They arrive at Atcher's trailer. Kris opened the door.

"As I expected." he said. "Unlocked."

"Then we are going to look around." said Edgeworth. They all walked in and wandered around. The place seemed very tidy.

"It doesn't look like a fight took place in here." said Gumshoe.

"Maybe it didn't. Murder doesn't always mean struggle." said Edgeworth.

"I hope we can find some evidence in here." said Kay. However, the sadness in her voice revealed she was hoping the evidence they found would exonerate Atcher, as she couldn't believe he would do something like that.

"Well, I need to go." said Strings, who was still near the door. "I…I can't help you anymore."

"As you wish, Mr. Strings. However, as soon as Mr. Atcher is done with his performance, please inform him we wish to speak with him."

"Okay."

Strings left. Edgeworth and his friends began searching around. The first thing to get Edgeworth's attention was a small waste basket. Inside it was a bunch of ashes.

"What is this, sir?" asked Gumshoe.

"It seems someone burnt something in here recently."

"An indoor fire? I'm pretty sure that's against safety regulations." said Sebastian.

"But what could it have been?" asked Kay.

Edgeworth took a closer look.

"Judging from the remains…it must have been a piece of paper. However, as to what it said…it's impossible to know. It has been burnt beyond usability.

"Hey, look!" said Kay. "A part of it survived the fire!"

Se picked up a small piece of paper. It had been mostly burnt. All that could be read was

"girl…dreams…"

"Hmmm. I better keep this." said Edgeworth as he pocketed it.

"Hey! There is a CD of the girl of my dream on the table." said Kay.

"You mean the stolen song?" asked Sebastian.

"We don't know that for certain yet!" protested Kay.

"It doesn't matter. Just leave it there!" said Edgeworth.

"Hey, look at this!" said Gumshoe. He pointed to a small open lockbox. Inside it was a case that was shaped like a gun.

"Is that…?" asked Kay.

"It looks like that's where our friend keeps his gun." said Edgeworth. "And it's empty. Just more evidence."

"Hey, look here!" said Kay. She pointed towards the corner of the trailer. There was a broken beer bottle tossed there.

"Hey, I recognize that!" said Edgeworth. "That's the same kind of beer held by the victim."

"I know." said Kay. "That is his signature beer: Stella Andorf. He always drinks at least one before every stage performance."

"And why would it be here?" wondered Edgeworth as he picked it up and put in in a paldtic bag. "Anyway, I better remember this."

Sir! Come over here!" said Gumshoe. He was examining a loudspeaker in the corner.

"What is it, detective? It's just a loudspeaker."

"Yes. But look here." he said and pointed at the right side of the loudspeaker. There was some strange white powder on it.

"What is that?"

Gumshoe touched it and smelled it.

"it smells…funny. It doesn't seem familiar to me."

"Hmm…could this be relevant?" wondered Edgeworth. Anyway, I better remember this."

"Did anyone notice this?" asked Sebastian. He pointed to a pair of sunglasses lying on a table next to the entrance.

"Sunglasses? I've never seen Simon wearing those before!" asked Kay.

"Wait a minute…" said Edgeworth. "Didn't doctor Stockings say that Mr. Mike was wearing sunglasses when she last saw him. She even said she had never seen him wear those before."

"You think they are the same, sir?" asked Gumshoe.

"There is no way to prove that. But it is another piece of circumstantial evidence." said Edgeworth as he pocketed the sunglasses.

"Well, it looks like we found all we could."

Right then. Gumshoe cellphone rang.

"Excuse me one moment, sir."

He answer it.

"Detective Gumshoe speaking."

"…"

"What? Are you sure, pal?"

"…"

"Great then! Thanks a lot! Goodbye!"

"What happened, Gummy?" asked Kay.

"That was the guy I had check the firecracker stall."

"Oh, right. And what did he find out?"

"Since yesterday, only one person has bought firecrackers from there."

"Who?"

Before Gumshoe could answer, they heard a voice behind them.

"I heard you wanted to talk to me."

They turned around and saw a man standing there. He was tall, with a thick brown mustache, dressed in black. Edgeworth recognized him from the concert earlier.

"Mr. Atcher!" Edgeworth looked at Gumshoe, as if he was searching for confirmation for his suspicions. Gumshoe nodded.

"The one and only! So, what do you want? Kris said you wanted to talk!"

"We do, Mr. Atcher!" said Edgeworth. "Have you heard the news about your friend, George Mike?"

"I have. Poor George. I can't believe he did this!"

"You think he killed himself?"

"Yeah, isn't that what happened?"

"No. We have every reason to suspect he was actually murdered and his killer tried to pass it off as a suicide."

"What?! Who…who would do such a thing…"

"That's what we want to know." said Edgeworth. "That's why we came to see you."

Atcher didn't like that.

"Wh…what are you suggesting?"

"I'm suggesting that you are not completely unknowledgeable." said Edgeworth. "In fact, I believe you were involved."

"Wait…are you accusing me of killing my good friend, George?!"

"Did you?"

"No, I did not! I would never do that! Why would I do that?!"

"We will figure that out in time. For now. Would you care to testify regarding your last meeting with the victim."

"Fine! If it means I can get you and your ridiculous accusations thrown out of here, I will gladly testify. After all, I have nothing to hide."

"I wonder what he plans to say now." Said Gumshoe.

"Whatever he says, it doesn't matter!" said Kay. "We have all the evidence we need, to refute him! Don't we, Mr. Edgeworth?"

"I believe we do. Let's see how this goes."

Witness testimony

Last time I saw George

I have no idea why you would accuse me.

I have no connection to the crime. You have no reason to suspect me

I last saw George last night. He came by here to wish me good luck.

We talk a bit and then he left.

I never saw him again after that. I have no idea what happened to him

There is nothing to suggest that I have even been near the crime scene

"Hmm. So your whole testimony rests on the fact that you weren't anywhere near the crime scene?" asked Edgeworth.

"Exactly. I say I've never been near that damn porta-potty. Can you prove me wrong?"

"I can." thought Edgeworth. "But I'll let you talk for now."

"Would you allow me to examine your testimony?"

"If you must. But know you won't find anything."

"We will see about that."

Cross-examination

Last time I saw George

I have no idea why you would accuse me.

I have no connection to the crime. You have no reason to suspect me

I last saw George last night. He came by here to wish me good luck.

Hold it: "what time was that?"

"Around 21:00. I was surprised. He usually went to bed around that time when he had a concert the next day. He said he just wanted to wish luck, because maybe he wouldn't get the chance to do it today."

"And he didn't." thought Edgeworth. "Did he know something would happen to him?"

We talk a bit and then he left.

Hold it: "What did you talk about?"

"None of your business. Just some friendly banter. It's personal."

"This is a murder investigation. Nothing is personal."

"I don't care what you say! I am not obliged to reveal anything to you. If I don't want you to know what we talked about, you can't force me to tell you!"

"If that is your wish…" thought Edgeworth. "But know that you are just making things harder for yourself. The fact that you refuse to reveal what you talked about is making me think you have something to hide.

I never saw him again after that. I have no idea what happened to him

There is nothing to suggest that I have even been near the crime scene

Objection

Edgeworth was quick to jump to that.

"There is nothing to suggest you were there. Don't be so sure." said Edgeworth.

"What?! What is this?"

"You were reckless. You left evidence behind." he took out the guitar string. "This!"

"Is that…"

"A guitar string. The killer used this to lock the porta-potty's door from the outside and make it look like a suicide."

"This doesn't prove any…"

"Don't be so quick to respond." said Edgeworth. "This is It's a high D string from a 12 string guitar. We know you are the only one around here to use that kind of string. That means that this string, which was used in the murder, belongs to you!"

"P…possibly." he said in a scared voice. It was almost as if he couldn't believe what eh was hearing. "I do indeed use this kind of string. This could very well be mine. But that doesn't prove I'm a killer!"

"Oh, really? Then how do you explain it, pal?!" asked Gumshoe.

"You know I always leave my trailer unlocked. The same goes for my guitar case. It's always unlocked. Anyone could have come in here and taken it."

"So you are saying somebody is trying to frame you?" asked Sebastian.

"That must be it. Somebody is setting me up. I know I didn't kill anyone!"

"What do you make of this, Mr. Edgeworth?" asked Kay. "It sounds like a lame excuse to me, as much as I hate to admit it."

"Maybe. But we still cannot deny the possibility. This string alone is not enough for an arrest.

"In that case, we have to keep pressing him." said Kay. "We need to use all the other stuff we found."

"Mr. Atcher. Would you care to argue your case?" asked Edgeworth. "If you really are innocent, what do you have to say in your defense?"

"Very well. Prepare yourself for my super-rockin' argument." said Atcher, who still seemed very confident.

Argument

You are all stupid

You are all a bunch of idiots. How can you accuse me of murder on such flimsy evidence?

That guitar string could have easily been taken by someone else.

It was most likely just a suicide. I don't know where the guitar string comes in, but no need to overcomplicate things.

Everyone heard the gunshot. When they opened the door, he fell out dead

I wasn't anywhere near there. How did I pull this off?

"Happy now?!" he asked. "Say what you want about the guitar string, but you won't find a single person who can testify that they saw me near the crime scene."

"Then I assume you have no objections to me rebutting your argument." said Edgeworth. After all, according to you, it is flawless."

"It is. So, examine it to your heart's content. But after you find nothing, I will throw you out of my trailer."

"And if I find something, I'll throw you in jail!" thought Edgeworth.

Rebuttal

You are all stupid

You are all a bunch of idiots. How can you accuse me of murder on such flimsy evidence?

That guitar string could have easily been taken by someone else.

"Hold it: why would someone take your string?"

"You said it: it is very rare. I'm the only one using it. By stealing and using it, they could pin the crime on me."

"How many people knew about it?"

"Most singers and fans around here. I wasn't secretive about it."

"He is right." said Kay. "Even I knew about it. I didn't recognize the string, but I know the type."

"That narrows it down to…hundreds of people." said Atcher. "If you wish to confirm the alibi of everyone, go ahead."

"That would take days. And I can't even be sure if someone is telling the truth or not." thought Edgeworth.

"No counterargument? Okay, moving on."

It was most likely just a suicide. I don't know where the guitar string comes in, but no need to overcomplicate things.

Everyone heard the gunshot. When they opened the door, he fell out dead

I wasn't anywhere near there. How did I pull this off?

Objection

"Mr. Atcher, you don't have the liberty to talk…" said Edgeworth. "When you left so much evidence behind!"

"What is it now?"

Edgeworth took out the firecrackers.

"Do these look familiar?"

"Firecrackers. What about them."

"Those were found behind the toilet where Mr. Mike's body was found."

"Wait…are you…"

"I am. The sound we heard was no gunshot. It was these firecrackers, set to create the illusion that the victim had just killed himself!"

"Ohoooooooooooo!" exclaimed Atcher and started sweating.

"You see now, don't you? The victim had been killed beforehand. The killer then stashed his body in there put the gun in his hand and planted those firecrackers, setting them to explode when he would be far away from the scene. Pretty clever of you, Mr. Atcher."

"Are…are you suggesting I did that?!"

"Yes. We checked the firecracker stall. You are the only one who has bought firecrackers since yesterday."

"Yes. I bought them, but I didn't use them."

"What did you do with them?"

"I just…left them somewhere around here. Don't recall where."

"So if we search, we will find them?"

"I…I don't know! Maybe the real killer took them, too!"

"The real killer?"

"You know…the one who also stole my string!"

"It really helps you to blame everything on a nonexistent person, right, pal?" asked Gumshoe.

"But…"

"Is there any proof of this "Real killer" being present here?" asked Sebastian.

"Um….uh…"

"I guess not!" said Edgeworth.

"Wait! What about the…the gun! Where did that come from?! It sure is not mine!"

"Another bold-face lie!" said Edgeworth. "We have the proof we need that the gun belongs to you!"

"W…what?!"

"That box over there!" he said. "The case inside it is perfectly shaped to fit a gun. We could try comparing the case to the gun."

"Ugh!"

"You are terrible at this!" said Kay. "You didn't even bother to hide the evidence! You left that box open! If you had least locked it, we wouldn't know what was inside!"

"Wait! I…I didn't…"

"Don't even bother claiming that you are safekeeping that gun for a friend" said Edgeworth. We can examine the box and the gun for your fingerprints!"

"Ughhhhhhhhhhhhh! Okay, the gun belongs to me! But…I never use it! It is just for self-defense! I have a permit!"

"You never use it? Then how did it end up at a crime scene?"

"I don't know. Maybe…"

"Let me guess. Your "real killer" stole that, too." said Gumshoe. "Come on, pal. This the lamest excuse I've ever heard."

" How do you even know it's the same gun?"

"We can just examine its serial number." said Edgeworth. After all, if it's legal, as you say, we can find out easily who is belongs to."

"Umm…."

"I got it, sir!" Gumshoe flipped out his phone and left the trailer.

"So, Mr. Atcher. Will you wait for the results? Or will you talk now?" asked Sebastian.

"Oh, I will talk alright!" said Atcher, who started getting very irritated. "But only to tell you how crazy you are being."

"Another argument?" thought Edgeworth. "What does he plan to say now? Better hear him out. He seems very angry. Is he finally showing his true colors?"

"Why don't you just give up?" asked Kay.

"Give up? And allow those crazy prosecutors to arrest me for a murder I did not commit? Never! I will fight until the bitter end!"

"You are on!" said Edgeworth.

Argument

Me a killer? No way!

You are saying I killed George and put his body in that toilet?

Impossible! Ask around. All day I've been either on-stage or backstage

I never had the time to do any of those things.

You are just spouting noses! You'll never make this stick!

"So you never left the backstage area between performances?" asked Edgeworth.

"Not until I came here to see you."

"Still, the evidence we have against you in significant."

"Not really! All of that can be used against anybody. I'm telling you somebody used them to frame me!"

"You seem insistent to blame that hypothetical other person to save yourself."

"The possibility is there. You are welcome to try and disprove it, but If you can't , that's cool."

"I will disprove it! I just need the right opening!" thought Edgeworth. "Opportunity…is there a time he could have actually killed him?"

Rebuttal

Me a killer? No way!

You are saying I killed George and put his body in that toilet?

Impossible! Ask around. All day I've been either on-stage or backstage

I never had the time to do any of those things.

Hold it: "Are you sure you never left."

"I'm telling you: ask! There are at least 25 people who saw me staying backstage between performances and never leaving. And I'm sure they will be glad to confirm my alibi."

"If he really never left, he couldn't have killed the victim" thought Edgeworth. "But he must have. There must have been an opportunity. Let's see…he saw him last night at 21:00. George Mike was seen again this morning before the concert began. After that, nobody knows where he went. Wait…this morning…That's it! That's the opening I need!"

You are just spouting noses! You'll never make this stick!

Objection

Edgeworth had what he needed to explain when he had done it.

"To be honest, I am surprised, mr. Atcher."

"Oh? By what?"

"You did a really good job of disguising the murder as a susicide. So it's strange you would be so bad at hiding the evidence!"

"What…"

Edgeworth took out the sunglasses.

"We found these at your table. You didn't even bother hiding them."

"What are those?"

"It's true you had no opportunity today to kill Mr. Mike." said Edgeworth. "Because you didn't. You had killed him already. Most likely…yesterday night, when you last met with him!"

"W…whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!"

"But…Mr. Edgeworth!" said Kay. "Didn't dr. Stockings say she examined him earlier today?"

"She did. But that wasn't the real George M \Ike. And that's where the sunglasses come in…"

"Are…are you saying…" said Sebastian.

"I am. Mr. Atcher, you killed George Mike yesterday night! You planted his body at the porta-potty, wrapped his bandana around the gun's barrel and shot him in the head. You even used his own hand to get gunpowder residue on it. Afterwards, you used your guitar string to lock the door from the outside. The next morning, using a bandana and these sunglasses, you disguised yourself as him and went to the doctor. You need to make everyone thing he was still alive! That way, when the body was discovered, everyone would think it was recent! And you would be backstage, having the best alibi!"

"I'm telling you…it's not true, dammit!" said Atcher, who was getting very angry. "I didn't kill anyone! I…I have never seen these sunglasses before in my life!"

"Then what are they doing here? In your trailer?" asked Edgeworth.

"And don't say "Real killer planted them" again!" said Kay.

"You can't be sure it's the same pair! Sunglasses are sunglasses!"

"Not these ones!" said Edgeworth. "Look here. If you look, you can see the left lens is a bit cracked."

"Yes, I can see that." said Sebastian.

"Funny. Isn't that exactly what the doctor said about Mr. Mike's sunglasses?" asked Kay with a big smile on her face.

"I…impossible…I…i…" said Atcher.

"I assume we are done here?" asked Edgeworth "Or do you have another argument?"

"Just…one question." said Atcher. "Why did I do this? What was my motive!"

"Motive?"

"To kill you need a motive. If you wish to accuse me, I demand you give me a motive. Impossible, of course. We were best friends."

"Indeed." said Edgeworth. "But even the best friendships can be corrupted by greed!"

"What is that supposed to mean?" asked Atcher.

Edgeworth pointed towards the CD on the table.

"Isn't that a CD of your newest single?"

"Yes. The girl of my dreams. Great song, huh?" Atcher seemed very proud when talking about it.

"Good." said Edgeworth. "If it hadn't been stolen…"

"What?!"

"I mean…you did steal it, didn't you?" said Edgeworth. "Mr. Mike wrote it. And you stole it! What did he do? Did he threaten to expose it!"

"You…you can't prove that. That song is…"

"Not yours!" said Kay. "I can't believe this! I looked up to you, I really did! But you re nothing by a petty thief and am murderer!"

"Wait, wait, wait! Don't get the wrong idea!" said Atcher,

"It's too late for that now." said Edgeworth. "That burnt envelope in the trash can…I assume it's the original sheet music. This part survived "Girl…dreams…" It's all we need, isn't it?"

"You…you…" said Atcher, sweating and breathing heavily.

"You destroyed it to get rid of evidence!" said Edgeworth. "But you didn't know he had made a copy. Which is on its way now!"

"What?!"

Right on cue, Vanessa's voice was heard.

"It's right here!"

He triumphantly waved an envelope in the air as she walked in. He put it in Edgeworth's hand.

"I came just in time I see. Good."

"What is this?" asked Atcher, who was at the end of his rope.

"The evidence that will seal your guilt!" said Edgeworth as he opened the envelope.

"No."

"Come on, this song is awesome!" said Kay. "Lets enjoy the lyrics, shall we?"

"Stop this." Said Atcher, who sounded defeated.

Edgeworth read the lyrics out loud. Klay didn't need more than two seconds.

"They are the exact same ones!"

"As I thought. And a handwriting analysis will be enough to prove who wrote it." said Edgeworth. "Just in case this pathetic man has the gall to suggest Ms. Finalle or someone else forged it."

Right then, Gumshoe burst in.

"Sir! The results are back!"

Everyone looked at him. He seemed a bit bruised, as if he had just returned from a fight.

"Why do you look so messy, Gummy?" asked Kay.

"I just got in a fight with a guy."

"Why?"

"As I was walking past him, he called me a "Junkie!" Can you believe it! I didn't like it and gave him a piece of my mind!"

"He really did a number on you!" said Sebastian.

"Nah, I had him. But I had to rush it to get here on time."

"Anyway, can you give us the results?" asked Edgeworth

"Yes, sir! The gun found in the victim's hand…is registered to Simon Nicolas Atcher!"

Atcher left out a huge scream. He then put his hands on his face and started crying.

"Should we treat this as a confession?" asked Edgeworth.

Atcher didn't respond.

"Detective…if you please."

Gumshoe took out his handcuffs and prepared to arrest Atcher.

No! Wait! Please!" begged Atcher, with tears rolling down his eyes. "I..I confess I stole the song! But…I didn't kill George! I swear! He was alive when I last saw him!"

"No more lies!" said Edgeworth. "The rest of this will continue in the courtroom!"

"But…I…"

Gumshoe was about to take Atcher away. However, a voice interrupted him.

"Hold it!"

It was Sebastian.

"What is it, Sebastian?" asked Edgeworth.

"Mr. Edgeworth…I…I don't think we should arrest him yet."

"What?"

"But Sebastian…" said Kay. "But he obviously did it."

"I'm not so sure. He seems honest right now."

"Don't fall for it! It's a trick!"

"I think we should hear him one more time!"

"Why?"

"Because we still haven't heard the whole truth. If we let him be taken away now, the truth will be lost."

Edgeworth was conflicted. He had all the evidence he needed to arrest Atcher and secure a conviction. But was that the right thing?

"Come to think of it…It seems strange how it was all left at plain sight." he thought "If Atcher was so clever, why wouldn't he get rid of it? The sunglasses…the string…the gun…it's all so obvious…it almost feels like something is wrong here."

"We have all the evidence to arrest him." said Sebastian, as if he read Edgeworth's mind. "But if he didn't do it and the real killer gets away, what's the point? The truth is the only thing that matters. You taught me that."

"He is right." thought Edgeworth. "I can't think of anything he might say that may make his position better. But it's worth a try."

He made Gumshoe a motion to let Atcher go.

"Alright, Mr. Atcher. I will allow you one final chance. Tell me what really happened when you last met the victim. I assume he wasn't here on friendly terms."

"Right…" said Atcher.

"Tell us what happened. But be warned, if you are caught lying again, it's over. You will arrested and charged with George's Mike's murder."

"I…I understand. Okay. I will tell you everything. I have nothing to lose anymore. Nothing…to lose…"

To be continued