Chapter Text
Turnabout Jurassic: Day 1 — Investigation
[14 June, 2012, Los Tokyangeles
District Attorney's Office, Entrance
08:57 A.M.]
Hands sweaty, knees shaking, eyesight fading…
To say Lana was worried and anxious to meet the God of Prosecutors was an understatement, she was absolutely petrified at the prospect—and yet she was here, at the entrance, waiting for a man akin to God Himself.
The door opens.
Out comes… Winston Payne. A respectable prosecutor, she's sure of that fact, however she was not looking for the so-called “Rookie Killer”, and she frankly found his cocky demeanor annoying. Perhaps one day some rookie would hand his ass to him… perhaps one day…
…
— Prosecutor Skye. — A deep, yet raspy, voice commands.
Lana would've just about jumped up to the ceiling if she didn't have more self control. Mentally coming back to reality, she finds an intimidating man in front of her.
She breathes, before smiling, not a natural smile unfortunately: — Prosecutor von Karma, — She offers a handshake, — It's a pleasure to meet the man behind the name. —
She could've said something more flattering, couldn't she have? Or should she have said something less flattering? Was she being a bootlicker? Oh-
— I see you've decided to take me up on my offer, — von Karma’s voice once again brings Lana back to reality, — You will not regret this. —
— Yes, Prosecutor von Karma, — She nodded, — I'm ecstatic to work with your daughter. —
Ecstatic is a strong word.
Speaking of which…
— Where… is your daughter, at the moment?
— Why, she's right here. — Manfred puts a hand on a much shorter shoulder as Lana looks down…
What the fuck?
— Good morning, ma’am, — A young girl, much smaller than she had expected and who couldn't have been younger than 13 said, — I am Franziska von Karma. —
Franziska extended a handshake, which was accepted by Lana. She had a frightfully strong grip, it kind of hurt Lana a bit.
— Well then. Good morning, Ms. von Karma, — Lana said, — I must say, with your accomplishments, I expected you to be much older. —
— It is in the von Karma blood to become prodigies at a young age… — A cocky smile creeped onto Manfred’s face, — Franziska is no exception. —
— I’ve begun prosecuting in Germany in April of this year.
Lana couldn't help but wonder what kind of kangaroo court in Germany allowed a 13 year old to prosecute, however she kept that to herself.
— And so you wish to hone your skills in American law, too? — Despite the absurdity of talking to a little girl as if she were a prosecuting attorney… well, she is a prosecuting attorney, and deserves the same amount of respect she gives her colleagues
— That is correct, yes. — She nodded, arms crossed and eyes closed.
— Prosecutor Skye, — The God of Prosecutors chimed in, — During this case, Franziska is to be your co-counsel. Guide her through the steps of proper investigation and courtroom behaviour. I trust you will be able to do this. —
— Yes, Prosecutor von Karma. — Lana nodded, before looking at Franziska.
Given her age, she reminded her of Ema, although Ema was much more expressive than the girl in front of her. Perhaps having class and dignity simply ran in the von Karma genes, too?
— I will be leaving now. Franziska is in your care, — The older of the von Karma’s stared her down, — I trust in your abilities. —
Lana simply nodded as Manfred von Karma walked off. The pressure in the room seemed to alleviate and Lana allowed herself to slouch just a bit.
— We have a crime scene to get to. Shall we?
— Will we be walking?
— E-eh? No, we’ll be going in the car… — You could tell the girl was German.
[14 June, 2012, Los Tokyangeles
State Museum of Prehistoric Creatures
9:19 A.M.]
The State Museum of Prehistoric Creatures, truly a sight to behold.
It was gigantic, with imposing corinthian columns holding its roof, clearly built in a neo-classic style—if Lana had to guess, around the 1800s.
Above the entrance, a roman numeral was carved in a large font for all to see,
XI - V - MCMXXIV
Lana didn’t remember much about roman numerals, it wasn’t a topic she was particularly interested in, and really only knew how to count up to about 39 in them, so she could tell the first part was the 5th of November, however she couldn’t really read the actual year…
— Ah, the 11th of May, 1924 — Franziska confidently said, which warranted a raised eyebrow from Lana
— I’m pretty sure that it says the 5th of November, actually…
— Hm? I believe I know how to read dates… First goes the day, then the month, and finally the year! — Franziska confidently exclaimed, pointing to the date with her whip which-
How did Lana not notice this child had a whip?
She didn’t question it for now,
— You must remember, we are in America — She simply said, waiting for Franziska to figure it out
— Ack-! — She clenched both her shoulders tightly, almost looking damaged by the realization dawning on her, — A foolish mistake made by a foolishly foolish girl in a foolish nation… —
— Don’t be too hard on yourself… — Lana said, before a smile crept on her face, — Hm, I’m sounding like a certain defence attorney —
— Huh?
— Oh, nothing, — Lana still had an amused look, — Let’s start investigating, shall we? —
— Yes! — Franziska said with a surprising amount of excitement, before she cleared her throat and rested a more neutral expression on her face, — I agree, let’s go inside. —
It was a bit funny to see, truthfully, a girl such as Franziska try to contain her excitement for hands-on legal experience just to look more professional around her peers. The pair walked through the open doors of the museum.
Walking inside, they-
— WOAH WOAH WOAH!! HEY, PAL!!!
A familiarly loud, booming voice stopped the pair before they could even make it past the entrance.
— Detective Gumshoe? — Lana said, raising an eyebrow
— Oh! Pal! It’s you! — Gumshoe’s tough act loosened up immediately, — What took you so- yeowch! —
Franziska’s whip flew from her hand to Gumshoe’s feet as she stared him down: — You will treat Ms. Skye with her proper respect and address her by name! —
— Prosecutor Skye, pal!! Control your niece- YEOWCH!! — Another swift whipping to the foot. Lana ought to wonder where she learned to use a whip like that.
— I am Franziska von Karma, daughter of Manfred von Karma, heir to the von Karma legacy of law, and prosecutor at the age of 13! You will address me as Prosecutor von Karma! Do you understand, Scruffy?! — Franziska looked quite worked up, almost insulted, by Gumshoe.
— Yes, Prosecutor von Karma!! — No whipping this time.
— Franziska… I don't know how they do things in Germany, but I wouldn't advise on whipping people here… — Lana said, genuinely concerned. What would Manfred say if his daughter got arrested?
— If they do not suffer, they will not learn to respect us. — Us?
— A-Anyway, Prosecutor Skye, — Thankfully, Gumshoe had learned how to address Lana, — The crime scene’s still fresh! Police haven't been able to remove the body yet ‘cause of how big the skull is… —
— Skull? — Franziska turned to look at Lana.
— Yes, the victim got crushed by a model triceratops skull.
Franziska didn't respond, but Lana could see her staring blankly in front of her. It reminded her of herself, truth be told, and if Franziska was doing what Lana tended to do in these cases…
— Franziska, do you want ice-cream after this?
— Hm?
— Yes, ice-cream. It's quite the hot day in California so I was thinking we could get some ice-cream after wrapping up for the day.
— Oh, alright. — Franziska nodded, — I'd like that. —
— Anyway… — Lana looked back at Gumshoe, — What are you doing here? —
— Well, Prosecutor Skye, I'm the lead detective in this case! — A proud look washed over Dick’s face, — I've been awake since around 2 in the morning ‘cause of it, actually… —
— Hmph. At least Scruffy has the decency to be diligent in his duties. I would've expected you to simply not wake up when duty calls.
— Oof…
— Franziska, please be nice to Detective Gumshoe… — This was going to be a long day…
— Well, pal- er, Prosecutor Skye, what took you so long to get here? — Gumshoe asked
— I had to pick up Franziska. The letter Manfred von Karma had you deliver was about asking me to mentor her in a case, which I accepted.
— Woah!! It must be an honour, Ms. Skye!! — Gumshoe looked genuinely excited, — von Karma only holds a couple people to that standard of respect!! —
— I can't say I was exactly calm when I read the letter… or when I met him…
— Either way, — Franziska chimed in, — We'd like access to the scene. —
— Go right ahead! — The rookie detective’s face soured, — I'll warn you though… The scene isn't pretty to look at. —
— A von Karma does not back down due to a crime scene being grotesque.
Perhaps Franziska should back down in this case, Lana thought, although the nagging feeling of curiosity kept her silent.
— Well… I warned the pair of you, so don't go whipping me, pal!! — Gumshoe stepped aside as the pair walked past him into the main atrium.
Setting aside crime scene tape, they would walk in. The atrium was, quite obviously, filled with cops and various other people, most of them huddled around what she could only presume was the actual murder scene.
[GORE!!! PLEASE SKIP THIS PARAGRAPH IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ IT!!]
As the two arrived at the actual scene of the crime, the first thing Lana would see was the amount of blood, pooling out from under the skull and into the surrounding area. A lone leg, broken and mangled, stuck out from underneath the skull—Lana had seen her fair share of crime scene photos having assisted in actual trials, but actually seeing it in person almost made her sick. The stench of the scene was pungent and made tears come to the eyes, and simply just seeing the state of what she could only presume was a body made several unsavoury images of the moments leading up to the crime flash inside her head, with a similarly vivid feeling of being crushed to death at such high velocity.
[PLEASE SKIP TO HERE!!]
Almost instinctually, the exact same moment that she came upon the scene, she covered young Franziska’s eyes and immediately turned her around.
— Prosecutor Skye, What are you-?!
— Our presence here is not required. Let's move elsewhere. — She said, firmly but gently as she moved her away from the scene.
— Is the scene of the actual crime not where the most clues would be? — Franziska asked, somewhat irritated, — And would you please remove the hand from my eyes?! —
— We will return later, when the body is removed. — Lana’s position was steadfast, she would not budge, — It is best that we simply talk to the detectives. —
A moment of silence fell between the two as Lana removed her hand from Franziska’s eyes, allowing her to see again.
In front of them, a woman, who Lana had somehow failed to notice, of about her same stature, wearing a fluffy white coat and a pink beret.
— Excuse me… — The woman started, — But I’m pretty sure the museum is closed to civilians, or did that scruffy detective let you in? —
Gumshoe wasn’t that bad of a detective, was he? Either way, Lana unpinned her badge and showed it to her, an action which was simultaneously repeated by Franziska in the same manner, as the both of them held out their Prosecutor’s badges in their open palm.
— I am Prosecutor Lana Skye, assigned to this case, and she is my co-counsel, Franziska von Karma.
— von Karma? He has a daughter?
— I was somewhat surprised to hear it, too, but yes- OW!! — The perceived disrespect towards her father warranted a whipping of her feet by Franziska, who crossed her arms and puffed out her chest.
— I’ll have you know that I am already 13 years old. It is your fault if you do not know who I am, or whether my father did or didn’t have a child.
— Franziska, please don’t whip me…
The situation playing out in front of the woman garnered a laugh from her, although a brief one as she stared the two down.
— I don’t think I’ve properly introduced myself, I apologise. — A faint smile crept on the woman’s face.
— The name is Angel Starr, Cough-up Queen. Don’t you go forgetting it, or before you know it I’ll have you whimpering at my heels! — She proudly said.
Silence befell the trio as Franziska simply stared at Lana, who in turn stared at Angel, who stared back at her—they stayed like that for a solid 15 seconds.
— Ms. Skye, I thought you’d have had a more… active, reaction to that? — Franziska said, raising an eyebrow.
— …I am not insulted and do not mind. — Lana simply responded, crossing her arms.
— …anyway, Detective Starr, what is your involvement with the case? — Franziska chimed in.
— I'm one of the detectives assigned to actually investigating the scene. While I would've preferred being the Lead Detective, Scruffy over there got to the position first… — She sounded irritated, even insulted, at the fact Gumshoe had “taken” her place, — Anyway, currently we know one fact for sure: nobody but the suspect could've done it. —
— How can you be so certain about that? — Lana asked, raising an eyebrow.
— It's quite simple, really. Only he could've had the technical knowledge to pull off such a feat.
— You mean the disengaging of the wires?
— Yes, exactly. Our suspect was often seen working on the replica fossils after the museum closed, and was likely very familiar with the actual workings of the models. — Angel paused for a second, — There is one thing that bugs me, though.
— And what is that? — Lana asked
— Well… We found a glove below the fossil, right next to the crime scene, but we can't seem to figure out who it actually belonged to.
— Because the suspect was found with no gloves on when he was arrested, correct?
— You're a surprisingly clever girl!
— Urk- — Lana’s pale cheeks became a soft red as she cleared her throat, — Well, I have read the case file. —
— Anyway, the other problem with the gloves is that they weren't found in a pair. A single black glove was found, but the second one wasn't.
— So a glove went missing from the scene?
— It would appear so. It's a very weird set of circumstances, overall… — Angel sighed, — Unfortunately, I don't think I can be of much help to you at the moment. We have to wait for the skull to be lifted and the body to be removed. —
Just the mention of the body made Lana shudder, her face showing visible discomfort: — Yes… It would appear so… —
— I'll let you in on one little secret though: Ms. Saya is still here! —
— The witness?
— Mhm!
— Thank you, Detective Starr, — Franziska said, before turning to Lana, — We must find the witness. —
— I agree. — Lana nodded as they began walking around the museum to search for the elusive witness.
Entering a small room, which was more like a closet, the pair would find themselves in some sort of maintenance room. Various tools hung from the walls with a toolbox on a shelf, the entire room wasn't very brightly lit, however it also wasn't dark—you could see clearly.
Inside the room, a woman.
— Erm… Excuse me, — The woman said, prompting Lana and Franziska to look at her, — This is an employee only area… —
She seemed to be a bit awkward, not necessarily timid though. She had thick glasses, so thick you could barely see her eyes underneath them, and her black hair was hanging loose, without any form or cohesion, or even much care given to it. She was dressed in a blue uniform with a logo on it, two fossils crossed together and above them, a large letter E, on her chest.
— That would seem to be obvious. — Franziska quipped, before Lana interrupted her.
— You wouldn’t happen to be Ms. Saya, would you?
— The one and only..! — She, somehow both proudly and awkwardly, pointed to herself, — …You guys aren’t here to arrest me, right? —
— Nothing of the sort! — Lana laughed for the sake of laughing and lightening the mood, before showing her badge, — I’m Prosecutor Lana Skye, and this is my co-counsel, Prosecutor Franziska von Karma. —
— Ah… — Ai said, before she grimaced — That’s even worse… haha… —
Lana ignored that comment: — We’re only here to ask a few questions on the day of the murder. Would you be able to respond to our questions? —
— Erm… sure…
Lana quickly bent down to whisper in Franziska’s ear: — I’m not sure how it works in Germany, however in America we question witnesses before the trial, so watch closely how an American interrogation is done. —
Franziska simply nodded.
— Ms. Saya, what’s your role at the museum, exactly? —
— I’m an engineer, I deal with the maintenance of the models and making sure they don’t… well… — She didn’t need to fill in the blanks for Lana to understand what she implied.
— And last night, you were…?
— I was here. Erm… I clocked in at about 10pm, that’s when the museum closes, and I went to inspect the Jurassic section of the museum.
— And the section where the murder happened was…?
— The Cretaceous section.
— So you were working for about 2 hours in the Jurassic section, is that correct?
— Yep… Some dumb kid got his hands on one of the fossil replicas, so I had to go and figure out exactly what he broke…
— Ms. Saya, what exactly were you doing when you claimed you witnessed the exact moment of the murder?
— Well…
- - The night of the murder - -
— I had just gotten back from the Jurassic section, it must’ve been around midnight, maybe ten past. I saw the scene from above, but it was pretty dark. I could clearly see Mr. Tolagis though! — Pawn to F3
— From above? Where exactly is the Jurassic section? — Pawn to E5
— Yeah, from above! You see the Jurassic section is actually on the second floor of the museum, so when I got back I was on that balcony, the one opposite from the Triceratops fossil. Anyway, when I got back, I could tell the two were talking about something but I couldn’t exactly make out what they were saying.
— Was there any additional noise? Music, construction…
— No, nothing of the sort, they were just pretty far away so I couldn’t hear them clearly. Anyway, that’s when I saw the skull fall on poor Mr. Nesdri, killed by his own creation! — Ms. Saya sighed, before continuing, — When I saw that, I moved back and called the Police… Then I headed downstairs to confront Mr. Tolagis, I hoped I could stop him from getting away! — Pawn to G4
— And that’s when the physical altercation ensued?
— Yeah… I was punched in the eye and then something hit me from behind.
— I’m so sorry, Ms. Saya… — Lana sighed, shrugging as she crossed her arms, — But there’s a fatal flaw in your testimony! —
— Urk-?! — Ai Saya clenched her arm and gritted her teeth, — A-and what would that be…?! —
— Let’s think back to your testimony… You were on the balcony, it was quiet, or as quiet as Los Tokyangeles can be, and you claimed to be able to see Mr. Tolagis clearly enough to know he was the one unscrewing the wires… — Lana pulled out her JF-10 case report.
— Y-yeah, so?!
— Well… if you were there, and you were able to see Mr. Tolagis so clearly…
How were you not able to hear the conversation he had with Mr. Nesdri?! —
Queen to H4
— Ark- Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!! — Ai’s glasses slid down on one side of her face to reveal a single, green eye.
Checkmate.
— Now, tell me, Ms. Saya, — Lana stared her down, — What did you hear that night? —
Ms. Saya sighed: — I hate prosecutors…
— Ms. Skye, that was… — Franziska remained silent for a moment, — …certainly not German. —
— Welcome to California, Franziska.
— Alright, I’ll tell… — Ai said as her face grimaced.
— When I had gotten to the balcony that night, I only caught the tail-end of the two’s conversation.
— What did they say, exactly? — Lana’s calmer look returned after the brief mental chess.
— I remember it clear as day…
— Unfortunately, we never did find who exactly stole the Ammonite fossil
— So you’re gonna shut down the Cretaceous section to save on the loss?!
— It’s the only option…
— I know you did it.
— I have no idea what you're talking about
— Don't play dumb with me, you know what I'm talking about
— I'm afraid I seriously don't. You know it's uncouth to raise accusations against your superior, right?
— I'm talking about the-
Aaaaaarrrggghhh…!!!
…
…
— Huh? An Ammonite fossil was stolen? — Franziska chimed in, raising an eyebrow, — Explain this detail! —
— Ms. Skye, control your angry niece- OW!! — A swift whipping to her feet.
— Explain, posthaste!
— Franziska, please… — Lana sighed, before turning to Ms. Saya, — Would you mind explaining the theft that occurred? —
— A-alright, sure! Just please don’t whip me!! — Lana felt like she’d have to have a serious talk with Manfred on Franziska’s behaviour…
— It was this February; a man entered the museum and went to the Mesozoic section… He somehow avoided every alarm and took one of the only real fossils in the museum: the Ammonite fossil! — She seemed particularly distraught when she said this, — Stan- sorry, Mr. Dingard gave chase, but he failed to catch him! We never figured out who the culprit was, and the Museum’s been losing money ever since… —
— So the argument between the two men was about this… — Lana reflected aloud.
— Thank you, Ms. Saya. You will be called to testify on the matter later today in court, — Lana pulled out a piece of paper and quickly wrote an address on it, — Please come by my offices later today. I will be coaching you on your testimony. —
— Alright… — Ai reluctantly took it and put it in her pocket.
— We will see you around, Ms. Saya. — Lana said, as the pair left the room.
For now, the investigation had come to an end, there was nothing else they could actually investigate on the crime scene—Mr. Dingard was nowhere to be found and the actual scene of the crime was… something Lana preferred to not think about.
Ice-Cream was acquired.