Phoenix tapped awkwardly at the door to his friend's office. The message scribbled by Apollo on a scrap of paper had simply said that Miles needed to see him as soon as possible.

"Come in," a voice said tiredly. He pushed open the door. Miles was lounging on the couch, his jacket off and his shirt sleeves rolled up. Phoenix stared at him, it was rare to see Miles so… disheveled. That thought led to dangerous places, so he tamped his thoughts down and pasted a neutral expression on his face.

"Wright," Miles said, his entire body wired with tension. Phoenix gulped. Had he done something to piss Miles off?

"Hey, Miles. Apollo said you needed to see me?" he said nervously. Miles looked at him over the top of his glasses, and Phoenix had to suppress a shiver.

"Yes. Stop hovering and sit down, Wright." Miles commanded. Phoenix obeyed. "I have a rather delicate situation here that we need to discuss."

"OK," Phoenix said. He looked down, his anxiety now wound too tight to look Miles in the eye.

"I'm sorry, Wright, more sorry than I can say. But Iris Hawthorne is dead." Phoenix choked.

"Iris is dead?" he managed. Miles' face softened.

"Yes. Just this morning. I'm sorry, Wright." Phoenix turned his head away, determined not to cry in front of Miles. He breathed in and out, regaining control. "What happened?"

"She died after being stabbed by a fellow prisoner, using a replica of Mystic Ami's sword." Miules told him.

"I don't… uh.. What?" Phoenix stuttered. "How did this happen?"

"We think we have a serial killer on our hands," Miles said without preamble. Phoenix looked up, astonished.

"What?"

"A serial killer. One that has now killed three of your former clients." Phoenix stared at Miles in horror.

"Oh my God," he whispered. Miles nodded gravely.

"Yes, it's a grim business. All of these are cases from your early career. We're not sure yet if it's a coincidence or whether the killer is targeting cases you defended specifically. They're all also cases where I was either the prosecutor or heavily involved in the case, so it's also possible that the killer is targeting cases where I failed to secure a prosecution, rather than cases that you won per se. But you have a more prolific win record against me than any other defense attorney."

"You must have more than that, to call me in like this," Phoenix said faintly.

"Of course. Each death is related to the court case they were involved in. Will Powers was killed by a man in a Steel Samurai costume. Max Galactica was fatally injured by a falling sign advertising his show at the circus. And, now, Iris."

"You weren't the prosecutor in the Hazakuna temple case.," he objected.

"No, that's true. But you dragged me into that case to fill in for you after you carelessly fell off a burning bridge." Miles reminded him. Phoenix reddened.

"So, you think my clients are being targeted? Why?" Miles ran a hand through his hair.

"We don't know why. All we know is what I've told you." Phoenix nodded and thought for a moment.

"Do you have any idea who might be targeted next?" Miles shook his head.

"None. That's why I called you here. We need a list of all of your clients contact information. I figured you probably keep in touch with most of them." Miles gave him a smile that Phoenix couldn't quite interpret.

"Yeah, Athena keeps a database of all our clients, past and present. Do you think they're in danger? Or Trucy?"

"I don't know, Wright," Miles said, frustration evident in his voice. "All I know is, the only connection between the three victims is the manner of their death and their connection to you."

"And you," Phoenix reminded him. Miles nodded.

"Yes, of course. But I'm at best tangential to at least two of them." He eyed Phoenix for a moment. "How good is the security at your apartment?"

"We have a houseplant with a mean streak," Phoenix quipped. Miles gave him a stern look.

"I'm going to assign a security detail. I want you and Trucy safe. What about Athena and Apollo?"

"Apollo has an apartment in the same block as me. Athena… Well, technically she has a place in midtown, but honestly I think she spends most nights at Simon's." Miles raised one eyebrow and Phoenix grinned. "Don't tell me you didn't know."

"I won't," Miles agreed. "I didn't know that you knew." Phoenix blinked at him.

"Why would you think that?"

"Simon made a big deal of swearing me to secrecy. I assumed they were hiding their relationship from you." Miles looked uncomfortable. "I told him I wasn't willing to lie about it if you asked, but I wouldn't bring it up."

"It's OK, Miles. I don't hold it against you." Phoenix nudged him with his shoulder. "I'm harder to offend than that, after all I've known you a long time." Miles stiffened and Phoenix laughed.

"Relax, Miles. I'm just yanking your chain. OK, if Athena's with Simon, I imagine she's as safe as she can be. If you're sending a security detail to my apartment, I guess covering Apollo's place as well shouldn't be too hard."

"Yes."

"What about Maya, do you think she could be a target too?" Phoenix asked suddenly. Miles gave a frown.

"I would think so. I've already reached out to her and I'm doing all I can to make sure she's safe." He gave a lopsided smile. "Although I pity the criminal who tries to take her on." Phoenix laughed at that. "Thank you, Wright," Miles looked down at his hands.

"For what?" Phoenix asked, confused.

"For taking this seriously. If something happened to you…" Miles shook his head. Phoenix patted him awkwardly on the shoulder and ignored the stab of pain as Miles flinched away from the physical contact.

"OK, well. I've got court in about an hour. Do you want to… grab some lunch or something?" Miles shook his head, but seemed genuinely regretful.

"I'm sorry, Wright, but I can't. I've got to get the security arranged and I need to talk to Simon about protection." He looked up briefly, meeting Phoenix's eye before looking away. "I'll be in touch."

Phoenix stood and rubbed the back of his neck. "OK, Miles. I'll talk to you later." He moved to the door, intending to leave.

"Wright." Miles said. Phoenix turned to look at him. He looked terrible. "Take care." Phoenix nodded.

"Don't worry, Miles. I'll be careful. And anyway, I'm indestructible. You know that."

There was a sharp knock and his door and Miles frowned. He wasn't expecting Simon for at least another hour, and Phoe- Wright would be in court now.

"Come in," he said. The door opened and Winston Payne poked his head in.

"Edgeworth," he said in his nasal whine. "What's this nonsense I hear about a serial killer." Miles' eyes opened in alarm.

"Where did you hear that?" he demanded and Payne flinched.

"It's all over the news," he said defensively. "Everyone's talking about it."

"Damn it," Miles cursed. "I was hoping to keep this under wraps. Who talked to the press?" Payne shrugged.

"No idea. It's true, then?" Miles nodded tiredly. Payne rubbed his hands together in apparent glee. "Well, I am of course available to direct the investigation, I just closed the Second Avenue Robbery this morning." Miles raised one eyebrow at him.

"That was fast," he observed. Payne preened, clearly thinking this was a compliment.

"It was a complex case. But for an experienced prosecutor such as myself…" Miles waved a hand at him.

"Yes, yes. I'm directing the serial killer case personally right now, but I will let you know if I need your assistance."

"But surely-" he started and Miles leveled a look at him and he backed off. "It's your decision, of course. I merely wished to take some of your heavy workload off your desk." He nodded at Miles and left the room. Miles slumped against the sofa cushions in relief. He did need help on this case, but he didn't trust Payne to have Wright' best interests at heart. He needed someone he could trust who would also be personally invested in the case. A small smile spread over his face as a thought occurred to him. He stood up and buzzed his secretary to arrange a meeting.

By the time Phoenix got back to his office, there was already a private security guard standing outside the door. He was tall and square, with a buzzcut and a rigid demeanor. He nodded to Phoenix and stepped aside. Phoenix stopped and held out his hand.

"Phoenix Wright. You're the security Miles hired?"

"Yeah. Edgar Gregory, Sentinel Security." He shook Phoenix's hand, crushing it slightly. "Mr Edgeworth was most insistent that you have at least one guard at all times." Phoenix gave him a crooked smile.

"OK. Uh, thanks." Edgar opened the door and Phoenix stumbled inside. "Nice to meet you." There was no reply. Edgar was apparently not a chatty guy.

Athena and Apollo were staring at Athena's computer screen. When Phoenix entered they started guiltily. He gave them both a hard stare.

"What are you two up to?" he asked.

"Eeep! Close everything down!" Widget chirped. Athena went purple and Phoenix cocked a brow at her.

"We were just reviewing some old cases of yours," Apollo said, looking sheepish. "You know, since Mr Edgeworth sent a bodyguard."

"OK," Phoenix said slowly. "I don't see why that is so embarrassing." Apollo's cheeks colored.

"Well, we kinda got sidetracked," he admitted. Athena glared at him. Phoenix shrugged, unconcerned.

"Everyone falls down the rabbit hole of the internet from time to time. Don't worry about it, as long as you didn't end up on any porn sites or-" he broke off when Apollo choked. "Oh God. What did you do?"

"It's not my fault," Apollo defended. "I told her not to click on it."

"How could you not click on that!" Athena yelled. Phoenix covered his face with his hands.

"If you two have done something illegal…" Apollo and Athena both yelped.

"No!" they chorused. Phoenix dropped his hands and narrowed his eyes at them.

"So what was it?" He stalked forward and Athena began clicking frantically. "Athena!" She gulped and sat back.

"Just some rumors that went around, back in the day. You were pretty famous and so was Mr Edgeworth, so you know, people talk. Nonsense, of course. We didn't believe any of it. But you know, it was there and we were… curious." She shut her mouth suddenly. Phoenix sighed.

"So you read some of those moronic articles they used to write about the great rivalry between us? How we were sworn enemies, blah blah blah? Really, Athena?"

"Uh. No. Not those rumors. The other ones." Apollo said quietly.

"Other ones?" Phoenix said, genuinely baffled.

"About you and Mr Edgeworth's… friendship." Athena replied.

"We are friends. We've been friends a long time," Phoenix said impatiently. "It's not a secret."

"Well, there were some reporters who insinuated that maybe it was more than that." Athena told him. He tugged at his hair in frustration.

"They thought you were in bed together," Apollo said. Phoenix gaped at him.

"They thought we were in cahoots, to let me win cases? Are you insane? Have you reviewed the court records from our cases together? Miles Edgeworth would no more let me win than he would break into a song and dance routine in court."

"I'd pay money to see that!" Widget chirped. It broke the tension that was beginning to build and they all laughed.

"No, no," Apollo said, making a quelling gesture. "They meant literally in bed together." Phoenix's face went totally blank and Apollo suddenly felt like he'd stepped on a landmine.

"I see," the attorney said icily. His gaze flicked between them and Athena dropped her gaze, she couldn't bear to look at him. Apollo bit his lip.

"I'm sorry," he said contritely. "It was just some stupid journalist with an ax to grind. Attacking your integrity because it's an easy way to hurt you. We know it's all lies." Phoenix stared at him for a moment, then turned on his heel and stalked out of the office.

Athena looked at Apollo. "Uh, what just happened?" she said in confusion. Apollo regarded her steadily, his mind whirling.

"I don't know," he admitted. "That was… weird." His phone buzzed in his pocket and he pulled it out and then made a face. Athena leaned closer, trying to read the screen and he stepped back.

"Hey!" he complained. She pouted at him. "It's just a message from Prosecutor Gavin. I have to meet with him about the Silver Diner Murders."

"Do you need help with it?" she asked, her face curious. He shook his head.
"Not really. I mean, don't you have a client of your own? I thought you were meeting him at the detention center this afternoon." Her face was pensive and Apollo peered at her. "What's wrong, Athena?" She sighed and her shoulders slumped.

"I'm not sure… I mean, I don't-" she broke off and Apollo felt a stirring of concern. "I'm not sure he didn't do it, Apollo." She shook her head, her ponytail bouncing with the movement. "Simon says he thinks the guy was framed. And I trust his instincts, I do. But there's just something… off about this guy. He creeps me out." Apollo gave her a sympathetic smile.

"That happens sometimes," he said. "Even if your client isn't guilty of the crime they're accused of, that doesn't mean they're automatically good people. Working for Kristoph Gavin, some of my clients were kinda shady. Not anything I could put a finger on, they just gave me a bad feeling." He ran a hand through his hair, making the spikes all crooked. "Look, if the guy makes you uncomfortable, why don't I come with you. Reschedule your meeting with him for later and I'll meet you there once I've met with Prosecutor Gavin." Athena smiled gratefully at him.

"OK, thanks Apollo."

Klavier Gavin sauntered into Miles' office without knocking. Miles suppressed his irritation, Gavin was a great prosecutor. He just wished he had a little more humility. Like you? His brain sneered helpfully.

"Herr Edgeworth, you asked to see me, ja?" Gavin said. He leaned one hip against Miles' desk and twirled a finger through his hair.

"Yes, Gavin. A rather difficult case has come across my desk, and I want you and Blackquill to work together with the police to bring this to a close as quickly as possible." Gavin gave a lazy smile.

"Sure," he drawled. "What's the case?"

"Are you familiar with Iris Hawthorne?" Miles asked and Gavin looked thoughtful.

"Wasn't that one of your cases with Phoenix Wright," he mused. "I remember. She had a twin sister who was some kind of hexe, ja?"

"A witch? Yes, I suppose that's one way of putting it," Miles agreed. "Well, she was killed this morning by a fellow prisoner. Using a sword which was a replica of a sacred sword that was a major piece of evidence in the case." Gavin straightened.

"A sword, in prison!" he exclaimed. "How on earth did a sword get smuggled into a high security facility like that?" Miles wiped a hand across his face.

"Indeed. There have been two other murders, Will Powers and Max Galactica. Both were clients of Wright's back in the day. And then there's your current case." Gavin raised his perfectly groomed eyebrows.

"The Silver Diner Murders? How are they related?" he said in a surprised voice. Miles' face twisted.

"One of the victims, the one you couldn't identify? I just got off the phone with the US Marshals office. Her name is Angel Starr." Gavin frowned, trying to recall the name. "She was a material witness in the Bruce Goodman case."

"Ah, yes. Forgive me, Herr Edgeworth, that was before I joined the prosecutor's office here." he blinked. "US Marshals?"

"She was in witness protection. She was supposed to be living in Boston and staying off the radar. Apparently a number of Joe Darke groupies had made some threats against her and Jake Marshall after the events of the Goodman case."
"So why was she back here?" Gavin said. "And where is Jake Marshall now?"

"I don't know the answer to either of those questions," Miles said. "Jake dropped out of sight about six weeks ago. He'd been living in Tucson, Arizona, but he hasn't been to his apartment, or used his credit cards or made contact with his handler. Nothing."

"That is not good news," Gavin observed. "Is there any chance the other Silver Diner victims are connected to Wright in some way?" Miles made a helpless gesture.

"Not that I can see, but I'm not omniscient. By all means dig around. We're not quite treating these two cases as connected yet, not least because you actually have a suspect in the Silver Diner case, so it could just be a horrible coincidence." Gavin nodded slowly, more in thought than agreement.

"I will do what I can," he promised. He looked uncertain. "I'm working with Herr Forehead on the Silver Diner case. Do you think that's wise if there's a connection?" Miles gave him a curious look.

"Herr Forehead? Oh, your nickname for Mr Justice. I'll leave that up to you, Gavin. For now at least. Let's see how it all develops."

Ema Skye munched thoughtfully on a Snackoo as she turned the evidence bag over and over in her hands. The knife inside was supposed to be the murder weapon recovered from the Silver Diner. But it didn't make any sense. This blade was a hunting knife, sharp and good-quality, sure. But the precision of the cuts on the victims' bodies just didn't match.

"You look troubled, Fraulein," a sultry voice observed. She looked up with a glare.

"Fop," she said tightly. "What do you want?"

"Peace, Detective," Gavin said easily, but there was a tightness around his eyes. Something was worrying the prosecutor and Ema felt a twinge of sympathy that she quickly suppressed.

"It's this knife," she said quickly. "This is the knife we recovered from the diner. It's got the blood of all three victims on it, there are partial fingerprints that match the waitress and the short-order cook, which makes sense based on the waitress's statement that she wrestled with him when he attacked her."

"So what is the problem, Fraulein?" Gavin asked, his posture relaxed but his eyes sharp. It never did to underestimate the man's intelligence, Ema thoought.

"The cuts on the victims bodies," she explained. She pushed some photos from the autopsy file towards him. "Look at them, they're almost surgical. The ME agrees, he says in the report that the murder weapon is most likely an old-fashioned scapel or similar. Look at the edges here, in this enlarged picture. See how little the skin is torn? This blade was very sharp and the shape of the edge makes this very fine cut. Now look at this knife. It's a sharp knife, sure, but it's a thick blade and the shape of the edge could not make these fine slices. It's impossible. I'm sorry, Gavin, but I think this knife was a plant. A red herring." Gavin frowned at her and shifted his weight.

"Ja. You're right, Fraulein. There's no way this blade is the murder weapon. It's a fake." He looked disturbed. "I do not understand how this could happen. The waitress positively identified it as the knife the cook held."

"I think you better go talk to her again," Ema said sourly. "Either she's confused, or she's a liar. Neither of which make her a good witness." Gavin nodded in agreement.

"Danke, Ema. Make sure Herr Forehead gets this report as well, will you?" Ema looked surprised.

"You're just going to give this to him?" she asked. Gavin snarled at her.

"Unlike some people, I actually have integrity," he said angrily and Ema rocked back in her chair. "Apollo has a right to see this as the defence attorney on this case and I have no right to keep it from him. I do not need to cheat in order to prove my case."

"I'm sorry," Ema said in a small voice. "I wasn't trying to imply anything. I've been working with Prosecutor Payne and he… got quite angry with me for sharing my reports with the defence."

"Quite," Gavin said. "If you think me no better than the Payne's of this world, we really have nothing more to say."

"No!" Ema cried. "I just… I'm sorry. It's been a hard week. I shouldn't have taken it out on you." Gavin blinked.

"Nein, Fraulein. It's OK. I overreacted." he peered at her. "Are you OK?" She nodded, blinking rapidly as though to hold back tears. "You may not like me very much, but I am a good listener. If you wanted to talk." She shook her head.

"I'm fine. Really. Go on, now. I've got a lot of work to do." Gavin considered pushing a little harder, but he wasn't sure she would be receptive to it right now. He filed it away in his mind and patted her shoulder.

"I'll see you later," he told her and sauntered out.

When Apollo arrived at the coffee shop where he'd agreed to meet Prosecutor Gavin, he was surprised to see the rockstar already there, staring pensively out of the window. He ordered a latte and walked over to Gavin's booth, dropping down into the seat opposite. Gavin turned to him and gave him such a warm smile, Apollo's breath caught in his throat.

"Forehead," Gavin said smoothly. "It's good to see you."

"Uh, yeah," Apollo stuttered. "I uh. Hi. How are you?" He sounded like an idiot. The blond gave an artless shrug.

"Ja, I am well. Although this case took a disturbing turn today." Apollo's bracelet tightened on his wrist and he raised his eyebrows at the prosecutor. He didn't think he was lying, this was something else.

"OK," he said slowly. "Shoot." Gavin sighed, a heavy sound that didn't belong to him.

"So the unidentified victim in this case, we finally got a hit." He paused and Apollo peered at him. Gavin was visibly upset and that was such a rarity that the young attorney began to feel really alarmed. He opened his mouth to speak when Gavin blurted out, "Angel Starr."

Apollo blinked. The name meant nothing to him.

"Ach, schatzi, I see you don't recognize the name," he said sadly. Apollo shook his head. "She was a material witness in the Bruce Goodman murder." Apollo frowned.

"Bruce Goodman… Wait, that's one of Mr Wright's cases."

"Indeed," Gavin said solemnly. He watched Apollo's expressive face as a number of thoughts raced through the bright young attorney's mind.

"But, does that mean it's related to the serial killer?" he hissed. "How does it fit?"

"It doesn't," Gavin said tiredly. "Starr wasn't a suspect and the method of killing her only superficially ties to the Goodman case, in that she was killed with a knife. I don't know, schatzi."

"Could it just be a horrible coincidence?" Apollo asked tentatively, watching the tension on Gavin's face.

"Perhaps, Forehead. But it's a strange one. She was in the federal witness protection program, and living in Boston under an assumed name. What was she doing here in LA, and why?" He reached out and grasped Apollo's hand and the young attorney jerked in surprise. "It gives me a bad feeling, Apollo," the blond said urgently. "I'm worried about you." Apollo stared at him, unease curling in his gut. Gavin never used his first name, nor did he touch him unexpectedly like this. Gavin's hands were cool and he was rubbing his fingers across Apollo's knuckles in an absent fashion that sent little sparks of sensation along the attorney's nerve endings. He yanked his hand away suddenly, uncomfortable.

"I uh… "

"There's more," Gavin interrupted. "I spoke with Ema before I came down here to meet you. She says the knife we collected at the scene is not the murder weapon." Apollo's mouth dropped open.

"What? But the witness, the waitress said she saw my client use that knife. The physical evidence that connects him to the murders is that his fingerprints are on the murder weapon. And now you're saying, it's not the murder weapon."

"Nein. It's impossible. Ema's sending you a copy of the report, but essentially the cuts are too precise and too thin to have been made by that blade. It's hard to credit, I agree."

"You're letting Ema send me the updated report on the weapon?" Apollo said incredulously. Gavin looked as though he'd slapped him.

"Ja, of course!" he snapped. "It's the law. Why is everyone so intent on questioning my ethics today?" Apollo made a quelling gesture.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. My last case was with a different prosecutor and he… held some things back in order to present them in court and throw off my defense." Gavin threw up his hands dramatically.

"So I hear." the prosecutor said tightly. "I do not see why I should be tarred with the same brush."

"No, you're right. I'm really sorry." Apollo said soothingly. He reached out to grab Gavin's hand and was stung when Gavin leaned back and withdrew his hands from Apollo's reach. "Gavin, I…"

"Must you, Forehead," the blond said bitterly. "Must you use Gavin, like you called my brother? Can't you call me Klavier instead?"

"Uh, sure," Apollo said uncertainly. "If you call me Apollo, rather than Forehead." A sly smile curled the edges of Ga- Klavier's mouth.

"But I like my nickname for you," he objected. Apollo sighed.

"All right, Klavier," he agreed. "If it makes you happy." The rockstar grinned at him, full force, and Apollo felt a little breathless.

"Schatzi, you are a wonderment. Here I was feeling downtrodden over this awful case and you have made me smile. I'm sorry, I shouldn't be so sensitive. But with everything that's happened…" Apollo nodded sympathetically.

"So, other than the two updates, which clearly happened today, why did you want to meet?" he asked, hoping to get this meeting back on track and away from shark-infested waters.

"Ja, you're right. I have the permission you need to interview the waitress, Brandi Snapps, and I thought perhaps we could take another look at the crime scene together, now they've cleared out the bodies and the CSI's are finished with their investigation." Apollo looked at him gratefully.

"I'd love to go back, but I promised Athena I'd go with her to interview her new client. He's got her spooked somehow and I don't want her going on her own. Maybe tomorrow?" He got another blinding smile.

"Such a big heart you have, Forehead," Klavier said affectionately. "Of course you must go with Ms Cykes. Meet me tomorrow at the crime scene, 10am?"

"Perfect," Apollo said. He checked his watch. "I have to go. I'll see you tomorrow." He got up and left. Klavier watched him go with a smile on his face.