September 6th, 10:20 AM
Detention Centre
Visitor's Room
A tiny hint of happiness lit Matty's face as Phoenix sat down in front of him.
"Did you see the lawyer?" he asked in a hopeful voice. Phoenix dropped her gaze.
"I... I did. I told her about what happened to Micah and how you're being accused of it." she said slowly. "But, she..." Worry flashed across Matty's face.
"She didn't...say no, did she?" he asked breathlessly. Phoenix sighed.
"I'm sorry. She said that there was nothing she could do."
Matty slumped in his chair. He sat in silence for a few seconds.
"So..." his voice was shaking, "S-so that's it, then." It was painful to listen to his defeated tone, and to watch as he accepted her answer. This was a kid, not even out of his teen years, being forced to accept his fate without any hope to defend himself. Phoenix couldn't stand it.
"... Not a chance." Matty's eyes flicked upward.
"W-what?" he mumbled, his eyes again shining with unshed tears.
"I'm taking your case myself." Phoenix said. "There's no way I'm letting it go now. Grossberg might not be able to help, but I'm not abandoning you here." A smile briefly tugged at one side of Matty's face, but faded.
"Y-you really shouldn't, Ms. Wright. Nobody will believe in me. It's not worth putting yourself-"
"Don't talk like that. You've just seen that I believe in you, and I'm not going to let you get framed for this." Phoenix said firmly. Matty stared down at the floor.
"... Alright. I trust you, Ms. Wright. Micah did, too." he said quietly. Phoenix smiled.
"That's what I like to hear. Now," she adjusted herself on the seat and leaned forward, "I need to ask you about a few things." Matty nodded. "First, why were you in the office yesterday?"
"Micah called my cell to ask about some work I'd been doing for him. It was connected to the blackmailing case he was working on," Matty said, "I offered to come to the office myself to show him what I'd found out." Phoenix looked aside thoughtfully.
"Did you record the call?" she asked.
"... One of us might have. You think it might help?"
"Wouldn't be the first time," Phoenix said, "Do you still have your cell phone?"
"No, that detective took it when I told her about our phone call." Matty said, hanging his head the tiniest bit.
"Hey," Phoenix said gently, "keep your head up. We need to stay confident here."
If not for the window separating them, she would have placed a hand on his shoulder, or anything else she could do to console him, but instead, she could only watch and hope her words were enough to keep Matty's spirits up. To find your brother dead, and to be locked away in prison, accused of his murder, Phoenix couldn't imagine how it would feel. Matty gave a heavy sigh.
"I'm sorry I can't be of much help to you, Ms. Wright." he said.
"You don't need to apologize for anything, just tell me what you can." Phoenix said consolingly. Another thought occurred to her, and she asked, "Why are you wearing that- er, robe thing?" Matty almost laughed at Phoenix's fumbling for words.
"It's part of my training." he said.
"For?"
"Micah and I are from a village a couple of hours from the city. The people there have been performing spiritual training for centuries."
"And by 'spiritual', you mean...?" Phoenix was becoming quite curious; Micah had never told her about his past beyond the start of his law career.
"Oh, it's nothing weird," Matty assured her, "We're spirit mediums; we can channel the spirits of the dead into our bodies to let them temporarily visit the living world." Phoenix stared.
"Er, no offense, Matty, but I think that easily qualifies for 'weird'. Honestly, it might even transcend weird and go all the way to 'bizarre'." she said. Matty really did laugh this time.
"Heh, I guess you've got a point. I'm just used to the idea, since I grew up in the village." he said with a significantly more upbeat tone.
"... Hold on..." Phoenix suddenly muttered, "...if you can do that, could you 'channel' Micah?"
Matty's face fell. "I've thought of that. The channeling technique is really powerful in the village's women, but men have to train a lot more to develop it properly. I tried to summon Mic in my cell, but-"
"It's OK." Phoenix cut in. "We'll manage without it." (Knew it couldn't be that easy), she added in her head.
She was having difficulty taking in this information about Micah. She had never suspected that he had this sort of heritage, and it only compounded the injustice of his murder.
"Let's back up a step. What was the work you had been doing for Micah?" she asked.
"Like I said, it was connected to his blackmailing case. He sent me a folder full of letters a little while ago. They had been sent to all kinds of people, but none of them were signed, and the police couldn't find any evidence of who they were sent by, so Micah got me to dig through old court records and case files, to see if I could match up any names with the targets." Matty explained.
"What was Micah doing for the case at the time?" Phoenix asked, intrigued.
"Last I checked, he was putting together a file of all the people connected to the investigation, with all the information he could gather about them in it."
Phoenix set an elbow on the counter, leaning her head on her hand in thought.
"The file that Micah sent me to the precinct to get yesterday was about Mrs. Grossberg," she said, "Wait...when I talked to Grossberg, she looked like she would've been happy to take your case until I mentioned the blackmail case..."
"You think she might've had some connection to the case?" Matty inquired, now looking intrigued himself. "Something that scared her away?"
"Seems like Micah thought so, so it's definitely a possibility. I'll need to have another talk with her about it." Phoenix responded, still deep in thought.
They continued their interview for a short while longer, before Matty asked,
"Ms. Wright, are you gonna come back again today?"
"Of course." she said, smiling. "There's still plenty of time before the trial, so we've got time to talk some more." Matty returned the smile.
"Thanks. Do you think you could find that detective and get my cell phone back? If I really did record that message...I 'd like to be able to hear Micah's voice again."
"Sure. They must be done with it by now." Phoenix said, nodding. She turned and left the building, feeling reassured, but still uncertain about Matty's emotional state.
Poor kid's still got a ways to go.
September 6th, 11:32 AM
Fey & Co. Law Offices
The office seemed oddly vacant for a crime scene. Phoenix had passed by one detective allegedly performing an inspection of the lobby's bookshelves, but from what she had seen, it looked more as if he was catching up on tabloid news. She stopped at the open office door. A small barrier stood just inside the door, making a rather pitiful attempt at blocking access.
"Detective Gumshoe?" she called into the seemingly empty room. The detective in question backed out of Micah's office, looking toward her.
"Oh, Ms. Wright. What'cha need?" she asked.
"I was hoping you could answer some questions about the case." Phoenix replied, unnecessarily leaning over the barrier.
"Not unless you're that kid's lawyer." Gumshoe said, glaring skeptically.
"I've taken Matty's case." Phoenix confirmed. Gumshoe watched her for another moment.
"Alright. That makes you qualified to poke around in here. I'll answer your questions, too." she said. Phoenix stepped around the barrier and entered the office. Gumshoe was looking at her with something resembling pity. "I'm sorry to say it, but it really doesn't look like you've got any chance in tomorrow's trial." she said.
"What's got you convinced of that?" Phoenix asked as she stooped to examine the floor.
"Buncha stuff." Gumshoe said.
"Quite a professional answer, Detective." Phoenix chided, now inspecting the apparent murder weapon.
"For instance, we've got our witness, the fella from the hotel across the way, then there's all the evidence,"
"What evidence?" Phoenix cut in. "You're saying you've actually found something to tie Matty to the murder?" Gumshoe faltered.
"Well... no." she said, "The only prints on the murder weapon were the victim's, and we didn't find any traces of anything left behind by your client, but..."
"So, you're saying that your only point against him is that witness?" Phoenix asked.
"Not quite," Gumshoe said, her confidence apparently returning, "we've also got the kid's cell phone, which had a recorded call from just before murder. He was comin' over here to the office right after the call, which puts him here right on time for the murder." Phoenix tilted her head quizzically.
"What makes you think Matty would have any reason to kill his brother?" she asked. Gumshoe seemed to fumble for an answer again.
"We, uh...we don't have the motive down yet, either." she admitted, looking slightly embarrassed.
"Not really making yourself look better here, Detective." Phoenix remarked.
"Well, here's the most important part!" Gumshoe blurted, still intent on saving face. "Y'know who's gonna be prosecutin' this case?" she inquired, clearly quite excited to answer the question herself.
"No." Phoenix said plainly, resuming her inspection of the bloodstained hammer. Gumshoe chuckled.
"You're gonna be goin' up against Prosecutor Edgeworth." she said triumphantly. Phoenix froze completely.
"E-Edgeworth?" she stammered.
"Yep! The one and only-"
"Merle Edgeworth." she and Phoenix said at the same time.
Gumshoe gave Phoenix an odd look, and asked, "Hold on, do you...know Ms. Edgeworth?"
"I-..." Phoenix's mind was in complete disarray at the news. She couldn't seem to string the right words together to form an answer. "Y-you could say that..." she managed, trying to return her focus to the crime scene.
"Huh. Well, you'll know her reputation then." Gumshoe said, sounding surprised.
"Of course," Phoenix said thickly, her mind still dazed, "she's a terrifying prosecutor who's never lost a case. She'll do anything in her power to get the guilty verdict, no matter how far she-"
"Aw, c'mon, don't make her sound heartless, Ms. Wright." Gumshoe interrupted her. Phoenix turned away.
After a moment's silence, she asked, "Have you got an autopsy report yet?" she wanted to avoid going any further in discussing her connection to the prosecutor.
"Er, yeah. I s'pose you oughta have a copy to look over." Gumshoe said, sounding reluctant to change the subject. She picked up a small box from the jumbled mess of police equipment that had been set up in the corner of the room, and extracted an envelope. "Here ya go." she said, handing it over to Phoenix.
After Phoenix had spent a minute scanning through the report, she looked up at Gumshoe again.
"Say, do you happen to have Matty's cell phone? He told me that you took it while he was in questioning." she said.
"Right here," Gumshoe replied, removing the phone in question from the box. "I guess it's alright for me to give it to you." she said, offering it to Phoenix. After pocketing it, Phoenix stood in silence, wondering if there was anything else worth asking about. Gumshoe, meanwhile, had returned to her inspection of the side office. "Anything else, Ms. Wright?" she asked over her shoulder.
"... No, I'll be going." Phoenix said, turning around.
"Oh, one last thing I've gotta say first!" Gumshoe called. "I'd better not hear anything about you talkin' to the witness!" Phoenix didn't respond, stepping around the barrier and leaving the office. She passed by the detective from earlier on the stairs, and he gave her an odd look as she reread the autopsy report.
-Time of Death: 9/5 at roughly 11 AM, likely several minutes prior. Cause of Death: Dual blunt force trauma to back of the head. Death was instantaneous after second blow.-
Phoenix shuddered; the report brought horrific images back into her head, and she remembered the exact feelings that had been stirred by the sight of Micah's body. She dropped the report onto the passenger's seat of her car, driving once again toward the detention centre.
September 6th, 12:07 PM
Detention Centre
Visitor's Room
"Back again, Ms. Wright?" the guard asked, barely moving from his post at the door. "Mr. Fey's just at lunch, he'll be a few minutes." Phoenix sat down as the case's details ran through her head for the tenth time since her talk with Gumshoe.
(There's no clear evidence against Matty, so all I'll need to focus on at first is debunking their witness' testimony. I guess I'd better go and see if I can find the guy today, while I've got the chance; knowing Edgeworth, she'll already have talked to him plenty. Then, there's still whatever it is that stopped Grossberg from taking Matty's case-)
Phoenix halted her thought process for a moment, letting out a sigh. This wasn't the kind of thing she would have considered jumping straight into just a day or two ago. She'd been perfectly happy to assist Micah in whatever he had been working on, learning from his behaviour and developing her own skills gradually, but here she was today, thrown right into the middle of a web of different leads, completely unsure about which to follow first.
(I only have today to track down whatever I can. Edgeworth'll already be miles ahead of me, so something has to take priority.)
"Hi, Ms. Wright." came Matty's voice from the window. Phoenix jolted out of her thoughts and moved to the chair in front of Matty. He seemed to be in better spirits than he had been earlier, as he managed a small smile as he looked through the glass at her.
"Hey," Phoenix said, taking Matty's phone out of her pocket. Matty brightened as Phoenix held it up to the window. "Turns out that you did record the call," she said.
"Go ahead and play it." Matty said quietly, and Phoenix did so.
"Micah?" came Matty's voice from the speaker.
"Hey, Matty. How're things going?" Micah's voice asked back. Phoenix closely watched Matty's face as he listened intently to the recording.
"Pretty well. I think I'll be able to strike a deal with the landlord by tomorrow, so I should be moved in within the next few days."
So, he's been looking for an apartment, Phoenix thought to herself.
"That's great." Micah answered, "You made any progress with those old letters I sent you?"
"One of 'em, yeah. It's a bit too much to talk about over the phone, though." Phoenix noticed Matty's eyes beginning to glisten with tears, and she again inwardly cursed the window separating them. "Hey, why don't I come over to the office and show you what I've got personally?"
"Alright, sure. Come on over. You can finally meet my student, too." Phoenix jerked.
"That's...the Wright lady, right?"
"Yep, the one I told you about. You should have seen her first trial; it was incredible, the way she caught on to the real criminal, and-"
"Save it 'til I get there, alright?" Matty cut in, sounding as if he was about to laugh. "I doubt Ms. Wright would mind hearing you talk about it like that herself." Phoenix felt a mixture of embarrassment and sadness at this exchange. It was wonderful to know how proud Micah had been of her after her first trial, but it only added to the growing emotional weight of his death.
"Alright, Matty. Talk to you when you get here."
"I'll be there in a few minutes. Bye!"
With a quiet tone, the message ended. Matty was again hunched over the table, his tears falling unrestrainedly.
"Matty..." Phoenix said gently. He looked up. Phoenix had placed her palm against the window. She gave him a meaningful look, and he understood. He lifted a shaking hand and pressed it flat against the window, matching Phoenix's.
(It'll have to do.)
It took Matty a short while to regain his composure.
"Th-thanks, Ms. Wright. Thanks for everything. Is there anything else you need to know?"
"Don't thank me yet, Matty. We've still got plenty of work to go." Phoenix said. She thought for a moment, and remembered another question she had meant to ask. "Do you have any other living family?"
Matty shook his head. "Micah was all I had left. He's taken care of me for years. I don't know what happened to her, but my mother vanished when I was really young, and...there was an incident, a long time ago, and my father vanished too, as a result."
Phoenix stared in disbelief. It was near impossible to imagine living Matty's life. He wasn't even out of his teen years, yet he had lost his entire immediate family, and now found himself in prison, at risk of facing the death penalty. In spite of the little time that remained, she felt compelled to continue speaking with him, if only to give him some company and keep him from being sent back to his cell.
"I know it's none of my business, but what was the incident that your father was involved in?" she asked.
"It's fine, Ms. Wright. It was a court case, actually. If I remember right from the last time Micah talked about it, a defense attorney was killed fourteen years ago, and the police couldn't find anything to track down the murderer. They were getting desperate, so they decided to consult a spirit medium to help find an answer." Matty said in a strangely detached tone.
"Your father?" Phoenix guessed. Matty nodded.
"Milo Fey. He had taken over as the head of the channeling school when my mother vanished, so the police figured that he would be the best option. He channeled the attorney, and the spirit told the police who the murderer had been. So, they arrested the person that was accused and brought them to court, but they got off with a not guilty verdict. Then, the media somehow found out about the police using my father in the investigation, and he was accused of being a fraud. The channeling school's reputation was ruined, and my father vanished."
Phoenix was again left stunned, and she began to wonder if there could possibly be anything worse buried in Matty's family history. The way he spoke about it only made it all the more painful to hear; he spoke distantly, as if he had given up all hope of having his life back.
"I... that's all, Matty." she mumbled.
"OK. I guess I'll see you at the trial tomorrow, then?" Matty said, still in the same detached tone.
"Right..." Phoenix said, standing up.
September 6th, 1:24 PM
Gatewater Hotel
Phoenix glanced around. The hotel's hallway was completely vacant. As far as she could tell, this was the room that the man she had seen from the office was staying in. She hesitated briefly, but knocked on the door all the same. After a few seconds of silence, the door opened. Indeed, there stood the man from the previous day.
"Can I help you?" he asked genially.
"Er, sorry to bother you. My name is Phoenix Wright. I'm a defense lawyer." Phoenix said, offering a hand.
"Ooh, fascinating!" the man said loudly, vigourously shaking her hand. He stopped suddenly, tilting his head slightly and staring at her. "Hold on, I think I recognize you. You're the woman I saw yesterday, who discovered that horrible murder scene in the office across the road, yes?"
"That's right," Phoenix said, lightly tugging her hand away, as the man had not yet released it. "you'll be the witness that the police interviewed, then?"
"Yes, yes, Angelo May is my name. Quite a shocking sight it was, dear lady. As if it wasn't enough that a boy beat that man to death in broad daylight, the police told me afterward that the two were brothers!"
"So, you say that you saw the younger one attacking the older one?" Phoenix asked.
"Yes, indeed. Nasty attack, it was. He went at him with a hammer, and-" he broke off, giving a noticeable shudder. "My apologies, it's just very difficult to think about."
(This guy is the prosecution's key witness?)
Phoenix felt slightly better about her chances in the trial.
"I'm sorry, but I need to leave my room for a moment. By all means, sit down, if you'd like. I'd be glad to talk to you about the event once I return.." Angelo said, slipping past Phoenix and out the door.
Phoenix slowly entered the hotel room and cast a glance around. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but her attention was caught by a drawer in the dresser, which was halfway opened. She walked over and took a quick look inside. the was a crumpled receipt, which she unfolded. It appeared that Angelo had bought a cheap video camera the week before. Her curiosity was piqued, and she opened the other drawers. Oddly, the video camera did not seem to be in any of them, but she gasped as she opened the last drawer. Inside was a familiar toolbox, stamped with "Property of Micah Fey".
"How in the-" Phoenix took the box out the drawer and placed it in her bag. Micah had been searching for his tools shortly before he was murdered, and here they were, in the hotel room of someone that neither of them had ever even heard of until today. Figuring it would be best to leave before Mr. May realized what she had found, Phoenix rushed out of the hotel room and toward the stairs in the opposite direction. Once she had exited the hotel, she ran across the road and back into the office. To her surprise and relief, Detective Gumshoe was not in the building. She entered Micah's personal office and began to stare around, looking for anything Micah might have been working on that would require the use of his toolbox. The only thing that showed any sign of disrepair was the desk lamp, which was lying on its side, unplugged. She quickly inspected it, and found there to be several screws that appeared to have been removed and replaced fairly recently. She opened Micah's toolbox and set to work removing the screws. Once the lamp was open, she let out a small chuckle. Loosely taped to the inside of the lamp's case, right next to a carefully drilled hole, was a small camera. Several wires had been cut out to allow room for it.
(Exactly what I needed to find out.)
Phoenix took a few pictures of the lamp and camera with her phone, before carefully replacing the screws. She had a feeling that this discovery would be a great help in tomorrow's trial.
Oooh, I tried to write something intriguing~
Your call as to whether it worked or not, I guess. I apologize for the gaps between updates; my work ethic hasn't really been top of the line as of late. Anyway, here's that important question I talked about last chapter:
What should Matty take to calling Phoenix after this case? "Nick" doesn't seem fitting, and Lexine only called her by her full first name. I'm terrible with clever nicknames, so I'd appreciate any suggestions. Feel free to leave them in a review, or to PM them to me. Perhaps "Boss", like Phoenix called Micah? I really could use help on this.
Like you all know, feedback is appreciated.
-SUNSTON