A/N: Here comes another chapter! Only one more after this!

Fun fact; what Phoenix describes going through with his son is almost exactly why my mom went through with me when I was three years old, and broke my leg (I fell down the stairs. I didn't try to fly.) Difference is, we got to go back home (we didn't live in a remote village), and she's not a lawyer, she was working factory.

Yay inspiration?

…

Chapter Ten – Trial: Day 3

Phoenix

August 7

Apollo and I listened intently to Ema as she reported her findings to us before today's trial was scheduled to start.

I was exhausted.

Once meeting Maya, Joshua and Misty at the hospital, I had to spend four hours waiting for someone to come look at my son's leg.

Grant it, he wasn't an life-or-death emergency, but still, it was heart breaking, trying to comfort my three year-old all that time while he cried in pain. The Village nurse had wrapped it up, but still.

When the doctors finally took us back, complaining quietly amongst themselves about a car crash victim who refused treatment, it then took another two hours for them to actually do all the x-rays (which Josh was scared of; go figure), and finally get a cast and wheel-chair for him.

We didn't leave the hospital until around one in the morning, and even though we just crashed at the office, I spent all night awake, with Josh, who couldn't sleep thanks to his leg.

Today was going to be fun…

"Good work, Ema," I said with a tired smile. She nodded, and I took a deep breath, glancing at my watch. "Alright, guys. Last day." I smiled warmly at Apollo, pushing my exhaustion away. "Let's make it count."

…

"Court is now in session for the trial of Apollo Justice. Is the Prosecution ready?"

"Hmph."

The Judge looked at Blackquill for a moment before shrugging, evidently deciding to take that as a yes."

"Is the defense ready?"

"Yes, your honor. In fact, we'd like to call a witness," I said, starting out strong and trying to take control of the trial before Blackquill did.

"Oh?" the Judge asked, clearly surprised. Blackquill smirked.

"Wright-dono, is this a flight of fancy at doing the Prosecutor's job? I always thought yourself too proud as an attorney." he said.

There he goes with manipulation. He's trying to shame me into backing down. It's not going to work, though.

I smirked, planting my hands on my hips.

"I will do anything within legal means to prove my client innocent, Prosecutor Blackquill. Even if it means invoking the rarely used right of the defense to call a witness!" It was a shot at Blackquill, to show that his manipulation wasn't working on me, as well as a gentle reminder to the Judge.

"Ahem! That's right! Ah, yes, Mr. Wright. You may call your witness."

Blackquill shot me a glare that made me shiver. I pressed on anyways.

"The defense would like to call Mr. Robin Graves back to the stage!" I announced.

"SILENCE!" Blackquill snapped. Something flashed by my face, causing me to jerk back. A lock of my own hair drifted down in front of me.

"EEK!" was Ema's response, while I tried to calm my racing heart.

"We already heard all the assistant had to say the other day!" Blackquill insisted. With a scowl, I threw my arm out, pointing at the prosecutor.

"OBJECTION! That was before either investigation unveiled the information, or the evidence, we now have!" I slammed my hands down on the desk in front of me. "Mr. Robin Graves has vital information that could blow this case wide open!" I shot back.

"Hm… This court grants the defense's request."

In a few minutes, Robin Graves stood at the witness bench. His eyes were wide… almost scared looking, and he kept glancing over his shoulder at the gallery. His normally neatly hair was messy, and his black clothes looked a little rumpled.

He also wasn't wearing his glasses.

"Mr. Graves? Are you okay?" the Judge asked, taking in the twitchy way he kept rustling the papers on his clipboard.

"Hm? O-oh, um… yes."

"He's holding that arm very stiffly," Ema said softly from next to me. I glanced at her, then studied Mr. Graves again.

Sure enough, his left arm, despite holding the clipboard, looked very stiff.

"You're right. And he's scared," I replied.

"Think something happened?"

"Definitely."

Even Blackquill looked vaguely perturbed at the obvious nervousness of our witness. However, he still looked over at me.

"What will you have this witness testify about?"

"Mr. Graves," I said in what I hoped was a soothing tone. It worked on Joshua last night. "Could you please tell us about the blackmail letter Ms. Sokurblad received last week?"

Robin Graves winced like I punched him, and his already pale face went paler.

"I…" He glanced over his shoulder, so quick that I almost didn't notice it. "I know… nothing about any blackmail."

What the hell!? I thought as everyone in the gallery started muttering.

"What the hell!?" Ema hissed from beside me.

"ORDER! ORDER!" the Judge yelled, slamming his gavel. "Mr. Graves! It was you who—"

"I don't know anything about it!" he insisted, his voice cracking.

He's scared. Really scared. But of what?

"OBJECTION!" I yelled, getting everyone's attention. "The defense would like to request a fifteen minute recess!"

"Mr. Wright!?" the Judge asked.

"Please, Your Honor. Just fifteen minutes. That's all I ask."

"I… well, Mr. Blackquill? Any objections?" he asked, looking at the prosecutor. I locked eyes with Blackquill, silently pleading. Despite how annoying and scary he could be, I knew Blackquill was a man of the truth, just as I was.

He gave the slightest nod.

"None, You Baldness."

"Well, okay. Court will now take a fifteen minute recess!" he slammed the gavel down once. "Not that it's even been fifteen minutes in yet," he added in a mutter. I swiftly walked around the defense bench, over to Robin Graves, and wrapped a gentle arm around him before anyone else could talk to him, leading him out. Ema and Apollo were hot on my heels.

"Mr. Graves, what's going on?" I asked in the same soothing tone from before. "What happened?"

He winced slightly. "Nothing…"

A sudden movement from my peripheral caught my attention, and I looked over to where Apollo had his hand on where his bracelet would normally sit (if it wasn't evidence). So attuned were his senses now, he didn't need it for his eyes to switch to red. He was staring intently at Graves's left shoulder.

"Mr. Graves, when you say nothing happened, the muscles in your left shoulder tense, almost as though against pain. Something happened, having to do with that shoulder of yours," Apollo perceived. There was a clatter, and I turned back to the man in question to see his eyes wide. He had dropped the clipboard, which had caused the clatter, and was gripping his left shoulder.

"What happened?" Ema asked softly. Graves closed his eyes for a moment, before slowly pulling his shirt up.

"I was… attacked last night…" he muttered, though the words were totally unnecessary. His ribs were bruised pretty badly. Despite an odd one or two, I recognized a pattern. One long bruise, crossing from his left shoulder to his right hip, and another, crossing his stomach, just above the waistband.

"Those are from a seatbelt. You were in a car crash. Were you the one who refused treatment?" I asked, looking up at him. He started in surprise.

"How…?"

"My son broke his leg, so I was in the hospital last night. While there, I overheard a few doctors talking about a 'car crash victim who refused treatment.'" I explained.

"Mr. Wright, those don't look like they're from the crash," Apollo said, pointing to a few.

"They weren't," Graves said. "I was on my way home, after calling you, Dr. Skye, when a large pick-up truck suddenly swerved into my lane and hit me head on. The driver pulled me out of the car and… attacked me… He dislocated my left shoulder and kept kicking me and told me if I ever spoke of the blackmail letter again… h-he'd find me… and kill me." His face lost all color now as he let his shirt drop back in place, and he was shaking.

"Robin," I said gently, taking the man's shoulders carefully. I turned him to face me. "Whoever did this to you won't be able to hurt you again. Who was it? What did he look like?"

"I don't know. He was wearing a mask…" Graves said softly. Everything suddenly went dark, except for myself and Mr. Graves. Chains surrounded the young man, and five, sturdy, red Psyche-locks slammed into place. Each one full of fear.

I looked down at the floor with a scowl. The recess was only fifteen minutes long, and I probably didn't even have the evidence to break them.

But the truth was painfully clear. Robin Graves knew who attacked him, but was too scared to say.

"Well, it's obvious, isn't it?" Apollo asked, prompting all three of us to look at him. "Whoever attacked and threatened Mr. Graves is the one who was doing the blackmail in the first place."

"Which would be the killer as well," Ema added. The three of us looked at Graves again. He was still pale, and shaken.

"Ema," I said, watching the man in front of me.

"Hm?"

"Once trial is over today, would it be possible to place Mr. Graves in protective custody?"

"Of course. I'll make the call now," she said, stepping away. I nodded, watching Graves's face. He looked after Ema, before looking up at me.

"If I… I'll be protected?" he asked softly. I smiled warmly.

"Yes."

He hesitated a moment longer, reached up as though to adjust his glasses, and stopped when finding them missing. He then leaned down, picking up the clip board.

"I will… I will testify…" he said softly.

…

"Is your witness willing to testify now, Mr. Wright?" the Judge asked. I nodded once.

"Yes, but only after being promised that once this trial was over, he'll go into protective custody," I replied.

"Protective custody!? Why?" the Judge demanded.

"He was attacked last night. Coerced into silence," I explained, causing another uproar. Mr. Graves looked over his shoulder, slower this time, and I managed to see who he locked eyes with.

Jacky Hyde.

"He was lying about the mask," Ema hissed.

"I know. I'm sure Apollo knows too."

The Judge finally regained order, then nodded to Mr. Graves.

"Whenever you're ready."

"Well… As Ms. Sokurblad's assistant, I am in charge of bringing her the letter from her company mailbox," Graves said in a bit stronger voice then I was expecting. I nodded once to him before clearing my throat slightly.

"Hold it! Company mailboxes?" I asked.

"In the break area of the park, there is a set of mailboxes for each of the department heads. They're used for any mail sent to the park, or memos, or stuff like that," Graves explained. I nodded.

"Continue."

"This envelope was spooky, but I thought it just fit for Ms. Ivana."

"Hold it! Spooky how?"

"Well, I've never seen a black envelope before," Graves admitted.

Really? Even with how gothic you seem?

"It was clearly addressed to her, using just her first name, Ivana. No one at the park calls her that."

"Why did it have to be someone from the park?" Blackquill demanded.

"Because there was no return address either."

"That is spooky!" the Judge gasped.

"What happened next?" I asked.

"When she opened the letter, she nearly fainted…"

"Hold it! Did you get to see this letter?" I demanded.

"I didn't find out what it said until I gave it to you, Mr. Wright, and you read it out loud. Now knowing the contents… I don't blame her. I just… don't know what she was doing wrong either…" Mr. Graves looked down at his clipboard sadly, and I realized that he had looked up to Ivana Sokurblad.

I almost didn't have the heart to tell him.

"Please, continue," the Judge said, seeming to share my thoughts.

"There is… there is only… one person… who I could think of… that would do this…" His voice started to tremble again slightly.

"Hold it! Would this be the same one who attacked you, Mr. Graves? This is vital. We need to know this," I pressed, gently, but firmly. Mr. Graves glanced behind him, into the gallery, and froze.

I followed his gaze, and gasped softly.

Jacky Hyde had originally been sitting next to the door, in the back. While Graves was giving his testimony, he must have moved seats.

Now he sat directly behind Graves, with only the low partition to separate him. On Hyde's face was a look of pure, cold fury. His scar was clearly visible.

"I-I don't know," Graves choked out. "I don't know who attacked me. I don't know who wrote that letter. I have no idea!"

"Mr. Graves! What is this all of a sudden? Need I remind you that you are under oath?" the Judge demanded. But Graves stayed clammed up. His eyes locked on mine, and I could see fear and… pleading.

"Your Honor!" I snapped, slamming my hands down. Everyone turned to me. I was doing the only thing I could think of. "The defense has one more question for the witness, then we request that he step down."

"What? But he hasn't even answered your—"

"I retract that question for one that I think my witness will be able to answer!" I said. The judge hesitated a moment longer before nodding.

"Alright. Go ahead, Mr. Wright."

"Mr. Graves," I said soothingly. He was still giving me those pleading eyes.

"Y-yes?"

"Who wears the Bad Badger suit at Gatewater Land?"

"SILENCE! What does this have to do with the murder!?" Blackquill demanded. I scowled.

"Everything!" I yelled, before turning back to Robin Graves. He looked at me a moment longer, before taking a deep breath. "Who, Mr. Graves?"

"I… um…" he took another deep breath. "M-Mr. Jacky Hyde." With those words, he darted around the witness stand and through a side door that lead to the Witness Lobby.

"What in the world?" the Judge gasped. I wasn't watching after Graves though. The instant he went through that door, one of the gallery members stood, heading for the exit himself.

"I call Mr. Jacky Hyde to the stand!"

Hyde froze

My head snapped around. I wasn't the one who said that.

Blackquill was glaring at the man, daring him to refuse.

"That would be you, if I'm not mistaken," he said.

Scary voice… I thought, looking between the prosecutor and Hyde.

"I refuse," Hyde snapped.

Blackquill started laughing, slamming the desk with his palm.

"You refuse? And, pray tell, how did you think that was a request? I simply want you to disprove what we all know the defense is going to claim." The honey tone was back in Blackquill's voice. Hyde hesitated, looking between the door, myself, Apollo, and Blackquill.

"Fine."

With this one word, he came down to the front of the courtroom and took his place at the stand, and I smirked.

I don't know what Blackquill's angle is, but he just made this case a lot easier.

"Name and occupation," Blackquill demanded once Hyde was at the stand.

"Jacky Hyde. I play the Blue Badger and the Bad Badger at Gatewater Land," he said.

"Good. Now, tell us why the killer couldn't possibly be you."

"I love Ivana. I could never kill her!" Hyde said, starting with the most cliché line in any courtroom thriller. I didn't even bother.

"And even if I wanted to, I was running around the park as the Blue Badger."

And here's the alibi.

"Hold it! Do you have anyone who could verify this?" I asked.

"Well, because I wear a mask as part of my uniform, I guess you can't verify it's me in the costume, but I'm usually the only one who wears the Blue and Bad Badger suits," he explained.

Oh really now? That's interesting…

"Finally, I have no reason to blackmail Ivana, and no idea what the defendant's cell number is. How could I?"

"Mr. Wright!" Ema hissed, and I nodded.

"OBJECTION!" I yelled, pointing at the witness. "You just said that you are the only one who wears the Bad Badger suit, right?"

"Yes?" he asked, suddenly sounding unsure of himself. I smirked.

"If that's the case, then I know exactly how you knew Mr. Justice's number." I slapped Apollo's raffle slip down on the desk in front of me. "This has the defendant's phone number on it. And it was found in the Bad Badger's suit yesterday."

"What!?"

"Not only this, but the defense has found three other pieces of evidence yesterday," I said, pulling out the latex gloves, the Bad Badger gloves, and the accounting report, laying them next to the raffle slip. "The blood on these gloves belongs to the victim, and there are matching fingerprints on all four of these."

"Whose?" Blackquill demanded. Ema decided to step up then.

"They're unknown as of the current moment. Whoever they belong to, that person is not in the LAPD database," she explained.

"Don't we get the fingerprints of everyone involved with the case?" the Judge asked.

"Yes, You Baldness." Blackquill seemed like he was finally getting the picture. And wasn't happy about it. "But it takes twenty-four hours to add them to the database, and we didn't even know of this man's existence until yesterday," he replied. I saw my chance.

"The defense moves to formally indict Mr. Jacky Hyde for the murder of Ivana Sokurblad, and demands that he submits a sample of his fingerprints to the court so that we can compare them!" I said, pointing at Jacky Hyde. He bowed his head forward, his shoulder's shaking.

"Um, Mr. Hyde?" the Judge asked.

"You want my prints?" he asked, and I could hear crazed laughter in his voice. Ema and I glanced at each other.

We both knew what was coming.

Hyde's laughter became more prominent, until finally, he threw back his head, having a mental breakdown. He laughed hard, the scar on his cheek fully visible.

"I guess the truth will come out no matter what now! Yes! I blackmailed Ivana! I killed Ivana! I blackmailed that stupid attorney! I threatened Graves to shut him up!"

He suddenly froze. His eyes locked on the door leading to the witness lobby, his eyes growing cold with fury.

I knew what was about to happen.

"Stop him!" I yelled, milliseconds before Hyde threw himself around the stand and rushed towards the door. The bailiff wasn't fast enough.

Hyde threw open the door.

And met the muzzle of Detective Klu Hunter's sidearm.

"Freeze! Hands in the air!" he snapped. Hyde stepped back, only for his arms to be pinned behind his back by the bailiff, who began to read him his rights, dragging him out. I looked back a Klu Hunter, surprised by his appearance.

"What is he doing here?" I asked, before correcting myself. "Well, there…"

"I asked him to stand guard over the witness lobby, and Robin Graves," Ema said from next to me. "I had a feeling something like that would happen once we revealed Hyde."

"Wow. That was… exciting…" the Judge mumbled, his eyes wide. He then shook his head. "And informative. It seems Mr. Justice was not the killer after all… but if he did love Ms. Sokurblad, then why did he kill her?"

"I believe he felt insulted when she broke up with him. He showed signs of being very unstable," I said.

"The curse of love," Blackquill said with a smirk.

"Either way, it doesn't matter. It is now time to pass down my verdict. In the case of Apollo Justice, for the murder of Ivana Sokurblad, I find the defendant… Not Guilty!"

We filed into the Defendant Lobby. Ema was excited, and Apollo looked totally relieved.

"We won! We won! We proved your innocence!" Ema cheered, before grabbing the front of Apollo's shirt and yanking him into a kiss. His eyes were wide for a moment, but he quickly melted into it, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her back. I shook my head.

'Bout time…

The doors opened. Looking up, I saw Trucy, Athena, and Apollo's parents walk in, and smiled, knowing what was coming.

"Ap—" Thalassa started, but cut off. Athena and Trucy gave creepy, matching smirks.

"Ooo! Apollo and Ema, sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

Groan. "TRUCY! ATHENA!"

…

A/N: One more chapter!