On the Run
Prologue
The courtroom was packed, filled from end to end with people waiting to hear the verdict. The trial had gone on for months, far longer than it should have. It was supposed to be a simple trial for a simple bank robbery, but there was something about it that was different. That something made it a nearly impossible trial, even when there was so much evidence stacked in favor of the prosecution.
There were the bank’s videos, which clearly showed four young men entering the bank, guns in hand, and firing shots in the ceiling. There was the camera from the restaurant across the street, which had captured the fifth boy sitting in the getaway van. There were even witnesses who had identified the boys’ voices.
And if all of that wasn’t enough, the police had entered the bank halfway through the robbery and arrested the boys on the spot. It was a hole-in-one for the prosecution, but then there was the gun. That stupid gun.
The one piece of evidence the defense had was enough to give the jury pause. They’d deliberated for far too long for David Teter’s taste. He wanted those boys locked away and locked away fast, but that stupid gun changed his 99% odds of winning down to 87% by the news reporters’ many calculations.
His odds were still good, very good, but David Teter didn’t want good. David Teter wanted great, so when he walked into the court room that morning, after being called in by the judge, he was fully prepared to call a mistrial if needed. He had the cause for it, but he wasn’t going to use it unless completely necessary.
He would wait for the jury’s decision, which was to be announced at any moment, before he took that piece of paper out of his briefcase. If they were found innocent, he would slam it against Judge Clark’s desk. If they were found guilty, he would burn it, so it would never be seen again.
He had to get those boys behind bars, and he would do anything to do it. They were guilty of the bank robbery and so much more. They needed to be put away.
Judge Clark sat in front of the court room, dressed in his long, black robe. His wrinkled face looked over at the jury, who was more than ready to announce their decision.
“Jury,” Judge Clark said, his gaze locked on the people. “Do you have your verdict?"
The woman on the end stood, with a piece of paper in hand. She looked up at Judge Clark, as she began to read from it.
David Teter’s hand moved to his wrist, his fingers wrapping around the watch his father had given him when he first graduated from law school. The watch adorned many scratches, 203 in all, each representing a different criminal David Teter had put behind bars. His finger rubbed against an empty space, ready to use his nail to make five more perfect scratches.
The woman’s voice was loud when she spoke, so that everyone in the courtroom could hear it.
“In the case of the city of Las Vegas against Liam Payne, we find the defendant guilty.”
A scratch, slightly slanted, appeared on his watch.
“In the case of the city of Las Vegas against Niall Horan, we find the defendant guilty.”
The scratch was joined with another nearly identical one.
“In the case of the city of Las Vegas against Louis Tomlinson, we find the defendant guilty.”
His fingernail etched against the surface again.
“In the case of the city of Las Vegas against Harry Styles, we find the defendant guilty.”
A perfectly straight line grazed the surface of the metal.
“In the case of the city of Las Vegas against Zayn Malik, we find the defendant guilty.”
The final scratch took its place on David Teter’s watch, making the total 208 in all.
The prosecutor let out a sigh of relief, while next to him, his assistant leapt out of her seat in joy. Behind them, the people in the seats were cheering, but were quickly silenced by the slamming of Judge Clark’s mallet against the wood.
“All parties are to be back here at 9AM tomorrow for sentencing,” Judge Clark said, as he brought his mallet to the air. “Good day, everyone.”
The mallet slammed against the wood of the judge’s podium, officially trapping the boys within the confines of the judicial system.
That bang, that echoing noise which rang throughout the courtroom, was only the first of many more to come.
There were the bank’s videos, which clearly showed four young men entering the bank, guns in hand, and firing shots in the ceiling. There was the camera from the restaurant across the street, which had captured the fifth boy sitting in the getaway van. There were even witnesses who had identified the boys’ voices.
And if all of that wasn’t enough, the police had entered the bank halfway through the robbery and arrested the boys on the spot. It was a hole-in-one for the prosecution, but then there was the gun. That stupid gun.
The one piece of evidence the defense had was enough to give the jury pause. They’d deliberated for far too long for David Teter’s taste. He wanted those boys locked away and locked away fast, but that stupid gun changed his 99% odds of winning down to 87% by the news reporters’ many calculations.
His odds were still good, very good, but David Teter didn’t want good. David Teter wanted great, so when he walked into the court room that morning, after being called in by the judge, he was fully prepared to call a mistrial if needed. He had the cause for it, but he wasn’t going to use it unless completely necessary.
He would wait for the jury’s decision, which was to be announced at any moment, before he took that piece of paper out of his briefcase. If they were found innocent, he would slam it against Judge Clark’s desk. If they were found guilty, he would burn it, so it would never be seen again.
He had to get those boys behind bars, and he would do anything to do it. They were guilty of the bank robbery and so much more. They needed to be put away.
Judge Clark sat in front of the court room, dressed in his long, black robe. His wrinkled face looked over at the jury, who was more than ready to announce their decision.
“Jury,” Judge Clark said, his gaze locked on the people. “Do you have your verdict?"
The woman on the end stood, with a piece of paper in hand. She looked up at Judge Clark, as she began to read from it.
David Teter’s hand moved to his wrist, his fingers wrapping around the watch his father had given him when he first graduated from law school. The watch adorned many scratches, 203 in all, each representing a different criminal David Teter had put behind bars. His finger rubbed against an empty space, ready to use his nail to make five more perfect scratches.
The woman’s voice was loud when she spoke, so that everyone in the courtroom could hear it.
“In the case of the city of Las Vegas against Liam Payne, we find the defendant guilty.”
A scratch, slightly slanted, appeared on his watch.
“In the case of the city of Las Vegas against Niall Horan, we find the defendant guilty.”
The scratch was joined with another nearly identical one.
“In the case of the city of Las Vegas against Louis Tomlinson, we find the defendant guilty.”
His fingernail etched against the surface again.
“In the case of the city of Las Vegas against Harry Styles, we find the defendant guilty.”
A perfectly straight line grazed the surface of the metal.
“In the case of the city of Las Vegas against Zayn Malik, we find the defendant guilty.”
The final scratch took its place on David Teter’s watch, making the total 208 in all.
The prosecutor let out a sigh of relief, while next to him, his assistant leapt out of her seat in joy. Behind them, the people in the seats were cheering, but were quickly silenced by the slamming of Judge Clark’s mallet against the wood.
“All parties are to be back here at 9AM tomorrow for sentencing,” Judge Clark said, as he brought his mallet to the air. “Good day, everyone.”
The mallet slammed against the wood of the judge’s podium, officially trapping the boys within the confines of the judicial system.
That bang, that echoing noise which rang throughout the courtroom, was only the first of many more to come.
♠ ♠ ♠
Katie here(: I hope you guys enjoyed this little snippet of what is to come!We've got a lot planned for this story so I hope you stick around(: