Chapter Text
September 5, 2016
7:23 AM
Wright Residence
“Trucy, breakfast is ready! Come on down!”
Yet again, no answer from upstairs. Phoenix sighed, stepping away from the stove.
“Come on, kiddo! Time to wake up!”
Silence. With another, more resigned sigh, Phoenix made his way up the stairs, repeating his daughter’s name as he poked his head into her room. Trucy groaned by way of response, pulling the pastel pink covers back over her head.
“Just five more minutes, Daddy...” A sleepy, muffled voice pleaded. Phoenix rolled his eyes fondly, walking over to her bed and pulling the comforter back, only to find Trucy still covered by the floral sheets.
Well, at least she finally started sleeping under them instead of just kicking them into a pile at the edge of her bed.
“I gave you five more minutes twenty minutes ago. All out of minutes.” Phoenix said as he reached over and gently pulled the sheet back just enough so that he could ruffle Trucy’s hair. “Time to get up and face the day.”
Trucy grabbed the sheet, pulling it back over her head.
“Can’t I face the day at eight instead?”
“No, because today is a practice run for tomorrow. First day of school, remember?”
Trucy was still for a minute, and Phoenix briefly thought she’d fallen back asleep. Then, almost too quick for him to see, the little girl was standing up, bouncing on the bed excitedly.
“I start kindergarten tomorrow!”
Phoenix let out a startled laugh.
“That you do, Truce.”
“I’m gonna go to school and make lots of friends! I’ll show them all the tricks I know!”
“Uh... maybe just some card tricks at first?” I think the thing with the puppet might scare everyone. And the panties would probably get me called in for a parent teacher conference.
Trucy puffed out her cheeks comically, balling up her fists.
“I can do more than that! I’ve been practicing!”
Phoenix chuckled nervously, ruffling her hair.
“Y-Yes, I’m well aware of that.” I’m pretty sure our landlady still hasn’t forgiven me for the shock she got the first time she saw Mr. Hat. “But wouldn’t it be better showmanship to save the best for last?”
Trucy appeared to consider this for a moment, then nodded.
“Yeah! If I save it for later, then they’ll be really impressed!”
And I won’t have to go to a parent-teacher conference on the first day of school.
“Hey, Daddy, is something burning?”
Phoenix paused, sniffing the air.
“Oh, shit, breakfast!”
“Swear jar!”
September 5th, 2016
10:06 AM
Fey & Co. Law Offices
Trucy practically knocked the front door to the office off its hinges as she barged in excitedly.
“Auntie Mia! I came to see you!” She called as she bounced over to Mia’s office and knocked on the door. “Also Daddy’s here with paperwork!”
“Trucy, indoor voice, Mia might be in a meeting.” Phoenix reminded her as he tried to balance both his briefcase and Trucy’s brand new backpack, which she’d insisted on bringing with her.
Geez, what does she keep in her bag, bricks? ... Actually, that’s pretty plausible, knowing her.
He could hear Mia’s soft, bell-like laughter before she even opened the door.
“It’s fine, Phoenix. I actually just got off the phone with my little sister.”
“Hi Auntie Mia!” Trucy greeted brightly as she hugged Mia’s legs. Mia laughed, kneeling down to hug the little girl properly.
“Hello, Trucy. I like your sweater.”
“Daddy bought it! He said that I can’t wear my costume to school cause there’s a dress code. I think that’s silly, but he told me that I could wear it to the talent show!”
Mia gave Phoenix a look that was equal parts amused and fond. He shrugged in response.
“I thought that school dress codes were pretty silly too when I was in school.”
“Chief, please don’t undermine my authority as a parent.”
Mia laughed at that, standing up.
“Alright, alright. You brought the evidence I asked for?”
Phoenix nodded, placing his briefcase on the desk and opening it up.
“Yup. All right here.”
“Great, thanks. It should be a big help for the meeting tonight.” Mia stood up, clapping her hands together. “Oh! Before I forget, I was wondering if you two would like to get dinner with me tonight. My sister’s coming over from our hometown, and I thought it would be fun if you all got to meet.”
Trucy gasped excitedly.
“I finally get to meet your sister! This is so cool!”
“Uh, before we get too excited, what time is she gonna get here?”
“Mm, I’ll be in that meeting ‘til around nine tonight, so probably around then.”
Phoenix frowned, then looked at his daughter apologetically.
“Sorry, kiddo, I think that’s a little late for you. You do have school in the morning, you know.”
Trucy pouted, turning towards her father.
“I can do it! I wanna meet Auntie Mia’s sister!”
“I’m afraid that your dad’s right, Trucy, it is a little late for you.”
“Of course I’m Wright.”
Both Trucy and Mia gave him a withering look.
“Booooo!” Trucy jeered.
“Hey, that line made you laugh once!”
Mia laughed, more out of pity than anything.
“Still, he is correct, sweetheart. Maybe some other time?”
Trucy pouted, then sighed.
“Okay... but next time she comes here, you have to let me meet her! It’s not fair that Daddy gets to meet her and I don’t!”
Mia laughed once more.
“Deal.”
September 5, 2016
9:06 PM
Fey & Co. Law Offices
Phoenix panted a bit as he ran out of the elevator, still winded from running over from the train station.
Leave it to Trucy to insist on picking out the exact right kind of socks for tomorrow. Not only that, she demanded like three bedtime stories before she fell asleep...
The office was oddly silent as Phoenix walked inside. He frowned, pausing to check his watch.
9:08 PM
He cursed under his breath.
“I’m late... the chief must have gone home already. Weird, though, she said her sister was coming over so we should all go out for dinner...”
Suddenly, a strange smell filled his nostrils. Phoenix sniffed the air, confused.
“What’s that smell...?” Realization dawned on him, and panic seized him. “Blood...?”
Without much thought, Phoenix tossed his bag onto the couch, running into Mia’s office.
“Chief...?” He asked quietly, hoping against hope that he’d get a response. Instead, the stench of blood became even stronger, and the only thing he heard was soft sobs.
“S-Sis...”
He turned towards the unfamiliar voice, and his heart caught in his throat.
There was Mia, alright, slumped against the wall and motionless. By the pale moonlight streaming in behind her, Phoenix could just make out a dry trail of blood coursing down her hair. A strangely-dressed girl he’d never seen before was kneeling next to her, tears in her eyes, but at that moment Phoenix couldn’t care less about that.
“Chief!” He heard himself cry out, his voice sounding foreign to his own ears as he ran to the opposite side of the girl. The girl startled, looking up at him with big, teary brown eyes.
“Who...?” She started, her voice rough, probably hoarse from crying.
“Who are you?” Phoenix asked as gently as he could.
The strange girl stared at him for a moment, then without warning suddenly dropped to the floor. Phoenix scrambled over to her, quickly checking for a pulse.
“Oh, thank god, she’s just unconscious...” He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I guess I should probably move her...”
This, of course, was much easier said than done. Phoenix wasn’t exactly scrawny, but this girl was still quite a bit heavier than a five-year-old. With no small amount of effort, he managed to pick her up and move her over to the office sofa, placing a pillow under her head and draping his coat over her out of habit. Reluctantly, he turned back towards the office, his stomach in knots as he walked back in and went over to Mia.
Mia’s body, rather. She looked almost peaceful, as if she were just sleeping rather than...
“Chief...” Tears pricked at Phoenix’s eyes as he touched her shoulder, nearly recoiling when he realized it was still warm. All too quickly, though, the warmth faded away, until Mia was as cold and lifeless as any corpse.
Phoenix wiped at his eyes, taking a deep breath. This was no time for tears, after all. Whoever had done this to his boss might still be out there. If nothing else, he should examine the scene of the crime.
A cursory glance around didn’t reveal much. The lamp Mia had just bought was broken, in pieces in the back of the room. A few of the shards were lying next to her. A quick look at Mia’s body revealed the source of the blood was the back of her head, probably caused by a blow to the head.
From the looks of it, she probably died instantly... at least she didn’t suffer.
Phoenix grimaced when he saw the Thinker statue Larry had given Mia after he’d gotten him declared innocent. The dried blood on the bottom told him everything he needed to know.
“Maybe Larry should just paint things instead of sculpting them. I don’t know how you could kill someone with a painting...” He muttered as he continued inspecting the body. Something small and white caught his eye when he glanced at Mia’s hand. He picked it up, inspecting it.
“A receipt...? Looks like the chief bought something at a department store yesterday.” Phoenix turned it over, his eyes widening when he saw what was on the other side. “Something’s written in... oh, god, it’s blood.” A small wave of nausea overtook him, and he shook his head, telling himself to focus on what was important. “‘Maya’... What could that mean?”
Phoenix sighed, standing up.
“Guess that’s all I’m gonna find... better call the police.”
His insides felt like they were swimming as he walked over to the phone, still in disbelief that this was really happening. He picked up the receiver, only to do a double take when part of the base fell apart the second he did.
“What the...? Someone took out the screws?” He groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. “Okay, okay, that’s fine. No landline. I still have my cell in my bag-!”
Just then, he heard a shocked scream.
“Police?! Come quick!”
Phoenix turned towards the window, startled. A frightened-looking woman was staring right back at him, a phone in her hand. His thoughts suddenly turned to the girl on the sofa, and without thinking he ran back into the reception area.
He found himself looking at an empty couch, the pillow ajar and his jacket on the floor.
“What the-? Where’d she go?” He mused as he picked up his jacket. “Hope she didn’t try to run on me...”
Just then, someone tapped his shoulder from behind, causing him to scream in shock. He turned around, finding himself face-to-face with the mysterious girl, who looked as startled as he felt.
“Geez! Don’t scare me like that!”
The girl looked apologetic, but said nothing in response.
“Um... E-Excuse me, but who are you?”
The girl looked a bit frightened, taking a step back.
Hm... maybe I should try the dad voice. That usually helps Trucy calm down...
“It’s okay, I work here. My name is Phoenix.”
Something like recognition flashed in the girl’s eyes, and she seemed to relax a little.
“M-Maya... Maya Fey.”
“Maya... Fey?” Wasn’t the name written on that receipt...? She’s probably in shock, and I don’t want to disturb her, but... “Um... Maya? Could you tell me what happened?”
Maya bit her lip, fisting her hands in the strange purple robe she was wearing.
“I-I came in... the room was dark, and Sis... Sis was...!”
She trailed off, shaking a bit.
So Mia was already dead...
“I’m sorry, Maya. So... you’re the chief’s...?”
“S-Sister. I’m her little sister.”
She’s the little sister Mia wanted me to meet? I’m really glad I didn’t bring Trucy now...
“You came here this late because Mia asked you to, right?”
Maya nodded, her breathing a bit jagged.
“S-She wanted me to hold on to some evidence for her. Th-The clock... Th-The Thinker, I mean...”
“I see...” With reluctance, Phoenix carefully dug the receipt out of his pocket. “I found this next to her... I think she wrote something on it in... you know...”
Maya startled, her eyes becoming impossibly bigger with alarm.
“Th-That’s my name! Why?! Wh-Why would she write my name?!”
“D-Don’t panic, please, j-just calm down-!”
“How can I calm down?! My sister was just murdered!”
Okay, yeah, fair point.
Maya’s eyes were full of tears again.
“Wh-Why would she write my name...?”
Uh-oh. Now I’ve done it...
“Maya-!”
Just then, a siren started blaring outside the office, cutting off Phoenix’s attempt at comfort.
“Freeze! This is the police!” Someone yelled as they practically knocked down the front door.
Between this and Trucy, we’re probably gonna have to replace that door sooner or later...
A huge man in a tattered trench coat walked in, looking extremely serious.
“Alright, I’m Detective Dick Gumshoe, see?” The detective said, sounding almost exactly like what one would expect a detective to sound like if their only reference was old Noir movies.
What kind of name is Gumshoe? Although I guess my name is Phoenix... and my middle name’s Abraham... gee, thanks, Mom.
The detective went on to say that they’d gotten a call from the building across the way, and neither of them were to move one inch while he had a look around. Phoenix glanced over at Maya, who looked as panicked as he felt once again.
Poor kid... first her sister gets murdered, now this...
Phoenix’s train of thought was cut off by a shout from the detective.
“This word ‘Maya’ here mean anything to you?”
Maya’s eyes widened, and she bit her lip again.
“Um... w-well, that’s my name...”
“WHAT?!” Gumshoe exclaimed, his eyes going wide. “The victim drew this note here in her own blood, see? With her dying breath, she wrote down the killer’s name!”
“K-Killer?!” Maya cried, sounding panicked. “I-I didn’t-!”
Gumshoe grabbed her by the wrist, and Phoenix had to resist the urge to slap it away.
“Case closed! You’re coming down to the precinct, ma’am!”
Maya protested as the detective led her away, sounding like she could burst into tears at any moment. Another officer tapped Phoenix on the shoulder.
“You’re gonna have to come with us too, sir.”
“Wh-What? B-But I-!”
“It’s just protocol, sir. We have to ask you some questions.”
Phoenix grit his teeth as the officer started to push him towards the door.
“Y-You don’t understand, I need to get home, my daughter has school in the morning...!”
“If it’s really that urgent, you can call her from the precinct.” The officer informed him as she pushed the button for the elevator.
“She’s five!”
“Then call someone to take care of her. Sorry, sir. No exceptions.”
Phoenix groaned, staring at the ground.
Trucy... God, what am I gonna tell her?