Part 138: Episode 5, Day 3, Trial Former: Security Video
Part 138: Episode 5, Day 3, Trial Former: Security VideoMusic: Silence
Music: Courtroom Lobby ~ Beginning Overture
I think that entering this trial day I have zero idea what to expect. Though I fear that Meekins will be our first witness, such as he is.
I think the prosecution is as confused as we are. After all...
Sound: Realization
Note the speaker.
Sound: Realization
Lana!
Good morning, Mr. Wright.
I hope they didn't hold you too long for questioning.
So, how'd it go?
It's as Mr. Wright suspects. The police are clueless.
You what now? We're going to have to discredit our own client's confession on the stand again, aren't we?
A plea bargain? What do you mean by that?
they wouldn't seek capital punishment. That's what I mean, Ema.
Sound: Light Bulb
Much to my regret,
...So you made a plea deal you knew you couldn't keep? I don't get it.
Ms. Skye. Hmm? We found trace evidence of a certain person in the Police Department's evidence room. They belonged to Officer Jake Marshall.Sound: Realization
Blood-stained fingerprints, to be exact. !Sound: Light Bulb
That's the trump card I have up my sleeve today. You do understand what this means, don't you?
We have to play the cards we're dealt. Isn't that right, Ms. Skye? ...
We have as many hostile clients as Edgeworth has hostile witnesses.
Music: Silence
Sound: Gallery
I've grown to find this courtroom scene comforting somehow.
Sound: Gavel
Music: Trial
Lana is still on trial here, despite no one having any clear idea of what actually happened that day.
The defense is ready, Your Honor.
I guess Edgeworth can't exactly describe his current state as "ready".
But, that's not physically possible, is it?Sound: Whack
As long as yesterday's investigation sequence was, it doesn't quite seem like anyone's ready for trial today, does it?
(Wow... this is one messed up trial...)
Today I will present evidence relating to the murder at the Police Department.
Edgeworth: Winging it
even though he doesn't know what's going on himself! And that's supposed to be an admirable trait?Music: Silence
Sound: Gavel
Very well, let the trial resume.
Mr. Edgeworth, you may call your first witness of the day to the stand.
For its first witness, the prosecution calls...
So Meekins is up first after all. Wait, didn't Edgeworth say yesterday between trial segments that he had a second witness, and they just weren't ready yet? I wonder whatever happened to that person.
Sound: Light Bulb
Sound: Objection
Sound: Gallery
(Hoo boy.)Sound: Gallery
Sound: Gallery
Sound: Gallery
I really hope they at least confiscated his bullhorn before letting him in here.
Music: Trial
Will the witness please state his name and occupation.
Sound: Thud 2
Yes, sir! I am Officer Mike Meekins, sir!
Sound: Gavel
This guy.
Music: Silence
... ... ... Er...Sound: Light Bulb
Music: Marvin Grossberg ~ Old Age, Regret, Retribution
Sir. It was me, sir! I'm the one who did it!Sound: Whack
Sound: Whack
Sound: Ween
So, we can let Lana go and let some other poor asshole defend this guy, right?
Uh... Actually, what we'd like to hear from you is...
Sound: Whack
A person whose actions adults can't possibly comprehrend!Sound: Ween
Meekins is just two years younger than Wright and Edgeworth.
Sound: Stab
Sound: Desk Slam
Officer Meekins. Y-yes, sir!
Sound: Thud 2
Yes, sir! As you wish!Sound: Light Bulb
I can't decide if this scene is making fun of the "younger" generation, or making fun of the older generation's attitudes towards and stereotypes of the younger generation. I think more the latter?
You can't fault him for a lack of enthusiasm.Music: Silence
Sound: Testimony 2
Music: Questioning - Moderato
I spotted a suspicious man on the security screen, and rushed into the room!Sound: Whack
I was suddenly attacked!
Sound: Stab 2
Music: Silence
Hmm.
Sound: Ween
That's the Meekins family motto, sir!
Sound: Thud 2
Yes, sir! He knocked me upside the head, sir!
Very well. The defense may begin its cross-examination.
Looks like we'll have to hope that pressing reveals something.
Sound: Testimony 2
Music: Questioning - Moderato
As usual, I'll start with any end-of-testimony hints.
Well, we need to try and skim some more details from him. For starters, what was an officer from the General Affairs Department doing in there in the first place?
Sound: Light Bulb
Seems like good advice, let's do it!
Although it's not my normal duty, I was assigned to guard the evidence room that day!
Yes, sir!
Sound: Whack
(Yikes! Now there's a scary thought.)Phoenix read my mind there.
which meant many officers were given special tasks not ordinarily performed.
My two favorite parts of this episode, together at last!
The Blue Badger?Sound: Realization
Sound: Thud 2
Sound: Wipe
Music: The Blue Badger ~ I Want to Protect You
That was my sole mission for the day, sir!Sound: Whack
Music: Silence
Music: Questioning - Moderato
I see. Sounds like a very... uh, important mission.
Sound: Thud 2
that I relocated the Blue Badger to the evidence room!So was your sole mission to protect the Blue Badger, or were you assigned to the evidence room? Wasn't the Blue Badger only in the evidence room at the end of the day?
Oh...
So that's why you went to the evidence room.
It's going to be a long update if every press is going to be that involved.
I spotted a suspicious man on the security screen, and rushed into the room! In order to enter the evidence room...
Precisely, sir! I have one right here around my neck!
Sound: Realization
Music: Silence
Sound: Ween
Music: Questioning - Moderato
This is the one right here.Sound: Whack
Could you please read us the number?Sound: Stab
Sound: Gavel
Yes, sir! It's "4989596." That's my number, sir!
Music: Silence
Sound: Drama Pound
is shown as being used twice!Sound: Objection
Sound: Desk Slam
Please explain, witness. It's n-no real mystery, sir!Sound: Stab
Music: Questioning - Moderato
and the second time is when I went to go get him after everything settled down.Meekins has his name on the ID record now. I'm not sure I really buy into needing to move the Blue Badger for a 24-minute "busy period" outside the department, but whatever.
Yes, sir! That was when I spotted the man on the security screen!
Sound: Select Jingle
This story makes no sense. Why did Meekins leave after bringing the Blue Badger to the evidence room, if the evidence room was his station and his "only mission" was to protect the Blue Badger. Where did he go during those 24 minutes?
Hang in there, we've only pressed on two statements so far.
I was only doing what I was trained to do, sir! I was suddenly attacked!
It was a knife, sir! A knife!Sound: Whack
Sound: Damage 2
Detective Goodman pulled a knife on you? What happened then?Sound: Thud 2
Sound: Light Bulb
(You aren't exactly the kind of person someone would want to run into...) That's when I reacted, sir!Sound: Whack
Sound: Thud 2
That's how I got this gash on my hand.
When I saw the blood trickling down my arm, I panicked! I grabbed the man by his collar! I fought for my life! Then I... I did it!
What exactly do you mean when you say you, "did it"?
Sound: Light Bulb
Yeah, that's how you ended up the one with the damaged hand, knocked out and found alone in the evidence room, with the supposed murder victim nowhere in sight.
You took his knife?Music: Silence
Sound: Objection
I made sure to close my eyes like a man! I, uh, see... (He must have been desperate.)
Then, the next thing I knew... Yes?
Sound: Ween
Music: Questioning - Moderato
Anyone notice that none of this testimony actually included Meekins actually stabbing the other person at any point? He even says the other person's coat was covered in Meekins's blood!
After that I passed out... until another officer smacked me awake! About what time did you regain consciousness?Sound: Thud 2
Sound: Light Bulb
Isn't that like the first thing someone would ask? "How long was I out?"
Oh... right.
He hit me right in the head too! I woke up crying tears of pain!Sound: Ween
That's nice... Er, I mean... it's nice that you recovered, that is...
Your "mission"...?Sound: Realization
Yes, sir! The Blue Badger, sir!Sound: Light Bulb
In the detention center, he said he'd woken up there. But this version of events makes more sense, especially knowing he was trying to deliver a report to Edgeworth the next day.
(Well, we can all rest easy now...)Music: Silence
Sound: Gavel
The judge cuts us off now that we've pressed on every statement.
Do we? Meekins is like the epitome of an unreliable witness.
Yes, Your Honor. Only one thing remains unclear.
Sound: Realization
I don't get why everyone is saying there was a murder here. We don't have any evidence the other guy was even injured, let alone murdered. I guess that's why Edgeworth has it in quotes there.
(He's got a point...) Um...Sound: Light Bulb
Yes, Officer Meekins? With regard to that, sir...
Sound: Whack
Uh that's one way to get evidence introduced at trial, I guess?
Chief Gant delivered it to me just this morning sir!Sound: Gavel
The Chief?Sound: Realization
Delivered it...?Sound: Realization
Sound: Gavel
Yes, sir! That's absolutely right, sir! A videotape, sir!
Sound: Ween
What, you don't give away key evidence in the case to the man accused of the murder?
Music: Suspense
Sound: Desk Slam
What!? But I specifically asked if there was such a tape,
That's quite a mistake.
(Looks like communication with the Police Department is as good as ever...)Sound: Gavel
Well then, let's have a look!Music: Silence
Sound: Objection
You have used that word to describe yourself already.
(A video of a real murder... Just what are we getting ourselves into...?)Music: The Blue Badger ~ I Want to Protect You
Oh, hell. The camera swivels back and forth, and that thing is blocking half the view. There's no way I'm going to be able to capture all this footage in animated GIFs, so here's a video link. Here's what I noticed on the first look:
Our mystery guest enters the scene.
Face conveniently hidden as they open the locker.
Yeah it wouldn't be that easy.
Our hero sneaks up on this suspicious character. Why are they suspicious, anyway? They can only get in with an ID card. Does everyone who enters the evidence room get accosted about it?
The mystery man lashes out, his face still hidden by the pesky Blue Badger.
Meekins lunges back at his attacker!
But he's thrown off!
Our hero meekly surrenders, only for the victim(?) to lunge at him as the camera pans away from the action...
By the time the camera returns, Meekins is unconscious on the floor, and the other figure is nowhere to be seen. Are they bleeding out on the floor? Did they crawl away underneath the camera's view, or hide behind the Blue Badger? Impossible to know...
Music: Silence
At last, the music finally stops.
...
... ...
That there's no proof of a murder, or proof that the other man was Goodman? That Meekins is not a kung-fu master?
Sound: Realization
Sound: Desk Slam
Oh. Everyone was just distracted/disturbed by the Blue Badger. I admit to having been a bit mesmerized myself; there were at least three key details in that video that I missed on first watch. Can you figure them out without rewatching it?
Sound: Thud 2
Now why did Meekins leave it turned on when he put it in the evidence room?
It's the Blue Badger, sir!Sound: Objection
(Why am I not surprised this isn't going smoothly?)
Sound: Select Jingle
We can replay the video at any time from the court record now. If we can tolerate it.
Yes, well anyway...
in the evidence room, and some sort of... er, "activity" did take place...My feelings exactly. On further thought, though... shouldn't we be trying to prove that person in the video is Goodman? Hard for Lana to have killed Goodman if he was somewhere else entirely at the time, right? If Goodman wasn't the one in the video, aren't we just back to Angel Starr saying Lana stabbed him?
Sound: Desk Slam
the witness's testimony will suffice.I don't think I trust this witness's testimony to be any more complete than that video.
Yes, sir! As you wish sir!Sound: Light Bulb
Sound: Testimony 2
So, we've managed to move on to testimony #2. Let's hear what crazy story Meekins has for us this time.
Music: Questioning - Moderato
His face can't be clearly seen in the video, but there's no question that the other person was Detective Goodman, sir!Sound: Thud 2
I mean, he opened the locker, which required Detective Goodman's fingerprint to do!Sound: Gavel
The locker he opened is unquestionably Detective Goodman's locker, sir! So it must be him! No one else could have unlocked it!Sound: Ween
Music: Silence
Looks like we now have to solve the mystery of how the person in the video opened a fingerprint-locked locker.
What's this about a fingerprint?
These locks ensure that each locker can only be opened by the detective it belongs to. Intriguing... That would mean...
Yup, case closed, Meekins murdered Goodman, Lana is off the hook, let's all get out of here!
Very well! The defense my begin its cross-examination! (I don't know where this cross-examination will lead,)
Sound: Testimony 2
Music: Questioning - Moderato
(This all sounds true enough,)
(There has to be a mistake somewhere...)
The real thing's so much more intense than in the movies!
The security video...Sound: Realization
(Maybe I should take another look at the footage...)I took the game's advice - here's the video link again if you'd like a second look as well. I spotted two suspicious details on the second look, and I'm pretty sure I don't even need to press to figure out how to proceed now. If you followed the rules and only watched the video twice, what have you noticed? I'm going to set up the vote a little bit differently this time: The video has eight panning segments, and while three of them show something important, only one has the key detail we need right now. Which one?