Recollection Of The Turnabout - Part 2
The courtroom was silent as Mia requested the bailiffs to retrieve the witness. This is it; a crucial part of the trial that Edgeworth couldn't afford to mess up. The testimony that will be presented will determine the fate of his case. He best brace himself; this is where the true battle begins.
The sound of the courtroom doors can be heard opening as the witness is brought to the stand. The Judge then clears his throat. "Now then, let us proceed with the testimony." The Judge declared. "Ms. Fey, please go ahead." Mia nodded. She turns to the witness.
"Witness, please tell this court your name and occupation." She requested. The witness looked up with a shy look in her eyes, as butterflies flew to her side. Everyone just stared silently, even Edgeworth, the one who asked her to be brought to the stand. The witness was a young woman who looked to be around his age. She had red hair that seemed to be pinned up in a braid, and was carrying a parasol. For some reason, her mere presence alone silenced the entire courtroom. Mia however, looked somewhat unamused, as if confused as to what everyone was so in awe about.
"Hmmm..." The Judge mumbled. "In my time as a Judge, I have been deceived by many witnesses. It is my job to doubt people, but..." The Judge stroked his beard. "For some reason, you radiate an aura of complete sincerity." Edgeworth gagged at that notion.
"(You did not just say that...)" He turns to the woman again. "(Although... I can't really deny that this witness is quite attractive...)" The minute he thought that, Edgeworth slapped himself mentally. "(Nrgh! What are you saying, man?! Focus! She's a witness! I must not be taken in by her... unavoidable... Beauty... GAH! My day can't just be easy for once, can it?!)" He deadpanned in his head, hunched back on his desk. For once, Mia seemed to feel bad for him, and tried to speed things along.
"*Ahem* Name and occupation, please?"
"Um..." The woman muttered, speaking up for the first time. "May I say something, before I do?"
"Hm? Well-"
"Of course, my dear! Go ahead." The Judge interrupted, which caused Mia to glare at him but regardless the woman continued.
"This is my first time, and I'm sure I'll make plenty of mistakes." The woman gave a warm smile. "Anyway... I wanted to apologize in advance for any mistakes I might make." The Judge shook his head bashfully.
"Oh, no, no, no! Please, don't worry. It's all fine."
"Um, right. In any case..." Edgeworth interjected. "Witness, may we please hear your name occupation?" The red haired woman nodded.
"My name is umm... Melissa Foster. I-I work at a local grocery store." She stated.
"You were on the scene when the unfortunate event took place?" Mia asked
"Mhm." She said simply. Mia took out the photo.
"And you took this photo, correct?" Mia said, presenting the photo to the witness, who in response let out a yell.
"Eeeeh!" Tears spilled out of Melissa's eyes. "H-How could you be so mean...?" She sniffled. The Judge looked at Mia angrily.
"Now see here, Ms. Fey! I will not have you shoving photographs in the witness's face!" Mia stumbled back.
"W-What's the big deal? It's just a photograph! It's not something dangerous!" Edgeworth sighed and stepped in, having a feeling this might get ugly.
"Allow me..." Edgeworth took out the photograph and showed it to Melissa gently. "Ms. Foster, can you confirm that you were the one who took this photograph?" Melissa stared at Edgeworth for a brief moment, and blushed slightly.
"Oh... How kind." She murmured. "Um, yes. I was the one who took the photograph." The Judge gave Edgeworth an impressed look.
"My, what a gentleman you are, Mr. Edgeworth!" He commented. He looked at Mia sternly. "Ms. Fey! You could learn a lot from this young man!"
"Mrphh..." She grumbled. She had appeared to say something else, but it was mostly mumbling so Edgeworth couldn't really understand what she had said.
"Now young lady, would you mind giving us your testimony?"
"Y-Yes, Your Honor... I'll do my best." She said whilst smiling
-WITNESS TESTIMONY-
-The Witness's Photograph-
"I-I was using my camera to take pictures of wild flowers."
"Then I noticed there were two people standing on the suspension bridge."
"Suddenly, they just started fighting!"
"That's when I hurried and took the photo capturing the crucial moment."
"And right after that, I called the police."
END OF TESTIMONY
"Hm, I see..." The Judge mused. "Incidentally, where were you standing when the incident occurred...?"
"Oh, um..."
"Here, let's use the map." Mia said, pulling the sketch of the bridge out. "Where you standing, Ms. Foster? Can you point it out on this map?"
"Let's see..." Melissa studied the map, and then pointed to an area near a cliff. "I was standing here. In a beautiful field, surrounded by tall cliffs."
"So that's where you took the photo from?" Melissa nodded.
"Yes. I brought the camera I was using at the time, just like Ms. Fey asked me to." She said, pulling out a pink camera. The Judge gave a chuckle.
"Ho ho. A cute camera. Much like its owner." Edgeworth narrowed his eyes at the Judge.
"(I think she's a tad too young for you, Your Honor...)"
The Judge bangs his gavel. "Right then. Mr. Edgeworth, please begin your cross-examination of this witness. But, please. Try to be gentle."
Edgeworth tried his best effort not to roll his eyes before nodding his head. "Yes, Your Honor. I'll keep that in mind."
-CROSS-EXAMINATION-
-The Witness's Photograph-
"I-I was using my camera to take pictures of wild flowers."
"Then I noticed there were two people standing on the suspension bridge."
"Suddenly, they just started fighting!"
HOLD IT!
"Do you perhaps know what they were fighting about?"
"No... I'm afraid not." She answered. That caused Mia to raise an eyebrow.
"Really? You didn't hear what they were talking about?" Mia inquired. Melissa looked at her for a brief moment before tears fell out of her eyes again. That caused Mia to cringe..
"I... I would never eavesdrop..." She sniffled. "I've got more class than that!" The Judge gave Mia a glare.
"That's right, Ms. Fey! Don't drag the witness down to your level!"
"Grrr..." Mia growled.
"(Oh, my heart bleeds for you, Ms. Fey. It really does...)" Edgeworth thought.
Melissa continued. "That's when I hurried and took the photo capturing the crucial moment." Edgeworth looked over the photo again.
"(Crucial moment... No, I can't agree with that.)"
OBJECTION!
"Witness..." Edgeworth started. "You claim that this photograph here is the 'crucial moment'... correct?"
"Err..." She fumbled.
"And yet, I'm sorry to say I'd hardly call this a crucial moment." He said. "After all, the only thing you can see in this photo are two people who appear to be talking to eachother."
"O-Oh..."
"You testified that you saw the crucial moment in which the two people started fighting. THAT is the type of thing we would refer to a crucial moment." Edgeworth pointed his finger. "Ms. Foster, why haven't you presented such a photo to us?" Edgeworth's questioned cause Melissa to start fidgeting.
"Um... W-Well you see..."
"That was the only photo." Mia suddenly said.
"Sorry?" Edgeworth asked.
"That photo was the only one of the crime that the witness took." Mia explained.
"But if she had wanted to capture the crucial moment, she must have taken a picture of it!" Edgeworth insisted.
"U-Uh... Well young lady... I can't say Mr. Edgeworth's assertion has no merit to it..." The Judge said hesitantly.
"I... I'm sorry. I'm a very bad girl." Edgeworth looked at her confused, but then she continued. "I-I used it all up... The film I mean..."
"W-What?!" Edgeworth exclaimed, reeling back in shock.
"That's the truth, I'm afraid." Mia said whilst shaking her head. "I personally examined all the photos on the witness's camera, and the other photos were of the witness herself, playing among the flowers."
"The witness herself...?" He questioned. "But then who took the photos?"
"Well, Mr. Attorney..." She said, whilst presenting her camera. "My camera is outfitted with a timer feature."
"Ah, I see." Edgeworth said, understanding. "So I assume you used it in tandem with a tripod..."
"Wow, you're really smart, Mr. Edgeworth." She said sweetly. "You certainly know how to impress a woman." That sentence caused Edgeworth to step back and cringe, and then hunch over his desk.
"T-That was not my intention, I assure you!" Edgeworth stated. This caused Melissa to giggle, as if finding his notion adorable or something. If this was an attempt to draw him in, it was certainly working! It was almost like she was somewhat good at it...
"(Well, this line of questioning is a dead end. Without any film, she couldn't have taken a picture...)" He mused. Mia turned to Melissa.
"Ms. Foster, could you please testify about a different type of photo? Perhaps... A photo you took with your eyes?" Melissa looked at Mia in amusement.
"My, Madame Fey... You're quite the poet." This caused Mia to glare at her.
"M-Madame...?! I'm no one's grandma yet, girlie..." She grumbled. Edgeworth sighed.
"(This cross-examination is far from over...)"
"Well then, Ms. Foster. What else can you tell us about the incident?" The Judge asked. Melissa held her hand to her chin in thought.
"Hm, well... The victim tried to turn and run, but she only managed about 10 yards before she was stabbed in the back!"
OBJECTION!
No pause. No thought. The minute Melissa stated that glaring contradiction... Edgeworth saw through it immediately. He didn't even need to think. Just shout and point... "Witness, this testimony is asinine!" Melissa was taken aback by that and started crying again.
"W-What? B-But..." She whimpered. The Judge looked at Edgeworth in surprise.
"M-Mr. Edgeworth! I thought I told you to be gentle with the witness." Edgeworth tutted as he wagged his finger in his signature pose.
"I'm sorry, Your Honor... But one short testimony and two bad contradictions is simply inexcusable!" Edgeworth shouted.
"T-Two contradictions?!" The Judge exclaimed, bemused.
"It's simple. Take a look at the map." Edgeworth said, displaying the map. "According to Ms. Foster's testimony, the victim and the defendant were in the middle of the bridge. Yet, if the victim had attempted to run..." Edgeworth shrugged. "It's obvious isn't it?" The Judge gave Edgeworth a puzzled look, and then took a look at the diagram. He gasped in shock.
"S-She would've ran into a dead end...!" Edgeworth nodded and slammed his desk.
"You claim she ran 10 yards, yet she couldn't have even run 5!" Edgeworth shouted. "Dusky Bridge is collapsed on that side!"
"Eeeek!" She shrieked as if a power gust of wind threatened to blow her away. The gallery was stirred, which forced His Honor to silence them with his gavel.
"W-What is the meaning of this?!" The Judge demanded.
"I'm sorry to say, Your Honor... But this charming little lady, told us a charming little lie... It's really quite as simple as that." Edgeworth responded with a smirk. The Judge looked at him incredulously.
"T-This beautiful young lady... Has been lying to the court?"
OBJECTION!
"Hold on, Your Honor." Mia said. "There's something I need to apologize for." The Judge raised an eyebrow as Mia continued. "There's one major mistake in this diagram."
"Mistake?" Edgeworth repeated.
"It's because this diagram was made after the incident occurred." She explained. "Since it's a very old bridge, we couldn't find any official blueprints for it."
"S-So you're saying...?" Mia nodded.
"Even though in the diagram the bridge appears to be broken, there is no proof it was like that when the crime took place." Mia explained with a smug look. Edgeworth was taken aback. Mia continued. "From the photo, you can't actually tell what the condition of the bridge was." Mia bowed in an apologetic manner. "I apologize for not informing the court of this earlier."
Edgeworth on the other hand was seething. Why did Ms. Fey neglect to mention such important information earlier?! Unless... She purposefully made no mention of it? Was she setting a trap for him? She doesn't seem stupid. Edgeworth highly doubts that this is something that Ms. Fey simply forgot. But would she really use such a cowardly tactic...?
The Judge shook his head. "Well Mr. Edgeworth... It appears you've made another reckless accusation..."
Melissa shook her head incredulously. "Please don't blame him! I should've been more careful myself..."
"No, no! It was not YOUR fault at all, young miss!" The Judge said, trying to sound reassuring.
"Now then, witness... I'd like to establish once and for all what you saw." The Judge nodded in agreement.
"Alright. Young lady, may I please ask you to proceed with your testimony?"
-WITNESS TESTIMONY-
-Running From The Crime-
"After he stabbed her, he quickly picked her up in his arms."
"Then he carried her over to his car."
"I suppose that was the only way he could make sure the body stayed hidden."
OBJECTION!
Everyone in the courtroom was shocked. The Judge, the prosecution, even the witness. An objection was heard even before Ms. Foster had finished her testimony. Because he knew. There was something so blatantly contradictory that Edgeworth didn't need to wait for the cross-examination.
"Your Honor! I object to this testimony!"
"M-Mr. Edgeworth!" The Judge exclaimed.
"What are you doing?! The witness hasn't even finished testifying yet!" Mia shouted. Edgeworth however, simply shrugged in response.
"I don't need to wait. Because I already see a contradiction in her testimony."
"Y-You do...?!" The Judge said in disbelief.
"I can understand a killer not wanting his victim to be found... However! Moving the body is completely illogical! There was much more efficient method of disposing of the body!" Mia remained silent. The Judge however, perked up.
"W-Well?! What is it?!" Edgeworth pulled out the diagram.
"If you look here, Your Honor..." Edgeworth pointed towards Eagle River. "There is a river below the bridge. Ms. Fey pointed out something interesting earlier... That all bodies that fall into the river are near impossible to recover." Edgeworth wagged his finger. "If 10 murders had occurred on that bridge..." Edgeworth pointed his finger forward triumphantly. "Any normal killer would throw the bodies into the water!" The gallery was stirred, forcing the Judge to silence them with his gavel once again.
"Order! ORDER!" He demanded. "Mr. Edgeworth, I believe there is some merit in what you are asserting. It does seem odd that Mr. Fawles didn't throw the body into the river!" He looks at Mia. "What do you have to respond with, Ms. Fey?" Mia sighed, tutted and flipped her hair. She gave Edgeworth a smug look.
"Tch... Poor rookie. Maybe you should take a dip in the river. After all, you seem quite hot-headed."
"And what do you mean by that?" He asked in response.
"I mean; who cares whether or not he could've thrown it into the river? That doesn't change the fact that he stuffed the body into his car." She stated. "Your argument has nothing to do with the witness saw."
"Hmmm... Quite true... I'm sorry Mr. Edgeworth. But your assertion doesn't seem to have much merit to it."
"B-But, what the witness claims is completely illogica-"
OBJECTION!
"And yet, the body was found in the trunk. Therefore, no matter how 'illogical' you find it; the witness's testimony is correct." Mia said. "Now then witness, if you could keep testifying for us. And this time, ONLY what you saw. Otherwise, that kid might yell at you again.
"(What kid?!)" Edgeworth thought angrily.
"Well... I don't know what else to say, other than the killer broke open the trunk of the car, and put the body in there."
"He broke it open...?" Edgeworth questioned. "Did you see this yourself?"
"Y-Yes..." She said nervously. Edgeworth looked at the diagram. He smirked. She's really done it this time, hasn't she...?
"Tsk, tsk, tsk..." He tutted as he wagged his finger as usual. "I'm sorry witness... But what you are claiming is impossible!"
Melissa clutched her parasol more tightly as she got more nervous. "I... I don't understand..."
"Then allow me to explain. Take a look at the diagram." He requested, arms crossed. "You claim to have seen the crime from here..." He said, pointing out Melissa's location. "However, from here the outcropping of rock would've blocked your vision of the car."
"A-Ah!" She exclaimed. Edgeworth slammed his desk.
"That's right, Ms. Foster..." He pointed vigorously at her. "You couldn't have seen the killer's car!"
"Aaaaah...!" She yelled.
OBJECTION!
Mia slams her desk. "I'll admit that the diagram shows an outcropping of rock. But it's not that tall that it would stop her from seeing the car!"
"T-That's right...! I-It's not high at all...!" Melissa stammered. Edgeworth however, shrugged as if he was unimpressed.
"I'm so sorry Ms. Fey... but you contradict your own case."
"W-What...?!
"I believe the witness presented this earlier?" Edgeworth said, taking the photograph of Melissa presented. "If you look at the left side, the outcropping we are discussing is actually much more akin to a cliff."
"Aahhh...!" The Judge said in understanding. Edgeworth slammed his desk.
"So you see, Ms. Foster. Your view of the car should've been completely obscured! And yet, you claim to have seen the car!"
"...N-Noooo!" She shrieked as she was shouted at by Edgeworth.
"W-What is the meaning of this...?!" The Judge demanded.
"Your Honor, let's not jump to any conclusions here." Mia said, trying to intervene. "The fact that the car was stolen was reported on the news." Mia stated with a smirk. "The witness was upset after witnessing a murder. Thus, when she heard about the car on the news, she must've convinced herself that she saw it."
Edgeworth sighed, and shrugged, as if disappointed with Mia. "I'm sorry, Ms. Fey... But that's not going to fly."
"W-What...?!"
"Think back to the witness's testimony." He said with his arms crossed in thought. "She stated the following 'The killer broke open the trunk of the car, and put the body in there.'"
"Yeah. So, what...?" She asked.
"Let me ask you, Ms. Foster. How did you know that?"
"H-How?" She stammered. Edgeworth smirked.
"How did you know that he broke into the trunk?"
"A-ah...!" She fumbled. "W-Well... I'm certain that he broke into it. A-After all, there were marks on the trunk lid. I'm certain they were scratch marks from when he broke into it...!"
"W-what?!" The Judge said surprised. "L-Let me see that photo!" The Judge inspected the photograph, looking at the lid of the trunk. His eyes widened. "Why... it's true! These definitely look like scratch marks...!" The Judge closed his eyes in thought. "Well...! I suppose this means that the trunk was definitely broken into. Well, Mr. Edgeworth? Are you satisfied?"
Edgeworth tutted and wagged his finger once again. "I'm afraid not, Your Honor. For you see... Ms. Foster has dug her own grave!"
"W-What...?!" Melissa said stumbling back, clutching her parsol even more tightly.
"Ms. Foster... let me point out the same thing that led to this contradiction. You couldn't have seen the car because the outcropping was blocking it. Ms. Fey countered by saying you simply heard it on the news." He re-iterated. "I can concede that you simply heard about the breaking into of the car... But the scratch marks I'm afraid, are a different story." He stated, smirking. "Ms. Foster... When did you see those scratch marks, exactly?"
"..." Melissa was silent. She... she didn't expect this! He... he was...!
"Not going to answer? Then I'll do it for you." Edgeworth slammed his desk. "Your Honor! There was only one way for the witness to have seen the scratches!"
"Y-Yes...?!"
"Naturally... When she opened the trunk... and stuffed the victim's body inside!" He declared. "Melissa Foster... the one who placed the corpse inside the trunk... was YOU!"
"N-No...!" She denied, tears streaming down her face. "I-It was the man in the prison garb... He was the one who...!"
"I'm sorry, Ms. Foster. But I can't say I agree." Edgeworth interrupted. "If it was truly Mr. Fawles who stuffed the body inside, he simply had to use the car key to open the trunk. There was no need to break it open."
"B-But...! He stole it...!" She argued.
"Yes. From a couple that were waiting at a red light." He retorted. "Meaning the key would've still been in the ignition."
"O-Oh..." She mumbled in defeat. Edgeworth shrugged, and smirk. Oh, how divine the lamentations of his enemies are!
"Thank you Ms. Foster. For telling us about the scratches. If you hadn't, we wouldn't have managed to establish..." Edgeworth pointed his finger, delivering a devastating blow. "That it couldn't have been Mr. Fawles who placed the body inside the trunk!"
OBJECTION!
Mia slammed her desk with both hands furiously. "T-This is ridiculous! To even suggest that the witness put the body there...!"
"I'm sorry, but that is the only logical conclusion we can come to." Edgeworth replied.
"Then how did the witness take the photo?!" Mia growled. "The body could only have been put in the trunk when the incident was taking place. And the witness was already taking pictures by then!"
OBJECTION!
"Sorry to say, Ms. Fey, but that can easily be explained by taking a look at the witness's camera." Edgeworth stated as he brought out the camera. "If you look at it closely, the camera has a timer feature built into it, along with a mini tripod. Almost as if... she brought this very camera for the express purpose of taking this photograph!"
"W-What?!" Mia yelled, sweatdropping. "T-Then... are you trying to say that the witness wasn't in the field?!"
"Precisely. She was NOT in the field."
"B-But if Ms. Foster wasn't in the fields as she claimed... where was she?" The Judge inquired.
This is it. A crucial point. 'Where was Ms. Foster when the incident took place...' With the answer to that question, comes the truth about Ms. Foster. Edgeworth, with one vigorous slam of his desk, pointed at the map.
"Here. Ms. Foster was here!" Mia stumbled back. He... He wasn't serious...! He wasn't seriously saying... But... That's...
"B-But that's where the victim was standing...!" The Judge exclaimed in disbelief. The gallery, in shock, started talking and whispering loudly. The Judge was forced to bang his gavel to quieten them down.
"Order! ORDER!" He bellowed. "Mr. Edgeworth! W-What in the blazes...?!"
"If I may, Your Honor..." He stated calmly. "After Mr. Fawles met with the 'victim', the two parted ways, and he fled via car... Meaning there would be no time for him to put the body inside the trunk." He explained. "Meaning if someone put the body inside the trunk... It had to be before Mr. Fawles met the 'victim'."
OBJECTION!
"T-This is... This is... Dumb!" Mia exclaimed, scrambling for her words. "There was only one person who could've stuffed the victim's body in the trunk. Her killer: Terry Fawles!"
OBJECTION!
"You really don't understand, do you, Ms. Fey?" Edgeworth said with a serious look on his face. "By the time the witness's photo was taken, Ms. Hawthorne was already dead. Which can only mean one thing." Edgeworth delivered a blowing point of his finger. "The person in this photo... Is NOT Valerie Hawthorne!"
"T-That's ridiculous...!" She shrieked. "T-Then who's the 'victim' pictured in this photo, huh?!"
"Simple. The witness, Melissa Foster...!"
"...!" Melissa looked on in shock.
"Wh-whaaaaaat..?!" The Judge gargled, completely bemused.
"That's the only explanation. The woman Mr. Fawles met wasn't Valerie Hawthorne!" Edgeworth shouted. "It was you! Melissa Foster!"
"M-M-M-Me?!" Melissa stammered.
"Let us recall that it was foggy and raining on that day." Edgeworth stated. "Even Mr. Fawles himself believed the woman in front of him to be Valerie Hawthorne!"
"B-But! The victim was someone Mr. Fawles knew very well! It was her testimony that convicted him, after all!" Mia fired back.
"Have you forgotten? Mr. Fawles has spent 5 years in a federal penitentiary. He couldn't remember what she looked like, and so he requested she bring a scarf in order to identify herself!"
"Y-You...!" Mia growled. There was no way... No way this ROOKIE was destroying her perfect case...!
"In other words, as long as the witness was wearing a scarf, essentially anyone could've pretended to be Valerie Hawthorne!" Edgeworth slammed his desk once again. "Well?! What do you have to say to this, Ms. Foster?!" He shouted.
Melissa couldn't take it. The accusations... They were... too much. Too much...! "N... NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" She shrieked loudly before falling to the ground and fainting.
The Judge looked shocked, and immediately called for bailiffs to take Ms. Foster into the prosecutor's lobby. Edgeworth knew however, that her fainting was very telling. He was sure that she fainted because she knew he was onto her. It was all too clear. She had to be the culprit!
10 minutes later...
The Judge banged his gavel. "Ms. Fey, how is Ms. Foster doing?"
"She's collecting herself in the Lobby." Mia stated. The Judge shook his head in understanding.
"(It's obvious at this point... No doubt that Melissa Foster is the culprit here. She hid the body in the trunk... Disguised herself as the victim... And set up the camera to take a false photo of the two of them... And why did she all this? Because she's the real killer...)"
"Well, in any case, we'll need to wait for Ms. Foster to compose herself." The Judge declared. "Until then, the court is in recess. The defense and prosecution are to wait in their respective lobbies."
"Understood, Your Honor." Edgeworth said.
"Yes, Your Honor." Said Mia.
"Very well. This court is now in recess."
February 16. 1:14PM
District Court
Defendant Lobby No.4
"Well... That was certainly... interesting." Edgeworth commented. No, interesting was the most light term he could use to describe this. He could hardly believed everything that happened in there. To think that he uncovered so much... and on his first case, no less. He doesn't mean to brag, but it certainly wasn't anything he was expecting.
"That was... splendid, Mr. Edgeworth." Mr. Fawles said in awe. "You've really impressed me. I've never seen such skill. It's hard to believe that you're a rookie."
"Oh, well... I wouldn't say I was THAT good..."
"Nah! Pat yourself on the back, Miles!" Said Langley Dumus, who had joined him and Mr. Fawles in the lobby. "Thanks to your efforts, it won't be long till Terry is off the hook!"
"Yes, but there's still one more obstacle-" Edgeworth cut his sentence off as he felt something tugging at his pants. He looked down to see the little girl, Langley's daughter Ema. He bent down to her level. "Yes? What is it, little Ema?"
She looked at him with a shy look, but ultimately found her voice and said. "U-Um... You were really cool, Mr. Attorney."
"Oh?" Edgeworth said.
"T-The way you figured out all that stuff so fast was... really awesome! It was a... cool science!"
"Science, you say?" Edgeworth asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Ah, Ema's ears always perk up at the mention of something science related. She loves it."
"Quite an advanced subject for a girl her age, wouldn't you say?" Edgeworth stated.
"U-Um... Guys..." Mr. Fawles said, trying to get their attention. Edgeworth stood back up.
"My apologies, Mr. Fawles." Edgeworth crossed his arms.
"Ema, mind going to sit over at that couch, sweetie? The adults have gotta talk about something." Ema nodded simply, and walked over to the couch to sit down and read a book.
"As I was saying..." Edgeworth continued. "There's still one obstacle left to defeat."
"What's that, Miles?" Langley inquired.
"Motive. Why would Melissa Foster kill Valerie Hawthorne?" Edgeworth asked. "In any case, we're in need of information. More specifically, information regarding Ms. Melissa Foster herself. The most I know about her is that she's a grocery store employee."
"Hmm... Yeah. I get what ya mean." Langley agreed. "But... maybe there's something else you oughta know about?"
"Something else?" Langley turned to Fawles. "I think it's time, Terry. Tell Miles about the incident 5 years ago."
"Are you sure...?" Fawles asked. Langley nodded. Terry sighed, and turned to Edgeworth. "I suppose I have no choice, then."
"It'd be a great help to understand the case 5 years ago, Mr. Fawles." Fawles nodded at that.
"Very well. I trust you." Fawles stared off in thought. Where to begin...? "When I saw that picture... It reminded me of everything. The bridge was the same as it was 5 years ago. Like it could fall apart any minute..."
"(So it's been broken like that for at least 5 years...)"
"...It's true. 5 years ago... I did kidnap her. My lover. Dahlia Hawthorne."
"(Hm, I see. Ms. Fey did mention the victim was his... Wait...)". Did he hear what he think he just heard...? "Mr. Fawles, did you just say... 'Hawthorne'?" That was the victim's last name... But, surely not...?!
"Dahlia Hawthorne... Valerie's sister." Fawles confirmed. Edgeworth was taken aback. This... was certainly something he did not expect. The victim 5 years ago... was the sister of the victim of this case!
"Let her go... Now!" Valerie shouted, with her gun trained steadily on Fawles. Fawles shot her a glare.
"This doesn't have to be difficult. Surrender the goods. Or else... I-I'll kill her!" Valerie did not so much as flinch at Fawles's threat. She simply pointed her gun at him with a cold stare in her eyes, and said...
"Sorry... But you're not going to get the chance."
BANG!
"(The detective back then... That was Valerie Hawthorne!)" Edgeworth thought. "At first, I thought shooting someone for a kidnapping was an excessive amount of force, but... Given that it was her sister, it seems a bit more understandable now."
"And that's where you're wrong. It was not to protect her sister." He said with a burning venom in his voice. "She betrayed me. She betrayed US."
"Betrayed you...?" Edgeworth questioned.
"It was all a lie. A fake. The kidnapping, as well." Fawles explained.
"A fake kidnapping? Could you elaborate?"
"...Dahlia... I was absolutely enamored by her. I did anything she said."
"Anything she said...? Wait..." Edgeworth put the pieces together. Fake kidanpping... Anything Dahlia says... That means... "The one who orchestrated the fake kidnapping 5 years ago was..."
"Yes. Me, Dahlia, and Valerie. We all planned it."
"(Valerie Hawthorne was in on it?!)"
"Dahlia's family was quite rich. Her father was a jeweler. We thought if we could get our hands on one, we'd be rich." Said Fawles. "We wrote a kidnapping note and sent it to Dahlia's father. We requested a 2 million dollar diamond. The exchange was to take place on Dusky Bridge. We told him to make Valerie do the transfer because she was a new Detective at the time."
"Having a police detective in your pocket is a pretty useful tool alright..." Langley mused. "So in the end, you planned to split the money three ways..."
"Yes, but... in the end, I was betrayed. She shot me. Not as a part of the scheme. I could see it in her eyes. She knew what she was doing." Fawles said, looking at the floor in shame. "And then Dahlia... jumped in the river."
"Jumped...? So, you mean she jumped on purpose...?" Edgeworth asked. Fawles began to feel tears pricking his eyes.
"I... I loved Dahlia. I... I could never do such a horrible thing to her. I just couldn't..." He sniffled. "Anyway, I blacked out, and by the time I woke up, the police were all over me."
"...And so they decided to give you the death sentence." Langley finished. Fawles nodded solemnly.
"Yes. That woman... she betrayed me." The testimony she gave that day... It still echoes in Mr. Fawles head.
"That man... Terry Fawles... He killed her! He killed my beloved sister! He threw in the roaring rivers 40 feet below!"
Fawles winced at the memory of that testimony. He felt an aching pain in his stomach just from remembering it. "All these 5 years, I wanted to know that one truth: why did she lie?"
"And so that's why you called her, huh..." Langley said.
"Yes... but it's been some time since we last saw eachother. I didn't remember what she looked like. That's why I asked her to wear a scarf." He said. "I had no intention of harming her. All I wanted to know was why. Why did she lie...? Why did she betray me...?"
So that's why... That's why he made such an insane escape. All to hear the truth...
"One more thing, Mr. Fawles." Edgeworth asked. "Where is it now?"
"Where's what?" Langley asked confusedly.
"Obviously, the ransom. The 2 million dollar diamond. What happened to it? Did Dahlia's father take it back? Did the police take it?" Fawles paused for a few moments before giving an answer.
"...I don't know." He responded simply. Edgeworth blinked at that. He didn't know...? "I really don't know. It's gone. Probably with Dahlia."
"With Dahlia...?"
"...That day. Before Dahlia jumped... I saw it. She slipped the diamond into her purse." Fawles said. "Gone... along with Dahlia."
"(It disappeared along with Dahlia Hawthorne, huh...)" Wait...
"We're prepared, Mr. Edgeworth! You can come back in now!" Called a baliff. Edgeworth nodded at him and then turned back to Mr. Fawles.
"Mr. Fawles! Just one more question."
"Yes...?"
"When you said, 'with Dahlia', do you mean to say that the diamond is missing...?" Fawles looked away while answering, almost as if he is hesitant to answer.
"...They never found her, Mr. Edgeworth." He said simply.
"(They never found her...!)" Edgeworth thought. Wait... Could that mean...?
"She plans a kidnapping and disappears with a diamond worth 2 mil... Damn, Terry. You fell for crazy." Langley commented grimly.
"(Mr. Fawles was the scapegoat of a fake kidnapping, which earned him a one-way ticket to a death sentence... Could Dahlia Hawthorne really be a...?)" Edgeworth thought. He then shook his head. It's time for him to get back in there. He's got a few more aces up his sleeve now. It's time for the gloves to come off.
"Well then... It's time." He said determinedly.
"Good luck, Miles." Langley said. Ema approached Edgeworth.
"G-Good luck, Mr. Attorney. I'll be rooting for you!" Edgeworth smiled at her and gave her a gentle pat on the head.
"Thank you, Ema. I appreciate that." She giggled and gave him a warm smile. He turned back to the courtroom doors, and took a deep breath.
It's time. Time to expose the truth for all to see.
And that's the end of that one. Review, and lemme know what you think.