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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
- 65
- 66
- 67
“Equus”

Chapter 66

Detective Anderson stood up and took his place in the witness stand, the bailiff swearing him in.

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

“Detective Charles Anderson. I am a Detective with the Arson Squad at the Salsbury Police Station.”

“Detective, I believe you were called to Mr. Yuy's stables to investigate the cause of a fire?”

“Yes, I was. The station received a phone call from the Salsbury Fire Department on the morning of the thirteenth, asking for a person from the Arson squad to attend the scene of a fire from the previous night to assist with determining the ignition point and cause of a fire. It is standard protocol that any fire be investigated by the police and the fire department.”

“Could you please tell the court in your own words what you found when you arrived at the scene of the fire?”

Anderson took a drink of water and settled himself into the chair. “My chief assigned me to the case and I went to the fire department to accompany Chief O'Hallahan out to the fire scene. From the witness reports we had at that stage, it appeared that the fire had started in what was known as the feed shed. Without having the exact blueprints of the stables we took a look at the remains and figured out the layout for ourselves. We began to sift through the ruins, working our way through using a grid type system commonly used when searching for clues. We did not find anything suspicious in the main stabling area of the building.” Anderson paused and took another drink of water.

“As we progressed it became apparent that the fire had started towards the rear of the building which was consistent with the witness reports as that was where the feed shed was located. We found several items of interest inside what remained of the feed shed, all of which could have been possible ignition points for the fire. All items of interest were bagged and sent through to the forensic section for testing and analysis. It was when we were finishing up for the day and making our way back through the ruins that the remains of a security camera were discovered. The camera itself was pretty much destroyed, but you could tell straight away that it was a security camera. I had been informed that the owner of the stables had been admitted to hospital and after contacting my superior to bring the department up to speed, I went to the hospital to speak with Mr. Yuy, the owner. After questioning Mr. Yuy in relation to the camera, he informed us that there had been two cameras installed on the property and to the best of his knowledge, they were still functioning and recording. I arranged to meet with Mr. Yuy at his home just as soon as he was released from hospital to view any and all recordings of the evening of the twelfth.”

“And did you meet with Mr. Yuy as arranged?” Morris asked.

“Yes, I did. Mr. Yuy called me to let me know he had been discharged from the hospital and was back at his place of residence. He also told me he'd checked on his computer and that the cameras had been recording on the night of the fire and the recording was available for me to look at whenever I wished. I called Chief O'Hallahan and the two of us departed for Mr. Yuy's residence. When we arrived, Mr. Yuy had the recording ready to view on his computer. We sat and watched the recording from where Doctor Merquise had checked the horses for the evening and closed the stables up.”

“What evidence did the recording show?”

Anderson's face lit up into a grin. “Quite a bit. You could clearly tell when the perpetrator entered the stables as all the horses turned their attention to where the main door was. The camera picked up on the person and you can see them quite clearly as they moved down the breezeway between the stables and entered the feed room. Unfortunately, the camera didn't cover the inside of the feed room.”

“Where exactly were the cameras located?”

“One was situated inside the stables themselves, the other was attached to the outside of the building and pointed in the direction of the paddocks.”

“What else did the recording show?”

“The time on the recording showed about five to ten minutes passed before the person stepped back out of the feed room and started to make their way back along the breezeway. This time the camera showed a clear shot of the perpetrator's face. Approximately fifteen minutes after the perpetrator had left, smoke began to invade the stable block and a distinct orange glow could be seen coming from under the feed room door. The smoke thickened and the horses began to panic. Shortly after that the door is opened and Mr. Khushrenada and Doctor Merquise can be seen entering the stables and doing their best to get the animals out. The recording continued for a while, showing the fire department and also Mr. Yuy and Doctor Maxwell doing their best to get the remaining horses out. The camera stopped recording just after Mr. Yuy and Doctor Maxwell entered the building.”

“You said the perpetrator's face could be made out on the recording, correct?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

“Detective Anderson, were you able to identify the perpetrator from the recorded evidence?”

“Yes. Mr. Yuy and Doctor Maxwell both identified the perpetrator and his identity was confirmed when I went to make the arrest. The perpetrator was Mr. Stefan Graves.”

There were a few gasps and a ripple of whispering passing through the court with the Detective's words. Morris looked very smug.

“Your honor, the prosecution submits this video recording from that security camera as exhibit A. If it would please the court, I'd like to play the video for the jury.”

“Thank you, Morris. Bailiff?” Harris took the offered disc and handed it over to the bailiff to set up and play. The bailiff duly placed the disc in the recorder, turned the television on and dimmed the lights slightly. The recording began to play, the jury, prosecution, defense and those in the public gallery all eager to see what was on the recording. Stefan scowled and lowered his head, he really didn't need to see this again. Likewise, Heero and Duo both turned away, although they didn't wish to watch for different reasons – neither one wanted to relive that nightmare again if they could help it.

The recording started from where Zechs was walking along the raceway between the paddocks. He disappeared off camera for a minute or two before the inner stable camera picked up on him again, entering the stables and going along each stable door, checking the doors were bolted and the horses inside all okay. Having completed his check, Zechs left, closing the door behind him. The bailiff fast forwarded a little and resumed the play from when the horses all turned their attention to the main door again. A person was seen slipping inside and heading for the feed shed. A few minutes later they emerged and as they passed back through the breezeway there was no mistaking the person as being Stefan. The bailiff let the recording run a little longer, showing the fire and smoke from the feed room, Treize and Zechs entering and doing their best to get the horses out. He turned it off as the fire department arrived.

There was a steady build up of conversation throughout the court room as the video was playing, reaching loud proportions once the recording was turned off and Harris had to bang his gavel hard several times to restore order. When silence finally descended, Harris turned to the bailiff who removed the disc and handed it back. “Thank you. Mr. Morris, do you wish to continue questioning your witness?”

“Yes, your honor.” Morris approached Detective Anderson again. “Once the perpetrator had been identified, what did you do?”

“It was clear after seeing the recording that this was now a case of Arson. Statements were taken from both Mr. Yuy and Doctor Maxwell in relation to the perpetrator and why he would have committed such a crime; those responses you have already heard with their testimonies. Fire Chief O'Hallahan left the case at this point and the police took over. Once the possible reason for the attack became evident, I contacted the two police officers currently investigating the case of assault against Doctor Maxwell and brought them in on the case. At this stage I learned of the restraining order that had been taken out against Mr. Graves and that charge was added to the mounting list of charges against him. With Sergeant Williams accompanying me, we went out to Mr. Graves' address to charge him with the crime and make the arrest. Once Mr. Graves was in custody, a search of his home was conducted and a few items of interest were seized.”

“What sort of items?” Morris asked.

“We found a box of matches and some zip lock bags.”

“Zip lock bags?”

“Yes. They had some residual plant matter in them which we believed could possibly be drug related. They were sent to the forensics lab for testing.”

“And did they return a positive result for drugs?”

“No, they didn't. They were a form of plant material though, the lab identified the plant as being Pattersons Curse. What Mr. Graves was doing with it, we do not know at this point in time, but it isn't against the law to have it, although it is listed with the agricultural department as being an obnoxious weed and illegal to cultivate.”

Although Morris knew there was more he could ask in relation to the case, he had decided to leave it be for the moment. Having spoken with the detective beforehand, both agreed to stop the questioning at this point in time and allow Bremner to ask his own questions. With the little evidence they had given away thus far, they hoped it would be a sort of carrot to dangle and that Bremner and Stefan would ultimately hang themselves when questioning further. There was still evidence – incriminating evidence – to be brought forth.

“Thank you, Detective. No further questions at this point in time, your honor, however I reserve the right to question the witness further.”

Harris nodded. “Mr. Bremner? Your witness.”

Bremner exchanged a couple of words with Stefan before he stood up and looking thoughtful, approached the witness stand.

“Detective Anderson. You say my client, Mr. Graves is responsible for the fire that destroyed Mr. Yuy's stables, correct?”

“Yes.” Anderson didn't believe in wasting words, especially on such as this slimy lawyer.

“I do not dispute that it is my client that appears on the recording we all just saw, but I fail to see anywhere on that recording where my client actually lit the fire. All I saw was my client entering the stables and leaving. Nowhere did I see him set fire to anything. This fire could easily have been caused by a fault in the electrical system and you're using it as an excuse to pin the blame on my client.” Bremner paused for a moment. Anderson remained passive in his seat whilst Morris, keeping his face neutral, was inside silently cheering.

Both Heero and Duo also had a pretty good idea of what the DA had planned to do; the saying 'Give him enough rope and he will hang himself,' came to mind. Both men sat back and waited to see where this was going and what would happen when the trap was sprung.

“Detective, I put it to you that it wasn't my client at all that started this fire, but as I just said, an electrical fault.”

“That is not correct.” Anderson's eyes narrowed as his face took on a positively evil grin. “You see, the first thing that springs to mind in a case where there is no apparent reason for a fire to start is the electrical system; that is why the electrical box and wiring are the first things we check. The electrical box and all components were collected from the scene and taken to forensics for testing. The report that came back stated there was nothing wrong with the electrical box or the system, in fact, it was above the required standard for the building. It was not an electrical fault that started this fire. Morris has the reports.”

Morris stood up, a sheaf of papers in his hands. “Your honor, the prosecution wishes to lodge the full forensics report on the electrical system as exhibit B.”

“Thank you.” Harris waved Morris forward, the DA dropping a copy of the report on Bremner's desk as he passed by, handing the remainder to Judge Harris. The judge had the bailiff distribute copies of the report to the jury and suspended proceedings for five minutes to enable all concerned to read the report.

Bremner's face had paled a little with that information, but nothing compared to the pallor that had taken over Stefan's face. Both Heero and Duo couldn't help but glance across when Anderson had delivered that blow and both men were pleased to see the result that evidence had had on Stefan. Duo resisted the urge to poke his tongue out at Stefan. Not so cocky now, are you, you bastard? he thought.

It took Bremner a few moments to regain his composure after reading the report, clearly the information had stunned him. With a couple of words to Stefan, Bremner squared his shoulders and set his jaw, approaching the witness stand and Anderson once more. “This report may be all well and good and eliminate the electrical system as the cause of the fire, but it still does not prove that my client lit that fire.” Bremner looked a little relieved that he'd managed to find what he thought was a weakness in the prosecution's case.

Anderson leaned slightly forward, a smile playing on his lips, Bremner immediately went on the defensive. “Mr. Bremner, you are correct. The findings do not prove that your client started the fire-”

“Then I fail to see why we are here and putting my client through all this when it is completely unnecessary-” Bremner interrupted.

“However,” Anderson said in a very loud voice, talking over the top of Bremner; the defense lawyer stopped speaking and glared at Anderson.

“If I may be allowed to finish?” Anderson asked with a raise of his eyebrow.

Harris banged his gavel. “Mr. Bremner, you will please refrain from interrupting the witness when he is speaking and giving evidence. Is that clear?” Bremner visibly deflated and nodded. “Thank you. Detective, if you will continue?”

“Thank you, your honor. As I was saying; the findings in regards to the electrical system do not prove that your client started the fire. However,” Anderson paused for a moment to make sure he had everyone’s undivided attention. “However, the match stub that we also found at the scene - which was subsequently forensically tested - proved beyond any doubt that your client, Mr. Graves, did start the fire. His DNA was a positive match with the DNA found on the match stub.”

As Anderson finished speaking you could have heard a pin drop in the room; the entire court fell silent as Anderson's words hit home. The silence only lasted for a few seconds at best before there was complete uproar. Anderson looked across to where Morris was sitting and gave the DA a subtle grin. Morris was looking as smug as the cat that had gotten the cream – several times over, while Williams and Henry had satisfied smirks on their faces.

Both Heero and Duo were momentarily stunned by the words and then the realization dawned on them. The video recording alone had been undeniable proof, but this latest bit of evidence was the ultimate nail in the coffin. Duo could feel the relief rolling off him. Even if Stefan somehow managed to get off the rape charge, he would still be going to jail for some time for Arson. There was no way his lawyer would be able to get him off this charge.

Heero was similarly letting the understanding of the DNA evidence register within his mind. He'd known all along that Stefan was guilty, but he'd preferred not to get his hopes up just in case that lawyer managed to twist things around again. With the DNA coming to light there was no way in hell that Stefan could get out of this.

Once the facts had registered with both men, they turned their attention to where Stefan and his lawyer were sitting.

Anderson's words echoed through Bremner's mind – DNA, a positive match to his client. Bremner felt his entire case of defense fly out of the window.

Stefan thought his heart had stopped beating, his stomach dropped to his feet, a cold sweat broke out on his skin and he felt nauseous. If he'd been pale before, now his skin looked completely sallow. DNA? A match stub?

With the court room still in an uproar, Bremner hastened back to his client, a touch concerned when he saw the state of his client. “Are you okay?” Bremner asked.

“No. I think I'm going to be sick,” Stefan replied.

“Why the hell didn't you say anything about matches before?” Bremner demanded.

“I completely forgot about them.”

“I think you need to explain this to me and fast.”

“When I went into the feed shed to put the Pattersons Curse into the feed bucket, I couldn't exactly turn on the lights,” Stefan snipped. “I lit a couple of matches so I could see which was the right bucket. I swear those matches had gone out though. There wasn't any sign of a fire or smell of smoke at all.”

“Obviously you didn't check well enough. Shit!” Bremner ran a hand through his thinning hair.

“What are we going to do?”

“I don't know,” Bremner replied honestly. “I'll have to try and come up with a plea of ignorance or something like it.”

“Order!” Harris called out and banged his gavel down several times. The room continued to buzz with chatter. “ORDER!” he yelled. It had the desired effect, the entire room falling silent immediately. “Thank you. Any further outbursts like that and I will have the court room completely cleared.” Harris glared at the people sitting in the public gallery. “Now, may we proceed?” Harris looked to the defense. “Bremner?”

“No further questions at this point, your honor. Your honor, may I ask for a short recess so I may confer with my client in relation to this... finding?”

“Bremner, I think we could all do with a break for a moment. The court will recess for fifteen minutes.” Harris banged his gavel down hard.

“All rise.”

Harris left the court room, the jury also exited to the jurors room for a much needed toilet and tea break and to discuss the case thus far between themselves. The public gallery mostly cleared once the judge had left and Bremner had the officer with Stefan escort his client through to one of the anti chambers so he could speak further with Stefan. Heero and Duo remained seated until there was only themselves, Morris and the police officers left in the front of the court room. Once they were as alone as they were going to get, the pair pounced on Detective Anderson and Morris.

“You never said anything about a match stub,” Heero stated with a frown.

“I know we didn't and I'm sorry to have kept you in the dark about it. It was only a small stub that we found in the remains of the feed room and I wasn't at all sure we would be able to get any DNA at all from it. The guys in forensics really outdid themselves though and managed to get enough off the stub to come up with a perfect match with Graves' DNA. There is no way at all he can deny starting that fire now.” Anderson leaned back in his chair, a smug smile on his face.

“What happens now?” Duo asked.

“When we return from the recess, Anderson will remain on the witness stand in case Bremner has any further questions for him. I will also be given the opportunity to ask any further questions. Once Anderson is finished that will be the last of the witnesses I will call on behalf of the prosecution. It will be Bremner's turn to call up any witnesses he might have, although I highly doubt he will have any; what I am hoping is that he will put Graves on the stand. If he does then I'll get a shot at him too and believe me, I fully intend to put him through the grinder.” Morris' eye held a glint to it.

“Good, I hope he does too. I'd love to see that bastard squirm,” Duo growled.

“Looks like Quatre's charges just might be brought against him too then, especially after all this,” Heero mused.

“Oh yes. I can't see the jury finding him not guilty, not with all this evidence and if that's the case then the charge of Aggravated Cruelty will also be heard before this court finishes and the closed court commences for the re-trial,” Morris informed.

“Are you representing the R.S.P.C.A in their case?” Duo asked Morris.

“No, I won't be as they have their own lawyer to do that, but I will be sitting in on it as I'll be interested to see what happens.”

“Won't we all,” Heero muttered.

* * *

“All rise.”

Judge Harris entered the court and took his seat. Once the judge was seated the remained of the people took theirs.

“This court is now in session,” Harris said with a bang of his gavel. “Mr. Bremner, I believe it was your witness?”

Bremner cleared his throat and stood up. “No further questions at this point, your honor.”

“Morris?”

“No further questions at this point in time, your honor. However, I do have something I wish to present to the court.”

“Proceed.”

Morris stood up, another sheaf of papers in his hand. “Your honor, the prosecution wishes to submit the forensic report on the match stub as exhibit C.” Morris dropped a copy of the report on Bremner's desk as he passed by, the others he handed to the judge and the bailiff for distribution amongst the jurors.

The court was given a couple of minutes for the jury, judge and defense to read through the report. Anderson was excused from the witness stand and returned to his seat alongside Morris.

“Morris, do you have any further witnesses?”

“No, your honor. The prosecution has no further witnesses to call.”

“This court will adjourn for a lunch recess. We will resume in one hour from now.” Harris again banged his gavel down.

“All rise.”

Harris left, the jury did too and the public gallery emptied fairly quickly. Heero and Duo waited until the room had cleared before getting up themselves to go and find something to eat. Moving slowly to accommodate his partner, Heero assisted Duo down the steps of the court house.

“Where would you like to go and eat?” Heero asked once they were both on the sidewalk.

Duo shrugged. “I'm not really all that hungry.”

“Neither am I, but we should at least snack on something.” Heero looked around and spotted a cafe a little way up the street. “Come on, we can get a coffee and something light over there.” As the pair began their slow walk towards the cafe, Quatre caught up to them and asked to join the couple.

With a beverage of their choice and a plate of mixed sandwiches on the table, the three began to nibble away and discuss the case thus far. After discussing the unexpected twist of the match stub and what it meant for the case, the conversation changed course to what Quatre intended to do in regards to the charges of Aggravated Cruelty.

“The charge will still go ahead at this stage,” Quatre informed the pair. “Depending on what Graves has to say about the evidence already put forward, the charge will either remain the same or be altered slightly. Our lawyer is with me and sitting in on the case, he has the ability to change the charges pretty much on the spot if necessary.”

“Is he that older looking guy that was sitting next to you earlier?” Heero asked.

“Yes. That's him. George Inverness is his name.”

Duo glanced at his watch. “I think we should be heading back as the court will resume in another ten minutes and I really want to see that bastard try to get out of this.”

“I think we all do,” Quatre agreed and stood up. He reached for the bill. “I'll get this.”

“Quatre,” Duo began to protest.

“No, I insist.” Before either Heero or Duo could protest further, Quatre disappeared to pay the bill, leaving the other two to get themselves sorted and meet him at the door.

* * *

“All rise.”

Judge Harris returned to his seat and looked around the court room.

“This court is now in session,” the bailiff announced.

“Mr. Bremner, would you call your first witness.”

“Your honor, the defense calls Mr. Stefan Graves to the stand.”

Stefan stood and made his way to the witness stand where he was sworn in by the bailiff. Heero was pleased to note that Stefan looked rather haggard.

“Could you please state your full name and occupation for the court.”

“Stefan Graves, I work as a lab technician for the Department of Agriculture.”

“Mr. Graves, could you please tell the court what happened into the lead up to the evening of the twelfth.”

Stefan looked completely defeated as he began to speak. “I was down at the pub having a few beers after work and I got to thinking about this re-trial I have coming up. The more I thought about it the angrier I got; and the more I drank. After a while I got to thinking about how unfair things were, how Yuy seems to have it all and doesn't give a damn about anyone else. I decided I'd get back at him for forcing this re-trial on me.”

“What did you decide to do?” Bremner asked.

“I decided to get back at Yuy by targeting something he really loved, one of his horses. Working in the Agricultural Department, it's quite easy to get my hands on plants that can cause illness. I brought home some dried Pattersons Curse with the intention of putting it in Yuy's top jumper's feed. It wouldn't be easily detected and would make the horse very sick...”

“YOU BASTARD!” Heero yelled and jumped to his feet, his sole focus on getting to Stefan and wringing the guy's neck.

~ * ~

tbc...
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Equus