"…Very good Fräulein," Klavier said, smiling at Ema who was getting uncomfortable on the witness stand. "Perhaps you can tie it all together for us. Why was the body moved? And how does that lead us to the killer?"

Ema glowered at the implication behind his words but she kept quiet knowing full well that the courtroom was no place to start bickering with him. So instead, she took a deep breath and, with a sick feeling in her stomach, she began her testimony.

"I believe Machi stole the body because of some lyrics. He moved the body to match Lamiroir's song."

"Hold it!" Apollo shouted and Ema almost sighed in relief at the interruption. She wanted him to find a contradiction in her testimony. "What reason could he have?"

Ema's heart sank and her temper rose at the stupidity of his question. "You want my opinion? No idea!" she snapped turning to glare at Klavier for including this stupid, mind-boggling detail in the trial only to find him staring back at her with a smile and… was that a warning in his eyes? Her insides boiling and, making a mental note to yank his pretty hair out, Ema turned her gaze back to Apollo.

"But clearly he had a reason to go through all that trouble. Some deep reason."

"Not only did he steal my keys, he torched my guitar! Unforgivable acts even if he had a reason…" Klavier said suddenly and Ema was amused (yes, amused) to find his face devoid of his usual smile and replaced with a look of desperation and horror. "...And worse if he had none!"

Ema sniggered to herself which (thankfully) went unnoticed. "The diva's complaints aside," she continued, "I can't imagine someone doing this on 'just a whim'."

Hint hint, she said with her eyes but the prosecutor was far too preoccupied looking distressed and indignant again to notice it.

"Fräulein Detective! I take offense at that description!"

The crowd, too, seemed to find this comment interesting as they all began to chatter among themselves until the Judge banged the crowd-silencing gravel.

"Indeed," he said once the crowd quietened, "it does seem too well rehearsed, shall we say."

"Yes," Ema agreed. "This crime was planned for sure. No one in this country had a motive to kill the victim."

"Hold it!" Apollo interrupted once more but this time Ema wasn't as hopeful for any type of useful contradiction. The Wright kid didn't do any justice to his mentor. "But… Mr LeTouse spoke English! He may have come to this country before!"

Ema smirked, pleased with her powers of prediction. She shot a smile his way saying, "I looked into that, I assure you."

"Oh."

"It was his first time in the country, it seems. Apparently he learned English on his own."

"You see?" Klavier interjected while Apollo's face fell. "No one here had a motive to kill him and certainly not in such an elaborate fashion."

"Hmm…" The Judge was looking pensive. "It does seem difficult to imagine."

Ema's insides were twisting uncomfortably at the route this cross examination had taken. Apollo was being useless and Klavier was being almost ruthless. In an uncharacteristic show of cheekiness, Ema interrupted to give Apollo more time to think of something.

"Unless our famous prosecutor did it as a publicity stunt."

Klavier was so taken aback by the sudden comment that he seemed to collapse against the desk, a look of intense disbelief on his face as he stammered, "Wh-What did you say?"

"Prosecutor Gavin!" the Judge exclaimed over the chatter of the audience as Ema watched on in amusement. The entertainment value was great! "You did this to promote your song!"

It was all Ema could do to stop herself from giggling outright at the shock that seemed to have overtaken the fop. He's not so glimmerous now, is he? Behind him, in the audience, Ema could see Daryan grinning openly and he winked at her, almost as if in approval of her teasing. Ema considered sticking her tongue out at him but Klavier spoke up again and she had to preserve her energy to remain somewhat controlled in the courtroom.

"Of course not, and I am quite dismayed by the ludicrous nature of her claim." he retorted, clicking his fingers. "Why would I need promotion? Everyone already listens to my music!"

She barely managed to stifle the laughter bubbling in her. It appeared the good prosecutor didn't find the murder accusation itself ludicrous — rather, he was upset at the claim that his music needed promotion. Ema looked around the courtroom to see what reaction this had gleaned from the audience; the Judge was looking pensive again (or maybe wondering if he should point out he had never listened to the Gavinners); Trucy seemed to be telling Apollo the Gavinners were in textbooks while Apollo joined the Judge in his worry and the rest of the audience seemed to be chattering again.

"I was just kidding!" Ema said shooting the prosecutor an I-got-you-good smile. "Don't get all worked up, glimmer-boy."

She couldn't be sure but she thought she saw something like annoyance flash in his eyes. Paying no heed to it, she continued with her testimony (which was always interrupted by the inexperienced defense). Throughout it, Klavier seemed to avoid talking to her directly and she wondered if he were truly annoyed with her jokes. Well, she thought with a sniff, now he knows what its like to be on the receiving end. Ema's suspicions about the fop (in her mind it was now almost a swear) were confirmed when he humiliated her publicly by displaying her incompetence at doing her job; she watched furiously as he laughingly apologised for not telling her about Machi's blindness simply because it was too much of a hassle to bother her! Well she'd show him…

"I'm not leaving!" she snapped glaring at the prosecutor wishing she could murder with a glance. She was through pretending she believed Machi was the killer. In fact, she was through helping the prosecution with its ridiculous case — screw the consequences. She didn't care if she lost her job. "I can't leave like this! I'll come up with some clue to solving this case if it kills me!"

"But your testimony has already given us enough to convict the defendant…" said the Judge, blinking at her sudden outburst while Apollo looked like he was going to faint from the stress of trying to prevent a guilty verdict. Ema, however, was not really paying attention to either and, after a short while of scanning through the mental inventory of the clues she had found, a lightbulb seemed to flicker in her mind.

"Ah!" she exclaimed, "Ah ha!"

Everyone stared at her waiting for a response but she just glowed triumphantly, pleased with herself. It was Apollo who asked the question on everyone's mind:

"Aha what?"

"This blood stain…" she said slowly for a more dramatic effect. "The criminal tried to wipe it off, right?"

Klavier was now staring at her, both interested and somewhat suspicious of this new turn in her testimony. She would have liked him to lose his composure just one more time for fun but she knew him too well — he wouldn't show his alarm that easily. He had a 'cool' image to maintain… although, what was so cool about teen-angst rockers befuddled her. She shook her head in a bid to focus on the task at hand; so she talked Apollo through the process and once Daryan was assigned to delve into the mystery of the code she had uncovered (Apollo had only done the dirty work), she walked away from the witness stand with dignity. Assuming her place in the audience once more, she watched the cross examination of Lamiroir with a sort of fascinated interest. Looking at the singer, it was difficult to believe she was blind; she didn't possess the far-away look the blind usually did and Ema was comforted by the thought that even the drill-haired idiot had not realised Lamiroir was could not see until he received the report telling him so.

Suddenly, a commotion broke her out of her reverie. Lamiroir was still on the witness stand but now Daryan had reappeared with what Ema supposed was the result of his inquiry into the number. But… why did he look so out of sorts? She turned to the young officer sat next to her.

"What's happened?" she demanded. "Whose Interpol number was it?"

"It's LeTouse's," the young man replied but the shock on his face was a little too extreme for the revelation. "And…" he added, gulping and Ema glared at him impatiently. "Lamiroir has just named Detective Crescend as the man whose voice she heard arguing with LeTouse."

"What?" she yelped rounding on the scene before her. Klavier had lost all composure and was now clutching his ears as if what he heard was burning him. "You mean…?"

"Yeah," the officer said grimly his eyes fixed on the scene. "She's fingering him as the criminal."

Lamiroir was looking nervous but certain and Daryan was visibly reeling from the outburst. Apollo was glaring at Daryan as if working through things in his mind and the Judge simply looked gobsmacked and confused. Ema herself was astonished. Daryan Crescend? The killer? Could it be?

Then her thoughts took a darker turn as she remembered her own experience as a teenager. Authority figures were not always honest and power was often abused. Ema Skye knew that better than anyone. Hadn't she seen her share of it with Gant and his twisted games? And she recalled the von Karma scandal — Miles Edgeworth was also a victim to someone who'd pushed the limits of sanity, driven by a lust for perfection which, to Ema, was another form of power. She had seen enough in her early years to realise that the people one was meant to trust could not, in fact, always be trusted. It was a sad fact but it was a fact nonetheless. The tableau before her was a perfect example.

For some reason, however, Ema's concern was shifting to the prosecutor. He had regained some composure but the confusion and trepidation in his eyes was visible even from where she was sat. However, nobody else seemed to notice this; the court was rife with loud chatter, gasps and accusatory glares and the banging of the Judge's gravel which went unnoticed by the crowds. Among the chaos, Ema's eyes remained fixed on the rock-star for whom she felt an overwhelming sense of sympathy… and dread.

Ema heard raised voices as she approached Klavier's office and she stopped. It sounded as though he was arguing with someone and she edged a little closer to the door which was not quite shut in order to determine who the other person was.

"I ain't dirty." If the voice isn't enough to figure it out, the language sure does the trick, Ema thought. It was Daryan. "What do you think I am, a chowderhead?"

"Daryan," Klavier sounded drained — an uncharacteristic emotion for the man. "I know you didn't do it." Ema frowned at the certainty in his voice. It was as though he had forgotten the days events. "But that cocoon is a — "

"Yeah, I know it's a major cash-cow," Daryan interrupted and he sounded annoyed. "It might be a sufficient motive for regular people but I ain't regular. I'm a detective and a star," he said with emphasis. "I don't need that moolah. I got enough money of my own."

"I know!" Klavier snapped. "It is not me you have to convince. It is others who will question you."

"What do you mean question me?" Daryan snapped and he was definitely in a bad mood now. "You ain't gonna put me on the witness stand, man."

"I will not as long as it is within my power," Klavier said overriding Daryan who seemed ready to interrupt once more. "But I cannot account for the Judge."

"Ha!" Daryan scoffed. "Judge chrome dome doesn't have enough of a brain to do something like that. You can influence him no problem."

"Perhaps not but Herr Forehead will most likely try to indict you in the murder to get Machi Tobaye off the hook."

"That dingleberry ain't any better," Daryan sneered. "He's just picked up a few tricks from that Wright dork and he can't even do them right."

Ema had heard enough. She straightened up and, with a frown on her face, stalked right into the room to find Klavier sat in his chair while Daryan was leaning on the desk with his hands, presumably to get in the fop's face. Both men turned to look at her.

"Mr Wright is not a dork." Ema sniffed glaring at Daryan who smirked at her.

"Eavesdrop much, babe?"

"If you don't want to be overhead close the door," Ema snapped before turning on Klavier ready to inform him of the firecrackers she had found but was interrupted.

"You were listening in on our conversation, Fräulein?" He frowned and she glared at him.

"No," she said without blushing although she knew it was a blatant lie. "Anyway, I came to tell you about some firec—"

"Fräulein, please do not listen at my door again," Klavier interrupted again. "It is unbecoming of a lady."

Ema's eyes narrowed at him as the blood rushed to her cheeks. She opened her mouth to retort but decided not to at the last minute as she figured she would probably just embarrass herself further. Her fingers tightened around the plastic bag containing the fragments of the firecrackers she had found at the scene and a devilish thought occurred to her.

"Now, why have you come?" he asked and Ema's blood boiled at the rude manner in which he phrased that question. Her mind made up, Ema answered with a straight face while stuffing the evidence deeper into her bag.

"No new evidence was found at the crime scene."

Ema could have sworn she saw Daryan visibly relax and her suspicions (which had begun building the moment she found the pieces) heightened.

"Ya see?" Daryan said rounding on Klavier who also looked relieved. "You were creatin' a big stink over nothing — as always."

"Daryan," Klavier said exasperatedly. Ema turned to march away, eager to get away from the pair but the fop said her name and she stopped before turning slowly to face him again.

"What?" she said waspishly.

"Careful there, babe," Daryan drawled. "I wouldn't talk to the head honcho like that if I were you."

"You're not me!" she snapped. "Now what do you want, Gavin?"

"Raowr," Daryan sounded and Ema had her bag of Snackoos out so quick, neither man saw where it had come from. Within seconds she had thrown a handful of them in Daryan's face. "Ow!" he complained rubbing his forehead. "What the hell was that for?"

"Being you," Ema said, the calm in her voice belying the sorrow she felt at her precious snacks littering the floor.

"Fräulein Skye," Klavier said sharply. "I think it unnecessary for you to assault everyone with those things."

"Hmph," was all Ema said before popping one into her mouth and looking away.

"Daryan, I will speak to you later. Remember, lie…"

"…low." Daryan finished, his voice laced with contempt. "Yeah. You remember what I said. Nail him. Ya dig?"

"Ja." Klavier nodded.

Daryan winked at her before gliding out of the room with all the prowess of a hunter — the type that lived underwater. Ema almost shuddered at the predator-like aura Crescend seemed to carry around with him. Even his smile, though perfect in every way, was feral and every time he looked at her, it was as if he were considering her potential as a prey. Up until recently she had always been comfortable enough in his company (which hadn't been often) however, after Lamiroir's accusation Ema began to see another, harsher, side to him. She had heard him talk about Klavier and the bond between the two friends was evident even when Daryan was being his usual sarcastic self and it was hard for her to believe he could be a murderer. Yet, the new evidence she had found was enough to make her suspicious and, coupled with the reaction she had seen from Daryan, she was almost certain he was guilty. The thought made her both angry (at Daryan for allowed Machi to take the fall) and sad (because it would affect Klavier tremendously). She didn't know very much about the relationship between the two but she guessed that Kristoph Gavin's arrest had had enough of an impact on the younger Gavin if it had bought him half way across the world to see the attorney that had put him away. She focused on the latter Gavin and found him leaning his head back, his eyes fixed on the ceiling. He looked tired and disturbed. Her anger abated and pity took hold once more.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly and Klavier straightened up to look at her.

"Whatever for, Fräulein?" he asked, surprised.

"It must be hard," she started, looking away, finding it hard to continue looking at him, "about Daryan."

She didn't see his eyes but she heard it in his voice — it was dark when he spoke; "There is no need to be sorry," he said and she looked at him surprise. He was frowning and there was a storm in his eyes. "Daryan is not guilty."

"But…" she began, frowning. "Lamiroir said that — "

"She is mistaken," Klavier interrupted abruptly. "The only crime Daryan is guilty of is offending people with his hair." Ema opened her mouth deciding that she would tell him about the fragments she had found but he cut across her. "Fräulein, I will not hear anymore."

"So you think it's more likely a child murdered LeTouse than a grown man?" Ema demanded with mounting disbelief and anger.

"Yes," Klavier said bluntly and Ema's eyes narrowed. She knew that look in his eyes — he would not listen to a thing she had to say because he was blinded by his personal attachment to Daryan. She knew that she couldn't give him the piece of evidence that she had found now. Who knew what he would do with it? He was irrational and a paranoia born of past experiences made her wonder if he wouldn't manipulate it or even make the evidence disappear. She remembered her own trial in which her sister had turned to the illegal to protect her. She understood what Klavier was going through but it didn't give him the right to wrongfully prosecute a child in such a brutal murder.

"Authority figures cannot always be trusted, Gavin," Ema said firmly. "I know. When I was on trial, the — "

"Fräulein Skye," Klavier cut across her sharply, standing up, and his blue eyes were flashing now. "I do not know what you went through nor do I wish to hear it. I have known Daryan since we were children. I know him. He is not a murderer." Ema's mouth dropped a little and something akin to hurt rushed through her. "I asked you to remain behind as I wished to know if there was anything else I should know about the investigation."

She stared at him for a moment before responding. "No," Ema said coldly.

"Very well. You may leave." He said dismissing her and turning away to stare out of the window. Ema marched out of his office.

No… Klavier Gavin was not rational enough to be trusted with such evidence. However, she was also feeling a little guilty remembering the relief that Klavier had clearly felt at her lie. What would happen when the evidence found its way into court tomorrow and his relief was washed away never to be brought back? Ema was torn, unable to make a decision.

To tell him or not to tell him?

She needed advice and there was only one man who could give her that. With a sigh, Ema Skye turned right and made her way through the night towards the Wright Anything Agency.