I hope that Mikayla is alright. Cammie thought as she began to make her way to Mikayla's office the next day. It was much more of a cloudy day then before, with little sunlight making its way to the ground. There was little wind blowing through the air, so Cammie's hair laid still for the most part. Her curls still bounces as she walked. She told me to go ahead and have breakfast without her. If I'm right, I think I also heard Mikayla coughing. It wasn't the coughing like how Mikayla described what that poison causes. Anyways, I need to focus on today's case. We don't have too much to defend Quorra right now, or even all the facts of the case. I'll need to hurry and meet with Mikayla. Cammie quickened her pace, arriving at Mikayla's office in about half an hour. She reached out to ring the doorbell when she heard two voices. One of which was Mikayla's, and Cammie was fairly certain the other voice was not the television this time. The other voice didn't sound malicious, but Cammie opened the door cautiously anyways.
"Hello? Who's there?" Mikayla asked from the room on the right, out of view of the door.
"Just me, Mikayla." Cammie replied, walking calmly into the room to join Mikayla and the mystery guest. She heard her own feet drag across the carpet, making footprints.
Sitting across from Mikayla on a couch was a young girl, only about 19 or 20. She had long, wavy brunette hair that came all the way down to just below her shoulder blades. Her face was lightly tan, accentuating her lavender irises. Her tan lipstick-covered lips were curled around a cup of tea, steam lightly rising from it. She wore a plain white halter top with no sleeves. Her blue jeans showed evidence of years of wear, and her legs were crossed as she sat. She was wearing pink high-heels and no socks. She looked at Cammie and smiled sweetly. Cammie nodded to the girl and turned her attention to Mikayla.
"Cammie, I would like to introduce you to Khloe."Mikayla gestured to the young girl.
"Ah, so you're, like, the new assistant that Mikayla mentioned." Khloe calmly stated, setting her tea down on the table. "It's, like, totally a pleasure to meet you."
Mikayla's phone rang again, and she answered it. "Cammie, there's more tea in the kitchen. You can make yourself a cup if you wish." Mikayla coughed a few times before trying to clear her throat. Cammie nodded and began to head to the kitchen area, which was visibly to the left of Mikayla's office.
"That's a rather nasty cough. Good thing I, like, always carry some spare cough drops. Here you go, Mikayla, just in case you need some more." Khloe said, handing over some to Mikayla.
The kitchen wasn't anything too extravagent, nor was it anything bland either. The counters, which were placed along the edge of the walls and cut off into an L-shape in the middle of the kitchen, were made of a translucent pink colored stone. To the immediate right of the entrance was a kitchen sink, with a few dishes in it. A coffeemaker sat to the left of the sink. Various wooden cabinets were mounted to the wall. On the wall to the right of the entrance was a stove top with a tea kettle on the forward left burner. A window sat above the stove and a microwave above that. To the left of the entrance was a large white fridge with a freezer section below. Across from the entrance was part of the L-shaped counter, supported by three red metal poles. Four stools were visible behind the counter. On the ceiling were two light sources, both in a decorative metal fixture.
Cammie walked over and looked through the cabinets, finding teacups to the left of the microwave. She got out herself one, then decided to pull out another one, for Mikayla. Cammie poured water into each cup, placed the kettle back, and brought the cups over to the counter. There were various boxes of different teas on the counter. Cammie placed a bag of black tea into her cup, then pondered what tea to give Mikayla. After a bit, she recalled how Mikayla had mentioned about sage and blueberry tea being her favorite. Cammie took a bag and placed it in Mikayla's cup. Remembering that honey is a good way to sooth a cough, she put some in Mikayla's tea. She walked over to the coffeemaker, grabbed a small packet of sugar, and poured it into her own cup. Cammie took both cups and returned back to Mikayla and Khloe.
"Here you are Mikayla." Cammie said, handing Mikayla her cup.
"Oh, you got me a cup too." Mikayla stated in surprise, and then took a sip. "Sage and blueberry! My favorite. Thank you, Cammie. Huh?" Mikayla said, directing her attention back to her phone conversation. "Oh, Cammie had gotten me some tea, that's all." Cammie decided to leave Mikayla to her conversation and took a seat in a chair to the right of Khloe. The three of them continued to drink their tea, Khloe finishing first, then Cammie. Mikayla's was only half drank, due to her conversation on her phone. "Alright then. We'll be there." With that, Mikayla hung up and put her phone back into her pocket. "Thanks for your company, Khloe. Cammie, I believe we have a trial waiting for us." Her voice had a twinge of doubt in it.
"I better, like, not hold either of you two up." Khloe said, smiling sweetly and standing up. She bowed to Mikayla. "Thank you for, like, having me over to talk on such short notice." With that, she walked out. Cammie turned to Mikayla, and they nodded to each other. Cammie went and returned their cups to the kitchen, then her and Mikayla left. Mikayla was about to lock the door when Khloe returned. "My, like, apologies for bothering you two again." She had a somewhat concerned expression.
"Is something wrong?" Cammie asked. Something couldn't have gone THAT wrong THAT fast.
"Actually, I had, like, left my phone inside." Khloe stated.
"Oh, that's no problem. Just go on and get it." Mikayla said, opening the door for her.
"Thank you. I think I remember where I put it." Khloe walked back inside and returned less than a minute later. She held up her phone, which had a distinct high-heel shaped phone hanger. "Thank you, Mikayla. I would have been lost without it today." With that, she placed it in her pocket and headed on her way.
"So," Cammie began, after Khloe left, "Are we going to walk to the courthouse?"
"No, that will take too long. We're going to drive instead." Mikayla said, walking towards a large tool shed nearby.
"Drive? I thought you said that all your cars were rendered useless." Cammie said, recalling Mikayla's statement during their short tour of Swan Valley.
"Yes, it rendered all our cars useless. But," Mikayla opened the door to the tool shed, "A motorcycle is different from a car." Inside was a bright red motorcycle. It stood about half of Mikayla's height and had a black leather seat. On the left hand side was a medium-sized sidecar. There weren't any other features that would have distinguished it from another motorcycle.
"A motorcycle?!" Cammie said with a mixture of disbelief and shock. "How does that still work, but a car doesn't?"
"A motorcycle is built and works differently from car. They still run, but they're only to be used for crossing large distances in a short time for important matters. Don't you recall the ambulance that took Yarren being a motorcycle?"
That's right. I thought there was something unusual about the ambulance, but I couldn't pay it much attention due to the whirlwind of events that transpired.
"Yes, I do. I'll have to ask later. Right now, we have a trial to get to and a defendant to prove innocent." Cammie stated, fitting herself into the side car. It was surprisingly more roomy than it looked, allowing Cammie to fit in comfortably. She found a helmet in the car, which she promptly put on, after moving her curls around a bit.
"Before we do, I have to ask," Mikayla began, mounting her motorcycle, placing her helmet on, and securing her hat around her neck. "Do you honestly believe that Quorra is innocent?" Mikayla's intense stare into Cammie's eyes was unwavering with determination.
Cammie stared back at her with the same intensity. "Yes. I do believe that Quorra is innocent, and I plan to use all of my expertise to prove it." With that response, Mikayla nodded and started up her motorcycle. The trip took less than five minutes, though Mikayla was speeding to the courtroom at an incredible speed.
"Heh, hope my driving didn't through you too much into a frenzy." Mikayla said, replacing her helmet with her hat.
"It's alright, Mikayla." Despite her calm attitude, Cammie was a little shaken up by the ride.
The surroundings were very well kept, the bushes neatly trimmed and the flowers carefully tended to. The sun shone brightly, peeking out from clouds when given the chance. Buildings surrounding the place were The courthouse itself was a large white building with a gold colored roof. Adorned in the center triangle directly below the room was a large golden circle, bearing the mark of the Libra. There were four tall white columns that stretched from the base to the roof. Three entrances sat between the columns. On the left most and the right most side were two large marble statues of Lady Justice.
Cammie and Mikayla made their way through the security check to the defendant's lobby. There wasn't too much there. Two benches sat on opposite sides of the room. A large, boding, wooden door sat across from the entrance. A few pictures and paintings dotted themselves along the walls. A tall and narrow window allowed some light to shie through. Two guards stood watch at both entrances. Quorra sat on the left bench, quietly. She was still wearing the same outfit as yesterday.
"Good morning Quo-"
"I'M TELLING YOU I'M INNOCENT! I DIDN'T KILL ANYONE!" Quorra interrupted.
Cammie sighed. "It looks like we still aren't going to get anything out of her." She sat down on the bench on the other side.
Mikayla nodded and sighed as well, crunching the remaining bits of cough drop in her mouth. She then walked over and joined Cammie. "Well, we don't really have too much to use to get her our ot anything either." Mikayla said in a hushed tone.
"The best and only piece of evidence that we have is that ripped piece of ticket, and I don't think that it's going to be too decisive."
"Looks like the only plan of attack is to find any issues with the evidence that the prosecution presents." Mikayla rested her head on her arm. "I know that Quorra is innocent. I believe in her. So, there has to be proof that it wasn't her somewhere."
"Let's hope that we can find i-."
Cammie was interrupted when Tyler entered the defendant's lobby and approached the two of them. Today, he was wearing a smokey grey shirt and plain blue jeans. His arm was still in the sling. "So, Cammie, is this your first time in court?"
"It's my first time being on the defense, at least." Cammie responded.
"Tyler, did you come to wish us good luck?" Mikayla asked, still a little lost in thought.
"Yes, I did. I also wanted to let you know that I'll be watching today's trial from the gallery. Good luck you two. However this trial comes out, it's in your hands." With that, he left to join the gallery.
"How nice of him." Cammie stated, shocking Mikayla out of her thoughts.
"Huh? Oh, yes, definitely..." Mikayla was a little quieter then before. "Oh, I better throw away these cough drop wrappers before the trial starts." Before either she could throw away the trash or Cammie got the chance to ask her, however, the guards summoned them.
"Defense! Accused! It's time."
"Here we go Cammie. Quorra's fate rests with us. The battle begins now." Mikayla said, trying to encourage both Cammie and herself. Mikayla tucked the wrappers into her pants pocket and patted them. Cammie nodded, first to Mikayla, then to Quorra, and walked into the courtroom.
The courtroom was somewhat lavish, and modest in the same sense. The floors was crisp white tiles, each about one foot by one foot. Various mid-sized windows allowed the sunlight to enter into the room. The only entrance lead to the hallway outside of the courtroom. Once entering the courtroom, a person would find themselves inside of the gallery. A wooden gate sat between where the gallery sat and where the legal officials did battle. On the left was the defense's bench, while the prosecutor's sat on the right. Unlike previous courtrooms that Cammie had seen, the lawyer benches sat facing each other instead of towards the judge. In the center was a witness stand. The judge's stand was placed on the far wall, looking over all of the court. To the left and right of the judge's stand were where bailiffs stood, ever vigilent. Behind them were two large doors. On the left side of the judge's stand was a young woman who sat behind a type writer. On the right side was where the defendant sat.
Cammie and Mikayla both took their seat at the defense's bench, while Quorra took her seat at the defendant's section. A minute or two later, the gallery began to make their way into the room. Cammie quickly managed to identify some of the members, such as Catalina, Cameron, Harley, and Xandie, but the rest were alien to her. Once a good majority of the gallery had taken their place, Magdalena entered and calmly took her place at the prosecutor's bench, her police cape fluttering as she walked. Cammie looked around the room. There were only two people missing: the Judge, and the prosecutor.
A bailiff approached the center of the room. "All rise. Your Honor, Judge James, presiding." Everyone stood as Judge James took his seat.
"You may be seated." He proclaimed to the courtroom and everyone sat down. "Court is now in session for the trial of Quorra Calaerveri." He slammed his gavel down, resonating through the court. The court recorder began to type as everyone spoke. "Is the defense ready?"
Mikayla nodded. "The defense is ready, Your Honor."
"Ah, Mikayla, it's been awhile since your last courtroom appearance. Who is the lady standing next to you?" Judge James asked.
"My name is Cammie. I am Mikayla's assistant." Cammie said in a calm manner. Judge James nodded.
"Understood. I am honored to be the presiding over your courtroom debut."
"As am I honored to have my courtroom debut in your court." Cammie said, not trying to flatter the judge.
"Is the prosecution ready?" Judge James asked, shifting his attention to the prosecutor bench. However, only Magdalena sat there. "Magdalena, where is Prosecutor Martin?"
"Your Honor, he was called to look into a small matter for a short time. He should be with us shortly." Magdalena responded with her calm resolve.
"I understand, but a duty is a duty. Failure to attend means I will have no choice but to declare the defen-"
"HOLD IT, YOUR HONOR!" shouted a young voice, just entering the courtroom. All attention shifted to the young man standing in the doorway. He had scraggly reddish-brown hair and freckles that dotted his cheeks. The man stood about 5' 8" with no sign of a slouch. His blue-green eyes were oddly calming and his white teeth shined like polished silver. He wore a plain white shirt with sleeves that reached to his elbows. They were clearly bunched up at the ends, as if they were rolled up. Across his chest, he wore a plain black vest, his prosecutor badge adorned above his heart. Around his neck was a bolo tie with a golden emblem, which Cammie assumed was the badge that Maddie had made for him. His shirt was neatly tucked in behind his brown belt into his jet-black pants. Even his shoes managed to make black bright and reflective. The man calmly made his way to the prosecutor's bench, taking a seat next to Magdalena. "I was called by a few bailiffs to resolve a matter. Nothing big, just a small discrepancy."
"So, that's...?" Cammie began.
"Yep, my brother." Mikayla stated.
"Your Honor, and ladies and gentlemen of the gallery, Martin Barquette is here and is prepared to prosecute." He talked with a firm resolve, unwaivering and brimming with confidence. "Ah, I see we have a new face here. Might I ask for your name, fair lass?"
"I am Cammie, assistant to Mikayla. And flattery will not sway me from my duty." Cammie firmly said.
Martin chuckled and smiled. "Of course not. I expected none less from the assistant of my younger sister. I must warn you though. The evidence against your client is plentiful, so do not feel discouraged if you lose this trial."
"As long as the truth has made itself known, then I have not lost." Cammie responded.
"I see. Well, if Your Honor is prepared, the prosecution is ready to give its opening statement."
"I am ready. Prosecution, please deliver us your opening statement." Judge James firmly stated.
"Thank you, Your Honor." Martin stood up to speak to the court. "The defendant, Quorra, has been charged with murder in the second degree. The prosecution has decisive evidence, as well as witnesses, to prove, without a shadow of a doubt, of the defendant's guilt."
He took his seat as Judge James turned his attention to Mikayla and Cammie. "The defense may now give their opening statement."
"Yes... Umm..." Mikayla was visibly nervous as she stood up. "We, the defense, sh-shall... um... present... uhh... evidence and find the... um... f-flaws in the prosecution's logic to... uhh... prove that our c-client is innocent." Murmurs arose from the gallery as Mikayla's face turned beet red. She quickly took her seat and tried to cover her face with her hat.
"Is Mikayla for real?"
"She doesn't seem to sure of herself."
"Is this going to be another one-sided battle?"
"It's not looking too good for Cammie's courtroom debut."
"What happened to all that confidence from earlier, Mikayla?" Cammie whispered under her breath.
"I-It doesn't help that we know just a smidgen more than any random person in the gallery." Mikayla whispered back.
Judge James slammed his gavel down. "Order in the court!" The murmurs softly faded out.
"Your Honor, I think it would be wisest if we gave the court an overview of the details of the crime." Martin calmly said. Judge James nodded in agreement. "The prosecution calls Magdalena, the head investigator in the case, to the witness stand." Magdalena calmly stood up and walked over to the witness stand. "Witness, your name and occupation."
"My name is Magdalena Barquette. I am the head investigator, as Martin stated." She stood with a calm and smug atmosphere.
"Magdalena, please testify to the court to the details of the case."
"Understood." Magdalena cleared her throat. "The murder occured on August 14th. The victim's identity is currently unknown, so he is known as John Doe, as is official procedure. The victim was killed with a custom built high-powered rifle. John was shot in the back of the head, blowing off the bottom of his skull. The autopsy report that came back states that death was instantaneous. The bullet that took the victim's life has yet to be found, but it clear that this rifle was only fired once. Finally, the defendant's fingerprints were found on the murder weapon, and only her fingerprints. No other ones were found."
"Wh-WHAT!?" Mikayla exclaimed in shock. Cammie was equally shocked, but remained silent.
Murmurs arose in the gallery again, only to be silenced by Judge James's gavel. "Order! Order! Magdalena, where is the murder weapon now?"
"I have it over with Martin at the prosecutor's bench. It is unloaded, so there is no more risk of anyone being harmed by it accidently going off. Detailed photos of the gun are here for the defense." Magdalena reached into her jacket, pulled out a sealed packet, walked over to the defense, handed it to them, and returned to the witness stand.
The pictures showed the fingerprints, highlighted in orange, on the gun. Not just any gun, but a custom made gun. It was completely silver coated with a .50 mm barrel. It was about a foot and a half long and had a hand holder on the barrel and one on the handle. Technically, it was more like a rifle. The trigger on the gun was polished with a golden paint and the metal around the trigger was also gold painted. The sight on the rifle was about 3 mm tall and 4 mm thick with a curve out of it of about 1 mm. On the side of the gun was an illegible signature belonging to the man. The barrel of the rifle on the inside had curved ridges, which caused the bullets that were shot out to spin as they flew.
"The court accepts this into evidence. What about the autopsy report?" Judge James asked.
"I have already given the Defense Bailiff a copy. Bailiff, if you would be so kind."
"Yes ma'am." The bailiff on the defense's side walked into the room behind him and returned not long after with a copy of the autopsy report. He handed it to Mikayla and returned to his post. Mikayla coughed three times, then began to look over the report.
"The court accepts this into evidence. Hmm... Fingerprints on the murder weapon is very decisive evidence. I fail to see how the defense can overturn such a claim. I am prepared to hand down my verdict."
"H-Hold it, Your Honor! We still have yet to cross-examine the witness!" Cammie exclaimed.
"Alright, but, if you are simply stalling, I will hand down my verdict. Do I make self clear?" Judge James sternly asked.
"Yes, Your Honor." Mikayla replied.
"The defense may begin it's cross-examination."
I don't believe that Magdalena has reason to lie. Not only that, but she also has evidence to back up her claims. However, I can't help but feel that she's also withholding more information. I'll have to drag it out of her, somehow.
Mikayla coughed three more times, before clearing her throat. "Sorry, still have a bit of a dry throat. Alright, let's cross-examine." Cammie nodded. She looked over, but was a tad surprised to see Magdalena have a look of concern. Her right hand was fiddling with something in her pocket.
"Magdalena, you seem distraught about something. Could you tell the court about what it is?"
"OBJECTION! Whether Magdalena is distraught about something or not is relevant to the case at hand." Martin objected.
"Objection sustained." Judge James stated.
"A-Alright then. Magdalena, how can you be certain that the victim was killed by this custom built high-powered rifle? As you stated, the bullet that took John's life has yet to be found. If it was a custom firearm, it could have been a different one." Cammie asked.
"No other firearms were found at the scene of the crime." Magdalena retorted.
"Is that it? The body wasn't discovered for six days after the murder happened. That means there was a timeframe where someone could have planted this gun and taken the real murder weapon with them." Cammie pressed.
"I don't think so." Magdalena firmly stated. "Recall that only the defendant's fingerprints were on the weapon. If someone had swapped the real murder weapon for a fake one, their fingerprints would have been on this gun. Futhermore, the defentdant's fingerprints are proof that she was the last one to hold the gun. It was also found just a little distance away from the body. There would be no other reason for her fingerprints to be on this weapon other than it was to be used to kill John Doe."
"That still could mean that John Doe was killed by a different weapon, fired by a different person. You have yet to prove that this gun was, in fact, the same one that took John Doe's life." Cammie pointed out. A shocked expression shot across Magdalena's face.
Murmurs began to rise again from the gallery. Judge James slammed his gavel on the desk. "Order! Order! Witness, can you prove that this gun was what killed John Doe?"
"Um...well..." Magdalena hesitated.
Mikayla smiled at Cammie. "Nice job. You put a good sized wrench in the prosecution's cla-"
"Actually, I believe that I can clear up this discrepancy." Martin chimed in. "I had the gun checked by a very well recommended ballistics expert. He managed to make a replica of the gun's ammo. I can safely confirm that it was this gun that murder John Doe."
"Wh-WHAT!? No! O-Our defense..." Mikayla's voice shrank and she became increasingly worried.
"Like I said before to you, Cammie." Martin said, rather smuggly. "The evidence is plentiful, so don't be discouraged if-"
Martin was cut short as Mikayla suddenly began to enter a horrible coughing fit. She fell to the ground and began to convulse. Magdalena's shocked expression worsened as she quickly pulled out her phone, which had a distictive feather phone hanger, and began to call for help.
"Get an ambulance over to the courtroom! Now! Time is of the essence! It's a case of BoD! I repeat! BoD!" Magdalena yelled into her phone, bolting over to Mikayla.
"Your Honor! Stop the trial! We need to get Mikayla help!" Martin shouted as members of the gallery stood up to get a better view of the incident. He rushed over to Mikayla as fast as he could.
Cammie stared at Mikayla's convulsing body, frozen in fear and shock. She found herself unable to do anything to help as Mikayla fought for her life.
"Hello? Who's there?" Mikayla asked from the room on the right, out of view of the door.
"Just me, Mikayla." Cammie replied, walking calmly into the room to join Mikayla and the mystery guest. She heard her own feet drag across the carpet, making footprints.
Sitting across from Mikayla on a couch was a young girl, only about 19 or 20. She had long, wavy brunette hair that came all the way down to just below her shoulder blades. Her face was lightly tan, accentuating her lavender irises. Her tan lipstick-covered lips were curled around a cup of tea, steam lightly rising from it. She wore a plain white halter top with no sleeves. Her blue jeans showed evidence of years of wear, and her legs were crossed as she sat. She was wearing pink high-heels and no socks. She looked at Cammie and smiled sweetly. Cammie nodded to the girl and turned her attention to Mikayla.
"Cammie, I would like to introduce you to Khloe."Mikayla gestured to the young girl.
"Ah, so you're, like, the new assistant that Mikayla mentioned." Khloe calmly stated, setting her tea down on the table. "It's, like, totally a pleasure to meet you."
Mikayla's phone rang again, and she answered it. "Cammie, there's more tea in the kitchen. You can make yourself a cup if you wish." Mikayla coughed a few times before trying to clear her throat. Cammie nodded and began to head to the kitchen area, which was visibly to the left of Mikayla's office.
"That's a rather nasty cough. Good thing I, like, always carry some spare cough drops. Here you go, Mikayla, just in case you need some more." Khloe said, handing over some to Mikayla.
The kitchen wasn't anything too extravagent, nor was it anything bland either. The counters, which were placed along the edge of the walls and cut off into an L-shape in the middle of the kitchen, were made of a translucent pink colored stone. To the immediate right of the entrance was a kitchen sink, with a few dishes in it. A coffeemaker sat to the left of the sink. Various wooden cabinets were mounted to the wall. On the wall to the right of the entrance was a stove top with a tea kettle on the forward left burner. A window sat above the stove and a microwave above that. To the left of the entrance was a large white fridge with a freezer section below. Across from the entrance was part of the L-shaped counter, supported by three red metal poles. Four stools were visible behind the counter. On the ceiling were two light sources, both in a decorative metal fixture.
Cammie walked over and looked through the cabinets, finding teacups to the left of the microwave. She got out herself one, then decided to pull out another one, for Mikayla. Cammie poured water into each cup, placed the kettle back, and brought the cups over to the counter. There were various boxes of different teas on the counter. Cammie placed a bag of black tea into her cup, then pondered what tea to give Mikayla. After a bit, she recalled how Mikayla had mentioned about sage and blueberry tea being her favorite. Cammie took a bag and placed it in Mikayla's cup. Remembering that honey is a good way to sooth a cough, she put some in Mikayla's tea. She walked over to the coffeemaker, grabbed a small packet of sugar, and poured it into her own cup. Cammie took both cups and returned back to Mikayla and Khloe.
"Here you are Mikayla." Cammie said, handing Mikayla her cup.
"Oh, you got me a cup too." Mikayla stated in surprise, and then took a sip. "Sage and blueberry! My favorite. Thank you, Cammie. Huh?" Mikayla said, directing her attention back to her phone conversation. "Oh, Cammie had gotten me some tea, that's all." Cammie decided to leave Mikayla to her conversation and took a seat in a chair to the right of Khloe. The three of them continued to drink their tea, Khloe finishing first, then Cammie. Mikayla's was only half drank, due to her conversation on her phone. "Alright then. We'll be there." With that, Mikayla hung up and put her phone back into her pocket. "Thanks for your company, Khloe. Cammie, I believe we have a trial waiting for us." Her voice had a twinge of doubt in it.
"I better, like, not hold either of you two up." Khloe said, smiling sweetly and standing up. She bowed to Mikayla. "Thank you for, like, having me over to talk on such short notice." With that, she walked out. Cammie turned to Mikayla, and they nodded to each other. Cammie went and returned their cups to the kitchen, then her and Mikayla left. Mikayla was about to lock the door when Khloe returned. "My, like, apologies for bothering you two again." She had a somewhat concerned expression.
"Is something wrong?" Cammie asked. Something couldn't have gone THAT wrong THAT fast.
"Actually, I had, like, left my phone inside." Khloe stated.
"Oh, that's no problem. Just go on and get it." Mikayla said, opening the door for her.
"Thank you. I think I remember where I put it." Khloe walked back inside and returned less than a minute later. She held up her phone, which had a distinct high-heel shaped phone hanger. "Thank you, Mikayla. I would have been lost without it today." With that, she placed it in her pocket and headed on her way.
"So," Cammie began, after Khloe left, "Are we going to walk to the courthouse?"
"No, that will take too long. We're going to drive instead." Mikayla said, walking towards a large tool shed nearby.
"Drive? I thought you said that all your cars were rendered useless." Cammie said, recalling Mikayla's statement during their short tour of Swan Valley.
"Yes, it rendered all our cars useless. But," Mikayla opened the door to the tool shed, "A motorcycle is different from a car." Inside was a bright red motorcycle. It stood about half of Mikayla's height and had a black leather seat. On the left hand side was a medium-sized sidecar. There weren't any other features that would have distinguished it from another motorcycle.
"A motorcycle?!" Cammie said with a mixture of disbelief and shock. "How does that still work, but a car doesn't?"
"A motorcycle is built and works differently from car. They still run, but they're only to be used for crossing large distances in a short time for important matters. Don't you recall the ambulance that took Yarren being a motorcycle?"
That's right. I thought there was something unusual about the ambulance, but I couldn't pay it much attention due to the whirlwind of events that transpired.
"Yes, I do. I'll have to ask later. Right now, we have a trial to get to and a defendant to prove innocent." Cammie stated, fitting herself into the side car. It was surprisingly more roomy than it looked, allowing Cammie to fit in comfortably. She found a helmet in the car, which she promptly put on, after moving her curls around a bit.
"Before we do, I have to ask," Mikayla began, mounting her motorcycle, placing her helmet on, and securing her hat around her neck. "Do you honestly believe that Quorra is innocent?" Mikayla's intense stare into Cammie's eyes was unwavering with determination.
Cammie stared back at her with the same intensity. "Yes. I do believe that Quorra is innocent, and I plan to use all of my expertise to prove it." With that response, Mikayla nodded and started up her motorcycle. The trip took less than five minutes, though Mikayla was speeding to the courtroom at an incredible speed.
"Heh, hope my driving didn't through you too much into a frenzy." Mikayla said, replacing her helmet with her hat.
"It's alright, Mikayla." Despite her calm attitude, Cammie was a little shaken up by the ride.
The surroundings were very well kept, the bushes neatly trimmed and the flowers carefully tended to. The sun shone brightly, peeking out from clouds when given the chance. Buildings surrounding the place were The courthouse itself was a large white building with a gold colored roof. Adorned in the center triangle directly below the room was a large golden circle, bearing the mark of the Libra. There were four tall white columns that stretched from the base to the roof. Three entrances sat between the columns. On the left most and the right most side were two large marble statues of Lady Justice.
Cammie and Mikayla made their way through the security check to the defendant's lobby. There wasn't too much there. Two benches sat on opposite sides of the room. A large, boding, wooden door sat across from the entrance. A few pictures and paintings dotted themselves along the walls. A tall and narrow window allowed some light to shie through. Two guards stood watch at both entrances. Quorra sat on the left bench, quietly. She was still wearing the same outfit as yesterday.
"Good morning Quo-"
"I'M TELLING YOU I'M INNOCENT! I DIDN'T KILL ANYONE!" Quorra interrupted.
Cammie sighed. "It looks like we still aren't going to get anything out of her." She sat down on the bench on the other side.
Mikayla nodded and sighed as well, crunching the remaining bits of cough drop in her mouth. She then walked over and joined Cammie. "Well, we don't really have too much to use to get her our ot anything either." Mikayla said in a hushed tone.
"The best and only piece of evidence that we have is that ripped piece of ticket, and I don't think that it's going to be too decisive."
"Looks like the only plan of attack is to find any issues with the evidence that the prosecution presents." Mikayla rested her head on her arm. "I know that Quorra is innocent. I believe in her. So, there has to be proof that it wasn't her somewhere."
"Let's hope that we can find i-."
Cammie was interrupted when Tyler entered the defendant's lobby and approached the two of them. Today, he was wearing a smokey grey shirt and plain blue jeans. His arm was still in the sling. "So, Cammie, is this your first time in court?"
"It's my first time being on the defense, at least." Cammie responded.
"Tyler, did you come to wish us good luck?" Mikayla asked, still a little lost in thought.
"Yes, I did. I also wanted to let you know that I'll be watching today's trial from the gallery. Good luck you two. However this trial comes out, it's in your hands." With that, he left to join the gallery.
"How nice of him." Cammie stated, shocking Mikayla out of her thoughts.
"Huh? Oh, yes, definitely..." Mikayla was a little quieter then before. "Oh, I better throw away these cough drop wrappers before the trial starts." Before either she could throw away the trash or Cammie got the chance to ask her, however, the guards summoned them.
"Defense! Accused! It's time."
"Here we go Cammie. Quorra's fate rests with us. The battle begins now." Mikayla said, trying to encourage both Cammie and herself. Mikayla tucked the wrappers into her pants pocket and patted them. Cammie nodded, first to Mikayla, then to Quorra, and walked into the courtroom.
The courtroom was somewhat lavish, and modest in the same sense. The floors was crisp white tiles, each about one foot by one foot. Various mid-sized windows allowed the sunlight to enter into the room. The only entrance lead to the hallway outside of the courtroom. Once entering the courtroom, a person would find themselves inside of the gallery. A wooden gate sat between where the gallery sat and where the legal officials did battle. On the left was the defense's bench, while the prosecutor's sat on the right. Unlike previous courtrooms that Cammie had seen, the lawyer benches sat facing each other instead of towards the judge. In the center was a witness stand. The judge's stand was placed on the far wall, looking over all of the court. To the left and right of the judge's stand were where bailiffs stood, ever vigilent. Behind them were two large doors. On the left side of the judge's stand was a young woman who sat behind a type writer. On the right side was where the defendant sat.
Cammie and Mikayla both took their seat at the defense's bench, while Quorra took her seat at the defendant's section. A minute or two later, the gallery began to make their way into the room. Cammie quickly managed to identify some of the members, such as Catalina, Cameron, Harley, and Xandie, but the rest were alien to her. Once a good majority of the gallery had taken their place, Magdalena entered and calmly took her place at the prosecutor's bench, her police cape fluttering as she walked. Cammie looked around the room. There were only two people missing: the Judge, and the prosecutor.
A bailiff approached the center of the room. "All rise. Your Honor, Judge James, presiding." Everyone stood as Judge James took his seat.
"You may be seated." He proclaimed to the courtroom and everyone sat down. "Court is now in session for the trial of Quorra Calaerveri." He slammed his gavel down, resonating through the court. The court recorder began to type as everyone spoke. "Is the defense ready?"
Mikayla nodded. "The defense is ready, Your Honor."
"Ah, Mikayla, it's been awhile since your last courtroom appearance. Who is the lady standing next to you?" Judge James asked.
"My name is Cammie. I am Mikayla's assistant." Cammie said in a calm manner. Judge James nodded.
"Understood. I am honored to be the presiding over your courtroom debut."
"As am I honored to have my courtroom debut in your court." Cammie said, not trying to flatter the judge.
"Is the prosecution ready?" Judge James asked, shifting his attention to the prosecutor bench. However, only Magdalena sat there. "Magdalena, where is Prosecutor Martin?"
"Your Honor, he was called to look into a small matter for a short time. He should be with us shortly." Magdalena responded with her calm resolve.
"I understand, but a duty is a duty. Failure to attend means I will have no choice but to declare the defen-"
"HOLD IT, YOUR HONOR!" shouted a young voice, just entering the courtroom. All attention shifted to the young man standing in the doorway. He had scraggly reddish-brown hair and freckles that dotted his cheeks. The man stood about 5' 8" with no sign of a slouch. His blue-green eyes were oddly calming and his white teeth shined like polished silver. He wore a plain white shirt with sleeves that reached to his elbows. They were clearly bunched up at the ends, as if they were rolled up. Across his chest, he wore a plain black vest, his prosecutor badge adorned above his heart. Around his neck was a bolo tie with a golden emblem, which Cammie assumed was the badge that Maddie had made for him. His shirt was neatly tucked in behind his brown belt into his jet-black pants. Even his shoes managed to make black bright and reflective. The man calmly made his way to the prosecutor's bench, taking a seat next to Magdalena. "I was called by a few bailiffs to resolve a matter. Nothing big, just a small discrepancy."
"So, that's...?" Cammie began.
"Yep, my brother." Mikayla stated.
"Your Honor, and ladies and gentlemen of the gallery, Martin Barquette is here and is prepared to prosecute." He talked with a firm resolve, unwaivering and brimming with confidence. "Ah, I see we have a new face here. Might I ask for your name, fair lass?"
"I am Cammie, assistant to Mikayla. And flattery will not sway me from my duty." Cammie firmly said.
Martin chuckled and smiled. "Of course not. I expected none less from the assistant of my younger sister. I must warn you though. The evidence against your client is plentiful, so do not feel discouraged if you lose this trial."
"As long as the truth has made itself known, then I have not lost." Cammie responded.
"I see. Well, if Your Honor is prepared, the prosecution is ready to give its opening statement."
"I am ready. Prosecution, please deliver us your opening statement." Judge James firmly stated.
"Thank you, Your Honor." Martin stood up to speak to the court. "The defendant, Quorra, has been charged with murder in the second degree. The prosecution has decisive evidence, as well as witnesses, to prove, without a shadow of a doubt, of the defendant's guilt."
He took his seat as Judge James turned his attention to Mikayla and Cammie. "The defense may now give their opening statement."
"Yes... Umm..." Mikayla was visibly nervous as she stood up. "We, the defense, sh-shall... um... present... uhh... evidence and find the... um... f-flaws in the prosecution's logic to... uhh... prove that our c-client is innocent." Murmurs arose from the gallery as Mikayla's face turned beet red. She quickly took her seat and tried to cover her face with her hat.
"Is Mikayla for real?"
"She doesn't seem to sure of herself."
"Is this going to be another one-sided battle?"
"It's not looking too good for Cammie's courtroom debut."
"What happened to all that confidence from earlier, Mikayla?" Cammie whispered under her breath.
"I-It doesn't help that we know just a smidgen more than any random person in the gallery." Mikayla whispered back.
Judge James slammed his gavel down. "Order in the court!" The murmurs softly faded out.
"Your Honor, I think it would be wisest if we gave the court an overview of the details of the crime." Martin calmly said. Judge James nodded in agreement. "The prosecution calls Magdalena, the head investigator in the case, to the witness stand." Magdalena calmly stood up and walked over to the witness stand. "Witness, your name and occupation."
"My name is Magdalena Barquette. I am the head investigator, as Martin stated." She stood with a calm and smug atmosphere.
"Magdalena, please testify to the court to the details of the case."
"Understood." Magdalena cleared her throat. "The murder occured on August 14th. The victim's identity is currently unknown, so he is known as John Doe, as is official procedure. The victim was killed with a custom built high-powered rifle. John was shot in the back of the head, blowing off the bottom of his skull. The autopsy report that came back states that death was instantaneous. The bullet that took the victim's life has yet to be found, but it clear that this rifle was only fired once. Finally, the defendant's fingerprints were found on the murder weapon, and only her fingerprints. No other ones were found."
"Wh-WHAT!?" Mikayla exclaimed in shock. Cammie was equally shocked, but remained silent.
Murmurs arose in the gallery again, only to be silenced by Judge James's gavel. "Order! Order! Magdalena, where is the murder weapon now?"
"I have it over with Martin at the prosecutor's bench. It is unloaded, so there is no more risk of anyone being harmed by it accidently going off. Detailed photos of the gun are here for the defense." Magdalena reached into her jacket, pulled out a sealed packet, walked over to the defense, handed it to them, and returned to the witness stand.
The pictures showed the fingerprints, highlighted in orange, on the gun. Not just any gun, but a custom made gun. It was completely silver coated with a .50 mm barrel. It was about a foot and a half long and had a hand holder on the barrel and one on the handle. Technically, it was more like a rifle. The trigger on the gun was polished with a golden paint and the metal around the trigger was also gold painted. The sight on the rifle was about 3 mm tall and 4 mm thick with a curve out of it of about 1 mm. On the side of the gun was an illegible signature belonging to the man. The barrel of the rifle on the inside had curved ridges, which caused the bullets that were shot out to spin as they flew.
"The court accepts this into evidence. What about the autopsy report?" Judge James asked.
"I have already given the Defense Bailiff a copy. Bailiff, if you would be so kind."
"Yes ma'am." The bailiff on the defense's side walked into the room behind him and returned not long after with a copy of the autopsy report. He handed it to Mikayla and returned to his post. Mikayla coughed three times, then began to look over the report.
"The court accepts this into evidence. Hmm... Fingerprints on the murder weapon is very decisive evidence. I fail to see how the defense can overturn such a claim. I am prepared to hand down my verdict."
"H-Hold it, Your Honor! We still have yet to cross-examine the witness!" Cammie exclaimed.
"Alright, but, if you are simply stalling, I will hand down my verdict. Do I make self clear?" Judge James sternly asked.
"Yes, Your Honor." Mikayla replied.
"The defense may begin it's cross-examination."
I don't believe that Magdalena has reason to lie. Not only that, but she also has evidence to back up her claims. However, I can't help but feel that she's also withholding more information. I'll have to drag it out of her, somehow.
Mikayla coughed three more times, before clearing her throat. "Sorry, still have a bit of a dry throat. Alright, let's cross-examine." Cammie nodded. She looked over, but was a tad surprised to see Magdalena have a look of concern. Her right hand was fiddling with something in her pocket.
"Magdalena, you seem distraught about something. Could you tell the court about what it is?"
"OBJECTION! Whether Magdalena is distraught about something or not is relevant to the case at hand." Martin objected.
"Objection sustained." Judge James stated.
"A-Alright then. Magdalena, how can you be certain that the victim was killed by this custom built high-powered rifle? As you stated, the bullet that took John's life has yet to be found. If it was a custom firearm, it could have been a different one." Cammie asked.
"No other firearms were found at the scene of the crime." Magdalena retorted.
"Is that it? The body wasn't discovered for six days after the murder happened. That means there was a timeframe where someone could have planted this gun and taken the real murder weapon with them." Cammie pressed.
"I don't think so." Magdalena firmly stated. "Recall that only the defendant's fingerprints were on the weapon. If someone had swapped the real murder weapon for a fake one, their fingerprints would have been on this gun. Futhermore, the defentdant's fingerprints are proof that she was the last one to hold the gun. It was also found just a little distance away from the body. There would be no other reason for her fingerprints to be on this weapon other than it was to be used to kill John Doe."
"That still could mean that John Doe was killed by a different weapon, fired by a different person. You have yet to prove that this gun was, in fact, the same one that took John Doe's life." Cammie pointed out. A shocked expression shot across Magdalena's face.
Murmurs began to rise again from the gallery. Judge James slammed his gavel on the desk. "Order! Order! Witness, can you prove that this gun was what killed John Doe?"
"Um...well..." Magdalena hesitated.
Mikayla smiled at Cammie. "Nice job. You put a good sized wrench in the prosecution's cla-"
"Actually, I believe that I can clear up this discrepancy." Martin chimed in. "I had the gun checked by a very well recommended ballistics expert. He managed to make a replica of the gun's ammo. I can safely confirm that it was this gun that murder John Doe."
"Wh-WHAT!? No! O-Our defense..." Mikayla's voice shrank and she became increasingly worried.
"Like I said before to you, Cammie." Martin said, rather smuggly. "The evidence is plentiful, so don't be discouraged if-"
Martin was cut short as Mikayla suddenly began to enter a horrible coughing fit. She fell to the ground and began to convulse. Magdalena's shocked expression worsened as she quickly pulled out her phone, which had a distictive feather phone hanger, and began to call for help.
"Get an ambulance over to the courtroom! Now! Time is of the essence! It's a case of BoD! I repeat! BoD!" Magdalena yelled into her phone, bolting over to Mikayla.
"Your Honor! Stop the trial! We need to get Mikayla help!" Martin shouted as members of the gallery stood up to get a better view of the incident. He rushed over to Mikayla as fast as he could.
Cammie stared at Mikayla's convulsing body, frozen in fear and shock. She found herself unable to do anything to help as Mikayla fought for her life.