"Your Honor," Simone began as soon as they were seated, "the defense objects to this expedited hearing under Thompson v. State. The prosecution's timing—"
"Save your objections, Miss Johnson," Kessler cut her off. "The prosecution has presented compelling reasons for urgency. Miss Hale, proceed."
Victoria Hale approached the bench with a flash drive. "Your Honor, we've discovered additional surveillance footage from a secondary camera. This angle clearly shows Marcus Johnson leaving the scene of the fire."
The footage played on the courtroom's monitor: a figure in a dark jacket moved through the frame, his face briefly visible in a flash of light. The timestamp matched the night of the fire.
"Objection!" Simone stood. "This footage shows signs of digital manipulation. The lighting is inconsistent with—"
"Do you have an expert witness to testify to these allegations?" Kessler demanded.
"If the court would grant time to have the footage analyzed—"
"Denied. The footage appears authentic to this court. What else, Miss Hale?"
Hale produced a stack of documents. "We've also obtained complete financial records showing transfers from the Johnson family's accounts to an offshore entity known to purchase industrial accelerants."
Simone's heart raced as she examined the documents. The transaction IDs now formed a perfect sequence—too perfect. "Your Honor, these records contradict the ones submitted yesterday. They can't both be authentic."
"Perhaps you misread the previous records, Miss Johnson. You are, after all, not a trained attorney."
Simone fought to keep her voice steady. "The defense requests time to have these records authenticated by a forensic accountant."
"Request denied. This hearing was called specifically because of the time-sensitive nature of this evidence." Kessler's gavel cracked sharply. "The new evidence is admitted. We'll resume regular trial proceedings at 9:00."
Outside the courtroom, Simone leaned against the wall, fighting exhaustion and despair. Her father wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"They're just making things up now," she whispered. "How do we fight evidence they can create overnight?"