"Th…the aliens?!" asked Edgeworth. "What are you talking about?!"

"The invaders! That's what that ship was doing here! They killed her! This is their warning!"

"Their warning?" asked Kay.

"They are not here on friendly terms! They are here to kill us and make us slaves! This is their warning! This is their first victim! If we do not surrender, more of them will come!"

"This…this man is out of his mind!" thought Edgeworth. "There is no doubt about that. But…this woman…there is no doubt she is actually dead. I have to do something!"

"We need to get the police!" said Kay.

Edgeworth turned to Flash.

"You've been here longer than us! Tell us, who do we call? Where's the police?"

"There is no police here. There is the local sheriff's department."

"Then call them and tell them to get here!"

"It's no use! No one can stop them! The police, the sheriff, the army…they are all useless. There is not a prison in this world for them."

"I assure you this crime was nto commited by aliens, but by humans!" said Edgeworth. "Now, call the sheriff!"

"What's the point? They will just hunt us down, one by one. There is no stopping this now!"

Gumshoe, losing control, grabbed him by the collar.

"Enough of your extraterrestrial nonsense!" he said. "Aliens do exist, but this is murder, pal! We need to get serious! Call the sheriff now or I'll throw you in jail right now!"

Gumshoe outburst scared Flash enough to get serious and call the sheriff.

"Sheriff? Yes, you need to come to the desert, near dead man's rock. There's been a murder! A woman…is dead!"

Half an hour later, the sheriff arrived with his assistants. Edgeworth, Gumshoe and Kay were still looking at the corpse. She was in terrible condition. Covered in dried blood and her face was almost completely scratched-off.

"My god!" said Kay. "Look at her! She really got mauled!"

"I wonder what happened to her!" said Gumshoe. "Is there really a human who can do stuff like that?"

"Detective!" said Edgeworth. "Please don't let that lunatic drag you into his rabbit hole! This murder was commited by a human! And we must find them!"

"But sir…who would anyone do something like this to another human being?"

"Believe me, you would be shocked by the monsters this world can create! No matter what the movies say about space, sometimes the true monsters can be found here on Earth. We must…"

Edgeworth was interrupted by a strangely familiar voice.

"Well, I'll be damned! Looks like three wild cattle got off the ranch and are up to no good!"

"Wh…who…" said Kay.

"That voice…" said Edgeworth. "Those words…it couldn't be…"

They all turned around. The man standing there dressed as a cowboy was none other than Jake Marshall. A man Edgeworth knew from a case a few years ago.

"Mr. Edgeworth, you know this cowboy?" asked Kay.

"Yes, Kay. He was part of a case I handled a few years back. I wasn't expecting to see you here of all places, officer Marshall."

"No, not officer. It' Sheriff Marshall."

"Sheriff?" said Gumshoe. "So…you are…"

"Yes. After I got released from the clink, I decided to leave the town. The affairs of the police department and the prospectors' office had left me scarred. No offense."

"None taken. I can understand your feelings. So, you came here?"

"Yes. I needed a change of scenery. Somewhere where I could start again. This seemed like the right place. And, after a lot of hard work, I managed to get promoted to county sheriff. I rattle all the cows around these parts now."

"Glad to hear you've been doing so well."

"Thank you. So, what's happened here?"

Edgeworth pointed to the body.

"We just found her. She doesn't seem to be in a good condition."

Marshall approached her. He kneeled down next to her.

"Poor bambina. She didn't deserve it. I Never thought this would happen."

"Mr. Marshall, you knew her?" asked Kay.

"I did. Her name was Marla Haik. She worked as a waiter at the town's cantina. She also liked hiking. She would go climbing in the mountains around here almost every day."

"Do you know who would do this to her?"

"No. I don't have any idea. She was a good gal. Everyone liked her. I want to know who do this. I am going to crack this case open!"

"Would you mind if we investigated too?" asked Edgeworth. "We also want to know what happened."

"Sure. No problem. I could use some extra pairs of eyes. And I know you have a knack for such cases, Mr. Edgeworth."

At that point, Flash jumped in. "There is nothing to investigate! It was the aliens! This is their warning! Don't disobey them!"

"Ignore him!" said Marshall, without even looking at Flash. "He is a nutcase. Obsessed with aliens! He really isn't very well in there!"

"We've noticed." said Edgeworth. "Don't worry, we are not going to allow his madness to affect our investigation. Now then, let's begin."

First, Edgeworth looked at the body. It really seemed to be in a terrible condition. Covered in scars, wounds and blood.

"Poor woman." said Edgeworth. "Who could have done such a thing to her? Whoever it was, they must have been completely devoid of feelings."

"I know, pardner." said Marshall. "Such actions are indeed beyond my understanding. I am but a lone cowboy in the desert. I cannot know what kind of demons dwell in people's minds, driving them to violently cut other people's ties to this world. It is truly exasperating."

"Wow, I never would have thought of you as a guy for poetry." said Kay.

"It's not poetry, bambina." said Marshall. "It's facts of life. Sometimes life can mimic and even surpass fiction. Sometimes, even the wildest dreams can be reflected on the mirror of life."

"I don't get it." said Gumshoe. "What are you all talking about? Ties and demons and fiction and mirrors…"

"Well, I guess you are not good with poetry, Gummy." said Kay.

"Anyway!" said Edgeworth. "The direct cause of death is impossible to determine right now."

"I'll have the body taken to the morgue." said Marshall. "Meanwhile you can keep looking.

"Hey, look." said Kay, pointing next to the body. A tree-hat was lying there.

"Isn't that the hat that stupid reporter was wearing?" asked Gumshoe.

"I guess he dropped it after finding the body." thought Edgeworth. "But something feels…wrong. I need to have a word with him."

He picked the hat up.

"You think she fought back?" asked Kay.

"Maybe. But it is impossible to know that right now. The body has been mauled. The mortician will have a hard time telling the injuries apart."

"I hope the guy has a strong stomach." said Gumshoe. "I am getting the urge to vomit just by looking at it."

"Not on us!" said kay. "Go over there to vomit!"

"No vomiting!" said Edgeworth. "This is a crime scene!"

"Sorry, sir."

"Now then, I think this calls for a conversation with Mr. Flash. He was the one who found the body."

"You think he saw something we didn't?"

"I hope so. Otherwise, there is not much we can do. This crime scene in unusually short on evidence."

"Okay then." said Kay. "Let's press him for info."

"Not too much." said Edgeworth. "That man is already in his own world. If I press him too much, he might go completely insane."

They approached Flash, who was sitting on the ground nearby, still shocked.

"Mr. Flash." said Edgeworth. "We want to talk with you."

Flash didn't seem to notice them. He kept looking around, panicking.

"Th…they are still here. I know it...this is a grim reminder. A remind of who tiny and insignificant we all are. We are nothing! With the press of one button, they can…"

"Mr. Flash!" said Edgeworth, who was losing his patience.

Flash jumped in fear, as if he had just woken up from his sleep.

"Whuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh?! Oh, it's you. What do you want?"

"We want to talk with you." said Edgeworth. "About what you saw."

"You want to hear about the aliens?"

"No! I want to hear about the murder! How did you find the body and what else did you see?"

"So you are trying to cover the truth? You don't want people to know there are aliens here? You'll just find a random guy to dump this one on so that you can make everyone think aliens are not real? That's how it always goes!"

"I have no need for conspiracy-theorist derangement!" said Edgeworth. "Just tell us what you saw. With as less alien-ising as possible!"

"F…fine! But the truth will be revealed!"

Witness testimony

Finding the body

I was running in the hot desert, in pursuit of the alien spaceship.

You know it's true! You saw it too!

I was chasing for quite some time! Suddenly, after I went over this hill…

She was lying there. That woman! She was dead!

I panicked, fell down on my back and screamed.

I didn't have the courage to go near her, so I just stayed still.

That's when you arrived!

"So you didn't actually…see the aliens attack her, did you?" said Kay.

"No…but who else could it have been?! Look at her body! She's been massacred! Only an extraterrestrial beast would do that!"

"Maybe it is a beast." said Edgeworth. "But not an extraterrestrial one. The beast is as human as all of us. And I will prove that."

"You mean you will cover the truth?"

"The truth will be revealed!" said Edgeworth. "The real truth, not the crazy alien truth. But for now…let's examine your testimony.

"Oh, you are really in for it now!" said lash. "I'm a journalist. You can't crack me!"

"We'll see about that!"

Cross-examination

Finding the body

I was running in the hot desert, in pursuit of the alien spaceship.

You know it's true! You saw it too!

Hold it: "Whatever that thing was, it was no alien spaceship!"

"Then what was it, Mr. Logic?"

"I…don't know yet. But there is a reasonable explanation for everything. And I will find it."

"Ha! Good luck with that! You know it's the truth! You're just in denial!"

"I think you're in denial." thought Edgeworth. "But that's a road we don't want to go down to."

I was chasing for quite some time! Suddenly, after I went over this hill…

She was lying there. That woman! She was dead!

Hold it: "What did she look like?"

"Terrible! Covered in blood, mutilated beyond recognition, possibly tortured! It's a sign! The alien overlord are…"

"Objection!" said Edgeworth.

"Mr. Edgeworth…what are you objecting to?" asked Kay.

"I'm objecting to Mr. Flash completely wasting our time and the investigation's with his alien nonsense!"

"Objection sustained!" said Gumshoe. '"If you keep wasting time, pal, I'll deal with you!"

"Threatening the press into silence, are we?" said Flash. He took a notepad and wrote something down. "The masses eat this stuff up."

"Let' just return to the argument!" said Edgeworth, not wanting to give Gumshoe space to make any more compromising statements.

I panicked, fell down on my back and screamed.

I didn't have the courage to go near her, so I just stayed still.

Objection

Edgeworth was afraid of what Flash would say if he felt threatened, but he had no choice.

"Mr Flash". he showed him the tree-hat. "Recognize this?"

"Of course! It's my camouflage hat. Perfect huh?"

"Not in this landscape." said Edgeworth. "Not to mention…this hat creates a big contradiction."

"W…what do you mean?"

"This hat was found lying near the victim's body. If you really fell down as soon as you saw her and never went near her…how would your hat have ended up so close to her?"

"I…" Flash panicked and pressed his camera's button. The camera flashed, blinding him temporarily.

"It really seems impossible." said Kay. "Even if it fell off you head as you fell down, it should have fallen next to you not the victim, which was in the opposite direction. That defies the laws of physics!"

"O…okay. You got me!" he said. "I..I wasn't completely honest."

"I can't say I'm shocked." said Edgeworth. "But I would like to hear the truth."

"Very well. I will tell you what really happened."

"I'm listening."

Witness testimony

What really happened

I didn't notice the body at first.

I was looking at the sky the whole time, trying to keep an eye on the spaceship.

I lifted my camera, trying to get a picture of it.

But before I could, I tripped and fell.

I thought it was just a rock or something, but…

It was her! I tripped over her body! That's when the tree-hat fell down.

By the time I looked back at the sky, the spaceship was gone.

"Hmm. So you tripped over the body?" asked Edgeworth.

"Yes. I didn't expect her to be there. I was very shocked. The ground around here is very even. That's why I wasn't looking down while walking.

"I see. Now, just to be sure, I need to cross-examine your testimony again."

"Okay. There are no secrets this time, I swear!"

Cross-examination

What really happened

I didn't notice the body at first.

I was looking at the sky the whole time, trying to keep an eye on the spaceship.

I lifted my camera, trying to get a picture of it.

Hold it: "Did you actually get it?"

"No. I didn't get the chance. Something unexpected happened. What a bummer! I was so close and yet, I missed it!"

"That's sad." said Kay. "To be so close to something and let it slip away."

"But I will be patient!" said Flash. It will come back. "And then I will not miss it!"

"Okay…" said Edgeworth. "For now, tell us what went wrong."

But before I could, I tripped and fell.

I thought it was just a rock or something, but…

It was her! I tripped over her body! That's when the tree-hat fell down.

Hold it: "You tripped over the body?"

"Yes. I wasn't looking down, so I thought it was safe. I had never seen anything you could trip over around here, especially a body!"

"And why did you try to hide that fact?"

"Because I am aware of the world I live in. Even the slightest excuse is enough nowadays to be arrested for "Evidence tampering." You might have thought I had even commited the crime!"

"No, we don't think that." said Edgeworth. "But your actions are certainly questionable."

"I thought you'd say that. That's why I stayed silent about it."

"I see. What happened next?"

By the time I looked back at the sky, the spaceship was gone.

Hold it: "So you don't know where it went?"

"No. That damn body kept me distracted for too long! If it hadn't been here, I would have found its landing spot by now. It's her fault!"

"Hey, don't talk like that about her, pal! She's the victim!" said Gumshoe.

"Right. Sorry. This whole thing is just stupid. I need proof. Without it, nobody is going to believe me. Until I find and photograph that ship, and possibly its alien passengers, I will not leave this town!"

"Good for you." said Edgeworth. "Well then, I have no more questions for you at this point. You are free to go."

"Yes. But don't leave the town. We might need to talk to you again."

"I don't plan to. My treasure is here! I will be rich!"

He prepared to leave, but then turned back.

"Hey, I need to get my hat."

He ran towards the tree-hat, lying on the ground, shoving Edgeworth aside.

"Ouch!" said Edgeworth as he fell down.

"Hey, watch it, pal!" said Gumshoe. "Or I will arrest you right now!"

"Sorry about that, Mr. prosecutor." said Flash. "I needed to get my hat. It's important to remain undercover."

"Fine. Just get out of my sight now!" said Edgeworth as he got back up.

Flash then ran back towards he town.

"Hey!" said Edgeworth. "My prosecutor's badge. I…'it's not on my lapel anymore! Where did it go?"

"Did he…" said Gumshoe.

"No, it's here" said Kay as she picked it from the ground. "I guess if fell off when he bumped into you."

Edgeworth took it and put it on.

"Okay then. Let's just forget this whole thing ever happened.

Marshall, who had been talking on the phone all that time, came back.

"Hey, pardner. The doctor will be here shortly. I hope you weren't bored over here."

"Not at all." said Edgeworth. "We just questioned the reporter."

"That nutjob?! Poor you! Who did it go?"

"It didn't go! He doesn't know anything more than what we know. I didn't get a single useful answer out of him."

"That's too bad, pardner. What do we do now?"

"I have an idea." said Kay. "That spaceship…it seems to be quite linked to the case. I mean…it lead is here."

"Kay, please don't say "Let's go alien hunting."" said Edgeworth.

"No, don't worry." said Kay. "I am not that crazy."

"But we will do it if it comes to that!" said Gumshoe.

"For now, I think we should talk to the two guys who saw the spaceship in the first place." said Kay. "The blind guy and…the looney guy."

"Oh, Bartholomew and Lazarus." said Marshall. "Yes, I know them. Two old cowpokes, respected by the citizens of this fine town. They really are the masters of the saloon."

"They have cows?" asked Kay

"And there's a saloon here?" asked Gumshoe.

"Don't take his Wild West metaphors literally." said Edgeworth. "Looks like we need an interpreter here."

"They are just two of the oldest citizens of the town." explained Marshall. "They like gossiping about the affairs of others and to be in each other's company."

"Where are they?"

"They always sit in the same place. At the bench outside the gas station. "If you want, we can go talk to them now."

"Okay, let's go."

"Actually, I won't come with you." said Marshall. "I can take you to them, but then I have to go."

"Why, pal?" asked Gumshoe.

"I have some other sheep to herd."

"What?"

"Other cacti to chop down."

"Um…"

"You know…other holes to poke."

"Can you just say it in plain English?" asked Kay.

"I have some other leads to pursue."

"What are those?" asked Edgeworth.

"I can't tell you that. At least not yet. I want to be 100% sure first. By the time you are done talking with the cowpokes, I will have made sure my gut instinct is right."

"Gut instinct?"

"Yes, bambina. I am acting in a hunch. I need to find the evidence to support it."

"So you first follow the hunch and then find the evidence?" asked Edgeworth. "Shouldn't it go the other way around?"

"A defense attorney I once knew did it this way. And it seemed to work better than an ace in a poker game,"

"I can't argue there." thought Edgeworth.

"So, you coming?"

"Lead the way, sheriff!" said Kay. "Let's go rile up some desperados!"

"This place is really a bad influence on her." thought Edgeworth. "I hope Rusty will hurry up with the car so we can get out of here before she starts talking like a bad impression of a Texan."

"By the way, pardner." said Marshall. "Can you give me your number? I'll need it to call you if I find something."

"Um…sure." said Edgeworth. He told Marshall his phone number and Marshall wrote it down.

"Okay, thanks, pardner."

They started walking towards the city. Meanwhile, the mortician and the forensics started arriving at the scene.

"Whoever said this place is boring obviously has no idea what he's saying." thought Edgeworth.

To be continued