Nephew of the Forgotten One, Chapter 4
Nephew of the Forgotten One, Chapter 4
Picky
"Yes, Judge Pirkle," I acknowledged, "Belet Prettyman is Blood Moon."
I was testifying in the Eagleland Supreme Court in the trial of Eagleland v. Belet Prettyman. Tracy was not a major player in this case, so she wasn't subpoenaed for her testimony. She said she'd go up through Giant Step and capture the melody therein.
"Now, Mr. Minch, what did Mr. Prettyman do to you?" Judge B.H. Pirkle asked.
"One day, when I was investigating Blood Moon," I explained, "I was on my computer."
I flashed back to that situation.
Picky's Memories
"Oh my..." I gasped.
Belet Prettyman was the owner of P.O. Box 1384. And the owner of P.O. Box 1035... Patricia Lee? Wait, not just her. The Lee Family. Did that mean Tracy could be implicated? No, she couldn't.
Nonetheless, her family was still possibly involved with Red Night.
"Do you mean to tell me," Pirkle inquired, "that Tracy Lee, who you yourself said was not a major player in this case, could, in fact, be one? I'll warn you now, Pickford: perjury is a serious crime."
"No, no no," I stammered. "I quickly dismissed the probability of Tracy being involved. The day in which the letter from 1384 was received at 1035 and thereafter sent to Happy Happy Village, via Twoson... Tracy and I were playing Super Mario Kart 64. All day. In fact, the only person I remember exiting the Lees' house that day, besides me, was..."
"Me."
Tracy
I groaned.
Fatigued, I pulled myself up over the rope cliff. I took out a Can of fruit juice and drank it. It was incredibly refreshing, and I was now invigorated enough to continue on.
"I hope Picky's doing alright," I mused, and kept going. His place, for now, is at the trial; my place is here, getting the first melody.
I brought my fry pan to the ready. Who knew what I would face here? The first level of Giant Step had yielded no enemies. I had no assurance the succeeding levels would be like that, so I had to be prepared.
My worries were well-grounded. Seconds later, four slugs appeared before me.
They merely edged closer; they did nothing else. It was like they were waiting for something.
Wait! They stopped edging closer. They looked straight at me, or as straight as a slug could. I think they were trying to hypnotise me.
I closed my eyes and invoked PSI Thunder Alpha. Using it twice, I was able to defeat as many slugs. Suddenly an ant stumbled upon the battle and began to call its allies!
"No..." I cried.
I gripped my fry pan as hard as I could and dove at the slugs and ants. I swung my fry pan, and was able to mortally hurt many of the ants and slugs. A lot of that hurt, please note, came from other slugs and ants that were flying as a result of my hitting them. An interesting use of the domino effect.
Once more, I felt like I had gained a level. In fact, I felt I had gained two levels now. I didn't learn any new PSI abilities, though.
I spotted two things among the bodies of my enemies. I picked them up; they were a cookie and a bomb.
"Why did a slug leave a bomb?" I mused.
Once more, I continued on my way.
"Chitter chatter!" a high-pitched voice snittered.
I looked up. A mouse with extremely big buck teeth dove at me.
"PSI Thunder Alpha!"
It missed!
I did something dangerous: I jumped off the rope I was climbing. I prayed I wouldn't break a leg or anything. I tucked my legs in and gripped my hands around them. Kind of like a cannonball dive.
"Chitter chatter!"
I landed. Dust flew up from everywhere. I rolled onto my back. I smiled as I saw the mouse fly too far. Fly so far, it crashed onto the botom level.
Picky
"...Ness?"
"I have something to say," Ness said, looking quite downtrodden. His baseball uniform was all covered in dirt and grass stains. Did his game just finish? Did he have time to shower and all?
"What, Ness?" Judge Pirkle asked. I would later discover that Ness had already been known to the judge. Before. When he was the mayor of Onett.
"Belet Prettyman should not be on trail for just assault, kidnapping and manipulation of young. He should also be on trial for blackmail under threats of assault."
"Explain."
Ness took a deep breath.
"One day, I was on my way to my old club. 'We'll laugh about it tomorrow' was the name. Anyway, when I got there, I found my old friends -- or so I thought -- and Belet Prettyman there. Or should I say Red Night and Blood Moon?
"I wouldn't join them voluntarily. I wouldn't participate in their activities. But they forced me to send that letter to Happy Happy Village."
"Why?" Judge Pirkle inquired further.
"Don't listen to him!" Belet argued. "He's lying!"
"Objection!" the prosecutor exclaimed.
"Sustained. Mr. Prettyman, I suggest you watch what you say. Otherwise, in addition to the three crimes you are now on trial for, you might find yourself on trial for two additional crimes: the one Ness Lee has accused you of, as well as contempt of court."
That shut Belet up.
"Continue, Ness."
"They forced me to send the letter." I could tell Ness was having troubles disclosing that. There was probably some painful experience associated with it. "They forced me. Or they would hurt my sister and mother."
"Could you not defend them with your PSI?" Pirkle inquired.
"Not in this case. As Picky could tell you, they would find some other way to get back. I wouldn't have been able to guard them twenty-four seven. And this baseball trip was timed perfectly for Belet's purposes.
"It became more perfect when Tracy asked me about Red Night one supper. I tried to convince her not to investigate them, as she could have spurred Belet and Red Night to attack my family, rather than me.
"I've been reading the Fourside Post in recent times. The bombing of the Minches' house suggested to me that they had continued investigating, and that Belet decided they had gotten too far. That theory is also supported by Picky's choice to continue investigating.
"Investigating might have been dangerous, and did lead to Belet committing more crimes than he ought to have, but it was best. Had they not investigated, surely Red Night's purposes would have been met."
"Liar!"
"Mr. Prettyman, you still wish to be tried for contempt of court? If not, then SHUT UP."
"Also, I believe Picky has not yet finished his testimony," Ness added.
I continued testifying, calling on my memories.
Picky's Memories
I was at my computer. I was looking through the files StatsPare had narrowed down.
I stared at the screen. Belet Prettyman was the owner of the first post office box.
I whirled around, hearing someone behind me.
"Belet!" I exclaimed.
He slipped so...me...thing over my face. Chlo...ro...form?
"I object!" Belet whined. "Pickford has just incriminated himself of thievery and use of illegal programs!"
"I beg to differ," Pirkle said. "StatsPare is perfectly legal. You are the one on trial, not him. And you're getting dangerously close to a charge on contempt of court," he added glibly. He turned to me. "Is that all your testimony?"
"No," I replied. I proceeded to explain my rescue by someone I would later find to be Frank Fly, of Shark fame, and how Tracy and I led to the downfall of Red Night and Blood Moon. "That's all my testimony."
"Now, as you're the final witness," Pirkle explained, "the defence team will try its hardest to discredit your testimony. Are you sure that's all?"
I nodded, confirming I understood and that I was done.
A slim woman, about 30 years old with auburn hair and hazel eyes, came up to me. I recognised her as a member of Belet's defence team.
She smiled glibly, as if she suddenly knew how she could discredit my crediblity.
"Is it not true, Mr. Minch," she asked me, "that you could have merely confused the rows on your computer screen, and thus erroneously assumed that Belet Prettyman was the owner of the row in question?"
I took a deep breath to compose myself.
"It is not true," I answered. "I highlighted the data to ensure of that. If I did make such an error as you suggested I did, the highlight would have extended for more than one line. It most assuredly did not extend for more than one line.
"Additionally, the data presented here as Exhibit B was from the post office itself, which compiles extensive back-ups of its data. It would have taken many people to alter all the data to suggest guilt on Belet's part.
"Also, it would have been improper on Belet's part to have attacked me if he was not, as you say, Blood Moon," I added with as glib a smile as the defence head had just lost.
"Could you explain what you mean by that?" the defence head asked nervously. I could see a slight trembling in her body. She was becoming desperate. "Do you mean that innocence immediately belies an aversion to defending that innocence?"
"No," I spat out. "I mean that if Belet was innocent, he wouldn't have attacked and assaulted me to keep any problems he might have had private. He would have wanted to help me if he was indeed innocent."
"Please keep in mind that a team of psychologists has already testified and that they found, in their examinations of Belet, that he was schizophrenic," the defence head warned. "Therefore, his facilities might have been retarded by his schizophrenia."
"Objection!" the prosecutor complained. "The defence council is attempting to lead the witness in cross-examination."
"Objection upheld. Miss Rothe, retract your statement."
My cross-examination finished, and the jurors went into a recess to reach a verdict. I played a few games of Logical on my Game Boy Color while waiting for the jury to return.
It took them only an hour and twenty minutes to deliberate their verdict.
The jury came out, united, and sat down in their seats. The head juror stood up.
"Robert Axelo," Pirkle asked the head juror, "has the jury reached a verdict?"
"Yes, we have, Your Honour," Axelo said. "We, the jury, find Belet Prettyman..." My heart skipped a few beats. "...guilty of all charges. We recommend ten years in prison, to be followed by three on probation. We also recommend the immediate negation of his marrage to Mrs. Lardna Minch, née Finke."
I slumped down into my chair.
Finally, it was over. I could return to help Tracy.
"Wait, Picky!" My mother grasped my left arm. "I'd like to dine at the best restaurant in Fourside before we return to Onett. The Onett Giants have invited us to a celebratory dinner at Grigterman's. It's on the house, it seems," she said, smiling, "so I don't want to disappoint them."
Tracy
I squinted as I travelled into the sun over the eastern Onettian horizon. I had to wait for the morning to continue onto Giant Step as it had become too dark to be safe in the caves.
I had secured a rope to a small plateau in the caves, then rappelled down it to return home. The rope was still there when I returned the next morning.
I espied a deep impression in the ground, which I assumed was Giant Step. I pulled out the Power Crystal and held it over Giant Step.
Nothing happened.
"Huh?" I wondered. "Why isn't anything happening?"
I jumped into the footprint of Giant Step. The Power Crystal still refused to react.
My heart began to pound nervously.
Ness called last night, I thought. He said he and Picky were both returning on the Giants' bus. He would still have his Receiver phone, wouldn't he?
I returned to the plateau and climbed back down the rope. I rushed to the Drugstore and began to call Ness' Receiver phone number. I hoped the phone was turned on...