October 17th, 8:12 PM
Phoenix Wright's Apartment
"No, I'll get the door."
"... Nix, my left hand is fine."
This exchange was far from the first in the string of minor arguments that had sprung up throughout the trip home. Phoenix was finally starting to relax after the shock of the events surrounding their departure from Global Studios, but an incessant worry was still hovering in the back of her mind. Walking over Matty's protests, she unlocked the apartment door and held it open for him. Matty muttered a sarcastic thanks as he passed through, making his way into the living room.
As he dropped onto his usual spot on the couch, his injured hand bumped against the armrest. He gave an immensely exaggerated false cough as an effort to conceal his reaction to the sudden jolt of pain.
"Convincing." Phoenix shot from the doorway as she entered the room a moment later. "With a performance like that, you ought to go back to the studio for tryouts."
Matty grinned. "You're back to normal, then?"
Phoenix shrugged. "I'm still gonna be worried about you until your hand heals, but being snarky might help me take my mind off it."
"Glad to hear it. Toss me the remote, would'ya?"
"... I'll gently hand it to you, if that counts."
Matty only waved his uninjured hand dismissively.
"What're you looking for?" Phoenix asked as Matty began to rapidly cycle between news stations on the TV.
"I wanna see if they've got anything about the trial this morning on."
Seized by a sudden interest, Phoenix dropped the files she had been assembling on the case onto the coffee table and joined Matty on the couch. She chuckled as it occurred to her that this was likely the first time she had ever had any reason to be interested in celebrity news. After another few channels, "WANDA POWERS TAKEN TO COURT" flashed across the screen. The station's news anchor was interviewing a journalist that Phoenix supposed must have been present at the trial.
Truthfully, it hardly qualified as an interview, given the pace at which the journalist was rambling over the anchor's attempted questions.
"An' ya wouldn't believe the kinda shoutin' near everybody was gettin' up to the whole while, everybody pointin' fingers and arguin' 'cross the room, it was inspirin', really, 'cept fer this one angry ol' feller they brought up onto the stand. He was rantin' an' ravin' from the get-go, I'll tell you what-"
The video feed cut off abruptly, leaving only the frustrated anchor on-screen.
"So..." he paused to collect himself before continuing, "As we've just heard from Mr. Hart, the first day of the Wanda Powers trial was quite a spectacle. Details are still pouring in, and we hope to bring you a comprehensive report within the hour."
Following this, the anchor began to vaguely describe the events surrounding the case, quickly losing Matty's interest.
"Hmph. It's like they don't even care that we were involved." he said, turning aside to face the window.
Turning off the TV, Phoenix asked, "Well, if we hadn't been there, would you really have wanted to hear them talk about the defense team you've never heard of before, instead of the TV superstar?" Matty thought it over for a few seconds.
"... I would've cared if they said that one of the witnesses tried to kill the defense..." he grumbled.
Phoenix couldn't bring herself to laugh, and simply muttered, "Yeah..." in a hollow sort of voice. They fell silent for a short time before she continued, "Hey, Matty...?"
Her assistant turned to her immediately as he heard her tone of voice. "Nix, I'm fine. Really, my hand will get better, and-"
"Matty, please," Phoenix cut him off, setting a hand lightly on his left shoulder, "I… I believe you, but... I need to talk about it. Even if you can push it away into the back of your mind, I'm different. Just pretending that nothing happened is only gonna make me feel worse about it. We could've both died back there, and even though we didn't, I just need some way to get it all off my mind."
Matty was watching her in surprise. The look in her eyes was a combination of pleading and intense worry. He hadn't wanted the conversation to take this direction, but he also hated to see that kind of expression on her face. He gave a heaving sigh, but when he looked back up at her, he was smiling.
"OK, Nix. We'll talk. Just don't start sobbing on me again, OK?"
Phoenix smiled thankfully. "I'll do my best." she said. Leaning forward a bit, she began to think the situation over, wondering where to begin. Something sprung up in her mind, and she gave a quiet laugh.
"What's up?" Matty asked.
"I'm just thinking about what you said just after we got into the ambulance. You remember, right?"
Matty thought back for a moment. He looked suddenly embarrassed as he recalled the moment in question.
"Dunno what you're talking about." he lied.
"Pretty sure you do, Matty." Phoenix teased. "Let me jog your memory a bit. Something about how I was crying, right? How it was hurting you way more than your hand was-...?"
"Alright, alright." Matty groaned. "Yeah, I remember it. I just didn't want you crying your eyes out the whole way through because of me. It's the kind of thing they say in movies all the time."
"Uh huh. Well, it was pretty sweet of you. While we're on the subject, how about everything else you were saying around that time? I've never heard you swear that many times in under an hour." Phoenix went on.
Matty frowned. Raising his injured hand up in front of him, he said, "You try getting that done to one of your fingers and see how polite you are about it."
"I'll pass." Phoenix replied. "Buuuut,"
"Y'know," Matty interrupted loudly, "I agreed to talk about what happened today so you didn't keep beating yourself up over it. Are we just doing this so you can make fun of how corny I sound when I try to act tough?"
Phoenix broke off immediately.
(I knew he had to be more bothered by it than he was letting on.)
The nagging worry in back of her mind was beginning to show itself again. Genuine annoyance was a rare sight coming from Matty, and in retrospect, this hardly seemed like the best time to push the limits of her assistant's patience.
"I-… sorry." she muttered in what she hoped was a soothing tone. For a few seconds, she stared at the floor, hoping Matty would respond. Hearing nothing from him, she looked up. "Matty,"
"... Yeah?" Matty replied, sounding surprised by Phoenix's own shift in tone. He tensed in surprise as Phoenix suddenly sat up and took hold of his shoulders.
"I'm..." she hesitated and sighed. In a quiet voice, she said, "I'm just really glad you're alright, Matty."
A second passed, and Matty grinned. "... You've got a weird way of showing it." he said.
It might have been a flawlessly touching moment, had it not been for Matty's outburst of, "'Kay, enough bonding time. Let's get back to the case!" moments later.
October 18th, 9:42 AM
District Court
Defendant Lobby No. 1
"Nix, didn't you tell me yourself that pacing around like that doesn't help you?" Matty asked.
"Don't start." Phoenix said wearily, dropping onto the lobby's bench next to him. Their discussion of the case the previous night had lasted far longer than intended, which had left Phoenix with only a few hours of sleep to spare before preparing for the trial. Matty, however, was perfectly awake and ready. As Phoenix remembered from one of their conversations shortly after he had moved into the apartment, Matty barely seemed to need sleep; something about developing prolonged stamina thanks to long sessions of spiritual training in his home village.
The lobby doors opened. Phoenix gave her best effort to straighten up and look professional as Powers entered the room, followed by the usual two guards.
"Don't talk about the hand." Matty whispered.
"Good morning, Ms. Powers." Phoenix said quickly, hoping her forced smile wouldn't show any strain.
Oddly enough, Powers actually laughed when she saw Phoenix's expression.
"Ms. Wright, doesn't it hurt your face when you do that?" she asked.
"... Terribly." Phoenix conceded, dropping the act.
"Trust me. I know acting when I see it." Powers said with a laugh. She cut off abruptly, however, as something behind Phoenix caught her eye. Without warning, she darted forward. "Jeez, kid, what happened to you?" she asked, approaching Matty.
"Oh. I- uh..." Matty stuttered, hastily attempting to conceal his injured hand. Realizing this was pointless, he continued, "I had a-... uh, a kinda nasty accident during our investigation.."
Powers stared suspiciously. "I know acting, kid." she repeated. "There's something you aren't telling me."
"Nothing important." Matty answered quickly, trying to brush the question off.
Powers turned back to Phoenix. "Ms. Wright, tell me what happened." she said, looking and sounding nervous.
Phoenix cast a glance at Matty, who had begun to shake his head firmly. Although she could understand his reason for wanting to hide the truth from their client, the sincere worry she heard in the latter's voice proved to be the stronger motivator.
"Well, Ms. Powers, after the trial yesterday, we met with the director and producer..."
...
"Oh, God..." Powers said faintly, her face devoid of colour; Phoenix's summary of the previous day's events seemed to have shocked her quite deeply. Gazing blankly at the floor, she took in a steadying breath. "Ms. Wright, I-... Oh, God..."
"Hey," Matty said uncertainly, "it's not that big a deal-..."
It seemed that any attempts to calm their shaken client would have to wait, however. As Matty struggled to think up something to tell her, the lobby doors opened yet again.
"Ms. Wright, it's time for you and your client to enter the courtroom." the guard in the doorway said.
October 18th, 10:00 AM
District Court
Courtroom No. 4
Matty seemed to have gotten over his frustration toward Phoenix for her decision to tell Powers about the previous day's events by the time they took their places behind the defense bench. At the very least, he had finally stopped glaring at her, although she was rather suspicious of the second time he had "accidentally" kicked her ankle on the way into the courtroom.
If it was possible, the gallery seemed even more unruly that it had been during the trial the previous day. Nevertheless, the chatter fell silent as the judge struck his gavel.
"Court is now in session for the trial of Ms. Wanda Powers." he said stiffly.
"The prosecution-..." Edgeworth began before pausing to clear her throat, "... is ready, Your Honour."
"The defense is also ready, Your Honour." Phoenix said. Glad as she was to have avoided running into Edgeworth during their investigation, now was the time to face the prosecutor again, and she couldn't let her personal worries damage her chances in the trial.
"Excellent. Ms. Edgeworth, your opening statement, if you would." the judge directed.
"Certainly. Yesterday, the defense brought a certain number of facts surrounding this case to light. In specific, these facts cast doubt upon the prosecution's proposed order of events surrounding the murder at Global Studios. Today, I wish to present testimony and evidence to clear away these doubts." Edgeworth said.
Unlike the previous day, Phoenix couldn't seem to read any particular aggression from her opponent's tone, but this wasn't quite enough to put her mind at ease. As Edgeworth went over a few further specifics for the court, Phoenix turned to Matty.
"No doubt she has Ms. Manella and that piece of-... er, Mr. Vasquez... in as witnesses." Phoenix said, making no effort to hide the acid in her tone as she mentioned the latter.
"You really think he'll show?" Matty asked her.
"Couldn't say. He's put himself in a bad position, for sure." Phoenix replied. "Whether he shows up or not, he's gonna be at serious risk after what he pulled yesterday."
"You think? 'Cuz I thought trying to have the defense team friggin' murdered was a great way out of it." Matty said. His revived sarcasm was encouraging, if anything.
The conversation halted there as the courtroom's side door was eased open. Whoever was on the other side poked their head into the room for a moment before vanishing. A few empty seconds passed before Salina Manella stepped through the doorway.
"... She's still wearing that hat." Phoenix said flatly. (Guess I shouldn't have expected anything else, though.)
"The shirt's different, at least." Matty replied. Phoenix tilted her head.
"Really? Looks the same shade of ridiculous as it did yesterday to me." she said.
"No, no, this one's got the Steel Samurai in the modified armour he wore for the first half of Season Three. See, it's got specialized shoulder-guards to cover the injuries he got from the-"
"Stop." Phoenix said simply. She could easily tune out Matty's rambling if she wanted to, but she didn't trust the entire courtroom to share that skill.
Immediately after Salina took the stand, Edgeworth gave made the usual request for the witness's name and occupation, but before she could finish, Salina loudly made some sort of choking noise.
"Waitwaitwaitwaitwait! You forgot about me!?" she squawked with the air of feeling deeply wronged. "But, I'm Salina Manella-! The director of the Steel Samurai-!"
"Rest assured, witness, I did not ask for your name because I had forgotten it." Edgeworth cut in, completely undeterred by Salina's unnecessary volume. The response seemed to pacify her, if nothing else. "Now, if you would, describe for the court your recollection of the events surrounding the murder at Global Studios on the 15th."
"Oh! OK, let me think… There were those practice scenes we did with Wanda and Janine, and then we had some food, and we all left."
A few seconds of silence punctuated Salina's brief statement.
"Well, that was certainly concise." the judge said.
"Indeed, Your Honour. I believe you'll find that it carries no contradictions when compared to what we heard yesterday." Edgeworth replied.
"That would seem to be the case. Ms. Wright, do you have any points to raise?"
"Uh… just a few, Your Honour. Ms. Manella, do you remember who left the meal first?" Phoenix asked.
"Oh, that's easy. Wanda left as soon as she was finished. Since she wrecked her ankle and all, I couldn't blame her for wanting to clear out."
"And she went off toward her trailer?"
"Yep."
"Alright, last question; was Ms. Powers wearing her costume when she left?"
"No. The costumes and props always go back to the storehouse after practices."
Phoenix smiled. "Good to know." she said. "But, doesn't that present a problem?"
"It certainly seems that way." the judge replied. "Ms. Edgeworth?"
"It appears that, for once, we all agree." Edgeworth said coolly. "If the Steel Samurai costume had been returned to its storage place as usual, it would have been quite impossible for the defendant to disguise herself with it during the crime. In light of this, the police took the time to check the security camera for the storehouse in question."
Producing a paper from beneath her bench, she went on, "The costume was, of course, among those taken from the building in time for the practice, but it, along with the victim's costume, was mysteriously absent when the rest were returned just before the crew's meal."
The judge nodded. "I see."
Thinking quickly, Phoenix turned to the defendant's chair. "Ms. Powers, after your injury cut the practice short, what did you do with your costume?"
"I just brought it with me. I didn't want to waste any time trying to take it off before I could get back to my trailer to rest my ankle." she answered.
"And you took it off once you arrived?"
"Yeah. I wouldn't have gotten much rest wearing that bulky thing."
"Alright," Phoenix said, considering it, "if that's correct, it doesn't leave much time for the costume to make it to the victim's trailer, no matter who wore it."
Across the room, Edgeworth scoffed. "Before you try to dredge up a claim that someone else took the costume from the trailer, consider that the primary opportunity for the crime to be committed was at the beginning of the timeframe we have established. There was nothing actively stopping the defendant from going to the victim's trailer first before returning to her own. Hardly a logical move, as you pointed out during yesterday's proceedings, but one of the very few that would have been manageable within such a short time."
(She's got a point there, but…)
"Alright, Ms. Edgeworth, let's follow through with your theory. Your suggestion is that Ms. Powers followed the victim to her trailer just after the staff meal, killed her, and then returned to her own trailer, disposing of the Steel Samurai costume at some point before arriving, right?"
"Correct." Edgeworth said.
"We know for certain that somebody in the costume was seen leaving the victim's trailer immediately following the murder, as seen in the security footage. Does that person appear anywhere else in the footage?"
"No. We can only assume that, beyond the moment that they left the trailer, they were careful to stay out of the various cameras' lines of sight."
"But, that doesn't make sense either." Phoenix cut in. "They would've needed to memorize the exact positions and patterns of every camera in their path. Why would anybody go to all that trouble if they were only going to go back to somewhere as obvious as their own trailer?"
Edgeworth hesitated. "Hmph."
"Ms. Edgeworth?" the judge inquired, surprised. "Don't you have a rebuttal?"
"Not at the moment, Your Honour." she said in an undertone.
"… Oh." the judge said, sounded slightly disappointed.
An idle silence took over for a few seconds.
"Um… excuse me?"
Phoenix looked around in confusion. It took her a moment to realize that it was Salina's voice she had heard.
(That's the quietest she's ever sounded…)
"Excuse me?" Salina asked again, looking a bit deflated. "Do I still matter here?"
The judge looked almost surprised to see her still on the witness stand.
"Erm… That's right, we were in the middle of a cross-examination. My apologies, witness, I had quite forgotten."
"Ohh, good sign." Matty deadpanned.
"Ms. Wright, do you have any further questions for this witness?"
"… Do I?" Phoenix asked, glancing at Matty.
"Why are you asking me?"
"That last argument distracted me, I thought you might-… never mind." she broke off. Straightening up, she faced the judge. "No, Your Honour."
"Very well. Ms. Edgeworth, I believe Ms. Manella was only one of the witnesses you planned to call in, correct?"
"Indeed. Ms. Manella, you are dismissed."
"Oh." Salina said quietly. She looked around the room briefly. "Alright…"
She stepped down and left for the side door.
"What happened to her?" Matty wondered aloud.
"Guess she doesn't take well to being ignored. That might explain the excess shouting, too." Phoenix replied.
"Now, the next witness I wish to call is a young man working as an assistant at Global Studios. Would Mr. Pryce Nichols please take the stand?"
"Him? That's a bit surprising." Phoenix said.
The side door opened and Pryce entered the courtroom. His entrance didn't draw quite as many eyes as Salina's had, likely due to his more sensible choice of attire. Once he reached the stand, he took a moment to straighten his glasses.
"Your name and occupation, witness." Edgeworth said.
"Uh, I'm Pryce Nichols. I'm a general assistant at Global Studios." Pryce answered with a hint of a stutter.
"Thank you." Edgeworth said. Her voice didn't give any hint of it, but Phoenix suspected that she was relieved to finally have a cooperative witness in the room. "Witness, we have already obtained a reasonably cohesive account of the events surrounding the murder. I do not wish to waste this court's time, so I would like only for you to give us a bit of insight into some background information regarding the studio's daily operations."
"OK," Pryce said, "Shoot."
"As a general assistant to the studio's workforce, one of your tasks is to keep a log of any major equipment usage, correct?"
"Yep. I've got a whole booklet to record everything in." Pryce answered.
"Yes, we obtained this booklet during our investigation." Edgeworth said. She produced a thick stack of papers from beneath her bench.
The judge seemed impressed. "That certainly looks detailed. The court accepts this into evidence."
"According to this booklet, the studio classifies vehicles as a type of major equipment, along with any materials or object large enough to require the use of one." Edgeworth described. "Smaller objects, however – the murder weapon, for example – are not logged anywhere in the booklet. Additionally, you are to perform a full check of all major equipment at the end of every day, as indicated at the end of this section."
"Right again. Nothing was wrong when I ran my check of the studio right after dinner, but-"
"Hold it!"
Pryce gave Phoenix an aside look of confusion. "Do you always do that, Ms. Wright?"
"Er… usually. Did you get the chance to finish your check of the equipment?"
"No, actually, I only got through Studio One and arrived at Studio Two before the security guard called the police and they rounded everyone up." Pryce admitted.
"Studio One? Wasn't there a tree blocking to pathway there?"
"Not until later. I didn't find it myself until a little while before you two showed up the next day."
"What's this about a tree?" the judge interjected.
"According to the studio's sources, a tree in the studio lot collapsed at some point during the night of the murder." Edgeworth said.
"I hope it didn't impair the investigation." the judge replied.
"Not particularly. The crime occurred well away from the area, and we uncovered nothing to suggest that anything relevant happened in Studio One."
"How fortunate."
The conversation halted there, and Phoenix resumed her questioning with, "What was the major equipment being stored in Studio One that night?"
"Objection!" Edgeworth called sternly. "That is hardly relevant, Ms. Wright. I've done my part to avoid wasting this court's time, and I respectfully request that you do the same."
"Objection!" Phoenix yelled back. "You were the one who called upon the witness to provide background information, Ms. Edgeworth. I think this qualifies."
Edgeworth gave her a questioning glare. "Very well. Answer, witness."
Pryce nodded. "Studio One just had three of the trucks for moving larger props and backdrops, along with one of the big lighting racks. That's exactly what the booklet listed for the evening."
"Satisfied, Wright?" Edgeworth asked dryly.
"I think so." Phoenix responded with an identical tone.
"Good. Notably, the end of this section of the booklet tracks any points at which the studio's vehicles left the property or returned. Beyond 4 in the afternoon on the day of the murder, no such activity was logged. The three studio trucks slated to be left in Studio One at the end of the day were all accounted for."
"Do you mind if I ask something, Ms. Edgeworth?"
"If you do so briefly, Ms. Wright, then by all means, ask away."
"You wanted to avoid wasting this court's time. In that case, why go to the trouble of explaining all this?"
"What is your meaning, Wright?"
"Everything you and the witness just described relates to Studio One, when you said just a few minutes ago that Studio One was completely unrelated to this case."
"I agree. That doesn't quite seem to make sense." the judge added.
"Hmph. I apologize for my lack of clarity. I simply wished to circumvent any potential detours this trial might have taken, should Ms. Wright have attempted to cast doubt upon the crime being confined to the studio's trailer lot." Edgeworth explained. "After all, isn't dragging the proceedings out to stir up such doubts your standard practice, Ms. Wright?"
…
"Ouch." Matty jibed.
"Objection!" Phoenix blurted out. "Your Honour, the prosecution can't be allowed to manipulate the trial for personal attacks!"
The judge shook his head. "While you have a point regarding her attack on your character, Ms. Edgeworth's actions have not hindered the trial in any way as of yet."
"But-"
Edgeworth cut off her outburst with another, "Objection!"
Phoenix waited for Edgeworth to continue, but the prosecutor only glared across the courtroom, a smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth. Defeated, she released her protest as only a quiet growl.
"Thank you for sparing the court any further interruptions." Edgeworth said, masking her obvious smugness rather well. "Now, if we might continue?"
In the moment that the judge took to recall where they were in the trial, Matty nudged Phoenix. "Y'know how I asked why you didn't wanna see Ms. Edgeworth at the studio?" he asked.
"Yeah?"
"Forget I ever asked."
"Witness, is there anything else you can tell us about your work at the studio prior to the crime?"
"Um… nothing's coming to mind, no…" Pryce answered.
"In that case, we will end the cross-examination here." the judge said.
"You sure you wanna just let him go, Boss?" Matty asked as the bailiff opened the door for Pryce to exit.
"I can't imagine his testimony being much help. Edgeworth only brought him in to cut off my options, not to-"
"Yeah, so why don't you just try taking a step back?"
"A step back? What do you mean?"
"… Jeez, did Mic teach you friggin' anything?" Matty asked. "… No? Well, he told me about a time kinda like this, where the prosecutor had really planned ahead and blocked off a lot of options, so he had to take a step back and bring up a point the guy hadn't covered yet."
"Huh. You have something in mind?"
"What about the embarrassing camera kid?"
"Cleo? What could she tell us?"
"No offense, but you're a bit slow today, Boss. She had a camera, and she could hide really well. You never know what she might've gotten pictures of."
Phoenix nodded. "Good one." Straightening up, she faced the courtroom at large. "Your Honour, I'd like to make a request."
Edgeworth looked as if she wanted to object, but said nothing.
"By all means, Ms. Wright." the judge replied.
"If it's acceptable, I'd like to call a witness of my own.
"And what was that you were saying about manipulating the trial?" Edgeworth chided.
"Enough, Ms. Edgeworth." the judge said. "Who is this witness, Ms. Wright?"
"A young lady I encountered during my investigation." Phoenix answered.
"At the crime scene?" the judge inquired. "Were you aware of such a person, Ms. Edgeworth?"
"Possibly; is this young lady a Ms. Cleo Hackins?"
"That's right." Phoenix said.
"Detective Gumshoe mentioned Ms. Hackins during our final preparations for this trial. Judging by her account, she will be of no use in this case." Edgeworth went on, condescension highlighting her tone.
"That remains to be seen. Although it is somewhat unusual, Ms. Wright is perfectly within her rights to call in a witness."
Edgeworth opened her mouth to interrupt, but faltered as the judge continued, "Considering that we have you to thank for saving the court's time with your earlier actions, Ms. Edgeworth, I don't imagine you would take any issue with allowing Ms. Wright this favour instead, correct?"
Edgeworth hesitated. Her composure was showing signs of cracking. Taking in a steadying breath, she replied, "Of course not, Your Honour."
"Very well. In that case, bailiff, have the detective summon the witness. In the meantime, there will be a half-hour recess."
"See?" Matty said, looking quite proud of himself. "Now we're getting somewhere."
"We might be." Phoenix replied. "C'mon, I need to ask you something." she added, motioning toward the exit doors.
October 18th, 11:20 AM
District Court
Defendant Lobby No. 1
"So, what's up?" Matty asked once the doors to the lobby closed behind them.
"Back there, you said something about Micah," Phoenix started.
"Oh, that? Yeah, I realized that it sounded kinda bad a second late. I wasn't trying to insult either of you guys or anything, I just-"
"Hey, hey- Don't start an apology spiral on me." Phoenix cut in, setting a hand on Matty's shoulder. "I'm just surprised to hear you talking about him so openly."
Matty dropped his gaze to the floor. "Well… I had to start sometime, right?"
Phoenix patted his shoulder after a moment's pause. "Right."
It took them a second or two to notice Ms. Powers standing by the doors.
"I, uh… I didn't want to interrupt you guys," she mumbled.
"No problem!" Matty said, brightening up almost immediately. "How're we doing so far?"
"Oh- I-it's great, you're… uh… God, I'm awful at this…" Powers stammered. "I'm really glad to have people like you on my side, for sure."
"And we'll make it count, I promise." Matty said.
Powers gave the best smile her frayed nerves could manage. "So, what's the story on the kid you've got coming in?" she asked.
"It's a little girl we ran into at the studio, the other day. She was sneaking around the lot using the storm drains." Phoenix said.
"You think she saw something?"
"It's a definite possibility. She had a camera, too."
"Ohh, did she ever…" Matty added.
"Sounds like a good chance." Powers said hopefully. "If she does have any pictures that help us, who do you think they might point to?"
"Dai Vasquez, I'd expect."
"I thought you were gonna say that. Just be careful. He snaps easily, and considering what you two said you got away with yesterday…"
"He won't be trying anything in court. Though, I expect that Edgeworth will have him all set with a strong alibi by now."
"Oh, I was wondering about that, too. I get the sense there's some bad blood between you and that prosecutor." Powers said.
"You're… mostly right. It's not something I really wanna talk about."
"Right, of course, none of my business."
With this brief conversation over, the three had very little left to say. The recess seemed to drag on and on, every minute steadily increasing Phoenix's apprehension. Faced with the likely prospect of cross-examining the very man who tried to have her murdered less than a day ago, a tension that she couldn't ignore continued to grow within her.
"Matty?" she asked. Matty, who had just returned from a trip to the vending machine in the hall outside, set down his chocolate bar to and turned to face her.
"Yeah?"
Phoenix opened her mouth, but no words seemed eager to come forth. She sighed and turned away again.
Though he hesitated for a moment first, Matty tentatively reached across the bench they were seated on to set his hand on her arm.
"I'm thinking about it too, Boss."
He gave a slightly forced laugh and added, "Heck, you're the one who has to do all the work, and even I'm still not looking forward to it."
Matty's words were comforting, but they could hardly hope to diminish the damage left by their narrow escape the day prior. Nevertheless, Phoenix smiled, setting her other hand over top of her assistant's.
"Thanks." she said quietly.
"Don't mention it."
Just then, the lobby doors opened again.
"Time for the trial to reconvene, Ms. Wright." the stern-voiced guard said.
As they made for the door, Matty added, "Really, don't mention it. I think we just made the Steel Samurai cry."
October 18th, 11:50 AM
District Court
Courtroom No. 4
It sounded like the many journalists and paparazzi seated in the gallery were getting impatient. The occasional rude remark escaped from the myriad voices to make itself heard to Phoenix and Matty.
"Tactful." Phoenix said drily as she caught wind of a choice comment about her hair.
"Ahh, screw them." Matty said with a dismissive gesture. When Phoenix didn't respond, he seized the opening to add, "Lady's got a point about your hair, though."
Phoenix gave him an amused glance, holding back a laugh.
"I dunno if 'used mop head' is the phrasing I'd go for, but-…" he stopped, chuckling as Phoenix lightly shoved his shoulder.
"I'm surprised we haven't heard anything about your robes yet, honestly." she said.
"Haven't we? I coulda sworn that guy who said, 'baggy shower curtain' meant me, but I guess I can see how he could've been aiming that one at you…"
"Oh, shut up." Phoenix replied, giving Matty another teasing shove.
Matty was about to respond when another voice appeared from the other end of the room.
"If the defense might consent to act their age for a short while," Edgeworth said snidely, "There is a trial going on that I would very much like to finish."
"Is 'prosecutor' just a codeword for 'fun ruiner'?" Matty asked in an undertone.
"I suppose we can manage." Phoenix said, addressing Edgeworth indifferently.
"Delightful. You'll be glad to know that the witness you requested has arrived, Ms. Wright."
"What are we waiting for, then?" the judge asked. "Bailiff, escort the witness in."
The bailiff opened the side door. Phoenix could only assume that Cleo had accompanied him into the courtroom; the nearby bench seemed to leave the short girl out of sight. She finally appeared a moment later. She was wearing the same Steel Samurai-themed shit as she had been when they had met her on their investigation. When she reached the stand, only the top of her head was visible.
"Er, bailiff, if we have a box or stool handy…"
The bailiff rushed out of the room to find something suitable, returning with a wooden crate shortly after.
Once Cleo could see and be seen over the top of the witness stand, Phoenix noticed that she was still holding her camera.
Apparently the judge noticed as well. "Ms. Edgeworth, I hope you're aware that photographic equipment is strictly prohibited in the courtroom."
Edgeworth flinched. "I-… Of course, Your Honour. My apologies, but the witness refused to testify unless she was allowed to bring it with her. I'd like to request special permission, if possible."
"In that case, I suppose I can make an exception."
"You have my thanks. Now, witness, state your name and grade in school."
Cleo didn't say anything.
"… Witness,"
"Ms. Edgeworth, remember that you are dealing with a child. Please try to be gentle."
"Nngh… Of course. Witness-… I mean, Cleo, please tell us your name and grade… okay?"
Phoenix smirked. (Sounds like she doesn't really get the idea of 'gentle' all too well.)
"OK. I'm Cleo Hackins. I'm in second grade."
"Th-thank you. Now, you were present-, er, were you at Global Studios during the evening of the day of the, er, incident?"
"Yep." Cleo said simply.
"I see. Could you tell us what you saw there?"
"OK. I was looking for the Steel Samurai, so I hid in the bushes by the big trailers and waited. He didn't come out, though."
"Hold it!"
"What…?" Cleo asked nervously. "Did I say something wrong…?"
"Oh, of course not," Phoenix said quickly. "I just wanted to ask, did anybody walk by while you were hiding?"
"Umm… there was one person."
"Do you know who it was?"
"I dunno his name. I've seen him before, and he's really mean, so I stayed in the bushes."
"Do you remember anything about him?" Phoenix pried.
"Umm… I think his name starts with a V."
"A Mr. Vasquez?" Edgeworth inquired.
"I think that's it."
"Hmm." Edgeworth grunted. She didn't seem to like this bit of news.
"You said Mr. Vasquez was by the trailers?" Phoenix asked.
"Yep."
"Pardon me, but who is this Mr. Vasquez?" the judge asked.
"That would be the producer of the Steel Samurai TV series." Edgeworth answered immediately.
"The producer? Shouldn't that make him a suspect as well?"
"I've heard nothing to suggest that Mr. Vasquez was ever anywhere near the scene of the murder on the day of-"
"Objection!" Phoenix shouted.
"I've been waiting for that." Matty chimed.
"Haven't we just heard that Mr. Vasquez was seen by the victim's trailer? In the evening, no less?"
"I assure you, Ms. Wright, the police thoroughly reviewed the studio's security footage of the area. There was no sign of him." Edgeworth replied, anger seeping into her tone.
"Security footage can be tampered with easily, but you can't do the same for someone's memory." Phoenix said adamantly. (It's a bluff, but it's all we've got,) she added silently.
"You're suggesting someone deliberately altered the footage? If that's your claim, prove it."
"Objection!" Phoenix shouted again. "I'm not the one disagreeing with the testimony this time, Ms. Edgeworth. Care to contradict the witness's claim?"
"Objection!" Edgeworth shouted back. "I-… That's…" her voice failed her.
"I think it might be best to review the relevant footage for ourselves." the judge suggested.
"No objections, Ms. Edgeworth?" Phoenix asked smugly.
Edgeworth was seething. Losing control of the trial had put her beyond words. She silently glowered across the room as the bailiff called for the footage to be retrieved from the police.
The gallery's mixed grumbling resumed in the interim, with the usual array of disparaging remarks continuing to be the most apparent pattern of the lot.
"Y'know, I don't think they're really putting their hearts into it anymore." Matty quipped after a short while.
"Who?"
"Those guys." he answered, motioning the stands behind them. "I've heard that shower curtain line at least five times now."
"Hmm. You ever even see a shower curtain like that?"
"Like my channeling robes? Nope."
"Well, they all seem to agree on it." Phoenix pointed out. "Maybe you need to get out more."
"Maybe you need to… shut up."
Phoenix raised an eyebrow. "Careful. You're letting their bad insults degrade yours."
"That was just a little slip-up. I'll get back into it soon enough, I promise."
Phoenix ruffled her assistant's hair.
"You really gotta do that here?" he asked as he attempted to flatten his unruly hair again.
"Damned if I'm gonna let you look presentable in court."
Matty huffed. "You're just lucky I'm short, or your head really would look like a mop."
He dodged away as Phoenix made another move to undo his progress in flattening his hair. "Hey," he said, motioning across the room. "What're they up to?"
Phoenix followed his gaze. At some point, Edgeworth had summoned Detective Gumshoe over to her bench, where the two of them were discussing something. Gumshoe looked confused. She nodded as Edgeworth finished telling her whatever information she had been relaying, and returned to her seat in the gallery.
The police were relatively punctual in retrieving the studio's footage.
"Before we begin, I'd like to ask," said Phoenix as the bailiff set up the video feed. "How much of the footage was already inspected during the investigation?"
"Everything thought to be relevant to the crime in the hour surrounding the murder. Beyond that, the power failure at the studio prevented the cameras from recording anything. As I understand it, the great majority of the footage was taken from the camera mounted nearest to the victim and defendant's trailers." Edgeworth answered. Considering the fury that had been etched into her face just a few minutes earlier, she looked remarkably composed.
"Even accounting for the power failure, that doesn't seem very thorough."
"If you think so, Ms. Wright, direct your complaints to the detectives involved with the review. I was occupied with interviewing witnesses at the time."
"I'll just settle for watching the footage myself."
Most eyes turned to the video screen once the setup was complete. A few members of the gallery, it seemed, had lost all interest in watching the trial's proceedings and were instead occupying their time with idle distractions. One journalist in particular looked as if he was drawing pictures on his notepad under the guise of note-taking.
The security footage came into view on the screen, showing a portion of the studio's trailer lot. The timestamp indicated that it was taken just a few minutes before the crime. The camera slowly turned its view from left to right and back again after a short pause.
The second time it stopped on the left side of its cycle, a short burst of interference blurred the image for a split second.
"What was that?" Phoenix asked.
"Perfectly normal static interference, Ms. Wright. Surely you've seen the lackluster quality of a discount video tape before?"
Phoenix backed off. "Alright, continue."
The camera panned right again with nothing of any particular interest occurring. When it returned to the left side, the interference reappeared. The same thing happened on the third pass. The fourth, however, was clear.
"Anything you'd like to point out, Ms. Wright?" Edgeworth asked.
"The static seems suspicious, but there's not much else."
"Agreed. Are you satisfied?"
"Not just yet. I'd like to see a different camera."
"If you must."
Phoenix nodded. "Thank you."
She considered her choice for a moment. "Could we see the footage for the same time from Studio One?"
She expected an objection from Edgeworth, but none came.
"Do you have reason to believe the goings-on at Studio One are relevant?" Edgeworth asked instead.
"A few theories, yes."
"In that case, I suppose we can humour you. Bailiff, please start the footage."
Phoenix nudged Matty's shoulder. "She seems oddly OK with this, don't you think?"
"What, you're gonna complain about it?"
Lacking an answer, Phoenix returned her attention to the screen.
The view from the new camera was strikingly different at first glance. The camera was mounted at a very different angle, giving the entire field of view a skewed appearance. Its axis was nearly the same as the first, though without the repeated bursts of static.
"Hold on…" Phoenix said after the second full pass. "Rewind it a bit."
In the lower right corner of the screen, something shifted for just a moment. The footage rewound to the first pass, and Phoenix stared intently at the corner.
There it was again. Inside one of the drainage grates, a flash of white flickered for a split second. The same occurred on the next two passes.
"You see that flash in the grate?" she asked to the room at large.
"If you know where to look, it is rather hard to miss." Edgeworth answered. "Bailiff, please slow that moment down."
(Read my mind.)
The footage slowly dragged by, frame by frame. For the shortest of moments, a brightly lit dot appeared in the grate before the flash lit the small space.
"That looks like-…"
"-a camera." Phoenix finished.
The judge blinked in surprise. "Is there another security camera mounted in that grate?"
"Doubtful." said Edgeworth. "More likely, that flash came from someone positioned behind the grate."
"A person hiding in the drain? But, could anyone even fit into there?"
Phoenix smirked. "I think the witness can answer that."
Following a brief explanation of Cleo's preferred methods for moving around the studio, all eyes turned to her again.
"Cleo?" asked Phoenix, "Were you hiding in that grate?"
"I dunno."
"That's… not very helpful."
"Sorry…" Cleo said, her face falling.
"No, no, it's OK," Phoenix responded gently, "I bet you can get to a lot of places through those drains."
"Yeah… I get lots of cool pictures, too."
"So, you've probably got the ones you took there, right?"
"Yep! I never delete anything."
"Great. Could we see some of your pictures?"
"OK!"
Once the bailiff set up the video screen for the camera's memory card, a bright shot of the main gate to the studio flashed up. Taking the remote control for the display, Phoenix clicked forward through the various photos, checking the timestamps as she went.
"That's the way into Studio Two," she noted.
Suddenly, a familiar image appeared, and Matty pulled the remote away from Phoenix to hurriedly skip past it.
"Was that you in that photo, Ms. Wright?" asked the judge.
"No," Matty lied, knowing full well that it had been Cleo's picture of the moment Phoenix had cuffed him over the head.
Phoenix rolled her eyes as she took back the remote. "Shouldn't lie in court…" she muttered with amused derision. For half a second, she could have sworn she saw the side of Edgeworth's mouth twitch upward, but when she looked again, she saw only the prosecutor's usual humourless stare.
It took several dozen more photos to reach Studio One.
"There." Phoenix said as what was unmistakably a picture taken from the wall grate lit the screen. "You can see the video camera up on the overhang of the wall there."
"Who cares?" Cleo interjected. "The Steel Samurai's in that one!"
"What-?"
She was right. In the background of the shot, the Samurai's rather distinctive figure was clearly visible, entering the lone building at the back of the lot.
The gallery, for the first time in the day, erupted with chatter.
"Th-that's-…!" Edgeworth sputtered.
"Order! Order!" the judge barked startlingly loudly. "The defendant went to Studio One?" he asked once the clamour faded.
"Or someone in her costume." Phoenix amended. "But, either way, it should be impossible, given our understanding of the murder's time frame." She clicked forward to the next photo. "Wait, what happened to the other two?" she asked as the next photo showed a completely different area.
"There's only one." Cleo said. "I remember, I went to the next drain to get closer, but the Samurai never came back out after that."
"Or, they left while you were moving." Edgeworth added.
"Which would-… Wait… before we get to that," Phoenix cut in, "I'd like to know something, Ms. Edgeworth. If Cleo only took one photo of the studio at this point, how did we see her camera flash three times in the footage?"
Edgeworth hesitated, closing her eyes in thought. "… An excellent question. Bailiff, play the footage of Studio One again."
All eyes were set on the screen as the footage restarted. The first camera flash lit the grate's opening again.
"Wait, wait!" Phoenix called out as the camera's view shifted to the right for a second time. "Back up a few seconds, and run it in slow motion."
The bailiff complied.
"There!" Phoenix and Matty shouted in tandem as the exact moment of the camera's cycle point passed.
"I'm afraid I missed it, whatever it was." the judge said. "Could you explain?"
Phoenix nodded. "Sure. Right at the exact frame that the camera starts to move again, watch the shadow of the tree on the far right."
There was a rare moment of total silence as the footage started up once more.
"It's coming up right… now."
Within that one frame, the tree's shadow seemed to skip a short distance to the side. The same occurred on the next cycle. The first cycle not to show the camera flash from the grate also lacked the shadow's impossible movement.
Murmurs arose from the gallery.
Edgeworth was gazing at the footage, stone-faced. "So, this means…"
"Exactly what I suggested earlier, Ms. Edgeworth." Phoenix finished, feeling a surge of genuine confidence for the first time in the day. "Somebody tampered with the studio's cameras!"
"This certainly raises some questions." the judge mused.
"Whoever was responsible clearly wanted to hide what they were doing in a very specific timeframe." Phoenix went on. "They couldn't have accounted for Cleo sneaking onto the lot, though."
"Of, course, that would make the wearer of the Steel Samurai costume in the footage the most likely suspect." Edgeworth said slowly. "And, to the extent of our knowledge, the only one to wear that suit on the evening of the murder was the defendant, Ms. Wanda Powers."
"That might be true, but we haven't confirmed it yet." Phoenix argued. She turned to Cleo, who was fidgeting quietly on the stand. "Cleo, was the Steel Samurai limping when he went into that building in your photo?"
"I dunno."
"That's fine. …Hmm. How long did it take you to move to the next grate?"
"I dunno. I was being really careful with my camera, but I'm pretty fast."
"Good, good. Ms. Edgeworth, I'll give that your suggestion about the costume's wearer leaving while Cleo was moving makes the most sense of the options, so if we assume that's true, it doesn't seem likely that someone with a limp could get out of Studio One quickly enough to avoid being seen again, does it?"
Never one to cave easily, Edgeworth coolly answered, "Maybe not. However, Cleo's vague recollection of the time involved is hardly a solid measurement. So, unless you wish to return to the studio and conduct a full investigation of her average movement speed within the drainage tunnels, I suggest you stick to the verifiable facts of the moment."
"Alright, how about this: Ms. Powers was found sleeping in her trailer by the police after the murder was discovered. You remember the problems you had yesterday regarding the time available to her to commit the murder? I doubt she could possibly have squeezed in a visit to the security station to edit the footage herself, either."
General sounds of agreement could be heard from the gallery.
"Nngh…" Edgeworth's steely composure was beginning to slip.
"Do you have a rebuttal, Ms. Edgeworth?" the judge inquired.
"I'm afraid not, Your Honour. I will concede that it would have been next to impossible for Ms. Powers to have done everything on her own."
"She's not giving up, is she?" Matty wondered aloud. He added, "Of course not…" as Edgeworth went on to say, "However,"
"In light of this, I will raise the possibility that the defendant simply had a less-than efficient accomplice."
"An accomplice? You haven't suggested anything of the sort up until now." the judge said.
"And I apologize for waiting this long to do so, Your Honour."
"I knew it." Matty said, as if he had read the thought as it passed through Phoenix's mind.
"I believe we have all the information we need from Ms. Hackins." Edgeworth continued. "Any objections, Ms. Wright?"
"That depends. What are you planning next?" Phoenix asked bluntly.
"You say that I spend my time here plotting your defeat like a villain on a children's show." Edgeworth jibed. "I was simply going to call my final witness. Surely you aren't against that?"
"That also depends. Who's your witness?"
"The illusive Dai Vasquez. I believe you have a few questions for him, given what we've heard thus far."
"Oh." Phoenix said, slumping a bit in surprise. "Uh, go ahead."
"Excellent. Bailiff, please summon Mr. Vasquez to the stand."
"That was easy." Phoenix noted as the gallery broke into chatter.
"Our favourite asshat has a lot to answer for." Matty quipped. "If you could give him a verbal kick up the ass for me once he gets here, that'd be really cool."
"I'll see if Edgeworth lets me." Phoenix replied with a grin. She cocked her head a bit. "So, you think she could pass for a TV show villain? Edgeworth, I mean."
Matty laughed. "You kidding? She already dresses like the most evil English person alive. All she needs to do now is tent her fingers a bit and do an evil chuckle."
The side door that Cleo had left through opened once again and the bailiff led Vasquez in. He looked across the room toward the defense bench. Even from beneath his sunglasses –which Phoenix only now realized he seemed to frequently wear indoors- the look of utter contempt he shot at them was, frankly, terrifying.
He took to the stand, impatiently waving off the bailiff.
"Witness, your name and occupation, please."
"Dai Vasquez, producer at Global Studios." he answered with the same biting impatience.
"Thank you." Edgeworth responded, as the same passed through Phoenix's mind, "Straight to the point, then; please describe your movements on the evening of the murder at Global Studios."
"Long as you don't waste my time."
"Glad to see he's feeling so sociable." Phoenix groaned.
"You mind leaving some room for me to snark on this guy, Boss? You're kinda taking all the best moments."
For someone so against wasting time, Vasquez spent a rather lengthy period making scathing remarks toward the court's occupants before beginning his testimony. Only once all his apparent grievances were resolved, he began.
"The last practice we ran through was around 7. It was supposed to go until 8:30, but Powers went and botched the last part. We called it off there, had some food, and left. Guess Powers forgot to mention that she wanted to whack Hammer first."
"A similar story to what we heard from the rest of the witnesses." Edgeworth mused. "I don't believe I am alone in seeing a flaw in your recollection."
"A flaw? Don't got nothing against you, lady, but my memory's just damn fine."
"Your grudges are not of this court's concern. Your testimony, however, seems to contain a rather noticeable omission."
Vasquez's eyes flashed beneath his glasses. "Knock it off with the dancing around your words, lady. What's wrong with my story?"
"Ms. Wright seems eager to raise the point herself, actually. As it is her place to perform the cross-examination, I will leave it to her."
Attention turned to Phoenix. (Oh, thanks. Let me just prod the guy who tried to kill me yesterday for you. It's no trouble, really.)
"We heard from another witness a short time ago who testified as to having seen you near the victim's trailer close to the time of the murder." she explained. "That seems like a pretty big part to leave out."
"Yeah? I never went anywhere near Hammer's junk heap of a trailer at all. If you're tryin' to fit me into your murder story-"
"I can assure you, Mr. Vasquez, the previous witness hardly had any reason to lie about what she saw." Edgeworth cut in.
"Thought you were done talking." Vasquez snapped back.
"Only once any doubts are cleared. I'm not attempting to accuse you of anything beyond walking past the trailer. Lying will only raise suspicion against you."
Vasquez tipped his glasses, glaring at her with scrutiny. "Fine. So maybe I passed by there just before I left. Doesn't mean anything."
Phoenix had been carefully watching Vasquez's face for any of his usual flashes of anger, and hastily looked away when he noticed her.
"Yeah, I saw that, Blue. Y'think I'm lying? I know every camera in the studio. You go look at any of the three we've got near that trailer, you won't see me doing anything."
"Funny that you'd mention that," Phoenix replied, still avoiding any eye contact, "Considering what we did see on the cameras."
"And that is…?" Vasquez asked in little more than a growl.
"You're mostly right. We didn't see you doing anything."
"Then what the hell are you wasting my time for?"
"That's exactly the problem. We didn't see you doing anything. In fact, you're completely absent from all the footage."
"So you're just-…" Vasquez trailed off, apparently catching her meaning. "Wait. I'm not…"
"Like I said, you don't appear anywhere. There is something interesting that does appear, though."
Vasquez didn't say anything.
"It's a simple little thing, really." Phoenix went on, unable to hold back the smug grin creeping onto her face even as she kept her gaze firmly away from the witness stand. "Just a couple of inconsistencies –or, impossible consistencies, I should say- that appear right in the window of time we're discussing."
"Like…?" Vasquez snarled.
"Nothing much, but just enough to prove beyond any doubt that somebody edited the security footage between the time of the murder and the police locking down the studio."
"Yeah? Yeah, you think that was me? Y'think I had time for all that while I was leaving?"
"Oh, nobody had time to sit down and carefully look through all the footage to get rid of anything you appeared in, I'll give you that."
"In that case, get off my-"
"Let me finish." Phoenix shot, finally turning to face him properly. He was somewhere between nervous and furious, with his expression suggesting that it could still go either way any second. "Whoever made the changes to the footage was in a hurry, given how clumsy it was. Their quick changes affected every camera in the studio."
She hoped this was true, at least. It was only occurring to her now that watching more of the different cameras' viewpoints for the sake of thoroughness might have been a good idea.
Before she could continue, Edgeworth interrupted. "My apologies if Ms. Wright's roundabout explanation is wearing on your patience, witness. In specific, she is referring to a short period in which all of the studio's cameras were set to repeat a short portion of footage for just under a minute."
"A good cover for anything this person might have needed to hide in that window of time, but with the side-effect of erasing any alibi of theirs." Phoenix finished, slightly annoyed with having the buildup removed from her explanation.
"That still doesn't prove a damn thing."
"Maybe not, but even if we've-"
"Objection!"
Phoenix suppressed a groan. Though it hadn't shown itself much in the trial as of late, Edgeworth's smug expression hadn't lost its biting edge.
"Thank you for bringing the witness up to speed, Ms. Wright, but I think it's time to stop now." the prosecutor said in a falsely grateful voice. "I don't believe there is any need to argue that you cannot link the witness personally to the changes made to the security footage."
Phoenix faltered.
"Just when I thought she might actually let you have your fun." Matty grumbled. "No, that just wouldn't be Edgeworth."
"She's got a point, though." Phoenix admitted. "We can't prove that he changed the footage himself. It would make sense, but there were plenty of other people at the studio that could have done it, too."
She addressed the judge. "Your Honour, I'd like a moment with my co-council to reconsider this cross-examination."
"That seems acceptable." he replied with a nod. "Just be quick about it, please."
"So, what're you gonna do?" asked Matty while Phoenix studied her notes.
"I've got one idea. You remember how Mr. Vasquez reacted yesterday, when we brought up his dead sister?"
Matty nodded. "Considering that he tried to kill us right afterward, it's kinda tough to forget."
"He said that Ms. Hammer caused the accident that killed Marlene, so he'd have every reason to want her dead. But, for whatever reason, he used it to blackmail her instead. That makes enough sense, but why would he just change his mind and kill her at random?"
"Don't ask me." said Matty, "Do I look like I know more than you about lunatic murderers?"
"Point is, there must be something else there. If yesterday's any indication, I think I know how to get the information we need out of him."
"If you say so." Matty said with a shrug. "Just keep an eye on your fingers."
Straightening up, Phoenix returned her attention to the rest of the courtroom.
"Mr. Vasquez," she began, "There's something else I'd like to ask about."
Vasquez said nothing.
"No complaints, then?" she quipped, withdrawing a file from beneath the bench. "I'd like to hear a bit about your connection to the victim."
She refused to flinch as Vasquez's eyes flashed furiously.
"I told you…" he snarled, "Back off that, or-"
"Hardly the place for threats, don't you think?" Phoenix shot back.
The judge looked puzzled. "Ms. Wright, it sounds to me like you already know what you want the witness to say."
"I did get the chance to ask about it in my investigation yesterday, actually." Phoenix said. She held up the file that she had been holding. "This is the police case file from an incident two years ago."
She broke off as Vasquez slammed a fist down on the witness stand.
"ONE WORD AND I'LL-"
He only stopped as the bailiff stepped forward, looking ready to intervene.
Undeterred, Phoenix continued, "Two years ago, shortly after the victim and defendant were hired at Global Studios, Ms. Hammer was involved in an accident that resulted in the death of another of the studio's employees. It was deemed an accident and no charges were laid, but given certain details of the incident, I think it makes up an integral part of this case."
"These details are…?" Edgeworth prompted her. It took Phoenix a second or two to recognize that the expression on the prosecutor's face was one of genuine intrigue.
"Most important, Ms. Edgeworth, is the victim: Marlene Vasquez."
"V-Vas- What!?" Edgeworth sputtered.
The gallery practically exploded with chatter at this news.
"You're saying that-"
"Although it was deemed an accident in the end, Ms. Hammer was undoubtedly involved in the death of our witness's sister." Phoenix confirmed, feeling a smirk tugging at her face as she took in the effect of her words.
Once the judge had settled the crowd, he spoke up, asking, "You're suggesting that the witness was the one to kill Ms. Hammer?"
"That's right." Phoenix said.
"It does seem like quite a viable motive." the judge said. He turned to address Vasquez, but stopped at the sight of him.
Vasquez was hanging his head, his shoulders shaking with a low rumble of dark laughter.
"You think that's it? Makes sense, I guess. Hammer offs Marlene, so I return the favour, right? Lemme ask you somethin', then, Blue. Why'd I wait two years to do it? Empty-headed broad got lucky when the cops investigated the accident, and she got away just fine, but she was still working for me. Long as I was around, she was cornered. Hell, it'd make more sense if I was the stiff you were arguing over and Hammer was the one standin' here, flappin' her stupid jaw about how she didn't do it."
A short silence was followed by murmurs of agreement from the gallery.
Matty's voice, thick with uncertainty, made its way to Phoenix's ear. "Boss?"
"I-…"
Unable to structure a reply, she stared down at the floor in frustrated silence.
"Boss, don't tell me you're out of ideas now." Matty said almost pleadingly.
"To be honest, I was hoping I'd just piss him off enough to make him slip up and say something to incriminate himself."
"So just keep trying! He's bound to-"
"But," Phoenix interrupted, straightening back up to flash him a determined grin, "I never said I was out of ideas."
Across the room, Vasquez snapped, "Hey, prosecutor! Do your damn job already!"
"Ms. Wright, do you have any rebuttal?" the judge asked as Phoenix returned her attention to the courtroom."
"You bet."
"Lady," Vasquez snarled, "How many times do I gotta-"
"Last one, I promise." Phoenix cut him off, carefully lacing each word with a fine layer of smugness. "I'll admit, you've got a great point about your motive compared to the victim's. Problem is, you've also just spelled out the truth."
"What the hell are you-"
"Objection!"
Still frozen in a confident pose, Phoenix looked toward the source of the shout in confusion. Edgeworth was staring Vasquez down with a look of cold defiance in her eyes.
"Witness," she said commandingly, "You will allow Ms. Wright her rebuttal."
(Is Edgeworth… helping me?)
Hardly looking to lose her chance, Phoenix struck her desk to regain Vasquez's attention and continued, "Ms. Hammer did try to get rid of you! She attacked you herself, and you struck back in self-defence!"
Vasquez tore his glasses away, revealing a look of fury well beyond words etched into his face.
"But, she couldn't just walk up to you and kill you in broad daylight. She needed a cover. Earlier, we saw a photo taken shortly before the supposed time of the murder, showing somebody wearing the Steel Samurai costume entering the small building in Studio One. That costume was seen in the security photo as well, but the time frame doesn't allow for the person wearing the costume to go all the way to Studio One and back before returning to the crime scene to commit the murder."
Edgeworth was listening with interest. "So, you're suggesting…?"
"The murder didn't take place in the victim's trailer at all! Ms. Hammer went to Studio One to kill Mr. Vasquez while disguised as her co-star, but she ended up being killed instead! That only left the killer with the need to dispose of the body and use Hammer's own plan to frame Ms. Powers for himself!"
She'd struck a nerve. Vasquez produced a guttural noise born of utter rage and slammed his fist down against the witness stand with an undoubtedly painful level of force.
With his paranoia validated, the bailiff rushed forward to subdue him before he could become violent. In response, Vasquez struggled to throw him back. He was quickly overpowered by the significantly larger bailiff.
Phoenix flinched as she caught sight of Vasquez's hand; he had crushed his sunglasses when he struck the stand, and a fine stream of blood was dripping from his hand to the floor.
More quietly than before, though still firmly, she asked, "You killed her, didn't you?"
Through gritted teeth, Vasquez snarled, "You think I was just gonna let her take me out? Like hell…"
As the bailiff dragged him back through the side door, he cast one last furious look between Phoenix and Edgeworth.
A stunned silence had settled in over the courtroom when the judge cleared his throat to speak.
"Well, this seems to clear everything up. Ms. Edgeworth, you will see to it that Dai Vasquez is detained and escorted to the detention center?"
"Of course, Your Honour." Edgeworth said curtly.
"Good. Ms. Wright?"
"Yes, Your Honour?"
"It seems you've yet again brought about a miracle."
Phoenix blanched. "I, uh… Th-thank you, Your Honour." she stammered.
"I think not." Edgeworth interjected. "As Ms. Powers was innocent, it's only natural that Ms. Wright would prove it."
…
"She really knows how to take the air out of things, doesn't she?" Matty quipped.
Phoenix wasn't really listening, instead staring across the room at Edgeworth, searching the prosecutor's face for any hint as to what she was thinking.
"Well, in any case," the judge went on, "I believe it's time I rendered my verdict. This court finds the defendant, Ms. Wanda Powers,"
The end of his sentence was drowned out by a resounding cheer from the gallery. Phoenix raised a hand toward Matty. He made to accept the high-five, remembering to use his uninjured hand just in time.
As the tumult finally died down, the judge's voice broke out once more. "That is all. Court is adjourned!"
October 18th, 12:54 PM
District Court
Defendant Lobby No. 1
Phoenix was caught off guard as Powers pulled her into a hug just as they entered the lobby.
"I can't say it enough, but thank you so much, Ms. Wright," she said.
"Uh, any time." Phoenix replied, taken aback by the sudden gesture. "I'm just glad you're OK."
"I just can't believe," Powers went on, her voice shaking a bit, "If Janine stole my costume, that means not only did she wanna kill Mr. Vasquez, but she wanted me blamed for it. I always thought we were friends…"
"Desperate people can do some pretty horrible things." said Matty. "Don't let it get to you."
He reassuringly patted her on the back, just below the shoulder, as it was the highest point he could reach.
The door opened again, and Detective Gumshoe entered, striding toward them.
"Ms. Wright, Ms. Edgeworth wanted me to tell you somethin'." she said.
"What is it?"
"We just heard from the team we've still got set up at Global Studios. They found the missin' costume that the victim wore when she went after Mr. Vasquez. It was in one of the studio trucks, which had been driven to the scrapyard ten minutes from the studio. I guess he was tryin' to get rid of all the evidence he could before we got him in for questionin'. Turns out they also explained the power failure that the studio had on the night of the murder. Seems Mr. Vasquez clipped a tree with the edge of the truck as he was leavin' the studio, which fell down and took out the power lines."
Once Gumshoe had finished her lengthy explanation, Phoenix said, "That clears up most of our loose ends, then. Thanks, but, why did Edgeworth want you to tell us?"
Gumshoe shrugged. "Just bein' a good sport, I guess. I should get back to-…" she broke off as Edgeworth herself entered the lobby.
A long pause passed before the prosecutor said, "Say something, Wright. I'm not one for small talk."
Taken aback once more, Phoenix stammered, "U-uh, that was a good performance you gave in there."
Edgeworth scoffed. "There's no need for insincere bantering, Wright."
"N-no, really, I want to thank you." Phoenix assured her, "I doubt I could've kept Vasquez on the stand long enough to pin him down if you hadn't helped out."
The prosecutor gave her an odd look. Was it gratitude?
"Er, well, anyway," Powers interjected to break the silence, "It's nice to meet you. I'm Wanda Powers."
Edgeworth looked surprised by her friendly introduction. "Merle Edgeworth." she replied. "I'm a fan of your work, Ms. Powers."
Phoenix swore she heard Matty mutter something like, "that complete liar" behind her back, but didn't comment.
Edgeworth faced her again. "I'll be honest, Wright, I never expected I'd meet you again after all these years."
It was a bit frustrating, Phoenix found, how easily Edgeworth seemed to be able to leave her with nothing to respond with.
"However, in retrospect," Edgeworth went on, "I think it would have been best for us to have never met. Thanks to you, there are certain… feelings… I would be happy without built up within my mind."
(Uh… what…?)
"These feelings of uncertainty only pose a risk to my career. I have one request of you, Phoenix Wright. Never show your face before me again. That is what I came to say. Thank you for filling Ms. Wright in on the rest of the investigation's details, Detective."
With that, she turned and left the room in silence. Gumshoe muttered a farewell and followed her.
"Uhh… so, are they your friends?" Powers asked.
"Is that the impression you're getting?" Matty asked. "They're rivals. Right, Boss?"
"Something like that." Phoenix answered, lost in thought. "For now, anyway."
"What do you mean, 'for now'? Don't keep me out of the loop here!"
Still wary of the subject, Phoenix instead asked, "Either of you wanna get some lunch?
"I'll buy." Powers said. "I owe you guys a whole lot."
"… Lunch sounds good." Matty grudgingly agreed.
Did I... did I just update this...? Someone confirm for me, so I know I'm not crazy.
It's been 3000 years
Or, y'know, eleven months