Andreas Saerdna ch.6 Turnabout Angel Wings pt.5

13:35, September 21
District court, courtroom nr.2

Since Miles had taken so long with Andreas, the judge had decided that the break would be prolonged, so that he could have lunch. Now, Miles could feel the pressure on him. He knew a lot more about the case now, but he didn't know how he would explain it so the others would believe him.
- Well then, lets continue from where we finished before the break. If the defense may?
- Yes, your Honor. After having discussed some things with my client, I have come to the conclusion that there really is another, real crime scene.
- Hah, so you do now, do you? Well, enlighten us then.
- Well, I might know that there is one now, but wasn't the prosecution ready before to present to the court a theory about another crime scene?
- True, but after some more tests, we discovered that the hunch that we had was not supported by the evidence. So I believe you did a favour to the prosecution earlier.
He used me. He knew that I couldn't talk about another crime scene. And now it will be even harder to present my theory, after I have already tried to stick with the crime scene we already know of.
- Maybe so, but then I want to ask you, where was the presumed other crime scene?
- Well, since you ask so kindly, the next witness might be able to answer that question for you. The prosecution calls Mr. Stellas to the stand.

- Well, then, name and occupation, if you may.
- Certainly. I am Meireida Stellas, master of the Stellas mansion. I hear you have some business with me?
- Yes, well, as you might know, a murder was committed at your mansion, and we would like to ask you some questions about it.
- Certainly, ask away.
- Well, then, would you please enlighten us about your whereabouts for the evening in question.
- Of course. I was in the dining room, where the ball was being held. It was my duty to make sure that the guests was kept entertained. As you might understand, I also had to make sure that everything was going the way it should with the food and such. So I could pretty much anywhere on the first floor of the mansion. The murder, it happened on the second floor, right?
- Objection! When I talked with you yesterday, you told me that you witnessed the crime yourself. Also, the prosecution told us in court yesterday about a special witness, one that had been clear on the point that his name was to not be told in this court. It all points towards a contradiction. If you spent the whole evening on the first floor, how come you witnessed the crime?
- I... well, if you must know, I heard some of my guests scream, and I decided to go towards where the commotion was. There, are you satisfied?
- Not quiet. I have here the guest list for your birthday celebration.
- So? What has that to do with anything?
- It just so happens that there were around 180 guests at that party. And as you yourself said, you made sure that they were adequately entertained. Since it was a ball, I guess that music was playing, correct?
- Well, yes, of course there was.
- Then my question is as follows. During the time of the murder, where, Mr. Meireida were you?
- You...
Mr. Meireida was starting to lose his calm. Seems he didn't want to talk about his whereabouts during the murder.
- Objection.
Cetre again. That smug prosecutor, he is really trying to get in the way for me everytime I get closer to the truth.
- It might be true that the music was loud, and that there were a lot of guest. But remember, where was the murder committed? As we all know, it happened on the second floor, in the hallway leading towards the study. It just so happens that that hallway is located close to the stairs, which in turn is right next to the kitchen. Perhaps Mr. Meireida here was just on his way there, to make sure that the preparations for the dinner was going along nicely.
How to get out of this mess. Of course it is true, where the crime scene was, Meireida would be able to hear the witnesses if they shrieked in shock. But isn't there anything else here? Isn't there anything that I can use?
- Objection!
This was it. If he could get through now, then the possibility of another crime scene would be obvious.
- Correct me if I am, but the ball ended when the body was discovered, correct?
- Yes, we couldn't do anything about that, my butler had died, and some of my guests had been shocked by the discovery they made.
- Around what time did the discovery happen?
- You mean when we ended the ball? I'd say around half past nine.
- Well, I have here the autopsy report for the victim. Apparently, he died somewhere between eight and nine. Leaving at least a gap of thirty minutes for the murderer to escape. And yet we have witnesses who has told us that they saw the murderer disappear from the sight. Also, you yourself told me yesterday about how you witnessed the moment of the crime.
- Objection! I haven't heard anything about this. The defense is just rambling, they have no evidence.
- No? Then what is this?
Holding it up before him, Miles held out what looked like a small camera.
- This small camera was found in the hallway just outside the study. What is interesting is that most of the memory has been erased. The only thing left here is data from around eight the evening of the murder.
- Where did you get that?
Meireida looked a little more tense now. Was he on the right track? During the lunch break, the police had been talking about the case, and Miles had heard about the camera. The police had deemed it unimportant for the case, so they were thinking about returning it to the Stellas mansion, but since it had been marked as evidence, they didn't know what to do with it until the case was over.
- That is not important. What is important is that on this footage, both you and the victim can clearly be seen entering the room. Would you care to explain why you went there?
- Well, if you must know, some days earlier, one of my staff had noticed that Kuro was stealing from the mansion. These are very serious accusations, so I decided to have a talk with him, to see what he had to say for himself.
- And what did he say?
- He confessed. He told me about him having large debts, and with no other options, he had chosen to take some of the tableware, and sell it to the black market.
- I am sorry, but tableware?
- Yes. Pure gold, passed down for generations. Is it so unbelievable?
- No, it's just, well, pure gold?
The upper class sure has it fancy.
- If the defense has finished up with asking about the tableware, could perhaps we, the prosecution, continue with with the questioning of the witness?
- Of course you may.
- Thanks, your Honor.
- However, I want you to talk things through with your witness beforehand. Court is adjourned for fifteen minutes.

15:11, September 21
District court, courtroom nr.2

- Now then, if the prosecution may?
- Yes, your Honor. Mr. Stellas?
- Yes?
- We have evidence tying you to the study shortly before the murder, and also the victim was there with you. Care to enlighten us on what happened after your meeting?
- Well, after we had discussed the matter, Kuro went out towards the servants lodgings. I chose to stay in the study, I had some matters to attend to before the weekend was over, and felt that I could take care of them right then and there.
- What time was it when you left the study?
- Around a quarter past eight. The meeting was short, and I really didn't have much work to do, and I did have guests waiting. I might point out that when I passed the hallway, no body was found there.
- Hold it. You might say that, but who is to say that the murder took place there?
- What do you mean, do you have any proof that it didn't?
- Maybe not evidence that proves where the murder happened, but it does prove that you are lying. You see, I did tell the court about the camera just now, what I didn't tell you, however, was the amount of footage that the police was able to recover.
Meireida was sweating bullets now. Seemed Miles was getting closer to the truth.
- The footage the police was able to recover gives us footage to around nine that evening. And it does show you leaving the study around quarter past eight, but the victim never leaves the study. Which can only mean one thing.
- That the victim was stealing tableware from the study?
- No offence, your Honor, but what the footage and the autopsy report tells us is that the victim had to be murdered in the study or the treasury connected to it.
- How do you know about the treasury?
- Funny you would ask about that. My client told me today about something interesting. When I showed him pictures of the study, he told me that he had seen it before. Though we have already proven that he has never been here before, so he must have seen this room somewhere in Saerdna. In perhaps the Verité mansion.
If Meireida looked nervous before, this took the price. He practically shook with stress. He was completely drenched in his own sweat, and if he didn't calm down soon, they would have another body on their hands.
- I think you know where this is going, Mr. Stellas. The mansion I have told you about, is owned by none other than our victim. And also, two rooms in this mansion are complete replicas of the study and connected treasury in the Stellas mansion.
- So what? Maybe they used the same carpenter, and he thought it was a good idea to build the study and treasury in both mansion in the same way.
- Maybe so, but that isn't the only similarities. They are identical in every was possible. Same furnitures, same positioning of them, same colours, everything is identical. Which leads me to one more thing. Why would anyone want t go through the trouble, or rather, why would you, Mr. Stellas, go through the trouble of making sure that both of the mansions have identical study and treasury?
- Why are you asking me?
- Because you are the one who was behind the construction of the Verité mansion.
- Surely you jest.
- Objection. The defense is just trying to cast off the court with this string of conjecture. What proof do could they possibly have that these mansions are connected in any way?
- Objection! You want proof, here's your proof.
A picture of the treasury, showing the amount of blood that could be found there, was the last piece of evidence that the court needed to see. Shortly after, a woman runs into the courtroom, takes out a gun, shoots Cetre right in the forehead, and then throws the gun on the ground. The police quickly apprehended her, and with that, the court was adjourned.