'That night, I went to ask Dr. Meraktis for the chart, I had no intention of ever letting that chart fall into the Kitaki Family's hands, But Dr. Meraktis didn't understand..., For some reason, he thought the Kitakis had sent me!, So I gave up and went home... All I did was talk to him!'
apollo stared back at his notebook, then back at her
'You knew about the botched operation... So you tried to get rid of the chart, to save yourself!'
she simply shrugged
'I won't make excuses. ...And I did warn the good doctor. I gave him a chance. I told him that brat got his health check-up report. ...And that he was coming to settle the score'
'Hmm... I see. Very well. Mr. Justice, begin your cross-examination'
'...Yes, Your Honor'
"This is the last testimony! ...This is my last chance!"
apollo looked down at his bracelet, ..it started to act up at the very last statement, so apollo made his lead from their
'"All I did was talk"... and lie'
he added bitterly
'Wh-What? Show me proof!'
she demanded
"I'm pretty sure about this one... I think I'm getting the hang of this. A little slip in confidence, and they give it all away"
'The proof... is you, Ms. Tiala, "All I did was talk to him", you claim... Yet you can't hide your own nervous twitch when you say those words!'
alita started to sweat a little nervously
'My "twitch"? What are you talking about!?'
'You have a habit of scratching the area of your neck around the edge of your scarf'
he pointed out, alita widened her eyes at him
'Wha--! Wh-Wh-What!?'
"This is working better than I'd hoped! Her unconscious actions tell the truth she won't say. Habits and lies... Two dots... Connect the dots and find the truth!"
Alita growled and snapped back
'D-Don't look at me like that! I t-told you the tr-truth...'
apollo held back a grin, he was bluffing, but he didn't want to get to cocky, never know when plans can fail after all
'It seems that when you recall what really happened in that office... ...you can't keep your hands off your neck, can you?'
he added a little slyly, and but on a little grin, he enjoyed how frustrated alita got from that
"Hmm... It seems that nervous habits... ...are unconscious reactions that manifest when someone is trying to hide something!"
'You can't hide behind your scarf, Ms. Tiala! Something happened between you and the victim in the Meraktis Clinic office!, And I've got proof that shows exactly what happened!'
'Wh-What's that...?'
she demanded, apollo eyed her again and pointed out her nervous habit
'...You're touching your scarf again'
alita quickly let got of her scraf then shot him a look full of hatred, he grinned back at it her
'...There's something unusual about this lamp. The bulb is broken... and there's a red splotch on the cord, Seeing how you hide your neck... I think I can come up with a plausible explanation for the lamp's state'
alita glared as she tried to keep her composure
'Well spit it out! This talking in circles nonsense is killing me!'
she insisted
'Very well. The answer is very simple. Ms. Alita Tiala... Please remove your scarf!'
he demanded, alita shook in her spot as she clutched onto it tighter, just when things were turning out fine, an objection rolled out
'OBJECTION!!, This is a trial to determine what happened in that park. Yet we seem to have drifted off target'
'OBJECTION!! We'll find out soon enough if we're drifting... As soon as the witness removes her scarf'
alita gritted her teeth in frustration
'I... I won't do it! This is insane! I'm a... an unrelated third party! You can't order me to remove my clothing!'
she called out, trying to make it seem like it was way worse then it was, the judge, however, shook his head
'...Ms. Tiala. I'm afraid you've forgotten what's already been proven'
'What...?'
'You're hardly "unrelated". ...Please remove your scarf'
he ordered, alita gripped it harder, ..but finally, after being pressed and pressed about it, ...she removed the scare, their was a thick dak red line
'...I knew it. So I was right, wasn't I, Ms. Alita Tiala!'
the judge's eyes widen in surprise
'Your neck... That isn't what I think it is!?'
'Something did happen that night at the Meraktis Clinic! You needed to get that chart back, no matter what it took. Even if you had to steal your fiancé's pistol to do it!'
the judge shook in his chair
'B-But wait! Looking at this lamp, and the witness's neck... It looks like the very opposite happened!'
apollo nodded
'Exactly. The victim in the clinic that night... ...was this witness! Specifically... ...you tried to threaten Dr. Meraktis and he attacked you! That's what happened that night at the Meraktis Clinic!'
Judge slammed down his gavel over and over as the court wouldn't shutup
'Order! Order! Order!!! Will someone please tell me what really happened!?'
he demanded
'I told you the truth already! I went to the clinic that night to warn Dr. Meraktis!'
apollo however, wasn't buying it
'And what happened next!?'
he demanded
'He jumped at me, and knocked me to the floor! Then, he took that cord... ...Pal Meraktis was serious. Deadly serious. He really tried to strangle me. I... I must have blacked out'
'So... you were the victim!'
the judge asked
'And the red splotch on the cord... was your lipstick'
apollo asked
'I... I didn't want to remember that night. That's why I didn't bring it up. There... Are you happy now?'
Apollo gritted his teeth in frustration
'I was out cold, almost killed! And you claim I then snuck into that noodle stand... But how could I!?'
Apollo growled in anger under his breath, his fists clutched up and were glaring daggers at her, the sound of the judge's gavel broke him out of his anger
'Well, one thing is clear. We now know what really happened at the Meraktis Clinic. And it would seem that our victim was not entirely without blame himself!'
alita then put a hand on her chest
'I... I'm sorry. I get so nervous just thinking of it, it's hard to breathe. I've told you everything. Can I go home now?'
the judge thought very carefully on this
'Hmm... You bear some responsibility for events that day, true. Yet, if you were also a victim... ...this court would owe you some sympathy. ...Well, Mr. Justice? I believe this clears up the remaining questions for Ms. Tiala'
apollo's eyes twitched in rage
"When did this happen!? Suddenly, everyone's sympathizing with her!"
Trucy then tuged at his sleeve
'I don't know what to think anymore, Apollo... I mean, is that it? Do we know everything we need to know about Ms. Tiala?'
she asked, she didn't feel sorry about alita, but she was now questioning what kind of person she was, she wasn't the loving sweet fiancee from before, now she wasn't so sure
'Very well! This finishes the cross-examination of this--
'OBJECTION!!'
apollo's eyes widen in surprise, he looked to trucy to see if she was the one who objected, ..she wasn't, ...to his shock, ..it was klavier who objected
'Heh. Heh heh heh. Not so fast. This party's just getting started! Now, we rock!'
apollo still in an awe-struck state, stuttered and asked
'W-What!?'
'Those spikes on your head are softer than they look... Or do you not have the stomach to go all the way?'
he asked in a sly teasing voice, apollo would've been upset if he wasn't so surprised, the judge looked at him confused
'Prosecutor Gavin...?'
'Pal Meraktis choked Alita Tiala... ...She fell unconscious. But what happened next?'
he asked, trucy nodded in agreement
'He's right! There is more we don't know!'
'But... she was choked hard enough to leave that mark! She would have been out for a while!'
'Even still, what if it was her in that noodle stand!'
she pointed out
...! "Alita Tiala, half-dead... Dr. Meraktis pulling that stand... And a bullet fired from inside the noodle stand..."
'What if it's all true!? We might have already figured out what truly happened that night!'
apollo then looked up at the witness stand, meeting alita cold eyes
'Ms. Alita Tiala, as you can see... ...we're not through with you just yet'
Alita held back a smug expression
'...You really want to blame me for this murder, don't you? You, too, "Prosecutor" Gavin'
'Me? Fräulein, I only wish to know the truth'
was all he said, ..and apollo may or may not have, ..admired him for that sheer second, but only for a second
'Well, let's go back over what we've learned up till now. On the day of the murder, Wocky saw his check-up report. ...From which he learned about the bullet still inside him. So, he took a pistol from the Family stash... ...with the intent to give Dr. Meraktis some of "his own medicine"'
'And Ms. Tiala heard about this from Wocky. So she went to the Meraktis Clinic ahead of him! ...In order to get rid of the chart with her signature!'
trucy added
'But then... something happened'
apollo mumbled to himself, alita put a hand on her waist
'...Sounds like you've figured it all out. But remember, I was the victim! I was out cold'
'But, what about Dr. Meraktis?'
apollo asked, klavier nodded in agreement
'That does seem to be the problem... He had just strangled Alita Tiala, perhaps, he thought, to death. What did he do after his crime?'
alita gritted her teeth in frustration
'I was just knocked out! Not dead!'
'From the state of his clinic, and the scene in the park... ...I think it's clear what the good doctor did next. Well, Herr Forehead? Care to guess?'
he asked
'Well, Mr. Justice? What did Dr. Meraktis do!?'
"Maybe he did think he killed Alita Tiala... Do I have evidence to show what he did next...?"