AN: Hello, guys! This is it. The last part of the first case! I'm excited I managed to get through it all haha. Well, we're going to be on to the next part soon enough. So, I hope you all enjoy the second part to the resolution! And as usual thank you for reading, following, faving and reviewing, it makes me happy that people read this story I started up.
OBSERVER01 : Indeed! She got it ;)!
Ringmaster118: I always follow the law, like a good citizen does- for the most part. Eventually, I will go against Phoenix, now whether or not it's to get his badge back...we'll see when we get there. But you're probably right. Mia will be making a reappearance soon actually! Nope, I don't have the same power the Feys and Phoenix have, even though it would be handy, no doubt.
Aceliterature: Aw, thank you so much! I'm really glad you enjoying this! And magic, here is the next update :)
It was futile. The show was over. The curtain had dropped. The show was over. Hm... The show...was...over? The show... No. The show was just beginning! That was it! Everyone in this courtroom was looking at me, like an actor on stage! I could do something crazy to divert attention to the fact that this cross examination was ending! But what? What could I do? What could I do? It had to be fast! I saw Ray nearly bent over that bench, looking at me in anticipation. He couldn't do anything or else he'd be thrown out, so it was on me. I felt the nerves and adrenaline rushing through my veins. Court stopped during that one case in Apollo Justice because Trucy pretended to be kidnapped. I couldn't do that, but maybe...maybe I could faint? Pretend to faint? I mean, a faint couldn't be too far of a stretch, right? Yes! I'd 'pass out'!
"Ms. Doom?" questioned the judge. "If you have no more to say then-"
This was it. I had to go now. I prayed to the lord almighty that I wouldn't break or kill myself, for what I was about to do.
Without warning I flung my body to the ground. I hit the floor on my right side and turned over on my back. My eyes widened and I gasped for air. The floor was a lot harder than I was expecting it to be- what the heck was the tiling made of ? Brick? Porcelain? I didn't know but I felt a searing pain shooting from my head all the way down to my legs. I wanted to scream when I went down, but I needed to be convincing. I blinked back the hot tears forming and shut my eyes. I tried my hardest not to move.
The courtroom was confused.
"Ms. Doom?!" yelled the judge.
"What happened?"
"Is she alright?"
"What's going on?"
Nobody knew what happened. The room exploded into a commotion and the judge was banging his gavel asking for order over the loud and curious spectators. He was trying to yell over them to get bailiffs.
I didn't know much else what was going on, besides knowing cold and hard the floor was. I decided against closing my eyes entirely. My eyes were mostly shut, but I was squinting them to smallest degree possible so maybe I could see what was happening. Couldn't really see much besides the ceiling, though. But fuck the ceiling, I was actually struggling to stay awake. The world around me was fading in and out and changing colors. I guess that hit to the floor took more wind out of me than I thought. It probably wasn't a good idea, considering I had started to feel bad earlier.
I heard a scurrying of feet approaching where I was lying. I didn't know who it was. My vision was fading fast. It was getting darker and darker and any color I had made out before was just turning into black. Whoever it was squatted down and pressed their fingers into my neck and wrist checking for a pulse.
"Doomsday! Hey! Wake up!"
(Ray?)
I wanted to tell him what I had done to stall for time, but I was out of it. He started saying something else to me, but I couldn't make out the words. I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer and shut them completely. I was out cold after that.
April 16th, time ?
Location?
"Ugh..." I groaned.
I slowly opened my eyes, looking up into the shining light at the ceiling. I wiped my face with my hands. My head was killing me. In fact, my whole body was killing me. What the hell happened? Actually, where was I? I had been in the courtroom, but I was lying on something soft.
"Lyn!" called a familiar voice.
"Huh?"
I sat up a little, on what seemed to be a sofa. I saw a red blur darting towards me, and adjusting my vision I saw it was Edgeworth. Ray followed suit as well.
"Are you alright?" Edgeworth asked with concern.
"I-I'm fine. I think." I said running my fingers through my hair.
"You think ?"
I awkwardly laughed. "Mr. Edgeworth, I'm fine really. I'm just really sore."
"Well, that's good news," clapped Ray. "Everyone was worried."
"Oh, really? Uh, what exactly happened?" I asked, memory hazy.
"You seriously don't remember? You just collapsed in the middle of the courtroom."
Ah! Yes, that was right. I fell to the ground and didn't remember much of anything after that. I made the decision to look like I fainted...and actually ended up fainting. I can't believe how badly that backfired. That was not part of the plan.
"Oh...oh, yeah I remember that now." I said sweating bullets. "What happened after that? How long was I out for?"
"Uncle Ray carried you to this lobby and a couple of medics came in to treat you. You were unconscious for about 30 minutes."
Well, it could have been worse, but still that was sort of embarrassing. What was I, a kid? Now, I'd be indebted to my mortal rival. Darned. This definitely meant I would never ever mention how I meant to fake faint and ended up actually fainting. I embarrassingly grumbled my thanks to Ray and he told me not to worry about it.
"Wait, then what happened to the case?" I asked suddenly remembering the reason why I was pissing myself in the courtroom earlier.
"Because of the chaos, it was decided that a recess was necessary since trial couldn't continue without you in that condition," said Edgeworth.
"Yes! Ha! Guess that wasn't for the faint of heart," I chuckled.
Edgeworth glared at me with a look that could kill. I stopped chuckling and swallowed hard.
"I don't think that's funny," he snapped. "You need to be more careful and take care of yourself better. The medics said how dehydrated you were and how that was the cause of your collapse."
"Yes, sir..." I murmured. "Sorry."
I guessed that was insensitive. It really did seem like Edgeworth was worried about me. But dehydration, huh? Unfortunately, I could see that. I hadn't adjusted to Japanifornia weather. It was far hotter than my home state, even for April. I was more used to cold winters than I was warmer temperatures. Plus, I hadn't been drinking as much fluids as I should have. When I get absorbed in things, I just tend to forget about important daily actions that serve to keep me alive and functioning.
Edgeworth handed me a bottle of water and told me I'd better start drinking. I didn't want to further bother him so I sat up completely and started guzzling. I stopped after halfway through the bottle. I realized something very important I had to do.
"Ah! I need to contact Gumshoe!"
I dug into my pants pockets and pulled out my cell phone, scrolled through contacts, and dialed Gumshoe's number. The other end rang for a couple of times and then he picked up.
"Yes, sir!"
"Detective Gumshoe! I need you to do something, immediately!"
"W-what is it, sir? Did something happen?"
"I need you to go and have the autopsy report updated, right now and bring it back to the court. The trial has been at the risk of ending and we're struggling to keep it going without the solid evidence. So, update the report, please."
"I'm on it, sir! Oh, um, I found a bunch of stuff looking around again too!"
"Good work, detective. Be sure to bring those pieces of evidence with you as well. But get a move on it! We just managed to get a recess, but after this the trial is as good as over. Get over here as quickly as possible."
"Understood, sir! I'll be the faster than you can say weenies!"
I hung up and put my phone away. I could breathe a sigh of relief- at least I knew the evidence would be on its way, God willing Gumshoe hurried down to courthouse.
"What do you mean by getting an updated autopsy report?"
"You didn't realize it? When I was, I guess, zoning out, I figured out why there was that discrepancy with the time sheet and punch in machine- the murder happened at 1 AM not 8 AM."
"Woah, wait a minute," Ray said sweating, raising his hands up like I threatened to shoot him. "You're saying it really happened at 1? You think the report is wrong?"
"It has to be. We've been thinking about it the wrong way the entire time. If the crime were committed at 8 or sometime after, those tricks wouldn't be necessary. We know he was in there, Larry has no reason to lie. At least with an updated autopsy report we'll have some proof. Then we can start the counter assault." I said adjusting my seat on the sofa.
"I think I get it," he said clapping his hands. "If the report comes back as the time of death at 1, it places Johnson at the scene of the crime making Charlie a less likely suspect as he didn't arrive until 7:30."
"Exactly."
"The question is why would he do it? He and Booke were good friends from what I could understand."
"That's something we'll have to figure out I guess." I said attempting to stretch out. It still hurt. "Nghh. That is the last time I fall on those floors. They're as hard as freaking bricks."
"Don't push yourself anymore than necessary. That wasn't a pretty fall."
"Miles is right, take it easy for as long as you can because I gotta feeling we may not have too much time left. The medics didn't think you were too bad a condition to continue trial. They figured you'd wake up within the hour," Ray said making air quotation marks.
"Ugh, really? That's not good."
(Gumshoe needs to get here soon!)
The waiting- the waiting for something is always scary. I hopped off of the sofa. I winced, this time for real. I had moved too quickly and could still feel the soreness of hitting that floor. Goddamned, those floor tiles.
"Eventually, they'll come back, since they've been back and forth. We might as well just give them scoop now."
He was right; my scheme backfired and I didn't want anymore people worrying because of it. If they'd come back at any moment, he might as well tell them now instead us being caught off guard.
"So, I'm going to see how much time we have left. I'll be back." He shoved his hands into his pockets and moseyed out of the room.
Now it was just me and Edgeworth. I swallowed nervously. I wondered what I should do now. I felt very antsy, full of energy, nervous energy. Even though most of my body was sore, I couldn't stop moving. I began pacing the room, walking back and forth. I didn't know what to do with myself. I was scared to speak to Edgeworth and just didn't want to sit down anymore. So, pacing it was.
After five minutes, a voice called out. "Would you stop with that pacing?"
I froze midstep.
"Detective Gumshoe may not be the brightest bulb at times, but he is reliable in times of need. Calm yourself down-no, actually sit down."
"But-"
Edgeworth took a seat on the sofa and gestured to a spot beside him. We had a staring contest. I tried with all might to withstand his glare, but he had a powerful gaze that could match no other. Plus, he had been practicing for a longer than I had. Eventually, I looked away and sighed.
"You win," I frowned. "You could break mirrors with that stare, honestly."
Edgeworth smirked. "I'd say I have."
(He actually seems proud at that notion...wow.)
I shook my head and resigned myself to sit next to him. I ended up looking away in the opposite direction since I didn't like making direct eye contact being in such close proximity. It's normally intimidating to begin with, but it is more intimidating when it's Edgeworth.
"I wonder if I'm even cut out for this," I sighed.
"For what?"
"Being a prosecutor."
I felt a shifting next to me. "Preposterous. You're perfectly capable and have proven yourself to be so on more than one occasion."
"Like when?" I asked curiously, but hesitantly looking over at him.
"Hmph. Let me remind of you of the TL-5 incident. You fought until the very end, even though the result was less than desirable."
(TL-5 ? Wait, wasn't there a file like that on my desk?)
"Well, it doesn't mean squat now." I folded my arms. "Now, I just don't want to lose."
"I don't think you'll lose him. You just need to hang on. If you quit now, this will have all been for nothing."
I didn't want to admit it, but he was right. But I was just so tired. How anyone could keep the stamina up in an insane courtroom like this was beyond me. I mean, the fact that I had to faint to try to get a person convicted was stupid. Everything in the court that happened just caused you to be on edge frequently. The lulls of sanity were only seemingly sane before something exploded in your face.
Before I could open my mouth to whine again, Ray entered the room.
"Uh, I have some bad news...court is going to reconvene in 20 minutes."
I wiped my face with my hand in dismay. Fantastic. There was no way he'd make it back in time. I guessed Edgeworth saw me about to flip a shit, because he suggested we leave this room and head to the hallway for the prosecution's side. Maybe by some miraculous twist Gumshoe would arrive soon.
April 16th, 12:45 PM
District Courtroom No. 5, Hallway
No such luck, Gumshoe was no where in sight. I called his cell over and over, but there was no answer. I was ready to die. Where could he have been? I hoped he didn't get stuck in traffic. Or crash his car in a terrible accident. Or die in a fiery blaze. I was slowly being driven to madness thinking of the worst imaginable things that could happen. After a few minutes, Ray returned to his side to talk to Mr. Mann. Yet again, it was myself and Edgeworth left to wait.
"Aw, man...what are we going to do? It's over, isn't? If he can't show up then, we're doomed. Doomed. My name has even cursed me. This is a game over. There's no restart. I'm on my last life and I'm not cat-why couldn't I have been a cat? Cats have 9 lives and at least they could land on their goddamn feet unlike me-"
"Lyn, snap out of it!"
I stopped pacing and tried to take a breath. He was right. I normally didn't get freaked out as much in tense situations- the problem was my old reality didn't give me as much to freak out about. It's hard to keep your head on straight here when everything is threatening to fall apart around you at any second. I sighed.
"How much longer are we going to keep hanging by a thread?"
"Getting the truth is hardly an easy task," said Edgeworth.
"Hn..." it was frustrating as hell, I could say that.
"Ms. Doom, court is starting," said a bailiff entering the hallway through the deadly door. Deadly because I'm pretty sure we were just sentenced to death.
"What?! Now? No! I can't go in yet, I still need the evidence-"
"Lyn," Edgeworth looked grave. "Go. I know as prosecutor's we're supposed to doubt, but for this instance, you're going to have trust."
"Trust? Trust in what? It's over..."
"Trust in yourself. Trust in the defense. Trust in the detective. It's not over unless you make it so. You've made it this far. Can you really turn back now?"
(That is so easy for you to say, but you've dealt with it before when I haven't. And it's complete bullcrap! How could I be expected to stay cool in a time like this? With no evidence, this case is done!)
I was still nervous and ready to throw in the towel, but I eventually started going over to that door. I looked behind me at that man, one last time. The precise and hardened features looked back at me, without doubt. He trusted me. The expression held in those gray eyes were encouraging me, telling me to get out there one more time. How could he believe like that? How could someone just have faith so easily? I just didn't get it. At last, I looked away and opened the door. I entered into the court. This was it.
April 16th, 1:10 PM
District Courtroom No. 5
The gallery was murmuring up a storm upon my arrival. I did my best to ignore it. I had such a dry mouth, though, I was not sure if it was from the heat or anxiety raging through my body at the moment. I should of drank the rest of that water. I was at my designated position behind this stupid bench yet again. Though, the real mystery being, how long was I gonna stay there? Ray was already there looking over at me, hopefully. I couldn't say I was beaming with hope, though.
The judge banged his gavel and asked the court for order.
"Court is back in session. Ms. Doom, how are you feeling?"
I sheepishly rubbed the back of my head. "I feel, much better now. I'm sorry for the disturbance I caused."
"Well, it is very good to see that you are back and better," said the judge. "We were all worried."
(Hm, there's this sinking feeling of grossness in me right now. I think it's called guilt...)
"In that case, we should pick up where we had left off. Bailiff, please escort the witness back to the stand."
Yet again, the Johnson was brought up on his crate behind the witness stand.
"Now then, I was going to dismiss you as I think we've covered all ground."
"Yeah! Good, if not for that brat over there making a scene I could have been gone by now!" Johnson huffed.
"Uh, if I may-"
The judge shook his head. "Mr. Shields, as I've said, I don't see the need to question this witness any further."
"But-"
"You have no evidence that this man was involved in the crime. There isn't a reason to keep questioning. This is a dead end."
Ray was glowering at Johnson, while that ingrate kept grinning away like he was the king of the world.
"I will now call this cross examination to a close-"
HOLD IT!
"Huh? Ms. Doom? What is the meaning of this?" blinked the judge.
"I..." I looked above. I saw him looking down from the gallery, arms folded in anticipation. I had been ready to quit, but maybe he was right. Maybe there something we could still do. Looking at that disgusting man's happy face was pissing me off. I needed to see it turn into a frown. "Seeing as I passed out, I didn't get the opportunity to ask a few other things on my mind."
"Oh? About what? We've covered the sheet and the machine. There was an explanation for those things."
"Well, uh, of course, yes there were, but...that's not what I'm really interested in! I would like to know about..." I could feel sweat dripping off me. I had to get this right, we needed him to testify about something just to hang in there a little longer. "...I would like to know about your candle making business? Yes, your candle making business. You seem to be very invested in it!"
"Ms. Doom, I hardly see the relevance of this to the murder," said the judge.
"Yeah, what do my candles got anything to do with it?"
"Well, I think that we can learn a lot about them! In fact this might be the key to the murder!" I said overly confident as I made stuff up.
"Yeah, I agree with her!" said Ray. "Those candles are something that have been bothering me, actually."
"What? This is stupid! You people are just making crap up!" Johnson yelled hobbling over his crate.
"Want to test us? Testify about your candles, and if nothing interesting comes up, you can leave. I mean, how can you of all people pass up the chance to talk about your precious candles?"
"Tch, this is stupid. But whatever, the faster I can get out the better. I'll do it." Johnson said rolling his eyes.
The judge sighed. "Very well, but this will be the LAST testimony. No more."
Witness Testimony
My Candles
- I've had my Johnson candle making business for a couple years.
-My candles are works of art!
-Any idiot who had refined tastes wouldn't pass them up.
-They're a big hit! And damned popular!
-In fact, once I get enough cash, I'll be out of that store for good.
"Happy now?" Johnson sneered.
Ray looked let down, as did I. What were we going to do with that?
(Oh, God. This testimony is utterly useless. Dammit! Come on, Gumshoe, where are you?)
"Uh, yeah, I'm very happy now. Don't mind if I give this the old fashioned cross examination..."
Cross Examination
My Candles
- I've had my Johnson candle making business for a couple years.
HOLD IT!
"Did you start the business by yourself?"
"Of course! What self respecting person wouldn't?"
Ray cast a sideways glance. "Right, so how much did it cost to start it up?"
"About a $ 100,000."
"Woah!" Ray put his hands up. "That's a lot of money..."
"Well, I wanted the best for my company of course!"
-My candles are works of art!
HOLD IT!
"Why is that?"
"Obviously, because I use the best materials for my candles! I don't use that cheap wax, like other companies do! My wax is durable and has a wonderful smell, that comes in various flavors, strawberry, cream, mint, blueberry, raspberry, pineapple, vanilla, cucumber, chocolate-"
HOLD IT!
"Hey, I get the picture. I've used candles in my lifetime you know."
"Hmph, well you asked."
-Any idiot who had refined tastes wouldn't pass them up.
-They're a big hit! And damned popular!
HOLD IT!
"Really? Where at? I didn't see them displayed at the store."
"Hmph, idiot. You have to have agreement with the place to sell it somewhere. I sell my products online. But..."
-Once I get enough cash, I'll be out of that store for good.
HOLD IT!
"Out of the store for good? What do you mean by that?"
"Once I earn enough cash, I'm leaving to start my own store to sell my work in! No more online trash for me. I'll be done with that supermarket forever."
"So, I'm guessing you don't like it there."
"Why should I? It's a pain, everything is a hassle in that store. I hate it so much. I hate managing, I hate the customers, I hate the workers- except poor Mr. Booke. It's too bad about him, he was one of the best and most reliable workers there."
"Yes, it is too bad..." Ray was thinking about something stroking his chin.
"Are you satisfied, Mr. Shields?" asked the judge. "Do you see anything wrong with this testimony?"
Ray didn't say anything for a bit. "I, uh, find fault with..."
"Whoops. I think I see what's wrong..." I commented sweating. "I wasn't completely honest about the things I had found the other day. Sooooorrrrry."
"What?" Ray wasn't happy about that, but I'd deal with it later.
"Mr. Johnson."
"What?"
"You said you started your business on your own. However, I'm certain that is a lie."
"Do you have proof of this, Ms. Doom?" asked the judge.
TAKE THAT!
"Right here." I threw up the Tender Lender notice I had found the other day. It appeared on the screen for everyone to see.
"This was discovered in the office of Mr. Johnson. Tender Lender is a loan company. You were getting loans from them, weren't you?"
Johnson's eyes widened. "I..you shouldn't go snooping where you aren't welcome! So, what if I was?!"
"You lied. I find that interesting because it is about your business. Plenty of people starting business's take out loans. Why would you hide that?"
He was skittish now; that box was shaking up a storm. "Listen hear, I..."
Ray's eyes lit up. "Wait, haven't there been rumors in that store, about missing money? The store is missing at 1/3 of its expected profit."
The gallery was murmuring. Johnson was sweating, looking around nervously. The crate was wobbling over left to right in a rhythmic motion.
"That's very suspicious. Where is the store's money going?" asked the judge.
"It's unknown, but we may have the culprit right in front of us..." I said staring directly at Johnson.
(Heh! We finally got him on the ropes!)
"W-well, wait a minute! You don't get off on pinning everything on me! Where's your proof that I took money from the store?"
Now, it was my turn to break out into a cold sweat. There wasn't any proof...
Johnson smirked triumphantly. He stopped sweating and the crate stood still.
"Ha! Now, that's what I thought! If you'll excuse me, I'll be on my way-"
HOLD IT!
"The cross examination is over yet!" yelled Ray.
"Oh? Face it! You're out of steam!" Johnson laughed.
Ray was glaring a hole into his head.
The judge nodded. "If there is no proof, we can't proceed. This cross examination hasn't brought any new insight to the murder. This will bring the cross examination to a close."
Johnson was giggling like an idiot while me and Ray was fuming. Was there nothing that could be done?
The judge was about to bring down his gavel. I closed my eyes. Well, we had given it our best shot, I tried Edgeworth, I really tried.
HOLD IT!
I snapped my eyes open. Someone had yelled out. It wasn't me, or Ray, or Johnson. It came from the entrance of the court.
"W-who was that?" demanded the judge.
We all turned our attention to the back of the court, a man was scurrying up to the front to the stand. It was Detective Gumshoe! I jumped up at the bench.
"Fuck yeaaaaah! You made it, detective!"
"Ms. Doom..." scowled the judge. He passed down another penalty. I wondered how many of those I'd get.
"Y-yes, sir!" he huffed out of breath. "S-sorry it took so long! But I got everything!"
I was so happy to see him, I could have hugged the shit out of him. I considered doing it later. Ray looked relieved as well. It was safe to say we were back in the game.
"What is the meaning of this?"
"Easy, Your Honor. The Detective has found new pieces of evidence that will break this case wide open! ...Right?"
"Yes, sir!" he grinned.
The judge blinked in confusion. "Very well, let us hear about the new evidence."
"Detective, please testify about you've found."
Gumshoe went on to explain how he discovered the cause of the pipe leak, being the extreme drop in temperature in one of the rooms. He snooped around in Johnson's room and discovered a massive pile of bills relating to this candle company. He wasn't doing as well as he wanted us to believe.
"Oh! And get this, pal! I found blood in Mr. Johnson's office!"
"What?!" I placed my hands on my face. Ray raised his up.
"Yeah! It was very small amount, but I got a sample and brought it back to get tested. That's why it was taking so long," he scratched his head. "Sorry, bout that."
"Well?" asked the judge. "Who does it belong to?!"
Gumshoe jumped back. "R-right! Well, you're not gonna believe it, but the blood belongs to Mr. Booke!"
Everyone was shocked. The courtroom exploded. Johnson was sweating so much, you would have thought he went for a swim. And that crate was starting to shake again.
"Oh, and, I got the autopsy report, like you wanted, sir!"
The autopsy report and the other evidence was placed into the technological court record. I examined the updated report...
Updated Autopsy Report:
Time of death: Estimated between 1:00 AM to 1:30 AM.
Cause of death: Blunt force trauma to the head. Death not immediate. Puncture wounds made after death.
I squawked. I was right! The time of death was completely different! It didn't happen at 8AM, it happened at 1 AM! I couldn't believe it! I was grinning in delight.
"Good work, detective! We'll be discussing your salary after this."
"R-really, sir?!"
I nodded and the judge dismissed Gumshoe who excitedly left the stand.
"These new facts about the case, seem to have turned what we knew about it on its head. I can't say where we stand now," he shook his head.
"Oh, but the answer is simple, Your Honor," shrugged Ray pushing down his hat. "We continue to cross examine, Mr. Johnson!"
Johnson who was forced to play second fiddle to Gumshoe's arrival looked palely and sickly. Served him right, for having that cocky attitude from before.
"I...don't have anything to do with this murder! Let me go!" he yelled raising a clenched fisht.
I removed my glasses and began twirling them. "Do you really think, this court is going to buy that sorry excuse? There was blood found in your office. You have some explaining to do."
"That and we know the true time of death being 1 AM...it means that the janitor was right. You were there the night of the crime!"
"I- this is ridiculous! I am a very busy man and I don't have time for this-"
The judge shook his head. "This is a very serious matter to have the blood of a murder victim found in your office, witness. I think you should testify about your actions the night of the crime."
Johnson squawked, nearly losing balance on the crate he was standing on. He just about almost fell off, but in the last moment straightened himself up to give us a huge glare.
"Fine! Screw all of you!"
Witness Testimony
My actions the night of the crime
-I was there late, so what?
-I had some business to care of, not relating to this case.
-You don't have proof I killed anyone.
-Hell, maybe that brat came in and killed him in my office when I wasn't there.
-After all, who woke up covered in blood carrying the murder weapon?
Johnson didn't look as frazzled as before. He seemed ready to duke it out as he stood up straight on the crate, which didn't hobble from side to side at all. He was dead serious and his testimony was quite bold if I did say so myself.
"You'd better destroy this testimony," I said.
"Oh, I will. Don't you worry."
Cross Examination
My actions the night of the crime
-I was there late, so what?
-I had some business to care of, not relating to this case.
-You don't have proof I killed anyone.
-Hell, maybe that brat came in and killed him in my office when I wasn't there.
HOLD IT!
"And why would he do that?"
"To frame me for it, obviously! It would explain the blood in my office."
-After all, who woke up covered in blood carrying the murder weapon?
OBJECTION!
"Ms. Doomsday, I got a confession to make. I wasn't totally honest myself."
I raised a brow.
"I found something very interesting in the office, as well, that I've been waiting for the right moment to use. That time is now," he grinned.
"Why is everyone raiding my office?! It's trespassing, I tell you-"
"You can sue me, later. But I doubt you'll have time to do that in jail."
Johnson recoiled nearly falling off that crate. "Why, you-"
TAKE THAT!
Ray presented what appeared to be a silver candle holder to the court.
"Just what is this, Mr. Shields? A candle holder? How is that contradictory?"
"It's been bothering me, about the knife being the murder weapon. Who kills someone with the butt of a knife? It seems unnatural. This candle holder seems far more likely to be the murder weapon."
"Don't be ridiculous! You calling me out, because I love candles now? Is that your sick game?"
"Uncle Ray would never do such a thing," he shrugged. "You didn't let me finish. If you examine this holder closely you'll see..."
I gasped. "I-it's covered in blood on this side!"
"W-well that's- he framed me! He put that in my office!" Johnson said trembling.
Ray shook his head. "Why do that? He did enough damage by holding on to the knife with his fingerprints and leaving it in his locker. I don't think he was even thinking. Even before then, he couldn't have been thinking because he was too busy being knocked out."
HOLD IT!
"I hate to burst your bubble, but...how do we know he's really been knocked out and not lying?" I asked.
Ray grinned. "It's simple."
TAKE THAT!
Ray presented the candle holder again. "If we test this for blood, I'm pretty certain we won't find just Mr. Booke's blood, but Charlie's as well. He mentioned be struck with a hard object, and I think this bad boy fits the description."
The judge sent for a bailiff to take the candle holder and have it taken by the police department for testing. After waiting for a while, the results came back. The candle holder indeed had the blood of the victim and Mr. Mann stuck to it. Not only that, the forensics team tested for prints. And they managed to pull Johnson's prints off of it. He was once again uncomfortable, shaking causing the crate to sway back and forth while he struggled to maintain a balance.
"How do you like that? Do you think, Charlie would kill Mr. Booke and then be so bold to strike himself over the head? And neither of their prints are on it. Only yours."
Johnson was grimacing, unsure of what to say for himself. "I...well, it's like..." Then all of sudden he straightened out with a calm expression on his face. "Fine. Let's say I did do it and killed Booke in my office. How'd I get him to the meat room? That's a distance to travel and look at the size of that guy! You think I could carry him?"
Ray groaned. "Well, that's..."
"...Easy." I finished. "You didn't have to carry him. The most you had to do was lift him onto a mode of transport-let's say a dolly."
Johnson jumped back, nearly stumbling off onto the floor. "How-you don't have proof!"
OBJECTION!
"Incorrect. The proof I need is right here!" I said presenting the sugar data to the court.
"Sugar? But what does that prove?" asked the judge. "I use sugar all the time, it doesn't make me a murderer."
I shook my head. "Of course not. However, a clumsy person caused a sugar spill. As you can see there are many trails leading from it in different directions. Why is that? A person trying to pick up a spill would go in one direction, that six. The answer is simple, a dolly was used through the sugar- it moved forward and backward creating those trails. And I'm sure if we look at the dolly, you'll find all of that sugar on its wheels."
"NNNNghhhhhh..." Johnson looked like he was going to explode. The crate was starting to shake uncontrollably.
"So, I'm right, huh?" I grinned.
"S-shut up! You stupid witch!" He was turning red in the face like a tomato. "Well, you don't got proof I went in that room!"
OBJECTION!
I whipped off my glasses. "Incorrect, again! I have all the proof I need, right here!"
I presented the "special" candle to the court.
"Huh? The candle?" asked Ray.
I nodded. "Detective Gumshoe and I searched the meat room on the first day of the investigation. It was there he tripped in a sticky cream coated substance, that I'm certain was wax. It would make sense, considering how you knocked out Mr. Mann upon entrance to that room."
Johnson was still fuming, until he calmed himself down. "You know, it's a nice story you got all weaved up there, but there's still one thing you never addressed."
"What's that?" I asked.
"Why would I kill him? He was my best employee. A personal favorite. I have no reason to kill him," he smirked.
This was it. The question we needed to answer, or else it was done for real. Why would he kill Booke? His best employee and dare I even say friend. Why would he kill him?
"If you can't provide evidence, I'm afraid this witness is correct."
Crap.
"You wouldn't have anymore evidence that would be useful, would it?" asked Ray sweating.
I felt the sweat dripping from my brow. Goddamnit. What could we have as a motive? It would have to have been something, that would hurt Johnson enough to make him turn on Booke. But what? I didn't know, but to keep going we had to do something.
(Actually, I'm curious about this thing still. We couldn't get anything out of it, but maybe Ray could.)
"I do have something of interest that has yet to be presented."
I took out the video tape of the service side of the store. The blue light immersed my hand as it was added to the court record.
"And what is this a tape of?" asked the judge.
"Security footage of the store. I think the defense will find something useful on it."
Ray raised a brow. I shrugged my shoulders. I honestly had no plan for this, I just relied on his experience of pointing stuff out. Hopefully, it would pay off.
"Alright, let's see what Uncle Ray can find."
The tape began to play. It showed the side of the store by the service booth and multiple cash registers. Not much was happening- there weren't many people at cash registers, only three people. It's uneventful until a little girl appeared on screen, picking up a candy bar, shoving it in her pocket and running out of the view of the camera.
The court murmured. The judge brought down his gavel.
"Was that a child shoplifting?" he blinked.
Ray began to sweat, hands raised. "No, way..."
It was clear he realized something important, but what?
"That child...that girl is-"
Suddenly, the defendant ran up to the stand. "No! Don't you dare!"
"Charlie, that's the truth isn't it? That's her, isn't it?"
"You say another word and I swear to God I'll-"
OBJECTION!
"No! We aren't playing this game anymore, Charlie. If you want to see her again outside of bars, you need us to do this!"
Mann began to sweat and actually shut up.
"That girl, she's your daughter, right?"
"...Yes."
"What?" I asked. No way. That girl was his kid?
"I'm sorry. I really am. I've told her over and over if she wants something she should just ask! But she still does this...I honestly think she's a kleptomaniac. I'll pay back the store. I had no idea she did this again."
"Again?" I asked. "It's happened before?"
He frowned. "Yeah, it has."
"Well, besides this young lady shoplifting I'm not sure what is important about this tape," said the judge.
I saw Ray thinking, and then his eyes nearly bulging out of his head.
HOLD IT!
"I think that's very important, your honor. This is an answer to a question we couldn't figure out before!"
"Well, hurry up and answer it!" I yelled excitedly.
"Charlie! This is it, right? This is why...you were blackmailed by Mr. Booke."
Mr. Mann jolted a bit while grimacing.
"I guess there's no point in hiding it now. You got it, he blackmailed me for this. He threatened get her time in jail and to get child protective services on me."
"That's terrible," I said. "That's just a kid who probably doesn't understand the consequences..."
"Well, there was no getting around that guy! He was like Big Brother! Always watching and waiting for something to happen...and I just couldn't take any chances. I refuse to be separated from my baby like that!"
"Indeed, it was an unkind thing to do," the judge shook his head. "But, let's continue. Bailiffs, return the defendant to his place."
With Mr. mann out of the way, we were left with the same question. Was there anything we could use to pin this on Johnson?
"Is there anything else wrong with this tape, Mr. Shields?"
"Yes, yes there is." he said shrugging his shoulders confidently, though I'm sure he was bullshitting.
What could he have possibly seen?
"Alright, point out what part of the tape seems off to you and show it to us."
"No, problem!"
Well, even if he was holding on to dear life, I hoped he pull it off and find something wrong where me and Gumshoe failed. I wanted this to end, and end in the right way.
TAKE THAT!
"I think something's wrong with this part here, at 14:12."
"Hm, what is that? A man at a cash register? I don't see anything wrong with that."
Ray shook his head. "That's what it looks like, but look closer."
He highlighted a part where we saw the man's hand slip under the compartment for dollar bills and change and pull out hundreds of dollars. It was very subtle because it looked like he was adding more change and more dollar bills in the container. All the money going in made one watching miss the money leaving.
"Oh, my. This person is stealing out of the registers!" exclaimed the judge. "Just who is he?"
I looked at Johnson, who looked like he was about to piss his pants. He was red in the face and sweating like a pig, with clenched teeth. I think we finally had what we needed. It had to have been him.
"I believe it's Mr. Johnson," said Ray grinning.
"That could be anyone on that tape! Y-you can't prove it!" he cried out nervously.
Ray looked like he was shot, wincing. "Urk..."
(No! There has to be a way to show it was him...there's no way it's not him!)
I looked at the image on the tape. It was clearly a man, but you couldn't make out the details of his face very well. But what could we make out? There had to be something... wait. Was that a splotch?
"I think- I see something that can help us identify, the thief!"
"Present it to the court then, Ms. Doom!"
TAKE THAT!
I stopped the tape a little ahead of where it was last placed. It was focused on the man's shoulder, which had a bright yellow stain.
"I'd like to draw your attention to yellow splotchy thing on his shoulder. Does it remind you of anything?"
"Ms. Doom, this is hardly the time for bathroom humor."
"No, Your Honor, that's not urine," I felt myself sweating again. "You need to get your vision checked more than I do!"
"Wait. You're saying it's..." Ray shook his head. He had figured it out.
"Please, share it so I can be in disbelief as well," demanded the judge. "What is that yellow substance?"
"Easy! That's wax. Specifically the same wax Mr. Johnson uses for his candles. " I presented the candle to the court for proof.
Johnson was trembling, looking very weak. The crate was swaying up a storm, you could tell he was so close to collapsing. We just had to push a little more.
"That's that. You stole from those registers. And you have reason to, considering your failing company with your bills," said Ray presenting the bills from Johnson's office. "Plus, your loan from Tender Lender was a hefty one too."
"Well, I.. you see it's like... " beads of sweat were dripping profusely off of him. "You-you can't do this! You've got nothing on me! Booke didn't even know about this!"
I raised a brow.
(He didn't know about this? ...That was it. That's the motive we've been wondering about! This is the final nail in your coffin, Johnson!)
OBJECTION!
"This will be your last lie, Mr. Johnson. We had been stuck, asking why you'd kill him, your favored employee. But yet again, you gave yourself away. You killed him because he didknow about your actions. He found out what was happening and you silenced him."
"T-that's not true!"
OBJECTION!
"I'd like to present this evidence." I said holding up Booke's planner we found. The usual process began and it appeared on screen.
"This is a planner?" asked the judge.
I nodded.
"This was the victim's planner. On the last page, it's written that he had to talk with Inkos, the assistant store manager. It's unusual because why would he do that when he could just talk to the store manager who happened to be his one and only friend in the store? He clearly had more power than the assistant manager. And he hardly ever spoke to Inkos. So, why? Because Booke found out about Johnson stealing from the store. Johnson's favorite goody two shoes, was the one person to figure out his dirty deeds. He tried to call him out on it, but we saw what happened. He ended up dead as a result. Some friend, huh?"
"That...man..."
Johnson was swaying from side to side rocking the crate faster and faster, fat jiggling all over the place.
"That...stupid...man! He ruined everything! I was so close! I was almost out! But he couldn't keep his mouth shut! That snitch deserved everything he got! I begged and pleaded with him...but he wouldn't listen, he was going to rat me out to Inkos!"
"Wow, you're pathetic. You couldn't even be a friend to one person," said Ray shaking his head.
"You would never understand greatness, you lowlife attorney scum! No one does!"
OBJECTION!
"You talk about greatness as if you know something about it. You are no more great, than you are a professional lowlife loser. A cowardly murderer gets no respect, at least not in a court. You are done. Have fun selling your lame candles in jail where you belong," I said at last delivering the smackdown.
"ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
He finally broke down. Finally. And, well it was one of the most bizarre things I've ever witnessed. It was just really weird seeing an ace attorney break down in real life. The crate he was standing on quivered at the quickest speed imaginable making it harder for Johnson to stand on properly. It was like he exploded out of his shirt, buttons popping off everywhere left and right. His hair somehow caught on fire, maybe from a candle. His face looked as red as a hot tamale. Just as it looked like he was about to fall off the crate, he stood straight up and began to sweat until his sweat doused the fire. Suddenly he completely broke through the crate, legs completely breaking though the wood. As the finisher, he fell over backwards legs still submerged in the crate.
The bailiffs took him away from the stand and put him in cuffs. Mr. Mann was brought up to the stand.
"So, how exactly did the murder happen?" asked the judge. "We've been in so much confusion today, I can barely wrap my head around it."
"It's been a confusing mess. But based on the facts, here's what we can conclude," I said reading a sheet of notes to sum up.
"It's been confirmed that the murder happened around 1 AM thanks to the updated autopsy report. We can assume that Mr. Booke overheard Mr. Johnson on the phone with Tender Lender discussing how he'd get the money to them from the store as soon as possible. Mr. Booke put two and two together and realized it was Mr. Johnson who was stealing the store's money for the past months. He jotted down in his planner how he had to talk to Mr. Inkos about it. He went into the office to confront Mr. Johnson, but he was upset and killed him by striking him over the head with the candle holder. Mr. Johnson cleaned up most of the blood and hid the candle holder in the office."
"He decided to move the body into the meat room considering Mr. Booke and Mr. Mann hated each other. He threw the body on to a dolly, that had got caught in sugar, into the meat room and hid it. Mr. Johnson then proceeded to fool around with the temperatures downstairs, specifically the meat room to mess up the time of death- the reason why the pipe exploded the following day. He shut himself in his office, but only after he created the fake sign in sheet to prevent people from entering the meat room to sign in. When Mr. Mann entered work, Mr. Johnson came into the meat room and struck him with the candle holder, knocking him unconscious. From there he forced Mr. Booke's body on the meat hook and then fabricated the rest of the crime scene to throw everyone off. The bloody knife, the name tag, the machine-all faked. When Mr. Mann awoke to the sight of the crime scene he ran out and was witnessed by Ms. Oldbag, whom informed Mr. Johnson. Of course he already knew, but phoned the police anyway to avoid suspicion."
"To think how someone could go to such lengths to avoid being caught," the judge shook his head. "But I am glad we got to the bottom of this mystery."
"Agreed," grinned Ray.
"Mr. Shields, Ms. Doom. You two worked well together to find the culprit. Such teamwork is something to be feared by criminals."
"Huh, I guess so," I muttered.
(Well, that's great and all, but hurry up and end this shit! I want outta this courtroom!)
"It's only an after thought at this point, but it is time to declare my verdict. The court finds the defendant, Mr. Charlie Mann..."
NOT GUILTY
The judge brought down his gavel. The confetti was falling from...somewhere.
"This ends today's procedure. Court is adjourned."
The gallery began filing out of the courtroom, the judge returned to his chambers, Charlie was led out by bailiffs, Ray was headed back to the defendant lobby, and I finally got to get the fuck out to what I called the prosecutor lobby.
April 16th, 2:07 PM
District Courtroom No. 5 Hallway
It was over. That shitstorm was over. I had lost hope and didn't think we could have won, but we did it. We sent that shit lord packing. And that was satisfying to watch a guy like that, so evil and confident crumble into a million pieces. Took forever to get that result, but it was worth it to nail the right guy and get the innocent one out.
I stood in the lobby breathing in the fresh air of the hallway as opposed to the restrictive battle ground of the courtroom. Free at last! I tried to raise I fist into the air, but it hurt like a bitch due to the fainting spell from earlier. I would definitely have to sleep everything off tonight.
"Congratulations," the familiar voice said coolly.
"Congratulations on what? I lost the case, you know," I remarked playfully turning to face Edgeworth.
"You won, simply by finding the truth."
"Yeah, I know. I'm just kidding," I chuckled. It was sort of, for lack of a better word, cute how serious he could be. "I'm just glad it's over."
"It has been a long trial, indeed. Now, you can get some rest," he said tapping his arm.
"Huh? Are you being my mom again?"
His face contorted into this annoyed 'nghoo' face. I laughed.
"You fainted in the courtroom! Is it insane to suggest something reasonable?"
"A-alright, relax." I snorted. "I'm kidding. That's the first thing, I'll be doing when I go home. And I'll drink lots of water too, happy?"
"...Quite." he said somewhat irritably.
I shake my head with a grin.
"Ms. Doom, sir! Mr. Edgeworth!" yelled Detective Gumshoe running down the hall.
"Detective Gumshoe!" I beamed. "You did it! You did a good job!"
He scratched the back of his head. "Aww, it was nothing, sir. Just doing what I was supposed to."
"Well, I'm grateful! If we didn't get that evidence this case would be over," I was so happy that I tried to give Gumshoe a hug. It caught him off guard, and understandably so. He was a pretty big guy and my arms barely manage to go around him.
"Woah, are-are you feeling alright, sir?" he said awkwardly patting me on the back.
"I'm perfectly fine. Consider it my way of thanking you before I look into your salary."
"R-really, sir? You were serious about that?!"
"I wouldn't lie-woah!"
The next thing I knew I was being bear hugged by the detective. I guessed he was overjoyed with the news he doesn't hear often, but I was about to piss my pants. There was the possibility he'd crush me to death.
"Detective, I think you might be killing Lyn," remarked Edgeworth.
"Ahh, sorry! I just got carried away..." He let go over me and I could breathe again. "Do you want one too, Mr. Edgeworth?"
"N-no! No thank you," he replied subconsciously straightening out his clothes. He probably didn't want them to wrinkle...
"Oh, I was thinking of going to the the defendant's lobby. You guys want to come to?" I asked.
"I'll accompany you," nodded Edgeworth.
"I'll come too!"
"Alrighty, then. Let's go!"
April 16th, 2:14 PM
District Courtroom No. 5, Defendant Lobby
We entered the scene. It was pretty lively considering quite a few people were there already. Mr. Mann, Mr. Inkos, Ray, Larry and even Oldbag were present.
Uhoh.
"Edgey poo!" Oldbag said darting over to him with hearts in her eyes.
It was clear he was ready to flee in terror at any moment. "Ngh! Why are you always around?!"
"We can never be too far apart, Edgey poo! It's written in the stars!"
"Well, I hope all of those stars explode!"
As sorry as I felt for him- the whole thing was a spectacle to watch. Gumshoe went over hesitantly in a feeble attempt to help Edgeworth out...which didn't do much to deter her.
"So, Ms. Doomsday's here," Ray grinned.
"You're still using that stupid nickname?" I sighed. "Whatever, guess it's not important. I'm just glad that we did it."
"Same. Though, I'm surprised that you helped me like you did," he said shrugging his shoulders.
"I'm not letting people get away with crap like that. I don't care what side I'm on. People need to pay the price for their actions."
Ray laughed. "That's what Miles would always say. I guess I can see why you're his apprentice now, but I still don't condone your previous actions, just to make myself clear."
(Even after all of that, you'd think he'd let up.)
I could only sigh. "Fine by me."
"Oh...Ms. Doom."
I looked up, it was Charlie. He seemed to be way more mellow now, perhaps happy at his soon to be freedom.
"Hello, Mr. Mann. Or, er, C Mann. Congratulations."
"Thank you! You really helped me, you and Ray both. I really appreciate it."
"Think nothing of it," I said. "I'm just glad the right guy is behind bars now. Actually, what's the store going to do now that Johnson's gone?"
"Oh, that. Mr. Inkos is taking over as store manager now, since he really does care about the place."
"Heh, that's good. Now, I know you guys will be alright."
Mr. Inkos appeared behind Charlie, raising a finger up to his lips as a caution for me not to say anything. I saw he was holding the hand of tiny individual.
"Charlie, look who else is here to congratulate you?"
Mr. Mann turned around and his eyes lit up. "Destiny!" He raised the little girl off of the ground excitedly.
I didn't really take a liking to kids much, but even I had to admit that it was a nice sight. Before I could say or do anything else, a certain clown walked into the picture.
"Lynyyyyyyyyyy!"
"...Hi, Larry."
He looked up at me with pleading eyes. Oh no.
"So, where do you want to go?"
"Go? Go where?"
"For our date, silly!"
I felt the sound of soul shattering yet again, this time the pieces that were already broken were shattering into even smaller bite sized pieces. I had forgotten about that terrible deal I made, but of course, Larry hadn't. I wondered if going on a date with Larry actually kill me. It would just be one drink. And a part of me was curious to see what a drunk Larry would be like. Would he be more emotional than he already was? Would he be an angry drunk? What if he became stoic? Besides my mild curiosity, I didn't like breaking promises too much either. I would just be incredibly clear that nothing would come from this. Absolutely nothing.
I resigned myself to Larry's puppy dog eyes. "I don't really know where, as long as the place is nice enough, I guess."
"Alright! I know a bunch of cool places in town! You wanna go Sunday?"
"Fine by me."
"Yay!" he took out his phone. "What's your number?"
I couldn't believe I was actually exchanging cell phone numbers with Larry Butz. What was my life coming to? At any rate we traded and the deal was sealed. Sunday night at 7PM. He'd text me with the details tonight or tomorrow and we'd meet Sunday. After that, I figured it was time for me to leave the courthouse for the day and just go home. I told people goodbye and began to leave. I heard footsteps following me and they were Edgeworth's, who appeared to be out of breath.
"Mr. Edgeworth? Are you alright?"
"I will never be alright after dealing with that woman. Ever."
I repressed a laugh at his expense.
"Detective Gumshoe is distracting her now. I took my chance to escape when you were leaving."
"I can see that," I shook my head. "If it makes you feel any better, I'm going on a date with Larry Sunday."
The look on his face turned from exhaustion to horror.
"Lyn, did that fall break your brain?"
"N-no, I don't think it did-"
He rubbed a hand over his face.
"Just, be careful. I don't want to hear about anymore mishaps. Anyone who knows Larry, knows he's a walking disaster. Don't get dragged into it."
"I won't. You don't have to worry about that," I tried to say reassuringly.
But I didn't know what to expect Sunday. I think I was trying to assure myself that everything would be fine more so than Edgeworth, but what was the worst that could happen?
We walked out of the courthouse into the parking lot. Edgeworth's red sports car was in sight only a couple of feet away from the entrance into the lot.
"Well, I shall see you at the prosecutor's office soon, since you have to file that case. And probably have to head the trial to convict Mr. Johnson."
(What?)
"Or did you already forget?" he asked amusedly.
"Oh, no. Of course not. Just who do you think I am?"
(I thought I was done with this forever...This blows. I need to take cases I know I can win.)
He unlocked the door to the driver's side with the key. "Regardless, good work today." He opened the door, took a seat and shut himself in. In a couple of minutes he was pulling out of the parking spot and driving out into the fast moving streets of Japanifornia.
I was left watching him super awesomely drive away like a boss. How could it be possible that a guy dressed that dorky for 21st century times, still manage to be that cool in red sports car? It shouldn't be possible, yet somehow it was. I sighed at the embodiment of Miles Edgeworth and decided to find my less than cool looking car to make my journey home. It was a long day and not only that, that was fucking ridiculous for my first trial. I needed a much deserved break before stepping in for round two and I could only hope the weekend provided that much.
Profiles:
Maya Fey: Age 19. It looks like we're good friends based on what I know.
Miles Edgeworth: Age 26. My mentor? Likes giving me lectures. It seems we're on good terms.
Detective Gumshoe: Age 33. Lead detective on this case. Help me.
Reed Booke: Age 45. The victim in this case. Deli employee. Sounds like a jerk.
Charlie Mann: Age 30. Butcher. Suspect in this case. Found fleeing the crime scene. Really strange.
Woody Johnson: Age 51. Store manager. First one to discover the body. Likes to sit in the dark...
Larry Butz: Age 25. Janitor. This guy is insane, how does he even exist?
Jo Jo Inkos: Age 35. Assistant manager. Very kind seems genuinely concerned about what's happening.
Raymond Shields: Age 35. The sassy defense attorney I'll be facing in court. Fuck.
Wendy Oldbag: Age ?. Cashier. (Unfortunately) a witness.
Judge: Age ?. Old timer judge. No one know his real name.
Evidence:
Fingerprint time clock: Was said to be broken since sometime early this morning, but was used. Mysterious prints belong to Larry.
Sign in sheet: List of names and times people came in/out for work.
Bloody name tag: Suspect's name is on it.
Planner: List of Booke's day to day chores.
Autopsy report: Time of death estimated between 1: 00 AM and 1:30. Cause of death blunt force trauma to the head. Death was not immediate. Puncture wounds occurred after death.
Fingerprint analysis: One set of prints belong to Mann, other prints are Larry's.
Blood results: Victim's blood found on the time clock.
Meat Cleaver: Blade is clean, but handle is covered in blood.
Kum & Go building plans: Map outline of the building.
Candle: "Special" candle Mr. Johnson made.
Sugar spill: Mess Larry made due to clumsiness. Different trails of sugar moving in different directions.
Tender Lender Notice: Asking for money, found in Johnson's waste basket.
Security camera footage: From day of the murder and earlier, but nothing odd appears on them.
Leaking Pipe: Bursted from cold temperature.
Bills: Johnson's numerous debts he's collected the past year.
Blood droplets: Found on the floor of Johnson's office. DNA matches Booke's.