Sisters at Arms, Partners in Crime
"Order! Order!" The judge called out, silencing the gallery. "Miss Von Karma, just what are you suggesting here?"
"It's obvious, no? If the suspect took that route to escape, she would have passed by the Wonder Bar during their show. And who was in charge of the show that night?" She smirked, leaning on the prosecutor's bench. "Trucy Wright, that's who."
"What?!" Phoenix slammed the desk with all his might. He couldn't believe it. How dare she... "Von Karma..."
Franziska just shook her head, shaking her finger at the foolish attorney. "Now, now. It's just a possibility. If Miss Trucy Wright truly knows nothing, then there's no problem. Wouldn't you agree, Your Honor?"
"Your Honor... Please. Trucy knows nothing about this. There's nothing for her to testify about." Phoenix tried to reason with the man. They were making a mistake!
But he shook his head. "I'm sorry, Mr. Wright, but this case has gone on for too long. The second Yatagarasu must be caught. And that requires an exploration of all possibilities. Miss Von Karma, if you may."
The prosecutor smirked. "The prosecution calls Miss Trucy Wright to the stand."
"But boss!" Athena called out from beside him. "This can't be right! There's no way Trucy has any connection to this case!"
But Phoenix wasn't listening. He watched, silent, as his daughter took the stand, a slightly confused glint in her eyes. She was dressed in her normal magician's attire, shivering in the cold courtroom.
"Witness. Please state your name and occupation for the court."
"...Trucy Wright. I'm a magician at the Wonder Bar. I do birthday parties too, but-"
"Enough!" Franziska cut her off, readying her whip. "Testify as to what you were doing the night of the crime. Now!"
Phoenix glared at Franziska, eyes warning her to be careful. If she whipped his daughter even once, he would-
"Boss! Listen to this." Athena was watching him. Concerned.
After a few seconds, Trucy told the scribe the name of her testimony. "I'll call this one... "What I Did That Night"."
The court scribe nodded. And with that, the young magician began:
"Wait, this was Janurary 17th, right? That's when the Yatagarasu broke into the Prosecutor's Office?
"Well, I had a show that night. At the Wonder Bar. It was so packed, some people had to leave to follow fire code! We were at maximum capacity.
"Before that, I'd been doing a final rehearsal with Athena. She was my assistant that day.
"The show went until about 10pm. I was at the Wonder Bar until an hour later, when Daddy took me home and I went to bed.
"I was busy the whole time the break in was happening. How would I know anything?"
"It's true!" Athena added once Trucy was done talking. "I was with her the whole show."
I want to believe this, but... something's not right with her testimony. Phoenix thought to himself, then nodded. "Okay, Your Honor. This is still a waste of time, but-"
"Just cross examine her already," Franziska interrupted. "And don't go easy just because she's your daughter! I will do it if you cannot."
Phoenix cleared his throat. Okay, Trucy... Don't let me down.
Trucy sighed. "Do I have to repeat my testimony now?"
"Yes, Trucy. Please?"
"Fine. This is so much more boring than it looks." she clapped her hands twice. "Okay, here we go!"
I'll just press every statement. Phoenix decided. Show Von Karma there's nothing for her to be suspicious of.
"Wait, this was Janurary 17th, right? That's when the Yatagarasu broke into the Prosecutor's Office?"
"HOLD IT!" Phoenix shouted, louder than he meant to. Trucy flinched. "Yes, it was the 17th. The Yatagarasu broke in to several prosecutors' offices and took pictures of their Case Notes. With this, they stopped several false charges before they made it to court."
"Oh," Trucy nodded. "Sorry, I showed up late to this trial."
"That's okay," the judge waved it off. "Continue your testimony, Miss Wright."
Phoenix stole a look at Von Karma. She had her arms crossed, and appeared to be deep in thought. What is she up to?
"Well, anyway... Uh? What did I say next? Oh! 'Well, I had a show that night. At the Wonder Bar. It was so packed, some people had to leave to follow fire code! We were at maximum capacity.'"
"HOLD IT! How many people is maximum capacity?"
Trucy tapped her lip, trying to think. "Uh... 300? Somewhere around there?"
"So, for the record, there were about 300 people who saw you preform a magic show at what time?"
"8:30 to 10:00pm."
Phoenix smiled. "The court will note that the break-in took place at 9:12pm and that a hooded figure was caught on camera fleeing the scene at 9:27pm. Both times were well within the time this show was going on." Phoenix slammed the desk again. "Therefore, there is no way-"
"OBJECTION!"
Franziska cut him off. "It is too early to determine this testimony's relevance. Continue the cross examination. Or would you like me to do it?"
"Huh?" What does she expect to come out of this?
"I'm not sure where you're going with this, Prosecutor Von Karma." Even the judge seemed a bit hesitant. "But I will allow the witness to continue her testimony. Miss Wright?"
She sighed. "Before that, I'd been doing a final rehearsal with Athena. She was my assistant that day."
"HOLD IT! What did the final rehearsal consist of? Be specific."
"Routine stuff, honestly. We had to make sure the equipment worked, run through our lines... Athena can tell you this too."
"That's pretty much it, boss," Athena agreed. "Oh! And the 'disappear through the floor' trick. Trucy practiced that one several times before the crowd came in."
"A disappearing trick?" Franziska perked up at this. "Tell me more."
Athena complied, tapping her earring. "Trucy fell through solid wood, without a trap door! She stays gone for twenty minutes, while I try to do the show without her and fail. This starts the intermission, so the audience can order and eat their food. The manager of the Wonder Bar wanted her to put it in."
"Twenty minutes, hm?" Franziska stretched out her whip. "Add this to your testimony, now!"
"Okay!" Trucy beamed. "I'll put it between the third and fourth statement! 'Most of the rehearsal was me practicing my disappearing trick. In the show, that was what started the intermission.' Sound good?" She smiled at her father, though it didn't look genuine. "You can press it later. Okay, Daddy?"
"The show went until about 10pm. I was at the Wonder Bar until an hour later, when Daddy took me home and I went to bed."
"HOLD IT! Why did you stay another hour?"
Trucy stared at him like he was an idiot. "I had to put up all my props, and clean the stage, and eat my dinner. I didn't get to eat before the show, remember? You were there."
"I know, but... It's for the court, okay Trucy?"
"Miss Trucy Wright... Where are props normally stored at the Wonder Bar?"
"The supply closet. Not the one with the food inside. The other one, labeled 'For Shows'. All the acts keep their things in there."
"You mean the things you don't leave lying around at the office?" Athena asked, hinting at the smile.
Trucy laughed. "Exactly."
"Hm... Continue!"
"... I don't remember my line."
The scribe looked up, extremely bored with himself. "I was busy the whole-"
"Oh! 'I was busy the whole time the break in was happening. How would I know anything?'"
"HOLD IT! Um... Uh... What am I supposed to say to this one?" Phoenix scratched the back of his head.
Trucy shrugged. "I dunno. Ask me something."
"Well... Could you have done anything for the Yatagarasu after the break-in, like hide the evidence or send it to the press?"
"No. I was at the Wonder Bar and home the whole time. Unless you think the Wonder Bar has something to do with this?"
Franziska smirked. "Add that to your testimony. And Mr Phoenix Wright? You best keep up the pace."
Trucy looked really confused now. "Okay, my new last statement is 'Unless you think something happened at the Wonder Bar, I guess.'"
Phoenix went back through his daughter's testimony, again and again. She was getting really tired of repeating herself, but Franziska clearly had something in mind. She was being awfully patient with them.
"Most of the rehearsal was me practicing my disappearing trick. In the show, that was what started the intermission."
"HOLD IT! Trucy, how long was the intermission?"
"Fifteen minutes, from 9:15 to 9:30. I leave five minutes before that, though."
"I see, and... Where do you go, during that time?"
"The supply closet," Trucy sighed. "It's really kinda boring in there, but I have to switch out my props. Like Mr Hat and My magic panties, for instance."
"You were in the supply closet the whole intermission?" Franziska pressed.
Trucy stared at her. "Well, I had to move to and from there (can't tell you how, it's a secret), but yes. I was in the supply closet the whole time."
"Can anyone back this up?"
Trucy crossed her arms. "I think so. The cook goes back their to the neighboring closet a lot at intermission. I kept the door open, so he must have seen me."
"OBJECTION!"
"Huh?" Trucy looked startled.
Franziska tutted, shaking her finger. "The food storage room was locked the whole night. I know, because the cook didn't find his key until morning. He never went back there on the 17th."
"And...what does this mean?"
"For twenty minutes, you are unaccounted for!" Franziska declared for all to hear. "And not just any twenty minutes, no. From 9:10 until 9:30, no less. Your Honor, what else falls in that time frame?"
"Why, the break in also took place at the time you specified!"
"OBJECTION!" Phoenix yelled at the top of his lungs. "That is pure coincidence! There is nothing to prove Trucy left the building. What are you accusing her of?"
Crack! Phoenix recoiled from the whip. It stung more than he remembered. "Isn't it obvious, by now? The Wonder Bar is mere blocks away from the Prosecutor's Office. The prosecution believes Miss Trucy Wright assisted the defendant in her plan to expose sensitive details to the public!"
"No!" Miss Faraday gasped from the defendant's chair.
Franziska continued on. "She and the defendant are friends, no? That much is common knowledge. The largest contentions against my case are "where did the pictures go before the reached the press?" and "the defendant could not have sent those pictures herself". If she were to have nearby accomplice, these issues are more than resolved."
"OBJECTION!" Trucy's voice cracked a little at the end, she looked so frightened. Phoenix felt a tug at his heart just looking at her. "I never left the Wonder Bar. I always go to the supply closet to change out props during intermission. Daddy, how did this happen?"
"Miss Von Karma! You have no solid evidence against this witness or my client! Your previous witnesses left many contradictions in their testimony, and this one doesn't even have anything to do with the case. Why don't you leave the crazy theories to me?" He was half joking by the end.
He thought this would shake Franziska. But no. She just smirked even bigger, all but laughing at Phoenix. "Oh? And what if I said I had proof?"
"No. Way." Trucy stared at the prosecutor with a blank face. For a moment, it was like she forgot to be scared.
Then it came back. All it took was a glance, and Phoenix was instantly by her side. Metaphorically.
"What kind of proof could you possibly have?" Phoenix sputtered. This got Franziska to laugh.
"Mr Phoenix Wright. You really think I would accuse someone without proof? You insult me. TAKE THAT!" At the cue, the bailiff ran over, took the papers from Franziska, and handed them to Phoenix. He stared at them in disbelief.
It was a security camera photo depicting the inside of the show closet. Right on top of the magic props were the photos taken of several Organizers, belonging to various prosecutors.
"As you can see, the Yatagarasu stored her photos inside the Wonder Bar, in a room your daughter claimed to be in while the break in was going on."
"But if that's true, she would have known who the Yatagarasu was," Phoenix finished. "That's your entire argument?"
"And?" Franziska looked slightly less smug now.
Phoenix smirked when he saw this. "So maybe Trucy wasn't where she said she was. That doesn't prove she had anything to do with the break in!"
"Then why did she lie?"
"Well, Trucy? Why did you lie to us?" Phoenix fixed her with a serious stare. "You better fix it now. Perjury is a serious crime."
"I'm sorry, Daddy. But... I can't. I'd have to reveal my secret."
"She admits it!" Franziska crowed. "You helped the Yatagarasu!"
"No! Not that secret..." Trucy shirked away. After a minute, she pulled out Mr. Hat. Using him to speak, she continued talking. "'Why, the secret of the magic trick, of course!'"
Phoenix slammed his desk. "Trucy! This is more serious than a magic trick. You have plenty of others. Now tell the court where you were during intermission!"
She gulped. "Okay. The truth is... I didn't disappear through the floor. Athena just made it look like I did. I actually... got stuck in the wiring above the stage. It took me almost the whole intermission to get untangled and remain unnoticed. When I got to the show closet, I was in such a hurry. I must not have noticed the photos.
"There's a reason I practiced this trick so much in rehearsal. I just knew it wasn't going to go right! But I didn't want to admit it, because... You understand, right Daddy?"
"It's okay, Truce. We understand." He turned back to Franziska. "Well? I think this explains your evidence. You don't have any proof Trucy saw these photos, let alone handled them. Were you hoping you could accuse her of being an accomplice so she'd tell you who the real Yatagarasu is?"
"Boss..." Athena whispered, keeping her voice low.
"What is it, Athena?"
"I didn't want to say anything, but... I went back there, during the intermission. It was about to be over, and Trucy still hasn't showed. She put the sparklers down and then grabbed the masks."
"And?"
"Look at the photo, boss!"
Phoenix took another look. He felt his heart sink.
The sparklers were laid out right next to and underneath the photos, like they'd been dumped at the same time.
"Also? We didn't use sparklers in the show. I thought it was weird back then, but now..."
Sparklers had been used in the Yatagarasu's escape from the police. When the police gave chase, they briefly lost sight of the thief because sparklers had been released, blocking their vision. When they found Miss Faraday, she was wearing the same clothes as their suspect, but didn't have any evidence on her. That was why Phoenix had believed she was innocent.
I can't believe it, he took another look at Trucy. She was shivering, about to give out under the pressure. The need to protect her came onto him so strong, he almost couldn't think logically.
No, I have to think about this with a clear head. Phoenix felt an unsettling feeling rise out of his stomach.
"Well?" Trucy asked. "Can I step down?"
"Not yet," Phoenix did everything he could to keep his voice neutral. "The court needs to know how the Yatagarasu could have gotten those photos into the show closet. Other than the police, you were the only one who entered. Did you see anything?"
"No, I didn't! I never saw anything," Trucy protested. "I must have been tangled in the wires when it happened. If you examine them, they'll be messed up."
"Trucy. You can't get off the stand until you testify. If you can prove you didn't see anything, you can step down."
This felt wrong. He was tricking his daughter into exposing herself! What kind of father did that?
What sort of man turns against the one who raised him, took him in when no one else would? What sort of man convicted his brother, the man who guided him and loved him his whole life?
Phoenix had to prove she was innocent! If he let his doubts remain, they would destroy him. "Trucy, testify about everything that happened during intermission."
Trucy watched him intently. She looked frightened, but he thought he saw something else, in her big brown eyes. Anger? Regret? "O-okay. I can do that."
"Good. Start whenever you're ready."
Trucy looked down, like she was about to cry. Then she stopped halfway through, lile an actor who forgot their line. "I call this one "The Twenty Minute Gap"."
The scribe nodded. Once again, court was moving forward.
"I'd been practicing my disappearing act all week, but I still didn't quite have it down. Unfortunately, the show needed it to start the intermission.
"I had to include it. All throughout the show, I was freaking out. I almost knew I was gonna mess it up.
"Well, I did. Long story short, I got caught near the ceiling. My foot was snagged.
"I had to be very careful. If I untangled myself and fell, it would ruin the whole trick. I had to be as quiet as possible.
"Finally, when intermission was about to be over, I finally got out of my bind. I was in such a hurry to get ready I grabbed a few of the wrong props on accident. I threw them down at the last second, not thinking to look around.
"Luckily, Athena and I were able to finish the show without problems. I am never using that trick again."
"Since the witness is so fascinated by these wires, the prosecution would like to send an officer to check the area." Franziska requested, voice sweeter than saccharin. What choice did Phoenix have but to comply?
Phoenix listened to her testimony carefully during the cross examination. She must have overheard Athena mention the sparklers, because she'd been sure to include it in her testimony.
In the end, he decided to press her about the wires. "HOLD IT! Trucy, can you describe the wires in greater detail?"
"Um... sure," Trucy put a hand to her hat, flashing the gallery a smile. "The Wonder Bar lighting system is old at best, ancient at worst. They continue to use incandescent bulbs despite nobody selling them, and most of that is connected through the equally old wires. That was what I was stuck in for almost twenty minutes."
"Okay, Trucy? You are never preforming that trick again. It's too dangerous."
Trucy sighed. "Yes Daddy."
Franziska nodded. "Add this statement to your testimony."
"Uh... okay," now she looked a little nervous. What for?
The next time Phoenix decided to press her, it was on the statement about her foot. "HOLD IT! Can you describe exactly how your foot got stuck?"
"Well, I'm not really sure how it happened, but one of the really frayed wires was wrapped around my foot. Just above my shoe."
"A frayed electrical wire was wrapped around your bare skin?" Franziska looked doubtful.
Trucy shrunk under her stare. "Well, it was kinda hard to tell exactly where it was. It might have been stuck to my wool socks, or my shoes."
"Also, Trucy? How were you able to suspend yourself up there? I don't think wires like that can support your weight."
"I had a harness, Daddy. Just like you told me to start using." Trucy sighed. "That was another part of the trick."
Hmmm... I don't see any contradictions. Phoenix thought to himself, lightening up a little. Does that mean Trucy's-
"HOLD IT!"
The gallery looked in every direction, trying to find the mysterious disturbance. Finally, their eyes focused on Ema Skye, the detective in charge of all things Yatagarasu (and also not a part of it. Phoenix thought that was a ridiculous suspicion on Edgeworth's part, but it supposedly happened last time).
"Your Honor. The police have investigated the wires above the Wonder Bar stage. Every dummy we replicated the witness's scenario with was electrocuted instantly!"
Gasps were heard throughout the courtroom, but Phoenix only had his eyes in one place.
Oddly enough, Trucy didn't look scared anymore. But Mr. Hat had made another appearance, and was raising a knife up to-
"HOLD IT! Trucy, stop right there. You can't disappear your way out of this one."
"And why not?" she fired back. "It worked for my real Daddy. You know, the one you-"
"Trucy!" a call from the defendant's chair. Miss Faraday had stood, putting uer cuffed hands in the air. "Trucy... it's over. We did a good thing. We saved the lives of innocent people. It was worth the price. Here. We'll confess together, okay?"
Trucy was shocked. This time, Phoenix could tell her emotions were genuine. Gosh, her pokerface is way too good...
Miss Faraday walked over to Trucy's side, taking her hand. "This was all my fault. I saw Miss Wright at one of her shows. I just knew I needed her for my team."
Trucy wipe tears from her face. "I joined because of all the things Daddy and Athena would tell me. I thought if I helped make the courts a better place, they'd be happier. And less busy. This is the longest conversation I've had with Daddy in over a year."
That's... actually true. Now Phoenix was ashamed. He knew she'd taken it hard when Apollo left, but he didn't think she'd resort to something like this.
Miss Faraday spoke next. "I didn't let Trucy do very much. She waited outside during all the heists. Her only job was supposed to be stashing evidence and delivering it to the press. But our last heist was... different."
"The police were chasing Miss Faraday! I couldn't let her be caught!" Trucy took her hat back from the puppet. "That's why I released the sparklers. And when that didn't work, I convinced Daddy that she was innocent." she choked back a sob, looking into her friend's green eyes. "But... that didn't work either... I'm sorry..."
Next thing anyone knew, Phoenix's daughter was in the arms of an older woman. They embraced tightly, both with tears running down their face. The two were closer than Phoenix thought they were.
In the end, Miss Faraday was the one to pull away. "I'm sorry, Mr. Wright. You really were a good lawyer," then she turned to Franziska. "Here you go, Franzy. A perfect win."
Franziska tutted, crossing her arms. "You think I take pleasure in this? You insult me... Miss Kay Faraday."
The judge shook his head. "The morality of these girls' actions will no doubt be called into question by the press, but... The law is the law. This court finds the defendant, Kay Faraday...
"Guilty."
A hushed silence fell over the courtroom. "The trial of Trucy Wright as an accomplice will no doubt be held at a later date, but until then, she will be held in the detention center. Court is adjourned."
Athena walked out of court with Phoenix. He was numb.
"Boss? Are you gonna defend Trucy?"
"I... don't know." He left the courtroom before she could say anymore
When did she get so good at lying to him? Why hadn't he noticed?
Where did it all go wrong?
A/N's: This writing is old. Like, from when I was writing Rebirth old. It's been edited from its original version on the kink meme, but for those who are curious, here's the prompt:
Trucy turn out to be the culprit in a murder case. I want see a charge of personality when is raised the hypothesis of she being the murderer and a possible breakdown when she notices that is useless argue against the decisive evidence.
- Bonus points if Phoenix is the defense attoney of the case in question
- Bonus points if Trucy tries blame Mr. Hat for the murder
- Bonus points if his breakdown involves Mr. Hat or a Magic Trick
Gimme something good! I need a manipulative!Trucy
I talked to the OP, and they agreed it could be a non-murder crime, simply because I couldn't see Trucy as a murderer. Also, time period on this is ambiguous, because while I wrote it before SoJ and didn't want to change the Wonder Bar to Penrose Theater because of how the case was set up, I also wanted to include Apollo leaving as an extra motive for her to bond with Kay Faraday, who brings her into the Yatagarasu scheme. So... let's just say Trucy in Gramarye-land is over and she's doing shows at the Wonder Bar until she finishes high school.
Best way to look at this fic is the bad version of what I wrote in Rebirth. The version where Trucy and Kay don't get help from Ema and resort of actual crimes to fight for justice. All in all, very sad. But I liked my writing here, so it gets posted. Hope you enjoyed!