Chapter 2

The rain had passed by the time Edgeworth pulled himself out of the office. While it was unbearably humid, the sun shining down through the buildings was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Even the thick L.A. traffic meant nothing as he relished the light, bright and wonderful. Without realizing it, he kept driving, not wanting to leave the safety of the sunlight.

When he finally stopped, Edgeworth inhaled sharply. His idly moving hands had taking him to a well maintained, open, and distressingly green graveyard. In the back of his head, he remembered the feeling of the grass getting bent while he sat, the softness of it while he slept in front of the first grave that should not be, the wet crush against his cheek as he bled out in the dewy, morning air-

His fingers convulsed on the wheel, his cravat suddenly too tight. No, it wouldn't happen this time, not again. It was light out, and it couldn't attack him like that. Slowly, Edgeworth eased out of his car, taking in the soft green scent and sharp perfumed flowers of the final resting place before him. There were a few graves here to look at, including a few he knew by heart. The trail to his father's own stone was one he knew by heart, even if he didn't take the path as often as he should. The other trails... only two were of importance, and one was a lie. He started walking the other path, heading for one simple, unassuming grave.

Someone had visited recently. That wasn't surprising. He may not have had any tact, but personality made up for it. A large puppy dog, not unlike Pess when she was a little thing, and completely guileless. People visiting his grave and cleaning it up, leaving offerings for the living memory, wasn't particularly surprising.

A stab of guilt ran through Edgeworth's chest. So guileless that he had opened the door and invited in something wearing a dead friend's face. He sat down, none of his limbs feeling attached, and looked at the new stone.

There was nothing to say. But wasn't that how it usually was? Before, when visiting his father, he had only stayed long enough to acknowledge the still gaping hole where the parent used to reside and to pay respects. The last time he had been here- it had been to pour his grief out about a long friend, and the events from that death of a defendant to then that caused it. What would he say now? "I'm sorry, I should have known"? No, there was nothing to say.

Damn it all. This shouldn't be. How-

"-this could've happened, sir." Edgeworth didn't even have to look up to know what sort of face Detective Gumshoe was pulling. The ashamed, hand behind his head, one eye closed... he took a quick glimpse up from the horrific scene being photographed to see that he was perfectly right.

And that the detective was voicing not only what he thought, but what the prosecutor witnessing the aftermath had decided as well. They had no idea how this could've happened, and each bit of evidence proved it further and further. Iron bars, in place to keep guilty parties from escaping, had been bent enough for a human body. The guard had been thrown hard enough to not only crack his skull, but for pieces of skull to go flying. And the defendant's, the victim's neck, torn apart like an animal had gotten to it.

"Don't worry about it, sir!" Gumshoe's stance had changed, now charged with his infinite energy and more than ready to figure the mystery out. "We'll get to the bottom of this!" He smiled, happily confident in the abilities of everyone on the case. While Edgeworth couldn't talk for the detective's own skills, it was true that the entire team had a knack for investigations. "So just leave it to us!"

"I leave this case in your department's capable hands." He did trust Homicide, as they did their job well enough to give Edgeworth many good, hard pieces of evidence. And Gumshoe had his moments of brilliance. Rarely. Edgeworth turned around to leave when he caught the usual unusual sight of a cheap blue suit and mystical Oriental robes huddled close together. Wright was using his mass to block the younger Fey sister's line of sight to the scene, and was talking softly to her. The girl had a hand over her mouth, half in thought, and half in nausea.

Wright, the prosecutor realized with a start, was just as visibly upset as Maya. His face was the palest it had ever been while healthy, and he still wore the shocked look that had fallen onto his face when the guilty verdict had come down. But despite the slight tremor in his voice, he was talking in soothing tones to her, trying to calm her down. The girl gave him a shaky smile, forcing her own courage to come to the fore, and nodded. Then, as suddenly to Wright as it was to him, she hugged the spiky haired man.

The moment... it was almost frightening how strong those two were.

"Oh, Mr. Edgeworth!" Maya pulled back from her own comforting of Wright when she noticed his approach. Wright turned as well, the surprise evident in his eyes. He knew what the thought was, and he didn't know himself why he was making this offer. "Umm... " She elbowed Wright, hissing something at him that caused the man to flush red and stammer back at her. This went on for a while, and rapidly lost its charm.

"As amusing as this is," Edgeworth started, taking a little vindictive joy at the jump the two did, "the offer does have an expiration date. If you wish to take me up on it, follow me." He turned to leave, smirking as he heard the two stumbling after him.

"H-hey, Edgeworth, this offer..." He knew what he would ask, and smirked. It got bigger as he heard Maya shush him and the words "gift horse," "look," and "mouth" escaped her lips. But at the same time, he wondered himself how deeply the courtroom confession and subsequent murder affected him. His fingers curled around the keys to his car, constantly asking himself what he was doing, why he was making this offer.

There was an appropriate noise of appreciation from the young Fey as they approached his car, and the two of them looked at Edgeworth in mild confusion. "As the day's events have played out, I figured it would be a poor idea for you two to ride home on the bus." The doors unlocked with two presses of a button, the clicking of the locks popping open loud in the strange silence. He looked behind him at the duo, taken aback at the serious and grateful looks on their faces.

"Thanks, Edgeworth," Wright said softly, his brave facade cracking slightly. The weariness from arguing so hard, losing the case from unknown grief, and his client's subsequent murder peeked through the crack, and a stab went through the prosecutor at the vulnerable look under it.

"I am only repaying a debt," Edgeworth told him stiffly, carefully putting his briefcase in the trunk. "You'll have to give me the address of where you live, as I've never seen a reason to visit your place of residence before."

The look on Wright's face said those words stung, but he and Maya sat down carefully in his car. It was almost amusing how they sat, as if afraid of hurting the upholstery and bringing down a prosecutor's wrath. Maya took the back seat, unusually quiet as the day's events finally hit her as well. An awkward silence covered the car as he turned it on and started down the streets. Wright softly gave instructions how to get back to the apartment he rented and Maya stayed at (though they were slightly odd, given they were from the perspective of a bus rider), with the girl in the back seat slowly nodded off.

"Wright," Edgeworth suddenly spoke up, the word forcing itself out of his throat.

"Hm?" The man looked over at him, apparently too wiped to say more than that.

"Clients will lie. They will try to get anything done by any means possible, and even the ones you represent have lied. In this case, it wasn't to get away with murder, but it seemed to protect his own mind from having killed his own suicidal and ill lover." The words spilled out awkwardly, unsure that was what he wanted to truly say. "Many romantics have a hard time losing a lover, and he not only had someone he loved since a teenager, but someone that also didn't look down on his sexual preference." He had no idea what he was trying to say here, or that if he was even saying it to Wright. "His verdict, and his death, do not reflect on you."

Edgeworth could feel Wright's gaze on him, the look he gave when on the path to the truth. "Turn right at the next street," he said instead, softly. "It's the third building on the right." Which was nice, very close by without a parking lot immediately evident so the foolish attorney wouldn't say things like- "I got some new coffee last week. Would you like some?"

... they probably knew each other too well if Wright actually just asked that instead of it staying in Edgeworth's mind as a stupid, possible question.

"I must refuse," he said stiffly, pulling to a stop in front of the building. "With this trial over, I'm expected to take on another case, and I must get on that as soon as possible."

"Edgeworth-"

"Until next time, Wright."

Wright looked at him for a moment, then slumped, nodding. "Yeah, next time," he echoed, weakly. "C'mon, Maya."

The girl didn't answer.

"Hey, Maya." Wright turned slightly, pushing her shoulder. She moved with the push slightly, letting out an unfeminine snort and half asleep murmur. It was obvious she wasn't going to stir, especially after Wright shook her a few more times before giving up and moving to lift her out of the car. A part deep inside Edgeworth felt jealous at this, wanting nothing more than to curl up in his own bed and do the same. He ignored that and instead stopped his car. Wright looked at him in dull surprise, then nodded as Edgeworth unbuckled the seat belt holding Maya upright and smoothly lifted her petite form out of the car. "Yeah, I'd need my hands free for the doors and- she's a lot heavier than she- thanks, Edgeworth."

He could have sworn he saw Maya frown slightly at the comment about her weight, then look pleased as he picked her up. This observation was tucked away in his mind, as well as the knowledge that she could be one devious young woman, while he carried her up to the apartment she shared with Wright. She wasn't as heavy as the other man claimed she was, but it did seem like she packed more pounds than her little frame spoke of. She seemed more muscular than she should have been as well, most likely a side effect of whatever training she had to endure in the village she lived at.

The apartment was as small as Edgeworth had expected, the only surprise being there was enough room for Maya's bed. He tucked her in, sourly noting the very self-satisfied look on her face. Yes, she was incredibly devious for such an open and happy woman. But he was going to have to disappoint her as he turned to leave.

"Um, Edgeworth, since you're already up here and all-"

He raised a hand, cutting Wright off there. "As it is, I'm already cutting it close, considering where I parked. If you have anything you wish to say, Wright, please come by the office around one o'clock. I'll be free to take frivolous questions then."

Wright was able to make his own logical, if unique connections. "Okay. I'll... see you at lunch tomorrow." He yawned, trying to hold it back and failing. "Hey, Edgeworth? Thanks."

Somehow, that was the most uncomfortable thing said so far.

It was nearly two weeks before Wright could finally make his way into Edgeworth's office. The case, and the ones following it, had taken more time than he expected, and he had been out of the office at odd times to investigate. The first time he had been able to be sitting at his desk at the reported time had a rather different visitor.

"Mr. Edgeworth, sir! We've managed to get a hit on the partial print we found!"

Given the headache that had been building before that cheerful, low voice had broken into his thoughts, Edgeworth's response had been a good deal sharper than usual. "That is wonderful, detective, however, I have the results right here." He picked up a paper, noting the prints on the knife collected at the scene of this crime matched the prints of the defendant. And given the defense attorney for this defendant was a no-name, new lawyer, he was reasonably sure this one was as guilty as he could be.

Gumshoe visibly deflated at that, scratching the back of his head. "No, not that one, I mean... it took us a while, but we finally got a hit on the bloody partial outside the window at the courthouse. And you'll never believe who's print it is!"

The courthouse. The sudden memory of blood splatter and choking scent of death came rushing to the fore, causing Edgeworth's irritation level to spike. "Detective, when I said I had faith, I meant I had faith in you finding more in two weeks time than a match on a partial print you found on the initial investigation. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a case that I have to review."

"But Mr. Edgeworth, sir..."

"That was a dismissal, Detective Gumshoe."

The man left, dejected, and a tiny voice hesitantly piped up with the idea that perhaps he was a little too harsh on Gumshoe. He ignored the voice, looking through his notes and adding a few more.

"Um-"

"Detective, if you don't leave me alone, I will have another review of your salary."

"I'll let Gumshoe know that." Edgeworth's head lifted slightly as he recognized that voice not as the bumbling detective's, but as a certain defense attorney. His stomach let out a slight whine at the sight of a plastic bag holding a Styrofoam box, the scent affirming it was food. "Sorry about not coming earlier. I heard about the cases you had, and I even got one of my own." He had won that one, against a prosecutor that had been on a winning streak and had started getting a big head about it. "So uh... do you like Thai?"

Edgeworth contemplated. Contemplation was done quite often, but there were other subjects usually dwelled on. His own cases, for instance. His father's death and von Karma's involvement. The mysterious murders at the courthouse when no one could find a viable suspect or even how such an event could happen.

"In China," he finally said, voicing his inner thoughts, "people tend to supplement meat dishes with tofu, rather than using it as a meat substitute."

Wright looked at him oddly, quickly chewing a mouthful of pad thai before responding. "There's no tofu in this, Edgeworth." He sounded confused, no doubt due to his lack of ability to know exactly what the prosecutor was thinking.

"I am aware of that, Wright. However, I was merely dwelling on that while eating and on the vegetarian movement in the United States." He forked a mouthful of his own in, calmly chewing as Wright smiled, shaking his head. The two of them ate in silence for a bit (or rather, Edgeworth ate while Wright shoveled food down as if it was his last meal, or perhaps his first) before Edgeworth noticed something odd. There was a mark on Wright's neck, almost like a scar. "Wright, what is that on your neck?"

The other lawyer blinked at him, noodles hanging limp from his mouth. Confused, he raised his hand and touched his own neck. Slowly, the pads of his fingers trailed down the flesh and across the raised mark there, catching slightly. Wright's breath hitched slightly as he traced the mark, his head tilting back slightly to accommodate the digits, then he dropped his hand, shaking his head as he finished chewing and swallowing his mouthful. "I don't know," he confessed, his voice somewhat lower and filled with something Edgeworth couldn't place.

He licked his lips, uncomfortable with the sudden turn. Wright, somehow uncomfortable as well, put down his fork. Before the defense attorney could say anything, however, Edgeworth cut in. "I do have a rather large work load today, Wright. The lunch, as always, was welcome, but I must cut this short. Tomorrow?"

Wright nodded, the gesture a little fast and going on for a little long. "Yeah, sure." He started cleaning up the boxes to carry home for dinner for him and Maya, then stopped, looking at a note left on Edgeworth's desk. "Hey, is that-?"

"Hm?" Edgeworth took a glance at the note, then rolled his eyes. "Ah yes, the detective's amazing find. There was a partial print they found that... one day. I believe the incomplete nature of the print as well as the smearing created that false match."

"That'd be one interesting twist," Wright mused, shoving the boxes back into the plastic bag. "Sangre de la Cruz kills his killer, his own lover."

A chill went down Edgeworth's spine at that, the idea less interesting and far creepier than he wished to think about. "Indeed. However, given that de la Cruz is dead, it's a false match. And if Maya is accompanying you tomorrow, please let me know ahead of time so I can budget her meal as well."

Perhaps the case was stranger than he had originally thought. Edgeworth frowned as he looked at the footprint found at the scene of the crime. Originally, it had seemed like the defendant had been the killer, bashing in the victim's head with a piece of old pipe. But it soon became clear that not only was she not capable of picking up the pipe without breaking some bones due to her Osteogenesis Imperfecta, she wasn't even tall enough to do so without help. However, the print of the shoes found, her own special ones made so walking was easier and to match her own... unique fashion tastes, put her at the scene of the crime. Very strange. Edgeworth flipped through his notes, trying to find something that had escaped his notice the first time around.

He could hear his phone ringing, but it didn't penetrate the wall of concentration he had hidden behind. There were more important things than taking a call right now. And if it was someone with more information, they could come down to the office themselves and present it to him. Edgeworth went back to his notes, starting to see lines drawn between the facts.

The prints weren't her own, but the person whose they were was a mutual friend of theirs. There wasn't any evidence yet, but a quick look at bank account transfers could easily explain-

A knock on the door rudely ripped Edgeworth out of his thoughts. "Wright, I cannot be interrupted right now," he told the closed door, his voice edging into snarling. "Return later."

There was a shuffling on the other side of the door, then a hesitant voice. "Sir, Mr. Edgeworth, sir. It's..."

"Detective. Whatever it is can wait."

"No, sir, I don't-"

"Leave, detective. Unless you wish for your salary to be negotiated even further."

"But, sir-"

Edgeworth stood up, throwing the door open to show the meek bear of a detective. "Detective, not only was that a dismissal," he said coolly, his voice showing the amount of anger within, "but a very unsubtle hint to leave me alone. You aren't even on this case, and thus would not have anything for me. Leave me be, de-"

"That was Miss Maya!" Gumshoe blurted out in a rush. "Miss Maya just called the station and she said she was going to try to call over here. She's really upset and she's crying a lot and we need to be there for them!"

The chill of his anger was drained away, leaving him with a greasy sick feeling oozing up through his stomach. "Maya? What happened?" The reason why Maya would call, not Wright... why Wright wasn't here, despite the fact he should have been finished with his case today, he should have been there ready to go out for food- "The case, it didn't-"

"It's Dolph Wulf all over again," Gumshoe said, his voice shaking. "Mr. Wright was attacked. He's in the hospital."