After a long pause, Peter carefully turned off the microphone and placed it down on the lectern. He took a couple of steps back before slowly walking to his chair while the room remained in total silence. Only after the man had sat down did the deputy get to his feet to move things along.
“Now that we have heard the two statements, does anyone have any questions they would like to direct towards the two guilty parties?
“Ah, I see a few hands. Perhaps I should say that it is quite probable that we will not get around to everyone as we only have today to deal with this affair. This also means that it would be most gracious if those with questions were to keep them as short as possible. You will also not be surprised to learn that you can only ask one question. Apologies in advance if we do not get to hear what you may want to say. As I said before, I will be in my office during the break, so if you have any truly pressing enquiries then you can raise them with me there. Oh yes, one more thing, the guilty parties do not need to answer your questions if they do not want to. Right, let’s get on with it.”
After a quick glance across the mostly tiring crowd, the deputy pointed at a young-looking, balding, blonde man in a baggy suit.
“Ah,” said the man while smoothing down his suit, as if it would help him find what it was he wanted to say, “I think I might speak for a few people here by asking why it was that you gave yourself away at the end? I mean, we’ve all heard rumours about how you gave yourself up after…”
“I think the question is clear enough,” interrupted the deputy. “I’m not quite sure if this issue is pertinent to sentencing, or the cases we are dealing with in general. However, I know this has been a hot topic around the school for the last few days. I will allow this matter to be dealt with once, but that’ll be it. Anyone else who wants to ask this question can put their hand down. Peter, Mary, is there anything you would like to say in response?”
Shaking her head abruptly, Mary made it clear that she had no intention of saying anything. However, Peter, who was warming to the idea again of being among others for the first time in so long - and without putting anyone in danger – started to speak once more.
“We didn’t really decide to give ourselves up. We still don’t really know what happened. Someone seemed to make a racket at the back of our house every time the school investigator, Amanda, turned up at our door. Perhaps it was just a coincidence, perhaps not. Indeed, Mary and I both suspect that someone may have even broken in to the house not long before I was found as the lock on the cellar trapdoor inexplicably broke just before the end.
“Whatever the truth is, the noises led Amanda to my hiding place. Once the trap door to the cellar was revealed, I felt the game was up and that it was pointless to carry on as if I didn’t exist. Maybe you think we could have kept our little subterfuge going, but how was Mary to explain my presence? Do you really think she could have come up with any story, after I’d come out from under the floorboards, that would prevent me from eventually being identified by the boy? No, once I appeared it was all over.”
A few more questions followed, most of which touched upon points the deputy felt had already been dealt with in Peter and Mary’s statements, and the gathered crowd gradually became restless, with conversations first emerging then growing ever louder. Individuals and couples began to leave, some leaving their coats indicating their intentions to return. Eventually, a group from the elite of vampires, who had maintained a steady silence during the course of proceedings, stood as one and walked down to the exit in their ancient suits and gowns. The session continued for a short while, but it was clear to all that whatever energy there had been left in the room exited with the vampires. Recognising that the right moment had come, the deputy brought proceedings to a halt by announcing the break.
***
Fifteen more minutes, thought the deputy to himself as he checked the time through the cloudy glass of his watch. Fifteen more minutes and then he would return to the hall to pass sentence on Peter and Mary. The man leant back in his peeling leather chair and mumbled to himself that he would be glad when the day was over. Almost the entire proceeding seemed to him to be nothing more than a triviality. The two had not only admitted their guilt, but the power he retained was also limited to giving a sentence of exile down to the Tunnels. Of course, he would have to decide how many years the two would have to remain underground, but in truth, this was also only a formality as almost no one returned from the Tunnels. Indeed, this was the case even when individuals entered of their own volition and had the option to return at any time.
So far, only a couple of people had come and gone to ask about matters in the case during the break and they had both been complaints about not being able to hear more about the details, particularly those dealing with how the two were caught. He was rather glad about the number of enquiries being
