Here we go, the next chapter and continue the investigation.

Disclaimer: I own nothing in this.

DM77's Ace Attorney Chapter 49

Fingerprinting Investigation

February 23, High Prosecutor's Office, Room 1202

As J and Makoto walk into Hunter's office, they come face to face with someone J knows well, the Servant Droid bellhop of the Tipton Hotel was their holding a serving trey with a tea set as well.

"Ah, guests! My apologies." The Servant Droid said to the two.

"Oh! It's you!" J said in surprise.

"Have we met somewhere…?" The Servant Droid asked J.

"Huh?!" J said confused, had he forgotten about her.

"Mr. Deamonne! I beg your leave. So long!" The Servant Droid said into the room before leaving.

'Is Hunter here…?' J thinks and looks into the room.

"There, standing by the window, a teacup in his hand!" Makoto said pointing and indeed standing their was Hunter who looked emotionally damaged. His two Purge Trooper guards stood at attention by the doorway

"J." Hunter said seeing the two trying to be remained composed

'He has the hotel bring him tea service?!' J thinks surprised.

"Mr. Deamonne…you're back from the District Prosecutor's Office inquiry?" Makoto asked concerned.

"I am." Hunter said nodding.

"By the way, Detective N was looking for you." J said to Hunter.

"Ah, yes…He brought me the latest information, it seems." Hunter said pulling out the pink flyer.

"Really? Was it helpful?" Makoto asked him.

"Apparently, a new Kalo restaurant is opening near here." Hunter said looking at the actual flyer into and he chuckles amused "I think he was trying to console me, somehow."

'Um, the real info is on the other side, Hunter…' J thinks deadpanned.

"Poor Mr. Deamonne…I think this whole thing is really taking a toll on him." Makoto said sadly.

J nods and asks Hunter "So, how did the inquiry committee go?"

"Actually, they decided to treat this not as a case of concealing evidence…" Hunter said looking serious "But as a communications error during the investigation."

"'Concealing evidence'…?" Makoto asked him.

"Yes. Apparently, there are some who believe…that I concealed evidence." Hunter explained sighing "They gave me a warning, 'You were lucky this time…again.'"

"'Again'…?" J asked.

"I've heard them say that so many times." Hunter said sighing. "Ever since that case two years ago…"

"Well, are you okay for the trial tomorrow?" J asked him.

"Well, I'm still the presiding prosecuting attorney. However…" Hunter said and sips his tea.

"Something happened?" J asked concerned.

"They gave control of the investigation over to the Police Trooper Department." Hunter tells them.

"The Police Trooper Department!" Makoto said surprised.

"Yes. Any further investigation for this case will be directed by the Chief of Police Troopers Giovani." Hunter said sighing. "I can do nothing but wait for his results…"

"I…see." J said thinking

"Why, I ask you? Why?!" Hunter said slamming his fist on his desk making everyone the Purge Troopers included jump. "All along, I've done only what I believe is right. I have nothing to be ashamed of! But still…"

'Wow, I've never seen him this out of sorts…' J thinks concerned she then pulls out the ID Card Record saying to herself "Oh, right! I'd better check this now…"

"As I was saying. I…" Hunter said and sees the Record in J's hand and looks at it "What's this? A record of ID card usage?"

"Hunter, you went into the evidence room that day, didn't you?" J asked pointing to Hunter's ID number on it "Just before the incident occurred, no less."

"Yes, that's true." Hunter said with a nod.

"W-why, Mr. Deamonne?" Makoto asked concerned.

"Please don't look at me like that." Hunter said firmly "I…was asked to go. By Chief Giovanni no less."

"The Chief of Police Troopers…?" Makoto asked.

Hunter then pulls out from his desk drawer a screwdriver with an evidence tag and explained "He wanted evidence for a case that wrapped up half a year ago. He told me he wanted me to keep it here in the Prosecutor's Office."

"But…it was solved, right?" J asked confused "It would have to be if the evidence was already filed…"

"The Chief is never one to explain himself." Hunter told her. "In any case, on the day of the stabbings, I brought this back here."

"Can I ask what kind of case it was?" Makoto asked excited.

"I…can't say." Hunter tells her. "It really has nothing to do with the current case."

'Now I'm curious about this other case. I'd better make a note of it.' J said and added the screwdriver to her the Court Record.

"Stubborn as always. I told you this has nothing to do with the current case." Hunter said seeing her and looks annoyed

J activates her science eyes and looks at the screwdriver and checks its tag. She said, "The tag says, 'AI-16.'"

"What's that got to do with anything?" Makoto asked.

"Nothing apparently." J said shrugging. "At least, that's what Hunter said."

"Hm. That makes it seem all the more suspicious." Makoto said thinking. "Who knows? This might turn out to be the clue that breaks the case!"

"Wouldn't that be nice…" J said sighing. She then presents the Switchblade Knife to Hunter.

Hunter looks at her serious then looks away saying "I know you. You've probably got a hold of some information already, right?"

"It all has to do with that case you were on…the SL-9 Incident." J told him. "And some 'dark suspicion' you were wrapped up in."

"You were the drone who revived the worst memory of my life." Hunter said sighing "I figured I'd be telling you about this sooner or later."

'He must be talking about…his father's murder in that elevator…' J thinks and nods "Okay, Hunter. Why don't you tell me about it. Tell me the truth."

Hunter sips his tea and then explained "The SL-9 Incident was a heinous serial killing case. The head of the investigation was the Deputy Chief of Police Troopers at the time…Giovani."

'That wacky serious looking man was involved in the case two years ago too then…' J thinks.

"He was a top officer, and it was my first time working with him…I was nervous." Hunter explained.

"Wow, you get nervous, too, Mr. Deamonne?" Makoto asked smiling.

'What I want to know is why was a Deputy Chief of Police Troopers on the investigation?' J thinks curious.

"In truth, I used slightly more…extreme methods than normal." Hunter admits "We were dealing with a vicious murderer. If I let him go, the blood would be on my hands. We won our guilty verdict, and the killer was executed."

"Wait, you didn't…" J asked concerned.

"Of course not!" Hunter said looking serious "I didn't touch the evidence. Yes, I will do anything in my power to win a trial. However,…I do have a code, and I follow it faithfully." He then looks at Makoto "By the way, Makoto. The Chief Prosecutor wanted to know something…"

"M-my sister? What?" Makoto asked.

"If you were still studying forensic science?" Hunter asked her.

"Huh? Y-yes! Of course!" Makoto said with a nod and smiles holding up the Luminol bottle saying "Why, just today Miss. J and I were using this…"

Luminol testing fluid, hm?" Hunter said thinking and nods to one of his Purge Troopers who goes to some draws and said smiling "Well then…You might have use for this." The Purge Trooper brings over a brown bottle with a large cotton swab.

"Aluminum powder for taking fingerprints!" Makoto said surprised seeing it.

"It's been chemically treated for better adhesion." Hunter explained.

"F-for me? Are you sure? We are the 'enemy' you know." Makoto said looking down.

"I've no say in today's investigation…do as you will." Hunter tells them both.

"Hunter…I'm really…" J beings to say.

"No need to thank me." Hunter tells her and holds up a file "Here, take your powder and these fingerprint files for everyone involved."

"I, uh, th-thanks!" J said taking it but thinks 'How about giving these to Detective N as well?!' She adds the Fingerprinting Set and file to the Court Record.

"Well, let's get going! One last investigation!" Makoto said smiling.

"Right!" J said nodding and thinks 'I do seem to remember seeing a suspicious handprint somewhere…' They head back to the Evidence room.

February 23, Evidence Room, Sector Three

They walk in and find no one else so they were able to investigate without interruption.

'Our investigation turned up a suspicious handprint.' J thinks.

"Here, in this blood on the detective's evidence locker." Makoto said pointing to the visible handprint on N's locker.

"Let's use the secret weapon we just borrowed!" J said holding up the Fingerprinting set and activates her science eyes.

"Right. Let's get started! First…choose a finger." Makoto instructs J.

"A finger...?" J asked.

"Each finger leaves behind a slightly different imprint." Makoto explained. "So, let's choose a finger that will have left behind the clearest print!"

"I really can't tell the difference at a glance…" J told her.

"Quit procrastinating and choose a finger!" Makoto told her. J shrugs and chooses the thumb. "Okay. Now it's time to check for prints! Let me show you how it's done."

'Makoto's starting to get that sparkle in her eyes…' J thinks.

"First we sprinkle the aluminium powder around." Makoto explains and shows J.

"Ah…it looks like that did the trick." J said seeing the powder.

"The aluminium powder adheres completely to the print." Makoto said "Once the powder is well spread…just blow away the excess. Imagine you're blowing out the candles on a birthday cake." She blows the powder away "See?"

"Wow…. that looks like fun!" J said and thought 'It might take some getting to used to though…'

"It's fine! It won't go up your processors or anything." Makoto said smiling. "You just pour the powder on think and blow away the extra! Those are the basics of fingerprinting, Miss. J!"

'I guess I'd better give it a try…' J thinks. And does so until a print is formed.

"Aha! You did it! You found one!" Makoto said smiling

"But…this looks nothing like a fingerprint" J said noting that it completely white not lines or unique marks.

"Hmmm…Now that you mention it, I guess it doesn't…" Makoto said thinking.

"What does it mean?" J asked her.

"I think it means…we're out of luck." Makoto told her.

"Out of luck…?" J asked confused.

"The person who left this handprint must have worn gloves." Makoto explained

J gives a deadpanned look and then said annoyed "Don't tell me we've been wasting our time here!"

"Hey, calm down. That's just the way if goes sometimes with scientific investigations." Makoto told her. "But…it does seem a shame. While we're at it, why don't we look for other prints?"

"Other prints…?" J asked.

"Looking at the locker door again closely…" Makoto said pointing to it "It seems like there are fingerprints outside the bloody handprint as well. Let's see if we can find a clear print!"

'Hmmm…fingerprints outside the blood…' J thinks and sees one and dusts it and gets a clear print.

"Yay! A print so clear it's dazzling!" Makoto said clapping.

"D-dazzling…?" J asked.

"Anyway, this print took a lot of effort to find." Makoto said "Let's match it up right away!"

"So, we're not done yet? This is quite a process…" J said thinking.

"Well, there's no point in finding a fingerprint…" Makoto said thinking. "and not knowing who the owner is, right?"

'I guess she's right…' J thinks nodding.

"Look at the fingerprint data we got from Mr. Deamonne…and point out the person you think left these prints!" Makoto instructs.

"Huh? How am I supposed to know who it was?" J asked her.

"I could make a pretty good guess." Makoto said. "The bloody handprint and the fingerprints are in different places, right? That means that the prints probably don't have anything to do with out case. So, whose fingerprints would we mostly likely find on this evidence locker?"

J checks and sees it match N's fingerprints, it was amazing drones like him and herself have fingerprints and compares them and it was a match.

"Ah hah!" Makoto said happily. "SO these prints belonged to Detective N!" She then sees the annoyed deadpanned look on J's face "Something wrong, Miss. J? You gave me this 'so what?' look."

"I guess that's probably because I was thinking 'so what?'" J told her.

"Okay, so we came up with nothing this time, but there's always next time!" Makoto said to her. "Sometimes you hit, sometimes you miss! You got to roll with the punches, Miss. J!"

"Thanks for the sympathy." J said sighing but thinks 'Wait…If I remember correctly…there was one other handprint in this room. Let's check it out' She then goes to the locker where there was a luminol reaction and said, "This is where we got a luminol fluid reaction, right?"

"Right! There was a handprint here!" Makoto said nodding. "Okay! Want to try using this?" Makoto asked holding up the Fingerprinting set.

'There go her eyes sparkling again…' J thinks and said "Okay, let's check for prints!"

"That's the spirit!" Makoto said smiling. "Oh! But I have to warn you about something first."

"What?" J asked

"The area with the blood was wiped away, right?" Makoto asked.

"We only ended up finding it using chemical means." J said thinking.

"Any prints in that area will have been wiped away too." Makoto explained.

"Oh…right." J said sighing. "So…that means no prints."

"Would you say the probability of your hypothesis is high?" Makoto asked her.

"D-don't ask me!" J said concerned.

"Anyway…We must try to find prints that weren't wiped away." Makoto said smiling.

'Prints other than the ones left by the blood hand…' J thinks and checks with the red eyes and sees a print next to the middle finger and dusts their and finds a clear print after using the fingerprinting set. She then compares it and finds matches Anakin Skywalker's and her scan confirms it "Hey, these fingerprints, they…"

"Whose are they? Whose?! Is it someone I know?" Makoto asked eager.

"It's Officer Skywalker!" J said in shock and Makoto was shocked as well.

"Huh? O-Officer Anakin Skywalker?!" Makoto asked in shock. J nods and adds Anakin's Fingerprints to her internal Court Record. "Th-that's got to be a coincidence! He's not involved in the crime!"

"Makoto." J said looking at her. "This is decidedly different from Detective N's prints. The luminol reaction. The blood and the fingerprints are in the same place."

"Oh….Oh!" Makoto said in shock.

'So, we have Anakin Skywalker's fingerprints…on a wiped bloodstain!' J thinks as she visualises Anakin.

"But why would Officer Skywalker…" Makoto said looking down upset.

"It looks like our investigation is finally turning up some results!" J said thinking and looks to Makoto "I guess this is what you'd call 'decisive evidence'!"

"I…I don't believe it!" Makoto said looking down.

Regardless they did all they can, tomorrow the trial will start again, and answers will come about then.

Well the mystery deepens, no doubt in the trial starting next chapter we will be going head to head with Anakin Skywalker to find out what happened in the Evidence Room.

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