Chapter 54: The Trial
“Miss Chowdar after your three weeks of preparation, are you happy for the case involving Todd Jacobson to proceed?” Judge Von Reinhold asked in a half empty court room.
Melanie who was standing up was nervous. She had always assisted some of her more senior lawyers in court but never actually spoke. She didn’t know for sure if she would be able to handle the situation as well as she would like. She had fought hard and risked everything just to be there. She couldn’t let Todd down now.
“Yes, your honour, we can proceed with the case,” she replied slightly stumbling over her words as she did so.
“Mr Felson, are you ready?” the Judge asked the lawyer for the prosecution.
“Yes, your honour, we are ready,” the veteran prosecutor declared in a confident manner. The opposing lawyer was well dressed in an expensive suit, shirt and tie. There wasn’t a hair out of place on his head and he was well shaven, though his hair was too black to be authentic.
“And who is your first witness?” the judge asked as if he was bored of the trial already.
“Arnold Hopmaier,” the prosecutor responded in a loud and clear voice.
“An overweight red haired man who looked to be of a similar age to the defendant, stood up and walked down the aisle towards the witness box.”
After he was sworn in, Mr Felson addressed his first witness.
“Mr Hopmaier, do you know the accused?”
“Why, yes sir, I do. We went to High School together. We knew each other for five years or so before we went our separate ways.”
Mr Hopmaier looked as if he was looking forward to his day in court and was happy to be there.
“What can you tell us about the defendant?”
“Well he was always a bit different. He was very private and didn’t have any close friends. But it wasn’t until one day after football practice that he revealed his dark secret. There we were drying ourselves in the locker room, when I noticed one of his legs was a bit green like a crocodile.”
“You mean like the skin of a reptile?” Mr Felson interrupted.
“Yes. I looked at it and he looked at me and noticed what I was looking at. Then he just sat back on the bench and his entire body changed into an alien creature with the skin, as you said, of a reptile. He seemed to be momentarily relieved as he sat back. It was like he had gotten renewed energy and as if the transformation gave him a second wind.”
“Did he threaten you?”
Suddenly there was fear in Arnold P Hopmaier’s eyes.
“Yes. He said that if I ever told anyone about it he would kill me. So I kept it a secret for more than thirty years. Then the President revealed the truth on television. Then I knew that I had to do my part for this great country of ours. I lived in fear for so many years. It’s a relief to get it off my chest.”
“How is your eyesight Mr Hopmaier?” Mr Felson asked as he came closer to the witness.
“20/20”
“Do you have any mental health issues? Do you imagine things?”
As he asked this question the prosecutor turned to face the audience and slowly looked at each of them.
“No. Of course not. I know what I saw, Todd Jacobson is not one of us. He’s a thing. An alien.”
“Thank you Mr Hopmaier,” Mr Felson said as he returned to his seat. He gave Melanie the impression that it was the first innings and he had just batted a home run as he said he would.
Melanie Chowdar stood up. She was nervous and at first she stumbled over her words.
“Mister… er.. Hopmaier, have you ever been a witness in similar trials before?”
“No.”
“So The United States vs Sherwin doesn’t jog your memory?”
“Well now that you mention it..”
“or The United States vs Hernandez?”
“Well, yes there were three court cases in which I was a witness,” the red haired man said as if he was a little flabbergasted. “I must be unlucky I guess to have encountered so many aliens when most people are fortunate not to see any.”
“So you are just putting it down to coincidence?” Melanie prompted him.
“Why yes.”
“What did you claim to see in each of these court cases?”
Mr Hopmaier appeared to be a little bit surprised that Melanie had come by this information and his complexion turned from white to red as he formulated his response.
“Well, in the Sherwin case I informed the court that I was hiding in a barn because it was raining and I was there for more than an hour when a man and woman came in. The changed form, similar to Mr Jacobson and well I was scared as you might expect. I had to wait nearly another two hours before they left.”
“What were you doing near a barn in the first place?”
“I was out for a walk.”
“On the defendant’s farm?”
“Well, yes. I was nearby and I needed to find somewhere for shelter.”
“And the second case?”
“Again I was walking in the forest. I heard the loud sound of dogs barking. It was getting louder and louder. I don’t like aggressive dogs so I climbed a tree and waited until they were gone, but in the meantime I saw Mr Hernandez pass near me and again, he changed form.”
“And the third case?”
“Miss Perez was my next door neighbour. She claimed that I was unfriendly. She said I wouldn’t return her sons footballs when they came over the fence. She claimed I threatened her son several times and a number of other lies. Then one day she came into my house and she got into a rage and started to change form. She grew to eight foot tall. She was big and green with the skin of a lizard. I was frightened and she hit me a few times but then changed back. She threatened me and then she left. I was grateful to be alive.”
“Did you go to a hospital with your injuries?”
“Yes. Yes I did?”
“And you produced a Doctor’s report in the trial of Miss Perez.”
“Yes that is correct.”
Melanie was starting to feel more relaxed and confident as she came closer to the witness and made firm eye contact with him.
“Who was this Doctor?”
“I can’t remember his name?”
“Shall I jog your memory?” Melanie asked before pausing. “Doctor Hardy.”
“Oh I had forgotten his name. I’m sorry. That must be it.” Still the witness looked like a man under pressure and wanting to be somewhere else.
“Have you ever been the witness in a Civil Trial, Mr Hopmaier?”
“I can’t remember.”
“I count six further cases. How could you forget?”
“Well it was a while ago.”
“And yet you have a clear memory of Mr Jacobson in the school gym?”
“Well certain cases you don’t forget.”
Judge Von Reinhold had to stop himself from drifting off. While this was the first case he had come across where a changeling was being defended, he new deep down there could only be one outcome. Even if he were to side with the defendant, he would find himself in hot water, the case would be appealed and the defendant would be executed in the end anyway. As long as he had people to answer to, the result would always be the same.
“Let me jog your memory,” Melanie replied.
“For two of the six cases you sued for slipping in the toilet of a restaurant. For three further cases you claimed compensation in car accidents. The sixth case related to your wife where you gave evidence that she slid and fell and broke her forearm in a supermarket. Is any of that correct?”
“Well probably.”
“Who was the doctor who also gave evidence in all six civil cases?”
“Now that couldn’t be right?” Arnold P Hopmaier responded as if he was looking around the courtroom for an alternative answer.
“Doctor Hardy,” the lawyer for the defence responded.
“He is a very good Doctor though,” the witness informed her.
“According to court records, the same Doctor Hardy has testified in four hundred and fifty-three civil cases. How much money did you earn from these lawsuits.”
“I can’t remember.”
“You earned Seven Hundred and twenty three thousand dollars from the five court cases and your wife earned two hundred and seventy thousand dollars from her case according to court records. Does that jog your memory?”
“I surely didn’t get that much. If that was the case we’d practically be millionaires. I am a lot closer to being broke than I am to being rich.”
“Do you have a gambling problem Mr Hopmaier?”
“No,” the witness responded hesitantly, as if he was dreading the next question.
“What is the name of your local bookmaker?”
“I wouldn’t know.”
“What if I said, that we have a witness who said that you once made a bet of twenty thousand dollars on a horse race and that you made numerous large bets and weren’t in a position to clear your account. What if I said that you owed your local bookmaker a sum of seventy three thousand and eighty two dollars plus change?”
“That sounds like a load of baloney to me, Miss.”
“What if I could produce a copy of your bookies statement showing how much you owe as of the last day of last month?” Melanie started to rummage through her files. The truth was that she didn’t have any documentation showing that Mr Hopmaier owed a large debt and his local bookmaker had no intention of testifying. In truth she was making a huge and risky gamble.
“So I like to gamble. Doesn’t everybody,” Mr Hopmaier replied
Inwardly, Melanie Chowdar felt a huge amount of relief.
“No more questions your honour,” she replied.
Mr Felson then called a woman by the name of Marianne Hickory. She took her seat in the witness box and took an oath to speak the truth. She had a large amount of long red frizzy hair. She looked to be about fifty years old, wore a red blazer with a white blouse and was about four stone over weight.
“Mrs Hickory,” the prosecutor addressed her, “Are you, or are you not, the sister of Todd Jacobson?”
“I am the sister of Todd Jacobson. I was born Marianne Jacobson but the man in the witness box is not Todd Jacobson. He is not of this world. I first noticed this when I was twelve years old. I noticed that some of my clothes after they had been cleaned still had a slimy green substance. I could not explain it. Then one day I burst into his room without warning because some of my food had mysteriously disappeared. I intended to eat it for lunch the next day. He was not in human form and looked like a reptile. He quickly changed back to his human form. Initially he claimed that I was imagining things but then once he realised he wasn’t convincing enough he became bigger and threatened me.”
“What did he say?”
“He said that if I ever told a living soul he would rip me apart limb by limb. He was very scary. I nearly pissed myself, so I ended up leaving home at fifteen just to get away from him. I never told anyone about it until I heard about this trial. Then I knew that I had to do my duty. He’s not human. He’s a monster.”
Mrs Hickory removed a handkerchief from her brown leather handbag and used it to wipe her eyes.
“Did you notice any change in him, with the benefit of hindsight, Miss Jacobson?”
“Why yes, now that you mention it there was one day where we went for a walk in the woods and he, I mean Todd, didn’t come back for hours. It was after that that Todd or whatever it is, seemed to change. The other Todd was an absolute angel but his replacement was moodier, less friendly and prone to fits of anger. He deserves to be hung,” Marianne Hickory delivered the final sentence with contempt. At no time did she make eye contact with Todd.
“No more questions your honour.”
Melanie stood up once more, though a little less nervous than on the first occasion.
“Miss Jacobson, have you ever taken drugs of any kind?” the young female lawyer asked.
“No, I have not,” the witness responded defiantly as if it was very much beneath her.
“Have you ever been arrested for possession?”
“No. Absolutely not.”
“How is it then that court records in Madison show that Marianne Jacobson was arrested twice for possession? The first time was twelve years ago and the second was eight years ago.”
“It must be a different Marianne Jacobson,” the witness responded a little more nervously.
“With the same date of birth, social security number and a mugshot that bears a striking resemblance?” Melanie prodded.
“Ok, so I did some drugs at one point, but I’m clean now.”
Melanie picked up a photo from her desk. “Do you know the other person in this picture?” she asked. The picture showed the witness and another woman standing on a street corner exchanging a bag of what appeared to be a synthetic substance.
“I don’t know. I’ve never seen that person before in my life.”
“Well that was taken three weeks ago. Perhaps this photo, five days later will jog your memory? Or perhaps this one ten days later or this one fifteen days later?” Melanie held up separate but similar photographs each time
“Well it’s not what it looks like,” Marianne Hickory responded in a flustered manner. “I’m not as mobile as I used to be and I needed someone to shop for me.”
“Then what is the substance Miss Jacobson?” Melanie asked in a strong voice.
“Washing powder.”
“In a see through bag?”
“Ok, so I do a little stuff every now and again. That doesn’t make me an alien monster now does it?”
“No more questions your honour," Melanie responded before taking her seat once more.
Mr Felson stood up once more after the second witness had left the witness box. “Your honour I’d like to call Sergeant Jack Leading as the State’s next witness.”
An overweight man in his fifties, wearing a full police uniform approached the witness box.
“Sargent Leading, you have served for more than thirty years as a police officer in this city’s police force. Is that correct?”
“Yes,” the police officer responded proudly with a hint of a smile
“How many arrests have you made in that time?”
“Over a thousand I guess.”
“Do you recognise the accused in front of you?”
“Why yes I do. I caught him stealing something about eight years ago. It was off Lexington Avenue. There was a grocery store belonging to a friend of mine. I tried to catch him but then I saw the strangest thing. As I was chasing him he changed form and disappeared into a large crowd. The damnedest thing I ever did see.”
“And you are sure that it was the accused?”
“Well I may be overweight but there is nothing wrong with my eyesight. I know what I saw.”
“No more questions your honour.”
“Sargent Leading,” Melanie said as she stood up, “Are you sure that the thing you saw didn’t turn into Todd Jacobson in order to incriminate him?”
“Very sure.”
“Prove it from a logical viewpoint,” Melanie urged him.
“Why, it has to be him.”
“But there’s no telling what you saw didn’t try to incriminate the accused.”
“That’s ridiculous,” the police officer responded with great assurance.
“Every bit as ridiculous as seeing an alien life form change appearance.”
“Why…”
“Have you, Sargent Leading, ever sought bribes in your duty as a police officer?” the defence lawyer asked in a calm manner.
“No, of course not.”
“Would you recognise your own voice if you heard it?”
“Of course I would.”
“Your honour I’d like to submit this recording into evidence.”
“What is it?” the judge asked out of curiousity.
“It is a recording of the witness in discussion with a restaurant proprietor.”
“Let’s hear it first and then I will decide upon it.”
Melanie turned up the volume and pressed play.
“Good morning Raymond,” a voice similar to the Sargent’s was heard to say.
“What do you want?” came the abrupt reply from the second individual.
“Raymond, Raymond, Raymond, there’s no need for the attitude.”
“What is it that you want? You’re not due here until next Tuesday.”
“Business is looking up Raymond and I want my cut.”
“You already get ninety percent of my profits. That’s a pretty big hole. What happens if the IRS start asking questions?”
Suddenly the Sargent stood up in the court room. “This is an outrage,” he declared. “You can’t do this. That is not my voice. It has to be an impostor or even a changeling. If they can mimic appearance, they can mimic voices. Anyone can see that.”
“Miss Chowdar,” the Judge intervened, “I’m afraid that I cannot allow this into evidence. Now if you can actually verify this by getting a business man to testify to its authenticity that would be a different matter. Otherwise I will have to strike it from the record. Are you clear?”
“Yes your honour,” Melanie replied despondently.
“Now, do you have any more questions for this witness?”
“No your honour I do not.”
“Very well then Sargent Leading you may step down.”
The Sargent was very angry and sneered at Melanie as he made his way out of the witness box. He didn’t say anything but if Melanie could read thoughts it seemed as if he was saying, “how dare you.”
“Your Honour,” the prosecuting lawyer addressed the judge, “We would like to call Doctor Erwin Scheintraller as our next witness.”
“A small, thin, mostly bald man, with glasses, approached the witness box.”
Once he was seated, Mr Felson asked his first question.
“Doctor Scheintraller, you are a scientist, is that correct?”
“Why yes of course. I have pioneered the study of changelings. I have compared them to normal human beings and have made many fascinating discoveries. The main test that is conclusive in my studies is a test I perform, that looks for what I call Glamoridians. These Glamoridians are common in the blood of changelings but not in the blood of humans. I have brought with me several examples of what this changeling blood looks like under a microscope when compared to human blood. The test involves mixing both samples with Cellocuric liquid.”
Mr Felson approached the witness stand and accepted the sample pictures from Dr Scheinstraller. He showed them to the judge, the defense and the gallery. Several members of the gallery could be heard to gasp.
“How long have you been studying these Glamoridians, Doctor Scheintraller?”
“Eighteen months.”
“And what are your credentials?”
“I am a fully qualified Professor from Yale University. I qualified many years ago and have carried out many experiments at the college in the interests of research. Just last month the President awarded me with the medal of freedom for the work I’ve carried out.”
“That will be all for the moment your honour,” the lawyer for the prosecution declared as he took a seat once more.
Melanie stood up with a book in her hand and approached the witness box.
“Doctor Scheintraller, this is the most recent edition of the Oxford Dictionary. Can you show me where it mentions the word, Glamoridians?”
The Doctor accepted the dictionary and proceeded to search through it for almost two minutes. “It doesn’t appear to be there,” he conceded.
“I also have three books on human biology all of which were published in the last six months. I can find no mention of your research within them.”
“I have been recognised by my peers for my work.,.” the professor objected.
“How many of your peers exactly, Doctor Scheintraller?”
“Well I’ve lost count.”
“I count three, based on my research. Can you name more than three, Doctor Scheintraller?”
“Well, nobody has criticised it.”
Melanie had a good response to that question but was afraid to say. Fear. Nobody would speak out about Scheintraller’s work because they would end up in Todd’s situation as soon as they did.
“Wouldn’t you say that if there are a thousand professors in your field throughout the world and only three have endorsed it, then there must be something wrong.”
“I can’t agree with you. You know nothing of the subject. I have been studying biology all of my adult life. I have put my heart and soul into it. You are just an abrasive upstart. I won’t have you ridiculing me. Perhaps I should take your blood sample and see whether you, a changeling sympathiser is really a changeling in hiding.”
“Yes, Doctor, perhaps you can demonstrate, taking my blood sample and your blood and the defendant’s blood sample and demonstrating how the test is done in full view of the court. Would you be willing to do that Doctor?”
“Well these things take time,” the scientist replied hesitantly. “They are not that simple.”
“So, that’s a no then Doctor is it?”
“I’m just saying that it takes time. It’s not a straight forward procedure. You wouldn’t know what I’m talking about. It would go way over your head.”
“I think that nobody knows what you are talking about Doctor,” Melanie declared as she returned to her seat.
“Ms Chowdar,” the Judge interrupted, “you will adhere to the rules of the court, or I will have to take action. Do you understand?”
“Yes, your honour. I understand,” Melanie responded. Even though she backed down, she didn’t regret her action. She was annoyed at a scientist she viewed as a fraud and thought that he should be exposed for what he was.
“Now,” the judge continued, “Mr Felson, do you have any more witnesses?”
“No, your honour I do not,” the prosecutor responded.
“Miss Chowdar, do you have any more witnesses?”
“Todd Jacobson, your honour.”
“Very well then,” the judge replied.
Todd Jacobson reluctantly approached the witness box. He didn’t want to be there. He would rather get the whole thing over with. This case was just prolonging his agony. He was only going through with it for Melanie’s sake. He held out no hope that he would become a free man ever again.
“Mr Jacobson,” Melanie addressed the defendant once he was seated, “what were you doing at the time of your arrest?”
“I was helping out at a homeless shelter. Two cops entered and started to pick on a couple of our clients. So I went over and asked them to leave them alone. They took exception to this and told me I would wish I’d never interfered. They left, but in less than an hour the army arrived with a Reaper directing them outside the shelter. They arrested more than a dozen of us and bundled us into the back of a truck. Next thing you know, I find myself in a prison cell most of them, including Ernie, Griff, Rosie and Clark were all executed in little over a day.”
“Tell us about your sister,” Melanie suggested.
“I guess we all had our faults. Myself and Marianne were no different. We argued a lot as kids. Over little things mostly.”
“Even before the age of twelve?” Melanie interrupted.
“Why yes. I was slightly older than her. We are flesh and blood and I’m sure a simple blood test would prove it.”
“As long as that blood test isn’t carried out by Doctor Scheintraller,” Melanie interjected.
“Miss Chowdar,” the judge objected, “this is not a comedy festival. It’s a courtroom.”
“Why were you helping out at a homeless shelter Todd?” the young lawyer asked.
“I guess it made me feel good. I guess I saw the error of my ways you might say. I was given a second chance and helping people in similar circumstances to my own makes me feel better. I was also surrounded by some very decent people. Most of the people they are rounding up, may be the less well off but most of them are some of the finest people you could meet. They’ve just been dealt a raw deal.”
“Have you ever struck anyone?”
“Only in self-defence. One guy tried to rob my sleeping blanket and attacked me on an occasion.”
“Have you ever stolen anything?” Melanie asked.
“I’ve begged for money, I’m ashamed to say, but I’ve never stolen anything,” Todd responded sheepishly.
“No more questions your honour,” Melanie declared once more.
Mr Felson stood up as if he was a little angry.
“If I was to say to you – prove to me that you are not a changeling – what would you say?”
“Can you prove to me Mr Felson that you are not a changeling?” Todd responded.
The Prosecutor moved his head slightly and smirked in a way that seemed insincere. “I am not on trial here, Mr Jacobson,” he responded.
“Did you or did you not know, Mr Hopmaier?” Mr Felson responded after a brief pause.
“Why yes, but he was never the most…”
“So you knew him?” the prosecutor interrupted.
“Yes.”
“Do you deny that your sister is who she says she is? Is she an impostor Mr Jacobson or are you the imposter.”
“I am no impostor.”
“But Marianne Hickory is your sister, is she not? The same Marianne Hickory seated two rows behind you in this courtroom”
“She is, but...”
“That is all, Mr Jacobson, I hope you are obliterated like the lying devious changeling that you are,” the Prosecutor said as he walked away.
Judge Von Reinhold was tempted to reprimand Mr Felson for his comments but knew that it wouldn’t look good on his resume.
Melanie Chowdar stood up and approached the defendant who was seated in the witness box.
“What were you about to say about Mr Hoppmaier, Mr Jacobson?”
“Well just that he was no better than me when we were at school. I was no angel, but neither was he. If he thought I was a threat to him or the rest of the school then you would have to ask the question as to why he never said anything to anybody. He wasn’t the shyest person in the world or the most easily intimidated. His skin was as thick as a rhinoceros’ hide. He wasn’t sensivive at all. I think he’s taking advantage of my lack of popularity as it stands currently. I think that that is the kind of guy he is. He’s no saint.”
“Objection your honour,” Mr Felson said in an angry tone, “this is speculation.”
“Sustained,” the judge replied without moving his head.
“Do you have any more questions, Ms Chowdar?” the judge asked after a short pause.
“No your honour. I have no more questions.”
The judge looked across at Mr Felson. The Prosecutor’s expression indicated to him that he had no more reasons to question the defendant.
“Do you have any more witnesses, Miss Chowdar?” Judge Von Reinhold asked.
“No, your honour I do not wish to call any witnesses?”
“In that case, I will adjourn for closing arguments tomorrow morning at 10am,” the judge replied before pounding his gavel against he wooden block in front of his bench.
Judge Raymond Von Reinhold had changed into his casual clothes and turned the key in the door of his chambers when a familiar voice called out to him. “Ray,” he said, “how are you?”
Kirk Dugoode was a colleague of Raymond’s but not his most likeable one.
“Hello, Kirk,” Raymond replied
“Do you have time for a quick drink Ray, for old times sake?”
In truth, Raymond Von Reinhold would rather sleep with a bunch of snakes.
“Well Mrs Von Reinhold wants to go out for a meal tonight. I’m running late as it is.”
“Ray, I’m afraid that it is important. It will just take a few minutes. Just one for the road.”
Raymond knew that while Kirk was not the nicest person in the world, he was the most influential. In this changing world where Reapers were all powerful and those that supported them even more so, he knew his life would be easier if he just played along. Kirk was strongly supportive of the President and the regime that he represented. One bad word from Mr Dugoode and Raymond’s life could come crashing down.
Ten minutes later, the two court judges were seated at a small table in Dino’s bar, across the street from the courthouse. Kirk ordered a Martini and Raymond settled for a Ginger Ale. Mrs Von Reinhold wouldn’t approve of him drinking booze before a meal, especially if it resulted in them being late. Mrs Von Reinhold always looked forward to their nights out at Starley’s Restaurant on Hinderwald Avenue. It was her favourite Restaurant.
“Let me cut to the chase, Ray,” Kirk began, “A friend of mine was sitting in on that trial. The one involving the homeless guy and his female lawyer. You know the one.”
“Todd Jacobson,” Raymond replied.
“Yes that’s the one,” he said before taking a moment to pause. “He’s a little worried that you’re going soft. He thinks that you’re allowing, the female lawyer too much time and too much leeway in order to question the suspects. We can’t allow a single case to slip through our fingers. You know what I mean. The future of this country depends on it.”
Raymond detested that statement. The future of this country depends on it. It was like as if he had travelled through time from Nazi Germany and anointed himself as the individual that knew what was best for America.
Inwardly Raymond couldn’t take any more of this. He intended to tell his wife later that evening of his intention to resign. He had enough savings built up to live comfortably with his wife for a number of years. He didn’t have the heart to continue giving verdicts that were laced with bigotry. He didn’t want to continue living in fear of people like Kirk Dugoode and he didn’t want to repeatedly be looking over his shoulder for the rest of his career. He wanted to end it now.
“I understand Kirk. You can rely on me. I’ve never let you down in the past, now have I?” Raymond replied obediently.
“I guess not. It’s good to hear. I just want to be sure that we’re all singing from the one hymn sheet. Another thing. The girl must be made an example of. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Kirk I understand.”
“Good, now how is that beautiful wife of yours?”
“She’s fine, Kirk just fine.”
“You did well to keep hold of her for thirty years.”
“Thirty-two.”
“Yes, and she doesn’t look a day over thirty.”
When Raymond heard Kirk talk like this he likened him to a garden slug. He wanted to turn away in disgust.
“Oh well, I’d better be off,” Judge Dugoode declared as he stood up having knocked back his Martini, “We don’t want to delay you much longer. You can take the tab on this one. I promise I’ll get you back Ray. Good talk. Goodbye.”
Raymond looked around at the clientele in the bar. They almost all looked happy, without a care in the world. These were the lucky ones, the judge thought and at what expense.
Judge Von Reinhold took another sip from his Ginger Ale, walked over to the bar and paid the bill. As he walked out he hoped he wouldn’t have to endure any more of Kirk’s pep talks.
Standing at the steps of the courthouse, Melanie could see people shouting and holding banners on the opposite side of the street. It was something that she dreaded. No matter how many times she told herself that she was doing the right thing, it didn’t make the abuse any easier to absorb. Several years ago there were people protesting about the President outside of courthouses. In some instances these rival protesters had clashed. The authorities however just rounded up the anti government demonstrators only and threw them in jail. Almost none of them were heard from again. The exceptions gave in to the authorities and mended their ways.
Half of the banners read simply “alien scum out.” Others read “go back to where you came from,” or “down with degenerates”. Melanie didn’t have a car she could climb into and drive away in. She had to walk to the nearest subway station. As she did so, the crowd heckled her, and not in a good way. Sometimes they mocked her by saying that she was going to jail or going to be executed and on other occasions they simply spewed out as much hatred as they could muster. Every now and again Melanie asked herself the question, “what had she done to deserve this?” and “what made people so hateful?” From past experience however, these questions only made things worse. She couldn’t allow self pity to get the best out of her.
A handful of protesters, followed her down the street, shouting abuse at her as she walked. It was also a source of embarrassment and humiliation that other people noticed what was going on and looked at her with a lack of respect. Some of them looked at her like she was the lowest and nastiest form of life. Of course, not everyone was like that but those that weren’t never interfered.
President Westwood had won the propaganda war. It was now several years since he started his anti-changeling campaign and created the Reapers unit that gave him unprecedented power. In that time there had been many movies made about changelings that had sold many millions of cinema tickets. There had been many newspapers and journalists that adopted the same stance and were afraid to object. TV programmes and advertisements portrayed the same anti-changeling message. The effect of this propaganda was that most of the American citizens and those of other countries believed everything that the President was telling them. Changelings were evil, devious and a danger to the rest of society.
The journey on the subway was always a chore. She was always guaranteed some level of abuse most of which lasted a second or two. She could however see in the eyes of some people that they didn’t support the behaviour of the abusers but were too afraid to do anything about it.
Melanie made her way from the subway station towards her apartment. The distance was less than a mile and in the suburbs there were fewer people to pass by. She was stressed after an exhausting day.
There were several young teenagers playing basketball in an alleyway. This had become something of an unusual event. Many parents were afraid of allowing their children play on the street in case they were rounded up. This was more likely to happen in a neighbourhood that was not affluent.
Other people were walking home with groceries from the local store or from a day at work. One particular man with glasses, who looked to be in his mid forties and who had a tight haircut on his mostly bald head approached her.
“It’s not too late Miss Chowdar,” he said in a creepy way. “If you persist, things could get ugly for you and your family and you don’t want that.”
Melanie looked at his thin and wrinkled face. She felt powerless. She was messing with forces that were far greater and more formidable than any power she could ever hope to wield. “What could she do?” she asked herself.
The man just looked at her in a sinister way. “Your life will be taken from you, just like that,” the man said, as he snapped his fingers and walked away.
This made Melanie feel somewhat depressed. Up to now she had been prepared to fight but threats to the livelihoods of those close to her and to herself, made her feel like she had been stripped naked in front of all of her fellow high school students. Doubts were starting to form in her mind and during the whole night she barely slept. Every time she shut her eyes she kept thinking to the man with glasses and a thin face, taunting her. It was difficult to let go, to relax and fall asleep.
The following morning Melanie sat nervously at her bench in the court room beside Todd. She had drafted her speech. She thought it would be better if she memorised it and spoke openly but she wasn’t a good public speaker and was afraid that she would make too many errors. Errors could be latched onto by a judge, but if she was to read out her speech directly she was afraid that too could have a counter-productive impact.
The Judge entered the courtroom and everyone stood up. After going through the formalities he asked Mr Felson to give his closing argument.
The prosecutor calmly climbed to his feet without a script. “Yesterday we heard the evidence of Mr Arnold Hoppmaier, Ms Marianne Jacobson, Sargent Leading and Doctor Scheintraller. Three people claimed to have seen Mr Jacobson, the defendant change form in clear sight. Three people cannot be wrong, particularly these fine upstanding citizens. The Lawyers for the defence tried to pick holes in their testimony with little success.
If Mr Jacobson is a Changeling, and we are sure that he is, he must be punished for his deceit. Nobody is above the law. We also know that Changelings are capable of anything and represent a clear and present danger to our way of life. Mr Jacobson on the outside, appears like an amenable person but underneath the surface, he is a fraud. History has shown that Changelings are devious creatures, who can commit crimes and pin them on others. He is not to be trusted. Zero tolerance should be shown to him. No mercy.
Three people have seen him as he really is and a fourth has proven that he is without a doubt an alien being. Show no mercy. Punish him like he deserves to be punished.”
Mr Felson stood down in a calm and confident manner, believing that he had done his job as well as he could and success was a foregone conclusion.
Melanie hoped that he was wrong, but also hoped that she could deliver a calm and confident speech just like him.
She stood up.
“Your honour, we have heard the evidence from each of the four witnesses. Each one of their testimonies had holes that you could drive a bus through. Mr Hoppmaier was a serial witness in numerous trials with dubious integrity. Miss Jacobson was another dubious witness with a drug habit. She had no evidence to corroborate her account. Her mother or other family members have not come forward to confirm her testimony. Sargent Leading another man of dubious integrity…”
“Miss Chowdar, that has not been proven,” the Judge intervened.
Melanie paused for a minute, before looking down at her notes once more.
“Sargent Leading cannot prove that it was not a changeling who assumed Todd’s identity before reverting to the identity of another. Another weakness is that Sargent Leading did not provide any evidence of making a report at that time of the incident. He has only come forward recently.
The fourth witness is another with a dubious reputation. He clearly does not have the recognition of his peers and when asked to perform a test in full view of the court, he reneged.
The prosecution have provided no unequivocal evidence to prove that Mr Jacobson is a changeling. They also have done nothing to prove that Mr Jacobson is a malevolent individual. Mr Jacobson prior to his arrest worked in a homeless shelter, helping the underprivileged. He has been linked with no crime or criminal activity. He is an upstanding citizen and should have similar rights to any other US citizen. The only reason for condemning Mr Jacobson is rooted in prejudice. It is rooted in the Spanish Inquisition. It is rooted in Nazi Germany and it is rooted in the McCarthyism of the 1950s. There is nothing to say that the defendant is a bad person. We don’t have to deliver the wrong verdict just because we are afraid to stand up to those in a more powerful position. What is really happening here is that the President and the powers that be are rounding up anyone they don’t like…”
“That is enough Miss Chowdar,” the Judge intervened vehemently as he tapped his gavel against the small wooden block in front of him. “You cannot slander the President of the United States in my court room or I can hold you in contempt. Do you understand?”
“Yes your honour,” Melanie replied as if she was a young girl being reprimanded by her mother. It appeared that the Judge himself was indicating his allegiance. She felt more helpless than she had been at any point in the trial. At this moment she felt as though no amount of intelligent and articulate rhetoric could free Todd Jacobson. It felt like she was trying to break down a brick wall with her bare hands.
Suddenly Melanie didn’t know what else to say. She didn’t want to let Todd down, but the remainder of her speech related to the corrupt establishment that was crippling society.
“Todd Jacobson, is just a human being like you or me who has done nothing wrong. Don’t be afraid. Set him free,” she said before sitting down.
“Very well,” the Judge replied after a brief pause, “I will take an hour to reflect on this matter and by noon, I will deliver my verdict.” The judge then stood up and left the room.
When noon arrived, Judge Von Reinhold, entered the courtroom for the last time. It would be his last case. He was conflicted. If he was free to make his own decisions without repercussion, he would be awarding Todd Jacobson a medal and not condemning him to death. Worse still, he had been told that he would have to make an example of the female lawyer. It was his final case and he couldn’t mess things up for him, his wife and family. Difficult as it was there could be only one Judgement in this corrupt world.
“I have made my decision,” the Judge declared aloud. “I find Todd Jacobson guilty of being an alien life form. His punishment is death.”
Melanie’s heart sank. Even though she had expected it, this felt like a knockout blow that sank her to her knees.
Those people that were in the gallery clapped and cheered.
“Furthermore,” the Judge announced, “We find grounds that Miss Chowdar should be arrested as an alien sympathiser. Miss Chowdar, you will also have a right to a fair trial should you so wish. If not, the punishment is also death.”