Nothing But the Truth

Seth Cooper wasn’t the highest-paid lawyer in his firm for nothing. He was calm, cool, and supremely collected. A verdict of ‘not guilty on all counts’ was a foregone conclusion, a sure bet.

Seth Cooper didn’t turn around as the prosecution called their key witness. Some might call it a minor detail, but Seth knew better. That ‘minor’ detail would betray far too much concern, assign too much significance to this one individual. As lead counsel for the defense, he was well aware that there was almost as much scrutiny directed towards him as there was towards his high-profile client. Appearances were important, and he wasn’t about to let the jury see him as anything other than calm, cool, and supremely collected. He had to look as though he had ice water running through his veins, as if this whole trial was merely an inconvenient formality and a verdict of ‘not guilty on all counts’ was a foregone conclusion, a sure bet.

Besides, he’d read the dossier on this witness. The man had been a good cop once, but his career had taken a rocky turn, and now he was just a burnt-out husk. Admittedly, he had amassed some damning evidence against Seth’s client, but Seth wasn’t the highest-paid lawyer in his firm for nothing. He was the best, his team was the best, and he had the best consultants money could buy.

So Seth didn’t turn to look. He concentrated instead on maintaining his trademark nonchalance, arranging his features into a mask of frosty disdain with practiced ease. He wasn’t worried.

Then Detective Sergeant Kenneth Hutchinson took the stand.

“Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?”

“I do,” the officer said, and proceeded to do just that.

His voice was firm and implacable, his eyes, clear and forthright. Fuck if Seth didn’t actually believe Hutchinson’s testimony, every single word of it. And what was worse, he could tell the jury did, too.

This was no broken-down cop. This was an honest-to-God Knight Templar, wielding his words with unwavering conviction—and unerringly striking his mark with each blow.

“Your witness,” the District Attorney said, and all eyes in the room turned to Seth and the man seated next to him at the defense table: James Marshall Gunther.

Inside his Armani suit, Seth Cooper began to sweat. ‘Calm, cool, and collected’ was out the window now. Hutchinson was a crusading angel, while Gunther was….

Seth stole a glance at his client. The old man’s face was nearly as white as his hair and his lips were pulled back in a near snarl, his rage and hatred plain for everyone to see.

Oh, shit.

Yeah, all bets were off.

Chapter End Notes:

Inspired in part by the courtroom scene in Molo’s Nine Day Fall, a fic I dearly love and highly recommend. ♥ ♥ ♥