Keep It Cool | Ace Attorney (Kristoph x reader)

[6] Frame

[Warning: this chapter contains mention of sexual abuse, if you are easily triggered by this topic then please skip to the end of the chapter for a recap]

"This is an image of the victim and defendant at an amusement park."

Noddac Hiller is now furious over this sudden 'evidence', "w-what!? Where did you even get that!? That's not even real!"

"Whatever do you mean? You're simply lying through your teeth because you know what this means," Kristoph maintains his composure.

"What...? What are you saying...? No, this can't be happening," Noddacs hands clasp his head. He's going insane over this.

"This might seem like a simple image to all of us but for the witness, this holds a very specific meaning," the defense explains. Little do they know he is completely bluffing his way to forcing the witness to admit.

The witness, on the other hand, seems out of it nearly completely. "N-no... I didn't... It's her fault..."

"Oh? You didn't what?"

Edgeworth wants to raise an objection but he also wants to see where this is going. Therefore, he lets Kristoph take the lead for now.

"Amy, she... No...!"

Kristoph goes serious, "Mr. Hiller, has Amy Stake done something horrible to you?"

'This is a risk I'm willing to take. No matter what happens now, you will be punished!' He thinks to himself.

Understanding the gravity of the situation, Noddac attempts to recover his stance but his eyes are still darting and his breathing is irregular.

"Amy... She... Did things to me. She touched me even when I said no... I tried fighting back but... It didn't work...!" Noddac finally admits.

So there it is the window of opportunity. Kristoph has planned this beforehand, his last resort would lead him to mention the witness' tattoo but it seems like Mr. Hiller is an easy one to crack.

"... Thank you, Mr. Hiller. That connects to this image perfectly. The witness refused to join my client and the victim due to past trauma..."

All according to his plan.

Kristoph continues, "Which can also be a motive."

The courtroom goes silent. Is he serious? Kristoph Gavin is doing this right here and now...? The man is literally on his breakdown, it's too risky and unwise.

The judge is absolutely baffled, "Mr. Gavin! Are you implying...!"

The man pushes his glasses, "It is an unfortunate event, Your Honor. I truly do not like where this is going... It is however the truth we are seeking," he reasons. "Therefore, the defense officially indicts Noddac Killer to be the murderer of Amy Stake."

[Y/N] can no longer sit and watch everything happening right before their eyes, "No! You can't do this! Noddac...!" They shoot up from the defendant's bench and attempt to get to the witness table but are immediately stopped by the bailiffs. The judge orders them to take [Y/N] to the defendant's lobby.

Loud noises of overlapping speeches are heard from the gallery above which causes the judge to slam his gavel twice in order to silence them, "order! Order in the court! My, this certainly took a turn. I hope you know how serious this accusation is."

"I do, Your Honor. And I have my theory to back it up fully with evidence," Kristoph confidently says. The witness goes silent upon hearing this, almost as if he has accepted his fate.

'Truly an open and shut case, after all,' he smiles to himself.

The twisted man begins to elaborate on his theory, "The actual murder occurs sometime when everyone was sleeping since we cannot determine the actual time of death."

"We can however confirm the victim was dead by 8:00 AM, judging by the alarm stop. Mr. Hiller used the wooden plank used by my client as a murder weapon to kill her and put her body into the freezer in order to interfere with the investigation."

He continues, "This also explains why he would flee from the scene to the point of almost leaving the state entirely to avoid getting caught. The overwhelming amount of evidence against my client was planted there in order to frame them."

Edgeworth decides to voice out, "how would you explain the sheer lack of DNA then? There are barely any fingerprints connecting to the witness."

Kristoph smiles, "it's quite simple. As you can clearly see for yourself, Mr. Hiller here wears leather gloves. The rest of the evidence was disposed of by him to avoid suspicions."

The prosecution seems to agree to this and allows the defense to continue.

"No need," Noddac says. His posture is composed and he seems more relaxed now. His eyes are lifeless as he tilts his head up. Noddac Hiller has lost his mind.

"Oh? Is there something you would like to say?" Kristoph teases.

"I... admit to the charges... I murdered Amy Stake under the motive of revenge and grudge," Noddac looks defeated. His arms are completely limp to the side and the lights from his eyes fade.

The judge is perplexed, "witness! Are you seriously admitting to this crime?"

"Yes... Your Honor. I don't know how you got that picture frame but all he said up to this point was true..." Noddac monotonously stated.

"W-well then, I suppose we have come to a conclusion," he rises his gavel.

With one hit, the judge announces, "I hereby declare the defendant, [F/N] innocent and Noddac Hiller to be guilty of the murder of Amy Stake. The court is adjourned!"

Cheers ring throughout the courtroom as everyone celebrates another victory for Kristoph Gavin.

'A simple open and shut case.'

-----

[recap]

Kristoph presents fraud evidence of the image he discovered at the crime scene. Noddac is too paranoid in his line of questioning to point out the fake photo. It appears Noddac was once sexually abused by the victim and it had driven him insane enough to murder her. He was declared guilty and [Y/N] is innocent.

[A/N]

The case has concluded, with Kristoph's victory using fraud evidence. Beyond this chapter, more 'x reader' part of the story will continue with the case being the secondary main plot. Thank you for reading, suggestions, recommendations, and advice are welcomed.

[E/N]

Revised. If possible, we will revise the entire structure of the case. The characters are too shallow for something so serious and we don't want to take it lightly so we will be reviewing the whole thing.