Chapter Sixty Three
Lucas stepped up to the podium, his eyes scanning the faces of the jurors, and began his opening statement. “Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, we are here today because of a terrible crime. A young woman seated there was poisoned, and the person responsible must be held accountable.”
The courtroom was silent as Lucas continued to lay out the evidence, piece by piece. He spoke with confidence and conviction, knowing that Emily’s life was on the line. “We have reason to believe that Max, the defendant, had a motive to harm Emily. He was a drug dealer who had a dangerous obsession with her. He was jealous and possessive, and when Emily rejected him, he lashed out in a violent way.”
The prosecution tried to counter Lucas’s arguments, but he was ready for them. He poked holes in their case, exposing the lack of evidence and highlighting their reliance on circumstantial evidence. “Ladies and gentlemen, the prosecution is asking you to convict my client based on speculation and conjecture. But we know that speculation is not enough. We need hard evidence, and they don’t have it.”
The jury listened intently as Lucas presented witness after witness, each one providing more evidence against Max. Liam took the stand and recounted the night of the attack, describing how he had seen Max with Emily shortly before the incident. “I saw him, clear as day,” Liam said. “He was angry and aggressive, and I knew something bad was going to happen.”
Emily’s mother took the stand and tearfully recounted the trauma that her daughter had experienced. “She was never the same after that night,” she said. “She was afraid to leave the house, afraid to be alone. It was heartbreaking to watch.”
As Lucas continued to build his case, the tension in the courtroom mounted. The prosecution tried to poke holes in his argument, but he held firm. “The evidence is clear,” he said. “Max had a motive, the opportunity, and the means to commit this crime. And Emily was his target.”
Emily took the stand, looking poised and confident despite the intense scrutiny she was under. The lawyer began his questioning, starting with basic background information and moving on to the night of Chloe’s poisoning.
“Ms. Johnson, did you have any involvement in the poisoning of Chloe Matthews?” he asked, his voice dripping with skepticism.
“Absolutely not,” Emily replied firmly. “I had no motive to harm her, and I had no opportunity to do so.”
The lawyer pressed on, digging into Emily’s past and trying to find anything that could be used against her. He asked about her relationship with Max, and Emily hesitated before admitting that they had dated briefly.
“Isn’t it true that Max visited you in prison and offered to lie for you in exchange for a date?” the lawyer asked, his eyes narrowing.
Emily hesitated again before answering, knowing that this information could be used against her. “Yes, it’s true,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
The lawyer pounced on this admission, painting Emily as a desperate criminal who would do anything to save herself. He argued that she and Max were working together to cover up their involvement in Chloe’s poisoning, and that they should be tried together as accomplices.
Lucas watched with growing unease as the lawyer continued his relentless attack on Emily’s character. He knew that this information could be damaging to her case, and he wondered how he could counter it.
Finally, it was Lucas’s turn to cross-examine Emily. He stood up, trying to look confident even though his heart was racing.
“Ms. Johnson, can you explain why Max offered to lie for you in exchange for a date?” he asked, his voice calm and steady.
Emily looked down at her hands, clearly uncomfortable with the question. “I think he was just trying to help me,” she said softly. “He knew how much trouble I was in, and he wanted to do something to make it right.”
Lucas nodded, sensing that there was more to the story. “And did you accept his offer?” he asked.
Emily shook her head. “No, I didn’t. I told him that I couldn’t go on a date with him, that it wouldn’t be right.”
Lucas smiled inwardly, knowing that this information could be used to counter the lawyer’s argument. He continued his questioning, drawing out more details about Emily’s relationship with Max and her interactions with him in prison.
As the cross-examination drew to a close, Lucas felt a sense of satisfaction. He had managed to counter the lawyer’s attack on Emily’s character, and he knew that he had helped to strengthen her case. Now all that was left was for the jury to decide.
Lucas approached the witness stand, feeling a sense of nervous energy coursing through his veins. He knew that this cross-examination would be critical to Emily’s case, and he couldn’t afford to make any mistakes.
“Ms. Johnson,” he began, his voice steady and controlled, “can you tell us where you were on the night of Chloe’s poisoning?”
Emily took a deep breath before answering. “I was at home,” she said. Lucas nodded, noting her answer carefully. “And can you tell us if anyone else was present in your home at the time?”
Emily hesitated for a moment before responding. “My roommate was there,” she said. “But she was asleep in her room.”
Lucas nodded again, feeling satisfied with Emily’s responses so far. He decided to press on, hoping to uncover any additional information that could help their case.
“Ms. Johnson, can you tell us about your relationship with Chloe?” he asked, his tone carefully neutral.
Emily hesitated once more, her eyes flickering nervously around the courtroom. “We were friends,” she said finally. “But we had our disagreements.”
Chloe scoffed as the word friends was mentioned
Lucas leaned forward, intrigued. “And what were those disagreements about, Ms. Johnson?”
Emily looked down at her hands, clearly uncomfortable. “It was just petty stuff,” she said. “Nothing important.”
Lucas frowned, sensing that Emily was holding something back. “Can you be more specific, Ms. Johnson?” he asked.
Emily sighed. “It was about a boy,” she said finally. “Chloe had a crush on him, but he was interested in me. We had a fight about it, but it was stupid. It wasn’t worth ending a friendship over.”
Lucas nodded, feeling a sense of satisfaction at having uncovered this detail. He decided to change tactics, hoping to throw off the lawyer’s line of questioning.
“Ms. Johnson,” he said, his voice casual, “can you tell us about the time that Max visited you in prison?”
Emily’s eyes widened in surprise. “How did you know about that?” she asked.
Lucas smiled. “I have my sources,” he said. “But more importantly, I want to know what he said to you.”
Emily hesitated, her face flushing slightly. “He offered to lie for me,” she said finally. “In exchange for a date.”
Lucas felt a surge of anger at the thought of Max trying to manipulate Emily. “And did you accept his offer?” he asked, his tone sharp.
Emily shook her head, her eyes meeting Lucas’s. “No,” she said firmly. “I couldn’t do that. It wouldn’t be right.”
Lucas felt a sense of pride at Emily’s response. “Thank you, Ms. Johnson,” he said, feeling confident that he had helped to strengthen their case. “That’s all I have for now.”
The court was ajourned to the next day.
Lucas sat in his office, staring at the wall in front of him. He couldn’t believe what had happened in court that day. Liam’s testimony had dealt a heavy blow to their case, and the revelation about Max had only made things worse. He knew that he needed to come up with a new plan and fast.
Just then, his phone rang, interrupting his thoughts. He answered it and heard Emily’s voice on the other end.
“Lucas, I need your help,” she said urgently. “I just found out that Max has been talking to the press. He’s claiming that I’m the one who poisoned Chloe and that he had nothing to do with it.”
Lucas felt a surge of anger. He had suspected that Max was up to no good, but now he knew for sure. He vowed to take him down, no matter what it took.
“Don’t worry, Emily,” he said calmly. “I’ll take care of it. Just sit tight and let me handle things.”
With that, he hung up the phone and got to work. He knew that he needed to find some new evidence to implicate Max and clear Emily’s name.Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.
Over the next few days, Lucas worked tirelessly, pouring over the case files and interviewing witnesses. He was determined to find something, anything, that would help them win.
Finally, he found what he was looking for. A witness had come forward, claiming that they had seen Max buying a large quantity of the poison that had been used to poison Chloe. Lucas knew that this was their chance.
He called a meeting with Emily and her family, laying out his plan for the upcoming trial. He told them about the witness and his plan to use the new evidence to implicate Max once and for all.
Emily’s family was thrilled, and Emily herself looked relieved. She thanked Lucas for all his hard work and promised to stand by him no matter what.
The day of the trial arrived, and Lucas was nervous but determined. He presented his case, outlining the new evidence and painting Max as a manipulative criminal who would do anything to save his own skin.