Part 77: Case 5 - Rise From the Ashes - Investigation (Day 2) - Part 3

Case 5 - Rise From the Ashes
Investigation (Day 2) - Part 3



Back to interrogating Meekins. If we present him with the ID card...



: ...
: Hey! That's it, sir! That's it!
: That's it!!!
: That's what!?



: My head was a blank until this very moment! But, sir, now I remember! I remember, sir!
: You mean you remember what happened?



: Correct! That card, that card was the cause of it all!



: Exactly, sir! That's exactly it!
: Nothing could be more exact, sir! Nothing!
: (I'd better pry into this one a little deeper.)



: Can you tell me what it is you do "remember"?
: Well sir, you might say I'm a lost little patrolman. A lost little lamb, if you will!



: And that's why you thought he looked suspicious...



: Well, that sounds pretty much by the book so far.



: Th-that's right, sir! That's what I've been trying to tell you!
: So you asked Detective Goodman to show his ID card. What did he do?
: That's the thing! Suddenly he pointed a knife at me!
: What...!?
: Sir, I assure you I was as flustered as you are right now!
: So I whooped and leapt at him!
: (Detective Goodman pointed a knife at him?)
: "Do unto others before they do unto you"!
: My own father's words, sir!
: Wh-what happened then?
: Well...
: My eyes, sir... everything went white.
: When I awoke, I was here.
: (Right...)



: So, Officer Meekins, why was it that they arrested you?
: What do you mean, Ema?
: Let's look at what we know.





: And the "victim" whom he met at the scene of the crime didn't show his ID card.
: In other words, we have no way of knowing if the victim was really the victim!
: And if this "body" just "disappeared" from the evidence room...
: We don't even know if anyone actually died!
: That's it, sir! That! That's what I wanted to say! That is...
: I did say something along those lines.
: Huh?
: But you still ended up here...?
: They told me that it had to be him, sir.
: "On that day, at that time..."



: But... you don't remember the events clearly?
: No...
: but the video tape is quite clear.
: Huh? Video tape...?
: From the security camera.
: The crime, my crime, the crime I swore to stamp out! It's there! It's me! It's on tape!
: ...
: ...
: ...
: And you wait until now to tell us this!?



: I'm sorry, really sorry, sir! I'll hand over my badge! I don't deserve it!



: N-no thanks, I have my own. (Well, guess we'd better go check out the crime scene.)

And so, we finally get to leave this megaphone-bearing asshole alone.





: H-hey, Mr. Wright! Look who's standing at the Head Detective's desk!
: (It's Chief Gant!)
: Are you sure this is all, hmm?
: You know what it means if there is anything missing!
: Sir! I'm sure it's most likely totally perfect! We checked the drawers, the lockers, the garbage cans, the coat pockets... the pillowcases, behind the computer monitors, the coffee machine...

For right now, this portrait is standing in for the chief of detectives, who doesn't have one.

: I see. Well, if anything does turn up, you call me right away, deal?
: Y-y-y-yessir!!! We'll scour the place again, sir!
: (The Head Detective looks a little flustered...)
: Ah hah! Wrighto, my boy! How you been? Swim much?
: Oh ho ho, Chief Gant! Reporting for duty, sir!
: Why are you saluting him, Mr. Wright!?



But before we chat with Gant, let's look around.



: That must be one of the detectives. He's mumbling something to himself.
: "I know! The killer used a cassette tape! What a crafty trick! That gunshot was a fake!" This is good! No one will expect a cassette tape in this day and age!
: ... He's not writing a report... he's writing a novel.



: Ooh, sorry you had to see that.
: Uh... what exactly did the Chief of Police want you to do?



: He wanted me to check it for anything that might be a clue... They took away every last piece of garbage in the trash can.
: So nothing belonging to Detective Goodman is still here?



: What!? You kept something!?
: Sure, why not? It's not important. He didn't even finish writing it! It's a lost item report but it's only half complete.
: A lost item?
: Did Detective Goodman lose something?
: The date on it is February 21. (I'll make a note of that just in case.)

And so we get a new item for the court record.





: (I should probably get a quick look around the crime scene...)



: So this is the police mascot, is it?
: The Blue Badger! The future star of the police force!
: The design's a little changed from the one outside...
: Ah, well, the Dancing Blue Badger(tm) is still under development, you see.
: You have it trademarked?
: Absolutely! It's cutting edge stuff. Very "now." I showed this doll here to my daughter and she burst into tears!
: (Don't show her the moving mock-up outside then, you'll give her nightmares.)

Okay, back to Gant.



: Um... is Edgeworth going to be okay?
: Oh, Worthy?
: Oh, you know, they're doing a little inquiry committee with him.
: Sounds like an inquisition...!
: Yep, well, we've had no end of trouble with the boy since last year...
: You mean... the incident on Gourd Lake?
: It doesn't look good having one of our top people sitting in the defendant's seat.
: Now, you got someone else found guilty in that case, right, Wrighto?



: A legend he was, undefeated in his forty year career! But in court you fixed it so he was caught for forging evidence...
: W-wait! I didn't do anything wrong! He did forge evidence.
: In any case, the Prosecutor's Office is in a bit of turmoil, you might say. Why, they'd do just about anything to restore their reputation.
: Now, depending on what that inquiry committee decides...
: It could be bad for Worthy.
: Wh-what!?



: It's downright odd, I tell you. I mean, it happened at exactly the same time!
: (The murder at the Prosecutor's Office...)
: Scientifically speaking, it's impossible!
: Yes, but that's what the evidence is saying.
: "Goodman was stabbed in two locations at the same time!" That's what it says.
: What evidence is this...?
: Now, now, Wrighto, I can't give away all our secrets just like that!
: And this in particular, well it's a little sensitive... and I can't talk about it.
: (I wasn't expecting much anyway.)
: You know, one thing I hate most of all is hiding stuff. Secrets. Can't stand 'em! But you know...
: It's a full-time job just keeping the Head Detective's trap shut!
: Ah, he was the one you were picking on earlier?
: Huh? You saw that? Whoops!
: (I wonder what it was that he wanted the Head Detective to do?)
: Let's see if we can kind of discreetly ask him.

Yeah, they don't notice if you sequence break this bit.



: Actually, I was wondering if I could ask you a favor?
: Hmm? Well, I never thought the day would come when Wrighto asked me for help!
: I was wondering if we could investigate the evidence room?



: Now, Wrighto...
: A-actually, I'm sorry, I d-don't need to investigate after all!
: Wrighto, please, do I look like a selfish man?
: Huh?
: Heck, if anyone asked me "sir, can I borrow $50?" I'd give them $50, no problem.
: So, go ahead! Investigate that room to your heart's content! Knock yourself out!
: It just goes to show, you never know until you ask!



: Huh... hey!
: This is a detective's ID card, isn't it?
: That's a special card for guests, so don't lose it.
: Y-yessir!
: It's an honor!
: You just run along and do your best, now. Later, folks!

He leaves.

: Heh heh! It looks pretty cool on my lapel, doesn't it?
: Just think, a real ID!
: You seem... happy.
: Yes, sir! Because, sir, we get to go into
: the evidence room now, sir!
: (I think this place is a bad influence on the girl.)

So, we head to the evidence room guard office.





: The evidence room is beyond that door.



: Let's just walk in! ...
: It won't open.
: Ah hah! The card reader is turned off, see?
: What is that security guard thinking?
: Howdy, pardners. Well, well, what's made my bambina's skies so gray?





: What's that "somehow I knew" look for?
: As you may have surmised, this here's my saloon.
: Um... we're here to investigate the crime scene.
: ... Yeehaw! That card you got there on your chest.



: Y-yeehaw?
: Well, what ya standin' there for? Get along, little dogies. The crime scene's a waiting!



: (Looks like the card reader's on again.) While we're here, I was wondering if we could ask you some questions?
: Sorry, cowboy, but I got no mind to tangle with you hombres.
: You're... busy, then?
: Did I say that?
: I only said I didn't wish to speak with you.
: (Actually, you said you had "no mind to tangle with us hombres.")

And, indeed, anything we ask gets the same response...

: Um, I was wondering if we could talk to you...
: Sorry, bambina.
: But I'm off to roam the lands, like a tumbleweed on the wide prairie.
: Like a gunslinger loading his six-shooter, I say a little prayer.



: What was that all about, Mr. Wright?
: I think he was just too hungry to talk.
: You're just saying that because his stomach was growling!
: You have no idea what he was talking about either!
: (Well, in any case, we need to get cracking on this investigation, pronto!)

But...hey, someone gave us something for Marshall, anyway, right? If we present it...



: That smell...
: Ah! Reminds me of Texas!
: So, Officer Marshall...
: You're from Texas?
: No, I just saw a special on television the other day.
: Is this from my baby?
: Uh, yeah, Ms. Starr...
: Wh-what's this!?



: What? What's wrong?
: A filet steak lunch!
: I see... I see!
: I don't see. I wonder what it means?

We give the lunch to Marshall.

: Alright, bambina. You win.



: (Finally, it seems like...)
: He's willing to talk!

And, indeed, we can ask questions of him.





: Officer Marshall, you're in charge of security for the evidence room, right?
: You got good eyes, pardner. It's an easy job, and I'm grateful for it.



: Ah, that poor little dogie? Poor guy, I keep getting his name wrong and calling him "Meekly."
: He told us something. He said that, when the stabbing occurred... you weren't at your station.
: ... Well, maybe I shouldn't be telling you this... But since I got demoted from detective two years ago...
: Well, it might not look it, but I lost my fire for the job, you know?
: So... what were you doing around 5:15 when the murder took place?
: Well... I reckon I was galloping down the highway on the back of my steed, Zippy.
: Note: he was riding down the highway on his horse named "Zippy."
: There's no need for people here, anyhow.
: These newfangled machines do a bang-up job of keeping an eye on the place.
: You mean the security camera system?
: I don't take to machines much.
: Kinda like that stewed broccoli they sneak in next to your steak, you know?

Next time: Slightly less confusing metaphors. Or perhaps just slightly fewer.