19th September, 2015 (Three Weeks to the Murder).

05:35 PM.

I look perfect, Bethany thought, as she stared at herself in the mirror. She was wearing a blue crochet top and skirt, which showed off her flanks and toned arms. Her long hair was curled, and styled over her left shoulder so it covered her left side and back. She went for thick eyeliner, and put on light pink lip gloss. She slipped into pink stilettos and stole another glance at the mirror.

Nathan was to arrive to pick her up. Dinners at his place were usually awkward, with the mayor sleazily staring at her, and everyone else pretending not to notice. She pitied his wife the most, poor thing! Just sitting there quietly, watching him lust over a woman half his age. She was always so poised and controlled, she could be taken as stupid, but Bethany was not fooled. The woman was smarter than she seemed, and analyzed every action with her cold, calculating eyes. It was too bad she was stuck with an ugly, sleazy old man, but for the wealth and privilege it got her, it was a more than fair deal.

Bethany knew Nathan was suspicious of her and his father, and she planned to exploit it. She had no interest in the old goat, but if giving the man a little attention was going to benefit her in any way, she was all for it.

She looked into her purse for her phone as she got a call, “Who is this?” she asked as she picked on the third ring.
No one talked from the other side.

“Hello?” she called out impatiently.

There was still no answer. She was about to hang up when she heard moaning noises. It seemed a man was… masturbating!

“Ew,” she yelled disgustedly as she hung up and threw the phone on the bed. It was the second time a strange number was calling, but it was the first time she experienced something so revolting. Bethany stared at her phone in disgust. It was probably some pedo stuck with a fat wife. She picked her phone from the bed and made her way downstairs. She was lucky they had a house, that was the least her selfish parents could do before they got themselves killed.

It was a two-story building, with five rooms and three bathrooms. She liked it because it gave an aura of grandeur, and made people think she could afford to buy the clothes she often wore. If she had been stuck with her sister working at a bakery as their only source of income, they’d probably be penniless. Alyson prided herself on saying she ran her parent’s bakery, but honestly, she had tasted what Alyson made and they were basic. She probably had customers because she was beautiful, if not why would anyone want to buy that crap?

Bethany hesitated in the doorway of the kitchen as she saw Bob, her sister’s boyfriend, getting a snack from the fridge. Alyson was right beside him doing the dishes. She wondered what Alyson was doing with a guy like Bob. Everything about him, from his looks and clothes to his name, screamed roadside mechanic. He was fugly with a slight body odor. His height was his only good feature, but still, Alyson could do a lot better than him. He had to be good in the sack because in no realm were they supposed to even know each other. The world didn’t work that way.

In that moment, Bethany decided she would sleep with Bob, just to see what her sister saw. Yes, she kissed Bob previously, but it was sloppy, like being swallowed by a slimy toad. Maybe sex with him would be different.

“I’m going to Nathan’s for dinner,” Bethany announced. Alyson looked up and gave an acknowledging nod. Bob did not look up from the fridge, as he searched for something to eat. Bethany thought if it was anything other than slimming tea of some sort, he could definitely do without it.

“When will you be back?” Alyson asked.

“Probably today, I guess. I’ll text you when I’m sure,” Bethany replied and walked out the door.

It was a cool evening, and seemed cloudy, as if it was about to rain. Bethany smiled, as the cold breeze blew gently on her face – seeing the stormy clouds in the horizon made her feel… alive. Nathan’s car was parked out front and he honked to get her attention. He was with large sunglasses that obscured half his face. Sitting in his black BMW, he looked rich, like someone who had been spoiled since birth. She gave him a little wave as she walked briskly to the car and got in.

“You okay having dinner at my place today? It’s not too late to bail,” he said as she kissed him.

“I’m cool with it. I have a feeling it will be even more interesting than usual,” she replied.

He gave her a dark look but shrugged in resignation as he put the keys in ignition and moved out of the driveway.

A tall, wispy looking man stared at them hidden as they left, his right hand still on his crotch.

*****

3rd January, 2020 (Five Years after the Murder).

12:45 PM.

It was the second day of the trial for the murder of Bethany Cooper, and attorney William Bill looked around the courtroom. He thought of the circumstances surrounding the case and shuddered. He had been a prosecutor for over twenty years, and it was undoubtedly one of the most bizarre cases he had been involved in. One thing was certain – Bethany Cooper had a very complicated life. It was so twisted, that it had taken years to completely unwind the web of lies surrounding her death. He looked at the defense attorney’s bench, and his eyes locked on Vivian Glade, the wicked bitch of east end. She was a notorious snake, and he had been unfortunate enough to butt heads with her several times in the past. Ordeals with her were those kinds that left a sour taste in one’s mouth, and once was more than enough in a man’s lifetime.

The press took the middle row in the courtroom, and a lot more stayed outside. Because the case was so high profile, the world was watching, which put the little city of Atwood where the crime occurred on the map, and put even more pressure on him as the DA, to ensure he got a guilty verdict.

The trial was overseen by a 12-person jury, with Judge Karen Whitey as the presiding judge. She was a hard-ass, but fair in her courtroom. He was not worried at all, as the defendant had already admitted to murdering the poor girl. He looked at the defendant in disgust. Not guilty by reason of insanity, it was pleaded. His only job would be to prove the defendant was fully culpable of the homicide. If he failed at that, not just his name, but his entire career would be dragged through the mud. He was going to win because he could not stand to see killers like the defendant walk free.

Attorney William Bill was undoubtedly one of the best lawyers in the world. It was the general opinion that he had always been a good lawyer. Ironically, he was the worst in his class at law school, and only barely graduated. He had struggled for a long time as a charge and bail lawyer, until he met Dimitri McDelev. He shuddered when he thought of that cursed man. Damn him!

William had been in his office that fateful day, five years after graduation. It could not really qualify as an office, as it was a rented shoe box spaced apartment in a building filled with hipsters. The sign ‘William Bill, Attorney at Law’ had been spray painted above the door in white. The clients he usually defended were people with little hope, and even lesser funds who came to him as a last resort. He always tried to appear professional, but the noise from the building made him appear like an unserious asshole who was guaranteed to lose whatever case they presented him with.

He looked up as the door was opened and a well-dressed man walked in. It was unusual for two reasons; the first being that someone had willingly walked in without being forced by circumstance, and the second was that the man looked rich. William was not a lawyer for rich people.

“Good afternoon sir. Please have a seat,” William said as he hurriedly stood up and pointed to a worn looking sofa sandwiched between the door to the toilet, and an old standing fan.

“Thank you,” the man replied kindly as he sat down. He had a strong Russian accent, which matched his hardened features – square shaped jaw, tanned skin, dark eyes, and a barely noticeable scar that ran from his left cheek to his left ear.

“What brings you here sir?” William asked as he took a seat, trying to be courteous. The man seemed well to do, and it would be a travesty to chase a paying customer away. He wished the neighbors in the apartment above his could stop their thumping!

“I won’t take much of your time, since you are a very busy man,” the man said. William did not correct the very absurd assumption.

“I am Dimitri McDelev, a businessman. I have heard a lot about you, and I want you to be my personal lawyer.”

“Thank you so much sir… But if I may ask, why me?” William was dumbfounded.

“Because you are like me. You have goals, you are driven. A lawyer in your place would have put a gun in his mouth a long time ago. Most of these lawyers nowadays are high maintenance. I need someone who will bail me out, no questions asked. Someone… what is that word?” Dimitri appeared to think.

“Unscrupulous?” William helped.

“Yes. Exactly. Unscrupulous. We need each other, but remember, you need me more than I need you. I will give you everything you could possibly want,” Dimitri said.

And he had. The years William worked for him, he never lacked anything. He had a good job, and a lavish lifestyle. He moved out of his crappy apartment, and was able to get a wife, a chubby Hispanic woman who loved him. He started a family, and left his humble beginning behind him. In return, William had to bail Dimitri and his ‘associates’ out of every situation they found themselves.

Through Dimitri, he knew how the underworld of crime worked, and became ruthless as a result. He was Dimitri’s dog, but he was happy. As time went by and he had his first daughter, he started questioning some of the things he did. He developed the only thing that was forbidden in Dimitri’s cartel – a conscience.

The final straw came when McDelev raped an 11-year-old boy. William had a complete change of heart, and threw the case on purpose. For that single action, his wife and child were brutally killed in front of him, and he was shot in the knee as a warning.

McDelev was eventually released from prison by another lawyer, a young man who was as naïve as William had once been. Their agreement did not last long, as soon, Dimitri got arrested for first degree murder. He was set to serve a life sentence, but escaped after just two months in custody. William knew Dimitri must have changed his name and appearance and was somewhere in plain sight waiting, watching.

He never felt justice was served for his wife and child’s murder, which bred his deep hatred for criminals. He took a job at the DA’s office, as a type of atonement for his past deeds. Even 20 years after being the DA, he still harbored a deep resentment for killers.

Vivian Glade watched Attorney Bill approach the first witness, limping slightly, and sat up with rapt attention. She had to be completely focused when faced with the Rottweiler. He was called that because of his uncanny ability to sniff out weaknesses and discredit witnesses. She heard that at the start of his career, he had killed a federal judge! It was not so hard to believe, she figured, as the opponents of his earlier clients had the tendency to go missing.

“Could you please tell the court your name?” William Bill asked the witness.

“Lara Midd,” she replied.

“Can you tell us your occupation?”

“I am a marine biologist.”

“Were you the one who found the body of the deceased on the 5th of October, 2015?”

“I was.”

“How did you find the body?”

“Well, I was going to work that day. Slow day you see, because of the storm, then from a distance I saw something odd. I went to look at what it was and then I found her,” Lara said as she shuddered.

“Can you tell us the state she was in?”

“Well, I almost could not recognize her but from the clothes she was wearing and her hair, I figured out who she was rather quickly and called the police.”

“So she looked like she was beaten badly?”

“Objection,” Vivian Glade yelled.

“Sustained.”

“It is a small city. Would you say you knew the victim well?” William asked instead.

“We all knew Bethany. She was a popular girl, you see.”

“Did you know the defendant?”

“Very well. The whole town was stunned when Bethany was murdered. When we finally found out who killed her, you could imagine the scandal! Never in a million years would I have ever thought,” she said as she made the sign of the cross.

“Your witness,” William said as he walked back to his seat.

Vivian walked with confidence towards Lara Midd.

“Would you say you knew people in the town well?” Vivian asked.

“Well not to brag, but I know quite a lot of people,” Lara proudly stated.

“How well did you know the defendant?”

“The defendant was one of my neighbors. We always waved when we saw each other. We saw a lot in public as well.”

“Did you ever notice any behavioral anomalies with the accused?”

“Well… once, I was present at a restaurant when the defendant threw a bowl of soup at a wall because it was the wrong order.”

“How angry would you say the defendant was at that moment?”

“Violently angry,” she said as her eyes widened dramatically.

“And that was unusual?”

“Very unusual, because the defendant is usually so sweet and calm. We all found it really strange.”

Vivian addressed the court, “If that could happen because of a bowl of soup, why would it be so hard to imagine that a brief episode of psychosis could occur with Bethany? The defendant could not help the emotions at that restaurant, neither could it be helped at the time Bethany was killed.”

The entire courtroom was silent.

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