So ends the trial...for now.
Chapter 10: In Plain Sight
I was screwed. That was really the best way to put it. I still had no decisive evidence to prove Travis's innocence and I had nothing but conjecture against the mountain of evidence that pointed to his guilt. This was far from the first time this had happened to me, but that didn't make it any easier to handle.
Edgeworth looked at me with an expression of pity. "I'm sorry, Wright. I respect your philosophy, but this is what happens when you put your trust in an assassin."
"Yes, I'm afraid so," the judge agreed. "If you have nothing further, then it is time for me to hand down my verdict."
I wanted to respond, but no words could leave my mouth.
Objection!
That wasn't me.
Henry raised his hand. "My apologies, Your Honor. I just had to try that once."
(I can't believe he's still in good spirits at a time like this.)
The judge nodded. "Understandable. I too, have had the urge to shout a good 'Objection' every now and then. Anyway, if that's really it this time, then-"
Objection!
That...wasn't me either. "The trial can't end just yet, Your Honor."
(Wait...I know that voice.)
"M-Mia?!
I turned to my right, where the young girl known as Maya Fey was now a much older woman known as Mia Fey. "Looks like I've made It just in time, Nick. As per usual."
"Oh, it's you again." the judge said. "You do enjoy popping in like this, don't you?" Clearly, he was more than used to this by now, as was Edgeworth. Even the gallery didn't seem particularly shocked.
"What...the...hell...?" Henry spoke. His jaw dropped and his eyes widened as he stared at Mia in complete bafflement.
(Oh yeah, spirit channeling isn't supposed to be a normal thing.)
"Um...long story." Henry just nodded a little, having no doubt about that.
I turned back to Mia. "What is it, Mia? What did you see that can help me turn this case around?
She frowned. "Well, I wouldn't go that far. I don't have much more of an idea than you do."
(That's less than inspiring.)
"But there is one thing I noticed," she continued. "One piece of evidence that is crucial to this case, yet hasn't been fully examined yet." She looked up at the judge's bench. "The trial cannot end until every piece of evidence had been fully examined, isn't that right, Your Honor?"
"Why yes, of course it is. But what is this piece of evidence you're talking about?"
She smiled at me. "Well, Nick?"
"Me?"
"Yes, you. You are the defense attorney on this case, after all. And I don't think the deceased can legally present evidence anyway. "
(Damn dead person loopholes.)
I opened my briefcase again, fishing through it yet again. This time, I focused not on finding evidence to acquit Travis, but evidence that had not been fully examined. There was only one thing that came to mind, though I had no idea how it could possibly help us.
"Well, Mr. Wright?" the judge asked. "What is this piece of evidence that hasn't been fully examined."
Take that!
He looked down at the photo I was holding. "...The video tape?"
(Alright, time to put my famous bluffing into action.)
"Yes, Your Honor. Even though this tape is allegedly the defendant's motive, the actual contents of the tape have yet to be examined."
Mia smiled at me reassuringly while Edgeworth sighed in exasperation. "Wright, I know you do this a lot, and I should really not be surprised anymore, but this is ridiculous even for you. The tape was from the video store and it even has a label! It's just a cheap video store rental and nothing more!"
"Maybe, and maybe not. That tape could very well be the turning point to this entire case!"
He looked far from convinced, but the judge was a different story. "Really? Well, in that case, I agree that the contents should be examined."
Edgeworth muttered something like "useless waste of time" while the bailiff rolled a television into the courtroom and put in the video tape. I watched the screen in anticipation as I hoped for something that would help me out.
That's not what I got.
What I got was some kind of anime tape, featuring Japanese schoolgirls running in a field while strange music played in the background. "Umm...what is this?" the judge asked, speaking for all of us.
Edgeworth looked down at his documents. "According to the label, it's the 'Bizarre Jelly 5: Extra Bukkake Special'".
"I see. And what exactly is a 'boo-ka-kake'?"
"...I'm not really sure."
It was a rare treat to see Edgeworth so baffled, not that I could really appreciate it at the moment. Especially when the tape got decidedly less family-friendly. The schoolgirls looked like they were going through the kind of transformation sequence I would normally see on the Steel Samurai, except that I couldn't recall the Steel Samurai ever being so...exposed.
"Oh, my!" the judge gasped, his bearded mouth open in shock.
I was getting pretty uncomfortable myself. "Uh...maybe we shouldn't have played this..."
"This was your idea!" Edgeworth reminded me, slamming his hand on the desk. The gallery was in on the discomfort as well, voicing their displeasure towards both me and the guy they believed went through all the trouble to steal this.
(Just when I thought my case couldn't sink any further...)
And yet, it seemed that the universe decided I hadn't suffered enough, and so it got even worse. As soon as the transformations were complete, the schoolgirls were fully dressed again and went off to fight evil. That didn't sound so bad, up until they ended up fighting some kind of giant tentacle monster, then one thing led to another and...
Well, at this point, we all had a pretty good idea of what "Bukkake" meant.
"Mia! Help!" I turned to my former mentor in desperate need of aid, only to see Maya again.
"Sorry, Nick. Sis said she's out."
(Can't say I blame her.)
"Henry?"
The Irishman was out of his state of shock by now, which was odd considering the situation. His attention was focused partially on the courtroom and partially on the tape, as if unable to decide whether or not he should be watching it. "Hmm? Did you say something?"
"NGAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Edgeworth screamed, covering his eyes as if they would melt. "Your Honor, I request that the court hit the fast-forward button!"
"Request granted!" I had never seen the judge slam his gavel so quickly in my life. The bailiff came over and sped up the tape. The traumatizing images didn't get much better, but now they at least went by faster and there was no audio. I was probably the only one still watching at this point, hoping beyond all logic that this could still help somehow.
Ultimately, I was glad I did. "Wait! Pause it there!" The bailiff was so caught off-guard by the request that he fumbled with the remote a little before hitting the pause button. It didn't really matter though, because I was still seeing the same thing as before: the inside of Beef Head Videos. The sudden change of scenery was immensely jarring and I couldn't even figure out what this was for a few seconds. It almost looked like...
(Wait. It can't be...)
The judge beat me to it. "...Is that the missing security footage?"
"What?!" Edgeworth finally unshielded his eyes and stared, gaping at the screen. "This is ludicrous! What on Earth is it doing here?!"
I had no idea, but I wasn't about to let this chance pass me by. I looked intently at the paused security footage, quickly noticing an inconsistency. "Your Honor, I would like to point out the time stamp that this footage shows: 9:07 PM. Does that time sound familiar to you?"
"It does indeed. That falls right inside the time frame of the murder!"
"Yes, meaning that this is undoubtedly the footage stolen that night!"
Edgeworth scoffed. "So what? There's nothing there." He gasped, reeling back in shock. "There's nothing there?!"
"It appears that I am once again being left out of the loop," the judge sighed. "Exactly what is significant about this footage, Mr. Wright?"
"It's simple, Your Honor. There is one thing that should be in this footage, but isn't."
Take that!
"The victim."
Indeed, the tape showed the inside of Beef Head Videos...and nothing more.
Maya gasped. "Hey, that's right! Wasn't the victim supposed to be working at the time of the murder?"
"It's just a coincidence!" Edgeworth insisted. "She may simply be in the bathroom for all we know!"
I stared him down in open challenge. "Well then, let's watch all of the footage and find out."
"Agreed," the judge said. "Bailiff, play this footage from the beginning."
As we found out in the following minutes, the footage began at precisely 9:00 PM and continued through 9:07 and beyond. We soon needed the bailiff to fast-forward the tape again just so we wouldn't be here all morning. The footage went all the way to 9:30 without a single sign of the victim or anyone else. "What in the hell is going on?" Henry asked, rubbing his temples. The footage continued until 9:42, when it suddenly blacked out, ending the tape.
"Hold on. Play that last part again." The bailiff rewound to the end of the tape. The last thing shown was the familiar image of the Rose Nasty flying at the camera. "It appears that this is when the camera was destroyed. Naturally, the footage was cut off afterwards."
The judge appeared deep in thought. "Hmm. What does all of this mean, Mr. Wright?"
"First of all, it looks like someone stole the security footage from the crime scene and taped it over the end of this video."
(Stolen VHS Tape Updated in the Court Record.)
"But...why?"
"That's not important, Your Honor."
(Mainly because I have no freaking clue.)
"What's important is what this footage shows, or rather, what it doesn't show. We had believed the victim to be present for the entire time before the murder, but this is clearly not the case. We now know that the victim was absent for a large portion of her shift, and who knows how long she was really gone or when she left in the first place. I believe these circumstances require further investigation."
"Yes, that certainly seems to be the case. What do you think, Mr. Edgeworth?"
"..." Edgeworth was glaring intently at the blank television screen.
"It seems that the prosecution agrees. Very well then. This trial shall be postponed until tomorrow. Who put this footage on the tape? Where was the victim for all this time before the murder? And what happened to her afterwards? I expect the defense and the prosecution to answer these questions for me by tomorrow."
"...Yes...Your Honor..." Edgeworth finally managed to get out.
"Excellent, Mr. Wright," Henry congratulated me. "You've won, for now at least."
(Your sense of optimism could still use some work, buddy.)
The judge raised his gavel. "The court is now-"
Hold it!
Kimmy Howell was back at the witness stand, looking absolutely furious.
(Crap! I forgot all about her!)
Kimmy's recorder beam katana was activated and she swung it through the air as she talked, as if fighting some invisible adversary. "This isn't over yet! Your Honor, let me testify one more time!"
The judge seemed unsure. "But Ms. Howell, the trial is already-"
"NOW!"
He banged his gavel. "The court will now hear one last testimony from Ms. Kimmy Howell."
(Still as spineless as ever...)
Witness Testimony - Travis the Guilty
That tape changes nothing, I tell you! Nothing!
So what if the victim was gone for a little while?
The time of death was between 9-10, right?
So Travis could have easily killed her in that remaining time!
And that's exactly what the tape shows!
Travis destroying the cameras right before the kill!
"She's not even bothering with the 'Travis the Great' thing anymore, huh?" Maya asked, looking as tired of this witness as I was.
"She's completely lost it," Henry said. "But she does have a point, I'm afraid. If you can't disprove this testimony, everything you just uncovered will be for nothing." He put a hand on my shoulder. "No pressure."
"Mr Wright, please begin your cross-examination." I braced myself and glared at Kimmy. I wasn't going to be pressing her this time. I saw the contradiction and I was going straight for the throat.
(Alright Kimmy, it's time to put the final nail in your coffin.)
Cross-examination - Travis the Guilty
That tape changes nothing, I tell you! Nothing!
So what if the victim was gone for a little while?
The time of death was between 9-10, right?
So Travis could have easily killed her in that remaining time!
Objection!
"Are you kidding me?!" Kimmy screamed. "Again?!"
I refused to be intimidated. "Yes, again. You see, we found something interesting while we were investigating the scene of the crime." I pulled a photo out of my briefcase and passed it to the bailiff.
"My, what an adorable little desk calender," the judge said, looking down at the photo.
"It isn't just cute, Your Honor, it's vital evidence. As you can see, the victim's work schedule is listed there on the night of the murder. Could you please tell the court what that schedule was?"
The judge looked closely at the pictured calendar. "Let's see here. It looks like her schedule that night was...6:00-9:30 PM...Ah!"
"I see you understand. Her shift was already over by the time the incident with the cameras occurred."
Kimmy was not taking this well. "No...no way..grrk..."
"Tell me, Ms. Howell, if the victim wasn't even at work during her shift, then why would she come back after it was already over?"
She had no answer. Not a coherent one at least. "Grrrr...AAAAIIIGGHHH!" Her beam katana went haywire again and took off a few more hairs.
(She really needs to be more careful with that thing. I should know.)
"Hold on, Wright," Edgeworth said. "Do you know what you're implying? There is a one hour period where the murder could have taken place. If the victim didn't come to the store for the first forty-two minutes of that period, and she didn't come afterward..."
I nodded. "That's right. There's a good possibility that the scene of the crime wasn't the video store at all."
"But...but that's crazy...isn't it?" There was a hint of doubt in his voice. For the first time, I got the impression he wasn't entirely certain of Travis's guilt anymore.
"No!" Kimmy yelled again. "I won't accept it! Travis must be guilty! HE MUST BE!"
"You know, I think I'm beginning to understand what's going on with you, Kimmy." I looked at her a bit sadly. "You're jealous, aren't you?"
She was taken aback and struggled to keep up her front. "J-Jealous? Jealous of who?!"
Take that!
"...Ms. Sylvia Cristel, of course. Travis's girlfriend." She flinched and bit her lip. "It must have been hard for you, being Travis's #1 fan, to see him with another woman. So when you heard about this incident, you decided to come here and turn what you saw that night into a way to get your revenge. Travis would go to prison and Slyvia would lose him forever. If you couldn't have him, then no one could, right?" I pointed a finger directly at her. "This whole thing has been about nothing more than petty jealously! Admit it!"
Kimmy had put her katana away and was now clutching the letter she had read before in her hands. Actually...looking closer, it was not the same letter, but a different one. If I had to guess, it was the one she had originally written to Travis when they first met. "Travis...the...Great..." she breathed softly, starting a tear up a little. For a second, I felt kinda bad for her.
Then she started ripping the letter to shreds while screaming at the top of her lungs. "TRAVISTHEGREATTRAVISTHEGREATTRAVISTHEGREATTRAVISTHEGREATTRAVISTHEGREATTRAVISTHEGREATTRAVISTHEGREAT!" Once the letter was no more, she just stood there for a moment, breathing heavily, then fell backwards and passed out.
As the bailiff awkwardly dragged the unconscious schoolgirl out of the courtroom, the judge cleared his throat. "Well, I guess that takes care of that. As I was saying, this court is now adjourned."
He slammed his gavel.
April 14, 12:23 PM
District Court- Defendant Lobby No. 3
"How the heck did I do that?" I asked, more to myself than anyone else. I had just defended a known murderer in court and, while I hadn't gotten him off the hook yet, I managed to at least buy some more time.
"I must say, being a lawyer is much more exciting than I expected," Henry smiled. "But you really are good at this, I'll give you that."
"Yeah, that was some pretty sick lawyering out there," another voice said.
"Travis!" Maya exclaimed. My otaku defendant walked over to us, a satisfied grin on his face. "Now, aren't you glad that you decided to hire Nick?"
The grin dampened a little. "Yeah, yeah, don't rub it in."
I got a feeling that something else was bothering him. "What's wrong?"
He didn't seem surprised that I had figured him out. I imagine the whole Psyche-Lock experience must have taught him better. "It's Kimmy. I knew she was crazy when I first met her, but that...". He waved his hands around aimlessly. "...that was just plain fucked up."
"I know. But that's just the way it goes sometimes. The pursuit of the truth can take many casualties."
He laughed. "I didn't think you could be so deep."
"Me neither," Maya said cheekily.
I looked away, trying to hide my embarrassment. "Anyway...what's our next move?"
Henry sighed in frustration. "To be honest, I can't think of anything more to investigate that we didn't cover yesterday."
"I have an idea," Travis said. "How about the cemetery?"
"The cemetery?" I asked. "The one where you visited your friend?"
"Yeah. I don't remember anything suspicious, but if the killer knew I would be there, they might have shit the bed somewhere in covering their tracks."
(I'm never going to get used to his potty mouth.)
"That's a good idea," I said. "If only because it's the only one we have, but still."
He shrugged. "Hey, you're the one who's supposed to figure this stuff out. I'm just a guy who kills other guys."
With that, Travis waved to us and left to go back to the detention center, leaving behind a possible lead. I didn't know how well it would pan out, but I promised myself that if there was anything at that cemetery of importance, I was going to find it.
Court Record:
Attorney's Badge
My trusty badge that proves I am a defense attorney. Always fun to present to random people.
Magatama
A gift from Maya and my key to the hearts of those who try to hide secrets from me.
Crime Scene Photo
Shows the victim lying face down between two shelves, covered in video tapes and a burn mark on her back.
Diane's Autopsy Report
Death caused by impalement from a beam katana. Time of death estimated between 9-10 PM.
Bloody VHS Case
Found lying in a pool of blood in front of the victim. The edges and part of the front cover are stained with blood. The video itself is missing and presumed stolen.
Desk Calendar
A Beef Head-styled calendar that belonged to the victim. It shows Diane's work schedule for the night of the murder as 6:00-9:30 PM.
Rose Nasty
A beam katana that belongs to Travis. It has two blades, one of which was the murder weapon. The other was found in Travis's motel.
Motel Room Key
The key to Travis's room at Motel No More Heroes.
Stolen VHS Tape
Taken from Beef Head Videos on the night of the murder and found in Travis's motel. The label reads "Bizarre Jelly 5: Extra Bukkake Special". It has security footage from the night of the murder taped over it, going from 9:00-9:42 PM.
Answering Machine Message
A message left by the victim at 8:55 on the night of the murder. In it, she yells at Travis about yet another late movie rental and revokes his membership.
Teddy Bear
Found in Travis's motel. Apparently, it was a gift from Sylvia.
Schpeltiger
Travis's surreal motorcycle. Skid marks show that it was used recently.
Letter of Challenge
A typed letter challenging Travis to a fight at Destroy Stadium. It's very muddy.
Blood Berry
A blue beam katana that Travis took with him to Destroy Stadium on the night of the murder.
Overhead Map
A map that shows Motel No More Heroes and Beef Head Videos around the corner from it. A restaurant named Burger Suplex is across the street from the motel.
Door scanner
A tiny scanner in Beef Head Videos that reads the bar codes on packages and triggers an alarm if they're not paid for.
Profiles:
Phoenix Wright
Age: 27
I've been a defense attorney for over three years now and it doesn't look like the job is going to get any easier.
Maya Fey
Age: 20
My assistant and trusted friend since the beginning of my career. Has a fondness for burgers and stealing things.
Travis Touchdown
Age: 31
My client, who also happens to be an assassin. He's not the most likable guy, but I know that he's at least innocent of this crime.
Sylvia Christel
Age: 27
A strange woman with a strange accent. She called me to take the case on Travis's behalf. She's apparently his girlfriend though she doesn't seem to agree with that assessment. She's also an agent for the United Assassins Association.
Dick Gumshoe
Age: 33
The detective on this case, as per usual. He's apparently the lesser of two evils when compared to the Santa Destroy police.
Diane Heifer
Age: 23
The victim in this case. An employee at Beef Head Videos who was killed during her night shift.
Jeane
Age: 5
Travis's friendly pet cat. Maya forced me to add him here.
Henry Cooldown
Age: 31
Travis's twin brother, believe it or not. He is now acting as my new partner and bodyguard for this case.
Bishop Shidux
Age: 30
Travis's former best friend, who was killed exactly one year before the night of the murder.
Shelly De Killer
Age: Unknown
A professional assassin who I've crossed paths with once before. His client has hired him to stop my investigation by any means necessary.
Miles Edgeworth
Age: 27
My childhood friend and the prosecutor on this case. He's a bit on the snobby side, be he has a good heart.
Kimmy Howell
Age: 19
A student at Destroy University and a former opponent of Travis that also seems to have a crush on him. A bit on the crazy side.