A/N: Dawn of a new day! The second phase of the investigation begins, with our group having a fresh perspective along with a good night's rest. They will now dive back into the darkness at the Smokes' residence. Enjoy, my readers!

June 5th, 2029

O'Conner and Co. Law Offices

10:00 a.m.

As Juniper walked into the office, she noticed that Myriam and Hugh were already inside, talking with each other.

"Good morning, Hugh, and to you too, Myriam. How are you doing?" Juniper asked, to be polite.

"It should not surprise you that I am in ideal condition," Hugh said confidently. "Are you doing well, Juniper?"

"Well, I guess I'm doing okay. But I can't stop thinking about everything that happened yesterday," Juniper said, unconsciously twiddling her fingers. "Seeing the real Bailey… meeting Detective Smokes… and the Chief Prosecutor, too!"

"It's a lot of information to process. And that's why I'm here!" Myriam declared. "And I was just telling Hugh of a possible weak point we could exploit. Conan Ratters' death!"

That was a name that Juniper had not heard in a long time, but it did spark a memory. "That was the victim you were accused of killing, Myriam. It's been so long that I almost didn't remember him."

"All these months later, and the way that he died is still bugging me. Mr. Ratters was a clever man. So who could be capable of tracking him, and sending someone to kill him after?" Myriam asked. "Remember that Mr. Bolo was former military, so it can't have been easy to get in contact with him."

"Then, are you implying that the culprit behind this is a powerful person?" Juniper wasn't sure if she liked where this was going.

"Someone as kind as you wouldn't consider this. But it's possible that the person behind Mr. Ratters' death is part of the police," Myriam said, unusually serious. "Or at least has that kind of power. It's the only thing that fits, Kahk Kahk!"

"Which means we have a reason to question Detective Smokes. I guess it's another angle…" Juniper said quietly. "But how do you think he'd react to essentially being accused of murder?"

That's why we don't accuse him directly, sss sss sss! We pretend we have another suspect in mind, and ask for his help!" Myriam exclaimed. "If we can't get him to tell the truth, we will extract it out of him!"

"You are suggesting we trick him to implicate himself. If Mr. Smokes is responsible for a murder, I suppose such a method could be justified," Hugh said. "It would mean justice would be done."

"That's dangerous thinking. The ends don't justify the means," Juniper said. "I feel like that as a lawyer, we should consider investigating Mr. Smokes through the legal system, not working outside of it."

"Keep believing that as long as you can, sweetcheeks. We'll see if the situation turns out to be so kind," Myriam said dubiously.

"Are we in agreement for what our plan for the day is?" Hugh asked, sipping some water from the water cooler. "Returning to the Smokes' residence to find the truth?"

On the surface, Hugh's question was straightforward. However, finding the truth represented so much that it made Juniper dizzy.

We need to expose the shadow that's been lingering in the background of my cases. We need to free Robin from the last of her worries. And last of all… I want to close the gap between myself and Bailey.

"If we don't get any clients today, then we could head over there," Juniper finally said. "I agree that it's important that we find out everything we can."

"Then what are we waiting for? A true reporter always leaps onto the scent of a scoop!" Myriam declared.

"You're the only reporter of the three of us," Hugh said dryly, even as he knew Myriam wasn't listening.

June 5th, 2029

Smokes' Residence, entrance hall

12:00 p.m.

Upon entering the house, the group of three found someone they did not expect: Klavier Gavin, who was talking with Bailey.

"...If you need the files, they are located-" Bailey stopped when she noticed Juniper and her friends. "It appears we will have to wait to finish our discussion."

"What's this? It seems as if today I am running into all sorts of lovely ladies. First Bailey, and now you, Fraulein Woods." Klavier smiled at Juniper. "Nice to see you again. And who is this one? Fraulein Scuttlebutt, have you finally decided to stop hiding your face?"

"Don't think flattering me will get you anywhere, pretty boy," Myriam said, even as she looked pleased. "But don't stop either."

"Hello, Prosecutor Gavin. I didn't expect to see you," Juniper said, feeling more at ease. "What brings you here?"

"I'm here in my capacity as a prosecutor. Bailey requested my help," Klavier explained. "It's a simple filing procedure. Nothing you need to bore yourself with."

Perhaps Juniper had spent too long in court cases, because she noticed something wrong with this immediately. "Bailey, if you wanted help with something legal, why didn't you ask Robin?"

"...If you were always this sharp, we would not be in this mess." Bailey smoothed out her maid dress distractedly. "Robin is currently indisposed. In fact, she's in this house too."

"She is?!" It felt like Juniper had seen so many people in this house in the past couple days. "Then, where is she?"

"She is currently in the eastern sitting room, speaking with a most distinguished guest," Bailey answered. "Is there anything else you require of me?"

"I would like to talk with Prosecutor Gavin more." It would be a shame to reunite with him, and not catch up with him more.

"I've been meaning to talk with you too, Fraulein Woods. And Robin as well," Klavier said, snapping his finger. "Between the two of you, the legal system certainly has not been prepared."

"Of course, I expect nothing less from a defense attorney working at my law office," Hugh said, smiling proudly. "We don't mount a regular defense, we mount a defense that leaves the court stunned."

"Ja, Herr O' Conner. I imagine that a big, strong attorney like you would be the head of the office," Klavier said teasingly. "You must cut a dashing figure in court."

Hugh's smile froze on his face, and now there was a distinct redness to his cheeks.

"Turns out, Gavin is more than just a pretty face, sss sss sss," Myriam said, chuckling to herself. "Now I want to see what he's like in court."

"Surely you've been in court making sure justice is done," Juniper said in an encouraging tone. "Tell me about your recent cases."

"Alas, I have kept myself mostly out of the spotlight. Court is not the same without Herr Forehead's voice echoing in it," Klavier said. "But I have a… let's say personal interest in helping out Fraulein Bailey."

"Because you already know that she's Professor Courte's daughter, right?" Myriam smirked as Klavier whipped his head towards her. "I had a feeling, sss sss sss. A lot of what's going on here seems to be connected to her."

"... *cough cough*" Juniper had to breathe into her sunflower, because she couldn't process the enormity of it all.

"Sharp as ever, Fraulein Scuttlebutt. That is all I am at liberty to say." Snapping his fingers, Klavier turned towards Bailey. "Shall we be on our way?"

"Goodbye. Something tells me that this isn't the last that we see each other today," Bailey said. "But I hope that when we do, it shall be under happier circumstances."

Bailey followed Klavier, the two of them exiting the left door of the entrance hall.

"I guess that means that we're going through the other door," Hugh said. "We didn't get a chance to explore that half of the house."

The group of three went into the door on the right for the first time.

June 5th, 2029

Smokes Residence, eastern sitting room

12:20 p.m.

The room itself was rather disappointing, being a sitting room similar to the one that was on the other side of the house. But the people inside the room were very special: Miles Edgeworth and Robin Newman.

"...Then you have no intention of apologizing for the harm that your actions caused?" Prosecutor Edgeworth asked.

"There is no harm to apologize for! I made sure that the defendant got the verdict they deserved!" Robin yelled. "I would do it all again!"

"I had a feeling that you would say that." Prosecutor Edgeworth adjusted his glasses on his nose. "Then you leave me with no recourse. Robin Newman, you are relieved of your duties as a prosecutor, effective today."

"What, why?!" Juniper exclaimed without thinking. To her immediate regret, Edgeworth and Robin both turned their attention to her.

"Hello, Juniper! It looks like the Chief Prosecutor is firing me because he wasn't happy with how I conducted myself in the last two cases," Robin said, far too cheerfully given the circumstances. "Kind of a bummer, isn't it?"

"Of course you would leave out the actual facts." To Juniper, Prosecutor Edgeworth said, "If I remember, you are studying to be a judge. As such, you know that defense attorneys and prosecutors serve a role in the courtroom."

"Um, you're correct. A defense attorney fights for the defendant, and a prosecutor lays out every reason to suspect them," Juniper said. "And the judge mediates their arguments until everyone arrives at the truth."

"That is mostly correct. However, there is a nuance that is lost on Miss Newman," Prosecutor Edgeworth said. "A prosecutor must aim to convict the defendant until every possibility is exhausted."

"And I will tell you again, Andres Artisan did turn out to be innocent, so there was no reason to put him through the trauma of a trial!" Robin shouted.

"But you didn't have compelling evidence to prove the defendant's innocence at the time. Even if he had a sob story, there was no reason to believe it." Edgeworth's eyes grew hard. "In my experience, even the most pitiful and guileless defendants can be hiding a grand deception."

It sounds like this is personal to him. I suppose the Chief Prosecutor would try cases that I can't even imagine. But wait… "Chief Prosecutor, with all due respect, there's something strange. In the last trial Robin tried, the defendant was found guilty. Why would you have an issue with that?"

"I suppose since you've already earned victories in court, you'd be able to notice a contradiction like that. Crossing his arms, Prosecutor Edgeworth continued, "Unfortunately, Miss Newman did not manage the trial as she should have. As a result, the Prosecutor's Office came under fire for negligence."

"He's talking about how the owner of the carnival was abusing her staff for a long time," Robin said, gripping her proof of friendship. "But I had to bring that up! It formed a core part of Miss Winters' motive."

"That is only most of it. The defendant made an assertion that their claim was ignored without justification. It is that kind of reckless claim that as a prosecutor, you should have shut down before the defendant can make it!"

"Was it without justification? Why was no one sent to at least investigate the claim until it was almost too late?" Robin asked. "People could have been seriously hurt!"

Prosecutor Edgeworth pinched the bridge of his nose. "As you can see, Miss Woods, the conversation has been this without end. Miss Newman fails to understand the most basic tenet- evidence is everything."

Juniper wasn't sure what to say right now. When she woke up this morning, she didn't expect to be entangled in a debate with the Chief Prosecutor of the state's legal system.

As she struggled in her silence, Edgeworth appeared to consider the conversation over. "My investigation here has not concluded, but I will take a break. I can only hope that this will not drag on much longer."

Edgeworth went deeper into the house, and right after Robin's friends went to her.

"Robin, why did you not say anything against being fired?" Hugh asked. "You are not the kind of person that doesn't go down without a fight."

"Because this has been the end of a very long fight," Robin said, looking tired in a way that Juniper had never seen her. "But I can't convince Mr. Edgeworth of why I had to do what I did!"

"Isn't it obvious, my dear? Because acknowledging it would not suit him."

Mrs. Newman walked into the room, and Robin immediately snapped to attention. "Oh! Did you need something from me?"

"Quite the opposite. I have something I can do for you." Mrs. Newman was smiling, but to Juniper it seemed like the smile didn't reach her eyes. Something about the older woman seemed different from yesterday.

"You are definitely implying something here, Mrs. Newman," Myriam said. "Could you be so kind as to tell us what you mean?"

"Junie, you still remember the case from two months ago," Diana said, looking at Juniper. "So you should remember the main reason why it was so hard to reach the culprit."

"Because the killer convinced powerful people to protect him. Like the judge of the convention center that… ah! Aaaaahhhh!" It all came rushing back. "Went straight to the prosecutor's office!"

"Not just that! Mr. Solomon went straight to the Chief Prosecutor to create a misdirection to fool everyone!" Robin cried out, her eyes wide.

"That man had a clever enough scheme. But my daughter exposed it in court," Diana said, her eyes stormy. "And that left the Chief Prosecutor in an uncomfortable position. So instead of admitting to his error, he found a scapegoat."

"And that was… me?" Robin asked, horrified.

"Is that really what happened? I know the Chief Prosecutor is known as a strict person, but he's also known for pursuing the truth above all else," Juniper said, feeling sick about this entire conversation.

Mrs. Newman's expression filled with disappointment. "Even after all you've seen, you're still so meek. But it will all become clear sooner or later."

Juniper felt as if she were only two inches tall. In all the time that she'd known the older woman, she had never seen such a cutting expression.

"I'm sorry…" Juniper whimpered, pulling her hat over her face.

"Don't you think that was a little harsh?" Robin asked her mother. "I mean, I tried my hardest, and got fired for it! What's Juniper supposed to do?"

Mrs. Newman reached out, and ruffled Robin's hair. "Young girls like you and Junie are too worried about this. I will take care of it, so put it out of your mind."

After that, Mrs. Newman took out some scones, put them on a plate, and sat herself down on one of the sofas.

"It doesn't look like she's going to get up from that spot anytime soon," Robin said in an amused tone. "Let's get out of here, guys!"

"Are we not going to stay in a room?" Myriam asked in a grumpy tone as everyone filed out.

Back in the entrance hall, Juniper noticed that Klavier was alone in the room. "Prosecutor Gavin, did you finish your business with Bailey?"

"Ach, it's the most unfortunate thing. We were having such a lovely discussion, when Bailey was called away by the master of the house," Klavier said. "I am here waiting for her."

Between you and me, how long have you been here?" Myriam asked, pen and paper poised at the ready. "You're clearly here for a reason, sss sss sss."

"I would say since around 10:00 a.m. I hoped to speak with Herr Smokes, but he took the day's mail with him, and went to his room. He has not been out since," Klavier said. "But since I came all this way, I thought I should make myself useful. You know the feeling, ja?"

"Yes, we do. The feeling that you need to work towards a greater truth," Hugh said. "And in that interest, could you tell us what you are looking into?"

Klavier, who had been tapping his toe against the floor, stopped and didn't say anything. He seemed conflicted on what he should answer, and then Robin approached him.

"Prosecutor Gavin, I'm the one that's asking. Please tell us what business that Professor Courte left you," Robin pleaded. "Juniper has a right to know, because she's just like us too!"

"...Yes, I am very aware of that. Perhaps now is the right time," Klavier said. "Fraulein Woods, you must understand that-"

Before Klavier finished his sentence, the lights went out, plunging the room into complete darkness. Juniper let out a surprised scream, and she felt someone grab onto her.

"Juniper, stay close!" Robin whispered urgently, revealing herself as the one that grabbed her. "Prosecutor Gavin, what should we do?"

In an unusually serious tone, Klavier answered, "Check on Bailey in the west side of the house. I will stay guard here to make sure no one leaves. Let's hope this blackout resolves itself soon."

"This chance is perfect! I'm not going to let this slip by!" Myriam exclaimed. Juniper heard the sound of her feet move, before it seemed to get swallowed up by the darkness.

"We can't worry about Myriam right now, we need to see if Bailey is safe!" Robin said. "Juniper, Hugh, follow me."

Hugh and Juniper followed Robin through the darkened halls. The entire time, Robin held onto Juniper, and she felt reassured by the touch.

Without Robin here, I wouldn't be able to hold myself together.

Even through the darkness, the group managed to find itself at the door to Mr. Smokes' bedroom. "Hello? Is anyone there?" Hugh called out.

There was no answer, and Juniper wondered what she should do. But before she could wonder too much, the lights turned back on. "That was a short blackout."

"They must have found the source of the problem and fixed it quickly," Hugh said, looking at the door. "But we still need to see if anything happened."

Hugh took the doorknob, and found it was unlocked. So he opened the door, and pushed it open…

Juniper could feel the sight on the other side of the door burn itself into her memory. Bailey was staring at the bed with a look of horror on her face.

Laying on the bed was Mr. Smokes, who might have looked like he was sleeping, if not for the knife sticking out of his chest.

A/N: Well, everyone knew it was probably going to happen eventually. We have reached the main mystery at the center of this finale case. Everyone that has followed me until now: Please do your best in the coming chapters. See you next time! Please review.