imabeemee - They're awesome games. o3o Thanks

rAwrXdiNo3 - Haha, if you thought that was intense, read this one... Thanks

misty-the-fox103 - The whole lights thing is explained in this chapter. Thanks :P

bomrocks23 - Thanks :)

o-CrystalSakura-o - Thank you. :D You'll see the answer to your hopes in this chapter.

Anyway, here's the -hopefully- epic conclusion to the trial, and the end of BWIADW's plot. Just got one or two closing chapters to do, to get us to 50 chapters, before we're onto the sequel. Enjoy, or hate. Your choice. Either way, things are returning to sane after this.

Trial Conclusion

"...This is going to get frustrating..." Mystery sighed.

"Booker, we're all friends here. Who asked you to turn off the light?" Mystery face-palmed.

"U-Um..."

"Who has asked you a question recently before this trial?" Mystery sat down for the first time during the trial, resting his chin in his hands.

"...W-What...?"

"Wh-"

"Stop!" Mystery suddenly snapped, jumping back to his feet in frustration. He marched over to Booker's desk, causing the guard to quiver in fear, "Who told you to turn off the light?" No reply. "Answer me!" He slammed his hands down in front of Booker, and the dog fell backwards off the chair, landing on the floor in a heap. He curled up, crying. "Stop crying you pathetic guard! Who told you?"

Josh soon appeared behind Mystery, commenting dryly, "I don't think going all bad cop's going to work."

"...Nice observation, genius." Mystery snapped, turning around to face the younger boy, "How do you propose we get him to talk?"

The estate agent simply smiled slightly, "Well... if you're so sure that she's guilty... who's the one person he'll answer to?" Pulling him away from the sobbing Booker, he murmured, "Get Bobby to order him to answer... case solved." Mystery considered, before giving a sharp nod and marching over to Bobby.

"You." He said bluntly, "Get him to talk." Bobby stared up at him silently, saying nothing. "Okay, this is getting ridiculous." He turned back to Josh, asking, "Now what?"

"A shame, really..." Josh commented, turning from Bobby. The police chief looked up to him emotionlessly, not replying. Josh took a few steps, before turning again to face her, "After all this, all we've gone through... and here's your chance to prove you didn't commit the crime. Perhaps I was wrong about you, after all... Because why would you refuse the order if it wasn't you who made Booker turn off the lights?" His features darkened as he approached her once more, "I no longer care about trying to find Kabuki guilty... all I care about now is finding out who killed the one person on this planet I cared about."

"Well, geez, boss." Mystery suddenly interrupted, "I'm offended."

"Shut it." Josh snapped, shooting him a sideward glare. Mystery chuckled. "And if you really didn't kill Jenny... then you will make Booker talk... or I will do everything in my power to ensure that you receive the guilty verdict today." Silence fell as Josh finished, and Bobby remained keeping eye contact with him the entire time. "No? Pity. Let's cont-"

"I gave Booker the command to switch off the lights." Bobby cut in calmly. Not loudly, not with power... but it was enough to cause Josh to fall silent. The boy's shoulders slumped, and he turned around to stare at her. Mystery folded his arms, keeping quiet as he waited for an explanation. The entire room waited with baited breath as Bobby climbed to her feet emotionlessly, "I will explain to you the entire event... as long as you promise me one thing. I do not want Kabuki punished for attempting to kill Josh, and I'll explain why soon... and I don't want any trouble to come to Copper or Booker. As for who will take over my position at the police station... I request Mystery."

The human gave an incredulous frown, "M-Me?"

"Him?" Josh added with just as incredulous a tone.

"Well..." Pete gave an uncertain sigh as he watched the scene, "I can't prolong this any further... But Josh, what do you think about clearing Kabuki?"

Josh looked to the pelican, his expression tired. He then looked to the cat in question, who was sat with his head bowed. "...With this turn of events... I think I know already what happened. I expect that Bobby blackmailed him into..." He broke off with a frown, looking to Bobby with a look of horror, "H-Hang on a second... Kabuki..." He turned on his heels to look back at the cat, "S-She... The passage from the police station... Kabuki going in to find Kapp'n... Goldie..."

"Will you stop rambling and make sense?" Mystery snapped, causing Josh to flinch. "For crying out loud, you have us all on our toes!"

"Don't you get it?" Josh questioned, face pale now as he looked to the frustrated Mystery, "That passage in the police station! It leads to the caves! When we went to rescue Kapp'n... somehow, in some way, we lost Goldie... how? When Kabuki tried to kill me, I was left thinking that he had murdered her... I don't know why, but... that was the only solution. But what if... what if it was Bobby?" Mystery's face suddenly showed recognition. Josh looked to him.

"...Yes." He agreed, "She could have used the passage to get to the cave... and she kidnapped Goldie! And Kapp'n before... yes! And she blackmailed Kabuki into killing you on the condition that she returned Goldie and Kapp'n! And she killed Jenny..."

"There's only one thing that doesn't make sense." Josh finished, folding his arms. The entire courtroom was whispering at this turn of events, but Josh paid no attention. "The clock. If Bobby killed Jenny, how did Kabuki shoot the clock?" Mystery gave a sigh at this, scratching his head awkwardly. Josh frowned, "...You know, don't you? You knew all along!"

"Erm..." Mystery gave a second sigh, before explaining meekly, "When the lights went out, I moved forward, struggled with Kabuki a bit and he fired the gun. I was pulling his arm back... and yes, it fired behind him. Why do you think I wanted to defend him?"

Josh stared at him, "Then why didn't you say that at the start?" Mystery simply shrugged. "...No, you can't just shrug. That could have solved the case... and you... why?" Mystery shrugged again. "...You know what, forget it. We have the killer, now." He turned back to face Bobby, "So? How do you plead?"

Bobby stared at him sincerely, "I am truly, truly sorry. Killing her was a mistake." Josh frowned slightly. "But anyway, I said I would explain the events... but I guess there is no need for me to. However... I may have confessed to this murder, but you're not catching me." She smiled mysteriously. "It may not have been me in person who captured Goldie and Kapp'n, and then blackmailed Kabuki into killing you. But... I know where they are, and my condition still stands. They will be returned only if youare dead." She lifted a paw to point at Josh, who stared emotionlessly, "And I am sorry, but you have lost. I work with an order of animals who restore the balance in this world. The balance is tilted, and very soon... the world will become undone."

She turned from Josh, now addressing the audience behind her, "I am not evil. We are not evil. We work for the world, my dear animals... and humans are poison to it." She gave a short laugh, "And one by one, I will ensure that the poison is removed. If you want any hope for this world, then kill the most poisonous of them all." She turned her head, giving Josh a rather crazed glare, "Kill him... and Goldie and Kapp'n will both be returned, unharmed. You have a time limit, though... and the time limit is over when the world decides. And when it does, you will know it..."

She suddenly whipped around, approaching Mystery, whose eyes widened. She whipped her fist back, before punching the human hard in the face, sending him sprawling to the ground, head slamming against the cold floor. She crouched down, pulling his gun free of his pocket, clicking the safety off and pointing it at Josh. "It would be so much easier if I just got this out of the way now..." She advanced on him, until she was but a few feet away. "How about it, human? Would you like to be reunited with your sister?" Josh's face showed brief pain as she said this, but still he said nothing. Nor did he move. "Again, my sincere apologies for taking her away from you. But at least this way, neither of you have to suffer being away from each other..."

Click.

"Lower the gun." Bobby looked over her shoulder with a surprised expression. There stood Mystery, an empty evidence bag dropping to the floor as he raised the gun that had been inside to point directly at Bobby's head. Josh moved his eyes from Bobby's gun to stare at him in shock. "Now." Bobby remained staring at him, before smiling.

"...Perhaps I shouldn't restrict myself to just killing one of the poisonous..." Bobby hissed, and she turned her gun now to point at Mystery. Josh moved. "Aaaargh!" Bobby screamed as Josh threw himself on her. A bullet fired, hitting the chandelier on the ceiling. There was a flash of sparks, before the light unit fell from the ceiling. Bobby and Josh hit the ground, Bobby looking up and screaming. She threw herself out of the way, and Mystery hurried over to pull Josh away as the large chandelier smashed to pieces on the ground.

"Saved your life, twice!" Mystery exclaimed as he helped the boy up, gun now pointed at Bobby, who slowly rose to her feet. "You owe me one then, seeing as you just saved my life then too."

"I'll work on it." Josh replied wearily, breathing heavily as he stared to the ex-chief of police with anger. Bobby laughed, pointing her gun at Mystery again.

"If you kill me, then Goldie and Kapp'n both die." She said with a smile, "And they won't stop there. They will come, and they will kill you all." She lowered the gun slightly, and fired. Mystery screamed in pain as the bullet embedded itself in his hand, the gun clattering to the ground. Josh immediately dove down to grab it, whipping it around to face Bobby and firing. Bobby swerved out of the way before he could even fire, the bullet narrowly missing Pete and hitting the museum wall behind. "Ahaha! Never thought you'd have it in you!" Josh resumed to full height, gun pointed at her, unwavering. His eyes were narrowed. "Don't even bother, boy... I've already told you. Kill me, and you will regret it.

Click.

Bobby sighed as she turned now to face Copper. "Lower the gun, ma'am." Copper ordered as he advanced on her, gun pointed at her. "You are free to leave, but you shoot him... and I shoot you." There was another click, and a clatter as Booker accidentally dropped the other evidence gun. The clumsy guard quickly regained his composure, pointing his own shaky gun hand now at Bobby.

"Well, well..." Bobby commented darkly, looking from Copper to Booker, "My own two guards turned against me..."

"Lower the gun, ma'am." Copper ordered again, paying no attention to her words. "You're outnumbered; you won't leave this place alive unless you lower the gun now."

"She won't leave this place alive at all." Bobby turned to face Josh as he focussed the gun right at her chest, and fired. A piercing scream followed as Bobby collapsed to the ground. Josh allowed his gun to drop to the floor as his face filled with emotion. He looked at the blood pouring from Bobby's chest as he slowly approached her.

"J-Jenny!" Josh cried as he fell to his knees beside her. He couldn't even see... but she'd been clinging to his arm... a bullet... she screamed... The lights turned back on, and his skin paled as he saw the blood... she'd been shot in the heart. "Jenny..." He lifted her upper body so her head was rested against him, simply hugging her close. Tears fell from his eyes as he watched his best friend's eyes close, the colour and life fading from her once cheerful, once full of kindness and energy, face. Her hand fell limp inside his.

"...F...Fool..." Bobby choked, a quiet laugh escaping her lips. "Y... You have doomed them all..."

Josh kicked the gun away from her, staring down at her. "You killed my best friend. Perhaps you should have practiced your aim a bit more." He turned from her, looking at all the expressions of horror and shock in the audience. He paid no attention to them, not hearing the commotion as he left the museum.

Copper lowered and pocketed his gun in his holster with a sigh, watching as Bobby took her last few breaths. He looked to Booker, giving him a nod to pocket his gun, before heading over to Mystery, who was knelt down clutching his hand. There was a rush of footsteps, and the two looked up to see Laura and I approaching. "Laura knows first aid..." I explained as the girl crouched down beside Mystery.

Copper gave a nod as Laura got to work, before approaching Pete, who seemed completely shell shocked. "What do we do about Josh, sir?"

"...We're not giving him a trial, that's for sure." Pete gave a sigh, "Just... let's move on from this whole thing... I'm... really not sure what to think right now." He turned to look a Kabuki, "Well... I guess the court finds the defendant... not guilty." He slammed the mallet on the desk.