Case 4 - Turnabout Goodbyes
Trial (Day 3) - Part 1
: The defense is ready, Your Honor.
: … …
: Very well, apparently the prosecution is also ready.
: (Who is the judge here, anyway!?)
: Mr. von Karma, your opening statement.
: … …
: Er… very well, no opening statements so…
: Not so fast, Judge!
: I was taking a meaningful pause before speaking!
: R-right, of course.
: A prediction!
: Today’s trial will end three minutes from now!
: Order… order!
: Mr. von Karma! What is the meaning of your statement just now!?
: Bah! Must you question everything! It will be over in three minutes! We have no time to waste!
: I’ll call my witness now!
: R-right…
: I call my witness… my decisive witness to the stand!
: (It’s that mysterious boat shop owner.)
: Witness… state your profession.
: Mmph… zzzz… … I, er, am the proprietor of the restaurant the “Wet Noodle” at Gourd Lake.
: …
: And I, er, also rent boats.
: The night of the incident, you were in the boat rental shop, correct?
: Er… ayup, yup I was.
: Please testify.
: (Wait a second…)
: (On second thought, I guess it doesn’t really matter.)
: Doesn’t matter!? What are you thinking, Nick!? What if that old man had something to do with the DL-6 Incident? If we don’t find out who he is, we won’t be able to build a case here!
: (Hmm, she has a point.)
This drops us where the other choice starts.
: Wait a minute!
: The witness hasn’t stated his name yet!
: Because I did not ask him, Mr. Wright! Bah! I have predicted this trial will end in three minutes!
: Stop asking trivial questions and cooperate!
: (Yeah, right!)
: The witness will state his name.
: Zzzz… … Mmph! Well, er… I’m not really sure, ayup.
: What do you mean?
: My, er, memory…
: Your honor… The witness does not remember anything beyond the last several years…
: Ergo, he cannot recall his own name.
: Hmm… he can’t recall, you say?
: Yes, but the incident in question took place three days ago. He can testify.
: Very well.
: Let’s hear his testimony then, shall we. Witness?
: Hmm…
: Very well. I’d like to begin the cross-examination…
: There is nothing to question in my witness’s testimony! Ergo, no need for cross-examination!
: Besides, there are only 10 seconds left before our three minutes are up!
: Judge! Your verdict, now!
: Er… yes…
: (He’s right. That testimony sounded pretty solid. Maybe I should hold back.)
: B-but, Nick! You have to cross-examine him! This is your only chance to turn this trial around! Your last chance!
: (O-oh… right.)
Or we could go for the smarter answer.
: What are you saying!? Of course I’ll cross-examine the witness!
: Hmm…
: Very well, you may begin.
Convergence.
: E-excuse me? Mr. von Karma?
: Three minutes just passed.
: I see. Well then, let’s just take our time.
: You may cross-examine the witness.
: “Just after midnight,” you say?
: Ayup, just around then.
: Are you sure?
: Pretty sure, ayup.
: When I talked to you yesterday, you were rather vague about the time… I’m surprised you seem so sure about it today.
: I asked him, and he remembered. Isn’t that right!?
: Zzzz… D-don’t glare at me like that…!
: I, er… I remembered it clearly, I did. Ayup.
: You see? Continue!
: Is there anyone who can verify that?
: … Well, I guess Polly could.
: Th-that’s not good enough for a court of law!
: Mr. Wright… exactly what’s not good enough?
: Ah, uh, Your Honor, this “Polly” is a parrot.
: A… parrot?
: Don’t be so hard on the girl, Keithy-boy!
: Keith…?
: The prosecution concedes that we cannot prove the witness was in the shop. Witness… please continue.
: And where did the “bang” seem to come from?
: From the lake, I figure.
: Are you certain?
: A-ayup.
: Good. Continue.
: Was there someone in the boat?
: It was pretty far out there… I oculdn’t see clearly…
: But I figure there was two men out there, ayup.
: But you couldn’t see them clearly!
: Ayup… at the time, that is.
: (At the time…?)
: So you heard two gunshots total?
: Ayup.
: (That’s what Lotta said in her testimony yesterday.)
: “By your window”?
: Ayup, by my window. Right outside the window of my little shack.
: And, could you see the man’s face?
: Well, the fog was pretty darn thick, but he was right there in front of me. I saw him.
: This is a rather important detail! Please add it to your testimony.
: Tsk, tsk, tsk…
: (I have a bad feeling about this…)
: A-are you sure!?
: (Uh oh!)
: D-Dad!
: Dead certain, Keith! He said “I can’t believe he’s dead” as he was walking by, too.
: Witness! Are you sure that the person you saw was Miles Edgeworth!?
: This… sounds like decisive evidence indeed. I see no room for doubt.
: (von Karma… He lured me into cross-examining so he could set me up for a fall!)
: Tsk, tsk, tsk…
: N-Nick…! I don’t like the way things are going here! Everyone in the courtroom is glaring at us!
: (But… how can I raise an objection without any proof?)
: Judge! There is no room for doubt in the witness’s testimony!
: I demand that you declare your verdict!
Or…
: Your Honor! We proved in yesterday’s court that it could not have been Edgeworth who fired that gun!
: Mr. Wright. Are you referring to the fingerprints from Edgeworth’s right hand found on the gun, and the photograph showing a man firing with his left hand…?
: Exactly!
: That is easily explainable! He could have wiped his prints after he fired!
: You are ignoring the truth of the matter here! Everything in this witness’s testimony is true!
Convergence.
: Hmm…
: (I can’t see any room to raise an objection… I’d better hold back and see how things develop.)
: Nick! We have to do something! If we stay quiet now, Mr. Edgeworth’ll be found guilty for sure!
Or…
: Your Honor! This witness claims that Edgeworth said “I can’t believe he’s dead”…
: But his word is all we have!
: If he were telling a lie…
: Mr. Wright. In a court of law, the evidence tells all. Apparently, you have yet to realize even this basic fact.
: If you say his testimony is a lie, show us proof!
: Urk…
: Nick! Do we have evidence…?
Convergence.
: It’s no good! There’s nothing I can do.
: A… are you sure?
: To be honest… I don’t know what to do anymore.
: Please… Can you hear me, Sis? Please… We need your help… Nick needs you…
: Tsk, tsk, tsk… Three minutes was perhaps too high an expectation.
: However, fifteen minutes isn’t bad! This must be a new record.
: Enough! The witness may leave the stand.
: This court sees no reason to further prolong the trial. Nor is there any need for more time to decide the case against the defendant.
: This case is extremely clear. I see no room for misinterpretation of the facts.
: (W-what!? No!)
: Hmph.
: This court finds the defendant, Mr. Miles Edgeworth…
: The accused will surrender to the court immediately, to be held pending trial at a higher court within a month from today’s date.
: That is all. The court is adjourned!
: Me!!!
: Huh?
Next time: Wait, what?
[quote="The Laws of the Hittites, Section 170 (circa 1650-1500 BCE) (translated)]If anyone steals a door as a result of a quarrel, he shall replace everything that may get lost in the house, and he shall pay one mina of silver.[/quote]