I left a longer author's note at the bottom of this chapter. Just one warning: this chapter is long and a bit tedious, but I'm hoping it's still interesting, or at the very least, entertaining!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Ace Attorney series characters!

Chapter 7

March 6, 11:30 AM

District Court

Courtroom No. # 6

The recess ended for Phoenix as quickly as it began. The prosecution, defense, and the judge were ready in their respective places in the courtroom.

"Bailiff, please summon the witness to the stand."

Who is this witness they're bringing? I don't think I've ever met him before.

The witness was a man who Phoenix judged as being in his mid-forties or fifties. He was bald with a mustache and beard, which were predominantly gray with a few specks of brown in them. He wore a pale green suit with a white shirt inside and pants the same color as the suit. A green ascot with dollar signs printed on it was tied neatly around his neck.

"Witness. Please state your name and occupation for the record."

With a grin on his face, the man spoke. "My name is Benny. Benny Factor. I'm the owner of the shop, Varia T."

"Ah! So you're the owner of that wonderful store, are you? I was just looking through your catalogue, and I would love to visit."

The man's smile grew, his gray eyes becoming just a bit wider at the prospect of having a new customer. "Why, I would be honored to have a man of your prestigious position shop at my store, Your Honor. I could even give you a discount."

"I like the sound of a discount!"

"I like the sound of my cash register after a transaction!"

"I like the sound of millions of fan screaming for the Gavinners to play."

And I like the sound of my client getting a not-guilty verdict, and that won't happen if they keep talking like this. "Ahem. Your Honor. Do you think we could get back to the trial please?" Phoenix reminded him.

"Oh! Y-yes. Prosecutor Gavin, please don't distract the court from the matters at hand."

Nice, Your Honor, but at least he aimed at Prosecutor Gavin and not me.

"Of course, Herr Judge. Herr Factor. Please, testify to the court about what you were doing yesterday, around the time of the crime."

"I'll be more than happy to. Anything to help get rid of the villains."

…Okay then.

"The morning of the crime, I was working at my shop, Varia T. It opens at nine o'clock in the morning and closes at five in the evening.

"I had received a phone call from Mr. Banks, expressing that he was pleased with the last purchase he made at my store and wanted to buy something else.

"I decided I would close up the shop early for lunch and head over to the bank to bring the binder with the catalogue in it.

I went to the bank, gave him the binder, and then left."

"So you went to the bank to give the defendant the binder and left soon afterwards," the Judge stated. "Very well. Mr. Wright, your cross-examination please."

"Yes, Your Honor." Benny Factor. It's a shame I didn't get to meet him before today. Maybe I could've gotten more information out of him. For now, I'll have to depend on his testimony and hope I can get something from it. "So Mr. Factor."

"Please, call me Benny. Everyone calls me Benny, which is what I prefer, but if you really want to call me Mr. Factor, that's fine too. Whatever helps keep the fire burning."

"R-right. You said you were working at your shop that morning. Did you have a lot of work to do?"

"No. Just the usual checking products and displays to make sure they're in tip-top condition, and talking to customers too. Had a number of customers come in the morning, I did."

"Herr Wright. Would you care to explain why you pressed that particular statement?"

"Er…well…I was just…curious to know if he has a lot of work to do as a shopkeeper. That's not something I would know about, unless I was a shopkeeper myself." Or maybe I was settling on pressing all of his statements without a second thought on whether or not I would get useful information out of them. Maybe.

"I see. Anyway, moving along."

Phoenix considered the second statement of the testimony. Tapping his chin, he spoke aloud. "You got a phone call from Mr. Banks. What time was that?"

"Oh…I would say…about an hour after I opened up the shop, so ten."

"What did you specifically talk about in your call, if you don't mind my asking?"

"He told me how much he adored the alarm clock he bought from my store!"

"An alarm clock?" The Judge asked, unsure of what was so special about an alarm clock.

"Yes. It's got the loudest ring to it. You wouldn't miss it even if you were in the basement and it was in the attic! It's old-fashioned looking but works wonders! You can get it in a multitude of colors. It's the best alarm clock you could possibly find!" Benny stated, his chest puffing up.

If he's talking about that alarm clock Ema and I saw yesterday while investigating, I have to say it's not as impressive as he's trying to make it out to be. It's just another alarm clock.

"Is that so? Well then, I'll need to purchase one for myself. My current alarm clock hasn't been working very well. In fact, it almost made me arrive late to court today!"

"That's why you need to buy an alarm clock from me as soon as possible, Your Honor. You really should come to the store. When you shop at Varia T, you always leave happy!"

"A catchy phrase, Herr Factor."

"Thank you. I know."

Well someone didn't just promote himself in court.

"As I was saying, Mr. Banks was so pleased with what he's bought that he wanted to see what else I offered and sold. That's when I decided I would go over to the bank and give him the binder."

Now onto the third statement. "You closed up your shop to get an early lunch, just so you could go to the bank and give Mr. Banks the binder. Why were you in such a rush to give it to him?"

The man grinned, shrugging his shoulders. "Why not rush?"

"Uh…" Phoenix didn't have a reply for the man, who only chortled.

"I wasn't expecting you to have an answer, Mr. Wright! I was in a rush because I wanted to get it to him quickly and not keep him waiting. It's never good etiquette to keep a customer waiting. Also, the products in that catalog are quite fast-selling, you know. There'll be a whole bunch of merchandise available at nine-thirty, but at eleven or even ten-thirty, they could be out-of-stock. Gone! I wanted to ensure Mr. Banks would be able to get whatever he wants."

Well, that was very helpful to me. Not. "In the last part of your testimony, you very simply said you went to the bank, handed over the binder, and left. Would you care to elaborate?"

"I would love to elaborate, if I can. I have to warn you though. It's just as long as this whole testimony I just gave."

Whoa. Okay then. That does work to my advantage, since I didn't find any contradictions in this first testimony.

"Alright, witness. Please testify to the court about what you did when you went to the bank on the day of the murder."

"Certainly!"

Time to hear another testimony.

"When I arrived at the bank, they were just about to close up for their lunch break.

"I saw the bank manager, who was working behind the counter. He waved at me before he went and disappeared into the back room, where the safe deposit boxes are.

"I went over to Mr. Banks's spot with the binder. He was right there behind the counter, but he told me to wait about fifteen minutes or so before he could talk.

"I showed him the catalog in the binder and showed him how he could place an order.

"Afterwards, I bid him farewell and left the bank at around 12:30 to return to and reopen my store."

"So you saw the victim the day of the crime, did you?" The Judge questioned.

"I did. He was a nice man, Macon. Such a shame this had to happen to him. He didn't deserve that."

"No one deserves to get murdered," Klavier added.

"The defense may begin its cross-examination."

Ugh. I can't see any contradictions right now. This guy's testimony can't be perfect. There has to be some kind of flaw in it, and I'll make sure to find it! "The bank was about to close up when you got there, you said. How did you know that?"

"It just so happens that I do my banking at C. T. Zen bank, so I made sure to know what their schedule is. Wouldn't do me much good to go there when they weren't open, right?" The man let out a hearty chuckle, his shoulders shaking and his head tilted back.

"Right. Anyway, you saw the bank manager. Did you know him well?"

"We weren't old chums or anything, but I did know him. As I said, he was a nice young fellow."

"Young fellow? He did appear to be rather old," the Judge mused.

And you're not up there in age, Your Honor? Speaking of which, just how old is he anyway? I mean, he's got grandchildren, so he's got to be pretty old. Ugh. I'm getting distracted! Time to get my head in the game, er…in the trial. "Mr. Banks had you wait for fifteen minutes. Do you know what he was doing at the time?"

The man frowned, his left hand going up to twist the end of his mustache. "He appeared to be jotting down some notes about something, and he told me he needed to wrap up some administrative work. I believe he also spoke with the bank manager briefly during the time, but to be honest, I didn't take much notice really. I was too busy going through the catalog, thinking about what products I could recommend for him to buy!"

He spent fifteen minutes looking through that binder?! This man sure loves to sell stuff to people. I should steer clear from his shop, or he'll definitely convince me to get something, I'm sure. Phoenix rubbed his chin. "Can you tell us more about how you showed Mr. Banks the binder and how to make the order?"

"Oh ho ho ho! You want me to tell you more? If I did that, it would take me a little less than an hour and fifteen minutes to do that! It's a long process to do ordering through the catalogue."

"A little less than an hour and fifteen minutes? Oh my! That's quite a long time. It sounds like a difficult process!" The Judge commented.

"It is, unfortunately. I'm still working to make the process much simpler, but it's taking more time than I hoped it would," Benny explained.

Phoenix remained silent during the brief exchange, considering the statement just given. "Your Honor. The defense requests that the witness's statement be added to his testimony."

"You do? Alright then. Witness, please add that statement to your testimony."

Now time to press that last statement, and I can pin down this contradiction once and for all. "You left the bank at 12:30 to go back and reopen your store?"

"That's right. I can't keep my customers waiting. That would be preposterous."

"Yeah. That would be very preposterous," Phoenix began quietly, only to pick up in volume as he continued. "But not as preposterous as the fact that you just lied in your testimony!"

"What?!" The man exclaimed, a hand on his chest and his mouth agape. He leaned back a few inches, as if he'd been physically attacked by someone. "You're accusing me of lying?!"

"That's exactly what I'm accusing you of!"

"What are you accusing this man of lying about, Mr. Wright?"

"It's simple if you think about it. Mr. Factor said that he came to the bank at 11:30. After waiting fifteen minutes for Mr. Banks, starting at 11:45, he went through the catalog. That, as the witness stated in his testimony, took less than, but almost, an hour and fifteen minutes. After that, he left. If we do the math…" He aimed his finger at the witness stand. "The witness actually left the bank at around 1 PM, not 12:30!"

"Y-you're absolutely right!" The Judge replied, surprised by the contradiction.

"Coupling this information with the fact that the witness's fingerprints were on the murder weapon, we can't deny that the witness is a prime suspect in this case!"

"Witness! You will explain to the court the meaning of all this!" His Honor demanded.

Benny seemed fazed for a moment, only to close his eyes and nod his head in approval. "I must say. The defense did an impressive job pointing out the contradiction I made. I'm afraid he's correct when he said I didn't leave the bank at 12:30. However, I can't let you suggest I'm the culprit of this heinous crime."

"And why is that?" He looks pretty confident in himself. That's worrying.

Benny lowered his head slightly, a small smile now on his face. "Because I have an alibi. Firstly, I would like to say sorry for giving incorrect information about when I left the bank. My watch wasn't working properly that day, so while it said I left at 12:30, in reality, I left at 12:50. As for my alibi, I stopped at the post office that's between my store and the bank, and that was at 12:52. I was there until one, and then I walked back to my store."

Klavier, who had been silent for quite a while, finally intervened. "Before you try to suggest otherwise, Herr Wright, I can tell you that I had some officers go to the post office and check to see if the witness's alibi was indeed true, and it was. According to the video cameras there, he entered at 12:52 and exited at one o'clock sharp. We have witnesses too who confirmed this."

"No way!" That contradiction didn't help me out one bit. Phoenix wasn't about to give up just yet. "But according to the autopsy report, the time of death was between 12:45 and 12:58. The witness was at the bank during this time frame, which means that Mr. Banks isn't the only one to be suspected!"

Klavier let out a short chuckle. "Herr Wright. It would appear that you are mistaken, or rather, you have been misled."

"W-what?" I don't like where this is going…

"You say that the autopsy report stated the time of death was between 12:45 and 12:58. Well, I have to say that the autopsy report you are looking at…is outdated."

…No. No way. He's not going to… The attorney saw the prosecutor pull out another file. He is.

"During the recess we had, I was given an updated autopsy report. I would like to submit it as evidence."

First Edgeworth, then Prosecutor Blackquill, and now Prosecutor Gavin. Prosecutors must really have a thing for updated autopsy reports.

The report was added to the court record, and Klavier continued. "If you check under the time of death heading, you will clearly see that the time of death has been much more precisely determined."

Phoenix read the report, his eyes widening. "12…12:55? That's when the victim was murdered?!" I can't believe this! That means Mr. Banks is still the only person who'd be considered the culprit!

"The court will have to reject the defense's argument about the witness being a potential suspect."

"It looks like the defense is about to be backed into a corner, Herr Judge. Perhaps you would like to make things easier on them and prepare to declare your verdict?" Klavier suggested.

"If the defense has nothing else to say, then I will have to give my verdict."

Phoenix couldn't believe it. This couldn't be the end. His client…his client was counting on him to secure a not guilty verdict, but given the way the trial was going, it seemed that Robin was still suspected of as being the man responsible for the murder. The defense attorney thought hard about how he could turn the case around, if possible at this point in time.

I can't establish that another person committed the crime yet, so maybe I could…work with the murder weapon? That's my only hope now. Time to do what I do best. Phoenix hit his hands firmly on the stand. "Your Honor. The defense believes that the binder is not the actual murder weapon in this case."

"I agree, Your Honor!"

"Witness? What do you mean? Do you know what the real murder weapon is?"

The man shook his head before smiling sheepishly. "I'm afraid I don't, Your Honor. The only thing I know is that my binder is not the murder weapon. I mean, it's my binder!"

You've gotta be kidding me. Please don't interrupt me while I'm bluffing.

Klavier's shoulders could be seen shaking as he laughed to himself. "Unfortunately witness, that's won't cut it. But I am quite intrigued by Herr Wright's outrageous claim. Surely, you'll explain your reasoning for this, ja?"

"Do you have a piece of evidence that proves the murder weapon could be something else, Mr. Wright?"

Do I have a piece of evidence that does that? The attorney searched through the court record, looking at each object carefully. What shows that the binder might not be the murder weapon? He took a good look over everything once more, and that's when he noticed something. That's weird…I forgot about those circles drawn with the body's outline. What could they be?

At the very least, he could bring up this interesting find to the court. "Prosecutor Gavin. You examined the crime scene yesterday. Didn't you notice where the body was found, there were some circles near the outline?"

After a few moments, Klavier nodded his head. "Ja. I do remember them. Which reminds me, I have a picture taken of the crime scene after the body was moved."

Phoenix was relieved to see the second photo added to the court record. "If you'll look at the photo, you'll see the circles I mentioned."

"Why yes! I do see them! They are rather small though. What are they supposed to be tracings of?" The Judge asked no one in particular.

"The defense asserts that the circles are meant to represent coins."

"Coins?" The Judge repeated.

"Yes, coins. Prosecutor Gavin, you must know what those circles are, being the prosecutor in charge of this case."

"Indeed I do. It just so happens that Herr Wright is…well…right. Coins were found near the victim's body."

"What does that mean though?"

I'm sure it means that the murder weapon wasn't the binder. But if it's not the binder, then… Phoenix remained quiet, an idea forming in his head. "…Prosecutor Gavin. Could you give us some details about the coins found?"

"Hm? You want details…about coins? You make very strange requests, Herr Wright. This seems harmless enough, although I do wonder if I should be worried. Anyhow, ten coins were found near the victim's body. One penny, two nickels, three dimes, and four quarters."

That's...strange how those numbers came out so perfectly.

"Where do you propose the coins came from? Maybe from the victim's pocket?" The Judge suggested.

"That's not likely, Herr Judge. Herr Monet did not carry any money on his person."

"No money on his person? Then what if he needed money to buy something, or for an emergency?!" The Judge was astounded at the thought.

"Perhaps no one has introduced to you the concept of a debit card or better yet, a credit card."

"...I do happen to know of credit and debit cards, Prosecutor Gavin, but I do prefer to use paper money and coins."

"Unlike the victim. He was all cards and no cash."

"But what relevance do these coins have to the current case?"

"Ah, I was going to ask that same question, Herr Judge. I expect the defense to have a good answer for us." The prosecutor gave a knowing look to Phoenix.

They'd caught Phoenix a bit off guard. He was hoping they would steer farther away on their tangent, but they were back on course. "Ahem. As Prosecutor Gavin said, those coins didn't come from the victim. So the question is where did they come from?"

"A-are you asking me that question, Mr. Wright? How would I know where those coins came from?!"

"I didn't direct that question at you, Your Honor. I simply posed the question."

"Alright then. You posed the question, now can you give us the answer?" Klavier challenged.

This is going out there, but I have to give it a shot and buy more time. The defense attorney placed his hands on his hips, chest puffing out as a triumphant smile spread across his face. "I can and will give you the answer, Prosecutor Gavin. The coins were near the body...because of the piggy bank!"

"..."

"..."

"..." The courtroom was completely silent.

"..." Someone please say something.

"A piggy bank?" The Judge asked, not convinced by the answer.

"Yes, a piggy bank."

"And what makes you so sure that the…piggy bank is involved in our case, Herr Wright?"

"What is this piggy bank all of you are talking about anyway? I've yet to hear about or see a piggy bank earlier in the trial!" The Judge demanded.

"A piggy bank was found at the bank, Herr Judge. Here it is." The steel piggy bank was brought out and inserted into the court record.

"It's quite the cute little piggy bank, isn't i-oh! It's rather heavy!" The Judge mused as he examined it.

"It is made of steel," Klavier replied. "Now how about we let Herr Wright complete his bluff, ja?"

…Is it that obvious I'm bluffing? "I'm not bluffing, Prosecutor Gavin!" Time to make this bluff believable. "Piggy banks have coins in them, don't they?"

"Of course. But you can't just claim that the piggy bank is important without evidence, Herr Wright."

"Mr. Wright. Do you happen to have evidence that can connect the piggy bank to the crime?"

Good question. Do I have the evidence? …Let me think this over. Phoenix thought about the investigation yesterday he did with Ema. What did we find at the crime scene besides the piggy bank? We saw that cup, the alarm clock, the notepad with 1000 written on it, the other notepad with all those letters and numbers… The defense attorney shut his eyes as he pored over the evidence in his head.

I don't think the alarm clock and the cup are relevant to this case. But the notepads…the notepads are important. The 1000, I don't know how that fits into this case, but…the other notepad. Those letters…P, N, D, and Q. …Could…those stand for coins? Maybe…P stands for penny, n stands for nickel, d for dime, and…q for quarter! That has to be it! But we found that notepad at Percy's work area, not Mr. Banks…unless…unless it really is Mr. Banks's and someone moved it…

Phoenix wasn't one hundred percent certain his theory was correct, but he decided it was worth a shot to pursue it. "I do happen to have some evidence that will link the piggy bank to this case."

"Oh?" The prosecutor quirked an eyebrow, a smirk tugging at his lips. "I'd love to see this evidence of yours."

"During the investigation yesterday, a notepad was found containing a few letters and numbers on it. Detective Skye would know about this."

Ema, who was standing nearby, piped into the conversation. "Yeah, I do know about it. It's been approved by the Police Department, so it can be added as evidence."

"Hm…interesting. Who does this notepad belong to though?" His Honor inquired.

"Uh…well…"

"It belongs to me!" A new voice spoke up. Phoenix glanced at his client. Mr. Banks. What does he mean? "That notepad belongs to me. If you look on the back, on the cardboard part, you'll see my name stamped on it."

The Judge did as he was directed, and he gasped. "Why…he's right! This does belong to one Mr. Robin Banks!"

Wh-what?! I can't believe I missed that! This is great! "If you read the first page of the notepad, you'll see that the letters I mentioned, followed by a dash and a number. The defense believes that these letters stand for types of coins, and the numbers represent how many of the coins are in the piggy bank."

"Hm…that's an interesting theory, Mr. Wright, and I'm inclined to believe it to be true."

"I, on the other hand, would like more proof to be shown, because from what I'm hearing, it seems like the defense is proposing that the real murder weapon in this case is not the binder, but the piggy bank."

Is that what I'm proposing? I mean, it makes perfect sense that it would be the piggy bank, given the coins near the body. Now it's a matter of proving it for sure. "Your Honor. What else does that page say on the notepad?" He recalled not reading the rest of the notes written on it.

"Hm…at the bottom, there's a date on it. March 5th. That's…that's yesterday!"

"I can explain." Robin spoke up once more. "While I was on my lunch break, before I spoke with Mr. Factor, I was doing inventory, so to speak, checking the money in the piggy bank. I like to put dates on all of my work."

Phoenix nodded. "Thank you for clearing this up, Mr. Banks. Now, if we were to add up the values of the coins, we would get…" He frowned. "Er…Does anyone have a calculator?"

"Er…no, I don't keep a calculator handy, I'm afraid," The Judge answered.

"Never fear. I have a calculator on my phone. I'll crunch the numbers," Klavier offered. Everyone in the courtroom waited in silence for him to finish. "One hundred eighteen dollars and sixty cents. That's the total amount."

"According to that sheet, that's how much should be in the piggy bank. Your Honor. The defense requests to have the piggy bank examined to find out how much money it contains."

"Very well. Bailiff! Count how much money is in the piggy bank."

Once more, the courtroom was quiet, save for the bailiff, who mumbled to himself as he performed his assigned task. Finally, after what felt like hours but was only a few minutes, he went to the Judge and whispered to him. "According to the bailiff, the piggy bank has one hundred seventeen dollars and nineteen cents in it."

"Prosecutor Gavin. Could you subtract that value from the first value you calculated?"

Klavier nodded at Phoenix. "Sure." He did the calculation. "The value now is one dollar and forty-one cents." Klavier frowned, his confident pose faltering.

Yes! I knew it. "One dollar and forty-one cents, huh?" Phoenix grinned. "Let's think back to what you said earlier, about the coins found near the body. One penny, two nickels, three dimes, and four quarters. If I'm not mistaken, that would add up to a grand total of…" The attorney raised his voice. "One dollar and forty cents!"

"Why, you're right! But if that's the case, then that means…"

Phoenix's hands slammed the desk hard. "Exactly! That the murder weapon was not the binder, but actually the piggy bank!"

"I want that piggy bank to be tested by forensics for any traces of blood," the Judge demanded.

"It's possible that the blood was wiped off after the crime and then placed back on the counter. That way, no one would think it was the murder weapon," was the clarification Phoenix made.

It didn't take long for the results to come back, and the Judge read over them. "The piggy bank tested positive for blood, and upon further examination, it was indeed the victim's blood found on it. To think, a cute little piggy bank like this was used to murder someone." The Judge shook his head.

"I can't believe one of my products was used to take someone's life!" Benny yelled, quite distraught.

Phoenix ignored the shopkeeper's reaction to the news. "Clearly, my client couldn't have been the one to kill the victim given that the binder isn't the murder weapon!" Phoenix stated, feeling quite satisfied. I think I've done it!

The Judge looked to the prosecution's bench. "Prosecutor Gavin. What do you have to say about this?"

Nothing was said at first. The prosecutor was moving his fingers, making several poses. Phoenix held in a groan. And there's his infamous air guitar. I get this feeling I should be worried.

Once he ended his air guitar performance, the prosecutor began talking. "Herr Wright. Quite the deduction you made. However…it's like one instrument playing the wrong note in an orchestra."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning it sticks out like a sore thumb. It ruins the performance of the whole orchestra, just like that deduction ruins your whole argument."

What do you mean my deduction ruined my whole argument? And why do you have to make all these connections to music?! I may have been a pianist, but I wasn't a good one, and I'm not exactly musically-inclined!

"You just proved that the murder weapon was not the binder, but was in fact that steel piggy bank."

With a nod of his head, Phoenix confirmed the statement. "That's correct, Prosecutor Gavin." Now if you'd tell me where I went wrong…

"But what makes you so sure that the discovery of the actual murder weapon clears your client of all suspicion? That's what your argument has been all of this time, hasn't it? That because the murder weapon wasn't the binder, your client is innocent."

The attorney opened his mouth to retort, only for his shoulders to droop as he grimaced. He's right. That doesn't really get Mr. Banks off the hook, but I can't give in yet. Slamming his hands on the desk once more, Phoenix trudged on. "While that may be true, you have to admit that the possibility remains that someone else committed the crime."

"Yes, there would be the possibility. However, did you think to inquire about the owner of this piggy bank?"

…No, I didn't. I just thought the bank owned it, but now, I'm guessing I was wrong in thinking that. "I didn't ask about the owner of the piggy bank, no."

"Ah. Then you're in for a quite the surprise, Herr Wright. The owner of that piggy bank is…" Klavier slammed his fist against the wall behind him, then extended his arm, pointing to the defendant. "Herr Banks!"

"Wh-wh-what?!" Phoenix gasped. "N-no way! That can't be possible!"

"How about we ask the man in question himself? Herr Banks!" Klavier glanced at the defendant. "The steel piggy bank. It's yours, ja?"

Please say no. Please say no. Please say no!

"Y-yes, it is."

He said yes. "N-NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" But that would make him seem even more suspicious, wouldn't it? But wait! "What about fingerprints? Are there any fingerprints on the piggy bank?"

"Even better, Herr Wright. The real murder weapon had only the defendant's prints on them."

No way! Just when I thought I was close to getting Mr. Banks his not guilty verdict, he's one step away from being declared guilty! I need to find a way to stall the trial! I need more time! "Your Honor! The defense would like to request more time to investigate the crime scene and conduct a more thorough investigation."

"Hm…" The Judge had his eyes shut as he thought. "Although it does appear that the defendant very well may have committed the crime, I don't mind granting you more time to further investigate, Mr. Wright. What about you, Prosecutor Gavin? Are you alright with granting the defense more time?"

With a few snaps of his fingers, Klavier opened his eyes and smiled. "Of course, Herr Judge. Not that I think it'll do much good for the defense, but if Herr Wright wants more time, he can have it. It just so happens that I'd also like to have some more time to look into matters as well."

"Very well. The defense and the prosecution will be allowed the rest of today to complete their investigation. For now, the court is adjourned."

Oh boy. This first part of the trial was a huge hurtle to get over. I have an increased amount of respect for the writers of Ace Attorney. I realized that there is a lot of work into coming up with cases and trials such as those in Ace Attorney.

And that's where I left off. While I did have the rest of this case and a few more chapters that followed written for the most part, I got quite busy with life, and then eventually due to lack of interest, I decided to let this story remain as is. If you reached this far, thank you so much for your time, and if you've read any and/or all of the preceding works, kudos to you for making it through those trainwrecks, and the sincerest thank you from me. It means a lot that people were willing to use their time to read my novice writing.