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To Each A Tempo -- Chapter 6 (PG-13)
Title: To Each A Tempo -- Chapter 6
Fandom: Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney/Elite Beat Agents crossover
Completion date: October 4th, 2007
Rating: PG-13
Wordcount: 2584
Characters: Phoenix, Mia, Edgeworth, Agent J, Agent Foxx, the Judge, Vanderspiegle.
Warnings: Vague reference to Farewell, My Turnabout spoilers.
Summary: Edgeworth can't be fooled for long, but all Phoenix can do is manage, and a new lead ravels free.



     The gallery rumbled, the Judge's gavel cracked and cracked and it was all distant static. Testimony like that shot clean through their alibi, dug cold into Phoenix's heart and all he heard was Foxx's voice.
     "Stall, Phoenix, any way you can. I'll find cover."
     Keys clattered -- he held back most of a nod. He could forge on blind as long as his team watched for him, Phoenix shook but he wasn't afraid.

     And when quiet resettled in the courtroom, the Judge turned to Phoenix, gazing down from his high bench.
     "Does the defense wish to respond?"

     Did he? Phoenix could let the declaration slide by, and then pry apart Vanderspiegle's testimony until he had no sway in the case. He couldn't have seen Stewart murder anyone and that meant contradictions -- toeholds. But leaving Edgeworth's dramatic point unchallenged in the court consciousness ... Phoenix glanced to Mia.
     "If we don't want problems later," she replied, "We should face an implication like that head-on."
     Because once a testimony began to ravel, there was no saving it -- Phoenix knew that better than anyone.

     "Yes, Your Honour," he said, and looked back to Vanderspiegle. "Do you manage all of your staff personally?"
     "Of course, mmyes!" Vanderspiegle puffed a little but the wide-eyed look remained -- maybe the reality of the trial had finally soaked in through his stage presence. "I meet with each new employee, how else am I to ensure that they provide the proper Extravagent experience?"
     The man was definitely a people person; any weak point worth picking would be somewhere else. Phoenix rubbed his chin. "Catering fancy weddings? You must have a lot of staff members. How do you manage to keep them all straight?"
     "Objection!"
     Phoenix cringed, and looked to Edgeworth in time to see his maddening finger wag.
     "Mr. Wright," Edgeworth drawled, "It was just stated a moment ago that the witness has a photographic memory. Do try to keep up."
     "Objection," Phoenix snapped back, and pointed across the court, "That wasn't my point!"
     "The only points here can be seen in the defense's reflection." And with a flourish, Edgeworth added, "But please, carry on."
     Forcing open his clenched fists -- he couldn't let Edgeworth rattle him, not now, he should have known better -- Phoenix turned back to Vanderspiegle. "What I meant was, do you manage the business's finances yourself? Payroll, taxes, that sort of thing?" Because if Foxx had gotten Stewart listed as a general assistant--
     "No, no," Vanderspiegle said, and waved the suggestion away, "Mona does all of that. Bookkeeping is so dreadfully uninteresting."

     Finally, a point they could agree on. And Phoenix was opening his mouth, wondering what to make come out of it, when Foxx spoke in his ear:
     "Phoenix, hiring. There was a white-collar job fair a few blocks away that morning, J was on the move looking for a new job."
     He let realization wash over his face: Phoenix had only to put the pieces together -- quickly.

     "So you don't take care of the business's records?" He rubbed his neck. "I think there's been a misunderstanding, then."
     Vanderspiegle stared mildly. "I beg your pardon?"
     And with an instant's hope for his own bluffing ability, Phoenix faced the rest of the court ."Mr. Lowe wasn't actually working for Extravagent Wedding Services on the day of the murder. He was job-hunting that day, he spoke with future coworkers--" not that fellow Agents weren't past and present coworkers as well, "--And was trying to secure his position for work later on." Phoenix grinned hopefully. "I guess that wasn't very clear in Mr. Lowe's testimony ...?"
     The Judge, blinking surprise, said, "No, it wasn't. All right, the court will keep this amendment in mind."
     "Oh, Mona," Vanderspiegle groaned, mournfully polishing a gold coat button between thumb and forefinger, "Not telling me of a newcomer? I've trained her better, truly, I have!"

     "Now we need to--" Foxx sighed. "We'll take care of it, it's fine. Good, Phoenix."

     But Edgeworth glared icy, twisted a dagger into Phoenix from a room away -- it wasn't fine, not at all.
     "Then I suppose," Edgeworth bit out, and the spite suddenly faded as he looked away from Phoenix, "It's irrelevant whether Mr. Vanderspiegle has met the defendant before today. But he still witnessed the murder -- Mr. Vanderspiegle, if you would please give that testimony?"
     Nodding, Vanderspiegle replied, "Mmyes, of course." He paused, maybe for effect, and straightened to full height. "I noticed something amiss at eleven-fourteen AM, as Mr. Albert Tinear took the stage for his rendition of Livin' La Vida Loca."
     "Hold it," Phoenix cried, "How did you know the exact time? Did you check?"
     A smile spread over Vanderspiegle's round face. "Mr. Wright, my functions follow absolutely immaculate timelines. It would hardly be up to Extravagent standards if an event missed its cue. Now, I was discussing socioeconomics with Ms. Lilla Byes and not that it wasn't fascinating, of course, but something caught my eye across the park. The victim, I believe."
     "Hold it! And how could you have known it was the victim?"

     "Easy, Wright."
     It took a moment for Mia's quiet words to register -- maybe a barking note was slipping into his questions, Phoenix didn't have to mean it for it to happen.

     Vanderspiegle paused to look affronted. "Well, I had no such idea at the time, of course! I noticed a woman, a senior citizen I supposed, entering the park's walking trail. It was her sweater that caught my eye, quite a brilliant white against the foliage."

     Phoenix glanced to the park map -- several hundred feet between the trail's entrance and the wedding reception. A reasonable range to notice a white sweater at, but could Vanderspiegle recognize a face? Not unless he had a telescopic lens on that photographic memory.

     "And it was a moment later," Vanderspiegle went on, "During the spectacular final chorus of Mr. Tinear's performance, that I noticed a dark figure by the trail."
     "Hold it!" The logistics glowed brilliant in Phoenix's mind now, every detail screaming. "Why did you notice a dark figure if the karaoke was so spectacular?"
     "Because I am in charge of each and every function, Mr. Wright." Still performing his words, still smiling, but annoyance threaded through Vanderspiegle's voice. "I do not easily forget my role, you must understand."
     And Phoenix anticipated a cutting remark from the prosecution's stand, something to raise his hackles, but none came. He glanced to Edgeworth -- the icy stare remained. Phoenix looked away, and couldn't place how Edgeworth's silence was so much sharper than his tongue.
     "Then," Phoenix asked Vanderspiegle, "What was this dark figure like?"

     "That might be our murderer," Foxx offered, "J was never within sight of the wedding. I need details, Phoenix."
     What did she think Phoenix was trying to do?

     "Suspicious," Vanderspiegle said. He ran a hand over his slicked hair, forehead to ducktail. "Mmyes, very much so, creeping in the bushes."
     A pause drew out.
     "Err," Phoenix tried, "Is that all?"
     "Indeed it is, Mr. Wright! Jackson informed me then that one of our buffet steam tables neared death's door, and I excused myself from Ms. Byes to see to Extravagent's equipment. But that figure ... I had a bad feeling, I suppose. So when I saw that very figure fleeing the park, I immediately phoned the police."
     Glancing to the park map, sketching flight paths in his thoughts, Phoenix asked, "Fleeing? Which direction?"
     "Out along the path for a moment, after which he cut through the forest." Vanderspiegle shook his head. "Terrible, such a thing ..."

     "Not very helpful for someone good with details," Phoenix muttered.
     Mia smiled sympathetic. "We just need to keep pressing. He's sure to mention something important."
     "I've found some optometrist's records, Phoenix," Foxx said, keys tapping, "Vanderspiegle's got twenty-twenty vision, no excuses there. Push him hard."
     Wondering how far his Agent teammate could hack -- and whether the Pentagon's files might help their case -- Phoenix looked to Vanderspiegle to try again.

     "Mr. Vanderspiegle, about this suspicious figure. Would you recognize him if you saw him again?"
     Squinting into the middle distance, he decided, "Perhaps. I couldn't see much but dark clothing from such a distance, and the way he stumbled, I suppose on the forest terrain."
     "What about hair?" Phoenix gestured to the defendant's box. "Was this figure blond, as Mr. Lowe is?"

     "And it's quite distinctive when he's in Agent uniform," Foxx added, a smile creeping into her voice, "A work of architecture."
     Phoenix couldn't be sure what Stewart muttered, not with so much courtroom floor between them, but his wry grin stifled behind his hand said enough.

     Vanderspiegle said nothing, gazing thoughtfully at nothing. Quiet stretched out awkward. At the corner of Phoenix's vision, the Judge squirmed as though a student at a dull lecture.
     Edgeworth folded his arms, tapping a finger. "Mr. Vanderspiegle, if you would indulge the question?"
     Shooing Edgeworth off with a wave, Vanderspiegle grumbled, "Mmyes, yes, I'm thinking." And after a briefer pause, "The figure was fair-headed, yes, but I couldn't say for sure if he had blond hair or was simply ... wearing a hat." Realization lit through Vanderspiegle, and he asked, "May I make a small request of the defendant? If you would stand up, Mr. Lowe?"
     The court's attention turned to Phoenix -- he could sense where this was going, the pieces Vanderspiegle was fitting together. He looked to Stewart, and nodded.

     And managing a nod back, Stewart faced the court and got to his feet. No trace of easy slouch in him now: he was tall and square-shouldered, stiff with Agents' pride.
     "Mmm," Vanderspiegle wondered, and tapped his chin, "No. No, the figure I saw wasn't like Mr. Lowe at all, he was ... Oh, dear ..."
     He knew something, he had information and Phoenix wanted to slam the stand, forced his palms down softer. "Mr. Vanderspiegle, do you know the person you saw in the bushes?"
     "Objection!" Edgeworth snapped, "The witness has stated that he could only identify dark clothing from such a distance! He couldn't reasonably discern a face!"
     "But I don't need to, Mr. Edgeworth."

     Silence rocked the court. And Vanderspiegle went on, gazing dolefully at the floor:
     "I'm sure of it -- the figure I saw had an odd gait, he stumbled as he moved. And he wasn't Mr. Lowe's build at all, it was ... Oh, but he always seemed so harmless ..."
     "Who was it, Mr. Vanderspiegle?" Phoenix stared hard. "Who did you see?"
     And with a determined sigh, he replied, "Tucker, that's the only name of his that I know. A homeless individual. He must spend his time in Foster Park, we see him at nearly every function we hold there. And no one else moves in such a way."
     Just the foothold they needed -- someone else at the scene, maybe even the one to blame. It soared hot in Phoenix and he looked to the Judge.
     "Your Honour, we can't reasonably continue this trial without Tucker. He's a key witness -- or possibly suspect -- in this case."
     And still no protest from Edgeworth -- this was no time to question fortune.
     "Hmm, I agree," the Judge said, "Mr. Edgeworth, would a half-hour recess be enough time to find the witness?"
     "Allow me to help with the search," Vanderspiegle added, pulling a cell phone from his coat pocket, "My mechanically inclined employees are in Foster Park disassembling the stage setup at the moment. Extravagent's staff are your staff, good sirs!"
     "I believe we can do that, Your Honour," Edgeworth replied.

     It was decided, then -- the gavel cracked, and the court fell to recess.


     "Yer a real sight in there, Mr. Wright." Stewart said. The recess was soaking into him, returning his easy posture. "Seven-nation army couldn't hold you back!"
     And Phoenix's briefcase sure looked like an army had tromped through it -- where was a paper clip when he needed one?
     "We're not out of the woods yet." Mia brushed bangs to one side with a delicately crooked finger, and refolded her arms. "Do we know anything about Tucker?"
     "Not much at the moment," Foxx replied, "Tell her I'm working on it, but without a name or a decent description ..."

     "Mr. Wright."

     Phoenix closed the briefcase, grabbed for his nerve and turned to face Edgeworth. However far they had come, even now -- especially now -- that growl chilled him.
     "If I may speak with you," Edgeworth grated, fists clenched at his sides, "In private."
     He knew this was coming: he knew Edgeworth wouldn't be fooled for long. Phoenix glanced to Mia -- he didn't miss the worry and the confidence in her eyes, the same as before his first trial.
     "Mr. Rowe," she said, passing Stewart on a determined gait, "Shall we get a soda?"
     Stewart, jerked along by his wrist, had the sense to murmur agreement -- Mia hadn't asked a question at all.

     Edgeworth watched them go, eyes demanding answers from Mia's back. Again wondering if Edgeworth could see Maya's change, supposing that it didn't matter, Phoenix braced. Their cover loosened already, before the case drew anywhere near its end but he'd manage, he wasn't alone. He scratched his ear -- or mimed it, enough to prod the round metal node, hoping he was doing it right--

     "I'm here, Phoenix," Foxx answered. Her voice was low -- she braced, too.

     And then the inevitable: Edgeworth's gaze snapped back to Phoenix, demanded ever harder. "What was that?"
     "What was what?"
     "Don't play oblivious." A scowl twisted Edgeworth's mouth; his head lowered, gaze storm-dark. "Lying about your client's whereabouts? I thought you were above that."
     "I wasn't lying," Phoenix said -- he hoped hard his voice didn't betray him. He was bending the truth to suit, he sought loopholes to escape into and if anyone could spot that, it was Edgeworth. If anyone would refuse to forgive that, it was Edgeworth.
     The quiet loomed between them. And Edgeworth stared his disbelief, his cold fury and Phoenix knew those things, he must have looked at Edgeworth that exact way only a few months ago--
     "You changed your story. You grasp at straws, Wright, you stall and bluff and pull all manner of absurd stunts, but you never. Change. Your story."
     God, it was true and every word stabbed. Phoenix looked away, raked at his hair, sank under all the guilt. "I--"

     "You can't," Foxx hissed, he could practically feel her glare, "Phoenix, you can't tell him, not one word! Remember what you're protecting."

     He knew that; how could he forget?
     "I know this looks bad. But I took a hard look at myself, too." The past year's feelings fluttered, the sense that things could have been different. Phoenix sighed. "I'm-- I'm protecting an innocent client, I'm sure of that. It's just complicated, there's confidential information involved. I wouldn't be doing it if I didn't have to. Edgeworth ... I need you to trust me."
     And Edgeworth's scowl faltered, his glare flickered uncertainly over Phoenix and snapped away.
     "You had better know what you're doing, Wright." It was barely loud enough to hear, over Edgeworth's footfalls as he stalked away.

     He stood there a moment -- not alone, but he might as well have been. Phoenix's mouth twitched, and he murmured, "I'm sorry, Foxx."
     "It's all right," she said, soft in his ear, "That wasn't telling him much of anything. You sound almost like teammates, actually."
     He managed a smile. "Almost."
     A pause, and Foxx said, "Our Agents just needed time for the logistics, but we'll have surveillance on Edgeworth soon. He might have useful information and we can't be sure he'll share."
     Also, water tended to be a little damp.
     "Just keep at it, Phoenix. There's nothing we can't work through."
     If he was lucky, that was true. Nodding, murmuring agreement, Phoenix began searching the lobby for the rest of his team. With witnesses came upsets, and he would need a plan of attack.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Shortish chapter. *shrug* Beats taking a full month between updates, I guess, I just haven't had a lot of energy lately. I really like Mia and J's interaction. Hee.

Anyway, it's that time again -- Name That Lyric! There's a song reference in this chapter. First person to comment on this entry with the correct song title AND band name wins, and can request a drabble of their choice from me. 'Cause drabbles are love and all.