Marcus did.
"Because nobody checked."
The judge looked at him.
"That is a serious allegation."
"I know."
"Can you prove it?"
Marcus opened the final folder.
"I think I can."
Inside was an email.
It had been sent three days before Nia's arrest.
From Officer Bennett.
To another officer.
The subject line read:
Need to make this one stick.
Marcus placed the email on the table.
Nobody moved.
Judge Whitmore read it once.
Then again.
The prosecutor's face turned pale.
Officer Bennett stared at the floor.
Marcus looked at his sister.
Nia was crying.
Not because she was afraid.
Because for the first time in eleven days, someone was listening.
Judge Whitmore finally spoke.
"This hearing is suspended."
He looked at the prosecutor.
"Immediately."
Then he looked at the police officer.
"Officer Bennett, you are ordered to remain available for questioning."
The gavel struck.
Once.
Twice.
The room erupted into whispers.
Marcus closed his briefcase.
As he stood, Judge Whitmore called his name.
"Marcus."
He turned.
"Yes?"
The judge's voice was quiet.
"You said earlier that you weren't qualified."
Marcus nodded.
"Correct."
The judge looked at the evidence spread across the courtroom.
"You're right."
Marcus waited.
"But that doesn't mean you don't know what you're doing."
The following morning, Marcus arrived at court before sunrise.
He had barely slept.
His father had driven him there and spent the entire trip saying nothing.
When they reached the courthouse, his father finally spoke.
"Your mother would be proud."
Marcus looked out the window.
"I hope so."
"She'd also tell you to eat."
Marcus smiled.
"I ate."
"Coffee isn't food."
"I had toast."
"Half a slice."
Marcus laughed.
For a moment, everything felt normal.
Then they entered the courthouse.
Reporters were waiting.
Cameras appeared.
Questions followed.
"Marcus, did you really discover evidence the police missed?"
"Do you believe your sister was framed?"
"Are you going to become a lawyer?"
Marcus ignored them.
Inside the courthouse, Judge Whitmore had ordered an emergency evidentiary hearing.
The prosecutor's office had begun an internal investigation.
Officer Bennett was under scrutiny.
But Marcus had discovered another problem.
A witness.
A witness who had not been mentioned in any police report.
Her name was Clara Bell.
She worked at a bakery across the street from the alleged crime scene.
Marcus had visited her the previous evening.
She had been nervous.
Very nervous.
Now she sat outside the courtroom.
Marcus approached.
"Ms. Bell?"
She looked at him.
"I shouldn't be here."
"You don't have to be."
"They'll come after me."
"Who?"
She looked around.
Then whispered.
"The officer."
Marcus sat beside her.
"What did you see?"
She shook her head.
"I already told the police."
"No," Marcus said gently. "You told them something."
She looked confused.
"What's the difference?"
"They wrote down what they wanted."
Clara stared at him.
Then tears filled her eyes.
She finally spoke.
"I saw a man enter Dr. Hart's house."
Marcus froze.
"A man?"
"Yes."
"Do you know him?"
"No."
"What did he look like?"
She described him.
Tall.
Dark jacket.
Baseball cap.
A scar above his eyebrow.
Marcus opened his notebook.
"Did you see my sister?"
"No."
"Did you see her car?"
"No."
"When did you see the man?"
"About nine-thirty."
Marcus wrote everything down.
"Why didn't the police report mention this?"
Clara laughed bitterly.
"Because Officer Bennett told me what I saw."
Marcus looked up.
"What did he say?"
"He said I must have been mistaken."
"And you weren't?"
"No."
Clara reached into her handbag.
She removed a folded receipt.
"I wrote down the license plate."
Marcus stared at it.
The number matched a vehicle registered to a company owned by Dr. Hart's business partner.
That changed everything.
Marcus returned to the courtroom.
The emergency hearing began.
The prosecutor tried to delay.
Judge Whitmore refused.
"Call your witness," he said.
Marcus called Clara.
She testified.
She identified the vehicle.
She described the man.
Then she revealed that Officer Bennett had discouraged her from reporting what she saw.
The judge's face hardened.
"Officer Bennett," he said, "did you interview this witness?"
The officer stood.
"Yes."
"Did she provide a vehicle description?"
"I don't remember."
Marcus stepped forward.
"Would it help if I showed you the copy of the statement she gave you?"
The officer stared at him.
Marcus held up the document.
The judge ordered it admitted.
Clara's original statement contained everything.
Vehicle.
Time.
Description.
None of it appeared in the official report.
The prosecutor looked sick.
Then Marcus asked the question that changed the case.
"Ms. Bell, did you see anyone else that night?"
Clara hesitated.
"Yes."
"Who?"
"Dr. Hart."
The room went silent.