Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or the game. They belong to Capcom. And I've written this without permission… so sorry.

A/N: Thanks yet again to my reviewers, love to you all :) Have patience, dear readers, the end is getting slightly nearer.

Edit: Revised for grammar, phrasing, layout and POV. I also forgot the legal age for drinking in America was 21. Sorry, Maya!

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Turnabout the Morning After
Chapter 4

April 2nd
1:48 PM
La Boîte de Bleue

Phoenix tapped the bottle of painkillers he had just bought and swallowed two of them dry. Maya grinned at him and they both stopped to turn to face the building.

La Boîte de Bleue was a relatively modern structure with silver door frames and a big, blue, neon sign above the entrance. Phoenix could only just see though the tinted blue windows to see that the inside was decorated much the same. There were a lot of metal stools scattered around with hefty looking silver tables and the blue colour theme was carried on throughout.

It's not too bad, Phoenix mused, just very messy.

"Let's go in, Nick! I can't wait to investigate like real Detectives!" Maya exclaimed happily.

Phoenix pushed open the door and stepped in, followed closely by Maya. "Well this is cosy."

"Let's go interrogate someone!"

I think she's taking this role a bit too seriously…

Phoenix glanced around the room and he could only see two people. One of them was a middle-aged man sitting in the corner, looking very lonely. He had a whiskey glass in his hand and some kind of fishing hat on his head. The other was the barmaid in her blue uniform, who was busy chatting on her cell phone.

"Wow, so much choice, I don't know where to start," Phoenix commented dryly.

"It's midday, Nick, of course it's going to be slightly empty," Maya whispered back.

Maya dragged him over to an area at the right side of the room where a stool had been knocked over and shot glasses were covering the surface of the table. "Here's where we were sitting." She frowned. "I wonder why that stool is on its side? It looks like someone was in a rush to get up." She leaned in closer to Phoenix and lowered her voice. "You would have thought the barmaid would have sorted it out. In fact… she's left the whole table exactly as it was last night!"

"You mean, the stool wasn't like that before you left, but the rest is?" Maya shook her head and Phoenix perked up. "I'd say that's a clue! Whose stool was it?"

"Erm… it was yours, Nick." I should have seen that one coming. "I guess someone has either pushed you off it, or you've got a bit over-excited and fallen o--"

She was interrupted by the man in the corner as he mumbled something and then laughing creepily.

Phoenix took a step towards the door. "Can we hurry this exploration up a bit, please?"

Maya picked up the stool and got on all fours to look underneath the table. She resurfaced with a couple of beer bottle tops in her hand.

He looked at the bottle caps with a blank stare. "Uh… We're looking for evidence, not trying to clean this place up, Maya."

"This is evidence."

Phoenix raised an eyebrow.

"Oh yes! You see, last night, no one had a beer!" She looked elated at that fact and grinned at Phoenix.

"I suppose that is kind of weird," Phoenix admitted, thaking them from her. "What did you have, then?"

"Coke. None of the others had beer, I'm sure of it. I mean, Gumshoe had lemonade, Ema had fizzy water and Edgeworth had some orange juice before that competition started."

Hehe, Edgeworth in a drinking competition… It'll never get old. I wonder what made him join us...

"Okay, you've made your point." Phoenix looked down at the floor and spotted something white sticking to his shoe. He picked it off. "Hey, it has writing on it. I must have caught it on my shoe when I stepped back…" The paper was ripped and the writing was illegible. He handed it to Maya who pocketed it.

"I told you it was worth coming here!"

For a bit of wet paper and some dirty bottle caps?

"What can I get you?" They turned on the spot as the voice called over from the bar.

Phoenix couldn't help but notice that the bar maid was quite pretty, even with the thick coating of makeup on her face. Her short, blonde hair was styled neatly into a bob and her revealing uniform showed a shapely figure.

Wow, that is a very shapely figure…

Maya noticed Phoenix staring and sharply pushed his chin up.

"You worked with my sister didn't you? Shouldn't you be used to seeing those?" She whispered in his ear.

I wasn't leering at them or anything!

"Oh… Sorry, we aren't here for drinks. We're doing a bit of 'investigating'." Phoenix rubbed the back of his neck. "I… erm… don't really remember last night."

"I remember you, law attorney, right?" Phoenix nodded. "I remember; you came in with Larry yesterday." She slid the phone in her hand up and down. "You were drunk last night, and quite chatty with it. I noticed how you tried to hit on other girls too, but you didn't get lucky with any of them."

Phoenix felt his face heat up. She glanced over at the door, seemingly disinterested about the conversation, and answered a text message on her mobile, before turning back to them.

"So… Ms… err…"

"Mrs Sophia Roberts."

Mrs? Oh yeah, there's the ring. Shame I didn't notice that last night…

"Mrs Roberts, do you know what time we entered and left the bar last night?"

"You came in at around seven, and then the young girl left with the tall guy at around nine. The rest of you left at ten." She went back to sliding her phone and staring at the door.

Eh… Is she always this direct? How could she have spent so long on that phone of hers?

"Ten seems really early to be leaving a bar," Phoenix muttered to himself. "That would give us only three hours in here, and a massive time gap in between then and the next morning…" He frowned. "Anything could have happened!"

"Wow, you have a good memory for these things then?" Maya said with a look of admiration on her face.

"Not really. It's just my job to watch who enters and leaves the bar. If someone I know comes in, it seems to stick." Sophia smirked at Maya and went back to checking her messages.

"You didn't happen to see anything interesting happen at our table, did you?" Phoenix asked hopefully.

Sophia paused. "Well, there was one big thing," she answered. "I saw that girl with the pink glasses write something down. It mustn't have been something great cause you tried to take the notebook off her."

"Hold it! Do you have any idea what it said?"

"No, no. All I know is that you didn't like it."

Phoenix rubbed his chin. "Take that stool over there." He gestured over to where they'd been standing. "We found it on its side and a piece of lined paper was near it. Was that knocked over when I tried to grab the notebook?"

"Yes." Sophia slid the phone up and down. "You also managed to rip a piece off, which caused a big argument."

"Hold it! This commotion didn't happen to be the thing that made us all leave, did it?"

Sophia smirked and looked at Phoenix properly for the first time, shutting her phone. "You do know we aren't in court, Mr. Lawyer? There is no need to do all this guessing."

Phoenix smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. I'll shut up."

"Well, you got it all right." Sophia opened her phone and sent another text before continuing her story. "The girl wrote something down, you made a grab for it and tore the page, which sent the stool flying. She looked hurt, and even that posh guy with the frills took notice of the argument that happened. Larry dragged you all out in the end, probably to save face."

"How do you know Larry, Sophia?" Maya asked.

"Let's just say we have a history," Sophia answered with a frown.

Ah, so this is the ex-girlfriend he was blabbing about!

"I've told you everything I know." She smirked and looked up at them. "If you've finished your questions, and you're not getting anything…"

"Uh…" Phoenix glanced over at Maya who shook her head. "Well, thanks for your help! Hope your business goes well."

Sophia didn't seem to be paying any attention as she looked down at her phone again

"I think that's our cue to leave Nick," Maya whispered.

The man in the corner waved to them, and then toppled off his stool laughing.

Phoenix nodded and quickly led the way out the door.

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April 2nd
2:05 PM
Prosecution Offices

Phoenix and Maya both pushed their way through the revolving door into the foyer. At one end was the reception desk with a busy-looking receptionist answering calls and stacking papers. A plush sofa was on the right, with a water dispenser next to it. There was a lift on the left wall with the option of steps to the right of it.

A whole year and they haven't redecorated? I'm surprised.

Phoenix turned to Maya. "I… err… think we should split up so we can get this done in half the time. We can meet back up at the office."

Maya looked at Phoenix in disbelief. "What?!"

"I hate having to hang round these offices!" Phoenix protested. "Prosecutors really freak me out with all their fancy furniture..."

"But, Nick!" Maya grabbed Phoenix's arm. "I don't want to be here on my own!" She pouted at him. "What if one of them shoots me in the elevator?!"

Phoenix laughed, but shut up as Maya glared at him.

Oh, she was being serious…

"Look, Maya--" Phoenix cut himself off to look down at his arm.

Maya removed her hand and blushed.

"I really don't think there will be a mad, trigger-happy prosecutor ready to end their career for one measly defence lawyer's partner's death waiting in that elevator, Maya," Phoenix said. "And being with me isn't going to help, even if there is."

Maya sighed and looked down at the floor. "All right, if you say so. I hope you can live with yourself after I get shot down from following your orders!"

Phoenix grinned down at her. "Can you go and find Ema for me and ask her about that notebook?"

"I suppose I can…" She muttered half-heartedly. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to visit Edgeworth. Though, I doubt he'll remember anything more than I do."

You never know, he might actually be able to tell me some useful information for once.

Phoenix hugged Maya goodbye and left through the revolving door.

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April 2nd
2:07 PM
Prosecution Offices

Not really ready to end her life in a lift in the middle of the prosecutor's offices, Maya decided to take the stairs. She had been told by Ema that today was the day she could finally go and tidy up all of her sister's belongings after a year long investigation.

Maya grinned at the prospect of finally finding out what had happened, and started to race up the stairs two at a time.

It was about time Nick found someone; she'd do everything she could to help.