Disclaimer:

We don't own Ace Attorney, and never will. It and it's characters belong to Capcom. Why do you think we're writing a fanfiction?!

July 30th

Community Pool

10:27 AM

At the community pool, in a once piece red and white striped bathing suit, Maya walked up to the caution-taped entrance and threw her bag down in frustration. "NOT FAIR. WHY IS IT THAT WHEREVER WE GO, SOMEBODY DIES?"

"Your powers of perception are amazing, Maya." Phoenix said, rubbing a hand over his chin. "It's true. It seems that wherever we go somebody does die…"

"Hey! Hey you! You guys!" A familiar voice called out from beyond the crime scene.

"Oh no…I know that voice…" Phoenix mumbled as a familiar hulky man in a dirty green trench coat lumbered towards them. Phoenix turned away, tugging Maya by the arm. "Come on Maya, if you keep your mouth shut and leave now, I'll buy you a burger—"

"How is that you know that somebody died? Maya's officially made a suspect, pal!" Detective Gumshoe tugged on Phoenix's arm, pulling him towards the crime scene.

"H-hey now! Gumshoe, we just got here!" Phoenix argued. He attempted to tug his arm away from the bulky detective, but he had a strong grip on his shirt. "Maya couldn't have done it. She's been accused of murder three times now. If you didn't convict her the first three times, what makes you think that the fourth time will be the charm?"

"I'll take my chances, pall!" Gumshoe huffed.

"You don't even have any proof or a good lie to back it up!" Phoenix sighed.

"Proof? Proof? You want some proof? I'll give you some proof, pal!" Gumshoe panted excitedly. He ducked under the caution-taped entrance and pulled Maya and Phoenix with him. Phoenix sighed as they passed through the reception area packed with people and were brought to the pool. Police were scrambling around, taking pictures and carefully inspecting various pieces of evidence. Gumshoe pulled them over to a back wall and pointed triumphantly to his 'decisive' evidence.

"I finally got a hold of it pal! Real decisive evidence!" There on the wall written in some strange, yellow, goopy liquid was Maya's name. Phoenix stared at it for a moment and frowned. "You gotta be kidding me…"

"What is it?" Maya asked, staring at the wall curiously.

"That's your name, pal!" Gumshoe trumpeted.

Phoenix winced. "I don't think that's what she meant, Gumshoe." He paused for a moment and scratched his chin. "B-but, this doesn't make any sense. We just got here. Why is her name on the wall?"

"No idea," Gumshoe confessed sadly. "From the smell and the fact that there's a bottle on the ground right there," Gumshoe pointed to a small tan bottle on the ground near the wall, "we believe that it was written in suntan lotion. But we can't be too sure of it. We still have to take samples and send them to the lab. However, our best forensics team is here right now, doing their best." He motioned over to a group of people huddled around a puddle of water.

Phoenix followed Gumshoe's hand and looked to the squatting people. One turned to face him and waved gingerly. Phoenix felt his gut drop as he noticed it was a rather chipper looking Ema Skye. "This just doesn't make sense," he murmured.

Gumshoe pulled out a pair of handcuffs from his dirty jacket and latched them around Maya's wrists. "It never does, pal. But Maya's been made a suspect in the murder of…the victim-guy."

"You don't even know his name?" Phoenix asked.

"No, we just hauled him up from the deep end of the pool using a contraption I built from plywood, superglue, metal detector, and rope," Gumshoe explained. "But regardless, we still have to take Maya downtown for questioning." The detective looked to Maya—who still had no understanding of the situation—and gave her his best puppy-dog look. "Sorry about this, pal…"

"Wait, how do you know it was even a murder?!" Phoneix cried.

"Oh, we have decisive evidence for that as well. But I'll explain later, after Maya is taken down to headquarters for questioning."

Maya blinked and looked to the handcuffs around her wrists. She held them up so they were at Phoenix's eye level. "Nick, will I still get my burger?"

"Don't worry Maya! I'll get you out of this situation and find out who the real killer is! I mean, it might help to know who the victim is too, but that's not important right now." When Phoenix was done proclaiming his promise, two guards came up and took Maya by the arms. They started to lead her away. Before she got out of earshot though, she stopped and looked over her shoulder.

With a large grin on her face, she shouted the inspirational words to Phoenix, "I can has burger now!" Phoenix stared and Maya as she was escorted out of the building.

Gumshoe placed a hand on Phoenix's shoulder. "You better stick around, pal. When we know who the victim was, you'll be one of the first to know."

"All right, fine." Phoenix frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. He surveyed the pool hall once again, noting all of the ruckus. "So, what exactly happened here?"

Gumshoe pulled a small notepad out of one of his coat's pockets and flipped through a few of the pages. "Well pal, at about 9:47 this morning, we got a call about a drowning. We got here in about ten minutes and have been scrounging around the crime scene ever since. There are some witnesses out in the lobby, why don't you go talk to them? Maybe you'll find out some other details," he suggested.

Phoenix nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

July 30th

Community Pool—Lobby

11:03 AM

Phoenix looked around the packed lobby. There were people everywhere—a startling fact since it was so early in the morning. Was the pool normally this packed in the morning? The Ace Attorney frowned and bit his bottom lip. "Where to start…?" he murmured to himself.

"Nick! Hey, Nick!" a voice called out. Phoenix jumped and looked around the lobby. Behind the large crowd, a hand was just barely visible waving over people's heads. "Nick, Nick!" Phoenix blinked as the voice called his nickname again. After a moment of watching the hand struggle—and hearing disgruntled comments about whoever it was—a familiar face squeezed out from between the people. Phoenix would have been happy to see this person at any other time, but now it was just plain disturbing.

"Nick! Heya!" Larry Butz called, strutting forward. Phoenix stared in disbelief as Larry approached.

"L-Larry…why are you only wearing a Speedo?"

"Why else? I came here to go swimming," Larry explained as though it were the obvious answer. Phoenix gawked.

"But…a Speedo?"

"What's wrong with the Speedo? I'm using it to fish for some chickies right now. I even brought a lure and—"

"That's enough!" Phoenix shouted, pointing at Larry. Larry jumped and cringed. Phoenix coughed. "I thought you had a girlfriend?" At those words, Larry's demeanor instantly changed. He was sniveling and started to tear up.

"You mean Corona Lite?" Larry sobbed. "She dumped me when she found out that I was a compulsive bed-wetter…"

Phoenix cringed. (There's something I didn't need to know about my childhood friend.) He shook his head. "Larry, some things never change. Sorry you were dumped though." Larry perked up instantly. He shot a thumb's-up to Phoenix and grinned.

"No worries! I went and found myself another girlfriend. Right over there, actually." He turned and motioned to a reception desk. "Cute little thing…really shy. I think she likes me. She's no Franzy, but…" Again, Phoenix cringed.

"Oh, uh…that's nice, Larry," Phoenix stuttered, shaking his head. He tried to find something else to busy himself with, but Larry kept talking.

"She looked so hurt after seeing what she saw…I just had to go and comfort her. You know me—I'm a romantic."

Phoenix shuddered, and looked over to the girl at the desk. She looked about 17 years of age, with bright blue eyes and a head of chocolate-brown short hair that flipped out at the base of her neck. The idea of Larry Butz hitting on a girl who looked too young to even belong to the working class seared and burned his mind.

"Isn't she cute?" Larry asked, leaning forward and nudging Phoenix. "I swear it Nick! This is true love! I haven't felt this good since Franzy whipped me and agreed to the book deal!" The pathetic "romantic" sighed happily.

Again, Phoenix shuddered.

Larry swooned. "Nick, you should have seen her. She looked so bothered and ready to cry. She was practically in tears when I went to go comfort her. But as soon as she got a good look at me in my Speedo, she cheered up instantly. She yelped with joy at seeing me! Who could blame her? I'm just happy to have cheered that sweet little angel up. I guess she must have been traumatized by what she saw."

(Who could blame her? I'm pretty traumatized right now too…) Phoenix thought.

"Yeah, whatever was on that video tape must've really frightened my little darling…"

Instantly, Phoenix perked up. "Videotape?"

Larry quirked a brow. "Yeah. I guess she has a copy of the murder taking place. Or something like that. I dunno. Maybe it was The Ring. Seven days Nick…" Larry cooed, wiggling his fingers at Phoenix. Phoenix rolled his eyes and Larry shook his head. "Listen, if you want to talk to the girl, let's go. But don't you try anything funny! This girl and I are meant to be together!"

"Don't worry Larry. I don't…uh…intend to steal 'your girl' away from you anytime soon…" Phoenix sighed. Larry grinned and shot him a thumbs-up.

"Sounds great, buddy! Let's go!" With that, the duo fought the treacherous crowd and made their way over to the reception desk. Phoenix coughed and the girl looked up through her dark brown bangs. She was wearing a green YMCA t-shirt and sat cross-legged on her computer chair.

"Can I help you?" She asked meekly.

"Darling! My baby Sarah!" Larry squealed, thrusting his arms out as though he were expecting the girl to leap to him.

"GAH! I-it's you again!" the receptionist dubbed "Sarah" cried childishly. In an effort to space herself from Larry, she leaned back as far as she could and thus fell out of her seat. Phoenix stared as the girl got up from her previously crumpled state on the floor and scratched her head.

"I…I apologize for my friend here… He thinks you're his girlfriend," Phoenix explained. Sarah blanched. Larry seemed not to notice. Phoenix coughed. "So…I heard you like Mudkips."

The receptionist tilted her head and stared blankly. "…what?"

"I heard you witnessed the murder," Phoenix quickly recovered. (Where the hell did that previous question come from?)

Sarah nodded her head. "Yup."

Phoenix blinked in surprise. "Well that was definitive…normally I meet people who denied they witnessed anything."

"Well it's true. I saw it. It's even on tape." She tapped the screen of the monitor sitting in front of her. "Wanna see?"

DUN DUN DUN...To be continued.

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