Recap / Criminal Case: Mysteries of the Past - Case 59: Best Laid Plans

...most often go awry.

The Flying Squad readies their plan to stop the mass Public Execution of political enemies and arrest Mayor Lawson once and for all. Unfortunately, the plan hits a major snag when the player and Maddie find Inspector Jaubert's dead body, having taken a deep cut to the chest from the guillotine's blade.

This case contains the following tropes:

• Accidental Murder: It turns out that Giulietta didn't mean to kill Inspector Jaubert, but when he caught her and Enzo in the execution site, they fought and she pushed Jaubert into the guillotine. The rope slipped, and the blade ended up killing him.
• Accuser of the Brethren: Inspector Jaubert constantly harassed Giulietta due to her being daughter of the late Vittorio, accusing her of being just like her father and following Giulietta around to find a pretext to arrest her.
• Assassination Attempt: Enzo had planned to assassinate Lawson instead of arresting him like the Squad intended, believing he didn't deserve mercy and he could be dangerous even from inside prison.
• Asshole Victim: Jaubert is the case's Victim of the Week. Considering that he's the cruel Head of the Justice Corps, no one really misses him, and the only reason the Concordian Flying Squad even bothers investigating his murder is because Lawson might take matters in his own hands and execute his killer.
  Enzo: Jaubert deserved death! He was Lawson's loyal dog! He made people's lives miserable!
• Big Brother Instinct: Nicholas leaves clear he's willing to risk his life breaking the Squad out of prison because Evie, his baby sister, is in danger too.
• Call-Back: Lady Highmore, Enzo Jonas, Judge Umbright, and Giulietta Capecchi reappear as suspects, while Nicholas Holloway and Officer George Blanton reappear during the Additional Investigation. Rockley Rochester, Katherine Woolf, and Mildred Takakura also appear among the political prisoners you liberate.
• Call-Forward: The Kingdom of Mazunda is mentioned.
• Chekhov's Gun: Officer George Blanton's fanboyism over Isaac turns out to be very useful when you find out he's the Justice Corps member on guard duty in the prison where the Flying Squad is being held, allowing Isaac to sweet talk him into letting you pass.
• Cliffhanger: The case ends with the Flying Squad being on the run now that they've broken out of prison and Lawson has declared them public enemies, with Charlie rushing to the airship for an unknown motive and his fate being left unknown.
• Continuity Nod:
  • Lady Highmore becomes a suspect after you discover she was interrogated and forced to wear an armband by Jaubert, just like Takakura did.
  • Giulietta and the player meet up in Smokey's Café during her first interrogation.
• Contrived Coincidence: Turns out, Lady Highmore's great-grandfather was the architect who designed The Grotto, the prison where Lawson's prisoners and the Flying Squad is being held. Thanks to this, you manage to create a plan to rescue them.
• Crisis Point Hospital: Most of Lady Highmore's manor has been transformed in a hospital for injured members of La Résistance.
• Damsel in Distress / Distressed Dude: Chief Wright, Maddie, Evie, Viola, and Rose are captured by the Justice Corps during the Additional Investigation, prompting Charlie, Dick, Isaac, and the player to formulate a plan to rescue them.
• Darkest Hour: Starting from the Additional Investigation, Mayor Lawson declares the Flying Squad enemies and sends the Justice Corps to seize and execute them, forcing the team go on the run if they want to live.
• I Didn't Mean to Kill Him: Enzo says this on Giulietta's behalf during her arrest, declaring she didn't intent to kill Jaubert but he forced her to do so.
• Dressing as the Enemy: Charlie, Dick, Isaac, and the player dress as Justice Corps members with some help from Officer Blanton, allowing them to infiltrate The Grotto and rescue the rest of the Flying Squad from the prison.
• The Extremist Was Right:
  • When you interrogate Umbright, she tells you one of La Résistance members must be the killer, which turns out to be right when Giulietta is exposed as the culprit.
  • Just like what happened with Takakura, Jaubert interrogated Lady Highmore for believing she was hiding something (in this case, hiding members of La Résistance in her home), but nothing was proven and he was forced to let her go.
• Fake Defector: During the Additional Investigation, Isaac and the player trick Blanton by telling him they're part of the Justice Corps and Lawson has ordered them to transfer the prisoners to another cell.
• Faking the Dead: Dick and Charlie evaded being arrested by the Justice Corps by hiding in the morgue and pretending to be bodies under the blankets, something that greatly disgusted the latter.
• Frying Pan of Doom: Lady Highmore smacks Officer Smythe with a frying pan to prevent him from discovering the war room installed in her manor, justifying her attack by claiming she thought he was an intruder.
• Giver of Lame Names: Charlie's possible names for his and Maddie's baby are... not that good.
  Charlie: Maddie, I have some ideas of possible names for the baby...
  The first is "Encrofio"! It sounds adventurous and noble!
  Maddie: I'm sorry, Charlie, but just hearing that bizarre name has given me acid reflux...
  Charles: How about "Meleteos"? It was the middle name of one of my uncles.
  Maddie: Your uncle's name was "Meleteos"? What was he, an insect?
• Go Through Me: When you attempt to arrest Giulietta for killing Jaubert, Enzo says you'll have to arrest him too due to being her accomplice.
• Great Escape: The Additional Investigation focuses on rescuing the Flying Squad members that have been locked up by the Justice Corps. In addition, you also manage to save Lawson's political prisoners from the same fate.
• Hopeless Suitor: Judge Umbright was madly in love with Inspector Jaubert, but he rejected her feeling by claiming to be "married to justice."
• Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: According to Dick, Jaubert's muscular and dense body mass prevented him from being cut in a half by the guillotine's blade, getting impaled by it instead.
• Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique: Inspector Jaubert did this with Lady Highmore for suspecting she was hiding members of La Résistance, but just like what happened with Judge Takakura, he got nothing out of her.
• Jailed One After Another: Chief Wright, Viola, Maddie, Evie, and Rose are captured and jailed by the Justice Corps during the Additional Investigation, locking them inside the same cell along with Lawson's political prisoners.
• Maternity Crisis: Maddie gives birth to her son at the start of Chapter 3, and though it goes without a hitch and she and the baby ends up fine, Isaac has to replace her for the remainder of the case.
• Needlework Is for Old People: Judge Umbright, who is 55, is revealed to be fond of knitting. She even knitted a sweater for Inspector Jaubert when she confessed her love, which he tore apart.
• Nightmare Fetishist: Judge Umbright was ecstatic about spectating the mass Public Execution Lawson had planned.
  Judge Umbright: I had taken my knitting to do yesterday as I watched the guillotine being installed. What a spectacle to behold!
  A spectacle only to be topped by today's execution, if it hadn't been postponed due to the murder!
• Noodle Incident: Lady Highmore tells Charlie "she's seen enough things" that make her capable of helping Maddie deliver her baby.
• Not Good with Rejection: Judge Umbright definitely didn't take well being rejected by Inspector Jaubert.
• No Full Name Given: Even in the case where he croaks, the game never reveals Inspector Jaubert's first name.
• Poverty Food: One of the killer's traits is that they eat canned pork, and Lady Highmore tells you she's been forced to consume it to conserve her fortune due to Lawson's regime making everything more difficult.
• Run or Die: Isaac tells Giulietta and Enzo to run and hide instead of arresting them after Charlie tells you the Justice Corps have captured the Flying Squad, knowing they'll be executed for killing Inspector Jaubert.
• Screaming Birth: Maddie is heard screaming off-screen while Charlie and the player wait for her to give birth.
• Shout-Out
  • Attila the Hun is mentioned.
  • Henry IV, Part 2 is quoted.
  • Lady Minerva Highmore, whose appearance is primarily based on Maggie Smith (best known for portraying Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter film series), is revealed to have had a great-grandfather named Radcliff.
• Skeleton Key: Since Lady Highmore's great-grandfather designed the prison where the Flying Squad is being held, he also kept a master key of the prison in his manor's cellar, which you're tasked with finding to proceed with the rescue plan.
• Stalker without a Crush: Enzo had been following Inspector Jaubert around and taking photos of him, which lands him in the suspect list.
• Tap on the Head: Viola gets knocked out by the Justice Corps during the Flying Squad's arrest by getting hit on the head, and is still unconscious when you rescue them from the prison.
• To Be Continued: The case ends with these words after Charlie runs back to the airship for unknown reasons.
• The War Room: One of the crime scenes is a war room built by Lady Highmore in her cellar for La Résistance to use.
• "Well Done, Son" Guy: While not Jaubert's son, Officer Smythe still saw him as a mentor and father figure, and was desperate to prove his worth in the Justice Corps despite Jaubert getting constantly annoyed at him.
• What the Hell, Hero?: Isaac has this reactions towards Enzo when you discover he wanted to assassinate Lawson instead of arresting him like La Résistance intended.
  Isaac: You can't enact vigilante justice! Our aim is to FIX the system, not break it further!
• Wounded Gazelle Gambit: Lady Highmore does this when Officer Smythe threatens to arrest her for assaulting him with a frying pan.
  Lady Highmore: Oh, please don't arrest me, officers. I'm just a helpless old woman who tried to defend herself! I never meant any harm!
• You Killed My Father: Or mentor, in this case, as Inspector Jaubert was this for Officer Smythe, who has swore revenge and intends to catch his killer himself.