Ugh, I'm sleepy and my eyes hurt, LOL but I just have to write this chapter!
-drops of jelly
Standard Disclaimer Applies
SEVEN
-English Guesthouse, Stockbridge, Hampshire-
April 4 8:00 AM
*ring ring ring*
"Hello, this is Miles Edgeworth, speaking." Miles answered the phone while stroking Franziska's hair, seated at her bedside.
"Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth?" the man asked.
"...Yes." he reluctantly answered, while searching for the wiretap and recorder device.
"This is Konfu Shing." The voice introduced himself, just when Miles finished connecting all the necessary wires.
"Are you alone in the room, is no one listening?" Shing continued.
"No one is listening." He looked at the sleeping Franziska.
"Oh thank heavens I've reached you. My conscience can't let me be.
I need to speak to you about the plane crash weeks ago.
I heard from HQ that you were searching for me. I'm ready to give you my statements. Shall we meet somewhere?" Shing asked.
"Alright. When and where shall we meet?" Miles asked.
"We shall meet at the park today, at three in the afternoon. Will that be okay?"
"Yes, that would be fine. I will see you later then, Mr. Shing." Miles Edgeworth hung up after respectfully saying goodbye.
Konfu Shing… A rather mysterious profile… It is possible that he may be the killer, since the clothes in the bag were soaked with blood. Only he and the other pilot, Mr. Zachary Kiegel were present in the chambers at that time, so Shing must have really murdered Kiegel.
But I am wondering about one thing.
If he really was the murderer, why would he come contact me first? Why wouldn't he wait until I found him? He would most likely be on the run away from me, and now he wants to meet up with me?
And that single statement,
"Oh thank heavens I've reached you. My conscience can't let me be."
I can't help but think I'm overlooking something.
At this point I can't be sure of anything. I need to do more research and talk with Shing.
"HELLO? Mr. Edgeworth, are you alright?!!!!" the young female forensic-scientist-detective sang to greet Edgeworth, who was deep in thought.
"SHHH!" Miles hushed her before she could say any more, fearing Franziska may awaken.
"Oh,… sorry." She bowed.
"Ema!... What a pleasant surprise…" he tried to hide the sarcasm in his tone, as he was purely startled at her voice.
"I'm sorry. No one came at the door, and it was really quiet, so I figured something may be wrong! But when I entered and found you here, I became relieved." She sighed, smiled and removed her pink shades.
"Thank you for your concern. Shall we have this conversation outside?" he motioned toward the door.
"Sure." She picked up her extra-large bag of who-knows-what, and walked out the door as Miles opened it for her.
"Mr. Wright told me that you may be in need of my services- as a forensic scientist!"
"… As a matter of fact, I do. Thank you. I expected you would simply aid in my investigation as a detective normally would, but bringing all your tools would ensure a thorough examination of all the evidence perfectly." He grinned confidently.
"Proud to be of help to you Mr. Edgeworth!" her eyes sparkled as she took out some of her new equipment, and some files and folders for references.
"Firstly, I will explain to you the situation, and all the evidence I have gathered up to now." Miles Edgeworth began as Ema listened attentively.
At 8:30 PM, March 24, USA time, a crash landing of a certain aircraft was reported to the authorities. The plane that crashed was an A-678T model, the Titanium Liner. It was Flight 1547xx, which departed at 8:30 AM, also USA time, from LAX to LHR, Los Angeles to London Heathrow Airport.
The crash was said not to be fatal, as almost all the passengers survived with minor injuries, save for two individuals identified as Mr. Gino Vegas, and Ms. Franziska von Karma, who were missing since the incident.
However, Franziska von Karma recently turned up in Hampshire, in a flower shop, with an acute case of amnesia.
"It's a good thing Ms. Von Karma is alright, right, Mr. Edgeworth?" Ema smiled in relief.
"Yes… indeed." He crossed his arms, hiding a secret smile.
"But there is more to this story, am I right?" Ema asked.
"That is certainly true, since I have found new evidence on the incident."
Although the crash was fatal, and no reports of other incidents connected to the crash were reported, a murder, or shall I say, struggle, was discovered at the cockpit of the plane when it was investigated again, yesterday afternoon, weeks after the incident.
A struggle, I say, because there was no dead body found, or even reported. Although I suspected it was murder, and the body- is someplace else.
"How… mysterious… Do you really believe someone was murdered in the cockpit of the plane, sir?" Ema asked.
"With the amount of blood I have discovered, on the pilot seats, the floor and the evidence, a person might have died." He commented.
"So… Do you have any idea what could have happened to the body?" Ema asked.
Dead Body – There should certainly be a dead body if a murder occurred… But where is it?
"I do not know yet… But I will find the answer to that question." Miles was frustrated he could not find that piece of this puzzle.
"This may not exactly help you find the body, but I can identify the blood on the evidence, if you'd like." Ema said.
"…That would be very helpful!" At last, I may be able to identify our victim.
"I have some blood samples of the pilots. A certain Interpol agent helped me obtain these as I did my research, and did all Mr. Wright's errands at the English Embassy. Obtaining the samples was one of them, since you told him about the blood-covered clothes." She showed him two labelled vials.
"Wright… He thought through this carefully." He smiled, reflecting on how fortunate he was to have him as a friend.
"Anyway, may I borrow the blood-stained clothing?"
"Here, the bag with the evidence inside. I did not remove anything from the bag at all." He handed the bag to her.
"If you don't mind, I'll take out the clothes from this bag." She put on her crime examination gloves.
"Of course." He said.
While Ema was examining the evidence, Miles stepped out of the living room to check up on Franziska.
When he returned, Ema already had the results.
"The blood on this clothing… It belongs to Zachary Kiegel." She said, with a serious tone.
"Zachary Kiegel?!" Edgeworth muttered in horror.
"I found the blood on this clothing to be of the same substance all throughout, and it only belongs to that single person, sir." She confirmed it so surely.
"So… The victim, is Zachary Kiegel?" Edgeworth wondered.
"Yes, I can say that. With this amount of blood, I can safely say he was the victim." Ema nodded.
Mr. Konfu Shing, I'll find out if you really are the killer or not, if you are posing a lie, or not, later when we meet…
I will also add that this plane, if my logic is sound and Wright's suspicions were correct, was crashed on purpose, and not merely a coincidence. That single member of VICTORIA escaped to England, and Franziska von Karma boarded that plane to chase after him. Therefore, I conclude that the plane was crashed in order to rid of Franziska von Karma, even if they are to sacrifice the other passengers since a simple assassination of the woman would be more difficult in the circumstances.
Shing and a syndicate – Could he be connected to VICTORIA?
"So... You found out that she went after VICTORIA's last member after all, huh Mr. Edgeworth?" Ema frowned.
"Yes... After all that Wright has been telling me, and after I did my investigation, I suspected as much." He said.
"I'll keep examining the evidence Mr. Edgeworth, if you don't mind." Ema pulled out her magnifying glass.
"Please continue. And Ema, do you have information about the two men? Zachary Kiegel, and Konfu Shing?" Miles asked.
"Yes, it's another errand Mr. Wright asked of me. I have found their personal information, and their connections to any kind of organization, their criminal record, and I have also conducted research on VICTORIA." Ema smiled.
"I have compiled all of it in a case file. It's in the fifth compartment of my bag."
"Thank you."
VICTORIA case files obtained
Zachary Kiegel files obtained
Konfu Shing files obtained
Edgeworth first scanned the information on VICTORIA.
So this is what you've been going after the whole time, Franziska?
VICTORIA
A syndicate that had dealings involving human trafficking, originating in LA, USA
Composed of five American members:
Henry Blithe – in charge of defence and manpower
Elizabeth Montgomery – in charge of business transactions
Mary Suede – in charge of syndicate camouflage
Edward Florence – in charge of political influence
Albert Judis – in charge of recruitment
All members conducted their operations in Great Britain, but have resorted to hide in other countries.
Blithe was caught in Vicenza, Montgomery in Macau, Suede in Paris, Florence in Japan, and Judis in Hong Kong.
Florence, as of March 23 escaped from the custody of the police, hours before his trial, while all the other members are now in prison.
VICTORIA Case Information:
Head Prosecutor – Franziska von Karma
Head of the Investigation – Ema Skye
Interpol Agent in Charge – Shi-Long Lang
Trial Dates:
Blithe – December 14
Montgomery – January 5
Suede - January 23
Judis – February 15
"So, you're working with Agent Lang as well... It has been quite a while." Edgeworth smiled with relief.
"You know him, Mr. Edgeworth? He was that Interpol agent who worked with me to get those samples!" Ema lit up like a light bulb.
"We worked on a few cases before." He cleared his throat and flipped to the second page of the report.
They were filled with pictures of the five members of the syndicate.
Next, he opened the file on Zachary Kiegel. He found his picture, bio data and all the other inside information about him. Kiegel was not suspected or caught for any crimes. He hardly had any trouble with the law.
Konfu Shing on the other hand was an excellent student and pilot. He also had no trouble with the law. Miles found something strikingly odd however in his profile.
For the sake of trying to find a connection between VICTORIA and Shing, if ever they were connected, he tried to compare the faces of Shing, and the missing member, Edward Florence.
At first glance, he didn't find anything similar between the two, until he noticed a very tiny bright red orb on Shing's left ear. It was the same red orb on Florence's left ear, and all the other VICTORIA members' left ears.
"What is this red earring they all wear?" Miles asked Ema.
"It's their signature ID as a member of the syndicate. It's a symbol of loyalty and passion, and it is their creed to never take it off until they die. Ms. Von Karma said that if they took it off, they would suffer greatly and will not be given protection against International Law." Ema replied.
"And who would protect them from International Law? I believe no evildoer can escape the law!" Miles objected.
"Mary Suede... She did all the cover-ups. She has a vast intelligence network and lots of political connections. She could have all the bigwigs turn a blind eye to everything with a snap of a finger because of family influence, if ever they got exposed, but now she's already taken care of. It turned out her political connections or intelligence network wasn't able to save her or the rest of the members. The House of Suede is a very noble and strict family of politicians, and wouldn't tolerate Mary's behaviour." Ema explained.
Red Earring – found on all VICTORIA members' left ears. It is a symbol of loyalty and passion. They aren't allowed to take them off until death. Also found on Shing.
"I see. How fortunate. So what else is a signature ID from this syndicate? I recall Franziska reacting to a certain man with a rose and crown tattoo on his arm."
"That tattoo, is the second distinct trait of the VICTORIA members. It is placed on different body parts, but Florence had his on his arm!" Ema said.
"Thank you for enlightening me on that matter." He said. So the man who paid them a visit yesterday was Edward Florence.
Rose and Crown Tattoo information obtained
Alright, Edgeworth. Think. Connect your thoughts with the new information you have gathered.
Shing and a syndicate – Could he be connected to VICTORIA?
Red Earring – found on all VICTORIA members' left ears. It is a symbol of loyalty and passion. They aren't allowed to take them off until death. Also found on Shing.
New Conclusion:
Konfu Shing's red earring matched the one of Edward Florence's. He should be the last member of the syndicate, and the one responsible for the murder or assault on Zachary Kiegel, hence is responsible for the plane crash.
Although I have come up with all these conclusions, I have yet to find decisive evidence... Evidence that Shing cannot counter. After all, what can his bloody uniform, a red earring, and a single parachute prove? A weapon was not even found at the scene. I have to get it all out from him, later.
"Mr. Edgeworth, I don't like the sound of this. You're staring at Konfu Shing and Edward Florence's pictures so intently... Do you think..." Ema scanned the papers.
"Yes. There's no doubt about it. And all my theories make sense if this were the situation." Edgeworth explained everything to her.
"Konfu Shing is actually Edward Florence!?" Ema gasped.
*WHIP*
"EDWARD FLORENCE?! That wretched man! I was so close to proving him guilty in court! Then he runs off... Where am I anyway?!" Franziska barked, coming out from the room.
It was as if "poof" she was back to her normal self, before her acute amnesia kicked in.
"........... Franziska? Is that really you?" Edgeworth was shocked.
"Don't you recognize me anymore, Miles Edgeworth?" she grinned smugly.
"I'm glad... That you're back." He gently said.
"I... I...... Thank you. I know... You've been taking care of me... really well." She blushed.
"As much as I want to congratulate you on your recovery, Ms. Von Karma, I think I have some phone calls to make! I'll be back!" Ema decided to give them some time alone.
"So... how is your head?" he asked casually.
"It ached a little, but now it's going back to normal." She replied casually as well.
"....."
"....."
"I remember everything... Even from the day the plane crashed, and Eduard came to take care of me... And you who came after me. I remember all the weeks..." she hesitated, confused about her feelings.
"I see. That's very important. But don't worry. I'll piece everything together by today. All you have to do now is watch. I'll catch that Edward Florence for you." He promised, trying to hide his newfound feelings for her, fearing that because she was back to fully normal, she had realized her feelings might have been wrong.
O-o-O-o-O
Silence passed between them, as they struggled to gather everything, sort things out and get serious.
".....If you think... that I lied, that Alyssa was the one who li-.... lov-... lik-..." Franziska struggled to force the words out of her mouth.
"Hmm?" Edgeworth turned.
"Don't give me that look!" *whip* She blushed, beet red.
"Hey!" Miles evaded the lash with a little... smile on his lips?
With one look at Franziska's face, he realized what she was trying to tell him.
And he didn't wait for her, or made her discomfort last any longer.
He swept her up in his arms and kissed her.
"...Is that what you meant to tell me?" he caressed her cheek.
"... Yes." She blushed, uttering that word.
"Then... Everything wasn't a dream... I... really do love you, don't I?..." he was trying to do a simple reality check.
"I was hoping you do."
Franziska von Karma, hoping? Where can you find that often?
Or said out loud no less.
"I thought I lost you... So I got so scared... And that's when I realized... It's so different without you. It wasn't just my conscience which bothered me... My entire life seemed so odd with you erased from it... And no sooner did I realize how... I need you." He squeezed her hand.
"I never thought you would say such things to me... Miles Edgeworth." She smiled.
"Neither did I." He replied.
"My feelings... are complex. I couldn't understand them at all. I hated the fact you were always a step ahead of me, but I couldn't forgive someone else who would hurt you.
I thought I was insane wanting to be the only one to hurt you, or make you have such strong emotions.
I was oddly... possessive. But I knew better, so I shut myself away from those feelings- those feelings of attraction to your personality, and your being a unique prosecutor from my father. Not too long after, I realized... I was in love with you the whole time..." she tried to unload her feelings, not caring about how embarrassed she was anymore.
"It's very unlikely, am I right? For us to actually feel this way about each other... But now I realize, what I'm feeling isn't a lie." Edgeworth's usual serious glare softened.
"I know. I had to fall for a fool. And I have no evidence to prove my feelings false." She blushed, more annoyed.
"Thank you... for being well... For clearing everything up." He smiled at her.
"And thank you, for taking care of everything up to now." She replied, cross-armed.
"Now, I'm going to prepare to head out to meet Shing." Miles said.
"Who is Shing again?" she asked, demanding to know the answer.
"The assistant pilot who conducted your airplane flight along with Capt. Zachary Kiegel." He answered.
"I have to come with you. I have a settle to score with him after all." She cracked her whip – the one Edgeworth gave to her as a present days ago.
"Don't you mean 'score to settle'? Are you sure you're alright?" Edgeworth crossed his arms, tapping his finger onto one of them.
"Of course I'm alright now! Do not underestimate a von Karma's health!" she aimed her whip at him, but he successfully avoided it once again.
"I see you still whip your love interests." He sarcastically remark.
"Love interest. Emphasis on the singular form." She stressed.
"Whichever makes you happy... Anyway, let's call Ema so we can head out in a little while." He suggested.
"Good." She nodded.
Now that I have enough evidence to unravel the mystery of the incident out of Konfu Shing, all I have to do is to play out this hand given to me by Wright, Ema, Lang, and Kay well.
And there isn't any room for failure.
To be continued
Ahh, almost ending! And my vacation is almost ending too!
I'd love it if you'd drop a review!
-drops of jelly