The LP Turnabout: A Documentary on Japanifornian Law with Phoenix Wright

[morsrattus]

Case 5 - Rise From the Ashes
Trial (Day 2) - Part 2

: And you witnessed this?
: You saw Ms. Skye stab the victim with the knife?

: Hmm!!!
: I’m sure that is a fine lunch!

: This is the photograph you took of the very moment of the crime, is it not?

: …
: …
: …
: Ahem.
: Mr. Edgeworth, your thoughts?
: Objection.

Yes, he just says it - no cut in, no shouting.

: Let’s be a little more careful with our evidence, shall we?
: It is you that needs to be more careful, Mr. Wright!
: What do you mean, Mr. Edgeworth?

: H-how can you tell that!?
: Blood splatter.
: Huh?

: (It’s a black-and-white photograph!)
: Ah… yes, it’s hard to tell, but this could be blood.

: Mr. Wright! Are you going to just sit there and take that kind of abuse!?

: Now that you mention it, I see no problem here.
: Other than myself.
: M-Mr. Wright! You can’t just let him walk all over you! Th-that’s just sad!

: Well, that was a waste of time.
: Let’s continue with the testimony.
: (Perhaps I should have dug a little deeper…)

But if we object…

: Wait! That contradicts what the witness said in her testimony!
: Namely, that she took the picture the “moment” she witnessed the crime!
: Well, it seems I was slightly unclear.
: My apologies.
: …
: …
: Th-that’s it!?
: If you run out of lunch, you order seconds. Problem solved!
: If you don’t like it, try ordering the jumbo-sized lunch from the get-go!
: Good advice. I’m not sure I understood it, but… good advice.
: I didn’t have time to stop her.

: She killed without pain or remorse! It was a premeditated murder!

: P-premeditated!?
: How do you know!?

: Surgical gloves made of thin rubber, most likely. Why would she have those on?
: Uh…

: These gloves do seem to tell a tale of premeditation!
: Premeditated murder… a serious offense.
: Witness! Add this to your testimony!

: What if she was just in the habit of wearing gloves? Like, driving gloves?

: The gloves were admitted as evidence when the defendant was arrested!
: They were rubber gloves, of the kind used for autopsies!
: In other words, when the chief prosecutor came to the crime scene… She came to do murder!
: It’s the only possible conclusion one can make.

: Everything was planned, it was a premeditated crime!

: Impressive! I’m sorry they took you off the force, Ms. Starr!
: (This is bad… She’s got them thinking this was all planned…)
: (If she can prove this claim, the trial’s already over!)
: (I’ve got to think of a way to show that this wasn’t premeditated!)

And loop. So, how do we prove it?

: Are you trying to test me? I sell box lunches for a living, you know. That’s a knife. THE knife.
: The knife that was in Mr. Edgeworth’s trunk!
: Indeed, it is my knife.

: What’s with this case!?
: The bloody murder weapon, a red car… all belonging to the prosecutor there!?

: The defense has a request.
: We ask that the witness provide an ACCURATE testimony.
: What’s that, Rookie?
: In your testimony…
: You stated that Lana Skye planned this murder. And that’s why she was wearing those special gloves.
: Seems like a natural conclusion to me! The gloves do indicate planning…
: However!
: Why would she not also prepare the most important thing… the murder weapon!?

: Order! Order! Order!
: (Great! Now the tide is turning in our favor!)
: Great show, Mr. Wright!
: My sister’s as good as free!

: Wright.

: W-what!?
: I hope you weren’t deluding yourself into thinking that the “tide has turned.”
: Not over such a trifling detail!
: B-but this shoots a hole
: in the whole premeditated theory!
: Bah!
: The prosecution could care less if it was premeditated or not.

: !
: The defendant, Lana Skye, murdered a detective with a knife.

: That is the only thing the prosecution need prove. Nothing else.
: Very good, Mr. Prosecutor… I suppose you think you’re clever now?
: But you know as well as I do that she planned on killing him! It was planned! If she wasn’t, why would she have been wearing…

: I believe I’d like to hear your testimony again.
: Witness, please tell us only what you “saw,” not what you “thought.”
: How dare you!

: My powers of deduction are not to be underestimated!
: (Really now…)

: The victim was summoned from the Police Department to the Prosecutor’s Office…
: It does sound a lot like premeditation, doesn’t it!?
: So, if I order pizza, does that mean I’m planning to kill the delivery boy?
: In any case, the defense may now cross-examine the witness.

: You’ve said that, but you haven’t told us how you know!

: I believe what she just said was a mere prelude to the story she is about to tell.
: Try not to interrupt her again.
: Rookie…

: Never interrupt a storyteller! It’s like pulling a bun out of the oven half-baked!
: (Something’s half-baked here alright, and it’s you!)
: Try not to confuse the defense, witness. They’re not very quick on their feet.
: Now, why did you believe the suspect had intentions to murder the victim?
: Her actions speak for themselves!

: You have no proof that Ms. Skye called him there!
: You have no proof that she didn’t!
: Hmm…
: Mr. Edgeworth, thoughts?

: She might have written him a letter!
: (C’mon! You could have tried “public phone” first, at least!)
: In any case, the victim came to the Prosecutor’s Office, where he was murdered.

: I’m sure he had a reason to be there.
: Witness? Why do you think it was the suspect who summoned the victim that day?

: What kind of “grudge”!?
: Well, I wouldn’t know that.
: Of course you don’t! That’s because she didn’t have a grudge!
: Rookie…

: H-how am I supposed to know!?
: See? We agree there is a lunchbox here, but we don’t know what’s inside!
: A person’s life is like a lunchbox with pretzels. Don’t you agree?
: I-I get it! That’s why my lunch was so salty!
: (This judge isn’t very good with metaphors…)

: Will you tell us your basis for thinking this?
: It’s simple…

: A “human machine”!?
: That’s a contradiction!

: Please…
: Can’t you find fault with something of substance, Mr. Wright?
: Note to self: Mr. Edgeworth’s sighs smell like citrus fruit.
: Umm…
: You say “again and again”… how many times did she stab him, exactly?
: We often say “chop into a thousand pieces,” but we don’t actually mean 1,000 pieces.
: What difference does it make if the deed is done!?
: (How come she’s getting mad at me!?)
: Let’s just say she stabbed him several times and leave it at that.
: (Leave it at that!? This is a murder case, people!)
: Mr. Wright, you should speak up if you have an objection, you know!

And loop.

: (Ms. Starr has turned out to be as short-tempered as she looked when we met her.)
: (Challenging her abilities as a detective really set her off!)
: The short wick burns out the fastest!
: It’s a scientific fact!
: I wonder… wouldn’t it depend on the size of the candle? I mean, add more wax and even a really short wick will burn longer…
: …
: Obviously, more scientific testing is required!

So, can you spot the problem?

Next time: Angel Starr continues speaking.

[morsrattus]

Case 5 - Rise From the Ashes
Trial (Day 2) - Part 3

: You say she stabbed him again and again…
: But you couldn’t have witnessed that!
: Are you testing me…?
: Then I’ll test you!

: I’m afraid the moss is growing under our feet as we wait, Ms. Starr.
: …!?
: W-what do you mean?

: The autopsy report states that death was due to a loss of blood… from one stab wound.

: Ah hah! You’re right!
: Good show, Mr. Edgeworth!
: What a hunk!
: He’s my hero, really.
: (What about my objection? No one noticed?)
: Well, witness?

: Uh… oh, thanks.
: I always believed that no one could ever mistake ketchup for blood…
: But now, I realize that such mistakes are possible.
: So…
: You’re saying you mistook something… for blood?
: When she lifted her knife, I thought I saw blood at her breast…

: That’s why I thought she must have stabbed him at least twice.

: Then tell us what you saw that you thought was blood!
: Testify!
: …

: Her red muffler?
: Yes, like a scarf. The Chief Prosecutor always wears one around her neck.
: So she can be easily hanged at a moment’s notice, I suppose…
: (She’s right…)

: But wait…
: Isn’t it odd that you mistook that for splattered blood?
: …
: Well, people often mistake my beard…
: For a bib.
: (A judge with a bib. That’s why this place feels so much like kindergarten sometimes.)
: Actually…

: There was only one knife wound.
: …
: (Apparently, Ms. Starr isn’t entirely sure of her own testimony.)
: Mr. Wright!
: This is our chance!!!
: Chance for what, I wonder…?

And loop. This should be easy.

: Ms. Starr! I demand an explanation…

: The witness is clearly not suited for detective work.
: W-what!?
: The suspect was not wearing
: a scarf or muffler of any kind when she stabbed the victim.

: Only a true professional could be so clueless.
: I’m sure you’ll make a good lunchlady, have no fear.
: Hmm!
: Harsh words! But good!
: In the end, Mr. Edgeworth prevails!
: (What was my objection, chopped liver!?)
: B-but it was there, a scarf, no, not that, but something red! Really!

: Well now, where were we?
: The witness has given us an entertaining interlude, now back to business.
: Wh-what!?

: Very well, witness. Continue your testimony.
: You saw the crime, and apprehended the suspect…
: Tell us about that.
: …
: Very well.
: I do remember some things accurately, at least.
: (Ultimately, we couldn’t shake the most important part of her testimony.)
: The most important part…?
: The part where your sister stabs the victim! (This next testimony might just be the moment of truth!)

: You are quite determined about this scarf, aren’t you?
: I strike like a snake and bite like a cobra!
: That’s me. Angel Starr.
: That’s not a very good metaphor. First of all, a cobra is a kind of snake.
: Don’t bother me with details, unless you want to get bitten!
: N-no thanks!
: Note to self: Attorney Wright gets bitten by snake.
: The chief prosecutor tried to resist, but her efforts were in vain.
: She knocked my hands aside, kicked over an oil drum…
: O-oil drum? (Hard to imagine…)
: Oh, she’s beautiful, but deadly! A predator, this one! A leopard woman! Rowr!
: Very well, Mr. Wright. Your cross-examination, if you will.

: (That’s right…)

: She was obviously trying to hide herself.
: Quite a natural thing for a criminal to do!
: And what did you do then?

: You say “quickly”… were you close to the suspect?
: As I just said!
: I was only 30 feet away from her the whole time.

: That would make it about 30 feet from the car, yes.
: Is that correct, Ms. Starr?
: Y-yes, that’s right.

: I went over it, of course.
: Amazing! The Cough-up Queen, lunchlady athlete, indeed.
: It would have taken her a little time to climb over the fence.
: So she couldn’t have gotten to my sister THAT fast…

: (How come Ms. Skye didn’t get away?)

: She mentioned the muffler?
: What exactly did she say?
: If I remembered exactly, I would have told you in my testimony!
: i[/i]
: Anyway, all I heard her say was the word “muffler.”
: Just that one word?
: So… what you heard wasn’t the suspect talking to you, but to someone else?
: Yes. The chief prosecutor was talking on her phone!

: Yes, ultimately.
: Ultimately?
: My memory…

: It’s like a salmon, heading upstream, you see.
: N-no, the court doesn’t see, Ms. Starr.

: On the wall?

: Apparently, it was out of order.
: And so she used her cell phone?

: Hmm.
: Good witnessing, witness!
: (Good witnessing? What ever happened to good testifying?)

: You should of course add this to your testimony.
: The things I do to please this rookie defense attorney.

And the cell phone evidence is updated to note the call and the whole ‘muffler’ thing.

: Um… do you think you could restate your testimony for the court?
: Ah hah! I was going to ask the same thing!
: I’ll only say this one time, so listen close, Rookies.

: The chief prosecutor hung up her phone!
: And you
: saw her doing this?

: …?
: What is it, Mr. Wright?

: She “made to escape”…
: Can you be more specific?
: She brushed aside my hand and ran! It was a terrible sight to see, like a dollop of lard on a pate of foie gras!
: i[/i]
: She even kicked over an oil drum at me!
: A-an oil drum!?

: There was an oil drum lying on its side at the scene of the crime.
: But, it’s strange…
: Hmm? What’s that?
: If she wanted to escape…
: why didn’t she run the other way?

: Th-that’s right!
: It doesn’t make any sense that she would run from behind the partition to the oil drums!
: …

And loop.

: Excellent! More mysteries!
: I wish we could solve a few before finding more, though…
: (So Ms. Skye tried to run?)
: I’m sorry my sister is so suspicious, Mr. Wright…
: Not as sorry as I am.
: But she didn’t do it! You have to believe me!

So, can you spot a problem in this testimony?

Next time: Trying to solve a few mysteries.

[morsrattus]

Case 5 - Rise From the Ashes
Trial (Day 2) - Part 4

: I have to conclude that you have a personal grudge against Ms. Lana Skye.

: The witness is a former detective.
: Her testimony is unmarred by personal bias.
: Well, who would have thought you would be my knight in shining armor, prosecutor? You who, together with
: the chief prosecutor, kicked me out two years ago!
: …
: Well, Ms. Starr… This is a fatal contradiction with your testimony…
: How do you explain this?

: Hmph!
: I don’t know what you’re talking about. Mess with me…
: and I’ll make you cough it ALL up!
: Ahem. Let’s look at the floor plans.

: However, if that’s true…

: …!
: I believe you see what I’m getting at.

: Order! Order!
: What is the meaning of this?
: It’s simple, Your Honor. She’s not coughing up lunch…
: she’s coughing up lies!!!
: Grrr!

: That’s quite a claim, Mr. Wright… perhaps you will allow me a question?
: Tell us exactly what lie this witness has told the court!
: (Here’s where the counter-attack begins! I can’t afford to be get this wrong!)

: She lied about what she saw! In other words,
: she didn’t see Ms. Skye using that emergency phone!
: It does seem hard to imagine how she could have!
: Very logical!
: …
: …
: (What’s the matter, Starr? Cat got your lunchbox?)
: Um, Mr. Wright… I hate to bother you while you’re celebrating your victory… But why would
: Ms. Starr lie like that?
: Huh?
: Why would she say that my sister had tried to use the phone, but failed?
: It doesn’t make any sense! Why lie about something so insignificant?
: Oh… (Dang, she’s right!)
: I mean, maybe she really did see her try to use the emergency phone.
: I see no room for doubt here.

: Ugh.
: (One… one more try!)
: Hmph. I see it in your eyes. You haven’t learned your lesson, have you?
: Tell us exactly what lie this witness has told the court!

: She lied about the order of events!
: Ms. Skye used that emergency phone BEFORE the murder!
: I-I see!
: I hadn’t thought of that!
: …
: …
: (That took the wind out of her sails!)
: Um, Mr. Wright… I hate to bother you while you’re celebrating your victory…
: But… why would anyone use the emergency phone before the murder?
: Huh?
: Just when you think he can’t sink any lower, he amazes us. I applaud you, Mr. Wright.

: Ugh.
: (One… one more try!)
: Hmph. I see it in your eyes. You haven’t learned your lesson, have you?
: Tell us exactly what lie this witness has told the court!

: She tried to use the emergency phone… but it was out of order.
: What is significant about this fact?
: Nothing. It would be pointless for her to lie about it!
: Pointless to lie… I see!
: The witness did actually see Ms. Skye using the emergency phone.
: In other words…

: A different location!?
: Now that’s a pointless lie if I ever heard one!

: Before you call my lie pointless…
: at least let me tell it!

: Let me ask a question to our clever wordsmith, Mr. Wright.
: Just where was the witness
: when she saw the crime!?

: (All the testimony we’ve heard until now points in one direction…)

: This is the only place where she could have been.
: The security guard room?
: Indeed, the security room in the underground parking lot is well positioned…

: Hmm… She would have been able to see the emergency phone from there.
: But why there? There are many other places where she could have seen the phone?

: Not in this case, Your Honor.

: I remember in your testimony, you said…
: You brought a lunch to your “boyfriend” in the security guard room, yes?

: Well, Ms. Starr?
: … How many years have I been getting the better of men…? To think that the tables could be turned…
: Today, a man has got the better of Angel Starr!

: Order! Order!
: Witness! What have you done!? You used to be a detective! You should know better!
: I’m not turning back. The guilty will be punished.
: And I’ll do what I must to make sure justice prevails.
: (The guilty… is she talking about Ms. Skye…?)
: Um, Mr. Wright? Doesn’t this strike you as odd? Why did Ms. Starr lie?
: It doesn’t make sense!
: Huh?
: She could have just said she saw the crime from the security guard station. It wouldn’t change anything!
: Exactly!

: That truth still stands!

: It “still stands”?
: I disagree, Mr. Edgeworth.
: Wh-what!?
: If a witness is found to be lying,
: they’re guilty of perjury. She knows this.
: She wouldn’t risk that without a good reason!

: So tell us what her reason was, Mr. Wright!
: …
: Huh? M-me?
: Who else!?
: Mr. Wright! Let’s review what we know!

: Why, the angle at which she saw the crime occur would change!
: The angle…?
: What do you mean!?
: Uh, um, well…
: The security guard station is on the second floor… and um…
: She would have sort of a more 3-D view of the crime.
: And this is important… why?
: Um…
: …
: …

: Mr. Wright! Let’s review what we know!

: It’s a difference in lighting!
: Lighting…?
: What does that mean!?
: Well, it means, uh…
: See, the security guard station is on the second level…
: So, uh, she would have seen the crime in better lighting conditions.
: And this is important… why?
: Um…
: …
: …

: Mr. Wright! Let’s review what we know!

: It changes the distance between her and the scene of the crime!

: I don’t see how that would change what she could see.

: What she saw is not in question here.
: What matters is the time it would take her to reach the scene of the crime!
: …!
: Ms. Starr! You witnessed the crime from the security guard station!
: Now, how long did it take you to go from there…
: to the scene of the crime, where you arrested Ms. Skye!?

: …
: Well, witness?
: You…
: Y-yes…?

: (The quality of my lunches has gone from low to inedible.)
: I was bringing a PB&J lunch with fresh boysenberry jam to my boyfriend.
: Hmm…
: Boysenberry for the boyfriend!
: He wasn’t in the station, so I waited.

: But… the door was locked. I couldn’t open it.

: That’s quite a detour.
: It probably took me at least five minutes to get to the scene of the crime.
: F-f-f-five minutes!?

: Hmm…
: This changes things considerably!
: But, it was that woman over there in the defendant’s chair who stabbed him!

: I swear it…
: I swear it on my finest plastic spork!
: You have a point. And the spork is a wonderful invention.

: Absolutely!
: (Uh oh…)
: Mr. Wright! You have to do something!

: (I think I need more evidence before I go sticking my spork in this mess…)
: Woo! Caviar!
: Ah… how it makes my eyes tingle!
: Mr. Wright!
: No evidence can win against the raw power of caviar! It’s a scientific fact! The only thing that’s left…
: Is your strong presence and deft powers of deduction!
: …!
: Let’s screw the lid back on those overpriced fish eggs!

Which leaves us where the right answer does.

: Five minutes between the witnessing of the murder and the arrest! Think about it!
: You could make pasta in that amount of time! If you like it al dente!

: A five minute “blank”…
: Isn’t that strange!?
: Strange…?
: If you were a criminal…
: What would you do with five minutes, Your Honor?
: Well, um…
: I guess I’d flee the scene.
: Hey! D-don’t get the wrong idea! I didn’t kill anyone…

: But you have the instincts of a killer! You would run!
: But this time was different!

: Well then.
: It seems we’ve come to the end of this testimony.
: She has a grudge against the defendant, and there is a blank in her testimony.
: …!
: Mr. Edgeworth, is the next witness ready to go?
: Unfortunately…
: I appear to have overestimated this witness on account of her professional history…
: We did it! We screwed that can shut, Mr. Wright!
(Th-that was too close!)

: I’m afraid that
: the Cough-up Queen has been dethroned.
: And with that, court is adjourned!

: (That’s the one she tried to foist off on me!)
: I prefer to not take the defense team’s lefotvers. Anything else to say?
: I… might be able to save you.
: I have decisive evidence.
: Wh-what was that!?
: (Is this another one of her trick lunchboxes!?)
: My apologies, but we have no further questions to ask of you, Ms. Starr.
: Ah…

: Whoo hoo! A triple-decker!

: Out of deference to the witness’s determination, I’ll allow one more testimony!
: Let’s hear about this decisive evidence.
: Like the Lunchland motto says, you won’t be disappointed!
: (What’s she going to pull out of her lunchbox this time!?)

: Wh-what!? There was blood found on that shoe!?

: Witness, what’s the meaning of this?

: Simple. As I’ve already said…
: I don’t trust you with evidence, Mr. Edgeworth! That’s why I took the liberty of investigating this myself.
: And… you had blood tests performed?
: Didn’t I mention?
: I have three boyfriends in forensics.

: In any case, Your Honor,
: I can’t accept this as evidence!

: What…?
: You should know the two rules of evidence law, Ms. Starr!
: Rule 1: no evidence shall be shown without the approval of the Police Department!

: I-is that right, Mr. Wright!?
: It seems so. Edgeworth sure is celebrating.
: Not so fast, Mr. Edgeworth.
: …!
: Don’t forget… I used to be a detective! As I mentioned previously…

: Even the general public can produce official evidence, Mr. Edgeworth.
: Nuh… Ungh!
: I-is that right, Mr. Wright!?
: It seems so. Edgeworth is looking pretty sullen.
: You could at least study some evidence law! Really!

: The prosecution’s complaints notwithstanding…
: It appears that this evidence satisfies the first rule of evidence law. Well…
: It seems you have yet another count against you, witness.
: Anything to ensure that the guilty are properly judged.

Examining it…

: It appears so. (Lana’s right hand was bandaged when I saw her in jail. She must have cut herself at the time of the crime…)
: Poor sis…

: On the sole of the shoe? It’s got to be the victim’s. He must have stepped in a puddle of his own blood.
: All this blood… It’s horrible!
: (Hmm… This blood might be an important clue…)

Next time: Yeah, even more testimony.

[morsrattus]

Case 5 - Rise From the Ashes
Trial (Day 2) - Part 5

Back to the trial.

: Very well, Mr. Wright, you may cross-examine the witness!

: Why did you lie about those five minutes?
: I guess you could say, I just wanted people to look at the results.
: The… results?
: How many times do I have to say this?
: I saw the chief prosecutor stab the victim before my very own eyes! Compared to that…
: A five minute “blank” means nothing!
: Then why didn’t you just tell the truth?
: Don’t make me laugh! We’re dealing with the most untrustworthy of the vile lot known as prosecutors! Falsified evidence, arranged testimonies, erasing and manipulating evidence…
: When you fight monsters, you need to use every trick in the book!
: (This when the suspect is admitting she did it?)

: False testimony is the most despicable crime of all, Ms. Starr.
: Let’s just get this over with.

: And, you found this shoe at the scene of the crime?
: I detained the chief prosecutor, and notified the Police Department… I wanted to make myself useful while I was waiting for the police to arrive.
: So, like an ill-trained pooch, you snuck off with a shoe!
: I was afraid someone would erase the chief prosecutor’s crime.

: See this fashionable basket I have here…?
: It carries more than lunchboxes, gentlemen!
: (I’m happy for you and your lunchbox bag, really.)
: In any case, you removed valuable evidence from the scene of the crime.
: Now tell us what you did next.

: So, you brought it to the forensics department?
: If you’re going to submit something as evidence in court, you need it approved. To do that, evidence must be analyzed…
: by a forensics expert.
: (And she got away with her little coup because she used to be a detective…)

: Makes sense. After all, a man was stabbed here.

: As I said, there were two types of blood found on the shoe.

: You can’t say for sure the blood belonged to the victim with a blood test!
: You claim to know something about blood tests, Rookie?
: Huh…
: Well, speak up!
: Uh, well… Blood comes in four types… A, B, O, and AB… However!
: You can’t tell from a blood test whether a murder was performed… in cold blood!
: …
: …
: … That’s just a figure of speech, Mr. Wright.
: Actually, if you combine all the various blood tests, there are millions of types! It’s practically impossible to narrow a blood sample down to one person!
: Or so I hear.
: M-millions of types?

: But they said there’s very little doubt it could be anyone’s but Ms. Lana Skye’s.
: Hmm…
: So the suspect’s blood was found on the victim’s shoe…
: That ties her directly to the death of Detective Goodman!
: (I was afraid he was going to say that…)

: (I can’t let this evidence go through without a fight!)

: …!
: Some like it hot, Mr. Wright. Some, like your client. She’s in enough hot water to make a whole batch of soup.

: A problem…?

: (No… there’s nothing there. And if I just stab blindly at it, I’ll hurt my case.)
: C’mon, Mr. Wright, I know you can find something!
: Some kind of off-the-cuff contradiction!
: I’m trying to avoid saying things off-the-cuff today.

And loop.

: (That’s pretty sly, hiding evidence like that!)
: There’s nothing sly about a lawyer using the law as a weapon!
: In any case, science is always on our side!
: Don’t forget!
: Scientific investivation is the wave of the future!
: (Hmm… maybe I should “investigate” this evidence a little more closely…)

Or…

: If I’m not imagining things…

: That gleam in your eyes…
: You’re still young, Rookie.

: Let’s hear what Mr. Wright has to say!
: What is contradictory about the victim’s shoe?

: Don’t mess with me, Rookie…

: Hmm… Indeed, there is quite a bit of blood on the bottom of the shoe.
: It makes sense. The victim was stabbed with a knife!

: The problem lies…
: in the footprint.
: The… footprint?

: Then… isn’t it strange?

: Why weren’t any bloody footprints found by the scene of the crime!?
: Ah hah!

: If there were bloody prints they would have been found.

: Order! Order! Order!
: Well, witness!?
: What!? Huh? I, uh…
: Great going, Mr. Wright!
: But… It’s true that the lack of a footprint is a contradiction…
: But then we have to ask why there wasn’t a footprint!
: Oh!
: That’s true! There has to be a reason why there wasn’t a footprint!
: Think, Mr. Wright, think!
: … Hey, I don’t know why it’s not there. I’m just good at finding contradictions.
: What!?

: I see…
: Now I get it!
: (Get what!?)
: Our witness is more devious than I gave her credit for!
: We were hoodwinked to the very end!

: Wh-what are you talking about?
: Think back to when she told us about apprehending the suspect…

: She knocked my hands aside, kiced over an oil drum… Oh, she’s beautiful, but deadly! A predator, this one! A leopard woman! Rowr!

: (No kidding!)
: Now, witness. Allow me to ask a very simple question. This “oil drum”…
: was it empty?
: …
: Oh, that, hmm? I’m not sure I like your attitude, Mr. Edgeworth.
: Though apparently you’re not the slowest conveyor belt in the lunchbox factory.
: Witness! W-well?
: Was the oil drum empty…?
: The oil drum kicked over by the chief prosecutor…
: was brimming with water.
: W-water? (What does that mean?)
: Still don’t get it, Mr. Wright? Do you want to know the reason she knocked it over?
: The REAL reason?
: Aaaa haaaaah! You don’t mean…!
: Yes, the suspect knocked over that oil drum for one reason and one reason alone!

: That ties things up quite nicely!

: Then, after the deed was done, she knocked over the oil drum to erase the telltale signs!
: Why, that’s a prosecutor’s specialty…
: erasing evidence!
: (That reminds me… Ms. Skye’s right hand was hurt…)

: Well…
: I see no reason to prolong this trial.
: M-Mr. Wright! Do something! Please!
: W-what!? What can I do? Your sister has confessed to the crime, and she tried to conceal it!
: B-but…

: Enough.
: There is no need for further debate.
: The verdict, Your Honor!
: Very well…
: But Angel Starr is on the prosecution’s side! She could have been lying about the water!

: This court finds the defendant, Ms. Lana Skye…

: Huh…? M-me?
: Did you say that I, Angel Starr…
: was on the prosecution’s side?
: W-well, yeah, you are! You’re saying my sister hid evidence by erasing the bloody footprints!
: Well.

: I thought you’d had your fill, but here you are, demanding a second helping!

: W-wait… Witness, don’t tell me
: you have something else?

: You’ve reached your verdict, Your Honor!
: Any further comments will be held in contempt of court!
: Your threats don’t scare the Cough-up Queen!

: that the white shoe didn’t belong to the victim!
: Hmm…
: I see no room for error in this evidence.

: Hey! It’s clearly wet!

: Erasing the last trace of doubt from the court’s mind.
: Immediately after the murder, the crime scene was washed with water!
: I-I’m sorry, Mr. Wright. I guess I…
: I couldn’t help after all.
: (It’s not your fault… I knew I couldn’t win this case from the beginning.)
: (And… it seems this is what your sister wanted anyway!)

: (I’m sorry, Mia…) …

Don’t be so quick to throw in the towel…

Don’t give up… Not until the bitter end.
: (This is the last piece of evidence…)

: Very well! This time I’d like to declare a verdict for good!

: What is it with you people!? Can’t I hand down my verdicts in peace anymore!?
: Whatever it is, can it wait?
: N-no it can’t. Then it will be too late!

: So, Wright…
: Are you saying there’s a problem with this latest piece of evidence?
: Yeah! (I’ll think later!)
: Yeah, there’s a problem! (Right or wrong, I’ve got to go ahead with this!)

: I suppose since we’ve come this far, we should give every claim a fair shake.
: Very well, Mr. Wright.

: The problem in this photograph… is here!

: There’s something poking out of the car’s muffler!
: Wait just a moment, Mr. Edgeworth!
: Your Honor?
: You just said
: “muffler”…

: …
: A muffler is also a part on a car or motorcycle, Your Honor.
: Just think of it as… part of the exhaust system. A pipe…
: I see! And… I see!

: Hmph! So what if there is something sticking out of the muffler! What does that have to do with this case?

: Nothing! Absolutely nothing!

: Sorry, Ms. Starr… But it’s not going to be that easy! In fact, you’ve already told us why this is important to the case…
: You said as much in your testimony!!!

: Wh-what!?

: Let’s hear what Mr. Wright has on his mind!

: Ms. Starr!
: Recall your testimony for the court…

: That’s what had me confused in my earlier testimony!

: Could it be that the “muffler” you heard mentioned…

: If so!

: Well… It seems we will have to suspend the proceedings.
: Sus… Suspend!?
: I find myself wondering
: about that piece of cloth. If we leave any question unanswered here we do a disservice to the law!
: Have the car at the crime scene inspected at once, and bring me that cloth! The verdict will wait until after we’ve seen all the evidence.
: Agreed…?
: …
: I suppose so.
: (Whew… that was close. But… we made it…)
: (at least for now!)

: The court will adjourn for a thirty minute recess!
: It’s lunchtime after all!
: (He’s still hungry!?)

Next time: Recess.

[morsrattus]

Case 5 - Rise From the Ashes
Trial (Day 2) - Part 6

In every other case, a chapter break has meant going to the next cycle of Investigation or Trial. Not so this time! Instead, we’re going back into the trial once we finish the recess.

: Um… Mr. Wright?
: Huh? What?
: Are trials… always like this with you?
: Like you’re swimming up from the bottom of a lake, about to reach the surface…
: But no matter how hard you paddle you never seem to get there…
: Pretty much. Except today we’re swimming in quicksand. So what happened to your sister, anyway?
: Apparently she got called off to the judge’s chambers.
: Hmm… Probably something to do with that piece of cloth.
: So! This is where we turn this trial around, right?
: Our only weapon, a tiny, insignificant piece of cloth!
: I’m the one who’s starting to feel tiny and insignificant to tell the truth.

: That’s what they told me when I was a young’un, at least.
: Officer Marshall!
: Thought I’d come take a look-see at how the trial’s going. Looks like I’m late. They’ve got the place locked down tighter than a fort in enemy territory!
: What is going on over there, anyway? All the police I’ve seen these last two days have been really on edge.
: Don’t you got enough on your plate without worrying about other people, compadre?
: You could be worrying about the chief prosecutor’s taste in mufflers, for example.
: Um… Officer Marshall?
: The whole “muffler” thing didn’t have anything to do with scarves…
: She wasn’t even wearing a scarf!

: You don’t say?
: Now don’t that just beat all.
: …?
: I’ve seen the red breeze blow at her slender neck many a time…

: What!?
: At the awards ceremony that afternoon. Edgeworth’s seen it too, I’d reckon.
: (What does that mean!?)

: So, Ms. Starr
: wasn’t mistaken…
: Well, it’s about time.
: Remember, pardner, sometimes you gotta grab the bull by the horns…

: (Ugh… I have a bad feeling about this.)
: So… what are we swimming in now, Mr. Wright?
: If it’s steak sauce, I can hook you up with some fine ribs! Ooh-wee!

: I’d… like to… resume…?
: (What’s up? The judge keeps looking over at the prosecution…)

: Is something wrong, Mr. Edgeworth?
: Your face is blue, your lips are purple, you’re sweating bullets… That furrowed brow, those grinding teeth, those water eyes… What’s more, your eyes are unfocused, you’re doubled over, your back is bent…

: It… can’t… be!!
: This… can’t… happen!
: I wonder what happened to Mr. Edgeworth?

: Well then, I believe it is time we continued on with this trial.
: During our recess I had requested that the prosecution conduct an investigation…
: Th-this is unacceptable!

: Hmm…
: It seems our prosecutor is quite beside himself.
: Ah, er, excuse me. Knock knock?
: …?
: Who’s there?

: (What’s with this guy?)

: Hey! The temperature rose 5.7 degrees when that man came in!
: (Who on earth is he…?)

: Ah, it’s you…

: Sorry I’m late, Udgey! The roads were packed. It’s just me!

: Ah! Hello, hello.
: No, I’ve been so busy…
: Busy! Busy-smizzy, Udgey, my boy! You have to make time to relax!
: Y-yes, indeed.
: Udgey… seems to be his nickname for the judge…?
: I’m afraid you’re right. Very afraid.
: Um… sorry, but… who are you?
: Ah hah! So you’re Wrighto! The attorney! I’ve heard good things about you, son!
: Eh? Uh, th-thanks…?

: You know, we should all go swimming together sometime! Jolly!
: Little…
: Little Worthy…?
: Mr. Wright!

: Chuh…?
: Chief of Police…!?
: He’s the top ranking police officer in the entire district!

Just imagine dead silence pretty much every time this happens.

: Name’s Gant, Damon Gant. Pleased to meet you, everyone!

: So, uh, to what do we owe this honor today?
: It’s been over… two years since you last came to this courtroom, hasn’t it?

: Hey! Th-that’s…!
: My sister’s muffler!
: (So Ms. Starr wasn’t just seeing things!)

: On little Worthy’s car, no less!

: Wh-what’s this!?
: It’s what you’d call a switchblade knife.
: Quite perplexing, this.

: Chief!
: What kind of outfit are you running!?
: M-Mr. Edgeworth!
: How could they miss such a vital piece of evidence!?
: If your investigators are this lax, how do you expect us to do our job?
: N-now wait a minute, Worthy!

: I’ve no desire to hear your excuses!
: I’m telling you to wait!
: Or didn’t you hear me?

: …!

: There’s no mistaking that signature…
: Miles Edgeworth?
: Th-that’s no fair!
: The day of the crime, I-I had…
: Your head in the clouds because you got that award!
: I know how you feel…
: But you’re the person in charge.
: I’ll expect a written apology.
: What? Are you serious!?
: Don’t be too upset, we’ll find a way to clean up this mess… that you made.
: …!
: This is the first time I’ve seen Mr. Edgeworth at a loss for words…

: This kind of major blunder is unlike you Mr. Edgeworth.
: Gah…!
: The court accepts this new evidence.
: But, I’d like to ask the defense a favor first.
: Y-yes?
: Just to be sure…

: The b-blade, Your Honor?
: Well, I don’t see why not…
: Could you open it up for me, I wonder?
: Yes, well.
: I think all you have to do is push that switch, and…

: If I cut my finger Mr. Wright, I wouldn’t be able to pound my gavel anymore.
: (Yeah. But if I cut my finger, I wouldn’t be able to point it at people anymore…)
: Come on! Just hurry up and open it!

The game forces us into examining the knife.

: It seems to say “SL-9 2”…
: What does that mean?
: Well… (I’ve heard something similar… “DL-6” of “DL-6 Incident” fame…)
: But… it’s strange.
: Huh? What is?
: I’m not certain… But I get the feeling I’ve seen this somewhere before! Letters like this… or letters that looked a lot like this… somehow.

: I’m the one who’s scared!
: Look at this knife blade… the tip is broken off.
: (And this dark red stain… blood?)

And back to the trial.

: This does not excuse the actions of the Police Department!
: I would like to hear an explanation from the Chief of Police himself!

: I’m terribly sorry, but could I ask you to testify for us?

: There…
: There was a murder at the Police Department!? A detective!?

: That’s hush-hush information, Udgey! We haven’t exactly announced it yet.

: W-wait a second!
: You said “5:15”…

: Order! Order! Order!
: Anyway, we at the Department were all a-flustered, as you might well assume. We’re in the middle of a top-top-secret investigation.
: Don’t tell anyone, okay?
: I think we understand the Police Department’s situation…
: Well, Mr. Wright?
: (Two detectives killed at the same time in two different places…)
: The chances of that are really slim. Scientifically speaking, of course.
: I’d… like to exercise
: my right to cross-examine the witness.

: Very well… however!
: Keep your questions focused on the case at hand!

Next time: Cross-examination.

[morsrattus]

Case 5 - Rise From the Ashes
Trial (Day 2) - Part 7

: Excuse me… “special”?
: Mmhmm. Hard to come by this particular knife anywhere else.

: Now why was there another knife at the scene of the crime?
: That’s quite a mystery!
: And like a mystery, it’s wrapped in something… a muffler!

: I think that makes it connected to the case, don’t you!?
: See, there’s a lot of things that go on at the Department I can’t explain…
: It’s… delicate, okay? Sorry, Wrighto!

: Let’s examine that knife while we can, Wrighto!
: (Hmmm… evidence that links this knife to Detective Goodman…)
: (I think perhaps the pieces are falling into place…)
: (I should try presenting the piece of evidence that’s had me stumped all this time!)
: So, how were things down at the Department…?

: Something didn’t happen at the Police Department too, did it…?
: You got a good look in your eyes, there, Wrighto my boy. Sharp! Hungry!
: Chief… did something happen?
: And why haven’t I heard?
: Why haven’t you heard?
: Or why didn’t you ask?
: …!
: No matter, I understand. You were busy, what with Lana’s case and all.

: Well, what happened!?
: What happened at the Police Department that day?

: On the same day that a detective was killed in the Prosecutor’s parking lot…
: Another detective… was killed at the Police Department!?
: That’s a fact. Surprising, isn’t it, Udgey?
: I’m at a loss for words.
: And the perpetrator? Do you have a suspect?
: Well, there was a suspect.
: Just arrested 'em, in fact.
: (Just arrested! That was quick…)
: But… there’s still a lot of unanswered questions.
: Maybe you could help, Wright!
: I suppose I could help… if you help me by giving me data on your case?

: So, tell me…
: where was the victim found?
: …
: Well, I can’t speak on where the corpse was found.
: But I can say the crime took place in the evidence room at the Police Department.
: (The evidence room!?)
: You wouldn’t know about the evidence room, would you, Wrighto?
: I can’t say I’ve heard of it.
: (I guess I should ask again once I learn a bit more about this “evidence room.”)
: There’s something stranger about this then the place where the body was found!

: Well, how was the detective killed?
: How was he killed? Now that’s the interesting part!
: It was what we in the force call a “stabbing.” With a knife!
: A kn-knife…?
: That’s exactly the same as Detective Goodman!
: That’s the spirit! We’re cooking now!
: But you know…
: That’s not the only thing that was exactly the same…
: Wh-what do you mean!?
: There were more similarities between the two cases than the cause of death!
: (IT seems like I’m going to have to press this a bit harder…)

: So… when did the murder at the Police Department occur?
: Now that’s a sharp question, Wrighto! Very sharp!
: Well, my boy… You’re gonna love this!

And they all converge on the next bit.

: Five… 5:15…!?
: B-but that’s…
: That’s when Detective Goodman was killed in the Prosecutor’s Office!
: What!?
: Funny, isn’t it? A murder at the Prosecutor’s place, and a murder at our place at the very same time!
: What are the chances!

: i[/i]
: This is just my gut feeling…
: but I’d say there’s a 0.001% chance of that happening!

: Chief Gant, please tell us more about the incident!

: How can you say there’s no connection!?
: How? Because I’m the Chief of Police!
: I can’t just say anything I please, Wrighto. You understand!

: Try to understand, Wrighto.
: Well, if you can prove there is a connection, more power to you.
: Maybe there is something that ties the two murders together?
: (Whatever it is, I’d better find it and get to the bottom of this! Two detectives were killed at 5:15… One at the Prosecutor’s Office…)
: (And one at the Police Department… that can’t be a coincidence!)

: (I’d better check this knife out…)

And loop. You probably know the answer.

: Wait a second!
: Ah, at last! An honest to goodness “objection”!

: What do you mean!?
: Ah hah! An honest-to-goodness what do you mean from the judge! This is great!
: Look at the tag on this knife!
: It reads “SL-9 2”…
: And this is important… why?

: 6 minus 7S… 12/2…?

: Your Honor…
: It’s upside-down.
: Upside…?

: When he wrote this note, he was holding the paper upside down!

: Order! Order!
: Well, Chief?
: …
: Ah well. I guess the cat’s out of the bag…
: You win, Wrighto!
: I… win?
: Ah… (What game is this guy playing!?)

: Yes, but on the day of the murder.
: It was evidence, you say.
: Was it, in fact, a murder weapon?
: Nice! Nice! Nice! Good show, little Worthy! It was a murder weapon, as it happens.
: It was evidence from a case long-since solved…
: (So this knife was stolen on the day of the murder…)

: Hard to think there isn’t a connection there!

And now that we know that, we can go back to…

: So, tell me…
: where was the victim found?
: …
: Well, I can’t speak on where the corpse was found.
: But I can say the crime took place in the evidence room at the Police Department.
: (The evidence room!? W-wait a second…)

: (I have heard of that!)
: The evidence room…
: Didn’t he mention that in his testimony just now?

: (There’s the connection between the two cases!)
: You seem happy, Mr. Wright!
: Happy? We just got handed our ticket to go to town on this case!
: (With the link between the two cases established, we finally have some leverage.)
: (Now we can get Gant to testify about the details!)

: Chief… The defense’s positing is simply this:
: The connection between these two cases has already been proven!
: Heh, you don’t say?
: Well, out with it Wrighto! What’s your connection?
: Yes, out with it, Mr. Wright.

: The connection is a place, mentioned in the testimony we just heard.

: from the Police Department’s evidence room.

: And we also know that the detective murdered at the Police Department…
: was killed in that very same evidence room!

: Indeed…
: There do seem to be too many connections for it to be a coincidence.

: You two make a good pair. It took my men two days to find out
: what you deduced right here.

: Chief!
: I request that you release your information on the victim at the Police Department!
: See, that’s the tricky part.
: It hasn’t been announced yet, and all…
: Can we get the information…
: unofficially?

: Hmmmmm…
: Sure! Why not? It’s unofficial, after all.
: (What? Really!?)
: Who would have guessed?

Next time: Truth…???

[morsrattus]

Case 5 - Rise From the Ashes
Trial (Day 2) - Part 8

: If you’re going to tell us a little, why not tell us everything?
: Ah, well, case information is sticky stuff. You have to do everything properly.

: Okay…
: how about the gender of the victim!
: You want to know that!? Um… Hmm… Okay, a hint.
: Let’s see… first hint! The gender that’s NOT female…!
: Ah hah!
: He was a guy!
: What did I tell you! The boy’s sharp!
: Stop goofing around, Mr. Wright! This is serious business!
: S-sorry, Your Honor.
: (Hey, tell that to the Chief of Police!)

: Okay, well…
: What division was the victim stationed in?
: Oh? You want to know that, do you? Do you? Ah hah…
: Criminal Affairs, Division 1.
: The detectives responsible for homicide cases.
: (Homicide… that would be the same division as Detective Gumshoe!)

: It’s almost like a serial killer was after homicide detectives…
: Except this serial killing happened simultaneously, scientifically speaking.
: Well, I sure hope Detective Gumshoe isn’t next on the list…

: Okay… How about you tell me
: the victim’s ID number?
: Hmm? Sure, why not. It’s not like you’ll be able to tell who it is from that!
: Of course not.
: You won’t tell me their name, after all.
: We keep a tight lid on ID numbers, so don’t go getting your hopes up.
: The number is…
: 5842189.
: Well! That’s quite…
: long!
: And we have to remember these! It drives me nuts!
: 8… 2…
: I can’t do it.
: (You didn’t even get the first number right!)

: Well, Mr. Wright? Does this tell you anything?

: Absolutely nothing, Your Honor.
: Ah… well, yes.
: First of all, it was too long! I’ve forgotten it already!
: S-sorry!
: I mean, why are you getting mad at me!? I didn’t come up with those numbers…
: Hmm… 5842189…

: Actually, it does, Your Honor.
: It does…!
: I think!
: Meaning?

: Well, let’s hear what the defense hast to say.
: You say the ID number of the detective who was murdered at the Police Department…

: Witness! …
: …
: …
: …
: What is it, Mr. Wright!?

: No, I… it’s just,
: I got confused…
: And this is news?
: Huh?
: Just come out with both guns blazing…
: like you always do.

: (Two places, two detectives murdered… at one time.)

: Oh hoh!
: Is it yours?
: N-no, Your Honor. I’m a defense attorney… remember?

: Shame on you, Wrighto! Personnel IDs are top secret!
: Detective Goodman’s ID number is…
: “5842189.”
: …
: …
: …
: And…?
: This means… what, exactly?
: Huh?
: Wait…
: That ID number we heard from the Chief earlier…
: That started with “82…”
: Hmm. I’ve forgotten.
: (You even got the first number wrong!)
: The number the Chief of Police gave us was…
: 5842189.

: W-wait a second, Wright! What does this…?

: Mean? That’s what I want to know!
: The two ID numbers are identical!
: In other words… The detective killed in the Police Department’s evidence room was Bruce Goodman!

: What does our witness think about that!?
: …
: Oh! Ho ho ho, sharp as a tack, Wrighto! Sharp as a tack!
: B-but wait! Detective Goodman is OUR victim!

: Yet, a Detective Bruce Goodman was also killed at the Police Department…

: Th-that’s impossible!
: So, what we’re saying is…
: The same person was killed at the same time!?

: Order! Order! Order!
: Chief! What does this mean!?

: No… what I want to know is…
: why didn’t I hear about this!? Yes, it’s top-secret, fine! But I’m the prosecutor in charge of the case!!!
: Now, just wait a second, Worthy. No need to get all flustered.

: Your Honor!
: The Police Department has made a grave error in this case…
: Wait.

: Or didn’t you hear me?
: …!
: The oversight… the grave error…? Mr. Edgeworth…

: They’re yours.

: How… how dare…
: We informed you yesterday.
: I believe it was our Officer Meekins who brought you the news?
: O-officer… Meekins?
: Mr. Wright!
: Where have we heard that name before?
: Wait… Ah hah!

: I’m here, sir, at the request of the chief, sir! I’ve got your report, sir!

: According to Meekins, you didn’t accept the report?
: Hard to believe.
: B-but your officer, he told me!
: He said that report had nothing to do with the Lana Skye incident!

: Mr. Edgeworth. The victim’s name is written write on top of the report.

Whoops, nice typo, game.

: Wh-why didn’t your officer tell me!?

: He did seem… challenged.
: In any case, this is a serious error, a gross negligence of duty on your part, Worthy.

: B-But, sir!!!

: Then, I…

: No such luck this time, Worthy… or should I say, un-Worthy?

: What!?
: Now what was the second rule of evidence law, hmm?
: Well, Mr. Wright?
: Huh? Oh, well, it’s, uh…
: Rule 2: New evidence may only be submitted if it concerns the case on trial.
: And how is this relevant!?
: Normally, you submit a list of evidence to be used in court before the trial.

: So…
: What does this mean?
: I couldn’t submit this evidence until a connection was proven in court.
: …!!
: The connection was just proven by Wrighto over here.
: Good job, Wrighto, my boy!
: Huh? Uh… I…
: I was just doing my job.

: No…

: It seems…
: we have come to the end of this trial.
: You are becoming a thorn in my side, Worthy… There’ve been rumors…
: After all, you were in the defendant’s chair just last year…!
: …!
: I apologize for this terrible lack of due diligence on my part…
: M-Mr. Edgeworth!
: Please… Just give me one day. I’ll get to the bottom of what happened…
: If it’s the last thing I do!
: You’d better get results this time. Really.
: I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!
: Poor Mr. Edgeworth…

: I don’t think there’s ever been an error this serious in the history of this court.
: We will grant one further day as the prosecution has requested.
: Will this be sufficient, Mr. Edgeworth.

This case has more typos and grammar issues than any other in this game, really.

: Yes, Your Honor. Thank you.
: Whatever your punishment for this is, for your sake I hope it’s not… decisive.

: Very well! Court is adjourned!

Next time: The case only gets weirder from here.htah

[morsrattus]

(some more filler here)

[morsrattus]

(we’re catching up)

[morsrattus]

Case 5 - Rise From the Ashes
Investigation (Day 2) - Part 1

: Uh… um, Mr. Wright! So…
: What’s going on with the case, anyway!?
: I… I’m a little confused.
: Huh!? W-well, um… let’s see. (What is going on?)

: He died in the Prosecutor’s parking lot… and the Police Department’s evidence room.
: What’s this “and the evidence room” part!?
: The Prosecutor’s Office and the Police Department are 30 minutes apart by car.
: … Well… that’s what we’re going to find out. (Or try to, at least…)
: …
: Alright! Let’s do it!
: (Glad she’s in good spirits, but I’m not sure she’s going to be much help with this…)
: Don’t be so sure, Mr. Wright.
: Huh?
: Would you mind coming with me?
: I’ll prove that these thick-rimmed glasses of mine aren’t just for show!
: Let’s go! Science awaits us!

And we are immediately jumped to…

: You know, I really don’t think we should worry about the Police Department murder!

: (Of course it was our victim who was killed at the Department…)
: And my sister would never do such a thing! I know it…

Sudden flashback!

: The oil drum kicked over by the Chief Prosecutor…
: was brimming with water!

: (Even though she says they don’t get along, Ema really likes her sister…)
: That’s not it at all!
: It’s just…
: We’re both professionals at what we do… and I trust her!
: (Big words for a high school student.) Well, whether there was blood stains or not… The water in that oil drum washed it all away.
: He he heh. Ignore the strength of my science at your own peril, Mr. Wright!
: Huh? What’s that grin for?

: L-luminol?
: Blood is sticky stuff, you know. You can’t just wash it away with a little water.
: Even if you can’t see it, it’s still there…
: But wouldn’t the police have already done those tests?
: Never trust anyone’s eyes but your own, Mr. Wright!
: Just give it a try!
: M-me? Why do I have to do it!?
: I’m a minor! I can’t even drink yet!
: (We’re testing blood stains with this stuff, not drinking it…)
: Here, look, I’ll lend you these glasses.
: Huh? You had an extra pair of those things?

Luminol testing takes place on the bottom screen, like examining.

: To test for a blood reaction, just spray the luminol on it.

: Touch the screen to spray it on.
: Okay! Let’s find us some bloodstains!

Once a bloodstain has been identified this way, you have to tap it.

: So, this is a bloodstain?
: Uhhhh… It’s so… ugh!
: Ema, you’re shaking.
: It’s just… this is my first time seeing real blood!
: (Scientific investigation in action…)
: O-okay, well, we definitely know this is a bloodstain.
: But, doesn’t something strike you as odd? Scientifically speaking, of course?
: (What’s odd about this… scientificallly?)

: Why, the blood stain’s location is odd! Elementary!

: I mean, I would think that if there was a fight, you’d expect some bloodstains here.
: … I suppose you might think that.
: C’mon, Mr. Wright! We’re all counting on you!
: (There is something odd about this bloodstain… But if it’s not the location of the blood, then maybe…) Maybe it’s the amount of blood that’s odd?

Or…

: The perpetrator and Detective Goodman fought here, right? Don’t you think there’d be a little more blood?

Convergence.

: I mean…

: (It’s strange! If they fought here, there’d have to be more bloodstains than this.)
: Uh, h-hey, Mr. Wright!

: See… I’m pretty handy to have around, right?

: I saved up my allowance to buy this!

The Luminol is added to our evidence list. I forget to actually look at it for a bit, though.

: We can’t be sure that the police will reveal all their evidence in court.
: Sometimes they fail to mention evidence that doesn’t fit with their view of the case.
: And we’ll drag that “hidden evidence” out into the light of day!
: Yeah!
: It feels like we’re really investigating a crime now, doesn’t it?
: (This luminol stuff is going to come in handy.)
: Hah!

: Ms. Starr!

: You only trust your own eyes, hm?
: Not bad, you two…

: Sorry, it’s just, that kind of lead in doesn’t really get my mouth watering.

And now we can look around or talk to Angel.

: So that’s where Ms. Starr saw the incident from.
: You can probably see quite a lot from up there. i[/i]

: Where’s the security guard, anyway?
: Well, this is just something I heard…
: But apparently he went out to buy coffee for Ms. Starr.
: (That woman is a force to be reckoned with…)

: So, this is the famous oil drum.
: Well, no time like the present! I’ll try to kick it over myself!
: Hii-yah!
: …
: Th-that’s okay. Don’t cry. (That Lana Skye must be a powerful woman…)

So let’s talk to Angel now.

: You certainly put me in a tight spot today.
: My apologies Ms. Starr, but…
: No, no, it’s okay. It was my fault.
: Oh, we know.
: I witnessed everything from that security room right there. But…I was afraid that wouldn’t sound convincing enough, you see…
: I was wrong to think that. I’m sorry.
: Sorry? You lied on the witness stand! That’s unforgivable!
: …

: Little girl, don’t forget what’s important here. Even if the place I witnessed the events from was different, I still saw what I saw.

: Ah…
: I swear it on my honor as a detective!
: She stabbed Goodman!
: …!

: So… you were a detective, weren’t you, Ms. Starr?
: Yes… It was a long time ago.
: Well, two years ago. No matter how hardened the criminal, when they faced me…

: They coughed it up.
: Coughed it… up?
: They confessed.
: They babbled like babies.

: I wouldn’t doubt it.
: Every day, I dragged the dirt out of the mouths of suspect after suspect…
: And before long, they called me…

: The Cough-up Queen!
: Oh, and here I thought someone had gotten food poisoning from your lunches.
: And… you were “let go”? Er… fired?

: And if these prim and proper prosecutors hadn’t let me go, I’d still be one today.

: Ess… el…? (Wait! She doesn’t mean…!)

If we present her photo…

: But… even I get flustered sometimes.
: So, you went straight to the scene of the crime?
: And climbed the chain link fence in an effort to stop the murder?

: In other words… five minutes after the crime?
: Those five minutes are the whole problem…
: The hole in my testimony, as it were.
: The five minutes weren’t the problem, Ms. Starr, you lying was the problem!
: Listen, little girl.
: I’ve had my testimony “disregarded” before… And I wasn’t going to have it disregarded again! Just like that time…
: (That time…?)

If we present either the SL-9 note or the SL-9 knife…

: Um… What do you think about this?

: Goodman…
: Goodman was the head detective on that case, you know.
: Really?
: That knife was evidence from that case… the murder weapon. It was due for transferal the very day that Goodman was killed.

: As I suspected… SL-9 isn’t over! Not yet!
: Do you think you could tell us more about the SL-9 Incident?

: That’s when I learned the truth.
: We’re nothing to them. Disposable.
: Disposable?
: Two years ago… it was the biggest case I’d ever handled.

: So… they didn’t solve it?
: On the contrary. It was solved quite cleanly. The criminal was caught and executed.
: i[/i]
: Yes, the criminal got what was coming to him. It doesn’t get any cleaner than that. The only problem was…
: they never did find decisive evidence. Not even a little.
: What!? But the criminal was executed, right?
: Evidence… of a sort. Made up evidence.
: Wh-what?
: You mean they executed someone with fabricated evidence!?
: …
: The best part came several months after the trial. Every detective involved with the case was dealt with.
: Some were demoted to patrolmen, others found themselves out of a job…
: And… you were one of those?
: Myself, and one other person you know well.
: (Wait, could it be…?)

: Exactly. Officer Jake Marshall. He’s on security detail in the Police Department, isn’t he?

: As professional detectives, we investigated that case from every angle.

: And then… it was over. And he was demoted.
: However…
: He hasn’t forgotten. And neither have I!
: You haven’t forgotten SL-9?
: There was another side to that case, a hidden side. That’s what we’re after now.
: And no one up in their fancy offices can stop us.
: Wait! Th-those lunches you sell…
: There is only one reason I come to sell lunches in this accursed office.
: I come here to meet old friends… boyfriends that can help me investigate.
: (Ms. Starr’s old boyfriends… How many does she have, anyway? Just when the detectives on the case have disappeared, we find new evidence…)
: There has to be a connection!
: So, Rookie…
: Wh-what!
: It seems like you’re serious about investigating this case…
: Yes.

: I know a certain guy who might help you if you tempt him with this treat…

And it goes into the inventory.

: I can almost hear the sound of steak frying on the grill!
: No doubt it’s all cold and tough by now.
: No, I’m sure it’s delicious!
: Ms. Starr poured her heart into making this!
: So long as she didn’t put any other organs in there…

: She must mean “beef.” She probably just wrote it generically.
: Uh… yeah. Let’s hope so.
: Of course, as a scientist I have to check what additives she used.
: Go to town.
: Huh? It says here… “Hours of sweat and labor.”
: So that’s why the sauce is so salty…

Anyway…

: Um, Ms. Starr…?
: Officer Marshall… is he your… uh, are you his…?
: Are you g-g-g-going out!?
: Why do you want to know?
: I was just wondering what happened to him?
: A long time ago, when he was helping my sister do cases, he was so nice. He got along so well with my sister, it made me jealous. And… he was nice to me too, back then.
: (This would be when Officer Marshall was a detective.)
: But now…
: now he’s so cold!
: …
: Jake and I are merely cooperating on this investigation. We’re putting the past to rest, as it were.
: Nothing more than that.
: I… I see.
: Thank you.
: (Officer Jake Marshall… Hmm…)

Next time: Getting out of this damn parking lot.

[morsrattus]

Case 5 - Rise From the Ashes
Investigation (Day 2) - Part 2

We begin by heading for the police station.

: It’s even busier here today than it was yesterday.
: The detectives are running around so fast they’re blurring.
: (I suppose it makes sense-- a detective did get killed in their own department.)
: So… the evidence room. The scene of the crime!
: According to the pamphlet we got at the front desk…
: Here it is!
: (She’s like a kid at an amusement park.)
: Ooh, a real crime scene! Let’s go take a look!

But first…

You may have remembered the evidence being kept in a room off of Criminal Affairs last time. That is, apparently, a different evidence room, because it has nothing to do with what we’re looking for at all.

: Wow, everyone looks deadly serious here…
: Well, there was a vicious murder of a detective in this department, after all.

: Ugh… It makes my head hurt.
: Well, first things first. I want to check out the crime scene here.
: Yes, you sound “dead”-set on investigating!
: But don’t mess up, or we could wind up… dead!
: I doubt anyone wants more mysteries or dead bodies around here right now. (But… it doesn’t look like anyone’s going to help us much, either.)

So, instead, we should check out that security guard office.

: What’s with the decor in this place? It’s very… eccentric.
: According to the pamphlet, this is the guard station for the evidence room.
: So, beyond that door is the evidence room… the scene of the crime?
: It sure seems that way…
: Oh. Ohhh…
: What’s wrong?
: It’s those cacti! They’re so prickly… so imposing! It’s hard to think straight.
: (If you can’t handle the cacti, stay out of the desert…) What I want to know is, if this is a guard station, where is the guard?
: I have a feeling I know who this guard is already…

Let’s take a look around.

: Look, on the floor, a lasso!
: Hmm… looks like it’s set up to trap something.
: A trap, here?
: Wait, I know!
: Maybe someone was trying to catch a wild bull in here…
: But the lasso missed!
: You sure have an active imagination.

: The evidence room is beyond that door.
: Let’s just walk in! …
: It won’t open.
: You thought it’d be open? (I think we’d need someone’s permission to go in there first…)

: It looks like there’s a video feed from the evidence room here.
: There’s a light blinking below the monitor.
: It says “Recording”!
: I bet we could use this computer to check on who went in and out of here!

: This swinging door makes the place look like some kind of saloon!
: But look, it’s nailed shut. You can’t get in that way.
: Of course not! If you went in through here…
: The cactus would fall over. Ouch!
: I’d say it’d be more of an “Yeeeeaargh,” myself.

: Yipes, that sure is prickly. It must be the real deal.
: I would think just one big one would be sufficient.
: This cactus…
: is a lot like my sister, actually.

: M-Ms. Skye?
: Encased in a cold, rigid shell, with thorns pointing in every direction…
: Just like her.
: … You know, I’ve been looking at this cactus a while now, and I don’t see the resemblance.
: …
: It’s more an attitude thing than a physical similarity.

: There’s a security guard uniform hanging here.
: It looks more like a costume than a uniform, honestly.
: A leather jacket, leather pants, a leather…
: What was that called again?
: A punchy? A paunchy? A pinchy?
: I know! A poochy!
: Hmm…
: Wait, maybe that wasn’t it.
: (It’s a “poncho,” but I think I’ll keep that information to my self for the time being.)

That’s about all we can do in here now, so it’s time to find someone who can get us past that door.

: (This place is charged with frantic energy, as always.)
: Please!!!
: Huh? Wasn’t that…

: Detective Gumshoe!
: Now’s no time for chit-chat, pal. I’m a busy man!
: What I really need is a steak lunch from Lunchland.

: …
: …
: (I think I just heard the sound of his heart breaking.)
: Now’s no time for despair!
: We’ve caught our criminal!
: Now we just need evidence!
: The criminal… you mean…?
: You heard about the stabbing in the Police Department evidence room, pal?

: Another detective… was killed at the Police Department!?
: And the perpetrator? Do you have a suspect?
: Well, there was a suspect.
: Just arrested 'em, in fact.

: But, Detective Gumshoe, who was it?
: Listen, pal, all I know is I need me a steak lunch, pronto!
: Standing around here talking isn’t going to fill my belly!

He goes to leave.

: W-wait! Don’t leave!
: If you want to know more, head on down to the detention center, pal.
: Questioning should be over, so I figure he’s down there having a good cry.
: Later!

And he leaves for real.

: He ran off to the evidence room…
: Well, this investigation is off to a running start.

To get to the detention center, however, we have to stop by the office.

Here, we can chat with Ema.

: Well… where should we begin?
: Oh, well, isn’t it obvious? We should begin with that, y’know… that thing.
: The mystery of the victim I guess. How could one man, Detective Goodman… be killed in two places simultaneously?
: Oh, well, you see…
: We should go to the Police Department… the evidence room, was it?
: Uh…
: I’m not being very useful here, am I…
: (No, no! You’re being very… helpful.)

: Poor Mr. Edgeworth…

: After all, you were in the defendant’s chair just last year…!
: …!

: Ah, about the killing at the Police Department, right.

: (But I can’t help but think… Someone at the Police Department doesn’t like Edgeworth…)

Now, to the detention center.

: Still, I do feel better about things. A little.
: I mean, they caught the person who stabbed Detective Goodman, didn’t they?
: Uh, yeah, I guess they did. (Best to not go too far down that road right now. Things will just get confusing.)

Imagine this accompanied by an annoying megaphone feedback squeal sound effect.

: Wh-what was that!?
: Sir! That’s what I’m saying! Me, a perpetrator? I-I-I’d say I-I-I was the perpetrated against, sir! That’s whaat I’d say!

: Wait, I know who you are…

: I’m here, sir, at the request of the Chief, sir! I’ve got your report, sir!

: No, sir! I’m not, sir! I’m a little lost patrolman, like a little lost lamb, sir!
: Oh, I get it.
: You’re here to deliver a report?
: No, sir, I, uh, how should I say this…
: (Wait… he isn’t… is he?) You… Officer Meekins… You didn’t… did you?
: Err…

This is why I hate Officer Meekins. Every time this sprite shows up, the same annoying whine sound effect plays. Be happy that I am not subjecting you to it.

: What…!? Whaaaaaaaaat!?
: (Now this is an unexpected turn of events…)

But still, we may as well question him.

: Sir! I’m a patrolman with General Affairs, sir! SIR!
: Ow. I can hear you fine, Officer Meekins.
: I had some business that day, sir, and so I went to the evidence room, sir… The guard office in front of the room was empty, sir!
: So, normally there’s a guard at the evidence room?
: That’s right, sir! Because evidence is kept in the evidence room, sir! Now, the security officer…
: was none other than Officer Marshall!
: i[/i]

: That’s when I saw him, sir!

: (What the heck is this guy doing?)
: So what happened then?
: After that, sir, I… I…
: everything went white! I saw red! I blacked out! And… when I came to,
: I was here. In the detention center.
: (How long were you out!? Days!?)
: Um, might I ask… what happened to your hand?

: Sir! There was no one to bandage me, sir! So I did what I could to wrap it up, sir!

: Yet another similarity between this case and the one at the Prosecutor’s Officer…
: First things first… tell us how you hurt your hand!

: Um, I don’t mean to pry, but you are the perpetrator, correct? You killed Detective Bruce Goodman in the evidence room… right?
: Sir…
: Please don’t look at me with those sad puppy dog eyes, sir! If oyu have to label me as perpetrator or victim, sir…

: Um, I would, but you happen to be in detention. And alive and well at that.
: Ah, yes, well, that’s true, sir. I suppose you could say that.

: Well, sir, if I had to label him as a “stranger” or a “total stranger”…
: Then I’d say he leans heavily on the “total stranger” side!
: So… you didn’t know him?
: Sir! I work in a tiny department, devoid of light or other creature comforts!

: I don’t know any detectives!
: So, if he was a total stranger, why did you stab him?
: Sir! I had n-no intention of killing him, sir! None!
: N-nor do I have any recollection of k-killing him, sir!
: (At least someone around here is more confused than I am.)

: And your hand… that happened when Detective Goodman was stabbed?
: Well! You see, sir,
: I, er…
: Don’t you think that you should just confess?
: But, sir! Sir! But! There was nothing I could do!
: “Nothing you could do”…?
: Sir, to tell the truth, sir, when it happened…
: When the detective pointed that knife at me, I just hollered, sir!

: And the next thing I knew, I was unconscious!
: The next thing you knew you were… huh?
: Then, when I opened my eyes…

: I was alone in the evidence room, sir! All alone! Alone because…
: Because Detective Goodman had disappeared!!!
: What!?
: Then when I looked down, I was gushing blood from my hand, sir!
: Oh, the shock! Oh, the sorrow, sir! Can you imagine how I felt?
: (The victim’s body… disappeared…?)
: Hmm… That’s some story.

If we present the switchblade knife…

: Officer Meekins, this is for you!
: Eeeek! I-I’m scared of knives, sir!
: It’s okay, I just wanted you to take a look at it.
: That’s it, sir! Last night, sir! That’s the one!
: I was an apple, sir, in my dream, sir, and I was… I was being peeled!
: On second thought, you don’t have to look at the knife.
: (Hmm… He’s overreacting to the knife, but I guess he’s been through a lot.)

…yeah, we’ll give him a break. I need a break from that goddamn megaphone anyway.

Next time: Slightly fewer annoying sounds.

[morsrattus]

Case 5 - Rise From the Ashes
Investigation (Day 2) - Part 3

Back to interrogating Meekins. If we present him with the ID card…

: …
: Hey! That’s it, sir! That’s it!
: That’s it!!!
: That’s what!?

: My head was a blank until this very moment! But, sir, now I remember! I remember, sir!
: You mean you remember what happened?

: Correct! That card, that card was the cause of it all!

: Exactly, sir! That’s exactly it!
: Nothing could be more exact, sir! Nothing!
: (I’d better pry into this one a little deeper.)

: Can you tell me what it is you do “remember”?
: Well sir, you might say I’m a lost little patrolman. A lost little lamb, if you will!

: And that’s why you thought he looked suspicious…

: Well, that sounds pretty much by the book so far.

: Th-that’s right, sir! That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you!
: So you asked Detective Goodman to show his ID card. What did he do?
: That’s the thing! Suddenly he pointed a knife at me!
: What…!?
: Sir, I assure you I was as flustered as you are right now!
: So I whooped and leapt at him!
: (Detective Goodman pointed a knife at him?)
: “Do unto others before they do unto you”!
: My own father’s words, sir!
: Wh-what happened then?
: Well…
: My eyes, sir… everything went white.
: When I awoke, I was here.
: i[/i]

: So, Officer Meekins, why was it that they arrested you?
: What do you mean, Ema?
: Let’s look at what we know.

: And the “victim” whom he met at the scene of the crime didn’t show his ID card.
: In other words, we have no way of knowing if the victim was really the victim!
: And if this “body” just “disappeared” from the evidence room…
: We don’t even know if anyone actually died!
: That’s it, sir! That! That’s what I wanted to say! That is…
: I did say something along those lines.
: Huh?
: But you still ended up here…?
: They told me that it had to be him, sir.
: “On that day, at that time…”

: But… you don’t remember the events clearly?
: No…
: but the video tape is quite clear.
: Huh? Video tape…?
: From the security camera.
: The crime, my crime, the crime I swore to stamp out! It’s there! It’s me! It’s on tape!
: …
: …
: …
: And you wait until now to tell us this!?

: I’m sorry, really sorry, sir! I’ll hand over my badge! I don’t deserve it!

: N-no thanks, I have my own. (Well, guess we’d better go check out the crime scene.)

And so, we finally get to leave this megaphone-bearing asshole alone.

: H-hey, Mr. Wright! Look who’s standing at the Head Detective’s desk!
: (It’s Chief Gant!)
: Are you sure this is all, hmm?
: You know what it means if there is anything missing!
: Sir! I’m sure it’s most likely totally perfect! We checked the drawers, the lockers, the garbage cans, the coat pockets… the pillowcases, behind the computer monitors, the coffee machine…

For right now, this portrait is standing in for the chief of detectives, who doesn’t have one.

: I see. Well, if anything does turn up, you call me right away, deal?
: Y-y-y-yessir!!! We’ll scour the place again, sir!
: (The Head Detective looks a little flustered…)
: Ah hah! Wrighto, my boy! How you been? Swim much?
: Oh ho ho, Chief Gant! Reporting for duty, sir!
: Why are you saluting him, Mr. Wright!?

But before we chat with Gant, let’s look around.

: That must be one of the detectives. He’s mumbling something to himself.
: “I know! The killer used a cassette tape! What a crafty trick! That gunshot was a fake!” This is good! No one will expect a cassette tape in this day and age!
: … He’s not writing a report… he’s writing a novel.

: Ooh, sorry you had to see that.
: Uh… what exactly did the Chief of Police want you to do?

: He wanted me to check it for anything that might be a clue… They took away every last piece of garbage in the trash can.
: So nothing belonging to Detective Goodman is still here?

: What!? You kept something!?
: Sure, why not? It’s not important. He didn’t even finish writing it! It’s a lost item report but it’s only half complete.
: A lost item?
: Did Detective Goodman lose something?
: The date on it is February 21. (I’ll make a note of that just in case.)

And so we get a new item for the court record.

: (I should probably get a quick look around the crime scene…)

: So this is the police mascot, is it?
: The Blue Badger! The future star of the police force!
: The design’s a little changed from the one outside…
: Ah, well, the Dancing Blue Badger™ is still under development, you see.
: You have it trademarked?
: Absolutely! It’s cutting edge stuff. Very “now.” I showed this doll here to my daughter and she burst into tears!
: (Don’t show her the moving mock-up outside then, you’ll give her nightmares.)

Okay, back to Gant.

: Um… is Edgeworth going to be okay?
: Oh, Worthy?
: Oh, you know, they’re doing a little inquiry committee with him.
: Sounds like an inquisition…!
: Yep, well, we’ve had no end of trouble with the boy since last year…
: You mean… the incident on Gourd Lake?
: It doesn’t look good having one of our top people sitting in the defendant’s seat.
: Now, you got someone else found guilty in that case, right, Wrighto?

: A legend he was, undefeated in his forty year career! But in court you fixed it so he was caught for forging evidence…
: W-wait! I didn’t do anything wrong! He did forge evidence.
: In any case, the Prosecutor’s Office is in a bit of turmoil, you might say. Why, they’d do just about anything to restore their reputation.
: Now, depending on what that inquiry committee decides…
: It could be bad for Worthy.
: Wh-what!?

: It’s downright odd, I tell you. I mean, it happened at exactly the same time!
: (The murder at the Prosecutor’s Office…)
: Scientifically speaking, it’s impossible!
: Yes, but that’s what the evidence is saying.
: “Goodman was stabbed in two locations at the same time!” That’s what it says.
: What evidence is this…?
: Now, now, Wrighto, I can’t give away all our secrets just like that!
: And this in particular, well it’s a little sensitive… and I can’t talk about it.
: (I wasn’t expecting much anyway.)
: You know, one thing I hate most of all is hiding stuff. Secrets. Can’t stand 'em! But you know…
: It’s a full-time job just keeping the Head Detective’s trap shut!
: Ah, he was the one you were picking on earlier?
: Huh? You saw that? Whoops!
: (I wonder what it was that he wanted the Head Detective to do?)
: Let’s see if we can kind of discreetly ask him.

Yeah, they don’t notice if you sequence break this bit.

: Actually, I was wondering if I could ask you a favor?
: Hmm? Well, I never thought the day would come when Wrighto asked me for help!
: I was wondering if we could investigate the evidence room?

: Now, Wrighto…
: A-actually, I’m sorry, I d-don’t need to investigate after all!
: Wrighto, please, do I look like a selfish man?
: Huh?
: Heck, if anyone asked me “sir, can I borrow $50?” I’d give them $50, no problem.
: So, go ahead! Investigate that room to your heart’s content! Knock yourself out!
: It just goes to show, you never know until you ask!

: Huh… hey!
: This is a detective’s ID card, isn’t it?
: That’s a special card for guests, so don’t lose it.
: Y-yessir!
: It’s an honor!
: You just run along and do your best, now. Later, folks!

He leaves.

: Heh heh! It looks pretty cool on my lapel, doesn’t it?
: Just think, a real ID!
: You seem… happy.
: Yes, sir! Because, sir, we get to go into
: the evidence room now, sir!
: (I think this place is a bad influence on the girl.)

So, we head to the evidence room guard office.

: The evidence room is beyond that door.

: Let’s just walk in! …
: It won’t open.
: Ah hah! The card reader is turned off, see?
: What is that security guard thinking?
: Howdy, pardners. Well, well, what’s made my bambina’s skies so gray?

: What’s that “somehow I knew” look for?
: As you may have surmised, this here’s my saloon.
: Um… we’re here to investigate the crime scene.
: … Yeehaw! That card you got there on your chest.

: Y-yeehaw?
: Well, what ya standin’ there for? Get along, little dogies. The crime scene’s a waiting!

: (Looks like the card reader’s on again.) While we’re here, I was wondering if we could ask you some questions?
: Sorry, cowboy, but I got no mind to tangle with you hombres.
: You’re… busy, then?
: Did I say that?
: I only said I didn’t wish to speak with you.
: (Actually, you said you had “no mind to tangle with us hombres.”)

And, indeed, anything we ask gets the same response…

: Um, I was wondering if we could talk to you…
: Sorry, bambina.
: But I’m off to roam the lands, like a tumbleweed on the wide prairie.
: Like a gunslinger loading his six-shooter, I say a little prayer.

: What was that all about, Mr. Wright?
: I think he was just too hungry to talk.
: You’re just saying that because his stomach was growling!
: You have no idea what he was talking about either!
: (Well, in any case, we need to get cracking on this investigation, pronto!)

But…hey, someone gave us something for Marshall, anyway, right? If we present it…

: That smell…
: Ah! Reminds me of Texas!
: So, Officer Marshall…
: You’re from Texas?
: No, I just saw a special on television the other day.
: Is this from my baby?
: Uh, yeah, Ms. Starr…
: Wh-what’s this!?

: What? What’s wrong?
: A filet steak lunch!
: I see… I see!
: I don’t see. I wonder what it means?

We give the lunch to Marshall.

: Alright, bambina. You win.

: (Finally, it seems like…)
: He’s willing to talk!

And, indeed, we can ask questions of him.

: Officer Marshall, you’re in charge of security for the evidence room, right?
: You got good eyes, pardner. It’s an easy job, and I’m grateful for it.

: Ah, that poor little dogie? Poor guy, I keep getting his name wrong and calling him “Meekly.”
: He told us something. He said that, when the stabbing occurred… you weren’t at your station.
: … Well, maybe I shouldn’t be telling you this… But since I got demoted from detective two years ago…
: Well, it might not look it, but I lost my fire for the job, you know?
: So… what were you doing around 5:15 when the murder took place?
: Well… I reckon I was galloping down the highway on the back of my steed, Zippy.
: Note: he was riding down the highway on his horse named “Zippy.”
: There’s no need for people here, anyhow.
: These newfangled machines do a bang-up job of keeping an eye on the place.
: You mean the security camera system?
: I don’t take to machines much.
: Kinda like that stewed broccoli they sneak in next to your steak, you know?

Next time: Slightly less confusing metaphors. Or perhaps just slightly fewer.

[morsrattus]

Case 5 - Rise From the Ashes
Investigation (Day 2) - Part 4

We left off questioning Marshall.

: Ms. Starr told us something… She said that you were a detective until two years ago.
: It was always my dream to be a rawhide wrangler on the scene of the crime…
: That’s all gone now… Like a drinking hole in a prairie fire.
: You’re still investigating the SL-9 Incident with Ms. Starr, aren’t you?
: That was my case… It’s all “solved” on the record books. But it smells like a bad game of poker. I can’t let it go…
: That’s all there is to it.
: What kind of case was it, anyway?
: We’ve heard the name so many times, but no one tells us what actually happened.
: …
: There are some things you’re better off not knowing, Bambina. Anyway, that case is officially dead as of two days ago.
: Two days ago… the day of our case!
: That’s right…
: The evidence transferals.
: (Edgeworth was talking about the transferals, too.)

: I know what maybe two of the machines in here do.
: O-only two of them? There must be a dozen!
: Like I said, bambina, Me and machines, well…

I have no idea if that’s a period/comma error or a capitalization one.

: I like them about as much as I like stewed cauliflower with my steaks.
: The easiest ones to understand are these here security cameras.

: If nothing happens, the tapes are automatically erased every few hours.
: And Officer Meekins and Detective Goodman, are they on one of those tapes?
: I reckon they might be.
: (You’re the security guard and you “reckon”!?)
: One more thing.

: (Thus the card reader by the door.)

: Hey! I’ve seen that somewhere before!
: Sorry, Bambina. I can’t show you more than that.
: Huh?
: I haven’t heard whether this is related to the case, yet.
: Mr. Wright! I saw a number on that record just now!
: I’ve seen that number before!
: (Maybe there’s some way I can prove that record is tied to the stabbing.)

: Sorry, but could you explain what this whole “transferal” thing is about?
: We keep only evidence from solved cases in this room. They’re kept here under the presiding detective’s supervision for two years.
: So we can re-investigate them if it turns out there was a mistake, see?
: So what happens to the evidence after two years?
: It goes to sleep forever in the underground vault at the Police Station.
: That’s what we call “transferal.” We do it every February.
: I see now…
: “Transferal” is like a funeral for old cases. Two years after a case is solved… it’s closed forever. Dead. Never to be reopened again. Never to be reinvestigated.
: (And that happened to SL-9 two days ago…)

Now, we can present Goodman’s ID card.

: Ah, the one that was on the ground in the parking lot?
: The number on this is… “5842189.”
: Officer Marshall!
: Show us the ID number on that ID card record!

: It was used at… 5:14. Right before the stabbing!
: What’s more, there’s only one of them cards in the world!
: So, when the incident occurred, Detective Goodman was in the evidence room!
: (But wait, wat did Officer Meekins say?)

: So you asked Detective Goodman to show his ID card. What did he do?
: That’s the thing! Suddenly he pointed a knife at me!

: (Why would he have pointed a knife at Officer Meekins?)
: Alright, compadre, you win.

: (I’ve got an idea… Maybe I should show this list to other people with IDs here…)

Marshall has nothing more for us, so…

: (It’s quiet… the investigation must be over here.)
: So this is the evidence room?
: It really is kind of like a graveyard.
: Graveyards are supposed to have grass and trees. This feels more like a morgue.
: N-nice try, M-Mr. Wright. Y-you can’t scare me!

: Eeeeeeek!
: Whoooooah!

: I wouldn’t recommend going around smacking ghosts on the head, pal.
: So, is it true what I heard?

: Heck, if anyone asked me “sir, can I borrow $50?” I’d give them $50, no problem.
: So, go ahead! Investigate that room to your heart’s desire! Knock yourself out!

: So, Chief of Police Gant…
: will loan anyone 50 bucks?
: Even me!?

: Oh, so that’s what you were talking about…
: Actually, I was put in charge of the investigation for today.
: Just for today?

: But guess what!? You got permission from the Chief…
: So now you’re boss for a day!
: (Gee, thanks.)

We receive a copy of the floor plan for the evidence room.

Now, we’re going to question Gumshoe before we explore, because exploring is going to be time-consuming.

: So, Detective Gumshoe, you’re boss for the day?
: That’s right! It’s an honor!
: After all, the murder took place right here, in the Police Department!
: But, if you’re the boss…
: why are you all alone!?
: Where are your underlings?
: …
: They’re using our findings from yesterday’s investigation to prepare for the trial.
: (In other words, Detective Gumshoe got kicked out of the investigation again…)
: I’m adamant, though!
: I’m going to take control and put this case to rest!
: And in my own evidence locker, pal!
: You have a locker in here, too, Detective Gumshoe?
: Hah hah, of course!
: I am a detective, after all.
: They gave me a locker that only I can open, pal!
: “Only you can open”…?

: I’ll always believe in Mr. Edgeworth, no matter what happens.
: So… Mr. Edgeworth is with the inquiry committee now, right?
: They’re trying to figure out who’s responsible for the mess-up in court today.
: I see…
: I guess this is what you call “fate.” Mr. Edgeworth just can’t get away from that case…
: That case…?
: Yeah, that case!
: The SL-9 Incident, of course!
: That was the beginning of the end for Mr. Edgeworth.
: (Maybe we can get him to tell us more about the case…)

: This place is more high-tech than you might think.
: Every locker is fixed so that only one detective can open it.

: Well, that’s the thing, pal. ID cards can be lost.
: Why, I’m on my third card since entering the force already.
: That sounds like a lot.
: Yes, but even I can’t lose my own right hand!
: “Right hand”…?
: Oh!
: You mean, your fingerprint?
: Exactly, pal! The lock for each locker is coded with a fingerprint!

: Funny, they look like normal lockers…
: These are the latest model!
: There’s a trick to the handles, see?
: The handles?
: On the other side of the handles is a sensor,
: and if the wrong person touches it…
: Bzzzap! You get a shock!
: If that’s what happened, my hand would be black and smocking every day!
: In any case, the locks aren’t that obvious.
: There’s even some people in the force that don’t know about the fingerprint locks!

Now we can show Gumshoe the ID card records. Maybe he’s on them.

: This is the ID card record of the people who came in here on the day of the stabbing.
: Ah, I heard the rumors.
: So, it was Goodman who came in here at the time of the murder…
: Whoooooooooah!!!
: Wh-what is it?
: Th-th-th-th-th-th!
: That second number…
: It’s not your ID number is it, Detective Gumshoe?
: Mr. Edgeworth!
: What…?
: The second number on this list…
: belongs to Mr. Edgeworth!

: What… Whaaaaaaaaat!?

We note his name down on the list.

: (Why would Edgeworth have come to the evidence room!?)

Next, we present the safes, to learn more about them.

: If you can open it…
: they’ll give you 50 cents!
: Note: the Police Department lacks faith in its lock system.
: After all, Detective Goodman was stabbed here after opening his locker…

We can also present either the SL-9 note or the switchblade.

: I bet Edgeworth was the most surprised of anyone.
: Because of the SL-9 connection?
: That was Mr. Edgeworth’s first big case you know, two years ago.
: That was the first time the world knew Edgeworth was a man to be feared!
: But, why would evidence from that case turn up now?
: I guess it’s not over, pal.
: Maybe there are some loose ends left on that case…

Presenting Edgeworth’s knife or parking stub…

: What would drive Chief Prosecutor Skye to do such a thing?
: …
: W-wait, I didn’t mean…
: I mean, sure, of course someone else really did it!
: Someone who must have, um…
: Someone who must have a grudge against Mr. Edgeworth!

Now, let’s start to look around.

: Wow! Look at this big pile of junk in the corner!
: That looks like… a car door.
: There’s a pair of handcuffs attached to the frame.
: Maybe the guy they caught was some sort of escape artist and he got away.
: Hey, that’s one of those human profiles for range testing.
: He’s been shot square in the forehead.
: Better him than us.

: There’s something sticking out of here.
: Looks like a shirt. I guess it must be evidence for some case.
: I wonder if Detective Gumshoe put this here.
: There you go, pal, making me out to be some kinda slob!
: I’m not responsible for the evidence here.
: That said…
: I bet that evidence locker was opened recently.
: How do you know?
: If you leave things hanging out like that, the evidence gets dirty or ripped. The guard checks on that kind of stuff and notifies the detective responsible.
: How many times have I had him breathing down my neck about some silly evidence…
: Sounds like Detective Gumshoe leaves evidence hanging out a lot, too.
: I bet he doesn’t tuck in his shirt under that trench coat, either.
: If you’re going to talk behind someone’s back, don’t do it right in front of them, pal!

: This place is stuffed with evidence… stuffed with dreams.
: I’m not so sure about the dreams.
: Mmph!
: It won’t open.
: I guess I should have known.
: Hey, pal, our security is high-tech around here!

: Some sort of bulky equipment is gathering dust here.

: Ah! That’s my personal pole!
: I never did get around to using it…

: Right, pal. That’s that metal detector!
: The one that led to the solving of that case out on Gourd Lake, remember?
: Oh, right! Wow, that feels like it was ages ago.

: Oh, that! That’s a radiolocator!
: I’m sure it will come in handy in solving some case sooner or later.
: (That cheap-looking box?)
: You can’t judge a person or a machine by their cover! You gotta look at their heart!

Next time: More exploration.

[morsrattus]

Case 5 - Rise From the Ashes
Investigation (Day 2) - Part 5

This room has a whole second half to explore!

: What is a saw and paint doing here?
: Since the dawn of time… True art has always been a war against oppression.
: True art…?
: I noticed that there’s blue and yellow paint here.

: Well… You might say this is
: my studio…
: (Here? In the evidence room!?)

: Detective Gumshoe, perhaps?
: There you go, pal, making me out to be some kind of hooligan!
: That’s apparently from “the” case.
: “The” case?

: I wonder what shape these pieces were in before whatever it was broke?
: You want to try to put it back together?
: Hah! Good luck, pal. That’s no job for amateurs.
: Why, I spent a good three hours on that before I had to give up!
: That’s why I always carry around a tube of glue!

This is a new kind of puzzle. We have to put the item back together by matching the edges up. We can rotate the broken pieces to try and make them match the jagged edges, and we can swap between pieces to find the ones that match, like this.

Let’s skip ahead to the completed puzzle.

: H-huh?
: Well, I think we did it.
: But some of the pieces are missing.
: That only took me two minutes to do!
: The problem is finishing it!
: Were some pieces stolen?
: I bet they were missing to begin with.
: Still…

: I kind of understand how it got broken.

It gets added to evidence.

: Hey, look here! It’s hard to make out, but there’s a dark red stain here.
: Hmm… Looks like blood.
: Do you think Detective Goodman’s blood somehow got on it when he was stabbed?
: Not likely. This blood looks like it’s been here for months, maybe longer. (This jar was evidence in the SL-9 Incident… That might be when the blood got on it.)

: Huh? This thing doesn’t have a bottom!
: That’s weird.
: I wonder which side is “up”?
: Better yet… What’s the purpose of a bottomless jar?
: …
: At least it doesn’t collect dust inside, right?

Back to looking around.

: Detective Gumshoe, maybe?
: There you go, pal, making me out to be some kind of absent-minded detective!
: That’s evidence from “the” case, you know.
: You mean SL-9? (It does have a tag on it…)

And we add it to the record.

: I guess this is another piece of evidence from that case.
: You know, I never did care for the word, “tag.” It’s confusing.
: Huh? What’s so confusing about that?
: Do you know how many other words sound like it? “Bag,” “Gag,” “Nag,” “Lag,” “Xag”…
: “Xag”…? Is that a word?
: Do you challenge me…?
: What, are we playing a word game now?

: Look, this one’s open! And there’s a indicator tag stuck on it still!

A indicator tag, really?

: That locker is coded with Detective Goodman’s fingerprint.
: (Detective Goodman’s locker!)
: Are you sure it’s okay to leave it open like that?
: Well, it’d be hard to get it open again if we closed it.
: (It’s empty… they must have taken the contents elsewhere.)

: Wh-what’s this…!? Blood!
: It’s a little worn… but there’s definitely a handprint here!
: It looks like someone tried to wipe it off.
: Mr. Wright!
: What if there are other bloodstains left in the room!?

And we will, after I catch up on some stuff I forgot to get earlier. First, we can examine the Luminol bottle.

: “Eme Skye” Don’t tell me you bring this with you everywhere you go.
: Well, you never know where something might go down!
: (Just what kind of a world do you think we live in…?)

Second, we can present Angel’s photo to Gumshoe.

: Anything you can tell us about it?
: That Ms. Starr is quite the lady.
: Why, I remember it was winter… I was 16.
: She was the only one who ever got me to talk about what happened.
: 16… that’s how old I am now!
: I wonder what happened?
: (I wonder if Detective Gumshoe wore a trench coat in high school, too.)

Now, the Luminol. It took me a while when I first played this game to figure out how to use it. While examining the scene, you have to open the court record and select the Luminol. While accessed this way, the button that would normally present it instead reads ‘Spray.’ Hit it and we begin the Luminol…well, minigame, I guess?

: WHAAAAAAT!!?
: What’s the matter, Detective?
: Th-this locker…
: It’s mine!
: It’s yours?
: Please! You have to help me…
: When they come to take me away… Promise you’ll testify that I wouldn’t harm a fly!
: You’ll do that for me, won’t you, pals!?
: (This is an important clue! I’ll jot it down on the floor plans…)
: I’m counting on you guys! Believe me, you can’t trust the police!
: What? But you’re a detective!

: I’m not a professional. What’s your opinion, Detective?
: Hmm… Pale blue blood… Maybe Detective Goodman… was actually an alien?
: This proves that something really happened in front of this locker.
: I’ll make a note of it on the floor plans.
: Hey! If you didn’t want my opinion, you shouldn’t have asked!

: There’s no reason for the murderer to touch this spot if he fled out the door. (This just might be something significant!)
: Hey…
: That’s some pretty amazing stuff you got there, pal!

: It’s called “Luminol Testing Fluid”!
: Where’d you get your hands on that!?
: Huh?
: I’d like to get some too!
: I’ll just borrow 50 bucks from the Chief!
: Where do you get this, Ema?
: I always buy it by mail order.
: (Well, I’d better jot this down on the floor plans.)

: Was there something you needed to be going to?
: It’s just that Mr. Edgeworth’s inquiry committee should be letting out soon.

: It might help, you know…
: R-report? You mean the note written on the back of that flyer?
: The one that says nothing but “No problems”!?
: Hey, it’s Mr. Edgeworth we’re talking about! I’m sure he can use a report like this.
: I believe in him!
: (Who needs enemies when you’ve got friends like Detective Gumshoe…)
: I’m off, pal! Later!

He leaves.

: (I should probably see what Edgeworth has to say, too.)

Good idea.

: Oh! It’s you!
: Have we met somewhere…?
: Huh!?
: Mr. Edgeworth! I beg your leave. So long!

He leaves.

: (Is Edgeworth here…?)
: There, standing by the window, a teacup in his hand!
: Ah, it’s you.
: (He has the hotel bring him tea service!?)
: Mr. Edgeworth… you’re back from the District Prosecutor’s Office inquiry?
: Precisely.
: By the way, Detective Gumshoe was looking for you.

: Really? Was it helpful?
: Apparently, a new French restaurant is opening near here.
: I think he was trying to console me, somehow.
: (Er, I think the report is on the other side, Edgeworth…)
: Poor Mr. Edgeworth… I think this whole thing is really taking a toll on him.

Now we can question Edgeworth a bit.

: So, how did the inquiry committee go?
: Actually, they decided to treat this not as a case of concealing evidence…
: But as a communications error during the investigation.
: “Concealing evidence”…?
: Yes. Apparently, there are some who believe…
: that I concealed evidence. They gave me a warning.
: “You were lucky this time… again.”
: “Again”…?
: I’ve heard them say that so many times.
: Ever since that case two years ago…

: Are you okay for the trial tomorrow?
: Well, I’m still the presiding prosecuting attorney. However…
: Something happened?
: They gave control of the investigation over to the Police Department.
: The Police Department!
: Yes. Any further investigation for this case will be directed by the Chief of Police Gant. I can do nothing but wait for his results…
: I… see.
: Why, I ask you? Why!? All along, I’ve done only what I believe is right. I have nothing to be ashamed of! But still…
: (Wow, I’ve never seen him this out of sorts…)

We present the ID entry list.

: Oh, right! I’d better check this now…
: As I was saying, I…

: Edgeworth, you went into the evidence room that day, didn’t you? Just before the incident occurred, no less.
: Yes, that’s true.

: W-why,
: Mr. Edgeworth?

: The Chief of Police…?

: He told me he wanted me to keep it here in the Prosecutor’s Office.
: But… it was solved, right? It would have to be if the evidence was already filed…
: The Chief is never one to explain himself.
: In any case, on the day of the stabbings, I brought this back here.
: Can I ask what kind of case it was?
: I… can’t say.
: It really has nothing to do with the current case.
: (Now I’m curious about this other case. I’d better make a note of it.)

: What’s that got to do with anything?
: Nothing, apparently. At least, that’s what Edgeworth said.
: Hm. That makes it seem all the more suspicious.
: Who knows? This might turn out to be the clue that breaks the case!
: Wouldn’t that be nice…

: Stubborn as always. I told you this has nothing to do with the current case.

If we present the switchblade (or, I am fairly sure, any SL-9 evidence)…

: …
: I know you. You’ve probably got a hold of some information already, right?
: It all has to do with that case you were on… the SL-9 Incident. And some “dark suspicion” you were wrapped up in.
: You were the man who revived the worst memory of my life, as I recall.
: I figured I’d be telling you about this sooner or later.

: Okay, Edgeworth. Why don’t you tell me about it. Tell me the truth.

: The SL-9 Incident was a heinous serial killing case. The head of investigation was the Deputy Chief of Police at the time…

: (That wacky old coot was involved in the case two years ago too then…)
: He was the best we had, and it was my first time working with him… I was nervous.
: Wow, you get nervous, too, Mr. Edgeworth?
: (What I want to know is why was a Deputy Chief of Police on the investigation?)
: In truth, I used slightly more… extreme methods than normal. We were dealing with a vicious murderer. If I let him go, the blood would be on my hands.
: We won our guilty verdict, and the killer was executed.
: Wait, you didn’t…
: Of course not!
: I didn’t touch the evidence.
: Yes, I will do anything in my power to win a trial. However…
: I do have a code, and I follow it faithfully.
: By the way, Ema.
: The Chief Prosecutor wanted to know something…
: M-my sister? What?
: You still working on that
: scientific investigation?
: Huh? Y-yes! Of course!

: Luminol testing fluid… Hm?

: Aluminum powder for taking fingerprints!
: It’s been chemically treated for better adhesion.
: F-for me? Are you sure?
: We are the “enemy” you know.
: I’ve no say in today’s investigation… do as you will.
: Edgeworth… I’m really–
: No need to thank me.
: Here, take your powder and these fingerprint files for everyone involved.
: I, uh, th-thanks! (How about giving these to Detective Gumshoe as well!?)
: Well, let’s get going!
: One last investigation!
: Right! (I do seem to remember seeing a suspicious handprint somewhere…)

Next time: The science of deduction.

[morsrattus]

Case 5 - Rise From the Ashes
Investigation (Day 2) - Part 6

We’re starting off heading back to the evidence room with our new toy.

: (Our investigation turned up a suspicious handprint.)
: Here, in this blood on the detective’s evidence locker.

: A finger…?
: Each finger leaves behind a slightly different imprint.
: So let’s choose the finger that will have left behind the clearest print!
: I really can’t tell the difference at a glance…
: Quit procrastinating and choose a finger!

Selecting it brings us to the next new minigame.

: Let me show you how it’s done.
: (Ema’s starting to get that sparkle in her eyes…)
: First, we sprinkle the aluminum powder around.
: Huh? How do you do that?

: Ah… it looks like that did the trick.
: The aluminum powder adheres completely to the print.
: Once the powder is well spread…
: just blow away the excess.
: Huh? How do I do that?
: You just blow. With your breath.

: Wow… that looks like fun! (It might take some getting used to though…)
: It’s fine! It won’t go up your nose or anything.
: You just pour the powder on thick, and blow away the extra!
: Those are the basics of fingerprinting, Mr. Wright!
: (I guess I’d better give it a try…)

So yeah, drop powder, then blow into the microphone.

: But… this looks nothing like a fingerprint.
: Hmm… Now that you mention it, I guess it doesn’t…
: What does it mean?
: It think it means…

…it?

: we’re out of luck.
: Out of luck…?
: The person who left this handprint must have worn gloves.
: … Don’t tell me we’ve been wasting our time here!
: Hey, calm down. That’s just the way it goes sometimes with scientific investigations.
: But… it does seem a shame.
: While we’re at it, why don’t we look for other prints?
: Other prints…?
: Looking at the locker door again closely…

: Let’s see if we can find a clear print!
: (Hmm… fingerprints outside the blood…)

: D-dazzling…?
: Anyway, this print took a lot of effort to find.
: Let’s match it up right away!
: So we’re not done yet? This is quite a process…
: Well, there’s no point in finding a fingerprint…
: and not knowing who the owner is, right?
: (I guess she’s right…)
: Look at the fingerprint data we got from Mr. Edgeworth…
: and point out the person you think left these prints!
: Huh? How am I supposed to know who it was?
: I could make a pretty good guess.
: The bloody handprint and the fingerprints are in different places right?
: That means that the prints probably don’t have anything to do with our case.
: So, whose fingerprints would we most likely find on this evidence locker?

: …
: Something wrong, Mr. Wright?
: You gave me this “so what?” look.
: I guess that’s probably because I was thinking “so what?”
: Okay, so we came up with nothing this time, but there’s always next time!
: Sometimes you hit, sometimes you miss!
: You gotta roll with the punches, Mr. Wright!
: Thanks for the sympathy. (Wait… If I remember correctly… there was one other handprint in this room. Let’s check it out!)

There is indeed.

: This is where we got a luminol fluid reaction, right?
: Right!
: There was a handprint here!

: Okay, let’s check for prints!
: That’s the spirit!
: Oh! But I have to warn you about something first.
: What?
: The area with the blood was wiped away, right?

: Any prints in that area will have been wiped away too.
: Oh… right. So… that means no prints.
: Would you say that the probability of your hypothesis is
: high?
: D-don’t ask me!
: Anyway…
: We must try to find prints that weren’t wiped away.
: (Prints other than the ones left by the bloody hand…)

: Whgose are they? Whose!? Is it someone I know?

: It’s Officer Marshall!!!
: Huh? O-Officer Jake Marshall!?

The fingerprints are added to our evidence, but I forgot to check them.

: Th-that’s got to be a coincidence!
: He’s not involved in the crime!
: Ema. This are decidedly different from Detective Gumshoe’s prints.

…this are?

: …!
: The luminol reaction. The blood and the fingerprints are in the same place.
: Oh… Oh!!!

: But why would Officer Marshall…
: It looks like our investigation is finally turning up some results!
: …!
: I guess this is what you’d call “decisive evidence”!
: I… I don’t believe it!

Next time: The long-awaited return to court!

[morsrattus]

(this is one of the last filler sets)

[morsrattus]

(it is almost the present day)

[morsrattus]

Case 5 - Rise From the Ashes
Trial (Day 3) - Part 1

: So, what do you think, Mr. Wright?
: I think the prosecution is as confused as we are. After all…

: and a different suspect was arrested at the other crime scene.
: Lana!
: Good morning, Mr. Wright. I apologize for yesterday. I was… indisposed.
: I hope they didn’t hold you too long for questioning.
: We just finished, actually. I’m used to all-nighters, though.
: So, how’d it go?
: It’s as Mr. Wright suspects. The police are clueless.
: I figured as much,
: so I struck a plea bargain.
: A plea bargain? What do you mean by that?
: We agreed that if I told them the truth behind this “simultaneous murder,” they wouldn’t seek capital punishment.
: That’s what I mean, Ema.
: But Lana!
: Don’t tell me you…
: Much to my regret,
: I’m as much in the dark about this as they are.
: Ms. Skye.
: Hmm?
: We discovered traces left by a certain person in the Police Department’s evidence room. They belonged to Officer Jake Marshall.
: You found Officer Marshall’s… traces?
: Blood-stained fingerprints, to be exact.
: !
: That’s the trump card I have up my sleeve today. You do understand what this means, don’t you?
: In order to defend my sister, you’re going to accuse Mr. Marshall?
: We have to play the cards we’re dealt. Isn’t that right, Ms. Skye?
: …
: Do what you have to do, Mr. Wright.

: Court is now in session for the trial of Ms. Lana Skye.
: The defense is ready, Your Honor.
: The prosecution is…
: Hmph.
: …
: Hmph?
: I’m afraid you’ll have to clarify.
: It takes 30 minutes by car to reach criminal affairs from the Prosecutor’s Office.

: But that’s not physically possible, is it?
: What’s more, I hear the victim from the evidence room just “disappeared”!
: Yes, and the body eventually reappeared in the trunk of Mr. Edgeworth’s car.
: (Wow… this is one messed up trial…)
: One of my duties as prosecutor is to present impartial evidence.
: Today I will present evidence relating to the murder at the Police Department.
: In so doing, I believe the way in which we should proceed will reveal itself.
: Now that’s what sets Mr. Edgeworth apart. He sounds so on top of things…
: even thought he doesn’t know what’s going on himself!
: And that’s supposed to be an admirable trait?

: Very well, let the trial resume. On the day of the crime, what exactly transpired at the Police Department?
: Mr. Edgeworth, you may call your first witness of the day to the stand.
: For its first witness, the prosecution calls…
: the suspect of the murder that occurred at the Police Department!
: The suspect!? You mean, the so-called
: murderer!?

: (Hoo boy.)

: Will the witness please state his name and occupation.

: Yes, sir! I am Officer Mike Meekins, sir! My occupation is, um…
: that would be murderer, sir!
: …
: …
: …
: Er…
: So you’re telling us you’re a “professional killer”…

: Sir. It was me, sir! I’m the one who did it! I’ll never kill anyone again, sir!
: You’ve got to believe me, sir!
: Uh… Actually, what we’d like to hear from you is…
: Sir! I’m what you would call part of the “younger generation,” sir!
: A person whose actions adults can’t possibly comprehend!
: Please, Mr. Edgeworth, sir! Help me, sir!

: Officer Meekins.
: Y-yes, sir!
: Give us your report of the crime.
: Consider that an order.

: Yes, sir! As you wish! After all, I am a part of a generation that must be told what to do, sir!
: You can’t fault him for a lack of enthusiasm.

: Hmm. So the victim,
: Detective Goodman,
: attacked you?
: “Do unto others before they do unto you”!
: That’s the Meekins family motto, sir!
: I see. Then you fainted, and a colleague helped you regain consciousness.

: Yes, sir! He knocked me upside the head, sir!

: Very well. The defense may begin its cross-examination.
: (What I need here is)
: (more info to work with!)

: Mr. Meekins. You work in the General Affairs Department, do you not?
: Yes, sir!
: I am in charge of hiring new recruits, sir!
: (Yikes! Now there’s a scary thought.)
: Evidence transferal was taking place on the day of the crime, which meant many officers were given special tasks not ordinarily performed.
: I was in charge of guarding the Blue Badger, sir!
: The Blue Badger?

: Yes, sir. The lovely police mascot created by the Head Detective, sir!

: That was my sole mission for the day, sir!

: I see. Sound like a very… uh, important mission.
: After the award ceremony finished that day, there were so many people running around

: that I relocated the Blue Badger to the evidence room!

: Oh… So that’s why you went to the evidence room.
: Tell us… what did you see when you got there?

: In order to enter the evidence room…

: Precisely, sir! I have one right here around my neck!

: There it is! I found it!
: This is the one right here.
: Could you please read us the number?

: Yes, sir! It’s “4989596.” That’s my number, sir!
: I see… Huh?
: But the number 4989596…

: Please explain, witness.
: It’s n-no real mystery, sir!

: and the second time is when I went to go get him after everything settled down.
: I see.
: So it was during that second time when?
: Yes, sir! That was when I spotted the man on the security screen!

And our ID record is updated.

: So you were attacked… Can you please tell us exactly what happened to you?
: It was a knife, sir! A knife!
: Detective Goodman pulled a knife on you?
: What happened then?

: (You aren’t exactly the kind of person someone would want to run into…)
: That’s when I reacted, sir!

: I swung my arms like an octopus, struggling to detain him! That’s how I got this gash on my hand.
: Maybe if you’d just kept your cool your hand wouldn’t be…
: When I saw the blood trickling down my arm, I panicked!
: I grabbed the man by his collar!

: What exactly do you mean when you say you, “did it”?
: I know I don’t look like the type, but I’m really into kung fu films, sir! The man let his guard down for just an instant,
: so I snatched his knife from him!
: You took his knife?
: I spun him around and performed a disarming maneuver! I made sure to close my eyes like a man!
: I, uh, see… (He must have been desperate.)
: The next thing I knew, his white coat was drenched in a sea of my blood, and then… Then, the next thing I knew…
: Yes?
: He punched me right in my face, sir!

: About what time did you regain consciousness?

: No offense, sir, but how am I supposed to know that? I was unconscious!
: Oh… right.
: According to the report from the officer that woke up the witness, it was about 5:30.

: I woke up crying tears of pain!
: That’s nice…
: Er, I mean… it’s nice that you recovered, that is…
: When I came around though, I made sure to finish my mission, sir!
: Your “mission”…?
: Yes, sir! The Blue Badger, sir!

: (Well, we can all rest easy now…)

: I believe we now have a fairly accurate picture of what happened.
: Yes, Your Honor. Only one thing remains unclear.

: (He’s got a point…)
: Um…
: Yes, Officer Meekins?
: With regard to that, sir…

: Chief Gant delivered it to me just this morning sir!
: The Chief?
: Delivered it…?

: Yes, sir! That’s absolutely right, sir! A videotape, sir!
: It contains footage from the security camera in the evidence room.

: What!? But I specifically asked if there was such a tape,
: and was told it had been mistakenly erased!
: That’s quite a mistake.
: I just do what I’m told, sir. It’s the only thing I’m really good at.
: (Looks like communication with the Police Department is as good as ever…)

: Well then, let’s have a look! Show us the video of you murdering the victim!
: Oh… Please stop using that word, “murder,” sir! It scares me!
: (A video of a real murder… Just what are we getting ourselves into…?)

Next time: A video of a real murder…

[morsrattus]

Case 5 - Rise From the Ashes
Trial (Day 3) - Part 2

You’re going to want to watch this video. It’s too long for a gif and totally wordless.

: …
: …
: …
: Well, I believe we’re all thinking the same thing.
: How can we deal with these unsettling feeling stirred within us…?

: What the hell was that wriggling piece of plywood!?

: Sir! That is the pride and joy of the entire Criminal Affairs Department, sir!
: It’s the Blue Badger, sir!
: (Why am I not suprised this isn’t going smoothly?)

And the prints, while we’re in here.

: Yes, well anyway…
: this tape seems to prove that the witness did indeed encounter… er, “someone”
: in the evidence room, and some sort of… er, “activity” did take place…

: Your Honor… instead of relying on clearly incomplete footage,
: the witness’s testimony will suffice.
: Is that alright with you, Officer Meekins?
: Yes, sir! As you wish, sir!

: What’s this about a fingerprint?
: Each detective has been given a locker, equipped with a fingerprint-activated lock. These locks ensure that each locker can only be opened by the detective it belongs to.
: Intriguing…
: That would mean…
: the victim at the crime scene would have to have been Detective Goodman.
: Very well! The defense may begin its cross-examination!
: (I don’t know where this cross-examination will lead,)
: (but everything begins with contradictions. That’s where I have to start!)

: Tell me, were you able to get a good look at him?
: At the face of the man who attacked you with a knife?
: S-sir! If you must label people as having “seen” or “not seen” the man’s face… I believe I would be classified as… the latter?
: The latter? But you were standing right in front of him, were you not?
: More to the point, you are the person who fought him, aren’t you?
: Oh, yes sir! But… I didn’t get a clear look at his face, sir. I’m not the kind of guy who looks directly at people when talking with them, you see…
: (Yeah, that’s a good trait for a police officer…)
: Still, I’m sure it was him! I’d bet my badge on it!

: But you don’t know that for sure, do you?

: Well… I suppose you might say that. That is, if you must label people as having “seen” or “not seen” it.
: Since his face can’t be identified in the video, only you can verify it.
: ! W-w-why is everyone l-looking at me? If I had to label your stares as “disturbing” or…

: Meekins!

: Having been shown a questionable video at best, we are not in the best of moods.
: Now please be more certain when you testify!
: Y-y-yes, sir!

: Tell us why you are positive it was him!

: About thesel ockers… Is there no other way to open them?
: No, sir! I myself tried all kinds of methods in the past!
: They only respond to registered fingerprints, sir!
: (I wonder what kind of methods he’s tried…?)
: If the man opened the locker’s lock, which only responds to its registered fingerprints,
: then he must be the person the locker was assigned to.
: Exactly my point, sir! And this too!

: How do you know that information?
: I’ve heard rumors, sir! From people in the know, sir!
: “People in the know”?
: The workers in the department cafeteria, sir! They keep me informed!

: They also listen to my… romantic troubles, sir!
: …
: For the record… the opened locker did indeed belong to Detective Goodman.
: I verified this information through a more… reliable source.
: Hmm…
: So the victim opened the locker with his own fingerprint.

: S-sir!
: If I may say something, sir!
: Please do. After all, you are the one being examined.
: I don’t understand why the man’s face is so important in this case, sir! I mean, it was his hand that opened the fingerprint lock…
: and it was his hand that tried to thrust his knife into my body, sir!

: Yes, you have a point.
: The footage doesn’t lie.
: That is…

: Mr. Wright! Let’s check the Court Record again!

: The tape was provided by the Police Department, so there’s no problem with it.
: I admire your trust in the Police Department
: Mr. Wright.
: But if you ask me, I think there’s a problem with what’s shown on the tape…
: rather than with the actual tape itself.

: (This all sounds true enough, but the victim’s body was found at the Prosecutor’s Office.)
: (There has to be a mistake somewhere…)

: Here, you can use the player to watch it as much as you’d like.
: The security video… (Maybe I should take another look at the footage…)

And loop. But what if there is a problem with the video?

: there is one thing in particular that seems rather strange.
: Strange?
: This contradiction leads to the possibility that…

: the man may not be Detective Goodman.

: What? This video contains such a contradiction?

: Interesting… Your Honor, I have a proposal.
: Yes, Mr. Edgeworth?
: I propse we have the defense…
: point out to us this alleged “contradiction” in the video.
: (He would want me to point it out…)

: Very well, proposal accepted. Let us further inspect this piece of evidence.

: I will now play the security tape.
: Mr. Wright. Please show us this contradiction you speak of.
: (I have to point out a problem in the video?)
: (This is the first time I’ve ever had to do that.)
: You can do it, Mr. Wright!
: It’s set up so you can Fast Forward, Rewind or Pause the video. Just take a good look and be sure to point out the right thing!

: Please don’t play it too many times. I-I can’t stand watching this video!
: (How did this guy ever become a police officer?)
: Now then, Mr. Wright. Please enlighten us!

We can select anywhere on the video, and as noted, we can advance or reverse it to any frame we want. If we pick just a random spot, like, oh, here…

: The thing that’s strange about this video…
: would have to be… uh, this?
: …
: Hold on a second. I need to use my eye drops.
: …
: Well, I don’t get it.
: …
: Um, would you mind if I borrowed your eye medicine?
: Don’t look at me with those bleary eyes!
: Before your eyes get too teary, perhaps you should think this through again, hmm?

So, back to the video. You know, that falling thing early on is kind of weird…

: The thing that’s strange about this video…
: has got to be this!
: Hmm… Yes, that is strange.
: Something certainly seems unnatural about that.
: What could it mean?

: Sorry to interrupt, Mr. Wright…
: but you seem to have forgotten the point of this exercise.
: The point…?
: What you are looking for is one thing and one thing only:
: Something that indicates the man may not be Detective Goodman.
: Oh, yeah.

: Whew… I almost walked right into the defense’s trap!

: I’ll place him under arrest, sir!
: (Rats… I need to slow down and tackle these things one piece at a time.)

So, back to the video. Something’s still funny early on…

: The thing that’s strange about this video…
: has got to be this! Officer Meekins.

: Sir! D-do you mean me, sir?

: A-according to my very limited experience, that’s the way I understand it, sir!

: If so, then something is seriously wrong with this picture!

: Let’s rewind to a little earlier…

: What’s this!? It’s… already lit!

: Precisely my point, Your Honor.

: Order! Order!
: What’s the meaning of this!?
: It’s very simple, Your Honor.

: But the locker locks are controlled by an electronic system. When a door is shut, a sensor is triggered…
: and the locker is automatically locked!
: Oh, I know! It must have broken down!
: Of course, I’m not an expert in this…
: That’s not likely, Your Honor. The sensor would detect and report any malfunction.
: Oh well. It just goes to show novices should keep their mouths shut.
: So then, Mr. Wright. Do you have an explanation?
: Me, Your Honor?
: Yes. Why wasn’t the locker locked?
: Me, Your Honor?
: …
: Yes, well. You see… This isn’t exactly my field…
: What do you think, Miss “Scientific Investigator”?
: Huh? Oh, um…
: Maybe something, like, jammed the electronic system?
: (Something… jammed the sensor? Say…)

: Yeah, I thought so too!
: There’s got to be another clue somewhere in this footage!

: Very well. Let’s inspect the video once more. The locker wasn’t locked…
: Mr. Wright. Please point out the cause for this!

Next time: Understanding.

[morsrattus]

Case 5 - Rise From the Ashes
Trial (Day 3) - Part 3

: Please watch closely.
: This is the continuation of the part I showed you earlier.

: Something white fell out of the locker!

: But sir!
: It’s been my experience that things fall out when doors are opened!
: I often fall out and roll great distances when I open my car door, sir!

: We can’t be sure
: that item was in the locker to begin with.
: What do you mean?
: The sensor triggers the lock when the door is shut… What if something was inserted, say,
: between the sensor and the door?
: In… Inserted…?

: It was stuck between the door and the sensor!

: Oh, I understand now, sir! It’s just like my tie!
: Two out of three times it gets stuck in the door when I get out of my patrol vehicle, sir! Instead of the door closing, My tie chokes me!

Oh, capitalization errors…

: But the object would have to be extremely thin to fit in the door.
: Not only that, it would also have to block electrical currents…
: It would need to be an insulator.
: Yes, an insulator!
: But at the crime scene…
: there just might have been something that fits the description.

Capitalization errors!

: But s-sir!
: By “insulator,” you don’t mean…
: (I think I’ve finally got this figured out.)

: Very well! Will the defense please present the relevant evidence!

Can you guess?

: But we can’t be sure that was in the victim’s locker.
: It has a tag that says, “SL-9 Incident.”
: !
: The video seems to depict the victim opening the locker,

: On the day of the crime, even I could have opened that locker!

: Sir…

: Order! Order! Order!

: witness stabbed in the evidence room… was not Detective Goodman?

: Do not be misled, Your Honor.
: What do you mean, Mr. Edgeworth?
: The defense has merely demonstrated that possibility, and nothing more.
: The “victim” in the video was indeed Bruce Goodman.
: The prosecution will offer one more testimony to prove this!
: What!?
: Officer Meekins,
: please testify about this.
: Sir! M-me, sir!?
: I’m not sure what you’re referring too, sir…

…too, really?

: …

: O-oh! You mean that, sir! Of course, sir!
: (Is this a joke…?)

: Very well, begin your testimony!

: An ID card record. I see…

: Just before the crime, hmm?
: Yes, without a doubt this is the victim’s ID! However,
: one thing does strike me as unusual…
: Several hundred cases should have been due for transferal.

: This particular evidence room is only used for storing certain special cases.
: “Special” cases…?
: Extremely violent cases involving police staff.
: Just hearing that makes
: my hair stand on end!
: (Me too, althought it doesn’t make much of a difference…)
: There were only a few cases up for transferal there, and most were cleared up by noon.

: Right… I see. Now, Let us move on to the cross-examination.

This part’s just full of those, huh?

: So, unlike your earlier testimony, you believe this to be rock solid, do you?
: Yes, sir! Solid as stone, sir! If my hand wasn’t wrapped in bandages…
: I’d even give you the ‘V fo Victory’ sign, sir!
: Couldn’t he just use his right hand for that…?
: Let’s hear him out.
: The witness can’t afford to make any more mistakes.

: Is that card hanging from your neck one of these ID cards?
: Yes, sir! This card right next to my cuffs, sir!
: I keep it here so I won’t ever forget it!
: But what if someone were to steal it from you, keeping it out in the open like that?
: …
: Maybe I shouldn’t wear it around my neck… Remember when I said two out of three times my tie gets stuck in my car door when I
: get out? Well, the remaining time my ID card gets stuck. Instead of the door closing, My ID card chokes me!

…again? Really?

: (Maybe I should just leave this one alone…)
: At any rate, each police officer has only one ID card.
: Both the Police Department and the Prosecutor’s Office can attest to this.

: Please proceed with your testimony.

: Let me see… yes, that would be it.
: Detective Goodman…
: ? (What’s the matter?)
: A-according to this…

: So it is, Your Honor.

: (You’ve got the wrong color, kid.)

: It would seem…
: the inquiry committee will want to speak with you again today.
: I have nothing to be ashamed of regarding my actions, or their consequences.
: For now, let us continue with the cross-examination.
: Poor Mr. Edgeworth…
: It must be so difficult for him…

: Earlier I believe you testified that when you asked the man to show his ID card,

: Yes, sir! He didn’t show me any ID card, sir!
: Don’t you think that’s odd? I mean, if he had his ID card,
: all he had to do was show it to you.
: There wouldn’t be any reason to draw a knife!
: …

: M-maybe he just panicked?
: (Everything stems from contradictions. Let’s point them out…)

And loop.

: Mr. Wright! What do you think?
: I’m… confused.
: What?
: (The problem with this ID card testimony is far too obvious.)

: You’re thinking too hard about it. Come on, let’s show them what we’ve got!

Can you spot it?

: Wait one moment, Officer Meekins.
: I-I’m not good at waiting, sir!

: I found it at the crime scene.
: That makes sense.

: When I say, “crime scene,”
: I’m not referring to the evidence room at the Police Department. I mean the “other” crime scene…
: The underground parking lot at the Prosecutor’s Officer!

: …
: Your Honor…
: I have one more piece of evidence to present.

: A… Lost Item Report?
: It’s only half completed,
: but it shows that Detective Goodman had lost “something” on the day of the crime.

Yes, they really do switch who’s talked mid-sentence.

: Something important enough to fill out this report.

: I can’t say for sure…
: but there is a high probability!

: Order! Order! So now…
: what does this all mean?
: It can only mean one thing.
: It doesn’t require much thought!

: Order! Order! Order!
: Does the prosecution have a response?
: … I have only one thing to say
: to the defense.
: …?
: Bravo, Mr. Wright.
: B-bravo…?

Next time: Oops.