Chapter 8

Laura's lawyer, Scott White, a top-notch criminal defense attorney in the state. He'd tackled some seriously tough cases over the years and had built quite the reputation.

I thought, 'Is Laura so confident because of him? But all the evidence points to her. Any defense attorney, seeing the situation going south, would usually discuss with their client to see if they could lessen the sentence. Yet he insists on pleading not guilty. Why? Is it because of Laura's sky-high legal fees? But a lawyer like him wouldn't risk his career for just some money.'

While I was lost in thought, Stephen wrapped up the questioning, handed out the case files to the judges, jurors, and prosecutors, and once they were done reviewing, he called the first witness to the stand.

The first witness was the janitor from True Love Entertainment Club. She looked about sixty, not very tall, really thin, dressed plainly, and was nervously looking around, clearly not used to being in court.

"My name is Tammy Martinez. I'm the janitor at the Entertainment Club. On the night of November 10, 2024, I was on duty, cleaning the 3rd and 4th floors." Tammy clutched her clothes, looking flustered. She continued, "Your Honor, if I testify, will I be safe? I'm scared!"

Stephen replied, "Don't worry. The suspect is in custody, and we'll take protective measures if needed. Please just tell us what you saw that day."

"Okay." Tammy patted her chest and sighed. "Around 8 PM on the 10th, this woman went into private room 5, came out shortly after, and stood at the door like she was waiting for someone. After a bit, a young guy went upstairs. They barely said a word before they started kissing! Shameless!"

"What were you doing at the time?" Stephen asked.

"I was cleaning the private rooms, picking up trash. I saw them when I came out to mop the hallway." Tammy replied.

Stephen said, "Please continue."

Tammy went on, "I felt somewhat embarrassed, so I coughed. Then, they entered the room, kissing passionately, without even closing the door. They left it ajar, and the entire hallway echoed with the woman's moans. She was both protesting and enjoying it simultaneously. A born harlot. Who knows what other misdeeds she's committed? She should be sentenced to death immediately!"

Stephen interrupted, "Please stick to the facts. Did the victim go to the defendant's private room?"

Tammy nodded. "Yes, I heard sounds of a scuffle inside. I was about to call someone at the door of private room 10, but I saw the victim come out, so I didn't bother."

"Got it." Stephen nodded, signaling her to continue.

Tammy said, "Not long after, the young man left, and the woman took a bottle of wine and a paring knife and went into private room 7."

"Paring knife?" Stephen picked up on that.

Tammy paused, thought, and said, "Yes, the long kind. I'm not sure, but it was probably a paring knife."

Stephen picked up the evidence, a scalpel, and asked, "Like this?"

"Yes, exactly, thin and long!" Tammy immediately replied.

Stephen asked, "What happened next?"

Tammy replied, "Suddenly, the power went out, and then private room 7 caught fire, spreading to the adjacent rooms. Everyone was busy putting out the fire and found someone burned to death... No, they were murdered. I've never seen such a cruel woman in my life!"

Tammy's eyes were filled with hatred as she screamed loudly, hurling continuous insults at Laura. The bailiff quickly came up to calm her down.

I felt a pang of pain in my heart. Even though I wasn't there, the horrific scene in the photos was something I never wanted to see again. If the witness was so shocked, how much worse was it for me, the victim's wife?

Tammy was led out of the courtroom by the bailiff, stumbling a bit, clearly a mess emotionally. Unless professionally trained, an ordinary person witnessing such a scene would likely lose control even more than Tammy.

Then it hit me-something was off.

What was the initial emotion that an ordinary person would feel upon witnessing such a scene?

An ordinary person, upon witnessing such a scene, felt fear, terror, and an instinct to flee. It could induce nightmares and become an unforgettable memory for a lifetime.

They wouldn't be angry, shouting, and crying in court.

I'd never seen this woman before. I knew all of Alan's friends and family, and there was no Tammy, no one with the last name Martinez. Her reaction was just too weird.

"Call the next witness!" Stephen ordered.

As I was mulling this over, the second witness walked in. She was a young woman in her twenties, named Lally Rodriguez, a waitress at the Entertainment Club.

Stephen asked, "Lally, you work at the Entertainment Club?"

"Yeah, I've been here for three years," Lally replied.

"Is the defendant a regular?" Stephen asked.

Lally nodded, "Yep, she comes about three times a month."

Stephen continued, "Who does she usually come with, and what does she do here? Did you serve her this time?"

"I served her this time, not before, but everyone knows her at the club. She always comes with different young guys," Lally said, glancing at Laura and sneering, "What an artist, looking all glamorous but changing men like clothes."

Stephen asked, "What did you see during the incident?"

Lally replied, "Laura came to the club, and I greeted her on the first floor, then took her to a private room on the 4th floor. She ordered a fruit platter and a bottle of wine. Then I left but stayed nearby. For top members like her, there's always someone assigned to be available."

"And then?" Stephen prompted.

Lally continued, "Then, as usual, a man went up to the 4th floor. But shortly after, the man in private room 7 went into private room 5. There was a scuffle, and it got pretty loud."

"Was it the victim?" Stephen asked, showing a photo and having the bailiff pass it to her.

"Yes," Lally answered clearly, "The 4th floor is for VIPs only, so I know all the members, but I didn't know this guy. He must've been new. The commotion quickly subsided, so I didn't think much of it. About twenty minutes later, the man left. Then the power went out, and you know the rest."

"Wait!" Lally seemed to remember something, "When the power went out, I heard a strange scream. At the time, I thought someone was causing trouble during the blackout, but later, thinking back, it sounded more like... a cry for help."

"Where were you when the fire started?" Stephen asked.

Lally replied, "I was on the first floor, contacting the electrician. When I was about to go up, the fire was already huge. I was scared and didn't dare go up."

Lally finished her testimony.

The whole testimony seemed fine, but something felt off to me.

First, when Lally answered Stephen's questions, her eyes weren't on the bench; she kept glancing at Laura.

Second, her answers were too smooth. She didn't show the usual nervousness or discomfort that witnesses often have, especially compared to Tammy. When Stephen showed Alan's photo, she immediately said it was him, almost like she didn't even look at it.

Third, and most unusual, during Lally's testimony, I watched Laura closely. Facing these accusations, she got really quiet, totally different from how she was at the start of the trial. It was like she was lost in thought. Even when her lawyer spoke to her, she didn't respond.

Something was definitely wrong. Both Laura and the witnesses had big issues!