CHAPTER 3

XxXxXxXx

Please note: Manfred vonKarma is just going to be referred to as vonKarma, because Franziska is in the story as well.

XxXxXxXx

"I'm sick and tired of this rain."

"Isn't everyone?"

"I feel like Kurain Village is just going to be swept away in a giant wave."

The sky was beginning to darken, even more so than before. Apollo's watch read 5:47 PM, just a half-hour before food would be served.

"I mean, it's built into the side of the mountain," Trucy continued. "All these rocks around here could just come loose and drag the whole village with it."

"I sure hope not." Apollo remarked.

"Oh, speaking of rock, the entertainment tonight is going to be awesome!" Athena butted into the conversation. "Apparently Klavier Gavin and his brother, Kristoph, can play guitar. There's also a lady here who can sing really well, so I think we're going to get dinner and a show!"

"Awesome!" Trucy grinned. "But that wasn't the kind of rock we were talking about in the first place."

"Where the heck is everyone, anyway?" Athena asked, glancing around the near-empty main hall.

"All gathered in the makeshift food court, I guess." Apollo answered. "Speaking of which, we should probably head on over."

With that, the three of them ran from the building, Trucy's cape spread over them to protect them from the worst of the rain. Unfortunately, it was still downpouring and it didn't make much of a difference.

"There you are." Phoenix said as they wrung out their hair and clothes at the food court's entrance. "I was beginning to wonder where you were."

"Where else would we be, Daddy? There's nowhere else to go around here." Trucy said.

"What's for dinner?" Apollo asked.

"Lots of Italian food." Phoenix said. "And I do mean a lot. There's a thirty-pound pot of fettuccini and then some more…stuff."

"That's specific." Athena grinned.

XxXxXxXx

"Hello, everyone! I am Klavier Gavin, and this is my brother, Kristoph!"

The crowd erupted in polite applause toward the two prosecutors. Klavier motioned to the third person standing next to them, an older woman in her late thirties dressed in a blue hooded dress.

"I am proud to introduce Lamiroir to those of you who have not yet met her!" Klavier continued. "She is very well known back in her home country of Borginia as the Siren of the Ballad!"

More applause. Lamiroir took a short bow.

"Without further ado, let's begin!" Kristoph said. He began strumming a tune on the acoustic guitar, Klavier soon joining in on the melody.

The song that Lamiroir sang was heavenly, to say the least. The entire crowd didn't so much as whisper as the performance carried on.

Sugar, sugar…

O that night, in your embrace

When you stole away the keys

My heart held on to so tight.

Pleasure, pleasure…

But a fleeting melody.

It wraps itself around me,

And now through the air I fly…

Only when Klavier strummed the last note did everyone erupt into cheers.

"Wow! That was incredible!"

"Encore!"

"I want to be like them someday!"

"That was awesome!" Apollo grinned. "But still no match for your magic show, Trucy."

"Nice save, Apollo." The magician girl elbowed him in the ribs.

XxXxXxXx

"Some show, right?" Athena was still grinning madly. "I never knew prosecutors could be so cool!"

"They should join the Wright Anything Agency." Trucy added.

"You'll have to remind me to ask them later." Apollo yawned. "I want to sleep. It's been a long day."

"Yeah, Apollo's right." Trucy rubbed at her eyes. "Hopefully by tomorrow the rain will stop. I mean, it can't rain like this for more than three days, right?"

"I don't know…" Athena muttered. "I'm too tired to think right now. Goodnight." She collapsed onto her bedroll and pulled a blanket over her head, not saying another word.

"I'm going to do what she did and not show my face until morning." Trucy followed suit.

Apollo stared up at the ceiling for quite some time, listening to the dull roar of thunder outside the protective enclosure. Before too long, his mind began to wonder and darkness overtook his vision.

XxXxXxXx

That's madness, you can't simply walk out of here

I know that Mr. White wasn't the killer! It's not coincidence that the brooch I stole from him happened to go missing! And don't you dare accuse me of murder, either!

Apollo found himself staring back up at the ceiling, listening to the current conversation happening in hushed voices across the room. At first, he thought he dreamed the chattering, but he began to recognize one of the voices.

"Why would you steal something from anyone in the first place? I thought you were after nothing but the truth." Miles was saying.

"Hey, this was my first big heist, alright? I have to prove myself worthy if I'm to steal the truth! And right now, that truth is who really killed Mr. Blackquill!"

Apollo turned his head and squinted in the semi-darkness. Over by the main hall's doors, Miles was sitting and facing the girl who had stolen Phoenix's cookie earlier, who held a determined look on her face.

"But if it is as you say, then the real killer could still be out there." Miles continued. "If he…or she…realized you were starting to poke around, they might as easily take care of you as well."

"A risk I'm willing to take." The girl said. "I want to know the truth!"

"Kay, it could be suicide."

The cookie thief, Kay, hesitated. "But look around! Everyone is accounted for, except for that prosecutor guy guarding Mr. White for the night. Everyone but him and the spirit mediums are here. That would make them the prime suspects, right?"

"I highly doubt they had a reason to murder Mr. Blackquill."

"But still! There was an unexplainable death! Don't you want to know? At least a little?"

"I want you to remain safe! I don't care if I have to sacrifice some answers for your well-being."

"I can take care of myself! After all, I am the Yatagarasu! I'm going to ask Mr. White a few questions."

"It's late, Kay. At least wait until morning to start your foolish investigations…"

"Now you're sounding like that whip-happy lady. Mr. Edgeworth, I can take care of myself!" the girl stood, and, without a sound, ran to the door and pulled it open. A torrent of rain showered down on the unfortunate soul closest to the door, who sat bolt upright in a state of near-panic.

"Kay, no!" Miles stood and ran after her, leaving the dazed man in a state of shock.

"Mr. Edgeworth? Pal…?"

Apollo wasted no time in leaving his warm, makeshift bed and hurrying after the prosecutor and his assistant. By now, a few other people were awake and confused.

The rain was coming down harder than ever, the drops feeling like bullets as they rained down on Apollo's shoulders. He stumbled blindly through the storm, his flailing hands eventually finding the door that would lead him to some shelter.

He nearly tripped on the doorframe as he entered the building securing Mr. White, shivering and shaking but now entirely awake. He had a few questions of his own for Mr. White…that is, when Miles managed to drag Kay back to the main hall…

"Mr. Edgeworth?" Apollo called. The building he was in was lit, so someone must have arrived before them…

"You. Justice. What's going on?"

Apollo turned, a bit surprised, to a man standing behind him. Just by his nasally and rather annoying voice, he recognized the prosecutor.

"Mr. Payne? What are you doing here?" the prosecutor lacked a significant amount of rainwater-logged clothing.

"I'm on watch duty for Mr. White. Misty's gone back to her home to rest."

"Oh." Apollo said. "Well, did you see Mr. Edgeworth and a girl wearing pink come running through here?"

"No, actually. I was…occupied." Payne stammered.

"KAY!"

The shout took them both by surprise. Apollo quickly drew toward the sound of the voice, rounding a corner and walking down a hall. Payne followed, annoyingly close.

Miles was crouched down next to Kay, who lay unmoving in the middle of the floor. As Apollo drew closer, he saw the blood that pooled around her head, dirtying her hair into a mess. She was lying facedown, head tilted to the right, eyes open in an expressionless stare. Something white was clutched in her hand.

"KAY!" Miles shouted again. "Oh no…no…no…" Apollo had never seen such panic and worry in his eyes before.

"What happened?" he managed to ask.

"I…I caught up with her…and…and then…"

"Eeeek!" Payne screeched. "A…another murder!"

Apollo knelt down next to Kay's body and gently unclasped her hand around the object. He pulled a piece of paper from her grip and unfolded it.

"It looks like the murderer left something." He held up the paper, where a bolded, black M was written in calligraphy-styled handwriting.

Footsteps sounded down the hall, hurried and frantic. Mia rounded the corner, horror etching itself onto her face as she observed the scene in front of her.

"What…what happened?" she asked at least.

"Another murder." Apollo said, quickly taking note of the time from his watch.

12:00 AM. Midnight.

XxXxXxXx

"You have to be joking." Franziska muttered. "Another death? But what does this killer have against Simon Blackquill, Redd White and Kay Faraday?"

"Mr. White? But he's—" Apollo started.

"He's dead." Phoenix said. "It looked like suicide, but things don't match up. We were going to keep his death quiet until we got rescued, but now that there's been a third murder, I believe everyone has the right to know."

"Phoenix, the evidence…" Mia said in a low voice. "It points to two people. If what Apollo said is true about Winston Payne, then he's a major suspect. Miles was the one to find the body, which was very recently murdered."

"Payne was the guard for tonight." Apollo said. "I guess he didn't know he was guarding an empty room."

He glanced around the hall again, where he, Phoenix, Mia, Franziska, and Gumshoe were all gathered around the crime scene. "You don't suspect me, do you?"

"No. Not in the least bit." Franziska said, a scowl set into her face. "There is nothing indicating you committed this murder."

"But you suspect Mr. Edgeworth?"

"….Miles Edgeworth is a suspect, as much as I regret to inform you."

"We're already defending him." Phoenix said. "And Payne. It will be a double-trial, much like the one we held for Redd White."

"Alright…does everyone else know about this yet?"

"Not yet…they will be informed soon."

XxXxXxXx

"The trial for Mr. Miles Edgeworth and Mr. Winston Payne is now in session." The judge declared. "Is the prosecution ready?"

From the prosecutor's side of the makeshift courtroom, Manfred and Franziska vonKarma nodded coolly while Klavier said, "Yes, your Honour."

"And the defense?"

"Ready, your Honour!" Athena declared. She was flanked by Phoenix and Mia, who looked as determined as she did.

"This court is gathered here today on the unfortunate and sudden murder of Ms. Kay Faraday. Prosecution, your findings?" the judge continued.

"Ja." Klavier said. "Unfortunately, we have found evidence that—"

"The girl's throat was sliced at exactly midnight." Franziska interrupted, impatiently tugging at her sleeve. "She died within seconds. Mr. Edgeworth found her not thirty seconds later, making him, of course, the prime suspect. Clutched in her hand was a styled letter M and found on her person was a diamond brooch."

Her father passed the evidence to the defense, letting them mull over the strange M and the expensive brooch for a few moments.

The crowd began to mutter amongst themselves.

"That brooch…"

"Is that one of Mr. White's?"

"Your Honour." Miles stood from where he had been sitting nearby the defense. "I have an alibi. Please, let me explain."

"Let him speak." vonKarma said stiffly.

"Kay was on a desperate hunt to find answers." Miles began. "She irresponsibly left the main hall to speak with Mr. White. I tried to follow her, but arrived at the structure simply too late."

"What was she to ask him?" Klavier asked.

"She wanted to know if he really did kill Mr. Blackquill. She insisted he hadn't."

"But the brooch found on his person was crucial evidence." Franziska said.

"OBJECTION!"

Everyone was taken slightly by surprise as Miles pointed an accusing finger toward her. "Kay Faraday stole that brooch from Mr. Redd White. She did not know until the trial that the very item she had stolen had been abducted and placed as evidence on Mr. Blackquill."

More mutterings around the hall. The judge waited a few moments before speaking again. "Mr. Edgeworth! Please explain!"

"Ms. Faraday was the Yatagarasu…the great thief." Miles didn't seem to radiate the pompous courage he usually did. "She was obsessed with stealing the truth…but she first wanted to test her hand at her first theft of an object."

"And she succeeded." Phoenix added.

"I didn't know she had committed the crime until much later." Miles continued as though he had not heard him.

"Hmm. So among a murderer, there was a thief alongside us as well?" the judge looked horrified.

"Objection!" Miles sighed. "She wanted to steal the truth and expose it to us all; who really killed Mr. Blackquill?"

"That's quite enough, Miles." vonKarma barked. "You're making yourself sound quite foolish."

Franziska gripped tighter at her sleeve. "I believe it's time to hear from our witness. We've wasted as much time as can with this pointless back-story. The theft is completely unrelated to this trial."

"OBJECTION!" Phoenix shouted. "Then why was another brooch found in Kay Faraday's pocket?"

"She simply enjoyed the thrill of stealing so much, she decided to do it again." vonKarma growled. "Now, the witness—"

"OBJECTION!" Phoenix slammed his fists on the clothing trunk used as the defenses' desk. "It was confirmed that another brooch had gone missing from Redd White's body when we had discovered he had died! So what you're proposing is Ms. Faraday snuck into Mr. White's cell and stole the brooch from the dead man's lapel? Where's the thrill in that?"

"OBJECTION!" Franziska lashed her whip at the defense attorneys, who leapt back in fright. "Who's to say she didn't hang Mr. White herself?"

More whispers and chatter broke out among the people. The judge raised his voice, shouting, "Quiet, please! Quiet! May I remind you this is a trial for Mr. Edgeworth and Mr. Payne! This is not about who stole what!"

"Quite right, your Honour." Klavier grinned. "We have strayed too far off topic. Now, I would like to call our witness to the stand, Mr. Apollo Justice."

Apollo took a few steps forward and tugged at his tie.

"Name and occupation?" vonKarma, seeming irritated, tugged at his sleeve much like Franziska was doing.

"Apollo Justice. Attorney." Apollo said.

"Please tell the court what you saw last night."

"I woke up to the sound of Mr. Edgeworth and Ms. Faraday speaking to each other." Apollo started. "Ms. Faraday was saying how she needed to speak with Mr. White, so that proves she didn't know he was dead, so she couldn't have snuck into his holding cell and—"

The end of the whip slashed across his arm. Apollo nearly fell over and clutched at his arm, biting at his tongue.

"The witness will refrain from expressing his opinions." Franziska hissed. "Continue with your testimony, and only your testimony."

"Fine…fine…" Apollo winced. "She needed to get the truth from him, no matter what Mr. Edgeworth would say to detour her. And then she ran out into the storm, with him following a few seconds behind her."

"So you followed them?" Klavier asked.

"Yes."

"And why did you do that?"

"I want answers as bad as anyone here." Apollo admitted. "I want to know why someone did this, and has continued to do this. I myself didn't know Mr. White had committed suicide until Ms. Mia Fey announced it to us. I suppose I wanted to talk to Mr. White as well."

"Continue." Franziska said.

"I chased Mr. Edgeworth and Ms. Faraday into the other building. I was far enough behind them to loose track of where they had gone, and that's when I ran into Mr. Payne. Shortly afterward, Mr. Edgeworth shouted and both Mr. Payne and I found him next to Ms. Faraday's body."

"And that brings us to our next discussion." vonKarma said. "Mr. Winston Payne."

The older prosecutor gulped nervously.

"Mr. Payne, you were on so-called guard duty last night, correct?"

"Yes, s-sir…" Payne stuttered.

"It was to offer a sense of security to the others." Mia spoke up. "They would think that as long as one of them were guarding Mr. White's prison, they would all be safe. Unfortunately, it didn't work out as we intended…"

"Yes, that's right…" Payne nervously twiddled his thumbs. "I ran into Mr. Justice as he came into the building, dripping wet and muddy from the rain outside. I told him—"

"HOLD IT!" Athena shouted. "Muddy?"

"Yes, with rain, the ground tends to become muddy." Franziska growled. "It's nothing new."

"Hold on, let me finish!" Athena insisted. "Are the prints still there? In the building, I mean? If so, that may prove Mr. Edgeworth's innocence!"

"OBJECTION!" vonKarma insisted. "We have been tracking mud around this village's structures for three days. I would think they would try and keep it clean."

"OBJECTION!" Mia shouted. "Actually, the prints are still there. We preserved the entire crime scene."

"Your Honour, if we could please take a look at these prints, they could reveal some very important information." Phoenix added.

"Very well." The judge said. "This trial shall take a short recess. We will meet back here in thirty minutes."

XxXxXxXx

"I've personally kept watch over the crime scene." Misty said. "No one's gone in since the trial started."

She led the way into the building, Phoenix, Mia, Athena, Klavier, Manfred and Franziska following behind her.

"Yes, I was right! See? Footprints!" Athena pointed to the floor, where various prints were scattered, leading into different directions. "I brought Apollo's shoe with me so we can figure out which ones belong to him."

She held up the shoe, Phoenix stifling a laugh.

"What's so funny?" Athena began comparing the sole of the shoe to the prints.

"Just picturing him hopping around on one foot."

"Phoenix, now is not the time." Mia hissed.

"These are Apollo's footprints right here…" Athena pointed to a set of prints. "And a few of these are sort of cut off, like someone with clean shoes was following him…literally in his footsteps."

"That would be Payne." Mia said. "He stated he cleaned the mud off his shoes once he stepped into the building. We retrieved a muddy rag from the trash as well."

"Right, so Apollo followed these two sets right here…" Phoenix pointed to the ground. "…Which belong to Ms. Faraday and Mr. Edgeworth."

"Let's follow them and see where they lead." Klavier suggested.

The group slowly inched along, Athena examining every print along the way and explaining as she went.

"From what I can tell, if Edgeworth really did kill Kay, he would leave decisive evidence in the form of these prints."

"Get on with it, girl. We only have thirty minutes." vonKarma growled.

"I'm working on it." Athena retorted.

They approached the scene of the murder. A faint stain of blood still decorated the floor, but Kay's body had been moved. Athena stopped nearby the bloodstain and pointed to the footprints.

"Kay stumbles here, but Edgeworth doesn't. It even looks like she started walking backward at one point, but his still continue on straight. If Edgeworth really was the murderer, his prints would be in sync with Kay's."

"You're right." Phoenix nodded. "She has a valid argument."

"…." Franziska pulled at her sleeve.

"You do have an argument. An argument for Edgeworth." vonKarma said. "But what about Payne? His shoes are clean and he didn't leave prints."

"I hate to break up the discussion, but we're out of time." Mia said. "Let's head back."

XxXxXxXx

"The trial for Mr. Edgeworth and Mr. Payne is back in session." The judge said. "And now, your findings, please."

"Athena brought to our attention the muddy prints." Phoenix said. "While Ms. Faraday's prints stumbled around, Mr. Edgeworth's were in a relatively straight line. Whoever the killer was, they didn't leave any evidence."

"And this lack of evidence will point us to the killer." Franziska motioned to Payne. "This irrefutable evidence directly points to you, Mr. Winston Payne."

"OBJECTION!" Phoenix shouted. "Just because his soles were clean doesn't mean that he committed the murder!"

"Then, Mr. Wright, explain to me who else was in the building at the time of the homicide?" vonKarma growled. "Who else was waiting hours before the murder, guarding a dead man thought to be alive?"

"…." Phoenix opened his mouth as to say something, but quickly shut it.

The judge shook his head. "If the defense has nothing else to say on the matter, I believe we have reached our verdicts."

"The muddy rags!" Mia exclaimed. "Has anyone examined the muddy rags in the trash bin? The ones that Mr. Payne used to clean his shoes off?"

"What about them?" Klavier asked.

"How many were used?"

"Three were found." Franziska stated, her brown furrowed. "And why is this important?"

"Ms. Fey, you are grasping at straws." The judge sighed. "No one but Mr. Payne took the time to keep their shoes clean, if that was what you were hoping for."

A hushed mumble of conversation started up. The judge raised his voice over the commotion and said, "Those in favour of a guilty verdict for Mr. Edgeworth?"

A few hands went up.

"Those in favour of an innocent verdict?"

The rest of the hands were raised. Phoenix cast a glance at Miles, who let out a sigh of relief.

"I hereby find Mr. Miles Edgeworth not guilty!" The judge said. "Now, for Mr. Winston Payne. Those in favour of a guilty verdict?"

All but one hand were raised.

"No…! No, you gotta believe me! I didn't kill anyone!" Payne stuttered.

"All in favour of an innocent verdict?"

Apollo was the only one who raised his hand.

"I hereby find Mr. Winston Payne guilty of the murder of Ms. Kay Faraday!"

"No!" Payne gasped. "I didn't do it!"

"Detective Gumshoe, please escort him to the holding cell we have prepared." The judge said.

"Yes, sir!" the scruffy detective saluted and, tucking the clipboard he had been scribbling feverishly on, took Payne by the arm. "Come on, pal. Let's go."

XxXxXxXx

"Trite, was it?"

Phoenix tore his attention away from his bowl of soup and directed it toward the man who sat down opposite him. He had white hair that stuck out messily about his head, and two silver earrings set into his left ear. A silver mask set with three glowing red lines covered his eyes. He was wearing an aqua dress shirt and white tie.

"My name is Diego Armando. But please, call me Godot." The man continued. "I've heard some good things about you."

"Have you…?" Phoenix asked. "And it's Wright, not Trite."

"I've heard you were the best lawyer money could buy." Godot continued.

"Well, I wouldn't necessarily say that…"

"Really? Is that why innocent men have been convicted of murder these last two days?" Godot's friendly smile vanished.

"Hey, it wasn't all his fault." Apollo spoke up. "There was evidence!"

"Evidence that had contradictions in it." Godot said.

"Like what?" Phoenix asked.

"You should have pressed the prosecution when they mentioned the dirtied rags. You could have gathered some valuable information." Godot stood again. "But again, this is none of my business. I wasn't selected to be one of the prosecutors for this trial."

Stepping around Trucy as she happily ate her soup, he left.

"What a creep." Athena remarked.

"Did…did we really falsely accuse Mr. Payne of murder?" Apollo asked.

"I doubt it. Everything pointed to him." Phoenix said.

"But Mr. White was innocent, too." Athena put her bowl down. "And…something about him was really…different…about that Godot guy."

"He's got snow-white hair and a Halloween costume on." Apollo answered.

"No, not that." Athena cast him a glare. "He…he sounded really, really worried."

"Who isn't right now?" Trucy said around a mouthful of food.

"No, even moreso than the rest of us."

"He's talking to Mia." Apollo interrupted. "And they're both casting us these weird glares."

"This reminds me of middle school." Phoenix sighed.

"Except with murders." Trucy said.

Phoenix watched as Mia and Godot conversed, casting the group an odd glance every now and then. Godot glanced around as if afraid of being overheard before whispering something to Mia, who recoiled in shock, her left hand over her gaping mouth. Phoenix saw her form the word, "what?"

"I wonder what they're talking about." Apollo said, absentmindedly. "After all, isn't he a prosecutor? Aren't they mortal enemies with us defense attorneys?"

"Usually, yes." Athena answered.

Phoenix turned back to his food, but he couldn't shake the sense of dread that had settled over him like a dark cloud.

XxXxXxXx

I regret ever writing this story. I really liked Kay and I'm really sad.

But the next chapter is going to make me cry.

Remember to review, please!

Hasta la Vista, Readers!

Lordoftheghostking28