The Haunted TurnaboutBedlam
- 1A.
Maya and Nick part ways so that she can head back to Kura'in and resume her training. Nick takes a vacation at the remote "Maplethorpe Hotel" in the gorgeous countryside. The residential staff of the hotel are an eccentric and dour man with orange-colored hair and his assistant, waitress Maris Rubin. Nick immediately checks in for R&R in one of the affordable, available rooms.
Shortly after this, Nick attempts sleep, but then a gunshot, followed by Woman's scream is heard in tandem. Nick is roused from his slumber with a shock.
Investigation 1
Nick and other hotel guests rush the source of the scream. Inside a luxury room, a dead body is on the floor, and Maris Rubin is standing off to the side, with a gun in her gloved hands. Following this discovery, a detective named Terry Greisen shows up to immediately arrest Maris Rubin (Which is strange to Nick, since he deduces right off the bat that there was never any mention of police being called to the area. The proprietor of the hotel shows up, the Orange-haired man, whose name is revealed to be Cedric Maplethorpe, who tells everybody to go back to their rooms. Bewildered above all else at the consecutive number of events that happened one after the other, Nick decides to take up Maris' defense after his interrogation by Erol Brisbane, the Prosecutor in charge of the case.
2A. Initial investigation does not turn up anything substantial but Nick does have a quick interview with Cedric Maplethorpe. Later on, enough evidence is gained for Nick to conduct a Psyche-lock Session with defendant Maris Rubin, revealing her hand injury necessitating the need for gloves when she went to deliver a cup of coffee to the victim, Stanley Nyph. She also claims having seen the Ghost of the Maplethorpe Hotel, but these claims are heavily discredited and have no relevancy to the case. Back at the Hotel, Nick runs into "Detective Terry Greisen" who's connection and relevance to this case is being deliberately concealed.
Misc. - Concerning Stan Nyph, he was one of the guests of the Hotel, but his reasons for having gone to the hotel in the first place are unknown.
One tell tale sign of this is the fact that he brought an empty briefcase.
Proceedings 1
- Brisbane calls Snow as his first witness to provide details concerning Maris Rubin's apprehending and arrest. Wright is well aware of the fact that it was "Terry Greisen" who was responsible for sending Rubin their way with a note attached pointing to the crime scene from a "Concerned Citizen". Mid testimony more details are revealed, particularly the fact that Rubin and Nyph were the only 2 people inside the room, and that escape from any other opening besides the door was impossible. Wright goes on to prove that Maris could not have left fingerprints on the Revolver found at the scene due to the black gloves she was wearing, to hide her wounds.
- Another weird thing is the angle Nyph was shot at, suggesting the possibility of suicide which Wright brings up. But Brisbane counters that this is unlikely since he ordered coffee, and also because of the gun being 10 ft away from the body when it was discovered. And finally, though Brisbane can't explain it to the Judge, the most important evidence from the scene, the Bullet that took Nyph's life, was missing from the crime scene.
- Due to the state of the room and the toppled over coat rack, Detective Snow assumes a struggle happened, but Nick thinks differently. He counters that Nyph originally was the owner of the gun and attempted to kill Rubin. This is supported by the remaining 5 bullets in the chamber of the Revolver; and that that Coat Rack is nowhere near the body.
- Brisbane calls up the second witness, the Bellboy from the Gatewater Hotel. No real name is given. He is called up for the purpose of testifying what he saw. According to him, he was also ordered to deliver a second cup of coffee to Stan Nyph, though this flies in the face of the fact that no second cup of coffee was ever found at the crime scene. Regardless, Bellboy describes the gunshot as "Loud and Booming", which Phoenix neatly explains as not having come from the Caliber of Revolver Nyph had in his possession. Before launching an investigation into the Antique flintlock pistols, Nick proves to Brisbane that they were used that night due to having had the dust disturbed. But this, in addition to the Bellboy's claims of the Maplethorpe Ghost, do not change anything and thus Nick pleads for the Judge to allow for one more day of investigation - claiming that the First Floor needs to be examined. When Nick checked in, Rubin explained that the first floor was undergoing renovations. The judge allows for a second day of investigation.
- In the lobby, Maris Rubin faints when she suddenly remembers that
she had possibly shot someone that night.
Investigation 2
- Wright investigates the crime scene again, although Terry Greisen was there already, having altered the crime scene and exiting quickly upon running into Wright again. To his shock, Wright discovers a hole in the floor, bullet-shaped, suggesting that the source of the shot that killed Stan Nyph came from the room directly below. Wright is bewildered about how this is possible, but more than that:
the query of whether or not the Fake Detective intended for him to discover it, and what his
real agenda is in all of this.
- Phoenix Wright is not allowed to access the first floor since Brisbane's team are already there, so he takes his investigation elsewhere. He has a short interview with Cedric Maplethorpe, Hotel Proprietor. The first floor was off limits due to being in a state of renovations, and he started this because the house is basically his ancestral home, having lived there but needing to repair it a great deal. Nick does find one thing odd though: the renovations started 3 Days ago. Interestingly, Maris is a friend to the family, and she was originally going to marry Cedric's brother James. (Interesting...) But James was involved in an accident a few years back and died, and Cedric chalks it up to the Maplethorpe Curse prevalent in the bloodline.
Misc. Cedric mentions that he will be called in as a witness to the crime during the second proceedings.
- On his way to the second investigation scene, Wright runs into a new witness who
introduces himself as "Ghost Hunter" Vick Barrows. Apparently he is also on the hunt for spectral activity in the area, though no such luck from the hunt. He did recently suffer a nasty injury to the nose, with a plaster covering the wound. He doesn't seem to be aware that murder has taken place at the Hotel. Phoenix leaves him to his business.
Misc. - Nick also did show this Man his Magatama. However, Vick Barrows knows almost nothing about Spirit Mediums or the background of events regarding how Nick came into possession of this item.
- Wright interviews Maris Rubin some more, but though she claims she shot Nyph, the rest of what happened makes her burst into tears since she only picked that gun up in self-defense, trying to scare Nyph away. She screamed at the loud noise soon after, since the only other thing to have happened that night in her memory is witnessing the Maplethorpe Ghost. Although he could dismiss this, Nick decides that the relevancy of the ghost (Thomas) in this case could actually help in court to tomorrow. So he decides to interview a witness who may know more about the Ghost.
Misc. - Maris Rubin knows about Victor Barrows. Update: Yesterday, He checked into the Hotel shortly after Wright did, suggesting that the injury and plaster on his nose only happened during his stay at the Maplethorpe Hotel.
- Nick talks to the Ex-Gatewater-Now-Maplethorpe Bellboy. Bellboy reveals he knows the story behind the ghost and its not a pretty story to speak of at all.
"Cedric had a baby twin brother named Ronald, and the two of them got along for a spell. But then one day, their Uncle, Thomas Maplethorpe, allowed them to play with an antique gun and.... Cedric ended up accidentally shooting his brother in the face. There were two flintlock guns. Both should have been decommissioned.
Unfortunately, only one of them was. "
"
Wracked with an inescapable guilt over his own mistake, Thomas Maplethorpe committed Suicide. AND IN THE SAME NURSERY WHERE RONALD WAS SHOT."
............
- This makes up for the background of Cedric Maplethorpe and how he became the man he is today.
- Wright is informed that investigation of the first floor by Brisbane's team has finally concluded, so now Wright is free to go and investigate for himself. Encountering the team, Brisbane's glee is obvious since no new evidence found on the first floor means no evidence to allow room for Phoenix to weasel out a not-guilty verdict for Maris. Snow explains they search the floor from head to toe and found absolutely nothing. Then they leave. Nick also leaves, but then hits up on an idea.
- Nick investigates the nearby room where the Bellboy found the book detailing the story, and he finds, among many things, A
Key, and Terry Greisen again. The two of them finally have dialogue. Greisen can't reveal anything about himself other than his name, but apparently he's not interested in the murder of Stan Nyph, or Maris Rubin's innocence, since he's
investigating something else here entirely related to Stan Nyph. No information is disclosed, and Terry Greisen proves to be as fast as he is secretive by exiting the room.
- Nick easily deduces that the room that doesn't exist (Room 106) does in fact, Exist, suggesting that somebody managed to conceal it. But it can't be accessed from the inside, so he decides to try outside. He succeeds in finding the very Nursery quietly hidden away due to the presence of the Teddy Bear inside the window.
April 3, 5:30 p.m.
- By far the creepiest room out of them all, Room 106, the Nursery where Ronald and Thomas died, is an entire OCEAN of evidence. A Black Coat and Hat with the bullet fired from Maris's gun. A bizzare Angel Statue with its' nose broken, and grey powdery dust at its feet that's the same as the fragments of dust seen in the first floor hallway. The coffee cup the Bellboy supposedly delivered to Stan Nyph. A radio earpiece. A Black Metal Ball. The Hole in the ceiling, possibly made by the bullet that took Stan Nyph's life. And for bonus points, voices heard outside the door that DOESN'T exist (Due to being bricked up to boot!) suggest that Victor Barrows and his Client know about the room too!!
- Later at the PD, Nick talks all this over with Snow, who dispatches several investigators over to get a look at the scene. He gives Nick permission to accept all evidence as usable in court tomorrow, but only after the Police get a good look at it.
Nighttime Folly
- Although Nick tries to return to his Hotel room to rest, the Elevator breaks down and sends him to the First Floor, apparently because of Vick Barrows, who was looking around on the first floor. There were no stairs for Vick to use as he explains to Nick. Nick tells him that the Police will be coming along soon enough to investigate, but A fidgety Vick Barrows suddenly sprints towards the elevator, tricking Nick with a "Big Distracting Thing". But this doesn't happen before Vick Barrows stammers out how there is absolutely nothing of interest on the First Floor, causing Nick to see Psyche-Locks on Vick Barrows' Heart -
FIVE of them.
Proceedings 2 (Preamble)
- The following morning, Snow reveals that the Brisbane and the PD only got involved in the case and arrested Maris Rubin, only
because of the note sent to them. Cedric Maplethrope never called the police, which becomes cause for concern and suspicion on his part by Wright. Aside, Wright asks Maris Rubin to testify regarding her returned memories. Though she believes she shot someone, Wright has faith she shot nobody, though the mystery of what she actually shot is up for controversy.
Proceedings (Trial)
- Maris Rubin testifies the case from her point of view, to the delight of Brisbane. Nick cross-examines her statements. Maris claims to have heard another loud booming gunshot slightly before pulling the trigger. This claim is supported by Wright submitting evidence of the hole in the floor, as well as gleaning over the autopsy report describing the trajectory of the bullet hitting Nyph in head at a Vertical angle: added together makes for a strong possibility that the Shot came from the room below, and the shot itself came from the still operational Flintlock Pistol, missing the previous day, but suddenly present on the Coat of Arms the day after the murder. Unsurprisingly, Detective Snow did not examine the gun for fingerprints, so while that remains for analysis to deduce, Brisbane calls up
Cedric Maplethorpe as the next witness.
- Cedric Maplethorpe's testimony pins the murder on Maris Rubin, though he claims she wouldn't hurt a fly. During the cross-examination, Wright calls out Maplethorpe on not mentioning the scream the Bellboy very clearly heard after the Gunshot. Maplethorpe claims he missed it completely (A total lie, which Brisbane grasps at straws to claim that Wright was only dreaming of the scream.
)
- Brisbane casts some doubt on Wright's claim about Cedric not hearing the scream. Wright decides to jump the gun a bit and theorizes that the reason Cedric didn't hear the scream was because it was drowned out. Because Cedric Maplethorpe couldn't have heard the shot (And probably sustained temporary deafness) if he was near the source of the shot fired: The Flintlock Pistol itself, meaning Cedric Maplethorpe was most likely near or
at the Scene of the Crime itself. Cedric shows no signs of a nerve touched. At this point, the baliff returns to reveal that - of ALL People -
the fingerprints found on the gun actually belong to Ghost Hunter Victor Barrows, ironically enough Phoenix Wright's second witness.
Break
- Phil Barrows- I MEAN Vick Barrows claims to have no memory of the night of the crime, or the Flintlock pistol with his prints on it. During the Cross-examination he sticks by all his claims, including having amnesia regarding the plaster on his nose, his client, and his whereabouts during the night of the crime. Phoenix has genuine reason to believe Barrows' amnesia is the real deal; Brisbane does not. Barrows tries harder, finally remembering that a voice was guiding him that night, and it was in his ear. Brisbane calls the witness insane. Phoenix counters by submitting the Earphone as evidence, the device that allowed Vick Barrows to be in contact with his unnamed client!
- Vick Barrows testifies that his Client wanted him to follow someone - that was his mission that night at the Hotel. To follow someone into a room with toys, who then
pulled a gun on him for no reason -
a situation similar to the setup with Maris Rubin and Stan Nyph. Brisbane then ceases the cross-examination afterwards out of disgust, but Vick pleads that he's telling the truth. He then describes the person he was following more as having "Orangey" hair, implicating Cedric Maplethorpe. To the disbelief of the court, Wright requests that Maplethorpe be brought back in to testify about his actions after the incident.
- In three testimonies, Maplethorpe's credibility as a witness is discredited, and his actions become even more suspicious. Phoenix points out to the contrary that Maplethorpe never called the police since they only came to crime scene because of the note sent to them by Terry Greisen. Maplethorpe admits to being in the nursery with Vick Barrows, and testifies about the shot fired claiming that Barrows did it, but Nick points out a very shocking fact: the trigger area is bereft of prints, and because of the struggle they must have had,
Cedric's prints should ALSO be on the gun. The lack of them supports the idea that he was wearing gloves for the purposes of premeditated murder. Both Cedric and Brisbane fire back that he could not have known where Nyph was standing well enough for it to have been planned out that far in advance, but this is explained by the fact that Maplethorpe had originally planned on killing Barrows. (Wright makes a note of the fact that when pressed, Maplethorpe twitches hard and loses his nerve.)
- Maplethorpe claims that the Flintlock pistol was Barrows, but this contradicts the fact that not only was Barrows a recent guest at the motel, he couldn't have known beforehand that the gun wasn't decommissioned for display purposes. And anyway, he actually enlisted Barrows help getting the statue out of Room 106, only for Nick to point out two very obvious problems. First: The grey powder from the brittle damaged nose of the Angel statue made for a inexcusable mess. Maplethorpe accidentally admits its counterfeit, then smooths it over by saying that he doesn't own and was minding it for a friend. This proves to be credible in the Court's eyes. Brisbane promptly tries to shut up Wright.
- Wright counterattacks Maplethorpe by asking about the reason why Room 106 was bricked up and hidden away from the eyes of the Guests, Police, and Brisbane. It makes no sense for Maplethorpe and Barrows to have gotten in and out so easily. This causes Maplethorpe to twitch even harder, firing back that this fact doesn't prove his involvement in Stan Nyph's murder. He and Brisbane ask for a reason behind it, which Wright finally provides: the black metal ball that was the only fuel used by the Flintlock Pistol. Brisbane doubts the evidence's credibility, but Wright requests that the ball be put through a luminol testing - revealing that the Black Ball has traces of blood on it, proving it to be the bullet that took Stan Nyph's life. After asking the guests to return to their beds, Maplethorpe had the perfect chance to remove it as well as any other evidence from the crime scene. Brisbane's final desperate counter is that Maris could have still done the deed, since the bullet she fired hit someone or something. Phoenix clears up that contradiction as well.
The Ghost that Maris Rubin claims to have seen, and the object she struck with the Revolver Pistol's missing bullet was nothing more than the Black Coat and Hat sitting near the Four Poster Bed and window. It penetrated the coat and the impact caused the coat rack to move, which Maris mistakenly thought was Thomas Maplethorpe's Ghost, dressed exactly as it was described. The only thing left to do, which Maplethorpe vehemently protests against, is to check the ballistic markings.
After calling out Cedric as a coward for trying to keep the murder quiet and throwing a valued family friend under the bus like a
scapegoat, Cedric has a nervous breakdown and unloads, blaming his dead family members and going blue (actually purple) in the face from quickly losing air.
Break -
- Cedric admits to the murder, though it was accidental. Further, he testifies to the fact that he had known Stan Nyph by way of being "
business partners", but to what exactly, he cannot reveal on pain of oath. That night, he mistook Barrows as "additional help" to moving the statue out of the first floor nursery, when Barrows ended up revealing his true colors as a spy. The Struggle and the Gunshot happened.
At the same time this was happening, Stan Nyph was dealing with Maris, having mistakenly thought SHE was
trying to kill him by poisoning his coffee, which might have some relation to his and Maplethorpe's
Employer. She picks up the Revolver in self-defense, frightened.
Back below, Having only one shot to work with, Maplethorpe punches Barrow's lights out and then moves him to the Living Room Lobby, but shortly afterwards when Cedric checks again, he's vanished from the Hotel and isn't seen until the second day of investigation. This put a damper in his original plan to pin the blame the whole crime on Vick Barrows when Cedric discovers that he accidentally killed Stan Nyph. Both Wright and Brisbane assume this event to have only been fact because of the fake detective, Terry Greisen.
And that is about all Cedric can reveal, unwilling to disclose information about who he works for; at this point, he accepts his guilty verdict. After showing genuine remorse for his crimes, and apologizing to Maris for his mistake, He reveals his life is pretty much in severe danger with his Employer, since he killed another member.
Conclusion:
Maris is genuinely upset about Cedric and his actions. But Wright assures her that he genuinely cared about her towards the end; Snow shows up to give Wright some congrats, and then Maris Rubin offers to make for Wright having a lackluster vacation by giving him a free couple of days' stay at the Maplethorpe Hotel. Wright gladly takes up the offer.
2 Days Later
While Cardiovore ships Maris and the Bellboy as Wright prepares to leave, Maris stops Wright for a few minutes to give him a strange card she happened to find in Room 106, in the spot where the Angel Statue used to be. The card features a black and white illustration of a
Thorned Rose. While she can't make any sense of it, she hands it over to Wright believing he might be able to figure it out. Wright leaves.
Outskirts
- Wright has an unexpected reunion with Terry Greisen on board the Commuter back the City, who also gives him some congrats for his "help". Wright has no clue what he's talking about until he presents the thorned Rose, at which point, Terry Greisen finally spills.
- That card of the Thorned Rose is symbol of the Newly revived Smuggling Ring, now named
Aculeus, run by its' mysterious Employer. This same person had Cedric Maplethorpe and Stan Nyph working under him. Alba was recently arrested
thanks to the efforts of a certain Prosecuting Prodigy, but this same Smuggling Group was fully reorganized by this New Figure, now taking all operations and conducting them in complete and absolute secrecy.
Greisen was formerly with Interpol, and now he working with a splinter cell group to try and flush Aculeus out into the open. However, Phoenix has unintentionally helped push progress on that subplot forward alone thanks to his solving the Stan Nyph murder and putting a
Second member of Aculeus in the hoosgow, as well as getting the Card from Ms. Maris Rubin. Greisen was unable to, revealing himself to be Victor Barrow's client, sending him in to investigate the Aculeus through Cedric Maplethorpe.
These events went south pretty fast between Vick Barrows almost getting killed, and Greisen pretending to be with the police officially by apprehending Maris Rubin just to get the Police's attention.
- Although now having known of the bigger picture, Nick decides to give the man the card as ordered and leave it to his group to deal with Aculeus. Phoenix couldn't imagine a stranger and more esoteric way for a vacation to end, but he's confident things can't get that much worse.
Case Concluded.