Morix: Web of Mistrust

Turnabout Deception, Part 1

The gavel slammed down against the podium, and I jumped slightly, frowning bitterly at the weakness I had been forced to show for that brief moment. I didn't look over to Mr. Strann to see if he had noticed, not in the mood to give him the time of day as I stared up at the judge. 

Judge Ervan Frost was the one presiding over this case, and he held his gavel in one hand. He passed it back and forth between his fingers before setting it down no long afterwards when he realized he had the attention of everyone in the courtroom. "Court is now in session for the trial of Collack Strann," he declared, glancing around at the people sitting in the gallery before setting his attention on me and Cotoli. "Are the defense and prosecution ready?"

Cotoli nodded firmly. He didn't look my direction, likely knowing that I was just as prepared as he was without needing confirmation. "The defense is ready," he declared, his hand resting on the bench before him. He seemed oddly calm, though I knew there was more rage and hate than he could ever hope to describe bubbling beneath the surface. He wanted to find the truth behind who had attacked Polly more than anything, and this trial was only means to reach that end to him. It was hard to be overly passionate given how emotionally burned out he was, and I couldn't blame him for being upset about all that had taken place. 

I looked over to the other end of the courtroom soon after, seeing Prosecutor Shield standing next to Anton just as I had suspected. Anton seemed oddly calm next to him, something that I never would have anticipated given how terrifying Prosecutor Shield is at a first glance. I've heard from Lily that he's really a softie deep down, and I guess that Anton has picked up on that as well. He's more perceptive than you would expect at first. 

"The prosecution is also ready," Prosecutor Shield replied. There was a fire in his eyes that I had seen before, and I could tell that he was just as eager to find the truth behind the attack on Polly as the rest of us were. He often wore a mask that made it seem like he didn't care about most things, but he was much kinder than he let on. He cared about Polly as well, it seemed, and he was going to do what he could to make sure that everything was revealed about what happened to her. 

"Prosecutor Shield, please give your opening statement to the court," Judge Frost said, looking to Prosecutor Shield with an expectant gaze. 

I clenched my fingers into a tight fist, ready to hear whatever it was that was coming next. We still didn't know that much about this case, so this opening statement was going to wind up being one of the most important parts about the trial for us. I don't think I could ever begin to say how much I hated the legal system for giving us so little time that we weren't able to investigate.

"The crime took place at the Strann residence," Prosecutor Shield began. "The defendant, Collack Strann, invited the victim over to his house to share a conversation with her about some unknown topic. They spoke for quite some time, but their conversation didn't end well. The victim, Polly Burke, was hit on the back of the head. She was concussed by the blow and fell unconscious. The police were called by the defendant, and when they investigated the scene, they found that Collack Strann himself was the most suspicious person there. He was pinned as a suspect for the case and arrested soon after."

"I wonder what they were talking about," I murmured, placing one hand on my chin as I thought. I wasn't sure if we were going to get the answer until Polly got the chance to testify for herself, but I could wonder until then. It wouldn't hurt, right?

"I can't imagine that they're going to hold out on us entirely, so she'll probably testify a bit later in the trial about what happened... If there aren't any witnesses, perhaps Mr. Strann himself will take to the stand as well," Cotoli whispered to me. 

"I wish that he hadn't asked us about the Oracle project while we were out in the lobby. It would have been much better if we could have heard details about the case rather than just him blabbing on about how curious he is about that damn spy," I grumbled with a roll of my eyes. I was used to seeming like I hated the Oracle of the Law to throw people off my trail, and I shot Mr. Strann a glare out of the corner of my eye. He hadn't heard us talking, but I still wanted him to know that something about him bothered me.