Heroes Assemble!

Getting The Band Back Together

"If you didn't kill James Broadshaw, then who did?" the prosecuting attorney asked.

Instantly, Matthew Murdoch was on his feet. "Objection, Your Honour. It is not Miss Hardy's job to determine who the guilty party is; that is the job of the police."

"Objection sustained," the judge declared. "Mister Smythe, please confine your questions to the matter at hand."

"Yes, Your Honour," Smythe replied with a miniscule bow of his head. "The prosecution has no further questions for this witness."

"Your witness, Mister Murdock," Judge MacIntyre stated.

Slowly, Matt rose before beginning to move closer to the witness stand.

There was definitely one advantage to being a blind lawyer, it gave one a fraction more time to think before having to ask any questions. The problem right now was that, while Matt was certain that Miss Hardy was innocent of murder, he knew that she wasn't as innocent as she appeared to be. And it'd be bad form to get her thrown in jail for a different crime than what she'd been arrested for.

"Miss Hardy. Prior to the evening of the fourteenth, had you ever had any prior contact with Mister Broadshaw?"

"No." Felicia replied succinctly.

Matt nodded. "And on the evening in question, was the door to Mister Broadshaw's apartment unlocked before you entered?"

"It was," she replied, with not even a hint of a smile or smirk in her voice, something that he was very grateful for, considering how he'd worded that particular question.

"Did you attempt to determine if Mister Broadshaw was home before you opened the door?" he asked.

"Yes. I called out, but there was no answer," she replied.

"Then why did you decide to enter Mister Broadshaw's apartment without an invitation?" Matt asked.

"I thought that I could quickly get in, grab what I needed to and get back out again without causing a scene," Felicia explained.

"The items belonging to Angelica Stone?" Matt asked.

"Yes," she replied.

And just like that, they were past the most dangerous part of the questioning.

"How far into the apartment did you go before you discovered Mister Broadshaw's body?" Matt asked.

"I didn't. Need to go into his apartment, that is," Felicia replied. "As soon as I opened the door, he was just there, lying there. That's when I rushed in, hoping to help him."

"And that's how the police found you," Matt stated more than asked.

"Yes," Felicia replied anyway.

"You were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time," Matt clarified.

"Exactly!" Felicia agreed.

ooo00ooo

"Miss Felicia Hardy," Judge MacIntyre said after reading the piece of paper that had been handed to her by the bailiff. "Please stand."

Felicia complied, with her two lawyers, Nelson and Murdoch, rising on either side of her as well.

"It is the decision of this court that you are not guilty of the murder of James Broadshaw. I must caution you, however. Much of the verdict was decided upon by the reasonable doubt that was shown in your defence. The fact that you were willing to enter another's home, regardless of your intentions, is a crime. A note will be entered into your permanent file and you will be placed on a good behaviour bond for a period of three years. Do you understand?"