Recap / Criminal Case: World Edition - Case 42: In Plain Sight

Michelle: What?! Our witness is dead? Then <Player's Name>'s right! Only The Mole could've killed a detainee right here at headquarters!

After being told by Carmen in the previous case that Lavinia De Brills had been murdered before she could tell you who the traitor was, Ingrid decides to put the Bureau on a state of emergency and promotes Michelle to an official team member, asking her to help the player investigate Lavinia's murder and discover who The Mole is. Once that's settled, Michelle and the player rush to Lavinia's cell, where they find her body with a bullet wound on the head.

Tropes:

• The Alibi: Jonah and Marina prove their mutual innocence when he claims they were "busy" together, much to Jack's disgust.
• Ascended Extra: Michelle becomes an official member of the Bureau at the start of the case, getting authorized to cooperate with the player since she won't be swayed by personal bias due to barely knowing the rest of the team.
  Ingrid: I'm authorized to give you this badge, Michelle! You're now a member of the Bureau.
• Asshole Victim: Considering her willingness to help SOMBRA and the fact that she was a convicted murderer, it's really hard to feel sad for Lavinia's death, to the point no one actually mourns for her during the case at any point.
  • Ditto for Aristide Akintola, a ruthless mercenary who tried to kill the team before.
• Back for the Dead: Aristide Akintola unexpectedly returns after being arrested for murder, and is promptly dispatched by Jonah when he tries to kill you first.
• Becoming the Mask: Angela assumes that the reason why SOMBRA tried to kill her with the airplane crash back in Madagascar was because they assumed she was getting a little too loyal to the Bureau and they couldn't risk her becoming a defector.
• Big Damn Heroes: Jonah manages to save you and Carmen from being killed by Aristide just in time before he can pull the trigger.
• Bittersweet Ending: In contrast with the previous two instances of the franchise where a teammate turns out to be the killer, this case ends on a slightly more positive note that manages to save it from being a Downer Ending, as Angela neither commits suicide or escapes justice like Chief King and Frank, respectively, and her motives for betraying the team are made entirely clear during her arrest and post-trial interrogation, whereas King and Frank's motives end up being a mystery until you manage to discover the full extent of them in the final district. The Bureau's reactions at the end of the case are also shown to be more positive than those of the Grimsborough/Pacific Bay Police Departments during their respective betrayals, looking forward to keep fighting SOMBRA and quickly deciding to hire a new coroner despite everything, while the previous two teams remain depressed and/or distraught about the whole ordeal for quite some time.
• Boom, Headshot!: How Lavinia was killed. Aristide later meets his end the same way, courtesy of Jonah.
• The Bus Came Back: Grace Delaney from the Grimsborough Police Department is selected by Chief Ripley as the replacement for Angela after her arrest, though you must go fetch her in the Antarctica first.
• Call-Forward: During the video showing the birth of the Douglas Triplets, Lars deduces one of them will go to live with pandas, which is exactly what April tries to do in Case 26.
• The Climax: For Africa and the SOMBRA Mole Story Arc.
• Connected All Along: During her arrest, Angela reveals she's the one who recruited Lavinia for the diamond smuggling operation in the first place, meaning both the SOMBRA Mole and the Diamond Smuggling subplots were connected all this time.
• Continuity Cameo: In the Break Room crime scene, there are photos of Jones and Omar Bahir.
• Continuity Nod:
  • Chief Ripley's supposed death is mentioned.
  • Angela's laptop has a picture of her and Lars kissing in Case 15. Jack's special mug that he gifted to you and Asal in the same case also appears in the Break Room scene.
  • Spring Angels Foundation is mentioned.
  • While being interrogated by Michelle, Elliot recalls how she defended the SOMBRA agent that kidnapped him.
  • Jack excuses his lately unprofessional behavior due to Asal leaving him in Case 36.
• Crazy-Prepared: Angela was prepared for being captured and arrested by the player, as she left a video for Lars in her laptop and put their Spring Angels charity on his name so SOMBRA couldn't do anything with it.
• Damsel in Distress: Carmen gets kidnapped by Aristide Akintola at the start of Chapter 3, forcing Jonah, Michelle, and the player rush to her rescue.
• I Did What I Had to Do: Angela tries to excuse her actions with this, claiming that she trusts SOMBRA and therefore all the evil things she did for them were entirely justified.
• Didn't Think This Through: Angela admits that she didn't consider what Aristide would do to you after releasing him from prison, as she was getting desperate but didn't actually wanted him to hurt you.
• Dissonant Serenity: Michelle considers Carmen's calmness while being interrogated to be unnerving, to the point she assumes Carmen's the mole just because of it.
  Michelle: You don't seem fazed by being interrogated. Must be your years of experience on the other side of the table.
• The Dog Was the Mastermind: Among the non-culprit suspects, we have Ripley's Mysterious Past and coincidentally surviving an assassination attempt from SOMBRA, Elliot's immense intelligence and rebelliousness, Carmen's no-nonsense attitude despite being one of the good guys, and even Jack's Manchild tendencies and ditziness making it possible that he really used his gun to commit the murder (not to mention the addition of Michelle as the player's new partner, which would make the loss of Carmen or Jack a non-issue); all of these factors would make any of them seem very fitting as being the killer/traitor of the Bureau. Angela, on the other hand? She's been nothing but a helpful and caring Nice Girl during the entire season, being Happily Married to Lars, showing her Mama Bear side with her daughters during both Asia arcs, and even created a charity for adopted children without expecting something in return not long ago... And she still turns out to be part of SOMBRA after all this time.
• Don't Call Me "Sir": Elliot gets angry at Michelle during his interrogation when she keeps calling him "Mr. Clayton".
  Michelle: That defense wouldn't stand up in court. Even if you didn't commit the crime, you'd be guilty of destroying evidence, Mr Clayton.
  Elliot: Don't "Mr Clayton" me!
• Drowning My Sorrows: At the end of Chapter 1, Jack gets plastered on whiskey due to him being labeled as a suspect, getting hurt at the fact the player and Michelle, a former SOMBRA member, are teaming up against him.
• Everyone Is a Suspect: Half of the Bureau becomes suspects in this case, including both of your main partners. As a result, Ingrid promotes Michelle as an official Bureau member to help you solve the case.
• Evil All Along: Angela, though she considers herself and SOMBRA to be more like Anti-Heroes than evil.
• False Confession: Carmen falsely confesses being the mole on a phone call, since Aristide was forcing her to lure you towards him.
• Frame-Up: Judging by how she used Jack's gun to kill Lavinia, is clear that Angela intended him to be your prime suspect during the investigation.
• Glad He's On Our Side: Elliot declares this about himself as part of his defense during an interrogation.
  Elliot: Wake up, <Player's Name>! If someone with my skills were helping SOMBRA, there'd be nothing left of the Bureau by now!
• Good Costume Switch: Michelle changes her outfit at the start of the case after being promoted to the Bureau, substituting her black suspenders for blue ones, collecting her hair in a ponytail, and donning her Bureau badge on her blouse.
• Guilt Complex: Angela admits that the reason why she created Spring Angels was because she was starting to feel guilt about being part of SOMBRA, and therefore tried to balance it with a good action for once.
• Hangover Sensitivity: After Drowning His Sorrows, Jack gets hit hard with this during his second interrogation, begging for mercy and a painkiller.
• He Knows Too Much: Even from the start, Michelle states the obviousness of the motive behind Lavinia's murder.
  Michelle: At least we have a clear motive: Lavinia knew who the mole is! The murder was an act of desperation. We need to fight back with dispassionate logic.
• Heroic BSoD: Lars gets so distraught about his wife's arrest that, by the end of the case, Chief Ripley lets him take some time off to be with his daughters back at home.
• Hostage Situation: Carmen gets taken hostage by Aristide at the start of Chapter 3.
• Innocently Insensitive: Elliot regarding Angela's arrest, which he remarks right in front of Lars.
  Elliot: No hard feelings, by the way. I can't believe it was Angela who-
  Lars: Hey, can we talk about something else?
  Elliot: Oh, sorry, Lars...
• Insists on Being Suspected: Chief Ripley congratulates both Michelle and the player after you label her as suspect for plausible reasons, commending you for following every lead without bias.
• Is This a Joke?: Jack says a variation of this after you call him into the interrogation room.
  Jack: <Player's Name>, what the heck is this about? I'm not in the mood for jokes.
• Lured into a Trap: Aristide kidnaps Carmen then forces her to perform a False Confession to lure you into a trap in Lavinia's hotel room. Fortunately, Ingrid requests Jonah's assistance during the rescue.
• Lying to Protect Your Feelings: Angela declares she only lied and hid her identity as SOMBRA to avoid hurting Lars and her daughters.
  Lars: How can you pretend to care about children when you lied to our little girls?!
  Angela: Don't you understand?! I lied to keep you safe!
• The Man Behind the Man: As the one who recruited Lavinia to perform the diamond smuggling across Africa, Angela is this for that subplot.
• Man Hug: Jack embraces Lars in a hug when the latter starts to cry after you arrest Angela.
• Manly Tears: Lars cries during Angela's arrest, and later when you interrogate her in her prison cell.
• Marriage of Convenience: Subverted. Lars believes Angela just married him as part of her cover for being a SOMBRA agent, but Angela declares SOMBRA never wanted her to marry him in the first place, and only accepted because she truly loved him.
• Miranda Rights: Michelle uses these to shut Jack up when he keeps insisting you to leave the fact he slept with Lavinia out of the case report, claiming that he should be familiarized with the right to remain silent and therefore should be using it.
• Missing Mom: Lars admits that the hardest part about Angela's arrest is how he's going to explain to the triplets that she will be gone foreer.
• Mistaken for Cheating: When you find Angela's wedding ring inside Lavinia's hotel room in Nigeria, Lars assumes you're trying to imply she's been "running off with a hot guy to a hotel" before Michelle tells him the whole truth.
• The Mole:
  • The case center around finally unmasking who is the SOMBRA agent and traitor inside of the Bureau.
  • When you find traces of Chief Ripley's DNA in Lavinia's room, she admits she had been trying to discover if Lavinia was a member of SOMBRA, and even attempted to recruit her to become an informant and mole for the Bureau.
• My Master, Right or Wrong: Angela has this mentality regarding SOMBRA, with her Undying Loyalty preventing her from seeing all the bad things the organization has done apart from their experimentation with children.
  Angela: I don't expect you to understand, Lars. I didn't want to leave SOMBRA! I believe in them, even if I disagree with some of their methods.
  Lars: You can't be serious! SOMBRA must've brainwashed you!
  Angela: They didn't brainwash me! They gave me a life! SOMBRA took me in when I became an orphan at age 8!
  They taught me everything I knew! I wasn't going to question them!
• Necktie Headband: After getting drunk of whiskey, Jack barges in the Bureau's break room during a meeting wearing this.
• On Three: What Jonah does before storming Lavinia's room to confront Aristide and save Carmen.
• Please, I Will Do Anything!: When you interrogate Jack about the threatening message he left to Lavinia, he begs you to not ask him about it before succumbing and admitting that they had Sex for Solace.
• Pretty Little Headshots: Lavinia's body has this. Justified, as Angela has been trained with weapons by SOMBRA and Lavinia trusted her, so she had no reason to be nervous.
• Promoted to Playable: Michelle becomes your partner in this case after being promoted to an official member of the Bureau.
• Put on a Bus: Both Angela and Lars leave the Bureau at the end of the case, Angela permanently while Lars only temporary.
• Red Alert: Ingrid declares code red emergency at the start of the case after Lavinia's death becomes known and Jack and Jonah start arguing.
• Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: Despite being a loyal SOMBRA agent, even Angela thinks they've gone too far regarding their child trafficking and experimentation, and thus decides to help you during the Additional Investigation by informing you about a tracking chip she found inside of an assassin's body, allowing Elliot to use it and track the rest of the agents in Africa.
• Selective Obliviousness: Even after Angela confesses for the murder and proudly declares herself a SOMBRA agent, Lars refuses to hear her words, opting to believe she's been brainwashed when nothing suggest that to be the case.
• Sex for Solace: Jack admits he and Lavinia slept together back in Kenya after getting drunk, since he was still hurt about being left by Asal. When he woke up the next day, he was so mortified he actually threatened Lavinia to not say anything about it, which gets him in trouble when Michelle misunderstands the message.
• Shout-Out: One of the killer's traits is that they eat W&W's, a parody of M&M's.
• Smug Snake: Angela ramps up her smugness and snarkiness in this case, Trash Talking Michelle about her past ties with SOMBRA and subtlety mocking your advances throughout the case.
  Angela: Nice theory. But worthless without proof.
  Michelle: Your tongue's as sharp as your mind, Angela.
• Sour Outside, Sad Inside: Elliot gets very angry at you and Michelle the first time you interrogate him, but later Dupont tells you he's so sad he locked himself inside of the library so no one will talk to him.
• Sticky Fingers: Angela tries to blame Sanjay with this after you find her wedding ring inside of Lavinia's hotel room.
  Angela: It's obvious my ring went missing from the morgue, and I can even tell you who nicked it!
  I didn't make a fuss out of respect for Carmen... But we all know Sanjay's got sticky fingers!
• Swiss Bank Account: Chief Ripley becomes a suspect after you find out she opened an offshore account in Mazunda under another name, which leads Michelle to believe she was planning to run away when you discovered she was the mole. However, it turns out she was using that account ever since she faked her death in Europe, as she needed to stay low.
• Take Care of the Kids: Carmen asks you to take care of Sanjay during her False Confession before hanging up.
• There Are No Coincidences: What Michelle thinks of Chief Ripley faking her death back in Europe, seeing it as a little too convenient and wondering how she accomplished it without SOMBRA's help.
  Michelle: You misled the Bureau for months, after allegedly surviving a poison dart for months, only because you knew what antidote to take, and when.
• Tracking Chip: During the Additional Investigation, Angela tells you she found one of these inside the body of a SOMBRA recruit, and tells you where to find it so you can track down the remaining assassins spread across Africa.
• Trash Talk: Angela, Elliot, and Jack do this on different levels towards Michelle, berating her for her attitude during their interrogations despite the fact she used to be part of SOMBRA and therefore shouldn't be being so pushy.
• Useless Security Camera: The security camera inside of Lavinia's cell conveniently gets disabled by Elliot during the murder and therefore cannot be used to advance the investigation. According to Elliot, he decided to disable the cameras so the mole couldn't spy on the Bureau, something that gets him flagged as a suspect.
• Villainous Breakdown: Angela starts having this before the investigation even begins, as Michelle deduces killing Lavinia was an act of desperation for her part and Angela herself admits she only released Aristide out of prison because she had no idea what to do to avoid being caught.
• I Want My Mommy!: After you put Carmen in custody for being a suspect, Sanjay tearfully requests seeing her, as he can't bear the thought that Carmen could be part of SOMBRA.
  Ingrid: Sanjay, I told you: Carmen can't have visitors in custody. It's against regulations.
  Sanjay: BUT I WANT TO SEE HER!
  I want my mom!
  Ingrid: Sanjay, I've never heard you call Carmen "mom" before!
  Alright, I guess we can make an exception...
• Was It All a Lie?: Lars asks Angela this when he talks to her in prison, believing that their relationship was just a lie as part of her cover for SOMBRA. However, Angela claims that she truly loves him and even defied SOMBRA by marrying him.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: What Angela sees SOMBRA and herself as: well-meaning people with extreme methods that are shunned by society because of them. She even declares she continued being part of SOMBRA because she believes they will make the world a better place for her daughters.
• Wham Episode: Michelle officially joins the Bureau, Angela of all people is exposed as the SOMBRA mole inside of the Bureau, she's promptly arrested because of it, Lars gets Put on a Bus for the time being, and at the end of the case the Bureau travels to the Antarctica so they can recruit Grace Delaney as the new coroner.
• What the Hell, Hero?: When Michelle begins interrogating the suspects, she gets the player subject to a lot of these. It's to be expected from Jack given his feisty history with Michelle, but even Angela snarks that the player can't work with their trusted partners, something that Michelle takes it in stride.
• Wounded Gazelle Gambit: After you rescue Carmen from Aristide, Michelle theorizes that Carmen, still being the mole, could've hired Aristide to make it look like she was in danger and garner your sympathy, something that even Carmen admits makes sense.
• You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: According to Angela, she didn't actually expect SOMBRA to take down the Bureau's plane while travelling to Kenya, which made her realize SOMBRA saw no more use for her. For this reason, she decided to recruit Lavinia in the diamond smuggling scheme as a last-ditch effort to prove her worth.