Chapter 294: Should Good People Be Held at Gunpoint? Quick, Call Detective Chuck to the Stand!
In the Courtroom
The stenographer rapidly transcribed the exchanges between prosecution and defense, as well as witness testimonies. If someone were standing behind him watching, they would notice that what he was typing wasn't normal text, but rather coded shorthand symbols.
Because courtroom proceedings were intense and both prosecution and defense attorneys were highly articulate—their speech usually rapid-fire—normal typing sometimes couldn't keep pace.
The stenographer's job was to capture every single word spoken in court as official record.
Therefore, they used a specialized stenotype machine, rapidly outputting coded keystrokes. After the trial, they would then translate these into standard transcripts based on their stenographic method.
Today, both attorneys were speaking particularly intensely, so the stenographer transformed into a transcription machine, constantly recording, only occasionally having time to glance up at Esther on the witness stand, whose eyes appeared timid and seemingly innocent.
A flash of disgust crossed his eyes.
Having been an invisible presence in this courtroom for decades, he naturally understood that the most crucial battle between prosecution and defense was proving whether the alter personality Emma actually existed.
The prosecution, on the other hand, was trying to prove to the judge and jury that the supposedly innocent personality Esther never existed—that there had always only been one personality, and she was guilty.
He trusted Chuck's judgment.
Therefore, he grew increasingly disgusted by Esther's masterful and emotionally manipulative performance.
"It's time to get Detective Chuck on the stand,"
the bald prosecutor thought, watching himself question Esther's testimony. Although Esther was emotionally charged and Harrison Powell kept raising objections,
even someone without Chuck's expertise in micro-expressions could tell from the jury's faces that most members didn't grasp the true nature of the seemingly pitiful little girl on the witness stand.
And if the jury believed that an innocent personality like Esther truly existed, then a sentence to a psychiatric facility was inevitable.
Therefore, they needed Detective Chuck to help them understand the truth of the case.
"Your Honor, the prosecution calls Dr. Chuck Wolfe as a witness."
The bald prosecutor, having clashed with Harrison Powell several times, realized that although he seemed to have the upper hand, it was ultimately insufficient, and was ready to play his ace.
Upon hearing this, everyone looked at Chuck in the gallery.
"The witness may approach!"
Judge Jackson gave Chuck a meaningful look and nodded in approval.
If it weren't for Chuck, this case would have been over long ago—there would've been no need for trial.
In the judge's view, a technically legal adult with a severe physical condition, constantly moving between orphanages and foster families, even traveling from one country to another, committing those crimes—she was obviously suffering from serious mental illness and should be treated in a psychiatric facility. What was there to try?
But this was Detective Chuck, after all. He wouldn't want to create unnecessary conflict with Chuck over a case.
So while he was supposed to be impartial, he was actually leaning toward the prosecution today.
Yes.
There was no help for it.
Nice guys get held at gunpoint.
The once feared and universally respected top criminal defense attorney of the East Coast, compared to Detective Chuck, was clearly the nicer one.
Hearing this, Chuck calmly rose and walked to the witness stand.
Everyone's attention intensified,
including Harrison Powell's.
He was most attuned to this shift in atmosphere. The gazes from the gallery and jury box practically generated dialogue in his mind.
"Here we go! Here we go!"
"I heard it was these same two last time. This top defense attorney got absolutely demolished. They say it was more entertaining than a Marvel movie."
"Watching these slick lawyers get thoroughly owned—totally worth the trip."
"..."
Harrison Powell, his mind filled with imaginary commentary, watched Chuck approach the witness stand with a complex expression.
He found himself completely off-balance. Despite his initial confidence and belief that he'd rehearsed the entire trial—essentially had the script memorized—faced with Chuck's unnervingly calm gaze,
even he felt a flicker of doubt.
Damn doubt!
As he mentally cursed himself, Chuck took his seat at the witness stand.
"Dr. Wolfe, can you tell the court whether you believe in the existence of this alter personality named Emma?"
The bald prosecutor, after the standard preliminaries, got straight to the point.
"That's not quite accurate,"
Chuck corrected. "There is no alter personality. Whether we call her Esther or Emma, there has only ever been one person."
"So you believe that Esther, who just testified before this court claiming to know nothing about the terrible events that occurred and to always experience memory loss at crucial moments—you believe she was lying?"
the bald prosecutor asked deliberately.
"Obviously,"
Chuck nodded.
"Why do you say that?"
The bald prosecutor surveyed the courtroom.
"Because there are serious logical inconsistencies,"
Chuck said calmly. "She claims she knows nothing about these events, while the defense attorney argues that everything was done by an alter personality named Emma.
But she can't recall this so-called Emma.
Actually, that's irrelevant.
Because if there really were such a thing as split good and evil personalities, then this so-called innocent personality, Esther, is lying.
If she's telling the truth, then that so-called evil alter personality couldn't possibly have done all that.
The remote-detonated explosives used at the Cross residence were later determined to be highly sophisticated—even trained professionals would need an extended period of study and practice to achieve that level of expertise.
Learning to construct devices like that from scratch would take three to four years.
And this supposedly innocent Esther claims she only experiences memory gaps at critical moments—gaps measured in hours that wouldn't accumulate to more than three days total.
In such a limited timeframe, she would not only have to complete theoretical training from scratch but also somehow acquire materials completely unrelated to her daily life in an entirely unfamiliar environment for practical construction.
Unless she were a prodigy-level genius,
it would be impossible.
Therefore, this so-called innocent Esther is lying. She knew everything, and only this way could she accumulate the knowledge and experience from 33 years of life to create explosives of this sophistication."
Hearing this from the defense table, Esther's pupils contracted, and her small hand unconsciously gripped her attorney Harrison Powell tightly.
Harrison Powell's lips twitched, partly because Chuck had blindsided him with this unexpected angle, but more so because of the excruciating pain from Esther's small but iron-grip hand.
Fortunately, this pain wasn't without benefit. At that moment, sudden inspiration struck him. He patted Esther's small hand, displaying a confident, reassuring smile.
(End of Chapter)
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