Elaine, once again, ascended the podium. The hints of dishevelment that previously marred her usual perfect appearance was replaced with a neat, albeit solemn and grim appearance.
She was not alone.
Following in her footsteps, a procession of well-known prosecutors, equally as grim and solemn as she was.
The procession confused the reporters and the viewers.
She stood behind the podium. She shut her eyes for a second, took a deep breath and opened them again. "The office of the Prosecutor General would like to offer our most sincere apologies to all victims..." Everyone one on the stage silently hung their heads as she continued in a steady, low voice "...it is our greatest regret that in a society governed by law and order, you were subject to such injustices at the hands of other individuals. Your testimonies have been heard and documented, and as promised they will be acted upon. Today will mark the beginning of your promised justice." She paused for a breath, tightening her fingers on the edges of the podium "These last months have brought to light, not just the presence of the reemergence and reintroduction of the drug known as Rush II, but also the presence of a growing decay in our sense of societal morality..." She placed a hand over her nose and mouth to hide her growing disgust for a brief moment before gripping the podium again "...we happened upon criminal entities parading themselves as social groups and legitimate businesses; wicked individuals who have come to believe that stand and operate above and outside the law... the law will respond. Behind me stand prosecutors, each one just as passionate, just as capable and just as thorough as I am. Your challenge has been answered, we will come at you as you have requested." She looked out to the crowd "There will be multiple cases to ensure maximum efficiency and for the sake of the brave victims who have bravely stepped forward to lay their grievances before the law, majority of the cases will proceed in closed court. The witnesses and the details of their testimonies will remain private to protect them, however, the outcomes and sentences will be a matter of public record, as usual. The indictments and the head prosecutor for each case are as follows:…" she accepted the papers someone had stepped forward to give her. With a deep breath, she read out the contents
"Indictment: The State vs. the drug cartel, come to be known as Reiters
Parties charged: The organization known as Reiters.
Charges: Manufacture of a controlled substance, Conspiracy to manufacture and distribute a controlled substance, possession with the intent to distribute and the distribution of a controlled substance; aggravated assault, reckless endangerment; operating a continuing criminal enterprise, money laundering, racketeering and fraud; unlicensed pharmaceutical manufacturing, introduction of a toxic substance into the state.
Head prosecutor: Elaine Rockwell.
Indictment: The State vs. the logistics company, Green Deliveries, Kleenup Krew et al.
Parties charged: the companies, Green Deliveries, Kleenup Krew, Sayer's
Charges: conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, distribution of controlled substance resulting in serious bodily injury and death, possession with the intent to distribute; leading a drug trafficking network and operating a continuing criminal enterprise; money laundering, criminal use of a logistics system, criminal use of a sanitation system and criminal use of a communication facility; prostitution, solicitation.
Head Prosecutor: Simon Hayes
Indictment: The State vs Bluevein et. al
Parties charged: the nightclub 'Bluevein', the bar 'Eastend', the gentleman club 'Salut', the bar 'Sayer's'
Charges: trafficking in a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance with the intent to distribute and maintenance of a drug involved premises; aggravated assault and reckless endangerment, involuntary manslaughter; criminal nuisance, operating a continuing criminal enterprise and money laundering; prostitution.
Head Prosecutor: Hayden Christensen
Indictment: The State vs. the criminal entities parading as the social groups The Bohemians and Dionys
Parties charged: all persons in the Bohemians, all persons in Dionys
Charges: possession of a controlled substance with the intent to distribute, distribution of a controlled substance; criminal conspiracy, invasion of privacy and criminal harassment; prostitution.
Head Prosecutor: Ian Daenstein
Indictment: the State vs. the persons actor###, actor### et al.
Parties charged: ###, ###, ###, Eddie, ###, ###, ###, ###,###
Charges: manslaughter, attempted murder, aggravated assault, administration of a controlled substance, criminal sexual assault; possession with the intent to distribute, distribution of a controlled substance, reckless endangerment.
Head Prosecutor: Denise Colemann."
She looked out to the crowd for a few seconds. She let out a long slow exhale and walked away.
Due to the highly sensitive nature of the testimonies involving sexual acts, drug use, the threat of emotional and psychological harm to victims and witnesses, all victims and a few key witnesses for this case have been assigned a pseudonym. The courtroom will be closed during their testimonies. All victims involved in this case and several witness will be testifying via a video link, with their faces obscured and voices distorted, from a separate undisclosed location. The names, images or any identifying information of all victims and key witnesses will not be disclosed by the court, the defendants or the lawyers.
Media outlets are barred from publishing these details that are deemed distressing or may serve as identifiers of protected persons.
All documents containing the personal information of all victims and key witnesses will be sealed by the court.
The trial of The State vs. the persons actor###, actor### et al.
Person(s) charged: Eddie.
Charges: attempted murder, aggravated assault, administration of a controlled substance, criminal sexual assault; possession with the intent to distribute, distribution of a controlled substance, reckless endangerment, conspiracy; cyber stalking, criminal harassment.
Prosecutor: Denise Colemann
Opening statement:
Denise surveyed the court, her gaze as soft but firm, as ever. She nodded politely to the jury with a composed smile, acknowledged the defense counsel with confident nod and greeted the judge. She took three deep slow breaths as was her ritual before she gave an opening statement in every case. She was calm. Confidently so, and with good reason too. She had this case this the bag.
"The defendant before us, is a man who believes he is in love." Her tone was soft, almost understanding even "We know this because he has explicitly stated so to his victim, multiple times and in multiple forms. Like every other person deeply in love,..." She walked from behind the podium, showed the jury a small nostalgic smile and gave a small shake of the head before pacing the floor as she twirled a pen in her hands. Her voice, tinged with a little bit of reflective sorrow "...is the thought of reciprocation of that love that is so selflessly offered up not something that one deeply desires? To give your heart and receive the heart of the object of your unwavering affection, is that not the dream of a true romantic?" She let out a wistful sigh "Love is such a bittersweet thing, don't you think?" She chuckled playfully. Turned to face Eddie and his counsel "Love, it is believed to make people do the craziest of things." She walked purposefully back to the podium "Unfortunately, although the defendant, Eddie, claims to be a man in love he is not..." Her softness remained but her wistfulness was gone. There was no smile or empathy to be heard in her tone "...he is simply a criminal. A very dangerous one at that, he harassed and when that didn't work, he debased and when that too, did not give him the results he desired, he chose to drug the victim with a dangerous substance. A dangerous substance, that he knew would do irreparable damage and possibly leave the victim for dead, all in the bid to have the victim comply." She shook her head as a look of sheer disgust crossed her face "Make no mistake, Eddie is not a man in love. He is a predator and coward. He is obsessed and delusional; vindictive and bitter quite frankly, he is pathetic." She faced the jury "I will not have to prove this to you, this is a conclusion will you arrive at even before this proceeding ends."
Prosecution's direct examination:
Denise smiled at the screen "How have you been?"
Lein rubbed his sweaty, trembling palms on his pants. It had been this way since last night. His palms had paled but the tips of his fingers were reddened and pruny. He leaned toward the mic "I'm, I'm fine. You?" He gave an awkward chuckle when he realized his blunder "Sorry."
She waved the apology away with a friendly smile "It's quite alright, really. I'm well, thank you for asking. You can take a few minutes to calm yourself."
He licked his lips, placed a hand over his chest. He could feel his beating heart resounding in his ears. He closed his eyes as he recalled the previous practices, he had done this several times. His parents were just in the next room, everything would be fine. He licked his lips again and swallowed "Thank you."
"Please do tell me when you are ready."
He looked around the room, it felt a little weird being the only one in here, he scratched the back of his neck "I'm ready."
"Can you tell the court about your life before the incident? Your job, your relationship, anything you can think of."
"Ye-yes. I was working as a gym instructor and I have..." He paused, rolled his lips and sighed "I had a partner."
"Were you in a happy relationship?"
Happy? Not really. He couldn't be happy, there was no way he could have been happy because he felt he wasn't allowed to be happy. He rubbed his face with both hands "Maybe? I don't really know."
She squinted at the screen "Why do you say that?"
"I wasn't really myself. I was... I was going through some personal issues at the time."
"Are you comfortable sharing with us these personal issues you speak of?"
His eyes darted to the window meeting his father's gaze. Hank nodded "At the time, I was fighting a lot with my partner..." He answered quietly "I wasn't really myself."
"What do you mean by 'you weren't yourself'?"
He recalled the time. He felt trapped, like the world was always closing in on him. Everything put him on edge; every time Jason was away from him, he thought he was going to die, like all the air in the room would vanish along with the man and he would suffocate. The memory made him grip his chest.
"Sir?"
"The drugs..." He answered painfully "The drugs and the messages, they put me on edge."
The courtroom was silent, a few of the jury had a notable reaction to the revelation. Perhaps, they were expecting a perfect victim.
"Were you using drugs at this time?" She asked.
He shook his head, realized he couldn't be seen and spoke up "N,no. I wasn't."
"Are you saying you were using drugs before but at this time you had stopped using them?"
"Y-yes."
Denise gave a brief nod. Letting the information sink in before she continued "Why did you stop?"
Why? It wasn't just because Jason had made him quit Sayer's, it was... He just really wanted to leave that life behind. "I wanted to be better for him... For my partner."
She nodded "As for the messages…" she picked the remote and pushed a button. A series of messages were displayed on the large screen "…are these messages you speak of?"
He shut his eyes, they were basically imprinted on the back of his mind. He had never felt so dehumanized. They were endless and they were terrifying.
"Sir?"
"Yes. I was getting messages from the group I used to be a part of."
Sensing his discomfort with the topic, she moved on "This social group is where you met the defendant l, correct?"
"Yes. Bohemians."
"And your relationship with the defendant, Eddie? How is it best described? Were you close friends? Loose acquaintances? Previous lovers? What is it?"
"We weren't really acquainted."
"So, you had no form of entanglements with him?"
He furrowed his brows "No... I don't think we were." He leaned closer "umm… Actually, I think I beat him up once before."
Someone in the jury chuckled.
"Sorry, could you expand on that?"
"I don't really remember much but I think he kept following me around, so I beat him up, then he stopped."
There was another laugh.
Denise suppressed a smile "And Sayer's, that's where you usually met with these people, right?"
"Yes "
She frowned "Do you often go there? To the bar?"
"No, I was a bartender."
"You were a bartender and a gym instructor?"
"No. I quit the bar and started working at the gym."
"Why the you make this switch?"
He sniffed "My partner wasn't comfortable. They said it was unstable and... I wasn't comfortable too."
She nodded and commented "You must have really liked your partner."
"I love him."
"That's nice..." She smiled "...he is in love." She commented softly, almost to herself but everyone heard it. She redirected her focus "Beyond that, did you have any form of contact with the defendant?"
"No..." He shook his head "...we never met outside the bar."
"How about communication?"
Lein blinked rapidly "He messaged me."
Denise pointed to the screen "These messages? Can you point out messages from the defendant?"
Lein did everything he could to hold back a gag, he averted his gaze.
"Sir, I know this is unpleasant for you, but you have to confirm if these are indeed the messages the defendant sent to you."
Lein pressed on his eyeballs with shaky fingers, took a deep breath before clasping both hands tightly together under the table. He stared at the screen "Yes..." There was a catch in his voice when he spoke again "...they are."
She quickly turned off his screen "Did you ever engage him in any way?"
"No."
"Did ever reply these messages?"
"No."
She nodded "Are you well enough to continue? Would you like to take a few minutes to collect yourself? Maybe have a glass of water?"
He unclasped his hands and scratched the back of his neck. He wanted to run but this was something he had to face "No."
She hummed softly "Then shall we talk about the night of your poisoning? Can you briefly explain what happened?"
He sighed, that night was basically his biggest regret. He regretted blowing up at Jason; he regretted storming out; he regretted listening to June; he regretted so many things "I had just gotten into an argument with my partner, and I went to the bar to cool off."
"To Sayer's?"
"No…" he shook his head "…to a different bar, Sunset."
"Is this something that you do whenever you get into a spat with your partner?"
"Yes..." a tiny smile formed on his lips, he wasn't sure why "...I storm out, and after about two hours or so, he calls to ask where I am or I call him to come get me."
She also found it a little amusing "But this night, you did not call your partner?"
"No-no. I met someone?"
"You met someone?"
"Yes, someone from the Bohemians approached me. They said they just wanted to talk..." He sniffed "...they said they understood how I felt. I just… I just needed someone to talk to at that time."
"This person, as you have stated, was also a member of the Bohemians, correct?"
"Yes."
"Were you on friendly terms with this person?"
He buried his face in his palms, how could he have been so stupid "No..." A muffled reply was given.
"No?"
He lowered his hands "No."
"He was just another person in the group?"
"No. He hated me."
She frowned "Were you unaware of this at the time? Were you unaware of his hatred for you?"
He shook his head "No, I didn't know it was that bad."
"Could you please explain."
"We... We got into a few arguments. He accused me of stealing his partners and tried to attack me... I... I defended myself."
"Beyond that were there any other interactions?"
"No."
She clicked the button again and several images appeared on the screen "Are you aware of the existence of this chatroom?"
Lein squinted at the screen, a flash of recognition in his eyes "Yes."
"Have you ever been a member of the chatroom?"
"Yes."
"At the time of this incident, were you a member of this chatroom?"
"No."
She nodded "Please take a few moments to read through the messages. Tell me when you are done."
Lein trembled in his seat as he read through the messages. There were no words to describe the heat that had erupted in his chest. He wanted to crawl into the screen and attack everyone.
"Sir?"
"I'm done."
She nodded "Were you aware that on the night these exchanges were made, you were being monitored and your movements were documented?"
"NO!"
"Would you like to take a few minutes to calm yourself?"
He took a deep breath and then another, but his body just kept trembling.
"Sir?"
"No. I'm fine."
"Very well, let's move on. What happened next?"
"He said we should do something to relax. We went to a karaoke bar and some other places... later he insisted we go to Sayer's."
"You went? Why?"
"I don't know..." He rubbed his face "…he said it was for one last drink."
"Very well. Now, Please tell us what happened after you went."
He froze, not because he didn't want to speak but he didn't know what to say. He had spent days searching his memories for the details but there was nothing. It was like his mind was determined to keep the night hidden from him.
"Sir?"
"I don't… I don't remember..." He replied in a small voice.
She clicked the button again, and several messages appeared on the screen "You do not remember but the evidence we have at hand suggests... No , explicitly details what happened that night, this has been corroborated by several witnesses." She walked to the large display screen. "Let us methodically piece together a sequence of events and what exactly happened that night, using these chatlogs and the witness testimonies we have at our disposal, okay?"
"Oh-okay." He answered gingerly.
She pushed the button "First, as established, your movements were tracked and shared in the bohemian chatroom, as seen in the exhibit behind me. This person that approached you at the bar stated 'We are going to Sayer's.' Sayer's, I believe is a focal point for the group, is this correct?"
He trembled a little "Yes."
She hummed and pushed the button and read the highlighted portion of the testimony on display "When you arrived there, you had a few drinks at the bar, a few others showed up and someone gave you a pill, do you remember this?"
"Yes..."
"Were you aware what this pill was?"
"I-I was. They said it would take the edge off and make me feel better." He answered in a small unsure voice.
"You don't know what it was, just what it did?"
"…yes."
"Do you remember the person who gave this to you?"
"…n-no."
She nodded and pushed the button again "Then you were led to one of Sayer's dedicated rooms, do you recall this?"
He frowned "No-no... That's..."
"Sir, do you recall going to or being led to one of Sayer's so-called dedicated rooms?"
He heaved "No, I do not."
Another push "Do you recognize this person on the screen?"
He had a vague idea, it was someone he often saw at the bar, but he didn't know who it was "No."
"According to witness testimonies, this was the person that offered you the first drug you took that night." She nodded, another push "Moving on… while you were in the back rooms, your phone was taken from you and several pictures as well as videos were recorded and sent to your boyfriend, do you remember this happening?"
"..."
"Sir?"
He gasped, when he returned from the hospital after the first time, he had seen those messages from his phone. The full depths of his wantonness and indecency on full display before Jason.
"Would you like a moment to collect yourself?"
"N-no..." His voice caught "..I didn't... I had no idea."
Another click "You have any recollection of this person on the screen?"
He nodded "Ch-Chris."
"Do you have any recollections of meeting with him that night?"
Lein shook his head "No."
She nodded, displayed Chris's testimony and read the highlighted parts "In the backroom, he was making out with me then Eddie tried to join in. He was overly eager and kept groping the victim ignoring the request to stop. Do you have any recollections of such a thing happening?"
"...no."
"Were you aware that even in your incapacitated state, you fought off his advances? This was stated by multiple witnesses and in the chatroom." She pushed the button again, displaying heighted passages of various accounts of the incident "Everyone present saw your refusal to engage him, were you aware of this?"
"No."
She returned to Chris's statement "He became impatient and pulled something out of his pocket, said it would make you feel good, slipped it into his mouth and forced a kiss on the victim. Were you aware of this?"
"…no."
"Did you consent to this action?"
"…no."
"Were you aware, you were essentially being assaulted at this moment?"
His ears rang, he gripped the edge of the table, and the tears began to fall.
"Were you aware that when your partner arrived to take you away, the defendant tried to stop him?"
He sniffled "…n-no."
She continued to read the statement "...the person, rumoured to be his boyfriend arrived to take the victim away. Eddie held him back and began to question him, but the person ignored him. I asked what he gave to him and he said he just wanted to make you feel good." She returned to her original position "On the night in question, you were a person in a vulnerable state. You were conspired against, lured into a trap and assaulted by multiple individuals while you were incapacitated, as stated by multiple people who have stepped forward to testify. The defendant, wanting to 'get in on it' approached you but you fought. He remained persistent and so were you, in your rejection of him. He grew impatient , pulled out a drug, commonly referred to as Rush II, from his pocket. This drug, strictly prohibited at the group's gatherings, was then placed in his mouth and forced a kiss on you, effectively forcing the drug down your throat and poisoning you. You immediately went into a state of medical crisis, by this time your partner had arrived, thanks to the machinations of the mastermind who had lured you there. Your partner, desperate to save you tried to take you away but was stopped by the defendant, placing your safety first, he ignored the defendant and sent you to the hospital." She paused "I believe you spent some time in the hospital…" another button push and Lein's medical report was displayed on the screen "Can you say your diagnosis to the court?"
He took a deep shaky breath "Glandular exhaustion, acute liver failure and acute kidney injury."
She stared at Lein's screen as the room filled with an uncomfortable quiet. "On this night in question, you were not unfaithful, you were assaulted. In your state of vulnerability , you were exploited and you were taken advantage of and when, even your intoxicated state, you tried to fend off his advances, he decided to poison you."
A broken sob escaped his lips, then another and then another until he was wailing. His guttural cries rang out through the speakers, bouncing off the walls of the court room and into the ears of everyone present. His body trembled with each sob. He had tried so much to understand why.... Why had he done such a despicable thing? What had happened? When he saw the pictures June had sent with his phone, he was physically ill. He couldn't even look at his own reflection.
Denise looked up at the judge "Your honour, at this time, I would like to request a break so that the witness can gather themselves."
He agreed
She stole a glance at the jury, was there even a need to continue with the trial?
Lein rolled over to the side, staring at his phone screen. He had been emptied out.
Really, he felt nothing just that he could finally breath. He took a deep breath, filling his lungs with air saturated with the scent of the sea. He inhaled even deeper, exploring the capacity of his lungs to expand now that its primary constrictor was gone.
The rest of the proceedings, he just kept crying. The tears did not stop but he testified either way. Hillary and Patrick said they would do whatever they could to limit his appearance for the rest of the trial. He was grateful for that, he did not care what the verdict would be. Eddie was behind him.
He let out a slow purposeful exhale. His eyes settled on the diffuser before moving back to his phone. Through the whole ordeal, the man had not made appearance, not even a message. He wondered if Jason knew about his testimony, about what the group had done.
"Rose?" Mari hovered by the door for a second.
He sat up and smiled "Ma..." He croaked.
"Are you okay?"
He flashed her a smile and nodded.
Mari could see that he was, his eyes were almost sparkling; his movements were fluid and free, the previous cautious and almost rigid demeanour seemed to be abandoned in the courtroom "Then come over for dinner..."
Alexei watched Ethan closely "Are you still upset ?"
"Hmph!" He turned his face away with a pout.
This was happening because he had stopped Ethan from going anywhere near the courthouse.
"Baby..."
Ethan moved even further away from his reach.
"...do you think your friend would want you to see him in such a state?" Lein's image aside, the details of the trails were simply too vile. He didn't want his husband near all that nastiness.
"I just want to support him..." He mumbled.
Alexei finally captured him and pulled him onto his lap "Baby, you can support him anytime, just don't be present at the courthouse. That's all I'm saying, you can call him or go see him at the cafe instead." He explained as he tapped his nose "You can even go see him at home, okay?"
"Okay." He reluctantly agreed. If the details were that bad, maybe it would be best to stay away. He had something else to talk about. "A-Alex..." He called out quietly as he tugged on the other's shirt.
Alexei had his full attention on the newscast "Yea?" he answered absentmindedly. After a moment of silence, he turned his attention to the rigid person in his arms "Baby?"
He faced him squarely "I want to resign."
The air in the room chilled rapidly "Did something happen at work?" His mind was churning, coming up with ways to handle what problem would present itself the next moment. The question now is, who was the problem?
He played with edge of Alexei's shirt "No, nothing happened."
"Nothing?"
He paused briefly, biting his lip.
"Ethan..." Alexei said firmly. It was fine if he didn't say it, he would find out why he suddenly wanted to give up a job that he wanted so badly that he subjected his boyfriend to two years of secrecy.
He furrowed his brows "I don't like the way people are approaching me."
"What?"
"Since they found out about us, people have been trying to talk to me and trying to get close to me. I don't like it. It is uncomfortable."
"I thought you wanted to make friends."
"…not like this."
He placed his forehead on Ethan's temple, intertwined their fingers "Do you regret it?" He asked softly.
His frown deepened "What? No. I'm happy we got married and I'm happy we announced it, they're the bad ones."
He laughed, the budding tension was immediately buried "Then you want to stay home and wait in bed for me, eh?" He wiggled his brows "Or maybe you've finally decided to fulfil your lifelong wish of keeping me trapped in your bed, bound to your side for all eternity." He let out a long dramatic sigh as he turned to the side "Can my body handle this?"
Ethan rolled his eyes, he just knew it would be this way. He tried to leave but was held firmly in place.
"Look at me trying to make a great sacrifice for you and you just walk away? That's really brutal."
He threw a dirty look at him.
Alexei shivered "That look gets me every time."
"I'm serious."
"So am I." He chuckled when he saw the pout "What do you want to do?"
Ethan lit up like a light bulb and scrambled away to get his tablet "Remember, Lein asked if I was okay making customisable character designs for the cafe..." He chattered as he excitedly displayed his drawings "…I made some more."
Alexei watched and listened to him with amused interest. "I thought this was something you only wanted to do for me..." This wasn't a comment made in jest, he was actually quite bitter probably because he assumed the cartoon character thing was something shared between just them.
Ethan's enthusiasm dimmed "Do you not want me to?"
He chuckled "You seem very… very happy, why won't I want you to do it?"
Ethan put the tablet aside and shuffled closer "I'll draw as many characters as you want."
Alexei smirked "What?"
"I'll do it, what do you want me to draw?" He answered confidently... Well, his confidence lasted until he saw the smug look on his husband's face.
"I have a few ideas." Alexei hummed a happy tune as he navigated the apps on his phone "How about this?" He flashed a picture, wiggling his brow "Or this?"
Ethan's eyes widened and his ears heated up. He jumped to his feet "PERVERT!" he spat at him and ran off.
Alexei chuckled, feeling satisfied with himself "Baby, wait..." He ran after Ethan.