Recap / Criminal Case: Mysteries of the Past - Case 46: Turn for the Worse

You never know where a Monster Clown might be hiding in.

The Flying Squad decides to take a well-deserved break after arresting The Devil in the previous case by visiting the travelling circus, which is currently staying at Grim Chapel. Unfortunately, things turn for the worse when Isaac and the player stumble onto the body of knife-thrower Lynn Hart, stabbed by her own knives and pinned to the Wheel of Death.

Tropes:

• Abusive Parents: Faith's parents didn't like her dream of being a writer, so their solution was committing her to a mental hospital while she was completely sane.
• The Alibi: When you interrogate Harold, he says that he couldn't have killed Lynn since he has been chained up all day as part of his escape act.
• All Love Is Unrequited: Twinkles was in love with Lynn, who in return was in love with Mysteria. However, neither of them had their love reciprocated by their loved ones.
• Ambiguous Gender Identity: Isaac has trouble figuring out what Mysteria's gender identity is, although she's quickly to clarify it for him.
  Isaac: Pardon me, sir... I mean madam... I mean-
  Mysteria: You may call me Mysteria, and I assure you, I'm a madam.
• Attention Deficit... Ooh, Shiny!: Isaac is so thrilled about visiting the circus that he has some of these moments during the investigation.
  Isaac: Look at these marvelous costumes! What a rare opportunity to witness the goings-on of the circus!
  Of course, <Player's Name>. I must focus on the task at hand.
• Beardness Protection Program: Faith has been posing as a bearded woman named Mysteria to protect her identity and avoid going back to Gryphon Sanctuary.
• Big Damn Reunion: Hope and Faith finally reunite with each other after Hope looking for her sister for months. Hope even admits she doesn't care Faith is in prison, as she can go visit her anytime unlike Gryphon Sanctuary.
• Blackmail: Lynn had been blackmailing Harold by threatening to reveal the public his magic tricks, as she got hold of the book he used to perform them. What was she blackmailing him about is unknown however.
• Busman's Holiday: Isaac and the player spend their time at the circus solving a murder.
• Call-Back: Hope Woodford reappears as a suspect.
• Chekhov M.I.A.: Faith, Hope's sister that she listed as a missing person in Case 43, appears here as a suspect and killer
• Circus of Fear: The case takes place in a creepy circus during nighttime.
• Continuity Nod:
  • When you find a photo boot with pictures of the victim, Isaac recalls how he saw a similar one at the World Exhibition.
  • The travelling circus is apparently the same one seen in Case 20. Isaac even mentions how it recently moved from Sinner's End to Grim Chapel.
  • Commissioner Baldwin's death is mentioned when you meet the new Commissioner.
• Damsel in Distress: Played for Laughs when Maddie accidentally disappears during Charlie's magic trick and gets trapped on his closet for hours.
• Dead Guy on Display: The killer left Lynn impaled on the Wheel of Death in a public stage.
• I Did What I Had to Do: Faith claims she had to kill Lynn to avoid getting sent back to Gryphon Sanctuary, as Lynn had discovered her true identity.
• Disappearing Box: Charlie uses one of these with Maddie to test his magic trick skills, which results in Maddie getting locked in his closet and becoming mad at him.
• Escape Artist: Harold Coppersmith, one of the suspects, is a combination of this and a Stage Magician. The first time you encounter him, he's triying to get out of a locker while chained.
• Girls with Moustaches: Mysteria is a bearded woman working as one of the circus' attractions, although you later discover it's actually a fake beard and mustache as part of her disguise.
• He Knows Too Much: Mysteria murdered Lynn because she discovered her true identity and Faith Woodford, and she feared Lynn would say something and sent her back at Gryphon Sanctuary.
• Hopeless Suitor: Twinkles was this regarding Lynn, who in return had an unrequited crush on Mysteria.
• Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: After being stabbed, Lynn was impaled to a Wheel of Death with a bunch of throwing knives.
• Kill the Ones You Love: Even though Lynn was her best friend, Mysteria/Faith had to kill her in an act of desperation to avoid her secret being revealed, as she feared Lynn was going to tell someone her true identity.
• Lovely Assistant:
  • Delores Bower was the victim's assistant on her knife-throwing show, although Delores was jealous of Lynn's success and felt she deserved to be the main protagonist.
  • Later, Charlie uses Maddie as a test subject for his Disappearing Box trick, which results in Maddie disappearing into Charlie's closet. She's not amused.
• Meet the New Boss: Thaddeus Mulroney, the new police commissioner, is introduced in this case as a replacement for the late Commissioner Talmadge Baldwin.
• Mighty Roar: One of these alerts Isaac and the player of a nearby lion that almost attacks them, though Isaac manages to calm him down by offering him a hot dog.
• Non-Ironic Clown: Despite having a pretty unnerving makeup, Twinkles is shown to be a friendly and completely non-malicious circus clown.
• Not So Above It All: Despite acting like a gentleman who doesn't bother with "childish" things, Isaac is shown to be thrilled and excited about visiting the circus, getting some Attention Deficit... Ooh, Shiny! throughout the case.
• Only Friend: Mysteria claims that Lynn was the only friend she managed to make at the circus, although Lynn wanted them to become something else.
• Only Known by Their Nickname: Twinkles the Clown never has his name revealed throughout the case. Subverted with Mysteria, as we learn her true identity during her arrest: Faith Woodford.
• The Patient Has Left the Building: Faith escaped from Gryphon Sanctuary after being Wrongfully Committed by her Abusive Parents, hiding under the alias of Mysteria and murdering Lynn after she found out about it.
• Pet the Dog: Judge Lawson permits Hope and Faith share some time together before sending Faith to prison, as he's sympathetic of Hope's struggle about reuniting with her sister after looking for her for months.
• Pinned to the Wall: When you find Lynn's body, she's been impaled to a Wheel of Death inside of a circus tent.
• "Shaggy Dog" Story: The conclusion of Hope's search for her sister ends with this, as Faith gets sent to prison just when Hope had finally found her. At least Judge Lawson gives them some time together before incarcerating her, and Hope promises Faith to visit her every day.
  Isaac: A more tragic case I can hardly conceive, <Player's Name>. We finally discover the whereabouts of Hope Woodford's sister, Faith...
  ...Only to have to arrest her for murder!
• Shout-Out:
  • Twinkles the Clown is a parody of Pennywise.
    • Chapter 2's cover image features a jack-in-the-box resembling Tim Curry's Pennywise killing Georgie Denbrough.
    • In the Circus Ring scene, there is a solitary red balloon.
  • Harold Coppersmith is a parody of magician David Copperfield.
  • In the Dressing Room scene, there is a portrait of William Shakespeare.
  • Oslan the Lion is a parody of Aslan.
  • Romeo and Juliet is quoted.
• Smoke Out: Harold Coppersmith does this as his exit the first time you speak with him.
• Wounded Gazelle Gambit: When you inform Mysteria about Lynn's murder, she cries while telling you Lynn was her best and Only Friend, even when she was the one who murdered her.
• Wrongfully Committed: Faith was committed to Gryphon Sanctuary by her parents as a punishment for pursuing her dreams involving being a writer, which is why she escaped and killed Lynn to protect her secret. Due to this, Judge Lawson requests the Squad to investigate Gryphon Sanctuary and their staff.