The Ultimate Lawyer.

 ''Last week, daddy bought me an iPhone 13 as a birthday present and made me a celebratory party.'' Announced a very beautiful and young dusky-skinned Indian woman to her friends. ''I can't believe the exams are around the corner. My parents will kill me if I do not get straight A' this time around.'' Complained a boyishly cute yet chubby young man who looked no older than 21 years old. The classroom was very chatty and noisy that morning because of the unusual turn out of students. They were expected to get feedback on their Evidence law mid-assessment that afternoon. There had already been a delayment of two weeks, which was a surprise as they had already received feedback on other courses. After waiting for a little over seven minutes, the Evidence law lecturer walked into the room with a bunch of answer booklets in her right arm. She then placed the documents on the table and requested that the class settle down. The lecturer then proceeded to announce to the class, 'well ladies and gentlemen or should I say aspiring counsel, we are finally here. So, I will be calling out your student numbers and your marks as was agreed before your exams.' After a minute, the lecturer began to call out the student's information, one student's script at a time. The distribution went on for some time until she remained with only one transcript. She picked up the last answer booklet and went on to call out the number on it and then announced the score, as it was 26%.      The entire class began to giggle internally, but no one outwardly burst out laughing. Not until one student who was clad in a black slim fit suit coat, who was seated in the first row abruptly threw out a nasty comment,'' Ms Tyrell, do you not think that person ought to quit law school before he finishes the little brain cells he might have left. Maybe his true calling is driving buses or being a bus terminus conductor.' The entire class began to laugh out hysterically as the owner of the transcript rose up and took purposeful steps towards the front of the class. He reached for the script and after collecting it, the volume of the laughter only increased. Ms Tyrell began to scold the instigator of the inappropriate laughter. After the class had quieted down, the lecturer looked on at the young man whose stare was focused at the wall clock. The young man barely spoke and always seemed to occupy the back seat of the classroom. 'So, ah, we have a lot of work we need to attend to so that we have you ready for the final exams which are around the corner. However, I shall be giving bonus marks if you present any cases or topics that we are remaining with from now on.' Announced Ms Tyrell. ''We can now proceed with today's lesson, which is corroboration. So, wh_'' began to inquire the lecturer. She, however, was abruptly interrupted from finishing her inquiry by the raised hand of one of the occupants in the back row of the classroom. 'Ms Tyrell, you stated a few seconds ago that we shall be given the chance to earn bonus marks, not so?' asked a low-voiced young man. ''Well, we all heard that 26%,'' uttered Boyd for all to hear. The lecturer only shook her head in the negative while ignoring Boyd's comment as she then proceeded to nod in the affirmative. ''Your presentations will help you get higher marks because I know that the paper I prepared will truly put you to the test. However, the delivery of your presentation is what will determine the distribution of the bonus marks. How well you apply the law and how well you are able to explain the law to your colleagues, that is.' Explained the lecturer. ''I would truly appreciate it if you could allow me to present the current topic that you were about to lecture on. I believe I believe i am able to explain it. I acknowledge that you have come prepared to lecture us, but please allow me to present this while I have the courage to speak in front of everyone.' Petitioned the young man who looked no older than 23 years old. 'You may proceed. I will, however, pitch in where you are not sure.' Communicated the Lecturer. The young man walked to the front of the class with a different air than what he had carried beforehand when he was collecting his embarrassing script. Upon reaching the front of the entire class, he turned around and scanned the entire class as he then noticed a few smug smiles plastered on the faces of some students. ''As the lecturer had wanted to inquire, what then is corroboration? Well, according to Lord Reading CJ in R v Baskervill of 1916 2 KB 658, for those that still prefer full case citations due to inadequate research skills, “corroboration must be independent testimony which affects the accused by connecting or tending to connect him with the crime. In other words, it must be evidence which implicated him, that is, which confirms in some material particular not only the evidence that a crime has been committed, but also that the accused) committed it”. He went on to explain what the layman's definition was and what its synonyms may be. For the sake of others who need to understand the principle better. He then went further to explain repealed laws and discarded judgements. He finally ended with a piece of advice for them to read about an article which was on the portal in order to grasp it even more. 'Wow!' exclaimed the lecturer. She stared at him in astonishment as she then began to clap for a job well done. He looked at the class as if to communicate that it was not rocket science. He then proceeded to look at the lecturer and asked if he qualified to get the bonus marks. The lecturer nodded in affirmation as she then asked him for his name. ''My name is Levi Shaw, ma'am.'' He looked on as if expecting instructions. The lecturer realising that, instructed him to give his student number to the class representative for the allocation of the bonus marks. She then proceeded to announce to the class that there was nothing she could add or subtract, adding further that they had been lectured beyond what she would have lectured had she been the one lecturing on the topic. She then proceeded to ask if others wanted to present anything and after a couple of seconds of hesitation on the part of the class occupants, Levi raised his right hand so as to volunteer. Seeing this, different hands began to rise hesitantly. Ms Tyrell seeing that the raising of hands had stopped, began to assign cases and topics on which the students could present.                                                                                                                                              [C/S]        The kitchen door opened, as a handsome young man walked in after dusting his shoes. He then proceeded to place his house keys on the dark brown kitchen table as he made his way to his bedroom. Upon entering his room, he stood in front of the dressing mirror and began to stare intently at himself in the mirror.       The image that was reflected in the mirror was of a handsome, 6ft1--toned, yellow-bone, brown-eyed, African young man, who had a faded curly brush cut with a neatly trimmed connecting beard on his oblong head. He had perfectly white and aligned teeth after having worn braces (and the privilege of having access to a good dental plan.) from a young age. His right cheek had a dimple, which showed when he smiled, which he rarely did. The young man who was no older than 23 years old was not one to be termed ugly in the least. His hands had healthy and well-kept nails; however, his right hand had a burn scar, which covered his thumb to almost half of his backhand. It was as a result of a rarely mentioned fire accident .   'Damn it! I attained such a silly mark in an exam that was as simple as that.' The young man continued to question himself through thought. He continually stared at himself in the mirror as he beat himself up over such an outcome. He assured himself that he would look into the matter and ensure that he did not fail again as he began to take off his thin lined white shirt, which he wore with black trousers and black belt. After changing his clothes, he proceeded to grab his laptop as he exited his room in favour of the kitchen so that he could make some food. As he entered the kitchen, he turned to where the fridge was and found a note stuck on the fridge, left by his mother. Of which he scanned and quickly opened the fridge while adopting a downcast visage. 'You came on earth alone, you will live in it alone and you will die alone.' He began to encourage himself as he often did, in order to overcome any form of self-pity. He grabbed mayonnaise, a bowl of ham, a packet of cheese and white bread. He then proceeded to make himself a sandwich. After he was done, he began to work on coding on his laptop, as was his routine every time he would get back home.  8:27pm, 'why is mom late? She was never this late whenever she went for her treatment and her note said she would be back home by 6pm and if late by 7pm,' Thought Levi to himself. He looked at his phone and as he was about to reach for it, his Hauwei 40 Mate pro began to go off. He then picked it up and, with a puzzled expression due to the strange number, answered the call. 'Hello?' 'We are calling from Maina-soko hospital along the Ash Road in Woodlands.'Levi immediately felt a sharp pain run right though the left center of his chest as he held back his breath wishing that nothing bad had occurred. 'Are you by any chance a relation of Mrs Susan Shaw?' asked the woman at the other end of the call. 'I am her son, di-did s-something happen?!' stammered Levi while holding back tears. Levi heard whispers of a male in the background instructing the woman not to disclose anything but to ask him to come through to the hospital, with which the woman complied. Levi cut the call and grabbed the house keys and the car keys from the key rack as he hurriedly got into his mother's newly acquired 2022 Toyota hilux, which he only drove in the company of his mother. He drove like a maniac while speedily making his way to the hospital on the almost empty road. He reached the hospital in less than an hour and parked the vehicle. He then quickly rushed to the main entrance of the hospital with red eyes staring frantically all over, from the patients, to the receptionist's desk, to the patients' relatives and to the guards. One short nurse walked towards him as she asked if he was Mr Shaw. He, however, did not answer her but only closed the distance to grab her shoulders as he rapidly fired one question after another, 'please what happened to my mother, is she OK, did she collapse, please tell me she is ok, please I'm begging you? can't you people understand that she is all I have left!' The nurse, affected by the young man's reaction, became very emotional as she then looked aside and whispered in a very low and broken voice announcing that his mother was dead. She followed up by disclosing to him how they tried their best to save her, but the injuries she sustained were just too much. Levi looked at her, and asked her, 'what do you mean by injuries? My mother was a cancer patient who had exceeded the doctor's expectations of how long she would live. Where then did the injuries come from?' 'Mr Shaw please, let us proceed to the doctor's office for some privacy?' requested the nurse. Of which Levi obliged and went along with her. 'So you see sir, the cause of death wasn't cancer as you might have thought on your way here, Mrs Shaw rushed into the emergency room in a really bad state. We are waiting for the autopsy, which might only be ready tomorrow morning. I would advise you to go home for now and we shall call you to come through as early as possible. We are trying to refrain from giving you incomplete information. We have already reported the matter to the police and we want to first carry out a full body autopsy in order to present the findings not only to you but the police as well.' Spoke Doctor Luthor. Levi looked at the doctor and told him that he would not be going home and that he would wait for the results in the parking lot of the hospital. He then proceeded to stand up as he walked out of the hospital and went into the vehicle. [C/S] 'Bill, are you ready to find out the truth about what happened to this woman?' asked Tom. 'Don't tell me you still talk to your imaginary friend Dr Tom?' asked Dr Luthor as he walked into the room with gloves on. Dr Tom, wondering what Dr Luthor was doing in that room, stared with a raised eyebrow at his fellow Dr as if to ask what he was doing there. 'I am here to help you, we need the results before morning. So, are you going to stare at me to death with that creepy look of yours or are you going to actually be normal for once and allow another capable doctor to aid you? Asked Dr Luthor while grabbing some tools for use. The two doctors worked through the night, sending samples to the lab for testing, checking the swollen wounds, the broken lip, the twisted wrists, the black patches on the face and the blows. By the time it was 04am, the two doctors had concluded their report and compiled it. 'I still can't believe that such creatures could be living among us. How brutal can humans get.' Stated Dr Tom. They were both appalled by what they had found. Seven different strands of semen, vaginal scarring, a broken lip, 4 broken left ribs, a curved in chest on the right, multiple knife cuts in the inner thighs, a blow to the head of which they assumed was not a human fist used but a hard object, scarring on the neck and with faint hand prints, three stub wounds, one slightly above the belly button, the second one in the chest narrowly mssing the heart and the third by the pelvic region. 'Where do I even begin to relay such information to the young man? Last Mary checked, he came into the hospital to check if we were done.' murmured Dr Luthor to his colleague. Dr Tom only stared on. This was the first time the hospital had witnessed such an atrocious act. The doctors cleaned themselves up and went to get a bit of rest before they met up with the victim's son. It was 6:23 am when Levi was called to come to the office of a doctor, Luthor. Dr Luthor began to relay all the information they had gathered, one piece of information after another. He then began to encourage the young man with the word of God, but the young man cut him off with a question about whether they had reported this to the authorities, which the Dr confirmed with an affirmative. The young man's only reply was 'good.' as he, a second later, stood up only to announce that he was leaving to go and prepare for the funeral. The doctors only stared on as the young man walked out of the office and the hospital. [C/S] 'Good morning law students, we are sadly announcing that fourth year, second semester student Levi Shaw had in the late hours of yesterday lost his mother. For those that can find their way to the funeral house, please do so, and for those that can't, the school will provide transportation. Please write down your name and year of study as well as your student number, if you wish to go to the funeral house.' announced the school of law dean, Mr Mumba. The two school buses that carried some university students and their lecturers drove through the open automated black bar gate. After the buses parked, the students and lecturers got off the buses, they began to stare around. One classmate of Levi' whispered to his companion, 'damn, I didn't know the kid came from a well-to-do family. I'm sure relatives will want to grab the property and all that.' 'Is that the only thing you can think of really?' his friend whispered back. They all kept wondering where the young man was as some of them tried to spot him from among the many people that had come for the funeral. One girl by the name of Ollie spotted him talking to a uniformed man and woman. The young man wore a black suit without a tie. He looked very exhausted and empty. He spotted the students and lecturers as he then proceeded to excuse himself so that he could greet them and welcome them. He reached them and greeted the chancellor and lecturers first before he greeted the students. He thanked them all for coming and told them that he wished their visit had been in better circumstances. The Chancellor asked what had been the cause of death and he began to explain. One of the lecturers asked how he was holding up, and all he had to reply was, ''the world is a cruel place I guess, and all we can do is accept what happens to the ones we love. It hurts less when you accept the outcome, even if it is accepting that you have remained truly alone, but we are born alone and we die alone. Please, do stay for lunch as it is almost ready. Once again, I am grateful for being there for me.'' He then walked away. During lunch everyone was eating, as Levi walked into one of the big tents and sat among the other fellow law students who were mixed up. He greeted them all and began to eat slowly as one girl who sat on his right side asked, 'Hi, so officially, I am Hazel Sharma. I'm truly sorry for what has happened to you and If you want anyone to talk to, you can talk to me.' He looked at her and nodded in acknowledgment of her words. He then continued to play with his food. She looked at his plate and noticed that he had barely eaten anything and all he was doing was play with his food. 'You know, I will end up feeding you if you don't start eating. You and I both know how fast dating rumors move in school. So you had better start eating.' She threatened. ''I always took you to be a cheerful noise maker who announced that day that your dad got you an iPhone, but I never knew you to be so scary and willing to lose your reputation.'' He replied in response to her threat. She stared at him and gave him a dazzling smile as she told him that there was a lot he didn't know about her and if he played his cards right he might get a front roll seat to witness how great she was and maybe he might grow a normal human sense of humor and let loose just a bit if he went a step further as to worship her as the goddess she was. He looked at her with a raised eyebrow and then snidely replied after pausing for five seconds, ''only finer things in life can be worshiped and you aspiring Counsel are yet to qualify to be called finer things. Beautiful you are, I admit, but goddess is not a statement I would associate with you. Maybe a seductress?'' She looked at him, then replied, "I cannot desire to seduce you. The only position that would suit you is being my servant. And last time I checked, aspiring masters have no need to seduce their soon-to-be servants. There is only a need to capture them.'' ''I feel that is still what a seductress would do when you think about it. Lure someone with something good in order to capture them and bind them.'' replied Levi. The two kept talking for over 40 minutes. Just as lunch was just about to conclude, Levi received a call. Which he picked up. The call was with regards to the casket arrangements which needed to be finalized before 4:30pm. He told the man on the other side of the call that he would be dropping by after lunch hour. He then cut the call. ''I will need to leave very soon to finish the casket arrangements.'' He relayed to Hazel. ''Where are you getting one from if you don't mind me asking?'' She inquired. He proceeded to tell her that he was getting one at Ambassador St Anns Funeral homes. To which she replied and then asked, ''I see. Do you need toxic company?'' ''It depends, if she is at a toxic level of 50% and below, then the company won't be needed. Nevertheless, isn't she worried that rumors will rise and that the school will leave her behind?'' He teased. She faked being hurt by his words and then quickly held up her phone so that he could see it, and then she began to school him as if she was talking to a three-year-old about the abilities of a phone, ''Besides, you can always take me home if push comes to shove and plan b is that that device I lectured you on,'' he nodded slowly like a young pupil while acting shocked and ignorant while she continued speaking, ''can always be used to get me a ride. So please come to the modern age cave man.'' ''Thank you for interacting with me as well as offering to keep me company. But I need to do this alone. I wish you and your family good health.'' Replied Levi, as he then stood up and began to make his way to where the law school dean and chancellor were seated to thank them once again and for them to excuse him. He then proceeded to go where his late mom's vehicle was packed. He started the engine as he then dialed the number of the officer in charge of the investigations. After a few rings, a feminine voice could be heard as he then asked how the situation was. The agent in charge relayed that they had found his mother's Nissan Qashqai parked by the roadside on the Zambia-Malawi border. She informed him that looking at the fact that this was a big case in Zambia, the law enforcement were working tirelessly to catch the culprits. He thanked her and then reminded her that she would get whatever financial aid she needed in order to bring in those criminals. [C/S] Three Months Later. ''Mr Shaw, I was commanded to head back to the United States of America by my superiors yesterday. I know I had promised that I would catch all the culprits, but the three we caught so far killed themselves before we could interrogate them.'' Relayed special agent Paige Hulburt. Paige was a very attractive woman who, though an agent, had the appearance of a Hollywood actress staring in a James Bond movie. She had lustrous green eyes plastered on a round face which looked soft and smooth to both the touch and eyes. Her soft and silky looking blond hair was normally plaited in a long ponytail which reached her mid back. She had perfect C-cup breasts, juicy full lips, which were accompanied by a lean-toned athletic body which was to kill for and she stood at the height of 6ft, which intimidated some men. In simple words, she was meant to be in a magazine and not an agent. She was a quiet woman, who one could term a young precise and graceful genuis prodigy. She came out first in her class in all fields and she was just as deadly in combat as she was deadly mentally. For a woman who was soon to turn 27 years old, she didn't look like it. She was the type who never had time for a personal life. ''Well, how much do you get paid back in the U.S, $29.29 per hour?'' asked Levi. ''With all due respect sir, I believe I am not at liberty to discuss my pay check with you as that is a personal issue of which you are not permitted to be aware of outside our initial agreement.'' Vehemently spat out Paige. Levi carefully stared at her and then stood up to head into his bedroom as Paige followed him with her eyes. He came back in a few minutes with a signed document. He then asked Paige if she knew the basics of how a contract worked. She explained how one normally worked after carefully considering the answer, and then she asked why he asked such a mundane question. To which he began to reply, ''you see Agent Hulburt, the woman, as you are aware, who was brutally r***d by at least seven men, brutally assaulted, brutally murdered was a very important woman to me. I decided to travel to your country because I believed there were people capable of helping me get rid of such scum in this world.'' He spoke with so much venom that he had to partially pause in order to get his emotions back in control. After the short pause, he continued speaking in a more controlled tone, ''I came as a desperate man who was ready to even accept a deal from satan, but do not take my desperation for stupidity. The agreement was that I would draft my terms as you people drafted yours during the negotiations period, as we both did that. I managed to sneak in a term which established that the contract would only be terminated after every one of those scum was either dead or locked up and upon the completion of that consideration, you people then will get the other million. To conclude, please ensure that you bring your superiors to remembrance of the terms and agreement of the contract. Special agent, oh no, it is former special agent Paige Hulburt of the blood diamond.'' Paige looked at him with an intensity that could rival a Spartan soldier on a heated battlefield as she placed her right hand on the gun that was located on her hip. ''How?'' she began to inquire. ''Paige, if I wanted those men to go to prison I would have waited for law enforcement. But that was never my intention. I found a diary a week after my mother's burial and it explained a lot to me. I am currently reading about where my family wealth comes from and the businesses we have. Anyways, back on topic, your organization was mentioned in the second book that she kept in the floorboards located under her bed. I guess I will soon be joining the world of lies, pain, and death sooner than what my parents would have wanted.'' Announced Levi. [C/S] ''Chancellor Stevens, trustees, faculty members, family, friends and fellow graduates, today is a day to be thankful and to be inspired.'' Began the 2023 graduation's valedictorian. She continued, ''First, we have a lot to be thankful for. Here at Oasis University, we have received a great education thanks to our fine administration and lecturers. We are prepared to move on and to take on whatever challenges come next in our lives. Fellow graduates, I want you to know what a great gift it is to be as prepared as we are, because not all schools offer such an advantage. Here we have had a high degree of academic excellence and whether you intend to continue your education or not, you will benefit from what you learned here. We can also be thankful to our families. These past four years have presented us with a lot of ups and downs and it is good to know that we had our families in our corner, supporting us along the way. Thanks Mom and Dad. I would not be here today without you. Now, what can we be inspired by today? Personally, I am inspired by our classmate Levi Shaw, who has overcome so much adversity to be here graduating today. Levi, you have been tenacious and have had such a great attitude in the face of so many setbacks. Whenever I get a little down about something that didn't turn out just the way I wanted it to, I remember some of the talks we have had and it gives me the perspective I need. Thank you for that, congratulations, and all the best to you all graduating class of 2023!'' Finished the valedictorian. A standing ovation followed immediately after the speech by the speaker was made. Levi, while clapping, felt a vibration in his left pocket as he grabbed his phone to check the text which read, ''we have caught the fourth dog. I found it near a brothel it often went to to get food . You will find it locked up in its cage at home.'' Paige. Levi smiled with a dehumanized smile as he left the ceremony. ''Finally!''