Chapter Text
Miles traced a thumb along the edge of the letter in his hands, frowning down at its author.
Robert Hammond. It was a name that still sparked resentment in him. And here he was, trying to call Miles out to the middle of Gourd Lake at an ungodly hour. A private meeting, the note had insisted. Private indeed.
But this was what he wanted, wasn’t it? After the doubts he’d been having, after the evidence of the Kurain channeling technique he’d seen… He had to know the truth. He had to know what Hammond’s goal had been when he’d defended Yanni Yogi – if the man had really been after the truth or just a verdict. He had to know if his dreams were really memories or only tricks of the mind.
He glanced over at the clock. It was now or never.
He shoved the letter in his pocket and grabbed the dark jacket he’d slung over the back of his chair.
~~~
If this was what all of his defendants had felt like as they awaited their own trials, Miles regretted being so harsh with them. He’d rarely felt so miserable. It was not helped by the fact that he hardly understood what had gone on last night. One moment Hammond had declared he would finally get his revenge, and the next he was plummeting into the frigid lake, leaving Miles standing uselessly in the boat and grabbing the gun like a complete imbecile. If he’d known what exactly he’d witnessed, perhaps he would have been able to argue his own innocence more effectively.
His emotional state was also not helped by the fact that this was the fifth time Gumshoe had dropped by in the last two hours.
It wasn’t that he didn’t appreciate the detective’s concern. Since the poisoning scare, he’d found that he could tolerate quite a bit more of Gumshoe’s presence, considering the man had saved his life. But even he had his limits. And Gumshoe dropping by every time new evidence was discovered was beginning to approach those limits.
“Sir, we just received the autopsy report!” Gumshoe flipped the folder open and held it up to the glass. Despite himself, Miles glanced at its contents. Cause of death: one bullet shot to the heart. Well, that certainly seemed to line up with the presence of the gun. Though he wasn’t certain, but he thought he might have heard two gunshots that night… but perhaps it had merely been the echo. The gun had been rather close, after all.
“…I don’t believe you should be showing that to me, Detective.”
Gumshoe only continued grinning at him. “Then I’m definitely not showing it to you, sir!” he said, still holding the autopsy report out in full view. Miles sighed, but he couldn’t be too mad – after all, Gumshoe was only doing it for his sake, even if it was an irresponsible thing to do.
The detective looked tired, more so than usual, and that was probably saying a lot considering how Miles was sure he himself must have looked at the moment. He’d hardly gotten any sleep in police custody. “I’m certain there’s something more important you could be doing with your time,” he said to Gumshoe. Like perhaps a rest, since it didn’t seem like he’d slept since last night. Or a meal.
Apparently, his meaning went right over Gumshoe’s head. “You’re right sir! I’ll get right back out there and keep looking for clues.”
“That’s not what I-”
“You can count on me, sir!”
Miles’ protests wilted at the sight of Gumshoe’s confidence. After all this was done with – whichever way it turned out – he was going to have to make sure Gumshoe was compensated for all this overtime.
“Very well, detective. I trust you will do your best.”
~~~
He had honestly not been expecting Manfred to come. He wasn’t entirely certain why. Perhaps it was because of his mentor’s reaction to hearing of not one but two losses after years of guilty verdicts. Perhaps it was because he hadn’t received a call from Franziska yet. Perhaps Miles simply hadn’t wished to see him – or perhaps, worse, he really, truly had.
Whatever the reason, he hadn’t anticipated Manfred meeting with him in the detention center. He’d certainly not expected him to be there because he was prosecuting his case.
He felt vaguely ill. His fate was sealed, then. Manfred von Karma had never lost a case in his whole career. He wasn’t about to start today.
And Manfred… didn’t care. He didn’t care that he’d be sending Miles to jail. He was calm as ever. It wasn’t fair, and it wasn’t right. It was a petulant thought, a childish one, but Miles didn’t care. It wasn’t right that the man who’d raised him for ten years should treat him like a common criminal. Miles dug his fingers into his arm, gaze stuck to the floor.
“Look at me, boy.” Manfred’s voice brooked no argument, and Miles had spent long enough obeying it that he followed the command unthinkingly. “Do not expect tomorrow’s trial to go any differently. A von Karma always executes a perfect trial and gets the guilty verdict.” The unlike you went unspoken, but hardly unsaid.
“…Why?” He hadn’t meant to ask it. And yet he had - it hung in the air between them in the resulting silence. He cleared his throat. “If the Chief Prosecutor assigned you, I could understand, but…” But they both knew Manfred only took cases he chose. There was little even the Chief Prosecutor could force him into doing, even if Chief Prosecutor Skye had been capable of being so uncaring in her case assignments. Miles cursed the waver in his own voice; it was a weakness he couldn’t afford to show around Manfred, though he didn’t seem to be able to help it.
To his surprise, Manfred laughed, a short, dark chuckle. “Why indeed. You think I was assigned to this case? No, boy. I took this case myself. I requested it.” This dark sort of joy was not a familiar expression on von Karma’s face – at least, not outside of the courtroom. Miles shivered under it. “You will be found guilty, boy. And the stain on the von Karma name will be wiped out once and for all.”
Manfred said nothing else as he left – he hadn’t even asked Miles for his version of the events of last night. He probably didn’t need them to get his verdict. Miles couldn’t bring himself to speak either.
~~~
“Absolutely not.”
“What?!”
Miles tried to put on his most scathing glare. “I said no. I don’t want you defending me.”
Phoenix gaped at him. Behind him, Maya had her fists curled like she was about to punch her way through the glass barrier. For her sake, he hoped she didn’t try – not because she wouldn’t be successful, but because the guard likely wouldn’t be happy and there was no way she could afford the replacement costs. “Why not?!”
Because you’ll lose. Because Manfred von Karma will do anything to win. Because I don’t want you getting involved, or getting hurt. He settled on the one that was the least painful. “They have a solid case. This is one trial even you couldn’t win.”
Phoenix frowned, looking a little put out. “I know I’ve only had two cases before, and I know you might not have faith in my skills, but-”
“What? That’s- that’s not it at all.” Miles glanced away. Not that he’d ever say this to Phoenix, but he was actually quite impressed with his past trials. He was foolish and tended to bluff his way into his verdicts, but his conviction was really something else. And, he had to admit, he had a knack for pointing out inconsistencies in Miles’ carefully laid out cases. “It is simply that… the prosecuting attorney for this case… he’s never lost a case in his entire 40 year career. Going up against him would be career suicide. He’ll do anything to get his verdict. There’s no point – and I’m not going to drag you down into my mess.”
“Miles…” Phoenix sighed, running a hand through his ridiculously spiky hair. “I don’t care about my career, or my reputation, or whatever. You’re not guilty. And if you’re innocent, then the evidence will support that.”
Not if von Karma has anything to say about said evidence. Miles had looked up to the man for years, of course, but he also knew Manfred’s tricks first hand. He knew what sort of methods the man could justify in pursuit of putting criminals where they belonged. Defense attorneys who stood against him, attorneys like Phoenix who wouldn’t give up even when it was in their best interest… he didn’t want Phoenix mixed up in that. “I’m sorry. I can’t allow you to go up against Manfred von Karma.”
A spark of recognition lit in Phoenix’s eyes. “von Karma? Like, your mentor von Karma?” He hadn’t been thinking Phoenix would have remembered, but he must have mentioned the name to Phoenix at some point previously. Only in passing, he was sure, but…
Maya’s voice broke into their conversation. “Your mentor is trying to send you to jail?!” She nearly looked like she was tearing up on his behalf. “That’s awful! How could he do something like that?”
“Well, it’s been quite some time since I lived in the von Karma household-”
Evidently that had been the wrong thing to say. Maya only looked more incensed. “You grew up in-” She cut herself off. “Mr. Edgeworth…” Her eyes brimmed with tears.
“That’s- I-” Feeling awkward, he sought Phoenix out for support, but the man looked like he’d been struck. Seeing the two of them, Miles thought that perhaps his own hurt at hearing Manfred would be prosecuting his case was not as misplaced as he’d convinced himself it was. Still, if they were this upset at the idea, he certainly wasn’t going to tell him about Manfred’s parting words.
Phoenix seemed to recover himself in the beat of silence. “Miles… you didn’t give up on me. Earlier this year, and back with Dahlia too. You put everything on the line to help me. If I couldn’t do the same… what kind of a friend would I be?”
Damn Phoenix’s stupid, eager smile. Damn it all. Because he made Miles want to believe him. He made him believe that someone could beat Manfred, that Miles could be saved. And that hope was bitter where it settled in his chest, but it was tempting too. He was so desperate for it.
Phoenix leaned in close to the glass, and for a moment it seemed like there was nothing separating them after all. “I’m not giving up on you.” He didn’t deserve the passion in Phoenix’s voice. But he wanted it.
“…Well, I suppose if you’re going to be so persistent… you’ll need a formal request to get into the crime scene.”
It was becoming an unfortunate trend, but once again, Miles placed his trust in Phoenix Wright. For his sake, he hoped he wasn’t wrong.
~~~
He hadn’t been expecting the earthquake. Phoenix and Maya had only just gotten back from poking around Gourd Lake when it hit. He’d been halfway through recounting what he’d seen last night when the ground beneath him began trembling, then shuddering and roiling underneath him, and he thought only of broken elevators, and thin air, and that scream…
He didn’t hear anything else for a good while. Not until talking broke through his haze.
“Nick, what do we do?” Maya was trying to whisper, but her voice carried nonetheless.
“I- I don’t know… This is new. Miles? Miles, are you okay?”
Miles tried to tune them out once more and focus on his breathing. He was not a stranger to calming himself down after earthquakes, and just because he had two nosy witnesses this time did not make it any different. He took stock of his position – he’d ended up on the floor with a stinging throb in his elbow that told him he’d likely banged it against the chair as he fell, but it was of no serious concern. When he felt his breathing had evened out enough that he was no longer taking shallow panting breaths, he slowly uncurled his arms from around himself and rose unsteadily to his feet, resettling himself in the chair once more.
Phoenix and Maya were still in heated, slightly panicked debate. He cleared his throat, and they both whipped around to face him. It might have been comical had the situation been different. “My apologies,” he said, certain his face was beet red. “That was…”
“N-no!” Phoenix interrupted, his hands splayed out in placation. “It’s fine, really! But… what was that all about?”
Miles grimaced. Trust Phoenix to be so tactless. But he supposed he owed them an explanation. “The earthquakes. I can’t stand them – I’m afraid it’s quite the embarrassing state, but ever since- Well. I suppose that part doesn’t matter.” He fixed Phoenix with another glare to reinforce that last part; he may have been a little unsteady, but he knew his glare had lost none of its bite.
Thankfully, Phoenix backed off. “Alright, just don’t scare us like that again. I was pretty worried, being stuck on the other side of this glass and all.”
If he hadn’t already been flushing, he would have been after that. Worried… about him? After such a display of weakness? “I assure you I’m quite fine.”
Before either of them could say anything else, the door behind Phoenix and Maya crashed open, depositing Gumshoe into the room.
“Mr. Edgeworth, sir! I felt the earthquake, and I-” Gumshoe broke off, seeming to notice Phoenix and Maya’s presence. “Oh hey pal. Didn’t expect to see you two still here. Though I guess you’ve gotta prepare for tomorrow, right?”
Goodness, now even Gumshoe was coming to check on him. Or perhaps he’d just been waiting for another excuse to come by.
“You’re gonna get Mr. Edgeworth declared innocent, aren’t ya pal? You’d better!”
Phoenix staved off the detective with an outstretched arm. “O-of course! Hey, no need to look at me like that-!”
Miles sighed. Well, whatever happened in court tomorrow, with Phoenix as his lawyer, it would certainly be… interesting.