<h4>Chapter 206: Bail Appeal</h4>


    Elias stood before the judge in his private chambers, his tone urgent as he continued to pull out folders from his bag. "Your Honour, I respectfully urge you to review this material at once. It is evident that this entire case is nothing more than a calcted conspiracy designed to maliciously entrap my client.


    She has already submitted substantial evidence demonstrating the peaceful and affectionate nature of her rtionship with her husband—including CCTV footage that clearly details just how close they are... These pictures are from the day before this alleged murder attempt." With that, he pushed the pictures of Adam and Mnie dancing together at the underground bar and the way they were close, anyoen could see that they were definitely not ’fighting’.


    Next he yed another CCTV footage and said," This one, here, clearly verifies her whereabouts during the alleged incidents. She was in her hotel all the time. These are not isted ims, Your Honour, but corroborated facts.


    Moreover, I also have evidence from the past that points to a more disturbing truth: my client’s husband was being ckmailed by his ex, Miss Saira Vaugn, the first victim in this case. There was no illicit affair, as has been falsely suggested. Instead, he was being coerced and manipted and even that night, he went there to see a small boy who Miss Saira imed was his son. But when the police reached there, there was no sign of the child.. so obviously Miss Vaugn had called him there under false pretenses.


    Given these facts, I humbly request that the court take this new evidence into serious consideration, as itpletely dismantles the foundation of the allegations against my client."


    Elias took a breath, eyes zing with restrained frustration. "And if I may continue, Your Honour—this woman, my client, Mnie Collins, has been kept in detention for days without a shred of direct evidence linking her to the crime. She has been made to sit in istion, stripped of her dignity and rights, while no credible witness, no reliable source, no undeniable proof has been presented against her..


    He ran a hand over his face and then turned back to look at the judge, his voice dropping lower, "What’s worse... she doesn’t even know yet that her husband, Adam Collins, has sumbed to his injuries. No one has had the decency to tell her or let her visit her husband onest time. And now, at a time when she should be allowed to grieve, to mourn and to process the tragedy of losing her partner—she is being locked away like a criminal without getting a chance to even proving her innocence.


    He mmed the bag shut, careful not to let the action seem disrespectful. "Your Honour, keeping her here, under these circumstances, without conclusive proof, is not only uwful ,it is inhuman."


    The judge leaned back in his chair, "Mr. Elias, I understand your concern. But the man who attempted to murder Mr. Collins gave a confession in custody. And in that confession... he named your client. He stated Mnie Collins as the one who gave the order. That cannot be overlooked."


    Elias stiffened but nodded. "Yes, Your Honour. I’m aware of the confession. But I must stress the fragility of such a statement. That man- who has a long record of extortion and petty crime- spoke Mnie Collins’ name once, with no context, no detail. He didn’t offer a motive, didn’t describe any prior interaction with her, couldn’t even correctly identify her or even her voice since he ims to have interacted on the phone."


    He paused, letting that sit.


    "Your Honour... anyone can name a person. I could stand here right now and say that you, sir, ordered me tomit a heinous crime. Would that automatically implicate you? Of course not. Because words without evidence are nothing but air."


    The judge raised a hand. "You’re suggesting the confession was fabricated?"


    "I’m suggesting," Elias said, stepping forward, "that the confession is either coerced, manipted. Maybe he was offered extra money if he named Mnie Collins.. That’s all this is. And conveniently, the name he gave is of a woman already in the spotlight, already under investigation. Easy target, isn’t she?"


    The judge considered this but then shook his head, "And yet, Mr. Elias, the fact remains—he named her. Even if only once."


    "Yes. Once. But where’s the follow-up? Did he describe her voice? No. Did he provide call logs, messages, payments, meetings? No. Nothing. Not a single thread tying Mnie Collins to this man except the sound of her name rolling off his tongue during a confession. Your Honour, this isn’t justice. This is more a witch hunt by the people because of their prejudice against foreign visitors.


    The judge tapped a pen on the desk. "The prosecution ims your client had motive—inheritance money and ongoing marital issues, suspicion of infidelity. How do you respond?"


    Elias’s voice softened, though his words hit harder. "I respond by reminding the court that all marriages have ups and downs, but not all spouses be murderers. The motive they’re painting is based on assumptions, not facts. And again, if marital discord were a legitimate reason for imprisonment, half the world would be behind bars. As for the inheritance matters, my client has already inherited her part and if anyone had motive it should have been Adam Collins."


    He exhaled, gripping the table’s edge. "Mnie Collins stayed beside Adam even when he was used of many other things.. And now, when she should be allowed to light a candle for her husband’s memory, she’s caged like a suspect."


    There was a long silence and Elias crossed his fingers under the desk because this was his only chance. If they waited for the case to go to trial then Mnie would be in prison for a really long time.


    Finally,the judge spoke, "You’ve made your point, Mr. Elias. I will admit—this case does appear to be missing critical pieces. The court cannot, in good conscience, continue to hold Ms. Collins without stronger evidence. The confession is, as you argued, insufficient in the absence of corroboration."


    Elias blinked, a flicker of cautious relief on his face.


    "I am therefore ordering the immediate release of Ms. Mnie Collins on bail, pending further investigation. She is not to leave the country and must report to the local precinct every week. Any attempt to interfere with the ongoing inquiry will result in her bail being revoked."


    Elias bowed slightly. "Thank you, Your Honour."


    "Onest thing, if ites to light that she <i>was</i> involved, Mr. Elias, this entire performance of yours-no matter how impassioned-will not shield her from the consequences."


    Elias straightened. "Understood, Your Honour. But I assure you, when the truth doese out, it will not be Mnie Collins who stands guilty. It will be whoever orchestrated this web to destroy her."


    The judge nodded. "Then we shall see."


    And with that, the gavel came down and the judge signed the bail papers for Mnie... but whether he would be able to take her away on time... was another matter. Because as far as he knew, Adam Collins was already dead and his family had been summoned to take away his body.


    The same people who had been out to kill him, ording to Mnie. He sighed. The next thing to do was get an order for an independent autopsy for Adam Collins’ to make sure there was no foul y in his death.