//------------------------------// // Preliminary Trial // Story: Dashie Wright: Competent Co-Counsel // by Terabyte West //------------------------------// The people in the stands clamored among themselves as His Honor proceeded to make his way up to the bench. With a resounding thwack, the peanut gallery silenced itself, all eyes on the gray-bearded judge. "Court is now in session for the trial of Phoenix Wright, Maya Fey, and... Rainbow Dash?" "Is something the matter, Your Honor?" Phoenix piped up, unsure of why he stopped. "It's just that this last name is decisively weird." "That would be my name, your honor?" Rainbow piped up, setting herself down on the bench. The court collectively "awwww"ed, counting the judge. Edgeworth, however, didn't even budge, just steeled his gaze. "If we can get back to the more pressing matter, the prosecution is ready." Everyone came back to Earth, the judge shaking his head. "Yes, of course." "The defense is ready, Your Honor." "Mr. Edgeworth, your opening statement." The judge said, nodding in the prosecutor's direction. "At 9:00 PM, Ms. Mia Fey was found murdered in her office. The defendants, Maya Fey, Phoenix Wright, and Rainbow Dash," he elaborated, gesturing to the party at the other bench. "were found at the crime scene. There was evidence implicating Maya Fey, so an immediate arrest was made." "What of Mr. Wright and Ms. Dash?" His Honor started. "There was nothing implicating them at the time," Edgeworth continued. "but the next day, Mr. Redd White and Ms. April May came along and said they could testify about Wright, Dash, and Maya working in tandem to kill Ms. Fey." "That is pretty compelling; two witnesses!" His Honor agreed. "I would like to call Mr. Phoenix Wright to the stand." Edgeworth proposed. "OBJECTION!" Phoenix hollered. "If I'm to testify, who will cross-examine me?" As he finished speaking, Rainbow tapped a hoof on his shoulder. She had her puppy-dog eyes again. "Are you crazy?" Phoenix whisper-shouted. "Enough to work." Rainbow sniped while making what could only be described as a "derp face." "Alright." Phoenix sighed. "Your Honor, if you want to overrule my objection, go ahead." Phoenix walked out from behind the bench, approaching the stand. His hand subconsciously reached behind his head, rubbing the back of his hair out of nervousness. "Name and occupation?" Edgeworth asked. "Can't you already infer it?" Phoenix started. Edgeworth gritted his teeth, glaring daggers at the attorney. "Alright... Phoenix Wright, attorney at law." He addressed. "Wright," Edgeworth started. "I would like for you to get it out of your system. What were you doing on the night of September 5th, around the time of the murder?" "I was biking to the offices; I didn't know why, I was just worried for some reason." Phoenix knew as well as Miles that the argument held as much water as a sieve, but he was being truthful. "Can anyone provide an alibi so that we can confirm this as fact?" Edgeworth smirked. "Yeah, I can." Rainbow said, easing herself onto the bench, only for the courtroom to "daw" again. Edgeworth facepalmed before continuing. "For the sake of reference, the time of death was 8:30-9:30. He said, pulling out Mia's autopsy." What's the earliest the alibi works for you?" Rainbow flinched in response, knowing the answer full well. "Nine..." The court clamored, "He did kill her!" "There's no argument!" "Do we need the witnesses when the alibi only does so much?" After the gavel resounded through the room again, the judge called for order. "Anyway. My alibi is still intact, considering that, on record, Dad takes 20 minutes to get to the victim's office." She elaborated. "I think I fell asleep around 8:30, meaning..." Rainbow sat on her haunches and slammed her hooves on the table, the momentum carrying her hind legs off the table. "Our alibi is airtight!" The court nodded without a word, but Edgeworth just smiled. "The difference is 5 minutes between what he normally does, and the amount of time it would take for him to murder the victim. He could have easily booked it." Rainbow had to admit he had a decent point. "And our first witness can prove it. I would like to call April May to the stand." Some time later, a beautiful young lady with curly pink hair sashayed up to the witness stand. Half of the men wolf whistled, followed by half the women slapping the men on the back of the head. Phoenix shielded Maya's and Rainbow's eyes, His Honor tried to hide his eyes behind his gavel, and Edgeworth barely flinched. His only reaction was a stern, "Name and occupation." "April May, a secretary for Bluecorp." She cooed, winking as her bust bounced, eliciting a louder set of wolf whistles and slaps. "The witness shall refrain from such frivolous activities!" His Honor burst, banging the gavel rapidly. "Ms. May," Edgeworth droned. "please testify as to what happened around the time of the murder." Witness Testimony: The Lady's Death "It was... 9:00 PM, I think? Yeah... I was sitting in my hotel room when I casually sneaked a glance out the window. I saw a light was on, so I chanced a glance. A lady was backed up behind the window, frantically looking to her left and right. Without warning, a statue held by someone with a blue sleeve hit her! I saw her crawl towards the center of the room before she collapsed." "Hmm... so you never saw the murderer?" "No, I'll admit, but I saw his sleeve. It was the same color as his shirt." She cooed, pointing at Phoenix. "Dad," Rainbow whispered, "We got this. I know where she's lying." Cross-Examination "It was... 9:00 PM, I think? Yeah... I was sitting in my hotel room when I casually sneaked a glance out the window." April recounted. "HOLD IT!" Phoenix hollered. "Why did you look out the window to begin with?" "Well, I was bored, and the city skyline is pretty at night." "I can attest." Rainbow responded. "Carry on." "I saw a light was on, so I chanced a glance. A lady was backed up behind the window, frantically looking to her left and right. Without warning, a statue held by someone with a blue sleeve hit her! I saw her crawl towards the center of the room before she collapsed." "OBJECTION!" Phoenix and Rainbow chorused, Phoenix holding the autopsy, and Rainbow having her hoof stamped on the bloody paper. "You first, dad." Rainbow shied. "A-hem," Phoenix resumed. "You claim that this woman was struck, and she proceeded to claw her way toward something, right?" "Y-Yes?" April stammered. "I don't think so." Phoenix sniped. "According to the autopsy report, the victim died immediately upon dying." Phoenix slammed his hands on the desk, causing Rainbow to jump. "How could she move is she's already dead?" He pressed. April flinched, averting her eyes from everyone's causing the audience to chat among themselves. Edgeworth only smiled and shook his head. "Wright, I may have forgotten to tell you. The forensics team ran a second autopsy after your incarceration. It's been revealed that Miss Fey did not die immediately, but rather bled out." "And that's where this comes in." Rainbow interjected, the bloody "Maya" under her hoof. "Given the description, April saw Phoenix lodging a statue in her brain. What reason would she have to write her sister's name?" She finished, getting into a mock-up of Phoenix's pose when he objected. "Oh!" April piped up. "Yes, Ms. May?" Edgeworth replied. "I remembered something! You wouldn't mind giving me another shot to testify, would you?" Edgeworth shook his head no. "Not at all." Witness Testimony The Murder, cont. "I know how the witness was technically able to write her sister's name. After she bled out and died, I saw her body shimmy a bit. I think he might have been using her own finger to write the name, for the sake of framing the defendant. Afterwards, he set her body under the window and put the murder weapon- that clock- next to her body." The judge looked down at his lap for a brief moment, contemplating. "That does seem like a valid testimony. Mr. Wright, do you want to cross-examine this witness?" Phoenix nodded affirmative, Rainbow doing the same. Cross-Examination "I know how the witness was technically able to write her sister's name. After she bled out and died, I saw her body shimmy a bit. I think he might have been using her own finger to write the name, for the sake of framing the defendant. Afterwards, he set her body under the window and put the murder weapon- that clock- next to her body." "OBJECTION!" Phoenix bellowed, hands pounding on the table. "You stated that the murder weapon was a clock." April twitched. "But, throughout this entire trial, no one has referred to it as such." Phoenix was almost starting to dent the table. "How could you have possibly known?" April appeared to be in some degree of pain. The audience clamored around both of them, Edgeworth gritting his teeth trying to come up with an explanation. "In all fairness, though, I already know." April gasped in response. "Do you know what I'm talking about, Rainbow?" Rainbow nodded, Maya's phone wrapped around her hoof. "These!" Though it was hard to make out on Phoenix's screen, Edgeworth clearly saw it: a black box with a screwdriver attached, two inputs stemming from it. "I know you may not be able to see it, but on my phone is a picture of a wiretap, found in Miss May's room." "And this phone belongs to the defendant," Rainbow began. "The most recent call on this phone was one between her and the defendant, timed 12 hours before her murder." Rainbow fiddled with the buttons before getting the call to play. The room was so silent you could hear a pin drop, which was just enough for everyone to hear. "Hey, sis!" "Okay, let's get down to business. I need you to come over here- sometime around 9:00 PM?- and hold onto some evidence for me. It's a statue of The Thinker, but that's not the important part." Mia's voice said. "Well, what is?" "The contents of the statue's base. It used to be a clock, but I removed the clockwork and stuffed the real evidence within." The entire courtroom burst at the development. "Order! Order! Order!" The judge barked, striking his gavel against the podium.