Trigger The Years Past - 21. Chapter 21: Witness

Miracle looked up. "Hey!" He called out and Dizon froze in his foot steps right in front of Miracle's door. "You work here?"

Dizon turned and looked into Miracle's room. "Male nurse? Got to make money some how. Unlike Issac, I don't have a sister that brings in daddy's money every month."

"Unlike Issac, you might actually have the potential to pull off what he wanted to do...maybe." His eyes narrowed. "Then again, I don't really know you...which begs to question, what happened last night? Come in here...and close the door."

Dizon blew out a breath and walked inside, then he leaned back against the door, letting his body weight click it shut. "What all do you remember?"

"Well, I remember everything...until we got into the bedroom, then I went into this dream state, I remember that. Everything else is black, like...no real mental images, but I can remember the things that were said. Then...the next time I could see, I'm going down the stairs...and then it all goes black again, and I feel this sensation of falling...and I wake up here." Miracle explained. "You?"

"It goes straight black after I leave the house, then I was pretty much out until I woke up. Surprised I didn't wreck...I seem to remember feeling like...I drove with intense concentration..." Dizon looked down.

"Right." Miracle pushed himself to sit more up more. "So what was that crap? You didn't want to ruin me? And don't be a cop out about it."

Dizon looked up at Miracle. "I just...I wanted to know that I was...deserving of you...and that it wasn't just...a drunken drug filled....thing." He slowly shook his head. "It's hard for me to explain...how I felt in that moment."

"You said you didn't want to taint my innocence." Miracle tilted his head to the side. "Sorry to break it to you, Dizon...but it's kind of to late for that, and at least I actually was innocent when it happened." Miracle sighed.

Dizon's mouth slightly fell open. "Oh...my god." He slowly shook his head, naturally realizing what Miracle meant. "When did it happen? Oh fuck, forget I asked that, of course you don't want to talk about it!"

"I was eight...and my first adoptive dad did it." Miracle looked at him. "Wasn't really much of an adoption actually, but it's a complicated story." Miracle shook his head. "So...given that you know that, how do you feel about....me?"

Dizon stared at Miracle and pushed away from the door, slowly walking closer. "You still seem innocent, I don't think you could shake that, no matter what you did, at least in my eyes."

Miracle looked down and slowly nodded. "So, you'd still feel like you would be ruining me? Why do you think you would ruin me?"

Dizon sat on the edge of the bed and looked up at Miracle. "Because...then I would have experienced all of you, the wonderment would be gone, the magic, the...lingering want that makes me quake inside just to get fulfilled...once that is satisfied, the intensity is gone." He shook his head. "And then I would be afraid...that you'd become worthless to me...thereby ruining you."

Miracle looked up at Dizon and his eyebrows lifted. "So...you're afraid that once the sex is had, I'll be worthless to you? That I won't matter to you anymore?" Miracle's eyes shifted to the side thoughtfully. "In other words...you're afraid of being like every jerk that used me, had those jerks held their urges in, maybe they would of hung around, maybe, in theory?"

"I don't know about those other jerks...but, it's just confusing for me. I guess...maybe it's a fear. Maybe, because I don't actually know you...or how we met was weird." He shrugged. "I just...can't go there with you, I'm scared of what might happen after, and I hope you can just respect that."

"Not wanting to hurt me." Miracle nodded and shrugged. "Can't persecute you for that." He smiled a little and looked up. "I just..I needed to know that at least something wasn't wrong with me."

"Oh no." Dizon grinned and slowly shook his head. "Nothing is wrong with you, in fact everything is too right..."

"Too right that it's too wrong?" Miracle's eyebrows lifted. "I just wanted to make sure you didn't think I was too perfect or something...like I should be put in a glass case...under museum security." He laughed.

Dizon laughed and shook his head. "I guess I came on really strong, it was...my thoughts and feelings...kinda hyperworld."

Miracle nodded. "Yeah, well I went a little beyond that world, accidental over dose, it's why I ended up in here, if you wondered, my little fall down the stairs." He laughed. "I had to go out of that party with a dramatic bang. But...okay, I need to make a call and...I'm sure you have work..."

Dizon grinned. "Well, I'm glad you're okay." He took a deep breath and leaned forward and lightly kissed the corner of Miracle's lips and then let his lips brush over Miracle's just as he pulled away. "Maybe...?"

Miracle's eyes closed as he felt the kiss and then his eyes opened and he nodded. "Maybe." He said, watching Dizon get up and he waited until he left the room.

"Unfortunately, we would have to do a hell of a lot of bonding..." Miracle whispered after the door shut and he grabbed the phone. "And that'd be after I gave up on the shambles of my relationship...but Cheston hasn't destroyed it yet." He started dialing numbers.

Kevin grabbed his phone, seeing it was a Las Vegas hospital, he appeared confused as he answered. "Hello?"

"Kevin, it's me, Miracle."

"Miracle? Why are you calling from a hospital? What happened?" Kevin asked.

"I uh...kind of over dosed...again." Miracle mumbled. "But it was a total accident this time, I went to this party, was returning my dues for a favor and...yeah, it just went a little over board." He frowned. "Though, honestly...I wish it had went on...because the thought of going back to that house...without you there..."

"Miracle, don't cry...and don't say that." Kevin sat on his couch and stared out the window, his eyes stinging with the threat of tears that the emotional pain wanted to produce.

"I know, I should of told you about Jaemin and Melanie...but honestly, I didn't know until after she died. I don't even remember exactly when I found out, I'm almost certain it was after you left...and with Eric...and Skylar...so much was going on." Miracle took a deep breath. "Are you really going to let that destroy our second chance? I mean...what about fate? What if we were meant to be together all along? We wouldn't of fell in love, things wouldn't have fallen this way if there weren't a reason."

Kevin slowly nodded. "True, I am so sorry that I freaked on you. It was just Cheston, the way he baited Melanie at me, and then threw you under the bus like you had some dark dirty secret. I mean, I knew the guy was going to be a jerk, I guess...I just never expected him to...go so low."

"Well, that's him, he'll take anything he can and use it." Miracle frowned. "I...just want you to come back to me."

"I think about it now, right now...you almost over dosed, and I'm not even there...because I let some jerk freak me out." Kevin took a deep breath.

"But I'm okay, I'm still here...and I know it's because I'm supposed to be with you. And Kevin...you know that trial is coming up, I'm going to need someone there for me. The 'rents are great, but...I just like the thought of that someone special there." Miracle looked down. "When I'm with you...I feel like I'm at home. Cheston tried to make me doubt...but I would never doubt."

"Okay, I'll fly back in...and I'll be there in time for that trial." Kevin smiled. "And then we'll plan some things together..."

Miracle's lips fell apart for a minute. "Uh...there is something that you should know..."

"What?" Kevin asked.

"My friends sister...Rayne, she...has my child." Miracle closed his eyes and cringed. "I know I said I wouldn't! But this has nothing to do with me wanting revenge. Actually...she wanted revenge and...well...to keep myself safe from something...trial related, I had to do what she wanted and then in order for her to deliver her half of the bargain, well it turned out, her friend had to do it, which lead to the second favor...and the party and...everything."

Kevin was quiet for several minutes as he took this all in. "Miracle...okay, I need you to be straight with me, what did the girl have on you?"

"Kevin, it's better that I not say, it's gone now, the more non existent I make it, the better. This is Eric's angry father that we are talking about...and I killed in self defense, it's very important that the jury believes that, you see. The text messages...prove that without a doubt." Miracle sighed.

Kevin listened to Miracle and whether or not he caught any hints, he wouldn't say, and he decided not to argue. "What do you plan to do with the baby?"

"She just wanted to be pregnant to rub it in Susan and Cheston's face. She doesn't want the kid at all, so she went ahead and signed away her rights upon it's birth." Miracle looked up. "I know you worry about...if something happens to you, and I'm glad you understand that point of view with me, you seem like the only one that does, thing is that right now, you are with me, I hope, can you deal with it?"

"Well, I guess I can feel safe saying this, as you would say the same about Jaemin, it's not a secret. If he and Melanie were here today, we would be with them instead of with each other, if I were with a woman, a child in my life at some point or another would be inevitable. I'm not one of those guys who are shallow, we can make it work, you have supportive parents, as do I, we have money, resources, it's not like we would be tied down if we wanted to go out and have a good time or a night to ourselves. So...if you're asking, no I don't have a problem with it."

"But you don't sound happy." Miracle said.

"You don't seem to be jumping for joy either. I'm sorry, I guess maybe it might comfort you if I was." Kevin sighed. "It would be better for me if this were something we were doing as a couple because we wanted it...for our love and our happiness, and not...for someone else. But it's done...and we'll make it work once that time comes." Kevin reassured. "I'm going to go, should start packing my things, have a lot to pack for a long term trip, right?"

Miracle smiled. "Yeah, you're right. I'll see you when you get back."

"See you then." Kevin smiled and then hung up.

"We are here today to decide whether or not this man." He pointed at Martin. "Martin Alexis, gave order to Wayne Garret to lure and murder a target, which leads us to our second point of determination, the victim that came to be, the one that died in fact is Wayne Garret himself, but was he really a victim? Or was it classic and clean cut self defense?"

The DA, Simon Oliver, picked up three bags off the table. "Here you have exhibits A, B, and C, three cell phones, containing text messages between the three parties." He laid the bags down. "It all falls out like a story, one that says that this man belongs in prison."

Cheston grinned and stood up after Simon took his seat and walked over to the bags and picked them up. "Yes, the exhibits, cell phones, we all know them, we all love them, it seems like every day they can just do more and more things." He laid the bags down. "I get shocked every day when I watch the news and come to find that there is just one more new thing that they can do."

He walked over to the jury and placed his hands together. "So, would it really be so surprising...if a person could use their own phone to control another phone...without it being traced? Like that virus that could be coming out right this very second and we aren't even aware of it, so how would we know to even make something to combat it?" Cheston turned around and returned to his seat.

Simon almost wanted to roll his eyes, though he had no idea just how on the mark Cheston was. He stood up. "The prosecution calls Miracle Jaisyn to the witness stand."

Miracle sat there, watching the whole thing and he gripped Kevin's hand. "Oh crap, I'm going to have stage fright."

"Just go." Kevin nudged Miracle and pulled his hand free because Miracle was hurting his fingers.

Miracle frowned and slid out from where he was sitting and walked over to the witness seat and looked up when a bible was presented to him. Well burn him a mark and send him to hell for this.

"Do you solemnly swear that you will tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

Miracle placed his hand on the bible and raised his other hand. "Yes, I do." He pulled his hands away and then sat down.

Cheston looked up at Miracle and slowly shook his head.

Simon walked over to where Miracle was. "So, why don't you tell me, in your own words, what happened?"

"Well, I knew Wayne, kind of...and he sent me a text and asked me to come over, and told me to bring the handcuffs from the club, so I did. He said his wife was gone playing bridge with the girls. I...was really nervous, I kinda didn't want to be there. You know? I questioned myself, why was I there? But we ended up in his room and he poured some wine and..." Miracle trailed off and brought a hand up lightly over his mouth. "So...I know he drugged my drink because I started to feel weird, and he got me handcuffed to the bed and I kinda blacked out, and...by the time I woke up, he just dived on top of me and...he went crazy." Miracle shook his head. "Do I have to talk about that part anymore?"

Simon shook his head. "Skip ahead..."

"Well, just to clarify, the cuffs have an emergency button, why I didn't use it, I went into panic mode, a kind of post traumatic response, I guess...I've been sexually assaulted before." Miracle frowned and looked around. "So he gets done and he's going to pour more wine and that's when I remembered the button and I only needed to get one cuff free to escape and...I managed to get out of the room and he chased me."

"So, lets move this along, what happened when you got to the front door?" Simon asked.

"Well, his phone rang, it made a sound and it was by the door, he looked at it and...I guess, he wondered if it was maybe, his wife at the door? I know I thought for a second...I hoped. Anyway he dropped the knife and I grabbed it and tucked it under me and laid on the floor like I passed out and he checked the phone. Then he went to the kitchen, I thought to get another knife, so I tried to get out the door and he came and grabbed me and I tried to pull away, he wouldn't let go, then he grabbed my arm with the knife and I...I stomped his foot and his one hand let go of my arm, the one with the knife, and that hand just...it flew forward and went into him. By then I was just...scared...so I stabbed at him two more times."

Simon nodded. "And did you state to an investigator that you checked his phone? You may elaborate."

"I dropped the knife, and...I realized the phone probably saved my life...so, I checked it...and the text was from Martin...and it said...did you get the job done." Miracle brought his hands up to his face and then pulled them back down and drew in a breath. "And Wayne was dead..."

"Like a story." Simon turned and looked at the jury. "A nightmare that started with a text message that, unfortunately, ended a life...but, a text message at the same time...saved an innocent life, still, unfortunately, this person was harmed and violated. Because of this man, a guy who previously tried to push him off of a roof top terrace."

Cheston shook his head and stood up. "Like a story, neat and tidy, a beginning, a middle...and an end." He walked over to Miracle. "Is it safe to say that it's possible that one might be able to control another's phone from their own?"

Miracle tried to look at Cheston objectively, despite the anger he was feeling at the moment. "I wouldn't know, ask a tech expert."

"Fair enough." Cheston looked up. "Tell me, why did you look at the text message? Especially after you kill a man?"

"Because, I felt like the phone saved my life." Miracle said.

"Right, and it wouldn't have anything to do with making sure you witnessed that text sent by Martin?"

"No." Miracle shook his head.

"How many self defenses have you been involved in?" Cheston asked.

Miracle's eyes shifted to the side. "Uh...three or four." He looked at Cheston.

"Why the pattern?" Cheston asked.

"Well, one was because of his psychotic son, actually two of them was, and his son got killed in one of them and he blames..."

Cheston disrupts Miracle. "I didn't ask who, I asked why."

Miracle's eyebrows lifted. "Because I have the bad luck of becoming part of their life?" He leaned slightly forward. "I don't know what goes through their mind."

"Got to be doing something to them, that's an awful lot of bad luck." Cheston looked down thoughtfully. "You speak of Martins son, Eric Alexis, if you want, you can elaborate on that second time."

Miracle looked up. "Well, that was when I was taken hostage and Hells Angels wanted to use me for ransom."

"Hells Angels? How did you meet them?" Cheston asked.

"Uh...I met them at a bar...and...they found out about everything, so they..."

"Excuse me." Cheston disrupted Miracle. "I simply asked how you met them."

"I want to take a moment to present new evidence." Cheston walked away from Miracle and over to the table. "This is not really relative, but as I go on, you will see that what I am trying to do here...is provide an accurate sight of true character." He put a tape into an audio player and hit the play button.

"Cody, Miracle." Cheston smiled. "Always was Miracle's favorite lunch break spot, the short time he did work for me. Mind if I talk to him alone?"

Miracle grinned. "All you could do is tear down my character, as you said, the text messages damn him without me..."

Miracle looked around as the recording played and his eyes shifted over towards Kevin and then he looked at Cheston who approached him again.

"So...that's a little taste of our witness on the outside, I thought it was an important side to see." He looked over at Miracle. "About that diary, where is the diary?"

"I burnt it." Miracle said.

Cheston gasped and brought up a finger as Miracle went to say more. "You burnt it." He looked over at the jury. "I wonder how many people have diaries with secrets so dark they burn them." He softly laughed and looked at Miracle, shaking his head. "Were you trying to hide something?"

Miracle frowned. "No."

"No?" Cheston looked surprised that Miracle would answer that way. "What did you mean when you said you had to tell him something, that I made him suspicious?"

"I was talking about you dangling Melanie's murder in Kevin's face." Miracle waved an arm at Cheston and sighed in frustration.

"And you said you had to tell him something, to which, you stated you told him that Melanie's murderer was her brother, that you had to tell him something. Does that mean you know more?"

"Objection!" Simon stood up. "Why are we discussing someone else's murder?"

The Judge looked over at Cheston. "Move along." He then nodded to Simon.

"Sorry." Cheston smiled and looked over at Miracle. "In regards to the text messages, you seemed pretty confident about them in the recording, would you agree?"

"Of course, it's evidence." Miracle said.

"And regarding those past self defense cases, could you name everyone that died?" Cheston asked.

"Well..." Miracle looked up. "There was Jordan and Kyler...but Jordan wasn't after me, Kyler killed him...and then the Hells Angels took me hostage and my friend Issac was shot by Eric after Philip shot Eric's hired man and then one of the guys named Jack shot Eric and they all left and Philip tried to rape me so I had to shoot him..." His eyebrows lifted. "But then the one recently...that was Cody's self defense, I walked in on it from the bathroom. And I just told how it went with Wayne." Miracle nodded.

"Two rape cases...rape and self defense. Is it only two? Or...were you involved, even indirectly, in anymore rape slash murders?" Cheston asked.

"I was raped junior year by this guys friends, he set it up, but I had nothing to do with his murder. I was in English class." Miracle said.

"Right, your, at the time of confession, boyfriend, did it, then he shot himself, correct?" Cheston stared at Miracle.

"Right." Miracle nodded.

"Did you do anything to aggravate the event?" Cheston asked.

Miracle closed his eyes. "I blackmailed Brad...or I tried to, anyway."

"It's not the first time you've attempted to do that, is it?" Cheston looked down at the floor.

"No." Miracle opened his eyes.

"Going back, is it true that...as a young child, you were taught to gain what you wanted through sex?" Cheston asked.

"Gain what I wanted? I was taught..."

"Yes or no?" Cheston spoke up.

"Yes...I guess, but, I only wanted..."

"Thank you." Cheston grinned as he looked up.

"Lets have an over night recess, shall we? We'll return at nine in the morning." The Judge spoke, feeling like this was going to be a rather lengthy testimony, and for all, but Mr. King, it would be excruciating.

Miracle sat there and slowly shook his head.

Miracle walked into his house and shook his head. "That son of a bitch!" Miracle screamed. "He used my whole entire life against me....And to make what David did...the last fucking question?!" He spun towards Kevin. "He made it look like David trained me to be a con artist! He's probably going to say I did manipulate the phones and that I conned Wayne and faked it all!"

"Miracle, relax." Kevin stepped closer and wrapped his arms around him. "It'll be okay, you aren't the one on trial." He sighed and eased back. "Even though...that recording..."

Miracle looked up at Kevin and sighed. "Yeah, I know, he took more jabs with Melanie." He pulled away and turned around and looked down, closing his eyes. "You will hate me forever..."

"Why would I hate you?" Kevin asked.

"Because, there's no hiding it, you heard the recording, it's clear as day that I know more than what I told you." Miracle turned towards Kevin. "Didn't you start to wonder?"

Kevin took a deep breath. "Did you know about it before Jaemin actually confessed...or worse...before he did it, that he was going to do it?" He shook his head. "Though, something tells me that you'd of never let him do it."

"No, I wouldn't of. She was my best friend." Miracle frowned. "I...I found out after, like after you were gone after. It was a while after...and he did it because..." Miracle shook his head. "He did it because he thought she might actually kill him to protect her inheritance, he felt survivalist, he hated it. He wanted more than anything for her to have just accepted him."

Kevin took a deep breath. "So you knew..." He nodded. "But you needed him, he served more of a purpose on the outside than he would of wasting away in a prison." He stepped closer and shook his head. "We can't let our past get in the way anymore."

Miracle looked up, surprised. "You're not angry? Or upset?"

"I love you, I never stopped, if he took care of you, in my book, it doesn't right a wrong...but at least he did well with the free time you gave him by keeping his secret. And in the end...he stood up for the things he did, owned up to them, told the truth." Kevin took Miracle by the hand and lead him towards the couch.

"No." Kevin sat down with Miracle. "I'm not mad...or upset. I'm not going to let the past get in our way anymore, we agreed, we made plans...and I'm sticking to them."

Miracle smiled and then sighed as he leaned his forehead into Kevin's shoulder. "I just can't believe Cheston did that. Now the jury is going to let Martin go."

"I doubt that, and he was so fucked up in the head to ever say that David taught you to be a con artist." Kevin frowned.

"Well, I haven't been dismissed yet, so I just wonder how long Cheston is going to drag me through the mud?"

Kevin shook his head. "I don't know, but I would trust the DA, he stopped Cheston pretty quick on the Melanie subject, and I think he will go over you again and let you clarify everything that you had to answer to. They can do that."

Miracle sat in the witness stand again, his eyes watching Cheston as he grinned and approached him.

"To refresh everyones memory. My previous question had been, as a child, had you been taught to get what you want through the use of sex? Though my wording may be a little different today, do you agree that pretty much sums up the last question?"

"Yes." Miracle said.

"And you answered with an 'I guess' as you looked at me, right?" Cheston nodded.

"Pretty much."

"Okay, to move along, is it or is it not true that you attempted to fraud a dealership into giving you a job as a psychic?"

Simon wanted to bang his forehead on the table. "Objection." He spoke up. "Relevance?"

Cheston looked over at the Judge. "I am getting to that, your honor, if you'd allow this sequence of questions?"

The Judge looked at Cheston. "Keep it brief."

Miracle sighed. "Yes."

"Yet the psychic job turned out to be a scam it's self and you were put on the news, face blurred, but your interview had been recorded, right?"

"Yep." Miracle drummed his fingers on the the surface of the stand.

"Yet in the end, you had been offered a real job, and in the end you received a diamond Mercedes Benz, a rare, but, collectible car, worth at least a million dollars, if not more, all granted to you by the owner, is that right?"

"That's what happened." Miracle looked up at Cheston, it was taking everything in him not to mouth off.

"That's an odd reaction, especially to what you did. So is it reasonable to say that you have a way with people? A tendency to get what you want from them, perhaps? Maybe even a strange way of getting them to go over the moon for you?"

"Do I have permission to provide an elaborate answer?" Miracle looked at the Judge.

The Judge nodded. "Go on."

Miracle grinned and looked at Cheston. "As I said, I don't know what goes through people's minds. Clearly, I'm not a real psychic. And I didn't do that in an attempt to fraud, I was a kid, a dumb teenager who thought I would do something for funny kicks, I didn't understand the seriousness of my actions. As for the rewards I received, I was highly upset for being publicized for what I intended to be a joke. I sent my boyfriend to go and talk to the man, I don't know what was said, the man contacted me and offered me a job and a free car."

"Really, a free car? So he didn't specifically offer you that diamond Mercedes Benz?"

"No, he offered me a car off his lot." Miracle said.

"But, instead you told him you wanted the diamond Mercedes Benz, and he gave it to you?"

Miracle nodded. "Yeah, he bought it for me."

Cheston slowly nodded. "And how did you manage to get him to do that?"

"I just told him what I wanted and he did it." Miracle said.

"And this boyfriend of yours, the one who made this happen." Cheston stepped back and further out as he looked at the jury. "Could you tell us who he was?"

"His name was Jaemin." Miracle said.

"Last name?" Cheston questioned.

Miracle looked confused. "I don't know, I never asked, he was raised in the black market, I don't think he had one. I never bothered to ask."

"Okay." Cheston nodded. "And can you tell me about this relationship? Particularly, your treatment of him, your loyalty, was the relationship monogamous? And if it was, did you honor that?"

Miracle stared at Cheston. "We loved each other, he was the greatest love of my life. I'm not afraid to admit that I didn't treat him the greatest in the world, I'm not a cop out, I'll admit it. I cheated on him, I slept with one of my friends, I did it because he was suppressed by his religious family and had never had an experience, then I cheated on him with my best friends boyfriend, after she died, he was grieving and I felt drawn to him, we had an affair, short lived...and in the end I made him leave town. And then...times after that, I did crap for thrills...as our relationship became strained." Miracle looked at the jury. "Maybe I didn't deserve him, but he loved me, through it all, he stuck by, he roughed it through, even when he called it quits, I knew that he knew that I would find him...and I did." He frowned. "We loved until the end..."

Cheston nodded. "Until the end, have you ever wondered, Miracle, if maybe he killed himself because he loved you so much yet he couldn't live with you?"

Miracle sat back and shook his head. "No."

"Nothing else." Cheston walked back to his seat.

Simon sighed and stood up and walked back to the witness stand. "Miracle, what did David teach you as a child?"

Miracle looked at Simon. "He taught me that sex made love, that sex was love, that you had sex to create love. And for the record, the only thing I ever wanted was to be loved, like he promised me...he made me believe in a world...that didn't exist." Tears fell down his face. "It's like growing up believing that you can really reach the end of the rainbow and you chase it and you can never reach it..." Miracle's face tensed up and he shook his head.

Simon frowned. "So, would you consider yourself a con artist?"

Miracle reached up and wiped his tears away and shrugged. "I don't know, I think that's the sort of thing that only other people can judge. You're not going to call yourself a con artist just like a gold digger would never call themselves a gold digger, but others would. I guess...I wouldn't say I'm above doing something to get what I want, but I'm not an entirely selfish person. I might of asked for a lot, a diamond car, a fancy room, but I was a teenager, don't all kids ask for the world?"

"In that tape recording, you state that Mr. King has come to threaten you again. What do you mean by that statement?" Simon asked.

Miracle appeared thoughtful and quickly came up with a story. "I just meant that he was trying to scare me, he threatened to get into my safe and steal my special things...but I changed my combination and added a pad lock, so he can't get into it anymore." His eyes shifted to Cheston.

Cheston slightly grinned for a brief moment at Miracle's excuse.

Simon nodded. "And you surrendered your phone to the police, do you feel like, if you had any kind of app or program on there to remotely access anyone else's phone, they would find it?"

"Of course, they are the police, they have the experts, I believe anything and everything can be found. Mr. King might argue that such a thing might be out there, if it is, and if I used it, they would have found it on my phone, if it existed, if I knew of it, if I had used it." Miracle firmly nodded.

"And you were picked up by ambulance from the crime scene, correct? And all of your items were confiscated before a rape test was performed, right?"

"Yes, and yes." Miracle nodded.

"So..." Simon turned around. "As you see, if Miracle had any way to remotely hack either parties cell phone from his own, that cell phone would be in police custody, either picked up from the crime scene or taken with his belongings from the hospital, likely the latter. If such an app or program were used, if any of you...trust in government technological forensics, traces would have been found." He walked over to the table and picked up exhibit C. "Not an unusual trace was found on this phone, merely the text from Wayne's phone, the same text that was found in Wayne's sent folder." He laid the bag down.

"I just have one more thing, a piece of media of my own, not relative, but I feel that, if Mr. King gets a chance to use something from the outside to paint a picture of this witness, than so will I. This is actually a video, recorded several years ago, but I feel it still holds the same, none the less."

Simon put the tape in as the lights were lowered and the projector was turned on.

Cody set it to record video and aimed it at Miracle. "So ... what is going through your mind right now?"

"Shut the video off. Please, shut it off now." Miracle said, his voice cracking up as he felt a melt down coming on.

Miracle watched the video, more tears streaming down his face, by this point, Kevin, Erica and Jeremy had tears in their eyes as they watched this video. Gavin and Cody looked at each other and smiled, knowing they did the right thing in making a copy and providing it for viewing, especially after what Cheston pulled with the recording.

Simon was even rather choked up by what he had just viewed. He turned towards the jury and cleared his throat. "So, there is your character witness, someone who's deep, someone who loves, just not someone who lays down and takes anyones crap. Where is the crime in that?" Simon took a deep breath. "Nothing further." He returned to his seat.

"You may return to your seat." The Judge spoke up.

Miracle sighed, relieved that he was free from the witness stand. He wasted no time getting up and headed back to the seats, sliding in next to Kevin, into the long bench in front of his parents.

Cheston stood up. "The defense calls Dayna Radford to the stand."

Miracle made a face and looked over as Dayna walked through the door. "What the hell?" He mumbled.

Dayna didn't look at anyone as she walked in quick strides to the witness stand and took her oath before taking a seat, crossing one leg over the other.

Cheston smiled. "Dayna, you are aware that I've brought you here today to ask you about your brother, Issac Radford?"

Dayna nodded. "Yes."

"Okay, so is it true that Issac was a known hacker?"

"He was amateur, some kids around school knew, he could pull little things off for them, that was about it. I really don't know in full detail about his dealings."

Cheston nodded. "So you would say that he was very private about his matters?"

"To me? Most certainly. I wasn't even allowed in his room, I feel that he wanted to give off the illusion that he was more than what he was."

"Do you know if he had the capabilities to remote access phones?"

Dayna nodded. "He did, I wasn't sure how the program worked, he had several programs, though they were all made by far more advanced hackers, he didn't want anyone to know that though."

"So that is simply your assumption?"

"Technically, but I feel like I know...knew my brother." Dayna sighed.

"Could you confirm if he had created a cell phone application?"

"If he had one, I didn't know about it." Dayna shook her head. "I doubt it though, unless it was premade."

"Premade." Cheston shook his head. "So then he was connected to a network of others? He had to be, right?"

Dayna nodded. "I would guess so. I'm sorry I can't tell you more, but he was very private about it."

"And what can you tell me about his relationship to Miracle?"

Dayna looked at Miracle and then her eyes shifted towards Cheston. "I'm not trying to spread around any hate...but the day he met Miracle...well that was a day that should of never happened. They fell for each other and due to our freedoms, we moved to New York with him after graduation, Miracle then hooked back up with Jaemin, I'd call this selfish, in my opinion, he was unwilling to let either go, he had to have them both, and he did. And because my brother was tied up in his twisted life, he was killed in the cross fire."

"That is so unfair..." Miracle mumbled. "I'd of never let Issac have died if I had the choice.."

Kevin grabbed Miracle's hand and lightly squeezed it.

"I mean, he had my brother crying over the computer, thinking he wasn't good enough." Dayna shook her head and looked at Cheston. "It was a horrible thing."

Cheston's eyebrows lifted. "Crying over the computer? So...do you think Miracle might have been trying to push him to do something...or make something?"

"I don't know, but whatever it was, he was failing at it and couldn't stand it." Dayna frowned.

"Nothing further." Cheston walked away from the witness and sat down at his table.

Simon stood up and walked over to Dayna.

"So being that Issac was an amateur hacker, don't you think it would be a bit of a stretch for him to create a cell phone app that could automatically execute the code, the action to attack a phone, break down it's defenses and remote access it without leaving a trace?"

Dayna nodded. "Sure."

"What was the highest extent of skills that you know he used?" Simon asked.

"Well, I know he has gotten into cell phone webcams before and remote viewed through them, he has done it through computer webcams as well. And he's been able to go through contact lists and...I guess if you consider that remote hacking, but he had to use the computer, I never saw a cell phone app, he had to switch out Miracle's computer with his own just to access his stuff." Dayna explained.

Simon nodded. "So...there you have it, no app? And would Miracle have had the time to get on Wayne's computer, go into whatever little community Issac was involved in, assuming that Miracle is involved, and go through the process of getting into Martin's phone to send that text to Wayne, just after killing him?" He walked along the jury seats.

"Does that really make sense? And Issac was so secretive about things as they were, unless someone comes forward and says that Miracle knew the identities of the others, I think it's safe to say that we should wipe that theory and any theory about Miracle faking any texts off the table, because unless there is some magical phone application out there that makes it quick and easy, I just don't think it can be done." Simon waved his arms out. "Not when Issac has to switch out computers just to access his programs."

Simon returned to his seat. "Nothing further."

Dayna stood up and walked away from the stand, down the aisle and wasted no time walking out the doors.

"We will recess until Wednesday at nine in the morning." The Judge said.