DISCLAIMER: Phoenix Wright/Gyakuten Saiban is the property of Capcom. This is a non-profit tribute to the games we've come to love.
A/N: Trucy and Apollo as a team. Don't you love them? I know I do; in fact, I love just about every "team" in the Ace Attorney series save for the original one, Nick and Maya. Why? Don't ask me. I guess that, personally, Maya focused more on being goofy than being useful in any sort of way. Kay, Gumshoe, Franziska, Pearls and Ema just seemed better partners in terms of helping the plot move along.
Boy, was that a rant! So what do we have here? This is the chapter where the story will split into two branches: the Phoenix investigation and the Apollo investigation. Some interaction will remain, but I've found out I can get to develop both characters much more comfortably this way, without having them upstage each other and brawl for the spotlight.
Also, this way I don't have to pretend to answer who's the better lead of the two. It's a win-win situation, if you ask me!
Please review and enjoy. I hope you have as much fun reading it as I did writing it!
This ain't no place for no hero,
This ain't no place for no better man.
This ain't no place for no hero
to call home.
No Place For A Hero
Chapter 4 – Framed
May 5th, 09:10 AM
The Munny Family's Apartment
Apollo Justice was grateful for the outcome of the trial of Vera Misham for one simple reason, besides the obvious acquittal of his client: people took him more seriously, even if he tagged along with a teenage magician dressed like one of the Gramaryes. His face was in all the law journals and even some newspapers, so while it didn't make him an instant celebrity, it became less and less common to have his clients and other people treat him like a young kid playing Sherlock Holmes with his lady friend.
Therefore, when he came down to meet with Ahnette, his client's wife, she welcomed both him and Trucy with a warm and heartfelt greeting. Her attentions were all so wonderful and flattering that it raised the question if she indeed respected Apollo that much, or if she was simply being naturally kind and welcoming.
He ignored that Ahnette Munny was raised with a set of good old traditional values, so in spite of being a little younger than Phoenix, she radiated a mature, motherly aura that made everyone feel welcome wherever they were. She would have been the perfect, consummate housewife if it hadn't been for her desire to help pay the bills by working at an Italian restaurant, first as a waitress and later as maitre'd.
She had first met her husband Ned almost by dumb luck, through an acquaintance they never knew they had in common. Later on, after three years of dating, they decided to marry and form a family. Ever since then, in spite of their monetary troubles and Ahnette's apparent troubles with bearing children, they led a peaceful life, full of love and appreciation for all those small yet important things that couldn't be missed.
Their story –or Ahnette's side- was all like an urban fairy tale for Trucy and Apollo. For a second, they almost forgot that they were there to provide legal defense for a murder indictment. So once they had finished their proper introductions, the real discussion began.
"Once again I'm sorry for having you come down here, Mr. Justice." Ahnette apologized. "I guess it's a long ways from your office."
Apollo smiled like an embarrassed child, even blushing a little. "No! Please, no. Don't worry about it, ma'am. If we wrote our cell numbers down in our flyers, it's for a reason. We simply feel that, to help people, sometimes we have to reach out a little first. We are on the move! It's kind of a… policy in our firm?"
"Yup!" Trucy added. "And we totally love the exercise anyways."
Apollo cleared his throat and rotated the bracelet on his wrist. "That aside, I need to ask you a couple questions, Mrs. Munny, and I need you to answer truthfully." then he added, always mindful of his tone, "If you lie to me, I'll know."
Ahnette went a little wide-eyed, holding a hand to her chest. She wasn't expecting such a young attorney to be this forward. "O-okay."
The first topic they covered was Mr. Munny himself. According to his wife, he was a security guard working with an agency that commissioned him to different spots, from concerts to supermarkets, conventions and businesses of many kinds. For one reason or another however, he could never get the position of chief or anything remotely close to a raise.
"I see." Apollo rubbed at his chin. "Does he keep any firearms at home?"
Ahnette curled her fingers on her lap. Apollo kept the twitch in mind.
"What if he does? You don't mean my husband used it to kill! He wouldn't, ever!" she answered indignantly.
"Relax, Mrs. Ahnette." Trucy said in a soothing voice. "Trust in Polly and answer his question, okay?"
"If you don't answer me, the police will get that information anyway. And they will withhold it from us, Mr. Munny's defense team, until the trial is underway." clarified Apollo, repeating his question. "Does he keep a gun at home?"
"No."
Apollo relaxed a little. Ahnette gave nothing away to make her words a lie, although things weren't totally in the clear either. For all the attorney knew, Ned might have been keeping a piece stashed in secret.
"Alright." Apollo proceeded. "You didn't tell me over the phone that Mr. Munny was innocent; instead, you insisted on telling me that he had been framed, a very different perspective on things altogether. Is there any reason why?"
"Y-yeah." Ahnette sighed to steady her breath. "The detective who came for Ned said they had found his fingerprints on a gun used to kill someone… I don't know who. It was some Italian name."
Damn it, was the only thought racing through Apollo's mind. You could always try and build a solid case against circumstantial evidence, like the fact that Ned Munny was a security guard with access to firearms, but if his prints were indeed on a murder weapon, such evidence turned around and became watertight. But the attorney wasn't about to let this poor, dedicated and loving woman hear something so terrible, not when he had yet to hear her husband's side of the story.
He also had a couple more questions to go. Trucy led the interrogation this time, proving that she was becoming a fast learner.
"Was your hubby with you last night?"
"Yeah." Ahnette nodded. "He comes back late every night because of work, but he was on time, not even a minute late when he was already home."
"And the murder he's accused of," Apollo proceeded. "did it take place last night?"
"Apparently. But they still arrested him and booked him in as a suspect, or whatever they call it."
Apollo took a mental note of this. If this was indeed the truth, there was maybe a fighting chance after all. The client's alibi was simple: according to his wife, he made it home on time and remained with her the rest of the night of the murder. If it could be established that the murder took place either too far off Ned Munny's course, or at a time where he was confirmed to not have been there at all, the case tipped entirely in his favor.
Filled with renewed vigor, the attorney puffed out his chest a little and nodded at Trucy.
"Okay. I'll take your husband's case, Mrs. Munny!"
Apollo's confidence rubbed off on Ahnette, causing her eyes to shine with a new light. "R-really! Thank you! Thank you so much!"
"We'll get your man off da hook!" Trucy beamed, doing a little guts pose. "Ya dig!"
Ahnette walked over to them and gave both attorney and magician a warm, tight hug and a trembling handshake. All the love she had for her husband had been professed in those brief moments, filling both youngsters with a wonderful feeling of accomplishment. Apollo became convinced he was fighting for the good guys, motivating him to present a stellar defense tomorrow.
To lend their hand to the weak, helpless and powerless; that was the oath any defense attorney with any sense of self-worth made to himself and the community, and Apollo Justice was no different. Instantly, he was reminded why he had chosen the trials and tribulations of this difficult but satisfying career. However, he had not forgotten that the toughest times for an attorney and their client often yielded the most important lessons of all.
Brave like a knight in shining armor, Apollo braced himself and walked head-on into his next case. It was time for Justice!
Next chapter: Whole Lotta Hart, coming very soon!