Chapter 180
HANNAH
The man waved Dawson's statement aside with a wave of his hands. "The court will call witnesses in due time. Stick with the questions you are being asked, please."
Dawson gave a surly grunt.
As the questions were asked and replies were given, the other five councilmen wrote on sheets of paper in front of them.
The thin man said, "The court has it on good authority that you tampered with the CCTV footage of Alpha Keith's residence on the night in question. Odd that the cameras had never malfunctioned prior to that day."
"I was not a bloody guard!" Dawson hissed.
"No, but as Beta, you also doubled as supervisor to the head of security."
Dawson shrugged. "So what if I was? I'll tell you what happened to the footage. It got destroyed in the fire along with everything else. When I got the alarm about an hour after the incident, I was too focused on trying to see if I could save Keith than going after the footage. Isn't that what I was supposed to do first?"
"I'm the one asking the questions," the thin man said. He consulted some papers. "Tell the court why you banished Elliot Baker, your Beta at the time?"
The thin man looked at my father. Dawson, following his gaze, couldn't conceal his start of surprise.
Dawson licked his lips nervously. "Elliot's the one that should be in the dock. He plotted to kill me. I found out and had him banished. You will note I did not have him killed... I am and have always been merciful."
Cade's snort echoed through the silent courtroom.
Another council member spoke up, "You realize, Alistair, that lying in this sacred chamber is a great offence against the goddess. If you have said anything untrue and wish to make amends, now is the time before we call in the evidence we have against you."
Dawson's hesitation was brief, almost unnoticeable.
"All I have said is true," he said. "I have nothing to hide."
The councilman nodded. "Very well. Let's see the evidence."
A guard, from the back of the courtroom stepped forward, holding a neatly done-up package. He dropped it in front of the councilmen, and retreated with a bow.
The thin councilman held it up. "These are videos salvaged from the night of the fire which found their way into the hands of Elliott Baker. Baker, please step forward any give your testimony."
My father rose. My mother held on to his hand for a moment longer then let him go. Heart thumping, fingers nervously twisting my bracelet, I watched him as he stood in front of the courtroom.
This was it. This was the deciding moment in this trial where Dawson either got punished for his crimes or got to walk free.
With his head held erect, eyes clear and frank, my father was a huge contrast to Dawson who now looked like a trapped animal.
"These videos here in court are backups," my father explained. "The originals were destroyed but thankfully, these were not. I managed to compile clips from several of them. These clips paint a picture of what happened that night."
He got the permission of the court to play the videos. On the big projector in the courtroom, we all watched the grainy but otherwise clear footage of a a man driving a car confirmed to be that of Dawson's assistant.
The man, holding a large gallon snuck inside the house. When he got back into the car, smoke was billowing out of one of the downstairs windows.
In another video, Dawson was seen driving quickly out of the Alpha's house. The time stamp on the video showed it was minutes after the fire started.
One of the councilmen hit the pause button.
The thin councilman turned angry eyes on Dawson. "In your statement, you said you were at home and arrived one hour after the incident. In this video, you were seen fleeing the scene just after the fire started. How do you explain being in two places at once?"
Dawson tried his best to explain away the evidence but he was hooked and he knew it. He lied some more but under intense cross-examination, his testimony didn't hold together.
"Traitor!" cried one of the Alpha's in the courtroom.
"You killed Keith's children too!" shouted another. "One of them a little boy of two!"
"Murderer!"
On and on it went until the councilmen put their heads together to confer for what felt like the longest five minutes of my life.
"The court has reached its decision," the thin councilman said after that time. "It has found, Alistair Dawson of Breakstone pack-"
The gavel banged.
"Guilty," the judge cried.
I released a breath I wasn't aware I had been holding.
It was done. Dawson was going to pay. With his life.
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