"You…you insane bastard!" said Etrol, who seemed furious. "…I loved that woman! I loved her! We were so happy together! And now…you are accusing me of killing her! Does your impenitence know no bounds?!"
"I am merely following a logical course of action" said Edgeworth. "The evidence points to you as the one who was operating that spaceship. And your motive for doing that is…"
"The money, of course!" interrupted Etrol. "He paid me a handsome sum for it! And I took it! I admit it!"
"Yes, that was one strong incentive." said Edgeworth. "However, there was something bigger at play."
"The smallest poker matches always have something big hidden behind the cards." said Marshall. "So, what's lurking under here?"
"You, Mr. Etrol!" said Edgeworth. "You killed Ms. Marla Haik. After that, you drove her over to Sherman's hill and dumped her body there. Then, you returned to your shop here and waited."
"Waited?" asked Kay.
"Yes. He expected somebody would go hiking up that mountain sooner or later. And when they did, they would find the body. He was expecting to hear the news that her body had been found. But days went by and the news never came."
"Ys. Because the coyotes grabbed her body and dragged it into the desert" said Marshall. "The devil's luck indeed. Or the opposite."
"That really messed things up for him." said Kay. "After all, until the body was found, nobody would know what happened to her. And if they found out about his relationship with her, they might have assumed he made her disappear."
"Mr. Etrol must have realized that too." said Edgeworth. "Which is why he had to make sure the body would be found and her cause of death would be classified as "An accident.""
"But he had no way to do it." said Kay. "The body needed to be found, but not by him, or else people would get suspicious."
"So, when Mr Flash came to you ask you to help him in his plan…" said Edgeworth. "You found your chance. A chance to hijack Mr. Flash's plan to make sure Ms. Haik's death would go unsolved!"
"I'm betting you had already scoured the desert in search of her body." said Marshall. "You knew where she was, but you couldn't "Discover" her yourself. Nor could you just say "Hey, maybe she's over there." You really were out of options."
"I agree." said Kay. "What he did was a long shot, but what else could he have done? He expected that at least Flash, and maybe other people, would pursue the spaceship and inevitably stumble upon the body."
"Once her examination at the morgue was concluded, it would have been decided she was hiking, fell down and got mauled by the coyotes afterwards."
"Which would have worked…" said Gumshoe. '"If the clothes weren't so wrong! Really, pal!"
"I…I can't believe I am still listening to this nonsense!" said Etrol. "Out! All of you! Get out of my house!"
"Oh, we will be doing nothing of the sort" said Marshall. "The real hootenanny is just about to begin."
"You…you ruthless conviction-hungry vultures! How dare you accuse me like this?! I'll sue! I will! Have you all defrocked for this, you…you two-bit Hercule Poirots!"
"Hmm. Quite an insult, huh?" said Marshall. "Who's Hercule Pour-ross?"
"Poirot!" said Edgeworth. "Famous detective in works of fiction!"
"Oh…that's why I haven't heard of him. I don't care about competition."
"So…let's turn to you, Mr. Etrol."
"Oh, yes! Let's finally give me chance to speak about the ridiculousness of your assertions!"
"So you have a defense?"
"I don't even need one. I just need to point out all the holes in your logic."
"By all means, do so."
Argument
Too far
You are all way past the line! Do you realize what you're saying?
You are saying I killed Marla? Where's your proof?
How did I know she'd be at that mountain at that moment?
I'd have to follow her all the way there! How did she not notice me?
Your case is leaking from everywhere!"
…
"So, you are claiming you'd have to follow her all the way to Sherman's mountain?"
"Indeed."
"Maybe you went there together." said Kay. "You were in a relationship. after all."
"So what? I told you, she liked going hiking alone. She didn't even want me to be with her. She enjoyed the solitude."
"That's' right." thought Edgeworth. "I need some way to prove he was there. Anything will do."
Rebuttal
Too far
You are all way past the line! Do you realize what you're saying?
You are saying I killed Marla? Where's your proof?
Hold it: "I believe your involvement in the UFO hoax is proof enough for suspicion."
"Anything is proof enough for suspicion to you, isn't it? You animals, all of you! Good-for-nothing prosecutors! Even if someone as much as sneezes, it's enough to get him arrested! You are completely heartless!"
"I would like it if you would keep those uninformed, slanderous opinions to yourself!" said Edgeworth.
"Why? The truth hurts, doesn't it? You don't like it when people are aware of the sate of their legal system. False charges, false convictions, false evidence…everything is false! Even you! You pretenders to real police work! Is this what the police has stooped to nowadays? Having a bunch of blubbering buffoons who just blindly guess solve crimes?!"
"This man despises the police and the prosecutors." thought Edgeworth. "What is the cause of such hatred?"
How did I know she'd be at that mountain at that moment?
I'd have to follow her all the way there! How did he not notice me?
Objection
"Mr. Etrol…" said Edgeworth. "You didn't need to follow her there!"
"Oh, so you think I teleported at that mountain? Because if followed her the whole way through the empty barren desert, I'm sure she would have noticed me."
"I agree. But you didn't need to follow her there. You merely needed to carry her."
"C…carry her?"
"Yes. After all…she wasn't killed at that mountain!"
"What?!"
"You didn't expect us to find that out, did you?" said Edgeworth. "But we did. After all, what you did was bound to leave a trail behind."
"A trail?"
Edgeworth presented the threads he had found at the scene.
"Look at these!"
"Hey, those are the threads we found at the scene." said Kay.
"Yes. These, like I said when we first found them, they most likely came from a carpet."
"And why should I care?" asked Etrol.
"Because I've noticed there is a big carpet lying in the corner." said Edgeworth. "And it looks really dusty. I thought that dust seemed familiar. Now I realized…this is exactly the kind of dust found all over Sherman's mountain!"
"Youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!" shouted Etrol.
"Sir! What is the meaning of this?" asked Gumshoe.
"He didn't need to carry her all the way out there to kill her. He killed her here. After that, he took her body, wrapped it inside that carpet and carried her to the mountain. After he was there, he unraveled the carpet, sending the body down the hill, where she would be found by the hungry coyotes later."
"So that's how those fibers got there." said kay. "They got stuck in the dust."
"I'll take that!" said Marshall. He walked over to the carpet and picked it up.
"You put my carpet down!" said Etrol. "Or else…"
"Try to stop me!" said Marshall. "And you will see the fury of a true Texan!"
Etrol was scared by Marshall's tone of voice and silently complied.
"I'll take this for some quick examination, pardners." said Marshall "You keep the fort here."
He ran out.
"While we are waiting for the inevitable, let's keep going." said Edgeworth. "Do you have a defense?"
"Yeah, pal? Why do that to her?" asked Gumshoe and angrily moved toward him. That's when a few coins fell from his pocket and rolled under the bed.
"Crap! Wait, I'll get them!" said Gumshoe.
"No, no need!" said Etrol, who Suddnely turned very kind. "I'll get them. No need for you to trouble yourself."
"That was unexpected." thought Edgeworth. "He was calling us all impostors and frauds just a minute ago. Why change that now?"
Etrol gathered the coins and gave them to Gumshoe.
"Here you go."
"Uh…thanks…pal…" Gumshoe was just as confused.
"Now then…" said Etrol. 'Back to business: I have more to say!"
"Okay" said Edgeworth. 'I will give you another chance."
"You will?" asked Kay.
"of course. If he is innocent, he deserves a chance to prove it. If not, he will find nothing to hide behind forever. Let's see what he plans to pull this time."
Argument
The clothes
You are saying I killed her here? That she was in my house when she died?
That makes no sense! You've seen her clothes, right?
She was hiking! Why else would she have those clothes on her?
There is nothing to be found here! You are just being stupid!
…
"So you insist it was just an accident?"
"Yes, and I will keep saying so. You can't prove otherwise."
"Those clothes…" thought Edgeworth. "They are the reason we suspected foul play in the first place. Maybe…this is what I need to take him down for good."
Rebuttal
The clothes
You are saying I killed her here? That she was in my house when she died?
That makes no sense! You've seen her clothes, right?
She was hiking! Why else would she have those clothes on her?
Hold it: "Just because she wore hiking clothes doesn't mean she was hiking?"
"Yeah" said Kay. "I sometimes wear pajamas in my house, but that doesn't mean I'm sleeping."
"Marla never wore those clothes anywhere." said Etrol. "She only wore them when she wanted to go hiking."
"And we only have your word on that I suppose?"
"Not really. Ask around. Every citizen knew that. I'm sure the will corroborate my story."
"drat! He really thought this through!" thought Edgeworth. 'I'll have to approach this from a different angle."
There is nothing to be found here! You are just being stupid!
Objection
"Mr. Etrol" said Edgeworth. "You really didn't expect us to come here and search, did you?"
"W…what do you mean?"
"I mean…this is the only way I can explain you leaving all the evidence in plain sight!"
"H…how da…."
Edgeworth presented the plastic bag.
"This was found in here! As we can tell by the tag on it, it contained hiking clothes."
"Th…this doesn't prove a thing!"
"Don't be so sure about that!" said Edgeworth. "The clothes Ms .Haik was wearing were definitely not used by her. They are too new and not worn out. They were brand new. Somebody killed her and then put new clothes on her to make it look like she was hiking."
"And you think that someone was me?"
"All I know is that we know the clothes were new. And you having a recently opened package with hiking clothes in your house seems like a remarkable coincidence. I wonder how this would play out in court."
"I'll tell you how! I would claim it was just a coincidence, nothing more. And they would believe me! After all, you can't know the clothes in there were the same as the ones Marla was wearing."
"Then where are they?"
"I am under no obligation to explain anything. Your presence is still illegal and I still can throw you out."
"He's right!" thought Edgeworth. "This alone is too weak for the trial!"
"And, of course, let's not forget about that one tiny little thing you are missing."
"What is that?"
"I'll tell you right now. Final argument, then we are done."
"You are on!"
Argument
Missing one thing
You are saying I killed Marla in here?
With what? What was the murder weapon?
Look around and tell me if you see anything that could be used to murder anyone.
You can't, can you? Then get outta here!
...
"Th…the murder weapon?"
"Of course! You weren't actually thinking of taking this to court with any evidence."
"he's right, sir!" said Gumshoe. 'if we don't find the weapon, we have no hope of getting a guilty verdict."
"I know! I just…need to think this through. There must be something here!"
"Mr. Edgeworth." said Kay. "I believe in you! You can do this! Nail this guy!"
"I…I'll try, Kay. Thank you."
Rebuttal
Missing one thing
You are saying I killed Marla in here?
With what? What was the murder weapon?
Look around and tell me if you see anything that could be used to murder anyone.
You can't, can you? Then get outta here!
Objection
Edgeworth face lit. He hadn't realized it at first, but the actual murder weapon had been staring him in the face ever since he first went into that room.
"So…it's that simple…" he thought. "I understand everything now. Finally."
"Mr. Etrol. I have you now! I know who you killed her and I can prove it!"
"Ha! Tough words!"
"I will do it! You will not escape!"
"Ha! If you think you are so goddamn preceptive then tell us!" said Etrol. "How did I do it? I admit to nothing!"
"Very well." said Edgeworth. "After all, the ashes scattered on your floor tell the whole tale."
"What about them?" asked Kay.
"Yeah, sir. They look pretty normal to me."
"The issue is not that they are unnormal. The issue is…where did they come from? I see ashes, but no ashtray. Do you?"
"Nope."
"Me neither."
"So, Mr. Etrol where is your ashtray?" asked Edgeworth. "You had one, didn't you?"
"I…I threw it away!" he said "It was broken."
"I don't believe you." said Edgeworth. "You did throw it away…but for a different reason."
"And what is that, Mr. perceptive?"
"You see…some ashes were found on Ms. Haik's hair. It was puzzling how they got there. I mean, it's not like there was any indication from where they came from."
"Didn't they come from Mr. Bartholomew smoking there?" asked Kay.
"That's what I thought too." said Edgeworth. "But that was not the case. The truth is…they got on her after Mr. Etrol used the astray to kill her!"
"You….you scuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuum!"
"It makes perfect sense!" said Gumshoe. "The ashes were scattered here…and the rest got on Ms .Haik. It makes sense she was hit by that ashtray."
"And since it was filled at the time…" said Edgeworth. "We can say the crime was not premeditated. After all, if he had planned it, he would have cleaned it beforehand."
"That sounds logical." said Kay.
"And yet, with all your logic, you have yet to answer the most important question!" said Etrol.
"And what is that?"
"Why did I do it? I loved her! I never would want to hurt her!"
"I believe you."
"Wait…what?" said Kay.
"It's true. He never intended to kill her. It wasn't premeditated, after all. But…while they were in here...something happened. Something he didn't expect. Something that made him feel he had been left with no choice but to kill her."
"Can you prove it?" asked Etrol. "If not, beat it!"
"I believe we can! After all, the evidence is right here in this room with us."
"Wh…what the hell are you talking about?" asked Etrol.
"It was just a minute ago. Detective Gumshoe dropped some coins under that bed. You wasted zero time showing your feeling for us. And yet…you offered to gather them for him. That was unexpected. And the only way that I can explain it…is there is something under the bed you don't want us to find."
"Wh…what could be under there? You are being really stupid!"
"Am I?"
"Yes!"
"We'll see. Detective?"
"No need to ask twice, sir."
He got on his knees and looked under the bed.
"No, don't look!" said Etrol. "You have gone too far! You have broken every law about private property! I will crush you! I will eradicate you! I will make you disapp…"
"You won't do anything of the sort." said Gumshoe. "Not with what we just found."
"What did you find, Gummy?" asked Kay.
Gumshoe pulled out a small package. It had some white powder sprinkled over it. Etrol seemed finished.
"No…"
"Recognize the scent, sir?"
"I do. But why don't you say it anyway."
"Drugs."
"A third member of the same gang? What are the odds?" asked Kay.
"I don't know." said Edgeworth. "What matters it the case has come to a close. Here is your motive! Earlier today, when Ms. Haik went to the restaurant to collect her diary, Mr. Fricassee made a move on her. She tried to fight him off and then left. But she wouldn't go hiking after something like that happened. She came here, seeking comfort and support."
"But instead, she found betrayal and pain!" said Kay. "She saw you handle this, didn't see? She figured out what you were truly doing."
"Did she threaten to tell the police?" asked Edgeworth. "Is that why you killed her?"
"I…I…"
Right then, Marshall walked in.
"Howdy, pardners. Is the fortress doing okay?"
"Great!" said Gumshoe. "We have him now!"
"But you can always use more evidence, right?"
What do you have?" asked Kay.
"First, the carpet has been analyzed. The victim's blood was found in it."
"Yes! We did it!" said Kay.
"Kay, calm down." said Edgeworth. "What else is there?"
"I also found this."
He showed them an ashtray. It was covered in blood."
"Where was that? Where did you find it?"
"In the trashcan outside."
"So close to his own house?"
"He had no choice. Poor cowpoke. Garbage tracks only come through here once a month. And people watch their trash closer than a poker player watches his cards, so anyone would have reported a bloody ash holder in their trashcans."
"That's why he kept it in his own trash can." said Edgeworth. "He hoped he wouldn't be suspected and, eventually, the garbage truck would take the evidence away."
"Foolish move." said Marshall. "He just left us another ace up our sleeve."
"Good work, pal!" said Gumshoe.
"Yeah! Way to go, sheriff!" said Kay.
"And one last thing. I got a phone call. From my buddy at the police department."
"Did he collect information on Mr. Etrol."
"Yes, like I asked him."
"You did what?!" said Etrol.
"It seems Mr. Etrol had another girlfriend back in the city.
"He…he did?"
"Yes. They were suspected of involvement in drug trafficking. The police searched their house after being tipped-off and found some really interesting packages."
"Like this one?" asked Gumshoe.
"Yup. It seems he is still in touch with his old contacts."
"Why wasn't he arrested?" asked Kay.
"Well...the house they were staying belonged to his girlfriend…so she was arrested."
"You are not…" said Kay. She turned to Etrol, even more discussed. "You let an innocent woman rot in prison for something you did?!"
"I…"
"Don't try to deny anything!" said Edgeworth. "You are finished! I already fired my bullets at Mr. Flash, but I saved some for you! And, just like Mr. Flash, you shall not escape their sting!"
Etrol was having a breakdown. He put his hand on his face and let out a huge scream.
"aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhggggggggggggggggggggggguuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg!"
"It looks like this case is just about wrapped up!" said Marshall. "I can arrest this desperado now! Come on, buddy, we have a lot to talk about down at the saloon!"
He cuffed Etrol. Before he was taken away, Kay stepped in front of him.
"What?"
"You…you knew my mother, didn't you?"
"Oh, right. There's that too." thought Edgeworth.
"When you said you knew the name Faraday…it wasn't my father you knew, was it? What did you and my mother do together? What happened to her?"
"I don't know." said Etrol. "And, frankly, I don't care."
"You don't know?"
"No. Your mother and I lost touch years ago. I just can't believe…I have been screwed over by faraday again."
"Again? What did she do to you?"
"Betrayed my trust. Your mother was a sly, conniving fox!"
"Don't you dare talk about her like that!"
"Why not? He may be your mother, but that doesn't mean she was a saint! Oh, believe me, you'll understand someday!"
"Enough!" said Marshall. "I understand your curiosity, bambina, but I need to talk with this cowpoke for a bunch of other matters right now. Good luck."
He then took Etrol away.
"I…I guess I will never know what happened to her." said Kay.
"Kay, I promise you." said Edgeworth. "As soon as we get back, I will look through the files. I will try to see if there is any information on your mother. On what happened to her."
"You will? Oh, thank you!"
"Don't mention it. I owe it to you after all the times you've helped me!"
…
Two days later, Edgeworth, Kay and Gumshoe were saying their farewells with Marshall. Their car was ready and they could go home.
"You are leaving already? It feels so soon, pardners."
"Don't worry." said Kay. "We'll be back as soon as possible."
"You will?"
"You bet, pal!" said Gumshoe. "After all we've been through, we need to spend more time together!"
"Wait a minute!" said Edgeworth. "I did not…"
Kay elbowed him in the stomach, causing him to grab it in pain.
"Ow…we will be back." he said.
"Great! And I promise you there will be more to see next time."
"How can you predict that?"
"My boys went through the cave that hack was using as a workshop…and found an entire gold strike!"
"What was it?" asked Kay.
"A gold strike."
"We understand it's important." said Gumshoe. "But what is it?"
"I'm not being metaphorical." said Marshall.
"You mean…you found actual gold?" asked Edgeworth.
"Yup. And there's tons of it. With that, we can make a bunch of attractions here. Time for this little town to be upgraded to a tourist trap. And we don't need aliens for that."
"Tal about the devil's luck!" said Kay. "For real!"
"God luck in your endeavours." said Edgeworth. "And we will be available should you need help in another case."
"Thank you. And I will always be grateful your car broke down in my neck of the woods. Now if you'll excuse me, I have other matters to attend to."
He then walked away.
"What a great guy!" said Kay. "I really like that I got to meet him!"
"He truly is an honorable man!" said Edgeworth. "It's nice to see he's been doing so well for himself. As for us…there are cases waiting back home, so…let's make haste."
They got in the car and drove away. As the city was lost in the horizons, Kay said:
"This place may seem boring and empty at first, but…it offered us a very exciting adventure."
"During which, we met a bunch of cool pals!" said Gumshoe.
"I suppose my initial judgements of this place was mistaken.
"Indeed" said Kay. "They say you should never judge people by their initial appearance. I think the same applies to towns. This place deserves a chance from everyone."
"I will gladly return here." said Edgeworth. "After it has been upgraded, of course."
"I want to return here to!" said Gumshoe. "I've gained so many memories."
They kept driving eventually, they arrived at Los Angles around afternoon. Edgeworth stopped the car outside the prosecutors' office.
"Finally we are home." said Edgeworth. "The trial can begin tomorrow, so I'll need to…"
They were interrupted bay familiar voice.
"Oh, you are finally here, Miles Edgeworth?"
They looked from the windows. Two people approached them. One was Franziska. Edgeworth thought he recognized the other, but he wasn't sure who he was. He was a pale man dressed in black clothes.
"Franziska? What are you doing here?"
"Waiting for you! Where have you been?"
"My car broke down. We had to stop at a small desert town and…"
"Well, you should know that while you were having a fun little vacation, I was very busy over here."
"What happened?"
"We had a big case on our hands." said the other man. "It was very hard to crack. Thankfully, von Karma-dono managed to see it through. You should be proud of her."
"It told you, don't call me that!" said Franziska.
"Um…who is he, sir?" asked Gumshoe.
"Yeah, he seems…peculiar." whispered Kay.
"Wait…" said Edgeworth. I…I've seen you. Around here, at the office. You are a prosecutor, aren't you? Simon…something…"
"Blackquill. Simon Blackquill."
"What are you two doing together?"
"I was investigating the case." said Franziska. "And the chief prosecutor assigned him to work with me. Said he wanted him to gain experience. He wanted me to teach him a few techniques."
"And did you?"
"She did" said Simon. 'She is really talented."
"So, is the case over?"
"Yes. The suspect has been arrested and has a court date ready. But we need your help."
"But if the suspect has been caught, what do you need help with?" asked Kay
"The trial."
"I'm sorry, but…I'm afraid I won't be able to help you. I have my own trial to arrange. I don't have time." said Edgeworth.
"You do." said Simon. "Believe me, even if you don't realize it yet, you have a lot of free time on your hands."
"And why is that?"
"Because there will be no trial. That's why we had a case in the first place."
"No, you don't mean…"
"Yes. Your defendant, Benedict Waterloo…he's dead."
End of episode
