A/N: I'm starting to feel like a lot of my character's get hit in the head…

…Is that a bad thing…?

…

Chapter Four – The Body

Ema

August 4

Don't follow him? Don't follow him!? What the hell does he mean, don't follow him!? I thought after I chased after Apollo. He quickly vanished, though, having a head start on me, due to my shock, and how fast he was running, almost as though for his life.

Once I lost sight of him, I had to resort to asking around, which took even longer.

Finally though, I stood in front of the Haunted House.

Guess he's in there. Why? I thought.

Screaming, one voice, suddenly erupted from the building. My vagus nerve jumped into high gear, although for a totally different reason then earlier.

From the entrance of the house, a sixteen year old boy, dressed like it was Halloween, came running. I caught his shoulders, pulling my badge from my bag.

"Dr. Ema Skye, Criminal Affairs," I told him. "What's going one?"

"Th-th-there's a… a dead…" he stammered, and I realized the bleach white look to his face had nothing to do with costume makeup.

"Take a deep breath," I instructed, and he did so. "Now, tell me as calmly as you can. What happened?"

"I-I was cl-cleaning and… and… Oh, Ms. Sokurblad!" he wailed. "She's dead! I saw her body, and it was bloody, and there was no pulse!"

"Okay, okay, calm down," I told him. "Do you have a cell phone?"

"Y-yes?"

"Good. Stay out here and call 911. I'm going to go investigate. Where was Ms… Sokurblad's? body?"

"Th-the mirror hall," he mumbled. I nodded, turning and running into the Haunted House, quickly finding the mirror hall.

It was a gruesome sight. I walked over, careful to not step in any blood, and pulled out a notebook, taking notes.

'Victim: Caucasian Female. About 31-32 years old.'

I knelt next to her. She was laying in a pool of her own blood.

'Stab wound. Right side of back.'

I noticed blood around her mouth.

'Coughed up blood. Punctured lung?'

I investigated more, taking notes along the way, when I noticed a dull, gold glint in Ms. Sokurblad's right hand. I stepped back and took plenty of pictures with my phone, before kneeling next to her hand again.

Pulling on a pair of gloves, I carefully turned her wrist.

What I found there made me gasp.

Apollo's bracelet.

What!?

"Dr. Skye! There you are!" an enthusiastic voice boomed. I carefully turned the wrist back over, so it was in the exact position I found the body in, then stood, turning to face the officers who just walking it, with Detective Klu Hunter leading them.

Hunter was a tall, young man, having just been promoted less then a year ago to detective. He had short blond hair, dark green eyes, and his stance just exuded confidence.

He was young, idealistic, and enthusiastic about justice.

He was annoying.

"Detective," I said with a small nod.

"What did you find so far?" he asked. I opened my notebook again, reading off my notes to him, while one of the Forensic Officers moved around the body with white tape, outlining where she was found.

"Detective!" he said excitedly. Hunter and I both turned to see him holding up the bracelet, and my heart sank. "This was found in her right hand," the officer said.

"Good job, officer! No doubt it belongs to the Perp!" Hunter said excitedly. He then looked around at the rest of his officers. "I want two people to stay here with me and Dr. Skye and investigate the crime scene! You," he pointed to a different officer, "go lock down the park! The rest of you, search this Haunted House! We don't know if the Perp is still in the house or the park, but we will contain them!" he ordered.

"Yes sir!"

"The killer is most likely still in the Haunted House," one of the officers said. "Her body is still warm, and the blood hasn't dried yet."

"Good, good," Hunter said, turning back to investigate. I sighed, turning to the body as well.

Apollo, where are you? What happened?

I knelt down next to the woman's left hand, and stopped.

"Detective. She left a message," I said. Hunter immediately came over.

"'Red'. What in the blazes could that mean?" Hunter mused. I bit the inside of my lip, getting an idea, and not liking it one bit. About fifteen minutes later, footsteps thundered down the hall, catching all of our attention.

One of the officers charged with searching the Haunted House skidded around the corner, his eyes bright with excitement.

"We found him! We found the killer!"

"Are you sure?" I demanded. The man nodded.

"Positive. He's unconscious, but he's covered in blood, and we didn't see any injuries on him. This way!"

"Stay here!" Hunter told the officers investigating the body as we followed the other officer. He lead us through the maze of a house before stopping next to a door that said 'Authorized Personal Only'.

He pushed open the door, and I gasped.

Half hidden behind boxes…

…was Apollo. There was blood splattered across his chest and face, and he was unconscious.

"No, this is wrong. He's not the killer," I said, turning to Hunter. He raised an eyebrow at me.

"What are you talking about, Dr. Skye? He's hiding somewhere he doesn't belong, covered in blood that's not his own, and he's wearing red, like the victim's message states!"

"Plus he's missing his bracelet," a different officer said, pointing to Apollo's left wrist. "Isn't the one we found the same one he's always wearing?"

I clenched my teeth, angry.

What the hell were you doing, Apollo? I demanded silently.

"I still don't think it's him," I snapped, turning on my heel and marching back to the body, determined to find evidence to clear Apollo's name.

Unfortunately, everything was stacked against him.

After about an hour of searching and finding nothing, my phone began to ring. I pulled it out and answered.

"Hello?" I asked, cradling it between my ear and shoulder as I searched for fingerprints.

"Dr. Skye? This is Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth," the voice on the other line said, and my breath caught in my throat.

Mr. Edgeworth! I thought in a star struck way. Mr. Edgeworth was my idol, smooth and calm collected, with wit and quick logic.

"Hello, Mr. Edgeworth. Can I help you?"

"Yes. I'd like to see you in my office. ASAP," he said, before hanging up. I let my phone drop into my hand and looked at it in confusion.

…

"What do you mean, I'm suspended from the force!?" I demanded, slamming my hands down on Mr. Edgeworth's desk. The Chief Prosecutor just watched me calmly.

"You have too personal a connection to this case, which is clouding your judgment and not allowing you to see the facts properly," Mr. Edgeworth pointed out. "Detective Hunter says they've found definitive proof against Mr. Justice, yet you refuse to believe he's the killer. As a Forensic Scientist, you are in a position where you could tamper with that evidence."

"I would never tamper—"

"I know this, Dr. Skye. But as we are still only a few years shy of the Dark Age of the Law, it is a policy that must be enforced," Mr. Edgeworth cut me off. I took a deep breath, standing.

"Why are you telling me this, sir, rather then the commissioner?"

"I volunteered." He stood from his chair, walking around his desk, and poured himself a cup of tea.

"With the case as it stands, I know of only one attorney who is willing to take this case, and who would have a chance of winning," he admitted, swirling the tea cup under his nose, appreciating the smell. "Perhaps, in the next week, you should keep yourself busy, Dr. Skye. Take up a hobby, or work with an old friend, perhaps?"

Work with an old… Wait! I realized exactly what Mr. Edgeworth was suggesting. It'd been years, but I could still do it, right?

And now that I'm suspended from the force…

"Okay, Mr. Edgeworth," I said, walking out of his office and heading straight to the one person I knew could help Apollo.

…

A/N: Oh Edgeworth, you crafty old begger you!

Time fore me to take a break!