The Prolonged Trial

"Mr. Snyder...but that contradicts everything you told me earlier. What do you mean that you didn't hear the gunshot?" Prosecutor Dyer asked.

"I thought I did before, but, looking back on it, I didn't." Mr. Snyder confirmed.

He didn't hear a gunshot. From up in his room, he most likely didn't. Did he really say that he heard the gunshot before?

"This is an interesting turn of events. Defense, begin with your cross-examination." The judge announced.

"Yes, Judge Turner." Mr. Wilson nodded his head. "Mr. Snyder, according to what you said, you didn't hear a gunshot at the night of the murder?"

"Nope. Not a single gunshot." Mr. Snyder agreed.

"That contradicts what Ms. Thorton has told the court." Mr. Wilson answered. "So, are you saying there was no murder?"

"I didn't say there wasn't." Mr. Snyder answered.

"What do you mean by that statement?"

"When I took a walk the next morning, I saw the police surrounding the alleyway."

"So, does this mean what Ms. Thornton had to say about the murder was a lie?" Mr. Wilson questioned.

If that was the case, then that means I'm innocent. I glanced over at Mr. Dyer and noticed how confused he looked. Two people having two different answers. One could be telling the truth, and the other one is telling a lie. According to my statement, it seems that Mr. Snyder is telling the truth. However, in order to convince the whole jury that will be difficult.

"My lord, this changes everything." The Judge sighed. "I commence a recess. Everyone, come back in 15 minutes. I want the prosecutor and defense to decide upon the matter. If you have another witness to come in account, please inform us. Court adjourned."

We then began the 15 minute break. I was surrounded by police men following me to the lobby.

"Ms. Berger!" I heard Mr. Wilson call me from behind.

I turned my head and answered. "Yes?"

"I'm sorry about the trial. It must have been confusing for you." Mr. Wilson apologized.

"It was alright. Don't worry about it." I reassured him. "I was just wondering why Mr. Dyer was shocked about Mr. Snyder's comment. Didn't Mr. Dyer call him up?"

"That's true. I've been wondering the same exact thing. If I were you, I wouldn't trust Prosecutor Dyer. Rumor has spread around that he bribes the witnesses to say what he wants them to say, no matter right or wrong."

I've never heard anything like that, but this is the first time I have met Mr. Dyer, so I think I should listen to Mr. Wilson.

"Ms. Berger." I heard a voice calling me.

I turned my head to the right and noticed Mr. Dyer. "Oh, Prosecutor Dyer."

"May I speak with you alone?"

I looked over to Mr. Wilson and noticed that he looked a bit annoyed. It made me wonder if I should actually go with Mr. Dyer.

"Ms. Berger!" Mr. Dyer yelled at me.

I flinched and began following him without my free will. I became scared of him. What was he going to do to me.

"I'm glad you were able to come with me, Ms. Berger. I wanted to ask you a few questions alone."

"You did?" I chuckled with sarcasm.

"Yes. Now, so that night of the murder, did you actually see Mr. Snyder in the top window?"

"You know I'm the suspect here. Of course I will say no to protect myself, Prosecutor Dyer. Why do you even ask me?"

"I just wanted to make sure. He happened to tell me earlier that he say you as the murderer."

I then stopped walking. "What?"

Mr. Dyer then turned around and looked at me sternly. "That was my same reaction when he suddenly switched his story."

So Mr. Dyer didn't know about that. That expression he showed was real. He was really shocked. "So he changed his story? Why on earth would he do something like that?"

"My exact questions. I wanted to know if he was actually there at the night of the murder. Did you happen to see him up in his room?"

I tried to recall what happened that night. "I don't remember. I don't think I actually looked up that night." I answered truthfully.

Wait. Why am I helping the person who wants to prove me guilty?

"Hold on. Why am I helping you out? You are just trying to find a way to prove me quilty." I scowled at him.

"I suppose you are right." Mr. Dyer sighed.

"I believe in Miss! She didn't do it!" Lekkey yelled out at Mr. Dyer and ran across the lobby to us.

"Lekkey, hold on!" Mr. Bianchi ran up to us also. He stopped when he reached us and gained his breath.

"It's probably my time to go. Have fun talking with your police friend here, Ms. Berger." Mr. Dyer walked off.

"What's wrong, Mr. Bianchi?" I asked.

"Lekkey and I found something interesting. Remember about that tattoo you wanted to know about?" Mr. Bianchi informed me.

"Yes? What about it?"

"It apparently appears under non-UV ray lights." Mr. Bianchi explained.

"What?"

"I don't see how this may correlate to the case, but it may."

"That's what Mr. Wilson told me. He said that it doesn't have anything to do with the case. All it shows is that he was part of a gang."

"Do you happen to have any other evidence that can be presented in court that will prove your innocence?"

"Well, there is one." I recalled. "The murderer's voice. I heard them talking the night of the murder. The one talking a lot had a groggy, deep sounding voice, while the one named 'Gully' had a slightly lighter voice than the first man. It also wasn't as groggy."

"Did Mr. Snyder's voice recall any memories for you?"

I then tried looking back on Mr. Snyder's voice and one of the two men's voices. "Not really."

"Hmmm, then that might mean Mr. Snyder isn't one of the men. Anyone else in the court today?"

I then shook my head. "Nope. I think I'd need to listen to their voices again."

"Miss." Lekkey interrupted.

"Yes, Lekkey?"

"I also talked with Ms. Kitty about the different gangs. She mentioned that most gang members have tattoos on their bodies depending which gang they are in. The Violet Cloves and the Green Gangs have it on their wrists, while the Shred Snippers and the Crusaders have it on their necks. Also, depending on which rank they are on, the gang members have different styles of tattoos. Lower ranks apparently have some part of the letter of their gang name written on their wrist or neck, while the higher ups have a different symbol."

"How do those symbols look?"

"For the Violet Clove's, the boss has a colored four leaf clover, while the second boss has a 3-leafed clover."

Oh, so my brother must have been the second leader of the Violet Clove. Why would they want to kill him?

"Thank you for letting me know, Lekkey."

Suddenly one of the policemen called in the people. "The 15 minute recess is finished. Court has continued."

"Good luck, Ms. Berger." Mr. Bianchi patted my shoulder.

"Thanks. I could use all the luck I could get." I sighed as I followed the policemen into the courtroom.

Hopefully my innocence could be proven with the evidence I have...