Author's Note: Hey guys! I hope you're all doing well. Here's the 2nd chapter of Iris Hawthorne's 4th case is complete! I wish I could've posted this sooner, but college work has been tying me down. I'll do my best to post the next chapter, but it may take a long while as I need to work on my college works. I hope you can understand. That aside, I hope you enjoy this latest chapter, and feel free to leave your thoughts on it in the reviews. It would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, and hope you all have a good day. :)

Sometime later...

Pearl struggled to open her eyes, feeling dazed by what had happened to her. Her head ached as she slowly noticed how...dark the area she was in now.

"Look who's finally awake..." a voice sang menacingly, a shiver crawling down Pearl's spine at how familiar yet alien it sounded at the same time. Moving her head up, she saw the entire area was shrouded in darkness but the one thing that was lit was the cruel smirk of her own sister, who pointed her flashlight onto her face as if to show Pearl who exactly kidnapped her.

No, it's not my sister, Pearl realized. This person's voice might've sounded like Iris's, but Pearl knew that her big sister would never make herself sound so...evil. Furthermore, as she properly observed this person's face, she began to notice the scars etched on several parts of it. Pearl wondered if this person had an accident in the past. She would've felt sorry for the person if that was the case, had she not kidnapped her...or held a knife to her neck.

"It's nice to see you again, Pearly..." the person said, edging the knife closer, letting the tip touch Pearl's skin.

Pearl began to tear up, her body trembling in fear as her big sister's twisted doppelganger's smile grew wider.

"W-we've met...!?" Pearl managed to say out. The person chuckled.

"No, but I know your sister..." the person answered, motioning the knife away from Pearl to play with it a little. "She did something very bad to me, you know? She ruined my life."

"B-big Sis wouldn't do that to anyone," Pearl said, frowning. "She's a good person. And e-even if she had to...y-you certainly-"

"Certainly what, hmm?" the person interrupted, suddenly pressing the knife's tip near Pearl's throat. "That I deserved it. Deserved having my life crumbling down by my weakest sister's hand?"

"W-weakest...?" Pearl gasped, the person's identity dawning on her. "You're-!"

"Upupupup!" the person shushed, edging the knife a bit to make Pearl squeak in fear. "That's pretty smart of you to figure me out so easily. You're certainly smarter than the weakling anyway..."

"Y-you look different..."

"It's my old face actually, I just got it back," she said with an unhinged giggle but frowned when her fingers touched a few scars. "It was a pricey procedure, but my new employer was generous enough to pay for it. Though, I will admit it needs a few improvements. But still, I've waited this long to get back at Iris..."

The person then pushed Pearl to the floor, making her lie in place as she raised her knife high, her smile so wide that it was almost tearing her facial skin.

"And I can't wait to see her face when she finds my knife in your chest!" she screamed, motioning the knife down to stab the poor girl. Pearl screamed and squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for her painful end, only it never arrived. Hesitantly, she opened her eyes and found a gloved hand had stretched out of the shadows and caught the person's wrist before the knife could hit Pearl's chest.

"That wasn't necessary," a male voice said and suddenly, the person was hoisted up and tossed onto the side.

The person growled. "Says you. I already did what you and your boss told me. I'm just trying to get my reward!"

"And that will come in time," the voice said. Pearl wished to know who it was but he too was shrouded in darkness. "Need I remind you our client is still in jeopardy. Killing the girl now would've sealed his fate. Just stand down and stand by for the time being. I will inform you when it's time to take out the target."

Pearl may be a child, but she wasn't stupid. The moment she heard those words, she knew what they meant, and the casual way he said it just made the girl pale in horror.

The person scoffed. "And how long do I have to wait 'till I'm informed? For all I know, this little plan he has might take weeks! I want to make Iris suffer now!"

"Given that you just abducted the sister she actually loves, I'd say you're already doing it," the voice said snarkily. The person opened her mouth to snark back but paused to consider his words.

"Now, I've already given the other Fey girl the transceiver," the voice said, handing the person the aforementioned device. "Just wait for my word and you'll get to do your next part."

The person growled, rudely snatching the transceiver from his hands. "I still don't see why I have to do this..."

"Why to make your target suffer, of course," the voice said, knowing the right words to his unruly associate. "Don't you want to hear her screams of fear when she realized you took who she loves most?"

Hearing just what the voice wanted her to hear, the person's malicious smile came back, giggling evilly as she observed the handheld device.

"You'll be hearing from me again soon, Rissy..." the person cackled evilly, gripping the device with ill intent. "Real soon..."

. . .

Sept. 18

Gatewater Hotel~ Hallway

"Pearl?" Iris called out. "Pearl, please come out, this isn't funny. Pearl!?"

No response. Iris's heart raced as she searched all over the hotel for her little sister. Her pace turned into a frantic run as she searched on. She looked at every room, asked every person that she came across, she peeked through every corridor, but there was still no sign of Pearl. She searched on and on until she a back to where started...the restroom at the Hotel's hallway.

"Pearl!? PEARL!?" Iris screamed, tears coming out of her eyes. "Pearl, please, where are you!?"

"H-hey! Y-you, like, can't do this to me! This is vio...vio...breaking my rights!" a familiar ditzy voice shouted angrily. Iris turned and saw no one other than her best friend Ini Miney having a shouting contest with Dick Gumshoe, who stood steadfast as he kept the clueless tabloid writer from entering a particular hotel room.

"Ini?" Iris asked as she walked toward them. "Detective Gumshoe?"

"Iris, you, like, gotta help me out here!" Ini said, angrily crumpling her hat. "This hot detective is, like, keeping me from doing my job!"

"And you're keeping me from mine, pal!" Gumshoe retorted. "So why don't go on and-wait...you think I'm hot?"

"Okay, just what is going on here?" Iris asked impatiently. "Just what are you both doing here?"

"I can ask you the same thing, pal," Gumshoe said, crossing his arms as he looked down on the two women. "Barging into the scene of a murder, interrupting the work of us pros-"

"A murder!?" Iris and Ini gasped collectively.

Gumshoe frowned. "Aw, shoot! Me and my big mouth!"

While Iris looked shocked at what she heard, Ini looked excited.

"I knew it!" she shouted happily, clasping her hands. "I, like, knew it was something like a murder! And of, like, a really huge star no less! Teeheehee, my boss is totes going to pay me a lot with this!"

"Oh, man...I'm in real trouble now..." Gumshoe said fearfully, images of a certain whip-wielding prosecutor dancing around his mind.

"So...a murder, Detective?" Iris asked curiously.

"Uh, no, that's not it," he tried to deny. "I got my facts mixed up for a second there, pal."

"Is the victim the Nickel Samurai?" Iris pressed further but was surprised by the odd look both Gumshoe and Ini were giving her. "I mean...I did hear he and the Jammin' Ninja had a rivalry?"

"Actually, it's, like, the opposite, Iris," Ini said.

Gumshoe nodded. "It wasn't the Nickel Samurai that got bumped. Actually, the Nickel Samurai is the one under suspicion of doing the bumping off..."

Iris blinked in surprise. "What!?"

"The guy that died was this hero named the Jammin' Ninja, pal," Gumshoe said. "Matt Engarde, the actor who played the Nickel Samurai, is arrested under the suspicion of murdering his rival Juan Corrida, who played the Jammin' Ninja."

"Yeah, like, their rivalry must've gotten, like, way too far and it led to this," Ini said before smiling. "Ah, this will totes be the scoop of the century once I, like, get this to my boss! I wish I could stay, but I gotta, like, go now! See ya!"

"Ini-" Iris was about to say, but the ditzy girl already took off.

"Oh, Ini..." the rookie lawyer sighed.

"Yeah..." Gumshoe added. "That girl is number three on my People I've Seen A Lot Of Lately list."

"Oh? And who's number one?"

Gumshoe scoffed. "Isn't it obvious?"

"...von Karma?"

"It's YOU, pal!"

"Oh. Sorry..." Iris said, chuckling nervously as she scratched the back of her head.

Gumshoe sighed again. "It's fine, pal. I should probably thank you for showing up though. Your friend was really starting to mess with our investigation."

"Yeah," Iris said before thinking for a moment. "I know she's a journalist, but why was she here though?"

Gumshoe shrugged. "Beats me, pal. From what I heard, she was hanging around here before the murder happened."

"Hanging around?" Iris repeated questioningly.

"Yeah, hiding in wait in front of the Jammin' Ninja's door, pal."

"Probably to get a big scoop from it," Iris shook her head in disappointment. "Oh, Ini..."

"Yeah, she can be a little sneak sometimes," Gumshoe chuckled before noticing something. "Speaking of little...where's your sister? You decided to leave her out of this one?"

"I wasn't planning to take a case at all, Detective," Iris answered. "I just came here with my family to have a good time and now I can't seem to find Pearl. I came here to ask if you've seen her."

Gumshoe frowned. "I'm sorry, pal, but I haven't seen her. I'll go tell you if I spot her while I'm working on this case, though."

Iris smiled sadly. "I'd appreciate it, Detective. Thank you..."

"Don't mention it," Gumshoe said, patting Iris's shoulder. "Good luck finding your sister."

"And good luck with your investigation," Iris replied, giving the detective a curtsy before leaving.

. . .

Sept. 18

Gatewater Hotel~ Hotel Lobby

"Ah, Iris, nice to see you again..." Viola said, smiling when Iris greeted her at the hotel lobby. "How was your investigation...?"

"Well..." Iris hesitated for a moment. "I found out that Juan Corrida was murdered."

Viola gasped. "Juan...?! It can't be...!"

Iris nodded gravely. "And the suspect as of this moment is Matt Engarde."

"P-please tell me you're joking..." Viola pleaded, but Iris shook her head. Sweat then poured down Viola's forehead as she began to breathe heavily. "W-why would...Matt would never...oh dear lord, it's happening again...!"

"H-hey, it's alright," Iris said, placing her hands on Viola's shoulders. "It's alright. I'm sure this will all end alright."

"I-I hope so..." Viola whispered fearfully, but once that fear left, she noticed something. "Wait, where's Pearl...?"

Iris was about to open her mouth and tell her what happened, only to hear Maya calling out her name behind her.

"Iris! Iris!" the young spirit medium shouted. "Iris!"

"O-oh, Mystic Maya!" Iris said. "How was your phone call?"

"I didn't get a phone call," Maya said, much to Iris' and Viola's surprise. "I just went to the front desk and some bellboy just told me to hand this to you, Iris."

Iris raised a brow as she curiously stared at the strange device. "What is this?"

"A radio transceiver..." Viola answered. "I saw some of my father's goon use one when I was young..."

"Yes, but why-" Iris was about to say until a beeping sound emitted from the transceiver.

Iris, Maya, and Viola blinked in surprise as the device beeped. Though only silence came afterward, they all can tell that there was a persona at the end of the line. After glancing at an equally unsure Maya and Viola, Iris hesitantly moved the device close to her mouth.

"Hello?"

. . .

. . .

"Hello, Rissy~" an all too familiar cackle was heard, causing Iris's and Maya's faces to pale and their eyes to widen in horror.

"D-Dahlia!?" the two of them cried out.

"Yes, it's me! Oh, you no idea how much I've missed you, Rissy. The nerve of you. You didn't write, text, or even so much visit your poor sister, who was in JAIL because of what you did!"

Iris couldn't respond, her mouth dry and her body trembling at the sound of Dahlia's voice. Mustering up all her remaining courage, Iris moved her shaking hands to have the transceiver closer.

"W-What happened to you wasn't my fault, D-Dahlia..." she stuttered but tried to sound brave. "Y-you hurt countless people. You murdered some of them too. You b-brought your fate down onto y-yourself for all the actions you've committed!"

"Oh? Then maybe it's your fault that this happened..."

. . .

. . .

"Help!" a young girl's voice shouted, causing everyone to gasp in shock.

"Pearl!?" Iris and Maya shouted.

"Help! B-Big Sis! Mystic Maya! Please, he-gah!" Pearl's screams were silent by what sounded like a punch.

"Pearl!" Iris cried out, sweat pouring down her forehead like a waterfall as her heart raced. "Dahlia, I swear, if you did anything to her, I'll-!"

"What? Kill me?!" Dahlia laughed. "We both know you don't have what it takes to actually do that, Rissy! And you probably shouldn't threaten somehow who has your little sister at knifepoint!"

Iris gasped, her knees wobbling to the point she kneeled. "P-Please..."

Dahlia laughed. "I could finish her right now, you know..."

"What...?!" Iris' pupils shrunk to the size of pinpricks.

"I already have the knife at her neck..."

"Nononono...!"

"All it takes..."

"Please..."

"Is one..."

"I beg you...!"

"...simple..."

"Please!"

"Slit!"

"NO, PLEASE!" Iris shrieked, crying as she broke down in front of Viola and Iris, who could only listen in horror at what was happening in front of them.

"Pff...hahahahahahahahahahaha!" Dahlia suddenly broke into a fit of childish laughter, honestly surprising everyone in the scene. "Oh, that's just too much! Hahahaha! If only I could see the look on your face! Hehehehehe!"

This cruel laughter went on for almost a minute before Dahlia managed to compose herself. "Okay, okay..." she coughed for a bit, then took a deep breath. "I've had my fun for now. Here you go, it's your turn to talk to her."

. . .

. . .

"Good evening, this is Ms. Iris Hawthorne, is it not?" the voice of a man asked.

Hesitantly, Iris answered. "Y-yes...who are you...?"

"You don't need to know who I am," the man said bluntly. "Isn't the more important issue for you right now the fate of your dear little sister?"

Iris couldn't bring herself to answer, her mind spinning as her heart continued to beat heavily.

"I have a modest proposal for you. If you do what I require, then I will return to you your valuable 'item' unharmed. What is this called again in your fancy lawyer terms?"

"K-kidnapping for ransom..."

"Yes, that's it. This is a kidnapping."

"N-noo...PEARLY!" Maya shouted, tears streaming from her eyes. Viola herself could not believe what was happening.

"I-If it's money you want-!" Iris began.

"Money is not what we seek. What we want is a certain verdict. We would like a complete acquittal."

"H-how can I possibly get you both an acquittal!?" Iris said. "With everything you both have done-"

"Not for us, you idiot!" Dahlia's voice suddenly chimed in. "You're in the Gatewater Hotel. Didn't you notice the death of a certain Jammin' Ninja there?"

"You're handy work, I presume!" Iris hissed. It made sense in her mind. It's something Dahlia would do, after all...

Dahlia laughed. "Oh, I wish I could kill that Juan Corrida guy. The films he starred in were trash. But no, instead, they accuse that Matt Engarde guy of doing it."

"And we request your assistance in obtaining a complete acquittal for Matt Engarde," the man said matter-of-factly. "That is all."

"M-Matt Engarde?" Iris asked. "B-but why...?"

"He did not kill anyone. I can attest to that," the man said. "However, someone is framing him for the murder. A very smart someone who is setting him up to take the fall. You are, of course, at liberty to believe me or not. However, there is one thing you can take as fact. Right now, your very precious 'item' is with me, in my possession."

"B-Big Sis!" Pearl's voice shouted once again. "Help! Please-!"

"Oh, shut up!" Dahlia shouted, which was followed by the sound of a punch afterward.

"G-gah!" Pearl cried out in pain.

"Pearl!" Iris and Maya shouted in concern.

"You have two days. Of course, tonight, he will be in questioning with the police," the man said. "But the trial is in two days. At that trial, you will win a not guilty verdict. Remember, you only have one chance, Ms. Hawthorne."

"O-One...!?" Iris shouted. "Y-You expect me to get a not guilty in one trial day!?"

"You did defeat a von Karma, after all," the man pointed out. "I don't believe I was wrong in choosing you, so don't let me down."

"And don't even think about calling the cops!" Dahlia shouted, to which the man groaned in response. "What? You wanted to say it too!"

"How utterly cliche..." the man said dryly. "This conversation is over."

"W-wait!" Iris shouted. "J-just...who are you!?"

The man hummed in thought. "Alright, I'll tell you that much. My name is...De Killer."

Viola gasped. De Killer!?

"Remember what I said, Ms. Hawthorne. One chance," and with that, De Killer hung up, leaving Iris, Maya, and Viola speechless and horrified.

"P-Pearl's been..." Maya couldn't finish as the pressure of it all causes her to faint.

"M-Mystic Maya!" Iris said, going to her unconscious cousin before her own panic took over. "N-no! Nononono, this can't be happening! W-what am I going to do!?"

"Call for help, that's for sure..." Viola said as she knelt to Maya's unconscious body. "Did you meet any police when you went out of the lobby...?"

"Y-yes, a detective..."

"Go to him..." Viola instructed. "I'll take care of Maya while you're away...!"

Iris nodded and immediately ran out of the lobby to find Detective Gumshoe, mentally praying he was still in the building.

Court Record:

Evidence:

1. Iris' Attorney Badge

2. Magatama

3. The Nickel Samurai

4. Press Conference Ticket

5. Radio Transceiver

Profiles:

1. Pearl Fey

2. Maya Fey

3. Viola Cadaverini

4. Ini Miney

5. Wendy Oldbag

6. Dick Gumshoe

7. Dahlia Hawthorne

8. De Killer