Back from the Dead

Why Is Pess Here?

Gregory and Miles entered the Detention Center after meeting with Larry. It brought a familiar but not unwelcome sight to Gregory. It reminded him of his days when he was a rookie, shaking in his boots as he spoke to his first client. It was a simple larceny case, nothing too serious. But he was nervous nonetheless, anyone would be when it's their first case. But nevermind that, because now, Gregory had to help his son defend his first and only client.

On the way here, Miles filled him in on the details of the case. A popular children's book author going by the name of Elise Deauxnim was murdered at around 10 pm last night. The suspect, was Miles' current client, a nun from Hazakura Temple. Cause of death was loss of blood from a stab in the back. They both entered the the interrogation room and behind the glass was a small woman with long black hair that is held back by two braids that are tied together. The more Gregory looks at her, the more he thinks he saw her before, but he can't remember when.

"Hello, my name is Miles Edgeworth. I have been asked by Wright to defend you in his stead. I am a...friend of his."

Straight to the point as always, Miles... Thought Gregory, before also introducing himself. "And I am Gregory Edgeworth, his father and assistant for this case." He took off his hat and bowed his head to Iris. "It is a pleasure to meet you, miss Iris."

"Um...Before you ask me any questions..." she seemed hesitant as she looked to the side. "M-Mr. Wright! H-H-How is he? Mr. Laurice said that he was hurt...That he might even die..."

Larry you absolute moron...thought both Gregory and Miles. It was his son that answered her question. "Wright is fine, a bit bruised and feverish, but well."

"Oh...that's a relief..."

The conversation they had with Iris had revealed that she rung the temple's lights out bell at 10 pm, but had later returned to the room instead of going to the Inner Temple's Training Hall because she was "frightened". Their attempt at pressing Iris for more information ended up fruitless, as the nun closed up. 

However there was one thing that Gregory noticed. When Miles asked Iris if she knew Phoenix, her answer was rather peculiar. She claimed that she had met Wright five years ago and had deceived him. In what way, Gregory could not know. Miles reaction was a lot more worrisome tough, as he he sucked in a breath and tensed up. 

As they left the Detention Center, the veteran defense attorney asked his son what that was all about. The answer he got only raised more questions. "I have a theory on what she might mean, but not enough evidence to prove it. Although...for Phoenix's sake, I hope I'm completely wrong."

After this they left to Hazakura Temple. On the way there, they also received a call from Phoenix, telling them that Pearls was with them that night and asking them to find her. The little girl's disappearance was definitely worrisome, so they called Gumshoe to start a search party.

...

As Miles was driving to the temple, his mind was plagued by thoughts. Iris...Looked almost identical to Dahlia Hawthorne. But how was that possible... Sure, Dahlia had red hair, but dyeing hair was easy. She could also be a relative of hers...maybe a twin sister...but- 

That doesn't explain her answer.

"It was 5 years ago....That's when I...That's when I...deceived him." Five years ago...Five years ago is when the first State v. Wright trial happened...When Dahlia attempted to not only frame, but also kill Phoenix. And Iris looks almost identical to Hawthorne

Could Iris be Dahlia?

No...That is preposterous. Dahlia Hawthorne was hanged on the 19th of January this year. He read about it in the press and got confirmation from both Phoenix and Maya. She was dead and that was the end of it. But this begs the question...what really happened all those years ago...

He really hopes he's wrong...He really really hopes he's wrong about this.

...

Gumshoe meets with them at the temple. The detective is standing near the entrance looking like he'd rather not be here...The reason for his distress? Twenty-two kilograms of white fur, sitting on the ground with a leash.

(A\N: 22kg = 48.50lbs)

"Detective? What is Pess doing here?" asks Miles.

"Ach! Sir! Well you see...I didn't really have time to drop her at your apartment...So I decided to bring her here, she might be able to help with the investigation, sir! She can look for clues."

Gregory chuckles. "I highly doubt Pess is trained in that, detective." The three of them stare at Pess as she starts munching on some of the plants.

"Ach! Pess no! Don't eat that, spit it out pal!"

Miles slaps his forehead and sighs. "Let's just get a move on with the investigation..." He takes Pess' leash and makes his way to the crime scene.

"Detective, have you found anything?" asked Gregory.

"Yes sir! Detective Gumshoe! Reporting for duty! Sir! The bridge had caught on fire after being struck by lightning and while unusual for this time of the year, I have a weather report to prove it!"

"And regarding Sister Iris?!" asked Miles.

"Well...the police had done a database search with her fingerprints and found nothing. It's really weird sir! The victim, Elise Deauxnim is in the same boat. Nothing could be found on her background either. As for the crime, it had been witnessed by the temple's head nun, Sister Bikini. Here's the victim's autopsy report, sir."

"What about Pearl Fey?" asked Gregory.

"Still haven't found her yet sir...But the bridge is being rebuilt as we speak, so we might find her when we rescue Maya Fey."

"I see..." said both Edgeworths. After this they meet with Larry and asked him what he was doing on the night of the crime. Butz said he didn't remember, but the 'psycholocks' that appeared said otherwise. Unfortunately any further attempt on getting Larry to talk was ceased as he ran away. But not before revealing to the detective that Miles Edgeworth, The Demon Prosecutor, was defending someone in court.

This information really surprised Gumshoe, but in the end he decided to still help with the investigation. "After all, I'm really good at leaking information to the defense!"

Miles didn't really know how to feel about that.