“Bullshit!”I said.
Judge Volkheim slammed his gavel on the Transubstantiation Table.
“Order!”he snapped.“Stacey, one more outburst like that and I’ll hold you in contempt.”
The crowd behind me gasped.I felt Nagisa and Abe yank me back down, and they did it so hard my ass slapped the seat.
“Owww!”I hissed.“What are you doing?”
“What are you doing, Stacey?”Abe snapped.“Let me do the talking!”
“Seriously, Stacey,” Nagisa said.“What happened to the plan?”
“You will get time to explain yourself if you just let this play out,” Abe said.
I pursed my lips and sat back, shaking my head.Abe arranged his tie, looking all of nine years old, and carried a step stool around to the front.He walked up to it, carefully, stood on it, and swiveled to face the crowd.
“I agree with Prosecutor Brynholf that the recent events that have happened in Chicago were flagrant violations of 3P Bylaw and may have jeopardized our entire community when viewed on their own.However, linking a human and a vampire to the situation as aiders and abettors when they were some of the primary forces attempting to quell the situation is an extreme position.It is the Defense’s opinion that William Corcoran performed his actions of his own accord, bent with rage against humanity and the Paranormal Community, and sought destruction all on his own.It is our further conclusion that William Corcoran created a series of erroneous, unfactual allegations through manipulation of data to frame Stacey Adams and Nagisa of the Crimson Suns in the case of his demise.It is this—the testimony of an insane Necromancer—that the prosecution has taken word for word.Should we believe the words of an angered man, so twisted with envy and despair that he would destroy an entire city to get back at someone who eluded him?Or should we seek deeper, probe the events in question, and interview other witnesses?Were Stacey and Nagisa villains in all this, exposing the Paranormal Community to outsiders… or were they unsung heroes?I hope the jury and all of you today will listen to all of the facts before you make any strong declarations one way or another.The Defense has finished, your honor.”
“Well, this will sure be interesting,” Judge Volkheim said.“Prosecution?”
“I wish to submit to the Jury Council Evidence Exhibits A through C.Attached you will find a list of documents and articles written by one Stacey Adams in support of William Corcoran’s business, Le Bean Caffeine.You will also notice the back and forth email exchanges they had.”
“Hang on,” Minister Black wheezed.His dry eyes blinked.Something like dirt peppered the papers in front of him.“These are not emails.This is a stack of printed computer paper.”
“Yes.That’s how we’ve printed out the emails,” Brynholf said.
“I thought emails were more sort of electric-zoomy things.”
“Christ,” Judge Volkheim said.“Let the record show that these are facsimile reproductions of the original emails we have stored on William Corcoran’s seized laptop.This was submitted earlier.”
“Hang on,” I said to Abe.“Those are… I had no idea who he was.Let me talk.”
“Okay,” Abe said.He stood up.“Your honor.Stacey says those are legitimate emails, but she didn’t know who she was communicating with at the time.”
“If the jury will look closer, they will see that the name Billy Corker is on the top of each sent email from Stacey’s work email account,” Brynholf said, a nasty sneer on his face.
I stood up.
“I knew who he was but didn’t know he was a Necromancer,” I said.
“Is that so?”Brynholf asked.“Will the jury please turn their attention to the pile of paperwork known as Appendix E.There you will find a handwritten note, written in 1856, from one Stacey Adams herself that shows she was well aware of William Corcoran and his status as a Necromancer?”
“Is defendant Adams not a human?”Judge Volkheim asked.
“I am,” I said.
“You are remarkably well-preserved for your age,” Judge Volkheim said.
“Is this not Defendant A’s handwriting?”Brynholf snapped.
“It is,” I said.“I wrote that note.”
The crowd gasped behind me.
“Look, this is all a misunderstanding.It’s not what it looks like,” I said.
“Stacey Adams.You had contact with a known Necromancer.Not only did you lie in front of the Judge about knowing who he was, you have also lied to everyone about your age.If this is you, it’s written proof you are well beyond the age of a normal human and therefore, it is highly likely you worked with Corcoran himself to prolong your infernal life.”Brynholf sneered at this as if his argument was intractable.
