Recap / Criminal Case: Pacific Bay - Case 52: Death at the Circus

Amy: Surely nothing bad can come from a quick stroll by the circus and some cotton candy!

Amy suggests the player taking a break by going to the circus, only to have their fun ruined when they find the body of acrobat Annie Capri suspended from a silk rope.

Tropes:

• Bad Boss: Orsino severely mistreats his employees, underpaying them, making them work too hard, and chasing them down whenever they try to have a break. But the worst part is when we discover that he makes the Hanoi Sisters sleep in a cage, which makes Judge Dante threaten him with shutting down the circus if he doesn't change his ways during the Additional Investigation
  Orsino: She complained that I made her work too hard! Bah! The circus is only meant to be fun for the audience, <Player's Name>! For the artists, it's blood, sweat and tears!
• Busman's Holiday: Amy and the player stumble onto the body during their day off at the circus.
• Call-Back: Eugenia Hestentrope, the owner of the Mennagio Casino, reappears during the Additional Investigation to warn you about Louis De Rico, who she believes is putting together a Caper Crew to rob her casino.
• Caper Crew: Eugenia is convinced that Louis De Rico is putting together one of these to rob her casino, but nothing's been proved yet.
• Circus Brat: The Hanoi Sisters have been members of the circus ever since they were children.
• Clashing Cousins: Between Coco the Magnificent and Louis De Rico.
  Coco: Look, Louis's a cousin of mine. I wish he wasn't, but he is. Joke's on me, I guess.
  Amy: So what did Louis want with you then?
  Coco: I don't know - he came by the rooftop party trying to talk to me, but I don't want anything to do with a thief.
• Conjoined Twins: The Hanoi Sisters, a pair of Vietnamese twins who are always seen arguing with each other.
• Continuity Nod: In the Wax Museum, there are statues of Juan Rodrigo Vasquez and Tyler Snakes.
• Control Freak: Mikey Bolero killed Annie because she wanted to run away from the circus, but Mikey wanted to stay and wouldn't allow her to go alone.
  Mikey: She was my partner, she owed me loyalty! I found her in the wax museum, took her back to the circus... and strangled her with her own ropes!
• A Day in the Limelight: Judge Dante gets to be your partner for a big portion of the Additional Investigation after being relegated to the courthouse for 51 cases.
• Dead Guy on Display: The victim was hanged and left for everyone to see above the circus' stage.
• Dude, Where's My Respect?: Despite being their boss, Orsino rarely gets any respect from the workers of the circus, not even getting invited to their after-work parties. Considering he's a Bad Boss, though, it's clear to see why they treat him this way.
• Guest-Star Party Member: Judge Dante becomes your partner during the Additional Investigation, as he wants to investigate about the circus and how its employees are treated.
• Evil Laugh: Mikey performs one the moment he's caught and reveals himself to be Annie's killer.
• Human Traffickers: During the Additional Investigation, you discover that the Hanoi Sisters were bought in Vietnam and brought to Pacific Bay.
• Lack of Empathy: Coco says that Annie's death are great news since that's one less coworker who will make fun of him.
  Amy: You're happy that your colleague died? That's very insensitive, even for a... grumpy clown like you! Not to mention suspicious!
• Ladies and Germs: Amy when you discover an unusual clue inside of a box.
  Amy: Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls! The world-famous <Player's Name> presents... a balloon animal?
• Lame Pun Reaction: After Roxie says that things are up in the air regarding your victim, Amy asks if she's got a bad pun for every imaginable way a person can die.
• Mad Artist: Freddy Gomez, a creepy loner who works at the wax museum treating his sculptures like real people. He even wanted to "immortalize" Annie with one of his statues, which understandably freaked her out, and during the Additional Investigation you discover that he may be working with the Caper Crew being put together by Louis De Rico.
• Menacing Museum: What Amy thinks of the wax museum you visit during the investigation.
  Amy: A wax museum? You mean those places where you can see wax lookalikes of celebrities? I've always found them creepy!
• The Paranoiac: Eugenia continues believing that Louis De Rico is planning to rob her casino.
• Pie in the Face: How Coco responded to Louis attempting to talk to him.
• Repulsive Ringmaster: Downplayed. Despite having some Lack of Empathy regarding Annie's death, Orsino Ziegfeld, the circus ringmaster, is mostly friendly and not antagonistic towards you, being more focused on properly running his circus. With his employees though...
• Rhyming Names: Annie Capri.
• The Runaway: Annie wanted to run away from the circus and start a better life in Ivywoods with her partner Mikey, but he wanted to stay at the circus, so she ran away on her own. When Mikey found out about this, he chased her down and killed her.
• Sad Clown: Literal example with Coco the Magnificent, a circus clown who is often grumpy and in a bad mood due to people making fun of him.
  Coco: Ah, <Player's Name>, you don't know anything about circus life! Being laughed at isn't so easy! Especially when it's your fellow artists who make fun of you!
  Now excuse me, I have to practice falling over my own shoes for tonight's performance. Come back tonight if you like! Or don't, what do I care?
• Shout-Out:
  • In the Wax Museum scene, there are figures resembling Elvis Presley, Marie-Antoinette, and Marilyn Monroe, as well as Jason's mask and a helmet resembling a clone trooper's.
  • In the Wax Museum Entrance scene, there is a bottle of "Rrush" soda, referencing Crush.
• Sibling Rivalry: One between conjoined twins, no less.
  Hanoi Sister A: We are literally joined at the hip, so we have to go everywhere together. But we also have two heads, so we don't always agree on everything!
  Hanoi Sister B: Hey, it's YOU who-
  Hanoi Sister A: Oh don't you dare start that again!
• Stalker with a Crush: Freddy had been stalking Annie since he fell in love with her whilst watching her performance at the circus, making him a strong suspect.
• Tempting Fate: The line said by Amy just before the case begins, which also serves as this page's quote.
• Skewed Priorities: When you inform him about Annie's death, Orsino despairs at the thought of having to find another talented acrobat.
• Wounded Gazelle Gambit: Mikey, the killer, cries when you inform him about Annie's death.