July 17
Fesseln Court House Courtroom
12:34pm
As the judge re-entered the room, the two lawyers were still struggling away and grunting into their gags. She slapped her gavel whip down again.
“Court will now reconvene for the trial of Ms. Lana Skye...”
“Mmmmmpphhh!” Mia said.
“Mmm mmmmphhh!” Von Karma echoed.
The Judge sighed. “Bailiff... remove their gags, if you please.”
She did as instructed, crossing both ends of the courtroom to help both women spit out their gags. But they were both left restrained.
“Ms. Von Karma...” the Judge said. “Your witness has been summoned. What do you hope to prove with her testimony?”
Still grunting and fighting her bonds, Von Karma paused her struggle to answer the Judge. “We will here the eyewitness testimony of one Ms. Gisela Schuldig who saw the defendant fleeing the scene carrying the bound and gagged victim. What she says will refute every baseless accusation the defence has made up to this point. And it will erase any unanswered questions from the court’s mind, My Mistress.”
“I do hope so, Ms. Von Karma. Now... bring in the witness!”
With Ema having already been gagged again and led away, the witness stand remained empty for the next witness to arrive. And she was the only woman participating in the trial, save for the judge, not currently restrained.
She was quite tall but Mia noticed something troubling about her right away. The woman had short hair, thought it was quite thick. And it was bright red, like Athena’s. Nothing like Lana’s chestnut brown. Her eyes were the same dark blue as Lana’s, however, and looked to be about the same age. She even had a similar pale skin tone. But that was it.
Ms. Schuldig also dressed like a casual summer tourist: wearing a bright red tank top, cut off jean shorts and comfortable looking, strappy sandals that were black in colour. Nothing like Lana’s much more formal appearance...
“Uh oh...” Mia said.
“Mmmpphh...” Lana grunted from beside her. They exchanged glances for a moment.
“She... doesn’t really look much like you, Lana...”
“Mmmmppphhh.....” Lana sighed.
“But I’ll find holes in her testimony!” Mia added quickly. “Don’t worry. I’ll get you the Not Guilty verdict you deserve!”
“Mmmph,” Lana grunted, smiling a bit behind her gag. Always did love that positivity in her... she thought to herself.
“Witness!” Von Karma began, still trying to fight her restraints. Mia had long ago given up, realizing she wasn’t going to escape from them and that no on was going to untie her. Not until the end of the trial, anyway...
“State your name and... ugh... occupation for the court!” Von Karma continued.
She just won’t quit with those ropes... Mia thought to herself.
“My name is Gisela Schuldig. I am a personal trainer.”
She certainly looks it... Mia caught herself thinking, giving her head a shake. Get a hold of yourself, Mia!
“Very good, Ms. Schuldig,” Von Karma said. “Before we begin, I would like to bring something to the court’s attention.”
“What is it, Ms. Von Karma?” the Judge asked.
“It is... ugh! It is... this!” Von Karma grunted, trying to raise her cuffed wrists high enough to her desk to reach something. But the ropes prevented her from moving very far and she couldn’t quite reach what she was after.
“Bailiff, will you hold up what is on Ms. Von Karma’s desk, please?” the Judge said.
The bailiff walked to the desk and held up two objects in her hands. Mia leaned forward and glared at the two objects. “What are these items, Ms. Von Karma?” the Judge asked.
“The first is a piece of paper sent to the victim’s family. It is a ransom note.”
Mia gasped. “A ransom note!? Why was this not presented to the court earlier!?”
“Blame yourself, Ms. Mia Fey. You and your antics threw this entire trial off course. I did state from the beginning that I was going to clearly establish the defendant’s motive.”
“This note... it was sent by the defendant Ms. Lana Skye?” the Judge asked.
“Indeed it was. Her fingerprints are all over the paper.”
The Judge nodded. “Very well. The court accepts it into evidence. Now what is this second item?”
“It is a diamond, My Mistress. Worth more than 250,000 Euros to be used as ransom to pay the defendant for the safe return of the victim. Luckily, the authorities found Ms. Entfuhren before that became necessary.”
The Judge nodded again. “The court will also accept this into evidence.”
Mia took in a sharp breath. Okay Mia... Game face... Let’s go. She wanted to lean forward and rest her hands on the desk... realizing she was still tied up. Oh... right...
“All right, witness,” the Judge said. “You will proceed with your testimony of what you saw that night.”
“Yes, My Mistress...”
Mia and Von Karma both leaned in to listen as Ms. Schuldig began to speak.
Cross-Examination- Moderato 2004
“I didn’t get a clear look at her face but she was dressed just like that woman there, the one in the brown suit....” She paused for a moment.
“I saw her lean the ladder against the house and started watching her. It was suspicious, after all...”
With another breath, Ms. Schuldig continued. “When I saw her climb into the window I tried calling for help. That’s when a man who lived next door rushed off to call the police...”
“Then that woman carried the poor girl, bound and gagged, from the window and down the ladder, running off into the night before anyone could catch her...”
When the witness finished her testimony, the Judge nodded again. “Seems a rather frightening sight. Well done for keeping your wits about you.”
“Thank you, My Mistress.”
“Now, Ms. Fey, you may cross-examine the witness.”
Mia let her repeat her testimony again, knowing exactly where she was going to hit this time. Once she mentioned the man next door, Mia tried to emphatically point but... her arms wouldn’t respond against the ropes and handcuffs binding them. No! My pointing finger, arrghhh!!
“Objection!” Mia shouted, trying to make up for her lack of an emphatic point. She also wanted to slam her hands on the desk and struggled... but nothing came loose.
“Ms. Fey?” the Judge asked. “What are you squirming about over there?”
“The witness... just made a contradictory statement, My Mistress!”
“She did?”
“Yes. When she mentioned... the man who lived next door!”
The Judge widened her eyes in shock. “Of course! You’re right!”
“I doubt the people of this courtroom have forgotten but there is one peculiar thing about this little village. While they are allowed to visit, it is a known fact that no men live here at all!”
Objection! 2004
“Ah!” Ms. Schuldig said, beginning to sweat a bit, biting into her thumbnail. That’s strange Mia thought. That’s just like something Lana would do...
‘Objection!’ Von Karma shouted, struggling against her restraints. “The witness merely misspoke, Ms. Fey! Do you really mean to suggest that her entire testimony is false because she mistakenly stated that a man lives next door to the house where the victim was taken?”
“Objection!” Mia shouted back. “That isn’t the only thing fishy here! I want to know what the witness was even doing there in the first place! We know for a fact that she was staying at a hotel across town. What was she doing there?”
“Well... I... um...” Ms. Schuldig stammered.
“Objection!” Von Karma countered once again. “It is well known in this village that a certain type of tourist ‘club’ is right across the street from the house where the victim was kidnapped! It is one of many tourist clubs in this village. I believe the defendant herself claims she was inside of an anonymous one when the crime occurred... how convenient!”
“Yes... that is what I was doing...” Ms. Schuldig said, her cheeks going red.
“There. You see? Now that’s explained, Ms. Mia Fey, what of your objection? Is a simple mistake really worth such a fuss?”
The Judge slapped her gavel whip down again. “Though it is strange that she would say that... I am willing to give the witness a chance to correct her testimony. Give us more details of what you say, Ms. Schuldig.”
“Of course, My Mistress...”
Okay, so much for that one... let’s see what she’s got this time! Mia thought to herself.
Cross-Examination- Moderato 2004
Taking in another long breath, the witness began her testimony once again. “Sorry, I meant to say the woman who lives next door called the police. I saw her rush to her phone when I called for help.”
“I looked back to the window and saw that woman fighting with the poor young woman... and overpowering her! But the small woman got hold of her kidnapper’s scarf and pulled it right off!”
“I saw it then. That grey scarf. It fell right out of my line of sight but I’m sure the woman was wearing it when she entered the window.”
“Then she... she tied the poor young woman up! And gagged her with tape! It was terrible!”
“After that, I watched her make a quick escape but I was too scared to chase after her... I didn’t know what might happen. I’m sorry...”
The witness stopped speaking and the Judge closed her eyes, nodding once. “In the heat of the moment anyone can freeze up. It is understandable in such a frightening situation.”
“Of course, My Mistress...” Ms. Schuldig said.
Mia eyed Von Karma and, though she remained expressionless, her eyes were like wildfire as she glared at the witness. So she did hear what I heard... Good. Let’s see what we can do.
“Defence, your cross-examination please...”
Once again letting the woman speak, Mia waited until she once again talked about the ‘grey’ scarf she saw and pounced, struggling against her restraints once again. “Objection!”
“Witness, I don’t think you saw any of what you claim to have seen.”
“What!? How can you say that!?”
“Because anyone can tell...” Mia said. “That Ms. Skye’s scarf... is red.”
“W-what!? R-red!?”
When Mia looked to Von Karma, the prosecutor was simply shaking her head and glaring angrily. “Ms. Mia Fey... I’m afraid this witness has just wasted the court’s time. I told her not to say that since someone unscrupulous like you would use it to claim a ‘contradiction’...
“Unscrupulous!? What are you talking about?”
“Ms. Mia Fey... this witness is not lying. The scarf does appear grey to her because, well... she is completely colour blind.”
“C-colour blind!?”
“Indeed. And the rarest type as well. Even her overall vision is affected. But, in speaking to her, I learned that she dislikes wearing her corrective lenses and, therefore, does not always see things clearly.”
“Then that means she could have seen anyone else enter the house and kidnap the victim, if her vision is so poor!” Mia said.
“I’m afraid not that will not cut it, Ms. Mia Fey. After all, this witness saw exactly the same scene the victim describes herself. And there is evidence placing the defendant at the crime scene, as we have already established. And we also know that the defendant handled the ransom note sent to the victim’s family in order to obtain their rare and valuable diamond. The things people do for money...”
“But... L-Lana isn’t like that!”
“Is that all you have for rebuttal, Ms. Mia Fey? Foolish...”
With another slap of the Judge’s gavel, the two lawyers went silent. “So it seems the witness is colour blind. That explains why she thought the red scarf was grey.”
“Um... may I say something?” Ms. Schuldig asked.
“Very well,” the Judge said.
“I just remembered something. Because I know I can’t really see colour all that well... I took a picture.”
“Wait... w-w-what!?” Mia exclaimed.
“And why didn’t you mention this before?” the Judge asked.
“Well, I forgot about it. Like I said...”
“Ms. Von Karma?” the Judge asked.
Struggling with her bonds, Von Karma nodded toward something on her desk. “I have it here, your honour. I was waiting for the right time to present it...”
The bailiff picked it up and slid it to the Judge’s desk. Taking a careful look, the Judge nodded once.
“This does indeed depict two women inside the bedroom. One of them certainly appears to be the defendant, right down to her red scarf and suit. And you can even see the ladder leaning up against the house!”
The gallery began muttering to themselves and Mia found herself sweating bullets again. N-no way! Mia thought. When she got a good look at the picture as the bailiff placed it on her desk she noticed something peculiar.
“While there are still unanswered questions, I think this erases any doubt from my mind...” the Judge said. “Those questions will just have to be answered later. For now...”
“Hold it!” Mia said. “Wait! We can’t end this trial yet! We haven’t even begun to examine this new piece of evidence!”
“Examine? What do you mean? Is there something wrong with it?”
Mia, looking to the photo again, eyed the bushes in front of the house. Something seemed to be falling down into there. It looked like something hairy. Is that... a wig!?
“Ms. Fey!” the Judge said, slapping her gavel whip. “What is your issue with this new evidence?”
“My Mistress...” Mia began. “The problem with this photograph is right... here! Ugh... Take that!”
Mia just about managed to pull her cuffed hands forward and point to the bushes where the weird, hairy thing appeared to be falling from the window into the bushes below.
The bailiff picked it up and showed the judge where Mia was pointing. The Judge furrowed her brow. “What... what is that? A raccoon?”
“Take a closer look, My Mistress...” Mia said. “What does it look like to you?”
Squinting her eyes, the Judge leaned back and her eyes widened. “Why it looks like... a wig!”
Confess the Truth! 2004
Von Karma growled from the other side of the court. “A... a wig!?”
“Yes, look here. It’s falling from the second floor window!”
“This... this is foolish! What nonsense is this!?” Von Karma went silent when she was showed the photo again.
“You’ve seen it too, Ms. Von Karma? I would like the witness to explain this.”
“What!? Me!?”
“That’s right, Ms. Schuldig. How did you fail to mention the wig falling from the second storey window?”
“Well... um... you see...”
“Objection!” shouted Von Karma. “This is irrelevant! The evidence places the defendant at the crime scene! We need nothing more than that!”
The Judge shook her head. “Overruled, Ms. Von Karma. I’m afraid I disagree. I, too, wish to know how the witness failed to mention the wig. It is important that we understand just how such a discrepancy can occur.”
Von Karma growled again, fighting her restraints and failing to escape.
“Witness!” the Judge said. “You will testify once again. And I warn you, do not omit anything this time! Understand?”
“Yes, of course, My Mistress...”
Taking in yet another deep breath, Ms. Schuldig began her testimony once more.
Cross-Examination- Allegro 2004
“I admit, I saw something falling from the second floor window. But I thought it was just a stuffed animal or something! After all, they were in a big fight!”
“And since I was across the street with my camera, I couldn’t have possibly known exactly what it was from the distance! My vision isn’t so great, after all.”
“And that woman, the victim, I saw her grab that scarf in the fight! Maybe she was wearing the wig and knocked it off while they were fighting!”
“Yes, that must have been it! The poor young woman was wearing the wig! That must have been what I saw!”
When she finished, the Judge had her eyes closed and seemed to be taking in her words.
“I have just one question, witness,” the Judge said. “Why did you have the camera with you in the first place?”
“Well, I don’t have a lot of training clients right now. So I do photography on the side to make extra money. I’m... not very well off, you see...”
The Judge nodded. “I understand. Well... you know what to do Ms. Fey,” the Judge said.
“That I do, My Mistress.” Let’s bring her down... Mia thought.
Letting her speak until the final line of repetition, Mia shouted out. “Hold it! How can you know the victim was wearing a wig? And why didn’t you mention this before?”
“I didn’t think it was important...” Ms. Schuldig said. “But I saw it! The young woman has black hair, right? And that wig is brown! I saw her with brown hair through the window!”
The Judge slapped her gavel whip. “Witness, I want this vital piece of information added to your testimony. Understand?”
“Of course, My Mistress.”
Mia let her continue and she spoke her addendum to her testimony. “I saw Alina through the window wearing a brown wig. It fell off during the fight.”
Mia smirked when she took in every word of the witness’ final statement. Got her...
“Objection!!” Mia shouted as loud as she could. “Ms. Schuldig... you just made a huge mistake.”
“I... what?”
“What is the meaning of this, Ms. Fey?” the Judge asked.
“Did you not hear what the witness just said? She used the victim’s first name... and a diminutive at that.”
“Um... I don’t see your point, Ms. Fey...”
“My point? Well, it is a known fact that Ms. Adelina Entfuhren is known by her friends and acquaintances... as Alina. Witness, do you claim to know the victim in any way?”
“Err... no...” the witness said.
“I thought not. But what your testimony just proved... is the fact that you do know her!”
“Objection!” came the shout from Von Karma. “This is foolishness! A mere slip of the tongue cannot prove any connection between this witness and the victim!”
“Slip of the tongue? Let’s look at the facts, Ms. Von Karma. There are a few pieces of evidence I think we can put together to establish just how well Ms. Schuldig knows Ms. Entfuhren.”
“Well then prove it, Ms. Mia Fey! Prove your wild theories and baseless conjecture! I’d love to see you try!”
“Watch me...”
“Ms. Schuldig knew the victim. How do I know this? She used the diminutive of her first name. But how else can we prove this fact? Well, I think we have cast enough doubt to establish that the kidnapper did not, in fact, enter the house via the second storey window. But how else would they have gotten in? If the victim let her in!”
“Let her in!?” the Judge said. “That’s... that doesn’t make any sense!”
“It does if they already knew each other! And there is yet more evidence that links these two together...”
“Then by all means, Ms. Fey. Show us this evidence.”
All right. Time for the home stretch... Mia thought.
“Take that!” she said at the top of her voice, struggling with her bonds but managing to point with her cuffed hands behind her back at the burnt note. “This is the scrap of burnt paper found in the bedroom fireplace. It is clearly instructions for someone to bring a red scarf. Someone the victim already knew. Someone who would know her by ‘Alina’ based on how she signed her name...”
The Judge gasped. “You’re right! It’s written right there. ‘Alina...’
“Objection!” Von Karma grimaced and growled under her breath as she fired out her latest objection. “But why!? Why would the victim plot her own kidnapping?”
“Simple... it was blackmail.”
“Blackmail?” the Judge asked. “What do you mean?”
“Think about it, My Mistress. The victim and her family were in possession of a very valuable diamond. And we just heard the witness state that she is not doing very well financially at the moment. So she wanted to get her hands on that diamond.”
“Okay... but that doesn’t explain your blackmail theory...”
“I am getting to that, My Mistress. We also heard that Ms. Schuldig does photography on the side. Which means she must know her way around a camera. And how to take pictures discreetly. Ms. Entfuhren is a fellow tourist exploring the rather exotic night life of a village like Fesseln. This witness here... must have taken pictures of Ms. Entfuhren engaging in ‘activities’ and threatened to expose her to everyone she knows unless she went along with her plan!”
“Objection!” Ms. Von Karma shouted. “You have no proof of this! This statement is nothing but conjecture! If you want to make an accusation... show us proof!”
Mia took a moment to examine the evidence and her eyes fell upon the ransom note. It was as stereotypical as it could be with letter cut from a magazine. But then she realized... it wasn’t a piece of paper. It had been presented as one but it was clearly a large envelope.
“You want proof, Ms. Von Karma! Take that!” Her cuffed hands pointed to the ransom note. “Take a closer look at the top of this note, My Mistress. Notice anything peculiar?”
The Judge turned it over in her hands and found that, though it was thin, there was a small flap sealed shut at the top of the note. “It... i-it’s an envelope!”
“A what!?” Von Karma exclaimed. “How did no one notice this until now!?” she asked, gritting her teeth.
“Would you care to open it, My Mistress?” Mia asked.
The Judge opened it and turned it upside down. Several photos of the victim, engaged in bondage recreation in one of the clubs, spilled out onto her desk. “My goodness! You’re right! These photos... they’re all taken from a distance!”
“And they were clearly used to blackmail the victim into going along with this kidnapping plot. All they needed was someone to take the fall. And that person... was Lana. Who was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“Objection!” Mia rolled her eyes. Give it up already, Von Karma! “Ms. Mia Fey! You still haven’t explained everything! What about this blue scarf? What on Earth was it doing there? It’s the wrong colour and would have foiled their little plan from minute one if it was shown in this photograph of the crime scene! But it was not! How do you explain that one!?”
Mia wanted so badly to flip her hair but, with her hands cuffed and her arms bound, she simply couldn’t. So she settled for her cocky smirk instead. “I believe it was you who explained that, Ms. Von Karma.”
“What are you talking about!? This is nothing but the foolish drivel of a foolishly deluded fool!”
“Is it? I believe the burnt note and a certain quirk of this witness can explain this little blue muffler.”
Von Karma growled again but she was unable to speak. She could see where Mia was headed...
“The note instructed Ms. Schuldig to bring a red muffler with her to the room the victim was staying in. But, of course, Ms. Schuldig is colour blind. Completely colour blind is what you said, Ms. Von Karma. The rarest form. That means she simply could not have distinguished red from blue. So, you can see from the price tag still on the blue scarf that it was bought recently. For what purpose? To fake a kidnapping. But the witness, trying to dress and act just like Ms. Lana Skye, realized that the hue to Ms. Skye’s scarf was slightly different to her quirky eyes. So, in her haste, she stole Ms. Skye’s scarf from her room, as well as the envelope she placed the photos within, and brought both scarves to the scene, leaving the red one by the window and attempting to hide the blue one in the dresser.”
“Madness!!” Von Karma explained. “Foolishness! You... you have nothing to prove this! I object!”
“Overruled once again, Ms. Von Karma,” the Judge said. “Though I am still confused about a few things...”
“What is that, My Mistress?” Mia asked.
“First, how did this witness take the picture if she is the one in the room with the victim? And second, what of the wig?”
“The second one is easy, My Mistress. Ms. Schuldig wore the wig to look like the defendant and ‘set up’ a witness to the crime. As for how she took the picture... a simple timer would have done the trick. And she could have even set up a more sophisticated camera to take a burst of photos to ensure she got the exact moment she wanted.”
“Very true. And she is a photographer, after all.”
The judge slapped her gavel whip once more. “I believe the defence has made things very clear now. Witness, what have you to say?”
Ms. Schuldig slumped forward, staring at Mia, looking utterly defeated. “I don’t know how... but she knew. That lawyer... I don’t know how.”
“Are you admitting it?”
She paused for a long moment. “Yes... It’s all true. There’s no point in hiding anymore. I needed the money but I bungled it from moment one...”
“Well then... you must know what this means. Bailiff! Restrain the witness!” She didn’t even fight as her hands were cuffed behind her back and straps were pulled tight around her arms and torso, framing her chest. Leg irons were clapped onto her ankles and a heavy harness bit gag was fitted into her mouth.
“And now gag the prosecution!”
“Damn you... Ms. Mia Fey! I’ll...grrrgghmmmpphh!!” The same type of harness bit gag was tightly strapped over Franziska’s head and into her mouth.
“Take them away to the town square and put them in the amusement circle!”
Von Karma and her witness were both led out of the courtroom while the Judge sat back and wiped her brow. “Oh yes, and release the defence, her co-counsel, and the defendant while I read out the verdict.”
She slapped her gavel down once more. “In the kidnapping of Ms. Adelina Entfuhren, this court finds the defendant, Lana Skye.... Not Guilty!”
Won the Case!-Unending Victory
As she was released, Mia slumped over the desk and let her muscles relax in relief. “It’s over... and we won!” She turned to Lana, who was now standing beside her. They both seemed to be holding themselves back.
“Come on,” Athena said. “Just... do whatever feels right you two!”
Mia straightened her jacket and stiffened her back, extending a hand to Lana. “Congratulations, Ms. Skye. You got the verdict you rightfully deserved.”
Lana took Mia’s hand and both their hearts quickened... but they gave each other a dignified handshake. “Thank you, Ms. Fey. Your defence was... admirable. I commend you for your performance.”
Athena sighed. “Oh well... I tried.”
...
July 17
Fesseln Town Square Amusement Circle
4:14pm
Forced to kneel on the ground, her cuffed hands behind a wooden pole, Franziska Von Karma growled into her bit gag and glared at the witness who had destroyed her perfect case. Onlookers, women from all over the village, came to gawk and laugh at the two bound and gagged women in the town square.
“Well, Franziska... I did warn you,” a voice said.
She looked up and snarled behind her gag. “Mmghhllmmpph!!” 
Edgeworth smirked at her, kneeling down to meet her eyes. “I take no pleasure in seeing you like this, Franziska. But, you know how I like to say I told you so.”
“Grrrmmmppffff!!” Franziska snarled.
“I also came by to thank you. For allowing the trial to go through. You could have defeated it before it even started. I suppose that is partly your foolish pride. But it was honourable of you to not thwart our efforts to allow for Ms. Fey’s defence. You know as well as I do that special permission can be granted to any defence attorney living in our world to practice law here... but they do have to be living. And you didn’t bring up the fact that Ms. Fey is, shall we say, no longer corporeal.”
“Mmmrrghh...”
“You did the right thing. You gave that woman a fair trial. I’m... I’m proud of you, Franziska,” he said.
“Hmmmph!?”
“You’ve come a long way. I’m glad to see you didn’t become another Manfred. You are your own person. You abandoned the pall of his shadow long ago.”
Edgeworth stood up again as Franziska eyed him, her gaze softening somewhat. “Besides, I think you did well handling the legendary defence attorney Mia Fey. You may have lost but you gave her quite a battle. And remember, Franziska, it’s not about winning and losing. You know that. It is about truth. And justice. So you did the right thing. They’ll let you out of here in the morning, I suspect. And I cannot stay in this village. But I will see you later. Thank you again.”
With Miles Edgeworth, the man she referred to as her ‘little brother’ leaving her behind, still bound and gagged to a wooden pole in the middle of the village, she actually felt... happy. Happy that she could make Miles proud. It meant so much more than anything her father ever gave her. And, in the end, she knew she had done the right thing allowing the trial to go through. At the cost of some dignity, maybe, but she could regain it. After all, she was Franziska Von Karma. And there was no one more dignified than her.