September 20th, 2029, 10:57 AM
District Court

Courtroom No. 3

Ricky walked up to the witness stand with his shovel resting on his shoulder. Once he arrived, he placed it spade down on the courtroom floor.

"Witness, please state your name and occupation." Sebastian said.

Ricky nodded. "I'm Ricky M. Belle. I'm the caretaker of Dark Meadow Cemetery."

The Judge nodded. "Yes, you were here yesterday as well."

Ricky turned to Sebastian. "So, what do ya need? I'll tell you about everything I saw if it means it'll help your case."

"Well, there happens to be a matter at hand that we could use your help with. I need you to recall everything you can about how the defendant looked all throughout your encounter with her on the night of the murder. More specifically: did she have a wallet or any other compartment to hold money in?"

Ricky placed his elbow on the handle of his shovel and placed his corresponding hand on his chin. He stood in silence for a long moment before giving his answer: "It was so dark and I only had my flashlight. I was more focused on looking at her face compared to anything else, so I'm afraid my answer is going to have to be: I don't know."

Sebastian's face drooped. "You don't know?"

Ricky shook his head. "Nope, sorry."

Sebastian's hair strand sprung back up into the form of a question mark. He frantically patted it down and paced behind his desk with his hand to his chin.

The Judge shook his head. "Is that all the prosecution wanted?"

"Erm…"

"HOLD IT!"

Ricky M. Belle swung his shovel over his shoulder and slammed it onto the witness stand. "Just because I don't know for sure doesn't mean it can't be true!"

Sebastian slammed his palm on his desk. "Exactly! Couldn't she have hid money beneath her clothing or in her shoes? Even if she didn't have pockets, there are still many places to hide some paper bills!"

"OBJECTION!"

Athena slammed her palms on her desk. "That's gross! I wouldn't accept money that people had pressed up against their legs, chest, or soles!"

"This is an assassin! Surely he would understand if his client wanted to be discreet!"

"Even if he did accept that, you have no proof that my client ever had money on her, and even if you did you have no proof that she ever gave any to Shelly de Killer or that she was even his client!"

"There's still all of the strange movements she made that night! Movements that don't make sense unless they were made so that she could get out of sight!"

The Judge banged his gavel. "Order you two! Order! We're back to hypotheticals again! We need compelling arguments backed by evidence and facts, not just the arguments by themselves!"

Sebastian straightened himself out and bowed. "I apologize, Your Honor."

The Judge shook his head. "While that goes for both the defense and the prosecution, I am mainly talking to you, Mr. Debeste."

Sebastian gritted his teeth. "I understand."

"So… Is that all you needed me for, or…" Ricky said, trailing off at the end.

"HOLD IT!"

Athena turned to the Judge. "Your Honor, I would like to hear the witness testify about his actions on the night of the crime once again!"

The Judge closed his eyes. "Hmm… and what do you believe the court could gain from hearing that?"

Athena blinked. She wasn't prepared to answer that question. Trucy picked up on this and answered for her. "We believe that hearing about all of his actions that night could shine some new light on this case."

Ricky noticeably glared at them.

The Judge considered Trucy's words. "Hmm, and what if there is nothing new?"

"Then we can be confident that the verdict you hand down is the correct one!"

Athena nodded. "If we don't explore these potential blind spots, then there may still be a significant amount of doubt left in this case."

She then turned to Trucy. "Thanks for the save."

"No problem! But don't celebrate unless the Judge agrees."

The Judge thought for a moment before finally nodding. "Alright. Witness, are you willing to testify?"

Ricky shrugged. "I suppose, but what should I testify about?"

"What did you do between when Ms. Boswick left until she came back?" Athena asked immediately.

Ricky raised an eyebrow. "I suppose I can answer, but there isn't very much to hear."

"We'll see about that."

"Witness, please begin your testimony," said the Judge.

WITNESS TESTIMONY

-Waiting Around-

"There isn't very much to say about what I did after that girl had left."

"All I did was wait until she came back."

"Hmm, not a very thorough testimony," The Judge commented.

"No kidding." Athena said under her breath.

Trucy whispered into her ear. "I'm pretty sure Daddy once cross-examined a witness who said nothing in their testimony."

"Yeah, I think I remember hearing about that."

The Judge shook his head and turned to Athena. "Regardless, you may now begin your cross-examination, Ms. Cykes."

"All I did was wait until she came back."

"HOLD IT!"

"That's… it?" Athena asked.

Ricky leaned onto the handle of his shovel. "I mean, there wasn't much to do. I couldn't leave since I was the only person left that could reliably watch the body."

"There! See!"

"What?"

"You didn't just 'wait'! You watched the body!"

"I thought that was obvious."

Sebastian sighed. "Witness, this is a court of law; if you simplify, even if warranted, lawyers will get on your case about it."

Ricky glanced at Athena. "Ah, okay. I suppose I can be more specific."

"All I did was watch the body and the young boy until she came back."

"HOLD IT!"

"So you watched the body?"

"Yeah, it was my duty after all as I was the only adult there."

"Hmm, so… seeing as you observed the body, you must remember how it looked, right?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you tell me about that?"

Ricky raised an eyebrow. "I… guess? He was lying on his side with the knife plunged into his chest."

Athena's eyes widened.

"Ms. Cykes, do you believe these statements to be important?" asked the Judge.

Athena nodded. "Yes, I'd like them added to the testimony."

"He was lying on his side with a knife plunged into his side."

"OBJECTION!"

Athena slammed her palm on the desk, but didn't speak. Silence followed.

The Judge raised an eyebrow at her expectantly. "Er… Ms. Cykes, what is your objection?"

Athena still didn't respond.

Trucy nudged her and looked into her eyes worriedly. "Athena? Aren't you going to say something?"

"There's a contradiction all right. The problem is: I have NO CLUE what it means!"

Despite her turbulent thoughts, Athena winged it and finally spoke up. "There is an issue with the witness's testimony!"

"Thanks for stating what we assumed 20 seconds ago." Sebastian said with an unamused look on his face.

"Yes– Well– The witness has just stated something that contradicts what we know about this case!"

"The fact that he said the body was on its side but every other account says it was on its back?" Sebastian suggested.

Athena paled. "Oh, you noticed."

Sebastian chuckled, "Of course I did. It sticks out more than your hair does."

"MY hair sticks out? Yours literally changes based on your emotions, no matter how much you try to hide it! …That's actually really interesting! I have to know why it does that!"

"I think you're getting distracted, Athena." Trucy pointed out.

Athena shook her head free of her scientific musings and pointed her finger at Ricky. "Yeah! There's a contradiction in your testimony, witness! What's the meaning of this?"

Ricky maintained his usual laid-back demeanor, but there was a thin sheen of sweat forming on his forehead. "An… honest mistake?"

"...An honest mistake?" Athena repeated, exasperation edging into her voice.

"Do you have an alternate explanation, Ms. Cykes?" Sebastian asked.

"Well… no… I just pointed out the contradiction…"

"Then we'll have to accept the witness's word that it was a mistake."

Athena gritted her teeth in anger. "Ugh! Should've known that wasn't enough!"

"Psst, Athena." Trucy beckoned.

"Yeah Trucy?"

"You may not think that did very much, but I can tell that Mr. Belle was unnerved by your accusation. Keep up the pressure and he may slip up and give you the opening you need!"

Athena took a deep breath. "You're right Trucy. Let's do this!"

"Witness," said the Judge. "Please amend your testimony."

"I was mistaken, I saw the victim on his back. Sorry for the confusion."

"HOLD IT!"

"I'd like to ask a question about your observations."

Reluctantly, Ricky answered: "Go ahead."

"Hmm…. What should I ask?"

After a second or two of internal debate, Athena had her question: "Tell me about what the victim was wearing."

"'What he was wearing'?"

"Yes."

Ricky used his shovel to prop up his elbow, and placed his corresponding hand over his mouth as he pondered his memory. "I mean… it was nothing special. A… plain black jacket and a pair of tan khakis."

Athena turned to Sebastian. "Is this correct?"

"Based on his angle of view on the body, those observations would be correct."

"'Based on his angle of view'? Hmm…"

"One more question, Mr. Belle." Athena said.

"Yeah?"

"What was Blake Hart wearing?"

Ricky thought for noticeably longer that time, but he eventually answered: "A black sweater with a Muse Kitchen logo on the back, with a pair of jeans."

"Muse Kitchen?"

Ricky's mood turned bittersweet. "It's a band. I would know, as a fan. That kid, his dad, and I are a couple of kindred spirits in that regard."

Athena turned to Trucy. "Have you heard of this band, Trucy?"

Trucy shook her head. "Nope; but Athena, didn't you hear anything important?"

"Huh?"

"What did Mr. Belle just say?"

"What he just said? Let me think… Hmm… Wait!"

Athena slammed her palm on the desk. "Witness! Please add your last statement to your testimony!"

Ricky was taken aback. "W-What statement?"

"The one about you, the young Mr. Hart, and the victim being fans of Musician!"

"Muse Kitchen." Trucy corrected for her.

"Yes, that."

Sebastian chuckled. "What could the witness's musical preferences have to do with the case?"

Athena glanced at Ricky, who had at this point realized his mistake, and was darting his gaze around the room, looking for an escape. Athena smirked. "His expression tells me it has everything to do with the case!"

"Well, if the defense is so certain, then witness, please add that statement to your testimony."

All of the color drained from Ricky's face.

"...The boy was wearing a black sweater with the Muse Kitchen logo on the back. …He must be a fan, just like his father and I…"

Athena barely stopped herself from laughing out loud. Ricky looked like he had just entered a den full of slumbering bears.

And they were about to wake up.

"OBJECTION!"

Ricky flinched and jerked his head in Athena's direction. "What? What is it? Have you come to steal my eyes?"

"...No, you may keep your eyes Mr. Belle. What I am about to say is something you probably already know. So are you going to fess up, or will I have to explain for you?"

Ricky tightened his grip on his shovel, but did not respond.

Athena smirked. "Fine, have it your way." She turned to Sebastian, who appeared to be completely oblivious. "Mr. Debeste, what has the witness claimed about his connection to the victim?"

Sebastian raised an eyebrow, but answered anyway. "He said that he had never met the victim before…" It only took a few seconds before A tuft of Sebastian's hair sprang straight up. He seethed as he quickly patted it down.

"What's going on?" asked the Judge. "Am I the only one who still doesn't know what's going on?"

Athena turned in his direction. "Your Honor, if the witness had never met the victim before in his life, how could he have known that he was a fan of Muse Kitchen?"

The Judge blinked. "Well, he would have to have known that through meeting him, of course… Wait"

Athena nodded. "Exactly, Your Honor. The witness does know the victim despite claiming otherwise!"

"OBJECTION!"

Sebastian slammed his fist on the table. "So? Knowing the victim hardly makes someone suspicious!"

"OBJECTION!"

Athena whipped her head to her side in surprise. It was Trucy who had spoken up. "Mr. Debeste, that sounds awfully familiar. Only I was used to it coming from Athena's mouth and not yours, and the topic was Ms. Boswick, not the witness."

Athena quickly shook off her surprise and continued Trucy's logic. "My co-counsel is correct. You wish to cast suspicion on my client for hiding the fact that she knew the victim, and I called you out on that. Now you're calling me out for doing the exact same thing!"

Sebastian gritted his teeth, but didn't say a word.

"HOLD IT!"

Ricky angrily slammed his shovel on the witness stand. "But I really don't know him! I knew he was a fan of Muse Kitchen because he was wearing the exact same sweater as his son! Just a larger size! I saw it since he was lying on his side!"

"OBJECTION!"

"Mr. Belle!" Athena exclaimed. "We already went over this! The victim was lying on his back, not his side! The only way you could have known was if you knew him!"

"Grrrhhhhh…" Ricky growled.

"OBJECTION!"

Sebastian slammed his fist on the table. He was silent for a moment before he calmly said: "So the witness knew the victim, and tried to conceal it…"

Athena nodded. "Yes, this is a fact."

Sebastian smirked and shook his head. "Is that all? My case is not only built on Ms. Boswick's suspicious knowledge of the victim, but also other abnormalities about her that night! Ms. Boswick is still more suspicious!"

Athena had to admit that he was right. She needed more. Proving the witness knew the victim wasn't enough. She needed to prove his knowledge of him was relevant to the case.

She didn't have anything off the top of her head, so she turned to Trucy. "Hey Trucy, do you have any ideas?"

Trucy tapped her chin contemplatively. "I think… you should check the court record. I was looking at it earlier and I just felt like something was off."

"Something was 'off'? I wonder what it is… and what is with Mr. Belle's insistence with the victim lying on his side?"

Athena looked through her evidence, and it didn't take long for her to feel that something was off, as Trucy had said. But she couldn't exactly see it right away."

"Maybe… I should compare the evidence? Perhaps the contradiction is between two pieces."

Athena looked back through the evidence with this new perspective, and it didn't take long for her to finally understand what was missing.

"TAKE THAT!"

Athena held up a photo for all to see. "This is a photo taken by the victim on the night of the crime. As you can see, it's him and his son."

The photo was given to the bailiff to pass around to the Judge and Sebastian. Sebastian reacted strongly when he saw it. "This is the first I'm seeing this. Where did you obtain it?"

"It was sent digitally to his sister-in-law, Lotta Hart. She showed it to me."

Sebastian crossed his arms. "I see."

"What is so important about this photo?" asked the Judge.

The photo was still in Sebastian's hands, so Athena turned to him. "Mr. Debeste, can you describe the victim in this photo?"

Sebastian raised an eyebrow and nodded. "Okay, well, he's smiling with his arm around his son. He's wearing what seems to be a black sweater. It's hard to see his whole pair of pants, because of how the photo cuts off, but I believe they are khakis. Oh! There's actually–" Sebastian suddenly stopped and turned pale. He shot the witness a death glare and continued. "...It's hard to see, but there is a gun holster on the side of his pants with a gun inside."

He took his eyes off the photo and sighed. "I know the natural next question: Did we ever find a gun on the body or at the scene? Well, the answer is no."

The gallery descended into chatters. The Judge banged his gavel. "Order! Order! Why, this is a crucial contradiction! Where could this gun have gone?"

Sebastian glanced at Athena. She was trying her hardest to hide her grin. He sighed and answered: "I believe Ms. Cykes has an answer."

"Oh I have an answer alright! Upon inspecting the caretaker's shack at the graveyard, there is a gun that can be found in one of the metal cabinets."

"I knew you snuck around in there." Ricky growled.

"We know that this shack is where Mr. Belle was on the night of the murder, and that requires a key to unlock. If the gun in that shack bears the fingerprints of the late Princeton Hart, then it would prove that the victim and the witness met on the night of the crime!"

"Grrrrrahhhhhhhh!" Ricky hollered as he gripped his shovel so hard that his fingers made indents on the wood.

Athena grinned triumphantly and turned to the Judge. "Your Honor, I'd like to request that the gun from Mr. Belle's shack be retrieved so that it can undergo fingerprint analysis! If there are prints on there that match those of the victim, it would prove that my theory is true!"

"HOLD IT!"

Ricky's voice rang out into the courtroom. He was breathing heavily while using his shovel for support. However, a few seconds later, he began to calm down more and more until he was chill again. Finally, he closed his eyes and released a chuckle. "You've got quite a good head on your shoulders Ms. Cykes! I was very confident you wouldn't find out even with the mistakes I made! Seriously, my congratulations to you!"

He tipped his hat to her and then turned to the Judge. "There is no need to perform a forensic analysis, Your Honor. I admit that the gun belongs to the victim, and that I met with him on the night of the crime."

The Judge was shocked by this revelation, but he shook himself free. "I believe another testimony is in order. Witness, please testify about your meeting with the victim."

"Understood, Your Honor."

WITNESS TESTIMONY

-Secret Meeting-

"That night, I was doing some paperwork and was getting ready to head home for the night."

"I received a knock at the door, and it was the victim: Princeton Hart."

"He told me that he wanted to hold on to something for him, which as you can imagine, was the gun."

"Eventually, I packed up and left him there at the shack. He said he wanted some time alone, and I trusted him with the keys."

"I then realized that I had forgotten something, so I went back."

"When I got back, he wasn't there anymore, but he didn't lock up the shack, so I assumed he must have forgotten to."

"I did not see his body on the way there. It was too dark."

The Judge shook his head in disappointment. "That is quite a hefty amount of information that you have kept from the court, Mr. Belle."

"He's still hiding something. All of this new information may be overwhelming, but within it there must be something that'll be the key to solving this case!"

The Judge turned to Athena. "Ms. Cykes, you may begin your cross-examination."

"I received a knock at the door, and it was the victim: Princeton Hart."

"HOLD IT!"

"How do you know the victim exactly?" Athena asked.

"We're friends, and as friends, we let each other hold onto stuff for each other when we need it."

"How did you two meet?"

"Just in public. It's not exactly a fancy story. We just saw each other one day and introduced ourselves. It's not complicated."

"Huh…"

"I guess that's all he has to say on that matter." Athena thought.

"He told me that he wanted to hold on to something for him, which as you can imagine, was the gun."

"HOLD IT!"

"The victim asked you to hold onto this gun for him? Why did he want that?"

Ricky shrugged. "Don't ask me. All he said was that he wouldn't be needing it anymore."

"That's awfully cryptic," commented Trucy.

"You're telling me," Athena responded.

"I then realized that I had forgotten something, so I went back."

"HOLD IT!"

"What had you forgotten?" Athena asked.

Ricky narrowed his eyes at her, "What I forgot is not relevant to this case," he said.

"But–"

"What I forgot is not relevant to this case!" he repeated, louder this time.

Athena deadpanned. "Guess I'll move on… Not like your denial is suspicious. Nope, not at all."

"I did not see his body on the way there. It was too dark."

"HOLD IT!"

"So you just assumed he went home then?"

"Yeah, he has a kid to take care of after all."

"Fair, but did you still find it strange that he didn't lock the shack like you asked him to?"

"Of course I did, but I wasn't about to speculate so deeply on what might have been an honest mistake."

"But… he left the keys, right?"

"I know. That threw me off a bit admittedly. I gave them to him, so if he forgot I would assume they would still be in his pocket, but nope, they weren't."

Athena narrowed her eyes. "That statement doesn't sound right. I can hear something in his heart that doesn't match what he's displaying."

"Witness, can you describe how you felt when you discovered that the victim was missing from the shack?"

Ricky raised an eyebrow. "What's the point of that?"

Athena winced and decided to feign indifference and just shrug. "Just humor me."

Ricky sighed. "Well, I was a little concerned not seeing him there, but I calmed down quickly after I thought about it."

Athena stared at him intensely. "I knew it…"

She turned to the Judge. "Your Honor, I would like to make a request."

"What request would that be?" questioned the Judge.

"I would like to perform a quick therapy session. It's hard to tell, but Mr. Belle is very shaken by experiencing the murder of his good friend. I believe it could be helpful to take a deeper look at his psyche to determine if there are some details that he's unintentionally or intentionally hiding."

The Judge closed his eyes. "Well, your therapy sessions have never steered us wrong before, so I have no objections. Prosecutor Debeste, your opinion?"

"In a moment, Your Honor." He turned to Athena. "Therapy session?"

Athena slammed her fist into her palm as she readied her explanation. "A witness's emotions are an important component of their testimony, because they tell us important facts about how they were feeling when what they're testifying about took place. This gives us a plethora of new information to work with."

"Ah, I think I heard Mr. Edgeworth once mentioned a lawyer bringing psychology into the courtroom. I assume that was you?"

Athena beamed. "Yep! That's me!"

"Welcome to the world of fame, Athena." Trucy snickered.

Athena tapped a button on Widget, which displayed a holographic screen in front of her. She quickly tapped a few buttons on it without much thought until the right app was open (doing this so often in court had made opening the program second nature for her). She checked the settings to make sure everything was in order.

"Okay Mr. Belle. Please repeat your testimony for the court."

WITNESS TESTIMONY

-Secret Meeting-

"That night, I was doing some paperwork and was getting ready to head home for the night."

(Joy: 0%, Anger: 0%, Fear/Anguish: 0%, Surprise: 0%)

"I received a knock at the door, and it was the victim: Princeton Hart."

(Joy: 60%, Anger: 0%, Fear/Anguish: 0%, Surprise: 60%)

"He told me that he wanted to hold on to something for him, which as you can imagine, was the gun."

(Joy: 40%, Anger: 0%, Fear/Anguish: 40%, Surprise: 80%)

"Eventually, I packed up and left him there at the shack. He said he wanted some time alone, and I trusted him with the keys."

(Joy: 0%, Anger: 0%, Fear/Anguish: 0%, Surprise: 0%)

"I then realized that I had forgotten something, so I went back."

(Joy: 0%, Anger: 0%, Fear/Anguish: 80%, Surprise: 60%)

"When I got back, he wasn't there anymore, but he didn't lock up the shack, so I assumed he must have forgotten to."

(Joy: 0%, Anger: 0%, Fear/Anguish: 100%, Surprise: 100%)

"I did not see his body on the way there. It was too dark."

(Joy: 0%, Anger: 0%, Fear/Anguish: 0%, Surprise: 0%)

Trucy watched as the colored icons lit up and dimmed over the course of Ricky's testimony. "There's a lot that's worth pressing in there," she pointed out.

Athena nodded. "I agree, but I need something substantial to jump off from, and I know exactly what to pick." She scrolled to a part of the testimony and hovered her finger over the blue icon representing fear and anguish.

"When I got back, he wasn't there anymore, but he didn't lock up the shack, so I assumed he must have forgotten to."

(Joy: 0%, Anger: 0%, Fear/Anguish: 100%, Surprise: 100%)

"GOT IT!"

"Mr. Belle, I'm noticing an immense amount of sorrow and surprise whenever you talk about coming back to the shack. I would expect some surprise over not seeing the victim there, but your emotions are very strong for something that small."

"So, what is your opinion, Ms. Cykes?" asked the Judge.

"I believe that the witness is lying about what he really saw in that shack!"

Ricky's grip on his shovel tightened. "Grrrr…"

Sebastian slammed his palm on his desk. "Well? Then what do you suppose he saw?"

"This is an easy one. What else but the body of Princeton Hart!"

"WHAT?" Sebastian hollered.

"Oh my!" exclaimed the Judge.

The gallery erupted into mindless chatter, forcing the Judge to bang his gavel. "Order! Order! Ms. Cykes, are you certain about this?"

"Athena, are you sure that's what it is?" Trucy asked, mirroring the Judge.

"Yes, but first I would like to hear a response from the witness, Mr. Belle!" Athena said, pointing at Ricky.

Unfortunately for her, Ricky had already regained his composure. A smug look slowly creeped up his face. "As much as I praise the youth of this generation, there is one thing they all suffer from: eagerness."

Nobody responded to him. "Eagerness can be a sign of sincerity, but it can also be a weakness, and cause us to rush things too quickly. Being too eager can put you in an early grave. You say that my strong emotions prove that I saw Princeton's body? I say that I'm an emotional person. I wasn't expecting Princeton to be gone by the time I had come back, and I was saddened by the fact that I didn't get to talk to him more. That emotion tech is fascinating stuff, I'll give you that, but you are jumping to conclusions off of an already faulty foundation!"

Athena grit her teeth. Ricky was condescendingly moving his shovel up and down like one would threateningly hold a baton.

Trucy nudged her. "He's right, Athena! Emotions are a great starting point, but you need evidence for your conclusions to matter!"

"I know, I know! Just give me a second!"

The Judge nodded. "I have to agree with the witness. While seeing the body would explain the emotions, they are by no means the only explanation."

Sebastian was silent.

Athena racked her brain, growing more impatient as Ricky's grin grew wider and wider. "Come on, come on, come on! There HAS to be something in there!"

As her panic grew, she noticed Trucy staring at a photo within the evidence. "Trucy? What are you looking at?"

Trucy flinched and looked around. "Oh, I just remembered something about this photo."

Athena took the photo from Trucy. "What about it?"

"Well… don't you think something about it is strange?"

Athena looked at the photo. It was the one the police took of the victim's body. She looked for a moment and then shook her head. "I don't see anything."

Trucy leaned in to take a better look. "Just think about it: if the witness saw the victim's body in his shack, what would that change?"

The puzzle-pieces began to click in Athena's head. "That would mean the body was moved!"

"Exactly! Find evidence of that and Mr. Belle's finished!"

Athena took one last scan of the photo. "What would prove the body was moved. What proves… hey, wait!" She quickly looked up at Sebastian, who himself was looking at a picture in his own evidence pile. "He must have seen it too!"

"OBJECTION!"

Athena slammed her palm on the desk, twice this time. "Not so fast, Mr. Belle. I can prove that my assertion is the truth!"

Ricky narrowed his eyes.

"Can you, Ms. Cykes?" asked the Judge.

Sebastian grimaced. "She can. I already know what she's going to say."

Athena held up the photo. First, let's talk about this photo. If you take a closer look at the body, you can see that there's a trail of blood that trickles down his right side. However, there was no blood found on the ground next to his body even with the help of luminol!"

"Hmm… that is admittedly strange," said the Judge.

"Now, remember what Mr. Belle kept insisting despite the opposition? He said that he saw the victim lying on his side!"

Ricky's eyes almost bulged out of their sockets.

"Now, if Ricky saw the victim lying on his side in his cabin, and he moved the body, what would that leave?"

"There would be blood on the floor." Sebastian said through gritted teeth.

"Naturally, Mr. Belle has already cleaned it off the floor, but even then we can still pick up traces of blood using luminol. If we spray the floor of the cabin, I believe that we'll find irrefutable evidence of my assertion!"

Athena grinned at Ricky. "Well, Mr. Belle. Are you going to admit it, or wait for forensics to return with the results? Because either way…" Athena dramatically pointed at him. "...You'll be digging your own grave!"

Ricky breathed in heavy breaths as he angrily looked around the whole courtroom. Everyone he looked at anxiously waited for what he would say, except for Charity who had her eyes closed.

The world around him darkened and transformed into a grassland. Slowly, gravesites popped up like moles all around him. He clutched his shovel and vehemently dug it into the ground.

"All these mistakes!" He shouted.

He used his shovel to toss what he thought was dirt behind him and dug back into the ground.

"All of my choices!"

He tossed and dug again.

"They were leading to this, weren't they!"

And again.

"Maybe if I had just been smarter!"

And again.

"Maybe if I didn't waste my best days!"

And again.

"I wouldn't have had to take this job!"

And again.

"I wouldn't have had to betray my country!"

And again.

"And my friends!"

And again.

"And my family!"

The hole was 6 feet deep now

"GRAHHHHHHHH!"

He swung his shovel up again, except this time he smacked the spade into his head. He dropped the shovel as he dizzily tried to keep standing up. At last, his eyes turned white, and he fell backwards, arm outstretched, whispering:

"I'm sorry… Princeton."

He hit the ground with a thud, and just one second later, a gravestone popped up where he had once stood.

The hallucination was over. There were no graves and no meadow. The hole he had made in the linoleum floor was barely 6 inches deep. Lying on the ground behind the witness stand lay Ricky, motionless.

The air was dead silent for a moment before the Judge decided to break it. "Ahem, I'm sure we'll be filing charges for the damages later, but it seems that is the least of his worries. Bailiff, please secure the witness and get him medical aid. I'm sure that fall wasn't pleasant." He turned to Athena. "Ms. Cykes, where does this leave us?"

"I believe we can take that as a confession, Your Honor. Ricky M. Belle moved the body of Princeton Hart from his shack to the perceived crime scene, and was in fact, the first to discover the body."

"Hmm, so you don't wish to accuse him of being Shelly de Killer's true client?"

Athena shook her head. "No, he was still distraught by the death of Princeton Hart, which wouldn't make sense if he were de Killer's client."

"Hmm, although this has certainly been proven, we are still left without a motive to attach to the witness for moving the body."

Athena stood in silence for a quick moment before answering: "I cannot think of a possible motive for him."

Sebastian nodded. "You do not need to. You have done enough. The police and I will be questioning him at length after the trial is concluded. There were a lot of things he said before he… collapsed… that I would like for him to elaborate on."

"Well, then what of the defendant?" asked the Judge.

Athena straightened up. "Your Honor, part of the reason why Ms. Boswick was even arrested was because of Mr. Belle's accusation. With his own involvement proven, I believe that throws his accusation out of the picture. Given that everything else surrounding the case against her is flimsy, I say we should call for a verdict of 'Not Guilty!'"

"OBJECTION!"

Sebastian tsked and shook his head. "You may have my thanks for catching the man who disrupted the crime scene, but I'm afraid doing so has hardly damaged my case against your client!"

"OBJECTION!"

Athena slammed her palm on the desk. "What case? You barely have one! All of your evidence and testimony has been circumstantial at best!"

"OBJECTION!"

"NO!" He shouted. "Too many of her actions that night have no explanation! I will not rest until I have answers! I will not let that murderer go free again!"

Athena gasped at his fury. "...Murderer?" she repeated.

"...Again?" Trucy also repeated.

"OBJECTION!"

Athena's eyes went wide. She had only heard this voice say "objection!" once before. She turned her head to the defendant's seat to see Charity standing up. The black-haired girl calmly walked over to the witness stand and placed her hands on it.

"You want answers, Debeste? I'll give you answers." She turned to the Judge. "Your Honor, I would like to testify, but this time, allow Debeste to cross-examine me."

"HOLD IT!"

Athena slammed her palm. "Ms. Boswick, as your lawyer–"

Charity held up her right hand, and somehow, Athena felt pacified by the motion. Charity flashed a rare smile at Athena. "Attorneys value the trust between them and their client, correct?"

Athena nodded.

"I put my faith in you, my only ask is that you put a little faith in me, too."

Athena stood in silence for a moment, but eventually nodded.

The Judge scratched his beard. "So, you wish for Mr. Debeste to cross-examine you?"

"Yes."

"Isn't that a little… erm…"

"'Unusual'?" Sebastian finished. "While it may be unusual, it is hardly against procedure. It's functionally exactly the same as a regular cross-examination, only the roles that the defense and the prosecution have are switched."

"Well, that is true, and it's not like I haven't presided over such a situation, but I must say it's been decades since the last one I've seen. Ahem, witness, please testify about… umm, what did you want to testify about?"

"I'm sure Debeste would relish an opportunity to tear my testimony about my movements that night to shreds."

"Yes I– I mean– please do." Sebastian stumbled over his response.

Trucy nudged Athena. "Remember! Now isn't the time to slack off! If Mr. Debeste ever goes off-topic, or badgers her, you have to call it out!"

Athena nodded. "Right!"

"I can do this, just recall every time you've seen Simon prosecute and channel his energy! Easy!"

WITNESS TESTIMONY

-My Definitive Movements-

"I was walking home from the event in Sunshine Colosseum last night and passed the graveyard."

"HOLD IT!"

"What were you there for?" Sebastian asked.

"There was a panel on Eerie Lagoon, which my friend is a huge fan of."

Sebastian glanced at her sweater and snickered. "Ah yes, the classic 'asking for a friend' and similar excuses."

"OBJECTION!"

Athena pointed rigidly at Sebastian. "Off topic! Move on!"

"Fine…" Sebastian grumbled.

"Whoa that felt pretty good, maybe I should take up swordsmanship and be Simon's legal assistant!"

"When I was passing the graveyard, I saw a shiny object gleam in the corner of my eye and thought to follow it."

"OBJECTION!"

Sebastian chuckled. "You foolish, foolish girl. You're still insistent on this shiny object that doesn't exist."

Charity said nothing and simply smiled at him.

"...Excuse me?" Sebastian said.

"That is where you're wrong Mr. Debeste. The shiny object does exist, and Ms. Cykes can prove it."

Athena nearly fell over in surprise. "Ah–wha–?"

"Wait, you knew what the shiny object was?" Trucy exclaimed to Charity. "I thought you said you didn't know!"

"I didn't lie," Charity responded. "I had no clue what it could have been until twenty minutes ago."

"Huh?" Trucy asked.

"Go on, Ms. Cykes."

"Uhhh… what? What changed 20 minutes ago? OH!"

"TAKE THAT!"

Athena pointed dramatically. "The keys! The caretaker's keys! Mr. Belle gave them to the victim!"

Sebastian slammed his palm on the desk. "But he said the keys were on his key rack when he came back to the shack!"

"Mr. Belle said a lot of things Mr. Debeste, and until he's properly questioned, I don't believe any of his testimony can be trusted!"

Sebastian recoiled.

"And we have now cleared up one of the prosecution's doubts! The shiny object is no longer a conundrum!"

"Well, there's still everything else! Going to the payphone instead of calling the police, all of those unusual movements, and her denial about knowing the victim!"

"OBJECTION!"

Charity narrowed her eyes at him. "Why did I go to the payphone? I forgot I had a cell phone. I didn't get it until recently, so it was a force of habit, especially since I was under the stress of discovering a body. Why did I not actually use the payphone? I remembered right as I got there. Why was I so secretive about the victim? I didn't want it to be used against me. Is that a crime Mr. Debeste? Is not wanting to become a suspect a crime?"

Despite her neutral tone, Athena could hear the anger boiling inside of Charity's heart. It was only a matter of time before that anger would become obvious to everyone else.

Sebastian gritted his teeth in hatred. "Those are all very convenient! And why should we trust you? You're the defendant!"

"Awe, does it hurt that a big bad prosecutor like you was bested by a young woman? How much of a manchild are you?"

"This has nothing to do with me and everything to do with the truth! I know you're not innocent and I'm going to prove it!"

Athena completely forgot her duty and merely watched in horror as the argument escalated

"Well then do it! You're wasting everyone's time! Awe, but you can't, can you, Debeste? Thanks for wasting my time too!"

"Shut up, murderer! There is no waste in the pursuit of the truth!"

"What is your obsession with finding me guilty? It's downright creepy!"

"I am fixated on bringing a murderer to justice!"

"It's time to quit the delusions, Debeste! Just admit it! The reason why you're so upset is because…!"

"Stop!"

"YOU…

"No!"

"...LOST…"

"NO!"

"...AGAIN!"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Screamed Sebastian. He banged his desk with his fists over and over. "SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUP!"

The Judge banged his gavel. "Bailiffs! Please escort Mr. Debeste out of the courtroom immediately!"

Two officers grabbed Sebastian's arms and led him to the courtroom doors.

"THIS ISN'T OVER, CHARITY BOSWICK! I WILL BE THE ONE TO CATCH YOU ONCE AND FOR ALL! YOUR DAYS OF BLISSFUL FREEDOM ARE NUMBERED! AND WHEN I FINALLY GET YOU, I'LL MAKE SURE TO BURY YOU SIX FEET UNDER!"

Finally, the doors were closed.

Charity balled her fists as she watched him go. "OH YEAH? THEN–"

"CHARITY!"

Charity was startled by Athena's voice. She slowly turned towards her.

Athena took a deep breath and motioned for Charity to do the same. "You've said enough."

Charity looked at the Judge, and then to a specific spot in the gallery. Athena tried to follow her gaze, but couldn't find who she was looking at. Finally, she bowed in shame. "I'm sorry, Your Honor. I let my emotions get the best of me. Please don't put me in contempt of court."

The Judge's eyes softened. "While I probably should, you were rightfully angry that Mr. Debeste only arrested you because of a grudge. That kind of behavior is impermissible in court. I sure hope Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth punishes him accordingly."

Trucy still seemed shaken by what had just happened. "I have never seen a prosecutor so angry before."

"I should point him to a therapist. He seems like a nice dude when he isn't within a ten-mile radius of Charity."

"New patient for you?"

"No, I don't want to be the one to deal with that. I'll ask Simon if he's willing. They are in the same profession."

"Well, the prosecution has failed to supply proper proof of their case, and due to the evidence provided, I believe that the possibility of Ms. Boswick being Shelly de Killer's client is completely unsupported. As such, I will now pronounce my verdict. This court finds the defendant, Charity Boswick…"

"NOT GUILTY!"

"We will ask the police to continue investigating this case until a new suspect is found."

The Judge banged his gavel once. "That is all! Court is adjourned!"


September 20th, 2029, 12:21 PM
District Court

Defendant Lobby No. 3

Athena stepped out of the courtroom and took a dramatically deep breath.

"You alright?" Trucy asked, her hand on Athena's back.

"Yeah, just… exhausted."

Trucy started rubbing Athena's shoulders. "I'll say. It got really heated at the end."

"Umm… speaking of which…" said a new voice.

Athena and Trucy whipped around to see Charity in front of them. Her stoic demeanor had completely disappeared. Shame was all over her face now.

She took a deep breath. "Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Ms. Cykes."

Athena smiled. "You're very welcome, Ms. Boswick." She thought back to Charity's outburst at the end of the trial. "Hey… if you ever need to talk to someone about… well… anything really, I am a psychologist, and I'd be happy to help."

Charity smiled back. "Thank you. Well, just in case I ever do, call me Charity from now on."

"Then you may call me Athena."

Charity nodded. Almost on instinct, she turned around and saw her friend off in the corner, waiting for her. Charity waved to Athena and Trucy before walking away.

Trucy watched as she left. "It's shocking that we didn't actually catch the real murderer for once."

Athena nodded. "Yeah, but they hired an assassin. It could literally be anyone."

The two girls stood in silence for a moment longer, letting their nerves settle more.

Trucy eventually turned to Athena. "So, I think Daddy's still got his trial going on. You want to barge in and save him with your analytical psychology?"

Athena laughed. "Knowing him, he's doing perfectly well on his own, but watching the Turnabout Terror himself in action sounds like fun anyway. Let's go!"


Evidence

Princeton Hart's Autopsy Report: Victim died from a stab to the heart between 9:45 PM and 10:15 PM

Rusty Knife: The murder weapon. Has lost all of its luster and therefore doesn't reflect light.

Princeton's Corpse Photo: A photo taken by the police when they found the body

Convention Flyer: Details a bunch of relevant information for a convention that took place on the night of the murder, including how there is a fireworks show that goes from 10:10 - 10:25 PM

Graveyard map: A map of where the body was found and the general layout of the cemetery

De Killer's Calling Card: Found beneath the victim according to Ricky M. Belle.

Trevor Ether's Tombstone: The place where Trevor Ether was buried at the young age of sixteen. It's where Princeton was lying when his body was discovered. Charity used to be friends with Trevor.

Red Carnation: Was lying beneath the victim, and is covered in mud. I know it loosely has something to do with romantic love, but I don't know much more than that.

Yellow Flower: Was lying near the victim. Charity placed it there when she visited the graveyard that night

Payphone: The payphone that Charity used to call the police since she forgot she had a phone. Fingerprint analysis is inconclusive as of now.

Keys: Found in the caretaker's shack. They were given to the victim on the night of the murder

Gun with Holster: Found in a cabinet in the Caretaker's Shack. The victim gave it to Mr. Belle on the night of the murder

Lotta's Picture: A photo of the victim and Blake on the night of the murder.

Oddly-Shaped Piece of Paper: Has alstroemeria DNA on it, which Mr. Debeste used to prove that Charity went all the way to the payphone area.


Profiles

Athena Cykes (20): Me, myself, and I. I'm an employee of the Wright Agency and a psychology expert.

Phoenix Wright (36) : My boss. He's an infamous defense attorney known as the "Turnabout Terror".

Lotta Hart (34): She requested our services for the defense of her nephew, Blake. She's a decently well-known reporter in the area.

Blake Hart (13): Previously the defendant. He was out with his father on the night of crime. They got separated, and the next time they reunited his father was dead.

Princeton Hart (41): The victim. A single parent that took care of his only child, Blake.

Sebastian Debeste (27): The prosecutor for this case that kinda reminds me of the Chief Prosecutor in his mannerisms. He hates Charity Boswick and I don't know why.

Charity Boswick (19): A straight-faced college student. She was the first person on the scene aside from Blake and was the one who called the police. I found her a little unnerving at first, but after defending her, I can confidently call her a friend.

The Judge (?): The Judge.

Ricky M. Belle (43): The second witness to the crime. Discovered Shelly de Killer's card at the scene and provided a decent theory for why Charity could be the assassin's client.

Shelly de Killer (?): An infamous assassin who has operated for several decades and has never got caught. Mr. Wright seems to have a history with him.

Trucy Wright (18): Mr. Wright's daughter and the owner of the Wright Anything Agency. She's a stage magician with an incredible work ethic. She enjoys torturing– I mean having me along for her magic shows.

Iris (35): A student at Jargon University that is studying psychology and criminology. She's an old friend of Mr. Wright.

Kay Faraday (27): A detective and self-proclaimed Great Thief Yatagarasu. She's very fun-loving and free-spirited. She and Mr. Debeste seem to be very close.