Chapter 267: The Second Hearing

Five days later, it was time for the second hearing of Rachel Faulkner’s case.

As the victim, Vivian Lowell naturally had to attend. But because she was pregnant, her “entourage” was especially large that day.

Ms. Shaw and Eleanor Rhodes were also with her, there to take care of Vivian.

Looking at the sizable crowd on the victim’s side of the courtroom, Vivian Lowell smiled faintly.

‘These are my family,’ she thought.

The judge hadn’t arrived yet. Eleanor Rhodes had found some pamphlets somewhere and was flipping through them idly, muttering, “The second hearing came so quickly after the first.”

“Tsk. Rachel Faulkner just won’t accept it. She doesn’t want to die, but all she’s done is delay things by a few days. Better to live a wretched life than die a good death, I suppose. There won’t be a third hearing, will there?”

Hearing Eleanor’s question, Vivian replied, “For criminal cases, the interval between the first and second hearings is usually five to ten days. Rachel Faulkner’s has already been more than ten days, so it’s actually been a while.”

“Civil cases, on the other hand, take longer.”

“Oh, so that’s how it is!”

Eleanor didn’t understand these things. After nodding, she suddenly noticed something else.

‘Huh, when Vivian answered my question, it seemed like she cleared up my confusion, but it also felt like she was completely missing the point!’

Her biggest concern wasn’t the number of days between hearings, but rather… Rachel Faulkner won’t get away with it this time, right?

‘Vivian had mysteriously avoided answering her directly. Could it be that there was another secret hidden in this case?’

Eleanor wasn’t sure, but she knew her good friend had always been decisive. In that case, today’s hearing should be very interesting!

Just as Eleanor was thinking this, the judge arrived.

The judge was wearing a strange-looking hat, similar to what Eleanor had seen on TV dramas. The entire proceeding was quite boring; the scene she had imagined, with the defendant and plaintiff shouting at each other, never materialized.

Eleanor was so bored she was about to fall asleep!

However… just as the judge was about to sentence Rachel Faulkner, and asked if she was responsible for those acts, Rachel suddenly looked up.

“I did it, but… I only did part of it. There was someone behind this whole thing, directing me! He was the one who provided me with the illegal items!”

The judge remained calm. Seeing that Rachel Faulkner had suddenly changed her story, he simply asked, “Who was it?”

“Felix Faulkner!”

When Rachel Faulkner said Felix Faulkner’s name, a stir went through the courtroom. Many people in the gallery were aware of the Faulkner Family’s complicated internal relationships.

Naturally, they also knew that Rachel had previously insisted she was solely responsible, never mentioning Felix Faulkner.

So when Rachel suddenly brought up Felix, these people were surprised, but the one who had the biggest reaction was actually Lawyer Donovan.

Lawyer Donovan’s eyes widened, likely because he never expected Rachel Faulkner would betray Felix Faulkner!

As the lawyer hired by Felix, Lawyer Donovan’s goal was to minimize any chance of Felix being implicated by pinning everything on Rachel, so he naturally understood the entire case.

Lawyer Donovan knew that as long as Rachel insisted that she did it all, Felix would be safe.

In that case, Lawyer Donovan himself would receive a handsome reward from Felix, which was why he had never told Rachel about the existence of “state’s witnesses”!

Rachel hadn’t even known that turning state’s witness could get her a reduced sentence!

“Rachel Faulkner, you!”

Lawyer Donovan tried to stop her!

But it was too late. Rachel Faulkner gave a cold smile, looked at Lawyer Donovan, and retorted, “What’s the matter, Lawyer Donovan? Getting anxious now?”

“You never truly intended to help me, did you? In that case, there’s nothing more to say between us. The person you wanted to help was Felix Faulkner. You wanted to protect him, so you both abandoned me.”

“You were merciless, so don’t blame me for being disloyal!”

After her furious outburst, Rachel turned to the judge and repeated everything she had previously told Vivian Lowell.

She recounted how Felix Faulkner had ordered her to act, and how on the day Robert Lowell and Sharon Galahad died, it was Felix who told her he had arranged everything and that she just needed to follow the plan.

She also mentioned how he later provided her with illegal equipment, and her own suspicions that Felix might be involved in smuggling operations!

“He came back to the country to continue these activities. The Faulkner Family was his bargaining chip, a way for him to get manpower and resources, which is why he wanted a stake in the company.”

“But he failed, and in his anger and humiliation, he even went after his own son and daughter-in-law. He even targeted me. He promised me that as long as I took the fall for everything and didn’t expose him, he had a way to keep me alive.”

“But… he was lying to me! From the very beginning, he never thought I would survive! Your Honor, I want to be a state’s witness! I want to fight for a chance at a reduced sentence!”

As soon as Rachel finished, Lawyer Donovan hurriedly interjected, “Your Honor! My client has been in detention for too long. Out of fear of death, she seems to be having some mental issues!”

“Your Honor, I request a suspension of this second hearing! Allow me to take my client to the hospital for a psychiatric evaluation!”

When Rachel heard this, she immediately started cursing, “Donovan! You’re a real bastard!”

Up on the bench, the judge watched the two of them start to argue, then picked up his small gavel and rapped it. “Order, order! No shouting!”

Both of them calmed down slightly, but Lawyer Donovan persisted, “Your Honor, my client’s mental state is genuinely unstable!”

The judge listened but ignored Lawyer Donovan. He looked at Rachel Faulkner, observing her for a moment before asking, “Since you’ve made this claim, do you have any evidence?”

Rachel shook her head. “Felix Faulkner was always very careful when he did these things. I used to have conversations with him on my phone.”

“But after I was taken to the detention center, my phone was probably destroyed. I don’t know where else there might be evidence.”

The judge fell silent for a moment, seeming to feel the case had reached an impasse.

Seeing his chance, Lawyer Donovan jumped in, “Your Honor! Everything my client is saying is fabricated! Given this new development, the hearing should be suspended for further investigation!”

“I believe that if no evidence can be found, it will prove what I just said. My client’s mental state is compromised—she’s gone mad!”

The judge still paid no attention to Lawyer Donovan. Instead, he exchanged a look with the two people beside him before announcing, “This court will now take a one-hour recess!”

The court was in recess. Many people exchanged surprised glances, not expecting such a sudden turn of events at this critical juncture.

Rachel Faulkner was led away, while Lawyer Donovan remained where he was, fidgeting anxiously and looking like he wanted to take out his phone to make a call.

‘Who would he call?’

‘The answer was obvious. It had to be Felix Faulkner.’

Vivian had been watching Lawyer Donovan’s movements from a distance. Seeing that he was about to make a call, she prepared to get up and walk over.

Just as she stood up, Julian Faulkner took her hand and said, “Let’s go together.”

Julian had also discerned Vivian’s intentions. As they both stood up, he glanced at Vance Wyatt and said, “You can hand over the materials now.”

Julian was, of course, referring to the results of their recent investigation into Felix Faulkner.

The timeframe had been short, but it wasn’t without its findings.

The evidence Julian now held wasn’t enough to open a case against Felix immediately—that would be unrealistic—but it could serve as corroborating evidence!

Over the years, Felix Faulkner had definitely been up to something in the shadows!

With this evidence, combined with what Rachel Faulkner had just said, there were basically enough grounds to open a case. And Rachel’s death sentence would be temporarily stayed!

Of course… Vivian and Julian’s “enticement” of Rachel wasn’t because they actually wanted her to live. In this whole affair, Rachel knew people would die, which made her a murderer!

She had simply gone from being the principal offender to a very serious accomplice!

With two lives on their hands, plus involvement in smuggling operations—and Rachel’s prior failure to report what she knew—even turning state’s witness might not be enough to get her sentence commuted from death to life in prison!

Vivian and Julian still hoped Rachel would be executed.

She had done too many terrible things. If she were allowed to live, who knew what kind of trouble she would cause.

As for Felix Faulkner?

With debts of human life plus smuggling, Rachel Faulkner certainly wouldn’t be lonely on the road to the underworld!

She couldn’t help but wonder: ‘If they met on that road to the underworld, would the father and daughter just start fighting? Would they be at each other’s throats down there?’

‘It seemed entirely possible.’

While she was lost in thought, Vivian and Julian had already reached Lawyer Donovan.

Lawyer Donovan had just taken out his phone, but seeing Julian and Vivian approach, he could only force himself to put it away. With a smile that didn’t reach his eyes, he asked, “President Faulkner, Mrs. Faulkner, what brings you here?”

“We came to see who you were calling, of course~ Was it Felix Faulkner? Tsk, Lawyer Donovan, it seems seven days in the detention center wasn’t enough for you!”

“Speaking of which, Julian, I just remembered—that diamond necklace you gave me seems to be missing! And it disappeared on the very day Lawyer Donovan came to our house!”

“That necklace was a limited edition, you know, very expensive! If I were to report it to the police right now, they could arrest Lawyer Donovan immediately, couldn’t they?”

Vivian’s expression was one of pure blackmail!

Lawyer Donovan’s eyes widened. He gritted his teeth, wanting to curse at her, but held back. He only managed to say, “I didn’t steal it! Don’t you dare make baseless accusations!”

“Baseless accusations?”

Hearing his words, Vivian couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m surprised you’re so cultured, Lawyer Donovan. You even know the phrase ‘baseless accusations’!”

“What a pity, though, because the one making baseless accusations isn’t me, it’s you! Or have you forgotten how you just claimed Rachel Faulkner was mentally unstable?”

“Tsk. I never would have thought. You two were supposed to be friends, and in the end, this is how you treat your friend for money? You really have no conscience at all!”

Berated by Vivian, Lawyer Donovan was left speechless with anger. He could only say resentfully, “What do you know!”

Then, he fell silent.

The hour passed quickly.

The judge and the others from the court re-emerged. Rachel Faulkner was brought back in, and everyone returned to their seats, ready for the hearing to resume!

This time, the judge was brief and to the point.

The gist of it was that he had received new evidence. The case would likely need to be re-filed and re-tried, and Rachel Faulkner would remain in custody pending trial!

After explaining the situation, the judge officially adjourned the court. As for when the next trial would be, that would depend on the police’s investigation of Felix Faulkner.

However, Vivian knew that even though he said that, the police had likely already taken action. The Veridian police were known for their efficiency.

‘Maybe Felix Faulkner has already been arrested!’

‘That would be for the best!’

Vivian definitely didn’t want to run into any more trouble when she and Julian went to Gallia in half a month!