March 12

Blackgate Ice Center

3:00 PM

Chrysalis Starr

We found Fiora in the general area of the ice center where the audience would have watched the show if not for the murder occurring. She was sitting alone in the space, seemingly enjoying the fact that nobody was around her. I could tell what she was thinking about from afar since it was obvious as could be what was on her mind. It had to be the subject of the murder. After all, what else would it be? Hearing that she could have been a secondary murder victim if she hadn't been debilitated temporarily by her fear was bound to be a shock to her system. It would catch anyone by surprise, and it didn't surprise me that she needed some time to herself to work out her thoughts on the matter.

"Fiora?" I questioned once we were close enough to be heard. She jumped upon being address, and I winced. "Sorry for scaring you. We were just hoping to ask you a few more things about the case, if that's alright. Would you be alright with talking to us about what happened yesterday?"

It took Fiora a long moment to try and calm herself down, as if she was still trying to figure out what reality was and where she fit into its grand designs. "Um... Alright," she replied, swallowing dryly and looking up to meet my eyes. "S-Sorry about that... I'm kind of... I'm struggling after what I heard today. I know that you were just trying to prove the truth, and that's something that we have to do because of what's going on right now, but... I'm still not used to thinking about everything like this. It's scary to think that I could have died just like Aes if I wasn't as careful as I was..."

"Your caution was important, and I'm glad that you were able to stay safe," Cotoli told her, voice gentle as he took a seat beside her. "If it would be better for you, we could go on and start by talking about something else. After all, we have a question that has nothing to do with you overhearing the murder."

Fiora perked up, seemingly relieved that we weren't immediately jumping into such a dark subject. "Alright... Go on and ask me whatever it is you need to know then," she said, finally seeming to find a comfortable place for herself. She let out a small sigh, bracing herself for what was to come.

I nodded. "We just came back from speaking with one Pyth Tambin. He says that he's a member of the backstage crew for the show, and he claimed that he's behind the roll call at the start of every performance," I explained. "Is all of this true?"

Fiora nodded in response, the action almost a bit too vigorous as she tried to keep herself grounded. "Yeah, that's right. He's the one who takes care of making sure that everyone is here when we're getting ready for a show. That way, we know who has to be replaced with an understudy for every show. The understudies normally act as background skaters, but we still need to know who has to step up for a given show, you know?" she prompted.

"That makes sense," Cotoli agreed. "We asked him about what he was doing on the day of the crime, and he said that he took roll the day of the murder. He claimed that everyone was there except for the victim and Venus. He said that you were there as well, so I have to ask... What's the full story there?"

Fiora's expression shifted to become something quizzical. "What? That's not right... I know I wasn't there during the time when roll was normally called. I was too busy freaking out over what happened when the murder took place... I-I really don't like loud noises, so I was still hiding in the makeup room off the backstage area when roll call was supposed to happen... I don't know why he would say that I was there. I really don't get that. After all, I... I was never there, and I don't know why he would claim something like that..."

I glanced over to Cotoli, sharing a knowing glance with him. We were both fully aware of this was going to mean for us. Mr. Tambin had lied to us about something involving roll call, and all we had to do was put the pieces together as to what it was that he was falsifying. "I see..." I murmured, uncertain of how I was going to phrase this to Fiora. I let out a gasp a moment later, a new thought occurring to me. "Hey, Fiora... How did you know that you were gone during the time when roll call was taking place?"

"It takes place at the same time every single time that we perform or rehearse," Fiora replied. "In fact, I think that it would have lined up just about perfectly with the time of the murder... That sounds about right. That means that Venus and Aes wouldn't have been there no matter what. After all, Venus was with you guys while trying to warm herself up, so she wouldn't have been able to show up for roll. I know that she can get a bit caught up in her emotions sometimes, so she probably got distracted by her anger at Aes and forgot that she was supposed to show up for roll."

"That certainly would make sense... After all, everything that we've seen up to this point has certainly pointed to Venus being a rather emotional individual," Cotoli agreed, shooting me a glance out of the corner of his eye. I knew that, for what felt like for the first time since this case started, he wasn't making a jab at my developing dynamic with Venus. Instead, this was about the argument that Venus shared with the victim shortly before the murder took place. She had gotten upset because she was trying to defend someone else, specifically her sister, and that wouldn't happen if she was level-headed or anything similar.

"I don't know why Mr. Tambin would lie about it though... There has to be a reason why he would try to falsify something like that, but... I don't get what it is. I'm sorry that I can't be of more help on that subject," Fiora told us, looking down at her hands again. "I-I shouldn't be as worked up about all of this as I am, but... It feels like I just can't stop thinking about what could have happened if I wasn't more careful at the time of the crime..."

"You don't need to feel guilty for that at all," I assured her. "You were frightened, and that's alright... It was too late for the victim by that point anyways. Death was instant, and... You did the right thing. I'm glad that you're still here to help us solve this case and find justice for her. Seeing another victim due to the culprit's greed... It would have been despicable and tragic."

Fiora stared at me for a long moment, her eyes wide in shock, before she let out a small laugh. "I never would have expected someone so serious to be so good with talking to others," she confessed, and I found myself stammering without the ability to form syllables. I looked down at my feet, refusing to show the pink that was blossoming in my cheeks because of her words. Internally, I cursed the way that I took compliments as poorly as I did.

"Speaking of talking to others, would it be alright if I stepped in?"

I let out a gasp in sync with Cotoli as we turned in the direction of the aisle between the different columns of seats. We had new company, and the arrival was none other than Prosecutor Bespoke. He was holding a single manilla envelope in one hand, and something about the way that he carried himself made me confident that there was more to this than we had any way of understanding so far. That folder had to have something inside it that would change our case for better or worse. I could only hope that it was the former.

"P-Prosecutor Bespoke!" Cotoli cried out, his eyes wide in shock. "I didn't realize that you were going to be back here at the ice center so soon... Do you need to speak with Fiora about what happened yesterday?"

Much to my surprise, Prosecutor Bespoke shook his head. "As a matter of fact, I do not. I'm here because I want to talk to you and your sister. Would you meet me out in the lobby of the ice center?" he questioned. When we nodded, Prosecutor Bespoke turned his attention to Fiora. "It's nice to see you again, Ms. LeTeir. Have a nice day."

Fiora waved in stunned silence as Cotoli cleared his throat and turned in her direction. "Well, it seems as if we've got other business to attend to now. I'm sorry for cutting our conversation short this way, but what you've told us truly is appreciated. Have a nice afternoon until we can speak with one another again," he told her. Fiora just nodded in response, offering a secondary wave as Cotoli and I rose to our feet and started to head out into the lobby.

Prosecutor Bespoke was practically vibrating with nervous energy when we got there, and I resisted the urge to shoot Cotoli a glance of concern out of the corner of my eye. I didn't think that I had seen Prosecutor Bespoke this agitated since the case first started, and given the run for his money that we had given him during the trial, that was certainly an accomplishment.

Cotoli let out a small breath to attract Prosecutor Bespoke's attention once more. "What is it that you wanted to talk to us about?" he questioned. He glanced over in the direction of a few chairs that were positioned against the walls that surrounded the borders of the ice center itself, almost as if he was silently nudging Prosecutor Bespoke in the direction of them, but our new companion was not accepting the suggestion in the slightest, too riled up on his nervous energy to even think of putting himself to something that even resembled dormancy or stillness.

"I've found something that you're going to want to see," Prosecutor Bespoke explained. "Motives are based on past events. In order for someone to want to commit a crime in the present, they have to have a reasoning that is rooted int he past. I decided to see if there was a motive for anyone to hate the victim enough to turn to murder. After all, this crime truly does appear to be premeditated given what you pointed out during the trial today."

"So what did you find?" I asked. I could tell that it was something given the fact that he was so anxious and holding onto that envelope as tightly as he was. I frowned to myself, almost afraid of what we were bound to hear as our answer.

"Well, I learned that this is not the first time our victim has been involved with a court case, if you can believe it," Prosecutor Bespoke replied. "Except for the last time this happened, she was not the victim... Instead, she was a witness."

"A witness to a crime?" Cotoli echoed, his eyes going wide. "What is it that she saw specifically? I imagine that it was nothing good given the circumstances..."

"She saw a hit and run about three months ago. A man in a car hit a woman who was crossing the street because he was drunk and not in control of his actions in full. She witnessed the man driving away after he hit the woman. The woman fell into a coma, and she eventually passed away as a result of what happened during the accident. The culprit remained unknown no matter how long the investigation pressed on," Prosecutor Bespoke elaborated.

"You must think that this has something to do with the current case then... Do you think that the culprit killed the victim of this case because she was aware of what happened during the hit and run incident?" I inquired.

Prosecutor Bespoke nodded firmly. "I'm certain of it. I can't think of any other reason that anyone would hold a grudge against the victim, after all. The victim of the hit and run died and was thus unable to identify her assailant. The car lacked any license tags, so it could not be identified through databases on that front either. The only person who would have been able to identify the culprit was the victim of this case. She testified in court about the incident when there was an attempt to find the truth, but... The culprit was still never found," he went on.

"If you ask me, it sounds like the culprit of this hit and run could very well be the one who killed the victim of this case too," I pointed out. "After all, it seems to me like the killer there would want to silence the victim here. If she realized the truth about who he was, then she could have taken him back to court and caused him to be jailed for his crimes in the hit and run case."

"Exactly. I don't know who it was that hit the victim of the hit and run with his car though. After all, that's the very problem that we're dealing with right now, and it's why we're in this situation in the first place," Prosecutor Bespoke shrugged. "I just want to find the truth behind this murder case for the sake of finding justice for the victim, defendant, and everyone else that they're involved with."

"You're a pretty nice guy as far as prosecutors go," I told him. Cotoli sent me a ghastly expression out of the corner of his eye, no pun intended. I continued regardless. "I haven't exactly found reason to trust very many of them, but you seem to know what it is that you're talking about."

Prosecutor Bespoke nodded, determination glimmering in his eyes. "I want to find the truth when possible, and this case is no exception. I owe as much to everyone involved with it... With that said, I have to ask... Is there anybody that you know of who could fit the bill? I'm going to do what I can to try and find the truth with you, but we'll have to collaborate to reach that end," he went on.

I glanced over to Cotoli, trying to judge what it was that he wanted to do. After all, he was the leading defense attorney on this case, so it was his decision when push came to shove. I trusted him and his judgement regardless. He seemed to pick up on this, and he shifted his attention back to Prosecutor Bespoke as soon as our silent communication had drawn to a close.

Cotoli made the decision that I expected and was hoping for, and he nodded carefully. "I don't know for sure if there was anybody at the ice rink who was involved with this incident of the hit and run, but I can say that we've found someone who has lied to us about what happened on the day of the murder," he said. "We just spoke with one Pyth Tambin, and he seemed intent on forcing us out of the crime scene when we were trying to look around. He's part of the crew that works backstage on the show as well."

"Given the circumstances of the culprit being part of the backstage crew, that sounds suspicious to me," I snorted, looking down at the ground with a frown. "He lied to us about a roll call that took place on the day of the crime. He's supposed to see who all is there for the show for the sake of putting understudies into place, and he said that everyone was there for this roll call except for the victim and defendant."

"The problem with that is that we just spoke with the witness that found the body, and she said that she wasn't there at all during roll call. After all, she was distracted with her fear over accidentally overhearing the murder, and even after that was over, she had to go and get a spare costume out of the closet. That was when the body was found, so there wouldn't have been a chance for her to be there for roll call even if she was lying about what happened at the time," Cotoli went on.

"I must agree that it sounds like there's something going on there," Prosecutor Bespoke nodded. "If he was at all involved with what happened, then this is a good place to start. I mean, he was at the crime scene at all the day of the murder, and as far as I can tell, that has to point to something. Everyone who was there is going to help us to paint a more complete picture of just what happened in the time that was leading up to the victim's death."

"He was part of the stage crew, and we already know about the piece of fabric that was found in the victim's hand. We've received confirmation from multiple sources about the fabric being the same texture as what you would find on the backstage crew's uniforms," I continued to explain. "That has to mean something, and the fact that he was trying to get us out of the crime scene only makes it sound as if there's something else taking place that he isn't telling us about."

"In other words, you think that he's the culprit, don't you?" Prosecutor Bespoke questioned, looking down at me with eyes that were much too bright and optimistic for a subject as dreary as murder.

I hesitated, unwilling to offer a response at first. When I finally did find the words, I shrugged. "I don't know if I would go that far for now since we don't have enough evidence to make that clear. But I am willing to say that he was suspicious with the way that he was behaving earlier. He would have easy access to the costume closet, his clothing matches the fabric that the victim was holding, and he could have had a motive if he was the culprit behind the hit and run. The last piece of evidence is a bit circumstantial, but it's something," I told him.

Prosecutor Bespoke chuckled. "So, in other words, you think that he's the culprit," he said. I opened my mouth before closing it again, unsure of how to respond to that. He just laughed once again. "It's alright. I'm not holding this against you or anything. We're here to find the truth, and that's what matters most... I do think that the contradiction behind the matter of roll call is interesting as well. Why would he say that Fiora LeTeir was present when she very obviously was not?"

"I somehow doubt that it would be possible to make a mistake this large when it came to the matters of roll call. Why would somebody say that she was there when it was so clear that she was gone? It wouldn't make any sense," Cotoli pointed out. "Plus, if others could volunteer and say that they had seen other members of the cast that were not present for roll call, then Venus and Aes would have been listed as well. It makes no sense that Fiora was said to be there when she very clearly could not have been around."

"It all comes down to the crucial question of just that: why was the witness stated to be present at a time when she would not have been there?" Prosecutor Bespoke murmured with a shrug. "That's what we have to figure out from here. We also need to figure out how the body was moved, and I believe that could be one of the most important parts when it comes to pinning down who the true culprit is."

"I wish that we knew how the body was moved," Cotoli muttered with a shake of his head. "But as of right now, we don't have any ideas that would nudge us in the right direction. At the very least though, we know that there was something going on with Mr. Tambin during roll call."

"He would have had the chance to steal Venus' ice skates and costume," I pointed out. "I mean, if he was part of the backstage crew, it would have been pretty easy for him to snag them when nobody was looking. He would have been able to get into the closet because he was part of the show, and he could have taken Venus' ice skates if she just so happened to set them down at any point while she was backstage."

"I think it's time for me to go off and talk to this Pyth Tambin man then," Prosecutor Bespoke commented with a loose shrug. "How about you two go on down to the detention center to speak with your client? I can only imagine that she's looking forward to hearing an update on how the investigation is going, and you're the only ones who are going to be able to offer that to her."

"That sounds like a plan to me," Cotoli said with a smile. He hesitated before giving a sincere grin in Prosecutor Bespoke's direction. "Thank you for all of your help thus far. We're going to make sure that we find the truth behind this case. Even though we aren't sure as to how the crime was carried out yet, I'm certain that we'll be able to pull all of the pieces apart and put them back together when the moment is right."

Prosecutor Bespoke smirked and nodded. "I'll be looking forward to seeing what it is that you can pull off. Until we meet again, defense," he remarked. With that, he pivoted on his heel and walked away, leaving me and Cotoli alone in the area.

I waited until after Prosecutor Bespoke had left our range of vision before I glanced up at Cotoli. "Well, it seems to me like we have our mission," I said. I nudged him with my elbow playfully. "And it never would have been possible if the prosecutor for the case didn't decide that he had a massive crush on you."

"You're being dramatic," Cotoli muttered, unwilling to meet my eyes. "Come on. Let's go and see your knight in shining armor if you're so insistent on talking about love. That will certainly make things easier for me." I snickered under my breath before following after him to leave the ice center.

March 12

Detention Center

4:30 PM

Chrysalis Starr

Venus was already sitting on the other side of the glass when we arrived, and she perked up immediately upon seeing us. "You're back!" she cried out, a grin on her face. "How did the investigation go? Do you think that you've figured out what happened on the day of the crime?"

"We're getting closer, that's for sure," Cotoli replied as he pulled up a chair and sat down. "How have you been doing? I can't imagine that being here in the detention center is easy to cope with."

Venus' smile faltered for a split second. "I... I'm working on managing, I suppose. My sisters and mother came by a short while ago. They... They're all really worried, but... Cassidy and Yuri practically could not stop talking about how much they loved watching you two in court. They said that you did a great job, and... I have to admit, I was impressed too. I never would have imagined that you were so new to all of this."

"We just want to find the truth," I assured her with a smile. "We're going to make sure that everything works out just fine. You aren't the culprit, and once we prove that to the world... Well, I think that it'll be a great thing." Cotoli raised an eyebrow at me, and I glared at him out of the corner of my eye. By some blissful stroke of a miracle, Venus didn't notice, and I was glad that she was seemingly the most oblivious person to ever draw breath on this planet.

Cotoli cleared his throat a moment later. "Regarding our investigation... We've come to believe that perhaps the culprit has something to do with a hit and run case that took place three months ago. The victim witnessed someone hitting a woman with his car, and the culprit was never caught. Would you happen to know anything about that?"

Venus hesitated and shook her head. "I don't think so, at the very least... Though, come to think of it, Aes started acting really strangely about three months ago. She was always kind of snippy, but she became... Downright hostile all of a sudden. I didn't know why it was, but I decided to not bug her about it. That just seemed like a recipe for disaster," Venus replied. "I guess that it makes sense when you put it like that though... That could be traumatic, after all."

"Yeah," I agreed with a small nod. "The culprit of the hit and run was never found. When we asked Prosecutor Bespoke about it, he said that he was pretty sure that whatever happened for the victim to die was involved with this hit and run. Maybe the culprit finally found her and decided to take care of the one witness that would put her behind bars."

"She was the only one who saw the man that committed the crime. She was the only one who would have been able to identify him even after he escaped the initial investigation. If the culprit realized that she was the one who could have revealed the truth behind a hit and run that caused someone to die... You can imagine how that would go," Cotoli murmured. "It certainly seems like it would be a sensible motive, and right now, it's the only thing that we can imagine would lead to open hostility against the victim."

"Even if Aes wasn't the most agreeable person at times, she was never downright cruel. Well... Okay, maybe that's not true, but it wasn't a reason for anyone to want her dead," Venus told us. "The idea of somebody wanting to kill her over this hit and run makes a lot more sense, if I'm being honest. I'm glad that you told me about it, but I wish that I could be of more help..."

"It's alright," Cotoli assured her. "If you don't mind, we have one other question on the subject of the day of the murder for you... We heard from one Pyth Tambin that the skating show always has a roll call at the start of the rehearsal or performance to show who it is that will be performing each roll. If an understudy is needed, this is when that information will be revealed."

Venus nodded. "That much is true. Pyth has always been the one to handle it, and I don't think that I've ever seen anybody else doing it. He's organized and methodical, so he's the one that we can all count on to take care of that. He's kind of rough around the edges sometimes, but I like to think that he cares about all of us in his own little way," she explained.

"You wouldn't have been there at the time of roll call, yes?" I questioned. "According to our investigations, this roll call would have taken place at the time when you were out skating on the ice rink. That was when you met me and my brother, so you couldn't have been back there. It lines up with the time when the murder would have been taking place."

"Right again," Venus confirmed. "I wish that I had been thinking about all of this a bit harder... If I hadn't stormed off after that argument with Aes, then I could have showed my sisters around the ice rink... If I had been smarter, I would have remembered to go to the roll call, and maybe this wouldn't have unfolded the way that it did..." She sighed and shook her head a moment later. "But there's no use thinking about what could have been. For now, it's all about what did happen and how that relates to what we're dealing with at the moment."

"We're going to find the truth behind this case. You can consider that a promise," Cotoli told her. "We've gathered a considerable number of clues up to this point, and we think that we should be able to reveal who the culprit is with a little bit of pushing in court tomorrow. If all goes well, you'll be back at home this time tomorrow."

"Thank you again for everything," Venus smiled. "I'm going to do my best to stay positive throughout all of this! I know that this isn't easy to deal with, nor is it really a great situation, but I'm going to do what I can to press on regardless. It's the least that I can do for myself... I'll be looking forward to seeing you both again tomorrow. Good luck out there, you two!"

I nodded and rose to my feet after sending her a shy wave. She grinned and returned the gesture, and I turned away quickly to hide the blush rising in my cheeks. Cotoli glanced down at me with something playful in his eyes, and I shook my head. "Not one word, Morix," I snapped softly. Cotoli just laughed as we walked out of the visiting room, the truth etched firmly across our hearts in preparation for the end of this case once and for all.

Morix time!

-Digital