Courthouse

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Sawyer Loupohl

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Taking the file, Sawyer nodded in thanks, then opened the file. His eyes widened, and he closed it before looking back to Cameron. "Thank you," he breathed, then moved back to his table and held the file in his hands.
"Your witness, Mr. Loupohl."
He looked up, and taking a deep breath, shook his head. "The defense has no questions for Officer Tealy." The audience paused in their jeering to whisper among themselves. He wasn't even going to try? But Sawyer wasn't going to just sit back and let someone he cared about walk to his execution. Instead, he pointed to the stand. "Your Honor, the defense would like to call Nolon South to the stand." He glanced over to Lonno, eyes cold as Detective Waltz's could be. "That won't be a problem, will it?" he asked the prosecutor.


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Although his face was hidden, Lonno reeled. "How did you-?" He quickly relaxed. It didn't matter what Sawyer knew and how he learned it. It would only delay the guilty verdict. "I guess there's no use in hiding it." the prosecutor sighed as he reached for his mask. The courtroom became painfully silent as they watched the man remove his mask to reveal his youthful face. He set it on the table and moved to take his seat at the stand. "My name is Nolon South and I'm the prosecutor of this case." he introduced with a voice that was laced with hidden tricks.

 

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Sawyer Loupohl

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Good, he's surprised. Sawyer read through the file one more time, then closed it and started walking towards the stand. "Tell me, Mr. South. What interested you in this case?" he asked, standing in front of the witness stand. "Or better yet, what was your life like before you agreed to take this case?" Sawyer stared hard at the handsome face at the witness stand.


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Before Nolon could answer the first question, he was asked another question. He pursed his lips, observing t he look on Sawyer's face. He knew all about him, didn't he? If he didn't say anything then that lawyer would throw it out in the open, wouldn't he?
Sighing, he opened up. "I was an officer of the law before becoming a prosecutor. In fact, I was meant to be the Chief of Police until the chief gave his job to someone who didn't deserve to even be considered for it." he said while shooting Cecil a venomous glare. "After I learned about someone so disgusting, I quit. I couldn't stand the idea of working under someone who stole my job. I became a prosecutor that rightfully exposed criminals, and all the while I bided my time and researched evidence that would prove that Cecil Tealy is not only undeserving of the title of chief, but a criminal! So enough of this questioning! There's nothing you can say that can change the fact that he's a criminal just like his father!"

 

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Sawyer Loupohl

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Sawyer stared down at Nolon as though he were an ant that the blonde was about to crush under his shoe. "Mr. South, all of your evidence is circumstantial. You have spent this entire trial trying to discredit a police chief with a greater arrest record than three behind him, and have only brought to light one thing: You didn't then and still don't deserve the position given to Chief Tealy." He looked down at his phone as it chirped, then walked over to the evidence table and grabbed the remote to the television. "All just to send an innocent man to his death. Well, unfortunately, all of your efforts have been in vain."
Stopping at a well-known news channel, Sawyer turned up the volume until the entire courtroom could hear the breaking news. The Nightingale had struck again, this time all the way across town and just a few hours before. There was no possible way for Cecil to have done it.
Sawyer turned back to South, advancing. "Mr. South, did you or did you not begin this trial knowing that there was no real evidence tying my client to the Nightingale?" He didn't wait for an answer. "And did you or did you not knowingly conduct this trial with the intent to boot Chief Tealy out of his position as the police chief because of your own personal feelings with absolutely no regard for his innocence?" He stopped just feet away from Nolon. "And did you or did you not continue this trial knowing that if you got what you wanted, he'd probably be executed?" He set a hand on his hip, staring hard at Nolon.


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Nolon looked at the screen as it showed a news anchor covering the latest assassination of a local manager. His eyes widened. Damn! Of all the times for this to happen, it had to be during the damn trial! He looked back to get bombarded by questions from Sawyer, though they didn't sound like questions. No, these were the comments of someone who had caught their criminal.
The prosecutor slumped forward and slid his fingers into his hair, grabbing clumps of it and tugging at it. He let out a roar as his head shot back, his crazed look a drastic change from his calm demeanor from earlier. "Fine! I planned it all, you happy?!" he snapped. "I made most of the evidence up! So what?! That brat didn't deserve the job, and he sure as hell didn't deserve what credit he had. He never even caught a criminal on his own, for God's sake! You expect him to be my boss? My superior?! No! He's not the Nightingale, but he's shouldn't be treated like some... hero! So I made all the evidence point to him. I knew he'd be on death row if he was found guilty, and I didn't care. I still don't!"
Nolon grit his teeth. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen! He was supposed to win! All the evidence he stockpiled, all the months he spent tirelessly on this, all of it! For nothing! And now that pipsqueak was going to walk away free?!
Fredrich was amused by the drastic change in court, but it wasn't what held his interest. He stared at the screen that talked about the Nightingale strike. That... was impossible.

 

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Sawyer Loupohl

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Sawyer looked up at the judge, who nodded to a bailiff, who came over to Nolon and started to handcuff him, mumbling his rights and explaining that he was being arrested for misuse of evidence, fraud, and perjury. Turning away from the prosecutor, Sawyer looked to the jury. "Ladies and gentlemen, Cecil Tealy is a good man who was manipulated by circumstance. Please, as you now know he really is, find him innocent." He back away, then returned to the table to Cecil as the jury was lead away to deliberate.
Sitting beside Cecil, Sawyer set a hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently. "Hey, you okay?" he asked. It was a dumb question and he knew the answer, but at least he was asking.


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Cecil slumped forward in his seat, staring dully at the handcuffs at his wrists. He didn't shrug off Sawyer's hand when it went to his shoulder, but he wasn't comforted, either.
"I should be happy, you know?" he mumbled, his voice heavy. "I'm about to be found not guilty. You saved my life. But after everything that happened, the truth I learned... It doesn't feel much like a victory."

"YOU'RE UNDER ARREST!"

 

[Mayah Playah]

Sawyer Loupohl

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"Truth?" he repeated. "You mean about being police chief? Cecil, look at me." He grabbed both of the man's shoulders, turning him to face him before moving his right hand under the chief's chin and tilting it up. "Hey, listen. The position may have been bought for you, but you didn't know that. I've worked cases all over this country and I've never seen anyone quite like you. You work your hardest every single day to earn that job and the respect that comes with it, and you do your best no matter what. Crime rates are down in the city, people actually respect the uniform, and it's all thanks to you. So don't give me that "I don't actually deserve it" bullsh-t. You're good at your job. Trust me. I wouldn't lie to you just to make you feel better."
Before he could say another word, the jury reentered the room. To no one's surprise, Cecil was found not guilty. Sawyer smiled just like everyone else on his team did, turning and thanking Cameron, and letting him know that they couldn't have won the case without him. He glanced back to Cecil as his handcuffs were unlocked, smiling softly before hooking an arm around his neck and hugging him as they celebrated their victory.


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Despite the kind words, Cecil couldn't find reassurance. "Just because I wanted to be a great cop doesn't mean I was." he said when he was free to look back down at the table. "All those times I thought I caught a criminal, all those times I thought I saved someone... They were all actors. Do you know what that's like?" He looked back at Sawyer. "Sean left when I was a kid because his job was catching up with him. I became a cop so I could catch him myself. All this time I spent chasing after him and he was helping me, like someone letting a kid win a game. I feel pathetic."
He didn't smile when the jury announced that he was not guilty, he didn't pay attention to the people that congratulated him, he didn't even look up when Sawyer hugged him. When the crowd died down he moved away from the lawyer's grip. "I'm going to go home." he told the man. "I can't thank you enough, but I need some time to sort things out."

"YOU'RE UNDER ARREST!"

 

[Mayah Playah]

Sawyer Loupohl

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Sawyer glanced down at the moping young man, then sighed. "I'll take you home," he said, pulling his keys from his pocket and holding out a bag for Cecil to take. "Here, there's some clothes in there for you to change into. I figured you'd want something to wear other than that stupid orange jumpsuit." He gestured to a door to the side that lead to the bathroom. "Go and change. I'll meet you in a minute after I get everything put together. I don't feel like celebrating if you're not there."


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