Adult-FanFiction.org : Gundam, Beyblade, DBZ, FMA

Equus	By : Deb Category: Gundam Wing/AC > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 2855 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, it belongs to Bandai, Sotsu and associated parties. I do own the equines though, please do not take them without permission. Written for pleasure not profit.

Chapter List
- 64
- 65
- 66
“Equus”

Chapter 65

“Thanks, Zechs,” Duo said and gave his colleague a smile.

“No problem, Duo. You got everything?” asked Zechs as he finished tying off the braid of chestnut.

“Yeah, I think so.”

“Duo, we need to get moving,” Heero said as he stuck his head around the bedroom door.

“Just coming.” Duo took the offered crutches from Zechs and slipped them under his arms, the pair making their way out to the kitchen where Heero now waited.

“Good luck. If I get the chance, I'll speak to you both later,” Zechs said and glanced at the clock. “I'd better move it and see that Hilde's going to be okay by herself for the morning consults.”

“Thanks again, Zechs. We will hopefully see you later at the court house,” Duo replied.

Zechs smiled. “He's going to go down, I know it. I'll see you both later.” With that, Zechs was gone, heading for the surgery to check on Hilde before getting himself ready to attend the trial as he was one of the witnesses for the prosecution.

Heero and Duo found themselves alone in the kitchen. “Do I look okay?” asked Duo.

“You look fine. How about me?”

“Perfect.” Both men wore slacks with shirt and tie; Duo's slacks were black, his shirt a pale blue with a darker blue tie and dark gray jacket. Heero's slacks were a charcoal color, his shirt gray and tie a silver and black stripe; his jacket was black.

Grabbing his car keys, Heero held the door open for Duo to exit and closed it once he was outside. With the house locked, Heero crossed the yard to the car, catching Duo up and opening the door for him. Duo settled himself into the passenger seat whilst Heero took the crutches and placed them on the back seat before getting into the driver's seat and starting the engine.

The trip to the Salsbury Courthouse was made in relative silence. Each man was lost in his own thoughts, contemplating the trial ahead and what would transpire. Whilst Heero knew they had some excellent evidence against Stefan, he wasn't about to count his chickens just yet. He didn't know what Stefan's lawyer would come up with in the man's defense and based on the earlier trial for rape against Duo, Heero knew the lawyer was a good one and would be pulling out all the stops to get Stefan off. But the DA was also good and Heero had to believe that the man would be doing everything within his power and the power of the law to send Stefan to jail for his crimes.

Duo was also thinking about the trial ahead, but he was more concerned about the rape retrial. He knew Morris had gotten evidence that should prove Stefan was lying through his teeth, but he'd also learned that nothing was ever as simple as it seemed.

“We're here,” came Heero's soft voice, breaking into Duo's thoughts. Heero had been lucky and managed to get a parking spot pretty close to the courthouse entrance. He fetched Duo's crutches from the back of the car whilst Duo got himself ready to get out. With Duo supported by his crutches, Heero locked the car.

Slowly they made their way to the steps, Heero hovering next to Duo and ready to help his lover if he needed the assistance to get up the steps. It took a while, but Duo eventually made it to the top under his own steam. The inside of the courthouse was cool and quiet compared to outside. Looking around, Heero spotted the noticeboard and went to take a look to see which court the trial would be held in.

“Down this way, court room four,” Heero told his lover.

As they neared the court, the door opened and Williams stepped out. He spotted the pair and came towards them. “Mr. Yuy, Doctor Maxwell,” he greeted with a smile.

“Sergeant Williams,” Heero responded.

Duo nodded, he was feeling a touch nauseous and didn't trust his voice.

“If you head inside, Detective Anderson, Constable Henry and Morris are already there. They will show you where they want you to sit. I'll be back in a moment.”

“Thank you,” Heero replied and stepped towards the door to open it.

Williams departed, Duo moved closer to his partner and prepared himself to enter the court room. “Guess this is it,” he sighed.

“Hai.” Heero placed a hand on Duo's arm and squeezed lightly. “You okay?”

“No; I've said it before and I'll say it again - I won't be until all this is over with and put behind us,” Duo sighed.

Offering his partner a soft smile, Heero squeezed again. “Come on, let's get in there so this case can get underway and we can send this bastard to jail. Then we can go celebrate.”

Digging deep, Duo managed to draw on his inner strength. He squared his shoulders, set his jaw and nodded to Heero. “I'm ready.”

Heero opened the door and they entered the court room together.

*

“All rise.”

Everyone stood as the judge entered the court room and strode to his place. He glanced around at everyone gathered, nodded and sat down.

“This court is now in session. The honorable Judge David Harris presiding,” the bailiff announced in his monotone.

Everyone sat down and began to look at the judge. The court room was quite full, something that surprised both Heero and Duo. They had been allocated seats directly behind Morris, Anderson, Williams and Henry. Quatre was also present, sitting a couple of seats up from Heero and Duo. He was dressed in his full Inspector’s uniform and obviously there on behalf of the R.S.P.C.A. In amongst the general public, Heero spotted a couple of reporters. At least he guessed they were reporters as they had notebooks and recorders in their hands.

Across to their right sat the defense table, behind it was Bremner and a cuffed Stefan with a police officer standing directly behind him. Heero had chanced a look across at the accused man, Stefan giving him a smirk. Heero shot a glare of pure hatred in response, pleased to note Stefan pale a little.

Duo didn't even bother to waste his time looking at the scum.

On the right of Bremner and Stefan sat the jury. A group of ten individuals, a mix of men and women all sitting calmly in the jury section awaiting whatever was to come.

The judge banged his gavel down. “The charges please,” he ordered.

The bailiff stepped forward with a sheaf of papers in his hand and began to speak. “Case #6831; the State versus Stefan Graves. Mr. Graves is charged with Breaking and Entering, Trespass, Breaking a Restraining Order, Arson and Willful Damage.”

“How does the defendant plead?”

“Your honor, the defendant pleads guilty to the charges of Breaking and Entering, Trespass and Breaking a Restraining Order. The defendant pleads not guilty to the charges of Arson and Willful Damage,” Bremner stated in a clear voice. There was a ripple of noise from the gathered people.

Judge Harris banged the gavel down. “The guilty plea is noted and sentence will be passed at the conclusion of the trial for those offenses.” Harris turned to the bailiff. “Please swear in the jury.”

The bailiff proceeded to do as the judge asked and once he'd finished he returned to his place beside the witness stand.

“Who are the representatives in this case?” Harris asked, Bremner and Morris standing up.

“Anton Bremner, your honor. I am representing the defendant.”

“Andrew Morris, District Attorney. I am the prosecution and will be representing the State on behalf of Mr. Yuy, your honor.”

“Thank you. Gentlemen, if you are ready I will take your opening statements. Morris, as the prosecution you may go first.”

Morris stood again and after a quick glance at his papers, he moved to take the floor, looking directly at the jury. “Your honor, ladies and gentlemen of the jury. It is my intention today to prove to you all beyond reasonable doubt that the accused is guilty of these crimes. In fact, Mr. Graves not only defied an order of the court to stay away from the property of one Mr. Yuy, but planned out an act of revenge that would not only see the destruction of Mr. Yuy's livelihood, but also attempt to take the lives of innocent animals. I have undeniable proof that Mr. Graves committed these crimes, proof that will show just how ruthless, cold and calculating this man is. I trust that the ladies and gentlemen of the jury will do the right thing and find this man guilty of the crimes so he can be taken off the streets and out of society so he can no longer harm innocent people.”

“Not bad,” Duo whispered to Heero who nodded.

“Thank you, Morris. Bremner?” Harris sat back in his seat and waited as the defense lawyer glanced at his papers before standing and approaching the bench.

“You honor, ladies and gentlemen of the jury. My client, Mr. Graves may have inadvertently broken the restraining order against him and for that he is sorry and understands there must be repercussions for his actions. However, he did not set fire to the Yuy stables, nor did he have any intention of doing so. Mr. Graves owns his own horse and has done so for many years; he's an avid competitor in the world of showjumping and knows just how special a bond between a horse and its owner is. Therefore he would never deliberately set fire to a stable block with the intention of seeing innocent animals suffer. By the time this trial comes to its conclusion, I sincerely hope the jury will find my client innocent of these ridiculous charges. Thank you.” Bremner turned and walked back to take his seat.

“Not exactly what I would call a convincing opening,” Duo whispered to Heero.

Heero had to agree. “Seems like he knows he's going to have his work cut out for him,” Heero replied.

“Thank you, gentlemen. Mr. Morris, would you call your first witness please?” Harris said.

“Thank you, your honor.” Morris stood. “The prosecution calls Doctor Zechs Merquise.”

The door to the side opened and Zechs entered the court room, striding confidently across to the witness stand where he stood and waited for the bailiff to swear him in. Once the formalities were taken care of, Morris approached. “Could you please state your full name and occupation for the court?”

“Doctor Zechs Merquise. I am a veterinary surgeon employed at the Maxwell Veterinary Practice.”

“Doctor Merquise, can you please tell the court in your own words what happened on the night of the twelfth?”

“I finished the evening consults and stopped by Doctor Maxwell's cottage to see if he was back yet from a weekend away. I didn't see the car there so I let myself in to feed the cat. Mr. Yuy and Doctor Maxwell had gone away for a couple of days, I was feeding the horses in the morning and looking after the cat for them whilst they were gone. I locked the cottage after I'd finished and made my way down the raceway between the paddocks to the stables. I rent the farm house from Mr. Yuy which is on the property of the stud and jumping stables.” Zechs paused for a moment to take a drink of water.

“The horses had all been brought in from the paddocks and were in the stables. I slid the main door back and went inside. A couple of Mr. Yuy's clients were attending to the horses in regards to the stable work and evening feeding for him while he was away. I checked all the stable doors to make sure they were closed properly and that the horses were all okay. Everything was as it should be so I closed the door up and went into the farm house. A friend of mine, Mr. Khushrenada, had joined me for dinner that night as we had some business to discuss regarding his horses. We were sitting in the lounge room when I heard strange noises. Mr. Khushrenada heard them too so we listened more carefully, trying to work out what they were and where they were coming from. Mr. Khushrenada identified the sounds as the horses, neighing in what sounded like panic. We both went running to the back door and opened it. The noise was louder and we could smell smoke in the air. The smoke was coming from the stables and we both ran for the barn and opened the main door. Smoke came out, the horses were all panicking and we could see an orange glow coming from the feed shed end. Mr. Khushrenada went inside to try and get the horses out, I called the fire department and then joined him in getting the animals out to safety. Not long after that, the fire brigade turned up and shortly after them, Mr. Yuy and Doctor Maxwell also arrived. At that point in time, there were three horses still trapped inside the burning stable block and the fire chief wouldn't allow anyone to go in to try to get them out as it was too dangerous. Despite the fire chief's order, Mr. Yuy and Doctor Maxwell both went back inside the building and managed to get the remaining horses out; unfortunately, the horses and Mr. Yuy and Doctor Maxwell all suffered injuries from the fire.” Zechs finished his recollection and sat back, looking at Morris.

“Thank you, Doctor Merquise.” Morris walked a little closer to Zechs. “When you checked the horses after finishing your consults, was there any sign of a fire?”

“No, there wasn't.”

“Was there any sign of anyone on the property or in the stables that should not have been there?”

“No.”

“No further questions, your honor.” Morris went back to his seat.

“Bremner?” Harris asked.

“Thank you, your honor, I do have a couple of questions.” Bremner got up and approached Zechs. “Doctor Merquise, Did you at any time see the accused on the property?”

“No, I didn't.”

“At any time did you hear a car approach or enter the property?”

“No, I did not.”

“Thank you. No further questions, your honor.”

Both Heero and Duo frowned, wondering why Bremner wasn't pushing things like he had in the past.

“The witness is excused.”

Zechs stood up and managed to smile in the direction of Heero and Duo before he exited the court room.

“The prosecution calls Mr. Treize Khushrenada to the stand.”

Treize entered, looking calm and in control, taking his place on the witness stand and being sworn in by the bailiff. Once the formalities were done, Morris approached the ginger haired man. “Could you please state your full name and occupation to the court?”

“Treize Khushrenada, I'm a professional showjumping rider and I own and operate the Khushrenada showjumping stables.”

“Mr. Khushrenada, could you please tell the court in your own words what happened on the night of the twelfth.”

“Certainly. I had some business to discuss with Doctor Merquise in relation to a couple of my horses and had been invited to discuss that business over dinner. We were sitting in the lounge room when Doctor Merquise thought he heard a noise. He mentioned it to me as he wasn't sure if he'd heard anything or not. We listened carefully and heard it again. It sounded like a horse screaming.”

“Screaming?” Morris asked.

“Yes. There is a distinctive difference in a horse's vocabulary and when you've been around them for as long as I have you can tell the difference between a neigh for joy or a scream of pure terror. Let me tell you, the scream is one that sends chills down your spine and you never forget it,” Treize replied with a visible shudder.

“What happened then?”

Treize continued with his testimony, his words and description of the evening and unfolding events along the same lines as Zechs'.

“Thank you, Mr. Khushrenada. No further questions, your honor.”

“Bremner?”

“Thank you, your honor.” Bremner walked over to Treize. “Mr. Khushrenada, when you arrived at Doctor Merquise's residence, did you see any other car parked on the property?”

“Yes, there was one other car and that belonged to Doctor Merquise.”

“Did you at any stage see my client or my client's car on the property?”

“No.”

“Thank you. No more questions, your honor.”

“The witness is excused. Morris, you may call your next witness.”

“The prosecution calls Mr. Heero Yuy to the stand.”

Heero gave his lover's hand a light squeeze before standing up and taking his place in the witness box. He waited until he'd been sworn in before looking across at Stefan and gave the man a glare.

“Mr. Yuy, will you please state your full name and occupation for the court.” Heero did as requested and sat back in the chair for Morris to start his questioning. “Mr. Yuy, could you please tell the court in your own words what happened on the night of the twelfth when you arrived back from your vacation?”

Taking a deep breath, Heero started his recollection from when they had turned down the road to take them home and saw the glow of the fire up ahead. “I managed to get Zero out of the stables when I was knocked off my feet by Shini as he came charging out. Once I knew they were both safe I looked for Doctor Maxwell. I couldn't find him.” Heero paused for a moment as the horror of that night returned with a vengeance.

“Doctor Maxwell was still in the stables, trying to get the last horse out when the roof started to collapse in. Ignoring the fire chief, I went back inside and found him just inside the doorway, the horse with him. I managed to get him out and then I passed out. When I came around the ambulance was there and the officers were treating both myself and Doctor Maxwell. Shortly after we were taken to Salsbury Memorial Hospital for treatment.”

“Mr. Yuy, do you allow smoking on your property?”

“No, I don't. It's the one rule I have that is strictly enforced; for obvious reasons.”

“If that is the case, then there would be no need for you to have a cigarette lighter, matches or any other form of fire lighting item in your stables or surrounding area?”

“No. I do not keep anything of that nature in the stables at all.”

“Do you have any enemies, Mr. Yuy? Anyone who would want to harm either you or your horses?”

“Objection! The DA is prompting the witness.” Bremner glared at Morris.

“Overruled.”

Bremner was grasping at straws and Morris knew it. Morris gave a smug smile in Bremner's direction. “I repeat, do you have any enemies, anyone who would want to harm either you or your horses?”

“Yes. In my sport you will always have people that are jealous of you for your success, but it usually only goes as far as rivalry on the jumping circuit. I do currently have one person though whom I would say is a definite enemy.”

“And whom would that be? And why?”

“That would be Mr. Graves. Mr. Graves agisted his horse with me until a few weeks ago when he was asked to leave the property after assaulting my business partner, Doctor Maxwell. Charges were laid against Mr. Graves and the matter went to court. The case has been ordered for a retrial so I am not at liberty to divulge any details, however, Mr. Graves did threaten both myself and Doctor Maxwell at that point in time and thus a restraining order was taken out against Mr. Graves.”

With the retrial for the rape still to be heard, under the law, none of the parties concerned were allowed to divulge any information pertaining to the case. Judge Harris had been most clear when he'd spoken to both parties on that and insisted that the rape retrial be referred to as an assault charge – which technically speaking - it was.

“Mr. Yuy, would you say that Mr. Graves had motive to set fire to your stables?”

“Objection! Speculation, your honor,” Bremner cried.

“Your, honor. I am merely trying to determine if the accused would have motive to harm Mr. Yuy or his horses.”

“Overruled.”

“Mr. Yuy?” Morris prompted.

“Yes, I would say Mr. Graves had motive for setting fire to the stables as revenge against myself and Doctor Maxwell for bringing the assault charge against him.” Heero looked directly at Stefan as he spoke, blue eyes a storm of anger.

Stefan flinched and turned his eyes away.

“Thank you, Mr. Yuy. No further questions, your honor.”

“Bremner?” Harris asked.

“No questions at this point, your honor.”

“The witness is excused. Mr. Morris, you may call your next witness.”

Heero got up and left the witness stand, relieved that Bremner didn't want to question him but knowing he would possibly be called back to the stand later in the trial.

“The prosecution calls Doctor Duo Maxwell to the stand.”

With Heero's assistance, Duo managed to get to his feet and shove the crutches under his arms. Slowly he made his way to the witness stand, managing to conquer the two steps to stand in the small space. The bailiff came forth and Duo was sworn in. Once Duo was seated and as comfortable as he could get, Morris approached.

“Could you please state your full name and occupation for the record?”

“Doctor Duo Maxwell, I'm a veterinary surgeon and I own and run the Maxwell Veterinary Practice.”

“Thank you. Doctor Maxwell, could you please tell the court in your own words what happened on the night of the twelfth from when you arrived back at the stables.”

Keeping his eyes averted from where Stefan and Bremner were seated, Duo began to relate the events of that fateful night as best he remembered them, starting from where they had seen the glow in the sky and realized it was the stables on fire. Duo's testimony was similar to Heero's, Duo stating that he'd gone inside the stables once he knew there were still horses inside and along with his partner, done his best to liberate those horses.

“I managed to get Shinigami out of his stable and was leading him to the door when a burning piece of debris caught him on the rump. He leapt forward and ripped the lead rope out of my hand and charged for the opening. There wasn't any point in chasing after him as I knew he would be out and safe. I turned around and worked my way by feel until I came to Nataku's door. Somehow I managed to get that door open and started to lead the mare to safety.” Duo paused and his voice took on a softer tone. “That mare saved my life. She stopped and I didn't know why, then I heard the sound of a beam breaking and looked up to see a burning beam coming down right at me. She pushed me out of the way. I lost my footing and hit my head so I don't recall a lot. The next thing I remember is being dragged along the floor; somehow that mare managed to pull me along and away from the beam. I did get to my feet and work an arm over her neck and although my legs didn't want to work properly I managed to stagger a bit and with Nataku supporting me, made it almost to the door. The smoke became too much for me and I passed out. The next thing I recall is waking up in the emergency department at the hospital.”

“Doctor Maxwell, what injuries did you suffer as a result of the fire?"

“Burns to the hands, a cut to the head, bruised shoulder and burns to both my calves. My airways were also a touch on the singed side.”

“Do you have any enemies?”

“Yes. As a vet and also a consulting vet to the R.S.P.C.A. I guess you could say I have made a few enemies over the years.”

“Of all those enemies, would you say any of them would have the motive to set fire to Mr. Yuy's stables?”

Duo glanced across at Bremner, fully expecting the man to jump up and object. Much to Duo's surprise, he remained seated. “Yes, there is one.”

“And who would that be?”

“Mr. Graves, the accused.”

“Why would you say that?”

“I filed charges against him for assault and the case is due for a retrial. He didn’t like it and threatened both myself and Mr. Yuy. I believe this is an attack of revenge.”

“No further questions, your honor.”

“Bremner, do you have any questions?”

“Not at this time, Your honor.”

“Thank you, Doctor Maxwell, you may step down.”

Duo managed to get his crutches back under his arms and with the DA's assistance he moved back to take his seat beside Heero.

“Morris, you may call your next witness.”

“The prosecution calls Fire Chief O'Hallahan to the stand.” The fire chief took his place and was sworn in, settling into the seat and looking ready for anything.

“Please state your full name and occupation for the court.”

“Fire Chief Joseph O'Hallahan. I'm in charge of the Salsbury Fire Department.”

“Chief O'Hallahan, you were in attendance at the fire at Mr. Yuy's stables on the night of the twelfth, correct?”

“Yes. We got an emergency call regarding a fire in the outer edge of Salsbury. Two engines were deployed along with two tenders. When we arrived at the property the stable building was fully alight and a couple of people were removing horses from the building.”

“How long did it take for the department to extinguish the blaze?”

“Let's see, it would be around three hours. The building was mainly wooden with some brick work. Given the timber and the dry, combustible materials in the stables themselves and the feed room, it was well ablaze and took a lot of water. Materials like that can smolder for quite some time so we remained on the property for another couple of hours after to make sure that everything was extinguished.”

“I believe you returned the following day to inspect the ruins and try to determine what had caused the fire, correct?”

“Yes, that's right. It's protocol within the department that any and all fires are investigated for the cause of such a fire. Sometimes they are obvious, other times they aren't.”

“And what did you find?”

“When I first started to go through the remains there wasn't anything obvious for the cause. Detective Anderson from the Arson squad accompanied me to the scene and assisted in trying to determine the ignition point and cause. During the course of our search we found and bagged several items to be sent back to the forensics department for testing. It was when we were leaving that we found an item of great interest.”

“What was that item?”

“It was the remains of a close circuit television camera. Mr. Yuy apparently had a couple of security cameras installed in the stable block.”

“I presume they were still operational?”

“Oh, yes, they were. When Mr. Yuy was released from the hospital Detective Anderson arranged to meet with him to see what footage had been recorded. You will need to speak with the detective though for further answers as I was taken off the case at that point as it became a police matter.”

“Thank you, Chief O'Hallahan.”

“Your witness,” Morris stated as he walked past Bremner.

“No questions at this stage, your honor,” Bremner informed. Stefan didn't look too happy with his lawyer's lack of challenging the findings but after a few words between himself and the lawyer, he sat back and waited.

“The witness is excused. Morris, you may call your next witness.”

“Thank you, your honor. The prosecution calls Detective Anderson to the stand.”

~ * ~

tbc...
- 64
- 65
- 66
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Equus