Well, I finished my first semester of college. Now I have more time for writing. With that being said, I have also updated "Through the Years" so be sure the check that out. (It's the story Miranda is in and you can find the link to it on my profile.) Without further ado, the next chapter.

Phoenix was lying on the couch, unable to sleep. Many things were on his mind, including what Trucy and Pearl asked Maya, and about the court case the next day. Finally, after tossing and turning for over an hour, Phoenix gave up and went to his office. Turning on his computer, Phoenix researched what the garbage company did with their dumpsters, and how the dumpsters are moved. After a couple hours, Phoenix turned off his computer, went back to the couch, and managed to get some sleep.

The next morning, Phoenix was awoken by his cell phone's alarm. Turning the alarm off, Phoenix got up, took a shower, shaved, and went to the kitchen and made himself a bowl of cereal. As he was eating his cereal, Maya came into the kitchen. As soon as she saw Phoenix, she abruptly stopped, which caught Phoenix's attention. "Good morning Maya."

"M—morning Nick."

"How did you sleep last night?"

"Uh…good…really good."

What is she so nervous about?

After a few second silence, Maya asked Phoenix, "Um…Nick…you didn't hear what Pearl and Trucy asked me, did you?"

"Nothing other than they told you to tell the truth, no."

Maya breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay, I was just wondering."

Phoenix eyed Maya, wondering what was asked. Maya, however, returned to her old, chipper self. "So, Nick, are you going to the trial soon?"

"Yep, after I finish my breakfast."

"Cool, be sure to help Miranda with the case. She'll need it, but you already knew that."

And….she's back.

After a lively conversation with Maya, Phoenix finished his cereal, brushed his teeth, and flagged down a taxi to go to the courthouse. Once he arrived, Phoenix headed to the defendant's lobby, and sat down to wait for Miranda. After a few minutes, the doors to the lobby opened, revealing Miranda and her assistant. "Mr. Wright, good to see you."

"You too Miranda. I assume you're ready for today's case?

"Yes I am. I read the transcripts from yesterday and have researched everything necessary for the trial."

Phoenix smirked. "Well, I can tell you're not a rookie."

"That's not entirely true. I've only taken three cases, all of which, I have won. However, just because I have three cases under my belt, doesn't mean that I won't make an amateur mistake." (Kinda late, but a spoiler for my novel.)

While they were talking, Miranda's assistant cleared his throat loudly. "Oh, I'm sorry Mr. Wright, but I forgot to introduce you to my assistant. Mr. Wright, please meet Sean Larim."

Phoenix stuck out his hand. "Pleasure to meet you."

Sean shook Phoenix's hand. "Nice to meet you too. I've read a lot about you ever since we moved here. I have to say, you have made quite a reputation for yourself."

"Uh…thanks?"

"I meant that as a compliment. Sorry if I didn't make it clear. I used to be an attorney like you, but then I was caught with illegal evidence, and stripped of my attorney's bade."

"I'm sorry about that. I know how that feels."

"I should have seen it coming though. Anyways, enough about me. Where is our client?"

"Uh, I think he should be on his way here."

As soon as Phoenix spoke those words, the lobby doors opened, followed by Juan walking into lobby, surrounded by guards. "Mr. Wright, I heard the news last night. Have you found me a suitable attorney today?"

"I have. Meet Miranda Veal, your attorney for today."

Miranda walked up to Juan. "Hello Juan, I'm Miranda, pleased to meet you."

Juan looked at Miranda. "Nice to meet you to. How long have you been an attorney?"

"This is my first case in this city. I have three cases under my belt, however, in another city."

Juan shook his head. "I see. Sorry if I sounded rude, but my freedom is on the line."

"It's quite alright. Although I don't personally understand your situation, I did have a client who faced a situation similar to you. I know what you're going through."

Before anything else could be said, the doors to the courtroom opened. The bailiff came out of the courtroom and looked at Miranda and Phoenix. "Ms. Veal, Mr. Wright, the trial is about to begin. Please head to the defense's desk."

Phoenix looked at Miranda. "This is it. You sure you can do this?"

Miranda looked at Phoenix. "I'm sure I can."

Phoenix gave Miranda a nod, and headed into the courtroom.

The unusually heavy chatter of the courtroom was drowned out by the judge's banging of the gavel. "Court is now in session for the trial of Juan Castrillo."

Edgeworth looked at the judge. "The prosecution is ready, your honor."

"The defense is ready your honor."

"Ms. Veal, I understand that you took over as the defense attorney. Is that correct?"

"Yes, your honor, you are correct."

"I see. Well, as long as Mr. Wright is next to you, you should have nothing to be afraid of."

"Thank you, your honor." This isn't my first trial Judge. I have an understanding what I'm supposed to do.

"Mr. Edgeworth, when we finished the trial yesterday, we were left with two mysteries. The first one was with the missing dumpster, the second one was with the possibility of a second murder. Have you investigated into this matter?"

"We have, your honor."

"And? What are your conclusions?"

"The defense was correct in both observations. There was, indeed, another murder that night, and the dumpster was missing from the alley."

"How did you come with those conclusions?"

"First, the prosecution would like to present this bullet to the court. This was found by the defense attorney, Mr. Wright. After he turned in the bullet to the police, forensics did a number of tests. We have determined that the gun it was fired from was different than the one used in this case. Also, the blood does not match that of this case's victim. The blood belonged to a man named Jorge Rodrigo. He has been missing for the past few years, ever since the night of the original crime."

"I see, so that means that Mr. Wright's theory about the second murder is correct."

"It is, your honor. We have sent a forensics team there now to try to preserve what remains of any crime scene."

"Very well. Now, concerning the dumpster, what have you concluded?"

"The dumpster, the night before the murder, was moved to the other alley. Even though the witness thought she saw an alley, it wasn't possible, since it was already moved."

"So, that means the dumpster wasn't there at all…"

"Everything the defense said yesterday was true. However, that leads me to my next question. Why did the witnesses testify that the dumpster was there? I have prepared a testimony from our witness earlier. The prosecution calls…Wendy Olbag to the stand."

Now how will Miranda deal with Wendy Oldbag? You'll find out next chapter. Anyways, I also figured I'll give you a taste of the other novel I've been working on. Here's a small sample.

"How's the final stages of development going?"

"Good, nothing wrong here. The game should be ready for release in about a week from now."

"Good. This game will bring this company back from the brink."

Cody Tom was walking home from school, frustrated with the amount of homework he had received. Shaking his head, he continued walking. "Why must Mr. Dolbert give so much homework? Who can read two chapters in the book in a day?!"

Cody's friend, Josh Burns, who was walking beside him, answered Cody's question. "I can."

Cody sighed. "That's only because you're a bionic reader. You can read anything in a matter of minutes."

Josh just laughed. "Well, when you actually read books, your speed increases. That's all there is to it."

Cody shook his head. Finally, they had reached Cody's house. "So, want to play Call of Warfare 3?"

Josh gave an affirmative answer. After entering Cody's house, Josh went to go get them some soda, while Cody turned on the TV. Before he could change it to the channel his console would work on, a commercial appeared that caught his attention.

"Hey you, that's right, you. Do you still play mainstream games? Are you ever getting bored of them? Well we have good news for you! KoPlank Gaming Co. is now giving you guys, "Conquest of Nations!" Unlike most mainstream games, this online multiplayer strategy game lets you be the head of your own empire, literally! Choose your commander and lead your nation to victory. Of course, don't leave all the fighting to your army. Jump into the action with your own controllable character as you fight to become the greatest nation in the world. The wait is almost over. Be sure to get your copy May third!"

Now, I'll do my usual ending. Thank you for reading and don't forget to review.