Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth: End of an Era

by PierceTheVeils

Everything in life has an end. Nothing can last forever. The best we can do is brace ourselves and prepare for what comes next. As Miles Edgeworth takes on a string of cases, he realizes they may be his last chance to find justice as he and the people closest to him reach the end of an era. Now on the fifth and final episode, Turnabout Towards Darkness.

38. Part 5: End, Part 1 (1 of 1)

July 7th, 9:11am
Hakari Inc. Headquarters
Executive's Floor

Edgeworth had worked late into the night getting his ducks in order for this moment. He had presented all the evidence he had gathered to one of the district judges to secure a search warrant. His examination of evidence from Franziska's hospital case confirmed Viper's alibi. A team of forensics agents was searching Bower's hotel room for the killer's DNA, hard at work since yesterday afternoon.

The investigation hadn't zeroed in on a suspect in its first day, but Edgeworth believed he would be able to change that. By the end of the day, he fully expected to know the name of the one who had killed Bower. He had cleaned out and reshuffled his Organizer in preparation for this event.

Unfortunately, Blackquill was not able to join them for the second morning of the investigation. He had loose ends from his first case in court left to tie up and would not be available until later in the day. Edgeworth understood the feeling well; he was neglecting his post-trial paperwork from the hacking case in favor of this investigation.

Instead of running ahead of the police, Edgeworth had been careful to bring along several officers. This form of backup had several uses that ranged from assisting in searches to cowing witnesses into cooperation. Edgeworth suspected he would need the latter more in the confrontation up ahead. People didn't ascend in the business world without a stiff upper lip. Knowing how to contort a false image was essential to the corporate world. Edgeworth had sorted through precious few witness testimonies and arguments for this case thus far. He suspected that was about to change.

As a unit, Edgeworth, Gumshoe, Kay, and their police escort burst onto the executive's floor mid-meeting. A dozen suited individuals stared at them in awe. The only person Edgeworth recognized in that room was Green Dyman.

Dyman spoke first. "M-Mr. Edgeworth! If you had a final report to give us from the trial yesterday, you could have called. Surely there's no need for you to deliver such documents in person."

"Mr. Dyman. How goes your case against FileLock Plus?"

Dyman shrugged. "The company has decided not to take civil action. We don't have enough evidence."

Of course he didn't. Edgeworth now realized the whole story surrounding a lawsuit must have been misdirection. Anything to hide Hakari's dirty hands.

"Green, who exactly is this?" One of the suited individuals, an older man seated at the head of the meeting room's long table, spoke up. Instead of anger or even annoyance, Edgeworth was surprised to find that the man simply sounded… well, surprised.

"I am Miles Edgeworth, High Prosecutor of this district-"

"Ah, the young man who helped us with Toukai last week!" The older man's tone shifted from surprise to recognition. "I am Colton Obergefell, CEO of Hakari. On behalf of this company, I wish to offer you my most sincere thanks."

"Much as I appreciate the thanks, I'm afraid my associates and I are here on urgent business. There is an active investigation into the death of one Wess T. Bower, and we have reason to believe that there may be a connection to the case in the upper echelons of Hakari. As such, I intend to do a full sweep of the premises."

As Edgeworth expected, he was immediately greeted with a cacophony of objections from the various suited men, the loudest of whom was Dyman. "Prosecutor, this is outrageous! On what possible grounds can you make such a claim?"

"We have a search warrant right here, pal!" Gumshoe stepped forward and presented said warrant with gusto. "We're going to investigate this office until we've seen every shady cranny and nook around! Isn't that how you say it, sir?"

Edgeworth crossed his arms. "It's close enough."

-Begin Investigation-

Edgeworth had no idea where to start with this room. On the table rested several lengthy business reports, none of which he was inclined to read. He doubted company executives discussed the business of murder in such an open fashion.

He was still searching for a place to begin when he bumped into Obergefell, who clasped Edgeworth on the shoulder. "Young man, if you would please explain. I don't know who this Blower man is. Was he an employee of this company?"

Edgeworth shook his head, removing Obergefell's hand from his shoulder. "No. Mr. Bower was a freelance reporter. To the extent of my knowledge, he was never in Hakari's employ."

"Then I don't understand. What could searching this office tell you about your victim?"

"Let us just say it is not the victim we are investigating here." Edgeworth ducked away from Obergefell before he could ask another question. The old man's friendliness unnerved him.

Gumshoe and Kay were hard at work sifting through the papers Edgeworth had noted earlier. "I don't know what any of these graphs mean, sir."

One of the men in suits responded to Gumshoe's unspoken question. "They're our quarterly projections. We think the Expo3 gaming convention will provide a nice booster rocket for our business. We left that event relatively unscathed, if you ask me."

It was true. Of all the drama that had unfolded at the Expo3 gaming convention, almost none of it had to do with Hakari. "Leave the papers be, Detective. They don't have anything to do with our murder."

"Of course they don't. That's because nothing here has anything to do with any murder!" Dyman protested. "That accidental killing last week was a fluke! Hakari is a dignified, professional institution. The only killings we make are profits!"

"Would you kill for a profit, Mr. Dyman?"

Dyman stuttered at the question. "What are you saying? I'm not some contract killer! I'm an honest businessman. We all are!"

"Then you should not mind our search as you'll have nothing to hide."

Edgeworth examined the table itself next. It was a sleek oval in shape with room for everyone present at the meeting. On the floor next to each chair were various folders and briefcases. Kay commented on the arrangement of the meeting. "Why does a video game company use so much paper? Can't you all put these documents on your laptops?"

"The CEO prefers paper copies in our meetings. We respect his wishes," One of the suits responded. "We don't even bring our phones to meetings with him. Other meetings at Hakari are much more high tech."

"Why is a technophobe running a technology company?" Kay pouted. "Isn't that a little ironic?"

"Preferring the feeling of paper in one's hands doesn't make someone a technophobe, Kay," Edgeworth spoke up defensively.

"It does if you work for a company that builds gaming technology for a living! You're a prosecutor, so I guess you're allowed to be old-fashioned, Mr. Edgeworth."

I am not old-fashioned! Edgeworth glowered, but didn't respond verbally. He chose to investigate a different corner of the room.

Next item deemed worth examining was the bookcase at the back of the meeting room. "These are old books on the subjects of business, accounting, and video game history. Most are covered in dust." Edgeworth crossed his arms. "I suppose these volumes are merely present for decoration."

"Like the law books in your office, sir?" Gumshoe asked.

"Excuse you, Detective! Unlike others I could name, I have read every book on my shelf!"

Gumshoe shrugged. "Not recently. I clean your office, remember? I know which books collect dust and which don't. I also know which ones you use to secretly stash your com-"

"Hey Mr. Edgeworth, something seems off. All the books on this bookshelf are dusty except these five right here." As Edgeworth turned to Kay, the girl pulled out said books from the shelf, revealing a safe in the wall behind them.

"Yeah! It's secret safe time, pal!" Gumshoe ran over to the safe, eager to spin the dial and open it. "I love when we find these on investigations."

-"Secret Safe" added to Organizer-

Obergefell lumbered over to see what all the fuss was about. "Oh, that old thing? It belongs to me. I used to keep important documents in there, but I haven't used it in years. It's been empty for ages."

"I don't think this safe has been empty for that long, if it is indeed empty at all," Edgeworth countered. "As my assistant has noted, the lack of dust covering the books that obscure the safe indicate it has been recently accessed."

"You don't know that people were trying to get to the safe. What if someone in this room just really wanted to read about…" Dyman bent down to read one of the books' covers. "Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, 1971 edition?"

Kay crossed her arms. "Please! No one would willingly subject themselves to the torture of accounting."

"Hey! I now oversee the accounting wing of this business, thank you very much!" One of the men in suits protested.

Edgeworth cut in before the situation could devolve into an argument. "Mr. Obergefell. If the safe truly belongs to you, would you be so kind as to open it for the investigation? If it really is empty, then we shall let it go and move on."

"You don't have to do it, sir. I doubt the prosecutor's warrant mentions any safes." Dyman rushed to his boss's side, seeking to reassure him.

Obgerfell however merely waved Dyman off. "It's fine, Green. No point in bothering about the exact wording or fine print; it isn't a business document, eh?"

"No, it's worse! It's a legal document."

"Oh, Green. You're so protective. It's what I like about you." The older man walked over and began to input the code to the safe. "Besides, we have nothing to hide. No point in causing any trouble for our own police force. They get a bad rap nowadays."

Dyman could only watch in horror as his boss opened the secret safe. When the door clicked open, Edgeworth peered inside to witness a whole trove of papers stashed away for safekeeping.

"Do we check these documents, sir?"

"Yes, Detective." Edgeworth worked to keep the excitement out of his voice. "Look for any mention of our victim. Also keep an eye out for references to one Steven Viper."

"Viper? Now who's that?" Obergefell frowned. "This company is too large. I can't remember employee names like I used to. I can't even remember to clean out my old safe, I suppose." He sighed. "Maybe I should retire. "

Edgeworth thumbed through the documents as Gumshoe handed them off. Each one was about a game or console or some sort. The designs were rather detailed, all the way down to lines of specific code. On the surface, it made sense for Hakari to keep the most intimate details of their products behind a safe combination. Such things were important to the business, but useless for Edgeworth's purposes.

That is, until Edgeworth noticed something odd. One of the schematics listed was for the Wuu console. But that couldn't be right. Edgeworth seemed to remember from his time at the Expo3 convention that another company made and produced the Wuu. Odetnim. This wasn't product information for Hakari. It was opposition research!

Edgeworth wished he could elaborate further on this point, but he knew nothing about video games. "Kay, do you play many games in your spare time?"

"A few. Mostly heist or escape adventures. Why?"

"Do you know what a Wuu is?"

Kay beamed. "It's the newest console from Odetnim, Mr. Edgeworth! They just came out last month. I'd love to have one of my own, but the store's security is too good!"

I think you mean "I don't have the money right now," Kay. Edgeworth would have chided Kay about her shoplifting aspirations, but another detail from her response caught his eye instead. "You mean the Wuu was recently released to the public?"

"Yep! It was big news, too. How did you not hear about it?"

But if the Wuu only came out last month, that would contradict this document's claim… here!

Edgeworth laid a finger on the top center of the document, which listed the schematic's printing date as early March of the previous year. "Kay, was there news about the Wuu available to the public as of March of last year?"

"No. They announced it at last year's Expo3 convention. Why do you want to…" Kay got on her tiptoes to look over Edgeworth's shoulder. "Oh."

"How do you suspect a rival company would know such detailed information about the Wuu before its launch?"

Kay smirked. "By stealing the knowledge!"

"Now, what does that have to do with your murder case?" Dyman scoffed. He was standing a few feet behind the pair.

Edgeworth flinched. He and Kay hadn't been whispering, but he didn't think their conversation would be so easily overheard. He frowned. "I'm sure you have a perfectly legal explanation for this, Mr. Dyman. You are correct that my investigation is not necessarily into Hakari's business practices." No, that case belonged to Franziska. Who Edgeworth hadn't heard from since yesterday, now that he thought about it.

-"Secret Safe" updated in Organizer-

Now that Edgeworth had noticed one document being from another company, he realized that all the papers in the stack were probably more of the same. Again: important for Hakari to stay on top of the video game world, but nothing related to the murder of Wess T. Bower. Edgeworth wasn't letting Hakari off the hook, he just had bigger priorities at the moment.

That was the first shelf of the safe. The second shelf had even more papers, this time with various financial information on them. Account access information for offshore accounts! Edgeworth wasn't good at reading financial documents, but they also seemed to have transferred certain liabilities to other entities for… reasons unclear to him.

Hm… it could be tax evasion. Edgeworth thought that was one of the crimes Franziska wanted to investigate Hakari for last week. While denying the government its due revenue certainly was a crime, it wasn't one Edgeworth tended to prosecute. He specialized in violent crimes as a high prosecutor of the district. As for Franziska… after the excitement of the smuggling ring earlier that year, corporate crime must seem quaint.

Edgeworth felt a familiar tingle of doubt settling over his stomach. This was beginning to look like another bust. Nothing in this safe so far was related to Edgeworth's investigation. He couldn't seize the records for an unrelated case.

Just as he was ready to concede defeat, Edgeworth saw the first ray of hope he'd spotted all morning. It was a small, lined piece of yellow paper with neat handwriting scrawled across it. It said, in full: "Our next steps for Hakari are not without risk. In the instance our aggressive strategy has the potential to become public knowledge, I agree to hire and retain one Steven Viper in a confidential capacity. Signed, Colton E. Obergefell."

Steven Viper. Confidential fixer for Hakari. Someone had gone through a great deal of pain to hide Viper's employment from the police. They had abducted and murdered Bower to keep the secret from coming out. Edgeworth now had the ammunition he needed to grill the suspecti n this room.

-"Fixer Agreement" added to Organizer-

Edgeworth placed the evidence between the pages of his Organizer, then turned to face the crowd. A crowd of suits stared back at him, fear in their eyes. He didn't address them directly, preferring instead to speak to the police. "I need to ask Mr. Obergefell some questions. The rest of this group is free to leave."

An officer nodded. He addressed the suited group of businessmen, "You heard Prosecutor Edgeworth. Clear out."

-Investigation Complete-

It was a risky move, letting so many company officials run to their offices and potentially destroy evidence. That risk didn't change the fact that Edgeworth needed all the focus he could muster if he was to crack Obergefell's facade.

He'd seen it before. The kindly old man, gentle and benevolent to all around him. Edgeworth didn't buy it. Obergefell spoke of his company like he'd been running it for several years. One didn't stay in charge of a business as large as Hakari without sharp wit and vicious cunning. Edgeworth was convinced the only reason Obergefell had cooperated with them so far was to endear himself to their investigation. He must think himself untouchable to open himself up to suspicion so flagrantly.

As the other suits left the room, Dyman refused to budge, something Gumshoe noticed. "Hey bud, didn't you hear Prosecutor Edgeworth? He wants to talk to Mr. Obergefell privately!"

"And I will allow him to do no such thing!" Dyman practically spat in response. "As you heard Mr. Obergefell himself say before, I am VERY protective of him! You think you can bully me from helping my boss when you have nothing, absolutely nothing, to pin any sort of crime on him?"

Mr Obergefell himself cleared out his throat, trying to get everyone's attention. "Err, while I wouldn't be quite so… blunt, Green does have a point, Prosecutor Edgeworth. I'm unsure what you could have possibly found to make you think I had anything to do with this tragedy."

"Whether or not Mr. Dryman has a point remains to be seen. That said, leave him be, Detective. I would like Mr. Dyman to remain as well." I don't doubt for a moment that Dyman himself is involved in some way. Best to have him where I can keep track of him. Staring at Gumshoe until he got an affirmative nod, Edgeworth turned back to Obergefelll. "As for what I could have found that would lead me to suspect you of involvement in my case, Mr. Obergefelll, TAKE THAT!"

Mr. Obergefell leaned forward to read the fixer agreement. He smiled. "Ah, I suppose I did hire a man named Viper. I must have forgotten."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Obergefell. I don't find your excuse compelling." Edgeworth shook his finger by his temple. "If you would like to argue that you lack involvement with my current case, I am willing to hear your testimony."

Obergefell's face fell. His back straightened, bringing the executive to his full height. He looked far more imposing now. "Oh, alright. If you need to hear from me, this is what I have to say."

-Argument-
"What is this Nonsense?"

"I'm sorry to hear about this Bower fellow. Truly, you have my condolences.

"Sadly, I don't think you're going to find anything connecting Bower to Hakari. You said he didn't work here. Why would Hakari care about a reporter?

"You also spoke of this Viper man. Do you suspect him of Bower's murder? If so, he must have done it on his own time.

"Why does me hiring Viper matter to you? I'm afraid I don't understand.

"You're a good prosecutor, Mr. Edgeworth. I know what you've done for my company this past week. It's not like you to point fingers at random."

Edgeworth listened to Obergefell's argument with a trained ear. It was more coherent than the man's facade would have led one to expect. Edgeworth only suspected him more as a result.

"It feels more like he's pressing you than arguing with you, sir," Gumshoe spoke up from Edgeworth's side. "Maybe you should press him back."

"Absolutely not! If I find out you're wasting this company's time with pointless, leading questions, I will report your shoddy investigation to the Chief Prosecutor," Dyman threatened. "You can't just interrupt an important meeting, make a mess of our room, and interrogate our CEO for no reason! I won't stand for it. If you're going to waste Mr. Obergefell's time, you're going to do it with some evidence."

Well, lucky for Mr. Dyman, I have just the evidence I need. This Rebuttal could be solved in a single move. Edgeworth was prepared for, if disappointed by, the simplicity of what he had to do next. He hadn't had a chance to interrogate many suspects in this investigation. Witnesses were also rather sparse.

"I understand, Mr. Dyman. Mr. Obergefell, I am ready to respond to your argument."

Obergefell nodded. "Wonderful. I would like to hear what you have to say."

-Rebuttal-
"What is this Nonsense?"

"I'm sorry to hear about this Bower fellow. Truly, you have my condolences.

"Sadly, I don't think you're going to find anything connecting Bower to Hakari. You said he didn't work here. Why would Hakari care about a reporter?"

"OBJECTION!" Edgeworth shook his head, hands held out in front of him. He pulled "Toukai's Calling Card" out of his Organizer to show to Mr. Obergefell. "Mr. Bower may not have worked for Hakari, but Hakari had plenty of reasons to resent Mr. Bower. Over the course of our investigation, it has come to light that Mr. Bower was the one to encourage Toukai operatives to target Hakari. He is the cause of your embarrassment last week!"

"Oh!" Obergefell straightened his tie in shock. His movements were so rapid and quick, the man looked close to choking himself. "My, I… I didn't know that!"

"What are you saying?" Dyman was also feeling the heat. "Are you suggesting that Hakari sent someone after your victim as revenge for trying to hack us? You think that's what my boss hired Mr. Viper to do for us? Kill reporters?"

"Your company did not pay Mr. Viper to kill any reporters. That much we can say with reasonable certainty." David Rivers had been a junior accountant, after all. Not a reporter. "The fact remains that the victim was engaged in an investigation of his own, one meant to expose the contents of that safe to the world. Mr. Bowers wanted the world to know how Hakari stayed at the top of the video game world. Not through clever design and quality game production, but through thievery and financial deceit."

Obergefell scoffed. "Those are strong words, Mr. Edgeworth. I seem to have more respect for you than you have for us. For the honor of the company to whom I have given my career, I wish to argue my point further."

"Say what you must, Mr. Obergefell." The more Edgeworth got Obergefell to talk, the more likely it was he would slip up and reveal his true nature. Edgeworth could already see bits of it shining through the cracks.

-Argument-
"Against Our Better Nature"

"We at Hakari are competitive. There's no denying we like our place in first.

"But Mr Edgeworth! There is a difference between harsh business and killing men. I would never engage in murderous schemes.

"If what you say about Mr. Bower was true, why wouldn't Hakari go to the police about him? Conspiring with terrorists is a crime, is it not?

"You were so kind to us after that accident last week. I know we would've been able to trust you to get this slanderous man thrown in jail!

"We don't ask prosecutors to star in our video games. Why would we ask our staff to solve crimes for us?

"Hakari isn't home to any vigilantes, Mr. Edgeworth. Such crudeness goes against our better nature."

"Wait. If your company doesn't have any vigilantes working for it, what was going on with Mr. Huld?" Kay asked. "He helped his friend break into Hakari, remember?"

Dyman fumed at the mention of Huld's name. "That man was a hiring mistake, plain and simple! He did not belong in this company, and he killed one of our most trusted employees. I will never forgive him for the harm he has done to this institution."

"What Green means to say is that everyone who works for Hakari today is a good, law-abiding citizen. Tragic as last week's accident was for our dear security guard, fate has a way of weeding out the bad apples. Wouldn't you say so, Mr. Edgeworth?"

"I would agree." Perhaps not for the same reasons as you, however. "Do you expect me to refrain from pressing in this rebuttal as well, Mr. Dyman?"

"Of course! A prosecutor of your supposed talent shouldn't need to rely on parlor tricks to run a good investigation. If you're ready to confront someone as important as my boss, you should also be ready to present evidence!"

Edgeworth nodded. "Very well. I am prepared to respond, Mr. Obergefell."

-Rebuttal-
"Against Our Better Nature"

"We at Hakari are competitive. There's no denying we like our place in first.

"But Mr Edgeworth! There is a difference between harsh business and killing men. I would never engage in murderous schemes.

"If what you say about Mr. Bower was true, why wouldn't Hakari go to the police about him? Conspiring with terrorists is a crime, is it not?

"You were so kind to us after that accident last week. I know we would've been able to trust you to get this slanderous man thrown in jail!

"OBJECTION!" This time, Edgeworth presented the "Secret Safe" to the assembled party. "Mr. Obergefell, in order for something to qualify as slander, the accusation in question must also be false. As the contents inside the safe prove, Mr. Bower was correct in his assertions that you are not a scrupulous company."

Instead of being nervous like before, Obergefell only frowned. "Is that what you think you learned from my old safe? I haven't looked inside that thing in over a year. I didn't think I would cause so much drama by opening it for you."

"Mr. Obergefell makes a good point," Dyman turned his boss's argument in a different direction. "If he hadn't opened that old safe for you, you never would have found evidence supposedly supporting Bower's lies about us. You could have convicted him for inciting cyberterrorism and been none the wiser."

"I don't like what you're suggesting there, pal." Gumshoe shrank back. "Mr. Edgeworth doesn't pursue false convictions. He hasn't done that for some time!"

Edgeworth didn't want to pursue this line of questioning any further. "Never mind any hypothetical investigation I could have performed. You claimed that going to the police about Bower would have been a natural decision for you, yet I have provided evidence for why that may not have advanced your interests. As it stands, Mr. Bower is dead. He is not in police custody."

"And you still haven't told me what I have to do with it, Mr. Edgeworth!" Obergefell insisted, growing frustrated. "Do you think I sent this Viper man after your victim? Are you holding Mr. Viper in custody for murder?"

"Er, no."

"Then what is the connection? Why are you here, Mr. Edgeworth?"

That was a fair question. "Simply put, the victim Mr. Bower was attempting to expose your company. The document you have in that safe proves you have a history of hiring suspicious characters to preserve your reputation. Just this morning, Steven Viper was on trial for murdering David River, an employee of yours who sought to deliver incriminating evidence on Hakari to the police. I assert you could have more than one 'fixer.' While Viper targeted River, another individual may have been hired to target Bower."

Obergefell gasped. "This Viper man is a killer of my employee? I don't think I would have hired him if I'd known that! Hakari doesn't hire felons, you know. It's a matter of course."

"I heard about Mr. River's death. Terrible car accident." Dyman shook his head. "You prosecutors proved in court that Steven Viper was behind it?"

Kay winced. "Um… not exactly."

"Then what are you doing accusing my boss of hiring killers?! You can't prove we have one killer on our payroll, much less any other." Dyman scoffed, his face turning purple. "I don't know what makes you a 'high prosecutor.' The only thing I think you're high on is-"

"Come now, Green. Let's not lose our composure. You've been far too stressed this past week. I expect self-care from my employees." Obergefell tried to get Dyman to do breathing exercises with him, to no avail.

This is going nowhere. Perhaps I should change my approach. When Dyman wouldn't, Edgeworth took a deep breath and let it out slowly. As he did so, his surroundings faded away, leaving himself and Obergefell in a blue void, devoid of everything save a checkerboard and chess pieces. To Edgeworth's surprise, there were two pieces on Obergefell's side: a rook and a king.

Only two? That can't be right. For something as severe as the murder of Bower, surely there must be more. Obergefell can pretend to be unfazed for as long as he wishes, but it must be an act. A creeping anxiety began to crawl up Edgeworth's spine, but he quickly quashed it. Two pieces or twenty, he needed to focus if he was going to break through Obergefell's defenses. No matter what I do, I can't let this end like it did last time.

-Begin Logic Chess-

Where should I start with a man like Obergefell? He seems inappropriately at ease with my questioning so far. Perhaps I should remind him of the stakes at play in this case.

"Mr. Obergefell. You may have forgotten in the wake of this week's chaos, but murder is a serious crime. The city's police force will not rest until we uncover the truth of Bower's death."

Obergefell frowned, exaggerating the wrinkles on his face. "Trust me, dear boy. I know the weight of death. Three of my employees have died in the past week alone! First our dear security guard from a taser mishap. Then that poor young River in his car accident. Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, Cassandra Washington, our longtime financial expert, died in her hospital room from exposure to peanut butter." He shuddered. "Now, I know every organization has their bad apples. It's why I don't blame you for the cop who killed Cassandra."

"Grk!" Edgeworth recoiled from the mention of Washington's murder. He shared Franziska's shame in how that crime had gone down.

"So you see, it's not that I don't care about your dead reporter. I am cooperating with your investigation. It's just that I have a duty to my company first. We're experiencing our own sense of loss at the moment." He straightened out his expression. "As Hakari's leader, I need to be strong for my subordinates. I know how Green tends to spiral out of control. If he sees me panic, what do you think he would do?"

"There are a few directions in which I can steer my questions now. Which path should I take?"

-Why do you think so many Hakari employees are dying?
-What do you know about Steven Viper?
-Wait and see

"Mr. Obergefell, what do you truthfully know about Steven Viper?"

Obergefell shrugged. "Nothing, I'm afraid. I wish I knew every employee of mine personally, but I don't. If that piece of paper says I hired this Viper man, then surely I must have, but from what you've told me, I'm not sure I approve of his character," he mused. "Is it discrimination to fire an employee for being a murder suspect? I'll have to speak with HR."

"Then you believe Mr. Viper to be an ordinary Hakari employee. Is that correct?"

"Yes, Mr. Edgeworth."

"I see." This might be a clue. I'll store it away for later.

"Where should I go next in my questioning?"

-Why did you open the safe for me?
-Where were you on the day of June 30th?
-Wait and see

"Mr. Obergefell, please help me understand something. Inside your safe, you have evidence of corporate espionage and potential tax evasion. Why did you turn over incriminating evidence to me so easily?"

"I told you. I thought the safe was empty. I didn't realize there would be such a fuss over it." Obergefell frowned. "I thought you were investigating a murder. Why are you so determined to ruin my company's good name?"

"Because there may be other people determined to keep the evidence in that safe from ever seeing the light of day. People who would kill Mr. Bower just to put an end to his investigation."

"Are you sure that's why your victim was killed, Mr. Edgeworth? Because I'm not seeing a lot of evidence linking my company to his death. What if he died for another reason?"

Edgeworth shook his head, fighting with the uncertainties Obergefell's words carried into his mind. Obergefell has a point. All the 'evidence' that Bower gathered was circumstantial at best. Certainly nothing so damning that it would be worth killing him over. Where should I go from here?

-Continue pressing about Bower
-Try a different approach
-Wait and see

"You may not see how the cases are connected Mr. Obergefell," Edgeworth said, readying his pawn. "But we have investigated the victim's hotel room quite thoroughly. We collected evidence that shows a clear connection between Bower and Hakari."

Swing and a miss. Edgeworth's piece went flying past Obergefell's. "If that's the case, could you perhaps show me said evidence? If I knew what you had that is making you so sure this murder is connected to my company, I might be able to help clear things up."

"Ngooooh!" Edgeworth reared back instinctively, knowing that any evidence he presented would be flimsy at best. The Evidence Board looked like the ramblings of a madman out fo context, and the receipt to Viper confirmed what everyone in this room already knew: that Viper did work for Hakari."I- I apologize, but I can't do that. The evidence is currently classified while the investigation is ongoing."

Obergefell shrugged. "Then it seems we're stuck at an impasse, Mr. Edgeworth. I can't tell you anything more if I don't know what you're looking for."

"I shouldn't have tried that. Where should I go from here?"

-Continue pressing about Bower
-Try a different approach
-Wait and see

"Perhaps you can't tell me about Bower directly, but you can tell me about Hakari, correct? You are the CEO of the company." Edgeworth said, deciding to change tracks. Asking about Bower was clearly not yielding any fruit; perhaps if he asked about Hakari he could get Obergefell to unintentionally reveal something connected to Bower.

"Well, I suppose I could do so, if it will help clear my company of any suspicion. What would you like to ask about?"

-Tell me about the financial documents in the safe.
-How was Hakari's Expo3 presentation?
-Who is Washington's replacement?

"As Chief Executive Officer, I imagine you're kept up to date about the financial situation Hakari is in?"

"Of course!" Obergefell puffed out his chest proudly, but his tone held no arrogance. His eyes seemed to sparkle with innocent pride. "The board and department heads always make sure to give me all the information regarding the profits we've made and our financial capabilities!"

Edgeworth raised an eyebrow. "All the information, Mr Obergefell?"

Obergefell deflated ever so slightly. "Well… probably not all of the details. Goodness knows we've grown far beyond the small company we were when I started with Hakari decades ago. It would be a bit too much for a man my age if they gave me all the information. Instead, the department heads report to Green, who does a wonderful job simplifying things for me. This way I know all the important information without having to worry about the small details that would make my head spin."

"Small details such as keeping a sizable amount of funds in off-shore accounts?"

If Obergefell heard the accusatory tone Edgeworth used, he made no sign of it. Instead, the older man merely shrugged. "I suppose so? Neither the board nor Green ever mentioned where we're keeping the company funds. Could be here, could be in a Swiss vault for all I know. Why, did any of the documents in that safe say something?"

"Yes. Several of the documents seem to say that a sizable portion of your profits are being held in off-shore accounts. Additionally, there are apparently records of certain liabilities being transferred to special-purpose entities."

Obergefell frowned. "I suppose I must have skimmed over those reports. Either that or I just don't remember reading them. I did say it's been a long while since I used that safe."

It's not a good look for a CEO to not be on top of his businesses finances. And it doesn't seem like he's lying. After all, if he was going to lie to me, why admit to the rather shady financial choices? He doesn't even seem to find them all that odd. It's like he really doesn't know about why they may be used.

"Do I have enough information to make an attack?"

-Yes, make an attack
-No, get more information

"I don't have enough information yet to make a strong case. Best to look over what other aspects of his job I could ask about."

-How does Hakari have information on the Wuu?
-Which titles does Hakari have in development?
-Why didn't Hakari get the license for a Steel Samurai game?

"Hakari has quite the history when it comes to the video game industry. From what I recall, the company has had several smash hits when it comes to both games and consoles," Edgeworth began this train of thought. If he played into Obergefell's pride of the company's successes, it was less likely he'd be called out for what he was about to ask about seemingly having nothing to do with the case.

His strategy worked like a charm once again. Obergefell beamed and puffed out his chest with pride. "Indeed we have! The Hakari 2600, the Hakari 800 and 400, the Bobcat and Panther, the Dreamcast-"

"So what do you think of the Wuu?"

Edgeworth's interruption caused Obergrefell to pause, the older man taking a moment to wrack his brain. "It's good, I suppose. I'll be honest, I don't remember that console."

"Really? That's rather surprising, considering how new it is. It was only just released to the public a month ago."

"Oh, that's probably why!" Obergefell let out a slight self-deprecatory laugh. "I haven't really been on top of what games or consoles we've been putting out since the turn of the decade, you know? Nowadays, both the games and consoles have gotten so complicated that I doubt I could keep up if I tried."

So not only is Obergefell not on top of the finances, but he doesn't know what products his company is putting out? He doesn't even realize the product I listed isn't a Hakari one. I'm starting to think Mr. Obergefell isn't nearly as in touch with the company as he'd like to have me believe.

"Do I have enough information to make an attack?"

-Yes, make an attack
-No, get more information

"I'm nearly there, but not quite. If I can manage to get a bit more information about just how on top of things Obergefell is, I'm certain I'll be able to make an attack. What should I ask about?"

-How does Hakari choose who to hire?
-Who is on Hakari's board of directors?
-What is the history of Hakari's founding?

"Can you tell me what goes into the hiring process for employees at Hakari? Do you have any sort of background checks, need any sort of referrals, or degree requirements?"

Obergefell began to look slightly uneasy. "I'm not quite sure how this would have anything to do with your case Mr. Edgeworth."

"You said you wanted to clear your company's name. Well, if you can assure me that Hakari has an extensive interview process, that would certainly help provide a case that the people you hire are, for the most part, upstanding individuals. You could then claim the past few cases were merely the minority."

"Well, erm… I'm certainly not present for any of the interviews Hakari conducts of prospective new recruits. I'm far too busy to supervise every detail of this company's inner workings, you know?"

"Even for employees you specifically sign off on hiring?"

Obergefell shrugged. "If a department says they need to hire more people, and we have room in the budget to pay the salary, it doesn't go much further than that."

"Now would be a good time for that clue. I think I'm ready to go on the offensive once again."

-You know as much about your company as you do about Viper!
-Some family culture you have at this company!
-Wait and see

Edgeworth conjured an attack knight in his mind. He aimed it at Obergefell's rook. "So to summarize: you don't keep track of the company's finances, you can't tell your company's consoles apart from a competitor's, and you have no control over who gets hired. For a CEO, Mr. Obergefell, your professional knowledge seems severely lacking. You know as much about your company as you know about Steven Viper!"

"Dear me!" Obergefell's grip on his tie became constricting as his rook shattered into tiny pieces. "Mr. Edgeworth, you… you are a sharp witted young man!"

Hm… not very often I get a compliment while capturing an opponent's piece. This man is an odd one indeed. "Mr. Obergefell. How is it you remain in the CEO position when your grip on Hakari is so loose?"

"I've… I've been here for thirty-six years. I was around when we were making arcade machines." Obergefell sighed, hands falling to his sides. "So I've gotten a little older since then. Truth be told… the board did question my fitness for duty a year or so back. I convinced them I was still a good fit for the company, I just needed a little extra help with the new parts of my job. That's when they promoted Green to serve as my assistant. He's been invaluable to me in the months since."

Mr. Dyman? It was true that Edgeworth suspected Dyman of serving as an accomplice to Hakari's corporate crimes. He'd wondered if the man was obstructing them as early as last week's hacking case. Perhaps Dyman was worth discussing in more detail.

"What should I ask Obergefell about Mr. Dyman?"

-Describe Dyman's temperament
-Describe Dyman's duties
-Describe Dyman's relationship to you

"Could you tell me more about what Mr. Dyman does for you, Mr. Obergefell? What are his duties?"

"Whatever I need him to do. Green is a capable young fellow. His temper runs hot sometimes, but it's nothing he can't learn to fix." Obergefell smiled. "I told you earlier that he keeps me briefed on our company's financial situation, did I not?"

"Would Mr. Dyman have access to all of the same information you do, then? Even your secret safe?"

"Hm… now that you mention it, I believe I did give him my safe combination when he first started working for me. I hadn't used that old thing in months, and I wanted it uninstalled." He chuckled. "Poor Green. He must have forgotten to do it with all his other duties. I forgot too, after all!"

-So you ordered an employee to dispose of evidence for you?
-Why didn't Dyman follow your instructions?
-Wait and see

Edgeworth conjured an attack pawn in his mind. "So you ordered an employee of yours to dispose of incriminating evidence for you, then?"

Swing and a miss. "I don't know how many times I can tell you this, Mr. Edgeworth. I didn't think there was anything criminal in that safe! I would never pressure Green into an illegal scheme."

"Hm… we're back to Obergefell denying all knowledge. Do I keep pressing or not?"

-Push the point further
-Wait and see

Having learned from his last attempt to put the pressure on Obergefell, Edgeworth chose to remain silent this time around. He crossed his arms, fingers tapping on the sleeves of his backup suit. His regular suit was, sadly, still in dry cleaning from yesterday.

"I may ask a lot of Green, but I would never ask him to break the law for me. His blood pressure is too high as it is. Imagine the stress that committing a crime would cause him! Why, he practically fainted when I showed him how to write my signature."

Edgeworth froze. "You what?"

"Green knows how to write my signature. I can't keep up with every memo that comes through my office. I tried to make it possible for Green to sign papers with his own signature on my behalf, but the department heads don't like it. They don't see his assistant position as having the appropriate authority."

"This is it! The break in our game of chess I've been looking for."

-You didn't sign the fixer agreement!
-The documents in the safe aren't yours!
-Pursue both statements

It went against the rules of chess for Edgeworth to move two chess pieces at the same time, but he'd seen stranger chess games recently. He prepared two attack pawns simultaneously. "I see what's occurred here. You, Mr. Obergefell, are not the king of this chess board. You are a pawn. You didn't sign the paper consenting to Viper's hire, and the documents that currently occupy the safe don't belong to you. Your tenure as CEO provides cover for the real culprit: Mr. Dyman!"

With a one-two punch, Obergefell's king collapsed under the assault. "My… Green? No, that's can't be! Noooooooooooooo!" Obergefell pulled on his tie until the fabric ripped. Angry red welts covered his neck from the attempted choking attempt. "Not my… I trusted him!"

"I came into this game with vastly different expectations, but after listening to Obergefell speak, I think I've arrived at the truth. This time, I have checkmate."

-Logic Chess Complete-

Edgeworth's surroundings came back into focus as he put the chessboard away. Off to the side of the room Edgeworth could see Dyman sweating profusely. "This is… this is too much! I told you not to press Mr. Obergefell, and now look at what you've done! You confused him." Dyman made to leave the room. "I'm reporting this investigation right now!"

Police officers blocked Dyman from reaching the exit. Edgeworth shook his head, his tone cold. "You will be doing nothing of the sort.

"Mr. Dyman, I think it's time for you to answer some questions."

To be continued…

---

Organizer:

Profiles:

Miles Edgeworth
Age: 27
Gender: Male
Description: Me. What can I say? Currently High Prosecutor for my local district.

Dick 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.

Kay Faraday
Age: 18
Gender: Female
Description: My self-styled assistant, best known for her claim of being the second Yatagarasu. Soon, her aspirations will be focused on higher education more than stealing from others.

Simon Blackquill
Age: 20
Gender: Male
Description: A new prosecutor on the scene, one who just finished trying his first case in court. Appears slightly uncertain of himself, but a respectful man besides.

Petunia Gardner
Age: 68
Gender: Female
Description: A retired landscaper who was tending to her home garden when her attention was drawn to the victim's body. Did not call the police until the next morning.

Apollo Justice
Age: 15
Gender: Male
Description: A teen orphan. Was wandering the street with the intent to vandalize when he noticed a corpse in the night. Identified by Gardner the morning after, though his current companion was not.

Kristoph Gavin
Age: 26
Gender: Male
Description: A defense attorney known for staying calm during his trials. Appeared on the scene of the crime to defend young Justice. Before that, he was Blackquill's opposing counsel in court.

Wess T. Bower
Age: 52
Gender: Male
Description: The victim of this case. Was once an Interpol agent until one case ruined his investigation abilities forever and he became an online reporter of conspiracy theories. Was already missing for several days at the time of his death.

Franziska Von Karma
Age: 20
Gender: Female
Description: ...Franziska. How else can I describe her? She's came to the city to investigate a tip Interpol received, but her contact (Wess T. Bower) never showed. He may well have been dead at the time of their scheduled meeting.

Joseph Caché
Age: 46
Gender: Male
Description: A former prosecutor who now works as a PI. He was investigating Bower's disappearance as a missing person's case before learning of his death.

Hotel Manager
Age: 29
Gender: Male
Description: Once a bellboy of Gatewater Hotel, this man now manages this Gatewater property. Was the last person confirmed to have seen Bower alive on the morning of the 30th.

Steven Viper
Age: 36
Gender: Male
Description: The defendant in Blackquill's first case as a prosecutor. He received a Not Guilty verdict after 3 days in trial. Has an alibi for Bower's murder.

Colton E. Obergefell
Age: 67
Gender: Male
Description: CEO of Hakari. Claims not to know anything about the current case. Has a secret safe full of illegal documents bearing his signature.

Green Dyman
Age: 35
Gender: Male
Description: Assistant to the CEO of Hakari. Was attempting to sue the company's digital security company last week. High strung and difficult.

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.

Caché's Flyer
Type: Other
Description: A missing person's poster for one Wess T. Bower. He is now known to be dead, and is the victim of my current case.

Justice's Testimony
Type: Testimony
Description: Justice and his friends happened upon the body while out last night by complete chance.

Victim's Body Bag
Type: Evidence
Description: A large black trash bag in which the body of the victim was stored. The outside of the bag is littered with fingerprints, Justice's among them.

Toukai's Calling Card
Type: Evidence
Description: A mysterious business card of some kind. The design is most irregular. Has someone's email address on the back. Check

Bower's Room Key
Type: Evidence
Obtained from Joseph Cachè
Description: Key to Bower's hotel room at the Gatewater. Bower was living there before his murder.

Bower's Email Chain
Type: Evidence
Partially obtained from Joseph Cachè
Description: Three emails from a larger conversation between Bower and someone at Interpol. Bower proposes a case that Interpol initially refuses, then later agrees to investigate. Portions of the email are redacted using black marker. Check

Cachè's Timeline
Type: Other
Obtained from Joseph Cachè
Description: A list describing the progress of Cachè's investigation into Bower's disappearance. Includes a few of my own additions. Check

Evidence Board
Type: ...Evidence
Description: A web of nonsense covering one wall of Bower's hotel room. Includes details of the victim's case against Hakari. Appears to have pieces missing.

Desk Lamp
Type: Weapon
Description: A broken piece of hotel property. Has a large dried bloodstain on its lampshade. May have been used to hit Bower on the head.

Autopsy Report
Type: Evidence
Description: While Bower was concussed with a blunt instrument pre-mortem, his cause of death was a slit throat. Time of death: sometime on June 30th.

Gatewater Bath Towel
Type: Evidence
Description: A missing white towel. Potentially taken from Bower's hotel room by a kidnapper to cover the victim's head injury. Bits of the towel were caught on the hotel room's window, indicating the kidnapper's escape route.

Viper's Receipt
Type: Evidence
Description: A receipt detailing a payment from Hakari higher ups to one Steven Viper. Was found outside the victim's hotel room as a potentially stolen piece of Bower's evidence board.

Truth of River's Death
Type: Testimony
Description: Viper confesses to killing River on the orders of a Hakari higher up to prevent him from giving evidence to the Prosecutor's Office. Objective ultimately failed.

Viper's Visitor Sticker
Type: Evidence
Description: A week-old sticker that was on Viper's coat. Proves he visited an injured friend in the hospital on June 30th.

Secret Safe
Type: Evidence
Description: A safe hidden behind several books in the Hakari executives' meeting room. Belongs to Obergefell, though he claims it is out of use.
Update: Safe contains documents detailing information Hakari has stolen from other companies. Also includes financial documents that even I find suspicious.

Fixer Agreement
Type: Evidence
Description: Short slip of paper detailing the agreement to hire Viper in a "confidential capacity." Bears Obergefell's signature.

---

A/N's: PTV and Ajani wrote this chapter. Both wish to leave notes.

PTV: Watching Operation Turnabout on YouTube before wrapping up this chapter was a mistake I don't regret. It reminded me of how amazing fan cases can be while also making me insecure about my own. I will confess I am not as enthused about our fangame's ending as I was when we first conceived of it, but I still think Ajani and I owe both ourselves and our readers closure for this monster fic of ours. I think it's still the case that 1 in 5 of the words I've written in fanfiction have been for AAI3.

Depending on how we divide the chapters (and if we decide to write an epilogue), there is anywhere between 2 and 5 chapters left of this fic. The end is in sight. Thank you so much to all our readers who have been so incredibly patient with us.

I think that's all I have to say this time. Did you want to jump in, Ajani?

Ajani: Only that I personally don't regret getting you to watch Operation Turnabout and to anyone reading this, go watch it yourself if you haven't already. It's an amazing fan-case with some really nice voice acting. Team Lordiban are phenomenal.

As for our own case, this is the first time I did anything with a Logic Chess segment. I know, we're nearly done with the entire thing and this is the first time I do it. I'll admit, I was kinda unsure about it because I never played or even watched a full playthrough of Investigations 2 and had no idea how Logic Chess was supposed to work, but actually doing it was surprisingly simple. So, lesson learned, don't think too much about the insecurities and just do it.

Hope you guys enjoyed Obergefell as well. While we were writing him I realized that he shared some similarities with a certain real world CEO who had been with Enron for a long time and I tried to model him off of what I read about the man, which was fitting anyway since PTV's plan was already for him to be this sort of nice guy who's entirely out of touch with his company and has no idea how certain rather dirty practices have begun to fester in his company without his knowledge. (Speaking of Enron, I HIGHLY recommend reading The Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron. I had to read it for a Business Ethics class in college and while I ended up dropping the course, I did keep reading the book. It's an amazing cautionary tale about how money and power corrupt and cause people to rationalize.)