"Do you remember how to do this?" Tanya asked.

"Yeah... it's all coming back to me... Although, it's kinda hard to see if there's any gunpowder residue on the barrel when it looks all ghosty like this." Hartmut pulled out the gun's magazine to examine the ammo. "It's empty? Why would you bring an empty gun to a bank robbery?"

Ainsley scoffed at the thought. "Why would I bring a fully loaded gun to a fake hostage situation? One accidental slip of the finger and Eddie was have been dead."

"If this gun never had any bullets to begin with then... there's no reason for it to have been fired at the crime scene... Oh no... that's not good...."

"There was still one other gun at the crime scene." Jerry spoke. "The one Eddie threw away. It's still possible that Ainsley used that gun to shoot Hartmut and then threw it away. Perhaps in the hopes he could pin the crime on Eddie later, once they had escaped."

"You've gotta be kidding me... After all that and we're right back to making crazy hypotheticals again!? Are we sure we're not in Hell already!?"

"This is no mere hypothetical, Hartmut. Ainsley's gun couldn't have committed the shooting, therefore, Eddie's gun is the only other viable option and since Ainsley was the only person who had the opportunity to use it, we can only conclude that he was the one who fired it."

"THAT'S IT!" Lily slammed her hands down on the desk in furious anger. "Gunshot this! Gunshot that! You guys are so obsessed with this gunshot you haven't even considered the possibility that Hartmut wasn't even shot in the first place! I mean, look at him! Someone, please tell me: Just where is this bullet wound, anyway!?"

"Oh yeah!" Tanya smiled. "Why didn't we think of that earlier? Thanks, Lily!"

Lily turned away, with her hand on her forehead, like she was trying to fight off the mother of all migraines.

"That is a good point." Hartmut admitted. "I don't feel any bullet wounds on me, but then again I am already dead. Do Departed Souls still feel pain?"

"Not really. Some mild, subconscious sensations maybe, but not any real pain."

"So the headache I've had this whole trial, is just a result of me subconsciously having a panic attack?"

"I guess it must feel weird trying to figure out who your own murderer is, when you're just a bodiless soul."

"Actually... now that we're on the subject of weird sensations, I have had this nagging feeling in the back of my head."

"Really?"

"Yeah, like it's not painful, but it feels like something's there."

"Wait! That's why you've been rubbing the back of your head this whole time!? Holy crap, Hartmut! I think that's where the fatal wound is!"

Even Panuel was shocked by the sudden revelation. "You found his fatal wound!? Please, Tanya! Examine it, immediately!"

Tanya got behind Hartmut and brushed her fingers through his messy hair. "It's hard to tell with all his ghost-like hair in the way, but there's definitely a small hole back here."

"Well, doesn't that settle things, then? Hartmut truly was killed by a gunshot?"

"Absolutely not, Your Honour!" Lily decried. "Ainsley didn't shoot anyone!"

"I'd choose my words carefully, if I were you, Lily. You know the consequences of lying during a Final Judgement. Are you certain Ainsley did not shoot Hartmut?"

"One hundred percent! He c-couldn't have! There was no need!"

"What do you mean by that?" Hartmut questioned.

"I-I... H-He... DAMMIT!"

Jerry sighed in relief. "It seems we've finally found the answer to this complex puzzle."

"Shut up, Jerry! No we haven't! What about the bomb!?"

"The bomb?" Panual asked.

"The whole reason we were even talking about the gunshot was to determine if Hartmut triggered the bomb. It doesn't matter if someone shot him or not, he's still responsible for getting Ainsley and the others killed!"

"Ah, an excellent point. Such winding roads these trials take us down. I don't know how you humans manage to manoeuvre your way through such complicated proceedings. Even if Hartmut was killed by Ainsley, it still didn't prove whether he triggered the bomb, or not. Which means, he still hasn't been absolved of his guilt."

"Wait what!?" Hartmut cried. "I went through all that just to get my ass thrown back into the fire!?"

"No way!" Tanya added. "Hartmut couldn't have triggered that bomb if someone pulled a gun on him!"

"No, that's wrong!" Jerry retorted. "It's possible Ainsley took his shot before Hartmut even realised there was a gun to begin with!"

"What!? No! Hartmut, do something!"

But Hartmut simply stood there, totally clueless. "Boy, do I wish I were anywhere else right now!"

"U-um... c-can I say s-something...?" A meek voice off to the side stuttered.

"Oh, yes of course, Sera." Panuel responded. "You have been awfully quiet. Please, don't be afraid to share your thoughts."

"I-I don't know if it's r-really relevant, but h-how do you get amnesia from a gunshot wound? W-wouldn't it just kill you instantly?"

The room suddenly fell dead silent as everyone simply stared at Sera, which only put her on edge. "I-I'm sorry! I-I knew it was st-stupid! I-I shouldn't have said anything!"

After a few more seconds, the penny finally dropped and Hartmut was fully re-invigorated. "No! She's absolutely right! How the hell DID I get amnesia!?"

"Maybe you're just faking it?" Lily argued.

"Faking it!? And intentionally subject myself to this torturous trial!? Why in God's name would I do that!?"

"To avoid the consequences of your actions! Like all slimy humans do!"

"Avoid the consequences of MY actions!? You're the one who's........ wait a minute."

Hartmut suddenly froze on the spot, deep in thought.

"What is it, Hartmut? Is it another subconscious panic attack?" Tanya asked, concerned.

"I was about to accuse Lily of projecting, but.... now that I think about it. There's another angel who's been much more gung-ho about throwing around accusations than anyone else here."

"Well, yeah. It is a Guardian Angel's duty to defend their human no matter what."

"Exactly, even though Ainsley is obviously a dangerous criminal, Lily still defended his character as best she could, she's even adamant that Ainsley didn't shoot me. She's willing to put her own life on the line, she's that confident in her human. But, not him... all he's done this whole trial is deflect and accuse others! He never gave us a straight answer about what they actually did during the incident. Could that mean....? No, it DOES mean... he's the true culprit!"

With another bang of his gavel, Panuel drew the attention of the others. "It seems we have conflicting opinions as to the details of Mr. Hartmut's final moments. What say you, Hartmut? How do you believe we should go about solving this mystery?"

Hartmut stood firm in he face of the Judge's request.

"That is quite the determined look in your eyes, a rare sight. I assume you've come to a conclusion, one that might finally wrap up this whole case?"

"I'm not sure about that, Your honour." Hartmut answered, honestly. "But, I do know who's testimony will be absolutely vital in uncovering the culprit behind my murder. I would like to call: Bernard Boomhauer!"

"WHAT!? Why me, again!?" The ball of light bounced around, nervously.

Hartmut went quiet again, thinking deeply about how he was going to handle Boomhauer's testimony. "This whole incident has boiled down to one question: Was I shot, or not? If I was, and follow that logic, then it's easy to figure out where the gunshot came from, but that doesn't explain the amnesia. If I was killed by some other method, that could explain the amnesia, but then, where did the gunshot come from and why was there one to begin with?

Why would you fire a gun at someone if you weren't trying to hurt them...? And then there's that awkward silence before my body hit the floor... If I want to confront Boomhauer, I need to make sure all my bases are covered first so he can't lie his way out of this."

"Your Honour!" Jerry pleaded. "Bernard has already testified about the incident! There's no point in doing so a second time, we'll just be going in circles!"

"No!" Hartmut replied. "I want to know what Boomhauer was doing during that unexplained silence between the gun firing and my body hitting the ground! He's the only one who was watching the scene at that time!"

The Judge agreed. "Indeed. The most critical moment of the whole incident is still a mystery to us. Mr. Boomhauer, come forth and tell us what you saw!"

The little ball of light slowly hovered over to the front again, jittering on the spot. "I-I d-don't know what else you want from me...."

"I think I was pretty clear." Hartmut answered. "But, before we get into the silence after the gunshot, I have some other questions I'd like cleared up."

"There's more!?"

"Could you specify the positions of everyone in the room during the whole incident?"

"Objection!" Jerry cried. "Bernard, you don't have to answer anything he asks!"

"Overruled!" Panuel replied. "He most certainly does. I, too, would like a better understanding of the positions of the players involved."

With Jerry powerless to help, Boomhauer was left to testify on his own. "U-um... you were standing in front of me, while Ainsley and Eddie were a few feet off to the right, uh my right, and the vault door was way off to the left, uh my left."

"And our positions didn't change at all from then up to the bomb exploding?"

"Yeah! You kept trying to wrestle the bomb from me and then set it off! What's your point!?"

"About that bomb. We were all told it was quite heavy. Did you carry it with one hand or two?"

"What? I mostly carried it with two hands, why?"

"So, it's possible to carry it with one hand, if you need to?"

"Uh... NO! I... I never carried it with one hand!"

Ainsley slammed his fist on the desk. "Don't give us that crap! Of course you could carry that bomb one handed if you needed to! That's how we snuck it into the bank in the first place! By hiding it in that small money case!"

"A-alright! I guess it's possible! But, I didn't during the fight!"

"The truth of what really happened during this incident is finally coming together..." Hartmut thought. "An explanation for the gunshot, the silence and the amnesia. All we've got to do is get Boomhauer to confess." He looked over to Jerry, who was lying facedown on the desk, his face firmly planted in his arms. He had exhausted all his options, which meant it was time to finish this. "Alright, Boomhauer. Tell us what happened during that silence after the gunshot. How exactly did I die?"

Boomhauer remained defiant until the end. "How did you die!? It's pretty obvious, ain't it!? Ainsley was lying! He totally shot you! His gun doesn't have any bullets because he only had one, which he used to shoot you! That silence was just because it took a few seconds for your body to fall over!"

There was no hesitation from Hartmut, he immediately got to work. "I'm going to cut right to the chase. None of that happened."

"What!? How can you prove that!?"

"What did you think those questions were for, earlier? Or have you already forgotten where my fatal wound is?"

"Um... i-is that relevant?"

"It's in the back of my head, which naturally means whoever shot me must have been standing behind me, but as you just told us, Ainsley was standing to your right and never moved from that spot! So tell me, how could he have possibly shot me!?"

"H-he must have moved without me noticing!"

"Impossible, given that you were looking at me the whole time, which you also clarified. You're lying!"

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"What!? No! This isn't fair! Then who shot you then!?"

"If Eddie and Ainsley didn't fire the gun, then that only leaves only leaves us with one other option."

"Suicide!?"

"O-okay, two options... But, no, the gunshot came from you, Boomhauer!"

"What!? But I didn't even have a gun!"

"You did. You even fired it earlier during the heist to fool the other security guards into thinking the hostage was in danger, something Ainsley couldn't do because his gun was empty and Eddie's was only for self defense. Or are you going to claim that you threw it away to hide the evidence?"

"Yeah, I did!"

"Then who shot me?"

"U-uh.... another security guard?"

"The room was barricaded. There was only the four of us, and I definitely didn't shoot myself."

"Y-you what!? Fine! I still had my gun, but who cares!? How did I shoot you in the back of the head if you were standing right in front of me!?"

Hartmut fell silent.

"Oh my." Panuel commented. "That's quite the hole in your reasoning, Mr. Hartmut. And I was certain you had everything figured it out."

However, Hartmut looked back up at the Judge with a winning smile. "Sorry, Your Honour, I was just a little shocked that Boomhauer would just hand me the win like that."

"What!?" Boomhauer screamed. "What are you talking about!? I'm right! I couldn't have shot you!"

"You absolutely couldn't. Unfortunately, that's not what I was looking for. I just needed confirmation that you did, in fact, have a gun. Now I know for certain. Boomhauer didn't fire his gun to kill me, he did it to threaten me!"

"What....? No... wait... stop...."

"He knew he couldn't the win the fight while carrying that heavy bomb, so he fired a warning shot to force me to back off. Now from this new position, we can figure out how I was really killed. Since there was only one gunshot, we know it couldn't have been from a bullet. So, Boomhauer must have done something else.

Since it was silent he must have approached me quietly, it must have been the most focused he had ever been in his life. Then, he forced me to turn around and with my back now turned, he attacked me! And the murder weapon, was the bomb itself!"

"THAT'S IT!" Eddie yelled in realisation. "That's what triggered the bomb's timer! If Boomhauer smacked you with the side the red button was on with enough force to kill you, then that same force must have also activated the timer!"

Ainsley punched the desk in anger. "But instead of throwing the damn thing away, Boomhauer held onto it! He was so distraught from what he had done, he didn't even notice the timer! Boomhauer, you blithering idiot!! You got us all killed!!"

"And finally." Hartmut added. "A blunt force strike to the back of the head is more than enough to induce amnesia in someone. Everything makes sense now. Boomhauer, you're the culprit!"

With the truth finally revealed, Boomhauer just floated there, perfectly still, before simply saying: "I'm sorry...."

"Oh.... that's... different."

"Y-yeah... it's kinda... refreshing.... having your lies exposed like that. You're really good, Hartmut. You figured it all out."

"W-wow, really? The whole thing? So, why'd you do it?"

"Because I'm an idiot.... When you confronted me, I wanted to fight back, but I couldn't just drop the bomb, so I panicked. I pulled out my gun to threaten you and physically forced you to turn around and then smacked you in the head. I just wanted to knock you out, I had no idea I killed you, but when you came to see me in the lobby earlier, I realised what had happened. I knew what I had done would be brought up for my Final Judgement! I don't want to be punished for killing you! It was an accident! I'm not a murderer! That was never my intention! I just wanted some extra cash so I could leave my crappy job! I didn't want any of this to happen!

Oh well... It's all over now... I'm definitely going to Hell for this..."

Jerry stood up. "I'm sorry too, Bernard... I did my best..."

"It's okay... I'm used to screwing everything up... I'll just have to do better in the next life..."

"It seems we've reached the end." Panuel announced. "Harold Hartmut did not trigger the bomb, but was instead killed in action, trying to stop a bank robbery. One of the robbers panicked, attacked Hartmut and in doing so, accidently triggered the bomb themselves, causing the deaths of the three of you. A most unfortunate series of events... If there are no further objections, then I believe we can move on to the verdict."

The attendants all remained silent, there was nothing left for them to say. "Very well. The Final Judgement for Ainsley Atomizer, Bernard Boomhauer and Eddie Explosion will be held separately, with your performance in this trial taken into consideration. As for Harold Hartmut, with the absence of your Personal File, the outcome of this trial will be used as a substitution and you did very well. I hereby grant you access to Heaven."

Tanya leapt for joy, latching onto Hartmut with a hug. "You did it! You solved your own murder and got into Heaven! This really was one last great case for Detective Hartmut!"

"Yeah..." Hartmut replied, still in disbelief. "I guess solving my own murder is a fitting finale."

"Now, there is just one last matter to attend to." Panel snapped his finger as a paper document appeared in a flash and landed in the palm of his hand.

"Um... what is that...?"

"This is the result of the search party's efforts to locate your missing Personal File. It seems they've searched every inch of the arcade Tanya mentioned, but found not a shred evidence for its whereabouts."

"Oh... well, that's a shame. Not like we really needed it, in the end."

"Indeed. At the risk of souring the mood, I'm afraid I can't let this negligence go unpunished, Tanya."

Hartmut was mortified. "What!? What do you mean!?"

"Losing a human's Personal File is a serious offense. If it cannot be found, then that human's actions in the mortal world cannot be verified, even worse as the human in question is suffering from amnesia, meaning he may never know of the life he just left behind. Such mistakes happen sometimes, but they are usually rectified before any damage is done, but in Tanya's case, she has failed to give an adequate reason for this negligence, nor has she provided us with enough information as to the whereabouts of the file. Since it cannot be found, I have no choice but to punish her."

"But that's not fair! It's not like Tanya abandoned me during this trial, she still helped despite our disadvantage!"

"It's okay, Hartmut." Tanya replied. "It's not like this is an easy rule to break. Personal Files don't just vanish into thin air. I... really screwed up... I-I, don't deserve to be a Guardian Angel..."

"Of course you do! I couldn't have gotten through that trial without you!"

"It's a Guardian Angel's duty to defend their human until the very end and now... that end has come. I'm so glad you managed to get into Heaven despite my mistakes."

"The end?" Hartmut turned to the Judge sitting high upon his throne. "What are you going to do to her!?"

"She will become a fallen one. An angel turned devil, serving in Hell for the foreseeable future."

"And what if the file does show up?"

"Then her punishment will be revoked and she will be welcomed back to Heaven. That's IF her file is found."

"So, we've just got to find my Personal File, right?"

"Your deductive skills are quite impressive, Hartmut. Even I enjoyed watching you at work, but there's no need for you to push yourself any further."

"It's okay, Hartmut." Tanya reassured. "Sometimes you place the most important thing in the world to you on a table and then in the next minute, it's gone. Life's just like that sometimes, even in Heaven. I... really wanted to hang out with you once you were in Heaven, but I guess that can wait a few centuries.... assuming you aren't reincarnated by then."

"And you're okay with that!?" Hartmut yelled, making Tanya jump. "You were certain you left it on that table at the arcade and then it just vanishes into thin air for no reason!? Your whole life completely wrecked just like that!? Because you weren't watching it like a hawk at all times!? You're just gonna leave the issue there, lie down like a dog and accept your punishment, without even putting up a fight!?"

"Of course I don't want to do that! This is total bullshit! But, where would I even begin to defend myself!? What am I supposed to do!?"

"Well, if you can't find it, then why don't you hire a detective who can?"

"Wha-? But the trial's over."

"I know, that's why I'm asking you to hire me. Then I won't have a choice but to find it. Plus, I'd really like my memories back."

"Do you really know where it is?"

"Maybe... at the very least, I think I can set the investigation on the right path."

"In that case. Detective Hartmut, could you please find my Personal File?"

"Sure, I'll give it a try."

Panuel looked down at the detective, confused. "What is this? You're taking on another case, now? Do you even know where to begin such an investigation? Can this at least wait until I've formally handed down my verdict? This trial was mere seconds away from concluding."

"Sorry, Your Honour, but like you said, there's still one last thing that needs to be addressed. Where is my Personal File? I'm not entirely sure yet, but I think I have an idea on what happened to it."

The Judge laughed jovially to himself. "I see now why Tanya speaks so highly of you. You truly are an entertaining one. Very well, take your shot. I want to bare witness to Detective Hartmut's final trick."

"I gave it some thought and I believe you've made one very big misconception of this case."

"I have... and what's that?"

"That Tanya LOST my file. Tanya has made it pretty clear that I'm her favourite human, so much so that she frequently takes out my file and shares stories about me with other angels. So, I find it highly unlikely that she would just 'misplace' my file like that and then not know where it is. She is absolutely adamant that she left it there at the arcade. Taking this into consideration, if simply losing my file by accident is out of the question, then there has to be another reason it disappeared. Your Honour, I believe it's far more likely that Tanya was sabotaged!"

"SABOTAGE!?" Panuel had a look of shock that Hartmut wasn't expecting. Even the other angels looked at him in sheer shock at the suggestion.

"Wh-why are they all looking at me like I just said a slur?"

"Inconceivable! Only a fellow angel could have committed such a heinous crime!"

"B-but... it's not impossible, is it?"

"N-no... you are correct... but still... it's quite rare. Not even the Arch Angels would dare accuse another angel of such a thing without hard evidence. Hartmut, you better not be making this claim as a mere suggestion!"

"O-okay... maybe it was just taken by accident?"

"No, it would have been returned by now...." Panuel sat in his chair thinking hard about Hartmut's suggestion. "Accusing another angel of this crime makes me... uncomfortable. However, the more I think it over, the more sense this all makes. This Final Judgement has been most unorthodox and it all stems from that missing file. If it were stolen in an act of sabotage, it would suddenly give us a clearer reason for these odd turn of events."

"Wait... you agree with me!?"

"I accept the possibility, but please, there must be more to your reasoning. A lead, a clue, anything. Just who is this saboteur?"

"The saboteur...." Hartmut thought, unsure of the answer himself at first. "I don't think Tanya suspects them at all, but if I think back on everything she's told me since I first arrived in Purgatory, I think we may have a good lead..."

"I apologise for rushing you, Hartmut. but you must have something. A name would be appreciated."

"Your Honour, in cases where the culprit is unknown, the name is usually the last thing we figure out. However, in this instance, one name does spring to mind."

"What!?" Lily punched the desk in anger. "How could you possibly have a name!? There are trillions of angels and you've only been here for, like, two hours!"

"It's you, Lily. You're the only one I can think of."

"Wha-... you can't just... You can't just accuse an angel like that! Who the hell do you think you are!?"

"Detective Hartmut. I'd know more, if you hadn't stolen my Personal File."

"Shut up! You don't have any evidence I did anything! Why can't you just go to Heaven and be done with this crap, already!?"

"I might not have any evidence, but I do have testimony."

"What!? From who!?"

"Tanya, of course. She told me all about the intense game of air hockey you two had, while me and the three chuckleheads were busy dying."

"Is this true, Lily!?" Panuel demanded. "Were you at the arcade with Tanya!?"

Lily was shaken, struggling to regain her composure. "Wha... I... D-damn it.... GODDAMN IT! So, what if I was!? There were lots of people there, why am I the one being accused!?"

"It's simple." Hartmut explained. "Since you were playing with Tanya, you had the most opportunities to take it."

"Opportunities!? Who cares about that!? Why the hell would I even take your crappy file in the first place!?"

"Um... that's a good question actually. What would the motive be?"

"There isn't one. I had no reason to take it."

"No reason to take it? Is that really true...?"

"It was for Ainsley, wasn't it?" Tanya answered, shocking Hartmut but especially Lily.

"Wh-what? Tanya, what are you doing!?"

"I told you all about how cool Hartmut was and the cases he solved. I even joked that he might even catch Ainsley one day, since they lived so close by. You saw that as a threat, didn't you?"

"A-a threat!?"

"You knew Ainsley was going to rob that bank and you also knew that Hartmut might be there. That's why you asked me to come to the arcade with you, because you knew Hartmut's luck was terrible without me watching over him. You removed me from the equation because you knew it would make Ainsley's job easier."

"I never told you to bring his Personal File."

"I know. I already had it on me. I was going to bring it another PF meeting."

"Wait." Hartmut interrupted. "Do you guys have meetings where you talk about us?"

"D-don't give me that look! It's no different than those podcasts about internet weirdoes you like so much."

"I-I wasn't judging. Just clarifying."

"So what if I distracted you." Lily continued. "Even if that were true, that doesn't mean I wanted your Personal File. You even admitted that you brought it yourself, so what would be the point in taking it?"

"I... I don't know.... I just know... that it couldn't have been anyone else."

"Well, you're wrong, Tanya. There's no proof I did anything but distract you."

Tanya clammed up. Despite her best effort she couldn't breakthrough Lily's defenses. The accused angel was determined to deflect any arguments thrown her way, but just as Lily was confident this lull in the debate was proof of her victory, Hartmut begged to differ.

"Are you sure about that?" He smirked.

"Excuse me? What's with the stupid grin? Is this a joke to you?"

"I wouldn't joke about this, but there is something I'd like to point out."

"Well, spit it out already. You've dragged this trial on long enough."

"Lily, would you care to remind the people of this court, who's idea it was to not use anyone's Personal Files during the trial?"

"Wh-what!?" Lily was stunned, that was the one detail she wasn't expecting anyone to even remember. "I don't.... How is that relevant!? Why would you even bring that up now!?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I just decided to turn my thinking around, that's all. Instead of proving you stole my Personal File at the arcade, I'll instead reveal the location of my Personal File and let that be the undeniable proof that you stole it!"

"Inconceivable!" Panuel yelled. "You knew where it was this whole time!?"

"Um... not the whole time, Your Honour... Tanya bought me the time I needed to figure it out."

"Impossible!" Lily roared, enraged by the human's claims. "You're bluffing! There's no way! The Realm of Heaven is as infinite as the Universe itself, there's no way you could possibly know where it is!!"

"I don't need to scour the infinite possibilities of the Universe to figure this one out. All I need is to ask Tanya one simple question. When you were at the arcade, did you spill a drink?"

"Yeah?" She answered casually. "Why? What about it?"

"That settles it. Tanya already demonstrated earlier how her wings get all flappy when she's excited and they even knock stuff over. And what's more exciting then an intense game of air hockey with her so-called rival!?"

"You.... can't be serious...." Once again, Hartmut had left Lily speechless.

"So, tell me, Lily. That Personal File you brought to court. Why does it have a stain on it!?"

"I..... I.... spilled.... a drink...."

"Lily!?" Tanya cried in disbelief. "Are you out of your mind!? Did you really-!?"

At long last, it was time for Hartmut to put the final nail in Lily's coffin. "The reason Lily wanted to keep the Personal Files a secret wasn't to create a fair trial, it was to cover up her own crimes!"

It was over. Lily had no more counterarguments. Not even Sera or Jerry jumped in to defend her. The last mystery had been solved.

"Lily... what have you done?" Panuel asked, disappointed.

With her fiery passion burned to ashes, Lily could only look dejectedly at the floor. "I.... I...."

"Lily, let me see your Personal File."

"NO! Don't! We agreed not to look at them until the trial was over!"

"That was true for solving Hartmut's cause of death, but that issue has since been long resolved. There is no reason to keep this information a secret any more." With a snap of his finger, Panuel levitated the drink stained file toward him, as Lily continued to beg.

"NO! WAIT! STOP! I...! I....! I did it.... I stole Tanya's file...."

Panuel opened the file, skimming through it. "Yes, just as Hartmut deduced. This Personal File belongs to him. Had Lily simply presented it earlier, this trial could have been resolved without all the hassle."

The other angel's were shocked, they never thought they'd witness such underhanded scheming from one of their own. Tanya was especially heartbroken. "Lily... why...? I thought we were friends...?"

"You never shut up about him...." Lily answered, her fists clenched. "Here I am stuck with this dumbass, who never learns a damn thing, while you're running around yacking about how cool your human is! It was driving me crazy! So... when I saw it just sitting there on the table... I took it. I was just trying to mess with you. I didn't know we'd get dragged into this whole crazy trial with an Arch Angel, before I even got a chance to hide it!

I was scared.... I couldn't just admit I stole it now, or I'd be in deep trouble, but I also saw an opportunity to let that annoying asshat Hartmut take the fall for Ainsley, so I thought I'd just let the trial play out. And once it was over I'd just toss the file someplace where someone could find it later. It didn't matter if anything bad happened during the trial, as long as the file was found those mistakes could be rectified. But, then that damn detective had to go stick his nose in my business."

"Oh.... whoops..." Hartmut laughed awkwardly.

"You were always talking about how amazing he was, like he's some kind of super genius, but I just couldn't believe it. No human could possibly be that smart. Well, he sure showed me. Enjoy Heaven, Hartmut. You've more than earned it at this point."

"Th-thanks... sorry I got you in trouble...."

"Whatever... I deserve what's coming to me. If Tanya had been watching over you instead of playing with me, maybe nobody would have died..."

Panuel banged his gavel one final time. "It seems this trial has reached it's final conclusion. I can now confidently give my verdict. Harold Hartmut, after your performance in this trial and having reviewed your Personal File, I hereby grant you access to Heaven. As for the rest of you, you will return to your lobbies for your Final Judgements. Oh, and Lily, once you're finished with Ainsley, I'm afraid you will have to face punishment for your sabotage of a fellow angel's duties."

"You her that, Ainsley?" Lily smirked. "Looks like we're dropping together. Who knows? Maybe I'm more cut out for punishing sinners instead of helping them."

Ainsley had a look of fear on his face as they left the courtroom.

"Oh, and Your Honour." Jerry added. "Perhaps we should add some kind of identification onto the covers of these Personal Files, so they aren't so easily confused with each other?"

Panuel had a look of genuine distress, unbecoming of an Arch Angel. "B-but, there are trillions upon trillions of documented humans. Revising the entire system could take eons!"

"Just something to think about..."

With the others gone, all that were left were Hartmut, Tanya and Panuel.

"So, now what?" Hartmut asked.

"I guess you're coming with me, to Heaven."

"Cool, uh... I guess that means, I'm leaving my old life behind...."

"Yeah... I know it's kinda pointless to say this now, but... you're dead, Hartmut. You can't go back..."

"Well, that's only technically true." Panuel interjected.

"What do you mean?"

"Time moves differently in the afterlife. In the mortal world, it has only been a couple of minutes." With a wave of his hand, a window showing Hartmut's body in the bank vault room being tended to by a random civilian appeared before them.

"WHAT!?" Hartmut yelled, outraged. "You could have done that the whole time!? That would have been really useful two hours ago!"

"My apologies, but you never asked."

"Are we absolutely sure we aren't in Hell?"

"Your body only suffered minor burns from the explosion and it seems someone is trying to revive you. Whether they are successful or not is entirely up to you."

"You mean.... I have a chance to go back?"

"Indeed."

"Wow!" Tanya laughed. "See! The moment you reunite with yours truly, suddenly your luck does a complete 180!"

"However you will not remember anything that happened during your stay in the afterlife. It will be like you awoke from a dream."

"What!?" Hartmut cried in anguish. "But, that would mean I busted my ass trying to get into Heaven for no reason!"

"That's not true!" Tanya replied. "You saved my butt! Ironic since that's usually my job."

"But, I'll forget about you, too."

"Aw, don't worry about that, my little human. You'll regain all these memories when you die for realsies. Oh, but you will have to deal with the amnesia from that blunt force trauma once you wake up, but I'll be there watching over your recovery the whole time."

"It's your choice, Hartmut." Panuel added. "You can still move onto Heaven if you wish."

Hartmut thought about it for a moment, but his decision wasn't difficult to make. "Alright, as crappy as that world is, I've still got unfinished business there. Okay, I'm heading back for round 2."

"Very well, then. Step through when you're ready."

"Wait, you mean... like, through the portal, right now?"

"Were you expecting a red carpet?"

"No, no! I just didn't think it'd be that easy... or sudden. Okay... I guess, I'll see ya, when I see ya, Tanya."

"Take care, Detective Hartmut." Tanya cheered. "See you when you die and I promise I won't lose your file next time."

"You better not. I'm not doing all this shit again!"