"You are the scum of this planet. I can't believe a man so pathetic could cause so much pain."
"Toby? Hey, Toby... Wake up...!"
"Men like you deserve the fate that's coming for you. Tch. So many years of suffering could have all been diverted if I stomped this weed out before it could grow."
"Um, excuse me... My apologies."
"Get out of my way!"
"Here's a warm welcome they'll never forget... Welcome to the heart and soul of the Oracle group. At the center of the darkest place in the city, you'll find the greatest light for the future."
"At least he's dead now. Father, I've done you proud."
April 1
Morix Law Offices
1:45 PM
Victoria von Graye
I sat down on the couch in the agency's main area, a few papers in hand. "Where should I file these away? They're from the case Lily and Cormous had last month," I said.
"Wherever you can find space for them," Yuri grinned. She was stretched out on the ottoman, her head falling over the back of it as she stared up at me from a reversed angle.
"No," Deirdre cut in gently. "I'll take care of it for you. The filing system can be complex at first. I'm sure you'll get the hang of it after a while, but I don't think it's wise to jump right into telling you exactly how it's done. It becomes a jumbled mess in your mind. You'll have to take my word on that one."
Lily, who had been sitting on the couch next to me, sighed and shook her head. "You have no idea," she grumbled.
"Do you know where Cormous is?" Yuri asked.
"Why do you ask?" Lily questioned in response.
"I don't know. I guess I just want to talk to him," she said coolly. "Call it pure morbid curiosity, I guess."
"He's working reception while Mr. Morix is at the Prosecutor's Office for the day," Deirdre answered.
"It seems like you're the one keeping everyone around here sane when Mr. Morix is out," I remarked to Deirdre.
"I normally don't do this. Chrysalis is typically the one to keep everything under control, but she's gone today. I don't know why. I suppose she had some other important business to take care of," Deirdre replied.
A knock came at the main room's door. Yuri jumped to her feet, seemingly desperate for some excitement. "I'll get it!" she chirped excitedly. She was running faster than the speed of light as far as I was aware.
I turned my head over my shoulder to see who it was. To my knowledge, nobody who worked here would want to knock when coming in. Cormous just barged in wherever, and Mr. Morix and Chrysalis owned the place. It was odd, and to me, it signified a visitor.
Sure enough, I was right. A young woman with black hair in a bob cut. Freckles dotted her cheeks, and her eyes were a bluish gray color. She had a green headband in her hair to match her sleeveless green jacket. A white shirt was beneath the jacket. She had a pleated black skirt on. Finally, she was wearing fingerless black gloves and knee-high laced boots of the same obsidian shade.
"Who might you be?" Deirdre questioned, looking up from her paperwork.
"Um... My name is Mukuro Erikson! Is Chrysalis here?" the young woman asked, glancing around the room with a frown.
"No, Chrysalis is gone at the moment. What do you need?" I asked.
"Hi, Mukuro!" Yuri grinned with an enthusiastic wave. "It's been too long since we saw each other! It's me, Yuri! You're bigger, and so am I!"
The girl, Mukuro, relaxed significantly upon noticing Yuri was the one who had opened the door. "I'm glad to see you... I need some help. You know my father, Toby Erikson, right? He's been a detective on a few cases for this agency, or at least that's what he's told me," Mukuro explained.
"We know him, yes. Has something happened?" Deirdre questioned, rising to her feet.
"He's been arrested for murder!" Mukuro cried.
"No way! But he's such a good guy! I know he would never do something like that!" Lily exclaimed.
"I know he wouldn't either... I wanted your help with defending him," Mukuro said firmly.
"Why were you asking for Chrysalis then?" I asked.
"Well, we go to school together. We've been close friends for a while now, and since she works at a defense agency, I figured she'd be able to help me. Do you know where she is?" Mukuro questioned, looking around the room once again.
"I'm afraid not. Chrysalis hasn't been here all day, sadly," Deirdre explained.
"I guess that's okay. I'm sure you know what you're doing. Could you please help me defend my father?" Mukuro begged.
"Of course," I assured her. "Can you give us a few details on the crime?"
"I don't know very much, I'm afraid. I've been trying to become a detective on this case, but it isn't working," Mukuro sighed, her shoulders sagging significantly.
"Detective?" I echoed in shock. This young girl was a detective?
"Well, assistant. I've been working with my father on cases for a long time. I do all sorts of work around the precinct where they need me, and I want to help the detective out so I can prove he didn't do it. There's got to be some evidence to show he's innocent, and I'm going to find it," Mukuro told us firmly.
"That's quite impressive for someone so young," I murmured.
Mukuro flushed pink but shook it off. "I can take you down to the detention center to see him. I'm sure you'll want to ask him about details relating to the case, right?"
"Of course. We'll just need to figure out who's staying behind for today," Yuri nodded. "I want to go out on a case. I haven't gone out since the Interpol case, and that was last year. Give me something to do!"
"I just took a case on. I'll stay behind and help Cormous with management," Lily said. "You had better be thankful I'm putting myself through this for you three."
"I'll try to take on the case as well," Deirdre remarked. "I want to help Victoria learn the ropes."
"Mr. Morix said I could help on the next murder investigation, and since it's come up, I guess I'll hop on board as well," I told them. "Thank you for letting us go, Lily. I really do appreciate it."
"You have a good time out there. Be thankful you don't have to put up with the frustration that is Cormous. At least he's working reception today while I'm doing other things up here. That barrier of a few floors is going to keep me from tearing my hair out," Lily sighed with a shake of her head.
"Well, let's get going. I'll see you later, Lily. I hope Chrysalis comes along to save you from this torture of being alone soon," Yuri smiled, waving as she headed towards the elevator. Mukuro followed after her silently. It was clear she wasn't used to being in an environment like this.
"You have no idea how much I'm hoping for that too," Lily muttered. "Well, I'll see you later."
With that said, we all headed out towards the elevator. From there, it was off to the detention center. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest the whole way there. Finally, I was taking on a real case as a defense attorney! I had been waiting so long for this, and the day had come at last! I was excited, but at the same time, my stomach twisted itself into dozens of knots. Regardless of nerves, I would have to face the situation with optimism. Deirdre and Yuri would be with me, and they knew what they were doing. Hopefully, that would keep me from getting into too much trouble as the case went on.
April 1
Detention Center
2:15 PM
Victoria von Graye
When we arrived at the detention center, a man was sitting on the other side of the glass. I could see the resemblance he bore to Mukuro when I looked closely. They had the same eyes and hair color for one. He had to be the one.
"Detective Erikson?" Deirdre asked slowly.
The man looked up and smiled slightly, though it was clear to me he was exhausted. "Hello, Ms. Brigit. I didn't expect to see you in a place like this."
"I brought them here. I didn't want to see you wind up in jail for a crime you didn't commit," Mukuro cut in.
Detective Erikson looked over to Mukuro, and his face instantly lit up. "Mukuro... You're far too sweet. I'm surprised to see you here though. I expected you to be with Detective Wattson investigating the crime scene. She's the leading detective on this case, and I know how well you two get along," he remarked. "I'm sure she'd be glad to have your company."
"I didn't realize she was the detective! Wow!" Mukuro gasped. "I'll hear the details from you and go off to see her."
"Sounds good to me," Detective Erikson nodded. "The crime took place this morning here in the detention center. Well... Sort of in the detention center. It was in the interrogation area of the prison, though it's over here on the detention center side."
"Another prison murder... That's my favorite," Yuri said sarcastically with a roll of her eyes. I frowned in her direction. Did something happen before I was hired in the prison? I suspected that was the case. I could ask about it later. It felt wrong to interrupt now.
"I was interrogating a newer prisoner who was arrested a few months ago. His name is Alphonse Clarence. He was arrested for evidence forgery. Since he was a prosecutor, that was a high crime. He had been falsifying evidence for many years, ever since beginning his career as a prosecutor more than thirty years ago. He was close to retirement anyways, but this brought all his plans for the future to an immediate close," Detective Erikson began.
"What brought this out?" I questioned.
"He was caught forging evidence in a recent murder trial. Apparently, the Oracle of the Law found out and sent the chief prosecutor a letter on the matter. A few days later, he was facing court charges and was convicted. Even if many crimes exceeded the statute of limitations, or time in which he could be prosecuted, his recent charges were enough to lock him up permanently," Detective Erikson continued.
"It sounds like this guy was a real hunk of trouble," Yuri frowned. "Why were you interrogating him?"
"Well... I guess you could say we go back a long way. He was involved in a series of court cases that caused many major issues for the current state of the legal system. First and foremost, he was involved in a case in which a defense attorney named Amelia Wattson was murdered. The culprit behind her death was never found, and since he was known for forging evidence, I thought he might have had something to do with it. I doubted his negative aspects stopped at making false pieces of evidence to win court cases," Detective Erikson explained.
"What else?" Deirdre asked. I noticed she had taken out a small notepad and was jotting down a few notes on the matter.
"He was involved in yet another murder, this one for a famous judge. His name was Gabriel Wood. He was perhaps the best at his job in the city. He was shot to death, and a man was convicted despite likely being innocent... That caused more than a few issues for us in the present, to say the least," Detective Erikson sighed. "This is going to take a while to fully explain, so get comfortable."
Yuri, Deirdre, and I silently got chairs that had previously been pushed up against the wall. We moved them to be in front of the glass. Mukuro remained standing, bouncing back and forth slightly on the balls of her feet with anticipation.
"Antonio Emsthorpe was the father of Augustus Emsthorpe. Augustus leads an assassination ring as a way of getting back at the legal world for the wrong conviction and eventual execution of his father. For revenge, he targets important legal figures and has them killed in hopes the system will fall apart. A notebook was found in Clarence's cell after he was killed with a written confession to all his evidence forgeries as well as the killings of Amelia Wattson and Gabriel Wood. His escaping the crimes he committed cost many people their lives and caused the Emsthorpe crime ring, which is filled to the brim with hitmen after important figures," Detective Erikson continued.
"That's horrible... I had never heard of such a thing..." I murmured.
"It's because of that signed confession that I'm being suspected for this crime. Back when Amelia was still alive, which was many years ago, the two of us were close. I was young at the time, but I still wanted to be her friend. In her kindness, she reached out to me. I looked up to her a lot, but... She was killed by Clarence for digging too deep in his evidence forging business. He later killed Gabriel Wood for getting too close in the same way. The court had a suspicion he was behind it, but he got away anyways. I've been investigating him for years in hopes I would find something to pin him down, even if the statute of limitations expired long ago. In the end, I found what I wanted, though it cost a lot to do so," Detective Erikson sighed.
"I had no idea any of that happened..." Mukuro whispered. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I thought it was in the past. I was giving up on prosecuting Clarence for his crimes, but that letter from Oracle changed everything for me. I now understand all that he did in his lifetime... I was able to prosecute him, but now he's dead. The police think it's because I held a grudge against him that he died. They think I killed him since he was the one who murdered Amelia so many years ago. I assure you, that isn't the case," Detective Erikson said. "You believe me, don't you?"
"Of course we do!" I blurted out. "I know you wouldn't kill anyone. I know we've just met, but I think you're innocent. I'll gladly defend you."
"I don't think we've met," Detective Erikson remarked. "What's your name?"
"Um... I'm Victoria von Graye. I'm new to the agency. Mr. Morix hired me earlier this year," I replied.
"Looks like he made a good choice on who to hire," Detective Erikson smiled.
"What else can you tell us about the murder itself? What happened at the time? Is there any other reason aside from that motive that you would be suspected?" Deirdre questioned. "We're probably going to head to the crime scene after this, but it might be best to go in there with this information in mind."
"I was in for one of my weekly interrogations this morning. I decided to press him further on his evidence forgeries, but as usual, he didn't say anything new. Out of the blue, a guard from the prison walked in with some tea requested by Clarence. He offered me some as well, and I accepted. I didn't recognize him since I don't spend much time around here. Shortly afterwards, I found myself getting tired, and then my memory goes black. If you ask me, the tea was probably laced with a drug to knock me unconscious. I don't know who that guard was either. You'd have to ask someone who was in the area at the time if they knew him," Detective Erikson told us.
"What did he look like?" I asked.
"I couldn't see his hair. It was hidden under his hat. His eyes were hidden too. He was on the taller side and had a few inches on me. His voice was unfamiliar. I don't have the faintest idea who he could have been, I'm afraid," Detective Erikson frowned.
"That man sounds rather suspicious then. Perhaps he's our real guilty party," I suggested, placing one finger on my chin.
"It's likely to me, but I can't say for sure. You'll have to do some more investigating before you can be positive. I can't even tell you his hair or eye color, which is going to make identifying him much harder... I know his voice though. It's hard to describe. If I could get a recording, I would be able to tell you exactly who he is. I don't know if anyone would have recorded his voice though. I mean, there are cameras in the prison and detention center, and I'm sure one of them caught a rough outline of what he looks like, but any details are probably gone. His hat was incredibly irritating with its hiding of important details, unfortunately," Detective Erikson told us.
"Well, I appreciate you telling us all this. Is there anything else we should know before heading to the scene of the murder?" Yuri questioned.
"There is one thing... Well... There was something found in my pocket by the police. It was a bottle with dissolving cyanide tablets in it. My fingerprints were found on the outside as well, though I don't know how they would have gotten there," Detective Erikson said.
"The victim died of poisoning then... That would make sense given how he was given tea by that guard you mentioned. If the bottle was found on you, the police finding you to be a suspect makes sense as well," Deirdre murmured. "Thank you for this information."
"I trust you to take care of this investigation. Mr. Morix knows what he's doing," Detective Erikson smiled. "I'll be seeing you four later."
April 1
Interrogation Room No. 1
2:30 PM
Victoria von Graye
We made our way over to the crime scene after finishing our conversation with Detective Erikson. Mukuro dashed ahead of us to get there sooner, though Deirdre, Yuri, and I took our time in arriving.
When we got there, the first thing I saw was the body. The room was small and mostly taken up by a table. One side had a metal ring on it, likely for the handcuffs of prisoners to go so they couldn't get up and escape. That was the side with the body on it. The victim was an older man hunched over the table with blood dripping from his mouth. His eyes were wide open in shock. A teacup sat beside him that had been spilled over. There wasn't much else of particular note since the table took up so much space. There wasn't much room for there to be other evidence as far as I could tell.
"You must be the attorneys."
I turned upon hearing the voice behind me. It took me a moment, but I recognized this woman. She had been the detective in charge of the case Lily and Cormous had been working on at the nature preserve. I remembered she had testified in court to explain the basic aspects of the case.
"We are, as a matter of fact," Deirdre smiled. "Detective Wattson, I'm glad to see you here. It's always nice to see a familiar face on a case like this."
"I've been leading the investigation and such into this case since arriving. This case instantly attracted my attention, so I had to take care of it," Detective Wattson said.
"You know, there's something I was meaning to ask you about," Mukuro frowned. I hadn't even noticed she had approached us alongside the detective until now. I certainly needed to work on my observational skills if I was going to be working in this field...
"What is it, love?" Detective Wattson asked.
"When my father was explaining the case, he told us about the motive behind it. He said that he was close friends with an attorney named Amelia Wattson up until her murder. I was wondering if you two were related," Mukuro explained.
Detective Wattson's face was overcome by a wave of solemnity. It was enough to tell me exactly the answer to Mukuro's question. "As a matter of fact, yes. I have something of a personal stake in this case because of the crimes the victim committed in his life," she frowned.
"What was your connection to this Amelia woman?" Yuri questioned.
"Amelia was my older sister. I was only a toddler when she died, so I didn't know her all that well. I don't remember her at all, as a matter of fact, because she passed on so soon," Detective Wattson told us. "Her murder was considered unsolved for many years, but all of a sudden, we have a written confession from the victim admitting he killed her and got away with it... When I heard about that, I had to learn more. I wasn't going to let this chance to find the truth pass me by."
"That's horrible... It must be awful to have a sibling die like that," I murmured, looking down at the ground sadly.
"You have no idea," I heard Yuri grumble. I saw her rubbing at her eyes from my peripheral vision.
"I wanted to figure out if the victim really did kill her. As far as I can tell, it all adds up. He was forging evidence to gain ground as a prosecutor. She found him out, and he lashed out at her for it," Detective Wattson sighed. "It's a tragedy to be sure. I never knew my sister because of that man, and now, I need to learn more about him. I can't let this go now. I've already spent far too many years in the dark."
"I'm glad you told us about this... I'm a bit worried, if you want the truth. Detective Erikson told us a lot about the case that followed the death of Amelia Wattson. Apparently, it was a major incident that caused the forming of an infamous assassin ring," Deirdre muttered with a shake of her head.
Detective Wattson paused. "What do you know about that case?" she asked hesitantly.
"Um... The victim was Gabriel Wood, and he was killed likely for investigating the evidence forgeries of our victim here. The person convicted was assumed to be the culprit despite a lack of decisive proof, and in the end, he was executed for it. Afterwards, the Emsthorpe crime ring surfaced so the son of the 'culprit' could get his revenge on the legal system," Yuri said. "Why do you ask? Is there something else we should know?"
Detective Wattson didn't say anything for another moment or two. She briefly glanced over at Mukuro before focusing her attention back on us defense attorneys. "I don't think it's really my place to tell you. In fact, I believe the witness would have a better idea of how to explain it."
"Witness? Who's the witness?" I asked. "He didn't mention anybody stumbling upon the crime scene when we were talking to him."
"The witness is one Kraig Erikson. He's the father of the defendant and a detective set to retire soon," Detective Wattson explained. "He found To-erm, the suspect, unconscious at the scene of the murder next to the body of the victim. He woke up the defendant and called the police to the crime scene for the initial investigation."
"Grandfather is the witness? No way!" Mukuro gasped. "I didn't know that detail..."
"He is, as a matter of fact," Detective Wattson nodded. "I think he's in another room down the hall. They're using a different interrogation room as a temporary headquarters for the investigation since the scene of the crime is so small. If I had to guess, he would be in there talking to a few other investigators about what he saw and did when he discovered the body and the defendant. I'm sure he'd be glad to talk to you if you wanted more details about the case."
"Thank you, Detective Wattson," I smiled.
"I don't think we should go on to the other interrogation room quite yet though... There's one more thing that's bothering me about the case from when the Emsthorpe crime ring started..." Yuri remarked, playing with a few strands of her hair.
"What is it?" Mukuro questioned.
"It's the last name of the victim. Wood. I wonder if he's related to Prosecutor Wood at all. For all we know, this could be a blast to the past for multiple people. I mean, it happened with Detective Wattson and Amelia Wattson. Detective Erikson was technically involved in that scenario too. The Emsthorpe man who was executed had a child who now runs a crime ring. It wouldn't surprise me if this generational thing continued with her, you know?" Yuri said.
"As far as I'm aware, it does, yes," Detective Wattson nodded. "Gabriel Wood was a judge up until his death. That mantle was later taken up by his younger son, Robin Wood, who just so happens to be the father of Niamh Wood. Unfortunately, Robin Wood was murdered by the Emsthorpes and is no longer with us. Robin established an information-gathering company to find out more about the person who murdered his father. After his death, it was passed to his brother, Conrad Wood."
"It sounds like you've been doing your research," I commented.
"I made it my job to find out all I could about the death of Amelia and what happened afterwards. I had a suspicion they were related," Detective Wattson shrugged.
"That information-gathering company... What is it called?" Deirdre questioned.
"Gather Law Incorporated. It's been collecting information on many subjects for years now. The owner of the company is one of the richest men in the city. He's not someone you want to trifle with should you wish for your reputation to remain intact. Granted, you probably wouldn't guess that by talking to him. In the few instances I've asked him about the past, he's behaved somewhat oddly," Detective Wattson told us. "I'll leave it up to your imagination how he was. He's a quirky man. I'll just leave it at that."
"If you ask me, the past is going to be a huge part of determining everything that happened with this case," Deirdre murmured. "Thank you for telling us all of this, Detective Wattson. We'll be sure to keep this information in mind during our investigation."
"I think it would be a good idea for you to go and talk to the witness down the hall. He can explain any details I missed. I'm sure he's been doing his own research since he's got a reason to get tied into this case as well... I'll let you hear it from him. I don't think I should be the one to tell you about it," Detective Wattson frowned.
"I have a bad feeling about this," Yuri admitted. "If you won't even go near telling us, I bet it really is serious."
"Yes, it is... After you talk to him about what he saw, you should head to the victim's cell. It's on the prison side of the building, so it's a bit of a walk, but you can see his written confession there. The police decided to leave the notebook he wrote in where it was in case further investigation of his cell is necessary," Detective Wattson continued.
"We'll be sure to do that," Deirdre nodded. "I can't thank you enough for all you've told us about what you know. I'm sure it's a hard subject to think about."
"I just want to find out more about that monster who killed her... As much as I hate to say it, the person who did him in was likely doing the world a favor," Detective Wattson sighed with a shake of her head. "Anyways, Mukuro and I have some other business to take care of. I should show her the crime scene. It's been a while since you've done investigating, right, Mukuro?"
"Not since before I left for training camp last year," Mukuro murmured with a shake of her head.
"Training camp?" I echoed in confusion.
"Yeah. I figured I would be able to do more as a detective if I learned how to fight and such. That's what I've been doing in my off time. So far, it's going pretty well, if I do say so myself. Unfortunately, it keeps me from taking on too many cases and gaining experience as a detective," Mukuro frowned.
"I'm sure you'll get there one day!" Yuri chirped with a wide grin.
"Thanks!" Mukuro exclaimed. "Anyways, you should be off, and I should be too. I've got a lot to do before the trial kicks off tomorrow."
We waved goodbye to Mukuro and Detective Wattson before heading out of the room. I didn't need to say anything to the other two to know their heads were spiraling out of control with thoughts on all we had learned.
"If you ask me, the cases surrounding the deaths of Amelia Wattson and Gabriel Wood are going to be the key components to solving this case. There wasn't much of anything at the crime scene, so what was found in the victim's cell is going to be what matters," Deirdre announced.
"I get the feeling things are going to be a lot more complicated than they should be though," Yuri sighed with a shake of her head. "I guess you can call it a gut instinct."
"We won't let ourselves be taken out by that though, right?" I asked.
"Of course not! We have a duty, and we aren't going to give in anytime soon! Detective Erikson, Detective Wattson, and Mukuro are all counting on us. I don't want to let them down," Yuri agreed.
"In that case, let's go and talk to the witness. We aren't doing ourselves any good by standing around and talking like this," Deirdre suggested. Yuri and I nodded our agreement before following her down the hallway to the interrogation room where the witness was being kept.
Another prison murder? Yes. However, this time we have world building and the suffering of the worst man in this universe (or at least one of them) in the form of Alphonse Clarence. Yeah, he sucks.
-Digital
