Hey hey hey! So as apologies for the last tiny chapter, I bring you... an EPIC INSTALLMENT. Seriously, it's long. Finals are over and I have time to kill. :)

Also, you may notice that the trial dialogue is different from the actual game. I wanted to provide something fresh, with the same basic concepts, so it won't just be like reading a game script. Hopefully you'll enjoy my take on it.

Thanks for all the reviews! Glad everyone likes Larry!

Chapter 20

February 9

4:49 P.M.

Heavenly Hall

"Pearls."

"Y-yes, Mr. Nick?"

"Do you think you can tell me what you were doing on the night of the crime?" As Phoenix expected, the five Psyche-locks, chains rattling, surrounded the young spirit medium. He knew, though, that he had all of the evidence that he needed; he had found some very interesting clues.

Lip quivering, Pearl took a deep breath. "M-Ms. Elise and I were going to read some books together…"

"That's right, I remember," Phoenix mused, nodding. "Go on."

"But then I left… I was worried, so I had to go somewhere else."

Phoenix raised his eyebrows. "The Inner Temple, right?"

"Wh-why would I go there?"

"Because you were worried about Maya." The first of the locks shattered, and Phoenix whooped mentally. "What time did you go there?"

"I think… it must have been at around nine-thirty. I heard the bell ring when I reached the Inner Temple, so I probably arrived at around ten o'clock."

Furrowing his brow, Phoenix looked Pearl in the eye. "But wouldn't the bell have been hard to hear from so far away?"

"I – I heard it. I was listening really hard for it – I couldn't miss it for any reason!"

"I think I know why." Phoenix pulled a scorched piece of paper from his pocket. It was a letter addressed to Pearl, which he had found in an incinerator during one of his numerous treks around the area. "It says here to wait until the bell rings… and then I can't read much else," he admitted, laughing in embarrassment. Pearl gaped at him.

"Wow! You're really good, Mr. Nick!" she blurted, another lock shattering above her.

"This letter instructs you to channel somebody. If I remember correctly, you told me that you tried to channel a spirit that night?"

"Yes…"

Phoenix closed his eyes. "Dahlia Hawthorne. Am I correct?"

"Ah!" The third lock broke. Pearl studied her sandals. "You are correct, Mr. Nick… but I don't know who that person is. I've never heard of her."

'She's your sister… but I shouldn't tell you that.'

"That's… not important right now, Pearls. Who wrote this letter?" Phoenix asked, although he was pretty sure he knew the answer.

"Mr. Nick…"

"It must have been someone you respect very much. You made sure to follow these directions. Could the writer have been… your mother?" The fourth lock fell apart, leaving one left. "So your mother, Morgan Fey, left these instructions for you…"

"How do you know I followed them?!" Pearl cried, tears streaming down her cheeks. "You don't know that!"

"Maybe not, but I do know that a child followed these directions!"

"What?!"

"Ms. Elise, could you help me read this word?"

"Gravely. That is a very tough word."

"And this one?"

"That's also a hard one. Roast."

A wall scroll hanging in the Inner Temple, depicting the Master of Kurain… the figure's elegant visage obscured with gravy…

'Who could have done this?'

"You misunderstood the instructions, Pearls. When you asked Elise Deauxnim about the words "gravely" and "roast" in this part here: 'Gravely roast the Master…'" Phoenix read from the burned letter. "I found a wall scroll that had a picture of the Master… and it was covered in gravy! Elise Deauxnim told you what the words say… but she never told you what they mean! And that is where your error lies!"

The last Psyche-lock disappeared.

"A-all right, Mr. Nick… after dinner, I took some gravy over to the Inner Temple. I didn't want to interrupt Mystic Maya's training, so I waited outside. I-I fell asleep, and when I woke up, the bridge was gone! I burned the letter and covered the scroll in gravy… I'm so sorry, Mr. Nick! I'm a bad girl!"

"It's okay, Pearls…"

"And when I heard the bell, I tried to channel that person, but I couldn't do it! My powers must be lost! I keep trying and trying, but it's not working!"

"Are you sure? There's no other possibility?"

"Well," Pearl sniffled, "there is one, but it's very unlikely. It's possible that someone else was channeling the same spirit at the time. After all, there is only one of that spirit."

"Yeah, Nick! You can't go after a beautiful girl if she's already taken!" Larry interrupted. "Just like that!"

"…You're not helping."

"Mother said I could help the Feys by following a letter th-that she hid at home… I only wanted to help Mystic Mayaaaa!" The young girl broke down completely, grasping Phoenix's jacket and sobbing into his stomach.

"Is there anything else about the letter?" Phoenix asked, making small shushing noises and rubbing Pearl's back comfortingly.

"There was a picture of the lady I was supposed to channel… but something was w-weird! The letter was already open... the seal was broken."

'That's odd…'

"Ha….! Trite."

Phoenix raised his eyes. Godot stood in front of him.

"It's no use."

"What?!"

"Everything will be settled tomorrow. You failed to protect both sisters, and I will defeat you… for Mia's sake."

February 10

9:39 AM

District Court; Defendant Lobby No. 1

Phoenix paced around the lobby nervously. Where was Iris? How could he defend her if she wasn't even there? 'This job is bad for my heart…'

"If you're wondering where your client is, she's in the Prosecutor's Lobby."

Phoenix spun around, meeting the cool gaze of his rival and love interest. "Eh?" he asked intelligently. "Why?"

"She's going to testify, Wright. The prosecution is pushing for a confession."

'So Franziska would go to these lengths to defeat me?…'

"I see what you're thinking. The prosecution is not Ms. von Karma. You will be facing Godot." Phoenix nodded slightly. It made sense. After all, he was supposed to be the original prosecutor for the case. "Franziska," continued Edgeworth, "is currently working on something much more important."

Pearl gasped. "You mean…"

"Yes. She has been up all night working on the trick locks. Hopefully, they will be removed within several hours."

The young girl smiled. "Ms. von Karma is nice after all, isn't she?" Phoenix, however, was too deep in thought to answer her. He needed three things answered: How did Misty Fey end up in the courtyard? What did Larry's drawing mean? And what was Morgan Fey's goal in all of this?

February 10

10:00 AM

District Court; Courtroom No. 7

"This court is now in session for the trial of Iris of Hazakura Temple."

Edgeworth, sitting in the gallery overhead, raised a single eyebrow. Where was the judge from yesterday, the one with the yellow beard and Canadian dialect?

"My brother caught a bit of a fever, so I will be in charge of the proceedings today," the white-bearded, familiar judge continued. "Your opening statement, Mr. Godot."

As Godot began with some weird metaphor that made absolutely no sense, Phoenix's mind raced. He had no idea what the prosecutor was planning by making Iris testify. Of course she wouldn't confess!… Would she?

"We would like to call the defendant to the stand to testify. This will be her confession," continued Godot, smirking before taking a gulp of his ever-present coffee.

The crowd buzzed. Phoenix sweated.

"Let the defendant take the stand!" the judge declared.

Iris was escorted to the witness stand, fidgeting a bit with her sleeve. She took a deep breath. "I… wish to confess."

"You are confessing to the murder of Elise Deauxnim?!" the judge asked, shock engulfing his face.

"No. However… I did play a part in the cover-up. I carried the body to the courtyard, and stabbed it with the Shichishito."

Ignoring the uproar over this last statement, the judge declared that any previous testimony given by Iris was to be disregarded, as it had been a lie.

'Damn it all!' Phoenix thought. 'This is bad!' He could only hope for something in Iris' testimony that would help him…

"I went to the Inner Temple that night and I saw it all happen in the garden," stated the nun. "I saw Mystic Elise strike Mystic Maya with her staff! While Mystic Maya was still stumbling, Mystic Elise moved in to deliver a fatal strike! Mystic Maya tried desperately to defend herself and stole the weapon…! It was only in self-defense!" Iris pleaded. "You can't blame her for it!"

"I see… so you are naming Maya Fey as the criminal! A strange turn of events indeed. Mr. Wright, please begin your cross-examination."

"Thank you, Your Honor. Iris, you say that Miss Deauxnim moved in to deliver a 'fatal strike'?"

"Yes. She threw down her staff and took a dagger out from her robes."

"Hmm…" Phoenix rubbed his chin.

"Is there a problem, Trite?" Godot said, the mocking tone of his voice evident to all but the most unobservant of people.

"Yes, there is one thing…" Phoenix muttered. "Iris, can you add that to your testimony, please?"

"Of course. She threw her staff away and pulled a dagger from inside her robe, like I said."

"Objection!" interrupted Phoenix. 'I knew it! Something was wrong there!' "Iris, take a look at this." The defense attorney pulled out the victim's wooden staff.

"That belonged to Mystic Elise, right?"

"Correct. However, this staff has a unique feature." Dramatically, Phoenix withdrew the hidden sword from the staff, causing Iris to flinch. "Do you see where I'm going here? Why would the victim abandon her staff when there is a perfectly good weapon inside it?"

"Objection!" protested Godot, his visor flashing. "A sword is hardly the proper weapon of choice for close combat. Precisely why she would choose a dagger: it is less unwieldy and easier to manipulate. There was no need for such a large weapon."

"Maybe so, Mr. Godot, but there's something else wrong with this scenario. You see, Elise Deauxnim is actually Misty Fey, Maya Fey's mother! Why on Earth would she attempt to murder her own daughter?!"

"Wh-what?!" Iris blurted out. Godot, too, looked incredulous.

"Is that so, Trite?"

"It is," Phoenix replied, nodding. "Therefore, there is no way – " He stopped when he noticed Godot smiling and shaking his head.

"I am so sorry, Trite, but that proves nothing."

'Are you kidding me?!'

"This morning, I sent Detective… Gymshoe, was it?… to the crime scene. There, he discovered a dagger embedded in a tree. There are bloodstains on the tip of the dagger."

"It's Gumshoe, pal!"

"Whose blood is it?…" Phoenix asked, dreading the answer.

"Unfortunately, there was no time to test it, but it is likely that the blood is that of the victim." Godot produced the dagger, which the judge inspected.

"The court accepts this evidence," he proclaimed. "This does seem to verify the witness' testimony; however, there are still some loose ends to tie up. Please testify about the actual moment of the struggle you observed!"

"Yes, Your Honor. Mystic Maya stumbled briefly after being hit over the head with the staff… But then she dodged Mystic Elise's next attack and stole her weapon. Suddenly Mystic Elise was the one on the defensive, with her back to the stone lantern. That's when Mystic Maya stabbed Mystic Elise! Mystic Elise managed to fling the knife away… but then… Then… she collapsed," Iris finished, fighting back tears.

Phoenix smirked. The contradiction was easy to see, and he immediately pounced on it once the cross-examination began.

"If I may review the cause of death with the court," he stated, pulling out the victim's autopsy report, "the victim was stabbed. In the back."

"Yes, that's right," Iris confirmed.

Phoenix shook his head. "Wrong. You testified yourself that Maya stabbed the victim when she had her back against the stone lantern! Now tell me, how is that physically possible?!"

"Ahhh! Um… I…"

"Objection! The garden was very dark when the witness saw the murder!" Godot interjected.

"Objection! There's a lantern right there!"

"Objection! I happened to speak with Sister Bikini, who told me that the lantern

was impossible to light that night! Although that stone lantern is usually lit when acolytes are training, the lantern remained unlit on that night! Your Honor," Godot continued, "here is a photograph of the stone lantern."

The judge inspected it. "What's this?!" he gasped. "There's something written there! It looks like… blood!"

"What?!" Godot pulled out his own copy of the photo. "There's nothing written there at all!"

"It says 'Maya' upside down on the lantern!" the judge argued.

Iris brought a loosely clenched fist to her mouth. "Excuse me…"

"Yes, what is it?" questioned the judge.

"I remembered something. Mystic Elise… she could have been alive long enough to write 'Maya' on the lantern before she collapsed…"

"Has everyone gone insane?!" Godot burst out, furious. "That lantern is as clean as a whistle!"

"You… don't see it?" Phoenix asked, planting his hands and leaning on the bench.

"Of course not! Because there's nothing there!"

'Why can't Godot see the bloody writing?… He said something about that yesterday, too…'

The prosecutor in question turned back to Iris. "Regardless, witness, you did do something after the murder. Testify about that."

Iris nodded. "After Mystic Elise died… I called out to Mystic Maya. I thought it was my duty to protect the future Master of the Kurain Tradition. So I removed the body from the Inner Temple by myself… I dragged it behind me all the way across Dusky Bridge." She took a breath. "Then I used the snowmobile to carry it back to Hazakura Temple and… I used the Shichishito to alter the way the wound looked."

"Very well, Mr. Wright. You may begin."

Phoenix, however, stared at the nun intently for several seconds. 'It sounds like… she's trying to pin the crime on Maya! But that can't be…'

"So," he asked, "you used the snowmobile?"

"Yes. I had the key, so it wasn't hard to take the snowmobile up to the bridge."

'Hmm…' "About the tracks that you left… I believe they were shown in this photo?" Phoenix presented a photo of the snowmobile, parked in front of Hazakura Temple. One set of tracks trailed behind it. "There's only one set. Can you clarify for me why that is?"

"Of course," Iris agreed, smiling. "Snow was falling when I left, so the first set of tracks was covered up."

"Mr. Wright," the judge interrupted, turning to Phoenix, "is this really all that important?"

"It's very important, Your Honor."

"Witness, you will add this statement to your testimony," commanded the judge, after a moment's deliberation.

"About the snow?" The judge nodded, encouraging Iris to continue. "By the time the murder took place, the snow had already stopped."

Phoenix smiled kindly. "Thank you, Iris. You've been a big help."

Iris looked confused. "What?"

"Tell me again. How did you get the body across the bridge?"

"I dragged it behind me."

"That's what I thought you said," the defense attorney smirked. "Let me clarify. You've been a big help… at handing me contradictions."

"I beg your pardon?!" Iris retorted, an annoyed expression flashing through her eyes.

Phoenix pulled out the weather report that detailed the night of the murder. "You say the snow already stopped. Then you dragged the body across the bridge. However…" he paused for dramatic effect, "that is impossible."

"What?!"

"Snow stopped at 10:50. Dusky Bridge, if the court will please remember, caught fire that night… at 10:45!"

Iris' eyes widened.

"There is no way," Phoenix finished, "that the defendant could have dragged the body across the bridge to the Courtyard!"

"Objection!"

'Will you stop that?!'

"These contradictions are meaningless!" Godot argued, slamming his coffee mug on the bench in front of him. "The body was found in the Courtyard! Sister Bikini saw Iris staging the murder! Those facts are concrete! Therefore, the witness must have gotten the body across the bridge!"

"Witness, you will testify about this!" the judge ordered. "And tell the truth!"

"Okay…" Iris said, smiling daintily. "Other than walking over the bridge, there's no way to move the body. So I… must have just… gotten confused, I guess. Was the snow still falling or had it stopped…? Does it really matter that much?"

Phoenix didn't know why, but the smile on her face made him sick to his stomach. Something just didn't feel right.

"Or are you saying that there is a way to cross a burning bridge?" Iris continued.

"Thank you. Your Honor, here is a photograph of Dusky Bridge after it burned down," said Godot.

The judge looked at the photo. "Mr. Wright, you tried to cross this?!"

Phoenix sighed. Godot smirked.

"Go ahead with the cross-examination," the judge told Phoenix.

Shaking his head briefly, Phoenix raised an eyebrow at Iris. "I have only one thing to say. OBJECTION!"

The people in the gallery muttered amongst themselves.

"Might I bring your attention to this sketch, presented by one Larry Butz during yesterday's proceedings?" With a flourish, Phoenix produced the crayon drawing that depicted the flaming bridge, and a figure flying overhead.

"Th-that?!" Godot sputtered, choking on his coffee.

"Let's think about this a different way," Phoenix started. "Larry assumed that the person in this photo was the defendant. However… what if that figure is someone else entirely?"

"But you can't mean…" Godot interrupted.

"I do! I believe that this figure is, in fact, the body of Elise Deauxnim!"

The judge banged his gavel. "Mr. Wright! You'd better have a good reason for presenting this… questionable evidence!"

"It seems that Trite never tires of his little 'turn the whole court on its head' game. One step at a time, Trite. Before you start making wild accusations, how about starting with the sketch if you're going to mix things up?"

Phoenix stared at him.

"What? I realize that I am quite handsome, but I don't swing that way. So sorry," Godot remarked, smirking.

"Wh-what?! No! I mean… that's it! This sketch… is a complete contradiction!"

"Explain, Mr. Wright," commanded the judge.

"Simple. See these suspension wires above the bridge?"

Godot sipped his coffee. "And just how is that contradictory?"

"I believe you submitted the proof yourself, Mr. Godot. If I may bring your attention to the photograph of Dusky Bridge… and the suspension wires below it?"

The judge did a double-take. "Aah!"

Phoenix, feeling pretty good about himself, continued on. "Larry Butz stated that he was lying on his back in the Heavenly Hall. Therefore, when he heard the noise and looked over at the bridge… he flipped his head upside-down!" Snatching up the sketch, Phoenix turned it 180 degrees and slammed it down on the bench in front of him, resisting the urge to yell "BAM" as he did so. "This is what really happened, Your Honor! The body is not flying over the bridge, but rather falling underneath it! Of course, the body ended up on the other side… which shows that a pendulum was used to transport the body from one side to the other!"

"Objection! You would need a rope to make a pendulum… a rope at least 10 meters long to cross that 20-meter gap!"

"Objection! Of course there was a rope!"

"Objection! Show some proof!"

"Look again at the photograph, Mr. Godot! Notice how one of the wires is disconnected and swinging below the bridge?!"

"Objection! I admit that there is a possibility… but you lack proof! How do you know that the scenario that you have set up is the truth?!"

Phoenix smirked, adrenaline rushing through his body from the heated arguing between himself and the prosecutor. "Very well. Let's say that a pendulum was used. In that case, the body would land around… here." He pointed at the diagram of the area around Dusky Bridge. "This was precisely where the crystal sphere, which was originally on Ms. Deauxnim's staff, was found. Additionally, the height difference between the "Inner Temple bank" and the "Heavenly Hall" bank is about… ten feet. If you would please examine the autopsy report, you will note that the body was dropped from a height of ten feet. Hardly a coincidence, Mr. Godot."

Taking an enthusiastic gulp from his coffee mug, Godot smirked back at Phoenix. "Good for you, Trite. But surely, this crime could not have been committed alone. If such a pendulum were used, someone would have to be at the other side to catch the body."

"You're correct, Mr. Godot!" the judge exclaimed. "Mr. Wright! Please fill us in! Just who was this accomplice?!"

Phoenix closed his eyes, deep in thought. "It can only be you…" he began. His blue eyes snapped open, and he turned to the witness stand. "Sister Iris."

"Huh?…." Iris responded. "Aaaaah! But… I…"

"Why are you so surprised?" Phoenix asked. "The only way to transport the body from the bridge to the courtyard was by snowmobile. Sister Bikini has a bad back – she would never be able to pick up a dead body. Furthermore, you have the keys to the snowmobile."

"Objection! Have you forgotten, Trite, that this little cutie pie was at the Inner Temple at the time?"

"Objection! I haven't forgotten… but have you, Mr. Godot? This witness was also seen at Hazakura Temple… desecrating the corpse of the victim."

"Hmm…" remarked the judge. "Strange indeed… It's almost as if… on that night, the defendant was in two different places at the same time!"

Phoenix turned his attention back to the young woman on the witness stand. "…Sister Iris. Let me ask you something… Why didn't you mention the pendulum when you first gave your testimony? Using this sketch, which was drawn by an eyewitness… I have established how the body was moved. You should have already known this fact."

"N-no!… I… I had no idea!" Iris cried, her brow furrowing. "I-I didn't know anything about a pendulum!"

"But you should have known about it! The body couldn't have been passed along to the other side without your help! It would be impossible for you to be clueless about this whole thing… unless…" 'HOLY SHIT! This can't be happening! Could it be?!…' Phoenix took a deep breath. "Unless you're not really Iris to begin with." The more he thought about it, the more positive he was that he was right. 'Now I just have to lure her out.'

Iris gasped. "What…!? H-how can you say that, Mr. Wright…?"

The judge glared at Phoenix. "What…!? What kind of nonsense is this? You… You're saying this witness isn't Iris of Hazakura Temple…?"

"Objection! A-are you serious, Trite…!?" Godot slammed his coffee mug on the prosecutor's bench, some of the dark bitter sloshing over the rim. The white-haired man clenched his teeth, apparently having caught on to Phoenix's train of thought. "You… You mean… Th-this woman is…"

'There's no one besides Iris that could have received the corpse that night! Now I get it…' Phoenix's stomach gurgled unpleasantly. 'Now I know why I've been sick to my stomach during this trial. Why her whole demeanor changed so suddenly from yesterday… and why she's trying to pin this murder on Maya…' He straightened, flung out an arm, and pointed at the defendant. "The woman that's standing there at the witness stand… Her real name is…!" 'Damn it… damn it!'

Up in the gallery, Miles Edgeworth cursed. He could see Phoenix's right hand trembling, safely hidden behind the defense's bench. 'Damn it all! Why did she have to come back to haunt him?!…'

"I never thought I'd have to utter your name again," Phoenix's suddenly cold voice rang out, interrupting Edgeworth's thoughts. "let alone see you. It's been a long time… Dahlia Hawthorne."