Recap / Criminal Case: Pacific Bay - Case 56: A Killer Among Us

Chief Marquez: <Player's Name>, I think it's time we face the facts: whoever killed Danny was connected to this department! We can't trust anyone!

While waiting for Frank to arrive at the station with Danny Moto so they can interrogate him about the heist crew's sixth member, Chief Marquez hears him getting into a car crash over her police radio, prompting Amy and the player to rush to the hydroelectric dam he was just crossing. There, they find the patrol car with its tires blown up, Frank unconscious, and Danny electrocuted to death.

Tropes:

• Big Damn Kiss: Amy and Russell share a kiss at the end of the main investigation, with Russell getting a Love Epiphany after seeing Amy confronting Karen.
• Birds of a Feather: The flashback explaining how Roxie and Louis connected with each other shows they fell in love over their love for puns.
• Blackmail: Louis bribed Frank for some info about your investigation on the casino's heist, but when Frank refused to tell him anymore, Louis threatened him with telling you he was snitching.
• Call-Back: Karen Knight returns after being absent since the finale of Innovation Valley.
• The Chase: At the end of the case, Amy and the player decide to pursue Frank and Karen to The Wastes, a radioactive wasteland in the outskirts of Pacific Bay.
• Cliffhanger: The case ends with Amy and the player venturing into The Wastes, a polluted no man's land where Frank and Karen have run off with the plutonium stolen from the Mennagio's vault.
• The Climax: For Paradise City.
• Continuity Nod: Jeremy Bowman and Sheikh Faisal are mentioned in Russell's diagram about how to identify possible killers before they murder someone. Mikey Bolero's picture is also seen on it.
• Dating Catwoman: Roxie had been secretly dating Louis De Rico after they meet in a bar and instantly fell in love, something she hid because he was a criminal and makes her a suspect since he was murdered by Danny.
• Dirty Cop: Frank, since he was taking bribes from Louis to keep him informed about the police's moves on him and later murdered Danny to hide this fact.
• The Dog Was the Mastermind: Of all people, Karen turns out to be the sixth man and mastermind behind the casino heist.
  Karen: And by the way, <Player's Name>... This "sixth man" you were looking for. Did it ever cross your mind that it could be a woman?
• Downer Ending: Frank, your trusted partner that has accompanied you since the beginning of the game, turns out to be a murderer and The Mole for the casino heist, and he flees the city with Karen to evade justice, forcing you to chase after them.
• Everyone Is a Suspect: Frank, Hannah, Russell, and Roxie become suspects in this case, with Yann also getting under Amy's radar from time to time due to her trust issues.
  Amy: Haha! The killer left a gold coin behind! Their first mistake! Let's get this to...
  Wait, half the team are suspects. Who do we get this to?!
• Frame-Up: Someone (heavily implied to be Karen due to the circumstances) left Hannah's blueprints and a puzzle belonging to Russell in the scrapyard near Danny's briefcase, as well as Roxie's necklace on the armory from where the murder weapon was taken, so they would become suspects.
• Grievous Bottley Harm: Frank did this to himself with a whiskey bottle after killing Danny to avoid suspicion.
• Gut Punch: While not as depressing as It All Ends Here, this case can still feel like a kick for those who like Frank, as seeing him become a murderer and escape justice with his manipulative ex-wife is pretty tragic.
• He Knows Too Much: Frank killed Danny because he believed himself to be the sixth man.
• Heroic BSoD: Chief Marquez gets one after the trial, with Frank and Karen escaping justice and after being held hostage at gunpoint by the latter.
  Chief Marquez: I'm sorry, I think I need some time alone, <Player's Name>. But thank you for what you did today.
• High-Voltage Death: Danny was killed with a modified stun gun that fried his body.
• Hope Spot: Karen becoming a suspect eases Amy's mind a little, since that means the killer could be someone who is not part of the team. Unfortunately, that ends up being not true.
• Hostage Situation: Karen takes Chief Marquez hostage during Frank's trial, ordering his release so they can escape from town.
• Instantly Proven Wrong: Right after Amy says she refuses to believe someone from the department could have been involved in the heist or Danny's death, Chief Marquez informs you that the spike strip used to blow up Frank's patrol car came from the station's armory, confirming that the culprit is someone from the team.
• Irony: Amy remarks how ironic is that the killer hit Frank with a whiskey bottle to rend him unconscious.
• Jerk Justifications: Frank tries to justify how he secretly threatened Danny by arguing that he thought Danny was going to accuse the player of being the sixth man.
• I Just Want to Be Loved: Russell deduces that the reason why Frank decided to betray the department was because he wanted to be loved by his family again, which is why he chose to help Karen to get back with her and his daughters.
• Knockout Ambush: The killer blew up the patrol car's tires then knocked out Frank with a Tap on the Head before killing Danny. Later Subverted, though, as we find out that Frank faked the ambush by blowing the tires and hitting himself after he murdered Danny.
• Love at First Sight: Roxie and Louis instantly fell in love after sharing some puns.
• Love Epiphany: Russell gets one towards Amy after seeing her bravely stand up against Karen in the courthouse, leading to their Big Damn Kiss.
• Master Computer: Hannah had been working on one, which would require plutonium. And since plutonium was stolen from the Mennagio during the heist and Danny was in possession of Hannah's blueprints, she becomes a suspect.
• Modesty Towel: How Karen is introduced to the case, since you encounter her at Frank's house during his interrogation.
• The Mole: Frank turns out to be the one who had been informing Louis about the police's investigation on the heist, since Louis (and by extension, Karen) convinced him to cooperate with money and promises of seeing his daughters again.
• My God, What Have I Done?: Frank regarding being The Mole and murdering Danny.
  Frank: Oh, I'm so ashamed! I didn't mean to do this... I got in too deep. I couldn't stop!
  Amy: You could have stopped when you took Louis De Rico's money. You could have stopped when you fired that stun gun. You could have stopped when you betrayed your friends.
• Not Brainwashed: Russell deduces that Frank was not manipulated by Karen, but he willingly betrayed the team so he could get his family back.
• Official Couple: Amy and Russell become one at the end of the case.
• Oh, Crap!: Amy's reaction when Yann informs you that the killer is male, which means it's either Frank or Russell.
• Outlaw Couple: Frank and Karen are confirmed to be back together by this case, but they also are revealed to be criminals who flee out of town after the case ends.
• Overworked Sleep: Roxie tries to defend herself by revealing that she takes naps on the armory and that's why her necklace was there.
• Pop the Tires: Frank deliberately did this with a spike strip to fake an ambush and murder Danny.
• The Radio Dies First: The case starts with Frank's radio dying off while speaking with Chief Marquez, prompting her to order Amy and the player to rush to his location.
• Running Gag: Yann complaining about having to perform everyone's analysis, since Roxie, Hannah, and Russell become suspects and therefore cannot be trusted. Maybe it's Roxie's revenge for having to do the same before?
  Yann: Why are you doing this to me, <Player's Name>?! Please bring the team back, I could barely work out anything from this graph you found in the junkyard!
• Sarcasm Mode: Amy thanks Roxie for the encouragement when she says they'll die if they get lost in The Wastes.
• Secret Relationship: One between Roxie and Louis, since she knew the team would disapprove of her dating a criminal.
• Selective Obliviousness: Chief Marquez refuses to assume Frank would just kill someone in cold blood, believing Karen has been manipulating him.
• Sex with the Ex: When you interrogate Frank for the second time, you discover he's been having sex with Karen both in his house and at the police armory (which is a crime scene), prompting her to become a suspect.
• I Shall Taunt You: Karen taunts Amy when she tries to stop her from fleeing with Frank.
  Karen: Oh, the little junior officer. You're going to stop me, are you? Are you sure you know how to use that thing?
• Shout-Out: In the Broken Casino Signs scene, there is a red and gold version of Captain America's shield, without the star.
• Tap on the Head: Frank did this to himself with a whiskey bottle, pretending he was attacked to avoid suspicion of killing Danny.
• That's an Order!: Chief Marquez orders Amy to let Frank and Karen go, saying they can go after them when things are less tense and she's not being held hostage.
  Chief Marquez: Amy! Stop! Let Frank go. We can bring them to justice another day!
  Amy: But... But Chief...
  Chief Marquez: That's an order!
• Tomato in the Mirror: Subverted. Hannah thinks she's the sixth man since she unknowingly helped the crew commit the heist, but it's later revealed this isn't the case.
• Unwitting Pawn: Hannah accidentally helped the heist crew commit the crime when Danny anonymously challenge her to crack a supposedly undecipherable casino code, which belonged to the Mennagio.
• I Want Them Alive!: Chief Marquez says she wants Karen alive when you go after her.
• Wham Episode: Frank is revealed to be the traitor inside of the police department, and he and Karen flee to The Wastes to avoid justice, forcing you to chase after them.
• What the Hell, Hero?: Amy calls out Russell after he shows relief over Danny's death, since that means the killer identifying algorithm he's been working on can function.
  Russell: And the good news is, now Danny's dead, I can disregard his results! My beautiful graph works!
  Amy: What?! A boy is dead and all you care about is results of some stupid research? Don't you care how suspicious this makes you?! Don't you see what that does to me?!
  Russell: I don't understand. What have YOU got to do with this?
  Amy: You know, for a genius, you're the stupidest man I've ever met.
• What Would X Do?: Amy asks what would Russell do after Yann fails to find a clue on the gold coin left behind by the killer.
• Working with the Ex: Frank and Karen had been working together about covering Karen's tracks regarding her involvement in the casino heist, which included killing Danny for knowing too much.
• Wounded Gazelle Gambit: Frank blew up the tires of his own patrol car then smashed himself with a bottle to appear he was attacked by the killer.