A/N: For those of you who were wondering: yes, I do have plans to carry this over into Dual Destinies, but I intend on doing that as a sequel as opposed to just continuing this fic. After the last day of trial, I'll write an epilogue, and then start work on other fics.
June 29, 9:48 AM, District Court, Defendant's Lobby #9
"So, how's this gonna go, dude?"
Apollo rolled his eyes at Clay. "You asked that yesterday."
"The question still stands," Clay said, grinning.
"Well," Apollo said, fixing his tie, "I guess it's really all up to the prosecution. Trucy said she had some more witnesses… and if they've found the wagon and the jacket yet, who knows?"
"Hm," Clay said, "I wonder who the witnesses are?" Apollo shrugged.
"You'll see." Apollo and Clay turned around. When did Trucy get in here?
"Hi, Prosecutor Wright!" Clay said cheerfully.
"Ready to get a guilty verdict, Mr. Terran?" Trucy asked, equally as cheerfully and also without a trace of irony.
"Nope!"
"Don't worry, I've got you all figured out," Trucy said, smiling and rubbing her neck.
"Trucy, go away," Apollo said.
"Did you hurt your neck, Prosecutor Wright?" Clay asked.
"N-No," Trucy said, "actually, I spent the night at Uncle Edgeworth's house… except I fell asleep in the car on the way there. I woke up on his couch, so…"
"Yeah," Clay said, crossing his arms, "couches don't do great things to your spine, huh?"
"Nope, not really," Trucy said cheerfully, "that's why all couches should be pull-out couches."
"Yeah!" said Clay, "that way, if someone makes you sleep on the couch, you'd actually be sleeping on a bed!" Trucy and Clay started chatting happily about couches.
How do I know these people, Apollo asked himself. Did I do something really horrible in a past life?
June 29, 10:00 AM, District Court, Courtroom #9
"Court is now in session for the trial of Mr. Clay Terran," the Judge said.
"The prosecution is ready, your Honor," Trucy said, still rubbing her neck. Surely a man that frilly-looking could afford a nicer couch?
"The defense is ready, your Honor," Apollo said. The defendant, however, is not, he added privately, glancing at Clay. His enthusiasm of yesterday had diminished slightly, although he still either didn't quite grasp the gravity of the situation or else was a little too confident in Apollo's defending skills.
"Now, as I recall, court was adjourned yesterday for the purpose of finding two important pieces of evidence," the Judge said, "Miss Wright, has the prosecution been able to find either of these things?"
"Unfortunately no, your Honor," Trucy said, "although we can confirm where they aren't, anyway. However," she said, "I have officers still looking for the wagon as we speak."
"And the jacket?" Apollo said.
Trucy shrugged. "Every member of the HAT-2 team has a jacket, and the only one leftover from the original HAT-1 team has been in police custody for years. So we know who exactly has these jackets and we were able to confirm that none of the other jackets were missing. Therefore, the jacket witnessed at the crime scene did indeed belong to the defendant."
"But you still haven't found it yet?" Apollo said, pressing his forehead with his finger.
"...no," Trucy said, putting her finger to her mouth, "I know, it bugs me too - I know I've seen a GYAXA jacket somewhere that wasn't the space center lately, but I can't quite remember where... regardless," she continued, perking up again, "at this point, the only important thing about the jacket is the fact that it's currently unaccounted for. Most likely we'll find it with the wagon."
"That makes sense," the Judge said.
There's something fishy about all this, Apollo thought, that jacket is definitely more important than Trucy's letting on, and I bet she knows it. But he didn't have anything more substantial than a nagging feeling right now.
"Miss Wright," the Judge continued, "you may call your first witness."
"Of course, your Honor," Trucy said cheerfully, "this witness should clear up exactly how Mr. Dejeu was drowned." She grinned at Apollo. What was she up to? "The prosecution calls Mal Keyway to the stand!"
A feminine-looking man wearing entirely black clothing took the stand. His hair was a light bluish color and seemed to sparkle somewhat. His eyes couldn't be seen under thick, round glasses.
"Witness, name and occupation, please," Trucy said.
"My name is Mal Keyway," he said, pushing his glasses up with one finger, "I'm a freelance actor, although I also do part-time work as a barista at Space Latte."
"And tell the court your relationship with the victim," Trucy said.
Keyway nodded. "Bernie is - was - a friend of mine, since high school. In fact," he said, flipping his hair, sending sparkles everywhere, "I was with him the afternoon of the murder." The gallery broke into discussion, which the Judge silence with his mighty gavel.
He sure doesn't seem too concerned about Dejeu's death, Apollo thought, exasperated. If one of his friends was murdered, he would stop at nothing to find the killer.
"Witness, please tell the court what happened the afternoon of the murder," Trucy said.
"Well, the afternoon of the murder, Bernie and I were hanging out," Keyway said, scratching his chin, "and he got a phone call. I overheard him making plans to meet someone at the park," he said, his ears turning slightly pink, "at around 10:00, I think it was. I asked him who had called once he got off the phone, and he said it was his ex-girlfriend's current boyfriend," Keyway finished, his ears turning slightly pink again. And of course Apollo's bracelet had reacted.
Where to start with this, Apollo mused.
"Mr. Justice, your cross-examination please," the Judge was saying.
"Yes, your Honor," Apollo said, "Witness. Um, about what time did Mr. Dejeu take this call?"
"...around 6:00?" Keyway said, "Is that important?"
Apollo paused. He couldn't vouch for Clay's activity at that time, and it was unlikely that anyone else could, either. "No, it isn't." He put his finger to his forehead. "So you have no way to actually prove that it was the defendant on the phone with the victim?"
"Bernie said he was on the phone with his ex-girlfriend's current boyfriend," Keyway said stubbornly. Squeeze, squeeze, squeeze went the bracelet. Okay, he's definitely lying, Apollo thought, but why?
"Hold it!" Apollo said, slamming his fists on his desk, "were those Mr. Dejeu's exact words?!"
"Uh..." Keyway said, scratching his chin, "I... think so...?"
"In that case, how do you know 'ex-girlfriend's current boyfriend' refers to my client?" Apollo demanded, "or, for that matter, that 'ex-girlfriend' even refers to Ms. Zuvan?!"
"We looked into Mr. Dejeu's background," Trucy interrupted, "the only other girl he's ever dated has not been in a relationship with anybody for several years."
"Oh," Apollo said. Loser, he thought. Time to approach this from a different angle... but what? Wait a minute, the jacket wasn't the only fishy thing here... "So, this testimony supports the version of events that the defendant summoned Mr. Dejeu to the park, where he drugged him and drowned him in the river?"
"It would seem so, yes," Trucy said, bouncing.
"Objection!" Apollo yelled.
"Indoor voice, Mr. Justice," the Judge said.
"S-Sorry, your Honor, but something about that version of events just doesn't make sense," Apollo said, adopting his thinking pose, "let's say for argument's sake that Mr. Terran was the real killer. In that case, removing the wagon from the park would be a logical action, assuming he was trying to misdirect the investigation. However," Apollo said, slamming his fists on the bench again, "that would only make sense because the wagon is currently unaccounted for. Why, then, would he take the Zolpidem bottle back to his own apartment?!" he yelled, pointing at Trucy, "especially since you implied yesterday that Mr. Terran was not aware of his fingerprints on the bottle!"
"Why, that's right!" the Judge said, "if the victim were killed in the park, then the defendant would certainly have left the superiffics there!" The Judge nodded. "In fact, if he had put the bottle on the victim's person, then it would even look like a suicide! His actions make no sense!"
"And since Mr. Dejeu was drowned in the river at People Park, according to the eyewitness," Apollo said, crossing his arms confidently, "Mr. Terran clearly can't be the killer. This witness is lying!"
The crowd broke out into discussion. Trucy bounced on the balls of her feet while she waited for the Judge to settle the gallery down, chipper as ever. Apollo was unnerved. Hadn't he just blown a huge hole in her case? Why was she so calm?
"That is true," Trucy said once order had been restored, "assuming that the crime scene is, in fact, People Park."
"What?" the Judge said, "You mean to say that it isn't?"
"Nope!" Trucy said gleefully, "At least, not according to the updated autopsy report!"
"Wh... WHAAAAAAAAAT?!" Apollo screamed. The gallery broke out into conversation again.
"Order! Order!" the Judge commanded, banging his gavel. "Miss Wright! Explain yourself!"
"Certainly," Trucy said, adjusting the brim of her hat, smiling dazzlingly, "we ran some more tests on the composition of the water found in Mr. Dejeu's lungs. It doesn't match the river water from People Park at all... in fact, it's bathwater."
"Bathwater?" Apollo said, stunned.
"Meaning," Trucy continued, "that what Mr. Dromeda saw was not the moment of the murder, but rather when Mr. Terran dumped the body. Mr. Dejeu was actually drowned in the bathtub in Mr. Terran's apartment!"
"What?!" Apollo shouted, "OBJECTION! There's no way-"
"Mr. Justice, what time did you get home the night of the murder?" Trucy said, putting her arms behind her back.
"W-Well," Apollo said, putting his finger to his forehead, "I, er, got home at around midnight that night… however! When Clay called me to let me know that he wouldn't be at the apartment when I got home, there was no one with him!"
"Can you prove that?" Trucy said.
"I didn't hear anyone else!" Apollo said.
"That's not proof, Mr. Justice," the Judge said.
"Therefore," Trucy said, clearing her throat, "the Zolpidem being found in the defendant's apartment is hardly a contradiction. If anything, it just serves to make Mr. Terran even more suspicious!"
Apollo recoiled, his hair drooping into his face. This wasn't going well. "Wait a minute," Apollo said, picking himself back up, "that would still mean that the witness is lying! If the crime scene was the killer's bathtub, why would the victim be summoned to the park?"
"I, uh," Keyway said, his glasses cracking, "well, I suppose I… must have misheard Bernie…?"
"There's no way you can mishear 'apartment' for 'park'!" Apollo shouted.
"I-Isn't the defendant's apartment close to a park? One that surrounds a lake?" Keyway said nervously, "no, wait, I'm thinking of someone else… the defendant's apartment is right around the corner from People Park, right?"
"Your excuses are getting flimsier and flimsier," Apollo said, "and where the victim was summoned to… that's not the only thing you're lying about!"
"What else is he lying about?" Trucy said.
"Who was on the phone with Mr. Dejeu the afternoon of the murder," Apollo said, crossing his arms, "and at both points in your testimony, witness, your ears turned slightly pink, like you were blushing… embarrassed about something, I'd say."
"Something embarrassing…" Trucy said, putting her finger to her mouth, thinking, "Mr. Keyway. Are you being blackmailed into changing your testimony?"
"N-Nothing like that," Keyway said, his glasses cracking a little more, "I'm just… uh… could the defense please stop staring at me like that…?"
"Witness," Trucy said, also staring at Keyway very intently, "this is a court of law. Lying under oath will not be tolerated."
"F-F-Fine," Keyway said before his glasses crumbled into little bits entirely, "yes… I am being asked to change my testimony by someone else… but I can't tell you who!"
"Witness!" the Judge said, "We do not treat perjury very lightly here!" You don't? thought Apollo.
"I. Can't. Tell. You," Keyway said through gritted teeth, "I… I plead the fifth!"
"What?" Trucy said, "Witness, you are aware that the fifth amendment only applies to self-incrimination, right?"
"Being coerced into changing your testimony is not incriminating, since we already know that you did change your testimony!" Apollo shouted.
"Oh," Keyway said, "well, h-how do you know it isn't? As long as I refuse to talk about it, my reason for lying very well could be incriminating somehow!"
"The witness has a point," the Judge said, "as such, he is now dismissed from the stand."
Shouldn't you be arresting him for perjury right about now? Apollo thought, exasperated.
"Now what?" said the Judge.
"…does the defense have any theories as to who exactly has been tampering with Mr. Keyway's testimony?" Trucy asked.
"Hmm," Apollo said, poking his forehead, "the real killer, obviously! But as for who that is… I can't say." He had no evidence... yet. "However, the defense believes that there is some testimony that we need to revisit."
"And whose testimony would this be?" the Judge said.
"Badriyyah Zuvan's, your Honor," Apollo said, "we've already had one witness clearly lie about the defendant calling the victim, which ought to cast some doubt on the testimony of a witness who stated the same thing."
The Judge nodded. "Miss Wright-"
"I knew this would happen," Trucy said, "however, Ms. Zuvan is currently not prepared as a witness."
"Do you need a short recess?" the Judge said, raising his gavel. Trucy shook her head.
"I actually have a witness prepared who can corroborate Ms. Zuvan's claims," she said, "the prosecution calls Magel Laniklowd to the stand!"
Laniklowd was an unusually tall, extremely buff man in a star-spangled muscle shirt and way-too-short shorts. Does this courtroom not have some sort of dress code? Apollo thought.
"Witness, name and occupation," Trucy said.
"Magel Laniklowd," the witness said, "used car dealer."
"Please tell the court what you saw four months ago," Trucy said.
Laniklowd nodded. "I'm a friend of Bernie's," he began, "so I know about his relationship with Badriyyah. He, ah, never really got over her when she dumped him for Terran. He'd always call her and beg her to take him back... I suppose Badriyyah could've felt as though she were being harassed." And here's where Apollo's bracelet started tightening: "About four months ago, Bernie and I were at a bar when Terran suddenly stormed in. He was yelling at Bernie, 'Leave my girlfriend alone!', that sort of thing. They got into a fistfight and, um, Bernie lost pretty badly, so after that he was pretty scared of Terran, I think. He would always talk about how he was worried that Terran would come after him... so he never called Badriyyah again."
I wonder if this testimony is just one gigantic lie, Apollo thought, for one thing, Clay's pretty pacifistic... although I can't use his personality as evidence. Then again, he doubted Laniklowd knew the true nature of the relationship between Badriyyah and Dejeu, so the real question was how much of his own testimony he believed.
"Mr. Justice, your cross-examination, please," the Judge said.
Apollo nodded. "Witness," he said, "my client isn't the type to get into bar fights. Can you prove that what you say actually happened?"
"Well, love can do crazy things to a guy's head," Laniklowd said defensively, "and how am I supposed to prove a bar fight happened?"
"Did you call any authorities?" Apollo said, "For instance, an ambulance for any injuries sustained by either party, or the police to detain Mr. Terran for assault?"
"...y-yes, of course I did!" Laniklowd said.
"Objection! The defendant has no criminal record!" Apollo said, "If you called the police like you say, why was he never charged with assault?!"
"Objection!" Trucy said, "The witness is misremembering things. There are no reports of any bar fights four months ago. You're thinking of a different incident, aren't you, Mr. Laniklowd?"
"Oh," Laniklowd said, sweating, "yeah, I guess I am. We didn't call 911, since Bernie's injuries weren't very severe. We just used a first aid kit."
"Hold it! The only injuries reported in the autopsy report were sustained around the time of death," Apollo said, "there's no evidence he was actually injured four months ago."
Trucy wagged her finger at him. "Polly- er, Mr. Justice, pay attention! The witness just said that the victim's injuries weren't very severe. Of course they'd be completely healed in four months!"
"W-Well," Apollo said, "um... there are other ways that we could verify that this alleged bar fight happened in the first place! Has the prosecution been able to locate any other witnesses to corroborate Mr. Laniklowd's story?"
"No," Trucy said, "we were informed that the bar was empty at the time of the altercation."
"What about the bartender?" the Judge said.
"He was... in the back room at the time," Laniklowd said.
"Shouldn't he have heard something?" Apollo said, "Witness, you stated that the defendant was shouting." Laniklowd shrugged.
"The defense is grasping at straws, your Honor," Trucy said.
"Hey!"
"Mr. Justice," the Judge said, "can you prove that the bartender must have heard the shouting?"
"Perhaps the bartender was hard of hearing," Trucy said.
"I think the back room might have been soundproofed," Laniklowd said, scratching his ear.
"I... witness, can you give us the name of the bar this supposedly happened at?" Apollo said, exasperated.
"I don't remember," Laniklowd said promptly.
"Objection!" Apollo shouted, "the witness' memory is faulty! This is inadmissible as testimony!"
"Do details like the name of the bar really matter?" Trucy said.
"Y-... Yes! Of course they do!" Apollo protested, "Um..." he frowned. How am I supposed to prove that this never happened? "Well, witness, can you at least tell us the exact date that this happened on?!"
"I don't remember," Laniklowd said again. Apollo felt very much like banging his head on the desk.
"Your Honor!" Apollo said, pointing desperately, "the witness' story is completely unverifiable! This is inadmissible as testimony!"
"Hmm..." the Judge said, closing his eyes in thought, "well, what are we supposed to do with the witness in that case?"
"...dismiss him?" Trucy said, grinning. Inadmissible or not, she probably knew that she had already convinced the Judge.
"Hold it!" Apollo said, "there's something else I'd like the witness to tell the court about."
"And what would that be?" the Judge said.
"I think we should hear about the relationship between Ms. Zuvan and the victim," Apollo said, putting his finger to his forehead.
"Wouldn't that only serve to further establish the defendant's motive?" Trucy said, putting her finger next to her mouth.
"I... no, there's something else there," Apollo said.
"Your Honor, the prosecution has no objections to this line of questioning," Trucy said.
"Very well," the Judge said, "witness. Please tell the court about the relationship between Ms. Zuvan and Mr. Dejeu."
"Um... well," Laniklowd said, "when I say Badriyyah dumped Bernie for Terran, I mean just that - she literally said the reason why she was leaving him was so that she could date Terran. Bernie was really upset about it. He talked about her all the time, and he called her a lot. I'd say it was harassment - he was always talking about meeting her someplace or coming by her house, and he still called her by those really cutesy girlfriend nicknames. It was almost like he wasn't aware that they had broken up... it was really sad."
"Hmm," said the Judge, "well, Mr. Justice?"
"Your Honor, do you recall yesterday when Ms. Zuvan stated that the victim was 'harassing' her and that she was 'a little scared of' him?" Apollo said, reading off of the transcript of Badriyyah's testimony.
"Yes," the Judge said, "and it's very clear from this testimony that she wasn't exaggerating."
"In that case, one thing has become very clear," Apollo said, crossing his arms confidently.
"And what would that be?" Trucy said.
"My client isn't the only one with a motive."
The gallery broke into discussion. "Order! Order!" the Judge yelled, banging his gavel, "Mr. Justice. Do you intend to indict Ms. Zuvan?"
"No," Apollo said. Not yet, anyway. "However, if we assume that Keyway's testimony was partially true, then we can't deny that Ms. Zuvan is a potential suspect."
"What do you mean by 'partially true'?" Trucy said.
"If he wasn't lying about the fact that Mr. Dejeu had, in fact, been summoned someplace by the killer," Apollo said, "then it would actually make Ms. Zuvan more suspicious than Mr. Terran, because Mr. Dejeu would be much more likely to accept an invitation from her than from him."
"I see," said the Judge, "what is your opinion on this, Miss Wright?"
"Well, it's clear already that at this time, it's impossible to declare a verdict," Trucy said, adopting her 'thinking' pose, "because as of yet, the wagon and the jacket still haven't been found. And the defense is correct in that Ms. Zuvan is another potential suspect... I think we need more time to investigate, your Honor."
"Very well," the Judge said, "the defense and the prosecution obviously both need to look into this further... therefore, until tomorrow, this court is adjourned."
June 29, 2:37 PM, Detention Center
"No turning back now," Clay said cheerfully.
"You seem awfully chipper," Apollo said, "considering your girlfriend is now officially considered a murder suspect."
Clay's smile faltered a bit. "I really wish it didn't have to be like this," he said, "but it is. I can't date a murderer, man!"
"…so you're saying she's not your girlfriend anymore?" Apollo said.
"Dude. Don't get any ideas."
"I was - never mind," Apollo said, "so, do you have any idea who the heck Keyway and Laniklowd were?"
"No clue, dude," Clay said, "except that they said they were both friends of Dejeu's."
"I wonder why they're lying, then," Apollo said, "they're obviously trying to frame you... but why would they do that if they don't know you?"
"Hmm," Clay said, "wait. Remember how Laniklowd called me 'Terran' but called Badri by her first name? What if they know Badri and they're covering for her?"
"Come to think of it," Apollo said, "that is true. And when Keyway got confused about where we live, he mentioned a park around a lake..."
"Gourd Lake?" Clay said.
Apollo nodded. "That's where Badriyyah lives."
"Maybe she's the one who's blackmailing Keyway!" Clay said.
"Yeah," Apollo said, "she's clearly trying to cover all her bases here." He sighed. "I really hope we're right about the wagon being decisive evidence against her, because other than that, we have nothing but speculation."
"Unless you could get Keyway to testify against her!" Clay said, standing up excitedly, "All you need to do is find out what she's blackmailing him with..."
"Easier said than done," Apollo said, "but I'll see if I can talk to him. Somehow."
"...maybe talk to Badri, too," Clay said, "she's smart, but maybe you could trip her up somehow."
"Definitely easier said than done," Apollo said.
"You can do it, man!" Clay said, putting one palm against the glass, "you need to. Launch is in eighteen months!"
"I know, I know," Apollo said, adjusting his tie, "I'll try." He re-crossed his arms, steeling himself. "Well, Keyway and Badriyyah better get ready, because here comes Justice!"
June 29, 3:45 PM, Run Down Inn
They had been perfectly upfront with Zuvan about how she was, technically speaking, a suspect now. However, it was not considered a necessary step to actually detain Zuvan. At this time, at least. Mostly because she was perfectly willing to let the police search her apartment.
Which had, of course, turned up nothing.
Speaking of Zuvan, Ema didn't like her at all and wished that they could have detained her. Something about her rubbed her the wrong way. Was it her wannabe-silky voice? The way she dressed in a skin-tight sweater even though it was almost July? Maybe it was just the certain smugness she had about her - like she knew something Ema didn't.
Try me, Ema kept thinking, just try me. Sooner or later Zuvan would give her an excuse to punch her in the face. And if Zuvan sued, Ema could could just get Apollo to defend her, right?
"I can't believe Apollo would accuse me," Zuvan was saying, "I just can't. What kind of defense is that?"
"He was just making a point," Trucy replied, bouncing (Ema was 99% sure that Trucy didn't like Zuvan much either, although Trucy was, embarrassingly enough, much more professional about all this than Ema was, even though it wasn't like she was usually the model of professionalism or anything), "Terran isn't the only one with a motive."
"Okay, motive maybe, I'll grant you that," Zuvan said, putting her hand against her chest and grimacing, "but does that mean I killed him? No. Why are you even bothering searching around here?"
"It's good to have a perfect investigation," Trucy said, "and that means investigation from all angles."
"Even the unlikely ones?" Zuvan snapped.
"Yep!" Trucy said, completely undaunted by Zuvan's belligerence.
Ema frowned. Zuvan did have a point. Except for a motive (and the fact that Ema didn't like her, which wasn't exactly an uncommon trait), Zuvan just wasn't very suspicious - that's why she hadn't been detained in the first place, after all. So it made sense that there wasn't really anything material tying her to the crime - the closest thing to evidence against Zuvan was the fact that she owned several models similar to the one found in Dejeu's pocket, except that they had already run handwriting analysis on the name on that. It was undoubtably Terran's model.
Fortunately (or maybe unfortunately, it was hard to tell), Apollo arrived on his bike. "Hey Ema, Trucy," he said, then coughed slightly before continuing, "Badriyyah."
"Mr. Justice," Zuvan said icily.
"It's just a misdirection tactic," Trucy said cheerfully.
"And I suppose you think I'm the one who was tampering with certain testimonies, too," Zuvan said.
"How do you know any testimonies were tampered with?" Ema said, raising an eyebrow.
"...I was in the gallery," Zuvan said, looking at Ema with distaste, "I saw the whole trial." Apollo frowned at her.
"Apollo, you talk to her," Ema grumbled.
Apollo gave her a look that plainly read Why do I always have to do your work for you, then turned to Zuvan. "Badriyyah, I-"
"Stop," Zuvan said, holding her hand up rudely, "Mr. Justice. I understand why you accused me, but, quite frankly, you're insane. And I can't believe you did that!" She put her hand on her hip, glaring at Apollo fiercely. Apollo looked uncomfortable. "How dare you. And I can't imagine Clay's happy with you either, accusing his girlfriend of all people-"
"Clay told me everything," Apollo blurted out.
There was a long silence.
"...Mr. Justice," Zuvan said, frowning, "we need to talk." She glanced towards Ema and Trucy dismissively. "Privately."
Apollo looked suspiciously at her for a while, then nodded. Zuvan swung around and stalked off towards the lake. After a quick, slightly confused glance at Ema, Apollo followed.
"I wonder what Terran told Polly?" Trucy said, putting her finger to her mouth.
Ema shrugged. "I doubt Apollo even considered for a second that Terran was lying to cover for himself," she said.
"Ema," Trucy said, looking at Ema with her piercing 'serious' stare, "do you remember seeing Zuvan in the gallery today?"
Ema played with her hair, thinking. She wasn't sure. "Do you want me to go check the admission tickets?"
Trucy put her hands behind her back, then smiled again. "Nah. I'll go check. You keep searching the area - something might come up."
"Yeah," Ema said, "maybe." Actually, she was wondering what Zuvan was talking with Apollo about. Even if Terran was lying, Zuvan had certainly had an interesting reaction to hearing that Apollo had been told "everything".
Meanwhile, with Apollo
Apollo had never really appreciated what a beautiful bit of scenery Gourd Lake was, mainly because up until now he had never had a reason to focus on it. The reason now being: he still didn't want to look at Badriyyah too long - although now it was more the fact that he was beginning to see who she really was, not her lack of availability.
"Apollo," Badriyyah said, her voice much softer than it was before, but it still had a slightly menacing lilt to it, "tell me, what exactly do you mean by 'everything'?"
"I mean," Apollo said, still looking determinedly over the lake, "Clay told me everything." He chanced a look at Badriyyah. If he focused, he could see a bead of sweat beginning to break at her temple.
"Everything is just a word," she said, frowning, "I asked what you meant by it. Tell me."
"Tell you?" Apollo said, narrowing his eyes, "fine. Clay told me about how you were cheating on him with Dejeu-" There was no mistaking the shock in her eyes, although her expression remained carefully aloof. "-and how you were the one who asked him to be at the park at the time of the murder-" Apollo stiffened. He suddenly remembered something Clay had said off-hand yesterday. "-and how he left his GYAXA jacket at your apartment!" Badriyyah took a step back, her hand pressing against her chest and her expression angry. Apollo took an even larger step forward. "And I'm willing to bet you're the one who tampered with Keyway's testimony - and Laniklowd's too, I bet!"
"You can't prove that," Badriyyah hissed, "you can't prove anything."
"No, I can't," Apollo said, taking another step forward - Badriyyah didn't step back like he expected, but he didn't want to back away - "not yet, anyway."
Badriyyah glared at him for a minute, then her lips pressed together tightly. "How dare you," she said through clenched teeth, "how. Dare. You. Targeting me like this - you don't have proof now. You never will." Her hand suddenly shot out and grabbed Apollo's arm.
The thought Wow her skin is really soft crossed Apollo's mind, but he pushed it aside quickly. He had to keep pressing her. "I know you did it," he said loudly, although Badriyyah was the only one around to hear him, "so the proof must exist."
"That's what you'd like to think, isn't it?" Badriyyah said, then let out a short, wild laugh and threw herself up against Apollo, wrapping her arms tightly around him, pinning his arms to his sides in the process. Oh, Apollo thought - nothing more, because it was suddenly very hard to think. The already-hot afternoon was beginning to get even hotter.
"I - I know I'm right," Apollo said, struggling half-heartedly, "w-w-we'll find it. You'll pay f-for what you did to Dejeu - and for framing C-Clay...!"
"Ha ha, of course I will," Badriyyah said, putting her face uncomfortably close to Apollo's, "well, if that's what you want to believe, Apollo... good luck proving anything." She laughed again, madly, but softer now - for some reason Apollo thought of wildlife documentaries, and the growl the predators made before killing their prey.
"S-Stop touching me," Apollo said, wanting desperately to move but feeling oddly paralyzed.
"Do you still think I was the one who changed Keyway's and Laniklowd's testimonies?" Badriyyah murmured, her hands beginning to creep downward - I need an adult, Apollo thought, I need a different adult - "...would you like to see how I did that, Apoooollo?" she said, drawing out his name like she was playing with it in her mouth, "come on. Forget about 'finding the real killer' - get Clay free and your job's over. Just let it go..."
Her lips were drawing closer and closer to Apollo's - by now her hands were in a place that legally qualified as sexual harassment - Apollo was starting to find it hard to breathe normally - and suddenly a fist came flying out of nowhere and hit Badriyyah square in the jaw.
"What do you think you're doing?!" a familiar detective yelled as Badriyyah hit the ground with a loud thud.
"E-Ema," Apollo gasped, still unable to tear his wide eyes off of Badriyyah. He sunk to his knees, and then he caught it - a quick glance towards the lake...
"And what do you think you're doing?!" Ema demanded of Apollo, "she's your client's girlfriend!"
"Ema, the lake!" Apollo yelled, grabbing her arm and pulling himself up, "you need to dredge the lake!"
"I need to - what?" Ema said, yanking her arm back, bewildered but still angry.
"No!" Badriyyah yelled suddenly, sitting up and wincing, "D-Detective Skye, that's unnecessary-"
"Can it," Ema snapped, holding up her fist threateningly, "there's more where that came from, you skank."
"Ema!" Apollo said reproachfully, then shook his head, "ignore her, Ema, you need to call and get someone to search the lake-"
"What?" Ema said, still glaring distractedly at Badriyyah, "what about the lake?"
"Badriyyah- the evidence-" Apollo said, gesturing frantically, "it's in the lake! The evidence we need to indict Badriyyah!"
"I..." Ema said, looking at Apollo, "the evidence?" She clapped a hand to the side of her face. "Oh! The evidence! Yes, I'll-" she looked at Badriyyah again. "I knew we couldn't trust you," she hissed, then whipped out her phone.
"You don't have anything on me," Badriyyah hissed back, then stood up, brushed herself off indignantly, and stalked off.
"Yet," Ema said irritably, putting her phone back in her pocket and pulling out a bag of Snackoos instead, "Apollo... what is it between you and her?"
"N-Nothing," Apollo said quickly, "she just... attacked me." He pushed his hair back, embarrassed. "Why does it matter to you, anyway?"
Ema glared at him for a minute (Apollo noticed that her cheeks were slightly pinker than usual - was that just the heat?), then turned away. "It doesn't," she said firmly.
"You punched her."
"I've been looking for an excuse," Ema said flippantly, then turned back to Apollo, frowning, "and I should've punched you, too - stealing your client's girlfriend like that is a total scumbag move, Apollo." She threw a Snackoo at him. Ka-tonk!
"I told you," Apollo said, exasperated and still not feeling any less humiliated, "she came onto me."
"You should've punched her." Apollo stared at her. Had no one ever told her that men weren't supposed to hit women? "Anyway," Ema said in a huff, "pity she didn't fight back. Now that would give me a good reason to arrest her."
"Why do you hate Badriyyah so much?" Apollo said.
Ema only coughed awkwardly in response, then said, "The dredging equipment should be here soon. I'll go keep an eye on the suspect. You stay put." She stalked off in the same direction Badriyyah did. Apollo stared after her for a second, then sat down on a nearby bench. Probably not a good idea to disobey Ema...
Fifteen minutes later, Ema reappeared, followed by Trucy, who was carrying a fishing pole. "Budget cuts," Ema said in response to Apollo's raised eyebrow.
"Daddy said there was a boat rental shop somewhere around here," Trucy said.
"...didn't the owner get arrested?" Apollo said, recalling one of Wright's earliest cases.
Trucy shrugged. "Maybe the boats are still there."
Ema and Apollo followed Trucy to the other side of the lake, where there was an abandoned shack that Apollo had never really noticed before. Sure enough, there were some old boats scattered in the grass around it. The motley trio spent a few minutes poking around (with Apollo nearly getting bit by a snake) before Trucy found a boat that didn't have a hole in it.
"Okay, Polly," she said cheerfully, "get this into the water!"
"Can't you just use magic or something," Apollo said irritably, but started tugging it towards the lake. "Is this even legal?"
"Don't worry," Ema said, adjusting her glasses and being otherwise useless, "we're law enforcement."
That doesn't make it legal, Apollo thought as he finally managed to get the boat into the water at the expense of his socks, shoes, and pants below the knee. Trucy and Ema immediately climbed into the boat. "Okay, Polly, push us off!" Trucy said, pointing out over the lake.
"Hold it! I'm coming with you!" Apollo yelled, giving the boat a hard shove and then scrambling in himself.
"Apollo, you're going to tip the boat!" Ema cried, putting her hands on either side of it.
"He can row," Trucy said, pulling a large paddle out of her magic panties (I give up, thought Apollo) and throwing it to him.
"H-Hey," Apollo said, his hair drooping.
"Let's find that evidence," Trucy said in a sing-song voice, ignoring Apollo, then cast the fishing line out over the lake.
"Do you think we'll find the wagon?" Ema said.
"I bet," Apollo said.
"Did Terran have the opportunity to dump the wagon in the lake all the way over here?" Ema said thoughtfully.
"No," Apollo said at the same time Trucy said, "Yes."
"Oh, by the way, Ema," Trucy said, "I had them run a check on the gallery admission tickets for today - she didn't have one herself, although I guess we can't discount her using someone else's ticket. But the bailiff says he would've remembered her," she added, frowning thoughtfully.
"I knew she was lying about being the gallery," Apollo said, "she admitted to me that she was the one tampering with Keyway's testimony. And Laniklowd's, too!"
"Can you prove that?" Trucy said dismissively.
"Well, no, but-"
"And we can't technically prove that was lying about being the gallery, either," Ema said sourly.
"You certainly arrested Clay on less than that," Apollo snapped.
"Look," Ema sighed, "have a little faith in the police force. If the evidence we found didn't point to him, we would have released him." She looked at Apollo smugly. "Most of the evidence still points to him."
Apollo glared at her.
"Hey, hey, I got something!" Trucy yelled excitedly, yanking on the fishing pole, "I got something!"
"Don't break the fishing pole!" Ema said, snatching it from Trucy, "Detective Gumshoe would be-" Ema and Trucy hit the floor of the boat as large air bubbles suddenly began surfacing where the line was. "We got it!" Trucy jumped up, ignoring the fact that the boat was now rocking wildly, pulled her gloves off with her teeth, and plunged her hands into the water. Ema shoved the fishing pole into Apollo's hands then began helping Trucy pull whatever they had just found out of the lake.
It was the wagon.
"Oh," Trucy said, startled.
"Is that... the wagon that Dromeda saw?" Ema said.
"Well, it's certainly big enough to carry a body," Apollo said.
Trucy pointed at a dark patch on the handle of the wagon. "Is that rust?"
"Maybe," said Apollo, "it's probably been in the lake a few days."
"If it's rusted from being the lake for a few days, it shouldn't look like that. Maybe this wagon is unrelated after all?" Ema said, then frowned suddenly. She leaned over (the boat was tilting dangerously now) and closely inspected the bed of the wagon. "There's some hair stuck here."
"Send it to the lab as soon as we get back to shore," Trucy said promptly.
"Wait, what's the dark spot, then?" Apollo said.
"One way to find out," Ema said gleefully, pulling out her luminol testing fluid and handing both Apollo and Trucy pairs of glasses, before putting her own over her eyes.
"It's been in the lake for a few days," Apollo said skeptically, "it's still wet."
"All that means is that we won't really be able to uncover fingerprints," Ema said, spraying the luminol on the handle of the wagon. Sure enough, it was blood.
"...but the victim wasn't bleeding," Trucy said, bewildered, "I mean, I guess the scrapes on his body could have been bleeding, but not that much."
"And it's on the handle," Ema said, playing with her hair.
"That's got to be the killer's blood," Apollo said, "there must have been a struggle of some sort. I guess Dejeu was winning."
"And then he passed out," Trucy said, "...Terran wasn't injured when we brought him in, was he?"
"I don't think so," Ema said, then glanced at Apollo, "but Zuvan doesn't appear to be injured either, does she?"
"Not that I saw," Apollo admitted.
"We'll run some tests on this blood," Trucy said, "there's no point to wondering where it came from until we find out whose it is."
"Assuming that the hair in the wagon bed belongs to Dejeu, anyway," Ema said, "right now, this is just a wagon."
Right now, Apollo repeated in his mind, tomorrow, that will be just the case-breaking evidence I'm looking for. Everything was starting to come together...
A/N: For the record, Magel Laniklowd's name is a pun on "Magellanic Cloud". Hans Dromeda and Mal Keyway's names should be obvious - yep! All three of the witnesses are named after galaxies! Meanwhile, Badriyyah means "moon" and Zuvan means "stars", I think. I can't find my source anymore.
Bernie Dejeu was named after the victim of the fictional murder case that my French teacher challenged the class with last semester. I was the only one to catch the real killer! Anyway, most of the mechanics of this case (for instance, the drowning and the relationships between victim and suspects) have to do with my conclusions in the pretend murder-mystery, so I felt it was appropriate.