Author's Note: Hello, everyone! I'm so sorry this took so long. I wanted to post this earlier but I had some stuff happen to delay it. Mainly, personal projects aside from this, my house currently getting renovated, and me signing up for Graduate School for a Master's Degree. I managed to find the time to make this and I'll try to post the next part as soon as I can. Thank you so much for your patience and I hope you enjoy this latest chapter. Please, tell me your thoughts in the comments. I'd love to hear it. With all that aside, thank you, and have a good day.
"Adrian Andrews?" Manfred scoffed. "Such foolish nonsense! What in the world makes you think it would be her?!"
"For starters, she can also freely move in and out of Mr. Engarde's room due to her role as his manager," Iris answered. "Also, she had dinner with Mr. Engarde that night."
"And how does that all add up?" the Judged asked.
"It means that it makes it very easy for her to get a certain item...a certain knife with Mr. Engarde's fingerprints all over it!"
The Judge gasped. "The murder weapon!"
Manfred scowled. "Why don't you just say what it is you want, Ms. Iris Hawthorne?"
I have to do this now! Iris thought with clenched fists. This is my last chance to turn things around!
"The defense motions to indict Ms. Adrian Andrews in the murder of Juan Corrida!" Iris declared, causing a stir in the courtroom as people in the gallery began to discuss amongst themselves. "It was Ms. Andrews who tried to frame the defendant for the crime!"
"Order! Order! ORDER!" the Judge shouted, pounding his gavel to finally silence the people in the gallery. "It looks like this trial has hit a most unexpected development! Mr. von Karma!"
"Yes, Your Honor?" Manfred asked.
"This court is issuing a subpoena for Ms. Adrian Andrews!" the Judge said. "A verdict cannot be passed without first hearing her testimony!"
Manfred didn't answer. Instead, he crossed his arms and closed his eyes in thought.
"Alright! This is it..." Maya whispered happily.
"Yes, this..." Iris' smile then slowly turned into a look of horror as she realized... "This is bad...!"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"If Adrian Andrews is summoned to court as a witness..." Iris said slowly. "It means that the trial will go on for another day...!"
Maya gasped in shock. "If we don't get a verdict TODAY, then Pearl...!" her lip quivered, unable to say the rest of the words.
"Now then," the Judge began to announce, "we shall set Ms. Andrews' testimony for tomorrow-"
"OBJECTION!" Iris shouted. "Your Honor, please, Continue the trial! You must pass a verdict today!"
The Judge shook his head. "I can't do that. We cannot hear Ms. Andrews' testimony if she is not-"
"HOLD IT!" Manfred suddenly shouted. "I abhor wasting such valuable time..."
"M-Mr. von Karma!?" the Judge stuttered out.
"Your Honor, I request that you please continue with today's trial."
"B-but...we cannot continue due to this unexpected development!" the Judge protested, only to earn an intimidating glare from Manfred.
"You dare to underestimate me, Your Honor?!" he snapped, causing the poor Judge to tremble. "Hmph! This is hardly an unexpected development!"
"A-and what do you mean by that...?" the Judge asked.
"Ms. Iris Hawthorne slaving her way to subpoenaing Ms. Adrian Andrews was all happening according to my plan...even if she was slow to catch on..."
Iris and Maya's faces blanched as their jaws dropped to the floor. "Wh-Wh-Wh...WHAAAAAAAAAAAAT!?" they both shouted in unison.
"Ms. Adrian Andrews is currently waiting in the prosecution lobby...she is the next witness," Manfred said, smirking evilly. "We can't keep her waiting, can we, your Honor?"
He...He planned everything out in advance?! Iris thought, stunned as she looked at Manfred in horror. What...what are you...?!
The Judge took a moment to think before sighing. "Very well. We will call the next witness. However...before we proceed, we shall take a 10-minute recess. Please prepare your witness in that time, Mr. von Karma."
. . .
Sept. 20, 2:14 PM
District Court~ Defendant Lobby No. 3
"Dude! I can't believe that Adrian...no way!" Engarde shouted. "Not cool and collected Adrian Andrews!"
Iris sighed. "I'm sorry, Mr. Engarde, but her position as your manager would have made it easy for her to pull this off. The only person who had easy access to the knife you used at dinner was, well...her."
"So after the ceremony, during the break, huh...?" Engarde muttered solemnly. "I was sleeping like a log the entire time..."
"She could have also easily planted that blood-covered button in your hakama."
Engarde sighed before thinking. "Hmm...because she was the one that came to wake me up? Then...Dude, you're saying it really was her...?"
Iris hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Yes. She is the real killer...she was the one who murdered Juan Corrida."
"But...why!?" Engarde asked. "I thought she was buds with Juan!"
"I'm sure you'll find out by the time this trial's over," Iris assured. "Don't worry about it. I'll get you acquitted by the end of today."
Engarde paused for a moment before nodding. "Alright. Get me a verdict that's refreshing like a spring breeze, okay, Ms. Lawyer dude?"
Iris nodded, flashing a small smile to her client. Afterward, Engarde turned to make a phone call on his wrist phones, while Iris turned to Maya, who sat on the couch and meditated. Her face scrunched up, trying to concentrate, only to sigh in dismay.
Iris frowned. "Still can't channel Sir, huh?"
"Yeah..." Maya sighed. "Just...how am I supposed to help if I can't channel Diego!? I mean, Pearl channeled him easily in my trial!"
"I think it was more he willingly showed up and let Pearl channel him," Iris sighed. "That's Sir for you. He'll only show up when he's most needed."
"Pearl's life is in danger!" Maya shouted, standing up. "He's needed now! So why can't I channel him?!"
Iris shrugged. "Either something in the afterlife is barring him from coming or you can't channel him specifically. I'm sorry, Mystic Maya, but we can't focus on that right now."
Maya sighed, nodding. She then paused when something came into her mind.
"Iris...you think Adrian's motive is related to Celeste Inpax's missing suicide note, right?" she asked.
Iris thought for a moment before nodding. "Ms. Andrews depended on Ms. Inpax for her strength and will to live...but then Ms. Inpax suddenly killed herself. It sounds like she left a suicide note, and the person thought to have hidden it..."
"...Is Juan Corrida, the victim of this murder," Maya finished. "So that's why I think that Ms. Andrews got close to Mr. Corrida...all to get the suicide note back!"
"That sounds plausible..." Iris said. "...but one thing bothers me."
"What is it?"
"If Ms. Andrews is the culprit, then what does this have to do with Shelly de Killer and DAHLIA?! Why get an assassin and a serial killer involved in this?!"
Maya tried to think of an answer, but sighed. "I wish I knew. But right now, I just hope they aren't doing anything to Pearl right now..."
. . .
Sept. 20, 2:17 PM
?
Dahlia laid on the couch, sighing in dismay from the complete and utter boredom she was suffering from. It was already bad enough that De Killer barred from going after Pearl, but now she had to sit here and do nothing while he stood by and guarded the brat's room. The professional assassin insisted that it was for the best, as Pearl was valuable to their employer alive, but Dahlia didn't care. All that mattered to her was getting revenge against Iris and De Killer was keeping her away from it.
Ugh, this sucks! Dahlia thought bitterly, growling bitterly. What I wouldn't give to finally choke that brat right now...probably would've made Rissy watch a recording of it too. That would teach her to-!
Suddenly, Dahlia's phone began to ring, interrupting her vengeful thoughts. Taking the phone out of her pocket, she answered it and placed it close to her ear.
"Hey," she said in a bored tone, only to be greeted with irate shouting from the other end. She quickly moved the phone away from her ear. "Jeez, calm down, will you!? You nearly made me deaf!"
The screaming was incoherent to everyone but Dahlia, who still held her phone farther from her ear, but close enough for her to hear the angry hollering at the other end.
"Calm down!" Dahlia shouted back. "Just lower your voice and tell me what's actually going on."
Dahlia then placed her phone closer to her ear. As she listened, her irritated and bored expression turned to one of surprise.
"Huh, that bad?" Dahlia asked, to which the voice at the other end confirmed. Dahlia chuckled. "Didn't think Mr. Professional's plan would screw up so badly."
Dahlia winced when the voice screeched harsh words into her ear
"Hey, it was entirely his idea!" Dahlia retorted. "If you want to blame anyone, blame him!"
More shouting came out from her phone, angering Dahlia further. "Fine! Fine! I'll take you to him!"
Dahlia then stood up from the couch and angrily stomped to the kitchen where De Killer stood, blocking the locked door where Pearl was kept. The moment De Killer saw Dahlia, he stood his ground firmly and glared at him.
Dahlia groaned. "I'm not here for the brat, De Killer," she said before handing the phone to him. "The boss called. He wants to talk."
After a few seconds of reluctance, De Killer snatched the phone from Dahlia's hands and placed it close to his ear.
"Yes?" he asked, only to be greeted by harsh, angry cries that damaged his hearing, much to Dahlia's sinister delight. "I-I'm quite sorry for the outcome of events, but I didn't know it would lead to Manfred von Karma showing-!"
More anger-inducing rants blurted out from the phone, causing De Killer to flinch even more before turning to glare at the cackling Dahlia. However, while the two of them were busy dealing with their furious boss, Pearl sat on the cold, cobblestoned floor with her back pressed against the wall. Curled up in a fetal position, tears came down her face as she cried over the horrible situation she found herself in.
The cold and cruel atmosphere of the basement she was locked in, the darkness that surrounded her from every angle, the two monsters above her...and the sounds of her growling stomach echoing throughout her prison.
Thoughts of sorrow and despair filled Pearl's mind as she pondered to herself as to what she had done to deserve this horrible situation.
"Sis...please help me...!" Pearl whispered, her hands clenching her dress tightly as she broke down.
She'll get to you soon, a familiar voice said soothingly, causing Pearl to look up in shock. Don't worry...
Pearl's head darted around, but she could only see darkness. "M-Mr. Armando...?"
I'm here, kid... the voice, now confirmed to be the ghost of Diego Armando, said inside Pearl's mind. I'm sorry I couldn't help you sooner...but I'm here now.
A spark of hope suddenly grew inside Pearl's heart as she listened carefully to the ghostly lawyer's words.
I have an idea that might help get you out of this, he began. But I'm going to need your help to find out where you are...
. . .
Sept. 20, 2:25 PM
District Court~ Courtroom No. 3
"Court will now reconvene," the Judge said before turning to Manfred. "Now then, Mr. von Karma, if you please."
"The prosecution calls the witness subpoenaed by this court," Manfred declared. "Ms. Adrian Andrews, the person who discovered the crime in Mr. Juan Corrida's room!"
On cue, Adrian Andrews stepped into the courtroom and proceeded to the witness stand. As she stood there, Iris and Maya exchanged nervous glances at each other before turning to Ms. Andrews.
"Witness, state your occupation now," Manfred demanded, to which Ms. Andrew complied.
"I am the manager of the defendant, Mr. Matt Engarde," Andrews answered, glancing at Engarde for a few seconds.
The Judge nodded. "I see. Now then..."
"Before we begin, Your Honor, I have one request," Ms. Andrews said, earning a surprised look from the Judge.
"Uh, yes, sure. What is it?"
"I'm sure everyone in this room is wondering the same thing and would love to find out more about my relationship with the victim," Ms. Andrews began. "After all, it was the topic of a certain weekly 'magazine' recently..."
The Judge's face paled. "Ah, no, I have no idea what you mean," he said, chuckling nervously. "I've never even heard of Gossip Land..."
Iris groaned, massaging the temples of her forehead. If the judge was ever a prosecution witness, he'd do all my work for me...
"Enough of this," Manfred said. "Witness, tell us about your relation to the victim."
Ms. Andrews nodded. "Yes, I was seeing Mr. Corrida. I was also aware of the rivalry that existed between Matt and Juan...but this was a private matter between Juan and myself."
"Hmm, so it was a 'fry 'n bait' matter... or was that "bait 'n fry"? Reminds me of fishing..." the Judge said absentmindedly, earning some judgmental looks from Iris, Manfred, and a few others in the courtroom.
"But I..." Ms. Andrews paused. "But I didn't kill him."
Manfred raised a brow. "No one has accused you of that."
"I've got a feeling someone will soon..." she responded, staring at Iris, whose eyes shifted away from her gaze.
"Very well then," Manfred said. "Witness, please testify to the court about what happened when you discovered the murder that had taken place."
TESTIMONY
"It was time for the show to start, so I went to get Matt from his room."
"After that, I went to Juan's room."
"And there was his dead body. I...I was in shock..."
"What I saw was, naturally, the exact same scene as in the crime scene photo."
"I felt as though I was about to faint, so I poured myself a glass of juice."
"You poured yourself a glass of juice?" the Judge asked.
"Yes. Sadly, I didn't realize that I should not touch things at the scene of a crime...and I disturbed the crime scene by moving this one thing..."
"And that is when the fingerprints on the wine glass were made, your Honor," Manfred added.
"I see..." the Judge said, stroking his beard before turning to Iris. "Well, Ms. Hawthorne, you may cross-examine the witness."
Iris turned to observe Ms. Andrews, who looked as calm and collected as ever. Her demeanor and intellect are going to make her quite the challenge. If I'm ever going to break through her testimony, I need to disrupt her peace. Knowing the type of woman she is, she'll be easily thrown off by things inconsistent with her thinking so I have to attack when she least expects it.
CROSS-EXAMINATION
"It was time for the show to start, so I went to get Matt from his room."
"After that, I went to Juan's room."
"And there was his dead body. I...I was in shock..."
"HOLD IT!" Iris shouted. You were in shock?"
Ms. Andrews raised a brow. "What? Was I not supposed to be?"
"Anyone randomly stumbling upon a dead body would be in shock," Manfred added. "And you can't seriously expect a fragile woman like her wouldn't be shocked."
Ms. Andrews shot a narrowed-eyed glare at Manfred but turned away when he turned to glared back.
"What I saw was, naturally, the exact same scene as in the crime scene photo."
"I felt as though I was about to faint, so I poured myself a glass of juice."
"HOLD IT!" Iris shouted. "Juice...?"
"Yes, there was a bottle of tomato juice on the table, so I helped myself."
"But you didn't drink any of it, did you?"
Ms. Andrews blinked, her heart almost skipping a beat. "Huh?"
"There were no lip marks left on this wine glass to suggest that anyone drank from it," Iris pointed out, making Andrews pause to think.
"I...I wasn't feeling terribly great, so I set the glass down. Without drinking it..." Ms. Andrews said, her voice noticeably tense despite her usual stoic tone.
Iris thought for a moment before leaning closer to Ms. Andrews. "I would like to confirm with you one more time. When you discovered the dead body of Juan Corrida, you were in great shock. And that's when you poured yourself the glass of juice, correct?"
"And what of it...?" Ms. Andrews questioned back. "My mind really was a complete blank at the time."
Iris raised a brow. "Your mind was a complete blank? I didn't think that was possible for you."
"Aren't you rude today?" Ms. Andrews hissed. "I was so dazed that I made one careless mistake...that one thing..."
"What one thing?"
Ms. Andrews' eyes opened in horror for a moment before composing herself. "Um, never mind. It's no big deal..."
"Ms. Andrews!" Manfred shouted, causing the poor woman to flinch. "I believe you were about to say that you made a mistake at the crime scene."
Ms. Andrews began to sweat nervously as the Prosecuting God glared at her intensely.
"The prosecution demands you tell the court now!" he demanded.
"I...I'm sorry...it's just...it's kind of...embarrassing..." Ms. Andrews stuttered out, her cold and calculating persona breaking. "When I...when I set the glass down on the dresser...I accidentally...knocked the flower vase over..."
"F-Flower vase...? Are you talking about the one on the floor in the crime photo? This mess of glass shards!?" the Judge asked as he showed the crime photo and pointed to the shards.
Ms. Andrews nodded. "It was originally on top of the dresser...but when I bumped into it with my elbow, it fell...onto the guitar case."
Manfred slammed his fist onto his desk, letting out an audible thump that caused Ms. Andrews to jump in fear. He then marched angrily to the witness stand, a murderous fire in his eyes.
"Why did you withhold such an important piece of information!?" he shouted to the poor woman, causing her to tremble in fear.
"I-I'm sorry..." she whimpered out, almost tearing up. "I-I thought that since the c-crime scene was already in disarray, that p-people would j-just think the vase was just another part of the m-mess...!"
"It looks like yet another fact has come to light here..." the Judge sighed. "Please add this and anything else you have to reveal to your testimony."
"I'm sorry... But...I have nothing more to add...I didn't touch anything else..." Ms. Andrews said, but Manfred kept glaring at her. After a few seconds, he calmed down and walked back to the prosecution's side.
Are you certain about that? Iris wondered as she looked at the crime photo and saw the empty guitar case.
"I was the one who knocked the flower vase over, where it fell onto the guitar case."
I'm not sure if this will help... Iris thought warily. But I have to do it. For Pearl's sake!
"OBJECTION!" Iris shouted. "You testified that you knocked the flower vase over. Is this correct?"
"Y-yes..." Ms. Andrews answered hesitantly.
"And are you sure it fell onto the guitar case?" Iris pressed, causing Ms. Andrews to grow more nervous.
"I-Is there some problem with what I said...?"
"It's not some problem, it's a major problem," Iris said. "It's true that the top of the guitar case was wet with water. However, that's exactly what is so strange! Ms. Andrews! You testified that the vase fell onto the guitar case! However! If that was true, the case should have gotten wet on the inside, not the outside!
"Th-That's very true!" the Judge shouted.
"Furthermore, there is one other strange thing about this guitar case," Iris continued. "Let's take another look at the crime scene photo. The remains of the vase are scattered on the floor. If the guitar case was open when the vase fell...the glass shards should be INSIDE, not outside the case!
Ms. Andrews flinched in response.
"OBJECTION!" Manfred shouted. "What is your point, Ms. Iris Hawthone!? That the case was closed at the time the vase was knocked over? Is that all!?"
"OBJECTION!" Iris retorted. "No. Think back to what Ms. Andrews testified to! She said that other than the vase, she didn't touch anything else!
"Yes, that's right," the Judge said. "She did implicitly say she didn't touch the guitar case!"
Manfred just grumbled, crossing his arms in disapproval. "Must I point out that this whole matter with the guitar case is a dead end?! The bright red guitar was found at the studio! It has no bearing on this case at all!"
Iris shook her head. "On the contrary, I believe it is a crucial piece of the puzzle!"
It was then Manfred did something that shook Iris and Maya to their very core...
He laughed. He let out a cruel, humorless laugh that sent shivers down their spines. "I can't believe ANYONE would reach for straws like this!"
I can't believe I'm doing this either... Iris thought with a gulp, sweating nervously.
"But if you're so insistent in maintaining this charade, I'll play along...for now," Manfred said before turning to Ms. Andrews. "Witness, testify to the court about the guitar case."
The poor woman nodded nervously as she tried to think of the proper words.
TESTIMONY
"I don't remember too clearly because I was a bit dazed."
"I suppose I must have opened the guitar case...after I knocked the vase over."
"It's not a big deal though, right? The case was empty after all."
"As for why I opened the case...Even I don't know."
"Hmm...it looks like this really wasn't a very important point," the Judge said. "However, it's still a testimony. Ms. Hawthorne, go ahead and start the cross-examination."
Iris nodded, having already found the contradiction.
CROSS-EXAMINATION
"I don't remember too clearly because I was a bit dazed."
"I suppose I must have opened the guitar case...after I knocked the vase over."
"It's not a big deal though, right? The case was empty after all."
"As for why I opened the case...Even I don't know."
"OBJECTION!" Iris shouted. "There is no way you were the one who opened the guitar case."
Ms. Andrews tensed up. "Why would you say that!?" she demanded.
"It's because the only fingerprints on this guitar case are those of the victim!" Iris answered.
"Well...you shouldn't assume that I must have left prints just because I touched the case!" Ms. Andrews retorted
"What do you mean?" Iris asked, narrowing her eyes.
"What if I were to tell you that I was wearing gloves at the time?" Ms. Andrews said, making Iris raise a brow.
"Gloves...? But why would you be wearing gloves at the time?" the Judge asked.
"It was the night of the award ceremony," Ms. Andrews explained. "So of course I dressed up for the occasion. Yes, now I remember... I'm almost sure I was wearing a pair of thin gloves."
The Judge stroked his beard. "Hmm...I see...well, Ms. Hawthorne. It seems the witness was wearing gloves at the scene of the crime."
"You were wearing gloves...? Isn't that a little strange?" Iris pressed.
"Why is that strange!?" Andrews snapped, stomping her foot. "Do you have something that would prove I was not wearing gloves at the time?"
"I have your proof right here. This wine glass," Iris said, taking out the aforementioned item.
"The wine glass?" Ms. Andrews raised a brow.
"You left your fingerprints very clearly on this wine glass," the rookie lawyer pointed out, causing Ms. Andrews to flinch. "Even if you took your gloves off when you poured yourself this glass of juice, wouldn't you think it was just a little strange that you put your gloves back on, just to open the guitar case!?"
The people in the gallery began to discuss amongst themselves loudly, prompting the Judge to pound his gavel.
"Order! Order! Order!" he shouted. As he tried to bring the gallery under control, Maya suddenly had an idea.
"Hey, Iris...!" Maya whispered. "I think the guitar case is a to more important than we thought..."
"But it's just an empty case," Iris pointed out.
"But was it really empty?" Maya asked, causing the lawyer to ponder.
The bright red guitar was at the studio, Iris thought. But what was in the guitar case wasn't the bright red guitar...?
"Hmm, I admit it would be unnatural for someone to do that," the Judge chimed in. "So the witness was not wearing gloves..."
"OBJECTION!" Manfred shouted. "Your Honor, this is obviously the defense's usual misdirection tactic at work. Steer the court towards an unrelated topic, and lull us all into her misguided-"
"OBJECTION!" Iris shouted. "No, Your Honor! Please recall that Ms. Andrews had testified that the vase 'fell onto the guitar case'! This means that the case was closed when the crime took place! However, it is wide open in this crime scene photo! I am sure this guitar case has some relation to the murder!"
"If you are so sure, Ms. Iris Hawthorne, then I'm sure you can somehow substantiate your outrageous claim, correct!?" Manfred shouted. "Please, enlighten us as to why that guitar case has anything at all to do with this murder!"
Iris tensed up. "Um..."
"Can you do that, Ms. Hawthorne!?" the Judge pressed.
"Um, well..." Iris paused to think. "Let's suppose for a second...that the bright red guitar was not the only thing that could have been in the case..."
"The bright red guitar not being the only thing...?" the Judge asked, stroking his beard. "Y-You don't mean to suggest that a bright BLACK guitar was inside the-?"
"OBJECTION!" Manfred shouted. "So, you intend to push your theory that the case was not empty!? Is that it, Ms. Iris Hawthorne?!"
"I wouldn't say something I didn't intend to prove!" Iris retorted.
"You haven't proven anything yet!" Manfred snapped. "Now then, let's have it. What was inside that case at the time of the murder?!"
Iris paused to think. After a few seconds of thought, she showed the photo she got from Ini's camera, which showed the Nickel Samurai leaving Juan Corrida's hotel room.
Upon seeing this, the Judge gasped in shock. "Th-This is...this is a photograph...!"
Iris nodded. "Yes, but what is important is what is in the picture, Your Honor."
"I-In this picture...?" the Judge asked.
"It doesn't take a genius to see what I mean! What I am proposing is...inside the guitar case was the Nickel Samurai! The hero's very own costume!"
"What!?" Manfred shouted. "Are you saying that the witness opened the guitar case to take out a costume!? What insane point would there be to doing something like that!?"
"That insane point would be to wear the costume, of course!" Iris answered. "Ms. Andrews put it on to hide her identity so she could make her escape. After all, you couldn't let anyone see you leave, could you, Ms. Andrews?"
Ms. Andrews flinched, sweating profusely as she fought the urge to scream.
Manfred snarled. "Do you have anything to support such a preposterous idea!?"
"Just outside the door was an investigative photographer who was starving for a big scoop," Iris answered, internally thanking Ini. "And in the end, she managed to get this shot, correct?"
"You...you mean this photo!?" the Judge exclaimed, to which the gallery began an uproar. "Order! Order!"
The Judge then sighed. "It looks like we've wandered into quite another mess again, haven't we? So the real murderer was hiding inside a costume..."
"HOLD IT!" Manfred shouted. "The Nickel Samurai's costume would have been Mr. Matt Engarde's! Why would something of the defendant's be in the victim's room!? And inside the guitar case, of all places!?"
"That would be strange, I will attest to that..." Iris said with a smirk. "...unless that costume is a spare."
"What!?" Manfred exclaimed, slamming his fist in anger.
"Then...are you saying that on the night of the murder...there were TWO Nickel Samurai costumes at the Gatewater Hotel!?" the Judge shouted, to which Iris nodded in response. "And how do you explain the costume that was inside the guitar case...?"
"Yes! It would mean that the victim himself had planned to bring this spare to the ceremony!" Manfred added.
"But...but why!?" the Judge stammered. "The victim, Mr. Corrida, was the Jammin' Ninja. Why would he secretly bring the Nickel Samurai's spare costume with him!? What could be the reason behind such a peculiar act?"
"Ah, so that's what he intended..." Iris mumbled to herself, only to shriek when Manfred slammed his fist onto his table again.
"What are you mumbling to yourself about now!?" Manfred shouted. "Have you just been rambling all this time without any sense of inner monologue!?"
"Huh!? N-No, I just-"
"Ms. Hawthorne, please explain yourself!" the Judge shouted. "Why do you think the victim had the Nickel Samurai's spare costume!?"
Iris paused to think, sweating nervously as pressure began building up against her. Her eyes darted around, desperately trying to come up with something. Maya herself struggled to think...until her face perked up. Reaching into her robes she took out the press conference ticket from earlier and presented it to Iris. Iris had a brief moment of confusion before realizing what her cousin was trying to say.
Iris sighed, giving a thankful smile to Maya before turning to the court.
"Alright. This is what I think. The reason the victim brought the Nickel Samurai's spare costume to the hotel was..." Iris paused to show the ticket to the court. "This!"
The Judge raised a brow. "A ticket?"
"On the night of the murder, after the stage show, the Nickel Samurai was going to hold a special press conference," Iris explained. "In this conference, Nickel Samurai was supposed to confess something at this conference."
"Yes, I heard about this as well," Manfred said. "So you weren't making things up after all."
Iris pretended to ignore that and continue. "But what struck me as strange was that Mr. Engarde himself said he had no idea he was supposed to be holding a press conference that night."
Ms. Andrews stayed silent, glancing away from the scene.
The Judge gasped. "But how can that be!?"
"The way I see it, that can mean only one thing," Iris paused for dramatic effect. "The conference was set up by none other than the victim, Mr. Juan Corrida himself!"
"The victim!?" the Judge exclaimed in shock.
Iris nodded. "The spare Nickel Samurai costume was prepared for that very conference! Mr. Corrida was going to hold the press conference as the Nickel Samurai!"
"But why would the victim do such a thing!?" the Judge asked.
"That's something I don't quite know yet," Iris admitted. "However, what I am concerned with right now is what he intended to reveal at that conference."
Manfred hummed in thought. "The Nickel Samurai was going to confess something. And by confess, I'd wager he was going to reveal something about 'himself'."
Iris nodded. "This means that Juan Corrida, posing as the Nickel Samurai, was going to speak about Matt Engarde!"
"But, if that's the case...it wouldn't be a confession," Manfred said. "It would be a public disclosure."
"Hmph," Ms. Andrews let out, getting everyone's attention. "I can see why you are pros at what you do."
"I'm sorry?" Iris asked, raising a brow. Ms. Andrews turned to her with narrowed eyes.
"Yes, just as you said, the press conference was set up by Juan," Ms. Andrews confessed, causing a stir in the gallery.
"Order! Order! Order!" the Judge shouted. "Ms. Andrews, please offer us an explanation for this!"
"I was the one he asked to help set it up," she confessed. "And the person who prepared the second costume for him...that was also me."
The Judge gasped. "Y-you...!?"
"Juan had bet everything on the Jammin' Ninja this year," she said. "And if he lost the Grand Prix...he was going to make sure Matt was going down with him. That's what he thought anyway."
"He was going to ruin him, huh?" Iris asked.
"It looked like somehow, Juan had in his hands a secret so powerful..." Ms. Andrews paused. "...that it would destroy Matt's acting career had it been revealed!"
Iris and Maya gasped. "What!?" they both shouted before the former leaned closer.
"And you know this secret!?" Iris pressed.
Ms. Andrews paused, glancing away. "That's something only Juan knew. I...I don't know what it is."
"Ah...I see," the Judge hummed, buying what the manager said. Iris and Manfred, however, look at her suspiciously as they do not believe her.
"I...I've probably been coming off quite suspicious to everyone, but that's to be expected," Ms. Andrews said. "I've been trying to protect Matt, after all..."
"Protect him?!" Iris and Maya asked in unison. Manfred let out a disbelieving chuckle.
"And yet again another strange bit of truth comes to light it seems..." the Judge sighed. "Ms. Andrews, if you could, please tell us the truth about your behavior!"
"Yes, your Honor. I understand," Ms. Andrews said, taking a deep breath before she began her next testimony.
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
12. Suicide Report
13. Attempted Suicide Report
14. Autopsy Report
15. Knife
16. Button
17. Ini's Camera
18. Ini's Photo
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