You wake up in the defense lobby and look at a cell phone, whose haunting ringtone apparently caused your nightmare. You try to answer it, but get no answer. A man then comes in, claiming to have found something, and knocks you out cold with a fire extinguisher.
After regaining consciousness, you are greeted by a young woman, who looks a lot like an officer. She says her life is in your hands now. A few days ago, you promised her you'd find her "Not Guilty". But you don't recall ever making that promise, who she is, or who you are! Before you can start pondering, however, the bailiff calls for you, saying that a trial is about to start.
Trial begins
A judge commences the trial of a "Maggey Byrde", who is apparently your client. You are given the option of saying whether you are ready. Choose Yes for now.
Winston Payne, your opponent, describes a murder. Maggey is accused of killing her "lover", who also happens to be a police officer.
Payne then calls Detective Dick Gumshoe to the stand. He doesn't look too proud. He says Maggey worked under him, and he had always looked out for her when she was a trainee. They were great pals. Gumshoe describes the murder.
- It happened at the park near the police headquarters, "Exposé Park".
- The victim was one of the local cops, Dustin Prince.
- He was pushed down from the benches of the upper path, sir.
- The landing beat up his body bad and snapped his neck.
An autopsy report confirms the cause of death, and the time of death was able to be determined because Dustin's watch stopped upon impact. Payne even has a photo of the crime scene. Crime Photo 1 is added to the Court Record. You can check it at any time by touching the Court Record Button.
The Judge recalls an important piece of evidence discovered yesterday. You don't recall any pieces of evidence you found. Maggey is upset and decides to help you. She tells you to look at the "evidence" and people involved in the case. Just click on the Court Record button, and you'll get the list. You can check the description of everything to get an idea of what the case is about. Here is the list of the things you are carrying so far:
- Attorney's Badge
- Cell Phone
- Dustin's Autopsy Report
- Glasses
- Crime Photo 1
You are asked what the evidence was. You are given a three choice answer. Say you presented the Glasses. As the killer pushed the victim, the victim grabbed the killer's glasses and fell with them. Maggey is wearing a spare pair of glasses, but she claims that the ones you presented were not hers. Payne claims to have further evidence to present. The Judge has Gumshoe describe the evidence. This is it, your first testimony of the game.
Gumshoe's Testimony: Decisive Evidence
- There's something even more incriminating than the glasses under the victim's body, sir.
- During his date, the victim was pushed from the bench area.
- But he managed to write the culprit's name on the ground where he landed.
- I don't like saying it, but it was clearly the defendant's name, "Maggie", sir.
- With this piece of evidence and the glasses, it's hard to say she's not the culprit.
Payne has the photo of the victim writing the defendant's name. Crime Photo 2 will be added to the Court Record.
The Judge wants you to "Cross-Examine" the witness. Maggey tells you that Cross-Examining is done to find out how what a witness is saying "contradicts" (doesn't agree with) what you have. Go to the Getting Started section for more details. For players who have played the previous game, note that you can now present the profiles of people you meet as well.
Decisive Evidence: Cross-examination
Present Maggey Byrde's Profile on Gumshoe's 3rd or 4th statement. The victim seems to have spelled her name "Maggie", but it is actually spelled "Maggey". Remember, Maggey and Dustin are lovers, so it would've been impossible for Dustin to forget Maggey's name!
Congratulations, you have just found the first contradiction of the game.
The Judge is curious about Maggey and Dustin's relationship. He has Gumshoe testify about it.
Gumshoe's Testimony: Dustin & Maggey
- Officer Prince and Officer Maggey had been going out for half a year.
- It sounded like they were even talking about marriage.
- The day of the incident just happened to be the victim's birthday, sir.
- Maggey... I mean Officer Byrde, had gotten Officer Prince a present.
- It was something she had gotten over 2 months ago.
- I should know, 'cause she came to me to ask what she should get for him.
Dustin and Maggey: Cross-examination
Maggey got Dustin a birthday present? What was it? Press on Gumshoe's 5th statement. Maggey gave him a baseball glove for his birthday, as Dustin was a huge baseball fan. You have a choice of whether you should continue or not. Choose Press further. The reason it took so long, is because the glove was custom made.
Payne says the glove is irrelevant to the case. You can choose whether you agree or not. Choose Of course it's relevant. Gumshoe was prepared for this, so he brought the glove with him. The Judge has the Baseball Glove added to the Court Record.
The Judge is now convinced that both the victim and the defendant were lovers, and now wonders why Maggey's name is misspelled. He has Gumshoe testify about the writing.
Gumshoe's Testimony: Writing on the Ground
- We first looked into the handwriting, sir.
- Unfortunately, we couldn't confirm that it was the victim's handwriting.
- Next, we checked the victim's pointer finger.
- We found out that there was sand trapped under the victim's fingernail.
- There were also scratches on the skin that were caused by him writing on the ground.
- From this, we could confirm that the victim wrote this name with his right hand.
Writing on the Ground: Cross-examination
Press Gumshoe's 6th statement. Maggey says the statement is a little strange. You need to present solid evidence against this statement. Present the Baseball Glove on the same statement. If you look closely, you'll see that the glove is intended for a left-handed person (since the glove is made to be worn on the right hand, and a baseball glove is worn on a person's weak hand). Now look at the photo again. It looks like Dustin wrote it with his right hand. If the glove was intended for Dustin, he might be left handed. If he is left-handed, then he could not have used his right hand to write Maggey's name in the ground. If he didn't, then it is possible that someone other than Dustin wrote the name. If that is true, Maggey could not have been the killer!
It seems you have proven Maggey's innocence. Seeing no reason to continue, the Judge is now ready to announce the verdict.
But before he can do so, Payne stops him. He claims to have another witness, who witnessed the exact moment of the crime, and even saw the face of the killer! The Judge adjourns court for a recess, while the prosecution prepares its witness.