Courtroom Lobby #3

"You're doing well, Mr. Wright," Iris said.

"Thanks. It's not easy...Mia only gave me a few legal lessons."

"I can't believe my sister is dead..." Maya said. "And the only person that got told about it was that jerk of a prosecutor?! This is ridiculous!"

"Can you summon her?" Iris asked. "I know her testimony probably won't count for much, because she was channeling Valerie."

"Sorry, I haven't entered full training yet," Maya said. "Aunt Morgan says I'm too young."

"Summon? Channeling?" Phoenix asked. "You make it sound like you're into voodoo—"

"Phoenix?" a voice asked.

Phoenix turned to see Dahlia Hawthorne, looking worried. "Dahlia!" Iris gasped.

Maya Fey was not pleased. "You. What are you doing here?"

Dahlia spoke to Phoenix. "D-during the trial, you talked about me maybe touching the murder weapon. That—that's not true. I've never touched a gun in my life."

"That's a lie! Yesterday, you tried to shoot me!" Maya said.

Dahlia hid behind Phoenix, clutching at him protectively. "No, that's not true! I would never hurt one of my relatives!"

"Objection!" Phoenix said, pulling Maya's statement out of the court record. "Your statement says that you didn't clearly see the shooter!"

Ha, I've totally got the hang of this lawyer thing now! Phoenix thought.

"Iris says you were there, and I trust her," Maya said. "I've been living with her for a month now. I know she wouldn't lie."

"Right," Iris said. "I...I learned my lesson about lying to other people. I'm never going to lie again."

Phoenix stared at Iris for a bit. "Iris, do you mean—?"

Dahlia coughed loudly. "I'll leave you alone now. I just wanted to tell you about the gun."

"Thank you, Dahlia," Phoenix said. "That helps a lot."

Dahlia smiled slightly, caught Phoenix's eyes, then looked away before leaving. Phoenix was slightly surprised by the way Dahlia acted, although he should have known her personality ahead of time. Iris-as-Dahlia acted meekly while dating Phoenix; therefore, it made sense that the real Dahlia was also somewhat meek.

"You don't like her, do you?" Maya asked.

"Excuse me?"

"She's trying to seduce you!"

Phoenix stumbled back a bit. "I hardly think talking to me about the case counts as seduction! Besides, I could say the same thing about Iris!"

"N-no," Iris said, looking downwards. "I know there's no chance of us being together. Not after everything I did to you."

"We...we can discuss that after the trial," Phoenix said. "For now, we need to focus on what happened yesterday."

"I didn't kill Mia," Iris said. "She was my cousin and my friend. I would never dream of hurting her."

"Me neither," Phoenix said. "Which means there must have been a fourth person in the room with us. I just wish I could prove who it was."


Courtroom #3

"Court now resumes for the State VS Iris Fey," said the Judge, after banging his gavel. "Prosecutor von Karma, you may call your witness."

"Before I do, I have some relevant information to share," von Karma said. "I was able to confirm that Iris Fey and Dahlia Hawthorne have the same DNA, but different fingerprints."

"Oh!" the Judge said. "I didn't know twins worked like that."

"Yes, apparently it is possible for identical twins to have minor differences," von Karma said.

Such as different hair colors, Phoenix thought.

"I see," the Judge said. "But...doesn't this discredit your evidence, Mr. von Karma? The murder weapon was only checked for DNA."

"This does not harm my case in the slightest," von Karma said. "Do not forget, Iris Fey was found holding the gun. I have many witnesses that can attest to this fact."

"So you are going to continue prosecuting the defendant?"

"Yes, Your Honor. However, I would like to bring up a possibility that has not been mentioned so far," von Karma said. "Given the DNA evidence, it is possible that both twins held the murder weapon."

"Eh...what?" Phoenix asked.

"Both Dahlia Hawthorne and Iris Fey have been formally accused of murder. Therefore, neither one is above suspicion. If we're lucky, we can get a double conviction in today's trial!"

You'd like that, wouldn't you, von Karma? Phoenix thought.

"Ho ho!" the Judge said. "Multiple convictions from Manfred von Karma! I still remember the legendary trial where you got an entire baseball team convicted on multiple counts."

Von Karma convicted an entire baseball team? Isn't that, like, fifteen people? Phoenix paled. I've heard of "covering your bases", but this is ridiculous!

"The prosecution summons its next witness," Prosecutor von Karma said. A slim woman with large hair appeared on the stand. "Name and occupation."

"My name is Morgan Fey. I am the Master of Kurain Channeling Technique."

"I thought you were the village elder," Phoenix said.

"It is the same thing," Morgan said. "You may call me Master Morgan."

"Witness, describe your relation to the defendant."

"I am Iris Fey's aunt."

Phoenix blinked. Something about that statement seemed wrong to him. He double-checked the Court Record.

Von Karma snapped his fingers. "I meant your business relationship, not your genealogical one!"

"I am her employer," Morgan Fey said. "She works as a nanny for my daughter, Pearl."

"The circumstances of the defendant's employment proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that the crime was premeditated. Witness, you will testify to this effect."

"Yes," Morgan Fey said. She took a sip of tea, then began to speak.

Witness Testimony
Iris' Job

"About a month ago, Iris applied to work in Kurain. She used a fake name, so no one would know her true identity. It was all a pretense to get close to the other family members. The relative she had the most interest in was her sister, Mia Fey."

"The defendant and the victim were sisters?" the Judge asked.

"We do not usually discuss this matter. It is a source of shame for our family," Morgan Fey said. "But yes. Victor Hawthorne fathered the twins, Iris and Dahlia. He removed both from the village and raised Dahlia as his own. Iris, he gave to a nearby group of nuns."

"I must admit, I was curious why the twins had different last names," the Judge said. "But now it all makes sense."

Is Iris really Mia's sister? Phoenix wondered. I could have sworn that Maya said something else.

"Tell me, what else do the victim and defendant have in common?" von Karma asked.

"Given her lack of spiritual powers and the circumstances of her birth, Iris is not considered to be a true member of the Fey Family," Morgan said. "It is the same with Mia, who gave up her hereditary birthright by leaving the village."

"Detective Gumshoe mentioned something like this, I believe," the Judge said. "The victim and the defendant were the black sheep of the family. That is a strong connection."

"Strong enough to create motivation for murder..." von Karma said ominously.

"Mr. Wright, your cross-examination."

"About a month ago, Iris applied to work in Kurain."

"Hold it! What job did she apply for?"

"She wanted to be a nanny for my daughter, Pearl."

Phoenix shook his head. He had never heard of Pearl Fey before. "So you're saying that the defendant and your daughter are cousins, right?"

"There are only two branches of the Fey Family tree," Morgan said. "All the women are either sisters or cousins."

"Women?" the Judge asked. "Do you mean to say there are no men in the Fey Family?"

"None whatsoever. My husband died last year."

An all-female village. Sounds like a place Larry would love to visit...

"She used a fake name, so no one would know her true identity."

"Hold it! No one knew who she really was? That seems unlikely."

Morgan took a sip from her teacup. "I have reason to believe that Mystic Maya was in on Iris' secret."

The two of them are rather close... Phoenix thought. "Still, that begs the question, why didn't you recognize the defendant as one of your relatives?"

"Simple. The last time I saw Iris was over fifteen years ago."

"Fifteen years?"

"Correct. Mr. Hawthorne left Kurain with the twins when they were two years old."

"In that case, I find it hard to believe anyone would recognize her," the Judge said.

So much for that line of questioning...

"It was all a pretense to get close to the other family members."

"Why would she want to get close to her family?"

"What do you mean?"

"You make it sound like she had no contact with anyone. Why the sudden interest in her relatives?" Phoenix asked.

"I presume it is because of Dahlia's recent trial."

"Trial?" the Judge asked. "What is this, now?"

"Some time ago, Dahlia Hawthorne was indicted for the murder of Doug Swallow," von Karma said. "Here is an overview of that trial."

The Judge accepted the file into evidence and spent some time reviewing it. "Ah, I remember this case now. Mia Fey was the defense attorney."

"And the defendant's sister was arrested, as a result of the trial. It is a clear motivation for murder, is it not?"

"Indeed. The defendant wanted revenge, because the victim is responsible for her twin's jailing," the Judge said, nodding. "But see here! It says the defendant in that case was Phoenix Wright!"

...I was wondering if he'd notice that, Phoenix thought. "Yes, Your Honor. That was me."

"You were the crybaby in the girly pink sweater?" the Judge asked, shocked.

"Objection! I didn't cry that much!"

"And yet you are defending Ms. Hawthorne's sister. Hm. I don't know how I feel about that."

"I assure you, I can handle this case," Phoenix said. "I won't let my experiences with that trial cloud my judgment."

"The relative she had the most interest in was her sister, Mia Fey."

"Sister? As in, they have the same mother?"

"Objection! If you don't know what the word 'sister' means, I suggest you purchase a dictionary!"

"I just want to make sure. I've talked with the victim's family, and no one ever said Iris was their sister before."

"She's my cousin!" a female voice shouted from the gallery.

The Judge banged his gavel. "Order in the court! Order in the court!"

Morgan Fey scowled at Phoenix. "I know my family, Mr. Wright. The defendant and the victim are sisters."

"Stop talking. Now." Von Karma ordered. "Unless you have any evidence to dispute the witness' claims, we should move on to the next testimony."

"Um...hmmm...TAKE THAT!" Phoenix cried, pulling out a photograph.

"What is this?" the Judge asked.

"It's a photograph of Mia Fey's family," Phoenix said. "She kept it at her desk, at the law offices."

"Oh, how adorable," the Judge said. "What a nice looking family. Is that the mother?"

"That is my sister, Misty Fey," Morgan said simply.

"It's cute, but I don't see how this photograph is related to the case."

"Look again, Your Honor. Isn't someone missing from the family photo?"

"Oh!" the Judge said. "You're right! The twins aren't here in the picture!"

Phoenix slammed his hands on his desk. "That's because they're not directly related to the Feys! They're family cousins, not sisters!"

"Objection! What nonsense is this? So what if the twins aren't in this particular photograph?"

"Objection! It's a family photograph! If they are really family members, they should be in the photograph!"

"Objection! Think about what the witness said earlier! The twins were removed from the village, when they were two years old!" Von Karma snapped his fingers. "By the time this picture was taken, they were already gone!"

"But that makes no sense!" Phoenix said. "If all four of them are sisters, why would Mr. Hawthorne only take two of his children away from the village? It makes more sense if they're cousins!"

"How could they possibly be cousins?" von Karma asked. "The witness stated there are only two branches on the family tree."

"Exactly," Phoenix said. "I believe the witness is Iris Fey's real mother! You can see the family resemblance!"

Morgan Fey gave Phoenix a death glare. "You!" she shouted.

"Eeek!" Phoenix said, hiding under his desk.

"W-witness!" the Judge said.

Morgan took a deep breath. "The defense is partially correct," she said. "I should have been more clear in my testimony. Iris and Mia are not sisters."

"I knew it!" Phoenix said.

"They are half-sisters," Morgan said.

"Eh?"

"I apologize for the confusion," Morgan said. "But I am not the murderer's mother. My sister may have had an affair, but I certainly did not."

"Ah. Good. Now that we have cleared that up, let us continue," the Judge said. "I believe everyone know has a good understanding of how the victim and defendant are related."

"But! I...the photograph..."

"Does the defense have something it would like to say?"

"No, Your Honor."

"Excellent," von Karma smiled. "Witness, you may now testify about the day of the murder."


Court Record

Attorney's Badge: I stole this from Mia's desk. Hopefully no one will realize it's not mine.

Photograph: A family photo of Mia, Maya and their mother. Apparently, it's not useful evidence.

Gun: The murder weapon. Removed from the crime scene by the defendant. Forensics confirmed that three different people grabbed it, indicating there was a struggle for the gun. DNA from one of the twins was found on the trigger.

Autopsy Report: Mia Fey was shot in the heart at 2:59 PM on May 15th. She died in a hospital at 8:31 AM, the following day.

Ballistics Report: The gun was fired twice. At 2:59 PM, it was used to kill Mia Fey. At 3:00 PM, it was used to scare Maya Fey.

Maya's Statement: "I wanted to talk to my sister, so I secretly followed Aunt Morgan to the room. It was locked, though. I was going to leave when I heard a gunshot! I tried to get inside, and when the door to the room opened, someone shot at me! I didn't see the shooter clearly, but it was definitely a woman the same age as Iris."

Case Brief: A discussion of the trial where I was framed for murder. I wonder whether Iris or Dahlia was the real culprit.