A/N: I have spent all this time writing, preparing the best trial I could with my team. This is at last the start of the trial. Can you solve the mystery with Juniper? Enjoy, my readers!

April 28th, 2029

District Courthouse, Defendant Lobby #3

9:40 a.m.

"That's a new look for you! But it does work. You definitely look like a confident attorney!"

"Thanks, Thena." Juniper said. If the past few cases proved anything, it was the no one took her seriously. So Juniper decided that for this critical trial, she would change that, starting with her outfit.

She had discarded her white shawl, and now chose to don a white suit jacket, similar to Athena's, with her attorney badge pinned to its lapel. She picked a more formal pink dress under it as well. However, she still wore her hat, and her pigtails were still tied with sunflowers- she couldn't bear to change either of those things.

"I need to give it everything I have in court today… *cough cough*"

"Are you okay, Junie?" Athena asked, her expression concerned.

"I'm okay. I just woke up, so I'm still feeling tired," Juniper said, rubbing her eyes. What she didn't mention was that she went to sleep at seven this morning.

"Good morning, Miss Woods," Andres said, his hands in the pockets of his shorts. "I leave my fate in your hands today."

"Well, Hugh was supposed to be here too," Juniper said, looking around. "I don't know why he's not, though."

At that moment, her cellphone rang. Checking it revealed a text from Hugh: "I have decided to watch from the gallery today. I wish you the best in today's trial."

"I wonder if this is his way of saying he believes in your skill?" Athena asked once Juniper told her about the text.

That's what it seemed, so Juniper did feel a little better than she did before.

"Hello, Miss Woods. Hello, Athena. Glad I managed to catch you," Ema said, as she entered the defendant lobby. "I have information from Prosecutor Newman."

"Oh! How did your investigation go?" Juniper asked, remembering how the phone call from yesterday ended.

"We at least got to arrange witnesses for today," Ema answered, pursing her lips. "But unfortunately, Prosecutor Newman has about as much information as you do. So don't expect too much help from her."

"That's okay. I know you're risking a lot just by doing this," Juniper said. "I'm happy that we're forming a united front today."

"Think nothing of it," Ema said, smiling. "Between all of us, we're going to catch the true culprit and hopefully expose the person that tampered with the crime scene."

"That's the spirit, Ema!" Athena exclaimed, grinning at the forensics investigator. "I'm glad you're helping us when we really need you!"

"And… I know that you're also risking a lot by defending me. Both of you," Mr. Artisan said. "Which is why I want to say- that I believe in you!"

Juniper knew what Andres meant by this- that he believed not only in Juniper, but also in Robin. Today… together, we will work to uncover whatever is hiding in this case.

Even after all of this, there are so many questions we still don't know the answers to. But we have no choice but to find them in this trial… or we lose.

April 28th, 2029

District Courthouse, Courtroom #4

10:00 a.m.

Day 2

Court is now in session

ALL RISE

In the gallery, the people whispered among themselves. This was normal in every trial- but this time, something about the whispers unsettled Juniper. They felt… unfriendly, for lack of a better way to describe.

Then the whispers were silenced by the sound of the judge's gavel. "Court is now in session for the trial of Andres Artisan. Are the defense and prosecution ready?"

"The defense is ready, Your Honor." Juniper said, clutching her hands together beneath the bench. Doing her best to control her breathing, and not get too nervous.

"The prosecution is ready!" Robin declared, her fists shaking. On the surface, she seemed like herself.

Knowing what she knew now, however, Juniper could see the cracks in the facade. The sweat running down Robin's face, the way her fists trembled, and most of all the desperate look in her eyes.

"Please hang in there, Robin," Athena said, her eyes concerned. "Me and Junie are going to bring this trial to a close as soon as we can!"

Yesterday, we were left with a very pressing question," The Judge said. "It was revealed that the victim did not die in the trunk of the defendant's car. Which raises the obvious question: Where did she die?"

"The Prosecution has been investigating this since yesterday!" Robin shouted. "And we have made a discovery in this regard! The true scene of the crime is in a private room in the Los Angeles Convention center!"

Robin presented a photo to the court- it was of the private room, which looked exactly as it did when Juniper saw it, with the only sign of a struggle being the scattered couch cushions. "You can't see it right now, but Detective Skye found a luminol reaction in the area above the couch! Further study revealed it was the victim's blood!"

New Crime Scene Photo added to the Court Record

"I see," The Judge said, closing his eyes. "Do you have evidence that the defendant was in that room?"

Robin clenched her fists repeatedly, and her breathing became ragged.

The Judge banged his gavel. "Prosecutor Newman, answer the question!"

"Before we go into that, there is something that must be established! The Prosecution has prepared a witness! One of the judges of the 'World's Collide' contest, and therefore would know of the victim's actions on the day of the crime!"

If only there was another way we could have done this, Robin. But now it's up to me to save Mr. Artisan, and you too!

The witness turned out to be none other than Mr. Solomon, who still exuded a severe aura around him. Juniper could feel her breath catch in her throat just by looking at him.

"Witness, state your name and occupation for the court, please!" Robin shouted.

"My name is Nicholas Solomon. For the contestants of 'World's Collide', I am cruel arbiter that shoots down their hopes and dreams," Mr. Solomon said, stroking his mustache.

"Ho ho, it's not often that I meet another judge in the middle of a trial," The Judge said. "It sounds like you have a heavy duty."

"It is nothing compared to what hangs in the balance in this room," Mr. Solomon said. He bowed his head. "I have the utmost respect for you."

Robin slammed her right fist onto her bench. "Can we move onto the witness testimony? Like was just said, there is a lot at stake here!"

"Patience, young one. Soon, everything will become clear." Mr. Solomon said.

-Witness Testimony-

World's Collide: a Primer

"This writing competition is currently in its final phase, where three authors ravage each other through their stories. However, there were sudden changes."

"Skylar Scribe dropped from the competition at the last second." Mr. Solomon shook his head. "I cannot imagine her reasons, but I did not question it."

"That means the contest moved on with the final two contestants." Mr. Solomon gripped the witness stand with both hands. "But I will not disclose their names!"

"Because this contest cannot possibly be related to this crime. Thus, I don't feel there's a reason why I should sell out my charges."

End Testimony

"Mr. Solomon is insistent that his contest isn't related to the crime. Too insistent," Athena said. "That means he's probably lying!"

"You're probably right, Thena. But the real question is, why would he lie?"

A dark conspiracy was at work in this case. To save Mr. Artisan, Juniper would have to take it on, right here and now.

"HOLD IT! I'm curious about something. How do you deal with unexpected happenings like that?" Juniper asked. "This late in the contest, I can't imagine it would be easy to make adjustments."

"I have been helping the other judges run this contest for longer than you can imagine," Mr. Solomon said. "We can handle any occurrence, even the very end of the world."

"Th-that's good, I g-guess," Juniper said, unsure of what else to say to that. With nothing else to gain from this testimony, she moved on.

"HOLD IT! Just like that? You didn't think there was anything strange about Miss Scribe dropping out, even though she was a finalist?" This was what bothered Juniper the most from the last investigation.

"Perhaps her courage failed her at the most critical point. Some simply are not fit to stand on the national stage," Mr. Solomon said.

I want to object here… but there's not really anything to chip away it. I can't prove what Skylar might have been thinking!

"OBJECTION! There is something I must say h-e-r-e," Robin said, wagging her finger. "This case is to deliberate Andres Artisan's guilt in this case."

"That it is. But does the prosecution have a reason to bring this up?" The Judge asked.

"Because the prosecution's stance is that the defendant murdered the victim to keep the prize money to himself!" Robin declared. "So I assert it makes no sense for Miss Scribe to drop out of the contest!"

Mr. Solomon scowled, baring his teeth at Robin. "Stupid! That is far too stupid of a conclusion! Do you not consider that perhaps that is exactly why he killed her? Because she decided not to compete anymore?"

"Objection! The defense has a rebuttal to the witness!" Juniper exclaimed. "If Skylar did decide to drop out, then killing her would make no sense."

Now Mr. Solomon turned his glare towards Juniper. "Your definition of sense is lacking. What is wrong with the idea that Mr. Artisan decided to punish his partner?"

"Because if his motive was to keep the prize money to himself, he would want Miss Scribe to be in the contest," Juniper said. "So killing her for dropping out would not help him in any way."

Robin slammed her right palm on the bench. "Exactly! So the prosecution believes that the victim did not drop out of the contest!"

"So in other words, you are accusing Mr. Solomon of lying about the victim's status in the contest," The Judge said. "I must ask that you provide evidence of this claim."

"Very well, your Honor!" Robin placed an easel on her bench, then placed a large photo of it. She turned it to face the rest of the court. "This is a photo of the stage that was planned to be used for the competition. This set-up was taken down after the murder!"

The picture was of the stage in the main hall. The main difference was that the table that Mr. Iraman was using to sign autographs was gone, replaced with three podiums. "Ah! So that's what you mean, Robin!"

"I'm afraid that I don't see what everyone is getting so excited about," The Judge said. "Could the defense indicate what's so special about this photo?"

"It's the three podiums," Juniper answered. "The court will notice that they are different sizes. So one can deduce that they are for the three finalists."

"Yes, you could see that with your eyes. There were three contestants, so there were three podiums," Mr. Solomon said. "But one was removed after Miss Scribe dropped out."

Juniper struck her left palm down on the bench. "No, there is a large flaw with this reasoning. The prosecution stated that this set up was only taken down after Miss Scribe's murder. In other words, if she had dropped out-"

Juniper drew her arm back, and pointed at Mr. Solomon. "Then a podium should have been removed before the murder!"

"...Hmph." Mr. Solomon crossed his arms. "To think that the prosecution would have that photo ready. Very well. Skylar Scribe did not drop out of the contest."

"That's perjury!" The Judge glowered at Mr. Solomon. "Why would you testify such a thing to the court?"

"Because truth be told, I did not want to believe that one of my contestants could be capable of murder," Mr. Solomon said. "So I decided to personally investigate them. I found that none of my contestants could be the murderer."

Athena slammed her palms on the bench. "Your Honor! Please have that statement added to the testimony!"

"Oh! Did you finally see a hole in this testimony?" Juniper asked.

"I did! In fact, it was a flaw that you noticed first." Athena said.

A spark went off in Juniper's head. When the testimony resumed, Juniper prepared her evidence.

"Objection! Mr. Solomon, you're lying again."

"That is a serious charge you are raising, defense," The Judge said. "I hope your evidence stands up to scrutiny."

"The reason why the convention center was exempt from investigation was because there was no proven connection." Juniper presented the scrap of wallpaper. "But as I proved in the previous court session, the victim's body was wrapped in wallpaper. Which came from none other than 'Worlds Collide'!"

A single bead of sweat formed on Mr. Solomon's forehead. "Yes, I believe I also investigated that. As a judge of the contest, I needed to confirm what happened for myself."

"OBJECTION! The prosecution has carried out an independent investigation!" Robin exclaimed. "And it would like to present the results to the court!"

The Judge closed his eyes. "I have doubts about this witness's credibility, to be sure. So I'm inclined to listen to the prosecution."

"T-h-a-n-k you, Your Honor!" Robin said cheerfully. "The investigation revealed that the wallpaper in question is custom made for this contest. As such, it is kept under lock and key, and the only people that can access the wallpaper are the organizers of the contest."

All attention immediately focused on Mr. Solomon. The older man did not react, aside from smoothing out his lapels. "I believe I know what the defense will say next. I murdered Miss Scribe. I suspected this might happen, so I took precautions."

"If you're so innocent, why are you being so defensive?" Athena asked, Widget bright red around her neck.

"Because I did not want false accusations to stain the name of 'Worlds Collide'. But if you don't want to believe me, ask none other than the prosecution's office," Mr. Solomon said. "The Chief Prosecutor agrees with my assessment- I am not the culprit."

The people in the gallery whispered among themselves: "Then in other words, the only culprit could be the defendant." "There's no way the contestants could have done it!" "This wallpaper is meaningless but the attorney keeps pushing it…" "That's because they have nothing else!"

"*cough cough* *cough cough cough*" Juniper tried to get words out, but she couldn't. The sound of the gallery was pressing down on her, and it was hard to breath.

"ALL OF YOU, SHUUUUT UUUUUP!" Robin shouted, her fists shaking.

An abrupt silence did in fact fall over the courtroom. Robin continued, "The prosecution is not finished presenting its case! I have not proven the defendant is guilty beyond doubt!"

"I am inclined to agree," The Judge said, his eyes comically wide. "However, the court would also like to ask that the prosecution not cause hearing damage."

"Ow, ow, ow! No matter how many times I hear it, I can never get used to Robin's voice," Athena said, covering her ears. "I agree with the Judge, for once!"

"So, if the prosecution hasn't proven the defendant's guilt, what have they proven?" The Judge asked.

"I would like the court to focus on a specific part of the witness's previous testimony," Robin said, her hands behind her back. "Mr. Solomon cannot be the murderer. This is a misdirection!"

"Oh, I think I see what you mean, Robin," Juniper said, covering her mouth with her hands. "This still doesn't prove that one of the other contestants didn't commit the crime."

"If anything, the opposite is true- one of them must be the killer!" Robin slammed her right palm on the bench. "After all, only one of them would think to use the unique wallpaper to conceal the victim's body!"

"The prosecution's point is well made." The Judge said. "Well, witness? Was there an opportunity for the evidence in question to be stolen?"

"That, I cannot say. It shames me, and every generation before me, and every generation after me to say this," Mr. Solomon said. "But even if the key for the closet came to be in someone else's possession, this regardless is outside of the bounds of my knowledge."

"I don't buy that for a second!" Athena yelled.

"OBJECTION! If you have doubts about this witness, you need to present evidence," Robin pointed out. "Otherwise, we'll go in circles all day!"

That's the biggest problem. It's why Robin was forced to take this case to court- because the evidence that leads to the truth of the case has either been destroyed or hidden.

No matter how much hard Juniper tried, she couldn't figure out a way to directly prove what Mr. Solomon *might* have known. But if she didn't say anything, the Judge was going to dismiss him.

"Thena, tell me something. What did you think of the motive Robin presented for Mr. Artisan?" Juniper asked.

"It's not true! But I guess it's the only thing she could think of to keep the trial going," Athena answered.

"I don't think it's like that. Remember, Robin didn't even want to bring Andres to trial," Juniper said. "I think there must be a reason she would suggest this specific motive."

"I think I see what you're saying, Junie. Then please keep this in mind- Miss Scribe could have been killed much earlier," Athena said. "There must have been a reason why she was killed when she was!"

The Judge banged his gavel repeatedly. "Does the defense have any further questions for Mr. Solomon?"

"Um, yes, I have one more," Juniper said, tugging at one of her pigtails. "Could you tell me what would have happened if the contest had gone on as scheduled?"

"I do not see why this would matter to the case at hand," Mr. Solomon said, shaking his head. "Talking about what will never be is pointless."

"I think it's very important. Because if we talk about it, we might discover the motive behind Miss Scribe's death," Juniper said, unconsciously twiddling her fingers.

'Might'? The defense seems very uncertain about it's claim." The Judge said.

"N-no! The defense is very certain!" Juniper said, even as her voice cracked.

"I suppose at this point it would be faster to just hear the testimony. If it's not too much trouble, Mr. Solomon?"

"If it will make the defense see the futility of it all, I will personally make them undergo a trial they won't forget."

-Witness Testimony-

How it would have been

"I believe I told the attorney before how the contest is run. The contestants would arrive on stage as their stage names are announced."

"Then all the contestants get the prize that they deserve." Mr. Solomon crossed his arms. "Now, I can't deny that the first prize reward would make a strong motive."

"However, it is just as likely that the defendant had a personal reason to quarrel with his companion. Regardless, I do not see how this account could be related."

-End Testimony-

Now Juniper was unsure of why she asked for this testimony. There was really nowhere else to go, but this seemed like a dead end too.

The only way to go is forward. I only hope that I don't crash my entire case in the process.

"Objection! Mr. Solomon, as we previously reviewed, the wallpaper proves that the killer must be one of the other contestants!" Juniper declared.

"Uh, Juniper? That would still include Mr. Artisan," Robin pointed out.

"It seems like the one that needs to do some reviewing is the defense." The Judge said.

"Yes, Your Honor. I'm sorry, Your Honor." Juniper whimpered, tugging at her pigtails.

"To start you off, please review this penalty." The Judge added.

"That was a harsh blow. Are you okay, Junie?" Athena asked.

"I think I'm okay? But I didn't expect to have to solve the mystery of the motive this early," Juniper said. "Even now, I still can't see why this crime happened."

The situation called for more information. "Hold it! So, even until the end, the contestants are referred to by their pennames?" Juniper asked.

"Indeed. All who brave 'Worlds Collide' understand this. To cloak themselves in shadow until their time of glory is nigh," Mr. Solomon said. "So that the nation meets the true winner for the first time the instant it happens."

This is all stuff we were told yesterday. So then, why does it bother me?

"It seems like the defense has something they want to ask," The Judge said.

"Could you give a more detailed description of the awards ceremony?" Juniper asked.

Robin slammed her hand on the bench. "Before we go any further, can the defense give a compelling reason why this matters?"

"Because if the question is 'Why did Skylar die', then we must consider that something in the ceremony might point to the reason!" I just hope I learn that reason too.

"It has already been established that this witness concealed information. As such, the court orders this witness to elaborate on this point."

Mr. Solomon brushed dust off his lapels. "If I absolutely must. The names of the two who couldn't make the cut are called, and they collect their meager earnings. Then, at last, the victor is crowned in resplendent glory- their victory, decided at the final moment."

"Your Honor! Please add this statement to the testimony!"

As soon as it was, Juniper made her move immediately. "Hold it! The way you're wording it, it sounds like first place gets special treatment."

"As it appropriate. Their name is broadcast to the entire nation. A name which is as gold as the envelope that it sleeps in, until that shining moment."

"...!" That's it. This is a lie. And not a small lie… but one that will turn this entire case on its head!

"OBJECTION!" Juniper slammed her palms on her bench. "Mr. Solomon. Your testimony just now… it's unacceptable."

"The only thing that is unacceptable is you, defense. You have requested all this testimony," Mr. Solomon, stroking his mustache. "To what end?"

"You stated that the winner of 'Worlds Collide' is decided shortly before the final ceremony," Juniper said. "But you also claimed that the winner's name is inside a golden envelope."

In her mind's eye, Juniper remembered the desk she saw during the previous investigation. "When I interviewed you yesterday, I noticed you had something- a golden envelope, like you just described. But if it's the same envelope…"

Juniper pointed at Mr. Solomon. "Then what was it doing on your desk?"

"Gngh!" Mr. Solomon doubled over, holding his gut.

"OBJECTION! The prosecution acknowledges it did not know of this golden envelope. But! I have a feeling I know what the witness will say next- that it was empty!" Robin yelled. "So how do you plan to respond to that?"

"Well, that's simple. All we'd need is for it to be retrieved from Mr. Solomon's desk," Juniper said. "Then we open it and see what's inside."

"Hold on a minute! While I admit I'm probably wrong, it sounds like the defense is implying that the winner's name was in this envelope," The Judge said. "But wasn't the final ceremony called off because of the murder?"

"Oh! Now I see, Junie!" Athena exclaimed. "That's the lie that Mr. Solomon told- that the winner is decided the same day that they win."

"Juniper nodded. "That's exactly it, Thena. If we find a name in this envelope, then it proves that the winner is decided beforehand. Maybe even several days in advance."

"The defense's point is acknowledged. Bailiff! Go to the Los Angeles convention center and investigate the office of the witness!" The Judge demanded.

Bailey walked into the room, holding an evidence bag with a golden envelope inside of it. After handing it to the Judge, Bailey stared at Juniper for a moment. Then without a word, she turned around and left.

"Let's see what's inside of this," The Judge said, breaking the wax seal and opening the envelope. Inside was a sheet of paper with letters printed on them. As soon as he read them, his eyes widened. "Just as the defense claims, the winner of "Worlds Collide' is listed in here! The pen-name is 'Colorful-Sky', which the victim Skylar used!"

The people into the gallery immediately flew into a frenzy. "The victim won the contest?" "What does this mean?" "Then she really did die because someone wanted her prize!"

We're finally starting to uncover the real truth of this case. But I have a feeling the fight is only to get that much harder from here.

To be continued

A/N: So, here's a fact for everyone: There are now five chapters of trial left. So settle in for the long haul, everyone. The journey to solving this mystery has finally begun in earnest. See you next time! Please review.