AN: HI EVERYONE! I'M SOOOOOoooorrryyyyyyyyyyY! Seriously, it's been a while. I hope you all have been well. And thanks for those bday wishes from forever ago! Anyway, I'm back with this chapter. I've been fighting life...plus having writer's block...but I think I've snapped out of it and regained my confidence. So, thanks for sticking with me and this story for so long! It means a lot! It'd be boring to write without you guys reading, faving and reviewing so thank you so much. I know this one is on the shorter side, but after the last chapter, I don't feel the need to kill anyone with my words LOL. In any case, I'm on a roll so that next chapter isn't gonna take me months again...anyway hope you enjoy!
Spacegoodra: LOL, well I mean, technically they did have a room xD.
DJJ680: Well, I moved it to M to be safe now. Well, we'll see. I have some ideas that might be different from what you expect for this story ;).
whymiiverse: Thank you and thank you!
OBSERVER01: Loool. Yeah, Phoenix will troll him about it forever now.
FSOA: I moved it to M to be safe, but I've never had an issue here before. Even if I did, I always have copies of chappies elsewhere. Yep, yep!
GlaresThatKill: LOL, just the reaction I was going for xD. Hehe. It will be interesting when I get to it. I think, she'd be 20 by now since a year passed.
bwburke94: Perhaps, we'll seeeeeeee.
Jack54311: Hahaha, yes she does xD. Thank you so much for your kind words! Yeah, it ain't everyone's cup of tea, but I don't use it all that much. It used to be heavy with swears when I first started writing haha. Yes, sorry about that. With life, changes, and writer's block, it's hard to get chapters out as much as I want. But little by little.
JordanPhoenix: Haha. It's so much fun to write Wright Worth squabbles. That's one of the reasons I fell in love with the AA series. Lol, any more and she might have died. Thanks a bunch as usual for your reviews, awesome person!
Ryo: Haha, they forgot he existed xD. When she finds out, she just might be writing who knows lol. Thank you! Hope you've been well too!
Lily Fey: Haha thanks! The three of them together was fun to write. Trolling Edgeworth should just be a sport. We shall see what happens when we make it to that part...maybe. Maybe not. I have many ideas for where and how I want to continue... haha glad you enjoyed that part. No worries, the writing will continue in one way or another xD. Thanks so much!
opalander: It was reallllllll life lol.
FSOA: Yeah, it has an "a" instead of "e". I'll get around to fixing it soon enough.
Veris: Lol, I'm glad it killed you. Thank you for reading xD.
AnimeFan419: Let me know how the writing is going!
NNinja: Oh lord lol xD. I don't even know if I could write a 3 way lol. Woh woh woh, Larry will get lucky in some way. I'm sure lol. Hmmmm, for the sake of the story, I'll just say no she doesn't know anything about logic chess. When AAI2 translation came out, it's hazy in my memory. But she was definitely out before DD, so has no idea about that stuff. Well, we shall see...hopefully it will be entertaining in any case lol. Of course!
April 20th, 6:21 AM
Gatewater Hotel
I woke up to the sound of a rather obnoxious alarm. Not just any alarm mind you, but a Steel Samurai alarm. Where some guy screams "YEOOOOOOoooooo" leading into the traditional Japanese sounding theme.
It was louder, on the other side of the room so without I doubt I knew who's cell phone alarm this was...
( And I quote 'I don't watch children's programming'. Yeah right, Edgeworth.)
For a guy with a ridiculous alarm, it was rather hard to fathom that Edgeworth was sleeping right through the thing. I yawned as I made myself sit up.
Judging from the sound of the shifting on the other side, Lyn was also awoken by the hero of Neo Old Tokyo.
"Miles," Lyn started. "Get up and turn your stupid alarm off."
He didn't move an inch.
"Go already…" she whined.
And once more, his response was to lie there like a log.
I didn't remember Edgeworth being a heavy sleeper. It was kinda ironic considering he was always the get up at the crack of dawn type person before everyone else.
Lyn groaned and sat up, stretching for a moment.
"Good morning," I muttered.
"Likewise," she replied gruffly, standing up glaring at the still sleeping Edgeworth. "What time is it?"
"6:25," I said as I checked my own phone.
"Yippee," she rolled my eyes. "At least we're not late."
"I could have lived with an extra hour of sleep."
"Well, God willing that alarm stops. I bet you could," she said walking around, looking for the phone.
"No, it's alright. If I went back to sleep, I'd just be dreaming of the Steel Samurai."
Lyn put a hand on Edgeworth's shoulder and started shaking him. "Come on and wake up you fanboy!"
"W-what is it?" Edgeworth eventually snapped. "Why are you being so rough?"
"Because you won't wake up and turn your dumb alarm off! It woke everyone else up!" she huffed.
"Ngh...my apologies. I forgot I had it on," he muttered as he sat up, reaching into his pocket for the phone.
Finally, there was silence. That theme was gonna be stuck in my head all day, though.
"Great. Now, that you're up, get ready to drive me to the secret hiding spot," Lyn demanded with a smirk, as she headed into the bathroom shutting the door behind her.
"Troublesome woman…" he grumbled, as he wiped his eyes.
(Heh. Edgeworth seems whipped. I wonder…)
"Hey, Edgeworth…"
"What is it?" he turned to me, still a bit disheveled.
"About you and Lyn...are you two an item?" I asked curiously.
The prosecutor turned his head to the side, holding his arm. "...Why do you ask?"
"Well, it's just that the two of you seem close." I stroked my chin. "...That and I thought I heard something happening on the other side of the room last night."
Suddenly, a psychelock appeared in front of him.
(Called it. Totally called it. Edgeworth was getting freaky on the other side of the room with me in it… Agh.)
"Wright, this is none of your business," he flushed.
"It kinda is when you decide to canoodle in the same room as me, Edgeworth…"
"It was unintentional. I forgot about your presence," he said. "But to be honest, I'm unsure. Things between us are ...a tad complicated to say the least."
(Well, it sure doesn't look like it. And it certainly didn't sound like it last night…)
Lyn emerged from the bathroom, with a big grin. "Alright, you ready to kick ass today!?"
"If it's for my badge, then yes."
She looked at the two of us scratching her face absentmindedly. "Hm? ...Why does the atmosphere feel awkward all of a sudden?"
"It's nothing," Edgeworth muttered. "Let's just get to your 'secret' hiding spot."
"Huh. Well, alright," Lyn said cocking her head.
The two of them headed towards the door. "See ya at court, Mr. Wright!"
The door shut behind them. It was just me now.
This was an interesting turn of events. I would have never guessed that Edgeworth was a slut. Though, this information I could have lived without, but what's more crazy is that those rumors I heard from Maya and Gumshoe were right.
(Note to gossip about this later.)
Well, once we survived today's trial for better or worse anyway. As much as I wished for a little more shut-eye, I was already up. With the extra time, I could grab something to eat and review the plan for today.
My precious badge was not going anywhere. It was staying where it belonged.
April 20th, 9:51 AM
Defendant Lobby No. 4
It didn't take long to retrieve the page. Okay, well it didn't take long to complete the action of retrieving the page. Miles and I had to wait until 9 AM before the place I left the page in opened for the day.
In the meantime, he decided to drive right down to the police station without saying where we were even going. Like a caged animal, I had no choice to submit to reporting last night's crime to the police. But on the plus side, Miles was a witness to the event so it could be confirmed. A couple of officers were sent to my office to check it out. As for the page, I told them I'd hand it over when the time was right, that this was of the utmost importance for a trial. Because I couldn't even access the page until 9 AM, they had no choice but to wait.
After that, we killed some time at some cafe nearby, that apparently wasn't up to Mr. Sophisticated's standards in terms of brewed tea. It turned out he's waaaaay crankier in the morning without a good cup of tea apparently.
As for the secret spot in question, I left it in the bank. It was beyond me why villains like to keep shit in their personal safes in their offices, instead of going to the bank and leaving them in a safety deposit box. Of course, it wasn't a 100% guarantee the contents would always be free from theft or destruction, but it was a hell of a lot better than leaving it plain sight in a location I frequently habit.
"So that was your secret hiding spot," Phoenix remarked. "It's a good thing you left it there instead of your office."
I nodded. "You're telling me."
"It's an even better thing that the office is being examined by the police this instant," Miles said tapping a finger on his arm.
"Yeah, I guess so," I said, still feeling a bit salty over having to go to the police station without much warning.
He shook his head. "Perhaps you don't like it, but if you want to claim your office was ransacked and you were threatened over that page today, the police needed some kind of proof. With your report and my testimony, there is a solid argument. Anyone could cast doubt on your story otherwise."
I pouted. I really hated when he was right about stuff...but he was. This probably would have created a big hole in my idealized plan if I did it how I initially wanted. Ugh.
I did my best to ignore my shortcoming. "Well, okay. I guess you haven't totally ruined my plan," I said sticking my tongue out. "Good work, lackey!"
Miles just rolled his eyes at me as he normally did. "I'll meet you in the gallery."
With that he walked down the hall and disappeared around the corner, leaving me and Mr. Wright.
"Hm, so where is Mr. Gramarye anyhow? Shouldn't he be here by now?" I asked.
Phoenix shrugged. "It beats me. I don't know where he is. But if yesterday's any indicator, I'm wondering if he's trying to come up with another escape plan."
"Right...he's unpredictable, that one," I said sweating bullets. "...Regardless of what happens in there today, I have the page on standby. So this SHOULD be a lot better than before."
"Let's hope."
"We got this. Best of luck," I said giving a thumbs up before heading off to the gallery.
I really did hope that everything worked out for the best. Or at the very least, just not as horrific as before. But even in the impossible scenario that Phoenix managed to get disbarred we could all fight the decision. More so, it was my hope we could nab Kristoph today. I'd give anything to get that bastard on something. Anything.
April 20th, 10:00 AM
Courtroom No. 7
Once again, the gallery was buzzing with energy, still, a bit crowded. Through the sea of people, I had managed to spot the red-clad prosecutor in the middle rows. Luckily, he was nice enough to have saved me a spot next to him.
"It took you long enough," he started. "You're not up to any other crazy shenanigans, I hope."
I folded my arms. "Hey, that was only yesterday. We're just keeping to the plan we already discussed unless you find that to be crazy."
Miles said no more, instead focusing his attention below. Phoenix, Klavier, and the Judge had just taken to their designated positions. It looked like Zak was brought in recently too as he was at the defendant chair now. I wonder what he was up to? The gavel banged three times, hushing the crowds.
"Court is now in session for the trial of Zak Gramarye," stated the Judge. "Is it safe to begin trial without any foul odors cropping up?"
"Yes, it is Herr Judge. The source of the awful stench yesterday was discovered to be stink bombs that someone planted in the courtroom. I suppose some prankster thought it'd make a funny joke," Klavier said slamming his fist into the wall.
Phoenix slouched his shoulders, sweating slightly. "Yeah, some prankster, alright…"
I could feel the glare of cold gray eyes burning into me from my left side. I refused to look, however, and opted to I smile to myself.
The Judge shook his head. "The youths these days! Bailiff see to that no more pranks happen in this courtroom again!"
"We're looking into the matter, sir!"
"Good," the Judge nodded. "And more importantly, see to it that the defendant make no more attempts at escape."
The bailiff nodded as he stood next to the defendant's chair. If Zak was gonna make a run for it, it might prove a bit more difficult this time around…
"With those matters out of the way, let us begin our proceedings." The old man cleared his throat. "Is the defense ready?"
Phoenix nodded. "The defense is ready, Your Honor."
"Is the prosecution ready?"
"Ha! The prosecution is more than ready," Klavier said as he did an air guitar.
"Picking up on where we left off, yesterday I believe I was ready to announce my verdict."
OBJECTION!
Klavier slammed his fist into the wall. "Herr Judge, you can't pass a verdict quite yet. There are still uncovered facts we must discuss as well as a special witness here to testify."
"What else is there to discuss, Mr. Gavin? I believe we've covered quite a bit that points to the defendant's innocence. I hope what you are bringing up happens to be groundbreaking."
"Of course," Klavier smirked. "A matter we haven't discussed is Magnifi's diary."
"The victim's diary?" blinked the Judge. "What about it?"
"The prosecution will submit this as evidence. This diary contains the victim's life story that he wrote during his time at the hospital. The last entry was written right before Magnifi's death."
"Accepted to the court record," the Judge nodded. "What does the last page say?"
" '...Tonight's IV is in. Maybe the last. I leave the rest to them. The first should come soon. This journal may end here or it may go on... but not long. That depends on his hand. All that is left to mine is to lay down this pen. ' "
"This shows that victim intended to keep writing if the defendant failed to kill him!" the teenaged prosecutor pointed.
Phoenix said nothing. He stroked his chin, quietly thinking.
"Goodness!" the Judge exclaimed wide-eyed. "That truly does seem like the defendant was the one to end his life!"
OBJECTION!
Phoenix slammed his hands on the bench. "If you look closely at the diary...you can see that there is a page that is torn out! Magnifi clearly had to have kept writing!"
OBJECTION!
"Where's your proof, Herr Wright? And I warn, you better consider what you present as evidence before it's too late. The diary itself won't be accepted as decisive evidence."
Phoenix bit his lip. He had to have realized that the only way of the situation was either for Zak to give him the real page or for me to come up with a story about the fake page. Otherwise, he had no evidence to present to prolong the trial.
I began to push past some of the other spectators to head down into courtroom floor. I had a feeling I'd have to make a move.
"Mr. Gramarye...will you-"
Zak stood, with his arms folded. "I already know what you are about to ask. And unfortunately, the answer is no."
"But you'll be convicted!" Phoenix protested slamming both hands on the bench.
"You're my lawyer, I'm afraid that's your problem," the magician replied sharply.
Phoenix slumped over in frustration. "Hrn…"
"Well, Herr Wright. Do you have anything to present?"
Phoenix sighed. "...No. The defense has no evidence to present."
"...A wise decision," remarked Klavier with his hands in his pockets.
"Well, if the defense has nothing else to present, I'm afraid this trial is over," the Judge said gravely. "This court declares the defendant-"
HOLD IT!
"W-who was that?"
"It was me, Your Honor," I said hopping up to the witness stand.
The teen looked perplexed. "Fraulein Lyn…? What's the meaning of this?"
"Sorry, Klav. I wanted to present something for this case," I said reaching into my pocket for the page.
"What are you presenting?" asked Phoenix playing dumb.
"So this talk of a diary, had me thinking about something that happened the other day. Some kid had dropped this page in the courthouse. Before I had a chance to return it to her she was already gone. So, I just held on to it. But looking at the contents and listening to trial...I was starting to wonder if it was a page from this diary."
"W-what…?" Klavier asked breaking into a cold sweat.
"Yeah. Wanna look?" I said presenting it to the court.
The Judge read it aloud: " 'It seems Fate's clock will make me wait a little longer. ...At least, only less than ten swift minutes remain. To all those who have supported me in my life's work, I give thanks. Farewell!' "
"Well, I'll be! This looks like a page that was torn out from the diary!" said the Judge amazed.
"If it is a page from the diary, then it means that my client didn't kill the victim!" Phoenix pointed.
HOLD IT!
Klavier looked a bit unnerved. "Herr Judge, I request that we make way for witness testimony. We only need 5 minutes."
The Judge furrowed his brow. "Whatever for?"
Without missing a beat, Klavier replied. "It's a special matter that relates to the case. I only ask that the gallery is cleared to protect the witness's legal integrity."
"...Very well," the Judge said after closing his eyes for a moment. "Bailiff, please clear the gallery and bring in the special witness."
With that, he brought down his gavel. The gallery had a hushed excitement fall over it as the people cleared the room. Phoenix stood tall with a calm demeanor, whereas Klavier remained confident but somewhat disturbed as I noticed him looking at me.
(Phoenix might get off easy if Klavier's eyeing me suspiciously…)
I decided to move off of the witness stand and stand beside it to make way for Misham. I didn't think things would play out like last time, though now I wasn't entirely sure of how it would pan out. Would he play neutral? Would he help us? Was he still in denial about the truth?
The gallery had just totally cleared out, evidenced by the lack of noise from above and the eerie silence that lingered in the courtroom.
I'd get my answers soon enough as the bailiff brought Mr. Misham in. He said nothing as he brushed by me to get on the stand, as though I were a ghost.
The judge seeing the disheveled looking artist began. "Witness, please state your name and occupation."
"Drew Misham. I'm an artist...as well as a forger."
The old geezer looked surprised but before he could speak, Klavier jumped in. The German rockstar presented the forged page to Misham.
"What can you tell us about this page?"
"This is definitely one of my works," the forger said adjusting his glasses.
"A forgery?!" the judge blustered.
Misham nodded. "A client ordered a forgery to be made of this particular page. It was my first work like it."
The judge shook his head. "This is unbelievable."
Klavier slammed his fist against the wall behind him. "I got a tip-off that forged evidence would be used in trial."
"Mr. Misham! Can you tell us who ordered this forgery?"
He covered his mouth with his hand. "I'm afraid not. I never saw the identity of the client."
"Fraulein," he started looking me down. "I don't want to ask but...you wouldn't be the client who ordered this?"
HOLD IT!
I had a feeling he might accuse me instead. That was fine. I just needed to keep a cool confident stance about this to avert attention away from me...and make sure it didn't hit Phoenix.
"Klavier, you're kidding me, right? I have no reason to ask for a forged diary page. Especially, not on a case I'm not directly working on. Unless you're questioning my character?" I asked wiping my glasses on my shirt.
The teenager bit his bottom lip, glance shifting to the bench in front of him and then back to me. "I...no. I'm not. I just need to know the truth. Why are you in possession of this page?"
"As I've already explained, a girl in the courthouse dropped this page and I happened to find it. If this explanation doesn't do it for you...how about we state our arguments?" I said as I twirled my glasses into the air. "I'm sure doing that will clear up your doubts."
"Alright...let's rock!" he pointed at me.
-Argument-
The Appearance Of The Page
-You claim a girl dropped this page and you found it.
-Though, it makes me wonder why a child would have such incriminating evidence, to begin with.
-How can I fully trust that you didn't make that story up…
-...and forge the page yourself?
-It's rather suspicious that you just showed up with this page now if I'm being honest.
(Okay. This shouldn't be too bad to counteract. It's bad, but I have to admit I'm a decent liar under the right conditions…)
-Rebuttal-
The Appearance Of The Page
-You claim a girl dropped this page and you found it.
-Though, it makes me wonder why a child would have such incriminating evidence, to begin with.
-How can I fully trust that you didn't make that story up…
-...and forge the page yourself?
-It's rather suspicious that you just showed up with this page now if I'm being honest.
OBJECTION!
I shook my head. "Your main argument is contingent on a happening yesterday, that neither of us can confirm nor deny. It's simply my word against your own. We won't get anywhere on that point. However, I can say I did not forge the page. Mr. Misham claimed he doesn't know who the client is."
OBJECTION!
Klavier slammed his fist against the wall. "He could just be protecting his client. "
"...May I?" The artist chimed in.
The judge nodded. "What is it you wish to say, witness?"
"While it is in my client's best interest to not have me reveal their identity, in this particular case I honestly have no idea who the client is. They took very careful means to not incriminate themselves. I never saw their face and important communication and transactions were handled through writing."
"Then…" Klavier began to sweat, directing his attention back to me.
"…You think my argument is moot." I wiped my glasses on my shirt. "That's fine because I can still prove I have nothing to do with the creation of this phony."
-Argument-
Why I could not have ordered the page
-Besides the fact that Mr. Misham has no idea who his client was…
-I can easily prove I didn't order it to begin with.
-You see, late yesterday night….
-I was attacked for possession of that page.
-Why would I have myself attacked for a page that I supposedly created?
HOLD IT!
"Y-you were attacked!?" Klavier was now sweating buckets, fist pressed into the bench.
"Oh, my!" blinked the judge. "You certainly have a bad track record for this, Ms. Doom! I would suggest you turn your trouble magnet off!"
I found myself sweating. "Believe me…I would turn it off if I knew how Your Honor…"
"Just what in the blazes…why?!" demanded the German prosecutor.
"Hey, it beats me. I found it after yesterday's trial and the next thing I knew I'm being attacked in my office. I didn't give it up because I thought it'd be important," I shrugged. "You can check with the police. They're checking out my office right now as we speak and I have a witness to the event as well."
"Bailiff, can you make a call to the police station to confirm this?" the judge asked.
The other man nodded, as he briefly left the room cellphone in hand. The room returned to a dead silence as we waited for an answer that would be an obvious one… How much of the 'I was right all along' speech, I'd receive later would be anyone's guess. I'd best prepare the groveling in advance.
I gave a quick glance at Phoenix seeing as he'd been a silent observer the entire time the courtroom was cleared out. If he were freaking out on the inside I would have no idea. The defense attorney wasn't even tense physically speaking. For now, he was just an observer, calmly looking over the show unfolding. ...He really could have a poker face when he needed it.
With the creaking of a door, the bailiff re-entered the courtroom. "After speaking with the police, I can confirm that Ms. Doom's story is true."
"Thank you," nodded the judge.
Klavier burrowed his brows and then sighed deeply. "My apologies, fraulein. I suppose I was hasty in my suspicion."
"That's fine. I know you want to do the right thing," I said.
"...However, that doesn't solve our problem," the teen smirked.
"And what's that Prosecutor Gavin?" asked the judge.
"Who ordered the page?" he pointed directly at Phoenix. "And there can only be one answer!
"You think I ordered the forgery?" Phoenix asked stroking his chin. "Why is that?"
"Ha! Don't play dumb. The answer is obvious!"
I had a feeling it wouldn't be that easy. Of course, it would be easier if Zak gave us the real thing but...so be it.
-Argument-
Herr Wright is a forger
-I knew about the page missing from the diary.
-I was tipped off that a fake page would be presented to appear to be part of the book.
-Now, whose case would benefit most from a fake page?
-The defense.
-Therefore, it can only be Herr Wright who paid for the forgery!
This was a chance to change the tides. I looked at the blond prosecutor and back at the defense bench. I proceeded to join Phoenix at the bench.
"Fraulein?" his lips curled downward. "Don't tell me you're taking his side."
"...Klavier. I want you to consider the flaws in your argument. It's something you learn to do quite often as a prosecutor," I said twirling my glasses in the air.
He simply huffed in response.
"Ready?" I asked turning to Phoenix.
"Ready as I'll ever be…"
-Rebuttal-
Herr Wright is a forger
-I knew about the page missing from the diary.
-I was tipped off that a fake page would be presented to appear to be part of the book.
HOLD IT!
"I'm actually curious to know how you found out there would be a fake page, to begin with," queried Phoenix cocking his head to the right side slightly.
"Oh, I bet you would like to know. But it's not important to the matter at hand."
"But-"
The rockstar plays an air guitar riff. "The only thing that is important is how this fact turned out to be correct in the end."
Phoenix groaned.
I guess this was like those moments in the games where you already knew the answer ahead of time but had to press anyway.
-Now, whose case would benefit most from a fake page?
-The defense.
HOLD IT!
"That's an interesting point..." I mused.
"You aren't convinced yet? That man is a forger!"
"Nope. I just want you to remember your own words."
"What…?"
I said no more. Not much would have to be said for when the truth came out...
-Therefore, it can only be Herr Wright who paid for the forgery!
OBJECTION!
Phoenix pointed. "It's interesting that I could be the only culprit, simply because I am the acting defense attorney of this trial. And because of the same notion, I got you, Mr. Rockstar."
Klavier placed his hands on his hips. "What is this another one of your bluffs, Herr Wright?"
"Not at all," Phoenix shook his head. "It's simple really if you consider one thing: I wasn't the initial attorney of this case."
Klavier's eyes widened for a moment.
The judge blinked. "Hrm, I'm afraid I don't quite follow, Mr. Wright. Care to explain in more detail?"
The attorney nodded. "I was assigned this case, a day before trial at the very last minute. My client already had another attorney but decided he wanted me instead. I had to have the case files transferred to me from the last attorney as well."
The teen was now grinding his fist into the prosecutor's bench in a cold sweat. He was starting to get the idea…
"So, it's rather funny to me to say I'm the only one who could have ordered a forgery."
"Ah!" the judge shot up. "I see! It makes sense! You can't be the only possibility if there was a previous attorney on this case!"
I adjusted my glasses. "I also find it odd, that Mr. Wright has been accused of paying for a forgery the literal day before a trial. That's not much time to request a forgery, put in a payment, have it created, and then have it for use the day of trial either. It would take a bit of time."
"What do you have to say about that, Mr. Gavin?" Phoenix asked.
Klavier was shaking. I wasn't even sure if he was fully present anymore.
"Klav, we'll ask again: How did you have knowledge about this forgery, to begin with? ...Didn't you say you were excited to face a certain somebody on your first trial to me before?"
"...My….. my brother...told me that the defendant didn't want him to defend any longer. So, a new attorney was assigned," he managed to get out. "...He told me the new attorney was not to be trusted and that phony evidence would be used in trial…."
(Bingo.)
The teen had lost his composure, now trembling. "Kristoph….I knew this was strange….but I didn't think…."
"What's this now?" asked the judge.
"...Your Honor. I think we need to ask another person about the forgery," said Phoenix.
"And who would that be?"
"...The previous attorney on this case before me. Kristoph Gavin."
The judge nodded. "Bailiff, call Mr. Gavin into the courthouse at once!"
"Your Honor...I also have an additional request," I chimed in.
"What is it, Ms. Doom?"
"I would like for officers to collect writing samples of Kristoph Gavin. I would also like for any correspondence between Mr. Misham and this "mystery" client to be collected and tested for handwriting analysis."
The judge blinked. "I suppose I don't see the harm in honoring the request...Bailiff see to it!"
The bailiff nodded, while taking Mr. Misham out perhaps to verify contents at his home, and exited the courtroom.
"...As we wait for Mr. Gavin and the evidence, we will take a 30-minute recess," the judge brought the gavel down and promptly headed out to his chambers.
Phoenix took a second to glance at the teen before starting out into the defense lobby. I frowned. Klavier seemed to just be frozen in place.
(I'm sorry it has to come out like this…)
But I couldn't stand and watch this sorry scene forever. I figured we had better come up with some strategies as we waited for the devil himself to turn up.
Evidence:
Prosecutor's badge: With this, I can prove I'm a prosecutor. Dunno why we don't wear them on our lapels like defense attorneys though.
Profiles:
Maya Fey: Age 19. Probably my best friend at this point.
Miles Edgeworth: Age 26. A good friend, even if he's a bit of stick in the mud sometimes.
Detective Gumshoe: Age 33. The guy who's saved my hide more times than I can count.
Larry Butz: Age 25. My favorite wannabe Casanova.
Judge: Age ?. Oldtimer judge. No one knows his real name.
Mia Fey: Deceased. My spirit guide who pops by occasionally to give advice.
Phoenix Wright: Age 26. The man I'm supposed to be saving. Pretty awesome dude.
Franziska von Karma: Age 19. Whip happy prosecutor who came to our rescue.
Shi-Long Lang: Age 26. A totally badass Interpol agent.
Simon Blackquill: Age 20. A weabo prosecutor who's really nice.
Ema Skye: Age 17. The scientific fangirl who I hang with.
Klavier Gavin: Age 17. Rockstar and new prosecutor. I'm totally not a fan.
Kristoph Gavin: Age 25. Called the 'Coolest Defense Attorney in the West'. He makes me uneasy.
Kay Faraday: Age 17. Self-proclaimed thief.
Maggey Byrde: Age 23. Goddess of Misfortune. Works at roller derbies.
Jean Armstrong: Age 39. Frightening restaurant owner of Tres Bien.