Officer Williams sat frozen. His mouth opened, then closed. "I—I can't. Those payments were legitimate."
"For what services?" Marcus asked.
"Security advice."
"What advice specifically?"
The silence stretched for nearly half a minute. Finally, Officer Williams lowered his eyes and said, "I want to speak to my attorney."
The courtroom buzzed with tension as Judge Morrison called for order. Officer Williams slumped in the witness chair, his twenty-year career dissolving in front of the jury. At the prosecution table, Richardson shuffled papers as if an answer might be hidden among them.
Marcus stood at the defense table, no longer the frightened teenager who had entered the courtroom days earlier. "Your Honor, I move for immediate dismissal of all charges based on fabricated evidence, witness misconduct, and prosecutorial misconduct."
Judge Morrison removed his glasses and cleaned them slowly, a habit developed over thirty-five years on the bench. When he looked up, the dismissive expression he had worn at the beginning of the case was gone.
"Mr. Williams," he said, "during my years presiding over criminal cases, I have watched many attorneys present arguments. Some were competent, some excellent, and a few exceptional. What you have accomplished over the past four days represents advocacy of the highest caliber."
The judge stood, turning the moment into something formal and unmistakable. "You have not merely created reasonable doubt. You have proven that the case against you was constructed from altered descriptions, unreliable testimony, and documents that appear connected to a larger fraud. You have conducted yourself with preparation, restraint, and ethical discipline worthy of any member of the bar."
Patricia pressed a hand to her mouth in the gallery. Tears ran down her face as she listened.
"All charges against Marcus Williams are dismissed with prejudice," Judge Morrison continued. "The record will reflect that this dismissal is based on fabricated evidence, prosecutorial failure, and a complete absence of credible proof supporting the allegations."