Ace Attorney: Secrets beneath Secrets

The Falsified Turnabout, Part 9

April 3

Courtroom No. 3

11:00 AM

Deirdre Brigit

A man walked up to the witness stand in the minutes that followed. He looked to be on the older side, and his stare was blank. I couldn't see much of his face since it was covered up by a hat, but it seemed like he matched the description given by Ms. Anderson. He refused to meet anyone's eyes. I also noticed he wasn't wearing a name tag or badge, which was only another nail in his coffin as far as I was concerned. The uniform may have fooled other people before, but it wasn't going to deceive me.

"Please state your name and occupation for the court," Judge Diaphan announced.

"Gusuthrou Amstepse. Granted, you already knew that, didn't you? That prosecutor over there already said it," the man replied, his voice seemingly monotone. I could hear some quiet hatred behind his tone that left me unsettled. He seemed to hate being here, but not in the traditional way. Some witnesses didn't want to come to court since it took up their time, but this seemed different. I wasn't entirely sure how to describe it, but his strong dislike for the current situation was enough to put me on edge.

Judge Diaphan sighed. "Name and occupation, please," she repeated, fiddling around with her gavel.

Mr. Amstepse huffed angrily. "Gusuthrou Amstepse. Prison guard. Is that what you wanted to hear?" he snapped.

Judge Diaphan didn't give him the satisfaction of seeing her angry. Instead, she put on a sickeningly sweet smile. "Of course," she said in a false cheery tone.

"You were at the scene of the crime at the time of the murder. We need you to tell us what you were doing at the time. Can you do that for me?" Chief Prosecutor Bespoke asked. He didn't seem very pleased with the witness' attitude either. Mr. Burke, on the other hand, was staring at Mr. Amstepse intently. I couldn't see much behind his sunglasses, but with the way he was clinging to Chief Prosecutor Bespoke's arm, I got the feeling he was afraid.

"If that's what'll get me out of here sooner, fine," Mr. Amstepse muttered.

"He really doesn't want to be here... It's kind of bothering me," Yuri hissed my direction, playing with some of her hair. 

"I don't understand. It sounds like he's ready to attack the next person who crosses him. I know I'm not a master of psychology like you are, Deirdre, but... It's worrying," Victoria frowned.

I nodded. "I know what you're talking about. For now, let's keep quiet about it. If it becomes a greater concern, we'll speak up. Let's try and keep him as calm as possible for the time being. We have to get valuable testimony out of him, and that'll only get harder if he gets snappy," I told them. 

The two women nodded in reply before turning their attention back to Mr. Amstepse. He was beginning his testimony, a bitter expression still painted on his face. I couldn't help but wonder what his problem was...

~ Witness Testimony ~

~ I Was There? ~

- "I don't know why any of you would think I was there the day of the crime."

- "You're going off the flimsy testimony of a witness who doesn't even follow correct procedures?"

- "It sounds to me like you're grasping at straws to try and accuse me of this crime."

- "As for where I was at the time of the crime, I was wandering around the prison on my own."

- "Since I'm a prison guard, you can't say I wasn't supposed to be there."