September 25 10:00 AM

District Court

Courtroom no. 7

The audience murmured as the Judge banged his gavel. "Court is now in session for the trial of Mr. Edward Hanson."

"The Defense is ready your honor." said Phoenix.

"The Prosecution is ready your honor." said Lance Trojan. He had blonde hair and thick sideburns, green eyes and wore a green business suit with a blue tie.

(Lance Trojan.) Phoenix thought. (I guess it's time to see what the Magician has up his sleeves.)

"Very well the Prosecution may make its opening statement."

"Means, Motive and Opportunity; the prosecution intends to prove that Mr. Hanson had all three of these and the combination of them will prove that he sabotaged his brother in law's car with an intent to kill and at his own niece's wedding no less."

"Very well you may call your first witness."

"The Prosecution calls the detective in charge of the investigation." Dick Gumshoe took the stand. "I'm sure everyone here is familiar with Detective Gumshoe. Detective, please describe to the court the events of the night of the 23rd of this month."

"Yes sir." said Gumshoe. "On the day in question there was a wedding between Eliza Ness, the daughter of the victim Thomas Ness, and the defense attorney Phoenix Wright. Around 11:30 PM the victim left the Paradise Found wedding chapel after the end of the ceremony and the reception in his car. Fifteen minutes later he and another vehicle sideswiped each other. The victim was going around 90 miles per hours and the other car going around 50. Shortly after that both cars collided with a concrete wall. The driver of the other car sustained heavy injuries, Detective Ness was killed."

"Very well, please testify as to the results of your investigation."

Witness Testimony: The investigation

"The day after the wedding I went to investigate the wreck. After careful examination we discovered evidence of sabotage. That evidence alone was shaky, but after investigating where the sabotage had to take place we found the decisive we needed to make an arrest."

"A textbook testimony." said Lance. "Mr. Wright you may cross-examine the witness."

"Wait I'm the one who's supposed to say that." said the Judge.

"I'm sorry your honor, I just wanted to be polite to Mr. Wright."

"Nick." said Maya. "What's with this guy? For a prosecutor he seems kind of nice."

"Maybe he's trying to lead us into a trap, but if I want to prove Mr. Hanson innocent I have to through with it."

Cross-Examination: The investigation

"What was the evidence that proved it was sabotage?"

"It was the cut hydraulic line; the cut was too clean to be caused by the collision." It appeared to be a simple rubber hose cut in the middle.

"And what was the evidence that led to Mr. Hanson's arrest?"

"The rusted knife we found in the trash can next to where Detective Ness parked. The fingerprints on the knife match the defendant's." The knife was sharp in spite of being covered in rust.

"And there you have It." said Lance with a shrug. "Proof that the Defendant sabotaged the brakes and tried to hide the evidence of his crime."

"Yes this seems to be very concrete." said the Judge.

"OBJECTION!" said Phoenix. "There is a major contradiction with the Prosecution's claim."

"Exactly what is this contradiction?" asked Lance.

"That knife could not have been used to cut the hydraulic line!"

"And I suppose you have proof of this?"

"Yes, here's my proof! This knife is covered in rust, now examine the hydraulic line."

The Judge took the line. "Wait a minute; there's no rust on the line!"

"Bravo Mr. Wright." said Lance. "It took you about half as long as I thought it would take for you figure that out."

"Wait, you mean you tried to convict the defendant with faulty evidence!"

"I was just stating the argument of the police department Your Honor; I would have noted the problem before a verdict was reached. I simply decided to use the opportunity to see the defense's abilities first hand. I apologize, both for this ruse and the police's faulty investigation."

"We do our best." said Detective Gumshoe.

"Very well, just don't let it happen again!" said the Judge.

"OBJECTION!" said Phoenix. "The prosecution's argument has been proven to be baseless!"

"OBJECTION!" said Lance. "I wouldn't pursue the case further if I didn't have more evidence to support my claims."

"More evidence?" Phoenix said sweating.

"Before I was just testing you," Lance slammed his hand on the bench. "Now we're going to play hardball! You see the hydraulic line wasn't cut by that knife but this one!" He presented a pearl handled knife.

"But that's the knife we used to cut the wedding cake!" said Phoenix.

"I ran a chemical test on this knife, traces of brake fluid were found on it as well as the fingerprints of only four people; the groom Phoenix Wright, the bride Eliza Wright, the wedding planner Sunny Dawn and the defendant Edward Hanson. The bride and groom both have an alibi that we do not need to go into detail here and the wedding planner was still at the reception, that leaves only one suspect left; The defendant, Edward Hanson!"

The audience murmured. The Judge banged his Gavel. "Order in the court! Mr. Trojan this seems very firm evidence but…"

"You want the witness to testify. Very well, it will only serve to solidify the prosecution's case."

"Very well, the court will have a 20 minute recess then we shall hear from this witness." The judge banged his gavel. "Court is now is recess!"

September 25 11:52 AM

District Court

Defense Lobby No. 3

"Lance is no pushover!" I said. "Mr. Hanson, can you tell me why you picked up the cake knife?"

"Well, Ms. Dawn dropped it while she was setting up for the reception so I picked it up and gave it back to her. In fact she gave me a kiss."

"Mr. Hanson this is serious!" said Maya. "You could go to prison or worse!"

"Sorry."

"Is there anything else you're not telling us?" I asked.

"Not that I know of."

"Since neither Eliza nor I sabotaged the brakes it either was either Sunny Dawn or somebody wearing gloves."

"But why would she kill Detective Ness?" asked Maya. "She didn't know him for that long before the wedding."

"I don't know and we can't discount the fact that someone else did and was wearing gloves to cover their tracks."

"Court is about to reconvene. We better get back."

September 25 12:11 PM

District Court

Courtroom No. 7

The judge banged his gavel again. "This court shall now reconvene. Mr. Trojan you say you have a witness to call?"

"Yes, Your Honor. One that will prove that Detective Ness met his end through sabotage; the Prosecution calls Mr. Carl Parker to the stand."

Carl came up in a wheelchair with a broken leg extended outward. As he approached the witness stand he hit his cast against the stand. "Yeeeeargh!"

Just then a gut wearing a business suit came in. "Oh that is bad, that stand is not very PC."

"Excuse me." said Phoenix. "But who are you?"

"I'm Mr. Parker's Attorney; Lyle Dewy of the Dewy, Cheetem and Howe law firm."

(Do we cheat 'em and how? Why do I get the feeling that someone's going to lose a lot of money?)

"Yep this stand is inaccessible to someone with Mr. Parker's injury, we could sue for negligence."

The Judge stammered "Are you sure you should..."

"OBJECTION!" said Lance. "Mr. Parker if you would position yourself in front of the stand then maybe we could settle this after the trial? We are here to determine if Edward Hanson killed Thomas Ness, not to debate this courtroom's accessibility."

"Ok." said Parker.

(Lance sure shut him up.) Phoenix thought.

"State your name and occupation for the court." said Lance

"Carl Parker, I deal in sporting goods."

"Now on the night question you were driving home from a convention?"

"Yes sir."

"Will you testify to the court as to what happened on your way home?"

Witness Testimony: The Drive

"It was around 11:45 and I was driving along highway 101. I heard a crunching sound and felt my car shake. I looked over to the side of my car and I saw a car had sideswiped me. He then peeled off and ran headlong into a concrete wall. I was so shocked I didn't notice that I was doing the same. I then ran into a wall myself but I survived, even though I broke almost every bone in my body."

The Judge mused for a moment. "Hmmm, very well; Mr. Wright you may begin your cross-examination."

Cross-Examination: The Drive

"About what time did you leave from the convention center?"

"It was about 5:00 PM."

"And did you stop on your drive?"

"Just near the start to pump for gas, I knew that I would be a long drive and I wanted to get home as soon as possible."

"Mr. Parker your testimony strikes me as, a little weird."

"What was weird about it?"

"Well if I was involved with an accident like that I would notice details like what type of car it was and who was driving it. You however mentioned neither of these."

"OBJECTION!" said Lance. "He did crash at the scene of Thomas Ness' death."

"OBJECTION!" said Phoenix. "That was not the point of my question. The point is that why didn't he recall these things as he was remembering the collision. Do you have an explanation Mr. Parker?"

"N-Not really." Parker looked nervous.

"I however do. Mr. Parker was driving late at night and he was driving since 5:00 PM. Mr. Parker had to have been fatigued and he was drowsy when the crash happened and that's why he couldn't recall details as he was giving his testimony."

"But I didn't fall asleep; I wasn't responsible for the collision! It was his fault!"

"Then maybe you should revise your testimony." said the Judge.

Witness Testimony: It Was His Fault

"I was going around 50 MPH and he blazed by at 90 MPH. He was the one who ran into me. And from how much he was swerving the guy was obviously drunk!"

"Oh, is that all? Then the Defense may cross-examine the witness."

"Nick, where is this going?" asked Maya.

"I think he's trying to save his settlement." said Phoenix. "But I have to get to the truth."

Cross-Examination: It Was His Fault

"You say that the victim was drunk?"

"That was the whole point of my testimony."

"But that statement directly contradicts the autopsy report! His blood alcohol level at the time of death was 0.01 the legal limit is 0.08. A blood alcohol level that low would not impair his judgment very much; if he was in danger odds are he would have been able to avoid it!"

"What!"

"Mr. Parker, given the circumstances it more likely for us to believe that the wreck was caused by your drowsiness and not the single glass of wine he had at the wedding."

"B-B-B-B-But….ALRIGHT I WAS FALLING ASLEEP, I DIDN'T MEAN TO LIE, I ONLY DID IT BECAUSE I THOUGHT THAT IT WOULD HURT MY CLAIM!"

"Oh, this doesn't look so profitable anymore." said Dewy

Lance slammed his hand on the bench. "Mr. Parker, I place my trust in my witnesses. If my witnesses lie it makes me look like a fool and I don't like looking like a fool. You will tell the court the truth in its entirety, now!"

"Good luck kid, you're on your own." said Dewy as he left.

"Alright, I'll talk."

(Don't worry.) Phoenix thought. (After this is over I'll recommend you to a lawyer who won't run out on you.)

Witness Testimony: What Really Happened

"I was starting to fall asleep at the wheel; I didn't notice the other car until it was too late. But that jolt shook me awake! I turned away but ended up hitting a wall. He just kept speeding right into the wall further away. After I saw him crash I passed out and woke up in the hospital hours later."

"I hope for your sake you are telling the truth this time Mr. Parker." said Lance. "I'd rather have a witness that tells a truth that damages my case than one that strengthens it through lying."

"Mr. Wright if you will." said the Judge.

Cross-Examination: What Really Happened

"The Victim didn't slow down, not even slightly?"

"Not at all."

"But isn't that a little odd? I would have at least gotten my foot of the gas and try to get inertia to slow down the car."

"What's your point Wright?" asked Lance.

"The victim could have slowed down at least a little but he didn't, why?"

"Don't look at me!" said Parker.

"Don't worry I think I can answer that question."

"I hope you can back up your answer Mr. Wright." said the Judge. "Tell the court why the victim didn't slow down; be aware you must present proof."

"This is my proof!" Phoenix said while presenting the radio receiver.

"This…What is this thing anyway?"

"A radio receiver, Your Honor. This device accepts radio signals and uses them to operate machinery. Your Honor, this is why Detective Ness didn't slow down. SOMEONE WAS CONTROLLING HIS CAR BY REMOTE!"

"OBJECTION!" said Lance. "A very interesting theory but there is one problem; the victim had enough time to jump and roll from the car, he might have sustained some serious injuries but he had a better chance than in an out of control car. So tell me why he didn't jump!"

"I'll tell you and I'll even use evidence to prove it! Take a look at this, the driver's seat of the victim's car. It's covered with his blood."

"He was skewered by his dashboard, of course there's blood!"

"It's not that blood is on here that's the problem, but how much blood. If he was impaled most of the blood would be on the dash board, only a small amount would be on the seat. This evidence says that he was pierced from behind, Mr. Trojan when Thomas Ness crashed into the wall at the highway HE WAS ALREADY DEAD!"

The audience murmured and the judge banged his gavel. "Order! Order in the court!"

"OBJECTION!" said Lance. "Then why did the murderer go through the trouble cutting the brake line if the victim was already dead?"

"The murder's original plan was to operate the car by remote and make it look like an accident." said Phoenix. "In order to make as swift a kill as possible the break line had to be cut in order to insure that he couldn't stop the car, who ever it was didn't expect Mr. Parker to be there when the road was supposed to be empty. But then the victim found the murder while he was sabotaging the car. With the knife already in hand it would have been easy to stab the victim in the back. After that it all falls into place, the murderer put the body into the car and removed the knife causing blood to spill on the seat. Then the murderer had controlled the car and crashed it into the wall in order to cover up the murder."

"That is farfetched but I can't deny the possibility of your claim." said Judge.

"OBJECTION!" said Lance. "Mr. Wright is most likely correct, however if anything this supports the Prosecution's claim, Mr. Hanson is the only one at that wedding who had the knowledge to pull off something like this. However I do not have any firm evidence on this theory, and unless the Defense has evidence that proves that Mr. Hanson is not the killer, I would like to suspend today's proceedings in order to further investigate this new development."

"Does the Defense have any objections?"

"None Your Honor." said Phoenix. "I would also like pursue my own investigation."

"Very well, this trail shall be suspended until tomorrow. There shall be only one more extension after this." The Judge banged his gavel. "Until then court is adjourned."

September 25 2:14 PM

District Court

Defendant Lobby No. 3

"Well at least we're getting closer to the truth." I said. "Maya this means that the murder definitely happened at the chapel after Eliza and I left."

"Its horrible." said Eliza. "That was supposed to be the happiest day of our lives and someone was just using it to kill my father."

"Don't worry dearest. I'll get to the bottom of this."

"Thanks Phoenix." said Eddie. "I really appreciate this."

"We're not out of the woods yet, but at least there's a little light in the gloom."

"But will that light last?" I heard. I turned around and saw Lance Trojan had just entered the room. "I hope that I'm not interrupting something important."

"What are you doing here Mr. Trojan?"

"We're out of the courtroom now Phoenix, just call me Lance. I just wanted to introduce myself to Mia Fey's understudy."

"You knew my sister?" asked Maya.

"We crossed in the courtroom a couple of times. Some of my hardest earned victories were against her; the day she died I lost my worthiest opponent."

"There's something I wanted ask you." I said. "Why did you give us the chance to continue the trial?"

"Phoenix, I take my job too seriously to take my job too seriously."

"What?"

"If I stop at nothing to prove the defendant guilty then I would lose the trust of my witnesses. I trust them as much as you trust your clients, we each take the risk that they may deceive us but we do it in order to find the truth."

"Lance, you would have made a great defense attorney."

"Well I better get going and conduct my investigation that is after I pick up my son from school."

"You have a son?"

"He's my pride and joy. Ken is a great kid; I'd do anything for him. Well I better get going; see you in the courtroom tomorrow." Lance then left.

"Uh what's with that guy?" asked Eddie.

"He may be friendly." said Maya. "But we can't let our guards down."

"Right." I said. "We better give the chapel a closer look."

To be continued.