Part 64: Case 5 - Rise From the Ashes - Investigation (Day 1) - Part 3
Case 5 - Rise From the AshesInvestigation (Day 1) - Part 3

: This is the kind of room that just screams "I can do the job."

: Quite a change from your office, really.

: Thanks.

:
(A trophy? What, that shield?)

: It takes real nerve to display stuff like this.

: Whoever's office this is, he must be a real stuck-up jerk!

: Mr. Phoenix Wright... You never tire of prying into other people's business, do you?

:
(That voice...!)

: Huh?

: Aaaaaaaaaaaaah!

: M-M-Mr. Edgeworth!

: ...! You know him from somewhere?

: O-of course! I'm his

: biggest fan!

: My sister introduced us once, and...

:
(Right... her sister was the Chief Prosecutor, after all.)

: Well? What brings you here?

: I'll warn you... I've been known to be a real stuck-up jerk...

: N-no! Did I...? No! It was just, Mr. Wright here, he...

: Hey! Don't blame me!

: W-we're just here to investigate a murder case!

: Murder...?

: A body was found in this nasty, bright red sports car in the parking lot...

: Hmm?

: Whaaaaaaaaaaaa!?

: Y-y-y-your car!?

:
(I'll say one thing, she certainly can scream.)
And now, we get the chance to poke all around Edgeworth's office.

: Wow! This jacket is even lacier than his usual ones!

: This must be his lucky trial jacket!

: Lucky jacket, right... I've never seen him wear it.

: I'm sure there's a story behind why it's in a frame!

: Maybe I'll be naughty...

: and take a picture!

:
(She's getting way too excited about this.)

: It has a big "
K" on it.

: *mumbles* of Prosecutors...

: Huh? What's that?

: It's the "King of Prosecutors" trophy.

: K-K-K...

: "King of Prosecutors"!?

: It's a great honor. They send that shield to the best prosecutor each year.

: What! So?

: So that "
K"... that's...

: "
K" stands for "
King"?

: Yeah, you got a problem with that?

: I didn't design the thing!

: "King of Prosecutors"...

: Kind of like "Employee of the Month," only better!
Nothing to talk about on the object itself, however.

: Mr. Edgeworth has such a comfy sofa!

: Sofas like this make me want to curl up and take a nap.

: I bet he pours over his case files here until the wee hours of the morning... Then he takes off his jacket, rolls up his sleeves...

: And goes to sleep using his arms as a pillow!

:
(I don't believe it. She's actually daydreaming about Edgeworth working...)

: I bet in the morning he has sofa hair, and little creases in his cheek from the seams!

: He's so cool!

: Sofa-hair is cool!?

: A work desk. It's quite tidy, as one might expect.

: What a nice desk! Easy to use, and easy on the eyes!

: It's polished so well I can see my own reflection.

:
(Strange... Why did I just picture Detective Gumshoe?)

: Maybe I'll take that name plaque as a souvenir.

: Don't. He'll sue you.

: My, my, my! What an amazing bouquet! Just right for Mr. Edgeworth.

: No kidding. Hey, there's a card on it... "Back from the Dead -- Wendy"
("Wendy?" ... I've heard that name somewhere before.)

: And beside it...

: A giant Steel Samurai!

: Wow, I want one!

: Huh? There's something written on the bottom of his foot. "Between a rock and a hard place -- Wendy"

: Wendy? Is she Mr. Edgeworth's fiancee?

: Um... I don't think so.

: Whoa!

: What a view! It must be nice to have an office on the 12th floor.

: I guess you would feel... important.

: Incidentally...

: Were you to jump out this window, the time until impact with the ground would be...

: ...

: Got it!

: Approximately 3.23 seconds!

:
(That's handy to know...)

: Oooh! Cute! What a pretty tea set!

: I go more for the instant tea bags myself.

: Amazing! The drawer below is filled with packets of tea leaves!

: They're all sorted by place of origin and flavor!

: Look at this Royal blend! What an exquisitely splended concoction!

:
(There's such a thing as taking a hobby too far...)

: Whoa! These are all case files!?

: They're stacked up to the ceiling! There's even a ladder...

: Odd... I thought Edgeworth wasn't good with heights.

: He must have someone get them for him.

:
(Strange... Why did I just picture Detective Gumshoe?)

: He must study these case reports so closely...

: He's so cool!

: You wouldn't say that if you saw him sweating bullets up on that ladder.

: Hey, a chessboard!

: I'm not too up on my chess but it looks like Blue's in a bit of a tight spot.

: The Red Knights have surrounded the Blue Pawn...

: Huh?

: Those horses are mounted knights. Their swords have really sharp "edges!" And check out that poor pawn, his head is kind of spiky... Kind of reminds me of you.

: Mr. Edgeworth must be an avid chess player!

: What's wrong, Mr. Wright?

:
(Edges... surrounding a pawn with spiky hair... Nah... It's nothing.)
Now, to question Edgeworth.

: So, the body was found in your car?

: Go ahead, say it, Wright. You think I did it, don't you?

: After you went through all that trouble to help me last year, no less.

: N-no, we don't think you did it!

: Uh, wait, no, she didn't do that! I mean...

: Wait...

: So you're the Chief Prosecutor's little sister, then?

: Y-yes, sir! Ema Skye!

: It, uh...

: It's nice to meet you again!

:
(Now that didn't sound forced at all...)

: Ah, now I remember. You've... really grown.

: I'll admit, it was a surprise to me, too.

: To think that my own car would become the scene of a murder.

: More surprising still... Now I'm forced to prove my superior's guilt.

: I can understand... W-wait!... What did you say!?

: Lana Skye is the Chief Prosecutor... the top prosecutor in the district.

: She can't prosecute herself, so I'll be the prosecutor at the trial tomorrow.

: You!?

: Mr. Edgeworth...

: To be honest...

: It's a bit of a miracle I'm still here at all.

: What do you mean?

: Rumors. You've heard the rumors about me, haven't you?

: Wh-what? That's crazy!

: Hmph. Some people need very little excuse to think ill of others.

: It's a fact of life. Impossible to stop.

: They think it's funny.

:
(Toys? That bronze shield? There's got to be a story behind htat one...)

: It was my first big case.

: That's right, I remember.

:
(Two years ago... I wasn't even a lawyer yet.)

: Since then, I always felt that she was looking out for me...

: It appears I was mistaken.

: M-mistaken!? Why?

: I mean, I know she's not the warmest person...

: But I'm sure she felt some responsibility for you!

: Then... why?

: Why did she stab someone in the trunk of my car?

: Wha... Whaaaaaat!?

: Mr. Edgeworth! Your knife was the murder weapon!?

: To be specific, it was the knife kept in the toolbox in the trunk of my car.

: Um... Edgeworth?

: What?

: Are you sure you didn't do it?

: ...

:
(C'mon, can't he take a joke?)

: You have a strange sense of humor, Mr. Wright!
Examining the knife...

: Either that, or Edgeworth cut himself peeling an apple. What's Edgeworth doing with a knife like this anyway?

: Hey! Maybe he spends his weekends roughing it in the wild!

: Edgeworth? In the wild? I think my fruit-peeling theory is more likely.

: Are you kidding? I always pictured him as an outdoorsman!

:
(Now there's a scary thought...)
Presenting the badge...

: What? You wanted to be a defense attorney, Mr. Edgeworth?

: Yet, my path is laid out clearly before me...

: I have no time to reflect on what might have been.
Presenting the trophy...

: I lost a day of work to receive that travesty.

: Huh? Why's that?

: I had to go to
the Police Department ceremony to receive that broken shield.

: The Police Department?

: Yes. Right next to the Police Station downtown. You've been there, correct?

: What does it matter?

: I've got more important things to worry about.

: Oh. Right...

:
(He doesn't seem too concerned about his award, for better or for worse.)

: Yesterday was a very busy day for the Prosecutor's Office.

: Maybe... we should ask him more about yesterday?
Presenting the ID card...

: M-Mr. Wright!

: Huh? What?

: Are you sure you should be showing that to Mr. Edgeworth?

: Oh.
(He'll take it for sure, won't he.)

: *sigh* I wish I could be on the same side as Mr. Edgeworth...

: But then my sister would be found guilty!

:
(If she sighs any deeper I'm going to start getting depressed...)
And now we have a new topic.

: Could you tell me more about yesterday... the day of the murder?

: Yesterday was the annual cleaning day at the Prosecutor's Office.

: Cleaning day?

: Working with the Police Department, we sort and file all evidence for solved cases. We call it "
evidence transferal."

: Wiping your hands of old cases, in other words.

: Oh, and another thing...

: A ceremony was held at the Police Department. There's an annual review and awards for outstanding police officers and prosecutors.

: I was at the police department yesterday afternoon... I got back here at
5:12.

: That's... very precise.

: People like myself and Mr. Edgeworth pride ourselves on our precision, Mr. Wright.

: No, I place little faith in my memory.

: This is the parking stub from the underground lot.

:
(The murder took place around 5:15...)

: So the murder happened right after you got back.

: What, Wright?

: Um...!

: I'm Edgeworth. What is it?

: I'm here, sir, at the request of the Chief, sir! I've got your report, sir!

: Report? What? Did you find new evidence in the case against Chief Prosecutor Skye!?

:
(I don't like the way this conversation is going at all...)

: No name of that kind, sir! Not in this report, sir!

: ...!

:
(I think I just heard Edgeworth's lid blow.)

: Mr. Edgeworth's lid isn't on very tight, is it?

: I made a clear request to the Police Department, did I not? I need to focus on the trial tomorrow, so don't bring me anything unrelated!

: Sir! But, but sir!

: I wasn't aware of the particulars of your arrangement with us, sir!

: Give me your name!

: U-uh, yes... yes, Sir! M-M-Meekins, sir. Officer Meekins!

: Right. Officer Meekins?

: Take your report and leave. And good luck with that raise next month.

:
(Poor guy. Looks like he was absent on the day they gave out brains and good luck.)

: Wright.

: Y-yes, sir!?
(Gah! He caught me off guard!)

: As you can see, I'm busy.

: You may leave now.

: L-let's do what he says, Mr. Wright!

: The victim was a detective from the same department as that patrolman just now. Go down to the Police Department.

: You can ask more there.

: U-uh... Thanks.
(He seems to have finally calmed down at least.)
Examining the parking stub...

: This is dated the day of the crime.

: The murder took place three minutes after Edgeworth parked his car. If only he was held up at a couple extra red lights...

: he wouldn't have been caught up in this whole affair.

: Perhaps...

: It just goes to show you never know what'll happen when you run a yellow light!
Next time: Cops.