Recap / Criminal Case: Mysteries of the Past - Case 60: Last Stand for Justice

Justice comes with a price.

After having escaped from prison now that Mayor Lawson has declared them public enemies, the Flying Squad hides inside Lady Highmore's manor while awaiting for Charlie, who ran back to the airship for unknown reasons, and Isaac, who accompanied Charlie to make sure nothing bad happened. Too tired and preoccupied to wait, Maddie and the player decide to go look for both of them to the airship, only for Maddie's worst fears to come true when they find Charlie's body, dead after being shot in the chest inside his own laboratory.

But despite being wanted fugitives and the risk of running into Lawson's henchmen, Maddie and the player are more than decided to find Charlie's killer, no matter how grim the implications might be.

Tropes

• Action Mom: Despite just giving birth a few hours prior, Maddie has no problem going back to action in her quest to find Charlie and, after he's revealed to be dead, his killer.
  Chief Wright: Madeline, you cannot be serious! You just gave birth, and-
  Maddie: This is exactly why I intend to go myself! I did not give birth to little George for our family to be separated!
• Alas, Poor Villain: Even after everything Justin Lawson did, Isaac can't help but lament how he fell from grace after his genuinely good intentions back when him and the Flying Squad first met, though Maddie doesn't share the sentiment very much.
  Maddie: This is madness. To think when we first met Lawson, he was an ambitious District Attorney, filled with ideals and bright hopes for the future.
  When he became judge, then Deputy Mayor, I truly believed he would be an asset to Concordia!
  Isaac: The most tragic thing is, I do believe he thought he was defending the cause of justice, even while becoming a tyrant! In other circumstances, Justin Lawson could have been a great man...
  Maddie: He would have had countless people killed if we hadn't intervened! And it's because of him that Charlie's dead. I can't say I shall mourn the man.
• All Elections Are Serious Business: During the Additional Investigation, the Flying Squad asks Lady Highmore to act as an interim mayor while new democratic elections can be properly organized and held, believing she has the sufficient shrewdness and acumen to lead Concordia in these difficult times post-Lawson's regime.
• Any Last Words?: Mayor Lawson asks the player this after shooting and "killing" Isaac, which gives the latter enough time to recover and kill Lawson.
• The Atoner: Diego at the end of the case.
  Diego: I'm prepared to be punished for what I did and accept responsibility for my crime. I may not have wanted to kill Charlie, but it was I who pulled the trigger.
• Attack on the Heart: This is how Charlie is killed when he's shot, and it's also how Isaac takes out Mayor Lawson once and for all after Lawson attempts to do the same to him.
• Bittersweet Ending: Mayor Lawson is stopped for good and, under Lady Highmore's rulership as the interim mayor of Concordia, free press is restored, the Justice Corps are dismantled, and Giulietta, Enzo, and Adelia await for new, fairer trials than they ones they received under Lawson's regime (with the latter even possibly getting pardon for her crime), returning peace back to the city and starting a new chapter for its citizens. However, all of this comes at the cost of Charlie's life and Diego's freedom and friendship to the rest of the Squad. Despite this, Maddie eventually makes peace with Diego and promises to plead in his behalf during his trial, and Diego prepares to live out his punishment for killing Charlie in peace.
• Booby Trap: Judge Umbright is taken out after she's given a baby rattle to inspect, which had been modified by Rose to give her an incapacitating electrical shock.
• Captured on Purpose: Giulietta and Enzo turn themselves to the authorities after Lady Highmore becomes the new mayor, deciding to await for a fair trial.
• Chekhov's Gun: The Bulletproof Vests designed by Rose in Case 52 end up saving the day with Isaac is revealed to have been wearing one, protecting him from Lawson's Attack on the Heart and allowing him to take down the mayor himself.
• The Climax: For the Capitol Peak district.
• Continuity Nod:
  • When you find Charlie's DNA machine broken, Maddie recalls how he designed it for the World Exhibition.
  • The confrontation with Judge Umbright takes place in Smokey's Café.
  • During his Unintentional Final Message, Charlie mentions that one time Dick set himself on fire, Ramirez letting the birds loose in Coyote Gorge, and Charlie and Maddie pretending to be a couple to fool Maddie's mother.
• Crazy-Prepared: Turns out Isaac made sure to borrow one of Rose's Bulletproof Vests for the final confrontation with Lawson, which ended up saving his life.
• Crusading Widow: Despite the Justice Corps still being on the hunt for the Flying Squad, Maddie is more than decided in finding her husband's killer even at the risk of being found out.
• Cry into Chest: Maddie cries into Isaac's chest when you discover Charlie's body.
• Darkest Hour: Continuing from the Flying Squad being declared public enemies and Lawson ordering the Justice Corps to Kill on Sight, things become even more awry after Charlie is murdered by none other than a member of the Flying Squad, not to mention Judge Umbright kidnapping Maddie's son to booth.
• Decapitated Army: Once Mayor Lawson is killed in front of them, the rest of his men all surrender to the Flying Squad.
• Dressing as the Enemy: One of the reasons why Diego adopted his Eddie Lebold persona was because he needed to work his way inside Lawson's inner circle for his plan to apprehend him to function.
• Drunk with Power: Chief Wright accuses Mayor Lawson of being mad with power during their final confrontation, declaring him and the citizens of Concordia won't stand by it anymore.
• Ending Memorial Service: One of the last tasks during the Additional Investigation is attending Charlie's funeral, where Maddie gives her last farewells and thanks him for his Heroic Sacrifice.
• Everyone Is a Suspect: Every suspect in this case is either part of the Flying Squad (Isaac, Rose, Chief Wright), a former member (Diego), or a friend of the Squad and member of another police force (Constable Ramirez), which makes it harder for Maddie and the player to investigate.
  Maddie: I still can't believe someone killed him... and right now our only suspects are his closest friends! This makes no sense!
• Faint in Shock: Maddie faints in despair when Dick tells her Judge Umbright has kidnapped her son
• Fake Defector: Despite the Concordian Police Department being part of Lawson's State Sec, Constable Ramirez only pretends to be part of his henchmen, as he's shown to be in good terms with the Squad and doesn't rat them out to Lawson despite him asking Ramirez to be on the lookout for them.
• Faking the Dead: When Lawson shoots Isaac in the heart during the final confrontation, Isaac pretends to die right in front of him to catch him off guard when Isaac reveals he's wearing a Bulletproof Vest.
• Final Battle: Elicits between Isaac, Chief Wright and the player versus Lawson and the Justice Corps atop Concordia Tower.
• Firing Day: During the investigation, you learn Chief Wright was intending to fire Charlie from the Squad. While at first he tells you he was only doing it to protect him and Maddie from Lawson, it's later revealed he was going to do it because Lawson was blackmailing him with Bernadine's life.
• Frame-Up: An unintentional example with Rose, who becomes a suspect when you discover Charlie was killed with her gun when Lawson handed it over to Diego.
• Get It Over With: When Lawson orders Diego/Lebold to kill Charlie with the promise of sparing the rest of the Squad if he does so, Charlie orders him to get it over with.
  Charlie: Well, what are you waiting for, Lebold? Shoot! Kill me, and save my wife and child! You know that is True Justice!
• Harmless Electrocution: Judge Umbright gets electrocuted by Rose's booby-trapped rattle complete with X-Ray Sparks, but it only knocks her out.
• Heroic BSoD: Maddie goes through a massive one in this case, to the point she suffers from Faint in Shock at one point.
  Viola: My dear Madeline. How are you holding up?
  Madeline: Well, Viola. My husband has been murdered and my baby boy has been kidnapped. How do you think I'm holding up?
• Heroic Sacrifice: The true reason for Charlie's death is revealed to be this: Diego (dressed as Lebold) asked Charlie to meet in the airship with the intention of discussing The Plan, but Lawson caught them in the act ordered Diego to kill Charlie, who pretended to be the sole traitor inside of the Squad so Lawson would only kill him and spare the rest of the team while also giving Diego enough time to plant the Tracking Device in Lawson's clothes.
• I Have Your Wife:
  • As if losing Charlie wasn’t bad enough for Maddie, Judge Umbright kidnaps her baby and demands that the Flying Squad surrenders for his safety. Thanks goodness for Rose's craftiness.
  • Lawson was blackmailing Chief Wright with Bernadine's life if he didn't fire Charlie from the Squad (probably concluding he was the most dangerous out of them due to being a Gadgeteer Genius), which Chief Wright was decided to do before Charlie died.
• Hopeless Suitor: Subverted. During the investigation, you find a note from Diego telling Charlie to "never tell Maddie about this," and when you interrogate him he says Charlie had found out about Diego being in love with Maddie. However, during his arrest, Diego confesses said message was actually about The Plan to stop Lawson, which Diego didn't want anyone else to discover as it could put its integrity at risk.
• How Dare You Die on Me!: Maddie reacts this way regarding Charlie's death at one point, though it's clear she doesn't actually mean it and is only grieving.
  Maddie: How COULD he do this to us, to his son?! How could... how...
  [Maddie cries]
• I'll Kill You!: Lawson gives a variation of this during the final confrontation with him.
  Isaac: Do you really intend on shooting us? Is that your definition of justice?!
  Lawson: YOU KNOW NOTHING OF JUSTICE! You have defied me for too long, <Player's Name>!
  I hereby sentence you to death!
• It's All My Fault: During the main investigation, you discover the real reason for Isaac's fear of horses is that, when he was a child, he and his little brother were riding horses until Isaac got cocky and tried to show his brother off, but the horse lost control and ended up trampling him to death, which traumatized Isaac. Unfortunately, his wounds were open again when Charlie found about it in a newspaper and showed it to Isaac, reviving his trauma.
• I Did What I Had to Do: Issac admits this to Maddie after he's forced to shoot Lawson to death out of self-defense.
  Issac: I would have rather arrested him, but... he left us no choice.

• Just Following Orders: When Isaac kills Lawson in front of the Justice Corps and cockily shows he's wearing a Bulletproof Vest, Officer Smythe implores you to not shoot at them, claiming they were only following Lawson's orders.
• Karmic Death: After ordering Diego to shot Charlie in the heart and attempting to do the same with Isaac, Lawson is ultimately killed when he promptly receives a bullet in the same place.
• Killing in Self-Defense: When Chief Wright, Issac and the player attempt to arrest Lawson, he retaliated by attempting to execute Issac, but thanks to the Bulletproof Vests, this is what allowed Issac to shoot Lawson to death, ending his tyranny.
• Killer Finale: The final victim of the season is Charlie Dupont, one of the main characters.
• Lured into a Trap: Subverted. During the investigation, you discover Charlie went to the airship because someone sent him a Morse code message asking him to meet up there, which prompts Maddie and the player to assume he was lured to a death trap by his killer. However, this turns out to not be the case.
• Monumental Battle: The final confrontation takes place atop of the Concordia Tower, the city's most notable landmark.
• Morality Chain Beyond the Grave: Maddie decides to make amends with Diego in prison because Charlie wouldn't have wanted her to hate him.
• Must Make Amends: As detailed above, Maddie ops to make amends with Diego during his stay in prison, believing that's what Charlie would've wanted.
• No Ontological Inertia: Subverted. As expected of a city that was under Lawson's control for half a year, getting everything back in order takes some time for the Squad, Lady Highmore, and its citizens to achieve.
• The Only One: The Flying Squad nominates Lady Highmore for interim mayor because she's the only one with the necessary shrewdness and acumen to lead Concordia in these difficult times.
• The Plan: Diego and Charlie had a secret one codenamed True Justice, which involved Diego (under the guise of Lebold) infiltrating Lawson's inner circle with the intent of planting on him a Tracking Device created by Charlie, which would allow the Flying Squad to safely arrest him.
• Please, I Will Do Anything!: After his arrest, Diego implores you to let him help defeat Lawson and be forgiven, giving you the location of the Tracking Device and fixing it.
• Please Wake Up: Maddie implores Charlie to wake up when you find his body, breaking down crying when she realizes he's really dead.
• Plot Hole: In this case, Charlie is shot to death. The framing device for this season is the player character reading Charlie's journal. So... who wrote about this case, then?^note  Then again, Maddie could've been the one who wrote the last entry detailing the events of this case, as she finds the diary among Charlie's posessions during the investigation.
• Poverty Food: One of the killer's traits is that they eat ration biscuits, which have become a common place due to Lawson's regime impoverishing everyone.
• Prone to Tears: Maddie justifiably cries a lot during this case and its aftermath.
• Quaking with Fear: Diego's sprite (particularly his arm) is seen shaking moments before he kills Charlie, asking him for forgiveness.
• Rooftop Confrontation: The Final Battle with Mayor Lawson and the Justice Corps takes place in the balconies of Concordia Tower.
• Season Finale: For Mysteries of the Past.
• Sequel Hook: At the very end of the case, you're greeted by a message telling you you'll be back to Grimsborough to uncover troubling secrets.
• Shoot Your Mate: Lawson orders Diego to kill Charlie while he's disguised as Eddie Lebold to prove his worth. Hadn't it been for the fact only Lawson could order the Justice Corps to not shoot the Flying Squad on sight, Diego would've killed Lawson instead.
• Shout-Out:
  • In the Charlie's Laboratory scene, there is a wooden puppet with a long nose.
  • In the Lab Equipment scene, there is a bust of Mark Twain.
  • Victor Frankenstein and J.M. Barrie are mentioned.
• Somebody Set Up Us the Bomb: Rose asked Charlie to build a bomb so she could detonate it near Lawson and kill him once and for all, but Charlie refused to build such a "monstrosity" for her. Later, Charlie uses these bomb's blueprints to convince Lawson he's the only traitor inside the Squad and only he should die instead of the entire team.
• Spared, but Not Forgiven: Maddie ends up on these terms with Diego in the end, understanding why he killed Charlie but being incapable of bringing herself to forgive him.
  Maddie: I don't think I can ever forgive Diego for killing Charlie, no matter what the intentions. But maybe... maybe I should make my peace with him.
• I Surrender, Suckers: Judge Umbright kidnaps Maddie's baby with the intent of forcing the Squad surrender themselves to her. They do... right before electrocuting Umbright with a booby-trapped baby rattle.
• This Is Something He's Got to Do Himself: When you find Charlie's body and Isaac offers to cover for a distraught Maddie, she tells him she'll be the only one allowed to find out who murdered her husband.
• Tracking Device: Charlie crafted one of these that Diego was supposed to plant somewhere on Lawson's clothes, which he only managed to do after Charlie's death.
• Tragic Keepsake: Charlie's diary becomes this for Maddie when she finds it among his belongings.
• Undying Loyalty: Judge Umbright is shown to have an obsessive form of this towards Lawson, having no problem kidnapping a newborn and sending his mother towards her death if she can show Lawson she's his most fanatical devotee.
• Unintentional Final Message: Charlie was planning on creating a series of short films for George to watch as he grew up, but only managed to finish one before his death, which served as a final message to him and Maddie.
• Villain Ball: Instead of alerting Lawson and the Justice Corps that the Flying Squad is going to surrender to her, Judge Umbright decides to wait for them alone, which gets her easily overpowered and knocked out. Granted, she's shown to be crazy and wanting to get all the credit for arresting the Flying Squad, but still.
• Violence Is Not an Option / Violence is the Only Option: Maddie and Rose get into a brief argument regarding this when you discover Rose asked Charlie to build a bomb, intending to kill Lawson and ends his reign of terror through the violent way.
  Rose: People are suffering at the hands of Lawson, Maddie! Many are barely surviving, only able to eat these blasted ration biscuits, like me. The time for diplomacy is over!
  Maddie: That's where you're wrong! It's times like these when our steadfast integrity is needed most. If you resort to violence, Rose, you're no better than Lawson!
• Violence Really Is the Answer: In the end, Lawson is promptly defeated by being killed by Isaac instead of arrested like the Flying Squad and La Résistance intended. Granted, Isaac and Chief Wright are still saddened it had to come to his death.
• We Can Rule Together: During their final confrontation, Lawson expresses disappointment in the Flying Squad (and especially the player), believing that they could have helped him usher Concordia into a peaceful, crime-free era even if it involved becoming part of his tyrannical dictatorship.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: Even during his final moments, it's clear Lawson saw himself as this, believing his actions were justified if they meant Concordia would be free of crime.
  Lawson: Reign of terror? Who do you suppose has been fighting those who are a blemish on Concordia? Combatting the corrupt leaders, keeping the gangs at bay?
  I have brought order and peace to this great city! I have once again made the streets of Concordia safe for all its citizens! It is I who have restored justice! And you could have helped me, <Rank> <Name>! But instead, you chose to free convicted criminals, turning a blind eye to crime!
  Chief Wright: <Rank> <Name> has done nothing but protect our citizens from your tyranny, Lawson! You've become mad with power! Censorship, public executions... you have been a scourge on this city, and it has gone on long enough! The Flying Squad is taking a stand on behalf of all the people of Concordia, and will tolerate it no more!
• What the Hell, Hero?: As a result of all the suspects being good yet flawed people, they get some scold from Maddie in one form of another.
  • Isaac gets berated for not following Charlie when he told Isaac to let him go to the airship alone, which resulted in his death.
  • Rose for wanting Charlie to build a bomb, which she would've used to kill Lawson by detonating it in public.
  • Chief Wright for wanting to fire Charlie after Lawson blackmailed him with Bernadine.
  • Constable Ramirez for hiding he went inside the airship and stumbled onto Charlie's body.
  • Even Dick, who isn't a suspect, gets absolutely chewed on by Maddie because he let Judge Umbright kidnap her son under his watch.
  • Of course, the most clear example is Diego, whom tearful Maddie asks why it had to come to her husband’s death. She also asks why didn't he shoot Lawson instead of Charlie when he was ordered to, though Diego had a pretty good justification for this (namely the fact Lawson was the only one who could order the Justice Corps to not kill the Squad on sight).
• "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue: The season ends with the remaining members of the Flying Squad taking a well deserved vacation, with each of them declaring their plans to the player:
  • Chief Wright and Bernadine will be traveling to Europe to see the French Rivera.
  • Isaac plans to visit Marla and her adoptive children in the country, hinting they might be rekindling their relationship.
  • Evie and Katherine are busy setting up their own newspaper.
  • Dick plans to visit a doctor friend in England who is conducting some experiments with cadavers.
  • Viola will be starring in a play by up-and-coming playwright J.M. Barrie.
  • Rose is taking Ratsputin to Switzerland for the cheese.
  • As for Maddie, she is content reading Charlie's journal to their son.
• Would Hurt a Child: Lawson has no problem ordering a Kill on Sight on the Flying Squad despite the fact Maddie is most likely to be carrying her newborn in her arms.
  Diego: Shoot them on sight?! But... isn't there a young mother among them, sir?
  Lawson: Your point being? If she and the others have conspired against me, then they all deserve death!