Spoiler alert for Justice for all. (This story takes place following the bad ending in Justice for all when Phoenix Wright gets Engarde acquitted of murder.)
Chapter 1
Miles Edgeworth was speechless. He took in the scene of Wright and Co. Law offices. There was blood everywhere and the office chair was flung in the corner. There was a clear sign of a struggle and there was knife being examined by forensics. Detective Dick Gumshoe stood next to him with a hang dog look on his face.
"This takes the cake Mr. Edgeworth, sir" he muttered and then grimaced. "I never will be able to get used to so much blood, pal" Edgeworth felt annoyed as always at his subordinates odd comments at bad times. "Detective, you are most likely in the wrong line of work if you still are squeamish at seeing blood" he said sternly. As always Edgeworth's glare was cringe worthy and Detective Gumshoe looked humble and embarrassed. "Do you actually have any information for me?" asked Edgeworth while dreading the answer.
Gumshoe looked even more miserable then before. "Sir, we haven't located a body but we have confirmed that the blood is Mr. Phoenix Wright's. With the amount of blood loss it is very unlikely that he will have survived. However, there is one thing that's been bugging me" Gumshoe said while he was scratching his head. "Normal as it is for you to be confused, I am compelled to ask what is bugging you Detective" Edgeworth asked sternly. Gumshoe suddenly got a goofy look on his face and Edgeworth could clearly see lines under his eyes from lack of sleep. "Well the thing is, Mr. Edgeworth sir, there is a small amount of blood that we haven't yet identified" he whispered. Edgeworth knew why he was whispering. The Chief Prosecutor was there and Gumshoe clearly hadn't told anyone else his thoughts. "Had it ever occurred to you to have the blood checked" asked Edgeworth with an attempt at a sarcastic quip. But even this felt forced. Miles was still coming to terms with the fact that his childhood friend, the man who had become an attorney to save him, could possibly be dead.
Miles remembered the moment when the NOT GUILTY verdict for Matt Engarde had been handed out the day before. Edgeworth had never seen Phoenix Wright looking so defeated. Franciska Von Karma didn't understand how Phoenix Wright was upset. She had whipped him senseless adding insult to injury. "What foolishly foolish fool of an attorney you are Mr. Phoenix Wright" she stormed as she whipped the tar out of him. "Your perfect record is intact and yet you sit there looking more defeated than happy". Edgeworth has seen Franciska angry before but this anger was at a level he had not yet seen. She did not understand but Edgeworth did. The year he had been away after writing a supposed suicide letter saying "Miles Edgeworth chooses death", had been a transforming experience for the prosecutor. After being on the witness stand and harboring a suspicious guilt that he had murdered his own father, Phoenix Wright had gotten him cleared of suspicion. Even when Edgeworth had confessed his own guilt, the naïve defense attorney hadn't given up on him. He had proven that the true purpose of the courtroom was to find the truth and wasn't a battleground for lawyers and prosecutors to do battle.
Phoenix Wright had gotten Engarde declared innocent through dishonest methods and trickery. He had fought as hard as he had fought for his other clients. Engarde was guilty but Wright had been forced into it when Engarde had the assassin Shelly De Killer take his assistant Maya Fey hostage. In the end he was forced to may an impossible choice, save Maya and let another innocent women take the blame for murder or get Engarde declared guilty and lose Maya. However, it was a choice that lawyers and prosecutors struggle with often. In the end Wright had tried his very best to get Engarde the guilty verdict. But when he needed the evidence most he had failed to incriminate his own client. The guilt he must have felt thought Edgeworth must have been more than he could stand.
Maya Fey was crying in the corner of the office. She had been there ever since finding the office in that state. "I was g-g-g-going to come here and chew Nick out f-f-f-for getting Engarde declared innocent. B-b-but when I got here this is what I found. I d-d-d-don't know what to do. I was going to yell at him and he was probably so upset and n-n-n-ow he's gone. I've lost my sister and now I've lost N-n-nick" she sobbed. Little Pearl Fey was crying too but for once they were silent tears. Edgeworth approached the two girls. He wasn't used to comforting people but he tried to force a smile but instead he ended up grimacing. "Maya, I will find the culprit and they will pay" he stated with conviction. Maya looked up at him with tears glistening on his face.
"Detective, let's pay Mr. Engarde a little visit shall we" Edgeworth barked as he exited the Wright and Co Law Offices. You won't escape this time Engarde thought Miles. This time it's personal!