'I did go to the clinic that day. My first time in half a year, since I quit in January, I went to warn him. After all, I knew Wocky had the pistol, The doctor always was a timid man... too timid to admit his own mistake, Why else would I have gone? I'm not hiding any dark secrets, I wanted to tell him to be careful, as an old friend'
apollo ignored the pain of his hand cramping as he continued to write with intense focus, just barely missing the judges voice
'By "mistake", you mean... ...the mistake we heard about from the defendant? The botched operation?'
he asked, alita put a hand on her waist, grinning up like a sinister-mastermind
'He was a timid, small man... but I never wished him harm. I just thought I should let him know, you know?'
'Hmm... That does make sense'
the judge had to agree, klavier snapped his fingers in his usual rhythm like motion
'Yes, but there is still one thing which does not'
he said, apollo had just finished up writing when he spoke up
'What's that, Prosecutor Gavin?'
the judge asked
'The sandals left in the lobby, of course. We can assume she wore these sandals to the clinic, ja? Then why did she not wear them home? If it were me, I would have worn them home'
'I would have worn those sandals home, too'
the judge admitted
'So, why were the sandals left behind?'
he asked her, alita stood in her spot with silence, apollo couldn't help but feel a bit envious and moody
"Ack! He pointed out the contradiction before me!, and in front of my own boss!!"
he hoped mr wright would just miss this part, when klavier didn't get a response back, he simply shrugged
'...There's probably a good explanation for this. Right, Ms. Tiala? ...Say, for instance... There happened to be a similar pair of sandals there which you wore home by mistake?'
Alita puy her head on her hand, then crossed her arms and smiled a little
'... Actually, that's right. I'm impressed, Mr. Gavin'
he shrugged again
'Oh, it is nothing. There is, after all, no other possible explanation. Ja, Forehead?'
he asked, leaning as he raised a brow, apollo couldn't help but blush a tint red and stammer in his spot, he hated whenever klavier did that, and gave him a semi-glare to show his frustration
"Oh, what the...! No fair! He's filling the holes in her testimony..."
apollo wasn't sure why he was feeling like this, but it didn't matter, he pushed aside those feelings as the judge banged down his gavel
'The defense may begin the cross-examination'
apollo nodded as he read over the testimony on his notebook, it was a harder to find a contradiction then last time, he took out the medical records again, and read them over, then looked up at alita
'This chart was found inside a safe in the doctor's office'
'...Yes?'
'Why would this one chart be in that safe? Ms. Tiala, you know why it was, don't you?'
he grinned a little when she saw the little nervous expression playing at her face, the judge looked down at the defense confused
'Mind filling me in?'
'Dr. Meraktis didn't have the leisure of making "mistakes". That's why he wrote up a false report, and kept the truth locked away'
'...Bad Herr Doktor'
was all klavier said, apollo ignored him as he went on
'And this is where you come in, Ms. Tiala, The nurse who filed this chart was you, which means... ...you knew about Wocky's failed operation!'
the judge nodded slowly
'Interesting...'
'You were in the same position as Dr. Meraktis! Kind of makes it hard to claim "no connection", doesn't it?'
alita crossed her arms
'You're bold for a novice, I'll give you that'
apollo gave her a look
'Mr. Justice, you must know I was only a nurse. The doctor is responsible for the chart's contents'
'Hmm... This chart business seems to be quite important. Please amend your testimony accordingly'
the judge asked, alita grinned as she retorted, making apollo's blood boil in anger
'Too bad, little attorney'
apollo glared at her, but then, he felt his bracelet react, it thumped, he stared down at it
"My bracelet's reacting again!"
trucy looked up at him, seeing his awe-stuck expression
'What is it, Apollo?'
'I felt my bracelet vibrate just now...'
she narrowed her eyes at it
'Your bracelet...?'
'Just like yesterday'
trucy looked flummoxed
'But... I can't see anything, Apollo'
'Eh...?'
"Then what's my bracelet reacting to?"
then it dawned on her
'Wait, maybe... Yes, that has to be it!'
not wanting to be left in the dark, he asked the obvious
'What has to be it?'
'Your senses, Apollo... They must be sharper than mine!'
she said with such seriousness
'I can't see it, but you can sense it!'
she insisted, apollo however, seriously doubted that
'I don't know about that, Trucy! I don't have some kind of special power or anything'
trucy however, refused to take that for an awnser
'Listen to me, Apollo! There's a weak point somewhere in Ms. Tiala's testimony! But we don't know what her nervous habit is'
'Well, then what do we do!?'
'You have to perceive it yourself, Apollo! With your eyes... and your senses!'
apollo stared down at his bracelet
"Then it's up to me and my bracelet... I don't know why, but the bracelet helps. Somehow, touching it helps me focus. Let's give it a shot and bring down that testimony!"
apollo touched his braclete, and braced himself for the vision to become sharper then usual, he tried not to look as bug-eyed from before, as he stared at her, he noticed a very faint movement in her hands, ...her ring, and her thumb, she used her numb to twist her ring, her nervous habit
'Why go to the clinic for a half-year-old chart now, you ask? But, you know why you would go "now", don't you'
alita crossed her arms at him
'I don't know what you're talking about'
'It was quite clear, Ms. Tiala. You have a nervous habit. The moment you said the word "now"... ...you used your right thumb to fiddled with your ring'
she then started to become anxious again
'Wh-What?'
that confirmed it for apollo, a nervous habit and a nervous reaction
"She was unsure... I saw it! "Now"... That's the key word!, The chart wasn't a part of your past... It was a clear and present threat!"
'That's ridiculous, why if that were the case... ...I would have had six months to do something about it!'
'Indeed'
he agreed, alita looked up at him confused
'Eh...?'
he grinned
'Which means something happened quite recently... Something to make that chart a problem for you now'
"I've got her on the ropes now, I can feel it! Time to strike the killing blow... with evidence!"
'...Ms. Tiala. There's no use trying to hide it. The chart became a threat to you now... because of this!'
he took out the check-up reports from his bag
'A health check-up report.. belonging to the defendant. The Kitakis are trying to get out of the business. The health check-up this month was their first ever... ...What did you think when you heard about this?'
she started to sweat bullets again
'Eh? Oh, n-nothing. Why should I think anything?'
he bit back a grin, for now anyways
'Oh? I would think you were positively beside yourself. Because you were afraid. You knew what Wocky's chest X-ray would reveal!'
she gritted her teeth
'A full half year had passed since the operation. You thought you were home free... ...when the chart came back to haunt you!'
alita then let out a scream in defeat
after the court murmuring died down, apollo spoke up
'that's all your honer'
the judge blinked as he looked around the courthouse
'...... Wh-What just happened? Did... the witness just admit to lying?'
alita said nothing as she had no idea what to do, klavier, who had been quite for awhile now, finally spoke up
'I sensed it. There was a great "aura" emanating from Herr Forehead. ...Very cool. So, the lady was lying, it seems'
apollo nodded
'That's correct. She said she had no connection to the Meraktis Clinic. But her connection was deep indeed... A bit too deep. If the Kitakis got a hold of this chart with her name... ...she'd be finished. Isn't that right, Ms. Tiala?'
alita crossed her arms
'... You guessed it'
the court started to go wild, the judge banged his gavel multiple times
'Order! Order!!!'
apollo was in shock, ..he did it, he had done it
"I-I did it! I broke her testimony!"
trucy beamed up at him
'Amazing, Apollo! I didn't see it at all! Daddy was right about you!'
apollo blushed a tint red and just when he was about to bashfully brush off the compliment, alita spoke up
'Wait!'
everyone shot their heads towards her
'Ms. Tiala?'
the judge asked, alita thought carefully on her words
'It's true, that chart was bad news for me. That's why I went to meet the doctor that day! But that's all! I told him about Wocky and went home!'
klavier looked at her, then back to his usual gazing area
'...It appears this cross-examination is far from over'
apollo's eye twitched
'Wh-Whaaaat!?'
he cried out in frustration and shock
'She hid the truth from us, this is clear, yet... It is not clear that this truth has anything to do with the case at hand!'
klavier reasoned, the judge nodded in agreement
'Hmm... Very well. The witness will add this to her testimony. And... we'll have a bit more cross-examination'
apollo fist's clutched up in irritation
"Grr! I was so close!"
trucy patted his back
'You're still close! Keep on her, Apollo!'
Apollo nodded as he took in a deep breathe, then pulled out his notebook and pen