Recap / Criminal Case: Grimsborough - Case 56: There Will Be Blood

The Big Bad reveals itself at last.

After receiving a note from the Crimson Order telling you to go to the woods, you find the body of Aloki leader Delsin Peota, scalped to death and with a warning sign for you engraved onto his chest.

It's time for you to put stop at the Crimson Order once and for all.

Tropes:

• A God Am I: Milton declares himself this during his arrest.
  Milton: Gold has given the Crimson Order unlimited power! As it's leader, I get to choose who lives and who dies in this town. I am Grimsborough's God!
• Ambition Is Evil: Solomon Grimmes exterminated almost all of the Aloki people back in the day just so he could get hold of their gold mine.
  Jones: The Aloki Indians saved the Pilgrims' lives! And in return, your ancestor went and killed them all! How could he do such a thing?!
  Milton: Quite easily. Solomon discovered the Aloki Indians have an abundance of gold. Enough gold to make them all rich... or one of them a king!
  And so Solomon devised a plan to gather all the Aloki Indians under one roof in order to kill them all... and so he seduced Inaya.
  Jones: Wait a second, Solomon married Inaya just so he could invite them to the Pilgrim Feast and kill the Aloki Indians more easily?!
  Milton: A genius move, wasn't it? And there, in that beloved gold mine, the Crimson Order was born.
  Jones: I just can't believe it... All those centuries of murder... Just because of some gold...
• Back for the Dead: Delsin Peota, the Aloki Indian you met in Case 53, is the victim of this case.
• Back for the Finale: Cathy King, Serena Johnson, Anakee, and Milton Grimmes reappear as suspects in this case, which is the last one set both in the Airport and in Grimsborough. Howard Johnson and Alden Greene also appear in the end after being absent since Case 51.
• Big Damn Heroes: Ramirez manages to save you from Milton by smacking him with his Frying Pan of Doom just as he was about to shot you.
• Big Damn Kiss: Cathy and Alex finally kiss when the former is being locked up for being the most suspicious person of the case.
• Bittersweet Ending: You manage to put a stop to the Crimson Order after their centuries-long reign of terror in Grimsborough and also give the Aloki people their lands back. However, many of the friends and allies you made throughout the game, such as Rachel, Margaret, Madison, King, or Howard, are either dead or incarcerated, and you decide to join the Pacific Bay Police Force, leaving Grimsborough and your remaining friends behind. At least they're happy with your decision though.
• Blackmail Backfire: You finally manage to uncover the whole truth behind Adam Bentley's murder: he accidentally stumbled upon the Crimson Order's illegal gold mining operation, so he tried to blackmail them for some of their money in exchange of keeping quiet, so Serena ordered King to kill him.
  Serena: Tss, you're lucky that Samuel King refused to kill you. And about Adam, that idiot found out about the gold mine and thus the existence of the Crimson Order...
  ..He tried to blackmail us, but that's not how we silence people! So instead of paying him in gold, we paid him in lead!
• But Now I Must Go: At the end of the case, you decide to quit the Grimsborough Police Department and join the Pacific Bay one, starting a new life in a new city.
• Call-Back: Ramirez performs a Big Damn Heroes moment by smacking Milton with a frying pan just like how he saved you from a hypnotized Jones in Case 41.
• The Climax: For the Airport.
• Continuity Nod: During the final scene, the team begins to recall many of the events that transpired in Grimsborough, such as your very first case, Grace adopting a dog, Jones almost dying due to a poisoned cupcake, Alex meeting Cathy, and Nathan meeting Harper.
• Darkest Hour: Chapter 3 becomes this. The Crimson Order decides to step out of the shadows in a city-wide broadcast, offering to spare and reward whoever brings your head to them.
• Dead All Along: Anakee reveals she's actually an Aloki spirit.
  Anakee: Do not fear, Jones, I am the soul you called Anakee. But I have been called many names through time... I bear the voices of the Aloki tribe, the voices of those who fell here at the Crimson Order's hands...
  Their souls are able to rest now. And mine shall too... After so long, I had nearly given up hope... But you stopped the madness tainting this city.
• Dénouement: The conflict is entirely solved by the end of Chapter 3 with Milton and the Crimson Order exposed and arrested, and so the Additional Investigation focuses on helping the Aloki people recover and the Police Department saying their farewells to the player.
• Do Not Adjust Your Set: In Chapter 3, the leader of the Crimson Order appears on TV to inform the citizens of Grimsborough that they are stepping out of their shadows, putting a price on your head.
  Leader: Citizens of Grimsborough, today is a big day, for we, the Crimson Order, are stepping out of the shadows and will take charge of the city.
  Only one obstacle remains in our way: <Player's Name>, of the Grimsborough PD. Bring us their head and you shall be rewarded!
• Dramatic Unmask: Milton taking off his mask and revealing himself as the leader of the Crimson Order. It even is this page's image.
• Dressing as the Enemy: Jones dresses with Milton's attire after you arrest him to trick the rest of the Crimson Order at their base and arrest them.
• Earn Your Happy Ending: After so many trials, deaths, arrests, betrayals, and putting a stop to an evil Ancient Conspiracy, the Grimsborough Police Department finally celebrate their well-earned peace with a party.
• Elaborate Underground Base: Downplayed. You discover that the Crimson Order's base is a hidden gold mine, but isn't anything fancy or elaborate.
• Evil All Along: Howard and Serena Johnson are revealed as members of the Crimson Order and the ones who made Chief King kill Adam in the first place.
• Evil Gloating: Milton begins to do this during his arrest. Unfortunately for him, this allows Ramirez to strike him with a frying pan.
• Evil Matriarch: Serena Johnson, considering she's actually a member of the Crimson Order.
  Serena: History will remember me as the greatest matriarch this city has ever known!
• Faux Affably Evil: Before his arrest, Milton has shown himself as a polite and nice individual. After being exposed as the leader of the order? Not so much.
• A Fête Worse than Death: You finally discover just what happened to the Aloki people and why they've been living in poor conditions all these years: after seducing Inaya, Solomon Grimmes invited all the Aloki people to a feast to celebrate their union, but this actually was a trap set by him, who proceeded to murder all of the Alokis just so he could get hold of their gold mine and form the Crimson Order.
• The Farmer and the Viper: The Aloki saved the pilgrims' lives during Grimsborough's harsh winter, what did Solomon do in return? Killed almost them all over gold.
• Flaying Alive: Delsin is killed by having his scalp flayed off.
• Frying Pan of Doom: Ramirez rescues you from Milton with one of these, mirroring his actions in Case 41.
• Genocide Survivor: Keme became one of the few Aloki people to not get slaughtered by Solomon and his men, since he went to hunt bison to distract his mind from his heartbreak.
• Gunpoint Banter: During Milton's arrest, both he and Jones decide to have a little chat regarding how Solomon slaughtered all the Aloki people while pointing guns at each other.
• He Knows Too Much:
  • Delsin got killed by Milton due to him discovering a mass grave of all the past Aloki people, which if brought to light, would confirm that the Aloki had been in Grimsborough long before the pilgrims arrived, which would let them reclaim their lands.
  • We also discover the reason why Adam Bentley was killed: he discovered the Crimson Order's gold mine, so Serena ordered King to silence him.
• I'm a Humanitarian: Downplayed, but still relevant. You find a chalice with the victim's blood from where the killer drank from. Thanks to this, Jones and the player come to the conclusion that the killer is also the Crimson Order's leader, since in secret societies only the leader does this practice.
• Implied Death Threat: Delsin's body is found with the words "You are next" carved onto his body.
• Last Episode, New Character: This case introduces Roman Harris, an architect that has built most of modern Grimsborough and was at the odds with the Aloki people since he was trying to construct on their sacred sites. Understandably, this makes him an strong suspect of Delsin's murder.
• Leave No Survivors: Solomon murdered almost all of the Aloki people to steal their gold mine, only missing Keme and a handful of other men who went hunting with him during the slaughter.
• Mental Time Travel: You do this one last time with the help of Anakee and her peace pipe, letting you revisit the Pilgrim Feast that was held in 1643 and serves as the key for uncovering the history of Grimsborough and solving this case.
• Mind-Control Eyes: Jones gains them each time he takes a drag from Anakee's peace pipe for Mental Time Travel.
• Moving-Away Ending: The Additional Chapter resolves with the player telling Jones that they are leaving for the city of Pacific Bay. That leads to the game announcing the next game.
• Mysterious Note: The case begins with a letter from the Crimson Order instructing you to go to the woods, where you find the body of Delsin.
• No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: The Aloki people saved the pilgrims for the harsh winter of Grimsborough and gave them a home. In response, the pilgrims murdered all of them for their gold.
• No Ontological Inertia: Subverted. During the Additional Investigation, Jones tells you that, even if some days have passed since Milton's arrest, the Crimson Order is still crumbling, implying they didn't disappear as soon as you exposed their leader.
• Oh, Crap!: Howard and Alden's reactions when Jones unmasks himself in front of them after pretending to be the Crimson Order's leader.
  Jones: I think we've heard enough. Grimsborough PD! Freeze!
  Howard: ... Leader... Is this some kind of joke?
  Jones: It's not a joke but it's still pretty funny. You're under arrest!
  Howard: I... er... I'm glad you're alive <Player's Name>... er... Let's try and talk about this.
  Jones: Save it for the judge, slime ball! And what about you Alden, I bet you're just an innocent bystander as always?
  Alden: Exactly! I'm just their puppet, <Player's Name>! They made me kill Rachel Priest and —
  Jones: Forget it Alden, you're going to prison. For GOOD this time!
• Pink Elephants: Jones mentions them by name before the first Mental Time Travel of the case, stating that seeing them means you've gotten too high.
• Politically Incorrect Villain: Both Milton and his ancestor. Solomon slaughtered the majority of the native Aloki tribe to gain access to their gold mine after tricking them by seducing one of their women, and Milton has no qualms about his ancestor's actions, even stating that no one would care for the "stupid" Aloki they stole Grimsborough from. When Delsin discovers the burial site where the skeletons of his ancestor are, Milton rips off his scalp as a warning to the team.
• Season Finale: For Grimsborough.
• Sequel Hook: At the end of the case, the player decides to start working for the Pacific Bay Police Department.
• Shout-Out:
  • Jones references Psycho upon learning that the killer plays the violin.
  • The hidden mine scenes contain several nods to the Indiana Jones franchise. In addition to Indy's fedora and whip, search items include a golden idol on a pedestal, a spherical boulder, the Ark of the Covenant, the Staff of Ra, a Sankara Stone, a disembodied heart, a monkey head prepped for brain-eating, Mola Ram's headdress, Short Round's Yankees hat, a golden crucifix, a plain wooden cup identical to the True Grail and a clearly alien crystal skull.
  • In the Wagon Rail scene, there is an intricate gold coin on a necklace resembling the one in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.
• So Proud of You: Jones tells you this at the end of the case after all you've been through together.
• Surprise Party: The final scene is a farewell party for you by the Police Department.
• Too Much Information: When Nathan explains you how the victim was killed.
  Nathan: Your victim was scalped while still alive. I can't begin to imagine you must feel as your skin is slowly ripped off.
  Jones: Jeez, Nathan, please spare us the imagery!
• Town with a Dark Secret: As we learn, Grimsborough was established on Aloki grounds after the pilgrims slaughtered almost all of them, robbing them of their lands even to this day.
• Ungrateful Bastard: Solomon and the rest of the pilgrims, who repaid the Aloki people for their servitude by murdering all of them for their gold.
• Wardens Are Evil: Milton Grimmes, the warden of Grimsborough's prison, is revealed to be the leader of the Crimson Order, making him the Big Bad of the season.
• Worst Wedding Ever: Inaya's wedding was actually a trap set by Solomon to murder her and her people.