Phoenix Wright / Gyakuten Saiban, its settings and characters, are property of Capcom, and are being used here without permission. This fic is rated R.
The version of this chapter on gyakutensaiban (LJ) has a crime scene diagram with it
Well Frogs
Chapter 9
Akane led Odoroki and Naruhodou out the back of the restaurant, into yet another garden. It looked like it sported some of the same plants as the park next door, except that they were positioned around an oblong-shaped pond roughly four meters in diameter. A pair of junior officers was in the process of carefully draining the water into jugs.
"That's where we found the murder weapon," Akane said carelessly as they passed. "None of the people in the restaurant saw anything, but with all this greenery all over the place, it's not that surprising. Someone could have easily slipped out of the building and crossed over to the park."
"Seems awfully convenient," Naruhodou said with a smirk. "The entire theme of this restaurant is that you enjoy the garden along with the food. But only the killer was out here?"
Akane shrugged. "It's October; it's chilly, and people are lazy. Maybe the killer was counting on that."
"Did you find anything on the gun?" Odoroki asked, watching the pond and the officers. The gun went from the Kitaki house, to the park, to this pond… That's part of the puzzle, at least. "Prints?"
"Nope. It was at the bottom--the water ruined any prints." Akane made a sudden left, leading them to the edge of the garden, where the path to the park began. The trail wasn't very long, but it was covered on both sides by tall, thick shrubbery, just like everywhere else in Tranquility Gardens. "We suspect the killer shot Mr. Katagi in the gazebo, then came down this path and ditched the gun in the pond," Akane continued. "The ground wasn't soft enough to get any usable foot print molds, but Mr. Katagi's…um, henchmen, I guess, didn't see the killer try to leave the park. He had to have gone back to the restaurant."
Naruhodou hummed thoughtfully, and sent Odoroki a look. "You're sure it was a 'he'?" he asked of Akane.
She frowned at him. "You're not suggesting it was Ms. Kitaki, are you?"
"Kanako Katagi was at the restaurant, too," Odoroki said, catching on. "She even called it in. Isn't she a suspect?"
"She lives with the man," came an interruption from the smooth voice of Kyouya Garyuu. "She had plenty of chances to kill him without all this risk."
Odoroki turned his gaze ahead, where Kyouya was standing on the short wooden steps leading up into the gazebo. Though he mostly blocked any view Odoroki might have gotten of the scene itself, there was still a thick, coppery smell in the air that made him wince.
"The body's gone, but it's still kind of nasty up here," Kyouya warned, hopping off the step. Odoroki stepped aside to make way for him. "Just so you know."
"I'm fine," Odoroki assured. He had been around blood before, and was confident he could handle it. However, he still felt a chill as he entered the wooden gazebo, and saw the grotesque splatter of blood and bone against otherwise white surfaces. The outline of a body had been taped to the floor, and was accompanied by a small numbered tag near the right hand.
"We found his cell phone next to him," Akane explained, joining him. "Mr. Kitaki was the last person he spoke to on it. Assuming the call cut off when Shouri Katagi was shot, it puts the murder right at 6:16 pm."
Odoroki felt his stomach turn a little, but he pushed it aside as he took in the scene--he wouldn't have much time to collect his clues. "He was facing the bushes?" The whole gazebo was surrounded in the same tall shrubs, which would have provided excellent cover for an approaching murderer. When he looked closer, it even looked as if some of the leaves and branches had been blasted away in one area.
"Tested positive for GSR," Akane confirmed. "It explains why the victim didn't call for help or try to escape--he might not have even seen the shooter."
Odoroki frowned thoughtfully, and stepped over to the foot of the roped silhouette. "But…wait, that doesn't make sense." He reached one hand out in front of him towards the torn shrubbery, and the other towards the gazebo's exit, where Kyouya and Naruhodou were both standing in the path. It made roughly a 90 degree angle. "I can see you guys. If someone had come down the path, wouldn't the victim have seen?"
"Well…I guess." Akane tugged on a strand her hair uncomfortably as she glanced over the scene again. "Unless he had his back to the path. He was on the phone, so he could have been looking at anything."
"But then why didn't the killer just shoot him in the back?" Odoroki asked. "And how did he get on the outside?" He pointed to the twisted shrub again. "If you know for sure the bullet went through here, the killer had to have been on the outside. But to leave the path you have to go through the gazebo." He indicated the gazebo's entrance which led out to the park, directly opposite the covered trail. "How could he slip past the victim only to double back and shoot him from another angle?"
"Um, well…" Akane crossed her arms irritably. "I don't know how yakuza think!"
Odoroki fought back a grin. I've found a contradiction already! Excited with his discovery, he started out of the park-side entrance. "I'm going to get a look from the outside!"
He jogged around the perimeter of the gazebo, and though the bushes were thick, he could still see a faint outline of Akane inside. He could also hear Kyouya fairly clearly as he did his best to counteract Odoroki's logic.
"Maybe there was a struggle after all, and more than one shot was fired," the prosecutor suggested. "The leaf damage could have been caused by a bullet going out just as easily as in."
"Then you should find more GSR on the victim than you did the plant life," Naruhodou objected wryly. "The killer was trying to hit Katagi, not ruin the park."
Akane sighed. "We didn't find that much on the victim," she admitted. "It's pretty clear he was shot through the bush."
Odoroki glanced at the broken leaves, but it was too hard to tell if they were bending in or out. Instead he moved on towards the restaurant path, and it was there that he found a few branches curving out towards him. "Hey! Can you see me?"
The others moved closer, and he gave the bush a shake to show which one he meant. "Some of these branches are bent," he declared, giving them a tug. The shrubs looked like they formed an impenetrable wall, but they were in reality rather easy to move. "Do you think someone could have come through here?"
Akane stepped forward, and with a grunt forced her way through the wall. As she brushed a few stray twigs out of her hair the bush seemed to relax back into its former position without much of a disturbance to show from it. "Huh." She chewed her lip thoughtfully. "I guess so. But Mr. Kitaki…well, most of our suspects are bigger than me."
"Then what about me?" Naruhodou squared his shoulders and pushed his way through as well, bending a few branches in the process, but again the bush seemed to resettle just as well. As Kyouya took his turn Naruhodou looked to his young companion. "Well, good job proving your client could have done it."
"What?" Odoroki jumped, glancing between him and the opening. His heart sank. "You mean…"
"Shouri Katagi's back is to the restaurant," Kyouya began with a grim smile. "Tsunekatsu Kitaki sneaks down the path, keeping his target distracted and on the phone. He slips through the bushes, circles around, and….bang!" He shrugged. "Dead yakuza."
"But…" Odoroki shifted his weight anxiously. And I just proved it's possible. Way to go, Housuke. "But it still doesn't make sense," he insisted. "Why would he go through the trouble of doing that? If the victim's back was to him he could have killed him at any time. Why bother going through the bushes at all?"
Kyouya shrugged again. "I don't know how yakuza think," he replied, for which Akane sent him a glare.
"You're going to have to do better than that," Naruhodou said. "It's a legitimate question. Leaving the path would have put the killer out here, in the open. Someone like Tsunekatsu Kitaki would have known better than to expose himself any more than he already was."
Odoroki turned away as he listened, glancing over the branches again. There might be some other clue still left on them, maybe a piece of fabric that had been torn, or even just a few fibers that could be matched to a suspect's clothing. Naruhodou's right. Mr. Kitaki is smart, and he wouldn't have put himself in danger like that. He crouched down in hopes of finding a footprint, which…he probably should have done before they all took the opportunity to try out the opening.
"Maybe the victim started to turn," Kyouya offered. "If he heard someone coming down the path and turned to look, the killer could have ducked through the bushes to avoid being spotted."
"Or maybe you should pay better attention to the people you accuse of murder," Naruhodou returned. Though Odoroki wasn't looking at them anymore, he could hear the smirk in his companion's voice. "Tsunekatsu Kitaki is a little big to be 'ducking' through anything without making a lot of noise."
They're going to get in a fight again, Odoroki thought with a shake of his head. It's not…really my business, but they could pick a better time for it. As he considered saying something, his attention was grabbed suddenly by a piece of litter stuck in one of the lower branches.
"Then enlighten me," Kyouya continued overhead, his voice growing terse. "You're the supposed genius at contradictions. Who went through?"
Naruhodou scoffed. "Are you asking me to do your job?"
"Hey." Odoroki reached through the branches, scratching his bare arms a little as he tried to retrieve the familiar plastic wrapping. "I think I found something."
If any of them heard him, they didn't give any indication of it. Akane was already plenty distracted having to put herself between the two men. "Come on, you two. We're all--"
However, Kyouya was perfectly willing to talk over her as well. "The murder weapon was found in the pond," he reasoned. "The killer returned to the restaurant after having shot the man, right? Whether it makes sense or not, he put himself in the open so that he could shoot Katagi through the shrub-wall. That's just plain evidence."
Odoroki snatched up the item he'd been grasping for, and endured a few more sticks as he pulled his hand out. As he'd suspected, it was a familiar treat wrapper with a little fox-shaped wafer inside. Damn.
Naruhodou was still carrying on as Odoroki pushed to his feet. "But that's not the only evidence that matters. You have to consider the motive--"
Kyouya sighed in exasperation. "How much more motive can there between two yakuza families sworn to kill each other?"
"You're only seeing the surface," Naruhodou insisted. His tone was beginning to sound strained as well, and Odoroki had a sudden bad feeling about where this was headed. "You're not digging deeply enough--you haven't changed at all!"
"Excuse me!" Fed up with their arguing, Odoroki stepped deliberately between them. "We're trying to investigate a murder here."
Odoroki hadn't really expected he could hold any authority over either of these well known men, and was a bit shocked when they both silenced. Naruhodou even stuffed his hands in his pockets and lowered his eyes to the ground as if guilty. It was a strange image for Odoroki to witness, and he had to shake himself a bit before he could continue. He cleared his throat. "I found something."
"You shouldn't be touching that with your bare hands," Akane admonished. She looked a bit flustered herself as she pulled an evidence bag out of her satchel. "We might have been able to get a print."
"Oh…ah, oops?" Odoroki blushed in embarrassment and quickly turned it to grip it by the corners. He knew that showing it to the three of them was going to get his client in more trouble, but there was no way around it now. "It's a monaka wrapper," he explained, displaying the snack that had not yet been eaten. "Made by the Kitakis."
They all took a look, but this time remained awkwardly silent about the damning evidence; Odoroki was pretty certain it was pity keeping them from voicing the obvious. He just showed this to me today, and he said it was brand new. It definitely places him at the scene.
Akane gave the evidence bag a little shake, and Odoroki obediently slipped the snack into it. "I'll check it for prints back at the station," she said hesitantly. "And any other trace evidence. You're…sure it's a Kitaki monaka?"
"Yeah…I'm sure." Odoroki scratched the back of his neck. "I had one a few hours ago. They're…really good!"
"Well, if it turns out not to be important evidence, you can have it," Kyouya suggested, though his humor was clearly forced. He gave the other three a brief, uncomfortable look, and finally turned away. "I'm gonna head back to the pond and see how they're doing with the water."
"Oh, okay, um…" Akane glanced between him and the sullen Naruhodou, looking torn. "I'll be there in a minute." She started to pull out her cell phone. "I'm going to give Detective Beni a call and have him ask Mr. Kitaki about the snack during his interrogation."
"Yeah, okay." Kyouya turned back to the path they had all left a moment ago, pausing long enough to give Odoroki a half-hearted smirk. "Your fifteen minutes are almost up," he teased.
"I know…." Odoroki watched him go, that same empty feeling crawling into his stomach. I have to say something, he thought with a frown. Naruhodou said he wanted to help, but he's not if he's just scaring Prosecutor Garyuu off every time. And…it's just not right!
"You two can have another minute, if you want," Akane said as she dialed a number into her cell phone. "But then I have to get back to the station, and I can't have you hanging around here unsupervised."
"We understand," Odoroki assured. He gave Naruhodou's sleeve a tug and started around the line of plant life so he could enter the gazebo properly. "We just need another second."
Naruhodou followed him back inside, and though the setting wasn't exactly ideal, Odoroki took his chance. "Why do you keep doing that?" he asked, hoping that some of the authority that had worked against Naruhodou a moment ago might still be in his voice.
"Doing what?" Naruhodou asked evasively.
"Baiting Prosecutor Garyuu." Odoroki folded his arms, trying to warm them, but then he thought that might be too combative of him. He dropped them again. "I mean, I understand what you have against him. But it wasn't really his fault, and--"
"It's not that," Naruhodou quickly interrupted. "It's not…what you think, really."
Odoroki frowned. What did I think? Now I'm not sure. He glanced around helplessly. "Then…what is it? He may be a prosecutor, but…he's really helped me out a few times." It was kind of a humbling admission, but Odoroki wasn't a fool--he knew just how much he owed to the prosecutor for all the times he'd gone easy on him. "He's a decent guy, but all you do is pick on him."
"You want me to go into this now?" Naruhodou asked, clearly trying to sound exasperated rather than defensive. "Here?"
"You're…" Odoroki squirmed on his feet. Not that long ago he had been leaping at the opportunity to accept Naruhodou's help, and now he was shying away. He had no idea how he was supposed to talk to the man, a lawyer who had won so many cases in the past but was now hampering his investigation. At long last he forced the words out in a rush. "You said you wanted to help me but I can't even investigate if I have to keep stopping to break the two of you up, not that I'm ungrateful because I really appreciate you being here, I'm just not very good at this sort of thing if you know what I mean."
Naruhodou blinked in surprise at his declaration, and again that guilty look crept into his eyes. He scratched the back of his neck and finally relented. "All right. Let me explain…"
Odoroki tried not to fidget anymore, however anxious he was to hear his pseudo-mentor's thoughts. "Okay…"
Naruhodou took a deep breath, his shoulders sinking as he began. "Years ago, when…it happened, I told myself I wouldn't worry about Prosecutor Garyuu. I sat in on some of his cases as part of my investigation, and after only a few I realized he couldn't have been the one behind everything." He smirked a little at Odoroki. "You've faced him yourself--you know what I mean, don't you?"
Odoroki considered his answer carefully, unable to help the feeling that he was being tested somehow. "He wasn't all that broken up when he lost to me," he said slowly. "He really cares about finding the truth. He's not the kind of person that would fake evidence just to win."
Naruhodou was shaking his head even before Odoroki finished. "He doesn't care about the truth," he said with greater strength. "If he really cared about catching criminals those cases wouldn't have made it to court in the first place. He has a sharp mind, really--he knows the truth when he sees it. But that's not worth anything if he doesn't look for it in the first place."
"Well…I guess that's true…" Odoroki glanced around uncomfortably. He didn't like having to talk about Kyouya behind his back like this, even if he was only receiving the explanation he'd asked for. "He didn't really seem to care when Minuki and I were investigating Takita's case this summer…."
Naruhodou lowered his eyes again, and for a moment Odoroki was certain he could see history spanning within them. He couldn't help but wonder if he would ever have eyes like that… "I've known quite a few lawyers," the elder continued. "Men and women who went to court with their entire lives on the line. They weren't always right…but they believed in something, and they fought for it. Anyone who can't do that much doesn't deserve to stand up in a courtroom." He sighed quietly. "A great lawyer taught me that."
Their entire lives…? His words made Odoroki's chest ache with a feeling of uncertainty. That's how Naruhodou was in court. Even…even Mr. Garyuu. It was painful to think on for too long now, but Odoroki still remembered the focused passion with which his former teacher had taken each case, every time with his full reputation on the line. Have I ever really fought that hard for a case? Maybe… His hands tightened at his sides. Maybe Naruhodou is disappointed in me, too.
"Anyway," Naruhodou went on, his rough voice drawing Odoroki's attention back. "What I'm trying to say is that when I realized what kind of person Prosecutor Garyuu was all those years ago, I put him out of my mind." He straightened up a bit, which had the effect of loosening the weight on Odoroki's shoulders as well. "With his brother around I had no way of reaching him. I told myself that when it was over, when I was finally able to prove the truth, then I would worry about him. Then I'd…forgive him, not just for what he did to me, but…everything else. It's just…" Naruhodou chuckled dryly. "I never thought of myself as the kind of person who holds a grudge, but following through with that is turning out to be harder than I thought. That's all."
"Oh…." Odoroki tugged lightly on the PaPa hat that was still covering his ears. "I'm not sure I really understand, but…" He licked his lips. "I think I do…?"
Naruhodou watched him a moment, and then chuckled again. He stepped forward to give Odoroki a hearty pat on the shoulder. "Sorry--you shouldn't listen to old men like me. We ramble."
"You're not that old," Odoroki retorted, rolling his eyes. He reached under the hat to give his scalp a scratch--he wasn't used to wearing thick wool for so long. "Just…from now on, let me be the one that talks to Prosecutor Garyuu, all right?" He shrugged. "At least while this case is going on."
"All right," Naruhodou agreed. Maybe Odoroki was imagining it, but he seemed to have relaxed a great deal following his confessions, and his smile appeared sincere. "Looks like I have a lot of growing left to do before I can be a lawyer again after all."
Odoroki was at a loss for words, which made it something of a blessing that Akane took that moment to appear in the gazebo entrance. She was chewing her lip uncomfortably, and the look she fixed on Naruhodou was a clear indication that she had overheard their conversation. Naruhodou coughed into his fist and moved to meet her. "I guess our time's up, huh?" he said lightly. "Here to scare us out?"
"Something like that," Akane replied hesitantly.
Naruhodou glanced back to his young companion with a slight smirk. "Why don't you go on without me?" he suggested. "There's one thing I want to show the detective before she takes off."
"Oh…sure." Odoroki reached for the PaPa hat. "Do you want this back?"
"Keep it for now--you've got a long trip home from here, don't you?"
"Yeah…thanks."
Naruhodou gave him a wave, and then gently took Akane's elbow to steer her away from the gazebo. Odoroki could see her lips moving as they headed off but she was speaking too quietly for him to hear. Stuck in the middle again, he thought glumly as he turned to follow the path back towards the restaurant. Why does everything have to be so complicated? Or maybe…I'm not taking it seriously enough. He sighed, plucking at his T-shirt. No, I know how important this is. The Kitakis are depending on me. I have to be as strong as Naruhodou expects me to be.
He jogged the last few feet of the trail, bringing him back into the garden behind the restaurant. The officers were finally finished draining the pond, with Kyouya there to oversee them loading jugs onto a restaurant cart. It wasn't until Odoroki was just beside him that he noticed the extra presence.
"Hey, Odeko," Kyouya greeted. "Were your 15 minutes worth it?"
"Well…" Odoroki pursed his lips. "I managed to give you guys two strong pieces of evidence that my client is guilty," he said with a wince. "But at least this way you can't surprise me with them in court."
Kyouya chuckled at that. "Such an optimist you are! I like that."
Odoroki stared up at Kyouya for a moment, remembering what Naruhodou had told him only a few minutes ago. Prosecutor Garyuu…does things his own way, at his own pace. Naruhodou said he's not trying as hard as he should be, but… He frowned slightly at the pinch of wrinkles at the corner of Kyouya's eyes. He looks serious now.
"Prosecutor Garyuu," Odoroki began carefully. "I want to apol--"
Kyouya pressed his index finger to Odoroki's lips, hushing him with a tsk. "Don't get personal on me," he warned humorously. "We're here on business, right?" He gave Odoroki's cheek a gentle slap.
Odoroki's brow furrowed as he rubbed his face. "Um, okay." I just wanted him to know I don't quite agree with Naruhodou. I think he does care about the truth. "Then…how's the case going?"
Kyouya's smile grew a bit grim. He ticked the points off on his fingers. "Motive. Proximity. A closed location with a limited number of suspects. Lack of alibi. A murder weapon only a Kitaki could have gotten his hands on. A snack wrapper only a Kitaki could have left." He showed off his hands. "That's a lot more than three strikes."
"Yeah…I figured." Odoroki had realized earlier that there would be no avoiding this, so he wasn't particularly surprised. "So, you're going to arrest him?"
"We don't have much of a choice," Kyouya said with a shrug. "Unless you have some evidence to say he didn't do it?"
"Just what I know about Mr. Kitaki," Odoroki admitted. He looked over the pond once more, the garden, the restaurant, as if some clue might jump out and save him at the last moment. When he found nothing he turned his head back to Kyouya. "He wouldn't have done this."
Kyouya returned his gaze evenly, and though his lips were still smiling any remaining humor left his eyes. "Then I guess I'll see you in court."
Odoroki took a deep breath, gathering himself up to his full height--even if he had no chance of meeting Kyouya on equal footing, he wanted to show his resolution. "Yeah. I guess you will."
