A/N: Here is the end of Turnabout Shuffle! This conclusion is one I've been hoping to share with the readers for a good while now. Please watch Hugh arrive at his ultimate conclusion here. Enjoy, my readers!

All eyes were on Robin as she cleared her throat, and launched into her explanation of the crime.

"The victim, Adalie Illusa, was already on carnival grounds on the night of the crime. She was in her office, preparing to meet with someone."

"Jacob witnessed the victim carrying a paper with her, thought to be the defendant's contract," Hugh said thoughtfully. "And we have evidence placing her at the Comet Shuffle."

"Meanwhile, the defendant was on the other side of the carnival," Robin said. On the carnival map, she pointed at the lower left of the map. "From there, she went to the Comet Shuffle as well. The prosecution's stance is that Miss Winters met with Ms. Illusa on the maintenance platform. They discussed about Miss Winter's contract- and that resulted in murder!"

"Does the prosecution believe that this murder is premeditated?" The Judge asked.

Robin shook her head. "No, this murder was not premeditated. The defendant is not someone who would normally hurt another person- this crime only happened because the victim forced her into a corner. That's what the prosecution believes!"

Everything centers around that contract. Robin believes that Ms. Illusa threatened the job that Carnila uses to support Sheila.

"That's not true! Carny would never do anything like that!" Sheila cried out.

Undeterred, Robin continued. "From there, Carnila must have gone to the storage area located at the center point of the star. They took a dolly, and used it to transport the body."

"OBJECTION! The defense would like to point out that the defendant would have surely been seen if she had done this!" Hugh declared.

"OBJECTION! Not necessarily. Jacob and Mr. Scarlet were practicing near the circus area, which is out of view from the storage area. Now, Miss Booth did witness Carnila at the Comet Shuffle, but it is unclear when."

"Sorry, everyone. My memory isn't the best," Nina said, hanging her head in shame.

"And in fact, Mr. Scarlet did spot the defendant putting away the bloody dolly," Robin pointed out. "We must assume that this event took place after the crime!"

"This does seem to be a pretty clear picture of the crime. In fact, I see little reason not to pass a verdict," The Judge said. "However, I will allow the defense one final chance. Give me a reason to continue this trial."

In the evidence and testimony, Hugh could see only one, thin thread. If this went nowhere, there would be nothing left. This time, neither advice from Professor Means or Phoenix Wright came to mind.

"Yes, there is an aspect of the case that hasn't been explained," Hugh said, even as his voice shook. "We know that the victim's body was covered in soot from Mr. Scarlet's torches! It was never explained where it came from!"

"That's right! I can only guess that Mr. Scarlet put that soot there!" Carnila exclaimed from the witness stand.

Harry turned his head towards Carnila. "You believe I killed Ms. Illusa? I was wondering where this business about the soot had come from. You think the flame of the owner's life was snuffed out by me?"

"I don't know what else to think. There doesn't seem to be another way for the soot to get on the body," Carnila said, pointing to the teacup ride on the scale model. "At least, with the body there."

"I s-e-e. Mr. Scarlet, where do you normally store the torches when you finish using them?" Robin asked.

"Where else? The storage area," Harry explained, pointing his torch at her. "That is the one place that can contain the flames from my tools."

"In other words, could you enter the storage area too? Because if that's the case, then that the defendant cannot be suspected solely for entering the storage area!" Hugh exclaimed.

"I suppose there is no proof of who touched the torches on the night of the crime," Robin admitted. "Still, that leaves two key pieces of testimony- Miss Booth seeing Carnila at the Comet Shuffle, and Mr. Scarlet seeing Carnila with the dolly!"

Hugh grimaced, but also held onto a spark of hope. I did chip away at the case, only a little. I just need to keep going.

"Miss Booth, I need to know. When Carnila was at the Comet Shuffle, did you see any blood on it?" Hugh asked.

Miss Booth put a finger on her right cheek, swaying from side to side? "Blood? With how dark it was, I'm not sure. All I remember was Carnila being intensely focused on something inside the machinery."

"If it's about the Comet Shuffle, there is something strange about it." Hugh recalled the state of the attraction in his mind. "TAKE THAT! While it does have blood on it, the location is strange, to see the least."

"Looking at the blood, it's in like three different places!" Sheila exclaimed. "That makes no sense, does it?"

Hugh grinned smugly. "Once the body hit the ground, the blood should have sprayed straight up. For the blood to be scattered like this, it's possible that the true culprit planted it there after the fact!"

"So someone tried to pin it on me! Th-thank you, Mr. O'Conner," Carnila said, wiping sweat off her brow. "Now find out who did it!"

"Unbelievable! A possibility was brought up this late in the trial," The Judge said. "Does the prosecution have a rebuttal?"

Robin held up a finger, and waved it at the court. "Just one thing. There's a reason that I wanted that scale model brought to the court. I'd like for the model of the Comet Shuffle to be turned on."

"Mr. O'Conner, do something!" Carnila shouted, her hair falling in front of her face.

"The defense…" In his mind, he could see Professor Means glaring at him for what he was about to do. Hugh ignored this, and pressed on. "Agrees that we should turn on the model."

Carnila brought down her wrench in shock, accidentally hitting her thumb. "Wh-why would you s-say that?"

"The court would like the defendant to please follow the instructions." The Judge said firmly.

With a shaking hand, Carnila flipped a switch on the model, and the miniature Comet Shuffle started moving. The three seats of the Kamikaze ride spun in circles.

"As far as the question of the blood on the attraction goes, I'd like the court to look at the central pillar," Robin explained, her hands laced behind her back. "It is segmented into three areas, each corresponding with a seat. The segments move at different speeds so the seats do too!"

"You really know a lot about the carnival. When did you learn all of this?" Sheila asked.

"A few days ago, back when I was investigating Adalie Illusa for fraud," Robin answered, now clenching her fists. "She was willing to let people onto broken rides, if it meant more money for herself!"

"What is the prosecution's point, then?" The Judge asked.

"This is the final nail I will put in the defendant's case. An incredibly risky, but calculated move she did to protect herself!" Robin declared. "Miss Winters turned on the Comet Shuffle, just long enough to misalign the blood stains! That way, she could fall back on the fact that the blood doesn't match how the body fell as a defense!"

"Are you really saying that I turned on a giant ride in the middle of the night?" Carnila asked disbelievingly. "The engine makes a noise that is sure to be heard!"

"This is true, and you would know this. Which is why it could only be for a few seconds, long enough to adjust the central pillar," Robin said, her eyes intense. "Mr. Tumble and Mr. Scarlet were in the circus tent, so you at least knew that it wouldn't be seen!"

"As the mechanic of the carnival, the defendant would be the only one capable of that," The Judge said. "And she was witnessed at the scene…"

"If she turned on the ride... I'm not saying it's impossible, but..." Nina nervously played with her hat. "I don't know what I want to be true."

"OBJECTION!" Hugh slammed his palm onto his bench. "Got you. I finally got you in a contradiction that you can't explain away."

"Oh? Well, o-u-t with it, Hugh!" Robin said in a challenging tone.

"I believe you remember the evidence presented earlier- a work order from Ms. Illusa to Carnila. It was to fix the Comet Shuffle," Hugh said. "And we also learned that the rotor was broken. So what you're claiming is impossible!"

"Ahhhh!" Robin screamed, rearing back while holding her arms close to her chest.

"This does cast doubt on the prosecution's entire case. If the attraction was broken, their explanation for the bloodstains wouldn't hold water," The Judge said. "Which in turn opens the possibility that the other evidence pointing to the defendant could mean something else."

"We did it, Mr. O'Conner, we won!" Sheila exclaimed, jumping on her milk crate.

"Careful there, Sheila. But things are finally looking up for us." Despite his words, Hugh wasn't smiling. "We just need to explore this contradiction and-"

"OBJECTION!"

With a sway of her hips, Robin smacked the gallery stand behind her. "Don't be so quick to judge there, Your Honor! The prosecution would like to question one key assumption."

I knew it. Robin is not going to stop pursuing this until the very end. If she is going to suggest what I think she is, this can only end one way.

"We heard from the defendant that the rotor was broken. The thing is, we only have her word that this is the case," Robin said. "Hugh, what does the work order actually say?"

Hugh took it out and tried to decipher the writing. "The order says… 'fix section B26.' Wait, what?"

"I assume that's something that's only significant to the defendant. Which goes into my point!" Robin shouted. "We don't know what part of the attraction that's referring to!"

"Then are you saying that the rotor wasn't broken?" The Judge asked.

"Not exactly. The fact that the Comet Shuffle is broken helps her case- it supports the theory that someone could have framed her," Robin said. "Now, Miss Booth saw Carnila doing something to the inner machinery. I believe the defendant jammed it!"

"Now that's taking too far!" Carnila yelled, gripping her wrench of both hands. "I wonder never intentionally break a carnival ride!"

"I didn't say break it- I said you jammed it!" Robin countered. "You took a steel rod, and put it into the machinery so the ride wouldn't move. So if the attraction was investigated the day after, the bloodstains would help clear you!"

"Now hold on a moment. This is the first time you've mentioned anything about a steel rod," The Judge said, narrowing his eyes at Robin. "Why was this not brought up earlier?"

In that moment, time seemed to freeze for Hugh. He could clearly see that he had a choice before him.

What kind of an attorney am I? Do I still follow Professor Means, getting the verdict I want at all costs? Or am I more like Phoenix Wright, fighting for my clients until the bitter end?

Hugh took a deep breath. Or maybe… I'm different kind of attorney entirely.

"TAKE THAT! The defense knows what the prosecution means. According to Miss Booth, she noticed that a single steel rod was missing from a collection of identical ones," Hugh explained. "So the prosecution's claim is that Carnila stole it to jam the Comet Shuffle's machinery."

Carnila turned to look at Hugh, her eyes wide, but she was otherwise speechless.

"The real question is, how do you plan to prove that?" Hugh asked, unable to look at his client.

"By opening the Comet Shuffle, of course," Robin answered. "We can see if the steel rod is there or not. If it is there, we can even see if it has the defendant's fingerprints."

"Now why would this steel rod alone have fingerprints?" The Judge asked.

"Because the defendant would have time to wipe the handle of the dolly, and erase any from the victim's clothes," Robin said. "But the Comet Shuffle- that's a different story. Carnila would have to turn it on, misalign the blood stains, turn it off, then stick the steel rod inside all before someone spotted her. In this one area, Carnila would be in a rush!"

"There is only one way to know for sure- to open the Comet Shuffle," Hugh said, adjusting his glasses. "That's how we'll solve this case once and for all."

"No, stop!" Carnila's eyes were wide and pleading. "You're my attorney! You're supposed to believe in me, Mr. O'Conner. I thought you believed in me!"

"...I do believe in you, Carnila. It's because I believe in you that I need to see this for myself," Hugh said, matching Carnila's eyes. "I need to hear it straight from you- that there really is nothing in there. Can you tell me that honestly?"

Carnila broke Hugh's gaze, staring at the ground.

Hugh slammed his palms into the bench. "Answer me, Carnila!"

"I… I can't!" Carnila cried out, slumping her head over the witness bench. As she did, her hair fell into the still running scale model.

Carnila's hair became trapped in the moving parts, and alarmed she tried to yank it out. When this didn't work, Carnila hit the model with her wrench.

This sped up the scale model, which only pulled Carnila further downwards. She desperately tried to tug her hair free, to no avail, so Carnila gave a final, mighty pull.

This failed, and in the next moment Carnila stopped resisting, and her face hit the scale model, which belched out smoke covering her entire head.

"...The Comet Shuffle really is broken. It wasn't the rotor, but it was something just as dangerous. I still remember when I met with Ms. Illusa."

"Boss, I checked section B26, just as you said. The joint of one of the arms is cracked. It can't take another day of operation."

"Why aren't you fixing it, then? Isn't that what I pay you for?"

"I can fix it fine. But I think it would be best if the Comet Shuffle be closed off to the public until I do. This kind of job can take several nights."

"You listen to me: you will have it fixed by tomorrow. That attraction is the main source of money for this carnival, so I will open to the public first thing in the morning."

"You can't! If that joint breaks, people can be seriously injured!"

"I can, and I will. After all, anything that breaks here is your responsibility."

"It was then that Ms. Illusa showed me my contract." Carnila said, her hair now uneven and her face still covered in soot. "You should know by now why she would do that."

"Because the contract states that you bear all liability for accidents," Robin said, quietly but with great fury. "Legally, if something happened Ms. Illusa couldn't be blamed."

"No matter how much I pleaded with Ms. Illusa, she would not budge on opening the Comet Shuffle to the public. An accident would hurt people… it would also cost me my job, or worse. I couldn't let that happen! So, when Ms. Illusa turned her back, I felt a dark urge go through me…"

Carnila shuddered, and continued, "In a rush, I put my hands on her back and… shoved as hard as I could. It wasn't until I heard her noise of the body landing on the ground that I realized what I did."

"Carny… you really didn't mean to hurt anyone," Sheila said, tears brimming in her eyes. "You were just thinking about other people."

"I did take the steel rod, and also some of Harry's torches. I knew it was wrong to pin the murder on anyone," Carnila said despondently. "But the thought of being separated from my sister… I just couldn't allow it!"

"I do understand that, Carnila. That love for your sister is why I decided to defend you," Hugh said, feeling sick to his stomach. "It's why I wanted to keep defending you, and yet…"

Carnila shook her head, smiling sadly. "Don't feel bad, Mr. O'Conner. You really did give it your all. I shouldn't ask for anything else."

"Your Honor, wait!" Jacob, who had never left the witness stand, spoke up. "Please go easy on Carnila! Ms. Illusa was cruel to all of us!"

"Yeah! Carnila shouldn't be punished," Nina added. "She protected all of us!"

Harry had been silent for a while, but now he finally spoke up. "It's clear that the warmth that Carnila exudes means a lot to the people around her. It would be a grave loss to the carnival if she were gone."

"Everyone…" Carnila looked at her coworkers, deeply touched.

The Judge banged his gavel down. "The witnesses will settle down and leave the stand!"

The three of them left begrudgingly, but all of them sent worried glances at Carnila.

On the other side of the courtroom, Robin looked pained. "I was investigating Adalie Illusa! I didn't arrest her fast enough… if I did maybe none of this would have happened!"

"Prosecutor Newman, you were just doing your job. In fact, if anyone should apologize, it's me," Carnila said. "Because I did request the prosecutor's office repeatedly to send someone to investigate the carnival. But when they sent you, that's when I lost all hope."

"When they sent Robin? Why would seeing her make you lose hope?" Hugh asked.

"Because she's a prosecutor that specializes in homicide, and a disgraced one at that," Carnila said, looking away from Robin. "I felt like the prosecutor's office didn't actually care about my pleas."

Robin gripped her arm, her expression wounded. "Do I really give off such a terrible impression?"

"In the end, I was wrong. But I couldn't wait another day and risk innocent people get hurt…" Carnila lowered her head, her hair covering her face. "I couldn't leave my sister alone."

The Judge, who had been listening to all of this, finally directed his gaze at Carnila. "The court would owe you sympathy. However, this court also convened to deliberate who murdered Adalie Illusa. I have now reached an unshakable conclusion."

"I understand, Your Honor. I'm ready." Carnila said, keeping her head down.

"Very well. I will now pass the final verdict. This court finds the defendant, Carnila Winters…"

GUILTY

A suffocating silence blanketed the courtroom. Hugh could hardly believe his ears, even if he'd also known this ending was possible.

In court, we should always strive to arrive at the correct verdict. That's what I promised Robin and Juniper when we graduated Themis Legal Academy. We arrived at the correct verdict in this case… and it's guilty.

"The defendant will surrender herself to the court, to await sentencing. That is all. Court is adjourned."

When the gavel came down, the resulting sound rang in Hugh's ears for what seemed like hours.

May 6th, 2029

District Courthouse, Defendant Lobby #1

1:00 p.m.

"What's going to happen to my sister now, Mr. O'Conner?"

Hugh couldn't answer that. He was still processing the verdict in the first place. Juniper entered the lobby shortly after, her own expression conflicted.

"I know that when I become a judge, I want to be able to pass the right verdict for every case," Juniper said, nervously tenting her fingers. "Yet, it never occurred to me that there would be times when the right verdict is a guilty one."

"It's a reality we all have to face, I suppose. Even Robin didn't seem happy about having to do this," Hugh said. "Yet she did do everything she was supposed to as a prosecutor."

"I hate her! She took my sister away from me!" Sheila shouted.

"No, don't say that, Sheila." Now Carnila entered the room, though her hands were in cuffs.

"Carnila. Why are you here?" Hugh asked.

"I was allowed to visit my attorney one last time. I do feel like I need to apologize to you," Carnila said, bringing her cuffed hands in front of her. "I wanted you to defend me, but I never did tell you the whole truth, did I?"

Hugh considered everything he experienced in the case, and once again considered the question: What kind of attorney do I want to be? Moving forward, how do I want to defend my clients?

"Your sentencing is a month from now," Hugh said. "You will still need an attorney for the trial, right?"

"I don't imagine anyone would want to defend me at this point. I guess my case is beyond fixing even for me," Carnila said, smiling bitterly at her own joke.

"Then I will be the attorney for your sentencing. I will make sure you can return to Sheila and the Starry Skies Carnival as soon as possible," Hugh said, putting on his best confident grin. "As long as you put your faith in me, I will put my faith in you."

"Mr. O'Conner!" Carnila brought her hands up to her mouth, her eyes wide in shock. "If you still trust me, even after everything… oh thank you so much!"

As I said before, this case was a simple as it comes. Yet, is is the also case that decided my path as an attorney.

Even as I arrived at my path, Juniper was only barely beginning to find her own. And the case that awaited us would test everything she believed as a person.

It's a case you probably know about, because of the effect it had on the very legal system…

Episode 4, Turnabout Shuffle: End

A/N: What does everyone think about the verdict rendered in this case? I'd really like to know. At long last, we have reached the finale of the this story's main plot: Episode 5. Now, I will say it will take a while for this case to arrive to everyone. But rest assured- it's because I want this finale to be the best not only for the character of Juniper Woods, but for everyone in the main cast. See you next time! Please review.