bullshit."
The words rang out and hung in the air. She looked in the congregation's eyes one by one, challenging anyone to defy her. Nobody did, except for Witzgenstein, who took the bait and rapped her gavel smartly. "Anna, please."
Anna turned and looked up at the judge. Witzgenstein. "Janine," she said. "Of course you mean to defend the trial. It's your baby. Tell me, how long have you been planning it? How long did it take to coach this idiot to spit all these charges up?" She waved at Alan, whose face was darkening in anger. "It's impressive, truly, but it seems you've forgotten that I actually know Amo. We all here actually know Amo; he's a good man, he saved us, he brought us together. He did not murder Masako or any of this other nonsense."
Janine tolerated all of this with no expression marring her perfectly stern features. "This is not how a trial works, Anna," she said coolly. "I realize you're too young to remember, but one does not usually attack the judge."
This earned a few laughs. Very good.
"I am young," Anna agreed. "But not so young I can't recognize lies spun out of whole cloth. Alan," she turned to him, "tell me, where's your evidence? Of everything you've said, where's the evidence? You have none. It is entirely hearsay. Gossip. Rumors. Bullshit."
Witzgenstein rapped the gavel again. "Anna," she warned. "Call a witness or interrogate the one you have. This court is not here for your grandstanding."
Anna laughed. Yes, that would be the way. Make her over-react. Get tempestuous Anna to expose herself in public, then pull her down too. Discredit them all. They probably had a plan for Lara, for Jake, for Sulman. They would all fall from grace in a future Witzgenstein-led New LA.
Not if Anna had anything to do with it.
"I call myself to the stand," Anna said, loud and clear. "I was there on the radio, and I say my testimony stands." She turned to the audience. "In the end it will come down to Alan's word against mine, against the Amo you have seen and known yourselves for years. There is no evidence in their case, and I cannot disprove a negative."
She looked over the audience. Cynthia was grinning chaotically, her libertarian streak luxuriating in watching it all come down like this. Ravi looked like a turtle trying to duck back into its shell. Lara was gray and leaning on his shoulder. Others just stared, uncertain what to believe.
Anna wanted to sigh. These people.
"As Anna, on the stand, I want to say that you should be on your knees thanking this man," she said. "All of you should, Alan and Witzgenstein included."
Janine banged the gavel behind her. "Anna, let's have order. These matters need to be discussed in a civil manner, by cooler heads."
Anna nodded. Yes, that was Janine's plan, but here her real argument began. "Cooler heads," she said. "Very well, I'll be civil. Let me make a fresh charge, since we are hearing new testimony. I allege that Masako died, Janine, because of you." She pointed, pausing for the congregation to catch up. "She died because of your lies and rumors, stoked up in the aftermath of Cerulean's death. Amo may have pulled the trigger out there in the snow, but who loaded the gun? Who put that gun in a vulnerable woman's hand? You. Though you're just the tip of the iceberg. I know who else is beneath the surface."
She turned to eye each of them now: big Samuel in back, Akela the Christ-like hippy, Georgina and Harris the smug schoolteachers, Yugyong the body-building golfer, Jack and Phillipa from Arkansas. These were Janine's followers. They'd tried to split New LA with her before, they'd worked with her in quiet, sniveling sedition in dark back rooms, inventing conspiracy theories that took their own existence as proof, and now?
"Now you're trying to destroy Amo's character, to further your own ambition. It's so transparent, but Janine, you don't get to become mayor this way."
A ripple of consternation buzzed through the hall, in mutters and whispers and
The words rang out and hung in the air. She looked in the congregation's eyes one by one, challenging anyone to defy her. Nobody did, except for Witzgenstein, who took the bait and rapped her gavel smartly. "Anna, please."
Anna turned and looked up at the judge. Witzgenstein. "Janine," she said. "Of course you mean to defend the trial. It's your baby. Tell me, how long have you been planning it? How long did it take to coach this idiot to spit all these charges up?" She waved at Alan, whose face was darkening in anger. "It's impressive, truly, but it seems you've forgotten that I actually know Amo. We all here actually know Amo; he's a good man, he saved us, he brought us together. He did not murder Masako or any of this other nonsense."
Janine tolerated all of this with no expression marring her perfectly stern features. "This is not how a trial works, Anna," she said coolly. "I realize you're too young to remember, but one does not usually attack the judge."
This earned a few laughs. Very good.
"I am young," Anna agreed. "But not so young I can't recognize lies spun out of whole cloth. Alan," she turned to him, "tell me, where's your evidence? Of everything you've said, where's the evidence? You have none. It is entirely hearsay. Gossip. Rumors. Bullshit."
Witzgenstein rapped the gavel again. "Anna," she warned. "Call a witness or interrogate the one you have. This court is not here for your grandstanding."
Anna laughed. Yes, that would be the way. Make her over-react. Get tempestuous Anna to expose herself in public, then pull her down too. Discredit them all. They probably had a plan for Lara, for Jake, for Sulman. They would all fall from grace in a future Witzgenstein-led New LA.
Not if Anna had anything to do with it.
"I call myself to the stand," Anna said, loud and clear. "I was there on the radio, and I say my testimony stands." She turned to the audience. "In the end it will come down to Alan's word against mine, against the Amo you have seen and known yourselves for years. There is no evidence in their case, and I cannot disprove a negative."
She looked over the audience. Cynthia was grinning chaotically, her libertarian streak luxuriating in watching it all come down like this. Ravi looked like a turtle trying to duck back into its shell. Lara was gray and leaning on his shoulder. Others just stared, uncertain what to believe.
Anna wanted to sigh. These people.
"As Anna, on the stand, I want to say that you should be on your knees thanking this man," she said. "All of you should, Alan and Witzgenstein included."
Janine banged the gavel behind her. "Anna, let's have order. These matters need to be discussed in a civil manner, by cooler heads."
Anna nodded. Yes, that was Janine's plan, but here her real argument began. "Cooler heads," she said. "Very well, I'll be civil. Let me make a fresh charge, since we are hearing new testimony. I allege that Masako died, Janine, because of you." She pointed, pausing for the congregation to catch up. "She died because of your lies and rumors, stoked up in the aftermath of Cerulean's death. Amo may have pulled the trigger out there in the snow, but who loaded the gun? Who put that gun in a vulnerable woman's hand? You. Though you're just the tip of the iceberg. I know who else is beneath the surface."
She turned to eye each of them now: big Samuel in back, Akela the Christ-like hippy, Georgina and Harris the smug schoolteachers, Yugyong the body-building golfer, Jack and Phillipa from Arkansas. These were Janine's followers. They'd tried to split New LA with her before, they'd worked with her in quiet, sniveling sedition in dark back rooms, inventing conspiracy theories that took their own existence as proof, and now?
"Now you're trying to destroy Amo's character, to further your own ambition. It's so transparent, but Janine, you don't get to become mayor this way."
A ripple of consternation buzzed through the hall, in mutters and whispers and
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