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Chapter 207: The Unyielding Top Lawyer: Detective Chuck is Just a Man, Not a God!
"That was brilliant!"
The bald prosecutor walked over and exclaimed, "I've dealt with Harrison more than once, but this is the first time I've seen him get completely shut down."
"We've got this case in the bag,"
Captain Randy Disher said excitedly. "The jury really likes Chuck, I can tell."
"How did you know?"
Chandler teased as usual, "Because this time, like you, they weren't dozing off?"
"Yes."
Captain Randy Disher ignored Chandler's teasing and nodded seriously, "Such a brilliant showdown, more exciting than a movie, who could sleep?"
"..."
Chandler realized he'd met his match. His sarcasm was almost entirely filtered out by the naturally clueless Captain Randy Disher, and this feeling wasn't pleasant at all.
"We can't let our guard down yet."
The bald prosecutor shook his head. "Harrison is, after all, the top criminal defense attorney on the East Coast. Although he's lost the first round to Dr. Wolfe, it doesn't mean he can't fight back."
"But the jury should already know what kind of lawyer he is and what kind of person he is."
Jane suppressed the bitterness of being doubly wronged and said in a low voice, "Will the jury believe a cheating, violent gambler?"
The jury is responsible for determining guilt or innocence. These ordinary people aren't professionals; they rely more on their gut feelings to decide whether to believe someone or not. If the defense lawyer has already been exposed, it's difficult for them to publicly decide to believe the defense lawyer and the defendant.
That's right!
As long as the defendant and the defense put on a good show, even if people know that one of them is guilty and the other is a professional hired gun, they'll still choose to believe them for one reason or another.
Because although jury members are randomly selected from all eligible citizens, before the jury is finalized, both the prosecution and defense lawyers screen them, filtering out those they feel are problematic, leaving the so-called impartial jurors.
But since they've been screened, they naturally align with certain values. Principled jurors who know the defendant is guilty, or who recognize professional litigators who disregard facts and only attack people's credibility, have no chance of making it onto the jury.
Otherwise, given Harrison Powell's reputation as a hired gun, how could a truly conscientious jury have given him hundreds of wins?
That's absurd!
Because the defendant and defense attorney put on a show, projecting an image of innocence—even if that possibility is infinitesimally small—as long as they maintain that façade, those jury members already biased toward them can use the excuse of "reasonable doubt means we can't convict an innocent person" to convince themselves and others.
If they didn't put on any show, then unless the jurors were completely heartless, they wouldn't continue to arbitrarily stand by the defendant and defense attorney.
At that point, the judge, for the sake of public opinion, could simply declare a mistrial and select a new jury.
"Cheating and gambling can both win a wife's forgiveness; forgiveness is priceless."
The bald prosecutor, well-versed in these matters, immediately offered Harrison's possible strategy to turn things around: "As long as the acting is good enough, it can not only offset these negative effects but even win people's sympathy. As for violence, that hasn't been confirmed yet. Tearing clothes during sex is normal, right?"
"…"
Jane glanced at Chuck, speechless.
Indeed, without the paralegal speaking out, it was impossible to use that to accuse Harrison Powell of violence, because it could indeed just be rough sex.
"Wow."
Chandler pulled his jacket tighter, giving Chuck a pointed look, conveying his teasing without needing to say anything more.
"He can't pull it off, can he?"
Jane ignored Chandler's usual teasing and frowned, "Once his wife finds out... the crucial point is the trial's tomorrow; he only has one day."
"Self-interest."
Chuck said succinctly.
"Yeah,"
the bald prosecutor sighed. "That's quite possible. If Dr. Wolfe is right, Harrison is facing bankruptcy because of gambling, and his wife is just a housewife. Her comfortable lifestyle is all thanks to Harrison. It wouldn't be difficult for Harrison to persuade her. I've seen too many couples who have no feelings for each other, even hate each other, but still pretend to be loving in public for the sake of money and status."
Jane was skeptical, but when she followed Chuck back to the hillside villa and turned on the TV, she saw that Harrison Powell was already on the local evening news. He had brought his wife out publicly and apologized to her, saying he only loved her and would quit gambling completely. As expected, his wife forgave him. It was truly a performance worthy of Hollywood, and there was even a brief plug for his new book.
"Thanks to Dr. Wolfe, I realized who I truly love and what I truly need. My only love has always been my wife, and my only passion is this work that upholds justice and fairness for all those in need. Before, I may have been somewhat lost and strayed from my path, but Dr. Wolfe's observations, along with my wife's forgiveness and love, brought me back to my core values.
Dr. Wolfe is truly remarkable; this case has deeply moved me and inspired my new book. I will write about my most genuine feelings in it. However, Detective Chuck is ultimately just a human being, not omniscient!
Therefore, I will stick to my principles!
As long as there is even the slightest reasonable doubt, I will fight to the end, and I will never allow any innocent person to have their life ruined by a wrongful conviction!
Government power must be confined within the boundaries of the judicial system, because only with the most just and reliable courts can we have true democracy and freedom..."
"Shameless bastard!"
Jane, watching Harrison Powell's Oscar-worthy performance, finally understood why he was the top criminal defense attorney on the East Coast. His shamelessness and acting skills surpassed everyone else's. On the surface, he was praising Chuck, but in reality, he was using Chuck to promote his new book, subtly attacking him while appearing to praise him. What does it mean to say he's just a man, not omniscient?
He was trying to knock Chuck down from any pedestal, ultimately using it to burnish his supposed ideals of democracy and freedom—it was utterly manipulative.
"Continue tonight?"
Chuck ignored all this and asked Jane directly.
"...Shameless bastard!"
Jane naturally knew what Chuck was referring to. She shifted her gaze from the television, gritted her teeth, and immediately transferred her attention from her worry about the case and her anger at the defense lawyer to Chuck.
A large part of her anger stemmed from her fear that the other side would regroup and win the case, undermining justice. Now, this shameless defense lawyer was facing an even more shameless Chuck; clearly, he wouldn't get a good result!
Chuck opened his mouth, revealing his perfect teeth, and asked again with a completely serious expression, "Shall we continue tonight?"
"You already have the victory in your grasp, why continue?"
Jane said, somewhat irritated.
"I already told you, this has nothing to do with the case,"
Chuck said bluntly. "I don't like odd numbers in experimental combinations that you all agreed to!"
"...You want to add another one to make it...?"
Jane hesitated, unable to say the word.
"Has Captain Randy Disher told you about Detective Monk?"
Chuck said frankly. "He has OCD, and so do I."
"..."
Jane stared speechlessly at Chuck's overly calm expression.
If she hadn't heard about Detective Monk, she wouldn't know how outrageous Chuck's claim was, but she had heard Captain Randy Disher talk about him, and had a very clear impression of Detective Monk's OCD.
Setting everything else aside, just considering his obsession with round numbers—he only buys 10 eggs at a time, removing two from each dozen-egg carton. When he was falsely accused of a crime and arrested, his bail, originally over $900,000, was rounded up to $1 million by the judge. He works as a consulting detective solving cases, and once he's solved 100 cases, he plans to retire—because for Detective Monk, that's the perfect number.
She had originally just thought of going from 1 to 2 to make a pair, but now she's very sensitive to the word "pair" and can't bring herself to say it. But what does Chuck mean by saying he also has Detective Monk's obsessive-compulsive disorder?
Not making pairs, but rounding up?
Or perhaps aiming for a perfect 10? Or even 100?
The next day.
Outside the courthouse.
Countless reporters gathered, their cameras and microphones aimed at Chuck who had just arrived: "Dr. Wolfe, what do you have to say about Harrison Powell's press conference?"
"Dr. Wolfe, I heard you had a conflict with Evan Gold?"
"Dr. Wolfe, can you share your thoughts on your Asperger's syndrome? Have you ever had false perceptions?"
"Dr. Wolfe, are you 100% certain that Evan Gold murdered his wife?"
"I'm certain that Evan Gold murdered his wife, and I can prove it."
Chuck said calmly, and then, surrounded by Chandler and the others, entered the courthouse.
"God, I never thought I'd become a bodyguard one day."
Chandler, feeling uncomfortable from being jostled by the crowd, couldn't help but laugh at himself as soon as they entered the courthouse.
"Chuck, something's not right with this media frenzy."
Jane didn't really want to talk to Chuck. She'd never encountered such a shameless person before, but she had no choice; she'd chosen this guy herself. Besides, there's only the difference between zero and one. What's the real difference between one and two, or one and ten?
So, no matter how annoyed she was, she could only ignore it when possible. But now, seeing these reporters' questions, she sensed something was off and couldn't help but point it out.
"It's normal,"
Chuck said calmly. "The media loves chasing sensational stories, building up and tearing down public figures. It's all for ratings and clicks. Besides, this top criminal defense attorney on the East Coast has won so many cases for wealthy clients over the years. It's normal for the media to be sympathetic to him and give him favorable coverage."
"Shouldn't the media be the watchdog of democracy?"
Captain Randy Disher asked innocently.
"That's a nice sentiment, but the emphasis is wrong,"
Chandler couldn't help but mock. "Shouldn't it be said with heavy irony that the media is supposedly the watchdog of democracy?"
"What's the difference?"
Captain Randy Disher looked at Chandler blankly.
"Okay, no difference."
Chandler slumped his shoulders listlessly.
If he had to explain every joke in detail, he would completely lose the joy of sarcasm and mockery. Humor should be spontaneous, and he couldn't help making sarcastic comments whenever he opened his mouth. If everyone was like Captain Randy Disher, it would be his personal nightmare.
"Those media outlets are all owned by rich people. If they don't speak up for the wealthy, who are they supposed to speak up for?"
Jane realized, and said indignantly, "The regular people who buy their papers and watch their shows so they can afford nice cars and houses?"
"Although I'm the captain, my salary is still lower than Sharona's."
Captain Randy Disher, as always, missed the point and awkwardly laughed, going off-topic: "When she was Monk's assistant, I was just a lieutenant, but because Monk was pretty cheap, my salary was higher than hers. Now that she's left Monk and manages an assisted living facility, her salary is much higher than mine as captain."
"...They're here."
Chandler was too tired to complain about Randy's tangent. He reminded everyone to look outside the courthouse. They saw Harrison Powell, dressed in a sharp suit, not driving his Porsche 911, but getting out of an ordinary-looking black SUV. He jogged to the passenger side, opened the door, and helped an attractive woman wearing sunglasses step out.
"Mr. Powell."
A group of reporters immediately swarmed around them, thrusting cameras and microphones forward: "What do you have to say about today's case?"
"Mrs. Powell, what do you have to say about Detective Chuck exposing your husband's infidelity so publicly?"
"Harrison made a mistake, but he has admitted it. As his wife, for the sake of our family, for our love, and for the vows we made at the altar, I choose to forgive him."
Mrs. Powell, wearing sunglasses and slightly bowing her head to avoid the flashing cameras, spoke quickly and smoothly: "He made a mistake in his personal life, but I have always believed in his dedication and value in his professional work. He fights to protect everyone's constitutional rights, which is why I fell in love with him. As for Detective Chuck, I'm grateful that he pointed out this situation, allowing my husband and me to be honest with each other in time, preventing us from drifting further apart. But if he is only trying to undermine Harrison's efforts to protect people's rights, then I can only say that when choosing between personal matters and everyone's constitutional freedoms, I am unwilling to let everyone's rights be threatened and trampled upon for personal gain!"
After speaking, the couple walked through the crowd of reporters and into the courthouse, coming face to face with Chuck and his group, who had been watching the spectacle.
"That was quite a performance. Lucky she didn't read out the stage directions and character names, or it would've been too obvious,"
Chandler couldn't help but mock.
"You're hilarious!"
Captain Randy Disher laughed heartily. "Who reads out their entire prepared statement like that? Nobody's that stupid!"
"I was mocking her for being a heartless, script-reading robot!"
Chandler was pleased that Captain Randy Disher had finally caught on. "And how do you know no one's ever done this? It'll happen again! Right, Chuck?"
"Yes."
Chuck nodded. "No need for 'again,' someone's already done it."
"I'm sorry, Dr. Wolfe."
Mrs. Powell removed her sunglasses, looking at Chuck with genuinely apologetic eyes.
"I understand."
Chuck glanced at her.
"Dr. Wolfe, see you in court."
Harrison Powell, seeing his wife's sincere apology to Chuck, felt a flash of unease, his expression souring. He quickly interrupted, "We're all human, we all make mistakes, but let's not let this affect the case itself. Let the evidence speak for itself!"
With that, he pulled his seemingly reluctant wife inside.
"Man, I have a feeling this top lawyer on the East Coast is going to have an even worse day..."
Chandler looked at the elegant and attractive Mrs. Powell and couldn't help but shake his head in mock sympathy, full of schadenfreude.
"I feel like you don't need to say anything!"
Jane was increasingly annoyed by Chandler's sharp tongue, especially since he was Monica's friend and kept needling her like this. These past few days, she'd felt so uncomfortable that she wanted to snap at him.
Normally, she could tolerate it. After all, American humor often goes straight for the jugular; it's standard fare, the most direct and universally enjoyed comedy, and there's no cultural barrier to it.
But these past two days, she was utterly fed up!
She didn't want to understand or tolerate it at all!
She just wanted to vent her feelings!
(End of Chapter)
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