"Maggey?!" Gumshoe gasped in shock. He then narrowed his eyes, staring at Iris suspiciously. "What are you talking about?!"
As if on cue, the set of chains reappeared again with a new set of Psyche-Locks separating her and Gumshoe.
Three Psyche Locks?! Iris thought in shock before taking a deep breath. Calm down, Iris. If you play your cards right, you can figure this out without having to backtrack.
"Look, I know there's a girl named Maggey I interviewed for the case, but what makes you think I know anything about her?" Gumshoe asked, crossing his arms and giving Iris a stern look.
Iris pondered for a moment, only for an idea to click in her mind. She reached into her bag, took out one of the papers she got from Diego's apartment and handed it to Gumshoe.
The detective snatched the paper from her, scanned it, and grimaced. "This is...this is...!"
"The letter she gave you before her resignation?" Iris finished. "Indeed, it is, Detective."
"How...how'd you get this!?" he demanded, his trembling hands crumpling the paper in his anger.
Iris nodded. "Mr. Armando thought she had more involvement in this case than we might think. I take it you didn't know he had his own investigation on Dahlia?"
Gumshoe didn't answer, his eyes shifting around nervously before they stared directly at Iris with a fierce glare. "Look pal, I know that you're trying to pull, but I'm not telling you anything.
One of the Psyche Locks shattered after he said that.
"When someone says 'I'm not telling you anything'," Iris said, raising her arms to make a quotation mark gesture, "it usually means they have something to hide."
"W-well...I'm not!" he retorted feebly. "What do you even wanna know bout Maggey anyhow?! She's got nothing to do with this!"
"Is that so?" Iris shot back before pulling out a newspaper and handing it to Gumshoe. "Because from what I've heard from the news, Ms. Byrde had been partaking in a romantic affair with my twin sister."
Gumshoe grimaced as sweat dripped down his forehead. "I-I forgot that was on the news..." he muttered to himself.
"Can I ask how Ms. Byrde met my twin?"
"How about you tell me," he replied. "How'd Maggey meet your twin?"
"Hmm..." Iris pondered, rubbing her chin. "If I remember correctly, Ms. Byrde worked in the prison Dahlia was sentenced to, correct?"
Another Psyche Lock broke, much to Iris' relief.
Almost there! she cheered to herself mentally.
"Yeah," Gumshoe said. "Look, what makes you think Maggey had something to do with all this?! She hadn't even seen that sister of yours since that fire accident!"
"Yes, she was fired due to her affair with her," Iris said, noticing an aggravated expression on Gumshoe's face.
"Yeah..." he grumbled. "Look, there's no point in looking into Maggey. Sure, she got attracted to the wrong girl, but Maggey's harmless. What makes you think she's suspicious of anything?"
Alright, Iris, you already have the answer. All you have to do is tell him and see what happens...
"As you know, Detective, I believe my client was set up and that the true murderer is currently on the loose," Iris began.
Gumshoe's eyes widened in the realization of where Iris was going with this.
"Don't say it," he told her softly, gritting his teeth.
"If what I'm thinking is true, what if during the channeling session, Maya was switched with someone else?" Iris wondered. "What if someone pretended to be a channeled spirit to frame the spirit channeler?"
"Don't say it..." Gumshoe growled. "Don't you dare say it..."
"And Ms. Byrde has a romantic connection with the spirit Maya and Mr. Armando have attempted to contact," she persisted. "Now tell me, if I am correct, who is the most likely-?"
"I SAID DON'T SAY IT!" he roared out. Before Iris could react, Gumshoe grabbed her by the collar of her shirt and moving her closer to his face. Iris didn't see it, but she could hear the final Psyche Lock shatter as she was being glared down by an angry Gumshoe.
"YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT MAGGEY!" he began. "SHE'S A GOOD GIRL, YOU GOT THAT!? SHE'S NICE AND SWEET AND SEES THE GOOD IN EVERYONE SHE MEETS! SHE'S ONE OF THE KINDEST PEOPLE I'VE KNOWN AND IF YOU EVER TALK ABOUT HER LIKE THAT AGAIN I'LL...I'LL...!"
Gumshoe paused, his eyes widened in horror as he gazed down at the terrified Iris. His hands trembling at what he had done, he loosened his grip and let her go.
"I'm...I'm sorry, pal..." he whispered, dropping his head in shame.
Iris stared at the Detective fearfully, taking a few steps back in fear for her safety. However, as she continued to gaze at the Detective, she began noticing something brewing inside the detective. Looking back at his posture, the way he had gotten angry at her for suspecting Maggey, and the subsequent outburst that resulted in it, Iris realized what the Detective had been feeling.
"You love her, don't you?" Iris asked.
Gumshoe perked up, staring at Iris with confusion. "Huh?"
"You love her," Iris repeated. "The way you looked at me when I accused her, the way you reacted from the mention of her romance with Dahlia...you even throttled me for talking bad at her for god sakes!"
"I'm sorry for doing that!" Gumshoe shouted, bowing down.
"No, don't be!" Iris shouted.
Gumshoe raised a brow. "What-why?"
"Because I know what it feels like!" Iris told him. "I had someone who was my whole world! We-"
Iris stopped herself, unsure whether to tell Gumshoe about this; however, she already got the ball rolling, so she might as well finish it.
"I met someone in college," Iris began, forcing herself to say it. "At first, I didn't think of him much, but he thought a lot about me. He helped me out when I struggled in my studies, spent every single day with me, always tried to cheer me up every time I got sad...he practically dedicated himself to me."
"Sounds like the type of guy any lady would love," Gumshoe said with a chuckle.
"Yeah, but here's the thing: I hated it," Iris said, surprising Gumshoe. "I hate how...dense he was. All I was trying to do was get something from him, and he practically went above and beyond just to make me happy!"
Her face morphed into a scowl as she clenched her fists. "I was using him! Just getting on his good side to get what I wanted. And what I hated how dumb he was for not noticing it!"
Iris could recall all those moments she spent with him. Cooking meals with him, having wonderful picnics at the school campus with him, meeting and getting to know his friends and loved ones...she could remember all of those moments vividly.
Iris took a deep breath, licking her dry lips before continuing. "And then after that...something happened. Something changed and...suddenly all that devotion I found annoying became something I admired about him," she quietly laughed, wiping a few tears that were starting to form in her eyes. "He even risked his own life for me one time. He didn't know it, but at that time, he gave me the courage I was lacking all my life. And thanks to that courage, I am now the woman you see today.
"And if he were still around Detective..." she said hoarsely, giving Gumshoe a heartfelt smile. "I'd do whatever it takes to return that devotion."
Gumshoe wiped a tear from his eye and chuckled. "Huh...some story you got there..."
Iris laughed quietly. "It was the most harrowing time of my life, really. You wouldn't believe the things I had to do!"
The two shared a hearty laugh as they bonded over Iris' story. Once they stopped, Gumshoe paused in thought before he sighed. "You know what, you told me something about yourself. Might as well tell you a piece of me."
"Are you sure, Detective?" Iris asked. "If it bothers you, you don't-"
"It's alright, pal, it's the least I could do," he assured her before composing himself. "I won't say much, but when I met Maggey, I thought it was love at first sight."
Iris smirked. "Is that so? How'd you meet?"
"At the prison, she was working in," he explained. "When I met her for the first time, it was a riot!"
"Aww...!" Iris cooed affectionately for the detective.
"Literally," he added. "Maggey accidentally unlocked some cells and started a prison riot."
Iris' jaw dropped, stifling a giggle. "Are you serious?!"
"She had bad luck," he shrugged. "Aside from that, she was so kind...sweet, y'know? Kind, caring, a fun girl to be around...I wanted to tell her I love her, but I got scared every time. And when I finally manned up to ask her..."
"That's when she fell in love with Dahlia?" Iris finished, eyeing at Gumshoe with pity.
He nodded, clenching his fists. "She never stopped talking about her, pal. It was always Dahlia this and Dahlia that. How she couldn't believe that a sweet like Dahlia ended up in prison! When she came out to me, it dashed all the chances I had with her; but I wouldn't have minded if the girl she was dating wasn't a boxed crook!"
"And after she lost her job and that prison fire, she...changed," he said hesitantly. "The bad luck she had was gone but so was the sweet, kind girl I fell in love with...it's like she's a different person now..."
Gumshoe sighed sadly and drooped his head down. Iris patted him in the back assuringly.
"It'll be alright, Detective," she assured him.
He chuckled. "Thanks. You know, for a defense attorney, you're not half-bad, pal..." he extended his hand to Iris.
Iris glanced at the hand before turning back to Gumshoe with a small smile, extending her own hand, which he took and shook.
"I gotta get to work now, pal," Gumshoe said as he and Iris let go of each other's hands. "You can come with me if you want. I know we're on opposing sides, but...eh...we've already looked over most of this place, there's gotta nothing much left here."
"That sounds lovely, Detective," Iris said happily, following Gumshoe inside the Manor. Once they entered Fey Manor, however, a figure stepped out of the shadows and frowned.
"Shit!" she whispered, pulling out her phone and dialing a number.
. . .
June 21
Prosecutor's Office~ Waiting Room
Morgan rhythmically tapped her foot as she sat next to a table, impatiently waiting for the prosecutor to arrive.
She grumbled to herself as she observed the garish Western interior of the Prosecutor's Office. She already had wasted enough time getting to this garish place, but having to waste more time waiting for the person who summoned her here was too much!
Morgan glanced at an old, bald prosecutor in a grey suit passing by. From the name etched on the top of his suitcase, she could tell that his name was Winston Payne.
"Excuse me, good sir, have you seen Ms. von Karma?" Morgan asked the prosecutor. "I've been told she will question me regarding Mystic Maya's trial."
"She's not here at the moment," he answered. "She usually visits her brother at this time of day, but she'll be back in an hour or so."
Morgan's eye twitched in irritation. That prosecutor summoned her here and won't even show up now?!
Our justice system truly is problematic, she thought to herself bitterly but remained stoic towards the old prosecutor in front of her. "Thank you for telling me, good sir," she thanked him with a bow.
The old prosecutor nodded back and walked away. It was then Morgan's phone began to ring.
Who on earth could be calling me now? she grumbled in her mind as she answered the phone. "Hello?"
"Hey Morgan, it's me," a female voice said casually, but Morgan's eyes narrowed upon hearing it.
"What do you want?" Morgan hissed. "Can't you see I'm busy?"
"Oh, you busy talking it up with a prosecutor?" the voice retorted. "I'm sorry for barging in on your chat while I'm here hiding ALL OF THE SHIT YOU HELPED ME PULL!"
"Quiet down! Do you want us caught?!" Morgan shouted back. "Just tell me why you called!"
The voice let out a growl before answering. "I just wanted to tell you that our little lawyer problem just had a friendly chat with that detective you left in Kurain..."
Morgan scoffed. "Is that supposed to be a problem?"
"That detective is snooping around looking for clues and IRIS IS WITH HIM! Don't you get the bigger picture, Morgan?!" the voice shouted.
"Quiet down!" Morgan shouted quietly. "You're being paranoid?!"
"If you didn't stop me from killing Iris, we wouldn't be in this mess! You let her live and now she gave Maya another day for that trial!" she snapped and Morgan could practically feel her anger resonating through the phone. "That detective might be a dumbass, but if he gives Iris anything that'll help her win this case, WE'RE BOTH THROUGH AND IT'LL BE ON YOU!"
"I SAID QUIET!" Morgan cried back, catching the attention of several prosecutors and detectives passing by. She blushed and bowed down. "My apologies..."
Once all the passers-by turned away, she turned back to her phone call. "I'm in a prosecutor's office, you idiot. You could've gotten me arrested..."
"Like that matters," the voiced scoffed. "Iris and her new BFF are going to do that soon..."
"If you feel like they're such a threat, then do something about it then!" Morgan fired back. "Just don't kill them, there's already enough attention with Mystic Maya as it is!"
"Fine, fine..." the voice grumbled. "I'll get rid of some things that'll link this crime to us too."
"Oh, and one more thing?" Morgan added, to the voice's displeasure.
"What?"
"Keep Iris away from Pearl," Morgan ordered, spewing Iris's name out like venom. "My daughter's thoughts have already been poisoned by that woman's words...make sure keep them apart, Ms. Byrde..."
The voice laughed sinisterly. "Sure thing, Mother of the Year," she said sarcastically before hanging up. Once she hung up, Morgan let out an irritated sigh and massaged the temples of her forehead with her fingertips. She just wanted this ordeal to be over with...
. . .
June 21
Side Room
"Let's go check the Side Room, pal," Gumshoe told Iris.
"Why though?" Iris asked. "It's not even near the crime scene."
"Prosecutor Von Karma wanted me to check every part of this place," he explained. "To make sure we find everything, she says."
"Ah," Iris nodded in understanding as she and Gumshoe entered the Side Room. Gumshoe quickly put on a pair of white gloves and started looking around. He began looking around, scanning for any possible evidence he could find, though he couldn't find himself to take it seriously since it was unlikely to find anything important there.
Iris just stood by as she watched Gumshoe work, but got curious when she noticed a clothing box right around the corner. The two things she found most important about it, however, were that it was large enough to fit a human and the fact that it seemed to have several cracks and bent parts as if it went through something. Intrigued by it, she went and opened the box. Her eyes widened at what she had found.
"Detective, you need to see this," Iris called Gumshoe, who went to her.
"Yeah, what is it, pal-what the?!" he shouted as he glanced at the clothing box. "What's all this doing here?!"
Iris could only mutter in agreement as she studied the thing she had found inside the box. "Mother had always been strict when it came to looking like a proper lady...but I didn't expect her to have this much makeup!"
Gumshoe shook his head. "This isn't any type of beauty makeup, pal."
Iris tilted her head. "Huh?"
"It's special effects makeup," he explained. "This is the kind of stuff people use when they're making a movie. Y'know, stuff like horror flicks. I saw this stuff from one of the cases I worked on before."
That just confused Iris even more. "But why would all of this be in Fey Manor-?"
"Hey, guys!" a voice shouted cheerfully, causing both Iris and Gumshoe to jump and turn in their direction.
"M-Maggey!" Gumshoe shouted in surprise.
"Hey, sir!" Maggey said happily, saluting the detective before putting her hand down for a nervous laugh. "I'm not bothering anything..."
She turned to give a glance at Iris, who couldn't help but notice the malice in Maggey's eyes. "Am I?"
Court Record:
Evidence:
1. Iris' Attorney Badge
2. Magatama
3. Diego Armando's Research (formerly Newspaper about Dahlia)
4. Black Key
5. Folding Screen
6. Diego Armando's Autopsy Report
7. Floor Plans
8. Knife
9. Chloroform Cloth
10. Robe
11. Headpiece
12. Broken Clothing Box
13. Special Effects Makeup
Profiles:
1. Diego Armando
2. Maya Fey
3. Pearl Fey
4. Ini Miney
5. Dahlia Hawthorne
6. Morgan Fey
7. Detective Gumshoe
8. "Maggey Byrde"
9. Franziska von Karma
10. Dr. Grey Turner/Dr. Black N. Blu