Bab 209: Patience #209
"Can you explain what you did once you deduced that my client was responsible for this alleged meta-human trafficking ring...?" Waller's lawyer said as he approached the witness stand, having received the judge's approval.
"I did what I was there to do; free the victims and hand them over to the authorities to receive a fair trial alongside the culprits," I replied, shrugging my shoulders as I looked at the lawyer.
"Indeed you have. And you're reckless actions have caused the death of two courier criminals you claim to be victims," The lawyer said, raising his tone as he turned to the jury as if to rile them.
The district attorney frowned at his words and looked like he was about to interject with an objection, but I quickly sent him a meaningful look, which made him sigh as he relaxed.
"That is simply untrue. I wasn't aware of the explosives planted in their heads, which ultimately caused their deaths," I replied, raising an eyebrow at the lawyer, to which he barely held a grin as he prepared to start arguing.
"Still, that doesn't pardon--" The lawyer said, only to stop mid-sentence as the district attorney interjected, objecting over his interruption, which the judge sustained.
"As I was saying, I managed to subdue most of the missing criminals and task force x agents present, however..." I said, trailing at the end of my sentence as I cleared my throat.
"The criminal known as Merlin managed to deactivate the explosive chip and attacked Copperhead, killing him," I added, sighing as I shook my head regretfully.
"But he wasn't aware of the backup chip, which caused his demise," I went on as I turned to Waller, making sure everyone noticed my gesture, to which she didn't react.
"I believe the police reports support my claims and clearly state that their deaths were through no fault of mine..." I said, firmly shaking my head dismissively at the lawyer's accusations.
"Though I do regret not being aware of their appealing circumstances. I might have been able to save their lives, otherwise..." I concluded, putting on a bitter expression as I sighed.
"Is that so? But you've been fighting crime for a while before the incident..." The lawyer said, trailing at the end of his sentence as he turned to me, and I nodded.
"Maybe you decided to take matters into your own hand. Maybe you were aware of these alleged explosives...?" The lawyer remarked, raising his tone again as he turned to scan the court, especially the jury members.
"Objection, speculation, and badgering the witness," The district attorney interjected, and the judge sustained his objection, much to the lawyer's chagrin as he moved on to the next question.
"In any case. After the incident, you seemed rather certain that Waller was responsible for this alleged organization you speak of..." The lawyer said, to which I nodded again with a shrug.
"You were so certain that you went as far as to slander my client's name through national television," The lawyer said as he gestured toward Waller sitting behind him.
"And yet, according to your testimony, you acted on a mere conversation between some former colonel and his criminal colleagues," The lawyer said, his tone heavy with sarcasm.
"Tell me, Mr. Whitlock, what exactly inspired such certainty that my client was responsible...?" The lawyer asked, crossing his arms as he raised an eyebrow at me, going quiet as he waited for me to walk into his trap.
"The words of the victims, of course," I replied in a matter-of-fact tone, willingly walking into his trap. "After I realized they were compelled into action, I deactivated the explosives in their heads," I added, gesturing to the side.
"Once they were subdued and free of danger, I questioned them," I went on as I turned to the district attorney, to which he nodded and stood up, delivering the police reports and written testimonies about the incident to the judge.
"They confirmed Amanda Waller's role as the mastermind behind the missing people's case I was investigating," I added as I watched the district attorney get back to his seat.
"I also managed to convince them to testify, hence my certainty," I said, shrugging my shoulders, much to the lawyer's satisfaction, as he finally let out a grin.
"Oh yes, the three main witnesses, the psychopath, Harley Quin, and two mercenary thugs. What reliable sources, indeed," The lawyer said, snorting in disgust at the mention of three witnesses.
The district attorney wanted to object, but I stopped him again. "Career criminals and mentally ill or not, they are still the victims," I said, frowning as I shot the lawyer a cold glance.
"I chose to believe them, but I understand the judge and the jury might not," I went on, shaking my head. "Either way, they were not the only people willing to step up and testify against Amanda Waller," I went, letting out a smile.
"In fact, Floyd Lawson put me in contact with two of the task force agents, who are willing to take the stand," I continued, to which the lawyer's expression immediately sank, and Waller raised an eyebrow.
"Unlike Quenzel, Lawton, and Marsh-Morton, their records are clean and exemplary even," I said, looking straight into the lawyer's eyes as they filled up with frustration when he realized his plan backfired.
"I doubt even you would be able to object to their testimonies once they take the stand," I concluded, shrugging my shoulders as I leaned into my seat.
"And if those alleged witnesses of yours are such model citizens, then why would they work for my client if she were such a corrupt, cruel individual as you claim...?" The lawyer asked without realizing he was only widening the hole, prompted by his pride.
"I can't speak for them. You'll have to ask them yourself once they take the stand," I replied, letting out a smile as I gave the lawyer a challenging look, causing him to realize his mistake.
"I have no further questions," The lawyer said, his expression souring as he had to admit defeat. He promptly turned back to his client's table and froze as he noticed the cold look Waller gave him.
"Very well. The witness is excused," The judge said as he turned to me, and the bailiff quickly escorted me back to my spot in the courtroom's stands.
Then I sat and watched as the deputy attorney called several witnesses, including the GCPD forensic team, the first police officers to arrive at the secret basement, the detectives who questioned the captured agents and villains, and even Deborah herself.
None of their testimonies were conclusive or hard enough to convict Waller, but they hinted at her involvement. Still, the public defender didn't sit idle and went after every witness, expertly leading into one verbal trap after the other.
I didn't expect them to see through his bullshit as well as I did, but most of them did surprisingly well. He still managed to goad a couple of the witnesses into contradicting themselves, but it didn't matter in the grand scheme of the trial.
In any case, going through so many witnesses had taken several hours, and everyone was starting to look exhausted, which the judge seemed to notice.
"Considering the case's circumstances and the need to study evidence, we will stand recess until 12:00," The judge said after Deborah left, escorted by the bailiff after giving her testimony.
Everyone waited for the judge to take his leave before they stood up, and I noticed Waller glance at me, giving me a hard-to-read expression before she turned away.
'Glare all you want, lady...' I mused, holding back a chuckle as I stood up and headed outside, activating my personal computer power to check on the armored prison truck.
'Looks like they'll be here in time...'
...
"You did well. The money will be in your account once the trial is over as long as you do your job..." The Penguin said, speaking into his cell phone and trailing as he blew a cloud of smoke.
"...Regardless of the outcome," The mob boss concluded, promptly ending the call without waiting for a reply as he extinguished his expensive cigar in the ashtray on his disk.
Despite his considerable influence and wealth, The Penguin only managed to track down one member of the jury presiding over Amanda Waller's case as multiple parties worked to protect them.
Still, he didn't think he'd need to interfere and only wanted the jury members to keep him updated because the judge decided to keep the trial private due to its sensitive nature.
It didn't stop him from asking the jury member to vote against Waller when the time came, but it was neither here nor there.
"Patience Oswald, She'll be in prison and within your reach soon enough..." The Penguin muttered to no one in particular as he leaned into his chair, lighting another cigar.
...
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