Seven of Spades2: Trick Roller

Drew Barton is certainly a sleazy, squawking wife-killer, but unlike Craig Warner, he's willing to take the gamble.He rejected a plea deal offered by the District Attorney's Office and formally pleaded "not guilty" of the murder of his wife and the armed assault on Levy.

It was difficult to convincingly say this, but Barton had a good lawyer—George Durham, a partner in Jay Sawyer's firm.Levi quickly understood Durham's defense strategy: he was going to say that "Seven of Spades" killed Mrs. Barton, but the Vegas police did not accuse Barton of justice, but also followed him and harassed her. He threatened him, so Barton came to the hotel where Levi was staying and wanted to reason with Levi, but Levi attacked him there instead.

The District Attorney in charge of the case was Melinda Wu, who first asked Martin to go to the witness stand.In plain language for the jury to understand, Martin recounts the investigation into Patty Barton's murder and concludes with the story of how she learned about Drew Barton's death from the eyelids of the police officer in charge of watching him. After slipping away, she called Levi to warn him.Durham's cross-examination was brief and polite, and Martin left the table with a slightly confused expression—Durham's usual cross-examination was that of a pit bull.

Levy was next on the witness stand.He has testified countless times in court in the past, and he has already rehearsed what he has to say with Wu.With her guidance, he explained in a calm and self-possessed voice his work in the investigation, including the interrogation of Barton and the process of obtaining evidence and obtaining an arrest warrant.

Levy had a harder time maintaining his composure when he described how he confronted Barton at gunpoint after stepping out of the hotel room bathroom and was threatened at gunpoint.Barton killed his wife in order to make the case look like "Seven of Spades". After being found out by Levi, he planned to make a last-ditch attempt to do the same to Levi.His plan is very likely to succeed, if the hotel's circuit had not just been cut off, Levi took advantage of this critical few seconds to avoid him.They scuffled for the pistol before Dominique came to the scene and brought Barton down.

After Prosecutor Wu asked the question, he took a few steps back, smiled at Levi, and nodded slightly.But he knows now is not the time to relax, as Durham has risen from his seat.

This wasn't the first time Levy had been grilled by Durham, an old white man with a mass of silver hair and piercing blue eyes that were always scrutinizing.Even with this experience, he still didn't know what to expect.

"Officer Abrams," Durham said briskly, "may I ask how you hurt your mouth?"

"Last week I had a physical altercation with a suspect," Levy said warily.He didn't know where the words would eventually lead, but he knew he wouldn't like that direction.

"Is this suspect Kyle Gilmore?"

"Yes……"

"Is it Kyle Gilmour who was treated the next day for a broken nose, two missing teeth, multiple cuts to his arms and hands, and a bruised testicle?"

Sitting in the row behind Prosecutor Wu, Dominic frowned.The men on the jury shifted uncomfortably in their seats.

Levi clenched his hands in his lap so no one could see his nervousness. "Mr. Gilmore attacked me with a knife while I was obtaining a search warrant to conduct a lawful search of his apartment. I disarmed him and subdued him with non-lethal force. Due to his overdose at the time, the overdose required The level of force may be higher than necessary under normal circumstances."

"Hmm." Durham paced back and forth in front of the witness stand at a slow and deliberate pace. "Then what happened to the 'physical confrontation' you participated in on April [-]th this year?"

Levi couldn't put the dates right, but seeing Dominique froze, he understood.

"I'm referring, of course, to the time when you beat three men with head injuries and they were all hospitalized," Durham said.

Wu stood up. "No, Your Honor. Is that relevant to the case?"

Judge Sanchez raised an eyebrow and looked at Durham questioningly.

"It's about Officer Abrams' character and behavioral patterns," he said calmly, "and that's critical to my defence."

Sanchez considered for a moment and nodded. "The lawyer continues. Please be cautious."

Wu sat back heavily in his seat and gave Levi an apologetic look.

"Your statement is out of context," Levy said, trying to stay calm. "I caught those three men during a burglary. They were outnumbered and armed, and I couldn't reach me. My partner was seriously wounded and the only way to survive would be to render the men unconscious, yes, unfortunately, that would mean a minor head injury. All three recovered fairly well in two days No, no sequelae."

Durham stood in front of him. "Indeed. Does that apply to Dale Slater?"

Levi felt cold all over.In the auditorium, Dominic got up and halfway was pulled back to sit by Martin.

"I'll explain it to those of you who don't have a clue," Durham said, turning to the jury box. "On March [-]th, Dale Slater was shot and killed by Officer Abrams."

"A hostage was taken at that time!" Levi's voice overwhelmed the discussion in the auditorium.He was almost out of temper, but he just couldn't keep his mouth shut. "He used that little boy as a human shield, and I had no choice but to shoot him—"

Wu spread his hands and said, "Your Honor—"

"Mr Durham, please state your case as soon as possible, or drop this questioning," Sanchez said.

"Naturally, Your Honor." Durham smoothed the wrinkles in his coat. "Officer, in light of the circumstances, Dale Slater's death was ruled a justifiable homicide. But after that accident, you were ordered to receive six mandatory counseling sessions, right?"

"Any police officer who uses deadly force while on duty will be required to do so," Levy said gruffly.

"As it should. But you're no stranger to the use of force, sir, are you? On duty or off."

Levi narrowed his eyes.

"You are a well-trained and skilled practitioner of Krav Maga, the fighting system used by the Israeli armed forces."

"Yes, I am." Levi ventured to glance at the jury, and he saw curious expressions on the faces of several people.

"During this so-called attack, you claim that my client attacked you and that you kicked his right kneecap with great force. His leg has never recovered. You, however, survived the attack intact. Get out of the match."

More murmurs rose in the courtroom.Both Dominic and Martin watched Levi with concern, waiting for the inevitable moment.They even he couldn't handle the provocation, and it was a matter of time before he got angry.

But he has to cope.By portraying him as a volatile combatant, Durham sought to undermine his credibility, and thus the case.Levy can only dispel this impression by acting calm and composed.

"Mr. Barton broke into my hotel room while I was in the shower," he weighed each word carefully. "He waited in ambush, then he waited, and he threatened me at gunpoint. He told me he was going to tie me up in the Kill me again on the chair."

Thinking of that night, Levi couldn't hold back his rapid breathing—the panic caused by the invasion of a place that should be safe, the fear of facing the gun but being unable to disarm the opponent because it was too far away, and knowing that Barton was desperate , a feeling that cannot be persuaded by reason.He never thought of giving up, but he knew he was likely to die.Like Patty Barton, who was stabbed six times by her husband in her living room.

"Barton killed his wife, and then he wanted to kill me. His intentions are very obvious." Levy glared at Barton, who returned a smug smile in the dock. "With everything he's done, he's lucky I only broke his knee."

Durham smiled.Wu collapsed on the back of the chair and rubbed his temples. Martin looked at Levi with eyes that hated iron and steel.Dominic seemed to be trying to hold back a laugh.

Levi pursed his lips, trying to swallow his anger back.

"I think he was lucky," Durham said. "Now that you bring it up, let's talk about luck. We haven't heard from Dominic Russo yet, but you mentioned that he was in the role in this incident. You said that someone calling himself the serial killer 'Seven of Spades' texted him to alert him to what you called an emergency."

"Yes."

"And when you say 'seven of spades', of course you mean Keith Chapman."

Levi gasped for breath.He looked at Dominic and found that the latter was not as relaxed as before.

Even if Li Wei wanted to lie, he was powerless.Durham's smug expression showed that he knew exactly what he was doing.Levy's lies are easy to spot -- all he has to say is the reason for Levy's recent suspension.If Levy had perjured his testimony, his testimony would be invalid.

"No," he said, "I didn't say that."

"No?" Durham raised his eyebrows exaggeratedly, pretending to be confused. "With all due respect, Officer Abrams. It is my understanding that the Vegas Police Department has attributed five murders to the late Officer Chapman, thus closing the 'Seven of Spades' case."

Levi's stomach cramped, and he felt like he was standing on the edge of a precipice, and no matter what step he took, no matter what direction he took, he would fall badly.No good results at all.

He glanced at Dominic again—Dominic, who was as firm as a rock, never doubted him for even a second, and he still did not doubt him at this moment.Dominic nodded encouragingly.

"Keith Chapman is not 'Seven of Spades,'" Levy said.

There was an uproar in the courtroom.Sanchez tapped the gavel several times to demand order.Durham waited contentedly for the mess he had created to be over.

When the commotion subsided, he asked, "Officer, can you explain what you said?"

Now that the words are out, Levy might as well tell the truth: "Keith Chapman was framed by the real 'Seven of Spades', who, under the influence of drugs and psychological manipulation, believed that he might be the murderer , but he is not. The real culprit has not yet been brought to justice."

This time, the shock response from the crowd was stronger, and it took a long time to get the situation under control.Levi sat frozen, his fingernails dug into his palm, his eyes fixed on Durham's.

Durham is not so easily bluffed. "How can the Vegas Police Department keep such a big secret to the outside world? However, that's not the official position of the Vegas Police Department, right? It's just your personal opinion. In fact, in your chief You were suspended on Friday after discovering that you had conducted a 'Seven of Spades'-related investigation in violation of his direct orders."

"The suspension order was rescinded in less than 48 hours—"

"In recent months, you have claimed that the 'Seven of Spades' is still alive without any evidence," Durham said, approaching Levy. "Last week, you insisted that the 'Seven of Spades' Seven' 'helped you solve the case'. But no one believed you, not your chief, not your homicide partner—"

"Objection!" Wu suddenly interrupted him. "These are rumors."

"The objection works," Sanchez said.

Durham nodded, putting his hand on the edge of the witness box. "My apologies, officer. I can see you're angry. You're shaking with anger."

Levi gritted his teeth.

"But I think that's the norm for you." Durham's gaze penetrated into Levi's eyes. "You are irritable, violent, capricious, and you are obsessed with a dead serial killer, even to the point of deceiving yourself. Who knows what will happen to such a man?" He pushed his hand and left the witness stand , said: "Your Honor, I'm done asking."

"Officer, you can leave the table." Sanchez's tone was faintly sympathetic.

Still not recovering from the shock, Levi stood up unsteadily, buttoned his jacket, and left the witness stand to come to Dominic and Martin, and the entire courtroom stared at him unabashedly.Dominic stroked his back with one hand.

Prosecutor Wu quickly flipped through the documents, took notes, and after discussing with the prosecution lawyer for a while, she said: "The prosecution summoned Dominic Russo to appear in court."

Because there was no way Dominique could squeeze through, and Levi had to stand up again.After he walked out, he sat back down again, and Martin hooked his arm and patted his hand.

Dominique is the complete antithesis of Levy, the lawyer's dream witness—charismatic but never flattering, self-deprecating without being falsely modest.His badass handsome face is the icing on the cake.

Wu first establishes his credibility as a witness, talking about his two-term service in the Army Rangers, his decorated and honorable discharge, and his years as a bounty hunter, hunting down the The story of the fugitive.Within five minutes, Dominique had the entire jury captivated: Some were hero-worshiping, others were hormonal, and still others were both.

Wu saw that the jury's reaction had achieved the effect she wanted, so she asked Dominic to narrate his experience that night.He was driving home when he received the text message from an unknown number.The person who sent the text message claimed to be "Seven of Spades", warned him that Levi was in danger, and asked him to come to rescue him.Dominic drove straight to the hotel where Levi was, persuaded a hotel employee to take him to Levi's room, and unlocked the door.Immediately afterwards, he heard a gunshot and the sound of fighting came from inside. He broke into the door, threw Barton down, restrained him with a chokehold, and did not let go until he gave up resistance.

After the question was over, Wu's face returned with a look of satisfaction.It was a beautiful story—most importantly, it confirmed Dominique's credibility and reliability, and won the jury's unambiguous praise for him.

Durham began to cross-examine: "Mr. Russo, you mentioned that the hotel staff accompanied you to open the door lock, so why do you need to break the door?"

"The anti-theft chain is on."

"You just... broke it?" Durham politely expressed doubts.

"Ah, I knocked it open with my whole body weight a few times, but yes, it did break in the end." Dominique said, his arms crossed his chest casually, and the covering of the suit jacket made the effect of showing muscles not as good as being bare-chested , but the meaning is there.A female juror was drooling.

"I see," said Durham, a little confused for the first time all afternoon. "Ah...so you entered the guest room and saw Officer Abrams fighting with Mr. Barton. You thought that Officer Abrams was in danger, so you attacked Mr. Barton to help him."

Dominic smiled at him genially. "No. If I wanted to attack him, I'd knock him out, understand? Here's the thing, I didn't know what was going on, and I wanted to separate them. A chokehold was probably the easiest way."

Durham stared at him for a few seconds. "Mr. Barton mentioned that when you strangled him, you threatened to take his life."

"No, not at all. But he was terrified, so I think he probably misunderstood me." Dominique turned slightly so that he could face the jury box at the same time, and said, "If you choke your throat hard, you don't mean to hurt anyone. It is also very easy to cause injuries. Barton was twisting violently at the time, and I was worried that I might accidentally hurt him, so I reminded him not to move to avoid accidents."

As he explained, the jurors who were scheming jurors nodded.Durham frowned, he glanced at Levi quickly, then looked at Dominic again, his brows furrowed deeper.

Levy suddenly understood Durham's predicament.He must have intended to portray Levi and Dominique as accomplices, a domineering and combative duo who teamed up to attack Barton and fabricated stories to cover up the dirty work.He must have felt that it would be easy to create such an impression based on Dominic's size and service history, but he did not expect Dominic's personality to be so mature and steady.

too late.The jury was firmly on Dominique's side, and a little attack couldn't sway them.If he insisted too much, they would target him instead.

"Mr. Russo, if you don't mind, let's go back to the beginning of the story," he said. "When you received the text message warning you that Officer Abrams was in danger, did you doubt its authenticity?"

"Actually, I'm dubious. I don't really believe that there is any danger, and I don't really believe that the text message is from the real 'Seven of Spades'."

"But you went straight to the hotel anyway? Didn't you call 911?"

"The person who sent the text message said they already called," Dominique shrugged. "I think if the text message is fake, the worst result is that someone is playing tricks. It's not a big deal. But if there is real danger And I didn't care? Officer Abrams would die. I wouldn't take that risk."

Durham turned and picked up a bottle of water from the dock table and took a few sips.Seeing the frustration on his face, Levi couldn't help but feel a little dark - all he did made Dominic's image more and more positive.

Durham put down his glass, turned back and said, "You had a sexual relationship with Officer Abrams, didn't you?"

These words elicited a few surprised murmurs in the courtroom.Dominic smiled at Levi.

"We're in a serious relationship," he said, "and sex is part of it, of course." He winks at the jury, and Levi's sure there's an old lady who's been swooning like a Victorian lady.

"My God," said Martin under his breath.She buried her face in Levi's shoulder and suppressed a smile.

"Ah, so." Durham cleared his throat. "Then, did the two of you have a romantic or physical relationship on the night when the above-mentioned incident happened?"

"not yet."

"But then you had a crush on Officer Abrams."

"I like him," Dominic said, meeting Levi's gaze from a distance, "I respect him. In the weeks before that, I got to know him better and found that he had a very good heart and a very selfless protective heart." The residents of this city. So yes, you can say that I already had a crush on him back then."