Part 8: Case 2 - Turnabout Sisters - Investigation (Day 1) - Part 3

Case 2- Turnabout Sisters
Investigation - Part 3

We left off deciding to go talk to the witness, April May.









: Umm... hi. (Smooth, Wright, real smooth.)
: You're the lawyer, aren't you? The detective told me... He said, "Don't say nothing to that lawyer, pal!" Tee hee!
: (Memo to self: thank Detective Gumshoe for making my job harder.)
: Gee! This is all like something out of a movie! It's all so exciting I can hardly contain myself! Oooh! Let me go freshen up so I can look the part of the beautiful eyewitness!



At least it gives us a chance to poke around.



: A simple bed. It's been recently made. Nothing eye-catching here.



: A bottle and two glasses are on the table. Somebody must be staying with her.



: The late summer sunlight streams through the window. There's the Fey & Co. Law Offices building, of course. You can see the inside of the room pretty clearly from here. I think it would be a little difficult to recognize a face from this distance, though.



: Ah. A still-scene painting. Wait, should that be "still life"? Whatever. One of those is hanging on the wall.



: The flowers are fake, as expected. I know sunflowers and tulips, but that's about the extent of my floral knowledge.



: (There's a screwdriver stuck in this drawer. I wonder what's inside? Let's take a look...)





: Oooh. Bad boy!
: Y-you really shouldn't pry around in other people's rooms, now. You wouldn't want to make me upset, would you?
: (Upset!? I thought she was going to explode for a second there! I wonder what could be inside the drawer?)

Now we get to try and question Miss May.



: Do you think you could tell me something? I need you to describe what you observed at the time of the incident.
: Ooh. "Observe," "incident"! You sound just like a lawyer in the movies! I like a man with a big... vocabulary.
: (Umm... *gulp* Better not encourage her.) Er... you know that thing that occur... um... happened the other day? The bad thing? What did you see when it happened? I don't suppose you could tell me about it? Pretty please?
: Let me see... Um, well... Dream on! If you want to know, you'll just have to come to the court tomorrow, Mr. Lawyer!
: (Oh boy.)



: Um, could you... just who exactly are you?
: Oooh, Mr. Lawyer! Are you hitting on me?
: N-n-no! Hey! I'm just doing my job here!
: Tee hee! You know, you're cute when you blush.
: (Believe me, this is the first time in my life I've blushed this much...) Umm... eh heh. Right... can you just tell me what it is you do?
: Well... No! Tee hee! And you had your little hopes up, didn't you!
: (Oh boy.)



: I see there are two glasses on the table. Is someone staying here with you?
: Oooh! What amazing powers of observation! You must be one of those famous detectives, like on television!
: Oh, no, not me, I'm, er, just a lawyer!
: Say, Mr. Big Detective, why don't you go look for clues... in the garbage? Hmm? Miss May doesn't like nosey little lawyers... Hmph!
: (Oh boy.)

Ah, what the hell, let's show her our badge. Maybe it'll help!

: Excuse me, but I'm a witness? Police witness? You understand? How could I possibly give you any information in good conscience, hmm? Me... "the witness"! It's just like the movie!

(It never helps.)



So we might as well go do what we promised we would.



: (Well, maybe I should just wait here for him to come back.)



: (If that wasn't the most over-the-top clearing of the throat I've ever heard!)



: Uh... y-yes, that's me! (He looks even... grander than I imagined!)
: Hmm...? That badge on your collar...? Ah, so you're a lawyer, are you now?
: Y-yes, well... yes.
: And what do you want? I'm not particularly busy these days... Please, proceed!
: (Not busy...? Then how come no one could get in touch with you?)
: Hmm? Something the matter? You came to see the one-and-only Marvin Grossberg, did you not? Well, here I am, boy! What do you want? Out with it!
: Um... w-well, sir, actually, it's about Maya. Maya Fey.



: Ah... yes. Maya Fey. Go on.
: (Hmm? Why the strange reaction?)
: A-cha-cha. I'm really quite busy here, son. I can't go taking cases on a day's notice! No, it's quite impossible.
: W-wait a second! How did you know the trial was tomorrow!?
: Urk? Ahem!
: A-anyway... I'm afraid it's entirely impossible for me to represent her. Sorry. End of discussion.
: (What's going on!? He refused me before I even got a chance to ask him! What do I tell Maya...?)

That'll wait until we poke around some.





: A table for clients. Hmm... an elegant ebony case, and if I'm not mistaken, that lighter's made of solid gold. Even I can tell someone here's got money to burn.



: An expensive potted plant. No idea what kind of plant it is, but it's probably the most expensive one available.



: A solid mahogany desk. The wood's been polished to a deep luster.



: Expensive-looking mahogany bookshelves, filled with expensive-looking books. Hmm... funny... they don't look like they've ever been read.



: That painting has been bugging me ever since I stepped in here. The oil paint is so thick it's practically giving me a stuffed nose. I'm sure the price is nothing to sneeze at either, for that matter.

Now, we get to question Grossberg.



: How can you just refuse like that! Please, tell me why you won't take the case!
: Hmm? Eh, ahem! Well, you see it's just... I'm busy, you see!
: But the client is Mia Fey's sister!
: Hmm... ahem.
: Mia trusted you... She knew her sister would be in good hands.
: Yes, yes, of course I know that. However! I'm sorry but, I must refuse. Sorry. Good-bye.
: Creep. Fine. I don't have time to argue with you anyway. I'll go look elsewhere.
: *grumble*... Think not.
: Huh? did you say something?
: I think not, I said.
: Wh-what do you mean?
: I'm terribly, terribly sorry. But I'm afraid that no lawyer worth their salt will take on this particular case. Terribly sorry, m'boy.
: Why!?
: I... I cannot say. ... I beg your pardon, but could you leave? Now? I've nothing more to discuss with you.
: (What's going on here!?)



: How did you know Mia Fey...?
: ... She... worked here. A long time ago. Quite the apprentice, that one. Learned my techniques in the blink of an eye. She left one day, quite suddenly... She had a mission, you see.
: A "mission"?
: You could see it in her eyes. She followed it with a burning passion. Never looked back, that one.



: That's... quite a painting.
: Ahah! You noticed! It's my pride and joy! Impressive, isn't it? Well? ISN'T IT?



: It's worth at least three million. I have no intention of parting with it, of course. No, I won't sell it! Not even to you!
: (I wasn't interested...)
: It's not for sale!
: I'm not buying! (Geez!)

And we try the badge...

: Very sorry, but I've got nothing to say regarding this matter.

Time to go tell Maya.





: Hiya.
: Oh! You're back! Did you find the lawyer?
: Um... well... (What do I tell her?) Well, see... (Just be honest!) I... I really don't think you should use that guy. He... didn't seem healthy. He was all skin and bones!
: ... What really happened?
: ...
: You don't mean... He refused to help?
: Urp.
: ...
: I see. I've been abandoned, then.

We at least have some new conversation to have.





: What about your family?
: I only had my sister. My father died when I was very young. And I don't know where my mother is.
: (Don't know...? So she could still be alive?)



: The women in my family have been mediums for generations. They say that E.S.P. runs in our blood. About fifteen years ago, our family was involved in an... incident.
: There was a man, and he... he... He ruined our mother's life.
: ("Ruined"...?)
: After that, she disappeared.
: Several years after that, my sister announced she would "become a lawyer" and she left the mountain.
: ... So, you live by yourself?
: Yes. I've gotten used to it. Oh, also... I had to become independent, or I would lose my E.S.P.!
: (I feel bad for her, all by herself up on that mountain...)



: So, who was this man who, um, "ruined" your mother?
: About 15 years ago... there was an unusual murder case. It made quite a stir, everyone was talking about it, apparently. The police were running out of leads, and they were getting desperate...
: Wait... they didn't use a spirit medium, did they?
: The police convinced my mother to try to contact the victim.
: Wow... So, what happened?
: The case was solved... we thought.
: You "thought"...?
: The man my mother helped the police capture was innocent.
: ...!
: The police's consultation with a medium had all been carried out in secret, of course. But...
: A man found out about it and leaked it to the press. He told all the papers that my mother was a fraud, and the media jumped on it big time.
: She... my mother... became the laughing stock of the nation.
: I see.
: ... White...
: Excuse me? White?
: That was his name. My sister told me.
: White? Hmm...
: Just a little longer now before the state-appointed lawyer comes, I guess...
: ... (4:00 PM. Time's up. What should I do?)





: (There's nothing left here for me to do... She'll be better off with a state-appointed lawyer.) I think I'd better get home now.
: Good-bye.



: The result of the trial was in the newspaper. "Guilty." I'll probably never meet her again. Did I make the right choice? Will I ever know? Mia... if you can hear me, please, tell me! ...



: I'm not leaving here until she takes me as her lawyer!

From here, things play out the way they would from the other path.





: I've made up my mind! I'm going to defend you whether you want me to or not!



: Why?





: ... (No one is as sad as a person without any friends.)



: You aren't the culprit! Someone else is!
: H-how do you know?
: I, um, I have a hunch... (Given the evidence, it would be easy to assume that Maya was the killer. But there's something about this whole thing that smells... fishy.)











: To be honest, I don't know.
: You don't know?
: (Is this girl sitting in front of me the killer? All the evidence seems to say "yes." But there's something about this whole thing that smells fishy.)









Convergence.

: (I know... I've been there. A long time ago.)





: (Because someone has to look out for the people who have no one on their side.)



: There's only one thing I know for certain. I won't abandon you. You can count on me.
: ... That's so kind of you...
: *sniff*... ...

We fade to black for a moment.



: Let's fight this one and get you out of here!
: R-right! Thank you!
: (Whew, she smiled at last. She looks like an entirely different person!) One last question... You are innocent, right?



: And I trust you... So you trust me, too, okay?
: It's a deal. (So, what next... There's something that's been bugging me...)



: (It was when I tried to look into the drawer that she got all defensive. There has to be something in there!)

Better go check it out!





: Excuse me, you are...?
: Ah, I beg your pardon, sir! I am the bellboy of this establishment, at your service, sir.
: Oh, right.
: I've just come up to deliver room service, sir.
: Um... do you know where Miss May might be?
: Ah. I believe our guest Miss May is currently using the, er, facilities...? If you've no need of anything, I'll be taking my leave. Please, stay as long as you like. Enjoy...
: Yeah...



: ... (Why does it seem like every time I come here, I end up embarrassing myself? Wait... now's my chance to snoop around a bit!)



: Gah! Y-you came back quick!
: Might I ask you to inform Miss May that there is a message for her? Please tell her that Mr. White, of Bluecorp phoned.
: Oh, right. Sure. (Mr. White... of Bluecorp? Where have I heard that name?)



: That was his name. My sister told me.



: (Could it be a coincidence?)



Well, let's take a look at that drawer.



: There's a screwdriver sticking out of that half-open drawer. Now's my chance to see what's inside! ...! What do we have here!





: What would a woman like her be doing with a thing like this? There is definitely something suspicious about this "Miss May"!



: Why would she have something like this in her hotel room? There's a story behind all this, I know it! Alright... I'll be using this bit of evidence in tomorrow's trial, that's for sure. For Maya's sake...





: (Uh oh, time to scram! I look forward to tangoing with you tomorrow, Miss May! In court!)



Next time: Court!