Phoenix looked at Miles in a way that made him nervous. The defense attorney reached out and in one fluid motion, undid the prosecutor's cravat and took it off.
"Hey!" Miles exclaimed. "Give that back!"
"Later," Phoenix said. "Look, if you saw, I don't know, Prosecutor Payne walking around a crime scene you were investigating, that would seem weird right?"
"Maybe a little, but this is ridiculous," Miles said, abashed.
"Alright, I'm sorry," Phoenix said, putting his hands up. "Now take your jacket off."
"Are you planning on taking everything off?"
"No. Come on, it's not like I'm asking you to jump off a bridge."
I guess he didn't ask for me to come along. Miles sighed and took his burgundy jacket off. "Better?"
"Still too recognizable. You might want to take off your vest too."
"You know this isn't going to help," Miles said and undid his vest. He put his jacket and his vest in the back of his car.
"Yeah, you still look too much like… you," Phoenix said. He licked his hand and approached Miles.
Flashbacks from childhood class picture days entered his mind and Miles knew what Phoenix was thinking. "Wright, this is incredibly- hey!"
Phoenix rubbed the hand he had licked over Miles's head and used the other arm to keep him still. Miles struggled, but Phoenix had a strong grip.
"Would you stop that already?" Miles said.
"Just hold still," Phoenix said and licked his hand again.
Finally, Phoenix let go and Miles pushed away. He was about to undo whatever the demented attorney had done to his hair, then he remembered what was holding it in place and put his hands down. He crossed his arms and glared at Phoenix. "What was that for?"
"I had to change your hair. Now no one will recognize you. See for yourself," Phoenix said and moved a side view mirror to face Miles.
The prosecutor looked at his reflection and raised his eyebrow. His "M" bangs that normally framed his face were slicked back over his head. Miles stepped back and saw that he was only wearing his white dress shirt and burgundy pants.
"I feel half-dressed," Miles said.
"Technically you are, but no one will know that," Phoenix said.
Miles didn't really think anyone would buy it, but he didn't want to encourage Phoenix to add more changes. "If you say so."
"Alright," Phoenix said. "Let's get going."
"Are you sure you want to take my car? I'd hate for someone to recognize it," Miles said sarcastically.
Phoenix scratched his chin again. "That's a good point."
Miles sighed. "We'll park from a distance."
It was a short drive, so Miles and Phoenix soon saw the yellow police tape surrounding Oak Shade Garden. They entered the crime scene and looked around. The garden, naturally, had various plants and flowers living in patches of soil, broken off by an intersecting cobblestone path. Surrounding the area was a grove of trees. Straight ahead Miles could see a clear plastic tent of sorts.
Phoenix saw it too. "I wonder what that's there for."
Before Miles could say anything, a gruff voice caught his attention. "Hey, pal, what are you doing here?"
Detective Gumshoe ran over to the attorneys and smiles when he saw Phoenix. "Hey, Mr. Wright. Are you Ms. Coldstare's lawyer?"
Phoenix nodded. "Yep, I-"
"Wait a minute," Gumshoe interrupted. He stared at Miles, who was trying to appear indifferent. "Mr. Edgeworth?"
Miles bit his lip. Then he glared at Phoenix. After all that, it took the detective fifteen seconds. Phoenix, knowing what the glare was for, shrugged.
"Gumshoe's different, he knows you better than anyone else here," Phoenix said.
"Mr. Edgeworth, what are you doing here? You're not the prosecution, sir," Gumshoe said.
Miles sighed. "No, I'm not."
"Two heads are better than one, you know. So Edgeworth is helping me out," Phoenix said.
"Wow," Gumshoe said. "So this is a disguise then?"
"Yes, if anyone asks, this is my… assistant…. Beckett."
"Really?" Miles said. "A fake name too?"
"Well if we went around telling everyone your name was Edgeworth it would kind of countercheck the disguise," Phoenix said.
I'm not having this conversation. "So about the murder."
"Oh yeah, would you like to see the autopsy?" Gumshoe said.
"Sure," Phoenix said.
The detective gave them a file detailing the victim's death. "The victim's name was Seth Aflame. He was shot. They recovered the bullet, more or less. After the victim was shot, someone poured kerosene and lit the body on fire," Gumshoe shivered. "That was anything but pretty, pal. And it was difficult identifying him, but he wasn't burned everywhere on the inside so we used DNA tests."
Phoenix skimmed the autopsy. "It says here Seth was shot 'somewhere in the back.'"
"Somewhere?" Miles said.
"The body was burned pretty badly, it changed the bullet hole. So we don't know exactly where he was shot. We do know that the bullet punctured his right lung, because that's where the bullet was found," Gumshoe said.
"What about the murder weapon?" Phoenix said.
"We found a pistol. The bullet kind of melted, so we can't use ballistic markings to confirm it, but it was fired recently. And Ms. Coldstare's fingerprints are on it," Gumshoe said.
"Of course they are," Phoenix said, deflated.
"Detective, just why is there a tent in the middle of the path?" Miles said.
"That's what we're using to preserve the scene of the murder. The victim was burned, so naturally there are some ashes scattered around. We can't have anything blowing anyway in the wind," Gumshoe said.
The three men walked over to the small tent. When Miles got closer he realized it barely reached his kneecaps. Phoenix knelt down for a closer look. Under the little tent covered a white tape outline of how the body was found. Burn marks blacken the cobblestone inside and outside the line. Right next to where the feet were traced, there was a blood stain with an unusual pattern embedded.
"Is that a shoe print?" Miles said, pointing to the bloodstain.
"Yeah, Seth Aflame was standing there when he was shot and burned. The fire even melted the soles of his tennis shoes a bit, so we've got a really nice print," Gumshoe said.
"Hey, Detective! Come over here!" shouted one of the officers.
"Coming, pal!" Gumshoe shouted back. He looked at the attorneys. "Go ahead and look around, I gotta go. Later."
With those parting words, the detective ran off. Phoenix stood up and turned himself to match the direction of the shoe print.
"So the victim was standing like this," he turned around and scanned the area, "Meaning the shooter was somewhere around here."
"Are there photos in the autopsy? They might help narrow down the possibilities," Miles said.
"I think there are, let's see," Phoenix pulled out a photo, "Llgh."
Miles looked over Phoenix's shoulder and saw a photograph of the victim. Scorch marks plagued the victim's back, along with a hole. "Is that the entry wound from the bullet?" Miles said. It didn't really look like a bullet wound, but it was the only possibility.
"Must be," said Phoenix. He held the photo over the small tent. "So he was like this when he was shot. That doesn't really tell us anything, though."
Miles looked at the wound. It had obviously been burned and disfigured when the victim was set on fire, but the wound stayed on the right side of his back. He sorted through the information he had gathered so far, and eventually something clicked. "Are you sure, Wright?"
Phoenix looked at the prosecutor and noticed his smirk. "What did you figure out?"
"The bullet was found in the victim's right lung, which from behind would be on the left side. So the bullet entered the right side of the victim's back, but ended inside the lung on the left side. Meaning he was shot from an angle."
"Hey, you're right," Phoenix said. He looked at the photo again. "The entry wound his above the lung too, so the shooter was up high."
"Good point," Miles said. He calculated the estimated direction of the bullet and pointed his finger. "Let's see what's over there."
Miles and Phoenix walked over the spot Miles had pointed out, which was the edge of the garden.
"I guess there are plenty of trees to climb," Miles said.
"Yeah, but the limbs look a bit thin to stand on," Phoenix said. He ventured into the grove, scouting the area. Miles followed him.
They didn't get too far when Phoenix said, "I think this would be a bit more stable."
Miles caught up with Phoenix, who was standing in front of a concrete garden shed with a flat roof. It was the same height as the trees.
"Could you get to the victim from there?" Miles said.
"Let's find out," Phoenix said and tried to open the door. It was locked, however.
"Maybe someone with the police has a key?" Phoenix said.
"There might not be a way up there from the inside," Miles said. He walked over to the side of the shed and found a few things lying around outside. "Why don't we use this ladder?"
Phoenix joined him and looked at the ladder. "Actually, that's a stepladder."
"Same thing," Miles said.
"There's a difference, trust me."
"A ladder is a ladder, Wright. It doesn't matter."
"I'm just saying you should use the proper title. It just makes sense."
"Makes sense? It's a ladder!"
"You mean a stepladder."
"No, actually I don't!" This was beginning to get on Miles' nerves.
"What? You don't believe me?" Phoenix said, also getting worked up.
"It doesn't matter," Miles glared at him.
Phoenix took out his phone and set up a video chat. A minute later, a young man's face appeared on the screen. "Mr. Wright? What do you need?"
"Apollo, look at this stepladder for me," Phoenix said and positioned the phone's camera to face the shed.
"Stepladder? It's just a ladder," Apollo said.
"See?" Miles said.
"Not you too!" Phoenix said.
"Mr. Wright, you have to look past all the trivial stuff, at the essence of the thing," Apollo explained.
Miles raised his eyebrow; that was taking it a bit deeper than he had been thinking.
"At its essence, it's a stepladder," Phoenix said.
"You mean ladder," Apollo said.
"No, it's a stepladder, there's a difference."
Miles heard a female voice come from the phone. "Hey, Polly. Who are you talking too?"
A girl appeared on the screen next to Apollo. It was Phoenix's daughter, Trucy Wright. "Hi, Daddy!"
"Trucy, thank goodness. Could you please explain to these people that this is a stepladder, not a ladder?"
"Well duh, of course it's a stepladder," Trucy said.
"Trucy, we've been over this. It's just a ladder," Apollo said.
"Polly, when are you going to learn? Ladders and stepladders are two completely different things," Trucy said.
"What has your father done to you?" Apollo said.
"He taught me the difference between a ladder and stepladder."
"There is no difference!"
"Yes, there is," Phoenix and Trucy said at the same time.
"I am surrounded by crazy people," Apollo said.
"Informed people," Phoenix said.
"Come on, Polly, think about it. Is a mother the same thing as a stepmother?" Trucy said.
"Are you seriously comparing ladders to mothers?" Apollo said.
"She has a point. A stepmother is a mother, but a mother is not a stepmother. Same goes for ladders and stepladders," Phoenix said.
"Are you done yet?" Miles said; leaning against the extension ladder he had set up while they were talking.
"So it's not a stepladder," Apollo said, triumphantly.
"But it's not just a regular ladder, either," Trucy said.
"Are we ever going to use it?" Miles said, frustrated by the pointless discussion.
"Alright, calm down," Phoenix said. "I'll see you guys later, okay?"
"Bye, Daddy!" Trucy said.
"Bye, Mr. Wright," Apollo said and ended the video chat.
Miles looked up at the ladder, feeling nervous. He had almost been tempted to let them continue their ladder debate, he hated heights. But they had a job to do, and Miles was determined not to let that silly anxiety of his get in the way of it. He put his foot on the first rung and hesitated. Just get it over with, Miles.
Before he could argue with himself, he climbed up the ladder as quickly as he could and stepped onto the roof. He took a deep breath and sneezed.