The Ace Detectives

May 18 2:30 PM

Randall Court

Randall District Defendant Lobby No. 1

"Today is the Senior Mock Trial. This is a huge test to see who will be qualified to be a prosecutor and detective and much more." A male said and crossed his arms then shook his head. "This is a test of mere strength and knowledge, information gathering and listening, pointing out contradictory information and calling out. Not everyone can do such tasks and retain the nerves of steel."

That male was my good friend since my freshman year, Gray Dawn. He has short brown hair and hazel eyes, standing at 182 cm. His father is one of the many Legends Amongst Prosecutors, L.A.P as people would call it. He knows the ins and outs of being defense and prosecutor.

"I'm ready! I've been preparing for this test my entire life!" A girl spoke in excitement.

This girl was Liliana Armon, Lily for short. She is a friend of mine since 7th grade. She was a girl of long yellow hair and blue eyes. She always wore her hair in pigtails and stood at 165 cm. Her mother was an Ace Detective. She is skilled at being a detective as she was trained by her mother to be a detective at her own expense.

"I'm just ready to get this over with. Only one of us can be the defense anyway. That one person is the deciding factor of our grade..." A girl closed her eyes and crossed her arms. "We should choose someone we absolutely trust.."

The girl with a bit of an attitude is named Erika Ray. She's been my friend since the start of Sophomore Year. She has long black hair and green eyes. Her hair is always down and goes to her shoulders. She stood at 168 cm. Her Grandfather was one of the L.A.P and one of the only ones with an almost perfect record.

"Hmm..who shall we pick? Who is someone we can trust to defend the case and someone who will back them up?" A male smiled with his eyes closed and tapped his chin.

The male with the smile is named Ash Wolfe. I've known him since kindergarten. He has silver hair and when his eyes are open you can see his icy blue eyes. He stood at 182 cm. His mother and father were both Ace Detectives. Some of the best as well. He's been trained by his father to be a smart Detective like himself.

"Hmmm. Well you four went last time, so I think it's my turn." I said and nodded then tapped my head with my index finger and smiled. "I'm well equipped for this."

My name is Alice Holmes. My father and elder sister were Ace Detectives and my father made it to the L.A.P. I once went to watch the trial he was in and I loved it. It wasn't boring when everyone was objecting, bluffing, and calling out lies during cross-examination. As for my appearance I have long brown hair and brown eyes also standing at 169 cm.

"Are you sure you wanna do that? You tend to get nervously easily." Gray looked at me with his arms still crossed, tapping his arm with his index finger.

"I'm sure! I read the case report around 6 times and I'm ready to bring my A Game!" I smiled with determination at him.

"Let her go, I trust her enough for this." Ash said and shrugged. He put his hands in his pockets and shook his head. "There is no reason we shouldn't give her a shot."

Everyone looked at each other then agreed. They all trusted me enough to pull this off. I looked through the case reports once more and I saw the defendant's name, Stefan Mongolia. Basically he was chosen to play the defendant and was given his set of lines to say while the rest of us are playing by the book and freestyling it. Since I don't know what Stefan is going to say I can't really come up with anything until that time comes. The crime he was accused for is excess aggression and murder.

"Hey it's time." Erika said and looked at the clock.

"Right." I nodded. "Are you gonna support me with the Defendant."

"Mmm." Erika nodded. "They wanted me to go with you just in case."

"Thank you, Erika." I smiled.

"Don't mention it. We should get going now." Erika walked off.

I followed her into the court room and we stood at one desk and the prosecutor who's name was Evan Sage, stood at the other desk. Evan Sage was one of the smartest guys in our class. He had short black hair and brown eyes. He wore thin lens glasses and wore a diamond earring.

May 18 3:00 PM

Randall Court

Courtroom No. 1

The judge hit a small circular surface and it made a loud noise. The gallery began getting silent.

"Court is now in session for the trial of Stefan Mongolia!" The judge said.

"The prosecutor is ready your honor." Evan said.

"The uh...The defense is ready...Your Honor." I said.

"Hm...May the one who will defend Stefan Mongolia in this trial state their name and class?" The judge asked. "I haven't seen you on the frontlines before."

"Uhm..Yes, Your Honor! My name is Alice Holmes from Class 20XX!" I said and looked at the Judge.

"You seem a little nervous..though it is your first time. I trust in your abilities. You seem like a smart young lady." The Judge said.

"Your Honor the evidence of the crime." Evan handed the evidence to the judge.

It was safety scissors...I kinda looked dumbfounded and a drop of sweat rolled down my cheek. I stood up straight and the judge hit the gavel against the circular surface once more.

"Mr. Sage, the prosecution may call it first witness." The judge said.

"Prosecution calls the Defendant, Mr. Mongolia, to the stands." Evan said.

Stefan walked up the the stand and looked at the judge. Evan put his hands behind his back and looked at Stefan.

"Mr. Mongolia...Is it true that you went to the southern parts of town?" Evan asked.

"Yeah, it's true." Stefan said.

"Is it true you met up with the victim, Mary del Rose?" Evan asked.

"That is also true." Stefan said.

I began sweating a little and Erika gave me a slight pat on the back to keep me focused and clear headed. I had to treat this like a real trial and stay focused. I didn't have time to get my nerves all riled up.

"Is it true that you were dating the victim?" Evan asked.

"...?" Stefan looked at Evan.

I slammed my hand on the desk and pointed at Evan then frowned.

"That has nothing to do with the case! That question is irrelevant!" I said.

"Irrelevant? Oh that but a lie. It has everything to do with this case!" Evan said.

"Oh? Care to elaborate Mr. Sage?" The judge asked.

"He was accused of excess aggression and murder. They have been seen together on multiple occasions and even kissing from time to time. This particular day, they have been spotted going to her house and a neighbor heard a scream. She went to go check and there she was, the victim, dead on the ground!" Evan said then pushed his glasses up and they gave off a shining glare. "The only one spotted leaving the area was Mr. Mongolia!"

'How am I gonna debunk this..?' I thought to myself and placed my hand on the desk.

"Blatant lie." Stefan said.

"Oh?" Evan looked at Stefan.

"It is true that I did go to the south part of town, and it is true I met up with the victim. Everything is true about what you said except for the last few parts. I never went to her house that day." Stefan said.

Something told me we weren't going by the script anymore. We all treated this like an actual court case. Even the retired judge was drawn into the performance and decided to play along.

"Lie. I have an eye witness who said they saw you leave the house in a hurry!" Evan said.

"An eye witness? This certainly will clear things up!" The judge said surprised then shook his head and looked at Evan. "Mr. Sage, you may call your witness."

"Your Honor, the prosecution would like to call the eye witness, Ms. Autumn, to the stands!" Evan said.

Stefan went to sit down and a woman walked up to the stands. Reily Autumn, the one playing the eye witness. She had brunette hair that stopped at the middle of her neck and dark brown eyes. She looked at the judge.

"Ms. Autumn, you may begin your testimony." The judge said.

[What I Saw]

"So I was sitting outside on my porch when I saw Stefan and Mary. Afterwards I heard a bit of arguing coming from the house as the window was opened. Soon I heard an ear curling scream and saw Stefan walking out in anger. I went to go check on Mary then I saw her on the ground. I checked to see if she was alive, but she was dead and I saw a pair of scissors in her head. I immediately called the police using my cell and that's all." Reily said.

"Most interesting. Ms. Holmes, you may begin your cross-examination." The judge said.

"Okay." I nodded.

"Remember, within every testimony there has to be a lie within it. Expose that lie and prove your client is innocent!" Erika said.

I nodded and looked at the evidence I had nothing so far to go off of. Scissors and the Autopsy were the only two things I had to work off of. I read the Autopsy once more. Mary del Rose died sometime around 4-5 PM. I looked at Reily.

"Ms. Autumn, you said you saw Stefan and Mary go to her house correct?" I asked.

"Correct." Reily answered.

"Do you remember what time it was when you saw them?" I asked.

"It was around after 12 PM." Reily nodded.

"And what time did you catch Stefan leaving the area?" I asked.

"Around 1 PM-"

"Stop there!" I pointed and held up a piece of paper and tapped it with the back of my hand then looked at her. "Your claim doesn't make any sense. Here in the autopsy report, it is said that Mary died around 4-5 PM. You're saying you called the police around 1 PM?"

"Hold it!" Evan said and pushed his glasses up and a shining glare appeared on his lens. "Maybe she read the time wrong."

"Objection!" I pointed at Evan. "She used her cell phone to call the police. There could be no way she could have the wrong time especially if she bought that phone from the area!"

"Urk!" Reily looked a bit nervous.

The gallery began chattering and the judge slammed down his gavel three times.

"Order! Order in the court!" The judge said and the gallery got quiet. "Ms. Holmes do you have proof that her phone wasn't just set on the wrong time?"

"Eh..? W-Well no, Your Honor.." I said. "But I would like to call Mr. Mongolia back to the stands! Like my father always says, there are two sides to every coin!"

"The court will allow it." The Judge nodded.

Reily went to sit down and Stefan walked back to the stand. I took a deep breath, although defendants aren't usually called as witnesses, I have nothing to go off of and I need all the information I can possibly collect.

"Mr. Mongolia, you may give your testimony." The judge said.

[My Side of the Story]

"I was meeting Mary at the south part of town because it's the one place I knew how to get around with ease, plus I had planned to hang out with her that day. The real reason I went to meet her is because I had an item that borrowed from her and I wanted to give it back. After I gave it back to her I got a call from my coach and I wasn't able to hang out with her and we split up." Stefan said.

This side of the story made it easier to work with, but I still needed proof go further prove his innocence. I thought about his testimony and like Erika said, with every testimony there is always a lie. I knew he was lying but what was he lying about..?

"Interesting...Ms. Holmes, you may cross-examination the defendant." The judge said.

"First I want to ask this, what was the item you borrowed?" I asked.

"I borrowed scissors." Stefan said. "The item that is supposedly the murder weapon."

"Hm...is it true that you didn't hang out with her because your coach called?" I asked.

"M-Mmph..." Stefan was hesitant to answer.

"Well..?" I looked at him, hoping this part wasn't a lie.

"No...I didn't go home because my coach called. After giving back the item, I began to feel a little sick, but I didn't want to tell Mary I was getting sick. I didn't want her to worry too much about me at all." Stefan said.

"It is that time of season." The judge nodded.

"I Object!" Evan said and closed his eyes. "His finger prints were all over the murder weapon. He's the only one spotted being seen with Mary."

"Stop there!" I pointed at Evan then slammed my hands down on the desk. "You're missing a critical piece of detail that will help prove your claim!"

"What am I missing? You're the one who should be giving evidence." Evan opened his eyes and looked at me.

I smirked, closed my eyes then brushed my hair to the side. I opened my eyes and wagged my finger from side to side.

"The detail you're missing is how could his finger prints be on the weapon if he gave the scissors back to Mary and left? By that time Mary's fingerprints would be all over the scissors!" I looked at him then pointed.

"...." Evan began sweating a bit and his hair began getting messed up.

"The questions aren't over yet!" I said.

"Oh? You have more to ask Ms. Holmes?" The judge asked.

"Mary died around 4-5 PM, what were YOU doing before that time Stefan?" I asked.

"Around 4 PM, I went over to Mary's house to see if she still wanted to hang out. After I got no answer from her door, I left and bumped into Reily, my former lover." Stefan said.

"Urk!!" Evan looked shocked.

"Former...Lover...?" The judge said.

"Reily and I dated for 2 years, but I broke up with her over a trivial matter that has nothing to do with the case. I decided to check on Mary again around 4:30 PM after walking around then I saw the window open. I peeked inside and saw her dead on the ground and I called the police after entering the house." Stefan said.

"The window...did you find anything suspicious at the scene of the crime?" I asked.

"I did infact. I found this note." Stefan handed me a note.

I opened the note and rose an eyebrow. I read the message.

"You shouldn't have gotten with that scummy female is what the note reads." I said.

"Hold it! That note could be forged!" Evan said.

"My handwriting is significantly different from the handwriting on the note. My cursive doesn't look as good as the cursive on here. It shows in all of my signatures." Stefan said and handed me a photo of his signatures and I showed them to the judge.

The judge looked at the evidence and found a distinct difference between the two and nodded.

"The court will allow this evidence." The judge said.

"W-What?!" Evan fixed his glasses.

I stood beside Erika and exhaled. Erika smiled and was pleased with the performance. I couldn't think of anything else that could have proven the innocence of Stefan at the moment, but since Stefan had proof and Reily didn't the court was now in favor of Stefan...until...

"That was a cute performance..but there is no way such evidence can prove to be useful! It's just handwriting and Stefan could've forged the handwriting!" Evan said.

"OBJECTION!" I slammed my hand down on the desk twice. "How are you so sure the handwriting is forged?!"

The note just clicked to me also. "You shouldn't have gotten with that scummy female" was the message and there was one underlying piece of evidence that further proves his innocence.

"The signature is forged because he was the only one seen with Mary!" Evan said. "You can't debunk that nor prove his innocence!"

"Stop there!" I smirked and wagged my finger. "I can debunk it and I'll one up that! I'll prove who the murderer is!"

Erika, Evan, Stefan, Reily, and the Judge looked at me shocked. This was my moment to shine. My moment to prove that I have what it takes, I will pass this test and prove to everyone I can do it!

"That is a very bold claim Ms. Holmes! Do you honestly believe you can do it?" The judge asked.

"Yes and I'll prove it now!" I slammed a piece of paper down on the desk. "Both the eye witness and Defendant will write the very message down on the paper and we will find the truth!"

"Objection!" Evan pointed. "I won't allow it! This will be pointless!"

"Hold it!" I shrugged and shook my head. "Why are you so against the idea? This idea is a 50/50 shot! There are only two suspects I see, Stefan....and Reily!"

"What?!" Reily looked at me shocked.

The gallery chattered in shock. The judge slammed the gavel down three times.

"Order! Order! Order! The court will allow this writing session to happen." The judge said.

I walked towards them and handed them the paper and a pen. First Stefan wrote the exact message on the paper. After he was done, I got the paper and pen then gave it to Reily. She was a bit hesitant on writing. She took the pen and paper then wrote down the exact message also. I took the paper and pen then handed it to the judge.

"Oh my...Stefan's handwriting is atrocious!" The judge said.

"Uh..." Stefan gave an annoyed smile and had a sweat drop rolling down his cheek.

"Your Honor! Back to the topic at hand!" I said.

"Right, upon further inspection, Reily's handwriting perfectly matches the writing on the note!" The judge said.

"Objection!" Evan pushed up his glasses. "It's mere coincidence, anyone can write that good!"

"Stop right there!" I closed my eyes then tapped my head with my index finger then opened my eyes and smirked. "I could have the entire court write that note down and it won't come out as picture perfect as Reily's did. Like I said I'll prove who the killer is! The killer of Mary del Rose is...Reily Autumn!"

"OBJECTION!" Evan glared. "On what grounds and proof do you have to make such a claim?!"

"Yes, this is the court of law, Ms. Holmes. You need proof to back up your bold claims!" The judge said.

"We have proof Your Honor.." I pointed at Stefan. "Stefan is the proof!"

"Ack!" Evan began breathing a lot faster.

"Recall what he said. "Reily and I dated for 2 years, but I broke up with her over a trivial matter that has nothing to do with the case." That right there is definitive proof! After they broke up, Reily obviously held some form of grudge against Mary and sought out revenge hence the note!" I said.

"Do you have any rebuttal Ms. Autumn?" The judge asked.

"... tch..!" Reily closed her eyes and looked away.

"There you have it." I crossed my arms.

"If there is no rebuttal then I shall give my final verdict! I hereby claim Stefan...Not Guilty!" The judge slammed the gavel down. "This trial is now adjourned!"

"You did it, Alice!" Erika said in surprise. "That play you did to call the defendant to testify was amazing, not even I would've thought of that."

"Heh...Well you know." I blushed and rubbed the back of my head and smiled.

"I lost to a girl who didn't even play until now? Unfortunate..." Evan groaned.

"Alice, Erika, Liliana, Gray, and Ash..I hereby announce you Detectives. You passed the finals of your test and you are prepared to go out there and solve real cases!" The judge smiled.

We looked at each other and smiled. An officer came to hand us our Amateur Detective Badge and I looked it. It was a bronze badge and meant for beginner Detectives like ourselves. I couldn't be more happier than I was now. We all left the court room and I spotted Stefan standing by the window.

"Hey." I tilted my head as cheesed happily. He looked at me and smiled.

"Ahh, there you are ace defense. Your Techniques are something I'd see a real Detective do. You know your stuff." Stefan chuckled.

"So did you and Reily actually date?" I asked.

"That's the reason they chose us three. Reily and Mary are actually good friends but we were only playing the part. I forgot this was a mock trial for a minute because we were all in the zone. Especially you and your desk abuse." Stefan laughed.

"Yeah..I got in the zone as well." I rubbed the back of my head.

"Well I'll catch you later. I have to go pick up my little sister. See you around!" Stefan walked off.

I waved and smiled. Today was fun and I'm ready to follow down my father's footsteps. I will become an Ace Detective like the rest of my friends will. I looked at my badge again and nodded then hurried out of the court room.