never... Don’t you--”
SLASH!!
“N-Nooooo!! W-Will!”
SLASH!!
BANG!!
“EEEEEEYAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIHHHHHHH!!”
“B-Benjamin...”
BANG!!
A young boy fell to the ground hard, before quickly getting up. All people inside the house had run out to their cars, a business dinner gone wrong. He held an axe in his hands, which had blood dripping from it heavily. The boy had short, brown hair that was matted and unevenly cut, and a red shirt that had a number “1” in blue on it. The areas around his left shoulder and right hip had been torn off, and on his left shoulder, he had a deep circle-shaped wound oozing blood--a gunshot wound. His grey shorts, green socks, and blue shoes had been stained with blood, and his black eyes dilated.
“M-Mommy… D-D-Daddy… NO!!”
April 27, 2008 4:32 am
Anaman Residence
“Mom... Benji’s parents...”
“I know, Sakura. It hasn’t even been twelve hours and they already think he did it.”
“But he didn’t! How can we help him?”
“We can’t. Not unless...”
A young girl with pink hair and what appeared to be her mom sat on their living room couch, trying to comprehend what had just happened.
“Not unless what?!”
“We can call a defence attorney. They’ll take it from there.”
“Okay, but who?” The young girl seemed to know about defence attorneys and law.
“There’s a new lawyer who’s currently free. All the others are booked up except for this one. Here, I happen to have his number right here,” said the mother, pulling up a number on her phone. “Just tap this and you’ll call him.”
“What’s his name?”
“Looks like Al Catraz to me.”
“Okay, here goes...” The girl waited for a few minutes and hoped for an answer.
April 27, 2008 4:36 am
Catraz Residence
“Hello, Mr. Catraz, I’m sorry for calling so early in the morning. Please forgive me.”
“No, no problem. What happened to make you call me? (Ugh. I hate these early morning calls. Why is a kid calling me, anyway? How are they not tired?)”
“See... It’s about my friend... He...”
“He what? Don’t be afraid to tell me.”
“Last night, two people were killed, right? Nookville, Lamina. William and Emma Cloviet. Sliced and stabbed with an axe. One of them was shot, too. But here’s the thing... They were my friend’s parents. Even worse, they think he did it. They think Benjamin Cloviet--their son and my friend--did it.”
“Alright, I’ll be down at the Detention Center in half an hour.”
“He’s not there, Mr. Catraz, and he’s not in Edict City. The police can’t find him. Your best shot of finding him is at Tortimer Island’s Viridian Forest. Please, find him... and don’t let him refuse your defense. He’s hopeless without it.”
“...Oh, alright. Thanks. Can I ask your name and age, please?”
“Sakura Anaman, and I’m seven years old. Thank you so much for helping Benji! By the way, here’s my number...”
The girl on the phone told the person she called her phone number.
“No problem. Thank you for telling me about him.”
*beep*
Allen Catraz, better known as Al Catraz, got out of his bed slowly, dragging himself out and barely able to open his eyes.
“Ugh, 4:30 in the morning. Why was I called now?” he remarked to himself. Changing into his attorney’s suit and pinning on his badge, he walked into the nearby bathroom and brushing his hair, he got a good look at his current appearance: short black hair that was bushy and swept to one side, his trademark tan fedora on top. He had a dark blue suit on with a white shirt underneath and a red tie attached, much larger than it probably should have been. The suit split to the side at the ends and he had a golden, shiny attorney’s badge on that must have been brand-new. His black pants and brown shoes weren’t visible from the mirror but had been cleaned very recently. Brushing his teeth and being careful not to wake anyone else up at such an early time of day, he grabbed his wallet, passport, out-of-town necessities and suitcase, and left the house for the train station. After all, Tortimer Island was three hours away from Edict City by train. Al took a taxi out to the train station, paying a hefty fine for the transportation, and stepped into the subway station, barely making his train. Aboard the train to Tortimer Island, Al took the time to collect the details Sakura had given him about his defendant. He couldn’t be sure Sakura was who she said she was.
“Benjamin Cloviet, huh...? On April 26, 2008, at around 9:45 pm, William and Emma Cloviet were killed. The causes of death were slice wounds caused by an axe, one of the parents being shot as well. ...Huh, Cloviet sounds like a French name. I wonder what this kid’s like, and if he’s really innocent...”
Finishing his sleep in the train, Al almost missed his stop at Tortimer Island. He picked up his suitcase and headed off the train car, walking through the almost-empty subway station with a slight stagger from morning fatigue. He went to the nearest coffee shop to buy a large espresso coffee, breakfast biscuit, and a gingerbread cookie (because dessert can be had any time of the day), and took a seat to quickly wake up. He then started eating his breakfast, thinking abut how he would get to this forest Benjamin was supposedly in. “Sakura left a phone number, didn’t she? I should ask about where to go.” Al decided after he finished eating, reaching into his pants pocket and pulling out a relatively cheap smartphone, going into his recent calls and redialing Sakura.
*ring* *ring*
“Hello? This is Sakura. What do you need, Mr. Catraz?”
“Uh, I’m at the station and I’m not sure where to go next...”
“Don't worry about that! Me and Mom are driving up now to pick you up! We’ll help out any way we can if it means Benji’s proven innocent!”
“(WHAT?! Why? This kid knows nothing about me!) Thank you! I really appreciate it, Sakura.”
“No problem! When we get there, you can thank Mom! She’s the one who suggested it!”
*beep*
Al packed up his things, having saved his cookie for later, and exited the coffee shop with a normal walk this time around. He adjusted his hair and clothes so he would look nice for young Anaman and her aunt. His attorney’s badge flashed brightly against the subway lights, reflecting light into the coffee shop clerk’s eyes. He briefly shielded his eyes until Al moved towards the parking lot exit. The subway station was exactly what one would think it to be. A large area lined with convenience stores and map kiosks, the light grey flooring and walls had light shining brightly from the recently tended to lamps, and the walls had more ads plastered to them than criminals found guilty in Edict City. Mind you, Al never defended those people. At the time, he was still in law school. This case would be his first. On that note, why would Sakura ask him specifically to defend her friend for murder? Things were looking tougher and tougher by the minute. Suddenly, a voice called out from about twenty feet away from Al.
“Hey Mr. Catraz! We’re here!” exclaimed Sakura, running up to meet the lawyer. She pumped her fists in confidence. “I know Benji’s innocent and you’ll prove it, right?”
“O-Of course I w-w-will!” Al was slightly nervous. Sakura had put all this pressure on him, yet the two had never met, and Al didn’t even know the defendant!
“I think you’ll do a good job, even if it is your first case,” stated a lady in her early thirties. She had long, brown hair and a fairly warm outfit which consisted of a dark sea green long-sleeved shirt and black leggings meant for yoga. “By the way, my name’s Mercedes Anaman. It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Catraz. My niece has heard lots of things about you.”
“Oh, has she? I just graduated from law school! (I don’t remember being in the media at all... wait, Sakura is her niece?)”
“She thinks you’ll be able to do the job best. Even if you don’t think that of yourself, it’s awfully nice to have someone who does.”
Al thought about that statement, finding it made perfect sense. Even though he had just gotten out of law school with flying colours, he always doubted himself and underestimated his skill. However, even with that being said, he believed even more in his clients and defendants. Al really understood the minds of those he was defending. He never got involved in any crime himself, but he could get into the minds of others and think like they would. This aided him greatly in mock trials for university. And now, it would aid him in real trials.
“Well, thanks. I think we should be getting to the forest now, right?”
“You’re right, Mr. Catraz!”
“Uh... you can just call me Al, Sakura.”
The three exited the halls of the subway station, which were now starting to become busy, and found Mercedes’s car parked nearby the doors to the parking lot. It was a 2006 Ford Focus which had slight wear for the most part, the shiny silver paint scratched a bit everywhere except for the slight dent in the rear end. A car accident most likely caused this. Al entered the passenger seat, Sakura in the back where her booster seat laid, and Mercedes in the driver’s seat. The keys went into the slot, and the engine revved with life as the three backed out of the parking lot.
“So, can you tell be a bit about yourself?” asked Al to Sakura. If he was going to be hanging around her a lot, it was only fair that he know a bit about who she was.
“Oh, okay! I’m a seven-year old in Grade 1 who goes to Tom Nook Elementary, in Mrs. Gracie’s class. I like to sing and draw, but more than anything, I like things like this.” she explained.
“You like murder and violence?!”
“No, no no no! I like being a person that looks into murders and gets to do all that cool sort of thing!”
“You mean a detective, right? Or perhaps a forensics expert?”
“Yeah! I found out about you on the Internet. You looked like you were good for the job, and everyone else was booked up.”
“I have ads on the Internet?” Al hadn’t remembered putting up a page on the web at any point. He figured his law school professor had done one for him, which was probably why Sakura found him.
“You didn’t know? Of course you do!”
“Why do I have a page on the Internet?”
“I don’t know, Mr.--I mean, Al.”
The two were about halfway there to Viridian Forest. Al went into his pocket and pulled out the gingerbread cookie to eat it, but Sakura stopped him.
“Don’t eat that.”
“Why? I can eat it if I want to!” Al wasn’t used to dealing with young children, and he wasn’t sure how to go about a child telling him not to eat.
Sakura cringed a bit at Al’s sudden harsh tone. “Do you want Benji to talk to you or not?”
“Of course I want Benjamin to talk to me! I need him to in order to help him in the first place!”
“Well, he loves gingerbread cookies. It’s a bit weird. No matter what the situation, if you give Benji a gingerbread cookie he’ll do anything you ask of him. He would eat them every minute of his life.”
“I would have never guessed. Thanks for letting me know.”
“Oh! One more thing I forgot. Al, please don’t get annoyed by his speech or anything weird he does.”
“Why would I be annoyed by that?” Al didn’t know enough about Benjamin to know about the conditions that prevented him from being like anyone else.
Cloviet Residence
“Back off!”
“What?!”
“Yeah, you! Outta my way! I’ve things to... reclaim here!”
“B-But I never... Don’t you--”
SLASH!!
“N-Nooooo!! W-Will!”
SLASH!!
BANG!!
“EEEEEEYAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIHHHHHHH!!”
“B-Benjamin...”
BANG!!
A young boy fell to the ground hard, before quickly getting up. All people inside the house had run out to their cars, a business dinner gone wrong. He held an axe in his hands, which had blood dripping from it heavily. The boy had short, brown hair that was matted and unevenly cut, and a red shirt that had a number “1” in blue on it. The areas around his left shoulder and right hip had been torn off, and on his left shoulder, he had a deep circle-shaped wound oozing blood--a gunshot wound. His grey shorts, green socks, and blue shoes had been stained with blood, and his black eyes dilated.
“M-Mommy… D-D-Daddy… NO!!”
April 27, 2008 4:32 am
Anaman Residence
“Mom... Benji’s parents...”
“I know, Sakura. It hasn’t even been twelve hours and they already think he did it.”
“But he didn’t! How can we help him?”
“We can’t. Not unless...”
A young girl with pink hair and what appeared to be her mom sat on their living room couch, trying to comprehend what had just happened.
“Not unless what?!”
“We can call a defence attorney. They’ll take it from there.”
“Okay, but who?” The young girl seemed to know about defence attorneys and law.
“There’s a new lawyer who’s currently free. All the others are booked up except for this one. Here, I happen to have his number right here,” said the mother, pulling up a number on her phone. “Just tap this and you’ll call him.”
“What’s his name?”
“Looks like Al Catraz to me.”
“Okay, here goes...” The girl waited for a few minutes and hoped for an answer.
April 27, 2008 4:36 am
Catraz Residence
“Hello, Mr. Catraz, I’m sorry for calling so early in the morning. Please forgive me.”
“No, no problem. What happened to make you call me? (Ugh. I hate these early morning calls. Why is a kid calling me, anyway? How are they not tired?)”
“See... It’s about my friend... He...”
“He what? Don’t be afraid to tell me.”
“Last night, two people were killed, right? Nookville, Lamina. William and Emma Cloviet. Sliced and stabbed with an axe. One of them was shot, too. But here’s the thing... They were my friend’s parents. Even worse, they think he did it. They think Benjamin Cloviet--their son and my friend--did it.”
“Alright, I’ll be down at the Detention Center in half an hour.”
“He’s not there, Mr. Catraz, and he’s not in Edict City. The police can’t find him. Your best shot of finding him is at Tortimer Island’s Viridian Forest. Please, find him... and don’t let him refuse your defense. He’s hopeless without it.”
“...Oh, alright. Thanks. Can I ask your name and age, please?”
“Sakura Anaman, and I’m seven years old. Thank you so much for helping Benji! By the way, here’s my number...”
The girl on the phone told the person she called her phone number.
“No problem. Thank you for telling me about him.”
*beep*
Allen Catraz, better known as Al Catraz, got out of his bed slowly, dragging himself out and barely able to open his eyes.
“Ugh, 4:30 in the morning. Why was I called now?” he remarked to himself. Changing into his attorney’s suit and pinning on his badge, he walked into the nearby bathroom and brushing his hair, he got a good look at his current appearance: short black hair that was bushy and swept to one side, his trademark tan fedora on top. He had a dark blue suit on with a white shirt underneath and a red tie attached, much larger than it probably should have been. The suit split to the side at the ends and he had a golden, shiny attorney’s badge on that must have been brand-new. His black pants and brown shoes weren’t visible from the mirror but had been cleaned very recently. Brushing his teeth and being careful not to wake anyone else up at such an early time of day, he grabbed his wallet, passport, out-of-town necessities and suitcase, and left the house for the train station. After all, Tortimer Island was three hours away from Edict City by train. Al took a taxi out to the train station, paying a hefty fine for the transportation, and stepped into the subway station, barely making his train. Aboard the train to Tortimer Island, Al took the time to collect the details Sakura had given him about his defendant. He couldn’t be sure Sakura was who she said she was.
“Benjamin Cloviet, huh...? On April 26, 2008, at around 9:45 pm, William and Emma Cloviet were killed. The causes of death were slice wounds caused by an axe, one of the parents being shot as well. ...Huh, Cloviet sounds like a French name. I wonder what this kid’s like, and if he’s really innocent...”
Finishing his sleep in the train, Al almost missed his stop at Tortimer Island. He picked up his suitcase and headed off the train car, walking through the almost-empty subway station with a slight stagger from morning fatigue. He went to the nearest coffee shop to buy a large espresso coffee, breakfast biscuit, and a gingerbread cookie (because dessert can be had any time of the day), and took a seat to quickly wake up. He then started eating his breakfast, thinking abut how he would get to this forest Benjamin was supposedly in. “Sakura left a phone number, didn’t she? I should ask about where to go.” Al decided after he finished eating, reaching into his pants pocket and pulling out a relatively cheap smartphone, going into his recent calls and redialing Sakura.
*ring* *ring*
“Hello? This is Sakura. What do you need, Mr. Catraz?”
“Uh, I’m at the station and I’m not sure where to go next...”
“Don't worry about that! Me and Mom are driving up now to pick you up! We’ll help out any way we can if it means Benji’s proven innocent!”
“(WHAT?! Why? This kid knows nothing about me!) Thank you! I really appreciate it, Sakura.”
“No problem! When we get there, you can thank Mom! She’s the one who suggested it!”
*beep*
Al packed up his things, having saved his cookie for later, and exited the coffee shop with a normal walk this time around. He adjusted his hair and clothes so he would look nice for young Anaman and her aunt. His attorney’s badge flashed brightly against the subway lights, reflecting light into the coffee shop clerk’s eyes. He briefly shielded his eyes until Al moved towards the parking lot exit. The subway station was exactly what one would think it to be. A large area lined with convenience stores and map kiosks, the light grey flooring and walls had light shining brightly from the recently tended to lamps, and the walls had more ads plastered to them than criminals found guilty in Edict City. Mind you, Al never defended those people. At the time, he was still in law school. This case would be his first. On that note, why would Sakura ask him specifically to defend her friend for murder? Things were looking tougher and tougher by the minute. Suddenly, a voice called out from about twenty feet away from Al.
“Hey Mr. Catraz! We’re here!” exclaimed Sakura, running up to meet the lawyer. She pumped her fists in confidence. “I know Benji’s innocent and you’ll prove it, right?”
“O-Of course I w-w-will!” Al was slightly nervous. Sakura had put all this pressure on him, yet the two had never met, and Al didn’t even know the defendant!
“I think you’ll do a good job, even if it is your first case,” stated a lady in her early thirties. She had long, brown hair and a fairly warm outfit which consisted of a dark sea green long-sleeved shirt and black leggings meant for yoga. “By the way, my name’s Mercedes Anaman. It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Catraz. My niece has heard lots of things about you.”
“Oh, has she? I just graduated from law school! (I don’t remember being in the media at all... wait, Sakura is her niece?)”
“She thinks you’ll be able to do the job best. Even if you don’t think that of yourself, it’s awfully nice to have someone who does.”
Al thought about that statement, finding it made perfect sense. Even though he had just gotten out of law school with flying colours, he always doubted himself and underestimated his skill. However, even with that being said, he believed even more in his clients and defendants. Al really understood the minds of those he was defending. He never got involved in any crime himself, but he could get into the minds of others and think like they would. This aided him greatly in mock trials for university. And now, it would aid him in real trials.
“Well, thanks. I think we should be getting to the forest now, right?”
“You’re right, Mr. Catraz!”
“Uh... you can just call me Al, Sakura.”
The three exited the halls of the subway station, which were now starting to become busy, and found Mercedes’s car parked nearby the doors to the parking lot. It was a 2006 Ford Focus which had slight wear for the most part, the shiny silver paint scratched a bit everywhere except for the slight dent in the rear end. A car accident most likely caused this. Al entered the passenger seat, Sakura in the back where her booster seat laid, and Mercedes in the driver’s seat. The keys went into the slot, and the engine revved with life as the three backed out of the parking lot.
“So, can you tell be a bit about yourself?” asked Al to Sakura. If he was going to be hanging around her a lot, it was only fair that he know a bit about who she was.
“Oh, okay! I’m a seven-year old in Grade 1 who goes to Tom Nook Elementary, in Mrs. Gracie’s class. I like to sing and draw, but more than anything, I like things like this.” she explained.
“You like murder and violence?!”
“No, no no no! I like being a person that looks into murders and gets to do all that cool sort of thing!”
“You mean a detective, right? Or perhaps a forensics expert?”
“Yeah! I found out about you on the Internet. You looked like you were good for the job, and everyone else was booked up.”
“I have ads on the Internet?” Al hadn’t remembered putting up a page on the web at any point. He figured his law school professor had done one for him, which was probably why Sakura found him.
“You didn’t know? Of course you do!”
“Why do I have a page on the Internet?”
“I don’t know, Mr.--I mean, Al.”
The two were about halfway there to Viridian Forest. Al went into his pocket and pulled out the gingerbread cookie to eat it, but Sakura stopped him.
“Don’t eat that.”
“Why? I can eat it if I want to!” Al wasn’t used to dealing with young children, and he wasn’t sure how to go about a child telling him not to eat.
Sakura cringed a bit at Al’s sudden harsh tone. “Do you want Benji to talk to you or not?”
“Of course I want Benjamin to talk to me! I need him to in order to help him in the first place!”
“Well, he loves gingerbread cookies. It’s a bit weird. No matter what the situation, if you give Benji a gingerbread cookie he’ll do anything you ask of him. He would eat them every minute of his life.”
“I would have never guessed. Thanks for letting me know.”
“Oh! One more thing I forgot. Al, please don’t get annoyed by his speech or anything weird he does.”
“Why would I be annoyed by that?” Al didn’t know enough about Benjamin to know about the conditions that prevented him from being like anyone else.
April 27, 2008 10:38 am
Nearby Viridian Forest
The three heroes were fast approaching Viridian Forest. It was now only ten minutes away, and that time flew fast as Al and Sakura conversed. Mercedes, who hadn’t paid any attention to their conversation as she sped through the empty highway, had her eyes glued to the road and was now circling the parking lot so she could park in the first place. Parking on the road would get her fined. She eventually found the optimal spot, pulling in and almost hitting the curb. She fixed it quickly, pulling out and in again. Mercedes turned the key right to shut off the engine, and the radio’s song suddenly cut out as she opened the door.
“We’re here! This is Tortimer Island’s most well-known landmark. We’ve constantly got tourists checking out the place, which only leaves the volunteers more garbage to clean...” Mercedes introduced the area to Al, who looked at his surroundings in awe. Never before had he seen such a beautiful landscape, not even on his laptop. In his opinion, it was better to see great things for himself.
“Uh oh. It’s closed off.” Al pointed to the yellow police tape that closed off the entrance. Smoke seemed to be emitting from a far corner of the forest, and helicopters flew over it with water pumping through a large tube.
“Forest fire. Dang it! We need to get in there to make sure Benji’s not hurt!”
“Sakura, you know that’s against the rules, honey.”
“I don’t care! Hurry up already, Al! Mom, I think you should stay behind.”
“(Man, she’s got guts for a seven-year old...)” Al was surprised of how fearless Sakura seemed to be.
Grabbing Al’s wrist, Sakura ducked under the police tape and began to run through the forest. She definitely wasn’t fast, but she still managed to make him winded. The smell of smoke heavily fumed over the forest, the beautiful green trees covered with ashes. The dirt ground, on the other hand, was imprinted with many footprints--probably those of tourists fleeing the fire--and sticks of many sizes laid scattered. Sakura started to slow down, not because of the smoke, but because she heard a familiar voice.
“M-Mommy... why? W-Why you g-gone? D-D-Daddy...”
“...That’s his voice. Looks like he’s on top of a tree again. Al, why don’t you climb up that tree and see if he’s there?” Sakura cranked her neck back and pointed to the tallest tree. The voice seemed to be coming from very high up on the tree, as if it were from the highest branch.
“Why me?! I thought you were the one who was brave enough to do that!!”
“I’m a young kid, Al. I can’t climb like Benji can.”
“But you’re sure you can’t do it?”
“Just go up there, Al!”
“Fine...”
Much to his chagrin, Al dropped his suitcase and grabbed onto the tree trunk, slowly inching himself upwards. He didn’t quite understand how a guy as young as Benjamin could climb up such a high tree and not be scared of falling. Perhaps what happened regarding his parents drove him up there. Now that he thought of it, Al realized a potential reason as to why Benjamin would climb up such a high tree. He shivered and almost fell off himself, grasping onto a branch and watching his life flash before his eyes. The voice from below started to get louder as he got higher, only scaring Al more. One stumble would result in immediate death. He figured he was at least one hundred feet high.
“Where y-you? C-Come b-b-back... please...” sobbed the voice.
Benjamin seemed to be quite devastated. Al, on the other hand, could now see him clearly, and what he saw scared him. His brown hair was in a ratted mess. His red shirt had been torn apart across his right hip and left sleeve. Although it bore a blue number 1 on it, it was stained in blood, as were his green socks, blue shoes, and grey shorts. His shorts were also tattered a bit, though it wasn’t as bad as his shirt. The deep wound on his left shoulder hadn’t even been noticed by Al, as it faced away from him. He did, however, see the blood stained on his arm.
“Hey, are you okay?” asked Al.
Benjamin tried to back up, but couldn’t. He started to flip out completely, becoming frightened by Al’s attire. He looked like a policeman to him, so he went into auto-pilot defence. “NO! NO! POLICEMAN GO AWAY! YOU NEVER CATCH ME!”
“(Uh, he’s saying that like I’ve chased him before...) Benjamin Cloviet, I’m not a policeman. I haven’t been chasing you through night and day. I’m just here to help make sure you’re proven innocent.”
“GO AWAY! GO AWAY!”
Al wasn’t getting anywhere fast. His outfit had frightened Benjamin, causing him to mistake Al for a policeman. Sakura was still down on the ground, but she had quite the voice and yelled up to him.
“Hey Al! Try presenting that cookie from your breakfast! That’ll get him calm again!”
Presentingthe cookie? What a fancy term! How would Allen do that?”
“What do you mean, I have to present it? Can you explain that?”
“Silly lawyer! Just show him what you need him to talk about, and depending on what it is, he’ll tell you what he knows!”
“(Huh. That seems pretty easy, but that cookie was going to be my lunch at this rate...) Look at me, alright? I’m not here to hurt you. See? I even brought you a gingerbread cookie--your favorite!”
Benjamin’s eyes lit up upon seeing the cookie brought just for him, despite still heavily crying. He grabbed it fiercely from Al’s hands and devoured it. It could have easily been less than fifteen seconds before he was finished.
“T-Thank you. A-Are you policeman?”
“N-No. I just said I wasn’t. My name is Al Catraz; I’m a defense attorney. I’m here to help you.”
“Help? How? How help me?”
“Well, I understand this might be a hard thing for you to talk about, but your parents died last night, right?”
“...”
“I don’t have any autopsy reports yet. I don’t even have any evidence. But I’m going to find it and I’m going to prove you weren’t the one who killed them.”
Being a teenager, Al was able to easily communicate with children. He had a soft spot for them. He wasn’t much older than them, anyway. It was only a nine-year gap between him and Sakura. He wasn’t sure how old Benjamin was, though he seemed to be of the same age.
“Help get down. Help get down from tree.”
“(Great, now I have to carry a--WHAT IS THAT?!)”
Propped up next to Benjamin was a sharp, silver axe. It was actually clean for the most part, but the very edge was caked with blood. There was no way anything would be able to wash it off, even by sticking it into a tree or washing it.
“WHY IS THERE AN AXE STAINED WITH BLOOD NEXT TO YOU?!” Al screamed, horrified. Once again, he almost fell to his death, but he grabbed onto yet another branch and watched his life flash before his eyes. Regaining his composure, he got back up and continued to stare at Benjamin and the axe.
“Um... umm, uhh...” Benjamin started to get nervous. Why was he cracking under pressure so early?
“What is it about that axe? Did they use that to kill your parents?”
“Mmph... Nuuuuuhh...” Benjamin was close to tears again. He was ready to break down on the spot. Al knew he hit the right spot when this happened. “USED IT! USED IT TO KILL MOMMY AND DADDY!! Waaahahhahhh...”
Al felt a bit guilty for making Benjamin cry. Now he had to carry him down the tree to safety... with the axe. It was a vital piece of evidence, because it was the murder weapon. Having this and a few other things would help make whatever he could call a case. But when Benjamin said it was used, did he mean that he used it himself? Nonsense! His client had to be innocent!
“Hey, it’s okay. Don’t cry. Your friend Sakura’s waiting for you at the bottom. Why don’t we go see her?”
He picked up Benjamin and the axe, and slowly tried to make his way back down. As if the trip up wasn’t bad enough, having to carry a young boy, his axe, and inhaling smoke weren’t making things better. Al started to get a bit lightheaded about halfway down, but he fought for his consciousness. Gripping every branch he could to stabilize himself, he collapsed when he finally touched down. Benjamin quickly got up and hugged Sakura tightly, crying heavily into her. Sakura seemed unaffected by this, trying to comfort him in return.
“That was a bit much for you, wasn’t it? Take a few deep breaths and you’ll be fine!”
“Breathing in smoke isn’t going to help me, Sakura!”
“Oh, right! I thought they put out the fire a while ago. Maybe the smoke hasn’t cleared out yet.”
“You can say that again...” Al passed out from smoke inhalation, not seeming to worry Sakura at all. She simply yelled for her mother to come help her carry him in.
When Al regained his consciousness, he laid in the back seat of Mercedes’s car. Sakura kneeled in the back, with Benjamin in the passenger and Mercedes in the driver’s again. He noticed an ice pack on his forehead and chest, chilling him but helping his breathing.
“You should be more careful out there, Al! At the very least, you brought back Benjamin and whatever this is,” stated Mercedes while pointing at the axe.
“Don’t touch that... It’s... the murder... weapon. (Jeez, the smoke must’ve really taken it out of me! I can barely get words out!” gasped Al. He wheezed with every breath.
“Just rest for now. You’ll be taken care of for now. If you need anything, here’s a notebook and pencil. Just bang on the seat when you’re ready to “say” something, alright?”
Al made a thumbs-up sign. He quickly jotted down a request and hit the seat hard. Sakura turned around.
“Already? That didn’t take long. I guess that’s what a real good lawyer does! They don’t stay off their feet for long!” exclaimed Sakura. Al handed her the notebook, and she read the message quickly:
Do you think we could check out the scene of the crime? I think it’ll be a great place to search for evidence. Who knows, we might find something useful there.
“Mom, he wants to go to Benji’s house! Are we allowed even?”
“Sakura, he’s a defence attorney. Of course he’d be allowed! The only thing is that it’s in Nookville, another hour farther from Edict City. It’s about 11:20 right now, so maybe we’ll stop to eat somewhere first.” Mercedes seemed to be taking on a motherly role for Al, caring for him since he all alone in an unfamiliar place. He had never visited Tortimer Island or Nookville before.
“Sure,” everyone in the car responded simultaneously.
Al got out of the back of the car and traded places with Benjamin, who didn’t have a booster seat. Mercedes looked back at the three and noticed the terrible state Benjamin was in, realizing she needed to do something about it.
“My, Benji! You look like you’ve almost died or something! Why don’t we get you cleaned up when we get back to my place?” she offered.
“Don’t do that. Not me,” Benjamin responded.
“Why not? I’m sure you don’t want to stay in that ripped-up, stained outfit!”
“Benji, you really should get cleaned up. Really.” Sakura had butted in the conversation. Hearing Sakura’s words made him think twice about staying in the condition he was in. He thought hard before shaking his head, reluctantly agreeing.
“...Fine. Food first.”
The engine of Mercedes’s car revved again, and our heroes continued down the highway they had entered Viridian Forest from. She didn’t seem to mind that Sakura was bonding with someone nine years older than her, but she did hope that she knew to be safe. Teenagers were always suspicious in Mercedes’s book, even if that teenager was helping get a family friend’s name cleared. Al finally managed to catch his breath, and since Benjamin didn’t seem to be pre-occupied, he thought it would be a good time to ask him a few questions.
“Hey Benjamin, can you tell me a bit about yourself?” asked Al.
“...Benji.”
What was that going to tell Al? Not understanding why he’d said that, Al tried again. “Uhh... can you tell me about yourself?”
“Benji.”
Sakura stepped in, knowing Al wasn’t going to stay calm for long if he didn’t know why Benjamin wasn’t answering. “Silly lawyer! He just doesn’t like it when you call him by his full name! Just call him Benji. You gave him the cookie, so he’ll talk to you.” she explained.
“Ahh, I get it now!” He nodded and turned back to Benjamin. “So Benji, can you tell me a bit about yourself?”
“Seven years old. Go to Tom Nook Elementary. Not sure name of teacher class. ...Nothing important say.”
“I’m sure there’s something you like, right? Everything you say is important to me.”
“Like making stories and daydreaming. Staring at clouds and staring at stars. Getting out of world, into big make-believe world, away from everyone.”
Phoenix thought about Benjamin’s answer. It wasn’t like that of normal people. The way he spoke didn’t seem normal, either. This must have been what Sakura was talking about, and it didn’t annoy Al. He simply thought it was out of place. “Cool!” Al wasn’t sure what he should do next. He had enough info on Benjamin himself, but he needed to know more about the night of the murder. He was scared of making Benjamin cry.
“...I look into eyes, and I can read minds. Can do with any. You want know about night of murder?”
“(THIS KID IS CRAZY!! HE GOT IT COMPLETELY RIGHT!) Of course! I think your little power is really spectacular, too!” Al was trying to be friendly to Benjamin so he could get info out of him, but he was getting a feeling that he would really be friends with him.
“It was close 9:45 at night. Mommy and Daddy have lots people over. All eating dinner, me at table by TV. I go outside to get Pedro, but when come back in... SLASH!! Daddy falls to ground dead. Man come in behind and started kill. Other people run outside; don’t come back. Mommy jumps out of seat. Screams loud. Axeman swings and leans over. SLASH!! Mommy falls to ground dead. I... I can’t remember happened after.” Benjamin was close to crying again. The poor kid had seen his parents’ death and had nowhere to run to. He seemed quite terrified.
“You don’t remember anything else?”
“No.”
“Then why did we find you all the way in Viridian Forest? It’s an hour long drive from Nookville! Who knows how long it would be walking?”
Benjamin hung his head low. He suddenly remembered something. “Remember what happened after. Pinned to wall, man holding scary thing next to here.” Benjamin pointed to where his heart was. “Suddenly, backed off. Made bang and arm started hurting really bad. Fell over and screamed. Don’t remember happened after, but ran out through porch door and on side of road. Kept running. Never tired.”
“Huh. And how long do you think it took to get to Viridian Forest?”
“Umm, half hour maybe.”
HALF AN HOUR?! That’s faster than by car! “Wow, that’s quick! I have one more thing I want to ask you. How do you know Sakura and her aunt Mercedes?”
Sakura decided to answer this one. “Oh, I’ve known Benji since kindergarten. He’s always been special, but he’s never gotten the help he deserves in class. I took things into my own hands and researched it, and then I started assisting Benji myself. That’s why I’ve become so close to him. Now, I don’t know what we’ll do.”
“(It? Is it important for me to ask what that is?)” Al started to think hard, but it didn’t take long for him to decide that every bit of information would aid him. He breathed in and started to speak again.
“Sakura, what do you mean by it?” he asked, curious.
“N-Nothing. It’s nothing,” insisted Sakura. The strangest thing happened when Sakura said that. Chains started to appear over her, and a red, white, and yellow box appeared with a big lock. Al went into his suit pocket and pulled out what looked like half of Yin Yang strung onto a piece of black cord--a green, glowing Magatama he received a long time ago when his mother died. He figured this was what caused him to be seeing the box and put it back.
“S-Sakura... Why is there...” Al started.
“Why is there what?” responded Sakura.
“Oh, I’m just seeing things. Don’t worry about it.”
The three sat quietly for the rest of the car ride. Mercedes drove into the drive through for Jack in the Box, where our heroes ate lunch, and continued a short way more to where Benjamin lived. Mercedes wasn’t quite sure he would be calling it home for much longer. Benjamin’s house was located in a small but nice-looking complex. He seemed to have it well off, for their house was rather big, and he had a big backyard with a giant trampoline and a swimming pool. The house was taped off like Viridian Forest was, but it seemed more... sinister. Mercedes pulled up against the side of the road and parked.
“Alright, Sakura. Why don’t you go in with Al? You know this place well, and we can’t risk anyone finding Benjamin at this point,” stated Mercedes. Sakura pumped her fists in excitement like she did at the subway station.
“Yes! Thanks Mom!” she exclaimed.
“Excuse me, Mrs. Anaman, but why wouldn’t you want anyone to find Benjamin? That puts us in even more danger for hiding suspects.” asked Al, lost in thought about what would happen if Benjamin were caught. Surely, it wouldn’t be a good thing.
“Don’t let catch me,” Benjamin requested.
“I won’t let them hurt you. I promise.”
Al and Sakura exited the vehicle and walked down the sidewalk, where they entered the Cloviet household. Without the scars of murder, the home looked perfectly normal. The beige walls and polished oak wood floor made life in the house seem so laid back and relaxing. The dull green couch stood out from the backyard doors and TV, which had a brown dresser underneath it. However, this was not as the home was. The floor was stained with blood and had white chalk tracing the silhouettes of the dead bodies (which had been moved), the couch had a hole torn into it, which revealed the foam stuffing inside, and several important items had been scattered all over the place. Something else seemed a bit off as well, but Al was forced to think about that later.
“What do you think you’re doing in here, pal?!” A man in his thirties who looked like your stereotypical detective approached Al. He made his position clear to Al and Sakura, overwhelming the two a little.
“Uhh, I’m, uh, the defence attorney for, um, uhh... Benjamin Cloviet. (This guy’s making me nervous...)”
“Oh really? Go ahead n’ investigate then! By the way, pal, my name’s Dick Gumshoe! You can just call me Gumshoe.” Gumshoe looked down and noticed little Sakura, who was shuffling behind Al. “Who’re you? Get outta here!”
“A-Al, he’s scaring m-m-me. Can you get him to s-stop?” pleaded Sakura.
“I’ll do that,” Al responded with a whisper. He returned his focus onto Gumshoe. “This is my co-counsel, Sakura Anaman. She may be young, but she’s good at what she does.”
“Alright pal. Go do whatever you’re here to do!” Gumshoe responded with a chuckle.
Al thought hard about what to do first, thinking about what the best way to find clues was. He chose to look around the scene of the crime first, because the sooner he found evidence, the sooner he could make a case for Benjamin. In front of the green couch, a board game laid toppled over with player pieces scattered close to the table legs.
“Al, this will help with Benji’s alibi. You might want to take those.”
“(An alibi? Man, am I ever blanking today! I blame Sakura for calling at four freaking thirty in the morning...) Sakura, refresh me on what an alibi is. Please.” Al couldn’t believe he was forgetting terms he should have known.
“Silly lawyer! An alibi is what a person says they did on the day of the murder! Benji said he was playing a board game when someone came in, right? Those board game pieces will help,” explained Sakura. She seemed to be feeling a lot better, especially since Al referred to her as his co-counsel. Speakng of, Al himself wondered if he should actually take up Sakura as his co-counsel.
“Right. Thanks, Sakura.” Al took a few plastic bags and a latex glove out, carefully taking each game board piece and dropping it into a separate bag. It wasn’t much, but there was bound to be more.
“Alright, where should we check next?”
There wasn’t more to find by the game board and table, so Al decided to check the hole in the couch. He found nothing. He then decided to check the TV and dresser.
“Al, one of the drawers is open. Maybe you should check it out.”
“Alright, here goes nothing...” Al pulled the drawer open more and found a file folder inside that seemed to have been tampered with. Crumpled up in the corner seemed to be a blank piece of paper. Sakura left to go to the bathroom as he was about to check it. He unfolded the sheet and found a medical document regarding Benjamin, but most parts were either torn off or covered with white-out. There were a few things that could still be read:
Nook il Ps c tric C in
Pa e t: Benjamin Cloviet
A e: 2 ½
agn sis:
“I can’t read any of this! Do I really need to keep it?” Al muttered to himself. Nonetheless, he put the document into his suitcase and continued to examine the crime scene. This time, something in the corner of the room caught his eye: a bullet hole in the wall.
“I’m back! What did I miss?”
“You missed nothing. In fact, I just noticed that bullet hole in the wall. Do you know anything about that?”
“Umm, no. You should note that in the Court Record, though.”
“(Court Record?! What do they teach children these days?! I don’t even know what that is! I’ll leave it for now, though.)” Al started to sweat a bit. A seven-year old knew things he should know but didn’t!
“...Ahh, I see. Now that we’ve got that bullet hole marked, we can go talk to Gumshoe and get info outta him! As a detective, he’s gotta know something!”
Al walked back over to Gumshoe, but not without grabbing the document and taking it so he could ask Sakura or Mercedes about it. He struck up a conversation with Gumshoe, where it slowly eased into a discussion of the murder.
“Um, hi. Can I ask you some questions?”
“Sure, pal! Ask away.”
“First, I want you to tell me what you know about the night of the murder. Can you do that?”
“Alright. It was around 9:45 pm. The Cloviets had a business dinner at their home, and everyone was busy having dinner and talking. Benjamin left the table for a few minutes to “play outside”, but a few minutes after he left, he came right back in with an axe from the backyard. He attacked his parents as soon as he came back and killed them, before running away. We haven’t found him yet. Here, we’ve even got a photo from when it happened.” explained Gumshoe. He handed Al the picture, who put them away without a single glance.
Things weren’t looking good for Al. “So then I’d assume there’d be witnesses, right?”
“Yeah. We’re currently looking for Mercedes Anaman, if you know where she is, and Benjamin Cloviet. If we can’t find them, we’ve got no choice but to call for a guilty verdict.”
“(OH NO. OHHH NOOO...) I guess we’d better find them then, right? By the way, can you tell me about the prosecutor?”
“Lucian Umbra? Oh, him. He’s a kid who’s made himself known in the world of law. He’s got quite the reputation. Hasn’t lost a case since he got out, pal. He’s not as bad as the others, but he’s very overconfident and stuck-up.”
Al knew the very well. He feared the possibility of going up against him on his first case, and of course, that fear had to be reality. “One more thing. Do you know anything about Benjamin and his parents?”
“They were one big happy family, pal. Benjamin loved his parents and his parents loved him. He had this stuffed dog he’d always carry around with him, too. Those three were bonded tighter than our relations with the prosecutors. They were also close friends with the Anamans and even live next to each other, so I’m sure we’ll find the truth come out sooner or later from them.”
Sakura piped up. “You bet Benji was my friend! I know him better than all you stupid bullies and I can tell you right now he’s innocent!”
“Ouch... That’s cold, pal.”
“Sakura, you should apologize. Gumshoe never hurt your feelings,” scolded Al. “That wasn’t very nice.”
“You’re right. Sorry, Mr. Gumshoe.”
Al decided to ask about the stuffed animal. “Do you think I could see the stuffed dog you mentioned? It might be important to the case.”
“Oh, it’s right here!” Gumshoe pulled a grey stuffed husky out of his briefcase and handed it to Al. He couldn’t help but feel the urge to hug the doll. He quickly put it away in his suitcase.
“Thanks. Now, I can...”
Al thought hard. Would he give out Benjamin and Mercedes like that? He had to to avoid an automatic guilty verdict!
“I can tell you something. I know where Mercedes and Benjamin are. But if I give them to you, you must promise not to arrest them. You can have them take the stand and question them and all that, but that’s it.”
Gumshoe weighed his options for quite some time, also seeming to be torn. Sakura looked up angrily and tried her hardest to punch Al, but he wasn’t hurt by it one bit, despite her efforts. It annoyed Al at the most. “...Alright, pal. I have to do it. I’m not going to let this case end so suddenly. I promise you I’ll return them myself, even.”
“WHY’D YOU DO THAT TO MOM AND BENJI?!” shrieked Sakura.
“Sakura, I’ll explain later!” replied Al, who started to feel terrible.
Al exited the room and out to the Ford Focus. Sakura decided to wait inside the Cloviets’ house, still mad at him for throwing the people who helped him under the bus completely. Al knocked on the driver’s side window, and Mercedes opened the door.
“Hey guys. I need you to come in with me, alright? There’s something I need you to see in there.”
“...See?”
“Yeah, Benji. There’s something I need you to see in there. You too, Mrs. Anaman.”
“Alright. I can do that. Where’s Sakura?”
“Oh, she’s inside. Can you give her the house keys when you get in, by the way?”
“Yyyyyyyyeah. Of course I will.”
Mercedes and Benjamin exited the car and walked with Al into the scene of the crime. Benjamin was quite shaken walking into his house, knowing as his parents had died in that same home. Tears welled up in his eyes. Mercedes pulled out her car keys and tossed them in Sakura’s direction, but two police officers quickly approached with handcuffs and arrested the two. Benjamin, who was already freaked out, completely lost it and broke down when authorities grabbed his arm without mercy.
“NOOOOOO!! NOOOOOOO!!! MAKE LET ME GOOOOOOOOO!!! GO AWAY! GO AWAY!! GOOOOOOOO AWAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!”
Mercedes looked down at the ground with shock at first, but then she glared at Al fiercely.
“I won’t forget this. I won’t forgive this.”
Sakura started to cry as her mother and best friend were pulled away viciously by police. Gumshoe hung his head in guilt as he watched her, and Al fled the scene to lament.
Had he really done the right thing?
Nearby Viridian Forest
The three heroes were fast approaching Viridian Forest. It was now only ten minutes away, and that time flew fast as Al and Sakura conversed. Mercedes, who hadn’t paid any attention to their conversation as she sped through the empty highway, had her eyes glued to the road and was now circling the parking lot so she could park in the first place. Parking on the road would get her fined. She eventually found the optimal spot, pulling in and almost hitting the curb. She fixed it quickly, pulling out and in again. Mercedes turned the key right to shut off the engine, and the radio’s song suddenly cut out as she opened the door.
“We’re here! This is Tortimer Island’s most well-known landmark. We’ve constantly got tourists checking out the place, which only leaves the volunteers more garbage to clean...” Mercedes introduced the area to Al, who looked at his surroundings in awe. Never before had he seen such a beautiful landscape, not even on his laptop. In his opinion, it was better to see great things for himself.
“Uh oh. It’s closed off.” Al pointed to the yellow police tape that closed off the entrance. Smoke seemed to be emitting from a far corner of the forest, and helicopters flew over it with water pumping through a large tube.
“Forest fire. Dang it! We need to get in there to make sure Benji’s not hurt!”
“Sakura, you know that’s against the rules, honey.”
“I don’t care! Hurry up already, Al! Mom, I think you should stay behind.”
“(Man, she’s got guts for a seven-year old...)” Al was surprised of how fearless Sakura seemed to be.
Grabbing Al’s wrist, Sakura ducked under the police tape and began to run through the forest. She definitely wasn’t fast, but she still managed to make him winded. The smell of smoke heavily fumed over the forest, the beautiful green trees covered with ashes. The dirt ground, on the other hand, was imprinted with many footprints--probably those of tourists fleeing the fire--and sticks of many sizes laid scattered. Sakura started to slow down, not because of the smoke, but because she heard a familiar voice.
“M-Mommy... why? W-Why you g-gone? D-D-Daddy...”
“...That’s his voice. Looks like he’s on top of a tree again. Al, why don’t you climb up that tree and see if he’s there?” Sakura cranked her neck back and pointed to the tallest tree. The voice seemed to be coming from very high up on the tree, as if it were from the highest branch.
“Why me?! I thought you were the one who was brave enough to do that!!”
“I’m a young kid, Al. I can’t climb like Benji can.”
“But you’re sure you can’t do it?”
“Just go up there, Al!”
“Fine...”
Much to his chagrin, Al dropped his suitcase and grabbed onto the tree trunk, slowly inching himself upwards. He didn’t quite understand how a guy as young as Benjamin could climb up such a high tree and not be scared of falling. Perhaps what happened regarding his parents drove him up there. Now that he thought of it, Al realized a potential reason as to why Benjamin would climb up such a high tree. He shivered and almost fell off himself, grasping onto a branch and watching his life flash before his eyes. The voice from below started to get louder as he got higher, only scaring Al more. One stumble would result in immediate death. He figured he was at least one hundred feet high.
“Where y-you? C-Come b-b-back... please...” sobbed the voice.
Benjamin seemed to be quite devastated. Al, on the other hand, could now see him clearly, and what he saw scared him. His brown hair was in a ratted mess. His red shirt had been torn apart across his right hip and left sleeve. Although it bore a blue number 1 on it, it was stained in blood, as were his green socks, blue shoes, and grey shorts. His shorts were also tattered a bit, though it wasn’t as bad as his shirt. The deep wound on his left shoulder hadn’t even been noticed by Al, as it faced away from him. He did, however, see the blood stained on his arm.
“Hey, are you okay?” asked Al.
Benjamin tried to back up, but couldn’t. He started to flip out completely, becoming frightened by Al’s attire. He looked like a policeman to him, so he went into auto-pilot defence. “NO! NO! POLICEMAN GO AWAY! YOU NEVER CATCH ME!”
“(Uh, he’s saying that like I’ve chased him before...) Benjamin Cloviet, I’m not a policeman. I haven’t been chasing you through night and day. I’m just here to help make sure you’re proven innocent.”
“GO AWAY! GO AWAY!”
Al wasn’t getting anywhere fast. His outfit had frightened Benjamin, causing him to mistake Al for a policeman. Sakura was still down on the ground, but she had quite the voice and yelled up to him.
“Hey Al! Try presenting that cookie from your breakfast! That’ll get him calm again!”
Presentingthe cookie? What a fancy term! How would Allen do that?”
“What do you mean, I have to present it? Can you explain that?”
“Silly lawyer! Just show him what you need him to talk about, and depending on what it is, he’ll tell you what he knows!”
“(Huh. That seems pretty easy, but that cookie was going to be my lunch at this rate...) Look at me, alright? I’m not here to hurt you. See? I even brought you a gingerbread cookie--your favorite!”
Benjamin’s eyes lit up upon seeing the cookie brought just for him, despite still heavily crying. He grabbed it fiercely from Al’s hands and devoured it. It could have easily been less than fifteen seconds before he was finished.
“T-Thank you. A-Are you policeman?”
“N-No. I just said I wasn’t. My name is Al Catraz; I’m a defense attorney. I’m here to help you.”
“Help? How? How help me?”
“Well, I understand this might be a hard thing for you to talk about, but your parents died last night, right?”
“...”
“I don’t have any autopsy reports yet. I don’t even have any evidence. But I’m going to find it and I’m going to prove you weren’t the one who killed them.”
Being a teenager, Al was able to easily communicate with children. He had a soft spot for them. He wasn’t much older than them, anyway. It was only a nine-year gap between him and Sakura. He wasn’t sure how old Benjamin was, though he seemed to be of the same age.
“Help get down. Help get down from tree.”
“(Great, now I have to carry a--WHAT IS THAT?!)”
Propped up next to Benjamin was a sharp, silver axe. It was actually clean for the most part, but the very edge was caked with blood. There was no way anything would be able to wash it off, even by sticking it into a tree or washing it.
“WHY IS THERE AN AXE STAINED WITH BLOOD NEXT TO YOU?!” Al screamed, horrified. Once again, he almost fell to his death, but he grabbed onto yet another branch and watched his life flash before his eyes. Regaining his composure, he got back up and continued to stare at Benjamin and the axe.
“Um... umm, uhh...” Benjamin started to get nervous. Why was he cracking under pressure so early?
“What is it about that axe? Did they use that to kill your parents?”
“Mmph... Nuuuuuhh...” Benjamin was close to tears again. He was ready to break down on the spot. Al knew he hit the right spot when this happened. “USED IT! USED IT TO KILL MOMMY AND DADDY!! Waaahahhahhh...”
Al felt a bit guilty for making Benjamin cry. Now he had to carry him down the tree to safety... with the axe. It was a vital piece of evidence, because it was the murder weapon. Having this and a few other things would help make whatever he could call a case. But when Benjamin said it was used, did he mean that he used it himself? Nonsense! His client had to be innocent!
“Hey, it’s okay. Don’t cry. Your friend Sakura’s waiting for you at the bottom. Why don’t we go see her?”
He picked up Benjamin and the axe, and slowly tried to make his way back down. As if the trip up wasn’t bad enough, having to carry a young boy, his axe, and inhaling smoke weren’t making things better. Al started to get a bit lightheaded about halfway down, but he fought for his consciousness. Gripping every branch he could to stabilize himself, he collapsed when he finally touched down. Benjamin quickly got up and hugged Sakura tightly, crying heavily into her. Sakura seemed unaffected by this, trying to comfort him in return.
“That was a bit much for you, wasn’t it? Take a few deep breaths and you’ll be fine!”
“Breathing in smoke isn’t going to help me, Sakura!”
“Oh, right! I thought they put out the fire a while ago. Maybe the smoke hasn’t cleared out yet.”
“You can say that again...” Al passed out from smoke inhalation, not seeming to worry Sakura at all. She simply yelled for her mother to come help her carry him in.
When Al regained his consciousness, he laid in the back seat of Mercedes’s car. Sakura kneeled in the back, with Benjamin in the passenger and Mercedes in the driver’s again. He noticed an ice pack on his forehead and chest, chilling him but helping his breathing.
“You should be more careful out there, Al! At the very least, you brought back Benjamin and whatever this is,” stated Mercedes while pointing at the axe.
“Don’t touch that... It’s... the murder... weapon. (Jeez, the smoke must’ve really taken it out of me! I can barely get words out!” gasped Al. He wheezed with every breath.
“Just rest for now. You’ll be taken care of for now. If you need anything, here’s a notebook and pencil. Just bang on the seat when you’re ready to “say” something, alright?”
Al made a thumbs-up sign. He quickly jotted down a request and hit the seat hard. Sakura turned around.
“Already? That didn’t take long. I guess that’s what a real good lawyer does! They don’t stay off their feet for long!” exclaimed Sakura. Al handed her the notebook, and she read the message quickly:
Do you think we could check out the scene of the crime? I think it’ll be a great place to search for evidence. Who knows, we might find something useful there.
“Mom, he wants to go to Benji’s house! Are we allowed even?”
“Sakura, he’s a defence attorney. Of course he’d be allowed! The only thing is that it’s in Nookville, another hour farther from Edict City. It’s about 11:20 right now, so maybe we’ll stop to eat somewhere first.” Mercedes seemed to be taking on a motherly role for Al, caring for him since he all alone in an unfamiliar place. He had never visited Tortimer Island or Nookville before.
“Sure,” everyone in the car responded simultaneously.
Al got out of the back of the car and traded places with Benjamin, who didn’t have a booster seat. Mercedes looked back at the three and noticed the terrible state Benjamin was in, realizing she needed to do something about it.
“My, Benji! You look like you’ve almost died or something! Why don’t we get you cleaned up when we get back to my place?” she offered.
“Don’t do that. Not me,” Benjamin responded.
“Why not? I’m sure you don’t want to stay in that ripped-up, stained outfit!”
“Benji, you really should get cleaned up. Really.” Sakura had butted in the conversation. Hearing Sakura’s words made him think twice about staying in the condition he was in. He thought hard before shaking his head, reluctantly agreeing.
“...Fine. Food first.”
The engine of Mercedes’s car revved again, and our heroes continued down the highway they had entered Viridian Forest from. She didn’t seem to mind that Sakura was bonding with someone nine years older than her, but she did hope that she knew to be safe. Teenagers were always suspicious in Mercedes’s book, even if that teenager was helping get a family friend’s name cleared. Al finally managed to catch his breath, and since Benjamin didn’t seem to be pre-occupied, he thought it would be a good time to ask him a few questions.
“Hey Benjamin, can you tell me a bit about yourself?” asked Al.
“...Benji.”
What was that going to tell Al? Not understanding why he’d said that, Al tried again. “Uhh... can you tell me about yourself?”
“Benji.”
Sakura stepped in, knowing Al wasn’t going to stay calm for long if he didn’t know why Benjamin wasn’t answering. “Silly lawyer! He just doesn’t like it when you call him by his full name! Just call him Benji. You gave him the cookie, so he’ll talk to you.” she explained.
“Ahh, I get it now!” He nodded and turned back to Benjamin. “So Benji, can you tell me a bit about yourself?”
“Seven years old. Go to Tom Nook Elementary. Not sure name of teacher class. ...Nothing important say.”
“I’m sure there’s something you like, right? Everything you say is important to me.”
“Like making stories and daydreaming. Staring at clouds and staring at stars. Getting out of world, into big make-believe world, away from everyone.”
Phoenix thought about Benjamin’s answer. It wasn’t like that of normal people. The way he spoke didn’t seem normal, either. This must have been what Sakura was talking about, and it didn’t annoy Al. He simply thought it was out of place. “Cool!” Al wasn’t sure what he should do next. He had enough info on Benjamin himself, but he needed to know more about the night of the murder. He was scared of making Benjamin cry.
“...I look into eyes, and I can read minds. Can do with any. You want know about night of murder?”
“(THIS KID IS CRAZY!! HE GOT IT COMPLETELY RIGHT!) Of course! I think your little power is really spectacular, too!” Al was trying to be friendly to Benjamin so he could get info out of him, but he was getting a feeling that he would really be friends with him.
“It was close 9:45 at night. Mommy and Daddy have lots people over. All eating dinner, me at table by TV. I go outside to get Pedro, but when come back in... SLASH!! Daddy falls to ground dead. Man come in behind and started kill. Other people run outside; don’t come back. Mommy jumps out of seat. Screams loud. Axeman swings and leans over. SLASH!! Mommy falls to ground dead. I... I can’t remember happened after.” Benjamin was close to crying again. The poor kid had seen his parents’ death and had nowhere to run to. He seemed quite terrified.
“You don’t remember anything else?”
“No.”
“Then why did we find you all the way in Viridian Forest? It’s an hour long drive from Nookville! Who knows how long it would be walking?”
Benjamin hung his head low. He suddenly remembered something. “Remember what happened after. Pinned to wall, man holding scary thing next to here.” Benjamin pointed to where his heart was. “Suddenly, backed off. Made bang and arm started hurting really bad. Fell over and screamed. Don’t remember happened after, but ran out through porch door and on side of road. Kept running. Never tired.”
“Huh. And how long do you think it took to get to Viridian Forest?”
“Umm, half hour maybe.”
HALF AN HOUR?! That’s faster than by car! “Wow, that’s quick! I have one more thing I want to ask you. How do you know Sakura and her aunt Mercedes?”
Sakura decided to answer this one. “Oh, I’ve known Benji since kindergarten. He’s always been special, but he’s never gotten the help he deserves in class. I took things into my own hands and researched it, and then I started assisting Benji myself. That’s why I’ve become so close to him. Now, I don’t know what we’ll do.”
“(It? Is it important for me to ask what that is?)” Al started to think hard, but it didn’t take long for him to decide that every bit of information would aid him. He breathed in and started to speak again.
“Sakura, what do you mean by it?” he asked, curious.
“N-Nothing. It’s nothing,” insisted Sakura. The strangest thing happened when Sakura said that. Chains started to appear over her, and a red, white, and yellow box appeared with a big lock. Al went into his suit pocket and pulled out what looked like half of Yin Yang strung onto a piece of black cord--a green, glowing Magatama he received a long time ago when his mother died. He figured this was what caused him to be seeing the box and put it back.
“S-Sakura... Why is there...” Al started.
“Why is there what?” responded Sakura.
“Oh, I’m just seeing things. Don’t worry about it.”
The three sat quietly for the rest of the car ride. Mercedes drove into the drive through for Jack in the Box, where our heroes ate lunch, and continued a short way more to where Benjamin lived. Mercedes wasn’t quite sure he would be calling it home for much longer. Benjamin’s house was located in a small but nice-looking complex. He seemed to have it well off, for their house was rather big, and he had a big backyard with a giant trampoline and a swimming pool. The house was taped off like Viridian Forest was, but it seemed more... sinister. Mercedes pulled up against the side of the road and parked.
“Alright, Sakura. Why don’t you go in with Al? You know this place well, and we can’t risk anyone finding Benjamin at this point,” stated Mercedes. Sakura pumped her fists in excitement like she did at the subway station.
“Yes! Thanks Mom!” she exclaimed.
“Excuse me, Mrs. Anaman, but why wouldn’t you want anyone to find Benjamin? That puts us in even more danger for hiding suspects.” asked Al, lost in thought about what would happen if Benjamin were caught. Surely, it wouldn’t be a good thing.
“Don’t let catch me,” Benjamin requested.
“I won’t let them hurt you. I promise.”
Al and Sakura exited the vehicle and walked down the sidewalk, where they entered the Cloviet household. Without the scars of murder, the home looked perfectly normal. The beige walls and polished oak wood floor made life in the house seem so laid back and relaxing. The dull green couch stood out from the backyard doors and TV, which had a brown dresser underneath it. However, this was not as the home was. The floor was stained with blood and had white chalk tracing the silhouettes of the dead bodies (which had been moved), the couch had a hole torn into it, which revealed the foam stuffing inside, and several important items had been scattered all over the place. Something else seemed a bit off as well, but Al was forced to think about that later.
“What do you think you’re doing in here, pal?!” A man in his thirties who looked like your stereotypical detective approached Al. He made his position clear to Al and Sakura, overwhelming the two a little.
“Uhh, I’m, uh, the defence attorney for, um, uhh... Benjamin Cloviet. (This guy’s making me nervous...)”
“Oh really? Go ahead n’ investigate then! By the way, pal, my name’s Dick Gumshoe! You can just call me Gumshoe.” Gumshoe looked down and noticed little Sakura, who was shuffling behind Al. “Who’re you? Get outta here!”
“A-Al, he’s scaring m-m-me. Can you get him to s-stop?” pleaded Sakura.
“I’ll do that,” Al responded with a whisper. He returned his focus onto Gumshoe. “This is my co-counsel, Sakura Anaman. She may be young, but she’s good at what she does.”
“Alright pal. Go do whatever you’re here to do!” Gumshoe responded with a chuckle.
Al thought hard about what to do first, thinking about what the best way to find clues was. He chose to look around the scene of the crime first, because the sooner he found evidence, the sooner he could make a case for Benjamin. In front of the green couch, a board game laid toppled over with player pieces scattered close to the table legs.
“Al, this will help with Benji’s alibi. You might want to take those.”
“(An alibi? Man, am I ever blanking today! I blame Sakura for calling at four freaking thirty in the morning...) Sakura, refresh me on what an alibi is. Please.” Al couldn’t believe he was forgetting terms he should have known.
“Silly lawyer! An alibi is what a person says they did on the day of the murder! Benji said he was playing a board game when someone came in, right? Those board game pieces will help,” explained Sakura. She seemed to be feeling a lot better, especially since Al referred to her as his co-counsel. Speakng of, Al himself wondered if he should actually take up Sakura as his co-counsel.
“Right. Thanks, Sakura.” Al took a few plastic bags and a latex glove out, carefully taking each game board piece and dropping it into a separate bag. It wasn’t much, but there was bound to be more.
“Alright, where should we check next?”
There wasn’t more to find by the game board and table, so Al decided to check the hole in the couch. He found nothing. He then decided to check the TV and dresser.
“Al, one of the drawers is open. Maybe you should check it out.”
“Alright, here goes nothing...” Al pulled the drawer open more and found a file folder inside that seemed to have been tampered with. Crumpled up in the corner seemed to be a blank piece of paper. Sakura left to go to the bathroom as he was about to check it. He unfolded the sheet and found a medical document regarding Benjamin, but most parts were either torn off or covered with white-out. There were a few things that could still be read:
Nook il Ps c tric C in
Pa e t: Benjamin Cloviet
A e: 2 ½
agn sis:
“I can’t read any of this! Do I really need to keep it?” Al muttered to himself. Nonetheless, he put the document into his suitcase and continued to examine the crime scene. This time, something in the corner of the room caught his eye: a bullet hole in the wall.
“I’m back! What did I miss?”
“You missed nothing. In fact, I just noticed that bullet hole in the wall. Do you know anything about that?”
“Umm, no. You should note that in the Court Record, though.”
“(Court Record?! What do they teach children these days?! I don’t even know what that is! I’ll leave it for now, though.)” Al started to sweat a bit. A seven-year old knew things he should know but didn’t!
“...Ahh, I see. Now that we’ve got that bullet hole marked, we can go talk to Gumshoe and get info outta him! As a detective, he’s gotta know something!”
Al walked back over to Gumshoe, but not without grabbing the document and taking it so he could ask Sakura or Mercedes about it. He struck up a conversation with Gumshoe, where it slowly eased into a discussion of the murder.
“Um, hi. Can I ask you some questions?”
“Sure, pal! Ask away.”
“First, I want you to tell me what you know about the night of the murder. Can you do that?”
“Alright. It was around 9:45 pm. The Cloviets had a business dinner at their home, and everyone was busy having dinner and talking. Benjamin left the table for a few minutes to “play outside”, but a few minutes after he left, he came right back in with an axe from the backyard. He attacked his parents as soon as he came back and killed them, before running away. We haven’t found him yet. Here, we’ve even got a photo from when it happened.” explained Gumshoe. He handed Al the picture, who put them away without a single glance.
Things weren’t looking good for Al. “So then I’d assume there’d be witnesses, right?”
“Yeah. We’re currently looking for Mercedes Anaman, if you know where she is, and Benjamin Cloviet. If we can’t find them, we’ve got no choice but to call for a guilty verdict.”
“(OH NO. OHHH NOOO...) I guess we’d better find them then, right? By the way, can you tell me about the prosecutor?”
“Lucian Umbra? Oh, him. He’s a kid who’s made himself known in the world of law. He’s got quite the reputation. Hasn’t lost a case since he got out, pal. He’s not as bad as the others, but he’s very overconfident and stuck-up.”
Al knew the very well. He feared the possibility of going up against him on his first case, and of course, that fear had to be reality. “One more thing. Do you know anything about Benjamin and his parents?”
“They were one big happy family, pal. Benjamin loved his parents and his parents loved him. He had this stuffed dog he’d always carry around with him, too. Those three were bonded tighter than our relations with the prosecutors. They were also close friends with the Anamans and even live next to each other, so I’m sure we’ll find the truth come out sooner or later from them.”
Sakura piped up. “You bet Benji was my friend! I know him better than all you stupid bullies and I can tell you right now he’s innocent!”
“Ouch... That’s cold, pal.”
“Sakura, you should apologize. Gumshoe never hurt your feelings,” scolded Al. “That wasn’t very nice.”
“You’re right. Sorry, Mr. Gumshoe.”
Al decided to ask about the stuffed animal. “Do you think I could see the stuffed dog you mentioned? It might be important to the case.”
“Oh, it’s right here!” Gumshoe pulled a grey stuffed husky out of his briefcase and handed it to Al. He couldn’t help but feel the urge to hug the doll. He quickly put it away in his suitcase.
“Thanks. Now, I can...”
Al thought hard. Would he give out Benjamin and Mercedes like that? He had to to avoid an automatic guilty verdict!
“I can tell you something. I know where Mercedes and Benjamin are. But if I give them to you, you must promise not to arrest them. You can have them take the stand and question them and all that, but that’s it.”
Gumshoe weighed his options for quite some time, also seeming to be torn. Sakura looked up angrily and tried her hardest to punch Al, but he wasn’t hurt by it one bit, despite her efforts. It annoyed Al at the most. “...Alright, pal. I have to do it. I’m not going to let this case end so suddenly. I promise you I’ll return them myself, even.”
“WHY’D YOU DO THAT TO MOM AND BENJI?!” shrieked Sakura.
“Sakura, I’ll explain later!” replied Al, who started to feel terrible.
Al exited the room and out to the Ford Focus. Sakura decided to wait inside the Cloviets’ house, still mad at him for throwing the people who helped him under the bus completely. Al knocked on the driver’s side window, and Mercedes opened the door.
“Hey guys. I need you to come in with me, alright? There’s something I need you to see in there.”
“...See?”
“Yeah, Benji. There’s something I need you to see in there. You too, Mrs. Anaman.”
“Alright. I can do that. Where’s Sakura?”
“Oh, she’s inside. Can you give her the house keys when you get in, by the way?”
“Yyyyyyyyeah. Of course I will.”
Mercedes and Benjamin exited the car and walked with Al into the scene of the crime. Benjamin was quite shaken walking into his house, knowing as his parents had died in that same home. Tears welled up in his eyes. Mercedes pulled out her car keys and tossed them in Sakura’s direction, but two police officers quickly approached with handcuffs and arrested the two. Benjamin, who was already freaked out, completely lost it and broke down when authorities grabbed his arm without mercy.
“NOOOOOO!! NOOOOOOO!!! MAKE LET ME GOOOOOOOOO!!! GO AWAY! GO AWAY!! GOOOOOOOO AWAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!”
Mercedes looked down at the ground with shock at first, but then she glared at Al fiercely.
“I won’t forget this. I won’t forgive this.”
Sakura started to cry as her mother and best friend were pulled away viciously by police. Gumshoe hung his head in guilt as he watched her, and Al fled the scene to lament.
Had he really done the right thing?
April 27, 2008 1:37 pm
Outside Anaman Residence
Al sat outside the Anaman household and buried his face in his hands. There was no way he could explain his actions to Sakura--or anyone for that matter--and have them understand and forgive. As if his self-esteem wasn’t low enough, he felt terrible about having to throw the two people helping him under the bus. After about half an hour of solid crying, Sakura approached and unlocked the house door to go in.
“Only I’m going in, you lawyer. You’re just like a politician, lying to get the optimal result.”
Al got up and stopped Sakura in her tracks, ready to explain himself no matter how hard it was. “Look, Sakura. I’m not sure if you were even listening to Gumshoe for our entire conversation, but if you were, you would’ve known that they had to find Benji and your aunt to even have the case in the first place. If I didn’t do that, we’d be stuck with a guilty verdict, and you know deep down that those were the measures I had to take to protect an INNOCENT CLIENT!!”
Sakura was rather startled by Al’s outburst. She wasn’t ready to forgive Al, but seeing him so upset she couldn’t help but feel bad. “I haven’t known you for half a day, and I can tell you already that you’re quite a person. ...You know what? I get it. That was what you had to do. You had to give ‘em to the police so we could defend Benji. I forgive you now!” stated Sakura, back to her usual cheerful self.
“(She can turn on a dime...) D-Does that mean I can come in?”
“Of course it does! I can’t leave you out here, anyway, because you’d tell Mom and I’d get in big trouble!”
Al wiped his tears away with his suit sleeve and walked in, taking off his shoes instantaneously when he entered. The Anaman household was very similar to that of the Cloviets’, but with some noticeable changes. For one, the house wasn’t the scene of a tragic double murder. The walls were painted beige and had polished birch wood flooring, and there was not a TV propped on the wall. Instead, it stood on a giant decorative ivory pedestal, which was wrapped with a fake vine. There was a black couch and a black recliner sitting behind a light brown coffee table, which had two coffee mugs and a child’s water bottle sitting on it. Upstairs was forbidden to Al, but there was a bathroom by the living room, so he was okay.
“Welcome to Anaman Mansion!” exclaimed Sakura, obviously joking.
“Umm, this looks like a regular house to me...” responded Al.
“No it’s not! It’s the one and only home of the famed Anaman family! After this case, people will crowd for the chance to take a peek inside!”
“(I’m not going to get anywhere, so I guess I’ll play along.) Um, wow! You’ll be famous!”
“I know, right? Anyways, just take a seat and relax. You’ve had a tough day, after all.”
Al placed his neatly along the side of the wall, walking over to the couch and kicking back. He had spent an hour at Benjamin’s house looking for clues, but he felt like he was missing something. The time was 1:42 pm, and already Al was feeling ready to fall asleep.
“Al, I found something on the floor by that bullet hole we found in the wall. I’m not so sure it’s important, but here you go,” stated Sakura. She handed him a small piece of red fabric that looked like part of the sleeve of a t-shirt.
“What is this? How will it help the case?”
“This might help in tomorrow’s trial. After all, if Benji’s really innocent, the witnesses are gonna lie!”
“They lie?!”
“Of course they do, Al! They’ll lie, whether it be from not knowing or from prosecutor’s orders. You should really study up on this stuff.”
Prosecutor’s orders? Why would Lucian have any reason to tell witnesses to lie? From what Al heard, he was so confident he thinks he wouldn’t need to hide things from the court! “Sakura... how much do you know about this stuff?”
“More than you think. Just... not now.”
“Sakura. Have you--”
“Not now! Shut up and watch some of the news!”
Sakura reached over from the couch and grabbed the TV remote. She pressed the power button and switched to channel 47, K47 news. The TV had slight static as it warmed up, eventually bringing up a signal.
“Next up, some breaking news. Benjamin Cloviet, prime suspect of the murder of William and Emma Cloviet, has been found at last, having been in the area of the crime scene. He was arrested promptly and is currently in police custody under heavy supervision. Mercedes Anaman was also arrested as a witness to the crime and is under police custody.”
“Uh oh... There’s nothing about when they’ll be released.”
The news reported looked quickly at the off-screen teleprompter before continuing. “An anonymous source turned in these two and gave them to police with conditions: conditions that they be released after they take the stand tomorrow and are questioned. Police are reluctantly complying with these statements.”
“Thank gosh! You didn’t make a stupid decision, Al!”
“I don’t act on impulses, unlike you.”
“What’cha say?!”
Sakura went to turn off the TV, but one last thing was to be said. “Only Mercedes is confirmed to take the stand tomorrow. Officials are having difficulties with getting information from Benjamin.”
“I knew it.”
Sakura turned off the TV and tossed the remote carelessly back onto the table. It slid across a few inches and fell off the table, so Al got up and put it back properly. Al was feeling quite torn about tomorrow’s trial. Since Mercedes was very upset with Al for being suddenly handed over to the police, she would be even angrier with him pressing and disproving her statements. He wasn’t sure how Benjamin would react, however. He had never met someone who had been different from everyone else in an unexplainable way.
“Oh, there’s something I should tell you, Al. Down here, we’ve got a guest room in case people came over for the night. Mom wanted you to know that you can use it instead of paying for a hotel. Isn’t the Edict dollar really bad in Nookville?” offered Sakura with a smile. She was taking a bit of a liking to Al. She thought what he did for a living was really cool and wanted to be like him. Getting on his good side would mean she could learn more from him, though she knew she was doing it out of the kind of her heart.
“I think you’re talking about the exchange rate, and yeah, the Edict dollar is worth a sheet of toilet paper in Lamina. Thank you so much for taking care of me.”
“Wait, is it ACTUALLY worth a sheet of toilet paper?!”
“You don’t know what exaggeration is, do you?”
The two kept talking about the case for the rest of the night, thinking of logical ways someone else could have killed the Cloviets using the evidence collected. But not all concerning tomorrow’s trial could be seen by Al...
April 27, 2008 6:56 pm
Nookville Detention Center
Lucian Umbra exited the taxi with spare change and a pair of sunglasses in hand. He made a downwards motion to open the handles and slipped them onto his head in a slick, stylish but overconfident manner, giving the world a slight brown tone. It wasn’t quite sepia, but it was fairly close to it. He had dirty blonde hair that was slightly long for a bold cut, not even coming down to his shoulders. He wore a black suit with a white shirt underneath, his sleeved for the suit rolled up above his elbows. His pants were black and his shoes white, overall giving him a very monochromatic dress style. He was slightly dreading the moments to come ahead, for he knew he was dealing with a young child and he didn’t like children. On the other hand, he was determined to find the truth using his signature method--sincere intimidation, as he called it--or in other words, acting in a pseudo-kind way to exert power over the witnesses. Lucian sauntered to the entrance and opened the door, walking to the front counter and requesting to see Benjamin Cloviet. Two policemen seized him by the arms and escorted him to where Benjamin was being held, letting go and standing to the side when they arrived.
“...Who you?” Benjamin was still crying over the traumatization of being handled mercilessly by officials. He was scared, and he was confused by what he thought was Al pretending to be someone else.
“Is that how you address a prosecutor? I think not. Try again,” demanded Lucian.
“Sorry. W-Who are... Who you?”
“Ugh, forget it. My name is Lucian Umbra. I’m a prosecutor, and I’ve travelled from Edict City to take your case.”
“Al Catraz doing that!”
“He must be your attorney. He’s the one trying to say you’re not guilty. But I’m the one who proves your guilt. You did it and you know it.”
“Uhh, um...”
“See? You know you did it. I just need the evidence to prove it.”
“Did not!” Benjamin was getting slightly stressed out by Lucian’s rude tone.
“Deny it all you want, kid. Children always deny the truth.”
Benjamin was trying to find words to say his next sentence, but since he wasn’t very good at speaking large sentences, he couldn’t. He braced himself for what Lucian was going to say next.
“Ha, you’re speechless. You can’t hide from what really happened.” Lucian himself was starting to get a bit annoyed by how hard it was to talk to Benjamin, yet he still persisted that he did it.
“Can because I did not do it!!”
“Stop it. Just tell me everything you know about Mercedes and everything will be fine.”
“No info if no cookie, and no Mercedes if no Sakura.”
What Benjamin had just said angered Lucian, but confused him as well. The first part of that sentence was just being manipulative, but the second part intrigued him. “No Mercedes if there’s no Sakura? Who is Sakura?”
“Give food and I talk.”
Lucian sighed. “Witnesses don’t get food. Good witnesses might get a little praise if they comply and find the defendant guilty, but you aren’t one of them.”
“What is praise? What it taste like?” Benjamin hadn’t heard the term praise before and assumed it was a food item.
Lucian facepalmed. “Benjamin Cloviet! When you are here, you play by MY rules. That means we do what I say, not what you say. And my rules certainly don’t allocate for little exceptions like food, got it?”
“I want cookie!”
“You’re not getting cookies! You listen to me, not you.”
“But I’m hungry!”
“Too bad! The law doesn’t care whether you’re hungry or not! The law only cares if you killed them of not!”
“Law is not person!”
“JUST GIVE ME INFO!”
“NO INFO IF NO FOOD!” Benjamin and Lucian were at each other’s throats, both ready to grasp the other at their neck and hold tight until they got what they wanted. Lucian was extremely angry, while Benjamin was simply breaking down. Their yelling was causing loud feedback to emit from the microphones.
“YOU WILL COMPLY WITH THE LAW!”
“BUT I’M HUNGRY!”
“ARGH! I’m done. I’m done! Get me outta here before something happens to this kid!”
Benjamin tried to push his chair back, but to no avail. It was bolted in place. Whimpering in fear and crying, he leaned backwards, but as he did that, a police officer walked over and slid a double cheeseburger through the hole in the bulletproof glass.
“Here you go. It’s a little late, but at the very least you still get to eat. Sorry about that.”
Benjamin’s eyes lit up a little and he looked up at the officer. He wiped tears from his eyes and picked up the burger, starting to eat it. “T-Thank you.”
“As for you, Mr. Umbra, be a little gentler on the kid. Your yelling won’t make him feel any better than he feels already, let alone give you information.”
The officer walked away and Benjamin ate his dinner quickly, which happened to have a gingerbread cookie for dessert. (The cookie was probably by request, because detention centers don’t normally bring back dessert for anyone, even children.) When he was finished, he used a napkin to wipe his mouth and then looked at Lucian.
“Want know about Mercedes?”
“Yes. I said that earlier.”
Benjamin took a piece of paper and a pencil and wrote down what he knew, since giving the information verbally would be confusing. His writing was fast but surprisingly neat, equal to that of a fifth grade girl, but his vocabulary was still rather basic since he wasn’t quite sure how to spell the bigger words. He was only in second grade, after all. Lucian sat quietly and watched Benjamin’s hand as he wrote on the back of a defense request. Al had already filled one out earlier that day, and he gave it to Gumshoe at the Cloviets’ house.
“Here,” said Benjamin as he slid the paper underneath the glass hole. “This what I know.” Lucian took the paper and started to read it:
Mercedes Anaman is a nice person. Every week at least once, I would go over to her house to play with Sakura, her daughter although she wasn’t born from her. Mercedes would often make us cookies and she would do cool things for us, like taking us to a trampoline park or laser tag. She also stays very close to Sakura, because she’s scared she will be kidnapped or seriously hurt like she was three years ago. But I’ve seen her when she’s really mad, and she won’t stop until she gets back at the person who made her mad. Last night, I saw her making burgers outside, and that’s how she saw Mommy and Daddy die. Since she’s very, very mad at Al, I know she’ll lie to hurt Al tomorrow, and I know she doesn’t care about what danger I get in from it. She won’t remember me until after trial.
“Now, Benjamin, can you tell me about what you saw last night?” asked Lucian. He’d calmed down a bit now that Benjamin was cooperating. Benjamin almost started to cry again, but he gazed fiercely into Lucian’s eyes. Lucian played along with the staring contest reluctantly, but he didn’t know what Benjamin was actually doing.
“I look into eyes, and I read minds. I see what people really feel.”
“This is a joke to get me away, isn’t it?!”
“No. No joke. I see unease and stress. I see pressuring witnesses to get info. I see winning cases. Lots of winning cases where people like me but older are the ones who did it. Even if they didn’t. But I see you nervous for tomorrow. Wondering if really did it. I see telling yourself over and over that did, but still don’t know. I see... me. I make you nervous.”
“WHAT THE--” Lucian was cut off by Benjamin, who knew what Lucian was going to say
“Bad words! Not for kid like me.”
Lucian was quite impressed that Benjamin was able to get all that just from looking into his eyes, but he was creeped out by it, too. He tried to quickly switch the topic. It was almost like this entire time, Benjamin was getting more info from him that the other way around.
“O-Okay... what can you t-tell me about the m-murder?”
“I... Mommy, Daddy... GONE!!”
Benjamin broke down again, crying so hard not even officials were able to get him to ease up. Figuring this was all he needed for now, Lucian asked to be escorted out of the room, and the same two police officers who brought him in took him away to the entrance of the building. He then slipped on his sunglasses again, this time with a smirk. He knew he had tomorrow’s trial in the bag.
Didn’t Benjamin say that Mercedes would stop at nothing to bear revenge over those who made her extremely angry?
Outside Anaman Residence
Al sat outside the Anaman household and buried his face in his hands. There was no way he could explain his actions to Sakura--or anyone for that matter--and have them understand and forgive. As if his self-esteem wasn’t low enough, he felt terrible about having to throw the two people helping him under the bus. After about half an hour of solid crying, Sakura approached and unlocked the house door to go in.
“Only I’m going in, you lawyer. You’re just like a politician, lying to get the optimal result.”
Al got up and stopped Sakura in her tracks, ready to explain himself no matter how hard it was. “Look, Sakura. I’m not sure if you were even listening to Gumshoe for our entire conversation, but if you were, you would’ve known that they had to find Benji and your aunt to even have the case in the first place. If I didn’t do that, we’d be stuck with a guilty verdict, and you know deep down that those were the measures I had to take to protect an INNOCENT CLIENT!!”
Sakura was rather startled by Al’s outburst. She wasn’t ready to forgive Al, but seeing him so upset she couldn’t help but feel bad. “I haven’t known you for half a day, and I can tell you already that you’re quite a person. ...You know what? I get it. That was what you had to do. You had to give ‘em to the police so we could defend Benji. I forgive you now!” stated Sakura, back to her usual cheerful self.
“(She can turn on a dime...) D-Does that mean I can come in?”
“Of course it does! I can’t leave you out here, anyway, because you’d tell Mom and I’d get in big trouble!”
Al wiped his tears away with his suit sleeve and walked in, taking off his shoes instantaneously when he entered. The Anaman household was very similar to that of the Cloviets’, but with some noticeable changes. For one, the house wasn’t the scene of a tragic double murder. The walls were painted beige and had polished birch wood flooring, and there was not a TV propped on the wall. Instead, it stood on a giant decorative ivory pedestal, which was wrapped with a fake vine. There was a black couch and a black recliner sitting behind a light brown coffee table, which had two coffee mugs and a child’s water bottle sitting on it. Upstairs was forbidden to Al, but there was a bathroom by the living room, so he was okay.
“Welcome to Anaman Mansion!” exclaimed Sakura, obviously joking.
“Umm, this looks like a regular house to me...” responded Al.
“No it’s not! It’s the one and only home of the famed Anaman family! After this case, people will crowd for the chance to take a peek inside!”
“(I’m not going to get anywhere, so I guess I’ll play along.) Um, wow! You’ll be famous!”
“I know, right? Anyways, just take a seat and relax. You’ve had a tough day, after all.”
Al placed his neatly along the side of the wall, walking over to the couch and kicking back. He had spent an hour at Benjamin’s house looking for clues, but he felt like he was missing something. The time was 1:42 pm, and already Al was feeling ready to fall asleep.
“Al, I found something on the floor by that bullet hole we found in the wall. I’m not so sure it’s important, but here you go,” stated Sakura. She handed him a small piece of red fabric that looked like part of the sleeve of a t-shirt.
“What is this? How will it help the case?”
“This might help in tomorrow’s trial. After all, if Benji’s really innocent, the witnesses are gonna lie!”
“They lie?!”
“Of course they do, Al! They’ll lie, whether it be from not knowing or from prosecutor’s orders. You should really study up on this stuff.”
Prosecutor’s orders? Why would Lucian have any reason to tell witnesses to lie? From what Al heard, he was so confident he thinks he wouldn’t need to hide things from the court! “Sakura... how much do you know about this stuff?”
“More than you think. Just... not now.”
“Sakura. Have you--”
“Not now! Shut up and watch some of the news!”
Sakura reached over from the couch and grabbed the TV remote. She pressed the power button and switched to channel 47, K47 news. The TV had slight static as it warmed up, eventually bringing up a signal.
“Next up, some breaking news. Benjamin Cloviet, prime suspect of the murder of William and Emma Cloviet, has been found at last, having been in the area of the crime scene. He was arrested promptly and is currently in police custody under heavy supervision. Mercedes Anaman was also arrested as a witness to the crime and is under police custody.”
“Uh oh... There’s nothing about when they’ll be released.”
The news reported looked quickly at the off-screen teleprompter before continuing. “An anonymous source turned in these two and gave them to police with conditions: conditions that they be released after they take the stand tomorrow and are questioned. Police are reluctantly complying with these statements.”
“Thank gosh! You didn’t make a stupid decision, Al!”
“I don’t act on impulses, unlike you.”
“What’cha say?!”
Sakura went to turn off the TV, but one last thing was to be said. “Only Mercedes is confirmed to take the stand tomorrow. Officials are having difficulties with getting information from Benjamin.”
“I knew it.”
Sakura turned off the TV and tossed the remote carelessly back onto the table. It slid across a few inches and fell off the table, so Al got up and put it back properly. Al was feeling quite torn about tomorrow’s trial. Since Mercedes was very upset with Al for being suddenly handed over to the police, she would be even angrier with him pressing and disproving her statements. He wasn’t sure how Benjamin would react, however. He had never met someone who had been different from everyone else in an unexplainable way.
“Oh, there’s something I should tell you, Al. Down here, we’ve got a guest room in case people came over for the night. Mom wanted you to know that you can use it instead of paying for a hotel. Isn’t the Edict dollar really bad in Nookville?” offered Sakura with a smile. She was taking a bit of a liking to Al. She thought what he did for a living was really cool and wanted to be like him. Getting on his good side would mean she could learn more from him, though she knew she was doing it out of the kind of her heart.
“I think you’re talking about the exchange rate, and yeah, the Edict dollar is worth a sheet of toilet paper in Lamina. Thank you so much for taking care of me.”
“Wait, is it ACTUALLY worth a sheet of toilet paper?!”
“You don’t know what exaggeration is, do you?”
The two kept talking about the case for the rest of the night, thinking of logical ways someone else could have killed the Cloviets using the evidence collected. But not all concerning tomorrow’s trial could be seen by Al...
April 27, 2008 6:56 pm
Nookville Detention Center
Lucian Umbra exited the taxi with spare change and a pair of sunglasses in hand. He made a downwards motion to open the handles and slipped them onto his head in a slick, stylish but overconfident manner, giving the world a slight brown tone. It wasn’t quite sepia, but it was fairly close to it. He had dirty blonde hair that was slightly long for a bold cut, not even coming down to his shoulders. He wore a black suit with a white shirt underneath, his sleeved for the suit rolled up above his elbows. His pants were black and his shoes white, overall giving him a very monochromatic dress style. He was slightly dreading the moments to come ahead, for he knew he was dealing with a young child and he didn’t like children. On the other hand, he was determined to find the truth using his signature method--sincere intimidation, as he called it--or in other words, acting in a pseudo-kind way to exert power over the witnesses. Lucian sauntered to the entrance and opened the door, walking to the front counter and requesting to see Benjamin Cloviet. Two policemen seized him by the arms and escorted him to where Benjamin was being held, letting go and standing to the side when they arrived.
“...Who you?” Benjamin was still crying over the traumatization of being handled mercilessly by officials. He was scared, and he was confused by what he thought was Al pretending to be someone else.
“Is that how you address a prosecutor? I think not. Try again,” demanded Lucian.
“Sorry. W-Who are... Who you?”
“Ugh, forget it. My name is Lucian Umbra. I’m a prosecutor, and I’ve travelled from Edict City to take your case.”
“Al Catraz doing that!”
“He must be your attorney. He’s the one trying to say you’re not guilty. But I’m the one who proves your guilt. You did it and you know it.”
“Uhh, um...”
“See? You know you did it. I just need the evidence to prove it.”
“Did not!” Benjamin was getting slightly stressed out by Lucian’s rude tone.
“Deny it all you want, kid. Children always deny the truth.”
Benjamin was trying to find words to say his next sentence, but since he wasn’t very good at speaking large sentences, he couldn’t. He braced himself for what Lucian was going to say next.
“Ha, you’re speechless. You can’t hide from what really happened.” Lucian himself was starting to get a bit annoyed by how hard it was to talk to Benjamin, yet he still persisted that he did it.
“Can because I did not do it!!”
“Stop it. Just tell me everything you know about Mercedes and everything will be fine.”
“No info if no cookie, and no Mercedes if no Sakura.”
What Benjamin had just said angered Lucian, but confused him as well. The first part of that sentence was just being manipulative, but the second part intrigued him. “No Mercedes if there’s no Sakura? Who is Sakura?”
“Give food and I talk.”
Lucian sighed. “Witnesses don’t get food. Good witnesses might get a little praise if they comply and find the defendant guilty, but you aren’t one of them.”
“What is praise? What it taste like?” Benjamin hadn’t heard the term praise before and assumed it was a food item.
Lucian facepalmed. “Benjamin Cloviet! When you are here, you play by MY rules. That means we do what I say, not what you say. And my rules certainly don’t allocate for little exceptions like food, got it?”
“I want cookie!”
“You’re not getting cookies! You listen to me, not you.”
“But I’m hungry!”
“Too bad! The law doesn’t care whether you’re hungry or not! The law only cares if you killed them of not!”
“Law is not person!”
“JUST GIVE ME INFO!”
“NO INFO IF NO FOOD!” Benjamin and Lucian were at each other’s throats, both ready to grasp the other at their neck and hold tight until they got what they wanted. Lucian was extremely angry, while Benjamin was simply breaking down. Their yelling was causing loud feedback to emit from the microphones.
“YOU WILL COMPLY WITH THE LAW!”
“BUT I’M HUNGRY!”
“ARGH! I’m done. I’m done! Get me outta here before something happens to this kid!”
Benjamin tried to push his chair back, but to no avail. It was bolted in place. Whimpering in fear and crying, he leaned backwards, but as he did that, a police officer walked over and slid a double cheeseburger through the hole in the bulletproof glass.
“Here you go. It’s a little late, but at the very least you still get to eat. Sorry about that.”
Benjamin’s eyes lit up a little and he looked up at the officer. He wiped tears from his eyes and picked up the burger, starting to eat it. “T-Thank you.”
“As for you, Mr. Umbra, be a little gentler on the kid. Your yelling won’t make him feel any better than he feels already, let alone give you information.”
The officer walked away and Benjamin ate his dinner quickly, which happened to have a gingerbread cookie for dessert. (The cookie was probably by request, because detention centers don’t normally bring back dessert for anyone, even children.) When he was finished, he used a napkin to wipe his mouth and then looked at Lucian.
“Want know about Mercedes?”
“Yes. I said that earlier.”
Benjamin took a piece of paper and a pencil and wrote down what he knew, since giving the information verbally would be confusing. His writing was fast but surprisingly neat, equal to that of a fifth grade girl, but his vocabulary was still rather basic since he wasn’t quite sure how to spell the bigger words. He was only in second grade, after all. Lucian sat quietly and watched Benjamin’s hand as he wrote on the back of a defense request. Al had already filled one out earlier that day, and he gave it to Gumshoe at the Cloviets’ house.
“Here,” said Benjamin as he slid the paper underneath the glass hole. “This what I know.” Lucian took the paper and started to read it:
Mercedes Anaman is a nice person. Every week at least once, I would go over to her house to play with Sakura, her daughter although she wasn’t born from her. Mercedes would often make us cookies and she would do cool things for us, like taking us to a trampoline park or laser tag. She also stays very close to Sakura, because she’s scared she will be kidnapped or seriously hurt like she was three years ago. But I’ve seen her when she’s really mad, and she won’t stop until she gets back at the person who made her mad. Last night, I saw her making burgers outside, and that’s how she saw Mommy and Daddy die. Since she’s very, very mad at Al, I know she’ll lie to hurt Al tomorrow, and I know she doesn’t care about what danger I get in from it. She won’t remember me until after trial.
“Now, Benjamin, can you tell me about what you saw last night?” asked Lucian. He’d calmed down a bit now that Benjamin was cooperating. Benjamin almost started to cry again, but he gazed fiercely into Lucian’s eyes. Lucian played along with the staring contest reluctantly, but he didn’t know what Benjamin was actually doing.
“I look into eyes, and I read minds. I see what people really feel.”
“This is a joke to get me away, isn’t it?!”
“No. No joke. I see unease and stress. I see pressuring witnesses to get info. I see winning cases. Lots of winning cases where people like me but older are the ones who did it. Even if they didn’t. But I see you nervous for tomorrow. Wondering if really did it. I see telling yourself over and over that did, but still don’t know. I see... me. I make you nervous.”
“WHAT THE--” Lucian was cut off by Benjamin, who knew what Lucian was going to say
“Bad words! Not for kid like me.”
Lucian was quite impressed that Benjamin was able to get all that just from looking into his eyes, but he was creeped out by it, too. He tried to quickly switch the topic. It was almost like this entire time, Benjamin was getting more info from him that the other way around.
“O-Okay... what can you t-tell me about the m-murder?”
“I... Mommy, Daddy... GONE!!”
Benjamin broke down again, crying so hard not even officials were able to get him to ease up. Figuring this was all he needed for now, Lucian asked to be escorted out of the room, and the same two police officers who brought him in took him away to the entrance of the building. He then slipped on his sunglasses again, this time with a smirk. He knew he had tomorrow’s trial in the bag.
Didn’t Benjamin say that Mercedes would stop at nothing to bear revenge over those who made her extremely angry?
April 28, 2008 3:21 am
Anaman Residence
Al couldn’t get a single minute of sleep the entire night. All he could think about was Mercedes and Benjamin. He still felt terrible about what he did to them, and he was trying to build up courage to prove them wrong in court. He wasn’t sure how to go about it. Sakura, on the other hand, passed out for the night the moment she laid onto her bed. Her room was upstairs and at the very end of a hallway, with purple walls and a brown dresser across from the side of her bed. The empty space in her room was used as a playroom, but it was very messy and Sakura preferred to talk with Benjamin using the empty can telephone the two made. She wondered what would become of it now that Benjamin was on his own. Al sat upright and phoned into the detention center, hoping he could at least shake off some of his worry by talking to Mercedes, but the phone call wasn’t answered. Restless, he looked outside his window and saw a suspicious tent set up in the small park in the complex. An orange-haired girl peeked from side to side, before talking to her invisible friend and going back in. Why were there campers in such a rural area? Al had many questions he wanted answers to but couldn’t find, but he quickly went outside in his pajamas to talk to her. The two conversed a little, Al feeling slightly nervous and jittery since he didn’t talk to girls too often, but he managed to get her as a witness and went back in. Sakura dreamed of tomorrow’s trial, with Mercedes taking the stand. She presented her testimony, but Al blanked and couldn’t find any contradictions. The judge ruled a guilty verdict, and Benjamin was taken away. He was never seen again. Sakura woke up from her nightmare with a jolt, screaming.
“Aaaaaaah! No! Not like this!”
Al heard the scream and ran up the stairs to her room, even though he wasn’t supposed to be up there.
“Al? Al! Why are you up here?”
“I heard you screaming. What’s wrong?”
“I... I had a nightmare... where Mom testified and you couldn’t find anything wrong with it. They called for a guilty verdict... they took Benji away and I never saw him again...”
“It’s only a dream, Sakura. It’s not real.”
“But what if you really do blank?”
“If I forget everything on the spot, you can continue for me. I trust you enough to.” Al took a seat on the bed next to Sakura, who laid back down. “It’s 3:00. You shouldn’t be up this early. Get some sleep, unlike me.”
“Why haven’t you slept, Al?”
“I don’t know. I really wish I could, though.”
“Silly lawyer... you don’t know when to take a break. I guess that’s what makes you a strong person.”
“Honestly, I don’t think that. I’m just a kid who got out of law school. I really don’t think I can do this.”
“Don’t think like that! That’s not how you win a case!”
“Do we even have a chance?”
Sakura kept trying to cheer Al up, but she couldn’t do it. She couldn’t help but start to wonder if they even had a chance.
“Go to sleep. You’re just tired, Al. If you at least lay down and rest, you’ll feel better.”
Al got up off Sakura’s bed and went back downstairs to the guest room, where he flopped onto the bed and stared wide-eyed into the ceiling. He reached over the side of the bed for his suitcase, where he pulled out his Magatama. It still glowed brightly with a pale green aura, like there was still light at the end of the tunnel for Al.
“Al... Before you go, take this with you.”
“What’s this, Mom?”
“It’s my Magatama. I kept it as a good luck charm when I went into university. Now, it can be your good luck charm too.”
“Why is it glowing? It makes me feel... good.”
“I’ve charged it with my spiritual powers, Al. It will help you see when people are lying or hiding things from you. It’ll come in handy. I promise.”
“Thanks, Mom. I love you.”
“I love you too, Allen.”
Al closed his eyes and relaxed, the soothing voice of his mother playing on repeat in his head. He slowly dozed off into space, where he finally fell asleep.
April 28, 2008 7:11 am
Anaman Residence
“Good morning, Al!”
Al rubbed his eyes and forced himself up, waking up to see Sakura staring him down.
“What are you doing in here...”
“You have to be at the court by 9:30, right? Well, it’s about 7:15 now, so I figured I’d wake you up! We need to call a taxi, anyway!”
“Ugh, I at least got a bit of shut-eye.”
Al forced himself up, finding himself drenched in sweat probably coming from his nerves. He shooed Sakura out of the guest room and changed into something a bit cleaner, pinning his attorney’s badge onto his suit. He put his Magatama into his pocket and zipped it shut, grabbing his toothbrush and toothpaste and a hairbrush. He brushed his teeth and hair before putting his things back and exiting the room, ready to go. Sakura ran downstairs from the room a few minutes later, dressed in a black leather jacket with her signature dress underneath: a pink short-sleeve dress with yellow sleeve rims and a daisy on the front. Her pink hair was still flicked to the sides, although she put a daisy in her hair.
“Hey Al, do you like it?”
“Looks the same as yesterday...”
“No it’s not! See, I put a flower in my hair and I have a leather jacket on!”
“You might want to take the jacket off.”
“Fine...”
Sakura threw off the jacket and tossed it onto the floor, causing Al to pick it up and put it away properly on the coat rack.
“Be more careful with your belongings.”
“Sorry Dad!”
“...Really? C’mon, I’ll call a taxi and we’ll be on our way.”
Al and Sakura exited the house and called a taxi, which arrived in ten minutes. They entered and told the driver their destination. On the way there, the two stayed completely quiet. Not one said a word. It was twenty minutes after when they arrived.
April 28, 2008 9:47 am
Courtroom Lobby #1
“Man, this was quite the wait. We didn’t need to be here so early, Sakura.”
“Well, I wanted to make sure we didn’t miss it!”
The two were sitting on a couch in the lobby, hunched over and ready to fall asleep again. Benjamin, who had been let out of the detention center for the trial at least, approached Al and Sakura.
“Man who wants to make me the one who did it is mean.”
“I expected that from Mr. Umbra. What did he do to you?”
“Asked me for info and started yell at me.”
“Ahh. Sorry to hear that, Benji. I’ll talk to him about it in the courtroom today.”
“Prosecutor Umbra was mean enough to do that to you?! I’ll let him have it good!” yelled Sakura, balling up her fists. “He has no right to do that to you!”
The bailiff came into the room and called for Al and Sakura to enter the courtroom.
“...Sakura and Al. Good luck,” wished Benjamin.
April 28, 2008 10:00 am
Lamina Courtroom #1
Al and Sakura took their places in the courtroom, the judge sitting tall over them. He slammed his gavel and spoke into the microphone on his desk.
“Trial is now in session for the case of Benjamin Cloviet. Are the defense and prosecution ready?”
“Uhh... s-sure, Your H-Honour.”
“Al Catraz, are you sure you’re up for this? You seem quite nervous.”
“I-I can h-h-handle this, Y-Your Honour.”
Prosecutor Umbra pushed the door open, doing a slight twirl to fight against momentum loss. He took off his sunglasses and slipped them into his shirt pocket, before taking his place at the prosecutor's bench.
“Count the prosecution ready, Your Honour.”
“(What a way to make it so...)”
“Alright. Your opening statement, please?”
“Gladly. Honestly, it was quite the tragedy. The child and his parents were hosting a business dinner to celebrate a milestone like a nice, unaware family. However, the defendant took this opportunity to catch his parents by surprise, as they were busy with the dinner. One thing led to another, and our victims ended up dead on the floor, with the defendant wielding the deadly axe that took their lives. As a prosecutor, it is my duty to see the defendant charged with his crimes accordingly.”
The crowd made slight background noise as they listened to Lucian's statement.
“So that's what happened, huh...” Sakura shook her head subtly.
The judge nodded his head. “Is there any evidence that is to be submitted?”
“Of course, Your Honour. I trust the defence came with it ready. Is this correct?”
“Y-Yeah. Of c-course! Here's the autopsy report, Your Honour.”
Al handed the bailiff a file folder that contained the autopsy reports for William and Emma Cloviet.
“The prosecution may call its first witness to the stand.”
“I'd like to bring in Mercedes Anaman. She was flipping burgers on the night of the murder, and I hear she has something special to say regarding the murder.”
Mercedes stepped inside the room and up to the pedestal. Her brown hair was let down, her blue overalls and shirt contrasting beautifully with it. Mercedes scratched the back of her head.
“Witness, please state your name and profession.”
“My name is Mercedes Anaman. I'm a stay-at-home mom who was cooking burgers on the barbecue on the night of the murder.”
“Hi Mom!” called Sakura from the defence's bench. Mercedes waved back with a smile on her face.
“Please tell the court what you know about the murder.”
Mercedes took a deep breath.
“It was about 9:40 at night. I was making burgers on the barbecue for my husband and Sakura.
“I looked into the window and saw Benji huddled up at the corner of the table. He asked his mom if he could leave the room and went outside.
“A few minutes later, I saw him come back with that shovel!
“I heard horrible screaming in there! A bunch of people came flocking out of the house and to their cars, terrified.
“That's when I heard the gunshot. Benji ran out with the shovel and his clothes were torn! His parents were lying dead on the ground.”
The judge nodded his head. “Very solid. The defence may begin its cross-examination.”
It didn't take long for Al to find a contradiction. The error was clear as day.
“(Okay, I think I got one...) OBJECTION!" shouted Al at the top of his lungs. "You said Benjamin came out with a shovel, right?”
“That would be correct.”
“Well, if we look here at the autopsy reports, the murder weapon was an axe, not a shovel!”
“O-Oh, my apologies. I seem to have misremembered the item. It appeared to be a shovel from my perspective.”
“Thank you, defence. Good to know the newbies nowadays know how to cross-examine.”
"(I'd like to say that was a compliment, but I don't think it was...)"
Sakura piped up, trying to defend Al. “He's not an idiot! By the way, I still owe you a punch in the face for what you did to Benji last night!”
“W-W-What is this?!”
“Nothing important, Your Honour.”
“Thank you again, defence.”
Sakura gritted her teeth, but Al put his hand on her shoulder. “I'll explain later. You can't just go interrupting in court like that!”
“Sorry, Al.”
Mercedes twirled a strand of hair around her finger. “May I please revise my testimony?”
The judge nodded. He seemed to be awfully naive. “You may, but please be aware that this hurts your credibility.”
Mercedes added a statement to her testimony. “He ran out with the axe, but I saw the shovel lying next to William. It was covered in blood!”
Al thought a tiny bit about this new statement. He knew it was something small, but he had another objection to make.
“OBJECTION! Mrs. Anaman, must I remind you that the murder weapon was an axe, not a shovel?”
“Where's your proof?!” she responded quickly. Mercedes wasn't cracking under pressure easily. She was slipping up a slight bit, but she didn't sweat it at all.
“The autopsy report clearly states the murder weapon was an axe!”
“Yeah, so? What if Benji still used it to deal a bit if damage?”
“If you look here, Mrs. Anaman, I have a photo of the crime scene. Where do you see a shovel?”
Mercedes gasped. “I apologize again. I've misremembered the events again.”
Lucian chuckled a little bit. “Defence, can you tell me when that picture was taken? Was a minute after? An hour? A few hours?”
Al shook his head and placed his hands on his hips. “This photo was taken at 9:46 PM, Your Honour.”
“This is indeed true. What are your thoughts on this, Prosecutor Umbra?”
“My thoughts are this: Can the defence prove with perfect evidence that the shovel was not removed intentionally prior to the photo by the little kid?”
“Well, this photo was taken exactly one minute after the murder. Assuming the defendant was still in shock, which this picture seems to state, he would have been paralyzed with fear.”
“Who says he's like that? He could've been shocked, and hide the shovel to prevent being found out.”
“Uhh...” Al gulped. Lucian was giving him quite a fight. Seeing he was struggling to come up with a point against it, she decided to take things into her own hands.
“But where would he hide it? There was little time between the murder and the photo!”
Lucian laughed again. “In his house? Maybe in the tree he hid out in? ...Perhaps even his pocket?”
Al didn't know about the special things Lamians could do with items, so he pressed that statement. “How do you fit a standard-sized shovel in your pocket?!”
Sakura spoke up again. “Benji didn't even know there was going to be a picture taken! He was too focussed on his parents' death!” However, Mercedes decided to step in.
“Lamians are quite special with their ability to hide items in their pockets. They're able to easily turn an item into a leaf to hide it away.”
“Does the defence have a witness stating Benjamin was in a deep level of shock?” Lucian nodded his head, as if he were telling himself the defence was helpless. But what Al said next took him by surprise.
“Actually, he's, uh, running late at the moment.”
“Your Honour, I submit this question to be stamped as important, but set aside, so the witness can continue testifying.”
Mercedes put her hand up right as Lucian finished his request. “Your Honour, may I please testify again? I remember what happened now.”
The judge shook his head. “Go right on ahead.”
“Alright, so maybe I didn't remember everything the first time. But I do now!
“When Benji left the house, he went out to the backyard! There, he picked up the axe.
“He came back in through the front door and horrible screaming ensued! Sakura came out and saw Benji bring down that axe on them both!
“After the gunshot, Benji came out unscathed, but he tripped on the road when he started to run away with the axe. That's when his clothes tore!”
The judge motioned for Al to begin his cross-examination. Al thought carefully. Mercedes's testimony was much more solid now that she had remembered everything. He looked through every piece of evidence with Sakura, eventually finding a contradiction.
“OBJECTION!!” Al loved screaming that line. It made him really feel like a defence attorney. “Mrs. Anaman, if you look at the crime scene photo again and look by Benji's left shoulder, you'll notice that he has a deep circle-shaped wound oozing blood which matches with the hole in the wall. This is none other than a gunshot wound! The tear in his clothes would have been from the gunshot!”
Lucian's eyes went wide.
“Tch!!” He rubbed his eyes and tried to comprehend what that contradiction meant. "The... the kid was s-s-shot?!”
Right about then, a boy started complaining about gingerbread cookies and the pain in his arm--obviously Benjamin--and started to cry. Gingerbread cookies really seemed to be something Benjamin liked, but that wouldn't help heal a shot wound.
“I'm afraid he was. I could swear Benjamin wasn't affected by it at all yesterday, so I myself never noticed.”
Mercedes hung her head down. "I'm ashamed I didn't notice right away."
"Prosecutor Umbra, do you have the pistol?"
Lucian pulled out a small gun from his suitcase and started spinning it in his fingers. “Y'know, I was wondering what this had to do with anything.”
Sakura buried her face into her hands. “(I-I had no idea... Why would someone do something so terrible to Benji?)”
“Anyways, I suppose this is relevant now." Lucian handed the gun to the bailiff, who in turn gave the gun to the judge.
“Prosecutor Umbra, you really shouldn't be handling decisive evidence like that! Now we can't fingerprint it!”
In response, Lucian simply slipped on his sunglasses, smirking. “Nah, Your Honour. T'is fine.”
“(Wow. Is this guy determined to convict a seven-year old or something?)" Al was rather disappointed by his old friend.
“Scruffy gave this to me, along with a report on its fingerprints and chamber slots. Can't say he's worthless, though.”
Sakura had never heard of anyone by the name of Scruffy before. “Scruffy?”
Lucian instantly responded to her confusion. “You've met the klutzy detective, haven't you, darling?”
“What did you just call me?!” Sakura couldn’t stand Lucian already, so for him to start calling him by darling was pushing it.
“Anyways, I believe the fingerprints have yet to be identified... other than the ones of Yours Truly.”
“Would you stop with that gloating!”
Al touched his hand onto his head, as if he was getting a headache from the arguing. “Your Honour, how long will Mr. McTrenchcoat be?”
“He’ll be a few minutes more, I’m afraid,” responded the judge. Lucian dug into his pocket and pulled out a high-end smartphone. “I can contact him currently, if you’ll allow me to.”
“Please do, Prosecutor Umbra.”
Lucian fidgeted with his phone for a few seconds, unlocking it and calling Gumshoe from his speed dial.
“Yeah. Hi, all that. ...Look, where are you? You’re kind of important right now. ...Just hurry up. Remember that I have control over salaries. Thank you.”
Lucian hung up and put his phone away. “He’ll be here shortly.”
“Alright. The court will hold a recess until he arrives,” declared the judge. Mercedes let out a sigh of relief.
“Thank Arceus! I can get off this stupid pedestal and be at peace!”
April 28, 2008 11:34 am
Courtroom Lobby #1
“This isn’t looking good, Al...”
Al nodded in agreement. “No, it isn’t. I just really hope we can find something.”
Lucian walked out of the courtroom and noticed Al and Sakura conversing in the lobby. “Oh, you two are here,” he remarked out loud.
“Whaddaya want?!” screamed Sakura. “All you want is for Benji to be declared guilty! It raises your reputation and your pay!”
Lucian laughed. “Someone’s fired up, isn’t she? Look, I know how you feel.”
“What would you know?”
“Kid isn’t guilty, so he shouldn’t be prosecuted. That’s how it should be if we know he isn’t.”
“But you said you would have him prosecuted!”
Lucian laughed again. “Y’ever notice how there’s one prime suspect, the one who gets arrested and sent to court? We don’t prosecute the innocent ones.”
Sakura was still angry. She didn’t know what to say. “I’ve almost never been in a court before because I’m always in school! And the prosecutors I’ve seen on TV are all the same! All they ever do is try to make people guilty!”
“And what should a prosecutor be doing instead, darling? There have to be two sides to a court case. Two sides to the story.”
“I know, but... It’s so unfair!! They all try to make the defendant guilty at ANY cost!”
“At any cost?” Lucian knew most prosecutors were like that, but he wasn’t. He always wanted to find the truth.
“I’ve seen it on TV with my own eyes! Live televised cases! I know they’re all the same! Some of them don’t even know they’re on TV!”
“Darling, do you think I would’ve run a test on that gun if I found it first?”
“What are you saying?”
“Y’know, all that “erase the evidence" stuff?”
“I... I think you would’ve hidden it because you’re even WORSE than the prosecutors on TV and in the court I was in three years ago!”
“Tch!” Lucian was surprised at Sakura’s answer, but at the same time, he wasn’t. Sakura had quite a strong hatred for prosecutors. At that time, Benjamin walked out of the courtroom and saw Lucian and Sakura arguing. He balled up his fists and walked over to Lucian.
“Stop that! Don’t treat her like treated me.” Not realizing it himself, Benjamin’s comment wasn’t noticed by either. He walked off towards Al and the two of them had their own side conversation.
“Darling, let’s say for argument’s sake that lawyer kid went and got himself murdered.”
“What’s the point of this?”
“Would you want his killer caught? Brought to justice?”
“Pfft. Of course! I’d question every person who knew ANYTHING and I wouldn’t accept defeat until I found the perpe... The criminal! That’s why this case is so important to me! Benji is like my brother!”
“You could put that fire to a good use prosecuting.”
“I don’t wanna be a prosecutor though! I wanna protect innocent people, like I was!”
Al had finished his conversation with Benjamin and tried to break up the fight. “I’m sure she’d rather make sure the right person got caught.”
“Exactly, lawyer boy.” Lucian turned his attention back to Sakura, wanting to put his sunglasses on but not being able to. “Look, what do Attorneys and Prosecutors have in common? They’re lawyers.”
“I wanna ask you a question, Mr. Umbra. If this case is so important to you, then what’s your connection to Benji?!”
Al piped up again. “You’re the one trying to convict a seven-year old boy of a double murder.”
Lucian laughed. “Seems like both of you have a sharp edge, the darling more so than you.”
“All I want is for Benji to have his name cleared! Tell me this: HOW DO YOU KNOW BENJI?! Spit it out!”
Lucian took a deep breath to prevent himself from snapping at Sakura like he did to Benjamin. He knew she would fight back for sure. “Yesterday, the case got dropped off to me as per usual by my darling. I decided I may as well show up to give the kid a visit.”
“I heard all about that! All you did was yell at him for info and evidence! Benji told me himself!”
“Stupid kids! You’re all like this, aren’t you?!”
A bailiff and Detective Gumshoe showed up right before Sakura started throwing punches, Al grabbing her arms and restraining her. “Calm the heck down, Sakura! You don’t need to get so angry just because he’s the prosecutor!”
“I HATE HIM! I HATE MR. UMBRAAAAA!!”
Lucian looked down quickly, wishing to talk to Al. “Lawyer boy, can I have one word?”
“Sure,” Al replied. “There’s your word.”
Lucian giggled. “I have a reason for prosecuting. The kid believes they’re all stacked, but she needs to realize that television isn’t the best thing for children these days. Sure, there were a few cases where they really were forging evidence and the like, but it’s all dramatized. She can think what she wants about me and Benjamin.”
Al listened to every word. He shoved his hands into his suit pockets. “Let’s go, Sakura. We can go back to proving Benjamin innocent now.”
Lucian ran ahead to go back into the courtroom, but before he went in, he turned around and made one last remark. “Just know that it wasn’t like I couldn’t leave this case without a prosecutor.”
Sakura was slightly stunned. “I...”
April 28, 2008 12:02 pm
Lamina Courtroom #1
Al, Sakura, and Lucian took their stands in the courtroom again. Mercedes had left for her home, not remembering Sakura still had the keys to the house, although she forgot to lock the door--an unsafe move considering they wouldn’t be home much. The judge organized some papers he’d left on his podium, lining them all up before stapling them together.
“It appears we’ve Mr. Gumshoe now. Are both sides ready to continue?”
“Yes, Your Honour.” Al made a wiping motion on his suit, before slamming his hands on the defence’s bench. Sakura nodded and put her hands on her hips. “You’ve got this,” she whispered.
“The prosecution should be ready, yes,” replied Lucian. “I’d like for Dick Gumshoe to take the stand now.”
A man in a green trenchcoat and red tie took the stand. He had a bandage on his face, and his short brown hair was sticking out.
“Witness, please state your name and profession. (This sure gets old after a while, like me...)”
“You can call me Gumshoe, pal! I’m the head detective at the Criminal Affairs precinct.” Gumshoe had a rather happy demeanor to him, which certainly lifted the spirits of the court.
“Your testimony, please.”
Gumshoe took out a piece of paper, which seemed to have the murder details on it. It had been stored in a file folder, so it must have become quite a big case. After all, from what Al knew this was the youngest prime suspect that had been tried for a murder.
“It was around 9:45 pm on April 26th. The Cloviets were hosting a business dinner for their woodworking and lumberjack business.
“The little boy over there asked to leave the room and go to the backyard, picking up an axe left by the door.
“He went back in from the front door and started swinging at his parents, pal! Having kept one on him for self-defence, William shot at Benjamin to hopefully get him to stop or even kill him completely, but he missed for the most part.
“That little boy let out the worst scream I’d ever heard! Nonetheless, he ripped that gun out of his dad’s hands and shot him right in the heart!
“With his dad taken care of, all Benjamin had to do was take one clean swing at his mom and it was over. Having fallen over, Benjamin got back up and stood there, just standing still, staring at the blood-stained axe.
“I went in to arrest him, but the kid was too fast! He darted out through the backyard and went straight off-road. There was no way I could send cops to chase him in conditions like that.”
The judge wasn’t paying attention, but was rather sorting through more paperwork. “Very well. The defence may begin its cross-examination.”
Al nodded. “(Here goes, Sakura...)”
Al thought long and hard. These testimonies were becoming more and more solid by the minute! Even then, if Benjamin was innocent, there had to be something wrong with it.
“OBJECTION! If you look at the autopsy reports, you’ll see that Mr. Cloviet was killed with the axe, then shot!”
Gumshoe scratched the back of his head. “Oh, I probably overlooked that, pal.”
Al disagreed. “There’s more to it than that. You said he swung at his parents, and then Mr. Cloviet shot him. Following that, you said the defendant grabbed the gun after the gunshot. If we’re to believe things happened in the order they did, then Mr. Cloviet couldn’t have shot Benjamin!”
Gumshoe hung his head down in shame. “You’re right, pal.”
“Detective, what actually happened?” asked Lucian. Gumshoe corrected his testimony to reflect the new information.
“Benjamin took a big swing with the axe, and when he hit, that’s when Mr. Cloviet shot! He shot upon impact! Then, when he fell to the ground, that little boy picked up the gun and shot his dad to make sure he was dead!”
“(Hmm... it’s best if we know exactly how many bullets were fired.) Detective, is it possible to tell how many bullets were shot from the pistol?”
“Two bullets were shot, pal.”
“Gah!” Al gasped out loud. He hadn’t meant to, but he was starting to slip a small bit. “Do you have a fingerprint scan from the gun?”
“We took it into testing before Prosecutor Umbra got ahold of it, but we couldn’t get a clear print.”
Al was starting to regain himself. “Well, if we look at the crime scene--” Al slammed his hands on the defence’s bench-- “neither Mr. Cloviet nor Benjamin are wearing gloves! Therefore, neither of them shot the gun!”
The crowd went wild. The possibility of a new witness or suspect was impossible beforehand, but now, it couldn’t be denied. The judge slammed his gavel and yelled for order in the court. Lucian started to think to himself. “(I could rebut, but only with the risk of having a dull point.)”
Gumshoe spoke up again. “However, there’s no proof that there was a glove being worn. The prints could’ve been wiped by someone...”
“Maybe by Prosecutor Umbra?!” shouted Sakura at the top of her lungs.
Prosecutor Umbra muttered something to himself. “Detective, dare I say it, but the forensics would’ve come up with something had the prints been wiped. However, there’s no doubt of a clear possibility that the kid still shot the gun and wiped the fingerprints.”
Al refuted. “Need I remind you that the kid was shot in the shoulder?”
“You need not. However, I should remind you that William was shot as well.”
Gumshoe pulled out another sheet of paper. “We’ve got some psychology reports on the kid from a younger age and he’s right-handed, pal. That kid was shot in his left shoulder.”
Lucian slipped on his sunglasses again, smirking a little. “Detective, if anything, that proves he could still shoot with his dominant arm.”
“Not necessarily, pal.”
“Does the defendant have visible injuries from recoil?”
“Not that I know about,” said Gumshoe and Sakura in unison.
Al made a revelation. “Wait! You said there were two bullets shot, but looking at the crime scene photo, there are three bullet holes! One in the wall, one in Mr. Cloviet’s midsection, and one in Benjamin’s arm!”
“Oh, about that. The bullet hit Benjamin and kept going, pal. That’s why there’s three holes.”
Lucian thought to himself, gritting his teeth. “(If the kid had recoil damage, he couldn’t climb that tree... Dammit, Lucian! You’re losing it!) Can we confirm that the gun has one chamber missing?”
“One empty chamber?” asked Sakura.
“If the gun was shot only once, it would only be missing one bullet, unless it was reloaded.”
“But wasn’t it shot twice?”
“Hmph. Can we confirm two empty chambers, then?”
“(Wait a minute...)”
“Ballistic markings, maybe?”
Gumshoe hung his head low again. “We don’t have the bullets, pal.”
“(Of course...)”
“Detective, you said the kid ran off. How do you know the bullet went through his arm?”
The judge was now listening to an announcement on his walkie-talkie. He muttered into the microphone and let go of the button. “It appears we must call an emergency recess. Please forgive me for the inconvenience.”
Everyone left the courtroom and went out to the lobby.
April 28, 2008 1:04 pm
Lamina Courtroom #1
“(Two recesses in such a short while... What could be going on? Why wasn’t I notified beforehand?)”
The gavel slammed onto the judge’s podium. “Court is back in session for the trial of Benjamin Cloviet. You may continue where you left off.”
Lucian had taken off his sunglasses since the break. “Were you able to get the chambers examined, Detective?”
“I was, and I can confirm two empty chambers, pal.”
“Huh. Thank you, Detective.”
“No problem! I couldn’t send police after the kid because he was so far off the road, and at the speed he was going, there’d be no point in sending police on their own. The only way we could’ve caught him was by car, pal.”
Lucian and Al both thought about this statement, but Lucian was the first to speak up. “...Speed, you say?”
“Yep. He was going quite fast for his age. I wouldn’t have been able to catch up to him, nor would any of the regular policemen.”
“(Hold on. I have something.) Detective, do you see this picture here? It was taken almost immediately after the murder occurred. I don’t think a murderer would just stand around, let someone take a photo of them at the crime scene, and run off. Do you?”
Lucian smirked so much he couldn’t hold it back. “OBJECTION! I think that question answers itself. If the photo was taken directly after the murder, the kid wouldn’t have time to run off. Or to hide the bloody axe he used.”
Sakura started to steam up again. “But he didn’t hide it! When we found Benji in the Viridian Forest, he had it with him!”
“That has nothing to do with this. Sure, he kept the axe. But we still have concrete proof that the kid’s holding the bloody axe used to kill the victims directly after the murder.”
Gumshoe, who had been thinking quietly to himself to see if he’d missed anything, slammed his hands on the stand to grab everyone’s attention. “...Now that I think about it, I do remember being hit by something when I met him...”
“Hit by something?”
“I don’t quite remember what it was, pal. Think it may have been the hilt of the axe. I was hit by something, though.”
“...On the floor?! Detective, that’s a serious thing to mention. Especially after you met the kid. (But I’ll take more proof, sure.)”
“Sorry, pal. I hadn’t thought it would be important. Just that the kid got away and I couldn’t go after him.”
“Hmm... Sakura, didn’t--” Al was about to ask Sakura something regarding the night of the murder, but was cut off by Lucian.
“Your Honour, I think it’s even easier to see the prosecution’s claim. The kid didn’t want to be caught by the police. So he knocked the detective unconscious with the axe and left.”
“...Hold on! Didn’t Gumshoe say you had another witness? If he was one, he would’ve said so.”
“Call it a simple opinion, but the prosecution sees no reason to prolong this trial. Unless... the defence has something to say?”
Al cleared his throat. “I do.”
Sakura, unlike Al, was being very aggressive with her opinions. “There’s another witness, isn’t there?! It isn’t Gumshoe, either, because he would’ve been in questioning yesterday if he were the witness!”
Al backed up Sakura’s statement. “Detective, I have heard reports a break-in at the Cloviets’ house on the night of the murder. Perhaps it was possible that the person who broke in knocked Gumshoe out? If you were hit on the head, your memory wouldn’t be so clear.”
“Darling, the detective’s job is to investigate, not to be kept up in questioning.”
“There’s another witness, isn’t there? That witness could support the defense’s claims!”
“OBJECTION! And if this witness cannot testify? Or if they are just a fragment of the darling’s imagination? The prosecution is the one knowing about their own witnesses.”
Sakura blanked. She had no idea how to fight back at that statement... or if she even could. “Uh... Uh, um...”
Thankfully, Al had a trick up his sleeve, a trick he found when he couldn’t sleep last night. “Actually, Prosecutor Umbra, I have another witness.”
“Tch. (Of course you do, don’t you... Just when I had it...)”
Sakura gasped. “HA! See, Mr. Umbra? Not all has been lost yet!”
“Hmph. It’d be against the ideals of the court to not have a witness show up on the stand.”
“That’s what I was trying to say this entire time!”
Al had finished finding the words to describe the witness. “A young girl who was across the road and had a clear view into the house, the defence calls Amber Tzaziki to the stand!”
Lucian started to sweat heavily. “O-OBJECTION!! Your Honour! The prosecution has a proposal!”
“WHAT?!” The entire courtroom roared with surprise.
“And what would this be?” questioned the judge.
“The prosecution allows this witness to testify. However, if they cannot completely overthrow the prosecution’s existing claim, this trial will end with a guilty verdict without question.”
Al and Sakura whispered to themselves for a few minutes. Without the witness, there would be a guilty verdict, but with the witness, nothing may change. Still, the two agreed that they had to get this witness onto the stand and put up a fight.
“Challenge accepted.”
“A challenge, you say? Interesting. Never thought of it this way.”
An orange-haired girl took the stand. Her pale sea-green tank top and golden yellow skirt looked quite stained with grass and dirt, and her blue shoes which had magenta belts and yellow buckles on the outside were covered in mud.
“Witness, please state your name and school grade.”
“Oh, my name’s Amber Tzaziki! I’m in Grade 8 when I should be in Grade 7, but who cares? I saw some stuff last night that was pretty important according to black-haired Link over there and a younger version of Sakura, so lemme testify!”
Amber didn’t wait for the judge to give her the go-ahead before she started.
“Uhh... It was about 9:45 at night. I was looking for either some food or a place for me and my friend to stay for the night.
“I saw a kid I recognized go outside one of the houses, so I followed him around to his backyard, where he picked up an axe and went back into his house through the backyard.
“Watching through the window in the backyard, I saw him! It was the K--Benjamin, and he started swinging at what must’ve been his parents!
“Seeing as there was a gun lying on the ground, he picked it up and tried to shoot at his dad, but completely missed and hit the wall.
“He turned around and shot again, this time getting his dad straight in the heart.
“With his dad taken care of, Benjamin swung at his mom and it was game over for the Cloviets. He ran out with his clothes torn and the axe in his hands, crying furiously.”
“The defence may cross-examine this witness.”
Sakura thought for a moment, her fingers pressed onto her forehead, before finding a contradiction. “Aha! I got one, Al!” She whispered it to Al and he pressed on Amber. (Not physically, though.)
“Hmm. Ms. Tzaziki, our last witness says the defendant came back in from the front. But here, you state that he went in from the backyard.”
“Eh? What do you mean?” Amber seemed legitimately confused.
Lucian stepped in. “I believe this line of questioning is irrelevant, but very well. Make it relevant, lawyer boy.”
“Detective Gumshoe stated that the kid carried the axe in from the front, but Amber said he carried it in from the back.”
“Mom said that too! He went in from the front!”
“Thanks, Sakura. So, Ms. Tzaziki, either you’re lying or they’re lying. Which one is it?”
Amber blushed a little bit, starting to get angry but suppressing it. “You know what? You’re right. He went in through the front. Lemme change what I said!” She put her hand on her chin and then changed her mind. “Wait, I don’t need to change it. Ne’er mind!”
“Thanks, darling,” replied Lucian.
“Hey, don’t be hittin’ on me! I’m taken, by the way!”
Al let out a bit of a sigh, allowing Sakura to go in for the kill. “Oooooooooooooooh! You like her don’t you?!” she exclaimed in a whisper.
Al simply cleared his throat and pressed Amber again. “Why don’t you need to change it?”
“It’s just one little thing, right?”
“One little thing can lead to bigger things.”
“She doesn’t need to change it because it’s irrelevant,” argued Lucian.
“Oh really, Lucian? Think about this: If Amber saw the defendant and followed him to the backyard, how did he see him go in the front?”
“I followed Benjamin until he went inside! Wait... Actually, yeah. I should change what I said.”
Lucian facepalmed as Amber changed one of her statements.
“Watching through the window by some barbecue, I saw him! It was the K--Benjamin, and he started swinging at what must’ve been his parents!”
Al scrunched his face. “Sakura, your mom never mentioned Ms. Tzaziki.”
“Why, though?”
“Wait... Ms. Tzaziki, you said the defendant shot and killed his father, correct?”
“Yeah. Why?”
Al pulled the autopsy reports out of his suitcase again. He opened William’s file folder. “This report states that Mr. Cloviet was shot after he was murdered.”
Amber let out a small scream. She obviously wasn’t used to a court environment like Nookville’s. “I-I--Why are you making this such a big deal? The order doesn’t matter, does it?!”
“Of course it does.”
“I’m not saying I rigged it or anything, but...” Amber screamed again.
“Ms. Tzaziki, you never stated that you saw Benjamin attack Mr. Cloviet with an axe, yet he was killed with one.”
“I-I didn’t?!”
“Nope. I have your testimony right here.”
Sakura had noticed another contradiction that no one would’ve ever picked up on. She only realized it because it seemed similar to something Benjamin would do. “What about the barbecue? If you went and looked into the window by it, you obviously would’ve smelled the burgers Mom was cooking! You said you were looking for food or a place to stay!”
Lucian nooded. “Quite an interesting thing to think about concerning that the darling was looking for food, yes.”
“Knowing that Amber was looking for something for her to eat, she would’ve starting asking my mom about them! Right?”
Amber started to sweat a little. “U-U-UGH! I did, I did! Lemme change what I said again!” She took a deep breath.
“I smelled burgers, so I turned around and asked the lady there for two--one for me and one for my friend. That’s when I heard the first gunshot! I turned around and saw it had missed.”
“And then...”
“It didn’t work. I couldn’t get food.”
“That doesn’t answer my earlier question. Mr. Cloviet was killed with an axe. Yet you say he was killed by a gun.”
“So why didn’t I say anything about it? I don’t know. I must’ve missed it when I was bugging that lady about burgers.”
“Not quite. You said you turned around at the first gunshot.”
“Huh?”
“If we are to believe your earlier testimony, then the first gunshot was the one that missed.”
“Yeah. I missed the one that missed Benjamin. What’s the point?”
“The point is, your testimony states this: “That was when I head the first gunshot! I turned around and saw it had missed.” You just said that you missed that one.”
“Yeah? And that changes what?”
“That is a contradiction, Ms. Tzaziki.”
“Where’s the contradiction?”
“You said that you missed the one that missed the defendant.”
Lucian slammed his fists on the prosecutor’s bench. “May I ask the defense a question?”
Sakura stared at Lucian fiercely in the eyes, worrying him a little since Benjamin did that to him and saw his worries. “Al’s busy, so you can ask me.”
“Is any of this silly little “cross-examining” worth the court’s time?”
“Of course it is!”
“And how so, darling?”
“If we get her to crack, she might testify again! Then we might learn stuff that wasn’t mentioned before!”
Lucian simply laughed, only to be silenced by Al’s cross-examination.
“Wait! What about Benjamin’s wound? The first gunshot didn’t miss, but rather seriously injured the defendant!”
Amber’s eyebrows raised. “Yeah! I do remember something like that. I heard a bit of a scream, but it wasn’t really much.”
“Funny you say that. Didn’t Mrs. Anaman say she heard a terrible scream?”
Lucian went to ask the court to adjourn and issue a guilty verdict, but Amber started to break down on the stand.
“STOP IT, YOU JERK ‘ATTORNEY’!! J-JUST STOP!!”
Amber was breathing quite heavily, almost hyperventilating. She recollected herself the most she could. “F-FINE! I’ll tell you what I actually saw. I’ll say it all. Right here. Right now.”
“Sakura, this might be out chance...” whispered Al.
“See, Mr. Umbra? Like I said, she’s cracking under pressure so hard that she’s losing it! She’s testifying again!”
“So the darling was right. What a sadistic little fire going on,” stated Lucian. “These little girls will be finer prosecutors than me, don’t you think?”
“I’d get a good job if I had money to even buy food where I really live AND here!!” screeched Amber at the top of her lungs.
Sakura tilted her head in a cocky fashion. “You can bet it on your updated salary I’m right!”
Amber took a few more deep breaths.
“You think you’re so perfect, huh? Well, here’s what ACTUALLY happened!
“I saw Benjamin go outside his house through the front door! He went back around and picked up the axe!
“However, he left the door open, so one of the people who came late to the business dinner went in. I found that a bit weird, because he didn’t even knock. He had a pillowcase and a water gun.
“I went around towards that lady’s house and saw she was making burgers, so I asked her for two! I heard the first gunshot go off around then, so I left it be and turned around.
“There was a bunch of screaming inside the house and I saw lots of fancy-dressed people running out the same door that guy went in from. They went to their cars and drove away fairly quickly.
“Then, I saw the random guy who went in go out, and that’s when Benjamin killed them both! I wanted to look away so bad, but I couldn’t because my eyes were glued.
“There you go, stupid lawyer. Everything I know. If you say I’m lying one more time, I swear...”
Sakura started laughing hard. “Present your Attorney’s Badge on statement one!” she whispered. “You have to do it! It’s your only chance!”
Al unpinned his badge and showed it to Amber. “Ms. Tzaziki, see this?”
Lucian facepalmed. “...Defense, what is this supposed to prove?” He pulled out a deck of cards and looked through it, pulling out a card and throwing it so it stuck in the wall above Al’s left shoulder.
“I have no clue, Mr. Umbra. It’s something my dad used to do. Not to mention Sakura had the idea...”
“Hey! I thought it would be funny!”
Amber’s face went redder than an apple. She grinded her teeth and got so angry Al could swear steam was coming out of her ears. “I SWEAR TO ARCEUS WHEN THIS IS ALL SAID AND DONE I AM GOING TO KNOCK YOU AND YOUR LITTLE LAWYER THOUGHTS UPSIDE THE HEAD!!”
Sakura tried to hold in a laugh but couldn’t. “See, Al? THAT was what I wanted to happen!” She giggled loudly.
Lucian let out a sigh. “What a joker you defence attorneys are.”
Sakura jumped up behind Al and grabbed the card lodged in the wall, flipping it over to see that it was indeed a joker. She then jumped up over the defence’s bench and threw the card back at Lucian, who caught it in between his fingers. “You take that back Mr. Umbra!”
“Thanks, darling. Don’t have to go out and buy a new deck now.”
“Nngh...”
Al decided to break up the fight with a contradiction he found in Amber’s testimony. “Ms. Tzaziki, there is something wrong with your testimony. The “water gun” is actually a pistol!” He went into his suitcase and pulled out the gun.
“Allow me.” Lucian had a bailiff walk over and take the gun from Al’s hands into his. “There’s no one upstairs, is there?”
“This is the highest floor,” answered the judge.
Lucian loaded the gun and shot a bullet through the ceiling. “Ah... perfect evidence as always.” Lucian let out a small laugh.
Amber, who had now realized what that man could have done, realized something that she needed to tell the court. “Umm... I wasn’t even supposed to tell you about that guy who came in!”
“And why not?” asked Al.
“Someone told me not to mention it, but I don’t remember who it was. I shouldn’t even be here! I’m six and living on Earth in 2008! I swear I’m just having a bad dream! That’s all there is to it!”
“Ms. Tzaziki, do you remember what this someone looked like?”
“U-Uhh... I remember a toque.”
“A toque? Of what colour?”
“It was black or something like that. I couldn’t tell because it was dark outside. It was either a dark shade or I couldn’t see that well. I...” Amber took a deep breath, like she wanted to say something. “I remember a toque and that’s all there is to it.”
Al’s eyes went wide as he made a sudden realization, a realization that could turn the case on its head.
“Ms. Tzaziki, the testimony from Detective Gumshoe states that the axe was at the front. But you stated the axe was at the back, like Mrs. Anaman.”
Al and Sakura whispered to each other, coming to the conclusion that the axe was in two different places, and that one was contradicting the other. They also realized that Benjamin should have run into the man with the gun.
“Ms. Tzaziki, if Benjamin went out the front door, he should have bumped into the man with the toque and gun.”
Amber gasped. “But he was inside when that guy came in! Who said he was wearing a toque, anyway?”
“You said the man was wearing a toque.”
“That was the man who told me not to say anything!”
“This is the man we’re talking about. The man that the defendant should have bumped into if he went out the front door.”
“But who said he was wearing a toque?”
“You did.”
“Huh! Well maybe the guy who went in and the guy who told me not to say anything are different!”
Sakura had her hand on her chin again. She smirked a little like Lucian and slammed her hands on her part of the defence’s bench, pointing her finger at Amber like Al would when pressing or objecting.
“But if he’s not the one who went in, then why would he stop you from saying anything?”
“I-I--I mean, he--I mean... I mean--AAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUGHH!! I DON’T KNOW WHY HE TOLD ME NOT TO SAY ANYTHING!”
“(Great job, Sakura!)”
Lucian nodded. “Think. Why would someone tell you to keep your mouth shut about a murder? Obviously because they’re an accomplice to the kid.”
“That man must have been involved, Ms. Tzaziki.”
Sakura piped up. “But where’s the motive for Benji to kill his parents one night?”
“Think about it. The man broke in, and the kid took advantage of it and killed his parents.”
“OBJECTION!” Al had come up with something! “Prosecutor Umbra, Ms. Tzaziki said that the man who broke in and the man who told her not to say anything were two different people.”
“Does that really object to anything? Then we just have two accomplices and the kid.”
“It does. We now have a suspect to track down.”
Lucian nodded. “Now darling, is there a photograph of him killing the victims at the time of the murder? I think not.”
“Stop calling me darling! I’m only seven!”
Al looked down, thinking hard about that statement. Something HAD to come from that! And something did. “(That’s it!) Your Honour, do we know who took the picture?”
“Unfortunately, no,” replied the judge. Oh no! There was nowhere to advance! ...Or was there?
“O-OBJECTION!!”
Everyone in the courtroom was quite surprised. Why had this person objected?
“Al, why is the witness objecting?”
“That’s a good question.”
Amber scratched her head. “First of all, damn, did that ever feel great! That’s not my point, though. I know who took that picture!”
Lucian took off his sunglasses.
“Who took the picture, then?”
“I know nobody would’ve been able to see him in the dark, but it was my friend Mr. Game!”
“Well then,” stated Al.
“Uhh, what’s his real name?” asked Sakura.
“His legal name is actually Barry Game and Watch. He’s a Quartasian.”
Lucian slammed on the prosecution’s bench. “Your Honour, the prosecution agrees that the man, or men, could be accomplices to the murder and must be tracked down as they are relevant to this case. However, the prosecution will not rest on the front that Benjamin Cloviet is the murderer.”
Al spoke up. “Your Honour, I propose an adjournment until this “Barry Game and Watch” is found.”
“OBJECTION! The defense has just thrown silly accusations around! The prosecution’s proposal will still stand! Benjamin Cloviet is not confirmably innocent.”
“But he’s not confirmably guilty!”
“Heh. Remember our little agreement, darling? If the kid isn’t confirmed to be innocent, this trial is over.”
“Are you willingly going to withhold information from the court?”
“We agreed that you had this darling to work out your answers with. ...Tch.”
“I’m still taken, you know! Hey... I remember now. I remember. It was that guy who came outta that house!”
“This... This is ridiculous!” Lucian was starting to sweat heavily.
The judge took the microphone again. “I’m afraid that if you stand by your decision, Mr. Umbra, I’ll have to assign a penalty.”
“A... A PENALTY?!” Lucian’s face went even redder than Amber’s had. Sweat was dripping off his forehead. He banged his fist on the prosecution’s bench and leaned over a bit, his eyes giving the look that he was ready to kill.
“Yes, Mr. Umbra. A penalty. If this man really was an accomplice, then we must have him take the stand as well.”
“Gah! One thing after another with you people!”
“Everyone who knows ANYTHING must be spoken to! Some will even take the stand!” argued Sakura.
“I... this is ridiculous! They even agreed!”
“Oh yes, that.”
“NO!! We haven’t lost this yet! I won’t accept defeat so early!”
“Your Honour, that was before Ms. Tzaziki revealed two more people at this crime scene. They must be questioned.”
“I...”
“Wait, there was an agreement for me to even be here? Huh. That’s interesting. Maybe Mr. Game would know more about this court stuff,” thought Amber out loud to herself. She turned to Lucian, who looked quite pained and angry. “...Uh, Mr. Prosecutor Guy?”
“Your Honour, the prosecution asks to hold a ten-minute recess.”
April 28, 2008 1:34 pm
Courtroom Lobby #1
“Well, Sakura. We managed to hold them off for a bit,” sighed Al. “That was just what we needed. I’m so glad I talked to that girl this morning...”
Lucian walked up to Amber. He had to know more about the man who broke in.
“What is it?”
“...What do you know about this person who you claim fired the gun? Anything you didn’t say in court?”
“Oh, him. I figured he had something to do with the business dinner, but I couldn’t help but feel he was a little outta place. He showed up pretty late compared to everyone else.”
“Would your friend have seen him?”
“Mr. Game? He must have. He was following me around for the most part. He would’ve seen the guy, but not the other way around. I think it’d be a good idea for him to take the stand.”
“Where are you two currently staying?”
“Um... see, we don’t exactly live in this time period... and I’m pretty broke most of the time. I managed to find a crappy tent somewhere, so we’re camped out in the park by the crime scene.”
“Ah. Thank you, I’ll make sure to talk to him.”
“If you’re going to see him, you may as well bring me with you since I’ll be going to find him after this. He should still be in the tent unless he decided to take a walk around.”
“I’ll be able to find him, no doubt about it.”
Al and Sakura, on the other hand, were still talking about the possibilities Amber and Gumshoe’s testimonies gave the case.
“Hey Sakura, I just thought of something.”
“What is it, Al?”
“If the axe was by the front... Actually, I’ll save it for court.”
“Probably a good idea.”
“Are you going back to your house after this, Sakura?”
“Well, it is a good idea to organize our stuff, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, we’ll have to have things ready for if Mr. Game shows up.”
Lucian went to talk to Al and Sakura, but he was interrupted by Amber. “Wait!”
He turned around and walked back over to Amber. “Hmm?”
“Just two things you should keep in mind. One, he likes being called Mr. Game and nothing else. He can tolerate quartam kid, but that wouldn’t be too nice. Two, try not to make him upset or anything. He’s already got low self-esteem as it is because people are always making fun of him at school. Just be cautious and you’ll be fine!”
“Of course. I’ll make sure to remember that. Thank you.”
“No problem!”
Lucian went back over to Al and Sakura, who hadn’t noticed his arrival. “We bought time, Sakura. Now, we need to make the most of it.”
“Yeah, but this is a recess. We need to get a confirmed adjournment!”
“We do. There’s something missing.”
“(This trial has gone sideways more than once... and having to put up with it later will be interesting.) Bailiff. How much time do we have until this recess ends?”
“Time’s up now,” the bailiff responded while looking at his watch.
“Good. Thank you.”
“Wait, our time’s up?” asked Sakura.
“Hmm. That went fast.”
April 28, 2008 1:44 pm
Lamina Courtroom #1
Al, Sakura, and Lucian went back their benches. The judge, who was eating a Caesar salad, had just finished his lunch and started to talk into the microphone.
“Court is now continuing from--”
“...Hmph. Your Honour, I don’t think that’s necessary.”
“But your agreement, it still stands. Does it not?
“...The prosecution’s agreement still stands. However, the prosecution proposes that both sides be given time to investigate.”
Al nodded, a smile emerging onto his face. “The defence agrees with this proposal. (Someone’s had a change of heart.)”
“There are new witnesses and suspects that must not go unnoticed.”
“Oh my gosh, he scared me!” said Sakura with relief in her voice. “We have more time to make a case. A case that’ll prove Benji innocent.”
“Darling, don’t think we’re done here, or that my case isn’t prefect. Game will testify tomorrow, and will follow the prosecution’s proposal.”
“Which is...” Al had forgotten the proposal through all the stress of court.
“Silly lawyer, the one from before!”
“Oh, alright.”
“He will testify, and the kid will be given a fairer verdict.”
Sakura tried to jump over the defence’s bench again. “I really appreciate that. But can I ask you a question?”
“Hmph. Of course, darling.”
“(I guess he’s not such a bad guy...)”
“What if we need both that Quartasian and the toque guy to testify?”
“That’s a question you’ll have to answer yourselves. The Quartasian is the prosecution’s witness and will stay as such.”
April 28, 2008 1:49 pm
Courtroom Lobby #1
“Very well. Sakura, shall we go check the crime scene again?”
“Probably a good idea!” Sakura had something to say, however. Something she needed to tell Lucian. “Mr. Umbra...”
“Darling, a prosecutor’s job is not to make people guilty.”
“T-That’s not what I was g-going to say.”
“Continue, then.”
“I... I’m sorry.”
“Huh?”
“I feel like I assumed too much. You’re actually a good person. But that doesn’t mean I’m not considering you a rival,” she confessed.
“Good to hear. Darling, television is not a place to find your first impressions.”
“But I’ve seen in court before and they’re sketchy!”
“Ha.” Lucian put on his sunglasses and smiled. It wasn’t a smirk like in court, but rather a real, genuine smile, like he was happy to see Sakura have a change of heart.
“...See you in court, Mr. Umbra.”
“(They’re interesting ones, I’ll give them that. See you in court, darling.)”
Anaman Residence
Al couldn’t get a single minute of sleep the entire night. All he could think about was Mercedes and Benjamin. He still felt terrible about what he did to them, and he was trying to build up courage to prove them wrong in court. He wasn’t sure how to go about it. Sakura, on the other hand, passed out for the night the moment she laid onto her bed. Her room was upstairs and at the very end of a hallway, with purple walls and a brown dresser across from the side of her bed. The empty space in her room was used as a playroom, but it was very messy and Sakura preferred to talk with Benjamin using the empty can telephone the two made. She wondered what would become of it now that Benjamin was on his own. Al sat upright and phoned into the detention center, hoping he could at least shake off some of his worry by talking to Mercedes, but the phone call wasn’t answered. Restless, he looked outside his window and saw a suspicious tent set up in the small park in the complex. An orange-haired girl peeked from side to side, before talking to her invisible friend and going back in. Why were there campers in such a rural area? Al had many questions he wanted answers to but couldn’t find, but he quickly went outside in his pajamas to talk to her. The two conversed a little, Al feeling slightly nervous and jittery since he didn’t talk to girls too often, but he managed to get her as a witness and went back in. Sakura dreamed of tomorrow’s trial, with Mercedes taking the stand. She presented her testimony, but Al blanked and couldn’t find any contradictions. The judge ruled a guilty verdict, and Benjamin was taken away. He was never seen again. Sakura woke up from her nightmare with a jolt, screaming.
“Aaaaaaah! No! Not like this!”
Al heard the scream and ran up the stairs to her room, even though he wasn’t supposed to be up there.
“Al? Al! Why are you up here?”
“I heard you screaming. What’s wrong?”
“I... I had a nightmare... where Mom testified and you couldn’t find anything wrong with it. They called for a guilty verdict... they took Benji away and I never saw him again...”
“It’s only a dream, Sakura. It’s not real.”
“But what if you really do blank?”
“If I forget everything on the spot, you can continue for me. I trust you enough to.” Al took a seat on the bed next to Sakura, who laid back down. “It’s 3:00. You shouldn’t be up this early. Get some sleep, unlike me.”
“Why haven’t you slept, Al?”
“I don’t know. I really wish I could, though.”
“Silly lawyer... you don’t know when to take a break. I guess that’s what makes you a strong person.”
“Honestly, I don’t think that. I’m just a kid who got out of law school. I really don’t think I can do this.”
“Don’t think like that! That’s not how you win a case!”
“Do we even have a chance?”
Sakura kept trying to cheer Al up, but she couldn’t do it. She couldn’t help but start to wonder if they even had a chance.
“Go to sleep. You’re just tired, Al. If you at least lay down and rest, you’ll feel better.”
Al got up off Sakura’s bed and went back downstairs to the guest room, where he flopped onto the bed and stared wide-eyed into the ceiling. He reached over the side of the bed for his suitcase, where he pulled out his Magatama. It still glowed brightly with a pale green aura, like there was still light at the end of the tunnel for Al.
“Al... Before you go, take this with you.”
“What’s this, Mom?”
“It’s my Magatama. I kept it as a good luck charm when I went into university. Now, it can be your good luck charm too.”
“Why is it glowing? It makes me feel... good.”
“I’ve charged it with my spiritual powers, Al. It will help you see when people are lying or hiding things from you. It’ll come in handy. I promise.”
“Thanks, Mom. I love you.”
“I love you too, Allen.”
Al closed his eyes and relaxed, the soothing voice of his mother playing on repeat in his head. He slowly dozed off into space, where he finally fell asleep.
April 28, 2008 7:11 am
Anaman Residence
“Good morning, Al!”
Al rubbed his eyes and forced himself up, waking up to see Sakura staring him down.
“What are you doing in here...”
“You have to be at the court by 9:30, right? Well, it’s about 7:15 now, so I figured I’d wake you up! We need to call a taxi, anyway!”
“Ugh, I at least got a bit of shut-eye.”
Al forced himself up, finding himself drenched in sweat probably coming from his nerves. He shooed Sakura out of the guest room and changed into something a bit cleaner, pinning his attorney’s badge onto his suit. He put his Magatama into his pocket and zipped it shut, grabbing his toothbrush and toothpaste and a hairbrush. He brushed his teeth and hair before putting his things back and exiting the room, ready to go. Sakura ran downstairs from the room a few minutes later, dressed in a black leather jacket with her signature dress underneath: a pink short-sleeve dress with yellow sleeve rims and a daisy on the front. Her pink hair was still flicked to the sides, although she put a daisy in her hair.
“Hey Al, do you like it?”
“Looks the same as yesterday...”
“No it’s not! See, I put a flower in my hair and I have a leather jacket on!”
“You might want to take the jacket off.”
“Fine...”
Sakura threw off the jacket and tossed it onto the floor, causing Al to pick it up and put it away properly on the coat rack.
“Be more careful with your belongings.”
“Sorry Dad!”
“...Really? C’mon, I’ll call a taxi and we’ll be on our way.”
Al and Sakura exited the house and called a taxi, which arrived in ten minutes. They entered and told the driver their destination. On the way there, the two stayed completely quiet. Not one said a word. It was twenty minutes after when they arrived.
April 28, 2008 9:47 am
Courtroom Lobby #1
“Man, this was quite the wait. We didn’t need to be here so early, Sakura.”
“Well, I wanted to make sure we didn’t miss it!”
The two were sitting on a couch in the lobby, hunched over and ready to fall asleep again. Benjamin, who had been let out of the detention center for the trial at least, approached Al and Sakura.
“Man who wants to make me the one who did it is mean.”
“I expected that from Mr. Umbra. What did he do to you?”
“Asked me for info and started yell at me.”
“Ahh. Sorry to hear that, Benji. I’ll talk to him about it in the courtroom today.”
“Prosecutor Umbra was mean enough to do that to you?! I’ll let him have it good!” yelled Sakura, balling up her fists. “He has no right to do that to you!”
The bailiff came into the room and called for Al and Sakura to enter the courtroom.
“...Sakura and Al. Good luck,” wished Benjamin.
April 28, 2008 10:00 am
Lamina Courtroom #1
Al and Sakura took their places in the courtroom, the judge sitting tall over them. He slammed his gavel and spoke into the microphone on his desk.
“Trial is now in session for the case of Benjamin Cloviet. Are the defense and prosecution ready?”
“Uhh... s-sure, Your H-Honour.”
“Al Catraz, are you sure you’re up for this? You seem quite nervous.”
“I-I can h-h-handle this, Y-Your Honour.”
Prosecutor Umbra pushed the door open, doing a slight twirl to fight against momentum loss. He took off his sunglasses and slipped them into his shirt pocket, before taking his place at the prosecutor's bench.
“Count the prosecution ready, Your Honour.”
“(What a way to make it so...)”
“Alright. Your opening statement, please?”
“Gladly. Honestly, it was quite the tragedy. The child and his parents were hosting a business dinner to celebrate a milestone like a nice, unaware family. However, the defendant took this opportunity to catch his parents by surprise, as they were busy with the dinner. One thing led to another, and our victims ended up dead on the floor, with the defendant wielding the deadly axe that took their lives. As a prosecutor, it is my duty to see the defendant charged with his crimes accordingly.”
The crowd made slight background noise as they listened to Lucian's statement.
“So that's what happened, huh...” Sakura shook her head subtly.
The judge nodded his head. “Is there any evidence that is to be submitted?”
“Of course, Your Honour. I trust the defence came with it ready. Is this correct?”
“Y-Yeah. Of c-course! Here's the autopsy report, Your Honour.”
Al handed the bailiff a file folder that contained the autopsy reports for William and Emma Cloviet.
“The prosecution may call its first witness to the stand.”
“I'd like to bring in Mercedes Anaman. She was flipping burgers on the night of the murder, and I hear she has something special to say regarding the murder.”
Mercedes stepped inside the room and up to the pedestal. Her brown hair was let down, her blue overalls and shirt contrasting beautifully with it. Mercedes scratched the back of her head.
“Witness, please state your name and profession.”
“My name is Mercedes Anaman. I'm a stay-at-home mom who was cooking burgers on the barbecue on the night of the murder.”
“Hi Mom!” called Sakura from the defence's bench. Mercedes waved back with a smile on her face.
“Please tell the court what you know about the murder.”
Mercedes took a deep breath.
“It was about 9:40 at night. I was making burgers on the barbecue for my husband and Sakura.
“I looked into the window and saw Benji huddled up at the corner of the table. He asked his mom if he could leave the room and went outside.
“A few minutes later, I saw him come back with that shovel!
“I heard horrible screaming in there! A bunch of people came flocking out of the house and to their cars, terrified.
“That's when I heard the gunshot. Benji ran out with the shovel and his clothes were torn! His parents were lying dead on the ground.”
The judge nodded his head. “Very solid. The defence may begin its cross-examination.”
It didn't take long for Al to find a contradiction. The error was clear as day.
“(Okay, I think I got one...) OBJECTION!" shouted Al at the top of his lungs. "You said Benjamin came out with a shovel, right?”
“That would be correct.”
“Well, if we look here at the autopsy reports, the murder weapon was an axe, not a shovel!”
“O-Oh, my apologies. I seem to have misremembered the item. It appeared to be a shovel from my perspective.”
“Thank you, defence. Good to know the newbies nowadays know how to cross-examine.”
"(I'd like to say that was a compliment, but I don't think it was...)"
Sakura piped up, trying to defend Al. “He's not an idiot! By the way, I still owe you a punch in the face for what you did to Benji last night!”
“W-W-What is this?!”
“Nothing important, Your Honour.”
“Thank you again, defence.”
Sakura gritted her teeth, but Al put his hand on her shoulder. “I'll explain later. You can't just go interrupting in court like that!”
“Sorry, Al.”
Mercedes twirled a strand of hair around her finger. “May I please revise my testimony?”
The judge nodded. He seemed to be awfully naive. “You may, but please be aware that this hurts your credibility.”
Mercedes added a statement to her testimony. “He ran out with the axe, but I saw the shovel lying next to William. It was covered in blood!”
Al thought a tiny bit about this new statement. He knew it was something small, but he had another objection to make.
“OBJECTION! Mrs. Anaman, must I remind you that the murder weapon was an axe, not a shovel?”
“Where's your proof?!” she responded quickly. Mercedes wasn't cracking under pressure easily. She was slipping up a slight bit, but she didn't sweat it at all.
“The autopsy report clearly states the murder weapon was an axe!”
“Yeah, so? What if Benji still used it to deal a bit if damage?”
“If you look here, Mrs. Anaman, I have a photo of the crime scene. Where do you see a shovel?”
Mercedes gasped. “I apologize again. I've misremembered the events again.”
Lucian chuckled a little bit. “Defence, can you tell me when that picture was taken? Was a minute after? An hour? A few hours?”
Al shook his head and placed his hands on his hips. “This photo was taken at 9:46 PM, Your Honour.”
“This is indeed true. What are your thoughts on this, Prosecutor Umbra?”
“My thoughts are this: Can the defence prove with perfect evidence that the shovel was not removed intentionally prior to the photo by the little kid?”
“Well, this photo was taken exactly one minute after the murder. Assuming the defendant was still in shock, which this picture seems to state, he would have been paralyzed with fear.”
“Who says he's like that? He could've been shocked, and hide the shovel to prevent being found out.”
“Uhh...” Al gulped. Lucian was giving him quite a fight. Seeing he was struggling to come up with a point against it, she decided to take things into her own hands.
“But where would he hide it? There was little time between the murder and the photo!”
Lucian laughed again. “In his house? Maybe in the tree he hid out in? ...Perhaps even his pocket?”
Al didn't know about the special things Lamians could do with items, so he pressed that statement. “How do you fit a standard-sized shovel in your pocket?!”
Sakura spoke up again. “Benji didn't even know there was going to be a picture taken! He was too focussed on his parents' death!” However, Mercedes decided to step in.
“Lamians are quite special with their ability to hide items in their pockets. They're able to easily turn an item into a leaf to hide it away.”
“Does the defence have a witness stating Benjamin was in a deep level of shock?” Lucian nodded his head, as if he were telling himself the defence was helpless. But what Al said next took him by surprise.
“Actually, he's, uh, running late at the moment.”
“Your Honour, I submit this question to be stamped as important, but set aside, so the witness can continue testifying.”
Mercedes put her hand up right as Lucian finished his request. “Your Honour, may I please testify again? I remember what happened now.”
The judge shook his head. “Go right on ahead.”
“Alright, so maybe I didn't remember everything the first time. But I do now!
“When Benji left the house, he went out to the backyard! There, he picked up the axe.
“He came back in through the front door and horrible screaming ensued! Sakura came out and saw Benji bring down that axe on them both!
“After the gunshot, Benji came out unscathed, but he tripped on the road when he started to run away with the axe. That's when his clothes tore!”
The judge motioned for Al to begin his cross-examination. Al thought carefully. Mercedes's testimony was much more solid now that she had remembered everything. He looked through every piece of evidence with Sakura, eventually finding a contradiction.
“OBJECTION!!” Al loved screaming that line. It made him really feel like a defence attorney. “Mrs. Anaman, if you look at the crime scene photo again and look by Benji's left shoulder, you'll notice that he has a deep circle-shaped wound oozing blood which matches with the hole in the wall. This is none other than a gunshot wound! The tear in his clothes would have been from the gunshot!”
Lucian's eyes went wide.
“Tch!!” He rubbed his eyes and tried to comprehend what that contradiction meant. "The... the kid was s-s-shot?!”
Right about then, a boy started complaining about gingerbread cookies and the pain in his arm--obviously Benjamin--and started to cry. Gingerbread cookies really seemed to be something Benjamin liked, but that wouldn't help heal a shot wound.
“I'm afraid he was. I could swear Benjamin wasn't affected by it at all yesterday, so I myself never noticed.”
Mercedes hung her head down. "I'm ashamed I didn't notice right away."
"Prosecutor Umbra, do you have the pistol?"
Lucian pulled out a small gun from his suitcase and started spinning it in his fingers. “Y'know, I was wondering what this had to do with anything.”
Sakura buried her face into her hands. “(I-I had no idea... Why would someone do something so terrible to Benji?)”
“Anyways, I suppose this is relevant now." Lucian handed the gun to the bailiff, who in turn gave the gun to the judge.
“Prosecutor Umbra, you really shouldn't be handling decisive evidence like that! Now we can't fingerprint it!”
In response, Lucian simply slipped on his sunglasses, smirking. “Nah, Your Honour. T'is fine.”
“(Wow. Is this guy determined to convict a seven-year old or something?)" Al was rather disappointed by his old friend.
“Scruffy gave this to me, along with a report on its fingerprints and chamber slots. Can't say he's worthless, though.”
Sakura had never heard of anyone by the name of Scruffy before. “Scruffy?”
Lucian instantly responded to her confusion. “You've met the klutzy detective, haven't you, darling?”
“What did you just call me?!” Sakura couldn’t stand Lucian already, so for him to start calling him by darling was pushing it.
“Anyways, I believe the fingerprints have yet to be identified... other than the ones of Yours Truly.”
“Would you stop with that gloating!”
Al touched his hand onto his head, as if he was getting a headache from the arguing. “Your Honour, how long will Mr. McTrenchcoat be?”
“He’ll be a few minutes more, I’m afraid,” responded the judge. Lucian dug into his pocket and pulled out a high-end smartphone. “I can contact him currently, if you’ll allow me to.”
“Please do, Prosecutor Umbra.”
Lucian fidgeted with his phone for a few seconds, unlocking it and calling Gumshoe from his speed dial.
“Yeah. Hi, all that. ...Look, where are you? You’re kind of important right now. ...Just hurry up. Remember that I have control over salaries. Thank you.”
Lucian hung up and put his phone away. “He’ll be here shortly.”
“Alright. The court will hold a recess until he arrives,” declared the judge. Mercedes let out a sigh of relief.
“Thank Arceus! I can get off this stupid pedestal and be at peace!”
April 28, 2008 11:34 am
Courtroom Lobby #1
“This isn’t looking good, Al...”
Al nodded in agreement. “No, it isn’t. I just really hope we can find something.”
Lucian walked out of the courtroom and noticed Al and Sakura conversing in the lobby. “Oh, you two are here,” he remarked out loud.
“Whaddaya want?!” screamed Sakura. “All you want is for Benji to be declared guilty! It raises your reputation and your pay!”
Lucian laughed. “Someone’s fired up, isn’t she? Look, I know how you feel.”
“What would you know?”
“Kid isn’t guilty, so he shouldn’t be prosecuted. That’s how it should be if we know he isn’t.”
“But you said you would have him prosecuted!”
Lucian laughed again. “Y’ever notice how there’s one prime suspect, the one who gets arrested and sent to court? We don’t prosecute the innocent ones.”
Sakura was still angry. She didn’t know what to say. “I’ve almost never been in a court before because I’m always in school! And the prosecutors I’ve seen on TV are all the same! All they ever do is try to make people guilty!”
“And what should a prosecutor be doing instead, darling? There have to be two sides to a court case. Two sides to the story.”
“I know, but... It’s so unfair!! They all try to make the defendant guilty at ANY cost!”
“At any cost?” Lucian knew most prosecutors were like that, but he wasn’t. He always wanted to find the truth.
“I’ve seen it on TV with my own eyes! Live televised cases! I know they’re all the same! Some of them don’t even know they’re on TV!”
“Darling, do you think I would’ve run a test on that gun if I found it first?”
“What are you saying?”
“Y’know, all that “erase the evidence" stuff?”
“I... I think you would’ve hidden it because you’re even WORSE than the prosecutors on TV and in the court I was in three years ago!”
“Tch!” Lucian was surprised at Sakura’s answer, but at the same time, he wasn’t. Sakura had quite a strong hatred for prosecutors. At that time, Benjamin walked out of the courtroom and saw Lucian and Sakura arguing. He balled up his fists and walked over to Lucian.
“Stop that! Don’t treat her like treated me.” Not realizing it himself, Benjamin’s comment wasn’t noticed by either. He walked off towards Al and the two of them had their own side conversation.
“Darling, let’s say for argument’s sake that lawyer kid went and got himself murdered.”
“What’s the point of this?”
“Would you want his killer caught? Brought to justice?”
“Pfft. Of course! I’d question every person who knew ANYTHING and I wouldn’t accept defeat until I found the perpe... The criminal! That’s why this case is so important to me! Benji is like my brother!”
“You could put that fire to a good use prosecuting.”
“I don’t wanna be a prosecutor though! I wanna protect innocent people, like I was!”
Al had finished his conversation with Benjamin and tried to break up the fight. “I’m sure she’d rather make sure the right person got caught.”
“Exactly, lawyer boy.” Lucian turned his attention back to Sakura, wanting to put his sunglasses on but not being able to. “Look, what do Attorneys and Prosecutors have in common? They’re lawyers.”
“I wanna ask you a question, Mr. Umbra. If this case is so important to you, then what’s your connection to Benji?!”
Al piped up again. “You’re the one trying to convict a seven-year old boy of a double murder.”
Lucian laughed. “Seems like both of you have a sharp edge, the darling more so than you.”
“All I want is for Benji to have his name cleared! Tell me this: HOW DO YOU KNOW BENJI?! Spit it out!”
Lucian took a deep breath to prevent himself from snapping at Sakura like he did to Benjamin. He knew she would fight back for sure. “Yesterday, the case got dropped off to me as per usual by my darling. I decided I may as well show up to give the kid a visit.”
“I heard all about that! All you did was yell at him for info and evidence! Benji told me himself!”
“Stupid kids! You’re all like this, aren’t you?!”
A bailiff and Detective Gumshoe showed up right before Sakura started throwing punches, Al grabbing her arms and restraining her. “Calm the heck down, Sakura! You don’t need to get so angry just because he’s the prosecutor!”
“I HATE HIM! I HATE MR. UMBRAAAAA!!”
Lucian looked down quickly, wishing to talk to Al. “Lawyer boy, can I have one word?”
“Sure,” Al replied. “There’s your word.”
Lucian giggled. “I have a reason for prosecuting. The kid believes they’re all stacked, but she needs to realize that television isn’t the best thing for children these days. Sure, there were a few cases where they really were forging evidence and the like, but it’s all dramatized. She can think what she wants about me and Benjamin.”
Al listened to every word. He shoved his hands into his suit pockets. “Let’s go, Sakura. We can go back to proving Benjamin innocent now.”
Lucian ran ahead to go back into the courtroom, but before he went in, he turned around and made one last remark. “Just know that it wasn’t like I couldn’t leave this case without a prosecutor.”
Sakura was slightly stunned. “I...”
April 28, 2008 12:02 pm
Lamina Courtroom #1
Al, Sakura, and Lucian took their stands in the courtroom again. Mercedes had left for her home, not remembering Sakura still had the keys to the house, although she forgot to lock the door--an unsafe move considering they wouldn’t be home much. The judge organized some papers he’d left on his podium, lining them all up before stapling them together.
“It appears we’ve Mr. Gumshoe now. Are both sides ready to continue?”
“Yes, Your Honour.” Al made a wiping motion on his suit, before slamming his hands on the defence’s bench. Sakura nodded and put her hands on her hips. “You’ve got this,” she whispered.
“The prosecution should be ready, yes,” replied Lucian. “I’d like for Dick Gumshoe to take the stand now.”
A man in a green trenchcoat and red tie took the stand. He had a bandage on his face, and his short brown hair was sticking out.
“Witness, please state your name and profession. (This sure gets old after a while, like me...)”
“You can call me Gumshoe, pal! I’m the head detective at the Criminal Affairs precinct.” Gumshoe had a rather happy demeanor to him, which certainly lifted the spirits of the court.
“Your testimony, please.”
Gumshoe took out a piece of paper, which seemed to have the murder details on it. It had been stored in a file folder, so it must have become quite a big case. After all, from what Al knew this was the youngest prime suspect that had been tried for a murder.
“It was around 9:45 pm on April 26th. The Cloviets were hosting a business dinner for their woodworking and lumberjack business.
“The little boy over there asked to leave the room and go to the backyard, picking up an axe left by the door.
“He went back in from the front door and started swinging at his parents, pal! Having kept one on him for self-defence, William shot at Benjamin to hopefully get him to stop or even kill him completely, but he missed for the most part.
“That little boy let out the worst scream I’d ever heard! Nonetheless, he ripped that gun out of his dad’s hands and shot him right in the heart!
“With his dad taken care of, all Benjamin had to do was take one clean swing at his mom and it was over. Having fallen over, Benjamin got back up and stood there, just standing still, staring at the blood-stained axe.
“I went in to arrest him, but the kid was too fast! He darted out through the backyard and went straight off-road. There was no way I could send cops to chase him in conditions like that.”
The judge wasn’t paying attention, but was rather sorting through more paperwork. “Very well. The defence may begin its cross-examination.”
Al nodded. “(Here goes, Sakura...)”
Al thought long and hard. These testimonies were becoming more and more solid by the minute! Even then, if Benjamin was innocent, there had to be something wrong with it.
“OBJECTION! If you look at the autopsy reports, you’ll see that Mr. Cloviet was killed with the axe, then shot!”
Gumshoe scratched the back of his head. “Oh, I probably overlooked that, pal.”
Al disagreed. “There’s more to it than that. You said he swung at his parents, and then Mr. Cloviet shot him. Following that, you said the defendant grabbed the gun after the gunshot. If we’re to believe things happened in the order they did, then Mr. Cloviet couldn’t have shot Benjamin!”
Gumshoe hung his head down in shame. “You’re right, pal.”
“Detective, what actually happened?” asked Lucian. Gumshoe corrected his testimony to reflect the new information.
“Benjamin took a big swing with the axe, and when he hit, that’s when Mr. Cloviet shot! He shot upon impact! Then, when he fell to the ground, that little boy picked up the gun and shot his dad to make sure he was dead!”
“(Hmm... it’s best if we know exactly how many bullets were fired.) Detective, is it possible to tell how many bullets were shot from the pistol?”
“Two bullets were shot, pal.”
“Gah!” Al gasped out loud. He hadn’t meant to, but he was starting to slip a small bit. “Do you have a fingerprint scan from the gun?”
“We took it into testing before Prosecutor Umbra got ahold of it, but we couldn’t get a clear print.”
Al was starting to regain himself. “Well, if we look at the crime scene--” Al slammed his hands on the defence’s bench-- “neither Mr. Cloviet nor Benjamin are wearing gloves! Therefore, neither of them shot the gun!”
The crowd went wild. The possibility of a new witness or suspect was impossible beforehand, but now, it couldn’t be denied. The judge slammed his gavel and yelled for order in the court. Lucian started to think to himself. “(I could rebut, but only with the risk of having a dull point.)”
Gumshoe spoke up again. “However, there’s no proof that there was a glove being worn. The prints could’ve been wiped by someone...”
“Maybe by Prosecutor Umbra?!” shouted Sakura at the top of her lungs.
Prosecutor Umbra muttered something to himself. “Detective, dare I say it, but the forensics would’ve come up with something had the prints been wiped. However, there’s no doubt of a clear possibility that the kid still shot the gun and wiped the fingerprints.”
Al refuted. “Need I remind you that the kid was shot in the shoulder?”
“You need not. However, I should remind you that William was shot as well.”
Gumshoe pulled out another sheet of paper. “We’ve got some psychology reports on the kid from a younger age and he’s right-handed, pal. That kid was shot in his left shoulder.”
Lucian slipped on his sunglasses again, smirking a little. “Detective, if anything, that proves he could still shoot with his dominant arm.”
“Not necessarily, pal.”
“Does the defendant have visible injuries from recoil?”
“Not that I know about,” said Gumshoe and Sakura in unison.
Al made a revelation. “Wait! You said there were two bullets shot, but looking at the crime scene photo, there are three bullet holes! One in the wall, one in Mr. Cloviet’s midsection, and one in Benjamin’s arm!”
“Oh, about that. The bullet hit Benjamin and kept going, pal. That’s why there’s three holes.”
Lucian thought to himself, gritting his teeth. “(If the kid had recoil damage, he couldn’t climb that tree... Dammit, Lucian! You’re losing it!) Can we confirm that the gun has one chamber missing?”
“One empty chamber?” asked Sakura.
“If the gun was shot only once, it would only be missing one bullet, unless it was reloaded.”
“But wasn’t it shot twice?”
“Hmph. Can we confirm two empty chambers, then?”
“(Wait a minute...)”
“Ballistic markings, maybe?”
Gumshoe hung his head low again. “We don’t have the bullets, pal.”
“(Of course...)”
“Detective, you said the kid ran off. How do you know the bullet went through his arm?”
The judge was now listening to an announcement on his walkie-talkie. He muttered into the microphone and let go of the button. “It appears we must call an emergency recess. Please forgive me for the inconvenience.”
Everyone left the courtroom and went out to the lobby.
April 28, 2008 1:04 pm
Lamina Courtroom #1
“(Two recesses in such a short while... What could be going on? Why wasn’t I notified beforehand?)”
The gavel slammed onto the judge’s podium. “Court is back in session for the trial of Benjamin Cloviet. You may continue where you left off.”
Lucian had taken off his sunglasses since the break. “Were you able to get the chambers examined, Detective?”
“I was, and I can confirm two empty chambers, pal.”
“Huh. Thank you, Detective.”
“No problem! I couldn’t send police after the kid because he was so far off the road, and at the speed he was going, there’d be no point in sending police on their own. The only way we could’ve caught him was by car, pal.”
Lucian and Al both thought about this statement, but Lucian was the first to speak up. “...Speed, you say?”
“Yep. He was going quite fast for his age. I wouldn’t have been able to catch up to him, nor would any of the regular policemen.”
“(Hold on. I have something.) Detective, do you see this picture here? It was taken almost immediately after the murder occurred. I don’t think a murderer would just stand around, let someone take a photo of them at the crime scene, and run off. Do you?”
Lucian smirked so much he couldn’t hold it back. “OBJECTION! I think that question answers itself. If the photo was taken directly after the murder, the kid wouldn’t have time to run off. Or to hide the bloody axe he used.”
Sakura started to steam up again. “But he didn’t hide it! When we found Benji in the Viridian Forest, he had it with him!”
“That has nothing to do with this. Sure, he kept the axe. But we still have concrete proof that the kid’s holding the bloody axe used to kill the victims directly after the murder.”
Gumshoe, who had been thinking quietly to himself to see if he’d missed anything, slammed his hands on the stand to grab everyone’s attention. “...Now that I think about it, I do remember being hit by something when I met him...”
“Hit by something?”
“I don’t quite remember what it was, pal. Think it may have been the hilt of the axe. I was hit by something, though.”
“...On the floor?! Detective, that’s a serious thing to mention. Especially after you met the kid. (But I’ll take more proof, sure.)”
“Sorry, pal. I hadn’t thought it would be important. Just that the kid got away and I couldn’t go after him.”
“Hmm... Sakura, didn’t--” Al was about to ask Sakura something regarding the night of the murder, but was cut off by Lucian.
“Your Honour, I think it’s even easier to see the prosecution’s claim. The kid didn’t want to be caught by the police. So he knocked the detective unconscious with the axe and left.”
“...Hold on! Didn’t Gumshoe say you had another witness? If he was one, he would’ve said so.”
“Call it a simple opinion, but the prosecution sees no reason to prolong this trial. Unless... the defence has something to say?”
Al cleared his throat. “I do.”
Sakura, unlike Al, was being very aggressive with her opinions. “There’s another witness, isn’t there?! It isn’t Gumshoe, either, because he would’ve been in questioning yesterday if he were the witness!”
Al backed up Sakura’s statement. “Detective, I have heard reports a break-in at the Cloviets’ house on the night of the murder. Perhaps it was possible that the person who broke in knocked Gumshoe out? If you were hit on the head, your memory wouldn’t be so clear.”
“Darling, the detective’s job is to investigate, not to be kept up in questioning.”
“There’s another witness, isn’t there? That witness could support the defense’s claims!”
“OBJECTION! And if this witness cannot testify? Or if they are just a fragment of the darling’s imagination? The prosecution is the one knowing about their own witnesses.”
Sakura blanked. She had no idea how to fight back at that statement... or if she even could. “Uh... Uh, um...”
Thankfully, Al had a trick up his sleeve, a trick he found when he couldn’t sleep last night. “Actually, Prosecutor Umbra, I have another witness.”
“Tch. (Of course you do, don’t you... Just when I had it...)”
Sakura gasped. “HA! See, Mr. Umbra? Not all has been lost yet!”
“Hmph. It’d be against the ideals of the court to not have a witness show up on the stand.”
“That’s what I was trying to say this entire time!”
Al had finished finding the words to describe the witness. “A young girl who was across the road and had a clear view into the house, the defence calls Amber Tzaziki to the stand!”
Lucian started to sweat heavily. “O-OBJECTION!! Your Honour! The prosecution has a proposal!”
“WHAT?!” The entire courtroom roared with surprise.
“And what would this be?” questioned the judge.
“The prosecution allows this witness to testify. However, if they cannot completely overthrow the prosecution’s existing claim, this trial will end with a guilty verdict without question.”
Al and Sakura whispered to themselves for a few minutes. Without the witness, there would be a guilty verdict, but with the witness, nothing may change. Still, the two agreed that they had to get this witness onto the stand and put up a fight.
“Challenge accepted.”
“A challenge, you say? Interesting. Never thought of it this way.”
An orange-haired girl took the stand. Her pale sea-green tank top and golden yellow skirt looked quite stained with grass and dirt, and her blue shoes which had magenta belts and yellow buckles on the outside were covered in mud.
“Witness, please state your name and school grade.”
“Oh, my name’s Amber Tzaziki! I’m in Grade 8 when I should be in Grade 7, but who cares? I saw some stuff last night that was pretty important according to black-haired Link over there and a younger version of Sakura, so lemme testify!”
Amber didn’t wait for the judge to give her the go-ahead before she started.
“Uhh... It was about 9:45 at night. I was looking for either some food or a place for me and my friend to stay for the night.
“I saw a kid I recognized go outside one of the houses, so I followed him around to his backyard, where he picked up an axe and went back into his house through the backyard.
“Watching through the window in the backyard, I saw him! It was the K--Benjamin, and he started swinging at what must’ve been his parents!
“Seeing as there was a gun lying on the ground, he picked it up and tried to shoot at his dad, but completely missed and hit the wall.
“He turned around and shot again, this time getting his dad straight in the heart.
“With his dad taken care of, Benjamin swung at his mom and it was game over for the Cloviets. He ran out with his clothes torn and the axe in his hands, crying furiously.”
“The defence may cross-examine this witness.”
Sakura thought for a moment, her fingers pressed onto her forehead, before finding a contradiction. “Aha! I got one, Al!” She whispered it to Al and he pressed on Amber. (Not physically, though.)
“Hmm. Ms. Tzaziki, our last witness says the defendant came back in from the front. But here, you state that he went in from the backyard.”
“Eh? What do you mean?” Amber seemed legitimately confused.
Lucian stepped in. “I believe this line of questioning is irrelevant, but very well. Make it relevant, lawyer boy.”
“Detective Gumshoe stated that the kid carried the axe in from the front, but Amber said he carried it in from the back.”
“Mom said that too! He went in from the front!”
“Thanks, Sakura. So, Ms. Tzaziki, either you’re lying or they’re lying. Which one is it?”
Amber blushed a little bit, starting to get angry but suppressing it. “You know what? You’re right. He went in through the front. Lemme change what I said!” She put her hand on her chin and then changed her mind. “Wait, I don’t need to change it. Ne’er mind!”
“Thanks, darling,” replied Lucian.
“Hey, don’t be hittin’ on me! I’m taken, by the way!”
Al let out a bit of a sigh, allowing Sakura to go in for the kill. “Oooooooooooooooh! You like her don’t you?!” she exclaimed in a whisper.
Al simply cleared his throat and pressed Amber again. “Why don’t you need to change it?”
“It’s just one little thing, right?”
“One little thing can lead to bigger things.”
“She doesn’t need to change it because it’s irrelevant,” argued Lucian.
“Oh really, Lucian? Think about this: If Amber saw the defendant and followed him to the backyard, how did he see him go in the front?”
“I followed Benjamin until he went inside! Wait... Actually, yeah. I should change what I said.”
Lucian facepalmed as Amber changed one of her statements.
“Watching through the window by some barbecue, I saw him! It was the K--Benjamin, and he started swinging at what must’ve been his parents!”
Al scrunched his face. “Sakura, your mom never mentioned Ms. Tzaziki.”
“Why, though?”
“Wait... Ms. Tzaziki, you said the defendant shot and killed his father, correct?”
“Yeah. Why?”
Al pulled the autopsy reports out of his suitcase again. He opened William’s file folder. “This report states that Mr. Cloviet was shot after he was murdered.”
Amber let out a small scream. She obviously wasn’t used to a court environment like Nookville’s. “I-I--Why are you making this such a big deal? The order doesn’t matter, does it?!”
“Of course it does.”
“I’m not saying I rigged it or anything, but...” Amber screamed again.
“Ms. Tzaziki, you never stated that you saw Benjamin attack Mr. Cloviet with an axe, yet he was killed with one.”
“I-I didn’t?!”
“Nope. I have your testimony right here.”
Sakura had noticed another contradiction that no one would’ve ever picked up on. She only realized it because it seemed similar to something Benjamin would do. “What about the barbecue? If you went and looked into the window by it, you obviously would’ve smelled the burgers Mom was cooking! You said you were looking for food or a place to stay!”
Lucian nooded. “Quite an interesting thing to think about concerning that the darling was looking for food, yes.”
“Knowing that Amber was looking for something for her to eat, she would’ve starting asking my mom about them! Right?”
Amber started to sweat a little. “U-U-UGH! I did, I did! Lemme change what I said again!” She took a deep breath.
“I smelled burgers, so I turned around and asked the lady there for two--one for me and one for my friend. That’s when I heard the first gunshot! I turned around and saw it had missed.”
“And then...”
“It didn’t work. I couldn’t get food.”
“That doesn’t answer my earlier question. Mr. Cloviet was killed with an axe. Yet you say he was killed by a gun.”
“So why didn’t I say anything about it? I don’t know. I must’ve missed it when I was bugging that lady about burgers.”
“Not quite. You said you turned around at the first gunshot.”
“Huh?”
“If we are to believe your earlier testimony, then the first gunshot was the one that missed.”
“Yeah. I missed the one that missed Benjamin. What’s the point?”
“The point is, your testimony states this: “That was when I head the first gunshot! I turned around and saw it had missed.” You just said that you missed that one.”
“Yeah? And that changes what?”
“That is a contradiction, Ms. Tzaziki.”
“Where’s the contradiction?”
“You said that you missed the one that missed the defendant.”
Lucian slammed his fists on the prosecutor’s bench. “May I ask the defense a question?”
Sakura stared at Lucian fiercely in the eyes, worrying him a little since Benjamin did that to him and saw his worries. “Al’s busy, so you can ask me.”
“Is any of this silly little “cross-examining” worth the court’s time?”
“Of course it is!”
“And how so, darling?”
“If we get her to crack, she might testify again! Then we might learn stuff that wasn’t mentioned before!”
Lucian simply laughed, only to be silenced by Al’s cross-examination.
“Wait! What about Benjamin’s wound? The first gunshot didn’t miss, but rather seriously injured the defendant!”
Amber’s eyebrows raised. “Yeah! I do remember something like that. I heard a bit of a scream, but it wasn’t really much.”
“Funny you say that. Didn’t Mrs. Anaman say she heard a terrible scream?”
Lucian went to ask the court to adjourn and issue a guilty verdict, but Amber started to break down on the stand.
“STOP IT, YOU JERK ‘ATTORNEY’!! J-JUST STOP!!”
Amber was breathing quite heavily, almost hyperventilating. She recollected herself the most she could. “F-FINE! I’ll tell you what I actually saw. I’ll say it all. Right here. Right now.”
“Sakura, this might be out chance...” whispered Al.
“See, Mr. Umbra? Like I said, she’s cracking under pressure so hard that she’s losing it! She’s testifying again!”
“So the darling was right. What a sadistic little fire going on,” stated Lucian. “These little girls will be finer prosecutors than me, don’t you think?”
“I’d get a good job if I had money to even buy food where I really live AND here!!” screeched Amber at the top of her lungs.
Sakura tilted her head in a cocky fashion. “You can bet it on your updated salary I’m right!”
Amber took a few more deep breaths.
“You think you’re so perfect, huh? Well, here’s what ACTUALLY happened!
“I saw Benjamin go outside his house through the front door! He went back around and picked up the axe!
“However, he left the door open, so one of the people who came late to the business dinner went in. I found that a bit weird, because he didn’t even knock. He had a pillowcase and a water gun.
“I went around towards that lady’s house and saw she was making burgers, so I asked her for two! I heard the first gunshot go off around then, so I left it be and turned around.
“There was a bunch of screaming inside the house and I saw lots of fancy-dressed people running out the same door that guy went in from. They went to their cars and drove away fairly quickly.
“Then, I saw the random guy who went in go out, and that’s when Benjamin killed them both! I wanted to look away so bad, but I couldn’t because my eyes were glued.
“There you go, stupid lawyer. Everything I know. If you say I’m lying one more time, I swear...”
Sakura started laughing hard. “Present your Attorney’s Badge on statement one!” she whispered. “You have to do it! It’s your only chance!”
Al unpinned his badge and showed it to Amber. “Ms. Tzaziki, see this?”
Lucian facepalmed. “...Defense, what is this supposed to prove?” He pulled out a deck of cards and looked through it, pulling out a card and throwing it so it stuck in the wall above Al’s left shoulder.
“I have no clue, Mr. Umbra. It’s something my dad used to do. Not to mention Sakura had the idea...”
“Hey! I thought it would be funny!”
Amber’s face went redder than an apple. She grinded her teeth and got so angry Al could swear steam was coming out of her ears. “I SWEAR TO ARCEUS WHEN THIS IS ALL SAID AND DONE I AM GOING TO KNOCK YOU AND YOUR LITTLE LAWYER THOUGHTS UPSIDE THE HEAD!!”
Sakura tried to hold in a laugh but couldn’t. “See, Al? THAT was what I wanted to happen!” She giggled loudly.
Lucian let out a sigh. “What a joker you defence attorneys are.”
Sakura jumped up behind Al and grabbed the card lodged in the wall, flipping it over to see that it was indeed a joker. She then jumped up over the defence’s bench and threw the card back at Lucian, who caught it in between his fingers. “You take that back Mr. Umbra!”
“Thanks, darling. Don’t have to go out and buy a new deck now.”
“Nngh...”
Al decided to break up the fight with a contradiction he found in Amber’s testimony. “Ms. Tzaziki, there is something wrong with your testimony. The “water gun” is actually a pistol!” He went into his suitcase and pulled out the gun.
“Allow me.” Lucian had a bailiff walk over and take the gun from Al’s hands into his. “There’s no one upstairs, is there?”
“This is the highest floor,” answered the judge.
Lucian loaded the gun and shot a bullet through the ceiling. “Ah... perfect evidence as always.” Lucian let out a small laugh.
Amber, who had now realized what that man could have done, realized something that she needed to tell the court. “Umm... I wasn’t even supposed to tell you about that guy who came in!”
“And why not?” asked Al.
“Someone told me not to mention it, but I don’t remember who it was. I shouldn’t even be here! I’m six and living on Earth in 2008! I swear I’m just having a bad dream! That’s all there is to it!”
“Ms. Tzaziki, do you remember what this someone looked like?”
“U-Uhh... I remember a toque.”
“A toque? Of what colour?”
“It was black or something like that. I couldn’t tell because it was dark outside. It was either a dark shade or I couldn’t see that well. I...” Amber took a deep breath, like she wanted to say something. “I remember a toque and that’s all there is to it.”
Al’s eyes went wide as he made a sudden realization, a realization that could turn the case on its head.
“Ms. Tzaziki, the testimony from Detective Gumshoe states that the axe was at the front. But you stated the axe was at the back, like Mrs. Anaman.”
Al and Sakura whispered to each other, coming to the conclusion that the axe was in two different places, and that one was contradicting the other. They also realized that Benjamin should have run into the man with the gun.
“Ms. Tzaziki, if Benjamin went out the front door, he should have bumped into the man with the toque and gun.”
Amber gasped. “But he was inside when that guy came in! Who said he was wearing a toque, anyway?”
“You said the man was wearing a toque.”
“That was the man who told me not to say anything!”
“This is the man we’re talking about. The man that the defendant should have bumped into if he went out the front door.”
“But who said he was wearing a toque?”
“You did.”
“Huh! Well maybe the guy who went in and the guy who told me not to say anything are different!”
Sakura had her hand on her chin again. She smirked a little like Lucian and slammed her hands on her part of the defence’s bench, pointing her finger at Amber like Al would when pressing or objecting.
“But if he’s not the one who went in, then why would he stop you from saying anything?”
“I-I--I mean, he--I mean... I mean--AAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUGHH!! I DON’T KNOW WHY HE TOLD ME NOT TO SAY ANYTHING!”
“(Great job, Sakura!)”
Lucian nodded. “Think. Why would someone tell you to keep your mouth shut about a murder? Obviously because they’re an accomplice to the kid.”
“That man must have been involved, Ms. Tzaziki.”
Sakura piped up. “But where’s the motive for Benji to kill his parents one night?”
“Think about it. The man broke in, and the kid took advantage of it and killed his parents.”
“OBJECTION!” Al had come up with something! “Prosecutor Umbra, Ms. Tzaziki said that the man who broke in and the man who told her not to say anything were two different people.”
“Does that really object to anything? Then we just have two accomplices and the kid.”
“It does. We now have a suspect to track down.”
Lucian nodded. “Now darling, is there a photograph of him killing the victims at the time of the murder? I think not.”
“Stop calling me darling! I’m only seven!”
Al looked down, thinking hard about that statement. Something HAD to come from that! And something did. “(That’s it!) Your Honour, do we know who took the picture?”
“Unfortunately, no,” replied the judge. Oh no! There was nowhere to advance! ...Or was there?
“O-OBJECTION!!”
Everyone in the courtroom was quite surprised. Why had this person objected?
“Al, why is the witness objecting?”
“That’s a good question.”
Amber scratched her head. “First of all, damn, did that ever feel great! That’s not my point, though. I know who took that picture!”
Lucian took off his sunglasses.
“Who took the picture, then?”
“I know nobody would’ve been able to see him in the dark, but it was my friend Mr. Game!”
“Well then,” stated Al.
“Uhh, what’s his real name?” asked Sakura.
“His legal name is actually Barry Game and Watch. He’s a Quartasian.”
Lucian slammed on the prosecution’s bench. “Your Honour, the prosecution agrees that the man, or men, could be accomplices to the murder and must be tracked down as they are relevant to this case. However, the prosecution will not rest on the front that Benjamin Cloviet is the murderer.”
Al spoke up. “Your Honour, I propose an adjournment until this “Barry Game and Watch” is found.”
“OBJECTION! The defense has just thrown silly accusations around! The prosecution’s proposal will still stand! Benjamin Cloviet is not confirmably innocent.”
“But he’s not confirmably guilty!”
“Heh. Remember our little agreement, darling? If the kid isn’t confirmed to be innocent, this trial is over.”
“Are you willingly going to withhold information from the court?”
“We agreed that you had this darling to work out your answers with. ...Tch.”
“I’m still taken, you know! Hey... I remember now. I remember. It was that guy who came outta that house!”
“This... This is ridiculous!” Lucian was starting to sweat heavily.
The judge took the microphone again. “I’m afraid that if you stand by your decision, Mr. Umbra, I’ll have to assign a penalty.”
“A... A PENALTY?!” Lucian’s face went even redder than Amber’s had. Sweat was dripping off his forehead. He banged his fist on the prosecution’s bench and leaned over a bit, his eyes giving the look that he was ready to kill.
“Yes, Mr. Umbra. A penalty. If this man really was an accomplice, then we must have him take the stand as well.”
“Gah! One thing after another with you people!”
“Everyone who knows ANYTHING must be spoken to! Some will even take the stand!” argued Sakura.
“I... this is ridiculous! They even agreed!”
“Oh yes, that.”
“NO!! We haven’t lost this yet! I won’t accept defeat so early!”
“Your Honour, that was before Ms. Tzaziki revealed two more people at this crime scene. They must be questioned.”
“I...”
“Wait, there was an agreement for me to even be here? Huh. That’s interesting. Maybe Mr. Game would know more about this court stuff,” thought Amber out loud to herself. She turned to Lucian, who looked quite pained and angry. “...Uh, Mr. Prosecutor Guy?”
“Your Honour, the prosecution asks to hold a ten-minute recess.”
April 28, 2008 1:34 pm
Courtroom Lobby #1
“Well, Sakura. We managed to hold them off for a bit,” sighed Al. “That was just what we needed. I’m so glad I talked to that girl this morning...”
Lucian walked up to Amber. He had to know more about the man who broke in.
“What is it?”
“...What do you know about this person who you claim fired the gun? Anything you didn’t say in court?”
“Oh, him. I figured he had something to do with the business dinner, but I couldn’t help but feel he was a little outta place. He showed up pretty late compared to everyone else.”
“Would your friend have seen him?”
“Mr. Game? He must have. He was following me around for the most part. He would’ve seen the guy, but not the other way around. I think it’d be a good idea for him to take the stand.”
“Where are you two currently staying?”
“Um... see, we don’t exactly live in this time period... and I’m pretty broke most of the time. I managed to find a crappy tent somewhere, so we’re camped out in the park by the crime scene.”
“Ah. Thank you, I’ll make sure to talk to him.”
“If you’re going to see him, you may as well bring me with you since I’ll be going to find him after this. He should still be in the tent unless he decided to take a walk around.”
“I’ll be able to find him, no doubt about it.”
Al and Sakura, on the other hand, were still talking about the possibilities Amber and Gumshoe’s testimonies gave the case.
“Hey Sakura, I just thought of something.”
“What is it, Al?”
“If the axe was by the front... Actually, I’ll save it for court.”
“Probably a good idea.”
“Are you going back to your house after this, Sakura?”
“Well, it is a good idea to organize our stuff, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, we’ll have to have things ready for if Mr. Game shows up.”
Lucian went to talk to Al and Sakura, but he was interrupted by Amber. “Wait!”
He turned around and walked back over to Amber. “Hmm?”
“Just two things you should keep in mind. One, he likes being called Mr. Game and nothing else. He can tolerate quartam kid, but that wouldn’t be too nice. Two, try not to make him upset or anything. He’s already got low self-esteem as it is because people are always making fun of him at school. Just be cautious and you’ll be fine!”
“Of course. I’ll make sure to remember that. Thank you.”
“No problem!”
Lucian went back over to Al and Sakura, who hadn’t noticed his arrival. “We bought time, Sakura. Now, we need to make the most of it.”
“Yeah, but this is a recess. We need to get a confirmed adjournment!”
“We do. There’s something missing.”
“(This trial has gone sideways more than once... and having to put up with it later will be interesting.) Bailiff. How much time do we have until this recess ends?”
“Time’s up now,” the bailiff responded while looking at his watch.
“Good. Thank you.”
“Wait, our time’s up?” asked Sakura.
“Hmm. That went fast.”
April 28, 2008 1:44 pm
Lamina Courtroom #1
Al, Sakura, and Lucian went back their benches. The judge, who was eating a Caesar salad, had just finished his lunch and started to talk into the microphone.
“Court is now continuing from--”
“...Hmph. Your Honour, I don’t think that’s necessary.”
“But your agreement, it still stands. Does it not?
“...The prosecution’s agreement still stands. However, the prosecution proposes that both sides be given time to investigate.”
Al nodded, a smile emerging onto his face. “The defence agrees with this proposal. (Someone’s had a change of heart.)”
“There are new witnesses and suspects that must not go unnoticed.”
“Oh my gosh, he scared me!” said Sakura with relief in her voice. “We have more time to make a case. A case that’ll prove Benji innocent.”
“Darling, don’t think we’re done here, or that my case isn’t prefect. Game will testify tomorrow, and will follow the prosecution’s proposal.”
“Which is...” Al had forgotten the proposal through all the stress of court.
“Silly lawyer, the one from before!”
“Oh, alright.”
“He will testify, and the kid will be given a fairer verdict.”
Sakura tried to jump over the defence’s bench again. “I really appreciate that. But can I ask you a question?”
“Hmph. Of course, darling.”
“(I guess he’s not such a bad guy...)”
“What if we need both that Quartasian and the toque guy to testify?”
“That’s a question you’ll have to answer yourselves. The Quartasian is the prosecution’s witness and will stay as such.”
April 28, 2008 1:49 pm
Courtroom Lobby #1
“Very well. Sakura, shall we go check the crime scene again?”
“Probably a good idea!” Sakura had something to say, however. Something she needed to tell Lucian. “Mr. Umbra...”
“Darling, a prosecutor’s job is not to make people guilty.”
“T-That’s not what I was g-going to say.”
“Continue, then.”
“I... I’m sorry.”
“Huh?”
“I feel like I assumed too much. You’re actually a good person. But that doesn’t mean I’m not considering you a rival,” she confessed.
“Good to hear. Darling, television is not a place to find your first impressions.”
“But I’ve seen in court before and they’re sketchy!”
“Ha.” Lucian put on his sunglasses and smiled. It wasn’t a smirk like in court, but rather a real, genuine smile, like he was happy to see Sakura have a change of heart.
“...See you in court, Mr. Umbra.”
“(They’re interesting ones, I’ll give them that. See you in court, darling.)”
April 28, 2008 2:01 pm
Courtroom Lobby #2
“Al, can you call Mom and ask her to pick us up?” asked Sakura. The two were ready to start investigating again, but first, they needed to get back “home”. Al lived all the way out in Edict City on his own. No family to go to. He understood how Benjamin felt, losing your parents to a tragedy.
“I can do that. Sakura, do you have a notebook on you?”
“Nope. Why?”
“Oh, I was just thinking of something. I’ll call your mom now.”
Al pulled his smartphone out of his pocket again, dialing Mercedes’s number and putting the phone up to his ear.
“Hello?”
“Hey Mercedes. It’s me, Al. Do you think you could pick up me and Sakura from the courtroom?”
“Why should I do that?”
“Well, I don’t exactly have cash to get back through a taxi.”
“Find a ride then!”
“Mercedes, you don’t need to be so angry. I only gave you and Benjamin to the police because if I didn’t, we wouldn’t even have had a trial today. At the very least, you’re out and it’s over with.”
“...I see. Give me a few and I’ll be right there.”
*beep*
Al put the phone back into his pocket. “She was upset at first, but your mom’s coming.”
“Good idea, Al.”
Sakura hadn’t brought a jacket, but she organized all her stuff in her backpack and put it on. It seemed quite heavy, so she must have brought more than she needed to.
“Alright, I’m ready! How ‘bout you?”
Al sighed and packed up his things into his suitcase. As he opened it, a thought came into his head to bring out the psychology report and show it to Sakura. However, he knew he would need to use his Magatama. He took a deep breath and shook his head a little bit.
“So, Sakura... can you tell me what it from yesterday is?”
“I’m not saying.”
Al unzipped his suit pocket and pulled out his Magatama, suddenly seeing the Psyche-Lock from yesterday’s investigation reappear. There was only one chest, but it seemed very hard to break.
“W-Why are you looking at me s-s-so scary?”
“I don’t mean to scare you. I’m just looking for an answer for what it is.”
“And? That green thing has something to do with it?”
“No, but this does.” Al showed Sakura the psychology report. She cringed, taking a step back and averting her eyes. “Where in the heck did you get that?!” The Psyche-Lock shattered into many multicoloured pieces, disintegrating as they fell in the air. Breaking the lock was a lot easier than Al had thought it to be. However, he was dealing with a seven-year old, and Sakura seemed to give in to his ways a bit easily.
“This has something to do with it, does it not? Why has it been tampered with?”
“I don’t know. I think that may have happened on the night of the murder. But I’ll tell you. Benji’s got a thing called autism.”
“Huh?”
“I don’t really know how to explain it, but it’s basically just the brain developing differently. Mom might know where to find a detailed copy of that. It’s a bit case-specific.”
“Hmm. This may be an integral part to the case, Sakura. Why were you afraid to tell me?”
“Well... just don’t let Benji know. He’ll kill me if he finds out I told you.”
“Uhh... that’s just a figure of speech, right? He’s innocent.”
“Silly lawyer! You need to stop taking every word seriously!”
Al grabbed Sakura’s hand and the two walked outside to the sidewalk. In the -4degree weather, which was rather cold for late April, Mercedes’s silver Ford Focus pulled up against the sidewalk and parked. Mercedes came out the driver’s side and locked the doors.
“Hey Al. Where’s Benjamin?”
“Oh my goodness, that’s right!” Al ran back inside to search for Benjamin, who, as should be expected by a close friend, was by the food tables in the courtroom looking for cookies.
“Benjamin! Come on, we’re going now!”
“…Benji.”
“Right. Okay, Benji, we should get going now!”
“Okay! Found cookies!” Benjamin grabbed a handful of chocolate chip cookies and ran over towards Al. He hadn’t been cleaned up since the murder, so his hair was still a mess and his clothes were as well. “Not gingerbread but good! Good cookies!”
The two walked out slowly back to Mercedes’s car, where they entered and drove off from.
“So, how did the trial go after I left?”
“It went. We don’t have a confirmed verdict yet, so tonight, we're going to do more investigating. We’ve got two new witnesses to talk to.”
“At the very least you didn’t lose, right?”
“Nope! But Mr. Umbra threw a playing card at Al and it stuck in the wall! He called us jokers, and when I threw it back at him, he caught it in between his fingers!”
“That’s impressive.”
“Mom, that’s not my point!”
The road home was a fairly quick trip home, but for Al, Sakura, Benjamin, and Mercedes, it felt like a million years. After all, Lucian was able to put up such a big fight that it was all or nothing for our heroes tomorrow... and today. Benjamin stared out of his window, completely lost in thought. He was thinking about the case, and why his parents died the way they died. Why they were killed. Benjamin and his parents had a very close bond. They were just a normal, happy family, like Lucian had said in his opening statement. He loved and was loved, and the family bonded very closely with the Anamans. For someone to think that Benjamin could kill his parents was outrageous in his mind. How could they not know he hadn’t done it? They had to have a prime suspect. And of course, it had to be him, Benjamin Cloviet, of all people. Where would he even stay tonight? His life had turned from the best he could have to the worst. Now, he wondered why Al was so set on proving his innocence.
“Al Catraz. Why protecting me?”
Al looked back from the passenger seat and saw a teary-eyed Benjamin staring at him. The answer was easy for Al. “I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for your friend Sakura. She’s the one who called me yesterday morning and asked me to take your case. Look, I know it’s not easy to be accused of killing your own parents, but it’ll be all over soon and you’ll be fine. I promise,” he responded.
“Mommy and Daddy are gone. Why them?”
“We’re going to find out tomorrow. Until then, I’ll be searching for all the answers I can find just for you.”
Benjamin wiped his eyes. “Thank you... Al Catraz.” He started eating the cookies he’d taken from the courtroom. Sakura stared at him with envy, and Mercedes pulled into her house’s garage. She backed up to readjust her car, before turning the key and removing it from the slot.
“We’re here! Al, if you and Sakura want to start investigating now, then I’ll keep the garage door open. Meanwhile, Benji, I got some new clothes for you that you can change into when we get inside. I’ll take care of your hair, too.”
Al and Sakura unbuckled, opening the doors of the car closest to them and exiting to the complex.
“Wait me! Wait me!” exclaimed Benjamin.
“Benji, we have something we have to do right away, but you can join us after, okay?” responded Sakura in a sisterly fashion.
“Okay, Sakura!”
Our heroes exited out to the complex and to the tent parked in the small field outside, taking a peek.
“No one’s here, Al. Maybe Mr. Umbra’s already spoken to Barry.”
“Perhaps. But even if he has, it won’t stop us from getting information, will it?”
“I don’t think so, but you never know.”
“Hmm... a phone of sorts is in here. I’ve never seen anything like this before,” stated Al. He stepped inside the blue tent, noticing it had a few belongings in it, but nothing else. One of those belongings was a type of phone called a PokeGear, which obviously belonged to either Amber or Barry. The model looked quite old and beaten up, but when Al turned the screen on, it seemed to work perfectly fine, like someone had refurbished the device.
“Al, is there a password?”
“Nope. You know what this means...”
“You can check if there’s any pictures on it?”
“You bet!”
Trying his best to see the screen, which wasn’t lighted, Al went into the photo gallery to check for evidence. Going in chronological order, he checked the first video, not realizing the speakers were at maximum volume. A typical high school romance drama started playing, but it wasn’t a TV show. It was what must have been Barry and a Quartasian girl. They looked at each other with a look of awe, and then right as the two started to kiss, a voice piped up from behind Al and Sakura.
“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!”
A Quartasian boy matching that in the video stormed into the tent. He was slightly overweight with silver eyes, and had a dark grey tank top and a lighter grey pair of shorts. Like Amber, his clothes seemed to be stained with dirt and grass. “That is my PokeGear! You have no right to be going through it! Why is a random stranger as you even inside?”
“Uhh, I-I’m s-s-sorry. Um...” Al felt embarrassed. Seeing as he was having trouble responding, Sakura decided to speak for him.
“Oh, this is Al Catraz. He’s a defence attorney, and we’re just investigating in and near the scene of the double murder two nights ago. We found this in here just now, and knowing you had taken a picture of the crime scene, we wanted to check this for more pictures, if any.”
“I-I did?!”
“Yep. By the way, have you talked to some guy named Lucian Umbra yet?”
“No, I do not believe so. What is his current appearance?”
“He has short, brownish-blonde hair with fairly long, straggly sideburns, with a black suit that has rolled-up sleeves. He doesn’t wear a tie, but he’s got white shoes and a shirt, and his pants are black. He’s not that easy to miss.”
“No, I have not met anyone like that yet. My name is Mr. Game, by the way. Apologies for not introducing myself earlier.” Barry certainly had an interesting way of talking, but he spoke English rather beautifully, unlike Benjamin.
“It’s fine. You don’t mind if we ask you questions, do you?”
“Do not worry about it. I will answer to the best of my ability.”
“Are you aware of the double murder that took place on the 26th?”
“I am indeed aware.”
“Do you think you could tell us what you saw, then? Your alibi, perhaps?”
“Can do. It was around 9:40 at night. I was tired and hungry, so Amber Tzaziki and I stepped out to do a bit of scouting. While Amber decided to follow a little boy that had come out of that house over there, I stared into the window and envied the people inside eating their grandiose meal. However, I saw a man come inside the home with some items I could not recognize. I tried turning on my flashlight on my PokeGear to get a better view, but to no avail. The boy came back in at that time, and I do not remember what happened after that. I only remember that what seemed to be the boy’s parents ended up dead, and the boy was holding a bloody axe. I tried once again to turn on my flashlight but failed.”
Al thought about this statement. Barry seemed to have a solid alibi, but in court, the golden rule was to never assume a witness is innocent unless there’s proof that someone else did it.
“You tried to turn on your flashlight right after the murder, am I correct?”
“Yes. I do believe that is when I accidentally took the picture. There may be another, so I think it would be a good idea to check if there is one.” Barry handed his PokeGear to Al again, who unlocked it and kept looking through photos. Next to the picture that had been submitted to the court, there was another picture that looked like it had been taken right before the murder.
“Hmm... Mr. Game, does this look familiar to you?”
“It does.”
The picture depicted the outside of the home, where an axe stood propped against the front of the Cloviets’ house. A man with a toque seemed to by walking by the axe when Benjamin, who was also by the axe, went in, though it was hard to tell who had grabbed the axe. From the perspective of the photo, it appeared as if Benjamin had grabbed it.
“Mr. Game, this is serious evidence! Why wasn’t this submitted before?”
“I did not know the photo existed.”
“Why didn’t you bother to check, then?”
“I do not normally use the camera function. When I do, it is usually by accident, like these pictures must have been. It is the second time this has happened.”
“The... second time?”
“It is best I do not mention it, for the sake of the future.”
“Right. So is there any way I could print this picture?”
“Email it to yourself and you can do it from there.”
“Thanks.”
Al went into the email app and hit Compose, typing in his email address in the bar and attaching the photo. He hit Send and gave the PokeGear back to Barry.
“Here you go. I do have a few other questions for you, so please hold tight for me.”
“That can be done.”
“First off, do you know anything about the prime suspect, Benjamin Cloviet?”
“HE is the prime suspect?!”
“You must know him in 2014, don’t you?”
“I do indeed, but it is best I do not talk about him in that time.”
“How about the younger Benjamin involved with this case?”
“I do not know much about him. Only that he has something called autism and that he got into quite the fight a few nights ago.”
“That would be his gunshot wound, correct?”
“I do believe so.”
“How about his, uhh...” Al didn’t know how to pronounce the word. He had never heard it before today.
“Autism? That is none of my personal business to go into, so I do not know anything about it myself.”
“Alright. So, I’ve heard from Amber Tzaziki that there was a man in a toque that told her not to say anything about the murder. Do you know anything about this person?”
“All I know is that he works for a woodworking company, chopping down trees and the like.”
“How do you know this?!”
“He dropped a packet of business cards for the company he works for.”
“Who runs it?”
“If I am correct, the owners died in that murder.”
Al was getting a bit more excited. “Can you tell me where--”
“Hmph. So you beat me here, Mr. Catraz. Well done.”
Lucian had approached Al, Barry, and Sakura with what seemed to be his assistant. A girl about Lucian's age with blonde wavy hair that went a bit past her shoulders and a white blazer stood holding a clipboard with papers on it. She wore a grey shirt underneath her blazer, with black jeans and white shoes. Her dress code seemed very similar to Lucian, both dressing very monochromed.
"Oh, is this that Al you were talking about?" she asked, pointing to Barry.
"No, Grace. That's Al," replied Lucian, pointing to the real Al Catraz.
"Who're you?! You're gonna be a meanie like Mr. Umbra, aren't you?!" yelled Sakura at Grace. She turned away and crossed her arms. At that moment, Benjamin came running out of the Anamans' house and to Sakura, before seeing Grace and halting in his tracks.
"Who you?"
"Oh, me? I'm Grace Victoire. I'm Luce's assistant!" Grace replied, not noticing Benjamin's broken speech but rather finding it appealing for a young child. "You're a cute kid!"
Benjamin laughed happily. He skipped over to Al and stood beside him. "Al Catraz is protect me!"
"He's the defendant," whispered Lucian. "This is the happiest you'll see the kid all day."
"Ohhhh, this is that Benjamin Cloviet you were telling me about!"
"Yeah, it is, I guess. My name's Al Catraz. It's nice to meet you." Al extended his hand to Grace, who shook it. "I'm Benji's defence attorney. This is my co-counsel, Sakura Anaman." He pointed to Sakura, who was still turned away.
"Well, she doesn't seem too bad... Hi." sighed Sakura. She still glared at Lucian, but welcomed Grace with a smile. "We're talking to Mr. Game right now, so can you guys wait a little until we're done?"
"Darling, Game is the prosecution's witness. It is only fair we get priority to question him."
"But we were here first!" Sakura and Lucian started to argue amongst themselves, so Al took advantage of the opportunity to ask Barry the question he was going to ask earlier.
"Mr. Game, where is the business site? Where is the workplace?"
"Oh, I have some business cards I picked up a few days ago. You may have one," Barry answered as he handed Al said business card. It was fairly simplistic, but it had a small logo, Mr. Cloviet's phone number, and the building address. "This will hopefully help you find the answers you seek to this case."
"Thanks a ton, Mr. Game. This could be a critical piece of evidence."
Lucian cleared his throat. "Are you done with my witness, Mr. Catraz? I do believe it is my turn to question him. After all, I have missed all the info he has given you." Sakura had gone back into her house after the argument, but she came back out for the pure sake of being co-counsel.
"I'm back, Al! Being your assistant isn't always the most fun thing--" Sakura glared at Lucian yet again before turning back-- "but I like you, Al. You fight to find the truth and I get to be a big part of it!"
Lucian coughed sarcastically to attract attention.
"Ahem. Assuming you're done, Mr. Catraz, I'll be talking to Game now." Lucian pushed Al aside and began to question Barry, who was becoming quite nerve-racked by his demeanor. Al had at least treated him with kindness, but Lucian was pushing the boundaries.
“Excuse me, but would you please consider calling me Mr. Game?”
“Right. Amber told me something about that.”
“Which reminds me that Amber went to the courtroom to testify today. Where is she now?”
“I believe she’s on her way home now.”
“Thank you for alerting me. I had wondered why she was not back yet.”
“Now then, can you tell me what you’ve told Mr. Catraz?”
Mr. Game repeated himself to Lucian, almost exactly word-for-word. He was interrupted once he mentioned Benjamin’s autism.
“Hmm, that explains his awfully strange mannerisms. Tell me more.”
“I cannot. It is none of my business.”
“You will tell me what you know, Game.”
“I-I thought we agreed on Mr. Game, but I cannot tell you because I do not know.”
Grace intervened. “Luce! He can’t tell you anything. Just leave it be, alright? You should be nicer to the kids, anyway. Maybe don’t try your sincere intimidation.”
“Look, I know what I’m doing, alright? I know the kid’s guilty. I need every bit of information I can get, and proving the kid’s messed up is--”
Lucian was interrupted by Sakura’s fist to his face. He yelped and took a step back, in absolute shock of what had just happened. That punch had quite a bit of strength to it, unlike her punch on Al. Perhaps he was a bit more resilient.
“TELL ME RIGHT NOW YOU DIDN’T SAY THAT!! BENJI IS A PERFECTLY SANE CHILD AND YOU WILL NOT REFER TO HIM AS MENTALLY SICK!!”
Sakura burst into tears and ran off, Benjamin chasing after her not having known what Lucian had said. Speaking of, Lucian was still in shock after having just been walloped in the face by a seven-year old. His mouth was gaped open and he had dropped his suitcase. Al started to sweat quite a bit.
“U-Um, sorry about that. Y-Y-You know how f-fiery Sakura c-can g-g-get.”
“No! Luce should be the one that apologizes, right? That Benjamin was kinda cute! I don’t think he’s, like, messed up or anything!”
“Well then, I’ll leave this to you two while I go talk to Sakura.”
Al walked off quite embarrassed. When he thought about it more and more, he started to think that maybe Sakura really had done the right thing by punching Lucian. He understood that Lucian needed every piece of evidence to prove Benjamin innocent, and he knew that Sakura was extremely protective of Benjamin, but he wasn’t sure how to think. Benjamin certainly seemed normal for someone like him.
“What wrong?”
“He... I HATE THAT DANG MR. UMBRA!”
“Hate? No need hate.”
“IF YOU KNEW WHAT HE SAID YOU’D BE CRYING TOO!”
“Cookie?” This time, it wasn’t Benjamin asking for a cookie, but rather pulling out a gingerbread cookie and offering it to Sakura.
“I DON’T HAVE--Benji? W-Why are you giving me one of your cookies?”
“You are friend. Friends get gingerbread cookies.”
“Um, uh...” Sakura grabbed the cookie from Benjamin’s hand and slowly started to nibble on it. Benjamin smiled and put his hand on Sakura’s shoulder, making her smile. “Thank you, Benji. You’re really the best friend I could ever have.”
Benjamin laughed happily again, with a huge smile on his face that nothing could take off. “Welcome, Sakura!”
“Looks like you two are having quite a time, eating cookies and smiling.” Al could still see the tears on Sakura’s face, but she was enjoying herself with Benjamin. “Sakura, you do know better than to punch people in the face, right? It’s not right. As much as you may think he deserved it, he didn’t.”
“But he insulted Benji really badly!”
“I know, Sakura, but a punch in the face wasn’t a suitable way to react. Got it?”
“Got it, Al. Did you get any info from Mr. Game?”
“I did. In fact, we’ve got a new location to go to, so if you’re all ready to go, then we’ll be on our way!”
“Alright!”
Al, Sakura, and Benjamin headed back towards the Anamans’ house, eager to find any new information that would prove Benjamin innocent. Right now, they were in quite a predicament with Mr. Game testifying under Lucian’s proposal, for if things went the way he wanted, the other witness wouldn’t get to take the stand. Even still, every bit of evidence would make it just a little bit better for Benjamin.
“There you guys are! Anything new, Al?”
Al explained everything that happened during Barry’s questioning to Mercedes, including Sakura punching Lucian and what Lucian had said. When hearing it, Benjamin surprisingly remained unfazed, but he interrupted Al and told Mercedes that he gave Sakura one of his gingerbread cookies.
“Sakura Anaman! Do you really think that’s acceptable?”
“Yes, I do! He insulted Benji!”
“I don’t care what he did; you are going to go over there RIGHT NOW and apologize!”
“Fine...”
Sakura walked over to Lucian, who had now recovered from the punch in the face. Grace had continued questioning for Lucian, getting just about the same information that Al did. Sakura approached and stared Lucian in the eyes with a glare.
“What are you here for, darling?”
“My mom wants me to apologize.”
“Good, so you know what you’ve done wrong.”
“...She wants me to apologize, but that doesn’t mean I’ll forgive you for what you said.” Sakura found a playing card on the ground, and seeing as it was a number two, he handed it to Lucian. “This is what you are for insulting Benji so badly.” She walked off, seeing Lucian’s head slump as he flipped over the card. Lucian was realizing he’d made a mistake as well, but to have a seven-year old be unforgiving and calling you a number two (if you get the joke) was a bit saddening.
“Alright, that’s done! Can we go now, Mom?”
“You’ve apologized?”
“Yep!”
“Alright then, let’s go.”
Our heroes stepped into the car, with the same seating arrangement as the time before. Al handed Mercedes the business card, and she stared at it carefully to memorize the address.
“Al, where did you find this?”
“A witness gave it to me. There’s a crucial witness that dropped a bunch of these on the night of the murder. I’m thinking they took the cards hoping they could find food or a place to stay.”
“Oh, if I had known that, I would have been happy to help!”
“But would you have the room, is the thing. Remember, you’ve got me as well, and I believe Benjamin.”
“Of course I’ll be able to take Benji! But you’re right. I guess I wouldn’t have room after all.”
“Anyways, do you know where we’re going?”
“Yes, I do. I’ve been to that building before to visit the Cloviets or do coffee runs for them!”
“I see.” Al looked into the back seat of the car, finding that Benjamin had fallen asleep. Sakura, on the other hand, was still looking quite fatigued, before her eyes widened and realized something.
“Ohh, that’s right! THAT’S why I’ve been feeling off all day!”
“What is it, Sakura?”
“We haven’t eaten yet today! Mom, can we stop for food on the way to the business building?”
“We sure can!”
Benjamin woke up slowly. “Food?”
“Yeah! We’re going to stop for food!”
“Food is good! I like cookies!”
“REAL food, Benji, not just cookies.”
“Is fast food even real food?”
“Silly lawyer, of course it is!”
“That’s not my point...”
Mercedes put her keys into the key slot and turned it, revving up the engine. She put her car into reverse and backed up, before putting her car into drive and speeding off. Al tried to process all the information he had so far, as well as sorting through the evidence he’d collected thus far.
“(Where does everything fit in? What can I get today that will help the case? It’s not like I can’t win, but at this point it’s looking pretty damn lost.)” Al pulled out everything he had on him. The game board pieces, the tampered psychology report, the photo, and every profile he had. Al decided to study the picture in particular. Nothing seemed to be off about it, except for the fact that there was a second person near the axe. This photo would help the case, big time. Not having realized that Mercedes had already gone through the drive-through at McDonalds, she handed Al a bag and told him to pass it backwards to Benjamin and Sakura.
“There’s one in here for you too, Al.”
“Thanks. You really didn’t have to do that.”
“But I did! Glad to see you’re grateful, unlike most visitors.”
After receiving the bag back from the two children in the back, Al pulled out the burger for himself and chowed down on it. After all, everyone deserves a small break every once in a while. Benjamin had finished his meal in a small period of time, using the rest of his time to stare into space outside the window, and Sakura reclined her chair to sleep, slowly eating her burger. She must’ve been feeling bad about what she did to Lucian. Mercedes’s eyes were glued to the road, as always, thinking long and hard about where to turn and how to arrive fastest. The densely populated city slowly transitioned into a beautiful forest landscape. It definitely wasn’t Viridian Forest, but it was still just as breath-taking and mesmerizing. Not many cars were on the road in this part of town at this time of day, giving Mercedes the opening to speed up just a tiny bit.
“Where are we, Mrs. Anaman?”
“We’re on the outskirts of Nookville. There’s a bunch of little towns if we continue on up, but we’re only headed to Lumber Jack’s Woodworking, which is about ten minutes farther from now.”
“Huh, Lumber Jack’s Woodworking... what an interesting name.”
“Mommy and Daddy picked name!”
“They’re the owners, so I’m sure they did, Benji.”
“Rich business! Makes lot of money!”
“I’m sure about that, too. (If the woodworking industry even produces that much...)”
“Be sure, Al Catraz!”
Mercedes was now fast approaching the parking lot. She nearly started using swear words at her anger of the multiple roadblocks and detours the murder had caused. The building was under slight investigation, for the victims and prime suspect were closely connected to the business.
“You know what? I’m parking right here. I can’t get into the parking lot because of these stupid roadblocks! Sakura, you’ll be staying in here with me to have a little chat about what you did.”
“But Mom--”
“No buts. You’ll be lucky if I let you go into the courtroom with Al tomorrow.”
“But Mom, I’m his co-counsel!”
“That’s too bad, isn’t it? Next time, you’ll think before you act.”
“Can go?” Benjamin unbuckled his seatbelt and went to open the door, waiting for a response from Al or Mercedes.
“Well, if Sakura will be in here with her mom, and I don’t have someone to help out, I guess it couldn’t hurt. Just be careful of what you say, alright? You are the defendant.”
“Yaay!!” Benjamin pulled the door open hard, hopping out and becoming super-excited. He seemed really happy to be around Al as well.
“Just let me know when you’ll be back, alright?”
“Of course, Mrs. Anaman.”
“You can call me Mercedes, Al.”
Sakura closed the car door as Al and Benjamin walked off towards the building, ducking under police tape and stepping over many logs. Benjamin seemed to make it a game to balance on the bigger, narrow logs, holding his arms in a t-position and stepping quickly but gracefully. He seemed a lot more composed than he was yesterday, obviously not thinking of his parents as much. But as Al knew, he was bound to break down again at some point. On the way to the building, the two ran into a small, forested area with a lodge and many wooden pieces to chop smaller. A stump was nearby, with a piece of paper neatly folded into threes laying on the platform.
“Check out, Al Catraz! A letter?”
“It might be. I’ll take it for now, but it looks like there’s someone else here.” Al walked over to the stump, folding the letter and putting it into his briefcase. Soon after, he heard two voices from about fifty feet away.
“This looks new, Luce.”
“We haven’t checked out this area yet, that’s for--”
“Hey look! It’s that cute little kid and the defence attorney!”
“Is the kid pink-haired?”
“Nope, brown haired! It’s that kid with the, uh... I don’t remember how to say it.”
“Oh, him... It’s Benjamin.”
Lucian and Grace approached Al and Benjamin.
“Hello again, you two.” Al greeted the two, hoping Lucian wasn’t mad at him fro Sakura’s actions.
“Greetings,” responded Lucian.
“You’re doing okay, right? Sakura didn’t hurt you too badly?”
“Tch. It hurt quite a bit, but I’ll be fine for tomorrow.”
“Sakura might not tomorrow. Might not go.”
“Oh, really? I was kinda looking forward to seeing her in a courtroom with her fire!” Grace seemed to cover the weaknesses Lucian had and vice versa. The two seemed to have great chemistry.
“Grace, we’re investigating. Let’s go.”
Lucian and Grace left as quickly as they came. It gave Al a chance to investigate a bit more, but he wanted to ask Lucian a question first.
“Wait! Have you found that other witness?”
“We have. I’ve finished with him already, so you may not be able to find him.”
“(Of course...) Thanks for letting me know.”
Al took a seat on the stump, resting his suitcase on the dirt ground and hunching over.
“You ‘kay?”
“Well, yes. We need to find that witness... but I’m not sure where he went. Why wouldn’t Lucian get them to wait?”
“Don’t know, Catraz. Let find witness!”
Benjamin started pushing on Al’s shoulder, trying to get him up, but he wouldn’t move.
“Stop that, Benji! Not right now!”
“Okay! Going on own then!”
Benjamin started to skip off, and realizing he couldn’t leave him unattended, Al got up and chased after him.
“Benji! You can’t go running off like that!”
Benjamin proved himself quite nimble, for even someone like Al was having trouble keeping up with him. He lost his breath fast and had to push to even barely see where Benjamin was going.
“Benji, stop!”
Benjamin actually stopped, but he started to look upwards at something. Al kept running through the densely populated work area until he caught up, finding himself looking up as well. Al was only five foot five, after all. He was pretty short for a guy his age.
“Who you?” A tall man wearing a black toque and hooded sweatshirt stood tall against Al and Benjamin. He looked in his mid-twenties and had a bit of stubble from recently shaving. His grey sweatpants were covered in dirt, his brown shoes looked worn out from his job, and an axe was propped up against his shoulder.
“Who are you first?”
“No tell.”
“Fine, I won’t tell you either.”
Al looked at the man. “Look, I’m a defence attorney investigating the death of William and Emma Cloviet. I’ve got a witness report here that describes you briefly, so we’ve got some questions to ask you.”
“Alright, fine. My name’s Alex McAire. You are?”
“My name is Al Catraz, and this here is Benjamin Cloviet. He’s temporarily helping me with investigation while my co-counsel’s busy.” Al extended his hand to Alex, who shook it. “Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you too.”
Al knew the first question to ask a witness was always for an alibi. You always have to know what a witness was doing on the day of the murder. “So, what did you see on the night of the murder?”
“It was about 9:40 at night. I was running late to a business dinner, but when I showed up, I saw the door had already been opened by the kid,” Alex said as he pointed to Benjamin. “Right when I was about to go in, he went in with the axe and started takin’ swings at his parents! My boss, Mr. Cloviet, pulled out his gun and tried to shoot Benjamin, but only hit his arm and lost strength. Injured pretty badly, the kid screamed, picked up the gun, and shot his dad. Then, he swung at Mrs. Cloviet and it was done. I ran out, and that’s all I saw.”
“So you were watching the entire thing with your own eyes?! Why couldn’t we find you when we needed you?”
“I was working here, and I’m actually working here today as well.”
“Well, you should at least go to the police!”
“Like I said, I was working.”
“Alright, alright. You were working. *sigh*” Al went into his briefcase and pulled out a few pictures, showing Alex the one of Amber first. “Do you recognize this girl?”
"No. I never saw her bugging a lady for burgers."
Odd. Alex had never mentioned the burgers. He found this a bit suspicious. Not waiting for a response about Amber, he pulled out pictures of the victims. “Alright, you said you saw these two. They’re the victims. What do you know about them?”
“Mr. Cloviet was my boss here at Lumber Jack’s Woodworking. Mrs. Cloviet was his secretary. That’s all I know.”
“(Hmm, if you worked with them, wouldn’t you know more?) Alex, if you worked with these people, wouldn’t you know more about them? You know, their family life and all that?”
“It sounds surprising, but no. I barely got to know them over the two years I’ve worked here.”
Alex was getting more and more suspicious. He claimed he didn’t know anything, yet kept slipping out more and more details. Al figured only two more documents were important to this guy, so he started by putting the profile pictures back and pulling out the tampered psychology report. Benjamin let out a little disgruntled whine when he saw what it was.
“Do you see this document? It’s a psychology report that’s been tampered with. It’s my belief that the parents would have no reason to destroy this file, so do you know anything about what happened?”
Alex stuttered a little. “N-No, I d-d-don’t.”
“Why stuttering?”
“I wasn’t e-expecting to have a p-p-p-psychology report t-t-thrown in my face,” he responded.
“No one reacts like this to a psychology report normally, Alex.” Knowing he wasn’t going to get far soon, he put away the report and glanced quickly over the letter found on the stump. It stated that Alex had been fired as of the day before the murder, effective immediately! Al put it back, for he was scared Alex might destroy it. He thought it was crucial to the case.
“Uhh, Mr. McAire... you said you were working here today, right?”
“Pfft. Of course I was!”
“See, I found what seemed to be a letter on a stump back there, and it says you were fired three days ago--on the night before the murder!”
Alex started to sweat. “That letter was dated to that day, not when I was fired!”
“It may have been. But it was effective immediately!”
“Who gave you the right to look through my stuff?!”
Alex fixated his eyes on Al’s, giving Benjamin the chance to fixate on Alex’s. It was still a mystery as to how Benjamin was able to look into a person’s eyes and find all their secrets, but he was able to do it and he did it well. Benjamin’s eyes widened as he started a spiel.
“I look into eyes, and I can read minds.”
“What does this have to do with anything, kid?!”
“I see letter, and Daddy. Hands you letter and says you’re fired. I see anger, hate, and desire for revenge. I see notice for business dinner, I see smirk, I see axe. You drive by on day of murder, place axe in front of door. At business dinner, I see me going outside to find Pedro, and I leave door open by accident. You get out of car and come in when I come in... AND YOU KILLED THEM!!” shrieked Benjamin rather quietly. Alex nearly flipped. He looked around for something he could do, noticing a big, wide tree nearby directly behind Al and Benjamin. Fuming, he pulled two handguns from his sweatshirt pockets and held them up to the defence duo, making them back up until they hit the tree.
“Heh. Heh. Hahaha. You may have found out, but will you live to prove my guilt? I think not.”
“W-W-What are you...?!” Al gasped as he hit the back of the tree. Benjamin tried to stop himself from crying but was struggling to do so. He hit the back of the tree and started breathing heavily while almost crying. Al couldn’t help but do the same. Both scared for their lives. Alex readjusted the guns to line up where it would shoot to their hearts.
“You, kid, had it lucky when I only got your arm. But you’re not so lucky anymore. I’m going to shoot you both when I finish counting down from twenty.”
Al leaned his head back and let tears start streaming from his eyes. He wasn’t expecting his first case to end the way it was. He wasn’t expecting to die in such a horrible way. Al started to feel a glow from his Magatama, realizing that he would soon be able to see his parents again, when he was gone. Al really started to cry.
“(I’m sorry, Sakura. I’m sorry... Mom.)”
“...Three...two...one...”
“NOT SO FAST!!”
Al opened his eyes with shock as he saw Lucian pinning Alex to the ground. “YOU CAN’T KILL THE DEFENCE!”
“W-W-WHAT?!” Al couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Lucian? Saving lives? Alex got back up, throwing Lucian to the ground, but he kept going, getting back up and nailing him in the side of his head with his elbow. Alex fell to the ground, falling unconscious. He wasn’t injured, fortunately, but Lucian knew he wouldn’t be down on the ground for long.
“Get yourselves out of here.”
“Luce, what did you do that for?!”
“I can’t let someone kill the defence and defendant!”
“Just call the police or something, then!”
“Grace, this was a more immediate threat. I had to take the guy down to keep those two safe.”
Al and Benjamin both had tears still streaming from their eyes, both scared out of their minds. Both had widened eyes and pale faces, as if they’d just seen ghosts.
“I-I don’t know what to say,” Al muttered. “Thank you.”
Benjamin broke down, clinging to Al and refusing to let go. He was freaked out really badly by everything that happened. No one could blame him.
“Make testify! Make testify!!”
Al picked up Benjamin and ran as fast as he could possibly go, retracing his steps and getting the two in Mercedes’s car forcefully fast.
“What’s all the rush? Why are you crying?”
“I-I’ll explain later! Just get away from this place as fast as you can!”
Mercedes felt the pressure of the clock and pulled out fast, speeding over the roads. Sakura hugged Benjamin to hopefully help him feel better.
“Benji, what happened?”
Benjamin only cried in response. He was too shaken to say anything.
“Al, can you tell me anything?”
Al explained what happened to Sakura. He explained how Benjamin figured out who the killer was and how they were pinned to a tree and held at gunpoint.
“W-WHAT?! AL, THAT'S SCARY! HOLY COW!”
Sakura was quite surprised about what she had just heard. Al, her superior in her so-called job, was almost killed finding the truth? That Benjamin found who killed his parents, and the person went to extreme measures to keep it shut? That Lucian was the one that saved them both? Lucian, of all people?!
“Trust me, I'm pretty freaked out,” Al responded while choking on tears. “No one has ever threatened to kill me and gone so far.”
Al was starting to recollect himself now, still horrified but slowly stopping his crying. Benjamin was still crying heavily, but Sakura was trying really hard to help him feel safe. Like Lucian and Grace, the two seemed to get along really well together.
“Jeez! Now I understand why you two were in such a hurry to leave,” responded Mercedes. “There was a chance you’d get hurt and you wouldn't let that happen.” The heroes slowly approached downtown Nookville as the sun glowed brightly, the light reflecting off windows to make a beautiful display. Al went through his evidence again and found something he hadn't thought of on the way to Lumber Jack’s.
“(Oh, it’s that stuffed dog. Doesn't Benjamin have an obsession over this or something?)” He looked at it, once again having a sudden urge to cuddle the plush doll, and decided to present it to Benjamin. “Benjamin.”
“What is...” He kept crying.
“Hey, it's okay. You see this?” Al handed Benjamin the stuffed dog. His eyes lit up immediately, pulling it close to his chest and letting out an ecstatic squeal.
“Pedro!! Where find him?! Where? Where?”
“I got this from Detective Gumshoe two days ago. I figured it was something really important to you.”
“Thank you thank you thank you!!” Having almost instantly stopped crying, Benjamin hugged the doll tightly and held it in one hand, extending the other to Sakura for her to hold. She looked up to Al and thanked him.
“Al, you don't know how much he loves that dog, Pedro. Benjamin carries that thing literally EVERYWHERE.”
“Huh.”
“Yeah. He hasn't had it since the murder, so you haven't really seen what it's like, but he seriously won't go anywhere without it.”
“So it’s like a security blanket?”
“Uh-huh.”
“I see.” Al felt the same way about his Magatama. He received it in his last conversation with his mom before she died of medical issues. His dad died a few months later from a sudden illness, and with no family in the nearby area, Al ended up all on his own. Mercedes was now pulling into the house complex entrance, driving slowly on the pathway and turning right when she reached her house.
“We're home! You three should go in and get some rest--especially you two,” announced Mercedes, pointing to Al and Benjamin. He seemed to be feeling a lot better now that he had ‘Pedro’ with him.
“I'll do that, Mercedes. What's the status on Sakura for tomorrow?” replied Al.
“I'm still deciding whether to let her go tomorrow, but I'm not sure it's the best thing for Sakura to be in the same room as that prosecutor talking about such a hard thing.”
“I see. I really don't think Mr. Umbra meant to be heartless or anything.”
“I don't think so either, but she really seems to have something against that man.”
“Understandable. Just let me know when you make a decision.”
“The only reason I would let her go right now would be because I can't leave you without someone to help.”
“I have someone in mind if you choose for her to stay home.”
“Who would that be?”
“Well, I'm still thinking about it, but... If Sakura can't do it...”
“You must be joking.”
“I'm not joking around, Mercedes. They have some serious skill to reckon with.”
“I'll think on this more. You go get some sleep, Al.”
Al stepped into the front door and untied his shoes, tucking the laces into the shoe holes and lining them up neatly against the wall. He walked into the living room and flopped exhausted onto the couch, leaning into it and starting to doze off a little. Sakura came over as well and took a seat, sitting by Al and looking at him.
“That must’ve been tough, right?”
“Yeah. Didn't you say something about having been in a court before?”
“Not now, Al.”
“You said that yesterday. I really don't think it should be something to be afraid of, Sakura. Being in court may be tough, but we all learn from it.”
“Um, um... Should I talk about it?”
“Up to you.”
“Okay, Al. I can tell you about that. It was three years ago at some point in February. I remember being out in my mom’s garden, just planting some seeds and stuff. Then this guy came along, and he, uh, I don't remember... but he took me away from home.”
“A kidnapping?”
“Yeah. I was stuck in that guy's house for days, just locked away in a room. About three days later or something, some policemen busted the door and let me out, but arrested me. Apparently, the guy who took me was found dead. I was the prime suspect.”
“Jeez! You were four at the time, weren't you?”
“I didn't really take the arrest too seriously, because I was young. They ended up finding the real killer and my name was cleared, but the man who took me really scared me. That's when I started looking into law. I want to be a defence attorney someday because of that, so I'm really lucky to have met you.”
“Who are you referring to as your mom? I notice you often call Mercedes by simply Mom.”
“My real mom and dad left town sometime after I was taken and disappeared. I think they tried to start a new life without me. I was adopted by Mom so long ago it’s almost like she was meant to be my mom more than my real mom.”
“I can understand how frightening and upsetting that must be. Sorry to hear that happened to you.”
“Don't be sorry for me, Al. We have to make a case for Benji!”
“Let's get started, then. Did you find anything while me and Benjamin were gone?”
“I think I might've. It's right here,” Sakura said as she pulled out a receipt. “It's a receipt for ammo and a pistol. If we had a way of looking up whether the gun used in the murder is the same as the one purchased here, then it could be decisive evidence!”
“The items were purchased by Alex.”
“Yeah! Now let's think about how we can prove Alex is the one who did it!”
The two talked about making a case for the rest of the night like the one before (except for when Mercedes cooked chicken and rice for dinner), with Benjamin peeking down every once in a while to see what they were doing. He ended up getting to stay in Sakura’s room in a sleeping bag, as for Mr. Anaman was coming home from a business trip that night. At first, he was confused as to why Al was in his family’s house, but once Sakura and Mercedes explained the situation, he understood and welcomed the attorney. Meanwhile, Lucian and Grace had called the police after Al and Benjamin left. They never stated whether Alex would be testifying, or if he had anything to do with the murder, but he was taken into police custody and locked into a cell in the detention center. Afterwards, they went back to the housing complex and questioned Amber and Barry about Alex, not getting anything other than what was known. They then went back to Lucian's office and continued to think about the case until they decided to retire for the day. At the end of the day, both Al and Lucian couldn't help but feel nervous.
Courtroom Lobby #2
“Al, can you call Mom and ask her to pick us up?” asked Sakura. The two were ready to start investigating again, but first, they needed to get back “home”. Al lived all the way out in Edict City on his own. No family to go to. He understood how Benjamin felt, losing your parents to a tragedy.
“I can do that. Sakura, do you have a notebook on you?”
“Nope. Why?”
“Oh, I was just thinking of something. I’ll call your mom now.”
Al pulled his smartphone out of his pocket again, dialing Mercedes’s number and putting the phone up to his ear.
“Hello?”
“Hey Mercedes. It’s me, Al. Do you think you could pick up me and Sakura from the courtroom?”
“Why should I do that?”
“Well, I don’t exactly have cash to get back through a taxi.”
“Find a ride then!”
“Mercedes, you don’t need to be so angry. I only gave you and Benjamin to the police because if I didn’t, we wouldn’t even have had a trial today. At the very least, you’re out and it’s over with.”
“...I see. Give me a few and I’ll be right there.”
*beep*
Al put the phone back into his pocket. “She was upset at first, but your mom’s coming.”
“Good idea, Al.”
Sakura hadn’t brought a jacket, but she organized all her stuff in her backpack and put it on. It seemed quite heavy, so she must have brought more than she needed to.
“Alright, I’m ready! How ‘bout you?”
Al sighed and packed up his things into his suitcase. As he opened it, a thought came into his head to bring out the psychology report and show it to Sakura. However, he knew he would need to use his Magatama. He took a deep breath and shook his head a little bit.
“So, Sakura... can you tell me what it from yesterday is?”
“I’m not saying.”
Al unzipped his suit pocket and pulled out his Magatama, suddenly seeing the Psyche-Lock from yesterday’s investigation reappear. There was only one chest, but it seemed very hard to break.
“W-Why are you looking at me s-s-so scary?”
“I don’t mean to scare you. I’m just looking for an answer for what it is.”
“And? That green thing has something to do with it?”
“No, but this does.” Al showed Sakura the psychology report. She cringed, taking a step back and averting her eyes. “Where in the heck did you get that?!” The Psyche-Lock shattered into many multicoloured pieces, disintegrating as they fell in the air. Breaking the lock was a lot easier than Al had thought it to be. However, he was dealing with a seven-year old, and Sakura seemed to give in to his ways a bit easily.
“This has something to do with it, does it not? Why has it been tampered with?”
“I don’t know. I think that may have happened on the night of the murder. But I’ll tell you. Benji’s got a thing called autism.”
“Huh?”
“I don’t really know how to explain it, but it’s basically just the brain developing differently. Mom might know where to find a detailed copy of that. It’s a bit case-specific.”
“Hmm. This may be an integral part to the case, Sakura. Why were you afraid to tell me?”
“Well... just don’t let Benji know. He’ll kill me if he finds out I told you.”
“Uhh... that’s just a figure of speech, right? He’s innocent.”
“Silly lawyer! You need to stop taking every word seriously!”
Al grabbed Sakura’s hand and the two walked outside to the sidewalk. In the -4degree weather, which was rather cold for late April, Mercedes’s silver Ford Focus pulled up against the sidewalk and parked. Mercedes came out the driver’s side and locked the doors.
“Hey Al. Where’s Benjamin?”
“Oh my goodness, that’s right!” Al ran back inside to search for Benjamin, who, as should be expected by a close friend, was by the food tables in the courtroom looking for cookies.
“Benjamin! Come on, we’re going now!”
“…Benji.”
“Right. Okay, Benji, we should get going now!”
“Okay! Found cookies!” Benjamin grabbed a handful of chocolate chip cookies and ran over towards Al. He hadn’t been cleaned up since the murder, so his hair was still a mess and his clothes were as well. “Not gingerbread but good! Good cookies!”
The two walked out slowly back to Mercedes’s car, where they entered and drove off from.
“So, how did the trial go after I left?”
“It went. We don’t have a confirmed verdict yet, so tonight, we're going to do more investigating. We’ve got two new witnesses to talk to.”
“At the very least you didn’t lose, right?”
“Nope! But Mr. Umbra threw a playing card at Al and it stuck in the wall! He called us jokers, and when I threw it back at him, he caught it in between his fingers!”
“That’s impressive.”
“Mom, that’s not my point!”
The road home was a fairly quick trip home, but for Al, Sakura, Benjamin, and Mercedes, it felt like a million years. After all, Lucian was able to put up such a big fight that it was all or nothing for our heroes tomorrow... and today. Benjamin stared out of his window, completely lost in thought. He was thinking about the case, and why his parents died the way they died. Why they were killed. Benjamin and his parents had a very close bond. They were just a normal, happy family, like Lucian had said in his opening statement. He loved and was loved, and the family bonded very closely with the Anamans. For someone to think that Benjamin could kill his parents was outrageous in his mind. How could they not know he hadn’t done it? They had to have a prime suspect. And of course, it had to be him, Benjamin Cloviet, of all people. Where would he even stay tonight? His life had turned from the best he could have to the worst. Now, he wondered why Al was so set on proving his innocence.
“Al Catraz. Why protecting me?”
Al looked back from the passenger seat and saw a teary-eyed Benjamin staring at him. The answer was easy for Al. “I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for your friend Sakura. She’s the one who called me yesterday morning and asked me to take your case. Look, I know it’s not easy to be accused of killing your own parents, but it’ll be all over soon and you’ll be fine. I promise,” he responded.
“Mommy and Daddy are gone. Why them?”
“We’re going to find out tomorrow. Until then, I’ll be searching for all the answers I can find just for you.”
Benjamin wiped his eyes. “Thank you... Al Catraz.” He started eating the cookies he’d taken from the courtroom. Sakura stared at him with envy, and Mercedes pulled into her house’s garage. She backed up to readjust her car, before turning the key and removing it from the slot.
“We’re here! Al, if you and Sakura want to start investigating now, then I’ll keep the garage door open. Meanwhile, Benji, I got some new clothes for you that you can change into when we get inside. I’ll take care of your hair, too.”
Al and Sakura unbuckled, opening the doors of the car closest to them and exiting to the complex.
“Wait me! Wait me!” exclaimed Benjamin.
“Benji, we have something we have to do right away, but you can join us after, okay?” responded Sakura in a sisterly fashion.
“Okay, Sakura!”
Our heroes exited out to the complex and to the tent parked in the small field outside, taking a peek.
“No one’s here, Al. Maybe Mr. Umbra’s already spoken to Barry.”
“Perhaps. But even if he has, it won’t stop us from getting information, will it?”
“I don’t think so, but you never know.”
“Hmm... a phone of sorts is in here. I’ve never seen anything like this before,” stated Al. He stepped inside the blue tent, noticing it had a few belongings in it, but nothing else. One of those belongings was a type of phone called a PokeGear, which obviously belonged to either Amber or Barry. The model looked quite old and beaten up, but when Al turned the screen on, it seemed to work perfectly fine, like someone had refurbished the device.
“Al, is there a password?”
“Nope. You know what this means...”
“You can check if there’s any pictures on it?”
“You bet!”
Trying his best to see the screen, which wasn’t lighted, Al went into the photo gallery to check for evidence. Going in chronological order, he checked the first video, not realizing the speakers were at maximum volume. A typical high school romance drama started playing, but it wasn’t a TV show. It was what must have been Barry and a Quartasian girl. They looked at each other with a look of awe, and then right as the two started to kiss, a voice piped up from behind Al and Sakura.
“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!”
A Quartasian boy matching that in the video stormed into the tent. He was slightly overweight with silver eyes, and had a dark grey tank top and a lighter grey pair of shorts. Like Amber, his clothes seemed to be stained with dirt and grass. “That is my PokeGear! You have no right to be going through it! Why is a random stranger as you even inside?”
“Uhh, I-I’m s-s-sorry. Um...” Al felt embarrassed. Seeing as he was having trouble responding, Sakura decided to speak for him.
“Oh, this is Al Catraz. He’s a defence attorney, and we’re just investigating in and near the scene of the double murder two nights ago. We found this in here just now, and knowing you had taken a picture of the crime scene, we wanted to check this for more pictures, if any.”
“I-I did?!”
“Yep. By the way, have you talked to some guy named Lucian Umbra yet?”
“No, I do not believe so. What is his current appearance?”
“He has short, brownish-blonde hair with fairly long, straggly sideburns, with a black suit that has rolled-up sleeves. He doesn’t wear a tie, but he’s got white shoes and a shirt, and his pants are black. He’s not that easy to miss.”
“No, I have not met anyone like that yet. My name is Mr. Game, by the way. Apologies for not introducing myself earlier.” Barry certainly had an interesting way of talking, but he spoke English rather beautifully, unlike Benjamin.
“It’s fine. You don’t mind if we ask you questions, do you?”
“Do not worry about it. I will answer to the best of my ability.”
“Are you aware of the double murder that took place on the 26th?”
“I am indeed aware.”
“Do you think you could tell us what you saw, then? Your alibi, perhaps?”
“Can do. It was around 9:40 at night. I was tired and hungry, so Amber Tzaziki and I stepped out to do a bit of scouting. While Amber decided to follow a little boy that had come out of that house over there, I stared into the window and envied the people inside eating their grandiose meal. However, I saw a man come inside the home with some items I could not recognize. I tried turning on my flashlight on my PokeGear to get a better view, but to no avail. The boy came back in at that time, and I do not remember what happened after that. I only remember that what seemed to be the boy’s parents ended up dead, and the boy was holding a bloody axe. I tried once again to turn on my flashlight but failed.”
Al thought about this statement. Barry seemed to have a solid alibi, but in court, the golden rule was to never assume a witness is innocent unless there’s proof that someone else did it.
“You tried to turn on your flashlight right after the murder, am I correct?”
“Yes. I do believe that is when I accidentally took the picture. There may be another, so I think it would be a good idea to check if there is one.” Barry handed his PokeGear to Al again, who unlocked it and kept looking through photos. Next to the picture that had been submitted to the court, there was another picture that looked like it had been taken right before the murder.
“Hmm... Mr. Game, does this look familiar to you?”
“It does.”
The picture depicted the outside of the home, where an axe stood propped against the front of the Cloviets’ house. A man with a toque seemed to by walking by the axe when Benjamin, who was also by the axe, went in, though it was hard to tell who had grabbed the axe. From the perspective of the photo, it appeared as if Benjamin had grabbed it.
“Mr. Game, this is serious evidence! Why wasn’t this submitted before?”
“I did not know the photo existed.”
“Why didn’t you bother to check, then?”
“I do not normally use the camera function. When I do, it is usually by accident, like these pictures must have been. It is the second time this has happened.”
“The... second time?”
“It is best I do not mention it, for the sake of the future.”
“Right. So is there any way I could print this picture?”
“Email it to yourself and you can do it from there.”
“Thanks.”
Al went into the email app and hit Compose, typing in his email address in the bar and attaching the photo. He hit Send and gave the PokeGear back to Barry.
“Here you go. I do have a few other questions for you, so please hold tight for me.”
“That can be done.”
“First off, do you know anything about the prime suspect, Benjamin Cloviet?”
“HE is the prime suspect?!”
“You must know him in 2014, don’t you?”
“I do indeed, but it is best I do not talk about him in that time.”
“How about the younger Benjamin involved with this case?”
“I do not know much about him. Only that he has something called autism and that he got into quite the fight a few nights ago.”
“That would be his gunshot wound, correct?”
“I do believe so.”
“How about his, uhh...” Al didn’t know how to pronounce the word. He had never heard it before today.
“Autism? That is none of my personal business to go into, so I do not know anything about it myself.”
“Alright. So, I’ve heard from Amber Tzaziki that there was a man in a toque that told her not to say anything about the murder. Do you know anything about this person?”
“All I know is that he works for a woodworking company, chopping down trees and the like.”
“How do you know this?!”
“He dropped a packet of business cards for the company he works for.”
“Who runs it?”
“If I am correct, the owners died in that murder.”
Al was getting a bit more excited. “Can you tell me where--”
“Hmph. So you beat me here, Mr. Catraz. Well done.”
Lucian had approached Al, Barry, and Sakura with what seemed to be his assistant. A girl about Lucian's age with blonde wavy hair that went a bit past her shoulders and a white blazer stood holding a clipboard with papers on it. She wore a grey shirt underneath her blazer, with black jeans and white shoes. Her dress code seemed very similar to Lucian, both dressing very monochromed.
"Oh, is this that Al you were talking about?" she asked, pointing to Barry.
"No, Grace. That's Al," replied Lucian, pointing to the real Al Catraz.
"Who're you?! You're gonna be a meanie like Mr. Umbra, aren't you?!" yelled Sakura at Grace. She turned away and crossed her arms. At that moment, Benjamin came running out of the Anamans' house and to Sakura, before seeing Grace and halting in his tracks.
"Who you?"
"Oh, me? I'm Grace Victoire. I'm Luce's assistant!" Grace replied, not noticing Benjamin's broken speech but rather finding it appealing for a young child. "You're a cute kid!"
Benjamin laughed happily. He skipped over to Al and stood beside him. "Al Catraz is protect me!"
"He's the defendant," whispered Lucian. "This is the happiest you'll see the kid all day."
"Ohhhh, this is that Benjamin Cloviet you were telling me about!"
"Yeah, it is, I guess. My name's Al Catraz. It's nice to meet you." Al extended his hand to Grace, who shook it. "I'm Benji's defence attorney. This is my co-counsel, Sakura Anaman." He pointed to Sakura, who was still turned away.
"Well, she doesn't seem too bad... Hi." sighed Sakura. She still glared at Lucian, but welcomed Grace with a smile. "We're talking to Mr. Game right now, so can you guys wait a little until we're done?"
"Darling, Game is the prosecution's witness. It is only fair we get priority to question him."
"But we were here first!" Sakura and Lucian started to argue amongst themselves, so Al took advantage of the opportunity to ask Barry the question he was going to ask earlier.
"Mr. Game, where is the business site? Where is the workplace?"
"Oh, I have some business cards I picked up a few days ago. You may have one," Barry answered as he handed Al said business card. It was fairly simplistic, but it had a small logo, Mr. Cloviet's phone number, and the building address. "This will hopefully help you find the answers you seek to this case."
"Thanks a ton, Mr. Game. This could be a critical piece of evidence."
Lucian cleared his throat. "Are you done with my witness, Mr. Catraz? I do believe it is my turn to question him. After all, I have missed all the info he has given you." Sakura had gone back into her house after the argument, but she came back out for the pure sake of being co-counsel.
"I'm back, Al! Being your assistant isn't always the most fun thing--" Sakura glared at Lucian yet again before turning back-- "but I like you, Al. You fight to find the truth and I get to be a big part of it!"
Lucian coughed sarcastically to attract attention.
"Ahem. Assuming you're done, Mr. Catraz, I'll be talking to Game now." Lucian pushed Al aside and began to question Barry, who was becoming quite nerve-racked by his demeanor. Al had at least treated him with kindness, but Lucian was pushing the boundaries.
“Excuse me, but would you please consider calling me Mr. Game?”
“Right. Amber told me something about that.”
“Which reminds me that Amber went to the courtroom to testify today. Where is she now?”
“I believe she’s on her way home now.”
“Thank you for alerting me. I had wondered why she was not back yet.”
“Now then, can you tell me what you’ve told Mr. Catraz?”
Mr. Game repeated himself to Lucian, almost exactly word-for-word. He was interrupted once he mentioned Benjamin’s autism.
“Hmm, that explains his awfully strange mannerisms. Tell me more.”
“I cannot. It is none of my business.”
“You will tell me what you know, Game.”
“I-I thought we agreed on Mr. Game, but I cannot tell you because I do not know.”
Grace intervened. “Luce! He can’t tell you anything. Just leave it be, alright? You should be nicer to the kids, anyway. Maybe don’t try your sincere intimidation.”
“Look, I know what I’m doing, alright? I know the kid’s guilty. I need every bit of information I can get, and proving the kid’s messed up is--”
Lucian was interrupted by Sakura’s fist to his face. He yelped and took a step back, in absolute shock of what had just happened. That punch had quite a bit of strength to it, unlike her punch on Al. Perhaps he was a bit more resilient.
“TELL ME RIGHT NOW YOU DIDN’T SAY THAT!! BENJI IS A PERFECTLY SANE CHILD AND YOU WILL NOT REFER TO HIM AS MENTALLY SICK!!”
Sakura burst into tears and ran off, Benjamin chasing after her not having known what Lucian had said. Speaking of, Lucian was still in shock after having just been walloped in the face by a seven-year old. His mouth was gaped open and he had dropped his suitcase. Al started to sweat quite a bit.
“U-Um, sorry about that. Y-Y-You know how f-fiery Sakura c-can g-g-get.”
“No! Luce should be the one that apologizes, right? That Benjamin was kinda cute! I don’t think he’s, like, messed up or anything!”
“Well then, I’ll leave this to you two while I go talk to Sakura.”
Al walked off quite embarrassed. When he thought about it more and more, he started to think that maybe Sakura really had done the right thing by punching Lucian. He understood that Lucian needed every piece of evidence to prove Benjamin innocent, and he knew that Sakura was extremely protective of Benjamin, but he wasn’t sure how to think. Benjamin certainly seemed normal for someone like him.
“What wrong?”
“He... I HATE THAT DANG MR. UMBRA!”
“Hate? No need hate.”
“IF YOU KNEW WHAT HE SAID YOU’D BE CRYING TOO!”
“Cookie?” This time, it wasn’t Benjamin asking for a cookie, but rather pulling out a gingerbread cookie and offering it to Sakura.
“I DON’T HAVE--Benji? W-Why are you giving me one of your cookies?”
“You are friend. Friends get gingerbread cookies.”
“Um, uh...” Sakura grabbed the cookie from Benjamin’s hand and slowly started to nibble on it. Benjamin smiled and put his hand on Sakura’s shoulder, making her smile. “Thank you, Benji. You’re really the best friend I could ever have.”
Benjamin laughed happily again, with a huge smile on his face that nothing could take off. “Welcome, Sakura!”
“Looks like you two are having quite a time, eating cookies and smiling.” Al could still see the tears on Sakura’s face, but she was enjoying herself with Benjamin. “Sakura, you do know better than to punch people in the face, right? It’s not right. As much as you may think he deserved it, he didn’t.”
“But he insulted Benji really badly!”
“I know, Sakura, but a punch in the face wasn’t a suitable way to react. Got it?”
“Got it, Al. Did you get any info from Mr. Game?”
“I did. In fact, we’ve got a new location to go to, so if you’re all ready to go, then we’ll be on our way!”
“Alright!”
Al, Sakura, and Benjamin headed back towards the Anamans’ house, eager to find any new information that would prove Benjamin innocent. Right now, they were in quite a predicament with Mr. Game testifying under Lucian’s proposal, for if things went the way he wanted, the other witness wouldn’t get to take the stand. Even still, every bit of evidence would make it just a little bit better for Benjamin.
“There you guys are! Anything new, Al?”
Al explained everything that happened during Barry’s questioning to Mercedes, including Sakura punching Lucian and what Lucian had said. When hearing it, Benjamin surprisingly remained unfazed, but he interrupted Al and told Mercedes that he gave Sakura one of his gingerbread cookies.
“Sakura Anaman! Do you really think that’s acceptable?”
“Yes, I do! He insulted Benji!”
“I don’t care what he did; you are going to go over there RIGHT NOW and apologize!”
“Fine...”
Sakura walked over to Lucian, who had now recovered from the punch in the face. Grace had continued questioning for Lucian, getting just about the same information that Al did. Sakura approached and stared Lucian in the eyes with a glare.
“What are you here for, darling?”
“My mom wants me to apologize.”
“Good, so you know what you’ve done wrong.”
“...She wants me to apologize, but that doesn’t mean I’ll forgive you for what you said.” Sakura found a playing card on the ground, and seeing as it was a number two, he handed it to Lucian. “This is what you are for insulting Benji so badly.” She walked off, seeing Lucian’s head slump as he flipped over the card. Lucian was realizing he’d made a mistake as well, but to have a seven-year old be unforgiving and calling you a number two (if you get the joke) was a bit saddening.
“Alright, that’s done! Can we go now, Mom?”
“You’ve apologized?”
“Yep!”
“Alright then, let’s go.”
Our heroes stepped into the car, with the same seating arrangement as the time before. Al handed Mercedes the business card, and she stared at it carefully to memorize the address.
“Al, where did you find this?”
“A witness gave it to me. There’s a crucial witness that dropped a bunch of these on the night of the murder. I’m thinking they took the cards hoping they could find food or a place to stay.”
“Oh, if I had known that, I would have been happy to help!”
“But would you have the room, is the thing. Remember, you’ve got me as well, and I believe Benjamin.”
“Of course I’ll be able to take Benji! But you’re right. I guess I wouldn’t have room after all.”
“Anyways, do you know where we’re going?”
“Yes, I do. I’ve been to that building before to visit the Cloviets or do coffee runs for them!”
“I see.” Al looked into the back seat of the car, finding that Benjamin had fallen asleep. Sakura, on the other hand, was still looking quite fatigued, before her eyes widened and realized something.
“Ohh, that’s right! THAT’S why I’ve been feeling off all day!”
“What is it, Sakura?”
“We haven’t eaten yet today! Mom, can we stop for food on the way to the business building?”
“We sure can!”
Benjamin woke up slowly. “Food?”
“Yeah! We’re going to stop for food!”
“Food is good! I like cookies!”
“REAL food, Benji, not just cookies.”
“Is fast food even real food?”
“Silly lawyer, of course it is!”
“That’s not my point...”
Mercedes put her keys into the key slot and turned it, revving up the engine. She put her car into reverse and backed up, before putting her car into drive and speeding off. Al tried to process all the information he had so far, as well as sorting through the evidence he’d collected thus far.
“(Where does everything fit in? What can I get today that will help the case? It’s not like I can’t win, but at this point it’s looking pretty damn lost.)” Al pulled out everything he had on him. The game board pieces, the tampered psychology report, the photo, and every profile he had. Al decided to study the picture in particular. Nothing seemed to be off about it, except for the fact that there was a second person near the axe. This photo would help the case, big time. Not having realized that Mercedes had already gone through the drive-through at McDonalds, she handed Al a bag and told him to pass it backwards to Benjamin and Sakura.
“There’s one in here for you too, Al.”
“Thanks. You really didn’t have to do that.”
“But I did! Glad to see you’re grateful, unlike most visitors.”
After receiving the bag back from the two children in the back, Al pulled out the burger for himself and chowed down on it. After all, everyone deserves a small break every once in a while. Benjamin had finished his meal in a small period of time, using the rest of his time to stare into space outside the window, and Sakura reclined her chair to sleep, slowly eating her burger. She must’ve been feeling bad about what she did to Lucian. Mercedes’s eyes were glued to the road, as always, thinking long and hard about where to turn and how to arrive fastest. The densely populated city slowly transitioned into a beautiful forest landscape. It definitely wasn’t Viridian Forest, but it was still just as breath-taking and mesmerizing. Not many cars were on the road in this part of town at this time of day, giving Mercedes the opening to speed up just a tiny bit.
“Where are we, Mrs. Anaman?”
“We’re on the outskirts of Nookville. There’s a bunch of little towns if we continue on up, but we’re only headed to Lumber Jack’s Woodworking, which is about ten minutes farther from now.”
“Huh, Lumber Jack’s Woodworking... what an interesting name.”
“Mommy and Daddy picked name!”
“They’re the owners, so I’m sure they did, Benji.”
“Rich business! Makes lot of money!”
“I’m sure about that, too. (If the woodworking industry even produces that much...)”
“Be sure, Al Catraz!”
Mercedes was now fast approaching the parking lot. She nearly started using swear words at her anger of the multiple roadblocks and detours the murder had caused. The building was under slight investigation, for the victims and prime suspect were closely connected to the business.
“You know what? I’m parking right here. I can’t get into the parking lot because of these stupid roadblocks! Sakura, you’ll be staying in here with me to have a little chat about what you did.”
“But Mom--”
“No buts. You’ll be lucky if I let you go into the courtroom with Al tomorrow.”
“But Mom, I’m his co-counsel!”
“That’s too bad, isn’t it? Next time, you’ll think before you act.”
“Can go?” Benjamin unbuckled his seatbelt and went to open the door, waiting for a response from Al or Mercedes.
“Well, if Sakura will be in here with her mom, and I don’t have someone to help out, I guess it couldn’t hurt. Just be careful of what you say, alright? You are the defendant.”
“Yaay!!” Benjamin pulled the door open hard, hopping out and becoming super-excited. He seemed really happy to be around Al as well.
“Just let me know when you’ll be back, alright?”
“Of course, Mrs. Anaman.”
“You can call me Mercedes, Al.”
Sakura closed the car door as Al and Benjamin walked off towards the building, ducking under police tape and stepping over many logs. Benjamin seemed to make it a game to balance on the bigger, narrow logs, holding his arms in a t-position and stepping quickly but gracefully. He seemed a lot more composed than he was yesterday, obviously not thinking of his parents as much. But as Al knew, he was bound to break down again at some point. On the way to the building, the two ran into a small, forested area with a lodge and many wooden pieces to chop smaller. A stump was nearby, with a piece of paper neatly folded into threes laying on the platform.
“Check out, Al Catraz! A letter?”
“It might be. I’ll take it for now, but it looks like there’s someone else here.” Al walked over to the stump, folding the letter and putting it into his briefcase. Soon after, he heard two voices from about fifty feet away.
“This looks new, Luce.”
“We haven’t checked out this area yet, that’s for--”
“Hey look! It’s that cute little kid and the defence attorney!”
“Is the kid pink-haired?”
“Nope, brown haired! It’s that kid with the, uh... I don’t remember how to say it.”
“Oh, him... It’s Benjamin.”
Lucian and Grace approached Al and Benjamin.
“Hello again, you two.” Al greeted the two, hoping Lucian wasn’t mad at him fro Sakura’s actions.
“Greetings,” responded Lucian.
“You’re doing okay, right? Sakura didn’t hurt you too badly?”
“Tch. It hurt quite a bit, but I’ll be fine for tomorrow.”
“Sakura might not tomorrow. Might not go.”
“Oh, really? I was kinda looking forward to seeing her in a courtroom with her fire!” Grace seemed to cover the weaknesses Lucian had and vice versa. The two seemed to have great chemistry.
“Grace, we’re investigating. Let’s go.”
Lucian and Grace left as quickly as they came. It gave Al a chance to investigate a bit more, but he wanted to ask Lucian a question first.
“Wait! Have you found that other witness?”
“We have. I’ve finished with him already, so you may not be able to find him.”
“(Of course...) Thanks for letting me know.”
Al took a seat on the stump, resting his suitcase on the dirt ground and hunching over.
“You ‘kay?”
“Well, yes. We need to find that witness... but I’m not sure where he went. Why wouldn’t Lucian get them to wait?”
“Don’t know, Catraz. Let find witness!”
Benjamin started pushing on Al’s shoulder, trying to get him up, but he wouldn’t move.
“Stop that, Benji! Not right now!”
“Okay! Going on own then!”
Benjamin started to skip off, and realizing he couldn’t leave him unattended, Al got up and chased after him.
“Benji! You can’t go running off like that!”
Benjamin proved himself quite nimble, for even someone like Al was having trouble keeping up with him. He lost his breath fast and had to push to even barely see where Benjamin was going.
“Benji, stop!”
Benjamin actually stopped, but he started to look upwards at something. Al kept running through the densely populated work area until he caught up, finding himself looking up as well. Al was only five foot five, after all. He was pretty short for a guy his age.
“Who you?” A tall man wearing a black toque and hooded sweatshirt stood tall against Al and Benjamin. He looked in his mid-twenties and had a bit of stubble from recently shaving. His grey sweatpants were covered in dirt, his brown shoes looked worn out from his job, and an axe was propped up against his shoulder.
“Who are you first?”
“No tell.”
“Fine, I won’t tell you either.”
Al looked at the man. “Look, I’m a defence attorney investigating the death of William and Emma Cloviet. I’ve got a witness report here that describes you briefly, so we’ve got some questions to ask you.”
“Alright, fine. My name’s Alex McAire. You are?”
“My name is Al Catraz, and this here is Benjamin Cloviet. He’s temporarily helping me with investigation while my co-counsel’s busy.” Al extended his hand to Alex, who shook it. “Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you too.”
Al knew the first question to ask a witness was always for an alibi. You always have to know what a witness was doing on the day of the murder. “So, what did you see on the night of the murder?”
“It was about 9:40 at night. I was running late to a business dinner, but when I showed up, I saw the door had already been opened by the kid,” Alex said as he pointed to Benjamin. “Right when I was about to go in, he went in with the axe and started takin’ swings at his parents! My boss, Mr. Cloviet, pulled out his gun and tried to shoot Benjamin, but only hit his arm and lost strength. Injured pretty badly, the kid screamed, picked up the gun, and shot his dad. Then, he swung at Mrs. Cloviet and it was done. I ran out, and that’s all I saw.”
“So you were watching the entire thing with your own eyes?! Why couldn’t we find you when we needed you?”
“I was working here, and I’m actually working here today as well.”
“Well, you should at least go to the police!”
“Like I said, I was working.”
“Alright, alright. You were working. *sigh*” Al went into his briefcase and pulled out a few pictures, showing Alex the one of Amber first. “Do you recognize this girl?”
"No. I never saw her bugging a lady for burgers."
Odd. Alex had never mentioned the burgers. He found this a bit suspicious. Not waiting for a response about Amber, he pulled out pictures of the victims. “Alright, you said you saw these two. They’re the victims. What do you know about them?”
“Mr. Cloviet was my boss here at Lumber Jack’s Woodworking. Mrs. Cloviet was his secretary. That’s all I know.”
“(Hmm, if you worked with them, wouldn’t you know more?) Alex, if you worked with these people, wouldn’t you know more about them? You know, their family life and all that?”
“It sounds surprising, but no. I barely got to know them over the two years I’ve worked here.”
Alex was getting more and more suspicious. He claimed he didn’t know anything, yet kept slipping out more and more details. Al figured only two more documents were important to this guy, so he started by putting the profile pictures back and pulling out the tampered psychology report. Benjamin let out a little disgruntled whine when he saw what it was.
“Do you see this document? It’s a psychology report that’s been tampered with. It’s my belief that the parents would have no reason to destroy this file, so do you know anything about what happened?”
Alex stuttered a little. “N-No, I d-d-don’t.”
“Why stuttering?”
“I wasn’t e-expecting to have a p-p-p-psychology report t-t-thrown in my face,” he responded.
“No one reacts like this to a psychology report normally, Alex.” Knowing he wasn’t going to get far soon, he put away the report and glanced quickly over the letter found on the stump. It stated that Alex had been fired as of the day before the murder, effective immediately! Al put it back, for he was scared Alex might destroy it. He thought it was crucial to the case.
“Uhh, Mr. McAire... you said you were working here today, right?”
“Pfft. Of course I was!”
“See, I found what seemed to be a letter on a stump back there, and it says you were fired three days ago--on the night before the murder!”
Alex started to sweat. “That letter was dated to that day, not when I was fired!”
“It may have been. But it was effective immediately!”
“Who gave you the right to look through my stuff?!”
Alex fixated his eyes on Al’s, giving Benjamin the chance to fixate on Alex’s. It was still a mystery as to how Benjamin was able to look into a person’s eyes and find all their secrets, but he was able to do it and he did it well. Benjamin’s eyes widened as he started a spiel.
“I look into eyes, and I can read minds.”
“What does this have to do with anything, kid?!”
“I see letter, and Daddy. Hands you letter and says you’re fired. I see anger, hate, and desire for revenge. I see notice for business dinner, I see smirk, I see axe. You drive by on day of murder, place axe in front of door. At business dinner, I see me going outside to find Pedro, and I leave door open by accident. You get out of car and come in when I come in... AND YOU KILLED THEM!!” shrieked Benjamin rather quietly. Alex nearly flipped. He looked around for something he could do, noticing a big, wide tree nearby directly behind Al and Benjamin. Fuming, he pulled two handguns from his sweatshirt pockets and held them up to the defence duo, making them back up until they hit the tree.
“Heh. Heh. Hahaha. You may have found out, but will you live to prove my guilt? I think not.”
“W-W-What are you...?!” Al gasped as he hit the back of the tree. Benjamin tried to stop himself from crying but was struggling to do so. He hit the back of the tree and started breathing heavily while almost crying. Al couldn’t help but do the same. Both scared for their lives. Alex readjusted the guns to line up where it would shoot to their hearts.
“You, kid, had it lucky when I only got your arm. But you’re not so lucky anymore. I’m going to shoot you both when I finish counting down from twenty.”
Al leaned his head back and let tears start streaming from his eyes. He wasn’t expecting his first case to end the way it was. He wasn’t expecting to die in such a horrible way. Al started to feel a glow from his Magatama, realizing that he would soon be able to see his parents again, when he was gone. Al really started to cry.
“(I’m sorry, Sakura. I’m sorry... Mom.)”
“...Three...two...one...”
“NOT SO FAST!!”
Al opened his eyes with shock as he saw Lucian pinning Alex to the ground. “YOU CAN’T KILL THE DEFENCE!”
“W-W-WHAT?!” Al couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Lucian? Saving lives? Alex got back up, throwing Lucian to the ground, but he kept going, getting back up and nailing him in the side of his head with his elbow. Alex fell to the ground, falling unconscious. He wasn’t injured, fortunately, but Lucian knew he wouldn’t be down on the ground for long.
“Get yourselves out of here.”
“Luce, what did you do that for?!”
“I can’t let someone kill the defence and defendant!”
“Just call the police or something, then!”
“Grace, this was a more immediate threat. I had to take the guy down to keep those two safe.”
Al and Benjamin both had tears still streaming from their eyes, both scared out of their minds. Both had widened eyes and pale faces, as if they’d just seen ghosts.
“I-I don’t know what to say,” Al muttered. “Thank you.”
Benjamin broke down, clinging to Al and refusing to let go. He was freaked out really badly by everything that happened. No one could blame him.
“Make testify! Make testify!!”
Al picked up Benjamin and ran as fast as he could possibly go, retracing his steps and getting the two in Mercedes’s car forcefully fast.
“What’s all the rush? Why are you crying?”
“I-I’ll explain later! Just get away from this place as fast as you can!”
Mercedes felt the pressure of the clock and pulled out fast, speeding over the roads. Sakura hugged Benjamin to hopefully help him feel better.
“Benji, what happened?”
Benjamin only cried in response. He was too shaken to say anything.
“Al, can you tell me anything?”
Al explained what happened to Sakura. He explained how Benjamin figured out who the killer was and how they were pinned to a tree and held at gunpoint.
“W-WHAT?! AL, THAT'S SCARY! HOLY COW!”
Sakura was quite surprised about what she had just heard. Al, her superior in her so-called job, was almost killed finding the truth? That Benjamin found who killed his parents, and the person went to extreme measures to keep it shut? That Lucian was the one that saved them both? Lucian, of all people?!
“Trust me, I'm pretty freaked out,” Al responded while choking on tears. “No one has ever threatened to kill me and gone so far.”
Al was starting to recollect himself now, still horrified but slowly stopping his crying. Benjamin was still crying heavily, but Sakura was trying really hard to help him feel safe. Like Lucian and Grace, the two seemed to get along really well together.
“Jeez! Now I understand why you two were in such a hurry to leave,” responded Mercedes. “There was a chance you’d get hurt and you wouldn't let that happen.” The heroes slowly approached downtown Nookville as the sun glowed brightly, the light reflecting off windows to make a beautiful display. Al went through his evidence again and found something he hadn't thought of on the way to Lumber Jack’s.
“(Oh, it’s that stuffed dog. Doesn't Benjamin have an obsession over this or something?)” He looked at it, once again having a sudden urge to cuddle the plush doll, and decided to present it to Benjamin. “Benjamin.”
“What is...” He kept crying.
“Hey, it's okay. You see this?” Al handed Benjamin the stuffed dog. His eyes lit up immediately, pulling it close to his chest and letting out an ecstatic squeal.
“Pedro!! Where find him?! Where? Where?”
“I got this from Detective Gumshoe two days ago. I figured it was something really important to you.”
“Thank you thank you thank you!!” Having almost instantly stopped crying, Benjamin hugged the doll tightly and held it in one hand, extending the other to Sakura for her to hold. She looked up to Al and thanked him.
“Al, you don't know how much he loves that dog, Pedro. Benjamin carries that thing literally EVERYWHERE.”
“Huh.”
“Yeah. He hasn't had it since the murder, so you haven't really seen what it's like, but he seriously won't go anywhere without it.”
“So it’s like a security blanket?”
“Uh-huh.”
“I see.” Al felt the same way about his Magatama. He received it in his last conversation with his mom before she died of medical issues. His dad died a few months later from a sudden illness, and with no family in the nearby area, Al ended up all on his own. Mercedes was now pulling into the house complex entrance, driving slowly on the pathway and turning right when she reached her house.
“We're home! You three should go in and get some rest--especially you two,” announced Mercedes, pointing to Al and Benjamin. He seemed to be feeling a lot better now that he had ‘Pedro’ with him.
“I'll do that, Mercedes. What's the status on Sakura for tomorrow?” replied Al.
“I'm still deciding whether to let her go tomorrow, but I'm not sure it's the best thing for Sakura to be in the same room as that prosecutor talking about such a hard thing.”
“I see. I really don't think Mr. Umbra meant to be heartless or anything.”
“I don't think so either, but she really seems to have something against that man.”
“Understandable. Just let me know when you make a decision.”
“The only reason I would let her go right now would be because I can't leave you without someone to help.”
“I have someone in mind if you choose for her to stay home.”
“Who would that be?”
“Well, I'm still thinking about it, but... If Sakura can't do it...”
“You must be joking.”
“I'm not joking around, Mercedes. They have some serious skill to reckon with.”
“I'll think on this more. You go get some sleep, Al.”
Al stepped into the front door and untied his shoes, tucking the laces into the shoe holes and lining them up neatly against the wall. He walked into the living room and flopped exhausted onto the couch, leaning into it and starting to doze off a little. Sakura came over as well and took a seat, sitting by Al and looking at him.
“That must’ve been tough, right?”
“Yeah. Didn't you say something about having been in a court before?”
“Not now, Al.”
“You said that yesterday. I really don't think it should be something to be afraid of, Sakura. Being in court may be tough, but we all learn from it.”
“Um, um... Should I talk about it?”
“Up to you.”
“Okay, Al. I can tell you about that. It was three years ago at some point in February. I remember being out in my mom’s garden, just planting some seeds and stuff. Then this guy came along, and he, uh, I don't remember... but he took me away from home.”
“A kidnapping?”
“Yeah. I was stuck in that guy's house for days, just locked away in a room. About three days later or something, some policemen busted the door and let me out, but arrested me. Apparently, the guy who took me was found dead. I was the prime suspect.”
“Jeez! You were four at the time, weren't you?”
“I didn't really take the arrest too seriously, because I was young. They ended up finding the real killer and my name was cleared, but the man who took me really scared me. That's when I started looking into law. I want to be a defence attorney someday because of that, so I'm really lucky to have met you.”
“Who are you referring to as your mom? I notice you often call Mercedes by simply Mom.”
“My real mom and dad left town sometime after I was taken and disappeared. I think they tried to start a new life without me. I was adopted by Mom so long ago it’s almost like she was meant to be my mom more than my real mom.”
“I can understand how frightening and upsetting that must be. Sorry to hear that happened to you.”
“Don't be sorry for me, Al. We have to make a case for Benji!”
“Let's get started, then. Did you find anything while me and Benjamin were gone?”
“I think I might've. It's right here,” Sakura said as she pulled out a receipt. “It's a receipt for ammo and a pistol. If we had a way of looking up whether the gun used in the murder is the same as the one purchased here, then it could be decisive evidence!”
“The items were purchased by Alex.”
“Yeah! Now let's think about how we can prove Alex is the one who did it!”
The two talked about making a case for the rest of the night like the one before (except for when Mercedes cooked chicken and rice for dinner), with Benjamin peeking down every once in a while to see what they were doing. He ended up getting to stay in Sakura’s room in a sleeping bag, as for Mr. Anaman was coming home from a business trip that night. At first, he was confused as to why Al was in his family’s house, but once Sakura and Mercedes explained the situation, he understood and welcomed the attorney. Meanwhile, Lucian and Grace had called the police after Al and Benjamin left. They never stated whether Alex would be testifying, or if he had anything to do with the murder, but he was taken into police custody and locked into a cell in the detention center. Afterwards, they went back to the housing complex and questioned Amber and Barry about Alex, not getting anything other than what was known. They then went back to Lucian's office and continued to think about the case until they decided to retire for the day. At the end of the day, both Al and Lucian couldn't help but feel nervous.
April 29, 2008 5:51 am
Anaman Residence
Al woke up quite early again, having at least slept this time. He was feeling a lot more comfortable about the case this morning, and he stretched as he yawned loudly. Running his fingers through his bedhead black hair that looked a bit like Link’s, he quickly changed out of his nightwear and brushed his hair and teeth when dressed. Stepping out of the bathroom after he finished, he packed his suitcase and placed it next to the guest room door and took a seat on the couch. Al turned on the TV and flipped through channels until he hit the news, watching a feature on yesterday’s trial and Alex’s arrest. Mercedes came out at around 6:30, wearing a bathrobe over her pajamas.
“Good morning, Mercedes.”
“You’re up early, Al. Why don’t you go back to sleep?”
“I’m not one to sleep in, especially when I’m in a situation like this.”
“Well, if you can’t go to sleep, then at least rest.”
“I guess...”
“If you’re hungry, I can make up some waffles for you.”
“Really?” Al hadn’t thought about eating, but when he did, he realized maybe it was a good idea to do so. “Thanks, Mercedes.”
“No problem.”
Sakura stormed down the stairs as Mercedes pulled out her waffle oven and batter mix, leaning on the banister.
“Morning, Mom,” she said in a rather upset, snotty voice.
“(I guess Mercedes is keeping her home after all.)”
“Don’t talk to me like that, Sakura.”
“Ugh, Mom...”
“Your actions yesterday caused these consequences. You have no one to blame but yourself.”
“Mom! I wanna go, though...”
Al sat and awkwardly listened to Sakura and Mercedes argue as he tried to come up with a way to ask about being a backup co-counsel. He had a person in mind, but he had to wait until he had a chance to see them first. Mercedes finished making the waffles and served two to Al, who graciously accepted and started to eat. She then served a waffle to Sakura, who stormed back into her room and supposedly woke up Benjamin, for he started to ask about breakfast and court. Benjamin then came downstairs for a waffle, letting Al start a friendly conversation with him.
“Hey Benji,” he greeted.
“Hello! Like waffles?”
“I do! How are you feeling this morning?”
“Happy because Pedro!” Benjamin held up the stuffed dog again. Al couldn’t help but wonder why he’d given such an unconventional name to a stuffed animal.
“Good to see you’ve got him back.”
“Yep! Happy today, Al Catraz?”
“Well, I wouldn’t exactly say that...” Al realized now was his chance. “Say, Sakura isn’t able to come to help me out today... so would you like to help me in court, Benji?”
Benjamin thought to himself for a moment. He didn’t seem to quite understand what that would encompass, but he remembered yesterday very well, and he wasn’t quite sure what to say.
“Scary toque man won’t shoot?”
“I’m not sure he’ll even be there, but if he does come today, they’ll make sure no one gets hurt, especially you.”
“...”
“(Uh oh...)”
“I will do it, Al Catraz.” Benjamin nodded and started eating his waffle, managing to finish it within two minutes. “I help if Mommy and Daddy wanted me do anything else. I help for their sake.” He looked over to his left shoulder and touched it lightly, flinching.
“I wouldn’t touch that, Benji. You might infect it.”
“It hurts.”
Mercedes overheard and turned around. “Why don’t we put a bandage over it, then? I’ll wrap it up good.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Mercedes!”
Benjamin walked over to Mercedes and followed her as she pulled out her first aid kit and opened it up, finding the tensor bandage and wrapping it tightly around his arm. She put clips to make sure it stayed wrapped, before putting away the first aid kit and the items used to make the waffles. She checked the time on her oven and cross-checked it with her phone, before making a statement.
“Alright, you two. It’s about 7:45 right now, so I’m thinking we should leave by 8:30 at the latest. Benjamin, why don’t you get dressed for the day?”
“Will change!” Benjamin skipped happily up the stairs and into Sakura’s room, where the two seemed to be conversing again. Al stretched and thanked Mercedes for the waffles, before packing what he needed for today’s trial and setting it by the couch near where he was sitting.
“Al, what are you planning to do after the trial’s over? Go home to your family?”
Al didn’t want to mention the fact that he had no family. “Uh, yeah. I’ll probably end up going back home until I get another case. From there, I guess I’ll have to find a new co-counsel, since you and Sakura probably won’t be moving anytime soon.”
Mercedes wasn’t sure what to say. She knew Al would have to leave at some point, but she didn’t want him to at the same time. Al had changed Sakura’s life.
“You should go get ready for the day, Al,” she forced out.
“I’ve already done so.” Al stayed silent for a few seconds, realizing he had to ask about the psychology report. “Wait, I have something to ask you about. See, I found a psychology report for Benjamin two days ago, and I figure it could be really important to the case. However, the copy I have has all the important details covered in white-out. Do you know where I can find an updated copy?”
“I actually own a copy myself, since the Cloviets left Benji in my care so often. If you give me a few minutes, I can photocopy it for you.”
“Thank you so much, Mercedes. I really appreciate it.”
“While you wait, I guess it’s around that time where we can leave, so why don’t you get your shoes on and wait in the car? I’ll unlock the doors for you.”
“I can do that.” Al picked up his trial supplies and tied his shoes on, before unlocking the front door and getting into the passenger seat of Mercedes’s Ford Focus. Benjamin, Sakura, and Mercedes followed a few minutes later, and Mercedes backed up and drove away as the sun shined beautifully over the landscape.
April 29, 2008 9:37 am
Courtroom Lobby #2
“Al Catraz, when go in?” asked Benjamin. He and Al had been waiting in the lobby for about an hour. It was only expected for Benjamin to get a little impatient. He was only seven.
“Soon, Benjamin,” replied Al.
“How long soon?”
“When they call us in, Benji.”
At that moment, Lucian entered the courtroom lobby from the front door. He walked a few steps and went over to the defence duo.
“...Oh.”
“Oh. Hello,” greeted Al. He took a small bow to greet Lucian.
“Haiiii!” called Benjamin. He was happy to see another person show up, and trying to be his normal self again, he became happy.
“Good morning, defence. But... where is the darling?”
“Not coming! Mrs. Mercedes made stay home. Punch in face not good.” answered Benjamin.
“...Huh. That, yeah.”
“Happy today?” Benjamin held up Pedro and proceeded to hug it tightly, looking up at Lucian.
“Tch,” responded Lucian.
“Huh? Why like that?”
“...Nothing.” Lucian picked up his sunglasses from his shirt pocket and slipped them on.
“Don’t listen to him, Benji. I’m not sure he’s on our side,” warned Al.
“Not on... side? In front me! Not on side! On front!”
“Sure.”
Lucian sighed. He looked through the Court Record as Al waited impatiently for the door to open. “Look, Catraz. I’m sure we’ll be let in when we’re supposed to be.”
Benjamin skipped over to the couch in the lobby, sitting down and attempting to pull cookies out of his shorts pockets. He then realized he didn’t have any, making an irritated grumbling noise and kicking his legs before getting back up and skipping over to Al.
“Look! Door open!”
A bailiff walked out the doorway and over to Al, Lucian, and Benjamin. “You two can come in now.”
“Pfft. That isn’t how you open a door.” Lucian walked inside and stood at the prosecution’s bench, and Al decided it was a good idea to do the same.
April 29, 2008 10:00 am
Lamina Courtroom #2
“Come on in, Benjamin,” stated Al as he walked to the prosecution’s bench.
“Oh-kay!” replied Benjamin, running over to Al.
The judge slammed his gavel. “Court is now in session for the trial of Benjamin Cloviet. I presume you two are ready?”
“Good to go, Your Honour,” stated Al.
Lucian observed the defence’s bench, noticing Benjamin was where Sakura stood yesterday. He laughed in disbelief. “Your Honour, surely the defendant is not the defence’s co-counsel for this trial...”
“Co-counsel?” Benjamin didn’t quite understand the word. He didn’t understand big words in general.
“Co-counsel is a fancy word for helping the defence, Benji,” explained Al.
“Ohh! I get it!”
“I guess we can’t leave the defence without a co-counsel. I’ve seen worse.” allowed the judge, reluctantly. “Anyways, your opening statement, Prosecutor Umbra?”
“Hmph. Yesterday, the court was notified that there were witnesses who had yet to testify. And with this knowledge, the court could not come to a verdict on the case. However, the prosecution still believe that the defendant is clearly guilty of this crime, be it with an accomplice or not. And the prosecution’s proposal from yesterday will still stand, with the proposal being brought over to our witness. With that, the prosecution calls Mr. Barry Game to the stand.”
The Quartasian from yesterday took the stand, being escorted by the bailiff. He held a chicken and cheese sandwich in his hand, eating it graciously as if he hadn’t eaten for a while.
“Witness, you cannot have food or drink on the stand. I must ask for it to be confiscated.”
“A-Apologies, Y-Y-Your Honour. I do not get meals on a regular basis. I do not mean to be violating any rules.” Barry quickly finished the sandwich and brushed off the crumbs from his tank top, straightening his back and clearing his throat. “There. Once again, sincere apologies.”
“Very well. Witness, please state your name and profession.”
“My name is Barry Game and Watch, though I would prefer to be referred to as Mr. Game. I do not have a job, for I am only thirteen.”
“Now that you have finished, please testify to the court about how the kid couldn’t have done it. And let’s have the defence take apart any lies you’re planning to give, Mr. Game.” stated Lucian.
“W-Will do. I will tell you exactly what I saw.
“It was around 9:40 at night. Tired and hungry, I stepped out of my tent with Amber Tzaziki and went to find anything preferably food.
“I stared into the window of the Cloviets’ home in envy of their meal, when I suddenly saw Benjamin go into the home followed by another man. One of them held an axe, but I do not remember who. I do believe it was Benjamin.
“Then he started swinging the axe wildly at his parents! He hit his father first, killing him, and then hit his mother and killed her as well.
“That was when I heard the first gunshot. The poor kid clutched his arm and let out a bloodcurling scream! He fell to the ground and quickly got up.
“The second gunshot went off after that, going through Mr. Cloviet to make sure he was dead. The other man left, and Benjamin picked up the axe to stare at it.
“With the axe in his hands and the detective on the ground unconscious, Benjamin ran outside and off the road, presumably to Tortimer Island.”
“Very well. The defence may begin its cross-examination,” stated the judge.
“(Hmm...)” Al had to think hard. He decided to confirm basics first before going onto the important parts. “Mr. Game, which door did you see these two people enter through?”
“The front door, Mr. Catraz,” answered Barry. “I do believe I gave you a picture?”
“Now, now, defence. Don’t go searching for the answer you already have,” laughed Lucian. A smirk fell onto his face.
“(Okay, that checks out.) What happened to the other man?”
“He entered the house as well.”
“Did he exit the house?”
“After the murder, yes.”
“Okay. (Hmm... why would that other man have shot Benjamin?)” thought Al.
Benjamin thought hard to himself. He realized something that could help his situation, remembering an important detail through all the fear the case was giving him. “Second picture. Pull out, Al Catraz,” he whispered.
Al went into his suitcase and found the picture. “What about it?”
“Look at me. Could hold any else?” Benjamin didn’t wait for Al’s answer, jumping so he could get a little bit above the bench and yelling for the judge’s attention. “Uh, um... Have something!” he called.
“What is this?” asked the judge.
“Your Honour, is the co-counsel not allowed to present contradictions?” asked Al. “Sakura did yesterday, so I think Benjamin would be allowed.”
“Isn’t that quite harsh, Mr. Catraz?”
Benjamin looked nervously at Al. “Can I?”
“Go for it,” he responded.
“Look at picture. Look me.”
“Hm?”
“Looks like grabbing axe, but what if hold something else then?”
“That is quite a good point,” agreed the judge.
“That’s out of question. The object would be clearly visible,” argued Lucian.
“Look at the angle the photo was taken at. The axe itself is barely in the picture, let alone Benjamin’s hand,” refuted Al.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s barely visible, Catraz. It matters that it is. And this other object is not.”
“Mr. Catraz, do you have anything that the defendant could have been holding in his hand?” questioned the judge.
“(Perhaps...) Benji, were you holding Pedro at the time?”
Benjamin nodded. “Here go!” he exclaimed happily as he handed Pedro to Al.
“Perhaps he was holding this!”
“That is rather small,” said the judge.
“If he was holding this in his hand, he couldn’t grab the axe with the same hand.”
“Oh, defence. Have you learned the court’s golden rule?” laughed Lucian.
“Golden rule? Rules no colour!” stated Benjamin, puzzled.
“It means a really important rule.”
Lucian lifted his sunglasses to his forehead. “In court... Evidence is EVERYTHING. Do you have any that proves that he was indeed holding that stuffed animal?”
“I-I may have another photo...” Barry stepped in, starting to sweat a little. He seemed awfully nervous to be in court, trying to help any way he could.
“Oh really?” stated Al in disbelief.
“I am not sure, but my PokeGear is quire finicky.”
Lucian banged his hand down on the prosecution’s bench, almost enraged but more so annoyed. “Why was this not brought to the court’s attention earlier?!”
Barry handed his PokeGear to Al, who unlocked it and started to search through the phone’s picture gallery again, this time was an adequate lighting source to see the screen.
“(I guess this is in the Court Record now?) Hmm... what do we have here?”
Benjamin tried to look over Al’s shoulder at the screen, jumping to gain height. “Let see! Let see!”
“It’s the same picture, focused on the hands.” He turned to Benjamin and showed him the picture. “It’s a bit blurry, but we should be able to make out something.”
Al paused for a moment. “Aha! Your Honour, take a look at this.” He showed the picture to the judge. “Here, we can see the blurry image of a stuffed toy in Benjamin’s hand!”
“(Of course. Why wouldn’t there be a perfect picture against my claims...)” thought Lucian.
“It’s Pedro! Pedro is cute and fluffy and happy!” exclaimed Benjamin.
“Furthermore, we can’t see the hands of the other man,” stated Al.
“Defence, what claim do you have that the defendant did not pick up the axe after entering the house and placing the toy down?”
Benjamin gasped. He wasn’t sure there would be evidence to prove it. However, Al had another claim ready to back him up.
“Certainly the victims would have noticed if their son brought in an axe and started swinging?”
“Quite,” replied Lucian.
“To actually get away with this, he would have had to be as quick as possible.”
“Then he would be fast and kill them swiftly.”
“Then he wouldn’t have time to put down the stuffed animal.”
“Tsk, tsk, defence. What is suspicious about a child coming into his own home and setting his stuffed toy down?”
“Nothing. But he’d be holding the axe in his other hand.”
“He could have just placed it down and walked back to the entrance, grabbing the axe.”
“Never let go Pedro. Goes everywhere I do!” argued Benjamin.
“(Sakura did say something along those lines...)”
“Oh really? Was it not the fact that he was just found recently... Away from the kid?” stated Lucian.
“But, but... But... did not know where was.”
“Well, if you want to play that game, you have no evidence that he didn’t drop it after seeing his parents murdered by someone else. Evidence IS everything.”
“Going to play stalemate, are we?”
“Stalemate?” Benjamin needed the word explained to him.
“We stay here and repeat this over and over with nobody gaining any ground.”
“Oh. I get now!” replied Benjamin.
“Your Honour, does the court see the prosecution’s claim clearly?” asked Lucian.
“I do indeed,” replied the judge.
“What I’m more concerned with is the fact that we CAN’T see the other man’s hands in the picture of the hands.”
“There is no evidence Pedro was dropped before the murder. However... there is no evidence he was dropped after. Or rather, it.”
“Defence, why should the court care about the other man’s hand? This man currently has nothing to do with the case.”
“Perhaps... perhaps he was the one holding the axe?” Al sifted through the court record, pulling a receipt out from his suitcase. “Take a look at this receipt.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. A receipt? Why does it matter? Bloody writing on the back or something?” Lucian laughed, almost pitying Al. Al wasn’t stupid, however. He knew what he was doing.
“Well, the receipt is for a gun and ammo for it.”
“So the man bought a gun.”
“Why, Mr. Umbra, would somebody bring a gun to a dinner party?”
“Self defence, of course. I carry one on me.”
“The answer is to shoot someone, in this case, Benjamin!”
“Ah, I get it! ...Thanks for that, defence,” replied Lucian, shrugging and laughing. His sunglasses slipped back over his eyes from the movement.
“Man wanted shoot me?” asked Benjamin as tears formed in his eyes.
“It’s okay, Benji. He’s not going to now.”
“I think it should be obvious to the court what this man intended to do. The kid picked up the axe and killed the members of his business in front of him. He shot the kid to protect himself and others.” Lucian tipped his sunglasses down and put them back up, beginning to look through his deck of cards.
“He wanted to shoot the murderer to protect others? I can understand that,” agreed the judge.
“Exactly, Your Honour!”
Al shook his head, butting in with another statement. “The question is: Why did he buy a gun on the day of the murder in the first place?”
“Premonition? Who knows, Catraz?”
“Surely he didn’t think the hosts’ child would suddenly start murdering people. Even for this case, that's a stretch.”
“The hosts’ child would if he had the motive to.”
“How do you explain the gunshot wound in Mr. Cloviet?”
“D-Daddy was s-s-shot?” Benjamin lifted his shirt sleeve up to poke at his tensor bandage again. He flinched as he did so, pulling the sleeve back down and wiping his eyes.
“Good question, Mr. Catraz. Would you like to tell the court?” asked Lucian. He was feeling very confident that he’d won the case.
“If you suggest the defendant disarming a man who just happened to bring a gun to a party where a double murder happened that nobody knew it was going to happen until it did and then somehow scaring him off before shooting the victim's body, I'm going to laugh,” stated Al. He was very serious about this case. He knew Benjamin was innocent, but proving it was proving to be a pain in the butt. Lucian blinked. Still holding his deck of cards in his hands, he took a card and started playing with it in his dominant hand.
“Defence, it’s still early in the morning...” He threw the card towards Al, making it lodge in the wall just above his right shoulder again. “You’d be better off with more sleep.”
“Oh my Arceus! The skill it must take to throw a playing card like that and stick it into the wall must be incredible!” exclaimed Barry in awe. Benjamin noticed the card and jumped to remove it from the wall, looking at it and wondering why there was a funny-dressed man on it.
“The question is still: If we’re assuming the defendant did the murders, he would have had to fight a grown man for said gun after being shot in the arm, to shoot his father. That is simply not plausible,” restated Al. This court escapade was irritating him. Couldn’t they just get Alex on the stand? Benjamin started to clutch his arm, looking pained. He looked up to Al.
“It hurts, Al Catraz. Hurts again.”
“Are you alright, Benji?”
“Arm hurts...”
Lucian stepped in with a counter-argument. “The man bought the gun with only good timing. And I don’t see why the kid would care that his father was shot after murdering him in cold blood.”
“Prosecution, you’re suggesting a seven-year old fought a grown man who was holding a gun after being shot in the arm.” Al started to sweat heavily, worried he’d run out of ammo sooner than he wanted.
Benjamin realized what Lucian had just said, starting to yell at the top of his lungs. “I DID NOT! I NOT HURT DADDY!”
“I’m not suggesting that, no,” reassured Lucian, although he didn’t seem to be very sincere with it.
“I know you didn’t, Benji. We just have to prove it,” comforted Al as he put his right hand on Benjamin’s left shoulder carefully, turning to face Lucian. “Then explain how the defendant could have gotten the gun from the man!”
“He didn’t. Were the kid’s fingerprints on the gun?”
“Exactly. The man shot both Benjamin and Mr. Cloviet. Why would he shoot Mr. Cloviet?”
Lucian nodded. “Maybe he had to at the angle he shot the kid.”
“Not quite. There were two bullets shot--one at Benjamin--and a separate one at Mr. Cloviet!”
“Fine! Maybe the guy missed, then!” Lucian was starting to get stressed out by Al’s counter-claims.
“Besides, bullets don’t make forty-five degree turns in midair. He had to have been holding his arm to the side to shoot Mr. Cloviet but aim for Benjamin.”
“Or the bullet could ricochet?”
“To that, I say this: look at the first crime scene photo. The first bullet went through the defendant’s arm and embedded itself in the wall behind them.”
“What about this photo is relevant?” asked the judge.
“Relevant?” asked Benjamin.
“He’s asking if it matters, Benji,” answered Al to Benjamin. He then proceeded to answer the judge’s question. “The prosecution’s question was if the bullet could have ricocheted, but it couldn’t have ricocheted if it can pass through human flesh and then still embed itself in the wall behind it.”
“Silly defence. (Copying the darling’s catchphrase... it is quite accurate.) That would imply that there was one shot that passed through the flesh and landed in more. As we know, the gun was fired twice.”
“Yes. Once into Benjamin and the wall behind him, and one into Mr. Cloviet’s dying body. Mr. Umbra... Earlier, you said So as we can see, the defence has just proved its own point to be wrong. Your point was that the bullet could have ricocheted.”
Lucian shrugged. “So it was.”
“There were two bullets shot,” Al replied.
“One shot missed Benjamin and hit William. The second one hit Benjamin.”
“But first shot hit me!” Tears started to fall from Benjamin’s eyes as he fought to get words out without crying.
“What’s this, Benji?” Al’s eyes lit up, knowing having Benjamin’s memory of the events would help prove him innocent.
“First shot hit me, not Daddy...”
“Thank you. This must be hard for you to talk about,” thanked Al.
“...” Benjamin wiped his eyes as tears streamed from them.
“So if the first shot hit the defendant, then why did the man shoot Mr. Cloviet at all?”
“...That’s the question,” replied Lucian.
“I have a theory,” countered Al.
“Theory?” asked Benjamin.
“A guess, Benji,” Al explained.
“I see.”
"Your Honour, perhaps Mr. Cloviet was still barely alive when the man shot Benjamin. To ensure he finished his job, he shot Mr. Cloviet to make sure he would die.”
“Why would he want to finish off Mr. Cloviet?”
“Because... he was the one who tried to kill him in the first place!” shouted Al.
Benjamin gasped. “Daddy killing other man?!”
“No, Benji. Other man killing Daddy.”
“Ahh... Defence attorneys, always throwing wild accusations.”
“(This coming from the guy who wants to convict a seven-year old...)”
“Why would he want to kill Cloviet?” asked Lucian, amused of Al’s theories.
“It’s not my place to know the mind of a murderer. That is, until we get him on the stand,” replied Al.
“Not your place? Hmph,” sighed Lucian.
“Make... make other man testify?”
“Yes, that would be the next logical step.”
Benjamin had a flashback to what happened yesterday. Pinned to a tree with a gun held up to his heart. Knowing he was going to die trying to find answers to the questions his parents’ death left him. Frightened; scarred; wishing for justice.
“Need I remind you why you’re here?”
“I’m here to keep the innocent out of jail. You’re here to put them in.”
“Jeez, harsh words... I’m here to put the GUILTY in jail. What is faith without a little bit of doubt?”
“Exactly. Then we should both be thinking the same thing right now.”
Benjamin flipped out, bursting into tears. “MAKE TESTIFY!! MAKE TESTIFY!! PLEASE!”
“There’s another man who was in the house. We didn’t see Benjamin reach for the axe, but we never saw the other man’s hands. He had bought a gun and ammunition and took it to the dinner, and Mr. Cloviet was shot after Benjamin. We have another suspect, a suspect who needs to take the stand.”
“Hmph.”
“Very well. This other man--the other possible suspect--will be allowed to testify.” The judge suddenly turned to his left side, grabbing a walkie-talkie from his robe and putting it up to his ears.
“Hello? ...Uh huh. ...What’s this? ...Can do. Thanks.” He put the walkie-talkie back into his robe pocket and slammed his gavel.
“The court must call an emergency recess. It appears Alex McAire has gone missing. Police will search for him, but we cannot tell quite yet whether we can find him for today.”
“Well, the trial can’t continue without him,” said Lucian.
Benjamin’s eyes lit up. There was another chance to win the case! Al, Benjamin, and Lucian left the courtroom.
April 29, 2008 12:32 pm
Courtroom Lobby #2
Al and Benjamin took a seat on the couch in the lobby. The two were both feeling extremely nervous
“Can’t believe! More chance!”
“We do have more of a chance now. This is the guilty man, I’m sure.”
“Umm... Al Catraz?”
“Yes, Benji?”
“Proof for innocent. Can we prove?” Benjamin wiped his eyes with his shirt collar. He cried a small bit before Al started rubbing his right shoulder.
“I’m confident we can prove your innocence once Alex McAire takes the stand. Just stay behind me in case he tries anything.”
“O-Okay,” replied Benjamin. Lucian walked over to the two at that point, and the defence duo got up to talk to him.
“Hmph.”
“Mr. Mean Lawyer Man?” Benjamin wasn’t quite sure how to say prosecutor, but he knew that Lucian seemed to be mean towards him.
“If he tries anything, he’ll be out of here faster than a verdict can be reached. God, I’m sick and tired of being labelled as The Bad Guy...”
“Labelled?”
“He doesn’t like being called the bad guy, Benji.”
“Oh. But I innocent. He says not.”
“All I’m doing is my damn job!”
“Bad words! Not for kid like me.”
“I get punched in the face by one kid and end up having to prosecute the other.” Lucian bent down to Benjamin’s level, trying to stay strong on the outside. This case was destroying everything he knew about prosecuting and pushing him to his emotional limits.
“Umm...?”
“Look, kid. You’re not guilty, I can tell you that. Not after what McAire did yesterday. I’m supposed to doubt people. I can’t just let you walk free because you say you’re innocent.”
“T-Thank... you.” Benjamin smiled, trying to pull cookies out of his shorts pocket again and failing to do so. He whined, being hungry, and pulled on Al’s suit.
“Al Catraz, where cookies?” he asked, assuming Al had brought cookies for him.
Al rummaged around in his pockets, grabbing a bag of three gingerbread molasses cookies and handing them to Benjamin.
“Ah, found them. I knew Mercedes game me some.”
“Cookies! Thank you.” Benjamin opened the bag and took out a cookie, devouring one within ten seconds. Seeing as he was free, Lucian took the opportunity to give Al some advice.
“Catraz. That receipt is probably the biggest thing you have. That, and the knowledge we have about this thing.” He took the the gun and twirled it in his hand.
“Oh? Thanks, Mr. Umbra. You’re not such a bad guy.”
“Look, I’m not here to take my anger out on kids. I’m here because I have to doubt people.”
“I wish they would let us in soon.”
As Al finished saying that, Alex walked in, heavily guarded by two police. He asked to speak to the three alone, and the police officers left to the courtroom. Following that, Alex began to glare at Benjamin.
“They aren’t going to until... Huh.” Lucian stopped, noticing Alex’s sudden presence. Al stepped protectively in front of Benjamin, who grabbed the back of Al’s suit and clung to it.
“Al Catraz...” he whined.
“This kid is going down if it’s the last thing I do,” threatened Alex. Something in his eyes looked dangerous. “I just wish I’d done it sooner.”
“Heh. Have fun with that,” laughed Lucian in a much more serious manner. He slipped his sunglasses on.
“One way or another, I’ll see to it that you’re behind bars,” added Al.
“Hmph. Try all you want.” Alex said, narrowing his eyes.
“Like you’re gonna lay a finger on him tied up like a little animal.” Lucian narrowed his eyes, pointing to Alex, and Benjamin started to cry even harder. Something about Alex left a scar in him. After seeing him murder Mommy and Daddy, there was no way Benjamin could ever feel safe again, especially around this man.
“I’m scared...” he cried.
“Ha. You’re scared because you did it. Just admit it already,” stated Alex, raising his voice.
“(I try to reassure the kid and he just keeps crying...)” thought Lucian.
“Get scary toque man away! Get him away!” cried Benjamin. He turned away and kept crying.
“Ugh, just get him on the stand already. And get me in the court.”
“Let’s go inside. We’ve got a guilty to give.”
April 29, 2008 12:51 pm
Lamina Courtroom #2
The judge slammed his gavel on the podium to silence the ever-noisy gallery. Sakura had come in by now, sitting in the front row with Mercedes. Al figured the two had come to a conclusion about yesterday’s incident if they came in.
“Court is now resuming for the trial of Benjamin Cloviet. Are both sides ready to continue?”
“Whenever you are, Your Honour,” answered Al with a nod.
Lucian, who had taken off his sunglasses in the conversation, slipped them on again and nodded. “Don’t count the prosecution out, Mr. Catraz.” Benjamin kept crying but was slowly stopping, which concerned the judge.
“What’s this? It appears the co-counsel is crying, and for what reason?” he asked.
“Well, we had a little run-in with Mr. McAire during investigation.”
“The witness already wants his head on a platter,” added Lucian.
“A run-in?”
“Defence! You don’t talk about this yet!” scolded Lucian.
“Didn’t plan on elaborating,” responded Al. “Let’s get this started.”
“Way to play the trump card as the first in your hand...” muttered Lucian.
“Trump... card?” asked Benjamin.
“I’ll tell you later.”
“No matter! Make testify!”
Alex walked into the courtroom, once again heavily guarded by police officers. He was dropped off at the stand, his handcuffs removed before the officers left. Alex’s toque seemed covered in ketchup, probably from setting it on the table he was eating at. His hoodie also seemed to have the ketchup stains, something neither Al nor Benjamin nor Lucian noticed in the lobby or at Lumber Jack’s.
“Welcome, witness. Name and profession?” greeted the judge.
“The name’s Alex McAire. I’m a lumberjack for Lumber Jack’s Woodworking. Quite the high-end business to be working at.”
“Ah, Lumber Jack’s. What a great place to be,” smirked Lucian.
“It really is a great place,” said Al. Benjamin looked up at him, before noticing Sakura in the gallery and waving to her. Sakura waved back, giving him a cute smile and a gingerbread cookie, tossing it from above. Benjamin caught it and ate it quickly.
“Very well. Your testimony, please?”
Alex nodded. “Here we go.
“It was 9:41 at night. I was running late to the business dinner that night and went into the house, when my boss’s kid came in front of me and grabbed the axe I--the kid left by the front door.
When I came in, I saw the kid swinging at his parents with the axe! He chopped and killed my boss with an overhead swing, and horrified, his secretary died the same way, struck over the head.
“Then the gunshot went off. The kid got what he deserved! He fell over and screamed like no other pitiful scream I’d ever heard before. Nonetheless, he picked up the gun and shot my boss to make sure he was dead.
“Freaked out, I left at precisely 9:45. When I exited to my car, I saw the kid running away with the axe.”
“Very well. The defence may begin its cross-examination.”
“How did the gun go off?” Al jumped in immediately. He knew he had to press everything to make Alex crack under pressure.
“It was shot about two feet from the kid,” replied Alex.
“Who shot it?”
“Don’t know, mister.”
“How? You were in the same room as the murders.”
Lucian twirled the gun in his fingers.
“It came from a window,” insisted Alex.
“Huh. That’s strange.”
“You’d think the window had a bullet hole in it,” remarked Lucian.
“Now treat me like a human being, please, and not Google,” asked Alex.
Ignoring that statement, Al continued on. “We have a receipt in your name that details the purchase of the gun in question.”
“A receipt? Heh,” laughed Alex.
“Now defence, how do we know the guns are the same?” asked Lucian.
“Yeah, how? Prove it!”
“Not so fast there, witness. You should probably prove how the shot came from the window first. Do we have a record of recent fingerprints?”
“We do not,” answered the judge.
“Let’s issue a little investigation for Scruffy, then. While we’re doing that, the defence can continue.”
“Sure,” responded Al.
“My arm hurts...” cried Benjamin. His lip quivered as he poked at his arm again. He wiped his eyes with his arm.
“You were shot, kid. It makes sense,” said Lucian.
“Why shot?”
“It’ll make sense at the end. It always does,” he reassured.
“Ask that to your parents--Right. You can’t. Deal with it,” said Alex with a hurtful tone. The statement made Benjamin cry a little, making him feel hurt. If his parents were still around, he wouldn’t even be here. But of course, they had to be killed, and the one insulting him was the one who did it in the first place.
“That was uncalled for, witness,” reprimanded Al.
“When we’re here, I decide what is and what isn’t called for.” Alex was proving to be hard to work with.
“I’d like to ask the defence a question.” Benjamin looked up, still crying.
“You did indeed get the gun’s fingerprint, did you not?”
“But was said no print!” Benjamin yelled. He was starting to snap at people since he’d gone into automatic self-defence mode.
“Exactly, kid. Which is why YOU couldn’t have done it,” replied Lucian. He started laughing. “So much for the defence doing the cross-examination.”
“You’re sure he didn’t take them off?” asked Alex.
“We have a picture taken exactly one minute after the murders,” stated Al in response.
Alex laughed. “He’d have time to take off the gloves!”
“And leave his prints on the axe?” responded Lucian.
Alex laughed again. “What would the kid care?”
“Not to mention that no gloves showed up during investigation,” Lucian added.
“Wait... There weren’t any gloves?” Alex looked a little nervous.
“No,” stated Al, slamming his hands down on the defence’s bench. Lucian nodded in agreement. “And only one person left the house between the murders and the police arriving.”
“They obviously overlooked it!”
“I assure you Gumshoe checked the house very thoroughly. Right, Umbra?”
“Guy is trash. He isn’t at his job, though. He would’ve found something.”
“Actually?! You’re kidding!”
“So I think that the court should believe that the only place the gloves could have been is NOT with the defendant,” concluded Lucian. “And with a lack of prints on the pistol and the axe belonging to the kid, I’d say that this is pretty damn... perfect evidence.”
“You really think that’s true, huh?”
“If it isn’t, find a contradiction.”
“Actually I’ve got another one for you--” Al was cut off by Alex, who started yelling in the courtroom.
“The kid ain’t mentally sound! He got issues in the brain, hear me? How would he remember? He wouldn’t!”
“Well, how would you remember exactly where and in what order the victims were hit with the axe?” pressed Al.
“M-My boss and his secretary were killed! How could I not forget?”
“And no, we’ve got a psychology report right here. Nothing about a lack of memory on it. Not only that, but none of the other witnesses remembered.”
“And where’s your proof the kid doesn't have memory or anger issues?”
Benjamin gritted his teeth, starting to become angry in an irritated way. He’d told Sakura countless times not to talk about his autism, but to go so far as to give Al the psychology report made him feel extremely insecure. He banged his fist on the defence’s bench and made an annoyed grunt.
“Heh, he’s losing it,” pointed out Alex. “He knows...”
Al pulled out the psychology report. “Let’s see...”
“WHERE YOU--WHY?! SAKURAAAAAA!!” screamed Benjamin, banging his fist on the defence’s bench again.
“So there’s a psychology report on the kid. Who cares? Bigger secrets have been spoiled in court,” suggested Lucian.
“WHY DID SAKURA TELL?!”
“Kid, maybe it was for the greater good.”
“She knows not tell! SHE KNOWS!”
Lucian banged on the prosecution’s bench angrily to attract Benjamin’s attention, scaring him slightly. “Would you rather have your secret spoiled, or be lying dead on the ground?!”
Benjamin lowered his head, trying not to think of the image that had put in his head. “I don’t want die...”
“The darling must’ve known what she was doing.”
“Maybe... Sakura is good friend. But... Why she tell?”
“Maybe she had to tell to keep you safe.”
“Keep safe?”
“Like a little defence attorney had to, from what I’ve heard.”
“Umm... guess.”
“Sometimes, the wrong thing at the time is the right thing later. Sometimes, the right thing at the time is the wrong thing later,” reassured Al.
“Anyways, the witness says that the report could contain some kind of memory shortage or mood fluctuation, which is why it is important,” added Lucian. “But I ask the witness to look over the record. I don’t see anything like that, do you?” Lucian handed the report to Alex, who glanced over the paper quickly.
“Y-You’re... I saw this record with my own eyes! I saw everything it said! This is a fake!” he snapped.
“You saw the tampered one. This, I assure you, is the real one,” replied Al with what seemed to be a smirk falling onto his face. It seemed more and more that he was getting a Not Guilty verdict for Benjamin, but he had no idea what was coming next. “In fact, you may be the one who tampered it.”
“And how, pray tell, would you be able to lay your hands on the kid’s report?”
“What?! Where’s your proof?” asked Alex.
“What we have already proposed,” replied Lucian, also with a smirk.
“This is a ridiculous accusation!”
“I think not,” stated the judge.
“There is a very large possibility that you created a tampered report, and that it makes no sense for the witness to have access to the unrelated kid’s report,” explained Lucian.
“You had every reason to do it,” added Al. “The guilty man would do anything to frame the innocent.”
“Now you say I did it?”
“I don’t know. You’re the one who murdered two people and injured another.”
Benjamin started to glare at Alex, almost in tears once again. “You did! Did it! Wrecked paper to hurt!” He choked on tears as he spoke and banged his fists on the table, just about ready to break down again. Even Pedro wouldn’t be able to help mend the hole the murders created.
“You don’t have proof I did it, do you? Who says I did it?”
“Well, Mr. Umbra, what is your check?” asked Al.
“I believe that once the report is brought back to whatever doctor diagnosed the kid, we’ll have our answer.”
“Diagnose?”
“A diagnosis is when a doctor tells you your condition, Benji.”
“If the doctor fully approves that he sent out the said tampered report, the kid is given a guilty verdict without hesitation. If he doesn’t, Alex McAire will be brought to a higher trial, where he will be seen guilty by yours truly. I’d happily take the case,” stated Lucian.
“You’re against me, too? You’re prosecuting the kid, for god’s sake! I’m the innocent one!” pleaded Alex.
“Does this sound reasonable to the defence, and to His Honour?”
“I believe this sounds acceptable,” agreed the judge.
“That sounds very reasonable, prosecution,” decided Al. “I also think it might be a good idea it we got Benjamin home before the trial continues.”
“Defence, the kid can’t go anywhere. Someone’s getting ahead of themselves.”
“I’m scared...” muttered Benjamin.
“Well, he doesn’t seem to be taking this too well. Mr. McAire’s insults seem to be hurting a lot.”
“What do you call insults?” asked Alex in a knowing tone.
“That doesn’t matter,” refuted Lucian. “I could throw insults at a defendant, but they wouldn’t be allowed to leave.”
“I’m scared, Al Catraz...” Benjamin wiped his eyes and pulled out the bag of cookies Al had given him earlier, eating the last cookie. Lucian walked over to Benjamin and looked him in the eyes.
“Benjamin... you’re innocent, aren’t you?”
Benjamin nodded his head. “Yes.”
“You have nothing to worry about, then.” Lucian slipped on his sunglasses again.
“But scared...” Benjamin pointed at Alex.
“He can’t hurt you from here. We’ll make sure of that,” comforted Al.
“Hmph. Be strong for just a while longer.” Lucian walked back to the prosecution’s bench.
“Now you think I’m gonna hurt him?”
“You should know, Mr. McAire.”
“Know what?”
“I’ll give you a front row seat at my trial. You can watch me find him guilty,” promised Lucian to Benjamin.
“...Thank you.” Benjamin couldn’t help but think there was a way to prove Alex guilty today, here in court. There was no way he wasn’t making it happen, no matter how challenging. He knew there was a contradiction he needed to show, but to show that contradiction, Benjamin needed to find the words to say there was. He had trouble with speaking long sentences, however.
“Very well. The court holds a--”
“W-WAIT!!”
Benjamin started looking through Al’s suitcase, trying to find the piece of evidence he needed to show a contradiction in Alex’s testimony and sayings.
“Pfft. What does the kid know? He’s messed up. Nothing will help him here. Isn’t that right, you brain-damaged psycho?”
Benjamin stopped. Never in his life had he been called by such a terrible name. Sure, he may have been different from everyone else, but he was never considered mentally unsound or brain-damaged. He was just a kid with special needs. It wasn’t like that. Benjamin turned to Alex, a feeling of sorrow and defeat falling into him.
“I... I-I-No-You-Waaaaaaaaaaaaaah!” Benjamin started bawling, nearly inconsolable.
“Mr. McAire. If you don’t have anything nice to say, I highly recommend you don’t say it,” scolded Al harshly.
“What does the court care? Law is relentless,” replied Alex without a single sign of guilt. If anything, throwing these insults were giving him a better chance of getting off scot-free due to stalling the court, which would then give him time to hopefully destroy or tamper with the evidence between today and the next trial.
“The court is the quarters of the law,” remarked Lucian.
“He has feelings? What a startling revelation!”
Lucian scoffed.
“Get away! Get away! Please, Al Catraz...” begged Benjamin.
“What is it, Benji?” replied Al.
“Get him away...” Benjamin continued to cry heavily, almost unable to regain his breath.
“I ain’t leavin’ till we get a verdict. Deal with it.”
“That’s what we’re trying to do. Here, Benji, let me find you something.” Al started to rummage in his pockets, finding another bad filled with multiple smaller gingerbread cookies.
“Would you like these?”
“This is insane...” muttered Alex in earshot. Benjamin looked up at the bag of cookies, turning away and continuing to cry.
“Not hungry. Need verdict. Innocent. I am innocent,” he replied.
“Yes. You are.”
“I am smart, I am nice, I am perfectly fine. Normal. Normal.” Benjamin decided to keep searching through Al’s suitcase, finding the formal letter from yesterday and handed it to Al.
“Here.”
“What is it?”
“Found this yesterday.”
“It’s a formal letter. Now if we just open this...”
“A letter?” asked Alex. He started to look nervous as the letter was mentioned.
“Someone was fired, you say?” asked Lucian.
“I wasn’t fired!”
“This letter says otherwise,” alledged Al. “Signed William Cloviet.”
“What a good contradiction,” remarked Lucian. “Although I don’t see why this wasn’t brought up earlier.”
“Thank you, Benji. You may have saved this case,” Al whispered.
“Couldn’t say words.”
A lawyer speaks with evidence, kid. Not with words.”
“But to show... Words. Can’t say words right ever.”
“Now, Mr. McAire, you have a motive, you were in the place, and you have no alibi,” stated Al.
“No alibi? Who needs an alibi?” asked Alex, as if he knew but in a snotty tone.
“You.”
“Oh, so I was fired, and you think I killed them because I was upset?” Alex laughed.
“A suspect needs an alibi, McAire. And now you are a suspect. All we need is that report to prove it,” explained Lucian.
Alex screamed. “I am no suspect! I am a high-class woodworker!”
The judge slammed his gavel on the podium. “The court will hold a recess to assess the tampered report.”
Lucian laughed. Benjamin looked at Alex but turned away, clinging to Al and crying again.
“You won’t find anything, I swear.” swore Alex.
“That’s not for you to decide...”
April 29, 2008 2:43 pm
Courtroom Lobby #2
“Al...”
“Yes, Benji?”
“Can call doctor? Ask about paper. Will know about it.”
“Sure. Do you know his phone number?”
“Look on other paper.” Benjamin pointed to the doctor’s name and phone number on the photocopied psychology report Mercedes gave them. That report--and the tampered one Al only decided to take by chance--were what had made the case. Pulling out his cellphone again, Al called the doctor listed on the report and put the phone on speaker.
“Hello? I’m quite busy at the moment. Call me back later.”
“No!” screamed Benjamin.
“Hmm?”
“Well, we need to ask you about something,” said Al.
“This better be urgent...”
“Well, it has to do with a boy named Benjamin Cloviet.”
“Oh, him. I treated that boy close to five years ago! What is it you need?”
“You see, we ended up with a tampered psychology report in the Court Record.”
“A psychology report? ...Oh, that. Tampered, you say?”
“Yes. We found this out after obtaining the original.”
“This?”
“The report being tampered.”
“I see no relevance in this to me. However, I’ll answer any questions you ask...”
“Well, we were wondering who could have issued the tampered report, or who has seen the original.”
“Are you suggesting it was me?”
“I’m not suggesting anything. But do you recognize the name Alex McAire?”
“Hmm... no, I don’t.”
“Hmm. Did you give Benjamin’s psychology report to anyone when you issued it?”
“Kind sir, if I had tampered that report, I could be in jail.”
“Currently, I’m asking what you did with the original.”
“Thank you.” Lucian had come up behind Al and Benjamin, wanting to hear what the doctor had to say. He’d actually been there since the call started, but felt it was necessary to stay quiet.
“But thank you for your help anyways.”
“I issued one document to the boy’s parents, and one to a family the boy was close with. I believe their name was Anaman or something along those lines...”
“Most likely in the care of Mercedes Anaman,” Lucian told himself.
“Thank you.” Al hung up and locked his phone, putting it in the same suit pocket as his Magatama. “Well, McAire could have stolen it.”
“Stolen? Why?” asked Benjamin.
To have more evidence pointing towards you,” answered Lucian.
“My theory is that he stole it and tampered with it to make you look guiltier,” added Al.
“...I can see. Takes report and destroys. Makes look like nothing point to me and autism. Makes look like I hurt in head like scary toque man say,” concluded Benjamin.
“Yes. He’s trying to make it seem like you were the one who did it. But it isn’t going to work.”
Benjamin sniffled as Alex walked back in from the courtroom.
“Hmph. You found nothing. I did nothing. Say it now, Mr. Link,” threatened Alex.
“(Mr. Link?)” Al thought to himself. He didn’t look like Link at all, other than his black hair which was swept to the side.
“He not Link! He Al Catraz! He good man!”
“Yeah, unlike you,” Alex said to Benjamin.
“Classic begging witness, always thinking they’re innocent,” sighed Lucian.
“But I am!”
“As of the minute, Mr. McAire, I don’t have anything to say to the likes of you.” Al tensed his hands into fists. “Exactly what the guilty man would say... that they’re not guilty.”
“I’m not any worse than the kid, am I? The kid is terrible.”
“Mudslinging isn’t going to help your case, Mr. McAire. This isn’t politics.”
“(Guy’s persistent, I’ll give him that.)” thought Lucian.
“So what if it ain’t politics?”
“It means mudslinging and insults will make you look worse, not better.”
“Umm... when did this turn into politics?” Even Lucian wasn’t sure how Al’s analogy fit into the situation.
“Heh. Believe it all you want.” Alex made two gun shapes with his hands and pointed them at our heroes, one at Al and one at Lucian. “You two are dead if you accuse me of more. I don’t kid around, you hear me?”
Benjamin whimpered, his lip quivering and tears falling from his eyes. This reminded him all too well of what happened at Lumber Jack’s yesterday.
“That’s all you got?” Lucian unsheathed his gun and loaded it, pointing at Alex. Alex didn’t seem too frightened at all, as if guns were of second nature to him. He simply laughed.
“(We know, Alex. You were the one who did it.)” Al thought to himself and struggled to stand up for himself, almost leaving it up to Lucian.
“Mr. Yellow Hair, don’t shoot! Please don’t shoot!” begged Benjamin.
“Yet he doesn’t tell me not to shoot? That’s proving something there. He wants me to shoot so I can be pinned with another crime!”
“You don’t have anything to shoot with, McAire,” stated Lucian defiantly.
“That’s what you think.” Alex glared at Benjamin again as he walked into the courtroom.
“Al Catraz... Mr. Yellow Hair... Very scared. I’m really, really scared...” cried Benjamin, burying himself into Al.
“Mr. Yellow Hair?” Lucian started to smirk.
“Well, for one, it’s better than Mr. Mean Lawyer Man. And for two, Benjamin, it’s going to be alright. The doctor has helped us.”
Lucian sheathed his gun, unloading it so that he didn’t cause an accident in another courtroom.
“I don’t think he thinks you’re mean anymore,” whispered Al to Lucian.
April 29, 2008 3:01 pm
Lamina Courtroom #2
“Your Honour, I feel since the sides agreed to the prosecution’s proposal a verdict should be handed down. No objections?”
“I have an objection! Where’s the proof I did it?”
“Have patience,” warned Al.
“There’s no proof I did it... unless you say otherwise.”
Lucian banged his hands on the prosecution’s bench, misinterpreting Al’s message. “What’s with you? I create a proposal, you agree, and just brush it off like nothing happened?!”
“No, I agree to it. I was telling Mr. McAire to have patience.”
“Make verdict! Make verdict!”
“Defendant, we have an objection from the witness. We can’t say anything yet.”
“No! Will not... umm... Not let happen! Make verdict!”
“He can’t yet, you idiot!” yelled Alex.
“But I’m hungry!”
“Who cares? You’re in court.”
“But I’m hungry!”
“Benji, would you like some cookies?”
“Please!” Benjamin ripped the bag from Al’s hands and devoured the cookies within fifteen seconds, since they were smaller.
“This kid... This idiot makes a huge fuss about the least important things!”
“But I was hungry!”
“DO YOU THINK THE LAW CARES?!”
“Uh, uh, uh...” Benjamin wasn’t sure how to react.
“Hmph. You, shut up about the law,” demanded Lucian.
“Ha. You? Telling me? To shut up about the law? Very funny,” replied Alex.
“I’d appreciate it if you would refrain from acting as though you were above it,” stated Al.
“I do what I want in this courtroom.”
“No don’t! No don’t!” Benjamin knew deep inside there was something he needed Alex to testify about. He had a feeling it would help the case, but he wasn’t sure how to say it. The words were feigning him, as with every other time he tried to speak.
“I’m pretty sure you can’t do what you want.”
“Who says so?”
“The judge himself. Get your mindset straight, Mr. McAire,” the judge commanded.
Benjamin had now figured out how to say what he wanted to say. “Umm, umm... Al Catraz.”
“Yes, Benji?”
“Mommy and Daddy.” Benjamin pointed to Alex. “Make talk about Mommy and Daddy.”
“They’re dead. It’s done. Even your messed-up imagination can’t do anything about it,” Alex tried to convince Benjamin. “Isn’t that right?”
Benjamin started to cry and clung to Al. “Al Catraz...”
“Look, Mr. McAire. I know you’re used to pushing people around to get what you want. In this case, you want the innocent you don’t deserve. But as of right now, the court has control, and you need to stop with this attitude.” Al was reminding himself of Mercedes this morning, which in turn reminded Benjamin of his own mom. That made him cry even harder.
Alex laughed. “Like I can understand you any better than the kid.” He took some time to let out a few snickers, before continuing on. “Quite a sad scene I see here, the two of you fighting so hard in vain for a manipulative brain-damaged seven-year old...”
As if he couldn’t already, Benjamin cried even harder. “Al Catraz, make stop! Make him stop! Please... It hurts...”
“The kid can feel hurt?”
Lucian wasn’t feeling too comfortable watching Alex insult Benjamin so badly. He simply walked out of the courtroom, presumably to calm down.
“God, Mr. McAire. Don’t you know when to stop? You can’t kill someone because you got fired, and you can’t keep insulting someone.”
“Where’s your proof I killed them? Doesn’t a lawyer speak with evidence, not words?”
Benjamin, breathing heavily, shouted at the top of his lungs. “MAKE. TESTIFY. ABOUT. MOMMY AND DADDY!!” He flung himself into Al and kept crying, who wrapped his arms around Benjamin. He couldn’t help but feel terrible for him.
“We’ve got all the evidence. We’re just holding our cards so you can’t see them,” replied Al. After saying it, he realized how much it sounded like something Lucian would say.
“Isn’t that something the dumb blonde would say?” From above in the gallery, Sakura hurled a small rock about the size of an orange at Alex’s head. It hit his arm and dropped in front of him onto the stand.
“What the hell... Huh. This rock actually isn’t too shabby. I think I’ll keep it.”
Al took the opportunity to shuffle away Benjamin from Alex. He was scared he would get hurt.
“Where going?”
“Away from Alex.”
“But where?” As Benjamin said that, Alex had just noticed the two were leaving.
“DON’T THINK YOU CAN RUN OFF AND GET AWAY WITH IT!” he shouted. Al and Benjamin ducked into a lawyers-only room, what seemed to be a past earthquake defence cellar.
“Where are? Where?”
“This is a lawyers only room. He can’t come in.”
“But... won’t listen, maybe.”
“Probably not.” Al locked the door to the room tightly. From inside the room, you could still clearly hear everyone inside the courtroom.
“Stupid freaking lawyers and their GODDAMN TRICKS!” exclaimed Alex with fury.
“Man, I hate this job sometimes...”
“Why hate, Al Catraz? Hate no good.”
“Well, I strongly dislike some of the people I have to work with.” Benjamin nodded at Al’s explanation. “Now, Benji. We’re not leaving until you feel like you’re ready or we have to go back to the defence’s bench.”
“(Tricks, you say? I can play tricky if you’d like...)” Lucian overheard Alex’s yelling and decided to go back into the courtroom, finding it odd that Al and Benjamin weren’t present. He looked in the gallery and noticed neither Sakura nor Mercedes were there. He figured Sakura had gotten in trouble for throwing a rock at Alex.
“Hey! Dumb blonde! What’cha got to say about this whole thing? The psycho and Mr. Timid ran off!”
“So they ran off. Who cares?” responded Lucian calmly. Getting angry at Alex wasn’t going to get him anywhere.
“They ran off somewhere! Go find ‘em!”
“Why, for you to yell at them again? That’s not a very nice thing to do, witness.”
Meanwhile, Benjamin heard what was going on and was frightened. “I-I’m s-s-scared. I’m really scared.” he whined.
“It’s alright, Benji. I’ve locked the door. If he tries to break in, he’ll be arrested,” reassured Al.
Back in the courtroom, Alex and Lucian continued to stand off.
“What would you know? You’re only a dumb blonde dressed for his own funeral!”
Lucian took a deep breath. “I can dye my hair, if you’d like. I’d love to see it a light green, maybe indigo.” He laughed off the insult.
“And you think you’re getting anywhere with that? GO FIND THE PSYCHO!”
“...I won’t. What are you going to do about it?”
Alex made a gun shape with his hand again, pointing it right at Lucian’s heart.
“If you want to see the kid, you can go find him yourself.”
“Me doing this might seem funny, but I don’t kid around. When I say something, I mean something.”
“Go ahead, then. Shoot. It’s not like you have anything you can shoot with, anyway.”
Benjamin got worried by this statement, and flustered, he got up and panicked. “NO! NO! LET OUT!” Benjamin tried to bust through the door, but to no avail.
“If you’re sure...” Al reluctantly unlocked the door, with Benjamin flying through the doorway and to Lucian, standing in front of him on the tips of his feet.
“SCARY TOQUE MAN! DON’T SHOOT MR. YELLOW HAIR!!”
“Coming from the psychotic killer...”
“The only psychotic killer here is you,” stated Al boldly.
The judge slammed his gavel multiple times as they spoke, driving them all to go back to their benches and stand.
“ORDER IN THE COURT! The defence has asked you to testify about the victims! You will do as such!”
Alex shrugged. “Fine, I’ll testify again. Doesn’t mean you’ll get anywhere.”
“(He’s testifying about Mommy and Daddy. I know I can find something wrong in this.)”
“Fine, I’ll tell you about the Cloviets.
“Mr. Cloviet was my boss; the owner of the company. He was a really nice man, but he was stubborn about how things were done and one mistake could get you fired.
“Mrs. Cloviet, on the other hand, was just a secretary. She only really gave important messages to my coworkers and I and talked about the kid. She obsessed over him, if you ask me.
“The kid is brain-damaged, though. I’ve seen him before at the offices and all he does is follow his parents like a lost puppy and ask for food! He’s a pig and a psycho.
“The business dinner had been planned out for a while, actually. It was to celebrate the one-year anniversary of Lumber Jack’s existence. Everyone with the company was invited, but a few people got fired and weren’t allowed to come.
“If you’re thinking there’s any sort of motive I have to kill them, you’re wrong. The kid has the motive. He wanted to kill his parents because of the mean things they always said behind his back! He wanted revenge and murder was the only way to get it!”
“The defence may cross-examine this witness,” announced the judge as he grinded his teeth.
“Objection, Your Honour,” Lucian said almost immediately.
“The prosecution objecting?”
“I’m scared...” whined Benjamin.
“The witness shall not use their testimony to attack the defendant’s character.” Lucian folded his arms, giving a sideways glance to Alex. “That is all.”
“I gave you the facts! It might seem like I’m attacking, but I’m not!”
“Well, testimonies are supposed to be neutral and unbiased,” remarked Al.
“I speak only the truth!”
“He says as he calls the defendant a pig and a psycho.”
“That’s what I heard the kid’s parents say, and that’s what I find to be true!”
Benjamin suddenly stopped crying, staring Al in the eyes. “Did Mommy and Daddy really say bad things that? Did they say things not me to hear?” he whispered to Al.
“He’s saying that to make you feel worse. It’s not true at all.”
“You can’t deny the facts, can you, kid?”
“The answer to that lies in the cross-examination.”
“Very well. It’s up to you, Mr. Catraz.”
“Go for it, Mr. Umbra.”
Benjamin wasn’t quite sure why Al had said for Lucian to do cross-examination.
“Al Catraz?”
“Yes?”
“Why make Mr. Yellow Hair cross-thingy?”
“I can’t see anything through the bias.”
“Go for it? Aren’t you the one supposed to be cross-examining the witness?”
“Hey, you know who the guilty man is. I’m not opposed to your help.”
Benjamin suddenly saw a contradiction--one he should have known a long time ago if he hadn’t been crying or thinking about food--and he knew it would help, even if it had already been stated. “Nuhh... Unngh... Take! Take that!” He started rifling through Al’s suitcase for the evidence piece he needed.
“What is it, Benji?”
“And the idiot’s gonna prove something in his messed-up little mind. Isn’t gonna prove anything in real life, though,” affronted Alex.
Benjamin found the formal letter found from yesterday and stood on the box the court had given him so he could see above the bench, waving it frantically.
“Motive. Letter is motive. Wanted kill Mommy and Daddy because of letter and fire.” He put the letter back into Al’s suitcase and looked for the firearms receipt, finding it and also waving it wildly atop the box. “Proof you bought gun shoot Mommy and Daddy.” Benjamin gazed at Alex, seeing if he could find any contradictions on Alex himself, noticing he wore gloves that seemed to have ketchup stains as well. However, Benjamin knew exactly what this was. “Look at hands. Gloves with blood!”
“Like the gloves have anything to do with this? What does a brain-damaged psychotic pig like you know?” Alex asked, pointing to Benjamin.
“Well, gloves don’t leave fingerprints,” answered Al.
“Exactly. That’s why I...” Alex stopped himself.
Benjamin felt himself having another tug-of-war for his self-esteem again. He felt so terrible being called all these names, but couldn’t help but think they were fact. “I am fine. Normal. Normal. I’m fine...” Was he really just an idiotic, psychotic food hog? Benjamin didn’t want to think this, but he felt it was true thanks to the never-ending insults from Alex.
“You are perfect just the way you are,” consoled Al. “People like you for who you are.”
“But... what if not perfect? What if just... what scary toque man say? What if Mommy and Daddy felt same way?”
“Benjamin, they loved you so much. I’m sure they’re here right now. They loved every little thing about you, no matter what this witness or ANYONE says.”
Benjamin buried himself into Al again, crying awfully hard. Al hoped he’d made Benjamin feel at least a little bit better, but he wasn’t quite sure. After about two minutes of solid crying, Benjamin stopped slowly and started to breathe heavily.
“I have an idea,” he whispered. “I know what to do.” He communicated the idea to Al the best he could, who responded with a nod and looked forward upon the courtroom.
“I look in eyes, and I can read minds... I can see the secrets, locked away...” Benjamin whispered.
“If you can try, go for it,” responded Al with a grin on his face.
“Scary toque man, staring contest.”
“What the hell does this have to do with anything?”
“Staring contest!”
“Only if you can prove it has or will have any relevance to the court,” Alex joked.
“It will, but only if you participate,” insisted Al.
“Fine. I’ll do it. Not like he’ll get anywhere though.”
Benjamin and Alex leaned on their respective benches, staring each other deeply into their minds. Benjamin fought to keep his eyes open as he searched through Alex’s memories, probing through every one he could find until he found the right ones. Reading and watching all the information from there, tears started to well up in Benjamin’s eyes. He struggled to keep his eyes fully open, for blinking would make him lose everything--even the case. When he got all the information he needed, he then decided to blink, giving Alex an opening for an insult.
“Ha! He even LOST! What an idiot,” shouted Alex.
Benjamin shook his head. “I... Non. Pas du tout. En fait, tu perds!”
“What the hell is this kid saying?”
“Alex, he means this: No. Not at all. In fact, you lose!” translated Al.
“And how do I lose, huh? Tell me.”
“Saw everything. Saw what you know, saw memories. I saw letter, Daddy, and anger. I saw not understanding, business dinner flyer, idea. I saw theft, axe, car. Driving to my home, leaving axe there. I saw dinner, me missing Pedro, going out front door. Then I went in... and YOU! You went in, angry, swung at Daddy. Yeah, you! Outta my way! I’ve things to... reclaim here! Daddy falls. Mommy screams. You hit her head. I see me, gun, back to wall... I see orange girl walk by, wanting burgers. Scared, you shoot. You hurt me. Shoot Daddy again as he says my name. Trench man comes in. You grab axe stick and hit him. Trench man falls. You drop axe and run off...”
“(His power... It’s incredible...)” thought Al in awe.
“...And that’s where ends.”
“The kid said lies! All lies!” pleaded Alex, his eyes wide. He looked like he’d been sweating a lot.
“It’s more believable than someone shooting a gun that you bought through the window,” responded Al.
“I do not believe he’s fibbing, Mr. McAire. Your eyes widened and you broke into a heavy sweat,” the judge replied.
“I... I...” Alex calmed down, having been about to yell. “Yes... That’s why...” He started to smirk uncontrollably, shoving his hands into his hoodie pockets. Then he pulled out his hands...
In his hands were two pistols. He fired.
One bullet hit Lucian in the torso area. The other hit Benjamin’s right shoulder.
“AIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!” screeched Benjamin at the top of his lungs. He clutched his arm and slumped to the floor, crying heavily.
“BENJAMIN!!” Al slammed his fists onto the defence’s bench, horrified.
“HELP...”
“That’s enough to arrest you,” yelled Al at Alex.
“PLEASE...”
All pulled his cellphone out of his suit pocket and frantically called 911, leaving the phone on the defence’s bench to catch any of the conversation following. “Lamina Courtroom number two... a child and the prosecutor were shot,” he whispered.
“I locked the door when you came back in. No one’s gettin’ out alive today,” said Alex, still smirking.
“Well... too bad.”
“YOU... YOU SAID WOULD PROTECT...” Benjamin was breathing heavily, fighting for consciousness. He was starting to feel light-headed, and his fall on the ground caused his other shot wound to start bleeding heavily again, leaking past the tensor.
“I’m going to get everyone out of here whether you like it or not, McAire,” stated Al bravely. His voice was getting shaky. He wasn’t sure whether he could actually save Benjamin’s life. Lucian, on the other hand, simply stood frozen at his bench. The bullet hadn’t seemed to affect him at all. Al wasn’t sure whether to think he was dead or not. However, Lucian seemed to be breathing, which was a good sign.
“Not on my watch,” threatened Alex. He took the gun he’d shot Benjamin with and aimed at Al, shooting him close to the right shoulder.
“AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!” Al leaned on the defence’s bench, blood spilling out onto the benchtop. Lucian sighed. He was quite frightened on the inside. He’d just seen the defence and its co-counsel get shot, ready to die. He was panicking and not sure what to do, but on the outside, he seemed unchanged by the gunshots. It was part of Lucian’s nature, after all. At that moment, Alex shot at Lucian again, this time going into his right arm and stopping. Lucian sighed again, terrified, pulled out his own pistol from his belt, and shot Alex in the chest.
“...” Alex fell to the ground without a word.
“Maybe that was a good idea...” muttered Lucian.
“YOU SAID... YOU SAID YOU WOULD PROTECT ME... AL CATRAZ...”
“Benjamin Cloviet, I fully intend to keep up that promise.” Thinking quickly, Al took the axe from the evidence and started chopping away at the door, cutting through the wood.
“YOU... you didn’t... You said you would protect me... Al?” Benjamin’s eyes fluttered, his eyes seeming to gaze off into space. His breathing slowed down rapidly, losing blood at a breakneck pace. “Someone... please help...”
Al turned to the judge. “Judge... you’re fine. Do something...”
Benjamin’s eyes were now completely closed, his mouth resuming a neutral position. Tears stopped coming from his eyes. It looked like Benjamin had finally reached peace. Al rushed to pick up Benjamin’s lifeless body, Lucian running over to support him.
“Hold on tight, Benji...” whispered Al.
April 29, 2008 4:24 pm
Courtroom Lobby #2
Al and Lucian watched closely as Benjamin was placed onto a stretcher. New tensor bandages and temporary stitches were applied onto his arms, a breathing aid equipped to Benjamin’s mouth. The two both worried for his safety, Al feeling like he really had failed to protect Benjamin from the likes of Alex. He hadn’t expected him to open fire like that. Benjamin started breathing again, his eyes still closed. He tried to speak, but to no avail, so he moved the breathing device from his mouth and spoke.
“Mommy... Daddy... Al...? Someone...?” He opened his eyes and rubbed them, glad to see Al and Lucian standing over him. Having that be the first thing he saw made him a bit happier.
“Mr. Yellow Hair! Al Catraz!”
“...Thank god.” Lucian was to the right of Benjamin, leaning on the stretcher.
“He’s awake,” said Al. He turned his attention to Benjamin. “Thank god. I was so worried about you!”
“Looks like the kid isn’t dead, Catraz.”
Benjamin tried to get up to hug the two, but noticed the burning pain in his arms, collapsing back down.
“Don’t move,” suggested Lucian. Benjamin made himself comfortable, trying to adjust the blanket laying over him, but seeing as he needed help, Al did that for him. He also took the pillow Benjamin’s head rested on and punched it a few times, making it fluffier and therefore more comfortable.
“I didn’t think that was going to happen. The police didn’t check him?”
“We’ve fired the two just now,” stated the police chief. “Immediate without pay.”
“Mr. Yellow Hair, your arm...” Benjamin tried to point to Lucian’s arm.
“Hmph. Someone shot more than once takes priority.”
“But you shot twice!”
“No, Benji, the other way. You were shot twice.”
“But Yellow Hair was too!”
Al reached for his cellphone from his suit pocket, dialing Mercedes’s phone number. The phone rang a few times before she picked up.
“Hello? Hey Mercedes... yeah, it’s Al... I suppose you heard what happened? Okay... Get over here as soon as possible. Bring Sakura. Bye.” Al locked his phone and put it into his suit pocket again. He waited for Lucian and Benjamin to finish their conversation before jumping in.
“Only one hit my arm,” said Lucian.
“But... the other?”
“If only they made bulletproof sleeves.” Lucian smiled. “I’ll be fine.”
“But...” Benjamin smiled as well. Lucian seemed to be okay, and Benjamin seemed to understand that.
“Are you saying you had the foresight to bring a bulletproof vest?” asked Al.
“No, of course not. Grace did,” replied Lucian. He seemed to have a lighter look on his face when he mentioned her.
“Right, Miss Yellow Hair! Tell her say hi!”
“Of course, kid.”
Benjamin suddenly flinched, moaning a little bit in pain. “It hurts.” This reminded Al that he needed to tell Benjamin his friends were coming.
“Right. Benji, Mercedes and Sakura are on their way,” he said.
“Thank you. You and you.” Benjamin tried to point at both Al and Lucian, but his arms kept burning up, stinging, and aching when he tried to move them, so he stopped. He figured the two would have an idea of what he meant, anyway.
“I’m just happy you’re okay,” smiled Al.
“What about you?” Benjamin’s eyes suddenly widened, going into a frenzied panic. The shooting had made him forget about Pedro. “Where Pedro?!”
“I think he’s still in the evidence,” responded Al.
“Can’t get?!” Benjamin started worrying and starting making irritated whines.
“I’ll go run and find him before it’s all filed away,” Al promised. He ran out, stumbling a little from the injury by his shoulder. The blood loss had messed with his head a little, and running around after losing so much blood wasn’t exactly the smartest thing to do.
“...” Benjamin looked up at Lucian. “You not mean. You are good man, like Al Catraz.”
Sakura and Mercedes ran into the room at that moment. Sakura was crying heavily and running with her face in her hands, and Mercedes wasn’t crying but seemed traumatized. The case must have been televised.
“BENJI!! ARE YOU OKAY?!” she shouted. She kept crying, throwing herself into Benjamin, who flinched because of his arms.
“Yes, Sakura... Al Catraz and Mr. Yellow Hair saved life.”
“I’m just so glad you’re okay oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh!”
“I’m just so glad to see you’re alright, Benji.” Mercedes started to think about the family who left him behind. Where would he go after his recovery? The Cloviets’ home was being put up for sale, after all. Mercedes was glad Al had found Pedro beforehand, for the belongings in the house were being thrown away. She started to think about things she could possibly do for Benjamin, before her mind quickly sidetracked to the space in Sakura’s bedroom for an extra bed. She smiled at the thought of it, but she wondered if she was making the right choice. How would Mr. Anaman feel? He was normally on business trips and barely came home. It was almost like he wasn’t there. However, Mercedes was sure he’d approve of the choice she was going to make.
“Mrs. Mercedes?” asked Benjamin.
“(I’m doing it. This is what his parents would have wanted.) Benji, where will you go when you’re done recovering?”
“Umm... I not know.” Tears welled up in Benjamin’s eyes again.
“Well, where would you want to go?”
“Home. I want to see Mommy and Daddy, but...” Benjamin started to cry a little. “I can’t.”
“Where would you call home?” Mercedes wasn’t getting anywhere, a fact confirmed by Benjamin getting distracted by Lucian’s reappearance in the lobby.
“Mr. Yellow Hair, you are good man. Saved life again,” he thanked.
“...I prosecute not to find the innocent guilty.”
“But then how that work? Sakura told different. Don’t other lawyer men make point prove guilty?”
“The darling doesn’t quite understand what prosecuting is about,” Lucian explained. He looked over at Sakura, waiting for a response.
“So I didn’t know! I know now!”
“Yeah. But that’s because you always have to doubt to believe.”
“Doubt to believe?” asked Benjamin.
“Once you realize there’s absolutely no way they did it, then you can believe your hardest.”
Benjamin smiled again through the tears caused by his arms and missing home. “Thank you.” He started to think hard, as if he had something to say but forgot it. “Scary toque man... what happened him? Alive still or dead?”
“I don’t quite know. I know I did aim for the heart, though.”
“You tried to kill a guy?!” exclaimed Sakura in disbelief. “Next thing you know we’ll be defending YOU!”
“I tried to kill someone who wanted all of us DEAD, darling. It was him or us,” reasoned Lucian.
“That guy wanted you guys dead? What caused them to think that?” asked Sakura. She couldn’t believe someone wanted Al and Benjamin dead, but the case was televised, so she heard all the insults aimed at Benjamin. She was kind of glad Alex got shot.
“The ones on Death’s Row panic. I’ve seen it happen before. Just not two shots aimed at me.”
“Death’s Row panic?” Benjamin hadn’t heard the term before.
“Being on Death’s Row means you’re about to die. You know what the sentence for murder is in Edict, don’t you?”
Benjamin shook his head as if to say no. “Not from Edict,” he replied.
“...You’ll be killed.” Benjamin’s eyes widened. If Al had lost the case, would Benjamin really have been killed himself? Part of him wanted to see Mommy and Daddy again, but part of him was scared to die. “The law is all kinds of crazy.”
“Why did he want shoot me? Why did he want kill me? Why me?”
“He’d rather have you dead than himself.”
“But this Lamina, not Edict. Is it same punish?”
“Most likely.”
Benjamin hung his head low, if he could even call it that. He was still lying down on the bed in pain from the gunshots. Falling on his left arm in the courtroom made it feel as if it’d been shot again. “But if killed me... he be caught better.”
“He wanted to make sure the one he framed was killed, even if he ended up having to die with you.” A smile broke onto Lucian’s face. “Wouldn’t be able to torment you from Hell, anyways.” Benjamin’s eyes welled up with tears again, giving Lucian a half-smile back. Thoughts about home still plagued him, however.
“But now have no home. Where do I go?” asked Benjamin. The smile on his face disappeared.
“Right, they’re putting your house on the market,” remarked Sakura.
“I’m pretty sure you’ll be able to find something. Something that might include these darlings.” Lucian said knowingly, as if he knew what Mercedes’s plans were. “But I’ll leave them to decide.”
“But how long soon? What if end up no home for while? What if no one there me?” Benjamin sat up, enduring greats amounts of pain as he lifted himself up. “I’m scared...” Tears fell from his eyes slowly, leaving an obvious trail on his face. He’d been crying so much the tear path was irritating his skin.
“There’s no need to feel fear, Benji. If things go the way I want them to, you’ll be an Anaman by your birthday,” calmed Mercedes. She smiled empathetically. Benjamin seemed to have an idea of what she meant.
“But if last name still want be Cloviet?”
“Your last name won’t change. I’ll just be... well, our home would become yours.”
“A-Adoption?”
“Yes, adoption. That’s how I’d like it to be.”
Benjamin couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Thank you!!” He tried to hug Mercedes but only ended up hurting himself, so she helped make him comfortable again before hugging him. Al walked back in holding Pedro, handing him to Benjamin.
“Hi, Al Catraz!”
“Hi Benji! Here, I brought you Pedro.” He gave the stuffed husky to Benjamin, who tried to hug it tightly but couldn’t.
“Pedro!” He tried to hug it again, but his arms started to burn, so he relaxed and settled for keeping it in his left hand.
“Everyone’s smiling. Did I miss something?” asked Al, curious.
“I’m gonna have a brother soon! Mom’s gonna adopt Benji!” announced Sakura excitedly. She jumped around in place and squealed. Benjamin smiled very widely
“Oh wow! Congratulations!” Al felt happy for the Anamans, but he couldn’t help but think about his own family, too. Since his parents died when he was very young, Al had been in foster care with another family. He never liked to talk about them, but the most he’d say was that he didn’t like them.
“Oh, Mercedes...” started Al.
“Yes, Al?” replied Mercedes.
“Do you know if there’s a cheap apartment room or something I could get in Nookville?”
“Jeez... even apartments have sky-high price tags. Don’t you have a family to go home to?”
“Not one I want to, no.” Al shook his head and adjusted his hat so the rim went over his eyes slightly.
“Why not want family?” asked Benjamin. His family had just been taken from him, so he thought it was strange for Al to not WANT his family. He thought everyone lived happy lives on the other side of the rainbow.
“I’ll explain later,” replied Al quickly.
Mercedes thought to herself again. The guest room had been empty for a while, longing for a visitor to stay. Since the room was free and she didn’t see anyone else using the room for a while, Mercedes decided she could give it to Al.
“Well, we’ve still got the guest room, but I don’t think it’ll be a guest room for much longer.” She smiled at Al.
“What do you mean?”
“Al Catraz become big brother?” asked Benjamin excitedly. He’d bonded a lot with Al, and it wasn’t something he wanted to lose. He was one of the only friends Benjamin had, the others being Sakura and Pedro, who only existed in Benjamin’s mind as a living entity--an imaginary friend.
“He’ll be staying with us, if he wants to.”
“I’d be glad to stay with you, Mercedes. Thank you for your hospitality,” accepted Al graciously. He felt like a million pounds were lifted from his shoulders, now that he knew he didn’t have to go back to his current home. He wasn’t even sure if they knew he’d left, or cared.
“It’s only right of me, Al. We owe you so much for your help. Thank you.”
“So when we go home?” asked Benjamin. His arms still hurt, but he anxiously awaited going back to the Anaman residence.
“I don’t think you’ll be going home for a while, Benji. They still have to treat you at the hospital.” Benjamin’s excited demeanor faded. “I think the medical staff will be taking you soon.”
“(Huh. I should probably just get back to the office...)” thought Lucian. Benjamin noticed his presence, as did Al.
“Hey Lucian. Thanks for your help,” said Al.
“I just did what I could. You’re welcome, I guess,” replied Lucian. He didn’t think much of what he did to help the case.
“Mr. Yellow Hair, do you have family?” asked Benjamin.
“I do, but I usually just end up sleeping in my office.”
Benjamin was surprised. First, Al didn’t want to go back to his family, but now, he finds Lucian doesn’t want to as well? “Why, Mr. Yellow Hair? Why not go home?”
“Maybe it’s hard for him to talk about, Benji. You shouldn’t ask things like that,” scolded Mercedes.
“But should have family. One day, family will gone, and be sad.”
“Not everyone thinks the same things you do. You should leave it be.”
“Fine.”
Al jumped in with a question of his own. “Which one of us, if any, should stay with Benji while he’s at the hospital?”
Mercedes looked surprised for a moment. “I never thought of that,” she admitted.
“Mrs. Mercedes, how not think that?”
“Sometimes, in the heat of the moment, things slip your mind,” explained Al to Benjamin.
“Al, were you thinking of going with Benji?”
“Yes, I want to go to the hospital with him.”
Lucian decided to answer Benjamin’s question at that moment. “It’s not really like I don’t want to go home, or that I don’t have family. It takes work to pass the bar test with flying colours at seventeen.”
Benjamin nodded. “How long you be other lawyer?”
“Hmm?” Lucian had a hard time wrapping his head around Benjamin’s strange speech. It almost annoyed him that he couldn’t talk normally.
“He’s asking how long you’ve been a prosecutor,” replied Sakura. She seemed to understand what Benjamin was saying faster than anyone else, let alone understand in the first place. The only other people who could do this were Mercedes, a lifelong friend of the Cloviets’, and Al, who had only known Benjamin for three days.
“It hasn’t been that long, maybe ten months,” he answered.
“Wow! Long time!” exclaimed Benjamin.
“Not really. There’ll probably be people that’ll prosecute for thirty.”
“Sounds interesting. I wonder if they’ve ever lost a case,” wondered Sakura.
“A regular prosecutor would. This guy, though, there are some reports of forging going on. The PIC should take care of that.”
“I KNEW it! Some prosecutors DO forge!”
“Only the bad ones,” reminded Al.
“Yeah, and the ones on TV!”
“Slow down there, darling,” said Lucian, sighing and waggling his finger.
“What do you mean?”
“They’re only rumours.”
“Pfft. I guess we’ll have to find evidence, then!”
“I wouldn’t think a seven-year old girl would be able to investigate that.”
“Evidence can be hard to find if people know what they’re doing,” stated Al.
“I’d let someone like Chief Prosecutor Debeste handle it. The PIC at least know what they’re doing.”
“Sebastian Debeste? I think I’ve heard that name before...” said Sakura.
“...Sebastian? I don’t know a Sebastian Debeste.”
“Oh, maybe I heard the name wrong then.”
“Darling, I don’t know if you’ve heard of Chief Prosecutor Blaise Debeste.”
“No, I haven’t heard of him.”
“You’ll learn about him later, I’m sure.” Lucian paused for a moment. “That is, if you’re thinking of being a prosecutor.”
“I’m too young to be thinking of that!” yelled Sakura. When their conversation finished, two nurses came over to the stretcher. Benjamin seemed unsure at first, but he later understood what was happening and was okay with it.
“Benjamin Cloviet? The ambulance is ready for you,” said the nurse in a calm, soothing tone.
“Okay!”
“I’ll see you soon,” promised Al.
“Bye, Al Catraz! Bye, Mr. Yellow Hair!” exclaimed Benjamin happily. Lucian and Al both waved back with a wide smile, Benjamin doing the same.
“I guess we should get going then,” decided Mercedes. “It might be a few hours before you can see him, but I should at least drop you off, Al.” Mercedes looked to Lucian, who seemed pretty alone. “Are you needing a ride to the train station, Mr. Umbra?”
Lucian noticed and looked back at her. “Oh, I’ll be fine. Thank you, though.”
“Are you sure? The taxis get pretty costly, especially all the way to Tortimer Island.”
“I... guess I’ll come with you, if you have room.”
“We always have room for people in need!”
“Let’s leave then, Mom. Al, make sure to tell Benji I say hi!”
“Of course.”
The four started to walk outside towards the parking lot where Mercedes had parked. Lucian smirked as he slipped on his sunglasses and walked next to Sakura, who was in turn walking next to Al.
“Why do you always have your sunglasses on?” asked Sakura.
Lucian smirked even more. “The sun bothers me, not to mention I have to look cool,” he answered. Sakura made a small giggle and she got into the back of the Ford Focus next to Lucian, Al taking the passenger seat. Mercedes revved the engine and backed up safely but quickly, driving off onto the highway towards the Lamina Children’s Hospital. The drive there was quite scenic, with many trees and winding roads along the way. Everyone inside the car was all thinking their own thing- -Al about the case, Sakura about Benjamin, Lucian about Grace and the offices, Mercedes about the road ahead of her. The heroes eventually reached the hospital, letting Al out by the emergency room with a smile and wave. He waved back as the Ford Focus containing our heroes drove onto the highway again and sped off towards Tortimer Island. Sakura had a question she felt was necessary to ask.
“Mr. Umbra... why did you take Benji’s case?”
Lucian knew the answer right off the bat. “New defence attorney.”
“Just for that reason?”
“I don’t trust their cases against any other prosecutor. The others might forge,” he explained.
“So I was kind of right?”
“In a sense.”
“I had no idea that’s why you took the case. Thank you.”
The remaining heroes were not fast approaching the entrance to the train station, now inside the parking lot. Mercedes slowed down and carefully maneuvered her way around the other parked cars, noticing the spot where she had picked up Al was open. She pulled into this spot, which was in front of the doors, and parked so Lucian could exit safely. These three days weren’t days any of our heroes would soon forget, even if they were never to meet again. Sakura had made friends on this incredible journey.
“See you again... and may it be a good one,” she said with a smile. Tears welled up in her eyes a little, but she wasn’t ready to cry.
“...See you again, Darling.”
Al Catraz: Defence Attorney
Turnabout Timber
To be continued...
Anaman Residence
Al woke up quite early again, having at least slept this time. He was feeling a lot more comfortable about the case this morning, and he stretched as he yawned loudly. Running his fingers through his bedhead black hair that looked a bit like Link’s, he quickly changed out of his nightwear and brushed his hair and teeth when dressed. Stepping out of the bathroom after he finished, he packed his suitcase and placed it next to the guest room door and took a seat on the couch. Al turned on the TV and flipped through channels until he hit the news, watching a feature on yesterday’s trial and Alex’s arrest. Mercedes came out at around 6:30, wearing a bathrobe over her pajamas.
“Good morning, Mercedes.”
“You’re up early, Al. Why don’t you go back to sleep?”
“I’m not one to sleep in, especially when I’m in a situation like this.”
“Well, if you can’t go to sleep, then at least rest.”
“I guess...”
“If you’re hungry, I can make up some waffles for you.”
“Really?” Al hadn’t thought about eating, but when he did, he realized maybe it was a good idea to do so. “Thanks, Mercedes.”
“No problem.”
Sakura stormed down the stairs as Mercedes pulled out her waffle oven and batter mix, leaning on the banister.
“Morning, Mom,” she said in a rather upset, snotty voice.
“(I guess Mercedes is keeping her home after all.)”
“Don’t talk to me like that, Sakura.”
“Ugh, Mom...”
“Your actions yesterday caused these consequences. You have no one to blame but yourself.”
“Mom! I wanna go, though...”
Al sat and awkwardly listened to Sakura and Mercedes argue as he tried to come up with a way to ask about being a backup co-counsel. He had a person in mind, but he had to wait until he had a chance to see them first. Mercedes finished making the waffles and served two to Al, who graciously accepted and started to eat. She then served a waffle to Sakura, who stormed back into her room and supposedly woke up Benjamin, for he started to ask about breakfast and court. Benjamin then came downstairs for a waffle, letting Al start a friendly conversation with him.
“Hey Benji,” he greeted.
“Hello! Like waffles?”
“I do! How are you feeling this morning?”
“Happy because Pedro!” Benjamin held up the stuffed dog again. Al couldn’t help but wonder why he’d given such an unconventional name to a stuffed animal.
“Good to see you’ve got him back.”
“Yep! Happy today, Al Catraz?”
“Well, I wouldn’t exactly say that...” Al realized now was his chance. “Say, Sakura isn’t able to come to help me out today... so would you like to help me in court, Benji?”
Benjamin thought to himself for a moment. He didn’t seem to quite understand what that would encompass, but he remembered yesterday very well, and he wasn’t quite sure what to say.
“Scary toque man won’t shoot?”
“I’m not sure he’ll even be there, but if he does come today, they’ll make sure no one gets hurt, especially you.”
“...”
“(Uh oh...)”
“I will do it, Al Catraz.” Benjamin nodded and started eating his waffle, managing to finish it within two minutes. “I help if Mommy and Daddy wanted me do anything else. I help for their sake.” He looked over to his left shoulder and touched it lightly, flinching.
“I wouldn’t touch that, Benji. You might infect it.”
“It hurts.”
Mercedes overheard and turned around. “Why don’t we put a bandage over it, then? I’ll wrap it up good.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Mercedes!”
Benjamin walked over to Mercedes and followed her as she pulled out her first aid kit and opened it up, finding the tensor bandage and wrapping it tightly around his arm. She put clips to make sure it stayed wrapped, before putting away the first aid kit and the items used to make the waffles. She checked the time on her oven and cross-checked it with her phone, before making a statement.
“Alright, you two. It’s about 7:45 right now, so I’m thinking we should leave by 8:30 at the latest. Benjamin, why don’t you get dressed for the day?”
“Will change!” Benjamin skipped happily up the stairs and into Sakura’s room, where the two seemed to be conversing again. Al stretched and thanked Mercedes for the waffles, before packing what he needed for today’s trial and setting it by the couch near where he was sitting.
“Al, what are you planning to do after the trial’s over? Go home to your family?”
Al didn’t want to mention the fact that he had no family. “Uh, yeah. I’ll probably end up going back home until I get another case. From there, I guess I’ll have to find a new co-counsel, since you and Sakura probably won’t be moving anytime soon.”
Mercedes wasn’t sure what to say. She knew Al would have to leave at some point, but she didn’t want him to at the same time. Al had changed Sakura’s life.
“You should go get ready for the day, Al,” she forced out.
“I’ve already done so.” Al stayed silent for a few seconds, realizing he had to ask about the psychology report. “Wait, I have something to ask you about. See, I found a psychology report for Benjamin two days ago, and I figure it could be really important to the case. However, the copy I have has all the important details covered in white-out. Do you know where I can find an updated copy?”
“I actually own a copy myself, since the Cloviets left Benji in my care so often. If you give me a few minutes, I can photocopy it for you.”
“Thank you so much, Mercedes. I really appreciate it.”
“While you wait, I guess it’s around that time where we can leave, so why don’t you get your shoes on and wait in the car? I’ll unlock the doors for you.”
“I can do that.” Al picked up his trial supplies and tied his shoes on, before unlocking the front door and getting into the passenger seat of Mercedes’s Ford Focus. Benjamin, Sakura, and Mercedes followed a few minutes later, and Mercedes backed up and drove away as the sun shined beautifully over the landscape.
April 29, 2008 9:37 am
Courtroom Lobby #2
“Al Catraz, when go in?” asked Benjamin. He and Al had been waiting in the lobby for about an hour. It was only expected for Benjamin to get a little impatient. He was only seven.
“Soon, Benjamin,” replied Al.
“How long soon?”
“When they call us in, Benji.”
At that moment, Lucian entered the courtroom lobby from the front door. He walked a few steps and went over to the defence duo.
“...Oh.”
“Oh. Hello,” greeted Al. He took a small bow to greet Lucian.
“Haiiii!” called Benjamin. He was happy to see another person show up, and trying to be his normal self again, he became happy.
“Good morning, defence. But... where is the darling?”
“Not coming! Mrs. Mercedes made stay home. Punch in face not good.” answered Benjamin.
“...Huh. That, yeah.”
“Happy today?” Benjamin held up Pedro and proceeded to hug it tightly, looking up at Lucian.
“Tch,” responded Lucian.
“Huh? Why like that?”
“...Nothing.” Lucian picked up his sunglasses from his shirt pocket and slipped them on.
“Don’t listen to him, Benji. I’m not sure he’s on our side,” warned Al.
“Not on... side? In front me! Not on side! On front!”
“Sure.”
Lucian sighed. He looked through the Court Record as Al waited impatiently for the door to open. “Look, Catraz. I’m sure we’ll be let in when we’re supposed to be.”
Benjamin skipped over to the couch in the lobby, sitting down and attempting to pull cookies out of his shorts pockets. He then realized he didn’t have any, making an irritated grumbling noise and kicking his legs before getting back up and skipping over to Al.
“Look! Door open!”
A bailiff walked out the doorway and over to Al, Lucian, and Benjamin. “You two can come in now.”
“Pfft. That isn’t how you open a door.” Lucian walked inside and stood at the prosecution’s bench, and Al decided it was a good idea to do the same.
April 29, 2008 10:00 am
Lamina Courtroom #2
“Come on in, Benjamin,” stated Al as he walked to the prosecution’s bench.
“Oh-kay!” replied Benjamin, running over to Al.
The judge slammed his gavel. “Court is now in session for the trial of Benjamin Cloviet. I presume you two are ready?”
“Good to go, Your Honour,” stated Al.
Lucian observed the defence’s bench, noticing Benjamin was where Sakura stood yesterday. He laughed in disbelief. “Your Honour, surely the defendant is not the defence’s co-counsel for this trial...”
“Co-counsel?” Benjamin didn’t quite understand the word. He didn’t understand big words in general.
“Co-counsel is a fancy word for helping the defence, Benji,” explained Al.
“Ohh! I get it!”
“I guess we can’t leave the defence without a co-counsel. I’ve seen worse.” allowed the judge, reluctantly. “Anyways, your opening statement, Prosecutor Umbra?”
“Hmph. Yesterday, the court was notified that there were witnesses who had yet to testify. And with this knowledge, the court could not come to a verdict on the case. However, the prosecution still believe that the defendant is clearly guilty of this crime, be it with an accomplice or not. And the prosecution’s proposal from yesterday will still stand, with the proposal being brought over to our witness. With that, the prosecution calls Mr. Barry Game to the stand.”
The Quartasian from yesterday took the stand, being escorted by the bailiff. He held a chicken and cheese sandwich in his hand, eating it graciously as if he hadn’t eaten for a while.
“Witness, you cannot have food or drink on the stand. I must ask for it to be confiscated.”
“A-Apologies, Y-Y-Your Honour. I do not get meals on a regular basis. I do not mean to be violating any rules.” Barry quickly finished the sandwich and brushed off the crumbs from his tank top, straightening his back and clearing his throat. “There. Once again, sincere apologies.”
“Very well. Witness, please state your name and profession.”
“My name is Barry Game and Watch, though I would prefer to be referred to as Mr. Game. I do not have a job, for I am only thirteen.”
“Now that you have finished, please testify to the court about how the kid couldn’t have done it. And let’s have the defence take apart any lies you’re planning to give, Mr. Game.” stated Lucian.
“W-Will do. I will tell you exactly what I saw.
“It was around 9:40 at night. Tired and hungry, I stepped out of my tent with Amber Tzaziki and went to find anything preferably food.
“I stared into the window of the Cloviets’ home in envy of their meal, when I suddenly saw Benjamin go into the home followed by another man. One of them held an axe, but I do not remember who. I do believe it was Benjamin.
“Then he started swinging the axe wildly at his parents! He hit his father first, killing him, and then hit his mother and killed her as well.
“That was when I heard the first gunshot. The poor kid clutched his arm and let out a bloodcurling scream! He fell to the ground and quickly got up.
“The second gunshot went off after that, going through Mr. Cloviet to make sure he was dead. The other man left, and Benjamin picked up the axe to stare at it.
“With the axe in his hands and the detective on the ground unconscious, Benjamin ran outside and off the road, presumably to Tortimer Island.”
“Very well. The defence may begin its cross-examination,” stated the judge.
“(Hmm...)” Al had to think hard. He decided to confirm basics first before going onto the important parts. “Mr. Game, which door did you see these two people enter through?”
“The front door, Mr. Catraz,” answered Barry. “I do believe I gave you a picture?”
“Now, now, defence. Don’t go searching for the answer you already have,” laughed Lucian. A smirk fell onto his face.
“(Okay, that checks out.) What happened to the other man?”
“He entered the house as well.”
“Did he exit the house?”
“After the murder, yes.”
“Okay. (Hmm... why would that other man have shot Benjamin?)” thought Al.
Benjamin thought hard to himself. He realized something that could help his situation, remembering an important detail through all the fear the case was giving him. “Second picture. Pull out, Al Catraz,” he whispered.
Al went into his suitcase and found the picture. “What about it?”
“Look at me. Could hold any else?” Benjamin didn’t wait for Al’s answer, jumping so he could get a little bit above the bench and yelling for the judge’s attention. “Uh, um... Have something!” he called.
“What is this?” asked the judge.
“Your Honour, is the co-counsel not allowed to present contradictions?” asked Al. “Sakura did yesterday, so I think Benjamin would be allowed.”
“Isn’t that quite harsh, Mr. Catraz?”
Benjamin looked nervously at Al. “Can I?”
“Go for it,” he responded.
“Look at picture. Look me.”
“Hm?”
“Looks like grabbing axe, but what if hold something else then?”
“That is quite a good point,” agreed the judge.
“That’s out of question. The object would be clearly visible,” argued Lucian.
“Look at the angle the photo was taken at. The axe itself is barely in the picture, let alone Benjamin’s hand,” refuted Al.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s barely visible, Catraz. It matters that it is. And this other object is not.”
“Mr. Catraz, do you have anything that the defendant could have been holding in his hand?” questioned the judge.
“(Perhaps...) Benji, were you holding Pedro at the time?”
Benjamin nodded. “Here go!” he exclaimed happily as he handed Pedro to Al.
“Perhaps he was holding this!”
“That is rather small,” said the judge.
“If he was holding this in his hand, he couldn’t grab the axe with the same hand.”
“Oh, defence. Have you learned the court’s golden rule?” laughed Lucian.
“Golden rule? Rules no colour!” stated Benjamin, puzzled.
“It means a really important rule.”
Lucian lifted his sunglasses to his forehead. “In court... Evidence is EVERYTHING. Do you have any that proves that he was indeed holding that stuffed animal?”
“I-I may have another photo...” Barry stepped in, starting to sweat a little. He seemed awfully nervous to be in court, trying to help any way he could.
“Oh really?” stated Al in disbelief.
“I am not sure, but my PokeGear is quire finicky.”
Lucian banged his hand down on the prosecution’s bench, almost enraged but more so annoyed. “Why was this not brought to the court’s attention earlier?!”
Barry handed his PokeGear to Al, who unlocked it and started to search through the phone’s picture gallery again, this time was an adequate lighting source to see the screen.
“(I guess this is in the Court Record now?) Hmm... what do we have here?”
Benjamin tried to look over Al’s shoulder at the screen, jumping to gain height. “Let see! Let see!”
“It’s the same picture, focused on the hands.” He turned to Benjamin and showed him the picture. “It’s a bit blurry, but we should be able to make out something.”
Al paused for a moment. “Aha! Your Honour, take a look at this.” He showed the picture to the judge. “Here, we can see the blurry image of a stuffed toy in Benjamin’s hand!”
“(Of course. Why wouldn’t there be a perfect picture against my claims...)” thought Lucian.
“It’s Pedro! Pedro is cute and fluffy and happy!” exclaimed Benjamin.
“Furthermore, we can’t see the hands of the other man,” stated Al.
“Defence, what claim do you have that the defendant did not pick up the axe after entering the house and placing the toy down?”
Benjamin gasped. He wasn’t sure there would be evidence to prove it. However, Al had another claim ready to back him up.
“Certainly the victims would have noticed if their son brought in an axe and started swinging?”
“Quite,” replied Lucian.
“To actually get away with this, he would have had to be as quick as possible.”
“Then he would be fast and kill them swiftly.”
“Then he wouldn’t have time to put down the stuffed animal.”
“Tsk, tsk, defence. What is suspicious about a child coming into his own home and setting his stuffed toy down?”
“Nothing. But he’d be holding the axe in his other hand.”
“He could have just placed it down and walked back to the entrance, grabbing the axe.”
“Never let go Pedro. Goes everywhere I do!” argued Benjamin.
“(Sakura did say something along those lines...)”
“Oh really? Was it not the fact that he was just found recently... Away from the kid?” stated Lucian.
“But, but... But... did not know where was.”
“Well, if you want to play that game, you have no evidence that he didn’t drop it after seeing his parents murdered by someone else. Evidence IS everything.”
“Going to play stalemate, are we?”
“Stalemate?” Benjamin needed the word explained to him.
“We stay here and repeat this over and over with nobody gaining any ground.”
“Oh. I get now!” replied Benjamin.
“Your Honour, does the court see the prosecution’s claim clearly?” asked Lucian.
“I do indeed,” replied the judge.
“What I’m more concerned with is the fact that we CAN’T see the other man’s hands in the picture of the hands.”
“There is no evidence Pedro was dropped before the murder. However... there is no evidence he was dropped after. Or rather, it.”
“Defence, why should the court care about the other man’s hand? This man currently has nothing to do with the case.”
“Perhaps... perhaps he was the one holding the axe?” Al sifted through the court record, pulling a receipt out from his suitcase. “Take a look at this receipt.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. A receipt? Why does it matter? Bloody writing on the back or something?” Lucian laughed, almost pitying Al. Al wasn’t stupid, however. He knew what he was doing.
“Well, the receipt is for a gun and ammo for it.”
“So the man bought a gun.”
“Why, Mr. Umbra, would somebody bring a gun to a dinner party?”
“Self defence, of course. I carry one on me.”
“The answer is to shoot someone, in this case, Benjamin!”
“Ah, I get it! ...Thanks for that, defence,” replied Lucian, shrugging and laughing. His sunglasses slipped back over his eyes from the movement.
“Man wanted shoot me?” asked Benjamin as tears formed in his eyes.
“It’s okay, Benji. He’s not going to now.”
“I think it should be obvious to the court what this man intended to do. The kid picked up the axe and killed the members of his business in front of him. He shot the kid to protect himself and others.” Lucian tipped his sunglasses down and put them back up, beginning to look through his deck of cards.
“He wanted to shoot the murderer to protect others? I can understand that,” agreed the judge.
“Exactly, Your Honour!”
Al shook his head, butting in with another statement. “The question is: Why did he buy a gun on the day of the murder in the first place?”
“Premonition? Who knows, Catraz?”
“Surely he didn’t think the hosts’ child would suddenly start murdering people. Even for this case, that's a stretch.”
“The hosts’ child would if he had the motive to.”
“How do you explain the gunshot wound in Mr. Cloviet?”
“D-Daddy was s-s-shot?” Benjamin lifted his shirt sleeve up to poke at his tensor bandage again. He flinched as he did so, pulling the sleeve back down and wiping his eyes.
“Good question, Mr. Catraz. Would you like to tell the court?” asked Lucian. He was feeling very confident that he’d won the case.
“If you suggest the defendant disarming a man who just happened to bring a gun to a party where a double murder happened that nobody knew it was going to happen until it did and then somehow scaring him off before shooting the victim's body, I'm going to laugh,” stated Al. He was very serious about this case. He knew Benjamin was innocent, but proving it was proving to be a pain in the butt. Lucian blinked. Still holding his deck of cards in his hands, he took a card and started playing with it in his dominant hand.
“Defence, it’s still early in the morning...” He threw the card towards Al, making it lodge in the wall just above his right shoulder again. “You’d be better off with more sleep.”
“Oh my Arceus! The skill it must take to throw a playing card like that and stick it into the wall must be incredible!” exclaimed Barry in awe. Benjamin noticed the card and jumped to remove it from the wall, looking at it and wondering why there was a funny-dressed man on it.
“The question is still: If we’re assuming the defendant did the murders, he would have had to fight a grown man for said gun after being shot in the arm, to shoot his father. That is simply not plausible,” restated Al. This court escapade was irritating him. Couldn’t they just get Alex on the stand? Benjamin started to clutch his arm, looking pained. He looked up to Al.
“It hurts, Al Catraz. Hurts again.”
“Are you alright, Benji?”
“Arm hurts...”
Lucian stepped in with a counter-argument. “The man bought the gun with only good timing. And I don’t see why the kid would care that his father was shot after murdering him in cold blood.”
“Prosecution, you’re suggesting a seven-year old fought a grown man who was holding a gun after being shot in the arm.” Al started to sweat heavily, worried he’d run out of ammo sooner than he wanted.
Benjamin realized what Lucian had just said, starting to yell at the top of his lungs. “I DID NOT! I NOT HURT DADDY!”
“I’m not suggesting that, no,” reassured Lucian, although he didn’t seem to be very sincere with it.
“I know you didn’t, Benji. We just have to prove it,” comforted Al as he put his right hand on Benjamin’s left shoulder carefully, turning to face Lucian. “Then explain how the defendant could have gotten the gun from the man!”
“He didn’t. Were the kid’s fingerprints on the gun?”
“Exactly. The man shot both Benjamin and Mr. Cloviet. Why would he shoot Mr. Cloviet?”
Lucian nodded. “Maybe he had to at the angle he shot the kid.”
“Not quite. There were two bullets shot--one at Benjamin--and a separate one at Mr. Cloviet!”
“Fine! Maybe the guy missed, then!” Lucian was starting to get stressed out by Al’s counter-claims.
“Besides, bullets don’t make forty-five degree turns in midair. He had to have been holding his arm to the side to shoot Mr. Cloviet but aim for Benjamin.”
“Or the bullet could ricochet?”
“To that, I say this: look at the first crime scene photo. The first bullet went through the defendant’s arm and embedded itself in the wall behind them.”
“What about this photo is relevant?” asked the judge.
“Relevant?” asked Benjamin.
“He’s asking if it matters, Benji,” answered Al to Benjamin. He then proceeded to answer the judge’s question. “The prosecution’s question was if the bullet could have ricocheted, but it couldn’t have ricocheted if it can pass through human flesh and then still embed itself in the wall behind it.”
“Silly defence. (Copying the darling’s catchphrase... it is quite accurate.) That would imply that there was one shot that passed through the flesh and landed in more. As we know, the gun was fired twice.”
“Yes. Once into Benjamin and the wall behind him, and one into Mr. Cloviet’s dying body. Mr. Umbra... Earlier, you said So as we can see, the defence has just proved its own point to be wrong. Your point was that the bullet could have ricocheted.”
Lucian shrugged. “So it was.”
“There were two bullets shot,” Al replied.
“One shot missed Benjamin and hit William. The second one hit Benjamin.”
“But first shot hit me!” Tears started to fall from Benjamin’s eyes as he fought to get words out without crying.
“What’s this, Benji?” Al’s eyes lit up, knowing having Benjamin’s memory of the events would help prove him innocent.
“First shot hit me, not Daddy...”
“Thank you. This must be hard for you to talk about,” thanked Al.
“...” Benjamin wiped his eyes as tears streamed from them.
“So if the first shot hit the defendant, then why did the man shoot Mr. Cloviet at all?”
“...That’s the question,” replied Lucian.
“I have a theory,” countered Al.
“Theory?” asked Benjamin.
“A guess, Benji,” Al explained.
“I see.”
"Your Honour, perhaps Mr. Cloviet was still barely alive when the man shot Benjamin. To ensure he finished his job, he shot Mr. Cloviet to make sure he would die.”
“Why would he want to finish off Mr. Cloviet?”
“Because... he was the one who tried to kill him in the first place!” shouted Al.
Benjamin gasped. “Daddy killing other man?!”
“No, Benji. Other man killing Daddy.”
“Ahh... Defence attorneys, always throwing wild accusations.”
“(This coming from the guy who wants to convict a seven-year old...)”
“Why would he want to kill Cloviet?” asked Lucian, amused of Al’s theories.
“It’s not my place to know the mind of a murderer. That is, until we get him on the stand,” replied Al.
“Not your place? Hmph,” sighed Lucian.
“Make... make other man testify?”
“Yes, that would be the next logical step.”
Benjamin had a flashback to what happened yesterday. Pinned to a tree with a gun held up to his heart. Knowing he was going to die trying to find answers to the questions his parents’ death left him. Frightened; scarred; wishing for justice.
“Need I remind you why you’re here?”
“I’m here to keep the innocent out of jail. You’re here to put them in.”
“Jeez, harsh words... I’m here to put the GUILTY in jail. What is faith without a little bit of doubt?”
“Exactly. Then we should both be thinking the same thing right now.”
Benjamin flipped out, bursting into tears. “MAKE TESTIFY!! MAKE TESTIFY!! PLEASE!”
“There’s another man who was in the house. We didn’t see Benjamin reach for the axe, but we never saw the other man’s hands. He had bought a gun and ammunition and took it to the dinner, and Mr. Cloviet was shot after Benjamin. We have another suspect, a suspect who needs to take the stand.”
“Hmph.”
“Very well. This other man--the other possible suspect--will be allowed to testify.” The judge suddenly turned to his left side, grabbing a walkie-talkie from his robe and putting it up to his ears.
“Hello? ...Uh huh. ...What’s this? ...Can do. Thanks.” He put the walkie-talkie back into his robe pocket and slammed his gavel.
“The court must call an emergency recess. It appears Alex McAire has gone missing. Police will search for him, but we cannot tell quite yet whether we can find him for today.”
“Well, the trial can’t continue without him,” said Lucian.
Benjamin’s eyes lit up. There was another chance to win the case! Al, Benjamin, and Lucian left the courtroom.
April 29, 2008 12:32 pm
Courtroom Lobby #2
Al and Benjamin took a seat on the couch in the lobby. The two were both feeling extremely nervous
“Can’t believe! More chance!”
“We do have more of a chance now. This is the guilty man, I’m sure.”
“Umm... Al Catraz?”
“Yes, Benji?”
“Proof for innocent. Can we prove?” Benjamin wiped his eyes with his shirt collar. He cried a small bit before Al started rubbing his right shoulder.
“I’m confident we can prove your innocence once Alex McAire takes the stand. Just stay behind me in case he tries anything.”
“O-Okay,” replied Benjamin. Lucian walked over to the two at that point, and the defence duo got up to talk to him.
“Hmph.”
“Mr. Mean Lawyer Man?” Benjamin wasn’t quite sure how to say prosecutor, but he knew that Lucian seemed to be mean towards him.
“If he tries anything, he’ll be out of here faster than a verdict can be reached. God, I’m sick and tired of being labelled as The Bad Guy...”
“Labelled?”
“He doesn’t like being called the bad guy, Benji.”
“Oh. But I innocent. He says not.”
“All I’m doing is my damn job!”
“Bad words! Not for kid like me.”
“I get punched in the face by one kid and end up having to prosecute the other.” Lucian bent down to Benjamin’s level, trying to stay strong on the outside. This case was destroying everything he knew about prosecuting and pushing him to his emotional limits.
“Umm...?”
“Look, kid. You’re not guilty, I can tell you that. Not after what McAire did yesterday. I’m supposed to doubt people. I can’t just let you walk free because you say you’re innocent.”
“T-Thank... you.” Benjamin smiled, trying to pull cookies out of his shorts pocket again and failing to do so. He whined, being hungry, and pulled on Al’s suit.
“Al Catraz, where cookies?” he asked, assuming Al had brought cookies for him.
Al rummaged around in his pockets, grabbing a bag of three gingerbread molasses cookies and handing them to Benjamin.
“Ah, found them. I knew Mercedes game me some.”
“Cookies! Thank you.” Benjamin opened the bag and took out a cookie, devouring one within ten seconds. Seeing as he was free, Lucian took the opportunity to give Al some advice.
“Catraz. That receipt is probably the biggest thing you have. That, and the knowledge we have about this thing.” He took the the gun and twirled it in his hand.
“Oh? Thanks, Mr. Umbra. You’re not such a bad guy.”
“Look, I’m not here to take my anger out on kids. I’m here because I have to doubt people.”
“I wish they would let us in soon.”
As Al finished saying that, Alex walked in, heavily guarded by two police. He asked to speak to the three alone, and the police officers left to the courtroom. Following that, Alex began to glare at Benjamin.
“They aren’t going to until... Huh.” Lucian stopped, noticing Alex’s sudden presence. Al stepped protectively in front of Benjamin, who grabbed the back of Al’s suit and clung to it.
“Al Catraz...” he whined.
“This kid is going down if it’s the last thing I do,” threatened Alex. Something in his eyes looked dangerous. “I just wish I’d done it sooner.”
“Heh. Have fun with that,” laughed Lucian in a much more serious manner. He slipped his sunglasses on.
“One way or another, I’ll see to it that you’re behind bars,” added Al.
“Hmph. Try all you want.” Alex said, narrowing his eyes.
“Like you’re gonna lay a finger on him tied up like a little animal.” Lucian narrowed his eyes, pointing to Alex, and Benjamin started to cry even harder. Something about Alex left a scar in him. After seeing him murder Mommy and Daddy, there was no way Benjamin could ever feel safe again, especially around this man.
“I’m scared...” he cried.
“Ha. You’re scared because you did it. Just admit it already,” stated Alex, raising his voice.
“(I try to reassure the kid and he just keeps crying...)” thought Lucian.
“Get scary toque man away! Get him away!” cried Benjamin. He turned away and kept crying.
“Ugh, just get him on the stand already. And get me in the court.”
“Let’s go inside. We’ve got a guilty to give.”
April 29, 2008 12:51 pm
Lamina Courtroom #2
The judge slammed his gavel on the podium to silence the ever-noisy gallery. Sakura had come in by now, sitting in the front row with Mercedes. Al figured the two had come to a conclusion about yesterday’s incident if they came in.
“Court is now resuming for the trial of Benjamin Cloviet. Are both sides ready to continue?”
“Whenever you are, Your Honour,” answered Al with a nod.
Lucian, who had taken off his sunglasses in the conversation, slipped them on again and nodded. “Don’t count the prosecution out, Mr. Catraz.” Benjamin kept crying but was slowly stopping, which concerned the judge.
“What’s this? It appears the co-counsel is crying, and for what reason?” he asked.
“Well, we had a little run-in with Mr. McAire during investigation.”
“The witness already wants his head on a platter,” added Lucian.
“A run-in?”
“Defence! You don’t talk about this yet!” scolded Lucian.
“Didn’t plan on elaborating,” responded Al. “Let’s get this started.”
“Way to play the trump card as the first in your hand...” muttered Lucian.
“Trump... card?” asked Benjamin.
“I’ll tell you later.”
“No matter! Make testify!”
Alex walked into the courtroom, once again heavily guarded by police officers. He was dropped off at the stand, his handcuffs removed before the officers left. Alex’s toque seemed covered in ketchup, probably from setting it on the table he was eating at. His hoodie also seemed to have the ketchup stains, something neither Al nor Benjamin nor Lucian noticed in the lobby or at Lumber Jack’s.
“Welcome, witness. Name and profession?” greeted the judge.
“The name’s Alex McAire. I’m a lumberjack for Lumber Jack’s Woodworking. Quite the high-end business to be working at.”
“Ah, Lumber Jack’s. What a great place to be,” smirked Lucian.
“It really is a great place,” said Al. Benjamin looked up at him, before noticing Sakura in the gallery and waving to her. Sakura waved back, giving him a cute smile and a gingerbread cookie, tossing it from above. Benjamin caught it and ate it quickly.
“Very well. Your testimony, please?”
Alex nodded. “Here we go.
“It was 9:41 at night. I was running late to the business dinner that night and went into the house, when my boss’s kid came in front of me and grabbed the axe I--the kid left by the front door.
When I came in, I saw the kid swinging at his parents with the axe! He chopped and killed my boss with an overhead swing, and horrified, his secretary died the same way, struck over the head.
“Then the gunshot went off. The kid got what he deserved! He fell over and screamed like no other pitiful scream I’d ever heard before. Nonetheless, he picked up the gun and shot my boss to make sure he was dead.
“Freaked out, I left at precisely 9:45. When I exited to my car, I saw the kid running away with the axe.”
“Very well. The defence may begin its cross-examination.”
“How did the gun go off?” Al jumped in immediately. He knew he had to press everything to make Alex crack under pressure.
“It was shot about two feet from the kid,” replied Alex.
“Who shot it?”
“Don’t know, mister.”
“How? You were in the same room as the murders.”
Lucian twirled the gun in his fingers.
“It came from a window,” insisted Alex.
“Huh. That’s strange.”
“You’d think the window had a bullet hole in it,” remarked Lucian.
“Now treat me like a human being, please, and not Google,” asked Alex.
Ignoring that statement, Al continued on. “We have a receipt in your name that details the purchase of the gun in question.”
“A receipt? Heh,” laughed Alex.
“Now defence, how do we know the guns are the same?” asked Lucian.
“Yeah, how? Prove it!”
“Not so fast there, witness. You should probably prove how the shot came from the window first. Do we have a record of recent fingerprints?”
“We do not,” answered the judge.
“Let’s issue a little investigation for Scruffy, then. While we’re doing that, the defence can continue.”
“Sure,” responded Al.
“My arm hurts...” cried Benjamin. His lip quivered as he poked at his arm again. He wiped his eyes with his arm.
“You were shot, kid. It makes sense,” said Lucian.
“Why shot?”
“It’ll make sense at the end. It always does,” he reassured.
“Ask that to your parents--Right. You can’t. Deal with it,” said Alex with a hurtful tone. The statement made Benjamin cry a little, making him feel hurt. If his parents were still around, he wouldn’t even be here. But of course, they had to be killed, and the one insulting him was the one who did it in the first place.
“That was uncalled for, witness,” reprimanded Al.
“When we’re here, I decide what is and what isn’t called for.” Alex was proving to be hard to work with.
“I’d like to ask the defence a question.” Benjamin looked up, still crying.
“You did indeed get the gun’s fingerprint, did you not?”
“But was said no print!” Benjamin yelled. He was starting to snap at people since he’d gone into automatic self-defence mode.
“Exactly, kid. Which is why YOU couldn’t have done it,” replied Lucian. He started laughing. “So much for the defence doing the cross-examination.”
“You’re sure he didn’t take them off?” asked Alex.
“We have a picture taken exactly one minute after the murders,” stated Al in response.
Alex laughed. “He’d have time to take off the gloves!”
“And leave his prints on the axe?” responded Lucian.
Alex laughed again. “What would the kid care?”
“Not to mention that no gloves showed up during investigation,” Lucian added.
“Wait... There weren’t any gloves?” Alex looked a little nervous.
“No,” stated Al, slamming his hands down on the defence’s bench. Lucian nodded in agreement. “And only one person left the house between the murders and the police arriving.”
“They obviously overlooked it!”
“I assure you Gumshoe checked the house very thoroughly. Right, Umbra?”
“Guy is trash. He isn’t at his job, though. He would’ve found something.”
“Actually?! You’re kidding!”
“So I think that the court should believe that the only place the gloves could have been is NOT with the defendant,” concluded Lucian. “And with a lack of prints on the pistol and the axe belonging to the kid, I’d say that this is pretty damn... perfect evidence.”
“You really think that’s true, huh?”
“If it isn’t, find a contradiction.”
“Actually I’ve got another one for you--” Al was cut off by Alex, who started yelling in the courtroom.
“The kid ain’t mentally sound! He got issues in the brain, hear me? How would he remember? He wouldn’t!”
“Well, how would you remember exactly where and in what order the victims were hit with the axe?” pressed Al.
“M-My boss and his secretary were killed! How could I not forget?”
“And no, we’ve got a psychology report right here. Nothing about a lack of memory on it. Not only that, but none of the other witnesses remembered.”
“And where’s your proof the kid doesn't have memory or anger issues?”
Benjamin gritted his teeth, starting to become angry in an irritated way. He’d told Sakura countless times not to talk about his autism, but to go so far as to give Al the psychology report made him feel extremely insecure. He banged his fist on the defence’s bench and made an annoyed grunt.
“Heh, he’s losing it,” pointed out Alex. “He knows...”
Al pulled out the psychology report. “Let’s see...”
“WHERE YOU--WHY?! SAKURAAAAAA!!” screamed Benjamin, banging his fist on the defence’s bench again.
“So there’s a psychology report on the kid. Who cares? Bigger secrets have been spoiled in court,” suggested Lucian.
“WHY DID SAKURA TELL?!”
“Kid, maybe it was for the greater good.”
“She knows not tell! SHE KNOWS!”
Lucian banged on the prosecution’s bench angrily to attract Benjamin’s attention, scaring him slightly. “Would you rather have your secret spoiled, or be lying dead on the ground?!”
Benjamin lowered his head, trying not to think of the image that had put in his head. “I don’t want die...”
“The darling must’ve known what she was doing.”
“Maybe... Sakura is good friend. But... Why she tell?”
“Maybe she had to tell to keep you safe.”
“Keep safe?”
“Like a little defence attorney had to, from what I’ve heard.”
“Umm... guess.”
“Sometimes, the wrong thing at the time is the right thing later. Sometimes, the right thing at the time is the wrong thing later,” reassured Al.
“Anyways, the witness says that the report could contain some kind of memory shortage or mood fluctuation, which is why it is important,” added Lucian. “But I ask the witness to look over the record. I don’t see anything like that, do you?” Lucian handed the report to Alex, who glanced over the paper quickly.
“Y-You’re... I saw this record with my own eyes! I saw everything it said! This is a fake!” he snapped.
“You saw the tampered one. This, I assure you, is the real one,” replied Al with what seemed to be a smirk falling onto his face. It seemed more and more that he was getting a Not Guilty verdict for Benjamin, but he had no idea what was coming next. “In fact, you may be the one who tampered it.”
“And how, pray tell, would you be able to lay your hands on the kid’s report?”
“What?! Where’s your proof?” asked Alex.
“What we have already proposed,” replied Lucian, also with a smirk.
“This is a ridiculous accusation!”
“I think not,” stated the judge.
“There is a very large possibility that you created a tampered report, and that it makes no sense for the witness to have access to the unrelated kid’s report,” explained Lucian.
“You had every reason to do it,” added Al. “The guilty man would do anything to frame the innocent.”
“Now you say I did it?”
“I don’t know. You’re the one who murdered two people and injured another.”
Benjamin started to glare at Alex, almost in tears once again. “You did! Did it! Wrecked paper to hurt!” He choked on tears as he spoke and banged his fists on the table, just about ready to break down again. Even Pedro wouldn’t be able to help mend the hole the murders created.
“You don’t have proof I did it, do you? Who says I did it?”
“Well, Mr. Umbra, what is your check?” asked Al.
“I believe that once the report is brought back to whatever doctor diagnosed the kid, we’ll have our answer.”
“Diagnose?”
“A diagnosis is when a doctor tells you your condition, Benji.”
“If the doctor fully approves that he sent out the said tampered report, the kid is given a guilty verdict without hesitation. If he doesn’t, Alex McAire will be brought to a higher trial, where he will be seen guilty by yours truly. I’d happily take the case,” stated Lucian.
“You’re against me, too? You’re prosecuting the kid, for god’s sake! I’m the innocent one!” pleaded Alex.
“Does this sound reasonable to the defence, and to His Honour?”
“I believe this sounds acceptable,” agreed the judge.
“That sounds very reasonable, prosecution,” decided Al. “I also think it might be a good idea it we got Benjamin home before the trial continues.”
“Defence, the kid can’t go anywhere. Someone’s getting ahead of themselves.”
“I’m scared...” muttered Benjamin.
“Well, he doesn’t seem to be taking this too well. Mr. McAire’s insults seem to be hurting a lot.”
“What do you call insults?” asked Alex in a knowing tone.
“That doesn’t matter,” refuted Lucian. “I could throw insults at a defendant, but they wouldn’t be allowed to leave.”
“I’m scared, Al Catraz...” Benjamin wiped his eyes and pulled out the bag of cookies Al had given him earlier, eating the last cookie. Lucian walked over to Benjamin and looked him in the eyes.
“Benjamin... you’re innocent, aren’t you?”
Benjamin nodded his head. “Yes.”
“You have nothing to worry about, then.” Lucian slipped on his sunglasses again.
“But scared...” Benjamin pointed at Alex.
“He can’t hurt you from here. We’ll make sure of that,” comforted Al.
“Hmph. Be strong for just a while longer.” Lucian walked back to the prosecution’s bench.
“Now you think I’m gonna hurt him?”
“You should know, Mr. McAire.”
“Know what?”
“I’ll give you a front row seat at my trial. You can watch me find him guilty,” promised Lucian to Benjamin.
“...Thank you.” Benjamin couldn’t help but think there was a way to prove Alex guilty today, here in court. There was no way he wasn’t making it happen, no matter how challenging. He knew there was a contradiction he needed to show, but to show that contradiction, Benjamin needed to find the words to say there was. He had trouble with speaking long sentences, however.
“Very well. The court holds a--”
“W-WAIT!!”
Benjamin started looking through Al’s suitcase, trying to find the piece of evidence he needed to show a contradiction in Alex’s testimony and sayings.
“Pfft. What does the kid know? He’s messed up. Nothing will help him here. Isn’t that right, you brain-damaged psycho?”
Benjamin stopped. Never in his life had he been called by such a terrible name. Sure, he may have been different from everyone else, but he was never considered mentally unsound or brain-damaged. He was just a kid with special needs. It wasn’t like that. Benjamin turned to Alex, a feeling of sorrow and defeat falling into him.
“I... I-I-No-You-Waaaaaaaaaaaaaah!” Benjamin started bawling, nearly inconsolable.
“Mr. McAire. If you don’t have anything nice to say, I highly recommend you don’t say it,” scolded Al harshly.
“What does the court care? Law is relentless,” replied Alex without a single sign of guilt. If anything, throwing these insults were giving him a better chance of getting off scot-free due to stalling the court, which would then give him time to hopefully destroy or tamper with the evidence between today and the next trial.
“The court is the quarters of the law,” remarked Lucian.
“He has feelings? What a startling revelation!”
Lucian scoffed.
“Get away! Get away! Please, Al Catraz...” begged Benjamin.
“What is it, Benji?” replied Al.
“Get him away...” Benjamin continued to cry heavily, almost unable to regain his breath.
“I ain’t leavin’ till we get a verdict. Deal with it.”
“That’s what we’re trying to do. Here, Benji, let me find you something.” Al started to rummage in his pockets, finding another bad filled with multiple smaller gingerbread cookies.
“Would you like these?”
“This is insane...” muttered Alex in earshot. Benjamin looked up at the bag of cookies, turning away and continuing to cry.
“Not hungry. Need verdict. Innocent. I am innocent,” he replied.
“Yes. You are.”
“I am smart, I am nice, I am perfectly fine. Normal. Normal.” Benjamin decided to keep searching through Al’s suitcase, finding the formal letter from yesterday and handed it to Al.
“Here.”
“What is it?”
“Found this yesterday.”
“It’s a formal letter. Now if we just open this...”
“A letter?” asked Alex. He started to look nervous as the letter was mentioned.
“Someone was fired, you say?” asked Lucian.
“I wasn’t fired!”
“This letter says otherwise,” alledged Al. “Signed William Cloviet.”
“What a good contradiction,” remarked Lucian. “Although I don’t see why this wasn’t brought up earlier.”
“Thank you, Benji. You may have saved this case,” Al whispered.
“Couldn’t say words.”
A lawyer speaks with evidence, kid. Not with words.”
“But to show... Words. Can’t say words right ever.”
“Now, Mr. McAire, you have a motive, you were in the place, and you have no alibi,” stated Al.
“No alibi? Who needs an alibi?” asked Alex, as if he knew but in a snotty tone.
“You.”
“Oh, so I was fired, and you think I killed them because I was upset?” Alex laughed.
“A suspect needs an alibi, McAire. And now you are a suspect. All we need is that report to prove it,” explained Lucian.
Alex screamed. “I am no suspect! I am a high-class woodworker!”
The judge slammed his gavel on the podium. “The court will hold a recess to assess the tampered report.”
Lucian laughed. Benjamin looked at Alex but turned away, clinging to Al and crying again.
“You won’t find anything, I swear.” swore Alex.
“That’s not for you to decide...”
April 29, 2008 2:43 pm
Courtroom Lobby #2
“Al...”
“Yes, Benji?”
“Can call doctor? Ask about paper. Will know about it.”
“Sure. Do you know his phone number?”
“Look on other paper.” Benjamin pointed to the doctor’s name and phone number on the photocopied psychology report Mercedes gave them. That report--and the tampered one Al only decided to take by chance--were what had made the case. Pulling out his cellphone again, Al called the doctor listed on the report and put the phone on speaker.
“Hello? I’m quite busy at the moment. Call me back later.”
“No!” screamed Benjamin.
“Hmm?”
“Well, we need to ask you about something,” said Al.
“This better be urgent...”
“Well, it has to do with a boy named Benjamin Cloviet.”
“Oh, him. I treated that boy close to five years ago! What is it you need?”
“You see, we ended up with a tampered psychology report in the Court Record.”
“A psychology report? ...Oh, that. Tampered, you say?”
“Yes. We found this out after obtaining the original.”
“This?”
“The report being tampered.”
“I see no relevance in this to me. However, I’ll answer any questions you ask...”
“Well, we were wondering who could have issued the tampered report, or who has seen the original.”
“Are you suggesting it was me?”
“I’m not suggesting anything. But do you recognize the name Alex McAire?”
“Hmm... no, I don’t.”
“Hmm. Did you give Benjamin’s psychology report to anyone when you issued it?”
“Kind sir, if I had tampered that report, I could be in jail.”
“Currently, I’m asking what you did with the original.”
“Thank you.” Lucian had come up behind Al and Benjamin, wanting to hear what the doctor had to say. He’d actually been there since the call started, but felt it was necessary to stay quiet.
“But thank you for your help anyways.”
“I issued one document to the boy’s parents, and one to a family the boy was close with. I believe their name was Anaman or something along those lines...”
“Most likely in the care of Mercedes Anaman,” Lucian told himself.
“Thank you.” Al hung up and locked his phone, putting it in the same suit pocket as his Magatama. “Well, McAire could have stolen it.”
“Stolen? Why?” asked Benjamin.
To have more evidence pointing towards you,” answered Lucian.
“My theory is that he stole it and tampered with it to make you look guiltier,” added Al.
“...I can see. Takes report and destroys. Makes look like nothing point to me and autism. Makes look like I hurt in head like scary toque man say,” concluded Benjamin.
“Yes. He’s trying to make it seem like you were the one who did it. But it isn’t going to work.”
Benjamin sniffled as Alex walked back in from the courtroom.
“Hmph. You found nothing. I did nothing. Say it now, Mr. Link,” threatened Alex.
“(Mr. Link?)” Al thought to himself. He didn’t look like Link at all, other than his black hair which was swept to the side.
“He not Link! He Al Catraz! He good man!”
“Yeah, unlike you,” Alex said to Benjamin.
“Classic begging witness, always thinking they’re innocent,” sighed Lucian.
“But I am!”
“As of the minute, Mr. McAire, I don’t have anything to say to the likes of you.” Al tensed his hands into fists. “Exactly what the guilty man would say... that they’re not guilty.”
“I’m not any worse than the kid, am I? The kid is terrible.”
“Mudslinging isn’t going to help your case, Mr. McAire. This isn’t politics.”
“(Guy’s persistent, I’ll give him that.)” thought Lucian.
“So what if it ain’t politics?”
“It means mudslinging and insults will make you look worse, not better.”
“Umm... when did this turn into politics?” Even Lucian wasn’t sure how Al’s analogy fit into the situation.
“Heh. Believe it all you want.” Alex made two gun shapes with his hands and pointed them at our heroes, one at Al and one at Lucian. “You two are dead if you accuse me of more. I don’t kid around, you hear me?”
Benjamin whimpered, his lip quivering and tears falling from his eyes. This reminded him all too well of what happened at Lumber Jack’s yesterday.
“That’s all you got?” Lucian unsheathed his gun and loaded it, pointing at Alex. Alex didn’t seem too frightened at all, as if guns were of second nature to him. He simply laughed.
“(We know, Alex. You were the one who did it.)” Al thought to himself and struggled to stand up for himself, almost leaving it up to Lucian.
“Mr. Yellow Hair, don’t shoot! Please don’t shoot!” begged Benjamin.
“Yet he doesn’t tell me not to shoot? That’s proving something there. He wants me to shoot so I can be pinned with another crime!”
“You don’t have anything to shoot with, McAire,” stated Lucian defiantly.
“That’s what you think.” Alex glared at Benjamin again as he walked into the courtroom.
“Al Catraz... Mr. Yellow Hair... Very scared. I’m really, really scared...” cried Benjamin, burying himself into Al.
“Mr. Yellow Hair?” Lucian started to smirk.
“Well, for one, it’s better than Mr. Mean Lawyer Man. And for two, Benjamin, it’s going to be alright. The doctor has helped us.”
Lucian sheathed his gun, unloading it so that he didn’t cause an accident in another courtroom.
“I don’t think he thinks you’re mean anymore,” whispered Al to Lucian.
April 29, 2008 3:01 pm
Lamina Courtroom #2
“Your Honour, I feel since the sides agreed to the prosecution’s proposal a verdict should be handed down. No objections?”
“I have an objection! Where’s the proof I did it?”
“Have patience,” warned Al.
“There’s no proof I did it... unless you say otherwise.”
Lucian banged his hands on the prosecution’s bench, misinterpreting Al’s message. “What’s with you? I create a proposal, you agree, and just brush it off like nothing happened?!”
“No, I agree to it. I was telling Mr. McAire to have patience.”
“Make verdict! Make verdict!”
“Defendant, we have an objection from the witness. We can’t say anything yet.”
“No! Will not... umm... Not let happen! Make verdict!”
“He can’t yet, you idiot!” yelled Alex.
“But I’m hungry!”
“Who cares? You’re in court.”
“But I’m hungry!”
“Benji, would you like some cookies?”
“Please!” Benjamin ripped the bag from Al’s hands and devoured the cookies within fifteen seconds, since they were smaller.
“This kid... This idiot makes a huge fuss about the least important things!”
“But I was hungry!”
“DO YOU THINK THE LAW CARES?!”
“Uh, uh, uh...” Benjamin wasn’t sure how to react.
“Hmph. You, shut up about the law,” demanded Lucian.
“Ha. You? Telling me? To shut up about the law? Very funny,” replied Alex.
“I’d appreciate it if you would refrain from acting as though you were above it,” stated Al.
“I do what I want in this courtroom.”
“No don’t! No don’t!” Benjamin knew deep inside there was something he needed Alex to testify about. He had a feeling it would help the case, but he wasn’t sure how to say it. The words were feigning him, as with every other time he tried to speak.
“I’m pretty sure you can’t do what you want.”
“Who says so?”
“The judge himself. Get your mindset straight, Mr. McAire,” the judge commanded.
Benjamin had now figured out how to say what he wanted to say. “Umm, umm... Al Catraz.”
“Yes, Benji?”
“Mommy and Daddy.” Benjamin pointed to Alex. “Make talk about Mommy and Daddy.”
“They’re dead. It’s done. Even your messed-up imagination can’t do anything about it,” Alex tried to convince Benjamin. “Isn’t that right?”
Benjamin started to cry and clung to Al. “Al Catraz...”
“Look, Mr. McAire. I know you’re used to pushing people around to get what you want. In this case, you want the innocent you don’t deserve. But as of right now, the court has control, and you need to stop with this attitude.” Al was reminding himself of Mercedes this morning, which in turn reminded Benjamin of his own mom. That made him cry even harder.
Alex laughed. “Like I can understand you any better than the kid.” He took some time to let out a few snickers, before continuing on. “Quite a sad scene I see here, the two of you fighting so hard in vain for a manipulative brain-damaged seven-year old...”
As if he couldn’t already, Benjamin cried even harder. “Al Catraz, make stop! Make him stop! Please... It hurts...”
“The kid can feel hurt?”
Lucian wasn’t feeling too comfortable watching Alex insult Benjamin so badly. He simply walked out of the courtroom, presumably to calm down.
“God, Mr. McAire. Don’t you know when to stop? You can’t kill someone because you got fired, and you can’t keep insulting someone.”
“Where’s your proof I killed them? Doesn’t a lawyer speak with evidence, not words?”
Benjamin, breathing heavily, shouted at the top of his lungs. “MAKE. TESTIFY. ABOUT. MOMMY AND DADDY!!” He flung himself into Al and kept crying, who wrapped his arms around Benjamin. He couldn’t help but feel terrible for him.
“We’ve got all the evidence. We’re just holding our cards so you can’t see them,” replied Al. After saying it, he realized how much it sounded like something Lucian would say.
“Isn’t that something the dumb blonde would say?” From above in the gallery, Sakura hurled a small rock about the size of an orange at Alex’s head. It hit his arm and dropped in front of him onto the stand.
“What the hell... Huh. This rock actually isn’t too shabby. I think I’ll keep it.”
Al took the opportunity to shuffle away Benjamin from Alex. He was scared he would get hurt.
“Where going?”
“Away from Alex.”
“But where?” As Benjamin said that, Alex had just noticed the two were leaving.
“DON’T THINK YOU CAN RUN OFF AND GET AWAY WITH IT!” he shouted. Al and Benjamin ducked into a lawyers-only room, what seemed to be a past earthquake defence cellar.
“Where are? Where?”
“This is a lawyers only room. He can’t come in.”
“But... won’t listen, maybe.”
“Probably not.” Al locked the door to the room tightly. From inside the room, you could still clearly hear everyone inside the courtroom.
“Stupid freaking lawyers and their GODDAMN TRICKS!” exclaimed Alex with fury.
“Man, I hate this job sometimes...”
“Why hate, Al Catraz? Hate no good.”
“Well, I strongly dislike some of the people I have to work with.” Benjamin nodded at Al’s explanation. “Now, Benji. We’re not leaving until you feel like you’re ready or we have to go back to the defence’s bench.”
“(Tricks, you say? I can play tricky if you’d like...)” Lucian overheard Alex’s yelling and decided to go back into the courtroom, finding it odd that Al and Benjamin weren’t present. He looked in the gallery and noticed neither Sakura nor Mercedes were there. He figured Sakura had gotten in trouble for throwing a rock at Alex.
“Hey! Dumb blonde! What’cha got to say about this whole thing? The psycho and Mr. Timid ran off!”
“So they ran off. Who cares?” responded Lucian calmly. Getting angry at Alex wasn’t going to get him anywhere.
“They ran off somewhere! Go find ‘em!”
“Why, for you to yell at them again? That’s not a very nice thing to do, witness.”
Meanwhile, Benjamin heard what was going on and was frightened. “I-I’m s-s-scared. I’m really scared.” he whined.
“It’s alright, Benji. I’ve locked the door. If he tries to break in, he’ll be arrested,” reassured Al.
Back in the courtroom, Alex and Lucian continued to stand off.
“What would you know? You’re only a dumb blonde dressed for his own funeral!”
Lucian took a deep breath. “I can dye my hair, if you’d like. I’d love to see it a light green, maybe indigo.” He laughed off the insult.
“And you think you’re getting anywhere with that? GO FIND THE PSYCHO!”
“...I won’t. What are you going to do about it?”
Alex made a gun shape with his hand again, pointing it right at Lucian’s heart.
“If you want to see the kid, you can go find him yourself.”
“Me doing this might seem funny, but I don’t kid around. When I say something, I mean something.”
“Go ahead, then. Shoot. It’s not like you have anything you can shoot with, anyway.”
Benjamin got worried by this statement, and flustered, he got up and panicked. “NO! NO! LET OUT!” Benjamin tried to bust through the door, but to no avail.
“If you’re sure...” Al reluctantly unlocked the door, with Benjamin flying through the doorway and to Lucian, standing in front of him on the tips of his feet.
“SCARY TOQUE MAN! DON’T SHOOT MR. YELLOW HAIR!!”
“Coming from the psychotic killer...”
“The only psychotic killer here is you,” stated Al boldly.
The judge slammed his gavel multiple times as they spoke, driving them all to go back to their benches and stand.
“ORDER IN THE COURT! The defence has asked you to testify about the victims! You will do as such!”
Alex shrugged. “Fine, I’ll testify again. Doesn’t mean you’ll get anywhere.”
“(He’s testifying about Mommy and Daddy. I know I can find something wrong in this.)”
“Fine, I’ll tell you about the Cloviets.
“Mr. Cloviet was my boss; the owner of the company. He was a really nice man, but he was stubborn about how things were done and one mistake could get you fired.
“Mrs. Cloviet, on the other hand, was just a secretary. She only really gave important messages to my coworkers and I and talked about the kid. She obsessed over him, if you ask me.
“The kid is brain-damaged, though. I’ve seen him before at the offices and all he does is follow his parents like a lost puppy and ask for food! He’s a pig and a psycho.
“The business dinner had been planned out for a while, actually. It was to celebrate the one-year anniversary of Lumber Jack’s existence. Everyone with the company was invited, but a few people got fired and weren’t allowed to come.
“If you’re thinking there’s any sort of motive I have to kill them, you’re wrong. The kid has the motive. He wanted to kill his parents because of the mean things they always said behind his back! He wanted revenge and murder was the only way to get it!”
“The defence may cross-examine this witness,” announced the judge as he grinded his teeth.
“Objection, Your Honour,” Lucian said almost immediately.
“The prosecution objecting?”
“I’m scared...” whined Benjamin.
“The witness shall not use their testimony to attack the defendant’s character.” Lucian folded his arms, giving a sideways glance to Alex. “That is all.”
“I gave you the facts! It might seem like I’m attacking, but I’m not!”
“Well, testimonies are supposed to be neutral and unbiased,” remarked Al.
“I speak only the truth!”
“He says as he calls the defendant a pig and a psycho.”
“That’s what I heard the kid’s parents say, and that’s what I find to be true!”
Benjamin suddenly stopped crying, staring Al in the eyes. “Did Mommy and Daddy really say bad things that? Did they say things not me to hear?” he whispered to Al.
“He’s saying that to make you feel worse. It’s not true at all.”
“You can’t deny the facts, can you, kid?”
“The answer to that lies in the cross-examination.”
“Very well. It’s up to you, Mr. Catraz.”
“Go for it, Mr. Umbra.”
Benjamin wasn’t quite sure why Al had said for Lucian to do cross-examination.
“Al Catraz?”
“Yes?”
“Why make Mr. Yellow Hair cross-thingy?”
“I can’t see anything through the bias.”
“Go for it? Aren’t you the one supposed to be cross-examining the witness?”
“Hey, you know who the guilty man is. I’m not opposed to your help.”
Benjamin suddenly saw a contradiction--one he should have known a long time ago if he hadn’t been crying or thinking about food--and he knew it would help, even if it had already been stated. “Nuhh... Unngh... Take! Take that!” He started rifling through Al’s suitcase for the evidence piece he needed.
“What is it, Benji?”
“And the idiot’s gonna prove something in his messed-up little mind. Isn’t gonna prove anything in real life, though,” affronted Alex.
Benjamin found the formal letter found from yesterday and stood on the box the court had given him so he could see above the bench, waving it frantically.
“Motive. Letter is motive. Wanted kill Mommy and Daddy because of letter and fire.” He put the letter back into Al’s suitcase and looked for the firearms receipt, finding it and also waving it wildly atop the box. “Proof you bought gun shoot Mommy and Daddy.” Benjamin gazed at Alex, seeing if he could find any contradictions on Alex himself, noticing he wore gloves that seemed to have ketchup stains as well. However, Benjamin knew exactly what this was. “Look at hands. Gloves with blood!”
“Like the gloves have anything to do with this? What does a brain-damaged psychotic pig like you know?” Alex asked, pointing to Benjamin.
“Well, gloves don’t leave fingerprints,” answered Al.
“Exactly. That’s why I...” Alex stopped himself.
Benjamin felt himself having another tug-of-war for his self-esteem again. He felt so terrible being called all these names, but couldn’t help but think they were fact. “I am fine. Normal. Normal. I’m fine...” Was he really just an idiotic, psychotic food hog? Benjamin didn’t want to think this, but he felt it was true thanks to the never-ending insults from Alex.
“You are perfect just the way you are,” consoled Al. “People like you for who you are.”
“But... what if not perfect? What if just... what scary toque man say? What if Mommy and Daddy felt same way?”
“Benjamin, they loved you so much. I’m sure they’re here right now. They loved every little thing about you, no matter what this witness or ANYONE says.”
Benjamin buried himself into Al again, crying awfully hard. Al hoped he’d made Benjamin feel at least a little bit better, but he wasn’t quite sure. After about two minutes of solid crying, Benjamin stopped slowly and started to breathe heavily.
“I have an idea,” he whispered. “I know what to do.” He communicated the idea to Al the best he could, who responded with a nod and looked forward upon the courtroom.
“I look in eyes, and I can read minds... I can see the secrets, locked away...” Benjamin whispered.
“If you can try, go for it,” responded Al with a grin on his face.
“Scary toque man, staring contest.”
“What the hell does this have to do with anything?”
“Staring contest!”
“Only if you can prove it has or will have any relevance to the court,” Alex joked.
“It will, but only if you participate,” insisted Al.
“Fine. I’ll do it. Not like he’ll get anywhere though.”
Benjamin and Alex leaned on their respective benches, staring each other deeply into their minds. Benjamin fought to keep his eyes open as he searched through Alex’s memories, probing through every one he could find until he found the right ones. Reading and watching all the information from there, tears started to well up in Benjamin’s eyes. He struggled to keep his eyes fully open, for blinking would make him lose everything--even the case. When he got all the information he needed, he then decided to blink, giving Alex an opening for an insult.
“Ha! He even LOST! What an idiot,” shouted Alex.
Benjamin shook his head. “I... Non. Pas du tout. En fait, tu perds!”
“What the hell is this kid saying?”
“Alex, he means this: No. Not at all. In fact, you lose!” translated Al.
“And how do I lose, huh? Tell me.”
“Saw everything. Saw what you know, saw memories. I saw letter, Daddy, and anger. I saw not understanding, business dinner flyer, idea. I saw theft, axe, car. Driving to my home, leaving axe there. I saw dinner, me missing Pedro, going out front door. Then I went in... and YOU! You went in, angry, swung at Daddy. Yeah, you! Outta my way! I’ve things to... reclaim here! Daddy falls. Mommy screams. You hit her head. I see me, gun, back to wall... I see orange girl walk by, wanting burgers. Scared, you shoot. You hurt me. Shoot Daddy again as he says my name. Trench man comes in. You grab axe stick and hit him. Trench man falls. You drop axe and run off...”
“(His power... It’s incredible...)” thought Al in awe.
“...And that’s where ends.”
“The kid said lies! All lies!” pleaded Alex, his eyes wide. He looked like he’d been sweating a lot.
“It’s more believable than someone shooting a gun that you bought through the window,” responded Al.
“I do not believe he’s fibbing, Mr. McAire. Your eyes widened and you broke into a heavy sweat,” the judge replied.
“I... I...” Alex calmed down, having been about to yell. “Yes... That’s why...” He started to smirk uncontrollably, shoving his hands into his hoodie pockets. Then he pulled out his hands...
In his hands were two pistols. He fired.
One bullet hit Lucian in the torso area. The other hit Benjamin’s right shoulder.
“AIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!” screeched Benjamin at the top of his lungs. He clutched his arm and slumped to the floor, crying heavily.
“BENJAMIN!!” Al slammed his fists onto the defence’s bench, horrified.
“HELP...”
“That’s enough to arrest you,” yelled Al at Alex.
“PLEASE...”
All pulled his cellphone out of his suit pocket and frantically called 911, leaving the phone on the defence’s bench to catch any of the conversation following. “Lamina Courtroom number two... a child and the prosecutor were shot,” he whispered.
“I locked the door when you came back in. No one’s gettin’ out alive today,” said Alex, still smirking.
“Well... too bad.”
“YOU... YOU SAID WOULD PROTECT...” Benjamin was breathing heavily, fighting for consciousness. He was starting to feel light-headed, and his fall on the ground caused his other shot wound to start bleeding heavily again, leaking past the tensor.
“I’m going to get everyone out of here whether you like it or not, McAire,” stated Al bravely. His voice was getting shaky. He wasn’t sure whether he could actually save Benjamin’s life. Lucian, on the other hand, simply stood frozen at his bench. The bullet hadn’t seemed to affect him at all. Al wasn’t sure whether to think he was dead or not. However, Lucian seemed to be breathing, which was a good sign.
“Not on my watch,” threatened Alex. He took the gun he’d shot Benjamin with and aimed at Al, shooting him close to the right shoulder.
“AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!” Al leaned on the defence’s bench, blood spilling out onto the benchtop. Lucian sighed. He was quite frightened on the inside. He’d just seen the defence and its co-counsel get shot, ready to die. He was panicking and not sure what to do, but on the outside, he seemed unchanged by the gunshots. It was part of Lucian’s nature, after all. At that moment, Alex shot at Lucian again, this time going into his right arm and stopping. Lucian sighed again, terrified, pulled out his own pistol from his belt, and shot Alex in the chest.
“...” Alex fell to the ground without a word.
“Maybe that was a good idea...” muttered Lucian.
“YOU SAID... YOU SAID YOU WOULD PROTECT ME... AL CATRAZ...”
“Benjamin Cloviet, I fully intend to keep up that promise.” Thinking quickly, Al took the axe from the evidence and started chopping away at the door, cutting through the wood.
“YOU... you didn’t... You said you would protect me... Al?” Benjamin’s eyes fluttered, his eyes seeming to gaze off into space. His breathing slowed down rapidly, losing blood at a breakneck pace. “Someone... please help...”
Al turned to the judge. “Judge... you’re fine. Do something...”
Benjamin’s eyes were now completely closed, his mouth resuming a neutral position. Tears stopped coming from his eyes. It looked like Benjamin had finally reached peace. Al rushed to pick up Benjamin’s lifeless body, Lucian running over to support him.
“Hold on tight, Benji...” whispered Al.
April 29, 2008 4:24 pm
Courtroom Lobby #2
Al and Lucian watched closely as Benjamin was placed onto a stretcher. New tensor bandages and temporary stitches were applied onto his arms, a breathing aid equipped to Benjamin’s mouth. The two both worried for his safety, Al feeling like he really had failed to protect Benjamin from the likes of Alex. He hadn’t expected him to open fire like that. Benjamin started breathing again, his eyes still closed. He tried to speak, but to no avail, so he moved the breathing device from his mouth and spoke.
“Mommy... Daddy... Al...? Someone...?” He opened his eyes and rubbed them, glad to see Al and Lucian standing over him. Having that be the first thing he saw made him a bit happier.
“Mr. Yellow Hair! Al Catraz!”
“...Thank god.” Lucian was to the right of Benjamin, leaning on the stretcher.
“He’s awake,” said Al. He turned his attention to Benjamin. “Thank god. I was so worried about you!”
“Looks like the kid isn’t dead, Catraz.”
Benjamin tried to get up to hug the two, but noticed the burning pain in his arms, collapsing back down.
“Don’t move,” suggested Lucian. Benjamin made himself comfortable, trying to adjust the blanket laying over him, but seeing as he needed help, Al did that for him. He also took the pillow Benjamin’s head rested on and punched it a few times, making it fluffier and therefore more comfortable.
“I didn’t think that was going to happen. The police didn’t check him?”
“We’ve fired the two just now,” stated the police chief. “Immediate without pay.”
“Mr. Yellow Hair, your arm...” Benjamin tried to point to Lucian’s arm.
“Hmph. Someone shot more than once takes priority.”
“But you shot twice!”
“No, Benji, the other way. You were shot twice.”
“But Yellow Hair was too!”
Al reached for his cellphone from his suit pocket, dialing Mercedes’s phone number. The phone rang a few times before she picked up.
“Hello? Hey Mercedes... yeah, it’s Al... I suppose you heard what happened? Okay... Get over here as soon as possible. Bring Sakura. Bye.” Al locked his phone and put it into his suit pocket again. He waited for Lucian and Benjamin to finish their conversation before jumping in.
“Only one hit my arm,” said Lucian.
“But... the other?”
“If only they made bulletproof sleeves.” Lucian smiled. “I’ll be fine.”
“But...” Benjamin smiled as well. Lucian seemed to be okay, and Benjamin seemed to understand that.
“Are you saying you had the foresight to bring a bulletproof vest?” asked Al.
“No, of course not. Grace did,” replied Lucian. He seemed to have a lighter look on his face when he mentioned her.
“Right, Miss Yellow Hair! Tell her say hi!”
“Of course, kid.”
Benjamin suddenly flinched, moaning a little bit in pain. “It hurts.” This reminded Al that he needed to tell Benjamin his friends were coming.
“Right. Benji, Mercedes and Sakura are on their way,” he said.
“Thank you. You and you.” Benjamin tried to point at both Al and Lucian, but his arms kept burning up, stinging, and aching when he tried to move them, so he stopped. He figured the two would have an idea of what he meant, anyway.
“I’m just happy you’re okay,” smiled Al.
“What about you?” Benjamin’s eyes suddenly widened, going into a frenzied panic. The shooting had made him forget about Pedro. “Where Pedro?!”
“I think he’s still in the evidence,” responded Al.
“Can’t get?!” Benjamin started worrying and starting making irritated whines.
“I’ll go run and find him before it’s all filed away,” Al promised. He ran out, stumbling a little from the injury by his shoulder. The blood loss had messed with his head a little, and running around after losing so much blood wasn’t exactly the smartest thing to do.
“...” Benjamin looked up at Lucian. “You not mean. You are good man, like Al Catraz.”
Sakura and Mercedes ran into the room at that moment. Sakura was crying heavily and running with her face in her hands, and Mercedes wasn’t crying but seemed traumatized. The case must have been televised.
“BENJI!! ARE YOU OKAY?!” she shouted. She kept crying, throwing herself into Benjamin, who flinched because of his arms.
“Yes, Sakura... Al Catraz and Mr. Yellow Hair saved life.”
“I’m just so glad you’re okay oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh!”
“I’m just so glad to see you’re alright, Benji.” Mercedes started to think about the family who left him behind. Where would he go after his recovery? The Cloviets’ home was being put up for sale, after all. Mercedes was glad Al had found Pedro beforehand, for the belongings in the house were being thrown away. She started to think about things she could possibly do for Benjamin, before her mind quickly sidetracked to the space in Sakura’s bedroom for an extra bed. She smiled at the thought of it, but she wondered if she was making the right choice. How would Mr. Anaman feel? He was normally on business trips and barely came home. It was almost like he wasn’t there. However, Mercedes was sure he’d approve of the choice she was going to make.
“Mrs. Mercedes?” asked Benjamin.
“(I’m doing it. This is what his parents would have wanted.) Benji, where will you go when you’re done recovering?”
“Umm... I not know.” Tears welled up in Benjamin’s eyes again.
“Well, where would you want to go?”
“Home. I want to see Mommy and Daddy, but...” Benjamin started to cry a little. “I can’t.”
“Where would you call home?” Mercedes wasn’t getting anywhere, a fact confirmed by Benjamin getting distracted by Lucian’s reappearance in the lobby.
“Mr. Yellow Hair, you are good man. Saved life again,” he thanked.
“...I prosecute not to find the innocent guilty.”
“But then how that work? Sakura told different. Don’t other lawyer men make point prove guilty?”
“The darling doesn’t quite understand what prosecuting is about,” Lucian explained. He looked over at Sakura, waiting for a response.
“So I didn’t know! I know now!”
“Yeah. But that’s because you always have to doubt to believe.”
“Doubt to believe?” asked Benjamin.
“Once you realize there’s absolutely no way they did it, then you can believe your hardest.”
Benjamin smiled again through the tears caused by his arms and missing home. “Thank you.” He started to think hard, as if he had something to say but forgot it. “Scary toque man... what happened him? Alive still or dead?”
“I don’t quite know. I know I did aim for the heart, though.”
“You tried to kill a guy?!” exclaimed Sakura in disbelief. “Next thing you know we’ll be defending YOU!”
“I tried to kill someone who wanted all of us DEAD, darling. It was him or us,” reasoned Lucian.
“That guy wanted you guys dead? What caused them to think that?” asked Sakura. She couldn’t believe someone wanted Al and Benjamin dead, but the case was televised, so she heard all the insults aimed at Benjamin. She was kind of glad Alex got shot.
“The ones on Death’s Row panic. I’ve seen it happen before. Just not two shots aimed at me.”
“Death’s Row panic?” Benjamin hadn’t heard the term before.
“Being on Death’s Row means you’re about to die. You know what the sentence for murder is in Edict, don’t you?”
Benjamin shook his head as if to say no. “Not from Edict,” he replied.
“...You’ll be killed.” Benjamin’s eyes widened. If Al had lost the case, would Benjamin really have been killed himself? Part of him wanted to see Mommy and Daddy again, but part of him was scared to die. “The law is all kinds of crazy.”
“Why did he want shoot me? Why did he want kill me? Why me?”
“He’d rather have you dead than himself.”
“But this Lamina, not Edict. Is it same punish?”
“Most likely.”
Benjamin hung his head low, if he could even call it that. He was still lying down on the bed in pain from the gunshots. Falling on his left arm in the courtroom made it feel as if it’d been shot again. “But if killed me... he be caught better.”
“He wanted to make sure the one he framed was killed, even if he ended up having to die with you.” A smile broke onto Lucian’s face. “Wouldn’t be able to torment you from Hell, anyways.” Benjamin’s eyes welled up with tears again, giving Lucian a half-smile back. Thoughts about home still plagued him, however.
“But now have no home. Where do I go?” asked Benjamin. The smile on his face disappeared.
“Right, they’re putting your house on the market,” remarked Sakura.
“I’m pretty sure you’ll be able to find something. Something that might include these darlings.” Lucian said knowingly, as if he knew what Mercedes’s plans were. “But I’ll leave them to decide.”
“But how long soon? What if end up no home for while? What if no one there me?” Benjamin sat up, enduring greats amounts of pain as he lifted himself up. “I’m scared...” Tears fell from his eyes slowly, leaving an obvious trail on his face. He’d been crying so much the tear path was irritating his skin.
“There’s no need to feel fear, Benji. If things go the way I want them to, you’ll be an Anaman by your birthday,” calmed Mercedes. She smiled empathetically. Benjamin seemed to have an idea of what she meant.
“But if last name still want be Cloviet?”
“Your last name won’t change. I’ll just be... well, our home would become yours.”
“A-Adoption?”
“Yes, adoption. That’s how I’d like it to be.”
Benjamin couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Thank you!!” He tried to hug Mercedes but only ended up hurting himself, so she helped make him comfortable again before hugging him. Al walked back in holding Pedro, handing him to Benjamin.
“Hi, Al Catraz!”
“Hi Benji! Here, I brought you Pedro.” He gave the stuffed husky to Benjamin, who tried to hug it tightly but couldn’t.
“Pedro!” He tried to hug it again, but his arms started to burn, so he relaxed and settled for keeping it in his left hand.
“Everyone’s smiling. Did I miss something?” asked Al, curious.
“I’m gonna have a brother soon! Mom’s gonna adopt Benji!” announced Sakura excitedly. She jumped around in place and squealed. Benjamin smiled very widely
“Oh wow! Congratulations!” Al felt happy for the Anamans, but he couldn’t help but think about his own family, too. Since his parents died when he was very young, Al had been in foster care with another family. He never liked to talk about them, but the most he’d say was that he didn’t like them.
“Oh, Mercedes...” started Al.
“Yes, Al?” replied Mercedes.
“Do you know if there’s a cheap apartment room or something I could get in Nookville?”
“Jeez... even apartments have sky-high price tags. Don’t you have a family to go home to?”
“Not one I want to, no.” Al shook his head and adjusted his hat so the rim went over his eyes slightly.
“Why not want family?” asked Benjamin. His family had just been taken from him, so he thought it was strange for Al to not WANT his family. He thought everyone lived happy lives on the other side of the rainbow.
“I’ll explain later,” replied Al quickly.
Mercedes thought to herself again. The guest room had been empty for a while, longing for a visitor to stay. Since the room was free and she didn’t see anyone else using the room for a while, Mercedes decided she could give it to Al.
“Well, we’ve still got the guest room, but I don’t think it’ll be a guest room for much longer.” She smiled at Al.
“What do you mean?”
“Al Catraz become big brother?” asked Benjamin excitedly. He’d bonded a lot with Al, and it wasn’t something he wanted to lose. He was one of the only friends Benjamin had, the others being Sakura and Pedro, who only existed in Benjamin’s mind as a living entity--an imaginary friend.
“He’ll be staying with us, if he wants to.”
“I’d be glad to stay with you, Mercedes. Thank you for your hospitality,” accepted Al graciously. He felt like a million pounds were lifted from his shoulders, now that he knew he didn’t have to go back to his current home. He wasn’t even sure if they knew he’d left, or cared.
“It’s only right of me, Al. We owe you so much for your help. Thank you.”
“So when we go home?” asked Benjamin. His arms still hurt, but he anxiously awaited going back to the Anaman residence.
“I don’t think you’ll be going home for a while, Benji. They still have to treat you at the hospital.” Benjamin’s excited demeanor faded. “I think the medical staff will be taking you soon.”
“(Huh. I should probably just get back to the office...)” thought Lucian. Benjamin noticed his presence, as did Al.
“Hey Lucian. Thanks for your help,” said Al.
“I just did what I could. You’re welcome, I guess,” replied Lucian. He didn’t think much of what he did to help the case.
“Mr. Yellow Hair, do you have family?” asked Benjamin.
“I do, but I usually just end up sleeping in my office.”
Benjamin was surprised. First, Al didn’t want to go back to his family, but now, he finds Lucian doesn’t want to as well? “Why, Mr. Yellow Hair? Why not go home?”
“Maybe it’s hard for him to talk about, Benji. You shouldn’t ask things like that,” scolded Mercedes.
“But should have family. One day, family will gone, and be sad.”
“Not everyone thinks the same things you do. You should leave it be.”
“Fine.”
Al jumped in with a question of his own. “Which one of us, if any, should stay with Benji while he’s at the hospital?”
Mercedes looked surprised for a moment. “I never thought of that,” she admitted.
“Mrs. Mercedes, how not think that?”
“Sometimes, in the heat of the moment, things slip your mind,” explained Al to Benjamin.
“Al, were you thinking of going with Benji?”
“Yes, I want to go to the hospital with him.”
Lucian decided to answer Benjamin’s question at that moment. “It’s not really like I don’t want to go home, or that I don’t have family. It takes work to pass the bar test with flying colours at seventeen.”
Benjamin nodded. “How long you be other lawyer?”
“Hmm?” Lucian had a hard time wrapping his head around Benjamin’s strange speech. It almost annoyed him that he couldn’t talk normally.
“He’s asking how long you’ve been a prosecutor,” replied Sakura. She seemed to understand what Benjamin was saying faster than anyone else, let alone understand in the first place. The only other people who could do this were Mercedes, a lifelong friend of the Cloviets’, and Al, who had only known Benjamin for three days.
“It hasn’t been that long, maybe ten months,” he answered.
“Wow! Long time!” exclaimed Benjamin.
“Not really. There’ll probably be people that’ll prosecute for thirty.”
“Sounds interesting. I wonder if they’ve ever lost a case,” wondered Sakura.
“A regular prosecutor would. This guy, though, there are some reports of forging going on. The PIC should take care of that.”
“I KNEW it! Some prosecutors DO forge!”
“Only the bad ones,” reminded Al.
“Yeah, and the ones on TV!”
“Slow down there, darling,” said Lucian, sighing and waggling his finger.
“What do you mean?”
“They’re only rumours.”
“Pfft. I guess we’ll have to find evidence, then!”
“I wouldn’t think a seven-year old girl would be able to investigate that.”
“Evidence can be hard to find if people know what they’re doing,” stated Al.
“I’d let someone like Chief Prosecutor Debeste handle it. The PIC at least know what they’re doing.”
“Sebastian Debeste? I think I’ve heard that name before...” said Sakura.
“...Sebastian? I don’t know a Sebastian Debeste.”
“Oh, maybe I heard the name wrong then.”
“Darling, I don’t know if you’ve heard of Chief Prosecutor Blaise Debeste.”
“No, I haven’t heard of him.”
“You’ll learn about him later, I’m sure.” Lucian paused for a moment. “That is, if you’re thinking of being a prosecutor.”
“I’m too young to be thinking of that!” yelled Sakura. When their conversation finished, two nurses came over to the stretcher. Benjamin seemed unsure at first, but he later understood what was happening and was okay with it.
“Benjamin Cloviet? The ambulance is ready for you,” said the nurse in a calm, soothing tone.
“Okay!”
“I’ll see you soon,” promised Al.
“Bye, Al Catraz! Bye, Mr. Yellow Hair!” exclaimed Benjamin happily. Lucian and Al both waved back with a wide smile, Benjamin doing the same.
“I guess we should get going then,” decided Mercedes. “It might be a few hours before you can see him, but I should at least drop you off, Al.” Mercedes looked to Lucian, who seemed pretty alone. “Are you needing a ride to the train station, Mr. Umbra?”
Lucian noticed and looked back at her. “Oh, I’ll be fine. Thank you, though.”
“Are you sure? The taxis get pretty costly, especially all the way to Tortimer Island.”
“I... guess I’ll come with you, if you have room.”
“We always have room for people in need!”
“Let’s leave then, Mom. Al, make sure to tell Benji I say hi!”
“Of course.”
The four started to walk outside towards the parking lot where Mercedes had parked. Lucian smirked as he slipped on his sunglasses and walked next to Sakura, who was in turn walking next to Al.
“Why do you always have your sunglasses on?” asked Sakura.
Lucian smirked even more. “The sun bothers me, not to mention I have to look cool,” he answered. Sakura made a small giggle and she got into the back of the Ford Focus next to Lucian, Al taking the passenger seat. Mercedes revved the engine and backed up safely but quickly, driving off onto the highway towards the Lamina Children’s Hospital. The drive there was quite scenic, with many trees and winding roads along the way. Everyone inside the car was all thinking their own thing- -Al about the case, Sakura about Benjamin, Lucian about Grace and the offices, Mercedes about the road ahead of her. The heroes eventually reached the hospital, letting Al out by the emergency room with a smile and wave. He waved back as the Ford Focus containing our heroes drove onto the highway again and sped off towards Tortimer Island. Sakura had a question she felt was necessary to ask.
“Mr. Umbra... why did you take Benji’s case?”
Lucian knew the answer right off the bat. “New defence attorney.”
“Just for that reason?”
“I don’t trust their cases against any other prosecutor. The others might forge,” he explained.
“So I was kind of right?”
“In a sense.”
“I had no idea that’s why you took the case. Thank you.”
The remaining heroes were not fast approaching the entrance to the train station, now inside the parking lot. Mercedes slowed down and carefully maneuvered her way around the other parked cars, noticing the spot where she had picked up Al was open. She pulled into this spot, which was in front of the doors, and parked so Lucian could exit safely. These three days weren’t days any of our heroes would soon forget, even if they were never to meet again. Sakura had made friends on this incredible journey.
“See you again... and may it be a good one,” she said with a smile. Tears welled up in her eyes a little, but she wasn’t ready to cry.
“...See you again, Darling.”
Al Catraz: Defence Attorney
Turnabout Timber
To be continued...
For those who aren't on PokéBeach or want to read the story on-the-go, here's a PDF!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0UygpSOwUwqbzM1SGw0OVVjc3M/view?usp=sharing
Hello there, PokéBeach! My name's [], a boy who loves writing Nintendo fan-fiction stories and playing Pokémon TCG as part of the Play! Pokémon community. Me and two friends– @thegrovylekid (credited as ThatPichuKid) and @ExcalAura4D –decided a while back to start writing our own Ace Attorney cases, complete with brand-new OCs created for the stories. We started this project around one month ago and I'm glad to say that Turnabout Timber has finally been finished and is available to the public in a PDF format!
The premise of Turnabout Timber is this. On April 26, 2008, at around 9:45 pm, William and Emma Cloviet are killed during a business dinner hosted at their home. The causes of death were slash wounds caused by an axe, with William having been shot as well. The prime suspect? Benjamin Cloviet, their seven-year old autistic son. The day after the murders, a close friend of the Cloviets calls new defence attorney Allen Catraz and asks for him to take Benjamin's case, where our hero travels from Edict to Tortimer Island, Lamina to prove the young boy innocent...
Please, don't be afraid to talk to me about the stories and characters! I love to talk about them and the universe in which they live. It's something I'm really passionate about, so I'd love to hear your thoughts on Turnabout Timber! There WILL be other cases, too, which are currently being written, so I'll let you know when those go up, too!
...Oh yeah, tell me about errors or typos I've made, please. That would be nice.
Thanks, from []
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