Here we go Chapter 17 with the investigation still going
Disclaimer: I own nothing in this.
DM77's Ace Attorney Chapter 17
The Director and The Fan
J and Jaden were making their way to the main gate thinking on what to do next. That was until they get a surprise.
"Ah hah!" A familiar male voice said and the two jump as they see Stan Pines there at the guard station glaring angry at them. "You chumps again!"
"Ahhhh!" Jaden screams.
"Geez how rude of you, acting like you just saw a ghost!" Stan said angry.
"You… certainly got back to your post quickly." J said in disbelief.
"Oh, the police took me away, they did." Stan said explaining what happened to him "They pulled out a spare White Ranger costume! Told me to 'put it on.' Can you believe that? How could I, a somewhat honest old man, wear a skintight suit like that?"
"Mr. Bravo is more in shape…" J said thinking about it.
"As soon as they saw there was no way I could wear it, they let me go." Stan finishes explaining.
'I guess that would rule out him being the murderer.' J thinks.
"Anyway!" Stan said smiling but then glares at J saying "Know this, chumpbot! This old man NEVER forgets a slight or insult! And you won't get any information out of me! My lips are sealed!"
"Well, you're certainly talking a lot for someone with sealed lips." Jaden said grinning.
"Starting now! One, two, three, mmmph!" Stan states and grins.
'This guy's too much…' J thinks sweat dropping. She tries talking to him but Stan didn't give any info and won't let her near the guard station.
The two head back to the Employee Area.
When they enter they see a small boy in the area with short spiky black hair wearing a short-sleeved collared shirt with buttons and dark shorts, black boots and red hat with two golden spike-shaped horns on the front. He also had a toy replica of Saba on his back and a camera around his neck.
"Hey!" Jaden said seeing him. The kid quickly runs after being spotted "H-hey! Wait!" The kid stops.
'I'll bet he came in right through that drain…' J said looking at the open drainage pipe.
"Hey, um, kid-o! What's your name?" Jaden asked smiling.
"I'm not a kid, so don't talk to me like that!" The kid said rudely.
"H-huh?!" Jaden said confused "But you…You are a kid! What a rude little brat. That's no way to talk to an adult!"
"I don't see no adults here!" The kid said "Clown fashion guy!"
"C-clown fashion…?" Jaden said in surprise and gets upset "J… I think I'm being mocked."
'You got a hand it to Jaden, he's pretty sharp. And pretty mad…' J thinks
"I'm Kota! Kota Izumi." The kid said giving his name. He then raches to pull out his Saba sword and said "Call me 'Kid-o' again and I'll cut you down where you stand, evildoer!"
"Understood" J said nodding and decided to ask him some questions "So, you're a fan of the White Ranger?"
"How dare you utter that name, evildoer!" Kota yells out
"What do you mean?" Jaden said annoyed "We're on the White Ranger's side!"
"H-hah! Hah hah! You can't fool me!" Kota said grinning holding his Saba.
"Okay…then what's the last like said by the innkeeper in Episode 8?" Jaden asked him.
"Hah! Easy! 'Like some fries with that?'" Kota said grinning.
"Hmph… not bad, kid-o." Jaden said smiling.
"Watch it!" Kota said smiling.
'What are they doing?!' J thinks confused. Then asked "Say, you heard anything about the incident the other day?" Kota at that pouted remaining quiet.
"You were here, weren't you?" Jaden asked smiling. Kota remained quiet.
"Did you see anything…?" J asked.
"He… he…" Kota began to say then said "He… always… The White Ranger always wins! Always! Yeah, I saw them! I saw everything!"
"What?!" Jaden said shocked
"But… but no way am I telling you losers!" Kota told them and runs off.
"Wha-?! Wait…" Jaden called out grabbing him.
"Let me go!" Kota struggled and managed to shake Jaden off bumping into a table before running away.
Jaden sunned at that said "He's gone." He sees something on the floor "Huh? Something fell off the table when he bumped into it on his way out." He picks it up which was a bottle.
"A…. bottle?" J said confused as she took it "Why was this sitting there, I wonder?" She sees it's marked as sleeping pills and adds the Empty Bottle to the Court Record. "Anyway, what was that kid saying?"
"He 'saw everything'…" Jaden said thinking
They head back to the main gate.
When they got there, they found it was oddly deserted with no sign of Stan.
"Huh?" Jaden said confused "Where's that old man?"
"Odd of him to leave his post…" J said thinking.
"H-hey!" Stan is heard yelling out in the distance
"J! That was him!" Jaden said concerned.
"S-stop! You little brat!" Stan is heard yelling.
"Y-yeah. Sounds like he's chasing after that boy." J said sweatdropping
"Natch!" Stan yells out "Oh come on!"
"Uh oh, he tripped!" Jaden chuckled.
'Jaden sure looks happy…' J thinks and approaches the Guard Station.
"Hey, hey, J." Jaden said smiling "Now's our chance! Let's check out the guard station!"
"Good idea." J said nodding.
The two search it and Jaden finds something "Oh! This is it, J!" He holds up a key with a key tag which read 'Studio Two Trailer' "The 'Trailer Key'!"
"The key to that trailer in Studio Two!" J said smiling
"We'll be borrowing this, right, J?" Jaden asked grinning.
J nods and adds it to the Court Record and they head back to Outside Studio Two.
Once they reach their, they go to the trailer and J holds out the key.
"I wonder if the key we borrowed from the guard station will work?" J said thinking and uses it on the door "It opened."
"Great! Let's go, J!" Jaden said nodding.
'He seems eager all of a sudden…' J thinks
"Well, you first, J!" Jaden added waiting for her to move.
'Ah, not THAT eager.' J thinks nodding and moves to go inside the Trailer.
October 18, Studio Two Trailer
As the two walk in they see someone in the trailer a tall, slim, white avian demon with long, hair-like feathers that have gray tips and a large gray stripe on her head. She has a short pink beak, and very long curved eyelashes. She has gray markings underneath her eyes, which themselves have red sclera with light pupils. She was wearing a white dress with puffed sleeves and feather trimming, along with black accents. She is seen wearing a crown, and has painted nails underneath her black gloves. She was sipping tea when she noticed them.
"Ahh!" Jaden yelped seeing her. "S-someone's in here!"
"Names." The bird demon asked.
"O-our n-names?" Jaden said nervous "Um, w-we're JB's lawyers, and, um…"
"I see." The bird demon said nodding sipping her tea.
"A-and who might you…?" Jaden asked still nervous.
"Stella. The producer." She said simply and uncaring.
'Stella…Have to admit she is quite beautiful.' J thinks and looks around the trailer and saw some old movie posters on the wall, all staring Malty in the lead role, J figures she used to be such a well accomplished actress. She then looks to Stella and asked "I was wondering if you could tell me about the day of the murder…" Stella remains silent sipping her tea "Miss. Stella?"
"Script." Stella just said.
"E-excuse me?" J asked confused.
"Script. I'm looking for a script." Stella explained simply.
"A s-script?" J asked still confused
"'The White Ranger, Episode 13.'" Stella states "I need it."
"Ummmmm… could we ask you a bit about the day of the murder?" Jaden asked.
"I need to read it." Stella just said and remains quiet
'We're getting nowhere fast.' J thinks
"Um, w-we'd really like to ask you about the White Ranger!" Jaden said smiling
Stella remains quiet and J asked "Miss. Stella?"
"It's on TV. Every week." Stella just said. "That's all I have to say about that."
"J! She's telling us to go watch TV?! The nerve of her!" Jaden yells annoyed.
"Hey, don't get mad at me." J said to him. She then asked Stell "About the director…Roshi, was it? What, er, exactly is his role here…?"
"Perhaps I didn't make myself clear?" Stella said sipping her tea. "I'm looking for a script. I can't be bothered with anything else." She sips her tea again.
"J?" Jaden said sadly "Are all people in the entertainment business this… weird?"
"It's starting to look like it." J said nodding.
"J, let's get out of here." Jaden states "Isn't there someplace else we have to check?"
"Y-yeah." J said with a nod.
"Wait." Stella said writing on a piece of paper
"Y-yes?" J asked nervous.
Stella hands her the paper and said "If you see Roshi, give him this."
"W-why do we have to do your errands…!" Jaden said annoyed. But Stella remains uncaringly silent as J takes the note. He gets upset and said "I… I don't think I like her." He sniffs.
"Don't cry. She'll take it as a sign of weakness." J said and nods to Stella "Alight. We'll give it to him if we see him." She adds Stella's Memo to the court record, the note read 'Bring me, the script for Episode 13.'
J thinks Roshi might still be in the Dressing Room and heads there with Jaden.
Indeed, Roshi was still the room for some reason. J pulls out the memo and hands it to him.
"Here. I got this from the producer…" J said handing it to the Roshi.
"Huh? 'Bring me the script for Episode 13'?" Roshi said reading it and looks around "Episode 13… where did I put that one?" He couldn't find it and looks down sweating a bit "I must have left it somewhere…U-uh oh…My keister is owned if I don't find it…' he shakes nervous.
"J…" Jaden said smiling "It might be quicker to just look in all the place where he's likely to have been."
"I agree." J said nodding and thinks and has an idea where it will be Studio One and heads there.
Once they walk into Studio One they look around at the crime scene.
"We're back at the scene of the crime." Jaden said sadly. "Let's find what we need and get out of here quick, J."
"Right" J said nodding and the two look around
"Hey! Look! That's the chair the director sits in. I always wanted to sit in one!" Jaden said looking at said chair.
'The director…!' J thinks realizing something and looks at it "Jaden…Take a look around that chair for me, would you? Remember that script the director was talking about? Didn't he say he'd left it somewhere?"
"Ahah!" Jaden in surprise and looks and pulls out the script "Found it, J! The script!"
"Good work!" J said taking it and adds the Script to the court record as she places it in her bag.
They then head back to Studio Two Trailer.
They arrived back and Stella was indeed still there sipping her tea. J gets out the script to present to her.
"Here, we found it! Your script!" J said handing it over to Stella.
"Ah." Stella said as she takes and begins looking through it being quiet.
"Umm…. Uh…" J said awkwardly "You're not going to take to us?"
"Quiet." Stella told her. "I'm reading."
Jaden looks really annoyed at that and said "Just you hold on! What's the big idea?! Who do you think you are anyway?! And, and do you even know who we are?!"
Stella sips her tea and replied saying "Johnny's lawyers?"
"Ummm… right." Jaden said awkwardly.
"Am I a suspect?" Stella asked them.
"N-no, it's just, well, no, but…" Jaden said taken aback.
Stella sips her tea and asked "You wanted to know about the day of the murder?"
"Y-yes. Anything you could tell us would be a big help." Jaden said smiling.
Stella nods and said "You know there was a meeting here at noon?"
"Yes." J said with a nod "With the director and the people from the network…"
"Correct." Stella said nodding. "Now listen closely. None of the people in this trailer that afternoon went to Studio One. It was impossible for us to leave."
"Impossible? Why?" Jaden asked.
"The path was blocked." Stella said simply.
"The… path?" J asked confused. "On the day of the murder, the path that leads here was blocked?"
"You saw Woody Woodpecker on the way here, correct?" Stella asked them.
"W-'Woody Woodpecker'?" J asked confused.
"The woodpecker with the broken head." Stella points out.
"Oh, right, that…" J said remembering the statue that is outside Studio One. 'What a creative name…'
We see a flashback of the statue's head on the road leading to Studio Two.
Stella explained "Its head fell over in the wind on the day of the murder. They didn't start moving the head out of the way until after 3:00. It was after 4:00 by the time the path was unblocked. Understand? Everyone in this trailer was stuck here until the path was cleared. Stuck in this trailer. Stuck until after 4:00. Malty died at 2:30. Thus none of us could have gone to Studio One."
"W-what?!" Jaden said in shock as we return to the present.
"It's true." Stella said sipping tea. "A crane came just after 3:00 to move the head. We called some people in to clear the way. I'm sure they'd corroborate my story."
"B-but wait!" J said to that. "What if the head fell over after 2:30? Then you could have gone to Studio One!"
"2:30… the time of death." Stella said simply and stands up. "Very well. Come." She heads out and the two follow
Stella leads the two out the trailer and to outside Studio One. She points to the statue head "That's 'Woody Woodpecker.' When it wasn't broken, it announced the time…in it's trademark laugh. One 'Ha-ha-haha' per hour. Hahahahahahaha. Always with the laughing."
'It IS a cartoon woodpecker, after all.' J thinks.
"Check its head." Stella told them. "The clock inside stopped when it broke."
J and Jaden look in the head and were surprised. Jaden said "J, it's stopped at 2:15."
"2:15…?" J said shocked.
"That's right." Stella said nodding. "The path was blocked from 2:15 till after 4:00. Therefore, we're innocent."
"Miss. Melromarc died in Studio One at 2:30…" J states.
"See? Good bye." Stella said and leaves back to Studio Two.
J makes a note of this adding Woody Woodpecker head to the Court Record.
"What do we do, J?" Jaden asked thinking. "There isn't anyone besides JB who could have killed Malty." He looks down "It's over… We're finished!"
'It sure doesn't look good.' J thinks concerned 'Guess we should head back to the office and plan our strategy…'
The two then leave to do that feeling worried they won't win this case.
Well this isn't looking good, with no new evidence that can clear Johnny's name the trial is looking over already. What's going to happen next?
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