The market isn't the only thing crashing today.
In the middle of a financial crisis elapsed by the death of Bank Head Clarissa Rochester in the previous case, Maddie and the player are informed that a murder has been reported at the Wolf Street Stock Exchange Center. There, both officers find the body of stockbroker Abner Milton with a stab wound on his chest.
Tropes:
- Ambition Is Evil: What Deirdre thinks of stockbrokers and investors when you inform her about the murder.Deirdre: I'm not surprised he got murdered. Stock people are sharks!Maddie: What do you mean by that?Deirdre: The crash got 'em all scared, and when sharks are scared, they LASH OUT!
- Call-Back: Ezra Bleak, Lord Frederick Wilson, and Lady Highmore come back as suspects. Katherine Woolf also makes a return during the Additional Investigation.
- Comically Missing the Point: Lord Wilson does this on purpose when you inform him that one of his belongings was found near the crime scene.Maddie: Lord Wilson, a stockbroker named Abner Milton was murdered, and we found your flask near the crime scene.Frederick: It was unnecessary to return the flask. I could always purchase another.Maddie: That's not the point...
- Continuity Nod:
- Mr. Bleak had to move his pawn shop business to Wolf Street after his previous one burned down at the New Haven fire.
- One of the killer's traits is that they read a book published by the victim of the previous case.
- Counterfeit Cash: Easton Belmont has been using counterfeit money from an unknown source, and one of the tasks of the post-investigation is tracking down where the counterfeit cash has been coming from.
- Crowd Panic: As a result of the stock market collapsing and hundreds of people losing their life savings, the stockbrokers and investors of Wolf Street are going crazy and trying to find solutions, even if they involve shady sources such as using Counterfeit Cash.
- Dating What Mommy Hates: When Lady Highmore says Maddie's mother has had "her feathers ruffled a bit" due to her dating Charlie, Maddie says that one of the benefits of a relationship with him is scandalizing her mom.
- Don't Celebrate Just Yet: Right after you solve the murder and arrest Easton, Maddie and the player are tasked with investigating the his affairs and the Counterfeit Cash he's been using, meaning that his crimes are far from over.
- Family of Choice: After having an argument with her mother regarding the true identity of her father, Viola begins to wonder is she should continue her Gene Hunt for him, as her stepfather is still the man who raised her despite everything.
- Flaw Exploitation: Mr. Bleak claims that his business is thriving for this reason, as everyone is so desperate for some money after the stock market crash they're pawning everything they own to him.
- Foreshadowing: When you send Diego the counterfeit money the killer owned, he seems somewhat nervous and fidgety about the result, although he continues his analysis as normal. Come the next case, and you discover the counterfeiter was his ex-girlfriend, something he probably deduced by looking at the fake bills.
- Fruit Cart: Deirdre Calhoun, a young woman who makes a living selling chili dogs at the steps of the Stock Exchange Center, had her chili dog cart destroyed when the victim pushed it onto an oncoming truck on purpose, as he claimed the smell of chili dogs made him nauseous.
- Gene Hunt: Viola continues with the hunt for her real father in this case, tagging along the player during the Additional Investigation to find a cup belonging to him that her mother pawned. She recovers it and even manages to collect a matching DNA sample, although not enough to prove his real identity.
- Hangover Sensitivity: Maddie is once again suffering from this, as she celebrated moving with Charlie by drinking with him all night. Unlike last time, she still decides to work, although is seen suffering from nausea and headaches.
- He Knows Too Much: Easton killed Abner because he discovered Easton had been using Counterfeit Cash, blaming him for snooping into his affairs.
- Malicious Slander: Mr. Bleak tried to slander the victim's name with posters telling people to not trust their money on him, as Abner used to work for Mr. Bleak until he quit to work as a stockbroker and left Mr. Bleak understaffed.
- Newspaper Backstory: During the investigation, you find a newspaper reporting how the victim pushed Deirdre's chili dog stand onto oncoming traffic and wrecked it.
- Saying Too Much: During his arrest, Easton accidentally reveals he killed Abner for discovering he was using counterfeit money, landing him into a lot more trouble than just a simple murder charge.
- Shout-Out: In the Showroom and Counter scenes, there is a suit of armor resembling a Big Daddy.
- Sore Loser: During a party hosted by her, Lady Highmore got beaten by the victim at a game of poker and won a family heirloom she bet, which made her so angry she went to the Stock Exchange Center to destroy his calculator in revenge.
- Tempting Fate: Just when Maddie was starting to recover from her Hangover Sensitivity nausea, this happens:Maddie: At least my hangover is completely gone, and the nausea with it!Rose: [With a chili dog] Who's hungry?Maddie: Oh, no, the nausea's back!
- Too Desperate to Be Picky: Despite claiming to make his own invests in the stock market, Lord Wilson eventually gave up trusting his instincts and paid the victim to help him due to Abner being an experienced stockbroker. Unfortunately for Lord Wilson, Abner took the money then ran off without helping him.
- We Buy Anything: As a result of the people panicking and selling or pawning all their possessions, Mr. Bleak has started to accept everything offered to him at his pawn shop, taking advantage of the chaos elapsed by the market crash.
