Who was the mastermind behind blackmailing Phoenix to defend Engarde? You'd think that DeKiller planned the kidnapping (since Engarde didn't know he was in his house feeding Shoe), but, how would he have known Phoenix would appear with Maya. I'd think that Engarde probably heard from W.P. about how great Phoenix was and decided to use him if the situation needed it, but then where does DeKiller come in? Could he have taken it upon himself to ensure that Phoenix took the case (thinking Powers' influence wouldn't be enough?). If he did that, then why did Engarde act like he didn't know who Phoenix was until he mentioned DeKiller in the Detention Center?

Sorry to suck the fun out of this one but the beginning of 2-4 clears this up completely.

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If that was the case, then how did DeKiller know that Phoenix was going to be at the hotel to begin with? Granted, DeKiller is someone who could probably get information, but did he know who was going to be at the hotel? Even if he did, what are the chances he'd even care to look into the backgrounds of the guests? That part seems like too much of a coincidence (if that's true).

Wouldn't it have made more sense if Engarde knew that he was going to "stop" Corrida on that night so he told his mentor (Powers) to invite the Attorney that could save him from going to jail (if something happened)?

I know Engarde didn't know anything about the kidnapping (because of the Shoe incident) but you'd think that he at least knew who was going to defend him had DeKiller screwed up. I don't think Matt would totally be in the dark on Phoenix being there because he has close ties to Will Powers and Matt is, obviously, the type to think ahead in order to stop his hands from getting dirty.

Also, as to Engarde not taking Phoenix seriously on their first encounter: I don't think Engarde knew how badly the situation was yet. I think he was under the impression that the police just hadn't found the card yet and that DeKiller would take the fall. Is it possible that before he was arrested, he told DeKiller to have Phoenix visit him if something went wrong.

Even if he thought ahead, he still could've thought he didn't need Phoenix's help at the time of their first encounter (seeing as how he didn't have contact with DeKiller from jail and thus didn't know how the case was shaping up to make him look suspicious). If this is what happened, then hearing the name DeKiller from Phoenix would've been a signal that everything wasn't running smoothly and probably would've caused the reaction he gave.

Actually I'm almost positive that Matt claims responsibility for the kidnapping. On the second day of trial after Phoenix desperately tries to prolong the trial by accusing Adrian again, you meet with Matt in the defendant's lobby. I think he says something like "I knew kidnapping that girl was a good idea idea." I'm replaying that case now.If I'm wrong I'll edit this post. As for why Matt doesn't accept until he hears De Killer's name, why would he know Phoenix's face? They don't exactly run in the same circles. I think its far more likely that all he would know about Phoenix is his reputation, so he hears Phoenix will be there and either tells De Killer to do whatever it takes to enlist his help or specifically says to kidnap Maya (although if he doesn't know Phoenix's face I find this hard to buy, so I'm leaning toward the first one). Of course since he doesn't know Phoenix's face, he's going to keep refusing attorneys until the one he's chosen and the one he has leverage over appears.

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Ah, that makes sense. If Engarde didn't know what Phoenix looked like then, even if he was behind blackmailing him as insurance, he wouldn't have known him as he walked into the Detention Center (seeing as though he couldn't pick out Maya due to her being kidnapped). I guess that's why he was reluctant to allow him to take the case before hearing the DeKiller name (Phoenix doesn't really look like the awesome Lawyer his reputation gives).