Tonight was a night for fun, a time where parents let their kids stay up past their bedtime to enjoy what the city had to offer. But not everyone enjoyed the loud fireworks that turned the cold night sky into a splendid light show. Others preferred to stay home, away from all the noise and excitement.
And others had far more sinister plans.
"Dad? Dad, c'mon this isn't funny."
A small voice whimpered through the chilly air of night as colorful explosions boomed overhead.
"Dad!"
…
"Hello? Is someone there?"
"Shhhh… it's okay. Why are you crying?"
!
"Wh– What in the world?"
…
"What's going on out here!?"
…
"Wha–? Murderer!"
Four people:
A victim
A suspect
A witness
And a killer.
A simple case, nothing that she couldn't handle.
September 19th, 2029, 9:44 AM
District Court
Defendant Lobby No. 3
"Talk about a last-minute request. I have almost no information and it's driving me insane!"
A woman paced back and forth around the lobby, a thin sheen of sweat visible on her forehead. She was hard to miss; her long red hair styled with a blue ribbon into a side ponytail that reached all the way down to her midsection. Her bright yellow jacket draped over her white dress shirt and blue tie matched the color of her skirt. Every aspect of her appearance screamed "Big, loud, annoying airhead", the last person you'd expect to see often in a courthouse.
But, if you took a closer look, you would notice details that would paint a deeper picture. Around her neck was a necklace that held a small piece of technology with a round screen instead of jewelry. Normally, it would have a smiley face on the screen, but depending on the woman's mood, it would change its expression to match hers. On her right hand was a three-fingered glove, with each finger having noticeable pads on the tips. Pierced on her right ear was an earring in the shape of a crescent moon. Most importantly, within all the loud energy that her jacket gave off, you could see the shine of an attorney's badge pinned to her lapel.
This was Athena Cykes, a 20-year-old defense attorney with around two years of experience.
"How's it going, Athena?"
The woman snapped out of her thoughts and turned her attention to where the voice had come from. It was a man, older and taller than she was. His black hair was styled in a way that made it look like he had spikes coming out of the back of his head, except for a tiny tuft that hung above his face. He wore a blue blazer over his white dress shirt and red tie that matched with his pants. A small shiny chain could be seen trailing out of his left pocket, which is the side that also adorned his own attorney's badge.
This was Phoenix Wright, owner of the Wright Anything Agency (or at least the law-oriented part) and Athena's boss.
She grinned upon seeing the reassuring smile of her boss, "Bonjour Mr. Wright! I'm doing A-Ok!"
He chuckled at her enthusiasm. "Glad to hear you're in good spirits. Does that mean you're prepared for the trial?"
Athena winced before answering: "Well… y'see boss." She began as Phoenix's smile started to fade. "Trucy's magic training, which should be legally referred to as "human torture", really sucked all the energy out of me and I had to take a nap. Then, I ran into Junie as I was on my way to the crime scene and ended up talking with her for…" She started counting on her fingers, Phoenix's grimace becoming more and more pronounced with each finger she brought up. "Umm, I can't remember, but it was A LOT of time. Before we realized it, the sun was starting to set so… I didn't really get to look around the crime scene as much as I would have liked."
Phoenix sighed and dropped his face into his right palm. "Did you at least meet with your client?"
"Of course! That's the most important part!"
Phoenix sighed again, but this time in slight relief. "That's better than nothing I suppose. Speaking of, where is your client?"
Athena stood deep in though for a moment, fiddling with her earring. "Well, he should be here soon…"
"She has no idea!" A tiny robotic voice echoed from Athena's necklace.
"Gah–! Widget!" Athena exclaimed, quickly grasping the small machine with her hand as Phoenix laughed. The robot around her neck was named Widget. He was a device that aided Athena in her second area of expertise outside of law: psychology. He also had a habit of blurting out whatever Athena was thinking.
"I honestly don't know why he isn't here yet. Maybe he got lost? No wait, he's being escorted…"
As Athena was voicing her thoughts, two people entered the lobby. One was a woman that seemed to be around Phoenix's age. Compared to him and Athena, her outfit was much more casual. The first thing you would notice is her hair, which was red and styled into an afro. She wore a green sweater on top of a tan shirt, both of which had some stitches in them, as well as ring-shaped earrings. For her bottom half she wore an old pair of blue jeans and a pair of tattered tan shoes. One could tell right away that she must have had those clothes for several years.
Athena had never seen the woman before, but she deduced that her name must be Lotta Hart, the one who had called the agency for their services to begin with.
The other person was someone the young attorney recognized. A 13-year-old boy with messy black hair and dark brown eyes. He wore a gray t-shirt with the main character of The Nickel Samurai TV series plastered prominently on the front. His bottom half was covered by a pair of dark blue gym shorts and a pair of blue light-up sneakers. He was shaking and gripping his stomach, his attention fixated on the floor beneath him.
This was Blake Hart, Athena's client and nephew of Lotta Hart.
"Howdy Wright!" the woman called out in her thick southern accent, her eyes locking on Phoenix. She gently grabbed the boy's hand and led him over to the two attorneys.
"Good morning Lotta." Phoenix said. "Here for the trial?"
"Reckon course! Can't just leave the youngster all by himself in there, ya know?" she ruffled the boy's hair, which was a gesture that Blake didn't respond to. "Now you listen here, Wright! You better work harder than you ever have before, ya hear? If Blake gets found guilty then you can reckon that I ain't ever doin' anything nice for you again, got it?"
Phoenix deadpanned at her. "Lotta… I'm not the lead defense for today."
Athena flinched and whipped her head to her spiky-haired boss. "¡Ay caramba! Don't throw me under the bus, boss!"
Lotta turned her gaze towards Athena and rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Oh it's you? Sorry 'bout that. Must've slipped my mind."
Athena smiled at the woman and held out her hand. "¡No hay problema! Athena Cykes, attorney at law!"
Lotta stuck out her own and the two shook hands. "Lotta Hart, reporter."
Athena's eyes sparkled in recognition. "So you're the Lotta Hart! I've seen a few of your reports! When I heard from Mr. Wright that you were an old acquaintance of his, I wasn't sure if you were the same person!"
Lotta grinned. "Glad to hear! Hear that Wright? Someone appreciates what I do!"
Phoenix ignored her.
Athena turned her attention to the boy, who had still yet to speak. "Good morning Blake!"
He flinched upon hearing his name. Refusing to look up at her, he responded in a voice so quiet that Athena could hardly hear it: "Hello, Ms. Cykes."
The young attorney's smile wavered upon hearing his voice. Despite the almost muted volume, she could still detect an overwhelming amount of sorrow in it. She had extremely powerful ears that allowed her to hear what she called 'the voices of people's hearts'. No matter how well someone tried to hide their emotions, she would hear in their voice that the emotions they displayed weren't the same as the ones they were actually feeling. It was a useful ability to have, especially as a lawyer, but it could also be overwhelming at times.
She wasn't surprised that Blake had so much sorrow inside him, after all. . .
His father had died last night, and he was accused as the murderer.
Quite frankly, Athena was pretty upset when she found out that the police's first suspect for the murder was the victim's 13-year-old son, but she couldn't worry about that now. "Did you sleep okay last night?" she asked, this time in a much gentler voice.
He didn't respond with his voice this time, and instead opted to shake his head. Athena sighed and bent her knees to face him at eye level. "Hey, can you look at me please?"
He hesitated for a moment before lifting his face up and looking at his attorney with his brown eyes.
The woman took a deep breath and spoke to him with all the seriousness she could muster: "I'm sorry that this happened to you. There's no worse feeling than losing someone close to you, especially at your age." A few unwanted mental images coursed through Athena's mind as she said this, which caused her to close her eyes and clear her mind for a moment before continuing. "But I want to let you know that you have the strength to keep going. I know it will be hard, but your aunt will be by your side every step of the way. And if you want, I can help as well."
She flashed the best smile that she could at the young boy. He didn't say anything in response, but there did seem to be a bit of a glimmer in his eye. She considered that a victory, especially with his situation.
She stood back up and stretched her back before looking back down at the boy. "Before we do any of that, we need to get through this trial first. Don't be afraid, though, I won't let the court find you guilty. I promise."
The familiar sound of the bailiff's voice suddenly cut in, causing both Athena and Blake to flinch. "Would the defendant and his attorney please make their way to the courtroom?"
Athena took a deep breath and turned her attention to her boss. "Are we all set?"
Phoenix looked at Lotta, who nodded. "I believe we are. Lead the way."
"Alright." she stole one last look at Blake, who had grasped Lotta's hand once more, and smiled. Then, she turned her attention to the double doors that led to the courtroom and slammed her left fist into her right palm. "Auf gehts! Let's do this!"
September 19th, 2029, 10:00 AM
District Court
Courtroom No. 3
Athena and Phoenix walked over to the defense bench and stood behind it. Lotta and Blake headed over to the defendant's chair. The prosecutor was already there. It was a male, definitely older than Athena, but also probably younger than Phoenix. He had short brown hair and light brown eyes. He wore a white dress shirt with a blue tie, along with a bright red coat over it. Athena couldn't see his bottom half. His head was slightly bowed with his eyes closed, a peaceful smile adorning his lips.
Athena leaned towards her boss' ear. "Who's that? I've never seen him before."
Phoenix scrutinized the man for a moment before answering her: "I've heard about him from Edgeworth. He's only mentioned him in passing, though, so I don't know very much. All I know is that he's been a prosecutor since he was seventeen."
"S-Seventeen?" Athena's mouth fell open upon hearing that information. "That's younger than I was when I got my badge. I thought passing the bar at eighteen was an accomplishment!"
"It still is Athena; don't sell yourself short. Though, I'll admit that I've heard of prosecutors starting even younger than Sebastian."
Athena was dumbstruck, and took another moment to process the information she just received. "Why would someone want to spend their precious teenage years working towards an attorney's badge? What's the rush?"
"I could ask the same of you."
"I would say 'fair point', but you know why I was in a rush." Athena responded, causing Phoenix to chuckle.
The familiar shine of the judge's bald head caught the attention of the two, spurring them into silence. They watched as the old bearded man made his way up to his seat at the head of the courtroom.
He banged his gavel, grabbing the attention of the whole courtroom. "Court is now in session for the trial of Blake Hart. Are the prosecution and defense prepared?"
The prosecutor opened his eyes and faced the judge, his thin smile still there. "The prosecution is prepared, Your Honor." he said in a smooth tone.
Athena nodded once. "The defense is ready, Your Honor."
"Very good. Do either of you have any questions before we begin?"
Athena raised her hand in order to draw attention to her. "Uh… yes actually. Can the prosecutor please introduce himself?"
The judge closed his eyes and thought for a moment. "Well, as long as he's okay with it, and his introduction doesn't take up too much time."
"It's quite alright, Your Honor." the man said as he turned his attention to Athena. He closed his eyes before speaking. "My name is Sebastian Debeste. I take it your name is Athena Cykes?"
"Yeah, that's me. How did you know?"
"Phoenix Wright is a face that I would recognize anywhere. He's got quite the reputation, as you should know. Mr. Edgeworth mentioned that he had an employee by the name of Athena Cykes, so I figured that you must be her. Simple deduction is all it was."
"...Huh." Athena muttered to herself. This prosecutor seemed much calmer than what she usually dealt with. He looked so peaceful when he closed his eyes. All he needed to do was fold his arms or clasp his hands together and Athena would be convinced that he was praying.
He opened his eyes and pointed his gaze at her. "I look forward to working with you today to discover the truth."
Athena didn't offer any commentary on that, but inside, she gathered that he was the kind of prosecutor who cared more about the truth rather than winning. She relaxed a little with this information.
"Ahem." the judge interrupted. "If you two are finished, then please give the opening statement, Mr. Debeste."
"Of course, Your Honor." The brown-haired man nodded and pulled out a sheet of paper. "Two days ago, on September 17th, a man by the name of Princeton Hart was murdered in Dark Meadow Cemetery between 9:45 and 10:15 PM. The prosecution will show that the only person that could have killed him was his son, Blake Hart."
"Hmm… I see." said the judge. Athena's opinion on Sebastian started to erode a little upon remembering who he was prosecuting.
"The prosecution would like to submit the victim's autopsy report to the court, as well as the murder weapon. The victim died due to a deep stab from the murder weapon. The defendant's fingerprints are also on the handle of the knife"
He brought two documents out, and a plastic baggie with a rusted knife inside. Athena received copies of the two documents, one being the autopsy report, and the other being information on the murder weapon. She also walked over to have a preliminary look at the weapon. Once satisfied, she walked back to her bench.
Sebastian continued: "I have a photo of the body that I would like to submit as well. It shows the state that the victim was found in when the police arrived." He took out a photo and submitted it to the court, allowing the judge and Athena to view it. There wasn't very much to see. The victim was wearing a plain gray shirt underneath an unzipped black jacket. In the center of his chest was the black handle of a knife, presumably the murder weapon, and a red area around it staining his shirt. Athena noticed something yellow to the side of the photo, but couldn't make out what it was because the photo didn't capture the whole thing.
Athena placed a hand on her chin and stared off into space, deep in thought. "None of this is particularly bad for Blake yet, and although having your fingerprints on the murder weapon may look bad, the trials I've been in have taught me that such evidence is hardly definitive."
"The prosecution would now like to call forth a witness: a woman who was out on a stroll that happened to notice this crime as she was passing the graveyard." Sebastian said.
The judge nodded. "Alright. Please summon the witness."
A woman stepped through the courtroom doors and walked up to the witness stand. Her
dark blue eyes, as well as the rest of her face, appeared entirely neutral, not showing any immediate emotion. Her straight black hair reached down to her shoulders, and wasn't styled in any significant way. Her attire included a pair of ripped jeans, a pair of gray tennis shoes, and a black sweater with a name displayed prominently on the chest area. It read: "Eerie Lagoon".
Athena recognized the name: it was a popular horror TV series that had been gaining significant traction among teens and young adults in recent months. The show had started a couple of years prior, but its fame only began a few months ago. The young attorney had never seen the show herself, but she had seen the title on enough merchandise to recognize it anywhere.
Sebastian turned his attention to her. "Witness, please state your name and occupation."
The young woman was silent for a moment while scanning the courtroom, scrutinizing the judge, defense team, and every last gallery member to her satisfaction. Finally, she let a pleasant smile materialize on her lips. "Charity Boswick. I'm a sophomore at Jargon University. To anyone curious: I'm an undecided major."
"A sophomore in college? She's probably close to my age in that case, unless she started college later or earlier than most." Athena thought to herself.
"Thank you. Now, please testify to the court about what you saw when you discovered the scene of the crime." Sebastian said.
Charity hesitated for a moment, and stole a glance at Blake in the defendant's chair, her expression unreadable. Then, she turned back and sighed deeply. "Fine… I guess I will."
Her reluctance went unnoticed by no one. "I wonder what that was about," thought Athena. "Oh well, it's time for the fight for Blake's acquittal to begin! Show me what you've got for me Ms. Boswick!"
WITNESS TESTIMONY
-Discovering the crime scene-
"That night, I was walking home, and I happened to pass the graveyard. This was probably around 10:15 pm."
"As I was walking past it, I saw something shine- or maybe glint for a brief moment in the corner of my eye. I think it was the murder weapon."
"I was curious so I decided to walk over."
"I saw a boy there, the defendant, kneeling down next to his dead father, trying to pull the knife out. He was practically bawling his eyes out."
"Hmm, so you didn't see the exact moment of the crime, but rather the defendant trying to take the knife out of the victim's body." said the Judge, deep in thought.
Charity nodded, still neither smiling or frowning. "That is correct, I would have done the same if it were one of my parents and I had just discovered them dead. Though, I would also know better than to take the knife out and let them bleed more. You can't blame a kid for not knowing that, though."
"Huh… the way she worded that makes me think she doesn't think Blake killed his dad. I'll need to dig deeper to find out."
Sebastian narrowed his eyes at her, "Keep your opinions to yourself, witness."
Charity looked at him with her stoic expression. "I'll say what I like, Debeste. Just because I'm your witness doesn't mean that I have to favor the prosecution. I only care about sharing what I know, regardless of who benefits from it."
Sebastian's left eye twitched as he frowned, but he didn't offer any additional comments.
The Judge turned his attention to Athena. "Alright Ms. Cykes, you may begin your cross-examination."
Athena slammed her left fist into her right palm. "Got it, Your Honor!"
"What's your plan of action, Athena?" asked Phoenix.
"I already see a contradiction there. It's so obvious that I'm surprised she didn't realize it!"
"Ah, so you noticed it as well. Well, the stage is your Athena."
The young attorney reviewed Charity's statements until she found the part that she was looking for.
"As I was walking past it, I saw something shine- or maybe glint for a brief moment in the corner of my eye. I think it was the murder weapon."
"OBJECTION!"
The court turned its attention to Athena upon hearing her outburst. She slammed her right palm on the desk for emphasis as she began her statement: "Ms. Boswick, you claim that you saw something 'glint', and that's what made you go to the graveyard?"
Charity nodded. "That is correct."
"And you think it was the murder weapon?"
"Yes… What else would it be?"
Athena shook her head. "If you really saw a 'glint' as you say, then there must have been something else, because there's no way it could have been the murder weapon!"
Charity tilted her head to the side in confusion, though no trace of it could be seen on her face.
Athena picked up the detailed report about the murder weapon. "According to the police's findings, the knife that killed the victim was extremely rusty, so rusty in fact that the report specifically states that the knife had lost all of its luster! In short…" Athena pointed at the witness stand accusingly. "...this 'glint' could not have been produced by the murder weapon!"
The Judge widened his eyes and checked his own copy of the report. "Why, that's correct! The amount of rust on this knife would surely prevent any kind of light reflection! I hope that the police force handled this weapon with care. I'd hate for someone to get tetanus…"
Sebastian interrupted before the Judge could go off on one of his tangents. "Let's remain focused, Your Honor. You'll be glad to know that nobody got cut while handling the weapon for analysis. Now, about your objection Ms. Cykes…"
Athena held her breath, waiting for whatever Sebastian would throw at her to counter her claim. Oh well, she could use any extra evidence anyway, even if it was used against her.
To her infinite surprise, Sebastian turned his attention towards Charity, narrowing his eyes. "Please explain this discrepancy, witness."
The black-haired young woman raised an eyebrow.
"Based on our reports, there was nothing else on the scene that could produce a 'glint' as you described it. It's in your best interest that you answer truthfully, because as of now your reason for going to the cemetery doesn't exist."
She huffed in response. "I maintain that I saw something shine in the corner of my eye, regardless of what your investigation says, Debeste. However, perhaps I misremembered…" She trailed off and closed her eyes, reflecting on the events in her head. "I think I remember what happened now. Sorry for the trouble, most of my significant memories of discovering the scene happened when I was there, everything taking place before and after is a little fuzzy."
"I suppose we can excuse an honest mistake," the Judge said. "Please amend your testimony."
"You have my gratitude, Your Honor."
"I know I saw something glint, but since it's impossible for me to have seen such a thing, I guess I walked over because I heard the defendant crying."
Athena placed her hand to her chin. "I don't see anything directly contradictory here, I guess I'll just have to press somewhere else for more information. What do I want to know more about?"
Athena took a moment to review before settling on a statement.
"That night, I was walking home, and I happened to pass the graveyard. This was probably around 10:15 pm."
"HOLD IT!"
Athena cleared her throat. "Where were you walking home from?"
"Is it important?" Charity asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It could be."
"Okay. I was walking back from the convention over at Sunshine Coliseum. There were going to be some announcements about Eerie Lagoon, so I went over to learn about that, and to have fun with all of the other announcements."
Sebastian perked up upon hearing this, so much so that a strand of his hair sprung straight up, mimicking the look of an exclamation point. He immediately noticed and patted it down before speaking. "Oh yeah! I have a flyer for it if the court is interested in it."
Athena nodded. "I don't know about the rest of the court, but I would like to take a look at least."
"Alright, I'll submit it, then."
Athena gained access to the flyer and gave it a quick once over.
"Just one question, Mr. Debeste. Why do you have that flyer with you?"
Sebastian recoiled while Charity snorted in amusement. "Um… No reason, Ms. Cykes."
"Oooookay then." Athena answered, still a little curious.
Next to her, Phoenix was chuckling to himself.
"What's so funny, boss?"
"They announced a Pink Princess reboot at that convention. My guess is that Edgeworth has started to corrupt his employees with the Steel Samurai craze."
Athena giggled at that. "That would do it… Wait, how do YOU know about it?"
Phoenix gave her an unamused stare. "Maya," was all he needed to say.
"Oh, of course." laughed Athena. She turned back to the flyer and zeroed in on a particular line. "Hmm… this is probably a contradiction, but I need to check to make sure."
"I know I saw something glint, but since it's impossible for me to have seen such a thing, I guess I walked over because I heard the defendant crying."
"HOLD IT!"
"Do you remember how loud his crying was?" Athena asked.
Charity closed her eyes and placed her left pointer finger on her temple. "He was crying pretty loudly when I got there, but I was far enough away when I first heard it so that it was barely audible."
The Judge turned his attention to the defense's side. "Ms. Cykes, was there anything of note in what Ms. Boswick just said?"
Athena nodded. "I believe there is. I would like it added to the testimony."
Charity stared at Athena for a few seconds before sighing. "Okay. Not sure why, though."
"He was crying loudly when I got there, but when I first heard his cries, it sounded closer to a whimper."
"OBJECTION!"
Athena slammed the desk with her palm. Twice this time. "Ms. Boswick, you said it was around 10:15 PM when you passed by the scene, correct?"
Charity nodded. "I'm not entirely certain on the time, but I'm pretty certain that it was close to 10:15 PM."
Athena crossed her arms as a smug smile edged up her face. "You're either lying, or way off on the time, because there's no way you would be able to hear the defendant crying around 10:15 PM!"
Charity didn't have a noticeable reaction and just stared at Athena while the gallery devolved into whispers and discussion.
The Judge banged his gavel once. "Order! Order! Ms. Cykes! What is the meaning behind this claim?"
Athena held up the flyer for all to see. "That night, there was a convention featuring multiple segments on popular shows and upcoming movies over at Sunshine Coliseum, which is not far from the cemetery. If you look closely, you'll see this statement here!"
"TAKE THAT!"
Athena smirked. "It says here that there was to be a fireworks show from 10:10-10:25 PM! Considering how close by the cemetery is, it tells us that there's no way you could have heard the defendant crying! The fireworks would have blocked it out!"
The gallery once again dissolved into madness. Sebastian didn't care, and focused all of his attention on giving Charity the stink-eye.
The Judge pounded his gavel multiple times. "Order in the court! Ms. Cykes, are you certain about your claim? Are you sure that it was impossible for the witness to have heard the defendant crying over the fireworks?"
"I'm confident, Your Honor. In actuality, Athena knew that her claim wasn't 100% a contradiction. It was still possible that Charity could have heard crying over the fireworks, but the young attorney wasn't going to let this chance go to waste.
"Well, Ms. Boswick? How about it!" Athena enunciated while pointing at the black-haired young woman.
"Try wiggling your way out of this one!" Widget added.
"Gah!" Athena quickly covered her robot companion with her hand in an attempt to silence it.
"I agree! What is the meaning of this, witness?" Sebastian asked, also pointing at Charity.
Charity locked eyes with Sebastian for a long moment, then slowly, she turned her eyes across the courtroom, staring at everybody that came into contact with them. Finally, she settled on Athena, observing her in silence.
Many seconds passed with Charity not saying anything, and Athena was starting to grow uncomfortable. "It's official, this girl creeps me out. How can she keep a straight face through all this pressure?"
The Judge cleared his throat. "Ahem… witness–"
Charity chose that exact moment to finally speak. She faced forward and closed her eyes. "That is odd."
"Huh?" Athena blurted out.
Charity continued. "I clearly remember hearing crying, but only after I saw that glint and started heading over to the crime scene to see what was going on. When you pointed out that the glint couldn't have existed, I figured that I must have heard the crying first, but now that you pointed out how THAT isn't possible either, I now realize that I was right the first time."
"You're… huh?" Athena didn't quite understand.
Charity opened her eyes and looked up at the Judge. "I apologize for wasting this court's time, but I would like to go back to the first testimony I made, the one where I saw the glint first and heard the crying after."
"...WHAT?" Athena exclaimed. Her expression was mirrored by almost everyone else in the courtroom, even Phoenix, who looked absolutely dumbfounded.
"OBJECTION!"
Sebastian slammed his desk with his right palm. Athena vaguely recognized the motion, as she had seen the Chief Prosecutor do the same action when he was in the courtroom. "Witness! We proved that the contents of your first testimony could not have happened! You can't go back to it!"
Charity shook her head. "I don't care what your investigation revealed, Debeste, but I know something caught my eye. Maybe it wasn't the murder weapon per say, but I know I saw something."
She took a deep breath and glared at Sebastian. "Let's put it this way: If I didn't see something glint in the corner of my eye that night, I would not be testifying today, because I would have no reason to go investigate the cemetery!"
Sebastian recoiled and fell forward toward his desk with his right arm supporting him. He grit his teeth as he grew more visibly angry.
Athena turned to Phoenix. "Do you know what to do here, Mr. Wright?"
"Sorry Athena, I've had witnesses maintain their testimonies even in the face of concrete evidence, but… going back to a previous one? I've never had anyone try that before!" He frowned as he turned back to the witness stand. "One thing I know for certain is that this is one stubborn witness."
"So… what do we do?"
He scratched his chin with his right hand for a moment. "Honestly, I think we just need to get her to testify about something else. This line of questioning isn't going anywhere."
"Oh! That sounds like a good idea! If we get her to testify about what she did when she got to the scene, maybe we can establish what the thing she saw was!"
Athena slammed her palm on the desk. "Your Honor, this is clearly going nowhere. I think we should have the witness testify about a different matter, particularly what happened when she got to the scene."
The Judge thought to himself for a moment. "Hmm, but it would be a bit premature to do so. We shouldn't just leave this thread dangling out in the open."
"I believe we might be able to solve our conundrum with another testimony. Don't worry, Your Honor, I'm not planning on letting that thread dangle forever!"
The Judge nodded, understanding her position. He turned to look at Sebastian. "Do you have any thoughts on this, Mr. Debeste?"
Sebastian was still giving Charity the evil eye, a gesture that the young woman effortlessly ignored. The Judge's words fell on his ears, causing him to flinch from his one-sided staring contest. He closed his eyes as a calm look returned to his face.
"I don't believe trying to make the witness continue testifying about why she went to the graveyard will yield any results. It's best that we temporarily focus our attention on literally anything else right now."
The Judge nodded. "I see. Witness?"
"Yes, Your Honor?"
"Please testify about your encounter with the defendant once you arrived at the scene."
"As you wish, Your Honor."
WITNESS TESTIMONY
-Comforting Blake-
"When I arrived, I saw the silhouette of the defendant kneeling down next to something. He was crying for his dad, though I didn't know why."
"I turned on my phone's flashlight… and saw that he was trying to pull a knife out of someone's chest."
"I put two and two together pretty fast after that… The poor kid…"
"I tried my best to console him… but he was really upset."
"I was going to call the police, but then the caretaker came out of his shack and yelled 'Murderer!' at us."
"I luckily managed to explain that we weren't murderers, and he went over to inspect the body to make sure that the victim was actually dead."
"Once he confirmed that the victim was dead, I offered to call the police, which I did."
Athena listened closely to her testimony while referencing the court record for any contradictions.
"Hmm… witness, I have a question," said the Judge.
"Yes, Your Honor?"
"Do you actually believe that the defendant is guilty?"
"No."
…
"Is that all?"
"That is all."
The Judge shot a quizzical look at Sebastian before turning to Athena. "Well Ms. Cykes, you may begin your cross examination."
Athena nodded and reviewed the statements one by one before she started asking her questions
"When I arrived, I saw the silhouette of the defendant kneeling down next to something. He was crying for his dad, though I didn't know why."
"HOLD IT!"
"So you didn't see the victim right away?"
Charity glanced over to the redhead. "No. It was dark out and the only light close to the scene was coming from the streetlamps, which were shining on the street, not the graveyard. I did manage to see the boy's silhouette, though."
"That makes sense." Athena thought to herself.
"I turned on my phone's flashlight… and saw that he was trying to pull a knife out of someone's chest."
"HOLD IT!"
Athena gave Charity the most serious expression that she could muster. "Witness, please think carefully about what happened that night. Did you see the object that supposedly caught your attention?"
Charity placed her right pointer finger on her temple and closed her eyes. She contemplated in silence for a short time before opening her eyes. "Yes, I did."
Athena stifled her gasp and slammed her left palm on the desk. "M-ms. Boswick! This is crucial information. Please tell us what it was!"
Phoenix shot her a look from the side, causing her to turn her attention to him. "Hold your horses Athena. If she knew what it was she likely would have already told us. Let's not be too hasty."
Charity startled fiddling with what Athena assumed was her right ear. She couldn't tell since her black hair covered it up. "Well… sorry to disappoint you Ms. Cykes, but I was too distracted with the defendant to pay attention to whatever gave off that glint. All I remember was that it was on the victim's body, but that's it. That's why I assumed it was the murder weapon earlier."
Athena cringed and slouched onto her desk. She didn't get as much information as she would have liked, but it was still good to know. She stood up straight again and made a mental note on what Charity had just said.
The young lawyer was about to press the black-haired woman's next statement until something caught her attention. She immediately looked at Charity's last statement.
"Once he confirmed that the victim was dead, I offered to call the police, which I did."
"HOLD IT!"
"Ms. Boswick, sorry to ask this of you again, but I want you to really remember everything you saw that night." Charity seemed a little confused at Athena's seriousness, but still nodded. "Did the shiny object go missing sometime that night?"
The woman at the witness stand widened her eyes at Athena's question and once again started messing with her ear, this time with her eyes open. Once she had her answer, her whole face lit up in surprise as she refocused her attention on Athena.
She took a quick moment to compose herself and return to her normal, bored demeanor. "After I called the police via payphone, I went back to the crime scene to stay with the defendant and the caretaker. Now that I think about it, I don't remember seeing the shiny object on the victim's body when I got there. I wasn't really looking for it, but I do remember not seeing something on the victim that I thought was there before."
The gallery descended into chaos with whispers and theories being thrown around more than Athena's boss threw around bluffs, which was saying something.
Despite how much the noise was hurting her ears, Athena took that moment to reflect on what Charity's statement could mean. "If Charity left the scene to go call the police, then there are only two people who could have taken the shiny object off the victim: Blake, or the cemetery caretaker. I don't think Blake could get away with grabbing whatever it was off his dad without it turning up in a search, so that just leaves…"
The banging of the Judge's gavel rudely awakened Athena from her inner monologue. "Order! Order! Witness! Are you certain about this?"
Charity nodded. "Very."
"Your Honor!" Athena shouted, grabbing the bald man's attention. "The defense requests that the caretaker be questioned immediately! We need to hear about his own actions that night!"
"OBJECTION!"
Sebastian raised his voice and pointed at Athena. "There is no proof that such a shiny object even exists! The witness could be leading us on a wild goose chase!"
Athena recoiled. "He's right! How do I convince the court that this lead is really worth the time?"
"OBJECTION!"
Athena's head snapped to her side. It was her boss.
Phoenix placed his hands on his hips and flashed his trademark confident smile at Sebastian. "So what? The caretaker's testimony will prove whether or not Ms. Boswick's claims are a fabrication. We've been stuck on this issue for quite some time, so isn't it in our best interest to clear it up?"
Sebastian recoiled and fell forward into his desk, once again catching himself with his elbow. "But–! we don't–! UGH!"
He once again centered all of his anger on the witness stand, whose occupant just shrugged and even chuckled a little.
The Judge slammed his gavel a few times, silencing the court. He cleared his throat and enunciated for everyone to hear. "Here is my opinion: Ending the current cross-examination with so many unanswered questions is not ideal; however, from the sounds of things, the caretaker may be able to clear all of these problems up." Athena couldn't hide her goofy smile upon hearing this. Success!
"On that note, I hereby end the current cross-examination of Ms. Charity Boswick." After his declaration, he looked down at the black-haired woman. "We may need to question you later, Ms. Boswick, so don't leave the courthouse yet."
She shruged in response. "Alright. I'm not going anywhere anyway."
With that, Charity left the stand, leaving an air of mystery and confusion behind her. Many didn't know what to think of her. Some were confused by her stubbornness, others were angered by it, and a few were even intimidated by her stoicism.
Athena pushed her own thoughts about Charity out of her brain. She needed to give this next witness her full attention. Yet, she couldn't shake the feeling that Charity's confusing testimony was just the tip of the iceberg with this case.
Evidence
Princeton Hart's Autopsy Report: Victim died from a stab to the heart between 9:45 PM and 10:15 PM
Rusty Knife: The murder weapon. Has lost all of its luster and therefore doesn't reflect light.
Princeton's Corpse Photo: A photo taken by the police when they found the body
Convention Flyer: Details a bunch of relevant information for a convention that took place on the night of the murder, including how there is a fireworks show that goes from 10:10 - 10:25 PM
Profiles
Athena Cykes (20): Me, myself, and I. I'm an employee of the Wright Agency and a psychology Expert
Phoenix Wright (36) : My boss. He's an infamous defense attorney known as the "Turnabout Terror".
Lotta Hart (34): Technically the client. She requested our services for the defense of her nephew, Blake.
Blake Hart (13): The defendant. He was out with his father on the night of crime. They got separated, and the next time they reunited his father was dead.
Princeton Hart (41): The victim. A single parent that took care of his only child, Blake.
Sebastian Debeste (27): The prosecutor for this case that kinda reminds me of the Chief Prosecutor in his mannerisms. He doesn't seem to like Charity Boswick.
Charity Boswick (19): A straight-faced college student. She was the first person on the scene aside from Blake and was the one who called the police. I find her a little unnerving
The Judge (?): The Judge.