Title: A tough case; Part 1
Type:fluff
(Y/N) POV
I took a sip of my tea and placed it on the small table next to the armchair I was sitting in. My eyes closed as I leaned back into my seat, my suit nice and snug on my body. Soon, I heard the heavy doors of my office open.
"Sir?"
I sighed as my (e/c) reopened to look at my secretary.
"I've told you many times since I started this law firm from five to five-thirty is my relax time, No disruptions."
She shifted under my heavy gaze before finally answering.
"A man is here, he says he's your old friend and needs your help urgently."
I motioned for her to go on.
"He said his name is Kozume Kenma."
I stayed still for a moment before my eyes widen in realization. Swiftly, I jumped out of my seat as a wide smile adorned my face. I took a quick glance at my watch.
5:20 I guess I can cut today's relax time short.
"Well, bring him in, what are you standing around for?"
She nodded hastily before exiting. I fixed my suit in front of the mirror that stood in the corner of my office.
This one, if you don't like it you can pick something else.
Picture's from pinterest, it's not mine.
"Well, bring him in, what are you standing around for?"
She nodded hastily before exiting. I fixed my suit in front of the mirror that stood in the corner of my office.
Soon enough a familiar pudding head male entered my office, he gave me a small smile as he approached me. I threw my arms around him, embracing him in a bear hug.
"Ken! I'm glad to see you. It has been so long!"
I met Kenma during college, we grew close, but life took us in different directions.
"Yeah, I'm glad to see you too (Y/N)."
I sat in my chair, leaning on the large work desk as I gestured for him to sit on the armchair in front of it.
"So, what brings you to my law firm? Need a lawyer?"
He shook his head.
"I don't, it's my friend actually. They brought him in for questioning, but I think he's the main suspect. I figured it would be best to come to you."
I nodded as I scratched my chin.
"Why is he a suspect?"
Kenma sighed before looking at me.
"H-His ex-wife was murdered yesterday."
I pushed a button on my phone.
"Call my driver."
I sighed as I stood up grabbing my briefcase.
"Well, we better get going. Ah, it's been a long time since I've visited the court."
A look of relief washed over Kenma's face as he stood up with a small smile dancing across his face. We reached the elevator and I pushed the button for the ground floor. We passed through the main lobby.
"Goodbye boss!"
The two workers on the main desk said as I waved at them with a gentle smile. We entered my car and I looked at Kenma.
"Did he ask for an attorney?"
Kenma nodded slowly.
"I asked around and he's not really the best."
"Okay, what department?"
He told the driver and we took off. Throughout the drive, I noticed how worried Kenma looked. His shy and timid gaze was always on the ground.
"Drive Kenma home for me please."
My driver nodded and I turned to the blonde male.
"Don't worry I'll take care of him. I promise."
He nodded slowly.
"Thanks, (Y/N)."
I ruffled his hair and exited the car. With a deep breath, I entered the building and they guided me to the interrogation room. My polished shoes tapped against the smooth floor of the hallways. I burst through the door of the room expecting to find the counselor and Kenma's friend. But I was met with two detectives and a well-dressed male with pitch-black bed hair and amber piercing eyes.
"Sorry detectives, but this interview is over."
They exchanged a glance before looking me up and down. One of them tilted his head as he studied my face.
"Wait, you're (Y/N) (L/N), right?"
"Indeed. Now, are you going to arrest my client or not."
I raised an eyebrow as they exited. I approached the male extending a hand for him to shake. He slowly looked me over before shaking my hand.
"You're my attorney?"
He asked as I opened my briefcase.
"Yes I am, I'll get you out of here in a bit."
"What about the lawyer I called? Also if you're The (Y/N) (L/N) there's no way I can afford you."
"From this point onward I'm your lawyer, and it's pro bono, so don't worry about money."
He opened his mouth to ask another question, but before he could I extended my hand, giving him my (f/c) business card.
"You can thank Kenma later. Now, what's your name?"
I sat down on the chair and took out my notebook.
"Kuroo Tetsurou."
I nodded as I wrote it down and underlined it before raising my eyes to look at him again.
"A pleasure to meet you. We'll continue our talk in my office when I get you out of here alright?"
He nodded slowly as he shakily exiled. I gave him a small apologetic smile as I went for the door. Many stares were thrown my way as I approached the captain's office. I knocked gently on the glass of the door waiting for an answer.
"Come in."
I heard a deep voice on the other side of the door and I pushed them open. I entered the room with a half-smirk, bowing to the three people inside. First I noticed was a short bald male, around his 50's, he wore a simple white shirt with a black suspenders holding the same colored pants. The look in his eyes told me he recognized me, and quite frankly he wasn't very happy. The person on his left was one of the detectives from earlier, he fixed his dark gray jacked as he watched me. And finally on his right was a rather young blond woman, dressed in a formal manner.
"Ah, Miss Cabot, what a pleasure to finally meet you. I read so much about your cases."
She smiled as she pushed up her glasses.
"Pleasure to meet you too, counselor. Honestly, I didn't expect you, out of all people."
I smirked again as I ran my hand through my (h/c) hair.
"Expect the unexpected. Now let's get this over with. Are you charging my client or not?"
The captain stood up from his chair to address me.
"We need your client to pass the lineup, then he'll be free to go."
I clasped my hands together.
"Excellent, let's get it over with."
I left the room, leaving them to discuss their case. While heading back to Kuroo I stopped by a coffee/tea machine taking (f/c) for myself and espresso for Kuroo. With drinks in hand, I opened the door to the room he was in and made my way to the table. He stood up when he saw me approaching.
"A-Am I free to go?"
I sat the drinks on the gray table.
"Not yet, they need you for a lineup, if everything goes well you'll be free to go."
He dropped on the chair again with a sigh. His amber eyes were focused on the surface of the table as they hid sadness and sorrow.
"Why don't you tell me what happened while we wait."
He moved his gaze towards me and my (e/c) eyes met his.
"My ex-wife was murdered yesterday. They said they found traces of long term abuse on her body. I'm their number one suspect."
I took out my notes again and started writing. He sighed again. I laid a hand on his shoulder to give him a reassuring squeeze. He gave me a weak smile.
"It's okay, I see it's hard for you to talk about it now. Do you want to call anyone?"
He nodded.
"I need someone to pick up my daughter from school."
I nodded as I extracted my phone from the inner pocket of my suit. He dialed the number and I exited to give him some privacy. Several minutes had passed and I was pacing in front of the room, glancing at the thin silver hands of my clock ever so often. In the corner of my eye I noticed movement, the silhouettes grew larger in my peripheral vision and I turned towards it.
"Miss Cabot."
"Mister (L/N)."
Two police officers entered the room to escort Kuroo for the lineup. On his way out he gave me back the phone and I followed the blond woman. In the small room, I saw the captain again and the detective from before accompanied by a woman with semi-short hair and a leather jacket.
"Captain, detectives."
I made a slight bow as I was addressing them, they nodded and we all turned toward the glass. The first witness entered the room. It was an old lady, she had large glasses and she approached the captain slowly with the help of a policeman.
"Mrs. Thompson, do you recognize any of these men."
She held her the frame of her glasses as she went over all of the men.
"I recognize number five sir."
The captain and the district attorney shared a quick glance.
"Are you sure, Mrs. Thompson?"
The old lady nodded.
"Yes, I saw him outside the building that evening."
"Take a good lo-"
"Miss Cabot, she already gave you the answer."
Her lips formed a thin line as her piercing gaze focused on my face.
"Thank you for your time, Mrs. Thompson."
With the help of the policeman the old lady left the room, heavy silence engulfed us like a thick black mist as we awaited the next witness. Finally, a man appeared on the door, he took off his white hat with a bow before entering. He approached the glass inspecting the faces of every suspect.
"Sir, have you seen any of these men in the night of the attack?"
He stared for a little while.
"I haven't got a good look at his face... I think it's number 2, or..."
He scratched his head nervously.
"No, no, it was number 1."
"Are you completely sure."
"Yes, number one."
They sighed as the man left the room. I raised my left arm to look at my watch. Few seconds passed and the last witness entered. It was a young woman, probably in her 20's. She nervously approached the glass.
"Do you recognize anyone?"
She shook her head.
"I only heard his voice, c-can they say anything for me."
The captain nodded
"I heard him say: "Why can't you understand me?" and something crashed, I think it was a vase."
The bald men pushed the button next to the glass. I saw the woman close her eyes.
"Can everyone say "Why can't you understand me?" starting with number one, please."
They all said the sentence, and all of our gazes were on her.
"I think it was number 3."
"Take a good look at hi-"
"No training miss Cabot, a simple yes or no will do."
As the woman looked my way, I raised an eyebrow and she remained silent. The air in the room felt heavy.
"Number 3."
The woman swiftly left. I turned to Alexandra.
"We're holding him."
"Oh please, 1 out of 3, and it's voice recognition, your case is on thin ice."
She sighed, as she fixed her suit.
"We're holding your client."
"Good, I'll send a complain to your supervisor by the end of the day. What are the charges?"
I whipped out my small notebook and a pen, waiting for her response.
"He's under arrest for the murder and abuse of Maria Anderson."
I nodded as I scribbled in my notes.
"Good, I want a room to privately address my client."
I looked at the captain and he nodded. I bowed before I exited the room.
Not as easy as I thought...
I saw two men in uniforms leading cuffed Kuroo down the hallway. Your eyes met for a moment, and I caught the fear and surprise in his cat-like amber eyes. With a sigh, I gripped the handle of my briefcase as I followed them. We passed many rooms that resembled bird cages. Inside were inmates talking with their lawyers. We reached the end of the hallway and they opened the door of one of the last rooms. Kuroo was uncuffed and I took a seat across from him.
"What's going on?"
I ran a finger across my eyebrow, my eyes looking over my notes and files I laid on the table.
"You just barely passed the lineup, only one witness made an identification. They are charging you with abuse and murder of your ex-wife."
He looked at me, surprise and shock written all over his face. I loosened my tie a bit after I took off my suit jacket.
"Alright, so why don't we start. First, you must understand that you can tell me anything, and without your permission, I will not use any of your personal information during the trial."
"I-I'm homosexual."
I raised my eyebrow expecting him to continue. But he shuffled in his seat, his worried gaze was on his hands, that he nervously played with."
I placed my pen on my notebook to lean across the table and get his attention. With a friendly smile, I grabbed his hands in both of mine, in an attempt to calm him down. He finally raised his eyes to look at me.
"That's perfectly fine. I'm into guys too."
His eyes widen slightly as I giggled, shortly after he joined me, and the tension in the room seemingly disappeared. I let go of his hands as I readjusted in my seat. His hands seem to just for a moment follow mine as I moved them, but they stopped. I raised my pen again.
"So, how long were you married?"
"About 5 years, plus 3 years of dating."
I nodded to myself as I wrote.
"And how long have you been divorced?"
"Two years. But our marriage ended long before that."
"Yeah, when?"
"When I told her about my preferences. She never accepted it, she always told me I was crazy and that I'm lying because I found a lover."
"Did you found someone else tho?"
He shook his head.
"I haven't cheated on my wife if that's what you're implying."
I nodded.
"Very good then. What about her? Do you think she found someone?"
He thought for a moment before answering.
"I suspected it, but we were separated. We slept in different rooms. The only things we shared were the kitchen and our daughter. But she preferred to eat out, rather than home."
"Wait, so you haven't been intimate with her for more than 4 years?"
He nodded.
"That's about right. Why?"
"It means you haven't seen her naked, you haven't known if she had any bruises or injuries. Did you notice anything suspicious in her behavior?"
He thought for a while, his hand going over his hair several times.
"Now that I think of it, she always came home super late, she avoided me as much as possible, she even avoided our daughter, and her style changed, she started waring strictly clothes that covered her body."
I nodded as I scribbled furiously.
"And your daughter. Did you notice any bruises or cuts on her, anything?"
His eyes widen, I felt rage boiling inside of him.
"You're not implying that I hurt my own dau-"
I raised my hand.
"I'm not, but the prosecution might. I'm sure that anytime now I'll be called to the judge's chamber to discuss that. They re moving fast, and they'll try to inspect everything to find something to nail you down."
He calmed down a bit.
"So, I'll take that as a no. Tell me how you won the custody battle."
"She failed the drug test. They said she was using heroin and deemed her unfit to take care of our child."
I nodded.
"Are her parents alive?"
"Yes?"
I sighed as I leaned my head on my arm, gently massaging my forehead.
"I don't know how to tell you this. If they convict you, they'll be taking the custody. You might never see her again."
His face turned gloomy, his eyes seemed lost.
"N-No..."
"It won't happen. You won't go to jail. I just had to let you know."
I saw a small reflection of tears in the corner of his eyes, but he blinked them away as he nodded.
"Okay..."
I reached for his hand again.
"Hey, hey. Look at me."
He raised his teary gaze from the table.
"You won't lose your daughter. I promise."
I squeezed his hand and after a moment I felt him squeeze back. I exhaled with a small smile.
"We'll win this."
I gulped as he took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes they were shining with confidence and a smug smirk adorned his handsome features.
"We'll win this!"
He repeated with another squeeze of my hand before he let go.
"There's one more thing you have to know."
I tilted my head.
"Yes?"
"I-I went to her apartment yesterday. But it was around noon."
I twirled the pen in my hand.
"Did anyone see you come in and out."
He nodded and I let out a sigh of relief.
"That's good. Who?"
"The doorman who let me in, and an army veteran. He's in a wheelchair so he spends his time next to the window that looks over the street. I wave him every time I pass the building."
I started to write down, but I stopped mid-sentence.
"How often have you been going there?"
He scratched the back of his neck as he avoided my stare.
"I've been meaning to involve her in our daughter's life. I want her to have both parents."
My face melted into a sweet smile as I noticed how Kuroo looked as he was talking about his daughter.
"Ahhh, alright. Do you have an alibi for the time of the murder?"
He thought for a moment, his eyes scanned the interior of the small room.
"I picked Clara up from her dancing class around 6 p.m. after that we went back to our apartment."
I nodded.
"Very well. If you need anything you can request to call me, I'll be taking care of some paperwork. If you need anything, and I mean anything, you can count on me."
I held his gaze as the guard opened the metal door. With a last apologetic smile, I left the room, swiftly marching through the long corridor. As I reached the main door of the building I felt my phone vibrate inside my pocket.
"Yes?"
"Mister (L/N). I got this number from your office."
"Ah Miss Cabot, a pleasure to hear from you so soon."
"Let's skip the courtesy, there was new evidence found. I sent the paperwork to your firm. The arrangement for bail is tomorrow at 11."
"Very well. See you tomorrow then."
She hung up and I chuckled to myself. I dialed my driver, who appeared in a few minutes and we sped off towards my office. The large slide glass doors opened and I quickly made my way to the front desk.
"Susan, did ADA sent anything?"
She nodded as she typed on her computer.
"Yes, sir, she sent you several files and new evidence that was discovered."
"Good, print it out immediately, and send it to my office."
She nodded as she continued to type on her computer. In the elevator, I went over my notes, and before I finished the door before I slid open.
"Welcome back, sir."
"Judy? You're still here?"
I took a glance at my watch.
"It's nearly 9 p.m, your shift ended 2 hours ago."
"I thought I take some extra time today since you were absent to finish the paperwork."
I smiled as I pushed the door of my office open.
"You're golden. You can take a day off when I finish this case."
I placed my briefcase on the desk as I took a small key from the top drawer. I made my way to the small closet on the other side of the office. When I turned the key a soft click was heard and the door opened. I took a glass and one of the bottles. From the small freezer, I took a large cube of ice and poured the alcohol over it. With a sigh I returned to my desk, lighting a cigarette as I took a seat in my leather chair. Before I even took a sip of my drink Susan walked in with the files.
"Ah, thank you. Tell everyone they can go home. Lock the front door and turn the alarm, I'll probably sleep here."
She bowed respectfully before exiting.
I flipped through the first couple of pages since they were only court files. Finally, I reached the paper I searched for.
His prints were all over the apartment. They dated the injuries back to the time when Kuroo and her were married. Good, so far there's nothing I haven't already knew.
Another paper slipped on the floor as I wanted to move them into my briefcase. My eyes widen as I read it.
Child endangerment... They are taking her away for medical examination under the court's order...
"No... You must be kidding me... Request for the removal of the minor from the home due to child endangerment, unfit guardian, and possible abuse of a minor."
I quickly dialed the police station requesting to talk to Kuroo.
Crap... This is not going the way I planned...
There was a silence, followed by ruffling. More than a minute passed before I heard someone from the other side of the line.
"Yes...?"