It was 5 minutes to the trial, and Leonie, Daniel and Darren ran as fast as they could so that they won't be late. Fortunately they were early, and they managed to run into Mr. Amblin, their long-time friend and lawyer.
"Jeorge! Thank God you're here!" said the trio as the caught up to their laywer. "We've got something important for the trial!"
"What is it?" asked Mr. Amblin, slightly excited. Anything to do with the trial will help him endlessly.
"Well, we just received this 'blackmail letter' today," said Leonie, giving him the HJs letter. "This may come in useful."
"Hmm...it sure is evidence," said Mr. Amblin after reading the letter. "I'll see if I can use it in the courtroom." The trio could barely contain their happiness - Darren has a chance to be proven innocent!
"The trial continues," announced Judge Haydin as soon as everyone was seated in the courtroom. "Mr. Amblin, you may go first."
"Thank you, Your Honour," said Mr. Amblin. He gave a smile to the trio sitting beside him. "Your Honour, I have just received evidence that proves my client was innocent!" The courtroom was filled with gasps.
"Silence!" said Judge Haydin. "May you please exhibit your evidence?" Mr. Amblin went forward towards the judge and unfolded the HJs letter.
"Ladies and gentlemen, my client has just received this 'blackmail' letter cleverly written on a wrapper from a HJs Fast Food restaurant. This letter demands that my client's band Savage Garden and their personal assistant Leonie Messer hand over 50% of their earnings to these people, who confess to be the mass murderers, and also give them all the credit for the band's newest album Affirmation. The mass murderers did not leave an address or contact number, though - only two very ambiguous nicknames and a skull and crossbones. Now why would my client want to send a blackmail note to himself?"
"Objection, Your Honour!" exclaimed Mr. Pichard. "He just wanted to throw us off the hook - I bet he just handled that wrapper so that he could write on it!" A forensic scientist was called in from the jury to examine the wrapper, but concluded that the wrapper was handled by so many people that it was almost impossible to differentiate one set of fingerprints from another.
"A-ha! A clever ploy to trick us all! He must have passed the paper around to his accomplices so that there will be too many fingerprints to decipher!" exclaimed Mr. Pichard, winking at his eyewitness. Just then a part of his coat fell off, revealing a see-through shirt with a tattoo underneath. Where on Earth have I seen that design before? asked Leonie to herself. She then noticed that Harlet had the same tattoo on her arm, which wasn't covered. "Besides, we all know that client of Mr. Amblin is a Star Trek fan," said Mr. Pichard, casually tidying up his coat.
"Objection, Your Honour!" said Mr. Amblin suddenly. "My client isn't a Star Trek fan - he's a Star Wars fan! Ask any fan of Savage Garden and they'll tell you the same thing!" Darren couldn't help but smile. At least someone remembered.
"Star Trek, Star Wars, they're all the same, aren't they?" shrugged Mr. Pichard. "What's the difference?" Mr. Amblin almost wanted to blow up, but the trio managed to cool him down.
"Silence! Now, Mr. Pichard, do you have any evidence against Darren Stanley Hayes?" asked Judge Haydin.
"Most certainly, Your Honour," said Mr. Pichard proudly. "Here are photos of the two rooms where the murder took place - the room of the actual murder, and the room where my client saw the murder. Notice the peephole in my client's room - she was enable to watch the murder take place."
"That might be true, Mr. Pichard," said Judge Haydin. "But how does that prove that Darren Stanley Hayes was the killer?"
"Er...well...my client's testimony should prove that," said Mr. Pichard, albeit a bit unsure.
"Hmm...all right...Mr. Amblin, you may continue," said Judge Haydin.
"Thank you, Your Honour. Now let me call upon my next witness - Anna-Maria LaSpina!"
