Chapter 209: Concede and Lose Half? A Queen's Gambit Opening!
In the courtroom.
Everyone was in a state of shock.
There was no way around it!
Chuck's actions completely shattered their common sense and understanding, accomplishing what they thought was impossible.
In American courtrooms, in order to impress the judge and jury members, both the prosecution and defense attorneys would try their best to emphasize points that the judge and jury could accept and relate to, constantly reinforcing them, and then using those points to make the jury members believe their narrative.
But no matter how eloquent the speeches or how sincere the delivery, it was completely impossible to achieve the impact of Chuck's casual reconstruction of evidence that no one could refute or dispute.
Such a massive 2-ton marble block, covered with crack lines but without a single gap, stood there!
Thousands of completely irregular stone fragments were perfectly reassembled together—what else could be said?
Say it's not the same marble?
Say it's a coincidence?
Please!
Even in a world where people would dare to claim that a vial of laundry detergent is a weapon of mass destruction, what Chuck presented was indisputable evidence!
"Counselor?"
After recovering from his shock, the judge looked at Harrison Powell.
"Your Honor... I have no objection."
Harrison Powell walked back to the defense table, somewhat dejected.
"Very well, this evidence will be entered into the record for the jury's consideration."
The judge made the ruling.
Harrison Powell turned to Gold, who had recovered from his shock and was worried about his fate, and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "How good are your acting skills?"
"What do you mean?"
Gold looked at his lawyer, puzzled.
"...Nothing."
Harrison Powell looked at him, then at Chuck, who was calmly watching them. His eyes showed internal struggle, but he finally shook his head and said nothing more. He stood up and addressed the judge, "Your Honor, I need to discuss something with the prosecution."
"Alright."
The judge understood that Harrison was prepared to concede and negotiate a plea deal, and nodded in approval.
Harrison Powell glanced at the bald prosecutor, gesturing for him to approach. As the prosecutor came forward, Powell whispered, "Congratulations, Charlie, we're ready to accept a plea deal."
The prosecutor smiled, about to make a few sarcastic remarks before agreeing, when he caught a glimpse of Chuck's expressionless face. His heart skipped a beat. He gestured for Harrison to wait, walked over to Chuck, and exchanged a few words. Seeing Chuck shake his head, he returned, turning to his colleague Harrison with a sigh, "You should have agreed earlier."
"What does he mean?"
Harrison glared at Chuck, angrily saying, "I've already conceded. Does he intend to push me over the edge? Charlie, you know me. Do you think I have no chance of turning this around? Don't get cocky. You've already won. Why waste time and energy gambling? There are plenty of other cases out there. He doesn't understand that. Don't you get the value of a plea bargain?"
"Look, of course I understand,"
the bald prosecutor sighed. "But he's been so effective, I've already won. It wouldn't make sense to accept your plea bargain under these circumstances. I'm sorry, Harrison."
The existence of plea bargains isn't without reason. In the American legal system, there are so many cases every year, and each case is incredibly complex. If everyone went to full trial, each case would drag on forever, and there simply aren't enough legal resources available. That's why plea bargains exist—pleading guilty to a lesser charge can avoid a more serious one, greatly conserving legal resources.
Before the trial, this prosecutor had repeatedly urged Harrison to accept a plea deal. If Harrison had accepted then, no one could have objected.
But Harrison, accustomed to his arrogance, not only refused but also mocked him mercilessly. Now that things had come to this, Harrison had chosen to bow his head and admit defeat. As a personal friend, he could accept it.
But now that Chuck, as a police consultant, was unwilling to accept it, he couldn't openly agree to let Harrison and his client accept the initially very favorable plea deal.
After speaking, the bald prosecutor returned to his seat.
Harrison, frustrated, resentful, and helpless, struggled internally for a long time before returning to his seat.
"Counselor, have you reached an agreement with the prosecution?"
the judge asked.
"Your Honor, I have no further questions,"
Harrison said, glancing at Chuck and shaking his head.
"Good."
Seeing this, the judge said nothing more, turning to the jury members who had thoroughly enjoyed the proceedings: "Members of the jury, you may retire to deliberate and render your verdict."
Led by bailiffs, the jurors departed, still somewhat reluctant to leave.
Chuck and the others also left the courtroom, waiting outside for the jury's final decision.
"You lost,"
Harrison Powell's wife said with a complicated expression.
"I haven't lost yet!"
Harrison Powell retorted uncomfortably.
"You've lost,"
Mrs. Powell said, her eyes certain. "You've already given up, mentally! But that's not surprising. Against Detective Chuck, giving up isn't the worst outcome; not giving up might be worse."
"I haven't!"
Harrison, somewhat irritated by his wife's dismissive attitude, said with some defensiveness, "I admit he's very capable, but I wasn't completely out of options back there... it's just that this case wasn't worth the risk."
This was the truth!
If he wanted, he could still try, playing the insanity defense card. As long as ponytailed Gold's acting was convincing, it wasn't entirely hopeless.
But ultimately, without waiting for Gold to speak, he voluntarily abandoned this plan.
Because it was too risky!
The defense strategy theoretically cannot be changed. Initially, he had entered a not guilty plea for Gold. Now, rashly changing the defense strategy was not only against protocol, greatly diminishing the jury's trust, but more importantly, he might seriously have his law license suspended or revoked.
Of course, given his friendly relationship with the judge, things shouldn't come to that. Even if the prosecutor were someone else, he was confident he could overcome these unfavorable factors and cleverly use his superior defense skills to achieve his goal by pushing legal boundaries.
After all, this case was tied to the title of his new book: Undefeated: The Harrison Powell Story!
If he lost, the most marketable element of the title—undefeated—would be unusable.
Normally, he would have gone all out for that "undefeated" status!
But facing Chuck, he lacked confidence. He had no idea what Chuck would do if he actually took that risk, and how Chuck would undeniably prove his gamble pointless.
Of course, he wouldn't admit he was backing down, especially not in front of his wife.
But as husband and wife, they knew each other well, and his wife, unlike before, didn't protect his pride by remaining silent. She didn't need to say a word; just a knowing smile was enough to make him feel incredibly uncomfortable.
Now that things had reached this point, even if he wanted to take another risk, it was too late. He could only wait for the jury to reach a verdict.
Meanwhile...
The bald prosecutor, having defeated his colleague who was hailed as the top criminal defense attorney on the East Coast, and setting aside his regret for not agreeing to the plea bargain offered after the other man conceded, exclaimed excitedly, "Dr. Wolfe, this case is in the bag! You're absolutely incredible!"
"He knows,"
Chandler said, standing slightly behind Chuck, "We know, now everyone knows."
Jane remained silent, but the anger she had harbored toward Chuck over the past two days was forcefully suppressed by a surge of admiration.
"Dr. Wolfe, you like puzzles, don't you?"
Captain Randy Disher, however, had a different focus, asking what he was most curious about.
"Yes."
Chuck adjusted his glasses and nodded. "I like puzzles."
New Hampshire.
Underground facility.
Hearing this, Anna, the girl in white, couldn't help but smile. An image flashed in her mind: a boy, his hands and feet trembling uncontrollably, working on a puzzle. When he lost the last piece, he screamed. A girl with trembling hands and feet picked up a piece from the floor and handed it to him. He stopped screaming, hesitated for a moment, then took the piece and completed the puzzle.
Chuck's watch vibrated almost imperceptibly.
"I knew it!"
Captain Randy Disher pumped his fist, looking at Chandler with satisfaction. "I told you so!"
"You're a genius."
Chandler gave him two thumbs up.
Not long after, the bailiffs informed them the jury had reached a decision, and everyone headed back to the courtroom.
The bald prosecutor was beaming, while Harrison Powell looked grim.
The fact that a verdict was reached so quickly indicated a very high degree of consensus among the jury members. After such a powerful presentation, unless some supernatural force had controlled all the jurors, no one would believe the jury would deliver a not-guilty verdict.
If it wasn't not guilty, then it was guilty!
There were only these two outcomes.
The judge then entered, announced the continuation of the proceedings, glanced at the slip of paper with the verdict that the bailiff had taken from the jury, and said to the jury members, "Please announce your verdict."
This was protocol; the jury's right to determine guilt or innocence was respected.
An older juror, acting as the foreperson, stood up and addressed the judge, "The jury unanimously finds the defendant guilty!"
"Yes!"
Chandler excitedly pumped his fist and then bumped fists with Randy Disher, who did the same.
The jury convicted, the judge sentenced, and because this was New Jersey, where there was no death penalty for first-degree murder, a sentence of life in prison without parole was handed down.
No one cared what Gold with his ponytail was thinking anymore.
All attention was focused on Detective Chuck and the East Coast's top criminal defense attorney, who had suffered his first defeat.
"Dr. Wolfe, well done!"
Harrison Powell quickly composed himself, walked over to Chuck, and smiled, "You're a formidable opponent. I look forward to facing you in court again."
"As if Chuck were a lawyer,"
Chandler sneered from the side. "Don't forget, he's a police consultant. You're no match for him. He easily helped the prosecutor sweep aside you, the supposedly undefeated East Coast's top criminal defense attorney. Are you sure you're looking forward to next time?"
"..."
Harrison Powell's forced smile crumbled. He glared fiercely at the sarcastic Chandler, growing increasingly angry, and pulled his wife toward the courthouse exit.
"Looks like having you around was somewhat useful."
Jane was no longer angry with Chuck because of his performance in court, and now that she was certain that justice hadn't been perverted thanks to their efforts, she was in a good mood. She no longer disliked Chandler as before, and seeing him take down the East Coast's number one smooth talker, she gave him a genuine compliment.
"Thanks,"
Chandler said self-deprecatingly, "But no matter how hard I try, it's not as useful as you are to Chuck. After all, I'm just comic relief, all I do is make wisecracks..."
He couldn't continue, seeing Jane's renewed angry and disdainful look, and Captain Randy Disher's comforting pat on the shoulder.
Outside the courthouse.
As soon as Harrison and Mrs. Powell stepped out, they were surrounded by reporters firing questions.
"Mr. Powell, what are your thoughts on this defeat?"
"Mr. Powell, will you change the title of your book?"
"Mrs. Powell, some people say that your choice to forgive Mr. Powell is imitating Alicia Florrick of Chicago. What do you think about this?"
"..."
One sharp question after another was raised, and even though Mrs. Powell was wearing sunglasses, her expression was very unpleasant.
Everyone knows about the famous Florrick couple of Chicago. Alicia Florrick chose to forgive her cheating husband for the sake of the family. Peter Florrick, a former Cook County State's Attorney, former prison inmate, and now supposedly reformed husband, began campaigning after his release from prison, running for Governor of Illinois.
Alicia Florrick also made a remarkable transformation, from a stay-at-home mom to a successful attorney; the couple seemed to have won big.
But this starkly reveals to the public the cynical calculation of marriage and family disguised as partnership.
Now that this was being brought up, Mrs. Powell felt only the sting of irony and humiliation.
In contrast, Harrison Powell was in much better shape. Even though he had just been defeated, he still managed a professional smile: "Detective Chuck lives up to his reputation; he's truly a remarkable detective. He used many incredible methods to help us understand the truth of the case more clearly. Although I lost the case, I still admire him because the truth becomes clearer through adversarial testing. Only with more people like him can we defense attorneys, who uphold the principle of not convicting an innocent person, have less to worry about..."
"..."
Chandler and the others were dumbfounded when they reached the courthouse entrance and saw Harrison Powell like this.
What kind of shamelessness is this!
The bald prosecutor, unable to bear the stares from Chandler and the others, awkwardly explained, "The case is already lost. The more he praises Dr. Wolfe, the more people know how capable Dr. Wolfe is, the more he can offset the negative impact of his defeat."
He glanced at Chuck and sighed, "And it's definitely not a question of his ability."
"Okay,"
Jane understood, but still felt annoyed. "The logic might be sound, but it's still frustrating. If all bad guys were like him, how would good people survive? Not everyone gets to meet Chuck."
"Don't overthink it,"
Chuck said calmly. "If not Harrison, then there's Thompson, or Williams. You're not a superhero; you can't save everyone. Just live your own life. As he said, just look forward to the next encounter."
"Actually, he's not as strong as he claims,"
Chandler mused. "When nobody's watching, who knows how much he's suffering. If this happens a few more times, let's see if he can keep up the act. He'll definitely be driven to an existential crisis by Chuck."
"Then let's look forward to our next meeting."
Hearing this, Jane suppressed her annoyance and genuinely looked forward to their next courtroom encounter.
New Jersey.
Inside a motel.
A worn-out television played the news, showing an interview with Harrison Powell and his wife. A woman in her thirties, clutching her hair, had an unusual, almost manic look in her eyes.
"Mommy."
A soft voice called out, and an eight- or nine-year-old girl reached out and touched the woman, her eyes filled with worry.
"Beth."
The woman glanced at her daughter, forced a smile, took out her phone, dialed a number, and then looked back at the television.
On the news, Harrison Powell glanced at his phone, then declined the call and put it away.
The woman smiled grimly, stood up, and said to her daughter, "Beth, let's go for a drive."
Little Beth took her mother's hand and got into the car. Watching her mother drive faster and faster, she felt the same fear she experienced when she watched her mother dive underwater at the lake and not surface for a long time. She looked at her mother, who smiled at her through tears, saying, "Close your eyes, baby."
(End of Chapter)
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