DONA DIPRIMA: ACE APPRENTICE ATTORNEY
Case 3 – The Festive Turnabout
Beginning: Part 3
October 31, 2031
6:15 PM
Global Studios – Hallway
Two hours after the group of costumed children and adults left to do some early afternoon trick or treating, they returned to Global Studios. Athena, Trucy and Diva had been busy with helping the parents keep the large crowd of children in line, while Apollo and Dona kept to the rear to make sure no one was left behind. During a brief moment, Dona said to him under her breath, "By the way, Mr. Justice, there's something I wanted to ask you."
"Hm? Go ahead, ask away."
"Just before we left the studio, Diva gave me this."
She showed him the black paper with the stylized 'G' and indecipherable signature. "She didn't tell me who this came from. Do you have any idea?"
"Oh…" he suddenly looked a bit annoyed when he saw it. "Yeah, I know who that is. You ever heard of the Gavinners?"
"What is that, some kind of comedy act?"
Apollo chortled. "Heh heh. He'd be wounded if he heard you say that. No, it was a rock band that was active in the late 2010's and disbanded shortly after I started my law career five years ago. The lead singer was Klavier Gavin, who is also a prosecutor. I've had my fair share of heated debates with that guy, and while his flamboyancy gets rather annoying, he's really good at his job."
"A rock band, huh? No wonder I never heard of them. I find that genre of music too loud and rambunctious for my taste."
"What do you like?"
"Jazz piano. It helps me study."
"Sounds just like you. So why did Diva give you Gavin's signature out of the blue?"
Dona folded her arms in a puzzled manner. "She said she was going to be apprenticing under this guy. Remember that she was interning under Prosecutor Payne, but he had that heart attack during the last trial and had to retire."
"Whoa," Apollo cringed. "That'll be quite the colorful mentor-mentee relationship."
"Well, at least I have a better understanding of why Diva was being so coy with me. I guess I should keep my mouth shut and pretend to be surprised when she introduces him to me. She hates it when I disappoint her by doing my research ahead of time when she wants to surprise me."
"Speaking of surprises, Trucy keeps talking about this 'main event' thing going on tonight. I know she's performing as the opening act, but do you have any idea what the actual show's gonna be about?"
"I'm not positive, although I think I have some kind of hint," Dona said. "Trucy and I bumped into this woman who has a six-year old daughter. Apparently, the girl participates in these things called child beauty pageants, but neither of them said she would specifically participate tonight."
"Hmm… Interesting."
Even so, neither of them really could answer his question. They decided to just wait and see what happened. Now that everyone was back at Global Studios, one of the employees ushered the ecstatic group of children through the main gate and straight right to Studio 1 where the party was being held, passing by a security gate along the way. Diva flashed an imaginary blown kiss to the bored guard for extra emphasis on the character type she was pretending to be.
As the agency quartet approached Studio 1's door, they saw another group of children surrounded by their parents and employees, along with Will Powers as he directed the crew. This time however, the children were all girls, and they were dressed up not in a variety of Halloween costumes, but rather in colorful and elegant geisha outfits, complete with complex hairstyles and gorgeous hair accessories. Their faces were also covered with copious amounts of white makeup to give them that eerie pale look.
Dona finally saw Tiara Fulsome as she passionately adjusted some flowers in a black-haired girl's hair, then gave her some words of encouragement. Dona thought, That girl must be her daughter, Tabitha.
"What's with all the hubbub, Mr. Powers?" Apollo wondered, briefly interrupting his work.
"Didn't Trucy tell you?" Will asked. "We're holding a contest for the upcoming Glittering Geisha show."
"Glittering Geisha?"
"It's the sequel to the Steel Samurai and Pink Princess shows. Tonight's show is actually a contest to decide who will get to play as the young princess of Neo Olde Tokyo, Princess Maiko."
"Oh, wow! So there's gonna be a sequel after all these years!?" Athena beamed happily. It was obvious that she had become a big fan of the series ever since moving to America from Europe.
"It was delayed a little due to the success of the Bronze Ronin prequel series, but Glittering Geisha will be the Steel Samurai's newest installment. It'll take place several years later, and the Iron Infant will grow up to be the Iron Soldier and the Glittering Geisha's partner. Expect to see it sometime in 2032 or 2033."
"I can hardly wait! Ooh, and this contest is to decide who will play the main heroine!?"
"Not quite. It'll be who gets to play as Princess Maiko, not as the Glittering Geisha."
"I see. So that's why all of the contestants are so young!"
Dona stared at the young girls, ranging from between six to eight years old, as their parents and/or managers got them dressed in very elaborate and colorful Japanese costumes. They wore thick white makeup all over their faces and adorned beautiful hairpieces in their styled hair.
She murmured, "All of these girls look like they know what they're doing. No one seems to be making any sort of fuss against the adults."
Will explained, "That's because they're experienced child beauty pageant stars."
"Trucy mentioned it to me, but I don't know much about them."
"They're beauty contests featuring contestants who are younger than 16 years old. Mr. Manella wanted a young star who was already experienced with the spotlight, so he arranged the preliminaries so that eight girls would compete tonight for the role. He'll have several different categories for them to pass, such as an interview, walking and posture, acting, and dancing to name a few."
"And, of course, don't forget the opening act!" Trucy saluted. "Didn't you know that beauty without magic is a crime in itself!?"
"Can't say I've heard of that one," Apollo quipped.
"Oh, Trucy. Mr. Manella wanted to speak with you about a couple of things. Mind if I drag you away from the fun for just a few minutes?"
"No problem," the magician assured.
Apollo warned her, "Make sure you don't sign anything suspicious, 'kay?"
"I know that!" she pouted, then walked away with Will to take care of some business.
Another assistant guided the group of adults and children into Studio 1, which was modeled to look like a dark haunted house. But this wasn't the typical parody of a dilapidated Western mansion. Rather, this looked more like the inside of an Eastern-styled shrine or dojo, complete with imagery of various youkai and ghosts from popular legend. Even the entrance appeared like a traditional red torii with spooky monsters glaring at the newcomers with comical mischief in their eyes.
"Boy, this takes me back to when we visited Nine-Tails Vale. Don't you think so, Athena?" Apollo murmured nostalgically.
"Yeah. That's the first time I met you, and when I took on my first case in this country," Athena smiled. "It wouldn't surprise me if the designers took inspiration from there. It makes perfect sense to host a Steel Samurai-like contest in a haunted dojo. I can feel the joy from the kids already!"
Dona blankly looked around at the décor, which primarily consisted of Oriental-themed props and decorations, although some traces of Western culture were still present as well such as jack-o-lanterns and scarecrow mannequins. Just then, a loudspeaker started playing some lively novelty music as a deep man's voice declared in a faux Romanian accent, "WELCOME… TO THE PARTY OF YOUR AFTERLIFE…!"
Diva playfully put her hands on her sister's shoulders and crooned, "Ooh, this is really lovely! The atmosphere is just right for a creepy, yet enjoyable evening. What do you think, Sis?"
"I guess."
"Let's see what they got to eat. I'm totally famished from all of that walking!"
After hearing that, Dona realized how hungry she actually was and decided to follow Diva to the serving tables. She continued gazing around at the refurbished studio without any particular interest. At the tables, they saw a row of catered food such as sandwiches, hors d'ouvres, noodles and various homemade desserts designed in a Halloween fashion. The twins gathered a plate of food each and sat down to eat at one of the dining tables.
Halfway through eating, they were interrupted when a man's voice proclaimed behind them, "There you are, Fraulein. Oh my, if my eyes weren't deceiving, I would think you had split into two for some kind of festive prank. Not that I would've minded, actually."
The twins didn't need to look back as the owner of that voice brazenly put his hands on each of their shoulders and ducked his head between them. He gave each of them a bright smile that didn't feel genuine to Dona.
"Oh ho ho ho!" Diva laughed. "You're a cheeky little devil yourself, aren't you, Prosecutor? Trying to play coy with underage girls! Bertie would have you arrested on the spot!"
"Ouch. Don't make me out to be some kind of deviant, Fraulein. My tastes in women are perfectly legal, thank you very much."
He was a blonde-haired fellow with a lock of curled hair over his left shoulder. He wore a purple jacket, black shirt and pants, and had a necklace with a stylized G hanging on the end, identical to the symbol on the autograph card. Despite his dark horse-like attire, he actually had quite a pleasant aura surrounding him. He had been carrying a guitar case that he set on the ground before the conversation.
I have a pretty good idea who this guy is, but I might as well ask anyway, Dona thought.
"Diva," she said to her sister, "do you mind introducing me to this man?"
"No need, Ms. Dona," he interrupted. "I'd be more than happy to introduce myself. The name's Klavier Gavin, former leader of the Gavinners and full-time prosecutor. Good to make an acquaintance with my energetic pupil's sister, although I have to admit, I'm a little disappointed that you're pursuing a career as a defense attorney. I have to make a mental note that I'm dealing with identical twins who are studying the opposing ends of our legal world. There could be a song in that, actually…"
"So you've become Diva's mentor after Mr. Payne was forced to retire, am I right?" Dona asked.
"Ja, and what a fiery lass she is. At least she'll keep my day interesting."
"I see."
"Dona…" Diva glared at her. "You're acting like you're not surprised by this news."
"She shouldn't be," Klavier replied suddenly. "She's an apprentice for Wright, isn't she? And that would inevitably mean she's interning under Herr Forehead, whom I've had the pleasure of sparking up the courtroom with on numerous occasions."
"Herr Forehead?"
"Ja, that would be Apollo Justice. I call him that thanks to a little in-joke during our very first trial together. Helps that he has a rather spacious forehead to accompany his lobster-like cow licks."
"Dona! You didn't ask Mr. Forehead about Prosecutor Gavin, did you!?" Diva demanded to her sister.
Dona scratched her chin and darted her eyes left and right. "Maybe… Sort of…"
"Oh, you are such a bore, Sis! Why didn't you just tell me!?"
"Because you always act that way when disappointed. I thought I'd humor you for a change."
"Ugh… Have a heart, will you?"
Klavier laughed at their squabbling and said, "All right, that's enough. I think I get the idea behind your sisterly relationship. One is outspoken and likes to have fun, while the other is to-the-book and rigid, but you both really look out for each other. You should cherish that."
His smile suddenly changed into an uncharacteristic frown as he warned, "You never know when a close sibling bond like that can be shattered into irreparable pieces."
Sounds like there's a long story behind that statement, Dona thought.
"Well, I won't keep you two any longer. I've gotta meet up with Mr. Powers and the other musicians for some boring prep talk," Klavier said. "Keep your eyes on the stage, girls. You'll get a one-in-a-lifetime show tonight!"
With that, he took his guitar case and left. Diva leaned into Dona's ear and asked, "See, see!? Isn't he a hottie!?"
Her sister didn't really care and merely shrugged. Diva clasped her hands and crooned, "It's any girl's dream to work for a superstar, and now I'm living the fantasy!"
"Be sure not to get too lost in the dream, or I'll be forced to pull you back down to reality."
The older twin apparently didn't hear what her sibling had to say and kept delighting in the prospects of working for Klavier. Dona gave up trying to convice her otherwise and said she would wander around by herself for a bit. In all honesty, she was having trouble getting into the Halloween spirit, wondering what the point of all of this partying and loud music was. She would rather be at the office studying and taking care of business instead of wasting time like this.
I guess there's that whole Glittering Geisha thing later tonight, so maybe I should look forward to that instead of being a bored out of my mind wallflower.
She ambled over to the makeshift graveyard where several mannequins, scarecrows and grave markers were set up within an enclosure. Although she found them rather cheesy-looking on the surface, a closer examination revealed that there were a lot of easy-to-miss intricacies that could catch one's eye. As she was about to leave the area, she heard something unusual for a Halloween party; a yapping dog.
Dona looked around since she hadn't seen any dogs at all today. She finally found a tiny black-furred Cairn Terrier puppy rushing toward her. She thought it was going to jump on her unexpectedly, but it actually rushed past her and wagged its tail in front of one of the hanging mannequins. The tiny dog whimpered, then barked a few times and got on its hind legs to try and climb up the mannequin's leg. That was when a young girl's voice exclaimed, "There you are, Noir!"
Dona looked over to find a six-year old girl happily running toward the little canine, and she scooped it into her arms very easily. The girl was dressed up in full geisha costume, meaning she was going to be one of the participants of tonight's contest. Dona recognized her as Tabitha, Tiara's daughter. The girl noticed Dona staring at her, then suddenly asked, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"It's nothing."
"You're dressed kinda funny, miss."
"Well, of course I am. It's Halloween."
"Yeah, but that kinda makes you look ugly. Miss Trucy looks way better as a magician."
I know a six-year old kid's vocabulary isn't the greatest, but 'ugly'?
Aloud, Dona replied coolly, "Is that so? Then what do you think I should've come as?"
"Hmmm… The Grim Reaper! You'd look really cool if you put on a black hood and waved one of those big blades around!"
Strike two, missy.
"You should know that there's a difference between 'fun' creepy and 'scary' creepy. Your idea falls squarely into the second camp," the student rebutted.
"You think so? I think you're jealous because you're too old to be pretty, especially with those big dorky glasses. I thought a hood would help hide how ugly you are. Maybe a ghost would be a better suggestion?" Tabitha asked.
And with that, I am officially offended.
Before Dona could scold her, they heard Tiara call out, "Tabitha! What in the world are you doing here!?"
The upset mother stormed up to the suddenly frightened child and leaned over her like a commander would over a misbehaving private. Tabitha hugged Noir tightly and murmured, "I was looking for Mr. Blaich's doggy."
"You know better than to leave me like that! Come, Mr. Powers is expecting you backstage right now!"
"But what about Noir!?"
"Forget about it! That filthy mutt will ruin your makeup!"
"No, he won't! Noir's a good boy!"
"Give him to me," Tiara demanded and scooped the dog out of her daughter's hands. "Get backstage immediately, or there will be consequences!"
"Uu… Okay," Tabitha moaned sullenly and left.
Tiara noticed that Dona had witnessed their little scene and exclaimed, "I'm so sorry you had to see Tabby misbehaving like that, Dona-dear."
"No, don't mind me."
"Normally she listens to everything I tell her to do, but when it comes to that dog, she's hopeless."
"I'm sure a lot of kids her age enjoy being around pets. It's just a natural thing for them."
"Really now. She should be concentrating on her performances instead of worrying about some useless little animal like this!"
Tiara shuffled the barking Noir in her hands and said, "I'll get this little yapper out of everyone's way, okay? You just enjoy yourself. Oh, and don't forget to root for Tabby, would you?"
She took the dog and left Dona alone. Something about the whole thing bothered her for some indiscernible reason, and she fell quiet for a few minutes. Was it that Tiara's scolding felt more offending than Tabitha's child-like insults? Was it the idea of a dog running around in the studio without his owner keeping an eye on him? She immediately regretted not asking Tiara whose dog it was, but tried not to make a big deal out of it.
Something else seemed peculiar though. Why did Noir run straight for the cemetery area and clamor about around one of the hanging dummies? Furthermore, the dog kept barking and staring at it as if he wanted to be with the mannequin for some reason. Dona approached the life-like dummy in question and stared at it intently. Without warning, she heard the distinct buzz of a fly right next to her ear and shooed it away. Although the lights were dim, she could see two or three flies buzzing around the hanging humanoid prop.
That's not good. If any of these bugs got to the food, there'd be a health and safety disaster.
Dona wanted to tell someone in the staff about this, but as she thought more and more about what was going on, she could feel the sensation of her feet being firmly planted to the ground. She didn't want to move from here. She wanted to investigate more.
A dog that's interested in one mannequin… Flies swarming around that same one… Could it be?
She widened her eyes, not wanting to imagine something so unfathomable.
I've only heard about this phenomenon in news articles, but is it possible…?
As her eyes shifted to the other corpse-like mannequins, she noticed that there weren't any flies swarming around them. It was as if they congregated only to the one hanging from the noose. Just then, a centipede scurried out from the pants leg and dropped onto the floor before rushing into some obscure corner.
Okay, this just got spooky for all the wrong reasons.
She decided to peer in for a better look. The festive atmosphere of the Halloween party and the Glittering Geisha contest drowned into some odd mix of silence and incoherent noise. Dona decided to see for herself if something was different about this mannequin that would attract so many insects. After all, she was worried that it would be dangerous given the amount of food being served.
She took off one of the dummy's shoes and socks to examine his feet, noticing that a significant amount of blood had mottled on its legs. She opted to look at a different dummy's leg for comparison's sake and found that it didn't share the same features. Another thing that bothered her during the search was the smell. She knew that decomposing bodies let out an awful stench and, although she had never smelled it for herself before, she knew that something horrendously pungent was prevalent around the air. None of the musty Halloween props matched it. It was more akin to fluid from the bowels.
What in the world…? Why can't anyone else smell this god-awful odor?
Dona looked around for anything that could mask it, and spotted the candles inside the many jack-o-lanterns surrounding the decorative cemetery. She kneeled in front of one and blew her hand toward her face to waft the candle's scent at her nose.
So that's where the strong pumpkin pie smell is coming from - these candles are scented. Not to mention that various other things like the food and the perfume from the contestants are drowning out that awful stench.
She glared at the hanging dummy and tightened her lips.
I'm only about 50% positive here… But if I do one more check and find it, then…
She decided not to finish the thought and calmly approached the hanging dummy. She didn't want her behavior to appear irrational to the other party-goers, so she kept her steps light and natural. She removed her black top hat and leaned her ear in close to the mannequin's abdominal area, doing her best to hold her breath for as long as possible. After a minute of close listening, that was when she heard some kind of bizarre gurgling or belching sound. Another torrent of foul odors threatened to overwhelm her senses.
Okay, that's the clincher. Fake bodies don't expel gases.
Dona coughed in revulsion and hurried away from the now-confirmed dead body. As she scrambled through the crowd, Apollo, Athena and Trucy spotted her.
"There you are!" Trucy pouted after grabbing her arm. "Where the heck have you been!? Don't tell me you've been playing wallflower this whole time!"
"Uh… Well, I… I was taking a look around…"
"Pretty cool, huh? I admit that partying in a haunted house isn't the most original idea in the world, but the organizers sure put everything they had into this!"
Dona accidentally choked on her spit and coughed hard. Apollo gave her some water while exclaiming, "Whoa, you okay there!?"
"What's wrong with you?" Athena wondered. "You're as white as a sheet!"
"M-Mr. Powers… Have any of you seen Mr. Powers around?" Dona shakily asked.
Trucy said, "I think he's in the dressing room with the contestants and their parents. They're just about to get on st-"
Without another word, Dona freed herself from Trucy's grip and dashed toward the hallway. The magician was alarmed as she demanded, "Hey, where are you going!?"
"Why did she want to see Mr. Powers all of a sudden?" Apollo asked his befuddled partners.
Athena suddenly became pensive as she admitted, "Her voice… It's quivering with horror."
"Well, of course it is! Where do you think we are?"
"No, not like that! I mean pure, unadulterated terror! The kind you experience when someone is trying to kill you!"
"What!?"
"Let's follow her! Something must have happened!"
October 31, 2031
6:45 PM
Global Studios - Backstage
Dona passed by several young girls in the hallway talking with their parents and/or managers. Most of them were ready to take the stage for the contest, including the despondent Tabitha. She paid little mind to them and looked around for Will, whom she found talking with one of his assistants; a plain-looking young woman with brown hair wearing rounded glasses.
"Have you seen Mr. Blaich around, Penny?" Will asked.
"No, not since lunch. He's supposed to be here helping out with preparations," the woman replied. "He told me he'd be in his office talking with Mr. Manella about the script for Glittering Geisha's first episode, and didn't want to be disturbed."
"That dunderhead. Where the heck can he be at such an important time? I know he's the closed, reclusive type, but he was all fired up for this event!"
"Mr. Powers!" Dona called out to him.
"Oh, you're one of Trucy's friends, right?" the shaggy man addressed her. "Sorry, but I'm a little busy here. The show's gonna start in 15 minutes, so-"
"I'm sorry, but I need to talk to you privately. It's absolutely urgent!"
"Huh? Sorry Penny, but keep an eye on the kids for me," Will told his assistant, then Dona took him to a secluded corner where no one could bother them. "Okay, what's so 'absolutely urgent' that you need to interrupt me, missy?"
"I'd hate to break this to you, but I… Well, maybe it'd be better if I showed you."
"Why!? Explaining it to me will be much faster!"
"No, trust me. Showing you will be better."
As Dona and Will ran down the hall back to the party grounds, Athena and the others met up with them.
"What's going on, Dona!? Athena said that you sounded totally horrified!" Trucy demanded.
"I was just about to show Mr. Powers what's wrong. You guys should come too."
The confused trio followed them through the room, pushing and shoving past guests until Dona showed them to the mock cemetery scene. After panting a few times, she pointed to the hanging figure and asked Will, "Do you recognize this man?"
"Huh? Why would I recognize a mannequin? It's just a-" he was about to object, but then took a good look at the man's face. To everyone's surprise, his eyes bulged almost out of their sockets and his jaw dropped so low, they thought it would dislocate.
"M-Mr… Mr. Blaich! WAAAAGGGHHH!"
Now everyone's heads turned their way once Will let out his curdling scream.
"Mr. Blaich!? You mean the assistant director for the Steel Samurai reboot!? That guy!?" Trucy gasped.
"T-T-There's no mistaking it…" Will shuddered helplessly. "That's him! What the…!? Why is he here!? Why is he…!? Oh, God-!"
"No way!" Apollo reeled back in horror. "Someone disguised a dead man as a prop!?"
Athena's sickly pallor matched her fright. She asked Dona, "Did you find him like this!?"
"I did," she replied. "Even if Mr. Powers didn't recognize him, I would have told him to stop the party and call the police. This is most definitely a real corpse on display here."
"Oh, gross!"
"I'll call the police! Can you guys go tell Penny and have her stop the contest and party!?" Will frantically requested.
"Right away!" Apollo clenched his fists. He and Trucy went to go find the assistant, and Athena was so sick to her stomach that she excused herself to go to the bathroom.
