Apollo is on the case! Time for the real action to start! But how will everyone else react? And what is going on with this murder?

Chapter 17 – The Investigation Begins

Klavier stared at Apollo for a moment before breaking into a grin. "Really schatzi? You'll take my brother's case?" he clarified. Apollo nodded.

"I know Mr. Gavin," he explained, "He's smarter than that. If he was going to kill someone he wouldn't make it obvious that it was him." As Klavier gave him a slightly annoyed look at that backhanded compliment, Apollo paused. "Also, when I've gone to visit him I feel like he's changed. Like, he regrets what he did and wouldn't kill again."

He didn't want to bring up the other reason he agreed to defend Kristoph because he was pretty sure if he did Trucy would disown him as her honorary brother.

Speaking of Trucy, she was giving Apollo a hard stare. Before anyone could say anything, she stormed past Apollo and Klavier and stomped into Phoenix's office and slammed the door behind her. Phoenix sighed.

"Don't worry, Apollo, I'll talk to her," he said, "Why don't you discuss the case with Gavin?"

He went over to the door and quietly started speaking through it while Apollo turned to Klavier. "So, what do we know so far?" he asked.

"Not much, unfortunately," Klavier replied, "I haven't gotten the chance to look at the crime scene. All I know is what Kris has told me. He said that he and Engarde went to bed early because they were both feeling tired. Then Kris had a nightmare and when he woke up he was feeling all sorts of strange and then he saw that Engarde was dead."

"I have a question," Athena piped up, "Why have we ruled out the guards? They have keys to the cells right? What if one of them killed Engarde to frame Mr. Gavin for some reason?"

"I would like to consider that as well," Klavier confessed, "But I didn't want to say it at the prison, you know? Also… Kristoph seems convinced that he did it even though he insists he was asleep and doesn't remember doing it."

"Could he have been drugged?" Apollo guessed, "Or maybe he's protecting someone?"

Klavier shook his head. "I don't know," he sighed, "Unfortunately I don't have answers to any of these questions yet." He paused and looked at the floor. "There's something else. I absolutely believe my brother is innocent. But I can't help but feel like he's hiding something from me. And I don't know why."

Apollo was about to voice his opinion, when, with a loud sigh, Phoenix came back over. "She won't come out," he announced, "She's officially declared you a traitor, Apollo."

"I figured she probably would," Apollo huffed, "I'll try to patch things up with her later. But I vowed to defend innocent clients, and I truly believe Mr. Gavin is innocent."

"Well said, Apollo," Phoenix praised with a satisfied nod, "And I agree. That's why I'm going to be your co-counsel!"

"Actually, Mr. Wright, I was going to ask Athena to be my co-counsel," Apollo told him.

"Too bad," Phoenix overruled him, "I'm your boss and Kris is my old friend. I want to help defend him."

Klavier took a long hissing breath and rubbed the back of his neck. "Hmmm… um, here's the thing Herr Wright," he said awkwardly, "Kris actually told me that 'whatever I did to NOT let you defend him.'"

"He'll get over it," Phoenix waved him off. Klavier and Apollo sighed. There was no changing Phoenix's mind once it was made up. "Besides," he continued, "I already know who the killer is."

Apollo, Klavier, and Athena all blinked in surprise at him. "Y-You do?" Apollo asked.

"Of course I do!" Phoenix gloated, "It's-"

He was cut off when the office phone suddenly started ringing. Staring in confusion, Phoenix went over and picked it up. "Um, hello Wright Anything Agency, Phoenix Wright speaking," he said into the receiver.

"Ah! It's been a while, Mr. Lawyer. Sorry, Mr. Wright," a hauntingly familiar voice greeted him, "I kind of missed the sound of your stuttering, unsure-of-yourself voice. Though I note that you seem to sound just a tad more confident than the last time we spoke."

Phoenix gulped. "Shelly DeKiller?" he guessed.

"Oh good! You remember me!" DeKiller cooed, "I want to explain to you why I called. I have heard that Matt Engarde was murdered recently and whether or not you're taking the case of the accused, I wanted to assure you that I am not the killer. In fact it would be virtually impossible for me to be the culprit."

"Yeah? How so?" Phoenix wondered skeptically.

"I am currently out of the country and am on an entirely different continent at the moment," he explained, "France in Europe to be precise."

"I don't believe you!" Phoenix hissed, "Prove it!"

There was a sigh at the other end a mumbled "hold on." Then Phoenix heard a click and a moment later his cell phone in his pocket vibrated. He took it out and opened it to find he had a text from an unknown number. He opened it to find a picture of a cheekily grinning DeKiller taking a selfie in front of the Eiffel Tower. Phoenix frowned and put the phone back up.

"All right, fine, I believe you," he muttered.

"Good," DeKiller replied, "Well it's been nice chatting, but I have to go. This very, very French guy is giving me the most French-iest look. Have fun looking for the real killer!"

"Wait, how did you get this num- and he hung up," Phoenix sighed. He turned to Apollo and Klavier who had been watching him the whole time. He cleared his throat awkwardly. "So, um, I don't know who killed him."

They both let out annoyed sighs.

Because Klavier's motorcycle couldn't hold three people and he was too stingy to call a cab, ("Seriously?" cried Apollo, "You're a famous Rockstar and a rich prosecutor but you're too cheap to call a cab?") Phoenix had to call Miles to come give them a ride to the prison. He arrived not two minutes later, no doubt breaking all sorts of traffic laws along the way.

Phoenix smiled warmly as he climbed into the front seat. "Hey love," he greeted, leaning over and giving Miles a deep kiss.

"Strap in, Phoenix," Miles told him after reciprocating, "I don't want you flying out the window."

Phoenix chuckled as he buckled his seatbelt. "You know, love, you could try driving the speed limit for once," he pointed out. Miles gave him a confused glance.

"Why would I do that?" he wondered as he pulled into traffic, "All right, so where am I taking you to?"

"The prison," Apollo answered, barely getting his seatbelt on in time before Edgeworth was roaring away. He looked over and saw that Klavier was nervously tapping the car door and he couldn't tell if was because of Edgeworth's driving or fear for his brother.

They got to the prison in record time with the red sports car screeching to a stop. Apollo and Klavier quickly scrambled out while Phoenix stayed behind a moment to thank Miles for the ride and give him another kiss.

All three of them flashed their badges at the guard when they went in. "We're here to meet with Kristoph Gavin, our client," Phoenix explained.

The guard sneered at them. "You're here about that murder?" he asked, "Good luck. It's so obvious he did it."

"We'll see about that," Klavier growled as they went through the gate.

Kristoph was waiting for them already in the visiting room. Compared to last time he was looking a little better. His hair had been brushed and tied into a loose ponytail which fell over his shoulder. His glasses were no longer cracked, courtesy of his brother bringing him a spare pair. It looked as though he had tried to make himself presentable for his lawyer. It was obvious he still hadn't gotten a lot of sleep, though. His tired eyes looked up when the three of them entered.

"Apollo," he greeted quietly, "You're taking my case?"

"That's right," Apollo replied, trying not to look shocked by his former mentor's current state, "When Klavier told me what had happened I knew I had to defend you."

"Thank you." Kristoph closed his eyes and when he opened them again they were focused on Phoenix. "What is he doing here?" he hissed, "I thought I said I didn't want him involved with this case!"

"Well too bad!" Phoenix chirped before Klavier could say anything, "I'm helping, and there's nothing you can do to stop me!"

Kristoph glared at him so Klavier tried to diffuse the situation. "Ok! Now that we have that settled, why don't we look at the crime scene?" he suggested, "We're going to need some heavy proof if we're going to last one day in court."

"I agree," Apollo put it hastily, "Can we see the cell where the crime took place?"

"If the guards will let you," Kristoph replied with a shrug.

At first the guards didn't take them seriously, but after Phoenix threatened to call Edgeworth and get him down there they relented and took the four of them back to the cells.

Because of the murder, Kristoph had been put back in his original cell, the one with the hole in the ceiling. Phoenix was nervous as he walked through the hall to the cell and made sure to walk right in the middle.

"What's the matter, Herr Wright?" Klavier asked him.

"Oh nothing," Phoenix coughed, "It's just I know most of these guys. You know, from cases I've worked on. I put a lot of them away."

"Ack! It's you!" rang out a familiar voice.

"Speaking of which…" Phoenix turned to the person in question. "Hey von Karma! I didn't know you were still alive!"

Von Karma cocked his head at him. "Of course I am still alive!" he snapped, gripping the bars tightly, "Who told I was tot? I am gesund und munter!"

Phoenix let out a little awkward cough. "Um, I told your daughter you were dead," he muttered quietly.

"Seriously, Wright?" Kristoph sighed.

"Is that the reason why she never visits?" von Karma growled.

"Who is that man, Herr Wright?" Klavier whispered.

"Oh, that's Manfred von Karma," Phoenix explained, "I got him put away when I exposed the several years of cover-up and corruption that he went through to hide the fact that he killed Miles Edgeworth's father and tried to get Miles put away for a crime he didn't commit. He doesn't like me."

"Ah, so it's you, counselor, who has taken up the defense of our Kristoph Gavin?" asked another familiar voice to Phoenix, "How prudent. The man who put him away will be defending him. It's like irony."

"Actually, I'm not leading the defense, Atmey," Phoenix told him, "My associate, Apollo Justice is. And if you guys keep interrupting to talk to me we're not going to get anywhere."

"Who's that?" Klavier wondered.

"Luke Atmey," Phoenix replied, "He was blackmailing my client and staged an elaborate trap to try to get double jeopardy so he wouldn't be found guilty of murdering a guy who was blackmailing him. He doesn't like me."

"Oh." Klavier paused and looked over at one of the other cells. "Who's-"

"Ok, you know what, Klavier? Just assume that ninety percent of the inmates here don't like me!" At Phoenix's outburst, Kristoph snickered. That was certainly true.

Apollo, Phoenix, Klavier, and Kristoph finally entered the crime scene cell. Even though the prison didn't feel a need for a trial, they had thankfully left the place intact, including the sheets used to strangle Engarde. A white outline had been made of his body.

Phoenix did a once over before nodding. "All right, I think we should-"

"Hey, Wrighto!"

"Oh God damn it!"

Apollo watched in surprise as Phoenix sighed and rolled his eyes. He had never seen his boss this exasperated before. He swallowed quietly.

"Can we get back to the investigation, please?" he asked.

"Yeah, yeah, sorry," Phoenix sighed, "I'll try to ignore them."

After a moment of looking around, Apollo turned to Kristoph. "Can you walk us through what happened that day?" he requested, "Everything you did from when you last saw the victim alive to when you discovered the body."

Kristoph let out a deep breath. It was obvious he didn't like telling this story. "All right," he mumbled, "The night before Engarde and I were feeling really tired so we turned in early. I fell asleep and had a nightmare. When I woke up I felt more tired than when I went to bed. I also had a headache, was light-headed and dizzy, my legs felt weak, and felt sick. I made my way over to the toilet and that's when I noticed an odd odor. I checked Engarde saw he wasn't moving and then I noticed the bedsheets around his neck and that's when I knew he was dead."

"And you're sure that's all that happened?" Apollo wondered.

His bracelet tightened before Kristoph even spoke as the man's body tensed slightly. "Yes," he replied. Apollo frowned.

"Are you sure?" he questioned, furrowing his eyebrows at the older man. Kristoph wrapped his arms around himself.

"Why would I lie?" he asked softly.

"You tell me," Apollo challenged.

The two stared at each other for a long moment, with Klavier and Phoenix remaining silent. Finally, Kristoph sighed.

"Fine," he resigned, "It's hard for me to trust anyone after well, you know. But I suppose if I am to be found innocent in this case, I should trust you. Though, truthfully, I am not convinced that I am entirely innocent."

Phoenix folded his arms. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"I think that I may have actually killed Engarde," Kristoph murmured, "I just don't see how anyone else could have done it."

Apollo felt Phoenix's body flinch slightly, as if that statement really affected him for some reason. "Is that really it?" he whispered so softly that only Apollo could hear it.

Klavier shook his head. "We're not going to focus on that right now," he determined, "I believe in you, bro. I don't think you really killed that guy. So let's prove it."

"All right let's get to it then," Phoenix said, clapping his hands together. "Maybe it would help if we had some witnesses as well."

There was a loud cough behind them and they all spun around to see Godot waving casually at them. He smiled that Godot smile at them.

"I don't know about the rest of these guys, but I was awake that night," he told them, "And I can see fairly well in the dark. You might want to ask me some questions, Trite."

"Indeed," Atmey added, "It's almost like we can all see through these bars or something. Odd, right?" Phoenix frowned.

"All right, you don't need to get smart with me, Atmey," he muttered.

Klavier stayed with Kristoph in the cell while Apollo and Phoenix walked over to Godot's cell. The man jerked his head in greeting.

"Trite. Haven't seen you in a while. Forgotten about me, have you?" Phoenix sighed.

"I thought you weren't going to call me that anymore," he moaned. Godot smirked.

"Come on, Trite. It's a name of endearment now," he insisted, "I'm past that. I don't blame you for anything anymore. Especially since I know the truth now."

Phoenix cocked his head. "What do you mean?" he wondered.

Godot turned to his cellmate. "Why don't you tell him?" he hissed, "Tell him the truth of who was responsible for Mia Fey's death?"

Squinting into the cell, Phoenix finally noticed who Godot's cellmate was. White gave him a nervous grin before standing up and walking over to him.

"Ah! Good afternoon, Phoenix Wrong, er, Wright!" he greeted nervously, tugging at his collar, "Fancy meeting you here at this fine antidisestablishmentarianism!"

"Somewhere in that jumble of syllables is the word you want," Apollo commented under his breath.

"You know, ever since they integrated this cellmate system thing, I've been getting to know Mr. Godot here," White was still rather uneasy as he spoke, "For instance, did you know that his lover was Mia Fey?"

Phoenix folded his arms and gave him a look. "Yes, yes I did," he replied sternly. White gulped.

"All right, then," he muttered.

Before things could get more tense, Apollo interjected. "Anyway, Mr. Godot, is it? Could you please tell us about what you saw during the night in question?" he requested.

Godot turned his masked gaze on the younger man. "Just Godot is fine," he told him, "And before I tell you that, I think there are few other things you two need to hear first."

Shit's about to get real up in here! What is Kristoph hiding and why? And what is Godot and the others going to reveal? All (some) of these questions and more will be answered in the next chapter! In the meantime, please leave a comment and/or follow me on Twitter ThunderingWhite!