It was 9:50 in the morning, ten minutes before the beginning of the trial. Maya was talking with Daniel in the defendant lobby, whereas Franziska was waiting in the main hall, leaning against a pillar. She was drumming her fingers against her arm, and every so often she'd tap her foot in impatience. Punctuality was of the utmost importance in being a lawyer. Franziska couldn't imagine what was holding Edgeworth up so long. She was relishing in the possibility of telling him off for his tardiness as well.
At around 9:55, Miles finally walked through the doors to the courthouse, and Franziska straightened up upon laying eyes on him. Immediately, Franziska could sense something off about Miles, so she approached him cautiously, brows furrowed the entire time.
"What has gotten into you, brother?" Franziska asked, looking Miles over curiously, "I do hope this does not affect your performance in court, because I want my victory over you to be fair and square. I will not accept a fluke."
Miles clenched his jaw, keeping his gaze plastered on the ground, "I can assure you that it will not impact me in the courtroom. I know how to leave my personal quarrels at the courtroom door." He finally lifted his gaze to look at Franziska, and his eyes were unreadable on her end, "Once this trial is said and done… There's something I must tell you, Franziska."
Franziska narrowed her eyes and shook her head, "Why can't you just tell me now, and spare me the unnecessary angst?"
"While I can say for sure that what I just learned won't affect my performance in the courtroom today, I can't say the same for you." Miles said.
Baring her teeth, Franziska grabbed onto Miles's cravat and pulled against it harshly, "What kind of little girl do you take me to be if you think I cannot handle bad news before a case? Do you know how many times Scruffy has let me down moments before I step into a courtroom? I can handle it!"
Edgeworth's eyes flashed with guilt, but they returned to being reserved quickly enough. He barely even flinched at Franziska's anger, "Please, sister… Just wait until this entire trial is finished. I promise you I will tell you then. For now, just focus on the case. Like you, I want this trial to be fair and square. I don't want an advantage over you. I want this to be a battle of equals."
"You fool.." Franziska sneered and let go of Miles cravat, spinning on her heel and heading back to the defendant lobby, "This stopped being a battle of equals the second you placed me on the defense's bench. You already have the advantage."
Miles let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. He should've suspected Franziska to react that way, but it didn't take the sting out of it all.
Franziska stormed into the defendant lobby seconds later, immediately grabbing Maya and Daniel's attention by her kicking the door open. Daniel flinched, and Maya just frowned in concern.
"Is something wrong, Franziska?" Maya asked softly, watching as Franziska glared out of the window towards the main hall.
Franziska sternly shook her head, sneering, "I was only reminded of how badly I needed this chance to defeat Miles Edgeworth once and for all… Today, I'll finally get my revenge…"
Daniel looked over at Maya, worried and confused. Maya just shook her head and sighed. Tensions would be running high in court, that she could already tell.
"Court is now in session for the case of The People v. Daniel Tanner. Are the prosecution and defense ready?"
Maya looked up at the judge's bench, eyebrows furrowed and an odd look on her face. The judge looked nearly exactly like the typical one they had for cases, but his hair was blond instead of grey. He also looked and sounded a lot younger.
Franziska clenched her jaw, "Miles Edgeworth assured me that he'd get a judge that did not know me… That fool! We've had this very same judge only a week ago in the case against Iris!" Her gaze flew over towards Miles, who just had his arms crossed and his eyes closed.
"The prosecution is ready, Your Honor." Miles uttered eventually, not even bothering to open his eyes.
Not taking her eyes off of Miles, Franziska placed her fist on the bench and scornfully answered, "The defense stands ready."
The judge looked between the two counsellors and scratched his chin, "Hmm. You two seem awfully familiar to me."
"Have you forgotten, Your Honor?" Miles flashed a grin, "You oversaw my first case as a prosecutor seven years ago. It was quite memorable, that case with Terry Fawles."
"Oh! Yes, I do remember!" The judge exclaimed, "My, what a strange case that was…"
Miles nodded in agreement. Franziska didn't let up on her glare until the judge addressed her personally.
"So, if the prosecution is this man… I suppose that makes you… Phoenix Wright, for the defense?" The judge looked her over, "I envisioned a male, but I suppose I must've had it wrong…"
Franziska forced a smile to her lips for a brief moment, "Well, I certainly am not Miles Edgeworth. Who else could I be?"
"Ah, an obvious answer to an obvious question. No point in introductions any longer. We should move on." The judge said.
Maya shuffled closer to Franziska and nudged her side to get her attention, "Are you trying to impersonate Nick?"
"His name was already tied to the defense, and it's not like I can just state my own." Franziska said, "Technically I never said I was Phoenix Wright. That would be perjury. The judge just assumed so on his own. I'm not in the wrong here."
"Are you really concerned about perjury?" Maya scrunched her nose, "Every witness I've ever seen on that stand has committed perjury, and I swear none of them ever got penalized for it."
Franziska frowned, "...That is strange, isn't it? Hmph… I may have to change that in the future."
Focusing back on the trial, Edgeworth was up to give his opening statement. Again, he looked like he was giving minimal effort, his arms still crossed and his voice barely more nuanced than a monotone.
"This is a case of a man who misunderstood the meaning of a 'Good Samaritan.' He saw the damage Ireland Boyd was doing to the community, so in the only way he knew how to solve problems, Daniel Tanner resorted to violence and murder to end Ireland Boyd's drunken ways." Miles said flatly, eyes drifting over towards Franziska, "The prosecution will prove that the defendant had the motive, means, and opportunity to commit this crime. Daniel Tanner killed once before, and he's not above doing it again."
"Objection!" Franziska growled, slamming her hands on the bench, "The prosecution is engaging in a pointless defamation of my client! His prior crimes bear no relevance to this case!"
"I must disagree, Ms. Wright. A previous charge of murder absolutely has everything to do with the building of the defendant's character. I declare the objection overruled, but I will advise the prosecution to tread carefully in regards to this matter." The judge stated simply.
Miles barely looked fazed. Franziska balled her hands into fists. Already she was starting to see the downsides to being on the other bench in the courtroom.
The judge banged his gavel, "The prosecution may call its first witness."
Miles nodded, "The prosecution calls Detective Charlie Rice to the stand."
The ill-mannered detective from before walked up to the witness stand, and his eyes were trained on the defense the entire time. Franziska could feel her blood boiling already. She was looking forward to the moment where she could destroy Detective Rice.
"State your name and profession for the record, witness." Edgeworth demanded.
Rice crossed his arms and straightened his posture, "My name is Charlie Rice, and I'm a homicide detective for the Los Angeles precinct."
Maya's lips quirked in a bit of a grin, "I think that's the first time that's ever gone smoothly for Edgy."
Franziska quirked a brow and let out a quick breath, but it wasn't time to be amused. She focused back on Rice's testimony.
"Please testify about your involvement with the case, Detective Rice." The judge asked, lacing his fingers together and propping his elbows upon the bench.
"I received a call from dispatch at around 5:30 in the morning that a couple out fishing found a body in the lake. I arrived at the scene and questioned the couple, then phoned forensics to get a team issued to Gourd Lake. We examined the crime scene and found that the victim was bludgeoned to death. I was then the officer to make the arrest when all of our findings pointed to Daniel Tanner as the guilty party." Detective Rice stated. He glanced over at Franziska again. It was starting to get annoying, and slightly unnerving with his obsession with her.
The judge closed his eyes and nodded, "The defense may proceed with a cross examination."
"You got this, Franziska!" Maya said in a stage whisper, clutching her fists close to her chest.
Franziska narrowed her eyes at Detective Rice. There was less to his testimony than what he told to her previously. She assumed Miles told him to leave anything extraneous out, but unfortunately for Edgeworth, Franziska knew more than he probably figured.
"What time would you estimate you arrived at the scene?" Franziska asked, voice laced with a sigh and eyes trained on her gloves.
"About 5:45 am." Detective Rice answered.
Trying to come off as passive as possible, Franziska continued, "And what did you do immediately upon arrival?"
Detective Rice furrowed his brow, "Questioned the couple who found the body and then phoned for forensics."
"Was the couple present the entire time until forensics arrived?"
"I-... No…" Detective Rice admitted after a pause.
"Oh? How come?" A hint of a grin rose to Franziska's lips.
"They were shaken up. I sent them home so they could calm down."
"What time did you send them away?"
"Around six, maybe."
"And when did forensics arrive?"
"Six-thirty."
Franziska proudly showed off her sly grin at that moment. She got him right where she wanted him. "So you were alone at the crime scene for those thirty minutes?"
Detective Rice flared up in anger for a moment, but as soon as he did, it vanished, "...Yes, I was."
Now Franziska walked around the defense's bench, now moving about the well, "Noted. Now, tell me this, Detective Rice… Is it true that you wish to be sheriff one day?"
"Objection." Miles muttered, "Irrelevant."
The judge looked to Franziska, who merely shrugged and shook her head, "Your Honor, I promise you this line of questioning has a purpose. I only need a few more questions until I strike gold."
"Tread carefully, Ms. Wright." The judge warned, "I do not want to hold you in contempt for wasting this court's time. The witness will answer."
Doing her best to shrug off the 'Wright' thing, Franziska simply spun on her heel back towards Rice, "I assure you that it won't be a waste."
Detective Rice clutched at his jacket sleeve, "Yes, I do want to be sheriff."
"I'm certain you know what makes a persuasive campaign for sheriff, then. You must be swift in your investigations, yet still be correct in finding the guilty party. Having an impressive amount of closed cases during your time as detective would help out your campaign a great deal, no?" Franziska tilted her head, still smirking.
"Yes, it would. That's why I exhausted a great deal of energy in working this case to find the right guy." Detective Rice responded.
"But that's got to be hard, isn't it? Being fast and being precise in an investigation? It would help to have a bit of something working in your favor, I would think. Like, for example, tampering a crime scene as to make your job easier?" Franziska approached the witness stand at that point, placing her hands on her hips and looking up at Rice confidently.
Detective Rice's only response was scorn and a growl. Franziska didn't back down; she only lifted her chin further, "You have a track record of evidence tampering, don't you, Detective Rice?" She held up three fingers, "Three charges, to be more specific?"
"Objection!" Miles threw his arm in the air and pointed towards Franziska, "The defense is trampling over its own words, defaming an accomplished detective with his past crimes!"
"Oh, please!" Franziska nearly broke out into a laugh, "There are thirty minutes unaccounted for in the investigation where Detective Rice, a known tamperer of evidence, was on his own at the crime scene. The defense has every right to call the chain of custody into question!"
The judge opened his mouth to say something, but Miles cut him off by slamming his hands on the bench, "Whatever ridiculous conjecture you're spouting does nothing to help your case! You're wasting our time!"
Franziska shook her head, that smug expression of hers now stern, "You have some nerve, Miles Edgeworth, having the audacity to stand here in this courtroom with such ignorance of the law!"
Miles recoiled a bit, shock written all over his features. Maya had a hand over her mouth; she couldn't believe how aggressively Franziska was going after everyone, even her own brother.
The sound of leather rubbing together was loud in Edgeworth's ears as Franziska clenched her fists repeatedly while speaking, "You as a prosecutor should know the reason why the court system exists the way it does. It protects the accused and gives them a fair, just trial. To ensure that the accused are not taken advantage of, the system puts the burden on the prosecution to prove that the accused is guilty. The prosecution's burden of proof is to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the accused committed a crime." Franziska shifted her focus back to Detective Rice, pointing at him, "A man who is known to ruin the integrity of crime scenes having been alone and undocumented for thirty minutes at a crime scene creates enough reasonable doubt alone regarding Daniel Tanner's guilt without needing to see any other scrap of evidence!"
The judge blinked rapidly. He couldn't find any faults in Franziska's arguments, "I-I cannot be the only one observing the irony in the defense lecturing the prosecution on the state's burden of proof…"
Maya grinned slightly to herself. Only a year ago was Franziska completely blind to that part of the prosecution as well, not caring about innocence but only a perfect record, but it seemed as if Franziska knew better now.
"While it's obvious that the burden of proof hasn't been met, the defense does not rest. I want to hear more about your account of the crime, Detective Rice." Franziska banged her hand on the witness stand, "Testify to what you believe happened that day. Now!"
"That… That's my job…" The judge said sadly.
Detective Rice looked about ready to pounce on Franziska, but something restrained him. Maybe it was Franziska's own glare and drive to fight keeping him at bay. Anyways, he let out an annoyed grunt and carried on with his testimony.
"Daniel Tanner went out drinking with Ireland Boyd before the murder occurred. Something must have ticked, and Tanner took Ireland out to Gourd Lake, where he bludgeoned Ireland to death at the scene. The autopsy report confirms this."
Franziska immediately dived into her next round of questions, "Did you ever find the murder weapon?"
"No. We assume the defendant took it with him when he fled the scene." Rice shot back.
"What do you believe the weapon to be?"
"Simple. It was a pipe. The wounds found on Ireland were cylindrical in shape, about an inch in diameter. The defendant took a pipe with him because he knew that he was going to kill Ireland that night."
"Objection." Franziska said, not even dignifying Rice with any excitement behind discovering the contradiction, "Wrong."
Rice growled, "How is that wrong?!"
Franziska walked over towards the defense bench, waving her hand at Maya to hand her something, "If you had actually done your job correctly, you would've actually found the murder weapon." Maya handed Franziska the branches they found the day before, now sealed in evidence bags, "Let's see here. Two tree branches covered in blood, and...oh! Look at that. An inch in diameter, just about. It was buried only a few yards away from where the body was found. Tell me, how do you mess up that badly, detective?"
"Objection!" Miles shouted, leaning against the bench with his hands pressed flat on the surface. He was looking a lot more panicked than he did earlier, "So the detective misidentified the murder weapon! It doesn't detract anything from the case at hand!"
"It detracts everything from the case at hand!" Franziska shot back, "It contradicts with Detective Rice's portrayal of the murder being premeditated! A tree branch is indicative of a spur of the moment decision to murder someone! One couldn't have relied on the possibility of there being the perfect tree branch lying around for them to use for the murder if they had decided to kill Ireland Boyd before arriving at Gourd Lake!"
Maya was absolutely ecstatic at that moment. Never had she and Nick had such a strong start to a case before.
Franziska wasn't even beginning to let up yet, "If that doesn't satisfy you on the fact this murder was not planned in advance of going to Gourd Lake, maybe something else will. Detective Rice! You are withholding something from this court. Don't even think of lying, because I could just as easily cite the statement of stipulated facts provided to us by the court for this, but I want to hear it out of your mouth." She held a hand to her ear, obviously taunting Rice as she leaned closer to the witness stand, "So, what else did you and your team find at the crime scene, Detective Rice?"
Rice was twitching from agitation at that point, but he did eventually reply, "...Beer cans."
"That's it!" Franziska slammed her hand on the witness stand again, "Why would the killer wait until they've had something to drink before killing Ireland Boyd? This obviously was a crime committed in the heat of the moment!"
The adrenaline was freely flowing at that point, coursing through her veins. Franziska felt that smug grin itching back to the surface once again. Nothing ever felt so good as to tear into a witness such as Charlie Rice before.
"I-I object!" Rice shouted, reaching his breaking point and acting without so much as going over it in his head first.
Franziska let herself laugh lowly beneath her breath at that, shaking her head, "Please, Detective Rice… Know your place and keep quiet. You bear no right to raise objections. We wouldn't want the courtroom to turn into a child's playground with everyone shouting, now would we?" Nothing felt as redeeming as it did to watch Rice's energy snuff out at that very comment. Franziska relished having the opportunity to use Rice's very insult against her against him.
"The defense has no further questions for this witness." Franziska said simply, returning to her place behind the defense's bench and next to Maya.
Edgeworth was reduced to mere silence after Franziska's display. The judge was looking stunned, and it took him a few moments to realize he was allowed to speak since Franziska was done speaking.
"W-Well… That certainly was an… exciting cross from the defense… Before we continue any further in the trial, I'm going to issue a thirty-minute recess." The judge cleared his throat, "...Yes. I could use one right about now. Court is in recess."
Once the gavel was struck, Maya nearly exploded in glee.
"F-Franziska!" She shouted happily, jumping and bouncing in excitement, "T-That was amazing! You had me on the edge of my seat the entire time!"
Franziska let herself flash a grin for a moment before her focus went over to Edgeworth, who was quietly gathering up his files, "It was nothing short of my standards, even if it was for the side I'm usually against."
The bailiff was approaching the two of them to escort them out of the courtroom for the recess, so Franziska just started walking and hoped Maya bounced along with her.
"When you started going after Miles about the whole burden thing… my goodness! You were on fire!" Maya gleamed, settling into the defendant lobby once they walked inside, "You really showed him how it's done!"
Even when she tried not to, the pandering to Franziska's ego made it hard for her to not smile, "Well… I've had to accept that part of a prosecutor's responsibility recently. It's easy for someone to ignore that part of the law if they're foolish enough to only focus on their conviction rate. I've come to learn that." It was obvious she was speaking from experience, which didn't fall deaf on Maya's ears.
Maya just grinned teasingly, "Who are you, and what have you done to the real Franziska von Karma?"
Franziska's face fell blank, "Don't get me wrong. I still want to crush my brother and Phoenix Wright in court. I'm not past that."
Letting out a nervous laugh, Maya scratched her cheek, "There she is…"
Daniel was escorted into the defendant lobby at that moment, and he had a large grin on his face, "Ms. Franziska! You were incredible out there! I can't thank you enough!"
"Don't thank me yet. We're just getting started." Franziska crossed her arms and glanced off to the side, "Miles Edgeworth would never go down that easily. I would be ashamed to call him my brother if he did."
Daniel only nodded, "Understood. But I know you can do it, Ms. Franziska. I believe in you."
Franziska's gaze instantly shot back at Daniel, and her eyebrows knitted together. She couldn't quite understand the faith Daniel had in her, when his life was in her hands to save and hers alone. A guilty verdict would ensure a death sentence. So much was on the line, and yet Daniel trusted Franziska completely- Franziska, who wasn't even an actual defense attorney. Franziska just nodded in response before averting her gaze.
Maya instantly jumped into conversation with Daniel over something, leaving Franziska unbothered for a few moments during the recess. Her mind drifted back to the conversation she had with Miles earlier in the morning, the cryptic and enigmatic message he gave her. She couldn't fathom what Miles would hide from her like that, and she didn't like being kept in the dark. If anything, it gave her drive to end the trial sooner so that she could find out.
Franziska was off to a strong start, but the question remained if she could keep her momentum going throughout the entire trial.
