Butterfly
by Cyberchao X
Summary: It's amazing how drastically the course of history can be altered with just the slightest difference in a single event. In the world of Ace Attorney, the first quarter of the 21st century was shaped by one single moment.
February 20, 2015
9:00 AM
Criminal Affairs Department
"Things got pretty crazy after you left last night," Mia Fey said to her partner.
"I know. It kind of put a damper on my night, too."
"…Oh. You were with Detective Marshall last night?"
"Yesterday evening, yeah. He…wanted to be alone after he found out. I…suppose it's for the best, but I'm worried about how he'll take it. He acts like a lone wolf, but…I wish I could've been there to comfort him."
"Is that what you're calling it?"
"Shut up. I already referred to 'that'. I was being completely genuine. You'd know if I wasn't, right?"
"…Yeah. You're not actually thinking of toning down your serial dating, are you?"
"…I'm not ready to commit to anything just yet. But I won't deny that Jake's different from the other guys."
"…Anyway, you don't know the half of it." Mia paused nervously, then failed to continue.
"Honey, you've got that look on your face that suspects normally get right before you tell me that they're hiding something."
"I…want to tell you what I know, but…it may be safer for you not to know."
"Don't make me take you to an interrogation room."
"…Follow me."
9:05 AM
Police Station—Women's Restroom
"I would've preferred the interrogation room."
"That might draw too much suspicion. Besides, you're not the only one I want to talk to." The door opened. "Good morning, Lana. How was last night?"
"I've made my statement. I was the first to discover the scene, alone. Damon arrived after me. Darke and Ema were both unconscious, and Neil was dead, stabbed in the chest."
"…Please tell me that you didn't actually say that. A good defense attorney will jump all over that, because the autopsy will contradict that statement."
"Oh? And how do you know this?" Angel asked.
"Because she wasn't alone. I was with her, though we're concealing that fact…largely because I was less than willing to go along with the cover-up."
"Why are you bringing her in on this?" Lana asked.
"Because she's my partner, and I'm going to need your help, as well as yours, to uncover the truth."
"I thought you agreed that it was best to bury the truth."
"No, I agreed that it was best to deflect suspicion away from the other false culprit."
"You promised me answers, but all I have is questions," Angel said.
"Lana, do you have the jar fragments?"
"They're in evidence."
"I want to see them. I have a hunch that Neil's vest wasn't the only clue with a piece missing."
"Mia…"
"You agreed with me that the jar had to be whole when it was written on. It screams 'fake clue'."
"Yeah, but I wiped away the writing anyway."
"Wiped, not washed. Luminol will reveal the truth. But either way, the jar had to have been broken after the fact, which means someone had to be conscious in that room at some point between the writing of that message—whether Neil wrote it or not—and our arrival. And I'm fairly certain that that person was Damon Gant."
"So what if it was? Damon likely did it to protect Ema."
"Why break the jar, though? If that jar was whole, the best way to protect her would've been to clean it up and put it back on its stand, so no one even realized the scuffle had been on his side of the office at all? Not to mention waiting for you to 'discover' the body before staging it…"
"So what's his motive?"
"…Blackmail, I'd imagine. You helped him with the cover-up, and the clues that you didn't forge point to Ema being the real killer. You're pretty much conceding your entire life to that man."
"I…I don't believe you."
"When we parted ways, he was still hiding something. We never actually did confirm the message on that jar to be Ema's name, but I think he already knew that it was."
"…I saw an E, and an A. I think. Probably.
"Were you paying attention to every piece?"
"…No, I was in shock."
"…I suppose the real question is whether there were any curved lines or if they were all straight. An A and an E could also be part of 'DARKE', but EMA is all straight lines while D and R both have curved ones."
"…I think it was 'EMA'. But…I didn't see anything that looked like an M."
"…Make sure that that jar is submitted to evidence. Actually…just get me a real list of evidence. And…you took a photo of the body before moving it, right?"
"…That's not getting approved."
"Does Gant know about the photo?"
"No, of course not."
"Good. Keep it that way. It needn't be on the evidence list pre-trial, but…should the truth of the crime scene be revealed, it may become useful."
"…There are photos of the staged crime scene that would show that missing piece of vest, too."
"…Well, yes, that is what I was getting at, but without the missing piece itself, that's not going to be much help."
"You're scheming something, aren't you?"
"…Let's just say that I'm looking forward to Darke's trial."
"…Here. I don't want to hang onto this any longer than I have to. I can't leave it here because Damon might discover it, and I can't leave it at home because Ema might discover it."
"Is this…?"
"Yes, it's the picture depicting the true crime scene. Just remind whoever it is you're planning to get to defend Darke that it won't be legal evidence at the start of the trial."
"Well, it could be, since I'm a detective as well and could approve it. But…presenting it too early is not in our best interests, since it would put the suspicion on Ema."
"Is there a reason I had to be here?" Angel Starr asked, having been thoroughly left out of the conversation.
"The path I'm going down could cost me my job. I need to know you'll have my back."
"You know it, Mia. You're an Ace Detective and I feel like I learn more from you than I've ever been able to teach you, even though I'm the more experienced one."
"Thanks. I never realized you felt that way."
"Eh, well, I'm not usually one to get all sentimental. So you wouldn't unless you asked me directly, because I wouldn't be able to get away with lying to you. How does that work, anyway?"
"…I'd rather keep the exact details a secret, but…I'm actually from a clan of spirit mediums. I have some spiritual power myself, but my mother and sister are far more skilled than I am. My mother's the current Master of the clan; she can even channel the spirits of the dead."
"I'm…not really sure I believe that, but…wouldn't it be easier to just ask murder victims who killed them, if that really works?"
"Well, maybe if the victim saw his attacker. But in this scenario, I would expect Neil would identify Darke as the killer. As far as he knew, he fought with Darke, then got shoved by Ema, and then he was dead. Even if he suspected Ema had accidentally killed him, he'd protect her and name Darke..."
"Who you think is innocent of this particular crime."
Mia nodded. "Yeah."
"Who are you getting to defend Darke?"
"Well, I haven't secured anyone yet, but…I'm meeting with Miles Edgeworth after work."
"The one who failed to exonerate your cousin of grand larceny charges?"
"Dahlia's been a thief for as long as I've known her, and her first crime also involved a faked kidnapping followed by faking her own death. That one failed, thanks to the intervention of a few convenient visitors to the remote temple where this was all staged."
"…What."
"Ask anyone who was already on the force in 2007 about Officer Valerie Hawthorne."
"Another cousin?"
"No, she's no relative of mine. Dahlia's stepsister; after Dahlia and Iris's parents split up, their father remarried Valerie's mother and Valerie took on his name. Even if Dahlia and Valerie were related, though, that still wouldn't make her a blood relative of mine since Dahlia's mother is a Fey."
"I'll look up the case file. Based on your knowledge of the case, though, I'm guessing I'll find your name in it?"
Mia beamed. "That was the case that inspired me to become a detective."
CCX: Yeah, that capitalization was practically necessary, since this seems to be turning into Ace Detective Investigations: Mia Fey. Who may or may not be a gender-flipped version of the Gotham incarnation of Jim Gordon. Angel's not really jaded enough to be Bullock, though.
6:14 PM
Edgeworth Law Offices
"For the last time, I'm really going to have to ask you two to leave. I'm expecting someone any minute now." The door opened. "…And now it's too late."
"Oh? A lady friend? Way to go, Edgey!"
"Larry. Detective Fey is here about a case."
"Oh? So then she's on the market?" the one called Larry asked.
"LARRY." Miles Edgeworth looked at his friend sternly.
"We should go," said the other one. "I'm sorry about Larry, Miss…wait, have we met before?"
"I don't think so," Mia said, while Miles facepalmed.
"Hey, no fair, Nick!" Larry said. "You've already got a girlfriend!"
"I wasn't flirting with her! She just…reminds me of…" Something clicked in his head. "Wait, did I hear Edgey introduce you as Detective Fey?"
"…I thought you said Iris only had one sister, and she's in prison," Larry said.
"Ah, you know my cousin?"
"Indeed. Phoenix was the one who asked me to represent Miss Hawthorne. Apparently her twin sister was quite distraught when she was arrested, and then Phoenix mentioned that one of his childhood best friends was a defense attorney…"
"You're…Iris mentioned that she had a boyfriend. 'Feenie', she called him. I never asked what it was short for. So your name is Phoenix?"
Phoenix nodded. "Wright."
"And your last name?"
"I just…oh, right." Phoenix laughed. "My name is Phoenix Wright. This flake is Larry Butz, and of course you already know Miles Edgeworth."
"Nice to meet you. My name's Mia Fey."
"Nice to meet you too. We should be going, though; Edgey said you were here on business." He led Larry out of the building.
"They seemed…interesting."
"That's…putting it kindly. We had a saying about Larry in school: 'When something smells, it's usually the Butz.' I keep dreading the day when I'll have to defend him, and not because I think he'll actually commit a crime."
"And Phoenix? …Iris has had a tough life, so I guess I want to hear your opinion of the man she's been dating."
"Phoenix is…a good person. He doesn't really apply himself, but he means well, and I'm sure he'll do right by her. Anyway, you said you had information?"
"Here's an evidence list. Of particular importance is this jar." Mia took out a floor plan of Lana and Damon's office. "Now, what I'm about to tell you is part of the cover-up, because it probably points to someone other than Joe Darke…but really, it's a false clue."
"Go on."
"When we found the crime scene, the smashed jar had bloody writing on it. That writing's been cleaned up, but traces of blood should still be present."
"Has it been tested?"
"It's Neil's, of course. But do you see the contradiction?"
Miles nodded. "The jar was smashed when the crime scene was discovered, but the writing covered multiple pieces, so it must have been whole when it was written on. Which of course means a culprit that wasn't found unconscious at the scene of the crime smashed it. But of course, the writing won't be part of the official evidence list, so it can't be used."
"If the chance presents itself, ask to examine the jar. I can't confirm it, but I suspect there's a fragment missing. Because…it wouldn't be the only suspicious absence." She took out the picture. "Lana took this picture when she first discovered the body, before Deputy Chief Gant arrived. He doesn't know about it. As far as the cover-up goes, it's a smoking gun, but…"
"It doesn't actually exonerate Darke. Any prosecutor worth his salt will try to claim that Darke moved the body."
"…It points to a frame-up. Which worries me…"
"Because the logical train of thought is that the police were covering up the true details and framing Darke because the real killer was Detective Skye's younger sister."
Mia nodded. "I think she's been framed, too. After all, she was unconscious as well."
"…I may have to at least accuse her in order to progress the case. After all, your suspect will be a tough man to get."
"…If things get desperate, that picture is proof that the crime scene was tampered with. It'll buy you some time if nothing else. The missing piece of Neil's vest was never found, after all; the fact that there was a piece missing isn't even in the report."
"…I'm naturally hesitant to take on a client who I suspect is a murderer."
"Don't think of it as defending a murderer. Think of it as defending a wrongfully accused man. This trial will strictly be for the murder of Neil Marshall, not for the murders of Edward Jones, Jason Knight, Edith Kirby, Rachael Moss, and Jeb Bates."
"…Well, if you're certain."
February 21, 2015
10:00 AM
Detention Center
"A visitor? I don't want any visitors."
Miles Edgeworth took out his badge. "I'm sure you don't, Mr. Darke. However, your trial will begin in two days. For the record…can you list the charges that are being brought against you?"
"…I am being charged with five counts of murder. Edward Jones, Jason Knight, Edith Kirby, Rachael Moss, and Jeb Bates. I have confessed to these crimes, and wish to plead guilty to all five counts." He seemed remorseful.
"Thank you, Mr. Darke. Let the record show that my client, Mr. Joe Darke, has willingly confessed to those five murders, and only those five, and at this time, February 21, 2015, at 10:02 AM, was entirely unaware of the identity of the victim in the trial that would be beginning two days hence." He turned off the recording device. "Were I defending you for those five crimes, I would try to bargain the first killing down to involuntary manslaughter, and attempt to get a verdict of not guilty by reason of temporary insanity for the other four charges, citing your mental state after having fatally struck a man with your car. However, I'm only here to defend you in the current case."
"…They had my confession and they're framing me for a murder I didn't commit?"
"If you truly were as remorseful as you appear, you wouldn't have tried to run. Either way, you're likely in quite a bind…but who knows? Maybe getting acquitted of this murder will help your case for the ones you did commit."
"…Who did I allegedly kill?"
"Hmm…perhaps it would be best for my case to keep you in the dark a bit longer." He smirked at the obvious pun. "Just leave this to me."
February 22, 2015
9:00 AM
District Court
"Here's the paperwork for tomorrow's trial."
"Oh? I was under the impression that Mr. Darke waived his right to an attorney?"
"That's correct, sir."
"Well, it says here that he's being represented by Miles Edgeworth."
"…What."
"Yes, right here. Defendant: Joe Darke. Attorney: Miles Edgeworth."
"That wasn't the case before! He waived that right!"
"He waived that right for the first five charges," a court clerk said. "Since a new charge is being brought against him, he has the right to counsel for this charge."
Damon Gant was inwardly seething. (He shouldn't even KNOW there's a new charge!) "Yes, of course. I was unaware that he'd retained counsel…and such a fine young lawyer, too. Should be interesting seeing two young guns going at it, eh?"
CCX: *smirk* Two young guns? Well, that's certainly interesting. Every prosecutor that Phoenix has ever faced is either a.) too old to be called a "young gun" (Manfred von Karma, the Payne brothers), b.) too young to be practicing law in this country at this time (Franziska, Klavier, Simon), or c.) a defense attorney (Edgeworth, who was the prosecutor for this case in canon, and Diego Armando). Thoughts?