Hello! Anyone here seen the new DGS trailer? I have, and I already love the deduction mechanic! But enough of that!

"You say that instantly killing the victim AND Hawkfenn would be easy?" Julius pondered.

"Yes..." Thiffing answered.

"Well then do you recognize this?" Julius held up... the...

"Um, Jules...?" Orbis spoke up, his voice muffled as he laid his head down on the desk. "It's wilted."

(Huh?!)

"Mr. Freedom," Surprise doesn't even begin to describe The Judge's face, "you mean to say that your conclusive evidence... is a STICK?!"

"Uh, eh, no..." Julius tugged his collar, "it used to be a sunflower, but it's wilted now." (Suppose I should've just taken a picture.)

"A... wilted sunflower." Contammis shook his head, "Where are you going with this?"

"Do you remember what Mr. Rigget said? His allergies?"

"In the middle of that, I sneezed. Same time as the gunshot."

-Gray Rigget

"Now put yourself in the killer's shoes. You are aiming at one victim through another, and suddenly you hear a sneeze. What would happen next?"

"Well..." The Judge paused for a moment, "I would be scared out of my wits!"

"Exactly! Anyone discovering a witness would be startled. Possibly causing them to jerk their weapon, even if the tiniest bit!"

"You mean- WHAT?!" Contammis asked with disbelief.

"Exactly!" Julius struck the bench "Gray Rigget scrambled the killer's aim!"

"What?! You!"

This caused the caused the gallery to once again rise into debate, until The Judge banged his gavel several times.

"Order in the court!" He commanded, "Prosecutor Contammis, do you have any objections!"

"Yes, your honor!" Contammis confirmed, "Firstly greenhorn, you're talking absolute nonsense!"

OBJECTION!

"Prove it! Prove that I'm bluffing!" Julius snapped, somewhat petulantly.

"That's exactly what you're doing!" Contammis relaxed and stated more calmly, " You've run yourself into a dead-end!"

"What?"

"Do even know if the witness actually HAS a .38 caliber handgun?"

"O-of course he does, because he-"

OBJECTION!

"WHERE did he get it? not 'who did he shoot?'. Where did he get the murder weapon...?"

"His apartment; the other day, I paid a visit to the witness' apartment, and I saw a gun-case."

"Sadly, that's not correct." Contammis shook his head.

"Pardon?"

"I did just that as well. Except I went one step further and asked about the caliber."

"A-and...?"

"He said it was a .45."

"WHAT?! C-c'mon, he's lying!"

"Trust me, he isn't." Contammis responded dismissively.

(What? "Trust me"? That's certainly odd to say. Okay, so... perhaps I should try something different. The question isn't where did Thiffing get the murder weapon, but where could ANYONE get the murder weapon.)

TAKE THAT!

"Prosecutor Contammis, do you know what this is?" Julius held up the evidence bag he found in the vault.

"That's... an evidence bag." He answered.

"Exactly! This bag was found in the evidence vault. It was sticking out of a drawer. Supposedly coming from an incident titled 'VH-5', this supposedly held the murder weapon of that case. Your Honor, perhaps you would like to read the label?"

"It says... .38 handgun... Wait!" The Judge's eyes snapped open, "The exact same as THIS case!"

"Ah," Contammis chimed in, "so the greenhorn is saying that Thiffing stole that from the vault?"

"Right!" Julius confirmed, "And I even have the coat-hanger that he used to pick the lock."

OBJECTION!

"Ridiculous!" Contammis cried, "I know for a FACT that you can't prove it!"

"What?"

"Remember this?"

(!... The security footage! It...) "HUUUH?!"

"That's right. I concede that the witness had sauntered by the vault just before his watch began, but now that is irrelevant."

OBJECTION!

"But what about the end of the video?! It cuts out because the camera was disabled just a minute after he left the screen!"

OBJECTION!

"Impossible! One: the camera would've caught him plain as day, and two: look at this!" Contammis held up the picture of the vault entrance. "Can you see just how high up that camera is? By the camera footage, the witness had brought nothing with to extend his reach. So, let alone getting past the camera, how could he possibly reach it?!"

(How did he reach it...? Ugh, no, that's not it! How on earth did Thiffing get past the camera?! It's impossible; he just leaves the screen on his merry way... Wait! Leave the screen?)

"So greenhorn," Contammis crossed his arms, "do you give up...?"

"Of course I don't!" Julius struck his desk.

"You... still insist... Forget it! Fine, then. Proof!"

"It's all in this picture..."

TAKE THAT!

"Do you see this dumpster by the door?" Julius pointed out. "Suppose the killer grabbed and laid it on his side."

OBJECTION!

"You're ignoring my question!" Contammis barked, "What about the footage itself?! If the witness disabled, we would see it!"

"No, Prosecutor Contammis," Julius shook his head, "there's another way. Look closely at the footage. What do you see?"

"I see the witness walking into the room and out through the other hallway... Problem?"

"That's just it." Julius smirked, "Prosecutor Contammis, do you even SEE the other hallway?"

That's how it dawned on Contammis, "Wait! That's..."

"That's right, there's a blind spot in the camera! And that, in tandem with the dumpster... That's how Thiffing disabled the camera!"

"No!" Thiffing screeched, "No! No! NO! I DID NOT SHOOT THE GUY!"

"Then prove it!" Julius demanded.

"L-look at me, scarf-boy! What color is my shirt?"

"Anyone can see that. White."

"And the casino guy?"

"Um, dark... dark... blue...?"

"And I wear white. AND the guy wears a vest!"

(Huh?! Wait, he's right! How on earth would Rigget mistake Thiffing with Nerio?!)

"Greenhorn!" Contammis addressed with his arms crossed, "NOW do you give up?"

(Give up...? I don't know what to do...)

Something changed in that moment. It almost looked as if Julius was shutting down like a machine.

(I'm so close... So close... Close... What would Adrian say... Adrian?)

(What would Adrian say?! I know EXACTLY what he would say; I've heard him say it before!) In an instant, Julius had straightened up.

"I'll take that silence as a 'ye-"

OBJECTION!

He re-entered reality with a strike of the bench, "No, I haven't given up! Not on your life, Prosecutor Contammis!"

"Not on my... What?!"

"You have proof?!" The Judge yelped, wide-eyed.

"No, but a declaration. In fact, one I think that Prosecutor Contammis might need to hear!"

"..." Contammis paused.

"It's something that my late mentor, Adrian Hawkfenn, used to say: It's impossible to answer every question on the first try. If attorney, or prosecutor alike don't recognize that fact, they're hardly even a decent lawyer. Wrong answers are inevitable, but it's worth the humiliation to reveal the truth."

"My, how profound." The Judge affirmed, "And now-"

"Yes, your honor," Julius cut in, "proof. That Snipe Thiffing is lying through his teeth..."

TAKE THAT!

"This!"

"A police vest?" The Judge asked.

"Not just any vest, but Thiffing's in particular."

"And how does this prove that the witness might be the killer?"

"Easy: what color is this vest?"

"Black"

"And the defendant's?"

"Also black!"

"What's written on Thiffing's vest?"

"Police."

"How many letters is that?"

"Uh... Six."

"What color?"

"White."

"What's on the defendant's vest?"

"Buttons...?"

"How many?"

"Six."

"What color?"

"W... WAIT A MINUTE?!" The Judge was left astounded.

"Exactly!" Julius finished, flinging his finger into the air, "The circumstances are PERFECT to mistake a police vest for a black vest with six, white buttons!"

"WAIT! NO! YOURE MAKING THAT UP!" Thiffing cried desperately.

"You think I am?!"

OBJECTION!

"The color!" Contammis demanded, striking his bench, "What about the color of the SHIRT?!"

"Night air."

"Excuse me?"

"Prosecutor Contammis, have you ever noticed that, whenever night approaches, it doesn't just darken colors, but also changes them the tiniest bit?"

"Change... colors?"

"Yes, specifically a blue tint!"

"Blue?! You mean..."

"Yes, Mr. Rigget wasn't seeing a dark blue vest, but a white vest appearing blue!"

"NO!" Thiffing was on the verge of insanity.

"Well, Mr. Thiffing, what do you say to that!?"

What happened next was almost inhuman. For a moment, Thiffing only held his head in his hands. His eyes obscured.

"NO!... NO!..."

Next was a scream, insane and chilling. Thiffing alternated rapidly between tearing at his hair, plugging his ears against nonexistent words, and tearing at his shirt, all this while screaming,

"NOOOOO!-LEAVE ME ALONE, GET OUT OF MY FACE, I'LL PAY UP, JUST GIVE ME MORE TIME! LEAVE ME ALONE GET OUT OF MY FACE ILL PAY UP JUST GIVE ME MORE TIME! LEAVE MEALONE GETOUT OFMY FACEILL PAYUP JUSTGIVE MEMORE TIME! LEAVEMEALONEGETOUTOFMYFACEILLPAYUPJUSTGIVEMEMORETIME! LEEVMEALOANGETOUTUVMYFAYSILEPAYUPJUSTGIVMEMORTIME!"

At the climax, chunks of hair were held in Thiffing's fists, giving his last cry.

"I'LL PAY UUUUUUUUUUP!"

And in the blink of an eye, Thiffing was on the floor. Out cold.

"Has our witness recovered, Prosecutor Contammis?" The Judge asked, once the court had rejoined.

"Yes, your honor." Contammis confirmed, "The bailiffs now have a confession from him. They even went so far as to test the greenhorn's theory about the dumpster."

"I assume it was a successful test?" The Judge said.

"Yes. And I'll bet the greenhorn has a motive in mind?"

"Thiffing was a frequent guest of the Nerio Casino. He managed to rack up quite a debt. Chances are he had originally intended to pawn off the murder weapon. A piece of evidence from a forgotten case. No-one would suspect him. And then Adrian Hawkfenn entered the picture. He had managed to gain access into the vault while Thiffing was still there. He panicked, thinking Adrian was there to haul him in, and fled the vault, taking cover in the Harbingine Cemetery. And by dumb luck, Hawkfenn was walking down that same street. Then, Thiffing had a stroke of genius: he could aim through The first victim, Homer Lester, and effectively kill off his real target."

"My, what a story. And by the looks of it, it's all true." The Judge contemplated, "Then I suppose this brings this case to closed. Prosecutor-"

"Yes, your honor." Contammis cut in, "The prosecution finds the defendant, Casey Nerio..."

NOT

GUILTY

Following the shower of confetti, The Judge banged his gavel for the final time and announced "Court dismissed!"

July 3 1:20 PM

District Court - Defendant Lobby No. 3

"Another one for Julius Freedom!" Orbis congratulated.

"Yeah, now I can exhale. Finally."

"Thank you, Mr. Freedom!" Nerio cried out of nowhere, "Now I have freedom!"

"You're welcome, Mr. Nerio." (Though you could probably tone it down a little. This isn't a very ideal room for shouting...)

"Say," Nerio continued, "that was spectacular! You played excellently. What a game that was!"

"It... wasn't what I would call a 'game', per say."

"What are you talking about?" Nerio started to slant back into his Italian accent, "The pieces! They moved perfectly! Someday, I myself would like to play it sometime!"

"Uh... Okay?" (Wait! Oh-no! Nooooo no no no!)

"Except," Nerio's shoulder's sagged, "the casino's still bankrupt, and without Mr. Thiffing, I'll close down for sure."

"Actually..." A voice joined. Phoenix entered the room, "Not entirely. I've had a word with Detective Bulder. He says he'd be happy to give a piece of his paycheck to the casino, if you don't mind."

"Of course I don't!" Nerio cheered. He turned to Julius, "Thank you, Mr. Freedom, I'll never thank you enough!"

"Don't mention it." Julius returned.

"Well, I suppose that makes two occasions for celebration." Phoenix smiled.

"Two?"

"Hmm? Oh, that's right. Athena said it was too late to tell you. Well we're considering your employment at the Wright Anything Agency."

"Wha-... You are?!"

"I knew you'd be surprised. True, this makes the office a LITTLE cramped, but I'm sure we'll manage."

"It'll be an honor."

"You accept?"

"Of course he accepts it, Mr. Wright." Another voice. This time it was Contammis.

"What are YOU doing here?" Orbis asked sharply.

"To say something to the greenhorn, not you." He answered.

(Uh-oh, brace for impact...)

...

"Congratulations." Contammis nodded with surprising sincerity, though not without the hint of a smirk.

...

"Uh... What?"

"What, you thought I'd go down kicking and screaming?"

"Um... yes?"

"Then you obviously don't know me very well." Contammis concluded.

(True, but now I'm CERTAIN I've seen you somewhere.) "Well then... good afternoon, I guess."

"Good luck with the agency." Contammis uttered briskly before turning on his heel and walking out the same way he entered.

"Well..." Orbis broke the silence, "Didn't see that coming, did we?"

"No."

"Well," Phoenix re-entered the conversation, "now that we have Prosecutor Contammis' word, I suppose what's left is winding down for the day. What do you think?"

"I agree."

And so, the second chapter of my chapter of my story finally closed down. I had lost Adrian Hawkfenn, but now I had the legendary Phoenix Wright to help.

I would be lying if I said that I wanted answers before this trial, because I had no questions to begin with. But now, two mysteries stared me in the face.

The first one: Did Adrian really have a little sister? Why didn't I hear about her? Why isn't she here today?

And of course, the other mystery that astounded me even further:

Where have I met that prosecutor before?

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 is the flower that Mr. Rigget claims to be allergic to. He asked me to get rid of it.

- Evidence Vault Security Footage: Apparently, Thiffing's 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: Someon had broken into this vault. The only theft we confirmed is a handgun 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 tool 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 with 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 Agency. 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".

Hello, me again. If you don't hear from me for a while, that likely means I'm working on the next turnabout.

And if you're wondering about the small pause between this chapter and the last, my explanation would be that my brother has gotten married. In Arkansas. Which means driving roughly 14 hours to get there. Staying in a cabin where there was no Internet, or even phone coverage (but there was a land-line and DirecTV, thank goodness) but despite all that, I had a terrific time as one of the groomsmen. See ya!

Stay tuned for: Full Circle Turnabout

THX & God bless

~RLS legacy