Chapter Text
After the verdict was set the Judge swung his gavel once again, to silence the crowd. "That is all this court is-" As he was about to dismiss the court for today, Nathan Pride called out to him from his seat in the jury.
"Your honor?" he called, the Judge looked over to him as he made his over to the witness stand, "May I make a request before this trial ends?" Nathan asks meekly, the Judge looks at him sternly.
"Mr. Pride, you have desrupted the piece in our city, killed an innocent man and framed a woman for murder, whatever you want to request I cannot grant you." The Judge states coldy, Nathan beggs.
"Please your honor! I only want to request something small, something I'm sure both you and everyone here would like to hear." Nathan states, at the defendant's desk, James curiousity peaked.
"What is he about to say?" he wondered, Elisabeth thought the same, 'I would like to know too...' she thought.
The Judge sighed, "If the defence agrees to hearing out whatever it is you're about to say then I shall grant you your wish." The Judge states, James looked over to Elisabeth.
"I think it's fine to hear him out, we already proved him guilty and the verdict is set. There is no harm in hearing what he has to say." James states, Elisabeth nods, "Yeah, you're right." Elisabeth says.
"Your honor, the defence agrees to Mr. Pride's proposition. We shall hear him out." Elisabeth states, the Judge nods his head.
"Very well then, Mr. Pride you may say whatever it is you want to say, but please make it quick!" The Judge states, Nathan nods.
"Very well your honor, I would...like to state my motive and what brought me here." Nathan states, 'Motive?' Elisabeth thinks, now he's got her interest.
"Motive?" The Judge asks, Nathan nods. "Yes your honor, I don't think the defence ever figured that part out, so...I would like to reveal it to the court so that other people don't repeat my mistakes." Nathan said, the Judge nodded.
"Very well, please share your story." The Judge states, James chuckles.
"Seems to me like he just wants to reduce his sentence." James states, Elisabeth looks over to him and raises her brow, "Have some faith in him, maybe he just wants to state what he actually thinks..." Elisabeth said besides him, looking back to Nathan. 'After all, in every criminal is a heart and soul too...' she thinks to herself.
Nathan is quiet for a second before he recounts his story. "
Now Playing:
Recollection SL9
"2 weeks ago, I dropped out of college. I was studying for a major in buisness, but failed to get through the semester so I quit my courses in frustration. It was the 4th time I dropped out of college and my parents were furious." Nathan recalls, hurt in his voice, pain in his expression.
"They were threatning to throw me out, told me what a failure I was and how I would never amount to anything unlike my more successful younger sister. So for the following weeks I was anywhere but at home, avoiding my parents like the plague, that was when I was approched by two men." Nathan recalls.
"They were dressed in black suits, they looked just like regular buisness men and they somehow seemed to know of my plight..." Nathan says trailling off, before sighing. "They told me they would offer me a one time job that would make me a lot of money as long as I did one thing." Nathan said before pausing again.
"And this one thing was robbing the antique shop correct?" Elisabeth asked Nathan nodded, "Correct, the two men told me I could make a lot of money in one go, it would be easy they said. That's when they told me about this easy target that was the old man's shop "William's Antiquties". They told me, if I were to rob it I could make a ton of money in one go." Nathan explains, before sighing.
"So I went there a week ago, scouted the inside of the place, found the rare antiquities and agreed to the two men's proposal. When the day of the robbery came, the plan was to make a quick robbery, get in, steal anything valuable and get out just as quick." Nathan recounted.
"However, I was a lot slower than planned, I needed more time than planned. That's when the old man came down and when..." Nathan trails off, remembering how he hit the old man on the head. He never finished his sentence but the court knew what he was about to say.
"I'll never forget that moment for the rest of my life, In that moment I thought I had killed him... everything after that was a blur, I ran up the stairs to see if anyone was there and when Alyssa Allen showed up to the store...I panicked even more until...she climbed into the store through the broken window." Natan recalled.
"And that's when you decided to frame her?" Elisabeth asked, Nathan shook his head. "No, I didn't know of her medical condition at the time, instead I called the men dressed in black suits over my walkie talkie, I informed them that they should come to the front of the store to pick up the items..." Nathan pauses before continuing.
"I jumped out of the window and was about to run when I looked back at the store one last time and saw Alyssa lying knocked out in the store..." Nathan states, "And that's where you decided to frame her?" James askes, Nathan shook his head. "No not yet, I talked to the man what happened, they were the ones to suggest I frame her...they said it would be best for every one if a false culprit was put in jail." Nathan explained.
"So I gave them the antiquities, they brought the promised money hidden away to my home and I was left all alone to frame Alyssa Allen for the murder..." Nathan explained, finishing his story. Elisabeth scratched her head in confusion.
"So, I don't understand, what was your motivation for stealing? I don't think you explained that part." Elisabeth asks, Nathan looks to the side answering "Pride."
"Pride?" The Judge repeats, Nathan nodded, "Like my last name, I...I wanted to make a lot of money...I wanted to feel like I truly accomplished something for once rather than be dead weight to my parents. I was a fool to think that, and now I'm nothing but a murderer." Nathan said, James nodded before asking a question.
"So did you ever receive the money?" James asked, Nathan nodded. "Yeah I did...It's hidden in my home although it doesn't matter anymore...I'll never get to spend it on anything anyway." Nathan thought, depressed.
The court was quiet for a second, before Nathan spoke again. "Mrs. Sharp?" he asked, Elisabeth responded quickly, "What is it?" she asked.
"Thank you for catching me, I don't know if I could truly live with myself knowing an innocent women went to jail because of me and an innocent man died all because of my greed and ego...so, thank you!" Nathan says, crying both tears of joy and sadness.
Elisabeth was quiet at his thank you, processing the words he said. 'Why do I feel sorry for him? He killed someone and blamed somebody else for it...and yet...' she trailed off thinking about...someone while processing his words, 'Was he more innocent than I thought after all this time perhaps?...' she wondered.
The court was quiet for a second again, before the Judge spoke, "Thank you for sharing all this with us, Mr. Pride...Unfortunately our time is running out, as a result I now declared this court as adjourned!" The Judge states, as the people of the court began taking the exit...
July 15, 13:34
District Court
Defendant Lobby
Now Playing:
Won the Lawsuit! (AA2)
Elisabeth and James now stood back in the defendant's lobby, Elisabeth still processing what happened in the court room. "I can't belive what happend today, we won! We won Mr. Morgan!" Elisabeth jumped with happiness, proud of what she accomplished, James laughed at her excitement.
"Yeah, but it wasn't us really, YOU did a great job in there, I was only there to help." James says, smirking. "I'm proud of you Elisabeth, you truly rescued Mrs. Allen when nobody was there to help her." he says smilling whole heartidly.
"I know! I can't belive it, I'm still shaking too!" Elisabeth states, James chuckled, "Well, how about we celebrate this victory then? I could use something to eat right about now." James says thinking, "And since you did a great job today, I'd be willing to pay for the meal too." James said, Elisabeth gasped.
"Y-you would do that for me?!" She asks, James nods. "Of course, as an officer of the law nothing makes me happier than seeing justice and seeing evil doer's be punished." James says smilling, Elisabeth claps excitedly.
"Thank you!" she says, James smiles again. Just as they were about to go two teenage girls entered the room.
"Hey! You can't forget about us too!" a girl Elisabeth doesn't recognize says, she is followed by a red headed girl, Elisabeth recognizes as Alyssa Allen.
"W-who are you?" Elisabeth asks the mysterious girl, she grins, "I," She emphasised, "Am Sherry Morgan, the second in a line of great detectives!" The girl, Sherry says, tipping her blue flat cap that sat on top of her chestnut brown hair.
"S-sherry?" James asked confused, "You have school today! How are you here!?" he asked confused, she grinned again.
"Let's not worry about that dad!" She said, Elisabeth pondered, "Morgan...oh so you are his daughter correct?" Elisabeth asked, Sherry nodded.
"That is correct, Mrs. Sharp. And I was in the court room all day today and I gotta say...you were amazing!" Sherry says with admiration, Elisabeth got embarrassed at Sherry's honesty.
"T-thank you Sherry." Elisabeth says, besides her James shook his head.
"Sherry you shouldn't even be here you have school today!" James said to her sternly, Sherry whined, "B-but dad, I asked to school if I could come to the hearing and they said it was okay!" Sherry said, suprising her father.
"What? How did the school allow you that?!" James asked, before Sherry answered Alyssa took the lead.
"Ahem, sorry to interrupt your father-daughter moment but it's my turn to speak!" Alyssa declared, before adverting her attention to Elisabeth, "Mrs. Sharp I...I can't thank you enough! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!" Alyssa said, hugging Elisabeth.
"W-woah! Easy there Alyssa, it was nothing big." Elisabeth says, Alyssa shakes her head sobbing into her shoulder. "N-no! It's a big deal, you rescued me from prison! You rescued me from a life of eating maggots and rats for the rest of my life!" Alyssa exclaimed, as Elisabeth hugged her back embarrassed.
"I...don't think that's what they serve in prison Alyssa." Elisabeth states, James laughs, "Doesn't matter now, Alyssa is now a free woman again and it's all thanks to you Liz!" James exclaims happily.
As everybody was calming down from their emotional high's, a couple in their late 40's came into the room, the man sitting in a wheel chair, while the woman who was moving the wheel chair was standing behind him pushing the chair, they both had greying crimson red hair and were undoubtably Alyssa's parents.
"Alyssa!" her father said, "Come here! You're free now Alyssa!" her father said, "We almost thought we were about to lose you forever Alyssa!" her mom said following up.
"Mom! Dad!" she said, running over to her parents as they came to her as soon as she saw them, "I was so scared, I thought I would never see you two again!" Alyssa said crying once again as the three got into a group hug that almost threw her father off his wheelchair.
"W-woah! Calm down Alyssa, you don't want to see your old man fall off his chair do you?" Alyssa's father asked, as he and his wife began crying a little.
"Oh Alyssa, I thought you were gone too! It's only thanks to Mrs. Sharp that you are still here with us." Alyssa's mother said, Elisabeth scratched her head.
"Oh come now. I just did my job." She says, clearly flustered, Alyssa's father shook her head. "You did far more than that, and we will be forever grateful that you got our little girl out of trouble, so thank you for everything!" Alyssa's father states nodding his head, Elisabeth smiles.
'People like them are the reason I chose this job. It's not always easy but it's worth it! Defending people like them, innocent people who did no wrong...it's what makes all the hard work worth it.' Elisabeth thought closing her eyes.
After a moment of silence, Sherry began to talk again, "So dad, I heard you invited us all to dinner right?" Sherry asks, James sweat drops.
"Ah! Now hold on, I only invited Mrs. Sharp there as a reward for her hard work on the case, I never planned to invite you Sherry-" James said, Alyssa cut him off.
"Can I come too Sherry?" Alyssa asked, Sherry nodded. "Of course anyone is invited!" Sherry said, making Alyssa smile.
"H-hang on a minute!" James said, but before he could talk Alyssa cut him off, "Mom! Dad! You two should come too! I'm sure you must be starving by now too." Alyssa said, her mother adopted a thinking expression.
"Hm, yes a good meal sounds lovely now. Especially since we were so nervous this morning that we could barely eat." Alyssa's mother states, Alyssa's father nods his head, "Alyssa, you know I can never decline a good invitation to eat right?" her father asks, Alyssa grins.
"Then that settles it!" Sherry states, James shook his head, "No it does not!" he says, Sherry and Alyssa ignore him, "I vote we go eat burgers! I'm hungry as heck!" Alyssa says, Sherry shook her head. "No burgers today, we gotta go somewhere expensive for this occasion, I fancy steak!" Sherry says, smilling deviously making James sweat.
"A-are you just gonna keep ignoring what I am saying?!" James asked, Elisabeth laughs histerically. "Come on James, you can afford one expensive dinner for all of us right?" Elisabeth asks teasingly, James sighs.
"My poor wallet..." he says, getting a laugh out of everybody. "Well let's get going then." Sherry says, as almost everybody gets a move on, everybody except Alyssa and Elisabeth.
"Hey Mrs. Sharp, I got a question for you." Alyssa asks her, Elisabeth nods. "What's your question Alyssa?" Elisabeth asks, Alyssa puts her fingers on her chin, adopting a thinking expression.
"Why is it that I'm feeling almost bad for Nathan Pride? I mean when he explained his motive I felt really sorry for him..." Alyssa asks, Elisabeth smiles.
"You were probably seeing a bit of yourself in him." Elisabeth says, Alyssa looks suprised, "Myself?" she asks, Elisabeth nods. "You two both stole for diffrent reasons and even though you had a better motive to steal, in the world of law nobody is truly good or truly bad. Nathan Pride probably thought he would never end up killing someone, all he saw was the potential money he could get out of that shop." Elisabeth explains, Alyssa nods her head understanding.
"Yeah but, he is still evil for killing the shop owner right?" Alyssa asks, Elisabeth nods. "Yes, but he isn't a truly bad person, had he the kind of relationship with his parents you have he probably would never have done what he had done." Elisabeth says, Alyssa hums.
"Hm, I guess so..." Alyssa says, before shaking her head, "Enough about that let's all go eat! I'm hungry as heck!" Alyssa said, Elisabeth nodded, "Yes let's." She says as the two walk out of the court building.
'And thus my first case was closed for good, with many more to come. The rest of the day was filled with laughter as I closed the book on my first ever case as a defence attorney. Only time will tell where my story will go to next.' Elisabeth thought exiting the court building.