Chapter Three

The detective had left as soon as his testimony ended. Edgeworth recommended that he stay, but the flatfoot didn't like the mustiness of the courthouse, so he said he'd read the files later. With a reluctant sigh, the red prosecutor let the good detective have his way this time.

.

Now the detective is at the front door of the Gatewater Hotel. He laughed at the pun the game-writers had made; it was an anagram of sorts for the 'Watergate Hotel'. The detective stepped into the lobby carefree, for he had left the scene in the hands of the trusty Officer Meekins.

"Welcome, sir," a bellboy bowed. "You're Detective Gumshoe, aren't you?"

"What's it to ya, pal?" the detective was anything but friendly. He wasn't here to have a good time; just to question and observe.

"Miss April May said she knew you'd come by, sir," the bellboy headed to the elevator. "I'd be honored to show you to her room."

"It's about time," the detective muttered, "that someone cooperates with me…" Taking off his jacket in the overheated room, the detective tossed it over his shoulder and followed the employee. When the bellboy asked for his coat, Gumshoe instantly denied. His coat had most of his police-things on it and whatnot.

.

"Oh!" the pink-haired lady with the revealing shirt clapped. "This is so cool! It's just like on TV!"

"You know what I'm here for. I'd like to start by asking you a few questions."

"Certainly."

"At that time did you see the whole thing go down, miss?"

"I don't remember," she looked up in thought. "I just rushed to the phone to call the cops!" She 'tee-hee'd, and the detective sighed. He hated bubbly characters.

"Does the phone not have the time displayed on the screen?" the gumshoe worded it as politely as he could.

"Ooh!" Miss April May starred right into the detective's soul. "Such big words! It is like on TV!"

"I'd better not say anything to distract her, then," the detective thought, pretending to write something on his notepad. "And were you here alone?"

Miss April May's eyes shot to the right for a split-second, then she said: "Yes, that's right. All alone."

"You're lying," the official's words were sharp and blunt, and they took the pink woman by surprise.

"What?" she asked, trying to keep a smile. Her left upper-lip twitched. "Prove it, Scruffy McTrenchcoat!"

"I haven't heard that insult in a while," the detective reminisced.

"Prove it already!"

"When people lie," Gumshoe held up his finger, "they glance to the right; unconsciously triggering their right brain. This is done when people need to make up a story on-the-fly, and it's a common factor among liars."

"So what?" she asked, smiling once more. "Maybe my contact needed shifting!"

"Both of them?"

"Why not?"

"…Is there anyone who can prove you were in the room?"

"Yep!" the woman's words pestered the detective. He despised her attitude to his deepest core. "The bellboy who brought you here! He brought me some iced tea just before I made the call!"

"Hm…" the detective actually wrote something this time. "Maybe I'll speak with him next…"

"May I look out the window?" he pointed to the window-wall.

"Sure," April May said. "I've got to go to the kitchen and make myself a nutrition shake. You want one?"

"…Sure," the detective said, gazing out. He decided the office was perfectly visible. Using a camera in his coat pocket, he snapped a photo. He figured Edgeworth could use that in court tomorrow.

He didn't really want a nutrition shake, mind you. He wanted to buy time to look around the room alone.

He quietly opened drawers on the cupboard. The first thing he found was a notepad. On it was written 'White' and a seven-digit number. Without hesitation, the detective snapped another shot. He closed it without touching another thing.

In the second drawer, he found something else. A little black plastic box with wires poking out of one end. Knowing what it was, the detective took it out and got pictures of it at multiple angles. The pictures were only a precaution, however, because he slipped the evidence itself into his pocket. He didn't worry, for he had taken steps to assure he hadn't left any of his own prints on it.

"Here you go!" Miss May entered the room with the two shakes, as Gumshoe quickly but quietly slammed the drawer shut. "Any more questions, Mr. Detective?"

"Just one," Gumshoe said suavely. "Miss May, who, pray tell, is White?"

The heart-shaped buttons on her shirt turned upside-down to become spears, and her face turned to a pure evil expression.

"Where did you hear his name!" she snapped.

"From you," Gumshoe said, manning his ground. "You muttered the name 'White' just before your testimony. I heard you say it in the prosecutor's lobby."

"…I plead the fifth!" she managed to spit out.

"You've already told me that 'White' is a 'Mr. White,'" the detective continued. "If that's all I'm going to get out of you, then so be it." The detective turned and started off. He felt the cold nutrition shake thrown at his back. Had be been wearing his jacket, he'd have had her head taken off. And had Edgeworth cover for him.

"…Mr. White did it, didn't he?" Gumshoe's words took the pink-haired woman by surprise. "You wouldn't be so protective had he been irrelevant."

Gumshoe turned to the silent woman and pointed directly at here.

"The truth is out there," he said with a raised finger. "Once I find it, I'll get to the bottom of this whole mess. That, I assure you." The detective sat down on her couch, then stood back up. A green spot of nutrition shake had formed on the couch where he had sat down. "Oops," he said sarcastically. "Sorry. I wasn't aware I got it all over the back of my shirt. I'd get scrubbing if I were you, pal." He left without another word.

.

"Meekins," Detective Dick Gumshoe slammed the door of the Fey and Co. Law offices open.

"Sir!" the officer cried through his megaphone. "We've inspected every nook-and-cranny of the scene, sir!"

"And did you back up the recording on that cell phone?"

"As ordered, sir!"

"Good," the detective took the pink cell-phone the officer handed him. "I have another job for you."

"Yes, sir?"

"Look up this number and find me an address," the detective ripped a page from his notepad. On it was White's number. "I need it pronto."

"Got it, sir!" the square-chinned officer saluted his superior. He took the paper, and was off for the local precinct.

Just as Meekins left, another familiar face entered. Phoenix Wright, or as the detective called him in his head, 'Phoenix Wrong.'

"I need Maya's cell-phone, Detective Gymshoe!" he begged.

"…" the detective glared straight into the eyes of the porcupine-headed attorney.

"Please…?"

"Here," the detective dropped the phone he had just obtained into the hands of the attorney. "Look, pal. I'm on a tight schedule. I know you're going to ask me pointless questions about things that have already been made apparent so far in the game. And it's no use asking me about Edgeworth; you already know him, but the writers of this here game decided a little character development was in order. I know that you know that Edgeworth was in your class in grade school, and he inspired you to become a defense attorney after defending you in a class trial concerning stolen lunch-money. Now we're not supposed to know that yet, but I'm sure this saved the players a lot of wasted anticipation, because it's the world's lamest back-story, ya know?"

"…I have to go to the Grossberg Law Offices now…" he pointed to the door. "Excuse me!" He darted out the door.

"…I think I just spoiled most of the game's storyline in one paragraph…" the detective thought. "Sorry, readers, but you shouldn't be reading this if you haven't even played the game yet!"

It was then that Gumshoe's phone went off. It was Meekins.

"Hello, pal?"

"Sir!" Meekins' megaphone screeched on the other end. "Mr. White, sir! He's the head of that huge company: Bluecorp! The address is one-twenty-two Oak Street, sir!"

"Thanks, Meekins," the detective said, hanging up to avoid further ear damage. "One-twenty-two Oak Street, huh…?"

END CHAPTER THREE

.

…

.

Napshot64 here! I've been writing a chapter a day so far, each one being three pages on Microsoft Word. I just wanted to let all of my fans (that being about two-and-a half, because one's disabled from the waist down, as far as I know) know that chapters won't roll in this frequently during the weekdays. In fact, I might forget to write the next weekend, so if you keep reviewing, I'll remember. I check my email most every day, so don't think it won't be any good!

Anyway, I tried to stress on Gumshoe's serious personality today, and I think I did a good job. My best capture of him was when he got nutrition shake all over April May's couch… on purpose! *Gasps*

Though Meekins' personality is the same, in this story, he's a very reliable officer. Unfortunately for me, however, I've run out of ways to make characters either stupid or smart, so any ideas are welcome! I'll even give credit at the bottom of the chapter they're first introduced into, if your idea is funny or diverse enough!

I hope to see you in the next chapter, pal! Don't forget to bring instant-noodles!