TESTIMONY

  • 24 Aug - 30 Aug, 2019
  • Salaar Laghari
  • Fiction

Mr. Schimberg was brutally shocked as he heard this. Benjamin looked at Stephen with utmost surprise.

“Do you want to restate what you just said?” the judge of honour asked him just as surprised as the others.

“Sure your honour,” Stephen answered standing up. “I no longer represent my client. That’s all.”

There was a noise and chattering in the courtroom. “Order!”

The judge declared.

“May I?” Roald said as he stood up.

“Yes, go on,” the judge allowed.

“Your honour, I have a witness whose testimony is really important.”

“And who is this witness?”

“Mr. William’s servant, Baron.”

“Proceed.”

Baron stood up and walked to the witness stand.

“Oh my God,” Mr. Schimberg said looking at Stephen. “What are you doing?”

Stephen did not respond at all. Roald walked closer to the witness stand to face Baron.

“So Mr. Baron, where were you at the night of the accident?”

“I was outside, driving Mr. William’s car.”

“So you were driving Mr. William’s car? Did Mr. William know this?”

“No, he didn’t.”

“So you took the car without his permission?”

“That’s right.”

“What’s going on Dad?” Benjamin asked turning to his father.

“I don’t know. I can’t believe my eyes.”

“What was it? I mean were you upset with him? Was he not paying you enough? What was the real issue?” Roald asked Baron.

“No there was nothing like that. I just took the car out of my own.”

“But there has got to be a reason for that.”

“Yes, I was just going to my friend’s house. I just wanted to have fun.”

Roald chuckled.

“I doubted it,” he commented.

“Tell us honestly Mr. Baron. Did you or did you not turn on the headlights?” he asked Baron, pacing in the room.

Benjamin was focused on every word of the testimony.

“No I didn’t,” Baron replied.

“You didn’t. And what were the consequences of your action?”

“I hit a woman. Probably Evelyn, of course.”

“You do know what you are saying, don’t you?”

“Yes I do. What I am saying is the truth.”

“So what you mean is…” Roald asked walking towards the jury, “You are accepting the responsibility of Evelyn’s death?”

There was silence in the court room for several seconds. Baron was not answering the question. He looked at his employer William. “We all want to know Mr. Baron! Tell us are you responsible for Evelyn’s death?” Roald asked him again.

“…Yes, I am.” Baron replied after few seconds.

There was noise in the courtroom.

“Great! Perfect!” Roald exclaimed. “You heard what he said your honour. The case is resolved now. The criminal has admitted to his crime.”

The judge of honour turned to Stephen.

“Although you are not allowed to, but would you still like to cross question the witness?”

“No, your honour,” Stephen replied at once.

The judge looked at his notes and cleared his throat.

“Very well then, the court shall give its verdict tomorrow morning. In the meantime, the court is adjourned,” he announced.

As everybody stood up and prepared to leave, Stephen was the first person who stood up and immediately left the courtroom. Benjamin and his father were so shocked looking at him go.

“He double-crossed us,” Benjamin said to his father.

“I know. What should we do about it?”

Benjamin turned his head and looked at Roald. Roald and his clients were smiling and talking with glee. Even the servant Baron didn’t seem upset.

***********

Stephen was sitting in his home thinking about the old days in nostalgia’s grip.

Several days back when he was in his office, he was on the phone with someone.

“…It’s about money. It’s all about money this time.”

After his call got disconnected, he took a deep breath and sat back on his chair as he was feeling relieved.

Thank God, he uttered.

He heard someone knocking on his door.

“Come in,” he responded.

William Spacey opened the door and entered inside. Stephen looked at him and got alert.

“Yes?” he asked.

“May I sit?”

Stephen understood why he came here.

“Just tell me, what exactly do you want from me?” he said.

“Can we sit and talk?” William said to him.

Stephen didn’t respond and just closed his eyes. William sat on the chair.

“I’m going to pay you three times the amount Schimberg is paying you,” he offered.

“What do you want from me?”

“I want you to lose this case.”

“I’m sorry, I just can’t do this,” Stephen answered without even thinking about it.

Stephen came back from his flashback.

“I can’t believe I refused the first time.”

He then remembered what happened a few days back.

Mr. William and his son Simeon were seated at his home. He was sitting opposite to them when he heard his phone ringing. It was Mr. Schimberg’s call.

“Its Schimberg,” He told William.

“Just do as I say,” William said. “I will pay you a huge amount.”

Stephen answered the call after several rings.

“Hello?”

“Hi Stephen, where are you?” Mr. Schimberg asked.

“I’m, uh, I’m at…” Stephen answered as he was confused. “I’m not at home.”

William gave a thumbs up.

“We are waiting for you at your office. When are you coming?”

“I don’t think I’ll be there soon.”

“What?” Mr. Schimberg asked getting quite surprised. “Weren’t we supposed to meet today?”

“I know I know. We were but I’m stuck here with a little task.”

“Oh man… Should we wait or should we leave?”

A minute later, when the call was disconnected.

“So you are paying me to withdraw from this case or losing this case?” Stephen asked William.

“Whatever you like. But I do want you to shoot this evidence today. Show them that you have captured our video in which Simeon admits to his crime. So they won’t have a clue about this. That we are paying you.”

“I know what you mean.”

Stephen kept his phone aside and started shooting the video.

“Simeon, I’m going to ask you the questions and you’ll answer them as you know how.”

“And remember,” William instructed. “You are just supposed to show it to them. Nothing more than that. Do not forward the video. Do you understand that?”

“Okay, I got it.”

“And you’re going to their house today, okay?”

“Okay I’ll go, now please let me shoot the video.”

Stephen came back from his flashback to the present.

“So what if I sold my conscience to them? I made a fortune.”

He smiled and sat back feeling relieved.

***********

Benjamin was standing outside his home lost in a thought.

There has got to be something. Something has happened I’m sure. That two-faced Stephen has either been purchased or he is being blackmailed. I’ve got to find out. I’ll have to do something.

He walked ahead and while looking at the road he continued talking to himself.

He’s not even answering my calls. I know there’s something. Something has happened and it has to be figured out.

Meanwhile inside the house, Mr. Schimberg was walking furiously holding his phone.

I can’t believe he has blocked my cell number. Why has he sold us out? I swear, the moment he comes in front of me, I’ll break his jaw.

He then heard his cell phone ringing. He saw it was his son’s number.

“Yes Benjamin?” he answered his phone.

“I’m going Dad. I’m going to his house.”

“Whose?”

“Stephen’s. I need answers. I want them now.”

“It’s no use son.”

“Why Dad? I won’t let him get away with it like this.”

“He has blocked my number son. What can we do?”

“There has got to be something Dad” Benjamin replied. “Either we weren’t paying him enough or he’s a two faced hypocrite.”

“I know son. But what I’m saying is that we should wait until tomorrow. We’ll wait and see what the court’s verdict is. If we get a decision against us…”

“If we get a decision against us?” Benjamin asked getting surprised. “Dad we have clearly lost!”

“I know son, but what you need to understand is that we can’t do anything about it right now. Anyway, tell me where are you right now?”

“I’m standing outside.”

“Outside? Why won’t you come inside?”

“I can’t Dad. I’m just too restless. I just want to talk to him once.”

“Don’t get hasty son. And please don’t make the wrong move.”

Benjamin remained silent for a while and thought about it.

“…I’ll talk to you later Dad,” he finally said.

He disconnected the call.

***********

Next day’s afternoon, inside the courtroom, everyone was there except for Benjamin. Stephen was sitting on his usual seat but he was hiding his eyes from his client. Mr. Schimberg stood in front of him.

“You are going to be in big trouble,” he said looking him in the eye.

He did not respond and kept on looking aside.

The judge entered inside the room. The bailiff declared:

“All rise!”

Mr. Schimberg walked towards his chair.

“I won’t spare you!” he yelled at Stephan.

Meanwhile Benjamin was at his home writing something on paper. He was also looking at his cell phone waiting for a text from someone.

Back inside the courtroom:

“Prosecutor, do you have anything to say? Any closing statement?” the judge asked Stephen.

“No your honour,” Stephen responded.

The judge wrote something in his diary.

“Do you have any closing statement?”he asked Roald.

“No your honour,” he replied.

The judge was a bit amazed.

“This is unusual. That’s not what usually happens. No closing statement at all,” he said.

Benjamin at his home read out the title he had just noted down on the paper:

Reasons Why Stephen might have Double-crossed us.

Back at the courtroom, the judge of honour finally read the jury’s decision:

“According to the jury of twelve members, the court finds defendant Simeon Spacy…”

Everyone waited for his statement quite eagerly.

Benjamin was reading the bullet points he had written down until he heard his cell phone ringing. He picked up the phone and answered his father’s call.

“Hello?”

“We have lost son. The court has released Simeon.”

“…Why am I not surprised?” he replied.

“There’s nothing we can do now son, except for beating Stephen down to his death.”

“No Dad, the answer lies somewhere else. I’ll need to go and meet the Spaceys personally.”

“It won’t be safe son. I don’t think we should go close to those people. We must…”

“…No Dad,” he interrupted his father. “I won’t be a coward now. I’ve made some mistakes earlier, I can’t repeat them.”

Benjamin kept his phone away from his ear and disconnected the call after few seconds.

It’s time to take matters into my own hands, he declared to an empty room.

***********

That day’s evening, Stephen was pacing furiously in his house. He had never been this angry before. His wife came by his side.

“What is it?” she asked.

“They said they’ll pay me before six o’clock today. And I have checked my bank account for the third time. It’s been three hours and I haven’t received my payment yet.”

“Honey, I don’t think that what you did with Schimberg was…”

She got interrupted as Stephen’s phone began to ring. He answered William’s call.

“Hello?”

“Yes, what is it? Why have you been calling?”

“I haven’t received my payment yet. You said you’ll pay me twenty percent before and eighty percent after you win the case.”

“Yeah, so?”

“So? What do mean “so”? I want my payment now.”

“I won’t. Do whatever you can.”

“What?” Stephen asked getting angry.

“Yes! You betrayed your client. So I did the same thing to you. Call it instant karma.”

“No!” Stephen yelled.

Angry, Stephen threw his phone away and hit the glass table through his arms and his face.

His wife screamed in terror. She started weeping as she saw her husband lying brutally injured on the floor.

***********

Twenty-Four Hours Later

Simeon was watching television in his home when he heard the doorbell. One of the servants went to answer the gate.

Next minute, Simeon saw Benjamin standing outside his room’s entrance. Simeon was shook.

to be continued...

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