Feb 21, 2019

Godot sighed heavily as he picked up one of the documents that had been strewn across the table before him.  Sipping his coffee with a frown, he looked it over with great concern.  It was disgusting, really, the sheer number of papers that sat before him.  It wasn’t that he was being lazy, not with this case anyway, it was what each and every sheet represented.  Each one gave the sparse details of a girl who had been involved in the prostitution ring.  There were at least fifty documents on the table before him, that was at least fifty girls who had had their innocence taken from them.  Any one who could put so many girls, for none of them were women, into this sort of position was truly a disgusting human being.

“Mein Gott, how could this have gone on for so long with no one noticing,” Franziska murmured to herself.  Godot watched her thumb through the case overview from across the table.  He still wasn’t particularly pleased about having to work with her, but when orders came from higher up, there was very little he could do.  This case was far from either of their usual fare; less murderous, perhaps, but bigger.  The investigation into precisely the size of the ring was still ongoing, and there were probably a number of other culprits involved who had yet to be convicted.  Yet they had a few people who were believed to be in charge who needed to be prosecuted as soon as possible.  If they wanted enough information to make their case convincing, however, Franziska and Godot would need to search out what they wanted.  It was certainly a job for two.

“What’s the case file say?” Godot asked sipping his coffee.

“Richard T. Ator and Tod Ali Arion have been arrested on suspicion of being the ring leaders of a city wide prostitution ring.  Working for them were a number of runaway teenage girls.  They were kept in various motels throughout the city, where the managers were paid off to not ask questions.  If a man was interested in purchasing their services, he need only go to a certain website.  There were passwords involved in nearly every step of the process.  To get on to the website, to get into one of the girls rooms, and even to transfer money.  It was exceedingly difficult to hack on to the website, but one of our policemen managed to do it.  So far, the two men who were arrested have been connected to the bank account that was being used, however, that’s all we have.  The girls have been rescued, apparently, but they’ve all refused to speak with authorities.”

“Guess it’s up to us then, to get them to talk.  Does it say anything about where we can find them?” Godot asked, leaning back in his chair and sighing.

“There is a home for runaway girls in the city.  Those who couldn’t or wouldn’t be reunited with their families have been placed there for the time being,” Franziska answered.

“Well then, I say we get down there,” Godot announced, stretching as he stood up from his chair.  Franziska fixed him with a cocky smirk and shook her head.

“You can not go,” she told him smugly.  “Men are not permitted inside the home.  Considering how you flaunt your manliness, I do not think you will be able to get anywhere near it.”

“Come on, this is an investigation.  They have to let me in.”

“We’re lawyers; not police.  This is completely unofficial.  No one has to let us do anything.  Now why don’t you sit down here like a good little boy while I go do some real work.”

Godot looked her over carefully for a moment.  Taking in everything from the proud smile on her face to the point of the toes at the end of her crossed legs.  He frowned and shook his head.

“I can’t, in good conscious, let a naïve little rich girl like you wander into a house of misery all by yourself.  Those girls, the prostitutes, have experienced horrors you can’t even imagine.  They’re lives have been full of poverty and sadness.  You couldn’t possibly handle it.  I’m not letting you go alone.”

“You fool!  What say do you have over what I do?  And besides, what do you know of the life I have lived.  Rich?  Yes.  But I am far from naïve.  I have experienced my fair share of misery!” Franziska shouted standing.

“You have no idea what it’s like to struggle,” Godot growled darkly.

“Just because I’m rich?  Money doesn’t protect you from everything.  You have no idea what my life was like!”

“Tell me about your petty little hardships.”

“Well, completely ignoring the fact that my father was put to death for the murder of my adopted brother’s father, my childhood was terribly lonely.  I wasn’t allowed to leave the estate, my father lived in another country, I was raised by an endless parade of his trophy wives, my older sister was married to a man my father’s age before I was even born, and Miles Edgeworth, the only friend I had, was constantly being shipped off to boarding school!” Franziska stopped talking abruptly and eyed the other prosecutor murderously, as though she were daring him to say anything to refute her statement.

He did seem mildly surprised at the outburst, but after a moment he shook his head again. “That sucks, Kid, but its still nothing like what these girls have gone through.  I’m sorry, but there is no way you’ll be able to handle talking to these women.”

“I don’t care what you think.  I am going.” Franziska told him, her voice deep with anger.  Godot exhaled slowly, to try and get a hold on his temper.

“I’m not saying you can’t go.  I’m just saying you should take someone with you.  An older woman with a little more experience.”

“I suppose you have someone in mind?” Franziska asked, raising an eyebrow slightly.

“Just give me a day and you’ll have the perfect partner.”

oOo

Feb 22, 2019

            “Aren’t you Phoenix Wright’s dead boss?”

            “Yes.  You’re Manfred von Karma’s daughter?”

            “Yes.  I hear that you dated that blind fool I’m being forced to work with?”

            “Yes actually.”

            “Why?”

            “He grows on you.  Trust me,” Mia said with a small smile.  “Now why don’t we get going.”

            Together they climbed into Franziska’s waiting Limousine and began a long and silent ride to the Girl’s Home.  The living passenger busied herself with her paperwork as a means of avoiding any actual conversation.  Mia watched the girl out of the corner of her eye, intrigued by Diego’s new coworker.  She was bent over her work, her brow was furrowed and she was chewing her lip slightly.  Franziska looked older than Maya, although Mia knew them to be the same age- it was as though a middle aged woman had been buried behind a rosy cheeked girl, and the age shone through in strange and unexpected ways.  Franziska noticed that she was being watched and turned herself slightly so that it was harder for Mia to get a good look at her.

            The limousine eventually pulled up outside an assuming brick building.  It was relatively small compared with the neighbors, but there was something welcoming about it.  Each window had its own planter, and the spots of brilliant natural color were a pleasant surprise to find so deep within the city.  A sign painted in pleasant shades of blue hung above the door proudly stating: Mrs. Russ’s Home for Women and Children.

                “It certainly doesn’t look like a sorrowful place,” Franziska observed as she absentmindedly waved away her driver.  Mia turned and looked at her, smiling slightly in a somewhat bewildered way.

            “Why would it?” she asked.

            “Why would it not?” Franziska countered. “It’s filled with impoverished women and hungry children, none of who have anywhere else to go.  And that’s to say nothing of our recovered prostitutes.”

            “This isn’t a morgue, Franziska, or even a jail cell.  It’s not a final resting place for these people as they wait to die.  It’s a rest stop, a place for people to get back on their feet.  It’s a safe place for those who’ve suffered.  I think it looks just as it should.”

            Franziska gave the building another glance, but she didn’t seem entirely convinced.  She said nothing, however, and simply shrugged before pushing her way through the door ahead of Mia.

            The inside was, much like the outside, pleasantly if inexpensively furnished.  They entered into a wide hallway that had a few rooms branching off, and what appeared to be an elevator far in the back.  A small table with pamphlets was set besides the door, and there were chairs along the walls.  The first room had a small sign proclaiming it to be the office, and so the two women entered there.

            “Hello, may I help you?” a small older woman asked as they entered, “Are you looking for a specific person or a place to stay?”

            “We’re lawyers,” Franziska told her quickly, uninterested in conversation.  “I’m part of a team prosecuting two men who have been charged as orchestraters in a prostitution ring.  We are interested in talking with some of the young women who were part of the ring.  The Police Department told us a number of the girls were here.”

            The woman looked them over slightly, before nodding.  I’ll go talk to the girls.  I can’t guarantee that any of them will speak with you, however, I’ll ask.  I’ll let you into our visiting room for now, and I’ll bring down anyone who agrees to it.”

            “I suppose that will do,” Franziska answered with a shrug. 

            “I think what my colleague means is ‘thank you’.” Mia added quickly, “We’re grateful for anything you can do Ms…?”

            “Ms. Russ.  But you can call me Jenny if you’d like.  All the girls here do.”  She smiled at Mia, and led her two visitors into a comfortable sitting room.  “I’ll be right back.”

            Mia sat down on a comfortable red armchair and looked around.  The room was relatively sizable, although this made sense considering it was probably one of the only common rooms in the home.  There was a large but ancient television in one corner of the room, but for the most part the walls were lined with bookshelves.  They had clearly been purchased or donated at different times, as they were all made of different colored woods or plywood.  The collection of books was really rather impressive.  In fact Franziska, upon entering, had immediately set about reading the spines of books and judging the library for herself.

            “What have they got?” Mia asked her, only mildly interested.

            “This shelf is all bibles,” Franziska announced, walking by one bookcase.  “There are children’s books over here; I’ve never read any of these.”

            “Really?  Are they weird ones?”

            “Ah, no.  I wasn’t particularly interested in books aimed at children when I was young.  I much preferred to read from my father’s library.”

            “I suppose any one who became a lawyer at thirteen would have had to have been reading law books when everyone else was reading Dr. Seuss,” Mia said quietly.

            “Your foolish boyfriend would have taken that opportunity to make a Mein Kampf joke,” Franziska told her bluntly as she thumbed through one particularly large tome.

            “He never did have very good taste in humor,” Mia said thoughtfully.  She was quiet for a moment, lost in her memories, before asking, “What are you looking at now?”

            “The complete collection of William Shakespeare.  It doesn’t have terribly good foot notes.”

            “I suppose you’re in the drama section then?”

            “British literature, I believe.  There are some Austen and Bronte sisters books here as well.”

            The door opened suddenly.  Jenny Russ entered, followed by four girls all around Franziska’s age.  The four of them sat next to one another on a couch opposite Mia.  They were a varied group, both in looks and behavior. 

            On the side of the couch farthest from the door, was probably the youngest of the girls.  Her stringy blond hair fell in front of her face and she had her knees pulled up against her chest.  Her blue eyes flickered up to observe the two lawyers every so often, but for the most part she stared at the floor.

            Next to her was a taller girl, probably in her early twenties, the oldest in the group.  Her black hair was pulled back into a large puff on the back of her head, and she sat with her arm around the meek girl next to her.  There was a sort of strength in her eyes, and she smiled at Mia in a slight but determined way.

            Beside her, in the other corner of the couch was a girl with long reddish brown hair that cascaded down her shoulders and all the way down to her waist.  She watched the two lawyers with mild disinterest and she seemed more engrossed in curling her locks around her fingers.  She had deep green eyes that seemed to dare the women to say anything against her.

            Perched on the arm of the couch was the last girl.  Her hair hung just to her ears and had been dyed black and purple.  She was chewing at her lip angrily, and staring without really looking at the bookshelf behind Mia.  All four of the girls were dressed in simple blue knee-length dresses that had clearly been given to them by the house.

            “I’ll be in the office if anyone needs me,” Mrs. Russ said quietly.  She gave her girls an encouraging smile and then left the room.  There was silence as the girls took another moment to look over the lawyers, and Franziska took the time to sit in an armchair beside the one occupied by Mia.

            “What are your names, if you don’t mind me asking?” the tallest girl asked.

            “Oh, I’m sorry.   We should have done that right off the bat.  My name is Mia Fey and this is Franziska Von Karma.”

            “Are you even old enough to be a lawyer?” the girl with long curls asked, glancing up at Franziska with a sardonic smirk.

            “I’ve been a lawyer for six years now.  Talent is much more important than age,” Franziska answered angrily.  The girl rolled her eyes slightly.

            “My name is Tena,” the tall girl said to Mia, as though Franziska and the other girl had not spoken.  “This sweet thing here is Tammy,” she added squeezing the girl she was holding.  “On my other side is Kelly, and down at the end is Ira.  There are more girls upstairs, but they’re not quite ready to talk.  Actually, Tammy isn’t much ready to talk either, she just wanted to be with me.  I’d be grateful if you left her alone with your questions.”

            “Of course, we wouldn’t want to make anyone uncomfortable.  We just want to help, and any information you could give us would be great,” Mia told her gently.

            “We don’t know much,” Ira said suddenly, looking Mia in the eye.  “Everything was pretty much a secret.”

            “We’ve heard you met… clients in hotel rooms, is that true?” Franziska asked leaning forward.

            “We didn’t leave the hotel rooms,” Kelly said, “They kept us there.  Anyway, I don’t see how that helps you.”

            “So you never met any of the people running the ring?” Franziska asked.  The girls shook their heads.  “You must have met someone besides clients, though?”

            The girls all looked at one another. Tena turned to speak, “There was a man in my hotel.  He lived there with us.  He made sure we were fed, got us clothes, that sort of thing.  He was our only connection to the outside world.  I’d guess there was someone like that in the other hotels as well.”

            “There was a guy like that at mine,” Ira added quietly.

            “Mine too,” Kelly agreed.

            “We-we had one… like that,” Tammy said, nestling further into Tena’s side after speaking. 

            “That’s actually quite helpful,” Franziska said.  She turned to Mia, “If any of the hotels kept records of people who stayed there, we might be able to route out some of these men.  They’ll probably be able to get us a lot more information.  We should contact the police station as soon as possible.”

            “Thank you four so much.  I’m sure it’s very difficult to talk about,” Mia said to the girls.

            “The men who hurt you will be prosecuted and punished,” Franziska added sternly.

            “Is there anything we can do to help you?  Any questions you’d like to ask us?”

            The girls glanced at one another again.  Kelly spoke first, “Why are you dressed like that?”

            Mia seemed taken aback for a moment, “Oh, well, this is my sister’s dress.  I suppose it doesn’t quite fit me…”

            “Not really,” Kelly said, “You should probably get some of your own clothes.”

            “Yes well, usually it’s not a problem… Anyway I meant if you had any questions more along the lines of the case.”

            “You promise these guys will get what’s coming to them?” Ira asked.  Franziska nodded assuredly. 

            “It’s a blessing to hear,” Tena said.  “It’s hard for us.  We’re all trying to build up our lives again, you know?  We’re trying to start over.  This place has been a miracle, and I’m glad we’re all together.  But knowing so many of these guys are still out there.  It makes it harder to move on.  If they’re all taken away, if we know there’s no chance of ever running into them again… well, it makes it a little easier to put them into the past, and to really see the future as something new and separate.  Thank you, ladies, for everything you’re doing.”

            “You’re welcome.  I hope things go well for all of you from here on out,” Mia said standing up.  “Now we really should get back to the prosecutors office and make this information known to the state.”

            The two lawyers left the building, and Franziska made two quick calls, one to her limo driver and the other to police headquarters.  Mia sighed heavily and looked back at the women’s home, before she was broken from her reverie by the words of her companion.

            “It is truly horrible,” Franziska said gruffly, shutting her cell phone with a click and shoving it into her pocket.  She glared thoughtfully at the sidewalk.

            “Yes…” Mia agreed quietly.  “But I think those girls, the four we met, may turn out all right in the end.”

            “Perhaps,” Franziska said shrugging.  The limo pulled up outside the home, and the two women climbed in.

            “There’s something to be said for a healthy understanding of the future.  Being able to move on from the past is really important, don’t you think?” Mia asked quietly.

            “I suppose,” Franziska answered, unsure of why Mia was so intent on this topic of conversation.

            “I mean if you spend all your time thinking about the tragedies and people from your past, how are you ever supposed to live your life?  I’ve always been impressed with how my Sister handled my death.  She may seem silly sometimes, but she really is very strong.  I don’t feel as though I have to worry about her.  But I worry… I worry about… some people,” she ended anticlimactically.

            “Phoenix Wright?” Franziska asked.

            “No,” Mia said, and laughed. “As long as there’s someone for him to help there’s nothing that can stop him.  He’ll be fine no matter what.”

            “I can’t believe he survived falling through that bridge,” Franziska said quietly as the limo pulled up outside the Prosecutor’s office.

            “That’s exactly what I mean about him,” Mia said smiling as she climbed out of the vehicle.

            Godot was waiting for them and he came up hurriedly to greet them, “You two alright?”

            “Have you seriously been waiting there the entire time?” Franziska asked coldly.  She turned to Mia, “I actually enjoyed spending the day with you.  It’s a pity that you’re dead, I might have liked to know you.”

            She then left, her heels clicking as she climbed the stairs to the office.

            “So, was she that much of a bitch all day?” Godot asked.  He turned to look at Mia, and ran his hand through his hair.

            “Actually, I kind of liked her.  Considering what I know about her father, I think its pretty impressive that she’s not completely evil,” Mia finished talking, and an awkward silence fell over the pair.  Neither of them knew precisely how to act with the other.  They hadn’t had a proper conversation since Godot had been poisoned.  He started to open his mouth to speak, but she interrupted him.

            “We need to talk, Diego,” Mia’s voice was quiet but firm, and she looked at him squarely.

            “Of course…” he responded gently.  Beneath his mask, his brows knit together in concern.  Her words and tone of voice could only mean bad news.  Mia took his large hands into her smaller ones and rubbed them reassuringly with her thumbs.

            “I love you, Diego.  I always will.  And it’s because I love you that I need you to move on.”

            “What do you mean?”  He asked quietly.

            “I’m dead, Diego.  I know that, for me, death doesn’t seem quite so final as it should, but it doesn’t change the facts.  We can’t be together anymore.”  He tried to speak again, to interrupt her and stop her from finishing, for if she came to the end of her speech it would inevitably break his heart.  She wouldn’t let him stop her.  She squeezed his hands tighter, and her voice grew all the more firm.  “I don’t want you to let this stop you in your tracks.  I want you to keep living to the fullest.  To make up for the time when you were sleeping.  I don’t want you to spend the rest of your life living for something you cannot have again.”

            “I don’t want to forget you,” he told her desperately, laying one hand on the side of her face.  She smiled and leaned into his touch.

            “I don’t want you to forget me.  You can remember me and still more forward.”

            “It’s all my fault.  If only I’d-”

            “Don’t talk like that.  My death had nothing to do with you; there’s nothing you could have done to prevent it.  Just, please, promise me you’ll start living for your future and not for your past.  Can you promise me that?”

            “Mia…”

            “Diego, please!  I’m not going to be the reason that you spend the rest of your life in misery.  You’ve been saved from death more than once.  You’ve been given a great gift.  Please don’t waste it on my account.”  She looked up at him, pleading but firm.  Godot stepped back slightly, so that he could see more of her before saying very quietly.

            “I promise.”

            “Thank you,” she said, leaning up and kissing him gently on the cheek. “Now, I think you have work to do, and I have a sister who would probably like to have use of her body again.”

            Unable to formulate a sentence good enough to truly say goodbye with, Godot gave Mia one last hug before heading back towards the Prosecutor’s office.  On the top step he turned to see her again, but instead saw Maya standing on the sidewalk looking slightly confused.

            “You should come inside, Kid.  I’m pretty sure your spiky haired friend is up in Edgeworth’s office,” he said quietly.

            “Oh, really?  Thanks!” Maya said happily.  She bounded up the stairs, and stopped in front of him, “Are you alright?”

            “I’m fine.”

            “If you say so.  Because if anything’s wrong then-”

            “I’m fine.  Now go find your lawyer and I’ll see you around.” Maya hesitated just slightly before following his directions and running off to find Phoenix.

            Godot slowly made his way to his own office.  He felt remarkably empty as he sat himself down at his desk.

            “There you are.  I’ve been waiting for you.  We got some interesting leads at the home and I think that we should-” Franziska began, opening his door without so much as a knock.

            “I’m not in the mood, Filly,” he answered quietly, his voice strained.  For once Franziska did not respond with an angry tirade.  Instead she asked him a quiet question.

            “Would you like some coffee?”

            Just slightly touched, Godot took a moment before answering, “That would be nice.  My stash is-”

            “I know,” she said opening one of his office cupboards and taking out some coffee beans.  “I’ll be right back,” she told him, and left.

            Godot sat alone with his thoughts.  He felt utterly aimless and alone.  He began to cry, tears sneaking out from behind his mask and falling onto the polished wood of his desk.  At the sound of returning heels he hastily wiped his face.

            Franziska handed him a warm a mug, and then stood stiffly beside his desk, clearly unsure of how she should talk to him.  She was not the most comforting presence.

            “I think…” she began, but then stopped seeming to think the better of it, before heading towards the door.  She stopped as she reached the threshold and turned to look at him.  He was watching her, still curious as to what she hadn’t said.

            “I think Ms. Fey, would have wanted you to be happy.  I… I don’t think she abides much by moping.”  She stood stock still by the door, unsure if she should say more or simply leave.

            “Thanks, Kid,” Godot said quietly, “thanks for the coffee, and… well, just thanks.”

 

Continue!