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Chapter 107: Not Guilty Verdict
🕑 Added 2024-12-07 17:41:45 +0000 UTCEthan's concerns were indeed confirmed. While investigating Wild Dog, the police arrested a few of his underlings. It didn't take long before they learned that Tom and the man in the floral shirt had met with Wild Dog.
Tom was quickly arrested at a motel, and fortunately, his parents had already left New York and didn't witness their son's embarrassing arrest.
In the police station, Tom said nothing except that he wanted to hire a lawyer.
Ethan asked Jimmy to find a mediator and spent a few hundred thousand dollars hiring a famous local lawyer in New York to help Tom.
After the lawyer spoke with Tom, Tom finally spoke to the police.
However, his story went against their expectations. Tom claimed he wasn't the killer and that his role was only logistical support. He hadn't been involved in the murder. Fiss and the other four were all killed by the man in the floral shirt.
As for why the man in the floral shirt died in the end, Tom explained that they had originally planned to kidnap Fiss. However, the man in the floral shirt suddenly decided to kill everyone, leaving no witnesses. Tom tried to stop him, but the man in the floral shirt pulled a gun on Tom, intending to kill him and take the reward for Wild Dog alone. Tom had no choice but to fight back in self-defense, leading to the death of the man in the floral shirt.
Now the police faced an unexpected situation: the murderer was already dead, killed by his own accomplice in self-defense.
This couldn't be true!
Of course, the police didn't accept this explanation, but after searching the scene, they couldn't find any evidence to contradict Tom. There were no surveillance cameras, no eyewitnesses, and Ethan remained unaware of the events.
The only mystery was Ashara's phone, which had been burned beyond recognition. The police didn't know what was on it, but Tom explained that the man in the floral shirt had destroyed it because he found out Ashara had taken pictures.
The Forensic's examination also made Tom's statement more plausible, as all the bullets found in the victims came from the gun of the man in the floral shirt.
The cause of the man in the floral shirt's death was a stab wound to the neck, which matched the knife Tom had been holding.
Additionally, because the time of death for all the victims was very close, the Forensic couldn't precisely determine the exact time of each death.
With no other options, the police tried to extract information from Wild Dog's underlings, but unfortunately, Wild Dog and his closest subordinates had all died in the street. No one knew what Wild Dog had told the man in the floral shirt about the job.
All they knew was that Tom and the man in the floral shirt had been seen together near Wild Dog. Tom explained that he didn't know anything about it. The man in the floral shirt handled all the business negotiations, and Tom was just the middleman and leader, simply following orders.
The police then summarized all the clues and testimonies, realizing that Tom didn't seem to be heavily involved in the street shooting incident. In fact, he appeared more like an innocent bystander who had been caught up in the situation.
Budman, Davis, and the underlings hated Tom, even though he hadn't killed Fiss and had even killed the man responsible for Fiss's death. But they couldn't act like they would in Gotham City and storm the police station to take care of Tom.
Meanwhile, after Ethan's doctor declared him fit for recovery, he received an invitation from Colleen, the costume designer for Chicago, telling him their show would be hitting the Broadway stage soon.
Colleen called to ask if Ethan planned to attend.
Of course, Ethan agreed, asking for a pair of tickets. Anne Hathaway had been with him at the hospital for the past few days, keeping him company. When Ethan went for his checkup, he had called Carmella, who received the news of the accident. Anne immediately rushed to the hospital and stayed by his side. She hadn't left him for days, even cooking meals for him and making sure he ate well. Carmella had to admit that Ethan had quite a charm.
In addition to her, Jimmy visited Ethan every day. When Jimmy saw Anne Hathaway, he couldn't resist giving Ethan a punch: "Damn it, why do all the girls like you so much?"
"No choice. You know how it is." Ethan shrugged, indicating that his charm was irresistible.
Jimmy had no choice but to admit that he would never measure up to Ethan.
Regarding the car accident and the shooting, Ethan decided to hide the news from Scarlett and Avril. If they found out, they would come to the hospital, and he didn't want that.
Even Kaden and Cindy from the company weren't informed. He only asked Jimmy to tell everyone that he had gone on a business trip to meet clients.
The company was operating smoothly without Ethan, as he just needed to provide advertising ideas. For the other tasks, Fernando and Jimmy could handle the bidding.
After staying in the hospital for a few more days, Ethan returned home to rest until the end of November, the night of the show's performance.
Ethan drove his newly bought Hummer H2 to Anne Hathaway's home.
At the door, he saw Anne Hathaway dressed in a formal evening gown.
"You look beautiful tonight." Ethan hugged her, then placed his hands on her smooth shoulders, complimenting her.
Anne Hathaway wore a black gown that accentuated her curves, with delicate collarbones and cleavage visible. She wore dangling earrings, and her long hair was styled to frame her face.
She paired the outfit with black high heels, without stockings, her fair feet smooth and flawless. The entire look was stunning.
After the hug, Anne Hathaway gave Ethan a gentle kiss and got into his new car.
"This car looks so bulky." Anne's friends usually drove sports cars or sedans, never a vehicle this rugged. Everything about the Hummer, from the driver's seat to the steering wheel, felt raw and utilitarian.
"Yeah, it's definitely bulky." Ethan wasn't offended by her comment. He explained, "But it could save my life in a critical moment."
Although the car was voted one of the ugliest models of the year, its solid build and bulletproof features were exactly what Ethan needed.
"You're right." Anne Hathaway, who had been nervous after hearing about Ethan's close call with a killer, understood his reasoning. In the end, a car was just a mode of transportation, and aesthetics weren't that important.
But Ethan had done more for his safety than just buying the Hummer. He had started practicing with guns, using a private shooting range several times a week. He also applied for a gun license with the New York Police Department.
A gun license in the U.S. took about six months to process, with many steps involved. Of course, Ethan, as a partner of the police fund, could expedite the process a little.
Twenty minutes later, they arrived at Broadway. Ethan and Anne got out of the car and walked into the Broadway Theater.
.......
At the same time, Tom, accompanied by the police and his lawyer, walked into the courthouse.
The atmosphere in the courtroom was solemn. Tom walked to the bench, where he could see the judge and the jury.
"Bang!" The judge struck the gavel, announcing that the criminal trial had officially begun.
.......
"Bang!" On the darkened stage, the drums began to play. Ethan and Anne Hathaway exchanged a smile and held hands as they looked forward to the performance of Chicago.
The next moment, the music blared loudly, with violins, clarinets, trumpets, trombones, and keyboards all playing together. Bright lights flashed before the audience as the actress playing Velma entered, dancing fiercely and sensually in a solo performance.
The three-minute dance was a hit with the audience. Then the police arrived on stage to arrest Velma, and the lights suddenly went out. A monologue began.
"Your Honor…" A voice rang out.
........
Meanwhile, in the courtroom...
"Your Honor, the hospital can verify that my client, during his time in the military, suffered a facial nerve injury during an exercise. He suffers from intermittent facial paralysis, so his expression cannot accurately represent his tone or feelings. This face is completely uncontrollable."
Tom's lawyer presented a document to support his client's case, preparing for Tom's upcoming testimony. Without this document, Tom's cold expression alone could have led to a guilty verdict.
The jury looked at the thin sheet of paper and then at Tom, who had a distinct hairstyle. As his lawyer had said, Tom's face remained expressionless, not betraying any emotion. The jury nodded in understanding.
After this, the court moved on to the presentation of evidence. The police lawyer called Wild Dog's underling to testify.
"I... I saw him, with that guy in the floral shirt, enter Wild Dog's place. They came out holding guns."
"I object!" The defense lawyer cried out.
........
"I didn't!" A woman screamed on the stage.
"Your Honor! I didn't kill that man!" The actress playing Roxie screamed in desperation. Her lawyer didn't do much, just coldly watching her speak.
But the judge didn't agree. She struck the gavel, declaring, "Roxie's crime of killing her lover is proven beyond doubt. She is sentenced to death..."
"No, I didn't! I really didn't!" Roxie shouted, but the police dragged her away into the darkness.
Bang! The stage lights went out.
......
Bang! The courtroom's TV screen turned on.
After the police had finished presenting their evidence, it was the defense's turn to respond.
"Your Honor, in fact, the police have no direct evidence that my client, Mr. Tom Brown, is the mastermind or accomplice in this murder case. I believe the evidence we have presented proves my client's innocence."
The lawyer spoke with force, each word clear and strong for the jury to hear.
"Furthermore… we have obtained Jim's criminal record. He has committed a series of heinous crimes including robbery, grievous bodily harm, and intimidation. These past offenses prove that he is a ruthless criminal! My client only became involved in this situation because he was deceived due to financial hardships."
"He didn't kill anyone; he's a good man. His hands are clean. The so-called criminal record presented by the police against my client is merely because he couldn't stand seeing others being bullied and stepped in to help! You must understand, he was once a soldier, and he couldn't bear to watch such incidents happening before his eyes."
"And yet our legal system locked him in prison for three years. I don't wish to comment on this matter, but I must say, if we can't give this silent man justice, then the entire legal system of America will be stained by it!"
The lawyer lifted his head, speaking with a raised voice, much like a saxophone player hitting a sharp high note.
.........
Bang!
The stage lights came on again. Roxie had already won over the invincible Billy lawyer, and the two were rehearsing how to deceive the jury with their statements.
This scene, a kind of puppet show, was both astounding and amusing. The smiling Anne Hathaway squeezed Ethan's right hand, while his left hand lightly tapped on the armrest, as if playing a piano.
Thud thud!
Thud!
.......
In the courtroom, the judge passed Tom's request to speak.
"Your Honor…" Tom's expression was blank, but everyone was tolerant of the expressionless man, listening carefully to his words.
"My dream was to protect America, to protect the property of all citizens," Tom said seriously, though his face showed no emotion. "Unfortunately, due to my impulsive actions, I hurt some people, and ended up spending a few years in prison. My family isn't wealthy, so I couldn't afford the prison fees, and they had to sell our house and move to the countryside."
"In prison, I worked tirelessly to make money, but it was barely enough… My mother lived in sorrow every day. After I got out, I had no choice but to take several jobs just to survive—car washing, moving, dock work, and I even watched pets and delivered pizzas."
As Tom spoke, the expressions of the jury slowly became heavier.
"But even with all that, I still couldn't pay off the prison debt, so I took a dangerous risk and went to Jim… He told me he had a good job that would earn a lot of money if I just kidnapped someone and let them go a few days later."
"I trusted him because I had no other choice. I couldn't find any other way to make money. So, I went with him to Wild Dog, but I was kept outside. The details were between the two of them, Jim only told me to drive and help him keep watch."
"I never expected him to kill someone…" Tom paused for a moment, and in the eyes of the judge and jury, the tough man seemed a bit choked up.
"We argued, but he wanted to kill me too… I had no choice but to fight back."
.......
The same words were echoed on stage by Roxie.
"I had to fight back!"
"The gun was something I struggled with him for. I didn't want to kill him, but he was so vicious. I was scared and helpless…" In the courtroom drama, Roxie performed a scene where she fought with a man over the gun, singing the lines she had prepared.
The judge and the jury sighed in sympathy, as if mourning Roxie's tragic fate.
Amidst discussions, the judge wiped away two tears, striking the gavel.
Bang!
"I declare…"
The music reached a climax, and Ethan smiled, tapping his toes to the rhythm of the music. His fingers gently tapped the armrest, creating a beautiful symphony that matched the dance.
At that moment, it seemed as though Ethan could see the criminal court that was declaring the judgment. The stern judge's actions were in sync with the stage, striking the gavel and standing up to face everyone as he spoke: "I declare… Tom Brown…"
"Roxie…"
"Not guilty!"
Clap clap clap! The applause erupted. Ethan clapped his hands, joined by Anne Hathaway, in praise of this incredible performance.
"Brilliant!"
