Ace Attorney: Secrets beneath Secrets

Turnabout Wilds, Part 2

March 3

Blackgate Wildlife Preserve

1:30 PM

Lily Shield

"What can you tell us about the time of the crime?" I started off by asking. "We'll need that information to defend your brother in court."

"Um... Sure, I guess," Ms. Amaya shrugged. "I came here to talk to a member of the wildlife preserve with my brother and the victim. Lee, Sky, and I all work at Blocker Law Offices. We got a letter a short time ago saying that somebody at the nature preserve was falsifying information on tax papers. Being part of the legal system, we were given the job of tracking down whoever was responsible. That was when the incident took place... It's... Not good, to put it simply."

"Give us as many details as you possibly can," I pressed. "We'll need all the information we can get if we're going to prove his innocence."

"Okay, I'm on it. We were heading towards the main area of the preserve where the head office is found. You see, we thought the owner of the preserve would be able to tell us about where the tax issues had come from," Ms. Amaya explained. "We were about halfway there when the murder took place. At least, that's my estimate. I'm guessing based off the maps placed in a few places around the preserve."

"How far away do you think it would be if you walked? How long would it take to get there from the scene of the murder?" I questioned.

"Um... I think ten minutes," Ms. Amaya answered. "That should be about right. The preserve is a lot bigger than you'd expect, and only staff members can use the golf carts scattered about to move faster. We probably would have taken one and used it to get there faster, but we unfortunately aren't allowed to. It would have made things go much smoother, that's for sure."

"Should I make a note of that?" Cormous asked of me, looking over in my direction.

I nodded. "Of course," I replied. "We're probably going to need that information in court."

"Should I keep going?" Ms. Amaya questioned.

"Yes, please continue," I told her firmly.

"Sky walked away for a brief period of time to take a phone call. He was expecting something from a prosecutor involving an upcoming trial," Ms. Amaya continued.

"That's exactly what he told us," I murmured.

"He was gone for a while, or at least, it felt like a while. It probably wasn't too long. We stopped for a moment to let him take the call, but that was when the crime took place... An arrow flew out of nowhere and hit Lee in the neck," Ms. Amaya frowned. "I screamed in shock and got down next to her to shake her and see if she was okay. I realized she was dead and didn't have a pulse. While I was leaning over her body, somebody came up behind me and hit me in the back of the head. I think I fell unconscious after that."

"Would you be able to describe the wound you received at the time of the crime?" I asked. Cormous shot me a small smirk, obviously having caught on to the game I was playing at. It was only going to help our case if she gave the response I expected to receive.

"I don't really know if this is going to be relevant, but sure," Ms. Amaya shrugged. "I don't think I'll be able to describe it well since I kind of fell unconscious directly afterwards, but I'll give it a shot. It didn't feel sharp. I think I was hit with a flat surface, though it didn't feel entirely flat... I can't really describe it... It was mostly flat, and I think it was thin and long. I think it must have been a few inches wide, but anything more would be out of the question based on what I remember feeling."