“What’s your point?” snapped Alex. “He’s always controlled the money.”
“Is two thousand gons a month a lot of money in your opinion?” asked Merle.
Junior hesitated. “It’s enough,” he said solemnly.
“But your father’s business ventures are worth millions. Surely you would agree that when compared with the larger picture, two thousand gons a month could seem humiliating, to some.”
“To some, maybe,” agreed Alex carefully.
“I’d like to submit the bank account records as article one for the defense,” said Merle, glancing at the judge. “I also have here a signed account from both the night auditor and the bellhop of the Peacock Feather Hotel. These will be articles two and three, respectively.” He flew to Thompson’s desk and delivered a batch of papers before giving the judge his copies.
“On the night of Tuesday, September thirteenth, you, your fiancé Azi, and your father, Alex Senior arrived in Deep Cove.”
“If you say so,” shrugged Alex. “I don’t much keep track of the days.”
“I do say so,” agreed Merle. He jumped on his desk and unfolded one of his depositions, and then read aloud: “The Potty’s came in on the late coach and checked in shortly after. I had to speak to the two men when they began to argue obnoxiously in the lobby. The son wanted money to visit one of the gambling houses, but the father refused.” Merle lowered the paper and looked to Alex. “Does this sound familiar?”
“What’s your point? I asked him for some sightseeing money.”
“Did you get the money?”
“I don’t recall.”
“Would it jog your memory if I told you that you were still in your room thirty minutes later, when the bellhop finished bringing up your bags?” Merle unfolded a second sheet and began to read from it. “I waited courteously by the door, but the young man and his woman friend were in conversation about how frugal the man’s father was. He seemed upset that his father had not given him some money. He told his girlfriend he was tired of being humiliated. Then he turned on me and said that if I expected a tip of some sort I should seek out the old man, as he was the one with all the money, though my time would be better served seeing to other guests as the likelihood of getting a gratuity from his old man was next to none.”
“I was tired; I may have treated the bellhop unfairly. As to me asking for money and not receiving it, I bow to my father’s judgment. Sometimes I do go overboard with the gambling. As usual he made the right choice.”
“Speaking of gambling,” said Merle, “It was brought to my attention that you, your father, and some of the city officials had yourself a little poker game on the twenty-fifth of this month. Up at the water treatment plant, wasn’t it?”
“That was nothing, just a game of cards and getting to know each other. Dad wanted to know what type of men he would be dealing with, here in Deep Cove.”
“One of the councilors attending your game said that you and your father also exchanged heated words on that evening,” said Merle. “He said that the mayor had broached the subject of the city purchasing your new plant and properties for a hefty sum, and that your father refused. The councilor claims you were interested in the offer, but your father would hear none of it. He also said you ended up leaving the game when you lost all of your funds and your father would not spot you a loan.”
Alex’s face darkened and he glared at Merle. “As I have just admitted, sometimes, when it comes to gambling, I do not make the wisest decisions. My father always had my best interests at heart.”
“Yes indeed,” said Merle, jumping down onto his chair. “And here you sit, having just inherited millions. Whatever shall you do now that he is no longer around to corale your occasional lapse in judgment?” Merle waved at the man indignantly. “I have no more questions, this witness is excused.”
* * * *
Azi sat in the witness booth, watching the little dragon from behind her veil. Her face was a blank canvas. Merle paced on top of his writing table, papers scattering as he tried to subdue his emotions. From the seats behind him, someone coughed, and the sudden noise broke Merle’s spell. “Good morning,” he choked out at last.
“And to you, Merle,” she replied. Her voice was like honey, soft and silky.
“You and I are acquaintances,” said Merle matter of factly. Looking at the jury he continued to speak. “In fact, I would go so far as to say we are friends. We are friends, aren’t we, Azilda?”
“I prefer Azi now,” she said without the slightest hint of annoyance. “And yes, of course we are friends.”
“The court should also know that you are Garrett’s adoptive sister.”
“Of course,” she agreed. She turned to the judge. “May I speak?” she asked.
Perew hesitated. “If the defense has no objection?”
“No,” said Merle warily. He stood atop his desk, his arms crossed.
Azi’s veiled features swung back to Merle. “I should have spoken out sooner,” she began, “but Dad’s death has shaken me badly these last few days. I am sorry for what P.C. has caused you, Merle. You yourself warned me on the day of his interview, but it’s been so long since I last visited that I guess, I just plain forgot how erratically P.C. behaves sometimes. I was too naïve to listen, and now Dad has paid the price for my stupidity.” Her shoulders shook and she raised a gloved hand to wipe away the single tear rolling down her cheek. Judge Perew motioned to the bailiff who produced a hankie and gave it to her. Gently she blew her nose before turning to the jury.
“This was nothing, but an accident; a stupid careless accident. I want you to know that neither I nor my fiancé hold Garrett or Merle responsible for the breakdown of their machine. My brother and his friend would not wish harm upon me or my new family. They had no reason whatsoever to have their golem come after Alex Senior.” Merle glanced at Junior and noted the man was having trouble disarming his scowl. “I ask the court for leniency. Alex Junior and I do not wish to see them in jail for this calamity.”
Wally Thompson jumped up from his seat. “Objection!” he squealed. “Someone has to pay for that contraption’s failings, and those two need to pay for endangering the citizens of Deep Cove!”
“Enough,” roared the judge.
“I will have my conviction!” yelled Thompson.
Conversation rippled over the crowd.
The gavel slammed down, signaling an end to the debate. “SIT DOWN.” The judge eyeballed the prosecutor until the younger man adjusted his tie and relented. “Three hundred gon fine to you, Mr. Thompson.” Perew rolled his shoulders before cracking his neck to relieve some of the built up tension. Inhaling deeply, he looked to Azi. “Your request is noted Miss.”
“Under different circumstances, I would thank you for your concern, Azilda,” said Merle, using her full name again, “but I disagree that P.C’s attack was a breakdown. I think he was programmed to attack that old man, and I think you did it to secure your future husband’s financial security.” The statement was made matter-of-factly, and the crowd gasped at this turn of events.
“Merle don’t,” said Azi, a touch of warning breaking her soft exterior.
A deep groan came from the crowd, and Merle didn’t have to turn around to know that Frank had just let everyone know what he thought of Merle’s case. The dragon continued despite this lack of support. “As you know, we checked the guestbook at the Peacock Feather, Azilda. Do you know what I discovered?” Azi remained silent, her eyes locked on Merle. He waited only a second before continuing. “Willie Taylor also signed in at the hotel three nights after your arrival in town. In fact, he had a room directly across the hall from your own lodgings.”
“Yes, I knew he was in town,” admitted Azilda. “We had lunch together.”
“Don’t you find it hard to conceive that these people, who used to be friends twenty years ago, suddenly show up in the same town, at the same time, looking for my partner, Garrett?” Merle addressed the jury with this last ques
tion. One of the jurors shuffled in his seat, the rest were like stone. Turning back to Azi, Merle pointed a claw at her.
“It was no coincidence, was it, Azilda? I think you asked Willie to make sure Garrett would be out of town, so that you could steal P.C. to do your dirty work.” He paused, waiting for Thompson to object. Carefully, without turning his head, his eyes sought out the prosecutor. Wally Thompson remained silent. ‘Playing out the rope and waiting for me to hang myself, is he?’
Merle worked up some saliva and swallowed before continuing his attack. “To this end, you broke into our apartments, ruining the latch in the process, and tampered with P.C.’s commands, so that he would do your bidding. Just last week, Garrett and I had an argument and blamed each other for leaving the door open at night.”
“Maybe your latch is old and worked itself loose,” said Azi.
“P.C.’s eyes are always red,” said Merle to the Jury. “If any of you caught his fights in the arena last spring, you will probably recall this. Lately, I noticed P.C.’s eyes have been purple. We also have Mr. Godle’s statement that said he could not forget those blazing purple eyes. You see, at first I thought nothing of it and assumed his internal generator was going again, but now that I know he was tampered with, I realise she has put P.C. into a different mode of some kind to do her bidding.”
“Did you test his generator?” asked Azi. Merle ignored her.
“As she has admitted, Azilda, Garrett and I go way back. She was barely a teenager when she was introduced to P.C.. Garrett told me that Orton – P.C.’s first owner – gave both Garrett and Azilda extensive instructions on P.C’s operation and command input system. Yes, my good neighbors, she has the know-how to program the golem, and he willing accepts commands from her. I can prove this.
“During the first attack on Alex Senior, Azilda and I arrived in the boardroom just in time to call P.C. off. I issued the command myself for him to cease his attack, and he ignored me. When Azilda shouted for P.C. to stop, he did so immediately.”
“You and I weren’t even in the room when he attacked Dad!” said Azi. “So you know I did not order him to do so.” She crossed her arms in a show of annoyance.
“P.C. is anything, but reliable,” admitted Merle, “and she knows this. How she got him to attack the old man in the first place is beyond me, but I know for a fact that he is incapable of committing murder. His programming will not allow it. At least it would not before she tampered with him. As I have said, he is not consistent on the best of days, and knowing this, I contend that Alex and Azilda had a backup plan. If the golem were to fail in his attempt to murder the old man, as was the case here, his broken and beaten body could be relocated to the lower first aid room where he could be finished off with this needle full of poison.” Reaching into the table’s only drawer, Merle produced a baggie. The crowd erupted with hushed whispers again. Merle raised his hands for quiet before the judge could work his gavel. “Article four, Judge.” He flew the needle over to Perew.
“I left the party to attend to some paperwork in my office,” said Azi, a hurt look on or face. “Merle, I know you are fond of P.C., but you have to let this go. He malfunctioned, as evidenced by his odd eye color, and he did something unspeakable. I don’t blame you for his actions, and neither should anyone else. Alex and I are also innocent. Everyone there saw Junior trying to save his father from your golem.”
“The perfect alibi,” agreed Merle, “but not for you. No one saw you leave for your office, did they?” Azi shook her head, as if she was sorry the dragon was persisting with his ridiculous line of questioning. “And no one noticed when you returned to the party, minus your auburn bead necklace.” A second clear baggie was produced with a flourish. Nestled in the bottom of the bag was a single orange bead. “You were in that first aid room,” said Merle “and when your necklace broke in a struggle with Potty Senior, you later picked up all of the beads. You did however miss this one, which my legal team discovered in the surgical tray.” Merle flew over and perched on the railing of the witness stand, his eyes searching Azi’s face. “I only have one more question for this witness, Your Honour,” his eyes never left her face. “Did the old man beg for his life before you poisoned him?”
* * * *
Wally Thompson faced the jury with a stack of papers and reports in his hand. “The Honourable Judge has deemed that a charge of murder one is not viable in this case as levied against the defendants, Merle the dragon and Mr. Garrett Willigins. It was never my intention to prove to you that they orchestrated the murder of Mr. Alex Potty Senior, but that the golem has free will of his own and committed this deed of his own volition. Despite my beliefs, and the beliefs of many of the others in this courtroom, as per the good Judge’s order, we also cannot charge an inanimate object with murder. Therefore it falls upon you to find this golem’s owners guilty of the following charges:
“Count one: Improper certification to obtain a dangerous weapon.
“Count two: Operation of a dangerous weapon in public.
“Count three: Improper storage of a dangerous weapon.
“Count four: Improper maintenance of a dangerous weapon.
“Count five: Endangering the public with a dangerous weapon.
“Count six: Destruction of public property.
“Count seven: Destruction of private property.
“Count eight: Negligent homicide.
“Good members of this Jury, I implore you not to be fooled by the dragon’s fragile story. There are no facts to back his case, and it is a feeble argument to misguide you in your duty to see justice done. Alex Junior has never been heard to utter so much as a name-calling to his father, let alone a threat. We also have the eye witness reports, all of which prove the young man valiantly tried to save his father from the golem that night.” He passed a bundle of papers to the lead juror.
“The dragon claims that someone broke into his house and attempted to re-program his golem, yet Merle will admit himself that no locksmith was called in to investigate his faulty lock, and no one made any attempt to diagnose the golem for odd behavior or a malfunction of his internal generator.
“The defendant also claims that Azi hid in the first aid room and injected Alex Potty with a syringe full of poison. I will direct you to the Assistant Coroner’s report which clearly outlines the cause of death as cardiac arrest, brought on by the severe beating. There can be no doubt who administered this beating. There is also no mention of any puncture wound on the body.” He passed the coroner’s report to the jurors. “The remaining substance in the needle could not be confirmed as any known poison, and I interpose, that if you were in need of a medical injection, the first aid room would be the optimal location to administer your medications.
“Mr. Merle also forgot to consult the lengthy security report I had printed for everyone and submitted as article four for the prosecution. The security logs of the Potty’s plant show personnel movement on the twenty-eighth of September.” He handed over the heavy report. “You will find on page sixty-eight, that Azi Willigins did indeed enter through the secured door leading to the offices at exactly nine seventeen p.m. and did not return back through that secured door until nine forty-two p.m. This information alone makes the discovery of the glass bead irrelevant. Even if the defendant could prove it did belong to this mysterious necklace, which he cannot, that bead could have been placed there at any time by anyone who happened to pick it up.
“Ladies and gentlemen, you cannot ignore the evidence I have presented to you or in the case of the defendant’s claims, the lack thereof. You must find the defendant and his partner guilty of the aforementioned counts.”
* * * *
“The defendant shall rise,” said the judge. Merle was helped to his feet by the Bailiff who maintained a tight grip on his arm. He was allowed to stand on his chair in order to see the jury. “And how does the jury find the defendants?”
The lead juror stood from her seat and directed her comments at the judge. �
��We the jury, find the defendants, Merle the dragon and Mr. Garrett Willigins, guilty on all counts.” The crowd hummed with this news, and Merle sagged against the bailiff.
“Thank you,” said the judge, “you are dismissed. The jurors filed out of the juror’s box and made their way from the courtroom and into an adjoining hall. The judge banged his gavel, gaining Merle’s attention. “You have been found guilty by a selection of your fellow citizens. You will remain standing, while I read your sentencing. Merle nodded dumbly.
“On count one: Improper certification to obtain a dangerous weapon. A fine of two hundred gons shall be levied or five days incarceration, whichever the defendants so choose.
“On count two: Operation of a dangerous weapon in public. A fine of four hundred gons shall be levied or ten days incarceration, whichever the defendants so choose.
Merle began to tremble and a ringing in his ears almost made him swoon. ‘This can’t be happening.’
“On count three: Improper storage of a dangerous weapon. A fine of four hundred gons shall be levied or ten days incarceration, whichever the defendants so choose.
“On count four: Improper maintenance of a dangerous weapon. A fine of two hundred gons shall be levied or five days incarceration, whichever the defendants so choose.” Merle counted on his fingers, an anxious look on his face.
“On count six: Destruction of public property. A fine in the amount of three hundred and eighty-five gons for the oil cleanup shall be levied or eight days incarceration, whichever the defendants so choose.
“On count seven: Destruction of private property. A fine in the amount of three thousand, six hundred and ninety-nine gons for the destruction of the Potty’s property shall be levied or ninety-five days incarceration, whichever the defendants so choose.” Merle’s hands dropped to his side as he gave up on his counting.
“On count eight: Negligent homicide. I sentence you to two years’ incarceration in Rockhaven Penitentiary. All fines and prison durations shall be split evenly between the two defendants. At this time, the court will issue a warrant for the arrest of Mr. Garrett Willigins. I will also set the date for the obliteration of the defendant’s golem for the twenty-first of this month. Merle the dragon, do you wish to address the court with any final words?”
Something Stinks in Deep Cove (The Vellian Books Book 4) Page 15
