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Detective Edgeworth took a deep breath before opening the door. Even with the body removed, the crime scene still stank of blood; it was impossible to get a clear lungful of air. He resisted the urge to press a handkerchief against his nose as he approached the prosecutor.
“The autopsy report, sir,” he said, holding out the envelope. He’d already read it himself and made an extra copy, just in case the prosecutor spilled coffee on it or dropped it into a pool of blood or his dog tore it apart. All of which had happened before.
Prosecutor Gumshoe grinned broadly at him. “Hey, thanks, pal! Here, hold on to this for me for a second, will ya?”
Edgeworth exchanged the autopsy report for Gumshoe’s styrofoam cup of hot, bitter coffee. He wrinkled his nose, but at least it smelled better than the blood.
“Alright, let’s see.” Gumshoe cracked open the report and skimmed it. “Time of death, right when we expected, that’s good. Cause of death - “ He glanced up. “Guess that was obvious, huh?”
“Yes, sir.” They’d found the victim still impaled on the spear. “The weapon is still in forensics, but I’d expect it back soon.”
“Good, good.” Gumshoe continued paging through the report until he raised an eye. “What’s this about?”
Edgeworth leaned forward, peering over the top of the folder. “Ah. The costume. Yes, the coroner noted that the victim’s clothes were arranged oddly. This seems to indicate tampering, sir.”
Gumshoe looked up and grimaced. “You really don’t gotta call me sir, you know.”
“My apologies. It’s a difficult habit to break.” And one he had no intention of fighting. Even if the prosecutor had no sense of propriety, Edgeworth understood his place. “I haven’t determined the purpose of such tampering. Perhaps the body was redressed after death?”
“Huh. Yeah, that’s weird. And it doesn’t really fit what we’ve had so far.” Gumshoe closed the folder. “Good to know about, though. The fewer surprises the better, yeah?”
Edgeworth nodded stiffly. The trial should be short and simple. He’d determined who to arrest, and he’d collected the evidence. Now he handed it over to Prosecutor Gumshoe who merely had to present it to the judge. That was the easy part, at least once Edgeworth had done the difficult task of determining the culprit and arresting them.
At least, that was what he’d thought, before…
“Detective?” Gumshoe was looking at him with a raised eyebrow. “You alright?”
Edgeworth blinked. “Ah - yes, sir. I was merely… thinking.”
“About the last case?”
Edgeworth blinked. Gumshoe had an uncanny ability to tell what he was thinking, even - especially when he tried to hide it.
“I failed you,” he said, simply. “I overlooked crucial evidence and handed you the wrong suspect. If I hadn’t - “
Gumshoe clapped a heavy hand on his shoulder “Hey, pal, listen. We’re a team, alright? And, as a team, our goal isn’t to win every case.”
Edgeworth frowned. “It’s not?”
“Nope. Our goal is to get the guy. The right guy.” His crooked grin stretched across his face. “If I lose the case? Yeah, that’s not fun. But I’d rather do that then put the wrong fella away, right?”
“But the case wouldn’t have even proceeded if I hadn’t arrested the wrong person to begin with!”
“Detective, whadda I keep telling you?” He squeezed Edgeworth’s shoulder. “You don’t gotta be perfect. If you were, you wouldn’t need me.”
Edgeworth could feel the tips of his ears beginning to burn. “That’s not true,” he muttered.
“You’re a great detective. One of the best. Maybe the best. If they’d paired you with one of the best prosecutors, you’d be winning every case! And that’s why they paired you with me instead. Because if you was with one of those other guys, they’d be smart enough to cover up every mistake you made, so they’d win. And I’m just not good enough at my job to do that.”
Gumshoe was still smiling, and Edgeworth was struck by the same confusion he so often felt around the prosecutor. Because he was a good prosecutor - he could connect with witnesses, actually get the truth from them, draw out confessions that Edgeworth couldn’t. Edgeworth was lucky to be allowed to work with him. And somehow he kept smiling the whole time.
Edgeworth nodded. He would just have to keep doing his best to make sure he handed Gumshoe the right suspect and the right evidence, and trust that the prosecutor would correct his mistakes.
Gumshoe slapped his back. “Attaboy. C’mon, pal. I wanna talk to that old lady at the guard station, and I need you to come along.”
Edgeowrth grimaced. “If I must, sir.”
“Some guys love having a lady swoon for ‘em, pal! I'll buy you lunch after.”
“You really don’t have to - “
“Nah, it’s my treat.” They were already walking back towards the guard station. “Besides, I’m hungry too. Whaddya want?”
“Anything other than your instant noodles, sir.”
Gumshoe laughed. “Alright, Mr. Fancy. But I’m driving.”
Usually, Edgeworth’s part in a trial was brief and simple. His testimony consisted of describing the crime and the series of clear, logical steps that led to their identification of the culprit. By the time he was done, there was no doubt left, and Prosecutor Gumshoe merely had to sweep away the defense’s pitiful attempts at misdirection.
Usually.
This new attorney was complicating things.
Edgeworth’s investigation was perfect, as usual. Therefore, his testimony was perfect. Every detail of the crime had been investigated until the culprit was unmistakable. They had evidence, they had eyewitness testimony, they had an open and shut case.
That damn eyewitness.
Edgeworth completed his testimony and watched from the gallery, unable to do anything, as Ms. Fey tore the old lady’s claims apart. She hadn’t seen the killer, she’d seen a photo. She’d deleted another photo. Details poured forth, and Edgeworth found himself clutching the wooden bannister and trying not to scream.
“Ms. Oldbag, ma’am,” Prosecutor Gumshoe said, smiling like he was amused, “why didn’t you tell us these things before?”
“Oh, I - “ Her eyes met Edgeworth’s, and he felt sick. “I just wanted to help out that handsome detective fellow! He’s so dreamy!”
Edgeworth could hear Gumshoe’s laughter even as he buried his face in his hands.
“Not your fault, pal,” Gumshoe said when they met in the prosecutor’s lobby, before Edgeworth could even open his mouth.
“But sir, I - “
“Nah, I should’ve gotten it outta her myself. Hey, good news is, at least you can get a date out of this!”
Edgeworth wanted to curl up and die. “I’m not - I don’t know why she would - “
“It was a joke,” Gumshoe interrupted, clapping him on the back. “You can’t help bein’ irresistible to the ladies with a face like that!”
“Please, sir,” Edgeworth muttered, feeling like a petulant child.
To his surprise, Gumshoe didn’t answer with another joke. Instead he took half a second too long to look at Edgeworth before saying, “You got it, pal.”
And Edgeworth - Edgeworth was probably misreading the situation. Edgeworth was hearing something that wasn’t being said. Edgeworth didn’t know why his cheeks felt warm and his chest hurt.
Gumshoe clapped his hands, startling Edgeworth, and rubbed them together. “Alright, pal, let’s take a look at this new evidence and see what it’s worth, huh?”
“Yes, sir,” Edgeworth answered. Yes. He would do what he always did when something was wrong. He would work.
“Hey, Ms. Fey.”
Maya whirled on Gumshoe but held back on her earlier threat to slap him. “Prosecutor Gumshoe!”
“Didja talk to Edgeworth?”
“Did I - jeez!” Phoenix hadn’t seen her this mad since she’d had White on the stand. “I can’t believe you!”
Gumshoe blinked. “Huh?”
“I thought you were friends! And you’re gonna prosecute him? How can you do that!”
Gumshoe frowned. “What kinda dumb question is that?”
“Dumb?! I oughta - “
Phoenix actually had to grab her arm to restrain her. “Maya, please!”
“Let her go, pal,” Gumshoe said. “She can hit me if it makes her feel better.”
Phoenix released Maya, but she didn’t swing. She did, however, stomp her foot and puff her cheeks angrily. “I thought you were a good guy! I thought that maybe, just maybe, there was one prosecutor who wasn’t a complete jerk, but you’re turning on your own partner!”
“It ain’t like that!” Gumshoe bellowed, loud enough to turn the heads of several nearby investigators. “It’s gotta be me, don’t you see? That’s the only way I can help!” He stopped, and sighed. “I’m not the one who arrested him, y’know. And the evidence… it looks bad. But I know he didn’t do it. And I’m gonna do whatever it takes to get him a fair trial, because I know a fair trial will get him off. And that’s why you gotta be on defense, pal!”
Maya glowered at Gumshoe. “Me?”
“Yeah, you.” He jabbed a finger at her. “Because I know you play fair. And if I know you’re on the bench, I can trust ya.”
Maya’s eyes went wide. “Trust?”
“It’s all about trust. You know, us prosecutors trust the detectives to give us the right info, and they trust us to make good use of it. And that’s how I know Edgeworth didn’t do it. Because I trust him.”
“O-oh…” Maya looked away, clutching the hem of her jacket. “But, he didn’t want to speak to us…”
Gumshoe sighed heavily. “I thought that might happen. Listen.” He glanced around to see if anyone was listening and leaned in close. “DL-6.”
“What?”
Gumshoe stood up and raised his hands. “That’s all I can say, pal.”
“DL-6…”
“Sounds like a case number,” Phoenix said.
Gumshoe nodded. “Von Karma would kill me if he learned I told you about it, so hush hush, okay?”
Maya tapped her chin thoughtfully. “But you didn’t tell us anything…”
“Ain’t you a lawyer? Go investigate! And do it quick; trial’s tomorrow. And you’d better be ready.”
Edgeworth sat in the defense lobby, alone. Maya and Phoenix had stepped outside, so it was just him and the guard. Not that he needed one, because he was a free man now.
Free, and ruined.
He didn’t hear the door open, but he heard the prosecutor’s cry of “Edgeworth!” followed by rapid footsteps. Gumshoe swept him up in a hug so tight it made it hard to breathe, lifting him out of his chair and off his feet.
“I was so worried, pal!” he wailed.
Edgeworth knew he should resist this, that it was terribly improper, but he was so tired. And it was just a hug, and it was so nice.
Gumshoe let him down after a few seconds. “Never been happier about losing a case,” he said. He was crying, big tears rolling down his cheek, and the guilt that constantly boiled inside Edgeworth spiked.
“Sir, I - I can’t begin to tell you how sorry I am - “
“Don’t you dare,” Gumshoe interrupted. “I’m the one who’s gotta apologize to you.”
“For what?”
Gumshoe sighed. “For that whole trial. All that stuff that Von Karma dug up… I should’ve known better.”
Edgeworth swallowed. His mouth felt dry. “I understand, sir. It’s your duty to try to win.”
“Nah, pal. That’s just my job.”
Before Edgeworth could ask the difference, Maya and Phoenix entered the room. “Prosecutor Gumshoe!” Maya declared, arms wide.
“Well now, if it isn’t my arch-enemy!” Gumshoe answered, throwing his arms around her for a hug. “Great job, kid. Knew you could do it.”
“But you couldn’t make it easy for me, huh?”
“Never.”
Maya stepped out of the hug, smiling brightly. “We were thinking of going out to celebrate. Nicky wants sushi! You wanna come? Both of you.”
Gumshoe turned back to Edgeworth and extended a hand. “Whaddaya say, partner? My treat?”
“I - “ Edgeworth looked at Gumshoe’s hand and tried not to overthink it. “Yes.”
It almost could have been okay, then. Things could have gone back to normal, or close enough to it. But then there was Gant.
And now, Edgeworth stood on the roof of the prosecutor’s building, staring off the edge and steeling himself to take the step.
“Edgeworth?”
He didn’t turn around. He was looking down, trying to guess where he might land.
“What are you doin’ up here, pal? It’s freezing.”
He heard Gumshoe’s footsteps crunching on the rooftop.
“Don’t,” he said, softly.
The footsteps stopped.
“Miles?”
Edgeworth clenched his fist around the scrap of paper. “Don’t.”
“Hey. Alright. I’m not doing anything, pal.”
Gumshoe’s voice was soft and careful and tears prickled at Edgeworth’s eyes as he realized he couldn’t let him see. He wasn’t supposed to be here. He was supposed to hear the news from someone else, who would sit him down and hand him a cup of shitty coffee and break it to him gently. Then he’d be able to move on. He wasn’t supposed to have the images seared into his mind, haunting his nightmares for years to come. He wasn’t supposed to see.
“You need to leave.”
“Don’t think I can, pal.”
“Please. I can’t - “ Edgeworth cut himself off. He couldn’t explain, because if he did, Gumshoe would try to stop him. Gumshoe would want -
Fuck. Fuck.
“I knew about Gant,” he confessed. “Just like I knew about Von Karma. And I’m just like them.”
“That ain’t true.”
“Yes, it is. Von Karma made me this way. And it’s only a matter of time before I’m just another monster.”
“No, you - “
“How many people will I hurt? How many lives will I ruin? How many will I end?” He grabbed the edge of the stone wall. “How many have I already killed? It’s my fault. It’s all my fault. And there’s only one way to be sure I can’t hurt anyone else.”
He braced a hand on the stone wall and hoisted himself up.
He didn’t hear the footsteps over his own scuffling and was completely surprised by the force that grabbed him around the knees, yanking him back and down. He fell hard, the wind knocked out of him, and was pinned face-down effortlessly.
“Let go!” he shrieked. “Let me go!”
“Are you fucking kidding me? Absolutely not, pal!”
Gumshoe swore rarely enough that it caught Edgeworth’s attention. He stopped struggling for a moment, breathing hard. Gumshoe’s knee was on the small of his back and one hand on the back of his neck, and he was fucking heavy. There was no point resisting. There never was.
He burst into tears.
Shameful, embarrassing tears, of weakness and terror and loneliness and grief, messy and foul and unworthy and stupid and useless and weak. Everything wrong and evil about him, and he couldn’t even destroy it. He was crying too hard to notice when Gumshoe got off his back and lifted him, sat next to him, pulled him close and held him. Stroked his hair, shrugged off his trenchcoat, draped it over him. Spoke to him, words he couldn’t hear in a low, comforting rumble.
When the tears stopped, Edgeworth felt dry. Empty. Tired. He’d scraped his cheek on the rough surface of the roof and banged his knees, and his muscles ached. His throat was hoarse and he was just tired. Of course Gumshoe was able to pick him up easily. He could have been blown away by the wind, like dead leaves. He wouldn’t even have cared if they’d gone into the elevator, but Gumshoe carried him down the stairs until they arrived at his office, as messy and cozy as ever. Gumshoe lay him on the overstuffed couch, tossing aside some files to make room. Then he sat on the floor next to him.
“We’ll talk when you’ve had a chance to catch your breath, pal.”
Edgeworth shuddered and buried his face in the couch. “You should have just let me die.”
“Hey.” Gumshoe’s voice was sharp. “Never. I would never let that happen.”
Edgeworth didn’t respond.
“Look, pal, I know you’ve had… well, a rough time, although that doesn’t nearly cover it. But that sure as hell doesn’t mean I’m gonna go and let you do something stupid like jumping off a building.”
“You weren’t supposed to be here,” Edgeworth muttered.
“Yeah, well, good thing I was. C’mon, pal. Talk to me. What’d you mean?”
“What?”
“Up there. You were sayin’ that you were hurting people? Called yourself a monster.”
Edgeworth took a shaky breath. “I’ve worked with you for years,” he said slowly. “And in that time, I’ve handed you countless suspects. If… if I was wrong - “
“Woah, hang on. You’re telling me you think you’re a monster for doin’ your job?”
“I was ruthless. I refused to accept - “
“Nah, nah. Listen.” Gumshoe twisted around to look Edgeworth in the face. “Did you ever hand me forged evidence?”
“What? Of course not.”
“Ever coached a witness?”
“No.”
“Ever hid or destroyed evidence to make your case?”
“No!”
“Well gee, pal. Sounds like you might just be a dang good detective.” He patted Edgeworth on the shoulder. “Remember what I told you, back during the Powers case? We’re a team. I’m right here. Been here the whole time. And every suspect you handed me got a fair trial. You never gave me a suspect you didn’t think did it. And that’s all anyone could ever ask of you.”
Edgeworth buried his face in the couch to hide the fresh tears.
Gumshoe chuckled. “Man. When you said you were hurting people I thought you were gonna tell me you were a serial killer.”
Edgeworth had to lift his head to respond. “You think I could be a serial killer?”
“Well you sure wouldn’t be my first choice, pal, but I bet you’d be a good one. Real fastidious. Kill room in the basement and a garden full of bodies. Thought I’d need to get a shovel and some tarps.”
Edgeworth frowned. “What?”
“Huh?”
“Why would you need a shovel?”
“Oh. Uh.”
Edgeworth sat up. “Sir, did you think I was about to tell you I was a serial killer, and immediately start thinking about helping me hide the bodies?”
“Well I had to do something!”
Edgeworth groaned and lay down again.
Several minutes passed before something broke the silence. A wet sort of noise, a sniffling. Edgeworth sat up.
“Sir, are you… crying?”
“I can’t help it!” Gumshoe wailed. He turned and Edgeworth could see huge tears streaming down his cheeks. “I’m sorry,” he said, smearing his face on his sleeve, “I’m trying not to make this about me, but I keep thinking about - about what if you w-were…”
Edgewoeth had seen Gumshoe cry before. The man wasn’t shy about it. A lost dog poster or a sappy movie could set him off. But now… now he was crying for Edgeworth.
Edgeworth had done this.
“I don’t want to lose you,” Gumshoe said, and Edgeworth’s shattered heart broke again.
He slid off the couch, next to Gumshoe, and laid his head on his shoulder.
“I don’t know what to do anymore,” he mumbled. “I don't know how to stop being like this. Like them. I can’t… I can’t be me.”
Gumshoe took his hand. No hesitation, just a firm, safe grip. “Then don’t.”
Edgeworth laughed. “I wish it could be that simple.”
“Why not? You don’t gotta be Detective Edgeworth. You could be anything, pal. Open a bakery. Become a P.I. Or heck, you know, I bet Fey & Co. Law Offices could use a new intern. Defense attorney Edgeworth, just like your old man.”
Edgeworth scoffed. “And what would you do without a detective? You’d be out of a job in two months without me.”
Gumshoe shrugged. “Maybe Fey & Co could use two interns.”
Edgeworth sighed and closed his eyes. A fresh start. The thought terrified him. Losing everything was easy when he didn’t have to figure out what would happen next, but to do that and keep going…
Gumshoe put an arm around his shoulders and pulled him a little closer.
Maybe he didn’t have to lose everything.
Maybe he could keep the one thing solid enough to trust.