Sept. 19
Gatewater Hotel~ Viola Hall
"Hey, Iris!" a familiar voice called out, getting Iris and Maya's attention, causing them to turn around and see Viola and Ini greeting them. Viola gave a small wave and smile while Ini looked like she was on the verge of tears.
"Ah, Viola, Ini-" Iris was about to say until Ini suddenly rushed to Iris, wrapping her arms around her and giving her a tight hug.
"Oh, Iris, Viola told me everything that happened!" Ini began, crying profusely. "I'm, like, so sorry for what happened to your sister! you must be under so much stress right now!"
"I-Ini, it's fine, I-"
"No, it's not fine!" Ini snapped back. "Look! I know you and you're sister are in totes so much trouble, so I wanna help get you out of it! Is there anything I can, like, do to help!? Anything at all!?"
Iris then gently freed herself from Ini's grasp before composing herself. "Well, maybe you two can tell us anything you know since I take that you two have been here the entire time?"
Viola nodded. "Yes. People connected to the murder aren't allowed to go home, let alone leave...hee...hee...hee..."
"I see..." Iris mumbled, rubbing her chin. She then turned to Ini. "Ini, you've been gathering info for that news tabloid, right? If so, do you have any new info about the current case?"
Ini pondered for a moment, her expression tightening as she struggled to think. "Well...like...from before the ceremony last night, I was, like, here until around the time Mr. Engarde was arrested."
"What were you doing here?" Maya asked.
"Well, I was like, snooping around and trying to find a juicy scoop here," Ini explained, smiling vapidly.
"A juicy scoop?" Iris repeated, raising a brow.
Ini nodded. "Yeah. I'm totes the best tabloid photographer the world's ever seen!" she boasted. "I always look for, like, for the perfect shot!"'
Iris and Maya just stared at Ini, bemused by her boasting.
"Though, I was also, like, looking for the other stars that were here, so... maybe I wasn't here the entire time..." Ini admitted.
"I can testify to that..." Viola said, giving Ini a sly smirk. "She ran into me and we had...a very interesting talk...hee...hee...hee..."
Ini's face flushed red upon hearing that, giggling nervously.
"I don't even want to know..." Iris muttered. "Ini... Are you sure you weren't here the entire time? So you could take a picture for your big scoop?"
"Well... Maybe I was," Ini admitted. "But that's what, like, real journalists do! I got some juicy inside info, so I thought to myself, why not, like, get a picture for proof?"
"What kind of story was it that you would hang around here?" Iris asked, leaning closer.
Ini beamed. "Well, it was a scandal between Juan Corrida and this other woman," she then paused to think. "I think it was, like, some blonde woman..."
"Blonde woman..." Iris repeated before realizing. "You don't mean Adrian Andrews do you?"
"Yep!" Ini said. "That's the one!"
"Why is she involved in this scandal?" Iris pressed.
Viola perked up at that. "Ms. Andrews...?"
Ini didn't waste time as she took out her magazine from before. "This is from last week's magazine."
She then tore out a page and proceeded to hand it to Iris, who read it aloud.
"Jammin' Midnight Rendezvous?" Iris read with a raised brow. "A super-star in an ultra-hot, mega-secret love scandal? Reliable sources say that Juan Corrida has been getting in close with the mysterious, yet beautiful manager to the stars, Ms. A.A.!? That's Adrian Andrews, isn't it!?"
"Now, it's just gossip," Ini began. "...but, like, Juan Corrida doesn't have a manager of his own. And since he and Matt have a rivalry there, like, totes have to be some role this factors into your case."
"I see..." Iris said, smiling that at least she had gotten a new piece of evidence and a potential clue to help her save Pearl. "Thank you, Ini."
"Like, no problem!" Ini said happily before continuing. "I was, like investigating Adrian to see if there were more details about her and Mr. Corrida. I, like, wanted to try and get a scoop of them having, like, a secret meeting."
"But isn't that pointless, since it's already in last week's magazine here?" Iris asked, holding up the magazine clipping. "It has Ms. Andrews' initials here. A.A..."
"Yeah, but it's like her initials," Ini said. "A.A. is, like, super vague. People want, like, real proof, so that's why I stayed here, so I can, like, get photos."
"Oh..." Iris mumbled. "I think I'm starting to get it. You were whipping up the readers' interest with gossip and misleading, so you can spice it up with an exclusive story."
"Yep!" Ini giggled vapidly. "Isn't that great!?
Wow, Ini, nice journalistic integrity you got there, Iris thought sarcastically.
"I, like, already finished writing up my article," Ini said. "I could, like, give to you. Just reach into my, like, camera case."
Maya raised a brow. "Um...what camera case?"
Ini looked confused before checking herself, her ditzy expression turning into a horrified one.
"My camera case!" Ini exclaimed. "Like, all of my stuff was in that! My juicy article! My camera! Oh, that thing cost $1600! Like, what am I going to do!?"
"I'm sure we'll find it sometime. It's likely still in the hotel...hee...hee...hee..." Viola said. "However, before that, there's one thing I need to tell you though and it's about the person who took Pearl..."
Iris and Maya's expressions turned serious as they listened to Viola carefully.
"I wasn't so sure at first, but when I remembered his voice, I knew for a second it was him," Viola explained. "His full name is actually Shelly de Killer, the third heir to the de Killer line of assassins. He's cold, calm, and highly professional, never having failed in whatever assassination jobs he's hired to do..."
Iris felt a shiver go down her spine. An assassin!? I...I'm not only dealing with Dahlia...but an assassin too?!
"Viola, how do you know about this guy?" Maya asked.
"My family has hired him before several times..." Viola said solemnly. "I've only run into him a few times, but I can tell you that you need to be careful around him. He's incredibly good at his job, being able to blend into a crowd with ease..."
"Blend in..." Maya pondered for a few seconds before gasping in shock. "I remembered that I got the radio transceiver from some bellboy!"
"Bellboy?" Iris asked before her eyes widened in realizing as well. "Wait! I remember! A bellboy offered me a glass of grape juice during the Grand Prix! I still can't remember what his face was though. Do you remember, Mystic Maya?"
Maya shook her head sadly. "No...sorry, Iris, but he just didn't stand out to me. He looked just like a regular old man..."
"That's de Killer for you..." Viola said. "Not only is he good at his job, but he takes pride in it. He's so prideful in it that he actually leaves a calling card with a seashell design on it at the crime scene..."
"Why would he do that?" Maya asked, confused. "Doesn't that just admit to him being the murderer?"
Viola nodded. "The card confirms that he had committed the murder, and thus serves as insurance against any charges the client may face..."
"As if that would do anything," Maya said. "All that does is confirm that the client hired them."
"That is if we catch the client..." Viola pointed out. "You two have already been to the scene of the crime, as well as Matt's room. None of you have seen a card there...?"
Both Iris and Maya shook their heads.
"Hmm...then that must mean the client had taken it..." Iris said. "It makes sense. It is a piece of evidence after all."
"Then that card is the key..." Viola said. "You find it, and it might lead you to the client...hee...hee...hee..."
"That's very useful indeed," Iris said. "Once again, I can't thank you enough..."
"Don't worry about it..." Viola assured, smiling kindly. Suddenly, she heard a ringtone coming from her phone and sighed. "I'm sorry. I wish I could stay and help more, but I'm afraid that whip wielder is calling me. I'm a witness to this trial, unfortunately enough..."
"It's alright, Ms. Viola," Iris said. "You've done more than enough to help us. Good luck dealing with von Karma."
"I won't let her get to me that easy...hee...hee...hee..." Viola chuckled. "But still, good luck with rescuing your sister..."
"And I'll, like, go and find my camera case!" Ini said. "I know it's, like, around here somewhere. Once I find it, I'll, like, give you that article I told you about!"
"I appreciate that, Ini," Iris said with a smile. "Thank you, both of you."
"It's the least we could do after you've helped us, Iris...hee...hee...hee..." Viola said with a kind smile before her expression turned serious. "Now, enough wasting time. We have a little girl to save..."
"Right!" all of them shouted at once before dispersing to do their respective missions.
. . .
Sept. 19
Gatewater Hotel~ Hotel Lobby
"Oh, you're back," Oldbag said, frowning when Iris and Maya approached him. "Now if you think I'm just-"
Iris didn't let Oldbag finish as she immediately handed her Juan Corrida's autograph. Oldbag gasped in shock, snatching the crumpled paper to see and looking at it in awe.
"Th-Th-This! This is Juan's autograph!" Oldbag exclaimed.
"Yes, it is," Iris said sternly.
"And... And it even says, 'To my dearest Wendy' on it!" Oldbag said. "Th-That's me, right!? Right!?"
Iris and Maya blanched. "Um..."
"My name is Wendy Oldbag, so that Wendy has to be me, right!?"
Well, it may say Wendy... But somehow, I don't think Juan had THIS Wendy in mind when he signed it... Iris thought, not daring to say it out loud.
"Oh, please, give it to me! Let me have it! Please!" Oldbag begged, acting more like a child.
"Um, no," Iris said, snatching the autograph away from Oldbag. She couldn't help but enjoy the heartbroken expression the old woman had when she did that. "I can't let you have it, just like that.
Oldbag pouted. "Yes, yes, I know," then suddenly her face lit up. "Then how about an exchange!?"
Before Iris could respond, she was suddenly taken aback when three of Oldbag's four Psyche Locks broke.
"Huh!?" Iris exclaimed in shock.
"My offer isn't good enough for you!?" Oldbag huffed. "Fine, Ms. Hawthorne. You win. Wendy Oldbag, ready to open up her heart! All for my dearest Juan!"
Wow, she must really want that autograph, Iris thought as she saw the last Psyche Lock shatter into pieces.
"Alright, first of all..." Oldbag began, pausing dramatically. "I feel bad for you."
"Huh...?" Iris asked, raising a brow.
"I'll tell you, I saw him that night," Oldbag said. "I saw Matt Engarde coming out of Juan's room.
Iris blanched. "You're kidding!"
"Oh no!" Maya exclaimed.
"It was about ten minutes before Juan's body was discovered," Oldbag said. "It was just a coincidence. I was on my way to the toilet, minding my own business."
"And...?" Iris pressed. "Did you tell that to the police?"
"Well, of course! I thought I could get a gift certificate or two out of it, maybe more."
Oldbag then grinned smugly at Iris. "I've been recruited again for that part at the trial. You know, the trial tomorrow? This time, you're gonna get it! I'm gonna work hard to get your client pronounced guilty!"
"But Mr. Engarde hasn't done anything bad..." Maya pointed out with a huff.
"I don't care about details like that!" Oldbag shouted. "I know he did my dear poor Juan in! I just do! That yellow-bellied chicken!"
Iris sighed. What did Mr. Engarde ever do to her to deserve this...?
"What did Mr. Engarde do to you to make you so...?" Iris was about to ask, but Oldbag interrupted her.
"You don't know!?" she shouted. T"hat guy! He framed my Juan! He created that scandal that plagued poor Juan!"
"What do you mean by that?" Maya asked.
Oldbag then pouted. "Poor Juan, led astray by the wiles of that vile temptress..."
" And who is this is this you're talking about...?" Iris asked.
"Adrian Andrews, of course! Who else!?" Oldbag asked rhetorically. "That guy, he shoved the girl onto Juan on purpose!"
"His own manager?" Iris asked. "But why...?"
"I thought lawyers were smart! It was to create a scandal to make Juan lose face! That girl drove Juan into a scandal that dragged his reputation through the mud!"
Sounds like a pretty standard definition of a scandal to me, Iris thought. "Why do you know about that anyway, Ms. Oldbag?"
"I'm one of Juan's biggest fans!" Oldbag said proudly. "I'm always out there gathering information! There's nothing I don't know!"
"And do you have proof that Mr. Engarde did what you say he did?" Maya asked.
"Next week's issue of a certain magazine says so!" Oldbag shouted.
Iris groaned. "Ugh... Of course. A tabloid..."
"Next week..." Maya mumbled. "Doesn't that mean it's something people don't know about yet?"
Why would Ms. Oldbag have information like that? And where did she get it? Iris thought, rubbing her chin before her eyes widened. Wait...!
"Ms. Oldbag, you didn't happen to take possession of a camera case, did you?" Iris pressed. "My friend seems to be missing it?"
"I may or may not have taken it..." Oldbag said. "Why should I even tell you?"
Iris responded by immediately snatching the autograph from Oldbag's hand.
"Okay! Okay!" Oldbag huffed. "Yes, I took the camera. I-I didn't steal it or anything, I just saw it on the floor and took it for my own interests!"
That's precisely what stealing is! Iris exclaimed in her mind.
"Anyways, I saw Engarde coming out of Juan's room and took a picture of it," Oldbag said. "And if you're thinking of asking me, you're already too late because I gave it to the cops already!"
"Oh, come on...!" Iris groaned in exasperation while Oldbag cackled in delight. Iris wanted to press further, but she was running out of time and she didn't want to waste whatever she had left talking to Oldbag. As such, Iris thanked Oldbag for her cooperation and left with Maya to go back to Engarde's hotel room. The information she had gathered from Viola, Ini, and Oldbag had made her feel that the manager was more involved with this case than she thought.
. . .
Sept. 19
Gatewater Hotel~ Engarde's Hotel Room
"Hmm..." Maya hummed as she looked around the room. "Looks like Ms. Andrews isn't here."
Iris frowned. "That's not good. I still have a few questions I want to ask her..."
"And she has that Psyche-Lock on her heart, right?" Maya asked.
Iris nodded. "Well, we don't have much of a choice. I guess we'll have to head to the Criminal Affairs Department and meet up with Detective Gumshoe first. Hopefully, we can meet back with Ms. Andrews afterward..."
. . .
Sept. 19
Criminal Affairs Department
Iris and Maya stepped inside the criminal affairs department, entering one of the offices where several detectives were at work with their own cases. There were still waiting for Gumshoe, who wasn't around.
"Detective Gumshoe said they had an investigation briefing..." Iris mumbled to Maya.
"Yeah... Oh! He's back!" Maya said as Gumshoe stepped into the office, a frown on his face as he approached them.
"Hey, so you came, pal," he said bluntly.
"Why the blunt greeting?" Iris asked.
"Um, because there's nothing to be friendly or happy about," Gumshoe began. "Things look perfect this time around. The evidence and testimony are airtight..."
Iris frowned at this, feeling her heartache at the news. "What do you mean by airtight evidence?"
"I can't give you all the details, pal, but there are two big pieces," Gumshoe said.
"T-Two!?" Maya exclaimed.
"And both of them are in this photo," he said, showing a photo of Juan Corrida's dead body. "The first is the button that's missing from the victim's chest."
"Hmm... That's the button that you found during your body search of Mr. Engarde?" Iris asked.
Gumshoe nodded. "Yup. I found it in the folds of the Nickel Samurai's special pants. The second piece of evidence is the knife in his chest, pal. The fingerprints on the knife in his chest, to be exact.
"Fingerprints?" Maya repeated nervously. "Um... Whose are they?"
"You didn't even have to ask, little missy," Gumshoe sighed. "It's obvious. They're Matt Engarde's."
"I see..." Iris mumbled, rubbing her chin "And what about the testimony?"
"It's that old security lady, Ms. Oldbag."
Iris groaned. "I thought so..." she muttered. "Let me guess, she saw Mr. Engarde walking out of the victim's room around the estimated time of death?"
"Y-yeah," Gumshoe said, raising a brow. "How'd you know that, pal?"
"I've been doing my own investigation, Detective," Iris answered. "Did she also say that the victim was also having a love affair with Mr. Engarde's manager, Adrian Andrews?"
"Yeah," Gumshoe said. "And honestly, I kinda don't blame her, pal."
"What do you mean by that?" Iris asked.
Gumshoe blinked. "Oh, so you haven't heard of Celeste Inpax yet?"
"Celeste...Inpax?" Maya repeated in a questioning manner.
"She was the victim's manager and was also Ms. Adrian Andrews' mentor," he began. "It's been two years since her suicide..."
"S-suicide!?" Iris and Maya both cried out, both of them blanching in horror.
Gumshoe sighed. "Yeah. She had ties with the victim and Ms. Andrews, and now those two are linked again by another death. Or maybe it's just a coincidence...? But..."
whp-CRACK!
"WAAAAAHHH!"
Gumshoe suddenly cried out, falling to the floor in pain, revealing an absolutely livid von Karma standing behind him. She gritted her teeth while gripping her whip's handle tightly, furious energy pouring out from her.
"I'm getting sick of dealing with one foolish idiot after another..." she growled, raising her whip high.
"M-M-Ms. von Karma!" Gumshoe exclaimed. "Wait-!"
whp-CRACK!
"AAaaAAArrrAAAghhHHh!"
"You can't seem to stop allying yourself with the enemy, can you? I don't need a traitor in my midst."
Gumshoe paled, realizing what she really meant by that. "Y-Y-You don't... You don't mean..."
"I do. Scruffy. You have thirty minutes to get out of here. You are no longer needed. Goodbye."
Iris and Maya gasped in shock, the former already glaring at the prosecutor.
Gumshoe was struggling not to cry as he got on all fours, looking up to von Karma pleadingly. "W-Wait... Please wait, sir! If I don't get this month's pay, I'll star-"
"Quiet!" von Karma shouted. "If it weren't for traitors like you-!"
"I would've won," an old, dark voice said. "Is that what you want to say?"
Franziska's blood went cold, all the anger and bravado in her voice fading as she and everyone turned around to see a familiar face glaring down at her. He was a tall, looming old man holding a cane and wearing attire similar to Franziska's consisting of a cravat and a fancy dark purple shirt with gold trimming, the latter being underneath his dark blue business suit. The entire room went cold as Iris, Maya, Gumshoe, and the detectives in the office room all stepped back as the man stepped forward to von Karma, who was frozen in fear as she stood completely still.
"What am I going to do with you...?" he said coldly. "Blaming others when things go wrong? Losing to a mere amateur twice? This is not the prosecutor I raised you to be, Franziska..."
"F-Father...?!" was all the prosecutor could utter, sweat pouring down her face as the man now known as her father glared down at her with narrowed eyes.
Court Record
Evidence:
1. Iris' Attorney Badge
2. Magatama
3. The Nickel Samurai
4. Press Conference Ticket
5. Radio Transceiver
6. Guidemap
7. Crime Photo
8. Guitar Case
9. Wine Glass
10. Autograph
11. Magazine Clipping
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
9. Matt Engarde
10. Juan Corrida
11. Adrian Andrews
12. Franziska von Karma
13. Celeste Inpax
14. Manfred von Karma
Author's Note: Done! Hey guys, I just finally finished this part of the chapter. Sorry that this took so long. I wanted to make this sooner but there were some personal issues I had to deal with first. Thankfully, they're done now, so I can get back to working on the fic. Funny enough, this chapter was supposed to be longer, but after a while, I felt like it'd be best to end it here for now. The next chapter will be the end of the investigation and the start of the trial. Anyways, I hope you all have a good time with this chapter. Please let me know your thoughts below. I appreciate any feedback as it would help improve my writing. Thank you all and I hope you all take care.