(A/N: So once again I apologize for being inactive the past couple months. I don't need to explain why but I can tell you all that once I am done with this particular case, I will go back to working on Star Fox, Pokemon, etc. so please be patient with me! Anyway, we're almost at the final stretch here and after this chapter (this chapter will probably be a bit shorter) will be the final part of the trial and ultimately the end of this case so once again I ask you all to be patient with me. Now then, for this first part, the song I'm going to use here is "Investigation ~ Core 2013" from Phoenix Wright: Dual Destinies.)

Investigation II

Sweeney Household
May 14, 2:47 pm
Downtown

"So why are we back here then?" Trucy asked. "Haven't we found all the evidence that can be found?"

"I don't think so," Phoenix said. "Even though we have enough evidence to prove Mr. Bryan's innocence, something still isn't adding up." He then saw a familiar face by the crime scene. "Detective Marshall?"

"Mr. Wright?" The detective then smiled slightly. "I figured we'd both meet here eventually…"

"Uh, sorry about today," Phoenix replied.

"Don't worry about it," Marshall said. "I'm expected to do better as a detective so the fault is mine. But Thompson won't actually cut my salary; he knows I'm a good detective."

"If you don't mind me asking… has he always been like that?" Phoenix asked.

Marshall's face then grew serious. "Not always. He actually was a pretty nice guy when he first started off. I think he went to school out west before coming here as a prosecutor. Don't get me wrong, he was tough on the outside but on the inside he was a regular human being just like all of us. But that then changed…"

"What happened?" Phoenix asked.

"Mr. Thompson had a family," Marshall continued. "A wife and a son. He wanted his son to follow in his footsteps one day so he made sure he watched a lot of his trials… but one day Thompson was involved in a very intense trial. A big crime lord who finally slipped one day and got himself arrested. Of course, going against a guy like that spells danger for any prosecutor but Thompson wasn't the type to back down.

"Unfortunately, some of the crime lord's cronies thought the best attack was against his family. His son… was at the park with his mom when a couple of guys came up and started shooting up the place. By the time anyone could call the police it was too late. That day changed everything for Thompson and he was more determined than ever to win that case."

"That's so sad…" Trucy said.

"…I had no idea…" Phoenix said.

"The worst part is, the guy got away scott-free," Marshall said. "The scumbag deserved every punishment handed towards him but somehow his attorney found a loophole in the case. That was the final straw for Thompson. His opinion of defense attorneys changed completely and to this day he's a completely different man."

"It all makes sense now…and to be honest, it reminds me of a certain other prosecutor I know…" Phoenix thought.

"But anyway, enough about that," Marshall said. "I'm sure you're here for the same reason?"

"That's right," Phoenix said. "You said in court today you found pieces of glass near the crime scene?"

"We did," Marshall said. "In fact, we were able to figure out where it came from. The glass originated from a picture frame."

*"Picture frame… wait a minute!" Phoenix quickly pulled out the picture from the court record. "I found this picture sitting at a table yesterday."

"So you took that, huh?" Marshall said.

"You did say-"

"I know, I know," Marshall said. "Wait… that's Sweeney's wife isn't it? That's strange…"

"What is?" Trucy asked.

"From what I gathered, Sweeney cherished his wife more than anything," Marshall said. "There's no way he would have casually trashed a picture of his late wife."

"…Unless he was either in a rage or highly intoxicated," Phoenix replied.

"Or both," Marshall added. He looked over at the wall. "When the glass broke, it's possible that some of it could have landed on someone if they were in close proximity. After looking at the autopsy report, Sweeney wasn't the target."

"So Sweeney was the one who threw it," Phoenix said.

"Exactly, but the question is, who was it thrown at? Whoever it was has to be our culprit."

"Mr. Bryan didn't have any cuts on him…" Phoenix said. "What about the witness, Mr. Pierce?"

"Well, he was wearing a coat but we found no traces of glass on him."

"So we're out of suspects…" Phoenix grimaced.

"I wonder…" Marshall muttered to himself.

"Huh?"

"Oh, it's nothing," Marshall said. "I may as well go back to the precinct and try to look deeper into a motive. That may be the key to solving this."

"Do you mind if we stick around a little bit longer?" Phoenix asked.

"Help yourself," Marshall said. "I need to fill in Prosecutor Thompson about all this anyway."

"So the motive is the key?" Trucy asked once Marshall was gone.

"What we know from Mr. Bryan is that he and Mr. Sweeney both had an interest in Mrs. Sweeney," Phoenix said. "But even after her death, it would seem weird for Bryan to hold a grudge, and Mr. Sweeney himself knew that they both liked her but he wouldn't attack his closest friend."

(A/N: For this next part, the song I'm using here is "Eccentric 2007" from Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney.)

Suddenly, they heard the front door open and looked over to see Kelly Sweeney standing there in the same green sweater. "Whoa…!" Kelly said, surprised. "I was stopping by to get some of my things…but to find Phoenix Wright here… *this must be my lucky day!"

"Oh great…" "Uh…Kelly, you do realize this area is still a crime scene, right?"

"…Oh shoot you're right!" Kelly said. "I didn't even think of that… but I really need to get some of my things! Unless of course… you wouldn't mind going into my room and getting them for me?"

Phoenix couldn't tell if the somewhat amused face on her was serious or not. "I'm dreaming…I must be dreaming…" "N-No that's fine I'm sure as long as you don't disturb the crime scene!" He was kind of surprised she was wearing a sweater on a day like this though. "If it's alright though, I wanted to ask you a few questions."

"Anything for my favorite lawyer!" Kelly grinned. "Ask away!"

There were a few gaps in this case that have been nagging Phoenix for awhile now. "Just out of curiosity, how well did you know your foster mom?"

"Well, I didn't know her personal life too well, although she did tell me a few stories, like how she and my foster dad met. She told me that she knew Mr. Bryan well because they went out for a short time while still in high school. This was of course before she met Dan, who met her in college. I guess you could say she had feelings for both of them but she didn't know who to choose."

"It explains the connection…" Phoenix thought. "And after she died, was there ever any bad blood between Mr. Bryan and Mr. Sweeney?"

"Never," Kelly said. "They became close friends and Mr. Bryan even helped Dan through the coping process." She then looked down. "I was sad that she was gone too but…I never really knew her long enough to become really attached to her."

"You never really got to know your real parents so it was hard to open up to them," Trucy said. Phoenix then felt a pang of guilt, remembering how after what had been at the time his last trial as a lawyer, he found Trucy all alone and eventually took her in.

"I guess you're right," Kelly said. "Unfortunately now I'm going to end up back in the System again…but then again, it's not like I'm not already used to it."

"Just one more question Kelly," Phoenix said, who could feel as if she were ready to run off now. "You said before the time of the murder you went to a friend's house right?"

"That's right," Kelly said. "I believe it was before 10 pm."

"And between those two times you didn't come back at all?" Phoenix asked. And then suddenly it happened. Everything behind Kelly went black and chains suddenly surrounded her with a large lock right where her heart was. Of course, he and only he was seeing this because of the magatama that Maya gave him long ago, which he carried with him to this day.

"I knew it…" He didn't want to believe it, but with Bryan and Pierce's alibis adding up, who else could be a suspect?

"Nope, not at all," Kelly said. What he saw before him was proof that she was lying but did he have enough evidence to prove it? Even if he did, he decided to do nothing about it.

"That's all I needed to know," Phoenix said. "Well, I guess we're done here so you can go up and get your things."

"Okay then and Mr. Wright…?" Kelly asked. "Good luck with the trial." There was no mockery in her tone at all. It was all genuine, which further confused him.

"I know that look," Trucy said as they left the house. "She was lying wasn't she?"

"Yeah," Phoenix said. "However, we can't expose her yet, at least not until the trial. I may have an idea though…"

"I now knew we were close to the finish. Tomorrow will be the final part of the trial and we'll finally figure out the truth…but I still wonder…is Kelly Sweeney really capable of committing murder, or was it something else? I have all the pieces now and it's finally time to put them all in place…"

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