Rei Ryghts: Ace Attorney
The Dead Thief's Turnabout
By Derald Snyder
Investigation- Day 2
Court Record:
-Autopsy Report
-Woman's Footprints
-Peach's Trinket
-Crime Scene Diagram
-.30-Caliber Assault Rifle
-.338-Caliber Bullet
August 17, 12:49 PM
Leanbox Basilicom
Vert's Room
Rei had to consciously control herself to keep from scarfing down her sandwich without chewing properly. "Well, if there's one thing you do right as a goddess, it's that you make a wicked sandwich."
"Coming from you, I probably should take that as a compliment," sighed Vert. "Though, I was somewhat surprised to see the way you acted in the courtroom... it's like you were almost a completely different person! I don't think I heard you stutter even once!"
Rei just smiled wryly. "Well, I guess... the c-courtroom is where I'm m-most c-comfortable th-these days..." She took another bite of her sandwich. "S-so, what's our n-next move?"
"Hmmm..." Vert pursed her lips as she pondered. "Well, I would like to check out the rooftops above the crime scene, but that Colonel Cutter is probably tearing the place apart right now... Perhaps for now, we should head back to the base and visit Adrian. I want to make sure there isn't anything else he's 'conveniently' forgot to mention to us..."
"Y-you do realize... *gulp* that he was j-just trying t-to protect his girlfriend..." Rei pointed out as she swallowed the last of her sandwich. "But yes, we probably should talk to him again anyway..."
August 17
Leanbox Military Base
Brig- Visiting Room
Rei and Vert once again sat down at a table while they waited for their client to be brought in. Soon enough, Adrian walked in and sat down, a slightly guilty look on his face. "Hello, Lady Vert... and Ms. Ryghts."
"Adrian. You lied to me... to us," Vert stated gently but firmly.
The petty officer bowed his head. "I did... I'm sorry." He looked up again. "But, as Ms. Ryghts stated in court today, I'd do anything for my woman..."
"Even break the rules to get her into a combat position in your unit?" Rei pointed out.
Adrian heaved a sigh. "Well, it wasn't just because she wanted to fight alongside me... let me put it this way- I couldn't let a natural talent in hand-to-hand combat like hers go to waste. And seeing her in action on the battlefield proved me right."
"I see..." Vert nodded.
"Anything else you might have 'conveniently' forgot to mention to us, petty officer?" Rei pressed.
"I swear to you, Peach being there was the only thing I lied about," Adrian asserted, shaking his head. "Everything else I said was the honest truth..." He ran his hands through his hair, heaving a sigh. "You idiot, Peashy... if she'd just testified as herself and not Sergeant DeRommer, she wouldn't have been kicked out of the army... Don't tell her I said that," he added quickly.
"We won't," Vert promised. "Are you sure there's nothing else you can tell us?"
Adrian bit his lip. "Nothing about the crime itself... But I could tell you the reason I think that I'm being court-martialed and not tried in a civilian court..."
"W-what do y-you mean?" asked Rei.
The soldier rubbed his temples. "Well, I think I might've pissed off a few of the higher-ups... pardon my french, Lady Vert," he apologized.
"How did that happen?" the goddess inquired.
"Well, when *I* first joined, I was kinda shocked to see that the soldiers didn't seem to be taking their training seriously," Adrian explained. "When I brought this up with my immediate superior, he was all, 'Oh, well, we're just NPCs, we always get annihilated anyway when a big threat shows up, while Neptune and the other goddesses save the day,'" his voice took on a disgusted, sarcastic undertone. "I mean, come on! What kind of twisted logic is that?!"
"The logic of a gamer," Vert stated simply. "Not to disagree with you, Adrian, but I do understand where he's coming from, somewhat..."
"Well I didn't!" the petty officer retorted, "and I *still* don't! We're the Leanbox ARMY, for crying out loud! We're supposed to be the first line of defense when a big threat shows up! I mean, even if they *are* too much for us, we could at least take out the mooks and minions and make your jobs as CPUs a little easier! I mean, I know, level grinding and all that, but isn't that what Quests and dungeons are for?"
"You make a fair point," Vert conceded. "But the higher-ups didn't agree?"
"The fact that I've been passed over for promotion several times should speak for itself," Adrian muttered. "Not that I mind too much, I prefer to be on the front lines anyway. Not to mention, set an example for the rest of the company to look up to... which is another reason I brought Peashy in."
"J-just a minute," Rei interrupted. "When Lady Vert and I came t-to the t-training grounds yesterday, i-it looked like there w-were q-quite a few soldiers working hard..."
"Yes, and most of those soldiers were likely from my own unit," Adrian countered. "I may not be the official head of my unit, but I'm practically the de facto second-in-command. When I tell my fellow soldiers to get off their butts and get to work, they listen. I can say with confidence that my unit is the best trained and prepared in in the entire local company... if not the whole army."
"With all due respect, Adrian, that's why I hand-picked you to escort Rei from the airport in the first place," Vert pointed out.
"And I thank you for your recognition of my efforts, milady," Adrian bowed slightly. "If only the higher-ups were as open-minded as you were... but alas, I fear they've taken my criticisms as a personal insult. So, when they heard about this incident, I'd bet they were chomping at the bit to have a chance to get me out of their hair for good..."
"Y-you seriously th-think that someone i-in the higher echelons o-of the army h-has a p-personal vendetta against you f-for wanting th-the Leanbox Army to b-be more th-than cannon fodder?" Rei stuttered out.
"That would be terribly petty, if true," sighed Vert. "Which is why we must get you cleared with all due haste..." Her mobile device then rang. "Oh, I wonder who that could be..." She pulled it out and answered. "Hello...? Oh, Detective Green! What is it? ...They're done searching the rooftops? Oh, the western rooftop, you say? I see. Very well, we shall be there momentarily." She hung up. "Well, I suppose that's our cue..." She stood up, Rei and Adrian following.
"If it's not too much trouble..." Adrian requested, "could you go and check on Peach for me later? She can't be in a very good mood right now..."
"Certainly," Vert nodded.
"J-just as long as I d-don't g-get the daylights s-scared out of m-me again..." muttered the horned lawyer...
August 16
Outside Leanbox Airport Parking Lot
Western Rooftop
The door to the roof opened, Detective Eddie Green emerging first followed by Rei and the CPU. "Here we are, ladies."
"Doesn't look like there's much up here, does it?" Vert observed.
"JAG's already been over this area with a fine-toothed comb," Eddie stated. "There probably isn't much left to find..."
"S-so we get Colonel Cutter's leftovers," sighed Rei. "M-might as well g-get to it then..."
Vert nodded in agreement. "Well, first of all... Did JAG find any shell casings in the area?"
"Not a one," the detective sighed.
"Well, that's no good... wait, what is that?" the CPU inquired, pointing to something that had been marked off near the edge of the roof. The trio walked over...
"Looks like a footprint somebody left in the sand gathered by the edge," Detective Green observed. "It must have been left recently, or else the sand would have shifted and messed it up by now."
"It looks pretty big," muttered Rei as she pulled out her mobile device to take a picture.
"Well, from eye-balling it, I'd say it's about a men's size-15 or so," muttered the detective...
(sh-click!) *Size-15 Footprint added to the Court Record.*
"So someone *was* up here recently," said Vert. "It's a start, anyway. Let's see if there are any other clues around..." With that the three split up and carefully scoured the rooftop for evidence... Vert took the left side, Eddie Green took the right, while Rei checked behind the raised part that the door opened out of...
"Hey, I found something!" the lawyer exclaimed as she bent down and picked an object up... it appeared to be a small wire brush of some sort. Though, it seemed to make Rei's nose wrinkle...
"What did you find, Rei?" asked Vert as she and Eddie ran up.
"Looks like a wire brush," observed the detective.
"Yes, but it smells kinda funny. Any ideas, Detective?" Rei handed the brush to him.
"Hmmmm..." Green carefully sniffed the brush himself. "If I had to hazard a guess... it almost smells like gunpowder."
"Gunpowder?" Vert blinked in confusion. "But why would a wire brush have gunpowder on it?"
Rei then snapped her fingers as an idea came to her. "M-maybe... the sniper used th-this brush t-to clean his g-gun after he s-shot the victim..."
"Well, holy smokes," muttered Detective Green. "So it seems there might have been a sniper after all... But why would they go to all this trouble to snipe someone like Klept O. Maniac?"
"W-well, m-maybe the thief s-stole something important t-to the sniper..." Rei theorized. "And he or she's g-got a b-bad temper..."
Vert closed her eyes as she considered this. "It still sounds like a flimsy motive... and this wire brush is only circumstantial evidence, at best..."
"Well, how 'bout I take this down to Forensics and have them test it, to make sure this really is gunpowder?" Green offered.
"OK, sure," Rei nodded, handing it over, the detective placing the business end of the brush in an evidence bag.
*Wire Brush added to the Court Record.*
"Alright, I'll go and have this processed ASAP," Green stated.
"Very good," nodded Vert. "We'll catch up with you later, Detective." The man nodded and left. After he was gone, Vert pulled out her mobile device and started composing a text message.
"W-what are y-you doing?" Rei asked curiously.
"Sending someone to shadow him," Vert replied. "He looked like he had something on his mind... almost like he wanted to tell us something..."
"W-well, maybe h-he just h-has a l-lot on h-his p-plate right n-now..." Rei postulated.
"Perhaps, but just in case..." Vert finished typing her message, clicking SEND before putting her device away. She was then engulfed in a pillar of light as she transformed into HDD. "Come along, now. It's time we went to check on Peashy..."
"O-Okay..." Rei steeled her self as she stood in front of Green Heart, the CPU wrapping her arms firmly around Rei's torso, before rising into the sky and flying off...
August 16
Apartment Complex, Third Floor
Peach's Apartment
This time, when the two knocked at the door, they got a response. "Who is it?" Peach's voice echoed from inside.
"Vert and Rei," the goddess replied.
"...Alright, come on in," Peach said after a moment's hesitation. Vert quietly opened the door, ushering Rei inside, before gently closing it behind herself. Inside, Peach was sitting on the couch, looking absolutely despondent, her 'Sergeant DeRommer' armor in a messy pile nearby. She was now dressed in a white t-shirt with a honeybee's picture on the front, baggy blue jeans, and a slightly-worn pair of gray sneakers.
"H-hello," Rei greeted. "Adrian sent us t-to ch-check up o-on you..." (What is with her breast size?! They're as big as Vert's if not more so!)
"...That's nice of him," Peach muttered.
"You poor thing," sighed Vert, "You look so miserable..."
"Yeah, well, it's not just me," the blonde sighed. "Mom was so proud of me when she learned I joined the army... I sent some of my paycheck to her every week, 'cause she could never seem to hold a job down to save her life... Now I'm discharged, and poor Mommy's gonna have to go into a homeless shelter or something..." Tears started rolling down her cheeks again...
Vert felt her heart twist at seeing this. "Oh, dear Peashy, please don't cry..." The Leanbox CPU kneeled down in front of Peach, reaching up to her face to wipe her tears away.
"Why are you callin' me Peashy?" Peach half-heartedly protested. "Only Mom and Adrian call me that, and Adrian had to earn that right..."
"Which reminds me," Rei snapped her fingers, "When Adrian first called Miss Macintosh 'Peashy' in court today, you reacted rather... strangely, Lady Vert..."
"...Ah." Vert stood back to her feet. "Yes, I suppose a little explanation is in order..." She pulled out her mobile device, tapping on a screen for a few moments, before showing it to her fellow blonde. "Does this look familiar to you, Miss Peach?"
"Uh..." Peach blinked a few times to get the tears out of her eyes... which quickly lit up in recognition. "Th... that's me! Back when I was about five years old! ...Wait, how how do you have a picture like this, Lady Vert? I lived in Planeptune back then!"
Vert just closed her eyes and smiled. "Just as I thought..." she moved her finger over the screen to move it to the next picture. "Well, then, what do you make of this picture?"
By this time, Rei had sat down on the couch next to Peach to get a look for herself. "I-isn't th-that you hugging little P-Peashy?"
"But that's impossible!" cried Peach, her eyes shrunk to white circles. "I... I only met you for the first time just yesterday! ...And why is your outfit different?"
"That's simple," Vert stated. "This actually is a picture of you and me... from another dimension!"
"W-what?!" gasped Rei.
"Huh...?" Peach looked completely lost.
The busty goddess heaved a sigh of disappointment. "I guess that *would* be a bit too much for you to process..."
"HOLD IT!" said the lawyer. "Are you saying these two in the picture come from the same dimension that the other me did?!"
"Another excellent deduction, Rei Ryghts," Vert nodded in satisfaction.
"O-other you?!" Peach grabbed her head. "Please, stop... I'm starting to get a headache..."
"...Well, let me put it this way," Vert began. "Imagine that there is an alternate universe, with an alternate Gamindustri... One where many things are similar, but some things are also quite different. One where there exist alternate versions of all four goddesses, and maybe some other people as well."
"Alternate... universe?" Peach blinked a few times. "So... this picture you've got of me and you... is from this alternate universe?"
"Exactly," Vert nodded. "This other me... while she has the exact same face, and a similar personality, she not only dresses different, but she is also a bit more cocky, and... slightly less mature. Of course, the fact that she only recently became a CPU might play into that, somewhat..."
"Became a CPU?" Peach scratched her head. "But Mom told me that you CPUs were born that way..."
"In *this* universe, yes," Vert agreed. "However, in that other universe, you need to acquire a certain item in order to become a CPU. And not everyone is compatible with said item, either. My counterpart was fortunate. After all, if you're not compatible, you instead turn into a disgusting monster! Or so I've heard, anyway."
"Eeeewww," Peach shuddered in disgust.
"But I digress. The reason you're only five years old in that alternate universe," Vert explained, "is because you ended up becoming a CPU yourself, so your aging was halted at that point." She then smiled. "Not that I mind that too much, because you're just so *adorable* as a child... But seeing you all grown up, you're still somewhat cute in a way, too. Probably why Adrian fell for you..."
Peach only chuckled. "I guess that explains it... but about Adrian... Y'know, when I first met him, I'd just clobbered one of his drunk comrades who hit on me, and I figured he was just the same. But not only was he sober, he put me flat on my back. That had *never* happened to me before. I got mad, and rushed him again and again... but it always ended the same, with me on the ground and him standing over me." She chuckled again. "I honestly started crying at that point, yelling stuff like 'why can't I punch your lights out like the others?!' And he just calmly stated that my fighting style was like a thug's- my swing was too wide, and I left myself way too open. Then he made a strange offer..."
("Excuse me, ma'am, but would you like to learn how to beat me?")
("W...what?")
("I promise I'm not joking. I can tell you have potential...")
("...dang straight I wanna learn how to beat you!")
"So that's really how it started... Adrian was more of a combat instructor for me, at first. The romance stuff came later," Peach explained. "Of course, the fact that he was always a perfect gentleman to me, compared to most adult men I'd met, might've had something to do with it..."
"Wow..." Rei sighed. "You got lucky, finding such a good man for yourself..." (I'm kind of jealous, actually...)
"Indeed," Vert nodded, "which is why I promise Rei and I will do all in our power to clear him of this wrongful accusation."
"So... you're gonna try finding that sniper?" Peach asked.
"O-of course we will!" Rei affirmed. "Oh, before I forget... here's your trinket back..."
*Peach's Trinket returned to its proper owner.*
"Thanks, Rei... still can't believe I dropped this so easily..." Peach muttered, before suddenly spotting a flash of orange behind the couch's arm. "BEHIND YOU REI-!"
"AAIIEEEEE!" Rei screamed as she literally jumped into Vert's arms, the goddess wobbling dangerously off-balance from the sudden weight. Meanwhile, Peach had lunged forward, managing to grab the intruder by the shirt, before lifting her off the ground...
"Who are you and what are you doing in my apartment?!" Peach growled at the woman, who had short orange hair and matching eyes with musical notes for pupils, along with a bust larger than even Vert's.
"Aaauggh! Sorry, sorry, sorry! I wasn't trying to scare anyone, I swear!" the redhead squeaked in fear.
"Oh, for... Peach, put her down, please," Vert ordered, having somehow managed to recover her balance. "And Rei, you are heavier than you look..."
"S-sorry!" grunted the lawyer as Vert set her back on her feet. Rei then marched over to the orange-haired intruder. "You ever hear of *knocking*, maggot?!" (And seriously, is Leanbox the land of busty girls or something?!)
"I have to agree, MarvelousAQL," Vert sighed, "You really should have knocked..."
"I-it goes against my ninja training!" the busty redhead protested, taking a step back. "I really didn't mean to scare anyone here!"
"Well you failed, miserably!" growled Peach as she cracked her knuckles. "You do that again, and I'll uppercut you to the stars, got it?!"
"OK, OK..." Marvy agreed, waving her arms in fear.
The Leanbox CPU then cleared her throat loudly. "Well, then, now that that's settled... what do you have to report?"
"Huh? ...Oh right!" MarvelousAQL exclaimed. "Yeah, I followed that detective like you asked, and sure enough, there's something related to the case you're investigating!"
"There is?!" gasped Rei.
"Yep! Turns out, some guy at the airport got arrested for having a sniper rifle in his possession!" The redhead reported. "They kept it quiet, 'cause they didn't wanna cause a panic, especially after that thief got killed by a petty officer..."
"OBJECTION!" yelled Peach. "Adrian didn't kill anyone! It was the sniper that killed the thief! Rei Ryghts proved that in court today!"
"Peashy, please, calm yourself," Vert gently instructed. "Anything else, Marvy?"
"Well, just as I was leaving to make my report to you, Lady Vert, I saw some military guy from JAG show up," the ninja answered. "I wonder if the prosecutor for that petty officer's case caught wind of this, too..."
"I-if that the c-case, w-we should g-get there r-right away!" Rei exclaimed urgently.
"Yes, you're right," Vert nodded. "Thank you, Marvy. I'll call you again if I require your services. I'm sorry Peashy, but we have to go..."
"Yeah, go, go!" Peach waved them off. "Do whatever you can to get Adrian off the hook! Hurry!"
Vert and Rei nodded before running out of the apartment. Marvy then saluted, saying, "Well, guess my cameo role in this story is done! Sayonara!" With that, she vanished in a puff of ninja smoke...
August 16
Police Department
Main Entrance
Unfortunately, by the time Rei and Green Heart touched down, they were too late. Leanbox Army personnel were already swarming the area, and the two could make out a short man with bushy, black hair being shoved into an armored car.
"I didn't do anything! I swear, that rifle ain't mine!" he vainly protested as he was shoved into the vehicle, which quickly sped off.
"Alright, soldiers!" Colonel Cutter's voice was plain as day. "Let's get this evidence hauled over to JAG!" Green Heart and Rei saw a group of soldiers carrying a black suitcase wrapped in plastic, along with a few other things, Cutter directing the traffic.
"HOLD IT! Just a minute!" declared Green Heart. "What's the meaning of this?!"
Cutter turned at hearing the voice of his goddess, promptly saluting. "Lady Green Heart! Just following proper JAG procedure for obtaining any relevant evidence and witnesses, ma'am!"
"So do *we* get a chance to look at any of it?!" questioned Rei with a slightly accusatory tone.
"You'll get yer chance, civilian... at trial tomorrow!" Cutter shot back. "Now, if you'll excuse me, Lady Green Heart, I gotta make sure Mr. Schnider's transfer to the brig at base goes smoothly!" He saluted again, before turning and walking off. "Alright, troops, we've got what we came here for! Let's move out!" With that, he climbed into a Jeep driven by a younger officer, which promptly sped off, several other military vehicles following in its wake.
(Talk about being left in the dust...) thought Rei to herself, as Green Heart's transformation reverted and Detective Eddie Green walked up, an extremely guilty look on his face.
"I'm so sorry, Lady Vert, Ms. Rights... I wanted to say something, but I was afraid of my superiors chewing me out..." He scratched the back of his head in shame. "This was my first real homicide case, and I didn't want to screw up... But it looks like I messed up worse by not saying anything..."
"Is there *any* evidence that Colonel Cutter didn't make off with?" Rei asked pointedly.
Eddie bit his lip. "Well, we've got copies of the fingerprints we managed to lift from the suitcase... dunno if that'll help, though..."
"Perhaps you could also give us an overview of this incident?" asked Vert.
"Yeah, sure..." Green nodded. "Come on in, I'll get you some coffee..."
August 16
Police Department
Criminal Affairs
A few minutes later, Detective Green, Vert and Rei were seated at a table in the interrogation room, Vert sipping at some coffee (and trying not to grimace), while Rei had a water bottle in hand. "For your fellow officers' sake, I hope this was just a bad batch of coffee..."
"Actually, it's one of the better ones," Eddie shrugged in apology. "So, anyway, about this incident... That guy you probably saw getting dragged off is a businessman by the name of Henry Schneider, from southeast Leanbox... He was here on a business trip, and he stated that his suitcase should have contained his clothes, not a sniper rifle..."
"Do you think he perhaps picked up the wrong suitcase by accident?" Vert postulated.
"Well, he said he's certain he got the right suitcase off the conveyor..." Green began, "But he left it unattended when he had to go sit on the toilet. Airline food apparently didn't agree with him..."
"T-too much i-information," Rei groaned.
The detective winced. "A-anyway, when he came back out, he admitted something didn't look right about the suitcase, but he didn't think much of it, until the metal detectors at the main entrance went off... The guards detained him, opened the suitcase, and the rest is history."
"I see..." Vert nodded in understanding.
"W-well, n-not to c-change the subject or a-anything, b-but did C-Colonel Cutter snatch the w-wire brush as well?" Rei inquired.
"No, he didn't," Green affirmed. "It technically wasn't relevant to the incident with Mr. Schneider, so..." He then snapped his fingers. "Actually, Forensics should be done testing that by now... how about we go down there together?"
"Very well then," said Vert as she stood up, Rei following suit. "Lead the way, detective..."
August 16
Police Department
Forensics Lab
Rei had seen forensic laboratories before, both on TV and in Lowee, and this one didn't seem much different, other than having a few more windows- but that was likely due to the warmer climate in Leanbox.
Detective Green led the lawyer and the CPU over to one of the scientists- a black-shadowed NPC, though his body shape showed he was wearing a lab coat, at least. "Hey, did you finish analyzing that wire brush like I asked?"
The NPC nodded. "Yes, and it was gunpowder, just as you expected." He then turned to Green's companions. "And greetings to you, Lady Vert, and..." He trailed off at seeing Rei.
"I c-come in p-peace!" the lawyer insisted as she raised her hands in a defensive gesture.
"Well, I should *hope* so, given that Lady Vert herself is escorting you," the scientist nodded.
*Wire Brush updated in Court Record.* "Is there anything else, Detective Green?"
"Actually, yeah, I was hoping we could check the fingerprint evidence from Henry Schneider's case..." Eddie affirmed.
"We think it might be related to our case," Vert added.
"OK, right this way," the NPC beckoned as he walked over to a computer monitor. Typing at the keyboard for a few seconds, he pulled up the fingerprint data. "We found two sets of prints on the suitcase, none on the rifle itself, though... One set belongs to Mr. Schneider, of course, but we haven't been able to identify the other set..."
"W-were th-they too s-smudged?" Rei asked.
"No, we just didn't find a match in the criminal database," the scientist clarified. "Just so we're clear, Mr. Schneider's prints were found only on the handle of the suitcase, while the others were found on the buckles..."
"Which would imply that Mr. Schnieder never opened the suitcase before he was caught with it," Vert deduced.
Rei then spoke up, "D-did you t-try entering th-those other prints into the m-military database?"
The NPC seemed somewhat nonplussed by this. "Well, no... why would I do that?"
"Because the defendant in our case is a petty officer in the Leanbox Army," stated Vert.
"Oh, I see..." the shadow-man nodded. "Well, I guess I could do that, then..." He typed on the keyboard again, bringing up the army's fingerprint database, before running the unidentified prints... "This might take a while, just so you know..."
"I'm sure you'll get a result soon, after all, why drag this story along for no reason?" the busty blonde goddess pointed out.
"Me thinks you've been hanging around Neptune and Nepgear too much..." Rei groaned as she face-palmed. But, sure enough, the words 'MATCH FOUND' popped on the screen not long after...
"Well, what do you know... Good call, Lady Vert," the NPC muttered as he brought up the results. "And the winner is... retired Gunnery Sergeant... Steven Hauser."
"WHAT?!" Vert and Rei gasped in shock.
"Steve Hauser? Wait, wasn't that the real estate guy we met yesterday?" Eddie Green said confusedly.
"Yes, we met him at the crime scene!" exclaimed Vert. "And he was carrying a black suitcase as well!"
"Well, how about that... Guess you've found your sniper," said the NPC as he checked Hauser's military record. "Yep, it says right here, he functioned as a sniper during his time in the army..."
"B-but that means... it was him! *He* must have been the one that shot and killed his brother!" stated Rei.
"Should I go and have him arrested?" Detective Green offered.
Vert thought about it for a moment. "Actually, no, let's not."
"Huh...?" Rei blinked in confusion. "Why not?"
"Well, the evidence we have is only circumstantial, at best," the CPU explained. "After all, Mr. Hauser's prints are only on the suitcase, not the rifle itself... It might be better to wait until tomorrow, and hit Colonel Cutter with this evidence at trial..."
Rei then snapped her fingers in comprehension. "Which means we'll end up catching Steve Hauser off-guard, and we might be able to elicit a confession out of him! And get Adrian off the hook at the same time! That's brilliant, Lady Vert!"
"Well then I suppose I'll get the fingerprint data printed off for you..." muttered the shadow-scientist as he did just that...
*Fingerprint Data added to the Court Record.*
"Thank you very much," Vert acknowledged graciously. "Well then Rei, I suppose it is time for us to retire to the Basilicom for the night..."
"O-okay," Rei nodded, before bowing to Detective Green. "Th-thank you for a-all your help, Detective."
"Good luck in court tomorrow!" Eddie said as the two ladies took their leave...
(Steve Hauser... I should have suspected him from the beginning,) the lawyer thought to herself. (After all, in a murder investigation, it's usually family you check out first. And I'm sure Steve had more than enough motive to kill his brother, a notorious thief... Just you wait, maggot! I look forward to destroying you utterly in court tomorrow!)
To be continued...