July 2nd, 12:49am
Quick Journey Convenience Store
Fire Escape
"That was quite the bluff back there," Edgeworth commented dryly, eyes focused on the prosecutor above him.
"I was just trying to keep the investigation going," Blackquill replied, somewhat defensive. "We have enough to arrest the man."
"Arrest him? Perhaps. But any defense attorney worth their salt would grind your claims to dust," Edgeworth lectured, recalling some of his own experiences. "If you want to find the truth, nothing must dissuade you. Never settle until the matter is resolved."
"Why the insistence? You agree he's the killer, no? We found the truth of the case."
"Not all of it. Any hole you leave open is a hole in your case's armor. A hole the defense can exploit." Edgeworth spoke in battle metaphors, hoping the man would understand. "Court is a battlefield. Evidence is your sword. Sharpen it as much as you can to win the fight."
"Hm…" Blackquill mulled it over, then stopped in his tracks. Edgeworth almost ran into him. "We're here."
July 2nd, 12:51am
Quick Journey Convenience Store
Rooftop
The two prosecutors took a quick scan of the rooftop. It was, as expected, flat, scattered with pipes and air ducts popping out from below.
"Alright, let's split up and look," Edgeworth said. The two prosecutors separated, each taking one side of the roof. Edgeworth pulled out Gumshoe's flashlight and began to search the ground.
-Begin Investigation-
First, Edgeworth checked the ground, looking for evidence supporting Viper's claim. He wandered the entire roof, searching for any sign of activity.
That's odd. For someone who claims to have been smoking, he left a staggering lack of ashes behind. And where did he put out the cigarette?
-"Lack of Ashes" added to Organizer-
Edgeworth turned his attention to the view from the roof. The building was only a single story, so he couldn't see as far as he could from, say, his office. And the only real thing to look at was the road ahead. He could see the crash site perfectly from up here.
Hm… could this be the vantage point from which Viper witnessed the events? He would have had a hard time shooting a gun from here. There was only one possible angle from which he could shoot through one head and both windows, and the opportunity was available for a mere fraction of a second.
It was a troublesome shot to begin with. And without a bullet, the trajectory of the gun was near impossible to confirm.
But enough dwelling. If we find the gun here, the shot was possible. Someone can question the police about the issue in the morning, should it be necessary.
If we find nothing… the investigation is over.
He had to keep searching. The roof was by no means large. This shouldn't take long.
Let's see. Everything seems to be in order from a preliminary glance, though obviously there are numerous possible hiding places.
The ducts were an obvious place to start. The HVAC system looked to be only a few years old, and everything seemed to be in working order. Well, except for…
What's that?
Edgeworth stepped forward and bent down, putting on his gloves. He tried to pull what looked like a black cylinder out from behind an air duct.
He had to struggle with it a bit, trying to get it out. He turned off his flashlight so he could use both hands. It seemed to be fairly long, with a twist at the end…
Aha! It fell out from its hiding place. Edgeworth switched his flashlight back on, desperate to take a look.
The object… was a sniper rifle. Military grade. For a moment, Edgeworth just stood there.
I honestly cannot believe how easy that was.
"Mr. Blackquill! I believe our search is over!"
Blackquill walked over to Edgeworth, a surprised look on his face. He'd been searching the opposite end of the roof.
"Already?" the man asked. He was just as shocked.
"Yes. I found this behind one of the air ducts." Edgeworth said, pointing to the gun he held at the barrel.
"Y-You're kidding, right? Just behind an air duct?"
"Just behind an air duct. Part of the barrel was sticking out, which was how I found it in the first place."
Blackquill shook his head. "Clearly this man is an even bigger idiot than I imagined. We should check the gun. How do you-"
"Allow me, Mr. Blackquill." Without waiting for an answer, Edgeworth reached into the gun, searching for the remnants of a casing. It wasn't hard to find. "And there you have it: one bullet fired."
-"Sniper Rifle" added to Organizer-
"What the… these bullets would have to be huge! What kind of idiot would fire this thing in a city?"
"There's a reason it's illegal, Mr. Blackquill. Not even law enforcement uses this type of gun. Our rifles are far lower range. I believe it could be military."
"Or the black market."
Edgeworth left the gun where it was. "Well, I think we're done here."
-Investigation Complete-
July 2nd, 1:01am
Quick Journey Convenience Store
Outside Storefront
Thankfully, everyone was still gathered in front of the store. Viper was visibly nervous, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.
"Well, you done?" he asked, voice shaking.
Got you now, Viper. "Yes, we are. Officer?"
"Yes, sir?"
"Send one of your men up to the rooftop. I wouldn't want to contaminate the evidence."
A police officer began to walk over, but another stopped him. He turned to Blackquill.
Oh, right. Prosecutor Blackquill was the head of the investigation. Edgeworth had almost forgotten. So had most of the team.
"Go on. Get the sniper rifle. We don't have all night," Blackquill gestured to another cop. "You. Arrest him."
"Woah woah woah! Hold on a sec right now!" the man screamed, at his wit's end. "That's it? There's a gun up there, so I must be a killer?"
"What more do you want? I have suitable grounds for an arrest."
"An arrest… but what about a conviction?" Edgeworth repeated something he'd said earlier, his expression thoughtful. "Mr. Viper, what do you have to say for yourself?"
"What?!" Prosecutor Blackquill was dumbfounded. "Mr. Edgeworth, what are you doing?"
Hmph. Do you want to win this case in court, Mr. Blackquill? To win over a judge, one should first win over the truth. "I merely want to know what he has to say. Shouldn't everyone be allowed to speak in their own defense?"
"I don't understand," Miss Seid stood off to one end, no longer an active part of the investigation.
Viper, however, wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth. "Eh! I got lots of things to say in my own defense! You all are insane for thinkin' I could be a killer."
"Then prove it, Mr. Viper. Make an argument for your case," Edgeworth smirked. "Mr. Blackquill and I are listening. Isn't that right, Prosecutor?"
"..." He did not look happy.
"You all want me to argue? Fine. I got an argument ready, righ' here!"
-Argument-
The Crazy Prosecutas
"You men are just crazy. You know that?
"I've been nuthin' but helpful to all you, and you treat me like a criminal. Where's your proof?
"Sure, I mixed my up thoughts once or twice. But you hon'stly know what you're claimin'?
"You're sayin' I shot a movin' car in the nighttime and killed a guy in one shot. That sound possible to you?
"How 'bout the passenger lady? Why didn' I get her? Why's the gun mine? And why would I call 911 on my own shootin'?
"You prosecuta boys just wasted all your precious time on me, and I bet your killer got away 'cause of it. You never had a reason to arrest me, and ya never will!"
And with a wave of his hand, Steven Viper concluded his argument. "Well, what you prosecuta boys got to say to that?"
"Oh my gosh… I didn't think of it that way." Miss Seid was the first to speak. Then she confronted Blackquill. "Well? Your accusation is ridiculous!"
"Uh…" Blackquill looked shocked. He turned to Edgeworth. "I know it has to be him: he was the only one on the roof when the shooting happened!"
"Assuming the killer did, indeed, shoot from that particular roof," Edgeworth argued. "Don't you see? We can't just arrest the first person we view suspicious. We have to be sure, and when we're not... Why do you think verdicts are turning against us nowadays?"
"But… what does it mean? Is the snake really our killer?"
"Why are you looking at me?" Edgeworth felt a touch cruel, playing with the man this way. But he wasn't about to let up. "I can already assure you: everything you need is something that can be investigated. Simply take what you've learned, and apply it to this man's argument. Is there something that doesn't match up?"
The young man paused to think, then nodded. "There is. Did you find it, too?"
Edgeworth just smiled. "I'll handle it in the rebuttal. You'll assist me, won't you?"
"O-Of course!"
"Mr. Viper, repeat your argument so that we may respond!"
"Like you can explain all this, but okay. You all list'ned to me, I'll return the favor." The man spoke with a patronizing grin, clearly thinking he'd won. Edgeworth felt sparks of irritation just looking at him.
Hm… The man is clearly confident in his words. But somewhere, there has to be a contradiction. Clearly, he's forgotten something I said before…
Very well. Let that same confidence be his undoing!
-Rebuttal-
The Crazy Prosecutas
"You men are just crazy. You know that?
"I've been nuthin' but helpful to all of you, and you treat me like a criminal. Where's your proof?"
"HOLD IT!" Blackquill interrupted. "You have blatantly lied in every testimony so far. How can you possibly claim to be helpful?"
"Like you've never messed up once in your life! Smokin's a bad habit of mine. Been tryin' to quit for years."
"Ha, the only smoking I found up on that roof was a smoking gun," Edgeworth fired back. He pulled out his Organizer, selecting a specific piece of evidence. "You left no ashes or cigarettes anywhere on the scene. TAKE THAT!"
Mr. Viper's face went slack for a second, then regained his smile. "You never been 'round someone that smokes, now have you?"
"Admittedly, my experiences are limited, but-"
"We're not all animals, Prosecuta Boy. Some of us clean up after ourselves. Why, I was cleanin' up myself when I saw that accident."
It hit him like a swerving automobile. "Mr. Viper! Please add your whereabouts at the time of the incident to your argument!"
A sigh. "Whatever. You ready to keep me here all nigh' anyway.
"Fine. 'At the end of the night, I was just finishin' up my smoke on a rooftop when I saw a horrible sight.' You'll find it at the end. Happy?"
"Quite so. Please continue your argument, Mr. Viper."
"Sure, I mixed my thoughts up once or twice. But do you know what you're claimin'?
"You say I shot a movin' car in the nighttime and killed a guy in one shot. That sound possible to you?
"HOLD IT! Mr. Viper, do you know my prosecuting record?"
"No. Why?"
"You expect the general public to keep up with the courts?" Miss Seid looked baffled. "That's even harder than keeping up with a family of reality stars!"
"Wait, are you talking about-" The forensics guy looked up. "I love that show!"
"Um, that aside..." Edgeworth did his best to return to the topic at hand. "From the very start, my career has consisted of keys turning into knives, resurrections out of Eagle River, corpses on a pendulum, cow monsters, and flying thieves. Arguing the probability of an event is utterly useless."
Blackquill went from there. "Perhaps it was an incredibly lucky shot. Perhaps you are trained in the art of gunfire. These are all questions that are likely to arise in court. The fact remains that you are the most plausible suspect in this investigation. Do you have any solid reason we should not arrest you?"
"Well of course I do! You just aren't letting me get to it! Where was I…
"How 'bout the passenger lady? Why didn' I get her? Why's the gun mine? And why would I call 911 on my own shootin'?"
"HOLD IT! It is true we have yet to confirm the sniper rifle belongs to you. But you called 911 because you saw another witness -that is, myself- on the scene. Had the first bystander I saw not called 911, I would have been suspicious from the start."
"And what about me?" Miss Seid called out, disturbed. "Why would he risk killing me? Why even kill David in the first place?"
"A man reckless enough to shoot a man driving a car near a pedestrian is a man reckless enough to endanger a passenger," Blackquill replied coldly, shivering at the thought. "Miss Seid, you are lucky to be alive."
She gasped. "He… could he have been trying to kill me, too?"
"The possibility does exist, " Edgeworth piled on. "That's an investigation for the next day, I believe."
"Woah woah woah. Uh… HOLD IT!"
Great, now even the suspects are doing it.
"Yes, Mr. Viper?"
"You haven' even answered my question! If I was the killer, how'd I miss the passenger lady?"
"It's a fair question," Blackquill conceded, turning to Edgeworth. "Do we have any evidence to explain this?"
Hm… Mr. Viper is becoming very agitated, so I must be onto something. But this is such an obvious argument to make! If we can't refute it now-
"Of course I have evidence, Mr. Viper. This is the evidence that explains your scenario: TAKE THAT!"
"The fingerprints on the steering wheel?" Miss Seid raised an eyebrow. "What does that have to do with anything?"
Edgeworth waggled his finger next to his brow, smirking with utter confidence. "Recall your earlier statement about the steering wheel, Miss Seid:
"'David's the one who jerked toward the other side of the road! I'm the one who avoided the pink guy!'"
Blackquill caught on, then shrugged. "Well, Miss Seid? Do you stand by your statement?"
She was silent for a moment. Then, noticing the men staring at her, "Okay, okay! Listen, I gotta confess something."
"We're listening."
"Well, when I said that, I was angry. And scared. And… I'm sorry I called Mr. Edgeworth a pink guy! He clearly can't let it go."
In the background, a police officer burst into laughter.
"Well, Mr. Edgeworth?" Blackquill asked, trying to contain his amusement. Lack of sleep made everything funny, it seems. "Do you accept Miss Seid's apology?"
"What? No!" Edgeworth pulled back. "I mean- of course. But- I'm more interested in the movements of the car. Miss Seid. Is what you said regarding the vehicle's movements the truth?"
"For the millionth time, yes!"
"Then here we have the true sequence of events: As the victim sped down the road, he and Miss Seid were locked in a heated argument. Miss Seid insisted he pull over, even reaching for the steering wheel when-"
"The gunshot rang out," Blackquill continued. "The bullet killed Mr. River while Miss Seid was bent over."
"Exactly. The victim's last move alive was unintentional: he turned the car in my direction. It was at that moment Miss Seid grabbed the wheel, saving my life."
"And crashing the car."
"Hey! I'd like to see you do better!"
Edgeworth sighed. "Enough. My point is, Mr. Viper, your questions are useless. The evidence answers them all. Miss Seid was bent over, so the bullet missed. Anything else?"
"I… ah…" Viper stuttered. "Can I… continue my argument?"
"Certainly."
"You prosecuta boys just wasted all your precious time on me, and I bet your killer got away 'cause of it. You never had a reason to arrest me, and ya never will!"
"OBJECTION!" Blackquill shouted. "We have plenty cause to arrest you. And everyone who was on site at the time of the murder is here right now!"
"You prosectuas keep sayin' that, but the police took their time showin' up. If I wanted to escape right then, I know I could've."
"And I believe you couldn't!" the new prosecutor growled.
"Any evidence? Long as you can' prove it, it's still a possibility."
"Grrr…"
"I hate to say it, but Mr. Viper is correct," Edgeworth admitted. "There's nothing to object to here. And our investigation faces the consequences."
"What? No!" Blackquill recoiled. It was like he just watched some internal bar of life draining before his eyes. "I…"
"Let's continue with the argument, shall we?"
"At the end of the night, I was just finishin' up my smoke on a rooftop when I saw a horrible sight."
"HOLD IT!" Edgeworth pressed for the final time. "Please clarify one thing for me: when you saw the accident, you were smoking or cleaning up?"
"Smokin'."
Edgeworth smirked. "I see. So you saw the accident, rushed down into the store, called an ambulance, and ran over right away. This is consistent with when I saw you."
"And when did you see him, Mr. Edgeworth?"
"Less than a minute after the crash. I'm sure of it."
"What does this have to do with anything?" Miss Seid asked, confused.
Mr. Viper was the one who replied. "Nuthin'. They just stallin' for time 'cause they don't have a reason to arrest me. Now, if you don't mind I'll just-"
"OBJECTION!" Edgeworth pointed his finger at the suspect. "Stop right there!"
"Why?"
"You had no time to clean up on that roof! There is no possible way you could have been smoking!"
"Or I did my smokin' over the roof's edge. You ever think o' that?"
I… did not! Edgeworth realized, recoiling. Blackquill looked at him, confusion on his face.
Grounds for an arrest is debatable at best! But… If we let him go now, will we ever catch him again? If I were him and guilty, running isn't exactly out of the question…
This rookie looks up to me. I have to set an example. But… what can I possibly do? Is this really the-
"HOLD IT!"
Edgeworth's eyes flashed to everyone's face. They looked as shocked as him. Everyone except-
"Detective Gumshoe!"
"I'm back, sirs! Right on time!" Gumshoe declared, holding up a piece of paper. "I got what you asked for, Mr. Edgeworth!"
"What did he ask for?"
"Everything there is to know about one Steven Viper," Edgeworth replied.
"What?"
Edgeworth ignored the suspect's outburst, reading the sheet of paper. "Steven Viper was kicked out of military school for disorderly conduct at the age of twenty-one. Before that, he won many contests in… well, what do you know? Sharpshooting."
"That don' mean a thing!"
"After leaving, Mr. Viper has been associated with several criminal gangs… the Cavaderrini's, the Kitaki's, the Rivales… he's been arrested twice for minor offenses, and was once suspected of involvement in the illegal arms trade."
Edgeworth lowered the paper, looking the suspect in the eye. "I'd love to see how this plays out in court. Wouldn't you?"
"Enough with this crazy talk!" Viper marched right up to the detective, shaking in his boots. "So I screwed up my future fi'teen years ago! So what if you crazy coppers like givin' me trouble? Fact is, you can imagine or explain anythin' you like. Doesn' mean I have anythin' with that gun you found. You still got no proof I shot your boy River."
"That can't be right!" Blackquill insisted, looking like he wanted to punch something. "There's gotta be something, anything we have on him."
I know that, Mr. Blackquill. This snake seems to be more slippery than I first thought; even with his criminal record, he has some explanation he uses to slide from my grip.
But, I meant what I said: everything we need is something that can be investigated. What about the things we haven't investigated, though?
A thought occurred to the magenta-clad prosecutor. He tsked. "You seem quite fixated on the gun, Mr. Viper. Could it be there's something about it you don't want us to see?"
"What? No! I jus' mean-"
"Well, I say we honor Mr. Viper's request. He wants evidence he used the gun to kill River, and I want to obtain it."
"Right away, Mr. Edgeworth, sir!" Gumshoe gave his superior a salute. "What would you like us to investigate?"
Hm... What evidence can I collect that connects Viper to the gun?
-Ballistics testing
-Gun registration
-Fingerprint scanning
...Only one of these tests is even remotely possible. I have to request they scan for fingerprints. "Gumshoe. Tell forensics to search for fingerprints on the gun. I put on gloves when handling it; there should only be a single set."
"Right away, sir! Everyone can wait right here in the meantime."
How long to tests like these take? I swear, it changes every time I request one.
They sat there in silence for what felt like hours, letting forensics take their sweet time on the job. It irritated Edgeworth, having known a girl who could perform the test in seconds. She better make the forensics team in this city.
"And results are in for the examination of the sniper rifle!"
Blackquill was first to speak. "And they are?"
"Fingerprints on the cartridges, trigger, and barrel. All belong to Steven Viper."
Edgeworth smirked his widest. How good it felt to have finally trapped the snake nipping at his heels. "It seems your fingerprints aren't missing, this time. I'd call that decisive evidence. Wouldn't you, Mr. Viper?"
"Well… I… Uh…"
"Come now Mr. Viper, please. We don't have all night."
"...
…...
… ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Viper shouted out, his body suddenly convulsing. All those assembled looked on in shock as the man seemed to have a seizure, his snake tattoos slithering over his body as it spasmed. The one around his neck tightened, choking the man until he coughed. His face turned blue. He howled, clawing at his neck like it was life or death.
All around him, the members of the investigation stopped, giving him a wide berth. You could almost hear the snake hiss.
"Fine! Yah got me!" the man said, his voice coming out in wheezes. "I did it! I killed 'em! I hate that man! I hated that River boy for years on end, and I fin'lly got my chance to shoot 'em dead! You happy now?!"
The officers ran forward and reached out to cuff him. At the same time, Miss Seid began to scream.
"You bastard! Murderer! Son of a- I should kill you! You shouldn't even be alive! You better hope you get into prison where you'll be safe because I swear-"
"Miss Seid, please calm down!" Gumshoe grabbed the woman to restrain her as Edgeworth tried to invoke reason in the witness. "This won't help anything."
"If you get off, I swear! I'm going to find you, take your gun, and shoot you myself! I'll light your body on fire, and-"
"Detective! Please 'escort' Miss Seid away from here so we can apprehend the suspect!" Edgeworth shouted over her yelling. With a quick "Yessir!", Gumshoe led the woman away.
"Let me go you-"
"Now then. Mr. Viper, will you please explain to us your motive?" Edgeworth requested.
Viper, who had had a look of utter terror written on his face until Seid had been led away, sneered at him.
"An' why should I tell ya? Not like I have much to lose now, is it?"
"No, but when a criminal is cooperative, the courts tend to be a bit more lenient."
Viper laughed. "So it's bribery. No wonder everyone on the streets is sayin' the prosecuta's office is corrupt."
Edgeworth clenched his fist, but otherwise showed no emotion. "Think of it less as bribery, and more of rewarding good behavior. You make the prosecutor's job easier, and they repay you in turn."
Viper shrugged. "Eh. Why not? I killed 'em... because of some personal reasons. That's it."
"..."
Blackquill and Edgeworth stared at the man for a long moment.
"That's it?" Blackquill asked.
"That's it."
Edgeworth snorted. "You expect us to believe that you took the time to set up a sniper rifle, learn to shoot a target moving as fast as a car, and probably did a nice bit of digging to find out his preferred way home... because you had issues? Sorry, Mr. Viper, but crimes of passion aren't committed like this."
Viper shrugged again. "Maybe. Maybe not. But you can' prove that, can ya?" And with that, Viper turned away from the prosecutors. The police took that as their cue to walk him into the car.
"Enjoy that court session," Edgeworth commented dryly to Blackquill.
"I'll question him more in the morning. Seid, too." the prosecutor replied, yawning out of nowhere. "Huh, I guess I really was tired. But something's still bothering me."
"I think I know what is. With what we know now, there's a certain piece of evidence that no longer makes sense. And that is…" Edgeworth pondered it a moment, then presented his choice.
"Miss Seid's testimony," Blackquill agreed. "She had no idea where the victim was taking her when the accident happened. If she didn't know… how did the snake?" It hit him. "We still don't know where the victim was driving to!"
Edgeworth pulled his hands back. "You're right! However… I don't think that's the only mystery, here."
"What?"
Let me see… which pieces of Logic do I still have left in my head?
Unknown Files, and a Third Set of Prints… on those files! How did I not see this earlier? Edgeworth connected his thoughts in an instant.
"There are two pieces of evidence that have never been brought up in this entire investigation. The third set of prints, and the Backseat Papers. I can't help but wonder…are they as unassuming as they appear?"
"What are you thinking, Mr. Edgeworth? Are they important?"
"I… I think so." But I don't know why.
"I'll declare it evidence, and look it over tomorrow," Blackquill promised. "About time I agreed with your gut on something. Do you know anything about the files?"
Hold it! Could they be-
"..."
"Mr. Edgeworth?"
I wasn't expecting it to come up again so soon. Why, it was just this morning…
There's a connection between the cases. I was hesitant to see it at first, but now I'm sure of it. We can't ignore this.
"Come to my office, first thing in the morning." You've got a lot to catch up on.
Organizer
Profiles:
Miles Edgeworth
Age: 27
Gender: Male
Description: Me. What can I say? Currently High Prosecutor for my local district.
Detective Gumshoe
Age: 32
Gender: Male
Description: A homicide detective, one of the many assigned to this district. How I nearly always end up working with him, I cannot say.
Simon Blackquill
Age: 20
Gender: Male
Description: A new prosecutor on the scene. Appears slightly uncertain of himself, but a respectful man besides.
David River
Age: 28
Gender: Male
Description: An office worker of some kind. He was driving on a detour to take his girlfriend home when he died inside his own vehicle. Cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head.
Elaine Seid
Age: 27
Gender: Female
Description: The victim's girlfriend. Was sitting in the passenger seat when the car crashed, leaving her with minor injuries. Seems very shocked by recent events.
Steven Viper
Age: 36
Gender: Male
Description: A bystander to the accident. Called 911 immediately after the accident and rushed over to the crash site. Was found near the car when the police arrived.
Evidence:
Prosecutor's Badge
Type: Other
Description: My badge. It allows me to do my job, and is to be kept in my pocket at all times.
Driving Conditions
Type: Evidence
Description: Road was clear and dry at the time of the crash. There is nothing out there that could potentially cause an accident.
Glass Shards
Type: Evidence
Description: Found on the road and sidewalk, on both sides of the car. Seems to be quite a bit for a relatively minor crash.
Road Marks
Type: Evidence
Description: Marks made by the tires right before the crash. Suggest the vehicle was speeding at the time of the incident, and the crash occurred after two right turns.
Crime Scene Photo
Type: Evidence
Obtained from the police
Description: Depicts the empty driver's seat right after the crash. The areas in blue tested positive for bloodstains. Check
Bloodstains
Type: Evidence
Description: Blood belongs to David River. One large stain was found on the seat headrest, with several smaller ones scattered about the seat.
Backseat Papers
Type: Other
Description: Financial reports from Hakari Inc. Why would the victim have these in his car?
Seid's Testimony
Type: Evidence
Description: Victim was taking Miss Seid home from dinner, but she didn't recognize the route. They argued, and then the crash occurred.
Steering Wheel
Type: Evidence
Description: Two sets of handprints were found on the steering wheel. One on the normal driving position, one directly below on the righthand side.
Fingerprint Data
Type: Evidence
Obtained from the police
Description: Three sets of fingerprints found inside the car. Forensics results reveal the prints of David River and Elaine Seid, with one set unidentified. A second report reveals Miss Seid to have been the only witness to leave fingerprints on the outside passenger door when she entered, pre-incident.
Autopsy Report
Type: Evidence
Obtained from the police
Description: Victim died of a single gunshot wound to the head at 9:20pm. Check
Store Hours
Type: Evidence
Obtained from Steven Viper
Description: Hours for the Quick Journey Convenience Store right across the street. Store hours for the day of incident are 6:00am-8:00pm.
Lack of Ashes
Type: Evidence
Description: The rooftop showed no signs of smoking after a thorough search.
Sniper Rifle
Type: Evidence
Description: A military grade weapon, illegal for a civilian to own. This weapon was found on the roof with exactly one bullet fired. Check
A/N's: Both writers of Episode One are here to leave notes. This is what they have to say.
PTV: YES! Phase One of Operation AAI3 is complete! Even if this one is the shortest of the five, and by far the simplest (usually), I'm proud of us. I'm proud of my co and I, I'm proud of our betas, I'm proud of our supporters (both vocal and silent), I'm proud of all the ideas that have and will be submitted to our Ideas Doc (still open, by the way) and we would like to give credit to everyone who inspired this case. Ajani?
AA: Sure thing! The idea for the case is a combination between PTV's idea of Teaching the Turnabout and Golden Darkness's Turnabout on the Road. Most of the characters were contributed by PTV, though the current Chief Prosecutor (who was mentioned, he hasn't appeared yet) was my idea. Also, I apologize in advance if I missed anyone. If I did, please let myself or PTV know.
Next, I want to give a big thank you to our betas. Without you guys, I'm sure they'd be at least a few grammatical errors or spelling mistakes, especially with auto-correct on, messing up things like people's names.
Finally, I hope everyone enjoyed this episode. Of course, it's supposed to be the tutorial case so it is relatively simple compared to what we have planned for later, but it was fun to write and hopefully fun for you guys to read. Any last thoughts PTV?
PTV: Hm… oh yeah! Three things:
1) There is an AJ musical in the works. hates links, so just Google it. Very easy to find. I plan to audition as one of the characters later on, and they accept everyone and whatever they can provide. I love AJ:AA, and I love the people running the show over there, so check them out!
2) Turnabout Musical is performing their script live! This December, in (I wanna say) North Carolina. I think they'll also post it on the internet, but OH MY GOSH… can you imagine getting tickets to that thing? I've been obsessed with their music for so long. Please support their work however you can.
3) And now, for something even remotely related to the project I'm writing A/N's for: Episode Two will likely be posted during the fall season, once everyone gets settled into their school schedules and figures out what free time they have for writing. Openings are the second best part of the case to write (after failure conversations. I love those things! But I can only write so many without detracting from the story (sob)), so I wanna give my co's a chance at it (I wrote Drive-By's opening). Nothing's clear about the case at the moment, but I do have one piece of information I can share with you.
The official name for Episode Two is… The Hacked Turnabout.
Post your ideas/predictions either here or in the idea doc, don't forget to review, make it back to school safely, and we will be back soon!