Returning to court, I took my seat between Isaia and Dawson as per normal. By ten thirty, court had resumed. Next to the stand, was a forensics expert, called upon by the defense. This was a move that could recover Wyatt's claims of innocence by proving that there was zero forensic evidence at neither the scene, nor the brother homes to place them as suspects in the crime. No fingerprints had been lifted that had matched either Wyatt or Trey, no blood, no hair, nothing. This was rare, but it was a strong defensive move, a smart one. It wasn't often that a case was successfully closed without at least some inkling of scientific evidence.

I listened intently to what was being said, and when it came time to cross examine, I became nervous for what Bryce could do to bring Wyatt back into the guilty light.

"Mr Bihma" Bryce stood, buttoning his suit jacket as he slowly moved into the open space in front of the jury, leaning his hand on the railing "Have you ever been called to testify towards a murder case where no evidence has been found at a scene?"

Mr Bihma pushed his golden rimmed glasses back towards his nose, a light Indian accent noticeable when he responded "I have"

"Is it common?" Bryce continued

He shook his head "No, it isn't, there is almost always some trace of hair, or a partial print, or skin cells left behind"

"In your professional opinion, does that mean that this man" He pointed to Wyatt "Could not be responsible for the murder of Tony Garcia?"

The man behind the stand shook his head "No, he still very well could be, there is just no physical evidence to support that he did or did not commit the crime"

"Thank you Mr Bihma" Bryce had easily made his point. Without evidence at all, there was no point, it proved nothing, it didn't make proof that Wyatt was innocent, but it didn't make him guilty either.

As Mr Bihma exited the stand, a new witness was called, my name not yet spoken. The longer it was left, the more nervous I became.

"Your honour, we call Mr Jonathan Grimes to the stand" Lawrence stood, the name familiar to me from one of Bryce's meetings. I had tried to imagine what the people within the court would look like, and when Jonathan Grimes appeared, taking his seat at the top of the courtroom, I realized just how far off I had been. He had a long Texan mustache, his left ear pierced with a small hoop, his dark grey hair had been oiled back, slick and neat.

"Mr Grimes, can you explain to the court, to the jury your reason for testifying here today?" Lawrence stood opposite the man

"Sure" Jonathan nodded "2 years ago, the Newbury police department arrested, charged and prosecuted me for a crime that I did not commit"

This was the 'Wyatt is being framed' angle they had been proclaiming. The detectives that had been assigned to Jonathan's case had long been dismissed, having confessed to planting evidence that convicted him of a robbery he had not committed. Jonathan's son had been a part of the Newbury Renegade gang, and the move had been a cunning plan of revenge after his son, Marcus, had escaped an attempted murder charge. The move, the testimony had been to discredit the police department, to prove that there was always that chance the accused could be set up for something they had not done. It also unfortunately proved that the police department had a history of bias against the gang.

Bryce did his best to wriggle the case free from Jonathan's, but so far, I could see that this had been the most damaging for the case. There was a genuine fear for someone on the outside to see that the police had so much power, that they could put someone in prison for something they'd had nothing to do with. To make matters worse, whilst incarcerated Marcus had committed suicide, this gave the defense the power of sympathy.

It was a back and forth game, tugging on the jury until one side let go, crumpling beneath the pressure. I was having a hard time deciding what the jury would believe, even when I knew the truth. Despite their individual differences, they all held an incredible straight poker face, unreadable to even the slightest.

The moment I had zoned out, looking between jurors for a crack in emotion, a gentle nudge met with my side, jerking me to attention "Judge Garison I'd like to call Miss Jasmine Wright to the stand" Bryce stood, my name echoing through my ears, reality punching me in the stomach

After only a few hours within the courtroom, it was already, finally, my turn to relive the nightmare of Tony's death.

I was holding my breathe when Dawson stood, moving aside to allow my body space to exit the row. My hands were already shaking, but I forced myself to take control. This was the one moment I would get to speak for Tony, to voice the horrific death Wyatt had inflicted on my friend.

Slowly moving to the stand, I focused on my breathing. Every move I would make would be scrutinized, I needed to be careful, I needed to be smart. When I took the high seat beside the judge, I was sworn in before speaking. I spoke clearly and ensured I was firm. There needed to be an even balance between emotion and confidence when I told my truth.

Bryce was first to stand, smiling at me warmly before beginning. I swallowed hard, watching his face carefully as he walked towards me, standing in front of me "How are you feeling today Jasmine?"

I nodded reluctantly "I'm okay"

"If at any moment you need a break, you let me know, okay?"

I again nodded, saving my voice

Bryce began with the most obvious of questions, rehearsed as we had during our meetings. This was the easy part. He asked me why I had been at the store, what time I had been at the store, how I knew Tony, building a foundation of relationship between Tony and I.

"What happened at the store that night Jasmine?" Bryce watched me, maintaining my gaze, keeping me steady

I hesitated, and then I looked past Bryce, my eyes meeting Loretta's. I could see her nod, smile, a small gesture that had given me the strength to continue.

Starting from the beginning, I relived the moment that had forever scarred me. I spoke slowly, carefully, looking to Loretta when I needed the extra kick.

"You mentioned that the men who had robbed the store, shot Tony, they were wearing hoods, how do you know now who these men were?"

"During the fight, their hoods fell down, I saw their faces before I.. before I was knocked unconscious" I told him

"Who did you see in the store that night, during the robbery, during the murder of Tony Garcia?"

I didn't hesitate for a single second, lifting my hand to point to the man sitting to my far right.

I had managed to avoid his face, his body whilst on the stand, unready to meet his evil eyes once again, but now was the time. I mustered up enough strength within me as I could and looked the monster in the eye. He hadn't changed, he was just as cold as he had been that night

"Wyatt, he and his brother Trey were in the store that night, they were the men who robbed Tony, Wyatt was the one who shot Tony, he was the one who hit me on the head with his gun" My voice confidently revealed, my fingers gently touching my scar, making a point to have the jury focus on it. Caught in a stare with the man that had taken Tony's life, the man that had tried to silence me, I felt stronger than I ever had before. He sat on trial for murder, whilst I sat alive and well on the stand to hang him for his crimes. I was the one in control now.

"For the last two months I've been in protection, I've been fearful of being killed in retaliation for what I saw that night, almost every night I have had nightmares of what this man and his brother did to me, to Tony.." I began, this time my gaze ripping from Wyatt, moving to the jury to plead with them for belief "All I want, is justice for Tony, that's it, I get to move on with my life, I get to live, Tony doesn't, his family will never be the same, and for what?" I could feel my voice tremble, tears threatening "I know what I saw, I will never forget what I saw" This time, my voice cracked, a single tear moving down my cheek, my teeth grit with an anger brewing inside of me

"Thank you Jasmine" Bryce lowly said, his words signalling the daunting beginning of cross examination.

I tried to prepare myself for what Lawrence would bring, I sat up straight and wiped my cheek free from emotion, calming myself so I didn't screw up.

I was now the one on trial.

"Are you okay to continue?" Lawrence began, pretending to care

I nodded

"I can't imagine how traumatic it must have been for you in that moment" He paced slowly, putting on a show "Tell me, how fast did it happen, between the moment the men entered the store to when you were assaulted?"

I shrugged "It's hard to say, maybe around fifteen minutes"

Lawrence moved to his desk, looking over a piece of paper in front of himself "From your original statement, you said that it was approximately 8:30pm when you entered, first responders were on scene at 8:39pm, so all of this happened within approximately 9 minutes" He walked slowly back to me again with narrow eyes.

I nodded

"9 minutes is a very short window, for all of that to happen within 9 minutes, what do you remember specifically about the features of the two assailants from that night?"

"Their eyes, they both had ice cold blue eyes" I told him

"Ice cold blue eyes, like mine perhaps? Or juror number 6 maybe?" He pointed to a middle aged man with a number sticker 6 attached to his crimson red sweater, his eyes an icy blue

"It isn't the same" I shook my head, knowing where he was going

"Oh but it is, now I know that what happened to you was scary, but don't you think that in such a terrifying experience of only 9 minutes, it would be almost impossible to remember that much detail of not one, but two strange person's faces?"

"I remember their faces because I watched their every detail, regardless of time, I remember the way they shouted at Tony, I remember the way Trey held his pistol, I remember the way Wyatt looked at me before he did this to my head" I snapped, pointing to my forehead again

"See, that's just it Jasmine, I believe you, you heard them shout, you saw the way they held their weapons, you remember a man's eye colour before he hit you on the head with his gun, you don't remember their nose shape, the length of their hair or the shape of their lips, these are the kinds of details it takes to really identify a person, without these details you are throwing Wyatt, because he has ice cold blue eyes, under the bus.." He had slightly shouted to make his point

I was shaking my head no, my teeth clenching "That's not-"

"While you've been under witness protection, you were assigned a detective, a detective from the Newbury police department, were you not?"

This was where it went haywire.

"Yes"

"The same department as the two police detectives that framed Jonathan, correct?"

"I don't know-"

"Let me answer it for you, yes, the detective assigned to your case, works in the very same department as the two officers who were convicted of framing Jonathan because his son was a part of the Newbury Renegade gang" He cut me off for the second time "Had you known this police detective before the incident at the grocery store Jasmine?" He attempted a new angle

I looked at Bryce, my brain nearing panic. He sat leaned forward at his table, watching me, nodding for me to continue with a deep inhale and exhale. I mimicked his movement, inhaling and exhaling to calm myself. I couldn't play into Lawrence's game.