Chapter Text
Edgeworth placed the little camera on his desk, looked at it and sighed.
It’s amazing how something so small can be the cause of such strife, he thought.
Well, really, it wasn’t the camera as much as it was the footage it contained. Footage of one of the nation’s most wanted mob bosses, blatantly stabbing a man to death. Filmed in such a way that there was no confusing him.
Impossible to deny or discredit in court.
And said mob boss was desperate to get it before his court date, which had led him to take some rather... extreme measures (though tame by a mob boss’ standards, he supposed). The latest of which had been breaking and entering into his house while he was at work, apparently convinced he was keeping the camera somewhere in there. He hadn’t been, precisely because he suspected such a thing might happen.
Still, carrying it himself all day, like he’d been doing thus far, was becoming a dangerous affair. He feared some policeman in Collantini’s pay would bump into him and steal it without him noticing. He’d seen Kay perform some rather impressive feats of pickpocketing, after all; he knew he could become a victim.
This would be much easier if he could just make copies of the footage. Unfortunately, forensics had told him the camera used some experimental, limited-release technology that their machines could not reproduce. He’d done some research and found an expert who had the equipment for it, but they lived at the other end of the continent and Edgeworth didn’t have the time to make the trip before the trial.
So, he had to ensure this precious evidence was not stolen by that date.
A knock on the door brought him out of his thoughts. “Who is it?” he called out. Normally, he would’ve said “come in”, but he wasn’t taking any risks at the moment.
“It’s me, Wright”, the other person replied.
Huh. How strange for Wright to seek him out so directly. Usually, they crossed paths during an investigation and stopped to chat briefly, or Wright would invite him to one of his daughter’s shows, or to discuss old cases over coffee, or... well. Wright did seek him out directly, but never at the office.
“Come in”, he called, and the other man did. He seemed worried.
“Are you all right?” he asked. “Gumshoe told me what happened.”
Edgeworth resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. He’d never understand why the detective was so prone to letting things slip to Wright in particular. “Well, then he must have also told you how I was not at home when it happened.”
“That’s not the point, Edgeworth”, Wright said, sounding exasperated. “What if you had been? I thought you prosecutors had security measures for that kinda stuff.”
“We do, if we request them, and I haven’t been alone outside since I was assigned to this case.” Which was honestly quite the nuisance, but he had to admit he wouldn’t have felt safe otherwise. “There was no need to guard my home when I wasn’t there.”
“Were they there to get some evidence? Gumshoe mentioned some vital footage or something.”
I will certainly remember this for the detective’s next salary review, he thought, irritated. “Indeed, and it is safe with me. So you don’t need to worry about it.”
Wright looked thoughtful. “When’s the trial?”
“The day after tomorrow.”
“And what are you going to do with it in the meantime? Just keep it with you?”
“What else do you suggest?”
Wright looked him in the eye, dead serious. “Give it to me.”
Edgeworth stared for a second. If he was the type of man to burst into laughter, he would’ve done so. As it was, he settled for snorting with amusement, which quickly vanished when he realised Wright’s expression remained serious. “Wait, you mean it?”
“Of course.” Wright seemed offended. “What, do you think I’ll lose it or something? When have I ever lost evidence for a trial?” He paused. “Well, other than when I was tasered for it.”
“That is precisely the problem, Wright. This is a mob boss we’re talking about. If they come into your house while you’re there...” They had regular guns, not tasers. They could threaten Wright, or worse, his daughter...
Memories of a child throwing a gun in a lift tried to surface, and he pushed them down. Now was not the time to draw comparisons; things weren’t the same.
He was aware of the danger, and would not put Wright in such a position.
History would not repeat itself.
“Why would they come?” Wright asked, shrugging. “I’m not their lawyer, I have nothing to do with the case.”
That was a fair point, but... “What if they did suspect something? Are you willing to put Trucy in danger?”
Wright waved a hand. “She’s away at a camp for magicians at the moment, actually. Comes back the day after tomorrow, so no problem there.”
Edgeworth was loath to admit that Wright was making some good points. Collantini would not see it coming, but still... Potentially putting a bystander in the mob’s crosshairs didn’t sit right with him, even if the bystander was willing.
“Edgeworth”, Wright said, and he looked... hurt? “Don’t you trust me?”
What?
Did Wright really think that was even possible?
Edgeworth was a bit offended if he did, honestly.
After everything they’d been through together, why on Earth wouldn’t he trust Wright? The man could be a bit scatterbrained, yes, and slow on the uptake sometimes, but Edgeworth knew he could count on him, no matter what happened. And even if he’d never admit it out loud, it was very mutual. He’d gone far out of his way for Wright before, hadn’t he? He’d risked his badge pretending to be a defence lawyer because Wright had asked.
Risking Wright’s life, on the other hand? That was not something he wanted to do.
“Of course I do, you fool. But this isn’t about trust, it’s about not putting you in danger unnecessarily.”
Wright crossed his arms. “Oh, but if you’re in danger, that’s fine?”
“I’m a prosecutor, it comes with the job. I chose this. You did not.”
“Haven’t you been listening? I’m choosing to help you.” Wright’s frown relaxed a bit. “I’m telling you, why would they suspect me of having anything? I appreciate the concern, really, it’s touching, but not necessary.”
Before Edgeworth could refute him yet again, there was another knock at the door. “Sir!” Gumshoe’s voice said. “We have the forensics results.”
“Come in.”
The detective did, stopping at the sight of Wright. “Oh, hey, pal. Didn’t expect to see you here.”
“Detective.” Wright nodded. “I was just trying to help your boss out, but he refuses to accept.”
“Wright-”
“Really?” Gumshoe interrupted. “How?”
Wright explained his idea, and to Edgeworth’s dismay, the detective seemed enthusiastic about it. “That’s a great idea, pal! You’re right, Collantini won’t suspect you at all!”
“Detective!” Edgeworth interjected. “Are you saying you’d be fine with endangering the life of a civilian unrelated to the case?”
Gumshoe scratched the back of his neck. “Well, he is offering, sir, and he makes a good point. Why are you so against it?”
Edgeworth sighed. Gumshoe had caused this in the first place by mentioning the attack on his home to Wright. He would definitely be having a talk with him later. “I refuse to risk someone else for this case. End of story.”
“Well, sir, if you’re so concerned, I could put one or two of my best guys to watch over his home undercover. I would go myself, but I think Collantini knows me enough that he will suspect something if he sees me.”
“That’s...” Not a bad idea, but he wasn’t going to say such a thing out loud. Yet before he could finish his thought, Wright stepped closer to him and lightly put his hands on his arms.
“Edgeworth”, he said gently, expression soft. “You say you trust me. I trust you too, I mean, just think of how many times you’ve helped me. You’re the reason I have my badge again. You’ve done so many things for me, so please, let me do this one thing for you.”
Although he let go of his arms, the intensity of his gaze remained the same. He really, truly wanted to do this for him, for whatever reason. Edgeworth wanted to tell him that he didn’t owe him, for his badge or anything else, but something in Wright’s eyes said he knew as much.
He had to look away from the other’s beseeching gaze. It was too late to resist it, however. Wright was stubborn; he would continue to insist until he got his way.
“Fine”, he said. He returned his eyes to Wright’s, as serious as he’d ever been. “But if I, at any point, determine that it’s too dangerous for you to keep holding on to it, you’ll give it back immediately. Understood?”
Wright’s smile was nearly blinding. He had to look away again. He simply could not fathom why Wright was so delighted about putting his life at risk for him.
Sometimes, he agreed with Franziska. Wright was such a fool.
X
Of course, fate proved him to be a fool, too, by agreeing to the plan in the first place.
And to think that they’d almost been out of the woods. That day, he’d given the camera to Wright, and he’d left. Gumshoe had put two detectives to watch him, like he’d promised, and nothing had happened that day, or the day after that. Edgeworth didn’t have a lot of time to think about it, what with overseeing the investigation, but he was pleased to find that his worries were apparently unfounded.
Until the day of the trial, when he was woken up by a phone call. He blinked blearily as he picked it up.
“Hello?” he said, squinting at his beside clock. Four-thirty in the morning. Far too early to get up.
“Mr. Edgeworth!” a frantic, female voice cried in his ear. It took him a moment to place it, but when he did, his blood ran cold.
Trucy Wright.
“I just got home from the camp early, I was hoping to surprise Daddy, but the door’s unlocked and there’s a bunch of stuff knocked down and he’s not here, I think-” she hiccupped. “I think he’s been taken!”