I don't think I've mentioned this before, but I actually made an entire outline of this story before I started writing it. For anyone else who wants to write an Ace Attorney fic, I highly recommend doing the same. I would have fallen into a plot hole long ago if not for that.

Chapter 11: Complications

April 14, 3:32 PM

Santa Destroy- Cemetery

For a city where people died on an hourly basis, Santa Destroy's cemetery was surprisingly small. According to Henry, that was because so few of the people who died were people anyone would miss. Travis's lost friend, Bishop Shidux, was one of the lucky exceptions. The cemetery consisted mainly of several rows of graves all leading up a large, grassy hill. At the top of the hill was a single tree, followed by a wide field of tall grass. This would have all looked pretty serene if not for the massive overpass taking up the skyline behind it.

Bishop's grave sat a few feet in front of the tree. Before we got anywhere near it, we could see a stark white object sitting next to it. It looked to me like some kind of strange toy. "What the heck is this?" I asked. My wariness around strange objects in this city kept me from actually picking it up. It seemed innocent enough, but I wasn't about to risk losing my arm again.

Henry took a peek at the object and instantly provided an explanation. "That's a Glastonbury action figure. It's a giant robot that protects the world from evil alongside the Bizarre Jelly girls." I looked at him strangely. "...Or so I heard."

"Cool, but what's it doing here?" Maya asked.

"Travis and Bishop were always into the same anime. I imagine Travis left this as a gift for him when he came here."

I looked down at the weird toy again. "I don't want to take it then, but I guess I should at least make note of it."

Glastonbury added to the Court Record.

I examined the grave further, but didn't find anything else that stuck out aside from a small divot in the side, between the stone and the ground. "This must be where the letter was placed. It had to be inserted in the side like this to keep the wind from blowing it away," I said, mostly to myself.

"Ah, here's something," Henry called out from a few feet away. We turned to him and watched as he lifted a pink object from the ground.

"Looks like a petal from some kind of flower," I observed.

This time, it was Henry giving me a look. "What do you mean 'some kind of flower'? It's clearly a rose petal."

"Yeah, but Nick only knows tulips and sunflowers," Maya explained.

"Really?" Henry chuckled. "Can't imagine he would do very well with a woman then."

(Of all the things she could've remembered about me, why did it have to be THAT?)

"So what's it doing here?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

"Well, I don't see any roses here, so if I had to guess, it came off of a bouquet."

"A bouquet?"

"Yes, a small flower arrangement that can be carried around."

"I know what a bouquet is! I'm not that clueless about flowers! I'm just asking because I don't see a bouquet around here either."

"Indeed. So if there was a bouquet left here on the night of the murder, someone must have taken it."

"But why...?"

Rose Petal added to the Court Record.

"Alright, I think that about covers this place." It wasn't much, but more than I expected to be honest.

"Uh...no, not quite." Henry gestured to the vast expanse of tall grass surrounding us.

My face dropped. "You're kidding, right? We don't really have to search through all that, do we?"

He shrugged. "We don't have to, just like we don't have to prove my brother innocent."

(Good point.)

"Besides, tall grass makes a pretty convenient place to hide something, don't you think?"

(And that's another good point. Damn.)

But just before we could begin the tedium of searching the grassy field, we heard a shout from behind us. "The police are here!"

Detective Gumshoe, flanked by several officers, strolled up to us. "Sorry folks, but we're taking over the investigation from here. I know you won't like that, but-"

"No problem."

"Can't interfere with police business."

"Have fun, Detective!"

The three of us left a thoroughly confused Gumshoe behind as we took our leave. This was one investigation I had no problem leaving to them.

April 14, 3:58 PM

Santa Destroy- Detention Center

While we waited to see what else the police investigation would uncover, I decided we should go back to talk with Travis again, now that we had a bit more info.

"Hey guys, find anything to free me yet?" Travis asked. I couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or not.

"Not in particular, no. But we did find something kind of interesting."

"What is it?"

"First of all, did you leave that 'Glastonbury' action figure at Bishop's grave?"

He looked a bit somber. "Yeah, that was me."

I nodded. It was good to confirm that, at least. "By any chance, did you also leave a bouquet?"

The somber look vanished. "Hell no! Do I look like the kinda guy who buys flowers? I don't know a damn thing about flowers!"

(There's ONE thing we have in common.)

"I don't know who left that bouquet there, but it wasn't me," he finished.

That got my attention. "Wait, so there was a bouquet there when you went?"

Rose Petal updated in the Court Record.

He looked puzzled. "Well, yeah. Isn't that what you were talking about?"

"We found a rose petal at the cemetery, but not the bouquet it came from," Henry explained to him.

"Really? That's weird."

"It is," I agreed. "Any idea who left it?"

"No clue. Bishop lived here alone, so family's out. And I was pretty much his only friend. Well, except for Takashi Miike, but I doubt he would come all the way over here just to deliver a gift."

(Takashi Miike? Isn't he some famous Japanese filmmaker? Bishop sure had connections.)

"Hmph. You people are hopeless, you know that?"

We all turned to the door as a familiar woman came inside. "M-Ms. Christel!" She was wearing a long, beige jacket now and had large sunglasses sitting on top of her head, but this was definitely Slyvia Christel.

There were more seats, but she didn't bother to sit down. "Honestly, how did you ever get this far if you can't even do a simple process of elimination?" She shook her head in disgust.

"What do you mean?" Maya asked timidly, as nervous around this woman as I was.

"Think. If it was not Bishop's family who left the bouquet, and it was not his friends, then that only leaves casual acquaintances."

"Sure..." I admitted, not really a fan of her attitude. "But from what I know, Bishop's only real acquaintance was...oh." I felt like an idiot for not thinking of this sooner.

"What? Who is it, Nick?"

"The victim, Ms. Diane Heifer," I answered. "They were both employees at Beef Head Videos, so they would have been well-acquainted. And that would explain where she went on the night of the murder." This still left several questions unanswered though. Why would she have left at that particular time, and why was she gone for so long?"

"Woah, woah, hold on!" Travis said, pounding the table. "Bishop barely even talked to that chick! Why would she be bringing him flowers? But more importantly," he glared harshly at Sylvia. "Where the hell have you been all this time?!"

Travis was a rather intimidating young man, but Sylvia didn't so much as flinch. "Busy, unlike yourself. Despite what this city may think, the world does not revolve around you, Travis."

Travis just huffed and looked away. "You do realize that your work is part of the reason Travis isn't free yet, right?" Henry asked accusingly.

"Yes, yes, that bit about cleaning up the baseball stadium. I didn't know that had anything to do with this case. You can't blame me for doing my job." Henry and Travis both looked like they could very much blame her.

"So you were watching the trial this morning?" I asked.

(At least she cares THAT much.)

"Yes, I had to make sure I was justified hiring you."

"In that case, do you know anything else about what happened that night? Like where the victim went?"

She frowned slightly. "No. Why would I know a silly thing like that?"

There was a flash and three Psyche-Locks appeared over her.

(Looks like Travis and Sylvia have more in common than I thought.)

"...No reason."

"What are you doing here, Sylvia?" Travis asked. "I doubt you came by just to drop hints at us."

Something remarkable happened just then. Sylvia actually smiled, and not in a condescending way either. She actually looked affectionately at the otaku behind the glass. "I'm here to see you, of course. It's been a long time since we've spent any real time together."

(Wait, didn't she just say...oh nevermind.)

I had completely given up on trying to understand this woman. Travis apparently felt the same way as his anger evaporated and he was now looking back at her just as affectionately. "Yeah, it sure is..."

Sylvia took a seat and faced Travis through the glass. We watched this surreal scene for a moment before Sylvia suddenly whirled back around on us. "Are you still here? I want to spend some alone time with him!"

"But, our investigation-"

"OUT!"

We all got up and left without any more argument. Kicked out of two places in a row. Not the best way to start our second day of investigation. But just as I was about to close the door behind us, I overheard a bit of their conversation.

"Shit, what's going to happen to Jeane and my anime collection if I get put away?"

"Don't worry, I still have the spare key you gave me in case something happens."

(Spare key? Why does that sound familiar?)

I thought back to when we were investigating Travis's motel. The door was the first thing I investigated and I noticed no signs of forced entry. Meaning that the killer could have picked the lock...or used a spare key.

I immediately made a mental note of this.

Motel Room Key updated in the Court Record.

Ms. Christel had suddenly become a lot more suspicious. I couldn't jump to conclusions yet, but whatever she was hiding behind those Psyche-Locks, I knew I had to find out.

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. Sylvia has a spare.

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.

Glastonbury

An action figure from Travis's favorite anime that he left as a gift for Bishop.

Bouquet

A bouquet brought to Bishop's grave on the night of the murder. Only a stray rose petal is left of it.

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.