April 15 9:45 AM District Court Defendant's Lobby 03
My heart was racing, this is the first time I've ever stepped into a courtroom before let alone a defendant's lobby. Wright carefully examined the court record to plan his strategy to prove my innocence. Maya spectated over his shoulder, but she didn't seem to be focused just like yours truly. The silence was killer as it just brought more tension. However a sound of the door opening broke our concentration.
"Edgeworth, what are you doing here?" Wright asked.
"I don't have long so let me keep this brief," he said. "The prosecution for today's trial is my sister, Franziska Von Karma."
"Oh no." I uttered. "But maybe because you're her 'brother', you may get some leeway?"
He digressed. This is a Von Karma we're talking about! She will do all she can to get a guilty verdict.
"Yeah, I'm doomed." I said jokingly, but with a hint of seriousness. "But at least I got to meet you guys."
"It's not all doom and gloom!" Maya protested. "Nick will prove your innocence!"
Miles looked my way, seeing my head lowered. He's not good at encouraging others, but he is good at showing, in his own way, how he cares. Remember the time he helped Wright during the Steel Samurai and the SL-9 cases? Or when he went out of his way to take Wright's place as the defense for Iris and help prove Maya's innocence? Now looking back at those things I guess it's only when Wright is involved.
"Right," I giggled." And maybe one day, people won't back stab me!"
The room went silent with only a few quiet sobs. Wright and Maya were concerned, but this has nothing to do with the case at hand. Miles knows that, but he does paint a look of worry.
"Sorry, that's irrelevant!" I growled, wiping away my tears. "We need to stay focused!"
I swallowed hard, resisting the urge to break down any further. But my heart broke in protest to tell me that I'm not over something. I clench my teeth and my fists to fight the oncoming meltdown. And with a deep breath, it was over just like that.
"Now, let's get this over with, shall we?" I asked with an obvious fake smile.
"Right…" Maya nodded with a look of fear.
10 AM District Court Courtroom 3 Trial Day 1
The tension was far worse in the courtroom than in the lobby. Sitting in the defendant's chair while looking at the Gallery, the Judge, my defense and prosecutor all felt like a crazy nightmare. When the gavel hit the table, I looked up and felt awake and alert.
"Court is now in session for the murder trial of Rebekah Widmayer!" the Judge announced.
"The defense is ready, Your Honor." Wright stated.
"The prosecution has been ready for a while, Your Honor." Von Karma said with her arms crossed.
She began with her opening statement regarding the case; I overheard a man talk about the murder of Miles Edgeworth, therefore, I gave chase to him and dealt the final blow when he was disarmed. Shot in the forehead by a mini revolver, died instantly according to the autopsy report. It seemed cut and dry, I killed a man to defend Edgeworth.
"But a murder is a murder!" Von Karma stated. "And I can prove that girl did it with my first witness."
"Edgeworth," I muttered. "Please, don't let her control you."
The man in his iconic red suit stepped to the witness stand. My eyes were on him, signaling him to tell the whole truth. I'd laugh if Miles gave Franziska a bad time with having the witness state their name and occupation, but he's a professional and wouldn't resort to such things. Thinking of that made me giggle slightly.
"Mr. Edgeworth, tell us what you saw on the day of the murder." Von Karma demanded.
"Very well," he said. "I was just returning to the Prosecutor's office after a small errand, but after I left my car I heard a loud gunshot. When I ran towards the wired gate blocking the scene, I saw the defendant holding the gun at the victim's head."
"And with that, I think we're done here-"
"OBJECTION!" Wright shouted. "I haven't cross-examined the witness yet."
Von Karma didn't want to waste any time, but she was sure that he wouldn't find anything wrong in the witness's testimony. So she let him go through with this charade.
"Mr. Edgeworth, are you sure you only heard one gunshot?" Wright asked.
"Yes, it had a loud echo to it," he answered. "So what's your point?"
Wright smiled as he pulled up a photo of the crime scene and turned everyone's attention to the hole in the pillar. It was approximately twenty feet away from the other side of the parking lot, meaning that someone on that side could have shot Marvin.
"HOLD IT!" Von Karma shouted. "If that were the case then he would have had a bullet hole on the left side of his head."
"Eh, she's got a point…" Wright sighed. "Unless…"
The defense's finger pointed towards me and I jumped. "I'd like to call the defendant to the stand!"
"Foolish fools!" she scoffed. "What makes you think she'll have anything different to say?"
"Calm down, Ms. Von Karma." The Judge said. "Let's hear her testimony-YEOWCH!"
Franziska whipped the Judge out of anger and impatience. I carefully walked over to the witness stand giving everyone a quick look. Von Karma's cold stare made me move a little quicker out of fear she'd whip me. I gave another quick look at Wright, Maya, and Edgeworth before looking back at the prosecution.
"State your name and occupation to the court!" she demanded.
"My name is Rebekah Widmayer and I'm a dishwasher at my local coffee shop." I said almost robotically.
"Ms. Widmayer, can you tell us what happened on the day of the murder?" Wright asked.
I nodded without hesitation. "I killed Marvin Larson, it was me!" I blurted. "There's no need to prolong this trial anymore!"
"I wholeheartedly agree with that." Von Karma smiled.
"Please, Ms. Widmayer! Testify to the court about it!" Wright pleaded.
Wright's determined gaze shifted my focus, now I have to do as he says. I sighed and prepared to tell them how I killed Marvin Larson.
"I was jogging at the park around 12PM, and then I overheard about a murder of Miles Edgeworth." I said nearly choking on the last part. "Knowing this, I couldn't let this man get away with it so I chased him over to the Prosecutor's office. About three feet away from the victim, I threw a nice sized rock at the back of his head which knocked him down to the ground. His gun fell out of his hand and that's when I grabbed it. I hesitated for a moment, but I inevitably pulled the trigger and killed the man."
"Your Honor, she just confessed to the court that she's the murderer." Von Karma said wagging her finger at the defense.
"You're right," he nodded. "There is no need to-"
"Your Honor! Let me cross-examine her!" Wright pleaded. "I believe I spot a contradiction in her testimony!"
The Judge gave him the privilege to do so, but if he can't find anything, I'll get the guilty verdict. It was all or nothing!
"When you shot the victim, did you see him die?" Wright asked.
"What do you mean?" I wondered.
"This is ridiculous!" Von Karma snapped. "You're wasting our time, Phoenix Wright!"
Maya was upset with Von Karma, treating us like fools. Edgeworth was watching, adding two and two together as the trial went on. He knew where his friend was going and he liked it.
"I mean did you watch the bullet go through his head?" Wright clarified.
"No, my eyes were closed." I answered. "I just couldn't bear to see myself kill someone!"
Tears welled up in my eyes and I dared to not look anyone in the eye. Not like this!
"If you recall Edgeworth's testimony, he heard a 'loud echo'." Wright said. "Meaning that when you closed your eyes you missed the victim's head!"
"OBJECTION!" Von Karma yelled. "Only a fool would think that! There was only one gunshot!"
"OBJECTION!" Wright yelled back. "There are two bullet holes; one in the ground and the other is in this pillar. How can she be in two places at once?!"
The Gallery got loud, exchanging conversation about this news. The Judge slammed his gavel yelling, "Order! Order!" It was shocking to him too, but with Wright as the defense it should be no surprise.
"Mr. Wright! Are you saying the defendant's not the killer?" he asked.
"Exactly my point, Your Honor!" Wright nodded. "When Marvin woke up from his unconsciousness, he looked to the right where the real killer was."
"But why would there be someone else to kill him?" Von Karma asked. "Your logic is faulty, Phoenix Wright!"
My law hero had to think of something fast! Why would there be someone already waiting to kill Marvin? If only he had a lead on where this man came from and who called him. That's it!
"Your Honor, the killer I believe is none other…" he paused for dramatic effect. "Then the man who called the victim!"
"WHAT?!" Von Karma gasped.
Edgeworth silently laughed with amusement, hearing how Wright is turning this case completely on its head like he always does. It never gets old! Pretty funny how something predictable yet unpredictable always seems to fill you with excitement. The Judge called the Gallery to order and decided to delay the trial for another day to give Wright time to investigate this case further.
"This court is hereby adjourned!" he said slamming the gavel.
My heart stopped, I was blown away at this man's ability to turn this trial around. Maya looked at me and smiled knowing everything is going in our favor. A part of me is happy, while another is upset. If I were declared guilty right then and there, this case would be over.
April 15 11:13 AM District Court Defendant's Lobby 03
I plopped onto the couch while letting out a sigh of relief to be out of there. But we're not totally out of the woods yet, duh. Wright and Maya looked satisfied for the most part.
"I knew Nick could turn this around!" she said beaming with joy. "When we find the real killer, we'll prove your innocence."
"Right," I said smiling back.
Something didn't sit well with Wright, like he was forgetting something. He searched his mind to figure that out to no avail. In time, it may come back to him. Edgeworth drops by to see us before he returns to his office.
"You always know how to turn the tides into your favor, don't you Wright?" he said genuinely smiling.
"Well, you helped out there too." Wright said, returning a smile. "All we need now is the identity of the real killer."
"But I am the real killer." I said without thinking. "I mean, I know I closed my eyes, but I pulled that trigger."
"Then how do you explain the two bullet holes?!" Maya asked.
I lowered my head to avoid eye contact. "I don't know, I just-" I paused for a moment. "It's nothing, sorry for wasting your time."
"Don't hide any important details regarding this case." Edgeworth said with authority. "We need to uncover the whole truth."
I agreed, how I feel has nothing to do with the case. Still, the pain raises its ugly head to drift me far away from the present. Why haven't I gotten over something so stupid and trivial? I said my "I forgive yous" to those that harmed me so why am I like this? Petty emotions!
Dick Gumshoe comes barging in with news; he and his team were able to recover the memory of Marvin's phone. Meaning they can get the number of the man who called the victim. I didn't bother to say anything, I just let the pros do their job while I remain useless and stupid. Gumshoe did take notice of me, but I just said a simple "hi" to him.
"The number we traced led to a man named Perry Presto." Gumshoe informed us. "We're currently trying to find his location, but we haven't had any luck with that yet."
"You're doing a great job, Mr. Gumshoe!" I said attempting to encourage him." Sounds like this man here should get a raise!"
"He'll have to do more than that," Edgeworth said, crossing his arms.
The poor detective frowned, but was happy to know someone acknowledges his hard work. Just interacting in this moment filled me with mixed emotions; I wanted to laugh and cry, but I didn't know why so I resisted the urge to do so.
Gumshoe took his leave to continue the search for this Perry Presto dude. Not too long after, Edgeworth was about to leave. But I want to say something to him, I just can't muster up the courage to. No-I have to say something!
"Wait!" I called. "Th-thank you, for testifying."
"I'm just doing my job," he said as he left.
When the doors closed all the way, I turned around to Wright and Maya. "I think he likes me," I said jokingly. Maya smiled while Wright was shaking his head not liking my comedy. I guess I brought back memories of that clown Moe.
"Do you like Mr. Edgeworth?" Maya asked.
"In a way, yes," I answered. "But as a friend, that's how I love everyone."
As much as I enjoyed these guys' company, it was time for me to return to my cell. Before investigating the case further, Wright needs to inform Edgeworth on something. It may not be relevant to the case, but it may help proceedings go by faster.