It was the morning after Apollo had taken Terry's case. The sun was just beginning to climb out from the horizon. Apollo was nothing but a mound under a blanket, with a head poking out from one end.
Suddenly, the doorknob twitched. Then there was a pause. It jiggled again, like someone was struggling to turn it. After a few more seconds, the door clicked and swung open an inch. A pair of brown eyes three feet off the ground peeked in the crack.
A dog's muzzle poked through the gap and pushed the door wide open. The large German Shepherd trotted into the dark room and glanced at the bed. He sat down and stared at the still mound. After a few moments, the dog began to grow impatient.
In a single leap, Mordecai jumped onto the bed. The impact seemed to stir Apollo into a half-awake state, because he writhed a little under his covers but otherwise did not move. Mordecai stepped delicately over Apollo's limbs until his head was hovering right above the pillow. The dog began sniffing at Apollo's face, eventually pressing his nose against the boy's cheek.
Apollo flinched violently, which caused Mordecai to jump back. Sitting up, Apollo let out a drawn out, "Huzzzzkuh?" while wiping at his cheek. He glanced sleepily at Mordecai. "Is… is cold," he stuttered drowsily. "How did… you even get in here?" It was then he noticed the open door and let his hand drop onto the covers with a muffled thump.
"You can open doors?" Apollo said accusingly. With a heavy sigh, he threw the covers aside. "Well at least you don't bark." There was no use trying to go back to sleep with this crazy dog staring at him. It was time to start the investigations, anyway.
Day One—Investigation
"So what's first on our agenda?" Trucy asked. She was kneeling in front of Mordecai, rubbing behind his ears. The dog's tail dragged happily against the ground. "Should we go back to the detention center and talk to Terry a little bit more, or should we see what evidence we can gather from our hotspots?"
"Getting a bit more information from Terry is important, but it's the evidence that makes or breaks the case, remember?" Apollo answered. It was close to 8 in the morning, and for the time being they were lounging at the Wright Anything Agency while they thought up a battle plan. The air conditioning, thankfully, was functioning today.
"That's true," Trucy replied thoughtfully. "So what do you think?"
"Well, I was thinking about stopping by the crime scene. We might be able to pick up on some evidence and get a better picture of the entire thing," Apollo answered. Trucy jumped up.
"All right!" she cried. "It's about time we started doing things!" Mordecai barked in response.
Apollo glanced down at the German Shepherd. "That's the first time I've heard him make a noise. I mean, besides all that panting."
"It's because he's a good doggy!" Trucy said, giving Mordecai's head another pat. Apollo stared thoughtfully at him for a second. "We should also stop by Terry's place again. Maybe we can find something there that proves that she was there on the night of the murder."
"And since you're making a list of places to visit," a voice added, "can you do some location hunting for me?" Phoenix appeared, holding out a folded post-it note. "If you have the time, can you seek out this address for me?"
"Uhh…" Apollo said hesitantly, taking the note. "I mean, I guess? Is this relevant to the case?"
"Might be," Phoenix answered with a shrug.
As Apollo unfolded the note to read the address, Trucy peered over his arm. "What is it, Pops?" she asked.
"It's a strange address," Phoenix said. "It popped up in my research. Nothing comes up when I put it into any GPS. So like I said, ask around or look for it yourself, will you?"
Apollo quickly folded the note and tucked it into his pocket. "Sure. Come on, Trucy. If it gets too late, the crime scene will be scoured clean."
"Oh, right!" Trucy said. She quickly grabbed her hat from a nearby armchair and popped it onto her head. "We gotta go now. Bye, Dad!" She and Apollo quickly headed for the door.
The trip to the crime scene was a rather short one. The murder took place in a greenbelt that was right next to Pike's Peak, a park that surrounded a deep pond. Unlike the other parks, Pike's Peak was named so because of its unsteady, climbing landscape. It was a perfect place for hikers and people looking for a challenging exercise.
Apollo huffed and grimaced down at his shoes. "I shouldn't have worn these," he sighed. Meanwhile, Trucy maintained a steady pace by his side. Her eyes were towards the pond, which was below them. "You think there are actually pike down there?" she wondered out loud.
"I doubt it," Apollo said. "They get pretty big, and I don't think a pond like that can hold a stable population."
"Aww, bummer!" Trucy said as she frog-leaped over a small boulder. "I'd like to pull a thrashing pike outta there!"
"More like it'd pull you in," Apollo responded.
After a while, they reached the edge of the park where the greenbelt started. As expected, Apollo could see the yellow police tape from where he was, and the distant shuffling of policemen. As the two approached, a nearby officer noticed them.
"Pardon me, sir and ma'am, but this place is currently sealed off," he said, walking to block their path. Apollo didn't answer, but tapped the attorney's badge on his collar. Trucy scooted closer to him.
The officer seemed to hesitate. "Still… That doesn't mean—," he began.
"Ah, Monsieur Justice!" a male voice called out. "You're a little earlier than expected, but that's all right." All three, Apollo, Trucy, and the officer, turned to the source of the voice. A young man, seemingly in his mid-twenties, was walking over. He wore a black leather jacket over a grey henley-styled shirt. Below that, he had simple blue jeans on. His medium-length bronze hair was swept over to one side of his head.
When he reached Apollo, he offered out a hand. "Ethan Tache," he said. He spoke in perfect English, but had a slight French accent. "Nice to meet you, Monsieur… and Mademoiselle," he added, giving Trucy a nod. Apollo took his hand.
"Apollo Justice," he said. "And this is my partner, Trucy Wright."
"Bon." Ethan withdrew his hand and looked to the officer. "No need to worry. These two are with me. Carry on, please." The officer nodded. "Of course, Detective Tache."
Ethan motioned for the two to follow him. He seemed to conduct himself with an air of professionalism, yet it wasn't in an arrogant way. Who knew that was possible?
"She told me you'd be coming here today. Unfortunately, she cannot greet you herself. I'll apologize on her behalf," Ethan Tache said as he led them towards the crime scene.
"She?" Apollo repeated.
"Detective Skye, of course. She's usually the giving you the information on your cases, no?" Ethan clarified. He pulled his ID tag up from his belt and waved it at a policeman who was guarding the edge of the taped-off scene. The officer lifted up the tape for them. "Well today the good detective received a call about another murder that happened just this morning. Given that her expertise is far superior to mine, she left to work on it and left this one to me." Ethan ducked under the tape and rose again on the other side.
"All right… Well, what have we got here then?" Apollo asked. He noticed a four-foot pole poking out from a nearby bush with a tag labeled "1" on it. Ethan noticed Apollo's gaze.
"Let me lay out the scenario for you," Ethan said. He walked a few feet away from the bush and stopped by a tag on the ground labeled "M."
"The killer was standing here. Facing this way." He turned so that his back was to the bush. "The victim was standing in front of the killer, maybe… hmmm… four or five feet away. A rather short distance, you see." He pointed at another tag, labeled "V1."
"The weapon was a handgun. Semi-automatic and… well, we don't need to get into too much detail about it. So, murderer here." He gestured at his feet. "Victim, standing there." Another gesture at V1. "Murderer raises the gun to the victim." He raised his hand, two fingers extended like a gun. "Bang." He gave a final wave towards another tag, "V2," sitting next to a patch of reddish-brown grass. "The victim fell here. The first shot didn't kill him. He tried to crawl away. That's when the second shot happened."
Ethan sudden whirled around, clapping his hands together. The swiftness of his movements caused both Trucy and Apollo to jump. "That's it. Any questions, Monsieur Justice?"
Apollo crossed his arms, diverting his eyes away from the reddish patch. "So who was 'he'? This victim?"
"Jacob Rhune. His life, I know nothing about. I'm quite informed about his death, sadly." He pulled out a small envelope from the inside of his jacket and held it out. "The most recently updated autopsy report." Apollo took hold of the envelope and thanked him.
"Je vous en prie," Ethan answered promptly. Suddenly, there was a quiet buzz. The detective pulled out his phone, took a brief moment to glance at the new text, and slipped it back into his pocket. "Looks like Skye needs a little help with something. I get no rest, I tell you. Any other questions before I go?"
"No… yes!" Apollo said quickly. "Did they find the weapon?"
"We did, in fact. The murderer tossed it there right after the second shot." Ethan nodded towards shrubbery that grew around the base of a nearby tree. Also, we've confirmation that the bullets were fired from this gun."
"You seem to know a lot about how the murder played out," Trucy noted as Apollo opened the envelope and began skimming through the report. "I guess that's the power of forensics, huh?"
Ethan laughed. "Normally, yes, we have amazing technology and amazing minds to unravel the past with. However, that was not the case this time."
"What do you mean?" Trucy asked. The smile suddenly disappeared from Ethan's face.
"You're not going to like this," he admitted. He tucked his hands in the pockets of his jacket. "But the murder itself… and your defendant… all of it, was caught on camera."
There was a soft put as the cardstock envelope hit the grass. Apollo looked up at Ethan with shocked eyes. "It… everything is on tape?"
"Indeed." Ethan pointed towards something that was behind them. They turned to see the pole in the bushes. "A few days prior to the murder, someone set up a deer cam here. The thing was still here when the victim was shot. Pretty unlucky for the Marine, eh?"
Apollo suddenly remembered Klavier's words. The best witness. This one doesn't lie, doesn't falter, and has no contradictions.
Well, shit.
"And you've seen the footage already?" Apollo asked. Ethan's phone buzzed again.
"Of course I have, Monsieur Justice," the detective replied, giving another quick glance at the text. "I've really got to go now. I'm really sorry about having to end this meeting on a low note." He paused. "Tell you what. If you stop by Criminal Affairs, I can let you see the tape. I… don't really know how that'll help you, but if you really want to see it, then I'll be happy to oblige. When you get there, just ask for the best-looking detective and the front office should understand." He offered a playful grin. "Good luck, Monsieur. Mademoiselle." He lightly touched the side of his finger against his forehead like a salute and quickly turned and marched away.
As he walked away, Ethan's phone began to ring. "Oui, Sophie?" Apollo could hear him say. "Quoi de neuf?"
Apollo sighed as he stooped down to pick up the envelope. "Well that's just great," he grumbled. "And what did he say? 'Ask for the best-looking detective'?"
Trucy giggled. "Well, you know, it's probably true!"
Apollo stared at her. "… Really?"
