Fan Fiction |
by Rain
Monday, 17th June 2002
“Listen to me Mich…” Vicki tried to catch after Michelle who was storming away.
“I can’t believe you actually agreed to this!” Michelle yelled, not bothering to slow down her pace.
“I…” Vicki found herself to have none defensive words for herself.
“Mich?” Niki cried in relief when she saw her apartment mate walked in. “Mich! I miss you! How come you’re back? You haven’t even been to your first hearing!”
“Mich!” Tavia hugged her.
Michelle hugged briefly before sitting down on the sofa, fuming.
“Can you give me a chance to explain?” Vicki who just entered was still very out of breath.
Niki and Tavia noticed Michelle looking quite mad and gave Vicki a questioning look.
“Where’s Ray?” Tavia asked suddenly. Vicki shot her a pleading look to not mention the name.
Vicki explained Raymond’s words for Michelle and she seemed to have cooled down a little more.
“As much as I hate to admit it Mich, Ray’s right!” Tavia supported Vicki after she finished her words.
“Yeah, you’re the one who should be working on this case and not squatting behind the bars while the rest of us search blindly,” Niki gave her vote for the idea too.
“Mich, can you not understand Ray’s move? Then just think back why you chose to take the blame for Niki back then…” Vicki persuaded on.
“She’s right Mich, you shouldn’t waste more time brooding over this. We should all work on Ray’s case now… the hearing is just two days away!” Alec pointed out the hard cold fact.
Michelle finally nodded in agreement and they resumed their efforts on the case.
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Tuesday, 18th June 2002
“Ray… you shouldn’t have…” Michelle said but Raymond gave her a gleeful smile.
“No worries Mich, it’s been quite fun so far. I’m taking a few days off my busy working life when I’m out there. You don’t know that Dad of mine, I even meet clients on Sunday!”
Michelle sighed at his optimism. Her search wasn’t as dynamic as she had hoped. It’s no wonder Niki and the gang couldn’t report any findings to her when she was back in jail. Even with her, she had only found few feeble points. This case should be easy to win but because she had to protect the innocent and the real culprits that involved Niki and herself, she found it quite a tough case to fight. She couldn’t attack any party like she did in the past. She had to come up with something to suggest that none of them were involved.
“Ray, what if I can’t win this case…” Michelle said unconfidently.
“No worries, I trust you,” he ‘took’ something from his heart and sent it to hers. “There, all my faith for you…”
Michelle stared at his gesture dumbfounded.
“I’ll win this case if it’s the last thing I do…” she spoke at last.
Raymond grinned at her. Michelle found herself staring at him unblinkingly for quite some while and immediately tore her gaze away. Her heart beat that had not raced for quite some time was totally messed up.
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Thursday, 20th June 2002
“Mich!” Jessica waved at her from a distant just as she was about to enter the courtroom.
Michelle turned and flashed her a smile. In the busy times to solve Raymond’s case, she had forgotten that Jessica was also Raymond’s good friend.
“Coming to support Ray?” she asked when Jessica who finally reached.
“To support both of you. I trust you to win this,” she said. “Good luck!”
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“Mr. Raymond Lam confessed his wrong doings to me on 17th June,” Ron answered the prosecutor calmly and honestly.
R: Ron, P: Prosecutor, M: Michelle (Defender) Ray: Raymond (Defendant), J: Judge, C: Charmaine
R: He showed me the identity card that he claimed to have picked up from his car. The wanted dropped it when Mr. Lam carried him into his car after finding him unconscious at the door steps of his… his girlfriend’s apartment. (Ron reluctantly choked his last few words out)
P: And you believed him?
R: I don’t see why not. His story and evidence are much stronger than what Michelle gave me.
P: Thank you, Your honor, I have no further questions.
M: Officer Ron, can you tell me what this is? (holding an identity card)
R: It’s a Hong Kong citizen identity card. (puzzled)
M: What about this? (holding another identity card)
R: It’s the same, Hong Kong ID.
M: Are you sure? Do you want to have a clearer look? (gave him the cards anyway)
R: Er… ah! This is a genuine but this one is fake! (holds up the one on his right)
M: (smiled at him) You’re wrong, but you won’t be the only one, Officer Ron. These ID cards are everywhere, they’re BOTH fake.
R: Really? (softly and examined the cards)
M: Your Honor, what I’m trying to prove here is that Officer Ron… and many others I expect won’t be able to differentiate fake IDs from genuine ones. Although I do not have access to the ID that Mr. Lam had submitted to the police during his confession to Ron, I highly suspect the ID to be a fake.
(the court filled with soft murmurs debating among themselves)
P: Objection! The ID has been proven to be genuine by our forensic scientist.
(more murmurs)
J: Silence. (knocks his hammer twice) Defending lawyer, please do not stir up any unfeasible possibilities that had been proven a fact by the police.
M: Your Honor, I have some documents for your viewing. (assistant came to take from her) I think this document is very critical, and should not go through a third parties’ eyes.
J: Please forward yourself then. (reads the document and talks softly) What is this ridiculous fact you’re trying to suggest? That the police’ forensic scientist is not to be trusted?
M: (nodded) There’s no harm if it’s a real ID right? But if it’s a fake then Mr. Lam will be innocently convicted by this case.
J: Fine. (beckoned towards his assistant to announce)
A: Court summons forensic scientist, Ms. Charmaine Sheh who is qualified and recognized by the government but not attached to the Police Force.
(Charmaine walks in and bows. Examines the ID passed to her in a plastic bag. She sliced the ID open and took out a chip from within to be examined under a provided microscope.)
C: Your Honor, the ID is indeed a fake. This ID has been forged in the year 1998 and is one of the finest forgeries I’ve seen but nevertheless a fake one.
(murmurs across the court)
M: Thank you Ms Sheh. (Charmaine takes a seat)
M: This fake ID thus makes Mr. Lam’s confession as vulnerable as mine the other day doesn’t it Officer Ron?
R: Er…. Yes
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P: Mr. Raymond Lam can you please repeat your confession towards the police the other day.
Ray: (looks at Michelle’s nod) I think I’ve to tell you the truth now. Michelle’s trying to hide the fact for me that I’ve saved a seriously injured person. I heard that the police are after a wanted person who is injured. I found this ID in my car a few days after I saved an injured person unconscious by the stairs of Michelle’s apartment. It has nothing to do with Michelle, she’s just trying to cover for me, she’s worried about me because… because… she loves me too much. (Raymond choked out his last few words as Michelle felt her ears burning hot)
P: Very clear, thank you Mr. Lam. As Mr. Lam has confessed his wrong doings, I think we should be aware of this to be the strongest evidence we have here. The defendant confessed that he had saved the wanted, what more is there for us to ponder?
Ray: No! I only said that I saved someone injured. I did not confess that I saved a wanted man! I saved another man.
P: You’re lying! That was not what you meant back then! (angry and frustrated)
Ray: I showed you the ID. I had genuinely thought he is the guy you were looking for. But now that the ID is proven to be a fake and I realized the photo in the ID does not match the man I had save. He looked nothing like the photo in the ID. I supposed he bought it in some black market.
P: Then where is the so called man you saved?
Ray: I have no idea. He disappeared from my house as I had told you. My confession to you is all true except for the fact they are two different persons.
P: Why did you not bring him to a hospital with such heavy injuries?
M: Objection. I object prosecuting lawyer asking unrelated questions.
P: Your Honor, the fact that Mr. Lam brings a severely injured person home instead of getting him appropriate medical assistance is fishy enough for us to suspect there are hidden facts in this case.
J: Objection overruled. Defendant must answer this question.
Ray: Heavy injuries? Not very heavy, it was just more than a minor cut. I don’t really think he needed the hospital. I mean I hardly scratch myself since young so seeing his deep gashes makes me think it’s quite an injury. That was what I meant in my confession.
P: You…! (points at Raymond in aggravation) Then can you explain his unconsciousness you stated too?
Ray: Hmm… I think he passed out due to exhaustion? I’m not sure. I just happen to be a good guy with a good heart. He looked like a homeless guy so I decided to take him back with me.
P: (cursing under his breath) Panels of adjudicators, and Your Honor, I would like to sue Mr. Raymond Lam for changing his statements at this last minute. He was our sole cause for this hearing today. I am sure every wise person seated here today can see through the trick the defendant and defending lawyer is trying to pull. I have finished my questions. (sat with a loud thump and shot Michelle a murderous shot)
M: Mr. Raymond Lam Fung, do you mind to repeat once more your confession to Officer Ron clearly and as exactly to your words the other day as possible?
Ray: (nodded) I think I’ve to tell you the truth now. Michelle’s trying to hide the fact for me that I’m hiding a seriously injured person. I heard that the police are after a wanted person who is injured. I found this ID in my car a few days after I saved an injured person by the stairs of Michelle’s apartment. It has nothing to do with Michelle, she’s just trying to cover for me, she’s worried about me because… because… she loved me too much. (Ray choked again at his last few words as Michelle felt her ears warmed like before)
M: Good. Your Honor, and my respectable panel of adjudicators, as you may have noticed, from the beginning of Mr. Lam’s confession till the end, Mr. Lam did not, I repeat DID NOT, confess that he saved the wanted person. He was merely being a good citizen who surrendered himself naively after he thought he had commit a crime even though he did not commit it. He was merely supplying the police with information concerning the police’ interest. It was the police who assumed that he DID save the wanted person. In actual fact, we can’t prove that the person Mr. Lam saved is indeed the wanted.
P: Objection! The defendant did describe the man to be tanned and lean, which fits the description of the wanted exactly.
M: Prosecuting lawyer, you’re being too subjective. Tanned and lean? Why that fits Mr. Lam’s description too! Are you trying to defame my client to be your wanted person?
(Laughter erupted from Michelle’s statement as anger twisted in the prosecuting lawyer’s face.)
M: Your Honor, I do not deny that here are some misunderstandings in this case but that does not prove that there is a crime behind it. I must remind all present today that this crime is based on the root of a kind heart of trying to help a homeless and injured man. That is certainly no crime! Therefore I hope you honor can release my client as he is clearly innocent!
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J: I shall now announce the result of this hearing. Mr. Raymond Lam Fung charged with the crime of aiding and hiding a wanted person under law section 19:A is found not guilty. However, the decision of the court does not mean that it is the fact due to the lack of evidence and eye witnesses. I hope Mr. Lam will be more cautious in future and not commit any offence. Mr. Lam however has been found guilty to be giving confusing and false statement and thus can only be bailed out with HK$ 5000.
Michelle and all present stood up as the judge made his way out of the court. Niki, Tavia, Jessica, Kenneth, Alec and Vicki were all crowding around Michelle congratulating her. Raymond flashed her a smile of relief and appreciation and Michelle felt an unfamiliar flip flop in her stomach.
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END of Chapter
Author:
Okay, for this chapter, only those who’ve read WR will ‘get’ Raymond’s gesture. Hehe…