DECEMBER 25 XXXX

XXXX

I felt horrible. My stomach was hurting, my wrists were burning, my head felt like it had been split in two, everything was painful. That was all I could think about. I want Father. I want to go home. I want the pain to go away. It feels cold and numb in here. At least I can't hear those two scary men anymore.

I decided to move around a bit. I could feel something above me with my legs; some sort of lid. I decided to try pushing the lid off, but I couldn't. It seemed like it was made of wood and it was probably nailed tightly. So then, I decided to see if I could free my bonds at least. I moved my hands around. It seemed like my wrists were tied together with rope. I was twisting my wrists around to see if I could slip my hands through it. It was starting to burn my wrists more. I will need to find something sharp.

Maybe there's a sharp nail sticking out along the side of this box somewhere. I decided to feel my way around the best I could, but it didn't seem like there could be a nail. With what little strength I had, I rolled onto one side to knock the box over one side. At first, it seemed to teeter toward that side, but then after some pushing, I was able to turn the box over. So far, there were no nails on this side, though I did notice a crack of light located on the side of the box I was lying on before. I decided to turn it over again. Again, no sharp nails or pieces of wood. Things seemed to be proving to be helpless. It was dark, I was bound and I just now realized that my clothes were now stinking from when I wet myself earlier.

"Hello!" I heard a voice. That didn't sound like any of the men. I scooted, then looked through the small crack on the box. "Huh, looks like it's abandoned."

"Are you sure, Dinkey? It looks scary in here," another voice said, who sounded like a frightened teenage girl. I was barely able to get a glimpse of that teenage guy with a black leather jacket like some greaser wannabe.

"Don't worry, doll. Dinkey will protect you from anything."

"Awww Dinkey, you're such a sweetheart."

Gross. Teen love. I can even hear them kissing. Ew. At least they were doing this beyond my viewpoint.

"Hmmph oh Dinkey!~"

This is worse than those random sex scenes they place in PG13 movies. Ugh! This is torture! Please tell me they're not... No. No. Oh god, they're taking their clothes off. (1) I started kicking and muffle-screaming inside before I heard a gasp.

"Dinkey, I thought you said this was safe!" I heard the girl scream, followed by a slap across the face. I watched as the blond diva left through the window.

"Wh-Wha- come back, Doll!"

I heard some footsteps and a groan from that gross greaser wannabe. I saw him walking toward the window, his shirt off. He sighed, "great, she probably hates me now."

I kicked the box some more, trying to get free. I began trying to scream through the gag. The only thing that came out was a muffle.

"Wh-Who's there!? I'm warning you, I'm a certified Junior Detective!" I heard the guy threaten, but I just kept kicking and moving around until that idiot got the picture. "Huh?" I heard footsteps moving closer, and I stopped struggling. "Wh-Who's in there?" I kicked the box and muffle-screamed again. "Are you a person? Hold on, I'll get you out!" About time!

I heard the guy run out, scrambling to put his shirt back on, for several minutes before returning back. I felt the box wiggling a bit before seeing more light appear from the top. At the very least, I can see the end of a crowbar.

"Okay, on a count of three, I'm gonna bust this thing right open. One! Two! Three!" The guy said, then the top to the box popped open like the top to a champagne bottle. I was able to get a good look at the guy's face. He wore a dirtied black leather jacket, a goat tee, rough black hair and a hardened face. He looked like some sort of poor loser tween trying to act cool or something. At least he wasn't as bad as Larry. "Whoa, you stink, kid." He removed my gag.

"Look who's talking, lover boy?" I spat back.

"Hey, who's there!?" I heard one of the two guys shout from a distance behind the door.

"Who's that!?" The greaser wannabe asked, eyes bugging out.

"The bad guys. Get me out of here, now," I pleaded, still bounded. "And, get these things off of me."

"Right away, kid!" The loser replied. He surprisingly listens.

The loser greaser wannabe threw me over his shoulder, then jumped out of a broken window before climbing down the fire escape. I felt a sharp wind of ice hit me like a ton of bricks. I was already numb from being inside that stupid box. He kept running, until I heard the guys slamming the door open. The greaser wannabe and I had just climbed down the fire escape.

"HE'S ESCAPED!"

"Hey!" The other guy shouted, before a gunshot was heard. I screamed.

"Watch it, pal! I'm a certified Junior Detective!" The greaser wannabe shouted, getting out a sling-shot (2) and a rock before shooting one of the bad guys with it right in the nose.

"N-N-Nice shot," I said, shaking from being so cold.

"Thanks. I'm not old enough to buy a gun, but this thing really comes in handy!" The greaser wannabe smirked, shooting another rock at the other guy, making him cover his crotch.

"That's g-gotta hurt," I cringed.

"Let's get out of here before they catch up to us, kid."

"S-S-Stop calling me kid! I h-have a name, y-y-you know! It's Miles Edgew-worth. You better remember that the n-n-next time you get in trouble, because I'm g-going to become a D-D-D-Defense At-t-t-t-torney when I grow up."

"Hehe sounds cool, kid. My name's Dick Gumshoe, but the cuties call me Dinkey. Here, take my coat. You look like you're freezing," Dick grinned, placing me on  his motorcycle, which was dark green, then hopping on it behind me. He hooked a helmet onto my head before putting another one on his. He, then wrapped me in his jacket before tying the sleeves around his waist to strap me in. It was then that I started getting a somewhat warmer. "Hang on, kid."

"I t-told you don't call me kid you D-" I shouted before the motorcycle took off.

Scared, I curled myself into a ball with my eyes closed. I was scared of flying off the bike. Dick said, "hey kid, open your eyes! Have you never ridden a motorcycle before?"

"N-No and no, I'm not opening my eyes! And, s-stop calling me kid, you mean greaser wannabe!"

"Geez, you don't have to be so harsh. Fine, I'll stop calling you kid. How about kiddo?"

"NO!" I angrily shouted, opening my eyes, then shooting him a glare that made him shake. There was some silence after I finally opened my eyes.

I could see the lights passing as we sped down the road. It looked very colorful and cool. I smiled a little, then said, "you can call me Edgey, though."

"Deal! You know, you're tough for your age. I'd be in serious panic mode, if I were you. How long were you in that thing?"

"... I-I don't know. What day is it?"

"It's Christmas. By the way, Merry Christmas!"

"Heh, I forgot it was Christmas... I guess for several hours. I-I don't know. I'm c-c-cold."

"Don't worry. We're almost at my place. It's not much, but it's better than up there. I'll get you cleaned up too."

"Thank y-you."

After some time, the motorcycle slowed down, and came to a stop. At this point, I was numb from the cold and shivering. At least Dick's body heat was keeping me warm. He untied the sleeves to his jacket before carrying me to what looked to be a rundown apartment building that looked poor. He climbed up to the second story before digging for his keys, then opening the door. He sat me down on the couch, still wrapped in his jacket, then wrapped me with an electric blanket that was battery powered. At least it's warmer in here, but there was little light with only lamps and a flashlight lighting up the room.

"Here, I'll draw a bath for you and you can tell me wha- OH MY GOSH, YOU'RE BLEEDING!" Dick explained, shining a small flashlight on my head, as he barely touched the top of my head.

"OW!" I cried, swapping his head away. My head felt like it was about to burst. I looked at my hand and could feel parts of my hair feeling crusty. The crust I got out looked like dry blood when looking at it near one of the lamps. "Ah!"

"I'm gonna send you to the police ASAP."

"W-Wait, I... I can't..." I pleaded desperately. I couldn't let some dry blood bother me.

"What do you mean!?"

"I can't go to the police. Th-Th-Those men... they work with the Chief Prosecutor."

"Wait what!? THAT'S CRAZY! Are you sure? I mean, that's a pretty huge accusation."

"Is his name Blaise Debeste?"

"Yes."

"Then, it's him. Please, y-you gotta believe me. If you turn me in... my father... that prosecutor guy..."

"Aww don't look at me with those sad eyes. Fine, I'll keep this between us. I won't even tell my girl, okay. But, you gotta tell me what's what, alright. Also, we gotta take care of that cut on your head."

"Alright."

He is right. Though, I do wonder how I got that cut on my head. I remember being trapped in that big wooden box all bounded before they carried me to wherever Dick found me at. I remember them dropping me as soon as I heard the sound of something big and metal hitting something. Then, I heard a crack and felt a sharp pain on my head before I passed out. That's probably how I got this injury on my head and why there was a big crack on that wooden box. I wonder what it was that hit me.

Dick drew the bath for me, then I went in. The bath was warm and I used some soap to wash myself with a wash rag. I also made sure to wash my hair and carefully wash the wound on my head. It stung. Afterwards, I dried myself off, then Dick offered me one of his shirts to put on that was more like a night gown. At least I was safe, but what about Father? I know he must be worried sick about me. Still, I couldn't just call and tell him that I'm alright. What if that Debeste guy tries to get me again?

I sat on the couch, curling up into a ball before smelling something delicious. I saw a cup of soup in Dick's hands with a spoon. He grinned, "it's not much, but it's all I can afford. I hope you li-" I snatched the bowl, then began eating the soup. I forgot how hungry I was. I hadn't eaten in a whole day. "Whoa, slow down, Edgey! You're gonna choke."

I just gave him a glare before he backed up, then I finished my soup. I placed the cup to the side before Dick put the dish in the sink, then sat next to me. I could see he was worried. I curled myself in the battery-powered electric blanket he gave me, sinking my arms inside the sleeves and hiding them under the shirt. I leaned against Dick, who then wrapped his arms around me.

"Hey, it's okay. They're not gonna come get you, you hear?" Dick comforted me with a surprisingly soft voice. I just stared at the wall in front of me. There was no TV. "Come here." He took me into his arms, then sat me on his lap before holding me. The electric blanket covered the both of us. "If you need to cry, you can cry. I won't tell no one."

I squeezed my eyes shut then buried my face into his chest before allowing my scream to muffle. All sorts of emotions came out like a flood I read from Alice in Wonderland. I was frightened, hurt, angry and helpless all at the same time. My father and that prosecutor guy were in trouble and there was nothing I could do. I eventually told Dick everything that happened from the elevator to when I was taken into that box.

"So, that's how you ended up in that crate. By the way, that's the wooden box you were trapped inside. I heard about the the blackout and the murder. They're calling it DL-6. So, you're a witness, huh?" Dick asked.

I sniffed, "yes, b-but that bad guys told me that Prosecutor Blaise Debeste was going to hurt father! H-He would fabricate evidence against him."

"But, Manfred Von Karma is the defendant. Is he...?"

"N-No... it's that prosecutor guy I told you about. M-My father is a Defense Attorney, Gregory Edgeworth." (3)

"No way! HIM!?! Von Karma's Defense Attorney!?"

"... yeah. I guess my father knows he's innocent. I know Father must be worried."

"But, you say that Chief Prosecutor Debeste is going to hurt your father. There has to be a way you can get him without getting caught. WAIT! I'm a Junior Detective! As a Detective, it's my job to find evidence. There has to be something that can prove it's Debeste and Von Karma's innocence without anyone fabricating them."

"HOW!?!"

"Well, the clothes you're wearing is evidence. It's covered in your urine and who knows what. Also, the rope and gag. I'm sure there must be something there, if this Debeste guy really did touch you."

"H-He was wearing gloves."

"Still, he has hair. Have you seen the size of that beard? I'm sure there must be pieces of hair or beard somewhere on your clothes. If we can find it, then that proves he took you when the crime took place."

"Could you do that?"

"I told ya. I'm a Junior Detective! It's my job to find evidence. I can take your clothes to the lab and analyze them. I can also have the forensics examine your urine. It can tell us if you've been eating all day. Also, your stool, if you feel like going on number two right now." (4)

"..."

"Listen Edgey, I want to help you. I know I don't look much. I'm clumsy and just dropped out of high school, but... I don't like seeing you like this. You want to save your father and you're between a rock and a hard place. You're going to need solid evidence, if you plan on taking on Debeste. Your clothes might be decisive evidence."

"Do you think if we searched for evidence, we can use it to save Father?"

"HA! I know we can! Evidence is a lawyer's greatest weapon and your father and Mr. Von Karma are lawyers, right? We're a team, pal. Besides, I'm going to need to practice working with a prosecutor anyways, if I want to become the best detective in the district."

"I'm planning to be a Defense Attorney, not a Prosecutor," I argued.

"Still, you're going to need to learn to work with someone, you know? Even Defense Attorneys have assistants."

"True. I might need some help, if I'm to expect to save father. Though, don't expect me to pay you, I'm only 8."

"Nah, it's fine. As I said, it's practice."

"Fine. You can turn in my clothes to the police, but we need to make sure my whereabouts are kept in the dark as much as possible. Also, we'll need to find some allies in the Police Department we can trust. I know two detectives Father works with in his cases. We can take the evidence we find to them." (5)

"Don't worry, Edgey. My lips are sealed and if you know some people in the Police Department, then we're in good hands."

"Also, think there's a way we can investigate that place you rescued me from?"

"Sure, but I won't be able to do it without some backup, you know? That would mean reporting to the police."

"Probably, but we'll need to investigate before then just in case Debeste gets involved. I doubt they'll know we're there. They'll be looking for me tomorrow for sure, so I doubt if they'll be too worried about watching the fort. They were certainly incompetent enough to let a couple of horny teenagers break in and do the doodle-bop." (6)

"Doo... HEY, WE WERE NOT! But still, it's risky."

"But, if we don't, the truth will be lost."

"Huh. That's true. Alright, we'll do it your way, but I'm in charge."

"Sure," I said, rolling my eyes.

"Hey, I'm 15. I'm about sev-"

"I don't care... thanks for the food and... for saving me."

"Huh? Oh, of course, Edgey."

"Hmph," I hummed, then felt my eyes growing heavy. I allowed myself to sleep before feeling the young detective tuck me in a bed in the other room. He must've given me his bed. He's pretty helpful. An idiot, but helpful.

DECEMBER 26 7:02AM

EDGEWORTH LAW OFFICES

It was hard last night. The fear of knowing my son was out there somewhere in the hands of Blaise's lackeys. I knew what he was capable of. We were former colleagues and went to the same college. I already learned the hard way that this man would not bat an eye over torturing children. The day he gave Rachael a Guilty verdict, he almost took Miles with her while he was inside his mother. I was not one to trust that he would free Miles once he saw whose child he really belonged to. If anything, he'd just use it to his advantage.

If I planned to free Miles and beat Blaise, I needed to make sure he still believed Miles was Von Karma's child for the time being. There was also the Jeff Masters Case. A new prosecutor was going to takeover for Masters' case in Von Karma's stead. Raymond got his Attorney's badge, so I trusted he would take over in my stead, while I made an effort to save my son. I also made sure the school was informed of Miles' absence. They understood and gave their condolences.

I gathered the paperwork before putting on my signature coat and hat. Raymond appeared, stacking paperwork for Jeff Master's upcoming trial.

"Hey Mr. Edgeworth, good news! Since Von Karma was arrested yesterday, the judge has decided to reschedule the court date for tomorrow, so we have time to investigate for Master's Trial!" Raymond grinned excitedly.

"That's good, but I'm afraid I can't be there for that trial tomorrow," I said sadly.

"WHAT!?! Oh, that's right, Von Karma... so, he's allowing you to defend him?"

"Yes. It saddens me to do this, but I'm going to need you to takeover Master's Trial, while I try to prove Von Karma's innocence."

"Don't be. You've gotta find Miles. There's no telling where he's at. Poor kid. I hope he's alright. I'd hate to find out he's been trapped all night in the cold like Von Karma said."

"I hope so too. There's a hidden truth behind this case. Von Karma's going to be assisting me during the trial too. At the very least, we've come to an understanding. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm going to need his help to uncover the truth."

"Still, I can't wrap my mind around what I heard last night. I mean... was that really Von Karma, THE Manfred Von Karma, who would do anything for a guilty verdict? That Von Karma, who is now risking his life and reputation to save Miles? I mean... he even said that seeing children crying in pain gives him pain. This same guy that threatened Jeff Master and used Ms. Hall against him."

"I don't think he would've done so, if he wasn't familiar with that fear Jeff felt. Also, unlike Miles, Catherine is a grown adult. (7) I believe Von Karma was telling the truth about feeling hurt and pain when seeing other children suffer. When he admitted that to me, he wasn't talking to me like I was a defense attorney, but a father suffering in pain. I'd find it hard to believe that Von Karma is incapable of feeling pain and fear."

"I guess you're right. Heh, I guess you would know what people like Von Karma were thinking better than me. I cannot imagine myself ever being in that position."

"Mr. Shields, everyone is capable of committing horrendous acts. Even now, I still consider Von Karma a better man than I was nine years ago. Even though he cares nothing more, than his perfect record, he also loves and cares about his family."

"I wouldn't go that far, Mr. Edgeworth! I mean... you did snag a hot reporter, after forging evidence against her, you dog," Raymond teased, grinning as I used my hat to cover my face. Embarrassing as it is, he's not wrong. "Sorry."

"It's fine," I sighed. "It's just embarrassing."

"Anyways, don't worry about a thing. I'll take care of Master. You need to investigate, while you still can."

"Thank you, Raymond. Tell Master that I'll be counting on him to stay strong," I smirked, opening the door.

"I will! You can count on me, Mr. Edgeworth!" Raymond waved as I closed the door behind me, then headed to my car.

I took a deep breath, then drove on my way to the Courthouse.

7:57 AM

COURTHOUSE

ELEVATOR #2

https://youtu.be/-rVUvtw_iNc

I made it to the courthouse where the scene of the crime took place. I wouldn't have Raymond or Miles with me, but I still intended on investigating as much as I could. For some reason, something told me that Miles was okay and staying strong. That gave me some form of hope. I smiled a little bit as I glanced at the crime scene.

Getting my camera out, (8) I took some pictures of bits of evidence like the bullet hole on the door of the elevator. That must've been when Miles shot Von Karma. I also took a picture of the area where Yanni Yogi's dead corpse was located that was now outlined with tape. He seemed to have been lying across the floor on his stomach. It was lying on the floor right at the feet where I remember laying unconscious. I can see why Von Karma would use the lie that my son attacked him, made him miss his target, and shoot the victim. This would be a very strong argument the prosecution would no doubt use to his advantage.

There was also the issue with the gun. If there was a fourth party trying to shoot Von Karma, only to shoot Yanni Yogi instead, from what angle did he shoot from and is it possible he used a different gun from what Yanni Yogi used? If a different gun was used, I could use that against the prosecution. Though, knowing Blaise, he would use that to his advantage. I will need to know what the murder weapon is and the Autopsy. The only issue is Blaise. As a Chief Detective, I'd often forge and manipulate autopsy reports and evidence for Blaise. It sickens me to even have knowledge of how it was done.

"Something on your mind, Chief?" Detective Badd asked, coming my way.

"Detective Badd, are you the detective running this case?" I asked.

"Yes... don't get me wrong, I'm only doing this for your kid."

"Good. I don't trust Chief Prosecutor Debeste. I'm going to need you to keep an eye on the evidence that's already been entered in."

"You think he's going to manipulate the evidence?"

"..."

"Heh," Detective Badd said, taking out his mirror. "The Autopsy Report was not made yesterday, due to recovering from the blackout and... it was already closed by the time a murder was announced."

"When was the body found?"

"5:34. That was about 15 minutes after the blackout ended."

I wrote down the time the body was found and the information of the blackout. It started at 12:05 PM, remembering recording the time on my watch, then ended 15 minutes before 5:34 PM when the body was found. That would mean the blackout ended at 5:19 PM. Also, due to the earthquake that caused the blackout, rubble and debris fell all around the elevator, making it airtight, thus why we were being deprived of oxygen. This elevator was stuck on the bottom floor and is only able to open for the time being. For now, it's being turned off until fixed, but preserved with the door open for the time being for the crime scene. (9)

"Did you find anything about the body or have you not seen the body?" I asked.

"I visited the morgue and carefully examined the body as much as I could. The body doesn't seem to be showing signs of struggle."

"What about burnt markings from the gunshot?"

"... from what I can tell, it certainly was from quite a distance. I'd say no less than a few feet."

Detective Badd gave me the report before the full autopsy. No doubt the prosecution would try to manipulate or fabricate the autopsy to make it seem like it was up close. I could use this to my advantage. If Von Karma did shoot Yanni Yogi from the elevator entry, then it should leave behind residue. Detective Badd had learned from my past to always be three steps ahead of his opponent. I could never say it to his face, but I'm proud of him. I was afraid of what my past actions had caused him.

"Thank you. It seems you already entered this as evidence. It would certainly be difficult for the opposition to try to manipulate this."

"Heh, Debeste isn't a genius like you. Ever since losing you, he's been slipping."

"You can't be too careful, though."

"... I know."

"Is there any other evidence?"

"... the murder weapon. They already started examining the murder weapon. It's... possible Debeste is trying to manipulate the evidence of the murder weapon."

"I figured. Did you get anything from the murder weapon? Any detail is necessary, no matter how small," I said.

".... one shot was fired. It seems to have been shot by the gun the bailiff used, considering his fingerprints were the only ones on the murder weapon."

"It seems Blaise has already made his mark. That creates a contradiction," I said, pointing to the door of the elevator, showing the bullet hole.

"So it does," Detective Badd agreed, eyeing the hole.

"Even if Von Karma was shooting the gun from behind the door, there's no way it could have hit the victim, considering how high the bullet hole is from the ground. You'd have to be standing up," I mentioned as Detective Badd glared at it.

"Von Karma has a gunshot wound on his shoulder. Could that be where it came from?"

"I have no doubt. There was a misfire from my son throwing the gun at the victim before passing out. The bullet shot through the door and into Von Karma's right shoulder. If Von Karma had shot the victim with the bailiff's gun, there'd have been two shots fired from the bullet. Yet, there was one. There's also my son's fingerprints, were any other fingerprints on the gun, aside from the victim's?"

".... No. So, the number of gunshots and fingerprints from your son were forged?"

"No, I think the gunshots were real and this wasn't the gun Miles threw. Though, if Debeste had shot the victim with the same type of gun bailiffs use, it would be easy for him to switch the guns. He could use Yanni Yogi's corpse to leave fingerprints on the gun before switching the guns. This way, it would look like the murder weapon was Yanni Yogi's gun when it wasn't."

".... to make it look like Von Karma committed the murder," Detective Badd finished, his eyes bulged. I knew this kind of trick. I used it often when working under Blaise. "This could end badly,if it succeeds."

"Perhaps, but that's why we need to prepare. Even if Blaise forges evidence, we can expose it," I assured. "I need you to give me the information about the murder weapon."

"Hmph, I'll fax it to you when it fully comes out. The Autopsy should be fully updated by this evening before closing."

"Thank you."

"There's one more thing."

"What is it?"

Detective Badd took his sucker out, then gave me a small gift wrapped inside a decorative red and green bag with snowflakes. He said, "from Ms. Hall. She wanted to give it to you after the trial, but..."

"I see. Thank you," I replied, happily accepting the gift.

"The note inside is new."

"Hm?"

I unwrapped the gift, which had her delicious chocolates and a note. I unfolded it, then read it:

Dear Monsieur Edgeworth,

I wanted to give you a Christmas gift after the trial, but because of the blackout, it made it impossible. I greatly apologize. I hoped to give it to you in person by the next time we met, but Monsieur Shields told me that you were to defend Monsieur Von Karma to save your son. I was horrified when I heard what had happened. Monsieur Master knows too and is just as horrified.

I asked the Detective to give these to you in my stead. Even though you are not with us, we will still hold strong for you. Don't worry about us. Go find your son. We will be cheering for you.

Sincerely,

Catherine Hall

"You've got a great team on your side," Detective Badd said, putting his sucker back in his mouth.

"That, I do," I replied with a grateful smile. I looked back up at him. "I'm sure you do too."

"Hmph... I suppose. Though, a student I just recently took in is kind of a handful. He has potential, but... he's a bit rough on the edges."

"Like when I first took you in?" I teased as Detective Badd gave me his not amused glare.

".... I'm still older than you."

"I see that still hasn't changed."

"Hmph. He's a good kid, though. I hope he doesn't get into too much trouble."

9:05 AM

ABANDONED BUILDING

https://youtu.be/dt-RsxvD5U8

Dick and I made it to the location of the building where I was taken hostage. I was bundled in a white heavy coat that was my size and covered my entire being. It was enough to keep me warm and disguise me. Staring up at the building, I could feel an intense amount of fear. What if the bad guys came back? Would I be stuffed in that crate again? What if....?

"Ed...gey!" I barely heard Dick's voice before I began focusing on that voice alone. "EDGEY!"

"What?" I asked, glaring at my savior.

"You know... maybe coming back here wasn't a good idea. You're white as a ghost."

"I'll be fine. Those guys are busy looking for me and that Debeste guy is probably investigating or something. Besides, no one is here, so that must mean they're not anywhere inside," I replied confidently the best I could. I didn't want to show how utterly terrified I was right now. Dick rubbed the back of his neck. He didn't seem convinced.

"... they could still be inside. We should check... just in case."

I nodded, going along with this. I replied, "you're the boss." 

Dick grinned, then gave me a small device. I've seen these before. I asked, "a taser?"

"You can't be too careful and I'd hate to see you get abducted like that again."

"Thanks... Dinkey," I teased. I was met with an agitated look from the Junior Detective.

"HEY! I said only cuties get to call me that!"

"Father says I'm cute, thus it count," I replied, looking up at him with my hands behind my back.

"Y-Yeah, but that's..." Dick replied looking at me for a moment, then looking defeated. "Dang it, that face, you're not being fair, you know. Fine, you can call me Dinkey, just... don't say it in public, okay. It's embarrassing."

"Deal," I replied, then followed Dick to the building, making sure to keep his motorcycle hidden from view.

We quietly climbed up the fire escape, ducking our heads as we approached what I assumed was where I was being kept at. It was dark, so I don't remember much. Peeking through the broken glass window, Dick turned his head towards me, then gave me a nod. That meant the coast was clear. I followed him, climbing through the window into the room, making sure to avoid sharp glass around the edges of the window frame. Returning back now, I can see the room clearly.

The room was very small. Though, it seemed that the crate I was trapped inside was gone. Dick sighed with disappointment. He said, "so much for that."

"No, it was expected. After escaping, they must've anticipated that we would come back or reported this to the police. This is why I didn't want you to report anything to the police yet."

"Ugh, you mean this Debeste guy just basically destroyed any evidence that would prove who held you hostage?"

"... not quite. Father always taught me that even destroying evidence leaves some traces behind."

"Really? But, isn't he just a Defense Attorney."

"Don't underestimate Father! He was a former Chief Detective before I was born. He knows everything about everything about detective work. He even taught Detective Badd everything he knows," I bragged.

"HOLD IT! Detective Badd was your father's student!? But... he's older than your old man, isn't he?"

"Doesn't matter. My father was a genius. He was at the top of his classes on everything. He was the most admired and well known detective in the district. You could say he was like California's Sherlock Holmes."

"Wow. But... why did he become a Defense Attorney? I mean... I guess it's his life and everything, but..."

"He wanted to save Mother and me."

"Your mom?"

"He doesn't like talking about Mother much. He says he would tell me when I was older, but... he gave up his career and became a lawyer to protect Mother and me. That's... That's why I want to become a lawyer. I want to save people, give them another chance. I know not every client is innocent, many are even guilty of the crimes they've committed, but everyone should be given a second chance. Father always tells me that no matter how awful someone may be, they're just as human as the rest of us. We all are capable of becoming criminals, if put in desperate situations, but it's when we're able to look in the mirror and admit to that, that we can show compassion to others."

"Heh, that's a good way to think, Edgey. I think you'll be a fine lawyer one day."

"Thanks!"

"But, you know, you could say the same about detectives and prosecutors."

"Huh?"

"Sure, a detective might just be looking for clues and often help the prosecution prove the defendant guilty, but it's because they want to save the other victims. I mean sure criminals are human, but they hurt a lot of people by doing what they do. If they're not punished, then it only hurts the victims even more. I mean... I saw the way you looked when getting you out of that crate. Even now, I see you're still scared. Lots of witnesses are like that, hostage or not. They see a murder and it's like their life is over. Everything they've known or once knew has been shattered. Unless justice is served, they can't ever be healed. That's why I want to be a detective and help people that suffer from that."

I felt my hands shake again. Dick was right, I was scared. I always had thought of victims being the defendants, even the not innocent ones, but I never thought about the other witnesses. They always seemed... I don't know... like hypocrites. I suppose it's not for me to judge - I am a witness after all. I know that Debeste guy is human and I don't wish for him to be executed or be in prison for life, but... I don't want him to hurt anyone else. What if he tried kidnapping other children or murdering other people?

"We should search for clues," I said, looking around. They took everything, even... wait. The crowbar!

I found the crowbar over by the window. Running to it, I heard Dick shouting, "don't touch it!" He put on some latex gloves before picking it up. "We need to preserve the evidence. We can examine it though. Just tell me if you want a closer look, then point to the area you want to have a closer look at."

"Hm..." I hummed, nodding before Dick bent down to my level. "Turn it. I want to look closely at this part right here." I pointed to the hook end of the crow bar. Dick turned it, so I could get a better look at it. "Some scratches on it. Probably from when you pulled the crate top open."

"Yeah, sure made a lot of racket."

"It seems strange that non of the bad guys heard anything, until you pulled the crate top open. You and your girlfriend made a lot of noise."

"Yeah, seems that way."

"The walls here aren't noise proof. Is it possible they were too far away to hear us?"

"Hm... probably."

"I think that's all I'll be examining," I said as Dick put the crowbar in a plastic bag, then put it in his backpack. I turned, then noticed the door. I walked to the door to get a closer took, then noticed there was no knob, but a hole where the doorknob should be. I peeked through the hole, seeing a hallway. "There's a hole in here."

I quietly opened the door, knowing no one was in the hallway, then saw three different rooms and a stairwell at the end of the hallway. All the doors were either not there or had pieces of it broken off. I furrowed my brows, thinking deeply. Dick seemed to be looking around, trying to read what I was thinking.

"These rooms have broken or nonexistent doors. There's no way those men couldn't hear you and your girlfriend about to play paddy cake," I said. (10)

"I told you, we were not! But... you might be onto something," Dick agreed, his cheeks reddened.

"The men that took me didn't seem to hear anything, until you broke the box open. Furthermore, outside the room, all the other doors on the same floor have broken doors, making it impossible for anyone to not have heard you and your girlfriend. Ergo, the men were on a different floor."

"Wow, not bad. Guess the apple really doesn't fall too far from the tree. I never would have thought of that."

"The question is, where were those men, if they weren't on this floor? This building has three floors and I was on the second floor."

"Well, it certainly can't be on the first floor. As someone, who lives in a rundown apartment, I can tell ya that footsteps are commonly heard from your upper floor neighbors."

"We also didn't hear anything from the upper floor either."

"That's true!" Dick agreed, having just realized that. "Maybe they were in the basement."

"Basement?"

"Well, there's only three floors to this building. If they weren't on the first, second or third floor, then they'd be on the roof, a hidden attic or the basement."

"They couldn't have been on the roof or an attic, since the fire escape was there and they could have reached us from there. Also, if they were on the roof, they would've seen you and your girlfriend while walking on the fire escape. It took them about five minutes to finally reach us, being we were already off the fire escape by the time they reached the window. That means there must be a basement."

"Well, let's go find the basement then," Dick grinned as he took off to the stairs.

I followed Dick into the stairwell. We went down two floors. As he had guessed, this building had a basement. That means, if our guesses are correct, the bad guys must've been in the basement while Dick and his girlfriend snuck inside. I stayed close behind Dick as he kept his sling-shot close before opening the door. We stayed glued to the side of the wall as Dick let the door open wide.

There was a wide room and two other doors leading to two other rooms. The wide room had a small table and two chairs. I was certain this was where the two men were rooming at, while I was trapped in the crate on the second floor. Of course, there didn't seem to be anything else, other than the table and two chairs. Still, there had to be some evidence in this room, right?

Dick was the first to enter inside as I followed. The first place we examined was the table. There seemed to be no dust on the table and chairs, meaning it was occupied recently. I crawled under the table on my hands and knees. I looked up from under the table. Dick bent down, looking directly at me with curious eyes.

"You find anything?"

"A piece of gum," I replied.

"AH! We can get a DNA test on that!" Dick grinned, crawling under after I moved out of the way. He got his gloves and a razor to scrape the gum off before placing it in a small bag. "Good thinking!"

"I'm certain Debeste must've made sure to wipe clean of any fingerprints from that table and these chairs. He must've not bothered looking under the table or chairs; that and he's certainly never had to clean the classroom after school." (11)

"Ugh, don't remind me."

"Could you turn over those chairs? We might be able to find a clue," I asked as Dick did just that over each chair. The first chair was clean, but the second looked to have some hardened green stuff on it. "Whoever did this reminds me of Larry."

"Who's Larry?"

"A troublesome friend of mine. Anyways, this could be a good sample of our guy."

"Ah, that's true!" Dick grinned, then sanitized the razor before using it to scrape the hardened green stuff. He placed it in a small bag before placing it in his backpack. "Guess that takes care of that."

"Not quite yet. I'm certain they were expecting to stay overnight at this rundown place, considering that you rescued me late at night. The question is, how would they sleep during the cold winter when there's no electricity in here?"

"That's true! Maybe they were using an electric blanket like me. I don't think they'd be able to build a campfire. The smoke would build up here without a vent like the time I was cooking burgers on my stove."

"Also, a campfire would burn the place down, but you might be onto something."

"Huh? I am?" Dick asked, looking confused.

I got out my taser and used the flashlight part of it. I began searching all around the room. Once I opened the door to one of the other rooms, my eyes lit, pointing my flashlight at the object I was looking for.

"ERIKA!" I shouted, pointing at what looked to be like a stove. Normally, these would not work as a heating source without electricity, but something told me this one was a different kind of stove.

"A stove?" Dick asked, staring at the object my flashlight was pointing to.

"There was something I noticed after you took me in. The electricity was off when you cooked me those noodles. That's why the only light source were those lamps."

"Well yeah, do you have any idea how expensive electricity is? My landlord is already giving me beef about-"

"Not that, you dimwit! I mean the stove! How were you able to cook those noodles?"

"Oh, that's easy! My stove is gas lit. You just have to put a match there, then bada bing bada boom. Though, I do have to open the windows, so the house isn't filled with smoke. Believe me pal, it's hard to breathe in a smoke-filled house."

"This must be gas lit. Though, you bring up another question, if this is their heating source, how were they able to vent out the smoke?" I wondered, looking at the stove. I didn't think they'd turn on the stove without some sort of ventilation, especially if they were planning on using it to cook with.

"I don't know, but if they did use this for heating source, there might be some soot left behind. That's usually what happens, if you leave your stove on for too long. Don't see any soot though."

"Try checking under the stove top." (11)

"Oh yeah! I always forget to check under there. Hahaha!" Dick grinned, then opened the stove top. It was filthy. "Yep, this was used alright! Seems like they were cooking stuff too." I could see pieces of burnt food in crumbled pieces.

Using the lever to hold the stove top up, Dick took a sample of the soot and the burnt food before closing it. It would normally be odd for it to be the dirtiest under the stove top, while the rest of it was cleaned. I had no doubt that Debeste tried to hide as much evidence as possible. Even making a piece of evidence cleaned already proved it had been previously used. Thus, I knew there had to be evidence somewhere that Debeste never bothered checking on. It seems that he never knew this stove's stove top could be lifted and searched under.

Looking all around the room, I found an open window right above the stove. An open ventilation. I smirked, looking up.

"Dinkey, think you could check for fingerprints?" I asked, pointing at the opened window.

"I hate to break it to ya pal, but I don't think that opening is big enough to fit a grown-sized man."

"I know that! That's not what I meant! I meant they had to open that window for another reason. Obviously, since they turned the stove on, they had to use some sort of ventilation for the smoke to escape from."

"Ah! AH! You're right! It looks pretty high though."

"Hm..." I hummed, looking around. "You're right. How were they able to get to the window?"

"Maybe they used one of those chairs."

"It's possible. Let's test that, shall we?" I asked, smirking.

"You mean... I don't know."

"We can use the one without the green snot."

"I suppose," Dick replied, then brought the chair. He began getting up on it before it wobbled and fell, Dick landing hard on his bottom. I couldn't help, but laugh. "Hey! That hurt!"

"Your fault for not testing it. Obviously, these chairs are too wobbly and unbalanced to stand on," I said. That meant those guys had to use something else. I began searching the closet of the room, flashing my light on an old broom, some chairs, shelves full of mice poop and a ladder. It seemed to be covered in dust and grime, including the ladder itself. "There's a ladder in here!"

Dick looked inside, then said, "that's a step ladder, Edgey."

"That's what I said."

"No, you said a-"

"Whatever. Unlike the other stuff, this one still has grime on it. If it was used, there should be fingerprints visible on this thing."

"Hey, you're right!" Dick cried excitedly, carefully taking the ladder out of the closet, then laying it down carefully.

We both searched and sure enough, there were some shoe prints on the steps and fingerprints on the side. I smirked, "seems like we won't need aluminum powder for this one."

"I got this one hehehe!" Dick grinned proudly, getting some tape and taking every fingerprint samples. He also got some packaging tape to take a sample of the shoe prints.

While Dick was taking samples, I began examining other parts of the ladder for anything useful. That was when I saw something. It looked like dry blood. My eyes widened, then I glared at it.

"I found a contradiction," I said as Dick turned to me.

"A contradiction? Oh," Dick said, glancing at the dried blood that was located on the top step to the side. It looked as if it fell on someone's head really hard. "Wow, that had to hurt."

"I remember... when I was still in the crate. I wet myself. The two men were trying to carry me up the stairs. On the way, I heard a sound of something metal hitting something and he screamed before dropping me. After that, I felt a sharp pain on my head, then I passed out. I wonder...."

"Ah! AH! That cut on your head! That was from the step ladder!"

"This could be the decisive evidence that can connect my hostage situation to DL-6."

"Really!?"

"I'm certain. It's the only piece of evidence that Debeste didn't clean off, I'm sure of it. The fact everything else was cleaned up, except for this, tells me that Debeste was the one cleaning up the evidence, not his hired kidnappers. Had he known about the ladder, he would've cleaned this up as well."

"It's called a ste-" Dick tried correcting me before I shot him a glare. He trembled. It was getting on my nerves of him correcting me like a Grammar Nazi. "I mean that's true. HOLD IT! How would this be connected to DL-6, if Debeste didn't go anywhere near it?"

"Let's think on this for a moment. This ladder fell, then hit my head, while I was trapped in the crate, leaving my blood stained on it. They already took the crate, so we can't use it to prove I was inside this building, but this ladder..."

"It would prove your kidnapping location!"

"And, I am a witness of DL-6. My Father's, Von Karma's and I's testimonies should prove that."

"We'll need to take this to the forensics to test your DNA and the fingerprints. If the step ladder matches the size of your wound, that proves this hit you while you were inside the box, especially if we find small wood fragments inside the blood."

"True. I'd like to examine this some more."

"Seriously?"

"I won't rest until I inspect every suspicious-looking nook and cranny," I said, shining my light under the ladder.

"You're sure devoted. Are you sure you don't want to be a detective?"

"Shush!" I snapped, then saw something imprinted under the ladder. "Property of District Courthouse."

"What!?"

"This ladder came from the courthouse."

"Wh-HOW!?!"

"I don't know, but I did suspect it as much. This table and these chairs didn't come from this building. They came from the outside, which makes me wonder why they're here."

"Yeah, I mean... why leave the stuff you stole in this place, if they expected it to be searched?"

"The question isn't why the men would leave the stuff here. Debeste was the one cleaning the crime scene. The question is why DEBESTE would leave it here."

"Yeah, I mean... that's basically spelling out criminals were here, you know what I'm saying?"

"During an investigation, who would you expect to lead the investigation?"

"Well, usually it would be the prosecutor in charge."

"Correct, and what if this crime scene was reported to the police and proven to have connections with DL-6 without the knowledge these pieces of furniture originally belonged to the District Courthouse?"

"AH!"

"Correct. Had you turned me in, Blaise Debeste would have led the investigation, since he's the one prosecuting against Von Karma for DL-6. Though, he didn't know about the ladder. That means the only pieces of evidence he expected to be found were the stove, the chairs, the crowbar and table. I'd even estimate he expected the window to be left open and traced for fingerprints."

"So... he intended on the stove, furniture, window, gum and snot to be used as evidence?"

"Precisely. The question is, who does the gum and snot belong to? Something tells me the gum and snot don't belong to our two fellas that kidnapped me," I concluded. Dick blinked, then I sighed. "They belong to someone or some people Debeste wants to scapegoat as his insurance on who the kidnappers are! If they originally belonged to the District Courthouse, it wouldn't be far fetch to say Debeste had a meeting with someone or even two people he planned to put blame for my kidnapping."

"Wh-Who!?"

"I don't know. We'll need to turn in the snot and gum to see whom they planned on pinning the blame on. For now, we'll have to send in these two to Father for the trial. We'll have to save the ladder and clothes for the time being until we can thoroughly examine the ladder. They're the only things that Debeste hasn't forged."

"What about the gum and snot? If you're right about them pinning the blame on someone else, this could look bad for Von Karma and the innocent people."

"I know, but if we don't allow Debeste to have his way for a moment, the truth won't be revealed. Even though these are falsified evidence, they may reveal a bigger truth. There's someone or some people that were involved."

"Wh-Who?"

".... I have a theory, but... I can't be certain until we do lab work on it," I replied, thinking deeply.

I didn't want to do it, but I will have to use these falsified evidence first before I got to the ladder. I'm certain there are some people Debeste is trying to scapegoat. These two people probably worked for him, perhaps were accomplices in murdering Yanni Yogi unknowingly? I was certain that Debeste was originally trying to murder Von Karma. Whoever they were, they were people that didn't like Manfred Von Karma.

"Hey Edgey, I just found something! There seems to be a piece of hair stuck to the gum!" Dick cried out.

I glared at the hair stuck to the gum, then the snot. I knew Debeste was trying to scapegoat one or two people, but... I smirked in response. Maybe Debeste didn't plan completely everything, if my gut feeling was correct. 

"Interesting," I replied.

Father, I know you will find the truth to blow this case wide open.

AFTER STORY NOTES:

1. Yes, Miles knows about where babies come from. He's 8, but he's a genius. He's studied on that kind of thing. Also, I don't see Gregory being too Conservative about keeping that kind of stuff from Miles like Morgan did with Pearl. Once Miles brought up the question, Gregory would tell him with no awkwardness or lies. Since he has mentioned watching PG13 movies, it's clear he did find out about that kind of stuff. Interestingly enough, I was told the birds and the bees between 8-9 years old. 

2. I was originally going to have him use a potato gun or a BB gun, but the sling-shot was better. I know most 15-year-olds would prefer BB guns, but this is Japafornia. In both California and Japan, they're very strict on carrying firearms. I don't think California is strict on BB's, but Japan is. I did study on that. I am mixing some California stuff with it, but I had to go with what I thought would fit a young Dick Gumshoe trying to be cool and hip, but looking goofy. The sling-shot won.

3. Even though we know that Blaise Debeste mistaken Manfred Von Karma to being Miles Edgeworth's father, that doesn't mean Miles knows. He thinks when Blaise and his men are talking about his father that they're talking about Gregory Edgeworth. Due to the mistake, we know they're talking about Manfred Von Karma. As for why Miles doesn't know, even though Von Karma called Miles his son before he was taken, Miles doesn't remember that part. That scene traumatized him pretty badly, so some parts of his memories are blocked. That includes Miles Edgeworth throwing the gun inside the elevator.

4. This was one thing never brought up in Ace Attorney, examinations of someone's stool or urine. That's actually part of the Autopsy, because after you die, your bowels release and the corpse's urine and stool pours out  like a waterfall. I was planning on making a joke with that, since Miles did wet himself, and I would have Dick Gumshoe think he was dead at first. I decided against it, because that would've gone too far. I didn't want to treat Miles wetting himself as a joke, because it shows the kind of  torture he's going through. There are people in real life that do get tortured like that. They're trapped in cages without bathroom breaks and smelling their own urine and poop every day is no laughing matter. That being said, I will include urine and stool analysis, because it is something I kinda wish Ace Attorney did, while understanding why they wouldn't. 

5. Even though Miles doesn't want to reveal himself to the police, that doesn't mean he's not going to allow the Police Department to help in some way. Miles is just being careful about this, knowing that Debeste will try to fabricate evidence. 

6. I got the name from a show that used to come on Playhouse Disney (before they stuck with the lazy Disney Jr, which is a stupid name in my opinion)  called the Doodlebops. Kids often come up with silly names for sex, so they won't get in trouble or because they don't want to say it. Miles just doesn't want to say it.

7. Miles Edgeworth was also a grown adult when Manfred Von Karma set him up for murder and threw him under the bus on the DL-6 Incident. People forget that Von Karma did teach Miles everything he knew on Prosecution and treated him like a son. In the anime, Von Karma adopted him. I don't think  Von Karma is the kind of person to not feel guilt, pain or love. There's a saying "it takes one to know one." I don't believe Von Karma would've used Jeff Masters' fear over someone he considered a daughter in order to threaten him to confess, unless he was familiar with that kind of fear. I also don't believe he would've pushed Edgeworth to confess to killing his own father, unless Von Karma was familiar with that kind of guilt and remorse for taking the life of another human being or feeling that by doing so that you have betrayed someone you cared a lot about. In other words, Von Karma uses fear and pain when intimidating the defendants, because he knows that kind of fear and pain. At least that's my headcanon.

8. This is basically how Gregory Edgeworth records evidence into the Court Record. He takes pictures or notes of the crime scene.

9. That was one thing that bothered me. Elevators aren't airtight. They're made to not be airtight. I can only assume something happened to make the elevator airtight. Even the reports of elevators being airtight and depriving someone of oxygen are often proven false. I thought maybe elevators are made differently in Japan, but I've found that it's the same there too. If you guys know anything, let me know in the comments.

10. Just like 6, Miles is calling sex some silly  name, because he doesn't want to say it.

11. In Japan, students clean their classroom after school. Since this is Japafornia, I decided to include that for reference. Also, public schools in the US need to start doing that in my  opinion.

12. Most stove tops can be lifted up. I don't own one of those, but my parents did. Almost everyone forgets to clean under the stove top.