Leo arrived somewhat late at the courthouse the next day. He quietly pushed the door then walked to the back audience and sat beside Rob. From there, over the shoulders of the crowd in front, he could clearly see the figure in the navy blue suit at the defendant's table.
As if sensing the gaze directed at him, Sha Qing snapped his head towards Leo and gave him a brief look before turning back in the blink of an eye.
Leo wasn't able to perceive Sha Qing's expression clearly, but he did see that all the bandages on the latter's body had been removed. He knew that given how much he beat him back then, there's no way that the injuries he gave him would heal in such a short amount of time.
He could have gone to court with a body full of bandage to induce the jury's pity and charge the authority with abuse of power in the process, so why didn't he do it? Leo thought with indifference.
The atmosphere inside the venue was solemn. The blazing eyes of the defense attorney and the prosecutor occasionally met, and it was quite clear that they had already begun their confrontation unceremoniously.
Rob leaned to Leo's ear and explained in a low voice, "The defendant has just admitted that he is Sha Qing and that he had killed twelve people. At present, the prosecution's argument is premeditated murder while the defense's argument is justifiable homicide."
Channing got up and asked to show the judge and jury Exhibit A-a large stack of photos of horrifying and gruesome dead bodies, all of which were the 'proud works' of those serial killers.
"Objection, Your Honor. Those are information from other cases that has nothing to do with this trial." Prosecutor Vanna immediately spoke up.
"This is an important exhibit in understanding the defendant's motive, therefore it's very relevant to this case." Channing argued.
Judge Linden overruled the prosecution's objection, and the photos were sent to the jury. Upon looking, the twelve jurors got overwhelmed with shock, outrage, sadness, and sympathy.
Channing stood before the jury and began to speak passionately about the cruelty, sociopathy, and dehumanization of these serial killers, then summoned a relative of one of the victims as a witness and asked the other party how they felt about the loss of their loved one.
Vanna objected again, "The defense counsel is trying to influence the jury's judgment through their personal feelings."
This time, her objection was sustained, and the old Black judge with white hair and serious face warned the defense lawyer, "No playing the emotion card."
Channing expressed acknowledgement. The witness returned to the audience, but the jury's attitude was already vaguely skewed.
Seeing the situation, Vanna seized the moment and made an issue about Sha Qing's methods, stating that it was no different from those serial killers, that he was as equally bloody, cruel and inhumane as them.
That was obviously true, and it left Channing almost speechless. He didn't directly respond to the accusations and circumvented the topic, claiming that the defendant was a devout Christian, deeply influenced by one of the Old Testament's commandments, the An Eye for an Eye. He asserted that to the defendant, those methods of actions were like a religious commandment to him, not his original intention.
This argument was barely tenable, also somewhat far-fetched and lacks convincing power.
While Rob was quite interested in the verbal sparring between the two sides, Leo was lost in thought, as if his mind had been left in another dimension. It was only when the prosecutor called him to step up into the witness stand that he managed to wake up from his dream-like state.
"Can you please tell the court your name, and profession?" The prosecutor asked.
"Leo Lawrence, serving with the FBI's Criminal Investigative Division."
"In the past year, you have been ordered to hunt down a serial killer, that is, Sha Qing, is that right?"
"Yes."
"He committed crimes frequently. Why did it take you a whole fifteen months to catch him?"
Leo couldn't help but glance at the defendant's table. Sha Qing was staring at him, his pair of black eyes were like the sea at midnight, calm and dark. Leo forced himself not to avert his gaze and looked at the other man while saying word by word,
"Because he was smart enough to come up with well-thought-out plans and strike decisively, leaving almost no trace."
Rob mulled over their words while in the audience - they seemed like positive words, but placed in this current place, at this time, they only seemed counterproductive.
The corners of Vanna's mouth picked up slightly as she continued to ask, "He's more cunning, better at escaping and more sophisticated than the other killers you had tracked down, isn't he?"
"Yes."
"One final question: as an agent who knows the defendant best, do you think he would never harm anyone other than those serial-killers he himself has identified?"
Rob subconsciously straightened himself up and leaned his head forward. The question was tricky. No one can make an absolute guarantee of someone's behavior however, once Leo gives a negative answer, it will prove that in the eyes of the front-line law enforcement officers who know the most about these type of crimes, the scenario of Sha Qing indiscriminately killing innocent people is a possibility.
Leo realized that the prosecutor was shifting the debate to 'social harm', a topic where he had a voice, and had an authority that could not be ignored.
He hesitated for a second and slowly spat out a few words amidst the unperturbed look on Sha Qing's face, "I can't make such a guarantee."
Vanna pursued, "And by that, you mean you think it is possible for him to prey on innocent people even if he has never done so before?"
"Objection!" Channing called up, "This is subjective inducement by the prosecution!"
But he was a beat too slow. Leo had already given the heavy reply, "...... Yes."
Even if the judge declares that the objection was valid and that testimony was inadmissible, this answer had already thrown a very heavy weight on the jury, tilting the scales of their judgment in favor of the prosecution.
Sha Qing closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them again, his surging emotions had been perfectly subdued deep within.
"I'm done with the questions." The female prosecutor returned to her seat, casting a mocking glance at the defense attorney as she turned around.
Channing deliberately showed that he was painstakingly thinking about countermeasures when Vanna was observing him earlier but right at that moment, he stood up with confidence, walked towards Leo and asked in a relaxed tone,
"Excuse me, I wanted to ask: Are there any reading materials inside the FBI Criminal Division's workplace? The ones that are recommended by the Bureau and purchased using the public expense?"
"Objection!" The prosecutor called out, "Irrelevant question. Defense counsel is wasting everyone's time."
"All my questions are closely related to the subject at hand and are not without purpose." Channing retorted.
"Then you'd better get to the point right away." Judge Linden warned again.
"Will the witness please answer my question."
"We have."
""
Channing referred the judge to Exhibit B. It showed a stack of books which, by the looks of its covers, were novels.
"These are the works of suspense-detective novelist Roy Lee: the Bedside Whispers, and the trilogy, The Broken Chrysalis, The Dead Butterfly, and The Last Wing. All of which can be found among the reading materials in your office, correct?"
"Yes." Leo answered with uncertainty. He wondered what this inexplicable question had to do with the case in today's court trial.
The jurors also exchange uncomprehending glances to each other.
"The reason why these books are recommended is because they are related to your own work and the way of reasoning and investigation methods are helpful to you in understanding the psychology of criminals and enriching your knowledge of investigation, right?"
"Yes." Leo admitted. Of course, it's related to the job, otherwise why not put a Playboy magazine in the bookcase? As for whether it helps, that's a matter of opinion.
Channing showed a fleeting light smile, "So, is it fair to assume that the FBI, while hunting for Sha Qing, is using the works he authored as supplementary materials to improve the agents' proficiency in criminal investigation?"
The courtroom went silent as people seemed to be consuming their brains to comprehend the startling message conveyed in those words - and seconds later, the audience erupted!
The jury began to whisper, and the female prosecutor's eyes widened, forgetting to close her wine-colored lips.
Even the judge, who always had a calm expression, looked surprised, and only after a moment did he remember to bang his gavel, "Silence!"
Dumbfounded, Leo slowly asked Channing, "...Sorry, what did you just sa-what?"
"Request to show exhibits C and D," Channing said, taking a deep breath. He had been extremely excited and was anticipating this moment, and despite rehearsing countless times, he still couldn't quell the excitement he was feeling inside. He almost fainted back then too- at the time when he took out the manuscript from the bag he got from the subway locker. He couldn't wait to go back to find Sha Qing for confirmation, and upon meeting him, he forgot to conduct himself- he shouted without shame and if not for the monitoring prison guards giving him a severe warning, he would have picked-up Sha Qing and spun him around in circles.
"Exhibit C is a manuscript of a recently completed novel handed to me by Sha Qing himself. It was authored by Roy Lee, and yes, that is his pseudonym. Exhibit D is a comparative identification of the handwritings between the latest manuscript and Roy Lee's previous manuscripts kept by the publisher. The results confirmed that both parties are indeed the same person."
After receiving the evidence delivered by the bailiff, the judge and the jury seemed to gradually fall from a hollow void to the solid ground. They could not believe it, but they had to believe it.
"The new novel, titled The Chess of Life and Death, is a suspense-detective story based on the Chicago chess serial murder case from two months ago. The story contained realistic and detailed information to the point where one can't help but wonder whether Sha Qing also participated and played an important role in the real-life case."
"Agent Lawrence," Channing turned once again to the stone-faced Leo, "I have a question regarding a situation that I have never been able to understand. During the case where you and your colleague, Robert Simon, were attacked by two serial killers, you covered for his escape and you in turn, got captured, imprisoned, and tortured in the trap-laden 'Holmes' Murder Castle'.
At that time, when you were seriously injured and had difficulty moving, how did you manage to escape, knock down, and kill the two killers in which one was a professional fighter and the other, a retired special force? Can you safely say, in front of the judge and the jury, that you accomplished such tasks by relying solely on your own strength?"
Leo didn't say a word. His brain rumbled so loudly, like a train tumbling rapidly due to a derailment, about to fall to pieces at the bottom of a cliff.
He stared blankly at his hands.
The other person involved at the time was sitting down, facing him, just a few meters away, but he couldn't look him in the eye and condemn him with an angry glare while saying-I let you off the hook for that time! In order to clear your name from any suspicions, I didn't mention a word about your presence in the report I submitted to my superiors! And yet, you actually told your lawyer about that to use it as a weapon against me in the court!
"Don't forget the oath you took upon standing on that witness stand!" Channing raised his voice.
"--No, I can't." Leo replied in a trembling voice.
"So, who was it? Who was the person who helped you defeat those criminals? Who was it that saved not only your life but also other countless potential victims who share the same profession as you?" Channing pressed fiercely.
Leo tilted his head back in pain and despair, then closed his eyes.
"You don't have to answer directly. Please read the underlined paragraph in this text-"said Channing as he shoved a page from a stack of papers in front of Leo.
The black and white words wavered blurrily in his eyes, like fragments of memory dappled with light and shadow, like a heave of sigh made up of blood and pain pieced together. Leo's voice was dry as he read:
"<"Great, I guess we have reached a temporary united front," Sha Qing said with a smile. "So, I'm safe for the time being, and won't have to worry about you poking a gun to my back while shouting, 'Don't move, raise your hands!', right?"
"Yes- at least until I catch Cavalry." The federal agent promised cautiously.>"
Channing asked, "Does this passage faithfully reproduce the scene at that time?"
"Yes." Leo replied in a mechanical manner.
"As a senior agent of the FBI, was your cooperation with Sha Qing back then made on personal discretion, or was it an order from the bureau?"
No, you're leading me into a muddy water, trying to implicate the bureau! Leo thought as he hastily replied, "It has nothing to do with the Bureau of Investigation, it was a decision made entirely based on my own judgment!"
He answered too quickly and firmly, so that in the eyes of those who were interested, it became a kind of self-evident desire to cover up.
Channing gave the jury a see?-there's-always-an-inside-story-to-everything look and summarized with emotion, "We have reason to believe that Agent Lawrence made some sort of verbal agreement with Mr. Sha Qing to jointly pursue the serial killer. Based on the identity of the former, it's hard to guess which of them instigated the said agreement, but it was obvious that the defendant took it seriously, believing himself to be someone like a "non-commissioned agent" with a sense of justice, compassion, and a positive mindset of serving the federal government, which led to a series of cases that occurred later on."
Leo, like a lion driven to desperation, swept over Channing's smug posture with an unusually sharp and somber gaze, and then shifted his eyes to the calm, unruffled face of Sha Qing.
From the time he walked into the courtroom up to the present, Sha Qing hadn't spoken a single word, and yet right at that moment, he was able to take control of the whole situation with a great, long-planned, unexpected, and blatantly overwhelming force.
The prosecutor stood up with a panic-stricken look hidden deep in her eyes and asked the judge, "The prosecution requests for a 48-hour recess!"
The old Black judge then said in a deep voice, "The court is adjourned." With the sound of the gavel, the media reporters in the audience scattered almost at once, rushing as fast as they could towards their own positions.
Channing couldn't hide his delight as he came over to hug Sha Qing and whispered in his ear, "That was incredible... we're going to win this, I'm sure!"
"It's you who's going to win this." Sha Qing murmured in return.
Channing took it as a novel compliment and smiled more brightly.
As he stepped down from the witness stand, Leo almost tripped over the corner of the table but Rob, who hastily came over, was able to help him.
"...Rob."
Rob heard his dark-haired partner whisper his name.
"I know, I know, it's not your fault ...... it's a shameless trap- a deliberate plot- that is simply hard to guard against..." He tried to do his best to comfort him, and never for a moment had he hated Sha Qing's callousness as much as he did right now.
"Rob," Leo said in an unusually cool voice. It was cold, like that of dying embers, "I don't want to lose my career. I have nothing else."