A/N: The next chapter of the final case is here! Right now, we are still in the process of establishing all the players. Of course, some people are of greater note than others. I hope their presence intrigues everyone. Enjoy, my readers!

June 4th, 2029

Smokes Residence, Guest Room

12:00 p.m.

After returning to the guest room where they talked with Bailey, the three of them sat on the sofas and waited for her to return. At least, that was what they were expecting. The best case scenario was that Mrs. Newman and Detective Smokes would show up, so they could be questioned too.

Of the three of them, Myriam got restless first. She stood up from the sofa, and inspected the nearby cabinets with glass doors, looking at the alcohol and candy on the other side.

"Huh. This is odd." Myriam read a note that was on a cabinet. "This says 'for guests only'. I wonder why?"

"Is there something special about that section of cabinet, then?" Hugh asked, doing his best to look at where Myriam was pointing.

"It has nothing but chocolate in it," Myriam said, continuing her inspection. "Chocolate candies, chocolate bread, chocolate alcohol… does someone in this house hate it?"

"Maybe. I understand that chocolate isn't to everyone's taste," Juniper said. "Still, it's nice for the owner to stock chocolate anyways, for whoever likes it."

Shortly after that, the door on the right opened, letting in three people: Mrs. Newman, Prosecutor Edgeworth, and a third man they hadn't seen before.

The man looked to be in his late thirties, but his black hair was thinning. He had light-blue eyes that were clear and sharp, and his chin was covered in dark stubble. The man wore a gray dress shirt with a red tie, and light-brown khaki pants.

"So these are the guests that Miss Courte was talking about. My name is Tony Smokes." Detective Smoke's light, friendly voice was at odds with his look. "I'm a detective at the local precinct."

After Myriam, Hugh, and Juniper introduced themselves, Juniper said, "Is this your house, Detective Smokes?"

"It is, my young lady. I've been on the force for a fair amount of years," Tony said. "There's nothing wrong with rewarding yourself after working hard."

Edgeworth tutted under his breath. "If this garish place is your idea of a 'reward', it makes one wonder what your idea of work entailed."

"All work and no play makes for a dull person, Edgeworth, and you're very dull indeed," Mrs Newman said. "What Tony wants to do with his private time is none of your business."

"The sheer nerve!" Edgeworth exclaimed, glaring at Mrs. Newman.

Myriam caught onto something else. "You're pretty familiar with the detective, Mrs. Newman. Do you know him?"

"Know him?" Mrs. Newman beamed at Detective Smokes. "I've seen this guy's mug more times than I care to count."

"Which still is not more than how many times I've had to pull your bacon out of the fire, Diana," Tony said, likewise smiling. "But we do have guests, so let's treat them right."

"Do not concern yourself with me. I was just on my way," Mr. Edgeworth said, adjusting his glasses by the bridge. "However, let me leave you with one final warning- your attempts to evade me are futile."

With his words hanging in the air, Miles Edgeworth left the house. Neither Mrs. Newman or Detective Smokes acted as if this were anything unusual.

"I see you are looking at the candy collection, young lady," Detective Smokes said to Myriam. "Was there something you wanted?"

"You can't just ignore a fishy scene like that! What on earth was the Chief Prosecutor talking about?" Myriam asked, flailing her arms.

"Detectives have always had a complicated relationship with prosecutors," Tony said. "We do our best to help the prosecutor build the case. But for prosecutors like Edgeworth, the moment you step out of line, your salary gets cut."

For a moment, Juniper couldn't understand what he was talking about, then remembered that prosecutors cutting the salaries of detectives was rumoured to be common practice.

Robin has never once threatened Ema's salary, even when they were fighting with each other during Mr. Artisan's trial.

"We did have other questions to ask you," Hugh said, taking out a notepad with a pencil. "I hope you don't mind, Detective."

"I suppose there is nothing stopping you from asking me," Tony said, scratching at the stubble on his face. "But nothing is stopping me from answering what I like."

Hugh shot Juniper a meaningful glance. "I suppose you might want to start."

"Oh! Okay, then." Juniper understood- their main questions were about the case she defended. "Two months ago, I defended a man named Andres Artisan in court."

"You got them a "Not Guilty" verdict. I can't imagine that was easy."

"It wasn't, and that's exactly what I want to ask you about." Juniper took a deep breath to gather her courage, then pressed on. "I discovered that during the course of the case, a detective tampered with the crime scene. Do you have any knowledge of this?"

There was no mistaking it- Detective Smokes stopped scratching his face, and his expression became tense. "That is a very serious crime. However, I'm sure that the police department caught the detective responsible and have dealt with them."

"Detective Smokes, that wasn't the question. Juniper wanted to know if you knew anything about this incident," Hugh said, studying the older man carefully.

"I believe I don't have a reason to know anything," Tony said, shrugging his shoulders in emphasis. "That's all I have to say about the subject."

"I wouldn't push it any further," Mrs. Newman said, delicately laying her hand on her left cheek. "What is it that lawyers always say? 'Evidence is everything'."

Juniper felt frustration bubble up inside of her. Mrs. Newman was right, of course. It was naive of her to believe she would get answers without having to work for them. But if she had no evidence right now, what could she do?

"Hmph. Don't think that the O'Conner and Co. law office is defeated that easily," Hugh said, smirking. "If you won't talk, then we can switch to someone friendlier."

In other words, moving onto Mrs. Newman. "It's been a few months since we last talked, Mrs. Newman. Where have you been all this time?"

"I've been staying in this country, but keeping my head low," Mrs. Newman answered. "The forces chasing me are persistent, and it's tiring."

"Is there reason Prosecutor Edgeworth here related to those forces, then?" Juniper could only imagine what would summon the Chief Prosecutor.

"Oh, Junie. You really are concerned about me, aren't you? That's precious of you," Mrs. Newman said, smiling gently. "But I can look after myself."

"I mean, I guess you can take care of yourself, but there's also Robin, and Mr. Newman too," Juniper said nervously. "I'm worried about all of you."

If anything, she was worried about Robin's father more than anything. She hadn't seen him since before Robin vanished, which was many months ago.

"You are too sweet for this world," Mrs. Newman said, giggling delicately. "It's no wonder my daughter never stops talking about you."

Juniper felt her face grow hot at those words. "Maybe I do worry too much. Although, Robin doesn't seem to be in this house, does she…"

"She's probably at her art studio, working her little heart out," Mrs. Newman said, sighing. "My daughter was never one for half measures."

"Maybe we should go visit Robin, then," Juniper suggested. "There doesn't seem to be anything else we can do here."

"I certainly don't think so! There are still so many questions!" Myriam shouted. "What is the connection that Mrs. Newman has with Detective Smokes? Why was she gone for so long? Why is she everywhere that-?"

"Myriam, you're already in trouble with Bailey for your snooping. Are you sure you want to push it?" Hugh asked, giving his friend the side-eye.

Myriam shut her mouth, but her eyes blazed with fury. Juniper bowed politely to Mrs. Newman and Detective Smokes. "It's nice to meet you, Detective. Mrs. Newman, could I see you again soon?"

"If everything works out, then I hope we have more than enough time to spend together in the future," Mrs. Newman said. "I could use some peaceful days."

"However, I would like to be welcomed into your house again, Detective Smokes," Hugh said. "Myriam is right- we do still have a lot of questions to ask you."

"Then I hope you are ready for further disappointment. As a detective, I can tell you that sometimes you don't find the results you want," Detective Smokes said. "And no matter what questions you ask me, I don't think you'll get answers."

"We'll see about that," Hugh said, smirking again. "You may find that you've underestimated us."

Before the conversation could continue any further, a door opened, and Bailey walked into the room. "Tony, the food has been prepared, and so I ask that you and Mrs. Newman-" She stopped when she saw everyone else in the room.

"Hello again Bailey. I'm glad I was able to see you again," Juniper said. "I do have a few things I'd like to say to you."

"Juniper. If you have further to say to me, I will oblige you," Bailey said. "After all, there must be a reason that our paths keep crossing."

"First of all, I really must apologize to you." Juniper approached Bailey, and bowed at the waist. "After seeing you so many times, but knowing so little about you, I wanted to get to know you better. But we never seemed to talk for long, so I wanted to be able to find you. That's how I got the idea to get Myriam to investigate you."

"Look, I had no way of knowing your intentions, Kahk kahk! You certainly didn't seem to be interested in telling us why you were following Juniper," Myriam said. "Still, I went too far. So I'm sorry too, okay?!"

Bailey pulled her maid headband over her eyes. "What is done is done. However, do not expect forgiveness to come so easily. At the very least, you should tell me something about yourselves."

"I suppose it's only right. What do you want to know?" Juniper asked.

"My most burning question is for you, Juniper." Bailey looked her straight in the eyes. "What drives you? Why do you subject yourself to the legal system?"

Detective Smokes had sat himself on one of the couches, and seemed to be paying attention to the conversation out of the corner of his eye. Mrs. Newman said, "That is a curious question. You do seem like you'd be better off in a garden than in a courtroom."

Why I'm in the legal system… that is a pretty tough question. Especially because… there is a lot there that I can't talk about. I've never told anyone.

"I want to be strong. I want to be able to stand on my own feet, and help people," Juniper answered. "During the past two cases, I've learned about how hard that is, but it's also motivated me to try all the harder."

"...So that's all that you can trust to tell me. I suppose it will be enough, for now," Bailey said. Next, she turned towards Hugh. "I have always wondered: What is the source of your protective instinct?"

"You definitely know the hard-hitting questions to ask, Bailey." Hugh rubbed his neck as he considered it. "Truth be told, I grew up as an only child. For all my life, I strove to fulfill my parents' expectations."

To this day, Juniper knew that Hugh was still uncomfortable with the word 'genius'. Years spent believing he was a genius- only to find out his parents had fabricated it all.

"Then I met Juniper and Robin at Themis Legal Academy. They became my best friends, and also my family," Hugh said. He stood tall, and declared, "As the leader of my own law office, I will defend my friends as I do my clients!"

"That is admirable of you, Hugh." Lastly, Bailey turned towards Myriam. "From one being of the shadows to another, what do you hope to gain from being there?"

"You really do speak my language, sss sss sss. I guess I can share something with you," Myriam said, tugging at the collar of her trench coat. "There are some things you can only learn in the darkness. So I am proud to go sneaking around in it, if it means the truth doesn't get lost to it."

"Well said," Bailey said, nodding in approval. "Sometimes fading into the background can let you catch what others miss."

"Now that we know each other a little better, maybe we can start over," Juniper suggested meekly. "I really want to get to know you better as a person, Bailey."

"Perhaps in another life, your wish could have been granted." Bailey turned away from them. "But I have a mission I must finish. Please excuse me."

Without turning back, Bailey left the room. Juniper couldn't help but ask, "Detective Smokes, how long have you known Bailey?"

"If you really must know, a little over a year," Detective Smokes answered. "She needed a job, and I needed someone to look after this place. But are really going to be nosy again?"

Juniper picked up on the hint, and dropped the subject. A little over a year ago… I have a feeling why he said that.

"How about you, Mrs. Newman? You also seemed to know Bailey," Myriam pointed out. "Is it because you visit this place a lot?"

"You could say that. I've known little Bailey her whole life," Mrs. Newman said. Then she tutted softly under her breath. "I apologize on her behalf on how moody she can be. Her…"

Mrs. Newman stopped herself, and instead said, "Well, that's not important. You wanted to go see my Robin at her art studio, right? I'll give her a call so she knows to expect you."

"Oh, thank you for that, Mrs. Newman!" This time, it seemed like their business in this house was done, at least for today. "Goodbye! And goodbye to you too, Detective Smokes. It was nice to meet you."

"The pleasure is mine, Miss Woods. It's not often that I get new guests at my home," Detective Smokes said. "Thank you for your company."

June 4th, 2029

Newman Art Studio

3:00 p.m.

They'd been at the Smokes house for a while, so it was later in the day by the time they arrived at Robin's art studio. Robin herself was there, putting away some canvas.

"Hey there, everyone!" Robin called out as soon as she spotted her friends. "How are you a-l-l?"

"We're doing well, Robin." Juniper greeted cheerfully. "We wanted to see you today, so it's nice that we managed to catch you."

"Mainly because we've sleuthed out some interesting information connected to you," Myriam said. "We visited the Smokes residence earlier today."

"Of course you'd be able to hunt that down. I hope that Bailey wasn't too surprised to see you guys," Robin said, grinning widely. "Hopefully you all got along!"

Myriam immediately went red with shame, and retreated into her trench coat.

"It feels like we've spent all day asking this question, so I'll try to avoid being redundant," Hugh said. "How do you know the people of the Smokes household?"

"That's a question with a long answer," Robin said, closing her eyes. "I guess to start, Detective Smokes is an old family friend. He's known my Mom for a while now, because of work."

"Huh. I wonder why a consultant like Mrs. Newman would need to talk with a detective a lot?" Juniper wondered out loud. From what Juniper remembered, Mrs. Newman was always busy on some business or another. The most recent being when the older woman had showed up at the movie studio, when Hugh defended Miss Moon.

"There is another pressing concern. You remember the Andres Artisan case," Hugh continued. "Do you know what Detective Smokes' thoughts are on the mystery detective that sabotaged the case?"

Juniper didn't need Apollo's abilities to notice how Robin's hands clenched briefly at those words. "Detective Smokes told me that because the case didn't involve him, he doesn't know any information about it. But I would like to know what happened! Not knowing is ticking me off!"

"Even two months later, that case is still looming over us, Kahk Kahk," Myriam said. "As if there's something about it we didn't solve."

Being the lead defense of the case, Juniper felt partially responsible for the unclear status of the case. Still, there was more to talk about regarding the current situation. "How about Bailey, then? Did you know about her second job as a live-in maid?"

Robin nodded. "Sure I did! We've known each other for all our lives, so we share a lot of stuff with each other!"

The declaration was followed by a silence, as everyone processed Robin's words. Even she seemed to realize she'd let something important slip, as she clapped her hands to her mouth.

"Robin… last time we spoke about Bailey, you told us you've known her for a long time," Hugh said, adjusting his glasses. "However, there is a difference between that and knowing her 'all your life'. So which is it?"

"Well, maybe 'all my life' is a big of an exaggeration. But I did meet Bailey through her mother, so I feel like we're naturally close," Robin explained. "So I do know a lot about her!"

"Then you already knew that Bailey is Professor Courte's daughter." It wasn't a question, but a statement. When this day began, Juniper had a feeling that there would be a lot of mysteries. She didn't think it would be this many.

Now Robin's expression was guilty, as she rubbed the Proof of Friendship on her arm. "I didn't mean to keep it from you guys. But Bailey told me not to tell you, because she wanted to share it when she was ready."

More than ever, Juniper felt guilty that they'd violated Bailey's trust. It seemed like she hadn't entirely forgiven them for that. Juniper really wanted to make up for that soon.

"How about this, then? Tomorrow, we all go visit her again," Hugh suggested. "Robin too. With all of us in the same place, I'm sure we can settle the bad blood between us for good."

"That seems like a good i-d-e-a!" Robin exclaimed, regaining her cheer. "I'll make sure that Bailey is ready for everyone!"

"Sounds like a plan, then. But since we're already here, let's go out and eat," Juniper said. "It's been too long since we've been together like this."

"A journalist usually shouldn't take a break," Myriam said. "But one wouldn't hurt, sss sss sss!"

"A break, huh? I suppose I can authorize it," Hugh said, his tone light and joking. "But only if I'm allowed to join in."

Happy that everyone agreed, Juniper looked up a nearby restaurant on her phone. It seemed like there was a lot of work ahead of them. Just for today, they would enjoy themselves.

To be continued.

A/N: Not much progress made, to be sure. But you know what they say- tomorrow is another day. Juniper and her friends will try to break through Bailey's shell. See you next time! Please review.