Trial - Day 1 - Part 2


August 8, 2029 11:10 AM

District Court

Courtroom No. 1


The doors opened slowly, revealing a slightly pudgy woman with blue eyes and brown hair, which fell to her shoulders with many curls. She walked up to the witness stand, looking as annoyed as ever. Phoenix immediately ducked behind the bench, not wanting Tanner to see him.

"I hope y'all're gonna let me go real quick after this," Tanner grumbled. Eyeing Athena, she added, "Unlike some of us, other folks have real jobs."

"Name and occupation, please."

Then, her eyes rested on Blackquill, widening. She began to blush.

Athena struggled to hold back a giggle.

Go get him, girl! I'll give you his number!

"Did you not hear me, witness? I asked—"

Tanner gave him a "I heard ya…handsome."

Blackquill leaned forward, his eyes narrowed. He took in the woman in front of him. After a few seconds, he gave up and managed a confused, "Sorry?"

"I said, I heard ya… handsome."

There was the barest hint of red on Blackquill's pale cheeks. Athena watched as he opened and closed his mouth, seemingly lost for words, before he eventually settled on. "The witness will refrain from wanton displays of affection."

Phoenix sighed in relief and emerged from under the bench. Clearly, Tanner had forgotten all about him, choosing to go after Blackquill.

"Aww… Am I too affectionate for ya?" she cooed, obviously unaffected by the prosecutor's denial. Blackquill did not answer her question.

"Witness, c—"

"Oh, please just call me Lizzy, handsome," cooed Tanner. She waved her hand at him, attempting to mimic a cute pose.

"Your Baldness!" said Blackquill, slamming his hands onto the bench.

"Oh, coming to me now, are we?" asked the Judge, amused by this turn of events. He seemed reluctant to help the poor prosecutor.

"You do not want to play this game with me, Your Baldness," threatened Blackquill, a dangerous glint in his eyes.

Athena began to snicker loudly.

Blackquill gave her a dangerous look. "Cykes-dono, don't you dare."

Phoenix's eyes went wide. He frantically turned to Athena.

"Athena. Stop. Now." he ordered.

Athena's giggles finally died out. "Okay, okay."

The Judge slammed his gavel, a smile still on his face. "The witness will refrain from attempting to flirt or otherwise distract either counsel. Any further attempts, and you will be held in contempt of court."

"Okay. Wait ta ruin a lady's fun," Tanner grumbled under her breath.

The Judge cleared his throat. "Now then, witness. I want your name and occupation for the record."

She put on a straight face for the first time. "Elizabeth Tanner. I work for the pit crew."

"Very well then. Your testimony, if you please," Blackquill ordered.

Tanner blushed. "Sure."


Witness Testimony

-The Track-

1) I was just watchin' the track, ya know because I'm part of a team, when I saw Rod drivin' down it.

2) I was behind it so I couldn't see what was in front of it.

3) He was drivin' fast and didn't look like he'd stop.

4) I turned back 'round 'cause I didn't give a hoot what he was doin'.

5) After a while, I heard'n explosion.

6) When I looked back at 'im, what I saw was the car in pieces.


"The defense may cross-examine the witness," said the Judge, clearing his throat.

Tanner sighed. "Do I really have to be reviewed by the banana?"

Athena's eyes narrowed. "Yes, you do, Ms. Tanner," she said. It took everything she had not to scream at the woman standing in front of her.

Cross-Examination

-The Track-

5) After a while, I heard'n explosion.

Hold It!

"Is that the only sound you heard?" asked Athena.

"Yup. I'm sure of it."

"Can you correct your testimony?"

5) The only sound I heard was the explosion.

OBJECTION!

"Sorry, Ms. Tanner, but that's not the only thing you had to have heard."

"Whad'ya mean?" asked Tanner, looking nervous.

Athena presented the skid marks to the court. "If you had heard the explosion, you would have also heard Mr Runner's tires on the track as he tried to break before he hit the bomb."

The colour drained out of Tanner's face. "Well, I...I forgot that!"

Then she turned to Blackquill, positively making heart eyes at him. "Can I testify again, pretty please?"

"Hmph. Do as you please." Blackquill conceded, and leaned down on his bench. "However, should you fail to make note of every detail of your eyewitness account, I shall have His Baldness charge you with perjury."

"Um, okay…"


Witness Testimony

-The Truth-

1) I did hear his damn car stop. Ya happy now?

2) That's when I turned 'round to see it better for m'self.

3) His car just stood there for some time, not even movin'. Nothin' happened.

4) And then, I don't know what happened, but after a few minutes, the car started to move again.

5) Then, the explosion happened.


There was some discord there. I think I'd better call in the cavalry.

"What utter rubbish is this, witness?!" Blackquill rebuked. "You failed to mention any of this in our discussion yesterday."

Tanner nervously tugged at her hair. "I-I was told not to tell ya. I'm sorry, handsome."

"By whom?"

"I-I can't say," Tanner finally replied, eyes darting between Blackquill and Athena.

The Judge frowned, before turning to Athena. "Is there something on your mind, Ms Cykes?"

"Oh! I was thinking a quick therapy session would be in order here."

He nodded. "I'll allow it."


Cross-Examination

Psycho-Analysis

-The Truth-

1) I did hear his damn car stop. Ya happy now?

Happiness, Distress, Anger, Surprise

2) That's when I turned 'round to see it better for m'self.

Happiness, Distress, Anger, Surprise

3) His car just stood there for some time, not even movin'. Nothin' happened.

Happiness, Distress, Anger, Surprise

4) And then, I don't know what happened, but after a few minutes, the car started to move again.

Happiness, Distress, Anger, Surprise

5) Then, the explosion happened.

Happiness, Distress, Anger, Surprise


Noise Level:
100%

Why was she surprised when the car remained stopped? Did something happen?

3) It was stopped there for some time, not even movin'. Nothin' happened there.

Happiness, Distress, Anger, Surprise

Got It!

"Ms. Tanner, when you saw the car stay stationary, you were surprised." asked Athena.

"Yeah, so?" she asked deceptively.

"It doesn't make sense. Why were you surprised? Did something happen at that time?" questioned Athena, gauging her reaction.

"Oh yeah! A guy came ou—" She immediately clapped a hand over her mouth. "I didn't mean to say that."

The court erupted into conversation, only to be silenced by the Judge once again slamming his gavel.

Athena slammed a hand onto the bench. "You tried to hide something else!"

Tanner began to play with her hair. "Sorry."

"So a guy came out of the car when it was stopped?"

"Yeah, that's right. He was big, tall, muscular, and he wore a cap." Tanner happily chirped.

"A cap?"

"Yeah, a black one."

Blackquill's eye twitched, yet he didn't say a single word.

I don't hear any discord there, but that can't be true.

"Add that to your testimony, please."

Noise Level
0%
Bye-Bye!

4) A person got out of the car and ran away wearing a black cap.

OBJECTION!

Athena smirked. "I'm sorry, but that's impossible, Ms. Tanner, and the prosecution very well knows why."

Blackquill grimaced, his eyes narrowing. He was listening to every word Athena was saying.

"Huh? What's wrong with it?"

Athena smirked. "Prosecutor Blackquill, remember what you gave to the court earlier? The surveillance footage?"

"Of course. It shows the vict—"

OBJECTION!

Athena continued, interrupting Blackquill. "Does it really? According to what this witness just said, the person who ran, who shouldn't exist in the first place, wore a black cap. The person in the video surveillance showed that the victim wore a cap as well. Now, we know for a fact that the victim died, so how could he have gotten out of the car?"

Blackquill maintained his silence.

"The only plausible explanation for this is that someone else, other than the victim was driving the car that night! This would mean that the victim was already dead at the time of the bombing."

OBJECTION!

"If you're so certain of that, then answer me this: why did the vehicle remain immobile and how did it start up again?"

Right. The elephant in the room.

Athena began to play with her earring. "Umm…"

"Before you answer that, I'd like to present blueprints; the car was a Ford Fusion model, deliberately tinkered with to achieve higher speeds. Such high speeds are necessary in the realm of racing."

The bailiff handed the blueprints to Athena, allowing her to finally see what exactly the car looked like from a mechanical standpoint.

Car Blueprints added to Court Record.

It says here that it takes very little weight for the accelerator to be pushed down. That makes sense, it makes it easier for the driver's foot to keep it down. That may be important.

"Now, answer the question, Cykes-dono. How exactly did the vehicle move again?"

I guess it's time to bluff. Please don't fail me now!

"In order for the car to move, there needs to be weight on the accelerator. Something needed to have been placed on the accelerator in order to move it."

"Yes, and what would have permitted that?"

Just present something! Act now! Think later! Like the Boss always says.

Take That!

There, on the court's display was the wrench.

"A spanner?" Blackquill prompted, puzzled.

"Yes." Athena nodded. "Recall the blueprints; the accelerator needed very little force, so this spanner, or a wrench as it's known here, could have been placed on it. Additionally, there was a brick on the track."

"A brick?" Blackquill asked. "I thought you'd established that the bomb was on the track, thus forcing the victim to brake."

"So did I, but...Think about it; if the wrench was on the accelerator, making the car move on its own accord, there would be no way to stop it, unless you had something that pressed on the tires. The brick acted as that stopper when the driver exited the car."

"The driver? Why would the victim feel the need to place a brick on the track when he's perfectly capable of parking his own car?" Blackquill argued. "Furthermore, this spanner wasn't found upon the accelerator."

Athena grinned confidently. "To address your second point; when a metal, is in an explosion site, it has a tendency to expand. The force of the explosion would have torn it away from its location, explaining where we found it later."

Blackquill's eyes narrowed. He opened his mouth, about to retort when Athena continued,

"And, you're right, it would be weird for the victim to just abandon his car on the track and use some strange materials to do so. Which means...the driver wasn't the victim!"

The gallery burst into conversation, quickly quelled by the Judge's orders for quiet. Blackquill shook his head.

"Admirable though your bluffing skills are, I'm afraid you're far off the mark. I have a witness who can attest to the victim's state prior to his death."

The Judge looked at Blackquill. "Another witness?"

"Yes. Meaning," Blackquill gestured at Tanner. "You may leave now."

"Aww… I wanted to stay here longer with ya, handsome," Tanner blushed, looking down. "But, okay, bye! For now!"

Blackquill breathed a sigh of relief as the courtroom doors swung shut again. Then he jerked his head towards the Judge.

"Oh, um," he glanced at the transcript provided by the bailiff. "Would Mr Pitt Wilde come to the stand?"

Phew... At least she's gone... If I get called a banana one more time, I'm flipping this bench over...


August 8, 2029 11:45 AM

District Court

Courtroom No. 1


The doors opened to reveal a scrawny man with a massive grin plastered on his face and a tire in his hand, in a red overalls with neatly combed blonde hair, making him look somewhat more presentable.

Is this guy obsessed with tires? Wait…Don't ask that. You'll probably get more 'racy jokes.'

Blackquill looked harshly at Wilde, causing him to shrink slightly in fear. To anyone else, it was just Blackquill being Blackquill, so they didn't mind. "Witness. Give the court your name and occupation."

"My name is Pitt Wilde and I'm a part of Mr. Runner's pit crew. Or maybe I should say was as he drove himself to death!"

He laughed voraciously at his own joke.

Not this again…

Athena leaned forward and began to sweat over the bench. Suddenly, a slash came at Wilde's tire, cutting it in half. Blackquill glared at Wilde. "Witness, I will not have you making inane and tasteless quips at the recently departed, never mind otherwise whilst you remain on this stand. Do I make myself clear?"

Wilde nodded vigorously and with that, the Judge cleared his throat. "Mr. Wilde, could you please testify to the court about what you saw?"

Wilde was still recovering from Blackquill's attack; he quickly braced himself, took a deep breath, and then...pulled out some tape seemingly out of nowhere, fixing his original tire.

Where in the hell is this guy getting that stuff?

"I will testify, Your Honor. I want to testify about hearing Mr. Amenda and Mr. Runner's argument. They didn't know I was there, so I just heard what they said."

The Judge nodded. "Very well, Mr. Wilde."


Witness Testimony

-The Argument-

1) So I was walking into the pits around 7 PM to do some work.

2) When I walked in, I heard them arguing, Mr. Amenda and Mr. Runner I mean.

3) I stayed to listen to it, but I felt uncomfortable.

4) I usually try to break up arguments like that.

5) After some more shouting, I saw Mr. Runner leave to go somewhere.


"Um… That's it, Your Honor," said Wilde, throwing a slightly nervous glance at Blackquill. Blackquill said nothing, his back turned towards the defense.

"The defense would like to cross-examine the witness," said Athena, suspicious at Blackquill's sudden silence.

The Judge nodded. "Very well, the request is gra—"

"A moment, Your Baldness."

Everyone remained completely silent as Blackquill turned to consign a glance at Athena.

Blackquill then appealed to her in a low voice, "Cykes-dono, as you very well know, this witness has a problem remaining on topic and will do anything to turn this courtroom into a laughingstock. He will jape about anything he finds amusing. I ask that you keep your questions on topic and succinct. Wasting this court's time might be enough to earn yourself a penalty."

"H-Hey! I don't do tha—"

That earned him another slice on his tire. He quickly brought out the tape and paint, fixing his tire, though it was clearly unusable.

Okay! Curse this! The heck does he need that tire for? I need to know.

"Wait. First, before the cross-examination, I have one question."

Blackquill looked back at her. "And that is?"

"Witness, why do you have a tire with you in here?"

Wilde is slightly embarrassed. He blushed lightly before replying, "Oh! Erm—I find it comfortable to have near me. I can't imagine leaving home without my lucky tire; I always have it with me, even on workdays. I fix it every time that it breaks. I've fixed it so much I don't even know if it's the same that I got when I was a kid."

"You got that tire when you were a kid?!" Widget exclaimed.

What kind of parent buys their kid a tire?

"Yep. I've been taking care of it ever since."

Athena just slumped forward and sweated, having regretted even asking the question. Blackquill was barely suppressing his amused grin.

The Judge shook his head. "Now that that tangent is over with, and we've established the emotional support this...erm...tire provides our witness, can the defense please begin their cross-examination?"

Athena lowered her head. "Yes, Your Honor."

"Please be careful, Athena. Remember that I'm still standing here. I'm only thirty-six. I don't want to lose my hair yet," Phoenix whispered beside her.

"Yes, Boss."

Cross-Examination

-The Argument-

1) So I was walking into the pits around 7 PM to do some work.

Hold It!

"What kind of work were you doing? Why would you have to be there past the race?"

Playing with his tire, Wilde simply replied, "Well, we have to wrap up after the race and I had to help Mr. Amenda with fixing Mr. Runner's car."

"So you were there to help him fix the cars?"

Wilde grinned. "Yep, some someone needs to amend them! See wha—"

Blackquill once again slashed with his finger, ending the train before it started running. "No. None. Of that."

"So what happened after you arrived?"

"Well, I was pretty shocked by…"

2) When I walked in, I heard them arguing, Mr. Amenda and Mr. Runner I mean.

Hold It!

Athena slammed her hands onto the defense's bench. "Wait a minute. That statement's too vague."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you didn't tell us what you were arguing about."

Wilde dropped his tire before replying, "Oh! I knew what they were arguing about. They were arguing about Mr. Runner losing the race that day. I wouldn't forget that!"

Athena glared at him. "Then why didn't you tell that to us in the first place?"

Wilde looked at her slightly nervously. "Well, you never asked in the first place."

I heard some discord in that statement just now.

Athena's right hand met the defense's bench with an extreme amount of force. "You're lying to me!"

She jabbed her finger in his direction.

"There's another reason that you're hiding it!"

Wilde's hand slipped on his tire again. His mouth was wide open. "I-I plead the fifth. I refuse to testify about that."

Blackquill looked suspiciously at Wilde. It was clear that he hadn't expected this either. His hand was on his blade, but it remained on its sheath.

Athena sighed, her face in her palm. "Then can you at least add the topic of the argument to your testimony?"

Wilde looked down, slightly upset. "Alright."

3) They were arguing about Mr. Runner losing the race earlier that day; Mr. Amenda told him it was that he called himself a professional racer. So, yeah, Mr Runner got really mad.

I want to examine this statement, but first let's deal with the sixth one.

6) After some more shouting, I saw Mr. Runner leave to go somewhere.

Hold It!

Athena gave Wilde a determined look. "Do you know where he went? Can you tell us?"

Wilde put his tire on the ground and rolled it between his hands, thinking. "Er—I don't know where he went. He looked pretty mad at Mr. Amenda. I think he might have gone to see Mr. Bosse."

Blackquill frowned. "Pray tell, who is this Bosse man?"

Athena presented Bosse's profile picture. "Mr Richard Bosse is Team 42's biggest sponsor."

"I see."

Satisfied, Athena turned her attention back to Wilde. "You said the defendant went to see Mr. Bosse around seven-thirty, correct?"

Wilde nodded his head and replied simply, "Yes."

"Very well, can you repeat your third statement?"

"Yeah, sure."

3) They were arguing about Mr. Runner losing the race earlier that day; Mr. Amenda told him it was that he called himself a professional racer. So, yeah, Mr Runner got really mad.

There's no discord in that statement, but it still contradicts the evidence.

OBJECTION!

Athena grinned, and crossed her arms confidently. "Mr Wilde."

"Yes?"

"Did you by any chance overhear them arguing over a letter? Or maybe about someone resigning?"

Wilde shook his head, stroking his tire. "No. I don't think so."

"If the defense would be so kind as to get to the point…" Blackquill grumbled.

Athena presented the letter. "Prosecutor Blackquill, earlier you brought up this typed letter, emphasis on typed, as proof of my client's motive."

"Yes. What of it?"

"But the thing is, Mr Wilde here says they weren't arguing about this letter!"

"Perhaps this witness merely neglected to listen in on that part of their argument. What he has already uttered supports the evidence at hand."

Athena shook her head. "We have no proof that the victim even wrote this letter; it's typed, and there's no signature or anything that prove its authenticity. Meaning, it was planted!"

OBJECTION!

"Perhaps our racing wonder wasn't in the habit of signing off his letters," Blackquill countered. Then he tapped at his temple. "You've drawn your blade far too soon, Cykes-dono."

"What do you mean?"

"Our witness isn't finished with his account."

Wilde grinned. "Oh, you want me to testify about that?"

"Yes. Provide us your eyewitness account of our little tinker placing the explosive in the vehicle!"


Court Record:

Evidence:

Attorney's Badge: This is the proof of my profession. Without it, nobody would believe that I'm a lawyer.

Autopsy Report: 08/07, 7:45-9 PM; Cause of Death: Explosion and shrapnel from a bomb.

Photo of Head Injury: A picture that I took of my client's face. There's a bruise on his forehead.

Oil Stains: I found this in the pits. These are oil stains that come from the car when its oil got changed. There must have been some maintenance work.

Blood Stain: A very tiny bloodstain that was near the oil stains. I don't know who it belongs to, but it looks pretty suspicious.

Zipper: A red colored zipper found in the maintenance area. I know it doesn't belong to my client.

Screwdriver: A screwdriver I found in the trash in the pits.

Piece of Plastic: A piece of plastic I found at the wreckage. The police don't seem to have noticed it under the ash. It contains a few letters and numbers—'A5S4'—before being cut off.

Broken Wrench: A broken wrench the Boss found at the bombed car. It's mostly burnt and bent, but it looks like one of the missing tools Mr Wilde was talking about.

Skid Marks: Skid Marks that were found near the scene of the explosion. They're drawn out for a bit.

Brick: A brick that was found near the wreck of the car. It has a string attached to it.

Video Surveillance Record: A video record of who went in and out of the stadium. It seems that the victim returned to the scene of the crime around the time of the bombing.

Dent in Wall: Strange dent in wall found in Mr Bosse's home. I don't know what it could mean at this point.

Newspaper Clipping: A newspaper clipping which shows that Mr Runner lost all his races so far this season. It was a clipping from about two weeks ago. Given to me by Mr Bosse.

Toolbox: A toolbox found in Mr Bosse's home. I don't know why, but it seems important to me.

Collection of Checks: A collection of checks showing that the victim was paid millions by Mr Bosse. They probably bounced because of his situation.

Piece of Receipt: A torn piece of a receipt found in Mr Bosse's trash can that has the code 2D6G. Before the first digit, there's what looks like three small horizontal lines.

Typed Letter: A typed letter that I found that Simon presented in the courtroom. It gives what seems to be a proper motive.

Piece of the Bomb: A piece of the bomb with the code F4W and then what looks like an E, but it's been partly cut off. It looks familiar.

Car Blueprints: The car was a Ford Fusion model with the accelerator modified to require very little effort to hold down. Handed to me by Simon.

Profiles:

Phoenix Wright(age 36): An excellent defence attorney, known widely as the 'Turnabout Terror.' He's my mentor and role model.

Ema Skye (age 28): The detective/forensics investigator assigned to this case. She's pretty friendly with me and Apollo, but science is her one true love.

Simon Blackquill (age 30): He's an old friend of mine who's the prosecutor for this case. Formerly known as the 'Twisted Samurai,' he was in prison until about two years ago. He's also a psychologist.

Röd Runner (age 25): Rodrick Runner, the victim in this case. He was killed by a bomb in his racecar.

Carlos Amenda (age 28): My client, who is accused of murder. He was the team mechanic and was fixing the car on the night of the crime.

Pitt Wilde (age 26): He's a witness for this case. He works for the race team as a pit crew member. He changes the tires during a pit stop. He loves making stupid jokes.

Lizzy Tanner (age 44): A lady who works for the pit crew. She seems to have a "crush" on Mr Wright, and now on Simon...

Richard Bosse (age 55): The sponsor of the racing team the victim raced for. He is actually broke and paying people using loans.

Wendy Oldbag (age ?): Some old lady who seems to know Mr Wright. He doesn't seem too fond of her.