A/N: It's been half a year since I last published an update for this story, and there are two big reasons for this. The first is that I got a full-time job six months ago, and that has taken all my time. The second is that the final stretch of the investigation totaled 30 pages of writing. So it's being split into two parts, with the second part being published soon. Enjoy, my readers!

"Ema, I can hear the conflict inside of your heart. It's tearing you apart," Athena said from over the phone. "So please, be honest with us. What did you do during the Andres Artisan case?"

"It was near the beginning of the case, shortly after Robin took on the case. Shortly after that, the Chief Prosecutor summoned me into his office…"

When Ema entered the office, Edgeworth was already pinching the bridge of his nose. "Prosecutor Newman seems to have ulterior motives for wanting to be in charge of this case. If the rest of the office weren't busy in other cases, I would have her removed at once."

"That would be your prerogative, sir! But why did you call me, then?" Ema asked.

"Because you are going to be the lead detective on this case, and I want you to make sure the case stays on track." Edgeworth said, giving a dead serious expression to Ema. "If you see Newman stray from her duty as a prosecutor, be there to set her straight."

"It was with those words in mind that I investigated the case. So when I saw that one scrap of wallpaper, I thought to myself, 'surely a piece of trash like this won't change anything'. The defendant was seen taking the body out of the trunk of his car, so… I didn't bring the wallpaper to Robin."

"You were only doing what you thought was right, Ema." Juniper could still remember how stressful that case had been, and how Ema had been partially responsible for it. Yet she also remembered… "You did help us in the end too. We couldn't have solved that case without you."

"I wonder if that's not the only time that you messed with the case." Hugh adjusted his glasses. "If I remember correctly, at one point a detective asked for the crime scene to be wiped clean, to help push for a guilty verdict."

"That wasn't me!" Ema immediately snapped. "If you remember, it was reported that a male detective was the one who did that!"

"Okay, that seems to have caused the sadness in your tone to go down. Keep going," Athena said, still focused on the therapy session. "You clearly respect the Chief Prosecutor. What do you feel about his way of doing his job?"

Ema smiled proudly. "As a Chief Prosecutor, Edgeworth has changed the office for the better! But of course, he was a great prosecutor back when he was on the bench!"

On the other end of the phone line, Athena gasped. "Ema… when you talked about Edgeworth at the bench, there's a hint of anger in your tone. What's that about?"

"What? I have no reason to be angry at Edgeworth!" Ema said, turning her head away. "Where did you get that idea?!"

"I may not have Athena's empathy, but even I can see that this is affecting you!" Robin cried out. "Be honest with us, Detective Skye!"

"Look, how Edgeworth may or may not have conducted behind the bench before has nothing to do with the case!" Ema exclaimed heatedly.

It looks like we're stuck. I can't really think of a way to get Ema to talk about what she's hiding, though.

"You know, I've actually been the defendant in a trial prosecuted by the Chief Prosecutor before. He has a very relentless style," Athena said, her tone completely serious. "Even though I was only a child when my mother died, Edgeworth laid out a case where I plotted to kill my own mother and take apart the body to hide the evidence!"

"Look, Edgeworth was probably only working with the facts he had! It's not a prosecutor's job to think about you or your husband's feelings!"

There was an awkward silence after Ema's statement, followed by Juniper meekly saying, "Um, Thena does not have a husband. I thought you'd know that, since you've been spending more time with her over the past few months."

"I don't think that this was a simple mixup, though. The tone in Ema's voice sounds like she's talking about something she's personally witnessed," Athena said thoughtfully. "Well, Ema? Were you thinking of a case where Edgeworth prosecuted a married couple?"

Ema put her hand on her hip. "Why do you even need to hear about this in the first place? What does it matter in this case?!"

"Because Edgeworth is involved with this case, helping with the investigation. Yet, it seems that you have a seed of doubt about him," Juniper said quietly. "As long as you don't confront that doubt, it will keep eating at you."

Juniper's words carried a strong conviction, born from the time she had been forced to face her own worst doubts. About Hugh, Robin, even about Athena's ability as a defense attorney.

"I know it's scary, Detective Skye. I know it can even be painful. But it's the right thing to do," Juniper continued. "Because once you clear those doubts, you'll be able to face both Edgeworth and the investigation with your head held high."

Ema looked down, her lip trembling. Then she said, "Fine, if you want to hear it so badly. I still don't know why you want to know this, but if it will get the investigation moving faster, I'll say it."

"I had been assigned as the lead detective of the case, about a maid that was accused of killing her boss on the day of her wedding. Her groom was the heir of a large airliner company, so this was a case with a lot of intense emotions."

"Wait, I think I vaguely remember this case!" Athena exclaimed. "Well, I didn't see any of the trial, I was too busy being chased around by… Well, that's not important right now."

"When I wasn't testifying as a detective, I was watching the trial from the gallery. So I saw when the groom had been called to testify, and his testimony implicated his bride. That's when it happened…"

At the defendant's chair, Ellen's eyes became despondent as she dropped her bouquet. "No...I can't believe this… Sorin… I thought at least you… would believe in me..."

Edgeworth grinned smugly. "The best way to show your love to your groom is to admit your guilt and try to atone."

Ellen didn't even seem to hear Edgeworth, still shattered emotionally. "Sorin…"

"HOLD IT! Mr. Edgeworth! I haven't even cross-examined the witness yet!" Phoenix cut in. "And quit picking on the clearly distraught!"

Maya added her own commentary, but Ema wasn't listening. She couldn't process the words coming out of Edgeworth's mouth. So she was even more shocked at what Edgeworth said next.

"Hmph. A court is where we seek the truth. And the truth is unyielding, even to the truly pitiful."

Juniper heard Athena suck in her breath sharply, and she knew what was going to happen next. "Everyone, cover your ears! Right now! Detective Skye, hold the phone away from you!"

Everyone else looked confused, but followed Juniper's instructions. Not even a moment later, Athena started screaming: "Did he really say that? WHAT A CREEP!"

I'm covering my ears and the yelling is still very loud. When Athena gets furious, she really explodes.

"I don't care if he's the Chief Prosecutor! Next time I see Edgeworth, I'm taking that napkin on his neck and THROTTLING HIM WITH IT!"

"That is a crime!" Ema snapped. "Don't think I won't arrest you if you actually tried that, Athena!"

This stopped Athena's yelling, which gave Juniper a chance to say, "Let's go back to what this has to do with Ema. The conflicting emotion was one of anger. Who is the detective angry towards?"

Athena calmed down further, as she slipped into her therapist mindset. "I mean, there's really only one possibility. Ema's anger has to do with the Chief Prosecutor, and with how he treated the defendant of that trial she mentioned."

Ema flinched at Athena's words. "You'll keep digging into this if I don't talk about it. What I felt at the time was anger, true. Because at that moment, I remembered the Edgeworth that saved my sister, that I admired so much… and I couldn't see that man in the prosecutor that was so awful to the defendant."

Everyone in the room ruminated on Ema's words, the silence only broken when Athena said, "Okay, that seems to have cleared up the last of the noise. I think I understand what this is about."

Over the phone, Athena's sympathetic tone echoed across the speaker. "You want to solve this case, and you respect the Chief Prosecutor. At the same time, you feel conflicted about the heavy-handed methods that he uses sometimes."

"Athena, we work in the legal system. We can't afford to be too soft, because that's how criminals get away!" Ema said defiantly.

"Okay, I understand that we all have our different ways of doing things. I work with people's emotions, but I understand if you don't," Athena said calmly. "So all I will say is that going forward in this case, trust in your own ability. In forensic science that's guided you!"

"I didn't need you to tell me that." Even with the bitter tone, Ema seemed to be considering Athena's words. "I still feel regret for how I handled the Andres Artisan case. So I'm determined to close this case with my own hands, using forensic science!"

"That's more like it, Ema! Glad I could talk it out with you," Athena said, sounding much happier. "I think you'll be a big help in uncovering the full truth!"

"There are still several things I need to investigate in the garbage room. So here I go!" Ema took a deep breath, and went back inside.

"Oh, Junie. Since you called me, I may as well pass along a message," Athena said, still on the phone. "Prosecutor Gavin told me that he and Hugh are done with their investigation, and want to meet you back in at your law office."

"Since Detective Skye is still doing her investigation, it may be best to leave her to it." Juniper considered the best course of action. "It's getting late in the day, so after Prosecutor Gavin gives his report, we should go visit Bailey at the detention center. That's when we'll finally discuss everything we learned."

"Sounds like a plan, Juniper!" Robin exclaimed. "Let's tackle this last leg of the investigation with everything we have!"

June 6th, 2029

O'Conner and Co Law Offices

5:30 p.m.

"Achtung! It's been a while since I've been so up close and personal with a crowd. The audience of the court just doesn't have the same intimacy."

"Good thing that the entire defense team is here too. There's a lot to talk about, and we need to figure out what we should tell Bailey," Hugh added. "Because there's a lot here that is… delicate, shall we say."

"In case you were wondering about Fraulein Scuttlebutt, she is engaged in her own investigation. She seems like someone that can take care of herself, so I didn't stop her."

I am a little worried about Myriam, but her undercover skills have served her well. We'll catch up with her later.

Before they got into the meat of the conversation, there was something Juniper wanted to know about. "By chance, did you hear anything from the conversation I had with Thena? She passed along a message from you, Prosecutor Gavin."

"Of course I wouldn't eavesdrop on a fraulein's conversation. But even a deaf person would have heard Fraulein Cyke's screams about wanting to throttle the Chief Prosecutor," Klavier pointed out.

"Then, could you share your thoughts about working under Mr. Edgeworth?" During this entire investigation, Juniper had repeatedly heard his name in a variety of contexts. She wanted to get a complete picture of the man.

"It's usually considered bad form to talk about your boss behind your back. But I did eavesdrop on your phone call, so I suppose it's only fair." Klavier flipped his hair. "No one is more determined than Herr Edgeworth when it comes to cleaning up the justice system. In the past couple years alone, he's completely removed all corrupt prosecutors from the state."

Juniper did remember how when she had been accused of bombing a courtroom, the prosecutor of the case bullied her endlessly. After the Not Guilty verdict, that prosecutor had been fired by Edgeworth. "I have seen Edgeworth's efforts, firsthand."

"But that's not the full story, is it? We've heard more disquieting stories as well," Hugh said, adjusting his glasses. "Such as prosecutors being reprimanded for the smallest mistakes, and no one wanting to apply to be a prosecutor recently."

Klavier started snapping his fingers. "Herr Edgeworth's reputation precedes him, for better or worse. He does not show mercy against criminals, because he wishes to avoid a miscarriage of justice. Of course, this job does have a heavy cost. It's been years since he's seen some of his friends."

"...Being a prosecutor sounds like it's hard," Sheila said quietly. "I feel bad for them."

"Pursuing justice isn't easy, little one," Klavier said, smiling gently at Sheila. "But we all need to do our part, because it's how we keep precious frauleins like you safe."

Athena shot Juniper a significant look. "I hope you heard what you wanted from that conversation."

I do feel like I have a better idea of Edgeworth as a person. I'm not sure how he fits into the overall picture of the case, but Edgeworth makes it clear he plans to stay involved.

"I think I've heard enough. I apologize for taking up time," Juniper said. "I believe you had a report you wanted to give?"

"No need to apologize, Fraulein Woods. Everyone is free to offer whatever information they have," Klavier said. "Now I shall disclose everything that Herr O'Conner and I found in our recent investigation."

"To give context to our investigation, we spent most of the time in the police department," Hugh explained. "However, they were very uncooperative at first."

"If I hadn't been previously investigating Herr Smokes, we would not have gotten the information at all," Klavier added. "But you always catch more flies with honey than vinegar, ja? So I gently told the officers that I needed information for an ongoing case. They finally played nice after that."

"Good thing too. Because there turned out to be a lot of information about the detective that was hidden away from the public." Hugh looked straight at Juniper. "Including his involvement in your previous cases."

"But we never saw Detective Smokes in any of the previous cases!" Robin pointed out. "We never even met him until we went to his house a few days ago!"

"That's what our mysterious detective wanted you to believe." For the first time, Klavier had a serious expression on his face. "Take Fraulein Woods' very first case. The killer had been tricked into going after a reporter by a mysterious email. Going through Detective Smokes' correspondence, we found the initial email that was sent to the killer."

At that moment, Juniper remembered something that happened during her first trial.

"A week before the crime, I received an anonymous letter," Mr. Bolo said. "It told me that Mr. Ratters was going to meet with a reporter at The Fried Slop, to tell her about the cadet's death so that it could be published in a major newspaper."

This statement immediately struck Juniper as strange. What Mr. Ratters planned to do with the info about Mr. Bolo, they would never know. However… "Mr. Bolo, whoever told you that was lying to you."

"Lying? How do you figure that, Attorney Woods?" Mr. Bolo said.

"Mr. Ratters contacted Myriam for an entirely different reason. It had nothing to do with you," Juniper said.

"I've never even heard of you until today, Kahk Kahk. So I had no reason to ask Mr. Ratters about you," Myriam added, from the defendant's chair.

"So you're saying someone played me like a fiddle? Then you must find whoever did this, Attorney Woods! Consider this a final request from this old soldier!" Mr. Bolo said.

"Wait, are you saying the one that ordered Mr. Bolos to kill Conan Ratters was Detective Smokes?"

"I wouldn't say go that far." Hugh took out a physical file, showed it to Juniper. The file seemed to be a copy of an email, from Detective Smokes to Vernon Bolo. The email read as follows:

Greetings, Captain Bolo. There is a man named Conan Ratters that knows about the 'accident' that happened, and they plan to sell the story to a major newspaper. I am letting you know, so you can take the proper procedures.

"This does not seem like an order to kill. It's possible that Detective Smokes expected Mr. Bolo to call the police, so Smokes could personally arrest Mr. Ratters," Hugh suggested. "Of course, there's no way to know for sure now."

"But that's not all- this sordid performance has one more act," Klavier continued. "You will definitely remember the Andres Artisan case. At one point, the crime scene was tampered with by an innocent third party, at the orders of a detective. Questioning that third party, we have since learned the identity of the detective: Tony Smokes."

"Wait, what?! What possible motive could Detective Smokes have to rig the trial against Juniper and her defendant?!" Robin asked incredulously.

"Your guess is as good as mine, Fraulein Robin. Guessing is all we'll be able to do, because we cannot ask the detective himself," Klavier said with a melancholy tone.

"With these facts in mind, a thought did occur to me." Hugh pushed up his glasses. "Perhaps Detective Smokes realized that the walls were closing in, and chose to escape by permanently putting himself out of everyone's reach."

"That would wrap up the case neatly, wouldn't it? Unfortunately, such a scenario is impossible," Klavier said. "It wounds me that you don't realize it, Herr O'Conner, after all the time we spent together."

"I don't see any issue with Hugh's theory, Prosecutor Gavin," Juniper said nervously. "Aren't we looking for a motive behind the victim's actions?"

"You are correct, Fraulein Woods. Which is why I must point out a fatal flaw in your friend's theory." Klavier put his hands on his hips. "Recall what I said when this conversation began: the police department had refused to share this information with me until I told them it was part of an ongoing investigation."

Hugh's eyes widened. "Then we wouldn't have learned any of this before the victim's death?"

"Exactly. So the idea that this case happened because of the information we've discussed is not possible."

They had been talking vaguely to spare Sheila's ears, but Juniper could pick up what Klavier was saying. Klavier's logic is sound: it makes no sense for Detective Smokes to kill himself to hide information that we only learned because he died. Still, knowing this information is valuable for getting into Detective Smokes' mindset. It seems he manipulated my cases for an unknown reason, but this wasn't the motive for his suicide.

Detective Smokes Information File added to the Court Record.

"Now I'm starting to wish that I had been able to talk with Tony Smokes at least once," Athena said sadly. "If he had a problem that made him feel cornered, I would have liked to help him with it."

"But, didn't this man hurt your friend?" Shelia asked.

"I mean, of course I'm mad about that. But being a therapist and a defense attorney means you want to help people from all walks of life," Athena responded. "It's similar to the core of the legal system- everyone deserves a fair trial."

Even the guilty defendants, like Carnila. It's true that she killed someone, but it was still important that the court hear her full story. That way, she can return to her little sister all the sooner.

"Either way, that's everything we learned during our investigation," Hugh said. "We can decide what we tell Bailey when we go visit her at the detention center."

"I think we should tell her everything." When everyone else looked at Juniper, she continued, "This late into the investigation, I feel that there's no point in holding anything back. We need to tell Bailey, because she spent the last year living alongside Detective Smokes. She could give context to what we've uncovered."

"In other words, 'honesty is the best policy'. Your heart is perhaps too honest, Fraulein Woods," Klavier said softly. "But perhaps it's exactly what this case needs."

A/N: Because of work, the second half of this investigation will take a few days. But it will definitely get published in the next few days, and that is a promise. See you next time! Please review.