The extra case added for the DS re-release.  While in something of a slump Phoenix is hired by Ema Skye to defend her sister, Chief Prosecutor Lana Skye in the murder of a police detective.  But this time, he may have bitten off more than he can chew.

(Submitted by Fapman)

 

Date:  February, 2017
Defense Attorney:  Phoenix Wright
Prosecutor:  Miles Edgeworth
Defendant:  Lana Skye
Victim:  Bruce Goodman
COD:  Stabbed in the chest.
MW:  Joe Darke's switchblade.
Guilty:  Damon Gant

 

During a rainy night, a murder takes place. As the introduction plays, we see the silhouette of a woman stabbing another person, but who is the murderer?

Day 1

Two months following the "Turnabout Goodbyes" case, Phoenix has taken no cases whatsoever, even though he had many offers. When he comes into the office, however, he meets up with a young woman who explains that she needs Mia Fey to defend her Sister in court tomorrow. Phoenix explains to the woman that Mia "doesn't work here anymore", and introduces himself. The woman then convinces Phoenix to take on the case, and introduces herself as Ema Skye.

Ema is a 16-year old scientific investigator who is going to be assigned to Forensics in three more years. Ema explains that her sister is going on trial for a murder, and that there was a witness who saw her sister commit the murder, but Ema believes that her Sister is innocent.  She promised her sister that she would hire Mia to take on the case.

At the Detention Center, Phoenix meets Ema's sister, Lana Skye. Lana smarts off to the guard before meeting with Phoenix, and does not face in the direction of Phoenix for the first part of the meeting. After telling Ema not to get involved in court tomorrow, she finally faces Phoenix, and introduces herself as the Chief Prosecutor for this District. Phoenix thinks this is a rather interesting coincidence: Two sisters, with one being a lawyer.

Before she tells Phoenix her story, Lana explains that she has already confessed. The crime took place on February 21st, at 5:15 P.M.. The witness saw very clearly that she committed the crime. The scene of the crime was at the underground parking lot at the Prosecutor's Office. Her subordinate's car's trunk held the body. As a result, she was caught "red-handed".

The victim was a detective for the police department. He was stabbed once in the stomach, and his death resulted from a loss of blood. Although death wasn't immediate, the wound was fatal. If a detective is a murder victim, the police department will pride themselves at finding the defendant guilty, no matter what.

Lana is the chief prosecutor responsible for overseeing every trial handled by the prosecutors in the district, making sure that the prosecutors are well-equipped and able to handle the job. She's surprised Phoenix doesn't recognize her, at first, and shows off her bandaged hand. When she "stabbed" the victim, she accidentally cut herself.

Wright then asks Lana about her relation to Mia Fey. Lana did go to the same law school as Mia, and during her third year Mia was auditing her class. Lana explains that Mia was very determined to be a defense attorney, and was attracted ("Intellectually") to Lana, since Lana was the best there was in her school.

After the conversation, Lana says that Phoenix can't really take the case since she's already admitting her guilt. Ema knows that Lana didn't do it, and doesn't want to lose her only family. Lana then ends the conversation between her and Phoenix, leaving the rest up to him.

Back at Wright & Co. Law Offices, Ema explains that her sister isn't always so negative. In fact, Lana used to be a likable woman, but Ema doesn't know why Lana seemed to change.

At the underground parking lot, Phoenix is surprised that his first visit to the prosecutor's office ended up like this. Ema tells everybody to keep up the good work. Phoenix explains to Ema that attorneys shouldn't really examine crime scenes. Suddenly, a cowboy type of person appears from out of nowhere, and explains that this crime scene is his "gold mine" of evidence. Ema explains that the cowboy is a detective of sorts.

After the cowboy leaves, Ema and Phoenix begin looking around the crime scene. Suddenly, the "sheriff" (as Phoenix calls him) returns. Ema asks the cowboy who drives the Red Mustang (the only car parked there), and he explains that to find the answer, they should head up to the 12th floor of the Prospector's Office. He'll let Phoenix and Ema look around the crime scene, but will not allow either of them to touch anything.

Before heading up to the 12th floor, Phoenix and Ema look around the "unclaimed" portion of the crime scene for any clues. Aside from a few "scientific" quips from Ema, nothing much of interest is around the parking area at the moment...except for a wallet. Before Phoenix hands it over to the officers, Ema stops him, and tells him to pocket it. This is where Ema explains to Phoenix how to look at evidence in "3-D" action.

Looking at the wallet, Phoenix discovers that the wallet contains an I.D. of detective "Bruce Goodman". After finding the I.D., Phoenix meets another woman who happens to be selling lunches. She explains that the area is "Off-Limits" to people without clearance, and explains that her "Cough-Up Queen" days are over. She then explains that she is the witness who saw everything, and introduces herself as "Angel Starr".

Angel explains, in a rather confusing way, that yesterday was a major Prosecutor's convention. She witnessed Lana Skye actually wielding the knife, and stabbing the victim, who was slumped in the trunk of someone's car. Surprisingly, she knew Lana's name. In any case, she sells lunches everyday at the offices, and she only imports "the freshest and the best from the Far East". Her boyfriend is a security guard at the Prosecutor's Office, and she pays him a visit whenever she drops by. It's very apparent that she has a thing against Prosecutors, but she hasn't said why.

Phoenix and Ema then proceed to the very decorative High Prosecutor's Office. Ema notices a trophy in the room, and notes that the guy in this office must be a jerk...but then, somebody walks into the room. Ladies and Gentlemen, it's Miles Edgeworth, and he asks Phoenix and Ema what they're doing there. After telling Edgeworth about the murder case, and asking him about the red mustang, Edgeworth reveals that the mustang belongs to him.

In other words, the victim's body was found in Edgeworth's Car, but Ema doesn't believe Edgeworth was the murderer. Ema then introduces herself to Edgeworth, and Edgeworth realizes how much she has grown. Suddenly, Edgeworth says that he's going to be the prosecutor in this case!

Edgeworth then explains that he worked on a major case with Lana Skye two years ago, which was his first big case. Edgeworth always thought that Lana was looking out for him up until now. She claims to have stabbed the victim in his car with his own knife (which is kept in the toolbox in the trunk of his car).

Phoenix then examines the trophy. It's the "King of Prosecutors" Trophy, which is sent to the best prosecutor each year.  He shows the Trophy to Edgeworth, and Edgeworth explains he had to go to the Police Department (and lose a day of work) to get it. Edgeworth doesn't explain, however, why the trophy appears to be broken. Edgeworth then explains that yesterday was the "Annual Cleaning Day" at the Prosecutor's Office, which is when they work with the police department to sort all evidence for solved cases (better known as "Evidence Transferal"). Also, yesterday, was a ceremony for reviews & awards of outstanding prosecutors & officers. Edgeworth was there all afternoon, then he got back to the offices at 5:12. He gives Phoenix his parking stub as proof.

Suddenly, a police officer barges in on the conversation, and presents Edgeworth a report. Officer Meekins (The police officer in question) was just following his orders, but Edgeworth tells him to take the report and leave.

Proceeding to the Police Department, Phoenix notices the Blue Badger, a moving plywood cutout of the Police Station's mascot, which Gumshoe happens to be dancing with. Gumshoe explains that Lana called the detective to the Prosecutor's Office, and killed him. There's also plenty of evidence to back up the story, too. Gumshoe was unfortunately kicked out of Criminal Affairs, because lower-ranking employees are not allowed in there during the investigation. Officer Marshall is in charge of the investigation at the moment.

Ema examines the Blue Badger, then proceeds to ask Gumshoe about it. It was a random design approved by Gumshoe, and since its battery-powered, it can go anywhere.

After Phoenix shows Gumshoe Goodman's ID card, Gumshoe remembers that Goodman is the victim in this case. Goodman would've been at the department yesterday, but rumor has it that he was called out to the Prosecutor's Parking Lot by Lana.

Phoenix then asks Gumshoe about the rumors around the Police Station. Apparently, people are talking a lot about how Edgeworth has ties to the "higher-ups", and that the only reason that he took this case is because he wants to become the Chief Prosecutor.  Gumshoe gives Phoenix a letter of introduction to hand over to Jake Marshall, who is in charge of the investigation, which will give Phoenix the permission he needs to poke around the crime scene.

Returning to the Underground Parking Lot, Phoenix and Ema meet Angel again, and she reveals that she has another boyfriend at the Criminal Affairs department. Suddenly, Jake Marshall appears. Phoenix presents the letter, and Jake lets them in. But why is Jake in charge of the investigation? Anyways, Phoenix and Ema proceed to the Crime Scene and begin investigating.

First thing they come across is the Victim's Cellphone. Phoenix decides to check it out. The display is still on the redial button, and basically if you want to dial the last number you called, you just press the blue button. Time to push the Blue Button. It calls another cellphone...and has the Steel Samurai's Ringtone, too. The Phone from the ground belongs to Lana Skye! It was dropped by her when she was arrested, and according to the records, she made a call to someone for only a few seconds. The Phone that it called...was Phoenix's Phone?

Continuing the investigation, Phoenix comes across a note. It reads "6-7S 12/2", and Goodman's name is on it. Then Phoenix notices the lock on the car is busted.

Looking back in Marshall's direction, Phoenix asks about the victim. Detective Goodman was stabbed in the chest at the scene of the crime at 5:15 P.M.. Ema asks if Lana and Goodman were related in any way...but Marshall says they had no real relation. They only worked together on one case a few years ago.

Marshall actually used to be a detective before two years ago. He's only a patrolman now, but he's in charge because the Police are short-handed. Also, Gumshoe was apparently kicked out of the investigation.

Then there's the question about the Office's Atmosphere. Suspicions about Edgeworth flying around state that he was nearly unbeatable until Phoenix came along. There have apparently been bad rumors about Edgeworth for a long time now, and some go as far as to suggest that he's been making deals in order to win trials. What started the rumors, Jake won't say.  After the conversation with Marshall, Phoenix points out to Ema that it wasn't his phone that rang...but rather, it was Ema's. But Ema didn't really talk with her sister at all when Lana called her Cellphone at 5:18.

DAY 2

Lana asks Wright how the investigation went yesterday, but Phoenix says that there are a lot of gray areas to the investigation. Lana gives Phoenix a bit of advice: Defense Attorneys should never believe their client. Phoenix then points out that Lana and Mia are very similar, except that Lana's a prosecutor. Good luck, Phoenix, since this is the first trial in which you won't get any help from a Fey.

Everybody gets themselves ready, but Edgeworth is not worried about the outcome of the trial. Edgeworth's opening statements claim that Lana committed a rather heinous crime within the parking lot of the prosecutor's offices. Plus, there was a "professional" witness to the crime. Edgeworth then proceeds to call Angel Starr to the stand.

Before the testimony begins, the Judge receives his Caviar Lunch delivery, Phoenix gets a Fiesta Box, and Edgeworth gets the Fingerprint Special. The judge loves it, Phoenix doesn't seem to care much for it, and Edgeworth says it's too early for lunch. Now, why didn't Edgeworth call a Police Officer to testify first? It's because Angel Starr is a "Professional"...or rather, a Special Investigator for the police. She used to be a first-rate Homicide Detective. Her name finally makes sense to the Judge: She's the Cough-up Queen Angel Starr.

Angel Starr shows a map of the crime scene. There are two blocks in the Underground Parking Lot: A Block for the Prosecutor's, and B Block for Visitors/Clients. There's a chain in-between the two blocks to prevent cars in B Block from taking up Prosecutors' parking spaces. The crime took place in the trunk of Edgeworth's Mustang. The killer stabbed the victim with a knife, and proceeded to drive the body out. There was a witness, and an arrest was made on the spot. The witness was Angel Starr, herself. After the witnessing, she apprehended the Chief Prosecutor.

Angel goes on to say that she was on her way to deliver a lunch box to her boyfriend, when she noticed, through the wire fence, that the chief prosecutor was standing next to a "garish car". Angel watched as Lana thrust the knife into Goodman's chest.

During cross-examination, she reveals why she has such a beef with prosecutors: She was laid off by them, and she thinks that they are worms. Her boyfriend in question was not the detective, but rather the security guard. The security guard's office is in A Block, and it's on the second level so you can see everything from there. Basically, she was in B Block when she witnessed the murder.

Suddenly, Angel presents a photograph of Lana standing by Edgeworth's Car, with the hatch open! The picture was taken by a "rigged" lunch box (it had a camera on the inside).

Continuing with the cross-examination, Angel explains that the blade was about 10 centimeters long. But why didn't Angel try to stop the murder? She didn't realize what was going on until the last minute.

The contradiction, however, lies in the fact that she saw Lana holding a knife in her Right Hand...but that would be impossible, because the photo she presented proves otherwise. There is some discussion over whether the photo was taken during or after the crime took place.  It shows for sure, though, that Lana was wearing rubber gloves, which indicates that the murder was premeditated.  But wait, if it was pre-mediated, then why did Lana use the knife in Edgeworth's car, instead of her own weapon?

Edgeworth then tells Phoenix that he'll be eating humble pie next, as Edgeworth reveals that the point of this trial is that Lana murdered Goodman. The judge demands that Angel redo her testimony. Angel gets upset at this, since she considers her powers of deduction to be unmatched.

Angel's second testimony still stands by the fact that Lana intended to kill Goodman. To do this, she had to call the victim all the way to the Prosecutor's Office. Angel claims that the Chief Prosecutor had a grudge against the victim, which would be the only reason to drive Lana into a stabbing frenzy.

During the cross-examination, Edgeworth mentions that there was no record on her Cellphone that says that she made a call to Goodman, but Angel says there's other ways to contact the victim, such as through a letter. Now, why does Angel think there was a grudge in the first place? Well, she claims that there was a multitude of stabbings that Lana delivered. In either case, Phoenix also notes to himself that Starr doesn't like to have her Detective abilities challenged.

But wait, the victim died from only one stab, as the autopsy report shows. When pressed on this, Angel begins to explain that when she saw Lana lift her knife, she thought she saw blood around her breast, so she assumed the victim got stabbed more than once (or, as she said, stabbed twice). She then adds to her testimony that Lana was wearing a muffler. A red muffler, in fact. It's like a scarf of sorts that the chief prosecutor seems to always wear around her neck. Angel did see some traces of blood around her neck. In either case, the autopsy report clearly states that there was only one knife wound, as Edgeworth explains.

The photo Angel took doesn't show Lana wearing a muffler. Suddenly, Edgeworth exclaims that Angel is not suited for Detective work, and the photo shows clearly there was no scarf being worn by the defendant. One thing's not clear, though: Did Lana actually stab the victim in the first place?

Moving on, Angel begins her third testimony. She explains that Lana attempted to hide behind a partition off to her side, but Angel caught her as she was running away. Lana did mention the Muffler, which is what confused Angel in her second testimony. Even the judge is surprised that Angel's determined to keep the scarf in her testimony. Apparently, while resisting arrest, Lana knocked over an oil drum.

Cross Examination reveals, obviously, that the partition in the parking lot is the wall next to the car, which is about 6 feet high. She was only 30 feet away from Lana during the whole crime, but Phoenix presses this to make sure he gets all the information possible.

So far, it checks out, but if she was chasing Lana, how could she remain 30 feet from her with a chain-linked fence blocking her way? She climbed over it. But she couldn't have gotten there fast enough because the height of the chain-linked fence is nearly 9 feet. So, why didn't Lana get away?

Back to the cross-examination. Angel doesn't know exactly what Lana meant by muffler, only that Lana said it on her phone, which means she was talking to someone else. Angel says that Lana tried to use the wall phone, but it was out of order. She adds to her testimony that Lana gave up trying to use the wall phone, and resorted to using her cell phone. When pressed about it, Phoenix requests a repetition of her testimony.

Lana stabbed Goodman, ran behind the partition, and used the phone. The phone didn't work, so she used her Cellphone. While using her cellphone, Angel climbed over the fence, and arrested Lana...just as she was hanging up her phone. But did she see all of this? Continuing the cross-examination, she claims that Lana brushed the side of Angel's hand, and tried to escape. She even kicked over an oil drum in the process. Edgeworth, however, thinks it's strange, since if Lana wanted to escape, why didn't she choose to escape in the other direction? Even Ema agrees that it doesn't make sense. The question is now, did Lana try to escape at all?

Hold it, though...how could Angel see Lana trying to use the emergency phone? There was a partition blocking her line of vision, as the floorplan explains. However, after presenting this, Angel mentions that two years ago Edgeworth and Lana were involved in getting her fired. In either case, Phoenix submits that if she was in B Block witnessing the murder, she couldn't have seen Lana use the Emergency Phone...unless she saw everything from a different location. According to all of the testimony so far, she saw it from the Security Room! It's on the second floor, and you can see everything from there...including the scene of the crime. But the photo proves that the murderer was Lana Skye. But why would Angel lie?

The answer: If she lied, it would change the distance between her and the scene of the crime. Edgeworth points out that the distance is still 30 feet, but how long would it have taken Angel to get to Lana's position? It took longer because the door to A Block was locked, so she had to run around the outside perimeter to B Block. It took about 5 minutes. She swears that Lana is still the murderer, and offers another Caviar lunch to the judge.

Phoenix brings up a point: You can make pasta "al dente" in 5 minutes. So, basically, if Angel needed five minutes to run around the outside perimeter to get to B Block, Lana would have time to escape. But Lana didn't!

So it comes down to this: Angel did have a grudge against Lana, and there's a blank in her testimony. Edgeworth overestimated Angel, and court is adjourned...

HOLD IT...screams...Angel? She presents the judge with a jumbo lunchbox, and she gets another chance for a testimony!

There's another matter at hand, explains Angel. The victim's shoe. Two types of blood were on the shoe: one was the victim's, and the other was Lana's.

Edgeworth objects, wondering why this was not introduced in the first place. She did do a bit of investigating beforehand, and had blood tests performed thanks to three boyfriends in forensics. Edgeworth refuses this as evidence, since it wasn't approved by the police department. But Angel got it approved...today. Hard blow to Edgeworth!

Cross-Examination reveals that she lied so that the people could look at the results. Also, she lied because she despises Edgeworth. While she was waiting for the police to arrive, she snuck off with a vital piece of evidence, and her lunchbox carries more than just tasty lunches. Phoenix then proceeds to press the statement about the blood...and he brings up a key fact: That blood tests don't determine whether a murder was performed in cold blood.

Pressing some more, Phoenix proceeds to say that there's a problem with the shoe. There's blood on the bottom of the shoe. But what's wrong with that? The answer is in the photo: there is are footprints in the photo, which contradicts her whole statement about the shoe! There were no bloody footprints at the scene of the crime. But why? Phoenix doesn't know...

...but Edgeworth does. Edgeworth explains that in her previous testimony, Lana resisted, and knocked over an oil drum. Edgeworth knows that Lana isn't normally like that. But was the oil drum empty? Nope...it was filled with water. The water would wipe clean the blood stains on the floor, which would become evidence against her. That means not only did she confess, but she also tried to conceal the evidence!

Before the judge makes the verdict, Ema accuses Angel of being biased for the prosecution. Irritated that anyone would think she has any respect for such people, Angel provides more evidence to help prove her story: Another photograph depicting Goodman stabbed in the car with the shoe on the ground.

Phoenix is about to give up...but then, just before the judge throws out a verdict, Phoenix gets an idea. There's a problem with this piece of evidence, and there appears to be something in the car's muffler! But why is it important? When Angel was talking about a muffler in her testimony, she was thinking scarf, when it could've been the muffler that Lana was talking about! The piece of cloth in the muffler is now vital evidence.

The trial is now suspended. The judge is curious about the piece of cloth in the muffler. Court is adjourned for 30 minutes.

During the recess, Ema asks if all the trials Phoenix is involved with always seem to carry on like this specific trial. Suddenly, Marshall makes an appearance, and claims that he saw Lana wearing her red muffler the day of the murder, and so did Edgeworth.

After the 30 minute recess, the trial resumes. Phoenix looks normal, but Edgeworth looks like crap. When asked why, Edgeworth doesn't say anything, except "It can't be!". Suddenly, Damon Gant makes an appearance at the Witness' Stand, and after some chatter reveals himself as the chief of police.

He acts very cheerfully, then presents the Red Scarf worn by Lana, and then a switchblade knife to the Judge. Edgeworth Objects, wondering why they would miss such vital pieces of evidence. Gant then shows Edgeworth some documents that reveals who's in charge of the investigation...Miles Edgeworth. Damon Gant demands a written apology for doing such a shabby job around the scene of the crime.

The Judge accepts the new evidence into the Court Record, then asks Phoenix to open up the switchblade. While looking at the knife, Ema notices that there's a tag on there that reads "SL-9 2", then she realizes that she saw the knife from somewhere before. Then, Phoenix pushes the lever, and the knife "unsheathes" itself. The tip is broken off, and there's some blood on the jagged edge.

Edgeworth then demands an explanation from the Chief of Police. Time for Damon's first testimony. Damon claims that this switchblade is special, but there is no proof that there's a connection to this knife and Goodman. It was a bad day for the department, and they weren't in any shape for investigating, since a detective was killed at the Police Department at 5:15 P.M.. Damon claims that it's not officially linked to the current case.

Then, the Judge says that the murder at the Police Department is a pretty big coincidence, and Edgeworth points out that the murder of Goodman also took place at that same time. This is a top-secret investigation, and Damon wants this kept under secret.

During Cross-Examination, Phoenix asks why the Knife is so special. Apparently, it was wrapped in the scarf that Lana was wearing. Then, Phoenix points out that the knife was found at the scene of the crime, which should make a really big connection, but Damon's still keeping quiet about the investigation. But there is proof that there is a connection! There was a piece of paper at the scene of the crime...that reads SL-9 when turned upside-down. It's the same code as the code on the switchblade!

Damon adds something else to his testimony. The switchblade was evidence in a case, and was stolen from the Department's Evidence Room. When pressed about the statement, Gant explains that it was stolen on the day of the murder, and yes, it was a murder weapon, too, from a case long-solved ago.

Continuing the Cross-Examination, It's revealed that the perpetrator for the murder at the Police Department was also caught. Firstly, Phoenix asks where the victim's body was found, and it was in the Evidence Room. Phoenix asks Damon how the victim was killed, and Damon reveals that it was a stabbing done with a knife, exactly how Goodman was killed, but there was more information that seems to be related, too.

Pressing Gant's last statement, Gant points out that it's a funny coincidence since both murders took place at the same time. Now, where's the connection? The Switchblade in the Evidence Room was stolen, and it was possibly used as a murder weapon at the Evidence Room in the Police Department. The connection is finally established, and now both Edgeworth and Phoenix want information on the victim.

After pressing Gant for a while longer, he finally reveals that the victim stabbed to death at the police station was Bruce Goodman.  Wait, if that's true, then why was he also killed at 5:15 in the underground parking lot? Edgeworth makes a claim that the Police Department made an error, but Gant counters by saying that Edgeworth is the one in error. Meekins was trying to bring Edgeworth the report yesterday, but Edgeworth dismissed him without hearing him out. The report also claims that Bruce Goodman was killed at the Police Department as well. Wait, why didn't Gant submit it as evidence when he appeared in court?

Edgeworth quotes rule #2 of Evidence: "New evidence may only be submitted if it concerns the case on trial." There was a list of evidence to be submitted to the court record, but the report wasn't included on the list. Until there was a connection proven, the report couldn't really be submitted. It was Phoenix who proved the connection.

Edgeworth is frustrated as hell, and requests a day to get to the bottom of what happened. Looks like this is the first very serious error in the history of this court. The trial is extended another day so that Edgeworth can look into the case at hand much more closely.

Returning to Wright & Co. Law Offices, Phoenix and Ema discuss what's going on with the case so far. They know that Goodman was stabbed to death after 5 PM on the 21st, and apparently died in both the prosecutor's parking lot and the police department's evidence room. Ema points out the distance between the two places is 30 minutes. The question is, where the hell was Goodman murdered?

First, to the underground parking lot. Ema points out her sister would never do such things as destroy evidence, let alone murder. Them, Ema presents something interesting: Luminol Testing Fluid. This material is supposed to reveal blood stains that haven't been thoroughly washed away. Ema tells Phoenix to give it a try.

Spraying near the back bumper of Edgeworth's Car, Phoenix discovers a small amount of blood...near evidence marker #1.  The odd thing about it is that there isn't a lot of blood on the ground. Looking at Goodman's shoe suggests there'd be a lot more blood than just a little stain. Ema marks the location of the small bloodstain on the Map.

Then, Phoenix sprays around the Emergency Phone, where Lana tried to make the call.

Then, Angel makes an appearance, and offers a day-old Deli Box to Phoenix. In court today, she was afraid that she wouldn't be convincing enough to the court, but she's still standing by her original testimony. Angel is basically known as the "Cough-Up Queen" because she'd always get the witnesses to cough up all the information they knew. She was fired because of...SL-9.

She reveals that Goodman was the head detective on SL-9. The switchblade was the murder weapon from the case. The SL-9 evidence was due for transferal when Goodman was killed.

Phoenix then goes on to ask Angel about SL-9. Angel was on the biggest case that she ever handled, and both the police and the prosecutors were desperate for evidence. Ironically, however, the case was solved, and the criminal caught and executed, even without decisive evidence. The criminal was convicted by fake evidence. The detectives who were involved were demoted or fired. Jake Marshall was also one of the people who was demoted.

Jake Marshall was a determined Detective during the whole SL-9 incident. Unfortunately, he got demoted to patrolman...and he and Angel never forgot about what happened. There's a hidden side to SL-9 that Angel and Jake are after at the moment. She sells lunches at the prosecutor's office...to meet boyfriends...who help her with her little investigation. Angel them gives Phoenix a Salisbury Steak Lunch to tempt somebody into helping him.

Arriving at the Police Department's Entrance, Phoenix and Ema notice that the department is more busy than usual. Ema gets the information they need, and they proceed into the department.

First things first, let's head to the Evidence Room Entrance's Guard Station. Looks like a western-style setting if you ask me. While looking at the cactus, Ema mentions that it reminds her of Lana, and how it's "encased in a cold, rigid shell, with thorns pointing in every direction." Unable to go any further, Phoenix and Ema return to the Police Department's entrance.

Gumshoe's back, and he's very busy at the moment. He explains that they have the criminal from the police department in custody, and in questioning, at the moment. Then, Gumshoe runs off to the evidence room.

Heading to the Criminal Affairs department, everybody is busy. But right now, Phoenix and Ema head off to the Detention Center first. The perpetrator from the police department is...Meekins?! In any case, during the day of the crime, Meekins went to the evidence room, yet there was no guard guarding the evidence room's entrance. Usually, the guard on duty would be Jake Marshall. While in the security room, he noticed a suspicious man on one of the security feed monitors. After seeing the feed, everything went white...and he woke up in the detention center.

Also, he has a bandage on his left hand...just like Lana Skye (on her right hand, though). Before Phoenix asks about the bandaged hand, he asks Meekins about Goodman...and Meekins has no idea who Goodman is. Phoenix then proceeds to ask Meekins about his bandaged hand...Meekins mentioned that when he saw the detective point a knife at him, he just fainted. When he came to, he noticed Goodman was gone, and his hand was gushing blood.

Phoenix then presents the switchblade to Meekins, and Meekins says that the switchblade was the exact blade he was threatened with...but he also reacts the same way with Edgeworth's Knife. Finally, Ema shows Meekins Goodman's ID...and Meekins starts to remember! All that happened revolved around that little ID card!

First off all, Meekins noticed a man he didn't know, and that man didn't show his ID card to him. So the issue is that they have no idea whether or not the victim at the station is really Goodman. Also, the body apparently disappeared from the evidence room, so they have no idea if anyone actually died.

The Police, however, assumed that Goodman was definitely in the evidence room, but Meekins isn't sure about that. The Video Tape from the Security Camera, however, might be of some use. To the crime scene!

But first...a detour to the Criminal Affairs department. Lo, and behold, it's Gant.  Time for a little chat.

Damon mentions that Edgeworth is going through a little inquiry committee at the moment, and the Prosecutor's Office is in a bit of a turmoil. To put it lightly, it looks bad for Edgeworth. Also, the evidence pretty much states that Goodman got stabbed in two locations at the same time. Gant, however, isn't going to spill the beans about any other information. 

Phoenix and Ema investigate the area, and discover a lost item report that's half complete. Phoenix keeps a note of that in the Court Record, just in case.

Phoenix then asks Gant if he can enter the Evidence Room at the Police Department. Gant looks a bit reluctant at first (the 5-second stare...intimidating, isn't it?), but decides to let him. Gant then gives Phoenix a special "Guest ID Pass" so that he can enter.

To the Evidence Room!...er, not really, since the card reader for the Security Room is turned off. Ladies & Gentlemen, Jake Marshall. He notices the ID Card pinned to Phoenix's chest, and considers it "better than a sheriff's badge in these parts". Before investigating, Phoenix and Ema try to have a little chat with Jake, with little success. Now...To The Evidence Room!

Pretty...uhm, dead in here...it feels almost like a morgue, as Phoenix says. Then, out of nowhere, Gumshoe appears...and scares Ema. Gumshoe wonders if it's true that Gant will loan anybody $50. Gumshoe also says since Gant gave Phoenix and Ema permission to look around the Evidence Room, they're the boss for a day! Before Gumshoe begins talking, he gives Phoenix some floor plans to the Evidence room.

Gumshoe is in charge of the investigation for the day, today, but apparently he got kicked out of the investigation, again. He explains that each locker in the evidence room is set up so that only one person can open up each locker with a fingerprint scan. Each handle has a sensor on the lock, and if the wrong person tries to move the handle, it doesn't work.

Now to show Gumshoe some of the Court Record stuff. Gumshoe explains about SL-9 being Edgeworth's first big case, and that there are some loose ends left from that case that are now being opened up. Then Phoenix asks about SL-9. SL-9 revolved around a serial killing. The problem, though, was that the killer made a mistake, which Edgeworth used to his advantage. SL-9 put Edgeworth in the spotlight, as well as started rumors about him. SL-9 was also Goodman's Last Job.

Now time for some Luminol Action. Spraying around the crime scene, Phoenix and Ema notice a huge pool of blood. Gumshoe notices the "Blue Blood" and thinks the victim was actually an Alien.........ok, not really, but it does prove that something did happen in front of the locker. But what the hey, Phoenix and Ema also spray around where Gumshoe is standing, and surprise, there's more blood on another locker! But why would the murderer touch this spot if he fled out the door? It's a significant find. 

Wait a minute...there's another locker with more obvious bloodstains on it. Ema mentions it also has a nice handprint there, too. Using the Luminoil, they discover it's a right handprint. The handprint's on Gumshoe's locker, too!

Looking at the Scene of the Crime, Phoenix and Ema come across some SL-9 Evidence...a pair of Gloves...and a shattered piece of...something. Phoenix then tries to put it back together, and creates part of a vase.

Now, it's time to "feed" Jake Marshall. Giving the Salisbury Steak to Marshall makes him grateful, and finally convinces him to spill his guts.

Alright, first, Jake is in charge of the security office to the security room. Also, he's still "unofficially" investigating SL-9 with Angel, even though the evidence transferal the day before should have closed the case for good.

But first, why doesn't he like the Security Systems? He barely knows how to operate them, that's for sure. In fact, he only knows how to work two of them. The easiest to understand is the security cameras. If no activity occurs within a few hours, the tapes are automatically erased. Marshall also mentions that the card reader keeps track of all ID cards that are passed through. One of them has Goodman's ID number on it, but Jake's not handing over the list until he has proof it could be considered evidence.

Before they get more evidence, Phoenix asks about the transferal. The evidence room contains only evidence from solved cases, which is kept under the presiding detective's supervision for two years so that in case of a mistake, they can be re-investigated. After two years, the evidence goes into the underground vault at the police station. It's done every February. When a case is solved, after two years it's considered closed forever/dead.

Ema then shows the proof that the ID Records list is considered evidence...the Victim's ID card. Ema then asks to look at the list, again, and lo and behold, there's Goodman's ID number...checked in at 5:14 P.M.. So the incident occurred while Goodman was in the evidence room. However, Meekins had Goodman show him his ID card, but Goodman showed Meekins his knife, instead...but why? In either case, Jake hands over the list to Phoenix and Ema.

Now, it's time to show the list to different people. First, Phoenix shows the list to Gumshoe. Gumshoe reacts VERY surprisingly to the list, as he recognizes the second ID number is Edgeworth's ID number! But why did Edgeworth come to the Evidence Room?

After all is said and done, Edgeworth's Inquiry should be finishing up, so now Gumshoe is off to give Edgeworth his report. To the High Prosecutor's Office!

Well, the inquiry went easy on Edgeworth, and treated the situation as a miscommunication during the investigation instead of concealing evidence. Apparently, he got lucky. Also, although he's still the prosecutor, the investigation is under the control of the Police Department, and Gant will be in charge of dictating when the investigation will continue.

But now, it's time to talk about the ID Card Record...it's true, Edgeworth did go into the Evidence Room at that time. He was asked to go there by Gant to hold on to evidence from a case that was 6 months old: a screwdriver. In any case, Phoenix adds this as "Unrelated Evidence".

Now, Phoenix asks about the "Allegations of Forgery". SL-9 was a big Serial Killer case, and Damon Gant was in charge of it. It was Edgeworth's first time working with Gant, too. Anyways, Edgeworth wanted to see the murderer convicted, and succeeded, but he didn't forge/tamper with any evidence. Then, Edgeworth loans Phoenix and Ema some Aluminum Powder for fingerprint taking, and some fingerprint sets, too. Well, back to the Evidence Room, again.

Phoenix begins to test the suspicious handprint on Gumshoe's locker. There aren't any discernible fingerprints at first, which means that the person may have been wearing gloves. But then, Phoenix looks around the bloody handprint, and finds a not-so-obvious fingerprint. Unfortunately, it belongs to Gumshoe.

Now, to the other locker (where the "out-of-place" handprint was). Now, remember, the handprint was wiped away, sort of, so Phoenix has to look around the outside of the wipe. They find a semi-useful fingerprint that doesn't help much, but after some more searching, they find another...Which seems to match Jake Marshall's fingerprint!  Ema doesn't quite believe it.

Fast forward to the 2nd day of the trial. Both the Defense and the Prosecution are confused, and Lana points out that it's all because Goodman died in two different places at the same time, with a different suspect arrested at the other scene of the crime. Even the Police are clueless. Lana has decided to strike up a plea bargain, which means if Lana tells the truth behind the simultaneous murder, they won't seek capital punishment, even though Lana has no idea what's going on, either. Today's trump card is Jake Marshall's Fingerprints on one of the lockers.

The Defense is ready, but Prosecution is..."Hmph"? Edgeworth explains that it takes 30 minutes to get from criminal affairs to the Prosecutor's Office by car, yet Goodman was slain at both places at the same time. The victim from the evidence room disappeared, and reappeared in Edgeworth's Car. (Most of you probably agree with Phoenix when he says "Wow...this is one messed up trial...")

Edgeworth calls Officer Meekins to the stand, who immediate confesses to the murder.  Cue sweat-storm by Phoenix, then silence, then Judge asking for a re-clarification, then Meekins WILLINGLY accepting punishment for the crime of murder. After a demand by Edgeworth, Meekins begins his testimony.

He was assigned to guard the evidence room for that day, and he spotted a suspicious man on the security screen. He rushed into the security room, but was suddenly attacked. He then admits to killing Goodman right there, then fainting, then being woken up by another officer.

During cross-examination, it's revealed that Meekins is really in-charge of hiring new recruits. Edgeworth also points out during evidence transferal, many officers are given jobs that they are not usually trained to do. Meekins was put on "Blue Badger Guard Duty" during the evidence transferal. Because a lot of people were moving around that day, Meekins re-located the Blue Badger to the evidence room. His ID number is 4989596, which is shown as being used TWICE! At 4:50, he relocated the Badger, then at 5:14, he went to get the Badger back. Both Meekins and Goodman were surprised to see each other, and Meekins tried to tackle Goodman. However, when he saw that he'd been cut by a knife, he panicked...and did it.  He actually snatched the knife from Goodman's hand! He spun Goodman around and "performed a disarming maneuver," but his eyes were closed all the time he was doing this. Goodman's coat was drenched in blood, and Meekins got punched. Meekins regained consciousness around 5:30, then returned the Blue Badger to it's rightful place.

Pretty dang clear description of what happened, too. Now, the question remains, was the guy that Meekins "murdered" really Goodman? Meekins then presents a tape to the court, delivered by Gant to Meekin's Cell. It's a tape that contains footage from the security camera in the evidence room. Edgeworth objects, claiming that he was again misinformed (he was under the impression that the tape from the security camera had been erased!).

The video shows Goodman opening one of the lockers, followed by Meekins sneaking up on him, a scuffle, and then Goodman disappears from the tape.  Since most of the video is disrupted by the dancing Blue Badger, Edgeworth insist that the Witness's Testimony will suffice. Time for some more testimony.

Meekins claims that the other person was undoubtedly Detective Goodman, since there would be no other way to successfully open up Goodman's evidence locker.

Now for some cross-examination. Meekins did not get a clear look at Goodman's face. Meekins tried other ways of opening up lockers, but with no avail; they can only be opened up with a fingerprint scan. He knows it was Goodman's locker due to rumors by the cafeteria workers. Well, in either case, Goodman's hand did open the locker, and it was Goodman's hand that wielded the knife to attack Meekins. Now...will the Defense find anything weird in the tape?

There is something strange. Phoenix thinks the man is NOT Goodman. Edgeworth wants a contradiction, now!

Phoenix decides to present the tape to counter Meekins' claim that Detective Goodman's Fingerprint was needed to open the locker. The contradiction? It's the light on Goodman's Locker. When you grab the handle, a sensor reads your fingerprint, and if the print matches, the lock opens...PLUS, the light turns on! But, in the video, the Light to the locker was already on, which means the locker was already opened.

On the day of the crime, the locker wasn't locked at all. But how could it still be opened? The locker is automatically locked by another sensor when it's closed. Well, it couldn't have broke, because a malfunction would've been detected. So, why wasn't the locker locked? Ema suggests that something jammed the electronic system. So, what jammed the locker?

If you watch carefully, you'll notice that a piece of...something fell out of the locker. But, was the item in the locker? No one can be sure! The sensor would trigger when the door is shut, but what if there was something inserted between the sensor and the door...so the white thing was in between the sensor and the door! But in order to block the sensors from working, it would have to be really thin, and act as an insulator.

Behold, the rubber glove. It was what was blocking the locker door's sensors! So it comes down to this: The "victim" might NOT have been Goodman. Edgeworth demands more testimony.

There could be one other form of proof: Bruce Goodman's ID Card, and the records clearly show that Goodman did use the card to enter the Evidence Room.

Phoenix then presents Goodman's ID card to Meekins, the ID card found at the crime scene...er, the ORIGINAL crime scene...Edgeworth's Car. Phoenix then presents another clue: Goodman's Lost Item Report. Goodman would fill this out if he lost something important...say, his ID. Thusly, Goodman could not have had his ID Card on the day of the Murder--it had been stolen! Which means, the man Meekins encountered was not Goodman!

Edgeworth praises Mr. Wright...for pointing out the man in the evidence room was not Goodman, due to the locker already being unlocked, and the ID card being lost. Thusly, the murder in the evidence room is a fake. The victim in the video is a fake, and there was no murder at the Police Department, but rather at the underground parking garage, where a trustworthy witness witnessed the whole murder!

OBJECTION TIME! The prosecution almost set a trap! The video didn't show the actual murder, but it can't be said if it's unrelated to the murder in the parking lot. There was a lot of blood in the room. Unfortunately, Edgeworth doesn't have any other witnesses, so Phoenix calls his own. Jake Marshall, come on down, since you were supposed to be guarding the Evidence Room in the first place. Time for a 30 minute recess while they prepare Marshall.

Phoenix, Ema, and Lana discuss what's going to happen. Lana thinks that Phoenix has everything figured out since he's calling on Jake Marshall, but Phoenix is confused. Ema then defends Phoenix, and his decision to protect Lana. Then Gumshoe appears, and brings in some SL-9 Incident files. But why is Ema's name in the SL-9 files? In either case, SL-9 used to be known as the "Joe Darke Killings". Phoenix then reads some names off the files: Jake Marshall, Angel Starr, Damon Gant, Miles Edgeworth, Ema and Lana Skye. They're all connected to SL-9. But Ema then runs off.

And now, the trial Resumes again. Ema's not back. But here comes the Marshall. He was supposed to be guarding the security room the day of the murder. So, let's hear his testimony.

His job was to keep an eye on the evidence room, and make rounds three times a day. Unfortunately, that "ain't his style". Plus, the room is guarded by two security systems, anyways. He was at a "street-side saloon" when "it went down".

Wait a minute...two security systems? He means the Security Cameras and the ID Card Reader. Why not count the lockers? Apparently Marshall is so poor with electronics that he didn't even know the lockers had fingerprint scanners on them.

Cross-Examination Time. Marshall kept an eye on the security by making sure nothing moved on the monitors. He'd erase "inactive footage" tapes every 6 hours. Marshall claims that he did not set foot in the evidence room the day of the murder.  Apparently, he had abandoned his duties to eat spaghetti.

Phoenix tries to argue that if that were the case, his fingerprint shouldn't be on a locker next to a bloodstain.  But Jake testifies that the locker they found his print on was his, so it's no surprise that his prints are there.  And since the video tape is full of blind spots (again, due to the dancing Badger) it's impossible to link him to the crime.

Now, look at the end of the video, with the cloth sticking out of Marshall's Evidence Locker! The cloth sticking out of the witness's locker was not present during the earlier portions of the video UNTIL the very end. This means that whoever was impersonating Goodman opened Marshall's locker.  Because of the fingerprint scanners it could only be Marshall himself.

Edgeworth points out that Meekins should be able to tell the difference between Marshall and Goodman, but Phoenix counters with the fact that Meekins did not know who Goodman was. The reason "Goodman" wouldn't show Meekins his ID card is because it had a photo on it.  Since Marshall had stolen Goodman's ID his face wouldn't match the picture, and he'd be caught immediately.

So, why did Marshall open his locker? Maybe to put the cloth inside of the locker? But why? The video is Phoenix's last chance.

Well, look at "Goodman" on 17:14:57. Look at all that blood on his shoulder! So, what did Marshall do? Testimony + Confession Time!

Marshall wanted to look over one more time before the SL-9 case was closed.  He disguised himself so that he wouldn't be arrested for stealing the evidence, stole Goodman's ID, and snuck into the room.  Lucky for him, Goodman's locker was jammed, allowing him to open it despite the fingerprint scanner.  But he didn't count on Meekins showing up to put a damper on his plans.

But why do all this? Phoenix presents a damn good reason: Neil Marshall, his Brother, was one of the victims in SL-9. He was also one of the investigators during SL-9...along with Damon Gant. Neil fought with Darke, and was killed. That's all the evidence that the investigators needed...according to the public records, that is.

So, basically, Marshall disguised himself as Goodman, entered the Evidence Room, rendered Meekins unconscious, and attempted to steal the SL-9 evidence. So one things clear: No murder took place the Police Department. But that still doesn't help Lana's case. There's still the mystery of the simultaneous murder. And Edgeworth jumps on this. The trial is pretty much over...but wait, Ema Skye is back!

She begins to speak...firstly, she's shocked about finding out the relation between the Joe Darke Killings and SL-9. Thusly, the handprint on Marshall's Locker was irrelevant, but the handprint on Gumshoe's was somewhat relevant. So, what's the contradiction?

Why, it's the Blue Badger! On the floor plans, the Blue Badger was NOT drawn in. If the Blue Badger is positioned on the floor plans, then there is proof that states that it would be IMPOSSIBLE to put a Bloody Handprint without the camera recording some evidence! Meekins brought the Badger into the Evidence Room, and placed it in front of the locker, preventing anyone from leaving a handprint on the locker. That means the handprint was there BEFORE the Badger was brought inside! That also means that blood was spilt TWICE in the evidence room! One time was with Meekins' blood. The other time is unknown, but someone else bled a lot prior to the struggle...which would mean that Goodman was really murdered at a different time!

The recorded murder was fake, but the bloody handprint on Gumshoe's locker has not been explained! So when did it occur? The judge sums up by saying prior to Meekins getting cut, another incident must have occurred before then.

The proof is the ID Card Records. ID Card 7777777 was in the room before Meekins...but Miles was in there before Meekins, too! Nope, couldn't be Edgeworth; There wouldn't have been enough time to dispose of everything, and clean up. That means the 7 lucky 7s guy is the only possible murderer, who also let Goodman inside the Evidence room.

Unfortunately, Edgeworth can't look into it. 7777777 belongs to someone with a rank equal to or above Captain, or an Executive Officer. They don't have the authority to look into that. The only way it can be done is through an official charge filed against an executive.

Still on the stand, Marshall now wants to know one thing about the SL-9 incident...did Lana only use legitimate evidence...or rather, all the evidence in SL-9?

Lana confesses that she forged evidence for SL-9...after saying this, the courtroom erupts into chaos, and the trial is dismissed until tomorrow.

Back at Wright & Co. Law Offices, Ema feels sorry about what Lana said in court. Then, Ema mentions “what happened” to her. When Neil was murdered, Darke left behind some incriminating evidence--more than that, Ema was almost killed by that very same night. Darke killed Neil because Neil was trying to save Ema. In other words, Ema was a witness for SL-9.

During the night of Neil's murder, Ema was all alone in Lana's office, waiting for Lana to take her out to eat dinner. Joe Darke barged into the office, and attacked Ema, who was confused during the whole incident. Neil tackled Darke before Darke could take Ema hostage. Just then, the lights went out, and a bolt of lightning flashed, showing Neil Marshall getting stabbed by Joe Darke. Ema then passed out.

Following the incident, Lana helped Ema regain her senses...but Ema could not testify about the instant. Because of that, Ema decided to become a scientific investigator, so that Ema could make an airtight case, without Lana having to do any forgery.

After SL-9 and the forged evidence, the rumors began to emerge about Edgeworth. Also, Lana became cold-hearted, because of what she did. Phoenix wonders, however, why Joe Darke was being chased by Neil Marshall in the first place, and why Darke was chased into the Prosecutor's Office. Ema explains that Joe was taken in for questioning, but fled halfway in the interview to Lana's Office, because the detective offices and the questioning room are right across from the elevator. Also, Lana was NOT a Chief Prosecutor at the time...she was a Detective! Time to go to the Detention Center to visit Lana.

At the Detention Center, Phoenix asks Lana about her days as a detective during SL-9. Lana makes a point that evidence from SL-9 was stolen, and...two years ago, Lana “sold her soul”. Lana, however, isn't telling Phoenix and Ema about the actual murder at the underground parking lot, and...Lana seems fazed.

During SL-9, she was the 2nd-in-command for the detectives, just under Damon Gant. The two shared the same office, and the same investigations. They led the best investigators on the Police Force. Joe Darke was called in for questioning, since they were desperate for evidence.

Gant and Marshall did the questioning that day, but during the final stages of the investigation, Darke panicked, and waited for the two detectives to drop their guard so that he could flee. He then fled to Lana/Gant's office. Lana was filing papers at the time, but rushed into the office to see three bodies on the floor, and smelled blood.

Wait, three bodies? Yes, it was Marshall's Body, Ema's unconscious body, and...Darke's body?! Darke got a minor concussion during the struggle, and Lana panicked. She immediately carried Ema out of the room and held her, until Ema regained consciousness. After all was said and done, Lana put Darke under arrest.

Lana always planned to be a prosecutor, but the reason she became a detective was to gain experience in crime scene investigations. After SL-9, Gant got promoted, and had Lana transferred to the Prosecutor's Office.

Yep, all of them were involved in SL-9...but Phoenix doesn't believe it. At least one person went through extreme measures (Jake Marshall) because he didn't believe it was truly solved. Marshall changed so much after his brother's death, and he sure wasn't convinced about the ruling against Joe Darke. Now, Phoenix decides to check out Damon Gant's office.

Outside the Police Department, the two meet up with Jake Marshall, who's a bit upset at the fact that “Billy”, his cactus, “bit the dust”. He's heading over to the Prosecutor's Office for a “voluntary” inquiry.

Why was Marshall so determined to steal SL-9 Evidence? Something fishy was going on with the trial, since some facts were inconsistent with the evidence found. For example, the switchblade found was not a perfect match with the wound the victim sustained, which means the switchblade may not have been the SL-9 murder weapon.

One thing is interesting: almost every detective involved in that investigation has been taken care of. Angel was fired, Marshall was demoted, but Goodman didn't have anything done with him, else the “higher ups” would get suspicious.

Now, what about Gant and Skye? SL-9 was a big advancement in their careers. After Skye left the detective business, she was never really the same. Marshall doesn't know why, since her secret is pretty well-guarded.

SL-9 was the first case that the Marshalls worked together on. Neil was 27 at the time, and was awarded the highest honor that very day, the “King of Prosecutors” award. The same day of the evidence transferal. Marshall stole the evidence so that SL-9 could never be closed. Also Edgeworth was never Marshall's true enemy, either, since Gant gave Edgeworth the falsified evidence in the first place.

Now, to the criminal affairs department. The chief lets Ema and Phoenix go to Gant's Office. An Organ, a desk, Gant's got everything. Ema explains that she used to take organ lessons, and tries to play a C note...then Gant appears! Gant's got his hands busy with Lana's claim in court. He shows them a picture of him, Lana, and Neil Marshall all together...but Phoenix notices something not right with the image. Phoenix adds the photo to the court record.

Phoenix and Ema want to investigate Gant's room...but Gant doesn't want them to. Gant kicks them out, which makes Phoenix suspicious. Back to the Criminal Affairs department. Gumshoe is there, and his feet hurt from serving everybody coffee. He's also looking for Edgeworth, who's under fire from the Police Department & Prosecutor's Office.

Why is Edgeworth to blame? Because the Prosecutor is responsible for the evidence that he presents. Plus, the rumors don't help much, because anybody can say anything due to Edgeworth's amazing talent. Gumshoe is afraid that under all this pressure, Edgeworth may crack.

Now, what about SL-9? Joe Darke left behind the most incriminating evidence of all the night of the murder: ...uhm, Gumshoe forgot...but it's in the Incident Records.

Darke, before committing murders, was your average 42-year old businessman. Then, he hit somebody with his car...and it turned him into a “murder machine”. He killed all sorts of people after hitting that guy with his car: the victim, and a whole bunch of witnesses. But...there was no evidence to prove this.  He eventually turned himself in, but during his questioning he fled, and killed Neil Marshall.

Phoenix then shows Gumshoe the SL-9 switchblade. Gumshoe wonders why Phoenix has that, and Ema explains that the knife was missing the day of Goodman's murder, until it was found in the muffler of Edgeworth's Car. Finally, Gumshoe remembers the incriminating evidence: The Murder Weapon. It had Joe's fingerprints on it, and it was traced back to the store that it was bought from. The part of the blade that was broken off was imbedded inside Neil Marshall's body. It broke off inside him after the stabbing. An autopsy report of Neil Marshall is added to the Court Record.

Phoenix then asks if it's possible to look around Gant's office. However, if Gumshoe lets Phoenix and Ema into the office, Gumshoe will be charged with “Breach of Trust”, so he's not going to let them into Gant's office. So what could convince Gumshoe to let them in? Well, let's go to the High Prosecutor's Office, now.

Edgeworth's looking pretty stressed out there, at the moment. He admits that two years ago he did use falsified evidence, even though he didn't know that it was falsified at the time. Regardless, it's still his fault, and it reflects on the Prosecutor's Office, too. He's bugged about the list of evidence for SL-9...it seems way too short.

The day of the crime, Edgeworth was at an Awards Ceremony receiving the King of Prosecutors award. He finished up around the office, then he made his way to the Awards Ceremony. Edgeworth wasn't planning to go back to the office, until he was told to bring something back...the screwdriver.

Now, Phoenix shows the Gant Team Picture to Edgeworth. The trophy that Marshall is holding looks very different compared to Edgeworth's. That trophy Neil had was the official trophy until a certain event.

The award is based off an old Chinese word. In Chinese, “contradiction” is written with two characters, one being “halberd”, and the other being “shield”. In the kingdom of Chu a long time ago, there was an arms merchant who presented the king with two items: a Halberd that could slice through any armor or shield, and a shield that could wistand any weapon. Obviously, the two contradict each other, and thus, the Chinese word for “Contradiction” was born. Thusly, the chipped shield and the halberd represent the merchant's items. But why was Edgeworth only given a shield? Apparently Gant had the “halberd” part abolished.

Phoenix and Ema look at a piece of paper Edgeworth dropped on the ground...it's a letter of resignation...but why? He knows that the path he walked isn't a just one, and he can't forgive himself for what he's done. In either case, Phoenix adds it to the court records.

Heading towards the Underground Parking Lot, Phoenix and Ema meet up with Angel, again. Although SL-9 has a lot of “coincidences”, Angel still stands by what she saw the day of the murder.

Angel begins to talk about Darke. The investigators trailed Darke for nearly half a year, and Angel claims that she felt the most alive during the SL-9 Incident. Jake and Neil were very close, and Jake definitely took his brother's death very hard, and Jake was obsessed with solving SL-9.

But it was a shock with the forged Evidence. Items that were never found suddenly appeared, while others were kept secret. Angel was relieved of her duties, even without an explanation. Lana then transferred to the prosecutor's office, and became chief prosecutor. Angel assumes that Lana was being used as a pawn.

But first, this Legendary Duo...Gant and Lana. The best of the best. Solved a lot of cases together, and Gant's “magnetism” in particular was almost unreal (his ability to attract evidence). Yes, there was even rumors about Gant back then, too, but nobody confronted him about it. Lana was a role-model for the other detectives, plus she always looked out for the other detectives, too...especially Jake.

Gant's influence was partially responsible for getting Lana transferred. But also...Gant has a controlling grip on the Prosecutor's Office, too, thanks to Lana's position. Why control Lana? For that matter, Lana's definitely not been herself, lately. Phoenix is finally getting to the bottom of this.

Time to see if Phoenix can get into Gant's office, again. To the Criminal Affairs department! Gumshoe's being worked to the bone, and is basically being a regular “Desk Jockey”, too. How to convince him? The Letter of Resignation...yep, that struck a blow with Gumshoe. Now Gumshoe feels that detectives like him betrayed Edgeworth. Gumshoe finally loans them his ID Card, since it doesn't really matter now. He's friends with Edgeworth, and if Edgeworth goes down, he's probably gonna take Gumshoe with him.

Now to the Chief's Office. Ooooo, still ominous, and exquisite. Gumshoe appears out of nowhere, startling Ema, and forcing her to give Gumshoe a slap. Phoenix has a bad feeling about this, so let's have Gumshoe answer a few questions.

Yes, the desk to the left of the Organ is Lana's old desk. But nobody else is using it at the moment, since Gant is “preserving the crime scene” to leave it as a warning to everyone else: To be on alert, always. Only Gant and the cleaning lady have ever touched the desk. Gumshoe wonders if Chief Gant is gonna be considered a suspect.

Luminol time. Spraying around Lana's desk's window, they find the blood from the SL-9 incident (when Marshall was murdered).

Looking at Gant's desk, Phoenix wonders what that list was (the one Gant was reading). It was a list of evidence for the SL-9 incident...which is strangely not as long as most other evidence lists! In either case, it's added to the court record.

Then, Phoenix looks at...the safe. But what's the number? Is it 7777777? Yep, it was the final ID card on the ID card records' list. Could it be Gant's?

Inside the safe, there's another piece of the vase, and a piece of leather cloth. Unfortunately, Gumshoe's not going to let Phoenix and Ema take them, unless they can be used in the current case. Well, obviously, the piece of the vase can be proven by showing Gumshoe the incomplete vase. Now, the vase is finally completed, and it can now be said Gant was holding a piece of evidence from SL-9. Also, the new piece has bloodstains on it!

Wait a minute...look at the back of the Evidence Report...there's something sketched onto it. Looks like somebody's bashing somebody else with something.

Now, Phoenix shows Gumshoe the fingerprint tester...and now it's time to test the Leather Cloth. The middle finger gives a more promising fingerprint...which belongs to...Ema Skye?! Gumshoe and Phoenix are both confused, but Gumshoe lets Phoenix keep it.

Gant then shows up...how very damned convenient. He asks all of them to leave...and tells Gumshoe to leave his ID card behind (FIRED). Then...Gant tells Ema to stick around, and lets Phoenix leave.

Gumshoe's upset he got fired, but earlier, he said he didn't care. Gumshoe runs back inside to talk with Gant, but Ema is being held for questioning. Heading to the Detention Center, Phoenix meets up with Lana, and explains to her what happened to Ema. Lana still sticks by her original claim, that she stabbed Goodman...and Phoenix thinks she's hiding something. Time to ask why she kept quiet.

Phoenix guesses that she remains quiet due to a certain individual that she's afraid of, and persuaded her to remain silent. Who is this individual? Well...it's Damon Gant, but she's not really reacting nicely.

Lana respected Damon as a detective, but Phoenix asks why, since Damon tried to hide evidence of HIS crimes. Gant could've also been responsible for the forged evidence, too! But where's the proof? Why, it's the broken vase, and the strip of leather with Ema's fingerprints! That proves Gant hid valuable SL-9 evidence! But why would Lana take all the blame when Gant is clearly in the wrong as well?

She can't disobey the Chief's orders...even if it means being found guilty for murder. She was following orders the day of Goodman's Murder.

The orders were simply to dispose of Bruce Goodman's body. She didn't kill Goodman, then. She was trying to get Goodman's body out of Edgeworth's car. The trunk door was broken, and she discovered the murder weapon, Edgeworth's knife, lodged in Goodman's chest. Wait, no, it was the switchblade! So, basically, she took out the switchblade, and stabbed Goodman with Edgeworth's Knife instead. She was nervous, which resulted in her cutting her own hand...and getting blood on Goodman's shoes. Starr saw Lana plunge the knife into the already-deceased Goodman, then.

The switchblade had to be hidden, because if word got out about it, reporters would have a field day with the news. She then wrapped up the knife in her scarf, and shoved it into Edgeworth's Car's exhaust pipe. She then tried to call Ema, and tell her to conceal the knife in the muffler, since Lana didn't want anybody else on the police force to know about it.

In fact, earlier that day, she made another phone call...to Jake Marshall. She needed help keeping Goodman's murder hidden, and she could only think of Marshall. Strangely, though, he went off on his own escapade instead of trying to help Lana. He did steal the ID card, but didn't make up his mind on going into the evidence room. The phone call to Jake was partially responsible for the evidence room incident!

After all is said and done, Lana now respects Wright's abilities as an investigator, and as a Defense Attorney, but now Lana doesn't want this pushed any further in court tomorrow! Now, it's time to get to the bottom of things: The real murderer, and the issue of what happened two years ago in Gant's office.

The last day of the trial comes. Lana isn't at the Defendant's Lobby at all, and Phoenix can't reach her. Also, Ema isn't here, either. But, surprisingly, Edgeworth emerges. Edgeworth asks Phoenix if he knows who owns the ID Card with 7777777 on it. Both Phoenix and Edgeworth seem to have the same hunch: It's Damon Gant. Edgeworth points out that no verdict was declared yesterday because of the ID Records. If Damon Gant's card is 7777777, then nothing really will happen, since he's not been charged with anything.

Edgeworth will declare a guilty verdict, unless Phoenix says otherwise, which is definitely a first for Edgeworth. Phoenix explains that Lana is hiding something about SL-9, and the only way she'll reveal what she's hiding is to draw it out of her. Now, if Lana is found guilty, Edgeworth can't find out what really happened. After Phoenix says that, Edgeworth will think about his claim.

The trial resumes, again. However, before the Prosecution makes an opening statement, Gant appears and makes a proposal: He's going to ask if Lana could speak directly to the court. Gant assures the court that they should hear out what she has to say, since it will save the court a lot of time and trouble.

Lana emerges. She requests that the trial immediately ends, and, yet again, sticks to her original statement of murdering Bruce Goodman on February 21st. Phoenix obviously throws out an objection, since the defense still wants to plead “Not Guilty”. Suddenly, Lana refuses Phoenix's services, and throws out her right to an attorney, because there is enough testimony and circumstantial evidence to prove her guilt. Lana then requests her verdict.

The Judge accepts her proposal, even though Phoenix objects otherwise...but then Edgeworth objects, because the prosecution has not proven the defendant guilty beyond reasonable doubt yet, which would make any ruling premature! Gant doesn't like Edgeworth's objection, and tells Edgeworth to shut up. Edgeworth then stands up to Gant, since Edgeworth claims that Gant created another fabrication to cover up Gant's past mistakes...plus, why did the defendant declare a sudden confession? Sounds like a deal was struck behind the scenes.

Gant denies this, and Edgeworth then changes his first witness...to Ema Skye! But Lana doesn't want that to happen! Edgeworth does not care; Although truth can occasionally lead to tragedy, it's a bigger tragedy to hide the truth. Gant still disapproves, and promises to make sure Edgeworth regrets it.

Ema Skye, come on down. Edgeworth begins to question Ema about the encounter with Joe Darke two years ago. But the Judge reminds Edgeworth that the current case involves the murder of Goodman. Edgeworth explains it's all relevant to the current case. Her first testimony involves what happened two years ago.

Ema was in Lana's Office that one day, then a man ran into the office and took Ema hostage. Neil Marshall ran in to save Ema, but she'll never forget what happened: the man stabbed Neil in the chest. After the stabbing, Ema passed out.

But what does that have to do with Goodman's murder? It's time for Phoenix's Cross-Examination. Gant and Skye used to be the best detective pair on the whole force, and even shared the same office. The man was obviously Joe Darke, and he was brought in for questioning the day of the ceremony, since the detectives were desperate for evidence. But when Dakre had the chance, he fled into Gant's office in a panic, and jumped into the elevator. Marshall was there, having just won the King of Prosecutor's award, and gave chase.  When Marshall came to save Ema, the lights went out just as he was tackling Darke. She saw the fight because of the flash of lightning outside.

The first person she told about the murder was Bruce Goodman. The words couldn't come out...so she drew him a picture. Phoenix asks about the picture, but Edgeworth objects to her testifying about it. However, the Judge asks if she could add this to her testimony. It was a picture of the murder taking place, but it was lost. When pressed, Edgeworth mentions that he took over the case after Marshall was killed, and he never received any picture of the murder.

Hey, wasn't there a picture on the back of the incomplete Evidence list? Yep, that's what Ema was talking about! Edgeworth still stands by his original statement that he never received the picture, but look at what Phoenix has...the back of the SL-9 Evidence list has the image in question! But Edgeworth objects to this new evidence, since he's curious as to how Phoenix acquired it. The Judge points out that each list is different from each other, and then tells Edgeworth that he has an incomplete list. It's quite obvious what happened two years ago: only ½ of the evidence reached Edgeworth.

The drawing was handed to Goodman two years ago by Ema in the questioning room. Phoenix asks if there's more to the drawing on the back of Edgeworth's list. Oh boy, Edgeworth's shocked now...it's a drawing of the...Blue Badger?! It appears to be the Blueprint for Gumshoe's Blue Badger.  Ema now testifies about the original image she drew.

Yes, it's the picture she drew two years ago. The lightning was so bright, so all she could see was shadows. That's all she could see.

Cross-Examination begins to reveal some new information. She actually drew that image two or three days later, since she was in a state of shock immediately after the murder. During that time, the detectives were re-organized, and Goodman was placed under the direction of Gant and Lana. Another interesting fact: she couldn't tell if Marshall came to her rescue at all. When she turned around lightning flashed, and she saw two men struggling just before one was stabbed. She drew what she exactly saw, and she was not influenced by the detectives in any way.

But the autopsy report shows a contradiction in the image. Look, the image depicts the victim being stabbed...with a broken knife! But...the tip of the knife was broken off in the victim's body already. The autopsy report says that the victim suffered a single stab wound to the back, but why was the knife already broken? It couldn't have been broken beforehand, since the tip was found in the victim's body.

Edgeworth states that her memory could be mistaken. But Phoenix knows her memory is exact. The inconsistency can be explained! Phoenix makes a claim about falsified evidence...and how the broken knife might've been part of the forged evidence!

Could the investigation be corrupted? Phoenix goes over the details, again. The Police Department and Prosecutor's Office held a ceremony that day, and after Neil received a King of Prosecutors award, Neil and Gant proceeded to question Darke. Darke fled the room, Neil chased after him, and Neil got stabbed by Darke. Phoenix assumes there's a lie, here.

Edgeworth now agrees that the switchblade was not the actual SL-9 murder weapon.  Look in the picture of Gant, Neil, and Lana. The Broken Murder weapon was the halberd from the award...it's a broken knife! Ema saw the halberd instead of the actual knife.

That would mean on the day of the Murder, Darke grabbed the “halberd” from the award that Neil Marshall won, since it was the only weapon he had access to. But Edgeworth explains if that was the case, the murderer and victim would be the other way around (as in Neil Marshall raising the knife instead of Joe Darke in Ema's picture)! Hard blow to Phoenix! Wait a minute, Ema wants to testify again...she remembers what exactly happened! Ema looks at the image on Edgeworth's SL-9 Evidence list...and remembers she drew that image, too. The list, at the time, was not torn in half.

When Ema saw the man raise his knife, she panicked, and rushed both of them. She knocked away the man with the knife, then she saw another flash of lighting as she saw the Blue Badger! He wasn't in the room, but Ema saw his shadow.

The Judge thinks it's unusual, and Edgeworth thinks it impossible, because the Blue Badger didn't exist at the time. Cross Examinati-Hold it, Lana stops the cross-examination! She doesn't want Phoenix to pursue this any further, since she already confessed to the crime. Edgeworth backs up Phoenix, and says that it's too late to stop. Lana is detained, and now it's Cross-Examination time.

The man “that raised the knife” was Joe Darke, obviously...at least, that's what she thinks, because of the shadows. Edgeworth backs this up by saying there was a documented power outage in the Prosecutor's Office reports. She rushed them because she couldn't have done anything else, and wanted to protect Marshall. She doesn't remember clearly what happened. She's sure she saw the Blue Badger, because she drew a picture of him. She had a nagging feeling that, when she saw the badger at the police department, she saw him before. She remembers the shadow in the room: It had three creepy horns...

Wait a minute...didn't something else have three creepy horns? If you're thinking “The Unstable Jar”, you are correct. But it doesn't look anything like the Blue Badger...at first. Change your viewpoint of the Jar, and it looks just like the outline of the Blue Badger's head!

An objection is raised by Edgeworth: what's the point? So it was all just a viewpoint of the jar, but that doesn't change anything! But Phoenix says it does. At the moment of the murder, Ema saw the jar. Now, look at the photo of Neil, Lana, and Gant. It's on the shelf behind Neil and Lana! But the body was found near Lana's desk. The fact is now that the struggle between Darke and Neil DID NOT take place in Lana's side of the office, but rather on Gant's side of the office!

Edgeworth then asks if the murderer moved the body. Yes, but why? There's no reason...seriously, that's the answer: There's no reason to. Without a reason, he wouldn't have gone through the trouble. Therefore, there must have been a reason! But what was the reason?

Ema knocked away the man holding up the knife. The jar was hit, and it flew into the air. But what made it fly? The impact from the man hitting the wall? But if the man was knocked in the direction of the “jar”, what would he have hit? Oh-ho, he'd hit the “suit of armor” holding a sword! Since the man who was knocked into the armor was carrying a broken knife, he would've been Marshall wielding the Prosecutor's Award!

That means Ema knocked away Neil Marshall, and she killed him by impaling him on the Knight Armor's Sword.

Lana screams “OBJECTION!” She's very shocked. Originally, it was Joe Darke murdered Marshall...but it was just proven that Ema knocked Marshall into the sword itself. Lana is furious that the story has come out, which Edgeworth finds somewhat strange. It suggests it was Lana who moved the body so that nobody else would find out about Neil's murder. Still in denial, Lana wants proof that Ema killed Neil. But there is no such evidence.

Edgeworth then presents another possibility. What if the victim left a message? It's possible Neil did not die right away, so he might have left behind the name of his true murderer. Lana thinks it's impossible, but Phoenix thinks back to the court record.

There is a message left on the jar! But Lana thinks Phoenix is still accusing Ema of murder. Edgeworth defends Phoenix's claim, however, since their purpose is to not accuse Ema of any crime, but rather to seek the truth. When Phoenix presents the jar, however, everybody thinks it's the Blue Badger, again. But Phoenix explains on the surface of the jJar was a “message” of sorts...written in Blood...which was mostly wiped away...except for some dots. Time for some Connecting The Dot action!

The bloodstains on the jar spell...Ema?! Shocker! Ema Skye was the one who took Neil Marshall's life, all along!

Gant returns. Ho, boy, is Edgeworth gonna get it. Edgeworth was the one who was responsible for finding Darke guilty, and indirectly resulted in him getting sentenced to death, since he was convicted by his final murder. In other words, an innocent man was sentenced to death. Plus, Edgeworth used forged evidence to do so.

Wait, Joe Darke wasn't innocent! He did do a lot of other murders, too! But Gant claims it's not important, and says that “we aren't defenders of justice”, just “Keepers of the Law.” The responsibility for getting a man convicted falls on the shoulders of the prosecutor...which means Edgey's screwed.

Listen to that Courtroom flare up in arguments! Not even the Judge could quiet them down! Time for another recess to settle everyone down.

Back in the Defendant's Lobby, Phoenix apologizes to Edgeworth for what he did. Edgeworth tells him to not worry about it. Oh look, Gumshoe shows up at an inconvenient time, again. Apparently, Lana's having Gumshoe run errands, again. Gumshoe provides Phoenix with a book on “Evidence Law”, and a warning that if Phoenix is to take on Gant, he'll need that book.

In either case, Edgeworth explains why, after all this time, he's been in the Prosecutor's seat with all the allegations flying around about him. The real trial, according to Edgeworth, hasn't even started yet. Phoenix adds that the real killer is still out there, since Lana didn't really kill Goodman. It's time to end this once and for all.

The trial resumes. The Judge warns that the inquiry committee is planning to impose some harsh penalties for what Edgeworth did a while back, but of course, Edgeworth takes it gracefully. Unfortunately, the prosecution can't really call any other witnesses, since Edgeworth...uh, manipulated the witnesses. However, Edgeworth decides to let the Defense call a witness. Damon Gant, come on down!

Why him, though? He had first-hand knowledge of the crime, along with Lana, two years ago. Edgeworth agrees. Gant thinks it's all a joke when he's brought in, but he's up for some “hardball”. First up is the SL-9 Incident...and what role he played in it. But Gant's not gonna talk about it...at first. But he warns them if this doesn't go anywhere, it's not gonna be worth it.

Gant recalls that he and Neil were questioning Joe Darke that day. They slipped up during the interrogation, partially due to the power outage. He found Lana at the office, first, and discovered she “re-arranged” the crime scene. Gant claims he had nothing to do with the forgery. Darke was arrested...since he was lying on the floor, unconscious.

Now let's see what else Phoenix can dig up. Gant's a workaholic...and so was Neil, in a way. After the awards ceremony, both were fired up to do some interrogating, which was probably what spooked Darke. However, he doesn't remember if Lana was in the interrogation room, as well, but he recalls she wasn't there when Darke ran for it. Apparently, Darke made it to the elevator first, so Neil and Gant had to split up. Neil went downstairs, while Gant went up. The elevator stopped during the power outage, and Gant got the shock of his life being trapped in there. When Gant saw Neil and the serial killer on the floor, they were all tangled together, while Lana was cradling poor Ema. Also, Gant said that the victim's body was “already moved”. The body was found near Lana's desk.

So basically, the forgery had already taken place by the time Gant arrived, and moving a body + hiding evidence = very inexcusable. But where's the proof that Gant forged evidence? What about that jar? Wasn't a piece of that jar found in his safe? And what about that evidence list found in Gant's desk? Ho, boy, that's a lot of proof there!

Gant counters by also pointing out that Phoenix snuck into his office to find that proof. Edgeworth provides back-up by pointing out Gumshoe was also there, so there is additional eyewitnesses to what Phoenix did. But Gant assures Edgeworth that poor Gumshoe will get his punishment. Regardless, Gant testifies about the evidence in his office.

It was a jar fragment and list, correct? Gant claims it was planted in his office. Plus, Phoenix can't prove WHEN the evidence was discovered, since they could've been found after Darke's conviction. Still not enough to prove he's involved with a forgery, and there would be no benefit if he rearranged the crime scene.

Oh yeah, and if Phoenix can't find a contradiction by today, Gant's gonna press charges. It's go time, Phoenix.

Just because Gant put those pieces of evidence in his safe doesn't mean he participated in a forgery. The factor is “when” the evidence was found. Plus, the jar fragment was not mentioned in the evidence list. Remember, Gant's “innocent”, since he didn't kill Neil.

There would be one benefit to a re-arrangement of the crime scene, however. What about the position of “Chief of Police”? With SL-9 resolved, Gant would be promoted to Chief. Sounds like a good motive...but Gant finds that assumption amusing, since either way, he was in line to become the next chief. SL-9 just sped up the process. (Gant: “Be careful when pointing that finger...or you might wind up being the one pointed at!”)

Now Edgeworth provides another possible benefit: Gant did it for someone else. But he only looks out for “me, myself, and I”. He adds another fact to his testimony: He wouldn't be an accomplice if there was no benefit for him. Man, Gant's a selfish bastard, because he only cares about himself. Heck, he didn't even feel sorry for Ema. Then again, he was raised to “Be tough on Crime, and tough on People.” So, did Gant have an accomplice?

What about Lana? Ema got involved in an unfortunate event, so it's obvious that Lana would try to protect her. Plus, if Gant helped Lana, Gant would profit from it. After SL-9, Lana became the Chief Prosecutor, thanks to Gant. With Lana as the Chief Prosecutor, Gant could use her as a puppet, and acquire unchecked authority over all investigations!

But where's the proof? No proof means Phoenix's claims are all conjecture!

However, it is true that Lana was acting strangely throughout this entire trial...almost as if she was being controlled. Phoenix continues to plow forward and accuses Gant of forgery AND blackmail.  He shows the ID card records again.  Now we can finally prove who 7777777 is...yep, it's Gant's number! Gant's Safe's Combination is also 7777777, so it's a rather interesting coincidence. Yep, Gant can't deny it, he did enter the Evidence room at 4:20 P.M. On the day of Goodman's murder!

Gant's mad as hell, now. He insists that as the the chief of police, it doesn't matter where he goes. But did he enter the room alone?  Or is Phoenix right, and he entered the evidence room with Goodman?

Now the trial's all about finding the truth, as well as finding out Lana Skye's guilt. If Gant did meet the victim on the day of the crime, then what happened during the meeting? Or for that matter, where's the proof?

Phoenix reminds the court that Goodman's ID was missing that day.  But with his blood discovered in the evidence room, he had to have gotten in somehow.  Phoenix deduces that he went inside with Damon Gant, the real murderer.

But since the murder wasn't planned, Gant wasn't prepared to get rid of the body.  So he cleaned up the scene, and called Edgeworth to have him retrieve some evidence to take to the prosecutor's office.  While Edgeworth collected the evidence Gant hid Goodman's body in the trunk of his mustang, and then called Lana Skye.  He had her wait at the Prosecutor's Office so that when Edgeworth arrived (with a body in his car) she would be ready and waiting to properly dispose of it.

Think back to Angel's Photo. The photo depicted Lana as she was removing the body from the trunk of Edgeworth's Car. Gant's not gonna say anything, since he's gotta meet up with the District Attorney's General for the early-bird lunch special. Yep, you guessed it, he's invoking his right to “NOT testify”. So, where's the proof Gant stabbed Goodman, though?

Unfortunately, there is no proof. However, Edgeworth reminds Phoenix that “in the absence of conclusive evidence, there's also testimony.” Phoenix calls...the defendant, Lana Skye.

Time for a rec--wait, Gant just came back! Addressing Lana, Gant tells her there will be terrible consequences if Lana takes the stand: Ema Skye will be found guilty for Neil Marshall's murder. Now, he's off to his lunch date. Ok, 15-minute recess.

Alright, so Edgeworth and Phoenix are still in the game, thankfully. Gumshoe appears again, to let them know he's no longer a detective. He now wants to work for Phoenix...as his assistant. In any case, Gumshoe is surprised about Gant's refusal to testify, and Phoenix agrees it's not fair he did that. Edgeworth points out the “risks” of refusing to testify. If he refuses to testify, he gives up his right to defend himself.

This is it: The final battle. Lana Skye now takes the stand.

She worked alongside Gant for years, and claims there's no truth to the blackmail theory. She did all the fabrication herself, including the re-arranging of the crime scene, all because she wanted Darke convicted.

This testimony means that Gant had nothing to do with this case. Ema knows she's hiding something, because Lana talks stiffly when she's being secretive.

During the cross-examination, it's revealed that Lana worked for Gant for nearly 5 years. Even though Lana did say she didn't murder Goodman in the detention center, it's meaningless without proof. She re-arranged the SL-9 incident's crime scene to protect Ema. Plus, she could never forgive Darke for what he did.

When Lana arrived at the crime scene, she found the broken prosecutor's award knife stuck in the victim's body. Lana claims that the “Marshall impaled by Knight's Sword” was just dreamed up. She won't change that statement. The Switchblade Knife, however, was knocked away during the struggle. She broke off the tip of Darke's Knife, put it inside the wound, then moved the body. But why? It was all the proof they needed.

If she didn't do that, then the blame might be pointed away from Darke, thus it was the most effective way to get him convicted by having the tip of the knife found inside the victim's body.

But why move the body, too? It was, indeed, originally by Gant's desk. There were also “pieces of the jar” that would've screwed with her plans, too. She decided to move the body so that Darke would look guilty. Therefore, the jar was broken during the struggle. Ema has a feeling that there's more to it than just that.

But wait...if the jar was shattered during the struggle, then why was there a message already written on it?! Edgeworth demands more information.

She noticed the blood traces on the jar, but the room was dark, so she couldn't check out the message. She tried to wipe away the blood, and she was certain she got rid of the entire message. She didn't want the stain to be discovered.

Yep, the jar does look pretty feeble, but why didn't she investigate the message on the jar? If she did know “Ema” was on the jar, she'd end up grinding the pieces into dust. She had to destroy the evidence before anyone came. If she really thought Darke killed Marshall, she wouldn't have really wiped away the blood message.

Yep, Lana illegally re-arranged a crime scene, just to protect Ema. There's some B.S. Here...she didn't get all the pieces of the jar. One piece was missing...and found in Chief Gant's safe. The final piece...also had the bloody message on it, too! That means she was not the first person to show up on the scene! Gant showed up first!

Lana could not have missed ANY piece whatsoever, since the pieces are too big to be missed. However, Edgeworth points out that the jar was already shattered, and that there was no way a message could be written on it. Another person was at the scene of the crime before Lana.

Basically, Gant took one of the pieces of the jar, and hid it after breaking it. Ladies and Gentlemen, there's your fabrication. Lana originally thought that Ema committed the murder, so in order to protect Ema, she sought Gant's aid. With Gant's help, she altered the crime scene to make it look like Darke did the actual murder.

Lana still denies it, but Ema wants her to fess up. Even the Judge looks at Lana as a “truth twister”. Suddenly, Phoenix realizes that this could be the middle of Gant's trap. So, to be on the safe side, Phoenix has Lana testify again. Why? Because Ema's “assumed” killing of Marshall may also be a lie! Lana doesn't want to, but Edgeworth is even on Phoenix's side, and wants to see if Lana reveals some more truth.

She did find Marshall's body impaled on the Armor's Sword, while Ema and Darke were both unconscious. Lana assumed that Ema did it at first, so she erased all the evidence that linked her to it. She, in fact, had Gant help her remove the body from the sword, and move it. If the fabrication still stood, Ema would still be innocent.

Not only that, Lana has proof.  She has Phoenix check the evidence law book she gave him earlier--pressed inside is a photo of the scene, showing Neil impaled on the armor.  Not only that, there's a hole in his leather vest that looks to be the same size as the swatch from Gant's safe.  The swatch that had Ema's fingerprints on it.

Before the cross-examination begins, Gant returns! Gant, looking at the Judge, accuses him of making this the poorest trial he ever saw. Gant also wants to put in a few words, but Edgeworth counters with the fact that Gant wanted to NOT participate in the testimony, so he forfeited his right to make statements. But Gant's not worried.  He also has more evidence, too.

Wait, more evidence?! That's right, Phoenix has the piece of cloth with Ema's fingerprints on it. Gant tries to goad Phoenix into presenting the cloth.  But Phoenix refuses, denying that the evidence even exists. Gant looks shocked, but counters with the fact a piece of Marshall's coat was cut off. So where did it go? Yep, Gant admits to putting it in his safe...WAIT! HE JUST CONFESSED TO HIDING EVIDENCE!!! He's still gonna say what really happened, then.

Yes, he was the first one to arrive at the crime scene. He, in fact, used the situation to control Lana. He also made it appear that Ema did the murder of Neil Marshall, too. Because of that, he knew that Lana would ask for his help. So that part is true, he did “assist” Lana...by telling her to “re-arrange” all the evidence, and planting the knife tip in the victim's body. Thus, when Edgeworth used this evidence in court, he'd get Joe Darke convicted.

During the re-arrangement, he hid two pieces of evidence (The piece of the jar, and the cloth piece from Marshall's vest) inside his safe before Lana came to the crime scene. Why? “For insurance, of course.”

In case his plan didn't work, he'd have an insurance policy. He wouldn't let anyone blame him for a murder that girl committed. He calculated very far ahead while forging the evidence. The jar fragment he hid was the most legible of Ema's name. He never expected Lana to wipe off all the blood from all the pieces.

So wait, if he fabricated all of the evidence, then what's there to say he didn't fabricate the message on the jar? The piece of cloth, of course. So cough it up, Phoenix...

Before he does, he asks Gant if he really did cut it off of Marshall's vest, and hid it in Gant's safe. Gant doesn't deny it. Alright, time to show the evidence, now.

The piece of cloth. Yep, Gant still admits he cut off the cloth from Marshall's vest, and did store it in his own Safe. In either case, it's decisive evidence, even to Edgeworth. But why was Phoenix reluctant to present this as evidence? Because it has Ema's fingerprints on it.

Gant's cheerful, now. Ema really did shove Marshall to his death. Lana's very upset now, but...it's not over yet. Gant says that Phoenix's career is over, since he concealed the evidence when he was first asked about it...but Phoenix is being adamant about what's gonna happen next.

Wait...who really killed Prosecutor Neil Marshall? Ema, right? Nope. The cloth contains a critical contradiction that proves who the real murderer is. First, look at Lana's photo that she gave Phoenix a little while back. The one that showed Marshall impaled on the knight. He was impaled on the left side, and there was a lot of blood...but where's all the blood on the piece of cloth?  If the cloth had been removed AFTER Neil was impaled, it should have been covered in blood as well, but it's not.  The cloth had to have been removed BEFORE the lethal stabbing.

Then who could have stabbed Neil in the first place? Who would arrive at the crime scene first, pick up the body of Neil, and impale him on the knight's sword?

Then, to make it look like Ema was responsible, he wrote “Ema” in blood on the vase to make it look like Ema was responsible for Neil's murder! Hell, even Gant admitted to cutting out a piece of the non-bloodstained vest to make it look more believable. Gant's insurance just ended up making him look more guilty!

Now Gant finally raises an objection! He refutes all of Phoenix's allegations, since the piece of cloth is considered illegal evidence! It can't be used to convict a suspect, since it was illegally concealed form the judge. He didn't best Gant in court at all!

Edgeworth agrees...assuming the evidence is indeed illegal. But it's not. Why isn't it illegal?

At the time, it was impossible to prove that it was relevant to the SL-9 incident. According to evidence law, "Unregistered evidence presented must be relevant to the case in trial". During the murder, it was just a piece of cloth, nothing more. Since it was found in Gant's safe, Phoenix did not have approval from the Police Department to present this evidence in court, until Gant told him to present the Cloth as evidence (which counts as getting the approval of the police department). Basically, it's not that Phoenix didn't want to present it, it's because he couldn't.

Gant tries to counter with the photo, but Phoenix retaliates by asking him when the picture was presented. In fact, before the trial began, it was just a meaningless piece of cloth...until Gant said what it was. Then it was approved as conclusive evidence by Gant. The real murderer...was Damon Gant!

Gant begins to fall apart.  He blames Jake Marshall for insisting on investigating SL-9 for so long--it was that insistence that spurred Goodman to action, as well.  When Gant and Goodman entered the evidence room together, Goodman finally spoke his mind.

Flashback to Goodman and Gant in the Evidence Room: Goodman asks Gant if he can re-open SL-9's investigation, since there were too many questions left unanswered. He wanted Gant to open up the evidence room, and take it out. Goodman wanted to hand the evidence over to Marshall, but Gant panicked, and took the SL-9 Switchblade...and killed Goodman with it.

Gant couldn't pull out the knife, since it would leave too much blood. He began wiping up the blood on the floor, and didn't realize his mistake: the bloody handprint on Gumshoe's locker.

Gant then put the body in Edgeworth's Car, since Gant had no other way of moving the body. In order to do that, Gant broke the trunk door. But why involve Lana Skye in all of this? Because if the truth came out, she'd lose just as much as Gant would. Yep, it turns out Gant took a lot of the evidence from SL-9's locker, except for the broken jar and gloves. He should've remained an investigator.

Gant's old team of investigators did a lot to stay in his way. They did their old jobs well. Gant then asks why Edgeworth is still in court, since he despises criminals...he considers himself and Edgeworth to be the same. When Edgeworth is ready to take them on alone, he'll figure out what's needed.

The truth is revealed: Gant murdered Neil, Goodman, and forged all manner of evidence. 

Lana takes the stand, again. Phoenix explains to Lana that Ema did nothing wrong, and Gant betrayed her trust. She no longer has a reason to stay silent, and will reveal everything from the time she had Gant help forged evidence, up until today. Poor Phoenix didn't get her out of all the trouble...but Lana believes that one day Phoenix will make it to the top. She thanks both Phoenix and Wright for their diligence. Edgeworth even helped Phoenix on his road to getting Lana cleared of murder. Unfortunately, she's still an accomplice to Damon Gant, and as such, a trial for those crimes are to be set for a later date.

Strange, though, Lana is still smiling. She's happy to be freed of all the “chains” of the past. Lana Skye, you are not guilty for Murder.

In the defendant's lobby, Phoenix is relieved it's all over. Lana apologizes to Ema about what happened two years ago, since it was the first time ever that she panicked. All she thought about was protecting Ema from this mess, so she asked Gant for help to cover up the truth. She was wrong for all she did. She had to change in order to make it through the past two years, even though she knew that she was hurting Ema for those past two years. Lana could not bring herself to tell Ema the truth, because she was scared of how Ema would react.

Lana turned her back to Ema on that day. She hid the truth, and deceived Ema. After all this, however, Ema is happy. Why? Because she knew someday Lana would be back to her normal self! The two share a heartwarming hug.

Phoenix and Gumshoe are again thanked by Lana, then Edgeworth appears from out of nowhere. He decided to come by and say “Congratulations”. That's it. Then Lana looks at Edgeworth, and asks if he still blames himself for what happened during SL-9. But...it's too late for him. Why?

Edgeworth realized today that he can't change his own mistakes. He can't even trust himself anymore, either. He assumes Gant was right in being the same as him: despising criminals, and being able to take them on alone. He wants to take on criminals, badly, but in order to fight criminals, one needs a weapon. He's afraid that he might have ended up like Gant. So, he's giving up prosecution.

Lana, however, explains that Gant and von Karma were the best of the best, though they both made the same mistakes. She says that Edgeworth was not alone, and that he worked together with Phoenix to reveal the truth.

Before Lana leaves, she hands Ema a book on “Scientific Investigation”...the first book that Lana bought. The day ends on a happy note.

 

 

(Submitted by Ryuuichi)

Two years prior to the murder of Bruce Goodman a string of murders was committed at the hands of Joe Darke after he accidentally hit someone with his car; the murder case was labelled “SL9” by those investigating it but lacked any incriminating evidence with which to charge Darke (see SL9 Case for more information). This lead to the falsification of evidence by the two leading investigators, Gant and Skye, who were confident that by acting in such a manner they could achieve their hoped “guilty” verdict. Supplying this false evidence to the prosecutor in charge of the case, Miles Edgeworth, a guilty verdict was indeed reached and Darke was executed for his crimes.

Soon after, Gant, having transferred to the position of Chief of Police, fired or transferred all of those members of the police force involved with the “SL-9” case in hope of preventing his own crimes from being discovered. Gant also gained an iron grip over Lana Skye, current Chief Prosecutor: he had manipulated evidence at the murder scene of Neil Marshall to make it appear that Lana’s sister, Ema Skye, had committed the murder, when, in truth, she was entirely innocent. Gant promised to keep quiet about Ema’s supposed participation in the crime if Lana did as he required, and Lana, being loyally bound to her sister, obeyed.

Bruce Goodman, the victim in this crime, was one of the members of the investigation committee looking into the “SL-9” case and had acted as a detective into the Darke killings. Unlike many of his co-workers, Bruce had managed to keep his position after Darke’s guilty verdict was reached; this did not stop him from being dissatisfied with the result, however, and similar to the remainder of his colleagues, Goodman wanted answers to what had really happened during the “SL-9” investigation.

Two years after the case was closed, the evidence was scheduled to be moved into storage, where it could no longer be accessed.  Goodman intended to check the evidence a final time before that could happen, to put to rest his fears that the case had been tampered with. 

As Goodman had had his ID card stolen by Marshall earlier in the day, it would have been impossible for him to enter the security room – hence, he had to be accompanied by another officer who could use their ID to grant him entry. The officer that accompanied Goodman was Damon Gant, Police Chief, and the two entered the security room together to retrieve the evidence.

Goodman took this opportunity alone with Police Chief Gant, who was incidentally in charge of the SL9 Case, to confront him over his distaste with the outcome of the case, an outburst which would ultimately lead to his death. Unable to respond to the sudden outbreak of probing questions that Goodman bombarded him with, and realizing that his crimes had potentially been uncovered, Gant panicked, grabbing Darke’s switchblade from Goodman’s open locker and stabbing Goodman with it, killing him instantly.

Realizing this would be an opportunity to take advantage of his control over Chief Prosecutor Lana Skye, Gant attempted to dispose of Goodman’s body. First, Gant contacted Edgeworth and requested that he go to the Security Room to retrieve a piece of evidence from a crime to take into storage at his office. Arriving twenty minutes after Gant had murdered Goodman, in which time Gant had cleared the scene of any possible evidence, Edgeworth retrieved the specific piece of evidence Gant had requested and proceeded to return to his office. While Edgeworth was busy retrieving the evidence (a screwdriver which had been used as a murder weapon in an unrelated case) Gant snuck Goodman’s body into the trunk of his car. Edgeworth returned to his office, unknowingly transporting Goodman’s dead body.

There had been no real need for Edgeworth to take the screwdriver other than to fulfill Gant’s plans of disposing of the body. By calling Edgeworth to the Police Department, Gant was successfully able to place the dead body in his car for transportation back to the Prosecutor's Office. Once Edgeworth reached his offices, he returned to his work, unaware of the role he had just played in Gant’s crime. In the meantime, Gant contacted Lana and informed her of what her role would be in ensuring his crimes were not revealed.

Following Gant’s orders, Lana went to the garage where Edgeworth’s car was parked and attempted to complete the plan. Lana opened Edgeworth’s trunk and came into direct contact with Goodman’s body; she removed Darke’s knife which was still positioned in his flesh, as this could potentially link the crime to Gant, and replaced it with a knife from Edgeworth’s car – ultimately attempting to frame him for the crime. After withdrawing Darke’s switchblade, Lana wrapped it in her scarf and placed it in the exhaust pipe of Edgeworth’s car, hoping it would not be found. Despite her best attempts, Lana’s efforts had not gone unseen, and Angel Starr, yet another investigator who had worked on the SL9 case, saw her entire participation in the crime unfold.

Angel’s feelings towards the crime were identical to those of Goodman and Marshall and she had lost her job entirely after Darke’s verdict had been delivered. Since then, Angel had setup her own sandwich business and had been frequently visiting the office block in hopes of gaining some insight into the truth behind the case that had played such a big part of her life since two years ago. When Lana replaced Darke’s switchblade for Edgeworth’s knife, Angel misinterpreted this action and believed that Lana was actually delivering the initial stab wound – hence she believed she was watching the murder take place, when in truth she had actually only seen Lana re-insert the knife into the already dead body of Bruce Goodman. After taking a picture of the incident with her camera, Angel ran over to where Lana was and made her presence known.

Lana was caught finishing off what Gant had started and was now regarded as the murderer when she was merely being blackmailed by the true killer, Damon Gant. If she had any hopes of protecting her sister then speaking out was an impossibility.

Meanwhile, as Lana was covering up Gant's involvement, another former SL-9 detective took it upon himself to try and find the contested evidence. 

Jake shared the feelings of anger shown by his co-workers on the case, but his feelings were heightened by the fact that his brother, Neil Marshall, was a victim in the killings. Unlike Goodman however, Jake was demoted after the resolution of the case. In hope of uncovering the truth of what had really happened to his brother, Jake stole Goodman’s ID (earlier in the day) as a means of accessing the security room where key evidence to the SL-9 case was stored and hoped to use this evidence to find out more about what had really happened. Disguising himself as Goodman to fool the installed security camera, Jake entered the security room and attempted to steal the key evidence from the SL-9 case from Goodman’s locker (as the date had come for it to be transferred to permanent storage, essentially meaning it could no longer be reached). Usually, it would only be possible for Goodman to have been able to access his own locker, due to the fingerprint locks on each specific one, but, luckily for Marshall, the sensor for Goodman’s locker was jammed, meaning it would have been open for anybody to access, allowing him to open it with ease. Unfortunately, when Marshall reached the locker, it was empty – none of the evidence he had hoped to steal was present, his attempts had been in vain.

While exiting the room, Jake was encountered by Mike Meekins, a low ranking police officer. Meekins demanded to see Jake’s ID card, but, as Jake had stolen Goodman’s card, were he to present it, his cover would be blown. Hence, Jake attacked Meekins and knocked him unconscious in hopes of fleeing the room; this however, lead to Jake’s disguised clothes being splattered in Meekins’ blood, so, while fleeing the scene, he made sure to deposit the blood drenched coat in his own locker – leaving an incriminating bloody handprint on his locker door in doing so. As Jake had been transferred to Security Chief after his role as a detective in the SL9 Case however, he knew the layouts of the security systems well and, using this knowledge to his advantage, he was able to flee the security room without being seen on camera, coupled with the inaccurate sliding movement of the camera, it appeared that Meekins had actually knocked Jake, who was disguised as Goodman, to the floor, when in truth Jake had left the room altogether.