Ace Attorney - Justice and Truth

The Despairing Turnabout ~ 4 ~ Anton

March 8th
District Court - Courtroom No 7
~

I held Polly's hand as she led me towards the Prosecution's bench. I may be 17, but court can sometimes be scary...

She let go of my hand once we were there, but I grabbed ahold of her arm anyway. She frowned at me slightly, but then she turned her attention to His Honour.

"Court is now in session for the trial of..." His Honour blinked a couple of times, like I do when I'm confused.

"What is it?!" Polly was annoyed already. "You can't just stop mid-sentence...!"

It was at this point that I noticed Chrysalis, standing with her brother on the other side of the bench. I gave her a small wave, and she stuck her tongue out at me playfully. I was about to stick out mine in return, but Polly shot a glare at me. I deflated and listened to the trial at hand.

"Sorry-! It's just..." His Honour paused. "...never mind. Court is now in session for the trial of Chrysalis Starr. Is the Defence ready?"

Mr. Morix nodded. "Ready than ever."

"And the Prosecution?"

"Of course we're ready..." Polly muttered. "...your honour."

She's really in a mood today. And come to think about it, so was Detective Stanhope...maybe it's something similar?

"The Prosecution may give their opening statement." The Judge announced.

Polly glanced and whispered to me. "Do you want to do it? The opening statement, I mean."

I gasped (quite loudly) and stepped backwards. "Wh-What have you d-done to the r-real Polly B-Bloom-?!"

"What-?!" Polly took a step backwards too. We were both as shocked as each other, I suppose.

But seriously! Polly asking me to deliver the opening statement?! She must know that I can't speak to such a loud crowd...and I'll stutter. And I'll cry. And I'll-

"The Prosecution's opening statement...?" His Honour looked impatient.

"U-Um-! Y-Yes-! Sorry...!" Polly went red out of embarrassment. I heard Chrysalis giggling over at the defence bench, whereas Mr. Morix was smiling with delight.

"T-The crime...took place yesterday..." Polly began, clearing her throat. "...the victim was one Sam Shine. There was another victim, a victim of assault, but we'll go into details later. Oh, and the crime in question took place at United Lawyers. That small law office near town."

The crowd chattered, but the Judge slammed his gavel down (which made me squeal in fright). "And the autopsy for the victim?"

Polly glanced at me. I blinked, but then remembered that I was the one with the autopsy. So I nodded and got the autopsy report out of my backpack, and handed it to Polly.

Sam's Autopsy Report

Name: Sam Shine
Time Of Death: 1:20PM
Cause of Death: Crushed windpipe as a result of choking. No other external injuries were found.
Notes: The body was found to be overexposed to heat - which means that finding the time of death is nigh impossible. The cause of death - wherever hanging or other means - is unknown, and only a estimate could be made.
- Rose Burumu