July 1st, 10:43am
Hakari Inc. Headquarters
Control Room
After leaving Washington's office, Edgeworth and Gumshoe spent a few minutes trying to find the Control Room. When they stepped inside, they were greeted by giant monitors jutting every which way, hooked up to gadgets and gizmos and all sorts of security contraptions. Edgeworth knew this was a technology company, but still. He didn't know what some of these objects even did.
"Mr. Prosecutor!" Stan Gardems greeted them from behind his desk with a salute. He had been staring at a computer when they walked in. "What can I do to help? You here to investigate the Control Room, too? Need any footage? Maybe some tapes? I was just about to take out last week's, but I can-"
"That won't be necessary, Mr. Gardems. I recently wrapped up my interrogation of Ms. Washington," Edgeworth explained. He's being ridiculously helpful now.
"And that investigation brought you here, hm? Well, what can this humble security newbie do for ya?"
After dealing with so many difficult witnesses in his life, Edgeworth was almost concerned. Should he be suspicious? "She told me I could find the security footage from outside her office in this room?"
"Sure thing." He began to scroll through the recorded footage. "Just give me a minute and I will get that right to ya. Anything else?"
"Actually, before that… would it be possible to see the footage taken at the murder scene? What you saw, when you came rushing out of here?"
"No problem. Mr. Atrol was a… a good boss, to me. I've only started working here a few weeks ago and yet... he treated me as if I was family. Made sure we had coffee on arrival, taught me how everything in here worked. It feels like any minute he's gonna burst right in here." It was obvious he was still in a bit of shock. "I can't believe what I saw, when I got to that hallway."
"Really, pal?" Gumshoe joined the conversation. "I can't imagine what it would be like to lose a fellow police officer. We all talk to each other between cases, about everything. Prosecutors, witnesses, cheap restaurants, you name it."
Hm… do I want to know what Detective Gumshoe says about me when I'm not there?
Edgeworth thought about the cases they'd worked on together, especially earlier in his career when he hadn't exactly been as pleasant to work with.
Or after certain salary reviews... Perhaps it was best he didn't ask.
"Do you know what exactly Mr. Atrol was doing before the murder?" Edgeworth inquired.
"He was on his rounds of the building, Mr. Prosecutor. So was the other new guy. Mr... Sneekins or something?"
"We know who he is." Edgeworth waved him off. "Would you mind giving me your testimony about the conditions before the murder?"
"Of course! But..." with a shy bow, he suddenly pulled back. "Will it help figure out who killed Mr. Atrol?"
Edgeworth nodded. The security guard still looked hesitant.
"...The last time I got involved in your investigation, I tried to get an innocent man arrested. I-I'm really sorry, if I caused you any trouble."
Gumshoe laughed at the man's confession. "Don't feel bad about that, pal! I've arrested the wrong guy maybe four times a year, but it all works out in the end. You just wait."
If I were you, Gumshoe, I wouldn't be so carefree when I say that.
Edgeworth did his best to comfort the man. "Mr. Gardems, please. Your testimony could be what turns this case on its head."
"I guess I can give it another shot. Uh…"
-Witness Testimony-
From the Control Room
"The Hakari night shift only consists of a few guards. All three of our shifts began at midnight, and were about to end at the time of the incident.
"We take turns, two patrolling, one person watching from the Control Room. I had been watching the cameras for almost an hour.
"When the first sign-in came around 8:00am, it distracted me. I went to check it out.
"By the time I returned to the cameras, I saw Mr. Atrol chasing a hooded intruder. He looked really angry!
"Thinking he needed help, I ran to the hallway as fast as I could, only to find him dead."
Hm… no sign of how an intruder might have entered. Still, Edgeworth would have to question Mr. Gardems in more detail to be sure. He wasn't sure he had an accurate picture of events.
"Mr. Gardems, may I ask you a few questions regarding your testimony?"
His face fell. "Oh no. Did I say something wrong again?"
"Nothing of the sort." At least, as far as Edgeworth could discern at the moment. "I simply need all the information I can get in regards to this murder."
"...So I need to do it again?"
"Yes."
-Cross-Examination-
From the Control Room
"The Hakari night shift only consists of a few guards. All three of our shifts began at midnight, and were about to end at the time of the incident.
"We take turns, two patrolling, one person watching from the Control Room. I had been watching the cameras for almost an hour."
Nothing important here...
"When the first sign-in came around 8:00am, it distracted me. I went to check it out."
"HOLD IT! The first sign-in belonged to Mr. Ployei, correct?"
Gardems nodded. "Yes sir. As he said earlier, he arrived at 8:00am."
"Okay, that makes sense." Edgeworth muttered, as this information matched up with Ployei's earlier testimony. "But what was so odd about it that it distracted you?"
The guard fidgeted. "Well you see, the system registered only one sign-in, but picked up on more than one body entering the building."
Edgeworth recoiled in shock. "How did you know?"
Gardems was quick to explain. "It has to do with the way the system works. Employees present their card to the scanner which, if the card is recognized, allows them to enter. However, there is a second, hidden scanner that most employees don't know about. It tracks the amount of people entering."
"Does it detect the exact number of people?"
"Normally, but I'm sure you've noticed by now. Hakari security is in… let's just say a state of transition. It caught the weight, but the measure isn't exact. Best I can tell, it could have been two large people or three smaller ones." He hung his head. "The hackers caught us at a really bad time."
Hm. Could this have been a coincidence? With a situation like this, I can't rule out the possibility of an inside job.
-Inside Traitor? Added to Logic-
"I was more surprised at how early it was than anything. It isn't that unusual to have multiple people enter at once. People hold the door open for anyone else who's coming in at the same time. They know well enough to check for badges, though, so I doubt any non-employees could get in that way."
"So they don't have to use a card, but still get picked up by the body scanner."
Hm… is this information of any greater importance to the investigation?
-make a note
-disregard as irrelevant
Edgeworth would have to investigate the body scanner at a later date. But for now, might as well jot it down in his Organizer.
-"Body Scanner" added to Organizer-
"Thank you for the elaboration, Mr. Gardems. If you would continue your testimony, please."
"Oh! Of course…"
"By the time I returned to the cameras, I saw Mr. Atrol chasing a hooded intruder. He looked really angry!"
"OBJECTION!"
"Why is that a thing?" Gardems nearly pulled his taser on Edgeworth. "What's wrong with my testimony now?"
"You say that Mr. Atrol was chasing a hooded intruder." Edgeworth explained. "But Ms. Washington told us the exact opposite: the hooded intruder was chasing the victim!"
"W-What!?" Gardems' taser fell out and shocked the ground.
"As she approached the office, Ms. Washington caught sight of the victim being chased by the intruder." Edgeworth showed him the testimony he'd summarized in the Organizer. "She seemed very sure of this fact."
"Huh?" The guard looked very confused. "I don't know how she could have seen that. It was Atrol that was doing the chasing. I remember it."
"But that doesn't make any sense, pal." Gumshoe was deep in thought, waggling his eyebrows. "How could you both see different things?"
"I don't know, sir! Ms. Washington wasn't watching from the cameras like I was. Maybe she was mistaken."
Was she? Edgeworth had to wonder. Talking to Ms. Washington had led him to believe she was quite the meticulous woman. One has to pay attention to detail when handling large sums of money.
But there was no point in arguing the matter. Edgeworth detested he-said-she-said scenarios. "Is there any way we can confirm the order of people in the chase?"
"Hmm…" Gumshoe mulled it over for a bit. "Maybe we could-"
"Got it!" Gardems exclaimed, cutting the detective off. "I have the camera footage from the incident right here! I take it the police would like to view the footage, Mr. Prosecutor?"
"Yes." That should do the trick.
"Alright, give me a moment and I'll start it up."
"HOLD IT!" All the occupants of the room jumped as Kay's voice hit them like a brick wall. The girl had a smirk on her face as she strode towards them. "I found you!"
"Kay, there really is no reason to be that loud when you do that." Edgeworth said, not seeming as shocked as everyone else. "Come, sit."
"Yeah pal! You startled me!"
"Sorry Gummy, didn't mean to scare you." Kay said, her voice rather unapologetic. "But come on! You and Mr. Edgeworth left without telling me. When I brought forensics down to Ms. Washington's office, you two were gone. Then Mr. Dyman started yelling at me about how my presence here was unprofessional and said detectives shouldn't bring their daughters to murder scenes. He thought I was just a kid!"
"Hey! ...Mr. Dyman really thought I was your father?" Gumshoe laughed. "I don't think I'm old enough, pal!"
Ah yes, I did ask her to do that. I suppose an apology is in order.
"I'm sorry, Kay."
Kay waved it off. "It's fine. By the way, I did end up bringing back a forensics member. He's taking fingerprints right now."
"Good. We'll check in with him once we're done here." Edgeworth said.
"Uh, if we're done, should I play the video?" Gardens asked.
Edgeworth nodded. "Please."
Gardems pressed play on his computer, and the footage of Hallway A began to play. Edgeworth watched intently for any inconsistencies.
The footage itself was fairly standard. A masked man in black ran into the frame, looking back at the large security guard giving pursuit. As he tried to turn the corner, the intruder tripped on his own feet, turning over as Atrol drew near. He scampered back as the guard shouted, and right as Atrol fumbled for his taser-
The video feed was cut.
"Aw, come on!" Kay grumbled. "Shutting off right at the moment of action? How are we supposed to get good evidence out of this?"
"Don't be so quick to discount the footage. This matches up with Mr. Gardems's testimony, that Atrol chased the intruder and not the other way around."
"Guess Ms. Washington got it wrong after all, huh sir?" Gumshoe tried to laugh it off. "Still, it is mighty weird how the camera cut off right before anything happened. It didn't look like the masked guy did anything to it."
"No, it certainly did not," Edgeworth mused, trying to piece the puzzle together. "We know from the investigation that the camera's malfunction was no accident, and yet neither party appeared to be in a position to manipulate it."
"What I wanna know is how Mr. Atrol ended up being the victim here, Mr. Prosecutor. From the way it looked in the video, my boss had the upper hand. How did his killer turn the tables on him in the minute or so I took to get there?"
"It seems this video needs to be examined further." Mr. Edgeworth sifted through his Organizer, trying to see if there was anything he could use to shed light on the incomplete evidence. If I see anything that connects with the evidence I hold, I'll pause the footage and Deduce with gusto!
And so Mr. Gardems rewound the footage, pressing play a second time. Edgeworth's senses went into overdrive. He scanned every detail, every blow, watching for even the slightest inconsistency that could make or break his-
"Pause it right there!" The footage stopped a few frames before the feed did. Atrol was towering over the intruder, but the intruder wasn't looking at him.
"Why did you stop, Mr. Edgeworth?" Kay leaned over his shoulder, trying to get a good view. "I don't see anything."
"What is the intruder looking at?" Edgeworth asked.
"Huh?" Gardems leaned in with the two of them, squinting. "I can't tell. Do you want me to zoom in, Mr. Prosecutor?"
"You can do that? Won't it just make the image blurrier?"
"Yeah, I can do it. The definition's high enough." Gardems smiled. "We might be a bit lagging on security right now, but at least we have basic equipment that's been available for years."
The police hardly have this much. Edgeworth grumbled in his inner monologue. I can't tell you how many cases would have gone smoother if only I could look closer.
"...Yes, do zoom in. I want to see his face- or rather, his mask."
"Coming right up."
Gardems blew up the image so that the intruder's mask filled the screen. The man's eyes were hard to see, but Edgeworth could discern what he needed to.
"What is the intruder facing?" he wondered aloud. "It's not Atrol."
"Looks like something off-screen." Gardems zoomed out, trying to figure out what it was. "I can't find anything for him to be looking at in the frame."
"That's odd."
-"Security Footage" added to Organizer-
"Maybe he just glanced away for a minute, sir. It could mean nothing." Gumshoe tried to explain the footage. And for once, he may be right.
Or at least, Edgeworth didn't have any proof the detective was wrong. It was odd, to be sure. But Edgeworth didn't have any evidence to explain it.
So he decided to continue his viewing. "Well, keep playing I suppose."
"Keep playing? There are only a few seconds left of footage."
"And I want to examine them." Edgeworth's reply was curt. He watched the last fleeting moments with sharper eyes than even before, determined to figure out what the figure had been looking at.
"Wait… what was that?" This time, Kay noticed something.
"Where?"
"That shadow on the wall!" Kay pointed it out to the men. At the very last second, a long and skinny object had cast a shadow above the fallen intruder. A slight shine could be seen in the air, but the object went by too fast to tell what it was. "What is that?"
"It kinda looks like… a knife, don't you think?" Gardems wondered aloud. "I mean, with the way it's shaped and all-"
"Why would there be a knife in the footage, pal? The victim died of electrocution!"
Hm… is this spot connected to any evidence I hold?
Edgeworth pulled out his Organizer, flipping to the page he'd labeled "Security Cameras". This must be how it happened.
"EUREKA!" Edgeworth shouted, getting everyone's attention. "This object may not be what killed the victim, merely because that isn't where it was aimed. I believe this object may have a different purpose:
-to kill the intruder
-to cut off the camera feed
-nothing: it's a trick of the light
"This object, if it truly were a knife or something similar, may have been used to cut the camera feed. The wires were, after all, cut fairly cleanly." Edgeworth smiled. "Good eye, Kay."
"Wait, hold up." Gardems wasn't convinced. "You think the intruder threw a knife at the camera at the last second, causing the footage to go out?"
"It's the only thing that explains what happened. If the wires were cut directly before the murder, and the only people who could have done it are in the film right then, it makes more sense for the intruder to do it than the victim."
"But why, sir?"
"That, I'm not sure of," Edgeworth admitted. "It's something that will have to be investigated. If only we knew who this intruder was."
"My shift partner is helping the police find him as we speak." Gardems piped up. "I'd be helping too, if you didn't need to question me."
"Have you seen anything else of this intruder on the cameras?"
"No. A couple other employees are here in the building, like Mr. Dyman, but they were nowhere near the murder scene or the hacking site when it happened."
"...That doesn't mean we haven't seen the intruder, you know." Does it? Edgeworth reviewed the threads of Logic lying around in his head.
The Mystery Hacker has yet to be found… and the timing of the hacking suggests an Inside Traitor. These two things must be connected.
And it turns out, they were. "I think it's possible that the hacker is a Hakari employee."
"What?" Gardems eyes were bugging out of his head as he dropped his taser again. "No way! Why would anyone here do that?"
-Hacker Disguised as Employee? added to Logic-
If the hacker in this case were working here as an employee, they'd need a reason to betray their employer. Lucky for me, we already know the Hacker's Motive… of course!
"I believe there may be a Hakari employee who also works for Toukai." Edgeworth declared. "A double agent, if you will."
"That's a serious accusation, sir." Gumshoe said. "That would be like me betraying the police force. Not happening, pal!"
I would argue this case is a bit different, but I understand how Gumshoe feels. "It's only a possibility, but a certain someone's testimony made me wonder. And after coming here, I'm beginning to suspect it even more."
"Whose testimony was it, sir?"
Edgeworth presented Cassandra Washington's profile. "In her testimony, Ms. Washington mentioned you had to be an employee to know the password to any of the stolen information. I didn't think much of it at the time, but after seeing this piece of evidence..." Edgeworth presented the Body Scanner. "I became even more curious. May I see the log of who entered, Mr. Gardems?"
Gardems brought the day's log to him. It was a short list, consisting only of Emil Ployei and Cassandra Washington before the murder, with Green Dyman listed after. "Only Emil Ployei entered with more than one person?"
"Yes. But like I said, employees know to check for…" Gardems trailed off. "Someone needs to talk to him about this."
"And we will soon," Edgeworth assured him. "As I've said before, it's only a possibility."
Gardems was still a bit hesitant. "...Are you sure Ms. Washington was right about the password thing? She's already messed up once, like me."
"She seemed quite sure about it. And about Ms. Washington's mix-up, I want to check something." Edgeworth had just remembered something the woman had said, should they need to verify her testimony. "Do you have the footage from outside Ms. Washington's office?"
"There's a camera out there, so I probably do." Gardems typed something into the computer, pulling up the footage from outside Ms. Washington's office. He turned to Edgeworth. "What do you want to see, Mr. Prosecutor?"
"Roughly a minute before the murder, when the two men first left her office." Edgeworth still didn't want to believe Washington had been lying about this. But if she wasn't, it meant… he wasn't sure what it meant, exactly.
Gardems rewound to where Atrol burst out of the office, barely watching as he did so. When he pressed play, a masked figure burst out the door just behind him, chasing him at a fast run. At the edge of the frame, Washington's figure could be seen, approaching then stopping.
"What in the...?" Gardems played the footage again, pausing the frame when the intruder ran out after Atrol. "When did they switch places?"
"Did you not see this video earlier?" Edgeworth asked.
"No." Gardems had his head in his hands. "How did I miss this?"
-"Security Footage" updated in Organizer-
"Wait, was Ms. Washington telling the truth?" Kay wondered. "I figured she just mixed the people up. It wouldn't make sense if they just switched places, right?"
"And yet that's exactly what they did." Edgeworth mused. "It isn't that far from Washington's office to the crime scene, so they really didn't have much time to do this. Is there any footage covering the hallway between these two locations?"
Gardems shook his head. "Nope."
"Well, that complicates things."
"Uh, does it really matter, how they switched places?" Gardems wasn't following. "The important thing is finding out who the masked man is, right?"
Edgeworth knew he was right, but something about the matter bugged him. I won't rest until I've investigated every suspicious looking nook and cranny. And I must say, this is one suspicious looking nook.
"Is Mr. Ployei still waiting near the crime scene, Mr. Gardems?"
The security guard checked the live footage. "Yes."
Edgeworth walked to the door, Gumshoe and Kay behind him. "Kay, do you still have it?"
"You mean this?" Kay reached into her pocket, pulling out a large gadget. Her eyes lit up. "Are we finally going to use it, Mr. Edgeworth?"
Edgeworth nodded. "It would appear we have no other option."
Organizer:
Profiles:
Miles Edgeworth
Age: 27
Gender: Male
Description: Me. What else 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.
Franziska Von Karma
Age: 20
Gender: Female
Description: ...Franziska. How else can I describe her? Last I heard, she was an international prosecutor, overseas on a case with Interpol.
Stan Gardems
Age: 28
Gender: Male
Description: A security guard, one of the three assigned to guarding Hakari Headquarters at the time of the murder. Was watching from the Control Room when the murder occurred.
Owen P. Atrol
Age: 34
Gender: Male
Description: Senior security guard at Hakari, was in charge at the time of the murder. Was electrocuted with his own taser by an intruder to the building.
Emil Ployei
Age: 24
Gender: Male
Description: Relatively new employee to Hakari Inc., working as a junior software developer. Was suspected of the murder by company security because they found him hunched over the body.
Cassandra Washington
Age: 39
Gender: Female
Description: Head financial adviser for Hakari Inc. Had her computer hacked directly before the murder by intruders to the building.
Kay Faraday
Age: 18
Gender: Female
Description: My self-styled assistant, best known for her claim of being the second Yatagarasu. Was supposed to be attending a college tour when she appeared on the crime scene.
Toukai
Age: ?
Gender: ?
Description: A vigilante hacking organization, potentially consisting of several individuals. Has publicly taken responsibility for the hacking attempt.
Green Dyman
Age: 35
Gender: Male
Description: Assistant of the Hakari CEO. Quite high strung and difficult to talk to. Is seeking to pursue a civil suit against Hakari's cybersecurity company, and arrived after the murder.
Kristoph Gavin:
Age: 26
Gender: Male
Description: A defense attorney, known for staying calm during his trials. Is helping Mr. Dyman with his civil suit. Arrived on the scene after the murder.
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.
Taser Marks
Type: Evidence
Description: Area where taser came into contact with the victim's clothing. Left slight burns.
Crime Scene Photo
Type: Evidence
Description: Body was found face down on the floor with minimal injuries. Appears to have been attacked from behind with a taser. Check
Search Report
Type: Evidence
Description: After company security discovered the body, they conducted a search of the entire wing, finding no one but Washington. However, there is a chance it wasn't thorough. Check
Victim's Taser
Type: Evidence
Description: Taser issued to Owen Atrol as a defensive weapon. Killed him when it was used behind his back. No prints found.
Security Cameras
Type: Evidence
Description: Capture surveillance footage from various places in Hakari Headquarters. All footage can be viewed live from the Control Room. The footage from the murder scene was cut intentionally.
Hacking Attempt
Type: Evidence
Description: Directly before the murder, an unknown hacker was attempting to forcibly enter Washington's computer. After hacking occurred, the vigilante group Toukai took public responsibility for the attack.
Preliminary Autopsy
Type: Evidence
Description: Victim died of electrocution from a single taser blast at approximately 8:15am. Check
Washington's Testimony
Type: Evidence
Description: She saw the intruder and the victim run out the office as she approached. The intruder was chasing the victim, and had a hood covering his face. Also describes how finances are handled in the company.
Hacker's Flashdrive
Type: Evidence
Description: Hacker downloaded information from Washington's computer onto it. Has yet to be found.
Toukai's Calling Card
Type: Evidence
Description: Left at the scene of every victim of Toukai, regardless if they performed the hacking on site. Was found on the floor of Washington's office.
Body Scanner
Type: Evidence
Description: Detects the number of bodies entering the building, regardless of how many signed in. This device isn't known to most employees, and detected several bodies entering with Ployei at the time of the murder.
Security Footage
Type: Evidence
Description: Video of the the chase scene before the murder, ending with the victim standing above the fallen, masked intruder. Cuts off before the actual murder.
Update: A second footage taken from outside Washington's office shows the same victim and intruder, but in reversed positions.
A/N's: All writers worked on this chapter, but once again, PTV is the only one around to leave notes. It sucks that this keeps happening.
PTV: Hey, everyone! Sorry we took so long to update. School really got the best of us, and I also confess to being distracted by other projects. But no more! School is out, and AAI3 is once again a priority. My personal goal is for us to finish this case off and at the very least start the third case. We've outlines to the end of the third case as well, so it shouldn't be a difficult goal.
Thing is, AA isn't out of school yet, so it will be a few weeks before we have his help. KS is here of course, but leaving notes isn't his thing, so… you get to read my rambling. Joy!
Anyhow, this is the middle part of the middle part of the first middle case in the "game". Sorry if it wasn't the most exciting, but it's a necessary addition for the mystery, and hey, our video watching is not as annoying as Turnabout Serenade's. We accomplished that much.
So yeah. Let us know what you're thinking of the story so far, and we'll be out here with the next part (hopefully with more of AA's help)... whenever we figure out how to write a Little Thief segment. Until then, see you on the far side!