Closed Room, District Prosecutor’s Office
Time passed quietly between Azora and Lamech. The Briones family had secured a lawyer, and the pre-trial for the woman’s case was scheduled for tomorrow. Lamech visited her to get a statement because he was the prosecutor for the court trial.
“You just admitted that you did the crime.” Lamech’s brow furrowed, and his gaze darkened as he looked at Azora, who silently stared back at him. He couldn’t read the emotion on her face; she seemed dazed as she gazed at him. He cleared his throat again. “They will send you straight to prison,” he reminded her.
“I killed Anthony,” Azora said. She had been repeating those exact words like a broken record.
That was why Lamech couldn’t leave that closed room, despite the confession and the heavy evidence provided by the Clasiso family against Azora Briones being enough information for court tomorrow. Yet, something urged him to keep probing the suspect.
“Why did you kill Anthony Clasiso?” he asked.
But she remained silent, her eyes devoid of emotion as they stared at him.
He cleared his throat and asked again, “Did someone else instruct you to kill him?”
He wanted to hear the truth from her lips. And though he wouldn’t admit it, he knew there was a part of him that disagreed with the case given to him.
As one of the best prosecutors in the province, he was often assigned cases involving the wealthy or high-profile cases like Anthony Clasiso’s murder. At first, he didn’t want to take the case, but when he heard Azora admit to killing the victim, he couldn’t help but think and accept the case.
He was trained to believe in evidence, but at that moment, his instincts told him otherwise. From the first time he saw her, he knew she was a fighter and wouldn’t easily back down. He hadn’t forgotten the sharpness of her gaze back then, so he couldn’t understand why she confessed. Besides, according to his calculations, Anthony Clasiso had been dead for months before he first met her, so he couldn’t help but wonder about her sudden surrender. When they last met, her eyes were full of life. But now, they looked dead.
“No one told me to. I just killed him.”
“What’s your motive?” he asked, exhaling deeply.
He had repeatedly asked her why she killed Anthony. And he understood if she didn’t tell him because he wasn’t her lawyer. His job was to collect evidence against the suspect and put criminals in jail. So why would she trust him?
But it wasn’t that truth that prompted him to keep asking questions; it was her eyes. She didn’t say a word. Her expression didn’t change, and even when he moved his face closer to hers, he couldn’t see any change in her blank expression. How could he get a signal if she refused to show any emotion?
He sighed again. He looked at the large glass wall to the side. He knew his colleagues were watching him and Azora. He was sure they were as impatient as he was. When he looked at the clock, it was already noon. So he stood up and said goodbye to Azora. She didn’t even look up at him or move.
With shoulders slumped, he left the room. As he walked down the hallway, he absentmindedly reached for his necktie and loosened it. His brow was still furrowed as he looked at the papers in his hand. Written on them was the police report on the night Anthony was found dead.
According to the autopsy report, the cause of death was asphyxiation. The victim had been strangled until he ran out of breath. Surprisingly, they found no signs of struggle from the victim, as if he allowed the suspect to strangle him until he died.
That was one of the things that raised his eyebrows. According to the police report, there was no blood at the crime scene. Anthony was lying on the grass as if he were just sleeping. No possible murder weapon was found around. A suicide note was found beside the victim. The first witness said they saw Anthony lying on the grass. They tried to wake him, but he didn’t respond, and after reading the suicide note, they called others. The first witness, Jenica, stated that Anthony’s family had conflicts over inheritance, and she suspected that was why Anthony committed suicide. But Anthony Clasiso’s friend, Azora Briones, said otherwise. According to her, Anthony wasn’t suicidal and was strong-willed. Azora couldn’t see any reason for Anthony to commit suicide.
Lamech’s eyebrows shot up again when he read Azora’s name. His eyes narrowed at the report. Something was wrong, and he wasn’t sure if his hunch was right.
“Lamech!” someone called out.
He stopped walking and turned to the caller. It was one of his colleagues, a wide smile on his lips as he approached Lamech. “Why?” Lamech asked.
The man laughed. “I saw the woman in the closed room. New case?”
“Yeah.” Lamech exhaled and showed the man the police report he was holding. He rubbed his temple jokingly. “Another headache,” he joked.
His colleague smirked and looked at the paper. He quickly read its contents and furrowed his brow. “The second witness is Azora Briones?”
Lamech nodded.
“But she’s the one who confessed to the murder, right?”
He nodded again. “Here,” he pointed at the paper. “She’s denying Anthony’s suicide case.”
“Then she really knows the truth, that it wasn’t a suicide.”
“No. I mean, her claim doesn’t make sense.” He dug through the folder he was holding and pulled out the biological measurements of Anthony and Azora. “Anthony is almost 6 feet tall, and Azora is just below him. Anthony’s build was far more massive compared to Azora’s body. And you know a girl’s hand is smaller than a man’s. According to the autopsy report, Anthony was killed through suffocation.” He showed the picture of the handprint on Anthony’s neck. “See the angle, it’s upright. That means Anthony was lifted off the ground to achieve such murder. And Azora… Azora can’t do that with her body.”
His colleague furrowed his brow, thinking. “That’s strange.” After a few seconds, he punched Lamech’s shoulder. “Don’t tell me you’re going to defend the woman tomorrow? Man, you’re the prosecutor, not the defendant.”
Lamech shook his head at this comment. “I know.”
“But that’s a big loophole if that’s the case. Because of what you noticed, there’s a high chance the court hearing will continue. Pray the defense gets an incompetent lawyer so you can easily turn the case around.”
He gave him a stern look. “She has the right to due process.”
“Of course, man.” His colleague smiled weakly. “But you know what they told you. You need to send Briones straight to prison, and you’ll become the regional prosecutor. It’s a missed opportunity if you prolong the hearing.”
He clenched his jaw at his colleague’s words. Seeing his expression, his colleague laughed nervously and said goodbye. In the blink of an eye, his colleague was gone.
Lamech sighed. The truth was he had an agreement with Narciso Clasiso. Narciso would help him get promoted if the case against Azora didn’t reach a formal court hearing. In short, he needed to finish the case tomorrow.
And he had already decided on the punishment he would impose on Azora.