The Caged Bird Must Sing

Chapter 52

Trial: Day 8

From the witness stand, Law watched a much younger version of himself glance behind himself anxiously, hands stuffed in his pockets to hide what he knew to be drugs clutched tightly in his fists. The video quality was subpar, grainy and obviously dated, but it clearly picked up his features at this angle, hiding those of the person he was speaking to. They were too far away from the security camera for it to pick up any meaningful audio, but he could at least imagine the conversation in his head.

The alley was dark, meaning it took place in the evening behind the cafe he used to frequent back then for his deals. There were too many to count to place who exactly this person was or what particular occasion it had come from.

The two of them exchanged conversation back and forth, gesturing and alluding to the drugs that Law was carrying with him at the time. At one point, younger him pulled the drugs in question out of his pocket to show the man that he did in fact have the product he was looking for.

A few more nervous glances behind him. A few more shifty sidelong looks past the client just in case. Something Law said must have upset the potential client, because he threw up his hands and pushed him roughly into the alley's wall, moving in to quickly escalate the confrontation.

The bartender winced when his younger self animatedly fought back, punching and kicking and...eventually stabbing the man into submission on the ground before him. Obviously heaving with the effort of the assault he'd turned onto his initial attacker, Law stepped back and stared down at the man cowering on the cement ground. He coiled within himself to stop the bleeding or pain, and made no move to stop Law as he ran back down the alley and out of sight.

The whole video was less than two minutes long, but the implication was still substantial. Law felt himself swallow unconsciously, and his hands clenched in his lap, out of sight of anyone but himself. And strangely, he felt like he could feel one particular pair of eyes boring into him from the gallery beyond the courtroom floor. He didn't dare to meet them, afraid of what they might hold.

"We would like to submit Exhibit A as evidence to the court." Kalifa held up a small disc sitting in a plastic baggy, handing it over to the bailiff to give to the judge. The man behind the great podium accepted it and placed it somewhere on his desk.

"Do I have permission to approach the witness?"

"You do." The judge offered.

Law looked up at her as she walked closer to his box, dressed sharply as usual in her gray suit. Internally, he was rather nervous, but outwardly he retained that neutral wall of indifference. However, he had a feeling he'd have to let himself appear vulnerable very soon, as Hitomi had advised him to during key points of the trial.

"Will you please identify the two men who appeared in that video, Mr. Trafalgar?" Kalifa asked smoothly, gesturing to the projector screen set up on the wall opposite the jury.

He resisted the urge to clear his throat before speaking. Any little twitch or involuntary action on his part could be easily picked up by the observant jury.

"Myself...and probably one of my usual regulars from back then." He stated simply.

"Do you recall his name?"

His head shook. "No."

Kalifa took a few steps to the side, head held high. "And did you approach that man with the intent to sell him illegal substances?"

"...yes, but not because I wanted to." He responded.

Behind her glasses, Kalifa gave him a stern look. "Was anyone holding a gun to your head in this instance, threatening you with death, had you not followed through with this deal?"