"Defend Me, Attorney." (Law Series #1)

PART TWELVE: THE CONFESSION

My legs were shaking. I felt a lethal pain in my chest as if someone was stabbing me multiple times at once.

The whole crowd went insane. All of us in the defense counsel were knocked out, we can't all talk. We can't even look at each other. We felt so weak, as if we were all hopeless. As if as of this moment, we have already lost the battle.

I looked once again at Traise and I observed him. He was not talking but he seemed uneasy and he seemed  disturbed. His legs were also shaking and he seemed nervous.

"Defense," the judge called.

I stood up but then I almost fell when my legs were about to disown me. Good thing Tyler got to hold me by my wrist and back and with weak eyes, I met his gaze.

"Take your seat," he said, his voice seems worried and he smiled. "I'll handle this."

I took my seat and Traise looked at me. Within few seconds of a sudden eye contact, he put his gaze somewhere else.

I sighed.

Are you... still my friend?

Suddenly, I remembered what he what said to me before.

"You fought for me with just the thought of I can't commit such horrendous crime, but Courtney, I just did. You know, drop your overly angelic image of me on you. I'm no longer the same friend you had. It wasn't self-defense, I poisoned him. I...murdered him, through my will."

I closed my eyes, fearing my tears might flow. I didn’t want anyone to see me in this state, most particularly  Avery. She’s right, afterall. She controls the game now, she's playing our lives now.

Medical autopsies cannot be easily tampered, most particularly the medical facility she got the autopsy report from. It means, the information she got was real. The victim didn't die because of the stabs, but because of the poison. If that's the case it means Traise lied to me.

He lied...to the person who'll risk everything for him.

I looked at Traise again.

Did you really change or I never really knew you at all? Were you just playing with me, seeing someone would fight for you unconditionally whether you are guilty or not?

"Your Honor," I heard Tyler started. "I would like to question the prosecution's motion to dismiss this case labelling it as a negligence on the defense's side," he said, with all eyes and ears on him. “Because first and foremost, the evidence they used, the false autopsy to be exact, was something I obtained before when I was the prosecutor of the case. How could it be a negligence on their part if it doesn’t belong to them?"

"Objection, You Honor," Avery stood up. “That's the idea of it. If they have to prove the accused was innocent, they should've mandatorily asked for an autopsy, in which they did not."

"Objection as well, Your Honor," Tyler said.  "The prosecution is making up false assumption. The defense did not ask for it because their plea was self-defense. They have no obligation to prove the accused didn't kill his dad, their mindset was to prove it was a self-defense."

"If it was self-defense then that means he's admitting the crime," Avery suddenly flashed a mocking smile. “Does it mean you're admitting the crime?"

A loud murmuring noise.

This woman's really a devil psychotic bitch! She mastered how to play people in her hand!

"You're the prosecutor," Tyler said. “Don't make allegations, prove it."

"ORDER IN THE COURT!" the judge said. “WARNING FOR BOTH SIDES. YOU HAVE FORGOTTEN THE COURT ETIQUETTE!"