This is chapter 2 of 2 posted today.

APRIL 12, 2014 10:45 AM

LOS ANGELES DISTRICT COURTHOUSE

COURTROOM NO. 2

"Your Honor!" Shirou shouted. "Please hold the verdict. The prosecution calls Detective Lana Skye as a witness."

The judge nodded. "Of course."

Lana all but shoved her way past the bailiff and onto the witness stand. "Witness, your name and occupation."

"Lana Skye. I'm a detective at the precinct."
She put the case she was carrying down on the stand, before sighing. "Forgive my lateness, Your Honor. The police cars were all out, I had to run." What the heck was going on at Criminal Affairs...?

"You ran that far, Miss Skye? Well, your dedication is appreciated. Now, I assume you have something to present?"

"I do." She opened up the case, and drew out the red jacket. "Your Honor, this jacket was found in a locker in the pool on Ivy University's campus. It has Mr. Swallow's name on the tag, and has a clear handprint on the front from an impact blow." She showed the front of the jacket, where the handprint stood out clearly. "The print would have required a fairly strong hit, enough to likely stagger a grown man."

That would be the fight relating to Dahlia that Wright had attested to, Shirou imagined.

"Additionally, it has several fingerprints. Mostly Mr. Swallow's, for obvious reasons. However, Mr. Wright's appear in the handprint, and another set appear on the sleeves. They have been matched to fingerprints found on the locker itself."

"Mr. Wright's fingerprints were not found anywhere else?"

"No, sir. Just the handprint."

"What about the other fingerprints?"

"They had one match in our database - a witness from a case about a year ago named Dahlia Hawthorne."

"No...no...!" Wright's eyes were widened. "Dollie...!"

I'm sorry, Wright. Shirou had seen some pretty messed up things - and lived some - but finding out your girlfriend murdered somebody still ranked in Shirou's book as impressively bad. "And the fingerprints the bailiff sent over earlier?"

She pulled out a copy, which the glance Shirou got revealing it to look mostly like the one he'd presented earlier. "The one labeled 'Iris of Hazakura' matches with the one for Dahlia Hawthorne yesterday, and with Dahlia Hawthorne's previous prints."

"...Iris?" asked Shirou.

Lana nodded. "A photo was attached, showing her as having black hair and currently dressed in Japanese-style religious clothes."

"...Mr. Emiya...what does this mean?"

"I don't know, Your Honor...but I intend to find out, if it pleases the court. Lana, was there anything else?"

"The umbrella had 'Iris' fingerprints as well, but there was nothing notable about it that we could find. It was flimsy enough that we have no idea what broke it."

"...alright. Thank you." Shirou took a deep breath. "Your Honor, the prosecution asks that the defendant's plea be seen as made under duress and invalid. Additionally, it submits the evidence brought by the detective to the court."

The judge nodded. "Recognized, and accepted into evidence

"Thank you, Your Honor. Now, the prosecution calls up the woman who identifies herself as Dahlia to the stand. We need to examine her claim of guilt, I believe." He paused. "The one with black hair, bailiff."

Lana stepped off the stand and out of the room. After a moment, he heard a pointed cough, and looked to see Lana in the seats behind him, an amused smile on her lips.

The bailiff came back in, with whoever-it-was walking beside. The woman stepped up to the stand.

"Witness, please state your name and occupation once more for the court." He paused. "And remember. Lying is perjury, a crime."

"...my name is Dahlia Hawthorne. I'm a student."

"Hmm. And you maintain your claim of guilt?"

"...I do."

Shirou frowned. "Miss Hawthorne, please give a full recount of the events of the murder."

'Dahlia' bit her lip. "I saw Feenie and Doug talking, and I realized that Doug was telling him about the suspicion I was under for the poisoning. I couldn't let him do that, so when I saw him fallen on the ground, and Feenie was gone, I took the broken electrical cable and pushed it against his skin. Just after, Feenie came back. I had borrowed his medicine earlier, so I tried to scare him off before planting it on Doug's body. That was all."

"You're certain no further events happened?"

"...I am. That is all that happened."

Shirou gave her a look. "Then you're a liar." He presented the jacket. "TAKE THAT!"

The woman blinked. "What's...what's that...?"

"This is Doug Swallow's jacket. It was removed off of his dead body, and hid. If you were the murderer, you would have known that."

Her eyes widened. "But-but-but-uh..." She blinked several times, her shoulders visibly tense. "I...I...I simply forgot! I was flustered, and quickly hid it nearby."

Shirou shook his head. "Nearby? It was in the pool locker room. You couldn't have simply hid it quickly and forgotten it...and anyway, why would you?"

"I-I-I..."

"I'm sorry, Miss, but you are lying to the court. If you tell me the truth, I can guarantee you that things will be better."

She was quite for several moments. "...I can't."

Shirou sighed. "Your Honor, may I present a theory to the court?"

"Go ahead, Mr. Emiya. Please explain! I'm lost."

"You're being blackmailed, aren't you, Witness? Your sister has something over you, forcing you to obey her. A patsy and a perfect copy who can't disobey? That sounds...like a perfect tool for a murderer to use."

"...no...Mr. Emiya. I'm not being blackmailed. I...only have one secret, and nobody else knows it."

"I can't say I believe you...but I don't have any proof." Yet. "Miss Fey, do you have any questions?"

She shook her head. "No."

The judge looked at Shirou. "Are you calling another witness?"

"I am. The prosecution calls...the other twin to the stand."

The bailiff hurried off, escorting probably-actually-Iris out. Probably-Dahlia came in the same as before, until she looked over at the defense bench. Evidentially, Fey's furious glare spilled the beans. Any semblance of niceness vanished from the woman's face. "...she blabbed, didn't she?" The hostility was palpable.

"You left too much evidence, actually. Your name and occupation, witness."

She laughed. "No reason to hide it, I suppose. Dahlia Hawthorne, student."

"You committed perjury earlier by lying about your identity. What do you have to say about that?" Shirou asked.

"Is that relevant to the trial at hand? I mean, my lying didn't cause Doug Swallow to die." She smirked. "Phoenix Wright did."

"What?" Shirou exclaimed. "That's ludicrous. It hasn't seriously been considered by this court all day. Do you have any proof?"

"Do you have any proof I murdered Swallow? Moreover...I do indeed have proof."

"You do...?" What was with the evidence in this trial!?

"Of course. How about that king of the courtroom...a photograph?"

"A-a-a...a photograph? Witness!" the Judge demanded. "Present it immediately!"

"Gladly." She pulled out of...somewhere...a photograph negative, and the bailiff ran it over to the judge.

"Well...accepted into evidence, I suppose." The bailiff ran off with it, presumably to make positives. After a few moments, Shirou, the Judge, and Fey were each handed a photograph.

It showed Wright standing over Swallow's body, limp and lax, on the ground. And right above Swallow's body...was the dangling electric cord.

He couldn't dispute the legality of the evidence - it was connected to the case, clearly - but...even if he could do it legally, he couldn't do it morally.

He had no doubt Dahlia Hawthorne was a criminal. But...evidently, so was Wright. And he would not let a murderer go free and put people in more danger, his instincts on Wright's innocence be damned. He'd get some answers, though, because he wouldn't let an innocent man suffer either.

"Why then, Miss Hawthorne, were your fingerprints found on the evidence?"

"The evidence?"

"The evidence. TAKE THAT!" He presented the jacket. "Your fingerprints were found on Doug Swallow's jacket."

"Oh." She blinked, before she furrowed her brows and bowed her head. "...he...he demanded...he demanded I help him! He told me to hide the evidence while he ran...and he was so scary...I just..."

"W-w-w-what...?" mumbled Wright. It did seem mighty convenient an explanation, but...well, he couldn't disprove it, and it made more sense than...no, no it didn't.

"Mr. Emiya...?" asked the judge. "Do you have any objections to that testimony...?"

Shirou nodded. "Ignore her, Mr. Wright. I do, Your Honor."

"...what...?" Dahlia grit her teeth, before freezing and returning to her "demure" expression.

"You say you were intimidated, and hid the evidence because of that? That's...ridiculous." He presented the medicine bottle to the court. "TAKE THAT! If you were hiding the evidence because of fear, you would not have missed a piece of evidence that belonged to him!"

"I...I..." A flash of fury ran through her face, but Shirou didn't let up. If it was just that, then it was reasonable that she'd left it to make sure Wright got justice. But it certainly wasn't.

"And this photograph...? I have my suspicions. After all, in this photo, rigor mortis has not yet set in." He pointed to the fingers. "As you can see, there is no tension in the body."

"...your point, Mr. Emiya?" asked the judge.

"If Doug Swallow had been holding the medicine bottle when he died, it would have rolled away! Since we found it on the body, it had to have been put there!"

"...what does this mean...?"

"Your Honor, may I examine the master copy of this photograph?"

"The negative? I suppose, Mr. Emiya..."

Shirou stepped out from behind the bench, and walked over to where the negative was kept. If it had been digital, he would have been out of luck...but it wasn't. He closed his eyes, and touched the negative with a single finger. Trace, on.

His Magical Energy ran through his fingertip, and into the photo. Analyzing. As he allowed his senses to explore the photograph, he spoke aloud. "Miss Hawthorne...I understand you are a photographer by hobby. This...isn't the first murder case you've taken a photo for, right?" Unlike with swords, he couldn't see the history behind the things he analyzed. He didn't really need it, though. Just a superhuman view. "Didn't you say that a photo was king?"

"I seem to remember differently about your last photo, frankly," came Mia Fey's voice.

"It's a very good photo. A nice angle, a nice amount of light..."

And then he found an outline in the film. A decidedly artificial outline.

RIGHT THERE!

"...and an excellent edit job."

"You...Impossible...!"

"You had it commissioned? I can't see anybody being able to do this without powerful technology. Even so...I think Criminal Affairs will find this to be a forgery."

"...Emiya..." Dahlia practically spat. "I should've known. It's not a coincidence at all...is it, Magus Killer?"

...how did...she know that title...? *He* barely knew that title, and it was Kiritsugu's! "I...don't know what you're talking about."

He blinked, and any fury in her gaze suddenly vanished. "Well, it can't be helped." She smiled. "I wouldn't trust this 'prosecutor' if I were you, Mia Fey." The scare quotes around the job name were almost audible.

"Thankfully, you're not."

"Your funeral. And, Mr. Emiya...keep an eye on your back. They may be nice and kind in your backwater, but here...they never leave survivors. Your father probably would have had the time of his life around here.

"...Mr. Emiya...? What is the witness talking about...?"

Shirou blinked for a moment, before going with the first believable technically-not-a-lie he could come up with. "My father was...involved in a dangerous international group. Like a cult," he 'explained' at the judge's confused look. "I don't know much about it, though...or how the witness does...but it's not really relevant, Your Honor."

"...very well."

"Witness, could you explain what is keeping your sister from speaking?"

She pursed her lips. "Well, there's nothing to benefit from keeping silent, I suppose." That wasn't true - he couldn't indict Hawthorne while her sister's claim of guilt stood, as clearly false as it was - but he wouldn't dissuade her of the notion. "She betrayed me, didn't help with my plan, and apparently blames herself for me being..."

"A murderer?" asked Fey.

"Pretty much. She's a stupid girl. Dated a stupid guy, too."

"...huh?" asked, of all people, Wright.

"Know how you dated me for months? Well, you didn't. No, we barely ever met...that was Iris you were in love with." Her voice was mocking, mind-bogglingly s. "Impressive. You didn't even know her real name."

The poor man flinched, but was wordless.
"Enough, witness." Shirou ordered. "Bailiff, summon Iris of Hazakura."

And finally, finally, they were on the last step of the trial. The step where the truth could heal.
The step that was the reason he was a lawyer.
"Witness, your name and occupation."

"...Dah-"

"Witness!" he interjected. "Do not try to claim that you are Dahlia Hawthorne! We have proof that you are not her. There are many people in the world who you could be, but the fingerprints are clear. You are not Dahlia Hawthorne."

"Mr. Emiya...I am who I am."

"...Dollie..." came a quiet, clearly defeated voice. "Or...whoever you are...please...just...the truth. If...Dahlia is a killer...please don't protect her."

The courtroom sat in utter silence for at least a minute. Finally, Iris' voice broke the silence. "...I am Iris of Hazakura, a nun."

"Did you kill Doug Swallow?" asked Shirou.

"...I did not."

"Why did you claim to be Dahlia Hawthorne?"

"I...I wanted to repay my sins. My sin of letting Dahlia become who she is."

Dahlia scoffed from the side. "If you think that you of all people made me who I am, you're stupider than I thought."

Shirou ignored her. "So you confess to obstructing justice by hiding your identity?"

"I do."

"Very well. Your Honor, the prosecution would like to formally indict Miss Dahlia Hawthorne for the murder of Mr. Doug Swallow, and for obstruction of justice. The prosecution would also like to indict Miss Iris of Hazakura for obstruction of justice."

"Recognized, Mr. Emiya."

"No further questions."

"Miss Fey?" asked the judge.

"No, Your Honor."

The judge sighed. "This case became far more complicated than I expected, and I think it shows several flaws in our new court system. But the truth has finally been found. As such, I hereby pronounce the defendant, Mr. Phoenix Wright...NOT GUILTY. That is all. Court is adjourned."

APRIL 12, 2014 1:23 PM

LOS ANGELES PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE

SHIROU EMIYA'S OFFICE

"Thanks for your help in court today," Shirou said to Lana without looking up from his desk as she came in and sat on one of the chairs. All the paperwork was without a doubt his least favorite part of the job, but it was needed. "It got close there."

"Sorry about that." Shirou waved off the apology — it wasn't her fault by any means — and she sighed. "It's a mess at the precinct. I'll be on the case in a couple of hours, myself. It's almost ridiculous."

"What's going on?"

"A mass murder. A dozen dead. The suspect is a blind, wheelchair-bound woman."

Shirou looked up, and blinked. "How does that work?"

"Exactly. But there's nobody else who possibly could have done it."

"Strange."

Lana nodded. After a moment of silence, Shirou went back to his paperwork. The jury trials were practically systematized; the transcript of the initial trial was read out to the jury, the evidence was presented, both lawyers read a speech, and then the jury 'deliberated' — which is to say, chose guilty almost invariably. As the prosecutor on the case, Shirou would need to coordinate that for both Hawthorne sisters, which meant a lot of writing and a lot of memos.

It had been a couple of minutes — presumably, Lana had been doing something, though he hadn't checked what — when the door slammed open. Shirou glanced up. A police officer, a woman, stood in the door.

"Sir!" She saluted, first to Shirou and then to Lana once she noticed the detective.

"Come in, officer," he replied, motioning for them to come towards the desk. "What do you need?"

"It's a memo from the Chief of Police, sir." She handed a manila envelope to Shirou. "A case for you to prosecute."

Shirou furrowed his brow. "Very well. Thank you, officer." She saluted again, before turning and walking quickly out.

"That's...a bit odd. Doesn't the Chief Prosecutor usually assign cases?"

"We can request them, but yes. I imagine it's a case the Chief of Police wants me to request. Unusual, but not unheard of. I certainly have some time until I try the Hawthornes." He opened up the envelope, and pulled out the papers. "It's a murder case." He skimmed over the information. "Victim...wait, victims? It's a...mass murder." He looked at Lana, and her face echoed his doubt that this was in any way a coincidence. He glanced at the suspect information. "It's definitely the same case. Assuming, of course, you were talking about the murder of Secondo Ner and his family?"
"That's the one."

He bit his lip. He recognized that name, though they'd never met. More importantly, though, he recognized the name of the suspect.

"The suspect is a Japanese national; I assume it's a diplomatic reason." He reread the name of the suspect, to make sure he hadn't made a mistake. He hadn't...and, frankly, he could believe she would kill the Ner family. It was a good thing the Chief had chosen him. Any other prosecutor would be in grave danger.

...he would be, too, but he could handle it. Pity, though, that Dahlia was right.

"Ever heard of the suspect before?"

Shirou nodded. "We've met, actually, as far as I can tell. Unless there's another of her name from my hometown."

"Huh." She sighed. "I'm assuming you'd like my help?"

"If you're going to be on the case anyway, I'd appreciate it."

Lana nodded. "I'll call Chief, run it by him, but I doubt there will be any problems."

"That's good to hear." After all, he was going to be prosecuting a Magus. He needed somebody he trusted to watch his back.

Especially when he was prosecuting the 'Genius of the East' herself. The same genius who had forced him to flee his home.

Blazoned in san-serif font on the paper was a name he knew far, far too well.

"SUSPECT: 遠坂 凛," it read. And then, in Latin characters: "TŌSAKA RIN."