Chapter 25: White's Last Stand
Notes:
Some darker themes are mentioned middle half and down. I hinted at a few of them already. I should probably add tags, but kind of think of it like any old crime show. Bad things happen and people are depraved.
Side note, I'm finding it harder to edit for some reason in online documents versus word, like I am used to. Sorry if there's weird spacing. Also, I'm using indents in the word, but I don't know if they'll start to pick up. If it's weird, I'll return it to normal.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Purohit seemed as ready for this trial to be over as Miles and Phoenix did. From what Miles knew about the prosecutor, it made sense. Purohit was apparently single-minded and only wanted to secure an in with someone, Redd White, who may have known about a string of trafficking cases, and Phoenix planned to extract whatever knowledge Purohit had on it. Now this one investigation turned into a web of others, with no other notable relation to the other.
Redd White had not returned to the witness stand. After a few exchanges between Gregory, who stood further back to give the boys some space, and Miles and Phoenix, it was made uncertain whether or not White was going to testify any further.
"Even with friends in high places, White can't deny his assaults ." Phoenix assured.
"Will they shorten his sentencing, though? That is what I worry about." Miles said in return.
The Judge took his place and said, "Mr. Purohit. Have the detectives learned anything about that statue?"
"Yes. Your Honor." Purohit said.
"That is fantastic news! Please share the details to the court, if you would please."
"The statue was found in White's car. It was underneath the glove box on the passenger side. It is being examined for traces of blood and fingerprints as we discuss this." Purohit said.
"Well. Good news for us, huh?" Phoenix said.
"We will see." Miles was not about to put his trust in Purohit. If the man schemed something else, they would need to be alert to respond to it.
"The murder weapon was with Mr. Redd White, then?" The Judge asked.
"If the statue comes back without blood, it would cast doubt on the defense's claims. Until forensics comes back with a positive, it cannot be stated for certain." Purohit argued.
"Then you do agree it would be suspect for the weapon to come back with traces of blood?" Miles asked.
"I do have an issue with some parts of your claim. It is well established that White did not leave Bluecorp until after 8:00 PM. The murder weapon and the car were seen on the apartment grounds during the murder, as well as a man who matches White's description. However, it is clear that one party is lying about events. Either the police report is, or the witness is. The witness, Yanni Yogi, has memory issues. He could have recalled the statue and the car, but not the person, correctly."
"You are trying to blame someone else, then?" Miles asked.
"The police report is being investigated as well. There are no other leads on who might possibly have taken the statue and the car to the apartments."
"Then you admit it is an empty claim?" Miles was not relenting.
"It is an alternative explanation if Mr. White truly did not leave Bluecorp that evening. The Bluecorp employees can be just as colorful as their president. Several of the members have dyed their hair and wear clothes in similar match. If that were to be the case, we would have to think in terms of 'anyone in that building could be the culprit'."
Miles argued that claim, not wanting to go through another rabbit hole of distractions, "Who else would have the motivation to seek out either the Frosts or Wright? You have to remember, these incidents were strung together because of Wright."
"Wright. The one who admitted his house being broken into by other Bluecorp employees? That Wright? He is the one who made that reality it very possible."
"Shit." Phoenix cursed under his breath. Louder, he said, "No. It's okay. We still have that recording. Your father verified its contents. White isn't going anywhere but prison."
Purohit spoke before Miles could say anyting , "Mr. Wright. You made that claim of your house being broken into. Let us see feedback. I know you have it, so don't lie."
Phoenix sighed and then explained. "I do have it. White didn't stop by my house until the night you were there, Miles. it will show three other people. Two men and a woman. He found a way to prolong this trial."
"It would have been nice to know this ahead of time, Phoenix. Well. There is no reason for us to object, is there? It is relevant and it is something you claimed."
"I let White get under my skin. This is my fault." Phoenix dug out the recording and said, "Your Honor, this is the recording."
When Phoenix worked the recording to the courtroom television, it showed a black car pull up, and three people step out. Two men, one fairly normal and the other closer to White's fashion senses, and a pink woman that Miles recognized somewhere, stepped out. During the time-lapse , the pink man tripped most of the Halloween traps and eventually illegally cracked open the front door. While he did appear similarly to White, it was clearly not him.
It was the most annoying coincidence that could have presented itself.
The three of them searched around but left without taking or damaging anything else. They were looking for Phoenix, who wasn't home. Purohit seemed pleased with this evidence and said, "Three potential murders. One matching the description provided by witness, Mr. Yanni Yogi. That is all, Your Honor."
This was an example of how one piece of evidence could turn an entire upswing into a crashing curveball. Miles, Phoenix, Gregory, and Ruby all knew that this White lookalike had nothing to do with the murder, but it made the Judge pause and reconsider. "Yes. I see. Who is this colorful man?"
"I am not sure." Phoenix said, he really didn't take the time to learn everyone's names and didn't think this could come back to haunt him. He was going to take his time with the Bluecorp underlings, since 'bigger picture' applied here.
The Judge said, "Well. If the statue comes back with blood, then one of these people could have used it. Is that what you are saying, Mr. Purohit?"
"Indeed, it is, Your Honor."
Miles had a habit of writing shorthand notes about details of the case. Phoenix took that notebook and flipped back to Yanni's testimony of events. As he thought, Phoenix discovered something that did not align with that earlier testimony. He just had to wait for the opportunity to say something.
"You always did take the cleanest notes." Phoenix admired the penmanship and the ability to be so thorough in an environment rapidly changing to new evidence. Miles didn't know if that was a genuine compliment or a flirt, but it didn't take him too long to see what Phoenix's counter would be.
"Your Honor, I am saying that, in compliance to the police report and to Mr. Yogi's earlier testimony, it is very possible that the blame falls squarely to one or more of these Bluecorp members." Purohit said in a bored tone.
Phoenix smiled. "Mr. Purohit, what do you consider the new timeline to be?"
"Well, judging by the later timestamp on this video . . . they murdered Miss Frost first, then drove you your house. You were not home at either location, due to your injuries, which forced them to regroup."
Phoenix looked at the timestamp. It was 6:58 PM when the recording first caught their black car pull up. That would be a short turnaround for anyone, but that was not the point he wanted to argue. Nor did he bring up White's clear visit the next day again, just yet. Phoenix said, "This video is not compliant with earlier testimony, Mr. Purohit."
"Hmm? What makes you say that, Mr. Wright?" Purohit studied the footage once more. If he saw it, he said nothing.
"The color of the car. Mr. Yogi said that the car was purple and that it matched White's suit. The car these three drove around in that evening was black. Also, none of them have the statue in thier possession , either."
Purohit folded his arms and said nothing.
" But, White did come to my house the next day. in a purple car, in a purple suit, and with the statue in hand. The only one who clearly still meets all three of these conditions is Redd White." Phoenix explained.
The Judge asked, "Mr. Purohit? Do you have anything to counter the defense's point?"
Purohit shook his head. "Then we are waiting on those final pieces to come through. Your theory is only as credible as the blood existent on that statue."
"I suppose we are, then." Phoenix said. He looked over at Miles and Gregory and wondered about their 'final' piece of evidence. They did not have to wait very long because Detective Gumshoe approached Purohit from their side with a few reports. After a quiet exchange between the two, the detective left and Purohit began to read off the analysis.
"The statue came back with blood residue. The defense is correct about the statue being a weapon. Since it has not come up with another case, we can assume it was used for this one. As far as the police report . . . hm. There is a conflict of interest that is being reviewed."
"They are in White's pocket. I thought I recognized those names." Phoenix said.
"Yes, it appears so." Miles nodded.
The Judge asked, "What's the conflict of interest?"
"On doing a sweep, it seems as though those officers' names and Bluecorp come up together a lot. We are not able to confirm suspicions at this time." Purohit handed the paperwork to the bailiff to give to the Judge.
"Then . . . with this report being questionable . . ." The Judge frowned, "We cannot take it at face value. We are able to assume White traveled elsewhere, without an airtight alibi."
"It is possible. White must be done speaking with his lawyer. Should we summon him to return?" Purohit suggested.
"Do you want more time to talk with him?" The Judge asked.
"That will not be necessary. His lawyer has undoubtedly prepared him." Purohit dismissed.
The Judge had a very puzzled look on his face, but he sent for White to return to court once more. Miles was not convinced the other side was out of ways to push this battle in a different misdirection; he would wait until White was present to hear his own words used against him, so there was no final argument on the prosecution's side. Phoenix might have thought to do the same thing – he glanced worryingly over to Ruby. As much as those two bickered, Phoenix did care about her.
When White came back, he looked neither confident nor scared. He was uncharacteristically quiet and waited for his next prompt.
The Judge asked, "Mr. White. Where were you between 6:00 and 7:00 PM on the evening of the murder?"
"Ah, my wonderful Judge . . . I was at Bluecorp." White answered.
Miles said, "Then I am sure your company would have a log or a video showing you never left?"
"No need. I have the word of our wonderful police force. They are good people." White said with a forced smile.
Miles shook his head, "Wonderful people that may have underhanded ties with you. Mr. Purohit, we shared a video with you, just moments ago. Do you have one of Bluecorp? Does evidence exist to back up that report and White's claim?"
Purohit said, "I had the detective pull those files from Bluecorp security. I reviewed the floors and White is not seen inside the building after 5:45 PM. However, the alarm that Wright pulled cleared the building out until responders could consider it safe."
"Should White have been back in the building after the threat deemed a false alarm?" Miles pointed out. "Also, when he left the building, did he take the 'Thinker' with him?"
Purohit handed the bailiff and flash drive and said, "This contains the information Mr. Edgeworth wants."
The first part of the video was damaged. Flashes of white blurred it out, but when it focused, Redd White was standing in his hallway like a rabid animal with the 'Thinker' in his dominant right hand. He went back into his office for a moment, then left with a shopping bag, and the 'Thinker' missing from view.
"The security was damaged for around thirty seconds, before White came into view." Purohit said. "The 'Thinker' is not seen again, nor is White."
Miles said, "It is in that bag." Then he squinted at the thought of a damaged few seconds and pieced together that was the time Phoenix would have been in plain view. No wonder the officers could not tell it was Phoenix who pulled the alarm, the security cameras had a temporary white flash. That odd pattern of damages to film around Phoenix continued, and Miles did not know what to make of it.
"It could be in that bag." Purohit frowned.
"Do you have visual on the parking lot?" Miles asked, changing the focus. The statue made it to the apartments, now he had to prove that White did, as well.
Purohit nodded and walked the bailiff into bringing it up. To no one's actual surprise, White was seen entering and leaving his car. But, not before another few seconds of visual damaged white flashes. Miles glanced over at Phoenix, who seemed relatively unphased by the phenomenon. Miles wanted to ask him about it right then and there but would not risk their defense to be blown by Phoenix messing with the security equipment.
What would be the point? Phoenix admitted to doing espionage work. He used the fire alarm as a way to safely escape, too, so it was not like he would be faulted for that. Unless Phoenix did not purposefully tamper with the equipment, similar to how Miles' camera took damaged photos as well.
Miles dismissed that thought. That was not an explanation, that was phantasmagoria, and Miles would not entertain that silly notion.
The Judge ignored the damage and asked, "Where did you go, Mr. White? Did you ever speak with the responders on the fire alarm?"
The timestamp certainly proved otherwise. White left before the police or the fire trucks showed up. People waited in the lot at their designated areas, but the only one who broke protocol, was the president himself.
"Mr. Purohit. Mr. White. I am waiting for an explanation to this." The Judge was unhappy with what he viewed. It did not take the defense to explain what was clear as day to convince the Judge something was wrong with these events.
" So, I left?" White yelled suddenly, "That does not mean I went to those apartments. It is such a ridiculous notion that I, an established businessman , would dirty my hands on someone like that. I did not even know the Frosts – even if I had something against Wright."
Purohit shook his head, " Unfortunately , for you, speech analysis shows that ominous text exchange between Miss Fiona Frost and an unknown person links directly to your own patterns of text and speech."
"Wh-what?"
"The other file the detective gave me confirms this. Despite the cellphone belonging to another, the way you type matches the text exchange more so than it does Mr. Beatty. There is a clear motive on your end to kill Miss Frost and frame her sister for it."
The Judge blinked, "Why are you proving this, Mr. Purohit?"
"It was talked about before, and I was tasked to investigate it. Or should I have hidden it? Regardless, those results came back with a positive. You have motive, Mr. White. Now, do you have a way to prove you were anywhere else but those apartments at 6:20 PM?"
White did not. That police report was his cover. Purohit was ready to call it a wash and throw in the towel. What could he care about a murderer who was caught?
"Hah! So, this is what my lawyer told me to tell you. There is no final piece of evidence that locks me in place at those apartments! You cannot claim it was me! And my joke of a trial will prove this, and you will all be sued for wasting my time." White touted like he knew what he was talking about.
Gregory whispered something to Ruby and then walked up to Miles and Phoenix. "This is set to start right when White breaks down that door. It is not pretty, but Ruby knows to expect it. This is . . . well, it is time to use it."
Phoenix frowned. Despite having the vital piece that proves White wrong, he found disdain in using it. He had an arsenal of ways to sink White and Bluecorp and their associates, but a murder invalidated it all. A murder that he was about to play in front of the victim's sister, who had already lost so much. It wasn't right. It wasn't fair. And it made Phoenix sick that they would use it, because Ruby would hate him otherwise.
Phoenix was the one who presented it. It seemed like the natural conclusion to this hailstorm. "Your Honor. There is a way to place White directly at the scene of the crime. This wiretap was one that the Frost's used for security purposes. This recording was taken at the time of her death."
The Judge nodded, ". . . Okay. For those squeamish, you are free to leave now."
Phoenix looked back at Ruby and said, "Is it okay for the defendant to wait in the lobby?"
There were hushed whispers in the crowd and the Judge looked at her and at the tape in rapid motion. "Hmm. If the defendant would not like to hear this, she may be escorted away."
"No. Your Honor. I am staying' put." Ruby said.
Phoenix sighed, "Of course you are. Please reconsider, Ruby."
"No. Play the damn thing already."
"Ugh. As you wish."
Phoenix played the tape, and everything went quiet beside the rustling on the recording. There was a loud noise and a second sound like wood cracking apart. A woman screamed once and then a few more movements shuffled nearby.
"White!? Why are you doing this? Please, just leave me alone!" She pleaded.
"No one else here?" White said, sounding disappointed. "Shame. I can't have you as a witness against me. It's been a joy, Fiona."
"Stop! Please! I won't –" There was an audible scuffle, her last horrifying scream, and then a large cracking sound. After one last thud, White laughed a little bit.
"I will be taking these. Thank you for your time, Fiona." White taunted.
Phoenix stopped the recording there. He glared directly at White, who was now sweating. The Judge had a similar loathing look of disdain. The Judge asked, "Mr. Purohit. Do you have any objections to this recording?"
"None. Your Honor." He tapped the desk.
"Mr. White? Anything you want to add?" The Judge said.
"I - I will be speaking with my lawyer again." He stammered.
"Hmph. I imagine you will be, Mr. White." The Judge said with the upmost disregard and disgust.
For any side, that recording would be the holy grail of evidence. Even without visuals, both victim and perpetrator identified each other, and they could hear the struggle in real-time . Phoenix just knew, though, that Fiona's screams would plague Ruby's mind. He wanted to spare her that last nightmare.
#
#
#
The last few minutes of the trial, from the Judge addressing Ruby to declaring her innocent, was a blur for all parties. White was taken into custody and questioning. Phoenix would probably assist in the final prosecution of that entire noise, but for now, he stood with Ruby. During the tape, she squeezed into her arms so much that they bled.
"Why did you stay?" Phoenix asked.
"Because. I needed to. I wanted to see that bastard's face when he was caught."
Phoenix rubbed his forehead, "And was it worth it?"
" Pft . Hell, if I know. That kind of man doesn't feel remorse unless it comes back to damn ' im . Thanks for fightin ' 'til the end." She said.
"What will you do now?" Phoenix asked.
"I'm not sure. I don't think I'll be staying in this area. Too many painful memories. I have family up north. The cold's never been my favorite, but I think I might shack with them for a while."
Phoenix nodded. "I hope you'll keep in touch."
"With you? Hell no. You're freaking police. I ain't touchin ' that with a ten-foot poll. Hm. Jokes aside, I do appreciate what you did. Is it bad that I never want to see your face again, though?"
Phoenix shrugged, "I get that a lot."
"I'll keep in touch, Blue. I'll be moving out soon. But I gotta deal with those release papers and probably shower. Maybe see you in the mornin'?" She asked.
"Sounds good to me." Phoenix agreed, and the officers escorted her to do more paperwork .
Ruby nodded to Miles and Gregory before she left the area. Miles said, "She is stubborn, isn't she?"
"Yeah. I get it, I guess. I'm not sure I would've chosen any differently. So, what's on the agenda for tonight?" Phoenix asked.
"Normally, we go out and celebrate a won case." Gregory said.
"Ah. Yes. Well," Phoenix crossed his arms, "I'm not feeling like that, tonight. This is not how I wanted things to go. It could have ended without another death."
"That is on White, not you." Miles said.
"Yeah. Probably. Anyway, I think I'll take a rain check. There's a lot left to do and I'm feeling ready to deal with it. You guys should go on and celebrate." Phoenix suggested.
Miles narrowed his eyes. "You should rest. We won an important battle, tonight. Your ten others can wait for one evening, right?"
"I promised Lang some results. Besides, I want to talk to Purohit. I promised you that I'm not going anywhere. I mean that. You'll be able to find me. Oh, right. I'll make a copy of White smashing your windshield. Wouldn't want that to get swept under the rug after all this is said and done."
"Phoenix." Miles shook his head. He was not done with him just yet. "I want you to acknowledge that these events were not your fault."
"Hah. Of course. Whatever you say. I'll call you tomorrow," Phoenix ran off without another word.
"You could go after him, but I'm not sure it will do any good." Gregory said.
" So, I am seeing." For some reason, Miles had a perfect read on Phoenix's emotions. He felt guilty of all things and needed to keep moving to not break under those thoughts. "I am going to follow him, anyway."
Gregory smiled and pat Miles on the back. "Good. I will go talk with Ruby. Those two think they are indestructible and mentally unbreakable, but they are both feeling just about the same thing right now."
When Miles caught back up to Phoenix, he and Purohit were already discussing the trafficking case.
"White knew people who bought them. I could not get names, though." Purohit said.
"And you think they were in those warehouses?" Phoenix asked. Miles walked up to them and Purohit nodded at him.
"You did well today, Mr. Edgeworth."
"Why did you go to such lengths to defend White? Even after knowing what he did?" Miles asked.
"I worked myself to prove myself to him. The only thing I protected him from were minor infringes. I was very close to a breakthrough, when this unsavory incident occurred. I had the weaker hand, and so you won. Congratulations."
"You were quick to turn on White." Miles accused.
"My job is to prosecute who they tell me to. I do not want to waste time questioning the ethics behind it. White had evidence to prove him both an assaulter and a murderer. There is no way to spin that in a positive light. It would have been a waste of time, something that I detest. Such as this conversation with you is now."
Miles couldn't fathom how he managed to like Purohit even less, but here he was. "How did you know what the murder weapon was? You recognized it's time announcement. You were aware from the beginning that White had the murder weapon."
"That loud man with Julia gifted it to her. He demonstrated how it worked while I was in a meeting in the legal department. It was happenchance. I then saw it in White's car . . . so yes, I knew where the statue was when you claimed what it actually is. And what it sounded like."
"And you did not say anything, because?"
Purohit shrugged, "My knowing where and what it was could not be proven in court, and I had a chance to stay in White's good graces. That soured quickly with those proofs of his Neanderthal acts caught on film."
"Oh, is that all?" Miles' temper reached a new high for that day.
"Are you done? The law is very broken in this land and I am after something much greater. Wright, as for what you were asking about, there was only one piece of evidence I was able to collect. It was in warehouse 13."
"13 was empty when I went to it." Phoenix said.
"Yes. They made a mistake, though. I will let you see it." Purohit opened the folder in his hands and gave it to Phoenix. Miles looked over Phoenix's shoulder in curiosity. Neither prosecutor seemed to care and all he saw was racks with boxes and other storage items.
"This looks clean." Phoenix said.
"Look closer, Wright." Purohit advised. "I will not tell you what it is you are looking for. If you can figure it out, I might give that wolf a call."
On the lower level of the racks was a doll stuffed between the boxes, discarded by accident. "That's a girl's doll." Phoenix said.
Purohit nodded, "Yes. They've transported some of the missing girls this way, by boat. Once Interpol was loud about their stomping around, they trucked the girls out of there within the hour. You saw nothing because there was nothing to see . . . but one poor girl's abandoned doll. Now, if you are done being in my way for one year, I have things to do."
Purohit closed his folder and said, "Keep the photo. I'll call the wolf later. But I don't know much else, my leads are dry. The pompous, conceited ass was my last connection to this case."
"Then rooting through his house and building is a must." Phoenix said.
"I think those are dead leads but feel free. I will chase another way." Purohit walked away without a farewell or a warning, leaving Phoenix to examine that photograph.
"Strange how these events came back here. Then again, this place is becoming a hub for them. I think I know what to look for, though." Phoenix said.
"A 'hub'?"
Phoenix pointed in the direction of Purohit, "He's right. The law in this country is not that great. It's looking to collapse on itself in, say, four or five years if it continues its current trend?"
"What trend would that be?" Miles asked.
"The one where criminals can sweep away what they don't like and accuse an innocent person of their crimes if they're close to being caught. White isn't the only person who's doing that. Worse, the police force is a joke. I didn't know who I could trust in my investigations , so I went solo and confided in a select few. There is a very dark future looming over us, Miles. It's actually already starting to form. Ruby's mistrust in law enforcement wasn't misguided. It was her reality."
' And yours', Miles thought.
"Anyway, that's enough doom and gloom talk. I've now done what I needed to do, so Lang doesn't bite my head off later. Did you need something?"
Miles deliberated a moment, then asked, "We don't have to celebrate, since I know you are not up to it. How about we do something quiet instead?"
"Fall asleep in each other's arms?" Phoenix suggested with a flirty wink.
Miles rolled his eyes, but said, "If that keeps you from running off and doing something stupid, then sure."
"Oh? Well, then. You're getting used to this quicker than I'd imagined." Phoenix laughed, then tapped his foot, "Does that mean you want to start dating?"
"No."
"Hmm. Okay. Are you still 'uncomfortable' with this whole thing or can I keep telling you how pretty I think you are?"
"You are insufferable."
"And that wasn't an answer, Miles. So, I will keep flirting until you tell me to stop? I don't hear you protesting anymore."
Miles rolled his eyes.
"That wasn't an answer, either. I guess we can do dinner with the firm. It doesn't have to be an overly joyous occasion, just a calm one. Is that what you're actually suggesting?"
"Yes, Phoenix, a dinner party would be great. Let's go find my Father and see if Ruby is willing to join us." Miles walked on ahead, trying to ignore those obscene things Phoenix liked to say. For what it was worth, Miles let him say it since it seemed to cheer Phoenix up. He would have to 'discuss' those advances at some point, though.
Notes:
Trafficking, murder, and shifting the blame.
The dark age of the law might be closer than you think.