Athena left Simon in the kitchen and tiptoed down the hall to Klavier's room. She tapped lightly at the door but there was no answer. There had been no sign of Apollo or the prosecutor elsewhere in the house and Athena had assumed they must be in the bedroom. She stifled a giggle at that and gently eased the door open. The sight that greeted her wiped the smile off her face. Klavier was dressed only in a t-shirt and shorts, and he was spooned up behind Apollo who was still fully dressed in his usual red suit. They were both sound asleep, Klavier making slight snuffling noises into Apollo's hair. She toyed for a moment with taking a photo with her phone, but as much as she would enjoy teasing Apollo later, she didn't want to piss off Klavier. She began to back away when Apollo's eyes popped open. He looked puzzled.

"Athena," he said blurrily. "What're y'doin' in m'room?" And then Klavier shifted and Apollo's eyes widened in alarm. He scrambled off the bed with a yelp, and the blond prosecutor opened his own eyes at the sound. He regarded Athena for a moment and then peered over the edge of the bed to observe Apollo in a pile on the floor.

"Herr Forehead, what are you doing?"

"I uh…" Apollo was bright red and he glared at Klavier and Athena. Klavier looked up at Athena for an explanation.

"Es ist peinlich, Sie wurden mit ihm löffelte." Athena said, her eyes wide.

"English, please?" Apollo said from the floor.

"She said it was embarrassing because I was spooning with you. Are you sure that's what you meant to say, fraulein?"

Apollo jumped up and fled the room like all the hounds of hell were on his tail.

"Yes," Athena said. "He woke up when I came in and then freaked out."

"Americans," Klavier said with a roll of his eyes. "Always so touchy about perfectly normal things."

"Are you two…" Athena trailed off when Klavier shook his head.

"Nein, we're friends, not lovers," Klavier said easily.

"But you'd like to be!" Widget announced and Athena flushed to the roots of her hair.

"I better go after him," Athena said quickly at the look on Klavier's face. "When Apollo runs, he doesn't stop for a long time."


Miles had taken off his jacket and slung it carelessly over the back of his chair. His sleeves were rolled up and there were dark circles under his eyes. Phoenix observed the lines of strain on his friends face.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" he offered for the third time.

"No," Miles said, giving him a weak smile. "It's my problem, I have to deal with it. Franziska's agreed to come and help out at least, but she won't get here until Friday. The court schedule is already packed and both Winston and Gaspen were due to prosecute this week. Even after filing for additional time in IK-4 for more investigation given the turn of events, Winston had two other cases this week and Gaspen has three."

"What about Gavin and Blackquill?"

"Blackquill's caseload is full. Gavin could take one more I think."

"OK," Phoenix said. "And you?"

"You think I should take on these extra cases?" Miles said. "I have meetings with the mayor, two state senators, a journalist from the Herald and I'm supposed to testify to a House congressional committee on judicial reform."

"Promise the journalist some sort of exclusive and put them off to next week. Ask the mayor to do a breakfast or late dinner meeting, after court hours."

Miles frowned at him. "That could work."

"You see, I did help," Phoenix told him.

Miles laughed and it made Phoenix's heart soar. "All right. Let me send a few more emails and then we'll head home."

Phoenix tried not to react to Miles's casual announcement. After all, it was accurate, while they were all living together in Klavier's house. But it felt domestic and comfortable and when all this was over, they'd go back to how things were before. It made him want to weep. He swallowed hard and after a moment staring at the floor, he was able to master himself again. Miles stood up and grabbed his jacket, heading for the door. Phoenix sighed and followed him out.


Blackquill was leaning against the kitchen counter, sipping at an aromatic tea that made Klavier want to sneeze.

"Was ist das?" Klavier asked him. "It smells like flowers."

"Jasmine tea," Blackquill replied.

"You did not find that here," Klavier said with a laugh.

"No, I brought it from my office. I figured you wouldn't have anything civilized to drink."

"Ha!" Klavier said. "That's where you're wrong. The fridge is full of beer."

Blackquill rolled his eyes. "That's what you call civilized? You're a savage, Gavin-san."

"I wish you would call me Klavier," the blond complained.

"I know," Blackquill said. "But it feels weird. So what did you do to Justice-san? He ran out of here like his life depended on it."

"I don't know," Klavier said. "Athena found us napping on the bed. He freaked and made a run for it."

"Oh?" Blackquill said, raising one eyebrow. "Is that why Athena was yelling about spooning?"

Klavier shrugged. "Yes. I don't understand what the problem is."

"You're a liar," Blackquill said pointedly. "You're perfectly aware that sleeping like that is something you do with a lover, not a friend."

"It's stupid," Klavier insisted.

"It's the culture in this country." Blackquill's face turned sly. "And you're being disingenuous. You want Justice-san as a lover."
"Nein, it is impossible," Klavier sighed, opening the fridge.

"You think so?" Blackquill said, sounding surprised. "Why?"

"He's not interested," Klavier told him. He pulled a beer out of the fridge and twisted off the cap.

Blackquill gave him a steady look, and then threw his head back and laughed. "You're not serious!"

"Of course I'm serious," Klavier said irritably. "Apollo's made his feelings perfectly clear."

"Oh he has, has he?" Blackquill said, still amused. "Justice-san is the most difficult man to read I've ever met. Except perhaps Wright-dono. I wonder if you're picking up the right signals."

"Trust me," Klavier said. "I know when someone is interested. He never responds to any of my flirtations. And he just ran out of here like his pants were on fire. So I drew my conclusions from that."

"Bah," Blackquill snarled. "He doesn't know that you're not just playing with him. You flirt with everyone, after all. Even me."

"Maybe," Klavier said, sounding unconvinced.


"Apollo!" Athena yelled, her ponytail bouncing as she raced after him. She could run faster than Apollo but he had quite a head start and she wasn't wearing her running shoes. "Apollo, wait!"

He ignored her and turned a corner. Athena would bet a week's salary he was heading to People Park. But when she skidded around the corner, she found him slouched against the wall.

"And people say I have a loud voice," Apollo grunted.

"Why did you run?" she panted. "And why did you stop now?"

"You know why," Apollo said, looking at his feet. "I stopped because you were gaining on me. You were going to catch me eventually."

"I think you're overreacting," Athena told him. "You can't judge Klavier by American standards. Europeans are much more relaxed about this kind of thing." Apollo was flushing again and his hair drooped. "What's going on, Apollo?"

"Nothing!" he yelped and she winced. "Absolutely nothing. We're friends, that's all."

"Not so much!" Widget chirped.

Athena put a hand on her hip. "You can't lie to me, Apollo Justice. I don't need my computer to hear the conflict in your heart."

"It's just a crush," Apollo whispered, defeated. "It's a stupid, childish crush. Like probably at least half the country at one time or another."

"Hmm," Athena said. "I don't know. Klavier doesn't spend his time with any of them. He does go out of his way to spend time with you."

"You're reading too much into it," Apollo insisted. "Why would Klavier Gavin, international rock star and superstar prosecutor, want some mousy defense attorney with a loud voice?"

"Why shouldn't he want you?" Athena said loyally. But secretly, she had to admit, Apollo had a point. Why would Klavier Gavin be interested in him? Apollo was nothing like the voluptuous blonde Hollywood starlet's he typically dated. In fact, she'd never heard a single gossip column suggest he was into guys at all.

Apollo gave her a grateful smile. "Thanks, Athena. You're crazy, but I appreciate the support."

"Are you going to come back now?" she asked.

"All right," Apollo said, giving in.


When Apollo and Athena returned to the house, Athena pushed Apollo towards Klavier's room with a whispered instruction that he ought to apologize. He hesitated and then rapped on the door.

"Ja?" Klavier's voice came floating through the woodwork.

"Klavier? It's Apollo."

There was silence. And then the door opened and Klavier looked down at him, his mouth turned down and his face solemn.

"Forehead, I apologize…"

"Klavier, I'm sorry…"

Klavier laughed. "Look at us, talking over each other in order to apologize!"

"I'm sorry, Klavier, I really am. I behaved like an asshole."

"Nein, Apollo. Simon explained it to me, how you Americans don't uh… snuggle with close friends unless they are also lovers."

"Uh, yeah," Apollo said, nonplussed. "You think of me as a close friend?"

"My best friend," Klavier declared. But then he looked uncertain. "If that is OK with you?"

"What? Oh, yes," Apollo said, his stomach flipping over. Best friends with Klavier Gavin? "Uh, me too."

Klavier smiled then, and it made all of Apollo's misgivings seem like tissue paper. Klavier was his friend, his close friend, his best friend. He'd missed having a friend like that, when he'd lost Clay, it was like the world was ending. Klavier had lost people too, in a way you could consider even more tragic than how Apollo had lost Clay. They could help each other heal. Stupid crushes be damned.


Dinner that evening was a homecooked affair. Miles and Phoenix had picked up groceries on their way home and Phoenix had watched as Miles had cooked, occasionally helping out by chopping a vegetable or locating a herb. The result, a delicious pasta al forno with chicken and broccoli, had been spectacular.

"You're wasted as a prosecutor," Phoenix declared, sipping at the white wine Miles had insisted should accompany the food. He might have been a little tipsy, he decided.

"I doubt that," Miles said with a smile. "But thank you."

"Plans for the evening?" Blackquill asked.

"I've got court," Miles said tiredly, getting up. "One of Gaspen's cases. I need to read over the case file and the court record tonight."

"Of course," Blackquill said. "Athena and I will clean up." Miles nodded and refilled his glass before leaving the room. "Gavin-san?"

"I'm ready to rock," Klavier said, but his heart didn't really sound in it. "Forehead and I are facing off tomorrow too."

"And you're going to lose," Apollo pointed out. Klavier flashed a weak grin at him.

"Hmph," Blackquill said. "I have court tomorrow too, but I'm prepared."

"I'm coming with you tomorrow," Athena told him. His eyebrows disappeared under his hair.

"I didn't think you were going to-" he said uncertainly. At her crestfallen look he bit his lip and changed course. "I want you there," he emphasized. "We can have lunch after it's all over."

Athena smiled at him. "All right!" she said. "Come on, Simon. Let's load the dishwasher and then we can go for a run." Simon nodded and began collecting plates.

"Mr Gavin," Trucy piped up suddenly.

"How may I be of service, Fraulein?"

"I need some space for practicing. I've got a show tomorrow night and, well, it's just been so busy."

"Of course," Klavier said warmly. "Would you like to use my studio? It should be large enough, ja?"

"Is that OK?" she said, her eyes wide. "I was just hoping you'd let me use the garage or something."

"Nonsense," Klavier said. "The studio's not being used and is soundproof, so none of us will over hear your secrets." He gave her a pained smile, and it made Apollo's stomach clench. "It's not been used for a while, so it might be a little dusty."

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" Trucy exclaimed, throwing herself bodily at Klavier and almost upsetting Apollo's wineglass.

"Ach, it's nothing," Klavier said. He pulled a keyring out of his pocket and carefully removed one of the keys and handed it to her. "I keep it locked, so you'll need this. Please be careful of the equipment."

Trucy accepted the key and gave him a solemn look. "You'll never know I was in there," she promised.

"Come then, let me show you where it is and how to operate the lights," Klavier said. He unfolded from his seat and Trucy followed him out of the room.


Apollo could feel Mr Wright's gaze on him. After a moment he turned and looked his boss straight in the eye.
"What?"

"Nothing," the attorney said. "I just- Gavin seems different this evening."

"He's upset about Winston Payne's murder," Apollo explained. At Mr Wright's raised brow he added, "Well, the method of his death at least."

"Ah," Mr Wright said. "Of course. I can see how it would be… disturbing." He gave Apollo a searching look. "How about you?"

"W-Well it was a shock," Apollo admitted. "But, I don't know, I guess I'm getting over it. I mean, Mr Gavin was my mentor and I admired him so much. And sometimes I look at Klavier and the resemblance is so striking, it hits me all over again. The man I looked up to and taught me a lot of what I know about actually practicing law, was… a monster. That's not been an easy thing to accept."

"Yes," Mr Wright said reflectively. "I know what you mean."

"But I've moved on," Apollo continued. "It's different for Klavier. I can at least say, I made a mistake and misjudged the man I chose as a mentor. He can't just shrug his shoulders and tell himself to do better next time! Kristoph was his brother, and they're so alike, it must be terrifying." Apollo ached inside, the pain in Klavier's voice earlier had been torture.

"He's going to need support over the next few days," Mr Wright said cautiously.

"You mean, the execution?" Apollo said, dropping his voice lower. "I know. I've offered to go with him. For moral support."

"Good, that's good," Mr Wright said and Apollo was alarmed when his bracelet tightened dramatically. He peered at his boss in alarm.

"Mr Wright," he said unsteadily, focusing on his boss with all the concentration he could muster given how much wine he'd drunk. "Do you know something about Kristoph's execution?"

"No," Mr Wright said firmly. Apollo choked off a yelp of pain as the bangle tightened even further.

"You know I know you're lying," he managed, hurt that his mentor and friend was still lying to him even after all this time.

"Yes," Mr Wright agreed. "I am. I'm forbidden to speak of this with you, Apollo. I'm sorry. And for the record, I don't approve of what's about to happen. But that's all I can say. That and, Klavier is going to need you. Sooner than you might think."

Apollo relaxed as his circulation returned, the golden circle at his wrist loosening. That at least had been the truth, even if it had been vague and cryptic.

"All right," he said finally. "I'll keep an eye on him."


There was a light tap at the door and Miles restrained himself from snapping. "Who is it?"

"Me," Wright's voice floated through the wood.

"Come in, Wright," Miles said. The door opened and his friend appeared, a glass of wine in one hand and the bottle in the other.

"I thought you might need a refill," Wright said, his tense voice totally at odds with his apparent mission. Miles smiled at him and held out his glass. Wright poured the remains of the bottle into the wineglass and then placed it in the trashcan by the door.

He looked around the room, but Miles was occupying the only chair and after a moment's deliberation he sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed. Miles blinked and struggled with the sense that he liked seeing him there, like that.

"Is there something you want to discuss?" he said, keeping a tight rein on his emotions.

"Yeah," Wright said. "Kristoph Gavin."

"Again?" Miles said before he could stop himself. "It's done, Wright."

"I know," Wright said, holding up a hand. "I'm not here to argue about it. It's just… I feel terrible about keeping this secret, Miles."

Miles leaned back in his chair and pinched the bridge of his nose. "It's for the best."

"I don't know," Wright said. "I just talked with Apollo. Klavier needs closure. Attending the execution is the best way for him to get it."

"I don't agree," Miles said. "What do you want me to do?"

"Nothing," Wright said. "But when this blows up in your face, remember I said it was a terrible idea."


The courtroom was packed with observers, the Silver Diner murders had caught widespread attention and apparently everyone wanted to attend. The buzzing atmosphere got louder as Klavier Gavin strolled into court and Apollo concealed a grin. It might be a front, but Klavier was giving it his all this morning.

"Is the defense ready?" the Judge said, sounding testy. Apollo started. Had he missed something the Judge had said?

"Yes!" He barked, Chords of Steel making themselves known. The Judge winced and glared at him. Great start, Justice.

"The prosecution is also ready to rock!" Klavier announced.

"Very well, let's have your opening statement," the Judge said.

Klavier led the court through a summary of the crime and then called Ema to the stand.

"Fraulein Detective, if you would, please explain the police investigation to the court."

Ema walked through the crime scene as she had found it, pointing out the relevant details on a map of the diner as she did so.

"Objection!" Apollo yelled when she went into a description of the knife his client had been wielding. The Judge looked bored. "The autopsy report states that the type of knife used in the murder was a slender blade, very sharp, such as a scalpel or similar. The knife you're presenting to the court is a hunting knife, sharp but not sharp enough to make these cuts." He brandished the close up photographs of the wounds on the victims.

"Sustained," the Judge said, looking slightly more alert. "Detective Skye?"

"It's true," she admitted. "The cuts do look more precise than this knife would be capable of producing. But the defendant is a cook. There are any number of very sharp knives in a kitchen. Maybe he used one of those." It was weak, and she knew it, Apollo thought. But what choice did she have?

"But you're not presenting a kitchen knife to the court as the murder weapon," he said triumphantly. "You're presenting this hunting knife and everyone can see it cannot possibly be the right one."

"It's the only knife we recovered from the scene," Ema said, sounding defeated.

"No more questions," Apollo said, satisfied.

Klavier pulled off one of his trademark air guitar moves and Apollo scowled. "Ja, baby! The prosecution now calls the witness to the stand!"

Brandi Snapps seemed to have regained her composure since he'd spoken with her last. She glared defiantly at him.

"State your name and occupation for the record," Klavier said, oddly solemn.

"Brandi Snapps, I was a waitress at the Silver Diner."

"Gut, now, tell the court what you saw the day of the murders."

Brandi began to recount the day, much as she had in her original statement.

"And then, I lost my balance when I was clearing away Ms Starr's plate. It fell to the floor and made a loud smashing sound."

Apollo stiffened. No, surely she hadn't made so simple a mistake?

"Objection!" he cried, slamming his fists down on the bench. "The witness claimed not to know any of the customers in the diner that day."

"Sustained," the Judge said, scratching at his beard. "Ms Snapps, do you have an explanation?"

"I must have heard her name on the news," Snapps said defensively.

"Nope!" Apollo told her. "No way. The names of the female victim was never released to the press. Initially, because she was unidentified. But once the police found out who she was, they had another reason to keep her name a secret."

"And what was that?" the Judge demanded.

"Ms Angel Starr, formerly of the LAPD, was in witness protection," Apollo told him.

"Angel Starr?" the Judge said, his eyes misting in recollection. "Oh yes. The Cough-up Queen. And she made terrific box lunches too."

"Yes, well, uh, she was the female victim in this case." Apollo explained. "We don't know why she was in LA."

"Well, I must have recognized her from her days as a cop!" Snapps said desperately.

"I'm sorry, Fraulein, but that is impossible," Klavier said. "Ms Starr had invested in considerable plastic surgery and colored her hair. She had changed her appearance quite drastically, so much so that her own brother didn't even recognize her. We were only able to identify her from her fingerprints and dental records."

"AARRGGHHH!" Snapps screamed. "What does it matter? So what if I knew who she was? What difference does it make?"

"It makes a lot of difference if you were the one who killed her," Apollo said firmly.

"Why? Why would I kill her? I never met her before that day. You think I'm some sort of psycho who goes around killing strangers? It's your client who was waving a knife around, not me!"

"She's right, Forehead," Klavier said. "You need proof. The murder weapon perhaps? The real one?"

"I don't have it," Apollo admitted. He could see Klavier looking at him, as if to say, come on, you know what you have to present. Maybe if he didn't put his cases together with duct tape and string… wait a minute! Duct tape! "But I do have something else. Take that!" He produced the duct tape and the syringe with a flourish and ignored the way Klavier laughed with delight.

"What is this?" the Judge said, peering at the items.

"A syringe loaded with GHB, more commonly known as the date rape drug," Apollo explained.

"Wait," the Judge objected. "I didn't know the victims were raped."

"No, your honor. It's just called that because it's often used in drug-related rape cases. It renders a victim quite helpless, you see. And if you were a petite woman and you intended to murder a larger person, perhaps an ex-cop, a little drug-induced incapacitation and she can't fight back."

"You can't prove it's mine! You won't find my fingerprints on there!" Brandi snapped.

"No," Apollo agreed. "It's clean. The only thing we found was some traces of duct tape adhesive. And lo and behold, some duct tape. With your skin cells on it."

"That doesn't prove anything," Snapps asserted. "I told you we use duct tape around the diner all the time."

"Have you tested the duct tape for GHB?" Apollo asked Klavier. He gave a wry smile.

"Ja, alas we found nothing. Uh, Fraulein Skye?" Ema had thrown open the courtroom doors and was racing towards the prosecutor.

"You have to see this," she panted, shoving a sheaf of papers into Klavier's hands.

"Order!" the judge demanded. "What is the meaning of this?"

Klavier's eyes were wide and shocked. Apollo's stomach flipped over.

"I see Ms Starr wasn't the only one to change her name," Klavier said dramatically. "Ms Darke."

The court erupted. Snapps started screeching, kicking at the podium and howling. Apollo and Klavier gaped at her appalled. The judge banged his gavel multiple times.

"I will have ORDER!" he barked.

"Fuck you!" she snarled. "And fuck all of you too! You want the truth? Fine. Yes I killed Angel Starr. She sent my brother to prison, entirely on trumped up charges. Called him a serial killer. Joey was the best, kindest, sweetest brother in the whole wide world. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"And the other two victims?" Klavier said sadly.

"It's not my fault!" she shrieked. "I dropped the plate because I knew it would set Victor off. I thought everyone would run away, but Starr, she's an ex-cop, she'd try and calm him down. I wasn't counting on those two have-a-go heroes barging in. What else was I supposed to do?"

"Your honor," Klavier said smoothly. "It seems we have a confession and it exonerates Mr Sheng at the same time. I move that we proceed to judgement and have Ms Snapps taken in for questioning."

"What? Oh, yes, of course." The judge banged his gavel and cleared his throat. "In light of the new evidence and the confession by the witness, this court finds the defendant, Mr Victor Sheng, Not Guilty!"

The court erupted once more, ticker tape and confetti flying like snow. But all Apollo could see was the blinding smile of Klavier Gavin.