A match in a haystack

On the afternoon of 11 July came the closing arguments. The duo's lawyer said the comedian had dropped a match into a haystack and that free speech is not absolute; the comedian's lawyer replied that not liking a joke doesn't stop it being a joke. A phone rang, someone was sent out, and the fan left with somebody else. Nine people and a fan, one per row and one per column. Nothing is handed to you on a plate: you'll need more than one hypothesis to get to the end.

Suspects

• Adelaide, the lady whose phone rang: Her ringtone was the national anthem. She swears it was a coincidence, and that the phone is her grandson's.
• Belmiro, the farmer from the Ribatejo: He came to Lisbon to sort out some paperwork and wandered in out of curiosity. Afterwards he explained to everyone how a haystack burns.
• Cidália, the law student: She took notes on both sides' closing arguments. She'll use them in her human rights exam, on opposite sides.
• Damasceno, the court usher: He sent out the lady with the phone. Then he spent the afternoon apologising, because she was lovely.
• Elsa, the radio reporter: She did the six o'clock live report outside the court. She said "haystack" four times in two minutes.
• Fortunato, the volunteer firefighter: He came because of the haystack. He was disappointed: it was a metaphor.
• Gracinda, the café lady: She closed the café at half five, as always. At six there were still lawyers asking for coffee through the door.
• Heitor, the lift technician: He spent the whole morning fixing the second-floor lift. He fixed it at six, when nobody needed it.
• Isilda, the court clerk: She wrote down all the closing arguments. When she finished, she put down her pen and asked for a fan.