My name is Mia Fey.





And, well, this is going to sound crazy. But I’m dead. That’s right. I was murdered a long time ago and live on as a spirit. However, the thing is, when you’ve got a family of spirit mediums like mine who use the renowned Kurain Channelling Technique, well, death doesn’t necessarily mean you’re gone.

In life, I was a defence attorney. I had plenty of ups and downs (some serious downs too, let me tell you) but I was always proud of my career. As I had been taught, I always had unwavering belief in my clients. And I passed that on to my protege, Phoenix Wright. Now he runs a successful practice in the same office we once worked in together. The Wright Anything Agency has flourished under his guidance and the help of the young people he mentors.

My younger sister, Maya, worked with him at one point. She is a powerful spirit medium who is the current Master of the Kurain Technique. Sometimes, in court, she would call me to help Phoenix. There came a point when she stopped for a long time but, on one strange particular day, she called to me again. And the case I was to take, well, it was certainly unique...

The Wright Anything Agency had been swamped with work. Both senior partners, Phoenix Wright and Apollo Justice, were swamped with high profile cases. Athena Cykes, their junior partner, had also just finished a major case of her own and it had been very draining. Phoenix was reluctant to give her the lead on any more cases until she had gotten some rest.

Things were turned on their head when Detective Ema Skye arrived at their front door, desperate for their help.





It seemed her older sister, Lana, had gotten herself into trouble again. This time, on a trip to Germany, she had been accused of kidnapping a woman and extorting her family for money. And no one was willing to take her case.

She had managed to pull some strings and arrange for at least one American lawyer she knew to take on the case but, unfortunately, she had arrived at the wrong time. However, Wright’s old friend Maya Fey happened to drop by and offered up a unique solution. She would call her sister, Mia, and then travel to Germany to defend Lana. After all, Mia and Lana had gone to law school together.

Though Wright was hesitant, Athena was eager to help and said she would be willing to take the lead if Maya couldn’t go. Not wanting Athena to exhaust herself, he agreed to let Maya channel his old mentor and have her represent the agency in Germany. Athena insisted on going with her as the co-counsel, having been more familiar with Europe than the others since she had done most of her schooling there.

So it was that the case began in a strange, new little region of Germany called Fesseln. That was where Lana was being detained and held for trial, awaiting an attorney to represent her. Mia was there within a day and began taking in the sights...

July 16

Fesseln Village

9:13 am

Investigation Opening 2004

It was the spunky young redhead who noticed it first. Athena Cykes always did have a keen eye.





She was a young prodigy, still in her teens when she passed the bar and became a defence attorney. By now she had just begun her twenties and was still a bit of a rookie, mostly assisting Wright with her ‘analytical psychology’ to discern contradictory emotions during witness testimony. It proved invaluable to both senior partners at the agency.

Everything Mia had seen of Athena made her only like the girl. She was a firecracker and just as relentless in court as any of them. So it was no surprise that she had made a rather obvious observation right away upon entering the village of Fesseln.

“Um... Ms. Fey...” she said.

“You know you can call me Mia.”

“Right. Okay... but, um, can I ask... why are there only women here?”

It was indeed a quirk of the village of Fesseln that all of its inhabitants were women. The entire Fesseln region was quite unique in that sense. It had peacefully seceded from Germany and been recognized as its own sovereign nation governed by its own laws. But it was a tiny region, made of three smaller regions with two villages each. Mia began to explain.

“I’ve done quite a bit of reading up on this region,” Mia said. “It seems it’s new enough for even a wandering traveller like you to miss it.”

“It wasn’t here the last time I was here,” Athena said.

“Well it is now. This is the capital of what is now a sovereign nation, both bearing the same name.”

“Right...” Athena said.

“To make a long story short, Fesseln uses German laws as it’s base, adding in their own, and this is one of the two main capital villages where feminine identifying people live, the other being called Geknebelt.”

Athena nodded and then furrowed her brow. “Wait... so they’re segregated?”

“Not entirely. They’re allowed to co-mingle, of course. But the law states that they all have to live separately because, well, that’s what the people chose.”

“They... chose that? Why?”

“I guess it worked for them. I don’t know the whole history behind it. I only know what I read on the plane.”

“So I guess that’s why there’s only women here.”

Mia nodded. “Yep. The men live in a different village. Though they are allowed to visit, even for an extended period. And they do sometimes, from what I hear. Everyone visits everyone harmoniously from what I read.”

“Are you sure you weren’t reading some kind of tourism brochure, Ms. Fey?”

“Documented history, actually. I had to know a thing or two about their laws if I’m going to practice it here and defend Lana in court.”

“That’s a good point!” Athena said. “Thanks goodness for Mr. Edgeworth and his connections over here. Or else we never could have defended her at all!”

Mia went silent and drank in the sight of the village for a moment. It was idyllic and quaint, seemingly built to look deliberately old. The houses were built with thatched roofs and old, white stucco like something out of a fairy tale. It was an orderly place as well with perfectly straight, cobblestone streets and houses built into perfect square blocks. Efficient thought Mia. You can tell these people were originally German...

“This place sure is pretty...” Athena said. “And it feels peaceful.”

“That’s because it is. According to statistics, Fesseln as a nation has the lowest crime rate in the world to the point it’s almost non-existent.”

“I guess kidnappings still happen though...” Athena said.

“Yes I suppose they do. But at least they don’t have a prison overcrowding problem like back home. Heck, I read that some people go to prison voluntarily as a sort of ‘vacation.’”

“Vacation!? In prison!? What the heck would they do that for!?”

Mia shrugged. “I don’t know but I guess prisoners are treated very well, for the most part. They do an occasional public shaming or the like, as I’ve heard it, but even people in prison are happy. And the system seems to be mostly fair when it comes to trials.”

“But they still wrongfully accused someone! We know Lana didn’t do it! You believe in her, right? You always believe in your clients.”

“Of course I believe in her. No system is perfect, Athena. Mistakes get made. It’s a good thing they believe in a fair trial. Because that’s how we figure out these imperfections.”

Athena sighed. “Yeah, you’re right...”

Mia simply nodded and offered Athena a warm smile. “Come on. We should go and visit Lana at the detention centre. See what she has to say for herself. Okay?”

Athena nodded. “Okay! Off we go, then!”

...

July 16

Fesseln Detention Centre

9:47am

Detention Centre- Elegy of the Captured

For all her kind words about the place, Mia hadn’t expected to see what had happened to Lana. Upon seeing her she had an immediate urge to strongly point her finger and shout ‘objection!’ at what they had done to her.

Behind a pane of glass in the detention centre where they allowed visitors, Lana Skye was currently in a tight spot.

She looked a little older and of course no longer wore her rather gaudy uniform as Chief Prosecutor since that title now belonged to someone else. She still wore a brown coloured suit jacket with matching pencil skirt and a black blouse that matched her flat shoes. But her hands were cuffed behind her back and pinning her to the chair. She struggled mightily against leather straps binding her arms and framing her chest.

Her ankles were locked into leg irons which were anchored to a metal loop in the floor behind the chair. She kicked and bucked and writhed but couldn’t get free.

“Mmmph!” she said, glaring through the glass. Her eyes softened a bit when she spotted Mia but she still fought and mewled into the tight, leather panel strapped on around her head and gagging her.

“What is the meaning of this!?” Mia said. “This is... is...”

“This is the law of the land... Ms. Fey,” a calm voice said from behind her. Mia and Athena both turned around. Athena gasped in surprise while Mia’s stare hardened a bit.

Great Revival- Miles Edgeworth

“M-Mr. Edgeworth!?” Athena said.

His usual intelligent, angry stare had perhaps taken on a less harsh look as he aged but their district’s Chief Prosecutor still looked the same as ever, save for the sharp glasses he wore.

“What are you talking about?” Mia asked. “And what are you doing here?”

“This is their law. In fact, most prisoners volunteer to be physically restrained in this way. Didn’t you wonder why the villages were called Fesseln and Geknebelt?”

“I thought that was to do with recreation not this... barbarism!”

“I don’t agree with it either, Ms. Fey. But it is their law and it was hard enough getting you two here to defend Ms. Skye in court in the first place,” he said.

“But this has to violate some international laws!” Athena said. “Bzzt! It’s crazy! Madness! And... kinda nice to look at!” the high tech necklace around her neck added. Athena gasped and clutched at the thing, her cheeks turning bright red. “Widget! Don’t you dare!”

Edgeworth shook his head. “I’m afraid it doesn’t. Especially because they otherwise treat their prisoners exceptionally. Aside form the physical restraint, they allow them full contact with the outside world and keep them well fed and hydrated. And though they are kept physically restrained at most times, they aren’t even confined like this regularly.”

“Why is she like that now?” Mia asked.

“This is part of their ‘punishment fits the crime’ philosophy at work.”

Mia nodded, her eyes still glaring. “I still don’t like this. Is there nothing we can do to fight it?”

“Unless you want to be forcefully extradited... no,” Edgeworth said.

Mia sighed. “I guess we have to live with it then...” She gave Edgeworth a sidelong glance. “By the way, you never did mention what you’re doing here.”

“To hopefully intervene before you and your young co-counsel caused a ruckus and got yourself put into a cell like that. I thought you might not react well upon seeing Ms. Skye in her current state. After all, while you’re not quite as reactive as Wright... you both have your strong emotions.”

“And that’s all?” Mia asked.

“Well... perhaps not. I came here to warn someone... about you.”

“Warn them? Why? And who!?” Athena asked, getting indignant once again.

“The prosecution in this case. They seem obsessed with the idea of crushing you in court. Even though the case against Ms. Skye is solid... I know how you and Wright do things. You, especially, are more than a match for any prosecutor in the world. And this person is... prideful. They’ve a good heart underneath but still... they’ve never faced you in court as I have. I wanted them to consider the consequences that come with losing a trial in this village.”

“Consequences?” Mia asked.

“Yes. Physical restraint like this and a sort of public shaming. It’s part of their ‘correcting mistakes’ philosophy.”

“They sure do have a lot of strange philosophies around here...” Mia said.

“Perhaps... but the same goes for you, Ms. Fey. I know there is no swaying you but in the very real possibility that you lose-”

“I’m not going to lose. Lana is innocent,” Mia said.

Edgeworth smirked. “Now I see where Wright gets his thinking from...”

“So you’re saying that if I were to lose, this is what would happen to me?” Mia asked, nodding toward Lana still struggling away.

“In public, no less. You and your co-counsel along with your client. And the same will happen to the prosecution if they lose. To be made examples. On one side, to deter criminals. On the other, to ensure they get it right when prosecuting criminals.”

“What!?” Athena said. “They can’t just do that to us!”

“It’s the law of their land so they very much can, young Athena,” Edgeworth said. “Even if we don’t agree with it. Perhaps this is as good a time as any to remember that the law and justice are sometimes two different things.”

“True enough...” Mia said. She turned to the window. “Now if you don’t mind, Mr. Edgeworth, I’d like to speak to my client. Besides, the authorities won’t let you stay in this village for long.”

“Hence why my stay shall be brief, Ms. Fey. I wish you luck in court tomorrow...”

With a polite bow, Edgeworth left the two women to speak to their client. Athena was still fuming when she sat down beside Mia. A guard came in behind Lana. She was a tall woman dressed in... tight leather. Her skirt was alarmingly short and her heels alarmingly tall. She had quite a... pronounced chest that Mia found herself staring at and had to look away.

Detention Centre- Elegy of the Captured

The guard removed the panel gag from Lana’s mouth, revealing that a rubber ball had also been stuffed into her mouth the whole time. The guard smiled and knelt down into Lana’s face. “Be a good girl now. Now shouting or this goes right back on. Understand?”

Lana worked her jaw up and down and let out a long breath. “Fine...”

With the gag still in her hand, the guard turned to the window where the lawyers were sitting. “You have twenty minutes to speak. Then this is returned to her pretty mouth. There will be no trouble... is that clear?”

Athena pounded the counter in front of her and opened her mouth to speak but Mia pulled her back, wrapping an arm around her head and covering her mouth with one hand. “Mmmph!” Athena protested.

“That is clear... ma’am,” Mia said, her eyes still like fire.

“Very good. And I would suggest keeping your friend in line or else there will be... consequences. Yes?”

The guard left them alone to talk to Lana and Mia released her grip on the fiery young redhead. “M-Ms. Fey!? What was that for!?”

“We can’t get ourselves into trouble. For La... Ms. Skye’s sake,” Mia said, correcting herself. Athena furrowed her brow.

For a moment the two intense, calm women on either side of the glass stared at each other. Athena watched them and could practically see the sparks in the air... did these two have a history?

“Mia Fey...” Lana said. “It’s been a while. You’ve... changed your hair.”

Mia reached up to her head, realizing her black hair would certainly be different than the vibrant brown it had been in life. But, of course, the black hair belonged to Maya since Mia was really just hitching a ride in her body for the time being. And it seemed Lana didn’t want to face up to the fact that Mia had, in fact, been killed.

“Ms. Skye... I’d like to ask you about the kidnapping, if that’s all right.” Athena read Mia’s words and detected the suppressed emotions in her voice. There was something there. She just knew it. Was it... longing?

“For what it’s worth... I’m glad it’s you defending me. I wish you could have all those years ago when... well, I’m sure you heard about all that,” Lana said.

“I am familiar with the incident in question, Ms. Skye. But that has nothing to do with the kidnapping. So please, tell me what you know.”

Lana took in a deep breath and cleared her throat. “Very well. In my hotel, there is a young college student visiting here on vacation. She’s staying the room right across from mine.”

“And why are you here? Vacation as well?”

“Yes. I’ve always wanted to travel and see Europe. I just wish I could’ve brought Ema but, well, she was busy. And I would have just gotten her into trouble, as you can see.”

Mia began scribbling a few notes onto her notepad in front of her. “What is this student’s name?”

“Adelina Entfuhren though she says everyone calls her Alina.”

“You’ve met her?”

“I befriended her after we bumped into each other at the local shopping centre. I made her drop her groceries by accident and, well, I guess we just hit it off...”

“And Ms. Entfuhren believes that... you’re the one who kidnapped her? How did that come to pass?”

“I don’t know. Although, a woman at the hotel did say that someone who looked just like me had checked into the hotel the day before I did. And she checked out two days ago. Right when Ms. Entfuhren went missing.”

“And the hotel... would they have the name of this person?”

“They might. But I doubt they’ll just give you her name. After all, the police around here didn’t even bother checking up on that. I tried to tell them about this double of mine but, well, I’ve been gagged for most of the last two days. Especially since Ms. Entfuhren is so insistent that it was me...”

“Do you have an alibi at least?”

“No... I was the last person she was seen with in public. And I wasn’t at the hotel that night either. I was at a, um... recreational club.”

“And these people can vouch for you?”

“No... they don’t use names. They’re discreet. It might be common for people around here to partake in such... activities... but this place is for embarrassed tourists who want some anonymity. So they’ll have no idea who I am.”

Mia sighed. Well that’s typical... she thought. “Do they have anything else on you?”

“I’m told there was an eyewitness who saw everything.”

“Of course there was...” Mia said with another sigh.

“And, from what I heard, Ms. Entfuhren was visiting a friend of hers when the crime occurred. She was alone in the second floor bedroom at the time. And the kidnapper left no trace behind that they were there except for one thing...”

“And what is this ‘one thing?’”

Lana sighed. “My stupid red scarf... the muffler... with my prints all over it. But I tried to tell them that it was stolen from my room the day before the kidnapping! But they just gagged me and wouldn’t listen to a word I said!”

“The kidnapper... left this scarf behind, did she?”

“Yes. Dropped right in front of the second floor window in the house...”

Mia let out another long breath as she finished taking notes. “So... let’s summarize. You have no solid alibi for your whereabouts that night... you were the last person seen with the victim... an eyewitness claims to have seen you at the crime scene and your scarf was found right where the victim was kidnapped from?”

Lana shook her head. “I know it looks bad...”

“It always looks bad. But I know you’re telling me the truth, Ms. Skye. Athena and I will conduct a thorough investigation of the crime scene. And we’ll look into this ‘double’ of yours who checked into the hotel and see if we can’t come up with a name.”

Before Lana could say anything, the guard came back into the room. “Time’s up, my lovelies. Ms. Skye... open wide!”

“No, not again! You can’t keep-mmmpph!”

The rubber ball slid into her mouth again and the tight, leather panel covered it once more as the guard tightly strapped it into place. Lana struggled wildly but there was nothing she could do against her restraints.

“Your visiting time is up,” the guard said, turning to the two lawyers. “Time for you to go.”

Mia and Athena both stood up. Mia and Lana met eyes and Athena once again sensed something in both of them. Whatever history lay between the two women, Athena could feel the deep emotions in them both...

“Mmmpphh...” Lana grunted.

“I’ll get you out of there, Lana,” Mia said.

“Hmmmpphh....” Lana sighed, nodding to Mia as she and Athena disappeared into the hallway and out the front door. She resumed her fruitless struggles as the guard left her, bound and gagged, in the cell on her own. Without any way to escape her bonds, Mia really was her last hope for getting out of there...

...

July 16

Fesseln Tourist Lodging

10:31am

Mia eyed the staff of the place with a touch of shock but, in reality, this was starting to become the norm around here. They barely wore anything, showing off so much of their legs and chest that Mia could hardly stand to look... or not look, as it were. Shiny, black uniforms of leather and latex covered only the most... delicate of areas on the bodies of the women inside the hotel.

Even the tall woman at reception was dressed this way and Mia struggled to keep her eyes up, looking the woman in the eye.

“Well...” the woman said, looking Mia up and down and drinking her in. She realized she was wearing a suit from her younger days, which meant the black pencil skirt she wore was quite short. And she never could help her... chest, from making its presence felt beneath her jacket. It was just more comfortable to wear a low cut shirt. It just had the unfortunate consequence of... showing herself off a bit. And Mia knew that the receptionist had to be drinking in that sight.

“What can I do for you, dear madame?”

Mia cleared her throat, trying to ignore the sultry tone of the woman that, she had to admit, was very attractive. “Good morning, ma’am,” Mia said. “My name is Mia Fey, attorney at law. I was wondering if you could help me find someone.”

Behind her, Mia could practically feel Athena’s heavy breathing. The young attorney seemed to be having just as difficult a time focussing as she was.

“Hot... hot... it’s hot in here, bzzt!” a tiny, mechanical voice said from Athena’s chest.

“Widget! Stop that right now!”

Mia ignored Athena’s argument with her strange AI companion, the thing she used in her analytical psychology. She focussed instead on the receptionist’s answer.

“Oh... what sort of person are you looking for, Ms. Attorney?”

“Someone who stayed here. She looked like this woman but checked in under a different name...” Mia said, sliding a picture of Lana across the counter to the woman. The receptionist picked it up and studied it for a moment.

“This is... that woman who kidnapped that poor college girl, yes?”

“As I understand it, there was another woman staying her who looked like her. Do you have a record of her? All I need is a name.”

The woman chuckled and slid the picture back across to Mia. “You’re defending this kidnapper, I take it?”

“I just need a name,” Mia insisted. “Can you help me or not?”

The woman looked her up and down. “Certainly. After all, it won’t help, will it? I look forward to seeing you in bondage... You’re very striking, Ms. Attorney.”

“Can you just tell me the woman’s name, please?” Mia asked, beginning to lose patience.

“Shouldn’t you already know her name... Ms. Mia Fey?” a voice said from behind her.

That voice... Eloquent yet arrogant... the touch of German in her voice...

Great Revival- Franziska Von Karma

Mia turned around to face the woman who had spoken. It was exactly as she had thought.

“Franziska Von Karma... so you’re the prosecution in this case?”

Franziska simply smirked and chuckled, clutching her whip tight in her hands. “Oh please, Ms. Mia Fey... even the most foolish of fools could have figured that out.”

“I take it you met with Mr. Edgeworth?” she asked.

Franziska glared and pointed in Mia’s face. “You know nothing, Ms. Mia Fey! Tomorrow, the day will arrive where I crush and humiliate you!”

Mia sighed and rolled her eyes. “Yeah yeah... so what’s this about already knowing the woman’s name?”

Placing one hand on her hip, the glare did not leave Franziska’s eyes. “Hmph. Haven’t you heard? This woman is being summoned as the key eyewitness. That is why I am here.” The smirk returned to Franziska’s face. “Or are you really that slow on the uptake... Ms. Mia Fey?”

Mia grimaced and stepped back. “What!? She’s the one who witnessed the kidnapping?”

“Of course. Now, if you would stand aside...”

Franziska muscled her way past Mia and pounded one fist onto the counter, lashing it once with her whip. “Give me the woman’s room number! Now!”

“Y-yes, Mistress Von Karma...” the woman said.

Jeez, Von Karma... coming in a little heavy, aren’t you? Mia thought.

“Ms. Gisela Schuldig is in room 7, Mistress Von Karma.”

“Good. Thank you for your co-operation.” She turned to Mia and gave her slight bow and curtsy. “Good day, Ms. Mia Fey. I look forward to crushing you beneath my heel!”

With that, Franziska was gone and headed up into the hotel. Mia shrugged and sighed, stepping back and meeting up with Athena.

“She’s prosecuting!? Isn’t she some kind of legend?”

“She is good, I’ll give her that,” Mia said. “And seems to have cleaned up her act a bit and step out of her father’s shadow. But she still acts the same as ever.”

“Wait... you’ve met her before? I thought you, um, you know... weren’t around when she travelled to the States.”

“I was and I wasn’t,” Mia said. “There were a few cases I wound up getting involved in... without being ‘around’ as it were...”

“Oh. Oh right! Silly me...” Athena said.

“Come on. We got what we came for. Though it’s not exactly good news, at least we’ve got the name of Lana’s supposed ‘double.’ Let’s get to the crime scene.”

“Okay, Ms. Fey! I’m right behind you!”

...

July 16

Fesseln Village House

11:18am

Investigation- Middle Stage 2004

The house was as quaint and beautiful as the rest of the village but was, perhaps, the largest among them. Most of the houses were single storey bungalows but this one, with its pale grey stucco and peaked, tiled red roof, seemed to be own by someone rather wealthy. At least, wealthier then the average village inhabitant.

Shutters of dark oak adorned the windows and colourful flowers rested on each window sill. The heavy, oak door was stained dark red and polished to a perfect shine. And, luckily for Mia and Athena, the homeowners weren’t in as the local police had them staying elsewhere to conduct their investigation.

Mia spotted the window, still open, where the crime had occurred on the second floor. She nodded as she took in the scene outside the house.

“So the kidnapper used that ladder to climb in through the window...” Mia said.

“I don’t know, Ms. Fey. That looks more like a stepladder to me.”

Mia frowned and furrowed her brow, turning to Athena. “Does it matter what kind of ladder it is?”

“I just think little details are important. Don’t you?”

“Okay... fine. So the kidnapper used this... climbing object... to get in through the window. She must have been strong, too. Because, according to the victim herself, the kidnapper carried her out the window and climbed down the ladder again.”

“Well? Does that fit what you know about Ms. Skye?”

Mia shook her head. “She was a detective once. She still looks pretty good for her age, too. I mean, pushing 40 and she’s still, um... in shape.”

“Ms. Fey? What.. what’s that I detect in your voice?”

“It’s your imagination,” Mia said, pulling herself together. “Anyway, Lana was always pretty strong. But, looking at her, I don’t think she’s that strong. It would be no easy feat to carry an adult human all the way down that ladder over your shoulder.”

“Oh, that’s true! But you know Ms. Von Karma is going to shut that down in court like nothing,” Athena said. “We’ll need more than that.”

“Of course we will. We’re not done yet.”

Mia walked up to the ladder and tested it. She jumped when the foot of the ladder gave way and nearly fell over on top of her.

“Woah! Talk about unstable!” Athena said as Mia caught the ladder and leaned it back in place.

“Unstable indeed... Tell me, Athena. Do you think anyone would be willing to climb this ladder?”

“Step-ladder...”

“Whatever! Just answer my question. Would anyone be willing to climb this, much less use it to climb down with a person over their shoulder?”

“I don’t know why they would. They’d fall over right away!”

Mia nodded. “Exactly. Which means this isn’t how Ms. Entfuhren was taken from the house. There must have been another way.”

“Well, the homeowners have already testified that all the other doors and windows were locked. Unless the kidnapper broke in... but the police report states no sign of forced entry.”

“So somebody let her in then...” Mia said.

“Let her in... that might make some sense. After all, Ms. Skye did say she befriended Ms. Entfuhren,” Athena said.

“But then why the whole story about the ladder? Why make that up? It doesn’t make sense...” Mia said.

“Hmmm... that is strange...” Athena said.

“Any theories?”

Athena took a moment to think and then shook her head. “Nothing’s coming to me right now. What about you, Ms. Fey?”

“I’ve got something in mind... but I’ll need to confirm it. Let’s get inside and see what else we can find.”

July 16

Fesseln Village House Second Floor Bedroom

11:34am

The house was quiet, save for the sound of police officers milling about downstairs. They didn’t stop the two lawyers from entering the crime scene and Mia did find that odd... but chose not to look a gift horse in the mouth and carry on.

The second floor bedroom was rather plain. White walls, white sheets, some paintings on the wall... and a small yellow sign on the floor near the window with a number ‘1’ written on it and a note reading ‘red muffler.’

“So this is where they found Lana’s stolen scarf...” Mia said.

“That does look bad, Ms. Fey. How are we going to prove it was stolen?”

Mia took a quick look around the room and noticed something peculiar in the white dresser beside the bed.

“Ms. Fey? Did you hear me?”

Mia still wasn’t listening to Athena as she crossed the room and opened the drawer where a small, pale blue piece of fabric was sticking out. Mia removed it and found... a scarf. Much like Lana’s. Only it was, of course, a light almost sky blue in colour.

“What is it, Ms. Fey?”

“A scarf. Just like Lana’s...”

“Really? And the police missed this?”

“They probably didn’t think anything of it...”

Mia noticed that a price tag was still stuck to it. “And it was recently bought. If only there was a receipt nearby... but we rarely get that lucky. Well, except when buying lamps...”

“What are you talking about, Ms. Fey?”

She smirked to herself. “Nothing, Athena. But this scarf could be important. It’s a muffler, like Lana’s. And it was stuffed into this drawer. I can only hope this finds a use in court tomorrow.”

Taking another look around, Mia spotted a small fireplace on the other side of the bedroom. Then her eyes narrowed as she spotted something else. Athena looked there and saw it too.

“Hey... is that... paper?”

Mia crossed the room again and knelt down, picking up the small scrap of mostly burnt paper. There was only a small scrap left but it appeared to be a note of some kind.

“Someone didn’t want this found...” she said. “And the police missed this, too.”

Athena shook her head. “Are all police this... negligent? This happens so much back home too...”

“It’s possible they were rushed. By a certain someone to complete her ‘perfect’ investigation. Mr. Edgeworth did mention how ‘obsessed’ she was...”

“Well? Does the paper say anything?” Athena asked.

Holding it closer to her face, Mia made out the faint, black ink beneath the charred remains of the paper and could just about make out a few simple words.

.... and don’t forget about the muffler. Reme... portant. Red. I’ll be in my room. Alina.

“Signed by the victim herself...” Mia said.

Suspense

“What!? Signed by the victim? But what on Earth does it say!?”

“It seems like instructions. About bringing a muffler and then reiterating the colour... then why is this blue one here?”

“That’s a good question. I guess we’ll have to find-”

“You two, stop right there!”

Both women froze in place as two police officers, women dressed as provocatively as the hotel staff and the detention centre guard had been, barred their way to the door. “You don’t have permission to be here.”

“Hold on just one moment,” Mia said. “I am Lana Skye’s defence attorney and I have every right to gather the same facts as the prosecution.”

The first officer, a tall blonde woman, shrugged. “You do have a point, I suppose... but you still did not seek permission. You and your lady friend are technically trespassing. I’d be inclined to let it slide... for one of you.”

“Uh... what?”

“We have to take somebody in,” the officer’s partner, a shorter woman with black hair, said. “We can’t let this offence go unpunished. One of you will have to spend the night in detention. Then you’ll be, well, ‘free’ isn’t the right word. Since you’re defending a criminal in court, something must be done to show the court your illegal actions.”

“And what do you mean by that?” Mia asked.

“Restraint...” the first officer said. “And a gag order.”

“Are you kidding me!?” Athena said, outraged. “You can’t just do that to us! We have every right to be here!”

“You have the right to defend an accused criminal at trial. The agreement said nothing about trespassing on private property...”

“The agreement?” Mia asked.

“Between a certain Miles Edgeworth and the Fesseln government. He had to make a few concessions to even allow you to practice law in this country. So... who’s it going to be?”

Before Mia could speak up, Athena stepped forward. “No way am I letting you arrest Mia Fey! She’s... she’s the lead attorney!”

“Are you volunteering, young lady?”

“Wait... volunteering!? No!”

“Well, I think we’ve made up our minds,” the second officer said. “Come with us.”

“No, don’t you dare! You can’t-mmmmpphhh!”

A thick, black rubber ball gag was pulled into Athena’s mouth and her hands were cuffed behind her back. Two leather straps were then lashed around her arms and torso, framing her chest. Then the officers clapped some leg irons onto her ankles and began leading her away.

“Mmmmph! Mmmrrgghhhh! Ymm ccghmmnt dmngghh thgghhmmmph!” Athena tried to say around her gag. “MMMMPPPPHHH!!”

The two officers tipped their hats to Mia. “Your co-counsel will be beside you in court tomorrow... one way or another. Have a good day, ma’am.”

While Athena was led away, Mia took in the situation and heaved a deep sigh. “Well... that’s just great... at least I’ve got everything I need to poke some holes in the prosecution’s case...” she said to herself.

I hope...