Chapter 3. To the bitter end

- Thank you, Ms. Von Karma.

- You shouldn't thank me, Ms. Fey. Either way, that ward is not safe anymore. I only hope nobody reads through our disguise.

Through the background noise I heard the trial was recovered.

- It seems, the prosecution is late again.

- Your Honor, I'm ready to wait as long as it takes.

Next moment, Williamson entered the court.

- Mr. Williamson, were you able to make the list?

- Yes, Your Honor. Wright, you owe me.

Nick nodded.

- May I have a look, Mr. Williamson?

- This was the point, wasn't it?

Nick went to the prosecution bench and began looking into the list.

- It is strange, Mr. Williamson. I don't see one person here.

- And who?

- Our previous prosecutor, Mr. Jimmy.

- Mr. Jimmy?

- You know, blue shining skirt, earphones, impudent manners. Jimmy.

- So, he called himself Jimmy? Hah!

- Yes. And what about him?

- We made this list in a hurry and I forgot to include him. But... Wright. Are you sure you saw him at Meredith's house yesterday? There were many people and no one from the task force saw him.

- It is strange, Mr. Williamson. Pearls saw him too. And... Did you ask Detective Watters?

- No, I didn't, Detective Watters was too busy today. I take it this is your doing?

- Hmmm, yes. I thought Mr. Jimmy came to examine the crime scene. Why didn't anyone see him?

- Wright, he has no right to examine this crime scene. Maybe he came just to talk with you or with Ms. Pearl Fey?

I saw how Pearl shrunk.

- Maybe. He indeed has some interest in Pearls. But something is bothering me. If he just wished to talk with Pearls, then why did he go not from the side of the entrance, but from the side of the house?

- Maybe he just thought you were in the house. Or you are just confusing directions.

- If he thought we were in the house, then why no one from the task force noticed him? What about confusing directions... Pearl, can you answer me? Do you remember which side Mr. Jimmy came from?

- S-sorry, M-mr. N-nick. I was in my thoughts and didn't notice.

Something was wrong with her answer. And it seemed to me, Nick noticed it too.

- I don't think we should guess. Why don't we ask our previous prosecutor to fulfill us with details? - Nick turned around and went to his bench.

- Wright, you can't deceive me. You want to accuse him like you have accused Detective Watters before! It will not happen!

- You got me here, Mr. Williamson. I think he is indeed my little hunch. This is the second Rivalres' crime followed by his appearance in an area he shouldn't have been.

- You got the wrong person, Wright. I know him personally. He is impudent, but he is definitely not a criminal. And what about the Rivalres, he has a thing for them. No way can he work for them.

- Maybe. I think we will know all these things soon. You know my stake, Obadaiah. All in.

Williamson heavily glared at Nick.

- Mr. Wright, - the judge was confused, - do I correctly understand you are going to accuse Mr. Jimmy in a murder attempt?

- Not yet, Your Honor. I just want some answers from him.

- Mr. Williamson. As far as I know, Mr. Jimmy has no connection to this crime. What is your opinion about Mr. Wright request?

Willamson waved his hand:

- Let him do what he wants.

- So be it. The court demands our previous prosecutor come to the witness stand. I declare a recess for 30 minutes. The court is adjourned.

The ad block started again.

- What the jerk! - Detective Watters swore ahead of me. - He is not enough with me accused of murder, he wants more, - he turned to me. - Sorry, Maya, I know he is your superior, but this time there is no you at the defense bench to stop him.

- Detective Watters. I... Let's just see what Nick will do. Maybe this time he will not jump to conclusions.

- Oh, no! I am not going to just wait and see. I will go to the court and make him...

- Detective Watters! - Franziska shouted. - You have an order. Follow it!

- Yes-yes, - Detective Watters calmed down.

Then I remembered.

- Ms. Von Karma, - I was embarrassed. - I haven't thanked you for my rescue yet. I owe you my life. Again.

- If you want to thank somebody for that, thank Ms. Wright. She did her job well. Phoenix Wright entrusted your guard to us, but I failed you, - she said bitterly. - It is blind luck that you are alive.

- I'm so glad Trucy is fine. I had no idea she was hiding under my bed.

There was an awkward pause. That time I changed my mind about Franziska. She was not cold and heartless. She just hid her heart behind her composure and determination. It was strange: she was younger than me, but in comparison with her, I seemed a little silly girl. I started to think: could I ever reach this gap to become a decent person like her?

I turned to her and smiled. Then I slapped my cheeks with my palms and tried to concentrate. The rest of the recess we spent in silence. If you can name "silence" this strange mix of TV ad and background sounds.

- ...And now Iris Hazakurain's trial is recovered, - the judge turned to the prosecution bench. - Mr. Williamson, were you able to prepare a witness?

- Yes, Your Honor.

- Guys, you are the best, - said "Mr. Jimmy", while he was walking to the witness stand. - I haven't been here for two hours and you already missed me? - He said with a smile.

- Witness, state your name and occupation, - Williamson requested.

- Steven Jameson, a detective.

- Detective? - The judge was surprised. - I thought you were a prosecutor.

- A former detective, - Williamson corrected him.

- Oby! Why so mean?! Yes, my methods are not in harmony with some big shots from the precinct, but I'm still working on some cases. So, why am I here? Do you need my outstanding abilities? - He said with a fair amount of sarcasm. - Oh, don't tell me, our Mr. Wright wants to do to me the same thing that he did to Mark.

- You guessed right, - Williamson answered with a sarcastic smile.

Jimmy-Steven turned to Nick:

- Wright, I thought we were on the same side, didn't we? I thought you already figured this case out.

- Not yet, - Nick answered. - Mr. Jameson, I want to ask you to testify about your actions yesterday in the house of Meredith Fey.

- Wright, why such an angry look? - He tried to laugh it off, but it didn't work. - Ok, I will testify, - and he turned back. - As I said, I have a few cases. One of them about this kid's kidnapping, - he pointed to Pearls. - On the day when she appeared in Kurain village, I was busy and couldn't meet her, so I did it another day. I was disappointed she refused to speak yesterday, but today in court I got the necessary information.

The judge nodded:

- Mr. Wright, proceed with cross-examination.

- Mr. Jameson, you said you went to Kurain village to meet with Pearls, right? But how did you know she was there?

- And where could she be? Either in Kurain village or in the hospital. And I guessed that she was with you, just like last time, and you definitely should have been at Meredith's house at that time.

- Did you check the hospital first?

- No.

- Why? Isn't it much closer to the precinct than Kurain village?

- Wright. My methods may seem strange to some, but they always give results.

- Why did she refuse to answer you?

Pearls became much more pale.

- Why don't you ask her? And you know, you were here in the courtroom today. You know the answer, Wright. Why are these meaningless questions?

- I have my own methods too.

- Oh, Oby once told me about your methods. To stall the court, to badger the witnesses, to accuse the innocents.

Wright became pale too.

- But I didn't believe Oby told me, - Steven-Jimmy smiled. - And today I saw he was completely wrong.

- Hmmm, nevermind, - Nick waved his hand. - I want you to tell me more about the moment we met yesterday.

- Nothing unusual. Crime scene, I saw you two there, I talked to you, I left.

- Crime scene? Why were you there?

- I thought you two were there, so I went to ask somebody.

- Objection! So you went to ask somebody? It is impossible. There was an entire task force at the crime scene and no one saw you.

- Oh, maybe I was wrong. I don't remember talking with anybody except you two anyway.

- I definitely remember how you came to us from the side of the house. And no one from the task force saw you. I have the solution to this riddle, Mr. Jameson. You were on the west side of the house!

- Can we trust your memories? You are the defense attorney, you have the reasons to lie, - he smiled. - Oh, relax, Wright, I don't want to overcomplicate this. Yes, I admit, I was on the west side. As I heard, Oby wasn't pushy enough for this granny to let him examine this part of the house. And I have my ways.

- So you say you sneaked to the west side of the house to investigate?

- Yes.

- Why didn't you mention it before?

Steven-Jimmy grimaced:

- As Oby said, I am not buddy-buddy with bigshots in the precinct. I had no official permission to investigate this scene. So I didn't want to mention it.

The judge nodded:

- The wish of Mr. Jameson is understandable.

- Mr. Jameson, - Nick started, - as far as you've investigated this part of the house, can you tell us what you found? As an official statement, if that doesn't bother you.

Steven-Jimmy grimaced again:

- There is nothing to tell. I searched all over the west wing and found nothing. There was nobody in this part of the house, but the granny and her Rivalres butler appeared several times. I had to hide and they did not notice me. I was surprised how many things you and Mark were able to find after my leave.

Williamson had his hunting gaze again:

- So, Wright, you were absolutely right to call Steven here. I thank you. His testimony was crucial and proves there wasn't any ninth person in the west wing. So, it leaves us with our old version: the only person who could have committed the crime is Ms. Pearl Fey! After all, there are her fingerprints on the entrance to the central passage.

- Your Honor, I still have a right to do a cross-examination.

- Mr. Wright, aren't you trying to stall the court? - The judge asked.

- Your Honor, Mr. Williamson has just told us this testimony was crucial. I need to cross-examine it.

The judge nodded:

- Then proceed.

- Mr. Jameson, how did you manage to sneak into and from the west wing?

- I didn't want to disclose my ways: I will need them after this trial, - he smiled. - But I can tell you how I left. I saw you two come out from the side of the entrance, and I came up to you. It shouldn't have raised suspicions. Moreover, I still had questions for Miss Fey. Then I just left the same way you entered.

- How much time were you in the west wing? Could you miss some person there?

- He could hide from me like I from Ms. Meredith, but I was there for about several hours. It is impossible that I didn't find anyone if he was there.

- Did you know about a central passage this time?

- No, I only found out about it in the evening in the precinct, when Mark told us.

- You were several hours there and you still haven't found a central passage? It is hard to believe.

- Wright, you forgot about one detail. I've never been to the east wing. I haven't seen a bullet hole so I couldn't notice the contradiction you and Mark have found.

- Mr. Jameson. When we were talking yesterday, I had a strange feeling. And now I can explain it. You mentioned that Ms. Porter tried to interrogate Ms. Pearl Fey, but she failed. How did you know this fact?

- I don't remember. Maybe you or Ms. Fey told me that. Yes, I've just recalled. You two told me this fact. Wright, don't you remember?

- Hah. I have another opinion about it. You overheard it!

- Wright. I couldn't overhear it. On the day of the crime, I wasn't at Meredith's house. So... Wright. I haven't convinced you. You want to accuse me. It has no sense. If you just wanted to end this trial, you had plenty of possibilities. Don't you really think I am a real criminal?

- Mr. Jameson. Do you have an alibi on the day of the crime?

- Objection! - Williamson shouted. - Mr. Jameson has no relation to this case. Even if he has no alibi at the time of the crime, it changes nothing. He has no relation to this case and he was in another town about an hour away from Kurain village. Wright, you showed us your true colors.

- Objection! I didn't ask for his alibi at the time of the crime. I asked him about his alibi on the DAY of the crime. You know, people tend to go to the grocery store. To their place of work. To their friends. To cafes and restaurants. Mr. Jameson, you must have been seen somewhere on the day of the crime, and you can smash all my conjectures to the ground. Can't you?

- Even paying attention to his absolute discourtesy and his violation of all court rules, Mr. Wright's words make sense, - the judge nodded. - Mr. Jameson, you can simply name any place in our city, and any witness will easily confirm your alibi.

- I... can't. It is private information. I don't have to divulge it.

- Maybe he just merely worked underc..., - started Williamson.

- Objection! - shouted Steven-Jimmy. - If I don't want to divulge this information, then there's a reason for it, Oby. I don't want you mentioning it either. What about you, Wright, - he turned to Nick, - I can smash all your conjectures to the ground and without my alibis. You're suggesting that I shot Ms. Maya from the central passage, then went to the west wing until Ms. Meredith Fey cleaned up all the evidence, then went again to the central passage to overhear your talk with Ms. Porter, then again in the west wing, hiding from Ms. Meredith Fey and this Rivalres killer whole day, spending the night in fear of being discovered and wishing for the opportunity to leave this house unnoticed?! - It was kind of a speech. - It is preposterous! Oby, maybe you're getting too old and should think about taking a break and retiring? Even a kid can notice a huge contradiction here.

- What? - burst out from Nick.

- Ha? Are you so wrapped up in your delusions that you don't even notice it either? As Obadiah already mentioned, you've checked all the ins and outs of the central packages for fingerprints. Are my fingerprints on the list?

- You could be wearing gloves!

- Gloves? Then what do you say about our murder weapon?! I personally checked the forensics report yesterday! There were fingerprints on this derringer, and they were hastily wiped off! If I was wearing gloves, why would I take them off, knowing I didn't have time to wipe them myself? Wake up from your delusions, Wright! There was no ninth person in Meredith's house that morning.

And there was silence.

- Ms. Fey, we've arrived, - Franziska said. - We should hurry, but don't disturb your disguise. Detective Watters, take care of Ms. Fey.

- Yes-yes, - he opened the door and pointed to another seat. - Sit here please, Maya.

I was in kind of shock. Nick clutched his head in despair. Steven-Jimmy grinned broadly:

- Guys, sorry to upset you, but I should leave you. I have unfinished business today.

- HOLD IT! - I heard the shout of Pearls. - I... I have a confession.

Steven-Jimmy laughed.

- I've been waiting for this confession, guys, since I realised that this sweet old lady had nothing to do with this shot. But I really should go now. See you...

- YOU! - Pearls growled. The little downtrodden girl was no more. - You shall not go anywhere!

Nick raised his head.

- Ms. Pearl Fey, If you want to...

- I understood, - she interrupted him and nodded. - No more blatant lies anymore.

- Steven, - Williamson looked strange. - Why don't you free this witness stand for our little criminal and listen to her confession with us? Your business can wait.

Pearls stood at the witness stand. I was horrified by what I might hear now.

- I was with Rivalres family when they heard about the Master's interview. They threatened me to kill Mystic Maya myself. I went to the reunion just to warn her about their plan, but I failed. When shooting started, I ran into the secret passage in panic. There I met one man. He forced me to shoot Mystic Maya.

'No... It is just a nightmare and I should awake from it. Wake up, Maya. Wake up!'

- That was really a confession, - the judge said.

- I demand my right to cross-exmination, Your Honor, - Nick interrupted him.

- So, you are doing well. Please, proceed.

I saw Nick' and Pearls' gazes crossed. Both were full of fire and determination.

- Ms. Pearl, I must ask. All these five years you have been with the Rivalres family. Am I right?

- With a few exceptions, yes.

- You said they threatened you. I must hear more about it.

- They said they would kill my entire family if I didn't kill the Master of Kurain. At first, I declined their demand.

- You tried to kill yourself, right?

'WHAT? PEARL!'

- Yes. When the doctor saved my life I was sure I'd got rid of my bond with the Rivalres family. I was wrong. Stupid naive girl! They found me again. And this time I had to accept their offer.

- But you said you were pretending. Why did you tell Maya and me nothing?

- Because I was so stupid! You were there, Mr. Nick. I thought I was the only killer. I just didn't want to interrupt this happy Maya mood. I saw you wished to ask me about my kidnapping, but you remained silent too.

I hated myself. Pearls was about to start crying again, but she slapped her cheeks with her palms and concentrated.

- Can you identify these guys from the Rivalres family?

- Yes. I remember them like it was yesterday. Except for one guy. They called him Francisco Mendirez. He was wearing a mask and with a device that changed his voice.

- Good, - Nick fell silent a bit. - I ask you again, Ms. Pearl Fey. Why didn't you follow us?

- I was afraid they had figured out my plan and Mystic Maya was not their only target. And I was too ashamed to see Maya's face. And... I was just scared. For my life. Horrified. I couldn't think: I just ran into the safest place I knew.

- And then?

- I saw a man there. It was pretty dark in there, so I didn't remember his face. And, as I understand now, he changed his voice slightly. He held a pistol in his hand. A derringer, which was aimed at me. He slowly came to me. He whispered "You know your goal. If you don't do it, I will kill Morgan Fey tomorrow". I was in shock and I couldn't move. He grabbed me from behind, put the derringer in my hands. I wanted to shoot myself, but he held me tight. I didn't see any way out. I was absolutely horrified. I couldn't see you or Mystic Maya, but I could hear you two. I aimed at the Mystic Maya, closed my eyes and pulled the trigger... - Pearls fell silent.

- And what happened then?

- I saw the Mystic Maya fall. I heard your scream. I heard the man say "Good girl". He took away the pistol from me. And went to the west wing. I exited through the courtyard. I went to the east entry as if nothing had happened. The other part of the story you know better than me.

I was crying. Loud, desperately. I could do nothing with myself.

- Pearls. Can you identify this man?

- As I said, I didn't remember his face. But his voice. Now I recognize his voice, but it took me a while. It is Steven Jameson. I am sure.

- Order! Order! - the judge struck his desk with a gavel a few times. - Mr. Jameson. Do you have anything to say?

- Do I have anything to say, Your Honor? - This monster roared. - Do I have anything to say? I HAVE. Of course, this kid is just trying to shift the blame onto someone else. There is nothing surprising here. But what is much more important. I can't work undercover with Rivalres anymore! This court is public! They will check the court records and will see my face. It is all your blame, Wright! And your blame, Obadaiah! You should have stopped him when he tried to blame me without any reason! This kid just saw the opportunity which was granted by this fraud! I almost nailed this whole gang and it was all in vain!

Suddenly Pearls' eyes widened.

- It is you! You are Francisco Mendirez! I saw you that time!

- Pearls, - Nick interrupted her. - How do you know? You said he was wearing a mask and his voice was changed.

- Yes, but his arms! And body build! And his height! It is him!

- DID YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU HAVE DONE?! - I haven't seen such a furious man in a long time. - This gang is not our little legal system! They don't need your precious proof! I can't go undercover with Rivalres anymore! As Francisco Mendirez! All this was in vain!

And there was noise.

- Order! Order! Order! - the judge kept striking his desk with his gavel, but it had no effect. - I should postpone the trial to the later date! - The judge tried to shout over the gallery.

- OBJECTION! - Nick yelled from all his lungs and started coughing. The gallery started to calm down. - Your Honor, - started Nick in a hoarse voice, - you can't postpone this trial. We should continue. To the bitter end.

- Objection sustained, - the judge turned to this monster. - Are you really Francisco Mendirez?

- Of course, not! I worked undercover and saw the opportunity. His body build and growth are similar to mine. I bought the same mask as Frankie and set up the voice changer the same way. I've only been to a few meetings under this guise, trying to investigate this girl's kidnapping. I heard about this suicide attempt and was sure Ms. Pearl wouldn't do any harm to Ms. Maya. I just tried to warn Ms. Maya, but I was late. But it turned out that I was wrong. Frankie knew there was a doppelganger, but he couldn't do anything without revealing his real identity. One month more - and this whole gang would have been defeated. Vanished. And now my cover has been destroyed by a little kid. You always ruin my life, Ms. Pearl! You saw me yesterday for the first time, but you destroyed my life several times. And now you did it again. I hate you.

- Mr. Jameson, - Nick started, - so you are claiming you weren't in the central passage.

- Oh, god, I told you this several times. There were eight people in Meredith's house at that time, period.

- And what did you order as Francisco Mendirez?

- Nothing. I was just watching. All orders were given by the real Frankie.

- So, the real Francisco Mendirez demanded to kill Maya from Ms. Meredith, not you?

- Of course!

- And if we ask Ms. Meredith to compare you to Mr. Mendirez, what will she answer?

- She has already told us she would do anything to save her granddaughters. If she was told that this would save Ms. Pearl, she would lie without any doubt.

- Ms. Meredith is currently in the detention center and has no idea what is going on here.

- Then you can try, Wright. But it's up to Oby to do it, not you.

- Mr. Wright, are you suggesting making a police line-up?

- Not yet, Your Honor. I see one obstacle here. The secret of Meredith Fey. She would remain silent to keep her secret safe. Or rather, her family's secret. But it so happened that I know this secret. Quite a dark secret indeed. Another bunch of lies and conspiracies which we should leave behind. Ladies and gentlemen, listen carefully. When Ms. Meredith was young, she became the Master of Kurain. But not all members of her family agreed with this fact. And then she enlisted the services of one of her partners. The Rivalres Family. They convinced other members. You know, they have some methods. But this is not the end of the story. Seeing the power of this approach, she formed an alliance with them. Throughout her reign, until she handed power over to her daughter, Ms. Misty Fey, she supported this alliance. All these splendid manors of Fey Clan, all these connections with the government and authorities were not only the result of the whole village's hard work, but the result of cooperation with the mafia clan!

The gallery has burst.

- Order! Order! Order!

Through the calming gallery I heard HIS laughter.

- Hah-hah-hah. Oh, Wright, you really are something. It would be a fearsome weapon against the Rivalres Family if you calmly went to the police station with these papers. But you managed to turn this weapon against your own friend's Clan. And now it is a puff, because the Rivalres Family will clean up all the tails soon. Are you sure you're working for a member of the Fey Clan and not the Rivalres?

Nick turned to the judge:

- Six murders, five murder attempts, three kidnappings, one grand theft and one theft on a smaller scale. All of these court cases over the past sixteen years have involved members of the same small family.

- Mr. Wright, - the judge started, - I am little bit confused. You are talking about the Rivalres Family, right?

- No, Your Honor, but it was easy to make a mistake. I am talking about another family. The Fey Family. This family is rotten to the core. And now I want to uproot this tree.

- You have nothing, Wright. You just smeared your friend's family in mud, nothing more, - HE smiled.

I took off my disguise and the doors were open.

- You are wrong, - I shouted, and Detective Watters wheeled me into the courtroom. In a wheelchair, in a hospital robe, with uncombed hair, an unwashed, tear-stained face and a bruise on my forehead, I was quite a sight to see. - Your Honor, I have a statement to make.

And Detective Watters wheeled me to the witness stand.

- MYSTIC MAYA! - Pearls was happy the first time in this trial.

- Are you alive?! - HE was shocked.

- Surprised? - I smiled and returned him my look.

- Mr. Jameson wasn't here when I said you were conscious, - told me Williamson.

I was thinking of saying something snarky like "who is Mr. Jameson" but turned my attention to Pearls. I tried to hug her, but she pulled away from me like from fire. This hurt me a lot.

Nick was glad to see me, but we hadn't time to celebrate:

- The defense has no objection to this witness's wish.

Williamson nodded:

- As the prosecution.

The judge nodded:

- Then proceed.

I stood up, leaning on the witness stand. Franziska stood to my right and Detective Watters to my left.

- Witness, your name and occupation.

- My name is Maya Fey. I am the Master of Kurain and the head of the Fey Clan.

- What do you want to testify about? Did you see anything important when you were shot?

- No, unfortunately, I have nothing new to tell you about this moment. I have something to add to Mr. Wright's accusations against my family.

I saw how Nick got a blow. 'Don't panic, Nick.'

- So, proceed with your statement.

- Six murders, SIX murder attempts, three kidnappings, one grand theft and one theft on a smaller scale. It is kind of a story, you know. So. When I became the Master, grandma showed me some interesting papers. She said my mother was a fool to abandon our family. She said that I must keep this bond so that the Fey Clan can prosper. I don't have these papers with me. But I remember their content. All the names, dates, events, sums.

- You? Remembered? - Nick was shocked.

- Don't make a fool out of me, Nick. Maybe I am a bit clumsy, but I studied as a monk. I studied all this ton of prays and spells. I was not the most diligent student, but I became the Master of Kurain. Some sheets of paper are nothing compared to my studies. And I want to reveal all this content to the police as soon as I can.

- Your Honor, - Nick addressed the judge. - There are no more obstacles to this line-up. Ms. Meredith Fey has had many conversations with Francisco Mendirez. He convinced her to betray her ideals. She will definitely recognize him if she really tries. We can ask Mr. Williamson to handle all proceedings without leaking information.

- It is not necessary, Your Honor. I have no reason to keep silence anymore.

And HE stood at the witness stand instead of me.

- I have ruled the Rivalres family since Michael's death, and it was me in the central passage at that time. I want to tell the whole story if I may.

And he started:

- Five years ago I worked as a detective under the Obadaiah. We had a tricky case concerning a girl's kidnapping. Yes, it was the MN-6 case. Obadaiah was sure the only witness, Phoenix Wright, was a criminal. I had other thoughts. I could dig out some big information about the Rivalres Family. When the court started, I provided all this information. What a circus it was! Bought witnesses, forged evidence. In an attempt to send the guilty party to jail, I pursued too much. The case was lost. And I was fired from my job. Then I realized that there was nothing I could do about them with legal methods.

I disappeared from the city for half a year. I had to let their guard down. And then I started to work undercover. I dug up a lot of information about the whole Family at that time. And I noticed this Frankie guy. He didn't understand his disguise was not strength, but weakness. But I couldn't do anything with all this information. By the legal methods, at least. There was a plan in my head. I need a killer to get rid of this masked guy - so I would be able to take his place. I started looking for someone who was full of hatred for the Rivalres family. I had many candidates, if you want to know. But this Black guy. He was already planning to be a vigilante. I have just merely adjusted his thoughts and leaked some crucial information about the Family. And so Sir Gallante began his harvest.

The first target was Frankie. I should have tested Sir Gallante's abilities and started to gather information. Black killed Frankie and I replaced him. Black knew nothing about this part of my plan. I've just said to Black that Frankie could survive after his wound. So in the next hunts, Black dealt more grave damage. The plan went like clockwork. Some fan of Gallante started hunting Cadaverini. Kitaki hurried out the business. Frightened scum, left on their own, took to the streets of the city. It was a whole civil war, maybe you remember that. Of course, there were victims. They need to be sacrificed to purge the city from the mafia. But Mikie was in this chaos, like a shark in the water. He managed to hold the power in his hands. It bothered me. But then Sir Gallante cut these hands. Figuratively speaking, of course.

And so I became the new head of the Rivalres Clan. But, of course, that made me Black's next target. He wanted to finish his old job with Frankie. And then our brave attorney nailed Sir Gallante. You spared me a lot of headaches, Wright. And I started to destroy the Family from inside. I should break all bonds. But that kid, Hackins, managed to hack some of my correspondence. If this correspondence managed to get into the right hands, my whole disguise would be blown up. At first, I wanted to negotiate with Hackins to hold his for a few months. But then I remembered how he betrayed Sir Gallante. I shouldn't have taken risk and I didn't want to trust anybody. So I killed him.

Togamera took the blame. I couldn't ever dream about it. Togamera was my huge obstacle to reaching the target. What's more, Williamson once told me that he suspected Togamera of these forgeries five years ago. And this way I killed two birds by one stone. But I haven't time to celebrate. I heard that the new Master of Kurain, who refused to cooperate with Rivalres, is going to make a big statement. If the information about their little cooperation was leaked, the whole family would get scared and lie low. So I should stop this interview. I ordered one of the family killers to get rid of the new Master. And then I accidentally saw how some Rivalres were sending this girl, Pearl Fey, as an assassin. I didn't think it made sense, but I decided the chaos would be my ally. I had to go to the reunion event and control everything that happened there. It seems I succeeded in the decay of the Rivalres family. Both murderers managed to keep their target alive. But I got a perfect opportunity to get rid of Meredith Fey and of another one Rivalres henchmen at the same time.

I only needed one more month and I would get rid of all the mafia in my city. There was only one obstacle. The Master of Kurain was alive and conscious. I sent another killer to get her life. But now this killer is caught and I am caught too.

Of course, I will report all the information I have to the police. The rest of the Rivalres will definitely lie low, but maybe at least some of them will be caught. If I had one more month, I would pin all of them. Every single person. But it's too late because of your efforts. Celebrate while you can, - he finished his confession.

All in the courtroom were shocked. I couldn't understand. He was definitely a monster, but he was indeed a poor man with mental problems. I hated him for many things, but I felt some pity. He could become an outstanding good man, but he had chosen his devilish way and thought he was right.

- Steven, - Williamson found his voice, - I am sorry I couldn't win that trial. It was my fault you have become what you have become.

- Oby, don't start it. It is simple. Sometimes you can fight fire with fire. Sometimes you can't.

- We NEVER can't, Steven. I was sure you understood it.

- So, you were wrong, Oby. I have no regrets about what I've done. Let's start my interrogation, Oby. Time is money.

- Bailiff! Escort Mr. Jameson to the detention center, - the judge ordered. And fake Francisco Mendirez left the courtroom.