At Wright & Co Law Offices…

Phoenix was slumped down on his sofa. He had his face in his right hand. He heard a rustle beside him. It was Viola. She had laid a cup of tea in front of him on the table. He knew before even picking it up that it was just the sort of tea he'd like. Black, with just the right amount of soy milk and sugar. But he couldn't keep his eyes off Viola's face. It was static her eyes were focused, her mouth was pursed, but he could see the sweat on her brow and the tremor in her body.

She sat next to him. She took a long sigh. "I assume that Napoli's chances are not looking good."

Phoenix took the cup and took a careful slip from it, giving Viola a slight smile before letting out a small sigh. "Well, the current state of affairs isn't doing him any favors. Edgeworth got him to say he broke into the restaurant, and so far the only thing saving him from jail is the coat in the back of the restaurant. And seeing as how Edgeworth is Edgeworth..." he put the cup back down. "...he'll have some kind of workaround for that."

"Perhaps it would best if we talk to Napoli again." Viola had a dainty hand to her lips. "We could hear things from his side again."

"That's as good a start as any." Phoenix managed a smile but it suddenly changed into a more genuine one. "And we can pick up some breakfast from the minimart on the way to him! I can treat!"

"Really?" Viola was blushing. "Surely I can…"

"No, no, it's alright. What would you like?"

Viola quickly looked down at her legs. For a moment, she just sat where she was, rubbing her feet together. Then she looked back up at Phoenix. "I would hate to ask too much," she began. "But perhaps a chocolate milkshake?"

"For breakfast?" Phoenix was momentarily puzzled, but then returned to smiling. "No problem."

"...Thank you so much."

At the Detention Center…

"I'm done! I'm done!" Napoli was already shrieking in the visitor's room. "That frilly boy's gotten to me! He knew I done broke into the restaurant, and know everybody else does too! I'm finished! Stick a fork in me, will youse?!"

"Mr. Salsa! Mr. Salsa!" Phoenix had his hands on the glass. "I want to talk!" Napoli did not calm down right away, but he got out of his seat and began spinning his sign. Phoenix looked back at Viola, who managed to shrug.

After a minute or so, the sufficiently focused Napoli sat back down, letting his sign hang from his hand loosely. He looked back at Phoenix and Viola. "I'll bet anythin' youse gotta question or two for me."

Phoenix cleared his throat. "First, Mr. Salsa, I need to ask...did you break into Grande Azuro on the night?" Napoli looked from Phoenix to Viola and back. Then he nodded. "Yessir, I did."

"In order to rob it?" This time it was Viola. Out of the corner of his eye, Phoenix could see her unconsciously licking the last of the chocolate off her lips.

"Of course not, Miss." Napoli laid his sign across his lap and folded his arms. "It's a mite too small of a joint to be worth robbin'. It's a smaller place, and I'd be the prime suspect. What that boy said besides, I did work at the place before the murder. Ask Ms. Pane, she'll tell you."

Phoenix nodded, making a mental note to meet Ms. Pane before the trial. "If I may ask, then," he began, "if you did break into Grande Azuro, and it wasn't to steal anything, why would you do it?"

"To answer that," Napoli scowled. "Gotta tell the whole story. You know about Formaggio?"

"The victim," said Phoenix.

"Your twin brother," said Viola.

Napoli nodded with a solemnity that Phoenix had not yet seen in him. Viola looked at him intensely. "Please show Phoenix what you have."

Napoli fished around his pocket, and pulled out a photograph before pushing it against the glass partition. Phoenix was struck by Formaggio's resemblance to his brother. Same rotund build, same toothy smile, even the same receding hairline. "That's your twin brother?"

Napoli nodded, crumpled the photograph, and threw it behind him. "We got the same looks but not much else." He had his hands on the sign again. "He liked tall girls when we were kids, I couldn't get used to one bigger'n me. He liked Coke, I liked Pepsi. I came into the services of Miss Viola's family, he turned himself into a freelancer punk, so to say."

He lowered his head slightly. "I knew what it was like to get jailed for robbery when I was younger. Small-time stuff, each charge. Wasn't too bad. But I couldn'ta grasped what'd be like to do time for murder. Fifteen straight years out of the lifer life they gave me. I had an alibi, and no motive. But that wasn't no good for old Manfred von Karma. He got a photo, sayin' it had me in the act. Of course, there was the fact that I don't have no scar on my right hand. But viola! A couple twitches on some computer, and I did, at least for that day. And wouldn't you know it, they had a witness!"

Phoenix already knew where this was going. "Your brother testified against you?"

Napoli coughed, nodded. "And he most definitely made sure to wear gloves the whole time he was talkin'. I remember him pointing that finger at me. With his right hand."

Phoenix could feel Viola shudder next to him. Napoli continued, "Not that anybody now could prove he could prove he done pulled the trigger himself, y'know. But I knew he did someone in then. And I saw him sell me down the river to save his own skin."

Napoli had his forehead pressed against the glass by this point. "So I get out on appeal. And i can't find no work anywhere, 'cept wherever will have me spinning signs. And so one of these days, the lovely Ms. Pane gives me a call, says congrats for the job I did for her before, and tells me my brother wants to see me at her joint. I couldn't think, see. I was so blinded by the rage, the disbelief, y'know. I got there fast as I could. Didn't even stop to loop around from the back and head in the front door. Just kicked the back one open."

All three of them were silent. Then Phoenix spoke. "Thank you for telling me all this, Na-Mr. Salsa. I am sorry for what has happened to you." More silence. Then Napoli coughed. "I know the question that's a-coming."

"I'm sorry, I must ask again. Did you kill Formaggio Salsa?"

"I didn't stab my brother. Apart from the door, I didn't do nothin'."

Phoenix nodded. "I understand. Thank you."

Outside the Detention Center…

"I called the limousine," Viola pocketed her phone. "He will be here within ten minutes. We are going back to Grande Azuro, correct?"

Phoenix, standing next to her and adjacent to the door nodded. "That sounds like a plan. Bur first…" Viola looked up at him. "Yes?"

Phoenix took a deep breath. It seemed like such a random time to talk about things that were not about the case, but he felt he had no choice. "I have a couple questions...well, no, two interlocking ones actually." He prepped himself. "Why are you so interested in me? And why did you bring me in on this case?"

For a moment Viola didn't say anything. Then she lowered her head. "Honestly, I...couldn't keep you out of my head since that case back then. You exposed Don Tigre, you opened my eyes, and you got that girl out of trouble."

Maggey, Phoenix thought.

"You...I want to forget everything about that case...but not you. Your earnestness, your determination...and just….you're the first person who was ever really there for me. Don Tigre was just using me….and even in the Cadaverini family, I'm just another Cadaverini."

Phoenix looked confused, as he recalled what he had been told about the Cadaverinis before. "Wait, but aren't you Don Bruto's beloved granddaughter and…" Viola shrugged hopelessly, cutting him off.

"Yes, but what do you think Grandpapa is looking out for in the end? The Cadeverini family, the name, the brand. He might have scared Don Tigre because he got me hurt, but he didn't just hurt me. He hurt a Cadaverini in the open, and that gets to Grandpapa more than anything."

Her voice cracked. "No one says 'no' to Don Bruto Cadaverini. It doesn't matter if you're outside the family or in it. Anything he says, goes. He keeps tabs, so to speak, on all of us. A child cannot so much as eat a treat without his say-so, and for something like that the answer's almost always 'no'. Why do you think I didn't see you before Napoli was arrested?" Phoenix could see she had tears forming in her eyes now.

"I asked him, but he wouldn't let me. He didn't want me dating 'some outsider.' But...when Napoli was arrested, I knew there was a way. Grandpapa's generous with those who help him and his associates. Very generous. He wasn't willing to help Napoli the first time he was charged for murder; blood is too costly for anyone on the Cadaverini payroll to want, but after he heard about the forgery I knew Grandpapa would do anything to save his man. So if you clear Napoli's name, Grandpapa'll let me stay with you. He told me so…"

Phoenix felt himself begin to wilt as Viola began to sob. "But if you lose the case...if we lose… then...then…"

Phoenix couldn't stop himself from hugging her. He took her into his arms and held her against himself. Viola suddenly stopped shuddering. Then she kissed him.

She pulled away, slammed her hands on his shoulders, propped herself on her toes, and kissed him on the lips.

For a moment, Phoenix couldn't move. Then he gave in, holding Viola around the waist and returning the kiss. They stood there, intertwined, warmed by each other.

Then Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth came through the door of the Detention Center, looking down at his shoes and muttering to himself.

"I'll get to the bottom of this if it's the last thing…" he looked up and at Phoenix and Viola.

"Excuse me?"

Sorry for the delay! Sorting out stuff at home and trying to lay for myself the direction of the story! I hope to get at least four more chapters out!