Chapter 9

Stephen called out, "Bring in the next witness!"

A middle-aged guy, Tom Harris, stepped up, looking around 35, slim build, rocking a fancy Brunello Cucinelli suit and gold-rimmed glasses. He had that whole refined, scholarly vibe going on.

Stephen said, "Tom, before you start, remember, you can only talk about what you saw yourself, not what you heard from others. Got it?"

Tom nodded.

Stephen went on, "We gotta trust the court to be fair and protect our rights. We're not scared of power or authority here!"

I frowned, thinking, 'Stephen didn't say this to the other witnesses. Is he stressing this to Tom because he noticed something off with the earlier testimonies?'

Tom adjusted his glasses and smiled, casting a brief, inadvertent glance at Laura before saying, "Your Honor, don't worry. I'll only talk about what I saw. That's my job. Whether it helps the case or not, that's not up to me."

Stephen nodded and asked, "Were you at the True Love Entertainment Club around 8:30 PM on November 10, 2024?"

"Yes," Tom replied.

Stephen continued, "Which room?"

Tom said, "Room 6 on the 4th floor, right next to where the fire happened."

Stephen asked, "What were you doing before the incident, and who were you with?"

Tom replied, "I had a meeting with a client at 9 PM."

Stephen said, "So, you were alone the whole time?"

Tom replied, "Yes, as the meeting time got closer, the club caught fire, and I ran downstairs."

Stephen looked at Tom, whose calm demeanor betrayed no hint of his thoughts, and asked, "When the fire broke out and people got hurt, did you help anyone?"

Tom shrugged and said, "Your Honor, I'm not the owner or manager of the club. I didn't think it was my job to help in that situation."

Stephen continued, "Did you notice anything unusual before the fire in the room next to yours?"

Tom adjusted his glasses again, glanced at Laura, and smirked. "Nothing unusual, but the defendant had some interesting interactions with two guys."

Stephen asked, "Two guys?"

Tom explained, "Yeah, one was a young guy, probably in his twenties. Seems like the defendant is a regular at the club and knows the rules well."

Stephen frowned and asked, "What do you mean?"

Tom said, "Nothing much, just that it's all consensual. The 4th floor is for VIPs, and the club doesn't interfere with what people do in their private rooms. They protect their clients' privacy."

Stephen ordered, "Tell us everything you saw and heard."

Tom replied, "For the first guy, there's no need to go into details. But soon after, another guy, the one next door, barged in, and there was a confrontation."

"Tom, the rooms at the club have thick soundproof walls. How did you hear that?" Stephen pointed out the flaw in Tom's story.

That was what I wanted to ask too. The club's walls were soundproofed. He shouldn't have heard anything from the next room.

Tom explained, "I don't like staying alone in dimly lit, enclosed spaces, so I kept the door open."

I couldn't help but think, 'Tom has claustrophobia? With his polished look and demeanor, he seems like a high-flying business guy. How could he have such a condition?'

But his story matched up with what the other two witnesses said. Alan did go into Laura's room and had a run-in with another guy.

Stephen prompted, "Go on."

Tom said, "I thought the guy was the defendant's husband, waiting next door to catch them in the act. Since my client hadn't shown up yet, I sat on the sofa by the door to watch the drama unfold. To my disappointment, I didn't see the scene I imagined. The guy went back to his room shortly after, and the young man looked scared and left soon after. But not long after, the defendant took a drink to the gentleman's room. When she saw me, she smiled slightly. She's really beautiful. Having such a wife must be quite exhausting for her husband."

Tom's smile grew more playful as he spoke.

"Tom, please stick to the relevant topics and avoid unnecessary comments and baseless speculations," Stephen reminded.

Tom said, "Okay, when I was about to eavesdrop again, my client called. There was noise from the next room, and I was worried it would disturb my client, so I closed the door. After finishing the call, I was about to eavesdrop again when the power went out."

The club's enclosed design meant that when the power went out, it would be pitch dark, which would be torturous for someone with claustrophobia. I remembered a government official I once interrogated who also had claustrophobia and was terrified when the power went out. But I couldn't recall who that official was.

Tom continued, "I am very afraid of the dark. So I ran out to call for a waiter. At that moment, I accidentally heard loud noises from the next room, but I couldn't care about that. I ran forward in the dark, slipped, and fell, and smelled gasoline. I panicked even more."

This was new information. After Laura entered Alan's room, they had an argument, and the smell of gasoline explained the fire.

On the other hand, Tom's testimony filled in the gap from the power outage to the fire.

"Tom, are you sure you heard arguing from Room 7 and smelled gasoline outside?" Stephen's voice was loud. This was new evidence. In an arson and murder case, such a large fire with no flammable materials in the room must have been deliberately set.

Tom nodded. "I'm sure. The smell of gasoline in the dark is something I'll never forget."

Stephen asked, "How many voices did you hear?"

Tom replied, "Just two."

Stephen continued, "Are you sure?"

Tom said, "Yes."

The witness session ended. The manager of the Entertainment Club was also supposed to testify, but he was injured in the fire and couldn't make it.

The testimonies of the three witnesses were similar, but the third witness provided crucial information about the power outage and the fire. Based on the testimonies and evidence, Laura's arson and murder charges seemed undeniable.

As I was organizing my thoughts, I noticed Tom looking around as he returned to his seat, seemingly searching for someone.

When he saw me watching him, he quickly averted his gaze. At the same time, I observed something more important. He glanced at the janitor, Tammy, with a look that suggested they knew each other.