Chapter 8 Chapter VII

Located in the center of Athens, the Assaken Court is a large building built of gray rock, occupying the block square from Academy Avenue to Streda.There are 30 trial chambers in the court, of which No. 21, No. 30 and No. 33 are dedicated to the trial of criminal cases. The murder of Anastasia Saviras in Inquisition 33 is of great interest.The courtroom was 300 feet long and 40 feet wide, and the seats were divided into three sections, each section being 5 feet apart, with nine wooden benches in a row.There is a 6-foot-high mahogany partition in the front of the court, and behind it is a high court table with three high-backed chairs for judges.

The small high platform in front of the stage is the witness stand, equipped with a fixed small stand for testimonies.At the other end of the trial room against the wall is the jury box, which has already been filled with 10 jurors.Before the defendant's seat is the lawyer's seat. What makes this murder case stand out is not only the case itself, but also the fact that Choates, who acts as the defendant's counsel, is recognized as one of the most eminent criminal lawyers in the world.Chotus has only pleaded murder, and his record of success is nothing short of impressive.It is said that the cost of asking him to defend will be calculated in millions.Chotus looked thin and haggard, with large, sad eyes like police dogs shining across his wrinkled face.He is very poorly dressed, and his appearance hardly inspires confidence in him.But beneath his slovenly demeanor lurks a sharp, brilliant intellect.

The press speculated wildly as to why Choates agreed to defend the woman.There's no way he's going to win this case.There are also bets that the lawsuit will be Choatez's first defeat. Pete Dimonides, the prosecutor in the case, had confronted Choatez—although he refused to admit defeat—and he did admire Choatez's talents.For this fight, he is full of confidence.If you want to cite a typical case that starts and closes immediately, the Anastasia case will be his most successful example. The case itself was simple: Anastasia was a young, beautiful woman married to a wealthy man named George Savillas.George was more than thirty years her senior, and she had been secretly befriending a young driver named Joseph Pappas.According to testimony, her husband threatened to divorce her and rewrite his will.On the night of the murder, she dismissed all the servants and prepared dinner for her husband herself.George is suffering from a cold and has been coughing during meals.His wife handed him cough medicine, and he took a sip before falling dead.

An obvious case indeed. ※※※ Court No. 33 was full early in the morning.Anastasia sat down in the dock. She was dressed in a plain black shirt and skirt, without any jewelry, and just a little makeup, looking lovely. Prosecutor Peter Dimonides is speaking. "Ladies and gentlemen. Sometimes a murder trial drags on for three to five months. But I think this time, you needn't worry about the case taking you that long. When you've heard the facts of the case State, I am sure you will undoubtedly agree with the only trial finding - first degree murder. The statement will establish that the accused deliberately murdered her husband, who threatened Said to divorce her. We will prove that the accused had the motive, the timing and the tools to carry out her bloody murderous plan. Thank you." He returned to his seat.

The Chief Justice turned to Choates and said, "Is the defendant's counsel ready for his opening statement?" Chotus stood up slowly. "Yes, Your Honor." He hesitantly moved to the jury seat, squinting his eyes, as if muttering to himself, "I have lived for such a long time, and I know that no one can cover up the sins in their nature , sooner or later it will be exposed. A poet once said that the eyes are the windows to the soul, and I believe it to be true. I hope you, ladies and gentlemen, look into the accused's eyes and you will never find her I actually have the idea of ​​murdering others in my heart." Chotes was stunned for a while, as if thinking about how to continue, but then shuffled back to his seat without saying a word.

Peter Dimonides felt a sudden sense of triumph.God, that's the silliest opening line I've ever heard in my life!The old man has already lost. "Is the prosecutor ready to call the first witness?" "Ready, Your Honor, I would like to call on Rosa Rick Augers." A short, fat, middle-aged woman stood up in the auditorium. She walked to the front of the court calmly with firm steps and swore to appear in court. "Ms. Rick Augers, what is your occupation?" "I'm the butler..." she choked out, "I was Mr. Saviras's butler." "Mr. Savillas?"

"Yes, sir." "Then can you tell us how long you have been employed by Mr. Saviras?" "25 years." "Oh, so long. Do you like your employer?" "He's a saint." "Were you employed in Mr. Savillas' first marriage?" "Yes, sir. I was with him when he buried his wife in the graveyard." "It's safe to say they're very attached, isn't it?" "They were madly in love." Pete Dimonides glanced at Chotes, waiting for him to object to these questions.But Chotus sat quietly, apparently distracted.

Pete Dimonides went on. "Were you still employed by Saviras during his marriage to his second wife, Anastasia?" "Yes, of course I am," she blurted out. "Is this a happy marriage in your opinion?" He glanced at Napoleon Chotes again, but Chotes still didn't respond. "Happiness? No, sir, they quarrel like hell." "Did you ever see them fight?" "Anyone will see. They're making noise all over the house, and it's a big house." "I guess they just talked and didn't do it? That means Mr. Savillas never hit his wife?"

"Oh, of course it did. But it wasn't what you imagined. It was Madame who beat Monsieur. Savillas has been holding his tongue for years, and poor him is very weak." "Did you actually see her beat her husband?" "More than once." The witness turned his head and glanced at Anastasia, his voice was grim but relieved. "Ms. Rick Augers, which servant was on duty the night Mr. Savillas died?" "nobody." Pete Demonides spoke with deliberate astonishment. "You mean that in the whole house, there's not a single servant in such a large house? Mr. Savillas doesn't have a cook, or a maid . . . a manservant?"

"Of course he hired these people. But the lady ordered all the servants to go back to rest that night. She said she would prepare dinner for the husband herself, saying that she was going to have a second honeymoon." Rosa snorted when she said the last sentence One sound. "So Mrs. Savillas sent everyone away?" This time it was the Chief Justice who was gesturing to Napoleon Chotes with his eyes for a rebuttal, but the defense lawyers just sat there thoughtfully. The chief judge said to Dimonides: "The public prosecutor must stop the induction of witnesses."

"Excuse me, Your Honor, I will ask again." Dimonides approached Mrs. Savillas. "You're saying there's always someone on duty, and that night Mrs. Savillas ordered everyone to leave so she could be alone with her husband?" "Yes, sir, and poor sir has a bad cold." "Does Mrs. Savillas often cook for her husband?" Rick Augers snorted and replied, "Her? No, sir. She doesn't care about housework." Napoleon Chotes still sat motionless, like a spectator. "Thank you, Ms. Rick Augers, for the useful testimony you provided." Pete Dimonides turned to Chotes, trying to hide his satisfaction.It could be seen that Rick Augers' testimony had worked for the jury.They cast contemptuous eyes on the accused.Let's see what the old guy can do to convince the jury. "It's your turn to question the witness." Napoleon Chotes raised his eyes slightly. "What? Oh, I'm fine." The Chief Justice looked at him in amazement. "Mr. Chotes . . . don't you want to question witnesses?" Napoleon Chotes rose to his feet. "No, Your Honor, it seems that she is a very honest person." After speaking, she sat down. Pete Dimonides couldn't believe his luck.My God, he thought, the old man was powerless to fight back.He is finished.Dimonides was already tasting victory. The chief judge bowed and said to the prosecutor: "You can call the next witness." "Joseph Pappas is in court." A tall, handsome, dark-haired young man rose from the audience, walked to the witness stand, and took the oath. Pete Dimonides asked: "Mr. Pappas, can you tell the court what your profession is?" "I'm the driver." "Do you have a job now?" "No." "But you had a job not so long ago. You were employed by George Savillas before he died, weren't you?" "good." "How long have you been working at his house?" "Over a year." "Have you enjoyed your work?" Joseph looked at Chotus, waiting for him to come and relieve him, but was met with silence. "Is it pleasant work, Mr. Pappas?" "I think it's okay." "Is your salary high?" "yes." "So don't you think the job is more than okay? I mean, isn't there anything else that pleases you? Don't you go to Mrs. Savillas' bed a lot?" Joseph looked at Napoleon Chotes and asked him for help, but Chotes still didn't respond. "I . . . yes, sir, probably did." Dimonides taunted severely: "Maybe? You have sworn an oath. Did you have an affair with her, or not?" Pappas squirmed. "We pass privately." "Her husband hired you, paid you handsomely, and let you live in his home?" "Yes, sir." "Aren't you ashamed to have Savillas' money and his wife at the same time?" "There's more than just an affair between us." Pete Dimonides carefully set the trap. "Not just fornication? What do you mean? I don't understand." "I mean—me and Anastasia are getting married." There was a murmur of surprise in the courtroom.The jury turned their attention to the accused. "Is the marriage your idea or Mrs. Savillas's?" "Well, both of us think so." "Who brought it up first?" "I think she brought it up first." He glanced at Anastasia, who returned her unafraid glance. "Frankly, Mr. Pappas, I'm confused. How can you marry her? She's got a husband, hasn't she? Do you want to wait until he dies of old age? Or have a fatal accident? Your brain What the hell was he thinking?" The question was so hot that the prosecutor and the three judges looked at Napoleon Chotes at the same time, expecting an angry dissent.But the defense attorney was scribbling nonchalantly, not paying attention.Anastasia began to look at him anxiously. Pete Dimonides jumped at the opportunity. "You haven't answered my question, Mr. Pappas." Joseph Pappas moved restlessly. "I really don't know." Dimonides spoke like a whip, loud and powerful. "Then let me tell you exactly. Anastasia plans to murder her husband to remove the stumbling block. She knows that her husband is going to divorce her and have her name crossed out from the will, so that, She'd have nothing. She..." "I object!" It was not Napoleon Chotes who said this, but the Chief Judge. "You are asking witnesses to speculate." The judge looked at Napoleon Chotes, surprised at his silence.The old man was reclining on the bench with his eyes closed at the moment. "I'm sorry, Your Honor." He knew he had achieved his intended purpose.He turned to Chotes and said, "Your turn." Napoleon Chotes rose to his feet. "Thank you, Mr. Dimonides, I have no problem." The three judges looked at each other, puzzled.One of them said, "Mr. Choates, do you realize that this is your only chance to question the opposing witness?" Jotes blinked. "I know, Your Honor." "Have you no questions about his testimony?" Chotes waved his hand in the air and said vaguely, "No, Your Honor." The judge sighed. "Well, Prosecutor, one more witness may be passed." The next witness was Michalis Hartorides, in his sixties and still in good health. After he took the oath, the prosecutor asked: "Please tell the court what your profession is." "Yes, sir, I run a hotel." "Can you name the hotel?" "Argos." "Where is the hotel?" "At Coover." "Mr Hartorides, has anyone in this court ever stayed at your hotel?" Hartolides glanced around for a week and said, "Yes, he and she." "Please write on the record that the witness pointed to Joseph Pappas and Anastasia." He then asked the witness, "Did they stay at your hotel more than once?" "Yes, sir, they have lived at least six or seven times." "They spent the night there, in the same room, didn't they?" "Yes, sir, they usually come for the weekend." "Thank you, Mr. Hartolides." He looked at Napoleon Chotes. "It's your turn." "no problem." The Chief Justice leaned sideways and whispered to the other two judges.The Chief Justice looked at Napoleon Chotes. "Have you no questions for this witness, Mr. Chotes?" "No, Your Honor, I trust his testimony. It's a nice hotel, and I've been there myself." The Chief Justice gazed at Napoleon Chotes for a long time, then turned to the prosecutor. "Prosecutor, the next witness can be called." "The public prosecutor wishes to call Dr. Vasilis Franges." A tall man with extraordinary temperament got up and walked to the witness stand, took the oath and took the seat. "Dr. Frangus, can you tell the court which doctor you are?" "I'm a general practitioner." "Is it equivalent to a family doctor?" "That's just a different name, yes." "How long have you been practicing medicine?" "Almost thirty years." "Do you have a government license?" "Of course there is." "Doctor, is George Saviras your patient?" "Yes, he is my patient." "How long?" "A little over ten years." "Did you treat him for any particular disease?" "Well, when he first came to me, he had high blood pressure." "Did you cure him of this disease?" "yes." "Have you seen him since?" "Yes, he often comes to my place, sometimes with bronchitis, sometimes with liver disorders, nothing serious." "When was the last time you saw him?" "Last December." "Just before he died?" "yes." "Did he come to your clinic, doctor?" "No, I went to his house." "Do you usually visit patients' homes?" "seldom." "But you made an exception for this patient?" "yes." "why?" The doctor hesitated. "Let's put it this way, his medical condition does not allow him to come to my clinic." "How is his body?" "He had torn soft tissue, several bruised ribs and a concussion." "Did it happen by accident?" The doctor hesitated again. "No, he told me it was his wife who hit him." There was commotion in the courtroom. The Chief Justice said sullenly: "Mr. Choates, do you not object to the entry of hearsay on the record?" Napoleon Chotes said mildly, "Oh, thank you, Your Honor, I object." However, the situation had turned against him, and the jury members turned their hostile eyes on the defendant. "Thank you, doctor, my questions are over." Dimonides turned to Chotes smugly, "It's your turn." "I have no problem." ※※※ A barrage of witnesses followed: a maid testified that she had seen Mrs. Savillas go to the chauffeur's house on several occasions...a manservant testified that Mr. Savillas had threatened his wife with her Divorced and having to rewrite the will...neighbors have heard both of them making a lot of noise.Napoleon Chotes still did not question any of the witnesses. Anastasia was like a fish caught in a net struggling helplessly. Pete Demonides already felt that victory was in sight, and he seemed to see the headlines on the front pages of the newspapers.The trial will be the fastest in history.The case could be closed even today, the great Napoleon Chotes defeated. "I would like to invite Nico Mantakis to the witness stand." Mantakis is a thin, earnest-looking young man who speaks slowly and carefully. "Mr. Mantakis, can you tell the court what your profession is?" "Yes, sir, I work in the nursery." "You babysit?" "Oh, no, sir, it's not the nursery you're talking about. We have all kinds of trees and flowers, all kinds of plants." "Oh, so that's the case, so you are an expert in growing plants?" "I think so. I've been in this job for a long time." "I suppose it's your job to keep those plants healthy for sale, eh?" "Yes, sir. We cultivate our plants with care. Plants with even the slightest disease cannot be sold to customers. Most of my customers are my regular customers." "That is to say, all the customers who go to your place are the same customers?" "Yes, sir," he said with pride, "the service we provide is excellent." "Please tell me, Mr. Mantakis, is Mrs. Saviras a regular customer of yours?" "Yes, she is very fond of plants and flowers." The Chief Justice is getting impatient. "Mr. Dimonides, the court finds your questions irrelevant to the case. Would you like to ask something else, or..." "Your Honor, if the court will allow me to finish my questioning, the testimony of the witnesses is extremely relevant to this case." The Chief Justice looked at Napoleon Chotes. "Mr Chotes, do you have any objection to these questions?" Napoleon Chotes looked up, blinking. "What did you say? No objection, Your Honor." The Chief Justice stared at Chotus in dismay for a moment, then said to Peter Dimonides, "Well, you can go on." "Mr. Mantakis, did Mrs. Saviras come to your place one day in December and tell you there was something wrong with her plants?" "Yes, sir, she did." "Actually, did she say her plants were destroyed because of the pests?" "Yes, sir." "Then did she ask you what insecticide you want?" "Yes, sir." "Can you tell the court what it is?" "I sold her some antimony." "Can you describe the thing exactly to the court?" "It's highly poisonous, like arsenic." There was an uproar in the courtroom. The Chief Justice gave a sharp blow with his gavel. "If there's any more commotion, I'll order the marshals to clear the place." He turned to Peter Dimonides and said, "You can go on with your questions." "You said you sold antimony to her?" "Yes, sir." "Do you think it kills? You just compared it to arsenic." "Yes, sir, fatally, yes." "And you have a record, because the law says you have to register to buy poisonous stuff, right?" "Yes, sir." "So, did you bring those records?" "Bring it." He handed Dimonides a ledger. The prosecutor went to the bench. "Your Honor, I would like to mark this exhibit as 'Exhibit A.'" He turned to the witness and said, "I have no problem." He glanced at Napoleon Choates. Napoleon Chotes looked up and shook his head. "no problem." Pete Dimonides took a deep breath.It's time to show the trump card. "I want everyone to look at Exhibit B." He turned around, walked back, and said to the bailiff standing by the door, "Can you please bring it in now?" The bailiff hurried out the door and brought back a tray in a short while.On the plate was a bottle of cough syrup.There is noticeably less syrup in the bottle.The bailiff handed over the tray to the prosecutor, and the people watched intently.Dimonides placed it on a table in front of the jury box. "Ladies and gentlemen, what you have seen is the murder weapon of Ben. It is what killed Mr. Savillas. This is the cough syrup that Mrs. Savillas gave her husband the night he died. , with antimony in it. It can be seen that the victim drank some of the potion - and died after 20 minutes." Napoleon Chotes stood up and said in a weak voice: "I object, the prosecutor cannot establish that the deceased took the medicine in this bottle." Peter Demonides rode in. "Of course I have great respect for you, my learned colleague, but Mrs. Savillas has admitted that on the night of her husband's death, she herself made him drink the syrup from this bottle because of his violent coughing. This bottle It has been in the police station ever since, and it was brought to court only a few minutes ago. The coroner has confirmed that Savillas died of antimony poisoning, which happens to be in the syrup." He fixed Napoleon Choate defiantly. s. Napoleon Chotes, defeated, shook his head and said, "I think it's all right, then." Peter Dimonides said triumphantly: "No problem at all, thank you, Mr. Choates. The prosecution ceases to present further evidence in this case." The Chief Justice turned to Napoleon Chotes and said: "Is the defense ready to argue the conclusion?" Napoleon Chotes got up and said, "Okay, Your Excellency." He stood there for a long time, then calmly took a few steps forward, stood in front of the defense bench, scratched his head, and looked like he didn't know where to start.He finally spoke, but he was still searching for words and stuttering as he spoke. "I thought some of you would ask me why I didn't cross-examine the witnesses. Well, to tell you the truth, I think Dimonides has done a very good job, so I don't need to ask any more." The fool is defending me, Pete Dimonides was secretly pleased. Napoleon Chotes stared at the bottle of cough syrup for a long time before turning to the jury and saying, "All the witnesses looked honest. But they failed to prove anything, didn't they? I mean... ’ He shook his head. "Yes, to sum up the testimony of these witnesses, it can be boiled down to one sentence: the young and beautiful girl married an old man, and the old man could not satisfy her sexually." He turned to Joseph, Pappas Nodded, "So she found a young man who could satisfy her. But we can also read about this in the newspapers, can't we? Their affair is no secret, the whole world knows it. Every low-level job in the world The vulgar newspapers have reported it. Of course, you and I will not appreciate her behavior. But ladies and gentlemen, Anastasia is not here for trial for adultery. She is not She's not in this court because she has normal sexual desires like any other woman. She's here to stand trial for murder." His eyes were fixed on the medicine bottle, as if possessed. Let the old man babble, Peter Dimonides thought.He looked at the clock on the wall. It was five minutes to twelve.The judges always take recess at noon.There is no end to the old fool's summary.If he had been wiser, he should have waited until the resumption of court to conclude.Why am I always afraid of him?Pete Dimonides wondered too. Napoleon Chotes continued ramblingly on. "Let's take a look at the evidence, shall we? Mrs. Savillas has pests on her plants. She loves them and wants to save them. She went to Mr. Mantakis. The botanist advised her to use Sb. She followed the advice of the experts. You don't think it's murder, do you? I certainly don't. Here's the steward's testimony, she says Mrs. Savillas drove all the servants out so she could cook herself, Had a honeymoon-style dinner with her husband. I think the truth is that the housekeeper himself may have had some admiration for Mr. Savillas. It is only possible to willingly work for him for 25 years if you have a considerable affection for a man. She Hate Anastasia, can't you see that from her testimony?" Chotas coughed softly and cleared his throat, "So, let's say the defendant loves her very much deep down. Husband, she is doing her best to improve her married life and keep it alive. How does a woman show her love to a man? I would say that one of the most common and main ways is to cook for him. Isn't this a sign of love Is it a way of love? I think it is." He turned to look at the medicine bottle again, "When a man is sick, whether he is sick or not, isn't it a way of love for her to take care of him?" The clock on the wall said 11:59. "Ladies and gentlemen, at the beginning of this case, I asked everyone to look at the face of this woman. It is not a murderous face, and those eyes are not murderous eyes." Pete Demonides saw the jurors looking at the defendant with a hostility they had never seen before.The jurors were at his mercy. "The law is written in black and white. It is very clear. Ladies and gentlemen, the honorable judge will tell you that in order to convict the accused, there must be solid evidence, and there is no room for the slightest doubt." Napoleon Chotes coughed again.He took a handkerchief from his pocket, put it to his mouth, and went up to the bottle of syrup which lay before the jury box. "Until now, the prosecution has not had any evidence to prove the problem, has it? There is nothing but this bottle that Mrs. Savillas gave her husband medicine, and in fact, the prosecution's prosecution is baseless," Gang said. At this point, he coughed again, so he involuntarily picked up the bottle of cough syrup, unscrewed the cap, put it to his mouth, and took a big gulp.All the people in the court were stunned, followed by a groan of fear. There was chaos in the courtroom. The Chief Justice exclaimed, "Mr Chotes..." Napoleon Chotes took another sip. "Your Honor, the prosecution's prosecution is a sham of justice, and George Savillas was not killed by this woman. The defense concludes its case." The clock struck twelve o'clock.A bailiff hurried up to the Chief Justice and whispered something in his ear.The Chief Justice rapped the gavel and said, "Silence! Silence! The court is adjourned. The jury retires for verdict. It resumes at two o'clock." Pete Demonides stood transfixed.Someone played a subterfuge!But impossible.Evidence is under guardianship at all times.Did the medical examiner at the autopsy make a mistake?Dimonides turned and talked to his assistant for a few words, and when he looked around for Napoleon Chotes, Chotes was nowhere to be seen. ※※※ The trial resumed at two o'clock, and the jury filed in and took their seats.Still no sign of Napoleon Chotes. The bastard is dead, thought Pete Dimonides.At this moment, Napoleon Chotes pushed the door open.He looked radiant.All eyes were on him as he walked to his seat. "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, have you reached your verdict?" asked the Chief Justice. The foreman of the jury stood up. "We have rendered judgment, Your Honor, and we find the accused not guilty." In an instant, the audience burst into thunderous applause. Pete Demonides looked pale.The bastard has disgraced me again, he cursed.He glanced up to see Napoleon Chotes grinning at him.