Tear Jerker / The Three Investigators

Per wiki policy, Spoilers Off applies here and all spoilers are unmarked. You Have Been Warned.

---

General

• It's pretty sad to see that most of the recurring cast for the original series had more or less been Put on a Bus eventually. Hector Sebastian and his housekeeper Don had been phased out as there were no more introductions and conclusions done for the series (though sometimes they would make occasional appearances), Chief Reynolds has retired, Hans and Konrad eventually returned to their home country, and Worthington has also been phased out now that the Investigators are old enough to drive (though he still has some appearances too). With forty-three books in the series, it's a little hard to say goodbye to these characters.
• Only obvious until after Stimmen aus dem Nichts, after that episode, Bob has become really susceptible to mind control and hypnotism. It seems as though his run-in with Clarissa Franklin has poked holes in his structured mind. Now it's not really that out of the blue to see Bob suddenly lose his memory or get hypnotized (ex. in Totensinel he was hypnotized to carry information to the island in secret, he lost his memory in Der Namenlose Gegner, getting brainwashed in Gefangene Gedanken etc). It seems that witch of a person has made his mind rather fragile.
• It's quite common for Jupiter or Bob not to really take Peter's anxiety and fears too seriously, at worst it's even treated as an inconvenience. A lot of the times, his fears are Played for Laughs or a Running Gag because of how ridiculous his fears can be (which is not entirely unfounded considering how outrageous some of Peter's paranormal theories get). But sometimes, he is shown to be truly terrified by the things in question, and it's not like he can control it. In some works, the way Peter's terrors are presented feels more in-line with a genuine panic attack then just acting like a scaredy-cat (gasping for air, fast heartbeat, growing pale). It doesn't help that Jupiter often dismisses his anxiety by just telling him that he should just 'stop' or that it's 'nonsense'. Jupiter is trying to be logical to help his friend calm down, but dismissing his fears is not really the way to go about it.
  Peter: (gasping) I can't breathe! I feel like I'm suffocating.
  Jupiter: It's just your imagination.

  - Thriller Diller

Original Release

Book # 23 - 43

#31 The Mystery of the Scar-Faced Beggar

• Jupiter's simple but sad explanation to Hector Sebastian that Alfred Hitchcock has died in-story.
  Hector Sebastian, in regards to the description of the bank robbery: Terrific! It sounds like the beginning of a Hitchcock movie. Jupe immediately looked crestfallen. What's the matter? Did I say something wrong?
  Jupe: Not really. It's only that Mr. Hitchcock was a friend of ours. When Bob wrote up our cases, Mr. Hitchcock used to introduce them for us. We felt very bad when he died, and we miss him.

#36 The Mystery of the Missing Mermaid

• When the Three Investigators find Todd hiding out with Fergus the homeless man. The poor, lonely old man seemed pretty delighted to have a young boy to care for and seemed sad when it was time for him to go. Fergus was also arrested, but was later released. In the end, he's still homeless, but Mrs. Stratten and Mr. Finley seem willing to help him out.
• The story ends with Todd being found and reunited with his mother, and Clark Burton has been arrested for hoarding stolen money. The Three Investigators can wrap up another case done, but in the end, Tiny the dog is still dead, having used the last of his life to protect Todd from Burton. There isn't really much closure on Todd's guilt over Tiny's death either; it wouldn't be hard to imagine that being the 'cause' of the death of his beloved dog and best friend would follow him for a long time.

#37 The Mystery of the Two-toed Pigeon

• You can really feel Miss Melody's despair when she finds her birds dead. Two hawks poisoned by Blinky and her favorite Magpie, Edgar Allen Poe, had been bludgeoned to death by the same man. At least she still has the pearls Edgar gave her and can rest easy knowing that no more of her birds will perish.
• It's really hard not to feel sorry for Pete when he has to hold up and distract Kyoto so Jupe can switch the bird cages. Throughout the whole thing, he is absolutely terrified, but bravely manages to hold his ground until Jupiter can make the switch. After it's all over, Pete just collapses onto the side of the road, having been scared out of his wits. Jupiter feels absolutely horrible for doing this to him (and Bob, who had been told to watch from afar).

#39 The Trail of Terror

• It's a little sad to see that Mrs. Crenshaw doesn't really have a good relationship with her father and neither does Mr. Crenshaw. She is both worried and frustrated by him, but she (and her husband) can't stand being around him because they would always break out into another argument.
• At some point in the trip, Mr. Peck asks Pete if he still remembers his grandmother. Sadly, Pete doesn't remember her much at all, but remembers she made the best apple pie, something that his grandpa agrees to.

#40 The Mystery of the Rogues' Reunion

• Although Jupe's past as the child actor playing Baby Fatso is often played for laughs, this book highlights how much that short acting career had negatively affected Jupe's life. He had been incessantly teased by other kids and felt as though it was dumbing down his intelligence. Not only that, the other child actors would often bully him during the production, getting too caught up in their parts. It's really no wonder that Jupiter hates his past as 'Baby Fatso' so much.
  • The thing is, Jupiter isn't the only one who had a shadow over his head: all the other Rogues (except for Gordon Harker who was able to slip under the radar) had the shadow of their child acting careers over their head: Peggy hated being called Pretty Peggy and teased for it, Footsie has been unable to find work since then, Bloodhound regretted ever becoming an actor, and Bonehead tried to continue acting, but was unable to find work despite the child acting career.
• Although Luther Lomax was a dangerous maniac who kidnapped Peggy and held the Investigators & Bonehead at gunpoint, in reality he was an old man suffering from what appears to be severe mental illness and was trying to relive his glory days as a director. At least now, he has been admitted to a mental wing with other movie retirees so he can get the help he needs.

Crimebusters

Book #1- 11

#1 Hot Wheels

• Jupiter seems to have taken a level in insecurity from when we last see him. In the original series, he was testy about people pointing out his weight, but he had never let it get to him. But in Crimebusters, he seems to worry a lot over his weight and the running gag is that he's always trying to lose weight with a (misguided) diet. Apparently, he made friends with an older lady who is part of his 'one-person support group' for his weight.
  • Piling on top of this, apparently Jupiter just can't catch a break with girls and had remarked that girls don't like him, despite the fact that Pete and Bob try to open his horizons.
• One of the saddest things in the book was that apparently, Bob doesn't really see his two best friends as often as they used to. With a new job and his offscreen transformation into a casanova, between work and girls, he doesn't hang out with them much anymore. Pete still hangs out at the scrapyard quite often because he flips and sells cars there, but even he gets dragged along by his girlfriend Kelly away from cases. In fact, for most of the book, the Three Investigators aren't even investigating as the three investigators (either as just two or having Ty stand in as the third).
  • In fact, most of the book portrays that both Pete and Bob are frustrated with each other for flaking out (Pete because of his loyalty to his girlfriend and Bob because of his new job and socializing with girls).
• Jupe had saved up five-hundred dollars to buy a new car, only to have it wrecked before the story is over. He is aghast (and broke), with no car.

#6 Thriller Diller

• For a chunk of the first part of the story, Pete seems to be suffering from pretty intense anxiety. On several occasions, he feels like he can't breathe and feels light-headed,
  • On top of that, he decided not to tell Jupe or Bob about Diller's kidnapping and try to take on the case himself. He was insecure about just being the Dumb Muscle of the group. In the end, this insecurity never gets addressed and Pete does end up needing Jupe's help to solve the case.
  "I’m a detective, Pete wanted to say. But he stopped himself. Does Jupe think I’m really a detective? Pete wondered. No, Pete’s great for climbing in a window or knocking someone down. But that’s about it."
  • It doesn't help that Kelly is pulling a Friend Versus Lover gambit on him. By the end of the story, Pete seems really drained by both the case and the fact she won't really talk to him.
• Bob is absent for most of the story due to his job. It was already evident in previous chapters, but he really isn't around that much anymore.
  Jupiter: (groaning) Sometimes I think we should call ourselves the Two and a Half Investigators.

Extended German Release

Books and Radio Plays

Book # 56 - 71 (Henkel-Waidhofer Era)

#67 Der Schatz im Bergsee (The Treasure of the Mountain Lake)

• This is now the second plane crash that the investigators have survived.
• Jupe and Bob's growing despair when they can't find Pete anywhere in the crash. In the novel, Bob becomes despondent and Jupe gives him a hug to cheer him up. In the the radio play, Jupe and Bob end up breaking into a small argument (about finding Pete) due to the stress, both sounding close to tears.
  • When they finally find Pete in the snow not too far away, while still suffering from the affects of shock, he says:
    Pete: Now we're together again... I thought you guys weren't coming anymore...

#68 Späte Rache (Late Revenge)

• The entire scene of Pete getting kidnapped by Brady and his elder son. They hold him at knife point and tell him to drive into the woods and forced to comply. He was then held hostage in their cabin for almost three days.
  • In the radio play, Pete begging his assailant to let him go and the ensuing panic when he is forced to turn off the lights of his car, sounding very close to sobbing.
• During the story, Aunt Mathilda falls off a ladder and ends up breaking her shoulder, much to the shock and horror of Jupiter, blamed himself for it happening. And at the same time as Aunt Mathilda's accident, he finds out that his best friend has disappeared without a trace. At certain points in the story, you can really tell that the stress is starting to get to him.^Note This is a quote from the radio play.
  Kelly: Get yourself together, it's probably all just harmless.
  Jupiter: (agitated) Harmless, harmless. Aunt Mathilda has fallen off a ladder and is in the hospital with broken bones, and Pete disappears in front of a club at night. Can you tell me what's so harmless about that?
• As heartbreaking as it is uplifting, Pete taking comfort in a terrible storm that had rolled in because it's the first time he's been outside after being imprisoned in the dark room for over forty hours.
• The reveal that this whole kidnapping ordeal had taken a physical toll on Pete, who had lost weight due to eating so poorly and the march through the woods. At least he's finally free and able to eat all the food he wants.

Book # 72 - 119 (Triumvirate Era)

#84 Wolfsgesicht (Wolf Face)

• The boys get into a rather fierce argument after Inspector Cotta asks them to leave the case and a meeting he invited them to. Jupe wants to put Mrs. Harding on the suspect list while Pete, who likes her, says that Jupe has no grounds and is angry at him for not speaking to try stay at the meeting. They end up arguing pretty angrily and it even gets a little physical when Jupe makes the claim that Mrs. Harding didn't want them on the case to 'protect her precious Pete'. Pete gets so angry, he tries to throw a computer mouse at his friend and Bob has to shout at them to stop. He then declares that if they wanted to fight, they could do it outside. Thankfully, Bob manages to mediate it and the boys cool off and return to being friends as always, but this was one of their fiercest fight they've had yet (they rarely ever get physical with each other).

#95 Insektenstachel (Insect Sting)

• Janet Hazelwood idolizes her late husband Jill, despite the fact that he was a gambler who wasted most of her money at the casino, and blames herself for not doing more to save him from his destructive habit. However, Jupiter eventually finds out that Jill's gambling addiction was a lie: In fact, he had been having an affair with a younger woman behind his wife's back for years, and instead of gambling the money away at the casino, he had secretly put it aside to start a new life with his mistress. Needless to say, Mrs. Hazelwood is absolutely devastated by this revelation.

#100 Toteninsel (Dead Island)

• How absolutely screwed over Pete is for a majority of this story. He was captured and put on a ship all the way to Micronesia, separated from his home and friends and forced to hide behind the name of his hated nemesis, Skinny Norris, less the people onboard figure out who he really and consequently killed. He entire week trapped on a boat with these people, with no one to really talk to and the crew range from being distrustful of him or outright antagonistic. Pete spends most of his time hiding in his cabin, scared to talk to anyone and keeps to himself. This is arguably one of the worst things to ever happen to one of the boys.
  "It was only the first of the week. [Pete] wanted to wake up from this nightmare.
  • It's even worse to realize that Pete was the most unwilling out of the three to hear and help out Norris. He wanted nothing more to do with him and wanted to drop the case. He had only stuck around because he trusted Jupe and Bob's judgement. That loyalty to his friends cost him dearly and now he has to pay the price. The worst thing is that Skinny likely did set them all up and had delibrately drugged Pete on the boat to get him to take his fall.
  • It really doesn't get much better at the island (and the start of the second week), being forced to camp out in the scary jungle with people who don't really like or trust him. The first night, he was terrified of every single noise in the night and has no one voice his fears to. When he ends up being confronted by the group, he has to bluff otherwise they would risk tearing him apart.
• Jupiter and Bob wallowing in fear, worry, and regret over their lost friend. They are completely helpless to do anything to help Pete and are ultimately forced to wait a week before they make their way to Micronesia to attempt to rescue him. Can't call the police without risking Pete's life (as the mysterious woman told them anyway), his parents don't even know that their son is halfway across the ocean (because they're on vacation). The two friends barely sleep and have to agonize, not even knowing if their best friend is okay or even alive.
  • When Jupiter wakes the next morning after Pete's disappearance, he is described having swollen eyes, which likely meant he had been crying.
• After Olin gets sniffed out as The Mole, Jupe feels so exhausted as he hasn't slept properly in a week since Pete disappeared that all he wants to do is curl up on the floor and sleep. He also notes that Pete isn't much better and likely had it worse. By the time the whole ordeal is over, it's been almost two weeks and all three Investigators are just running on steam at this point.
  • Anne in particular is suffering quite a bit. After getting sick from the mold that had grown thanks to the decaying corpses, she spends half the story getting sicker and sicker with ever sentence.
• What happened to the burial site on the island is pretty horrific and just tragic. The government and military had straight up desecrated the site, even taking out the preserved bodies out of their tombs and dumping them into the room to rot. So much history and value was just lost just like that, all for nuclear weaponry. It's hard not to feel angry and sad for the dead, who in the end was trampled underfoot.

#103 Der Nebelberg (The Misty Mountain)

• The fate of Richard Ashford, the prospector whose mysterious disappearance gave rise to the legend of the Phantom of Foggy Mountain, is quite tragic: after years of unsuccessful digging, he finally struck a huge vein of gold, but by then he was already so deeply in debt that he would have lost most of it to his creditors. So he seemingly abandoned the mine and pretended to fall into depression, but continued to dig in secret until one day he fell off a ladder and broke his neck. He never got to enjoy the wealth he had worked so hard for, and his remains lay in the hidden tunnels for decades without his friends and relatives ever knowing what had happened to him.

#119 Der geheime Schlüssel (The Secret Key)

• It's revealed near the beginning of the story that Jupiter had broken up with his girlfriend, Lys. In fact, they have been broken up for months and Peter had suspected something had happened when she stopped appearing, but was too afraid to ask. When a curious Pete decides to read the letter from her, Jupiter gives a pretty heartbreaking answer:
  Jupiter: She was too old and beautiful and I am too fat and young.
  • He and Peter end up having an arguement over it. Peter clearly wants to support and comfort his friend, and was worried enough that he decided to snoop and read Lys' letter meanwhile Jupiter just doesn't want to talk about it and is angry that Peter decided to snoop in the first place.
• It's pretty sad to see the three siblings fighting so viciously with each other, to the point where they haven't talked in twelve years. Their father had to pull a pretty odd riddle gambit as a last resort to finally get them to reconcile.

Book #120+ (Modern Era)

#120 Spur ins Nicht (Evil Games)

• Poor Jupiter and Pete. They were trapped in what seemed like a living nightmare in a horror movie setup, thinking it was all real.
  • Gets even worse when you realize that this isn't exactly Pete's first time being in a situation like this , having been kidnapped and trapped in a dark room with no clear way of escape (the first time being in Späte Rache). And it also isn't his parents' first time dealing with a situation where he had been kidnapped.
  • To follow up the above point, this also isn't the first time Bob had returned home from a trip to find his best friend(s) have been missing since the day prior.
• In the radio play, after Pete gets his arm sliced open from opening the roll up door, you can hear him whimpering in pain in the background and the pain in his voice when he speaks.

#126 SMS aus dem Grab (SMS from the Grave)

• In the hotel room, Pete getting sad after looking at a picture of an old man with drooping cheeks and getting reminded of Alfred Hitchhock.
• Bob thinking Peter (and Layla) were dead. As he describes it, he felt like someone had pierced his heart with a thousand needles and had to fight the urge to faint.

#127 Die Schwarze Madonna (The Black Madonna)

• Jupiter gets into some pretty serious trouble this time when he gets caught up in the mystery and just legitimately breaks into Pentecost's home to find evidence on him. While it's not the first time the Investigators have been arrested, this is the first time that its completely legitimate and Jupiter really is in the wrong. Aunt Mathilda and Uncle Titus have to pay Jupiter's bail and both Peter and Bob's parents (and Kelly in Peter's case) ban them from hanging out with each other. Although Jupiter did break the law, it's really hard not to feel sorry for him in the events that follow his arrest. Thankfully, his deductions were still completely spot on and he is able to throw the accusations off his back because Pentecost was convicted.

#132 Der Fluch des Piraten (The Curse of the Pirate)

• The trio are pretty affected when they hear from Mrs. Livingston tells them that their friendly rival detective agency, Callidae, had an argument and split up.
  The detectives were quiet for a moment. They all thought the same. Hopefully they would never part. Never.
  • Even worse, even at the end of the story, we never find out what argument caused Corona and Althena to part ways and there is no Happily Ever After where the two reconcile and team up again. As of writing this, it seems as though their agency is done for good.
• Peter having a pretty intense panic attack after being threatened quietly at gunpoint. And Jupiter and Bob aren't exactly helping either, they both pretty unhelpful things in attempt to calm him down. Even worse when you realize that Peter lashing out in response is actually a genuine response during panic attacks, he is scared and confused. The thing is, his worries aren't "nonesense" at all, they are completely valid fears (a gunman is on the deserted island stalking them). He really only calms down when he sees a stray cat and her kitten.
  Peter: (gasping) I want to go back to Rocky Beach. I want to go to the soldiers. I want to go home, even if I have to swim!
  Jupiter: Peter! That's nonsense.
  Bob: (putting a hand on his shoulder, trying to explain how that isn't a good idea) Peter, snap out of it!
  Peter lashes out instead and Bob ends up backing away.

#136 Das versunkene Dorf (The Sunken Village)

• This book is by far the saddest and most tragic of all Investigator books. There is no Happily Ever After, no bad guy to be caught just this horrible reveal of the truth that really helps no one in the end. All it has is a pretty Bittersweet Ending which feels more bitter than sweet.
• The silver box that everyone had been searching for didn't contain money or any riches, but instead a diary by Cassandra, who details the accidental murder of Charly. He didn't want to move out of the village because of the flood, so some of the other people in the town took matters into their own hands. They set his house on fire, but didn't count on Charly jumping into the house to save his twins, unaware they were elsewhere safe and sound. He ended up dying in the burning building. Everyone in the village knew what happened, but didn't say a word. In her guilt, Cassandra took her entire family inheritance and gave it to Carl and Joan, the twins who had been orphaned by the tragedy. Her husband, Joseph, started abusing her after he found out the money had disappeared and she continued to endure it to her death because of the guilt she carried.
  The new Ridgelake has been completely built. We are moving. In four days, the water of the river will slowly rise. In a week, Ridgelake will be knee-deep in a flood. In two months, only the church tower will be sticking out of the water. And a year from now, there will be nothing left of old Ridgelake. Then the crime will finally be washed away. And I too will try to start a new life. I know I won't be able to. Nobody will succeed. Not even those who leave, and there are a lot of them. We will take Charly with us wherever we flee, however much water covers our past. We will all try again and again every day.
  I will leave my diary here. I like to think that the only piece of truth that exists abut Charly's fate is where all of Ridgelake is trying to bury his bad dreams. Who knows, maybe one day someone will read it. In many, many years, when we've all turned to dust. Then, maybe someone will be able to forgive me.

  - Cassandra's heartbreaking last entry in her diary
• The Investigators helped gain closure for Carl and Joan, who wasn't really sure what to make of their father's death, who they barely remembered, having already had a wonderful life with their adopted father. Thanks to Cassandra's sacrifice, their whole life is set and they likely won't ever have to work a day in their life. They just... don't know what to make of their father's accidental murder. There's really no one to accuse or punish anymore, everyone who committed the crime is either already dead or simply too old. In the end, the twins just claim that those responsible had already been punished and they just quietly leave with the diary, leaving the silver box behind.
  • In the end, Darren and the Investigators leave Ridgelake, them to Rocky Beach and Darren back to San Francisco to his parents, with the full knowledge that everyone in the village will either move out or pass away due to old age. But in reality, as Cassandra says, the village had died the moment Charly did.

#153 Der Meister des Todes (The Master of Death)

• It was pretty poor of Frank to use his classmates to continue his father's work. Drugging Jupiter and setting up his classmates was just not okay. Jupiter was really affected by it.
  • If he had gotten his way and had Peter, Kelly, and Dean on the crew, people who are easily frightened and superstitious. It was already terrifying with Jupiter and Bob in the mix, it wouldn't be too hard to see how much it could have spiraled out of control with people wirh fragile nerves.
• Federico may have been in the wrong for holding Jupiter at gunpoint and being responsible for Peter's near death experience, but his life was really messed up by Mrs. Scuitto. He was forced to take the blame for his brother all because his mother wanted her "good son" to die with a good reputation. And he's been forced to live with those consequences for the rest of his life. Honestly, seeing how conniving and cruel Mrs. Scuitto is (she also supported Frank experimenting on his friends and denied Peter urgent medical attention after nearly dying), it wouldn't have been that bad if she did have a little heart attack like in the earlier drafts.
  • Frank finding out that the father he looked up to and was truing to continue the legacy of wasn't the golden child his grandmother made him out to be.
• Poor Pete almost dies. Reminder that this is the same guy who always makes a fuss about wanting to avoid danger and to live to a long life. He was forced into the pool by Federico and was electrocuted when the wires came to life, sending him into cardiac arrest. When he is pulled out, his heart had stopped and he was no longer breathing.
  Bob: (thinking) After all they've been through, it couldn't end like this!
  • In the novel, when Jupe couldn't feel Pete's pulse, he starts to truly panic. He begs his best friend to wake up, unable to answer Bob's question. He tries to force his brain to work past his panic, fighting the urge to cry. In the end, the normally composed and level-headed Jupiter Jones just blanks out. It's Frank who has to take over and shove him aside to perform CPR. Jupiter had spent the whole story claiming that there was nothing to be afraid of, but at this moment, with his Childhood Friend cold and lifeless on the ground, he was terrified. He spends the next few moments in vain trying to find a phone to call an ambulance, and when he is unable to find one, he comes back looking absolutely devastated. When he he sees that Peter was successfully resuscitated, he blows his nose, meaning that he had likely been crying.
  The leader of the Investigators did not respond to the question. Instead he started shaking Peter. "Come on, boy. Wake up!"
  Nothing happened.
  Jupiter had to calm himself in order not to give into the chaos in his head. Breath in! Breath out! Stay calm! Don't cry - just don't do that! Breath in! Breath out! Do something useful! Think!
  • There is actually a draft of the novel where Pete is the one shot by Federico with a live round and later dies of his wound. Kari Erlhoff, the author, posted a portion of it online and it has one of the saddest moments in the whole series overall. Thank god it's not canon.
    Peter: (opening his eyes) Jupiter?
    Jupiter: Everything is fine!
    Peter: (shaking his head) I'm cold.
    Jupiter: (knows he's lying) That's because you're wearing wet clothes. The doctor will take care of [the wound].
    Peter: Jupe, I'm scared.
    Jupiter: (trying to stop the bleeding) Don't be. Everything will be fine.
    Peter: (closing his eyes) You're not a very good actor today.
    Jupiter: You're not dying! I forbid you, as your boss!
    Pete stops answering.
    • Right before this, Bob is in complete denial about what's happening and tries to reason that Peter is just joking and that all the blood was just 'movie blood', only for Jupiter to confirm quietly that Peter really did get shot.
    Bob: (distraught, shaking his head) It can't be! This can't be happening!
    • The most tragic thing about this is that it seems as though in the last second, Pete realized he actually really dying and that his friend was lying to him to make him feel better. Even as scared as he is on death's doorstep, Peter decides to use his last words tease Jupiter instead.

#162 Fußball-Teufel (Soccer Devil)

• When Peter falls to his apparent death after the plate he was standing on slips, Lenni attempts to catch him only for him to slip through his fingers and disappear into the darkness, to his apparent death. Jupe and Bob are rightfully horrified and heartbroken.
  From there again past the bloody lake and out through the crevice into the large cave. Scary cave, Peter had said, scary cave. Jupiter felt the tears welling up inside him.
  • Lenni, who had tried to grab Pete, looking at his hand, as if his hand was to blame for Pete's fall.
  • In the radio play version, Jupe and Bob's heartbreaking cry for their friend. Bob in particular sounds absolutely devastated. Afterwards, both sound like they're sobbing and only stop when they hear Pete's bird cry, revealing that he had survived.

#164 Im Schatten des Giganten (In the Shadow of the Giant)

• Randy's father having died on a rescue two years prior. Despite the tragedy, both Randy and his mother decided to further dedicated their lives into search and rescue, which his both heartbreaking and tearjerking at the same time.
• Tara Finn's situation. She working hard at her inn as a single mother to provide and care for her only son, Steven, who is mentally disabled. It gets worse when Thorton is revealed to be straight up abusing Steven after he accidentally found the dead poached animals, wanting his mother to send him off to a care home.
• Turns out that Pete has already written a will in case he dies. The situation is Played for Laughs, but its sobering to realize that it's not all that surprising why he has one. The Three Investigators have brushed with death time and time again. Pete in particular has already had an intense Disney Death in Der Meister des Todes, he's just preparing for the worst.

#168 Das Phantom aus dem Meer (The Phantom of the Sea)

• The fact that Mr. Kramer drugged his own daughter Fiona to help better sell that he was not part of the crime and to add onto the myth. He was later arrested from his house while his confused wife looks on and his daughter is asleep. The worst part is that we have no idea how their family situation ended up or if Fiona will ever find out what her father done to her.

#182 Im Haus des Henker (In the Executioner's House)

• All victims of the ghost train's brutal hypnotism. They are all a result of Caldwell breaking their minds via Sensory Overload and psychologically programs them to be a scapegoat. Victims come out of the ride completely dazed, exhausted, and completely zombie-like. Then they wander off alone in this terrible state to make sure they don't have an alibi until they hear their Trigger Phrase, which is a text message of the picture of Nosferatu. Then they call the police and falsely confess their crime they did not commit and get arrested. Then they get to sit in jail in their condition without the help they need. The hypnotism is so effective, that upon release, it appears that all five victims had to go to therapy due to the psychological damage, but at least they're expected to make a full recovery.
  • With the truth revealed, it's hard not to feel sorry for Rudy Carlisle, the victim in the beginning of the story. From the Investigators' perspective, it's completely understandable why they would be wary of his confession as they don't know if he's armed or not, but knowing how much the hypnotism victims are suffering, Carlisle didn't deserve to be tackled to the ground by police officers.
  • Matthew Crouch has been in custody for at least a week before the story starts and he has been unable even to see his family. Unlike Peter, who had some Nepotism on his side in the form of Inspector Cotta, Matthew had been forced to endure the aftereffects of the hypnotism on his own for that week. It also applies to the unnamed first victim, who had been in jail for at least two weeks.
  • Peter falls victim to the hypnotism after he gets stuck on the ride. He comes out looking as nervous and sickly as all the other victims. Even after being escorted home by Jupiter and Bob, he still goes out on his own and confesses to the crime. When he is arrested, he doesn't even resist and continues to claim he did the crime. He seems to grow weaker overnight in the police cell and barely is able to react to his parents and friends, unable to remember anything other than he did the crime.
    Mrs. Shaw immediately ran to her son and hugged him. His father stroked his tousled hair and gave him an encouraging smile. "Hey, buddy! Are you okay?"
    Nothing was okay. Peter looked even more terrible than his bleary-eyed parents. There were thick circles under his glass eyes, his skin was waxy, his posture hunched. But worst of all was his look, from which all hope and vitality had vanished.
    • Bob wanting to cry after hearing how Peter was arrested: he was ripped from his home, only had five minutes to talk to his parents, and was now all alone in the cell. Jupiter is no less affected. Mrs. Shaw is completely devastated, blaming herself for not taking care of him when clearly needed it and begging Jupiter to do something. Inspector Cotta was also so shocked to hear Peter was arrested, he had to sit down.
    • As if it wasn't enough, Peter goes into a real seizure after Bob accidentally says his Trigger Phrase. He can't even remember why he's scared.

#185 Insel des Vergssens (The Island of Forgetting)

• Pete's reaction when and Jupiter come to the likely conclusion that Pete's grandfather, Ben Peck, might have dementia. Peter is in complete denial at first, but after the first visit to the retirement home, he starts to become more and more distraught, having a hard time accepting the idea that the grandfather he loved so much was losing his sense of self. For those with family who have dementia, Pete's grief is palpable.
• When Ben Peck finds out that Ellyn was The Mole all along and the other perpetrator besides Dr. Burke. He had truly trusted the young woman and seems really hurt by her betrayal.

#190 Verbrechen im Nichts (Crime in Nothing)

• This book has another example of how much playing 'Baby Fasto' has really affected Jupiter. He understandably becomes furious that he's been tricked by a child's riddle and has a hard time working through that shame in betrayal, because it reminds him of all the times the other child actors used to ridicule him. Jupiter may have overreacted a bit, but it's still understandable.
• After narrowly surviving a pretty bad and rough fall into a hole in the quarry, Peter sustains some pretty painful injuries and has trouble sleeping the first night. Thankfully, he makes a full recovery by the time they leave Rocky Beach.

#197 Im Auge des Strums (In the Eye of the Storm)

• It's revealed that Peter had broken up with Kelly (again) because he just didn't have between school, sports, and detective work. Not only that, but Peter feels a little down because despite the time he's dedicated to sports, he's just good at many things and not great in any one of them.
• It seems as though Peter has become traumatized after saving Matt from the shark attack and he doesn't seem to really realize he is. Instead, he's having nightmares where he's always failing to save someone from bleeding out: Matt, Jeffery, Kelly, and Finnley, who also blames him for not saving him. Thing is, he did save Matt, but the only thing he can remember is the part where he is dying and bleeding out.
  Again and again the shark attacked and again and again Peter failed in the rescue. Whatever he did, someone ended up lying on the beach covered in blood.

Book #201+ (Modern Era)

#209 Kelch des Schicksals (Chalice of Destiny)

• Pete apparently having a fitful sleep because his wrist hurt so much it kept waking him up.
• Jupiter being disappointed about his mother's side of the family. He had been hoping they were the source of his Teen Genius, but they turned out pretty shady people who were involved in a lot of crime. Jupiter ends up feeling extremely mixed about the whole thing, torn between wanting to help people who were supposed to be his family and the urge to do what's right. In the end, most of the Abernathys are arrested due to their crimes. At least, his maternal uncle gave him some closure by giving him much of his mother's belongings. Still, Jupiter is still exhausted at the end and all he wants to do is go back to Rocky Beach and hang out with Peter and Bob.
• The fact that the reason for Catherine Jones' death in the first place is her compassion to her shady family. She wanted to help her brother out and that compassion lead to her and her husband taking a plane to South America to their deaths, orphaning her son.

#215 Die Schwingen des Unheils (The Wings of Doom)

• Peter completely shuts down when the water pipe bursts for a second time. He starts mumbling incoherently and can't even hear Jupiter anymore. Usually, when Pete panics, he tends to hyperventilate, but this time he's so shell-shocked that he just mumbles quietly to himself.
  Peter: (mumbling) Perish... we're going to perish like rats in here... And the last thing I said to my Mum this morning was, 'The bathroom's out of toilet paper'. Overall, I... was a good son. But the last thing my mother will remember about me is damn toilet paper!
  • Even worse when you think about the likely reason why Peter had shut down like this so hard when he's really been in worse pickles. They are in a flooding basement in danger of being electrocuted from an outlet. Now, what exactly happened to Pete at the end of Der Meister des Todes? Three things things: a pool, electrical wires, and cardiac arrest.

#229 Der Tag der Toten (The Day of the Dead)

• Linus Wade's memories of his father's funeral. It's a traumatic moment for him: between his sobbing mother and throwing 'Jumpy', his Teddy Bear, to join his father in his grave. His hypnotism session reveals he still is plagued by memories, even if subconcious.
  • Peter getting disturbed after witnessing the hypnotism session, which the book explains is because he still remembers what happened to him in 'Im Haus dem Henkers'. He seems to be showing signs of PTSD and turns the radio to a happy song to feel better.

Specials and Live Shows

Der drei Tag (The Three Days)

Im Zeichen der Ritter (In the Sign of the Knights)

• The Reveal that this case was just a sad story about Jasper's younger sibling trying to avenge the death of their older brother, Jasper, who was accidentally killed after a fire started at their high school. In their fear, all witnesses kept quiet about the death, leaving Jasper's cause of death unknown for 27 years.

Fremder Freund (Strange Friend)

• Peter being forced to leave the Three Investigators to save Blacky's life. He is ridiculed on the way home by a cab driver whose brother-in-law was put in jail by them and his reassignment was even announced on the radio. When Peter arrives home, he just hugs his mother and the wording implies that he cried. Even if he butts heads with Jupiter or gets scared out of his skin, it seems that Pete really did like being a detective with his friends.
  The door opened up by itself and Peter looked up. His mother stood in front of him. Her gaze was filled with compassion and concern. And the Second Investigator realized that, she, too, had heard the breaking news on the radio.
  Mrs. Crenshaw: I'm so sorry.
  Peter: Me too...
  His mother wrapped her arms around him. At first, Peter wanted to get out of it, but then he thought of the red MG and let his grief run free.
  • Jupiter and Bob are not quite happy with the arrangement either and for the plan to work, they had to pretend to want a replacement. They even get accused by Annie, who is heartbroken about their decision to kick Peter out and calls them out on it.
  • Turns out that Peter was "leaving" only to lure the stalker out, he actually did cry real tears when he "left".
  Bob: Wait a moment! Did you cry, Second?
  Peter: (embarrassed) Yeah... No... I guess I've worked my way into my role a bit.
• Even though what William did was extremely creepy and strange, it's hard not to feel sorry for the guy. It seems that he has truly lost his mind, especially since his girlfriend was a big fan of the Investigators and of Peter himself. He really just wanted to be Peter. It's clear that he needs some mental help and here's hoping that he actually gets it.

Phonophobia

Sinfonie der Angst (Symphony of Fear)

• Pete being strapped into Colorphonic, an acoustic torture machine, and tortured by having the machine inject him with all sorts of horrific and painful sensations so that his heartbeat can be used to accompany Phonophobia. Made even worse when you realize that as a Synesthete, his sensations were likely doubled. You can just hear him desperately begging to be let free and screaming out for Jupe and Bob to help him (Jupe technically just makes it worse because he needed the machine to backfire onto Mr. Yamada). The machine ends up wiping out his memories of the whole case and his time being tortured. Considering how horrific his screams are, it's probably for the best.
  Pete: (desperately screaming in agony) Bob! Jupiter! Help me!
  • The novelization is not as horrific as the live show, but Pete's experience listening to Phonophobia just as awful. By the end of it, he is vomiting with a gushing nosebleed that has drenched his shirt, begging his friends to please just take him away from the concert.