Earthcub12 Presents

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney ~ Courtroom Champions

-August 22, 2:17 PM-
-District Court-
-Courtroom No. 4-

"Now then," the Judge continued, "give us your testimony. And I should not need to remind that this is, indeed, your final testimony."

Oliver laughed manically. "Yes! Yes, of course, Your Honor! Shall we begin!?"

-WITNESS TESTIMONY-

"THIS JOURNAL OF MINE DOES NOT MAKE ME THE KILLER!"

"MY ONLY INTENTION WAS TO SHOW IT TO RICHARD MANN SO HE COULD SEE VAUGHAN'S TRUE COLORS."

"AND AS FOR ME ENTERING THE CRIME SCENE?"

"IT WAS ONLY TO CHECK UP ON RICHARD MANN."

"AFTER A BRIEF INVESTIGATION OF MY OWN, THE POLICE SHOWED UP."

"THAT IS ALL I KNOW! OR DO YOU NEED MORE INFORMATION!?"

The Judge shook his head. "No thank you, Mr. Stone. No further testimony needed."

Stone laughed. "Of course! I strive to make everything I say and do flawless!"

The Judge slammed his gavel. "Mr. Wright, proceed with your cross-examination."

-CROSS-EXAMINATION—

"THIS JOURNAL OF MINE DOES NOT MAKE ME THE KILLER!"

"Hold it!" Blurted Phoenix Wright. "Let me ask you something…"

"Objection!" Mr. Stone shouted back. "No! Let me ask you something! When did you think it was okay to be peeping around in other people's business!?"

"He's got you there, Mr. Wright." The Judge supported. "After all, an invasion of privacy is something I will not allow."

"Objection! But when a murder case occurs, you'd be surprised how snoopy a person would get!" Phoenix argued. "Besides, if you have nothing to hide, Mr. Stone, why be so defensive?"

"Why, you little-!" Stone growled. Stone stepped back and took a deep breath. "That journal you have is my personal life! Love stories. Goals. Poems. Every precious thing in my life is in there!"

(Never thought I'd picture this guy writing poems…)

Stone continued, "I demand it back now!"

Phoenix just shook his head. "Once the trial is over, Stone. I promise."

Stone growled again. "You attorneys are all the same! Doing oh so many dirty tactics to get the answers you want!"

The Judge slammed his gavel and said, "Gentlemen! Please! We have a lady in here with us."

Athena hunched over the desk in front of her. "Thanks for your consideration, Your Honor."

"Anyway," The Judge went on, "continue your testimony."

"MY ONLY INTENTION WAS TO SHOW IT TO RICHARD MANN SO HE COULD SEE VAUGHAN'S TRUE COLORS."

"Hold it! So you deny these claims on blackmail?"

"Yes!" Stone answered. "What a childish, far-fetched theory!"

"Well why not just tell Richard about Steven? Why write it all down?"

"So I can express verbatim how much of an unprofessional worker Mr. Vaughan is! What an idiotic question coming from an idiotic man in an idiotic suit! Unbelievable!"

"Irrelevant!" Phoenix debated, though he is working up quite a sweat. "Can you prove it was not blackmail?"

"Great question. I can't. But here is a greater question, Mr. Wright: can you prove it was blackmail? Well?"

"Um… well, I can't prove it right now, but…"

"If Richard Mann was here today, I'm sure he could back up my claim. Unfortunately, Steven took his life. And I will not forgive him for that."

The Judge shook his head. "How unfortunate. We are all moved by your words."

Phoenix stared at Stone. (This guy is playing everyone here like a puppet. I need to demolish his testimony before it escalates further.)

"AND AS FOR ME ENTERING THE CRIME SCENE?"

"Hold it!" Pressed Mr. Wright, "Why would you go back to the crime scene? What else was there to find?"

"Well, if you'll let me finish, I'll tell you!" Stone argued, gritting his teeth.

"That brings up another question, Mr. Stone. What about the security camera feed?"

"Pardon?" Stone questioned.

Phoenix held up a sheet of paper and showed it to Stone. "Remember? The security camera right outside the room did not capture you."

Stone chuckled. "I told you. The storm shortened the power. Or is this when you bring in your idiotic 'alternate passage' theory? The theory you have no basis on?"

"The police are there right now searching for the alternate entryway. We will have an answer very shortly."

Stone grunted. "Unless they crack open your skull and look deep into your imagination, they won't find any 'secret door' or whatever you wish to call it. Trust me. Everything you have said at this point is nothing but conjecture."

(Come on, Phoenix. Don't let this all just be one of your infamous bluffs!)

"Anyway, as I was saying. I entered the crime scene soon after dealing with Steven."

"IT WAS ONLY TO CHECK UP ON RICHARD MANN."

"Hold it! And? What did you find?"

"Nothing but a corpse. Does that answer your question?"

"Okay, well… anything new? At all?"

Stone shook his head. "Nothing. It makes no sense to me why any sane person would kill such a great man."

(That's a good question, Stone. Care to answer?)

"I did not tamper with anything in the crime scene. Let me just tell you all that right now."

"AFTER A BRIEF INVESTIGATION OF MY OWN, THE POLICE SHOWED UP."

"Hold it!" Interrupted Phoenix. "You investigated the crime scene?"

"Of course." Answered Mr. Stone. "What else was I supposed to do? A friend was murdered, after all. I took it upon myself to find the answers myself. Why did Mr. Vaughan kill him? What did he leave in the crime scene? All very important, you know."

"I see." The Judge commented. "Mr. Stone, continue your cross-examination."

"THAT IS ALL I KNOW. OR DO YOU NEED MORE INFORMATION!?"

"Hold it!" Again shouted the attorney. "I think I'll take you up on your kind offer."

"Very well." Stone said. "What would you like to know?"

(Hmm… I should think about this.) Phoenix thought to himself. (Should I ask about…?)

WHAT DID YOU FIND IN THE CRIME SCENE?

WHEN DID YOU CALL THE POLICE?

WHAT WAS STEVEN DOING?

(Maybe I should ask him about when he called the police?)

"When you discovered the crime scene, when exactly did you contact the police?"

"By the time I found the crime scene and by the time I put Steven to sleep, I quickly used my cell phone to call the police so I can tell them the crime. I also alerted them that I'll be… bringing cargo the police station. Might I also add I was the only one to call the police in the first place."

(So he called the police after he caught Steven, is that it? I wonder…)

"Well, Mr. Wright?" The Judge questioned. "Is this statement relevant?"

Phoenix nodded. "Yes, Your Honor. It's very relevant. I wish it to be added to the witness' testimony!"

"Very well. Mr. Stone, please update your testimony accordingly."

"Yes, Your Honor! Anything you say!" Said Mr. Stone with optimism.

"I WAS THE ONLY PERSON TO EVER CALL THE POLICE AFTER WITNESSING THE MURDER."

"Hold it!" Phoenix pressed. "Are you absolutely certain?"

Stone just laughed. "Of course! I would have been told otherwise!" Stone tapped his head with his finger. "Use your head, Wright."

(Stone must be mistaken. He thinks he's the only one to call the police. Little does he know, that a witness – somebody who I thought was just a waste of time up to this point – beat him to it.)

Athena said to Phoenix, "Stone is losing it now. Just a few more shoves and I think we'll nail him."

"Stone is hard as a rock. It'll take some time to crack him." Added Wright. "But I'm close! I know we are!"

"I WAS THE ONLY PERSON TO EVER CALL THE POLICE AFTER WITNESSING THE MURDER."

"Objection!"

Phoenix held his left arm, pointing at the witness. After a second, he said, "It's over, Stone. Your lies, your manipulations. It's coming to an end."

Stone began to vigorously sweat. "E-explain!"

"You said you were the only one to call the police. But we all know that just isn't true." Phoenix explained to him. "Tell me something, Stone. When did you arrive at the trial yesterday?"

"What is the meaning of this!?" Stone demanded.

"Oliver Stone. When did you arrive at the trial just yesterday?"

Stone reluctantly answered, "I… I showed up until the very end. I walked right into the courthouse and heard some kind of explosion. His Honor began to dismiss the court, then I finally walked right in. Why?"

Phoenix just smiled at the anxious mall security guard. "Oliver Stone, take a look at this person." Phoenix then proceeded to present Rosie Flower's profile. "In yesterday's trial, this witness, Rosie Flowers, said she and somebody else were the first to call the police. And that was shortly after the murder occurred. You know where I'm getting at?"

Stone hunched over, a terrified look on his face. "No… impossible!"

"By the time you entered the crime scene, brought Steven out, called the police, bring Steven to the police station… the police would have already been there!"

"There… must be some kind of mistake!"

The Judge slammed his gavel after the gallery broke into social hour. "ORDER! I SAID, ORDER! Mr. Stone! That certainly is an interesting gap in time. Care to explain?"

Stone, violently patting his hand with his baton, said, "Th-that is interesting! I-I'm a little puzzled myself, actually! Heh, heh…"

(I can see it in his eyes. Stone is about to break. It's over…)

"Hold it!" Stone shouted. Suddenly, the man broke into insane laughter. "Good one, lawyer! Really! But that can be easily explained! You see, I made an honest error! What I meant to say was that I was the first person to call the police!"

"Is that so?" Phoenix asked.

"Yes! Certainly! You see, there is a door just ahead of the door I entered from. That doorway leads to the exit. It's about two minutes faster than the other doorway. I just took the faster route! That's how I managed to get to the police first!"

After a brief pause, Phoenix just shook his head. "You don't expect me to buy that either, do you, Stone?"

Stone growled as the Judge said to the attorney, "W-why is that hard to believe, Wright? Seems possible to me!"

"Unfortunately, Your Honor, it just isn't. Would you like me to explain?"

"Why, I would love to hear this!" The Judge relied excitedly.

"…So would I." Stone grumbled.

"This evidence proves why it's impossible for Stone to take the door opposite of the door he entered through! Take that!" Phoenix presented Rosie's crime photo to the court.

"What the hell is this…?" Stone demanded to know.

Phoenix answered, "This is a photo that Rosie presented to the court yesterday. But of course you wouldn't know that, would you?"

"Mr. Wright," The Judge said, "why show this evidence to us?"

"Can't you tell, Your Honor?" Phoenix asked. "Yesterday, the witness Rosie Flowers said that as soon as she took the picture, Oliver Stone arrested Steven. If Mr. Stone were to go to where Rosie was at this point…"

"Then he would have ran right into her!" Athena finished. "But, as we all know, that just never happened. They would have both mentioned about that if that was the case!"

"No… nobody told me all this!" Stone screamed, accidentally smacking himself with his own baton.

"Oh!" The Judge yelled. "Of course!"

Suddenly, a man ran into the courtroom. A bailiff. "Y-Your Honor! The police have torn the walls down in the crime scene!"

(Wow… I was only being exaggerative, but I'm glad they did it, I suppose.) Phoenix regained himself, slammed his hands on the surface, and yelled to the bailiff, "Well!? Did they find anything!?"

"The investigators… they found a stairwell. A hidden stairwell behind Mann's desk that leads to a hidden section inside the custodians office!"

(Jeez… Richard Mann must have been a paranoid person.)

"I… I…" Stone tried to say through his teeth, but instead came out a distorted grunt. "Erk… Gnnnngh…. GNNNNNNGGHHH!"

(What timing…)

Phoenix nodded. "Well, Stone? That proves it. This proves you used an alternate, secret passage to enter and exit the scene of the crime, ergo avoiding view of the security cameras! Anything you have to say for yourself?"

Stone's head was ducked down. It sounded as if he was crying. His body, shaking, started to slowly rise. Then, to everyone's surprise, he got right back up and began laughing hysterically. "You think you won, Wright!? You think you'll catch me so easily!? You still haven't proven anything!"

(I've proven how utterly insane you are…)

"All you talk about is that friggin' door, that friggin' girl, and that friggin' hidden door! Why don't you present some actual evidence!? Like a murder weapon, per se!?"

"M-murder weapon?" Phoenix stuttered. (Crap! I totally forgot about that!)

Stone continued laughing. "Well, go ahead! Show us this murder weapon! And it ain't the crowbar, that's for sure! So you gotta try harder than that!"

Phoenix leaned closer in, staring at Stone. (I'm so close… but I don't have anything on me that could possible count as a murder weapon…)

The Judge shook his head. "Mr. Wright. The court demands evidence right at this moment. If you don't have anything, I will end this trial instantly."

Stone chuckled. "Go ahead, then, Mr. Attorney! Make my day!"

Phoenix had to think. Phoenix shut out the world around and thought. (Maybe the evidence I need isn't in the Court Record. I just have to think about this. Time to turn this whole case around!)

The Judge slammed his gavel once again. "I will ask you again, Mr. Wright. Do you have any evidence with you right now?"

After a short pause, Phoenix shook his head. "I don't, Your Honor. I have no evidence with me right now."

"PHOENIX!" Athena cried. "W-what are you doing!? Y-you're just gonna let him win!?"

Stone smiled, continuously tossing his baton in the air and catching it. "Well? There you have it, Your Honor. Just another waste of time. Every courthouse will be hearing about this, Wright. You will never work another case again in your life."

Phoenix just gave Stone a blank stare. Just then, Phoenix stood straight up and gave a confident smile. "I may not have evidence, Mr. Stone. But I think I know where it is."

"What…!?" Stone gasped. "Y-you're bluffing again!"

Phoenix shook his head in disagreement. "No, Stone. Somewhere, the murder weapon is somewhere as we speak. And you know it." Stone just growled at the lawyer's confidence.

"M-Mr. Wright!" The Judge said. "Where is this murder weapon you speak of?"

IN THE CRIME SCENE.
IN THE COURTROOM.
AT THE POLICE STATION.

"Your Honor… the murder weapon is in this very courtroom!"

"WHAT!?" The Judge shouted.

"NNNOOOOOO!" Stone screamed, jumping back, accidentally smacking his face with his baton again.

"Mr. Stone… may you pass me your baton, please?" Phoenix asked politely.

"What!? W-why would you…?"

"The crowbar was but a faux weapon you planted to throw us off and pin the blame on Steven. That is the only explanation. So, Mr. Stone, we kindly ask that we borrow your baton for DNA testing."

"NO! NO, YOU CAN'T! YOU WON'T! THIS IS MINE! MY PERSONAL ITEM! HANDS OFF!"

"Objection!" Phoenix yelled. "If you have nothing to hide, then you won't mind if we take a little look, will you!?"

"Mr. Wright!" The Judge called. "Do you really believe that man's club… to be the murder weapon!?"

"I do." Nodded Phoenix. "Remember: Richard Mann was killed by a blunt object. If the crowbar is not the weapon, what would be the second-best choice for a weapon? Something… convenient, maybe?"

"Oh-ho!" Said His Honor with excitement. "I see!" He turned to Stone. "Mr. Stone. Please present your baton as evidence. That is an order."

"No… no, I won't let you!"

All of a sudden, Stone grabbed the baton with both his hands and shoved it down his own mouth.

"WHAT THE HECK!?" Screamed everyone at once. Stone pushed the baton down his own throat. Then, he pulled his hands out and swallowed the evidence.

(He… he swallowed the evidence whole…!)

Stone hunched over. "I said… you can't have it…"

The Judge stared at Stone with awe. "Never in my entire career have I ever seen something so insane… Mr. Stone, what are you thinking!?"

"You… don't have a murder weapon… Wright." Stone dizzily taunted. "Better… come up with… something else…"

"I… I can't even believe it…" Phoenix whispered in shock.

"Mr. Wright…" Athena said. "I think I'm gonna puke."

Stone started to breathe heavily. "Your Honor… your verdict… please…"

The Judge sat there, his eyes closed. Shortly, he sat up and said, "Without a murder weapon, we have no telling who the real culprit is. And as far as I am concerned, Steven is the one true culprit."

(No… i-it can't end like this!)

Stone sighed, "Your Honor… I don't feel so well. May I… May I leave?"

The Judge nodded. "Yes, Witness. You may go. I hope the digestion isn't too painful."

"Objection!" Phoenix shouted. "Your Honor! Please! Give me a minute!"

The Judge replied by shaking his head. "No, Wright. It's over. I will give a verdict immediately." As he said that, Phoenix broke into a cold sweat. The Judge continued, "We may not have all the answers we want, but I will say I can confidently pass down a verdict with no hesitation. May the defendant please take the stand? Mr. Stone, you are hereby dismissed."

"Ugh…" Stone groaned. "Finally…!" Stone stood straight up and smiled. "Come on, everyone! The mall is having a half-off sale today! My treat! I'm sure Richard Mann wouldn't mind. Everyone is invited… except the defense and their client, that is!" His maniacal laughing echoed through the court.

"Come on, Phoenix!" Athena urged. "Snap out of it! You have to do something! Use that big, bluffing brain of yours to save the day!"

"I… I can't Athena! I don't have anything!" Phoenix admitted. "It doesn't matter. No matter what I show him, it comes back to slap me in the face! It's over. We did what we could."

Athena looked at Phoenix and smiled. "A…Athena? Why are you smiling?"

"Because the worst of times is when lawyers must force their biggest smiles."

Phoenix's heart dropped. "Athena…"

"Don't tell me you don't know what to do. Come on, you got out of worse situations than this. Just think outside the box. Do a little BRAINSTORMING!"

"…Thanks, Athena. I guess I just needed that extra morale."

(I have nothing. That crooked officer's baton was the only way to end this for good. But I need to find a way to turn things around now! A little brainstorming should do the trick! C'mon, Phoenix! Think!)

Phoenix shut his eyes and ignored everything around him. Just him and his thoughts.

BRAINSTORM

(I'm in a bit of a sticky situation here. Time to brainstorm! Oliver Stone thinks that just because he removed that piece of evidence for good, he's safe. Or so he thinks. I need to find a way for him to cough up a confession. But how? What could be the best way?)

PRESENT EVIDENCE

(I gotta have some evidence… right? No… no, that won't work. I have nothing. Gotta think of something else…)

NEW TESTIMONY

(How about a testimony? Maybe he'll say something new…? No, no, His Honor wouldn't even think about allowing that. Have to think about something else.)

GOOD OL' FASHIONED BLUFF

(When things are going rough… just bluff. Yeah, let's do that. Just catch Stone's bluff. That'll work!)

(Okay… let's go for a good ol' fashioned bluff. But that's easier said than done. I have to have something to catch his bluff. What should I do?)

ASK TO GET COFFEE SOMETIME

(Maybe I should ask him to discuss all this over a cup of coffee? No, come on, Phoenix, get serious. No time for joking around!)

PRESENT FAULTY MURDER WEAPON

(This is risky, but I wonder if I could trick him into thinking I have a different murder weapon? Worth a shot. Not like I have much else to lose.)

TRICK HIM INTO REVEALING HIS CRIMINAL PAST

(Maybe I don't have to get him to confess to murder. Maybe if I expose him with his 'contacts' he'll cough it up? Hmm… I don't have any evidence proving that and Stone wouldn't confess that for the world. Gotta think of something else…)

(This could risk my badge, but I might present a fake murder weapon to him. That oughtta scare him. But how should I go with that? What would make a murder weapon?)

BATON

(…This could work. Oliver was so terrified of the baton that he actually ate it. If I could convince him he had the wrong one… yes… that might do it!)

CROWBAR

(I could trick him with that crowbar! Wait, the police has it. And it's already been confirmed as irrelevant to the current case. Gotta think deeper.)

GUN

(Wonder if I could fool him with a gun? No, no, no, that won't work. Remember, cause of death was from a blunt object. Think, Phoenix, think!)

(The baton is my only hope! I just need to figure out how I'm going to transition to a baton. Where could I find a baton?)

RICHARD MANN

(There might be some kind of a baton with Richard… no, that's unlikely. They moved the body by now, that's irrelevant. There has to be someone else!)

STEVEN VAUGHAN

(Steven is a security guard… who owns a baton! Yes! That'll do it for sure!

THE JUDGE

(Maybe the Judge has one! …Yeah, maybe in fantasy land. Gotta think of something more realistic.)

TRICK STONE WITH A GOOD OL' FASHIONED BLUFF BY PRESENTING A FAULTY MURDER WEAPON; THAT WOULD BE THE BATON OWNED BY STEVEN VAUGHAN.

(This is it! Has to be! This'll knock that hot-headed guard down a peg or two! Get ready, Stone!)

Phoenix opened his eyes and noticed that Stone is still at the witness stand. The witness chuckled. "Well, if everyone is done here, I'll be on my way."

"Hold it!"

Stone stopped and glared angrily at a smiling, confident Phoenix Wright. "Mr. Stone. I think there may have been some miscommunication between us."

"What do you mean?" Stone growled.

"I didn't want your baton to see if it was a murder weapon! I just wanted to compare it with another."

"With… another?" Stone slowly repeated.

"There are two possibilities here. First, it's possible that you could have swapped the baton with Steven's. That is highly possible."

"Bah!" Stone grunted. "More like highly impossible!"

Phoenix continued, "Or… or you could have simply misplaced the batons altogether. Isn't that true?"

Stone lit up. "No… I wouldn't do that. That's… that's not possible."

Phoenix rubbed his chin. "I don't know, Stone. I think your age is starting to get to you." Stone jumped at that comment. "Well, Mr. Stone? You won't mind if we investigate Steven's baton, do you? Think of it like this: you have a 50/50 chance here. Either nothing will show up and you'll get away scott-free. However… the other possibility is that they do find your prints on it. What will you say? Destroying that evidence has already kind of hurt your reputation, wouldn't you agree?"

"I… I got nothing to say to you. You're bluffing!" Sweat began to profusely drip from his pale skin.

"Are you a betting man, Stone?" Phoenix pressed. "Because I'll bet it's all over. What do you say?"

Stone was clearly anxious. Will he take the bait? Will he refuse the offer? Instead, Stone just stood up and laughed. "Phoenix Wright! I'm onto your little bluff!" Phoenix lit up.

(Wait… what!?)

"You won't find anything on his baton, I can promise you that! Each guard here is assigned their own, personal club. No two are alike! Mine was with me at all times! Steven had his very own! No way could I have touched it! Do you see now, fool?"

Phoenix could just stare at Stone.

"You understand!? I had my baton all along! You won't find anything on me, nor will you find anything on Mr. Vaughan's!"

Phoenix was silent. Finally, he said, "That's interesting you say that, Stone. You say that no two batons are alike, and that Steven's baton is clean as a whistle. But what about yours?"

Stone was confused. "Pardon me?"

"Answer me one question, please: how many guards are working at the mall right now?"

"I don't understand the question… it just recently opened, so right now it's just Vaughan and I."

"If that's true… then two batons would have existed at the time. Do you see where I'm getting at?"

Stone thought about this. He tried to process this. "If it was just Vaughan and I… there would have been… two… and his was… clean… and… OH!" Stone's normally pale skin suddenly turned red.

Phoenix nodded. "Mr. Stone. You can stop there, please."

"Mr. Wright!" The Judge called out. "I don't get it! Please help an elderly man out here!"

"Let me phrase this as carefully and delicately as I can." Phoenix answered. "The batons are the best plausible weapons right now, I think we can all agree on that. Now, note that two of these mall's batons existed in the world. Stone himself said Steven's is crystal-clean. But as for the baton he… digested in such a hurry…"

The Judge went blank. Then, his face blew up. "WAIT A GOSH-DARN MINUTE!"

The attorney nodded and smiled. "You heard it himself, Your Honor. Stone just indirectly confessed his crimes. With that said… the defense rests."

"Objection!" Stone shouted. "I… I know what you're trying to do… it won't work! It's simple… I…! I…!"

"Objection!" Phoenix retorted. "That's enough, Stone! Your entire act has crumbled to pieces! It's over! So face it!" Phoenix lifted up his arm and stretched it out, his index finger pointing at the true murderer. "You killed Richard Mann, didn't you!?"

Stone was silent. All of a sudden, he let out a roar and smashed the witness stand in one strong swoop. The stand crumbled to pieces.

"No! Not the stand again!" The Judge cried.

"I WILL NOT ALLOW THIS!"

Stone began picking up pieces from the stand and started to toss the debris at the defense team and the Judge. "OH MY!" The Judge screamed, hiding under his desk just as a chunk of debris hit his seat. The defense screamed and ducked under their desk, nearly dodging debris. Stone tossed a chunk of debris in the air and resumed picking up pieces from the ground. "THIS IS RIGGED! I WILL ANNIHILATE YOU ALL! I WILL ANNIHILATE YOU LIKE I ANNIHILATED THAT GREEDY MALL OWNER! I SWEAR ON IT!"

Suddenly, the chunk of debris he tossed up earlier came crashing on his head. Stone froze in place, his arms outstretched in front of him, and his tongue caught between his teeth. Phoenix and Athena pulled themselves up from under their cover and watched Stone. The debris cracked into two pieces and fell down. A large bruise stretched from Stone's head. The prideful security guard finally fell back with a loud crash.

Several moments passed before everyone recollected themselves. The Judge cleared his throat. "Ahem. Mr. Wright. How is the… rather animated witness?"

"He is currently being questioned by police, Your Honor." Phoenix answered. "Apparently the debris that hit his head did give him some… trauma. Specifically, long-term memory loss."

"Memory loss…?" The Judge replied. "I just got word from the police that Mr. Stone did indeed say he remembers committing some murder in the past week or so. I think that's about all we need. Also, the police decided to do a proper background check on Mr. Stone. He has had quite the dark history. Blackmail, extortion, smuggling. Apparently, he was never a prosecutor in the first place."

(Not a prosecutor, huh? Scare tactics… nice.)

"The police intend to question him in full, memory loss or not. They will also perform surgery on Stone so we can properly investigate the baton, or the plausible murder weapon if you will."

"…Your Honor?"

Everyone gazed up at Mr. Vaughan at the destroyed witness stand. "You say… memory loss? D… does that mean that my family…?"

Phoenix nodded. "Yes, Steven. Your family is safe."

Steven could only smile. "Oh… th-thank goodness!" Tears rolled down his cheeks.

"Now then!" The Judge echoed. "This case has seen plenty of… twists and turns. Mr. Wright, you never cease to amaze me. You cease to annoy me, but you do amaze."

Phoenix blushed and grabbed his head. "Ha! Don't mention it, Your Honor!" (I think…?)

"The court can now confidently cast down a verdict. The court hereby declares Mr. Steven Vaughan…"

NOT GUILTY

Confetti poured throughout the courtroom as the gallery cheered. Steven continued to smile while Phoenix and Athena embraced their victory. Shortly, the confetti and applause stopped. "Court is now dismissed!" Announced the Judge. With one bang of the gavel, the trial ended for good.

EVIDENCE OVERVIEW:

-Attorney Badge

-Victim's Autopsy Report

-Crime Photo

-Security Camera Feed

-Rosie Flowers Business Card

-Street Diagram

-Witness Crime Photo