Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Part #125 - Episode 5, Day 2, Trial: Starr Witness

Part 125: Episode 5, Day 2, Trial: Starr Witness

Part 125: Episode 5, Day 2, Trial: Starr Witness

That's right.

We're using the crime photo for the second time already. Why?

I don't see a muffler or a scarf on Lana, do you?

Music: Silence

^{Sound: Desk Slam}

Ms. Starr! I demand an explanation!

W-what!?
^{Sound: Light Bulb}

^{Sound: Realization}

Edgeworth is stealing our thunder again. Against his own witness. He seems to really dislike Ms. Starr almost as much as she hates prosecutors. Was he the one to get her fired? Wouldn't he have just gotten out of law school at that time two years ago?

^{Sound: Objection}

Music: Telling the Truth

^{Sound: Light Bulb}
^{Sound: Stab}

Only a professional lunchlady could be so utterly clueless.

Hmm!

Harsh words! But good!
^{Sound: Realization}

(What was my objection, chopped liver!?)

^{Sound: Desk Slam}

Music: Silence

Well now, where were we?

Have we gotten anywhere? I'm not sure we have.

Wh-what!?

^{Sound: Gavel}

You saw the crime, and apprehended the suspect...

Tell us about that.

......

Very well.

I do remember some things accurately, at least.
^{Sound: Realization}

This sequence is weird. It basically proceeds as if we'd never objected to anything from her original testimony. She just continues as if nothing had happened. Which just makes me feel like the last two updates have been a waste of time.

The most important part...?

^{Sound: Realization}

Well I sure hope so, we've been running in circles so far.

^{Sound: Testimony 2}

Music: Questioning - Allegro

Well, hitting Allegro is a good sign. Let's see what Ms. Starr has to say this time...

I quickly caught her, explained her rights to her, and arrested her on the spot.

That's what had me confused in my earlier testimony!

Music: Silence

Yeah I'm not buying any of that.

I strike like a snake and bite like a cobra!

That's me. Angel Starr.

Don't bother me with details, unless you want to get bitten!
^{Sound: Objection}

N-no thanks!
^{Sound: Objection}

...Who isn't? (Note: This line was apparently "Note to self: Attorney Wright gets bitten by snake" in the original DS release. Probably a translation error that got cleaned up in the HD release?)

The chief prosecutor tried to resist, but her efforts were in vain.

She knocked my hands aside, kicked over an oil drum...

A-an oil drum? (Hard to imagine...)
^{Sound: Realization}

Very well, Mr. Wright. Your cross-examination, if you will.

No sweat.

^{Sound: Testimony 2}

Cross #3, go!

Music: Questioning - Allegro

(So Ms. Skye tried to run?)

Not as sorry as I am.

But she didn't do it! You have to believe me!

Not much help there, but we don't need it on this one. I don't think I even need to press, but might as well do it anyway.

After the murder, the suspect attempted to run behind a partition off to her side.

(That's right...)

Forget the wall, what about the chain-link fence separating Angel and Lana?

She was obviously trying to hide herself.

And what did you do then?

I quickly caught her, explained her rights to her, and arrested her on the spot.

You say "quickly"... were you close to the suspect?

As I just said!

I was only 30 feet away from her the whole time.
^{Sound: Realization}

Have to keep going!

Music: Silence

Music: Logic and Trick

Rather than objecting on this line of testimony and presenting the map, we are apparently going to resolve this contradiction in the press.

^{Sound: Realization}

That would make it about 30 feet from the car, yes.

Is that correct, Ms. Starr?

Y-yes, that's right.

I went over it, of course.
^{Sound: Realization}

Amazing! The Cough-up Queen, lunchlady athlete, indeed.
^{Sound: Light Bulb}

Okay, apparently we're just going to gloss over that one.

So she couldn't have gotten to my sister THAT fast...

(So how did Ms. Skye not get away?)
^{Sound: Realization}

Shock? Or she didn't do it so didn't think to run? Or she wanted to get caught, given her subsequent confession?

Music: Silence

We don't get anything new out of that one, it just goes back to the next line of testimony for more crossing.

Music: Questioning - Allegro

quote:

Here's what backing off looks like:

(How far away was she when she witnessed the murder?)

(I guess I could just look at the picture to find out.)

Very well, you may continue with your testimony.

Ah yes. When I arrested her, she mentioned the muffler!

She mentioned the muffler?

What exactly did she say?

^{Sound: Realization}

(Cheeky!)

Anyway, all I heard her say was the word "muffler."

Just that one word?
^{Sound: Realization}

Yes. The chief prosecutor was talking on her phone!

We know Lana was talking to Ema. And that Ema claimed that nothing was said, that Lana hung up right away. I think we should start trying to figure out what our clients are lying to us about, and why.

Yes, ultimately.

Ultimately?
^{Sound: Light Bulb}

^{Sound: Realization}

N-no, the court doesn't see, Ms. Starr.
^{Sound: Light Bulb}

I appreciate that no one else understands Angel's goofy metaphors either. Apparently young salmon memorize their home stream smells and when they're swimming around in the ocean and come across it again, they swim back upstream to go reproduce (and die). So I guess it means she has a good memory? Except... her earlier testimonies kind of discount that claim.

On the wall?

Apparently, it was out of order.

And so she used her cell phone?

Hmm.

Good witnessing, witness!

(Good witnessing? What ever happened to good testifying?)

^{Sound: Gavel}

The things I do to please this rookie defense attorney.

^{Sound: Select Jingle}

Not sure what to make of that one yet. But the word "muffler" can also refer to a part on the exhaust pipe of a car...

We get a new line of testimony, so let's press on it.

Ah hah! I was going to ask the same thing!
^{Sound: Light Bulb}

quote:

Before we revisit the same topic, let's see what leaving the phone call alone gets us...

(Ms. Skye's cell phone...)

(The last number she called was her sister, Ema!)

(Hmm... if I press this too hard, who knows who the snake will bite...?)

The witness may continue her testimony.

And we resume the cross from there, but without the revised testimony.

quote:

The new line of testimony actually replaces the one after the one on which we pressed, so here's the results of pressing on the replaced line:

That's what had me confused in my earlier testimony!

^{Sound: Desk Slam}

So, you never saw this muffler?

...!
^{Sound: Light Bulb}

Witness?

As the photograph proves, she couldn't have seen it.

...

That's true.

Ms. Starr...

is acting strangely.

First she mistakes a scarf for blood splatter...

And now she says she didn't see any scarf!

(She doesn't strike me as the kind of witness to make careless mistakes, either...)

(Just what DID Ms. Starr see down in that parking lot?)

Not much there, just highlighting that we have something confusing going on that we haven't figured out yet. Going back and pressing on the "muffler" line again just repeats the same lines at first, and then cuts off upon mentioning Lana's phone.

Music: Silence

Music: Logic and Trick

The chief prosecutor stabbed the victim, and ran behind the partition.

^{Sound: Shock 2}

Then, when I boldly grabbed her arm...

Music: Silence

^{Sound: Bip 2}

^{Sound: Realization}

...?
^{Sound: Light Bulb}

What is it, Mr. Wright?

Holy shit game, leave something to the player, will you?

Moving on to the final line to cross...

The chief prosecutor made to escape, but against Angel Starr resistance is futile!

She "made to escape"...

Can you be more specific?

She brushed aside my hand and ran!

(Huh?)

She even kicked over an oil drum at me!

A-an oil drum!?
^{Sound: Realization}

But, it's strange...

Hmm? What's that?
^{Sound: Light Bulb}

^{Sound: Realization}

Edgeworth seems more interested in tearing down his own witness than winning the case so far. Or maybe he's just working a new strategy, where if he can nitpick things before we can, we never get any momentum going?

^{Sound: Light Bulb}

Yeah, why would she run herself into a dead-end at the fence? Although apparently this fence is real easy to quickly climb over...

Th-that's right!

...

Excellent! More mysteries!

I wish we could solve a few before finding more, though...

The hints are rather obvious on this one. We seem to have a perspective issue here. Namely: How could she have seen what was going on behind that partition, while sitting in B Block? I'm pretty sure she was actually in the Security Room, though I'm not convinced she would've been able to see everything going on by Edgeworth's car very well from up there.

Music: Silence

^{Sound: Desk Slam}

Note: This objection only works if we had pressed fully on Ms. Starr's second line of testimony, getting her to talk about being 30 feet away and going over the fence. Without that having been done, we just take a generic penalty here instead. I don't think there have been any such "conditions" on successfully objecting before.

The witness is a former detective.

Her testimony is unmarred by personal bias.

Note the lack of energy with which Edgeworth tries to defend his witness.