It was the second day of the trial.

Apollo stood silently in the lobby, arms folded. Beside him, Trucy rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet. The normally bubbly girl was stunned silent by the sight before her. Although his eyes were downcast and his face was locked, it was palpably clear that Klavier was truly furious. The prosecutor paced to and fro, occasionally trying to let his features soften and holding up his hands. He would try to pluck the strings of an imaginary guitar, an exercise that certainly could have helped him relax in the past, but he would give up after a few seconds and return to his pacing.

At last, Klavier huffed and turned to Apollo and Trucy. He did not seem angry, only drained. As Apollo peeked behind him, he could vaguely make out Klaire standing at the far end of the lobby, pretending to look at her phone. She had not responded to any of his calls at night.

Klavier's voice was steady, but an inch away from cracking. "You...really are determined to ruin my day."

Apollo shook his head, suddenly finding that he could not hold it high. "I have a duty to my client. You know I will have to do anything in my power to protect her, and this is my last bet. You've worn down everything else."

Klavier glowered. "I've had enough of him to last a lifetime. My sister and I both. Twist the knife more, why don't you?"

There was silence. The prosecutor finally worked up the nerve to continue.

"So you've pressed everything to the brink. You've already made your move to bring my brother here."

Apollo nodded. "And one other thing."

Klavier shook his head. "Never mind. I know you paid the prison a visit last night. I told a little birdie of mine to go make one herself. The Gatewater Hotel was combed over again. I admit it's taken a while for me, but I'm through with taking chances with you."

No one was surprised to see Kristoph Gavin tower over the witness stand as proudly as a peacock. Even with the drab prison uniform he had been forced to wear on transit to the courthouse, it was impossible to not imagine him in one of his famous double-vested suits.

Kristoph, himself, however, had a double take when he saw his former student face him down from the defense's bench. He cleared the small gap in his composure in time for Apollo to nod.

"Thank you for coming here on such short notice..Mr. Gavin."

Kristoph let his face break out into one of his famous smiles. "Always a pleasure to see you, Justice."

The atmosphere in the room was different from before, and it was not just because the gallery was watching the legal world's golden boy-turned-convict stand in court again against all odds. Klavier was still at the prosecutor's bench, but the light had left his eyes and the spark in his body was gone. Moreover, Klaire had been rotated into the courtroom after the previous bailiff had been moved to a different case. The beautiful woman was trying to look at anything...the gallery, the Judge, Lamiroir...anything other than Apollo or her brothers. Every now and then, she would fiddle at the holstered taser at her waist.

Kristoph did not need to turn his head to take note of the distress that had trapped his siblings. And it did nothing to dent his smile.

"Now then, how may I be of service?"

Apollo struggled to form the best words, but finally decided to be blunt. "I want you to describe your meeting with the victim, Daryan Crescend."

Kristoph chuckled. "All the distance for so little? Oh, never mind."

The Judge slammed down his gavel. He was more eager than ever to move things along. "Please provide your testimony."

Kristoph cleared his throat, and spoke clearly and coldly.

"Mr. Crescend was a client of mine. I cleared him of criminal charges, although he was still disgraced. He came to me because he believed he was under threat. I could not discern what frightened him so, and so I sent him on his way with the hope that I could gather more information. I am sorry I could not prevent his demise. I had no way of making a move outside my cell, as anyone would know."

Kristoph readjusted his glasses. "What do you say to that?"

Apollo shook his head. "I'm sorry, Mr. Gavin...but you did have a way."

Kristoph's face twitched ever so slightly as Klavier pulled himself out of inactivity.

"Is this...your 'other thing?'"

Apollo nodded. He reached for the closed player on his desk, the same one Trucy had brought to court the day before. He popped in the disc and opened the device.

"I took the liberty of asking the warden for a review of the camera footage of Mr. Gavin's cellblock. He can confirm it's authenticity."

It was not long before the relevant parties got a glance at the footage. A guard entered Kristoph's cell, and leaving with a scrap of paper on his way out. The time was 1:00 p.m.

"Just two hours after the meeting between Mr. Cresend and Mr. Gavin."

The Judge was stunned. Klavier was red-faced. Klaire shrank back. Kristoph was still as stone, his jaw tightened.

"The footage means nothing. A scrap of paper does not mean anything. Why-"

"The courtroom doors swung open. The Judge watched in disbelief as yet another unwelcomed guest graced the court: a young woman with black hair, a pink get-up, and a slight smirk at her mouth.

Klavier worked up the nerve to relax his body and give the newcomer a welcoming wave. "Please do not worry, Your Honor. She's one of mine. May I introduce Detective Kay Faraday?" The young woman gave a slight bow.

"And I assume she is here to report that nothing has changed in the investigation of the Gatewater Hotel?"

There was a cold silence.

"Frau Faraday?"

The young detective pulled something from the manilla envelope she carried under her arm.

"Actually...I did find this."

It was a scrap of paper.

-A multi-chapter story; Chapter 21; story idea by CRed1988 and writing by Jerviss.