Welcome to the fifth chapter of my Ace Attorney fanfiction.

In this chapter, we learn more about what Elise was investigating.

As always, I only own Elise, Marcus Jacobson, Robert Willis and the doctor in the case Elise was investigating. The rest of the characters are owned by Capcom, Shu Takumi, A-1 Pictures and Cloverworks.

Without further ado, please enjoy chapter 5 of Turnabout Justice.

The investigation continues

January 12th 2019 12:00 PM

Los Angeles District Court

Defendant Lobby No. 2

Phew, Phoenix thought in relief, that was close. With Godot not requesting even one recess, it looked like he was determined to have Elise found guilty. "You were great in there, Nick! Did you see how shocked that guard looked when you showed everyone that he was lying?!" Maya shouted happily. Unfortunately, Elise, who had been quietly sitting on the couch in the lobby and reading again, did not share the spirit medium's enthusiasm. "Don't celebrate yet, Maya Fey. There's still a chance I could be found guilty." she said glumly.

"Aww, don't be like that, Elise. Nick's already proved that you never left the prison and the doctor's analysis will prove that you took a whack to the head. After that, all we need to do is find your dad's real killer and you'll be free in no time." Maya said optimistically.

"I wish it were that simple. There's still the issue of the weapon used to render me unconscious, the identity of Papa's murderer and the motive they had for ending his life. The truth is, over his forty-year career, Papa successfully convicted many defendants and there's a possibility that not all of them were guilty, especially when you consider that he had been a convicted criminal at the time of his death. If he had not been killed in prison, you would have had quite the wide range of suspects to choose from." Elise said depressingly.

"True but thankfully, we only need to focus on the suspects who had access not only to the warden's office but also to the panic room as well. I think I also have a potential motive too." Phoenix said, catching the attention of both Maya and Elise. "Really, Phoenix Wright? What is it?" Elise asked curiously. "I think there's a possibility that your father's death might be linked to the case you were working on. Do you know where your files are?" Phoenix asked the younger defense attorney seriously. "Yes, they're in my briefcase." Elise said, sounding a little worried as she looked up from her book.

"Do you remember the code to open it?" Phoenix asked, having a feeling in his gut that he was onto something. "Of course, I do. It's one-one-one..." Elise recited, repeating a pattern that her defense team was all too familiar with. "Let me guess, the other side is one-one-one too." Phoenix said, putting his head in his hand in disbelief.

"Why, yes it is. That's quite impressive, Phoenix Wright." Elise said in surprise. "Well, I've always been good at solving puzzles. Was this code your idea?" Phoenix asked, already guessing the answer. "Oh no, it was Papa's. He always wanted all of us to be number one just like him." Elise said proudly. Of course he did, Phoenix thought in despair, wondering if there was any influence Manfred von Karma didn't have in his children's lives.

As Phoenix gave up trying to understand the upbringing of Elise and her siblings, Detective Gumshoe arrived, looking a little happier then he did in court. Suddenly, Phoenix and Maya heard a sharp snapping sound behind them and, before either of them could turn around to look at the source, a book flew out between them and hit Gumshoe in the face. "Ow! Hey, what the heck was that for?!" the Detective complained in annoyance, rubbing the red mark on his face where the book had hit him. "You dare to show your face after testifying against me in court today, Detective Gumshoe!" Elise shouted angrily as Phoenix walked over to Gumshoe and picked up the book at his feet.

"The detective was only doing his job, Elise. It wasn't personal." Maya said, trying to calm the young defense prodigy down. "You know, if you want help from someone in your next case, I suggest that you avoid throwing books at them every time they upset you. It won't do you any favours." Phoenix scolded as he handed the book back to Elise. "My apologies, Scruffy McTrenchcoat." Elise said politely as she calmed down. It seems Franziska's taught her sister a few things as well, Phoenix thought in exasperation.

"Ah, it's okay, kid. To be honest, I'd get angry if someone testified against me in court." Gumshoe said as he shrugged. "Good. Now that we're all getting along again, we can get back to the case. Any luck with the medical report, Detective?" Phoenix asked hopefully. "Just got a call from the hospital. They're all prepped and ready to take a look at Miss von Karma." He said, cheerfully saluting the trio in front of him.

"Perfect. That's one thing taken care of. Once that's done, I have a favour to ask you, Detective." Phoenix said, relieved that there was one weight off of his mind. "Yeah, pal, what's that?" the detective asked curiously. "I need to take a look at Elise's briefcase. I think it might have some evidence that's vital to this case." Phoenix explained, feeling sure that whatever Elise was investigating had something to do with her father's murder. "No problem, pal. Briefcase is at the station. We'll head over there once the doc's done looking at the kid." Gumshoe said happily as the four of them left the courthouse.

January 12th 2019 02:00 PM

Los Angeles Police Department

Criminal Affairs Department

Phoenix was feeling confident he was heading towards a not guilty verdict as he walked into the Criminal Affairs Department, the completed doctor's analysis safely tucked away in his own briefcase. The doctor who examined the younger defense attorney had found that there was bruising to the back of Elise's head, proving that she had been struck and rendered unconscious. That was one piece of evidence he needed. Now for the other piece.

When he and Maya approached Gumshoe's desk, they found that he had already gotten Elise's briefcase out of the evidence lockers and it was now sitting there, ready to be opened. Right, thought Phoenix, time to find out what von Karma's killer was so interested in. Entering the code Elise had given him, Phoenix opened the briefcase to find it perfectly organised with one large file in it's center.

Grabbing the file and reading through it, Phoenix felt he understood why someone would not want an attorney of any kind investigating this case. The prosecutorial misconduct case revolved around a series of murders at the Los Angeles General Hospital twenty years ago. A doctor had been found guilty of killing up to thirty patients in order to harvest their organs for transplants and he had later died in prison after being brutally stabbed. How ironic, Phoenix thought. As he continued reading, however, he began to think less so. The name of the prosecutor was Manfred von Karma.

"Wait, Elise was investigating her own father?" Maya asked in concern, having a bad feeling that they may not have secured their client's innocence after all. "Looks like the kid was trying to prove her old man guilty." Gumshoe speculated thoughtfully.

"I'm afraid you're mistaken there, Detective." Phoenix said as he looked at the information regarding Elise's client. "How do ya mean?" Gumshoe asked, a little confused. "Remember, Elise is a defense attorney, not a prosecutor. That means she was defending whoever was being accused of prosecutorial misconduct and look at the client's name." Phoenix revealed as he showed it to his two friends. "What?!" Maya and Gumshoe yelled in shocked unison as they read the name of Elise's client. "But that means...!" Maya said, looking worried. "That's right, Maya. It means Elise von Karma was defending her own father." Phoenix said as he started walking to the detention center. He needed to talk with Elise again.

January 12th 2019 02:10 PM

Detention Centre

Visitor's Room

Phoenix looked at the door on the other side of the glass as Elise was lead in by the guard. From the look on her face, Phoenix could tell that she already knew why he and Maya were there. "I assume, based on the fact that you've come to visit me, that you've read about my investigation. I can only imagine what you must be thinking." Elise said depressingly, her arms crossed and her head turned away from her visitors. "Whatever you were investigating doesn't change the fact that I believe you're innocent, Elise. I just need to know why you didn't tell us that you were looking into one of your father's old cases." Phoenix requested seriously.

"Very well, what do you need to know?" Elise said, sighing sadly as she turned to look at Phoenix and Maya. Great, thought Phoenix, now we might finally get some real answers. "Why were you investigating this case in the first place?" he asked seriously.

"Quite simply, Papa requested me. By name, as a matter of fact. No other defense attorney would volunteer, you see. With Papa's reputation as a prosecutor and the fact that he had not only committed one murder but also masterminded another. It would be too much of a risk to anyone's career if they defended someone known to do whatever it took to protect his perfect record. Therefore, I was allowed to take this case. It's all a formality, if I'm honest. He was already imprisoned for the rest of his life. There's no real way to extend that sentence." Elise explained calmly. "I see." Phoenix said. That made things a little clearer to him. If no one else was willing to take the case, the courts would have been left with very little option but to allow the attorney requested by the defendant.

"Why were you trying to prove your father innocent?" Maya asked. "I looked into the original case file, interviewed all of the witnesses involved in the case and reviewed all of the evidence. From what I've seen and what the witnesses told me, it seems that, on this occasion at least, justice was done. I truly believe that Papa had acted correctly in convicting this doctor." Elise replied, smiling a little.

"So you thought that nothing was wrong with the trial?" Phoenix inquired understandingly. "From the findings of my investigation before Papa's murder, that seems the most logical explanation. The case file also says that the defendant tried to argue that, since all of the patients were being treated in intensive care, they would have died with or without his 'help'. However, one look into the medical observations of the attending nurses showed that all of the patients that were killed were expected to make a full recovery." Elise revealed.

"You mean none of those victims were terminal?!" Phoenix asked in shock. "No, all of them would have lived if it weren't for that doctor." Elise replied solemnly. "All those people..." Maya said in saddened disbelief, unable to imagine someone who was supposed to heal would do such a thing. "He killed all those patients just to save a few lives." Phoenix said, shaking his head in disbelief.

"I'm afraid even the reason for the killings is much worse than that." Elise said. "How so?" Phoenix asked, not knowing how it could get any worse. "Papa proved that the doctor was transplanting the organs he was harvesting into many known criminals. He was paid handsomely for his medical expertise and discretion and the doctor in question only thought of the money he was being given, not of who actually needed those transplants." Elise explained darkly. "Never thought I'd say this but I'm glad that von Karma sent this guy to prison." Phoenix said, shaking his head in disbelief.

"So why was your father being put on trial? Surely, if the guy was actually guilty, that must mean he didn't need to do anything to get him convicted, right?" Maya asked in confusion. "You would think that but the family of the defendant insisted that Papa had rigged the witness testimonies and presented false evidence to win this case. They clearly thought that the doctor was innocent. Because of Papa, no other lawyer was willing to take the case and Papa refused to be defended by a court-appointed attorney. 'Only if Elise defends me.' I was told that was the one condition he had." Elise explained.

"Given the nature of the case and your dad's reputation, it's little wonder that no one else wanted to look into it." Maya said sadly. "So that's when they accepted his request?" Phoenix asked curiously. "Yes. Without another option, Papa's request to have me provide his defense in court was granted. I assure both of you though, my investigation had nothing to do with proving Papa was innocent in this particular case." Elise said bitterly, turning her head away again.

Phoenix was a little surprised by the girl's sudden change in attitude. Clearly, they had touched a nerve. "They avoided you at first because of your father, didn't they?" he asked gently. For a moment, Elise was silent and Phoenix could see the youngest von Karma calm down slightly.

"I assume you have heard what's been said about my decision to defend others." Elise said depressingly. "The papers said you only chose this path to act as a spy for your father." Phoenix said understandingly. "You can only imagine what must have gone through people's minds when it was announced that I was going to be defending Papa. The wolf in sheep's clothing, helping to maintain her father's perfect record." Elise said, remembering all the reports on the news about how this case was proving all the theories about her career choice right.

"It must have been terrible for you to have to hear all of that." Maya said sympathetically. She remembered all too well her own mother, Misty Fey, being hounded by the press after her channeling of Gregory Edgeworth was exposed after the DL-6 Incident. Somehow, Elise's troubles with the media seemed so much worse than that, considering that she and her siblings had been in the public eye for almost their entire lives. "I think we'll talk more later, Elise. You've said enough for today." Phoenix said, getting up to leave. "Thank you, Phoenix Wright. You're most kind." Elise said, smiling a little as she left the room.

So now we know what Elise was investigating. How will it affect the case?

As stated above, I do not own any of the characters in this story except for Elise, Marcus Jacobson, Robert Willis and the doctor that Manfred von Karma got convicted.

I hope you have enjoyed this chapter and I hope to have the next chapter posted as soon as possible.