Holy stars, this took SO much longer than it should have! (Reader: "Yeah, I know, Captain Obvious.") I deeply apologize for taking this long, I don't know how I let time get away from me like this. Schoolwork and all that jazz. (Reader: "By 'jazz' do you mean Pokemon?" Me: "…. Are you spying on me?") So to make up for my absence, I decided to make the chapter extra long. Then it dawned on me; that would just take even longer! So instead, I'm going post a regular sized chapter, then I'll finish the second half sooner because I've already written some of it! :D
So, without further ado, Chapter 7! I can only hope it was worth the wait! :D
Phoenix hopped off his bike in front of the Prosecutors Building. He locked it to a small tree nearby and looked around the corner to catch a glimpse of the crime scene. As promised, he had come to help Miles investigate Maria's attack, though suspected the prosecutor had started without him. He had seemed very determined to get to the bottom of it as quickly as possible.
Throughout the alleyway, officers in blue uniforms were scattered around collecting evidence and taking notes. Miles' distinct maroon coat was nowhere to be seen, however. The only person that stood out from the crowd was a young woman in a pristine white lab coat kneeling on the ground with a spray bottle in her hand.
"Ema!" Phoenix said.
The detective quickly stood up and faced Phoenix, immediately bringing her hand up to her head.
"Headrush, headrush…." Ema groaned. "Hey, Mr. Wright…."
"So last night was fun," Phoenix said.
"Shut it," Ema said, massaging her temples. "Why are you here?"
"I was looking for Edgeworth, have you seen him?" Phoenix said.
"No, haven't seen him all day," Ema said.
"Really? Weird, I figured he would be all over this place," Phoenix said.
"Nope, probably in his office or something," Ema said. "You're probably going there, right? I need you to give him something."
"Alright, no problem."
Ema handed him a manila envelope. "Make sure he reads it."
"Will do, see you later," Phoenix said, walking into the building.
Not bothering to knock, Phoenix stepped into Miles' office and found the man hunched over his desk.
"Come in, it's open," Miles said dryly.
Phoenix shrugged. "What are you doing up here? I thought you'd be outside."
"I need to sort out this paperwork," Miles said.
"What's it for?" Phoenix said, glancing at the papers on his desk.
"These are the forms I have to fill out so that I can prosecute the case," Miles said, tapping his pen against his desk.
"Aren't these the papers you were working on yesterday?" Phoenix said. "Is it that complicated?"
"A Chief Prosecutor rarely handles a case directly, you may have noticed," Miles said. "That is because there are specific circumstances that will allow it. As the head of district, my purpose is to manage the prosecutors beneath me. I assign them the cases. For me to assume control, there has to be a reason I can't let someone else do it."
"So?"
"There is absolutely nothing about this case that meets those requirements," Miles said, raking his fingers through his hair.
"But you prosecuted Athena's case. Last minute even," Phoenix said.
"That wasn't an official trial, and it was a hostage situation," Miles said.
"Oh, right…." Phoenix said, rubbing his chin. "Well…. Maria is a prosecutor, does that mean anything?"
"If she were the defendant," Miles said.
"But she was injured, shouldn't it be your responsibility as Chief to investigate it for the safety of your employees?"
"If something happened to her in the building, potentially. But the moment a prosecutor steps outside they're out of my hands."
"…. If every other prosecutor turned down the case?"
"Then I make someone do it or it goes cold."
"Okay…. What are the requirements?"
"For me to assign myself to a case, there must be special circumstances. Such as the original prosecutor being deemed unfit at some point during the trial, the defendant being a prosecutor or someone of high stature that would outrank an ordinary prosecutor, or perhaps if the case involved information only I could have access too."
"What kind of information would that be?" Phoenix said.
"Nothing that has anything to do with this case," Miles sighed.
"Well…. How do you know?" Phoenix said. "Doesn't sound like you've spent any time investigating. And the police don't have a suspect yet, so who's to say it's not someone high profile?"
"That's…. true," Miles said.
"Exactly! So get out of that chair and let's see what we can find!" Phoenix said, grinning.
"Wright, neither of us have clearance to be anywhere near that crime scene," Miles said. "There's no defendant, so no need for a defense attorney, and I'm not the prosecutor for the case."
"But you're the Chief, that has to count for something," Phoenix said.
"Just because I'm in a position of authority does not give me clearance to go wherever I want," Miles said, shuffling documents. "I manage prosecutors and influence the politics of the law world. I don't know where people get the idea that I have unlimited power. I'm a manager, not a king."
"People get away with stuff," Phoenix said.
"That doesn't mean they should," Miles said. "I'm going to go about this investigation as justly and legally as possible."
"Right…." Phoenix said, putting his hands into his pockets. Guess I can't argue with that. "But you're going to burn out if you stay behind that desk any longer, I can see it. There must be something you can do."
"You mean like get myself assigned to the case?"
"Have you made any progress in the last half hour?"
"…. Nngh."
"Edgeworth, come on," Phoenix said, placing his palms on the desk. "You want to find out what happened, and you're not going to find your answers behind this desk."
Miles glared at the defense attorney. "Then tell me, what am I supposed to do? You seem to have all the answers. How am I to investigate with no access to the crime scene?"
"I've done it before," Phoenix said. "You start by investigating around the crime scene. You talk to people, look for connections, make the most of what you got."
The prosecutor averted his gaze, processing the idea. "…. I suppose that's not the worst idea."
"Aw, that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me," Phoenix said, grinning at how clever he was.
Miles resumed glaring.
"Come on, where can we start?" Phoenix said, deciding to ease off the jokes for a little while. "Have any witnesses come forward?"
"I don't believe so," Miles said, leaning back and folding his arms. He tapped his finger softly as he contemplated. "But then, the investigation has only just started. It's possible that someone saw what happened."
"Didn't this happen in the middle of the day? Someone must've been around," Phoenix said.
"This isn't exactly the most densely populated part of the city," Miles said. "3PM on a Wednesday isn't the busiest time of day either. Most people are working or something of that nature."
"You never know. Worth checking around the area, maybe someone saw something shady," Phoenix said.
"Perhaps," Miles said.
"What about in this building? Any prosecutors see anything?" Phoenix said.
"Not that I know of," Miles said. "They know to report to the police immediately though."
"Yeah, I guess they would," Phoenix said. "What's the security like in this place? Any cameras?"
"I believe they're all inside the building," Miles said.
"Seriously?" Phoenix said.
"The installers were more concerned with security breaches within than anything happening outside the building," Miles said. "I'm fixing that as soon as the case is over."
"Good call," Phoenix said. "It's still worth looking at though. Who knows, maybe it caught something."
"I suppose there aren't many other options," Miles said, getting out of his chair. "Very well then, let's go. The security center is on the first floor."
Phoenix jogged down the last flight of stairs to keep up with Miles. Why is he so much faster? I guess walking is kind of his thing….
They finally reached the ground floor and Miles lead the way to the security room. The prosecutor took his keys out of his coat pocket and unlocked the door. Inside the security center, rows of monitors were perched on the wall. Below them guards sat before a desk watching the screens. On the other side of the room a large window overlooked the parking lot.
"Mr. Edgeworth!" one of the guards stood up and saluted. "What brings you here?"
"An investigation," Miles said. "I need to see the security footage from yesterday."
"Of course! What time?"
"Hm," Miles mulled over the question.
"I was thinking about that on the way down, actually," Phoenix said. "The cameras must've caught Coldstare's actions right before the incident. There could be a lead there."
"You may have a point," Miles said. He turned to one of the guards monitoring the screens. "2PM to 3PM."
"Yes, sir! Just a minute."
The guard pulled out a keyboard and began typing commands into the computer. Moments later the screens changed.
"Fast forward," Miles said.
"Yes, sir."
With the press of a button, the prosecutors began walking down the hallways and talking to each other at a comically fast pace. There was nothing that stuck out to Phoenix until he saw Miles appear on screen. He walked up the stairs to the 12th floor, briefcase in hand. As he was walking down the hallway, Maria stepped out of her office. The two appeared to chat for a moment, then went their separate ways.
Phoenix turned to Miles. "Was this right before….?"
"Yes," Miles said. "Now pay attention, this is the important part. Play it at normal speed."
The guard did as he was told and slowed the video. Maria walked down the hallway at a normal pace, reading out of her organizer.
"Do you know where she was going?" Phoenix said.
"She was going to meet Detective Skye a few blocks down," Miles said. "She didn't say for what case though. Unfortunately it's difficult to keep track of her, as she takes on multiple cases at once."
"Maybe we can ask Ema," Phoenix said.
On screen, Maria disappeared from one monitor and appeared on another as she took the stairs.
"I don't think these videos are going to tell us anything," Miles said, adjusting his glasses. "I'm assuming there aren't any outdoor cameras?"
"Correct, sir," the guard said.
"As I thought," Miles said.
"Yeah, I guess there's nothing particularly important," Phoenix said. "Still, it's evidence. Wouldn't mind a copy. There could be something important we missed."
"Very well then, I suppose it would be foolish to discount anything of potential use," Miles said nonchalantly.
"I can make a physical copy, it'd only take a couple minutes," the guard said.
"Great, thank you!" Phoenix said.
While the guard worked on copying the file, Miles and Phoenix stood next to the massive window overlooking the parking lot plotting their next move.
"I guess the next thing to do would be to look for witnesses," Phoenix said.
"I've already sent a memo that any prosecutors with pertinent information should report to the police, of course they'd know to do that already," Miles said, gazing out the window.
Phoenix leaned against the wall next to the glass. "Guess that base is covered then. Want to see if anyone in the area caught something?"
"Sure," Miles said.
The defense attorney shoved his hands in his pockets. This must be hitting him pretty hard. Should I say something?
"So…. how is she?" Phoenix said.
Miles flinched, surprised by the question. "As well as can be expected, I suppose."
"Did the doctors tell you why she's comatose?" Phoenix said, not sure whether he was doing the right thing. Starting to wish I'd brought Athena with me.
"Poison," Miles said. "Someone soaked some kind of cloth in poison and forced it down her throat. They didn't tell me what kind of poison it was, but I know it affected her nervous system and that's why she can't wake up."
"Ah," Phoenix said, not sure what else to add. Miles was hard to read sometimes.
Just then one of the guards spoke up. "All done!"
He walked over and handed Phoenix a CD, which the attorneys thanked him for.
"Ah, it was nothing. Just doing my job!" the guard spoke with an extra ounce of enthusiasm. Phoenix caught him sneak a glance at Miles.
Have to look good when the boss is watching. Phoenix put the CD away and turned to Miles. "Ready to go?"
"Of course," Miles said.