Note: Back again, without the writer's block and the classes to get in the way! Thanks again to everyone who has left a comment, and thanks for putting up with the delay between chapters! Your reviews keep me going!

Chapter Four: Apprehension

In these circumstances, the last thing Edgeworth wanted to do was sit in a plane for 8 solid hours, completely helpless and unable to communicate with anyone during the long voyage. But what else could he do? He couldn't spirit himself over to the United States no matter how much he wished he were able to. He would just have to stick it out and deal with it, even in his battered state of mind.

He did not know how, but he had somehow managed to drag his one suitcase and his quickly-thrown together knapsack of carry-on items onto the bus that would take him to the airport. When the bus doors finally opened, he filed out with the rest of the passengers, glad that all he really needed to do was follow the human stream into the terminal. Like an automaton he walked up to the check-in line, took his ticket, and went through the necessary security procedures. Only when he collapsed in his seat on the plane did he truly "wake up" from his apparent emotional paralysis. He looked out of the window – an innocent enough action – and saw the small people milling about below. One man was sitting on the ground, legs splayed out, to work on the wheel of a plane nearby. Splayed legs…Edgeworth could only think about how Franziska would have looked upon being found by Pearl…

He could feel the bile rising in his throat, and, afraid he might be sick, tugged the small bag out of the seat pocket in front of him. He leaned forward and willed the nausea to pass. Tears squeezed out of the corners of his eyes and he gritted his teeth, not wanting to attract any attention from other passengers. Slowly but surely the queasiness faded away. The sadness, however, did not. Franziska…yes, they had not seen eye to eye on everything in the past, and they had surely had their (many) disagreements. But she was like a sister to him…had been like a sister to him…

"Oh, God…" Edgeworth choked, burying his face in his hands to avoid the sob from becoming too audible. Who could have done this, and – more importantly – why had they done it? What was their goal? It was lucky that Pearl hadn't been hurt, of course. He would have much to discuss with her when the plane touched down. But first, he needed to organize his thoughts…

First of all, where did Wright figure into all of this? The murder had taken place at Wright's old office – it was, indeed, a talent agency at present, but Edgeworth knew they considered "defending" a talent. The culprit could have been linked to a past case, and, in these circumstances, that certainly seemed plausible. But everyone who would have wanted to hurt Franziska – or Wright, for that matter – was either dead or in jail.

Edgeworth allowed himself a grin smile. Phoenix always did manage to get himself into the most terrible predicaments, and in the past the two of them has worked together to sort them out. But in this case, Edgeworth did not even know where to begin. He knew the basics – that was it. He would have to wait until he was able to rendezvous with everyone before the larger problems could be tackled.

"Drink, sir?" the perky stewardess asked Edgeworth, rolling her cart down the aisle.

"Yes, please," mumbled Edgeworth, nodding a thanks as the ice clinked into the plastic cup. The water soothed his nerves a bit, but he was nowhere near relaxed. Instead of trying to sleep, Edgeworth leaned back in his seat, reviewing all that Pearl had told him, going through past cases, and trying to see a connection somewhere…anywhere.

He hadn't even realized that he had drifted off to sleep until the captain's light blinked on. "In two minutes, we will begin our descent into Los Angeles. Please remain seated."

Edgeworth shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair. It was hard to believe that he had actually slept for more than a few hours. The situation seemed to have worn him out more than he had thought.

"You're finally awake, sir," piped the same stewardess, smiling playfully at Edgeworth. "Seemed like an interesting dream you were having!"

He grunted, deciding not to grant that comment a response. The nap had done him well – his mind was the clearest it had been since Pearl had told him the devastating news. He wanted to keep it that way, at least until he arrived at Hazakura Temple.

He hoped everyone was alright.

The captain's light blinked again. "Make sure your seatbelts are securely fastened. We are now beginning our descent into Los Angeles."

***

As soon as he was on the ground, Edgeworth ran to check out the bus schedules. He knew there was one that ran to Hazakura Temple every half an hour – he just hoped he hadn't missed the last bus out, as the plane had arrived at about 8:20 PM local time. When he found the large screen bearing the color-coded bus schedules, he scanned them quickly for the Hazakura route. Luckily, he hadn't missed the last bus that day – they were running until 10:00. Breathlessly he made his way through the crowd of people to the exit of the terminal and boarded the appropriate bus. Plopping down in his seat, he sighed in exhaustion. It was hard to believe that the easy part was over. The trials were only just beginning.

Edgeworth's mind was a blank as the bus made its way up steep inclines, ever steadily climbing to the front gates of Hazakura Temple. He saw the tops of the temples looming ahead. Swallowing hard, he gripped his suitcase and swung the backpack over his shoulder. The bus shuddered to a stop, and the driver looked over his shoulder expectantly. A few elderly women dressed in the typical medium attire stepped off before Edgeworth. Following them, he stepped down from the bus, the brisk mountain air snapping roughly into his face. After the stuffiness of the airport and the plane ride, the wind was welcoming.

The ache slowly left his legs as he started moving them with more purpose, and before he knew it he was being embraced by Bikini, the elderly head of the Temple. She had come scurrying from her position near the front gate, where she had also greeted the older mediums.

"Oh, Mr. Edgeworth, it's so good to see you! You look so well!" the old woman squealed. "It will do good for Pearl to see an old friend. She's out of sorts, and for good reason…"

Edgeworth nodded curtly. "Yes, and good to see you as well, Bikini. I know it has been a while, but I'm afraid I don't have much time to talk. Can you take me to Pearl? It's quite urgent."

Bikini blinked, then nodded furiously. "Oh, of course! Please, follow me. She's been waiting in the main temple area for you."

The snow crunched under their feet as the old nun guided Edgeworth to the large temple sanctum at the center of a few other short huts, pushing open the large wooden doors with some difficulty. Edgeworth remembered the temple from that case years back. The interior looked much the same, with the large Magatama resting over a roaring fireplace and the furniture arranged just so. A slender girl of about seventeen sat cross-legged on one of the cushy sofas in the center of the room, her sandals resting on the floor. She was dressed like any other acolyte, and except for her slim, older-looking face, not much had changed about Pearl Fey. Her hair was still looped into a peculiar heart-shaped bun on the top of her head.

She glanced up at the sound of the doors opening, noticing Edgeworth step inside. She bounced up immediately, running to the entrance.

"Oh! Mr. Edgeworth!" she shouted, flinging herself at him in a hug. Edgeworth caught her uneasily, but returned the embrace with as much warmth as he could muster.

"Pearl…good to see you," he muttered.

"I'll be going now, but let me know if you need anything!" Bikini chirped in her matronly way, and she closed the doors behind her.

"Bikini…she's so good to me," Pearl said absently, breaking away from the hug. She didn't seem to know what else to say to Edgeworth. Not that he could blame her.

"Hm," Edgeworth mumbled. Silence stretched between them, and he shifted. "Pearl, I…I don't even know where to begin."

"Let's sit down then, and I'll try to tell you what I remember," Pearl said, resolved, and gestured to the sofas. "I've learned some new information as well, from the detectives on the case."

"Good to know the police force hasn't been idling this time," grunted Edgeworth as he sat his luggage and backpack on the ground next to the sofa across from Pearl. He settled into the cushions and leaned forward, running another hand through his hair. "Though I haven't talked to anyone on the force in some time, to be perfectly honest with you…"

Pearl smiled. "Then you'd be pleased to know that Mr. Gumshoe is the head detective. He's leading the case, but he's not doing much…'field work,' I guess you would call it. Mr. Magnus is on this particular case."

"Magnus?"

"He's a new detective, not too much older than me. You'll meet him soon enough."

Edgeworth snorted. "Great, another cocky hotshot."

"Anyway…did you…" Pearl swallowed. "Did you want to know about…what happened? I wasn't in much of a state to tell you everything on the phone."

Edgeworth urged her on with a nod.

"I…I went over to Mr. Wright's office because I knew you were coming in soon, like I said," began Pearl, fiddling with the Magatama around her neck. "We were all going to gather together and celebrate when you got here. I was very early, so I wasn't surprised when no one was there, but I did find it odd that the door was unlocked. So I went inside."

"And…that's when you saw Franziska," said Edgeworth, a lump in his throat.

Pearl shook her head, eyes wide. "No…I smelled blood first. And then I saw…the trail. A blood trail. I think Ms. Franziska…I think she put up a fight before whoever killed her delivered the finishing blow." A tear streaked down her cheek, but she did not sob. "I followed the trail to the kitchen. When I saw her…I couldn't speak. It was awful. But I somehow managed to find Mr. Wright's phone on the counter, and my first instinct was to call you, Mr. Edgeworth…"

"I'm glad you did," said Edgeoworth kindly. "So the police came after you called them, then? And they took the body?"

Wiping the tear away with the sleeve of her habit, Pearl nodded and sniffed. "Yes. They…they came immediately. They took her away on a stretcher. I could still see her face as they were loading her into the car." She looked to her left, into the roaring fire.

She did not speak for a while, and Edgeworth waited until she felt comfortable enough to look up at him again.

"I don't know why Ms. Franziska arrived before me," she said. "I assume she was just getting things ready. Either way…it was a fatal decision. The killer must have come shortly before I did, and there's evidence that he left through the window."

"Hold on, you said 'he.' So you know it's a male, at least?"

Pearl winced, seemingly agitated that she had let that slip. "…I know more than that. I think I know who it is, and if I am right…I fear for all of us." She wrung her hands worriedly. "Witnesses say they saw a man leaving the complex. A tall man with long blonde hair. What's more, he was…" She stuttered. "H-he was wearing strange clothing, as well as a necklace."

Edgeworth's adrenaline kicked in. He could see where this was going, and it did not bode well. "Kristoph…Kristoph Gavin," he muttered. Pearl nodded slightly. The ex-defense attorney and brother of Klavier had recently been put to death for two murders, and Phoenix Wright and his new partner Apollo Justice had played a major part in his conviction. But if Kristoph was dead…

Edgeworth clasped his hands tightly together, bracing himself. "Pearl, I'm afraid to know the answer to this question, but I have to ask it. I find it odd that Maya, your cousin and the head of the Fey clan, is not here with us now. Do you have any idea where she is?"

Pearl squeezed her eyes shut. "No…no, I don't, Mr. Edgeworth. She said she had been called out for a channeling, and that is the last I heard of her. This was before the murder."

She looked up at him again, eyes wide. "And I…" She seemed to be holding something back, and she hesitated as she spoke. "I'd heard who she was channeling. On that hunch, I 'searched' for Kristoph Gavin before you came. He…I couldn't feel his spirit at all." She clutched her head in her hands.

"Oh, Mr. Edgeworth…we're caught up in another crisis, and Maya is once again at the center of it."

Drawing in a deep breath, Edgeworth milled over this new information quickly. "This is certainly not good, not good at all…but at least we're somewhere." He glanced purposefully at her. There were many new questions to be answered, but first he needed to clear something up.

"Just out of curiosity, who requested the channeling?"

Pearl lifted her head from her hands, her eyes moist. "Klavier Gavin."