The professor soaked in the warmth of his tea, sitting across from Dr. Heavens, who was rabbiting on about his scientific research. It was in Layton's moral code to pretend to be interested in whatever one is speaking of, but if there was one thing that had not changed in those 18 years since he was traumatized for life, it was that his soul still didn't always have to care. He brought the cup towards his lips slowly, before Heavens jolted upright, arm stretched before his eyes in an exaggerated manner.
"Well well, will ya look at the time?" said Heavens. "The Heavenly Transporter is ready for launch, gentlemen."
"You say gentlemen," said Layton, "but there is no one else here but I."
"What?" shouted Heavens, eyes darting around nervously. "Where on earth did Phoenix go?"
Layton took out his phone and tried dialing his number, to no avail. It was most strange, it's not like Phoenix to not answer his calls.
"He told me he was going to investigate the crime scene, perhaps I should go and get him," Layton stood up and headed for the door, but halted when he felt Heavens' hand on his shoulder.
"There's no time for that, Layton!" said Heavens quickly. "If the transporter builds up too much speed, it could shoot you right past Heaven and trap you, forever, in limbo!"
Layton looked back, and could see that Heavens wasn't joking. There, upon his face, was a look of grave concern. "We could, however, cease the buildup now, but then it would have to start again from the very bottom!" Heavens continued. "Note that I need to sleep during this time, so it could well take a whole day before we can use it again!"
Layton tipped his hat, concealing his face in it's shadow. He understood what Heavens was saying; they can't keep Edgeworth waiting. Phoenix may not be here, but they still had himself. Layton shook his head. "It isn't right, but I suppose I will have to do."
"Good!" Heavens clapped his hands and gently nudged Layton out the door. "The Heavenly Transporter is in the garage, make haste before it becomes your jailbird!"
Layton rushed out the door towards the garage, a shabby building located across the road from the lab. He looked behind him as he approached it. The lab was clearly as old as the city itself. The lower half of the building was in a state of utter disrepair, and the top floor was even worse; shattered windows boarded up by planks of wood. And the roof... Layton was suddenly overcome with a strange feeling of nausea and looked away, but not without the thought echoing in his mind increasing drastically in volume: Where is Phoenix?
Layton pressed a button on the garage wall, and the door slowly opened with a rusty screech. Inside was the last thing Layton expected to see from this garage: a car, one modeled after the Laytonmobile at that! Fortunately, as his previous adventures had shown, the Laytonmobile is capable of many feats, from scaling fortresses to soaring the skies, so he had little fear seating himself behind the steering wheel.
"Layton, are you there?" Layton heard the distorted voice of Dr. Heavens echo inside the car.
"Yes, Heavens, I'm seated and ready to drive."
Heavens laughed from behind the speakers.
"Where you're going, you don't need to drive!"
An explosion rung out in the professor's ears and before he knew it he was blasting down the street at speeds previously thought impossible by any life on Earth. Layton glanced out the window to the side window and saw a trail of smoke and fire on the street behind him. He suddenly fell backwards slightly as the car angled upward and into the sky. He was flying! The Laytonmobile was blasting into space once again! For a moment, the car slowed down to speeds expected of a little plane, but then the unexpected happened: a green portal appeared before him! The professor screamed so loud he almost missed Heavens' reassurance that everything would be fine before he was cut off as the car entered the portal towards lands unknown. Assured that he would survive, the professor settled down and took out his cup, intent on sipping it clean at last.
Chapter 3: The Sciences of the Afterlife
"AGH, MY TEA!" shouted the professor as the car came to a sudden halt, causing the professor to jolt forward, the cup of tea still in his hands. He looked out the window to see a foreign land, one unlikely to be found on any map. He slowly opened the door and crept out, unsure what to expect.
"Hello there."
Layton fell forward, catching himself with his hands and turning around to see a bearded man with a guitar standing over him, hands together in prayer.
"Who are you?" shouted Layton, prepared to defend himself.
The man laughed. "There is no need to scared, my child. I am Pray- I mean, I am Jesus Christ, son of the Holy Father."
Layton stood up, straightening his hat. "Professor Hershel Layton of Gressenheller University. I'm here to find a friend of a friend."
"What you need, Hershel Layton, is the spiritual service of the Holy Father!" At that moment, a magnificent man descended from the ceiling, gently carried down by the angles of heaven.
"You!" Layton grasped his hat, in awe of this revelation.
"Me!" said Detective Jakkid. "It is I, the marvelous maker of this fine universe! Or, your one at least." Jakkid gave a graceful bow, welcoming the professor to his kingdom.
"YOU are the Holy Father?" shouted Layton. Layton was a man of faith, but not even he could believe this.
"It is I, Detective Jakkid, who created this fine universe, yes!" Jakkid twirled a strand of hair. "So, Professor, you have come here to ask about Miles Edgeworth, is that so?"
Layton nodded. "He is a friend of Phoenix, and helping out a friend of a friend is the duty of every gentleman."
"Sir, are you aware that I am omnipotent, and thus, omniscient? I see all, I hear all, and I speak all too, since I have the ability to talk on and on and on." He chuckled, proud of his ability, not that Layton understood why.
"Is that so?" said Layton. "And that's why you accused Dr. Heavens first, right."
"It's because he did it! Dr. Heavens murdered Father Beleef!" shouted Jakkid. "...But I suppose Edgeghost will do as an alternative culprit."
That is odd, thought Layton, why did he think Heavens did it?
"Anyway, the point is, that ghastly demonic soul is the perpetrator of this disastrous case. We know because I said so."
"Regardless, I intend to prove the contrary," said Layton, extending a finger towards his god.
"Sir, do you realize you are up against the Father, the Son and their favorite prosecutor? You haven't a ghost of a chance!"
"So I am, but that does not matter," Layton tipped his hat slightly, expressing his confidence. "For you see, not even utter omnipotence stands a chance against critical thinking!"
"We shall put those words to the test right this very second."
The world flashed before Layton's eyes and in the next moment, Jakkid was no longer in front of him; what he saw instead was a grand courtroom complete with big, white angel statues, extravagant white desks with a pool of water between them and, across the room, a blond, man in a blue vest, a light blue shirt underneath. On the witness stand was Jesus, waving his cross in a teasing manner as if to say 'You goin' down, hat man!' Finally, where the judge would be seated was Jakkid, polishing his monocle. He placed the monocle over his eye and sounded the gavel.
"Greetings, angles of heaven. Today we shall hold deliberations as to the fate of Miles Edgeworth," Jakkid announced. The angles all gathered around in the gallery, anxious to see the criminal ghost meet his fate. "First, allow me to introduce to you all my star prosecutor, Storm Sente!"
Storm pushed up his glasses, sending the professor a condescending smirk. "Prepare yourself, Layton, I was selected by Jakkid because I am the best."
"Enough of that, prosecutor," Jakkid smiled. "Let us hear your opening statement."
"There really is not much to say that we don't already know, My Lord," said Storm. "The victim is Father Beleef. He was a priest who was murdered in Saint Jesus' Church, and the police on Earth arrested Dr. Heavens for the murder. During the trial, though, the prosecutor Miles Edgeworth was proven to be the killer by Phoenix Wright. We have evidence from that trial, but that won't do much of the talking for me. I'll present it anyway."
Storm presented three pieces of evidence to the court, both of which had been presented in the first trial's preliminary hearing, not that Phoenix had heard about either of them. First was a white blanket on the bed, which had been disturbed. Jakkid had originally used this to deduce that the "sleep" Heavens spoke of was actually inside the locked room. Second was the lamp, which was turned on when the police arrived at the crime scene. It emitted yellow light. Third and finally was the ghost gun, a gun that can only be used by the undead. Bullets shot from it may still kill human targets, along with other side effects, such as turning the victim's vision completely white.
"Since Edgeworth was the only undead person involved in this case, only he could have done it," Storm surmised.
Layton took notes of the evidence in his court record. This did not bode well, it was true that Edgeworth was the only ghost involved in this case. Perhaps he could get away with accusing Storm? God forbid he accuse God himself...
"Very good," Jakkid applauded Storm's opening statement. "Now, there is one other definitive piece of evidence against the defendant, is there not?"
Storm nodded. "As per heaven traditions, we shall now proceed with delivering that to the court. Jesus, if you would?"
Jesus put down his cross and put his hands together.
"Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name! Thy insights come, thy shall present with us the spiritual seance!"
Upon hearing this prayer, the pool of water in the center of the court began glowing, flushing the court in a light of blue. When Layton stepped forward, he saw an image in the water. It was the image of what he could only assume to be the priest's study. The image showed a bookcase, a globe, and little else. There was green text with an unusual font, saying "Writing" and "Muttered Prayers." Nothing happened for a moment until, all of a sudden, the image become a solid block of white, and the green text vanished, being replaced with "Silence."
He looked up at Jesus, who strummed his guitar as he smiled at Layton, seeming to take pleasure in his look of disbelief.
Insight:
"The priest was in his study being a holy man, saying his prayers while frantically writing in the Bible. His holy act came to an end when he was shot by Edgeworth's ghost gun."
"What is this madness?" shouted Layton.
"That was the Spiritual Seance, my man!" Jesus waved his cross again, which otherwise dangled from his chain necklace.
"The seance, as you just saw, shows us the final moments of the dead," said Storm. "That green text you saw represents what he heard."
Jakkid let out a booming laugh that echoed around the court. "Very well done, Jesus. I shall now render my verdict!"
"Hold it!" shouted Layton "If you'll allow me, Your Honor, I would like to... cross examine Jesus' interpretation of the seance!"
"What more is there to learn?" asked Storm. "As you just saw, nobody else was in the study. The door was locked. Only a ghost like Edgeworth could have gotten in and out, and as we just saw, his vision turned white. Therefore, the murder weapon must have been the ghost gun, in other words, only Edgeworth could have used the murder weapon! He is the only possible culprit!"
Jakkid shook his head. "If you insist, I suppose I cannot deny you the right to examine the seance."
Layton was thankful for this chance. Now, to not mess it up!
Jesus started up the seance again, and Layton paid close attention to every detail. The image barely moved until it turned white, so he was really just working with two images. What caught Layton's attention, though, was the sound. The victim heard nothing but complete silence when he was shot, which clearly contradicted what Jesus claimed!
"Objection!" shouted Layton. "So, this was the moment the victim was shot?"
"That is the idea behind the seance, my man," Jesus strummed his guitar, but Layton shook his head.
"Oh, but haven't you noticed? If the ghost gun was shot then, he should have heard the sound of the gunshot! And yet, he heard nothing! This means the ghost gun must not have been the murder weapon!"
"Objection!" shouted Storm. "Perhaps the victim had been deafened in some way."
"Objection!" shouted Layton. "But earlier in the seance, we see he is capable of hearing sounds as light as the pen on his paper! His hearing was clearly perfect, if not oversensitive! He could not have missed the gunshot!"
"T-Time to pray for forgiveness...!" Jesus' voice trembled.
Storm pushed up his glasses again, smirking. "Clever, Professor, but you have failed to consider that we have a witness to this crime."
"Very well, you may call the spirit of Luke Round," said Jakkid, already ahead of him. "His spirit of justice shall testify and once he is done, he shall return to Earth with no memory of this trial. Let the cross-examination begin!"
Jesus summoned the spirit of the man known as Mr. Round, and he nonchalantly began his testimony.
Cross Examination: Strolling Past the Church
"I was strolling past the church at the time when I saw Beleef writing in his diary," said Luke. "The victim had his window closed, so he probably couldn't hear outside. Suddenly he blacked out, for he had been shot!"
"So you see," said Storm. "Edgeworth simply shot the victim from outside. Since the bullet was a ghost bullet, it would have went through the window without breaking it."
Layton was disturbed they managed to explain a contradiction like this, but held his composure together. "Why were you outside the church, anyway?"
"I needed to say my prayers," said Luke.
This man is so suspicious... thought Layton. However, he did not seem to have any evidence against him. What he did have, though, was an unusual contradiction. It was a bluff, to be sure, but he may just be able to pull it off. "One more question, witness. Why do you say he blacked out?"
"Your vision turns black when you die, and that's what he did," said Luke.
Storm gasped, and Layton knew he had seen it to. "But that can't be, witness! The victim should not have blacked out... he should have whited out!"
"What? What does this mean?" shouted Jakkid.
"It's very simple, My Lord," said Layton. "If the victim actually blacked out, then we can say for sure that the murder weapon was NOT a ghost weapon! Therefore, Edgeworth must be innocent!"
"Impossible!" shouted Jakkid.
"Exactly, My Lord, it's impossible," Storm pointed, not seeming desperate yet. "You are forgetting one thing, Professor Hershel Layton..."
Rebuttal: The Seance
"Despite what the witness said, the divination seance clearly shows his vision turn white. Since there is no other way for his vision to turn white, the weapon must have been a ghost gun." Storm stated his argument clearly and concisely. Layton looked over the court record several times, but none of the evidence contradicted his argument. However, as he became more desperate and his eyes zoomed across the evidence more quickly, an idea came to him. If he combined the evidence, he may find a new fact. But what was there to work with? A gun, a blanket and a lamp... Ah! he realized. There is something I can do!
Layton gathered all of his energy and pointed, sending a gust of wind into Storm's face, shutting him up immediately! To turn the case around... that is what Phoenix Wright would do if he were here! thought Layton.
"What... what was that act of overt omnipotence?" shrieked Jakkid.
"Stop right there, Mr. Sente, I have your evidence, and it is most of what you presented! You see, if this blanket had been placed over the lamp, it would give out white light! All the culprit had to do after killing him, however it was done, was to pick up this blanketed lamp and put it right in his face! That was how the culprit framed Edgeworth!"
"The seance... was WRONG?" shouted Jakkid.
"I'm sorry, Father..." said Jesus.
"Don't... even... LOOK at me! Go to Hell! Literally, go to Hell, Jesus." Jakkid slammed his gavel on his desk, and Jesus burst into flames as the Devil dragged him into the earth. With that, Jakkid announced that Edgeworth would be released from the dungeons of Heaven and would be free to roam the Earth once more. Layton walked out of the court with the angles and found Edgeworth waiting for him outside.
"Thank you very much sir, much appreciated," Edgeworth gave a gentle bow to express his gratitude.
"Edgeworth, you didn't actually kill Father Beleef, did you?"
"No, however, I am not sure who did it any more. I was so sure it was Heavens, too..."
Layton gave a moment to think about this, but decided it would be best to leave any further investigation to Jakkid. The two of them got in the transporter, which had built up just enough speed to return them to Earth. The ride back was a lot less bumpier now that Layton wasn't frailing around in fright every five seconds, and soon, they were back in the skies of their home universe. Reaching land, though, was much bumpier, and the transporter ended it's journey by crashing into a large rock.
Layton dizzily scrambled out of the car and looked down upon it. It was still functional, but the impact had caused it to start building up speed from zero. Deciding he should probably turn that off, he fumbled around the control panel, not sure which button turned it off. He eventually resorted to pressing random buttons. Button A, nope. Button B, nope. Button C-
"Layton, is that you?" Heavens' voice again pierced the radio. "Thank goodness!"
"I did it, Dr. Heavens!" shouted Layton. "I saved Edgeworth!"
"That is the least of my concerns, Layton, you must get back to the office immediately!"
"What's the matter," asked Edgeworth, to which Heavens hesitated before speaking again.
"Phoenix is dead!"
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?" shouted the pair in the transporter.
To be continued...
