Chapter Text
"Welcome, everyone, to the greatest radio show in all of London! Tonight, we have an extra special treat for you... A secret unlike anything else. One of our hosts has uncovered something incredible, and he cannot wait to share it with the world."
"I'm sure all of you have heard of the serial poisoner case that shattered London throughout last year. I have taken to researching it, and I can only begin to guess how surprised you will all be to hear what I have found."
"All the more reason for you to go on and share it! We're all looking forward to it!"
"When we come back from the break... All will be made clear. I promise."
"...And that's the break. We'll be back soon. Go and take a moment to breathe, alright? You look like you could collapse."
"Alright. I'll see you then."
"Oh... You won't get any time to breathe as long as I have something to say about it."
March 12
Old Bailey
Defendants' Antechamber
9:40 AM
My name is Melia Lasseire, and I am not a lawyer.
I stood as calmly as I could stand in the defendants' antechamber of the Old Bailey, but I wasn't doing a good job of selling my act in the slightest. I didn't know how I was supposed to pull this off. Surely everyone involved with this case had to know just how absurd it was to ask so much of me...
No, I couldn't think like that. There was too much on the line for me to lose my grip now. I had come this far, and I was going to see it through to the end no matter what it took. All I needed to do was breathe. It felt damn near impossible, but that couldn't stop me when there was so much at stake. People were counting on me, and I had to do everything I could to help them. That was the pact I took when I decided I would be working in the legal field, and I needed to stay true to it no matter what came next. Alix was depending on me, and I couldn't let them down now.
"Melia?"
I turned at the sound of my name to see Alix Auclair standing a few paces away. As was to be expected, they looked completely exhausted. I couldn't say I was surprised; they hadn't been sleeping well at all over the course of the last few days. I didn't think anyone would have been able to sleep in their circumstances though... Not as long as they had been arrested for murder.
"Please be more careful," I whispered as I approached Alix with a finger to my lips. "We can't have anyone overhearing that." Perhaps the most uncomfortable part about this whole affair was the fact that we had to go out of our ways to keep my true name a secret. It was a small frustration, but when we were already battling so many other problems, it felt impossible to do much of anything to keep it quiet. The world was fighting us in every way we could have ever imagined, and I could only hope we were able to come out on top in the end.
Alix nodded. "Right. Sorry." They fiddled uncomfortably with the hem of their shirt, and I noticed bandages peering out from beneath their sleeves. Unlike normal though, the bandages were old and worn, clearly having not been given the attention they needed while Alix was in prison. "What do you think will happen today? Do you have a plan for how you're going to prove that I didn't do it?"
"I'm going to figure it out," was all I could bring myself to say in response. As much as I wanted to tell them it would be alright, I knew it wouldn't have been right to lie. Alix was stressed enough as it was, and I wasn't going to add to that by telling them something I knew I wouldn't be able to be honest about. I was just going to have to find a way to make this right on my own no matter how impossible it felt. "You can trust me. I'll make sure everything is under control."
Alix nodded, slower this time, and I could tell they were nowhere near as confident in all of this as I was. It didn't surprise me. No one wanted to be arrested for murder, but they especially didn't want to have to take on a trial as long as the person defending them wasn't even a fully-fledged lawyer. It made sense that they were this stiff, but I still wanted to be able to do something to help snap them out of it. Alix deserved better than to lose their grip because of factors out of control. It wasn't much, but I needed to try and do something for--
"I can't believe you talked me into this."
The sound of a man's voice from nearby snapped me out of my thoughts, and I forced myself to stand up a little bit straighter. Dr. Jonathan Moreno was standing a few paces away with Leo balanced on his hip. Even though Leo was getting older and taller now, he was still light enough for anyone to carry him effortlessly, though Dr. Moreno was struggling with it a lot more than Evander usually did. "Do you have any idea how bad I am with kids?" Dr. Moreno hissed like he thought the drop in volume of his voice would be enough to keep it secret that he was talking about Leo while the boy was right there in his arms. "And all of this is--"
"I know," I cut in, holding up a hand to silence him. "It sounds insane, but it's something that must be done. I simply ask that you place your faith in me. I will do everything in my power to ensure this ends as well as possible. All you need to do is trust me." That was a lot to ask, especially with how little we could control about our current circumstances, but I didn't know what else to do. How else was I going to convince him to relax and listen to me when I said everything was alright?
"Alright," Dr. Moreno muttered, but I could tell that he wasn't behind my plan in the slightest. "You had better not get caught while you're in there. The last thing I want is to have to find an actual lawyer to bail you out when you get in even greater trouble for this gamble of yours."
"I'll be fine," I assured him, though I was trying to tell myself just as much as him. If I thought too hard about how risky this was, I would end up falling apart, and I didn't have time for that. If I was going to help Alix, I needed to stay focused, and that meant not letting my nerves get to me. I would be fine. I just needed to believe it.
Dr. Moreno looked away, lost in thought about how he was going to manage things if this all fell through. I chose to stare down at the ground for the few seconds I wasn't being interrogated by everyone around me. I understood that they were nervous, but they didn't need to put me through the wringer because of it. I was going to be fine. I had taken on cases far harder than this before... Granted, that was always as an assistant with Hiro or Evander at my side, but I had solved cases on my own before. I had always found someone else to help me prove it, but now... I didn't have any other choice but to see this through on my own, so I would do what was necessary. It was my only option.
My name is Melia Lasseire, and I am not a lawyer. Over the course of the last year, I have come to work with a Japanese lawyer by the name of Hiroshi Bushida. He and I became partners in investigating, and we solved many important cases together, including the recently historic serial poisoner case this last autumn... But after the serial poisoner case ended, he was given an invitation to travel back to Japan alongside my older brother, Evander. The two of them have been gone for five months now, and I've been holding down the fort of looking after our law office in their absence. For the most part, it has been uneventful...
But all of that changed just a few short days ago. There was a radio show live on air where the hosts decided to talk about something that has changed London over the course of the last year: the serial poisoner. Even though the culprit was caught back in October, many people still have lingering questions about who was responsible for it and how we could make sure this didn't happen again. One of the hosts of the radio show decided to investigate the serial poisoner in search of any truths that had been obscured over the course of the case going to court, and he was going to present his findings live on air for everyone to hear.
Unfortunately, that didn't end up coming to pass. The investigator who tried to share his thoughts on the case was stabbed to death during the show, and a knife was found in his chest in the middle of his speech. No one could figure out who was responsible for it... Until they realized that someone had been there that day who was not normally at the radio station. Alix was at the radio station to speak with the victim about his recent findings, and when they arrived, they found the body. From there, they were arrested as the suspect, and they were sent off to prison while waiting for their trial.
But I couldn't just stand back and let it all happen. I was too close to Alix to let anything happen to them, so I decided I would take matters into my own hands by defending them from the charges. With Hiro and Evander overseas, no one at our office was available to defend them in court. I was going to have to do it for myself despite not having a badge nor the ability to practice law. Still, I was able to bring in a few favors to make sure I was able to sell the act. I swapped out my mask for something a bit less conspicuous, and I decided I would be taking up a false name and a false office that I worked for so that no one would ask questions. It was hardly a perfect system, but if it would give me the chance to prove Alix's innocence... What other choice did I have?
One such favor for the case had involved asking Dr. Moreno to look after Leo. I had really bonded with Leo over the course of the last half a year, and he was practically glued to my side because Evander was not there to look after him. However, I couldn't take Leo into the courtroom. I would need to entrust him to someone else... But there aren't many people in this world I truly trust, so I had to call upon one of the few people who I knew wouldn't stab me in the back. Dr. Moreno already owes me a favor for helping to prove him innocent of murder during the serial poisoner case, so he was more than happy to come in and look after Leo... Well, maybe happy isn't necessarily the word for it, but he was willing to do it as long as I was busy. We could talk about any consequences to that later on. I was just happy to be able to put Leo in good hands while I focused on trying to show that Alix wasn't the one responsible for killing the victim.
"I'm worried," Alix confessed softly. "Are you sure you won't be accused of anything during the trial?" They didn't say openly what they were scared I would be accused of, but I already knew what it meant. They were terrified I was going to end up called out for not actually being a lawyer and for lying my way into the courtroom. Alix didn't trust anyone else to look after their defense though, so they had no choice but to come to me. I wasn't going to leave them with someone who could have easily been bribed or otherwise forced into something they wouldn't have actually believed in. If I had to lie to save them, then I would do it.
"I'll make sure everything is fine," I assured them again, though just like before, I was trying to persuade myself just as much as I was trying to convince them. I needed everything to be okay. I didn't know what I was going to do if something went horribly wrong during this case and I wound up being exposed for who I really was. I didn't have the time to think about it either. I just needed to stay focused, and everything would be fine. If I kept my head high and my confidence higher, no one would ask questions. If I pretended I knew what I was doing, then I would be able to sell it. I just needed to make sure I didn't lose my grip, and everything would be alright.
"We're running out of time to stand around here and talk," Dr. Moreno chimed in. "Do you think you'll be okay in there on your own? If you need someone to stand with you behind the bench, I can do it." I could tell he was trying to worm his way out of having to look after Leo when he said that even though he was doing his best to hide it. Dr. Moreno had told me before that he wasn't the best with children, and while he had been handling Leo like a dream so far, he was clearly uncomfortable with it.
"I'll be fine," I told him, and I pretended to not see the way Dr. Moreno deflated at the mention of me going in on my own. He was desperate to not have to look after Leo for even a second longer than necessary, though we both knew it was nothing against Leo himself. Dr. Moreno's discomfort was something far greater than that, but I was still glad I could count on him here. I didn't know who else I would have relied on in a situation like this. There weren't many other people I could call upon when I really needed outside aid.
"We should probably go inside soon," Alix told me with a tilt of their head in the direction of the courtroom. "The trial won't wait for us forever, and... And you have a long road ahead of yourself if you're really going to prove I didn't do it."
"You're right," I agreed. I took in a slow, grounding breath before fixing Alix with a piercing gaze. "I'll do everything in my power to prove your innocence. You just need to stand back and watch. I promise." Alix nodded, trying to seem more certain of it than they felt, before walking into the courtroom. I watched them go, waiting until after Dr. Moreno had gone inside too before I followed them in. I was going to make the most of this, and I was going to prove Alix's innocence. I had to.
What other choice did I have?
March 12
Old Bailey
Courtroom
10:00 AM
The courtroom somehow felt even more alive with activity than usual when I stepped inside. Maybe I was just more aware that I had so many eyes on me. Normally, I was in the courtroom with someone else I trusted, and more importantly, I wasn't lying about my identity for the sake of being allowed behind the bench. I would never apologize for what I was doing, not as long as Alix needed my help, but I couldn't deny that I was a bit uncertain. What if someone saw through the ruse? All that would do was land both of us in prison with an inability to help each other.
But I couldn't let my fear get in the way of what I knew needed to be done. I had brought in a few favors in order to end up able to pull this off in the first place, and I needed to do everything I could to see it through to the end too. I had a right to make sure this ended as well as possible. There was no one I could trust with Alix's defense but myself, so I would just have to take matters into my own hands.
When the gavel fell upon the judge's podium, I instinctively stood up a little bit straighter. "Court is now in session for the trial of Alix Auclair," Judge Graves declared. I was glad she had been the one put in charge of this case; I didn't think I would have been able to get away with everything I had schemed up as long as someone else was there. At least there was a chance Judge Graves would go easy on me if she managed to see through what I was trying to do. "Are the defense and prosecution ready?"
"The prosecution is ready," Prosecutor Camilla Altadonna declared from across the courtroom. That was one of the few favors I had brought in here. I didn't know Prosecutor Altadonna well enough to say that this would go perfectly, but as far as she was concerned, she still owed me and Hiro for our role in exposing the serial poisoner. If that meant she had to do a bit of lying to ensure I was able to defend Alix, then so be it. Besides, she wouldn't have objected to me stepping in at all. With Hiro and Evander gone, she would want someone she could trust to look after the case where her assistant was arrested.
Perhaps the strangest part of seeing Prosecutor Altadonna behind the stand was the fact that she was alone. There was no one who would have been able to stand with her, not on this case, but it remained odd to me. I didn't think I had ever seen her in the courtroom when she was on her own. I was going to do everything I could to make sure the world returned to normal after this trial though. Prosecutor Altadonna just needed to be patient so that I could work my magic.
"And the defense?" Judge Graves questioned, and I realized she had been waiting for me just a beat too long. She was studying me carefully, clearly trying to figure out if she recognized me.
It wasn't an easy job for her to figure that out though. I had covered up the bulk of my hair with a wig that I had found the day before. The hair was a plain brown color, an easy color to forget if a person wasn't actively thinking about it... And I really wanted to be forgotten about once this was all over. I had styled the hair to fall carefully over the upper half of my face too, obscuring much of the mask that I wore beneath it. I had chosen a different mask too just to make sure that no one realized it was me. My clothing was as bland as it could have been to sell the act, and I could only hope that it was enough for me to stay hidden until after I had finished all of this off.
"Yes," I nodded, lowering my voice as much as I could while still ensuring it sounded natural. "The defense is ready." I had practiced late into the night the evening before to make sure my voice sounded different enough that no one would recognize it... But the person I was most worried about didn't seem to have made an appearance. If Lord Chief Justice Edevane-Mire had opted to not show up, then perhaps I was in the clear...
"Something about you feels strangely familiar, defense," Judge Graves frowned. "I don't believe I have presided over a case where you were involved, but I still feel as if the two of us have met... This is your first case, isn't it? Are you certain this is your first time in the courtroom?"
I nodded, forcing myself to sound more confident than I felt. "It is. I can assure you that we have never met," I told her, hoping I didn't sound too desperate to make her believe it. "Unless the name Amy Nichols sounds familiar to you."
Judge Graves thought about it for a long moment before shaking her head. "No... I suppose it does not," she murmured. She contemplated for a few seconds more only to sigh in surrender. "But we have little time for formalities. We must get on with the trial. Prosecutor Altadonna, if you don't mind, the court would like to hear your opening statement."
Prosecutor Altadonna nodded, sneaking in a single glance at me before settling her eyes on the paper in her hands. She had agreed to help me lie my way through this for as long as it was necessary, but clearly falsehoods like this did not come easily to her. She chose to concentrate on the page before her instead, and I was glad she did so she didn't end up staring at me too intently. "The victim of this case is a man named Ray Dio," she announced. "He is a host of a local radio station that is widely beloved and broadcast throughout London. He is also something of an investigative journalist, often digging into cases he finds interesting and sharing his findings live on air. Many people have come to look up to him as a result... But in this case, I believe it also led to his premature death. He was in the middle of sharing his most recent findings with the world when he was cut off during his broadcast by a stab wound to the heart. He died instantly and while the world was listening in. The line went eerily silent, and when he was checked on a few minutes later, it was found that he had collapsed and died... Though we now know it to be murder."
"I agree," Judge Graves hummed. "A person would not die from a stab to the heart if it was meant to be natural. Someone must have killed him... And I take it by the identity of the suspect in this case that the police believe they have found the one responsible."
"They do," Prosecutor Altadonna replied with a slow nod. "The suspect of this case, Alix Auclair, was found at the crime scene standing over the victim's body. They were there supposedly to speak with him about everything he had taken to investigating over the course of the last few months. None can say for certain how it ended with the victim being killed, but... Many have come to the conclusion that it must have been the suspect given the setup of the crime."
"I can certainly see why the suspect came to be thought of as the guilty party," Judge Graves remarked, turning her attention to me next. "But I can only assume based on the presence of the defense that they are claiming innocence in this case."
"The defense maintains its statement that the suspect is entirely innocent. I believe that someone else is behind all of this. I intend to find out who it is no matter what it takes," I told her with a firm nod. Deep down, I didn't know how I was going to pull something like this off, especially since I hadn't been given the chance to investigate the case at all before the trial began. I couldn't get into the crime scene because I wasn't technically a lawyer, and all of my usual tricks weren't enough to get me in there. I was going into this almost entirely blind with no way of mitigating my lacking knowledge on the case. I didn't know how I was supposed to prove Alix's innocence, but I was going to figure it out one way or another.
"I see no reason for us to drag out this case then," Judge Graves hummed. "I would ask that the two sides of the case summon their witnesses to the stand to discuss what they saw at the time of the crime."
"Of course," Prosecutor Altadonna nodded. "I have gathered three witnesses who I believe will be able to help me find the truth behind the case at hand... And I would ask that all of them make their ways up to the podium at this time."
I nodded along to myself. I didn't know who these witnesses were nor did I know what I was supposed to do with their tesitmony... But I had taken on more challenging cases than this before, hadn't I? Surely I would be able to get to the bottom of this as long as I was willing to do a little bit of digging. The witnesses would end up helping me in the end. I would make sure of it no matter what it took.
Three people walked up to the stand in the seconds that followed, and I looked at all of them carefully. Two of them I did not recognize. The first was an older woman with very notable... Assets. She had her arms crossed while she played with a thread of her hair using the tip of one finger, and I could have sworn she was trying to draw all the attention she could find onto herself. She wore an elaborate outfit that told me she was involved with some important business or another.
The man at her side was considerably less confident. He was a wiry man, seeming like even a stiff wind would be able to blow him over as long as it had the resolve to do so. He wore a suit that he constantly fidgeted with like he was trying to convince the rest of the world he was worthy of their attention. In other words, he would be very easy to crack when it came time to put the pressure on him.
And the last person in the lineup... I didn't think I had seen her in months. I hadn't expected to find her here of all places either. I would have thought that she would want to hide away from the rest of the world for as long as she could get away with it, but instead, there she was. I was as impressed as I was concerned, and I could only hope I would be able to help her before the case was declared to be over.
"Please state your names and occupations for the court, witnesses," Judge Graves instructed. Her voice forced me to pay attention to the trial again, and I was glad for it. I didn't think I would have remembered I had a case to concentrate on without her pushing me in the right direction, albeit unknowingly.
"My name is Wilma Frequent," the woman declared. She threw a little bit of her hair over her shoulder, and an easy smile settled onto her face. Her features were perfectly framed by her curly brown hair, and I could just feel every man in the courtroom tripping over themselves in an attempt to get her attention... Though something told me that they would have no luck in getting her to look at them for longer than a few seconds. "I work at the radio station where all of this happened. I'm something of a guest reporter there."
"And my name is Ban D. Width!" the wiry man declared, standing up a little bit straighter and making his voice as loud as he could stand it. "I'm the owner of the radio station known as the London Listener... Though right now, I guess everyone just knows it as the crime scene."
"I'm Valentina Altadonna," the voice of the third witness offered. She was staring quietly down at the podium, her fingers grasped tightly around the strap of her bag like it was the only thing keeping her from completely falling apart. It wouldn't have surprised me in the slightest if that was the truth. "I'm a... I'm an investigator. I look into cases on my own."
Judge Graves didn't pause for long on Valentina's notable lack of confidence, instead simply looking at the lineup of three witnesses as a whole. "The three of you were all involved with the case as it happened on the day of the murder, yes?" she asked, and the trio all nodded. "In that case, I see no reason to hold this off for any longer than we already have. I would like to know everything you can share with us about the crime. I need to know who the killer is, and I know that everyone in the gallery feels the same way."
"Oh, it would be my pleasure," Ms. Frequent smiled, once again tossing some of her hair over her shoulder. I did my best to keep from looking directly at her, already knowing that it would be a massive source of distraction if I gave her that power over me. "I'm certain you will find yourself in love with the story we have to tell... Just give it a few minutes, darling."
I let out a small sigh, forcing myself to focus. I was going to have to find a problem in their testimonies even though I knew nothing about the case... I had done harder things before though. I just needed to focus, and something would come to me. Everything had to start somewhere, and I was going to start as strong as I possibly could.
That's what being a lawyer is all about, isn't it?