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July 3 10:55 AM

District Court - Defendant Lobby No. 3

"Good luck!" A voice cried, rather enthusiastically.

"Hnk!" Julius snorted. (Did I just fall asleep? Who was that just now?)

"Hey!" The voice repeated.

Julius had heard this voice before. He looked around and, yes, confirmed that it was none other than the frightfully energetic Cykes girl.

"Oh, hello... Ms. Cykes, wasn't it?"

"Hey, that's no way to treat a fellow lawyer! Just call me Athena!"

"Athena... As in goddess of war?"

"You know Greek mythology?" Orbis assumed.

"A bit, from Shakespeare and other sources... Have you seen most of the trial, so far?"

"Yes." Apollo stepped in. He pressed his forehead for a moment. "And you seem to be doing... Okay with Prosecutor Contammis... But actually, It's him that's got me curious. You two don't know each other, do you?"

"What? As in best friends? Pssh! That guy..." (... Actually does look familiar...)

"I could be imagining things," Apollo continued, "bit I'm sure I saw his elbow tense up at times..."

"Any idea why he's nervous?"

"None. In all his other trials, he's steady as a rock."

(So then I must be the cause... This is sure to be distracting: I have a client to defend and I'm gonna be spending the whole trial trying to figure out where I've seen Pithcfork-hair before.)

"The trial is starting, guys." Orbis reminded. "I'll go ahead."

July 3 11:00 AM

District Court - Courtroom No. 3

Day 2:

Court Is Now In Session

All Rise

"Court is now in session for the trial of Casey Nerio. Is the pr-"

"The prosecution is ready, your honor." Contammis cut in.

"Oh? Oh, yes! Ahem, and the defense?"

"..." Julius scratched his neck, buried in thought.

"A-HEM! Is the defense ready?"

"Huh? Oh... What was the question...?"

"He's asking if you're ready." Orbis explained.

"Oh... Wait, why didn't you tell I was?"

"Me? You're the lawyer."

(And yet, you still took the spotlight the other day...)

"Mr. Freedom!" The Judge demanded. "Are you or are you not ready?"

"Y-yes..."

"Then maybe we should start over. Is the prosecution-"

HOLD IT!

"Wait! n-no," Julius squeaked, "that won't be necessary." (Now I feel like a 9th grader caught playing a visual novel in class...)

"Interesting." Contammis began. "You're voice tends to turn to a higher pitch, occasionally. Could it be that we have a 13-year-old defense attorney in our midst. I HAVE heard rumors about a prosecutor of that age."

"What do you say to that, 'Mr. Puberty'?" Orbis joined.

(Make that a 7th grader...) "A-anyway, the defense is ready."

"Very well. Prosecutor Contammis, you're opening statements."

"Yes, your honor." Contammis complied. "In the previous trial, Mr. Greenhorn made the claims that Adrian Hawkfenn was the intended victim, as well as calling police officer Snipe Thiffing to the stand as a suspect... Desperation at its finest."

(We'll see about that.)

"That settles it then." The Judge nodded. "Call the witness."

"The prosecution calls Snipe Thiffing to the stand."

Thiffing appeared... impatient. He glared at some of the people gathered in the gallery.

"Will the witness please state his name and occupation?" Contammis instructed.

"Snipe Thiffing, LAPD firearms expert."

"Did you know the victim before his death?"

"Everyone knew that tramp! What does a homeless man do? Wander around!"

(I suppose homelessness has that effect on people...)

"Witness," Contammis continued, "are you aware that this court has you under suspicion that you are the real killer?"

"Yes I do!" Thiffing answered, as if he was answering '2+2'. "Why else would I be up hear?! This a waste of time! But instead of arguing, I might as well just go along with it."

"Ah... Very well," The Judge paused, "will the witness please testify about the night of the murder?"

"I insist, this is a waste of time, but I'll go along with it."

(He almost sounds like he's been through this before...)

WITNESS TESTIMONY

-Casino Guard Duty-

"Everyone knows the rumors about Nerio knowing the Cadaverinis..."

"... and that night we got a lead, so I was posted there on stakeout."

"When I got to the casino, I parked my car by the fire hydrant."

"I started hearing someone running. Sounded like it came from the north side."

"I immediately ran to the source of the noise."

"When I thought I was getting close, I turned the corner and found no-one."

"Knowing the murder that took place, that guy must've been the killer."

"You were at guard duty by the Nerio Casino?" The Judge reviewed.

"Yes." Thiffing answered. "I was told to look out for anything suspicious."

"And since you are here in court," Contammis assumed, "it's obvious that you found nothing."

"Nothing but those footsteps."

"You assume those were from the defendant?" Julius pressed.

"Mr. Freedom!" Contammis snapped.

"Huh?"

"Isn't this what the cross-examination is for?"

"Wha-? Oh... Right..."

CROSS EXAMINATION

-Casino Guard Duty-

"Everyone knows the rumors about Nerio knowing the Cadaverinis..."

"... and that night we got a lead, so I was posted there on stakeout."

"When I got to the casino, I parked my car by the fire hydrant."

HOLD IT!

"Fire hydrant? That was the one at the south side, correct?"

"Yes."

"... Wait a minute, isn't that illegal?"

"Of course it is!" Thiffing snapped. "But I meant I just parked near the hydrant. That was just for convenience; It's a straight shot from the apartment building."

(Detective Bulder already told me that, but It's nice to hear it from the horse's mouth.)

"I started hearing someone running. Sounded like it came from the north side."

"I immediately ran to the source of the noise."

"When I thought I was getting close, I turned the corner and found no-one."

HOLD IT!

"Which corner was this?" Julius asked.

"I turned on the northwest corner, the one that took you to the north side of the building."

"Hmm... And... by the time you started hearing these footsteps, where were you? I know that you parked your car near the fire hydrant, but where were you?"

"I was just around the corner that I turned on."

(The corner that he turned on... Somehow, I don't like this statement... Do I need to press harder...?) "Witness," Julius struck his desk, "what you just said is absolutely impossible!"

"Get rid of the mystery, scarf-boy! What are you saying?"

"It's simple and logical!"

OBJECTION!

"The witness has asked you to be frank!" Contammis demanded. "If you won't grant his request, then I'm afraid the court will have to penalize you for stalling!"

(Ugh, first my game is confiscated and now this idiot's trying to embarrass me. Your Honor, can I have a hall pass, please?)

"Mr. Freedom." The Judge addressed. "Do you or do you not know what is wrong with the witness' testimony?"

"The problem is with the length of the footsteps."

"The footsteps?"

"Yes." Julius nodded. "Witness, how long were you hearing these footsteps before investigating?"

"Just a split second." Thiffing answered.

"And you were JUST around the corner from where these sounds came from?"

"Yes."

"Meaning that the instant you started hearing them, you immediately turned that corner to see who it was?"

"... Yes!"

"And that person was gone?"

"I TOLD YOU! YES!"

"Exactly!" Julius smirked. "Your honor, I suppose you're still trying to catch up?"

"Um... Yes, sort of..." The Judge mumbled. "Could you perhaps use a more judge-friendly version?"

"That's what I was getting to, your honor! I happen to have a map of the area outside the casino. It's in this advertisement. The entrance is located here." Julius pointed to the left side of the north side. "The witness says that the footsteps came from about here." He pointed to the middle of the north side. "And finally, the witness himself says he was right here!" He finally pointed to a spot on the east side that was just around the entrance, though still would've left the source of the footsteps unseen. "And now let me explain how this can't possible: Since the witness claims that he, more or less, started running at the exact time as this mystery walker, that means he should've reached the entrance first, as he was closer, yet he claims that by the time he turned the corner, there was no one there! All that's left now," Julius whipped his hand into the air, aiming at Thiffing, "is that this footstep story is blatantly impossible!"

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.

- Sunflower: This the flower that Mr. Rigget claims to allergic to. He asked me to get rid of it

- Evidence Vault Security Footage: Apparently, Thiffing had business at the police station just before the murder. It shows him walking by the evidence vault. The camera was disabled immediately afterwards.

- Evidence Vault Lock: A very complicated lock. Even when successfully picked, the tool won't escape without a special mark.

- Evidence Vault Entrance Photo: Someone had broken into this vault. The only theft we confirmed is a hand gun from 'VH-5'.

- Nerio IOU: Thiffing owes the Nerio Casino well over $900, placing the casino itself in bankruptcy.

- Twisted Coat-hanger: This was likely the toll used to break into the evidence vault. Found in Thiffing's apartment.

- VH-5 Ballistic Report: The ballistic report from a past case three years ago. The gun in this report is the same as our current murder weapon; a .38 caliber.

- Empty Evidence Bag: This must've been what held the murder weapon identified by the 'VH-5' ballistic report.

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".

I have a bit of bad news: I have been writing most of this story on my iPad, which was issued to me by my high school. Summer's coming in less than three weeks, and on the 5th, central time, I will have to turn in my iPad for the summer. So I'm afraid that there will be next to no updates, until school's back in, because even though I could reply to reviews with my 3DS, I can't write squat with it.

OBJECTION!

That does not mean that the story is 100% comatose! During the summer, I'll still be hard at work formulating the next two turnabouts.

So... Not a complete waste of time, I guess.

So,

until then...

THX & God bless

~ RLS legacy

PS: Thanks to Athena for, being Athena, objecting right in the middle of my announcement, even though I definitely wasn't going to omit that last part. Young lady, don't you have a murder to investigate? -_-'