Vincent POV:-
Solving cases is as important as preparing and understanding what is there in the case.
If you only focus on solving the case, you may solve it, but you will never understand the pattern…
This, I learned from Aurelia. She believes not in solving a case completely at once, but in breaking it down and navigating its flow from the very beginning.
Working with her requires high intellectual ability because no one ever knows what is going on in her mind. And in between, because she isn't American, her Italian phrases pop up, which are a little difficult for me to understand. But that is not the only point—in order to understand her, and to earn not just her respect but also her admiration, I might have to learn Italian.
Now, coming back to the case—sitting in the office late at night, figuring out arguments that will probably lead us to the right endpoint.
The next day, we went to court—not exactly to prove, but to question.
"Sir, are you sure the arguments will succeed or not?" Aurelia asked me, with doubt.
Hearing that, only one thought came to my mind:
"Arguments do matter, but the most important thing is confidence and presentation. If you have strong evidence but present it weakly, then either you are out or you fall short. But if even doubtful evidence is presented with logic and clarity, everything feels acceptable and believable."
At that moment, I was, admittedly, a little proud of myself for saying that.
As I entered the courtroom, I was reminded of the previous hearing—the trial round.
As expected, Mr. Anderson was already seated, carrying that same overconfident smile. He even greeted me as if this was going to be my last session.
I don't intend to lose. Never.
I was determined enough that by the end of this session, the verdict would favor us—not them.
We took our seats. The judge entered, and we all stood in respect as the proceedings began.
I spoke, "Your Honor, the prosecution seeks to address a critical issue regarding the integrity of the initial investigation."
"And what issue is that, counsel?" the judge replied. I was ready.
"Material evidence was neither collected nor presented in the official report submitted by the investigating authority."
"Be specific."
"Primary CCTV footage from the accident site was reported as unavailable. However, surrounding surveillance clearly indicates coordinated vehicle movement consistent with a planned execution."
Anderson interrupted, "Objection. This is an attempt to redirect liability without direct linkage to my client."
Of course he would object. His side was weak enough to rely on interruption rather than argument.
"Overruled. Continue," the judge stated.
"The omission is not procedural—it is selective. The absence of primary footage, combined with the presence of secondary corroborative footage, indicates possible suppression."
"On what basis do you allege suppression?"
"On the basis that functional adjacent systems recorded activity within the same timeframe. A complete failure at a single critical point is statistically inconsistent."
"That still does not establish misconduct."
"It establishes reasonable grounds to question the credibility of the investigation."
"…Proceed."
"Additionally, repeated vehicle presence near the defendant's residence in the days prior to the incident was not documented."
"Are you suggesting investigative negligence?"
"I am stating that relevant patterns were ignored."
"Or deliberately excluded."
"Counsel, mind your phring."
"Withdrawn. The prosecution maintains that the omissions materially affect the reliability of the case record."
"Defense?"
"The investigation followed standard protocol. Absence of evidence is not evidence of misconduct."
"Agreed. However, selective absence raises concern."
"Your Honor—"
"I have heard enough."
"…."
"This court finds that the initial investigation contains gaps significant enough to impact evidentiary reliability."
I muttered as I seated myself, "Now the verdict will decide whether I have the favor or not."
"The failure to document available surveillance, and the lack of clarity regarding missing primary footage, cannot be overlooked."
"…."
"Accordingly, this court directs that the matter be referred for internal review and possible disciplinary action against the investigating officers involved."
"…."
"Further, the evidentiary record submitted thus far is deemed incomplete."
"…."
"This case will proceed under continued examination, with permission granted to both parties to submit additional evidence."
"…."
"Next hearing date will be assigned."
"Court is adjourned."
After the verdict, I felt relieved, but when I looked at Aurelia, she was silent—almost frozen for a moment.
Then she finally spoke, "Did we win?"
"Not yet, but half the progress is done. Now we have to submit the evidence and prepare for the next hearing."
Now the only thing left was to submit, attack, and prepare.