Recap / Criminal Case: Mysteries of the Past - Case 54: Arrow of Injustice

Isaac: Chief, the congratulations will have to wait! We've just received word from City Hall... Mayor Castletown's been assassinated!

With Horatio and Malcolm Rochester in jail, it appears the Flying Squad has taken down the Rochesters once and for all. Unfortunately, the good mood is quickly drained when they are informed that Mayor Cornelius Castletown has been assassinated, prompting Chief Wright rush Isaac and the player to the City Hall. There, they find the Mayor dead at his desk with a crossbow bolt in the back of his head.

Tropes:

• Alcohol-Induced Idiocy: Isaac gets so drunk after finding out Castletown slept with Marla he claims he's going to kill him with his bare hands, which prompts Chief Wright to tell him the mayor is already dead.
• Alliterative Name: The victim, Mayor Cornelius Castletown.
• All for Nothing: The Squad had been trying to stop the Rochesters from abolishing free press throughout the district. They do when they lock up Horatio and Malcolm Rochester... and then Justin Lawson becomes mayor and abolishes the press himself anyway.
• Ax-Crazy: It seems prison has... had an effect on Eleanor Halsted's psyche, to say the least.
• Back for the Finale: Thaddeus Mulroney and Deputy Mayor Justin Lawson reappear as suspects in this case, which is the last one set in Ivory Hill.
• Bittersweet Ending: The case and district as a whole ends with the Flying Squad finishing off the Rochesters and their intended reign of terror for good, as well as incarcerating Horatio, Malcolm, Thaddeus, and Eleanor for what's possibly a life sentence for each of them. However, their plan to save the freedom of press is rendered moot when Justin Lawson decides to abolish it upon becoming the Mayor, and judging by his New Era Speech detailed below, is clear Lawson might become a huge problem in the near future...
• Bomb-Throwing Anarchists: During her Motive Rant for murdering the Mayor and attempting to assassinate Lawson, Eleanor tells you her plan was to eliminate every politician and authority figure in Concordia to create a new society where only gangs and criminals would thrive and govern the city, as her time in prison warped her ideals to the point she believed only them were fit for "making Concordia great again."
• Boom, Headshot!: Cornelius was killed by being shot in the back of the head with an arrow.
• The Bus Came Back: Eleanor Halsted makes her official return here as suspect and killer.
• Call-Back: Marla de Paradis returns as a suspect, while Katherine Woolf reappears during the Additional Investigation.
• The Climax: For Ivory Hill.
• Continuity Nod:
  • Finley Flanagan and Franca Capecchi are mentioned during Eleanor's Motive Rant.
  • Charlie's telephone company is mentioned in his wedding vows.
  • The Swan Lake musical being cancelled is brought up by Marla.
• Cool Crown: During the Additional Investigation, you help Viola design one made of flowers for Maddie to wear during her wedding.
• Curse Cut Short: Katherine nearly curses Lawson after his New Era Speech during his mayor appointment.
  Katherine: Oh, that no good son of a-
  Chief Wright: No now, everyone, please let's all calm down!
• Dénouement Episode: Coming after the conclusion of the Rochester Story Arc in the previous case, this case basically serves as an afterthought designed to establish what'll be coming in the final district with Justin Lawson as the new Mayor of Concordia.
• Dies Wide Open: Mayor Castletown's body is found this way.
• Dirty Cop: While implied in the previous case, this one confirms Thaddeus Mulroney to be this once and for all, as he freed Halstead from prison to assassinate Mayor Castletown and Justin Lawson. She only manages to accomplish the former, though.
• Dirty Coward: It's revealed that Rose and Cornelius were scouts together when they were kids, but when Rose got her arm trapped under a boulder, he ran off, forcing her to have to cut off her arm. Suffice it to say, she considers Cornelius to be this.
• Drinking on Duty: Isaac gets absolutely plastered with Maddie's alcohol stash after he finds out Marla slept with Mayor Castletown, forcing Chief Wright to replace him with Maddie for the remaining portion of the case.
• Drowning My Sorrows: Isaac gets royally drunk in order to cope with the news that Marla slept with the Mayor. As a consequence, Maddie becomes the player character's partner in Chapter 3.
  Maddie: I'm sorry, Chief! I'm afraid Bontemps has been sampling the contents of my liquor cabinet! I tried to stop him but it was too late!
  I believe he was trying to get over the news that his companion, Marla, was having intimate relations with the Mayor!
• Drunken Song: A drunken Isaac is introduced at the end of Chapter 2 by drunkenly singing about how Marla has betrayed him.
• Gotta Kill Them All: During her arrest, Eleanor makes clear she wanted to kill not only Mayor Castletown and Justin Lawson, but the entire Flying Squad and police force of Concordia.
• Had to Come to Prison to Be a Crook: After spending who knows how many months in prison for her actions in Century Mile, Halsted is shown to have turned into an even bigger deranged psychopath aiming to murder every politician and police member in Concordia, believing that only gangs and criminals are fit for governing the city.
• Improbable Aiming Skills: The killer was able to fire a crossbow bolt through a window glass into the back of Mayor Castletown's head. As such, one of the killer's traits is that they're a skilled marksman.
  Dick: Well, I don't need to tell you the Mayor was killed by an arrow to the head!
  But what is surprising is that the assassin managed a shot that smashed through a window AND pierced the victim's skull! This isn't something just anyone can do...
• Karma Houdini Warranty: Thaddeus is finally arrested in this case after you find solid proof he was bribed by Malcolm Rochester to release Eleanor from prison and assassinate Lawson, since all you previously had were assumptions that held no water in court.
• Life-or-Limb Decision: Rose reveals the real reason why she lost her arm is because it got trapped under a boulder during her time as a scout with Castletown, but he ran off instead of calling for help and left her to die there, forcing Rose to cut it off.
• Long List: Charlie's vows for his wedding with Maddie are apparently seven pages long, some of them talking about his telephone company and others comparing their baby with a toaster. Fortunately, Diego and Evie help him reduce their length and make them more appropriate for a wedding.
• Mayor Pain: Lawson berates Mayor Castletown throughout the case due to his inability to lead the city, calling him a lazy man who only wanted to go on fishing trips.
  Maddie: Lazy, cowardly, philandering... it seems our murdered Mayor was disliked for a plethora of distasteful reasons!
• Never My Fault: Eleanor blames Mayor Castletown for abandoning her after being arrested, ignoring the fact she was completely guilty of her crimes.
  Eleanor: I sacrificed everything - my health, my sanity, even my freedom, for that blasted Mayor and his city!
  But when I got arrested, that pompous swine dropped me like a hot potato, and didn't lift a finger to come to my aid. It was HUMILIATING!
  Maddie: May I remind you that you were arrested because of your corrupt practices, so it's no surprise you lost the Mayor's support!
• New Era Speech: Near the end of the case, Lawson gives one during his inauguration as the mayor of Concordia. The reception is... mixed.
  Lawson: Ladies and gentlemen, it is my great honor and privilege to stand before you as the new Mayor of Concordia!
  Too long has our fair city been dragged into the fiery pits of hell by weak and corrupt leaders! Too long have we lost our way through crime and greed! Too long have we SUFFERED!
  And we, the people of Concordia, will NO LONGER stand for it!
  My inauguration today marks the dawn of a new era! An era of peace, of prosperity, and most important of all - of JUSTICE!
  And I pledge to do everything... EVERYTHING... in my power to ensure we uphold the laws of the land, for the betterment of all!
  Ladies and gentlemen, half-measures will no longer do - my conscience will no longer allow it!
  Which is why my first action as Mayor will be to invoke a state of emergency across Concordia so that EVERY citizen is safe!
  As Mayor, this state of emergency will also give me the power to stop the filthy lies that infiltrate our brains through the newspapers we read...
  ...By abolishing freedom of the press!
  From now on there will only be one newspaper in Concordia! I've called it The New Truth, and its name suggests, it will only contain information that is true and just!
  Today, ladies and gentlemen, you have witnessed history in the making! Here's to a new and better future for us and for our children.
  LONG LIVE CONCORDIA!
• One of Our Own: Rose becomes a suspect after it's discovered she had drinks with the Mayor to discuss how to implement the bulletproof vests she invented across the police department.
  Isaac: And Rose, now you're a suspect in this investigation, please stay away from the case files, won't you?
• Overly-Nervous Flop Sweat: Evie reacts this way when you send her the numbers of a bank account Mayor Castletown constantly made payments to, as she discovers they belong to Marla and the implications aren't pretty.
• Propaganda Machine: At the end of the case, Mayor Lawson decides to abolish the free press and establish a sole newspaper with nothing but positive news of his regime named The New Truth.
• Removed from the Picture: Thaddeus did this with a photo of Mayor Castletown during his inauguration, replacing the mayor's head with his own. According to him, he did this because one of his dreams was becoming the mayor.
• Romantic Wingman: Diego and Viola become this for Charlie and Maddie during the Additional Investigation, respectively, helping them prepare for their wedding at the end of the case.
• Selective Obliviousness: When Marla tells Isaac she did had Sex for Services with the mayor, Isaac is so stunned he refuses to believe it at first before breaking down crying.
• Sex for Services: Mayor Castletown and Marla constantly slept together for this reason, something that understandably breaks Isaac's heart.
• "Shaggy Dog" Story: At the end of the case, Mayor Lawson decides to abolish the free press and create his own and only newspaper for the city, something the Flying Squad fought tooth and nail against the Rochesters to prevent from happening.
• Speak Ill of the Dead: While most of your suspects except for Marla do this in varying degrees, Isaac notably ends up joining them after he discovers Mayor Castletown paid Marla to have sex with him, leaving clear that he's not feeling sorry for Castletown being assassinated anymore.
• State Sec: During the Additional Investigation, you discover Mayor Lawson is putting together one of these called the Justice Corps, which he plans to make his muscle during his time as mayor. The Flying Squad and Katherine are understandably worried about this.
• Unishment: Thaddeus considers getting fired from the police force this.
  Thaddeus: You again, <Player's Name>! Let me use this opportunity to thank you for firing me...
  ...Because it's given me all the time in the world to play golf - the only pastime worthy of my superior status.
• Visionary Villain: The reason why Eleanor attempted to assassinate Lawson and murdered Castletown can be resumed in this.
  Eleanor: Sending me to prison was the best thing you could have done for me, <Player's Name>. It showed me the light!
  Maddie: The light? Whatever do you mean?
  Eleanor: It made me realize justice is just an illusion, and people like you, <Player's Name>, who claim to be protecting our city, are deluded!
  It is only the Finley Flanagans and Franca Capecchis who have the vision to transform our world!
  This city and its false, limp leaders all need to burn so that the truly righteous can rise from the ashes and make Concordia great again!
  Maddie: So what you're saying is Concordia would be better served by a bunch of gangster leaders, and every member of the justice system should die?
  Eleanor: Indeed! The Mayor and his Deputy were just the first names in my very long kill list. You were next, <Player's Name>!
• What the Hell, Hero?: A few people call out Isaac after he's shown to be happy about the mayor's death, since he discovered he'd been sleeping with Marla for the past few months.
• We Used to Be Friends: Rose tells you she and Castletown used to be friends before he left her trapped below a boulder during their time as scouts, forcing her to cut off her own arm to escape.
• Wedding Episode: A portion of the Additional Investigation focuses on Charlie and Maddie preparing for their wedding, which goes without a hitch in the end.
• Worst Wedding Ever: Maddie and Charlie are so deeply afraid of this happening they request Diego, Viola, and your help.
• You Are in Command Now: Deputy Mayor Justin Lawson is promptly ascended into becoming the new mayor after Cornelius Castletown dies.