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In the Line of Fire is a case featured in Criminal Case as the third case of Mysteries of the Past (Season 4) and the one-hundred seventy-fourth case overall. It takes place in the New Haven district of Concordia.
Plot
The Concordian Flying Squad provided aid to the Concordian Fire Brigade to put out an alleged arson at the police station. Billy Thompson reported the death of his partner Otis Kidd to Maddie and the player, so the team investigated the police station's cinders to find Otis' charred body with a bullet wound to the back.
During the investigation, Commissioner Baldwin of the Concordian Police Department said he would take Otis' killer to justice dead or alive. Later on, Billy broke into the Commissioner's house and started a scandal with his daughter Adelia. The team found enough evidence to arrest Billy for the murder.
Billy initially denied involvement but soon admitted to the crime. He had saved Otis from ruin by loaning him money and getting him a job at the fire brigade. When Otis started dating Adelia, he turned his back on Billy, often disparaging him and spending his money to buy gifts for Adelia. When Otis disparaged him again while working at the police station, Billy shot him in the back with a revolver he had previously stolen and placed his body in the flames. Judge Takakura sentenced him to life in jail.
Post-trial, Maddie and the player collaborated with Rose to find the fire's origins. Meanwhile, District Attorney Justin Lawson requested to talk to the team.
Rose and the player pulled some fingerprints from the gas canister they had found previously. With the help of Commissioner Baldwin (who had been gathering the recently discovered fingerprints to create a central database) and his precinct ID book, they found out that the fingerprints belonged to a rookie cop called John Koll. During his arrest, Koll admitted that he had accidentally started the fire when he flipped over the barrel he was burning some evidence in. Upon further interrogation, he admitted that someone had forced him to burn the evidence by threatening his family.
Meanwhile, Justin requested Maddie and the player's help to clean Father Donovan's name after he had gone under some scrutiny regarding his dedication to the immigrants cause. At the police station, they found a Madam Xiang's brothel flyer with Donovan's name and a code. Per Evie, the code referred to debts. Xiang told the team that Donovan frequented her brothel and tried to convince her employees to pay their debts with the society and get honest employment. The team reckoned that Donovan was placing the immigrants in underpaid positions.
As Chief Wright commented that Koll's accidental fire was the origin of the citywide fire, the team prepared to dig deeper into Father Donovan's businesses.
Summary
Victim
- Otis Kidd (died during police station fire)
Murder Weapon
- Revolver
Killer
- Billy Thompson
Suspects
Quasi-suspect(s)
Killer's Profile
- The killer uses cocaine toothache drops.
- The killer plays dice games.
- The killer drives an automobile.
- The killer wears a gold button.
- The killer has a mustache.
Crime Scenes
Steps
Chapter 1
- Investigate Police Station. (Clues: Burned Barrel, Victim's Body; New Suspect: Edward Whimple; Victim identified: Otis Kidd)
- Talk to Officer Whimple. (Prerequisite: Police Station investigated; New Crime Scene Unlocked: Firehouse)
- Investigate Firehouse. (Prerequisite: Edward interrogated; Clues: Broken Frame, Handkerchief)
- Examine Broken Frame. (Result: Medal Display Case; Clue: Faded Engraving)
- Examine Faded Engraving. (Result: Engravings; New Suspect: Billy Thompson)
- Inform Billy Thompson that the victim was murdered. (Prerequisite: Engravings on Medal Display Case unraveled)
- Examine Handkerchief. (Result: Makeup Sample)
- Analyze Makeup Sample. (09:00:00; New Suspect: Madam Xiang)
- Ask Madam Xiang why her handkerchief was at the fire station. (Prerequisite: Makeup Sample analyzed)
- Examine Burned Barrel. (Result: Wooden Cup)
- Analyze Wooden Cup. (03:00:00; Attribute: The killer plays dice games)
- Autopsy Victim's Body. (18:00:00; Attribute: The killer uses cocaine toothache drops)
- Go to Chapter 2. (1 star)
Chapter 2
- Question Commissioner Baldwin about his hunt for the killer. (Available after unlocking Chapter 2; Profile updated: Talmadge uses cocaine toothache drops; New Crime Scene Unlocked: Commissioner's Home)
- Investigate Commissioner's Home. (Prerequisite: Talmadge interrogated; Clues: Victim's Coat, Locked Diary)
- Examine Victim's Coat. (Result: Note to Victim; Clue: Code)
- Examine Code. (Result: Numbers)
- Analyze Numbers. (12:00:00; New Crime Scene Unlocked: Police Desks)
- Investigate Police Desks. (Prerequisite: Numbers analyzed; Clues: Broken Clock, Gambling Photo, Revolver; Murder Weapon registered: Revolver)
- Examine Broken Clock. (Result: Clock)
- Question Madam Xiang about her clock. (Prerequisite: Clock restored; Profile updated: Madam Xiang uses cocaine toothache drops and plays dice games)
- Examine Gambling Photo. (Result: Edward Whimple's Ring)
- Interrogate Officer Whimple about playing dice with the victim. (Prerequisite: Ring identified on Gambling Photo; Profile updated: Edward plays dice games)
- Examine Revolver. (Result: White Substance)
- Analyze White Substance. (06:00:00; Attribute: The killer drives an automobile)
- Examine Locked Diary. (Result: Tickets; New Suspect: Adelia Baldwin)
- Ask Adelia Baldwin about the Gigantic tickets. (Prerequisite: Diary unlocked)
- Go to Chapter 3. (No stars)
Chapter 3
- Profile updated: Billy drives an automobile
- Question Billy Thompson about the money he's demanding from Adelia. (Available after unlocking Chapter 3; Profile updated: Billy uses cocaine toothache drops and plays dice games)
- Investigate Terrace Doorway. (Available after unlocking Chapter 3; Clues: Cigarette, Faded Envelope)
- Examine Cigarette. (Result: Transparent Substance)
- Examine Transparent Substance. (Result: Perfume)
- Ask Adelia Baldwin about her smoking habit. (Prerequisite: Perfume identified under microscope; Profiles updated: Adelia drives an automobile, Madam Xiang drives an automobile, Talmadge drives an automobile)
- Examine Envelope. (Result: Postal Order)
- Analyze Postal Order. (09:00:00)
- Confront Commissioner Baldwin about the threat he left to the victim. (Prerequisite: Postal Order analyzed; Profile updated: Talmadge plays dice games)
- Investigate Firemen's Truck. (All tasks before must be done first; Clues: Cocaine Drops Tin, Fire Alarm)
- Examine Cocaine Drops Tin. (Result: White Powder)
- Analyze White Powder. (15:00:00; Attribute: The killer has a mustache)
- Examine Fire Alarm. (Result: Gold Coin)
- Analyze Gold Coin. (09:00:00; Attribute: The killer wears a gold button)
- Take care of the killer now!
- Go to A New Beginning (3/6). (No stars)
A New Beginning (3/6)
- Meet with District Attorney Lawson. (Available after unlocking A New Beginning)
- Investigate Police Station. (Prerequisite: Justin interrogated; Clue: Brothel Ad [Message])
- Examine Message. (Result: Numbers)
- Analyze Numbers. (06:00:00)
- Ask Madam Xiang about Father Donovan's message on the brothel ad. (Prerequisite: Numbers analyzed; Reward: Burger)
- Consult with Rose Zhao about the arson. (Available after unlocking A New Beginning; New Clue: Kerosene Tank)
- Examine Kerosene Tank. (Result: Fingerprints)
- Ask Commissioner Baldwin if he can help us identify the fingerprints. (Prerequisite: Fingerprints unraveled; Reward: Seductive Blouse)
- Investigate Police Desks. (Prerequisite: Talmadge interrogated; Clue: Police Precinct ID Book)
- Examine Police Precinct ID Book. (Result: John Koll's fingerprints)
- Arrest John Koll for setting fire to the evidence room. (Prerequisite: Fingerprints from Kerosene Tank identified in Police Precinct ID Book; Reward: 20,000 Coins)
- Move on to a new crime! (1 star)
Trivia
- The case's title comes from the idiom "in the line of fire," which means to be in the path of an attack.
- In Chapter 3, a quote from A Midsummer Night's Dream is mentioned.
- In A New Beginning, a quote from the Book of Proverbs is mentioned.