A/N: More investigation! This time, tracking down Robin, and learning the true nature of this case in the progress. From there, the real question becomes: Just where is this case going? Enjoy, my readers!

April 27th, 2029

Newman Art Studio

2:45 p.m.

In the end, Juniper realized that there was only a single other place at which she could find Robin- her art studio. Entering it with Athena and Ema behind her, Juniper spotted her once again working on a painting in the back.

"Robin! We really need to talk with you!" Athena called out.

Like yesterday, Robin immediately covered the painting with a white sheet. "Hello there, Athena! I was just on my way out-"

"No, you weren't," Ema said, blocking the exit to the studio. "You're going to explain yourself, Prosecutor Newman."

Robin started sweating profusely. "I'm still in the middle of investigating this case. If I'm going to bring the killer to justice, I need to get going!"

"Wait! Right there, Robin. When you said 'bring the killer to justice'. The discord in your voice flared up," Athena said, already looking at Widget's screen. "This case is taking a toll on you."

"I think I know why, too. Because earlier, I talked with Mr. Artisan and Ema," Juniper said. "She told me that you're trying to lose on purpose. And knowing how you prosecute, I think she's telling the truth."

That statement was a direct hit, causing Robin to stagger back but otherwise stay silent- however, she started gripping onto her left arm, a dead giveaway which told more than any words.

"That only leaves the motive- why would you intentionally lose a case you're prosecuting," Juniper continued. "And that's where we get into something Mr. Artisan said- the first that he met you a few days ago. While in the detention center, he asked me to bring you to the detention center. Considering these facts, it can only mean one thing- it is for his sake that you decided to do this."

Upon hearing this, Robin actually relaxed. A small smile appeared on her face. "I had a feeling you'd figure this out, Juniper! That's just how sharp you a-r-e."

"We're still waiting for an explanation." Ema said, tapping her foot impatiently.

"To explain the story in full, I do need to have Mr. Artisan with me," Robin said. "So we're headed to the detention center."

"Oh, but first can you show me what's up with that painting that you're working on?" Athena asked curiously.

"No can do, Athena! That is a super secret project," Robin said, practically shoving Athena out the door.

"You're no fun!" Athena whined, struggling against Robin's pushing.

April 27th, 2029

Detention Center, Visitor's Room

3:00 p.m.

"This visitor's room is getting cramped," Ema noted as the four of them entered. Not long after, Mr. Artisan entered from the other side of the room. The moment he spotted Robin, he said, "So they figured it out?"

"Yup, the jig is up. So do you want to start, or should I?" Robin asked.

"I probably should. After all, this story starts with me and Skylar." Mr. Artisan looked to see if he had the attention of everyone in this room.

Once he saw that everyone was listening, Mr. Artisan started his story. "The day before Skylar's death, the two of us were walking around with each other. On our walk, we happened to see that a brand new art studio had opened up."

"And that art studio was mine! I was setting up when Andres and Skylar walked inside," Robin added. "So I introduced myself to them and asked them what they wanted."

"Skylar wanted a portrait painted of us." Mr. Artisan smiled a sad smile. "She got along really well with Robin. It didn't take very long for the two of them to be chatting away..."

"So you're both a prosecutor and an artist? That must mean you have an inordinate amount of work to do," Skylar said, staring at Robin in awe.

"Eh heh heh, it can be pretty tough sometimes. But I'm an equally pretty girl!" Robin said, grinning. "You're very pretty yourself, you k-n-o-w!"

"Ah, thank you for the compliment," Skylar said, blushing. "So what made you choose prosecutor as a career path?"

"I have a lot of reasons. But if I had to pick one, it's because prosecuting has been my whole life," Robin said, briefly touching her left arm. "Everything I've done has been for this."

"You feel like you're bound to your fate? How interesting," Skylar said, putting her hands up to her chin. "But I feel like you can determine your own destiny. I did that when I became an author."

"Skylar and I met at the same college," Andres said, patting her on the shoulder. "I didn't know what I wanted to do, but I did occasionally sketch. And she wanted to publish her own story, but she couldn't come up with a cover for it."

"If anything was destiny, it was us meeting," Skylar said, twirling her dress. "Maybe meeting you is the same! We should get together sometime!"

"Ah! We spent all this time talking, but I haven't even started your portrait!" Robin exclaimed. "I'm sorry!"

"Skylar is… or rather was a very interesting girl. As an author, she knew all these big words," Robin said, clutching her arm again. "But the moment I complimented her, she got all flustered."

Hearing this description of the victim was bittersweet to Juniper. Skylar sounded like someone that Juniper would have gotten along with it. But now Juniper would never get a chance to meet her.

Mr. Artisan slapped his face with his hands. "Getting back to what happened… Robin agreed to paint a portrait of us. So while she was painting us, we kept talking."

"I didn't actually finish that portrait, by the way. I wasn't satisfied with anything I did, so I apologized to Andres and Skylar and offered their money back." Robin said sheepishly.

"But Skylar said she enjoyed talking with Robin so much, she wanted to come back again," Mr. Artisan said. "And truth be told, I wanted to get to know Robin better too."

At this point, Robin clenched her fists. "But then cruel fate struck! Because the very next day, I received a call. Skylar's body had been found! The first thing I did was head straight to the prosecutor's office, to find that Andres had been arrested for the murder. And the moment I met him in the interrogation room, I knew- it was impossible for him to be the killer!"

"I think I have a general idea of how you met with Mr. Artisan and Miss Scribe. But how did the situation end up like this?" Athena asked. "With you prosecuting a person you don't want to prosecute?"

"Because if another prosecutor were to get this case, Andres would be found guilty for sure!" Robin declared, to the shock of everyone else in the room. "Believe me, I didn't want to keep all this from you. I didn't wish for this all to end up like this!"

"What is that supposed to mean? Are you so arrogant as to believe you're the only prosecutor that can handle this case?" Ema asked.

"No, that's not it! In fact, I didn't want him to stand trial for this murder in the first place!" Robin shouted, her fists trembling. "I saw how emotionally devastated Mr. Artisan was about what happened to Skylar. So I asked to meet with the Chief Prosecutor…"

"Chief Prosecutor, I hope you don't mind meeting with you on such short notice. But about the case you assigned me- I believe the charges against the defendant should be dropped!"

Miles Edgeworth crossed his arms. "Do you have evidence that points to a strong reason to drop the charges?"

"Yes, I do! I interviewed the defendant, and it has become clear that they could not have killed the victim. In fact, there is a clear emotional toll that the defendant is suffering because of being indicted for his best friend's murder," Robin said.

Mr. Edgeworth sighed. "You are a new prosecutor, Miss Newman. So that means there are aspects of your job you haven't grasped yet. What you've stated is not evidence. It isn't much better than baseless speculation."

"But, I am investigating this case as much as I can! There is a contest that the victim visited the day of the crime," Robin explained. "But whenever I inquire about it, there's a block on information."

"That is because there is no connection between the convention center and the scene of the crime," Mr. Edgeworth said. "Thus, there is no reason to inquire on them."

"Wait a second, what kind of sense does that make?! So I can't investigate to get evidence because I lack evidence? That's stupid!" Robin yelled.

In that moment, Mr. Edgeworth's eyes narrowed into a fearsome glare. "Prosecutor Newman! I assigned this case to you because I felt you were ready to take on more high profile case. However, I am having second thoughts. If you're going to let your emotions hinder your judgement, I will assign another prosecutor to this case instead."

It was in that moment that Robin made a mental decision- she could not let that happen. She needed to see this case through to the end.

So Robin put on her best impassive face and said, "That won't be necessary, Chief Prosecutor! I will prosecute this case to its fullest extent."

"See to it that you do. Now if you have no further business, you are dismissed."

"From that point on, I was looking for any kind of evidence that could clear Andres of suspicion, or at least link the convention center to Skylar's murder." Robin said as she wrapped up her explanation.

"Robin… I knew you were doing your best to help me. But even putting your job at the line? You really shouldn't have done all this," Mr. Artisan said, reaching out towards Robin. His hand hit the pane of glass separating him from the rest of the room.

"I know you're not the culprit. And I'm not going to prosecute an innocent person to save my own skin!" Robin declared.

"Wait a second. Is that why you kept asking me to look for new evidence," Ema asked, realization dawning on her face. "Because you are that focused on finding the real culprit?"

"I mean, of course! I believed that if anyone could have found the evidence I needed, it would be you," Robin said, looking at Ema. "I don't understand why you decided to keep evidence from me."

See, Ema? Robin had faith in you all along. Juniper thought to herself, as she watched Ema shrink into herself with a guilty expression.

"Before Robin left to go investigate, she told me that there was still a chance I would end up being tried in court. That's when she gave me this," Mr. Artisan said, taking out the business card for Hugh's office. "She told me that if I needed a defense attorney, I should ask for Juniper Woods."

"So that's why you recommended me to Mr. Artisan?" It made sense, when you logically considered everything that happened so far. Still, Juniper needed a minute to process this. Since the case began, Juniper had been wondering why Robin took on this case.

Now Juniper knew why- because from the very beginning, Robin's sole focus was saving Mr. Artisan from false charges. And the defense attorney that Robin entrusted the defendant's fate to was not Hugh, or Thena… but Juniper.

"Uh huh. And I definitely see I was right to do so! After all, you were so determined to find answers you even tracked me d-o-w-n!" Robin exclaimed, grinning widely.

"That doesn't mean this case is anywhere near over! After all, we've finally found the connection between the crime and the convention center," Athena said. "So our first goal is to investigate there!"

"That's true! Detective Skye, do you want to accompany me to the convention center?" Robin asked. "It would be for the best to find the real crime scene as soon as we can."

"Of course I'm going to come along! I very well can't leave this case without my forensics expertise," Ema said, putting on her pink glasses. "Let's make sure we approach this with a new perspective!"

"I hope I can see you again soon, Juniper!" Robin called out. "Then we can share the results of our investigation!"

After Robin and Ema left the detention center, Juniper turned towards Athena. "So now what? We need to go to the convention center eventually. But do you we have any business we need to do first?"

"Since we're still here, we can ask Mr. Artisan a few more questions," Athena said. "Every little bit helps."

"Go ahead and ask. I'm certainly not going anywhere," Mr. Artisan said, running his hand through his hair.

When it came to new evidence, there was one new piece that was related to the case. "According to Detective Skye, there was a slip of paper that was found on Skylar's body," Juniper said. "It had the number twenty-five on it. Do you know what that means?"

"I don't know why she would have that on her," Mr. Artisan said. "But if I had any guesses, it sounds like it could have been from some sort of giveaway."

"Oh, I get it! Like, that slip would be Skylar's entry ticket," Athena said. "Which is why it has a number on it."

"True, but this paper doesn't say anything about where it came from," Juniper pointed out. "So we need to look for every giveaway and ask around."

"Pas de problème! With my speed, I'll cover as many giveaways as there are in the entire center!" Athena exclaimed, punching the palm of her hand.

Paper slip updated in the Court Record

"Do you know anything about the convention center, Andres? Just to give us any idea of where to start," Juniper said.

"I do know that the 'World's Collide' contest is hosted in the main hall," Andres said, twirling his pen in his fingers. "And other events were happening in smaller halls. Maybe some of the people here saw what Skylar was doing."

"That's another lead we can look into, then. Looks like our main focus is going to be tracking down Skylar's movements during her… final day," Juniper said, shuddering at the last words. It would be morbid, having to find the last people to have seen her alive.

"Then there's no point in waiting anymore. Let's head over at once!" Athena exclaimed. To Mr. Artisan, she added, "Hang in there, okay?"

"I'm thankful that you're worried about me," Mr. Artisan said. He grasped the hem of his shirt. "But honestly, I'm worried more about what might happen to Robin."

What she is doing is very risky, true. But knowing her like I do, there's nothing that's going to be able to dissuade her.

"As long as we keep our eyes focused on the truth, everything is going to work out!" That was what Juniper wanted to believe, above all else.

Speaking of which, she thought, Hugh had not been in the detention center when we arrived. I guess that means he asked his own questions and left to investigate elsewhere. I'll ask him about when we meet again.

April 27th, 2029

Los Angeles Convention Center

3:40 p.m.

Laying eyes on the large crowd of people milling around, Juniper felt short of breath. "*cough cough* There's so much... of everything... Where are we supposed to start?"

"Calm down, Junie," Athena said, patting her on the shoulder. "We'll figure something out! That archway seems to be a good start."

Juniper looked at where Athena was pointing. In front of an entrance to some exhibition hall, there was a giant arch. The first thing that caught Juniper's eye was that it was unfinished- the bottom half was painted gray, while the top half was unpainted. The arch also had a giant "5" on it made out of lights.

Giant Arch added to the Court Record

"Then it seems like we should go inside that hall." Juniper said, following Athena towards the arch. Juniper apologized to anyone that she bumped into on the way there.

Entering the exhibition hall, Juniper was struck by just how expansive it was. There were several banners that proclaimed "This is the Worlds Collide national writing contest! The entire nation turns its eyes to this location, to visit your world!"

"Wow, what an enthusiastic way to advertise." Athena said, sweating.

"And how tacky too." Widget added.

"If there was anywhere that Miss Scribe visited, it would be here. So we need to look around carefully." There were many rows of seats in the hall, presumably for an audience. There was also a large stage, with several large lights pointed at it.

The exhibition hall wasn't empty- on the stage, there was a man sitting at a table, surrounded by books. Two poles flanked the man's table with banners hung to them, though they were too far away to read.

Most notably, there was a long line of people in front of the man's table. The line snaked around the seats, almost reaching the doors.

"Woah, I wonder who this author? is" Juniper asked, staring at the line. "They've got a lot of attention."

"Oh! Maybe they're one of the contestants, if they are in this hall," Athena said heading towards the table. "We need to question them!"

As Athena approached, however, her way was blocked by the other people in line. "Stop cutting!" A man shouted at Athena.

"I'm not cutting! I'm not here for an autograph!" Athena snapped back.

"You're not here for an autograph? Then go away," A woman in the line said, shooing Athena away. "I should have guessed that a child like you wouldn't appreciate fine literature."

"I'm not a child! I can totally be cultured!" Athena yelled.

"What a rude old lady!" Widget added.

"Why, I never! Do I need to call security?"

"Let's go, Thena," Juniper said, grabbing Athena by the arm before the situation could escalate further. "We can always come back to question the author later."

"Fine, fine!" Athena willingly let Juniper lead her out. On their way out of the exhibition hall, Juniper spotted a small table with flyers on it. She snagged one of them.

Worlds Collide Flyer added to the Court Record

Once they were back in the entrance hall, Juniper said, "Well that didn't quite work out. How long do you think it will take for that line to go away?"

"Who knows. I'm really curious about what could be worth such a long wait," Athena said playing with her earring. "I see you took a flyer. What are you going to do with it?"

"I'm going to ask around to see if I can find anyone that might be connected to the contest," Juniper said. "This flyer should help."

"This seems like trying to find a specific grain of sand on a beach," Athena said, looking tired at that prospect. "But I guess we have nothing else better to do."

Juniper could feel her breathing become shallow, but she did her best to set aside her nervousness. With Athena's help, she started showing people the flyer.

Most of them didn't know what Juniper was talking about, being in the convention center for different events. Athena asked other people too, but didn't turn up any results.

While stopping to take a breath, Juniper felt someone tap her shoulder. She looked around, and saw that it was a young boy.

"Oh? Who are you? And where are your parents?" Juniper asked, studying the kid. He had light-brown hair, light-brown eyes, and was rather lanky. He was also wearing a red domino mask over his eyes, and dark blue tights. A red cape dragged behind him.

"I have arrived, because I see distressed damsels, and I can't ignore that!" The young child thrust out his chest. "John Kent, at your service!"

"That's an adorable costume that you have on!" Athena cooed. "So you're playing as a superhero?"

"I'm not playing! I'm a very real hero!" John said, stomping a foot on the ground. "I'm here to save the day."

"That's very brave of you," Juniper said, deciding to play along with John. "Maybe you can help. Do you know about this?"

Juniper showed the young boy the flyer. As soon as he saw it, John's eyes widened. "I know that! It's the place where that really bad thing happened!"

"'The really bad thing?' Quick, tell us more!" Athena said urgently.

John fluttered his cape behind him. "Well, there was that really pretty lady that entered a room. But I don't think she ever came out. And then it turned out something bad happened to her."

Juniper did her best to parse out the information from the testimony. It seemed like John did see Miss Scribe on the day of the crime. Still, they had to make sure. "Can you tell me in detail what happened that day?"

"Okay, so I was looking for people in need of aid, when…"

John Kent ran around, doing his best to keep to keep from being lost in the crowd. He searched for the face of a distressed civilian- one that would be perfect to rescue.

Then he spotted an older girl walking around. She had grey hair in cornrows, blue eyes, and was wearing a red dress. He also noticed that she was holding a book in her hands.

John rushed over to the girl. "Excuse me, miss! You seem like you're in need of help!"

The girl looked down at him. "Oh hello there, diminutive hero. My name is Skylar!"

"Greetings, Skylar! I, John, am here to save the day!" John announced.

"As it happens, I might require your assistance. I heard that my favorite author is in this convention center," Skylar showed John her book. "Do you recognize this name?"

John looked at the book cover. "'Edward Iraman.' Sure I do! There isn't a person that doesn't know his name!"

"Would you happen to know where he might be? I've been hearing conflicting accounts," Skylar said, bringing the book to her chest. "And I really want to get this signed!"

"I think I might have heard where Mr. Iraman might be." John pointed towards the main exhibition hall flanked by the arch. "At least, I saw a lot of people go in there."

"Thank you very much, little hero!" Skylar leaned down to pat John on the head. "Continue practicing your heroics! One day, you'll grow up to be a strong hero!"

After that, Skylar left towards the main exhibition hall.

"I never saw her again," John said, rubbing his eyes. "And I don't understand why!"

"It's okay, John! I hear some discord in your voice," Athena said, smiling in a reassuring manner. "Do you think what happened to her is your fault?"

John didn't verbally answer, but he did nod, sniffling.

"Well, that's not true! You helped Skylar find what she wanted," Athena said gently. Then her eyes narrowed in a glare. "It's the bad guy that's responsible!"

"How do I find the bad guy?" John asked, looking up at Athena.

"Don't worry about it, little guy! Me and Junie will be the ones to catch him!" Athena exclaimed. "And we'll save our client too!"

"Your client? What's that?" Athena flinched upon hearing this from John, realizing that she'd said too much.

"Uh, yeah. Someone is… um, in trouble with the police because of what happened with Skylar," Juniper explained. "And my job is to defend him. See, this is my permission to do it." Juniper showed John her badge.

"Where can I get one of those? I want to save this person that's in trouble!" John said, raising his fist in the air like a soaring superhero.

"You've already helped us by telling us this new information," Juniper said. "So you are a hero, in a different way."

"I want to keep being a hero to you, though! I'm going to go find more info! I'm going to help!" John lowered his arm, then disappeared into the crowds.

"That's a kid with way too much energy," Athena said, shaking her head. "I hope his parents keep him out of trouble."

Meanwhile, Juniper was going over John's testimony in her head. This confirmed that there was a reason that Skylar had been here on her final day: To get a book signed.

That didn't seem to be much, at a glance. But surely, the real truth was hidden in here somewhere…

To be continued.

A/N: Would you believe me if I told you that we are only halfway through this investigation? I hope everyone reading this story is keeping their Court Records updated. Next time, the investigation into the convention center escalates. See you next time! Please review.