One Step At A Time (Phoenix x Reader)

Every Rose Has It's Thorn

Your Pov:

Dahlia started speaking again. About ten minutes later, the defense attorney questioned why she didn't hear the cord snap. The prosecutor tried to play it off, but the defense wasn't having it. Dahlia spoke, "Umm... May I have a moment to answer?" The prosecutor nodded, "B-By all means." She continued, "I know the reason why I didn't hear the noise. You see, the truth is...I had my headphones on, and I was listening to music at the time."

One thought came into my mind.

'I call bull!'

She bit her lip, "The rain was just beginning to let up... But it seemed as though Thor wasn't ready for his fun to come to an end yet. So the sky continued to flash and rumble." The defense attorney frowned, "Thunder and lightning huh?" Dahlia nodded, "Yes, I'm afraid of the sound of thunder. So I put my headphones on to block it out..."

The prosecutor chuckled, "Hee, hee, hee, hee...Well, Your Honor? As you can see, there weren't any contradictions in her testimony after all." The judge was quiet. The defense attorney jumped up, "Your Honor! There is a problem with the witness's testimony!" The judge looked at her, "Wh-What do you mean!?" The defense attorney smirked, "Didn't you notice? She said there was lightning, correct?" The judge nodded.

"Yes...What about it?" She continued, "Well, lightning is actually a large discharge of electricity in the atmosphere, am I right?" The judge frowned, "Now's not the time for a science lesson, Ms. Fey!" The defense attorney sighed, "Yes, Your Honor. Anyway, since the cause of death was electrocution...Isn't it possible that the victim died from being hit by a bolt of lightning!?" People in the gallery began to whisper loudly.

Everyone became shocked for a moment. The judge spoke first, "Hmm... I must admit that the thought had not occurred to me!" The defense attorney nodded, "This entire case is built on the premise that Mr. Doug Swallow was "murdered"... ...but that very premise itself is mistaken! The defense believes that Mr. Swallow was, in fact, the victim of a stray bolt!"

The judge hmm'd, "I-It appears the defense may be on to something! Could it be that the death was actually accidental?" Just as I started celebrating Phoenix's innocence, the prosecutor objected, "Hee, hee, hee, hee, hee... I'm hurt that you have such a low opinion of me, Ms. Fey."

The defense attorney deflated, "Huh?" The prosecutor continued, "I'm not a fool, you know. The prosecution has done its research, Your Honor. We found that there were no lightning strikes on that day at that location!" I face palmed, completely mystified at the complete idiocy of this trial.

The prosecutor smirked, "What's more...We have evidence that the electrical cable is definitely linked to this case." The judge looked bewildered, "E-Evidence, Mr. Payne!? Well, what is this evidence?" The prosecutor presented a piece of paper, "This affidavit." The judge nodded, "And who is this affidavit from?"

The prosecutor spoke, "The Pharmacology students who were conducting experiments in their labs that day. Allow me to read out to the court the testimony of the Pharmacology students. 'All equipment in the labs lost power all of a sudden at around 3:00 PM that day.'." The judge tilted his head, "Was it a blackout?" The prosecutor looked at him, "All of the labs' equipment runs of high-voltage, Your Honor."

After more dead end testimony riddled with lies and holes, the judge called for a twenty minute break and it cut to a commercial.

I was already suspicious about Dahlia from the beginning, but now, I felt like her mask was beginning to crack.