People are in Conan, but Ace Attorney

Chapter 594 No Way to Advance
…Order from a week ago?
Naruhodō touched his chin, feeling somewhat puzzled. Why had the order placed a week ago been delayed until now?

So he continued to ask.

"So, Miss Edwards, where have you been this week?"

"Have you any orders which have forced you to leave Old London, so that you cannot attend to orders here?"

To this question, Miss Edwards answered without hesitation.

"Ah, of course not... I just received an order from a Swiss noble, so I went to Switzerland."

"It was only after I returned to Old London that I learned that this client had specifically asked me to help her design her dress a week ago."

It’s Switzerland again. The more I listen, the more suspicious it becomes.

The previous witness Daniel Mueller was from Switzerland, and this lady has just returned from Switzerland.

Is there any connection between these two people?
Naruhodō's thoughts were working quickly.

He had previously blindly attacked Daniel Mueller and ended up being tricked by prosecutor Howe and his team.

Now facing the equally suspicious Catherine Edwards, he must be more cautious.

The barrister thought for a moment, then stared at the British lady and asked loudly.

"Miss Edwards, do you know Mr. Daniel Mueller?"

"...Daniel Mueller? It sounds like a common name in Switzerland, but I don't know anyone named Daniel Mueller."

Katherine Edwards shook her head.

And just when she said she didn't know him, Naruhodō Ryunosuke asked again directly.

"So, Miss Edwards, is the Very Black Night Raven related to you?"

The barrister deliberately diverted Edwards' attention and then directly dropped the bombshell news.

Trying to use Professor Moriarty's information to provoke the other party's abnormal reaction.

Even if it was only for a moment, he could get enough useful information from it.

At the very least, Naruhodō could determine whether Miss Edwards was related to Professor Moriarty.

But the result disappointed him.

Even with this technique, there was no flaw in Catherine Edwards's reaction.

She said it as a matter of course without even thinking.

"The extremely black night crow? I don't like crows, let alone crows that are completely black and like to move around at night."

"That's a bird that represents misfortune. I prefer the robin, which represents a better meaning."

...It doesn't look like an act.

Naruhodō Ryunosuke felt a little headache.

Generally, witnesses can be defeated because they are lying and have a vested interest in the case, so there are flaws.

But Miss Edwards seemed to have nothing to do with the case. She had just returned to the country when she encountered it, and then she enthusiastically called the police and appeared in court to testify.

How could he defeat such a witness?

Did he have to defeat her physically? But how could he use force in the courtroom, especially when the other party was an elegant and lovely woman?

"...Ms. Edwards, you just described the attire of the cloaked man you saw."

"Then, could you please identify the defendant again at the scene to confirm whether his attire is consistent with your memory?" The barrister changed the subject.

In response, Edwards didn't even have time to take another look at it, she answered without thinking.

"As soon as I entered the courtroom, I noticed the mask, cloak, and dagger on the evidence table."

"If these costumes were put on the man in white in the dock, it would be almost the same as the image I remember."

"Uh, are you just that sure? No, you don't need to take another look to confirm?"

Naruhodō asked again weakly.

In response, Karma Hao snapped his fingers, shook them and said coldly.

"Narhodō Ryunosuke, even though you are very famous as a lawyer, you are still too immature right now!"

"When the witness took the stand, he introduced himself as an expert in costume design. How could an expert in this field remember the wrong costume?"

"There's no need to confirm this matter again! If you don't have anything to ask, then let's end the questioning phase!"

"My time is precious. I can't waste it on you!"

Although prosecutor Hao's words were harsh, they did make the presiding judge lean towards his side.

In response, Naruhodō Ryunosuke could only keep quiet, and he finally asked.

"Well, Miss Edwards, what I want to ask is... is the woman you saw the deceased in this case? Excuse me, have you confirmed this?"

Edwards' answer to this kind of question is obvious.

As a new witness found temporarily by the police station, these short ten minutes were enough for her to be called to the courtroom by the police, and then she would appear in court to testify after understanding the situation. The body of the deceased could not be seen in the courtroom.

The bodies of the deceased will not be placed inside the courtroom, but in the police station.

Otherwise, Naruhodō Ryuichi would not have been able to find his ancestor's forensic friend and get a new autopsy report.

"If the woman that Miss Edwards saw and talked to Jack the Ripper was not the third victim killed by Jack the Ripper in this case, does that mean there is a problem with Miss Edwards' testimony?"

The barrister's uncertain questioning left himself some room for maneuver.

However, Yan Tuhaici shook his head and clapped his hands with a smile.

"Narihodō-kun, I guess you don't know yet? The alley where the deceased died... is exactly the alley where Miss Edwards saw Jack the Ripper that afternoon. The police have already compared it with the address recorded at the time."

"Even if the woman Miss Edwards saw was not the deceased, she was a freelance worker with the same identity as the deceased, and she also met the conditions for Jack the Ripper to kill, and Jack the Ripper did appear."

"Even if the person who died was not the lady Edwards had seen, it can only be said that she was lucky to have escaped."

"After all, these female freelancers come from the same place, so it's normal for them to hang around in the same place. Therefore, even if they were killed by mistake... it's nothing strange."

In response, Naruhodō Ryunosuke's eyelids twitched.

If that's the case, then it seems that there is nothing to ask or delay now.

Asking for the identity of the witness? But the identity of the witness is already clear.

The process of negotiating clothing? That would be stopped directly by prosecutor Hao.

The details of the alley? Those details didn't seem to have any relevance to the case.

The woman's attire also clearly states that it is somewhat revealing, representing that she is a freelance female worker.

It seems that... there is only one piece of testimony left to be questioned.

(End of this chapter)