A/N: The murder investigations begins now! Of course, just because we have a case to defend, doesn't mean that the other mysteries are at the backburner. Try to reach the full truth with your own hands! Enjoy, my readers!

June 5th, 2029

Detention Center, Visitor's Room

2:00 p.m.

What happened after Juniper found the body of Detective Smokes was a blur. The police were called, and they were all escorted out of the room. Shortly after, Juniper saw that Bailey was carried out of the house in handcuffs.

Juniper had a feeling she knew what happened. So her first destination was the detention center, to visit with Bailey.

On the other side of the glass barrier, Bailey was still wearing her maid uniform. "Juniper. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised to see you here. But where are your friends?"

"Everyone is being questioned about what happened at the house. As soon as my questioning ended, I came straight here," Juniper said. "Because I want to ask you: did you kill Detective Smokes?"

"Cutting straight to the heart of the matter. You've changed," Bailey said. "You are more… self-assured than you were before."

"I think… after the past few months, I've learned that being hesitant sometimes costs you," Juniper said. "I've been trying to be more assertive lately. Actively reaching out for what I want."

"I suppose what you are going to say next is that you want to be my defense attorney." Bailey closed her eyes. "However, I must refuse."

"Do you already have a defense attorney in mind? I don't imagine you want to go into court without a defense," Juniper pointed out. "At least, not if you're innocent."

"'If', you say… then I will make one thing clear." Bailey opened her eyes, meeting Juniper's gaze. "I did not kill Detective Smokes. I would never do that."

There was not a trace of hesitation of doubt in Bailey's eyes. "Then you really are innocent. Then that means that someone else killed him, and are walking free even now!" Juniper exclaimed.

"Yes. Which is why the defense I have chosen is the one that revives, no matter how many times it's stamped out," Bailey said. "Before you arrived, I was in contact with an associate of that attorney. A girl cloaked in bright yellow…"

"Oh, Thena!" Somehow, Juniper could understand Bailey's metaphor. "Then that means that the attorney you want is Mr. Wright? I could see why."

Indeed, there wasn't anyone in the legal world that didn't know the name Phoenix Wright. The Turnabout Terror that could save even the most impossible case. Juniper herself had been defended by Phoenix once, and so had seen his skills first hand.

"If Mr. Wright is going to be your attorney, then I know you'll be in good hands!" Juniper said, feeling much more relieved. "I do still want to do my part. Could you give me permission to investigate the Smokes residence?"

"So you believe in the adage of 'many hands make short work'? Then I will trust you to be a pair of hands to aid me in this situation." Bailey wrote out a consent form, and handed it to Juniper. "I look forward to seeing you make good use of this."

"Thank you, Bailey," Juniper took the form, and put it away. "I'll come back later, okay? To keep you updated on the investigation, but also because I feel we need to talk more."

"I have a feeling I know of what you wish to discuss. Fate is a funny thing," Bailey said, a wry grin on her face. "Our paths have intertwined into this strange, tragic tale. I only wish I knew what the future held."

I wish I could see the future too, Juniper thought to herself, as she left the detention center.

June 5th, 2029

Smokes Residence

3:00 p.m.

Upon reaching the front door of the residence, Juniper noted that Athena was at the front door. "Hello, Thena! Are you here investigating with Mr. Wright?"

"Yes I am!" Athena exclaimed, facing Juniper with a distinctly forced smile on her face.

"It's going terrible!" Widget added.

"Ugh, why did you give that away?!" Sighing, Athena continued, "Truth be told, I haven't started yet. I'm not being allowed inside the house."

"Someone banned you from entering?" Juniper asked, trying to make sense of it. "Someone connected to Mr. Smokes, or the police?"

"Neither. It was this… large man, with short brown hair," Athena said, playing with her earring. "And this really forceful voice."

That description sounded familiar to Juniper, which made her more confused. "Is it okay if I go in there quickly? I want to see if I can't fix this."

"I don't want to leave you there by yourself, but I also don't want to stay out here all day," Athena said, conflicted. "Oh, just hurry it up, Junie!"

Juniper entered the house, to see that the entrance hall was empty. However, to her right, she heard what seemed to be the sound of someone crying. Juniper approached the door with slow, uncertain steps, and pushed it open…

On the other side of the door, Diana Newman was sobbing into the shoulder of an older man, that Juniper recognized as Richard Newman. At the sound of the door opening, both of them turned to Juniper, with Richard standing up.

Athena's description didn't do the older man justice: Richard was a few inches taller than his wife, which meant he towered over Juniper. The man's dark brown hair had some streaks of gray, and was short and cropped. The man was dressed in a blue, leather work jacket, and wore a bright safety vest over it. He likewise wore a pair of insulated leather pants.

"Juniper. Why are you here?" Mr. Newman asked with his usual terse tone.

"Um, there's a murder going on here, and I have permission to investigate," Juniper said. "And well, I heard the sound of crying, and I wanted to see if I could do anything."

Diana Newman stood up, her eyes puffy and red. "Of course. I suppose it's not a surprise that you are here. You have questions, I presume."

"Please answer them…" The investigation had only started, and Juniper already felt short of breath. "Have you seen the body, then?"

Diana clenched her fists in a manner reminiscent to Robin. "I haven't. The police have been investigating Tony's body since they arrived here. I only learned after the fact, and it's been so frustrating that… that…!"

You couldn't help but cry. Juniper finished inside her head. "I'm so sorry, Mrs. Newman. I didn't know Mr. Smokes for very long, but you two seemed close."

"Thank you for your condolences, Junie. But they will not be able to keep me away from the body forever," Mrs. Newman said. Her eyes grew hard. "Especially not if they care as much about their laws as they claim they do."

Juniper wasn't sure how she could answer that. Which perhaps was a good thing that Mr. Newman asked, "Is that all?"

"Oh! So, just to make sure: you were inside this room the entire time. Even during the blackout?"

"Asking for alibis? Then I can confirm that I never stepped out onto the entrance hall," Diana answered. "You can ask Prosecutor Gavin. I believe he was guarding the door?"

Juniper did remember that, actually. Which brought up the other urgent question that she needed to have answered. "I was talking with Thena earlier. Apparently, she's not being allowed into this house. Why is that?"

It was Mr. Newman that answered. "Because that girl is not allowed near Robin."

"Wait, you are banning Thena from being near Robin? But they're such good friends," Juniper said. "And I'm sure Thena really wants to help-"

"Oh, that young girl seems like she wants to help a lot," Mrs. Newman said. "But she's already done too much damage to our family."

"She exposed our daughter in the middle of court." Mr. Newman added.

At this point, Juniper understood everything. During a certain fateful October, Robin had testified to the court when Juniper had been on trial. But at the time, Robin had been presenting herself as a male. Until Athena had blown that cover, and let Robin start to live as a girl.

This presented a question that Juniper always knew would have to be asked. "Mr. and Mrs. Newman, I know what you are talking about. So, there's something I really need to say here. Why did you force Robin to live as a boy?"

Diana looked up from where she was sitting, before getting up. "...So the time has finally arrived. I was hoping to avoid this topic, Junie. But if you have gathered the courage to ask it to my face, then you deserve an answer."

"You first met my daughter as a prosecutor student. But have you ever asked her why she wanted to be a prosecutor?" Diana asked.

"Why?" Juniper had met Robin and Hugh both during her first day at Themis Legal Academy, but it took a year before she considered them close friends. By then, Robin expressed a desire to quit the prosecutor course, but never did.

"You don't know, then." Diana shook her head, disappointment in the eyes. "Then this may not mean much to her. But being a prosecutor has been my daughter's dream, for all her life. It's how she was able to pass the entrance exam at Themis with flying colors."

As Juniper listened to the explanation, she found that it did make sense. Through her time at Themis, Robin had climbed her way to the top of the prosecutor course. It always made for an odd contradiction, that Robin worked so hard to excel at something she didn't want to do.

"Wait, but what does this have to do making Robin live as a boy? Because nothing you've told me so far seems related," Juniper pointed out. "Are you avoiding the subject?"

No. This has everything to do with your question. Because you only have to look at the current state of the prosecutor's office," Diana continued. "Tell me, Junie. Aside from my daughter, when is the last time you've seen anything about a female prosecutor?"

"Well, my first case had a female prosecutor. Payne, I think," Juniper said, unable to remember her name exactly. "Beyond that…"

Juniper soon realized that she couldn't think of any other female prosecutors that worked in Los Angeles. The closest she could think of was the period when Franziska von Karma briefly worked here. "...I'd like to know where you are going with this. Because you're definitely implying something here."

It was Mr. Newman that answered. "That what we did was the only way we could make our child's dream come true."

"That is the truth you are seeking. The only way we saw Robin entering the prosecutor's office was as a male," Diana said. "So we did what we had to."

"Even if that resulted in Robin suffering?" In her mind's eyes, Juniper recalled the troubled, desperate Robin that wished to escape from her chains. "Is that why you are banning Athena from being near her? Because she's the one that dispelled that pain you caused?"

"Those are some strong words. Which makes all the worse that you are missing something," Diana said, tutting under her breath. "But if you don't believe me, you can ask my daughter."

Mrs. Newman clearly didn't intend on saying another word, and Mr. Newman was currently attending to her by getting a plate of sweet bread ready. So Juniper left the sitting room.

It didn't seem like the east half of the house had anything to do with the crime- with both Klavier and Mrs. Newman there, the real killer would not have a chance to escape in that direction. Instead, Juniper returned to the central entrance hall, where Klavier and Robin were talking with each other. Klavier noticed that Juniper was approaching them.

"This is quite the pickle that we've found ourselves in, ja? I wish I could have met you again in better circumstances," Klavier said, running his fingers through his hair. "Are you holding up, Fraulein Woods? I heard you discovered the body."

"I'm fine, Prosecutor Gavin. In fact, I should probably get to the crime scene," Juniper said, rubbing her wrist. "Oh, are you in charge of this case?"

"As much as it pains me, I am not," Klavier said, his face unusually serious. "Allegedly, the prosecutor of this case was recommended to the Chief Prosecutor by the Kingdom of Khura'in."

"A prosecutor recommended by Khura'in?" From Apollo, Juniper knew who was often considered the best prosecutor in that country. "Does that mean that he's in the country right now? Prosecutor… Sahdmadhi, I think his name was."

"If he is, the good prosecutor certainly has not shown himself," Klavier said. "I have decided to get some investigation of my own done, and compare notes with Das Chief."

"Edgeworth investigated the body first?" Juniper asked, hoping she had understood that correctly.

"He wanted to get a sense of the crime scene before deciding which prosecutor to assign the case," Klavier said. "Personally, if Fraulein Newman had not been given the pink slip, I would have liked to have seen her take on this case. Because it certainly does not look good for the defendant."

At this point, Juniper knew that she had to speak up. "Um, I visited Bailey in the detention center. She told me that she wants to hire Phoenix Wright as her attorney. So I am here to investigate to help with the defense."

Herr Wright? But he is not in the country right now," Klavier said, frowning. "He received a message from Herr Forehead that he needed help. So Herr Wright is flying his way to Khura'in right now."

"Excuse me?" That was deeply concerning to Juniper: That Apollo needed help badly enough to ask for Mr. Wright's help, despite being in a different country. Not to mention… "What's going to happen to Bailey's defense, then?"

"Someone else will have to take it on. It could be you, Fraulein Woods."

Is there really no one else that could defend Bailey? In her head, Juniper considered all the attorneys she knew. Mr. Wright and Apollo were both out of the country, Hugh would be busy with Carnila's sentencing trial. Athena was a possibility, but she was currently banned from investigating in the crime scene.

It does look like I am the only one that is able to defend Bailey. It's all up to me…

Just before the suffocating feeling could overtake her, Juniper felt someone put their hand on her shoulder. It turned out to be Robin.

"I got fired a few hours ago, but I still want to help in this case somehow. So let me investigate with you," Robin said. "Because there is absolutely no way that Bailey is the killer!"

"What a poetic sight. Seeing this fiery passion, Bailey is in good hands," Klavier said, smiling at the two women. "I'm sure you want to ask me about the crime, right?"

"Uh, right!" Juniper felt she already knew what he would say, but it was good to confirm. "So, what did you do at the time of the blackout?"

"I stood guard over there." Klavier pointed to the eastern door. "Even in the pitch black, I did not move a muscle. So I can say with confidence that no one exited from that side."

Klavier started snapping his fingers. "Although, I almost wish someone had tried. The deafening silence in the sitting room made my hair stand on end."

I should take note of this. Come to think of it, Myriam also disappeared somewhere, so I need to ask her about that.

Klavier's testimony was added to the Court Record.

As Juniper talked with him, Robin was poking around in the living room. "Hey, one of the cabinet doors is open!"

When Juniper went over to see what Robin was talking about, she noticed that the open door was to a chocolate section. "Do you remember anyone grabbing a chocolate before the blackout?"

"No, I don't think so. I know I didn't grab any," Robin said, her eyes closed in thought. "And remember, these chocolates are for guests only."

That is true. It would be something to keep in mind.

Chocolate Cabinet added to the Court Record.

"Since we're investigating, where do you want to start, Juniper?" Robin asked excitedly.

Juniper had known Robin for long enough to recognize that she was acting energetic for Juniper's sake.

"We should probably go to the crime scene first. That will be where most of the evidence is."

We need to take a close look at everything related to the body, as much as a part of me doesn't want to. After that, we need to update Bailey on the investigation and tell her about the state of her defense. I also need to tell Athena about where Mr. Wright with, and ask Robin about her past. I only hope it's not too much for me…

To be continued.

A/N: Please pray for Juniper. She is faced with a mountain of mysteries, and an equally mysterious enemy still pulling the strings in the background. So hang in there, everyone. See you next time! Please review.