“It was love at first sight,” Gabe said.“Well.Lust at first sight.I had heard Stacey gush about this stupid coffee shop so often.She sent me there all the time.I don’t know why, either.You’d think she could just go herself.It’s literally a block away.”
“Gabe,” I said.“This is not the time for character assassination.”
“Well, it was your fault we met,” he said.He turned to the Judge and continued.“Stacey sent me in for her usual sticky diabetes in a cup order.I said something awful about my boss, and he asked me about her, and then he seemed to get more and more interested the more I talked, and before I knew it… oh…”
His face suddenly fell.
“None of it was real,” he said.Watching his heart break in a full courtroom was more than I could bear.“He must have heard Stacey’s name and put two and two together.I wondered.He always seemed so interested in what I did for a living…”
“I fail to see how this is connected,” Brynholf said.
“He was the one that sent me stuff for Stacey to write,” he said.He shrugged.“I didn’t think too much about it at the time.I just thought he wanted my department to do well.And he seemed really interested in helping out my career.I didn’t.I didn’t want to say no.Even if I felt bad about the money.He just seemed like… like I was doing him… a favor.”
He looked up at the courtroom.
“You guys have to believe me.If I knew what his coffee was going to do to the city, I would never have helped.Stacey was innocent.I was innocent.This was all a huge mistake.”Gabe stopped and started sniffing.Tears were dripping from his eyes.“I’m so sorry.I had no idea about any of this.I can’t… I can’t say anymore.I’m just so embarrassed.”
“Are you willing to testify in front of Regional appointed sooth-swearers to everything you were witness to, and stand by them as the unalienable truth as you witnessed it?”
“I can do that.I just.I need some time alone,” he said.
“Someone escort him to the powder room,” Judge Volkheim said.“And send a handkerchief in there with him.”
Gabe walked with a courtroom guard.Vic held out a hand behind us at first, and then let it go as Gabe left.
“Drusella,” Judge Volkheim started.“Can you confirm what the last few witnesses have said so far?”
“The ripples of veracity as they spoke align with the ripples of this universe,” she said.“They were both being truthful with events as they perceived them to be.”
“Right,” Judge Volkheim said.“Well, we have two first-hand accounts of William Corcoran that can speak to his motives of a grudge against Stacey, so it stands to reason the Prosecution’s accusations on the count of Conspiracy and Aiding and Abetting are dismissed.”
“I would like the option to reserve these per further evidence review,” Brynholf said.
“Accepted,” Judge Volkheim said.“As to the next few charges.Does the Defense have any further questions they’d like to ask, or witnesses to call?”
“I’d like to continue my previous line of questioning with Vic Almoday,” Abe said.
Vic seemed to freeze, his shoulders pausing.
“Vic, you’re back in the ring,” Judge Volkheim said.“Let’s keep this clean.”
“Right,” Vic said.He got to his feet, slid back into the witness seat again, and then seemed to have to forcibly relax.“Anything you want to know, just ask.”
“I would like to skip ahead a bit,” Abe said.“Can you please tell me about the events surrounding your first manipulation of the Paradox?In layman’s terms.I would like to know what happened immediately after you and Stacey went back in time to the beginning of the Zombie Uprising of Chicago.”
“Oh yeah,” Vic said.“Well… here’s the thing… We sort of died, the first few times.”
Everyone leaned forward.
“What?”I asked.
“Did I not bring that up?”Vic asked.
“Do tell,” Brynholf said, a greedy look on his face.
“Please,” Judge Volkheim said.“Inform us.”
Chapter4
