Fait accompli

The man raked leaves for a living. He used to run errands offhand or do anything to sustain himself. Mowing lawns, gardening were his speciality.

It was around nine in the night. He was as usual raking leaves at the Ryder's place. The old woman was humming to herself in the kitchen. The intoxicating smell of lamb stew reached out of the back door onto the verandah, gradually diffusing around the neighbourhood.

Mr.Freshman worked at harbor and came home at around nine. Walking nonchalantly down the road he called out "Hey Porker, you still raking leaves. Come on man, you want kill yourself!!" " Why don't you take a break? Want to come out for a beer?"
"No, thank you sir. I got to finish up with these leaves and head up home. Wife's waiting," replied back Porker passively.
"Well, alright then, see you around," he said ending the conversation and started walking towards home. He took a couple of steps and the smell of the spicy gravy hit him.

"Mrs. Whitmore! Whats cooking? Wonderful smell out here," shouted out Mr. Freshman.
"Lamb stew, Bob," said Mrs. Whitmore.
"Shall I do the honours Mrs. Whitmore," he called out good naturedly.
"Oh! run along now Bob. You don't want John yelling at you for stealing his dinner," laughed Mrs.Whitmore.

He laughed too and started walking down the road. He waved at Ms. Malinzi, who was watching all the commotion from her first floor apartment window. She waved back, and retired to her bedroom. She was an early sleeper. She put away her spectacles and pulled on the covers trying to go to sleep. The night was chillier than usual. She wondered why. And since she couldn't go to sleep immediately, she went to the balcony and let the cool breeze brush against her face. It sent goose bumps down her spine. Somehow she felt the night to be very eerie. But she never believed in things of the occult and just let the feeling subside and went back inside.

The night was lit up by the half moon. The rays fell on the curtain shielding the window. It cast an uncanny glow on her face. With all the light shining on her, she couldn't sleep at all.
She thought she heard a scream. She didn't take any notice of it the first time. The next time it came with such a loud volume that she sat bolt upright. She stood up shakily reached for the curtain with trembling fingers. She gathered enough courage to pull it open. The night was as dark and quiet as it had been before she went to sleep. She saw a lone street lamp shining a good hundred yards away. Then she saw the opaque body of a man in overalls walking under the lamp. She hurriedly glanced at the time. It was well over two in the morning.
"What could a man be doing out there now?" she wondered.
The well built figure turned slightly under the lamp. She could catch the profile of the man. And wait a minute, she could see a rake in the man's hand! If she wasn't dreaming the man's hand had blood on it. Concentrating harder on the man's face she exclaimed,
" Mr.Poker! No it can't be! What is he doing out there now? And whats the blood on his hand?"
She ran to her telephone shouting. Her son threw open his door, startling her, demanding an explanation. She didn't reply and called the police.

"Mrs. Whitmore is dead Mam," said the policeman gravely.

"Oh God! Please have mercy," Ms. Malinzi cried out and hugged her son. He took her inside comforting her. He beckoned to the policeman to follow them.
"Mam, just a few questions. Please tell us exactly what you saw and what prompted you to call us," the policeman asked sincerely when they were seated inside.
She pulled down her spectacles and letting them hang there around her neck she started narrating.
After listening to her patiently, interrupting only when required; he stood up to take his leave.
"I would suggest you try to get some sleep. Let your son take care of you. We will arrest the suspect as soon as possible, Mam. Rest assured," he said walking out.

The phone call came in the morning.
"Mam, we have arrested the suspect. He is safe in our hands. Sorry to bother you, but would you mind coming over to the station to give us a statement."
"I'll be right over," she said.

She was to attest as a witness in the courtroom a month later. There was much speculation in the colony as to her credibility, due to her vision problem. But she thought she could handle it and she being the sole witness had to do it.

The District Attorney thought he had a sure win case. Not so, said the lawyer hired by Mr. Poker. But one thing was for sure, this would be the most watched trial, atleast as far their colony was concerned.

The day arrived. The witnesses and the jury were ushered into the courtroom, before the reporters preyed on them. Ms. Malinzi found herself being shoved into the courtroom. The DA had gone through some of his questions with her. She had no reason to panic. But she did feel the sudden sense of loneliness in the huge room. She had to get him convicted. "That poor woman.." she thought again.
The DA finished his quota of questions and the other lawyer stood up for his cross examination.

"Ms. Malinzi, how good is your eyesight?" he asked her austerely.
"My eyesight is good enough to see you and everyone and everything in this courtroom. I wear spectacles because of my long sightedness. To be precise, I can see things farther away better than those nearer to me. Have I convinced you?" replied back Ms. Malinzi equally austere.

"The night had a half moon on that day, if I am right, isn't it Ms. Malinzi?"
"Yes"

"I wonder how one could see in the dark so well enough to identify a man a good 200 yards away even though he was under a street lamp and plus he had his back turned to you?"
"I..I.."

"Ms. Malinzi, I am asking you so many questions because I want you to be absolutely certain that you saw my client Mr. Porker?"
"I am 100% certain, that he was the man."

"Ms. Malinzi, are you absolutely certain that it was my client Mr. Porker, that you saw and not that man sitting on the stands there. Mr. Parker, would you mind standing up please."

There were hushes and gasps that rippled through the courtroom. The man who stood up was so much like the defendant. In fact, it was the man spotted by Ms. Malinzi. Ms. Malinzi looked at the man and then down at Mr. Poker sitting at the defendant's bench. She kept doing this unable to believe her eyes. They were like the same person at two places at the same time.

"Ms. Malinzi ..Ms. Malinzi," the lawyer called out, rapping on the witness chair when he got no response. " Now, look at these two gentlemen and tell me are you absolutely certain that it was my client that you saw the other night."
All she could do was shake her head.

The votes were in. The defendant was to be acquitted. Mr. Porker threw his hands in the air in jubilation. The court ushers now surrounded the twin brothers and moved them towards the back door of the courthouse, to escape the claws of the media.

The ambulance van was parked down the road. Its passengers were climbing out. The brothers came out of the courtroom holding each others shoulders. The van picked up speed. It rammed down one of them, while the other just managed to jump out of the way.
He was thrown a good seven feet into the air and hit the ground, dead.