[nforcer06164]

"Tasselfoot! He's been murdered!"

"WHAT?!"

The pair had just come to know Tasselfoot. He had been on the stand as a witness in a previous trial. If you'll recall, all of the witnesses were rather uncooperative, and this caused Phoenix to remember them quite clearly. He remembered that Tasselfoot was rather uncooperative because of his arrogance, thinking that it was an unnecessary waste of his time. However, it was his testimony that cracked the case wide open, allowing Phoenix to snatch victory for the defendant.

"No, there's no way..... How could this happen.... Is somebody holding a grudge?"

" *SNIFF* ...well, Dectective Gumshoe didn't seem to think so. He told me we should both come to the Police Department right away. That's when I sprinted back here."

"Well, let's get over there right away!"

April 18, 1:43 AM
Police Department - Criminal Affairs

Phoenix and Maya burst through the doors at the police department, and were promptly greeted by a familiar voice.

"Hey pal! Great case! Why, I don't know if you ever had..."

"Detective Gumshoe! What..."

"...a case so great! I mean, this'll do wonders for your reputation! I've been..."

"Gumshoe, I ran all the way down here to..."

"...rooting for you from the start. Why, I remember..."

"GUMSHOE!!"

Phoenix's yell seemed to have the effect of a loud explosion. The department suddenly fell silent. Gumshoe had a look on his face as though he'd been on the receiving end of a swift punch in the stomach. When he recovered from the shock, he promptly brought himself back together and appeared much more businesslike.

"Sorry, pal. I don't know what came over me. Now, what can I do for you?"

"Gumshoe, you called us! (I always knew he wasn't too bright...)"

"Oh, right, about Tasselfoot. He was a witness in your last case, correct? Well, the department believes that this is a totally unrelated incident. Tasselfoot was stabbed five times in the back, and then twice in the throat. We haven't seen such a gruesome killing in a while. He was found in an odd place, too. He was just lying there on his back, dead, on the sidewalk, next to a busy street. There were no alleyways nearby. He was either murdered on the spot, or dumped there. We did recieve a report of his body being found at about 12 AM, but we haven't heard anything about a witness to the actual murder. There's no suspects, either. Tasselfoot didn't seem to have any enemies that we know of."

"I see. That dispatches my theory. Anything else we should know?"

"Nope. That's all I have for now, pal. I'll let you know if any leads pop up."

"Thanks a lot Gumshoe. We'll be seeing you."

Phoenix and Maya left the police station and started to walk down the street. Phoenix had his hands behind his head, looking up towards the night sky, with Maya close beside him, doing the same.

"So, Nick, what are we going to do now?"

"What we always do, Maya. We're going to investigate."

"But why, Nick? You don't have a defendant. And there aren't any suspects yet, either!"

"It doesn't matter, Maya. Something tells me we're going to be involved in this incident...."

_________________________________________________

For those of you losers that didn't read my story, Tasselfoot has been stabbed in the back five times, and in the throat twice. That means he's dead.

Also, on a side note, any appearance of characters in the story (specifically Phoenix, Maya, and Edgeworth) does not necessarily mean they are alive. I'm sorry I didn't mention this sooner.

It is now Day 1. You have until 9 PM CDT on Thursday to decide who to lynch. That's THURSDAY, kiddies. April 20th. Don't get phantoms. They're bad for you. Like cigarettes. And getting stabbed in the back five times, and in the throat twice.