Time to begin the next stage of the investigation, J and Jaden have to figure out how the culprit flew off and why The Ringmaster dressed up as Trixie.
DM77's Ace Attorney Justice for All Chapter 20
Mysterious Note
December 29, 3:03 PM, J & CO Law Offices
J and Jaden were back at the office to decide their next course of action to prepare for tomorrows continuation of the trial.
"Ummm….J?" Jaden said looking sad.
"What is it?" J asked him.
"I've got a confession to make…I'm terrible at figuring out magic tricks…" Jaden admits to her.
"Magic tricks?" J asked him.
"Yep." Jaden said nodding and smiling "Magic tricks by definition tricks, right? But I can never figure out the tricks when I see them."
"That's because the tricks are performed by non-magical pros. They have to do it so you can't guess the trick." J explained.
"But, but…That trick Kairily showed me was incredible!" Jaden told her.
"Kairin did a magic trick?" J asked surprised "Hmm…What kind of trick was it?"
Jaden thinks and says "Let's see. It looked like she pulled the end of her own thumb off!"
"Heh…" J chuckled a bit at that already knowing the trick
"First she put her right thumb next to her left hand, and then it just separated!" Jaden explained. "She could move it up and down and everything! It was incredible!"
"Really? Was it kind of like this…?" J said and performs that exact trick.
"WHAT?! WOW! HOW'D YOU DO THAT?!" Jaden said in shock "J, you're a real magician!" He smiles "See this is why I just can't figure out magic…I'm no good at it…Especially hard tricks like flying away from the scene of a murder…"
"You'll take all the fun out of magic if you keep trying to figure it out." J tells him. She thinks about the case and said "I don't see any way out of this. We're stuck between a rock and a head place."
"There's no way we can solve the mystery of a criminal flying by tomorrow…" Jaden said sadly. "I was thinking…Do you really think the criminal with no actual magic or wings flew through the air? The only one who thinks that is Krusty, right? He says he saw it."
"That's true…Krusty looked awfully serious when he said that." J said nodding.
"Do you think he might be trying to frame Trixie?" Jaden asked.
"If that was it, he would have simply said 'I saw Trixie'. That would have been enough." J told him. "There's no reason why anyone would believe 'he flew'."
"But…What if the criminal really did fly?" Jaden said thinking. "There's only one person who could do that with no actual magic or wings…Trixie."
'You're really not helping my confidence here, Jaden…' J thinks.
"Everyone seems to hate Trixie. Whisk, Pup-Mon, Krusty…They all have nothing nice to say." Jaden said sadly.
"That magician does seem rather full of herself, doesn't she?" J said nodding. "Especially when she says things like customers only go to the circus to see her."
"She even hit Whisk over the head with a bottle." Jaden added. "But…"
"But what?" J asked.
"But that doesn't seem enough to frame another person for murder!" Jaden told her.
"And it was proven that neither Whisk nor Krusty lied on the stand." J said with a nod.
"Maybe Whisk saw the Ringmaster wearing Trixie's costume, but Krusty clearly said that he saw Trixie herself." Jaden said sighing.
The two decide to head out to the circus to get some answers.
December 29, Clockford Big Circus, Circus Entrance
J and Jaden arrive at the entrance again. The boy then said "You hear that? It sounds like two people arguing…."
"Alright, let's do it. Are you ready?" A familiar rude voice of Pup-Mon is heard speaking
"Y-Yes…A-Ah…. Wait…" A female meek voice of Whisk is heard.
"Quit your whining! Let's just give it a shot already!" Pup-Mon is heard saying "Alright! Let's go!
Whisk: Row-row-row-your-boat
Pup-Mon: Row-row-row-your-boat!
Then when Whisk hesitates, Pup-Mon begins punching Whisk and telling her "What are you doing?! Gently-down-the-stream! Come on, you know that!"
"I'm trying my best, but…Pup-Mon, this just isn't going to work…" Whisk admits to him.
"Do you enjoy saying dumb things? You're going to have to be on your own someday!" Pup-Mon tells her. "if you can't handle something as simple as this, what are you going to do then?!"
"Hello Whisk. Hello to you too, Pup-Mon." Jaden said to them smiling.
"What are you doing here?! Can't you see we're on a secret crash training course?!" Pup-Mon said to them annoyed.
"I'm sorry…" Jaden said to that surprised.
"Secret crash training! Whoa." J said to that.
Whisk nods and explained "Yes. Pup-Mon wouldn't give up until I said we'd try out his idea for a new routine. So…We were trying to sing in a round for our new ventriloquism act."
"In a round?! You can really do that?! That's incredible!" Jaden said amazed.
"See! See! Even they are surprised by the idea! I told you!" Pup-Mon said to Whisk.
"They're not the only ones! You even surprised me with your idea!" Whisk said to her puppet who punches her annoyed
Pup-Mon then looks to J and Jaden and said smiling "Once we've got a grip on the basics, then it's just a matter of practice!"
"Y-Y-You t-t-think so?" Whisk asked nervous only to be punched.
"Oh, I almost forgot!" Jaden said smiling and pulls out the ring "I wanted to give this back to you."
"Ahh! There it is!" Pup-Mon said taking it. "Now that I've got this ring back, it's time to take one more shot at Fubuki!"
Before he leaves J decided to ask the girl and her puppet some questions.
Jaden said to the two bit uncomfortable "Umm…I know that you already testified in court today…"
"You want to talk about what we saw, right?" Pup-Mon said with a smile.
"Yes." Jaden said nodding.
"Well, at first, we thought it was the old man…Just looking at his walk and how he acted. Right Whisk?" Pup-Mon said to that.
"Huh?! Oh, oh yeah. That's right." Whisk said meekly.
"But then we said hello and didn't even get a reply." Pup-Mon continued. "Not to mention he was draped in those gaudy symbols."
"What would you have thought if he wasn't wearing those symbols?" Jaden asked.
"Hmm…" Pup-Mon thinks then looks at Whisk and punches her "What do you think Whisk?"
"What?! Oh…Umm…I would have thought it was the Ringmaster…" Whisk admits
'Hmm…Something just isn't adding up here. I wonder who they really saw?' J thinks to herself.
"I was hoping I could ask you about Fubuki…" Jaden said smiling.
"I'm completely serious about her! That's why I'm waiting for her even now!" Pup-Mon said with a smile.
"Really? That's so sweet…" Jaden said with a smile. "But if you really wanted to see Fubuki, shouldn't you check out the tent?"
"Hah! You haven't got a clue about things, do you, boy?" Pup-Mon said to him.
"Eh?" Jaden lets out confused.
"Waiting like this is part of being in love." Pup-Mon told him.
"How so?" Jaden asked.
"If you had a clue, you would know that waiting is such sweet, wonderful torture." Pup-Mon explained. "When your body aches for your partner's love…That's one of the best parts!"
"Umm…Y-Yeah…I-I knew that…" Jaden said embarrassed.
'Poor Jaden…He's so red he matches his jacket!' J thinks.
Jaden quickly changes the thoughts and asked "So how is this new routine working out?"
"Will you two just take a chill pill already?! Our routines are secret!" Pup-Mon told them. "We're going to take the ventriloquism world by storm! It'll be a real revolution!"
"That sounds incredible!" Jaden said smiling.
"But let me make one thing clear…" Pup-Mon told them "We're not going to take on the world just because that jerk said we should…"
"That jerk?" J asked curious.
"Trixie Lulamoon." Pup-Mon replied and added "'Performers should aim for the world!' Who does she think she is?!"
Jaden smiles and said "Pup-Mon, you seem to really be fired up about all this!"
"She needs to realize that she isn't the only one who can conquer the world stage!" Pup-Mon told them.
"You're right! You're right!" Jaden said nodding smiling.
"Mark my words…. I, Puppetmon, will win the Grand Prix!" Pup-Mon announces.
"You're the man now, doll!" Jaden said smiling.
"'Row-row-row-your-bout!' will be the key to a glorious victory!" Pup-Mon said proudly.
"Umm…Not to rain on your parade, but wouldn't a more mature song be best?" J asked.
"Hey...You've got to start somewhere, right?" Pup-Mon said shrugging. Whisk remains silent and he said to her while punching "Don't screw this up! You've got to be a part of this too."
J and Jaden then head to the lodging house and allow the two to practice their act.
December 29, Lodging House, Plaza
As J and Jaden arrive in the Plaza and they notice also their was N. The detective drone seeing them said "Oh, it's your two." He looks a bit worn out.
"You look like you just got hit by a truck. Shouldn't you get some rest?" J said to him concerned.
N sighs and said "I'm taking a rest right now, buddy. I've been listening to some crazy clown's life story. Miss. Wittebane told me to come down here and do this for her."
"Yeah, I figured as much…" J said knowing that N would have been forced to listen to Krusty's jokes.
"Let me tell you something buddy. Listening to that old clown sucks all your energy." N explained. "Every time he's done talking he looks at you like you should be doing something…"
"Umm…I think he's waiting for you to laugh at his jokes." J tells him.
"I know that, buddy." N said sadly. "Do you have any idea how much your face hurts if you fake laughing that much? I didn't even know that was possible with drones."
"Courtney really set you up bad this time, didn't she?" Jaden said annoyed. "If you ask me, she should be listening to Krusty herself…"
"No way, buddy." N said firmly. "You're not going to get me to backbite a woman with a whip and a Camerupt. No way."
"Why are you defending her?" Jaden asked surprised.
"Prosecutor Courtney's always got her eyes on us." N tells them. "And every time you definitely don't want her to show up…*poof* There sis is!" He then braces himself as he said "Don't show up…Don't show up…Don't show up…Don't show up….Don't show up…."
'Looks like she's wound him up pretty tight…' J thinks concerned
"She's directly above us as we speak." N tells them.
"Huh? How's that possible?" Jaden asked looking up.
"According to the clown, the culprit jumped from here and disappeared into the sky." N explained pointing to a window "If that's what happened, it means the killer passed right by this window, buddy."
"Oh, I see…" Jaden said nodding. "Who lives in that room, behind the window up there?"
"The acrobat's got his room up on the third floor, it seems." N tells them. "Pretty soon, Miss. Wittebane's going to start her investigation up there. So don't get any ideas of going up to the acrobat's room, got it buddy?" He then leaves.
Jaden shivers and said "C-Courtney Wittebane…"
J thinks to herself 'Once she's done with her investigation, I think I'll go up there and check it out.'
The two then leave to head into the circus.
December 29, Clockford Big Circus, Big Top
They enter the big tent looking around and find it empty. Jaden looking around said "Huh? Where's Fubuki?"
"I don't know…" J said shrugging. "But if she's with that tiger, I don't want to find out! Let's hurry up and get out of here!"
"Hehe…. J. You're kind of a chicken, aren't you?" Jaden said chuckling.
"No, no, no, no, no…I'm just… Umm… Allergic to wild tigers!" J said nervous.
They then move to the Cafeteria of the Big Top.
December 29, Big Top, Cafeteria
As the two enter they are greeted by the joyful smile and laugh of Krusty the Clown who said "Ah! J! Welcome to the wonderful, the fabulous, the cafeteria!"
'Yikes…He's in an awfully good mood…' J thinks concerned.
"Alright! You know what time it is! Riddle time!" Krusty said chuckling "Why does everyone cry when they eat Mexican pizza?"
"Ummm…" J thinks on it.
"Come on! You can answer this! It's easy!" Krusty told her.
J took a shot in the dark and said "…Because cafeteria Mexican pizza is possibly a weapon of bowel destruction?"
Krusty makes a buzzing noise and said "Wrong! Try again! Okay! What do you think, boy?"
"Umm…Ahh! I got it!" Jaden said smiling
"Okay! What is your answer?" Krusty asked.
"Because they are in the Café Teary Eye!" Jaden said in response.
"Exactly!" Krusty lets with a laugh "It's an incredibly sad place, that café. Hoohoohoohahaha!"
"I did it!" Jaden said happily.
'What's going on? He's being too nice…' J thinks concerned.
"Today's been really crazy day, hasn't it?" Jaden said sadly.
"You're telling me!" Krusty said sighing lighting a cigar "I didn't think it was going to be so tough."
"Tough?" Jaden asked.
"Yeah. It was a tough crowd. That's what you call a crowd that refuses to laugh." Krusty explained. "For instance, it was such a tough crowd this morning I had to smash watermelons."
"Hmm…" Jaden said in response.
"I told them all a great story and even greater jokes, but no one busted out laughing…" Krusty told them.
"You even used the famed 'No shoes, no shirt, no service' joke!" Jaden said nodding.
"Exactly!" Krusty said in agreement "How can you not laugh at stunning comedy like that?!"
"Are you 100% sure about your testimony today?" J asked him.
"I saw what I saw! I swear! That creep just…." Krusty said firmly.
"Flew though the air?" Jaden asked.
"It wasn't exactly flying per se…It was more like floating." Krusty better clarified. "The silhouette of her face made me positive it was Trixie!"
'I don't see a Psyche-Lock…He must be telling the truth.' J said seeing no reaction from the Logic Solver Keychain.
The two then leave to go and talk to Trixie at the Detention Centre.
December 29, Detention Centre, Visitor's Room
They arrive and sit on seats opposite Trixie who poses behind the glass and said "Oh! My sweeties! You mind hurrying up and getting me out of this place?!"
"We're doing our best, Trixie. Just hang in there." J said nodding.
Trixie then explains "A little while ago, some people from a local TV station came by…And since I'm a famed magician they said, 'Let's make you your very own TV special!'"
"Really? What kind of TV special?" Jaden asked intrigued.
Trixie poses dramatically and said "'The Great and Powerful Trixie Lulamoon: The Great and Powerful Prison Escape' It would be aired live."
"Hey! That sounds like it would be an awesome special!" Jaden said smiling
"But if I do the special before I'm acquitted, they'll never let me out of here for real." Trixie said worried and concerned.
"Well, it would surely be an unnecessary addition to your troubles with the law." J said with a nod.
"That what I was thinking…But the production staff is already working on the show!" Trixie said with a nod "If you don't get me out quick, I'll have no choice but to stage a real prison break."
"You seem awfully calm about that possibility…" J points out.
Trixie smiles and poses "I'd have no choice. It would be a contractual obligation…That's show business."
"Umm. The night of the crime…You didn't happen to fly off into the sky, did you?" J asked her.
"Here is how everything went down, sweetie." Trixie said smiling "At the time of the murder, I was sitting in the Ringmaster's room. Not to mention…Flying off into the sky is not just something I can do at will like you. I don't care what they stooge clown says, it wasn't me."
"Trixie! Trixie! Do you mind teaching me the trick behind flying without wings or visible magic?"
"Hmmm…You have to forgive me, dear." Trixie said concerned "The difference between me and cheap imitation magicians is that I keep my mouth shut. I don't teach people tricks, but I will say this much. It's much harder than you think."
"I was thinking about this in court today…I've got a favor to ask of you." Jaden said to Trixie.
"Anything for you, dear." Trixie said smiling.
"Be friends with the other performers in the circus!" Jaden told her firmly.
"FABULOUS! A great joke!" Trixie said uncaring "Why would I be friends with a bunch of hacks like them?"
"But…!" Jaden said to her.
"I've won on the world stage!" Trixie said posing "I won the International Grand Prix!"
"International Grand Prix?" J asked confused. Then again she recalled Pup-Mon mentioning something about it.
"Performers should always look to perform on the world stage!" Trixie explained to them. "But the performers at this circus are completely and utterly devoid of ambition! That is something that I can simply not tolerate!"
'Ambition, huh…?' J thinks so Trixie wasn't really looking down at the other performers, she was just trying to motivate them to be the best they could be it seems.
"Something about what Trixie just said rings true to my ears…." Jaden said having the same thoughts.
"Oh my! My sweeties want to hear all about the Grand Prix, don't they?" Trixie said smiling seeing their looks "To be honest though, I've told this story like 100 times already, so it's a bit boring."
"We're sorry to make you tell it again." J said to her.
"You must not have heard me…I am really sick of telling this story." Trieix told them. "But what can you do? I'm the Great and Powerful Trixie. I suppose I can tell it again." She then pulls out a picture and slides it to them through the gap "Voila! Here, take a look at this! I just happen to have a picture from the Grand Prix with me."
J looks and sees the picture of Trixie in her full stage attire holding a large trophy with two girls in bunny outfits standing to both her sides and a lot of spotlights. Also next to Trixie in the phot was a bust of her holding shiny cards.
"Just look at that fabulous stage! That is the first stage that I ever flew on. I flew right over the audience! The crowd erupted into applause!" Trixie explained smiling happily "At that time, I thought to myself that I could die right then and die a happy woman. I'll never forget how I felt that night. The emotions…The acclaim…"
"Wow." Jaden said amazed.
Trixie blushes embarrassed and cleared her throat and said "By the way…" She poses dramatically "I think everyone who is a performer should get to experience that feeling. I just wish I could explain that to the other people in the circus!" She sighs.
"That's incredible, Trixie…I want a trophy, too!" Jaden said thinking. "Hey J! How about you buy me a trophy?!"
"That's not how you earn a trophy Jaden!" J told him.
"My sweeties, you can have this picture of my triumph…" Trixie tells them. "Just make sure you show it to all the other members of the circus." She poses "'Look and learn!' That's what you should tell them."
'Learn how to get thrown in jail?' J thinks as she adds Grand Prix Photo to her Court Record as she puts it into her bag.
The two leave back to have another talk with Krusty.
They arrive back to the Cafeteria at the circus where Krusty still was. J then pulls out the Grand Prix Photo and shows it to him.
"Ahh! Not this picture! She showed it to you guys too?" Krusty said sighing annoyed.
"Huh? You've seen it as well?" Jaden asked surprised.
"Well, you know what they say about Trixie Lulamoon…She really gets around." Krusty said laughing "Hoohoohoohahaha!"
"Hehe" Jaden chuckles.
"Oh yeah…He didn't just show me the picture!" Krusty said chuckling.
"What do you mean?" Jaden asked.
"She showed me her bust, too. Let me tell you, that thing is enormous!" Krusty said laughing and points to the photo "It's in this picture, I think. She'd make us worship it…Every day. She made us bow to her greatness."
'She's got a…big…bust? I wouldn't mind hearing more about Trixie's bust…Not that I'm into that sort of thing…' J thinks.
"Trixie's bust should be on that small table over there." Krusty said pointing to a small table with a cloth with Trixie's name on it but there was no bust.
"There's nothing over there." J points out.
"Really?" Krusty said and looks "Oh yeah. Hmm… When was it…? I'd say about five days ago, all of a sudden…The bust disappeared."
"It disappeared?" Jaden asked.
"If you want to see it, there's a photo on the bulletin board over there." Krusty said pointing to it. J can clearly see it, it was a completely green stature of Trixie's upper body, both hands holding silver shiny playing cards. "Trixie just had to put the picture up."
"Hmm…Hey! This thing is really cool!" Jaden said looking at it smiling. "J! J! I want someone to make a bust of me!"
"Sure, as long as I'm not paying for it." J told him firmly.
"Aww…" Jaden said looking down disappointed. J adds the Trixie L. Bust to the Court Record.
"Is there anything else that's changed about this place?" J asked Krusty.
"Nope. Nothing's changed that I can see…" Krusty told her.
'I wonder if he's actually thinking about this, or if he is setting up a bad joke?' J thinks.
"Nope, nope…I'm drawing a blank here." Krusty said looking down.
'A quiet Krusty is a good Krusty in my book.' J thinks sighing
"I guess there really aren't any other things that have changed, huh?" Jaden said to that.
"Well…There is this one tinsy tiny thing that does seem different." Krusty said thinking.
"Tell us! Tell us!" J said to him.
"Well…On the morning of the crime, over on that bulletin board…" Krusty said and pulls out a ripped note "This piece of paper was posted front and centre."
"Piece of paper?" J said looking at it.
"It's torn, so I don't know what it said, but I could see it's title." Krusty explained
"Yikes! It says, 'To The Murderer!'" Jaden said in shock looking at it.
"M-M-M-Murderer?!" J said in surprise.
"Yep, that's what it says. But the rest of it has been ripped off." Krusty said nodding. "And I don't know who posted it."
"Umm…When did you find this?"
"The morning before the murder." Krusty tells them after smoking his cigar.
"Before the murder?!" Jaden said shocked.
"Yes. The Ringmaster was killed the night after this paper was discovered." Krusty said looking down sad.
'Who in the world posted this thing…?' J thinks curious and adds the Note to the court record.
"J! I think we'd better follow up on this important lead!" Jaden tells her.
J nods and head back to the Detention Centre.
J and Jaden meet back up with Trixie and J presents to the magician the Note. Jaden asking her "Do you know anything about this note?"
"The morning of the murder, it was posted on the wall in the cafeteria…" J explained.
"I do know all about that note." Trixie said nodding "When I read it, my heart certainly skipped a beat."
"Your heart skipped a beat?" Jaden asked.
"While I was enjoying my morning tea, The Ringmaster and company entered the room." Trixie explained.
"And company…?" J asked.
Trixie poses dramatically and said "I guess it wasn't really a company…It was just the Ringmaster and my sweetie pie. When the Ringmaster read the note, he turned an incredible bright red." She then looks concerned as she added "All of a sudden he tore it off the wall and shoved it into the pocket of his tailcoat!"
"Really?!" Jaden said surprised. "Out of curiosity, what in the world was written on that thing?"
Trixie thinks "…Let's see…"
"Uh-huh…" Jaden said looking sadly.
"Oh, I don't want to steal the fun from my sweeties! Go and find out on your own!" Trixie said smiling. "I'm sure you can find it somewhere." She poses dramatically "You might also want to ask my sweetie pie princess."
J nods understanding and with Jaden head back to the circus.
December 29, Big Top, Ringmaster's Room
Upon entering the room. Jaden looks around and said, "Trixie and the Ringmaster had their talk in this room."
"That could have been when the Ringmaster put on Trxie's costume and went outside." J said thinking.
"Why'd he do that, anyway? Was it really that cold or something?" Jaden asked. He then looks at the tailcoat hung on the mannequin and sees something in the coat "Hey, do you see that? There's a scrap of paper shoved into the pocket of the tailcoat."
"You know…I've got a feeling I know what that is…" J said.
"I bet that's the other half of the note that Krusty gave us." Jaden said concerned. "Then let's hurry up and check this thing out, J!" He takes the paper and puts it together with the note which fits perfectly "I knew it! It fits perfectly with the other piece."
"What does it say? What does it say?" J asked him and reads the note "'To The Murderer! I have conclusive evidence of what took place. Meet me at 10:00PM tonight at the lodging house plaza'"
"Tonight at 10:00 PM?" Jaden said concerned.
"That's when the murder took place!" J said to him worried. It was obvious, whoever made this note and posted it was the killer.
"Now we need to find out who called out the Ringmaster!" Jaden said firmly.
J nods in agreement and updates the Note in the Court Record to have it as the full thing. Time to keep going.
Well a note from the killer, but who wrote it. J and Jaden will find out and next time will meet the final member of the circus troupe, the mysterious Hanzel.
Please Read, Review and Suggest. Thank you.