Hey everyone! This story was inspired by a whodunnit I solved. If you don't know what a whodunnit is, it's like a mini mystery but it's not interactive and you have to work with the evidence that's given to you. Like an AA case, but read in a book. I have the original case, if you want me to post it. So, Enjoy!

April 10th, 4:35 PM

High Prosecutor's Office

The door to the High Prosecutor's office creaked slightly as it was opened. The office's owner stepped in, closed the door behind him and walked to the desk in the middle of the room. He was carrying a small briefcase with files from the GL- 4 case that he used as reference in the courtroom. He was content with his victory, of course. Well, technically the defendant was given a Not Guilty. However, the true culprit was found out and arrested, and to him, that was a victory. Although he would still have to prosecute the trial to actually get them in prison.

He was the great Miles Edgeworth, the prosecutor who had (or according to him, helped to) solve the whole string of cases that happened the past month. The newspapers had certainly helped to make more than a number of people know about it. Unfortunately the massive work he had done had not granted him a break, and he was back to work in a few days. Of course, he wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

As most people would commonly assume, solving all those cases was no easy task. The Demon Prosecutor realized he had been staring at the windows for some time, and set his briefcase on his desk. Then, he sat on the couch beside it, rubbed his temples and sighed deeply. He would never admit it, but he was indeed tired. Although Kay and his friends admired his ability to always keep his cool and come up with miracles to get out of impossible situations, the actual reality was that he was constantly racking his brain to find possibilities to solve the most difficult of cases. He would also never admit that these solutions didn't come to him easily, and sometimes they came through sheer luck, or even a deus ex machina.

But today, he thought, nothing would interrupt him. He would finally have this day to simply relax and have some tea. All he had to do was get the kettle...

SLAM!

"Mr. Edgeworth, siiiiiir!"

And suddenly the phrase "The fragility of dreams" once again came to his mind.

The ever-lively detective slammed the office door open and ran over to his boss, who was internally regretting his short-lived optimism. And not locking his door. Though it wouldn't really make any difference, since his rather desperate subordinate would probably break it down anyway.

The detective was panting like a madman. He slumped down and placed his hands on his knees, all while continuing to pant.

"Detective Gumshoe, do you mind? I'm very busy-"

"B-But sir, it's important!"

The detective shoved something into Miles's face before he could protest any further.

"I saw this down at the precinct and came running to you right away, sir! Look at the main article!"

You came 'running' to me? From your behaviour, I think that was what you literally did...

The prosecutor gripped the thin, foldable object on his face held it in front of him. It was a slightly crumpled newspaper. He stared at it blankly for a few seconds, then read the headline.

'Haunted house murder: culprit found!'

Miles blinked. "...A haunted house murder? What is this?"

He continued reading down towards the article.

'Two days ago, an 18-year-old girl by the name of Lilly Kincaid was brutally murdered while she, her sister, Anne Kincaid, and their boyfriends, were exploring the Alway mansion, rumored to be a haunted house. The group claims that at one point Lilly was separated from the group, and they were looking for her some time. Suddenly, they heard a scream coming from the room upstairs, and when the trio rushed inside it, they found the girl lying on a bed with a hunting knife protruding from her chest. The group immediately left the house to call the police.'

Detective Gumshoe stomped his foot on the ground like he did when he was in a furious fit. "It's a girl that was killed in a haunted house, sir! The Precinct has been talking about it since the paper arrived this morning!"

Miles skimmed through the rest of the pages of the newspaper, who seemed to have nothing else relevant to the case. "I see, however the headline states that the culprit has been found. I don't see anything here that points to an individual who could have done this..."

A look of confusion took over the detective's face. "Huh? But they always mention the suspect... around here." He pointed his big finger to a section of the article, under the picture of the house. Miles looked closer.

'...Thanks to the collaboration of Ben Alway, the mansion's owner, a lone suspect has been found. The young girl goes by the name of Kay Faraday.'

Mile's eyes grew wide. "W-What?!"

Detective Gumshoe started stomping his foot again. "It's Kay! She's... She's been brought in as the suspect, sir!" The detective crossed his arms. "I mean, it's hardly fair, pal! They didn't even give her a chance to explain! I know the police has no choice... Uh, Mr. Edgeworth?"

Detective Gumshoe looked towards the prosecutor's beloved magenta couch, only to find the newspaper on it, but no Mr. Edgeworth. The detective scratched the back of his neck in confusion.

"Well, detective? Are you coming with me or not?"

The startled detective spun around and found his boss by the door, about to leave the room. "Huh? Where are we going, Mr. Edgeworth?"

Miles crossed his arms in an impatient manner. "Where else? To the detention center, post-haste!"

Detective Gumshoe soon followed after him as he walked through the door, and closed it behind him. Miles then started making his way down the hallway, with Gumshoe close behind him, but he was walking a bit too fast for even the poor detective to keep up.

"So... we're going to talk to... Kay?" Gumshoe said through panting.

"Indeed. I'm going to see what kind of trouble she got herself into this time." Miles replied, calmly and not showing any signs of shortness of breath. Since Miles had kind of a serious problem with elevators, he thought, he and the detective were going down the stairs, almost sprinting.

Halfway down the stairs, Detective Gumshoe was beginning to get tired and his muscles were beginning to ache, but Miles didn't seem to be tired at all. If anything, he looked perfectly fine. And it didn't help that the Demon Prosecutor's office was on the 12th floor. When they finally reached the garage under the Prosecutor's office, the detective had to stop and breathe for a bit. "Mr. Edgeworth... how can you... run... like that...?"

Miles smirked and turned to his subordinate. "...Detective, I've been taking the stairs since I was 9 years old. Maybe you're the one needing some exercise yourself?"

The detective's head hung low. To be criticized on his physical condition by his colleagues at the Precinct was okay, but by Mr. Edgeworth of all people...? He cleared his throat. "Uh, a-anyway, we should get going if we want to get there before visiting hours are over."

Miles put his index finger to his temple. "Agreed."

April 10th, 5:12 PM

Detention Center

Visitor's Room

Miles and Detective Gumshoe had reached the detention center about 1 hour before closing time. The guard at the entrance had announced that visiting hours ended at 6:00 PM sharp, meaning they had time to spare. The prosecutor and his subordinate had been standing around for almost 10 minutes. To Miles, it felt like a lifetime.

"...Just what is taking her so long?!" The Demon Prosecutor crossed his arms and started tapping his left arm with his index finger, an action which either meant he was deep in thought or impatient. The detective beside him guessed it was the second one.

"Don't worry, sir. I bet she's just hiding around the detention center to show off her thief skills!" Detective Gumshoe giggled to himself, trying to make his boss take the hint and unwind a bit too. Inwardly, Miles was recalling the incident with Knightley at the prison cell, and was hoping it wasn't the case again this time.

Detective Gumshoe was about to say some more encouraging words to his boss, but the metal door was forced open as its rusted hinges squeaked in protest. A prison guard entered, followed by a rather sad-looking Great Thief. "The suspect is here," He announced.

Upon seeing her, Mile's face lit up. "Kay!"

Kay looked up through the glass. Her expression immediately changed. "Mr. Edgeworth! Gummy!" She jogged to the chair in front of the glass and sat down, followed soon by Miles on the other side. Gumshoe had no choice but to stand up behind his boss, almost hovering over him.

Miles crossed his arms and gave Kay one of his usual death glares. "You have a lot of explaining to do."

The Great Thief gripped the tip of her scarf with one hand and, unable to beat the prosecutor in a stare contest, looked down at her feet. "I... Well, it's..."

Detective Gumshoe only smiled optimistically. "Just say it, pal! Me and Mr. Edgeworth are here to help!"

Kay looked up at Gumshoe with an expression that appeared to be doubt with a touch of hope. However, she didn't seem to be scared, but rather ashamed.

"Kay."

The girl in question looked towards the prosecutor who mentioned her name.

Miles placed his hands on his lap, trying to suppress his natural stare. "Just tell me everything from the beginning."

At this moment, Kay seemed to liven up a bit. "Um... okay!" She grinned. "So, you want to know about the case that just happened two days ago, right?"

"Yes."

The Great Thief crossed her arms and tilted her head slightly in thought. "Well, I don't know much about the girl who died. All I ever did was go to that mansion by myself every now and then, but most of the time there wasn't really anyone there."

Miles had already taken out his little organizer and was jotting down notes. "Why did you go there?"

Kay grinned eagerly. "Don't you know, Mr. Edgeworth? That mansion is rumored to be a haunted house!"

Miles stared at her for a few seconds. "...So?"

Kay adjusted her blue gloves, smirking. "An abandoned house... Full of ghosts... It's gotta have some treasure! And that's something a Great Thief should never overlook!"

The prosecutor sighed and shook his head slightly. Why wasn't he surprised? "...And I assume you've found no such thing in there?"

A look of surprise took over Kay's face. "Wow, Mr. Edgeworth. You can read me like a book... You can read anyone like a book! It must be one of your powers!"

One of my powers...? What kind of human does she think I am?

Miles crossed his arms once more. "...Returning to the matter at hand, if you've done nothing wrong, how come you're suspected of murdering someone?"

Kay placed her hands on the steel table divided by the glass. "Y-you've gotta believe me, Mr. Edgeworth! You know I would never..."

Miles closed his eyes, as usual when he was thinking. "Yes, I believe you... in the aspect that you never killed anyone. What I don't believe..." He opened his eyes, but to glare at her. "...Is that you left that house empty-handed."

Kay gripped the edge of her scarf again. "Well, I..."

"Kay!"

"N-no, Mr. Edgeworth, I didn't steal anything! I just saw..."

"...Saw what...?"

Kay crossed her arms and closed her eyes in thought. "It's just, when I came back to the mansion yesterday morning to check it out after what happened, I thought I saw something shining in one the trees."

Miles stared at her inquiringly. "'Something shining'?"

Kay opened her eyes to look at his. "Yeah! I was going inside to look from the window, but some of the police officers nearby by saw me and arrested me, and took me here." The Great Thief gripped the edge of her scarf. Miles noticed this was something she often did when she was unsure or nervous. "But I couldn't have killed her. I didn't go to the mansion that night."

Detective Gumshoe, whom everyone seemed to have forgotten his existence, suddenly spoke up. "By 'that night', you mean the night of the murder?"

Kay looked up at him. "Yeah. I was just taking a walk around a store that night."

Miles looked at her suspiciously. "Walking around? At midnight?"

"I... The store was still open, and they had some pretty stuff in there! So..."

"Don't tell me you stole something."

Kay crossed her arms and huffed. "Come on, Mr. Edgeworth. You know me! I'm a Great Thief, and I'm only interested in one thing: The Truth! ...And treasure."

Before Miles could continue, the guard at the door turned his head toward them. "Gentlemen, visiting hours are about to end. You should leave now."

Detective Gumshoe turned to him. "Come on, pal! Give us a few more minutes!"

The guard shook his head in a very robotic manner. "Negative. It is time for you to go. Visiting hours end at 6:00 p.m. sharp."

Miles looked at his watch and turned to the robotic guard, which he decided to now refer to as Robot Guard. "Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but it's currently 5:58 p.m. We still have two minutes."

The guard fell silent.

Kay grinned. "Way to go, Mr. Edgeworth!"

Miles only nodded. "Well, we should wrap things up. But I want to confirm one thing."

Kay leaned forward on her seat, as if to hear him better.

"Did you do it?"

Kay shook her head. "No, I didn't do it. I swear, Mr. Edgeworth."

Miles smirked and tapped his temple. "In that case, I will do everything in my power to get you out of here."

Kay grinned. "Thanks, Mr. Edgeworth! You always help me!"

Robot Guard then spoke up again. "It is currently 6:00 p.m. Time to go."

April 10th, 6:02 p.m.

Outside Detention Center

Miles crossed his arms tapped his arm with his index finger, this time, Detective Gumshoe assumed, because he was deep in thought.

"According to the guard at the entrance, Kay's trial is the day after tomorrow. I'll have time to make a thorough investigation of the crime scene until then."

Gumshoe scratched the back of his head in confusion. "But sir, are you going to prosecute her?"

Miles glared at his subordinate. "Preposterous. Of course not."

"But if you want to get her out of there, the only one who can do that is a defense attorney."

Miles realized his mistake. He had promised Kay to get her out of there, yet all he could do was offer his assistance outside of the courtroom. He guessed it was force of habit, since he had worked alongside Ray Shields, his father's apprentice, to solve some cases in the past month.

Detective Gumshoe grinned. "Well, you could always ask some of the defense attorneys you know for help." After being met with silence, the detective hung his head low. "...Sorry, sir. That was a bad idea..."

Miles shook his head and smirked. "No, Detective. That was actually a great idea."

Detective Gumshoe almost immediately sprang back to life. "R-really?"

The Demon Prosecutor tapped his temple. "Indeed. I intend to do just that when I get back to my office."

Detective Gumshoe grinned. "Alright. So, you're going back now?"

Miles had already walked over to his red sports car parked in the sidewalk. "Yes. It's getting dark, and I should go back to get some files before I head on home."

"Sounds good to me! Well, be seeing you, Mr. Edgeworth."

"Farewell, Detective."

And with that, Detective Gumshoe watched his boss drive away in that red, shiny car. Well, thought the Detective, it's instant noodle night. Again.

April 10th, 7:03 p.m.

High Prosecutor's Office

The Demon Prosecutor had three files under his arm, involving a long case about a man who was stabbed 14 times, but the crime scene left no suspects at all. The perfect crime. However, Miles knew better than believe there was such a thing as a perfect crime, so while he had no cases currently, he had decided to take the files back home with him for further inspection. However, just before he was about to leave, he felt he was forgetting something. He took a moment to recall everything he did that day, until Detective Gumshoe's words rung in his ears.

"...You could always ask some of the defense attorneys you know for help..."

Miles reached for his phone in his breast pocket. At first he hesitated, though he knew who to call. However, he managed to convince himself by remembering Gumshoe's words once again. The only way to get her out of that place he knew all too well was with the help of a defense attorney.

After quickly dialing the numbers, he pressed the phone to his ear and waited for it to pick up. After ringing three times, a voice spoke.

"Hey, Edgeworth Law offices here."

"Mr. Shields. It's me."

"Oh hey, Miles! It's been ages!"

"...It's been four days."

"W-well, but to Uncle Ray it felt like ages! Don't be such a stick in the mud!"

Ray chuckled to himself. "Anyway, how can Uncle Ray help you tonight?"

Miles paused for a bit, thinking about how to explain this situation. "...Do you remember Kay?"

"Oh, yeah! Kay the little thief, eh?"

"Yes. Well, she has gotten into some trouble..."

"Trouble? No need to say anything else! Tell me what's up and Uncle Ray will rush to save her from the clutches of evil at once!"

"I'm... glad to hear that."

"Well? What happened to her?"

"She... She's been brought in as a suspect. For murder."

The prosecutor was met with silence. After a few seconds, he was going to call the attorney's name to see if he was still there, but he beat him to it.

"...You mean, you want me to defend her?"

"If it's not too much to ask... yes."

"...I'm sorry."

"...Pardon?"

"I... I can't. I'm sorry, Miles."

The prosecutor's eyes widened. "What do you mean, 'you can't'!?"

"Uncle Ray's really sorry to say it, but he's got his hands tied behind his back."

"I'll ask again. What do you mean by that?"

"...I've got a lot of cases to work with, and if I take another one, it'll jumble everything up. It breaks Uncle Ray's heart to say this, but..."

"What are you talking about!? Didn't you tell me yourself that the only ally a client has is their attorney!? Kay needs you!"

"Miles, I can't take the case directly. But tell you what, if I'm free one of these days, I can play errand boy and get evidence for you while you're on trial or something, ok? Listen, now I gotta go... I'm really sorry, but I can help whichever way I can as long as I don't take the case directly."

Miles remained silent.

"...Aren't there any other attorneys you know? I'm sure they'll be glad to help. But Uncle Ray can't, and I apologize. So, talk to you later. I have to go."

He hung up.

Miles sighed and held his phone in front of him, the 'Call Ended' message staring back at him. If Mr. Shields couldn't take the case, then who?

Without thinking, he had already started looking through his contact list. After a few minutes of skimming through contacts, police officers, prosecutors, acquaintances... He had already started to lose hope.

Just what is the point of this? If Mr. Shields can't help-

He stopped flipping through the contacts when his eyes rested on a single number.

Wright

Miles hesitated once again. But, no matter how hard he tried to just look away and maybe find another contact, that name kept staring back at him. Why was he hesitating? He knew it was the only option. However...

He didn't want to get 'that man' involved in this.

'...Aren't there any other attorneys you know?...'

Miles sighed deeply. He knew, deep down, he had no choice. It was either him, or Kay might be declared guilty...

He typed the phone number, held his breath, and pressed 'Call'.