Morix: Web of Mistrust

Turnabout Deception, Part 4

"I believe that it's rather clear at this point who committed this crime. It was the witness, believing that the victim was a violent person, who lashed out. He tried to cover it up and hide the truth behind who committed the crime, blaming it on a fourth person who does not exist," I frowned. "He didn't try to accuse the defendant because Mr. Strann was the one who hired him in the first place, and he didn't want to break his laws of loyalty, it seemed."

"He was willing to put his pride on the line for the sake of keeping him from being accused, but he still didn't own up to his crime. If he said from the start why he committed the crime, maybe it wouldn't have had to be like this," Prosecutor Shield remarked. 

"Actually, I believe it would have wound up like this regardless," I said. "Even if he had confessed to his crimes, the fact remains that there was no physical violence leading up to the attack. He simply lashed out because he suspected something would happen, but nobody had been hurt at that point. Since there was no harm done at the time that he attacked, then he would have found himself in trouble regardless. He attacked somebody who had not provoked him, and that is a crime."

"It can't be called justified self-defense, in other words," Prosecutor Shield murmured. "I believe that this explanation of the case makes sense. It's easy to see why this conclusion can be made, and I don't see any other possibilities regarding who could have committed this crime. He attacked the victim because he thought she would be violent, but he had no evidence to back up such a claim. He attacked her over an argument that never got to the physical stage."

"Also, I want to say that there were no other weapons found at the scene of the crime. There was only the vase as far as we are aware, so even if she did lash out, she wouldn't have had anything to attack with, and in case you haven't already noticed, she isn't exactly strong enough to fend off the defendant, much less the witness on top of that," I said next. "She didn't lash out in the first place, and she had no weapon to fight with. The defendant bears no bruises from attacks. It seems rather clear to me, and I'm sure that you all have come to this conclusion just as I have. The culprit is none other than Jeff Lent!"

The gallery burst into chatter once again, and I looked over to Chrysalis. She knew just as well as I did that nobody was going to be believing him anymore. There was no way for him to weasel his way out of this one. The gallery thought that he had committed the crime, and there was a clear outline of the case that showed he was the culprit. He had no options aside from confessing at this point. He had no ways of getting out of this now. 

Judge Frost picked up his gavel and slammed it down once again. It took a while for everyone to calm down, but once the voices all fell silent, Judge Frost looked to me and Chrysalis with an intense gaze. He knew just as well as I did who had committed this crime, and I didn't think there was anything that could be said that could change his mind at this point. The truth was clear as day, and all we needed at this point was a confession from Mr. Lent to seal the deal once and for all. 

"I think there's only one question that remains at this point," Judge Frost commented once he was in control of the courtroom once again. "Mr. Lent. How do you respond to this accusation? Unprovoked assault is a heavy crime, and you have one last chance to defend yourself and come up with an alibi."

"Remember that we will not tolerate any other lies of yours. You have already lied enough to this court today when you claimed that you did not commit this crime. You have openly tried to obstruct the truth from the court here today, and that is a crime that cannot be denied. Even if the attack took place under the terms of self-defense, hiding the truth is a heavy crime," Prosecutor Shield cut in. 

"There's nothing that he can say at this point that will get him out of this mess. The court isn't going to listen to the defendant until after he's proven not guilty, even if we all know the truth behind this case. He can't rely on the one who hired him to defend him anymore. Even if Mr. Strann did say that Mr. Lent didn't do it, he would get in trouble for obstructing justice," Chrysalis whispered. "I can tell that the end is coming soon. In fact, I believe that everyone can feel it. He's not talking now, so maybe he's trying to prolong his safety for as long as possible."

I looked to Mr. Lent, crossing my arms over my chest. Even if he wasn't talking, it was clear as could be that he was stressed. Sweat was forming on his brow, and a heavy frown was on his face. His hands were clenched into fists, and I worried that he would break skin if he held that position for any longer. 

Nobody said anything for the next few moments, and the seconds seemed to crawl on for years. We all stared at Mr. Lent, waiting for him to offer a response to the accusation, though he didn't seem to be eager to do so. I understood why he didn't want to say anything, but he was only making this harder on himself. Remaining silent wasn't going to help him out of this situation. 

The air grew thicker and heavier the longer that we were quiet, and I found myself glaring at Mr. Lent. He had grown almost eerily still, staring down at the floor as if he thought it might swallow him and save him from the accusations of assault piling up against him. Even without the assault charges factored in, he had already done more than enough to obstruct the truth, and he couldn't run away from that either. 

Mr. Lent remained silent for a while longer, and he slowly tilted his head to look at the rest of the courtroom. I felt a shiver run down my spine, but I didn't let him get me down. After all, the end was in sight, and I couldn't back away now. 

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My computer is dying let me yeet

-Digital