A/N: As promised, here's the next chapter of Turnabout Starlet! This time, we are reunited with quite the unexpected person. And this person brings a whole host of questions with them. So try to solve the mysteries that arrive, everyone. Enjoy, my fair readers!

February 23, 2029

Beauty of the Breeze flower shop

10:00 a.m.

"Juniper, do you see the flower shop somewhere around here?" Hugh asked, looking at the buildings they were passing.

"Not yet! But I'm keeping my eyes peeled," Juniper said, playing with one of the sunflowers she wore on her pigtails as she looked around.

"Of course, we're searching for this flower shop on the off chance it could be related to this case. There is a chance that it isn't," Hugh noted.

"But if the prosecutor decided to go to the flower shop, it must be for… a… reason…"

Juniper's words trailed off, and Hugh stopped to see why she stopped talking. Juniper was staring at the entrance of a shop. Flower petals gently drifted out from a pair of open windows by the sides of the front door.

That was not why Juniper was staring. Through one of the windows, one could see a woman with light-brown hair that stuck out in wild waves. The woman had bright brown eyes, facial features that was a delicate mix between masculine and feminine, and had notably tan skin. The woman wore a red dress suit with a prosecutor's badge pinned to the right lapel, a red skirt that reached down a little past her knees, and was wearing a pair of flat heels.

"Robin? Is that you?" Juniper asked, still staring at the woman at the other side of the open window.

Robin opened her mouth, but no words came out of her mouth. Suddenly, Juniper ran into the flower shop, with Hugh following behind her. The inside of the flower shop, as expected, was filled with flowers of different colors and shapes.

What made this specific flower shop unique was that there were large fans in the corners of the shop, which caused flower petals to dance on the currents of wind from the fans. In the middle of the shop was Robin.

For a moment, Juniper and Hugh couldn't find words after encountering their friend after not seeing her for so long. Then Robin grinned sheepishly and said, "Eh heh heh. It's been a while, hasn't it guys?"

At this, Hugh couldn't help but chuckle. It was just like Robin, to describe her reappearance with such underwhelming words. On the other hand, Juniper's eyes were watering and her lip was trembling.

"It's been more than just a while! It's been more than five months, and we've been looking for you all this time!" Juniper cried out. "Where have you been, Robin?"

"That's a really long story. But to answer your question, I've been in Khura'in until about a few days ago," Robin said, covering her mouth with her hands.

There was a pause as Hugh and Juniper processed what Robin said. "Wait- you were in Khura'in?!" Hugh exclaimed.

"Do you remember your first case, Hugh? You were defending a young man that was accused of killing his dad to get his inheritance." Robin said.

"How could I forget? All of us were talking in the defendant lobby after the trial ended," Hugh said. He could see the memory clearly in his head. Robin had come by to congratulate Hugh on winning his first case.

"I remember that day too. I helped Hugh as a co-counsel, because at the time I was considering becoming an attorney myself," Juniper said. "When suddenly a bailiff approached you, telling you that you had a message waiting for you."

At the time, Hugh had not paid much attention to the bailiff, because they looked just like any other bailiff that worked at the court. Now Hugh was getting a sneaking suspicion he should know who the bailiff was.

"You said you were going to come back in a little bit," Hugh continued. "Except you never came back. That was the last time we saw you for five months."

The more that Juniper and Hugh talked, the more troubled Robin's expression became. Finally, Robin said, "Of course I didn't want to stay away from my friends for so long. It's because I didn't expect to get the message that I got."

"Can you tell us about what this message was that caused you to vanish so suddenly?" Hugh asked.

"Like I said before, it's a long story, but one I want to tell you guys eventually," Robin said, holding onto her arm, where she wore her proof of friendship. "I will say that I absolutely had to stay in Khura'in up until now."

This did not answer as many questions as Hugh wanted, but if Robin would explain herself later, Hugh wanted to trust her. There were also other questions that Hugh wanted answered. "Do you know anything about a bailiff we encountered recently? Spoke in needlessly convoluted metaphors?"

"Oh, so you've met Bailey!" Robin exclaimed excitedly. "Yeah, she just does that. We met a long time ago, but we haven't see each other in a while."

"Wait, so does that mean that she always talks like that?" Hugh asked disbelievingly. Hugh had a hard time imaging anyone holding a conversation with Bailey.

"Bailey's pretty easy to understand once you get used to her," Robin said, giggling. "Trust me, she only talks like that because she thinks it sounds cool."

"Really? Because you never told us you knew someone like Bailey," Juniper muttered, clutching her hands to her chest. "But she did seem to know a lot about you. Hugh and I met her during my first case."

"There's a lot that I didn't get the chance to tell you guys until just recently," Robin said, averting her eyes. "And I hope I'll be able to tell you guys everything soon."

That comment stopped Hugh cold. It was true- after a certain fateful trial last October, Hugh came to realize just how many secrets the three of them held from each other.

"So, what have you been doing while you've been in Khura'in?" Juniper asked. Alarmingly, at least to Hugh, Juniper still seemed to be on the verge of tears.

"Mostly, adjusting to having to live in a different country. I will say that Khura'in is a pretty nice place," Robin said. "There was the time that I got pulled into a case and-"

Robin stopped talking and her eyes filled with melancholy. "Well, that case is a story I need time to tell. So tell you guys what: After this case reaches its conclusion, I'll tell you both about the case I ending up handling in Khura'in."

In the shock of reuniting with Robin, Hugh had almost forgotten that he and Juniper had originally been investigating this flower shop to see if it was related to the case at hand. "We were told by Detective Skye that the prosecutor of the case we're on would be here. Is that you then, Robin?"

"Eh heh heh, yup! I took charge of this case this morning." Robin said, getting back to her usual self.

"So what made you decide to come to this flower shop, of all places?" Hugh asked curiously. He would have asked this regardless of who the prosecutor was- coming to a flower shop when investigating a murder at a movie studio was a strange move regardless.

"Call it a h-u-n-c-h," Robin said, her finger bouncing with every letter of the last word. "Mr. Scene was seen holding a bouquet of flowers the day he was killed. I've been investigating where he could have bought them."

"Do you really think that these flowers could have something to do with the murder, Robin?" Juniper asked.

"Detective Skye's investigation did turn up flower pollen on Mr. Scene's costume," Robin explained. "But the flowers themselves still haven't been found. This can't be a coincidence. The police's theory is that the killer threw them away because it would expose them if they were found."

Victim's costume updated in the Court Record

Bouquet of flowers added to the Court Record

"And this led to the police arresting Miss Moon." Hugh was starting to get a clearer image of the case being built against his client. "What about your theory, Robin? What do you think really happened?"

"I'm going to save that for court tomorrow," Robin said, putting her hands over her mouth. "We haven't stood in court together for a long time, Hugh. But you should still remember that I never hold back!"

Yes, Hugh did still remember that. Not just from their years as students at Themis Legal Academy, where Robin won almost all their mock trials. There was also their very first trial in court, which Robin mentioned earlier.

Tomorrow's trial would be an uphill battle. Five months, and it felt like they were picking up where they left off. "Heh. You don't need to tell me that, Robin. I am looking forward to going up against you in court again."

"I'm looking forward to seeing you in court again too, Hugh!" Robin said, grinning. "I need to go look up another lead in my investigation. See you later, Hugh! See you later, Juniper!"

With that, Robin left the flower shop. It took Hugh a second to realize that Robin never told Hugh the results of her investigation regarding Mr. Scene's flower bouquet.

Looks like Robin hasn't lost her touch. Then again, Robin mentioned doing a case in Khura'in, so she clearly isn't out of practice.

"Maybe we should go back to the detention center and talk to Miss Moon," Hugh said to Juniper. "She can hopefully clear up a few more points for about the crime scene."

"Um, before we go see Miss Moon…. *cough cough*" That caught Hugh's attention: This was the first time he'd heard Juniper coughing in a while. Whatever Juniper was thinking about was really distressing her.

"What is it, Juniper?" Hugh asked, concerned.

"The day before Myriam was arrested for murder, I called Apollo to ask him if he'd seen Robin while he was in Khura'in," Juniper said, tugging on her pigtails.

"You did, and Apollo said that… he never saw her…" The contradiction smacked Hugh right in the face. On one hand, Apollo Justice always struck Hugh as a straightforward person, so he had no reason to lie. On the other hand…

"Robin wouldn't lie to us, right?" Juniper asked desperately.

"It's possible that both Robin and Apollo were in Khura'in, and they just didn't run into each other. Besides, Robin did say she would tell us what she was doing in Khura'in after this case," Hugh said, forcing his usual smirk on his face. "So let's focus on getting Miss Moon the verdict she deserves first."

Juniper's breathing relaxed, and she stopped tugging on her pigtails. Hugh was glad that she was feeling better. It was true that the circumstances surrounding Robin hadn't been entirely cleared up yet. Hopefully it was only a matter of time.

February 23, 2029

Detention Center

10:30 a.m.

When Hugh and Juniper entered the room, they immediately noticed that Emmett was nowhere to be seen. "Miss Moon, do you know where Mr. Strong is?"

"He's being questioned right now over at the movie studio. I doubt they'll get anything out of him, though. He's really stubborn when he wants to be." Miss Moon said with a smile.

"Weren't you yelling at Mr. Strong the last time we were here?" Hugh asked, deadpan.

"I do that all the time," Miss Moon said, waving a hand dismissively. "But Mr. Strong has been my manager since my career started. There's no way he'll ever say anything that will help the prosecution."

"Still, maybe you should treat Mr. Strong nicer. Especially if he's been your manager for so long," Juniper suggested.

"You saw how everything just slides off of the old man," Miss Moon said. "He's tougher than you seem to think he is."

Hugh wasn't quite comfortable with that conclusion. Ever since meeting Emmett Strong, something about the man didn't sit right with Hugh. If possible, Hugh wanted to question Mr. Strong on his own.

After the conversation with Robin about the missing bouquet of flowers, there was an important point Hugh wanted to clear up first. "Miss Moon, how exactly would you describe your relationship with Mr. Scene? You said previously that you respected him. Could you elaborate on that?"

"If I didn't know better, I would say you're being a nosy paparazzi, Mr. O'Conner," Ms. Moon said, deliberately turning her nose up at him. "Why would you need to know that?"

"Well, we talked with the prosecutor of the case," Juniper said, nervously playing with her hands. "And she implied that your relationship with Mr. Scene might be related to your alleged motive. So we need to know how to defend you from that."

"Is that so? If it's really that important, I suppose I could tell you a bit about my fellow co-star. I told you before that Enuno Scene is known for being able to do scenes in only one take. I can personally say that this is no exaggeration: he really is that good."

Hugh noticed that Miss Moon's eyes narrowed slightly as she spoke, and she now had a small frown on her face. "Could it be that you did not appreciate being shown up by Mr. Scene?"

"What? No, nothing like that!" Miss Moon exclaimed, waving her hands in front of her defensively. Then Miss Moon put one of her hands on her cheek. "Well, if I'm being honest, he did have quite an ego to him."

"What do you mean by that?" Hugh asked.

"I admit, as good of an actress I am, I would sometimes need an extra take to get a scene right," Miss Moon said. "And at times like that, Mr. Scene would say something like, 'I suppose I could spare some more energy for an extra take for you,' and it did feel patronizing."

"Did you feel that Mr. Scene didn't respect you as an actor?" Juniper asked.

"It's hard to say. Mr. Scene seemed to have the highest opinion of his own acting skill, at least," Miss Moon said. Then Miss Moon looked down, her bangs falling over her face. "I admit, it did get to me sometimes."

At this point, Hugh started to get a sinking feeling in his stomach. Knowing Robin, she would not have brought this case to trial if she wasn't completely sure, and that would include motive.

"The day before the crime, we were doing a run in of the cliffside scene, and I did flub a line," Miss Moon continued. "And Mr. Scene said to me, 'It looks like my dashing character really has you flustered, Miss Moon,' and that's when I snapped."

"So you're saying you argued with the Mr. Scene the day before he died?" This would have nice to know much earlier. Now Hugh couldn't help but imagine the worst.

"I wouldn't say we argued! I just told Mr. Scene that we do the scene over again the next day, and if I did it in one take, he would admit to me that I'm as skilled of an actor as he is!" Miss Moon exclaimed. "So in fact, I had no motive to murder Mr. Scene. After all, I was going to blow him away with my acting!"

Perhaps not the best wording, but Hugh found that he believed Miss Moon. So next, Hugh would update his client on the investigation. "We visited the crime scene and we learned something really curious. Mr. Scene died from a stab wound to his back."

"What? But I know I stabbed him in the front," Miss Moon said, tugging on the neckline of her dress as she started sweating. "So how did that happen?"

"There's more. According to the autopsy report, there was a stab wound on the victim's front, but it is very shallow- only half an inch, at most," Hugh said, looking his client in the eyes. "So there is no way you could have killed Mr. Scene."

"All this time… a part of me wondered if I really did kill Mr. Scene by accident. Now, I know it wasn't me." Miss Moon let out a huge sigh of relief. "I feel like a heavy weight just lifted from my shoulders."

"We're happy that we could give you peace of mind, Miss Moon," Juniper said, smiling gently.

"This does mean that there exists a real killer that's trying to frame their crime on you," Hugh said. "Do you have any idea of who this might be?"

"Unfortunately, I can't know for sure. If it's one of my fellow actors, they could have killed Mr. Scene and wouldn't be any different the next morning," Miss Moon said. "This movie has a really talented cast."

"Come to think of it, we did question one of the actors," Juniper said. "Someone named Icarus Iscariot."

"Oh, you mean the understudy to Mr. Scene! I doubt he's the killer," Miss Moon said, putting her hand delicately on her cheek.

"And what makes you say that?" Hugh asked.

"Mr. Iscariot would always follow behind Mr. Scene, like a lost puppy," Miss Moon scoffed. "Every time that Mr. Scene and I would do a rehearsal, Mr. Iscariot would be in the background, trying to mimic Mr. Scene."

"So you're saying that you believe that Mr. Iscariot has no motive to murder Mr. Scene?" Hugh wasn't sure how comfortable he was with eliminating a potential suspect right off the bat.

"Not that I've seen. Although, he was on set yesterday," Miss Moon said.

"...! Could you tell us exactly who was on set yesterday, Miss Moon?" Hugh asked. The answer that Starlight gave could be critical to the case.

"Let me think… it was me and Mr. Scene, of course. Mr. Strong was there too," Miss Moon said, playing with her pearl earring. "And like I just said, Mr. Iscariot was there. Oh! If there's anyone you should probably talk to, it's the director."

"I presume this would be the director of the movie. Could you tell us what their name is and where we could find them?"

"The director's name is Glinda Shine. She's some big-shot director from Hollywood that Global Studios brought on for this movie," Miss Moon explained. "She was filming the day of the crime."

"Then she must have seen everything! But… if she really did film the crime as it happened, then the prosecution would have probably questioned her first," Juniper said. "So why are you still the primary suspect if you're innocent?"

"Good question. It's far too soon to draw any conclusions," Hugh said, rubbing his chin. "Thanks for the information, Miss Moon. We'll go back to the movie studio."

"One more thing. If you're headed towards there anyways, could go get my script?" Miss Moon said. "I believe I dropped it yesterday."

"We will keep an eye out on it." Hugh didn't remember seeing a script when he was last at the movie studio. Chances were it was picked up during the prosecution's investigation, so he would have to ask Ema about it.

February 23, 2029

Global Studios Movie Studio, Cliffside set

11:30 a.m.

Upon making their way back to the movie studio, Hugh and Juniper found Ema was talking with Mr. Strong. This worked out well, since Hugh had questions for him too.

"Detective Skye, I hope you aren't too busy," Hugh said. "I'd like to ask you a few questions."

"If it's only a few, go ahead," Detective Skye said. "But I have to leave soon to bring Mr. Strong in for further questioning."

As per usual, Mr. Strong didn't say anything, or show any kind of emotion. There was so much about Mr. Strong that Hugh wanted to know. If he was being brought in for questioning by the prosecution, however, there wouldn't be a chance right now.

"My client gave me a clearer picture of the people that were at this crime scene that day," Hugh said. "And I'd like to question them, if possible. Do you know where Director Shine is?"

"Director Shine is being questioned by Prosecutor Newman," Ema said. "So you're probably not going to see her until tomorrow's trial."

That was frustrating news. There was nothing to do about it now, however, so Hugh moved onto his next concern. "Did you happen to pick a script, Detective Skye? Because Miss Moon told me she dropped hers."

"As a matter of fact, I did." Ema dug around her carrier bag, taking out a booklet. "I've already reviewed the contents, so I suppose Miss Moon can have it back."

Movie Script added to the Court Record

What immediately caught Hugh's eye was that the script had bookmark shaped like dog ears in the middle of it. Hugh opened the book to the bookmarked part, and skimmed it, while Juniper read it over his shoulder.

"'I have to bring you to justice, Miguel!' By the sound of it, Miss Moon is playing a heroine in this movie. I admit, I would have like to have seen her acting to see how she would approach this role."

"From what I can see, Mr. Scene's character seems to be the strong, silent type," Juniper said, looking at the script from over Hugh's shoulder. "I don't see any lines for him in this scene."

"Considering that Mr. Scene was supposed to hurl himself off the cliff at the end of this, it could be that his character had no words to say."

Giving the script a more in-depth read would have to wait- Hugh turned his attention towards Mr. Strong. "I see you are speaking with Detective Skye. Could you at least tell us what you were doing the day of the crime, Mr. Strong?"

"I could. But to avoid being redundant, I will not say what I saw until court tomorrow," Mr. Strong said. "After all, I will be a witness for the prosecution."

"What?! You're testifying against Miss Moon?" Juniper exclaimed, her hands going up to her mouth.

"The prosecutor asked for me for my statements first. That's all there is to it," Mr. Strong said. "I will say exactly what I saw, nothing more, nothing less."

"But… Miss Moon believed in you! She believed that you would never do anything to harm her," Juniper said, pulling her hat over her eyes.

"Our professional relationship is irrelevant to this case," Mr. Strong said, closing his eyes. "Being Miss Moon's manager does not mean I am obligated to cover for her."

"Mr. Strong, it seems like you are misunderstanding something. We do not expect you to 'cover' for Miss Moon. In fact, I'm glad that you're going to testify." Hugh adjusted his glasses, then smirked at Mr. Strong. "I have every intention of defending Miss Moon, even from you."

Mr. Strong opened his eyes, and for a moment Hugh and Mr. Strong held each other's gaze. Then Emmett wordlessly turned away, and followed Detective Skye out of the studio."

"What… exactly is going to happen tomorrow, Hugh?" Juniper asked.

"I can't say for sure right now. But for Miss Moon's sake, we must bring our very best to court tomorrow!"

To be continued.

A/N: That's right, Robin is going to be this story's main prosecutor! Her circumstances are mysterious, and her skill is not to be underestimated. This ends the first investigation, so we're going to court next chapter. Be prepared for the battle to come, everyone. See you next time! Please review.