September 7, 11:26 AM

District Court

Defendant Lobby No. 2

Apollo sat awkwardly next to Pearl on a bench in the defendant lobby. About five minutes of the fifteen-minute recess had already passed. "Mr. Justice, I didn't lie," Pearl told him hurriedly.

"I know," Apollo replied shortly. My bracelet didn't tighten, so I know for sure you weren't hiding anything.

"I just…" Pearl began. "I'm sure the textbook was lying in a pool of blood. Some of it got onto my hands. So how…"

"I think someone's just trying really hard to frame you for the murder of Daniel Finch," Apollo answered honestly. They fell into an awkward silence. "Um… Miss Fey… you can channel the dead, right?" Pearl gave him a faint smile.

"You don't sound too convinced about it," she retorted, "but yes, I can."

"Then…" Apollo mumbled. "Could you maybe channel the victim?" Pearl's eyes averted to her hands folded in her lap.

"I could," she answered honestly, "but you can't make him testify in court." She giggled. "I know because Mr. Nick tried to do that in one trial, and the judge wouldn't take the victim's word that it was the witness who murdered him." Apollo exhaled sharply.

"Miss Fey, I barely know anything about this case," Apollo said. "Mr. Wright sprung this case on me last night at eleven o'clock. I barely had enough time to look over the case file. I don't know anything about the victim or you, for that matter." He sighed again. "My job depends on this trial. Mr. Wright's going to fire me if I don't win… Wait a minute, forget about me. Your life depends on this trial. You'll be put on death row if I lose. Are you absolutely, positively sure you trust me with this case?" Pearl stared blankly at him.

"I trust Mr. Nick's judgment, Mr. Justice," Pearl told him, "and he said you're one of the best defense attorneys out there. Yes, I was a little apprehensive entrusting my case with someone I've never even met before, but I really don't trust any other attorneys out there. The only other attorney I do trust retired two years ago, so you're my last hope." Apollo sighed and buried his face in his hands.

"We're so screwed," he groaned. "Look, I'm having a bit of a hard time believing that you can channel the dead… no offense." Pearl smiled.

"None taken," she retorted.

"So if you could just… give me a demonstration or something, that would be great," Apollo concluded. "Even better, if you could channel the victim, that would definitely help our case."

"All right," Pearl agreed, "but just so you know, I lose my body and my mind when I'm channeling someone. It's… It's like I pass out, sort of. And I can't account for anything Daniel might say. So be careful. Remember, spirits are people too. They can lie." Apollo nodded.

"All right," he affirmed. Pearl shut her eyes and clasped her hands together. Apollo's jaw dropped open in awe as he watched her physically change into, well, a boy. She opened her mouth, and…

"Wh-What?" a masculine voice stammered. "What… What just happened?" 'Pearl' stared around at the defendant lobby. "Where… am I?"

"You're in the district court," Apollo said faintly. 'Pearl' turned her head, and Apollo flinched when he saw just how different she looked. The pretzel-knot on top of her head was still there, and her hair was still long, but her face looked so different. Her eyelashes seemed to have grown longer, and bright blue eyes replaced her normal brown ones. "Are you Daniel Finch?"

"Look, dude," he said. "How do you know who I am? Who are you anyway?"

"My name is Apollo Justice," Apollo replied. "I am Miss Pearl Fey's attorney. She's currently on trial for your murder."

"Pearl… Fey?" Daniel repeated confusedly. "Oh! The ghost girl!" Apollo cleared his throat.

"Mr. Finch," he began. "You were bludgeoned to death by a textbook. Is this true?"

"Hang on…" Daniel said. "Let me try to remember." Does this guy even realize that he's dead? Apollo ranted in his head. "Oh!" he gasped. Then his face twisted into a fierce scowl and he balled his hands into fists. "That bitch." Apollo drooped his head slightly.

"You don't mean Pearl, do you?" he mumbled.

"The ghost girl?" Daniel asked. "Hell no! I've never seen her before in my life!" Apollo felt as if a tremendous weight was lifted from his shoulders. So she's innocent! This makes things so much better.

"Well she's channeling you right now," Apollo pointed out.

"Aw shit!" Daniel yelled. "So it's true? She really can talk to ghosts?" Apollo sighed exasperatedly.

"I guess she can, but only if someone else is channeling them," Apollo replied. "Listen, Mr. Finch, we don't have much time. I need you to tell me the name of who killed you." But Daniel's attention had already diverted from him.

"No way, why would Quinnie…" Daniel mumbled to himself. Apollo raised his eyebrows.

"'Quinnie'?" he repeated.

"Yeah!" Daniel affirmed. "She's my girlfriend! Um… Well she was my girlfriend, since I'm dead and all." So we're finally on the same page? Good. "But why would she…"

"So this 'Quinnie' killed you?" Apollo asked.

"Mr. Justice," the bailiff called. "It's time."

"Yeah, Quinnie killed me," Daniel said. "I don't know why, though."

"Ok, I can take it from here," Apollo said. "I'm sorry, but you have to leave now."

"The ghost girl didn't do anything, dude!" Daniel insisted. Apollo nodded.

"I know that," he said. "Now will you please leave Pearl's body?"

"Geez, dude, all you had to do was ask," Daniel said nonchalantly, shrugging. Then, almost immediately, Pearl's form reverted back to its original self. She looked dazed for a few seconds, but her eyes quickly grew more focused.

"Did you find out anything?" she asked almost automatically.

"Well I certainly don't doubt your channeling thing anymore," Apollo replied, "and now I know for sure that you didn't kill Daniel Finch."

"Did he say who did?" Pearl asked, her eyes widening slightly.

"Some 'Quinnie'," Apollo mumbled.

"Quinnie?" Pearl repeated, raising her eyebrows slightly. Realization dawned on her face. "Oh! Quinn Shay! His girlfriend!" She frowned and pulled her hand up to her mouth again. "That's strange… she was the one who called the police in the first place."

"Mr. Justice," the bailiff called again.

"We have to go," Apollo said hurriedly. "Look, all Daniel Finch could tell me was who killed him. I don't know the circumstances in which she did and I don't know why. Unless I can establish that with hard evidence, I can't get you an acquittal."

"I understand," Pearl said.

"Mr. Justice," the bailiff called for the third time.

"We should go," Pearl mumbled.

"Wait, Pearl," Apollo interrupted. "Do you think you could tell me everything you said in court again?"

"I was asked to deliver something to a student in another class, so I left my class at around eight thirty," Pearl told him. "I saw Daniel lying motionless on the ground. I was worried, so I went to check his heartbeat and his pulse. He was dead, and there was a small pool of blood emanating from his head. The Gardener's textbook was lying there in that pool of blood. I was in shock, and I picked it up without thinking. Then I heard a scream and saw Quinn Shay calling the police with her cell phone. The police arrived, and they arrested me on the spot." Pearl's Testimony added to Court Record.

"I'm pretty sure you didn't say all of that in court," Apollo replied, giving her a faint smile, "but it definitely helps. Thank you. Now we really have to go.

"I leave my fate in your hands, Apollo," Pearl told him seriously.

"Don't worry," Apollo assured her. "You're innocent, and I'm going to prove it. Leave everything to me, Pearl."

September 7, 11:36 AM

District Court

Courtroom No. 2

The court chattered incessantly, and the judge banged his gavel to silence them. "Court will now reconvene for the trial of Miss Pearl Fey," he announced. "Before the recess, the prosecution announced that they had a witness who saw the very moment of the crime. Is this true, Mr. Payne?"

"Yes, Your Honor," Winston replied, flipping his hair behind his shoulder. "The prosecution would like to call the victim's girlfriend, Miss Quinn Shay." Two bailiffs escorted a girl with blonde hair wearing a white dress into the courtroom. She stood proudly at the witness stand. "Witness, please state your name and occupation."

"Quinn Shay," the girl said confidently. "I'm a high school senior."

"Miss Shay, please testify to the court what you saw," Winston said.

"Hmph," she scoffed. "Fine. But this better be quick."

Witness Testimony: What Happened During the Crime

It happened around eight thirty in the morning.

I saw that girl sitting over there walk up to Danny.

She attacked him brutally, and he fell to the ground.

She dropped the textbook she used to attack him on the ground next to him.

There was barely any blood there, but I'm sure poor Danny was dead.

"She's lying," Apollo said flatly to Phoenix.

"Apollo, please tell me you know where you're going with this," Phoenix begged.

"She's the real murderer," Apollo told him. "All I have to do is prove it."

"What?" Phoenix gasped. "How do you know?"

"Pearl channeled the victim, and he said it was her," Apollo replied. "I know I can't really call the victim to testify, but I know I can prove that what he said is true."

"Knock 'em dead, Apollo," Phoenix encouraged him.

Rebuttal

It happened around eight thirty in the morning.

I saw that girl sitting over there walk up to Danny.

She attacked him brutally, and he fell to the ground.

She dropped the textbook she used to attack him on the ground next to him.

There was barely any blood there, but I'm sure poor Danny was dead.

OBJECTION!

Apollo smirked triumphantly as he crossed his arms. "I want to believe you, Miss Shay," he said. "I really do. But how can I when there's a gaping hole in your testimony?"

"What are you talking about?" she retorted. "My testimony was flawless!" Apollo shook his head.

"No it wasn't," he refuted. "You said there was 'barely any blood there'. However, the defendant, Pearl Fey, clearly testified that there was a pool of blood emanating from the gash on the victim's forehead! How do you plan on explaining this inconsistency?"

"OBJECTION!" Winston screeched. "Who do you think is more likely to lie? The defendant or the witness?"

"OBJECTION!" Apollo yelled. He slammed his hands down on the table in front of him. "You yourself called the defendant as a witness! She testified under oath! Ergo, what she said was the complete and total truth!"

"OBJECTION!" Winston refuted. "It is still possible for the defendant, or even the witness for that matter, to lie! But your so-called evidence cannot prove or disprove that!" There was pin-drop silence in the courtroom. Apollo broke into a cold sweat as he hung his head. He's right. I know for a fact that Pearl didn't lie, but I still can't use her testimony as evidence. Suddenly, something soft collided with his head. Apollo turned his head and saw Pearl in the defendant's chair staring intently at him. He looked down and saw a piece of paper crumpled into a ball. He bent down, picked it up, and began to read it. Ask her to testify about what exactly she saw me do, it read. Just trust me on this one. Apollo tucked his hands behind his back nervously.

"Um…" he began hesitantly. "Your Honor, the defense requests that the witness testifies about what exactly she saw the defendant do." The judge nodded.

"Very well," he said. "Miss Shay, please testify to the court what you saw Miss Pearl Fey do."

Witness Testimony: How Pearl Fey attacked Daniel Finch

Sigh… Do I really have to go into this much detail?

I saw the ghost girl freak walk up to Danny with that textbook tucked under her arm.

I think he heard her approaching because he turned around to face her.

She whacked him in the head with the textbook, and he doubled over.

Then he stood up, only to be hit again.

"Are you happy now?" she asked Apollo. "What's the point in all of this anyway?"

"Miss Shay, I thought you, of all people, would be a bit more sympathetic in this situation," Apollo told her. "You were the defendant's girlfriend, correct?" She massaged her right hand.

"So what?" she retorted. "What does that have to do with anything?" Apollo crossed his arms and smirked at her.

"Miss Shay, that has everything to do with this case."

Rebuttal

Sigh… Do I really have to go into this much detail?

I saw the ghost girl freak walk up to Danny with that textbook tucked under her arm.

I think he heard her approaching because he turned around to face her.

She whacked him in the head with the textbook, and he doubled over.

Then he stood up, only to be hit again.

HOLD IT!

Apollo frowned in concentration and pressed his finger against his forehead. "So are you saying she hit him twice?" he asked.

"Yeah," Quinn replied. "She hit him once, and when he tried standing back up, she hit him again." Apollo smirked.

"I see…" he mused. "Can you please add this to your testimony?" Quinn shrugged.

"Sure," she said. "I don't see the point, though."

The ghost girl freak hit Danny twice with that textbook. I saw everything.

OBJECTION!

Apollo crossed his arms and smirked triumphantly. "I'm so very sorry, Miss Shay, but I'm finding it harder and harder to believe you."

"What do you mean?" she asked, rubbing her neck again.

"If you take a look at the victim's autopsy report here…" Apollo began, pulling out the manila envelope the judge handed to him earlier, "it says that the victim, Daniel Finch, died immediately from one blow to the head."

"Wh-What?" Quinn stuttered.

"First of all, the victim couldn't have stood up after being hit once because death was immediate," Apollo continued. "Second of all, he died from only one blow to the head." Apollo slammed his hands down on the table and leaned forward. "Quinn Shay, your testimony is bogus!"

"Asshole!" she snarled at him. "Who the hell do you think you are?" The spectators in the courtroom broke into incessant chatter. The judge banged his gavel futilely.

"Order!" he shouted. "Order! Order! Order in the court!"

"Nice job, Apollo," Phoenix said from the side. "You found two contradictions in one statement. That takes skill."

"That's not good enough," Apollo refuted. "I heard there was a defense attorney who got four contradictions out of one statement." Phoenix smirked.

"Sorry Apollo, but that 'defense attorney' wasn't really a defense attorney at all," Phoenix retorted. "He was a prosecutor."

"What?" Apollo gasped.

"But that's irrelevant to this case," Phoenix concluded.

"Witness!" the judge shouted. "What is the meaning of this?"

"So she hit him once!" Quinn acknowledged. "What difference does it make? She still killed him!" The judge sighed exasperatedly.

"Witness, please testify what you really saw to the court," the judge ordered, "and tell the truth!"

Witness Testimony: What Really Happened

Ok, so the ghost girl freak hit poor Danny once, not twice.

What difference does it make? She still killed him!

How many times she hit him doesn't change the fact that she bludgeoned poor Danny to death.

So, Mister Lawyer, you can take your precious contradictions and shove them up your ass.

"Talk about a difficult witness," Phoenix muttered. My bracelet reacted, Apollo though. I know she's lying. "Something up, Apollo?"

"My bracelet tightened," he whispered.

"Ah," Phoenix said knowingly. "So you've perceived something."

"I don't know if it's relevant or not," Apollo admitted.

"It doesn't matter," Phoenix retorted, shaking his head. "Tap the bracelet icon to zoom in on the witness. Zero in on her little habits and then tap the Perceive button to go for the kill. Surely you haven't forgotten, Apollo."

"Of course not!" he hissed in response. You're going down, witness. Quinn Shay, here comes Justice!

Rebuttal

Ok, so the ghost girl freak hit poor Danny once, not twice.

What difference does it make? She still killed him!

How many times she hit him doesn't change the fact that she bludgeoned poor Danny to death.

Apollo felt his bracelet tighten around his wrist as she massaged her hand. He squinted at her left hand, which rubbed her right hand furiously.

GOTCHA!

"Miss Shay, you may not be aware of this, but you massage your right hand whenever you mention 'poor Danny' being 'bludgeoned to death'," Apollo said.

"I…" Quinn mumbled. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Witness, please show me your right hand," Apollo ordered.

"I…" Quinn mumbled. "No! I won't!"

"There should be no problem, right?" Apollo retorted. "It's not like there's anything incriminating you on your hand. So, Miss Shay, please show the court your hand."

"Ugh, fine!" Quinn yelled. "But it's irrelevant! Irrelevant, I say!" Quinn removed her left hand, and Apollo saw her right hand for the first time. There was a bandage wrapped tightly around her middle and ring fingers. There was another bandage wrapped around her hand itself.

"Miss Shay, did you injure yourself recently?" Apollo asked. "Why is your hand bandaged?"

"Um…" Quinn mumbled. "I…"

"Here's what I think happened," Apollo continued. "Quinn Shay, you murdered Daniel Finch! But you accidentally injured yourself by dropping the textbook on your right hand! Then you attempted to hide it from the court by covering up your right hand while you testified!"

"KYAAAA!" Quinn screamed, grasping her head with both hands.

"I believe I can take that as a confession," Apollo said, crossing his arms and smirking triumphantly. "Quinn Shay, you killed Daniel Finch on the morning of September 5. Then you dropped the textbook in his blood, but accidentally crushed your middle and your ring finger with it. You knew that someone would see the body, so you hid and waited. When Pearl arrived and picked up the textbook, you saw it as the perfect opportunity and called the police immediately, knowing that they would arrest her."

"OBJECTION!" Winston screeched. "What the defense is implying is all baseless conjecture!"

"OBJECTION!" Apollo shouted. "Just look at the witness's face! Isn't that enough proof that she did it?" Quinn was biting her fingernails and sweating profusely. She was blushing furiously and her face was twisted into a scowl.

"Wh-Why would I go through all that trouble?" Quinn stuttered. "Danny was my boyfriend. Why would I want to kill him?"

"I think she's asking for a motive, Apollo," Phoenix whispered. Damn it, Apollo cursed. I didn't think this all the way through. Why would she want to kill him? I don't have any evidence that can prove that! Apollo slammed his hands down on the table.

"Your Honor—" he began.

OBJECTION!

Pearl shrieked and Apollo turned to look in her direction. A cloaked figure stood behind her with a knife pressed to her throat. He wore a blue silk hat that cast a shadow on his face. The judge banged his gavel. "Wh-What is the meaning of this?" he yelled.

"A recess," the cloaked figure said. "Now. Or this girl dies."

"Ah…" the judge whimpered. "Uh… Ok…" He banged his gavel. "C-Court will adjourn for a thirty-minute recess!" He banged his gavel again. Phoenix smirked in amusement.

"Was that…?" he began.

"Mr. Hat?" Apollo finished. "Yes." He hung his head. "Not again!"

XX

Aaaand Mr. Hat saves the day! Ok, now it's fairly obvious who the murderer is. I'll give you a hint. It's not Winston Payne. It's not Mr. Hat either. I hope Apollo's accusations didn't sound too outrageous… And I've been watching WAY too much Glee. DAMN YOU QUINN FABRAY EXPY! And yes, the prosecutor who found four contradictions in one statement was Edgeworth. PLEASE REVIEW!