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A Turnabout Forsaken |
Image Gallery | Transcript |
Franziska von Karma |
One must be able to accept the mistakes of their father, no matter how much they may look up to him... |
Episode 4: A Turnabout Forsaken is the fourth and penultimate episode of Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor's Gambit. When Kay Faraday shows up in Miles Edgeworth's office with memory loss, the prosecutor heads to Bigg Building with her and Dick Gumshoe to investigate what happened to her. However, complications arise when a member of the Committee for Prosecutorial Excellence turns up dead, and Faraday becomes the prime suspect. As the accusations pile on, Edgeworth makes a shocking decision and lays everything on the line to save Faraday and get to the truth behind the case.
Intro[]
The introductory cutscene shows two scenes. In the first, the Committee for Prosecutorial Excellence is about to begin the evaluation hearing of Miles Edgeworth. In the second, Kay Faraday confronts someone with a red jacket near a cherry blossom tree. She asks who the stranger is, but the next thing she knows, she is falling into darkness.
Acts and chapters[]
Act | Chapter | Type |
---|---|---|
"Beginning" | "Opening" | / |
"A Mysterious Girl Appears" | / | |
"What I Remember" | Argument | |
"An incident Comes to Light" | Investigation | |
"Eustace Winner's Arrival" | / | |
"Why I Think Kay Did It" | Argument | |
"Kay's Letter" | Argument | |
"Excelsius Winner's Arrival" | / | |
"Middle" | "A Budding Bond | / |
"The Search for Kay" | Investigation | |
"Investigating the Storeroom" | Investigation | |
"Franziska's Current Theory" | Argument | |
"The true Scene of the Crime" | Argument | |
"Kay's Confession" | / | |
"Latter" | "Judge Gavèlle's Goal" | / |
"Why the Rush to Arrest?" | Mind Chess | |
"Committee for Prosecutorial Excellence" | / | |
"What You're Forgetting" | Argument | |
"Confrontation - Excelsius Winner" | Argument | |
"The So-Called Mistake in the Report" | Argument | |
"The Real Murder Weapon" | / | |
"A Formal Accusation" | / | |
"Final Confrontation - Excelsius Winner" | Argument |
Timeline[]
- To edit the information in this table, go to Template:Timeline and edit the information there.
Date | Event type / related incident | Description | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
April 4, 2019 | A Turnabout Forsaken |
|
N/A | |
April 5, 2019 | A Turnabout Forsaken | Miles Edgeworth resigns as a prosecutor. | N/A |
Apr. 5[]
- High Prosecutor's Office, Room 1202, April 5th, 1:23 PM
Miles Edgeworth was reading in his office while Dick Gumshoe was pacing dejectedly. Edgeworth had been ordered to attend a meeting of the Committee for Prosecutorial Excellence, ostensibly to conduct an evaluation hearing on him. Gumshoe worried about Verity Gavèlle's continual warnings throughout their past two investigations. Edgeworth tried to get him to look at the bright side: perhaps Gumshoe would come to work under a prosecutor who would be more lenient with his salary. Gumshoe wondered if Edgeworth was planning on becoming a defense attorney.
As they were talking, a nurse came to visit Edgeworth, bringing with her a girl who had lost her memory. She introduced herself as Florence Niedler of Hertz Hospital and explained that she had found Edgeworth's business card among the girl's belongings. Edgeworth searched the belongings and discovered the Yatagarasu pin, indicating that the girl was Kay Faraday. There was also a letter, which read:
Dear Kay,
I promise that I'll get it back for you, your "most precious memory." - Ringer |
The other items were a Jammin' Ninja mask, a purple flower, and a ticket stub for entrance into Bigg Building. Niedler told them that Faraday's usual attire was being examined by a forensic expert. She left Faraday's belongings with them and returned to the hospital.
The three of them decided to investigate Bigg Building. When they entered the building, they got a thin brochure with a top view of the lookout part. They also noticed a filming location right before the entrance, where they briefly met a filming crew.
Memories of the tower[]
- Bigg Building, Rooftop Observatory, 2:18 PM
At the Bigg Building rooftop lookout, Edgeworth tried to jog Faraday's memory by asking about her whereabouts. There was a cherry tree on one side of the lookout and a candy stand on the other. After some prodding, Faraday recalled sitting under the cherry tree when someone approached her from behind the candy stand. Edgeworth pointed out that the candy stand was right at the edge of the lookout, and that nothing could be standing behind it. Nonetheless, Faraday remembered a figure in a red raincoat, who had approached her from behind the stand. This was all that she could remember. As Edgeworth pondered these developments, a policeman appeared and told them that a dead woman's body had been found in the building, apparently named "Kay". The four immediately headed to the crime scene.
The Committee chamber[]
- 2:36 PM
The crime scene was the new Committee chamber of the Committee for Prosecutorial Excellence. There, they met Niedler and her grandmother Hilda Hertz, who was the coroner for the case. She refused to let Edgeworth anywhere near the body until she was done. As he waited, Edgeworth asked the policeman about the security and found out that access to the room was restricted to the members of the Committee by keycard. Edgeworth also examined the statue of Themis in the back of the room. There was a blood puddle underneath, ostensibly formed at the time of death.
To Edgeworth's surprise, Franziska von Karma arrived on the scene. He wondered what she was doing here, since she was on assignment with Interpol tracking down the smuggling ring, but von Karma would not answer his questions. Nonetheless, with a prosecutor from Interpol in charge, Hertz allowed Edgeworth to examine the body to assist von Karma's investigation.
The mystery victim was a woman in her 30s wearing a white men's jacket. To her left was the reason for the mixup: Kay Faraday's Promise Notebook. Gumshoe recalled that the Promise Notebook has gone into police custody after Edgeworth's first investigation as a prosecutor, but according to Tyrell Badd, it had disappeared. How it had made it here was a mystery.
It seemed that the victim had succumbed to three fatal wounds in the left chest area, where the jacket pocket was. The pocket itself was empty. She also had a head wound that was, according to the autopsy, done posthumously. A three-pronged candelabra found nearby matched the wounds.
The victim's right hand had a burn mark and held a keycard. Gumshoe determined that the keycard was indeed for accessing the Committee chamber. Moreover, there was an unused white pair of gloves, as well as a corsage that was pinned to the jacket, part of which had forcibly been torn off. Edgeworth confirmed with Gumshoe that the purple flower found on Faraday had been from this corsage. Edgeworth and Gumshoe grew concerned at the possibility of Faraday becoming a suspect.
Then, Eustace Winner and Verity Gavèlle appeared. Gavèlle revealed that the victim was Rosie Ringer, a defense attorney who was a member of the Committee for Prosecutorial Excellence. Hertz handed over her autopsy report to Winner before leaving:
The body of the victim was discovered in the Committee room.
Estimated time of death: around midnight, yesterday.
Stabbed with a candelabra in the chest. Posthumous head wound.
A burn scar on the hand.
Coroner in charge: Hilda Hertz
The letter from Faraday[]
Winner indicted Faraday for the murder, claiming that Faraday had broken into the room to steal the investigation report on Edgeworth. He seemed to have forgotten that she could not have done so without a keycard. To resolve this matter, Gavèlle presented a record of all keycard usage the day before:
Keycard Records, April 4th
32461983 | 22:15 |
53792291 | 00:52 | Rosie Ringer
Gavèlle claimed that Faraday and Ringer had been accomplices, as evidenced by a letter:
To Ringer
Thank you so much for helping with my plan! I'm glad that we can help each other get what we want. It's like killing two birds with one stone! Please get revenge for 12 years ago! - Kay |
Gavèlle said that the letter had been found in Ringer's left breast pocket. However, Edgeworth pointed out that that pocket had been stabbed with the candelabra, yet the letter was undamaged. He pointed to the other entry on the keycard record, and suggested that ID 32461983, who had entered the room at 10:15 p.m., might have ambushed Ringer. However, Gavèlle revealed that that ID belonged to her. She was mum on why she had entered the Committee chamber at that time, but claimed that it had to do with Edgeworth's hearing.
While they were arguing, Committee Chairman Excelsius Winner arrived on the scene. Gavèlle told him that Faraday was the main suspect of the case at hand, and he quickly moved to arrest her. Edgeworth opposed it, saying that there were too many unanswered questions, but Gavèlle and Excelsius warned him that if he were to resist further, he would lose his prosecutor's badge. Edgeworth was forced to choose between his friend and his badge, and his choice could not be clearer to him. To everyone's shock, he laid down his badge.
Miles Edgeworth |
My only mission is to bring the truth to light. If it's the prosecutor's path to turn a blind eye to the truth, then that title is worth nothing to me! I... will walk in the path that I believe in. ...I will not be stopped here! |
The conscience-stricken Faraday fled the scene. Edgeworth gave chase, telling Gumshoe not to follow him anymore and to do what he could on his own. As everyone else left to find Faraday, Gavèlle went to collect Edgeworth's badge, confused as to what had just happened.
After the resignation[]
- The High Prosecutor's Office, Room 1202, 5:58 PM
Edgeworth searched desperately for Faraday and eventually encountered Eddie Fender in Room 1202. Fender told Edgeworth that the murder at the Committee had already made the news. Edgeworth caught him up to speed on what had happened. The two talked about where she might have gone, as well as the bond that had grown between Edgeworth and Faraday. With nothing else to do, the pair decided to go to the rooftop viewing platform to investigate the cause of Faraday's amnesia.
The viewing platform[]
- 6:42 PM
The only other people on the viewing platform were Hertz and Niedler, who were buying cotton candy. Hertz said that Edgeworth was just a no-good ex-prosecutor, while Niedler showed more concern for what had happened. The two women then left. Edgeworth examined the cherry tree and the railing beside it. It seemed that Faraday had been standing under the cherry tree, and then had been pushed off the railing, though no one could actually survive such a fall.
Suddenly, Faraday fell out of the cherry tree. Apparently, she had had the same idea as Edgeworth and Fender had, to return to the place where she had lost her memory. Suddenly, a news report appeared on the TV next to the candy stand:
We interrupt this program with breaking news about the Bigg Building murder case.
The police believe the culprit is a teenage girl who was present at the crime scene.
She remains at large as the police continue to search for her whereabouts.
The news report was coming from a helicopter that was shooting a portion of Bigg Building. Strangely, the light coming out from the Committee chamber was not on the top floor, but the one below it. It seemed that there was a hidden 51st floor.
Edgeworth asked Faraday for more information about the attack. She remembered seeing the moon behind the person in the raincoat, just above the cherry tree. This was a contradiction within Faraday's testimony, and Edgeworth questioned where she had really fallen. He decided to check the area around the cherry tree again, where Faraday had stood.
Near the base of the cherry tree was a maintenance hatch. Edgeworth deduced that the 51st floor was inaccessible by normal means, and that this maintenance hatch must lead to it. As they opened up the hatch, Ema Skye appeared, having heard about the situation from Gumshoe, to help with the investigation. The four entered the hatch together.
The secret floor[]
- 7:06 PM
It was some sort of warehouse containing various pieces of evidence from past cases. Some smaller items from Edgeworth's most recent cases were on display on a shelf immediately to the right of the ladder entrance, with price tags attached to them. Among them was the one-horned Taurusaurus Plushie from President Di-Jun Wang's private jet. One of the items seemed to have been removed recently, leaving a star-shaped mark in the dust. Edgeworth deduced that the candelabra had been here. Stacks of cash on the other side of the room made the truth abundantly clear: someone was trafficking evidence.
Among the items being displayed was a rack with masks hanging on it. There were 11 masks in all, from various franchises such as the Samurai franchise and the Badgers. One rack was unused, and Edgeworth speculated that the Jammin' Ninja mask from among Faraday's possessions had come from this rack. As he examined the Alif Red statue beside the rack, Lotta Hart suddenly appeared from behind it. As she was the only witness that they had, Edgeworth reluctantly asked her what she was doing in the warehouse.
Hart explained that someone had tipped her off on a black market auction at Bigg Building. To witness the auction in action, she had hidden behind the Alif Red since the previous night. The masks had voice-changers, and each customer put one on before taking the lift on the other side. After the auction, the customers had taken the same path back, placing their masks back on the rack. Hart had counted 11 customers.
After all the participants had gone down the lift, Hart had peeked through a crack in the lift area to watch the auction unfold. The auction conductor had worn a white jacket with white gloves and a three-piece set of purple flowers, as well as a mask of "Zurvan". Edgeworth showed the autopsy report to Hart and confirmed that they were the same clothes that the conductor had worn. However, it seemed that Hart was still hiding something, and Edgeworth noted that she was being impatient and trying to cut off the conversation.
"What are you hiding?"[]
Edgeworth asked Hart to calm down, and waited until she did so. He then remarked that he had met someone similar to Hart: Tabby Lloyd, Hart's apprentice. Edgeworth used this to get her to talk about what she was hiding. A slip of the tongue later, Edgeworth determined that Hart had an important scoop.
Content of Hart's scoop[]
Edgeworth pressed the attack, saying that the scoop must have been about the auction. Hart tried to resist but accidentally revealed that she had heard something during the auction. Hart insisted that she had done nothing wrong, only for Edgeworth to point out that she was trespassing. She mumbled that that was nothing compared to murder. Edgeworth deduced that Hart must have heard a murder taking place.
Credibility of Hart's information[]
Edgeworth wanted to make sure that Hart's information was accurate. Hart assured him that "fast and accurate" was her motto. Edgeworth used this to get her to reveal more about what she had witnessed. Otherwise, perhaps her information was inaccurate? He caught her mumbling that she had evidence for her claims.
Hart explained that someone had won the bid and returned to the warehouse with the conductor. They had talked for a while before Hart suddenly let out a cry, followed by a loud noise. At this point, Hart had managed to take a photo of a person with a blood-stained hand, wearing a red raincoat. The other person had disappeared. After that, the auction had gone on as if nothing had happened.
Edgeworth deduced that the culprit had to have hidden the body somewhere inside the warehouse so that the customers would not notice anything as they returned to the rooftop. Using Skye's luminol reagent, Edgeworth found traces of blood on the ladder, the lift, and the bottom of a chained costume trunk. The blood on the lift seemed to have dripped to the floor below. Edgeworth determined that the body had been hidden inside the costume trunk. However, Hart said that the trunk had been locked before the incident.
Von Karma's logic[]
- 7:43 PM
The group finally used the lift to find Gumshoe and Eustace staring at them in the Committee Committee chamber. Officers quickly surrounded them to arrest Faraday. However, von Karma arrived and put a quick end to the confrontation. She told Edgeworth that he meant nothing anymore now that he had quit, but Edgeworth replied that he had merely removed an obstacle to the truth.
Edgeworth showed von Karma that he had continued his investigation without his badge. Showing the blood trace that had been found on the lift, he said that the murder had really occurred in the warehouse above. The culprit had pulled out the murder weapon after bringing the body to the Committee chamber, to let most of the blood spill there and thus hide the existence of the hidden warehouse. At this, von Karma confirmed Edgeworth's suspicions that she had known about the black market auction all along.
Hart's testimony seemed to imply that Ringer was the conductor. To try to dispel the mysteries surrounding the incident, von Karma argued that the criminal had waited for the victim in the warehouse to strike. Edgeworth asked for clarification on this, and she argued that the conductor had conduct the auction the whole time, so the attack must have happened after the auction. However, this contradicted Hart's testimony. Edgeworth concluded that Ringer must have been a customer, not the conductor.
The conversation was broken by the appearance of Gavèlle and Excelsius. Edgeworth showed them Hart's photo, but Gavèlle told him that the red raincoat had been found in the vicinity of the building. It had been stained with Ringer's blood and fingerprints on it, and cherry tree petals had stuck onto the blood. In other words, the person in Hart's photo was the victim, not the killer. At that moment, Faraday remembered seeing the person in the raincoat collapse in front of her.
Excelsius once again ordered Faraday's arrest. Gumshoe pointed out that Gavèlle had discredited Faraday's memories until just now, but he was silenced. Even von Karma was shut down from giving an opinion, despite being the lead investigator. Edgeworth was also placed under arrest for conducting an illegal investigation and helping Faraday evade the authorities. Edgeworth's hearing was postponed to the next day.
Apr. 6[]
Miles Edgeworth was in the holding cell, this time as a prisoner. He had nothing at this point except the Yatagarasu Pin. A guard told him that Dick Gumshoe had come to meet him. However, to his surprise, he saw Verity Gavèlle in the Visitor's Room. She had told the guard to lie to Edgeworth to get him to accept the visitation.
Gavèlle wondered why Edgeworth had kept fighting against the Committee despite their power over him. Edgeworth replied that, in the past, he had believed that his power justified his sense of self-righteousness. However, through the support of friends and co-workers, he had changed his ways. He told her that she would never understand him as long as she continued to force her sense of justice on others, but Gavèlle cryptically replied that this had been an interesting conversation. She told him that his hearing with the Committee was scheduled for later that day and left.
Edgeworth now had nothing to do but pass the time looking at his jail cell surroundings, like the bed, the desk and the posters just outside. After a while, Kay Faraday and Excelsius Winner appeared outside his cell. Faraday told Edgeworth to forget about her as she had brought him only misfortune. As the guard took her away, Excelsius went on about how touching the scene was. Edgeworth knew that this was his last chance to find out why Excelsius had rushing the arrest, and stopped Excelsius before he took his leave.
"Why did you rush her arrest?"[]
The confrontation began with a stand-off. Excelsius tried to dodge Edgeworth's questions using excuses and intimidation, fiddling with his lighter along the way, but Edgeworth ignored them. Edgeworth's determination eventually left Excelsius somewhat unnerved, causing him to say that things had finally been going well. Edgeworth accused him of having a stake in Faraday's arrest, but Excelsius replied that Edgeworth was reading too much into it.
"Was the investigation sufficient?"[]
Edgeworth asked whether the investigation was under Excelsius's authority. Excelsius continued to assert his authority as chairman of the Committee, but Edgeworth bluntly replied that neither of the titles of chairman or prosecutor mattered to him. As Excelsius was thrown off guard, Edgeworth asked how much time had been spent on the investigation. Excelsius continued to attempt to intimidate Edgeworth, to no avail. Excelsius eventually slipped up and said that Faraday's guilt had already been decided. The whole arrest had been a setup from the very beginning.
"Is the arrest lawful?"[]
Excelsius tried to get away, but Edgeworth confronted him on the lack of justification for the arrest. Excelsius was becoming visibly angry now, but Edgeworth merely waited it out. Excelsius was desperately trying to avoid talking about the case. However, he reminded Edgeworth of the evidence that did exist for Faraday's guilt, including her confession. Edgeworth then asked who had made the decision to arrest her, knowing that Excelsius was on top of the details of the case. It had been Excelsius's decision, of course.
"How much do you really know?"[]
Edgeworth remarked that Excelsius knew an awful lot about the case. Both of them fell silent before Excelsius said that he was busy, and that he could end this conversation at any time. He finally answered that he had had enough time to read all of the files on the case, which contradicted his earlier claim of being very busy. Excelsius then said that Faraday had been found unconscious near the crime scene.
Edgeworth then asked about Faraday. It had occurred to him that Excelsius knew even more about the case than he did. Excelsius once again tried and failed to intimidate Edgeworth, before letting slip that Faraday had been "given" the incriminating evidence. Edgeworth finally confronted Excelsius with the assertion that Faraday was not the culprit. The real culprit had framed her.
Excelsius laughed and admitted to bending and twisting the truth to his needs. "Faraday is the culprit." That was a "truth" that he had manufactured out of thin air. Edgeworth had obtained the truth, but Excelsius gloated that he was powerless to do anything about it. Edgeworth's last chance was at the Committee hearing.
The hearing[]
- 8:30 AM
Edgeworth appeared before the ten remaining members of the Committee, along with Faraday, Lotta Hart and Eustace Winner. Edgeworth admitted to conducting an illegal investigation, but he demanded to hear the Committee's understanding of the case. Gavèlle did the honors of providing the argumentation, and all of the evidence was returned. As she gave her argument, she asked Edgeworth whether he was ready to give up. To Edgeworth's surprise, when he answered that he would not surrender, she said that she was relieved.
According to Gavèlle's argument, Ringer had gone up to the viewing platform, where she had been attacked. However, Hart had taken the photo of the victim in the storeroom after hearing the killing blow. The more decisive evidence was the blood on the victim's left hand. The victim had stayed alive to climb the ladder to the viewing platform and encounter Faraday before succumbing to her wounds.
Gavèlle retorted that the victim had been stabbed with the candelabra, killing her instantly. However, on the raincoat, bloodstains had only been found on the hood. This meant that the head wound had occurred before the stab wounds, which contradicted the autopsy report. Gavèlle summoned coroner Hilda Hertz to clarify the issue.
While they waited for Hertz's arrival, Gavèlle brought up the identity of the auction conductor. Edgeworth had a suspect in mind: Excelsius Winner. To begin with, only Committee members had access to the Committee chamber, making them the only suspects. However, Excelsius pointed out that the only evidence Edgeworth had to accuse him was hearsay from the conversation in the holding cell.
In the end, Excelsius said, Faraday's confession was all that mattered. Edgeworth insisted that an amnesiac's confession was a faulty basis for a conviction, but Excelsius simply made a deal. Edgeworth would ask Faraday again whether she had committed the crime, and if she confessed again, the hearing would end immediately. Edgeworth assured Faraday that the Yatagarasu was a noble thief who would not stoop to murder. Edgeworth also told her to stop worrying about him, because he would press forward regardless of how she felt about it.
Faraday then remembered that the victim had had the one-horned Taurusaurus doll with her. Excelsius tried to dismiss this, but Gavèlle pointed out that, since Faraday's memories were the entire foundation of the indictment against her, they were forced to accept this new memory as well. The doll in question was brought forward, and Edgeworth examined the doll. Faraday noticed that the horn could be turned, causing it to play a recorded conversation.
??? |
I knew who you were right away. You can't hide that burn from me. |
??? |
........ |
??? |
Silence, huh... I've been waiting for my chance to get revenge all this time! |
??? |
AAAAAAHHH... |
Edgeworth asserted that the mention of the burn was a reference to Ringer's burn mark. Since Ringer was not the conductor, the culprit must have been the conductor. After all, the conductor was the only one who would be interested in hiding the existence of the auctions. However, Edgeworth had no evidence linking Excelsius specifically to these crimes.
Suddenly, Hart remembered something else. Despite Excelsius's attempts to shut her down, Gavèlle let Hart speak, saying that Edgeworth would stop only if they destroyed every possibility of Faraday's innocence. What Hart remembered was that there had been 11 people at the auction even after the murder. The only difference was that the gavel had stopped being used. This was bad for Edgeworth's case, but Gavèlle reminded everyone of the matter of the autopsy report.
Just in time, Hertz and Florence Niedler arrived. Hertz insisted that there was no way that she would make a mistake in writing the autopsy report. Edgeworth told her that the head wound had to have been made after the chest wounds, but Hertz said that that was what she had written all along. She admitted to relaying everything to Niedler, who had written the autopsy report down. However, the error remained in the autopsy report, which meant that Niedler had falsified the report.
Niedler could not say why she had falsified the report, but Edgeworth knew: she was an accomplice. An accomplice would also explain why 11 people had remained at the auction even after the murder. Niedler and Ringer had similar physiques, making it easy for a replacement to occur unnoticed. Niedler went into a frenzy of slapping her grandmother's hair and fainted.
After she regained her composure, Niedler admitted to helping the conductor out. Apparently, the conductor had been convinced that Ringer would attack him, so he had prepared a countermeasure. Niedler had hidden inside the costume trunk in the storeroom. This explained why the trunk had been locked when Hart arrived and tried to use it.
After the murder, Niedler had traded places with the victim, taking her clothes to complete the disguise, but covering Ringer with the raincoat to dignify her. The conductor had instructed her to win the costume trunk. After winning the trunk, Niedler and the conductor returned to the storeroom to find the trunk empty and Faraday collapsed near the ladder. Edgeworth deduced that Faraday had fallen through the hatch.
Niedler had then found Ringer's body and took off the raincoat so that the conductor would not find out about it. The two had then dressed the body in a replica of the conductor's clothes. This was make her out to be the conductor. Both the unconscious Faraday and the dead Ringer had been locked in the trunk until the end of the auction.
Edgeworth asked if Niedler remembered anything else. She mentioned that she had to wear a wig to complete her disguise. The conductor had provided two wigs inside the costume trunk: a straight wig and a wavy wig. She had worn the former. However, there was still no evidence linking Excelsius to the crime.
As they were talking, Franziska von Karma returned with an updated autopsy report.
The body of the victim was discovered in the Committee room.
Estimated time of death: around 23:00, yesterday.
Beaten to death by blunt cylindrical object. Postmortem chest wound.
A burn scar on the hand.
Excelsius said that von Karma had no right to investigate, but von Karma replied that, since Interpol was investigating the black market auction, and the victim was one of the participants, she had investigative authority. Meanwhile, Edgeworth figured out that the conductor's auction gavel was the murder weapon. After all, it had stopped being used after the murder. Gavèlle ordered a search for the gavel, but Edgeworth knew from Excelsius's look of confidence that it would not be found.
The turnabout[]
- 9:18 AM
When it seemed it was all over, Gavèlle suddenly indicted Excelsius. She revealed her real reason for entering the Committee chamber on the night of the murder: to obtain the documents on the IS-7 Incident. She also revealed that, although detective Ian Sideman had reported that the corpse was missing, this fact had never actually reached von Karma. The motive for Excelsius’s deceit against von Karma is unclear, but it is implied that the motive was associated with Excelsius’s desire to have power and control over things and people he could not control himself. It is also implied that Excelsius and von Karma had connections to one another outside of their work, so it is possible that Excelsius’s motive was personal against von Karma.
Moreover, Hertz had been coerced into writing the fake IS-7 autopsy report. Eighteen years later, the auction conductor had used this fact to blackmail Niedler into cooperating with him. Although the Zurvan mask had hidden most of his face, the lower part had been exposed, revealing a tattoo-like mark. Unfortunately, no such mark could be found on Excelsius.
Gavèlle revealed that Rosie Ringer had really been chasing after Excelsius and trying to take him down. Excelsius claimed that he had not known her very well, which Gavèlle said was important testimony. As Edgeworth pressed for details, Excelsius said that he had not even known about the burns on her hand until the murder. Edgeworth found this hard to believe, but Gavèlle said that Ringer always wore gloves, probably to hide the burns.
If Ringer had worn gloves to cover her burn, then this changed the meaning of the recording completely. Niedler confirmed that the victim had worn her gloves the whole time until her clothing had been removed. This meant that the speaker in the recording was the victim, and the culprit had been the one with the visible burn. Edgeworth identified the "tattoo" that Niedler had seen as the burn. Excelsius claimed that no one in the Committee had burn marks.
Eustace had finally figured out the truth before anyone else. He tried to deny the truth that was right in front of him. He said that he had won awards and graduated at the top of his class for his father's approval. However, Excelsius told Eustace that all of his accomplishments were due to Excelsius's personal connections and influence. Excelsius added that, if Eustace had failed to notice even that, he was not even worthy of being his son. Eustace ran from the room in tears.
Gavèlle was shocked by Excelsius's actions. Excelsius pointed out that Gavèlle, too, had used Eustace to get close to him, but Gavèlle replied that, despite his faults, Eustace had given his all to his job. Edgeworth moved to end this once and for all, turning everyone's attention to the wavy wig that Niedler had witnessed. Excelsius had chased Eustace away in a last-ditch attempt to prevent him from revealing the truth, but it was too late. The wig was, in fact, Excelsius's fake beard!
Excelsius lost it and released a blazing flame out of his lighter. The fire caught on his beard and burned it all up, revealing the telltale burn mark that would spell his end. Gavèlle order him taken away into custody. Thus, Kay Faraday's innocence was proven.
Aftermath[]
- 9:44 AM
Excelsius Winner was safely detained in the detention center. However, he claimed that he had not faked the two letters that Faraday and Ringer had apparently sent to each other. He had simply planted one of the letters onto the body. He had concluded that Faraday and Ringer were working together, and had sought to pin the murder on her.
Gavèlle also revealed that Rosie Ringer's boyfriend, a photojournalist, had been killed 12 years ago in his efforts to track the black market auction. Ringer had sought revenge on Excelsius, and this had led to her murder. Thanks to the efforts of Edgeworth, Gavèlle and their allies, neither death was in vain. Excelsius had finally been brought to justice.
As for Eustace Winner, all attempts to contact him had failed. Gavèlle was worried because he was supposed to take the prosecutor's bench in the trial of Fifi Laguarde. Moreover, Ringer was to take Laguarde's defense, so a replacement would have to be found for her.
Faraday asked about Edgeworth's badge. Gavèlle said that the Committee was no longer functional, so Edgeworth's fate was up in the air, but she was willing to help him get his badge back. Edgeworth refused her help, as he had relinquished his badge in order to seek the truth. Even with Excelsius gone, Edgeworth did not take his decision lightly, and for now he would continue on without his badge.
Gavèlle then gave Edgeworth Faraday's Promise Notebook. Apparently, Excelsius believed that Faraday had cooperated with Ringer to get it back. Regardless of what the truth was, the Promise Notebook could now be given back to its rightful owner. Ringer then left to prepare for Laguarde's trial, and Edgeworth gave the notebook back to Faraday.
As Faraday read the promises in the notebook, she remembered writing them down as a child. She also remembered one final promise, which she had forgotten to write: "Always try your hardest to learn about things you don’t understand!" Faraday remembered everything. Hertz and Niedler congratulated her and returned her clothes. Apparently, forensics was done with them, though Niedler had neglected to ask what the results were.
Edgeworth wondered how Dick Gumshoe was doing, and von Karma said that perhaps he was disgusted at Edgeworth for relinquishing his badge. She also said that Hertz and Niedler would have to be brought in for their crimes. She assured them that the fact that they had been blackmailed would be taken into consideration. With that, the three of them left.
Edgeworth asked Faraday about what had happened to her, now that she had her memories back. On the day of the incident, someone had called her and wanted to meet at Gourd Lake. While looking at the moon, a person in a red raincoat had come from the stall and drugged her. The next thing that she remembered was being on the Bigg Building viewing platform. She had then seen a person in a red raincoat lying dead under the cherry tree. In shock, she had stumbled backwards and fallen into the open hatch.
Her memories still seemed to be confused because she remembered the person in the raincoat walking on thin air. Edgeworth realized that she was confusing her memories of Gourd Lake with her memories of the viewing platform. Both places had a cherry tree and a food stall, and the moon could be seen in both places as well.
Suddenly, a beeping sound was heard, originating from inside the 51st floor storehouse. Edgeworth, Faraday and Hart headed there.
A mastermind?[]
- 9:53 AM
The sound was coming from a transceiver, evidence from a past case. Edgeworth picked it up and was shocked to hear the voice of Shelly de Killer. The assassin told Edgeworth about the presence of a mastermind who had been pulling the strings in the case. Edgeworth had known about this mastermind, as evidenced by the letter that Faraday denied writing. De Killer wondered what Edgeworth could do, now that he could no longer stand in the courtroom. Edgeworth asked how de Killer knew so much about the case, but he replied that that was not important at the moment before ending the conversation. De Killer's true intention remained a mystery, and it seemed that the incident was not over yet.
References to other cases[]
- The hidden evidence storage room contains a number of references to previous Ace Attorney cases:
- Marvin Grossberg's painting, and Redd White's Bluecorp desk and globe-holding statue (Turnabout Sisters).
- Even in the international release, the statue still bears Bluecorp's original Japanese name ("Conaculture"), as it is possible to spot the initial "C", and the final "RE".
- The head of the statue/clock in the shape of Global Studios mascot "Mr. Monkey" from the Studio One entrance, which was knocked off during a storm (Turnabout Samurai).
- The dancing Blue Badger panel previously stored in the police department's evidence room (Rise from the Ashes).
- The radio transceiver used by Shelly de Killer to testify in court remotely (Farewell, My Turnabout).
- If the transceiver is examined during the investigation of the storeroom, Ema Skye mistakes it for a walkie-talkie, and proposes to take out the batteries; she does not do it in the end as it's in working order at the end of the episode.
- The plaque containing Tender Lender's motto, "Win through compromise" (Recipe for Turnabout).
- Rhoda Teneiro's "uniquely"-designed suitcases and the real Alif Red statue (Turnabout Airlines).
- The Blue badgermobile and the Blue Badger doll from the haunted house (The Kidnapped Turnabout).
- Kay Faraday's promise notebook and the bottle of Calisto Yew's perfume (Turnabout Reminiscence).
- The Iron Infant doll from the Steel Samurai stage show, a pot of Babahlese ink, and a whitcrystal oil-powered lantern (Turnabout Ablaze).
- Di-Jun Wang's stuffed Taurusaurus doll (Turnabout Trigger). The red raincoat worn by Shelly de Killer during the case is also initially stored here on a mannequin, before being put on Rosie Ringer.
- Tucked in the corner of the room, part of the back ribbon of the Steel Samurai can be spotted, although it is impossible to determine if it is a costume or not.
- The voice-changing masks in the warehouse are (in order from top left): Global Hero Onyankopon, Captain Saipan, two Starry School students' masks, the Pink Princess, an empty space (previously held a Jammin' Ninja mask, which is later found and kept as evidence), the Steel Samurai, the Nickel Samurai, the Evil Magistrate, the Proto Badger, the Pink Badger, and the Blue Badger.
- Excelsius Winner's mask is that of "Zurvan", the Time Lord and the arch-nemesis of Global Hero Onyankopon. Simeon Saint wears a blue T-shirt that bears Onyankopon's insignia, which subtly foreshadows the relationship between the two men.
- Marvin Grossberg's painting, and Redd White's Bluecorp desk and globe-holding statue (Turnabout Sisters).
- When talking about her life in Europe, Ema mentions "glasses battles". A "War of the Eyeglasses" was previously mentioned by Maya Fey during Turnabout Goodbyes when examining the flags by Larry Butz's stand.
References to other media (English fan translation)[]
- When Edgeworth examines the table in the Committee for Prosecutorial Excellence, this reminds Gumshoe of the Knights at the Round Table, but he couldn't think of what it was called, so he says "Knights who say Ni". This is a reference to the 1975 British comedy film Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
- When talking with Franziska von Karma about her relationship with Dr. Hilda Hertz, she doesn't want to get into the details, and when Gumshoe insists on hearing it, he receives a whipping in response. Gumshoe then says, "With a great whip comes great responsibility, sir!" paraphrasing the iconic personal code of Spider-man.
- Kay Faraday comes up with a theory that a magic portal opens up to the 51st floor of the Bigg Building, with Fender telling her that it was a bad time to be thinking with portals. This is a reference to the final line of the Portal teaser trailer from 2007: "Now you're thinking with portals."
- Florence Niedler gives several different people an obviously incorrect diagnosis of lupus. This is likely a reference to the TV show House, in which lupus is a frequently suggested (and almost invariably wrong) diagnosis by the show's characters.
- When Eustace Winner first enters the scene, he sings out, "Here I come to save the dayyy!" This is a reference a song sung by the character Mighty Mouse when flying into action.
- Ema Skye mentions that her teacher can still communicate despite not speaking the native language, due to gestures. She even tells Edgeworth not to "underestimate the importance of body language!" This could be a reference to The Little Mermaid in which Ursula the sea witch tells Ariel a very similar message.
- Franziska von Karma sometimes threatens "fifty shades of pain" if the wrong evidence is presented during her arguments. This is a reference to the novel Fifty Shades of Grey.
- When Kay Faraday continues to ask Edgeworth to give up on defending her, he responds by telling her to "Believe in me who believes in you!" This is a reference to a fan-subtitled version of one of Kamina's famous lines from the anime Gurren Lagann. Incidentally, in the English version of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies, Edgeworth is voiced by Kyle Hebert, who voiced Kamina in the English version of Gurren Lagann.
- Edgeworth comes across a lit up model of a pony that "sparkles in the twilight". He also doesn't get the suggested contradiction in a winged unicorn. This is a reference to the character Twilight Sparkle from the show My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic.
- After Excelsius Winner gives his final testimony, Eustace declares he'll still defend his father, saying, "He's the very best, like no one ever was!" This is a reference to the opening line of the first opening song of the Pokémon anime.
- During Excelsius Winner's breakdown, he screams, "THE GOGGLES DO NOTHING!" This is a reference to the episode "Radioactive Man" from The Simpsons, which centers around a movie shoot of a Radioactive Man movie. During a scene being shot, Milhouse, who plays Radioactive Man's sidekick Fallout Boy, is supposed to save Radioactive Man, played by Rainier Wolfcastle, from a deluge of radioactive waste. However, Milhouse fails to show up, and as the waste carries Wolfcastle, his protective goggles melt and he screams, "My eyes! The goggles do nothing!"