DECEMBER 26 3:30 PM
POLICE DEPARTMENT
ENTRANCE

I left the Detention Center just as Raymond came running to me. He called my name frantically, then stopped and panted as soon as he was in front of me. I waited for him to catch his breath.

"Raymond?" I asked.

"Sorry, I tried to get you earlier, but you were already meeting with your client. It's about Jeff. When I was visiting him an hour ago, he told me he saw Miles!" Raymond cried.

"WHAT!?"

"Debeste... that... ugh! He has some nerve! He tried kidnapping Miles again, but if that wasn't enough, he claimed he'd keep Miles even after Von Karma was declared Guilty," Raymond glared angrily. Blaise... you coward. You would do that. "He said he'd use Miles to keep you quiet about something. Do you know what he's talking about."

"... he must've known," I muttered sorrowfully. "I have tons of evidence proving what he did to Rachael. I did a lot of investigating, while Rachael was still alive. I even have evidence of the motive for framing her and the death sentence."

"You do? You never told me about that."

"That's because I planned on using it once Miles turned 15 and old enough to live on his own. Once there, Blaise will be proven his guilt, but... as you know, I was involved in the forgery that led to Rachael's death sentence."

"Well yeah, you told... wait... you... no. Don't tell me...!" Raymond said, now realizing what it would mean for me. I tilted my hat downward to cover the top half of my face. "No, you can't do that! You... You've changed! You're not the same person you used to be! There has to be a away!"

"If there is, it's very slim. True, I did commit forgery and the statute of limitation for fraud is only five years, but murder is 15 years."

"B-But... you didn't murder anyone!"

"I was an accomplice, Raymond. Accomplices are given the same sentence as the culprit they were an accomplice of. What Manfred is going to face for Attempted Murder cannot even compare to what I will be facing. Attempted Murder only faces life imprisonment at the worst. If Blaise is proven to have committed first degree murder, which he has and I have proof for..." (1)

"You can't be serious! You didn't even know he was going to kill her!"

"Do you think I don't know that!? Believe me, I tried everything to stop Blaise, even creating a child with Rachael when we had only known each other no more than a week in order to lengthen her death sentence. I became a Defense Attorney in hopes of changing her verdict, but that wasn't enough. She's dead now Raymond and it's just as much my fault as it is Blaise's. I forged that evidence, I helped out Blaise, I became his puppet and I will soon pay the price for my actions."

"Still, there has to be a way!"

"If there is, it will have to be in the law. Mr. Von Karma told me he had a book called Homicide Law. If there is a way around my fate, then it would be that book," I stated.

"Then, let's get that book! I'm not letting you spend the rest of your life in prison! You've... You've done so much for me, for Miles, even for Mr. Von Karma. You've completely changed him!"

"I have?" I asked. I was learning more about him, but I didn't think I did anything to change him.

"Yeah! Jeff told me that he's never seen Von Karma care this much about anyone else that wasn't his own. When Miles was being taken by Debeste, Jeff said he could see tears in his eyes."

"Tears?" I almost whispered. Manfred was crying?

"He loves Miles! (2) He would do anything for him! Seeing him taken like that nearly killed him! Mr. Edgeworth, I don't know what you did, but you gave that man a heart. More than that, you made him believe in you. You've touched so many people and because of what Jeff saw, he promised me he was going to take back his previous confession and fight for his innocence. If Debeste could easily take a hold of a child like that, the real murderer could hurt Miss Hall in the same way and he wants to be free to protect her." (3)

"That's great, Raymond. It looks like your upcoming trial is going to be a breeze from here," I smirked slightly.

"And, it's all thanks to you and Mr. Von Karma. You both can't give up. If Debeste is going to try to take you with him, then I will work hard to make sure he doesn't!"

"Raymond..."

"Let's go get that book!"

"Right," I grinned slightly, then led him to my car. We would get his bike later.

3:34 PM
KARMA DETECTIVE AGENCY

https://youtu.be/4faS_Xd-2Zk

After hearing my story, Serena made a phone call to her brother she says is a Private Detective that's always worked with Mr. Von Karma in many of his cases. She says, 'if there's anyone that can investigate a crime scene perfectly without leaving one stone unturned, it's Detective Fredrick Von Karma.' Compared to the other detectives from the Police Station, Detective Von Karma is a Private Detective.

The difference between a private detective and a police detective is similar to the difference between a private attorney and a public defender. One is an attorney hired by the client to defend him/her whereas a public defender is someone hired by the state or country to defend the client, who cannot afford one. Unlike a police detective, who works for the police and prosecution, a private detective works for his client that hires the detective. Father told me that Detective Gant used to work as a Private Detective before he started working for the Police Department.

Serena parked her fancy blue car near a fancy bricked building that read the name of the agency on the top of the building, KARMA DETECTIVE AGENCY. I got out of the car, then looked up in awe. I had never been in this part of town, but I especially have never seen buildings like these before. This one had dark brown and red bricks that was structured to look mysterious and fancy. There was even a bronze statue of six men in buttoned up uniform frocks, pants and top hats like they came out of the Victorian Era.

"Are those the Bow Street Runners?" I asked Serena.

"I believe so. I never do pay attention to that kind of history all that much. Fredrick thought it would be a nice touch," Serena replied, smiling fondly.

"What are the Bow Street Runners?" Dick asked as I turned to him with glaring eyes. "What?"

"You're a Junior Detective and you don't know the Bow Street Runners, the first ever police force in London!?" I asked with puffy cheeks.

"Hey, whoa there! I'm not all that good with History. But, wait, this isn't London."

"Perhaps, but the Bow Street Runners are what gave birth to the idea of a Detective Police Force in this country. Before then, the police would vary from volunteers to maybe professionals. There weren't dedicated detectives, who spend their lively work on finding or solving crimes," I smirked with crossed arms. (4)

"Hm... you're a smart one. Did your father teach you all of this?" Serena asked with curiosity.

"Oh no, I read it from a book called Criminal Justice. I got bored reading all of Father's law books, so I rented some from the library," I bragged with a huge grin.

"You read law books? You're a weird one. Usually, kids your age would be watching cartoons, playing video games or climbing trees," Dick said as I shot him a glare.

"Well, excuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuse me, Mr. Greaser Wannabe!"

"Let's go inside, shall we? We shouldn't be keeping Fredrick waiting," Serena said.

"Okay!" I grinned happily, following Serena inside the building.

"Ah, there you are! I hope we didn't keep you waiting too long," Serena greeted as I looked toward her direction.

The office was definitely something out of a 19th Century Detective's novel. There was a huge wooden desk across the room with shelves of books covering the left and right walls. In the next room on my right, there was a much larger room with more shelves of books covering each wall, a fireplace across from me with a portrait of an older Frenchman with curly hair and sideburns in a buttoned dark brown coat. (5) I looked up at the portrait in awe. I looked to my left and noticed a chessboard.

Wow, why is it that Mr. Von Karma's children are so awesome!? First Serena, and now Fredrick! There are so many books here that I could practically live here. There is the fireplace, which I'm not a big fan of, but there is a glass over it with a vent at the top. I guess I'll let that one pass. The books and chessboard already won me over. I looked over at the books. All of them are books on Criminal Justice, history and records of different cases on homicide, missing, divorce, theft and so much more.

"You didn't. I was in the process of finishing some old paperwork and looking into Papa's case. Unfortunately, because I'm not with the police, (6) these guys won't give me anything to work with. Unless Papa is willing to let me help him, I won't be given anything to work with," I heard a voice of a young man that may be Uncle Ray's age, if I was to guess, with a much deeper monotone voice.

"Geez, is Mr. Von Karma really that stubborn? He can't even get his own detective to help him? I know he has you help him in almost all his cases," Dick asked.

"When Papa wants something done his way, it's either his way or the Highway. Why do you think I became a Private Detective? Papa can be hard to follow at times. I like to have my own space and solve cases in my own way," The man, whom I'm guessing is Fredrick, replied. He sighed. "So, where's the chi- oh."

The entire time the conversation was going on, I was glancing at all the books on the shelves. The one that stuck out to me was titled Attorney General. I took it out of its shelf, making sure to bookmark its place, then began reading it. There were three Attorney Generals that worked under the first president. It was the job of the Attorney General to protect the state and individual freedoms, while avoiding central legal systems that would allow tyranny. In a way, an Attorney General was like the lawyer to the people. The Attorney General originally was apart-time job with no staff and little pay, meaning they were like Father, but on a grander scale.

"You know, that book was a gift from Papa," I heard Fredrick say behind me. I turned around and got a good look at him.

Fredrick was fairly tall with short blond hair, some sideburns, a black waistcoat and what looked to be like a 19th century brown trench coat with matching boots. I also noticed that neck scarf thing Mr. Von Karma always wears around his neck, only with no pin and it was colored black. His face was much calmer than Mr. Von Karma's.

"Mr. Von Karma? He likes to read too?" I asked.

"He's a perfectionist in all things, so I suppose so. He gave that to me, saying that it was what helped him in his profession and believed it would help me in mine," Fredrick replied.

"Really? Isn't he a Prosecutor?"

"He is. Attorney Generals are also prosecutors for the Supreme Court."

"Really?" I asked with widened eyes.

"That's the exact definition of a Prosecuting Attorney, they are attorneys of the state, whereas an Attorney General is an attorney of the country. Papa believed if I was to decide to be a private detective to an individual client, I must also understand how to work for the mass as well. An individual's rights are just as important as the masses'. Unfortunately, many people forget that notion, believing that Prosecutors are attorneys to the hierarchy. That can't be far from the truth. (7)

"Prosecutors have actually been around in far lesser years than Criminal Defense Lawyers. Before, Prosecutors would generally be whoever lead the country or state. That changed gradually once the Jury System was invented, then it was placed into law the right for Public Defenders."

"It doesn't seem that way these days," I said factually, looking at the book I was holding, hearing Fredrick chuckle.

"I can't object to that. Papa was once a defender for the people when I was your age. He believed no individual's testimony or words can be ignored. A majority of witnesses are held as suspects for the Detectives to interrogate. Prosecutors are lawyers to witnesses and suspects. While a Prosecutor is to find the real culprit, it is also their job to protect the individual rights of every witness and suspect. That's what Papa once believed. These days, sometimes I wonder if he's just a puppet for someone else."

I began thinking about that. Debeste had been using me against Mr. Von Karma since day one. I began thinking back to his trial against Father. What if Debeste had been using him before then? He used Father, I know that much from Mr. Gant, but now that Father's gone...

https://youtu.be/DYtvhoAlV7I

"I think he is," I said as Fredrick stared at me with furrowed eyebrows. "Father was once being used by the same man, who's trying to kidnap me. But, Father left him once he met Mother. Since Father left him... he may've had to search for another."

"... that's possible," Fredrick agreed, thinking intensely.

"So, Papa becomes a puppet to the Chief Prosecutor and in response, he decides to avoid us like the plague!" Serena said, obviously upset.

"I think he was trying to protect you guys. You guys are important to him! If you weren't, he wouldn't have sent me to you!" I said.

"Edgey's right, Pal. I mean, there's a lot of rumors going around about him forging evidence-" Dick mentioned.

"He has forged evidence," Serena said factually.

"As much as I love and admire Papa, he's done some criminal activities, while I was working for him. I mean, he's friends with the man in charge of an International Smuggling Ring," Fredrick glared, being just as upset as his sister, before turning his head and staring at the ground. "The only reason I keep working for him is because I know he loves us. I've always believed he wouldn't turn to criminal means, unless he was forced to."

"You give Papa too much credit Fredrick, but yes, he does love us regardless. It's why I still make clothes for him," Serena pouted, eyes seemingly unsure. (8)

"Wow, that's some family drama you've got," Dick said.

"I'm certain Debeste is going to try to gain control over your father and will use me to do so. He's going to try to try to forge the evidence Dick and I already took to the forensics," I said, changing the subject to the topic at hand.

"Forensics? Which piece of evidence do you think he'll forge?" Serena asked, scrunching her lips.

"The step ladder definitely, maybe the clothes, if he knows about them," Dick replied.

"Knowing Detective Badd, Mr. Goodman and Mr. Gant, they won't let that man get away with it," I stated surely.

"Well, Prosecutors are generally not allowed to intervene with forensics during examinations of evidence, not even a Chief Prosecutor. They have to have a Detective with them to supervise. Unless Chief Prosecutor Debeste knows a Police Detective to go to, he pretty much can't do anything. It's possible he knows someone though. I wouldn't put it passed a Chief Prosecutor," Fredrick thought with crossed arms. He looked like Mr. Von Karma with a more calm and peaceful atmosphere.

"So, it's not fully guaranteed," Serena finished.

"There's also that article of Edgey flying," Dick mentioned.

"Flying?" Fredrick asked, his eyes now looking more like Mr. Von Karma in court.

"This. TAKE THAT!" I said, showing Fredrick the article with my picture. He took the picture.

"Forget flying. The real question is how anyone could see you in the pitch black of night in the sky?"

"Oh yeah! That was odd, wasn't it?" Dick realized, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I could probably lighten this photo's black sky, so we may be able to see the source of light that is making it possible for us to see our flying Peter Pan," Fredrick smirked proudly, rubbing his chin with eyes sparking.

"Could you do that!?" I exclaimed with my own eyes sparkling.

"Oh yes! I have my own private darkroom (9) I use to solve cases. I'm convinced there's some sort of object unseen that is not only making you fly, but making it to where you can be seen by our camera person."

"Well, since you are the geniuses here, I'll leave it up to you bookworms," Serena smirked devilishly.

"That's Detective Von Karma to you!" Fredrick corrected proudly.

"I prefer Defense Attorney's Assistant, thank you!" I also corrected with a puffy face.

"So... what about us?" Dick asked, looking around.

"What else? We need to make sure that scumbag doesn't mess with evidence obviously!" Serena replied with determination in her eyes.

"Would Mr. Von Karma not be happy with you putting yourself in harms way?" I asked.

"Hmph, it's his fault for pushing me away like some sort of peasant! We are Von Karmas! We are family! We protect each other! Besides, it's as you said earlier Miles, Papa can't protect you," Serena said with the same kind of fire I've seen in Mr. Von Karma. "If he can't protect a young boy, what makes him believe he can protect the rest of us? It's not a one way streak, it works both ways."

"She's right. I'm tired of Papa believing he can protect us by himself. He wouldn't even let me be involved in his latest case and, had he done so, I would've found that body ages ago!" Fredrick stated proudly without missing a beat.

"Body?" Serena asked, confused.

"Don't ask. Either way, first thing I'm going to do is help clear Papa's name. Afterwards, if that forsaken corpse isn't found, I will find it myself or my name isn't Detective Fredrick Von Karma," Fredrick grinned proudly.

"Go Team Family!" I cheerfully cried, jumping up and down. "Hey Fredrick, can we play Chess sometime?"

"Hahaha sure," Fredrick replied, ruffling my head.

"Eh, guess we're gonna be separating, huh?" Dick asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

"We won't be too far apart and look at it this way, you both can show that Debeste jerk who's boss!" I smirked, punching my fist to my palm.

"I couldn't have said it better myself," Serena agreed.

For some reason, I feel like I could fit right into this family. They both spark with personality and pride in what they do. I couldn't wait to help manipulate photos in a darkroom like those forensics people do at the Police Station. Hopefully, Father has convinced Mr. Von Karma to help him.

4:13 PM
HIGH PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE
ROOM 1225

I drove to the Prosecution's Office with Raymond. I knew the location of Manfred Von Karma's office from the Jeff Master Case, not that he ever allowed me to pay him any visits. It was mandatory that I knew. Though, it was only now that I would be given free access as his attorney. I had to turn in written proof that I was his attorney, but it seemed to be common knowledge that I was Manfred's attorney from the last trial. The receptionist was happy to open Manfred's office for me with the master key.

Entering inside, I noticed how big and luxurious it was. I did expect Manfred to be high maintenance, but this was almost overwhelming and I've seen Blaise's office dozens of times. There was a lot of royal blue filling the entire office from the couch, to the curtains of the windows, to the walls and even to the cushions of the office chair. There was hard wood flooring and a rather large desk made out of dark oak that was smoothed and polished.

"Wow, and you say Mr. Von Karma doesn't have any servants or anyone decorating or cleaning his home or offices?" Raymond exclaimed, who tagged along to get the book we were searching for.

"I'm sure Manfred allows his family to help out once in a while. I doubt he designs his own clothes too," I stated, noticing a picture on the front desk of Manfred with what looked to be like his wife and children. He was younger in this picture and a small boy and girl were seen there in their dressed outfits.

"Wow, he doesn't look too bad... or scary. Can we be certain this isn't just a picture of his brother or something? Does he even have a brother?" Raymond asked, his eyes widened at the thought of the last question.

"He's never told me if he's had siblings, but he has three children. Those two are his oldest. The son is a Detective, I believe. He sometimes helps Manfred out on some of his cases," I replied.

"Wow! It's still hard to believe this is him. He looks nothing like the Von Karma we've been seeing during our trials," Raymond stated, folding his arms and scrunching his lips to the side.

"Only two days ago I would've agreed with you. Manfred is more vulnerable than he lets on. Once he loves someone, he becomes emotionally attached to that person for the rest of their lives and will do anything for them. To not care for his loved ones... to him, would be his biggest failure."

"Really? Do you think that's why he became a Prosecutor?"

"I'm certain. He told me his father was murdered in cold blood and was the witness to his father's murder. When the trial commenced, the murderer's Defense Attorney dismissed his testimony and considered Manfred unfit. Because of that, the murder was given a Not Guilty verdict and eventually the defendant murdered his father's entire team - his father was a Soccer Player in Germany."

"Th-That's terrible! Defense Attorneys are not like that! Sure, they try to prove their client innocent, perhaps find ways in the law, so their client can be given a lighter sentence or Not Guilty in spite of the guilt, but to dismiss a witness's testimony is... is...!"

"I know. Unfortunately, there are just as many corrupt Defense Attorneys as there are Prosecutors. I can't even comprehend what Manfred had to go through growing up without a father in his life. It's why he is the way he is. It's common for those that grow up without a father to have many trust issues."

"Do you think that's why he's trying to protect Miles?"

"... I think, in his own way, he regrets pointing a gun to my head. It's possible confessing to a crime he didn't commit might've just been his way of punishing himself as much as it was to protect Miles. He still expects to be given a life imprisonment sentence for Attempted Murder. Hiring me as his attorney was how he truly believes his punishment should be judged."

"Allow the victim to choose his own punishment. I'm surprised you got this much out of him. I know he's your client and you tend to know your clients on a personal level, that comes with the job, but it's like you've known Manfred your whole life."

"Most of anything I know about my client comes from my client. Manfred is opening himself to me on his own." (10)

"Really!? But... he never opens himself up... at all!"

"I know. Honestly... I think that's his way of saying he's sorry. Another thing I've learned is that Manfred almost never apologizes or says 'thank you.' He does so through action."

"Huh... interesting. Actions do speak louder than words," Raymond replied, showing a smile.

"I'm surprised you're not being suspicious of Manfred. Weren't you butting heads with him earlier?"

"Well yeah, but how I see it, if he's willing to open up to you and offer you a law book that will help you when you present your case on Rachael Newslayday, he really must regret trying to murder you. If he just apologized, I wouldn't buy any ounce of it, even if he is trying to save Miles." (11)

"That sounds like something you'd do. You hardly hate or dislike anyone, but if you do, they have to prove their sorry through action instead of talk."

"Exactly!" Raymond smirked slightly. Then, it grew serious. "I respect Mr. Von Karma for talking with his hands and not his lips. Most usually say they're sorry, shame themselves or eat the dust on the ground. Mr. Von Karma just snaps his finger and serves his sorry on a silver platter."

I almost laughed, saying, "I guess that's one way of putting it." I then took one last look at the picture before sticking it inside my back pocket of my coat.

Taking my eyes off the desk, I focused on the bookshelf behind the desk. I began searching until I found the book called Homicide Law. I took it off the shelf, then Raymond peeked over my shoulder as we both began to read it together.

The first page dealt with murder and what defines it. Unlike killing, murder is the premeditation of taking one's life. Murder would be applied if:
A. The murderer planned, meditated and took action to kill the victim or one's self. This means the murder had to be planned, talked about, prepared and the action had to be taken.
B. The murder took action to kill the victim or one's self, but took another's life. This means that even if the murder plan failed and another life was taken, it would still count as murder.
C. The murderer took action and killed the victim or one's self and succeeded with the intention of killing, even in the heat of the moment. This means that even if the murderer did not plan on taking anyone's life before hand, if they take action and take someone's life with the intention of ending the victim's life, then it is considered murder. Any other type of killing that does not fit this criteria would not be considered murder such as self defense, accidental, genocide, manslaughter or just killing. Even suicide can be considered murder.

I turned to the second page, which dealt with Attempted Murder. Unlike Murder, Attempted Murder is when the Attempted Murderer failed in their attempts to murder the victim. This can only be applied if:
A. The Attempted Murder took direct action in order to kill the targeted victim. This means that some sort of action had to be taken that was intended on killing such as picking up a weapon or attacking the victim.
B. The Attempted Murder must have planned or premeditated specifically to kill the victim. This means it had to have been planned, talked about and prepared for the purpose of murder.
C. The previous conditions cannot apply if the Murder Attempt was impossible or rejection/withdrawal.
Impossible means that even if the person in suspicion of Attempted Murder was to admit that they tried to take the life of someone else, if it is proven that their murder plan or action to murder was doomed to fail from the beginning, they cannot be charged for Attempted Murder. Example: trying to shoot someone dead with a gun that holds no bullets.
Rejection or Withdrawal would mean that even if the person accused or suspected of Attempted Murder committed one or more steps to commit the murder, if the person decides not to commit the murder or makes an effort to prevent the murder plan from commencing, then it also will not count as Attempted Murder.

I turned the third page. This one dealt with Accomplice. Of course, it could count for any crime, but murder is especially one of them. According to this, an Accomplice would be equally guilty in the crime of another by knowingly and voluntarily aiding the other to commit the offense. In order to count as an Accomplice, the accomplice must be an Accessory or Abetter.
An Accessory means someone that was not present during the crime, but assists, persuades, encourages or councils the offender before the crime has been committed. Even if the accomplice was not at the scene of the crime or a witness to it, as long as they have helped out through teaching, voluntarily prepared the crime or supported the crime, they would be considered an Accomplice by accessory.
An Abetter is someone who was present at the crime scene, who constructively assists, persuades, encourages or councils the offender. To refuse or fail to prevent the offense when the law calls for the accomplice to do so would also put them as an Accomplice by abetment. (12)
Of course, no one can be considered an Accomplice if:
A. they were an Accessory after the crime, in which case the Accessory would be accused under a different offense.
B. They did not have knowledge of the offense, even if the they did nothing to prevent the crime from taking place.
C. If their actions had no criminal intent such as helping out a crime in order to save the life of another. (13)

I closed the book with a small smile as Raymond grinned, "I think you might have a chance, Mr. Edgeworth!"

"Perhaps. I'll have to thank Manfred. Perhaps both of us have a chance," I said with gleaming hope.

"You'll get to see Miles grow up and become a Defense Attorney."

"Perhaps. I've actually been thinking of buying Miles a book that talks about different lawyers he can be. Even though I pride my work and my son wishing to be a Defense Attorney like me, I want him to explore other branches in being a lawyer."

"I suppose. Do you think he'd make a great Defense Attorney?"

"No doubt. My son is a genius. He took the best out of his mother and myself, but if I were him, I wouldn't be a Defense Attorney."

"You WOULDN'T!?! I mean... I guess you were a detective first, but... why?"

"I only became a Defense Attorney to protect my family. Of course, if it were just me, I'd go back to being a Detective. Though, Miles also has his mother's intimidation, thinking intellectually and reporting the truth boldly. I want Miles to decide what he wants to do in his life on his own and not follow my path."

"That sounds a lot like what Jeff Master said about Ms. Hall."

"Yes and I can relate to him. Don't tell Miles this, but I don't want him to become a Defense Attorney, because of me. If he was to try to follow my path, I fear he may repeat the same mistakes I've made."

"WHAT!?! But Mr. Edgeworth, just because you had a horrible past, that doesn't mean it's doomed to be repeated by your son."

"History proves otherwise. Many princes end up repeating their father's mistakes and even become worse than their fathers combined. I myself am living proof of it. My father was a drug addict and neglected me constantly, yet his son grew up to be addicted to crime and neglect his family and friends combined. At least my father had a reason, my mother broke his heart and took his only daughter, but I was educated, had friends that still stick by me to this day and was given help to succeed in life,  yet I turned into a forger and an accomplice of who knows how many murders. The worst part was that I would have agreed to it, regardless if Blaise admitted to those murders or not."

"Ugh! You really gotta stop living in the past, Mr. Edgeworth. You're not like that anymore and Miles will certainly not be a lawyer that forges or withholds evidence."

I placed the Homicide Law book inside my coat pocket, while sighing in disagreement with Raymond. He followed me in walking out the office door, locking the door behind him. Once I turned around, I jumped at the Prosecutor behind me, who was also startled before laughing.

"I'm very sorry, sir," I apologized.

"No, I mistaken you for a thief. Your coat looks like the Detective's one from the Police Station. I was about to make a report," the prosecutor laughed.

"Oh," I replied, straightening my coat.

"Hehe, Mr. Edgeworth used to be a Chief Detective. He still uses his old coat when investigating," Raymond shrugged.

"So I hear. I only only faced you once. You're good, Mr. Edgeworth, I'll give you that," The prosecutor smirked slightly.

"You have?"

"Miles was my assistant in that trial. Also, thank you, Prosecutor Faraday," I thanked my former opposition as we shook hands. Byrne Faraday and I faced each other in court one time about a year or so ago. He was a respected Prosecutor that stood highly for the truth, but seemed to have a Robin Hood mentality. He believed strongly that there were ways of stopping criminals that committed criminal activity behind closed doors or in the positions of authority figures. Miles is often my assistant and assisted me in that case. The only case he had never been involved in was Jeff Master, because I didn't want him around Manfred Von Karma at the time.

"I saw you facing my boss from the gallery. Von Karma, huh?" Mr. Faraday asked loosely.

"I don't believe he committed the murder."

"Me neither. He's not someone that would turn himself in like that. Still, this man has committed a number of forgeries and was able to escape."

"I believe that should be discussed in a different trial focusing on that, including Attempted Murder on my life."

https://youtu.be/bV5lMWo5_ls

"... my boss isn't going to be nice to you, you know. Von Karma isn't the only one with skeletons in his closet," Prosecutor Faraday said with furrowed eyebrows. Raymond was starting to get defensive until I placed my hand on his, signaling him to let me handle this.

"So, Detective Badd told you?"

"He still hasn't forgiven you completely. Even if you are different from what you used to be and no longer practice your previous actions, you betrayed his trust and refused to turn yourself in for your crimes. You're mistaken, if you think my boss won't use that against you."

"But, it wasn't Mr. Edgeworth's fault! Sure, he made several forgeries in the past, but he tried saving Ms. Newslayday from her death sentence! Mr. Edgeworth shouldn't be faulted for that or leaving his job!"

"Except he didn't just quite, he left without saying a word or anything other than an eviction notice. Tell me, what would you call Mr. Edgeworth up and leaving your law firm without warning or a replacement, and never seeing his face ever again?" Byrne asked in a serious tone as Raymond's mouth slowly closed. Byrne was right. His detective, Tyrell Badd, has every right to hate me. Even Raymond would hate me if I did that to him. "Believe it or not, Detective Badd looked at your boss like how you look at him now. I know; I grew up with Detective Badd, so even before getting this badge, I would hear talk about Mr. Edgeworth. When he left, my detective and best friend was left lost and confused without a mentor to guide him. Even I hated Mr. Edgeworth at first, but now being married with a little baby girl, I can't say that I wouldn't go crazy if my wife was to be murdered in front of me with my baby in my arms." (14)

"..."

"I just want my son to be in a good place. Even if I were to turn myself in, what will happen with Miles?" I asked. (15)

"... you got me," Prosecutor Faraday smirked slightly, chuckling a bit. Then, it turned serious. "But seriously, you can't run away from your past crimes. If you don't confront them, someone else will."

"... Debeste."

"Ding dong!"

"You can't be serious! Miles will be left without a father! He doesn't have any other family other than a grandmother and Aunt that abuse him!" Raymond stated upsettingly.

"That does sounds like quite the dilemma. Of course, if you turn yourself in by your own accord, I'll make it easy for ya and prosecute for your case. I personally want to know the truth as much as Tyrell does," Prosecutor Faraday said with crossed arms. I could see he wanted to help me as much as he wanted to help his detective.

"I will and you will have your chance, I assure you. I'll make it up to you and Detective Badd," I promised.

"But, the statute of limitation doesn't run out for another seven years!" Raymond argued.

"It doesn't matter. My boss is trying to get Von Karma behind bars and the one man in the way is this Defense Attorney. If Mr. Edgeworth proves Chief Debeste was the real murderer and the child can no longer be touched, he will bring your boss down with him. I think you already know how little he cares about Miles' well being," Prosecutor Faraday argued. I hate to think of it, but he's right. The only way to bring down Blaise is to face the crimes of my past. I'll have to... 

Miles... I can't...

"As I said, the moment you turn yourself in, I'll be prosecuting for your case before my boss will hear word of it. There are many prosecutors in this building that know you and want to get to the bottom of this. Ever since you left, there's been many doubts towards the prosecution and police detectives, a divide. They're scared that more people like us or our detectives could commit forgery. Manfred Von Karma certainly hasn't helped ease these doubts, since coming here."

"Do you think there's a way around it?" Raymond asked desperately.

"Perhaps. You've got that book on Homicide Law that includes laws on Accomplices. If your boss can prove he was not an Accomplice to the murder of Rachael Newslayday, he might have a chance. After all, the statute of limitation for fraud is over, so if Mr. Edgeworth here proves he has only committed fraud, he's free to go."

"Then, we'll prove it!"

"Raymond," I muttered sadly.

"Detective Badd deserves this. I might be a forgiving person, but Tyrell isn't. He's only nice to you, because of your kid. If it weren't for him, Tyrell would've arrested you himself a long time ago." (16)

"But... that's his former boss!" Raymond argued with glaring eyes.

"A former boss, who stabbed him in the back. Listen Mr. Edgeworth, I'm not trying to attack you. I'm being honest. I can see you're having a hard time and a lot of grief you've been carrying much of your life."

"Thank you," I said.

"In all seriousness, ever since that trial with Von Karma, Detective Badd has been searching for clues. He's recently contacted me and told me he's found something that was thrown in the public garbage bin near the Abandoned Building and taken to the dump. Since your client informed him that you were on your way to his office, the Detective thought I might tell you to meet him."

"Thank you, Prosecutor Faraday. Tell Detective Badd I'm on my way."

"Will do," Prosecutor Faraday replied, waving Raymond and I goodbye as we walked on our way to the elevator.

"Mr. Edgeworth, promise me you will fight for your innocence when you face your trial for being an Accomplice," Raymond pleaded with me, once we were inside the elevator.

"Raymond..." I said sorrowfully.

"Please! I... I can't just allow you to give up like that! Miles needs you! Heck, I still need you! I don't want to lose you as a boss or colleague."

I smiled, then hugged Raymond. I promised, "I will fight for my innocence. Though, I'll stick to the truth... If anything happens though... please take care of Edgeworth Law Offices." (17)

"Of course I will, but what about Miles?"

"... I may have to consider giving Miles to the one man I know will protect him.

4:56 PM
ABANDONED BUILDING
FRONT LAWN

https://youtu.be/9zZHIDGghP8

I drove to the Abandoned Building where my son was found by the Junior Detective, Dick Gumshoe. I met with Detective Badd, whose team was examining what looked to be like a large tarp in broken pieces of metal poles and some sort of small engine. There also seemed to be small pieces of glass too. I couldn't make out what that was, but it looked like some sort of large kite.

"What is that?" I asked.

"We're... not quite sure. We're still examining this. From what we've gathered so far, we have found straps and bungee cords. There were also four lanterns that seemed to be hanging off of this thing."

"Lanterns? They seem small. Strange there'd be more than one of these. One is enough to light up a small room and two to light up a tiny home" (18)

"That's what I thought too. What got me interested was this small engine. It seems to be connected by some sort of remote."

"Remote?"

"Yes... like a remote control airplane, only this one won't be able to take flight, while holding anything over 50 pounds."

"I see. What is the weight of the table and chairs?" I asked, rubbing my chin.

Detective Badd got out his mirror, then replied, "Since the table and chairs are folding, each chair is 11 pounds each and the table itself weighs 16 pounds. It's... possible that the table and chairs could have been flown all together by this device, but...."

"But..."

Putting away his mirror, Detective Badd said, "I'm certain Miles is over the requirement. There's no way this device could have flown him. He'd have been falling." (19)

"I thought as much. Thank you, Detective Badd. If there's anything else you've found about this, please let me know."

"I will."

"Detective Badd, sir! We've found something!" One of the forensics team announced.

"Shoot!"

"This still needs work, but there seems to be signs of damage that could have only been caused by a great fall!"

"A great fall?"

"Yes sir! We found small parts of debris and concrete. We're certain this thing crash-landed going no faster than 20 miles per hour."

"Does the device show signs of carrying a person?" I asked skeptically.

"Actually, it does. While there's no blood, we did find some hair with DNA that almost matches yours, Mr. Edgeworth, perhaps a relative? Though, we find that hard to believe, being this has proven it cannot take flight carrying anything or anyone over 50 pounds."

"And yet, it seems to have been the case," Detective Badd muttered.

"I'm certain this is what carried the child to this building," I said with certainty.

"... how!? It's as the forensics said, it cannot carry anything over 50 pounds."

"Only in flight. There's proof this crash-landed. While I'm certain this is what was used to fly the table and chairs, the child it was carrying was not flying, because he was too heavy. That can only mean one thing..."

Detective Badd's eyes then widened before turning to the Forensics Team Member. "Update me on the results."

"Yes sir!"

"... you knew, didn't you?"Detective Badd asked me as I glared slightly. "That's why you almost fainted in court."

Feeling slightly sick to my stomach just thinking about that picture again, I nodded. I knew my son wasn't flying. Not by the angle of his body. I was hoping I was wrong, but I am only relieved he somehow survived that. 20 miles and crash-landed. I hope I can stomach this.

4:31 PM
KARMA DETECTIVE AGENCY
DARKROOM

https://youtu.be/b2SMS1RuDnY

Fredrick and I entered the Darkroom located behind his lab room that was through the door behind his office. The first thing Fredrick did was call the Freelance Reporter to get a copy of the film of the flying boy. She was happy to do so, since her photograph became evidence to a crime, and wanted to update her readers on her next article. Of course, Fredrick had to update her on any results he gets on my kidnapping and a chance to meet me, if she got the chance.

Either way, we got the film and the amount of seconds under the light before getting the full picture. My picture in the sky took about 15 seconds under the light, meaning we had to see what the sky looked like when covered for 20, then 30, then 40. We seemed to get some stars at 30 seconds with hints of clouds.

"How can we dodge around myself without making me look like Frosty the Snowman?" I asked. I knew too much light could make my color look very white or blue. (20)

"It's difficult, but there is a way. As I've stated before. You dodge by covering the light and burn by exposing the light.

"All this dodging and burning reminds me of Art Class," I replied with crossed arms.

"You hate art, hm?"

"I tried making a crane from paper and Larry made fun of me for it."

"Sounds like your friends are jerks."

"They are! I don't know why I'm friends with them!" I said, still remembering their testimony in court.

"I'm going to do some test strips on this one spot. This will be quite difficult, since I need to dodge outside of your figure. Luckily, I can do that using the burn tool."

"Can you?" I asked, peeking in curiosity. He smirked, holding a back square cardboard of some sort.

"Yes, take this and try to focus around your picture. I will be the one to turn the light on. Now, when you do so, try circling it around a little bit. If you're having trouble, I will help you," Fredrick instructed and I nodded my head. I was given the black cardboard, looking through the small hole. "Go!" The light turned on, then I moved the small hole around where my picture was. I was shaking, while trying to circle it around, but Fredrick guided my hands, so it wasn't shaky. Then, he turned it off. "Good job, Miles! Now, I'm going to go to the next strip. I need you to do that again for a bit longer. Ready?"

"Yes!"

"Go!" Fredrick said as he turned on the light and I copied how he showed me. This time, it was a few seconds longer. He turned it off. "Good job! You're doing great! One more." He moved the strip, then turned the light on again and I did the same thing. This is easy! It was a few seconds longer before he turned it off. "Now, let's see the results."

Fredrick took the strip, then placed it in water, before allowing the small waves to go to and fro. I began noticing some color showing. Each small square of the strip showed a picture of me getting darker and darker until I looked like something from a horror movie. But, then, around the second to third square, I began seeing something around me taking shape.

"I see something!" I cried.

"Hm... same here. Now, that I know the shape of this object, I can make something of that shape around you and give it some dodging. What do you think? Think you're up to the challenge?" Fredrick asked, showing a daring smirk.

"You betcha!" I replied excitedly.

Fredrick cut out some black cardboard thing to make the same shape I saw around myself in the picture. Then, he moved the film projector pointing at the film. As soon as he turned on the light, I used that shape around my figure, then gently moved it around. This went for 30 seconds before the light turned off. I grinned.

"Now, let's see what we've got!"Fredrick said, placing the film in the water and letting the waves gently swish to and fro. I watched as I began seeing the picture take shape. Slowly, but surely I began seeing that shape. It looked like some sort of kite. "Well, would you look at that."

(21) "Just like I thought," I said.

"I beg your pardon?"

"When Dick and I were investigating a storage room on the third floor of the Courthouse, I noticed that the bottom half of the window had been completely shattered. Not only that, but it was covered in tarp. Once I saw the wind hitting against the tarp, I untaped it and saw it flying through the air. That's when it came to me."

"Hm... not a bad idea. Though, I find it hard to believe even something kite-like would carry you to flight. Even if there was some sort of machine connected to this, I'd think this would need much bigger wings in order to keep you from falling."

"You're right... I wasn't flying," I smirked as Fredrick narrowed his eyes in confusion. "I was falling." (22)

"... and you SURVIVED!?!" Fredrick cried, looking as if he was about to have a heart attack.

AFTER STORY NOTES:

1. In both the United States and I believe Japan, First Degree Murder equals a death sentence. Since Gregory would be arrested and tried for being an Accomplice of a murder, if he is proven Guilty for being an Accomplice, he would share the same sentence as Blaise Debeste and if Blaise is proven Guilty for First Degree Murder, both of them would be given the Death Sentence. 

2. NO! Not the pedo  kind, you nasty people! Don't make me bring in more Gregory x Manfred nightmare fuel!

3. Unlike canon, Jeff Master saw what almost happened to Miles, because Manfred Von Karma gave into Blaise's demands. Seeing this, it made him realize that if Miles isn't protected by Manfred Von Karma from someone that could hurt him, then neither is Kathrine Hall, especially from the real murderer. 

4. The Bow Street Runners weren't ran by the government, but by the people. The police today seem to be government workers, but one time, they didn't work for the government or were paid all that much. In fact, if you want to get technical, the first police force were the slaves in Medieval Age Europe, who protected the other slaves from criminals. The idea was to protect their people, because unlike the master of the castle, the slaves were more vulnerable and the castle was protected by knights, not the police force of the Medieval Ages.

5. That portrait is of Eugène François Vidocq, the first private detective and an ex criminal. He created the first ever Private Detective Agency called the Sûreté Nationale where he trained ex criminals, some he hired upon release from prison, to catch other criminals in Paris. He reduced crime in Paris. Today, he is known as the father of modern criminology.

6. Unlike Police Detectives, Private Detectives are not allowed to arrest criminals. They are only allowed to solve whatever cases their clients hire them to solve. Because Fredrick Von Karma is only a Private Detective and not a Police Detective, he maybe allowed to investigate or analyze evidence, but he cannot send them as legal evidence without the Police Department's approval.

7. What makes Prosecutors different from other lawyers is that they are lawyers for the people, not one individual person. Prosecutors proving the defendant guilty is only a part of their job. This is why Miles Edgeworth Investigations focuses mainly on the investigation part. The games constantly  make mention how Edgeworth acts like a Defense Attorney as a tease, but that is actually how Prosecutors do their job. That's why Raymond Shields and everyone else are getting Edgeworth to defend them, because it's part of his job as a Prosecutor. See, the difference between the accused that Phoenix Wright defends and the accused Miles Edgeworth defends are that Phoenix's clients are defendants, whereas the other accused Miles Edgeworth defends are only suspects - they're not defendants yet. They've not been arrested or scheduled to be tried yet. Young Miles, at this point, is beginning to learn this. He only knows Prosecutors from after the defendant is arrested and scheduled to be tried. He doesn't know what goes on before then and that Prosecutors are there for the purpose of protecting the suspects' individual rights and from being arrested recklessly by the police without evidence proving their guilt. Now, I've never lived in Japan or know how the law system works, but from what I've researched, it's not as strict with the innocent until proven guilty like the US law system. Regardless, Japan still uses that and even the Ace Attorney games do prove that it's still in motion, especially when you play the Miles Edgeworth Investigation games. It may depend on who is running the investigations, but Miles Edgeworth still does his job as a Prosecutor to protect the individuals' rights and prevent reckless arresting of suspects without evidence proving their guilt. 

8. According to Fredrick and Serena, Manfred Von Karma was a more noble Prosecutor, who believed in protecting the individual rights of the people. Though, at some point, something happened and he somehow became a puppet for the Chief Prosecutor, Blaise Debeste. Neither one of the kids know or understand the reason why this is so, since Manfred had pushed his family from his life when he started becoming corrupt.

9. The Darkroom is what Photoshop was back before Photoshop and computers.

10. Something I want to point out. All that Gregory is saying isn't just coming from Manfred's lips. Most of this is from how he's been acting. Everything Manfred has been doing was for the sake of his family, Miles and even self punishing himself for things he regrets. This might also be something that can help you guys see Von Karma's actions in Turnabout Goodbyes in a different perspective. Just like how Manfred seems to be confessing to a crime he didn't commit and hiring the Attorney he tried to murder as a way to self-punish himself, what if he was doing something like that to Miles Edgeworth at the end of Turnabout Goodbyes? Not that it is what happened, but it is something to think about.

11. What Raymond is saying is that he can believe Manfred is sorry for what he did and accept his apology, because Manfred is trying to makeup for it in his  own way through his actions. Had he said he was sorry and bowed to the ground like a Samurai, Raymond wouldn't believe it, because that is easy to do, especially in a soundproof Defendant's Lobby or Detention Center's Visitor's Room where no one else can hear you. It is harder to help out the victim you tried to murder, because that is something that can be spread and heard through word-of-mouth. Hell, hiring the very victim as your attorney is ten times harder than just saying you're sorry. For that, Raymond respects Manfred more than someone that apologizes for murder and would believe Manfred regrets his actions.

12. What this means is that if the crime was committed and the Abetter refuses to call the police for the crime of the offender. Another one can be if the Abetter is a cop and refuses to arrest the offender. 

13. I got this information from online. It's based off of the USA law system. I know that the game Ace Attorney is based off of the Japanese Law System, but I am not from Japan and I do not know how the law there works. For this fan fiction, if it is outside of the game, I will use the US Law System. 

14. What Byrne is saying is that Gregory didn't just quite, he abandoned his colleagues and the Police Department. Because of his higher status and authority, it effected the entire department. It would be like if the Sheriff was to suddenly disappear without a trace. Yes, there would be someone to instantly replace him, as required, but there would be a lot of people that would feel betrayed and abandoned. Now, Byrne understands that Gregory was in a very terrible situation with being under the thumb of Blaise and having to protect his child from him, who was almost killed along with his mother from the Death Penalty. Though, in the eyes of Detective Badd, it's hard for him to understand or forgive Gregory for his actions, especially since Detective Badd thought so  highly of him for a long time. It's harder to forgive someone for a mistake if it's someone you look to with higher authority than if it was your peer or someone of lower stature. Even if Detective Badd is older than Gregory, Gregory still has higher authority as Chief Prosecutor. 

15. The reason Gregory hasn't turned himself in yet is because of Miles, who is still a child at this point. He has no place to go, if Gregory was to be arrested or thrown in prison. Now, before you say, "What about Child Protective Services?" you're forgetting Miles' Aunt and Grandmother. Miles mentioned that he doesn't like his Aunt that much and doesn't like fireplaces. This is hinting possible abuse that goes on in his Aunt's home that involves a fireplace. I think you can already see where that is headed. Gregory wants to provide his son an alternative, a family to live with without worrying about him being abused or hurt. Until Miles is given an alternative home from his Aunt's place, Gregory doesn't feel safe in turning himself in.

16. Detective Badd is only not arresting Gregory right away, since that is what he always does, is because of what Raymond mentioned and what I've stated in 15. If Gregory is arrested, Miles will be sent to his Aunt and Grandmother, who abuse him. Detective Badd might not ever forgive Gregory for what he did, but he's not going to allow his hatred or grudge harm a child. If allowing a criminal to go free will protect a child from harm, Detective Badd will make that sacrifice for that child alone. 

17. Now, for those of you that are asking, because I know I'd be asking myself if I was reading my story, there is a reason why Gregory isn't asking Raymond to raise Miles. The reason is because Raymond wouldn't be able to protect Miles from his Aunt and Grandmother. I wish I can go more into this, but I don't want to spoil more than I already have. For now, this is all I can inform  you.

18. This is strange, because since the tarp or kite-like thing is small, if from a large distance in the dark, you would only need one or two lanterns to see it, not four. 

19. I don't think you need to know Miles' weight to know he's not under 50 Ib. He's 8 years old and unless he's from a third world country and starving himself, I'm pretty sure he's over the weight limit.

20. If Miles' figure was darkened, his skin would look red and if his figure was lightened, it would turn white.

21. Btw, this picture really was hidden in the original picture. I didn't add that, I only dodged it three times before you could see it. If you were to use Photoshop with the original picture, you would've been able to catch it. Also, I only looked up how dodging and burning works in a Darkroom. I am aware there's more that goes into developing pictures than that, though I wanted to keep it simple. Please let me know, if there's more that has to go before this would show up correctly.

22. In other words...

https://youtu.be/DwN6efmhp7E

.... pretty much.