Hearing

he day of the court hearing arrived. Since the day of the break-in, nothing else had happened. I went around and asked a couple of jewelers about the half-heart pendant. Most of them said it used to be quite a common design back in the '90s, but most of it cannot be found in the city anymore.

I sat in my seat as opening statements were being delivered. The courtroom looked exactly the same as last time, except we had been shifted to a bigger one. The room was empty altogether due to the public not being allowed in. This was to keep mine, Andrew's, and the witness's identities secret. The prosecutor had already delivered his opening statement. "To conclude, at the end of this three-months-long trial, the prosecution firmly believes that the jury will take into account all facts, figures, and evidence and find the defendant guilty on all charges. Thank you." This was his last line.

He looked the jury members directly in the eyes as he said this. I had tuned out most of it but judging from the jury's expressions; he had made quite an impact. Next to me, Nathan stood up. His countenance is strong and confident. He stood in the middle of the empty space and turned toward the jurors.

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Nathan Walsh. I stand here today as a result of a miscarriage of justice. My client, Ms. Victoria Frietz, is wrongfully being accused of murdering the man she was in love with. On the night of November 8th, Andrew suffered a fate no one must be subjected to. He came to visit Victoria and was followed by the assailant.

To protect Victoria, he ran straight to the rooftop. He knew Victoria would also not survive if he hid in her apartment. Evidence suggests that he tried to go down the fire escape, but the heartless monster prevented him from doing so by stabbing his hand, which was holding onto the roof edge. The person then pulled him up and proceeded to stab his abdomen and his neck. Bruises were found on his abdomen. The assailant is believed to have hit him repeatedly on his wound.

My client is being wrongfully accused based on circumstantial evidence. The pocketknife found on the scene is being claimed by the police to be hers. No fingerprints were found on the pocketknife. There is no evidence that suggests that my client was on the rooftop that fateful night.

The prosecution also lacks any motive in this case. It is one thing to form a suspicion; it is another thing to enforce that suspicion on a cloud carpet and then make someone who had been riddled by grief from the death of her boyfriend ride on it forcefully.

The defense will be calling upon twelve people to give testimonies and for questioning. They are all people who were related to both Ms. Victoria and Mr. Andrew, people who knew them closely and observed their bond and love. When the concluding hours are upon us for this trial, I am hopeful that the jury will right the wrong and reward my client with her right as a citizen to justice. She will walk free. Thank you."

He then turned around, took slow, deliberate steps towards his chair, and sat down. The entire courtroom was stunned and silent. I began observing the jury. The gentleman on the far right looked to be in his 60s. With graying hair and a polo shirt, he stared at me with sympathy in his eyes.

That was the case for some other jurors as well. At this point, it felt like a tie. Almost half the jurors were looking at me with empathy, while the other half looked away in disgust. The opening statements had been longer than expected and had exceeded the set time for the hearing. Thus, the court was adjourned till the next hearing.

“So, what did you observe?” Nathan asked his assistant as we walked down the hallway towards the exit of the building. "I think it felt like a tie. The jury is divided between empathy for the defendant and resentment for the defendant. I think the ending statements will be crucial," she said. Nathan had not dropped his confident countenance yet. "Ms. Anya, you think? Think? This is something I have explained to you a thousand times. If you show yourself doubt in a court of law, the prosecution will take advantage of you and play on those insecurities.

Even if you have self-doubt, you need to keep it hidden," Nathan said in a firm voice. "I will keep that in mind, Sir. Now I will take my leave." "Anya, do not forget to write a report on today's hearing and submit it to me by tomorrow morning. I want to hear your insight." Anya nodded at that, and after saying goodbye to me, she turned around and left. “What do you think about what Anya said?” Nathan asked me. “She is right. It is half and half.” We then grew silent. We walked to the car park where his car was parked.

I bid him goodbye at the entrance and was about to walk away when I heard his voice. “Where do you think you are going?” I was confused by his question. “Uhh, home?” He smacked his forehead as he closed his eyes and said, "No, I meant, how are you going to go? You don't have a car." "I will take the bus." "Nuh-uh. You are coming with me. We are not taking any risks after that break-in at your house.

It is bad enough that we cannot report it as it will create complications in your ongoing trial. I do not want to make it worse by having something bad happen to you. We will stop to get someone on the way and get your locks changed." "But..." "No buts. Besides, Annette would kill me if something bad happened to you, and I am definitely not taking a risk on myself." I hit his arm at that last statement and began laughing. He rubbed the flesh on his arm as we moved toward his car and said, “You know that hurt,” as he sat down on the driving seat.

“I will go to that address this weekend,” I told Nathan as he drove. He nodded his head. “What are you going to do if Hannah is there?” I thought about it. I had been so focused on finding this mysterious figure that I had completely forgotten about what I was going to do once I did find her. “I am not sure. I think...I think I will ask her about Doctor Tsunoda’s missing daughter and my father. I also have a feeling Hannah might know who this heels lady is. I will show her the pendant.” “Can I ask you a question? It might be a little personal,” Nathan said with his gaze still fixed on the road.

"Shoot." "What do you feel about your father now, knowing he had a secret life and just there might be more to it, that there even might be things you considered wrong?" I had not given my father much thought, so it took me a while to answer that question. “I always knew that he was no saint. There were things I had always been suspicious about.

I do not think this changed anything. I may be able to understand him a little better once I uncover the truth, but that’s about it.” I saw Nathan taking a side glance at me, but he did not say anything. Good. I did not need other people to give an opinion about how I should and should not deal with the mess he created. We spent the rest of the ride in silence.

I took the bus to the countryside. I had never been to this part of the country, and I was pleasantly surprised. The road was well-developed, but the natural beauty was also preserved. It looked like tree patches spread onto hundreds of miles. At one point, I even saw a small lake in the middle of the patch of trees. Its water glistened in the sun and reflected in a way that its surface seemed to be covered with diamonds. I was so at peace.

The bus dropped me off at the station, and I went over the address again. Since there was no network, I could not search Google, and I had no idea about the roads here. I decided to ask a passerby, "Excuse me, sir, would you mind pointing me towards this address?" He looked to be a farmer as he carried a sack full of rice on his back.

He then told me to go straight and then follow a dirt path that would appear in the middle of the trees on the right side of the road. The path would end at the house. I thanked him and began my walk. What I found most peaceful was how no one stared. No one looked at you; no one cared where you were going; everyone just minded their own business.

It was like freedom and loneliness all in one. I saw the dirt path before I even reached the middle of the road. It was not well-hidden and was quite easy to spot. The sun had begun setting as I walked down the path. I never thought of myself as someone who was scared of animals, but I would rather not take the risk of encountering one in the dark. I increased my pace of walking and began to see the outline of a small, two-story house at the end of the path. Even though it was small, the exterior of the house ahead of the setting sun took my breath away.

It was built with all gray-colored stone and was absolutely gorgeous. Even if this visit did not yield anything substantial, I was glad to have undertaken it. Even when my mind tried to think of my problems, my surroundings were so ethereal that they would not allow themselves to ruin the doorbell. I was now standing in front of the house. I could hear laughter from within.

A car was parked in front of the house. I don't know why, but my heart was beating really fast as I willed my shaking hand to ring the doorbell. I heard a man's voice saying he would get the door. I heard a pair of footsteps as the door opened to reveal Nathan. I looked at him in shock, and my shock was mirrored by his expression. I heard someone coming behind him as I received another shock. I saw Annette walking toward us with another lady. Just when I thought my mind could not go into more of frenzy, I saw the woman's necklace. The other half of the heart pendant!

-End of Part 2

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