A/N: Late again, I know. But we are definitely on the home stretch now. I'll try and keep writing while I still have free time and hopefully I'll be able to get another chapter out next week.
Even the moon was trying its hardest to thwart the plans of Andre and Morgan Fey as it slipped behind a cloud, obscuring the forest path under a shroud of darkness. Andre continued on, certain he was heading in the right direction. He had learned the location of Ami Fey's cabin long ago, and today that information was going to finally be put to use.
The gasoline can stored in his backpack sloshed noisily with each step, almost as if it were trying to make sure he was completely aware of what he was about to do. He knew that a quick splash of the flammable liquid and the matches in his pocket were all he would need to bring Misty Fey's bloodline to an end, leaving only his own to become Kurain's head family. Though it had rained the night prior, he felt fortunate that the spring sunshine had dried everything off earlier that day, making his task even easier.
Finally, the cabin came into view. As he had expected, there were no lights on inside meaning that Maya was already fast asleep. Andre smirked to himself as he snuck around the side of the structure, stopping beneath the window of the room she would be sleeping in.
He unzipped his bag and removed the gasoline, carefully pouring a liberal amount around the outer walls of her room. Satisfied that the cabin would burn as intended, he hid the empty can in the garden shed and returned to Maya's window.
He stood for a moment, seething at the building and at the woman inside it, cursing all it represented. He then took a deep breath, his angry visage melting into calm impassiveness once more. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small book of matches. Striking one, he watched the flame dance for a few seconds before turning his attention back to the cabin.
"This is for my mother," he said coolly as he tossed the match towards the gasoline soaked wall. With a whooshing sound, the structure burst into flames as the liquid ignited.
With a sardonic smile, Andre turned and headed away from the burning cabin.
"Sweet dreams, Mystic Maya..."
Detective Gumshoe felt like someone had ripped his heart from his chest. He stood before the charred remains of Ami Fey's cabin, still unable to believe what had happened here.
They just hadn't been quick enough, and he felt like it was all his fault.
He had made sure that his contact at the prison had monitored all of Morgan's calls just as Phoenix had requested, and they were lucky enough to have caught her conversation with Andre Fey. She was hauled in for questioning but so far was being uncooperative. Gumshoe himself had taken charge of the operation, immediately dispatching officers to Kurain to find Andre Fey before he could make his move.
Unfortunately, Andre wasn't in Kurain and his officers returned empty handed. Althea Fey had also refused to disclose the exact location of the cabin and Gumshoe simply hadn't had the time to organise the paperwork that would allow him to demand that she do so. Althea had claimed that Andre was away at boarding school and that she had no way of contacting him. She didn't seem to care that Maya's life was being threatened, which Gumshoe just couldn't understand.
It wasn't until a ranger reported a forest fire that the police department was notified, only to discover that the fire was a lot more sinister. The remote location had made it difficult to get a fire crew close enough to put out the blaze and by the time it was extinguished, there was nothing left of the cabin. Nor was there any sign of its occupant, Maya Fey. The coroner had been called in at about half past six that morning, and the firemen continued to search the ruins for her remains as the sun came up over the disastrous scene.
Gumshoe wiped at his eyes with the back of his jacket, sighing heavily to himself as he pulled out his cell phone. Phoenix was not answering at his office or on his cell and Gumshoe knew that he desperately needed to get a hold of him. He wasn't going to take the news well. Flicking through his contacts, he tried Phoenix's cell number once again.
Something in the back of Phoenix's mind registered an oddly familiar sound through the haze of his dream and he soon found himself awake, wondering what the hell the sound was and why it was getting louder. After a few moments of clarity he realised that it was his phone, ringing away on the floor beside the futon.
"Who on earth could that be at this time of the morning?" he thought grumpily to himself as he picked up the offending object. Glancing to his right, he was glad to see that the commotion hadn't woken Maya. She was still fast asleep.
"Hello?" Phoenix mumbled, answering the call.
"Pal... *sniff* Oh pal... *sniff* I'm so sorry, pal..." the man on the other end of the line blubbered.
Judging from the amount of times he had used the word 'pal' in one sentence, Phoenix surmised that it must have been Gumshoe. But why was he so upset?
"Gumshoe? Is that you? What's the matter?"
"It's me, pal." Gumshoe confirmed, pausing as he gathered his words. "I'm so sorry. I don't know how to tell you this. We tried. We tried everything. But we were too late. I'm sorry."
"Gumshoe, you're not making sense." Phoenix said sternly, now fully awake. The volume of his voice caused Maya to stir beside him. She pulled herself up on to her elbows and eyed him groggily.
"Wha's goin' on?" Maya mumbled. Phoenix held up his hand to her, motioning that he would tell her in a second as he tried to get some sort of coherent explanation from the detective.
"It's Maya. She was in the cabin, pal. Andre burned it down. You were right," Gumshoe finally managed.
"He what?" Phoenix cried, louder than he had intended to.
"What? What is it?" Maya asked, now considerably more alert.
"We started recording Morgan's calls like you said we should. Her and Andre were talking about burning down the cabin. Everyone at Kurain said Maya was here, but Althea wouldn't tell us where. But then the fire... Aw pal, we were too late," Gumshoe trailed off, sobbing openly.
"Gumshoe, calm down okay?" Phoenix instructed.
"How can you say that, pal? How can you be so calm? It's Maya!" Gumshoe wailed.
"Maya is with me. I can assure you that she's right here, right now and very much alive," Phoenix explained. "She wasn't in the cabin. We left yesterday afternoon. We're at Hazakurain right now."
"What? He thinks I'm dead? What's happening, Nick?" Maya cried. Phoenix motioned again for her to hold on a second while he tried to clear things up with the distraught detective.
"Really? You're sure?" Gumshoe asked, his voice brightening.
Phoenix blanched at the stupidity of the question. Was he sure? He was looking at the girl. Of course he was sure.
"Yes, I'm sure. Here, I'll prove it," he said, holding the phone to up to Maya's ear. "Maya, tell Detective Gumshoe that you're not dead."
"Hi Detective Gumshoe, it's Maya. I'm not dead," she chirped into the phone as instructed.
"See? I told you," Phoenix said. "She's perfectly safe."
Gumshoe let out a huge breath.
"Oh pal," he said, his grin evident in his voice. "This is great news. You have no idea... I thought... we thought... oh pal..."
"I know," Phoenix said gently. He realised that the poor detective must have had quite a scare. He could only imagine how he would feel if... no... he couldn't even imagine it. "But she's fine. So tell me what's going on."
Gumshoe seemed to be recovering some of his composure and thus was able to explain things a little better this time around.
"We tapped Morgan's phone, like you said. Andre called and told her he was going to kill Maya. We have it all on tape. We went to Kurain looking for him, but I think that elder lady is hiding him. Then when the forest ranger reported the fire out here, we thought it was too late."
Phoenix sighed heavily. He was so lucky that he hadn't waited another day to go and retrieve Maya.
"I can guarantee you that Althea is hiding him. But give me a few hours to sort something out, Gumshoe, and I'll call you back. I have a feeling I might be able to make Althea cooperate with us."
"Well let me know pal. We have enough now to stick this kid with attempted murder," Gumshoe said flatly. "Whatever you're doing, you'd better do it quickly so he doesn't get a chance to get at Maya again."
"It's probably best to keep it to yourself that you know Maya is alive," Phoenix suggested. "Just for now. If Althea and Andre think she's dead then they won't come looking for her here."
"Good idea," Gumshoe agreed.
"Oh and Gumshoe?" Phoenix added. "You should probably add the murder of Lillian Fey to that list of Andre's charges too. I'm sure that once we're done with Althea she'll testify to that as well."
"He was already under suspicion, but any new information would sure help," Gumshoe said.
After agreeing to inform the detective as soon as any new information came to light, Phoenix said good bye and hung up the phone. He flopped back on his pillow with a huge sigh, turning his head to see Maya staring down at him expectantly.
"Now are you going to tell me?" she asked impatiently.
"Andre burned down the cabin, thinking you were inside," Phoenix stated seriously.
"Well it's a good thing I wasn't," Maya said with a shrug, flopping back down on her pillow, just as Phoenix had.
"I'm starting to think you're getting a little too used to being the subject of murder plots," Phoenix said, shaking his head at her calm acceptance of what he had just told her. "But, the good news is he was stupid enough to say he was going to do it while speaking to Morgan on the phone. I had Gumshoe tap the phone at the prison."
"That's great!" Maya exclaimed. "Does that mean Gumshoe gets to arrest him?"
"Yes." Phoenix nodded. "But Althea is still hiding him. We need to get her to cooperate with us."
"And how are we going to do that?"
"I have a plan. But I'll tell you later."
"Aw, how come?" Maya whined.
"Because. It's barely past seven and I'm not ready to get out of bed yet." Phoenix said with a small smile.
"Well you woke me up, Nick. You gotta entertain me," Maya said, returning his playful smile.
With a soft chuckle he grabbed her waist, pulling her closer as he entwined his legs with hers.
"That… I think I can manage..." he growled into the crook of her neck as she giggled.
Showered and dressed, Phoenix and Maya headed to the main hall for breakfast. Iris had promised them when they had arrived in Hazakurain the night before that she would make pancakes and they were running late. The acolytes would most likely have eaten already. Maya hoped there was food left as they hurried to the hall, because she was starving.
Even thought the table was almost empty, there was still plenty left to eat. Maya cheered as she sat down at the table and immediately began heaping piles of fluffy pancakes on to her plate. Phoenix chuckled as he took a seat beside her, opting for a piece of toast instead. No matter how dire the situation, he could still always trust the fact that Maya would get excited about food. He glanced across the table, nodding briefly at the other occupant. Maya had been so busy with her breakfast preparations that she hadn't noticed her sister sitting across from her.
"You two are certainly late for breakfast," Mia said, not taking her eyes off the magazine she was reading as she pushed another forkful of pancakes into her mouth.
"Mia!" Maya cried, finally looking up from her mountainous pancake stack with a huge smile. "What are you doing here?"
"Eating breakfast," Mia stated.
"Well duh, I can see that," Maya grinned. "But what are you doing here?"
"I left a note for Eve telling her to channel me the next time Iris made pancakes. I can't tell you how much I miss pancakes..." Mia explained, trailing off as she savoured another mouthful.
"Wait..." Maya said, dropping her fork. "Are you telling me there's no pancakes in heaven?"
"Afraid not." Mia shrugged. "But I'm telling you. Once you get there, in a very long time that is, you won't mind."
"I remain sceptical." Maya frowned.
"It's okay though, I think you've got enough on your plate there to last you an entire afterlife. Hungry are we?" Mia asked.
"Starving." Maya said dramatically, shovelling another mouthful.
"Phoenix, you've got to give my sister a break from all this sex. Look at her. She's ravenous." Mia said casually, flipping another page in her magazine.
Phoenix did his best to stifle his laughter while Maya practically choked on her pancakes. He hadn't told Maya about the rather interesting conversation he had had with Mia before he left Hazakurain to come find her. Mia's forwardness was making Maya hilariously uncomfortable.
"Mia!" Maya frowned, her cheeks turning bright pink.
"Oh Maya, I wasn't born yesterday. That glow on your cheeks... that spring in your step. Someone got lucky last night."
"Oh god..." Maya said, placing her head in her hands.
"And this morning," Phoenix added daringly, sipping at his coffee.
"Nick! Oh my god!" Maya cried, unable to contain her embarrassment.
"Nice!" Mia said with an appreciative nod as she stood up to clear her plate. She leant over the table and offered her palm up to Phoenix for a high five. Maya glared at him as he high fived her older sister.
"Oh my god." Maya said to no one in particular as she shook her head. "You're both crazy."
"Just crazy about you..." Phoenix said lightly as he stood and picked up his plate, placing a kiss atop her head with a chuckle. He turned and followed Mia toward the kitchen.
"Don't you act all cute with me, Nick." Maya called out as he walked away. "You're in so much trouble. What have you been telling my sister?"
"Nothing!" he called out as he disappeared from her line of sight.
Maya let her fork drop the table with a huff.
Nothing like extreme embarrassment to spoil your appetite.
"I'm still not talking to either of you," Maya sulked as she flopped down cross legged on the floor in front of Phoenix, who sat on the couch behind her. Mia took a seat across from them as they waited for Sister Bikini, Jess and Deanna to arrive.
Mia sighed, laughing softly under her breath.
"No need to be embarrassed, Maya. You're all grown up now. And I know how much you two love each other," Mia explained. "I'm happy for you. I'm just teasing, that's all. I mean, how often do I get to tease my baby sister?"
She opened her arms, gesturing to her pouting younger sister that she wanted a hug. Maya smiled glumly before shuffling across the floor.
"I love you, Maya." Mia said sadly, burying her face in Maya's hair.
"I know… I miss you so much, sis." Maya croaked.
"I miss you too," Mia said sadly, hugging her sister tight. "You know, eventually you're going to be older than me. Then you won't be my baby sister anymore."
"That's kinda weird." Maya said with a small laugh, pulling back from Mia's hug and leaning against her heels. "But I'll always be your baby sister, no matter how old I get."
Mia nodded, smiling widely as she wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. Maya moved back towards Phoenix and settled herself against his legs.
"So does this mean I'm forgiven too?" Phoenix asked.
"Nope. You're still in trouble." Maya replied simply.
"What?" Phoenix cried. "How is that fair? Chief, help me out a little here."
"Sorry Phoenix," Mia shrugged. "You're on your own with this one."
Phoenix groaned as the two women laughed at his expense. He opened his mouth to complain some more when he was interrupted by Sister Bikini entering the room with Jess and Deanna.
"We're here, Mr Wright," Bikini started apologetically. "I am sorry for keeping you waiting. Mystic Deanna had to ring the bell this morning and Mystic Jess was down at the gate seeing off some guests. I thought it best to wait for them seeing as they are already aware of the situation."
Phoenix nodded in agreement. There was no point in dragging more acolytes into this mess.
Once they had all taken seats, all eyes shifted to Phoenix. It was time to set his plan in motion. He just hoped that Maya was going to be okay with it. Mia nodded at him in encouragement. It sure was nice having her around for support.
He reached down and placed his hand reassuringly on Maya's shoulder. She looked up at him and smiled, waiting for him to speak.
"I... err... I don't think there's any way that we can get to the bottom of this without the help of your parents," he said finally. He felt Maya tense up slightly as she squeezed her eyes shut, but after a deep breath she decided to let the tension go. It was hard to overcome the trepidation she felt at seeing her mother again after everything that had happened. It was still hard to believe that the mother she had missed her whole life was actually there with her that day. She never even got the chance to tell her mother about her life or learn about the kind of person she was. She was still angry at her for not being there when she needed her. The fact of the matter was that Maya had been avoiding speaking to her mother simply because she was still just so confused. But Phoenix was here with her and this was important. Maybe it was time that she faced her fears.
"Maya? Are you okay with that?" Phoenix asked gently.
"Yes," she said, exhaling heavily. "We need to do everything we can to stop Morgan. And you're right, Nick. My parents might be the only chance we've got."
Phoenix rubbed her shoulder affectionately as he spoke to the other girls.
"Okay, Jess, Deanna? I need you two to channel Sebastian and Misty Fey."
The girls nodded and relaxed into their meditation.
Andre strolled casually into Althea's office as if nothing at all had happened and it was just a regular day. Althea was startled by the sight of him, standing from her chair and slamming her hands down on her desk.
"What do you think you're doing here?" she asked incredulously.
"I live here." Andre said simply. "And I'm part of the head family now."
"Andre, do you have any idea what you have done?" Althea cried. "The police were here this morning. Looking for you! They know what you did. I can't protect you any more."
"What are you talking about?" Andre asked, frowning. "How could anyone know where I was or what I did? Unless..." he paused, narrowing his eyes. "Unless you told them..."
He moved around the desk, closer to Althea who sank back in her chair.
"No... I didn't, you've got to believe me. I didn't say a thing, I swear." Althea stammered, leaning away from him.
"You're lying," Andre concluded. "You're afraid of me, so you want to get rid of me."
"No, that's not true!" Althea pleaded.
"Well you should be." Andre said flatly, retreating back to the other side of the desk.
"I should be what?" Althea asked timidly.
"Afraid of me," he clarified. "I'm not afraid to do what is necessary to get what I want. My mother is proud of me."
Althea closed her eyes and rubbed at her temples gingerly.
"I'm afraid that's the problem, Andre. The police recorded your last conversation with Morgan. They know all about your plans, and that she is your mother."
"What?" he cried, straightening immediately, and for the first time in a long time, Althea thought she even registered fear in his expression. "How... how can they do that? They can't do that. That's an invasion of my mother's privacy. They can't..."
"Andre they can... your mother is a convicted criminal. She doesn't have the same rights as..." Althea explained before Andre cut her off.
"Don't you EVER refer to my mother as a criminal again. EVER!" he bellowed.
Althea was startled by his outburst. She gripped at the edge of her desk to calm herself as she continued.
"The police are looking for you Andre. They were here this morning and they will most likely still be around. You need... you need to leave until we can sort this out."
"Would someone care to explain to me why I'm wearing a dress?"
Sebastian Fey looked down at his lap, puzzled by the acolyte robes that he was dressed in. He had worn training robes in the past when completing spiritual training with his wife, but nothing this short... or this purple.
"You've been channelled, my love..." came the sweet voice of Misty Fey from beside him. He glanced over at his wife, eyes wide. Why was she so much older?
"Misty?" he frowned. "Why does it feel like I haven't seen you in forever?"
"Because you don't remember where we came from," she explained, patting his hand.
"Where did we come from? I don't understand? And how can I be channelled? I'm not..." he trailed off as realisation set in. "Oh..."
He looked up at his wife again as he began to understand the entire situation.
"Oh no... you mean you are... too?"
Misty nodded.
"Why are we here then?" he asked, still slightly disoriented from the channelling process.
"Our daughters need our help," Misty said gently, motioning to where Mia and Maya sat with Phoenix.
For the first time, Sebastian tore his eyes away from his wife and surveyed the other occupants of the room, his face lighting up when he saw the two girls sitting across from him. Neither had said a word, and Maya was gripping Phoenix's hand so tightly that Phoenix worried that she might break a few of his bones.
"Mia...? Maya...!" Sebastian cried. "My beautiful girls! Oh, look at you two."
He stood from the couch and moved towards them, before stopping suddenly.
"Wait... can I hug you? Is that allowed?"
"Of course you can hug us, Dad." Mia said happily, breaking out into a grin. He dropped to his knees in front of them, gathering both girls up in a bear hug. Maya let go of Phoenix's hand and wrapped her arms around her father's neck, hugging him tightly as she tried to contain her tears.
He turned, looking at his youngest daughter. An expression of pride spread across his face.
"Oh Maya, look how beautiful you are. You look just like your mother. How old are you now? How much have I missed?"
"I'm twenty," Maya said as she sniffed back an emotional sob. "It was my birthday not long ago."
Sebastian beamed at his youngest before turning his attention to Mia.
"And if Maya is twenty, that makes you thirty, doesn't it? You look beautiful, princess."
Mia glanced over at Maya, a small frown creasing her brow. She looked back at her father before shaking her head slowly. She looked down at the acolyte robes that she was also wearing, the action causing her father to register her meaning.
"Oh no... no... not my princess too. No!" Sebastian cried, visibly upset.
"Dad... it's okay. It was a long time ago now." Mia soothed. "It's okay. The man who did it is long gone. Maya's... friend over there made sure he was put behind bars."
Sebastian turned his attention to Phoenix.
"Phoenix Wright," Phoenix said nervously, offering his hand to Sebastian. Sebastian shook his hand, but eyed Phoenix warily as he glanced between the man and his youngest daughter. Phoenix gulped. He really didn't think he would have to deal with the overprotective father bit today.
"So you're my daughters friend," he said sternly as he stood, placing a little too much emphasis on the word 'friend' for Phoenix's liking.
"Yes sir," Phoenix said, nodding nervously.
"And what do you do for a living, Mr Phoenix Wright? Mia says you put her killer in jail. Are you a cop?" Sebastian asked, moving back to sit with Misty.
Phoenix swallowed hard. Right now, he was unemployed. But how could he tell someone who retired a great defense attorney that he had used forged evidence and been disbarred. That wasn't going to make the best impression on his new girlfriend's father, even if he was only being channelled. He'd probably come back and haunt him.
"Phoenix is an attorney, Dad. Just like I was. I taught him. He was my apprentice." Mia cut in, shooting Phoenix a look that told him to play along.
Sebastian brightened considerably.
"You're a defense attorney?" He asked, a smile spreading across his face. "And you too, Princess?"
He clapped his hands together happily and turned to his wife.
"You hear that Misty? My Princess was a defense attorney, just like her Dad. And she taught this young man everything he knows."
Misty smiled at her husbands enthusiasm.
"I like you Phoenix Wright," Sebastian decided. "You're free to date my daughter."
"Sir... I never said I was..." Phoenix stammered.
"I'm not blind, Wright. So don't treat me like I'm stupid or I might change my opinion of you."
"Yes sir." Phoenix said quickly.
"Look at them, Misty." Sebastian said, turning back to his wife once more. "Don't they remind you of us at that age?"
Realising his own remark, Sebastian straightened in his chair, narrowing his eyes at Phoenix.
"Wait a minute..." he said. "Maya's not pregnant, is she?"
"No sir!" Phoenix said, shaking his head. He ignored the little voice in the back of his head that told him that it wasn't absolutely impossible. But he would never tell her father that.
"Good." Sebastian said, satisfied with Phoenix's quick answer. Maya sat perfectly still next to him, as red as a beet. "Then I still like you, Phoenix Wright."
"Uhh... thank you, sir." Phoenix said.
"Dad, we called you and Mom here today because we need your help. To cut a long story short, because we're short on time, the problem is Morgan. She and her son are trying to kill Maya. We have to figure out a way to stop her." Mia said seriously, hoping that now the introductions were out of the way that they could all focus on the task at hand.
"Morgan has a son?" Sebastian asked.
"Andre..." Misty said, her eyes narrowing. "I had a feeling that the apple wouldn't fall far from the tree in that instance."
"Well you were right on that one, Mom." Mia agreed. "Last night he burned down Ami Fey's cabin, thinking that Maya was asleep inside."
"What were you doing at Ami Fey's cabin?" Misty asked, turning her attention to Maya.
"Long story." Mia answered before Maya could. "Basically Althea sent her there after lying about the law that Great Grandma Mara abolished. The one where you had to have a daughter to take the Masters postion."
"How could she do that though, Lillian would have known...?" Misty frowned.
"Andre killed Lillian." Mia shrugged. "And they framed me for it."
"Oh no... " Misty said sadly. "But wait a minute, how could you have done it? You're dead..." Misty frowned again.
"Yes, but they said Pearl was channelling me. Which she was. And I was there, but I saw Andre poison Lillian."
"Wait, who is Pearl?" Sebastian asked.
"Morgan's ten year old daughter." Misty explained quickly.
"How many kids does Morgan have?" Sebastian asked incredulously.
"Hopefully no more than the four we know about, because I'm getting sick of surprises." Phoenix responded.
Misty sat back in her chair, tapping her chin as she thought. Phoenix recognised the trait as one belonging to Maya.
"This is bad." Misty said, pursing her lips together. "I don't know how Sebastian and I can help you, but we'll do everything we can."
"Well Phoenix has a few questions he wanted to ask Dad. We're hoping that will help us." Mia said.
Sebastian eyed Phoenix expectantly.
"Well go ahead, son. Princess says the clock is ticking." Sebastian said. Phoenix took a deep breath.
"I need to ask you what you remember about the day you died."
"I will keep this brief, as there are many things to attend to regarding this matter," Althea stated stoically to the crowd of people who had gathered outside the council chambers for the emergency town meeting she had called.
"Some of you may have seen police officers around here this morning. I can now confirm that it is my sad duty to inform you of the passing of Mystic Maya. She has perished in a fire at Mystic Ami Fey's cabin in the early hours of the morning."
Gasps and whispers of shock were heard from the crowd of people. Pearl stood towards the side with a young friend of hers by the name of Emily. Emily Fey was two years older than Pearl was, and a lot taller.
"Emily, what does per-rished mean?" Pearl asked.
"I think it means she died." Emily said with a shrug as she craned her neck to try and see more of what was going on.
"Pearl Fey will be named as unofficial Master of Kurain until she is able to formally accept the title on her twentieth birthday." Althea continued.
"What?" Pearl said as her lip began to tremble and tears started falling. "No! No! Mystic Maya isn't dead! No!" she started yelling.
People in front of her turned to look at the commotion, their hearts breaking at the sight of the distraught little girl. Their red rimmed eyes and looks of pity were too much for Pearl to handle as she turned and ran as fast as she could to Fey Manor, running straight to Maya's bedroom and crawling into her bed where she cried until she ran out of tears.
Sebastian frowned heavily, concentrating as hard as he could to remember the details. Phoenix knew that it wouldn't be easy. It had taken Luciana some time to remember what had happened to her and there was also the possibility looming that Sebastian hadn't even seen Morgan before she had pushed him from the scaffolding.
"The last thing that I remember was that I was painting the second story balcony at the back of the house..."
He looked up, his eyes widening as his hazy memories became clear.
"She pushed me!" he cried. "Morgan, she pushed me!"
"Mr Fey, please slow down and tell me what you remember." Phoenix said, hoping to god there was something in his story that could help them.
"Sorry... I just... this is all such a shock when it comes back to you like this."
"I know dear," Misty said, her eyes filling with tears. It was hard to hear that her own flesh and blood had murdered the love of her life. "You have to try. For Maya."
Sebastian took a deep breath, concentrating once more.
"I was painting the balcony at the back on the left hand side. The house was almost finished. Misty and I were planning on moving in with the kids so that we could have a place of our very own that was still pretty close to the village. I definitely didn't expect Morgan to step out on to the balcony that day."
"Then what happened?" Phoenix urged.
"She started telling me what a mistake I made in marrying Misty. She was telling me that I would be forever tied to Kurain and I would never know what else the world had to offer. I told her that I loved Misty and I loved Kurain and she started getting frustrated.
She produced some papers. A bank statement actually. She had set up an account with my name and had transferred an extraordinary amount of money into it. She told me that if I left Misty and the girls and ran away with her that we could live out our lives anywhere we wanted to. She said that she had money too and we could be rich."
Misty brought her hand to her mouth, the words from her husband difficult for her to hear.
"I told her that I was already as rich as any man could hope to be," Sebastian continued, taking his wife's hand. "I had a beautiful wife and two beautiful daughters. I told her that I didn't want her or her money. She got angry at me and started yelling about how she loved me more than Misty ever could. I asked her to leave. Then I made the mistake of telling her that I was going to tell Misty about the money. That's when she pushed me.
After that, I guess I died, so I don't remember anything." Sebastian finished. "I'm sorry Phoenix Wright, but I'm not sure how any of that will help you. It's all just heresay. I can't even testify either. I'm dead."
Phoenix slumped back in his chair. There had to be something.
"Are you absolutely sure there's nothing else?"
"I'm sure. I'm sorry-..." Sebastian stopped suddenly. "WAIT!" he cried. "There is something!"
"Yes? What is it?" Phoenix said, bolting upright.
"Morgan put her hand on the railing. The paint was wet! Tell me, is the house still there? Has anyone touched it or finished the building?"
"Yes, Maya and I were there only recently. It's still there and it's still unfinished." Phoenix answered.
"Then, my boy, that would mean that Morgan left her prints at the scene!" Sebastian grinned.
Phoenix felt all the air rush from his body. This was the breakthrough they had been waiting for. He had never felt so relieved in his entire life.
Just as he was about to thank Sebastian for his lifesaving information, Sister Bikini burst through the door.
"Mr Wright, Detective Gumshoe is on the phone for you. He said it is very, very urgent."
Phoenix nodded and quickly stood to go and take the call. There was a new spring in his step. They were so close to tying the entire thing up in a neat little package. Nothing could spoil his mood now.
Or so he thought.
A/N: Cliffhanger! :D