A/N: We now have none other than Miles Edgeworth on the witness stand! Delving deeper into the previous cases of this story. Looking for the thread that connects them all. Enjoy, my readers!

The Judge closed his eyes. "I did notice that the Chief Prosecutor was on the list of witnesses. Did the prosecution believe that his testimony would be needed?"

"As the defense stated just now, he can give testimony about the events currently in question," Mrs. Newman said. "And the prosecution is ready to hear that testimony!"

"If both sides are in agreement, then I see no reason why the Chief Prosecutor can't be called to the witness stand," The Judge said. "Then he shall be summoned at once."

Klavier played a lick on his air guitar. "Herr Edgeworth is going to join our little party? This should be a show to remember."

Ema didn't say anything, but she now had sweat running down her face.

Juniper had an idea of how Ema felt, given how her own heart was beating rapidly from nervousness. I'm about to question the most important prosecutor in the state. I hope I don't end up hyperventilating.

Edgeworth took the witness stand, placing himself between Klavier and Ema. The first thing that Juniper noticed was that his expression was deeply annoyed.

"As a formality, I need you to state your name and occupation," The Judge said. "I'm sure you understand."

"It is standard court procedure," Edgeworth said, letting out a deep sigh. "Very well. My name is Miles Edgeworth, and I am the Chief Prosecutor for this state."

"But you are not here in that position. You are here to testify about the case being discussed," Mrs. Newman said, eyeing Edgeworth carefully. "So could you please tell the court what you know of that time?"

"I will certainly be giving testimony. But only testimony that directly relates to the trial."

Witness Testimony

Edgeworth's Account

"All the discussion up to this point hinges on a fragile assumption- that Detective Smokes acted in good faith," Edgeworth began. "Which is why the court's time is being wasted on this nonsensical 'traitor' theory."

Edgeworth adjusted his glasses. "However, one must consider the detective's conduct to see how untrustworthy he is, such as when Myriam Scuttlebutt was on trial for murder. Prosecutor Gavin, could you refresh the court?"

"I believe that at the trial's conclusion, Fraulein Woods uncovered that a mysterious individual incited Vernon Bolo to murder," Klavier said, flipping his hair. "An investigation undertaken at a later point revealed that none other than Detective Smokes was responsible for this."

"Furthermore, none other than the defendant was present in that case, as a court bailiff," Edgeworth continued. "As such, we should be discussing this, instead of nebulous allegations that mean nothing."

End Testimony

"OBJECTION!" Mrs. Newman slammed her bench with her right palm. "That is not what you were told to testify about!"

"You cannot force me to say anything. I will testify to what is necessary," Edgeworth said, glaring at Mrs. Newman. "Bailey Courte is on trial on suspicion of attempted murder. Anything else is frivolous."

"You're right, I can't force you to say anything that you don't want to say." Diana put a hand to her mouth, a small smile on her face. "On the other hand, the defense can cross-examine you."

"Huh? You mean me?" Juniper asked nervously. Why is this on my shoulders all of a sudden?

"Hey! We aren't going to do the cross-examination for your sake!" Robin yelled at her mother. "We're going to do it to save Bailey!"

The Judge slammed down his gavel. "Order! Order in the court! The defense and prosecution will please direct their attention to the testimony."

"Yes, Your Honor." Juniper took a deep breath. This will probably be similar to last time. I need to find possible inconsistencies in the testimony, when compared to what I already know.

"Don't get too nervous about talking with Mr. Edgeworth! Right now, he's a witness like any other," Robin said in an encouraging voice. "So don't be afraid to ask anything you need to ask!"

Even with Robin's words, Juniper still felt a cold sweat run down her face as she turned in Edgeworth's direction. "HOLD IT! With all due respect, Chief Prosecutor, it feels like speculation to say that the victim wasn't acting in good faith."

"What is speculation is the idea that a prosecutor sabotaged one of their own for no clear motive," Edgeworth responded. "And I do have evidence to back up my claim."

What Klavier testified about. Here goes nothing, then… "HOLD IT! I was the defense attorney of that case. I'm the one that exposed that Vernon Bolo as a murderer."

"Then as such, you should be aware why Herr Bolo committed his crime," Klavier said. "Because he was sent an email that provoked the murder. One that was later traced to Detective Smokes."

"It all seems clear so far," The Judge said. "Does the defense have anything to add?"

"As a matter of fact, I do." Juniper smacked her bench with both hands. "Prosecutor Gavin showed us the email that was sent to Mr. Bolo. So he should remember that the email did not contain an order to kill!"

"You are correct, Fraulein Woods." Klavier presented the email in question to the rest of the court. "However, consider this: would Detective Smokes put an explicit order to kill if he knew there was a risk the email would later be traced?"

"OBJECTION!" Mrs. Newman pointed at Klavier. "And can you prove that Tony meant to hide a kill order in this email? It's more likely that he wanted to warn Mr. Bolo!"

"OBJECTION!" Klavier pointed right back at Mrs. Newman. "It was also later discovered that Detective Smokes lied about the victim scheming to expose Herr Bolo!"

"Hngh!" Mrs. Newman flinched, and Mr. Newman grasped her hand.

"That doesn't prove anything, Prosecutor Gavin." Juniper recalled Hugh's theory, when they discussed this the day before. "Even if Detective Smokes lied in the email, that didn't mean he wanted a murder to happen. Having the victim arrested would have accomplished a similar aim."

At this, Klavier started snapping. "You are correct, Fraulein Woods. However, the purpose of this cross-examination is to establish the credibility of Tony Smokes. So far, it's not looking good for our late detective."

"Unfortunately, Klavier's right," Robin said, a frustrated expression on her face. "We need to figure out a way to prove Detective Smokes had valid reasons for his suspicions!"

Then the only option left is to keep pressing. "HOLD IT! It's true that Bailey was a court bailiff in that case. But what are you implying, Chief Prosecutor?" Juniper asked.

"This trial convened to try Bailey Courte on attempted murder. As such, we should be discussing her motive," Edgeworth said. "The victim manipulated a case, and the defendant attended the subsequent trial. I doubt that this is a coincidence."

Robin smacked the wall behind her with her palm. "It was just established that Tony Smokes being involved wasn't known until recently! So Bailey would not have known either!"

Edgeworth tapped his forehead, a smug smile on his face. "Ah, but remember that the defendant is special. She is also a live-in maid for the victim, so she would have access to information that no one else does."

"OBJECTION!" Mrs. Newman tutted under her breath. "May I remind you that I am the prosecutor of this case? I am the one establishing the facts about the defendant's guilt."

"You seem to be doing a poor job of it so far," Edgeworth said sardonically. "Given that this trial has dragged to a second day."

"If this is how you treat all your subordinates, it's no wonder that no one wants to work in your office." Mr. Newman said flatly.

"You did not attend the first day of this trial. As such, you might not be aware of this," Mrs. Newman said. "But it was established that the victim planned to leave the country, without Bailey's knowledge."

"If I remember, the prosecution alleges that this is Bailey's motive," Juniper said. "That she would lose her chance to get her mother's case file."

"The same case file that the trial was discussing, before Edgeworth derailed the discussion." Mrs. Newman looked right at Edgeworth. "Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

"So that's your strategy." Edgeworth pushed up his glasses. "I would call into question the idea that the defendant didn't know Detective Smokes' actions."

At the defendant's chair, Bailey had a confused expression on her face.

"It would be faster to hear what you want to say," Mrs. Newman said. "Testify to the court why you think Bailey would know what Detective Smokes was doing."

Witness Testimony

Further Interference

"The Vernon Bolo case was not the first time that Tony Smokes meddled in affairs that did not concern him," Edgeworth explained. "He did something similar in another case that Ms. Woods defended."

"Oh, I remember that case!" Ema exclaimed. "At one point, the real crime scene was discovered, but soon after someone tampered with it."

"It should not surprise the court to learn that Detective Smokes was responsible," Edgeworth continued. "He secretly ordered the tampering."

"I see what you're saying, Mr. Edgeworth!" Ema smiled. "The defendant was also court bailiff for the trial that followed."

"This is not a coincidence. Wherever the detective altered cases, the defendant followed," Edgeworth said. "Further increasing the likelihood of an alternate motive."

End Testimony

"So this must be what Bailey meant," Juniper said to Robin. "When we visited her in the detention center yesterday. She told us that my first two cases would become important."

"I can definitely see what the Chief Prosecutor is saying! Bailey has been lurking in the background for months now," Robin said. "She definitely comes off as suspicious!"

"We know the real reason why Bailey was involved in those cases- to watch over me." Juniper frowned. "But I don't think the court would accept that without evidence."

"We have an advantage here, Juniper! We both participated in the Andres Artisan case from beginning to end," Robin said, pumping her fists. "So we could catch any inconsistencies in the testimony!"

I didn't think I'd have to revisit this case again. But if it means helping Bailey, I will dive back into those memories.

"HOLD IT! If you've been investigating Detective Smokes, do you have any theories as to why he involved himself in my cases?" Juniper asked. This had actually been something she personally wondered about for a while now.

"With the victim's suicide, it is impossible to ask him directly," Edgeworth said. "However, it seems he had a clear purpose during your second case: to direct the trial to a guilty verdict."

"I figured as much myself." Juniper nervously twiddled her fingers together. "What I don't get is why he'd want to force a guilty verdict. What did I ever do to him?"

"I believe you were the defense attorney that was unlucky enough to take that trial," Edgeworth said, adjusting his glasses. "After all, there is no motive to target someone specific."

*munch… munch…munch…"

Juniper heard a quiet munching noise. That's Detective Skye again. I feel bad that I keep pressing her, but this might be the opening I need.

"HANG ON! Detective Skye, did Mr. Edgeworth's words make you think of something?"

Ema clapped her hand to her face in surprise. "I mean, I'm not sure what I could contribute here. He's the Chief Prosecutor, and I'm just a detective."

"OBJECTION! Oh, you're not just a detective." Robin pointed at Ema. "You were the lead detective working with me back then!"

"Oh, that's right. I work on so many cases, that one slipped my mind," Ema said, scratching her neck as more sweat ran down her face. "But I think I remember it now."

"Then could you please add what you remember of the Andres Artisan trial to your testimony?" Juniper asked.

"Sure thing." Ema took out her phone. "Not that there's much to say. It was your average murder case, like a lot of other that I deal with."

A shudder ran through Juniper. She's lying. Detective Skye is lying to the court.

"Juniper, if you press Detective Skye on her latest statement, I'm going to expose her lie," Robin said, clenching her fists. "But only if you press her!"

I don't know why she's hiding what she knows, but… Juniper took a deep breath. I can't let her pretend that she's not involved.

"HOLD IT! No, Detective Skye. That was not 'just another murder case. Not to me," Juniper said quietly. "The events of that trial had great significance."

"Which you of all people should know!" Robin smacked the wall behind her. "After all, you concealed evidence from me!"

"I believe this caused issues during the course of that case," Mrs. Newman said, her gaze bearing down on Ema. "Care to explain, Detective Skye?"

"I don't have to explain anything!" Ema yelled defiantly. "This has nothing to do with the trial at hand!"

"Oh, but it does. As a reminder, the victim's credibility is being called into question because of his past actions," Mrs. Newman said, drumming her fingers onto her bench. "During that same case, however, it turns out the lead detective was engaged in her own skullduggery."

"Wait, don't put it like that!" Ema cried out frantically. "I didn't intentionally conceal evidence!"

"Then explain what you did to the court," Juniper said. "Everyone is going to think the worst about you if you don't explain yourself."

"And what do I care what other people think of me?" Ema asked, averting her eyes. "That case was settled months ago."

"Sure, you might not care what people think about you." Robin wagged her finger at Ema. "And I'm sure you also don't care if we move onto discussing the reason why you acted the way you did."

"Don't you dare!" As soon as the words left her mouth, Ema's face drained of color.

"I remember why, from when Thena did a therapy session on you," Juniper said. "You told us at the time that you were summoned by the Chief Prosecutor."

Edgeworth's expression tightened, and his entire body stiffened.

"Since you're on the witness stand… *cough cough* could you tell the court in your own words what you told Detective Skye at the time?" asked Juniper, even as coughs racked her body.

"I told her that as the lead detective of the case, her duty was to keep the case on the right track," Edgeworth answered. "And to remind Miss Newman of her duty as a prosecutor."

"OBJECTION! You can try to dress it up in pretty words, but what you were truly doing is throwing my daughter under the bus!" Mrs. Newman pointed at Edgeworth. "And all to save your own skin!"

"This is a serious accusation. I assume you have proof to back it up," The Judge said, even as Edgeworth's posture tensed again.

"I researched the events of the Andres Artisan trial, and discovered something rather interesting," Mrs. Newman said. "Shortly after the defendant was arrested, a judge for a contest being held at a nearby convention center contacted the Chief Prosecutor, to assure him that the contest had no relation to the murder."

Robin gasped, her hands going up to her mouth. "I didn't believe the defendant committed the crime, so I tried investigating other leads. When I tried to look into the convention center, Edgeworth told me it wasn't allowed because they weren't related!"

"Come to think of it, that's also why Detective Skye was compelled to withhold evidence from you," Juniper said, recalling that time. "She believed the case was already settled."

"But just as my daughter suspected, the convention center turned out to be central to that murder. When this fact was brought to light, it reflected poorly on the prosecutor's office. And this is why-" Mrs. Newman slammed down on her bench. "The Chief Prosecutor threw my daughter out as a scapegoat!"

Edgeworth doubled over, resting his arm on the witness stand. "You… you really will stop at nothing to run roughshod over the law, won't you?"

Juniper, however, was thinking of something else entirely. When Hugh was defending Carnila Winters, she told us that Robin was considered a "disgraced prosecutor". Shortly after, Robin was fired as a prosecutor altogether. Just what is happening at the prosecutor's office?

A/N: The fierce argument over the facts heats up. Yet you better believe that Miles Edgeworth will not take such assertions lying down. So Juniper will continue to untangle the path forward from all of this. See you next time! Please review.