You know what they say...
Having learned about The Higher Truth's plan to commit mass suicide, Gloria and the player rush to Old Town's annual New Age Fair to arrest Steven Crowe, who is holding a recruitment booth there. However, this arrest warranty turns into a murder investigation when they find Steven's body besides his booth, dead after being stabbed through the eyes with his own earrings.
Tropes:
- And There Was Much Rejoicing: Meiko has no problem expressing her relief regarding Steven's death, since his cult is what led to her son committing murder and being thrown in jail.Meiko: Well, I do not mean to sound callous, but maybe at least this means no other mother will have to go through what I've gone through.
- Asshole Victim: Considering the fact Steven was a cult leader who indicted his followers to commit mass suicide, it can be really hard to feel sorry for his death, even when you find out Steven was completely devoted to his ideals and wasn't part of the Scam Religion aspect of The Higher Truth.
- Back for the Finale: Skylar Sage and Grayson Rosewater reappear as suspects in this case, which is the last one set in Old Town. Dr. Jennifer Russo and Rozetta Pierre also reappear during the Additional Investigation.
- Big Damn Heroes: Dr. Jennifer Russo steps in to help Deprogram the members of The Higher Truth still attempting to commit mass suicide even after the cult's termination, saving them from their brainwashing.
- The Bus Came Back: Elvira Milton returns after her only appearance in Case 26 of Season 1.
- Cigarette of Anxiety: Meiko uses clove cigarettes to calm herself.Meiko: Do you mind if I smoke? These clove cigarettes are the only thing that keep me up these days!
- The Climax: For Old Town.
- Continuity Snarl: It seems odd that Chapter 3's cover image shows Steven's eyes open as the earrings are about to be stabbed in, as Martine explains he was knocked out beforehand.
- Cult Colony: One of the crime scenes is The Higher Truth's headquarters, where its members lived after being stripped of all their material possessions.
- Deprogram: One of the main tasks during the Additional Investigation is helping the former members of The Higher Truth be deprogrammed of their brainwashing and desire to commit suicide, which you achieve with the help of Dr. Russo.
- Don't Celebrate Just Yet: At the end of the case, the police department barely has time to celebrate ending with The Higher Truth before Chief Parker tells them the Mayor has ordered them rush to Maple Heights, claiming that public safety is at risk.
- Evil All Along: Grayson Rosewater, Steven's second-in-command, is revealed to be Not Brainwashed by The Higher Truth's ideals, instead taking advantage of the cult and using its donations to keep funding his true employer: DreamLife.
- Eye Scream: Steven was murdered by having his eyes impaled with his own earrings.
- Figure It Out Yourself: During his arrest, Grayson tells you to figure out the truth behind DreamLife's supposed satellite by yourself, claiming that his work for the company is done.
- Former Friends Photo: Elvira is marked as a suspect when you find a photo of her and Steven during their younger years at The Higher Truth's headquarters.
- Good All Along: Heavily Downplayed. While calling Steven "good" is a very big stretch, turns out he was genuinely in the dark about The Higher Truth being a Scam Religion due to Grayson being the true mastermind behind it, and thus his mass suicide plan was genuinely connected to his twisted ideals.
- Graceful Loser: When you find definitive proof of Grayson being the one behind the Scam Religion of The Higher Truth, he doesn't put much of a fight, claiming that his work is done and even confessing he'd been working for DreamLife all this time.
- Heel Realization: During her arrest, Skylar explains this is how she came to the conclusion that The Higher Truth was a scam, although she ended up blaming and killing Steven instead of Grayson.Skylar: I used to believe everything he said! But then he announced the Release and yet he kept asking for more money! And that got me thinking.
Why did The Higher Truth need everyone's money if we were all going to leave for another plane of existence?
Gloria: That's a good question, Ms Sage! Did you try to get an answer?
Skylar: Yes, I did. I confronted Steven at the Fair. He gave me the same old line about material things holding us back...
But he wouldn't tell me where all that money was going and to what purpose!
I realized in that moment Steven was simply using us all to get rich! He probably wasn't even going to attend the Release! - Hopeless Suitor: Elvira reveals she was still in love with Steven, but he left clear to her they couldn't be together anymore due to The Higher Truth.
- Horror Doesn't Settle for Simple Tuesday: The case takes place during the annual Old Town New Age Fair.
- If I Can't Have You…: Elvira sent Steven a Higher Truth pamphlet scribbled with lipstick telling him this, since she wanted to continue with their relationship and be Together in Death like they had planned since they were teenagers.
- Improvised Weapon: Steven was killed with his own earrings, which to be fair are quite sharp and pointy triangles.Martine: I've seen quite a few crimes against fashion when I was a model, but I've never seen someone use earrings as a murder weapon before!
- Karma Houdini: Once again, Rozetta manages to get away scot-free from DreamLife's misdeeds due to claiming she had no idea about Grayson planning to steal The Higher Truth's member's money after they committed suicide, giving her and her company another pass thanks to Plausible Deniability.
- Last Episode, New Character: Meiko Kato, Haruki Kato's mother, is introduced in this case as a suspect.
- The Man Behind the Man: Grayson Rosewater and by extension DreamLife are outed as the ones behind The Higher Truth being a Scam Religion to fund the company's activities, since Grayson infiltrated the cult on DreamLife's orders after he discovered they were worshiping their satellite and eventually convinced Steven to start asking for donations.
- Mama Bear: Meiko confronted Steven about his cult because she wanted answers and possibly revenge for The Higher Truth brainwashing her son and making him a murderer.
- Misplaced Retribution: After having a Heel Realization about The Higher Truth being a Scam Religion, Skylar confronted and eventually murdered Steven for it, not knowing the true mastermind behind the money scheme was Grayson all this time.
- Must Have Nicotine: Meiko mentions that, last time she attempted quitting smoking, she binged on donuts and her blood sugar rocketed.
- Not Afraid to Die: Gabriel tells you the members of The Higher Truth are totally okay with the idea of committing suicide, showing just how much Steven's indoctrination got to them.
- Not Brainwashed / Obfuscating Insanity: All this time, Grayson had been pretending to be on board with The Higher Truth's ideals and their suicidal pact just so he could steal all their money and use it to keep funding DreamLife.
- One of Our Own: Gabriel becomes a suspect in this case due to lying about being at The Higher Truth's headquarters during Steven's murder, as he actually went to confront him at the fair in an attempt to make him stop the mass suicide plan.
- Plausible Deniability: Rozetta does this to protect herself during a video recording of her and Grayson discussing his plan to collect funds for DreamLife using The Higher Truth.Rozetta: Do NOT even say another word! I do not want to know every little detail of your organization, Grayson!
Grayson: Fair enough. Plausible deniability is always a good thing... - Right for the Wrong Reasons: Skylar came to the correct realization that The Higher Truth was a Scam Religion... and accused Steven of creating the cult in the first place for this motive, when The Higher Truth only started asking for donations due to Grayson's meddling.
- Scam Religion: While Steven created The Higher Truth and stuck to its twisted ideals without wanting to gain money, Grayson eventually convinced him to start accepting donations, which then he used to keep funding DreamLife with the excuse that they were the owners of the "fallen angel" they worshiped.
- Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: Gabriel went to the New Age Fair to confront and try to stop Steven from committing suicide along The Higher Truth despite how dangerous it was for his cover.Gloria: So you jeopardized this operation for nothing, and you didn't tell us about it!
Gabriel: What was I supposed to do? Shutting down the cult was taking too long! I'm sorry I lied, but I couldn't put police procedures above people's lives! - Shout-Out: In the Chapter 1 cover image (pictured above), Steven resembles Jesus.
- Sympathetic Murderer: Even if she got the culprit wrong, Skylar killed Steven because she came to the Heel Realization that The Higher Truth being a Scam Religion, and thus decided to save the cult's members from a meaningless death by taking him out.
- Tap on the Head: The killer first knocked out Steven with a rock before stabbing him through the eyes.
- Wham Line: During Grayson's arrest, he gives one regarding the supposed satellite that crashed in Grimsborough a year ago.Grayson: HA! You still think it's a satellite? That's almost as funny as these idiots thinking it was a divine messenger.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Gloria berates Gabriel when you discover he lied about being at The Higher Truth's headquarters during the murder and instead going to the fair to confront Steven, since it put the entire cover operation at risk.
- Wounded Gazelle Gambit: When you interrogate Skylar, she seems absolutely distressed at the death of "The Enlightened One," which is just a cover as not only she didn't believe Steven's nonsense anymore, but she also murdered him.
- You Monster!: Meiko made a protest sign calling Steven a monster because of his cult brainwashing his son and turning him into a murderer.
