Trial - Day 1 - Part 1
November 19, 2029 9:46 AM
District Court
Defendant Lobby No. 7
Thankfully, Athena had managed to calm down slightly from her irritation the previous day via a good night's sleep. Reading through her notes and examining the evidence lists in the cab ride downtown had also helped to center her and bring her back to focus.
She was all set and raring to go. Just a few more minutes now.
The same, however, could not be said for her client. Immediately upon entering the lobby, she spotted him reclining on the red sofa by the double doors. His eyes were closed and his breathing deep and slow; fast asleep.
Poor guy…The police probably kept him up all night.
She walked close to him and tapped roughly on his left shoulder. He snapped up, and immediately set about straightening his bellboy uniform and picking up the silver tray at his feet.
Then, noticing her, he let out a ragged breath.
"…I'm extremely tired, you know!"
Athena smiled sympathetically. "I can see that. I'm guessing that you're not used to sleeping in prisons?"
"I almost always go home to my already-made and comfortably warm bed, so no, Ms Cykes," said Boye, still glaring at her, "I don't think I am."
"A friend of mine could provide you a few pointers on that," joked Athena.
"…Are you insinuating that I will go to prison, Ms Cykes?" asked Boye, his eyes slightly wide. He began to rotate the tray in his hand.
Not one to take jokes, I see…
Athena rolled her eyes. "Of course not. I assure you, Mr Boye, I'll prove your innocence, but first, I have a few questions."
Boye tilted his head, signaling to her to go on.
"Do you promise to answer me honestly? Because I can't defend you if you lie, alright?" asked Athena.
"Alright."
"Do you have any beef with the receptionist?"
Boye let out a small laugh. "That boorish imbecile, Reggie Starr? Of course I do! It's absolutely common knowledge that we hate each other. It's been like that ever since I was promoted."
"…Why?"
Boye rubbed at his cheek, looking up. "No idea. It was subtle at first, but eventually, he started becoming more openly cynical towards me. Maybe he was jealous...?"
"Secondly, this pen—" Athena pulled the pen up on Widget. "Does it belong to anyone in particular? It says Gatewater on it."
"Hmm… That looks like an employee's pen. Every employee is handed a free pen at the start of their tenure as a welcome gift. They're encouraged to keep it on their person, both as a decorative item and in the case of necessity. Unfortunately, I gave mine to that French woman in the morning; she needed to write something down."
"French woman?"
"Yes, I don't quite remember her name. She was staying next to the victim…"
Athena typed that into Widget.
Boye's Testimony added to Court Record
"Thank you. One final thing."
"And that is?"
"What were you doing in the gym on the day of the murder?"
"I wa—"
At that moment, the bailiff cleared his throat. "The trial will begin shortly. Will the defendant and his lawyer please make their way to the courtroom?"
Damn it! I should have shown up earlier! This is what I get for taking a case during a break…
"Fine…" said Athena, gritting her teeth. She looked at Boye, her mouth opening, but nothing coming out. Then, she shut it and nodded resolutely.
With that, both of them walked into the courtroom.
November 19, 10:00 AM
District Court
Courtroom No. 3
Athena watched with a glare as Franziska walked into the courtroom, reading over a few documents prior to the trial. The Judge appeared from his chambers shortly after, sitting on his usual seat and giving a once-over over his courtroom. He'd been that way since the Starbuck case: making sure to take more precautions prior to the start of a trial.
"Before we start proceedings today, I'd like to bring to the court's attention that this case is being treated as an international matter. The victim was a German citizen as well as an international lawyer, so I ask that both sides remain professional at all times," he said.
Huh...Nobody told me that!
Then he cleared his throat and his features softened slightly. "Now then, is the defense ready?"
"Your Honor…" said Athena, glancing to her left.
She took in a large breath.
No going back.
The Judge looked at her, an eyebrow raised and a small frown on his lips. "Ms Cykes?"
Letting go of the breath, she looked up at him. "The defense is ready!"
The Judge nodded, turning his gaze to Franziska. "And the prosecution?"
Franziska, her eyes closed, removed her blue overcoat, revealing a silken white blouse, with a lace ascot held in place by a brooch.
That whole outfit probably costs more than my salary...
"...While this case was quite unprecedented, I sincerely hope that the defense is ready for this case because as I said before…"
She tossed her coat aside, fixing her glasses up her nose. She opened her eyes, turning her gaze to Athena with a small smile. "I will not be holding back."
"Show-off!" commented Widget.
Athena smiled in determination, punching her fist into her palm. "Let's do this!"
"I see both sides are quite energetic today!" noted the Judge with a hearty laugh. Then, he cleared his throat. "Will the prosecution please deliver their opening statement?"
Franziska commenced. "As many know, Alexander Abaddon was an international prosecutor assigned with the task of helping me in an Interpol investigation, the details of which cannot be entirely disclosed to the public."
The screen showed the picture of the victim—a man with crimson hair and a piercingly blue glare. The smile — more like a devious sneer — on his face disgusted Athena more than it should have.
"Tragically, he was killed while staying in the Gatewater Imperial Hotel. The accused, Mr William Boye, strangled the victim to death using this scarf."
She gestured to the screen, which showed a blue scarf.
"He then proceeded to stab him, using this knife."
The screen showed a picture of the bloody knife, with the Gatewater logo engraved on the handle.
"The motive for this murder…" said Franziska.
She paused for slight dramatic effect. "Burglary. According to various stock market readings, the Gatewater Corporation's stocks have been dropping and their revenues decreasing. This has led to a surprising amount of penny-pinching within the hotel chain. In order to maintain their pristine image of opulence, they were forced to skim money off of their employees' checks.
"Thus the prosecution thereby accuses Mr William Boye of the premeditated murder of Alexander Abaddon and larceny of his property."
Franziska performed a small curtsy at the end. "That is all."
...Yup, definitely a show-off.
"Does the defense have any comments?" asked the Judge, looking at Athena.
Other than 'declare my client not guilty'?
She shook her head. "No, your Honor!"
"Very well. Ms von Karma, please call your first witness," said the Judge, gesturing for her to continue.
"Prior to that, I have an announcement to make. The prosecution still has yet to finish analyzing the security footage. It seems that they were encrypted quite well. We will get them in due time…"
"I see, Ms von Karma."
"The prosecution calls the Chief of Police to the stand," said Franziska, extending her arm.
"The Chief of Police? Doesn't the Chief have more important duties?" asked the Judge, turning his gaze to Franziska, running a hand through his beard.
"Customarily yes, but this is quite an important trial..."
"I see. Bailiff, please allow Chief Gumshoe in to testify," ordered the Judge.
The doors of the courtroom opened to reveal the scruffy-faced Chief of Police. He walked with a confident smile up to the witness stand, his green trench coat fluttering in his wake.
Gumshoe took in his surroundings, looking to his left and right. "Oh boy… I haven't been here in a long time."
"Name and occupation, if you please!" exclaimed Franziska.
Gumshoe nodded quickly. "Yes, ma'am! My name is Dick Gumshoe and I'm the Chief of Police."
"Thank you, Detective."
"H-Hey, I'm the Chief of Pol—"
Franziska sighed. "I understand your position, Scruffy, but wouldn't it be easier to refer to you as the detective?"
"Y-yeah, fine. You can call me Detective, sirs…" said Gumshoe, looking down. Quickly, he mumbled, "What I wouldn't do to get some respect around here…"
Poor Detective Gymshoe...
"Now then, please provide a brief summary of the incident."
Witness Testimony
-The Crime Scene-
1) Around 12:15 PM yesterday, we received a call reporting a murder.
2) Once we secured the crime scene, the lab guys came in to take pictures.
3) The victim was lying face-up on the bed. He was strangled to death as seen in this Autopsy Report.
4) He was also stabbed, but that was only after he had died.
5) After that, when we searched the drawer, we found that some of the victim's belongings were missing.
No contradictions yet…I'll have to press for that…
"Very well stated, Detective," commented the Judge.
"Much more well-rehearsed than his usual testimonies…" teased Franziska, smirking.
"C'mon, pal! I have to make an impression, don't I?" complained Gumshoe, waving his arms comically in the air. "Especially for the kids! What'll they think of the Chief of Police if he gives a horrible speech?"
Gumshoe then looked down. "I'm already an embarrassment because of the Dark Age of the Law and that Phantom…"
"I joke, Scruffy, I joke!" exclaimed Franziska, before Gumshoe looked more like a puppy.
Turning his gaze to Athena, he asked, "Ms Cykes, would you care to begin your cross-examination?"
"Wait! I need to give you the autopsy report, remember?" said Gumshoe, taking two yellow folders out of his trench coat.
Turning to the bailiff, he ordered, "Give this one to the Judge, pal! And this one to Ms Cykes."
The bailiff saluted him. "Yes, sir!"
Autopsy Report added to Court Record
Let's see here… strangled using the scarf…stabbed in the heart through the back and front…
"Now, can you please begin your cross-examination, Ms Cykes?" asked the Judge.
"Yes, Your Honor," said Athena, nodding.
Cross-Examination
-The Crime Scene-
1) Around 12:15 PM yesterday, we received a call reporting a murder.
Hold It!
Athena leaned forward slightly. "Who gave you the call?"
"We don't know exactly, pal…" said Gumshoe, scratching at the back of his head. "It was a woman, but I'm not exactly sure who it was."
"A woman?"
He thought for a moment, his eyebrows moving left and right. "It might have been one of the witnesses…"
"What did she say?" asked Athena.
"Basically, she said that the guy was dead — she was pretty emotional, too — so I guess they were close…"
It must've been her…
"Did she say anything else?"
"To be frank, pal, I'm not sure what else she said. I'm not the one who takes those calls. According to our operators, though, she seemed to be in a state of panic," explained Gumshoe. "So they couldn't get a whole lot outta her."
Panic, huh?
"Thank you, Detective. You can move on."
"'Kay, pal…"
2) Once we secured the crime scene, the lab guys came in to take pictures.
Hold It!
"Have you submitted these photographs as evidence to the court?" asked Athena.
Gumshoe opened his mouth, his eyes wide. "N—"
Hold It!
"I apologize! I forgot to append these photos to the court record. I shall do so immediately!" said Franziska, taking out two sets of papers from her briefcase.
She turned to the bailiff and asked her to hand it to the rest of the courtroom. She went to the Judge and gave him his copy and handed Athena her copy.
…Wait a minute…these are the same pictures I received yesterday!
"Ms von Karma…I received these photos from Chief Gymshoe yesterday!" exclaimed Athena.
"What?!" asked Franziska, gripping her arms. She turned to glare at Gumshoe. "Scruffy! I didn't tell you to give her these photos!"
"B-But your orders were pretty vague, sir!"
His eyes closed and looked down as he continued, "You told me to let her investigate the crime scene and to allow her access to the evidence."
"But that did not mean that I would allow you to give the defense important evidence," said Franziska, glaring Gumshoe down. "See to it that you do not allow this to happen again, because otherwise, I might have a talk with my little brother."
Gumshoe looked away from her and sighed sadly. "Yes, Ms von Karma…"
3) The victim was lying face-up on the bed. He was strangled to death as seen in this Autopsy Report.
Hold It!
"The victim was strangled, right? With that blue scarf?" asked Athena, playing with her moon-shaped earring.
"I see you did your job, pal…" said Gumshoe, a confident smile on his lifted face. "Yeah, he was strangled, alright."
Athena nodded. "Then I have to ask…Who did the scarf belong to?"
"I'm guessing it belonged to the victim. Folks around him said that he wore the scarf the day prior to the murder," answered Gumshoe, thinking.
"It couldn't belong to anyone else?" asked Athena.
OBJECTION!
Franziska cracked her whip on her own bench. "The detective has answered both your questions, Ms Athena Cykes! The scarf belonged to the victim."
"B-Bu—!"
"No 'but's!"
Since when did you become my mother…?
Franziska shook her head and continued. "In addition, only the defendant's and victim's fingerprints were found upon further analysis of the scarf. However, I admit that traces of another's hair was discovered on it."
"Another person's hair? Whose?"
"Unfortunately, we have been unable to ascertain who the hair belongs to. The police are still analyzing that and other evidence," explained Franziska, a brisk tone in her voice.
"Ms von Karma! Are you saying the prosecution's case is incomplete?!" demanded the Judge, leaning forward.
Franziska sighed.
"I have not said, nor will I ever say that. Some evidence is still being analyzed, but there is enough such that the prosecution has a near-perfect case," said Franziska, arms crossed over her chest, eyes closed.
Heh, I guess that even she's not 'perfect.'
"Let's keep going," said Athena, with a smug smile.
4) He was also stabbed, but that was only after he had died.
Hold It!
"Detective, could you tell me where the stab wounds were?" asked Athena.
Gumshoe nodded. "Yeah, they were on the front and back of the body, near the heart."
"Why didn't you just say that the first time?" asked Athena.
Gumshoe scratched nervously at the back of his head, avoiding everyone's eyes. "Erm…I just forgot to…?"
"And this is who they call our Chief of Police…" said Franziska, shaking her head with a disappointed look.
"Hey, pal! I'm under a lot of pressure, you know!" complained Gumshoe. "What with all the duties at my job and helping Maggey with the kids, I don't know how I'm able to keep going! Honest!"
Hold It!
"Enough!" shouted Athena, as she slammed her hands onto her bench, a glare directed at Franziska. "Can we please just stop hounding the detective?"
"Thank you!" exclaimed Gumshoe, looking thankfully at her.
Franziska smiled smugly. "Although I'd quite like to keep going on this topic, I can see we need to continue."
"But first, please add the fact that he was stabbed back and front to your testimony," requested Athena.
"Sure thing!"
5) He was stabbed in the front and back of his chest, near the heart.
Let's look at the next statement.
6) After that, when we searched the drawer, we found that some of the victim's belongings were missing.
Hold It!
"What belongings did you find missing?"
"Jewelry belonging to the victim was recovered from the defendant's employee locker," Franziska answered with a confident smirk.
"Wait, what?!" asked Athena, leaning forward. "They were found in his locker?"
Franziska nodded. "Yes. It's quite obvious, isn't it? The fact that they were found in his storage locker is proof enough that he was in the room during the day of the incident and that he stole those items from the room."
With that, she pulled her briefcase up from under her bench and took out a necklace — made of gold with a large locket strung on it — and a ring which was also made of gold. "I shall add these to the court record."
She handed the evidence bags to the bailiff, who gave it to Judge. The Judge began to examine the contents carefully.
"Hmm…" voiced the Judge. "There's something written in this locket, but it's too small to read properly."
He pulled a small pair of reading glasses out of the folds of his robes and put them on, clearing his throat. "Please bear with me: 'Love is a canvas furnished by nature and embroidered by imagination.'"
…That was one of the most cringe-worthy, yet beautiful things I've heard.
"So this must have been a gift from someone who's close to the victim, correct?" asked the Judge, a naïve, childishly large grin on his face as he leaned forward.
Let's share a hip-hip-hooray for the Judge!
"I suspect that it's his wife," said Franziska.
The Judge nodded in agreement. "Thank you for the clarification, Ms von Karma. Bailiff, please hand these items to Ms Cykes."
Locket and Ring added to Court Record.
"Thank you," said Athena, nodding at the bailiff. "Detective Gymshoe—"
"Pal…you're getting it wrong on purpose," said Gumshoe, with an exasperated sigh. "I've said it so many times: It's Gumshoe! Like gum on your shoe!"
Yeah, because he's impossible to get rid of!
"Fine. Detective Gumshoe, can you please repeat statement five?"
5) He was stabbed in the front and back of his chest, near the heart.
Hold It!
"Where do you suspect the first stab wound was? The front or the back?" asked Athena, again playing with her earring.
Gumshoe looked thoughtful, his eyebrows moving left and right. "Hmmm…Judging by the position of the knife, I'd say that the stab to the front came first."
"Why?"
Franziska answered before Gumshoe could open his mouth. "Once the defendant had stabbed the victim in the front, he simply spun him around to finish the job."
"But it was the scarf that killed him, right?"
"Yeah; the lab guys said he died from asphyxiation. The stabbing was just to finish the job."
"I see. Detective Gumshoe, please add the order of the stabbing to your testimony," said Athena.
6) He was stabbed in the front first and then in the back.
OBJECTION!
Athena pulled up the crime scene photo.
"As you can see from this photo of the crime scene provided to us by the prosecution, the knife was found in the front of the body and not in the back," said Athena.
"And…?" Franziska prompted.
"Well…"
Franziska smirked. "Well what?
Athena froze. "Erm…"
Let's see here…
If he was lying face-up on bed when stabbed in the front, then when he was stabbed in the back…
That means that…
"He must have been lying on his back at some point for him to be stabbed there."
"Yes, and…? I fail to see what you're trying to argue here. Could you perhaps provide the court with some evidence?"
Evidence…
Argh! I don't know… Is there anything here which'll prove my point...?
Franziska whipped the prosecution's bench, snapping Athena out of her train of thought. Sneaking a glance at Widget's open monitor, she realized that she'd zoned out for nearly a whole minute.
Yup… I have nothing.
"...Seeing as the defense has failed to supply us with more information, I suggest we move onto calling the next witness in."
The Judge nodded. "I agree, Ms von Karma."
Gumshoe scratched at the back of his head. "So, does that mean I can leave now?"
"Yes, Scruffy. You may return to your wife and children now."
With glee written all over his face, Gumshoe turned and practically ran out of the courtroom.
Franziska cleared her throat, bringing the court's attention back to her. "This next witness is an individual who was present in the hotel's fitness studio at the time when the accident took place."
Who could she be calling now?
"The prosecution calls Ms Mahina Bones to the witness stand!"
Court Record:
Evidence:
Attorney's Badge: This is the proof of my profession. Without it, nobody would believe that I'm a lawyer.
Autopsy Report: 11/18, 10:30-11:30 AM; Cause of Death: Death due to asphyxiation. Notes that stab wounds found on the body are post-mortem.
Bloody Footprints: A set of Bloody Footprints leading to the elevator that I found in the hallway outside the victim's room.
Crime Scene Photos: The victim is lying face-up on the right side of the bed, which has blood underneath the body. He appears to have been stabbed and strangled to death.
Bloody Knife: A bloody knife found stuck in the victim's chest.
Scarf: Scarf found tied around the victim's neck extremely tightly.
Drawer: An empty drawer in the victim's room. The police labeled it as evidence.
Key: A key to the closet in Mr Abaddon's room dropped by Ms Libidine.
Blackout Record: There was a blackout in this hotel from around 10:15 AM to 12:00 PM. The hotel's main systems, such as elevators and rooms lost power.
Blood-stained Pantyhose: One of Ms Libidine's pantyhose which were found in the closet with blood on its knees.
Weights: The victim attempted to lift 250 pounds prior to his death. He had an accident with this.
Old Wireless Earphones: A set of wireless earphones that came out over a decade ago. The logo isn't visible.
Phone: A phone which has a playlist of ABBA music and also what looks like a picture of the victim's family.
Boye's Testimony: "I handed my pen over to that French lady in the morning when she was running out of the hotel and said she needed it; she didn't give it back. Nobody else saw it, fortunately for me; employees are encouraged to keep their pens on them at all times."
Locket and Ring: A locket and wedding ring belonging to the victim; it was found in Mr Boye's employee locker.
Profiles:
Phoenix Wright (age 37): An excellent defense attorney, known widely as the 'Turnabout Terror.' He's my mentor and role model, but he isn't here right now.
William Boye (age 39): The head bellboy of the establishment, who was arrested for murder. He's my client.
Alexander Abaddon (age 44): An international prosecutor who was working with Franziska von Karma in an investigation. He was killed in his hotel room.
Reggie Starr (age 46): The receptionist of the hotel who seems to hate my client for some reason.
Franziska von Karma (age 29): A famous international prosecutor from Germany, who aids Interpol in their investigations when they're out of their league.
Dick Gumshoe (age 42): A very large man who's the Chief of Police. He took over this investigation for some reason.
Selene Libidine (age 38):She is the victim, Alexander Abaddon's, colleague. She seems to be in a bad emotional state. Could there be something going on between them?
Jim Leeder (age 35): He's the trainer for the Gatewater Imperial Hotel's gym. Very tough and irritable.
Mahina Bones (age 22): She's a woman I met who has a muscle disorder. She's nice and told me tons of important information.