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July 2 11:10 AM
District Court - Defendant Lobby No. 3
"Well," Orbis began, "I'm waiting."
"For what?" Julius asked.
"Can you say, apology?"
"Oh yeah, that... Yeah, I guess Mr. Wright was... Well, right."
"I saw it all from the gallery." Phoenix said. "As Adrian said, you are certainly promising."
"... ... Mr. Wright, could I ask you something?"
Phoenix closed his eyes. "You want to know how I know the Fey clan?"
(I already have Mr. Pitchfork-hair finishing my sentences. I don't need you doing it, too.) "Yeah, how...?"
"I used to work with the current master, when she was still in training."
"What? the master?"
"See, she was accused of murdering her own sister. She was one of my first clients. After that, she became my... Assistant, of sorts."
"But... How did you know about Orbis?"
"I got a call from the master. She said she needed me to help and look out for someone. After hearing her explanation, I remembered that Adrian had a promising student by the name Julius Freedom. So I told her about you."
"... ... Without my permission." (Mr. Wright knowing a medium? For once I'll be glad to go back in the courtroom. It'll take my mind off this...)
"Freedom!" A voice yelled. Nerio was in the room. Once again with an Italian accent. "Do I have freedom now? Get out of jail?"
"Um, no... It's not as easy as that..."
"You... Mean I'm still under suspicion?"
"Yes... But you do have freedom."
"What...? Oh, right! You!"
"Yes. Don't worry. I'm doing all I can."
"You're the one playing. Here's to victory!"
"Ha ha!" Phoenix laughed. "Looks like it's easy to cheer him up. The trial will continue soon, is there anything else you want to ask?"
"Well," Julius paused, "do you have any advice?"
"Actually, there was some I wanted to give you back at the start of the trial. If nothing else works, just turn everything upside-down."
(... ... When in doubt, make everyone in court do handstands?... What kind of nut-job mentor did this guy have?!)
"The trial continues in one minute." The bailiff announced.
"You know what to do!" Phoenix encouraged.
"Alright then," Orbis boasted, "let's get back in there."
July 2 11:15 AM
District Court - Courtroom No. 3
Court Is Back In Session
All Rise
"Court will now reconvene for the trial of Casey Nerio!" The Judge declared.
"The prosecution is ready, your honor." Contammis informed.
"And so is the defense." Julius followed.
"Very well," The Judge nodded, "has the prosecution prepare the witness?"
"Yes, your Honor." Contammis answered.
"Then bring him in, if you please."
Once again at the stand, Rigget stood in the courtroom. "Um... What do I need to talk about again?"
"*sigh*." Contammis sighed. "The exact movement of the killer."
"Well... Alright."
(I just hope he gives me what I'm looking for...)
WITNESS TESTIMONY
-The Killer's Movement-
"Well, I saw him running across the cemetery."
"I clearly saw him take the northwest exit."
"Then he slowed down and got rid of the gun."
"... That's all I saw... What else do you want?"
"Hm..." The Judge closed his eyes. "This testimony reveals nothing new. Just where is the defense going with this?"
"You just let me cross-examine the witness, and you'll see." Julius answered.
"Do you even know what you're looking for?" Orbis asked.
"Yes, and fortunately, Mr. Rigget was kind enough to give it to us."
CROSS EXAMINATION
-The Killer's Movement-
"Well, I saw him running across the cemetery."
HOLD IT!
"And you are sure that this was the defendant running?" Julius made sure.
"You got dirt for brains, dirt-for-brains?!"
(Couldn't you just leave the dirty metaphors at the cemetery...?)
"Of course it was Nerio!"
"I clearly saw him take the northwest exit."
OBJECTION!
"Mr. Rigget, this court has little reason to suspect you of perjury."
"What?! You think I'm lying?! You wanna get... Buried alive by the digger when he finally gets here?!"
"Um... I said 'little reason'..." Julius straightened up. "While your mouth may not be lying, your eyes definitely were. During our own investigation, we found another set of footprints... That indicates a completely different escape route, as they were found at the northwest exit!"
"W-w-WHAT?!" Rigget stuffed his spade once again into his hair. "Forget the digger! I'LL bury you!"
The people in the gallery had little time to argue...
OBJECTION!
"Greenhorn!" Contammis struck his desk. "How does that make a contradiction?! All it proves is that the defendant had been loitering around the northwest exit!
OBJECTION!
"No, it proves... Ah, it proves... ... Uh..." (Terrific, now I AM bluffing!)
"Mr. Freedom," The Judge began, "am I to assume you have made an empty objection? If you have, I am afraid this will require a penalty."
(... Okay, Julius! You got yourself into this mess, now you have to get yourself out... But what way. Is this footprint important...?) "... ... No, your honor. These footprints are important."
"Oh?"
"Consider Mr. Rigget's testimony. He says that he was watering the flowers at a gravestone, which means that it must've been around watering time. And since the footprints are the defendant's, it certainly does suggest that the defendant was at the scene of the crime. It would mean that the defendant had at least passed by the other gravestone, the one previously assumed to be where the victim was shot from, before the gunshot. In fact, it's obvious that the defendant had stepped near the grave first, as he would need the mud from the witness' recent watering to leave prints at the exit."
"Passed by..." Contammis murmured. "GAAH!"
"Exactly!" Julius confirmed. "And so, I have to ask, as per Mr. Rigget's testimony... Why aren't there footprints at the other exit?"
The people in the gallery argued endlessly.
"Order!" The Judge demanded, banging his gavel. "I will have order in the court! Prosecutor Contammis, do you have any-"
"Objections? Hm..." Contammis brushed his chin. "Only one, your honor: The position of the footprints. Consider this, greenhorn, the footprints found by the exit were found facing in all directions. I ask you, why?"
"W... Why?" Julius stuttered.
"As seen by these footprints, it looks like the defendant had turned around for some reason. What reason would there be to do that?"
"... Where are you going with this?"
Contammis nodded. "Perhaps a simple question to the witness. Witness, by the time that the killer reached whatever exit he took, did he ever turn around?"
"No." Rigget answered.
"And there you have it. To be honest, how does it impact anything?"
(... How does it impact anything...? DOES it impact anything...? Wait...) "Well... For starters, someone must've left those footprints."
OBJECTION!
"Someone other than the defendant?" Contammis assumed. "Normally I'd actually agree with you for once... Except that these footprints are the defendant's."
(Oh, yes... There is that, too... Hang on... ARE they the Mr. Nerio's? Is there any chance they could be someone else's...?) "There is something else we could think of."
OBJECTION!
Contammis striked his bench. "Are you holding onto the chance that someone else was wearing these same shoes? Ridiculous! What are the chances of that happening?"
OBJECTION!
"I'm not saying that at all! What I mean..." Julius smirked. "Is that we must take our attention away from something."
"Attention...?" The Judge asked, clueless as usual. "From... From what?"
"What else? The footprint, of course! Specifically, this part..."
TAKE THAT!
"Right here!" Julius pointed to the large, circular design, near the toes.
"W-what about it?" The Judge asked.
"Remember what Prosecutor Contammis said."
"That circle on the print... The defendant has shoes with that same design. Very unique."
-Brutus Contammis
"This one design on the shoe had pulled all the attention away from the rest of the shoe. Up until now, the court had been paying no attention to the rest of the design. Think of it like a snowflake: some similarities, but definitely not the exact same shape."
OBJECTION!
"Im... Impossible!" Contammis hissed, taken back by this development. "If this is all true, then may the court let me ask one thing to the defense if he would be kind enough to answer it."
This time, Julius answered Contammis' sentence. "You want to know exactly whose footprint these could be."
"Exactly! I admire your spirit. After all you are named after the spirited Roman conquerer. However, thanks to a dramatization written by William Shakespeare, we all know too well what happened to him."
"Hm." The Judge thought hard, then gazing upwards. "Come to think of it, Prosecutor Contammis' first name is Brutus, isn't it?"
(Oh, good grief! It's. Just. A. NAME!)
"And now this would be the chapter where the defense is defeated." Contammis revealed. "My way of victory would be twofold: if these footprints are confirmed to be the defendant's, then the witness' testifying that he saw the defendant before the murder will be impossible to dismiss. And if it seems that the footprint is indeed different," Contammis smirked, "how can you tell us just whose footprints are they?"
(... ... ... What just happened...?)
"Think again, Jules." Orbis encouraged.
"It won't be any good."
"Did I say 'think about the same way'? Don't you remember what Mr. Wright told you."
"... Making handstands? That will make Contammis' day."
"That's not what he meant, you idiot!" Orbis reacted by dropping his head on the bench. "It means turn your logic around."
"Well, speaking in riddles didn't exactly help..."
"Look, just turn the entire case upside down. Don't think about who had these shoes, think about why the shoes look that way."
(Look that way? That hole! Yes? I know exactly whose shoes they are!...)
TAKE THAT!
"Our mystery walker is none other than the victim, Homer Lester!"
OBJECTION!
"Are you nuts?!" Contammis yelled. "How could the victim possibly have afforded those shoes?! The man was homeless, if you recall!"
OBJECTION!
Julius vented his frustration on the bench. "This isn't any nonsense, Prosecutor Contammis! Have you noticed the dandelion planted at the gravestone where this mystery walker left his print?"
"I did."
"Did you know that some parts of a dandelion are edible?"
"..." Contammis shook his head. "I do not follow, greenhorn."
"Think about it Prosecutor Contammis. The victim was homeless."
OBJECTION!
"And now I do follow." Contammis rejoined. "You're saying that the circle on the print is there because that is where the shoe had a hole in it. You're also saying that the victim would've done anything for food, thus he tried his luck on the dandelion, is that correct?"
"That's right!" Rigget chirped. "I did see that bum by that gravestone! About the same time I saw Mr. Nerio hanging around."
Nerio's Footprints updated in Court Record
"Then I have a question for the defense: Why didn't he see his killer?"
"... Pardon?" Julius asked.
"Take another look at the footprints at the exit. They face all directions, remember? And you theorize that the victim had turned around... Perhaps a few moments before his murder?"
"That's right."
"Then must I remind you of the shooter's new position?"
"What?"
"If the victim had turned around... That means he would've seen his killer aiming at him... And yet he was still shot!"
"Wh... WHAT THE?!"
The Judge banged his gavel to silence the murmuring gallery. "Order in the court! Order! Mr. Freedom, what do you have to say to this?"
"Yes, greenhorn," Contammis agreed, "and another thing. The fact that the victim was shot in the back of his left shoulder would imply that the killer was hiding behind him. But what is the point of that? In any scenario, the victim would be consistently helpless. Why did the killer bother hiding? Do you have an answer, or is that too much?
(What do I say to this?! What do I do? Prosecutor Contammis turned this lead into a dead end right before my eyes. I've gotta do something, or it's bye-bye, Nerio! Maybe I'll try again... Flip my logic around. The question isn't why the killer was hiding in the graveyard, but why was the victim shot in the back...?) "I've arrived at a conclusion... Homer Lester is not the real victim." Julius pointed at the prosecution. "The intended victim was Adrian Hawkfenn!"
"WHATCHAMAHUH?!"
"IS HE CRAZY?!"
"HOW ON EARTH?!"
"WHAT THE?!"
OBJECTION!
Contammis struck his bench. Hard. He pulled back and pounded with his left fist. "Your honor! It's clear that the defense has lost his mind! Render your verdict!"
OBJECTION!
"Your honor! Let me explain!"
OBJECTION!
"What explanation is there?! How can this court even trust you with the defense?!"
"Because the defense knows who could've killed the victim! It's this person..."
TAKE THAT!
"The defense declares Snipe Thiffing a suspect!"
"Mr. Freedom!" The Judge squeaked. "You're declaring a police officer a suspect?!"
"Exactly, your honor! After all, Mr. Thiffing told me himself, albeit indirectly, that he is also a good sniper. And I bet both the defendant and Mr. Thiffing could, at that distance, aim at Chief through the victim!"
"THIS IS RIDICULOUS!" Contammis clutched his hair.
"Hm..." The Judge, however, had other ideas. "... ... I believe this does merit further investigation."
"Ridiculous!"
"Overruled!" The Judge banged his gavel unceremoniously. "This case is dismissed for the day. During the rest of the day, I expect both the defense and the prosecution to investigate further into these new facts." The Judge banged his gavel and declared, "This court is adjourned!"
July 2 12:00 PM
District Court - Defendant Lobby No. 3
"I'm happy to see you followed my advice." Phoenix said as they walked back into the lobby.
"*sigh* Well, at the loss of my pride, I wouldn't have known what you were saying if it wasn't for Orbis."
"So then you ARE sorry." Orbis grinned mischievously.
"OK, yeah I am... But I'm still keeping my distance from Kurain, understand?"
"Haha," Phoenix chuckled, "I guess I don't blame you. I wouldn't like you to also get caught up in bloodthirsty girlfriends and overly-romantic 8-year-olds."
"Er... Come again?" (Overly-romantic? About the girlfriend? Yeesh!)
"So then that's it, then." Orbis concluded with a nod. "We have the rest of the day to investigate. Let's make the most of it."
Court Record
Evidence:
- Attorney's Badge: This badge is a must for all attorneys. Taking the defense bench without one is a federal offense.
- Recall Ring: Apparently, a ring that allows me a glimpse of someone's past. A souvenir from my first trial.
- Adrian's Bloodstain: A bloodstain on the sidewalk. This is where Adrian was shot in the right shoulder.
- Lester's Footprints: Found near the cemetery's northeast exit. Another set was found near a grave stone. Turns out they belong to the victim.
- Lester's Autopsy Report: Time of death was around 4:45-4:55 AM. Death was caused by loss of blood due to a bullet wound in the left shoulder.
- Cemetery Diagram: A map of the cemetery, showing killers, the victim and other things.
- Casino Ad: A flyer advertising the Nerio Casino. It provides, for lack of a better word, a small map of the casino.
- Thiffing's Vest: A vest dropped by Snipe Thiffing, near the Nerio Casino.
- Thiffing's Address: Apartment 13, Direct Apartments. The building is a straight shot from the casino.
- Adrian's Letter: Adrian's last words to me before he died. Right now, I don't have time to read it.
- Handgun: A .38 handgun. It's been proven to be the murder weapon.
- Ballistic Report: The report for the rifling marks on the murder weapon.
Profiles:
- Adrian Hawkfenn - Age 36: My former mentor... He died just recently, and I have reason to believe he was the intended victim of this case.
- Casey Nerio - Age 41: My client for this case. Currently runs the Nerio Casino.
- Homer Lester - Age 29: The victim of this case. Was homeless before his death.
- Gaten Bulder - Age 39: The detective for this case. As far as detectives go, he certainly wasn't what I was expecting...
- Gray Rigget - Age 37: The grave-keeper, though a bit confused about his occupation. A witness to the murder.
- Snipe Thiffing - Age 27: A firearm consultant. Recently part of Detective Bulder's investigation.
- Phoenix Wright - Age 37: A legendary attorney. Apparently a very good friend of Adrian's.
- Apollo Justice - Age 26: Another attorney. Employee of the Wright Anything Agency. Sub-ordinate of Phoenix Wright.
- Athena Cykes - Age 21: Another attorney of the Wright Anything. Energetic co-worker of Apollo Justice.
- Orbis Fey - Age 17: The same kid that gave me my ring. Apparently banished from Kurain.
- Vera Misham - Age 23: Close friend and former client of Apollo. Currently working with police as crime scene sketcher.
- Director Hotti - Age ?: So-called "director" of Hickfield Clinic. Certainly not someone I'd make friends with...
- Brutus Contammis - Age 25: The prosecutor for this case. Practicing law for three years, he has earned the nickname "Prosecutor Hades".
Lately I've been watching a play-through of Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney, and I noticed the striking similarities between Layton's and Julius' desk slam. The same goes for Contammis and Barnham (though Contammis isn't nearly as theatrical about it), including their hair color... Oh, and I once met a 14-year-old boy who was named Adrian... And he also had his hair died blue... What in the blazes is going on? All these coincidences! 0_o
THX & God bless
~RLS legacy