Part 99: Episode 4, Day 2, Investigation: The DL-6 Incident

Part 99: Episode 4, Day 2, Investigation: The DL-6 Incident

H-huh!?
^{Sound: Light Bulb}

What did she just say, Nick?

One more time, Polly!
^{Sound: Whack}



So this caretaker is probably the defendant from the DL-6 Incident then? Judging from his state of mind today, I'm not liking him for the current murder. And by video game logic, he probably wasn't really guilty in the DL-6 Incident either. Which means the killer we're hunting is probably behind both murders, and we'll have to solve one to solve the other.

Music: Suspense


^{Sound: Shock 2}

Hey, mister! I-I mean, Dad!
^{Sound: Whack}

*Zzzzz*

(This is getting weird...)

(Who IS this old guy!?)

Music: Silence





We suddenly transition outside. Because interrogating the old man or the bird about the DL-6 Incident any further just wouldn't make sense.

We have to figure out who that old man is.

Oh...

What?



(...)

(Who could that old man be...?)

Music: Investigation - Core

(I think I need to do a little more research on this DL-6 incident...)

(Maybe I should ask Detective Gumshoe.)

I was a little worried we'd be going straight to trial now, but looks like we have one last chance to dig up a little more information.



Our profile for the caretaker is lacking in details. Let's try to correct that.



Examining the shed doesn't tell us anything new, but trying to move shows us that we can't enter it anymore. Larry and Maya don't have anything to say about the parrot, and nowhere else we can visit appears to have changed, so let's just go talk to Gumshoe.




^{Sound: Light Bulb}

...

You don't look so happy.



We solved the Gourdy mystery, and figured out that your witness tomorrow is bananas.

Actually, we wanted to ask you something...

Yeah?

Music: Dick Gumshoe - Detective Gumshoe, Pal



We can't just launch straight into our question of course, we have to shoehorn in every appearance of interactivity we can by pressing a button to ask it.



But first let's see what training topic our delinquent detective is on to now.

That must be one of the detectives.

He's mumbling something to himself.

"I... I'm not gonna make it..."



...

He must be doing image training for dying in action.

That's something they train on!?



Phoenix probably didn't stuff the actual parrot into his pockets, right? It's some kind of sketch or note or something to reference? Right?



The old man at the boat rental shop's parrot.

The parrot knew about that "incident"...


^{Sound: Realization}

DL-6.

Music: Silence

Wh-what!?
^{Sound: Drama Pound}





We're treated to a quick flashback, even though this scene literally just happened and there's nothing we could have done in between then and now.

*squawk*


^{Sound: Realization}

H-huh!?
^{Sound: Light Bulb}



Music: Dick Gumshoe - Detective Gumshoe, Pal



Gumshoe's stuck thinking about that one.

I'm pretty sure that old man must have taught her that word...



Wait! What if...

What if that old man was connected to DL-6?
^{Sound: Realization}



...



We can also talk about the metal detector, now that we're done using it. (Assuming we're done using it.)

Thanks, Detective Gumshoe. This was really helpful.

R-really?

You seem surprised!



It did technically find Gourdy, after all.



Let's chat with the detective.

You know the boat rental shop down at Gourd Lake?

Oh, yeah...

The old man who runs it is appearing as a witness in court tomorrow, right?





Do you know who that old man is, Detective?

...

Actually... I don't.

Music: Silence





That's why we called Ms. Lotta Hart yesterday.

As for who he is...



Your Honor, the prosecution calls some unknown old man to the stand!

Hmm... sounds suspicious!
^{Sound: Realization}

Music: Dick Gumshoe - Detective Gumshoe, Pal



Hmm...



The first topic wasn't helpful, let's hope for better on the second.

Detective Gumshoe, please, help us...

H-huh?

We need to know about the DL-6 Incident!

...!

That was when Edgeworth's father died.



What with the references everywhere and all.

...

To tell the truth, I don't know much about DL-6 either.



For the love of... Edgeworth is his own worst enemy here. He's the first client we've had that is actually a witness and yet we can't get any information out of him. And now apparently he's been stonewalling the police his whole career on this topic, too?

So... I'm afraid I can't show them to you, either, pal.

What!?
^{Sound: Whack}

However...



Well, I guess I'd consider opening the file up.

Once we've gone through both topics and presented the parrot to Gumshoe (and thus the DL-6 connection), we immediately get past this plot wall. This sequence probably makes more sense if we'd presented the parrot last.

...

I get ya.

Music: Silence



Through there is the Station's Records Room.



All right! Way to go, Detective Gumshoe!
^{Sound: Light Bulb}

Okay, Nick! To the Records Room!

(I guess it's time we faced Edgeworth's past...)

Music: Dick Gumshoe - Detective Gumshoe, Pal



As promised, a new destination awaits us!

Music: Silence



Is Gumshoe escorting us? Or are we just running amok amongst a bunch of sensitive evidence by ourselves?

Wow!!!


^{Sound: Realization}

Ten years of files and ten years of dust, I guess.

Let's find that DL-6 stuff quick!

I hope it's really at least fifteen years of files and dust or we're going to be out of luck here.

Music: Investigation - Core



(We were almost through with fourth grade when he suddenly transferred.)

(Because of DL-6...?)

Didn't DL-6 happen around the end of December? Does the school system in this game run on calendar years instead of Fall-to-Spring?


^{Sound: Light Bulb}

O-oh, thanks!



I'll go get the right file!



While Phoenix was reminiscing, Maya's done all the real work. But let's look around our new environment first.



This cabinet is where they keep evidence for current cases.

Some of the things are obviously murder weapons. Others are... who knows what.

Most of it just looks like random junk.



Don't touch that! It's evidence...



It looks like there are files inside that glass case.

The case is so dusty I can't see what's inside.



They must keep important case files in there.

The DL-6 Incident isn't important I guess. Maybe it's only really important to us.



There are shelves stuffed with case files in the back of the room, too.

Forgotten cases, rotting away for eternity...



All this dust is getting to me!

This place seems like it could get pretty depressing if you think about it too hard.



Here are files of collected case reports.

There's quite a large volume of reports here.



Yeah. It's like a graveyard of police cases.



At least we solved that one!



We've got Maya cornered in a new environment, let's try showing her our stuff again!

Let's just hurry up and read these files!



Maya just gives that reaction to everything. Must not have been space on the cartridge for any more throwaway lines.



Let's finally find out what the DL-6 Incident was really all about.

Well, first I have to get a handle on the main facts... like a summary.

Right.



Maya disappears into the shelves or something.



December 28... 2001.



Whoa. I don't think we've ever seen a current year before. The DL-6 Incident happened when the game came out in the real world, and the plot of this game actually happens fifteen years in the future (at the time; it's now seven years in the past I guess). With... nothing futuristic whatsoever, that I can tell? Odd choice to set your game fifteen years in the future but then not take advantage of that setting at all.

(So in two days, the case is closed...)



You know, Phoenix mentioning the statute of limitations again got me thinking. What if someone killed Hammond now to get someone to look into the DL-6 Incident one last time? (Of course, that's just additional motive for Edgeworth...)

What!?
^{Sound: Light Bulb}



Looks like it.



Music: Silence



Part of the court building collapsed, and all of the lights went out.


<sup>Sound: Roar




Sound: Realization</sup>



It looks like we have Edgeworth Junior, Edgeworth Senior, and... the defendant?

It took five hours for them to be rescued...

Five hours!









The survivors...?
^{Sound: Realization}

One of the three in the elevator had been shot... in the heart.



Another locked-room mystery! If you ignore the glaring bullet hole in the elevator door, anyway. And the fact that everyone inside was apparently unconscious...





(So Miles Edgeworth was one of the other passengers in that elevator.)

Music: Investigation - Core



Do you have data on the victim... Edgeworth's father?

Yeah, hold on...





He had lost that day's case in court, and got in the elevator with his son, Miles.

Music: Silence

"Miles"...!
^{Sound: Light Bulb}

Miles Edgeworth, of course.

Suddenly I'm very interested in the case he had just lost. Someone angry about it?



Yes, yes, we already figured that much out. I guess these topics can get done in any order.

Music: Investigation - Core





The murder weapon, a pistol, was found in the elevator.

The pistol had been fired two times.

Well that deepens the mystery. One shot to the heart, just like our current case. And extra shot that's unaccounted for, just like our current case. And a murder weapon left behind... to incriminate someone nearby? Just like our current case?





(Huh...! It sounds just like this current case! What's going on here?)

I look forward to another mind-blowing reveal in the next day of trial.



Got any data on the suspect in there?

Hmm... that would be the guy that my mom got arrested.





He was a clerk in the court, apparently.





Well, then he had to have done it!



Hammond... the victim in our case!

Right.



Oh geez that caretaker wasn't just old, he was actually injured. It's got to be the same guy. Now I have to wonder why Maya's mom thought he was guilty.

He lost all memory of being in the elevator.

After he was declared innocent, he disappeared.



(He may be closer than we think...)

Once again, clearing all three topics (in any order) lets us progress with an extra scene.

Music: Silence





I still don't know what sort of impact the whole thing had on Edgeworth...

Nick.


^{Sound: Whack}

Y-you're right.

How about we just take what we think we'll need...


^{Sound: Select Jingle}

Music: Investigation - Core



Right.



I went to take a quick look at the court record, and actually found a second new piece of evidence there. But first, the case file:


More evidence that Yanni Yogi is the caretaker - he named his parrot "Polly", after his dead fiancée. I guess that's how the parrot evidence might come into play later.



Without any notice, we also have this photograph:



Was the shot fired from outside the elevator? Or was the second shot from inside, to make an air hole for the others trapped in there?



Anyway, let's continue.

Now, all that's left is the trial tomorrow...

I wonder how "Dad" will do testifying in court...



Music: Jingle - It Can't End Here



Another day of investigation complete. We have a lot of puzzle pieces now, but I'm not really seeing how they all fit together. I've got some guesses but none of them seem like real good ones yet. I guess we'll see what happens at trial!