The Crimson Stain Chapter 6
A/N Wow, two months? *wince* I hadn't realized its been that long...
Gumshoe focused on keeping his breathing steady. He could feel blood trickling down his cheek, but he refused to show his fear.
"Justice..." The cold steel of the knife pressed against the detectives cheek. "And what is justice? What gives Miles Edgeworth the right to determine who deserves justice or not? What gives Miles Edgeworth the right to decide to send innocent people to jail!" The man's voice had turned angry, and the knife bit into the detective's cheek.
He winced as he felt even more blood trickle down his face. Shunting away the pain, he asked, "Mr. Edgeworth... He sent someone you knew to jail?"
The kidnapper pulled back from him, regret clearly written on his face. He seemed to regret revealing so much of himself. "You had better hope that those don't get infected... It seems things on Edgeworth's end are moving slowly... He's just now trying to figure out your location."
"... How do you know all this, pal?"
"That's something for you to think about, Detective." He sat down on a stiff wooden chair, facing him. "Wouldn't want to make it too easy for you to figure out..."
"... A traitor... Someone's telling you what's going on, aren't they?" Gumshoe demanded, his eyes narrowing.
He just shrugged. "Maybe... Maybe not." He smirked. "They say that after the first 72 hours, the trail goes cold... How long has it been now?"
The detective frowned, not knowing the answer. Had it been a full day? More than that perhaps? He had spent a lot of the time unconscious... How long had it taken for them to even know he was missing?
"Twenty five hours." He answered Gumshoe's unspoken question. "More than a third of your time is up... Do you know what happens when the 72 hours are up?"
Slowly, he shook his head, trying to swallow the sickening feeling in his stomach.
"Well... Let's just say that I'll have to start all over again.
Miles hesitated before knocking on the door. He had never wanted him to be involved, but... The police weren't helping him at all... He needed his help! Even if that meant swallowing his pride.
The door opened. "Edgeworth? You're back from Europe?"
"I have been for a long time, listen-"
"And you didn't tell me? Why not?" The man crossed his arms, shooting him an accusatory glare.
"Wright, there isn't time for that... Something has happened." The prosecutor gazed at the ground for a moment, looking up again he saw that his friend's gaze had softened, worry replacing the anger.
"What's wrong?" Phoenix moved aside to let him into the office. He motioned for Edgeworth to sit.
He did not however, instead pacing a bit. "Wright... Someone kidnapped Detective Gumshoe."
"What?" The defense attorney took a step backwards, falling back onto the couch. "He... Why? Why would anyone do that?"
Miles clasped his hands behind his back. He chewed on his lip fr a moment before telling him the story. He started with the first phone call and ended with Detective Smith's lack of cooperation.
Phoenix listened in shock to the whole thing. At a few points, he looked as if he was going to interrupt to ask something, but he held his tongue.
The room was silent for a few moments as the lawyers just stared at each other. Finally, Phoenix broke the silence.
"Edgeworth, I'm sorry..." He hesitated, as if not knowing what to say. "They'll find him... I know they will."
"No, they won't," he replied firmly. "That's why I'm here, Wright... I need your help. The police... They only seem to get in my way... Something you're used to, I'm sure." He smiled bitterly.
He nodded. "Of course I'll help you... I don't have any cases to take care of right now. Even if I did, this is much more important."
"We have to hurry," Edgeworth said. "It's been more than a day since he's gone missing... With each passing hour the trail grows colder..."
Phoenix nodded and studied his friend for a moment. "You haven't slept at all, have you? I can see the bags under your eyes."
"I'll sleep after I find the detective," he answered coolly. "Don't worry about me."
He nodded. "Alright..." he hesitated for a moment before adding. "Everything will be okay you know... Detective Gumshoe will be fine."
Miles turned away from him. "... Why don't I believe you?"