On the day of the trial, Joshua Daller didn't fall asleep all night, and got up at 5 o'clock in the morning with dark circles under his eyes. Sister Rosie curled up on the other bed, and the wide quilt wrapped her like a shrimp.
The hotel's environment is many times better than their old house, and there is even aromatherapy for restful sleep. His little girl slept soundly. To be precise, she slept very deeply these past few days. She didn't get cold in the middle of the night, she didn't feel scared by the movement of mice and cockroaches, and she didn't wake up from the drunken scolding.
He wished she could live so steadily all the time, but he couldn't give any guarantees.
Because today, he is going to stand a trial.
He was very nervous, very resistant, and very negative...
The air in the hotel room is very good, at least much fresher than the street, but he felt that he couldn't stay in such a closed and quiet space, and he was so depressed that he was about to vomit.
So he tucked in the quilt for Rosie, wrapped his coat tightly, and went out the door.
In the early morning of 5 o'clock, the sky is still dark, and the clouds are thick, like a cloudy day.
Joshua stood downstairs in the hotel and took a breath of the cold air, which poured into his heart from his nose. He is not a completely free person now, and it is even more difficult to say in the future. Under many restrictions, he cannot see many people and cannot go to many places.
And his lawyer reminded him not to run around.
So he wandered aimlessly back and forth in the alleys of Hessen, like a dying man, trying to grasp the little bit of life at the end.
He has been in various construction sites all year round, taking on various jobs, and without knowing it, he has developed two legs with super endurance. For him, the distance from the Silver Tea Hotel to Shuangyue Street was only a half-hour run.
So when he returned to God, he was already standing in front of his house.
A long time ago, when my grandmother was still alive, there would always be a hand lamp in the house that was on all night, dimmed to save energy. If someone gets up at night, their eyes will not be smeared.
At that time, no matter how skinny he was outside, when he came back, he could see a certain room, the light ball of the lantern quietly reflected on the window glass, with his grandmother in the armchair, waiting for him to come home.
Joshua Dale stared at the dark window for a while, and grabbed his hand in his pocket, but it was empty.
The house key was not brought, and it was still in the hotel, pressed against Rosie's pillow.
He stared at the door for a while, and for some reason, he suddenly raised his hand and slapped the door hesitantly three times.
He lowered his head and waited outside the door for a long time, but he never heard the familiar rustling footsteps of his grandmother.
No one in this world will open the door for him again, dragging him and muttering, "Cold or not, have you encountered something unhappy, why don't you laugh"...
He sat on the ground leaning against the door of his house, like a homeless person, for a long time.
The sign clock on Shuangyue Street rang once in the morning and once in the evening, at 8:00 in the morning and 7:00 in the evening. The bell rang 8 times, and Joshua woke up and stood up, rubbed his numb hands, and then slowly ran towards the hotel.
…
"Where have you been?" Yan Suizhi and Gu Yan were talking in the hotel corridor, and they asked him when they saw him come back.
Joshua said sullenly, "Morning run."
Can a morning jog run out of the mourning effect
Yan Suizhi didn't pierce him, but didn't ask any more questions, just nodded.
"The weather is bad today, it's cloudy, and it looks like it's going to rain at any time." Joshua drooped his eyelids and said, "I don't think it's a good sign."
Yan Suizhi: "What you said brought us both in."
Joshua twitched the corners of his mouth, but didn't smile. He really couldn't lift his spirits today, "I don't know, I'm just... sad, as if no one would believe me..."
Generally speaking, at this time, someone should always say to him: "I believe in you." No matter if it is true or not.
But Yan Suizhi didn't say anything. He has experienced many things, and he doesn't think he is a good person. He may be soft-hearted at times, but his heart is surprisingly hard most of the time. It's a pity that he can't say this comforting word to Joshua, where the relationship between lawyer and client is like this—
He needs the client to trust him as much as possible and tell him all the truth. In fact, in many cases, he is indeed the only life-saving straw that the parties can trust. But he couldn't fully trust the client.
He always had reservations about what they said.
In the end, Yan Suizhi just patted Joshua on the shoulder, but Gu Yan asked, "Before the trial, I will confirm with you again, did you do it?"
Yan Suizhi glanced at him.
He asked very flatly, his tone as cold as usual, like a routine.
But at this time, Joshua felt that even if he just asked him a question and was willing to listen to his answer seriously, it would make him feel more comfortable. So he looked into Gu Yan's eyes, shook his head and said seriously, "No."
After saying these words, his heart, which was filled with cold wind, suddenly found a place.
At 9:15 in the morning, Joshua Dalle and his defense lawyer Gu Yan arrived at the courtroom, along with Yan Suizhi, who was dragging a wounded leg and refused to show his disability.
The pre-trial meeting in the wine city was very informal, organized in a hurry and chaos. It was not the first time for Gu Yan and Yan Suizhi to appear in court in such a place. A lot of the rules that work elsewhere are not well enforced here, so they always try to gather as much evidence as possible and find as many loopholes as possible to secure a foothold in this chaotic place.
Gu Yan and the prosecution lawyer showed each other their evidence, and the process was over quickly.
At 10:00 in the morning, in Court No. 1, the judge was in place.
Gu Yan and the prosecution's lawyer nodded to the judge, indicating that Yan Suizhi was sitting on the seat behind Gu Yan, with Erlang's legs crossed under the cover of the table, to prevent the still swollen injured leg from hitting the ground. He looked at the judge's drooping eyes and tightly pursed mouth, and the electronic pen between his fingers tapped lightly on the table.
"It seems that Joshua's hunch is not too accurate today." Yan Suizhi whispered at the back of Gu Yan's head after he sat down, "It's really not a good sign on such a cloudy day. Judge Ray Liu…”
Gu Yan didn't look back, only coughed lowly, signaling him not to be so presumptuous just because his voice was low.
Anyone who has dealt with this drooping-eyed judge knows that he is a tendentious judge who often fails to treat the accused with complete justice, and attempts to defend his innocence in his hands with a frighteningly low success rate. .
The prosecution and defense were seated, and the accused, Joshua Dale, was also taken to his place by two bailiffs.
After he sat down, he took a deep breath and stared at an entrance on the right. The jury members are entering the court one by one from there, and they are standing in the jury box one by one.
It was the man who could decide his fate—a group of strangers picked from all over the place.
Everyone confirmed to appear in court, Judge Murray Liu lowered his eyes, and in his hand was a heavy book that listed some standard sentences that a judge should use in court.
In fact, the judges have used those sentences countless times, and they have long been able to blurt them out, but they still have to take a routine look at the spread out classics, which represents the rigor and meticulousness of the court.
The first thing the jury does when they arrive is to take the oath.
Murray Liu looked at the jury and said in a calm voice, "The solemn court requires your formal oath. For this case to be tried, can you use a faithful and responsible attitude to give the most just verdict?"
"I swear by my reputation that I will uphold justice. If anyone suffers injustice, I will be pleased. If anyone suffers injustice, I will feel guilty for the rest of my life. I will use the most rational attitude to let the law exercise its power."
Joshua Darler let out a slow breath, and pressed his slightly trembling fingers to his knees, clenching them slowly.
He was so nervous that when the judge pronounced his name to confirm his identity, he couldn't even understand the simple words. He stared at the judge for nearly five seconds before slowly digesting it, nodded, and said sleepwalkingly, "It's me."
It took him a long time to remember that he could sit down.
When he sat down and looked at the center of the court, he realized that the prosecution lawyer had already started to make an opening statement, and the other party's voice seemed to pass through two mountains into his ears.
"—Defendant Joshua Dale used a decorative bronze sculpture on the closet in the southwest corner of Kitty Bell's house and a coarse cloth throw pillow on the outer sofa to cover up the sound and knock on Kitty Bell. The back of Ty Bell's head, causing Bell to fall into a coma to prevent her from sounding the alarm, and took one of Bell's jewelry boxes, which contained several pieces of jewelry and an unbound asset redemption note. Joshua Dale told Ji Ti Bell and his great-nephew Chester Bell's daily routine is very familiar, so they can leave the room precisely when Chester Bell comes home, hide in the courtyard, and take advantage of the time difference when Chester Bell enters the house , climbed over the wall and returned to his residence. All the above facts are supported by physical and human evidence as well as the testimony of Joshua Dale himself... "
…
The prosecution lawyer listed the evidence in a clear and orderly manner, and finally looked at Judge Murray Liu and nodded at him.
"I'm sorry for what Ms. Kitty Bell has suffered." Murray Liu nodded, then turned to look at Gu Yan, the corners of his mouth tightened, and his face instantly turned mean." Defense attorney, Gu? You can start your opening statement."
Generally speaking, the opening statement is for the prosecution to briefly describe the alleged crime, the course of the case and the evidence they have obtained, and then the defense lawyer to state the main points of defense and to emphasize their own position.
Joshua Dale clenched his fingers and stared at Gu Yan, and Yan Suizhi also raised his eyes to look at Gu Yan... the back of his handsome head.
Just as everyone in the courtroom was quietly waiting for him to speak, he raised his hand and made a gesture to Judge Murray Liu.
What that gesture meant - the defense dropped its opening statement.
Murray Liu's tense expression loosened, and he was a little stunned, but Yan Suizhi leaned back, the corners of his mouth raised.