Trial Starts! The Battle of Innocence!

September 16 7:00 PM

Newham Lake

I looked around and saw someone at a food stand then ran towards them. The woman looked at me and adjusted her badge and rose an eyebrow.

"Prosecutor Maria! I need your help!" I said and panted.

"How did you know to find me here?" Maria asked.

"Well Mari helped me. She used her Psychic Abilities to help with finding your location. Nevermind that, we need your help regarding the investigation. Not only is this a case of Grand Larceny but it's also a murder!" I said.

"I already know that? We caught the culprit red handed. Mr. Mongolia is the suspect. We are starting the trial tomorrow. He's nothing but guilty." Maria said. "I've heard talk that you're his friend, you seem pretty worried about him."

"I am...I also believe he didn't do it! There's no way Stefan would murder his own wife! Accidental or purposely!" I looked at Maria determined.

Maria looked at me and frowned a bit then turned her full body towards me. Mari and Sophia felt the tension in the air. Mari saw our ki wavering wildly and Maria smirked then flipped her hair.

"You seem pretty confident. Might I ask, you are going to be his defending attorney?" Maria asked.

"You know it, Ms. Marshall." I said and looked at her determined. "I know your record, you always were able to make the defendants guilty! I will defend my friend and prove he's innocent!"

"Aunt Alice is scary when she's fired up." Mari hid behind Sophia.

Maria scoffed and looked at me with cold eyes. She flipped her hair once more and glared.

"You think you can defeat me in court? I have a perfect record. That won't change now or ever." Maria said.

I noticed a faint flash on her left hand. She saw me looking at her left hand then glared. I decided not to say anything then pointed at her then a gust of wind blew.

"Maria Marshall, you're on. I no longer need to continue my investigation! I will show you my abilities in the trial! You will see why I am the daughter of Sherlock Holmes!" I said.

"Tch.." Maria stumbled back a bit at the wind blew. "Alright...The Battle Begins then."

A man in a black trenchcoat and a blue scarf stood beside a tree and watched. He smirked and closed his eyes.

"That's the courage you need. You have all the evidence you need to win this case. Now show them who you are." The man said and walked off.

Maria scoffed and walked past me and the others. I scowled and slammed my fist against a tree and closed my eyes.

"Now this isn't the Alice I remember." A male voice said and chuckled.

I looked up and to my left then saw Ash. I was caught by surprise as I looked at him. He took the cigarette out of his mouth and smirked then opened his eyes exposing his icy blue eyes.

"Ash.." I said softly.

"Unfortunately I didn't fully follow my dream as a detective as I am mainly a Prosecuting Attorney, but I still will become an Ace Detective like you and Erika. I see you two are working hard on this case. This will be your first real case, hope you're ready for it." Ash smiled.

"Mmm." I nodded. "I'm more ready than ever. I have to defend Stefan...I refuse to lose him like we lost Mary."

"I heard about that...I wonder how Reily took the news. They were close." Ash said and looked at the sky. "You've got to win this case for them. Bring justice into the light."

"Right." I nodded.

"Well I'm off!" Ash smiled at me then pat my cheek. "Got work to do."

Ash walked off and I smiled, watching him walk off. Mari and Sophia walked towards me. I looked at them and nodded. They smiled then looked at each other and nodded. We all went back to the Department to rest since it was getting late.

September 17 9:30 AM

Randall Court

Defendant Courtroom Lobby No. 6

"Alice..Thank you for being here.." Stefan said and looked away. "I'm actually quite nervous...I heard who the Prosecutor is gonna be."

"Don't worry, I will make sure you make it out innocent. This is nothing like the Senior Mock Trial...There will be a real Gallery with a real Judge and real punishment." I said.

"I know...I can't go down for this. There has to be some misunderstanding!" Stefan said.

"I know, and we've investigated all we could in the case even if it was for one day. Do not fret though, I've got it covered." I smiled.

"Thanks." Stefan nodded. "We should head in."

I nodded and walked into the courtroom and I walked behind my side of the desk and saw Maria standing on the other side of the courtroom behind a desk and sipped her coffee. Stefan was being walked in by policemen and they sat him in the chair. He was being very cooperative.

September 17 10:00 AM

Randall Courtroom No. 6

The judge hit the gavel against the sound block and the gallery got quiet.

"Court is now in session for trial of Mr. Stefan Mongolia." The judge said.

"The prosecution is ready, Your Honor." Maria said and set her coffee mug on the desk.

"The defense is ready, Your Honor." I said.

The judge nodded and looked at Maria.

"The prosecution may call upon its first witness Ms. Marshall." The judge said.

"Prosecution calls the Defendant, Mr. Mongolia, to the stands." Maria said.

Stefan got up and walked towards the stand and he stood there then looked away from everyone. I looked at Stefan and looked at bit worried, but I mustn't allow my emotions to speak for me.

"May the defendant state their name and occupation." Maria said and picked up her coffee mug and took a sip of her coffee.

"My name is Stefan Mongolia...and my occupation is a Security Guard for the Caelfall Museum." Stefan said.

"First question. Is it true that you were one of the many who were on security at the Caelfall Museum?" Maria asked.

"Yes it is true." Stefan said.

"What area were you in charge of?" Maria asked.

"I was in charge of the first floor along with my wife Mary." Stefan said.

"Oh? Mary del Rose was your wife!" The judge said in surprise.

"Yes, Your Honor." Stefan nodded.

"Next question." Maria looked at Stefan. "On the night of the crime, where were you?"

"I was doing my rounds around the first floor which had many artifacts and paintings and I was nowhere near Mary at the time." Stefan answered.

"Is that correct huh? Well I have a witness who says otherwise!" Maria slammed her coffee mug on the desk.

"Oh? Who might this witness be?" The judge asked.

"Prosecution calls Officer Roy to the stands!" Maria said.

Stefan walked away from the stands and sat back down then Officer Roy walked towards the stand then crossed his arms.

"Name and occupation." Maria crossed her arms.

"Roy Sahem and I am a police officer of the Gray Police Department." Roy said.

'Gray?' I thought to myself.

"Mr. Sahem, you may give your testimony." The judge said.

[What I Witnessed That Night]

"I was doing guard duty by walking around and checking if everything is in tiptop shape. I then heard a noise of a gunshot and the alarms blaring. I went to investigate the matter and saw Mr. Mongolia holding the gun and the victim, Mary del Rose on the floor." Officer Roy said.

'Crap his testimony is nearly perfect!' I set my hands on the desk.

Maria looked at me and smirked then flipped her hair. The judge nodded and looked at me.

"Ms. Holmes you may begin your cross-examination." The judge said.

'How am I supposed to cross examine this testimony. I see no holes in it...' I thought to myself then I remembered Erika's words: Within every testimony there is a lie. I exhaled then walked from behind the desk and looked at Officer Roy.

"You said you heard a gunshot while you were doing guard duty correct?" I asked.

"Yes." Roy nodded.

"Did you happen to catch the time?" I asked.

"When we did a review of the footage, it was around 1:30 AM." Roy said.

I looked at the Autopsy Report and it matched with what he said. I knew I had only one option left...Bluff.

"You caught Stefan with the murder weapon correct?" I asked. 'Why am I trying to bluff? This is Sophia's expertise!'

"Yes." Roy said.

"How do you know he's the one who shot the bullet?" I looked at him.

"...?" Roy rose an eyebrow and looked at me.

Maria crossed her arms and rose an eyebrow as well then gripped her sleeve. I pointed at him.

"Answer the question!" I said.

"Well isn't it obvious? He's the one who held the gun." Roy answered.

"Hold it!" I crossed my arms and shook my head. "How much of the security footage did you watch?"

"Objection! It doesn't matter how much footage he watched, the point is he caught Stefan in the act!" Maria pointed.

"Objection!" I slammed my hands on the desk. "It does matter about how much footage he saw because it will further prove Stefan is not the killer!"

"Well, I wasn't able to watch much footage. Different computers controlled different cameras. Only the main computer controlled all the cameras and that computer is in the basement. We were off limits from the basement." Roy said.

"Your Honor! I would like to call a key witness to the stand!" I said.

"Mmmm." The judge nodded. "The defense may call upon a witness."

"The defense would like to call Maria Andrews to the stand!" I said.

Roy walked away from the stand and Maria Andrews walked to the stand. She rubbed her arm and smiled nervously.

"Name and occupation." I crossed my arms.

"My name is Maria Andrews and I am a security guard at the Caelfall Museum." Maria A. said.

"You may give your testimony, Ms. Andrews." The judge said.

[What I Saw That Night]

"So at exactly 1 AM, I heard the door opened while I was down in the basement securing the Urn of Kazai and checking the security cameras then I saw Mask-Or-Raid rush me with a wooden pole! They clobbered me on my head and I was knocked out. I woke up tied up and with his calling card. I noticed the Urn was gone and I couldn't do anything." Maria A. said.

"Hmmm...so you saw Mask-Or-Raid with your own eyes. Interesting. Ms. Holmes you may begin your cross-examination." The judge said.

"Ms. Andrews, you know everyone at your job including their outfits correct?" I asked.

"Yes, I am the head security for the museum so only I hold the key to the basement." Maria A. nodded.

"Are you required to wear gloves at your job?" I asked.

Maria looked at me shocked and almost choked on her coffee. My question struck a nerve inside of her and I noticed then smirked.

"Well...no you aren't required to wear gloves at work. I saw everyone who worked there and no one was wearing gloves except Mary since she cleans the glasses." Maria A. answered.

"The Urn of Kazai was already missing correct?" I asked.

"Way before the alarms started sounding and before the gunshot was fired. I don't know when it all happened since I was tied up in the basement." Maria A. nodded.

"I have proof that she's telling the truth!" I said. "Meaning Stefan could not have stolen the Urn nor killed Mary!"

"OBJECTION!" Maria threw her coffee mug at my face and it spilled all over me. "You're getting too ahead of yourself Detective!"

"P-Prosecutor Marshall..!" The judge looked at her shocked.

I had a look of annoyance as the coffee dripped off my hair. Maria slammed her hand on the desk and glared at me.

"The witness clearly said she was tied up and didn't witness much since she was clobbered. Stefan could have still clobbered her and stolen the Urn and killed Mary!" Maria said.

"Cool it!" I said and brushed my hair from my eyes and smirked then wagged my finger. "Why would he use gloves to clobber Maria A, but not use gloves when killing someone? Don't you see the logic is backwards? Plus there is a piece of evidence no one can deny!"

"And that is?" Maria glared at me.

I slammed my hands on the desk twice then pointed at Maria.

"Mask-Or-Raid has Command Seals!" I said.

"Hold it!" Maria pointed at me. "How would you know?"

The gallery began chattering then the judge hit the sound block with the gavel three times.

"Order! Order!" The judge said. "Ms. Holmes do you have any evidence that Mask-Or-Raid has these so called Command Seals?"

"The security footage! Play it!" I said.

The judge nodded and played the security footage before hitting Maria A with the wooden pole then I told him to pause it before the swing.

"The blackest part of this black and white footage is the glowing!" I said. "How would I know about Command Seals, you asked? My sister is a Spirit Medium and my niece is a Psychic! Magic runs in my mother's side of the family!"

"Nngh!!" Maria flinched back and hugged herself.

"The Command Seals are on Mask-Or-Raid's left hand! Stefan has no Command Seals on his left hand!" I pointed.

"Stop there!" Maria slammed her hands against the desk. "How do you know he didn't use them all?!"

"Command Seals leave a permanent red imprint on your hand even after use! Stefan had no imprints to begin with!" I pointed.

"Objection!" Maria began to show her first stage of a breakdown, by breathing heavily.

"...." I looked at Maria with a smug smile.

"Overruled. You can not deny the facts." The judge said.

"I'm not finished yet!" I snapped my fingers and glared at Maria. "Mask-Or-Raid isn't a he either! Mask-Or-Raid is a she!"

"W-What?" The judge looked at me and saw my cold eyes then paused.

Stefan also got a little tense seeing my expression. I balled my fist and slammed my fist against the table.

"Judge...I would like to call Prosecutor Marshall to the stand..." I said.

The entire courtroom was in shock and silent. Out of habit the judge hit the sound block three times with the gavel.

"O-Order-- Oh no one is speaking. U-Uhm...The court will allow it." The judge said.

"Is this a whole new bluff technique?" Sophia looked at me. "Does she know something that the others don't?"

Erika watched from the back and crossed her arms and grabbed her sleeve.

"What the hell are you doing Alice..?" Erika asked herself.

Maria walked from the desk to the stand and looked at me and saw my cold eyes. The hatred I held for this woman was stronger than anything I've ever experienced. I had to remain calm and collected. I exhaled and calmed down.

"Name and occupation." I said.

"Name: Maria Marshall. Occupation: Prosecuting Attorney." Maria said and looked at me.

"I have a single question for you Maria." I said.

"That is..?" Maria looked at me.

"What were YOU doing on the night of the murder?" I asked.

"I was at home." Maria said. "Asleep. Your Honor I'm sure this isn't allowed. For a Prosecutor to be a witness they will need first-hand and relevant knowledge of a crime."

"I wouldn't call you here if you served no purpose to the crime, Maria." I said.

"Are you allowing your emotions to get the best of you Ms. Holmes? If you are I will have to give you a penalty." The judge said.

"I am not Your Honor...I'm calling Maria up here because...She's...She is..." I looked at Maria.

"She is what? Finish the sentence." The judge said.

"Because she is Mask-Or-Raid!" I pointed at her.

"I Object!" A voice sounded and a woman walked to the desk. "Holmes! You are my best friend, but I will not allow you to accuse Ms. Marshall without any definite evidence!"

"Erika.." I looked at her.

"She's correct. To make a bold claim like that, you will need some evidence that backs it up!" The judge said.

"I have evidence!" I said and pointed at her left hand. "Her hand!"

Maria grunted and held her left hand. She glared at me and began sweating a lot. Erika looked at Maria, Stefan looked at Maria, Sophia looked at Maria, Mari looked at Maria. The judge looked at Maria.

"At the Newham Lake...I saw her hand flash red underneath her glove! It was faint, but I was able to catch it!" I said. "I know she tried to use it because it only flashes when you use it. My guess is she tried to use the last one before the trial!"

"Alice! Stop accusing her!" Erika slammed her hand on the desk.

"The description of Mask-Or-Raid is as follows: feminine figure, 5'4, and a visibly glowing left hand! Three undeniable facts!" I slammed my hand against the desk. "Maria Marshall, you stole the Urn of Kazai! Your motive was to steal artifacts and sell them to make a ton of money, but when you accidentally ran into Mary, she wouldn't allow you to leave and you shot her and killed her then framed Stefan! Maria Marshall, you are Mask-Or-Raid!"

"I...No..!" Maria began breathing heavily and glaring at me. "I am not- Stefan did- You have-"

"Maria..?" Erika looked at Maria.

"Admit it. You are Mask-Or-Raid!" I pointed at Maria.

"Heh...heh heh...heh heh heh...HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!! WA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!! HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!! HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE!!" Maria began clapping and took off her glove then threw it at my face then glared at me.

"N-No...it can't be true.." Erika looked down.

"You think you've won Alice Holmes?! Are you satisfied with knowing that I am Mask-Or-Raid?! Are you satisfied?!" Maria asked.

"Very...justice will be served and there isn't a thing you can do about it!" I said.

"Arrest Maria Marshall! You are sentenced to two years in prison!" The judge hit the sound block with the gavel once.

Erika looked down and reflected on Olivia's words. "Sometimes your greatest ally is your worst enemy". Those words are forever burned into Erika's head and she balled her fist and closed her eyes.

"I will now give my final verdict! I hereby announce Mr. Stefan Mongolia...Not Guilty!" The judge hit the sound block with the gavel and confetti fell from the sky. "This trial is now adjourned!"

September 17 12:30 PM

Randall Court

Defendant Courtroom Lobby No. 6

"Thank you so much Alice! I really owe you big time!" Stefan smiled happily.

"D-Don't mention it. Although I have to admit, I got pretty lucky catching that faint glow. If I didn't catch it..." I looked down.

"Why..?" Erika said quietly. "First my little sister...now Maria..?"

"Erika?" I looked at her then walked to her and reached my hand out towards her then she smacked my hand away.

"Why does this happen to me?! First I lose my little sister and now Maria?! Lost them both to a crime and my sister was a victim! Why..? Why can't I just live normally..?" Erika weeped and sniffled.

I looked at her then heard claps to the side of me and looked at the male figure.

"Erika...Erika...Still can't contain your emotions even in the court of law. I'm surprised the judge didn't charge you for contempt of court." The male walked up to us.

"Gray..?" I looked at him walk to Erika.

"Please leave me alone...I don't need your lectures.." Erika said and gripped her sleeve.

"Someone needs to tell you right from wrong. You show no orderly fashion even as a Defense Attorney! The Department said if you do that one more time, they will revoke your badge!" Gray said.

"Shut up!" Erika yelled and everyone in the lobby looked our direction. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! I hate it when you act so high and mighty! I hate you so much..."

Erika ran away and I was about to run after her, but Gray stopped me. I looked at him and held his arm. He looked back at me and shook his head.

"Give her some space..." Gray said.

I looked ahead and let go of his arm. The case Erika wanted to complete was to find out who murdered her younger sister. Mari and Sophia ran towards me and wondered what happened. I shook my head as it wasn't my business to tell. I closed my eyes and sighed. I want to help Erika, but I don't know how..nor will I ever find out.