Free Web NovelChapter 326: Calling In Witnesses
"Call your first witness," Damian said.
The prosecution called Marcus Doyle, the driver who had been waiting outside the Ashford Club on the night of the crash.
Marcus was a large man in his fifties with a tired face and rough hands. He wore a dark suit that did not fit perfectly. His eyes kept drifting toward Victor as he walked toward the witness stand, but every time Victor looked back, Marcus quickly looked away.
He raised his hand and took the oath.
The prosecutor approached him carefully. "Mr. Doyle, what was your role on the night of September eighteenth?"
"I was assigned to drive Mr. Hale home," Marcus answered.
"Were you waiting outside the Ashford Club?"
"Yes."
"Did you see Mr. Hale leave the club?"
"Yes."
"What was his condition?"
Marcus hesitated.
Damian watched him closely. The man was nervous, but not because he was lying. He was nervous because he knew who Victor Hale was. He knew Richard Hale was sitting only a few feet away. He knew the Black Sheep Firm had ruined people with less effort than it took to send an email.
However, Judge Hill personally reached out to him and promised compensation and protection. If Judge Hill can survive the Hale family, then he should be able to shield him too!
"He was drunk," Marcus finally said. "He was stumbling. His speech was slurred. He had trouble keeping his balance."
"Did you offer to drive him home?"
"Yes."
"What did he say?"
Marcus swallowed hard. "He told me he was fine. He said the car could drive itself if he was too drunk."
A murmur moved through the gallery.
Damian lifted his eyes. "Order."
The room became quiet again.
"Did you attempt to stop him?" the prosecutor asked.
"I tried," Marcus said. "I told him it was not safe. I told him to give me the keys. He laughed at me. He said I was acting like his mother."
"Did he enter the vehicle?"
"Yes."
"Did he drive away?"
"Yes."
The prosecutor nodded and returned to her table.
Victor’s attorney rose for cross examination. His expression was calm, almost sympathetic.
"Mr. Doyle," he began, "how long had you been employed by the Hale family?"
"Four years."
"And how did that employment end?"
Marcus’s face tightened.
"I was dismissed."
"Dismissed by whom?"
"Mr. Richard Hale."
The attorney nodded slowly, allowing the answer to hang in the room.
"So you were fired by the Hale family?"
"Yes."
"And you are now testifying against Victor Hale?"
"I am testifying about what happened."
"Are you angry about being dismissed?"
"No."
"Were you given severance pay?"
"Yes."
"Did you believe the severance was fair?"
Marcus looked toward the jury. "I do not know what that has to do with a dead man and a little girl without a leg."
The defense attorney smiled faintly. "It has everything to do with your motive, Mr. Doyle."
Marcus’s jaw tightened, but he did not respond.
’Oh, he’s good.’ Rin whistled.
’He’s just like me but without the powers’ Damain inwardly nodded.
The attorney continued. "You were dismissed after an internal investigation involving allegations that you had been drinking while on duty. Is that correct?"
"That was a lie."
"Is that correct?"
Marcus looked toward Damian.
Damian’s expression remained still. "Answer the question."
"Yes," Marcus said quietly. "That was the reason they gave."
The defense attorney nodded as if he had won something important.
"No further questions."
The next witness was Detective Aaron Cole, the lead investigator assigned to the crash. He testified about the scene, the speed of Victor’s vehicle, the blood alcohol results, and the damage to the Morales family’s sedan. The prosecutor showed photographs of the intersection, skid marks, broken traffic lights, and the wreckage left behind after the collision.
Then the defense began its attack.
They called Dr. Henry Vale, a software engineer employed by the company that manufactured Victor’s vehicle. He was a thin man with glasses and a carefully neutral expression. His testimony was technical, calm, and dangerous because it sounded believable.
"The vehicle’s autonomous system encountered a fault," Dr. Vale explained. "The system failed to correctly interpret the traffic signal. It also failed to apply emergency braking within the expected timeframe."
The defense attorney nodded. "Could this fault have contributed to the collision?"
"Yes."
"Could it have caused the collision?"
"Yes."
"Could a sober driver have been unable to prevent the crash under these conditions?"
"Yes."
The prosecutor stood for cross examination.
"Dr. Vale," He said, "does the autonomous system have a manual override?"
"Yes."
"What happens when the driver takes control of the steering wheel and accelerator?"
"The system reduces its control."
"Does it continue attempting to prevent collisions?"
"It does, but the driver’s input takes priority."
The prosecutor displayed a chart on the screen.
"Is this the vehicle data from Victor Hale’s car?"
"Yes."
"Does it show that the autonomous system attempted to reduce speed before the intersection?"
Dr. Vale stared at the chart. "It appears to show a reduction request."
"Does it show that the accelerator was pressed after that request?"
"Yes."
"Does it show that the steering wheel was manually turned?"
"Yes."
"Does it show that Victor Hale manually overrode the vehicle’s safety system?"
The courtroom became silent.
Dr. Vale adjusted his glasses. "It shows that manual input was detected."
The prosecutor stepped closer.
"Does it show that Victor Hale took control of the vehicle while intoxicated, ignored the automated warning, accelerated, and drove into an intersection against a red light?"
The engineer’s face tightened.
"It shows manual input," he repeated.
The prosecutor nodded. "Nothing further."
For the first time that day, Victor’s expression changed.
The confidence in his eyes weakened.
Richard Hale leaned toward him and whispered something, but Victor did not respond. He was staring at the screen. The chart did not care who his father was or who his lawyers were or how much money the Black Sheep Firm had.
It showed exactly what he had done.
Damian watched Victor carefully. Seeing the man restless he couldn’t help but feel elated. There should be no peace for the wicked after all.
The prosecution’s final witness was Sophia Morales.
The courtroom stood when she entered.
She walked slowly with a cane, her body still weak from the injuries she suffered. Her face was pale. Her hair had been cut shorter than it had been before the crash. She looked older than thirty one. She looked like someone who had spent months learning how to live inside a body that no longer felt like her own.
Emily watched her mother reach the witness stand. Sophia placed one hand over her daughter’s hair as she passed.
Then she took the oath. The prosecutor approached her gently.
"Mrs. Morales, do you remember the night of the crash?"
Sophia’s eyes filled with tears, but she did not look away.
"I remember Ethan driving," she said. "Emily was asleep in the back seat. We were coming home from my sister’s house. Ethan was talking about work. He was laughing because Emily had made him promise to take her to the fire station the next day."
Her voice trembled.
"Then there was a light. A very bright light. I heard Ethan say something. I do not remember what it was. Then everything broke."
The prosecutor remained silent for a moment.
"When did you wake up?"
"In the hospital."
"What did you learn?"
Sophia looked toward Emily.
"I learned my husband was dead. I learned my daughter lost her leg. I learned the man who did it was rich."
Victor looked down as Sophia’s eyes moved toward him.
"I do not care if his car failed. I do not care if his father knows politicians. I do not care if he has lawyers who can explain everything with expensive words. My husband is dead. My daughter will live with this forever. And he was drunk."
The defense attorney stood slowly.
"Mrs. Morales," he said, "I am deeply sorry for your loss."
Sophia stared at him without expression.
"But you did not see Mr. Hale drive through the red light, did you?"
"No."
"You do not know whether the vehicle malfunctioned, correct?"
"No."
"You do not know whether Mr. Hale attempted to regain control of the vehicle, correct?"
Sophia’s lips pressed together.
"No."
The attorney nodded.
"Then your testimony is based on grief, not technical evidence."
Sophia looked at him for several seconds.
"My testimony is based on waking up without my husband," she said quietly. "Your technical evidence can explain why the car failed. It cannot explain why he was drunk."
The defense attorney’s expression stiffened.
"No further questions."
When Sophia returned to her seat, the courtroom remained silent.
Damian called for a recess.
As the jury left, Richard Hale stood and walked toward Victor. His face was no longer calm.
"You need to control yourself," Richard whispered.
Victor looked at him with hollow eyes. "They have the data."
"They have nothing," Richard replied. "The company will challenge it. The experts will challenge it. We will appeal if we have to."
Victor’s hands shook beneath the table.
"They have everything."
Richard grabbed his wrist beneath the table, his grip tight enough to make Victor flinch.
"Then stop acting guilty," Richard hissed.
Damian watched them from behind the bench. He did not need divine perception to understand what was happening.
