Ace Attorney: Secrets Beneath Secrets

The Falsified Turnabout, Part 9 (Yuri)

Once we were done confusing H.T. (I mainly did it while Niamh just kind of face palmed and hid her face other various ways when I mentioned Prosecutor Cruz), a boy walked into the room. 

He had short brown hair and dark eyes. He wore a purple shirt with a black jacket over it. He had dark gray jeans and black and purple tennis shoes on his feet. "Um, who are you people?" he asked. 

"We're the lawyers on the Harry Galle murder case," I answered. "My name is Yuri, and this is Niamh and H.T. Who might you be?"

"My name is Matt. Matt Doyle. I was a witness to the crime," the boy answered. 

"If you don't mind, Mr. Doyle," Niamh began. "Would you tell us what you witnessed the day of the crime?"

"Well, during the tea, I got an update on my phone. I turned to look at it and out of the corner of my eye, I saw somebody sprinkling some sugar into Harry's tea cup. I think it was Lassie...." Mr. Doyle answered. "Harry said that he wanted Lassie to put some sugar in his cup while he went to the restroom or something like that."

"So, who exactly is this 'Lassie' character?" H.T. asked. 

"Well, I see some people 'ave been talkin' about me, eh, Matt?" 

I turned around, realizing that there was somebody else in the room. They had a strong country accent. Very strong, pardner. 

It was a woman in her early twenties. She had curly light blonde hair in two low ponytails and wore a cowboy hat. She had a light brown jacket on that had tassels at the bottom over a light purple shirt. She had light brown pants and brown cowboy boots to match. Talk about obsessed with old wild west films, if you ask me. And even if you didn't ask me, take my opinion. 

The woman's blue eyes met mine as she smiled. "Ah! Matt! Nice to see you 'ere!" 

"This is that 'Lassie' character," Mr. Doyle told us. "Lassie Sinn, meet Niamh, H.T., and Yuri."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Sinn," Niamh said. 

"Aw, shucks! No need to be all formal with me, suga'!" Ms. Sinn exclaimed, ruffling Niamh's hair. I burst into laughter as my partner violently started parting her hair to look as it once had. 

"H.T. Annasc, attorney at law. Pleasure to meet you, young miss," H.T. told Ms. Sinn, taking her hand and kissing it. 

"Whoo! Nice face you've got there, Mr. H.T.!" Ms. Sinn said, fanning herself with her hand. "My lips would like to meet those luscious ones you have going on!"

Niamh's hands clapped over my ears. I reached my hands up to cover her ears. I was getting sick to my stomach already. Sure, we've all dealt with difficult people, but this...this is just gross. And that's coming from the girl who reads and writes lemon fan fictions in her free time. 

"It's nice to meet you," I cut in, shaking Ms. Sinn's hand (I made sure it was the one H.T. hadn't kissed. I can get him to kiss me later. No, I do not have a crush or a problem. I just lied to my own keyboard). 

"Well, Ms. Sinn," Niamh began. "What exactly did you witness on the day of the crime?"

"I didn't really see anything. This is why the prosecution is saving me for later. I'm not what you legal people call 'a decisive witness,'" Ms. Sinn answered. 

"Is that really all you saw?" I started. "Mr. Doyle said he saw somebody that looked like you putting sugar in the victim's tea." Niamh nodded my way, catching on to what I was suggesting. It was our job to pursue every possibility of another killer to save our innocent client. It's just a fact of life for us now. 

"I was just puttin' in some suga', suga'," she answered. If she calls me 'sugar' one more time, I might lose it! 

Niamh and I exchanged glances silently. She had noticed it, too. "Well, if we're done here, Yuri and I have to get back to the agency now."

H.T. coughed from behind her. "Um, forgetting somebody?!"

"My apologies, Mr. Annasc," she said, bowing her head slightly. 

"It's fine. I think I'm going to investigate just a bit longer," H.T. told her. "I'll meet you guys back there later with what I find."

Niamh and I nodded. "We'll see you then," I told said. 

//July 15, 2028. Local Prison, 4:34 PM//

"He saw something."

"I know. Eliminate him."

"It's about time you let me do something like this. I've been waiting to sink my blade into somebody's neck for ages. You wouldn't let me kill Galle that way, so this should make up for it."

"Kill him how you wish. But I have a task for you."

"And that is...?"

"In exchange for letting you sink your knife into that man's skin, I would like you to frame a certain girl for it."

"And her name is...?"

"Beware who she is inside. But her name is...."

//July 15, 2028. Morix Law Offices, 4:34 PM//

"Here. This is a copy of the third threat letter. I hope it aids your investigation."

"It should. Thank you."

Niamh and I were approaching the building the agency was in as I write. But, that just meant trouble for the people who were inside. 

"Uh oh! Yuri and Niamh are coming!"

"What should I do!?"

"Into the back room with you! We can't have them seeing you quite yet!"

Niamh and I walked into the agency as Chrysalis ran into the main room from the back bedroom. "How was your investigation?" 

"How was your date?" I smirked. 

Chrysalis hit me in the arm gently. "It was't a date! I just had to talk to him about something."

"But earlier, you made it sound like a date," I retorted. 

"It was not a date! I swear!" Chrysalis told me. "Niamh! Help me out here!"

"Yuri, perhaps we should tell her about what we discovered during the investigation today," Niamh interrupted. Darn it. Snooping is fun....

"Alright," I nodded, getting ready to launch into an extensive explanation.

------------------------------------------

The next chapter is the final one of this turnabout. But you're probably thinking: wrap the trial up in a day?! Are you crazy?!

Well, I have yet another trick up my sleeve.

And for once, the 'courthouse burning down' thing is not it. 

It's something vurry different and vurry sternge. 

Teeheehee~

-Dij