August
17, 9:45 AM
District
Court
Courtroom
No. 3
The
throngs of people in the gallery talked amongst themselves. They all had their
reasons for coming. Some were reporters, covering the story for a newspaper, or
the local news channel. Some were friends and family of the parties involved in
the trial. Some just enjoyed watching court proceedings. And some came merely
for the schadenfreude pleasure of watching a man be sent to his death.
If
justice prevailed, those people would be disappointed.
BAM!
"Order in the court!" The elderly judge proclaimed. "We are here
today for the trial of Mr. Katashi Ebon. Are the defense and prosecution
ready?"
"The
prosecution is ready, Your Honor," a rather high voice announced. The
voice wasn't one you'd expect from a man, especially one of this particular
lawyer's age, but that was just one of the many mysteries of the former
"Rookie Crusher," Prosecutor Winston Payne. The other mystery was why
he was still on bar after displaying such a poor record in the past years after
a certain woman broke his stride. But alas, that story is not the one being
told today.
"And
the defense?" the judge queried, looking over to his right.
"Um...The
defense is ready, Your Honor..." Vincent looked up nervously at the
intimidating presence of the man sitting in the front of the room.
"Mr.
Vincent Shore...this is your first trial, is it not?"
"Yes, Your Honor."
"I
must remind you that this is a murder trial. Your client's life is at stake.
Are you sure you don't want your father to cover this trial?"
(*gulp*
Way to make me feel inadequate, Your Honor...) "No, Your honor. The
defendant is a friend of mine and requested my services specifically."
The
judge nodded his head in agreement. "Alright, but I do hope you know what
you're doing."
The
aged man beside Vincent spoke up, "Don't worry, son. Just keep your
cool."
"Alright,
Dad."
The
judge looked over to Payne. "The prosecution may make its opening
statement.
"Thank
you, Your Honor," the former Crusher replied in his shrill voice.
"Today, the prosecution wishes to prove that at the QuikMart convenience
store, at 9:48 PM on August 15, the manager of said store, Calvin Hobbins, was
shot and killed. And who killed him, you ask? Why, that's simple: the only
other man working at the store that night, the defendant, Mr. Katashi
Ebon!"
The
crowd started murmuring amongst themselves at Payne's statement, as if the
verdict had already been carried out.
BAM!
"Order in the court!" the judge boomed. "Mr. Payne, what grounds
do you base your case on?"
The
prosecutor put his hand to his forehead and waved it back and forth, as if he
was swatting at something that wasn't there, maybe flipping a lock of
nonexistent hair. "Well, Your Honor, we have some circumstantial evidence
tying the defendant to the crime, and a reliable witness testimony of the
events."
The
rookie defense attorney's jaw dropped in shock. "You have a
witness?!"
*Murmurmurmurmurmur*
BAM
BAM BAM! "Order! Order! The prosecution may call its witness."
"The
prosecution calls a customer that was at the store when the murder occurred! He
saw everything!"
A
large, muscular, middle-aged man approached the witness stand. His leather
jacket shone under the lights of the courtroom as he absentmindedly ran a comb
through his long blonde hair, leaning a shoulder on the bench and looking
around the room.
Payne
looked shaken by the very sight of the man, sweat dripping down his brow.
"Witness, please state your name and occupation."
The
witness spoke in a deep, raspy voice, looking over at the prosecutor.
"Name's Spike Banner, and what I do ain't none of your damn
business."
The
honorable judge also looked quite intimidated. "No need for such language,
witness. If you could please testify about the circumstances of the
crime."
Banner
looked up at the judge, sneering at the old man, "Fine, dude."
WITNESS
TESTIMONY
--About
the Murder--
*Well,
I guess it happened about two days ago, the 15th was it?
*I
was at QuikMart, getting some beer and chips. The guy who got whacked was at
the counter.
*Suddenly,
I heard two people arguing and then a gunshot. BAM!
*The
guy at the counter was shot in the chest and bleeding all over!
*The
guy standing over him was the little weasel in the defendant's chair right
there!
Prosecutor
Payne snickered after the witness' testimony had finished, sure of his triumph.
"Well, Mr. Shore, I doubt you can argue with this story!"
Vincent
was slumped over, breaking out in a cold sweat. (Dammit! I don't know how I can
do this!)
"Calm
down, baby bird." Alan stood high (or at least as high as he could), with
a confident smile on his face. "You'll get him in the cross-examination."
(I
hate it when he calls me that...) "Cross-examination?"
"This
witness is obviously lying. You need to find the holes in his story and fill
them with evidence! Just look in the Court Record and present the
evidence."
"Right....the
Court Record..." (Let's just look through this...)
----
COURT
RECORD
Attorney's
Badge
Type:
Other
One
of my possessions.
This
is my badge. =D I've polished it to a blinding shine just for today.
Hobbins'
Autopsy Report
Type:
Reports
Obtained
from the Police Department
Time
of Death: August 15, 9:30-10:00 PM
Cause:
Shot by a pistol in the head at point-blank range. A bullet was found inside
the victim's body, but the murder weapon was not found, so ballistics tests
could not be performed.
Bloody
Reciept
Type:
Evidence
Found
on the floor of the QuikMart
Shows
various items purchased at QuikMart. Has a bloody fingerprint on it not from
the victim or the defendant. Blood matches that of the victim.
*QUIKMART*
8/15,
9:45 PM
Cashier:
Calvin Hobbins
Six-pack
of beer----$10.99
Potato
chips--------$8.45
Cheese
dip----------$4.50
Waffleman
not knowing the prices of things-Priceless
----
(Okay,
this is the evidence I have. Hopefully, I can use what I have to find a
contradiction.)
CROSS
EXAMINATION
--About
the Murder--
*The guy at the counter was shot in the chest and bleeding all over!
OBJECTION!
Vincent
shouted at the top of his lungs, finger outstretched and pointed straight at
the witness. "Mr. Banner, are you sure you're telling us the truth?"
Spike
sneered at the attorney, growling ever so slightly. "What, you think I'm
lying or something? I saw what I saw!"
The
crimson-clad man smirked, finding an opening. "Then you saw wrong, Mr.
Banner. I have here the autopsy report for the victim."
OBJECTION!
Payne
leaned over his desk, sweating slightly. "And what point ar you trying to
make, Mr. Shore?"
"Well,
Prosecutor Payne, the witness claims the victim was shot in the chest. If you
look at the report, it says the victim was 'shot by a pistol in the head.'
Obviously a contradiction!"
"GYAAAAAH!"
*Murmurmurmurmurmur*
BAM
BAM BAM!
"Order!
Order in the court!" The judge looked down at the lawyers. "Mr. Shore
has a point, Prosecutor. But before we continue, there's one thing bothering
me."
Vincent
scratched his chin and looked up at the judge. "And what would that be,
Your Honor?"
"Shouldn't
a convenience store have security cameras? There must be footage of the
crime."
"Well,
that's a good point, Your Honor. Why isn--"
OBJECTION!
Payne
interrupted with his shrill voice, making Vincent flinch embarassingly.
"Your Honor, there's a perfectly logical explanation for that. You see,
the security system had been malfunctioning recently, and thus the cameras were
inactive on the night of the crime."
"THEY
WHAAAAAT?!"
*Murmurmurmurmurmur*
BAM
BAM BAM!
"Order!
The court accepts the cameras as evidence."
----
SECURITY
CAMERAS ADDED TO COURT RECORD
Security
Cameras
Type:
Evidence
Submitted
as evidence by Winston Payne.
The
cameras at the QuikMart. Were inactive on the night of the crime.
----
Winston
snickered as Vincent introduced his face to his palm. "Now then, I believe
the witness can explain this slip of memory."
"I
certainly hope so. Witness, please testify as to why you forgot where the
victim was shot."
"Certainly,
gramps!"
WITNESS
TESTIMONY
--Where
Was He Shot?--
*When
the dude got whacked, it was a real shock.
*As
you could imagine, I was in a bit of a daze, so it's possible I forgot some
things.
*Besides,
I was in the back of the store, so I couldn't see what happened real good.
*As
soon as the shooter left, I hightailed it outta there. I didn't have time to
check the body anyway!
"Hm.
That seems like a perfectly reasonable explanation, witness. Mr. Shore, you may
cross-examine."
"Yes,
Your Honor." (Hmm....There's nothing I can present here...)
"Son,
don't fret. When in doubt, dig for more information. Press them on their
statements and they're bound to slip up."
(That
sounds about right....Okay! Let's do this!)
CROSS
EXAMINATION
--Where
Was He Shot?--
*As
soon as the shooter left, I hightailed it outta there. I didn't have time to
check the body anyway!
HOLD
IT!
"Doesn't
that seem odd, though?"
"Doesn't
what seem odd?"
"If
you thought he had been shot in the chest, wouldn't you have checked to see if
he was alright?"
"Well,
he was dead! Stop hasslin' me, Red!"
"But
a chest wound wouldn't cause an instantaneous death, and in some cases, the person
can be saved."
"...Fine. I may have checked him out a bit."
Payne
was incredulous as to what he had heard. "What?!"
*Murmurmurmurmurmur*
BAM!
"Order!
Witness, add this statement to your testimony!"
"Alright,
alright. Don't get yer gavel in a bunch."
*I
checked to see if the guy was alright, but I didn't touch anything!
OBJECTION!
"I'm
sorry, Mr. Banner, but I'm going to have to ask you to tell the truth."
"Whaddaya
think I've been doing up here? Geez, I thought you law-talkin' guys was
supposed to be smart."
"What
you've been doing here is lying! This receipt was found near the body."
"So?
It was a store, stores got receipts."
"But
this is no ordinary receipt, Mr. Banner. If you look closely, I'm sure you'll
find something odd about it."
The
judge examined the receipt and was taken aback by what he saw. "Th-there's
a bloody fingerprint on this!"
"That's
right. A fingerprint belonging to someone at the store that night besides the
victim or the defendant. And who was the only other person there that night? IT
WAS YOU, MR. BANNER!"
"AHHH!!"
Banner pulled at the sides of his jacket in shock.
*Murmurmurmurmurmur*
"Good
job, Vincent. We've got him on the ropes now. You know what to do."
"Right.
The defense cannot ignore the suspicious number of inaccuracies in the witness'
testimony! We would like to formally accuse Mr. Banner of the murder of Calvin
Hobbins!"
Payne
recoiled, what little hair he had blown back. "EEEEEEEEE!!!!"
The
gallery flew into a frenzy, so loud that the pounding of the judge's gavel
could hardly be heard.
After
the courtroom had calmed down, the judge addressed the witness. "Mr.
Banner, Mr. Shore has throws a very serious accusation at you. What do you have
to say?"
Banner
had stayed quiet during the commotion, absentmindedly combing his hair.
"I'm gonna testify about the receipt. A'ight?"
"Well,
that seems 'a'ight' to me. Please testify."
WITNESS
TESTIMONY
--The
Bloody Receipt--
*There
was blood all over the place, so it was a pretty shocking sight.
*I
saw the receipt next to the guy, all bloody and stuff.
*I
picked it up out of reflex, that's all.
*Blood on my hands would look suspicious, so I wiped them off on
my shirt.
*That's all. So can we stop this?
The judge sat wide-eyed at Banner's admission. "You wiped
blood on your shirt?! Prosecutor Payne, please submit this shirt to the
court!"
Payne presented a white T-shirt with small bloodstains covering
it. "Here's the shirt the witness was wearing the night of the
crime."
----
BLOODY
SHIRT ADDED TO COURT RECORD
Bloody
Shirt
Type:
Evidence
Submitted
as evidence by Winston Payne.
Worn
by Banner the night of the murder. Has small spots of blood all over.
----
The
judge looked over to Vincent. "Your cross-examination, Mr. Shore."
"Yes,
Your Honor."
Alan,
who had been watching quietly, remarked, "Now's your time to leave the
nest and fly."
CROSS
EXAMINATION
--The
Bloody Receipt--
*I
saw the receipt next to the guy, all bloody and stuff.
HOLD
IT!
"Doesn't
that seem odd? Why would there be a receipt if you were the only customer
there?"
The
witness shrugged the question off. "I dunno. Somebody must have left it
there earlier."
OBJECTION!
Payne
stepped in to stop the questioning with a question of his own, "Mr. Shore,
why are you badgering the witness with unimportant questions?"
OBJECTION!
Vincent
objected back to the prosecutor. "I believe the existence of this receipt
is very important!"
"I
don't know where you're going with this, Mr. Shore, but I'll play your game.
The witness will add the information about the receipt to his testimony,"
the judge said after shaking his head in doubt.
Spike
grunted at Vincent before continuing his testimony.
*The
receipt was probably just thrown away by someone earlier that day. It means
nothing.
OBJECTION!
The
defense attorney smirked, finally putting the pieces together. "Mr.
Banner, I'm afraid I have to ask you to tell the truth again. The WHOLE truth
this time."
The
witness gripped at his jacket in frustration, growling out, "What do you
mean?"
Payne
leaned forward, breaking out in a sweat and asking, "What do you
mean?"
The judge watched the brouhaha with a stunned look on his face.
"Mr. Shore, I must agree with the previous queries. What DO you
mean?"
"I'll explain, Your Honor. I'd like the court to take a look
at the receipt."
"Yes,
it is very bloody. What's your point, Mr. Shore?"
"Don't
look at the blood, Your Honor. Look at the timestamp!"
"Th-the
timestamp.....AHH!! This receipt is dated at 9:45 PM on the night of the
murder!"
Payne
was quivering behind his desk, as cornered as any lying witness. "What
does this mean?! Was there another customer in the store on the night of the
murder?!"
"No,
Prosecutor Payne. The police department must have dusted the receipt for
prints, right?"
"Of
course they did!"
"And
whose prints were on it?"
"The
only prints found on the receipt were those of the victim
and......GYAAAAAAAHHH!!! THE WITNESS!"
Banner
gripped at his jacket harder, the leather beginning to tear. "WHY YOU
PUNK!"
*murmurmurmurmurmur*
BAM!
BAM! BAM!
"ORDER!
ORDER! Witness! This case is beginning to make a 180 directly at you!"
"No
way, Gramps! Red!"
"What?"
(I thought I had him...damn.)
"Just
because I bought something doesn't make me a murderer! Show me more
proof!"
Payne
chimed in after recovering from his shock. "Y-yes! You'll have to show
more definitive proof of the witness' guilt!"
"Prosecutor
Payne and Mr. Banner make a good point. Mr. Shore? Do you have more evidence
pointing to Mr. Banner?"
"Yes
I do, Your Honor. The proof that Spike Banner made the fatal shot is...
TAKE
THAT!
Let's
take a look at this shirt again. The witness claims to have wiped blood from
his hands onto this shirt. But the bloodstains are too small to fit that
story."
"Then
whatd'ya think it is, Red?"
"To
me, it seems more like blood spatter."
"You
mean the victim's blood splashed onto the shirt as he was killed?"
"Yes.
That's exactly what I mean. AM I RIGHT, MR. BANNER?"
Spike
was pulling at his jacket like a madman, the leather in the back beginning to
rip. "I coulda gotten that blood on my shirt anywhere. When you're in my
business, you get into a lot of scuffles. I must not have wiped my hands on my
shirt after all."
"(And
what business is that? Ne'er-do-welling?) I'm sorry, but I have more evidence
that proves the blood on your shirt came from the scene...
TAKE
THAT!
"Take
a look at this cash register."
"It's
also very bloody."
"That's
natural. The victim was working the register, so his blood must have splattered
on it. What's your point, Mr. Shore?"
"Well,
Mr. Payne, if you compare the blood spatter on the register and the blood
spatter on Mr. Banner's shirt, the pattern is just about identical. MEANING
THAT MR. BANNER WAS IN FRONT OF THE VICTIM WHEN HE WAS SHOT! AND THE ONLY WAY
THAT COULD HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE WAS IF HE SHOT MR. HOBBINS!"
A
loud scream echoed throughout the courtroom. Banner was dripping sweat and
growling at Vincent. "You....you little son of a bitch...WHAT'S WRONG WITH
YOU?!?!?!?!" At that moment, Banner made a strong pull at his jacket,
violently ripping it in half down the back as the pieces slid down his
shoulders.
----
WHAT
REALLY HAPPENED
Spike
Banner was poor, unemployed (unless you cound his career as a criminal), and
desperate for money. He had come to the store that night planning to rob it.
The cameras being out were just an advantage. He got his items and wallked up
to the counter and purchased them, paying for them like any other customer.
When Calvin Hobbins opened the register to put the money inside, Spike put a
gun to his head, demanding the money from the register. Hobbins refused, so he
asked again. Hobbins still refused and was beginning to resist, so Banner shot
him in the head, leaving the blood spatter on his shirt and the register. Not
meaning to kill anyone, Banner went into a panic. Then he heard the footsteps
of Katashi Ebon, who had been cleaning and taking inventory in the back, and
hatched an idea. He ran outside and called the police from a nearby pay phone,
planning to frame Ebon.
----
After
Spike Banner had been taken away by the baliffs, all that was left was to
deliver the verdict.
"Mr.
Payne, has Mr. Banner been taken into custody?"
"Yes,
Your Honor. He's being questioned as we speak."
"Mr.
Shore."
"Y-yes,
Your Honor?"
"You're
a very talented young man. There's no doubt that you're your father's son. You
performed excellently."
Vincent
scratched the back of his head and chuckled in embarassment. "That's why
I'm the law-talkin' guy."
"Indeed.
Now to the matter at hand. This court finds the defendant, Katashi
Ebon..."
NOT
GUILTY
*unnecessary
confetti and cheering*
"Court
is dismissed!"
----
August
17, 10:15 AM
District
Court
Defendant
Lobby No. 3
"VINNY,
YOU DID IT!!" Katashi was crying tears of happiness after he had been
acquited.
Vincent
grinned and patted his friend on the shoulder. "I was glad to, Kat. It was
nice to see you after all this time."
Alan
chuckled as the two young men smiled at each other, "The baby bird and the
black cat. The most unlikely of friends."
Vincent
and Kat both blushed slightly out of embarassment. "Dad! Don't call us
that in front of people!"
Kat
chuckled at Vincent's flustered reaction, remarking, "Well, you DO look
pretty tasty, but I think right now I'd prefer a pizza."
Vincent
sighed at Katashi's comment. (That's the kind of line that creates yaoi
pairings.) He chalked it off to plain stupidity. "I guess we could go out
for a celebration. What do you say, Dad?"
Alan
smiled at his son, fatherly pride radiating from his face. "Sure. But it's
coming out of your fees for this case."
"Wait,
what?!" Vincent's jaw dropped.
"Yeah,
Vinny! Your treat!"
"B-but
I was gonna use that for my rent this month..."
And
that's my first case. It may have looked easy to you, but trust me, when you're
behind that desk with a man's life in your hands, it gets pretty stressful. I
guess that's why Dad's so short.
But
between the painful memories awakened by my next case, as well as some new
pains in the ass, I might very well go bald at the tender age of 23!
Episode
1: Turnabout Rookie
THE
END
----
Vincent:
I won my first case, but I'm just getting started! A murder at a big gala has
me hob-nobbing with all the richest and most influential people in the city!
Now if only I could get this snot-nosed kid and this ditzy detective off my
back...
Jeff:
Hey! The name's Jeff Trey, and I don't like working with you either, but I'm
your aide now, so deal with it!
Locke:
Who do you think you are insulting Detective Shirley Locke?! You'll get yours
from the new prosecutor you'll be facing!
Vincent:
Y-you....it can't be!!!
???:
It's been a long time.....Brother.
NEXT
TIME ON VINCENT SHORE: ACE ATTORNEY:
EPISODE
2: IT TAKES TWO TO TURNABOUT!