Avery

Happy Apollo Gets a New Job Day!

Wish him lots of luck, I'm sure he's having a very normal first day on the job

[ID: A digital illustration of Klavier Gavin from Ace Attorney. He's standing, smiling at the viewer and pulling his sunglasses down slightly. End description.]

The trial of Wocky Kitaki has now concluded. The trial went as follows: After the Judge recalled how yesterday they got confirmation that there were three people in the park, the prosecution, Klavier Gavin; called up Alita Tiala, Kitaki's fiancée, who he confided his murder plan in. Tiala took the stand, and testified that the day after he was given his check-up results, which told Kitaki the bullet was still within him, he flew into a rage, told Tiala he'd "teach him!" And took one of the Family's pistols. Gavin confirmed that the Kitaki residence is currently under search on charges of possession of illegal firearms, and the bullet retrieved from Pal Meraktis' body had the rifling marks of the gun found on the scene.

Apollo Justice, the defense, asked when Tiala had first heard of Kitaki's murder plan, and Tiala said it was the day of the murder, however she didn't think he'd actually do it. Justice asked for a cross-examination, where he asked if Tiala really believed that only Kitaki could've shot him, which she, and the prosecution questioned who else could've taken the gun, to which Justice pointed a finger at her, claiming that she could've been the killer as well. He told the court that she also knew Meraktis, and presented them with a pair of sandals that were found in the lobby of Meraktis' clinic, bearing her toe print, as well as one of Kitaki's previous medical charts, which clearly stated that Tiala was a nurse on his case.

She testified again, that she quit her job in January, but visited the clinic the day of the murder to warn Meraktis about Kitaki's plan. She couldn't remember the exact time, but thought it was around 9:30. Justice presented the court with Wocky's medical chart again, this time telling the court that it was found inside a safe in the doctor's office. He kept the truth sealed, writing a false report that the surgery was a success. Tiala amended her testimony, to ask why she would go back to the clinic for a chart that's over half a year old, especially since she just filed it, and that Meraktis was the one actually in charge of it. Justice Objected, pointing out that she fiddled with her engagement ring when she asked why she would go "now".

Justice continued, saying that something urgent must've happened for her to go to the clinic now, instead of anytime sooner, that being Kitaki's check-up he received the day before, which revealed the clinic's lie. She screamed, and when Justice told the court she would also be in danger if the Kitakis knew she was the nurse, she agreed. She admitted the chart would've been bad news for her as well, but she only told Meraktis to watch out for Kitaki before she went home for the night. Justice Objected again, presenting the court with a bullet he found in the doctor's office. Gavin Objected back, claiming the police investigated the clinic and never found it, to which Justice Objected again, saying it was found stuck inside the safe. Gavin Objected that it could've been fired anytime, but Justice's final Objection asking to see the rifling marks stopped him from Objecting further.

After a 30-minute break to get the bullet analyzed, it was confirmed the bullet belonged to the gun taken from the Kitaki mansion, which now confirmed that the murder weapon had also been shot in the Meraktis clinic. Justice accused Tiala again, with a new theory that Tiala had gotten engaged to Kitaki in an attempt to save herself, as well as inherit the Kitaki's fortune.

Kitaki suddenly barged to the stand, shouting Objections at Justice for accusing his fiancée, and claiming again that it was him who killed Meraktis. With that, Tiala erupted into laughter, finding it hilarious that Kitaki still loved her, and outright admitting she was engaged to him to inherit the family's fortune all along. But marrying someone for their family's money isn't a crime, especially not as grave as murder is. She said it was surely Kitaki who shot him, and that if Kitaki gave her the gun, he would've mentioned it already, which Justice argued back that he clearly still loved her, and wouldn't rat her out.

Gavin then asked the court that if he did threaten Meraktis with a gun for the chart, why didn't she take the chart out of the safe? Which caused the defense and witness to go quiet, and the Judge asked her to give a new testimony now that her true intentions were revealed.

She testified that she did go to Meraktis clinic to get that chart, but failed to do so. She tried to go back later and sneak in to get it, but retreated when she heard people entering the office. And Kitaki was witnessed in the park during the crime, does it matter where in the head the doctor was shot?

The defense was appalled that she admitted to trespassing, but she shrugged and told them that's not what this trial is for, and since the Kitakis are gangsters, she had to go to great lengths to protect herself. The defense asked why he didn't just destroy the chart, and Tiala told them it was so she couldn't betray him at any point. Justice then pointed at how she said "Frankly, I don't think it matters if Dr. Meraktis was shot in the temple or not." Yesterday's witness, Wesley Stickler, claimed he shouted at Kitaki & Meraktis to stop their fight. Meraktis was facing Kitaki, but turned his head, and then he was shot.

Gavin asked where the killer could have been in that case, which prompted Justice to pull out the map from yesterday, claiming that killer was somewhere else entirely from where the three people were standing, and he pointed at the noodle stand, where Meraktis' right temple would be facing when he turned to look at Stickler. The prosecution and Tiala objected, since Meraktis would likely know there was someone in the very stand he was pulling, demanding to see any proof that there was someone in the noodle stand. Justice presented the court with a pair of slippers with the words "The Meraktis Clinic" on them. The bottom of the slippers were covered in paint, and found discarded in a trash can at the gate to the park. Justice pointed out that they were the same slippers from earlier that they got Tiala's toe print from, claiming that was proof she was found inside the noodle stand. Gavin asked how she could fit in there, given the stand would've most likely been filled with noodle-making supplies, and the defense brought up how the lobby of the clinic was filled with bowls and pots, all belonging to Eldoon's Noodles.

Now that a motive and an opportunity for Tiala to be the killer had been established, the Judge gave her one last chance to prove her innocence. She testified that when she went to ask Meraktis for the chart, he refused, thinking that the Kitakis had sent her to ask for it, so she gave up and went home. Justice noticed that she was scratching at her neck under her scarf when she claimed that all she did was talk to him, and asked why she was doing that. She started stuttering, and Justice brought out another piece of evidence, the lamp that was in Meraktis' office. Justice said the lamp was unusual, in that the bulb was broken and there was a red stain on the cord, and asked Tiala to remove her scarf. She screamed, saying the defense didn't have the right to ask her to do that, and so the Judge asked the same thing. She obliged by the Judge's demand and removed her scarf, revealing a strangulation scar around her neck.

Justice brought back his early claim that Tiala threatened Meraktis with a gun, this time adding on that he attacked her, strangling her with his lamp's cord. She shrieked, but admitted Justice was right. He strangled her with the cord, the red splotch on the cord being her lipstick. She went quiet, telling Justice that she didn't tell the truth because she didn't want to relive that attack.

Now that it was confirmed Tiala was also a victim, The Judge was ready to end her cross-examination, until Gavin surprisingly Objected. He asked what happened after Tiala passed out, there's still that unaccounted for. Trucy Wright, Justice's assistant, blurted out, saying that she still could've been in the noodle stand.

Since they were able to ask the Judge for extra time to cross-examine Tiala, Justice recounted the crime from the beginning. Kitaki saw his check-up report, and took a pistol from his family's stash, intending to give Meraktis a "taste of his own medicine." And Tiala knew about Kitaki's chart ahead of time, so she went to the Meraktis clinic to get the chart from him. The defense and the prosecution talked together and came to the conclusion that after he strangled her, Meraktis assumed he killed her. Since Eldoon had already gone to bed, Meraktis began removing the contents of his noodle stand, before placing Tiala's body inside the stand. At the edge of the park is a river, where he was planning to dump her. She woke up when Kitaki and Meraktis were having their stand-off, and shot Meraktis when he turned to look at Stickler.

Tiala asked why would he go to all that trouble to dump the body when he has a car, one that he was driving that very evening. Justice almost lost his case, but Gavin gave him some sudden advice on looking back on everything he knows from the past few days. After he thought for a moment, Justice Objected that the car wouldn't run, since the exhaust pipe was clogged by Wright's magic panties, who were hidden in there by Stickler earlier. In fact, Gavin had told him the other day that a vehicle won't run if it's exhaust pipe is clogged; so Meraktis had to use the noodle stand to dispose of the "body".

Tiala admitted to the crime, and that she escaped the noodle stand when Stickler ran to a payphone to call the police. Before she was arrested, Tiala shouted about how she believed that the "Wright Anything Agency" would get Kitaki declared guilty if anyone could.