Chapter 240 DID WE WIN?
AURORA’S POINT OF VIEW.
Judge Halloway stared at us for a second before falling back into her seat. Once she was properly seated, she commanded, “You may have your seat.” Her voice, for some reason, felt scary. Maybe because she had all the power in this case, or maybe I was too anxious to think otherwise.
Beside me, Kai sat still, his posture rigid and strong. Our joined hands gave me much-needed strength as Levi and Armando’s lawyer conversed silently with the judge. Their voices were hushed and tight before there was a nod, a concession from both parties, before Levi walked over to us.
He adjusted his cufflinks, moved a single file on his desk, and then turned to the jury with a loud, confident voice. "Your Honor, members of the jury," Levi began, his voice a smooth, dangerous baritone that filled every corner of the silent room, commanding the rapt attention of everyone to him.
"The defense has spent the last week painting a picture of a man in mourning of a wife he murdered in cold blood; right in front of a crowd of more than fifty people watching; this crowd also includes the press who not only have an audio recording of his confession; they have a video footage already submitted in evidence, proving the first crime was committed while the accused was sane.
They have asked you to look at Armando De la Vista’s suit, his grief, the good he has done for society, and his silver hair, and see a victim of his late wife’s ambition. They want you to believe he was a passenger in a vehicle driven by a madwoman who seemed to be the only one to have it out for his legitimate wife and daughter.”
Levi paused, standing directly in front of the jurors.
"But we are not here for any theatrics, so I will not waste the time of this honorable court by beating about the bush. We are here for the cold, hard truth of the horrors this man has committed, horrors backed by evidence!. In that regard, I would like to call the first witness, Mr. Baron Thomas.” We all turned, watching as the chief server on the night of the engagement gala walked in, headed for the witness box.
He placed his hand on a bible and took the oath. “Mr. Baron, what do you do?”
“I’m a butler for Mr. Armando and his late wife, Denise, sir.”
“What were you doing on the night of the engagement gala?”
“I served the guests their drinks and refreshments, sir.”
“Good. Now I ask you, under your supervision, did any form of substance, and I mean an unchecked one, get into any of the glasses?” Baron shook his head.
“No. I oversaw everything. Every drink was sealed in the wine glasses, and only poured out once it was time to send them out.”
“So, according to you, you believe there is no way those drinks could have been laced with anything?”
“No, sir. Not to my knowledge.”
Levi turned. “No further questions, your honor.”
“Would the defence like to question the witness?” Armando glared at his lawyer, but she didn’t move. She only shook her head and muttered into her microphone, “The defence shall not question, your honor.”
“On that note, your honor, I would like to call on my second witness, a Mr. Sinclair from a pharmaceutical company.”
“I’ll allow it.” Halloway nodded with a wave of her hand, scribbling on a paper. Then, the witness walked in, his cap in his hands as he walked to the witness box to take his oath.
“Your name, please?” Levi asked as soon as he finished with the oath.
“Sinclair; Matthew Sinclair, sir.”
“And what do you do, Mr Sinclair?”
“I’m a lab expert at a pharmaceutical company.”
“What do you focus your research on?”
“Mainly the effect of drugs, or the lack of, on the human body, and that of other specimens.”
“I will ask you, judging from that clip,” Levi pointed to the huge television hung on the wall, and the display of the events of the other night played. Armando’s hands around Denise’s throat while he yelled out, confessing his crimes, filled the room. “Does that look like the actions of a man under the influence of any form of substance?”
“No, sir.” Levi grabbed a file from his desk and placed it in front of the man, the judge, and the defense. “What do you think of this lab report? Do they read of some sort of intoxication?”
With a deep glance at it, Matthew shook his head. “No….there is not even a drop of alcohol in this, talk less of any substance that can bring about any form of outburst.”
“So, all in all, it is not possible, medically, for that outburst to have been caused by any toxic substance?”
“Not in any sane world, sir. Especially not with the medical evidence we have lying around.”
“No further questions, your honor.” Levi walked to his desk. The judge stared at Armando’s awuer through her glasses pressed onto the bridge of her nose;
“Will the defense cross-examine?”
Armando and his lawyer shared another glance; my father looked offended and angry, no longer the picture of a grieving father. His true nature was bursting forth slowly, but surely. “No, your honor. The defence will not cross-examine.”
Halloway turned to Levi again, “The floor is yours.”
“Alright then, your honor. I would like to call the final witness, Morgan De la Vista.”