Chief Marquez: Rhine Canyon is a beautiful wilderness, if a little harsh... But it's also an excellent place to hid if you're breaking the law.
Upon being promoted to Rhine Canyon, Chief Marquez sends Frank and the player on patrol so they can get a feel of the new district, where they end up with a flat tire in the middle of the desert highway. There, they find the body of teenager Cal Stark impaled on a cactus.
Tropes:
- Accidental Murder: Jordan accidentally pushed Cal onto the cactus when he tried to force him into his truck after he saw his grandson hitchhiking to leave Rhine Canyon, something that didn't set well with Jordan. For this and showing genuine remorse, Judge Dante gives him a somewhat lenient sentence of 10 years.
- Agent Scully: As expected, Frank thinks that Spangler's secret project involving alien sightings is just plainly hilarious.
- All Bikers are Hells Angels: Cal was member of a biker gang called the Crystal Skulls, whose leader, Bubba Wyatt, looks like a gruff thug.
- Blatant Lies: When Bubba asks back for his confiscated whisky, Frank says he has no idea where it is even though he's drinking from it.
- Bleed 'Em and Weep: Jordan felt so guilty after accidentally killing Cal that he left a remorseful message on Cal's favorite spot in Rhine Canyon.
- Call-Back: Colonel Spangler returns after being absent since Case 23.
- Classified Information: Spangler refuses to tell you what his activities in Rhine Canyon are about, claiming they're top secret.Frank: Isn't it convenient for Colonel Spangler that he can never tell us anything?
- Conspiracy Theory: During the Additional Investigation, you find a newspaper where various people have been talking about alien sightings in Rhine Canyon, which are being silenced by none other than Colonel Spangler.
- Continuity Nod: Frank recalls how Colonel Spanger created a monster plant and indirectly got Jazz Town almost destroyed by a hurricane with his secret projects.
- Contrived Coincidence: Frank wonders what were the odds of they getting a flat tire right next to a body.
- Country Mouse: Ana tells you that, despite acting all fancy in the big city, Chief Marquez will always be a resident of Rhine Canyon on the inside.
- Everyone Went to School Together: Chief Marquez and Ana Herdez, the local cop of Rhine Canyon, went to the police academy and have been rivals ever since.
- First Contact: Cal was trying to contact aliens so he could escape Rhine Canyon with them, something that his best friend Missy Benedict found crazy.
- Flying Saucer: During the investigation, you find a photo of an UFO taken by the victim, telling Spangler that "the truth is out there." For his part, Spangler warned Cal about releasing the photo to avoid a mass panic, something that Frank finds amusing.
- Foreshadowing: Despite usually being an Agent Scully (such as finding the Weather-Control Machine of Jazz Town a fairy tale at first), the fact that Chief Marquez doesn't doubt about Spangler's alien-involving project hints at the fact that she might know something about it after all.
- Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: The victim was killed by being pushed onto a cactus, whose spines penetrated his liver and poisoned his body according to Roxie.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Jordan's reaction when you arrest him for accidentally killing his grandson.Jordan: Cal got stuck. He started bleeding... I should... I should have helped but I... I panicked and left him there. I'm such a coward!
- Pop the Tires: The case starts with Frank and the player getting a flat tire on the highway. Fortunately, they had a spare one in the trunk of the police car.
- Pun: When the player suggests looking inside a bird's nest for clues, Frank asks you if you've gone cuckoo.
- Raised by Grandparents: Cal had been raised by his grandfather Jordan ever since his parents died when he was 10.
- Shaped Like Itself: Frank is thankful of the fact that deserts are so deserted since that means few people live on them.
- Shout-Out:
- Bubba Wyatt is the leader of a biker gang called the Crystal Skulls.
- Route 76 is a parody of Route 66.
- Small Town Boredom: Cal wanted to leave Rhine Canyon and become an Ivywood star (and later hitch a ride with aliens) since he was getting bored of his hometown, but his grandfather wanted him to stay and take care of the family farm. When Cal refused, the ensuing confrontation led to his death.
- Troubled Teen: Cal, being a teen bored with his hometown, committed a lot of petty crimes that got on local cop Ana Herdez's nerves, including joining a biker gang.
