AN: Sorry this one took so long to post. I've started school again and this story is definitely a bit much to manage with it's mystery angle, so updates might be slow for this one!

December 19, 9:51 AM
District Court
Defendant Lobby No. 2

This is it, Apollo! You've gone through all your evidence… you've looked through all your notes! It's now or never!

"Hey, Apollo, you look pretty intense there."

"I'M FINE!" Apollo blurted out abruptly before turning around to see Wright standing behind him, wearing the same casual attire he wore the day before.

"I'd hope so," Wright chuckled at Apollo's nervous outburst. Suddenly, the spikey-haired man's expression grew serious, "After all, I doubt we'll be able to milk this out another whole day. It's now or never."

"Right," Apollo nodded, clenching his fists and smirking with confidence.

"Say," Wright looked around, "Where's Ema?"

"Oh…" Apollo frowned, slumping over, "She wouldn't stop pestering the bailiff about snacks… so the bailiff took her to the vending machines. Actually, they've been gone for a while no-AAGHH!"

Apollo jumped once more as the sound of loud crunching from behind caught him off-guard. Ema stood behind him this time, munching on what looked to be a bag of chips she had gotten from the courtroom vending machines.

"Uhhggg… it's just not the same as Snackoos…" Ema pouted, munching on her chips angrily. Pausing, she looked over at Apollo and flicked one at him.

"Gah!" Apollo cried as the chip hit him straight in the forehead.

"You better clear my name today, Apollo! I'm counting on you!"

"Right! Just… no more throwing food at me!" Apollo crossed his arms.

I don't want to have crumbs all over my forehead when I'm at the bench!

"Don't worry about a thing, Ema!" Wright grinned, "I'll be Apollo's co-counsel from the beginning this time, not that I think he'll need it. Apollo was reviewing this case all night."

Yeah, of course, that also means I wasn't sleeping, either…

Before any of the three could say anything else, the bailiff barged into the room loudly. "Mr. Justice, the trial is about to begin!"

"That's our cue," Phoenix smiled, "Let's put an end to this!"

"Right!" Apollo grinned, "Don't worry, Ema, you'll be fine!"

December 19th, 9:56 AM
District Court
Courtroom No. 4

— Day 2 —

Court is Now in Session

All Rise

"Court will now reconvene for the trial of Ema Skye." The Judge spoke loudly and clearly, clacking his gavel once to start the trial.

"The defense is ready, Your Honor!" Apollo replied confidently, crossing his arms. This time, Wright was standing next to him from the beginning, and he was giving Apollo a strange look.

The judge jumped a little at Apollo's enthusiasm, "My, you're rather energetic today, Mr. Justice."

Actually, it's nerves… but if it comes across as energy, then I shouldn't complain!

The judge regained his composure and waited for the prosecution's response.

"….."

Nothing came.

The judge and Apollo both glanced towards the prosecutor's bench, only to find it empty. Gamma was nowhere in sight, and there was no one standing as his replacement.

"My, what's this! Prosecutor Gamma isn't here!" the judge's eyes widened in surprise. Shaking his head, the judge frowned, "Bailiff! Have you received word from the Prosecutor's Office yet?"

"No sir!" the bailiff answered quickly, "Also, it doesn't appear that Prosecutor Gamma is in the courthouse at this time!"

The judge shook his head, "This is a rather large oversight on the part of the Prosecutor's Office. I will have to contact them later about this issue, however, for the moment, it's impossible for us to proceed with the trial right now. I'll have to postpone the proceedings until this issue is resolved."

The judge raised his gavel to postpone the trial when the doors of the courtroom slammed open and someone let out a loud shout.

"HOLD IT!"

Gamma stepped into the courtroom, looking a little strained and out of breath. His arms were wrapped in bandages that disappeared underneath his rolled up sleeves, and he was hunched over as though he were in a bit of pain.

"P-Prosecutor Gamma!" the judge's eyes widened, "You look injured! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Gamma replied, pausing to catch his breath, "Sorry I'm late. I got into a car accident late last night, and it took me a while to convince them to release me from the hospital."

He says that like it's no big deal! Just the thought of standing in court with those kinds of injuries makes me want to collapse!

The judge shook his head, "Don't worry about it. It's impressive you're standing in court at all today."

G-great… we're three minutes into the trial, and Gamma already has garnered sympathy from the judge…

Gamma made his way over to the prosecutor's bench, placing his stuff down and adjusting some papers around. Once he was finished, he looked back up at the judge.

"I'm sorry for the delay. The prosecution is ready, Your Honor."

"Well," the judge nodded, "if you're quite sure about prosecuting in that condition, then let us begin. Yesterday, we walked away from this trial with some crucial questions. Who used the glass trophy to knock the defendant out at the scene of the crime? Why were the HC-4 case files missing? I hope the prosecution's investigation has shed some light on these questions."

"Indeed, Your Honor," Gamma nodded, flipping to one of his pages and reading it over before nodding, "Yesterday, the defense asserted that there had to be a third party in the evidence room at the time of the murder because the defendant had been struck with a glass trophy. The victim, Allen Renchez, could not have performed this act at the time of the incident, as he died instantly. However, that does not necessarily mean there was truly a third party at the scene of the crime!"

"OBJECTION!"

The judge's eyes widened, and he turned to Apollo, who had his finger outstretched towards Gamma.

"If the victim couldn't assault Ema, and there wasn't a third person in the room to do it, then how was she assaulted?" Apollo pointed out, slamming the table.

Gamma raised a hand to fiddle with his mask, then shook his head. "I was getting to that, Mr. Justice. During our investigation, we discovered a third possibility that had not been considered. I believe my first witness today will be able to elaborate."

"Very well," the judge nodded, "Let's hear our first witness."

The bailiff exited the courtroom and a few moments later he returned with a familiar scruffy detective. Gumshoe stood at the witness stand, smiling confidently at Apollo and Wright.

"Ah, Senior Detective Gumshoe! I take it you will be testifying about this third possibility that Prosecutor Gamma mentioned?" The judge asked.

"That's right, pal!" Gumshoe smiled, "This one's pretty straightforward. Good luck finding any problems with my testimony this time!"

The judge nodded, "Very well. You may begin."

Witness Testimony

– The Third Possibility –

"It's simple, pal! The trophy struck the defendant on the head when it fell! The defendant shot the victim with her gun, then, shocked by what she had just done, stumbled and grabbed the trophy shelf next to her. Then, crash! The glass trophy fell straight down and struck her on the head! There wasn't ever a third person in that evidence room!"

– End Testimony –

"I see," the judge nodded, "that definitely makes sense. If the trophy simply fell, there would be no need for a third party at the crime scene."

Apollo felt his shoulders slump as his hair spikes began drooping. "Great… the trial's just begun and Gamma's trying to blow my 'third party' claim right out of the water…"

"Stay sharp, Apollo," Phoenix instructed, "It's Gumshoe, after all. Press him hard enough, and there's bound to be a few holes in his testimony."

"I heard that, pal!" Gumshoe yelled from the witness stand, flashing the ex-defense attorney a brief glare.

The judge clacked his gavel, getting the trial back on track before the two could break out into an argument.

"The defense may begin its cross-examination."

Cross-Examination

– The Third Possibility –

"It's simple, pal! The trophy struck the defendant on the head when it fell-"

"HOLD IT!"

Apollo slammed the desk in front of him.

"The trophy fell? Isn't that a little too convenient?"

"OBJECTION!"

Gamma shook his head before flashing Apollo a wry smirk, "There's something called gravity, Mr. Justice. It has a tendency to pull things down when they're disturbed."

The judge nodded, "Even I know what gravity is, Mr. Justice."

"I know what gravity is… I just meant…" Apollo began, slumping over. He straightened himself up and shook his head, "Nevermind, please continue."

Gumshoe nodded, "No problem!"

The defendant shot the victim with her gun, then, shocked by what she had just done, stumbled and grabbed the trophy shelf next to her-"

"HOLD IT!"

"If Ema was planning on killing the victim," Apollo began, slamming his fists down on the table, "then why would she react like that once she shot him!?"

"Ema didn't need to plan on killing Renchez. It could've been a crime committed in the heat of the moment," Gamma pointed out, "Furthermore, even if she planned on murdering Renchez ahead of time, that doesn't mean she was mentally prepared for the consequences. Either way, it's not unthinkable that she could've staggered and grabbed the nearest thing for support."

Apollo frowned, but was unable to come up with a rebuttal.

The judge nodded, "I do believe it's possible for the defendant to have reacted as the witness has claimed. Witness, please continue your testimony."

Gumshoe nodded, picking up right where he left off, "Then, crash! The glass trophy fell straight down and struck her on the head-"

"HOLD IT!"

"Where, exactly, was the victim struck on the head with the trophy?" Apollo asked, his index finger resting on his brow between his eyes.

"Isn't it obvious, pal?" Gumshoe asked, "The trophy fell, so naturally, it hit the top of her head!"
"Yes," the judge nodded, "I would've found that quite obvious."

"Hmmm… so Gumshoe believes that Ema was struck on the top of her head… is that statement important…? Yeah, I think there's something in there that I can use."

Apollo slammed the desk in front of him, "Your Honor, the defense requests that statement be added to the witness's testimony!"

The judge shook his head, "I don't see what's so important about such a simple statement, but very well, witness?"

"Sure thing," Gumshoe nodded, "The trophy would've fallen struck the top of the defendant's head-"

"OBJECTION!"

"Detective Gumshoe," Apollo began, his fists out on the desk in front of him, "You claim that the trophy struck Ema on the top of the head, but that simply doesn't add up!"

"What do you mean, pal!?" Gumshoe asked, "If the trophy fell, of course it would've struck the top of her head!"

Apollo nodded, "That's right. If we assume the trophy fell off the shelf, the only place the trophy could've struck the defendant was on the top of her head. However, Ema's medical report clearly states that she was struck in the back of the head."

Apollo slammed his fists down on the table before extending his arm and pointing across the courtroom, "Tell me how a falling trophy could've struck the back of Ema's head!"

"Ah!" Gumshoe replied, scratching the back of his head, "That's actually a good point, pal!"

"Wait," the judge asked, "Does that mean…?"

Apollo nodded once more, "That's right. It's impossible for the trophy to have struck the victim simply by falling. However, Ema was found unconscious at the scene, and in yesterday's trial we confirmed that she was struck with the glass trophy. In other words, there had to have been a third person present in the evidence room at the time of the murder!"

"OBJECTION!"

Gamma was standing at the witness stand calmly, hands at his sides. The masked prosecutor shook his head.

"Is that true, Mr. Justice?"

Apollo frowned, "What do you mean?"

Gamma allowed himself a small smirk, "I mean, is it really impossible for the trophy to have struck Ema in the back of the head while it was falling?"

The judge shook his head, "I'm not sure I follow."

Gamma raised a finger to his mask and began explaining, "It's true that, if the defendant had been standing up straight, the trophy would naturally only be able to hit the top of her head. However, if she were grabbing the trophy case for support due to the shock of having just committed murder, then I doubt she'd be standing up straight. Rather, she would be hunched over, with her head slumping forwards. In other words, the back of her head would be facing the ceiling. It would be quite possible for a trophy to strike her in the back of the head that way."

"OBJECTION!"

"There's no proof that the trophy simply fell on Ema!" Apollo pointed out.

"OBJECTION!"

"There's no proof that anyone struck the defendant with the trophy!" Gamma retorted, pointing at Apollo, "Rather, the exact opposite is true. There was no third party in the evidence room at the time of the crime! Witness testimony will attest to that! Therefore, the only way Ema could've been hit by the trophy is if it had fallen!"

"A-aaaccckkkkk!" Apollo reeled back in shock, slumping over at the solid point Gamma made.

"The defense insists there was a third party at the scene of the crime… yet Mr. Justice has failed to prove it with any evidence. Moreover, the gun that killed Mr. Renchez bears the defendant's fingerprints, and gunpowder residue found on her hand confirms that Ms. Skye did indeed fire the gun!"

"Yes," The judge nodded, "I'll admit, the evidence does seem to all point to the defendant being the culprit, and the possibility that the trophy simply fell on the defendant's head eliminates the defense's argument that there was a third party at the scene. I see no reason to prolong this trial any further."

"W-wait," Apollo's eyes widened, "What!? The trial's going to end here?"

The judge nodded, "With only two people in the evidence room during the incident, and with so much evidence stacked against the defendant, I feel there is little room for doubt."

"Unless, of course," Gamma leaned over the prosecutor's bench and smirked, "You have some sort of evidence that proves there really was another person in the evidence room?"

Apollo looked out across the courtroom at Gamma, narrowing his eyes at the masked prosecutor.

There it is again… it's like he wants me to present new evidence… Still, if I don't take this opportunity now, the judge will pronounce Detective Skye guilty!

"Well, Mr. Justice… do you have any evidence that proves that someone else was at the scene of the crime?" the judge asked.

"Let's see… do I have any evidence like that?"

After mulling it over, Apollo nodded, "As a matter of fact, Your Honor, I do."

The judge's eyes widened, whereas across the courtroom Gamma merely continued to smirk.

"I believe this piece of evidence proves the existence of a third party in the evidence room that day!"

"TAKE THAT!"

Apollo held up a piece of paper in front of him, placing an arm behind his back as he read from it.

"Yesterday, when investigating the evidence room, there was evidence that luminol had been spilled on the floor of the crime scene. As a result of this test, we were able to find a handprint near where Ema had been found."

"I'm afraid I don't quite see where you're going with this, Mr. Justice," the judge admitted.

"Don't you see, your honor. Someone had wiped up a bloody handprint at the scene of the crime. That means that someone had to be in the evidence room at a time where they could get blood on their hands! However, Ema was not found with any blood on her hands at all!"

"A-ah, I see!" the judge replied, eyes widening.

"…." Gamma stood on the other side of the courtroom, standing up straight and frowning.

"Furthermore! Ema was found unconscious at the scene," Apollo noted, "She wouldn't have had time to wipe up any bloodstains! In other words…"

Apollo reeled his arm back before swinging it out, extending his index finger and pointing aggressively at Gamma.

"This handprint proves that someone was definitely in the evidence room at the time of the murder!"

Apollo smirked confidently at Gamma, expecting the prosecutor to recoil in shock at this newly presented information. However, Gamma merely stood at the prosecutor's bench calmly, his hands at his sides.

"W-wait," Apollo frowned, turning to Wright, "Why is he so calm about this?"

"I'm not sure…" Wright admitted, raising a hand to his chin, "It's like he knew about the handprint from the beginning."

Gamma raised a hand to his mask, adjusting it slightly before shaking his head, "Mr. Justice, just so I'm clear, you proclaim that, because someone wiped up a bloody handprint at the scene of the crime, that means that there had to be a third party, correct?"

"Yes," Apollo nodded, slamming the desk, "There's no way Ema left that handprint, and the fact that it had been wiped up meant someone tried to hide their presence at the crime scene!"

The judge nodded, "Yes, indeed. That does seem rather suspicious to me."

Despite the judge siding with Apollo one this one, Gamma didn't seem the least bit phased.

"Indeed," Gamma nodded, "if the handprint had been left when the crime occurred, then that would definitively prove the possibility of a third party on the scene. However, that's only if the handprint was made during the time of the crime."

"OBJECTION!"

Apollo slammed the desk in front of him before tossing a finger across the courtroom.

"The second Renchez was shot, numerous police officers came rushing to the scene of the crime! There would've been no time for someone unrelated to the crime to leave the handprint!"

"OBJECTION!"

Gamma shook his head, "You presume that the handprint was created before the crime scene was discovered. However, what if it were actually created afterwards? Consider this… what if, while investigating the crime scene, an investigator accidentally got the victim's blood on their hand, then accidentally touched the ground near the body. Naturally, they'd have wiped that handprint up with the rest of the blood."

"OBJECTION!"

Apollo slammed the desk in front of him.

"Are you saying police investigators are really that clumsy!?"

"Everyone is capable of making mistakes," Gamma replied, leaning on the bench, "Besides, a photo had already been taken on the crime scene, and no luminol tests were planned. The crime scene was pretty straightforward as it was, so perhaps someone got lax investigating the evidence room."

Apollo slumped over and began sweating, "But… but that's-"

"Let me ask you one more thing, Mr. Justice…." Gamma began, smirking against the bench before straightening himself up, "When you found the handprint, did you, perchance, try to pull any fingerprints off of it?"

"We dusted for prints, but we didn't find any," Apollo answered, shaking his head. Suddenly, he slumped forwards, realizing where Gamma was going with his argument, "…. ACK!"

"Let me remind you it's standard procedure for every investigator to wear a pair of gloves during an investigation!"

Apollo slammed the desk before straightening up, "B-but… if there was a third party at the scene, they also could've been wearing gloves!"

Gamma shook his head, slamming the desk in front of him, "A flimsy argument like that will get you nowhere! Whether or not a third party was truly there in the evidence room… was your job to prove, Mr. Justice!"

"A-ack….. NNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Apollo recoiled, raising his arms in shock as his argument was swiftly broken down by the masked prosecutor. He let his mouth hand open in shock, the corner drooping goofily in the wake of his defeat.

"Is this it!? Have I failed Detective Skye?"

"Apollo."

Apollo's eyes widened and he turned to Wright next to him. Wright was standing with his arms in his pockets, looking across the courtroom at Gamma with a serious expression on his face. He turned over to Apollo and smiled.

"Is it truly over yet?"

"Huh?" Apollo asked, "What do you mean?"

Phoenix closed his eyes before turning to face forwards again, opening them as he began,

"Gamma's argument is rooted in the possibility that the handprint was created after the crime scene was discovered. However, if you can prove that the handprint had to be made before the discovery of the crime scene, then his argument falls apart."

Apollo nodded, "That's true, but…."

The problem is… do I really have any evidence like that?

"Well, Mr. Justice?" the judge asked, "if you don't have any objections, I believe it's time for me to hand down my final verdict."

"Wait," Apollo called out, slamming his fists down on the bench in front of him, "As a matter of fact, Your Honor, I do have an objection!"

"Oh?" Gamma asked, smirking from across the courtroom.

Apollo nodded, "The prosecution's argument relies on the possibility of the handprint being made after the crime was discovered. But… what if there were evidence to disprove that the handprint could've been made at any time but during the crime itself?"

"What if?" the judge asked before frowning and shaking his head, "Mr. Justice, you don't seem too sure of yourself."

Apollo ran a hand through his hair, pressing his iconic horns down against his head as he scratched the top of his head bashfully, "N-no, I mean, I have evidence, Your Honor."

"Heh," Gamma smirked, "A transparent bluff like that belongs in a mock trial at a school yard, not in a court of law! If you're so confident, let's see this evidence of yours!"

"TAKE THAT!"

"This is…. a bag?" the judge asked, eyes wide.

"Yes," Apollo nodded, "This bag belongs to the defendant. We found it behind a filing cabinet in the evidence room."

"OBJECTION!"

Gamma smirked, "That's funny. If this hypothetical third killer existed, as the defense claims, then what reason would they have to hide the defendant's bag?"

"That is a good question," Apollo nodded, crossing his arms and smirking, "Ordinarily, it wouldn't make sense for a killer to hide the bag of the person they wanted to frame. However, I believe there was a certain reason the killer wanted to hide the bag, and this piece of evidence points to that!"

"TAKE THAT!"

Apollo presented the empty luminol bottle to the court before holding up his notes and reading them over as he presented his argument.

"Inside the bag, we found a number of items belonging to the defendant, including a bottle of luminol. According to the defendant herself, she always makes sure she refills her supplies every day, meaning this bottle would've been full when she left the house that morning."

Apollo paused, slamming his fists down on the desk, "However, this bottle was completely empty!"

"Oh my!" the judge's eyes widened, "You mean to tell me that the defendant used that much luminol before the incident occurred?"

Apollo shook his head, "No, of course not. That would be impossible, even for someone as enamored with forensic science as the defendant. That being said, the bottle's still empty. So the question remains, 'what happened to the luminol in the bottle?'"

The judge shook his head, "I still don't see where you're going with this…"

Apollo crossed his arms and smirked, "The answer is something we've been talking about this whole time! I believe the existence of this piece of evidence can answer what happened to the luminol that's missing from this bottle!"

"TAKE THAT!"

Apollo grinned, looking across the courtroom at Gamma, "Prosecutor Gamma, let me ask you something… did the investigation conduct any luminol tests at the crime scene?"

"No," Gamma replied calmly, "The scene was straightforward enough that we didn't feel it necessary."

Apollo continued to grin confidently over at Gamma, "That's funny, because when we investigated the scene, this handprint had already reacted with luminol!"

Gamma looked up slightly, and although Apollo couldn't see his eyes, he got the impression that the masked prosecutor was surprised.

The judge's eyes widened before he shook his head, "I don't understand! If neither investigation team performed a luminol test, then how did the defense team find the handprint in the first place?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Apollo asked, "The handprint was able to react with luminol because..."

Apollo paused, slamming the desk with his fists before throwing his finger out and pointing at Gamma, "…the bottle found in Detective Skye's bag was spilled at the crime scene!"

"A-aaahhh!" the masked man recoiled, sparks flying from his visor as he leaned against the bench for support.

"Detective Skye's bag was hidden behind the filing cabinets sometime before or during the time of the crime… but why would the killer hide the bag if they were already planning on framing her for the crime? The answer is because they didn't want anyone to find the empty bottle of luminol! If someone realized that luminol had been spilled at the scene, they might have decided to check for reactions and found the bloody handprint they left on the floor! So they hid the bag behind the filing cabinet despite it being natural for Detective Skye to have her bag on her!"

Apollo's eyes flared with confidence and determination as he finished off his argument.

"In other words… the handprint had to have been made at the time of the crime!"

"OBJECTION!"

Gamma shook his head, raising a fist and slamming it down onto the desk.

"That…. That's…. Nooooooooo!"

Sparks flew from Gamma's mask as he was blown back as though he had been physically struck. He clutched onto the bench for support as he sat there, sweating as his argument was blown to pieces.

The gallery erupted into discussion, surprised by the information Apollo just presented.

"What? The handprint couldn't have been made after the investigation?"

"That means there really was someone else at the scene!"

"That rookie prosecutor's really been backed into a corner now!"

"Order! Order!" the judge called out, clacking his gavel to silence the gallery. The courtroom settled down rather quickly, leaving everyone in silence. Shaking his head, the judge continued.

"Well, this is an unexpected turn of events. It seems as though the defense has managed to prove the existence of a third party in the evidence room-"

"HOLD IT!"

At that call, the judge's eyes widened, and he looked down at the witness stand, where a familiar raven-haired forensics expert stood at the bench.

"Why do I get a bad feeling every time he shows up?" Apollo asked himself, slumping over.

"Tch," Victor scoffed, hand on his hip as he scowled at the red-clad attorney, "You really are a bunch of idiots. The defense might have you all fooled, but not me. Despite that 'compelling' argument Mr. Justice over there has made, I'll tell you it's impossible for that handprint to have been made during the time of the murder!"

"What!?" Apollo asked indignantly, slamming his fists down on the table, "But it had to have been made during the incident!"

Victor shook his head, "Tch, didn't you hear what I just said? It's impossible! There simply wasn't time for that handprint to be made if it happened at the time of the murder."

The judge shook his head, "I'm not sure I follow."

Gamma stood up straight, recovering from his shock and looking over at Victor.

"The prosecution requests that Mr. Darke elaborate for the court!"

The judge clacked his gavel, "Very well, Mr. Darke, if you will?"

"Tch, whatever," Victor scoffed, "If I have to explain to your mouth-breathers, then fine. I'll blow your half-baked theory right out of the water!"

Witness Testimony

– An Impossible Theory –

"The handprint was created at the time of the murder? Tch, hardly! The problem is how clean the handprint is! That handprint is crisp and recognizable, meaning the blood had to have been dry before it was wiped up. However, there simply wasn't enough time for that to happen. Since the murder took place at the police station, there were people at the scene immediately. There was no time for the handprint to dry first!"

– End Testimony –

"Ah, I see, so the handprint couldn't have been made at the time of the crime because it wouldn't have had enough time to dry before the luminol was spilled…" The judge nodded, "Yes, that does make sense."

The judge turned his attention to Apollo, "Mr. Justice, your cross-examination, if you will."

"Right, Your Honor," Apollo nodded.

That's strange... Victor's testimony makes sense, but I know the handprint had to have been made at the scene of the crime… I'll just have to see if I can blow a hole in his testimony… somehow.

Cross-Examination

– An Impossible Theory –

The handprint was created at the time of the murder? Tch, hardly! The problem is how clean the handprint is! That handprint is crisp and recognizable, meaning the blood had to have been dry before it was wiped up-"

"HOLD IT!"

"How do you know the handprint had to be dry before it was wiped up?" Apollo asked.

"It's simple," Victor replied, "If the blood had been wet when it was wiped up, it would have smeared,and it wouldn't have made such a distinct looking handprint!"

Apollo felt his shoulders slump, "Y-yeah, I guess that's true."

"Tch, what a waste of time," Victor scoffed.

The judge clacked his gavel, "I agree. The defense will refrain from wasting this court's time!"

"A-ack," Apollo reeled in surprise.

"You can't press his statements carelessly," Phoenix noted, "Sometimes, witnesses will get irritable, if the Judge sides with them, you might wind up with a penalty."

"Yikes! But I'm just doing my job," Apollo replied.

The judge shook his head, "Mr. Darke, please continue with your testimony!"

"Alright, listen close, I don't like repeating myself!"

"However, there simply wasn't enough time for that to happen. Since the murder took place at the police station, there were people at the scene immediately-"

"OBJECTION!"

"Mr. Darke, you said you were a forensic scientist, correct?"

Victor placed a hand on his hip and scoffed, "Yeah, that's right, what of it?"

"In that case, I'm sure you were aware of a certain incident that occurred on the day of the murder."

The judge shook his head, "I'm sorry, Mr. Justice, but I don't follow."

"Then allow me to explain, your Honor," Apollo replied, holding up the incident report given to him by Ms. Newton, "Sometime before the murder, there was an explosion in the forensics lab directly connected to the evidence room. As a result of this incident, the forensics lab was shut down and the scientists there were moved to another lab altogether."

Apollo paused, slamming his hands down on the desk before pointing at Victor.

"In other words, even though people came running immediately after hearing the gunshot, there was no one there to be on the scene immediately after the murder occurred!"

"W-What!?" Victor asked, flinching backwards as the bell on his choker jingled.

"Wait!" the judge's eyes widened, "So, you're telling me that there wasn't anyone at the scene right as the murder occurred?"

Apollo nodded, "That's right. Since the lab had been evacuated, anyone rushing to the scene would have to reach the lab, enter it, then reach the evidence room. It would've taken a few minutes, at least!"

"OBJECTION!"

Gamma shook his head, "That's all well and good, Mr. Justice… but what does that have to do with the witness's testimony?"

Apollo slammed the desk, "Mr. Darke's testimony works off the assumption that there were people on the scene immediately following the murder!"

"NOT QUITE!"

Apollo was caught off-guard by the outburst, recoiling at the loud voice. Gamma slammed the back of his fist down on the bench, shaking his head before smirking.

"You're forgetting… that the actual crux of Mr. Darke's testimony is that the bloody handprint wouldn't have had enough time to dry before being wiped up. In other words, even if there weren't witnesses on-scene immediately before the murder... there's no way for for the handprint to be made at the time of the murder!"

"A-ack!" Apollo recoiled.

Victor nodded, "That's right! The problem with your little theory is that there just wasn't enough time! That handprint couldn't have been made at the time of the murder!"

"NOOOOOOOOOOO WAAAAAAAY!"

Apollo recoiled, completely taken aback by how quickly his case was destroyed.

"The handprint certainly is unusual, to say the least, but it could not have been made with the defendant's blood. There simply wasn't time for it to dry. This handprint cannot be considered evidence that there was a third party in the evidence room!"

The judge nodded, "Yes, it does seem unlikely that there would've been enough time for the handprint to dry before the luminol was spilled."

"Furthermore, since the handprint is no longer relevant to the case, then that means we're back to where we started," Gamma pointed across the courtroom, "That being, only the victim and the defendant were in the room at the time!"

The courtroom erupted into commotion and the judge clacked his gavel to silence them.

"Very well," the judge nodded, "This case has certainly taken some interesting turns, but in the end, the fact remains that there is no evidence to suggest a third party in the room at the time of the murder. I see no reason to prolong this case any further."

N… no! The judge is gonna end the trial! Think, Apollo! Is there anything I have that can prove the handprint is related to this case?"

"W-Wright, help me out here!" Apollo turned to his mentor, "We can't let the trial end like this!"

"Apollo, it's at times like these where you got to turn your thinking around," Wright instructed, "In other words, take a step back, think through the case, and sort through everything we know so far."

Apollo nodded, "Right! So, we know the handprint is connected to the case… but there's no way it could even exist if the body was found just minutes after Renchez was killed. That's a total contradiction."

Wright nodded, "Right, but instead of asking 'how could the handprint exist of there wasn't enough time' ask yourself 'what would allow the handprint to exist in the first place?'"

"Well, obviously if the murder happened earlier than everyone thinks it did, then the handprint could have had enough time to dry before being wiped up first," Apollo said, "But there's no way that could have happened without everyone hearing the gunshot unless… AH!"

"Well, if the defense no longer has any objections-"

"OBJECTION!"

Apollo slammed his hands down on the desk, "Your Honor, I believe we've been making an assumption about this case that's fundamentally wrong!"

"Those are big words, Mr. Justice," Gamma smirked, leaning over and resting his chin on his hands, "Can you back them up?"

Apollo nodded confidently, "I believe I can, Prosecutor Gamma. Up until now, we've all been assuming the murder occured when everyone heard the gunshot. However, what if I were to tell you that the murder actually happened earlier than everyone thinks it did!"

Gamma shook his head calmly, "That's impossible. The victim was shot by a gun in the middle of the police department. If he had been killed earlier, the same thing would have happened. Everyone would have heard the gunshot and come running right away!"

Apollo nodded, "True, I think it would be hard to miss a gunshot… however, recall that something happened on the day of the murder."

"Something?" Gamma smiled, "You're going to have to be more specific than that! Tell us… what was this 'something' that occured on the day of the murder?"

Okay, here goes. Something happened that would've allowed people to not notice the gunshot, and that something was…

"TAKE THAT!"

Apollo held up a piece of paper in his hands and began reading it aloud, "Recall that a gas explosion had occured earlier that day. It didn't do a lot of damage to the lab, but it was very loud…"

Apollo slammed the desk in front of him, then aggressively pointed across the courtroom, "Loud enough, I would assume, to drown out a gunshot!"

"OBJECTION!"

"But if that were true… then there would have been two gunshots! One at the time of the explosion, and one now!" Gamma shook his head, then pointed at Apollo, "There's no indication that two gunshots were fired in the evidence room!"

"Sorry, Gamma, but you're wrong about that," Apollo crossed his arms, smiling confidently, "I have a piece of evidence here that shows two shots were likely fired."

"TAKE THAT!"

"...The… the defendant's gun!" Gamma leaned over, gritting his teeth, "You don't mean…"

Apollo grinned, "That's right. Recall that in yesterday's proceedings, we revealed that two bullets had been fired from this gun! I think it's very likely that the first bullet was the one that killed the victim, and the second one was fired to gain the attention of everyone at the precinct, once pieces were in place to frame the defendant!"

"OBJECTION!"

"You have no way of proving that the gun was fired twice in the evidence room!" Gamma pointed out, "Furthermore, there's no proof that the victim was killed any earlier than the gunshot everyone heard!"

"OBJECTION!"

Apollo shook his head, "Sorry, but that's wrong! Recall exactly why we called the time of the murder in question. It was because of the handprint! The handprint means that blood on someone's hand had to have dried, then been wiped up, and reacted with luminol somehow! The only time this is likely to have occured is around the time of the murder. However, that would only be possible if the murder…"

Apollo reeled his arm back and pointed, "occured during the explosion!"

"A-AAAHHHHHHH!" Gamma's mask exploded, shooting sparks everywhere as his head was thrown backwards. He then collapsed, leaning forwards as sparks danced across his mask.

The gallery erupted into conversation.

"So, the murder happened during the explosion?"

"Wow, then the handprint really could be tied to the murder!"

"The defense turned this case on its head!"

CLACK CLACK CLACK!

The judge banged the gavel down, trying to calm everyone down, "Order, Order in the court! Prosecutor Gamma, do you have any rebuttals?"

Gamma recovered, pulling himself up straight and calming down. He then spoke "In martial arts, one of the key principles is to use your opponent's momentum against them."

"Wh… what?" Apollo asked, slumping over in confusion.

"What I mean to say is, all you've done is proven that the murder occured during the explosion, which happened an hour earlier than when we thought the murder occured. However, you haven't proven if, or indeed when, the defendant, Ema Skye, first arrived at the scene of the crime."

"OBJECTION!"

Apollo slammed his fists down on the desk, "But there's no way Ema could've wiped up the handprint, since she was knocked unconscious right after the murder!"

Gamma shook his head, "Is that really true? Before, that seemed likely, since the defendant was found unconscious. If the murder took place mere minutes before anyone arrived on scene, then it's only natural to assume that the defendant was knocked out right after the murder. However… if the murder really did occur during the explosion, as you say it did, then it's possible that Ema was not knocked out right away, and would've had plenty of time to wipe up any blood marks and hide her bag!"

"Ack!" Apollo recoiled.

"In fact, now that you revealed that the murder occured right after the explosion, I believe we have a witness with some decisive testimony that will put an end to this trial, once and for all!" Gamma declared, slamming his fist down on the bench.

"W-what!?" Apollo asked, eyes widening in alarm.

"Apollo, don't you remember?" Wright asked, face unreadable as he looked forwards at Gamma, "Yesterday, when we talked to Derek Fanne, he mentioned seeing Ema Skye leaving the evidence room… right after the explosion."

"A-aaaahhhh! No way!" Apollo recoiled, feeling his hair antennae drooping.

The judge clacked his gavel, "Very well. The court will take a ten minute recess, and then we will hear from this eyewitness."

The judge clacked his gavel and the gallery began to disperse. Apollo slumped over and let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding.

"We've managed to hang on so far, somehow," he sighed, "But I'm worried about Derek's testimony. If he testifies what he told us, it's really gonna make it look like Ema fled the scene of the crime right after the murder!"

"Relax, Apollo!" Phoenix grinned, hands on his hips, "I know Ema's innocent, so we'll just have to draw out the truth in Derek's testimony and prove it!"

"I doubt it'll be that easy," Apollo noted, "But that's the best we can hope for!"

Apollo, Wright, and Ema all made their way back to the defendant's lobby, bodies tense and minds racing from the trial. There was no telling what would happen after the recess, but whatever it was, there was no backing down from it.

To Be Continued...