Justice legal system academy's deadly killing game (Ace Attorney)

Chapter 16: And the Killer is ...........

*Phoenix's POV*

Apollo pulled out a small piece of paper. "Just what is that you have there and how does it relate to our case?" Franziska asked. "It's a note from the victim to the killer." Athena said. Apollo nodded and the note showed on the screen for us to read it. The note read:

Dear , I will gladly meet with you tonight at 12:00 am. But it must be in classroom B's storage closet or else I will not meet with you. Until tonight.

Dahlia Hawthorne

"What an interesting note you have there Mr. Justice." Ema told him. Apollo nodded but Franziska leaned on her podium. "Apollo Justice, I applaud your last attempt to save your client but just how does this prove her innocence?"

Franziska wagged her finger. Apollo had a newfound confidence. "It's not hard to explain why she is innocent from this note, but I will explain to you seeing as you can't seem to figure it out." Franziska hit her podium.

"Why you..."

Apollo gathered his courage. "Let's assume that the culprit's first note was written after the announcement to meet in classroom 1-B, but it had to have been before they got there. Once they entered the designated classroom they handed the note to Dahlia. Somehow during yesterday evening Dahlia managed to write a reply. We know this because of the existence of this note. Furthermore Athena and I discovered this note in the kitchen's trash."

Angel slammed her hand down on her podium. "You WHAT?" Franziska hit her podium a number of times.

"That's it! This has got to be forged evidence!"

She shouted. "OBJECTION" Klavier yelled out. "I'm sorry Ms. Von Karma but that's impossible. Herr Forehead was one of the sick participants or did you forget? I was with him the entire time so he did not have the opportunity to forge this evidence. He was with Athena the entire investigation so there was no chance there either. The only time I wasn't with him, Herr Marshall was. So tell me, Herr Marshall, did he forge any evidence?" Jake shook his head.

"The kid had guts, I'll tell you that but he never forged anything." Franziska recoiled from her podium. "Then perhaps Athena?"

"HOLD IT."

Franziska looked to Angel. "Impossible, I was with her the entire time. And I hate to agree with a prosecutor but she was with Apollo the entire time they were investigating." Franziska was sweating.

"N-No this can't be, it's real then?" Apollo nodded. "Yes it must be real. The only question was how did she get her hands on paper in classroom 1-B? There were none so it would be quite difficult." Ema shook her head. "Actually now that you mention it.... That night Dahlia had requested to use a page of my note book, she also asked to borrow my pen." I was sweating now.

"She what?" Ema nodded. "Well that solves one mystery. "There is still a fatal flaw in your argument Apollo Justice." Franziska declared. "And what would that be?" Franziska wagged her finger. "You said that you discovered this note in the kitchen's trash but therein lies a contradiction. If we assume that the killer got rid of the note then my brother and Phoenix Wright would have noticed them. Unless you are proposing one of them is the killer?"

Apollo shook his head. "No it's impossible for either of them to be the killer." Franziska laughed.

"Then your theory is impossible. No one else passed through the kitchen." Was there really no one else who passed us in the kitchen? I made eye contact with Miles and everything clicked.

"OBJECTION."

I shouted. "There was another person in the kitchen that night, or have you forgotten Franziska?"

"T-There was?" I nodded. "There was, and although it was brief it's still a possibility." Maya slammed her podium.

"Who was it Nick? Who framed my sister?" I slammed both of my hands on my podium. "The one who framed Mia Fey and killed Dahlia Hawthorne is none other than her very own sister Iris Hawthorne!" Maya's eyes widened and everyone was silent.

"M-Me? No It's not true! I just went there to get a glass of water that's all I swear!" I shook my head at her. Klavier started snapping his fingers again to a tune that was not present in the room.

"A formidable excuse, but that won't go here. I have more than enough evidence against you." Klavier slammed his podium. "It's over Iris give it up." He yelled.

"No, I refuse to accept this, show me your evidence!" I nodded. "Very well. The culprit had to be someone who could move freely without being suspected. You had an opportunity to give her the note and you had the chance to meet with her that night. It's also the reason that you claimed to not have seen Mia that night." Iris was trembling with anger.

"It wasn't me! Mia Fey is the culprit I'm telling you! Why would I ever want to kill my sister?" Miles slammed his podium. "I think it would be beneficial if we went over the entire case so far." I nodded.

I took a deep breath. "The killer is you! The plan began as soon as the announcement went off, the killer wrote a note to Dahlia requesting to meet with her at 12:00 am. Once they got their answer they pretended that nothing happened until everyone fell asleep that night. Once they checked the coast was clear they met with Dahlia in the storage closet to discuss some important information." Everyone was paying close attention while Iris was glaring at Miles.

"It must have turned into an argument which resulted in a struggle and Dahlia's death. Realising what the killer had done they took their note and headed to the kitchen. They didn't expect to run into anyone there but because Miles and I were already talking in the kitchen they had to come up with an excuse." I put my hand to my chin in thought

"Once they reached the trash can they removed the name from the note and threw it away. They wished us good night and left the kitchen with the ripped off name from the note still in their hand. It could have only been you Iris Hawthorne, the ultimate Spirit Trainor."

Everything seemed to fit, but Iris was still shaking. "You didn't mean to kill her, it was a horrible accident caused by a heated argument." I tried to reassure her.

"No! It wasn't me. I'm telling you it really wasn't." Her pleas were getting quieter. Her shaking was slowing down like she had accepted her fate. "It's over Iris. We can easily prove it's you if we search you and your room and find that piece of paper." Miles told her. Iris stopped shaking and raised her head. She was crying.

"There is no need for that." She told us, the tears streaming down her face. "Then you really!?" Franziska asked, shocked.

"Yes, that's right. I killed my sister."

The room filled with a deadly silence that was suffocating. "Well that's that! It's time to vote!" Magmakuma yelled. "Please pull the lever in front of you to vote on who dunnit. Oh and make sure you vote for someone, we wouldn't want anyone else dead would we?"

I took my lever and moved it over Iris's picture before selecting it. We looked up at the screen in front of us to see a roulette wheel with all of our faces on it. The wheel slowed down and landed on Iris's face. The wheel was pulled upwards and I could see everyone's face again.

The feeling in the room was dark, it was a mix of despair and fear as we all stared at Iris, the girl who murdered her sister.

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