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A/N: I haven't been updating this on account of my poor, decrepit, dilapidated, beaten, broken, held-together-with-duct-tape-and-binder-clips laptop dying tragically when of all the broken bits to break, my charger shorted out (of all the ways for it to go...) I'm actually starting this note on my phone and finishing it on my old laptop I bought a new charger for.

I thought since it's been a month and Merlin knows I'm bored, I'd type up the characters and evidence as they appear in the Court Record. Plus it's not totally clear about the evidence. Parenthesis next to the age is how old they were at the time of Houd's death.

Phoenix Wright
Age: 35
My boss and a legendary defence attorney. He returned to court after a seven year ban over a year ago.

Trucy Wright
Age: 17
A young magician and the daughter of my boss. She likes to use me as her "lovely assistant".

Athena Cykes
Age: 19
The upbeat junior member of the Agency. She can hear the voices of people's hearts.

Erik Houd
Age: Deceased (19)
The victim, a world-famous escapologist murdered 23 years ago.

Liesel Weizar
Age: 44 (21)
Our client. She is an illusionist and a friend of Trucy's. She was Houd's assistant.

Dick Gumshoe
Age: 40
A homicide detective with the local precinct. He's apparently old friends with Mr Wright.

Emmy Effe
Age: 23
A ditsy and scatterbrained but polite prosecutor. She lacks presence in court.

Franziska von Karma
Age: 28
A very haughty prosecutor with Interpol. She carries a whip and a strong air of competence.

Frederich Weizar
Age: 44 (21)
Liesel's twin brother and a talented magician with Troupe Weizar.

Candace Sweet
Age: 35 (12)
A woman who witnessed Houd's murder as a child. She doesn't seem to like other women much.

- Evidence -

HyperSeal
A super strong type of glue. It cannot form a seal with skin or in temperatures below freezing.
-=| Photo of HyperSeal
(Submitted as evidence by Prosecutor Effe)
HyperSeal glows a vivid pink under UV lighting and is all over the mouth of the tank.

Water Tank
A tank specifically designed for the trick. It was assembled with HyperSeal and would not break when struck. Candee claims Liesel's hand stuck to the lid. Only three sets of prints were found on it.
-=| Tank Diagram
(Received from Frederich Weizar)
A diagram showing the lever was used to open the tank's drains, and the button unlocks the tank's clamps.

Scratch Marks
A number of deep scratches in the stage floor. They look fresh, and could be from the renovations.

Silver Charm
(Found in the stage right's wing)
A small sterling silver charm shaped like a silk hat

Poster
(Found in stage right's wing)
A poster depicting the victim with the four members of Troupe Weizar at the time

Candee's Testimony
(Received from Candace Sweet)
"The tank was covered in a burgundy cloth during her performance until it was needed."

Mildew
(Found below the stage)
A large quantity of mildew on the floor and ceiling of the under stage area. There is a large, untouched square in the middle.

Lights
(Found below the stage)
The ceiling lights below the stage don't work, but electricity still flows through the room as the wall lights work.

Burgundy Cloth
(Found below the stage)
A heavy, neatly-folded and heavy burgundy cloth. It's been moved recently.

Ticket Stub
(Submitted as evidence by Candace Sweet)
Seat F, Row 4. Candee was sitting there during the performance.

So there's a recap of the evidence and the characters as they appear in the court record. Also to clarify what qualifies as evidence. This won't always be at the start of the chapters- usually this will be at the end. However, I think I should do a recap of the court record every so often. I'd like to hear what you guys think is going on in the story, even if people don't seem to like reviewing. Merlin, I miss when I could say "and hit that periwinkle button below, be sure to leave us a comment!" or refer at all to the periwinkle button. I miss you, periwinkle button. Even though you weren't periwinkle. Oh, and this first detective to show is Real Check, the OC of THE real assistant.

There was a slight intermission while they waited for the detective. He wasn't the first person to show, though. A younger detective with curly hair poking out from under a fedora was. She was carrying a notebook and was so busy reading (or maybe writing) in it her hip banged into the prosecutor's bench.

"Ow," she approached Prosecutor Effe and spoke quietly to her. Apollo on the other hand, turned his attention to Liesel, running his fingers through his hair.

"Ms Weizar," Apollo said slowly, letting his hair fall through his fingers. "Were you really just checking the equipment?"

"Yes. I was one of the only people who even could, because I knew how it worked. Apart from Erik and I, nobody knew."

Apollo's reaction to her statement was far less prominent than before. His bracelet still didn't react, but his eyes did, and again it was uncomfortable. Apollo pressed the heel of his hand in his eye, taking a few deep breaths before speaking, still with his hands pressed to his eyes.

"Ms Weizar, it does you no good at all to lie to me."

"Apollo, are you okay?" Athena asked as Apollo lowered his hands.

"Fine, I think," he said, looking at Liesel. "I can tell when you lie. When you lie, your heart rate increases; I can see it in your neck."

He touched a spot on his own neck beside his throat to indicate where. Liesel clapped a hand to the same spot on her own throat as Apollo stripped off his jacket, finally frustrated with it. "What? How can you see that?"

"Doesn't matter," he said, rolling his sleeves back like usual. "Ms Weizar, I need you to be honest with me."

"I am being honest," she said, injured. "Apart from Erik and I, nobody knew how to check the tank and so I checked on it."

Apollo scowled for only a moment, the familiar sensation shooting through him, this time garnering the attention of his bracelet as well. He shook his head, and turned back to the courtroom. The two prosecutors were watching him, and the young detective had left. Prosecutor Effe gave a cheerful little wave before going to check on the burly detective Gumshoe, flouncing in a way that made her long red hair swish. She came back almost immediately, cuddling her manilla folder to her chest like a child with a plush toy and smiling with an airy innocence and cheer. Shortly after, the detective entered.

"Uh... please state your name and occupation for the record, Detective. Uh, I mean..." she cleared her throat, her face going pink as she spoke in a more businesslike way. "Please state your name and occupation for the record, please."

"The first one was all right," the detective said kindly, smiling. "My name is Dick Gumshoe, and my occupation is a detective."

"Great! So, can you tell us a bit about the case? Er.. that is, the, er, case." she repeatedly drew a small rectangle in the air with her fingers. "The um... this thing. The boxy thing. Uh... the glassy boxy thingy... thing."

"The tank," von Karma said with the sound of her patience wearing thin, prompting a "yeah that thing" from an embarrassed Prosecutor Effe.

"Oh! Yeah, I can do that."

"Prosecutor Effe?"

"Yes, Your Honour?"

"Are you feeling all right?"

"Quite fine, Your Honour. Just a little nervous having a prosecutor like Ms von Karma here."

"Yes, I've been wondering about her," the Judge said. "Why are you here, Ms von Karma? This isn't Ms Effe's first case. I heard you were with Interpol."

(Has he been thinking about that the entire trial so far? He's been awful quiet...)

"That is not of your concern, Your Honour," she said, grabbing at her sleeve. "It is inconsequential to the case."

"I've also..." the Judge looked towards the defence now, "been wondering who you are, young man."

Apollo gave a tiny sigh, pushing his hair back out of his eyes, ignoring Athena as she lapsed into giggles. "It's just me, Your Honour. Apollo Justice."

"Oh! I thought you looked and sounded familiar," the Judge gave a small nod of understanding, looking content.

Prosecutor Effe took a deep breath and tossed her head, sighing and looking at the detective, her face still flushed.

"Detective, could you tell the court about the, um, the tank? Specifically about the evidence regarding it being tampered with."

"Sure thing" he chuckled. "The water tank had to be specifically designed for the trick, because the water needs to reach such low temperatures but the victim had to be easily seen by the audience. The only people who knew how the tank worked were the victim and the defendant. The tank had three safety measures installed. Recently, we found out that the tank had been tampered with, which was why everything failed and why the lid didn't open."

"How did we learn that?" the Judge asked. "What was wrong with it?"

The detective held up a slightly dirty-looking slip of yellow carbon paper. "This is an order form the construction guys found in one of the back rooms for the tank, and none of it should have been able to freeze shut. Since the reason it was found to be an accident was that it was frozen, this completely disproves it!"

"What?!" (That makes the entire foundation of my case crumble!)

"Well," Athena sighed. "I guess it couldn't be that easy, could it? What now?"

"We look for a new angle," he recovered rather quickly. "If we can't prove it was frozen and thus an accident, then we have to prove that the tank was tampered with by someone else at a time when Ms Weizar couldn't do it."

(Which is far harder than it sounds)

Apollo prodded his forehead in thought, thinking through the evidence. If Liesel was innocent, then there was a problem with the evidence being submitted. He trailed his fingers through his soft fringe, thinking. The tank couldn't freeze.

(It... can't freeze? The tank can't freeze?)

"Objection!" Apollo leant forward. "That's not right!"

"What's not right?" Prosecutor Effe asked, tilting her head to the side, her brow furrowed. "It seems logical the tank can't freeze."

"It's not that," Apollo held up the data on the tank. "What Detective Gumshoe just said doesn't fit with this- OW!"

"Are you as foolish a fool as you look?" von Karma demanded, readying her whip again, her silver eyes narrowed.

"Um. No," Apollo said, his hair drooping. "That was uncalled for, Prosecutor von Karma. Ouch... I mean... do you remember what Ms Sweet said? She said Ms Weizar's hand stuck to the top of the tank."

"She said it froze, though," Prosecutor Effe said, then she brought her loosely-curled fists to her chest again, staring off into space. "Except that's not possible, because the tank can't freeze. But her hand could have stuck to the HyperSeal."

"That's the problem," Apollo said. "Because both of those situations should be impossible. According to the information we just got, it can't freeze. But... HyperSeal can't stick to human flesh. Nor can it stick when it's frozen."

He slammed his fists onto the bench and then pointed at the prosecution with enough force he felt the blood rush to his hand. "So why did Ms Weizar's hand stick to the lid of the tank?!"

Once more, papers feel out of Prosecutor Effe's folder as it slipped in her arms and she yelped, and von Karma hugged herself, looking slightly panicked.

"There's no way for it to have happened! There's a contradiction in the evidence, and I think the prosecution owes the court an explanation."

"Why?" Prosecutor Effe asked, recovering and folding her arms more firmly over her folder in earnest before raising one hand to gesture with. "I mean... it's quite possible Ms Sweet simply made a mistake. The memory is, as your loud friend says, quite old. She could be making a mistake."

(Look who's talking! You're just as loud as me!)

"Ms Sweet also said she could see frost on the surface of the lid," Apollo said. "I don't see how she could make a mistake."

"No, she could," Prosecutor Effe said, twiddling her class ring on her left hand. "Because your friend also says she wasn't surprised at seeing the defendant nearly drop the lid. But says she should have been. So she could just be remembering it wrong. That would explain the emotions."

"No, she's remembering it right," Athena said, looking at her Mood Matrix.

"Can you prove such an, uh, allegation?"

"Oh, uh... no," Athena said, looking awkward. "Not exactly. All the noise was gone from her voice, meaning we got the whole truth from her."

"But your doodad around your neck, the one the robot thingy makes, and the little doohicky screen thing for emotions is itself as exact as testimony," Prosecutor Effe asked, looking confused for a split second at her own wording before deciding it wasn't worth it. "I mean, no hard evidence can prove... uh, anything your emotion thingy-ma-whoozit does. Like, er, at all."

Apollo stifled a laugh despite himself at the look on Athena's face as the prosecutor repeatedly called the Mood Matrix and Widget by the wrong names, and at Prosecutor Effe gesturing around her neck when referring to Widget.

(Is this girl for real? How did she pass the bar?)

"It's called the Mood Matrix," Athena said with surprising calm, despite looking like she'd love nothing more than to hit Prosecutor Effe. "And this is Widget."

"Widget is the necklace doodad, the Mood Matrix is the other thingy. Okay."

Prosecutor von Karma put her face in one hand, silently but obviously asking why she has to work with such idiocy before cracking her whip.

"Owwwww!" whined Prosecutor Effe, her eyes brimming with tears. "You hit me!"

"Stop derailing the trial!" von Karma snapped at her before looking at the defence. "Her point still stands that we can't prove the defendant's hand stuck at all to the lid."

"You can't just pass it off as her misremembering!" said Apollo, indignant. "If we did that, why would we even bother with witness testimony? We could do that with any inconvenient testimony. Testimony stands until it can be disproved."

"And you just disproved it!" said von Karma, holding out her hand as if presenting something again and smirking. "By clarifying there was no way for her hand to have stuck to the lid, you proved it did not."

"A-Argh!" Apollo slumped on the bench.

(Sh-she's right... I need another plan of attack.)

He sighed, looking through the evidence.

(I need something to prove the tank froze... something... anything...)

"Apollo," Athena was slowly looking through the evidence herself. "I don't think we have anything to prove Liesel touched the lid and her hand froze to it. I mean, fingerprints wouldn't prove anything. They should be there."

Apollo looked up, his eyes wide. He had a hunch. It was the kind of hunch his boss would have, but...

"The fingerprints... Hey, Prosecutor Effe," he straightened up. "About your fingerprint report..."

"What about it?" she asked, once more cocking her head to the side sweetly.

"Can you tell us about that?"

"Sure. There were three sets found like I... think I said earlier. The manufacturer's prints were the only ones found all over the tank, which makes perfect sense as he built it," she said, skimming her far more detailed report tucked inside her manilla folder, held out like a book in her hands. "I guess he didn't wear gloves like you'd think someone would. Ms Weizar's prints were found on the lid of course, and Mr Weizar's prints were found only on the base of the tank. He put them there when he tried to open the tank."

"But not the victim's prints?"

"Uh... no. Professor Veira, head of our forensics department, scoured every inch of that tank for prints," she's quite thorough," Prosecutor Effe said, still skimming the report. "Just those three. No sign any prints had been wiped, either. But why would the victim's be there?"

"He didn't wear gloves," Apollo said, showing her the poster. "Look."

"Okay, yeah, so?"

"He handled the tank. Why doesn't he have prints on it?"

"Well, he didn't touch the tank to get in," Prosecutor Effe said, tapping the bench in front of her noisily with her long, manicured nails. "He was bound up. Ms Weizar helped him inside. So he never touched it."

"No, that's not what I meant. He just ordered it. Why weren't his prints on it? He should have touched it."

"Maybe he did and the prints were just wiped?" Athena suggested.

"No, because then the manufacturer's prints shouldn't be on it. Why would he order this thing and not put his prints on it? And why would the only prints not belonging to the manufacturer be on the lever, the switch, and the lid?"

"Well..."

"You've already conceded and so do I that Ms Weizar inspected the tank. In fact, three people inspected the tank. One of which was an unknown stage hand and the other of which, apart from Ms Weizar, was the victim."

"What are you saying?" Prosecutor von Karma demanded.

(What am I saying? There's a problem with this case. The tank, that is. It's strange, the placement of the prints, and the people who left prints is odd too... but the oddest part is... no, wait...)

Apollo brought up the data about the tank.

(The tank itself is a problem, not the prints. But...)

It clicked.

"I've got it," he said.

"What?"

"I said I've got it," Apollo said. "I figured out why we have an inconsistency. Well, several."

"Okay well, colour me interested. Which I imagine is a nice shade of a rose pink. With gold shimmer," Prosecutor Effe said, leaning forward on her bench and crossing her ankles, her chin propped on her fingers.

"First... the first inconsistency is the problem between the diagram, Mr Weizar's actions, and with this order form, which confirms what Ms Weizar said about the tank- the fact that the lever opens the clamps," Apollo looked up, tossing his head to get his hair out of his eyes. "Studies of the tank show that this is a factual inconsistency. The diagram is correct to the tank we have, at least according to you, Ms von Karma. However, that contradicts the order form."

He held it up, then held up the fingerprint information.

"This fingerprint data also presents a contradiction. Ms Weizar says she and the victim inspected the tank multiple times, even constructing a repair with HyperSeal, which is why there was some on site at the time," Apollo continued. "However, the victim's prints are nowhere to be found, and the defendant's prints are only on the lid. Even if you disregard that Ms Weizar inspected the tank with the aid of the victim, we have witness testimony stating she and one other person, a stage hand, were touching the tank before the performance. Ms Weizar's prints shouldn't be in just one location, and there should be four sets. But there aren't."

He gripped the edge of the bench. "These are both contradictions with one thing in common."

"Get to the point, or my whip will have its way, Mr Apollo Justice."

"Oh no," Prosecutor Effe froze up, halfway through twiddling her ring again, a look of dread colouring her face.

"I see Prosecutor Effe has caught on," Apollo said, somewhat surprised.

"To what?" Athena asked.

"There is another inconsistency I want to point out," Apollo said, keeping his tone even and measured, suppressing his excitement in case he was wrong. "There are no signs any repairs were ever carried out on the tank. Nothing is broken. It's watertight and HyperSeal was only found on the top. This inconsistency has the same thing in common with the other two and with yet another thing. Ms Sweet says the defendant's hand stuck to the top of the lid, something that should be impossible due to HyperSeal being unable to adhere to human skin and being unable to work when freezing, and due to the tank being designed to not freeze. It shouldn't have ice forming on it, but it did."

"Ah!" von Karma was now catching on. "It can't be..."

"I don't get it!" Athena stamped her foot, turning to Apollo. "Spit it out, Apollo!"

"I agree with Ms Cykes. What are you getting at, Mr Justice?'

(You people have no patience for getting to the point with logical reasoning...)

"The tank is a contradiction because there were two tanks! " Apollo said, allowing the rush of saying something so case-turning to wash over him. "The murder was planned well in advance."

"What?!" Athena yelped. "Two!?"

"There were two tanks?"

"Yes, Your Honour," Apollo said, his hazel eyes narrowing again. "Two. One was the tank commissioned by the victim, the other is the one we have in police custody. The tanks were switched at some point, which is why the fingerprints don't match up, and the existence of a second tank would explain why there's a contradiction between the tank we physically have and the order form."

"Hey, pal?" Apollo jumped. Even though he hadn't left the stand once during the entire exchange, he'd totally forgotten about the detective.

"Uh, yes?"

"I have just one question. When were the tanks switched?"

"A good question, Scruffy. There is hope for you yet."

"They couldn't have been switched after the show," Apollo reasoned. "The tank malfunctioning is what killed Erik Houd, and the malfunctions are still in place. The lever and the button don't work as they're supposed to. Or at all. That leaves before the show and during the show."

"But it couldn't be during the show. People would have noticed," Athena said. "Meaning it had to be before the show, right?"

"It couldn't be before the show because Ms Sweet would have seen what was going on- she could see the stage while they were prepping, meaning the curtains were open during the set-up period. A pretty common way to do it, because the stage can get hot and you want all the space you can get when you're setting up."

Apollo was actually prepared for the whip to come lashing at him, and surprised himself by actually catching it.

(Hooray for reflexes!... I've been spending too much time with Trucy.)

"You just eliminated all possibilities!"

"No, I think the tank had to be switched sometime during the show. It was covered by a cloth for the entire show, and there was a short intermission," Apollo said, now treading into a marshier territory than he wanted to admit. "There was time during the show. We just need to inspect the stage more. There had to be a second tank. I just proved one existed. Now we know this, we need to inspect the stage with this in mind."

The Judge considered this, then nodded. "I agree with the defence. Further investigation into this case is needed. Court will reconvene at nine AM tomorrow morning. Mr Justice, Ms Effe, I hope to see you back here with more proof tomorrow for each of your cases."

He banged his gavel once to dismiss the court for recess. Apollo gave a heavy sigh of relief, slumping forward on the defence bench. He couldn't believe what he'd just proved, and his head was still reeling from the rush of it all.

"Wow, Apollo, that was brilliant!" Athena said, picking him up and hugging him, squeezing all the air out of his lungs.

"Let go, stop! Don't hug me!" he shoved her off.

"Tch. What was that for?" Athena folded her arms, then she grinned, hands on her hips. "Oh wait, I forgot, you're allergic to affection."

"I am not," he said as they returned to the lobby. Liesel gave him a warm, sweet smile and a kiss on the cheek, her hands on his shoulders, making him go red.

"Mr Justice, that was something," she said. "Erik would have been proud."

"Huh? Why?"

She was about to answer when Trucy appeared at her shoulder. Well, elbow.

"Polly, that was great!" she said cheerfully. "I wasn't quite expecting two tanks! But it makes sense from a magician's point of view."

"Oh!" Athena pointed at Trucy's hat. "That reminds me!"

She pulled something n a small plastic bag out of her pocket and held it up. "I checked this out yesterday on my way to Eldoon's."

"The charm?" Apollo had totally forgotten about the tiny silver hat.

Liesel gasped. "That's Erik's!"

"Yep," Athena said. "It belonged to the victim. Seems it was a gift from his wife, but I can't remember her name."

"The victim was married?"

"Yep," said Athena again. "She had a funny name, too... Anyway, that's who the charm belongs to. Except it was dropped recently. So, someone else has had it for these past two decades."

Liesel opened her mouth to speak, but was again cut off by Trucy.

"I like it!"

"You would," Apollo said, giving her hat a little flick and knocking it loose.

Trucy stuck her tongue out at him.

"We should get going soon," Apollo looked at his watch. "It's already past three and the weather has to be terrible."

"Ugh, you're right," said Athena, a hand on her hip as she slumped forward. "Sometimes I hate winter."

"It's never this bad."

"Well, duh, I know that," she said, flicking Apollo in the forehead. "I did grow up here, you know."

"Polly, can I help you investigate today?"

Apollo looked at Athena quizzically.

"Its okay with me," Athena said. "I have some stuff I want to look into."

(What, like a nap?)

She scowled at him, guessing his thoughts. "Mr Wright wants to see me when he can. Trucy can help you with figuring out more about the case I think. She knows the victim and the witnesses, except Ms Sweet."

"You sure?" Apollo frowned. "I mean, you're my co-counsel."

"Very sure," Athena smiled. "I'll catch up to you at the theatre when I see what Mr Wright wants and when I run my errand. Anything you need me to do while I'm out?"

"Yeah," Apollo said. "Find out about the autopsy report. We still don't have that."

"That was on my list of things," she said. "You got it! See you!"

She tore off at top speed, and distantly they heard an "ow!" as she hit a wall. Trucy stifled a giggle.

"We should go, too," Apollo told Liesel. "I'll update you on the case at the detention centre."

"Okay," she said hesitantly. Apollo walked off and he was standing in front of the lift downstairs when he realised Trucy wasn't with him.

"Honestly..." he muttered, turning on his heel to walk back up the way he came, only for Trucy to walk up to him. "Where did you disappear to?"

"I was saying goodbye to Liesel and not to worry about things, not when she's got you."

"Oh. Thanks," he said, frowning slightly. "Okay then."

She wasn't lying that he could see. He sighed and let her in the lift ahead of him.