Random Guy 42 plays through Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Trials & Tribulations

Random_Guy_42 chronicled his epic journey through the best game ever.

Intro
... sort of. I already finished Case 1 earlier before deciding to do this. So while the first case gets a summary of my thoughts and meanderings about the case, the other cases with have my thoughts presented in REAL TIME.

Also, there will obviously be SPOILERS in the writeups following this post. However spoilers wouln't fit in the title, so the warning goes here.

CASE 1 Thoughts & Opinions
Definitely liked it overall. Playing as Mia was interesting, as was defending Phoenix. I said Dahlia was the killer from the start so I'm glad I pegged that one. The case itself was very well constructed and very enjoyable. Only part that really seemed out of place was the lightning bolt theory. It was nice seeing Phoenix have his "serious" moments alongside the crazy younger Phoenix. So different from the one we currently know. I have the feeling the "Eight Months Ago Incident" will become rather central to the story as I progress. I liked Mia's growing confidence as the case progressed, leading up to her totally owning Payne at the end. Also, Payne hair scene was made of awesome and win. Overall, a nice introduction to the game, but still left a few tantalizing questions that will hopefully be revealed later on.

Unanswered Questions: How do Mia & Dahlia know each other? Why was Dahlia meeting with the victim? (Diego Armando, an attorney, interesting in itself, also apparently Mia's boyfriend, this will become important too, I'm sure) What was Dahlia's motive for killing him? Who is the "friend" Phoenix talks about saving? (I initally thought it was Edgeworth regarding DL-6, but the timeline doesn't add up) Why was Mia so adamant about convicting Dahlia? (This one is probably explained by the whole boyfriend issue, since she believed Dahlia poisoned Diego)

Okay, rather then sit here and postulate, I'm out to get my answers, so let's begin Case 2!

Ok, here I go. Case 2 GET

CASE 2: The Stolen Turnabout
A stolen turnabout? Will this involve a kidnapping? Actually probably not after Case 2-4.

Gumshoe is there! Yay Gumshoe! He opens a safe. Apparently whatever was inside has been stolen. They decide not to share what with us yet. And now the thief is apparently flying away o_O. Didn't they cover this already? Guessing the thief is this Mask*star*deMasque guy, as it was on the card in the safe.

Now we're at Wright & Co. Law Offices. Phoenix is cleaning the toliet. That was kind of random >_>. Maya talks about hitting the "big time" with Pearls. Apparently there is an exhibition for Kurain Village artifacts. Doesn't sound too interesting to me >_>. Maya & Pearls seem all keyed up about it though. Haha, Phoenix insulted them, "Treasures from the Boonies". Apparently we get special access, assumedly because Maya is future Master of Kurain. (That reminds me, additional question I forgot to post before: What compelled Mia to leave Kurain & become a lawyer?) Ha, Maya claims she's dressed up extra special for the occasion. Backstory stuff on Maya and Pearls, boring because I've already played 1 & 2. So now that's done, we head out to the exhibit.

The exhibit is at a place called Lordly Tailor. Apparently the most fanciest and expensive department store in town. Phoenix continues making cynical comments. Maya vandalizes family heirlooms. The curator for this exhibit is in the basement, so we head on down. The basement is kind of drab. Weird, Phoenix's name was said first. Wouldn't they address Maya? I was under the impression Phoenix is the guest here. Oh, it's Adrian Andrews! Kinda random seeing her here but ok. Maya thought she was a monster >_>. Maya also has no idea who she is, not surprising as she was KIDNAPPED at the time. Anywho, we chat to Adrian some. Pearls gets angry because of her PhoenixxMaya pairing. Somehow that never ceases to be funny. Adrain seems to like her new life as a result of 2-4's aftermath. Adrian acted weird when mentioning security guards for the place. Best note that for later. Lastly, we chat about a gold statue of Ami that Maya has apparently never seen before. There's also a comment about a "shichi****o" (screw you, censor), a cermonial sword. C'mon murder weapon! Awww... apparently it's just a display so it's not sharp. Maya expresses wanting to cut things >_>. With discussion done, we all go out to eat at a resturant. Phoenix mentions terrible events of the next day. That must be our murder case gearing up! I decide this point is good to take a quick break.

"N-Nick! This is terrible!" Thanks for reiterating, Maya >_>. For smoe reason the toliet gag repeats. The TV is talking about a theft by DeMasque. Must be the one we saw in the opening. Interesting look thief, to be honest >_>. Apparently it was at Lordly Tailor. I fail to think of anything worth stealing from the Kurain Exhibit >_>. Apparently the Urn was stolen. They go off reminiscing about Case 2-2 for a bit, and Pearls somehow wants me to catch this DeMasque guy with no leads whatsoever >_>. We finally head back to the exhibit.

We meet Gumshoe at the exhibit! He looks pissed. Phoenix and Gumshoe argue, Maya says they should kiss and make up >_>. Pearls still calls him Scruffy Detective! That's humourous. Show her the gun! Awww... he doesn't >_>. Ha, Maya gets Pearls to call him "Dick". That would be awkward >_>. We start chatting about the theft. Pearls is scary when she's serious. Apparently the thief occured at 1:30AM, odd, as that doesn't match up with the 1:00AM time given in the intro. It was phoned in by a guard stationed outside the basement warehouse, where the urn was kept. Woah, we ask who was at the warehouse, and Gumshoe flips out. DeMasque appearently goes only after "Fine pieces of art". Might just be me, but I'm not sure the Urn matches that description. Apparently he also sends a calling card before thefts. They have unique emblems that the public don't know about. That info will be important. This "Ace Detective" apparently managed to get one of the stolen treasures back. BOLD PREDICTION: This detective is really DeMasque trying to put himself in good standing with the police. Calling it now! Last tidbit: Lordly Tailor didn't notify the police when the card came. "Ace Detective" is in the basement, so we head down to meet him.

Woah, this guy looks odd. Interesting theme song too. Bit of a fruitcake, but he identified Phoenix and Maya as lawyer and spirit medium. Must be one of those eccentric geniuses. He identifies himself as Luke Atmey, Ace Detective. Haha yes! Phoenix calls himself an Ace Attorney. Awesome! Atmey talks strange! Use less flowery speech! This is going to be a pain when we cross-examine him >_>. Lots of Phoenix sarcastic thoughts going on. Good info! Atmey was hired 20 days ago, DeMasques calling card arrived at Lordly Tailor 10 days ago. And he was hired by Adrian. Atmey was also alone in the warehouse. Nice cover, no-one saw him dressed as DeMasque obviously! Woah! The setup of the basement has changed. The statue has moved, there's a pick stain on the wall where it was, and the sword is bent and laying by the office. Interesting. Found a typo! Pearls says "On one came through those doors last night".

So we move to investigate the crime scene! First order of business is this bent sword. Damn! Atmey won't let us touch anything. Clearly, we must get him the hell out of here somehow >_>. He mentions knowing everything about DeMasque, so I present the card! Success! Atmey lets us investigate, and he leaves, telling us to drop by his office if we find anything. Think I'll pass on that one >_>. Pearls wants to go for whatever reason. Back to the sword! It's bent, and Pearl points out it's moved from last night. No idea why the other two didn't catch that >_>. Maya hits Phoenix with the Pearls also points out the statue moved. Why are they making Pearls out to be the smart one? Lastly, we examine the pink stains, which happen to be paint. Theres a corner shape in it, which matches a box on the other side of the room, so I look at that. Nothing interesting results, although apparently Maya made it.

With nothing else interesting in the basement, we head back to talk to Gumshoe. He says nothing new, so I move on to the Detective Agency. The guy has a huge picture of himself on the wall >_>. Phoenix remarks it looks like a horror movie set. Atmey isn't here yet, so I do a bit of snooping. Maya remarks about painting a picture of Phoenix... while he cleans the toliet. Sadly, that's the most that comes out of that investigation, so I head back to Lordly Tailor. I must have missed something in the basement. Bingo, investigating the computer in the office gives us the camera data from last night. The camera went off once at 1:00AM. I'm sensing a theme. Let's show Gumshoe the data! Oh, he's not there anymore >_>. But we get a phone call! Yeah, Steel Samurai ringtone. Oh, it's Gumshoe on the phone. He claims to have "beaten" Luke Atmey. What? Apparently he captured DeMasque?! This doesn't make sense, it's way too soon. Oh, he turned himself in. Well, it still doesn't make sense. We need to chat to him I guess. Woah, he requested to talk to Phoenix specifically, this just gets more mysterious. Gumshoe tells us he's at the detention center, so off we go!

Gumshoe didn't get the Urn from DeMasque, so looks like we have to ask for it ourselves. Maya says she's used to thinking of victims as dead people 'cause Phoenix always does murder cases. She brings up a good point, where the hell is our murder? They're sure taking their time getting to it. We start talking to this DeMasque guy, whose name is apparently Ron DeLite. He's very... contradictory. Claims he is, but isn't DeMasque, and that we're not "wrong", just "not right" ?_?. Make some sense man! Oh, he claims he "lost the Urn". Some thirf he is >_>. He wants us to talk to "Dessie", who is apparently his wife. How she manages to put up with his eccentricities I don't understand. So, of we go to his apartment.

... Huh. The guy has the DeMasque emblem on a little ht-air balloon in the apartment, so I guess he really is DeMasque. After all, they didn't release the detail to the public. Damn, there goes my "Atmey = DeMasque" thoery. On other note, there's Oldbag's Helmet and radio thing on the shelf! What the heck does that mean? Hope DeLite isn't in league with Oldbag. We meet the wife, whose name is Desiree DeLite. She seems to take a liking to Phoenix. Apparently the wife doesn't know Ron is DeMasque, she thinks he's deluded >_>. Not a leap of the imagination I must say. Haha, the wife is apparently with Ron because he's rich, and generous with his money. Ah, Desiree mentions that Ron works as a security guard. That (sort of) explains the Oldbag gear: She was a security guard during the Nickel Samurai event, so it possible it was an outsourced job. So they must work at the same company! Desiree also has an alibi for the night, as she was being chased by cops for speeding. Ron however, doesn't have an alibi, other then he was home at 3:00AM. I present DeMasque's portrait in order to get her talking about Ron's identity. Desiree says he's DeMasques "biggest fan" and restates that he's a bit delusional. Desiree states she hates illegal activities (or criminals in other words, hoo boy is she in for a surprise), and asks us to take a letter to Ron. So we head back to the Detention Center to do so.

Ron now has DeMasque music playing. Yep, he's definitely the thief. Anyway, we present the letter. It says "Letter given to DeMasque" >_> I get it already, he's the thief. Interesting, Desiree wants us to take Ron's case. But he's a thief, not a murder! Where's my murder case? I WANT MY DAMN MURDER CASE! Seriously, it isn't Phoenix Wright without a murder. This alienates and confusess me @_@. Maya explodes upon hearing the request, saying we're the real victims. Kinda funny really. I decide to take the case. Better a theft case then none at all right? Plus I get the feeling we'd be forced into it anyway. Now Pearls explodes, and gets into a rage. She leaves the room, and Maya follows. So Phoenix is left to talk with Ron. Maya comes back and says Pearl went to the office. I should go and talk to her. Maya says it's ok if we take DeLite's case. So we head to the office.

We meet up with Pearls. She seems apologetic and eager to make it up to us. She brought cake, and is making tea. Wait what? She prepared this tea and cake while in the middle of cleaning the toliet? What in the damn? And what is with the recurring toliet theme? Ugh, anyway, we talk to Maya about Pearl. Somehow th etopic slides onto Pearls idea of Phoenix & Maya. Maya talks about Kurain Village culture, and how marriages usually fail there because men are less important because only women inherit spiritual powers. This is kind of boring actually >_>. Oh, Pearls' father left the village when she was young. That would suck. And because we put Morgan behind bars, that makes Maya her only family. Poor Pearls. Gee Morgan looks creepy >_>. Now we talk about Maya's mother, and how she's still missing. Maya talks about how she'll become Master if her Mother doesn't return within the year. NEW BOLD PREDICTION: Maya's Mother will show up during one of these cases, and be central to the plot development too. Looks like that one won't be tested for a while though. Pearls shows up and apologizes for earlier. She heads out to look for evidence. It might just be me, but I wouldn't be letting a nine year old walk alone on the streets >_>. Anyway, I head for the Detective Agency, as it seems to be the only place we haven't found out anything relevant yet.

... Atmey still isn't here though. So I move instead to the exhibition hall. The date comes up, so success! Adrian is freaking out for some reason. Oh, looks like she's just found out about the Urn theft. She's really freaking out >_>. Phoenix picks, of all the things to talk about, when the calling card arrived from DeMasque >_>. Adrian says 10 days ago, so her story checks out with Atmeys at least. Ah! New tidbit, Adrian wanted to go to the police with the card, but Atmey stopped her. That'd be pretty damning if I still thought he was DeMasque. Adrian says Atmey was hired 20 days ago, again matching his story. Adrian mentions that the monetry value of the Urn is zilch. No surprising really. And this again doesn't check out with DeMasques supposed trend of going after priceless art treasures. Interesting. Atmey was wholly in charge of security at Lordly Tailor, another fact worthy of note. Adrian says nothing more, so I try Atmey again, and he's finally there! Though that may not necessarily be a good thing >_>. Atmey goes through his whole deduction routine again, and we start talking about the night of the crime. He babbles about DeMasque some more, and reiterates how he was alone at the scene. Yawn. Talking to Atmey is boring >_>. Ooo! Maya questions him about seeing DeMasque on the night, and a Psyche-Lock appears! Naturally, my first instinct is to break it, so in I go!

It's only 1 lock, so this shouldn't be too hard. Firstly, he said not a single person passed through the door. We know that's a lie, as the camera went off once that night, as indicated by the data. So I show it to him. Got him. Ok, now I have to identify why he hid that bit of info, and I have no idea >_>. I have the choice of fast asleep, using the bathroom, or unconscious. 1 & 2 seem dumb, so I'm going for 3. Now he wants evidence. I'm going to say the sword was used to hit him. Bingo. The lock breaks. Atmey tells us of how he was knocked out by DeMasque. Oddly enough. I don't buy this story, it sounds fabricated. Firstly, DeMasque apparently came in from somewhere other then the door, hence why Atmey didn't see him. This sounds wrong as we still have the camera data. Secondly, the sword was held by the Ami Fey statue at the time, so for DeMasque to get it, Atmey would have had to have spotted him. So far, this doesn't add up. Ah! And now Atmey has given us the security photo from the camera data, and it's DeMasque! And also, the statue appears to have already moved by this point. Something worth noting. WHAT WHAT WHAT? He suddenly starts talking about Ron Delite! How does he know they're the same person? Wouldn't he have incriminated him before now if he knew? Wtf, this doesn''t add up at all! And he tells us to grab a green letter from his apartment. How the crap does he know all this? Maya asks the question, and he doesn't clarify at ALL, just says it's because he's an Ace Detective. Grr... I don't like him, but having no better leads, I head back to Ron's apartment.

The letter is sitting next to the door, so we grab it and take a read. Huh, it's a blackmail letter. And furthmore, if Ron followed this letter, he wasn't at the crime scene when the crime occured! This is good, though it'll be somewhat interesting to present in court >_>. The bell goes, and Desiree answers the door. Oh god! It's Larry! Awesome! Hahaha, he think Phoenix and Desiree are dating. Oh god Larry is awesome. Haha oh god this is great. Dessie leaves and Phoenix and Larry start chatting. Larry starts talking about his women problems, and about how they all reject him. Ha. Oh, Larry found Ron's wallet, and came to return it. That's why he's here. Haha, Larry actually came because he saw Desiree's picture and he wanted to hit that. Oh man Larry is great. Larry says he found the wallet at his job at 1:00AM, so this basically confirms Ron was at KBM Security. Ron is innocent of this theft! tomorrow's court should be a piece of cake. Ah, and KBM is the security firm Ron works at. Larry shows us a company card in Ron's wallet, and we press him for more details about it. Apparently it's the card for the CEO's office, and records are made whenever a card is used. This should secure Ron as being away from the crime scene, if we can get those records. I move to the detention center, but Ron isn't there. So I instead head back to Atmey's, and present the envelope to him. He expresses a lack of interest. Must of missed something with Larry. I head back to Ron's apartment. Oh man, how did I miss this before? I start presenting all the female profiles to Larry. Oh god this is simply hilarious. He even expresses interest in Pearl >_>. Ha ha, Larry even owned Phoenix when I presented his own profile. Still struggling to get him to say anything of value though. I try Ron's profile. Nothing. So I save and decide to try again later.

Later
Okay Take Two!

I had to show Larry the blackmail letter. Not one of the things I would have tried straight away. That's kind of personal client information >_>. Oh well! Larry thought the blackmail was for him. Larry confirms that both him and Ron work at KB security. Maya and Phoenix establish that if Ron was at KB, it's impossible for him to have stolen the Urn, as it takes a half hour to get to KB from Ron's. Steel Samurai ringtone! This time it's Pearls. Turns out she got lost looking for Lordly Tailor, and ended up at Atmey Detective Agency. We head off to pick her up.

Pearls is safe, though obviously a little unsettled. Atmey isn't here, and there's a mysterious bag that wasn't there before. Maya naturally notices and demands we start prodding around. Phoenix resists, but is PEER-PRESSURED into it. Being called a "fuddy-duddy" must somehow be a grave insult or something >_>. And then Atmey comes in, right on cue. Haha "Maya made me do it". Phoenix sounds like a child. We talk with Atmey about the trial tomorrow. This is essentially Atmey puffing up his own ego some more >_>. Tomorrows prosecutor is the famous (both in and ouf the game, I hear) Godot. Atmey is drumming him up to sound quite impressive, but given the source, it would not surprise me if this were hugely exaggreated >_>. Atmey says Edgeworth is travelling abroad. That's interesting, I wonder why that could be?

And with that, the days investigating ends. On to the trial!

Apparently this trial is some sort of huge publicity event >_>. There's official DeMasque merchandise being sold? Really? We get a new piece of evidence too, a publicity photo of DeMasque. Ron is being his loud, erratic self, and Desiree pops in for a few words of emotional support before dashing off. What kind of "errands" does she need to do that are so important she'd blow off her husbands trial? Confusing. Regardless, we enter court.

October 13, 100AM District Court, Courtroom No. 6

The pre-trial music in this game is good. I like it. The hell? Godot is coming off like a bit of a prick. Also he has a visor. That's instant badass points right there. Godot has interesting theme music, too. Haha, Godot claims to have never lost a case, as he's never prosecuted. That's kinda funny. Godot seems to use a lot of vague, yet relevant analogies. Just makes him all the more awesome in my opinion. Huh, there's a twist. Godot seems to know Phoenix. Although he does call him "Phoenix Trite" for whatever reason. Hopefully both of these will be explained the further we go. This aura of mystery surround Godot is intriguing, and really makes me want to know more. The first witness is summoned.

Awww yes Gumshoe testimony. "No one has asked for your name, Witness". Despite acting like a complete jerk, Godot someow manages to pull it off seeming badass. It must be that visor. It must. Gumshoe talks about DeMasques crimes. HAHAHA WHAT! The Judge accused Godot of being DeMasque. That was hilarious! Anyway, Cross-Examination. The obvious statement to persue here is "His pattern is to go after only the most precious art pieces". After all, Adrian told us the monetary value of the Urn was zero. So I present, and bam. That was almost too easy >_>. This is supposed to throw doubt on whether DeMasque did it, but... how exactly is Phoenix going to explain away the calling card? With DeMasques secret emblem on it no less. Phoenix claims it wasn't DeMasques work. Uh-oh, Godot says we have to prove it wasn't DeMasque. How in the hell are we meant to do that. My best lead is the security photo, but I can't tell much from the image. Comparing it with the promo poster Maya gave me before shows that most things are in place... except one. Poster DeMasque has a smily face on his chest, having nothing better to work with. I present that. Poster doesn't work, so security photo instead.

That works. I point to the area on his chest, and Phoenix points out the lack of a broach. Judge thinks there is a security breach >_>. Looking good so far! Poor Gumshoe, he always gets the short straw in these scenarios. Oh crap, Godot brings out the broach. He claims it was at the crime scene, near the Ami Fey statue. And, naturally, the broach has Ron's fingerprints on it >_>. Situation went from good to bad in approximately 3 seconds. Best of all, the broach shows signs of being torn off clothing, so it was the real DeMasque. Or at least, one that knew about the broach, as Ron was at KB Security.

... hang on. How could it have been torn off? Atmey claims he saw no-one at the crime scene. If no-one saw the thief, logically the thief couldn't have gotten into a fight. Best file this inconsistency away for later.

Huge burn by Godot, there. "You've proven your own incompetence". Poor Gumshoe. And the next witness is Luke Atmey. Oh god, kill me now >_>. Looks like it's "Insult Gumshoe hour" as Atmey too calls him worthless. Except Atmey looks more of a jerk when doing it. Atmey talks about the night of the crime. I press him on his statement about how DeMasque knocked him unconscious. It was rather vague, and it might be complete crap seeing how there was a struggle apparently. Nothing comes of it. His next statement says he didn't land a single strike, so let's present the broach. It works. Why does this feel way to easy? I haven't had to press for any additional testimony or anything, and this unsettles me >_>. Phoenix proves that Atmey must have fought with DeMasque. Awww yes Announce the Truth music. Love it so much. Haha, Phoenix to Maya "You talk to much".

New Testimony! Atmey changes his story, claims being knocked out was the third DeMasque heist, and that he and DeMasque did in fact struggle during this case. Obviously, I don't buy it >_>. Allegro testimony music! Humourous conversation results when I press his statement with the word "discombobulated". Thankfully, this is the first testimony I've had to press statements to look for contradictions. That's good. Interesting, during pressing, Atmey claims to have been blinded by a "sudden flash of light". I ask for more details, and he claims the Ami Fey statue glowed with a golden light. Uh... not too sure what to make of that... >_>. That revealed nothing, so I go back and press the other aspect of his statement, the "Atmey Fighting Style". It's "put your back against the wall" >_>. This testimony can be added, so it must be what I need. He adds the new statement. I press it. He clarifies to say he got hit on the forehead. Maya doubts this claim. The description for the sword says Atmey was hit on the back of the head. I'd forgotten about that. Lucky it dropped a prompt or I probably would've been stuck for a bit >_>.

So I Object!

Phoenix reaffirms Atmey's prior claim of being struck from behind. More Announce the Truth music. Godot objects for the first time! It doesn't sound very forceful, to be quite honest. Choice time! Phoenix is accusing Atmey:

Mr. Atmey is no Ace Detective! This Mr. Atmey is a fake! Mr. Atmey is DeMasque!

3 is obviously wrong, Ron is DeMasque. 2 sounds... dumb. Who would want to impersonate Atmey? That leaves 1, which frankly sounds no better, but process of elimination... I select it. Ha, Phoenix claims he is "only an average detective". That accomplished nothing, and the judge shot me down. Ok, on to Number 2 then? "This witness isn't Luke Atmey... He's a fake!" Ok, that went nowhere either. So I'm left with the obviously wrong option 3, leaving me throughly confused.

Atmey actually visibly reacts to this. wtf? He's not DeMasque. This is confusing. Also, DeMasques mask doesn't have enough room to fit Atmey's nose >_>. Atmey goes nuts, and starts cackling insanely on the stand. I. Am. So. Confused. Finally, Godot Objects and knocks some sense into this situation. Haha Phoenix got Coffee'd! though now my pedantic side is kicking in, there's no spray on the wall, and somehow all the coffee is clinging to Phoenix >_>. Godot says Phoenix's claim isn't true, and I actually agree with him. He wants me to provide evidence Atmey is DeMasque. I have no evidence, so hopefully this bizarre line of reasoning will be dropped. Also, I haven't used the wallet or keycard yet. Grrr, this case was supposed to be simple >_>. I say I have no evidence, because I don't. It isn't true! Maya says we'll lose this case if we don't prove Atmey is DeMasque. Err, how so? We still have this proof that Ron wasn't at the damn crime scene. This whole chrade is mighty pointless really.

HOLD IT! Desiree appears on the stand! She's brought the bag that was in Atmey's office. It contains the Urn! It also no longer says "I AM". But that's irrelevant right now. Noting it for later though. Desiree says the bag was in Atmeys office, and we know this to be true. But was the Urn in the bag when it was at Atmey's? He isn't DeMasque, so could Desiree be lying when she says she knows nothing of Ron being DeMasque, and that this is all an epic framejob? Godot presents this very theory. And frankly I agree with him. Wtf I want the prosecution to win, what is this game doing to me? We have to prove the Urn was at the Detective Agency. Quickly saving, I present nothing. Not entirely sure it's the right thing to do, but whatever. Godot's prepared to implicate Ron based on the fact the Urn is here. Huh, well that's also wrong. My confusion returns to me >_>. I think the obvious thing to do is test for fingerprints, but since I've already done the other option, I may as well go with 1. "Testify about what I saw". This will obviously get shot down, Phoenix could be making this crap up on the spot. Oh, Phoenix never saw the Urn, so we can't testify based on that. Ok, time to do the fingerprint option. Atmey correctly says his fingerprints are on the Urn - he was guarding it. But Phoenix's are on the Urn too! He touched ot yesterday when he investigated the bag! Godot objects! He says that even if Phoenix's prints are there, it doesn't prove when they were put there. Phoenix counters, pointing out that Adrian polished the Urn for the exhibit, thus removing all the fingerprints from it. So if Phoenix's prints are on it, it could only be from after it was stolen!

Atmey interjects. There's no need to test the Urn, as Phoenix's prints are there, he confesses. Atmey does his flipping out laughter again. The man is crazy. He's confessing to being DeMasque. Just like my original theory. Only that was wrong.

THROUGHLY CONFUSED!

Atmey is taken away by the baliff. Looks like Ron is off the hook. That feels too easy as well, to be honest. We haven't yet used the wallet or card still. Ah! Another Hold It! Ron stops the verdict, claiming to be the real DeMasque, why he's doing this, considering Atmey just confessed in his place, is something I'm not comprehending. Ron really wants a Guilty verdict. Pheonix tries to rush a Not Guilty verdict, but to no avail.

Ha ha, Godot asks Ron to prove he is DeMasque. Oh god, it looks like he's just going to get Ron to implicate himself for him. Haha, this'd be so terrible bad (for the case) if it wasn't so hilariously funny. I second thought, it's not really that bad anyway. We have definitive proof (There's a phrase you don't say often in Phoenix Wright games) that Ron was at KB Security. Therefore he is not the thief. This should be a cakewalk.

... Best. Testimony. Ever. "You can't prove I'm NOT DeMasque, therefore I am!". This is so awful it's funny. The rest of his testimony isn't that flash hot either. The bit about the broach sticks out the most, so I'll start there. Ron is basically kissing Godot's feet in order to get a Guilty verdict >_>.

Cross-Examination begins! The broach being snagged on the door is easily the shiftiest statement, so I press it (Not before pressing the hilarious statement quoted above though, hilarity ensues). It really doesn't come up with anything, though I'm still suspicious. Godot claims the broach was found next to the statue, and the photo shows DeMasque with the broach gone, and the statue moved. If he did tear it off at the door, it would be nowhere near the statue - Clearly, a contradiction! Guess that's a bit too detailed for the moment though. So I poke around his testimony some more. Pressing his first statement provides interesting details about why Ron became DeMasque, but they're irrelevant to the situation at hand. Oh good! Pressing 3 prompts Phoenix into thinking about Ron's alibi, and how if we can prove he had one, this case will be a "piece of cake". Gee, that's only what I said, in the paragraph above this one. *sigh*, it's annoying when your thought track runs ahead of Phoenix's.

I present the wallet! Ron says he had at at dinner, Phoenix tells him that it was found at KB Security at 1:00AM. Godot encourages Ron to "prove me wrong". Oh, Lawd >_>. Ron says the wallet was planted at the scene so it looked like he wasn't there. What? That's like a reverse-framejob >_>. Phoenix pulls out the CEO card, tells him he's lying. Godot questions Ron's motive in going to KB Security. Simple, the blackmail letter. I present this, and Phoenix basically lays the case out on the table for me. Godot drinks a ton of coffee in one gulf O_O. Isn't that stuff, y'know, hot? That's got to scald, c'mon. Err... about the case, Godot tries to discredit our theory, accusing us of not looking into this CEO. Er, that's true, we didn't, but what relevence does that have? The Judge says we need a witness, but we don't. The cards automatically make a digital record when used. Ron was there. Our case is perfect. Oh, we need to identify a person. Well Larry told us that, so I pick him. Phoenix reiterates these facts to the Judge. HAHAHA, Godot calmly gets a coffee, takes a sip, and does a spit-take. That was awesome. I love Godot.

After an intermission, Godot has the card data. It backs up our claim: the card was used at 1:00AM. Ron wasn't at the crime scene. Looks like we get our Not Guilty. The Judge hands down his verdict! Success!

Yay, happy aftermath music. Everyone s hanging around congratulating Phoenix on a job well done. Haha, Pearls does another love rant when she sees Phoenix talking to Desiree DeLite. Haha, even when Maya tries to explain, she thinks he's deceiving Ron. Overall, it was an interesting, and fun case. Still don't understand why Ron was so desperate to get sentenced Guilty, nor why Atmey took the fall for him, but other then that, it was really good. I can even pass up the fact that it wasn't a murder case! Just gotta get through all these thank-yous... Wow, even Godot is coming to talk with us. He's thanking us, as well...

Oh crap oh crap oh crap. Why the hell did I speak to soon? Godot just casually strolls up and says "Hey, the CEO's dead. And you just proved your guy did it." Dammit dammit dammit. That was a dastardly evil move pulled by the writers there. On the flipside, I knew we wouldn't get through this without a murder! Ugh, now we'll have to prove Ron innocent... again. Hey, Godot mentions that Ron was once a KB employee. That contradicts what Larry said about him still working there. Uhh... given the choice of sources, I'm inclined to believe Godot. So why the cover-up about Ron's firing? Phoenix still has no idea who Godot is, and neither do I >_>. Dammit, this went from peachy to a travesty awfully quickly. However, I must admit, it's just making me look forward to it all the more!

New Investigation scene, but I'll work on that tomorrow. 12:05AM = sleep time.

Unanswered Questions: - Why did Atmey falsely confess to being DeMasque? - Why was Ron so desperate to be convicted? - Who was the DeMasque at the crime scene? And how did he come to possess Ron's costume? - How did Atmey have the Urn in his possesion? - Why does the Urn spell "AMI" again? - How did Kane know Ron was DeMasque? (In order to blackmail him) - And of course, the million dollar question, Who killed Kane Bullard?

Answers next week on Random plays Phoenix Wright!

Day 2 investigation!
Maya and Pearl begin by repeating everything we just found out at the end of the trial >_>. Thanks, but Phoenix does not have amnesia. Pearls decides to take the Urn to Kurain Village, to check it's authenticity. Nothing seemed wrong with it to me >_>. After chatting to Maya, we conclude that we should talk to both of the DeLite's, so I head to the Detention Center to start with Ron.

Ron is unfortunately being held in police custody, so we can't talk to him at the moment. So we go to talk to Mrs. Delite instead. The topic starts out about Ron & Desiree's marriage. Hardly relevant to the case, but whatever >_>. Ron apparently saved Desiree from a hostage situation. It's funny how the retelling makes it seem like a huge accident >_>. Next we talk about Atmey. She says thieves are okay in her book, as long as they're not pretending to be Ace Detectives >_>. She says she hates cowards more then anything though. We talk about Atmey, and how she found the Urn in his office, before finally Phoenix asks about KB Security. Interesting. Desiree also is under the impression Ron still works at KB. She tells us where the offices are, Phoenix declines a ride on her bike, and we go.

This room looks awfully neat considering a murder just happened here recently >_>. Gumshoe is in charge of this investigation again. Why are we always on the same cases? Gumshoe says he sympathizes with our situation. Awww, you'd think Gumshoe would have enough of his own problems to worry about, but that's nice of him. Haha, Maya uses the sympathy speech in order to wring information out of him. Kane Bullard looks... odd. Don't know why. He was found at 9:00AM, cause of death: Blunt force trauma to head. Bullards body was hidden in a safe, which is why they didn't find it for a considerable time. Maya want smore information on Mr Bullard, so I try presenting the profile. That unlocks another talk window. KB sends security teams to guard buildings. Apparently this makes Bullard privy to some sensetive secrets. Best file that away as a potential motive for murder. He also loved money, and was apparently doing some shady dealings to get it. Such as selling aforememntioned secrets to other companies. Apparently, KB also headed security operations against DeMasques. Looks like they were pretty terrible at it >_>. We talk about Atmey. Gumshoe is pretty convinced he's the thief. But he isn't. Seriously, this may be the most confusing aspect of this case. Why is Atmy pretending to be Demasque? It doesn't make sense. Interesting. There was a witness on DeMasques first heist. Gumshoe shows us a newspaper article, and Maya mentions the guard in the photo. It must be Ron >_>. Lastly, we discuss Godot. Apparently he just mysteriously showed up at the Prosecutors Office one day. However, Gumshoe and Phoenix point out he clearly doesn't act like an amateur in court. This Godot mysery just gets deeper.

With our discussion with Gumshoe done, we turn to investigating the area. First up is the safe. No fingerprints were found on the safe. Uh-oh, only limited people know how to open the safe, Ron being one of them >_>. That's no good. Next we try the binder lying on the table. It a record on Demasque and all of his thefts, such as information on his methods and crime scenes. The final page is a list of the stolen items and their monetary value. The list doesn't contain the Urn, though that's probably because Bullard never had a chance to write it down >_>. Other things like his desk and the portrait add nothing. So I try the caution sign behind the desk. It's apparently a button. Naturally Maya pushes it, and an alarm sounds. The button is an emergency buzzer. It's connected to the basement guard room, and is used to summon security to the office. Apparently, the buzzer never went off on the night of the crime, nor were any fingerprints found on the button. Bullard also wasn't wearing gloves, so he would ahve left a print had he pressed it. So that's a dead end >_>. Phoenix wants to talk to the security guard about the buzzer, so we go down to the basement.

Oh god. That's Larry's jacket on the wall. This can only end badly... yep, there's Larry >_>. He claims to have some good info for us. He refuses to tell Phoenix however >_>. We need to get Maya to wring it out of him. Larry tells us about how Ron DeLite was fired from his job one year ago. Apparently he was fired on the spot with no warning. Larry then tells us about his job. He looks at computer screen and calls someone else if there's suspicious activity about >_>. Sounds like an awfully easy job, perfect for Larry. We talk about where he was on teh night of the crime, and he gets all agitated all of a sudden. Starts rabbiting on about how things aren't his point. Phoenix asks him directly: "You were here that night, right?". BAM! Psyche-Lock! Time to break it!

2 Locks to break. First up, Larry claims he never left his post last night. Obvious first lie: Larry brought us the wallet he found outside the CEO's office at 1AM. Therefore, he couldn't have been in this office. I present, Larry says he's never seen it before >_>. Phoenix calls him out, Larry said he forgot >_>. Phoenix points out when he said he found it, points out it proves he was away from the office. One Lock down. Next, Larry states that his shift didn't start until 10:00PM. He points out that the murderer may have snuck in before then. Another obvious lie: The keycard record shows it was used at 1:00AM. I present, Phoenix proves the murderer entered the office at one. The lock breaks! Yeah, Search-Core 2001 music! Larry literally has a meltdown >_>. He wasn't at the office because yet another girlfriend was dumping him. Poor Larry, if this wasn't so serious, you'd feel sorry for him >_>. Larry promises he'll do anything for us to make up for his blunder. Maya says to show him our evidence. Well, we came down here to ask about the buzzer initally, so I try that. Larry starts to hit on Maya >_>. Phoenix quickly directs him back on track. Larry didn't come when Maya pressed the buzzer earlier because he was lazy >_>. Phoenix asks to see the records that show the buzzer wasn't pressed last night. Larry says there's no need as there's no chance he made a mistake. Guess he made a mistake and it really did go off then >_>. Maya convinces him to take another look. Bingo, Larry shows that the buzzer went off once at 1:ooAM. This is becoming a recurring theme >_>. I present the record to get him to tell me more. It didn't work >_>.

Larry doesn't want to say anything useful, so I take this opportunity to investigate the room. I am treated with much humourous dialog. Apparently Larry's supervisor is Ms. Oldbag! And she treats him like a real slavedriver, demanding respect and donuts >_>. She's on vacation, currently, luckily for us >_>. Other noteworthy tidbits include Larry trying to "accidentally" pull a lever he wasn't supposed to by hanging his jacket on it, Larry thinking the electronics on the walls are merely decoration, Larry attempting to watch TV on the security screens, and Larry having no idea how to operate his computer terminal. But the real highlight is a quote attributed to the deceased Mr. Bullard: "I don't expect much work from you, Larry. In return, just don't expect much pay." Oh god. All humoured out, I head off for the Detention Center, hoping Ron has been released from questioning.

... He hasn't. I try Atmey Detective Agency. Also nothing, though cops are apparently swarming the place. Not much places left I haven't been, so I try Lordly Tailor. No one is at the exhibit, but Adrian is in the basement! She looks all stressed out again, what's her problem? Apparently she still felt guilty about the Urn. We tell her it's returned, and she calms down. We talk about DeMasques identity. She thinks Atmey is the thief based on the news reports. Looks like hiring the thief has put a damper on her spirits >_>. Phoenix attempts to cheer her up. It's repeated that Atmey was hired 20 days ago, and the card came 10 days ago. This is the third or so time now, so I get the feeling it'll become relevant in tomorrows trial. We talk about the night of the crime again. Adrian claims she never saw Atmey in the basement werehouse. So Atmey essentially has no alibi >_>. Although Phoenix points out the camera caught DeMasque on tape. Though we still have no proof that was Atmey as of yet. Phoenix discusses the Urn with Adrian, and points out that the lettering is different, and Adrian clams up. Another Psyche-Lock! Can't do much about this one, as Pearls took the Urn, so I have to wait. In the meantime, I check the detention center. Maybe talking to Adrian triggered Ron's release.

Ron has been released! He's currently freaking out >_>. Phoenix asks Ron straight: Where was he on the night of the murder? But first, we ask about if he still believes he's DeMasque. Ron claims he didn't steal the Urn. That much is obvious, he was at KB. So who was the impostor DeMasque that did steal it? Atmey maybe? Maya thinks so too. That still raises the question of how Atmey got a hold of Ron's DeMasque costume. We talk about what happened in the CEO's office. Ron claims he knocked, but there was no answer. So he let himself in with the keycard. But someone knocked him out when he stepped into the room. Ah, it might just be me, but that silhouette looked like Atmey >_>. Ron then says he was stunned for several minutes, and when he came to, he saw the body of Mr. Bullard in front of him. So then, for whatever reason, he hid it in the safe. Because that's logical >_>. After that, he left the building. He claims he knew how to avoid all the security cameras, as he installed them, so he wasn't seen during his getaway. What a great case we have here >_>. Lastly, we ask about why he was fired. He starts talking about how we can't tell Desiree he's fired and living the life of a thief. Apparently, he became a thief in order to be able to fund Desiree's lavish spending habits.

With all talk options done, I start presenting evidence to him. I start with Kane's profile. He says the man had lots of enemies, so anyone could have a motive for murder >_>. Next I present Desiree. He repeats how Desiree hates criminals and how how he became a thief for her. I try DeMasques profile. Information about how he "studied" to become a thief. Atmey's profile: Ron claims Atmey has been investigating him since his first heist. Also says he doesn't know why Atmey confessed to being DeMasque. His own profile: Says he's not cut out to be a thief.

I try evidence now, beginning with the newspaper clip Gumshoe gave us. This is good. Ron's talking about his first heist, and how difficult it was. Ron says he managed to "disappear" my stashing his DeMasque costume in a plastic bucket, and swapped into his security uniform. Ron is apparently the guard in the photo. Ah! Dectective Atmey found Ron's costume, and took it away from the crime scene, which forced Ron to make another one. That explains how Atmey had a costume. Unanswered Question 3 is answered! 6 more to go... >_>. Also, Ron says he "remade" the costume, so maybe there is a difference between the two. After completing the second costume, Ron got the first blackmail letter. Apparently the green one was not the first, though it was the first to send him out to a specific location. Apparently, Ron gave up the jewel to the blackmailer, and got paid in return. Following this, Ron had the plans for the thefts sent in the mail. These plans showed security blind spots. This is tying in rather nicely to the folder we found in Bullards office. That had detailed information on all the crime scenes. And KB Security lead all the operations against DeMasque! Bullard must have been intentionally creating these weaknesses in security and using Ron to get the treasures! Ah, and another mystery is solved! Ron says he turned himself in as DeMasque in order to get convicted of the theft. If he were arrested for the larceny, he had a perfect alibi proving he couldn't have murdered Kane. That's... actually pretty clever, coming from Ron of all people >_>. Well, now unanswered question 2 is solved as well.

Pearls returns! She has the Urn, and says that the Kurain villagers who examined it say it's real. However, apparently the pink splotches on the Urn are paint stains that were put there recently. Pink stains just like those in the basement. Guess it's time to break Adrians lock in order to figure out how they got there. Doing that later though, as I've been playing this for a considerable time now. Break Time!

Question Bank - Why did Atmey falsely confess to being DeMasque? - How did Atmey have the Urn in his possesion? - Why does the Urn spell "AMI" again? - How did Kane know Ron was DeMasque? (In order to blackmail him) - And of course, the million dollar question, Who killed Kane Bullard?

- Why was Ron so desperate to be convicted? (Guilty conviction provided perfect alibi that meant Ron couldn't be convicted of murder) - Who was the DeMasque at the crime scene? (Atmey?) And how did he come to possess Ron's costume? (Second Costume made after first heist)

Predix on questions before I start again:
- Why did Atmey falsely confess to being DeMasque? This one I feel will come up during the trial tomorrow.

- How did Atmey have the Urn in his possesion? Same as above, as this must be related to him pretending to be DeMasque.

- Why does the Urn spell "AMI" again? Breaking Adrian's lock should tell me this one, so it's the first answer I'll get.

- '''How did Kane know Ron was DeMasque? (In order to blackmail him)''' Tomorrow's trial again.

- And of course, the million dollar question, Who killed Kane Bullard? Last one I'll get, right at the end. Actually no, correction, if we add an "And why?", to the end, that'll be the last one. Something tells me we'll establish a killer before we establish motive.

Picking up where I left off, I head for the basement warehouse to crack Adrians Psyche-Lock. A new conversation crops up between Adrian and Pearl. Maya says to look around one more time. Obvious starting location is the pink paint stain, as it matches the paint on the Urn. More Search - Core '01 music yesss. They note the odd corner shape that has formed in the stain. Obviously caused by the Urn box that Maya made. So I examine that. The box gets added to the evidence pile. Maya again repeats about investigating >_>. Maybe I should try to get the stain added to evidence too? A re-examine proves this is the case. Armed with these two new pieces of evidence, I attempt to break Adrian's lock.

2 Locks, and in we go. First order of business; is the Urn the real deal? Answer: Yes, Pearl had it examined, and they said it was. Easy first bit. Phoenix explains that the Urn was broken 1 year ago, and how it's been broken again. Adrian asks how we know this, so I show her the Exhibit Poster. The writing on the Urn is clearly different. Yes! One lock down! Adrian now claims that one of the people at the photo shoot must have broken it, and that it wasn't broken at Lordly Tailor. The paint stain seems to counter this nicely. I present, and Phoenix proves it was broken near the stain. Adrian has suddenly gone quite. Adrian now claims the paint on the Urn and floor aren't the same. I present the box, and show how the box matches the shape of the stain perfectly. Adrain finally yields, and the lock is broken! Apparently, Adrian is the one who broke the Urn. Another question solved! We're also treated to Steel Samurai Ballad music. Adrian explains how the Urn was broken. When she brought it down to the basement to store it, she tripped over a paint can, dropping the box, and breaking the Urn. She then opened the lid, and the pieces fell into the spilled paint. Okay, the first part was an accident, the second bit was just clumsy >_>. Adrian then fixed it, rearranging the letters back into "AMI". She then covered the paint stains with the Golden Ami Fey statue. Hmmm... that still doesn't explain why it was moved on the night of the crime though. Chalk up another on for the question bank! Phoenix believes there is a connection between the Sacred Urn theft and the murder. Well.... duh? I don't think it's any coincidence they both occured at 1AM >_>. And on that note, we end our investigation.

Question Bank - Why did Atmey falsely confess to being DeMasque? - How did Atmey have the Urn in his possesion? - Where was Atmey on the night of the crime? - Who was the DeMasque that entered Lordly Tailor? - Why was the Ami Fey statue moved during the theft? - Exactly what the hell happened during the theft, period? - How did Kane know Ron was DeMasque? (In order to blackmail him) - And of course, the million dollar question, Who killed Kane Bullard?

Trial 2 Part 1
Maya starts with "Hey, Nick!". I think she's done that every time we've started up a new segment. Is she trying to be Navi? She tells us Atmey is being tried for larceny in the courtroom next to ours. Ron breaks into our conversation with a scream. Phoenix repeats how Ron was following pre-arranged plans for his heists, and how he beleives there is a connection between the theft and murder. He also says the trial is a race against the clock, but doesn't explain this vague statement >_>. We head into the courtroom.

October 14, 10:00AM District Court, Courtroom No. 6

More awesome Godot action! He says Ron shouldn't be sent to war, war meaning life. The Judge completely ignores this and moves ahead with the case >_>. After explaining the bare details, he asks Godot to call his first witness. Godot instead starts talking about his coffee, and how he never drinks more then 17 per trial >_>. He asks Ron to take the stand first. This is a terrible idea, we saw how he was yesterday >_>. Although I must admit, he wanted a Guilty verdict then, and he has no such desire now. Doesn't matter, I didn't have a choice anyway. Phoenix wants Ron to testify, and Ron takes the stand. Godot asks him if he didn't, Ron says yes. What? >_>. Ron quickly retracts this statement. Oh god, I knew this was a bad idea >_>.

Ron's first testimony is about why he went to KB Security that night. That was a pretty short testimony. With no glaringly obvious problems with the testimony, I press his statements. 1 brings up nothing. Same for 2, but Ron almost brings up the matter of his other thefts. Phoenix cuts him off quickly. Interesting that Phoenix used a Hold It instead of an Objection to do so. Phoenix queries what the blackmail letter said. Ron says it said to bring $50,000, but that he never intented to pay the money, as Kane never had anything to blackmail him with >_>. This sounds more like a fabrication. The Judge adds it to the testimony. ... Hold on. I just read the blackmail letter (for the first time, should've done this sooner >_>). It says "If you don't [come to KB], I'll take the red diamond you received the other day instead." The only other character I can think of with a red diamond is Atmey! He has it on his finger and he sparkles it at random intervals throughout his speech. He said he got it for returning the fourth stolen treasure to its former occupants. Was this blackmail letter originally intended for Atmey?! This throws a totally new spin on the case.

WHAT I KNOW Ron is DeMasque. He has been committing thefts under the command of the blackmailer, who I assume to be Kane. Ron has been deposisting these treasures into a safety box, and being paid later in cash. The folder in Kanes' office seems to back up the theory that Kane is the blackmailer.

CRAZY NEW THEORY Atmey intercepted the fourth treasure somehow, thus robbing Kane of his reward from that theft. Kane naturally gets pissed, and digs up some dirt on Atmey. He then threatens Atmey with revealing this information, telling him to come to KB Security at 1AM. Now, previously I've been under the impression that Atmey was at Lordly Tailor, but I did vaguely see Atmey in that silhouette that knocked Ron out. So, whatever Kane dug up must have been important enough for Atmey to kill over. But Atmey isn't stupid. So he passes the blackmail letter on to Ron, telling him to come to KB Security at 1AM. He then attempts to frame Ron for the murder of Kane Bullard! Remember, Atmey was the one who originally told us about the green blackmail letter in Ron DeLite's apartment! This all makes sense! The only thing I don't quite get is how Atmey knew Ron was DeMasque... it's possible he found it out if he had gone to the CEO earlier, but I have no evidence for this. Let's see how much of this holds up!

Back to the cross-examination, Ron's new statement states how the blackmail letter didn't scare him. I press it. Phoenix asks why Ron was being blackmailed, and Ron says it was because of his DeMasque identity. However, he also says that Kane had no proof, that's why it didn't scare him. He also says he doesn't care what anyone else thinks, as long as Dessie believes in him. Awwww... >_>. I press the last statement, about how he knew where the CEO office was, as he worked there up until a year ago. I ask him why he was fired. Godot warns us we might regret this. Ron says it was because he needed money. He stole data from the company, and sold it to rivals for cash. Once Bullard found out, he fired Ron immeadiately. However, the fact that he stole was never made public, so Ron was able to make it seem like he quit voluntarily. Why he was fired is added to the testimony. I press the new statement. No new information is revealed. I press "Blackmail letter didn't scare me" again. This now seems like a lie. Desiree doesn't know Ron was fired, and that seems like information he had that threatened Ron. Bingo. Godot objects into the conversation, and points out how Ron could be blackmailed due to having stole company secrets. Ron says there was no reason for him to pay a whole year later. Phoenix disagrees. He says that Ron didn't want Desiree finding out, as she hates criminals more then anything, and her opinion of him is what he cares about most. Godot then claims that Ron murdered Kane in order to keep his secret hidden. The judge declares that Ron's motive for murder is clear, so we get new testimony.

This time, it's about what happened in the CEO's office. Ron says that when he entered, he saw a "suspicious shadow". He was then hit on the forehead, and became dazed. He claims if he hadn't been wearing "that" he would have been killed. When he came to, he found the dead body of Mr. Bullard. Godot says if we go easy on the client, he'll throw coffee at us again >_>. First up, the "that" was extremely vague, even by Ron's standards. I press for more information, and I'm in for a treat. Ron was wearing his DeMasque costume at the scene of the crime! So there were two DeMasques running around that night at 1AM! Who was the one at Lordly Tailor? If Ron was at KB, and Atmey was the assailant, who had the other costume as well, whose left? This is very interesting! The fact Ron was wearing the uniform is added to the testimony. I press it. Ron says he wore it because he thought he was being blackmailed over the DeMasque issue, so it seemed fitting to go as DeMasque. Ron says it's difficult moving with that cape, so "it took a lot longer then expected. Sick of Ron being vague, I press him to clarify. He's referring to when he opened the safe door. Apparently his cape got caught in the door. The courtroom freaks out when Ron reveals he hid the body in the safe. The Judge especially, it's kinda funny >_>. Godot comes in with more awesome, relevant analogies! He's just pointing out how he thinks Ron is the killer again. That was kind of a let down actually >_>. The new information is added to the testimony... again. I've pressed one portion so far and it's yielded a lot. Interesting. Ron says it took approximately 10 minutes to hide Mr. Bullard in the safe. I press this. Phoenix asks why he hid the body in the safe. Ron says it's because it didn't fit in his drawer >_>. After a clarification, Phoenix twigs to the 10 minutes comment. He says under "those circumstances" it's unusual to hang around for 10 minutes. After a bit of thought, I realize he must be referring to the buzzer. It went off once at 1:02AM. Ron worked there, so he would know that guards would come up when the buzzer was rung. Therefore, the buzzer must have gone off while Ron was still unconscious, otherwise, there's no way he would have hung around. I present the buzzer on the 10 minutes statement. Success!

Phoenix points out how the records show the buzzer was pressed, and how a security team is supposed to investigate the office when it is pressed. Phoenix says Ron would have therefore ran when the buzzer sounded. Godot objects, saying how could Ron know security would be on their way. That was kind of a dumb objection. Phoenix counters with the "Ron worked at KB a year ago" argument. Godot points out that the guard never came to the office. Phoenix calls Larry a loser >_>, also says he couldn't have known he wasn't at his post. Godot says he's not even convinced Ron heard the buzzer. Phoenix says it's so loud, there's no way he missed it... had he been conscious. Godot has no counterargument! He agrees to let us share our theory.

Phoenix says that when Ron was hit by the killer, the buzzer was pressed by the killer. This is why Ron didn't know it had gone off. This fits with my frame-up theory, too! If the assailant knew security teams would come running, them finding Ron and Mr. Dead Bullard is the perfect frame! Phoenix comes to this same conclusion. Ron was knocked out and, the buzzer was hit by the assailant! Godot says no, Ron killed him, and Kane hit the switch. That's not true! No fingerprints were found, so it couldn't have been Kane! I present the buzzer, which smashes Godots' theory! Godot does another epic spit-take! He now claims Ron wiped them off! Phoenix reminds him that guards were supposed to be running in at that very moment! He wouldn't have had time! Godot can't come up with another counter-argument! The Judge asks why the real killer would hit the emergency buzzer... and Phoenix draws a complete blank. DAMMIT PHOENIX! IT'S SO OBVIOUS! WHY CAN'T YOU SEE THE ONLY LOGICAL EXPLANATION SITTING IN FRONT OF YOU?! ARGH! After retracing the scenario in the office, Phoenix reaches the only correct conclusion: It was an attempt to frame Ron DeLite for the murder of Kane Bullard! Haha, I love it when Godot deliberately takes a sip in order to spit take!

Ron now questions who it was that wanted to frame him. We must identify who it was. Having no better option, despite having no proof for my CRAZY NEW THEORY, I accuse Luke Atmey of the murder! Phoenix presents his accusation in epic style! Holy crap! Phoenix says that Atmey falsely confessed to being DeMasque in order to be convicted of grand larceny. This would prevent him from being convicted of murder, as he would have an alibi due to supposedly doing the theft at Lordly Tailor! In order words, he wanted to be convicted for the exact same reason as Ron! Holy crap, Atmey may be the biggest genius in the series if this is true! Godot says that if we bring in Atmey to testify, we have to stop the other trial immeadiately, as Atmey's verdict is about to be handed down. Phoenix questions whether to go ahead, even though he doesn't yet have any solid proof. This is so intense! Grr... Mia comes in and interjects her unwanted opinion. Shut up Mia! Phoenix has been a lawyer for two years now, he can solve this without your help! She says Phoenix needs to believe in his client. Phoenix demands a recess!

October 14, 11:58AM District Court, Courtroom No. 5

It's Payne! He's just wrapping up the Atmey case. Are we too late? Atmey seems glad to get his Guilty Verdict, Phoenix must be correct! Holy crap, this other judge looks odd >_>. Guess I'm just used to seeing our favourite, bald-headed judge. No! The judge is about to hand down the verdict! YES! Phoenix steps in at the last moment, and halts the trial! The judge looks rather shocked. Again, he looks weird >_>. Phoenix wants to file an accusation against Atmey! An accusation... of murder! Atmey looks unsettled. Sucks to be him, he was so close to the guilty he wanted! Now I can save, but there's no way in hell am I stopping at this point!

Question Bank status as of this recess! Mysteries: - How did Atmey have the Urn in his possesion? - Who was the DeMasque that entered Lordly Tailor? - Why was the Ami Fey statue moved during the theft? - Exactly what the hell happened during the theft, period? - How did Kane know Ron was DeMasque? (In order to blackmail him)

Answered: - Why did Atmey falsely confess to being DeMasque? (In order to escape conviction of the murder of Kane Bullard) - Where was Atmey on the night of the crime? (Currently looks to be in the CEO's office, killing Kane) - And of course, the million dollar question, Who killed Kane Bullard? (Luke Atmey)

Trial 2 Part 2
We're in the lobby. Pheonix and Maya talk about Mia, then Desiree shows up. She voices my suspicions. Atmey was apparently at Lordly Tailor, and we have no-one else to substitute in for him at the theft. The also mention the lack of motive, but I believe the green blackmail letter was intended for him! I'll be so happy if that turns out to be right =D! Phoenix avoids the motive question, rushing back into the courtroom.

October 14, 12:21PM District Court, Courtroom No. 6

Atmey takes the stand. Phoenix accuses him of using the guilty verdict to provide an alibi. Atmey, naturally, denies any knowledge of what he is talking about. Atmey points out how he is ignorant of the going-ons in this courtroom, having been in the other trial during this one. Atmey restates how he is DeMasque, and how easy it was to fool the "ignorant masses". Atmey mentions the red diamond! The blackmail letter must be referring to it! I'm totally on to something here!

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a340/Dark_Random/RedDiamond.jpg

The Judge asks Atmey where he was during the murder of Kane Bullard. Atmey begins his testimony! It's a pretty good testimony. Basically the root of it is: He was caught on camera at the same time as the murder was taking place. Clearly, we have to somehow prove that the person in the photo is not Luke Atmey. Woah, Atmey does the foolish fool sentence thing. Does he know Franziska? Cross-Examination begins! I press the statement saying the photograph saw him. Phoenix postulates that Atmey had the photo taken on purpose. Godot disagrees, but provides no evidence. Phoenix suggests we should come back after retrieving more information. That went nowhere >_>. I press the next statement. We prove that the timestamp on the camera has been unaltered. Also, Lordly Tailor staff printed the photo, so Atmey had no opportunity to edit the photo >_>. This looks bad. I need to get him talking about the statue. The statue is moved in the photo, so if he says something to the contrary, there's our contradiction all set up to object to! Talking to Maya, Phoenix says there are two options, either the DeMasque in the photo is fake, or the photo itself is. We just proved the photo is authentic, so the DeMasque in the photo must be fake. I investigate the photo. I'm not entirely seeing where the corner of the box outline is, though there is a spot that can fit the bill. Damn.

I go back to press his other two statements. Pressing one, Phoenix states how the photo doesn't prove it is Luke Atmey, due to DeMasque's Mask. It is suggested he had an accomplice, and I choose to name him. I have no idea who it actually is, though >_>. Argh, none of these options make sense. Desiree has the police alibi, Larry was getting punched, Kane was dying. Adrian has no reason to dress up as DeMasque and pretend to steal the Urn... gulp. Loks like I've bitten off more then I can chew. I present Adrian, and receive my penalty >_>. I press statement 2. We restate how Atmey was hired 20 days ago (21 now), and that the card came 11 days ago. Maya sees something wrong with this! Maya says that by allowing the thief to get away with the Urn, Atmey loses his perfect "Ace Detective" persona. What the hell does that even mean? I press 3 again. It's different! Atmey points out that since he hasn't tampered with the camera, the image is genuine. He couldn't have killed Kane. Phoenix thinks there is something "funny" about the picture. I blindly rush in to point it out! The statue is the only thing I can think of. I point this out! The Judge thinks the paint is a bloodstain! Ha, he only now thinks the case is getting interesting >_>. Phoenix alludes to how the statue should be there. Atmey is sweating! We may have him! I present the statue! Phoenix tells of how Adrian stated the statue was covering the paint stains.

We come up to the question of how the statue was moved. Godot asks me to prove who moved it. Why me >_>? Phoenix says the real question is why, but I present the who anyway. Having nothing better to go on, I present DeMasques profile. It's wrong >_>. Maya says we need to consider the why as well as the who. i have no idea! And no-one else was in the warehouse that night! Argh >_>. Out of desperation, I try Atmey's profile. It... works o_O? Phoenix points out how Atmey was the only one in the basement warehouse that night, so it must be him. Uh... aren't we trying to prove he was in the CEO's office? DAMMIT, WHAT ARE YOU DOING PHOENIX? Atmey questions why he would want to move the statue. Great, now I have to prove the reason as well >_>. No, Phoenix is proving it for me! He says it's found in the photo. Oh! If the statue was there, the sword would also be in the statues hand! That would prove DeMasque didn't knock Atmey out, contradicting his story. I get it now! However, pointing to the area around the aint yields nothing. Ugh. This suddenly looks bad again >_>. For the hell of it, I point to DeMasques head. It works again >_>. Why do these always work when I do a jokey, give-up one? Oh wait, no it didn't, it was just different text >_>. WAIT! DeMasque is holding the box! The box was over on the other side of the room! I point to the box! No dice >_>. WHAT IT MAKES PERFECT SENSE ARGH! USed up all m penalties, but I saved beforehand! Time for take two!

After about 15 tries point at random things, I decide to point to the back of DeMasques head. Atmey originally claimed he was struck on teh back of the head. As this was fabricated, having the statue in the image would have shown the unbent sword. Pushing the statue out of the way prevents this inconsistency appearing in the photo.

... I'm totally wrong. Phoenix starts rabbiting on about the timestamp. I considered pointing to that, but we established it was correct >_>. I'm confused. Phoenix states how, because Atmey was at KB Security, he couldn't have been at Lordly Tailor, therefore the timestamp is a lie. That's kind circular logic, is it not? Phoenix points out how the statue was taken to the basement on the day of the crime. He then claims the photo was taken days earlier, and that's why the statue isn't there. This means Atmey had to move the statue, otherwise his image would have been proven a fake! Atmey attempts to counter with the camera data, but Phoenix points out that was his program, unlike the security camera! Atmey is getting owned! Godot begins talking about his coffee, and how he's on his 11th cup. He points out that Phoenix theory is just that - only a theory. He asks Atmey to testify about his strategy as DeMasque. BOLD PREDICTION: I will be using Ron's Testimony to object to this testimony. Ron said he was was operating under someone elses plans, whereas Atmey will probably say he crafted this himselve. Here we go with the new testimony.

Ok, his new testimony is interesting. The obvious flaw: He calls the Urn an "extremely valuable treasure". The Urn's monetary value = $0, as we know from yesterday. However, the description doesn't call it worthless anymore. So I choose not to present. Pressing the statement instead, Phoenix asks about the calling card. That helped nothing. Same with pressing the other statements. Phoenix establishes that we need to prove that Atmey is lying when he said he never saw the Urn until October 12th. That would prove he was able to take the photo earlier then he said. Pressing all the statements has yielded nothing, so whatever I have to object to I must already be able to do so. However, I can't think of anything >_>. So I decide to turn in for the night.

I solved it! If Atmey hadn't seen the Urn before the theft, he wouldn't have known to send the calling card. So I presented the card on the statement where he said he hadn't seen it before, and it worked! Phoenix presents his case, though he does so a little differently. The writing on the card called it a "speckled Urn". The card is referring to the pink splotches of paint. As they were only put the right before the box was placed in storage, Atemy should have had no way of knowing they were there. Therefore, he must have stolen the Urn before he even sent the calling card! Another Godot spit-take! Phoenix says Atmey's alibi is no longer valid! Phoenix celebrates prematurely, but Godot steps in to reign on the parade. He asks us about Atmey's motive for murdering Kane Bullard. Awww yeah, my theory is about to be tested! The Judge restates how Atmey has no motive, and that the only person with an established motive is Ron.

Atmey begins new testimony! It's about his motive for murder. Allegro testimony music! He says he had no connection to the victim. He says Kane, during his own investigation of DeMasque, incorrectly judged his identity, and sent the blackmail note to Ron (I am so presenting the letter to that statement). He says Bullard haboured a grudge against Ron for betraying his company, and that Ron killed Bullard because he believes that he is the real DeMasque. Ah! Godot says a handwritting check has been performed on the letter, which confirms Kane Bullard wrote it. Bullard was blackmailing Atmey! But for what purpose? I present the letter, and it works! Phoenix wants to ask Atmey "a few questions". Phoenix says he noticed a contradiction when Atmey said the letter was "addressed" to Ron. Godot complains bitterly. We now have to show the contradicting evidence in the blackmail letter. I present Ron's Testimony. That doesn't work >_>. I go back to the testimony. Perhaps I have to pres the other portions for more information first? I press the statement. Phoenix thinks the same thing I do: The blackmail letter wasn't intended for Ron. I need some evidence to prove this.

NEW SPECULATION Previously, I suggested that Kane was the ultimate planner of Ron DeLite's heists. This is somewhat backed up by the folder in Kane's office. What if Atmey is the real organizer of the thefts, and this is the evidence that Kane found out? This would be when Atmey received the blackmail letter, as Bullard threatened to expose him a sham detective. Of course, this somewhat falls aprt in regards to the fact that Atmey is trying his hardest to get convicted as a thief right now, so that doesn't work too well >_>.

Pressing the other statements, Godot points out how the file found in Bullards office confirms he was receiving blackmail money. He also establishs how it is believed Ron only "thinks" he is DeMasque, and provides a transcript from Desiree to prove it. Godot also says there were no connections between Atmey and Bullard. Dammit Godot, stop shutting down my case! I press Atmey on why Bullard would have mistaken who DeMasque was. Atmey provides the newspaper clipping as evidence. He says Bullard got the wrong impression from the article, and believed Ron was DeMasque because of it. Pressing all the statements has yielded nothing, so I must have evidence that the letter is contradicting.

I decide to present the newspaper after the letter. Gotta be a reason Atmey brought it up, after all. Success! Phoenix talks about the picture of the Jewel of Emanon in the photo. The gem is blue, but the letter talks about a red gem (Obviously Atmey's gem). Phoenix says that the blackmail letter cannot be intended for DeMasque, as it doesn't describe the gem DeMasque stole. Everyone yells at Phoenix. Phoenix confidently claims he can tell everyone who Bullard was really blackmailing. I present Atmey's profile! Phoenix points out how Atmey has been involved in every DeMasque case, and received a jewel as his reward for returning the 4th stolen treasure. Phoenix points out it was a red diamond ring. Phoenix claims Bullard was blackmailing him! Godot Objects! He points out how the message threatens to reveal an identity. Godot asks us what this "identity" Atmey wanted to keep hidden was. I have three options:

An Ace Detective Mask DeMasque a blackmailer

One and Two are obviously dumb. It must therefore be three. This fits in with my theory! If Kane found out Atmey was blackmailing Ron into committing the thefts, he could have used this information against him! This also explains how Atmey received the 4th treasure back. they weren't being sent to Bullard, they were being sent to Atmey! I accuse Atmey of blackmail! Godot says this my theory is ridiculous! Well I'll show him! Phoenix points out how Ron had received other blackmail letters as well, and that those ones contained plans for the heists. Phoenix accuses Atmey of blackmailing Ron! Haha! Atmey makes a statement about Phoenix's report cards, and Phoenix acts shocked >_>. Atmey claims that to have blackmailed Ron, he would have had to have learned of his identity after the first crime. I need to present evidence that shows this. I try the newspaper article again. Ron said he hid the uniform at the crime scene, which Atmey found. Haha! Phoenix countered Atmey's report card claim, and announced his as well! Phoenix points out how DeMasque "escaped" by hiding his costume. Phoenix points out that Atmey figured out Ron's identity when he found the uniform. The courtroom bursts into chatter. Haha, Atmey says "How dare you expose me like that" >_>. Unfortunately it seems no-one heard him over the hubbub. Phoenix accuses Atmey of being a blackmailer and murderer. Atmey loses it >_>.

It looks like the Judge is about to wrap up the case, but Godot Objects! Godot points out that in spite of all that we've proven, we haven't yet proven Atmey was at KB Security, so we cannot declare him guilty yet. Godot gives me all of three seconds to think about this >_>. I say the defense can prove it! Even though I have nothing! I try the Buzzer record. No fingferprint were found, yet it went off. Atmey wears gloves, so he pushed it....? The Judge doesn't buy it. Phoenix gets coffee'd again. I say I can't prove it >_>. Phoenix attempts to get more testimony, but Godot won't allow it. Godot is going to send Atmey back to his own trial! No! Atmey is suddenly all smug again. They talk about the rule of Double Jeopardy. That was kind of random >_>. The Judge points out how if Atmey is found innocent here, he can't be tried again. This looks bad. Really bad >_>. The Judge ends Atmey's cross examination! But... Mia objects? We now talk about the Judge's report card >_>. Mia provides encouragement to Phoenix. Maya is channeling Mia. Argh, why won't she just die already >_>. Mia says we can still win. She challenges the Judge. Mia points out that after the last cross examination, Atmey made a number of statements that Phoenix never cross-examined! The Judge says they are not relevant, but Mia says a cross-examination will prove their relevance! Mia asks if this is okay with Godot. He's oddly silent >_>. The Judge shakes him out of his stunned silence. What was that about >_>? Godot allows us to cross-examine! Atmey doesn't like this!

Atmey testifies about why he believes that Ron is the real killer! Atmey testifies basically stating all the information we learned, while he was in the other courtroom. Has Atmey just made the biggest slip-up ever? Ah, Atmey says he saw the police reports on Bullards investigation. According to the Judge, this is our last chance >_>. Mia says we don't necessarily need to present evidence to point out a contradiction. Godot says he's reached his 17th cup of coffee, so the trial is about to end >_>.

We begin the cross-examination. According to Phoenix, I need to press the contradictory statement in this testimony. The only shaky statement appears to be where Atmey claims he knew the time beforehand. Why? I press the statement! Godot Objects right away >_>. Er, I just got throughly owned >_>. Godot drank the whole cup, and Judge took away all my health. Time for take two! Godot pointed out how I need to prove Atmey was in Bullards office. So I go to the portion of his testimony that deals with the murder. It all seems to check out >_>.

AH! I got it! Larry told the police the buzzer never sounded! But Larry made a mistake, it really did! And Atmey claims to be getting his information from the police report! He must be lying! I press his statement "The buzzer sounded once". It... didn't work? WHAT?! IT MAKES SENSE DAMMIT! ARGH! I am forced to go in for another attempt. He claims Ron sounded the buzzer. Given what we know of Ron hiding the body immeadiately after, this truly seems like an unlikely course of action. I press the "The killer sounded the buzzer" statement. No dice >_>. I'm totally confused right now. Now I press the statement "Mr. DeLite was wearing his DeMasque outfit". This bit of information only came to light during our trial, when Atmey was in the other courtroom. And it certainly wasn't on the police report. There's no way Atemy should know about this! IT DOESN'T WORK AGAIN! ARGH! WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?! Wait! Phoenix interrupts Godot's speech this time! Phoenix says Atmey just admitted he was in the CEO's office! Atmey is shocked! Phoenix points out that Atmey should not know Ron was wearing his DeMasque costume, as we learned it before Atmey entered this trial! By virtue of the fact that he does, he must have been in the office. YES! Godot objects! It's a lousy one! He says Atmey had plenty of chances to learn that beforehand. Phoenix says there was only one chance to learn this! Phoenix points out that Ron saw the real killer. Godot says it's impossible to tell from that whether it was Luke Atmey. Phoenix turns the statement around! The real killer must have seen Ron DeLite! Or, Mask DeMasque! Phoenix says that was the one opportunity Atmey could have had to learn Ron was dressed as DeMasque. Atmey loses it again, breaking into more hysterical laughter >_>. He repeats what he said yesterday, after being "exposed" as DeMasque. He gets taken away, admist mad, cackling laughter.

Judge begins to wrap up the case. Ron doesn't appreciate being ignored, and does a small outburst. Ron confesses to being DeMasque again >_>. But he also points out that, thanks to the Double Jeopardy rule, he can't be convicted, as he was declared innocent yesterday! Haha, that's awesome! Mia says that he is indeed innocent... for now. I wonder what she means by that? The Judge hands down our verdict! We get a Not Guilty! Yes! Ron is still babbling >_>.

Now in the defendant lobby, we go through the congratulations routine again. But I shall not be fooled this time! They won't spring another surprise trial on me >_>. Phoenix and Mia talk about Maya becoming the Master of Kurain. Mia says it means finally saying good-bye to their mother. Good thing she won't have to, as Misty will turn up soon! Mia says goodbye, and Phoenix talks to Ron. Ron is depressed, as he believes Desiree will hate him now that she knows of his real identity. Ron believed that Desiree would have left him once she found out he had no money. That doesn't seem true, based on what Desiree told us yesterday about the hostage situation >_>. I wonder if we have to prove this to him? They start talking about how broken bowls can't be put back together >_>. Maya says this is a lie, and Phoenix can prove it. I present the Urn. Phoenix says that Dessie will believe in Ron no matter what. Awww... >_>. Desiree says she doesn't hate Ron and won't leave him. Apparently, she only hates sneaky, underhanded people, and Ron sending his calling card allows him to pass this rule >_>. Desiree thanks Phoenix, Phoenix blushes, and right on cue, Pearls walks in >_>. We get the Pearl slapping Phoenix routine. Phoenix apparently became unconscious >_>. And that ends this case.

'''Case 2: The Stolen Turnabout. THE END'''

Thoughts and Opinions

Woah. That was awesome. An extremely interesting and well-put together story with a really dramatic finish. And this was only Case 2! Seriously, that's setting a ridiculously high bar already, the other cases have a lot to live up to. Though from what you guys have being saying, they won't disappoint either. So I'm certainly looking forward to the next ones as well!

Up Next: Case 3: Recipe for Turnabout. Coming Soon!

CASE 3: Recipe for Turnabout
We start with the Judge handing down a verdict. That's unusual. He's giving the Guilty speech. He describes the crime scene. The victim was apparently alone when he drank a poisoned cup of coffee. The defendant says differently though, he says there was someone else there with him, who poisoned the cup. Payne looks gleeful. What? Phoenix lost the case? I refuse to accept that Phoenix lost a case to PAYNE of all people >_>. Judge hands down a guilty, and the introduction ends.

We're at the law offices. Maya and Phoenix are talking about the new year, and Maya's resolution. Gumshoe enters the office! He's being loud >_>. Maya keeps interrupting Gumshoe as he's trying to be angry. It's kind of funny. Maya calls it a practical joke. Gumshoe whips out a magazine. It looks to have Phoenix's photo on it. It's an article describing the guilty verdict we just saw. It doesn't speak very highly of Phoenix's performance. Huh? Pheonix says he's never heard of the case before. Interesting development >_>. The article is from December last year, or one month ago. They speak of how, if it wasn't Phoenix, it must be a fake. But who would want to impersonate Phoenix? Gumshoe asks what we're going to do about this. Maya says we have to take responsiblity, as it's our fault the defendant is now behind bars >_>. Gumshoe tells us we have to take the case back to court. He heads to the courthouse, and tells us to meet him at the precinct later. Well this is off to a thrilling start >_>. Interesting point, when Phoenix questioned "What kind of guy would impersonate him?" he assumed it was a male. BOLD PREDICTION: The impersonator is a female. (Extremely ludicrous prediction says it's that Dahlia Hawthorne person, but lets not go that far >_>) I talk to Maya. Pheonix says we should go down to the Dentention Center to meet the defendant. Maya says he won't exactly be desperate to see us. She also calls fake Phoenix Xin Eohp >_>. I'm totally using that for this writeup now. Phoenix also doesn't have a twin brother. Maya notes that Gumshoe was acting unusually agitated. Phoenix questions whether or not this is because of the guilty client. Wanting answers, I move out to the detention center.

We meet the client. It's Maggey Byrde? Interesting turn of events. They seem big on reusing characters this time around >_>. Phoenix summarizes 2-1, and we explain to Maggey Phoenix was impersonated. We start talking. Maggey was apparently fired after 2-1. Can't see why, she was innocent >_>. She now works as a waitress. We now talk about the incident. It happened on the 3rd of December at Tres Bien, the resturant where she works. 2 men were at a table drinking coffee, and one of them poisoned the other one by slipping it into his coffee cup. I gotta say, this seems awfully familiar, are we sure Dahlia's not involved? Maggey apparently fainted after witnessing this >_>. She also claims she didn't know the victim. Also, looking at the profiles, Godot is already in there. Guess he's our prosecutor again. Phoenix points out that Maggey therefore wouldn't have had any motive. Maggey also states she saw the face of the real killer. Phoenix wants for a description of the killer. Apparently, Maggey was convicted because no-one else saw the poisoner. Everyone else in the restaurant testified against her. After that, a small bottle of poison was found in her apron pocket, and this pretty much sealed her verdict. Currently, I'm curious as to who this victim is, personally. Also, the killer looks like Damon Gant slightly >_>. Maggey talks about the other man. Maggey apparently served the coffee to the both of them, and got the impression they were in the music industry. One of them was wearing an earpiece, and there was a sample CD on the table. The CD had a band name on it, MC-Something. We'll find out what that is, I'm sure. Wait! I just twigged. It was heavily inferred that Gumshoe had a crush on Maggey in Case 2-1, that's why he was so mad back at the office >_>. Maggey doesn't recall the appearence of the killer, just that he was a well-built young man >_>.

I present Phoenix's badge. Maggey bites it >_>. I present the magazine, which promotes Phoenix to ask Maggey about Xin Eohp. She says she met him the day after she was arrested, in this very room. He must be connected to the case itself somehow. How else would he know to come to Maggey almost immeadiately afterward? Xin Eohp was wearing a suit. Maya asks about her evil double Ayam >_>. Maggey says there was no impostor Maya. That's probably something worth noting. Maya's disappointed that she doesn't get a double. Then Xin got all worked up, promising to clear Maggey of the crime. Maggey said, although she didn't twig then, it does seem odd for Phoenix to get all worked up like that. Haha, Maggey said that despite Xin being taller, shadier and having an odd voice with an accent, she thought it was him because of the blue suit and spiky hair. Phoenix expresses his disbelief that that's all it takes to imitate him. Maggey asks about our chances of getting a second trial. Phoenix says it's possible, as the court ruled in the absence of a real Defense Attorney. Maggey tells us where Tres Bien is, so we decide to go to the restaurant. Maya specifically mentions checking out the food >_>.

Tres Bien has annoying music >__>. Phoenix and Maya talk abut flowers. We find out that for whatever reason, no-one is in the building. So naturally we decide to snoop around. We find something hidden behind the magazine stand! Uh, what possible relevant information could we find in this restaurant anyway? I mean, this incident happened a month ago, as if they'd be anything left from back then >_>. Apparently it's a sports paper. There is an image on one of the pages. A guy at a table who is laughing, "MC Bomber" circled, pointing to a large number, probably a cash amount. And also a picture of a bomb. The paper is apparently from December 3rd >_>. I refuse to believe that: A) The restaurant cleaning staff are so inept they left this here for a month, and B) That the killer would blatantly leave this plan out in the open for us to find. Unless maybe the restaurant was closed over the New Years period, but that's still unlikely. The paper is added to the Court Record. Ah! With the text out of the way, I can now see the laughing man is actually a sketch of DeMasque! Well that fairly well negates my B point. I move over to the tables. What is this stain? Phoenix points out the obvious: This table is where the poisoning occurred. I can't find anything else of relevance in he, and this music is beginning to irk me. So I move to show Maggey the paper.

We present the paper to Maggey. Apparently, Tres Bien doesn't receive newspapers, so I wonder how it got there. Phoenix shows Maggey the scribble. She confirms that MC Bomber was the name on the CD. Phoenix presents the theory that the newspaper may have belonged to the victim. I move to the precinct to talk to Gumshoe. There are two Blue Badgers on the wall now! Awww... Gumshow isn't here yet. Guess that means I have to head back to Tres Bien then *shudder*. Not before examining the Badger for a humourous little Easter Egg, of course. Ah! Something new is at Tres Bien! We... ah... meet a very effeminate chef? o_o I'm scared. This man talks about bath perfumes >_>. Ah! This guy knows Phoenix. He must have met Xin before. Perhaps I can get more details out of him! ... Xin flirted with this chef? I... suddenly feel dirty >_>. Ah, this is the Mr. Armstrong Maggey was referring to. Against my will, I strike up a conversation with him. "Tres Bien" apparently means "Very Good" in English. Not a very fancy name after all >_>. The way he is staring at Phoenix is unnerving >_>.

Phoenix asks Armstrong to tell him what he knows about last months incident. The crime occurred at one in the afternoon. Armstrong was in the kitchen when it occured. He says he came out to find the victim dead in his chair, and Maggey passed out. Phoenix directly asks him if the victim was alone. Armstrong says yes. Interesting, the "alone" image doesn't have the CD. Armstrong talks about an Old Man who saw the same thing. Phoenix asks who the Old Man is. He doesn't tell us, just says there was another customer in the restaurant at the time, who saw the murder. I present the Sports Paper to him. He says he has no idea who put it in the rack. Presenting the magazine article, Armstrong says the defense was quite "lacking". Although he does state that Phoenix was "rather handsome". I quickly leave before Armstrong freaks me out any more >_>.

Gumshoe is still not at the precinct. Ugh, how long does it take to get a trial reopened? I move back to the detention center, and present Armstrong's profile to Maggey. It's the only new bit of information I got >_>. That reveals nothing new especially. I move back to the Law Offices in a desperate attempt to avoid Tres Bien, but to no avail v_v. So I move back to the restaurant. Time for some more exploring! ... which turns up nothing >_>. I present Maggey's profile to Armstrong. Ah! He mentions something know. Something occuring before his very eyes. Apparently this has something to do with Maggey's motive. Armstrong says something happened when Maggey took the coffee over. Oh god, I hope we don't need to break a Psyche-Lock of Jean's any time soon >_>. Ah, crap. There it is. 3 Locks, too v_v. This is bad. WHAT?! Phoenix notices the Magatama is gone! I thought our evidence category seemed kind of small! Phoenix points out that he was still able to see the locks, so it must be close nearby somewhere. Phoenix asks Jean if anyone else was at the table. He tells us to ask the other witness ourselves, and tells us he can usually be found at a park behind the restaurant, called "Vitamin Square". Only too eager to get out of Tres Bien, I dash off.

Uh... this place looks... interesting, to say the least. Everything is formed in the shape of healthy foods. Are those oranges and banana meant to be arranged like that >_>? We meet the old man that witnessed the murder. Oh man, this guy looks angry >_>. We attempt communications! I take it back. This man isn't angry, he's constantly pissed at the world in general. He seems able to find fault with everything. Maya asks him if he's a regular at the restaurant. He doesn't answer us. I'm unable to tell if he has any Psyche-Locks, as Phoenix doesn't have the Magatama. I turn to examine the park. There's a magazine lying on the bench, so I look at that. Apparently it was the Old Man's, but he threw it away. Phoenix questions whether he was looking for a job, but the man again avoids the question. Phoenix files it under the Court Record. Unable to get anything more out of the Old Man, I try the precinct again. Still nothing. Guess I could try searching for the Magatama, somewhere in Tres Bien v_v. However, I cannot find it, so I present the Job Listings to Armstrong. Haha, he "hires" Maya, annd takes her away. Phoenix is now alone. I move to the Detention Center. Looks like they've taken Maggey back into questioning. I move to the Law Office. Haha, Maya isn't here, and it's all quiet. Poor Maya >_>. I try the precinct again, and finally find success! Hey, I just thought of something. Maggey mentioned how there was no fake Maya with Xin. Now that Armstrong has taken her away, what if someone mistakes me for him? I could learn some valuable information that way. Anyway, Gumshoe got the retrial approved. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be going up against Payne. Yep, Godot is the Prosecutor for this round. Hey, if Godot was so hell bent on challenging Phoenix, how come he didn't know about Xin? Gumshoe threatens to arrest us if we don't get an innocent verdict for Maggey >_>.

We start talking about the case. Phoenix works out that Gumshoe likes Maggey. He makes a note to tell Maya later >_>. That can't end well. We talk about the victim. His name was Glen Elg (lolol palindrome i get it) and he was a computer programmer. He worked for a small company, and had no connection to Maggey before the day of the murder. According to the chef, Glen had never been to the restaurant before, and he wasn't a regular. Gumshoe is unable to tell us what Maggey's motive for murder was, sadly. Gumshoe is apparently working solo on this case. All the evidence is filed away, and the guilty verdict has been obtained already. Maggey's testimony is the only thing that contradicts the information known. Phoenix asks about these contradictions, the main one is obviously the second person at the table. We get shown the two images of the victim at the table again. Yep. The CD disappears when the images change. There's no CD when he is alone. Maybe the killer took it with him when he left?

Hey, what if "MC Bomber" isn't a band CD? The guy is a programmer, what if it was some hacking software or something that the killer was buying from Glen? Except he didn't want any loose ends, so he killed Glen so no-one would know he had the software. I'm going to call that my current theory! Ah-ha! No CD was found during the investigation! Looks like I'm onto something here! Lastly, the victim's earpiece was used to listen to a portable radio in his front pocket. He didn't have any CD player at all. Well that makes sense if it was a software CD and not a music CD. Interesting, Godot apparently dropped all his current cases just so he could see Phoenix in court during this one. I wonder if he knew that the first one wasn't the real Phoenix, but Xin? Presenting other profiles reveal minor hints, but nothing much. The Armstrong one in particular. Hold on, presenting the Armstrong profile opened up a new talk. Gumshoe tells us to investigate Tres Bien, and if we find anything suspicious on Jean and the restaurant, to report back to him. With no other option, I head of to the restaurant.

With Maya gone, a number of the investigations have changed. There still isn't anything particularly useful, though >_>. And I still can't find the Magatama. Phoenix also refuses to investigate the crime scene for some reason. Bored, I move back to the precinct. Woah! Mia apparently once cross-examined Gumshoe when he was a witness. Gumshoe seems to recall the occasion fondly. Time for another BOLD PREDICTION: One of the remaining two cases (probably 3-4), will be us playing as Mia in the past again, possibly based around the Eight Months Ago event, and we'll get to do the cross-examination of Gumshoe he just spoke about. I present the newspaper to him. He recognizes the name "MC Bomber" but can't recall where. He takes my paper away to do a handwriting analysis on it. Lastly, Gumshoe mentions what a collegue said about Xin's defense of Maggey. He comments on how it seemed Xin was intentionally trying to get Maggey convicted. Can't say I'm surprised, if Xin really is tied into this case like I believe and he was helping the real killer (himself? [wait that should be herself based on my bold prediction =p]) get off the hook. Anyway, I try Tres Bien again now that I'm learned this new information.

Yay! Something new is happening. Ah! There's some new girl here. She doesn't match the act style of the previous characters at all >_>. She quickly disappears. What was that all about >_>? Oh wow, Maya is in the waitresses costume, and she spoke French too! They discuss Maya being a waitress. Phoenix says she should quit being a medium >_>. I talk to Maya. It's mostly about her new job >_>. Is Maya seriously going to work here now? Maya orders Phoenix a lunch against his will. Phoenix doesn't like it, so he offers it to Maya. She doesn't like it either >_>. The food gets added to the Court Record? Huh.

I like Jean Armstrong
Really, you like that clown? He's scary. I'm not looking forward to cross-examining him >_>.

Maya invites us into the kitchen. Ah! This is where we'll find that evidence on Armstrong that Gumshoe wants! Maybe the Magatama is in there too! The kitchen is rather neat and tidy, actually. Probably because they don't get too many customers. Maya comments on how Armstrong will be back soon, so we have to act fast. I first examine what looks like a wine box in the corner. It's a whole stash of aromatherapy oils >_>. Ah! Maya finds one bottle that's different! It doesn't contain oil, so we don't know what it is. This is definitely being shown to Gumshoe later... Next I look at a pink book on the desk. It's "Claurice Armstrong's Bedtime Literature" >_>. Next I investigate the wines on the bench. The Magatama is lying on the counter! Hooray, the Magatama is reclaimed! I examine the knives next to it on the bench. Looks like the bench is one big examine item. I try the pots and pans around the room. Nothing. I now have two options. Try the Old Man to see if he has a Psyche-Lock, or show the bottle to Gumshoe. Huh, hold up. Small bottle. That wouldn't be the same one used to poison Glen, would it? That would make Jean and the killer co-conspirators! *Drama*. Anyway, I try the Old Man first, as he's closer.

Apparently he's gone. Ah well. To the precinct it is! Gumshoe has the results of the handwriting test. The scribbles were written by the victim, Glen Elg. Good, that confirms what we already suspected. Gumshoe repeats how he can't remember what MC Bomber is. Dammit Gumshoe, that'll turn out to be vitally important later, I just know it >_>. I show Gumshoe the bottle we found. He thinks it's an aromatherapy bottle. Once Phoenix explains, he takes that away for analysis too. I don't like my evidence being taken v_v. Gumshoe suspects Armstrong, because he knows his secret. He's going to fill us in on what it is! He begins my talking about how the food at Tres Bien is... well, crap. This is because Armstrong is in huge debt. Huh, I did wonder before how he kept the place up and running with no customers! Holy crap, Gumshoes copy of his loan contracts says he's half a million in debt. That's crazy. Wow. Gumshoe lastly points how Armstrong would have done anything to make up this cash deficit. My head spinning, I leave the precinct to look for more information.

I look in the park for the Old Man, and notice something new. There's a motorcycle here where the wasn't one before! I naturally investigate. The wheel guard and light are broken; Phoenix speculates it was in an accident. Someone then mmakes a very, very, very, very, very long scream. It's... someone I haven't seen before. Gotta say though, this looks like the guy who poisoned Glen in those images >_>. This guy is weird, and he talks mostly in gangster slang. Also, whenever he pauses, his tongue hangs out >_>. He mentions lawyers, so Phoenix introduces himself as a lawyer, and gives his name. This guy recognizes him >_>. Yeah, he's definitely involved somehow. WAIT! Check out that spiky hair! And the accent! This guy is the one who impersonated Phoenix! CALLING IT NOW! Oh. The guy says that in the very next sentence >_>. What a let-down. He then runs away with his bike. Phoenix takes a note of the bike. Ah! The Old Man returns! e says he saw the whole thing from inside the strawberry. Time to see if he has a Psyche-Lock! I ask if he's a regular again. Yep, a lock appears! 3 locks, just like Jeans >_>. Well, I may as well try it out while I'm here.

I present the Magatama! He says he only goes for the food, and no other reason. I counter with the Lunch Phoenix ate before. The food is crap, we all know it. The man says it's cheap, because he's rich and the price is nothing to him. e admits to not liking the food however. That thing he mentioned about "never having worked a jot" is wonky though, why did he have the Job Listings otherwise? Yep, that's the next thing I have to present. Phoenix establishes that he's broke, otherwise he wouldn't be looking in the listings. One lock breaks! Now the man says he only goes for the cappuccinos. Now he says the place has free newspapers to read every day. Obvious lie: Maggey told us Jean doesn't supply newspapers to the store. Dunno what to present to this, though. I try the Sports Paper. That works. Phoenix proves that the place doesn't supply newspapers. Another lock falls! Now Phoenix says he's going to present the real reason the man goes to Tres Bien so much. I have absolutely no idea at this one, so just for lulz, I present Maggey's profile. Old man pervert? HAHAHA Oh god it worked! Phoenix accuses him of going just to see the waitress. Phoenix says the man was obsessed with the uniform. The man breaks down, and the final lock releases!

Hahaha, the man admits to being there only to look at Maggey. Oh man, this is hilarious. And bad. Ah, after ranting about being old for a bit. He gives his name. It's Victor Kudo. Lol at his profile description >_>. The man claims up, and refuses to say anything further. Phoenix suggests coming back later, so I depart the park.

I go back to the precinct ot see if Gumshoe has gotten the report on the bottle back yet. Apparently not. While I'm here, I present Kudo's profile to Gumshoe. He offers a tip; in order to get information from him, I'll have to use his weakness against him. Uh-oh, I know exactly what that means. I'm going to need to get Maya to come with me to the park, in that waitresses uniform >_>. That can only end badly. I go talk to Maya in order to see what I can do. No new talks, so I present Kudo's profile to Maya. Yep. Phoenix ask Maya to come along while he asks Kudo so questions. Maya says she'll get changed first, but Phoenix stops her >_>. Humourous dialog inbound! We move to the park automatically. The old man sees Maya. After looking her over, he tells her to go run along and play on the slide. That didn't work >_>. Someone else comes along and interjects. Kudo snaps at them before starting... to slow... his speech. Oh god, it's Mia >_>. And she's wearing the outfit. Kudo must be loving every moment of this >_>. Mia acts all flirty with him, and Kudo willing spills everything he knows >_>. First, the important thing. We ask him what he saw at Tres Bien during the murder. He's babbling without thought. This would be awesome were the situation not so bizarre >_>. Kudo says things we mostly already know. Maggey took the coffee to him, he died after one sip... and that he was alone. Damn, no evidence we can use there. Next, we ask about Tres Bien. He now says he likes the food. The subject derails onto Kudo showing Mia around France. This is creepy >_>. Finally, Mia talks about him being a regular. He says he'd like to come and see Mia there more often >_>. Mia says the owner would be happy to have him there. Suddenly Kudo becomes all serious! He warns us about the owner! According to Kudo, he's an ex-convict! Mia asks for more information. Apparently, he steals things from his customers. Guess now we know where the CD went! And also the Magatama, I guess. Apparently, Armstrong got arrested for this behaviour at one point. Victor writes a haiku about it. First awesome thing that's come out of this conversation! Victor offers to buy a replacement for Mia if Armstrong steals anything from her >_>. Mia says goodbye, and departs. Thank god that's over >_>.

I attempt to go to the precinct again to check if the bottle has been tested. I am waylaid while moving through the restaurant, however. Maya is back in her acolyte clothes. Uh-oh, Armstrong is back. Hey, while he's here, I may as well attempt to break his lock. We really do need to know the motive that was established for Maggey. First, however, I should probably get the bottle. Gumshoe doesn't appear to be done with it, however, so I attempt the lock anyway. So I present the Magatama

3 locks. Interesting, Armstrong appears flustered already. Guess it's cause we found the Magatama he purloined. Armstrong talks about Glen having a lottery ticket. Appearently, it was worth half a million dollars. Coincidence? I think not. Apparently, the ticket dissapeared after the murder. This was used as reason for Maggey's motive. Well, we all know what really happened to that ticket >_>. First, we have to show Armstrong who stole it. Himself. Duh. I present his profile. One lock breaks straight away. Wow >_>. He then says we have no evidence for this. But we do! Kudo's haiku! However, Armstrong denies the claim. He wants to see proof that he's stolen from a customer before. I present the Magatama! Phoenix tells him he found it in Armstrong's kitchen. Another lock breaks! One more to go. Armstrong calls himself a "little girl inside" >_>. Lastly, Armstrong claims he had no need for that money. Obviously, I have to present the Loan contract. Interesting. The owner of the loan is Tender Lender. That'll become important later, I'm sure. Anyway, I present the contract. The final lock breaks! Awesome Search-Core music comes on!

Phoenix asks Armstrong how he knew the customer had the winning ticket. Apparently, Glen was listening to the radio, and the winning number was announced on the news. Glen apparently excited proclaimed this to the bar when he won. Armstrong denies having poisoned Glen's cup, though. He claims to have helped himself to one of the tickets after he collapsed. However, he didn't take the correct ticket >_>. Godot then enters the restaurant! He stops Armstrong mid-sentence. Grrr... damn you Godot! Haha! Apparently Godot had a coffee while he was in here, and he calls it the worst he's ever had. Godot repeats that Armstrong didn't take the winning ticket. However, he did get a dollar >_>. However, this means the half-a-million ticket is still missing. No! Phoenix discards the haaiku note. WHY?! ;_;. With the new mystery just discovered, the location of the winning ticket, the days investigation ends.

... and we didn't get that bottle back >_>.

Also, just for fun, another question back:
- Where is the half-a-million dollar ticket now? - Who was that weirdo who claimed to be Phoenix? And is he the killer? - Why did nobody see the killer in the restaurant? - What was in the bottle we found in Armstrong's kitchen? - What was it doing in the kitchen? - Where did this CD disappear to? (Armstrong didn't take it. Current bet is that the killer did) - What is the CD's relation to this case? - Who poisoned Glen Elg? And what motive did they have?

Think that about covers it.

Phoenix and Maggey are in the defendant lobby talking about the case. Maggey says she knows no-one saw the other man, but she still swears it's true. Gumshoe enters! He's come to give some supportive words to Maggey. Gumshoe also again threatens to arrest us if we screw this up. Eep >_>. I think Gumshoes wrath is the most motivation I've had so far to win. Lastly, Gumshow mentions how he's going to be the first witness on stand today. That can only be bad >_>. We enter the courtroom.

January 7, 10:00AM District Court, Courtroom No. 4

Haha, in the trial, Judge says that whenever he address Phoenix in the last trial, his response was "Youse talkin' to me!?". Yep, it was definitely that red weirdo. How the hell could every fall for that awful impersonation >_>? Godot says that whether this Phoenix is fake or real will come to light during this trial. Oh wait, Godot was referring to whether Phoenix had actually studied law or not. Cheap shots, Mr. Godot, cheap shots indeed. Phoenix thinks that for whatever reason, Godot genuinely hates Phoenix. I don't think I'd go that far >_>. The Judge says that, as a verdict has already been cast once, he won't stand for any irrelevant testimony or simple repetition of the facts. Gumshoe now takes to the stand. Haha, Gumshoe mixes up his name and occupation. He seems rather scatterbrained at the moment. Gumshoe now outlines the basic facts of the case. New information! Glen worked for a company called Blue Screens Inc. That'll become important. I'll bet we have to investigate this company after this trial, in the next investigation sequence. We get Glen's autopsy report. Glen was poisoned with potassium cyanide, sometime between 1:30 and 2:30PM. We also get the floor plans of the incident. There are 4 tables in the restaurant, one in each corner of a square arrangement, with 2 chairs each. Glen was sitting in the chair closest to the front entrance. BOLD PREDICTION: Vicotr Kudo was sitting in the opposite aisle, in the chair closest to the kitchen. My description will suck, so I'll make a disgram:

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a340/Dark_Random/diagram.jpg

Gumshoe restates how the coffee was brought over by Maggey, and how the victim died from just one sip nearly immeadiately. Gumshoe lastly states there were only two other people in the restaurant, Jean Armstrong and Victor Kudo. The floor plans are added to the record.

Gumshoe now begins to testify. It's basically a repeat of what we just heard. (Also, I just realized I didn't add "What is MC Hammer?" to the question list. Mentally add that please.) Haha, Godot says Maggey is "classy" for hiding the poison in coffee. He'd love Dahlia then, too >_>. The Judge says the facts appear ironclad, and asks Phoenix not to use intimidation tactics this time. The cross examination begins. I first press the statement about Maggey's motive, as that statement was rather vague. Gumshoe says the motive has been blown out of proportion, and surprisingly, it's Godot that forces it out of him. Gumshoe says Maggey's motive was to steal the winning lottery ticket. Phoenix presses further. Phoenix says the fact that the ticket is missing doesn't necessary implicate Maggey. Uh-oh, Godot presents the winning ticket >_>. Gumshoe says it was found when a female police officer conducted a search of Maggey. This suddenly looks awful v_v. The ticket is submitted into evidence.

Next up, I press the statement that "The victim was alone at his table". Phoenix asks about Maggey's testimony, that there was another man at the table. Godot says she is obviously lying. The testimonies of Armstrong and Kudo don't agree with hers. I decide to press harder. Phoenix says that perhaps both of the other occupants missed him because their view was obscured. Godot challenges this theory, and presents us with a photo. It was taken from near the entrance to the kitchen. (Hey, there was a window next to Glen's table. Perhaps the killer escaped through there?) According to the Judge, this image depicts the scene of the crime as witnessed by Armstrong moments after the posioning. The photo is added to the record, and we go back to the testimony.

I now press the second statement. Gumshoe tells us about how the victim was listening to a portable radio in his front pocket. I'm given the option to press harder, and I naturally do so. Phoenix asks what the victim was listening to. Gumshoe says he has no idea >_>. The Judge now asks about the poison, and how it was used. Oh, it was just leading back into the testimony >_>. I press the next statement, then. Phoenix asks if any poison traces were found anywhere else other then the cup. He asks if it was in liquid or powder form. Gumshoe replies powder. Phoenix says it could have been in any substance on the table, such as salt, pepper, or sugar. Godot objects, saying no-one puts salt or pepper in their coffee. Gumshoe says the victim took his coffee with no sugar. I'm asked if I want to press harder. The answer is obviously yes. Phoenix asks Gumshoe if he is certain the victim drank his coffee. Gumshoe says we may be right. Godot objects in again. He says he was objecting against Gumshoe. He tells him to present some evidence. Gumshoe seems reluctant to do so. Godot throws another coffee at Phoenix. That was random >_>. Why do Phoenix's eyes never get covered by the coffee? Gumshoe brings out the victims coffee cup. Gumshoe tells us to look at the rim. The Judge says there is a coffee stain on it. Godot says this proves the victim drank from the cup. Gumshoe chimes in that the only fingerprints on the cup were the victims' and the defendants'. Oh dear, why does this case appear to keep getting worse and worse? The Judge now calls an end to this cross-examination.

The Judge establishes how the facts of the rcase seem obviously clear to him. Sounds like he's about to hand down a guilty. That would be bad >_>. Looks like we're in a spot of trouble. Usually, that means that Mia is about to show up >_>. Godot says he has another, decisive piece of evidence. It'd be humourous if this piece of evidence ends up breaking his case. Fingers crossed! He brings out the apron Maggey was wearing at teh time of the poisoning. There is a coffee stain on the apron. Godot directs our attention to the pocket on the apron. He brings out a bottle of potassium cyanide. He points out it was found in the pocket of the apron right after Maggey's arrest. Also, Maggey's prints are the only ones on the bottle. This just keeps getting better and better >_>. And by better, I obviously mean WORSE. Guess that means Mia will be showing up any moment now >_>. The Judge now asks about the bloodstain on the apron. Godot seems completely shocked upon learning there is a bloodstain >_>. What the hell? Is he blind or something? Guess maybe he's wearing that mask for a reason. Gumshoe clears up the misunderstanding. Apparently it's a ketchup stain, and not blood. Everyone yells at Gumshoe. Jerks. The Judge says he currently sees no reason to overturn his previous verdict. Motive, Opportunity, and evidence have all been clearly established. (You know, Godot is still calling Phoenix "Trite". What the heck is up with that?)

Barring some really awesome name for impostor Phoenix, it's likely I'll keep calling him "Xin" for the remainder of the writeups. Xin is a cool name.

The Judge tells Gumshoe to give new testimony, about the crime scene and the results of the investigation. Kudo called in the murder at 2:25PM. Maggey was passed out on the floor. The victim had no identification on him, but they quickly found out who he was, and the investigation went smoothly from there. Maggey was searched, and the bottle and ticket were found. Nothing else was missing from the crime scene. End testimony. Hmmm, that last statement is off, what about the MC Bomber CD (there I said Bomber now HAPPY MSG? =P). Godot says this is our last chance to change the court's mind. There's no more cross-examination after this one >_>. We begin. First, I press that "nothing missing" statement. Phoenix mentions the ticket that Armstrong took. Nobody cares >_>. Now I press the first statement. Gumshoe is vague on the "scary old man". Haha! Gumshoe speaks about how Kudo attacked the police dispatched with seeds. Godot claims to have caught every seed with his teeth. Hold on a second. In the first trial, Payne was the prosecutor, not Godot! A contradiction! Godot is a liar! Uh... anyway. Now, I just start pressing through all of Gumshoes' statements. Gumshoe states that Maggey was still unconscious in the kitchen when officers arrived at 2:40. Ha, Phoenix sarcastically thinks Gumshoe would've enjoyed performing Maggey's full-body search >_>. Phoenix questions whether the victims' ID was stolen. Gumshoe says no, he had no drivers licence or credit card on him. Gumshoe also seems happy he only had 58 cents in his wallet >_>. Godot makes a side comment about Glen being an outlaw. That might be more true then he thinks! Next statement; Phoenix questions how they were easily able to identify the victim with no ID. Gumshoe: "oh... that." Please don't tell me this is something else that will wreck our case >_>. Gumshoe presents a prescription bag. He says it was found on the table next to the victim. Glen visited his doctor beforehand, apparently, and they got his ID by speaking to the doctor that gave the prescription medicine. I ask about the prescription bag. The bag was apparently empty. The bag is added to the record. Godot calls us desperate >_>. Thanks, jerk. In the last statement, Phoenix postulates that the evidence could have been planted on the unconscious Maggey. Phoenix has no prove to back up the claim though, so this is useless.

Having turned up nothing but the bag from all the pressing, I go back to the bit where I asked about the prescription bag. There was another option there that might give some leads. Apparently, I'm not allowed to ask that anymore. Okay, so I must have to present the bag against one of these statements. The description of the bag doesn't appear to contradict anything, though >_>. I decide to present the prescription bag against the "Nothing was missing" statement. I mean, the bag is empty, right? To my surprise, it works!

Phoenix questions where the medicine disappeared to, if the victim had just gone there that morning, it should still be there! Gumshoe is happy we finally found a contradiction! The Judge blasts Gumshoe for not looking into the bag earlier. Gumshoe is happy that he was so careless. Phoenix now states that the victims medicine could have been the poison. Okay, let's not get too hasty here, I'm pretty sure that pharmacies don't just sell poisons like that >_>. The Judge asks for Godot's counter-argument. He asks us to read the name of the clinic from the bag. It's "New Ear Otolaryngological Clinic". The Judge asks what illness that is. Godot says that Glen was in a fight the day before, and that this fight ruptured his eardrum. This is clearly contradicting the fact he was listening to the radio with his earpiece! Now the Judge asks what the prescription was. Godot says it was a cream that was supposed to be applied to the inside of his ear canal. I don't care, you've already given me the statement I wanted to hear, Godot! Apparently, it was mentioned in the autopsy report; they found traces of this medicine in his left ear. That's the ear he was wearing the earpiecce on! This just keeps getting better! Finally! I'm given the opportunity to push harder on the medication issue. I do so. Phoenix points out that the medication is still missing, even though some was found on the victim! Phoenix and Godot have a short Object-off, before the Judge intervenes. He asks Godot if the prosecution wishes to call any more witnesses. Godot is silent. Gumshoe butts in and says he wants to bring in Victor Kudo. The Judge ajourns for a 10 minute recess, after which we'll hear Kudo's testimony. Godot apparently has six cups of coffee left >_>. Yada yada yada. Boring dialouge in the defendant lobby. Not even worth commenting on.

January 7, 11:15AM District Court, Courtroom No. 4

Did they really stop exactly at 11:05? Anyway, Kudo is called to the stand. I'm not fond of Kudo's theme song, to be quite honest. Kudo calls himself a kimono embroiderer. We establish that Kudo was in the restaurant at the time of the poisoning, and he begins his testimony. Glen was reading the sports paper. Maggey brought him his coffee... and slipped something into it. Why is this the first I'm hearing of this >_>? Glen then died after one sip of his coffee. Glen directly accuses Maggey, saying he "recognizes her well". Okay, that didn't sit right with me at all. When I was breaking his Psyche-Lock yesterday, Kudo said he didn't recognize Maggey's face. This was because he spends his time looking at the uniform, not the waitresses' faces. Hmmm. Kudo has a minor outburst about the "old values", and then we begin cross-examination.

I first press the second statement. Hahaha "Victor Kudo never makes mistakes, I dot every t and cross every i". No idea why I found that as funny as I did. I press harder. Phoenix requests that what the witness saw should be added to the testimony. The Judge agrees. Pressing the new statement, Kudo says she added white powder from a small brown bottle. Uh-oh, steering well clear from that statement. Maya points out the same thing I mentioned earlier; Kudo had his eyes on the uniform, not Maggey's face. Phoenix questions whether the waitress he saw was really Maggey. The apron should help prove this either way, if we can get Kudo to give a description of it. I press the last statement. Phoenix asks for a defining feature of the waitress Kudo could identify. Kudo complains about the uniform. Phoenix says anyone, including himself, could wear that uniform. The Judge reprimands Phoenix for causing him "mental anguish". That was rather humourous. Kudo says there is more he remembers. I press for more details. New information is added to the testimony.

He says she was wearing a ribbon, and that the apron straps were loose. There doesn't appear to be anything that directly contradicts the apron. Cautious, I press first. I'm given the option to ask for more details. I ask about the apron straps. Nothing relevant comes of it. I go for the other option, asking about the waitress's back. Phoenix asks whether Kudo actually saw the waitress from the front. Godot objects, only to agree with us >_>. That was odd. The Judge requests that new testimony be added, describing features of the waitress observed from the front. This should be what I need to present the apron to. Yep, nothing caught his interest. I present the apron. OBJECTION!

Phoenix asks him if he's seen the apron before. Kudo replies he hasn't. The courtroom goes silent. Phoenix points out that it is the apron worn by Maggey on the day of the murder. Phoenix establishes that Kudo never saw the waitress from the front. We now get new testimony from Kudo about the victim. This'll be where the whole "Earpiece in left ear" thing becomes relevant, I'm sure of it!

Phoenix says the only thing we need to prove here is that Kudo's memory is horrible. Odd approach, but hey >_>. I press the statement about him listening to the wireless. Kudo mentions how he was using an earpiece, however, I'm not given the opportunity to press for more details. Damn >_>. I go back to the beginning and start pressing statements one by one. The old man says he was wearing a pair of broken spectacles, but it was just a single eyepiece. Phoenix decides not to confront him on the matter just yet, however. On a hunch, I decide to present the newspaper to the statement "He was rustling his newspaper". Surely, in order to draw on it, it would have to be still, right? Doesn't work, however. I try presenting the prescription bag to "He was listening to the wireless". Again, doesn't work. Gah, all this pressing is merely resulting in Phoenix getting a face full of seeds >_>. I try the paper against the "took a sip with his free hand" statement. Again, if he was drawing, he didn't have a free hand. Again, nothing v_v. This is demoralizing.

Pausing to think, I realize something. Armstrong said that Glen was shouting excitedly when he learned he had the winning ticket. However, Kudo's testimony doesn't mention this at all. In fact, there's no mention of the tickets whatsoever. I comb through the testimony to see if I can find a contradiction related to this. He doesn't specifically mention the absence of the tickets, though. While presenting randomly, I present the cup against his final statement. It works! Phoenix points out how, according to Kudo's testimony, Glen took the sip with his left hand. However, the stain on the cup indicates he was using his right hand! Kudo is mistaken! The Judge is about to remove Kudo from the stand, when he has another outburst. He insists Glen took the sip using his left hand. The Judge wants to remove him anyway. Godot allows him one more chance to speak!

New testimony is "Left Hand or Right Hand?". Somehow, I feel some massive, case-changing fact will be brought to light through this testimony. Allegro music now! The testimony is as follows: Glen was wearing the earpiece on the same side as the green lens. He was constantly fiddling with it. He was fiddling with it when the coffee came as well, and used the same hand to pick up the coffee cup: The left hand. Uh, he's actually right o_o. Glen was wearing the earpiece on his left, despite the ruptured eardrum. Maybe the "fiddling" Kudo refers to is him applying the ear medicine? The Judge points out Glen was wearing a lens over his left eye. Godot actually says it was a small computer monitor. It displayed computer data, and the device is called an HMD. We begin the cross-examination. I press the first statement. If the earpiece were on the same side as his HMD, one the left, we should come up against this ruptured eardrum issue. It doesn't happen though. Glen points out he could only see Glen's left side. Phoenix agrees, looking at the floor plan. Awww, Kudo wasn't at the table I said he was v_v. Pressing all the statements turns up nothing new. Maya suggests throwing evidence at him until he breaks, so I look for already-standing contradictions. Obvious place to start is the first one: Earpiece on the left side. I try presenting the prescription bag. It works. Phoenix says Kudo's observations are rather strange. Phoenix questions whether he is sure the earpiece was on his left ear. Kudo says absolutely. Phoenix points out that that eardrum was ruptured. Kudo clarifies this with Godot. Godot agrees with Phoenix. A big argument erupts over which hand was used. Godot says it doesn't matter anyway. Phoenix disagrees! He says the witness testimony is unreliable. Another Godot spit-take! The Judge calls an end to the case for today, agreeing that Kudo's testimony is unreliable.

Awkward silence. Wait for it... HOLD IT! Kudo interrupts! He says there's something else the court should know about! Oh man, I'm actually excited to hear this! Godot says he doesn't want to hear it, because he's already drunk 17 cups >_>. The Judge agrees to let him speak, because he just wants Kudo to shut up and get this over with >_>. Last testimony! We've gone back to normal testimony music. Odd. After all that, Kudo claims this might just be nothing >_>. He repeats how Glen died immeadiately after one sip. He says Glen knocked over the vase upon slumping over. This caused it to break, and made the tablecloth all wet. That's it? He demanded he testify on THAT? This case is crazy >_>. Also, the crime scene photo blatantly contradicts him anyway. This is a waste of time >_>. Cross-examination begins, and I walk up and present the crime scene photo. Nothing to this >_>. Now Kudo says he remembers something else. Oh man, when will this end >_>? The broken vase was on Kudo's table, apparently. He was startled when Glen slumped over, so he jumped up, causing his vase to break. He says this was why he had wet pants. Too much information >_>. Kudo asks us if he's been of any help. He now says he has even more to say. Thankfully, the Judge orders the baliff to take him out of the courtroom. The Judge says he cannot pass down a verdict, as the waitress has yet to be identified as Maggey, and the cup and earpiece dilemma remain. He orders us to continue our investigation into the case. Lastly, the Judge says that Kudo has insisted on his testimony being used, so he's written it down for us to use. The testimony is added to the Court Record. It's just an apology for breaking the vase >_>. With that, the case is adjourned for the day.

... boy are we going to get chewed out by Victor later.

Random thought: Whatever the damn happened to that bottle? I thought it'd show up during the trial as ammunition against us, but it didn't. >_>

Investigation 2 Part 1
Phoenix and Maya are discussing the previous trial. Maya believes it got out of hand. Phoenix believes that Kudo's testimony was worthless, but at least they managed to cast doubt on the fact that Maggey was the waitress Kudo saw. Phoenix also expresses confusion as to why Glen was wearing an earpiece when his ear was ruptured. With these mysteries still hanging over our heads, we begin the investigation! But first, I chat with Maya. Phoenix says he's at a loss where to begin today. He thinks we should try and utilize Kudo's testimony in some way. That's a ridiculous idea >_>, but Maya agrees. He says we also need to identify who the waitress was, and find out more about the victim. Phoenix also thinks the "key" to this case is at Tres Bien. I don't want to go back there >_>. Maya also says we should talk to Maggey, as well. Selecting the other talk option, Maya brings up Xin! Phoenix fills Maya in about his meeting with Xin yesterday. He claims he wants to sue for defamation. With that done. I decide to stop by the precinct, and have a chat with Gumshoe about the trial.

... He's not here. Uh-oh, Enguarde music begins playing. DRAMA! The detectives are all worked up for some reason. They want to shut down the server for the station. One tells the chief to get off of the internet, and switches off the computer. Oh god, MC Bomber is a virus. I knew it! I knew it was related to Glen's occupation somehow! Though a question arises: Why has the owner of the virus waited until now to unleash it? Another mystery for the pile! Finding no answers here, I move to the detention center to talk with Maggey. Grrr... Maggey's still in questioning. Where the heck did everyone disappear to? Hope we can at least find Gumshoe soon, so he can explain the situation at the precinct. I unwillingly move to Tres Bien.

No-one is here either! What in the hell! Actually, it seems they were referring to the lack of customers. YES! Gumshoe appears! Haha, he was using the lottery tickets in order to get some cash. What a guy. Thankfully, Gumshoe's theme is overriding the Tres Bien's music as well! We start talking about the trial. Gumshoe is all depressed about the way he treated Maggey. Gumshoe blames us for not "blowing away his testimony like always" >_>. Gumshoe asks us if Maggey said anything about him. Maya tells him word for word what she said yesterday after the trial. Blunt, Maya. Blunt >_>. Oh boy, this reduces Gumshoe to tears. And he starts headbutting the wall. Man, Maya has no sense of tact. Anyway, next we discuss the Tres Bien food. Gumshoe also joins the "I hate Tres Bien's food" club. Maya turns the discussion to Glen, saying we should ask Gumshoe about him, while we're here, seeing as we barely know anything about the guy. Before presenting his profile, I ask about the radio Gumshoe was listening to. WHAT WHAT WHAT WHAT WHAT?! Gumshoe has a Psyche-Lock! I TOTALLY DID NOT SEE THAT COMING! He won't tell us what radio show he was listening to! I decide to go for the Magatama, see what I need to prove to him. Phoenix says it was related to... and I have to present. I try the lottery ticket. It's a success. And the lock breaks. What the hell? That was way too simple >_>. Gumshoe talks about the show Glen was listening to. Apparently, they broadcast it live as they draw the numbers. Somehow, I can't help but feel that will become relevant. Also, the time currently is just past 1:30PM, and the numbers are drawn at the same time every day. Gumshoe gives us a flier about the tickets, which is added to the record. It says it takes 10 minutes to draw the numbers. So Glen would have found out his ticket was a winner at approximately 1:40PM.

TIMELINE TIME Morning: Glen visits doctor, gets medicine for ear. 1:00PM-ish: Glen arrives at Tres Bien. Applies some of his medicine. 1:30: Radio Programme comes on. 1:40: Glen discovers he has winning ticket, orders coffee. Somewhere in this interval, Glen dies from the poisoned cup. Kudo is startled into breaking the vase. 2:25: Kudo calls in the murder. Police arrive soon after.

Anyway, I now present Glen's profile to Gumshoe. Apparently, Glen was a real whiz at programming, with the nickname, "The Walking Computer" at Blue Screens Inc.. Gumshoe repeats how there was no connection between Maggey and Glen. Hahaha "Blue Screens, Inc. Sounds like a real stable company" >_>. Anywho, Gumshoe gives us the location of Glen's workplace, so we decide to drop in for a visit.

Blue Screens, Inc. looks highly futuristic. The Eccentric music starts playing. Someone comes up to us. I know this person! See was in the "That is SPARDA" screenshot! Must... find... Easter Egg! The woman won't let us in, saying there are too many "trade secrets" that could be leaked. That settles it, then. Glen was selling these company secrets for money. He was obviously poor, 58 cents in his wallet and the lottery tickets he used can attest to that. The woman gives us her name, Lisa Basil. LOLOLOL ANOTHER PALINDROME! SO CLEVER! She's apparently the company director. Interesting, Phoenix notes she's wearing the same eyepiece thing Glen was wearing. I forget the name of it though >_>. Ah, Phoenix reminds me. A HMD. Apparently, all of the programmers here are supplied one by the company. Apparently Basil just likes wearing hers >_>. (Suspicion level on Ms. Basil rises slightly. If she found out Glen was selling secrets, it's possible she killed him herself to silence him. After all, firing him wouldn't make him forget the stuff he already knew. Also, she's a woman, so could easily disguise herself as a waitress. I don't see a ribbon in her hair though. Also, this doesn't explain Xin's connection to the case. Hmmm, let's put this train of thought on hold for a little bit.)

We talk about the company. Apparently, this place analyzes stuff for major companies... or something. The software they produce is manufactured on CD's! Hello, MC Bomber! Phoenix also mentally makes the connection! Basil says that all her programmers are first-class, and questions one on what he's working on. Computer jargon follows. Awww, I wanted his name, in order to see if it was another palindrome. Next, we ask Basil what she knows of the poisoning. "It's terrible" she says, with a big smile on her face >_>. Basil says she can't tell us much, as Maggey isn't connected to Blue Screens, Inc.. Phoenix asks if we can look at Glen's desk. She says she hasn't cleared it out yet, so we're welcome to have a look around. If we see anything useful, we're also allowed to take it. She's being awfully co-operative, actually >_>.

We start investigating. First I look at all the cards on the ground. They're all betting tickets >_>. For betting on horse races. The tickets are filed into evidence. Next I look at the desk itself. Nothing, Maya talks about working as a programmer. Ah! Maya notes that December 3rd is marked on Glen's calender! The day of the murder! It says to "Meet with the Tiger"! Xin had an image of a tiger on his shirt! I was right! Glen was meeting with Xin! So according to Maggey, he was the one who poisoned Glen! Although according to Kudo, the waitress did it. Hmm, conflictions. I present the calender to Basil, and get the SPARDA line. Yessss... I try presenting Glen's profile, see if I can get any more information about him from Basil. Basil says he had "bugs" in his personality! This could be crucial! She calls him a "loser" >_>. She claims that's what got him into "trouble". She suddenly stops, and retracts he statement. What? This is very suspicious! A new talk about Glen's "troubles" as opened. Not-so-bold prediction: Psyche-Lock incoming! Yep, there it is. 3 locks. Also, Blue Screens, Inc. looks weird inverted >_>. I go back to examining, but it turns up nothing. Also, why does it look like there is a person under the desk? With nothing else to work on, I decide to take a look at Lisa's Psyche Lock.

I begin. First up, I have to present something that might be related to Glen's "troubles". The losing tickets are the obvious place to start, so I present those. Basil says that "cashing in on other people's misfortunes is very, very bad. Phoenix says he suspects that statement was hypocritical! Phoenix says that he believes Mr. Elg had a gambling addiction. Next "Mr. Elg's gambling wasn't restricted to horse racing". Duh, the lottery ticket. I present that. Phoenix says his gambling addiction was driving him broke. Ah! Lisa starts sweating! We're honing in on something here! One lock breaks! Basil admits Glen had a gambling habit. The next portion is Glen was in trouble with "Someone or something more terrifying and ferocious". Agh, this is obviously referring to Xin, and I don't have his profile yet. I am forced to quit out of this... for the moment.

I decide to move my investigation elsewhere. I met Xin at Vitamin Park last time, maybe we'll catch him there again. I move there, and yes! There's the bike! Thankful, Kudo isn't here, though >_>. I examine the bike again. Awww, Xin doesn't show up. I poke around, but I can't get Xin to appear. Oh well, maybe seeing the bike triggered an event elsewhere. I move off. I realize I haven't yet been to the kitchen (and this also sparks my memory regarding the bottle, seriously, wtf happened to that?) so I enter there. Mr. Armstrong is talking to the lady we saw earlier! She says "she'll be back next month". With the Search ~ Core music playing, this sounds rather creepy actually >_>. Armstrong looks rather unsettled. The girl warns him "If you haven't got 'it' by then, I'm afraid it might get a little... hot... around here". Is she threatening him for the money? Sounds like she's going to burn the place down! Armstrong promises he'll have everything ready. The girl makes one final comment about how she loves fire. Ah, I was right! Man, Armstrong is really in some serious ****. Oh my God! The girls says he better have everything ready, and that if he speaks to anyone, she'll put a knife through his heart. What the hell has Armstrong gotten himself into?! The girl now departs. Armstrongs says he must rub some oil over himself as he's now very nervous. I'm now treated with some mental imagery that will scar me for life >_>. Haha, Phoenix reacts in similar fashion, "My eyes, MY EYES". To be quite honest, that would have been far funny if they had added "I can't unsee it" to the end of Phoenix's sentence. Ugh, Tres Bien music comes on >_>.

I start to talk with Armstrong. We first talk about Tres Bien. They discuss the lack of customers. Armstrong admits that business has been difficult. However, Armstrong also confesses his love for his restaurant, and talks about how he'll fight to keep it until the bitter end. I ask him about the women we just saw. I'm guessing there will be a lock on this one, too, however. Maya suggests we should show him that piece of evidence and see what he says. She can only be referring to the Loan Contract, so I show him that. Armstrong says that, due to the existence of that paper, he was forced to "help them" with something. Maya asks him for clarification. He says that if he didn't owe them money, he wouldn't have done it. However, he won't tell us what he was forced to do. Phoenix asks him if the woman was connected to the loan contract, Armstrong says nothing, but his face tells it all. The talk option reopens.

Armstrong talks about the debt he is in. Armstrong says that the woman is from the loan office. Debt collectors seriously walk around threatening their clients with killing them and burning their property >_>? Armstrong says he borrowed half a million dollars from the Tender Lender company. I have a feeling we'll be going there soon. We ask more about them. Uh, Armstrong calls himself a "weak woman >_>". He says when he's depressed, he buys something to cheer himself up. Armstrong keeps referring to a "he" that loaned him the money. Maya asks who he is talking about. Armstrong says it's the Tiger! Xin strikes again! This also explains why Armstrong didn't see the other customer! Xin told him to shut his trap, or else! Xin is apparently the manager of Tender Lender, and also a big time mobster. Phoenix makes the connection between Xin and this mobster. He decides that the lending office is worth checking out after. Armstrong gives us the location, so we move out for the office.

On my way out of the restaurant, Gumshoe informs me that he is heading back to the precinct. He says they have a big meeting starting soon. It must be about MC Bomber destroying their computer system. Maya asks if it's about Maggey's case. Gumshoe says, no it's about another big case they have going on. With that, he leaves... then returns. He wants to ask us a favour. I'll bet it's about Maggey >_>. Bingo. He wants us to give something to her. It looks like food >_>. It is. Gumshoe says it's a lunchbox he made for her. He says he's been worrying about her. Poor Gumshoe. We agree to give it to her when we see her. Gumshoe leaves, so I continue on to the loan office.

The office looks rather tidy. Not what I expected. Xin isn't here, but someone else greets us. Is it the woman? It sure is. She says the manager is currently away, and disappears again. Phoenix wants to come back later, but I want to snoop around! Thankfully, Maya agrees with me, and convinces Phoenix to take a look. The woman suddenly reappears with a coffee. She warns us not to touch the desk. It might just be me, but I don't trust this coffee. It's probably poisoned or something (Uh-oh, another potential waitress CONFIRMED!). Nuts to what she says, I'm taking a look around! Now Maya suddenly wants to leave. I ignore her and look around. I start with whatever is on the floor next to the desk. Also, is that desk solid gold? Apparently the item on the floor is a ashtray. There's also a book of matches on the floor. Interesting! The back of the book has Tres Bien printed on it! I never saw that place handing out matchbooks though. Maybe the creepy lady marks the matches with the place she's going to use them to burn down >_>. I investigate the desk, and find out it really is solid gold, or Maya thinks so, anyway. I examine the radio next. It's apparently a CD player on the desk. The woman comes back. She asks us if we drank all the coffee. Phoenix and Maya go silent. The woman says if we touch anything else, she'll make sure to fetch us another cup. Ugh, this woman is so creepy! Phoenix thinks the woman laced the coffee. He decides to quickly look at the CD while he still can. Is it the MC Bomber CD? YES! Yes it is! WOO! Now we have evidence Maggey was telling the truth! I lastly examine the punching bag, but now I just want to get the hell out of here. Maya babbles about something, and I get the hell out of there.

Kudo has returned to Vitamin Square, apparently. Naturally, he's pissed off. Phoenix wants to creep past, but Maya intentionally attracts his attention. He's delibrately ignoring us, however. I decide to talk to Kudo for the hell of it. Phoenix apologizes for the courtroom antics before. Kudo complains about his reputation, and reasserts how he is sure the waitress poisoned the coffee, and Glen was wearing his earpiece. We ask him about Embroidery, he says he was born into a line of embroiderers, before talking about how he's got "a tsunami's worth" of frustration to vent. I choose to ignore him, but then, curiosity kicks in, and I decide to listen. there could actually be something relevant in there.

He complains that all he's good for is running errands. He complains about how he's always "in the way" even at the restaurant. Phoenix twigs, and asks him what he meant by that. He says that on the day Glen was poisoned, he was asked to run an errand! We ask about this errand. After Glen collapsed, Maggey fainted, and he broke the vase, he was a bit dazed. He then claims Armstrong asked him to call the police. He regrets not telling him to buzz off, but he says he did it. He says he went outside to look for a pay phone, as he doesn't have a cell phone. He spent five minutes looking for one. Anything could have happened in that time! And according to Gumshoe yesterday, he called it in at 2:25PM. He says that during this time, Mr. Armstrong was alone at the restaurant! He claims he was going to say this in court yesterday, before the baliff took him out of the courtroom. Phoenix theorizes that Kudo was chased out of Tres Bien on purpose, as someone didn't want him in the restaurant. Phoenix says we should get more information from Maggey and Armstrong. Maggey was still unconscious when the police arrived, so I'm not sure how much help she'll be. Anyway, Tres Bien is closer, so I go there first.

Something new is happening. Dammit! Armstrong is gone. Phoenix thinks he might be intentionally avoiding us. Hope he didn't send us to the lender to be silenced >_>. I move on to the detention center then. Maggey's out of questioning. She says she's going to blog about the courtroom events today >_>. Maggey complains about how no-ones testimony is matching up with hers. Phoenix thinks she might be misremembering. Bull****. She's the only one being truthful, everyone else is hiding something. We talk about the contradictions in testimony. Namely, the second man, and the disappearing CD. We ask what happened after the incident. Maggey says that when she woke up, police were already all over the joint, and that before she knew it, she was arrested. Maggey says she therefore has no knowledge of what happened between when Glen collapsed and when she woke up. Phoenix informs her of what Kudo told us earlier. I decide I may as well give her the lunch now, and see what happens. Maggey gets all excited at first, but when Maya tells her Gumshoe made it, she refuses to accept it. "Detention center rules" apparently. Sure >_>. Next, I show her the CD. What?! Nothing happened! This is crucial to the case, dammit! Oh well, I show her the matches, then. Nothing as well. Screw this, I'm going to the precinct. See if anything has changed there.

Nope, nothing. However, while wandering the areas, I find something new! A repair bill in the lender office! I'm scared the woman will come and slit my throat at any moment, though >_>. It's a repair bill for $15,000 dollars, for a car registered to the "Cadaverinis". No idea what that is. The repair bill is added to the Court Record. Next, I look at the coats. We find the fake coat Xin wore when he impersonated Phoenix. Maya finds something interesting, because she gives a loud scream. Creepy lady shows up out of nowhere, offering cake. Hell no, stay away please! She says to wait quietly. She's only here to "take care of us". Argh so creepy >_>. Phoenix asks what she saw on the coat. It's a fake attorney's badge! I was wondering about that, the disguise couldn't possibly have worked wthout one of those. The fake badge is added to the record. Maya remarks how Phoenix's badge suddenly looks more cheap >_>. How? His is the fake one! Xin enters! With a loud scream like usual >_>. Maya hides under the desk. Xin rants at us for a bit, and the woman interrupts him. She says she knocked over the ashtray. What? Xin suddenly becomes all docile. Has she got him under her thumb? The mysteries keep on coming! He calls her "Violetta". She offers us cookies, then disappears. Xin gets all worked up again now. He complains about Phoenix "messing up his plan". Somehow, I don't think whatever "plan" he's referring to was concocted by him. Seems to well-thought out and crafty for... well, someone like him. Xin grabs Maya and kidnaps her! Uh-oh, this suddenly isn't going so well >_>. Maya then appears from under the desk. Uh, maybe I misinterpreted that whole scene just then >_>. Violetta comes in with an espresso. No! Take it away! I'm given the option to talk with her. This is a completely terrible idea, but I go against this and talk.

I ask about Tender Lender. She recites a sales pitch off by heart. How that can be persuading I have no idea. Maya then naturally wants a loan from her >_>. Phoenix asks what would happen if he missed a payment, Violetta replies he'd be given "more coffee... strong coffee". Uh, keeping my distance, thanks. Next I ask her about the poisoning. Wait just a second. Why didn't I think of this before? Was Glen mixed up with Tender Lender? did he have a loan from them, too? Things make so much more sense in that scenario! And in that case, Violetta was the waitress. Violetta claims that one that day, she was at Tender Lender with the manager. Bull****. Xin was there, we already know that much, so that must be a lie. Violetta gives him a name: Furio Tigre. Eh, I'm going to keep calling him Xin. Way better in my opinion. Anyway, I have his profile now! So I'll be able to break Lisa's Psyche-Lock later. I present Xin's profile to Violetta, to see if we can get more info from her. Violetta offers us a cookie >_>. Both Phoenix and Maya refuse to eat it. Violetta claims she and Xin are lovers. BULL****! You're manipulating him just like everyone else! ARGH you creep me out woman! She says she owes Xin her life, she saved him at some point. Phoenix asks about this saving. She says she's very frail, and recently "died" >_>. Uhh... what? 4 months ago, her doctors had given up hope on her. But Xin saved her. Apparently, he "gave up everything". Phoenix asks if that's why she's wearing a bandage on her head. Apparently, it was put on after an operation. It covers a "fatal injury" >_>. What the hell is going on here?! Whoops, suddenly a Psyche-Lock appears! 4 Locks! That one will certainly be tough to crack. With that discovered, I leave the lenders office for the time being.

Obvious place to go next is Blue Screens, Inc. I now have Xin's profile, which I needed to break the Psyche-Lock. I quickly scroll through what I did before, and reach the part where I have to present the profile. It works, and I can continue. Basil comments that business should think harder before deciding on a name. Phoenix thinks hers is no better >_>. Basil also says the firm is quite stable (second time they've used that gag now) and that they don't need to borrow money. Phoenix says he's referring to Glen. Basil says she doesn't know of any connection between Glen and Xin. I show the calender to prove her wrong. "Meet with the Tiger". Another lock breaks! Basil now admits that Glen had a lot of debt from his gambling, around $100000 dollars. That's quite a sum O_O. Basil says it didn't matter though, as he won the lottery. Phoenix says what if he didn't win? What would have happened? Basil says he claimed he would "use his talents" to repay the money. This must be where MC Bomber comes in! Basil asks us to leave. Oh no, not when we're this close! Phoenix asks if this was the program. I present the MC Bomber CD! What? It didn't work! Basil says she can't access the information without the necessary data. What? I'm confused. With nothing else left ot present, I quit. Argh, how frustrating! So close! I decide to go back to the precinct again. Still no change there. In a last ditch attempt, I decide to take a look at Violetta's Psyche-Lock.

4 locks. First up, we talk about this "fatal injury" Violetta sustained. Phoenix says she was "hurt very badly somehow". Yes, thank you for the clarification >_>." Did the injury in question have something to do with this?" Well, I have no idea. That was a total waste of time. With no further leads, I decide to quit.

... then I remember I have Xin's profile. May as well present that to her, see what I get. I also check the kitchen on the way through. Armstrong is still missing. I present Xin's profile. Maggey recognizes him! She says he explained having the tan through going on a business trip to Hawaii. Yeah, because Phoenix is loaded with cash >_>. And that's it. WHAT IN THE HELL ARGH >_>. Well, now I definitely have no more leads, so I quit for the day.

Investigation 2 Part 2
Had a bit of inspiration before. I might know what caused Violetta's head injury. The repair bill. Not it specifically, of course, but the car crash it was referring to. Car crashes cause head injuries. And has Phoenix noted, the bill was unusually high. If the remainder went towards Violetta's operation, that could explain the discrepancy. I test out my theory, and it works! Yeah, we're back in business now! Phoenix presents the bill, says the car was in an accident. Violetta points out the bill is made out to the Cadavernini's. Violetta asks what she has to do with them. I have to point out why the have a strong relationship. I decide to go with Xin's profile. Didn't work. Again, I'm left with no other clues. Hmmmm.

I was presenting profiles to Maggey, and she said she could only inform us of "Ex-cons or Tres Bien clientele". That prompted me to present Kudo's profile, and it opened another talk option! It's about his testimony from earlier. Phoenix asks Maggey if anything from Kudo's testimony struck her as odd. She says something did! She says for starters, the fact he was testifying at all "doesn't quite"... *dramatic pause*. She says that yes, when she took the coffee to Glen, there was another customer in the restaurant. However, she says it wasn't an old man! she says it was a woman (Predix says it's Violetta)! We ask if she's sure, and she replies she thinks so. Maggey describes her as creepy, with a cackling laugh. Yep, definitely Cackletta... I mean Violetta. I try presenting Violetta's profile, but it doesn't give anything new. Lastly, I present Armstrong's profile. We get a different response, but nothing new. I move out to the precinct again, maybe something has finally changed with that new talk option.

Yay! Finally! Activity is happening. The main server apparently just went "up in smoke". Hope it didn't lierally blow up >_>. Someone is also complaining about a press conference that hasn't been set up, as the "Superintendent" is here waiting. What the damn is happening here? Gumshoe appears! He tells us we shouldn't be here, or else we'll get pulled into the briefing. Gumshoe says they have "big problems". Yeah, we noticed. He explains that a virus is in their systems. I knew it! MC Bomber strikes! We talk with Gumshoe. Hopefully we can ask about that damn bottle! ... hey, maybe that being tested triggered the virus to go off? It could have lain dormant, until it was prompted by a trigger. Would certainly explain the time delay between it's disappearence and it's use. Anyway, I ask Gumshoe about Tender Lender. He tells us to "never borrow from a place like that". According to Gumshoe, Tender Lender ran into some trouble recently. It was apparently something big, as they were calling in all their debts. Gumsoe warns us not to poke about in their business, or we'll regret it if we upset "that lady". Phoenix twigs that he's talking about Violetta, and wants more information. But first, I ask about computer viruses. Gumshoe says he as no idea what one is. Phoenix says he at least knows the basics. They challenge him to explaiin it to them. Phoenix says they're programs that cause damage inside a computer machine. Gumshoe asks if he means explosions, Phoenix says no. He calls the damage "internal". He says a virus could eliminate all the case file data on the computers. Phoenix says that computer viruses are also infectious, able to travel from one computer to another along the network. Maya asks why someone would create a virus. Phoenix says the virus was created for use on others' computers, not the creators. Gumshoe says there are many viruses with different names. He's about to tell us the name of this one! What? NO! He stopped there! Grr!

I present Violetta's profile. Gumshoe warns us to stay away from her. Gumshoe tells us her name is Viola Cadaverini, sole granddaughter of Bruto Cadaverini. He's the boss of the Cadaverini family, a powerful mob. Phoenix asks for more information on the Cadaverini's. They apparently control all of the cash on the city Black Market. Apparently, Bruto is overly fond and protective of his only granddaughter. Phoenix asks how she then ended up at Tender Gumshoe says he doesn't know, but he knows she and Xin are pretty close. I present Xin's profile. Gumshoe knows him. Says he's one of the bigger loan sharks around. Fail to pay him back, and he'll eat you alive >_>. A bit overdone. Anyway, I try Bruto's profile as well. Gumshoe warns us not to show that photo to just anybody, as he's king of the underworld around here. Lastly, I try the MC Bomber CD. I doesn't work, so... wait! Gumshoe recognizes the name! Gumshoe says it's the name of the virus they have! YES! Phoenix asks for more details. Gumshoe says they already knew about the virus from earlier. Some criminals made some demands, threatening to release the virus if they weren't met. Gumshoe says he doesn't know who the group was, though. He also says the programmer who made the virus was a "real genius" >_>. C'mon! It's so obvious it was Glen! Gumshoe says they're trying to track the movement of the virus on the Black Market. Gumshoe says that because this virus is so powerful, it's worth millions of dollars! MC Bomber is updated in the records! Now I can finally break Lisa's lock! Gumshoe lastly asks us about the lunchbox. Maya says they tasted delicious >_>. Gumshoe seems pleased. He has another one for us to give her. Uh-oh >_>. I suppose we'll try giving it to her. Again. Also, WHAT ABOUT THAT DAMN BOTTLE?! Argh!

Maggey is suddenly not at the Detention Center. Oh well, off to break Lisa's lock then! Blah blah blah, fast forward through all the other stuff I did before. I present MC Bomber again! This time it works! Basil's final lock breaks! She says Glen was very smart, but his gambling problem drove him to deep into debt. Apparently, he took on some "extra work" to get rid of his $100000 debt. This work was "risky". Maya asks if he was going to be a Tres Bien waitress >_>. We ask about this "extra work". Phoenix says it's obvious Glen created the virus. Basil says yes, he did, and it's the work of a genius. She repeats how MC Bomber would fetch "several million dollars" on the Black Market. Apparently, December 3rd was the deadline on which Glen had to repay his debts. Obviously, he failed to do so, hence why Violetta poisoned him, disguised as the waitress. Xin then set Maggey up to take the blame for the murder, and when Armstrong saw, he told him to keep quiet or else! Then Xin impersonated Phoenix in order to get a guilty verdict. This all makes sense! MC Bomber is again updated in the records. Phoenix also discards the horse racing tickets. I move out of Blue Screens, Inc. to talk to Violetta again.

I present the Magatama, and skip through the first portion again. When Violetta asks about her connection to the Cadaverinis, I present Bruto's profile. It works. One lock breaks. Viola says the accident happened 4 months ago. She was driving along in a car, when a motorbke pulled out in front of her. From the look of the picture, Xin was driving. She served to avoid him, and that's when she got the injury. Phoenix asks what happened to the rider of the bike. She says she doesn't know, but she heard they ran away. Phoenix questions who the rider was. I present Xin's profile. Viola says she doesn't believe it was him, yet another lock breaks. Viola points out that Xin is uninjured, despite the collision. Phoenix says he has proof it was Xin. Obvious choice is his motorcycle, it says the wheel guard is all smashed up. Phoenix confronts her with this, and another lock breaks. Viola points out that even if that is the case, Xin still paid for the operation which saved her life. Viola says he told her he paid for the operation because he cares for her. Phoenix disagrees, he says it was because of someone else. I present Bruto's profile again. The operation apparently cost one million dollars! With that, Viola's final lock breaks.

Viola says that the accident 4 months ago caused her to need the operation. When she woke up, she was told it was a simple procedure. Bruto forced Xin to pay for the operation, as he caused the accident. We talk about the cost. Viola says she wanted to believe Xin, but knew that it was about her grandfather. She starts crying! Viola gives us her medical papers from the operation, and leaves. Phoenix says he finds two things inexcusable: Poisoning, and betrayal. Related to Dahlia perhaps? Anyway, he discards the repair bill, and we depart looking for more clues.

In Tres Bien, we find Armstrong. Good, now we can ask him questions. Apparently, he's been waiting for us >_>. Uh-oh, Xin is here too. He says Armstrong won't say anything to us. Maya hides under the table again. Xin asks us to "hand it over". Phoenix asks what, and Xin replies the medical papers. Xin says he really doesn't care about Viola, and calls her "dumber then an eggplant" >_>. Odd choice. He also says it's sad how she thinks she has power due to being Bruto's daughter. Phoenix says that in court tomorrow, he'll expose what Xin did to get the one million used for the operation! Xin and Armstrong gang up on Phoenix and beat him up! Uh-oh. Xin tells Armstrong to "get a lighter". He also grabs the medical papers. This looks bad >_>. HOLD IT! Yes! Gumshoe arrives! Xin gets pissed off! Gumshoe tells us to get out of here while he holds him off! Phoenix and Maya make their escape! And the investigation scene ends.

Woah! That was actually a really awesome day of investigation! So much was uncovered, while it never really felt like it dragged on too much. Really looking forward to the upcoming court scene. Also, Gumshoe is a goddamn champion. I hope he's okay....

Also, what in the hell happened to that bottle!

Question Bank</b> - Why did nobody else see the killer in the restaurant? (Xin told Armstrong to shut it. Not sure about Kudo) - What was in the bottle we found in Armstrong's kitchen? (Seriously, where the crap has this bottle gotten to? - What was it doing in the kitchen? (See above) - Who poisoned Glen Elg? And what motive did they have? (Either one of Xin/Viola because he hadn't paid his debts, probably.)

- Where is the half-a-million dollar ticket now? (Godot had it in evidence) - Who was that weirdo who claimed to be Phoenix? And is he the killer? (Furio Tigre. Personally, I believe he did do it. If he ordered Viola to do it, it's the same thing, really.) - Where did this CD disappear to? (Armstrong didn't take it. Current bet is that the killer did) (Looks to be right, seeing as we found it in Xin's office. - What is the CD's relation to this case? (Virus created by Glen in order to pay off his debts.

Probably more questions that have come to light but I'm too lazy to make more.

Trial 2 Part 1
Defendant Lobby. Everyone discussing the case. Same old, same old. Phoenix worries about the fact they haven't solved a single part of the "giant mystery" from yesterday. Seems pretty clear to me, though. Maya tells Maggey to go to the defendants chair, and she does. Bet you Gumshoe shows up now. Really now, this game is just getting too predictable. He tells us to stop stressing Maggey out. Apparently he was watching through the doorway. Okay, Gumshoe, that's turning from "Awww" to "creepy" >_>. Ah! Finally! Gumshoe gives me the bottle! About damn time this showed up! Give us the goods! Also, for some reason, I still have Gumshoe's lunchbox >_>. It medication, apparently. Oh wow! It's ear medication! Topical use only! This is the prescription medicine Glen received before he died. What in the damn was it doing in the kitchen, though? Strange. Damn, they didn't manage to get any prints off the bottle, though. Gumshoe says if they had another hour, it might have worked. Hopefully we can stall for enough time to get the prints analyzed. With that done, we head into the courtroom.

January 8, 10:00AM District Court, Courtroom No. 4</b>

Huh? Godot made a ready statement. That doesn't usually happen! The Judge and Godot recap the events of yesterdays trial. Interesting, we get a new photo of Glen, holding the cup with his left and and with the radio in his left ear. Is Kudo telling the truth? Maya remarks on all the contradictions in this case. Godot says he's solved it all! He claims Kudo was intentionally trying to mislead us yesterday, and he says he has proof. The Judge calls the first witness.

Oh god, it's Armstrong. NONONONONONONONO! DO NOT WANT! Argh >_>. Judge asks if he is a woman. He replies no, and Judge is shocked into silence. Godot asks him if he was in the kitchen on the day of the murder. Armstrong doesn't directly answer (He hits on Godot instead >_>), but we know he was. Anyway, he now begins testimony, "At Tres Bien". What? Armstrong says he was experimenting with new decorations that day, including a giant mirror between the tables. He claims that Kudo saw everything in reverse as a result. This is crap, he just made that up now! Anyway, we start the cross-examination. I press every statement. First, I ask who the two customers in the restaurant He says they were Glen and Kudo. Phoenix asks why Armstrong didn't mention the redecorating before now. He avoids the question. He also says he was trying for a more "effeminate" look to his restaurant >_>. He says that there was a mirror between the tables, which he was originally intending to put on the ceiling, but he decided not to go through with it. I press harder. Phoenix points out that such a large mirror would not go unnoticed by anyone, yet there is no mention of the mirror in either Kudo or Maggey's testimonies. Godot Objects. He says there really was a mirror delivered to Tres Bien the day before the incident. That doesn't prove it was there at the time of the murder, though! Thankfully, Phoenix recognizes this. Pressing the next statement, Phoenix says he'd expect someone to know the difference between a reflection and a real object. Godot objects, saying just because something isn't normal doesn't make it impossible. Oh wow! Hahaha! He just called himself "The ungodly cool guy with the mask". Respect Points +1000000. Godot is awesome. Maya comments how "there has to be something" in Kudo's testimony we can use. The only possible thing is the vase, so I have to look for something along those lines. His final statement is about how Kudo would have seen everything in reverse, the cup, the earpiece... and the headset. That's interesting, because Glen really was wearing the eyepiece on his left. And as Armstrong just commented, he should have seen everything in reverse, not just a few things selectively. I try presenting Glen's profile on this statement. Yep it even says "Wore HMD over left eye". OBJECTION!

Phoenix points out that, if Kudo saw everything in the mirror, suddenly the HMD is on the wrong side. The Judge agrees, but Godot Objects. He claims we don't understand the way the witness thinks. He claims the more something makes an impression on him, the more he mistakes it in his mind. He claims the eyepiece is the most striking thing about Glen, therefore he mistook the side. Uh, this is crap. A) That's a crappy argument, B) He mistook what table the broken vase was on, and I'd hardly call that striking. Godot now asks Armstrong for more testify. What exactly did Kudo see in this "mirror". I like how we're completely ignoring the contradiction here >_>. What? Armstrong's testimony is completely ridiculous here. He's changed the location of where Kudo was sitting. He says it the only place he could have seen the victim, but that's crap: He can still see him from his initial seat, and not in the mirror to boot. Thankfully, I can refute Armstrong's claim of where he was sitting: Kudo broke the vase at the table he was sitting at, and the crime scene photo shows the table Armstrong claims Kudo was sitting at with an unbroken vase. I knew that vase would have relevance! Armstrong also claims he did not touch anything else at the scene after moving the mirror.

We move into the cross-examination. I present Kudo's testimony to "That was were the victim was sitting". Phoenix says there is a huge contradiction between Armstrong's testimony and Kudo's! Phoenix says it contradicts with this piece of evidence! I present the crime scene photo! Phoenix says it shows something that should not exist! He's clearly referring to the vase! The Judge asks us to clarify. I point to the vase. Phoenix proves that Kudo wasn't sitting at the table Armstrong claims he was! Godot points out how that is the only seat Kudo could've seen a reflection from. Phoenix says this is quite correct! Phoenix calls Armstrong a liar! Godot Objects, saying Armstrong cleaned up the vase while the police were getting to the scene. This is brap for two reasons: A) We were told yesterday the photo was taken immeadiately after the murder, and B) Armstrong said in his testimony he didn't touch anything other then the mirror. Phoenix points out the second reason, Godot gets flustered! He now says we have to offer an explaination for the original contradiction. This'll be a big one >_>. Phoenix claims he knows the reason why! I wish he'd share it with me >_>. I'm given three options.

Mr. Kudo made a mistake. The ear doctor made a mistake. The victim was a phony</b>

One and two are dumb, they don't make sense. But three has merit. the autopsy was vague, saying death was between 1:30 and 2:30PM. Normally when that happens, the time of death changes from what was the accepted belief. I go with three. Phoenix claims that what Kudo saw and what Maggey saw were different events! He says that someone was impersonating Mr. Elg! Two in one trial eh? Guess that explains where Xin got the idea from, I don't give him enough credit to come up with something like that himself. Godot grabs a coffe, takes a sip, does a spit-take. I love that, it'll never get old =D. Haha! Godot insults the Phoenix claims that what Kudo saw was a set-up! He says the whole scenario was set up so Kudo would see the waitress poisoning the coffee! Godot points out that the chef would've seen everything if this were the case. So what? Xin told him to shut it, I've repeated that enough times. Heck, he probably helped! Phoenix asks for new testimony from Armstrong, about what happened in the restaurant that day. The Judge agrees, and Armstrong testifies. Allegro music playing!

Glen arrived alone. Kudo arrived after him. No other customers. Became excited when he won the lottery. Poisoned five minutes afterward. No time for a impostor to act out the scene. Hmm, I'm guessing our contradiction will come out of the fact Glen was poisoned 5 minutes after winning the lottery. The numbers were drawn at 1:30PM, lasting for 10 minutes. That places the excitement at 1:40 and the death at 1:45. Kudo was told to leave immeadiately, took him 5 minutes to find a phone. That places the police callat 1:50. Problem: The call was actually at 2:25. That's a 35 minute discrepancy, more then enough time to act out a scene. I press the excitement statement. Armstrong didn't see him, as he was in the kitchen. But he heard him. However, he then goes on to describe Kudo and Maggey's reactions. They were in the kitchen with him too then? I doubt that >_>. I try the next statement. He calls himself a "multi-talented woman" >_>. Oh god, apparently he's the Claurice Armstrong whose poetry we found >_>. I don't understand Godot's argument when the last statement is pressed. I need to get Armstrong to say a time! Eh, I try presenting the radio flyer anyway. Maybe Phoenix will bring up the time argument on his own. I present it to the excitmemnt statement. Doesn't work. Grrr! I press the other statements. Nothing from the first, but I can ask more questions about the second one. Yes! "What time was it?" is one of the options! I what time Kudo arrived. Armstrong says he doesn't remember >_>. The Judge reminds Armstrong of the fact Kudo called it in around 2:25. Armstrongs says Kudo arrived about 20 minutes before the incident, so the victim therefore arrived between 2:00 and 2:10PM. Yes! We've got him now! If we can add this to the testimony, I can blast him with the fact the numbers would have been drawn by then. Hey, with all this time to grab a ticket, why didn't Armstrong grab the right one? Also, my clock says 2:10PM right now, what a coincidence. Anyway, the Judge adds it the record, Armstrong flirts with the Judge, and we move on. I present the flyer to the new statement. OBJECTION!

Phoenix brings out the evidence! He points out the radio show airs at 1:30, thus making it impossible for the victim to have found out he won after 2:00! We've ripped a hole in Armstrong's testimony! Phoenix says this proves his theory of two poisonings! The Judge agrees, but Godot Objects! He asks where was the real Glen Elg was during this performance. Phoenix says he was already dead. Godot apprently wanted us to say that. He now wants us to prove our theory: Where did the missing corpse get to? I say it was moved into the Kitchen, as Kudo wouldn't have had a chance to look in there. I'm asked to present evidence. Obviously the medication bottle is the way to go. It was found in the kitchen. It probably fell out of Glen's pocket or something when he was moved there. First, I'm asked where the body was hidden. I say inside Tres Bien. I'm asked to point to it on the plans. I say the Kitchen. Now I'm asked to prove it. I present the bottle! Armstrong says he's never seen it before. The Judge asks us where we found it, Phoenix says in the Tres Bien kitchen, and that it is the victim's ear medicine that was missing from the crime scene! Another spit-take! Phoenix accuses Armstrong of being an accomplice! The Judge asks Armstrong if he murder Glen, and Armstrong then says he could never do something like that. The hiding must be what Armstrong was referring to yesterday, the thing he wouldn't have done if he'd had a choice. Godot then explodes >_>. Also, Armstrong randomly says some Spanish >_>. Godot also asks if he did it, Armstrong repeats no. Armstrong is given the opportunity to make one final statement. So we get one last testimony.

"The Confession". He admits he hid the body in the kitchen. Someone forced him into it. He had to go along with it for a reason he could not refuse. However, he didn't kill Glen. The Judge asks who forced him. Armstrong won't say. Phoenix instead asks was Glen really alone? Armstrong admits there was another person! Phoenix says we have to get Armstrong to say the name of the real killer! Cross-examination starts. Obvious place to press is the vague "reason" statement. Armstrong calls himself a "young maiden" >_>. These female jokes are getting old now. Nothing comes off it, though. I try the statement before that. He won't tell us who the man is. I'm continually being prompted to throw evidence at him, so I may as well try. I present the Loan Contract to the "reason" statement. We bring up the issue of Armstrong's Phoenix says he couldn't refuse anything by this man! I present Xin's profile! Armstrong breaks down, and tells us everything. Xin was meeting Glen at the restaurant that day, to discuss the repayment of his loan. Phoenix says it's now beyond reasonable doubt it was Xin that forced him into this. The judge asks if Armstrong planted the evidence on Maggey's person. Armstrong claims he didn't. The Judge orders Godot to bring Xin in as a witness! The Judge is about to adjourn for the day, but Godot says he can have him here in 30 minutes! The judge grants Godot his request, so court is adjourned for a 30 minute recess! Things are getting tense!

Trial 2 Part 2
In the defendant lobby, Phoenix remarks how they have no evidence that what Armstrong just said is the truth, so Godot could turn this case around still. Gumshoe shows up. I hope he has that fingerprint result, it's been way more then an hour now. Gumshoe says that he's on edge as he has no job to do. He asks if Phoenix wants him to do something, before remarking he's going to jog down to the precinct. Tell him to get the fingerprints tested! Yes! Gumshoe brings up the suggestion. I ask him to check the prints on the bottle, and he heads off to the precinct. I bet the prints are Xin's, that should help us prove he was in the restaurant at the time of the murder. We now head back into the courtroom.

January 8, 1:56PM District Court, Courtroom No. 4</b>

Hopefully we can stall for time by accusing Xin on the whole impersonation of Phoenix from the last trial. Godot has brought Xin in to testify! He takes to the stand. Judge asks him to state his name and occupation, and he roars, scaring Maya under the bench. Gotta say that's kind of getting old too. Xin rants at people about being called to the stand. Phoenix says the Judge called him, and he hides under the desk >_>. Ok, that was a little funny. Godot starts talking to Furio (yeah I'm using the normal name now), and says he was the one who brought him here. Godot then asks him if he knows about the incident at Tres Bien. Furio says he has no idea. The Judge asks Furio to testify as to what he was doing on the day of the murder.

It's a very short testimony. Basically says he was doing Tender Lender business in December, and Violetta can back up his alibi. Hopefully she won't, due to what happened yesterday! Still convinced she is the fake waitress by the way. Furio says he "knoes how that guy in blue plays". He says he'll bill me $50000 for every irrellvant press I make, and that he'll kindl loan me the money. Yeah, whatever. Shut up. WHAT? The Judge imposes a pentaly system on me. SCREW YOU JUDGE. Ugh, with this restriction now hanging over my head, I begin cross-examination.

First, I press him on the issue of "business in December". He says it was written by his secretary on his calender, so that's what he was doing. The Judge comments that that's a rather sketchy alibi, and Furio growls him back under the bench. Phoenix says the issue is not what he did December, but December 3rd. I decide to press harder. I could be able to contradict new testimony with the Glen we found on Glen's desk. Phoenix asks him to clarify about... Objection! Godot butts in and says this is a dead end. Objection! Phoenix says it's crucial we establish an accurate alibi. The Judge agrees with Phoenix! Phoenix asks Furio if he was in his office on December 3rd. He says he was in his office all day, meeting with customers who wanted loans. But he also says he's never seen Glen before! Big mistake, he could have passed him off as one of the customers. Too late now, though. The statement is added to testimony, and I present the calender. OBJECTION!

Phoenix says that although Furio didn't know Glen, Glen apparently knew him. He points out how Glen had a note to "Meet with the Tiger" on December 3rd. Furio admits to it. He says Phoenix isn't actually that bad. He claims he was just "messin'" with us to see how good we were. However, Furio also says he was serious when he said he's never seen Glen before. Godot asks him to testify again, and the Judge agrees.

He's testifying about the victim. He repeats that he never met Glen Elg. He also says there was a guy with that name who wanted to borrow money from him, though. He says he set up a meeting with him at the offices of Tender Lender. However, Glen never showed up. He also says he's never been to Tres Bien. Lucky for him >_>. The Judge thinks his testimony is soild. We begin the cross-examination. I press a few statements, get more information. Thankfully I'm not penalized. The last one was interesting, he said he didn't put the poison in the coffee. How did he know about that if he never met him, or doesn't know about this case? Anyway, nothing comes of it. I keep pressing. Wright points out the date with Glen was to repay a debt, not borrow more. Furio shrugs this off with a "Yeah, whatever. Maybe youse right". This is getting nowhere, fast >_>. Haha, Case 3-1 reference on the press, when the judge talked about "witnesses eating evidence". That was good. Anyway, everything has been pressed, no new testimony. I look at the evidence. The MC Bomber CD seems a good place to start. According to Maggey, Glen had it on him, yet it was found at Furio's office. I present it to the "never been to Tres Bien" statement. Doesn't work. I try the statement before that. Also doesn't work. Looking through the evidence, I find the matches. Of course! I present those against the "Never been to Tres Bien" statement. It works.

I somehow get the feeling he'll blame it on Viola having been to Tres Bien. Phoenix presents the matches, and informs Furio they were found in his office. They advertise for Tres Bien. Furio gets mad that we looked around in his office. The Judge asks Furio to tell the truth. Furio growls him under the desk again. Furio now admits to being at Tres Bien on the day of the murder. Despite this, he says, he never met Glen. Godot requests another testimony. We get it.

It's about what happened at Tres Bien. Allegro music now! He says he was to meet Glen at the restaurant in the afternoon. We he opened the door, he saw Glen already slumped over the table, and no-one else in sight. he then says he heard cop sirens approaching, so he went back to his office. The Judge agrees with the testimony again >_>. Godot says he'll also give me a penalty for irrelevant presses again >_>. We start the cross-examination. I start by pressing the statement about cop sirens. Getting a time would be good here. No luck, I'm hit with a penalty >_>. I hate this. I press the first one. Glen wanted the meeting held at Tres Bien, but I also get another penalty >_>. I press the third one, no penalty! Fourth one also gives no penalty either, plus humourous Gumshoe antics as well. I press the last statement, two, and am gratefully rewarded with a penalty. Ok, so I'm guessing I have to present to either 3 or 4. Ah! No I don't, it's actually two. From the front door, Furio wouldn't have been able to see Glen slumped over, due to the blinds hiding each table. The floor plans prove this. I present them, and we move on.

Phoenix points out how the field of vision from the entrance is blocked by the blinds. Furio is sweating! We've got him on the ropes now! Phoenix says Furio saw the witness when he met with him. Godot Objects, pointing to Kudo's testimony the day before. Phoenix Objects back, pointing out how the Glen Kudo saw was a fake! Phoenix says that in order to have Kudo falsely testfy, the real killer posed as the victim in order to stage the entire scene! The Judge now demands we know who this "real killer" is. I present Furio's profile! Phoenix accuses him! Furio gets angry, Phoenix hides under the desk. Godot interjects. He wants to look back over Kudo's testimony. He points out how Kudo also saw the serving girl put powder into the cup. Haha, Phoenix objects, saying it was clever of Godot to attack his argument while he wasn't there. Godot sarcastically asks him if he found his pen >_>.

Phoenix says the waitress was part of the act staged by Furio as well. The Judge asks us who the waitress was, and I present Viola's profile. Furio says we're making a big mistake, and he asks us if we know who Viola's grandfather is. Phoenix points to Maggey's testimony from yesterday's investigation. Phoenix once more runs over the contradictions, his explaination, and accuses Furio of the murders. Furio says we missed one important detail! He says he couldn't have poisoned him. Godot asks for another testimony, and the Judge agrees.

"Ties to the victim". Furio loaned Glen cash. $100000 dollars. They were talking about his repayment, as December 3rd was the due date. Glen had no way to pay back the money. Furio was about to "flatten" him,when Glen started shouting that he'd won half a million bucks. Furio says it was the waitress who poisoned Glen, and that's that. The Judge says Furio loaned Glen only 50,000 dollars. Furio says the remainder came in through interest. Furio says that, because he got the half a million dollars in time, he had no reason to kill him. Phoenix thinks he needs to find his motive. Cross-examination.

First, I press the line about the repayment date. Furio says Glen was to repay the whole deal. He also says that Glen had been late with his repayment once. Phoenix asks how much he had to pay every month. Furio says 50 dollars >_>. Poor Glen, literally. Moving on, I press the remaining statements. We confirm Glen and Furio met around 1:40, as that's when Glen won the half a million. On the last statement, I get the opportunity to clarify some details. I ask what Maggey did. Testimony gets added. I press the new statement. I press the statement. Furio claims he was only there to get his loan back. The Judge asks me if I want the testimony amended. I say yes, as I can't see anything in it currently. He now says he had no other reason to kill Glen. May as well present MC Bomber. Success!

Phoenix says he doesn't believe Furio was only after the $100,000. Godot Objects in. He asks us to get to the point. Phoenix says he was after a lot more money then just Glen's loan! Phoenix points out that MC Bomber is worth several million dollars on the Black Market. Phoenix says Glen used his programming expertise as a bartering tool in order to get the loan approved. Godot says that Furio doesn't need to resort to murder in order to get a million doolars. Phoenix agrees, but says it would take time. Phoenix says he would have needed the money right away. The Judge asks us why Furio needed one million. I present the medical papers. What? Phoenix says the accident was 6 months ago! Viola told us it was 4! Phoenix is losing his memory... anyway. Phoenix points out the woman was injured in the accident, and required surgery that cost one million dollars. Phoenix says the payment was due in December, and paid in full! The Judge and Godot say that's a ridiculous sum, but Phoenix says Furio was forced to pay it: He had no choice, his life was on the line. The Judge asks why, and Phoenix replies it's because the woman was Viola Cadaverini. Godot twigs on the name. Phoenix says that Furio was forced to pay by Bruto, and he was so desperate he killed Glen to do it! Phoenix says Furio expected to get the CD at Tres Bien, but due to Glen's winning the lotery, he had no need to hand it over to Furio. This is what prompted him to poison Glen's cup, in order to take the CD. Phoenix says this is why Furio murdered him, and then reenacted the scene in order to implicate Maggey! godot says there's no way Armstrong could've been kept out of all this, and Phoenix replies he knew all about it! Furio forced him to be quiet because of his loan!

Furio then interrupts all of this. He says if he went to all of this effort, it would be quite obvious to anyone who did. Phoenix says that's why he added one final precaution! Godot asks us what this final precaution was. Uh-oh, I don't know whether to present the magazine or the fake badge. I go with the badge. Phoenix accuses Furio of impersonating him, and the Judge agrees, after thinking it over. Godot Objects in! He wants proof of this claim! He asks if the Judge would like to take to the witness stand. Furio asks us to forget the whole deal. Godot repeats his want for prove, and the Judge agrees with Godot this time. Godot points out that we don't have any conclusive evidence. C'mon, Gumshoe, those fingerprints would be good right about now... YES! HOLD IT resounds throughout the courtroom. Gumshoe has our evidence!

And suddenly we're out of the courtroom. What? Gumshoe tells us the results. They are Furio's prints! But I'm confused... how exactly does this implicate Furio on any of the charges? As the poisoner, or as the impersonator(s). It doesn't really say much. Phoenix pretty much says as much as well. Gumshoe takes it rather well. Maggey comes up and starts talking. Gumshoe runs away. Phoenix wishes there was some way to use this evidence. Things don't look good >_>.

January 8, 3:04PM District Court, Courtroom No. 4</b>

Longest. Trial. EVAR. Except maybe 1-5's last day, I seem to recall that going until beyond 5:00PM. Anyway, we back in court. And the Judge wants us to present our "decisive evidence". The Judge says he hopes the evidence will speak for itself. With no other alternative, I present the bottle we just got. Phoenix tells of how they found Furio's prints on the bottle. Hopefully we'll get some new testimony out of this... The Judge asks us how this is conclusive. Phoenix says how everything in the trial up until now has been phony, so he may as well fake some evidence. Yes! Awesome! I tell Furio the bottle contains Potassium Cyanide! Phoenix says that the bottle is full of it, and that this was the type of poison found in Glen's cup! Phoenix asks Furio to explain this. Furio calls our bluff. He tells us the cyanide bottle was brown, and made of glass. Haha! Now we've got him! Good thing it was this witness, that wouldn't have worked on anyone else >_>. Godot now looks unsettled. Phoenix brings out the real bottle, and Furio says that's definitely the cyanide bottle. But his prints aren't on that! Wow, Furio is dense. Phoenix explains to Furio that he shouldn't have possibly know what type of bottle the poison was in. Furio now realizes he's been backed into a corner. Phoenix calls Furio a phony. Now Furio explodes. He let's out a huge scream. In fact, it seems the lights broke. Oh god, now Furio's going to escape, isn't he >_>? Haha, Godot's visor glowing in the dark looks awesome. Nope, Furio's still here, thankfully. Godot apparently threw his 17th cup at Phoenix, too.

The Judge wraps up this case, he talks about rectifying the error made before, about how Maggey was found guilty. The Judge also calls Furio a "truly terrifying criminal", who almost got away with everything. Godot says those words apply quite well to Phoenix. What is Godot's story? I'm so curious. Anyway, the Judge gives his verdict. Maggey is Not Guilty! Court is adjourned.

Maggey thanks us for getting her off the hook. She says she feels she can forgive us for last month now. Phoenix points out again how that wasn't him. Maya she's Gumshoe in the doorway. Gumshoe tries to get away. Phoenix tells him to wait. Gumshoe and Maggey hold a very awkward conversation. Gumshoe says he knew Maggey was innocent, Maggey then ask why he didn't say so in his testimony. Gumshoe runs off again. Maya asks why Maggey is being so hard on him. Maggey still blames him for the testimony on Day 1. Maya tells Phoenix to try and convince her otherwise. Maggey thinks he doubt her, and that's why he didn't want to say anything. I present the lunchbox again. Maggey agrees to eat it this time. With that, and a few final words from Phoenix, the case ends.

CASE 3, Recipe for Turnabout: THE END

Thoughts
I'm honestly not sure which one was more convoluted, 3-2 or 3-3. But both were really good, and I'm looking forward to 3-4, and 3-5 all the more. Seriously, they have some pretty high standards to live up to.

Theory for next cases I've been thinking about what the next cases have to offer. Until 1-5 was added to the first game, all of the cases had ended on Case 4, which tied up the overall story arc for that game. This one, however,has two. This leads me to believe that one has epic Mia Fey case in the past (3-4), and one has epic Phoenix Wright case in the future (3-5). Of course, 3-4 will most likely be based around the Eight Months Ago event, which unfortunately means we'll lose (I'm a bit more convinced of this now that I'm seen the name of the case. "Turnabout Beginnings". It seems fitting for Mia's first trial.). If we're going to lose, the purpose of this case is probably to elaborate further on the backstory, and the unanswered questions left by 3-1, such as how Mia and Dahlia knew each other. Obviously, the events of that case will be directly effecting the case in the future, as for that case, I don't have as much to go on, but I've built up a theory....

Yeah, I got curious as to what ironic statement you guys were talking about. I don't really believe any of the minor characters from this case will be seen again outside of this one (Armstrong, Kudo, etc.) so whatever I said must have been related to one of the main characters. This is what I think it is:

''Haha, Godot says Maggey is "classy" for hiding the poison in coffee. He'd love Dahlia then, too >_>.''

I'm guessing that one of the mindblowing reveals in the next cases will be that Dahlia already knows someone in some way. I also think that this is related to why Godot seems to "hate" Phoenix and wants to see him go down. My theory is, that Dahlia and Godot are close for some reason, possibly related, and that Dahlia has told Godot about the "murderer" who got away with a crime because she was convicted for it. Godot's closing comments in that case seemed to prove this for me:

''The Judge also calls Furio a "truly terrifying criminal", who almost got away with everything. Godot says those words apply quite well to Phoenix.''

However, I don't think that Godot knows that Dahlia was the real murderer in that case. That, to me, explains the "ironic" portion of that statement quite well. He thinks he's getting rid of a criminal who poisoned a lawyer, but he's actually helping one. I don't doubt Dahlia's return at all, to be honest. She told Mia at the end of the first case that "I have a very long memory", and of course, she had all that time in prison to think of a plan to ruin Mia. However, she's dead now. So ruining her disciple, Phoenix, seems like a decent compromise. after all, he was also partially responsible for her conviction.

So yeah, that's basically my current theory as of right now. This will be tested when I play the case, so I'll find out soon enough!

CASE 4: Turnabout Beginnings
We begin on a bridge. One person is holding a gun at another person, who is holding a girl. The women tells the guy to let the girl go. He threatens to shoot her, but she says he won't get the chance. A single shot is fired, and someone falls in to the river. Argh, who was it! Phoenix is apparently reading up on this old case file. It was Mia's first case. Score one to Random! We get to see the data. The defendant was Terry Fawles. He looks like a criminal. He was charged with kidnapping and murder, and received the death penalty. There's confirmation we don't win this case >_>. Apparently, he escaped custody, and then murdered one Sergeant Valerie Hawthorne. Ah-ha! This is why Dahlia had a grudge against Mia. She was defending the man who killed her... I'm assuming mother. Phoenix mentions that Fawles was a death row inmate. Explains why he wasn't hesistant to murder Valerie. He also points out that this case happened a whole year before 3-1.

Part 1
We begin in the defendant lobby. Damn, no investigation scene? This must be why you guys were saying this one is so short. Mia's a nervous wreck. She gets startled when Fawles walks up to us. His inmate number is 073D. I'm noting this because I think it will be important. On that note, I check the court record. Not much, just the Attorney's Badge and an autopsy report. The report says that Valerie was stabbed with a knife in the back, and she died from blood loss between 4 and 5PM. I hate these vague death times. Anyway, let's listen to what Fawles has to say. He's ranting about how he "din't kill nobody". Nice confession, double negative. Mia asks Fawles why he escaped. He freaks out. This conversation is irritating >_>. Ah, this is interesting. Fawles states that he was falsely accused and given the death penalty. "That women" lied in her testimony. Oh man, who was it? So curious. Mia mentions that the murder happened 8 hours after Terry escaped from custody. Another important point hopefully. Fawles says that Valerie was the reason he was able to escape. An interesting fact.

Realizing I forgot to look at the profiles before, I do this now. Fawles' is boring, but Valerie's has an interesting fact: She was the key witness in the case where Fawles got convicted 5 years ago. The prosecution will say this is his motive, surely. On that note, who is the prosecution? Young Godot perhaps? Young Manfred or Franziska? Actually, it can't be Frannie, she should be in Germany at this point. Young Edgeworth? I'm not sure where he is. Maybe it's even someone completely new, but that would be lame. Fawles insists that Valerie was alive when he left her. Someone arrives. Is this young Godot? He looks the same, just without the mask and his hair is a different colour. Mia asks the newcomer why he's here. Oh man, it is Godot. that smile and head angle can't be mistaken. So hold on, what is Godot's connection to Mia? Mia asks where Grossberg is. He says he's probably still asleep. How would young Godot know Grossberg? Grossberg is a defense attorney, and Godot is... not. Although he did say 3-2 was his first prosecution case. This is so mysterious and we haven't even entered the courtroom yet! WHAT! Godot identifies himself as Diego Armando! BUT YOU DIED! 4 months from now! ARGH WHAT WHAT SO CONFUSING! PLOT TWIST!

Diego is an attorney at Grossberg Law Offices. The "finest" attorney to boot. Guess that's where he got his court experience from, both Gumshoe and Phoenix mentioned he certainly wasn't a rookie in court. Armando congratulates Mia on taking this case. Godot... Diego mentions the prosecutor is also a first-timer in this case. Hey, that reminds me, I get to cross-examine Larry here, if that hint in 3-2 is to be believed. Hopefully that increases the chances of it being young Miles! In fact, that makes sense, Miles should be starting his prosecutor career about now. Manfred has been prosecuting for a good 20 years now, and young Godot is standing in front of me. Process of elimination says young Miles! Please me true... Armando hints it's a he, and he's a law "genius"! Please please please.... Godot says it's time to enter the courtroom, so we go in. Mia lastly comments that she took this case because she believes Fawles is telling the truth. In we go!

February 16, 10:00AM District Court, Courtroom No. 4</b>

Haha, we have the other judge from 3-2, the one that was proceeding the DeMasque trial for Luke Atmey. YES! It's Young Edgeworth! WOO! Best Game Ever! Haha, "The prosecution has been ready for a while, Your Honor". Of course! He's still in his jerk phase, as he hasn't met Phoenix yet. The Judge comments on how both lawyers are newbies. Miles joined the Prosecutors office at age 20, apparently. I think I'm heard that somewhere else. Ha, Diego apparently already has the incessant coffee habit. On a related note, his profile describes him as "My senior and rival at the office. A bit smug". Hmmm. The facts of this case are recapped. Oh damn, I just remembered, Miles had a perfect win record until the day he met Phoenix in 1-2. Yep, we're definitely losing >_>. One more thing; BOLD PREDICTION: Fawles really is innocent of this crime, and the one that put him on Death Row. I say this one, because Miles did mention once after Phoenix beat him that he wondered how many innocents he'd put away. The previous one because the whole "That women lied" thing seems like serious foreshadowing. GoDiegot calls Mia "Kitten" a lot. Hey, that amalgamation name I just made up has God in it. Go figure.

Anyway, Edgeworth gives an opening statement. Hey! In 1-2 Edgeworth comment on how Phoenix used his mentor's tactic of press every little statement. This is how he knew that! Okay, focusing on the trial now and not the past... err, future. Miles recaps the case from 5 years ago. Along with kidnapping and murder, extortion is now added to his list of charges. Apparently, he threw a 14 year old girl of a bridge. The bridge we saw in the intro? Hang on, I was under the impression that was this trial. Was the bridge the one from 5 years ago? I'm confused. Apparently, there was no decisive evidence in the case 5 years ago. However, the case was brought to a close by a certain witness testimony. Valerie's obviously. Yep, however, Valerie is also called a detective here. Okay, so I'm guessing the bridge was 5 years ago, and this is 6 years before the present. 11 years ago then. She arrested him on the scene, and testified that he threw the 14 year old into the river. Who was this girl? I have a feeling that's important. Edgy also says the body was never recovered, due to the powerful currents in Eagle River. Edgeworth lastly points out how that very same witness is the victim in this case. The Judge hurries toward a Guilty verdict, but Mia stops him >_>. Edgeworth does the finger waggle =D. Awesome. Edgeworth calls his first witness. It's the dectective who was in charge of the inital investigation. Gumshoe...?

YES! It's Gumshoe! And he's wearing a different coat, too. It'd be awesome if he was rich here. Anyway, Gumshoe says he got promoted to detective six months ago. Haha, Gumshoe has a crush on Mia >_>. Dammit, I should have presented Mia's profile to Gumshoe somewhere earlier. Edgeworth tells Gumshoe to "pull yourself together and try to be professional", or he'll write up up on contempt. Ah, it all begins here... ANYWAY FOCUSING: Gumshoe tells us about the incident. First, re caps who the victim is and how she died. The Judge wants further details. Gumshoe brings out a map of the area. Somehow I get the feeling I'll be seeing a lot of this >_>. The bridge is called Dusky Bridge, and it's a suspension bridge. Wait, so the bridge is this case? And not 5 years ago? Or did they both occur on the same bridge? AH I'M SO CONFUSED GIVE ME A STRAIGHT ANSWER. According to Gumshoe, the victim and defendant were meeting on top of the bridge. Gumshoe says after Fawles stabbed Valerie, he dragged her over to his car. He was then recaptured at a police checkpoint after. "well then". That looks pretty damning to me. However, no traces of blood were found on the bridge. Gumshoe attributes this to the "thick coat" Valerie was wearing, but that's crap >_>. Blood would still be found. What evidence do they have then that Valerie was stabbed on the bridge? The Judge says the same thing. He also says he despises conjecture. Yikes, lucky Phoenix hasn't yet been in a court he presided over>_>. He asks Edgeworth to come up with proof. Edgeworth says the coming testimony will be most convincing.

Gumshoe says Valerie was phoned during the day, and the caller asked to meet with her. Valerie then went to the bridge at the specified time and met with Fawles. The rest of his testimony is then a repeat of what he said earlier while showing us the map. Hmmm, that doesn't seem very convincing to me. The Judge now asks us to "Hurry up with the cross-examination". Lousy Judge, he's already siding with the prosecution >_>. GoDiegot offers some... interesting words of encouragement. The cross-examination starts. Obviously, I'm going to press the parts relating to the bridge, as the rest of it seems like rock-solid fact. I press the first statement. Mia says they have no idea who the unknown person could be. Gumshoe says he has proof! Valerie left a note about her call with the defendant. The note is added to the Court Record. Ah! This note mentions Dahlia! Valerie wrote this note at 1:21PM on the day of the incident, and according to this, met with Fawles at 4:30PM. Damn, that's right in the middle of the estimated time of death range. Though what is this "truth" Valerie is requesting Dahlia hear? Argh, there's so much more to this case then what's just on the surface. I can feel it! The last interesting bit is the "wear white scarf for identification." That'll be crucial. I'm guessing the scarf disappears somewhere along the line. Apparently Edgeworth set that trap for Mia to stumble into. Sneaky rat! Manfred taught him well, it seems.

Pressing the next statement, Mia asks why that particular choice of meeting place. Gumshoe says it's because the place is important to the defendant. Edgeworth says it's because the case 5 years ago happened there. Okay, so it was both. Finally >_>. Next statement: Was the victim's body discovered right away? Gumshoe says yes, and that Fawles was found within an hour of the murder. That would be roughly 5:30PM, then. Diego brings up the fact that she told no-one about the phone call, and Mia queries why that would be. Was that note really a suicide note? Another press. Both Fawles and Valerie drove to the bridge by car. Fawles' car was stolen. Gumshoe gives us a photo of the stolen cars trunk. We can see Valerie's body in there. The Judge remarks that it looks uncomfortable >_>. A new piece of testimony is added. It's about the trunk photo. Press Press Press. She asks what the defendant said about the photo. We get to see Fawles repeating what he said earlier. Pressing the final statement, Mia remarks on the police work. Gumshoe mentions it was actually really close. The checkpoint was set up just after 5:00PM. Mia asks why it was close, and Edgeworth says it's because they met at 4:30, and it takes 30 minutes to get to the checkpoint. So they just barely caught him. And that's all the presses. I'm guessing I have to present to the new statement, it says as much in the sentence. I remember the scarf, and yep, the photo has no scarf. So I present the letter. OBJECTION!

Mia comes flying out of the gate, guns blazing. Witness! ...silence. Apparently, she blanked on what to say >_>. The Judge yells at her for a bit, and Godot offers a coffee candy. He remarks she's too young to be drinking real coffee >_>. Mia explains how the note contradicts the photo. Gumshoe says the scarf wasn't found in the trunk. Mia asks why the didn't look for it. Miles is being badass! He brings out the scarf in question. Edgeworth says he found it on Dusky Bridge. As the first on scene, he found it in his inital investigation. I suddenly have doubts as to the authenticity of this evidence >_>. Edgeworth mentions how the safest place he knows for evidence is in his satchel. GoDiegot comments on the "flair" Edgeworth has. Guess that explains the brooch incident in 3-2! Edgeworth also mentions how it was raining at the bridge that day, and that's why the scarf is muddy. The scarf is added to evidence. Edgeworth now requests we move on with the testimony. He says he will describe what happened on the bridge, with hard evidence. Forged evidence, too, perhaps?

Gumshoe mentions an eyewitness to the events! The witness took a photo "accidentally". How does that happen? The photo shows Valerie wearing the scarf, but all we can see of Fawles is the prison strips. BOLD PREDICTION: That's not Fawles. Whoever killed Valerie staged it to set up Fawles. After all, if he was so driven for revenge against Valerie, how exactly does he forget her face? The killer then dressed up as Fawles, possibly knocking him out and taking his uniform. He then killed Valerie and stuff her in his car, leaving Fawles to wake up and take the blame. Awww yeah. Back to the testimony. Gumshoe says Fawles shoved he from behind and stabbed her (How? They're facing each other) and that's when the scarf fell off. Edgeworth mentions the bridge is 40 feet above Eagle River. The Judge asks who took the photo. Edgeworth calls them a "well-intentioned third party". Gumshoe says they're not in court today because they did not want to testify. Yeah, this witness is the killer >_>. The person in question is "very delicate". Not Dahlia again I hope! Edgeworth also refers to the witness as a "her". I'm getting worried here >_>. Edgeworth says that Fawles had clear motive and opportuniity. The Judge rushes to the verdict again, but Mia demands a cross-examination.

-I press the eyewitness statement. I want to know who this was. Gumshoe says she's a college student. Gumshoe says she doesn't do well in front of others, that's why he's testifying in her place. Edgeworth objects. He says the matter of the witness is irrelevant, as the prosecution has other, more decisive evidence. Edgeworth says that in order to hear her testimony, we need to give a good reason. Hmmm... Pressing the next statement, Mia asks what the witness was doing in the mountains. Apparently, she was taking photos of flora. I ask about the defendant pushing Valerie from behind, and we establish that comes from the witnesses' testimony. GoDiegot advises us to look at the Court Record here. Guess I must have been right about the whole facing each other thing. But while I'm here, I may as well press the final statement. The witness claims there was a struggle between the victim and defendant. I now present. But it doesn't work. Oops >_>. Haha, we get new penalty text for a different Judge. Anyway, now I attempt the trunk photo. Valerie doesn't look wet, yet if she was pushed down during a light drizzle, she should be. That one works.

Mia asks for confirmation on the drizzle issue. Gumshoe says the it was a "generally soggy atomsphere". Mia says that something isn't right with this photo. Edgeworth says nothing. The Judge asks us what's wrong. I point to the victims coat. The Judge sees nothing wrong. Mia points out the issue. Edgeworth asks us to prove the surface of the bridge was muddy. Obvious thing to me is their footprints. They walk on muddy ground, and take it with them to the bridge. But no, I have to present evidence. Oh, the scarf. Duh. Edgeworth claims he found it on the bridge. Edgeworth takes a hit! But he bouces back with an Objection! Edgeworth admits that, while the is a contradiction, the real issue is why there is one. Edgeworth wants a explaination for this contradiction. GoDiegot disagrees. He says that all contradictions are simply lies. He says in this case, it's either the victim in thr trunk, the photo of the crime scene, or the witness's testimony. GoDiegot accuses Edgeworth of presenting false evidence to the court. I say the false evidence is the witness's testimony! Mia now points out the "pushed from behind" contradiction. Mia requests that the witness now be brought into the courtroom. Edgeworth tells us to "brace ourselves for the brutal truth". The witness is now called into the courtroom.

THey're really putting off showing this witness. Here goes...! It is! It's Dahlia! Just like before, everyone is believing her unconditionally. HUH? She calls herself Melissa Foster. LIAR! Your name is Dahlia... is it? Who's to say she wasn't lying about that too? After all, she could have assumed the identity after this case. ARGH MORE MYSTERIES! She does, however, say she is a freshman in the Literature department. That matches up with before... after. Though it does raise the issue of why a Literature student was photographing flowers. So, Diego, how does it feel to meet your killer. Despite the fact you are alive, somehow. Oh god unanswered questions >_>. Anyway, Edgeworth asks if she was there when the crime occured, and Mia asks if she took the photo. She spazzes out for some reason, and the Judge threatens a penalty. I can already tell this will not go well for us. Dahlia asks for Mia's name, and she gives it to her. Dahlia says "I see. ...so you are". And the Judge then cuts her off. Dammit! Why'd you do that? I get the impression Dahlia knew of Mia before this case even! The Judge asks Dahlia for her testimony.

Yay pressing statements is fun. Mia asks why Dahlia was there. She says to see the spring flowers. Mia points out it's not spring. However, the Judge goes on a random tangent and this fact is overlooked. Next, Mia asks if there was anything suspicious about the two people on the bridge. Dahlia says they looked like they were having a serious conversation, so she decided to overhear their conversation. Judge randomly tangents again. Next, Mia asks if she knows why they started fighting. She says no, and starts crying. No penalty however. Next up, the photo statement. Mia asks why she took a photo. Dahlia says it's because she wanted to be a news reporter >_>. Cue tangent from the Judge. Last one, Mia queries the police call. Edgeworth points out how the police were already dispatched due to the note left on the desk. All presses done, I present the photo against "crucial moment". Done and done.

Mia points out that two people standing and looking at each other isn't a "crucial moment". However, two people fighting is. Mia asks if she took a photo of the fight. Edgeworth says that was the only photo. Dahlia says all the film in the camera was used up! Edgeworth says that is true, and that all the other photos were of Dalia herself. Mia asks who took those, and she mentions a timer feature built into the camera. Hmmm, update camera in the record please? No luck. Dahlia is now going to testify about the fight she saw. Same testimony, just a few statements are different. I press "The victim turned around and tried to run". Mia asks why the victim would have wanted to do that. She says as a cop, she would know turning your back on an assailant isn't smart. Edgeworth points out that a man like Terry with a knife is a scary sight. Other statement: "Only got 10 yards before being stabbed". She says it's because the bridge was narrow, and swaying, causing them to be in danger of falling. Mia says something seems of, and GoDiegot agrees. I present the bridge map to the statement. The broken part would imply Valerie wasn't able to get far, as I believe the markers Gumshoe used before placed her closer to that side. Yay, success!

Mia calls this testimony a joke. She claims it's because of how short the testimony was, yet it contained two contradictions. Mia points out how Valerie couldn't have gotten far thanks to the collapsed portion of the bridge. Hmmm, I wonder, was GoDiegot the defense in the earlier bridge case? Mia accuses Dahlia of lying. Edgeworth Objects! Let me guess, the map is out of date? Edgeworth apologizes for the confusion caused by the mistake in the diagram. He says the diagram was made after the incident occured, because there are no official blueprints of it. He says there's therefore no prove the bridge was broken like that at the time. GoDiegot makes a compliment about Edgeworths plan. He now says he will establish once and for all what the witness saw. Dahlia thus gives another testimony.

"Running from the Crime Scene". After stabbing her in the back, Fawles picked her up in his arms, and carried her over to the car. Dahlia said this way he could make sure the body was hidden, as he couldn't just leave it on the bridge. Diego says if this testimony is accepted, our case is lost. With that noted, we begin cross-examination.

Pressing pressing pressing pressing. Mia asks about the victim falling down on the bridge. Dahlia says she might have. Edgeworth says she obviously didn't fall, and we proved that. Dahlia now says of course she didn't fall. Damn you Edgeworth! We almost had her in a lie then! Mia asks if anything strange happened when he took the body to the car. Dahlia says that's when the victims scarf fell off. Mia asks if the defendant carried the body all by himself. Dahlia says yes. Mia queries if it was possible on an old bridge about to collapse. Edgeworth Objects and tells her to shut it. The Judge asks if we have an alternative explaination. Dahlia said that was the "only" way to ensure the body was hidden. However, he could simply have tossed it off the bridge! Edgeworth himself said the body of the 14 year old was...

Oh god, 14 year old. Dahlia's profile said she was 19, and the event happened 5 years ago. No way. No way no way no way oh my god. If that happens to be correct, then... woah.

Anyway, what to press to prove my theory? Putting the issue on hold for a second, I press the remaining statements. Mia asks why he had to hide the body. A desolate, isolated bridge on a mountain already seems like a good hiding place. Dahlia says that, however, the mountain is popular with hikers. There is also a temple with a channeling Dojo there (Alarm bells! Maya said she was going to a channeling dojo in 3-2!). Edgeworth says, therefore, the body could have been found at any time. Mia finally asks if Dahlia is sure it was the defendant. She says he was wearing a prisoners uniform, but she didn't see his face. All statements pressed. Now, what to present? I go for the map on the "only wa" statement. Another success!

Mia says she can understand a killer not wanting his victim found, however, she says she still finds it odd that he moved the body like that. She says that's because there was a much easier way to dispose of the body. Edgeworth is silent. Mia prompts everyone to take another look at the map. Mia reminds the court about Edgeworths statement that bodies are usually not recovered from the river, and says it would have been much easier for Fawles to just throw the body off the bridge!. Ah! When Mia points out how the body from 5 years ago was never found, Dahlia gave a start! I think I'm right! The Judge admits we have a valid point! Dahlia looks unsettled! Edgeworth goes off and counters our claim again! He says that regardless of the possible courses of action, the fact remains the body was found in the trunk. He says our argument is irrelevant. The Judge agrees with him. Oh c'mon! If the body was found when it could have been so easily disposed of, isn't it obvious this was a set-up? Edgeworth asks Dahlia to continue testimony.

Same testimony again, but Allegro music now! New statement: "The killer broke into the trunk of the stolen car and hid the body in there." Interesting, how did she know the car was stolen? I press the statement. Mia asks what the killer did then. Dahlia says he got in the car and tried to escape. That's when Dahlia ran away in order to call the police. Grrr, I need to find something to present to the new statement. Hey, the camera description was updated after all. Ah! The map! According to where Dahlia was supposed to be standing, she couldn't have seen the car! OBJECTION!

Mia points out that Dahlia has made a "crucial mistake". Mia asks her to confirm that she saw the killer placing the body in the trunk. Dahlia says she did! Mia asks her to take one more look at the diagram. She points out that the cliff is in the way. Mia says she couldn't possibly have seen the car. Edgeworth Objects! He says the rock isn't large enough to have obscured her vision! That's a lie, as Dahlia testified she was surrounded by tall cliffs! Mia says she doesn't believe Edgeworth. She presents the photo. You can see the rocky outcrop to the left! It covers both the top and bottom of the photo! We've got her backed into a corner now! Edgeworth Objects! He says the fact that Fawles fled in a car was reported on the news. He says that, after witnessing the murder herself, Dahlia convinced herself she saw it. That's crap, getting desperate now, Edgeworth? Mia Objects straight back! She says Dahlia was specifically told a number of times to testify only on what she saw! Dahlia then talks to the Judge. She claims she remembered things wrong! Mia says she can't simply get away with that! Edgeworth Objects in, and says no one in the world is perfect.

The Judge says he's going to give Dahlia another chance! GoDiegot says not to question it, as now is the time to move forward. He asks Dahlia how she knew he broke into the trunk! She says it's because there were marks on the trunk lid! Now how did she know that? She says they were scratch marks. The Judge looks at the photo of the trunk, and confirms he sees scratch marks. I thought it was some kind of emblem >_>. Mia questions whether there are any other contradictions. I say I don't buy it! Mia asks when Dahlia was able to see the scratches! She testified she was in a field of flowers, and thus shouldn't have been able to see them! Mia says there is only one possible explanation! I say it's because Dahlia put the corpse there herself! Dahlia says she couldn't have done it! She claims it was Fawles! Mia says that can't be true, as if Fawles hid the body, he wouldn't have needed to break the trunk open, as he had the keys. Dahlia points out the car was stolen, and Mia says as it was stolen while waiting for a red light, the keys were left in the ignition!

Mia says that thanks to Dahlia talking about the scratches, they've now uncovered the truth. Fawles didn't put the body in the car! Edgeworth Objects! Edgeworth says if the witness was at the car, how do we explain the photo? Obviously, it's the timer function! I present the camera! Mia points out the camera and tripod could have taken the photo! Edgeworth Objects again! He asks us if we're accusing the witness of lying about being in the field! Mia says she is! DieGodot (Better name in my opinion. Actually, maybe not. "Die Godot", doesn't sound very nice) says this is a crucial point. Where was Dahlia when the crime occured? We have to answer this question. I point to the car! Mia points out how she had to hide the body before Fawles returned!

Edgeworth Objects! Music stops. Uh-oh. Edgeworth wants to ask us a question. He says that if Dahlia really did put Valerie in the trunk at that point, that would mean she was already dead. Edgeworth then points out that in the photo, the victim is alive. Did Dahlia impersonate the victim? What? I get a penalty. LAME! Okay, I have to point again. I say she was where the victim was! The Judge is shocked! Mia explains. After the killer left the victim on the bridge, he immediately fled by car. This means there was no time to put the victim in the trunk. This means that the body was already in the trunk before the defendant met the victim! Edgeworth Objects yet again! He says that Fawles obviously met with the victim. He says that the only one with the opportunity to hide the body in the trunk would be Fawles! Mia Objects right back! Mia says that by the time the photo was taken, the victim was already dead! This means the person in the photo was not Valerie Hawthorne! Counter-Objection! Edgeworth says if tat's the case, then who is the victim? Uh, didn't we just say it was Dahlia >_>? Mia says it was Dahlia, saying it's the only possible explaination. She says that as it was raining and foggy, Fawles couldn't tell it wasn't Valerie. Edgeworth Objects, saying that Fawles knew Valerie well! Here's where the scarf comes in! Mia Objects back, pointing out that after spending 5 years in prison, he couldn't remember what she looked like! Edgeworth asks us for proof! I present the scarf! Mia says Fawles asked Valerie to wear it because he had forgotten her Mia says Dahlia was able to imitate Valerie by wearing the scarf! Mia asks Dahlia to explain herself! She faints >_>. How anti-climatic.

Mia says it's obvious that Dahlia did it, but Diegodot questions why she did it. Without a motive, we don't have a case >_>. Mia says it's because shes the "true criminal". That's nice, Mia, but it won't hold up as a motive >_>. The Judge calls a recess on the court while Dahlia recuperates.

Part 2
In the lobby, Mia talks to Fawles. She's still terrified of him. Fawles says thanks for defending him. Mia says that once we prove Dahlia committed the crime, he'll be in the clear. Diegodot says theres one more big obstacle we have to get past before we get to that point. Motive. We have no idea why Dahlia would have wanted to kill Valerie. I'll bet it's related to the case from 5 years ago. Diegodot says we need more information. He says the best place to start would be information on Dahlia (Although he actually says Melissa, you know what I mean). He also says we need to get more information on the case from 5 years ago. Mia asks Fawles to tell us about it. Fawles agrees to tell us! He says he trusts Mia.

He says the bridge looks the same as it did back then, ready to fall apart at any moment. Mia notes this means the bridge has been broken for at least 5 years. Fawles admits to kidnapping the girl. He says he kidnapped his girlfriend, Dahlia Hawthorne! WHOAMG WTF PLOT TWIST! Diegodot catches the relevance of "Hawthorne"! He says Dahlia Hawthorne was Valerie's little sister! So, does this mean it really was Dahlia that Terry kidnapped? I don't think so, Dahlia's profile has been added to the court record, labelled as deceased (And on a side note, Fawles' age is recorded as 25. That would mean a 20 year old was going with a 14 year old >_>). But hang on! Valerie's note requested that someone talk to Dahlia and tell her the truth! So that must mean she is alive! The question is, is it the Dahlia we know or not? Given that Mia didn't question anything when Dahlia identified herself at the other trial, I'm going to guess it comes to light that Melissa is Dahlia. Hmmm... I'm still not convinced. Plus it seems like the perfect PW plot twist. Have Melissa unmasked as Dahlia, only to find that she's actually someone else entirely. But who?

Back to Fawles' story. The video is replayed. Apparently, the bridge really was broken 5 years ago. Something new happens! We get an overhead shot of the bridge. Mia repeats that the detective in that incident was Valerie Hawthorne. Mia says she now understands why Valerie shot at Fawles on that bridge. Fawles says she's wrong. According to him, Valerie betrayed both of them! Mia asks what he means. He says everything was a lie. Including the kidnapping. Fawles says he would do anything Dahlia said. He says the "kidnapping" back then was planned by him and Dahlia... and Valerie. Dahlia's family was apparently rich. Fawles and Dahlia wrote a kidnap note to her father, asking for a 2 million dollar diamond. The exchange was to be made on Dusky Bridge. The requested that Valerie make the transfer. In the end, they planned to split the 2 million in three ways, but that's when Valerie shot him! Fawles was hit in the arm, and that's when Dahlia jumped in the river! Fawles apparently blacked out at that point, and woke up when the police got there. Fawles was then given the death sentence when Valerie testified against him, that he threw Dahlia into the river.

Fawles says that after all this time, he still doesn't know why Valerie did it. Diegodot says that's why Fawles called Valerie. He wanted to know the truth. Fawles admitted that he had forgotten her face, and that's why he asked her to wear the scarf. But he says he never wanted to hurt her, just ask why she did it. Diegodot asks for clarification on one more thing. He asks where the 2 million dollar diamond is. He says he doesn't know where it is. He claims Dahlia put it in a backpack she was wearing, and it went with her when she fell into the river.

The bailiff calls us into court, but Mia asks one more question. She asks if the diamond is still missing, along with Dahlia's body. He says yes, the body was never found. Diegodot suspects foul play. She got out of the situation with a 2 million dollar diamond, having staged the kidnapping and jumping into the river. I wish Mia would ask about the conversation.. oh wait, Fawles didn't meet with the real Valerie. Then what did the fake one say? I'm so confused. Somehow, the diamond is added to the Court Record. Diegodot says another of his rules. With that, we enter the courtroom again.

February 16, 1:49PM District Court, Courtroom No. 4</b>

Back in court. The Judge asks if Dahlia (I don't know who she is anymore >_>) is feeling better. She replies she is. Edgeworth attacks our morality for trying to get Dahlia convicted. He says she is merely an innocent bystander, and asks Mia what possible reason she could have had for murdering Valerie. The Judge asks us if we have any evidence for a motive. Mia says "Yes, of course!". Uh-oh >_>. Oh wow! Diegodot tells Mia that "A lawyer is someone who smiles no matter how bad it gets." That's the mantra Mia always recited to Phoenix! Man, this is just making me all the more curious as to why the hell he's a prosecutor in the future. Not to mention how he's still alive >_>. Dahlia asks the Judge for permission to speak. Dahlia tells him she's not the criminal. The Judge believes it without a second thought. The Judge allows Dahlia to give new testimony.

"Melissa Foster's History". She was out of the country until 2 years ago. She claims she'd never even been to Eagle Mountain until she entered college. She also says she had no reason to harm Valerie. However, she claims Fawles is a horrible monster, for murdering over a 5 year old grudge and kidnapping an innocent 14 year old. Edgeworth confirms she was out of the country until 2 years ago, and reaffirms the fact she has no motive. Cross-examination begins. Pressy pressy pressy. Mia asks what country Dahlia was in. She says they were all living abroad, but after her parents were killed, she had to come home alone. Edgeworth says they were killed in a civil war. She says she didn't even make it back with any identification. I press harder. Mia asks again. What country was she in? Edgeworth Objects. He says this line of questioning is irrelevant. He says the actual point of this cross-examination is to establish Dahlia's relevance to the case. Dahlia says that, as she was living abroad, she couldn't possibly have known either Fawles or Valerie. The Judge asks for that statement to be added into testimony.

I press the new statement. Mia asks if she is certain she didn't know either of them. She says it's true, and that she's rather shy around The Judge asks if the first time she saw either of them was on the bridge. Dahlia says that's true. Mia asks what prompted Dahlia to go to Eagle Mountain. Dahlia replies that she loves being outdoors. Mia says that Eagle Mountain is a two hour drive, no trains go there, and that there are plenty of closer mountains. Dahlia says she went there once with the college Hiking Club. Mia asks Dahlia for the name of her college. Edgeworth Objects in, and refuses to let us ask that question. Pressing the motive statement, Mia says that Dahlia's behaviour that day was suspicious! She says that not only has she contradcted herself, but she also knows something she shouldn't, namely, the scratches on the car. Edgeworth Objects again. Finger Waggle. He says that statement proves nothing. He says that Dahlia came down to the police department to identify the victim and that it's possible she saw the photo then. It's "possible"? Then goddamn prove it! I have to do it all the time! Unfortunately, the Judge buys the story >_>.

We now discuss Fawles' motive. Dahlia remarks that he seems very forgetful. Mia asks for clarification, and Dahlia says she was referring to the fact that he forgot Valerie's face. I press harder, and Mia asks what she meant by that statement. Dahlia says that he needed the scarf to identify Valerie. She says that if she happened to wear a white scarf, he might have tried to kill her. I request that the statement be added to testimony. I press the new statement. Dahlia points out that it's February, and that everyone is wearing scarves, so she was lucky in that sense. Diegodot says some spiel about "knowing when to not talk". Pressing the final statement, Mia asks how she knew about the incident 5 years ago. She says she saw it on a news report. We recap that she was out of the country when the event happened. Time to look for a contradiction! Totally lost on something to look for, though. Hmm, I have to connect her to this case, somehow. Sadly, I can't think of anything, however, when I randomly present the note against the scarf statement, it works, so hooray!

Mia says it's true that Fawles asked Valerie to wear a white scarf. However Mia questions how Dahlia knew about that, given that it was a secret piece of evidence. Uh, didn't we show it in court just before, when she was in here? The Judge asks Edgeworth if he showed Dahlia the letter. Edgeworth says he never gave anyone permission to do that. Mia says that the only way Dahlia would then know about the scarf is... Dahlia interrupts! She says she doesn't know about the note, but she knew about the scarf because she witnesses that incident. She says that when the killer walked over to the victim, she used her scarf to signal to him. She says that's why she assumed the scarf was a signal. Liar! Foggy conditions, remember? The Judge says it makes sense >_>. Mia disagrees! I have to present evidence that shows that is impossible. Witness photo seems good. Er, that didn't work >_>. Map didn't work either. Hmmm. I try the scarf. It was pointed out during the testimony that it wasn't actually white. That seems to work.

Mia says she couldn't have known that the scarf was white from asking to see that. Mia says she knew the contents of the note! The Judge asks Edgeworth for an explanation. Mia says that, along with the victim and defendant, there was one more person who knew the contents of the note. Diegodot asks us if we've figured it out. I haven't >_>. Mia seems quite confident, however. I try the Dahlia Hawthorne profile. She's mentioned in the note, after all. It works! Mia says that Dahlia would have known, as she was mentioned in the note. Edgeworth says we're desperate, if we're trying to bring the dead back to life. Then why is she mentioned in the note then, wiseguy?! Edgeworth explains that Dahlia supposedly died at the bridge 5 years ago. Mia Objects, querying whether she was really killed. She points out that no body was ever found. Edgeworth Objects, saying Dahlia was declared legally dead 5 years ago. Mia Objects back! She says that doesn't change the fact no body was ever found. She says that Dahlia would be 19 this year, if she were still alive, and points out thats how old "Melissa" is. Mia accuses Dahlia of being... well, Dahlia! Diegodot says we now have to tie all the loose ends together, or else my accusation will mean nothing. The Judge asks Dahlia to confirm this. Edgeworth tells her not to say any more! She agrees. The Judge demands an explanation from Edgeworth. Edgeworth says he has an admission to make. He says they make full background checks on all their witnesses. He introduces the witness as Dahlia Hawthorne!

Mia asks why she hid her identity. Edgeworth replies that has nothing to do with this case. Edgeworth says she's still just an accidental witness. Mia Objects, saying she doesn't belive that for a second. Edgeworth Objects right back, accusing us of trying to win at any cost, while trying to pin the murder on her. An apt description of yourself, Edgeworth. Anyway, Edgeworth says we must be insane to suggest that Dahlia killed her own sister. The Judge agrees with Edgeworth again. He asks Mia for evidence that Dahlia would try to kill her sister. Diegodot announces that we have evidence to support our claim. Edgeworth Objects again. He says he's sick of our empty threats. The Judge asks us for this evidence. The diamond seems like the best option to go with here, so I try that! Oops, no dice. Next I try the note. That works much better.

Mia says the story begins with Fawles' escape. She says that Valerie Hawthorne tried to give Dahlia a warning with the note. She says that Dahlia didn't want this "whole truth" mentioned in the note to be revealed. Mia says this was because of a secret between Dahlia and Valerie, a secret that Dahlia wanted kept hidden. This is why she killed her! Edgeworth Objects again! Edgeworth asks what this secret is, and I'm asked to present evidence. Mia asks the Judge for further testimony, about the kidnapping 5 years ago. The Judge agrees to this request, and Dahlia testifies.

"5 years ago". Dahlia was kidnapped 5 years ago by Fawles. The ransom price was the diamond, which Valerie brought to the bridge. After she made the exchange, she shot Fawles in the arm. She says that's when Fawles tried to kill her by shoving her into the river. She survived, but was worried she'd be kidnapped again for money, so she kept her identity hidden for 5 years. Testimony ends. Edgeworth says that after the kidnapping, Dahlia was emotionally scarred, so he sister helped her start her new life. Edgeworth says this proves Dahlia did not murder Valerie! The Judge asks us to be kind to Dahlia during this cross-examination, and Diegodot reminds us of the fact the kidnapping was staged. With all the pieces now in play, the cross-examination begins!

I press the first statement. Dahlia claims that Fawles was her tutor. I find that incredibly hard to believe >_>. Next we talk about the diamond. Mia tells the court about how it's priced at 2 million dollars. Edgeworth says that it was Fawles who demanded Valerie bring the diamond. Mia asks Edgeworth why Fawles wanted to make the exchange at Dusky Bridge. She says it would be easy to be surrounded. Edgeworth says a kidnapped wants to prevent police involvement most of all, and that it would be easy for Fawles to tell if he was being followed on that mountain. He says that as there was only one entrance to the mountain, it guranteed his safety. That doesn't make sense to me, but okay >_>. Mia asks for more details about when Fawles pushed her. He says after Fawles was shot in the right arm, she tried to run away, but Fawles grabbed her as he went past, grinned at her, then pushed her in. She also mentions she was pushed from behind. Mia comments that shooting was a dangerous thing to do with a hostage being held. Dahlia says that's what saved her. Fawles was holding a knife in his right hand, and she was sure he was going to use it to kill her. Diegodot comments on how we have to prove the kidnapping was a hoax. We really have no way to prove that other then what Fawles told us. So that's bad >_>. Again, I can't think of anything, so I turn it in for the night.

Part 3
Presented things randomly until I got it. Bridge Map on "pushed from behind" statement. Seemed like a plausible Objection for reasons I couldn't quite word. Thankfully Mia has me covered. She says it's impossible for Fawles to have pushed her in to the river. Mia claims that if Dahlia had been pushed from behind as she claims, she would have fallen on a rocky outcrpping, not the river, thus maing it impossible for Fawles to have pushed her.

(On a different note, I prefered my original Objection. Note to the "threw away my identity and started a new life" statement. The note clearly say to "Talk to Dahlia." Dahlia said that only her sister knew she was Dahlia, but the note seems to indicate at least one other person knows.)

Edgeworth, naturally, Objects to this. He says that the water level may have been higher back then. Mia Objects back, saying it's 40 from the bridge to the river, therefore a small change in water level would make no difference. The Judge asks Dahlia for an explaination. Edgeworth Objects in again! He says that while Dahlia testified that Fawles pushed her, she never said she fell from that end of the bridge! Edgeworth says that if she fell off of the side, she would have fallen into the river! The Judge asks Dahlia for confirmation of Edgeworth's theory. Dahlia says it's true! That women is such a liar >_>. Mia Objects in. She claims to have found a new contradiction. She says it's impossible for Fawles to have pushed her off of the side, as well! I'm guessing it's the Witness's Photo. Those wires would make it hard to fall off of the side. TAKE THAT! Mia points out how the wires make it impossible to be pushed off of the side! Edgeworth Objects! He says that given the size and strength of Fawles, he could have simply picked her up and thrown her over! That's not what Dahlia testified though!

(You know, now that I think about it, am I seriously supposed to believe that the witness's supposedly dead sister just happened to witness her murder. I don't buy that. Especially given she swore that the time she saw the two on the bridge was the first time she'd ever seen them.)

Mia Objects! She says that Fawles had just been shot in the arm, whch would make lifting a bit difficult! An excellent point! Edgeworth looks rather flustered now! Mia accuses Dahlia of jumping into Eagle River intentionally! Furio's roar randomly resounds throughout the court! Edgeworth asks what Mia means by such a ridiculous remark. She says the witness had a "compelling reason" to jump into the river! Edgeworth asks us what this reason could possibly be. I present the diamond! Mia points out that it was the diamond that disappeared along with Dahlia 5 years ago. Dahlia has moved to her evil look! Edgeworth Objects again! He repeats his belief Mia's claim is ridiculous, pointing out that Dahlia was only 14 then! He says he doesn't believe a 14 year old would be capable of such a plan. Mia now announces that Valerie was a part of this staged kidnapping! Edgeworth Objects! He then asks if Mia believes what she just said >_>. Mia says she does, however she thinks that this fact "weighed heavily" on Valerie's conscience. Mia says that after receiving the phone call from Fawles, Valerie told Dahlia what she was planning on doing. Mia says that this prompted Dahlia into killing Valerie, and framing Fawles for it, thus eliminating both of her kidnap accomplices!

Silence in the courtroom. Dahlia breaks it with laughter. She quite literally yells at Mia. Wow O_O anger issues. She asks if we have the evidence necessary to back up our theory. Uh-oh, this must be where we lose >_>. She also asks what happened to the 2 million dollar diamond. Well obviously, she sold it >_>. Dahlia says Mia is a joke, and yells her name again. She has a real obsession with "MS. FEY" >_>.

The Judge says he is going to end the proceedings in the absence of any evidence from the defense. Dahlia seems pleased. The screen focuses on Mia and her thoughts, while the background goes black. Cue Maya channeling Mi... oh wate. Well cue something that helps our case, anyway. Yep, Diegodot butts in at that moment. He says in the absence of evdence, there's always testimony, and Dahlia is the only other person whi can testify about Valerie's murder. Obviously, Fawles is the only one left. I present his profile. Mia wants to summon him as a witness! She says Terry is the only other person who can testify as to the events on the bridge. Edgeworth allows Fawles to testify! Ok, here we go...!

Fawles is on the stand. The Judge asks if he has heard everything up to this point. Fawles says yes, but he doesn't believe it. He seems convinced Dahlia died 5 years ago. Mia says that Dahlia only used him to get to the 2 million dollars. Fawles still refuses to believe it. The Judge asks Fawles who he met on the bridge two days ago. Fawles questions if Dahlia betrayed him as well. Dahlia points out that her life is in his hands. Man, she is such a manipulative ****. Terry starts to testify.

"Who Terry Fawles Saw". That day, Fawles stopped the car at 4PM in front of the bridge. She wasn't there, so he waited. He says he watched the car from the bridge the whole time. Eventually, a women came, and stood in front of him. He says they talked briefly, then she left. He says it was Valerie, not Dahlia! Mia accuses Fawles of covering for Dahlia, she asks him to tell the truth! Edgeworth Objects back. He says the testimony is fine. We move to the cross-examination. Press Press Press. Mia questions why Fawles arrived so early. No response. Mia asks Fawles why he was watching the car. He points out there was nothing else to do. Mia isn't convinced by that answer. Mia asks Fawles if he's certain he met Valerie. He says yes, he remembered her face. Mia points out that he asked her to wear a scarf because he couldn't remember her. He still says he was absolutely sure it was Valerie. Mia asks what Fawles and the women spoke about. He says she sad "Someone needed to take the blame, that was all I could think to do". Fawles believes that's why Valerie betrayed her. Uh-oh, now he says he's not even sure whether he didn't push Dahlia in. Mia now asks how Fawles is so sure that it was Valerie. He still says he's sure. Damn >_>. Anyway, contradiction. Mia thought it was in the car statement, so I look there. He watched the car from the bridge, and he didn't put a body in the car. Well obviously a body was put in the car, but the photo of the body in the trunk doesn't work. I try the witnesses photo. That one works.

Oh, of course! Mia points out that if he was the first on the bridge, he would be closer to the broken part. But the photo shows "Valerie" as being closer. Mia claims Fawles is lying, and Edgeworth wants to hear our reasoning. Mia points out the position discrepancy, and says that the victim must have arrived first. Therefore, Fawles must be lying. Mia again asks Fawles to tell the truth. He repeats that he got there at 4PM. However, he had to go to a "special place". He's talking about the temple near the bridge. Apparently, it's 15 minutes from the bridge. He also says Dahlia brought him a memento of their love. He says that he hid it at the base of a tree 5 years ago. WHAT! Oh man, it's the necklace from the first trial! Woah, didn't see that one coming, Dahlia really is a *****. Although it's interesting, Mia didn't show any hint of recognition from seeing the bottle in 3-1. Furthmore, didn't we establish the temple is on the broken bridge side? Confusion.

Mia now points out that Fawles' car was unattended for the 30 minutes he was collecting the necklace. She says that would be plenty of time to hide the body! OH MY GOD! Fawles just drank the poison from the bottle! CRAP CRAP CRAP! He said Dahlia told him if they ever couldn't trust each other any more, they were supposed to drink from the bottle. Fool! Do you seriously believe Dahlia would have gone through with that! Oh man, Edgeworth calls for a halt to the trial. Fawles last words are thanking Diegodot for the coffee >_>. He then collapses.

Fade to grey. Mia talks about the aftermath of the case. No winners, and both left with a scar. Dahlia, however, got away with her murder scott-free. Diegodot calls Dahlia an evil witch. Mia blames herself for Fawles' death, but Diegodot tells her not to be so hard on herself. Diegodot breaks his cup. Wow. Mia says no matter how bad the memories, they all fade away eventually.

Cut back to Phoenix. Phoenix talks about how, a year later, he too got caught up in "that case". Phoenix says that when Dahlia was pronounced Guilty in that trial, it was all over... or so he thought. Phoenix says that something has now happened that has brought back these memories. With that, the case ends.

CASE 4: Turnabout Beginnings: THE END

Thoughts going into Case 5</b>

Oh wow oh wow oh wow oh wow oh wow oh wow....

CASE 5: Bridge to the Turnabout
Oh god we're going back to that bridge that's what prompted Phoenix to remember 3-1 and research 3-4 oh man the build-up.

Introduction was interesting. Prattled on about the sword from case 3-2 for a bit, held by the Ami Fey statue. Didn't Adrian say that that statue was from the training hall of a Fey branch family or something? So we're not going to the bridge? And then, the're a dead body underneath the sword for whatever reason! I thought Adrian said the sword wasn't sharp enough to damage! I am muchly intrigued!

Phoenix and Maya chat in the office. Maya and Pearl want to go on a "Spiritual Tour". Pearl gives Phoenix a magazine titled "Oh! Cult". Oh! Really?! >_> Maya wants to train at a place called "Hazakura Temple". Uh-oh, "It's way up in the mountains". This isn't the temple that was near the bridge is it? IS IT?! Maya calls it a "famous channeling dojo". It is! it was described as a channeling dojo in 3-4! Phoenix has to go with them as they need to go with someone over 20 years old, but he doesn't want to go because of the cold. Bu wait! Phoenix has spied something in the photo of Hazakura in the magazine. It's Dahlia! What is she doing at the temple?! She should be all locked up for killing whatshisface. The Pharmacology guy. Phoenix now says he'll go to the temple. Naturally, Pearls and Maya don't question his abut face AT ALL. Phoenix wants to go to be sure it's Dahlia at the temple. The magazine is added to the record.

We're now at Hazakura Temple. Someone comes up to talk to us. It looks like the other women from the photo. She thanks us for coming all the way out to the temple, and directs us inside. He name is Bikini, and she's the head nun at the temple. Bikini? Seriously....? She invites us to take a look around before supper begins. The move options are "Main Hall" and "Suspension Bridge". I don't want to go to the bridge >_>. I instead talk to Bikini about the channeling Dojo. She calls it a training area for spirit mediums, basically. Training while being surrounded by certain spiritual items supposedly boosts spiritual ability. Also, Maya will die of hypothermia. I ask about the other nun in the picture. Bikini identifies her as Iris! Just how many names does Dahlia go by? I'm becoming less and less convinced that Dahlia is in fact her real name. Apparently, she and Bikini run the temple together. Phoenix asks where Iris is right now. Bikini says she's in the Inner Temple right now, but she'll be back in the evening. Bikini advises us to look at the main hall while we wait, and since I don't want to go to the bridge, that seems like a good idea for now.

We run into someone else in the Main Hall. Pearls identifies her as Elise Deauxnim. Apparently, Pearls is her biggest fan. Elise is an author and illustrator of picture books. We chat a little bit. Elise apparently won an award for one of her picture books. She says she accepted an apprentice recently. He calls himself Laurice Deauxnim. Laurice....? Uh-oh, that's the pseudonym Armstrong used for when he wrote poetry. I have a bad feeling about this... >_>. Elise says Laurice is off doing landscape sketches. Pearls asks Elise why she is at Hazakura Temple. She replies she's gathering material for a new book she's reading. With that, Elise departs. She says she has to go help out with the preparations for dinner. Elises asks if Pearls wants to help, and she jumps at the chance. Maya offers too, but Elise declines her help. I wonder why? She tells her to explore the area with Phoenix. She also gives us a map of the area. Uh-oh, there's Dusky Bridge >_>. The Inner Temple is on the other side. Well, I guess if we have to go there, I'll have to go to the bridge. Pearls heads off, so Phoenix and Maya depart for the Inner Temple.

Bikini is no longer at the Main Temple gate. Phoenix suggests that she's helping Iris at the Inner Temple. I examine a snowmobile out the front, and we keep moving. To the bridge >_>. I'm scared. So is Phoenix. Apparently, he's no good with heights. Maya advises hurling himself of the edge to get him over his phobia >_>. I examine the letterbox next to it. Apparently, it's a public phone. This must be where Dahlia/Iris called the police 6 years ago. Also, Godot is filed under the Profiles again. Guess he's prosecuting this case, as well. They better explain this whole Diegodot thing in this case. It's all rather confusing. Examining other things, I find a sign which points to some stairs which lead to the base of the canyon. Interesting. I now move across the bridge to the Inner Temple Gate.

Phoenix is traumatized from the trip over. Well, guess we're stuck here for the time being then. Maya comments on how run-down this temple looks. I decide to take another look around before heading inside. Nothing of interest though, so I head in. Uh, why is there a prison cell in this temple? Bizarre. Someone comes up to talk to us. It's Iris. She recognizes Phoenix! Maya gets confused at the awkward silence. Maya introduces herself, then Iris runs away, claiming she needs to do some chores. I take this opportunity to poke around in here, too. The door to the cell is locked, and there's nothing but clothes in an old cabinet. However, examining the scroll gets a response from Maya! Apparently, it's her mother on the scroll. Maya says the crest at the top of the scroll indicates the Master of Kurain Village. Maya says that the last time she saw her mother was over 15 years ago. I wonder if she'll be seeing her soon! Will one of Random's bold predictions finally come true?! Maya says she doesn't recognize her mothers face. That's kind of sad really v_v. The scroll is added to evidence. Having examined the three main features of the room, I move back to the Main Hall.

We're stopped at the bridge. Phoenix is all freaked out from having to cross it again. Someone yells at us to wait. Oh god, it's Larry! WHAT IN THE DAMN IS HE DOING HERE?! He's wearing a weird outfit. It looks like he's an artist? He's holding one of those brushpads and there's paint all over his jumper. Ah, you just know Larry screwing up in some way is going to be crucial to this case, just like 1-4 and 3-2. Love ya Larry. Anyway, he sees Maya, and runs off in a rush. Phoenix calls him back. .... oh god, he identifies himself as Laurice Deauxnim. You. Have. To. Be. Kidding. Me. We stop and have a chat with him. Phoenix asks why he's calling him Deauxnim. He claims he wanted to start over again with a clean slate, after his screwup during the DeMasque case. He says when he read Elise's book, he felt like a new person. Is this completely serious >_>? He talks about Elise some. Larry has a photo of her he took in secret >_>. He gives us a copy because he just "happened to make extra prints" >_>. We ask Larry about the picture books he's illustrating. Phoenix doubts Larry has enough artistic skill to make a whole book. Uh-oh, Larry mentions some "other girl". 'll bet it's Iris. I show Larry her profile. Larry babbles about how much he likes Iris. Pearl shows up in the middle of his speech. She tells us that dinner is ready in the Main Hall. Pearl rushes off to tell Iris about dinner, and the rest of us move to the main hall.

The scene begins after the dinner. Pearls and Maya talk about her upcoming training. Bikini comes in and says she must go off and prepare. Elise wishes her luck, with an odd pause before she says "Maya". Iris is instructed to ring the bell at 10:00PM for lights out, then Iris is to join Bikini at the Training Hall. Elise invites Pearl to read her books with her, and Pearls leaps at the opportunity. Lastly, Larry says he's going to remain in his room for the night, as he doesn't like the cold. Pearls is helping wash the dishes and clean up before she visits Elise. I'm keeping track of everyones movements because I get the feeling the murder is happening tonight, and I feel this will be important in tracking the murderer's movements. With that, Phoenix is left alone in the Main Hall, so he heads off to his room as well.

Phoenix apparently gets up to use the bathroom at 9:12PM. He encounters Elise in the hallway, and she asks Phoenix if he's seen Pearl. Uh-oh, apparently, Pearl never showed up at Elise's room after dinner. She goes off to look for her. Phoenix then bumps into Iris. For some reason, her white robe is removed. Looks like she's dyed her her black. Phoenix tries to ask her some questions. He asks when she came to the temple. She says the temple has been her home ever since she was a small child. Liar! She also claims never to have left, or gone to the University. Iris says she has made a few trips to the nearby town, and that she knows how to use a computer and cell phone, as well. Hey, how come Iris looks exactly the same she did when Phoenix was on trial while Phoenix looked completely different? Also, I'm predicting Pearl comes along and finds Phoenix and Iris's SECRET RENDEZVOUS AT NIGHT. Phoenix asks her about the temple. Iris says she hates the concept of talking with dead people. That's rather weird given she lives at a place like this. It's kind like the whole Mimi Mimey thing from 2-2. Iris now says she has to go ring the bell for lights out. That was a quick almost-hour. Iris gives us her hood that she removed at the beginning of the conversation. How strange. She says it will "protect us from evil spirits". Phoenix asks Iris how she knew his name, as he never introduced himself. When Phoenix asks if they have met before, a monster Psyche-Lock appears! 5 locks! This must be how we get her to completely reverse her personality, ala Matt Enguarde style. Iris then rushes off to ring the bell.

And now the murder happens! Phoenix rushes out into the courtyard after hearing a scream. It's Elise! Phoenix steps on Bikini on her way to investigate. She claims she had passed out. She asks me to run down to the public pay phone at Dusky Bridge. I don't like this, being rushed from the crime scene. Again, reminds me too much of 2-2 when Morgan Fey chased us out of the room quickly. She claims if I don't hurry, Iris will.... Iris will what?! Argh!

Phoenix arrives at the phone at 11:18PM. Maya said from the Main Hall to the Bridge was roughly 20 minutes, but Phoenix was running, so we'll call it 15 minutes. That places the murder at around 11:05. Also, now that I think about it, what was the Ami Fey statue doing here? Is this the manor of the Fey Branch family Adrian mentioned? Does that mean Bikini is related to the Feys? Oh wow! Dusky Bridge is on fire! What the hell is going on here?! And Larry is sitting here smiling >_>. Phoenix informs Larry of the murder, and tells him to call the police while he continues to the Inner Temple. OH WOW OH WOW OH WOW! The bridge snaped when Phoenix ran over it! Phoenix fell into the river! NOOOOOO! PHOENIX!

Location unknown. What the hell the lower screen has changed again. Who is that? A phone is ringing. Edgeworth answers the phone?! What?! I'm Edgeworth! HOLY CRAP THIS IS AWESOME! It's the call from Larry. Haha, Edgey thinks Larry calling him is a nightmare. Larry tells Edgey that Phoenix's life is in danger, and tells him to meet him at the detention center. I'm sorry, I only absorbed the bare bones of that conversation because I'm still not over the fact I'M PLAYING AS EDGEWORTH! OH MY GOD WOW! Oh that's right, Edgeworth was out of the country, that was mentioned in 3-2. Looks like Larry's just hauled him back here.

It's now February 8th, the next day. 2:19PM. Larry hounds Edgeworth about being late. Larry sort of blithers about the situation before Edgeworth silences him. He says he stopped in at the hospital where Phoenix is one his way here, and heard the situation from him there. Elise has been murdered. She was found by Phoenix and Bikini. Iris is currently the main suspect. Then when Phoenix was crossing the bridge, it broke and he fell into the river. Oh man, the hospital says he's going to need two days of bed rest. What's going to happen to the trial then? That reminds me, I check the Court Record. I have all the evidence Phoenix got. Oh man, the description for the Magatama is just plain win. Haha, Edgeworth thought that Larry had been arrested. What? Larry wants Edgeworth to represent Iris in court, and Phoenix gave Edgeworth his badge. DOES THIS MEAN I GET TO BE EDGEWORTH IN COURT OH MAN THAT WOULD BE SO AWESOME! Haha, Larry asks not to be treated like a child "I did graduate from Junior High, you know". He says Edgeworth defending shouldn't be a problem, as "a paper badge had no trouble fooling an entire court before!" Haha, reading Edgeworth's thoughts is completely awesome. Larry asks Edgeworth to hear Iris's story before he decides to defend her.

They introduce themselves. Edgeworth says he's not sure what help he can be, but he will listen to her story. Iris asks about Phoenix's condition, and Edgeworth says he'll be okay. However, he's got a fever and is slipping in and out of consciousness. Aww, poor Phoenix! Edgeworth gets the impression he's met Iris before! He recognizes her from 3-4 obviously. Oh man, I'm actually playing as Edgeworth (Yes I'm still not over it). Haha, the text when I try and move is awesome. Anyway, I begin talking with Iris. He asks if he and Iris have ever met before. She says it must simply be his imagination, as she rarely leaves Hazakura Temple. Edgeworth asks what Hazakura Temple is. Iris tells him it's a training ground for spirit mediums. Edgeworth asks if spiritual power is the reason Iris was there too. She replies she doesn't have any spiritual powers, as she doesn't need them. Edgeworth asks why she was there then. She says she's repenting her sins. Interesting.

Edgeworth asks about the night of the crime. Iris says she helped clean up after dinner, then went to her room at 8:00. Afterward, she left her room to ring the lights out bell at 10. Edgeworth queries the issue of the bell. Iris says that after she rang the bell, she was supposed to go to the Training Hall, but she didn't. She claims it was because she was frightened, so she went to her room and meditated until the murder happened. Hmm, interesting, she didn't mention the conversation with Phoenix at all. I should try to present the hood then. But first, Edgeworth asks why she was frightened. Psyche-Lock time! Edgeworth gets a huge shock, haha. Edgeworth calls them "Psycholocks". Next, Edgeworth asks if she has any other ideas on what occured that night. She thinks it was a result of all the spiritual power being unleashed. Haha, Edgeworth: "I'm a man of science. I don't believe in 'spiritual power'". Damn, Edgey's cool. Edgeworth asks Iris directly if she killed Elise. Iris says no, she didn't take her life. Edgeworth comments on how he thinks he can believe that, as no Psycholocks are appaearing. He then chuckles at his hypocrisy. Goddamn I love Edgeworth.

Edgeworth thanks Iris for telling him what she knows. He also tells her about how Wright asked Edgeworth to defend Iris in tomorrows trial. I wonder why he wants to defend her? I guess if the trial is happening tomorrow, and Phoenix is bedridden for 2 days, then this trial will go on for 3 days so Phoenix can have some last-minute awesome courtroom antics. We haven't had a 3-day trial since the first game! Also, I just realized about how I was complaining about the lack of Edgeworth in this game in 3-2, and now I'm thrown inside his head. Oh writers, how you mock me. Edgeworth asks Iris one final question: Does she know Phoenix? She asks why Edgeworth would ask that. Iris asks if Edgeworthi is a friend of Phoenix. He says "Yes... in a sense". Oh Edgeworth. Iris admits to knowing him! She says that 5 years ago, she "deceived" him. She said she heard he was in a lot of pain after that. She tried to run away for that reason, so he wouldn't have to face the truth. Damn, she puts on a real convincing act. I want to believe her, but that evil glare from 3-1... that was her true nature then, I know it. Edgeworth says he believes Phoenix is still suffering, and urges her to tell him the truth. He says he'll defend her if she does this! OH MAN OH MY GOD I CAN'T WAIT! DO IT IRIS! YES! She agrees to his condition! Edgeworth thinks that now is the time to move to the crime scene, but first, I want to look at this Psyche-Lock. What the hell? Edgeworth's "Take That!" sucks =(. The first question I have to answer is "What frightened Iris so much she wouldn't leave her room?". I want to present Bikini's profile for fun, but it's not there, so I move to the crime scene instead.

Edgeworth arrives at Dusky Bridge. When someone calls him. It's Gumshoe! He says he's happy to see Edgeworth again. He says he specifically asked to take this case when he heard Edgeworth was back in the country. Edgeworth seems none to pleased at this. Gumshoe says he's here to give a report on the crime scene, but he's surprised Prosecutor Godot isn't here yet. Edgeworth doesn't seem to know who Godot is. I can now talk. Edgeworth asks Gumshoe about the case. Haha, Gusmhoe says he's missed Edgeworth's "Biting Sarcasm". According to Gumshoe, there's a witness who saw the crime. He says it's Bikini. Gumshoe says we should talk to her ourselves if we want specific details. Edgeworth now asks about the bridge. Gumshoe mentions how no-one can get over to the Inner Temple without the bridge, which is a problem, as Maya is still there. No-one will be able to reach the Inner Temple until tomorrow.

Edgeworth asks how the bridge burnt down, and Gumshoe claims it was lightning. I ask for more details. Gumshoe says last night was the first time snow fell in the area for 3 days, and even though it's not usual for lightning to occur in those conditions, the weather report confirms it. I examine this report. The lightning occured from around 10 to 11PM, and the bridge was struck at 10:45. 30 minutes passed until the fire went out. That's about 11:15, a few minutes before Phoenix broke the bridge. Odd. Edgeworth asks how the report is so detailed. he says the bit about the bridge being struck was taken from the witness's testimony. Edgeworth asks who the witness is that saw the bridge get struck, and Gumshoe says he doesn't know. Lastly, Edgeworth asks about Prosecutor Godot. He claims he's never heard of him. Gumshoe says that's because he showed up right after Edgeworth left the country. Gumshoe says he's the lead prosecutor on this case, because "You know who" is in the middle of it all". Just like usual, then. Edgeworth asks who "You know who" is, and Gumshoe explains Godot's strange dislike of Phoenix. That's another thing they have to explain soon. Edgeworth asks why he has a grudge. Gumshoe doesn't know. Edgeworth makes a mental note to look into Godot on his own time. I now move to the Main Gate.

Larry is here. He yells at Larry for a bit, and Edgeworth laments returning. Gumshoe catches up to us, and tells us to wait up. He asks why the argument. Gumshoe calls Larry stupid for saying Edgeworth is a defense attorney. Larry repeats his conviction that Iris is innocent, and Edgeworth says he'll do whatever he can to secure an acquittal... until he can return the case to Phoenix. Haha, go Edgey. So I start talking to Larry. We start talking about Iris first. Larry comments on how cute she is. Now Edgeworth is concerned about his belief of her innocence. Larry confirms this, and Edgeworth again regrets returning. We ask about the night of the crime. Edgeworth asks where he was and what he was doing when the crime occurred. Larry goes silent. Larry freaks out. Edgeworth asks again, and some Psycholocks appear! 3 of them, this time. I present the photo of Elise, to try and see if I can get him to talk about her. No luck. I present a number of profiles, with humourous dialect, but no changes. So what the hell, I present the Magatama.

Larry breaks down under Edgeworth's glare, and tells the story. He was sleeping until around 10, when it started thundering. Then, a bright white flash occurred, then he simpy saw the bridge on fire. Edgeworth asks where Larry was when he saw that. He claims he was in his own room by the Main Hall. According to the map, that's impossible, as there are cliffs in the way. Oh god Edgeworth's Take That sucks ;_;. Edgeworth points out his contradiction, and one lock breaks. He still refuses to talk about his location, though. I have to point out where Larry saw the lightning strike from. I try with where Phoenix met him. Doesn't work. Neither does the Inner Temple. I move into the Main Hall.

Hey, I just realized. Did we ever find Pearl? Elise went off looking for her, and then she was murdered, so I assume she wasn't able to find her. Strange. Anyway, I find Bikini and Gumshoe in the Main Hall. Edgeworth claims to be looking for a women in a bikini. Oh god, this innuendo talk is disturbing. Is she really a nun? Gumshoe clarifies the issue, and Edgeworth threatens him with another pay cut. Bikinin asks about Iris, but Edgeworth first wants to hear what she knows about the murder. He asks about the night of the crime. She talks about how she took Maya over to the Inner Temple after dinner. She says they left at approximately 9:00PM. She says the training lasts all night long, and the Head Nun must be in attendance at all times. Then how is she on this side of the broken bridge then? Edgeworth asks how she came to be in the courtyard at 11:00 if she was supposed to be at the Inner Temple. She doesn't answer. I ask about what she saw. She says she saw two people. One of them was lying on the ground, and the other person stabbed her in the back with the sword. Edgeworth asks if she saw who the criminal was, and she replies it was Iris. Haha, Gumshoe comes up with a rather odd analogy. She says after that, she screamed and passed out. That must be when Wright came onto the scene.

I ask why she returned to the courtyard. She says it was because of her bad lower back. She wanted to take a warm bath to ease her pain. And in order to not leave Maya unattended, she ordered Iris to go to the Inner Temple instead. Unfortunately, Iris never went. Edgeworth is curious as to whether she even saw Iris that night. Lastly, I ask about the acolyte in training. She confirms it's Maya. She also says they never started the training last night. Ha, she also mentions Pearl! She says she hasn't been seen since last night. Uh-oh, I'm worried about her now.If I had to guess, I'd say she snuck over the bridge to meet Maya, but then it burned down and she couldn't get back. I present Pearls profile to try and get more information. Gumshoe says she wasn't at her house when they checked, and she's nowhere around the temple either. I present Iris's profile. She says she did see Iris there when she left the Inner Temple last night. She says she met her after 10, just after she rang the bell. Uh-oh, this story doesn't match up with Iris's. Maya then began the training after she saw Iris. Does this mean the Iris she met was an impostor? Uh-oh, the plot thickens! I present the Scroll, and get some good information. Misty has been missing for 20 years, and she intended to pass on the title of Master to her daughter. Bikini also confirms that she is a part of the Fey Branch family, so that explains the statue. I can't seem to get anything new from Bikini, so I move to the courtyard.

Gumshoe asks if we're really going to defend Iris, and Edgeworth says he will, as he doesn't go back on his word. Gumshoe says he has to be careful not to leak the prosecution's investigation to him. Edgeworth tells him not to worry about it, and we begin talking. That was humorous. First, we talk about the victim. Gumshoe tells Edgeworth it's the famous picture book writer Elise Deauxnim. He also mentions that her past, up until winning the writing award, is a complete mystery. Intriguing! Gumshoe gives us the autopsy report. Time of death is somewhere between 10 and 11PM. Cause was due to blood loss from the stab in the back. Gumshoe also mentioned how Elise was covered in bruises consistent with falling from the height of a two-story building. Interesting, didn't Edgey mention Wright was all bruised up from his fall, too? Edgeworth comments that the room beside them is two stories in height, and it also contains the room Elise was staying in.

Edgeworth asks Gumshoe for a summary of what we know so far. It basically recaps the events as per Bikini's testimony. Ah! I just realized why Iris was frightened. In 3-1, she said she was afraid of thunderstorms! Guess I'll be able to go break that Psycholock later. I ask about this Inner Temple. Gumshoe says it's an old building on the other side of the bridge. It's the only thing out there, and it's surrounded by cliffs, so you can't get to it any other way. Edgeworth hopes Maya is okay. There's something you wouldn't hear outside of his head >_>. Also, when can we go visit Phoenix in the hospital? I now ask about the trial tomorrow. Edgeworth wants to know who the prosecutor is. Gumshoe talks about how it's supposed to be Godot, but no-one can find him, so they need a replacement! How interesting, I wonder where he could be? Gumshoe also mentions how he's requested that another Judge preside over the case, as our favourite Judge would likely recognize Edgeworth as a prosecutor. Edgeworth comments that because he's only met this Judge once, it's likely he won't remember him. Does this mean we get 3-4 judge? Gumshoe asks about the prosecutors though, as surely all the people from the Prosecutors Office know him. Edgeworth says not to worry, as he's arranged for a prosecutor of his choosing to appear. Interesting again!

I now examine the crime scene. Gumshoe talks about the murder weapon. The victims blood is all over it, and Iris's prints are all over the hilt of the blade. Haha, Edgeworth says he understands Phoenix's position now. Haha! Poor Gumshoe can't afford to pay his electricity bill. Awww, how sad. Well, there doesn't appear to be anything else of relevance here, so I go off searching for other clues.

Larry has disappeared from the Main Gate. Grrr, now I can't break his lock. Edgeworth comments on having to look for him. ... hang on. The snowmobile from earlier has had all it's snow brushed off it. Did someone use it last night? I examine it, but it doesn't get added to the record. Hmm, moving on. Dammit, Iris is in questioning, so I can't break hers, either. Humourous Edgeworth-Gumshoe dialog ensues. I try presenting all the evidence to Gumshoe in the courtyard. Damn, I could do this all day. Honourable Mention to presenting Iris's profile. "Do I really inspire such frothing desire from the female masses?!" hahaha. One interesting mention, though. Gumshoe mentions that they don't know Elise's real name. Does that mean Elise was some sort of author pseudonym, and she was trying to hide her identity? Anyway, presenting everything revealed nothing new, so I move to investigate the Main Hall, as I never did that earlier.