A/N: An extra big chapter as we arrive at the climax of this story! Over two years of work on this case, all converging onto this one showdown between Juniper and Mrs. Newman. Enjoy, my readers!

"So, it seems that Mr. Newman has confessed to being the true culprit of the case," The Judge said. "Which would make for an abrupt end to this trial."

"The prosecution does not accept the witness's confession!" Mrs. Newman snapped. "And would like to know what the witness thinks he's doing!"

Mr. Newman crossed his arms. "Only what needs to be done."

The Judge turned towards Juniper. "Well, defense? The defendant will be found Not Guilty if you can prove that Mr. Newman is the culprit."

That's true. The question is, do I believe that? Juniper considered what had been established so far. "I believe that Mrs. Newman should also be considered-"

"No, Diana did nothing wrong!" Mr. Newman shouted. "I sabotaged the breaker and I stabbed the body, end of story!"

Suddenly, Juniper was hit with a vivid memory.

With a wide grin on her face, Robin said, "Yup! I know because the real killer is... M-E, me!"

"IT WAS ME! I DID IT ALONE. JUST MEEEEEE!"

"Now I get why this was familiar to me. Like father, like daughter I suppose." Juniper muttered to herself.

At the witness stand, Athena frowned. "You've realized it too, Junie. The emotions in his voice reveal what he's really feeling."

"Now that Miss Cykes is done presenting her evidence, I'd like to ask her and the child to leave the witness stand," Mrs. Newman said firmly. "And get out of the courtroom, as well."

"You do not have the right to expel someone from the courtroom." The Judge looked at Athena and Sheila. "However, you will need to go to the visitor's gallery now."

"The rest is up to you, Junie!" Athena called out. "I know you can do it!"

"I believe in you!" Sheila added. Both of them went to the visitor's gallery.

"To finish the defense's statement, earlier in the trial it was deduced that Mrs. Newman is a potential suspect to this crime," Edgeworth said. " As such, we can also deduce the purpose of this sudden confession."

"Mr. Newman wants to protect his wife," Juniper said sadly. "As such, he's lying about stabbing the body."

"OBJECTION!" Mrs. Newman pointed at Juniper. "Yet after all this testimony, you are no closer to proving that I'm involved in this crime!"

"But Juniper has proved something e-l-s-e! My father caused the blackout to happen," Robin said. "And if he didn't stab the body, there's only one other reason he would do that."

"Because he was an accomplice to the true culprit," Klavier said. "And the sole person that Herr Newman would want to help would be his wife."

"I believe that's where the conversation will resume," The Judge said. "Mr. Newman caused the blackout. Now, if you claim that you stabbed the body, how did you do it?"

"I believe it was established that no one heard strange movements," Hugh said thoughtfully. "The secret tunnel is soundproofed…"

"OBJECTION!" Mrs. Newman tutted at Hugh. "But, that is only the tunnel. Someone would have heard Ricky walking there for sure, and the same goes for me too."

"After I doused the breaker wires with acid, I walked as softly as possible," Mr. Newman said. "That's not such a difficult concept."

"...Wait a second!"

Juniper heard a familiar voice, and turned to look at the person that spoke those words. "HANG ON! What's with the angry face, Myriam?"

"Someone here is definitely lying!" Myriam shouted with a furious expression on her face. "Because someone did run, and nearly broke my face in the process!"

"Is that why you used to wear cardboard boxes?" The Judge asked. "To protect your face?"

"That's not what's important right now, Kahk Kahk! I heard the sound of someone running, and then they stepped on me!" Myriam insisted.

Myriam is leaving out some important context, so I'd better clarify her statements. "TAKE THAT! The court should know that Myriam was in one of her cardboard boxes at the time. I even have it in the evidence."

"I did see that in the list of evidence. Bailiff, please present this box to the court." On the Judge's order, a bailiff brought out a crumpled box.

Myriam's expression immediately fell. "My poor cardboard box… it served me so well, and it fell in the line of duty."

"So what does this have to do with anything?" Mrs. Newman asked impatiently. "What your friend describes can't have happened during the blackout. Someone surely would have heard it."

"It did happen during the blackout! Everything was pitch black when I got stepped on!" Myriam insisted.

Hugh looked over at Myriam. "Did you have your eyes open while you were in there?"

"As soon as the lights went off, I closed my eyes. And I didn't open them again until…" Myriam's words trailed off. "...until I got stepped on. The lights were definitely on by then!"

"So even Miss Scuttlebutt doesn't know when this happened to her," Mrs. Newman said impatiently. "And even if she knew, what would that change?"

Mrs. Newman is right, I can't prove when this happened. Even if I could, I'm not sure what this would contribute to this case.

"Hey, could I get a closer look at that box?" Ema suddenly asked.

"I don't see why not." Juniper said, which prompted the bailiff to hand over the cardboard box to Ema.

"Ah ha! It looks like your friend is telling the truth. This box has a footprint on it," Ema said, showing it to the court. "And it so happens that I have a way of matching a footprint to the person that owns it!"

"I do remember seeing you use this technique before," The Judge said. "And this will reveal who stepped on Miss Scuttlebutt."

"Then you can convict them of their crime on the spot, sss sss sss!" Mryiam said triumphantly.

Ema took out some mysterious fluids and some plaster. "So, I'd like to ask the witnesses to please give me one of their shoes."

"I believe I can think of a faster way to do this, Fraulein Detective," Klavier said, an amused grin on his face. "We merely need to compare everyone's shoes to the footprint on the box."

"You're no fun, glimmerous fop." Ema said, pouting.

One by one, the people at the witness stand compared their shoe to Myriam's box. The shoe that matched the footprint belonged to none other than Richard Newman.

"So you're the one that stepped on me! Explain yourself at once!" Myriam yelled at him.

"It happened after the blackout. It cannot be related to the crime," Mr. Newman said, his expression impassive. "That's all I will say."

"After the blackout…" Edgeworth pushed his glasses up his nose. "I testified earlier that no strange sounds happened while the lights were still off. However, something did happen right when they came back on."

"Any new information will help, Chief Prosecutor," Juniper said. "What did you hear?"

"The sound of someone crying. After which, the sound of someone running, which was followed by a loud noise," Edgeworth explained. "Which I suppose is when Miss Scuttlebutt's box was crushed. This was followed by her requesting me to find and convict the person who stepped on her, but the body was discovered right after, so that matter had to be shelved."

"Oh! I think I might know what you're talking about!" Juniper exclaimed. "I believe that Mr. Newman was comforting Mrs. Newman, who was crying at the time. I saw it myself."

Robin looked over at Mr. Newman with a surprised expression. "My mother was crying? But why was she crying?"

Mr. Newman gently ruffled his daughter's hair. "Because she lost her best friend. When I heard her crying, I had to rush over to comfort her as soon as possible."

Mr. Newman's statement was followed by a silence from the entire court.

Juniper could feel her heart beating rapidly as she considered the implications of what she just heard. "So let me get this straight. As soon as the lights came back on, you heard Mrs. Newman crying, because she knew that Tony Smokes had died?"

"Yes, that's what I said," Mr. Newman said tersely. "That's why I had to get by her side, even if I stepped on Miss Scuttlebutt in the process."

Over at the prosecutor's bench, Mrs. Newman was sweating bullets, fanning herself.

"Then I'd like to ask one more question." Juniper slammed her palms on her bench. "How did she know? How did Mrs. Newman know that Mr. Smokes was dead?"

The realization hit Mr. Newman, as he clutched his hand to his chest. "No. NNNOOO!"

Edgeworth smirked. "Ah, now I see what the defense is driving at. I heard Mrs. Newman crying as soon as the lights came back on, which was before the body was discovered. This is a crucial contradiction in the facts."

"Your Honor, I misspoke!" Mr. Newman cried out frantically. "This happened after the body was reported!"

"I'm afraid you cannot unring that bell, Herr Newman," Klavier said, glancing over at him. "It's now been established that your wife knew of the victim's death before anyone else."

"Which means what, exactly? That certainly doesn't place me at the crime scene," Mrs. Newman said, her icy aura flaring out. "Isn't it just as likely that my husband did get events mixed up in the heat of the moment?"

"No, that's not possible. I just testified as much," Edgeworth said firmly. "I heard you crying as soon as the lights came back on. However, I will acknowledge that it's not proof that you stabbed the victim's body."

"Then it seems that a recap of the crime is in order," The Judge said. "To take into consideration all the new information learned in the course of this trial."

"The first people to arrive were myself and Das Chief. We had a brief conversation with Detective Smokes before the mail arrived. After he took the mail, he retreated to his room." Klavier's expression grew serious. "It seems he chose to take his own life shortly after this."

"It was around this time that me, Hugh, and Juniper entered the manor!" Robin exclaimed. "We arrived to interview Detective Smokes further, not knowing it was impossible! We were talking with Prosecutor Gavin when the lights went out!"

"I was summoned twice to Mr. Smokes' room. Once to deliver the chocolate he would use to end his own life," Bailey said, her expression stricken. "The second time, by a mysterious third party. One that I presume made their escape through the wardrobe door when they heard me enter the bedroom."

"Unknown to everyone on the west side of the manor, the blackout was an intentional part of a larger plan," Edgeworth said. "One caused by Mr. Newman, who claims to have done this to stab the victim's body."

"But this doesn't add up, sss sss sss! Because after the lights came on, Mr. Newman made a beeline to his wife, trampling on me in the process!" Myriam said, still glaring at him. "Because apparently, Mrs. Newman knew of the victim's death long before anyone else! So he was likely an accomplice to Mrs. Newman!"

"However, the sticking point is that there is no evidence that anyone stabbed the victim's body, which includes Mrs. Newman," Hugh said, pushing his glasses up his face. "If I were her defense attorney, I'd also point to a complete lack of motive for her to do this."

"I wouldn't say there's a lack of motive. The case file that connects both of them has also been discussed in this trial," Ema pointed out. "Although without decisive evidence, we're stuck."

"As the prosecution, my stance is that the defendant is the most likely suspect," Mrs. Newman said, smirking. "She was found at the crime scene with the victim, after all. There's no evidence of a third party being in the room, even after all this time."

"That is a fairly comprehensive review of this case." The Judge turned to Juniper. "If the defense has any evidence that could clear up the lingering questions in this case, present it now."

"Wait, I'm the one that has to do it?" Juniper could feel the intense pressure on her shoulders. So, Mrs. Newman is the most likely culprit. However, she covered her tracks well, and avoided serious suspicion until Mr. Newman's slip-up earlier. I should use that as a starting point- is there any evidence in the Court Record that has a new significance now with this new information?

Juniper looked over the evidence, and one of them caught her eye. We've never had cause to discuss this evidence… but with what Mr. Newman said, it may just turn out to be the evidence I need to expose Mrs. Newman's crimes.

"TAKE THAT!" Juniper presented the blood-soaked handkerchief to the court. "I believe this evidence should clear up the last lingering questions."

"Oh, I remember that!" Ema exclaimed. She put her pink glasses on, a smile on her face. "Allow me to explain. At the east side of the manor, there's a garbage room. Trash is placed inside, and there's also a furnace where the trash burned. However, that handkerchief had not been burned."

"You also had that handkerchief analyzed by forensics, right?" Juniper asked.

"You probably already know what the tests revealed, but I'll say it for the benefit of the court," Ema said, her smile growing wider. "This is covered in blood, chocolate, and stomach acid, all belonging to the victim."

"OBJECTION!" Mrs. Newman smacked her bench with her right palm. "You're not about to suggest that Tony wiped his own mouth, are you? He was taking his own life! He wouldn't have done something like that!"

"As improbable as that sounds, there is proof that this happened," Juniper said, looking over her notes. "In the victim's room, there's a trash can that's also stained with the same… 'fluids' that are on the handkerchief. The victim had to have thrown the handkerchief in that trash can."

"Also, I believe that Mrs. Newman is thinking about it backwards. The victim knew full well he was eating something he was allergic to," Ema said, scratching the side of her neck. "He likely had the handkerchief to cover his own mouth when his body tried to vomit up the chocolate. That's how the handkerchief got so dirty, then the victim used the last of his strength to toss it in the trash can."

"But that raises a rather crucial question: how did that handkerchief end up at the other side of the manor?" Edgeworth asked.

Juniper absentmindedly played with the hem of her dress as she considered this. "The obvious answer is that the third party took the handkerchief with them, after they left the bedroom."

Mrs. Newman shook her head, before tutting in a condescending manner. "And why would anyone do that, Junie? What purpose would it serve this third party to take a dirtied handkerchief with them?"

I don't actually know why anyone would do that. What exactly would that accomplish?

"I hope you don't mind if I copy y-o-u, Detective Skye! But it might be a good idea to look at this the other way," Robin said, grinning. "My mother came upon the victim's body long before anyone else. Yet she didn't call the police- they were only informed after Juniper and Hugh found the body later."

Robin looked at Mrs. Newman. "Well? Why didn't you report that Detective Smokes had died as soon as you found it?"

"Eh heh, I don't mind you copying me this once," Ema said with a smug smile on her face. "This is definitely not looking good for Prosecutor Newman."

"She is the one that raised me to be a prosecutor," Robin continued, still grinning. "I'm only using what she taught me."

"You may be talented as a prosecutor, Robin, but talent is no substitute for experience." Mrs. Newman said, even as she fanned herself nervously. "How exactly does this add up to 'I stabbed the victim's body'?"

"I will leave that to Juniper- she is the lead defense, after all!" Now Robin turned towards Juniper. "All the pieces are in place to solve this case! Now you need to put them together!"

Juniper considered the facts in front of her. "It's undeniable that Mr. Newman was an accomplice. He and Mrs. Newman could have easily coordinated the blackout so that Mrs. Newman could make her move undetected."

"No, you have it all wrong! Diana has nothing to do with this!" Mr. Newman insisted.

"I'm a fan of passion, Herr Newman, but without evidence your pleas fall on deaf ears," Klavier said sadly. "Unless you can explain away the evidence raised against your wife?"

Mr. Newman couldn't say anything, clenching his fists helplessly.

"If Mrs. Newman came upon Detective Smokes, she might have thought he was asleep at first. But when she saw that he wasn't breathing, she would have checked on him," Juniper said slowly. "That's how she would have found out that he died."

Saying out loud, Juniper realized a core inconsistency in what she just outlined. "There was no struggle in the bedroom. So if Mrs. Newman saw the dirtied handkerchief in the trash can, she could have deduced that Detective Smokes had committed suicide."

"Yet she did not report this. She did not even leave the room," Bailey said, her eyes widening. "Not until I entered the room, after which she fled through the wardrobe under the cover of darkness."

"Mrs. Newman likely left the victim's bedroom at least once, Kahk Kahk! She had to get the knife from the kitchen," Myriam pointed out. "But with Mr. Newman in that area, it probably didn't take long for him to get one for her!"

"That's what makes the dirty handkerchief not just important evidence, but decisive evidence. It proves that the third party wanted to hide the victim's suicide, to then stab his body and create a fake murder!" Juniper declared. "That's why they had to take the handkerchief with them!"

Mrs. Newman slammed a case file onto her bench. "That's enough. There is a fatal contradiction in your explanation, Junie."

What contradiction?" Juniper asked nervously.

"The dirty handkerchief in question was found in the manor trash room. However, only Bailey had access to that trash room before the investigation," Mrs. Newman said. "When the keys to the manor were given to you. So I had no chance to drop the handkerchief in the trash room. The only person capable of doing that is the defendant, Bailey!"

Juniper staggered back, feeling short of breath. Mrs. Newman is able to come up with arguments, even with all the evidence against her!

"It seems that this is the final contradiction being posed to the defense," The Judge said. "Can you prove that it was Mrs. Newman and not the defendant that disposed of the handkerchief?"

I'm so close to proving Bailey's innocence. Juniper took several deep breaths. When did Mrs. Newman have a chance to visit the trash room?

This triggered a memory in Juniper's mind, and a question to go with it. "Prosecutor Edgeworth, when did you learn that the manor trash room existed? You're the one that told me about it."

"When you left the manor to investigate elsewhere, by necessity the manor keys had to be placed in the prosecution's care," Edgeworth said. His expression grew severe. "Which means that Mrs. Newman had them. She's the one that told me about the trash room."

"Which should prove that I had nothing to do with this. After all, why would I reveal the trash room if I was the culprit?" Mrs. Newman asked.

It does sound like a compelling argument at first. But the last two times, Mrs. Newman's logic was undone by thinking about them from a different angle. So I should do that this time as well. Why would Mrs. Newman have told the Chief Prosecutor about the trash room?

"That's only what you want us to think. In reality, it's your attempt to hide your true plan," Juniper said, narrowing her eyes. "As soon as you took the handkerchief, you could have hid it away. As lead prosecutor of the case, you control all the evidence."

"But if that were the case, why not destroy this evidence altogether? There was a furnace in the trash room." The Judge asked. When everyone in the courtroom looked in surprise, the Judge said, "I've seen enough of these trials to pick up a few things."

The Judge's question sparked another realization in Juniper's mind. "Because Mrs. Newman had to frame Bailey for this crime. She stabbed the body shortly before Bailey entered the victim's bedroom, then had to get out quickly."

Mrs. Newman started sweating again, showing that Juniper was on the right track.

"That's why Mrs. Newman already had an argument ready- 'only Bailey could have left the handkerchief in the trash room'. In reality, from the moment that Mrs. Newman got her hands on the manor keys as lead prosecutor, she could have planted the evidence, to then pretend to discover it herself. All of this leads to only one conclusion."

"The true culprit can only be someone that discovered the victim's body first, then took the handkerchief from there and placed it in the furnace. Which leaves only one possible culprit." Juniper took a deep breath, slammed both her palms on her bench, and declared: "You stabbed Tony Smokes' body, to hide his suicide with a fake murder scheme!"

"Urgh…Urgh…No…" Mrs. Newman clutched her arms close to her chest. "This… can't… BEEEEEEEE!"

Mrs. Newman staggered back until her back hit the court gallery, before sinking down out of view.

"It seems that we've arrived at the end of this trial," The Judge said solemnly. "Chief Prosecutor, I ask that you issue an arrest warrant for both Mr. and Mrs. Newman, for their involvement in this crime."

"Gladly, Your Honor," Edgeworth said, smirking. "In my opinion, this should have been done a long time ago."

Mr. Newman had not spoken a word, but had a worried expression as he watched the empty prosecutor's bench.

"I must commend you, Miss Woods. Despite all the obstacles placed before you, you successfully proved your client's innocence," The Judge continued. "And this is only your third case! You have a bright career ahead of you."

"Th-thank you, Your Honor," Juniper said, her cheeks going pink from the praise. Yet at the back of her mind, she felt a nagging feeling. Bailey's going to get her Not Guilty verdict. I proved Mrs. Newman's guilt in her crimes. So then why do I feel like something's missing?

Robin seemed to share those thoughts, given how she was clenching her fists, with her expression showing intense concentration. Bailey had no expression on her face, but she also didn't take her eyes off of Juniper for a moment.

"All witnesses are free to leave the stand, with the exception of the defendant. Because that time has come to deliver-"

"OBJECTION!"

Mrs. Newman stood back on her feet, her entire body shaking. "Not yet. This trial cannot end just yet."

"On what possible grounds do you have to continue this trial?" The Judge asked, glaring down at Mrs. Newman.

"There are several reasons, actually. For one, the defense's final assertion was a little wide of the mark," Mrs. Newman said, looking at Juniper across the courtroom. "They did not fully figure out why I didn't destroy the handkerchief."

"I didn't?" Juniper could feel that nagging feeling getting worse. "Then why did you…?"

Edgeworth slammed his palm on the witness stand. "Mrs. Newman's guilt has already been proven. There is no reason to prolong these proceedings."

"There is also a much bigger reason," Mrs. Newman said, ignoring Edgeworth. "And that's because even after all this time, a very basic question of this case has not been answered."

The Judge considered this. "If the prosecution is telling the truth, then I cannot pass a verdict until this 'very basic question' has been answered. So what is it?"

Mrs. Newman slammed her right palm on her bench. "Even after all this time, we still have not uncovered the true killer of this case!"

"OBJECTION!" Edgeworth shook his head. "Give it up, Mrs. Newman. There can be no such thing as a 'true killer' in a suicide case!"

Mrs. Newman ignored this too, looking across the courtroom to Juniper. "I can see it in your face. You know that there is something buried at the bottom of this case."

"I know that you've been trying to accomplish a mysterious aim this whole trial. How about you stop being coy about it?" Juniper asked. "And tell us what you've been trying to do."

"I've been trying to bait out the true killer," Mrs. Newman answered. "And I am so close to pulling it off."

The Judge had a confused expression on his face. "I do not understand. How can there be a 'true killer'?"

Edgeworth crossed his arms, letting out an exasperated sigh. "The answer is that it's impossible. Mrs. Newman is trying to confuse the court, to try to direct attention away from her own crimes."

"But wait, that doesn't make sense! It's already been proven without a doubt that my mother stabbed Detective Smokes' body!" Robin cried out. "Nothing she does will change that!"

Robin is right. No matter what happens next, Mrs. Newman will go to prison for her crimes. So why is she prolonging this trial?

In that moment, Juniper remembered something that Professor Courte had told her, while being channeled. "You must show Diana that the ends don't justify the means, by closing this case with your own hands… I know you'll be able to see this through to the end.

"If answering this question is truly so important to this case, then the defense will answer it," Juniper said. "If there is a 'true killer', I will expose them to the court!"

Juniper retreated into her mind, and laid out all the facts before her.

The phrasing that Mrs. Newman used caught my attention: 'a very basic question' hasn't been answered. Professor Courte said that same phrase, about the victim's suicide. So what could still be unanswered, this late into the trial?

The cause of death

Why Tony Smokes killed himself

Come to think of it, we never established why Detective Smokes committed suicide. We floated theories, but never proved any of them. But how does this relate to Mrs. Newman's claim of a true killer?

Someone drove Tony Smokes to suicide

Mrs. Newman stabbed him to death

There was poison in the chocolate

Even this late into the case, the fact that Detective Smokes killed himself has never been called into question. Yet, this strikes a chord in my mind. Detective Skye told me of a similar case, when a high priest killed himself to protect his family. He felt he had no other choice, because of the machinations of a villain.

Then if I understand this correctly, Mrs. Newman's theory is that someone forced Detective Smokes into a corner, such that ending his own life was the only option he had. That person would be the true killer of this case!

But if such a person did exist, how would I go about finding them? What evidence could point to their identity?

Fingerprints on the knife

Flavor of the chocolate

A letter to the victim

Not too long ago, it was mentioned that Detective Smokes got mail, then retreated to his room. He never came out after that… could it be that one of the letters is what made him take his own life?

Thinking about it more, there's evidence that such a letter exists. A strange rectangular imprint at the bottom of the trash can… not to mention, I think someone removed evidence from the trash room and hasn't presented it to the court.

Taking all of this into consideration, a picture is starting to form in my mind. The one person that fits this profile is…

Klavier Gavin

Miles Edgeworth

Diana Newman

The conclusion that's forming in my mind is scaring me, and it sounds absolutely insane. Yet what all the facts point to is-

Miles Edgworth is the true killer.

A/N: Next chapter, the verdict will finally be delivered in this case, and the final questions will be answered. To everyone that has stuck with me this far, you have my deepest gratitude. So stick with me a little longer for the end of this main story. See you next time! Please review.