EC:AA Turnabout Deciet (4/6)

“A second investigation, huh. Just how often do those things happen?” I asked Cyrus.
We had just entered the defendant lobby. Aside from the two bailiffs, who stood by the door, Pratt was sitting on a couch talking on his phone.
 
“It’s very rare”, he said gravely, “It’s one thing to issue a re-examination of evidence, but an entire crime scene is something else entirely.”
 
I scoffed. “That’s pretty unprofessional of the police. If they investigated things more thoroughly it would save us wasted time.”
 
“Well, you should know more than anyone that the police aren’t this unstoppable force. They can really be fooled by even the simplest tampering.”
“Yes, you’re right.”
The fake log and the victim’s jacket were used to mislead the trial.
“And considering the fact the culprit didn’t know that leather catches fingerprints, I think that Kuhn is a pretty likely suspect”.
 
“I thought so as well”. He firmly crossed his arms and smirked.
I raised an eyebrow.
Wait a minute… HEY!
 
“That Romeo wannabe was suspicious from the minute he moped about the necklace. But, I’ll give you credit, when he freaked about the jacket I became certain”
“Thanks Cyrus, that’s very reassuring”, I said sarcastically.
 
I then slumped on the couch, near the one Pratt was sitting on,. My legs felt numb from the constant standing in the courtroom, and so were my hands from my constant desk slamming. My eyelids also slowly started to close, even though I tried to keep them open.
The adrenaline from the trial started to fade away.
I really need a more consistent sleeping schedule…
 
“Hey, Estelle, I’ll be going to Audrey’s to grab some lunch,” Cyrus said and he put on his coat.
“Isn’t it a little too early?”
“These trials are really draining and there’s an hour-long break. It’s the best time to get something to eat.”
“Okay”, I said with a yawn, “get me the BBQ style like always”.
 
A minute or two after Cyrus left, I saw Pratt hung up his phone and let out a deep sigh. His shoulders were hunched and he looked even more devastated then he was during the trial.
 
I scooched closer to him on my sofa. “Is something wrong Mr. Pratt?”
“It’s about my dog, Betsy,” he said, still looking down on his phone. “I just talked to a vet from the clinic she’s staying in. Apparently, her situation didn’t improve”.
So Mr. Pratt has a dog? He doesn’t really look like the type to own one…
“What is she sick with?”, I asked.
He tugged on the collar of his  blue sweater.
“I just found out that she has pancreatitis. It explains why she’s been vomiting for almost four days.”
“Ouch…”, I winced, “that is definitely not fun”.
“You don’t say,” he said in a lower tone.
“Anyways, I went with Betsy to the vet on the night of the murder. It was the reason I had to delay my meeting with Ms. Timm”.
So those were the personal matters he had to take care of! It’s sweet of him.
“And for how long were you there?”
“I didn’t count but it was a few good hours. When I arrived at my apartment, the police were there and they arrested me on the spot”.
“I see.” I said, crossing my arms, “they must’ve assumed you came back to tamper with the scene”.
 
Pratt’s grip on his phone tightened and his hands started to shake.
Crap, I must’ve struck a nerve.
 
“… If I get found guilty in this trial, who knows what’ll happen to poor Betsy? Shaun is allergic to dogs and Carol lives too far from here …”
I quickly placed my arm on the sofa’s armrest and leaned forward.
“Don’t be worried sir, I promised you I’ll defend you and get you acquitted!”
 
“Well my wife vowed she’ll stay with me and looked how that turned out!”
 
We were both silent for a while. Pratt returned to looking at his phone and I looked awkwardly to my own side.
 
“I’m sorry about what happened between you and your wife… I still can’t believe she left you just because you got fired.”
“Naw, it’s all right, I shouldn’t have yelled at you when you tired helping me”, he said sorrowfully.
“Those rumors, they were the straw that broke the camel’s back for both my career and my marriage.”
 
“But Cyrus told me in the beforehand that you were a successful teacher for almost thirty years!”
 
“Yeah but it wasn’t very stable since I changed my teaching methods. The university was far from supportive. Kept telling me I was favoring specific students and holding their hands. That they should take responsibility over themselves, but they didn’t know how much effort these students made to even attend classes. Those rumors that Ms. Timm spread…. They were the perfect excuse to kick me out.”
 
“And, how is your wife connected to any of this?”
“She’s physics professor in the university. If she stayed with a husband with such a bad reputation it’ll also hurt her”.
 
I clenched my necklace.
“So, you’re telling me the reason the university accepted those rumors was because they had a grudge against you to begin with? That’s so unjust.”
“They preferred to have order over justice. That’s how it’s always been, even if it means getting rid of a geezer like me.” He smiled cynically.
“And besides, this world is filled with injustice and uncertainties. At one moment life is going your way and the next you're completely knocked down. It could also happen to you once this trial continues. Those pieces of evidence you found could mean next to nothing.”
 
“Trust me I’m very aware of that.” I said ,“but it’s not going to change the fact I’m still your defense attorney. Sure, this world is unjust but at least I could bring some justice into it by helping people like you.”
“You’re… definitely right Ms. Crossheart.” He said. This time his smile felt much gentler.
 
I smiled back at him. “You’re a good person Mr. Pratt. My mentor already said it himself, but people like you don’t deserve to be falsely accused of dire crimes like this one. So, try trusting us, we haven’t let you down so far”.
“Yeah, right…”.
 
It was then the room was enveloped in a familiar yet alluring smell. It also smelled like… meat. I turned around from my client and saw Cyrus came back to the lobby. He held his coat in one arm and three paper bags with another which were filled with the lunch he had promised to get.
 
“So, I see you two got to talk a bit”, he smiled and threw his coat on one of the empty sofas.
“Would it kill you to say ‘hi’ for once?” I said dryly, “or any kind of normal greeting for that matter?”.
 
“Well it’s not physically possible to be killed by these words but you know me, I like to keep things interesting”.
I rolled my eyes, “just bring the food Cyrus.”
 
He put the paper bags on the clean glass table and grabbed the one that belonged to him. I quickly found mine because it had a message neatly written on it:
‘Good Luck on your trial today Estie! I added some extra hot sauce just like you like it! – Kim’
“Awwww that’s so sweet of her to write that! Did she write anything for you?”
Cyrus took a bite out of his burger and then replied, “pretty much the same as yours. Except she added a heart next to her name”.
“ech…” I cringed, Kim, I know you prefer maturity but you don’t have to go for a thirty-year-old.  
 
“So… should I just open the one that’s left on the table”, Pratt asked Cyrus.
“Why else would it be here? It’s way better than anything you ate the last few days,.” he grinned.
“Thank you, Mr. Twain, I appreciate it.” Pratt said.
“You’re welcome. I hope you like salmon.”
 
We spent the rest of the break eating the food Cyrus had brought over.
The burger I got pretty sufficient. The buns were somewhat dry and the patty was too moist but the spiciness made up for it. The food in that restaurant was never amazing but it was good enough to get me energized again.
And to top it off, Cyrus got a discount for being a frequent regular, so he was very pleased with that.
 
“Court will be back in session in five minutes!” the bailiff said.
“Guess we should go back now”, I said to Cyrus.
“Right. I’ll make sure we have every piece of evidence prepared.”
 
Tai Kuhn. That man probably killed in cold blood and to top it off, framed it on a completely innocent person. People like him are completely unforgivable.
If I’m going to bring justice to my client then I’ll bring it to Kuhn as well!
I just hope that the new evidence will be in my favor…