The Arcane Trilogy: Better Call Paul - Book 1

Chapter 13: The Trial of Darren

Another case, another trial.

Paul had gotten into a regular rhythm with regards to standing before a judge in a court of law. It almost felt like muscle memory. He had the layout of the courthouse imprinted onto his mind through his repeated visits to the heart of Piltovian justice. Some of the guards who were often posted there had even begun to know Paul on a first name basis. This familiarity boosted Paul's confidence every time he pushed open the double doors that led into the many court rooms that inhabited the courthouse. As soon as the smooth and refined wood touched his fingertips, any doubts he had trickled out of his mind as he became the 'magic man'. His defense of Darren was no different.

Soon enough after Paul sat down next to the nervous looking dirty blonde, the opening process and formalities of the trial began. As the defense prepared to make their opening statements, Paul surprised himself. This case was by far the most important of all his recent jobs and involved many darker aspects that Paul was concerned about, but the nerves and uneasiness he would have felt months ago had completely subsided. Hardly any fear or doubts picked away at his mind, but instead a growing surge of anticipation that began to take root after each word uttered by the defense began to rise. For the first time in his professional career, Paul found himself almost zoning out of the room. His ears did pick up the occasional word, clueing his mind in with occasional slivers of information, but Paul did not pay it much mind. He allowed his mind to wonder further as to why he felt that way before coming to the realisation that in this specific situation, it didn't matter what the defense said or what points they raised. They only had one witness and no evidence. At least, that's what Paul had placed his chips on being the case. The Paul of the past would have been tearing himself apart over the likelihood of success on the part of the enforcers, but with the circumstances that led to their meeting, he did not fear. It was out of his hands, and he opted to supress those doubts with his own confidence, telling himself that he had done the work to ensure success.

"And just to summarise and clarify to everyone here today, is the person you saw that was involved in this particular incident at the docks present in the court today?" Asked the prosecutor that Paul did not recognise.

"Yes, that man." Replied the elderly gentlemen as he pointed his wrinkly fingers towards the young man that sat to Paul's left.

"Please let the court report show that Mr Loux has identified the accused, Darren." Stated the prosecutor with a nod to the witness Mr Loux. "No further questions your honour."

"Mr Goodbrook, your witness." Informed the judge as the prosecutor walked back to his desk, neatly tidying his many papers as Paul rose from his seat and casually walked over to Mr Loux in a friendly manner.

"Thank you again for coming here today, Mr Loux. I just wanted to establish a few details from your testimony, is that ok?" Asked Paul as he adjusted the documents that contained the detailed testimony to sit near the edge of his desk.

"That's fine I suppose." Responded the older man as he relaxed slightly in the witness stand.

"Is it true that you work as a cleaner of some kind at the Piltover docks?" Asked Paul as he moved away from his desk to speak to the elderly witness.

"Well, I'm officially a 'maintenance worker'. I don't do as much of the heavy lifting now days, but I keep the docks tidy and ensure everything is working in tip top shape, with the help of other dock hands." Explained Mr Loux as Paul simply nodded occasionally to his reply.

"How long are your hours on the average day?"

"Oh, around 12 hours normally. I've been allowed more days off recently, but I enjoy my job, so I am always around for more work." Explained the older man with a hint of pride through recalling his view of his job.