Chapter Text
April 2nd, 8:02 AM
Wright & Co. Law Offices
“I’m gonna do it.”
“I’m actually gonna do it.”
Phoenix chooses to ignore the look that Maya’s giving him from across the room as he stares at Mia’s legal books, standing as he always is, behind the receptionist’s desk
“I’m going to read these. Starting today.”
Or he would, if Maya didn’t have anything to say about it.
“Have you finally lost it?” she questions, Phoenix letting out a burdened sigh before he looks away from the law books and to the woman in question.
I should have known, Phoenix thinks to himself. No way Maya would be quiet long enough for me to actually read these. Not that I really want to, anyway.
“What are you talking about?”
“Reading those books would be crazyyyyyyy Nick! Crazy! Bonkers! Batshit!”
“I need to read them at some point,” Phoenix groans, and Maya just shakes her head emphatically. “It’s not like we have any cases that I can work on right now. No better time to read up on…..law….like the present.”
He can’t help but shudder at his very own words, because really, Maya does have a point.
“Speaking of, that reminds me of something we should talk about!” Maya starts, and Oh no, that’s never a good start . “How do we have no business!?!? All you do is get our clients off!”
“First off, phrasing,” he clarifies, and Maya can’t help but laugh at realizing what she said. “Secondly, that’s because they’re all innocent! Well, except for Matt Engarde, but….”
“We should be flooded with clients, Nick! Innocent people lining the streets hoping to have you as their lawyer! But, there’s no one. We’re empty. Zilch. Nada.”
“Okay….I see your point,” Phoenix reasons, because really, she’s not wrong. You’d think that with their track record, they would have at least one client at all times, but it feels like at the end of every big case, there’s just months of silence without anyone calling and…..
RING. RING. RING. RING.
“Ah ha! That always works,” Maya grins as she races to the phone, sticking her tongue out at Phoenix. “Whenever we complain about why we don’t have a case, we always get a case. Magic.”
“It’s not….please just answer the phone!”
And she does, thankfully, right before it goes to voicemail.
“Nick and Co. Law Offices, this is Maya Fey speaking!”
At least get the name right, Phoenix grumbles to himself
Or he starts to grumble to himself, until he’s pulled out of his internal monologue by Maya’s screaming.
“Detective Gumshoe! Why are….huh? You’re…you’re WHAT? You’re at the DETENTION CENTRE and need OUR help? No, we’re not busy. Nick was about to read these really boring law books that sis left….EEP!”
“Maya!”
“Right away Detective Gumshoe! We’ll be down as fast as we can! As long as Nick has cash and we can get a taxi! Yep, yep we’ll be right there pal!”
“Woah,” Maya sighs, taking a breath after she puts her phone down and takes a breath.
“NICK WE GOTTA GO!”
Well, the silence was nice for the second it lasted, Phoenix groans. “What happened to Detective Gumshoe?”
“He’s been arrested!” Maya yells, looking like she’s about to vault over the desk as if she’s the Steel Samurai… or at least she does before she thinks better of it and decides to run around it instead. “He was all like ‘ Pal, you gotta get down here right now Pal! Something something best friend, something something arrested, something something need your help something something PAL! ”
“I don’t know if that’s all he said though. He was yelling a lot and I kinda zoned out a bit, but he definitely said you’re his best friend, and to come to the detention centre stat, Pal!”
“I feel like there was something lost in translation,” Phoenix sighs, although he says it at the same time as when he gets his usual blue suit jacket. “I thought Edgeworth was his best friend?”
Although I’ve never docked his pay before .
“Noooo, Edgeworth is your best friend. And maybe something more….”
“What?”
“Nothing!” Maya chirps, all too pleased with herself as she grabs Phoenix’s arm. “C’mon Nick! Gumshoe’s a’waitin!”
April 2nd, 8:30 AM
Detention Centre
Secondary Visitor’s Room
As soon as they get there, it’s very apparent that Detective Dick Gumshoe is, in fact, not on trial.
“What?” He questions as soon as Phoenix comments on it, Gumshoe shaking his head emphatically. “I said ‘ Pal, you gotta get down here right now Pal! My very best friend got himself arrested, and he really really needs your help. Pal!”
Even Gumshoe’s impression of himself sounds like a parody, Phoenix chuckles.
“I thought Edgeworth was your best friend,” he comments, and Gumshoe just shakes his head, face falling into a frown for just a second.
“Mister Edgeworth is my second best friend,” Gumshoe corrects, and Maya nods her head emphatically, like that makes the most sense in the world. “We’re only not best friends because we can’t go out to eat after work. Mister Edgeworth believes that you should pay for yourself, and I can’t afford to eat where he eats, pal.”
You can’t afford to eat where he eats because someone keeps docking your pay , Phoenix groans. That someone being Edgeworth
“Who was arrested then?” Phoenix interjects, feeling like he very much needs to get this back on track.
“You’ve met him before,” Gumshoe continues as they stand in front of the visitor’s room, albeit not the one that Phoenix is very much used to. “His name’s Rand. Rand Omguard.”
“He stands guard in the visitor’s room whenever there’s a meeting there. So you’ve probably seen him tons of times, pal.”
“Huh,” Maya mutters, and Phoenix can’t help but agree. To be honest, he’s never once thought to ask the guard his name, even though he’s met every single one of his clients in that room, and has no doubt seen this Rand Omguard every single time.
He feels a little bit embarrassed, honestly.
“Don’t worry though pal, he never says anything about the meetings in there. Part of his contract. What happens in there is between you and your client. They can shoot him if he says anything!”
“Actually, I think they’d probably just fire him,” Phoenix reasons, because even if the law can be archaic at times, it can’t be that archaic.
“Did he kill a defendant?” Maya questions, and all Phoenix’s mind can go to is the fact that there’s a security camera in that room, something he’s noticed and visually inspected every single time he’s been in there.
“I’ll let him tell you all about that. I gotta get to the crime scene and start investigating!”
“You’re the….detective on the case?” Phoenix questions, and Gumshoe just nods, Phoenix’s brow only furrowing. “Isn’t that a, you know, conflict of interest?”
“We won’t say a thing, Detective! Scout’s honour!”
You weren’t a scout!
Phoenix doesn’t say that out loud though, instead just giving Gumshoe a nod. In truth, he doesn’t think Gumshoe knowing the defendant could make his investigation any worse than it generally is.
Plus, he’s been the detective on cases where he knew the defendant before anyway, so it doesn’t seem to be that big of a deal.
So he just hums and Gumshoe takes that as good enough, letting them into a room with the defendant and closing the door. It’s not the usual visitor’s room - which makes Phoenix suspect that Maya may be right regarding the victim - but instead must be another, lower priority visitor’s room.
There’s no glass between them and the defendant, with him instead sitting on one side of a bench, it being as non-descript as could be. The rest of the room is exactly the same, grey concrete walls with a grey concrete floor, and a camera up in the back right corner and trained down on the bench where the defendant sits.
There’s also a guard in the corner of the room, but not the usual guard that’s there when Phoenix talks to a client.
Because that usual guard is the one seated at the bench.
Instantly, Phoenix recognizes him. It helps that he’s still wearing the usual uniform - a blue shirt, black pants with a brown belt, alongside a black hat - sans the mic that’s generally on his chest. Besides that…he looks like just a guy, to Phoenix. No distinguishing features, nothing to really set him apart from anyone else that you might find on the street.
Short black hair, brown eyes, reasonable weight….yeah, that’s all Phoenix has. The type of guy that sort of just fades into the background.
“This room is usually for the lesser criminals. Minor theft, arson….you know.”
Even the way he speaks is boring, Phoenix notes, seeing the side eye from Maya as they move to sit on the opposite side of the bench.
“You’re friends with Detective Gumshoe?!” Maya can’t keep in, and even if Rand’s eyes widen just a bit, he grins and nods a second later.
“He’s the best detective I’ve ever met,” he starts, and
are there two Detective Gumshoes?
“They always find the right criminals on his cases. All because of Detective Gumshoe.”
“It’s a shame that they keep docking his pay…..”
“Yeah…a shame,” Phoenix agrees, doing his best to focus on this guy.
The more they talk to him though, the more it feels like he’s a pure fly on the wall.
“He’s great!” Maya cuts in, apparently deciding to pick up the slack. “He asked us to take your case!”
“He…he did?” Rand questions, and Phoenix nods, able to see it all processing in his head. “That’s nice of him.”
“We have a couple questions to ask you before we decide if we can take your case or not though,” Phoenix cuts in, and Rand nods, fingers fidgeting with the cuffs of his shirt.
“Of course. I’ve seen how you decide on your clients.”
Right, Phoenix remembers, because this guy has been there every time he’s ever met his clients here.
He’s seen most of my first meetings with my clients, actually.
“Can you tell me about the victim? Gumshoe didn’t actually tell us who he was.”
“I…..he was a prosecutor, I think. I’ve never met him before!”
And immediately, there’s chains surrounding Rand Omguard, followed by three psyche-locks.
Erp! Usually we ask a couple questions before there’s psyche-locks. Not off to a great start.
He taps Maya a couple times on the knee - their code for psyche-locks - before he keeps going, continuing with “Okay….why do they think you killed him then?”
“I….he died last night. I finished my shift at 9:30, and went to the locker room to change. And when my back was turned, I was knocked out! And then, when I woke up, I walked out into the hallway, and the janitor screamed at me. Then the cops came around the corner and arrested me.”
No psyche-locks this time , Phoenix notes, so at the very least, this part is the truth.
“You didn’t kill him then?” Maya cuts in this time, Rand’s eyes widening for a split second before he shakes his head.
“No….no I didn’t.”
April 2nd 2019, 9:30 AM
Detention Centre
Visitor’s Room
“He’s so….boringggg,” Maya groans after they close the door, and usually Phoenix would say something about how they shouldn’t talk like that when they’re in earshot of their client, but he feels so emotionally drained that he can’t help but agree.
“It makes sense why we’ve never really talked to him.”
“Usually our clients are master thieves, or magicians, or the Steel Samurai or…or me! But this guy….”
“He’s like a movie extra,” Phoenix agrees, and Maya practically stumbles over herself nodding as they make their way to the crime scene. “We owe it to Gumshoe to look into this case though. And on the plus side, there weren’t any psyche-locks when you asked if he killed him.”
Although there were when I asked if he knew the victim
It’s a short walk between the visitation rooms, and before long they’re entering the usual area. Unfortunately, it’s only a split second before they’re encountered with a red-faced Detective Gumshoe, who’s breathing like he just ran a marathon.
“Detective…..”
“Are you gonna do it Pal?!?! Are you gonna take the case?”
“Epppp!” Maya yelps at just how loud the Detective’s speaking, Gumshoe at least looking like he feels at least a little bit guilty.
“Sorry pal….I’m just worried for him, is all. He’s my best friend!”
“About that….” Phoenix cuts in, “He’s your best friend?”
“Oh yeah! We chat for hours some days after work! He’s got great stories!”
“Uh huh….” Maya says, clearly not buying it. “He seemed like a good guy!”
“Oh yeah! Which is why he definitely didn’t do it!”
“He didn’t seem guilty,” Phoenix agrees, eyes flitting around the scene. “So, about the crime scene….”
“Ask me anything! I’ll tell you anything you wanna hear, pal!”
“Let's start with the victim,” Phoenix reasons, and Gumshoe nods his head eagerly. “Rand mentioned he was a prosecutor?”
“Obadiah Jection,” Gumshoe agrees, the name not really registering for Phoenix. “You remember how Mister Edgeworth was when he first started? Prosecutor Jection was worse. Reputation for doing whatever he needed to win a case, but just not as smart as Mister Edgeworth.”
As aggressive as Edgeworth was but not as smart, Phoenix reasons. That’s a dangerous combination
“There were rumours,” Gumshoe starts before he leans in to whisper, causing Phoenix and Maya to have to lean in as well (close enough to smell Gumshoe’s green jacket, which he’s apparently gone back to). “Rumours that he was extra mean to the defendants. Makin’ them cry when he’d talk to them after the trial, only really caring about humiliating them.”
“So lots of enemies,” Phoenix reasons, getting a nod from the detective in response.
“Imagine how many enemies Prosecutor Edgeworth had….Prosecutor Jection had more.”
“Okay…..okay. Have they determined the cause of death yet?”
“Oh yeah….oh hoh hoh hoh hoh….oh yeah,” Gumshoe starts, and Phoenix is temporarily concerned he’s gone insane.
“Um….Detective? You didn’t finally lose it, did you?”
“Nah, I’m good,” Gumshoe chuckles before he gets back down to business. “Whoever killed him really wanted to make sure the job was done. Stabbed him four times in the chest, before having his throat slit. Got the autopsy report right here.”
Autopsy Report Added to Court Record - Time of Death: April 1st 2019, Between 10:00 PM and 11:30 PM. Victim stabbed four times in the abdomen before having his throat slit. Murder weapon is likely a large hunting knife.
“Mr. Omguard said that his shift ended at 9:30 PM,” Maya reasons as she tries to look over Phoenix’s shoulder as he jots down the details of the report.
“So he was still here around the time of death. Regardless of if he was knocked out or not,” Phoenix agrees, it not looking particularly good. “A large hunting knife?”
“Yeah…they don’t know the exact size, but it’s got those ridges that a hunting knife has.”
“So probably premeditated if they’re bringing that type of knife,” Phoenix reasons, thinking things over. “Rand told us that he was knocked out in the locker room. Then when he woke up, he was arrested.”
“Yeah, about that pal….that’s where it gets bad.”
“Oh no,” Maya groans, and Gumshoe just nods, looking more than a little pained before he continues.
“They keep a record of when the employees clock out. To make sure that they aren’t overbilling their time, you know? At the time of death, everyone had clocked out except for Rand.”
“He says he was knocked out though,” Phoenix reasons, ignoring the fact that if that was true, someone else would have had to be here, and instead focusing on defending his client. “If he was knocked out, he couldn’t help being here.”
“True….but that doesn’t explain the video of him with the knife.”
“I…WHAAAAAAAAATTTT???”
The officers really didn’t appreciate that in this small room, Maya
“Yeah….they got security cameras everywhere in here. Except the bathrooms and the locker room. At 11:30 PM, they got Rand on video with the murder weapon. That’s when he got arrested.”
“What about that camera?” Maya questions, pointing up at the one on the other side of the room, which had somehow completely slipped Phoenix’s mind.
Of course! He mentally slaps himself, The only other thing besides our client that I inspect when I’m here
“
Yeah….that’s the other bad thing,” Gumshoe rubs the back of his neck, and Phoenix all of a sudden wishes Maya had never asked. “The camera was turned off before the murder.”
“Okay,” Phoenix reasons, because that would be entirely too easy. “But that doesn’t prove anything against our client.”
“They keep a record whenever someone shuts off the security cameras…they got Rand using his card at….9:15 PM.”
Of course they do
“Okay…that’s not good.”
“It’s not looking good, pal,” Gumshoe agrees, even if he looks surprisingly happy. “He didn’t shut off only this camera neither. Shut off all of them in the entire detention centre at 9:15 PM. Which ain’t good…..But this is your kinda case, pal! You always figure these out.”
“Right! Nick can do this,” Maya grins, giving him a hard slap on the back that almost makes him stumble into the forensic scientist currently dusting for prints on the mirror.
“Oh! Before I forget, here!”
Photograph of Crime Scene Added to the Court Record: Shows the body of Obadiah Jection. A particularly gruesome stabbing.
“Woah….he’s even dressed douchey.”
Phoenix wants to say something to Maya, but she’s not necessarily wrong.
And I thought Edgeworth was overdressed
“You’re thinking about Edgeworth,” Maya grins, and Phoenix can barely stammer out a response to that . “You get that look that you get.”
“I don’t have a look,” he scoffs, before very pointedly looking at the crime scene photo. The one word to describe Jection is….gold. Gold tie, gold cufflinks, gold buttons on a white shirt….just very gold. Which is obviously sullied by the blood that’s covering his shirt.
Plus, the fact that he’s missing a cufflink on his left arm….or at least it looks like he is.
True to Gumshoe’s word, it looks like there are four deep stabs in Jection’s chest, followed by his throat being slit. A nasty way to go, Phoenix thinks.
Maya doesn’t push him any farther about Edgeworth, which throws him off, and a quick look up lets him know that she left his side long ago. She’s looking at the camera in the opposite corner, and Phoenix leaves her to it, pocketing the picture as he looks at the tape that’s been set up in the form of a body.
Just like can be seen in the picture, it’s set up against the wall, the body apparently having been found slumped up against it. “They think he stumbled back against the wall when he was stabbed. Then his throat was slit here before he fell,” Gumshoe notes, judging by the blood splatter that’s still higher up on the wall.
“That makes sense,” Phoenix reasons, and Gumshoe puffs up a little bit that.
“The camera was off during the murder?” Maya reasons, and Gumshoe turns around and nods, Phoenix able to tell where Maya’s head is at.
She’s getting really good at this. Soon she’ll be coming for my job.
“Was it turned off when Jection had his meeting?” Phoenix reasons, and judging by Gumshoe’s confused look, he doesn’t quite get it. “Jection was here to meet someone. There should be video to show who that was. They might know something.”
“Oh! Oh….we don’t got that.”
“What? Gumshoe, you’re killing us here!”
Maya’s outburst once again causes grumbling amongst the scientists, but Phoenix is solely focused on Gumshoe. “There’s another piece of footage missing…when Prosecutor Jection was meeting with whoever he was meeting with.”
So whoever Jection was planning to meet with has something to do with this, Phoenix theorizes, before something else clicks in his head.
“Whenever we’re here, we have to sign a visitor’s log! Who we’re meeting with, and when. Jection must have signed that!”
“Great thinking pal!” Gumshoe grins, the pats on the back that both he and Maya get being almost enough to knock them over. “That’s probably in the security office. I’d go check it out.”
“Let’s get going Nick!” Maya grins, and after a quick look around makes it clear that there isn’t much to do here, Phoenix nods and follows Maya out the door.
April 2nd 2019, 10:50 PM
Detention Centre
Security Office
“ Nick! This place is crazy!”
“I had no idea that the detention centre was so high-tech….”
Clearly this is the only place they’re spending their budget, Phoenix theorizes, looking around as Maya runs from monitor to monitor.
The door was unlocked, thankfully, even though there’s no one in the security room at this time. Which is probably a problem, but there’s so much going on that Phoenix figures they probably can’t fault them for it.
But still…..jeez.
One wall is entirely monitors, alongside a window above them to give this room some form of way to air out. It’s far too small for someone to fit through though - Phoenix doubts even Pearl could fit through - so he quickly writes that off as a potential entrance.
The monitors are far more interesting though, given there’s video of every corner of the detention centre excluding the bathrooms and the locker room. Just like Gumshoe said, they’re all operating now, and Phoenix can see Gumshoe and the forensic investigators mucking around in the visitor’s room.
“So that camera is back on,” he reasons, thinking everything over that Gumshoe mentioned.
The camera in the visitor’s room was turned off right before Jection met with whoever he met with, and it stayed off until later that night when Omguard was arrested. And at 9:15, our client shut off the rest of the cameras in the building.
Visitor’s Room Camera Added to the Court Record: Meant to be on at all times in the detention centre visitor’s room. Was turned off prior to Obadiah Jection’s Meeting with his client, until the arrest of Rand Omguard later that night
“Okay, Gumshoe said there was a logbook somewhere around here. That should say who Jection was meeting with,” Phoenix reasons, eyes flitting around. The place is a mess, the desk in front of the various monitors littered with trash, and more than a couple boxes of donuts.
Talk about fitting the stereotype , Phoenix chuckles inwardly, before he has to knock one out of Maya’s hands. “We don’t know how long that’s been there!”
“They could be the killer’s donuts, Nick! He doesn’t deserve them!”
As always, no one can argue with Maya’s flawless logic
It’s around those boxes of donuts that the log book is, Phoenix letting out an audible ‘ah ha!’ as he pulls it out. “Okay, lets see lets see….April 1st…..what?”
“There’s no name for who he’s visiting, is there?”
“What…how did you know that?!”
“Obviously, Nick,” Maya rolls her eyes, like he should have figured this from the start. “He’s not gonna put who he was meeting if he had the security cameras turned off.”
“Huh…that makes sense.”
Visitor’s Room Log Book Added to the Court Record: Contains Record of Everyone who comes to the detention centre and who they meet. Obadiah Jection didn’t list the person he was visiting at 8:00 PM on April 1st
“Well that’s a dead end,” Phoenix sighs as he finishes jotting the important facts down, mulling things over in his head. “Wait! Gumshoe mentioned that there was a record of who shut down the cameras…..we should see if we can find that!”
“On it!”
That’s all the response he gets before suddenly Maya’s spinning in one of the desk chairs and rolling up to a monitor, apparently going to pull the record of who shut off the cameras. That’s as good of a thing to do as any so Phoenix busies himself with reading through the log book, trying to see if there’s anything else that stands out as odd.
There isn’t, unfortunately, just the traditional meetings. Defense attorneys meeting clients, family members meeting people who they’re bailing out….nothing that ties to Jection directly based on what they know.
“Ma’am! Just what do ya’ll think you’re doing?! That is private property, ya’hear!”
“Eeeep!”
“Keep it together Nick!” Maya admonishes at Phoenix’s outburst, having hopped off of the monitor…..without the camera history.
Me keep it together? Phoenix thinks to himself, But you’re hiding behind me!
They’ve been caught by a man, someone who he imagines must work here. He’s huge, a Gumshoe and a half in width, and probably a foot taller. He’s in an impeccably tailored suit, dark grey with light grey stripes, and practically towering over the two of them.
That’s not to mention the stark white mutton chops, that being the only hair on his head besides his eyebrows.
“Now just what do you think you’re doin’ missy?”
“Um….nothing! Nothing sir!” Maya gets out, Phoenix doing his best to quietly move them over to the door to make a quick getaway.
“Our apologies! Won’t happen again sir!” Phoenix apologies before they’re out the door in an instant.
“Phew! That was a close one Nick!” Maya wipes the sweat from her brow after they’ve escaped, Phoenix once again rolling his eyes.
A close one?!?! We were caught!
“I guess that’s a dead end for now.”
“Where to next? Time to crack open those psyche-locks?” Maya eagerly pumps her own fists together, it almost hurting to turn her down.
“We don’t have any tie between Jection and Omguard just yet…..I think we should pay a visit to his office, see if there’s anything there.”
“Great idea Nick! Oh oh oh are you gonna call him? So he can sneak us in under the cover of night?”
Phoenix doesn’t deign that with a response, just pulling out his phone and going to his favourited contacts.
April 2nd 2019, 12:15 PM
Prosecutor’s Building
Obadiah Jection’s Office
“I don’t see why you called me. I don’t work here anymore.”
“We’re not really on great terms with any other prosecutors,” Phoenix reasons, Edgeworth tilting his head as he briefly considers that. “You’re the only person who would actually give us access.”
“And don’t make me regret that, Wright,” Edgeworth mutters, and Phoenix can’t keep in his wide grin as Edgeworth pushes open Jection’s office door.
“Wow! This puts your office to shame, Nick!”
She’s not wrong , Phoenix reasons as he looks around, taking in the grandiose nature of the office of a prosecutor who’s not even considered the best of his cohort. Just like his outfit, every piece of furniture in Jection’s office is gold - gold desk, gold couch, gold office chair, gold carpet - and signals that it was owned by a man that clearly thought very highly of himself.
Apparently his court record didn’t justify thinking this highly of himself, based off what Gumshoe said
Edgeworth clearly thinks the same, judging by the scoff that he lets out when they enter. “Ostentatious,” he mutters, and Phoenix can’t help but agree.
“This place is so cool!”
Apparently Maya sees this office very differently , Phoenix muses as he watches her run around the room eyes wide as she looks at basically everything gold.
“I’m sure you have some questions about Jection,” Edgeworth cuts in, and Phoenix hums, eyes flitting away from Maya and back to the man in question.
It takes a second, but he realizes he’s blushing, and he’s not quite sure why.
“Right…right, yeah! Yeah of course…”
“Wright…take a breath.”
“Yeah…yeah,” Phoenix sighs before he pushes through, because he does have plenty of questions surrounding the victim. “What can you tell me about Jection?”
“He was a bad prosecutor,” Edgeworth starts, and okay tell us how you really feel, Edgeworth .
“He prioritized humiliating the defendants over winning cases. And the actions he took to humiliate his defendants were….questionable at best.”
“Forged evidence?” Phoenix questions, and Edgeworth just shakes his head, Jection apparently not having gone that far.
“He wasn’t smart enough for that,” Edgeworth interjects, and okay, that makes sense. “Most of the evidence he gathered was through aggressive tactics. Bullying beat cops, the defendants, witnesses….forcing witnesses to lie on the stand.”
“Was he ever reprimanded?”
“As far as I’m aware, he was not. By Lana Skye, nor her successors.”
So either the Chief Prosecutors didn’t care about Jection’s tactics, or he had someone’s support….but who could that be?
“If he wasn’t well liked, any idea who could be prosecuting tomorrow?” Phoenix asks, and Edgeworth clearly thinks for a minute before shaking his head.
“I’m not as involved in this Prosecutor’s office as I once was, so I don’t know the specifics….but if I had to guess…” he starts, Maya having found her way to Phoenix’s side at some point.
“Even if Jection wasn’t well liked, he was still a prosecutor. They’ll want to convict your client, regardless of their feelings for the victim.”
“Right,” Phoenix sighs, because isn't that always the way?
“If I had to guess, it would be someone who can put aside their personal feelings on him. Someone who will try for the guilty verdict, no matter what.”
Great, my favourite type of Prosecutor
“Sounds like you have your work cut out for you Nick!” Maya notes, and the fact that Edgeworth nods his head along with her isn’t the greatest sign.
“You have terrible judgment in picking clients, Wright,” Edgeworth notes, although Phoenix is pretty sure there’s at least some fondness in his voice.
“You were one of my clients!” He defends, although all he gets is a shrug of the shoulders in response.
“Whatever. You said that Jection wasn’t well liked? He had enemies then.”
“More enemies than I care to think about, truthfully. There’s no shortage of people who would both want him dead, and would go to extreme lengths to do so.”
“Some prosecutors can get away with extreme methods due to their abilities in the courtroom. Jection didn’t have that advantage.”
There’s disdain in Edgeworth’s voice as he says that, and it’s not lost on Phoenix that he’s likely talking about himself here..
“You weren’t like that Edgeworth. You….”
“I don’t want your pity, Wright. I’ve come to terms with how I acted.”
“Now, I suggest you start with inspecting Jection’s desk. I’m not sure how long you’ll have access here before someone tells you to leave.”
“Right….right. Thanks Edgeworth.”
All Phoenix gets is a nod before he turns to make his way to the desk, Maya in quick pursuit. It’s on his way though that he’s stopped by the trophy cabinet that Jection has set up against the wall, Phoenix’s brow furrowing.
“Edgeworth, I thought you said he wasn’t a good…..oh.”
These aren’t prosecution trophies. They’re swimming trophies. Weird.
“The King of the Prosecutors, he was not,” Edgeworth muses, and Phoenix can’t keep in his laugh.
He does manage to ignore the side eye from one, Miss Maya Fey, however.
“I could definitely be a swimming champion. Look at how aerodynamic I am!”
“Have you ever actually swam before?” Phoenix questions, and gets hit with the patented May Fey roll of her eyes in response.
“One doesn’t simply swim, Nick! It’s a state of mind!”
The only state of mind you’ll be in is the one of gasping for air when you try to do a backstroke, Phoenix groans, choosing to leave that train of thought behind and focus on the desk.
Which is….entirely empty.
“There’s nothing here!” Maya chimes in, ever the observant one.
“Someone must have gotten here before us,” Phoenix reasons as he opens the various drawers in Jections’ desk which are, once again….empty.
“A dead end,” Edgeworth comments, and Phoenix just frowns, running things over.
The killer was here before us….but I wonder if he got in…HERE!
Phoenix had hoped that would be a huge ZVARRI! Moment, but instead, all he gets with a press of the enter key on Jections’ keyboard is the request to put in a password.
“Not Zvarri,” Maya sighs, finishing her snooping through the other desk drawers. “There’s not even a little secret sticky note with his password….that’s what I always do.”
“Whomever was here before us removed anything that Jection might have stored here,” Edgeworth reasons, and it certainly appears that way.
So there’s no way to get into his computer right now….he must keep keep his passwords saved somewhere else though
Before he can go any further though, Phoenix’s phone is ringing, and a quick look at the caller ID lets him know that it’s a certain Detective.
“Detective Gumshoe! What’s going….”
“You gotta get down here pal!” Is the response he gets, Phoenix wincing at the volume at which Gumshoe screams into the phone. “The guy that Jection was meeting….he came forward! He wants to talk with you!”
“I….who is…”
“Just get down to the detention centre, pal! Stat!”
Gumshoe hangs up before Phoenix can say anything, honestly leaving him with more questions than answers. “That was Gumshoe. He says that the prisoner that Jection was meeting with came forward. Wants to talk.”
“Did he say who it was?”
“No,” Phoenix responds to Edgeworth, which only makes him look more conflicted. “We should probably go. Thanks for letting us in here. Truly.”
“Of course,” Edgeworth notes, and it’s as he and Maya turn to leave that they’re stopped. “Be careful, Wright. However this is clearly has connections if they could wipe any evidence of their existence at the Detention Centre until they came forward. Just….be safe.”
“Of course, Edgeworth,” Phoenix smiles, and after one last long look, they’re off.
April 2nd 2019, 1:30 PM
Detention Centre
Secondary Visitor’s Room
Gumshoe’s not there when they arrive, apparently having been pulled back to the crime scene. No one’s there to greet them actually, just a standard guard giving them the usual spiel about meeting with a criminal.
“Who do you think it is, Nick?” Maya questions, and Phoenix just shakes his head. “Edgeworth sounded really worried. For youuuuu.”
“Let’s just…..be careful, Maya. Let me do the talking,” he states and Maya nods, Phoenix taking one last breath before they enter.
As soon as he sees who it is, he can’t help his gasp as he, once again, is face to face with the devil.
“Wright-O! Long time! Been swimming lately?”