Everyone in the courtroom begin to mummer as to who the other person was, and why Amanda was the only one who has been drugged to the court. The speaker took her seat and Amanda was called to the stand for questioning.
As proud as she can, Amanda walked to the box and stood arrogantly in it, showing to everyone that she has nothing to fear. In fact, she made it look as if she wasn't guilty at all. She turned to Abigail and gave her a smile that Abigail couldn't comprehens.
Abigail looked around once more, trying all she could to find Enoch, but he seems to have disappeared. She bowed her head in shame knowing nothing will go well if Enoch doesn't return.
"Miss Amanda, you heard the accusation on you. What do you have to say in your defense? Do you plead guilty or not?" The voice of the judge rung in Abigail's hard.
"Not guilty your honor." Amanda said boldly, showing a face that says am not going to let you win, as she looks in Abigail's direction.
"Your honor, as my client said, she's not guilty, because she wasn't even in this city on the day of the incident. It looks like miss Abigail here is just assuming that my client is responsible for what happened to her, because she thinks my client wants to pay her back for the worng she did to my client when they were best of friends." Amanda's lawyer said,
" Did you say best of friends?" The judge asked, not believing what the lawyer said.
"Yes your honor. My client here and miss Abigail were best friends since high school, until miss Abigail snatched the boyfriend of my clients and even got engaged to him." The lawyer replyed and the murmuring in the room went up.
"That's not true, you don't know what happened." Abigail shouted from where she was seated.
"Order, order. You have to control your client lawyer Ammoah, I don't want any interruptions for her again." The judge said loudly, making everyone stay as quite as they could.
Abigail had no option than to sit back and listen to Amanda and her lawyer lie as the case went on. "To stop miss Abigail from taking her man from her, and because she loved her man very much, miss Amanda traveled with her mam, only to be accused few days after getting back to this city." Her lawyer said to Abigail's hearing.
" Miss Amanda, can you tell this court where you were on the day of the incident?" Amanda's lawyer asked.
" I had just gotten to Cape coast from Accra, and a friend of mine took me to visit her close friend in a village called Nyamedom." She answered nonchalantly.
" Can we know what time you got here and when you return from the village?" Amanda's lawyer asked her again.
" I got to the city around 12:00 pm and went straight to my friend, we then proceed to the village and return on the day after." Amanda said boldly.
" Do you have any motive to harm miss Abigail in anyway?" Her lawyer asked again.
" Even though she doesn't see me as one, I still see her as my friend and I don't have any intention of hurting her at all." Amanda replyed.
From how Amanda was talking, there was nothing that showed she could be guilty, and the smile on her face was making it had for Abigail to control her temper. "I have no more questions your honor." The lawyer said and took his seat.
"Do you have any questions for her?" The judge asked, promoting Abigail's lawyer to continue with the questioning.
"Yes your honor, I have few questions to ask her. Would you like to tell the court how you know Mr Hanson, the man you killed with your car?" Abigail's lawyer said as he got up from his seat and walk to the box in which Amanda was still standing.
"Objection your honor, he's putting blame on my client." Amanda's lawyer said as he got to his feet to interrupt Abigail's lawyer.
"Objection over ruled. The case was settled in this same court and she was proven guilty." The judge said and Amanda's lawyer took his seat.
"Can you answer the question Miss Amanda?" Abigail's lawyer asked.
"He was a distinct relative." Amanda replyed.
"Your honor, if she can kill her own relative to hide her crime, then how can she say she's not responsible for the attack on my client?" Mr Ammoah said, turning to the judge.
"I didn't kill him to hide anything, it was just an accident." Amanda shouted angrily.
"Oh really? Then how do you explain the envelope of money you handed to him? What was it for if not to pay him off." The lawyer asked strictly.
"Objection your honor, nothing showed that the envelope my client gave to Mr Hanson was money. And even if it was, how sure is he that it was to pay him off?" Amanda's lawyer interrupted again.
"Objection sustain. Where is this leading to? The judge asked.
"Your honor, I still have with me the CCTV footage of the incident, and what most people didn't notice, was the envelope that flew from the hands of Mr Hanson, and it with us here as part of our evidence." Abigail's lawyer said and handed the evidence to the speaker, including the video which was shown for everyone to see.
"Your honor, I know it still doesn't prove that she ordered for my client to be murdered, but am going to prove that soon." Abigail's lawyer said immediately the video came to an end, then turned to Amanda to question her.
"Miss Amanda, can you tell the court where you were on the 20th of November?" He asked.
" As I said earlier, I was in Accra and I got here only on the 25th." Amanda answered.
"if so may I ask, do you have double personalities?" The lawyer asked again.
" Of course not, am perfect." Amanda said boldly, not knowing what the lawyer was driving at.
" Then how can you be at two places at a time? You were seen at Dunkwa, the town from which my client comes from, on the 20th, and you were asking about my client. Why?" Abigail's lawyer said, and even Abigail was shock, she had no idea about that.
" I.. I.. I wasn't there." Amanda said simply.
" I can prove that you were there, but can you prove that you weren't? Who were you with in Accra? Don't tell me your man, because he already denied that, he said he hasn't seen you for more than two months." Siad the lawyer.
At that, Amanda couldn't say anything but just kept staring at the lawyer doubtfully. "Your honor, if you'll allow me, I'll like to call miss Jennet to the stand." Everyone heard the lawyer speak , but Amanda couldn't stand still in the box anymore.
The judge nodded his head to give his permission and Abigail's lawyer called for Jennet, who walked straight to the box without looking at anyone. "Do you care to tell the court who you are?" Abigail's lawyer asked after Jennet was made to swear with a Bible to speak only the truth.
" Am Jennet Anno. One of Miss Abigail's neighbor." The lady responded.
" You said you saw someone asking people if miss Abigail was at home, is the person here?" Abigail's lawyer asked.
" Yes. It was Miss Amanda, and she even asked me personally. I approach her car when I saw her talking to someone from the neighborhood, that was when I got to know she was looking for Miss Abigail." Jennet said.
" Can you tell us what day it was and where exactly it was?" The lawyer asked.
" On the 20th of November, some meters away from my house. She asked if I have been seeing Miss Abigail around and I said no. I told her she's now a police officer and stays in a different town, then she asked if I know which town and I said no. She gave me some money and told me not to tell anyone about our conversation, that she'll find Miss Abigail herself, because she wanted to surprise her."
Jennet was feeling guilty as she spoke, but the angry look she gave Amanda told everyone that there was more to what she felt. Amanda's lawyer on the other hand looked shocked and couldn't asked Jennet any questions. On that, Jennet was asked to take her seat.
"Miss Amanda, if you still want, I can call for more people who had seen you on the 20th around my client's house." The lawyer said and waited for Amanda to respond, but she said nothing.
"I have no more questions for her your honor." Mr Ammoah said and took his seat, and Amanda was asked to take her seat as well.
"Your honor I wanted the friend of Amanda to be here, but for some reason she couldn't be here, instead her friend came, the one whose house Amanda went with her friend." Amanda's lawyer said and the judge nod to give his permission.
Immediately Amanda heard her lawyer, she palmed her face as she wasn't expecting the one who was called to the stand. " Am Miss Abigail Efua Anderson, and I swear by the Bible to speak only the truth." An elegant voice of a lady said.
Abigail had been silent with her head bowed since she was asked to be quite. But upon hearing the voice and the name of the lady in the box, she lifted her head sharply to see who she was. If she wasn't mistaking, she knew who the voice belongs to.
"What is she doing here." Abigail asked her lawyer. She wanted to know who Efua was, but not this way. What if she doesn't speak the truth. Her heart begin to beat faster as she remembered the lady was the same person who spoke to Enoch before they entered the courtroom.
"Don't you know her? She's the lady....." Her lawyer tried to explain.
"I don't want to know. Where's your friend if I may ask?" Abigail said angrily.
" Sorry Miss Abigail, I don't know where he went, but am sure he'll be back soon." The lawyer said politely, knowing Abigail was losing hope.
Abigail sat back in her seat, hoping Enoch return as the lawyer was saying. If there was any hope she was going to win the case, all had disappeared, leaving her wondering what would happen next.
"Miss Abigail, would you like to tell this court where you were on the 25th of November?" The lawyer of Amanda asked Efua.
" I was at home with my parents." Efua answered simply.