THIS CHAPTER IS SO LATE! I literally had 2,208 words of this chapter already written like a week ago, but I came to a complete standstill with Oldbag's testimony, which is why this is so late. I got some major Writer's Block. I'm sorry! Had I not been so lost, this would've been posted a while ago. But because of that, I'll be posting the next chapter really soon (meaning probably tomorrow at the latest)!

Warning: This chapter is probably one of the worst chapters I've written, honestly. Please do forgive me. As I said, it was really hard writing this chapter, but I did my best!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Ace Attorney series characters!

Chapter 12 – Turnabout Witness

"Mr. Edgeworth! I need you to come investigate with me!" was the first thing Kay said when she barged into his office. She had rushed from the courthouse back to the Prosecutor's Building and to his office.

Edgeworth put down the papers he was reading. "Why Kay?"

"Well, I want to use Little Thief, but I'm kind of worried that I might get in trouble, but if I have the Chief Prosecutor with me, no one's going to mess with me!"

In other words, she wants me to come with her and take responsibility for her use of Little Thief. *Sigh* I suppose it would do me well to get out of the office.

He stood up and walked over to her. "Alright Kay. I'll come with you."

Kay was shocked. "R…really? I thought you were going to say something like, 'Hmph. I don't have time to go investigate a crime scene with you, and you shouldn't be calling that gadget Little Thief,'" she explained, deepening her voice to try and match it with the Chief Prosecutor's.

"Hmph. While I do agree with the latter statement you made, I do happen to have time to investigate a crime scene. It's not like I'm working twenty-four seven, you know."

"Could've fooled me," Kay muttered.

"Did you say something, Kay?"

She smiled a little innocently. "No! Now come on!" She ran out the door. Edgeworth just sighed, shaking his head and shrugging. Some things just really don't ever change.

"To think someone would have the courage to kill someone in the park, and in the middle of the day, no less!" Kay mused as she and Edgeworth entered People Park.

"How did the trial go, Kay?"

"Not too bad, although that autopsy report kinda messed us up a bit."

"Hm…yes. That was quite annoying, but it should be sent to the police department soon enough." Annoying was an understatement for Edgeworth. It was rather unheard of that the autopsy report wasn't ready by the time the trial began, but he let it go, as it wasn't something that happened often.

"But I did hear that you got a slight bit distracted during the trial, Kay."

"What do you mean?"

"Apparently, you helped the Judge go off on a tangent about something."

"Oh! That's right! I remember. He was telling us about how it was love at first sight between him and his wife. It was so adorable!"

"Kay," Edgeworth interrupted her, sounding impatient. "The courtroom isn't place to be discussing such trivial matters."

"Come on, Mr. Edgeworth!" Kay began to whine when they both heard someone yelling.

"AH!"

What, no. Who was that?!

Someone had run past them, screaming. They then saw a dog was chasing after the person.

"Come on Mr. Edgeworth! Let's go investigate!" Kay followed them.

We're here to investigate the crime scene. Ugh. She's already gone.

He and Kay ran until they stopped nearby an old oak tree. The dog, specifically, a German Shepherd, was barking at something that was up in the tree. The two of them looked up, only to find a rather amusing sight. There was Serena, standing on one of the tree branches, gaping down at the dog.

The dog saw Edgeworth and Kay and growled at them. Luckily, its owner, a short, pudgy, rich-looking lady, came and quickly hooked the dog on a leash. She looked up at Serena, who was still in the tree and pointed a finger at her, shooting her a dirty look. "You! You distressed my poor little dog!"

Serena indeed did look ashamed, and was genuinely upset. "I…I'm sorry ma'am! Really! I…I didn't think sitting on that bench would distress your dog!"

"Well it did! You should be ashamed of yourself!" The woman pet her dog affectionately. "Come now my little precious. It's time to go to your doggy tea party!"

That's what distressed that dog? She was sitting at a bench? How pathetic. And that dog isn't exactly little.

Kay stood underneath the tree and waved up at Serena. "Hi Serena!"

"H…hello Kay."

"How are you?"

"I'm good, thanks. And you?"

"I'm well." Kay looked around before she looked back up. "I think you can come down now."

Serena looked around the area. "I guess I can." She tried cautiously to make her way down the tree. Halfway down, she ended up falling the rest of the way down. She stood up and brushed the leaves off herself. "Phew. I guess my tree-climbing skills have declined over the years."

"Tree-climbing skills?" Kay asked.

The doctor shrugged. "It's a long story."

"Were you the one who ran past us screaming, Ms. Sterling?"

She laughed a little uneasily, her face turning a little red. "Yeah. I…I thought that dog was going to bite me again."

"You're not really good with dogs, are you?" Kay asked, smiling.

She shook her head. "No, I'm not. They never really did seem to like me," she said, looking down at the ground.

"Are you alright?" Edgeworth asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little shaken up is all."

"What were you doing here at the park?"

"I was sitting at a bench when that dog came up to me. I didn't run, but it…sort of bit my coat," she explained, examining her white coat, which was a little ripped. "So I ran."

"What a mean dog!" Kay said. "But at least it didn't bite you."

Serena nodded. "So. What are you two doing here in the park?"

"Investigating another crime," Kay answered. "A murder."

"Oh my! That's awful!"

Kay nodded her head. "Sure is. Happened right here in this park."

"I better tell Sabrina not to come over here then; otherwise, she'll freak out on me. Speaking of Sabrina…" Serena turned to the prosecutor. "I have to apologize for Sabrina and her behavior on your date, Mr. Edgeworth. She means well, she really does. She just…" She stopped for a moment, trying to find the right words to describe her friend. "Doesn't really notice when she oversteps her boundaries, if that makes any sense."

"It's quite alright, Ms. Sterling. You two seem to be very close. Almost like siblings, I'm sure most people would say."

She had a lopsided grin. "Yeah, I guess you could say that we're like sisters. She's the only person I can actually call my best friend. She's always had my back since we were young and… I'd do anything for her too."

"That's nice! I wish I had a sister, but I'm an only child." The young prosecutor shrugged.

"Anyway, I should get going. I need to get to the ER soon."

"Ms. Sterling. When are you going to be there?"

"Hm? Oh, I'm probably going to go there in about…" She checked her watch. "Two hours?"

"Then would it be alright if I came over there? I'll need to speak with you about the autopsy report for this case."

"Sure. That's fine. I'll see you then." She started walking down the path away from them.

"Hey Serena!"

She faced Kay. "Yes?"

"What's your personality type?"

"My…personality type? You mean, like the Myers-Briggs thing?" Kay nodded. "Well….this might be kind of weird for me to know it off the top of my head, but I'm an ISFJ."

"Oh," Kay frowned.

"Is…that a problem?"

"Oh no! I was just…curious." Kay smiled brightly, masking her disappointment. Well there goes that idea. If only some of those letters were different… "We've got to go. Take care!"

"Hey Kay! Mr. Edgeworth."

"Athena!" They had finally reached the scene where Apollo had discovered the body.

"Ms. Cykes. Are you here to investigate as well?"

"Yeah. Mr. Wright sent me here. Is that why you guys are here too?"

"Yup! Hey! How about the three of us work together?!"

Athena hesitated a little. "Er…well. I don't mind, but…"

Edgeworth figured the defense attorney was reluctant to agree because of him. "Ms. Cykes, you don't need to worry about me. It doesn't matter if the prosecution and defense work together in investigating the crime scene. The important thing is that the truth is revealed."

Athena grinned. "Good! I'm glad to hear that! So! Where should we start?"

Kay frowned a little. "We don't know much about the case, especially since there were no witnesses."

"EDGEY-POO!"

Oh no. Not her…anyone but her!

"Ms. Oldbag!" Kay grinned cheekily, not failing to notice how Edgeworth looked rather horrified. She waved at the woman who ran over to stand in front of Edgeworth.

"Oh Edgey-poo! It's been so long since I've seen you!"

Not long enough.

"You're…" Athena thought for a second before snapping her fingers. "You're Wendy Oldbag! Mr. Edgeworth's sta-admirer."

"Edgey-poo!" The woman screeched after scowling at Athena. "Every time I see you, you're constantly surrounded by all these young whippersnappers! How could you cheat on me like this?!"

Please stop talking. You're going to give me a headache. And we were never together for me to cheat on you.

"What are you doing here, Ms. Oldbag?" Kay was able to ask before the woman continued her complaining.

"I'm here at the park every day."

Every…day?

"Every…day?" Kay asked.

"Every day."

"Were you here yesterday?" Athena questioned.

Oh no. I just know where this is going. Please, don't let it go there.

"Don't talk to me, you little whippersnapper!"

Athena was offended to say the least. She hated being called little anything, but she knew better than to argue with an elderly lady, especially this woman.

"Mr. Edgeworth, how about you talk to her?" Kay suggested.

"Do I have to?"

"Well, I highly doubt she'll speak to me, and given the way she feels about you…" Kay gave Mr. Edgeworth a look.

Why do I get this feeling that Kay just wants to see me suffer?

"Ahem. Ms. Oldbag."

The old woman smiled at Edgeworth, batting her eyebrows. "Yes Edgey-poo?!"

Edgeworth cleared his throat again. This was not what he wanted to be doing right now. "Er…you wouldn't have happened to have been in this area yesterday afternoon, would you?"

"You bet I was, Edgey-poo. Were you here? Because I don't remember seeing you here. I've been trying to find you ever since I saw you at that restaurant that day. I thought that maybe you came here with a big mutt, like you often do." She kept on rambling, but Edgeworth had stopped listening to her.

Did she just call Pess a mutt?! How dare she! Pess is much better-behaved than this woman will ever be!

Athena walked over to stand next to Kay and whispered to her. "This woman really does stalk Mr. Edgeworth, doesn't she?"

Kay bobbed her head. "She sure does. I'm surprised she hasn't come to the Prosecutor's building asking for him yet." She then walked forward. "I hate to interrupt you, Ms. Oldbag, but we need to know if you were here at the lake at around, say 5:30?"

"Hmph. Maybe I was, and maybe I wasn't. What's it to you?!" The woman snapped.

Kay once more looked at Edgeworth. "Ms. Oldbag. Were you or were you not here at that time?"

She sweetened up instantly. "Why of course I was here! I was here from four to six yesterday, like I am every day!"

Figures she would be a potential witness. This is going to be difficult, not to mention she won't even properly answer Kay or Ms. Cykes.

"Alright then, Ms. Oldbag. Please do tell us what you saw here, near this lake, yesterday afternoon at around that time."

"Of course! Anything for my dear Edgey-poo!"

"Then please, don't waste any time."

"Don't rush me! I'll get to it!" Edgeworth didn't hold back at glaring at her. "Oh my! You look so handsome with those glasses! Not that you weren't handsome before. Young men need to dress more like you! Nowadays, they all walk outside in their pajamas…" She went on ranting.

Edgeworth could hear Kay and Athena giggling a little when she complimented. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Ms. Oldbag? Your testimony, if you will?"

"Right!"

"I was just minding my own business here at the park yesterday afternoon. I walked past this lake, and that's when I saw two men. One shoved the other into the water, but he got back out. Then I just kept on walking by, minding my own business."

"Alright Mr. Edgeworth. How about we let you take care of this woman?"

"...Of course." Although Edgeworth really didn't want to have to talk to the old bag, he didn't mind having to cross-examine her testimony.

"Ms. Oldbag. What did these two men look like?"

"Oh, I don't know."

"You don't know?" Athena repeated.

"Why would I care for two men like them when I've got my lovely Edgey-poo here?!"

Edgeworth held in a groan. "So you have no recollection of what either of them looked like? Maybe their heights or what color clothes they were wearing?"

"Hm...one was shorter than the other, and one of them was wearing red. The other man was a little bit older, with a moustache, I think."

Athena spoke up. "Was it the shorter person who was wearing red?"

Oldbag ignored the question, prompting Edgeworth to repeat it himself.

"Why, yes. Yes he was."

The defense attorney didn't like that part. Apollo was short, and he wore red. "Did he have brown hair?"

"Ms. Oldbag. These two are here to help me with an investigation, and I would greatly appreciate if you'd cooperate with them and answer their questions."

The woman waved a hand through the air. "Of course! Why didn't you just say so, Edgey-poo?" Turning to Athena, the woman replied, "Yes, he had brown hair."

Athena was disheartened. This was not sounding good at all.

Edgeworth continued his questioning. "Can you tell us a little more about what happened between the two men? Were they arguing with each other?"

"Hm…those whippersnappers were kind of loud."

"Were they yelling at each other?" Edgeworth pressed a little more.

"They probably were; either that or they were just being loud. You know youngsters these days! They just don't know when to keep their mouths shut. They just keep going on and on about themselves in their loud, obnoxious voices…"

Kay leaned over to Athena. "Yeah, well maybe they grew up around people like her."

Athena nodded her head. "You're right. She needs to take a good look in the mirror before she starts criticizing us youngsters." The woman was still rambling on and on.

"Ms. Oldbag. Returning to your testimony, who shoved who?"

"The short red boy shoved the other man."

"Shoved him into the water?"

Oldbag nodded. "That's right. Right into the water."

"And he got back up and out of the water?" Edgeworth saw the woman nod again. Hm…then it's probably unlikely that he drowned.

Kay piped in. "Before we move along, how about I plug all of this information into Little Thief?"

Edgeworth nodded. Quite frankly, he just wanted an excuse to not have to speak with the elderly woman for more than a few minutes.

"Who's Little Thief?" Athena asked curiously.

"Teehee. You'll see!" Kay replied, before clearing her throat. "Dark skies of evening, when no other bird dares take wing, one alone remains all-seeing! Now, witness the true power of a real, modern-day Robin Hood!" She pulled out little device and began punching information into it.

The device's green projection surrounded them. "Whoa! This is so cool, Kay!" Athena exclaimed. "This is a recreation of the crime scene, isn't it?"

Kay smiled triumphantly. "Thank you! And yes it is!"

Edgeworth immediately examined the recreation. "Kay, I don't think we have enough information yet."

"Mr. Edgeworth!" A new voice called out from a distance.

"Ema!" Athena exclaimed as she saw the brown-haired detective run over to them.

Ema came to a stop near Edgeworth, huffing and puffing. "As soon as I heard that you were investigating the crime scene, I made sure to get here as soon as I could!"

"Hmph. Yet another whippersnapper here to snatch up my Edgey-poo," Oldbag grumbled.

Oh no. She's probably going to become even more difficult to deal with now. *Sigh* Shaking his head a little, Edgeworth nodded at the detective. "Detective Skye. It's nice to see you. Do you think you could help us out here a little?"

"Of course, Mr. Edgeworth! It just so happens that I got assigned to this case today!" The detective pulled out of her bag all sorts of supplies. "Ema Skye, here at your service!"

"Hm…they said the victim was stabbed…" Kay began. "But if that's the case, there should be blood somewhere here, right?"

"Don't worry! We'll be able to find out with my luminol spray!" Putting on her pink glasses, Ema began spraying the whole area. She gasped near the edge of the lake, where Little Thief was projecting the two people at the crime scene were standing. "Here! There's a couple of blood spatters right here."

Edgeworth frowned. "Hm…according to the witness's testimony…"

"Ms. Oldbag's testimony, Mr. Edgeworth," Kay corrected him.

"Right…I already see a contradiction in her testimony." He turned to Kay. "But you are the prosecutor handling this case, Kay, so why don't you find it?"

Kay frowned. "Do I…have to?"

"Yes."

Sighing, Kay nodded her head. "Alright then." Kay thought for a moment. "Wait. Ms. Oldbag didn't mention anything about anyone getting stabbed!" She turned around and spotted the elderly woman. "Ms. Oldbag!"

"What?!" The woman snapped.

"Geez. I just have a question for you. You mentioned in your testimony that the short guy wearing red shoved the other person, who I think we can all agree was the victim. But we found bloodstains near the area where you claimed to see this." S

Oldbag looked nervous. "Er…well…"

"Ms. Oldbag. Is there something you haven't told us?" Edgeworth asked sternly.

The woman frowned. "Edgey-poo! Don't use that tone of voice with me! I'm an elderly woman with a frail heart."

The first part of your statement may be true, but I'm not so sure about that last part. "Ahem. I apologize, but still. Please explain this discrepancy to us immediately."

"Okay. So…I may have seen something shiny in the hand of that one boy who shoved the other."

"In other words, he stabbed the victim!" Athena exclaimed. "Why didn't you tell us that before?!"

"I didn't want to have to come into court and testify! Plus, I didn't think they were serious. I figured it was just a fake sword and that they were just roughhousing. You know the youngsters these days…"

Athena and Kay groaned as the woman went on. Again.

"So the victim was stabbed. Ms. Oldbag," he interrupted her rant. "Did you see what the weapon was that the man used? Or where the victim was stabbed?"

"He was stabbed somewhere in his lower back, but I don't know what kind of weapon was used."

That's helpful. "Kay. How about you input this new information into it?"

"Into Little Thief? I'm on it!" She pressed a few buttons, and soon, Little Thief's projection changed.

"So…once the victim was stabbed, he fell…face down into the water," Athena explained. "Then he got up. But that means he wasn't murdered then."

"Was that all you saw, Ms. Oldbag?" Kay asked urgently. "You didn't see anything else?"

"Well, now that you mention it, as I was turning to leave, I did hear another splash."

"Another splash? So you heard one when the person was first pushed into the water?" Edgeworth inquired.

"Yes, I did. Then I heard another one."

Kay added this information to Little Thief. "So basically, this is what happened. The culprit stabbed the victim, who fell into the water, but he climbed back out, only to get pushed in again." She looked at Edgeworth. "So then that's when he died maybe? But how did he die?"

"Either he was stabbed again, or he drowned," Athena answered. "What does the autopsy report say?"

Ema, who was quiet, suddenly spoke up. "That's right!" She reached into her bag and pulled out a file. "Detective Gumshoe wanted me to bring this to you, Kay." She passed the file to Kay.

"Thanks," Kay replied, opening the file and reading over it. "According to this, the victim died because of excessive blood loss due to the stab wound."

Edgeworth went over to Kay. "May I see that?" He looked over it himself. "Yes, so it does say that." He then frowned a little. "There's nothing about this man's medical history in here." He glanced at Ema expectantly.

"Apparently, since the autopsy report was so late, they decided not to include that information. Plus, since it states the cause of death, they figured there was no need to get that information."

"Hm…I see. Kay. May I carry this with me for the time being? I'll make sure to bring back to you as soon as possible. I need to get going now."

"Sure Mr. Edgeworth."

He nodded at the three young girls and Oldbag, who just stared at him dreamily. Edgeworth didn't waste any time leaving the scene. He didn't want to be there any longer than was necessary.

"It was nice seeing you, Mr. Edgeworth!" Ema called out. She turned to the two lawyers. "And it was nice to see you guys! I really like working with you, Kay! You're such a nice prosecutor, unlike the glimmerous fop." She checked her watch. "I need to get going, but let me know if you need anything else!" She ran off, waving at them.

Athena and Kay then noticed how Oldbag was still there, muttering something about how Edgeworth was always surrounded by girls.

"Hm. You know, Kay. I have an idea as to how we can get Ms. Crankypants here to get off poor Mr. Edgeworth's case."

"You do Athena? What is it?" Athena whispered her plan to Kay. "Gee! Why didn't I think of that?! Perfect idea!"

"Hey, Ms. Oldbag." Athena began with a big smile on her face.

"What do you want, whippersnapper?!" She was even grumpier now that Edgeworth was gone.

"You like Mr. Edgeworth, don't you?"

A blush could be seen on the woman's wrinkly, aged face. "Like him? He's the one for me! I know it! He may not realize this, but we were destined to be together! That's why I'm still alive and well, after all this time!"

Athena and Kay exchanged glances. "Well, we hate to break it to you, Ms. Oldbag, but there's something you need to know about Mr. Edgeworth," Kay said, sounding worried.

"And what might that be?" The woman was clearly skeptical. Kay and Athena whispered into her ear. "No! It can't be true!"

Athena nodded. "But we're afraid it is."

"No…no…no! I won't…No! That's not right! Not my Edgey-poo!" With that, the woman huffed away from them.

The two girls high-fived each other. "Mr. Edgeworth should thank us!"

As I said in the beginning, this is probably the worst chapter I've written, and I apologize for having made you read through this, but I hope to make things better in the later chapters. Anyway, please feel free to leave a review or private message me! Thanks!