Ace Attorney: Mask of Deceit

Chapter 40: Turnabout Regrets - Investigation 1 ~ Part 3

September 5 1:30pm

Local Prison - Hidden Evidence Room ~ James Devine's POV

I was carefully searching the room from back to front while Mr. Morix questioned the big muscly prisoner guy that was stood guard outside. I think he said his name was Mondo Owada. Reference, much? "Do you know anyone in this prison with any kind of scars?" Mr. Morix asked.

"N-No..." Mr. Owada stammered. "N-No one 'round here..." Even without looking at him, I could tell he was lying. 'Stutters and stammers give it all away'. That's exactly what Dad used to say to me. Helping Mr. Morix with the case, collecting evidence... I bet this is what Dad used to do all the time.

(Snap out of it, James! This is no time to be reminiscing about your father! You have a case to investigate!)

I was so lost in thought that I almost missed a flash of white on the ground. I avoided touching it, what with the whole 'don't touch evidence at a crime scene' rule. It was specked with red, too. "A glove...?" I muttered to myself. I was right: it was a right hand silk glove with a spot of blood on it.

"Mr. Morix!" I called over my shoulder. "Take a look at this!" Mr. Morix walked over and peered over my shoulder at the glove on the ground. "We should get the blood on this tested." I suggested. "Where's the detective in this case...?"

"I'm right here."

The both of us turned to the doorway to see two individuals: a woman with long lavender hair and a guy with aqua hair. "Is there something you needed?" the woman asked.

"We were wondering if we could get this glove tested." I said, pointing to the glove on the ground. The woman took the glove and slid it inside an evidence bag, giving it to the guy. He ran off eagerly to the forensics. Okay then.

"By the way," the woman began. "You should probably investigate the other crime scene."

"'Other crime scene?'" Mr. Morix repeated.

"East Wing corridor." was all we got in terms of response. Shrugging, I followed Mr. Morix out of the room and headed to the 'east wing corridor'.

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September 5 1:45pm

Local Prison - East Wing Corridor ~ Roberto Shield's POV

I was knelt down near the wall, my sea blue eyes scanning the lower sections. I brushed my dark brown hair out of my face to try and read the bloodied writing that was written there, but it was too smudged to decipher. However, I could see that it started with a-

"Eeeeeeeeee-!!"

I smashed into the ground, something falling on top of me and knocking me face first on the concrete of the floor. Arms were tightly wrapped around my neck from behind. "You're so adorableeeee~" my assailant squealed, their voice very high pitched. This could only be one person...

"N-Nicoletta-!" I grumbled, barely able to get my words out due to my neck being slowly crushed. "I-I'm investigating-!

"I know, I know!" Nicoletta giggled. "I'm just so happy to see youuuuu!"

"C-Can you get N-Niamh back for me-? Please-?" I begged. After a moment of consideration, Nicoletta climbed off me and gently tickled her nose with a small section of her hair, making her sneeze. Her hair fell out of their pigtails and was free over her shoulders and down her back, signalling that Niamh had returned. I sighed in relief as I picked myself up off the floor.

Niamh looked like she was about to apologise, but was cut off when the door on the other side of the corridor opened. Morix and a blonde kid entered the room, making Niamh gasp in surprise. "James-?! What are you doing here-?!"

"I asked Mr. Morix if I could help him out with the case!" 'James' replied. "Wait, are you on this case, too?"

Niamh nodded. "Then I guess... we'll be facing off against each other tomorrow."

A somewhat awkward silence hung in the air before Niamh clapped her hands together. "So, I guess you guys heard about the second crime? The assault?"

"Yeah," Morix nodded. "What happened here?"

"The assault victim was one Chiaki Taikan." I explained. "She was attacked once on the head with a blunt object. She was then pinned to the wall with several sharp scissors pierced through the sleeves of her clothes."

"Sh-sharp... scissors...?" Niamh repeated. She exchanged a worried glance with Morix before her eyes darted to the ground. What was wrong with her all of a sudden...?

"Taikan is the name of a channeling family, right?" James asked. "What was a spirit medium doing in a prison?"

"Apparently, she was here to visit someone." I responded. "She was attacked from behind, so she didn't see who it was. There's also one other thing..."

"What other thing?" James tilted his head slightly.

"A prisoner escaped last night." I sighed. "You might know him, Niamh: one Raymond Templeton."

"What?!" Niamh exclaimed. "He was arrested for murder not too long ago!"

Before anything else could be said, Morix wandered towards the wall: it looked like something had caught his attention. Just as I suspected, he was glaring down at the bloody message on the wall. "Wh-What the-?!" he muttered fiercely. "This says 'Chrysalis'!"

Niamh and James immediately rushed to his side to see for themselves. "I-It's a fake message-!" James asserted. "The killer wrote this to pin the blame on her! That's what my lawyer senses are telling me!"

"But it's awfully smudged..." Niamh pointed out. "It looks like someone tried to clean it away... There's even a blood-covered towel in the corner over there..."

She was right: there was a crumpled up blue towel sat in the corner... with bloodstains covering it. We had all of this evidence... but it all made little sense.

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Yes Nicoletta Wood personality is crazy

Think James with the romance stuff, but more hyper and bouncy

Yeah she's mad-

AceAttorneyFan over and out!