Morix: Web of Mistrust

Turnabout Deception, Part 4

Judge Frost took a moment to think to himself before he let out a small gasp. "Preventing what happened would have been his job," he realized. "And you think that led him to this crime?"

"I do. If he thought that the victim was going to get violent, then he would have lashed out to protect his employer. He would have gotten in a lot of trouble and feel rather guilty if his companion was hurt in a potential attack, so he lashed out in order to keep him safe," I explained. "However, as far as we can tell, there were no signs that the victim was going to be violent. She simply gathered her things and went to leave when an argument began between her and the defendant, meaning there were no indications that a fight was going to start. That's why he wanted to hide the truth from us. If he confessed to it, the crime likely would not have been seen as justified since nobody actually got violent until he appeared."

"That makes sense," Prosecutor Shield nodded. "He was clearly at the scene of the crime, and by lying and claiming that he wasn't there, then he was hoping that we wouldn't pick up on that major detail... I believe that this is rather plausible, and we should certainly consider this as a possibility regarding how the crime took place."

"You're all jumping to conclusions. You have no evidence to show that I was present at the time of the crime. Someone could have snuck into the building while I was on off duty, and they could have easily committed this crime," Mr. Lent exclaimed, his hands clenched tightly into fists. "I want you to stop accusing me when you have no real proof that I was the one who did it."

"We can surely prove that you were the one who attacked the victim though, which would show that you were at the scene of the crime when the assault took place," I declared. "The defense would like to request to hear the testimony of the victim one more time. There's something else that I would like to ask her."

"She should be resting out in the defendant lobby right now. It should be very easy to call her in and hear her testimony once again," Prosecutor Shield pointed out. "Why don't we go on and summon her back to the witness stand? I'm curious to hear what the defense believes will lead us to the truth behind this case."

"I have one important question to ask her, and I think that will lead us to the truth behind this case," I said, looking up to Judge Frost. "Do we have your permission to call her to the stand once again?"

"No!" Mr. Lent roared. "You're jumping to conclusions, and it isn't going to work out in your favor in the slightest. I don't understand how you can go about your business this way, claiming that an innocent person is guilty of a crime without any sort of burden on your conscience. I didn't attack the victim, and there's nothing you can say or do to dispute that undeniable truth. Quit accusing me already."

"There's one question that we can ask the victim that could very easily lead us to the truth. Are you asking that we obscure the truth from the world by allowing this chance to pass us by?" Chrysalis asked, her expression neutral as she looked at Mr. Lent. It was probably the calmest she had ever looked in Mr. Lent's direction, but it was clear that her voice was dripping with condescension. I was sure that he deserved it given what we had figured out about him already, so I did nothing to stop her. 

Mr. Lent frowned and shook his head. "You're making a huge mistake," he grumbled. "I'm out of here. Ask her whatever your damn question is. I doubt it will get you far in the slightest, but it wouldn't hurt to try, if that's what you're about."

"Please step down from the witness stand, and do your best to avoid the outbursts of attitude in the future," Judge Frost told him sternly, a heavy frown on his face. He shook his head before turning to the prosecution. "Please summon the victim at once so that we can speak with her."

Mr. Lent shuffled away from the witness stand, clearly not at all satisfied with the turn that this was taking. Anton dashed away from the prosecution bench before leaving the courtroom. I watched the door for a moment, waiting for him to reappear with Polly.