Zam the Hybrid

21. The Revelation

Zam walked down the hallway with a certain swagger in each step, teeming with excitement as he got closer and closer to his opponent for the day. He'd managed to secure a picture from Emily, a photograph of the murder victim, and simply from seeing the picture, Zam's theory had been set into motion. A little bit of careful thinking later and he was convinced that he was right. It all made perfect sense.

The scare with the poison earlier that morning had been just that. A scare. He still didn't feel completely better, no doubt there was still some venom sloshing around his system somewhere, making his head go funny, but by now it was far too diluted to cause any real damage. In fact, the real danger he now faced was any potential side effects from having an unusual abundance of cucumber juice in his veins.

He shook his head, attempting to rid himself of what little dizziness remained. It helped a little bit. He shrugged, trying not to think about it too much. He was about to face off against a fierce opponent, possibly the toughest he'd ever faced, and he'd not only need to keep his cool, he'd also need to not throw up. That would be rather detrimental to his chances of his plan working.

Eventually, he reached the familiar door and pushed it open to yet another familiar sight. Crawford was sitting in her chair in the same outfit she'd worn yesterday, still looking utterly beautiful. When she looked up and saw him, for a very brief moment, her face was one of sheer shock but she immediately shook it off putting on her usual smile as he walked over to her. Zam tried his best to stay as cool and composed as possible.

"Crawford," he started. "Can I have a word with you outside?"

"Of course," she smiled, showing her dazzling set of teeth. Zam quickly made his way back out of the courtroom, eager to be alone with the woman. "So, what did you want to say dear?"

"It's not a pleasant topic," Zam admitted. "It's about the murder of a woman called Amelia Humphries."

"Oh." Crawford's body language told the story. Her smile was gone, her arms suddenly folded and thankfully her chest was no longer sticking out. Zam knew it. He had his killer. "What about it?"

"Have a look at this." From the inside of his suit, Zam brought out two items. He put the glasses over his eyes, taking care to press the secret button on the rim, and he handed the other object, his phone, to Crawford.

"This is a picture of Amelia," Crawford stated, clearly unsure what to make of it. Maybe she was aware of where this was about to go.

"Yes, it's a picture of Amelia," Zam said. "From when she'd just graduated from law school. Thing is, this picture was found at Amelia and her husband's home but it just so happens that the exact same picture resides on your desk at the MPC."

"We were friends from law school."

"You were more than that though weren't you Crawford? You two were lovers. Or at least, that's what Duncan Jones told me when I visited your office. He said that the two of you split when you moved to the MPC, probably as a result of that move but that wasn't actually the case was it?"

"Duncan doesn't know what he's talking about," Crawford attempted to protest but Zam was on a roll and once he got going there was no stopping him.

"It was far more complicated than that," Zam continued, ignoring her completely. "No, you two separated because she had other romantic ideas. The man in her life got down on one knee and just like that, your little fling was over. She ended things with you. From what I gather, you were rather heartbroken."

"I had been under the idea that we were close," Crawford said, a pained look on her face. "Apparently she had only been in it for the exciting sex life it brought with it."