Of course it wasn't. They had a few aces up their sleeves, but more than that, help came from an unexpected source.
"Uh... excuse me," Gumshoe coughed.
Eyes rested on the Detective, who looked very much now like a kid caught cheating.
"What is the matter?" Edgeworth sighed.
"Well it's just... That wasn't the only evidence we have."
And to Phoenix's great surprise, Gumshoe provided him with his glimmer of hope.
*****
--The Previous Day—
Being caught in the act, Gumshoe remained frozen as if in a block of ice. He was staring into the eyes of corruption and deviousness themselves – and we must remember here that Gumshoe had not even seen Costillos yet.
"I had a sneaking suspicion you couldn't be trusted," Brand sneered, a devilish grin wrapped around his face.
"Uh... Chief. It's not what it looks like."
"Oh? What exactly is it then?"
"It's..." Gumshoe gulped and knew this was it for him. He had nothing. His eyes darted about nervously as though the answer might simply fall onto his lap. And indeed it did so, for in one of the monitors, he could see a boy playing with a dog. Just outside the chief's window, Luke was laughing and throwing a stick for Bruno to catch. Straightaway Gumshoe knew that this was the boy providing him with the excuse he needed. Once again, Luke was saving the day with his quick thinking.
He inwardly sighed and closed his eyes. Thanks, pal, he said to himself.
"You look relieved?" Brand snapped, irritated that Gumshoe wasn't squirming as he usually did.
"Relieved, sir? Well sure I am. You see, I've been looking for the boy who has been sneaking in treats for Bruno. I thought the old boy was getting larger than usual."
Elrand Brand raised an arched eyebrow, his back stiffening. The shadow which leapt from him seemed a tad darker than those of the room around him.
"Bruno?" He tested the word as though it were foreign to him. Then it clicked. "My dog? What does my dog have anything to do...?" He trailed off as his eyes found what Gumshoe had spotted. There was a moment of stillness as he swallowed in the sight, and as disturbing to the peace as if a balloon popped in a quiet room, the chief barreled Gumshoe out of the way and moved to the monitor. He took in the sight, apparent steam coming out of his ears now.
Within seconds he was at the door, barely snapping out an order for Gumshoe to remain where he was, and then the Detective was left in peace once more. He let out a deep sigh before remembering that this was his chance. Even so, he couldn't resist letting out a little joke.
"I guess the chief isn't hungry for pretzels anymore."
*****
Gumshoe could have left then – and most definitely he would have with the chief sure to return any minute, but Gumshoe knew there was more he could do. He wasn't simply a fetcher of tapes – he was a detective! He would dig for more clues!
He decided to start in the chief's office, and as he made his way there, feeling more confident than ever, he entered for the first time with no fear. Well, that was a little untrue as even with his free reign, he did have a time limit. He could see the chief outside the window now. He was too distracted trying to shoo off Luke to notice the Detective in his office.
Good. As he moved about the room, looking for clues, he reflected bitterly now that he could have taken the files this way, but then he changed his mind when he realised that it would be harder to explain how he got such information in the first place. Even so, he could find other important clues.
Checking under plants and rummaging through papers, scattering them about the place – and putting them back in a somewhat presentable manner afterwards – Gumshoe found his first vital piece of evidence in the small bin by the Chief's desk. Retrieving the small receipt, he had a little moment of terror when he realised it was the wrong date. Rifling through the bin again produced a lot more receipts, and when all seemed lost, he finally found a receipt for coffee on the right day.
Sighing with relief once more, he tipped the useless receipts back in the bin and looked about the room for more things he could use. Finding nothing out of the ordinary, he left the room feeling more than a little disappointed. He managed to hide behind a filing cabinet as the chief returned, and as he watched the fuming man drag a poor whimpering Bruno back into his office, Gumshoe noticed a shining object on the chief's belt. A key. Then a smile lit up on his face.
*****
--The Next Day--
"You mean..." Phoenix sighed. "That you have more evidence?"
"Yeah, pal," Gumshoe beamed.
"And you didn't tell me?"
"Well..." The Detective pulled at his shirt and his cheeks flushed red. "I just didn't think they mattered anymore. I mean, I thought the tapes would be enough."
"Well sure, but it would have been nice if you could have told us about this beforehand."
The judge cleared his throat, gaining their attention.
"So is this court right in assuming that there is new evidence to be entered into the court record?"
Sighing thinly, Phoenix nodded.
"Yes your honour. Sadly, this really isn't a surprise anymore."
As Gumshoe handed two officers two small items, a small slip of paper and what looked like a key, the items were brought over to Phoenix who examined them quickly.
"A receipt... and a... key that opens some lock."
He raised an eyebrow at Gumshoe, and the Detective laughed.
"Oh right, well I suppose you'll want to know what happened there."
And so it was that a second cross-examination occurred as Gumshoe recalled his little scavenging of additional evidence the previous day. He stuck mostly to the truth, and decided that it would be alright to omit some things unless asked directly about them. Edgeworth had to ask, however. The frock-wearing, purple-suited prosecutor gave a dismissive flick of his hand.
"So you retrieved the receipt from a bin?"
"That's right, pal."
"And where was this bin located exactly?"
Gumshoe gulped then, realising now that he had to tell the truth. He couldn't lie in a court of law, especially being an officer of the law after all. And it was only then that he felt Costillos' eyes on him, eyes of hatred which burned like Brand's. There was no doubt that these two were as evil as they came.
"Well, it uh... It was in the chief's office."
"Was?" It was clear Edgeworth was enjoying himself; even if he had softened towards Phoenix, he still revelled in his power as a prosecutor.
"Well, pal... You see..."
Phoenix watched his friend as sweat started to pour. He noticed Costillos lean in, smirking as if absorbing Gumshoe's fear. He knew Gumshoe was torn between telling the truth, and helping this case, and that couldn't happen if the evidence wasn't found under fair means or with a warrant.
He too now faced Gumshoe's dilemma. Fortunately for him, inspiration had struck in the form of Luke. Glancing over at the boy now, he marvelled at the innate curiosity in those eyes, beacons in a sea of hostility and clouded opinions. He also saw pain, or what remained. Certainly Hershel had done much to remove those stains, and so what was left was the boy Phoenix had met just a year ago. Yet with the hint of more. A hint of growth. Luke was maturing, and the battle that raged inside him was shaping him into a better person. Even so, the courage and determination that existed already were traits to admire.
Hershel found Phoenix glancing at Luke and smiled. So often others would turn to him for advice, for the answer. The fact that Phoenix now looked to Luke – and Hershel knew why – was just another reason why Luke would be just fine. More than fine. Great.
Seeing those promising eyes, and the smile tinged with determination and hope, Phoenix swallowed and turned back to the power play before him: the fidgeting, shrinking Gumshoe, and the two lions: Edgeworth and Costillos, directing their might his way. Edgeworth's flair for making the witness squirm had resurfaced as usual, and it only added more pressure on an already delicate situation. Phoenix needed to fix this now. And with Luke as his inspiration, Phoenix grinned and let out one of his signature phrases.
"Hold it!" Boy, he thought to himself strangely. I sure have said 'Hold it' a lot today. "Where the witness found a receipt hardly matters."
"I find I disagree," Edgeworth countered, tutting once more. "You know as well as I do that should the evidence be found under suspicious circumstances-"
"Yeah yeah, I know. It doesn't hold in a court of law. And yet, this is a receipt we are talking about. Found in a rubbish bin. It's waste by this point, so Detective Gumshoe could not have stolen it."
Edgeworth shook his head at that.
"Maybe so, but perhaps the Detective found said evidence in a room in which he had been trespassing in." He directed his question to Gumshoe once more. "Is this so?"
And to everyone's surprise once more, Gumshoe did the unthinkable. And nodded.
It was clear to say Edgeworth was taken more than a little off guard. He almost fell back in shock. Costillos' expression held a mixture between confusion and seething, and Phoenix was caught between a sigh of relief and amusement. Trust Gumshoe to keep up with the surprises.
The judge scratched at his beard. This was all rather perplexing, and he enjoyed it. He said it before, and he would continue to say it many more times, but Phoenix Wright and Miles Edgeworth were guaranteed to be in the midst of an exciting case.
"So you admit you were trespassing in a room you shouldn't be?"
Gumshoe shook his head.
"Not so. I had a right to be there. You see, as the chief's errand boy, I am often in and out of there, fetching him food, or delivering documents, or in some cases... emptying the bin."
Gumshoe was trying hard to suppress a smile. Phoenix wasn't the only one to look to the boy for inspiration; Gumshoe had been impressed twice by Luke Triton's ingenuity the previous day. He had only followed Phoenix's gaze and found the same inspiration, the same well of hope to draw from. The answer had hit him. Really, he had every right to be in there with him, especially when considering what the chief had said only minutes before he was gathering evidence in the chief's room. When he had left to go fetch pretzels – and head to the security room – the chief had said one last thing before Gumshoe had closed the door.
"And clean my room when you get back. My bin is getting rather full."
He recalled that statement now and recited it. There was a brief moment of hushed silence before Costillos broke it, no longer able to keep his mouth shut.
"Oh poppycock! There is no evidence that this conversation ever occurred. Or that this Detective is some... Slave to the chief's every whim."
Gumshoe shook his head, grinning for the first time towards the menacing figure.
"Not quite, pal. It's common knowledge in the department that I am always performing tasks for the chief. What's more, one officer even heard the chief say that."
Edgeworth raised an eyebrow.
"Can we bring this officer in? Get their statement?"
The judge nodded sombrely.
"That we can."
And so the court waited as the young officer was found and brought in to corroborate Gumshoe's statement. She nodded, and even said that security footage would confirm it. With all doubt aside now, they could continue on to the actual evidence in hand now.
"A receipt marked the day in which Mr. Monriel claims he had had lunch with Elrand Brand," Phoenix stated. He moved onto the next piece of evidence. "And a small key."
Phoenix addressed Gumshoe now.
"So we know this receipt accounts for Mr. Brand's whereabouts on the day, and it doesn't seem like he was in a restaurant with Mr. Monriel. In fact, this receipt says he was at a local café. I'm sure we can check to see if he was alone."
Costillos grumbled but said nothing as the judge shot him a look.
"But this key," Phoenix continued. "Do you care to explain what it opens, Detective?"
Gumshoe nodded eagerly.
"Sure, pal. You see, being the chief's errand boy and all, he often gives me his key to the cabinet so that I can open it and hand him documents."
"So what you're saying is, you have a right to this key?"
"Precisely, bud."
Phoenix nodded and turned to the judge.
"As you can see your honour, it cannot be put under doubt that Detective Gumshoe had a right to be in that office. Officers know of his... degrading position under the chief, and this key shows that he has access to the chief's documents when he wishes. I don't see how it can be seen that the Detective is in the wrong here. Would you agree, Edgeworth?"
Edgeworth said nothing, and simply sniffed.
The judge nodded, silently taking this all in.
"Very well, it would seem that Detective Gumshoe's testimony is valid. He did indeed have a right to be in there, though one small area is left unaccounted for."
Phoenix felt his heart seize at that. What had he missed?!
Costillos was smiling like a small child.
"That's right. There's still no proof of these documents. If they exist, where are they?"
Phoenix blew out in relief, looking past Monriel's gloating.
"Oh, you had me worried there. Might I direct the court's attention to these letters?"
*****
Of course, the diary truly was their golden weapon, but the letters painted a picture of a man sewn in corruption. Not quite enough to put him away, but close. In any case, all eyes fell on Costillos, and the ever sneering man held only a look of dismay. The rest had yet to sink in. Hershel knew that the man would either accept it, or let loose. He didn't anticipate the grin, however.
"How amusing?" he cackled. "Yes, the Chief and I were more often than not.... Slippery should we call it that, but even so, none of these letters prove anything. Certainly they reveal that I had... Shall we say, controversial discussion points, but nothing more. Can you prove that I had some grand scheme of illegal activity? Was I stealing something?"
It would be a moment of defeat, or at least uncertainty for Team Layton right now, however, Phoenix still had his final witness up his sleeve.
"Your honour," he proclaimed. "I believe it's time to bring in our final witness!"
As the judge nodded, Phoenix watched Luke from the corner of his eye. Certainly this was a tender moment. The boy was about to see someone dear to him testify, and if this all fell apart, the repercussions for Luke's family could be catastrophic. Costillos and Auriolus proved a deadly force when messed with, and Phoenix wasn't sure that he could protect Luke then.
"Very well," the judge called. "The next witness shall be called. Clark Triton will now take the stand!"
Luke gulped, and Hershel rested a hand on the boy's shoulder, gripping it tightly. Hershel thought Costillos might be a little afraid, yet as Gumshoe was escorted out, and Clark entered, there was nothing but a firm smile planted on the man's face. The smile of a man who is certain he will win.