Ace Attorney Investigations: Haunting Memories

Chapter Thirteen

February 29 2:15 pm

Ledwell Apartments - Apartment No. 20 ~ Felix Griffin's POV

The three of us followed the sound of Kotoko's voice into the victim's bedroom, where she was knelt next to the trash can, which had now been tipped over. Scraps of paper lie scattered on the floor. A bunch had already been put into some kind of rectangular shape. "This looks like a ripped-up letter," Kotoko explained. "So I'm trying to put it back together."

"Wow, you've already put some of it back," I observed. "I'd never be able to put that back together. I can't even read some of it." I peered over the girl's shoulder and attempted to make out what she had put together so far.

'We deserve to be free'

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kotoko shrugged.

"We should be able to find out more if we piece together more of this note." Ms. Kirigiri said. Kotoko nodded and happily placed the shreds together like she was solving a jigsaw puzzle. After a few moments, she gasped. "Look! Another sentence!"

'Adults like you restrain us'

"'Adults like you'... It definitely sounds like our culprit has a grudge against adults." Sebastian pointed out. "Which would suggest that they're possibly a younger individual." His eyes turned towards me slowly.

"H-Hey-!" I cried, trying not to be too loud. "Why are you looking at me-?!"

"I doubt Griffin has the brains to commit a single crime, let alone murder and get away with it." Ms. Kirigiri sighed.

Kotoko looked up from her little puzzle game to look at me with concerned eyes. She crept away from the other two and beckoned for me to come closer. "Are they always like this to you?" she whispered.

After some hesitation, I nodded slowly. "Don't worry about it, though. I've lived with it ever since I was born. I'm used to things like being ignored, insulted... People haven't hesitated to let me know I'm a worthless piece of trash."

"You need to stand up to the mean people that bully you...!" Kotoko huffed while crossing her arms. "This isn't nice and they should know better...!"

"I know, but..." I sighed. "I'm scared... If I defy them, they might... h-hit me again..."

Kotoko pouted sympathetically at me. "Fee-Fee..."

"Griffin! Kotoko!" Ms. Kirigiri called. "You might want to see this."

The two of us peered over the Interpol agent's shoulder to read the fully completed message:

'We deserve to be free
Adults like you restrain us
Children should not be weighed down by adults
That is why
You must die'

"A-A bit of a cryptic note, isn't it...?" I stammered. "Whoever wrote this must have way too much time on their hands..."

"That sounds familiar." Sebastian remarked with a smirk, turning to me. I ignored him, although Kotoko didn't seem to be as forgiving. She slapped him on his arm while glaring at him, causing him to mutter some form of apology. Sebastian being scared of a girl ten years younger than him? Now that's something I can use against him in the future.

"But this does fit in with what Mr. Q said earlier." Kotoko began to explain. "The bad guy sounds like he really hates adults and wants to do bad things to them."

"Of course, we can't deny the possibility that this was planted to throw us off the scent." Ms. Kirigiri suggested. "Even if the victim did receive this letter, we need to keep our opinions open." She paused, looking like she was thinking something over before turning to me. "Griffin."

"Y-Yes?" I muttered, feeling myself becoming tense. I thought for a split second that she was going to hit me again, but I knew that Kotoko would stop her. I hoped.

"I want you to look into whether or not the old Nightfall Killer began to send threatening letters." she commanded. "You have thirty minutes to get the information and come back."

"Y-Yes, ma'am!" I cried before dashing out of the apartment and returning to my own, all while trying not to make myself look like an idiot in public. Then again, according to most people, I look like an idiot no matter what I'm doing.

I opened the door to my study and closely examined all of the tightly packed files on the bookshelf, going over every serial killer I had collected information on. Luckily, it was all arranged in strict alphabetical order, so it didn't take me long to find the Nightfall Killer's information. I read the files as fast as my eyes would allow me, freaking out that time would go against me and speed up. I was just thankful I didn't have a black eye; I used to get them all the time back in sixth and seventh grade.

I reached for my phone and flicked through the contacts, thinking that it would be faster to call Ms. Kirigiri and tell her what I'd found while walking back, until I remembered that I didn't have her number. I sighed and sprinted back to the crime scene, leaning against the wall to catch my breath. "Well?" Ms. Kirigiri raised an eyebrow. "What did you find?"

"Nope," I replied, shaking my head. "Nightfall... never left behind anything that might link him to the crime, especially letters threatening letters."

"So this is out of place." she muttered, concern appearing in her eyes. "If that's the case, then why threaten the victim? If she succeeded in leaving, then that would have ruined the culprit's chances of killing her."

"Well..." Seb began. He hates it when I call him 'Seb' but I do it just to annoy him. "What if the Nightfall that last struck fourteen years ago and the current Nightfall are two separate people?"

"What?" Ms. Kirigiri frowned, her eyes widening. "Two separate people?"

"It would explain why nothing makes any sense." Kotoko shrugged. I doubt she'd even heard of Nightfall before now.

Ms. Kirigiri had become silent, turning her back to us as she thought. The three of us watched her, occasionally glancing at each other. Eventually, after a couple of minutes, Ms. Kirigiri sighed. "It's late. We should... continue in the morning."

None of us had been given any time to respond before she grabbed Kotoko's hand and led her out of the building to take her home. "That was awkward," I commented after they left. I headed out after them, still thinking back on how weirdly Ms. Kirigiri had been acting. We'd just learned a vital piece of information, so what made her so unnerved...?

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It's at times like these where I really kinda feel sorry for Felix-

Someone protect this sound sensitive, abused and bullied son-

AceAttorneyFan over and out!