Chapter Text
Episode 1
Turnabout Deadly Matrimony
Miles was staring at the pile of papers and photos on his desk which were very logically organized to help his concentration, even if from the side it looked like a scattered mess. The case they all were connected to was starting to make him feel like one giant impending headache, despite looking so clear cut and simple, with enough evidence to send the suspect to jail for years.
In fact, it looked way too simple, almost perfect, which made it suspicious.
Usually, it wouldn't have been even an issue. Despite dealing with his fair share of fabricated evidence, he knew that if it looked like a duck, swam like a duck, and quaked like a duck, then on the vast majority of occasions it was, in fact, nothing else but a duck.
"Do you see it now, Herr Edgeworth?" came a voice from the opposite side of the desk, which almost made Miles jump on his seat. Curses, he managed to completely forget he wasn't alone in his office.
It belonged to Prosecutor Gavin, whom Miles assigned to this case merely a few hours earlier, hoping his sharp mind was going to discover things Miles himself had no time to look into. It seemed his trust once again was not misplaced.
"I believe I do," Miles replied honestly.
It was a double homicide. A man decided to cheat on his fiancée merely a day before their wedding and was caught. Both he and his lover were found dead right in the bed where they committed the act of adultery in a hotel by the means of poison. The fingerprints of his fiancée were found in the same hotel room, on both of the fancy champagne glasses with hearts engraved into their stems the victims were drinking from.
But there was something else entirely that made it all suspicious. Mainly cases DF-23, GH-3 and DH-15, which were all focused around murdered men days before their respective weddings.
"All four male victims were poisoned. But more than that, they were all in the thirty to forty age range, with similar financial situations that put them in the upper-middle class. You must admit, this does sound like a serial killer case!" Gavin grinned.
And that kind of enthusiasm was exactly why Miles picked him for the job. Not only was the young prosecutor going to give his all to a case revolving around matters of love, he was also going to stay open minded to any sorts of possibilities. And yet... Yet, Miles was also aware Gavin had been asking him for a case involving a serial killer for a few years now, and Miles needed to be careful the man wasn’t going to invent one in his haste.
"Don't get ahead of yourself," he warned. "Your case right now concerns Miss Yora Lucky, the current suspect. We still have no knowledge about where she obtained the poison and when exactly she managed to poison those glasses."
Gavin stared at him with suspicion, biting his lip. "I get it that it's our job, but tell me you don't really believe that it was her at this point."
"Apologies, if you come up with more evidence to prove the existence of this serial killer, we will talk about it. But at this point in time, similarities in their deaths are not sufficient."
Miles expected Gavin to back down, but he was pleasantly surprised to see the grin on his face getting wider instead. "Well, I guess it's time for me to pull the ace out of my sleeve so to speak," he said, reaching for the pocket of his jacket. From there he extracted a brochure and placed it on Miles' desk, on top of the case files. There was a photo of the woman in a wedding dress on it, 'Ivory Wings Events, make your dream wedding come true!' Proclaimed the text above the photo.
"And what, if I may ask, is this?" Miles inquired, cautiously eyeing the brochure as if it could come to life and jump on him like some sort of rabid animal. In the back of his head he was musing over a thought that it wasn't the first wedding related case he ended up entangled with, which was a little ridiculous. It felt like the way the universe decided to mock him for the lack of interest in the subject. Or, if he was absolutely honest with himself, for his decades long— no, Miles forced this train of thoughts to stop on its tracks, not ready to come even close to that can of worms.
"Would you like to take a guess?" Gavin smirked, visibly pleased with himself, yet this time Miles’ only response was a stern, disapproving stare. "Fine," he sighed, raising his hands in defeat. "This is a wedding planning agency where all of the victims were clients. You must admit this can't be a mere coincidence."
Miles frowned considering the possibility. Gavin was right, the similar method for the murder could've been unrelated, but both of those things were now turning into a pattern. "Very well," he conceded. "Have you already investigated the place?"
"Unfortunately, I can't," Gavin sighed. " Die Arschgeigen , they don't allow anyone from the police or anyone associated with the police in. That's actually also what I wanted to ask. If you could convince a judge to get me a search warrant."
Miles exhaled slowly then reached to take his glasses off, massaging the pressure points on the bridge of his nose. He was right from the start, this entire case was going to give him a splitting headache. "First, while you had enough evidence to convince me about the possibility, all of it is still rather circumstantial and might not be enough for a warrant. Second, it's a horrible idea. If there really is a killer mastermind in their agency, and you appear on their door with a warrant, they are going to run, and who knows if you ever catch them after that. Third, butt fiddles? Really? Surely you are capable of coming up with something less vulgar during an official work meeting."
Gavin chuckled on his last remark, "Sorry Herr Edgeworth, I'm just frustrated," he said not sounding apologetic even the slightest. "Then what do you propose we do?"
Miles considered it. Obtaining information through illegal means was out of the question. Staking their offices out could've provided them with more evidence, but they were short on time. There was another solution, however, one that was a little in a gray area, but strictly speaking wasn't illegal. It was to pretend to be the agency’s customer.
If Gavin was telling the truth and the agency refused to speak to anyone connected to the police, he couldn't do it himself. Deceit about his identity was very likely to fail as well, as he was too notable of a figure now and could've been recognized. The number of lesser known prosecutors he trusted enough not to mess it up was minuscule, and they either didn't have the correct set of acting skills or were in the wrong age group.
An idea appeared in his head, but that one almost made Miles groan. He did in fact have a perfect candidate for this job in more senses than one. He was even sure, if he was going to ask, that man would surely agree, yet it would make the number of favors Miles owed him grow yet again.
Still, out of all other possibilities, it seemed like the best option.
"Say, Mr. Gavin," he sighed, finally putting his glasses back to better look at the man before him. "Do you, by any chance, know if Mrs. Lucky already found a defense attorney to represent her?"
***
Phoenix tried his best not to yawn. Instead, he focused on watching the crowd move around the arrivals section of the airport, trying to spot a familiar figure of his former subordinate. It was the first class passengers getting out of the plane first, rich and snobby looking men and women flowing out of the gates and spreading over the area.
It was hopeless, however, and merely in less than a minute his jaw strained almost painfully and he was unable to prevent his mouth from opening. At least he managed to cover it with his hand just in time.
"You have been working half the night again, haven't you, Daddy?" Trucy complained next to him. "I'm gonna have a serious word with Uncle Miles about it!"
Phoenix raised an eyebrow. He wasn't going to mention it, but he wondered when Mr. Edgeworth had become Uncle Miles for Trucy. He was only sure it happened sometimes recently. It felt rather pleasant, too, although he had no idea why. Perhaps, out of shere amusement of imagining Edgeworth reacting to the new nickname.
"It's not like that," he signed.
Surely, it was surprising Edgeworth appeared at the doorstep of his office last night, asking him not only to defend somebody in court, but also investigate a possibility of a serial killer. What was even more surprising was that the request came in during a rather busy period, when their little firm had already had four active cases on their hands, and Phoenix's only choices were to either refuse, or call an old acquaintance for help. That was why they were here now, at the airport. That and also because Apollo hadn't shown his face around these parts of the world in almost five month, so that needed to be rectified somehow.
"I had almost seven hours of sleep,” he continued. “It’s just that I’m bored, and you guys didn’t let me bring the sign I worked so hard on last night.”
“Because it was just embarrassing!” This time it was Anthena who answered him, her hands perched on her hips to accentuate her displeasure. “Really, Boss, ‘Polly Want A Cracker’? What kind of joke is that?”
“If anything, we can just wave my magic panties around,” Trucy proposed seriously. “In case Polly forgot what we look like, he surely couldn’t have forgotten them!”
A woman that passed them gifted their mismatched trio with a stern look before continuing on her way, and Phoenix thought they might need to tone it down a little.
Thankfully, it was also the moment the second weave of passengers emerged from the gates, and his companions became too distracted looking for Apollo to continue this particular conversation. Another moment and the man himself appeared in the field of Phoenix’s vision. True to his usual self, Apollo was still wearing his tomato-red suit, with his sleeves rolled up one third of the way, revealing his signature bracelet. His skin was a little bit darker now, tanned, after several months spent under Khura’in sun.
“Polly!” Trucy yelled across the entire arrival area, waving her hands and happily jumping up and down. “Do you want some crackers? Freshly from my panties!”
Phoenix heard Athena snort next to him and almost doubled over from trying not to laugh. Less from his daughter’s greeting and more from the fact how spooked Apollo had turned the moment he heard it, all semblance of color leaving his face. A moment later, he resumed his walk, but now in a completely opposite direction.
***
“So, let me get this straight,” Apollo said. “We are going to pretend to be customers?”
After dropping Trucy at the office to focus on her homework, he, Apollo and Athena were now on the way to the Ivory Wings Agency. The first trial of Yora Lucky was scheduled to begin in a day, so if Phoenix hoped to have any chance of clearing her name, he needed to start digging dirt on this shady place as soon as it was possible. By this time he’d had a chance to both talk to the defendant, and look around the crime scene, and while he hadn’t made a single groundbreaking discovery, he was confident enough that he could at least prolong the trial for another day.
“Well, that’s the plan,” Phoenix confirmed.
“In this case, which one of us is getting married?” Apollo asked.
Both Phoenix and Athena stopped in their tracks, glancing at each other. That was a very logical question, yet Phoenix’s mind was so wrapped up in all other little details, that he simply forgot to even consider that.
Neither did he have a lot of time for it now because the entrance to the office was right in front of them, and loitering near it, trying to figure out detail was going to look incredibly suspicious.
Phoenix scratched the back of his neck, considering it. “By any chance, you two don't want to--”
“Not in a million years,” Apollo immediately interrupted him.
“Not that I’m particularly against it, but...” Athena spoke almost at the same time. “Acting skills, minuscule, chances of success: fifteen percent!’ Widget finished her sentence, the tiny screen that constituted its face turning dark blue.
Well, that answered the question Phoenix didn’t even have time to voice yet. It meant that he was left with only one option. “It’s fine, just leave it to me,” he sighed, opening a lather pompous looking oak door with intricate leafy designs.
Immediately, his sense of vision was almost overwhelmed by the amount of white that greeted him. It was a sunny day, and yet he still found himself squinting at the bright light coming from inside, feeling as if he stepped into some sort of parallel dimension. Or, perhaps, it was the heaven itself, because he was sure an angel appeared before him.
A small bell chimed above his head and a beautiful woman turned her head in the direction of the sound, her blond hair cascading down the white fabric of her dress, her green eyes meeting his.
“Welcome!” she greeted with a gentle smile, “Anything I can help you with?”
“Ah, yes, thank you! I was hoping you could help me with some wedding planning, you know,” he announced cheerfully, walking into the office completely. “This is a wedding agency, I didn’t get the address wrong, did I?”
Phoenix’s eyes finally had time to adjust and he noted a few more things about the place. First of all, everything here was incredibly expensive, starting from the furniture in the sitting area and ending with paintings hanging on the walls and glass countertops around the reception area.
The second thing he noted was that the gaze of the woman who greeted him was now moving up and down the length of his body, appraising, almost scrutinizing every aspect of his appearance, while one additional man in a white suit on the back of the office made a tentative step forward.
This was not a place for everyone, Phoenix realized and what those people were doing now was determining if he could afford their services. That was alright, however, because the suit he was wearing, while being almost two years old now, was a gift from Edgeworth and custom tailored for him, unlike the first few that he owned which came from a department store. The chain hanging from his chest pocket originally belonged to Zak Gramarye, Trucy’s biological father, and was made of real gold.
The only point of concern for him now were his shoes, which had gathered plenty of dust during the day. Yet, even they seemingly did not leave a negative impression.
On top of that, his two companions were only spared a passing glance, as if their presence here was insignificant. It rubbed Phoenix the wrong way, but he couldn't say it didn't play into his hands.
“Of course, please come in and take a seat here,” she offered, gesturing at the white leather couches. “My name is Ida Do, and I will be your assistance on this wonderful journey! Is there anything in particular you're looking for?"
"Thank you!" Phoenix smiled politely as he made his way towards the sitting area, followed by his companions. “And I’m not entirely sure. It’s new territory to me, this kind of committed relationship, so I was hoping you could help me to figure it out.”
“Of course, please give me a moment then,” Ida nodded, before turning and walking to her desk to retrieve some papers, her high heels clacking sharply on the marble floor.
The other man, who on closer inspection looked more like a bouncer than a wedding organizer, approached them as well, towering over Phoenix and making him look tiny both in height and stature in comparison. Now he was holding a tray with three champagne glasses on it, offering it to their small company.
Phoenix eyed the drink with suspicion. Not only champagne was the murder weapon in the case he was currently investigating, but he also tried to avoid alcoholic beverages on principle after some prior events in his life. Still, somebody in his place, somebody who truly came here for a wedding planning, would've likely accepted the drink. With that in mind, he carefully picked up the glass and brought it to his lips, taking a single tiny sip.
The man then proceeded to offer champagne to both Apollo and Athena, who promptly refused under Phoenix’s intense stare.
“Allow me to start with asking you a few questions,” Ida said, reappearing in the field of his vision holding a leather folder and a pen. “I’m afraid I didn’t quite catch your name.”
“Ah, where are my manners,” Phoenix chuckled awkwardly. “I’m Phoenix, Phoenix Wright, and those are my assistants, Apollo and Athena.”
Ida’s eyes went wide and her cheerful facade faltered, although she managed to remain composed. “You mean the Phoenix Wright?” she asked in almost shock, and just for a moment, Phoenix thought he was about to get kicked out of their office.
“I’m sorry, I had no idea I was that famous,” he chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.
Ida looked at him carefully, as if trying to read something in his expression. “What really brings you here, Mr. Wright?” she asked finally.
“Well, as I said, I’m planning to get married,” he shrugged in response. “Are there other reasons why I could be here?”
“Well, our agency has received some bad reputation recently.”
“Oh?” Phoenix raised an eyebrow, bringing the glass to his lips again. “What happened?”
She opened her mouth again as if was about to explain it to him, yet before even a sound escaped her, she forced herself to shut it close. Phoenix’s vision went darker, the magatama vibrating in his pocket. Several heavy chains appeared before his eyes, wrapping themselves around Ida and snapping shut with five familiar red locks. Well, that one was going to be a tricky one to unlock, given that any mistake was going to get him to fail their entire charade. That meant he wasn't going to even attempt doing it right now before he had a chance to collect more evidence.
“Oh, apologies, it doesn’t really matter,” she smiled again. “Besides, we wouldn’t want to ruin your special day with something grim, so let us start with the planning! How big would you want the wedding to be?”
“Well, probably a very small one,” Phoenix replied after a short consideration rubbing his chin.
Ida scratched something in her notebook, before looking back up at him. “Are you thinking about doing it in a chapel or a different kind of venue?”
“Ah, no, nothing religious, really.”
“What about the reception, would you want it catered or at a restaurant?”
“Catered sounds very convenient.”
Ida stopped writing and gave him a long puzzled look. “I apologize again, but are those options something only you choose or does your fiancée have a say in it as well? We talked for a little while now, but I still haven’t heard a word about her. I don’t wish to sound suspicious, but...”
But suspicious she was, Phoenix didn’t even need his magatama, magic bracelets or computers that could read people’s emotions to be able to see it. “Well,” he chuckled, trying to come up with an explanation of why he came here alone and hadn’t even thought of mentioning his fiancee once.
“What is her favorite color? Her favorite drink? Favorite flowers?”
Sweat was beginning to form over Phoenix’s temples and the shirt over his lower back was already damp under his vest and jacket. Behind Ida, Athena was looking at him with a panicked expression, and Apollo seemed like he was about to walk away out of here any moment.
Phoenix needed to come up with something and do it fast.
“I’m sorry again, Mr. Wright,” Ida announced, closing her folder. “But I simply don’t believe—”
“Red,” he blurted, feeling a wave of panic washing over him.
“What?”
“Red,” he repeated, hiding his face into his own palms, shocked at his own confession. “ His favorite color is red. His favorite drink is black tea, cylon, with citrus or mint, but berries are good too. I can’t tell which flower is his favorite, but only because I’ve heard him gush over all of them.”
The room became completely silent, and for the first time, Phoenix noticed a faint sound of music, of some kind of classical instrumental melody that was playing quietly in the background. He couldn't see anyone’s reaction, couldn’t really face his assistants because his mind was doing acrobatic numbers trying to figure out why out of any other lie he could possibly come up with, this was the response he’d given to her.
A flying wedding chapel... That’s a rather romantic venue, isn’t it? Edgeworth’s voice sounded in his head. It’s been only a few months since that conversation, no wonder his mind went there right now.
“Oh!” Ida exhaled. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Wright, it was not my intention to make you uncomfortable like that. I understand some places might be against such things, but I promise, we do not support discrimination.”
Phoenix looked up and stared at her a little confused, shocked that it actually worked. “I... Thank you,” was the only thing that he managed to respond to her with.
“You’re welcome! We will take good care of the two of you and make sure your wedding will be a one to remember!”
***
Phoenix was staring blankly at his hotdog. He was expecting to be at the point right now where he contemplated his life and all his choices that led him to this, but instead his head was pleasantly empty.
The weather in the park was nice, the spring sun was warm on his skin. The hotdog was rather nice, too, with relish and pickles and lettuce and all other kinds of things one could ever hope to have on a hotdog. With almost a childish delight, he took another bite of the thing, cherishing this peaceful moment before the storm that he knew was coming.
“What were you even thinking?” Athena asked, still sounding astonished at the development.
“I don’t think I was thinking, honestly,” Phoenix confessed. “I simply considered every single person and wondered which one of them I knew well enough to pretend to be my future spouse. And then it just... slipped, you know.”
“Actually, considering everything, it ended up being the right decision,” Apollo sighed from the opposite side of the bench the three of them were sitting on.
When Phoenix turned to look at him, he saw his colleague staring nowhere but at the files in his hand, seemingly reading about the traffic accident victim, which was one of the other four cases they had to deal with. Yet, Phoenix doubted it was even possible to shift gears that fast.
“I guess you’re right,” Athena nodded, reaching to run her one unoccupied hand down the length of her ponytail, before taking a bite of her own hotdog. “Ms. Do seemed to calm down quite a great deal after that, too. I guess she just thought you were simply worried they wouldn’t work with you after finding out your fiance is a man.”
Phoenix shivered hearing those words, starting to feel more awkward with every passing minute.
"Actually, I've got something else for you," Athena added, reaching for her purse. From there, she pulled a plastic zip lock bag that was filled with tan, fizzy liquid and a single champagne glass. She held it out like a prized possession, grinning wide the entire time. "Kinda looked familiar, didn't it?"
"How? When?" Phoenix gaped.
"Well, Trucy taught me a few tricks."
Apollo laughed quietly and when he spoke, he sounded much softer than his usual self. "That's pretty great actually. Makes me miss having you by my side."
Athena smiled at him. "Nothing stops us from visiting each other more often, you know. You're always welcome here."
Phoenix couldn't help but smile at that “Well,” he chuckled finally, glad their day was ending on a rather positive note. It wasn't all bad about his own predicament either. In the end, even if everything else failed, he would at least be able to see his friend's face as he explained the situation. Even if it was going to be his last memory before death. “Who’s with me to deliver Edgeworth the good news?”