"I doubt the definition has changed - it's still a blockage or rupture of a blood vessel in the brain," Edgeworth said. "So, if he wasn't slurring his speech, he could think and communicate clearly, and he was able to move with no difficulty, which are some of the marking signs of stroke, that rules it out. And more importantly, he wouldn't have shown his face in public if he was showing any of those signs. He values appearance too highly for that."

It took every ounce of restraint not to laugh when Javert mentioned von Karma's claim of being the subject of a bungled experiment. That was not only a lie, it was an incredibly sloppy lie. That meant only one thing: desperation to cover up something. "I don't believe von Karma had undergone an experiment for a second, much less a botched one. We've seen enough of the aftermath of experiments to know that the doctors that perform them are highly precise in their work. A doctor would be fired before they were able to do a human experiment if it was thought they were capable of making a mistake."

Miles frowned at that next statement. "I would believe that he hadn't gone the week undisturbed if there was any sign that he'd had an intravenous line inserted - was he wearing a bandage on his hand or in the crook of his elbow? If not, I suspect that, too, is a lie, one calculated to garner some sympathy."