Chapter 71

"Morning, Mr. Kazimir Cizetto."

Harold waves his hand at the young man, who gives him a nasty look in return.

"Alright, I wanna start by asking you; on a scale of 1-10, how badly did officer Teriston's statement offend you?"

"Ten." Kazimir replies. "Could he not have just called for an ambulance like he should've and-

"Mr. Cizetto, I'm asking the questions here." Harold interrupts. "Did it really offend you that much, that you had to wish death on the man?"

"Yeah, it did. That man acted like he didn't care if I died right in front of him, anyway."

"Please refer to "that man" as officer Teriston or Mr. Teriston." the judge says, looking down at Kazimir.

"Your Honor, we are halfway done with this trial, I highly doubt a title matters now. Unless Teriston's not a man?"

Kazimir turns to officer Teriston, who then turns to the judge and gives him an angry look.

"Alright, just refer to him as whatever you prefer."

"As a foreigner who is not from the States, what made you so comfortable saying that to Mr. Teriston?" Harold asks. "Were you not scared he was going to harm you?"

Kazimir rolls his eyes.

"First of all, I'm not letting any person disrespect me. Second of all, your client signed up to be an officer, meaning he should act more like one instead of an all-time championship martial arts fighter."

"And shouldn't you as a tourist respect the law here?" Harold asks.

"Respect goes both ways, sir. This trial being broadcasted internationally will probably only cast more doubt into people's minds who would like to visit here."

Harold shrugs and shakes his head.

"That's all I needed to hear."

He sits down and Alexei walks forward.

"Mr. Cizetto, do you believe Mr. Teriston acted unruly as an officer sworn to protect and serve others?"

"Yeah, I do."

"And was it not Mr. Teriston who verbally assaulted you first as well as caused further damage to your already broken ribcage?"

"Yep, he was." Kazimir replies, playing with his earring.

"Did Mr. Teriston at least offer to provide you with first-aid?" Alexei asks.

"No, he just started to taunt me."

The law student smiles and shakes Kazimir's hand, before sitting back down.

"And now, we'll hear the closing arguments." the judge says, watching as Kazimir returned to his seat. "Mr. McAllister, you have the floor."

Getting up from his chair, the older man boastfully walks to the front, turning to the rest of the courtroom.

"First, I'd like to thank everyone for coming out to this dreadful trial. Now, while it may seem like my client, Mr. Teriston, was the sole reason for this whole ordeal, I'd just like to say that we also need to take a look at this medicine he was put on as well as the doctor who prescribed it to him. My client has fellow co-workers who has told you he is a good man and loves to help out in the community. Unfortunately, the side effects of this dangerous pill, amphetamine, has painted him out to look as if he was the bad guy."

The man turns to Kazimir, giving him a look of disappointment.

On the flip side, we also need to take a look at Mr. Kazimir Cizetto. He is a tourist here in America and should know how to act in a different country. There is no way that you're old enough to travel without parental guidance, but act like a child and respond with harmful words to our law enforcement. If y'all decide that my client has to do any more time than what he has done just by sitting in this courtroom, all we ask is that you reconsider the thought of prison and think about a rehabilitation center or mental institution. He has a family to provide for, just like the majority of you. Think about them. Thank you for your time, God bless you all."

Harold sits down and takes a seat as the judge calls for Alexei.

"Good morning, court. What Mr. Cizetto has been put through part of his time here in the States, has been nothing but fear, embarrassment, and shame. Mr. Cizetto has had to use self-defense against the person who is supposed to be defending him. Mr. Teriston is a police officer who is allegedly highly respected and loved in the department and community. If this is the case, why would he feel the need to verbally and physically assault a young man who isn't even out of his teens? Mr. Teriston has been on the force for over 10 years. Does he not know how to calm situations in more ways than one?"

Alexei looks over at officer Teriston, who raises a brow.

"As a police officer, one doesn't just get to taunt anyone just for a few laughs, especially if the alleged suspect is calling out for medical help. I'm positive most of you are currently prescribed pills by your doctor. Think about it, if you were to do something similar on your job as to what Mr. Teriston did, would you lose your job? Would you have enough money to hire a lawyer and go through the process of clearing your name? Officer Teriston has clearly abused his power as an policeman and should be held liable for his actions. Would you want someone like that, who swore to protect you, your spouse, your children, patrolling the streets? Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for listening, have a good day."

After Alexei makes his way back to his seat, the judge calls for the jury to start making their deliberations.

--- 8 hours later ---

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention?"

The judge taps the gavel as the jurors walk back into the room.

"Has the jury decided on a verdict?"

An old woman stands up, looking down at a piece of paper.

"We, the jury, have found the defendant not guilty on the charges of lying to an officer regarding medical attention, verbal and physical assault against an officer, resisting arrest, public disorder, and retaliation."

"And for the prosecution?" the judge asks.

"We, the jury, have found the prosecutor guilty on the charges of disorderly conduct, failure to provide medical attention to a suspect, failure to provide Miranda rights, retaliation, neglected use of civil rights, and first-degree assault and battery of an innocent person."

"Thank you, jury." the judge says, tapping his gavel. "Court is adjourned."

The courtroom immediately fills with soft whispers and laughs.

"I can't believe it." Kazimir says, looking down at the table. "I'm not going to jail. I'll get to continue being a free man."

Alexei chuckles, patting the young man's back.

"Congratulations, Mr. Cizetto. It should've never happened in the first place, but at least we can feel comfortable knowing that officers such as Teriston will probably take more precaution now."

"Oh, my Kazimirie!"

Wrapping her arms around her son, Mrs. Cizetto gives him a kiss on the forehead.

"I told you, mama. I told you I wasn't going to jail."

"Son, you should thank your friend here. He was the one who saved your ass." Mr. Cizetto says, patting Alexei's shoulder.

"Shit, I almost forgot; my bad for not acknowledging you first, Alexei. I want to give you my thanks from the deepest part of my heart. I knew I could count on you."

"You're quite welcome, Mr. Cizetto. Anytime."

"Well, Captain Uzini is gonna have a field day with you!"

Pierre wraps an arm around Kazimir's shoulder and smiles.

"Congrats on beating your case, big man! I gotta admit, I'm kinda surprised."

"You must be Pierre Richano." Mrs. Cizetto says. "My Kazimir has told me a lot about you."

Pierre laughs.

"I never expected that from your son, ma'am. He's always looking down on me, telling me I'm not good enough."

"I never said that." Kazimir says, removing Pierre's arm from around his shoulder.

The small group exits the courtroom, immediately being greeted by cameras.

"Mr. Cizetto, how do you feel about the outcome of this case?!"

"Mr. Cizetto, you've won a case against an officer! What words do you have for people that may be in future situations such as yours?!"

"Congratulations, bro!" a group of young men say to Kazimir.

"Kazimir, my sister thinks you're kinda cute! Will you get a picture with us?!" a teenage girl asks, jumping up and down.

"MR. KAZIMIR!"

Suddenly, the background noise around the young detective turns to a quiet silence as he listens out for the sound of the familiar voice.

"MR. KAZIMIR! IT'S ME, KHRISTINA!"

He watches as the small girl tries to push her way through the crowd to get to him.

Running forward, the young man excuses him through the dozens of people, quickly giving Khristina a hug.

"Mr. Kazimir, you did it! You won your game against the mean man!"

"Yes, Khristina, I did."

He picks her up and spins her around, the crowd of people swarming around the two.

"Is this your daughter, sir?!"

"Little girl, what do you have to say about your father winning his trial?!"

"Is this child being used as a pawn for your political games, Mr. Cizetto?!"

"Excuse me, excuse me."

Taking Khristina from Kazimir's arms, Alexei turns to the cameras.

"This is my little sister, Khristina-Bella. She and Mr. Cizetto are both very good friends, so I'm going to need for you media bastards to go on and find something else to report on now."

The cameras continue to follow the group into a restaurant, eventually getting kicked out by the manager.

"Congratulations, Kazimir!" Jazlyn says, hugging the young man. "For winning, you can get another cut on the house!"

"Mr. Kazimir, we gotta do something to celebrate your big win!"

"The little one's right, son." Mr. Cizetto adds. "You wanna take a trip or something?"

"I'd just like some sleep, that's it." Kazimir replies, as he looks through the menu.

Mrs. Cizetto nods, rubbing her son's arm.

"Yes, let's let Kazimirie rest a bit for now. I know you're probably tired of hearing this, but congratulations once again, honey!"

--- a week later ---

"I'm ready to be tucked in, Mr. Kazimir!"

Walking downstairs, Khristina happily skips into the dining room where Kazimir sat with his head in his hands.

"Mr. Kazimir? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Khristina. I was just thinking."

"About what?"

"About stuff."

"What kinda stuff?"

Kazimir turns to the small girl, a few tears trickling down his face. She gives him a hug and he sighs.

"Thank you, Khristina. I'm just disappointed in myself because I could've disappointed you and you mean a lot to me."

"It's okay, Mr. Kazimir! Mama always said everyone makes mistakes and we all deserve a second chance! Just don't do it again or otherwise the police people will probably give you a spanking!"

Kazimir laughs and picks the little girl up.

"You got a point, you got a point. Alrighty, let's get you tucked in for bed now."