Chapter Sixty Six
Chloe puts a comforting hand on Max’s shoulder, feeling his tension radiate through his body. His face is pale, and his hands are trembling. It’s clear that the cross-examination has taken a heavy toll on him.
“Max, are you okay?” she asks softly, trying to offer some comfort.
Max shakes his head, his voice barely above a whisper. “No, I’m not okay. That was brutal.”
Chloe nods sympathetically, understanding the weight of what they’re dealing with. “I know. Lucas is a tough opponent. But we’ll figure something out. We can still turn this around.”
Max looks at her doubtfully, his voice laced with uncertainty. “I don’t know. I feel like I screwed everything up. Maybe I shouldn’t have come forward.”
Chloe’s expression hardens, determined not to let Max’s doubts and fears get the best of him. “No, Max, you did the right thing. Emily deserves justice, and you helped us get one step closer to that. We just need to keep pushing forward.”
Aiden chimes in, his tone firm and supportive. “Chloe’s right. We can’t give up now. We have to find a way to discredit Lucas’s arguments and prove Emily’s innocence.”This text is property of Nô/velD/rama.Org.
Max is feeling shaken after his cross-examination and can barely find the energy to speak. Chloe puts a hand on his shoulder, trying to offer some comfort.
Max looks at her doubtfully. “I don’t know. I feel like I screwed everything up. Maybe I shouldn’t have come forward.”
Chloe’s expression hardens. “No, Max, you did the right thing. Emily deserves justice, and you helped us get one step closer to that. We just need to keep pushing forward.”
Aiden chimes in, his tone firm and supportive. “Chloe’s right. We can’t give up now. We have to find a way to discredit Lucas’s arguments and prove Emily’s innocence.”
Max looks at them both, his eyes filled with gratitude. “Thanks, guys. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
Chloe smiles reassuringly. “You don’t have to do anything alone. We’re all in this together.”
As they walk out of the courthouse, Chloe’s mind is racing with ideas. She knows they need to come up with something strong to counter Lucas’s arguments, but what? She turns to Aiden.
“Aiden, do you have any ideas? Anything that could help us discredit Max’s cross-examination?”
Aiden thinks for a moment before responding. “Well, we could try to find someone else who can corroborate Max’s story. Maybe there’s another witness who can vouch for Emily’s state of mind at the time of the poisoning.”
Chloe nods, considering the idea. “That’s a good start. We’ll need to do some digging, but it’s worth a shot.”
They spend the next few hours combing through witness statements and police reports, looking for anyone who might have seen or heard something that could help their case. As the day wears on, Chloe can feel her frustration mounting. They’ve hit a dead end, and she’s not sure where to turn next.
As they walk back to their office, Aiden puts a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, don’t give up hope. We’ll find something. We just need to keep looking.”
Chloe sighs, feeling drained. “I know. It’s just… hard, you know? I feel like we’re running out of time, and we still don’t have a strong enough case to prove Emily’s innocence.”
Aiden nods sympathetically. “I get it. But we can’t lose sight of why we’re doing this. We’re fighting for justice. And sometimes, that means pushing through even when it feels impossible.”
Chloe looks at him, feeling a glimmer of hope. “You’re right. We can do this. We just need to keep pushing forward.”
Chloe and Aiden stepped out of the courthouse, the sun beating down on their backs as they made their way to the parking lot. Chloe couldn’t shake the feeling of frustration that had been building inside her since they started this search for a witness. She knew they were running out of time, and every dead end they hit made her feel like they were further away from the truth.
Aiden must have sensed her unease because he put a hand on her shoulder. “We’ll find something, Chloe,” he said reassuringly. “We just have to keep digging.”
Chloe let out a sigh, grateful for Aiden’s encouragement. “I know you’re right,” she said. “It’s just… frustrating. We’re so close, I can feel it.”
Max was waiting for them by his car, looking just as concerned as they were. “Any luck?” he asked as they approached.
Chloe shook her head. “Not yet. But we’re not giving up.”
Max nodded, determination etched on his face. “Good. We can’t let them get away with this.”
The trio climbed into Max’s car, the interior feeling stuffy in the summer heat. As they drove through the suburban streets, Chloe couldn’t help but feel like they were searching for a needle in a haystack. She was starting to doubt if they would ever find a witness who could help their case.
But then, as they drove past a small convenience store, Chloe saw something out of the corner of her eye. “Stop the car,” she said suddenly, pointing to the store.
Max pulled over to the side of the road, looking at Chloe curiously. “What’s up?”
Chloe pointed to the store. “That’s where the robbery happened, right?”
Max nodded slowly. “Yeah, why?”
Chloe’s eyes lit up. “There might be a security camera. If we can get our hands on that footage, we might be able to see who the real culprit is.”
Aiden grinned. “Chloe, you’re a genius.”
Max started the car again, pulling into the parking lot of the convenience store. They went inside and asked the clerk if there was a security camera in the store. The clerk nodded and led them to a small room at the back of the store, where there was a monitor showing footage from the camera.
They watched the footage, scanning through the hours of footage until they found what they were looking for. It was grainy and hard to see, but there was no mistaking it – the real culprit was caught on camera.
Chloe let out a whoop of excitement, punching the air. “We did it! We found the evidence we needed.”
Aiden slapped Max on the back. “Looks like you’re going to get off the hook after all, buddy.”
Max let out a relieved laugh. “Thank God for you guys. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”
Chloe smiled, feeling a sense of satisfaction wash over her. They had done it – they had found the evidence they needed to prove Max’s innocence. It had taken hours of poring over documents and searching for witnesses, but it was all worth it in the end.
As they drove back to the courthouse, Chloe couldn’t help but feel grateful for the people she had by her side. They were more than just friends – they were a team, and together, they could accomplish anything.