Chapter Text
“This is it. Our last day in court.”
One way or another, things would come to an end that day. It was futile to try conversing with the stubborn man , so Phoenix went straight in. They breezed through formalities. The tension in von Karma’s shoulders was visible, even from across the room. The man recalled Gumshoe to the stand, unwilling to “waste” what little chance they had left to argue.
“Detective Gumshoe will clear up the matter with the evidence which has been found.”
Gumshoe took that as his signal to begin testifying.
“To start, we looked at the fake Robert Hammond’s fingerprints. They didn’t match up with the ones we had on file, so we know he isn’t Hammond.” People working in law and the military had their fingerprints in the national database, for security reasons. Gumshoe leafed through his police notes before continuing. “Again, we tried to at least partially match the victim’s to Hammond’s, but the cuts he sustained still got in the way. Instead, we contacted former coworkers of Hammond, and they confirmed the body was his.”
Like Gumshoe’s first appearance on the stand, Phoenix could tell that portions of it were rehearsed, that bits of information was being left out.
“I see,” nodded the judge, grave. “And to think I hadn’t noticed he was a fake attorney at trial!”
“You’d be surprised at what you don’t notice Your Honour,” Phoenix thought, grimacing.
“And what of the identity of the impersonator?”
“That, we don’t know. His prints are burned off, and he wouldn’t talk during interrogation.”
“But you’ve brought him to court today?”
“Yessir.”
“That is all the prosecution has to offer at this time, Your Honour,” von Karma said.
“Well Mister Wright, you may begin your cross-examination.”
“Objection!”
“I haven’t even opened my mouth yet!”
“It is unnecessary. Though the identity of the victim has changed, this does little to alter the overall facts of the case. It has done nothing to show that Gregory Edgeworth is not guilty. Merely that the prescription for his hideous glasses was outdated, as he obviously killed the wrong person.”
“Hey, that’s a low blow! There’s nothing wrong with his glasses!”
“While I understand your reasoning Prosecutor von Karma, I think Mister Wright will probably keep objecting until we let him cross-examine, and that would take even longer than not letting him do it at all.”
“That blow was even lower,” Phoenix mentally groaned. Not even von Karma’s unhappy face could make him feel better about the insults.
“Start already!” von Karma snapped at him. “Ask your frivolous questions!”
“Ok.” Phoenix centered his thoughts, and decided which direction he wanted to take Gumshoe’s questioning. “Have you made any other attempts to figure out the imposter’s identity?”
“Objection! If he has, the results didn’t yield anything. Your question is therefore pointless and repetitive.”
“But-”
“Sustained.”
Now he was down to two penalties. Phoenix realized he would not be able to press Gumshoe on every statement. He would need to be more selective, otherwise von Karma was going to come down on him like a ton of bricks. It was important to prove that the imposter was Yanni Yogi, but equally so to show that he was the real murderer.
“Detective, you have researched into the background of Hammond, as well as what little we know about the imposter, correct?”
“Yup!”
“With this information, is there anyone who would have the motive to-”
“Objection! That information is beyond his expertise as a witness.”
“But he’s a detective, he can testify about profiling!”
“He’s not qualified as a psychologist to give that information.”
“Even as an officer, he has to be able to deduce who the likely suspects are. It’s a basic requirement of the job! Of course, he arrested the wrong person in this case so-”
“T-that’s not fair pal!” stammered Gumshoe. “I chose the obvious perpetrator! He was right at the scene.”
“That’s enough,” the judge said. “Mister Wright, what is your intention here?”
“I want Detective Gumshoe to testify more about the owner of the boat shop, Your Honour.”
“He’s said all that he could,” von Karma argued. “There is little else to be discussed! The matter is closed!”
“The matter does seem rather closed. Is there something important about him which should be brought to the court’s attention?”
Now came the second big stretch of the case. It was going to take all that he had to show the truth, with very limited evidence. The battle was already uphill, but the climb just appeared to get steeper and steeper.
“There is.”
“I will allow this,” the judge ruled. He peered at Phoenix with a stern expression however, down the length of his nose. “But you need to remain on track with your questions, understand?”
“Yes, Your Honour.” Phoenix gulped, pulling at his collar. A ring of prickling fire had come alight around his neck. The pressure was getting worse, and they had barely started the court proceedings. “Detective, I believe that we can learn some important information about the accused from analysing his home. Can you tell me if he owned anything of note?”
“Nah, the place was pretty spartan pal. The most valuable thing he had was his parrot, Polly.”
“Hold it! You say that, but didn’t he have a safe? Wouldn’t there be something more valuable in there?”
“W-well parrots cost a lot you know, about the same as a dog, unless she was a rescue.”
Just like he thought, the letter wasn’t going to be discussed. Gumshoe had been bullied into keeping quiet by von Karma. A glance at the elderly man showed he was nonchalant (as much as a person with perpetually scary eyebrows and a sour face could be) but observing Gumshoe with a watchful eye. The moment he spoke too much, there would be trouble.
“So you’re telling me you didn’t try to crack the safe combination?”
“T-there were more important things to take inventory of.”
“Even though you could have hypothetically taken the fingerprint powder, seen what buttons had been touched, and then guessed the combination from there?”
“Mister Wright, are you telling me you’re working as a bank robber to pay off your student loans?”
“No Sir,” he answered, sweating. “Although I consider it every time I have to pay rent.”
Funnily enough, it was a trick he had learned from Prosecutor Faraday. The man had a disconcerting number of questionable talents. Each reason he gave for knowing them was more cryptic than the last.
“Every surface in the place was wiped down you know,” said Gumshoe. “I figure it would be the same deal with the safe.”
“So you’re telling me that you do not know what was in the safe, that you made no attempt to open the safe, and that the safe was not worth mentioning to begin with?”
“How many more times does he have to repeat himself?” von Karma asked. “You know what the answer is. Shut up and move on!”
Those two things were mutually exclusive, but Phoenix felt it wasn’t the time to bring that up.
“Well Mister Wright, you haven’t seem to brought up much with your cross-examination. Do you have anything to say for yourself?”
Was it time to bring up his theory about who the impostor was? He could show the file about Yanni Yogi, and explain to the judge the possibility. But did he have enough evidence to show it was true?
No, he couldn’t press it, he couldn’t risk yet another penalty.
“I’m finished, Your Honour.”
“Then I call the cross-examination to a close. Would the prosecution call its next witness to the stand?”
“He has nothing to say,” von Karma replied. “Direct and cross-examinations are fruitless at this time.”
“Hum,” muttered the judge. “But where does that leave us then?”
“Understandable, given the constant distractions that attorney has brought up in trial,” von Karma said. He squeezed his forearm, the blue fabric of his sleeve wrinkling together. “I shall summarize, and then you will provide your guilty verdict as a result.”
“O-ok.”
“The murder took place in the middle of Gourd Lake after midnight-”
“Wait just a minute.”
The interjection was soft in comparison to their abrasive yelling. The speaker strode up to the witness stand, appearing like there wasn’t a care in his world. He shooed Gumshoe off with a dismissive flick of his wrist, before reaching into his trench coat to pull something out: a plastic evidence bag, labeled and numbered as was usual. Inside of it was a butcher’s knife, with traces of blood still on the ridges.
“YOU!”
Phoenix had thought that von Karma hated him. It was a feeling he shared with the monstrous prosecutor. But the moment von Karma lay eyes on Detective Badd, Phoenix realized he didn’t know what von Karma’s hatred truly was. All the sneering, all the condescending and finger-wagging, that was what he did to people who minorly irritated him. Like pesky flies, who could be swatted and squashed with his commanding attitude. Now real loathing was unrestrained, not held back by a thin veneer of control.
“Feeling’s mutual,” Badd announced. He reached for a lollipop, cool as a cucumber.
“No wonder why they don’t work on the same case together. I’ll bet they’re constantly at each other’s throats.”
When von Karma put two and two together, and realized that Phoenix was the reason for Badd’s arrival, Phoenix learned what it really was to be hated by a von Karma.
“What’s, what is going on here?” demanded the judge. “Why did you casually enter through the main doors and come to the stand? How did the bailiffs let you in? And we’re under a strict no-food-even-for-exceptions-ban, ever since the coffee incident yesterday.”
“Well, I’ve got some evidence... back from forensic testing,” Badd told him, shrugging. “It’s a knife... from the boat rental shop with blood of the-”
“Objection.”
“You can’t… object to my testimony. I’m answering the judge’s... question. Anyway, it has the blood of Robert Hammond on it.”
“Objection!”
“The lacerations the body received... are consistent with the knife’s… shape.”
The whispering in the visitor’s gallery rose with this information.
“OBJECTION!”
“I would actually like to interrupt myself,” agreed the judge, looking at von Karma. “Why did it take so long for you to present this knife?”
“It was… Irrelevant to the case…” von Karma did a fair imitation of Badd. Though, his pauses were coming as a result of his slipping temper. “The fatal wound was bleeding due to the bullet, which the autopsy report shows! Besides, he is not a part of the assigned investigation team. Have the detective and his knife thrown out this instant! I will not tolerate this blatant interference!”
“I got permission... to ignore you...re requests.” he said, showing the written confirmation to the judge.
Coincidentally, his superiors owned a type of signature pen that resembled what Prosecutor Faraday used.
“You’re not the only one who can pull strings around here von Karma.”
“Impossible!”
“It’s here for… your viewing… pleasure.”
“Prosecutor von Karma, are you telling me that there was evidence left deliberately unreported?”
“The facts of the case do not change without it.”
“I suppose that is true.”
How could the judge be so oblivious? That information changed everything in the case!
“No it’s not!”
“Hrm, nevertheless, I warn you strongly not to do such in the future. The knife could have been important, and then I would have no choice but to issue a penalty.”
For the second time, von Karma had been threatened with a penalty, and his face grew drawn. Phoenix didn’t know why, but it was somehow worse than the anger. It was uncanny, something to be afraid of even when there was no reason to.
“I’m sensing a great deal of unfairness on who gets penalties more easily here.”
Without someone to step on his foot or hit him in the stomach, Phoenix only just remembered that he needed to speak up. Badd had come through for him, and now he had someone new to cross-examine. There wasn’t much they could discuss about the evidence, but it would extend the proceedings.
“If it’s alright with you, Your Honour, I’d like to begin my cross-examination.”
“Yes, very well Mister Wright.”
From the judge’s tone, Phoenix could almost visualize the two penalties which remained. He needed to watch what he said in the future, and chose what to say after thinking.
“Could you please reiterate what injuries the victim received from the knife?”
Badd merely gestured to the autopsy report.
“Like it says. Face, neck, hands… All pretty shallow, since it was a kitchen knife and all.”
“Hold it! Shallow? How can that be possible when deep cuts are required to ruin fingerprints?”
“Deep cuts mean they… won’t grow back.”
“I see. Any theory on how he really got the cuts then?”
“Defensive...wounds.”
Badd held his arms out in demonstration, splaying his palms. Anyone approaching with a knife could have slashed across the fingers, to make the person drop their arms, and then go for the vitals. They had failed though, why?
“Detective Badd, the autopsy report says the bullet happened before the cuts. Is there a reason for why forensics knows this?”
“Over… the wound… there is a cut. The way the skin broke shows it happened afterwards.”
“I see. And where was the knife found again?”
“In the shop’s sink.”
“Thank you,” Phoenix said. “That’s all I need to know.”
“Bluffing doesn’t suit you,” von Karma replied.
“Believe me, I haven’t even begun to start bluffing.”
On the outside, Phoenix acted like he was ignoring von Karma’s remarks. He needed to be stern, to be collected, for when he made his case.
“Your Honour, this information, combined with Larry Butz’s testimony, and Lotta Hart’s photographs proves that the murder did not take place in the boat.”
“And where did it happen then?” challenged von Karma.
“The rental shop. We’ve already established that the first shot of the evening was heard there.”
“Bah! If the victim was killed indoors, then why are there two photos of them on the boat around midnight? What pathetic answer will you provide for that?”
“The body could have been transported. That’s why they’re sitting down.”
“Tsk,” von Karma waved his finger, smug with Phoenix’s theory. “The autopsy shows that the victim died in the water, yet you are suggesting he was killed in the shop!”
“U-urk!”
Just as he had been getting into the flow of contradicting von Karma, he had changed things. The perspiration was strong, the smell and damp feel of it only making things worse. Phoenix brushed at his temples, trying to keep his cool.
“He didn’t have to be shot until on the boat. With the knife-”
“FOOL! Get your own weak ideas straight! That lumpy excuse of a detective testified that the shot happened first! Ergo, the subsequent attack with the knife would have occurred on the lake as well!”
He was right about that. Phoenix didn’t know what to make of the situation. Could Hammond have lived long enough to be taken out to the lake? Phoenix went over the sequence of events he had envisioned.
The impersonator received a letter from someone, prompting him to get revenge on Mr. Edgeworth and Robert Hammond. It also appeared to have instructions, likely about the murder and framing jobs. On Christmas eve, Hammond had gone to Gourd Lake, and entered the shop. Larry heard a shot coming from that direction.
Hammond entered, and then what? Maybe he dodged what should have been a fatal shot. Maybe he had been the one with the pistol. But no bullet or ricochet markings had been found, so that wasn’t likely. After speculating the possibilities, Phoenix realized he had been limiting his thinking too much.
“The only thing we can be certain of is that the cut across the shoulder came after the bullet! We can’t say anything about the rest!”
“Then demonstrate some legitimate evidence. What proof do you have so far? Nothing!”
“I do agree that you’ll need some evidence if you want to keep discussing the possibility,” said the judge.
“Oh boy. What piece of evidence supports any of my story so far?”
Now was not the time for his mind to start going blank. Phoenix went through his court record. There was the Thinker statue, the old set of clothes, the knife, multiple pictures of different scenes...
“Take that!”
“Take what?”
“The cleaned up state of the shop,” Phoenix said. He showed the photo of the home, and pointed to the pail of rusty-looking water. “Someone did a lot of work to get rid of the evidence of a struggle.”
“The owner was selling fish bait,” he dismissed. “There would naturally be blood around the area.”
“First of all, it was Gourdy bait. Second of all, traces of the victim’s blood was already found inside- in the form of the knife. Gumshoe even said that the place had been wiped down completely of prints!”
“That does seem suspicious, now that you mention it,” chimed the judge.
“Now, back to what I was arguing. There was obviously a struggle which drew blood in the shop, since it was washed away afterwards. I think it is likely that the person wielding the pistol was disarmed, and so he next reached for the knife to subdue the victim. Finally, recovering the pistol, they went out to the lake under gunpoint.”
“Why then, were a second and third shot fired on the lake?”
“At the start of this trial, we established that the angles meant it wasn’t possible for someone to have been shot in either of those pictures. The left hand held the pistol straight ahead, but the victim’s left shoulder was the one injured. The second was likely a warning shot. The third took place when Edgeworth was on the boat.”
“You say Edgeworth like he is not the perpetrator of this crime.”
“That’s because-”
The judge defused the argument.
“Mister Wright, what do you mean by a warning shot?”
“To well ah…” It had been more of a suggestion. “To force the victim into the lake. Y-yeah!”
“You don’t sound very certain about that.”
“Because he has no decisive evidence!” von Karma countered. “I suggest that we cease listening to his wild stories, and actually focus on a concrete subject.”
“My proof… lies in this.”
It was time for humongous allegation number three. The investigation report was presented. Phoenix did not look at the prosecutor as he did. The hatred was beginning to scare him like his threats and screams couldn’t. Von Karma’s stare had begun to suggest that he was imagining Phoenix being dismembered, with his dripping skull lodged on a pike.
“W-what- what does this trash have to do with anything?”
“Yeah, I bet you’re surprised to see that Blaise didn’t help you out that much.”
“The reason was revenge. As Hammond did not die during the initial assault, he was forced into the lake instead. His death was all the more horrible, because of that.”
The judge seemed to remember the details Gumshoe had given about the body. A green tinted his face once more.
“As for why he wanted revenge, that has to do with his identity. The killer, the owner of the rental shop, they are the same person, Yanni Yogi!”
The gavel was banged innumerable times. From all the outbursts the crowd had, this was by far the loudest.
“Order! Order!” But the judge couldn’t control their actions. It was likely they couldn’t even hear the wooden strikes over their own excited voices. “We will have order in the court this instant! Mister Wright, you will explain your allegation to us!”
“You can count on it, Your Honour.” That was the phrase which finally made the spectators quiet. Benches creaked, everyone was leaning forwards, not wanting to miss a word. “And I’ll have Yogi’s testimony to prove it.”
“Imbecile, he will not make a statement.”
“Like many aspects of this trial, that’s not up for you to decide,” Phoenix said. “The imposter will come to the stand so I can get to the truth of this matter.”
“Truth?” von Karma mocked. “That is the job of the prosecutor, or have you forgotten?”
“It’s you who’s forgotten.”
The imposter, reluctant but defiant, walked up as he was called. He was still dressed in clothes which belonged to Hammond, right down to the attorney’s badge. With a picture for reference, he only had superficial likeness to Hammond. It was obvious his hair had been dyed black, because greyish roots sprouted from his crown now. Had the man believed that all he needed was similar-looking hair and a badge? Once comparisons were brought in, the idea that he could pass off was laughable. And yet, it had worked all throughout Ray’s trial, without any of them questioning who he really was.
“Let’s start off with what we know about Yanni Yogi: though there were witnesses to his death, no body was found when the river was dredged, just clothes and a few teeth.”
“Well, the man certainly has all his teeth,” von Karma shot back. “Open your mouth!”
He did.
“How many teeth are adults supposed to have again?” asked the judge.
“Thirty-two Your Honour. Even then, dentures and false teeth are such a wonderful invention. I’m sure von Karma has a few of his own.”
“I’ll have you know that my teeth are perfect!” snarled von Karma, practically baring them for the court to see. “I never have required orthodontic treatment, gotten a root canal, cavity, nor other tooth-related blemish!”
“They are quite well-kept,” the judge affirmed. “If the prosecutor’s office had an award for dental hygiene, I’m sure you would win!”
If the prosecutor’s office had an award for dental hygiene, they would be dentists.
Phoenix shook himself from the thought.
“Following that, I would like to point out that the name of Yogi’s late fiancé was Polly, the same as the parrot’s!”
“Bah! A mere coincidence, that's all! My granddaughter has a dog she calls Phoenix. Well, Mister Phoenix Wright? Does this make you my granddaughter's fiancé!?”
“Uh…”
“She's only seven years old!”
“Um…”
“Alone, it is a little weak for evidence in a murder trial,” said the judge. “Polly is one of the most common names for a parrot after all. We would need some other corroborating evidence.”
“The safe combination is the same date as the DL-6 case!”
“This is not tangible proof either! I set my ATM card's number to triple zero one because I'm number one! This has nothing to do with a date! Nothing!”
“Hrm, he does have a point. And I would also suggest changing that after you get out of here.”
“If only I could have the parrot here to prove my case. Then I could have her talk about the DL-6 incident.”
Unfortunately, Phoenix would not get a chance to cross-examine the witnesses’ pet parrot.
Earlier, von Karma had accused him of bluffing. Now the prosecutor was really going to see what he could stretch. Even if he couldn’t show the accused was Yanni Yogi through the parrot and safe, the proof of his actions was still there.
“So long as we’re on the subject of the safe, I should bring up the letter.”
“Letter?” asked the judge.
“There is nothing of the sorts. He is grasping at straws.”
“I wonder what Yogi has to say on the matter?” Phoenix asked, never taking his eyes from the man. “It told him to get his revenge, began giving detailed instructions about how to commit the murder, and to frame Raymond Shields.”
It was becoming an effort for Yogi to not crack under the pressure. His fingers had curled into fists, and he was gritting his teeth. It looked like something wormy and alive was beneath his waxy skin, crawling, trying to burst out.
“No such letter has been brought to my attention by the investigators,” lied von Karma.
“I know what that portion says, just like I know where the second part of the letter is hidden.”
“Evidence,” was all von Karma could utter. “Evidence.”
“Yogi already confessed to an earlier crime where he entered the Grossberg law office. He left your taser and the bludgeoning tool there.”
“Insufficient,” he sniffed, as if that was the end of the discussion.
“Yogi went to Hammond’s office after killing him, to collect all that he would need to complete his disguise. And this evidence also shows it!”
“...Mister Wright, now is not the time to be presenting your badge and yelling ‘take that.’”
“S-sorry, I don’t know why I did that,” Phoenix said, mortified blush creeping up his face. “Anyway, this pair of clothes stood out from the rest! They distinctly do not belong to Hammond!”
“We all keep an older pair of clothes around for messy crime scenes and dusty archives,” von Karma explained.
“Geeze Louise, can nothing please you?”
“I will not settle for less than perfection! Your tale is gaping with holes the local township refuses to pave because they are cheap!”
“That sounds a lot more like something the fake Hammond would say.”
“This letter appears to be quite damning evidence,” the judge said. “Where can we find the second half?”
“Why don’t we have Yogi tell us?”
“I call your bluff,” Yogi responded. “Where is the letter?”
“I should have realized earlier, especially since you know Larry, and he could have told you the secret.”
“Told me what?”
“Objection! The defense is goading!”
“And I had wondered why you brought that heavy statue of all things, along when you attacked Franziska von Karma and Raymond Shields, but it makes sense to me now.”
“Rrr-”
“I object to this!”
“This plot was so complicated that you needed to carry the instructions on you. The inside base of the Thinker was perfect for hiding that.”
“You cannot-! I OBJECT!”
The prosecutor was yelling himself hoarse with legal excuses and reprimands, but no one wanted to listen to his threats. What Yogi would say was far more important.
“Enough.”
Yogi seemed to melt. Part of him- the act of Hammond?- had slipped away. Then he was a tired old man, with a disturbing air of satisfaction about him.
“Sir?” the judge asked.
“You,” Yogi was looking at Phoenix as he said this, with hard, lined eyes. “You defend when you prosecute, and prosecute when you defend. It is quite… Bizarre.”
In the end, all Phoenix cared about was finding the truth. If he had to switch sides to do that, then he would expose the liars while wearing an imitation attorney base.
“Yanni Yogi?” Phoenix asked, tentative.
“There is little sense in trying to hide it anymore.”
The judge did not bother with his gavel. It couldn’t stop the rabble.
“So was it you who killed Robert Hammond? And framed two people for different crimes?”
“Yes. It was me. I did it. As the boy said, it was revenge, for those fifteen years ago... They put me on the witness stand, Robert Hammond won his trial through the plea of insanity, of brain damage. He didn’t believe in my innocence, even though I was! And I lost everything because of it.”
“A-and your death? The currents around Dusky Bridge are notoriously strong.”
“A… genuine attempt. I don’t know how I survived, but the fact that I did made me believe I shouldn’t try again. I had been gifted a second chance. And then that package arrived, with the pistol, the letter. The opportunity to eradicate those who had wronged me!”
“And you took it.”
“Hammond asked me ‘why,’ when we started rowing towards the center of the lake, once he understood he’d lost too much blood.” Yogi’s voice trailed, and his hateful eyes slid over to Mr. Edgeworth. “And it’s because you just kept living your saccharine, happy-go-lucky life. Your career was intact even when Hammond tried to paint you a suspect. Then there was that appeal against him! Everyone claimed you were oh-so-virtuous, standing up for the man who had wronged you. But we both know if you actually cared you would have done something before I was dead. Then you replaced the son you supposedly doted on with two more. Neither of them can understand that they’re discardable and you’re hollow-”
“S-shut up!”
There was nothing else to say. Phoenix could only think to yell profanities, things which would get him removed from a court of law.
“You see? They’re so brainwashed that you could kick them halfway down the street and they would still chase after you like lost mutts.”
“That’s quite enough!” the judge reprimanded.
“He died happy you know. Happy that his death would destroy you.”
“Bailiff!”
“I have no regrets,” Yogi stated, as he was put into custody yet again. “Someone ask that idiot hot dog vendor to take care of Polly for me…”
No one said a word until Yogi had been led from the room.
“Well then.” The judge cleared his throat, and made a fuss of stacking papers. Phoenix couldn’t even bring himself to see what weird face von Karma would be making at him. “Mister Wright, are you crying in my courtroom again?”
“N-no Sir.” Phoenix fibbed, despite the tears that threatened to overwhelm him.
“Defendant, please take the stand. If neither side has an objection to raise, the court finds you…”
NOT GUILTY
“OBJECTION!”
“P-pardon me? Did someone just object?”
“The ruling is inaccurate, Your Honour. Yanni Yogi’s confession has made that much clear to me.”
“What do you mean?”
No way. Not after that mammoth of a trial. Mr. Edgeworth was absolutely not-
“The one behind the DL-6 incident, for the murder of my son, is me.”
If Phoenix hadn’t felt like crying before, he certainly did now.