Gloria: Oh my God, <Player's Name>! Some people think museums are pretty dead at the best of times, but I didn't expect to find a body here!
Chief Parker decides to treat Gloria and the player by giving them the afternoon off to go visit the new museum exhibit on the Lost City of Xerda. Unfortunately, they don't get too far into the exhibit when they come across the body of historian and author Reggie Liotta, dead after having his head bashed in with a club.
Tropes:
- Amazon Brigade: One of the latest facts about Xerda discovered in this case is that the Xerdan had an army of warriors made up entirely of women, something Ray finds fascinating.
- Bludgeoned to Death: How Reggie Liotta was killed, courtesy of a Xerdan infantry stone club.
- Call-Back: Ray Parker reappears during the Additional Investigation. Timothy, The Higher Truth member you saw in a recruitment video in the previous case, also appears here.
- Childhood Friends: Ally Salinger, one of the suspects, was this for the victim, although their friendship took a hit when Reggie sidelined her when he became a famous author.
- Continuity Nod:
- Grimsborough Museum, which served as a crime scene twice in Season 1, returns here as the main scene of the murder.
- During her first interrogation, Laura tells you that a busload of tourists from Pacific Bay just arrived
- Jebediah Cobb, one of the suspects, is the author of The Lost City of Xerda, the book that served as a killer trait in Case 19.
- Dead Artists Are Better: After you inform him of Reggie's murder, Steve Roy, his author, immediately goes to advertise Reggie's book as having been written by a dead author in efforts to make it sell better.Steve: What can I say, <Player's Name>. Publishing is a cutthroat industry.
And although interest in Xerda is high, it's a still niche subject. But a dead author makes for wonderful publicity! - Dead Man Writing: Subverted. At the end of Chapter 1, Cathy tells you she's just received an email from the victim, but it turns out to be an automated e-bulletin sent to the followers of his blog.
- I Didn't Mean to Kill Him: Jebediah says this word for word during his arrest, calling the murder an act of passion in a desperate attempt to salvage his work. Judge Powell seems to kinda agree with this, as she gives him a somewhat lenient sentence of 10 years.
- Down the Drain: One of the crime scenes is a Xerdan underground cistern that's been serving as a touristic spot for Laura, a local tour guide.
- Embarrassing Old Photo: You find one of the victim with Jerry Miller, the museum's security guard, nakedly enjoying themselves amidst the exhibitions, something Jerry tried to destroy due to jeopardizing his career.
- Expert Consultant: Jebediah Cobb, the museum curator, is also a Xerdan expert who's been studying the civilization even before the earthquake unearthed the city, and Reggie's newfound discoveries about the Xerdan civilization that put Jebediah's expertise to risk is what led him to murder Reggie.
- Foreign Cuss Word: Laura calls Reggie a "klaatu," which apparently is a Xerdan insult. We don't get to learn its meaning, though.
- Guest-Star Party Member: Ray accompanies you during most of the Additional Investigation to help him prepare write a speech to give in place of the victim about his book.
- He Knows Too Much: A variation. Jebediah killed Reggie because the latter discovered the Xerdan society was a matriarchy instead of a patriarchy, which was the basis of Jebediah's entire work about the ancient civilization and whose revelation would put an end to his credibility. When Reggie refused to back off with publishing his book per Jebediah's request, he killed him.
- The Infiltration: During the Additional Investigation, Gabriel infiltrates The Higher Truth in an undercover mission to find out more about the cult and their intentions with people's money and DreamLife's satellite.
- Innocently Insensitive: While helping Gabriel pass as a rich individual to infiltrate The Higher Truth, Martine says she's never found a fashion disaster she couldn't fix, which bewilders Gabriel. She then calls him a "drab woolen cardigan."
- Long Speech Tea Time: While preparing his speech on the victim's book, Ray claims he'll make it short and snappy... which means three to four hours at most. Jones, who is required to attend, doesn't take this very well.
- Make Sure He's Dead: The killer checked Reggie's pulse after hitting him with the club to make sure he was dead, inadvertently leaving a clue on his body in the process.
- Matriarchy: The victim discovered the Xerda society was this, which clashed with Jebediah's research of a supposed patriarchal one. This conflict between knowledge eventually led with Jebediah killing Reggie.
- Mock Millionaire: During the Additional Investigation, Martine and the player help Gabriel pass off as a pompous millionaire whose money can't buy him happiness, all with the intention of infiltrating The Higher Truth.
- Museum of Boredom: Martine's opinion on museums can be resumed to this.Martine: I'll never understand people's fascination with history, <Player's Name>. Museums are so drab and tedious, I'm surprised your victim didn't die of boredom!
- My God, What Have I Done?: Jebediah says this when Judge Powell gives him his sentence.Jebediah: 10 years?! I'll probably die in prison! A defender of truth, a historian, guilty of murder. What have I done?!
- Nap Inducing Speech: Jones falls asleep during Ray’s presentation on the victim’s book, much to Chief Parker's embarrassment.
- One-Book Author: Xerda's Return was apparently the first book written by the victim, and it ended up being the last one too.
- Performance Anxiety: During the Additional Investigation, you help Ray overcome this for his speech on the victim's book, although said anxiety sterns more from not knowing what the book is about than being embarrassed of speaking in public.
- Plot Allergy: Martine discovers that the victim had one of these, which helps in identifying his killer. Noticing there was a slight discoloration in the skin of Reggie's neck, her analysis lead her to discover Reggie had an allergy to hand sanitizer. Since Reggie obviously wouldn't use hand sanitizer with such an allergy, she concludes the killer uses it and left traces on Reggie's body while checking his pulse.
- Primitive Clubs: The murder weapon was one of these, which was used by the Xerdan army back in the day.
- Pulled from Your Day Off: Gloria and the player stumble onto the body during their afternoon off at the museum.
- Race Against the Clock: In Chapter 3, Gloria and the player are given limited time to investigate the underground Xerdan cistern before it collapses.
- Scam Religion: The Higher Truth becomes even more suspicious of this when you discover they've been encouraging their followers to exclusively recruit rich people into the cult, which the department finds extremely convenient and suspicious of their part.
- Sex for Services: Reggie had been fooling around with Jerry so he'd give him exclusive access to Xerda's museum exhibition for his research, although Jerry eventually stopped it since it put his job at risk.
- Sexual Euphemism: When you discover Jerry had been letting Reggie enter the museum after hours in exchange for sex, Gloria says he'd been abusing his position as museum guard for "dalliances among the artifacts."
- Shout-Out:
- Jerry Miller is a parody of Larry Daley, and is named after him as well as Ben Stiller, who portrayed the character.
- Steve Roy resembles a young Stephen King.
- In the Museum Exhibition scene, there is a mannequin with a familiar hammer.
- In the Museum Pond scene, there is a soda can parodying Coca-Cola.
- In the Underground Cistern scene, there is a gold idol.
- Staging the Eavesdrop: During the Additional Investigation, Gabriel and the player stage an eavesdrop to attract the attention of a recruiter from The Higher Truth, which involves Gabriel lamenting how his immense fortune can't bring him happiness and he wants to find fulfillment in his life.
- Suppressed History: The killer's motive boils down to this: Reggie discovered the Xerdans were a matriarchal society instead of the patriarchal one Jebediah had been using as a basis for his life-long work regarding the civilization, which led to him killing Reggie in an effort to suppress his research and salvage his reputation.
- Surveillance Station Slacker: Jerry, the museum's night guard, had been turning a blind eye at the victim entering after hours in exchange for sexual favors.
- Tour Guide Gag: Laura Crosby has been taking advantage of the earthquake and the ancient city uncovered by it to make a living as a tour guide.Laura: It's an exciting time to be living in Old Town! Ancient tombs, cisterns, and columns... it's a tour guide's dream!
- Ungrateful Bastard: Ally, the victim's best friend, accused him of this after he didn't put her in the dedications for his book, even though she'd been supporting him in his dream of becoming a famed author no matter how much he failed.
- Unsportsmanlike Gloating: Reggie shows his book manuscript to Jebediah to gloat about how his discoveries outsourced Jebediah's work, which led to Jebediah murdering him in an effort to salvage his reputation.
