A voice cries out in the darkness, "Wait, what do you mean? What are you…!" A strike from above, the sound of an object striking a person's head. The sound of glass shattering. Thunk. The sound of a body hitting the ground. A figure standing above the body with a clenched fist.

March 14 - 6:04 PM - Briar Road - Outside the Marked Dragon and Reel Deal Cinema

(We didn't know it before when we talked to her, but apparently Rouge managed to land a part in a new movie. It comes out tomorrow, but all of her friends get a sneak peak tonight. We are outside the Marked Dragon Bar which is right next to the Reel Deal Cinema where the film is actually going to be shown. The after party is gonna be at the Marked Dragon, I hear Rouge had to get special permission so I could come as well, seeing as even though I am a criminal defense lawyer, I am still only 10.)

A voice calls out to me, "Hey, Tails! You ready for this?" It's Sonic.

"Oh yeah," I say, "Can't wait. Do you remember what the movie was called again?"

"Uh, yeah. I think it was Montana Bailey: The Curse of the Turquoise Tomb" He says.

"Yeah, that sounds about right." I say, "It's an action movie, right?"

"That and a bit of adventure, from what Rouge has told me." Sonic says enthusiastically, "I can't wait. I love these kinds of movies, so it should be pretty good."

"Hey! Sonic, Tails! Over here!" A familiar voice yells out. Amy runs on over to us.

"Oh… Hey Amy." Sonic says.

"So! You ready for tonight!" She says.

"Oh, yeah. I've been looking forward to this ever since Rouge told me about it and invited me."

"Same here, I can't wait." I add.

At that moment, another person approaches the entrance of Reel Deal Cinema.. An anthropomorphic bat woman wearing a somewhat fancy red dress with a long fluffy scarf wrapped around her neck. She confidently announces to the crowd around us, "Excuse me! The film will be starting soon, we'll be heading in now."

Sonic says, "Well it looks like Rouge wants us to head inside now. Let's go!"

(We all head into the theater and sit down to watch this new film. I hope it'll be good.)

March 14 - 8:06 PM - Marked Dragon Bar - Main Bar

(That movie was really good. Rouge did an excellent job! She played the character Montana Bailey, a treasure hunter who was also a high-school history teacher. After it we all moved over here to the bar, though they had to make sure I didn't order anything I'm too young for. This place is absolutely crowded, I can't believe it, the only people here are all invitees.)

"That movie was great!" Sonic says, "The way she punched those guys was awesome."

"Yeah!" Amy says, "My favorite part was the final action scene. All those explosions!"

I pipe in, "I dunno, my favorite was easily that big escape scene from the Turquoise Tomb. The rolling boulder and quickly moving through all the traps she disarmed, it was pretty cool."

(Though now that I think about it, it kinda reminded me of another movie I've seen before.)

Sonic says, "I still can't believe she was hired by Global Studios and managed to keep it quiet for so long."

"Yeah, I can't believe…" I begin to say before I'm quickly cut off by someone yelling from behind me.

"Amy Rose!" the voice yells, making all three of us jump in surprise. I turn around and look for the source of the voice. A tall rabbit woman wearing a dress approaches. She must be Vanilla, Cream's mom. She quickly says, "I can't believe what you've done!"

"Huh, excuse me!" Amy says defensively.

'You know what you did! And Sonic! How could you let Tails as well!" Vanilla says angrily.

"Wait huh!" He says, shocked.

Vanilla continues without skipping a beat, "I can't believe you two would let children around a crime scene like that! I mean, Cream is only eight! I can't believe you let her around a corpse!"

"Well, we didn't let her… We just kinda stumbled into…" Amy begins to say.

Vanilla cuts her off once more, " You still let her investigate!"

"But wait, this happened nearly two months ago! Why are you so upset right now!" Amy defends herself by saying.

Vanilla responds quickly, "She was showing me pictures from her camera just yesterday and accidentally showed me the gruesome crime scene photos! No child should ever need to see that! And Sonic! Isn't Tails only ten?"

"Well, I am also a licensed attorney. I passed the Bar and everything." I say.

Sonic then says, "Yeah, but you let cream go fight evil with us all the time!"

Vanilla says, "But those don't involve bloody murders!"

This causes a shocked reaction from Sonic and Amy.

Vanilla continues, "Just to let you know, Cream is never, ever allowed to help you two."

"Hey! I never plan on ever going to a court or investigating any crimes ever. Once was enough, but twice! That's too many times." Sonic says.

Amy then says, "Well, I… Alright…"

Vanilla then walks away from us while glaring until she reaches the bar and sits down.

A voice from behind us says, "Well, that was an interesting conversation. She sounded pretty upset."

I turn around and it's Rouge as well as a human man standing next to her, he is wearing a blue shirt, brown cowboy vest, brown leather boots, and hat, as well as a red bandana around his neck.

Rouge points to the man standing next to her, "This, if you can remember, is the man who played the other lead in the film."

He holds out his hand to us as we all shake and he says, "Howdy there, my name is Colt Winchester."

"Oh yeah," I say, "you were Marty Crowrock, right?"

'That's right." Colt says.

"So, did you all enjoy the movie?" Rouge asks.

"Yeah! It was great!" Amy says happily.

"Well, that's good. Now then, I'd love to stay and chat, but I've gotta go and talk to everyone here." Rouge says.

Sonic asks, "Oh, how many people did you invite?"

"Oh basically all the production staff from the film and also everyone else I could really think of. Now, again, love to chat, but I need to be getting somewhere. I've gotta grab something out of the storage room first though. See you." Rouge responds.

She winks at us then she walks away behind the bar area. Colt goes somewhere else, but at that time another woman walks up, I don't really know her, but judging by the look on Sonic's face, he seems to.

She says to Sonic, "Oh, I should've figured you'd be here."

"Oh. Sally. Haven't seen you in ages. How've you…" Sonic begins to say.

Amy quickly interrupts. "Do you know this woman?

"Yes, he does. I'm Sally Acorn. Sonic helped me and my kingdon a few years ago, though, not like it did much in the long run." Sally says.

Sonic asks, "Wait, what do you mean it didn't help?"

"It ended up getting overthrown about ten years ago. Since then I've been basically penniless. Somehow got an invite here so I came because of the free food." Sally says a bit sadly.

(Sonic and Sally spent a bit of time catching up, though Amy seemed a bit jealous for some reason… The rest of the party was pretty good, I couldn't get the kind of things everyone else was getting, but I did try out some things that are a bit harder to find normally. After a while the party seemed to slow down and we all went home.)

March 15 - 7:45 AM - Prower and Co. Law Offices - Tail's House

*BANG* *BANG* *BANG*

I quickly jumped out of bed after hearing these sounds.

(Uhh. Is someone at the door? Who would be here so early…)

I get out of bed and the banging keeps continuing. I slowly walk my way over to the door and open it. Both Amy and Cream are at the door, with Amy being mid-knock as she almost falls over after I open the door.

"Oh! Tails! You have to hurry! Have you seen the news!" Amy says.

(Is she serious? How is she already awake this early and so full of energy…)

I say, "No, you just woke me up… (And why is Cream here?)"

"Well you need to hurry! Come on!" Amy says as she grabs me by the arm and drags me to the TV. Cream jumps over the couch and grabs the remote and turns on the news.

"Breaking News. Silver the Hedgehog was arrested last night." the newscaster says.

(Wait! Arrested! For what!) I recoil in shock. (There's now way he did anything!)

The caster continues, "Last night rising actress Rouge the Bat was found dead in the Marked Dragon Bar. She was found dead last night after a party she threw for her new movie that releases today."

(What! That's impossible!)

The caster continues, "Luckily a detective from the CCPD was on the scene and quickly investigated the scene and arrested the suspect."

"We have to get Sonic! He can help us!" Amy says as she quickly runs out the door followed by Cream.

I begin to say, "Wait! I'm sure he's sleep…!"

*BANG* *BANG* *BANG*

(Oh… She's doing it again. Poor Sonic.)

I slowly walk out and see Sonic, looking tired and barely awake at the door.

"What…" He says.

Quickly, without taking a single breath Amy says, "C'mon! SIlver's been arrested and now he's in jail! They're saying he killed Rouge last night during the party! I can't believe it! We can't stand by! We have to help! C'mon! Get your stuff! We're leaving! Right now! We can't do it alone, I mean, we aren't alone. I have Tails and all, and he's the lawyer, also Cream is here, even though her mom doesn't want her to be. Though that doesn't matter at all, it's not like Vanilla could've stopped her…"

Sonic abruptly says, "Ok, ok, ok. I get it… Listen… I'm still tired… And after what happened two months ago? I never want to be involved in a crime again. I'm gonna have to politely decline."

"Oh… I'm sorry." Amy says, a bit defeated.

"Yeah, sorry, Amy. I'm gonna go back to sleep now. I didn't get back home till what, three AM? See ya." Sonic says as he closes the door.

"Well, that was productive." I say, "We should probably head to the detention center and speak with Silver."

"Yeah," Amy says, "Let's go."

March 15 - 8:12 AM - Central City Prison - Detention Center

(Alright, I guess we need to speak with Silver now, find out what happened last night)

"Hey! I'm telling you! I didn't do anything! If I have to break out of this cell with my psychic powers just so I can prove it! Then nothing will Stop me!" A voice says as we are approaching the room, we open the door.

"Please, Mr. Silver! I'll have to take you back into the holding cells if you keep saying things like that." The guard says.

Amy, Cream, and I all take a seat at the glass.

"Hey, Silver! Over here!" I say.

"What!" Silver says as he quickly runs over to us. He uses his psychic powers to move the chair underneath him.

"Hey, I heard about last night on the news." I say.

"Yeah, it was a real shame. I swear, I'll find whoever did this and bring them to justice!" Silver says as he begins to float in the chair.

"Yeah!" Amy says.

"Just wait a moment, I'm here to do the justice bringing." I say.

The chair lowers back to the ground as Silver says, "Oh? This isn't just a friendly visit then?"

"Well, no. You see," I say as I quickly flash my badge at him, "I'm a lawyer. I'd like to defend you in your trial tomorrow, if that's alright."

"A lawyer?" Silver says, "Of course! A lawyer is just what I need! I'll need to fire that other one that tried to represent me, but yeah!"

I then say, "Well, at least be sure not to attempt any breakouts. Don't want you to get in more trouble."

Silver then says, "Well… Yeah… Whatever… Fine I guess. So, is that all you wanted to ask?"

"Well, no. I actually wanted to know your side of the story." I say.

"My side? Uhh. Well, don't get your hopes up." Silver says.

"What do you mean?" Cream pipes in.

"Well… I saw nothing. I didn't even know a murder happened until after I was arrested."

"Wait what! Did they at least tell you why you were suspected?" Amy blurts out.

"Oh! Yeah… They did. They said the murder weapon was covered in my prints." SIlver says.

"Oh? Don't you wear gloves though?" Cream asks.

(Well, I think all of us wear gloves…)

"Yeah, well. I spilled my drink on them at the party, and had to take them off for a bit. They gave me a new pair just recently. Though it'd make sense if my prints were on the murder weapon. After all, I'm the one who made it!" SIlver says, surprisingly optimistic.

"You made it! You seem awfully optimistic for being arrested for murder." I say.

"Well, what's the point in being all glum about it? I didn't do anything wrong, and uhh… Have you ever been in court before?" Silver asks.

"Of course I have. You didn't hear about the trial two months ago? I got Sonic found not guilty in the murder of Dr. Eggman." I say.

"I'm from the future, Tails. I came back specifically for this event. Somehow Rouge got an invite to me." SIlver says.

"What did you mean by, you made it, earlier?" Cream asks.

"Oh that? It was a small statue I made. As a gift. It was a bit cumbersome so I went to the Marked Dragon in advance to see if they could hold onto it for me when I went to see the movie. That's when I was seen." SIlver says.

I ask, "Seen? By who?"

"Gonna be honest with you, I don't know the guy's name, but he was rather large." SI;ver says.

"Hmm. I think we should get down to the crime scene."

"I agree. C'mon, Cream, we're going to the murder scene." Amy says.

"Wait! We can't bring her!" I say.

Amy then says, "Well, we can't keep her here, plus maybe her camera can come in handy again. I'll take the blame for it. Let's go!"

She then runs out the door and heads towards the marked dragon.

March 15 - 10:10 AM - Marked Dragon Bar - Main Bar

(Well, here we are, didn't expect to be back here in at least 11 years. We need to find something that can prove Silver innocent. Oh yeah, is that Espio over there? He looks to be talking with Blaze. I wonder if she is a witness. Oh! He noticed us.)

Espio nods goodbye to Blaze and walks over to us. "Excuse me, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, Espio. I'm the lawyer for Silver." I say.

"Ah, yes. Of course. And I believe that you'd like to investigate the scene of the crime?" He asks.

"Yeah, is there anything else that you'd like to tell me?" I ask.

"Hmm. The body is just about to be taken for an autopsy to be done. It'd be best if you investigated right now. I shall accompany you."

We walk behind the bar and head to the storage room.

"Also, I shall give you this, an overview of the building." Espio says.

He walks us behind the bar through a pair of double doors into the bar storage area. There are crates and bottles stood up and most obviously, Rouge's body, lying face down in a crate. THere is a very clear wound on the back of her head. Amy and Cream seem sickened with the scene in front of them. To be honest, so am I.

(I can't believe it. On the night that was meant for celebration.)

"I… I can't…" Amy tries to say.

"I need to get a closer look." I say, "If the autopsy is about to be performed it'd be good to get a close look first."

Espio says, "Go ahead then, just don't touch anything."

(I won't rest until I investigate every suspicious looking nook and cranny.)

I walk closer and get a good look both at the back of her head. The wound itself seems a bit large. Like something heavy struck her.

"Ah, you are looking at the wound. We actually found the weapon we believe is responsible." Espio says.

"Oh, what is it?" I ask.

Espio pulls out a bag and inside is a bloody statue. He says, "It was this gift Silver made for the victim. It's a statue of The Thinker."

(I'll make sure to keep a note of that in my record.) I keep investigating. I look down a bit and notice that her face seems to be covered in dark green glass shards. The box she is slumped over in seems to be filled with broken beer bottles, which are a darker brown color.

"Oh, what are those?" Amy asks.

Espio chimes in, "Those are glass shards. Our hypothesis is that whoever killed her forced her face down into that box and struck her on the back of the head."

(That tracks with what I've seen of the scene so far. Though the colors seem a bit of? I'll make a note of that in my record.)

"Hmm." Amy says, "I can smell the beer from here, but I think I'm also getting hints of maybe champagne?"

"Yes, it appears that Rouge spilled some on her shirt earlier in the party." Espio says.

"Oh." Amy says.

At that moment a few more police enter the scene. One of them pipes up, "Alright, we're here to take the body away."

They then grab Rouge and leave with her. Espio walks over to us.

"Unfortunately one of those officers just gave me some information. I'm going to have to cut your investigation short. It seems as if the Prosecutor wants to investigate this himself. SO make any more notes you need. You have until he arrives." he says.

(Great. Anything else out of place around here?) Looking around I don't see anything else out of place, until I notice a small food service cart. On top of it hidden between some glasses is a small piece of white cloth that seems to be stained red. It looks to have been burned. (Hmm. I'll have to ask Espio about this.)

"Hey, Espio!" I call out. He walks over to me.

"What?" he says.

"I found this. It looks like some cloth that's been burned and stained." I say.

"Ah, I'll run a test on it. And I'll have the results sent to you. Even if Shadow doesn't." He says as I give him the glove. At that moment, Shadow walks through the door.

"This is my crime scene right now, please vacate immediately." he says.

Amy, Cream, and I don't say anything. We quickly walk out of the building.

March 15 - 11:00 AM - Briar Road - Outside the Marked Dragon and Reel Deal Cinema

(Well, we were kicked out of there rather quickly. We don't even know who the witnesses are, though, I'd imagine Blaze will be one.)

*THWACK*

"Ow!" I yell out. (Something hit me!) I look around and see an orange badger catching a boomerang in her hands. She has a colander strapped to her head like a helmet. (Oh, I know her. Her name is Sticks, she's from an island and is really good friends with Amy.)

"Oh! Sticks! What brings you this far away? Especially somewhere with so much technology?" Amy asks.

She walks closer to us and says, "Well… I got an invitation from that Rouge lady. Said she was in some sort of thing…"

(Ah, the movie.)

"So, you're still sticking around here then? I would've thought that you'd head home." I say.

"Well," Sticks says, "The 'government' decided that I was a witness to this crime that just happened."

(Wait! What! A witness?)

She flips her boomerang straight up in the air and catches it. "That's right, I'm the one who found the body, after all."

"You did? Can you tell me what you saw exactly?" I ask.

"I don't need to tell you anything, tech-boy." She says as she flips her boomerang then points it at me.

"Huh!" I react.

"Well, we're best friends, Sticks you could tell me, right?" Amy asks.

"Well… You're friends with Tails, so you'd just tell him anyways…" Sticks thinks out loud.

Amy says, "Uh… Well…"

"That's what I thought." Sticks says.

"Well, Mr. Tails, is Mr. SIlver's lawyer." Cream says, "It'd be really helpful if you could help us prove his innocence."

"Innocence? Hah! No way he's innocent! Rouge used to be a secret government agent, right?" Sticks says, "Most likely explanation is that the 'government' decided to kill her off because she knew too much. She was getting too public for the Illuminati's liking and they executed her to keep her from talking."

(Illuminati? What is this lady talking about?)

"Wait, but why would Silver be the…" Amy says as she gets cut off.

"Isn't it obvious? What better assassin than someone from the future! Surely a secret shadow government would possess evil time-travel machines that let them hire people from other time periods, but this time their plan failed! Their assassin was caught!" Sticks interrupts, "I mean, come on, who would be crazy enough to think otherwise… Wait a second. I think I hear someone."

Sticks quickly grabs her boomerang and yells, "DUCK" as she throws it behind us, it barely passes over my head and THWACK!

"OW! Dammit!" a woman's voice cries out, "What was that for!"

I turn around and find Blaze standing there with a flame in her eyes as she quickly snaps and Sticks' boomerang erupts into flames.

"I just wanted to talk, you didn't need to attack me!" Blaze she says as she stops to take a breath and regains her composure, "Sorry for that outburst, may I ask, why are you here?"

Sticks pulls out another boomerang and flips it a few times as she says, "Well, who are you? Some sorta royalty or something?"

"Well, yes, though back to my question…" Blaze begins to say.

Sticks interrupts, "What are you, immortal? A lizard? Do you eat children?"

Shocked by these questions, Blaze doesn't say a word other than have a shocked look on her face.

"Ok, Sticks, this is Blaze, she's a friend of ours." Amy says.

"Fine." Sticks says.

"That's alright. Well, back to my question, what are you three doing here?" Blaze asks.

Amy says, "Oh us? Tails here isSilver's lawyer."

"Oh, a lawyer," Blaze says, "strange. You believe he is innocent?"

"Yes, it's a defense attorney's duty to fully believe in their client and fight for their innocence." I say.

"Ah, well, I'd like to believe in him… But…" Blaze says.

"But what?" Cream says.

"Well, I'm a witness to this and I would like to believe in him. In fact, I hope he is found innocent."

*THWACK*

"OW!" Blaze yells out after being struck by another boomerang. She erupts in flames as Sticks' boomerang burns away. She yells out, "Will you stop attacking me!"

"Ha! Why? Why should I trust you, your royal highness? Silver absoposilutely did it." Sticks says, "Anyways, I'm not gonna sit around and listen to your lies. See ya later." Sticks walks away down the road.

Blaze extinguishes herself and tries to regain her composure.

She says, "Well. I see that my first impression of that woman was correct."

"Oh, you've seen her before?" Amy asks.

"Yes. She was in the room when I was being questioned. She refused to cooperate with the police when questioned, instead ranting about things like Kubrick, jet fuel, fish-eye lenses, men in black, and grassy knolls. Weird things like that." Blaze says.

"So, you saw something then?" I ask.

"No, nothing like that. I was waiting in the private room for Silver to finish whatever he was doing that night. I won't be called as a witness tomorrow, though I do know who will."

"Really? Who?" I ask.

"Big." Blaze says, "From what I hear, he saw Silver leaving the crime scene at the time of the murder. He isn't the type to lie, so that's why I somewhat doubt Silver's innocence. Now, I must be going. Have a nice day, Tails, Amy, Cream. Goodbye."

And with that Blaze walks away.

(And also we know that Big saw Silver, though we didn't get to talk with him so we don't know exactly what he saw. And why were Blaze and Silver staying behind. Honestly, I'm kinda concerned with Sticks. She usually cares about the truth and for her to so strongly think that Silver is guilty… That can't be good. We don't even know her true reasoning. I doubt the time travel assassination is part of it. Tomorrow is going to be interesting. I wish we could've investigated more, but Shadow kicked us out. I just hope we have enough evidence to prove Silver innocent. What do we even have? Just that info about the glass shards and I guess Shadow stopped Espio from sending us the autopsy report. I've also got that alleged murder weapon. The Thinker. Something about that statue is just foreboding…)

To Be Continued…