February 23rd, 2017
Police Department
Entrance, 3:59 PM
Ema's POV
Phoenix: It's even busier here today than it was yesterday.
Ema: The detectives are running around so fast they're blurring.
Judy: Well with the murder happening in the evidence room, I'm not surprised that they're running like mad.
Ema: And the evidence room is the scene of the crime!
Judy: And according to the map, its right… there.
Ema: Well, what are waiting for, let's go!
Evidence Room Entrance
Guard Station
Phoenix: What's with the décor in this place? It's very… eccentric.
Ema: So, this is the guard station of the evidence room?
Phoenix: And beyond that door is the scene of crime… the evidence room. All I want to know is if this is the guard station, then where's the guard?
Judy: Oh sweet cheese and crackers! Don't tell me it's who I think it is!?
Ema: Well let's just go in!
Judy: I don't think it's that easy. Looks like you need an ID card to get in.
Phoenix: Let's go back to the station and ask someone about the evidence room.
Police Department
Entrance
Phoenix's POV
Phoenix (Thinking): This place is charged with frantic energy, as always.
?: Please!
Judy: Hey, is that…
Gumshoe: One steak lunch, please! Oh, it's you.
Phoenix: Detective Gumshoe!
Gumshoe: Now's no time for chit-chat, pal. I'm a busy man! What I really need is a steak from Lunchland.
Ema: Oh… you mean one of these? Actually, it's not for sale…
Gumshoe: …
Phoenix (Thinking): I think I just heard the sound of his heart breaking.
Gumshoe: Now's no time for despair! We've caught our criminal! Now we just need evidence!
Phoenix: The criminal… you mean…?
Gumshoe: You heard about the stabbing in the Police Department evidence room, pal?
Judy: Yea, Gant told us in today's trial. It happened the same time and day when the murder also accrued at the Prosecutor's Office Parking Lot.
Gumshoe: It's the biggest scandal to hit the station in ages! Everything's topsy-turvy.
Phoenix: But, Detective Gumshoe, who was it?
Gumshoe: Listen, pal, all I know is I need me a steak lunch, pronto! Standing around here talking isn't going to fill my belly!
Ema: W-wait! Don't leave!
Gumshoe: If you want to know more, head on down to the detention center, pal. Questioning should be over, so I figure he's down there having a good cry. Later!
Ema: He ran off to the evidence room…
Phoenix: Well, this investigation is off to a running start.
Judy: Well, let's go talk to this suspect.
Detention Center
Visitor's Room, 4:15 PM
Ema: Still, I do feel better about things. A little. I mean, they caught the person who stabbed Detective Goodman, didn't they?
Judy: Well, true. But we still don't know how or why?
Phoenix: Yeah, that's true.
Phoenix (Thinking): Best to not go too far down that road right now. Things will just get confusing.
*WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN*
Judy: OW! My poor ears!
Ema: Wh-what was that!?
?: Sir! That's what I'm saying! Me, a perpetrator? I-I-I'd say I-I-I was the perpetrated against, sir! That's what I'd say!
I couldn't believe on the person that they captured.
?: Ah, oh, uh. Hi. Greetings, sir!
Judy: No… Officer Meekins!?
Ema: What are you doing here? Are you here to deliver a report or something?
Officer: No, sir, I, uh, how should I say this…
Phoenix (Thinking): Wait… he isn't… is he?
Phoenix: You… Officer Meekins… You didn't… did you?
Officer: Er…. Perpetrator Officer Meekins reporting, sir!
Ema: What…!?
Judy: Whaaaaaaaaaat!?
Phoenix (Thinking): Now this is an unexpected turn of events.
Officer: Sir! I'm a patrol cat with General Affairs, sir! SIR!
Judy: OW! We can hear you fine, Officer Meekins. Just calm down and tell us what happened.
Meekins: I had some business that day, sir, and so I went to the evidence room, sir… The guard office in front of the room was empty, sir!
Ema: So, normally there's a guard at the evidence room?
Meekins: That's right, sir! Because evidence is kept in the evidence room, sir! Now, the security officer… was none other than Officer Marshall!
Phoenix (Thinking): M-Marshall!?
Judy: So what happen at the guard station?
Meekins: Sir, I happened to glance at the security room monitor! That's when I saw him, sir! A suspicious person in the evidence room! A suspicious person, sir! A suspicious person!
Phoenix: So what happened when you saw this "suspicious" person?
Meekins: Sir, when I went into the evidence room, sir! I ask the person to show me is ID card, sir!
Judy: ID card, you mean this one?
Judy showed Officer Meekins Detective Goodman's ID.
Meekins: That's it, sir! That's it! That's it!
Ema: That's what!?
Meekins: My head was a blank until this very moment! But, sir, I remember! I remember, sir!
Phoenix: You mean you remember what happened?
Meekins: Correct! That card, that card was the cause of it all!
Ema: This… ID card?
Judy: Did he had the wrong ID card or something?
Meekins: Actually, no, sir! When I went into the evidence room and ask the man to display his ID card, he suddenly pointed a knife at me!
Ema: What…!?
Meekins: Sir, I assure you I was as flustered as you are right now! So I whooped and leapt at him!
Phoenix (Thinking): Detective Goodman pointed a knife at him?
Meekins: "Do unto to others before they do unto you"! My own father's words, sir!
Judy: So, what about that bandage on your hand?
Meekins: Well… My eyes, sir… everything went white. When I awoke, I saw blood dripping out of my hand, so I bandaged it up myself. And then, I woke up, and I was brought in here.
Phoenix (Thinking): Right…
Ema: So, Officer Meekins, why was it that they arrested you?
Phoenix: What do you mean, Ema?
Ema: Let's look at what we know. Now, Officer Meekins didn't know Detective Goodman… And the "victim" whom he met at the scene of the crime didn't show his ID card.
Judy: In other words, we have no way of knowing if the victim was really the victim!
Ema: And if this "body" just "disappeared" from the evidence room…
Phoenix: Then we don't know if anyone actually died!
Meekins: That's it, sir! That! That's what I wanted to say! That is… I did say something along those lines.
Ema: Huh? But you still ended up here…?
Meekins: They told me that it had to be him, sir. "On that day, at that time… Detective Goodman was definitely in the evidence room." That's what they said.
Phoenix: But… you don't remember the events clearly?
Meekins: No… but the video tape is quite clear.
Judy: Wait, video tape…?
Meekins: From the security camera. The crime, my crime, the crime I swore to stamp out! It's there! It's me! It's on tape!
Phoenix: …
Judy: …
Ema: …
Meekins: …
Ema: And you wait until now to tell us this!?
Meekins: I'm sorry, really sorry, sir! I'll hand over my badge! I don't deserve it!
Phoenix: N-no thanks, I have my own.
Judy: Uh, so do I. Well thanks for the info, Mr. Meekins. Just hang in there. We'll get to the… bottom of this… I guess.
Phoenix (Thinking): Well, guess we'd better go check out the crime scene.