| ◄ |  Transcript
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General |  Reviews
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| In the Doghouse | |
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| General information | |
| Season | 1 |
| City | Anbrusia |
| District | Aeropolis Airport |
| Case # | 5 |
| Initial release date | March 14th, 2020 |
| Partner(s) | Kessie Owusu (All Chapters) |
| Case chronology | |
| ← Preceded by | Succeeded by → |
| Flying the Coop | Drug on the Market |
| “ | We make our ways to the docks to investigate the shipment of drugs, but what awaits us is the lifeless body of a familiar person, a hole in their chest from a shotgun blast. Was our victim fed to the dogs and was this simply a simple gang kill? Or is there more going on than we had imagined? | „ |
| —Case Teaser |
In the Doghouse is a case featured in Criminal Case where it appears as the fifth case in Anbrusia. It takes place as the fifth case in the Aeropolis Airport district of Anbrusia.
Plot[]
The following week, now that the team had guessed where the gang would strike next for their drug smuggling, Kessie and the player were assigned yet again to investigate around the docks for anything out of the ordinary. While walking, Kessie recalled back to what Eveline had been dealing with, after trying to convince her friend Penelope to leave the gang with her. She stayed simply because she had been in love with a man she met, Bruno Argent, and although she could tell it was genuine love, she hoped things would work out for her safety. Kessie then noticed something weird across the docks, pointing towards it and suggesting they should check it out. What awaited them though, was Eric Lawson staring at their faces, his eyes wide and devoid of all life while he bled through a hole blasted through his chest. Kessie couldn’t believe the horrific sight, but had no doubt that this was a murder, and one that was very recent. They began by searching around the docks, where they found the evidence to suspect a familiar face, hooligan Jonathan Vance, who claimed to had been hanging around the docks for a smoke, and teenager Dustin Buckley after he had been caught trespassing the area. The investigation had also led them to search the airport lobby since Eric himself had been investigating the drug lead, and they flagged lawyer Marianne Park as a suspect since she had helped Eric with his investigation. Kessie and the player also spoke to their friend Eveline, who once again thanked them for attempting to help her and Penelope, and revealed that she noticed Eric had been following her around prior to his death. Later on, while Kessie was ponding over the information, a surprisingly ecstatic Carlos and Dylan approached the duo, saying that they had new information on who could possibly be a suspect, and it happened to be Carlos’ biggest idol, tech CEO Blaine Jefferson.
Kessie was shocked to learn that such a celebrity would be here in the district and asked how exactly he was a suspect, while Carlos told them of Blaine hiring Eric to run an investigation on his behalf, though he couldn’t find much of the details behind it. Tracking Blaine down, he flashed them a smile and let them know that the reason he hired Eric was to investigate a recent break-in to his company building and a case of threats and a mugging that unfortunately happened to his husband Christian. Blaine had also directed them to the precinct where Eric worked while Carlos wanted to stay behind to propose an idea to Blaine, and the investigators determined model Albert Huxley to be a suspect based off of Eric investigating him and thinking he was up to shady deals and crimes around the city. They also had found Jonathan’s arrest records in Eric’s desk, and Jonathan had angrily admitted that Eric had been harassing him for the smallest of things, and he was just corrupt, looking to bring down and ruin those who were just trying to get by. Evidence not only supported Jonathan’s claims of Eric being corrupt, but also that Eric attempted to sway Eveline by coercing her into giving him her services. Jordan then wished to speak to the pair about something he and Christopher had found, revealing that Eric had planned to confront a certain someone on the same docks he was murdered in.
The two husbands had uncovered that the person Eric was going to confront was Dustin, who he was going to arrest. Kessie and the player took this information to the information, who came clean that Eric had tried using him to get information on the gang despite his countless claims that he wasn’t in it. After going back to the victim’s desk, new information came to light, which included that Marianne had been planning to rebuild the neighborhood and add more value to it, though she didn’t like to use the word “gentrify”, but Eric was a giant obstacle in her way, as he liked to stick his nose up in places it didn’t belong. Not only that, but that Eric had spouted homophobic and racial slurs towards Blaine’s husband and was taking a bribe from Albert, which alerted him not to out him, as it would ruin his career, and he would’ve done anything to keep word from getting out.
After investigating the docks once more, they were to discover more clues, such as the shotgun used in the murder, which led to them arresting Jonathan for Eric's murder.
The pair confronted Jonathan, who panicked and tried his best to convince the investigators he wasn’t a killer. It seemed as if he was more scared to admit it to himself, until he finally gave in as he was backed into a corner and admitting to shooting Eric square in the chest. He swore that he never meant to kill him, it was only a result of the heat of the moment. After asking him to reveal more, he explained that after taking a walk on the docks to just light a cigarette, he had heard arguing nearby and decided to check it out. Turning a corner, he witnessed Eric harassing Dustin over matters that seemed to be relating to the drug and gang problem that had arisen in the district during the past couple of weeks. What he had been shocked to hear, however, was that Eric had been the one to really have been in connections with the gang. He was their inside man, which would explain why they never seemed to pop up anywhere, as he would always tip them off about where police would always be. Although his reasons for doing so were unknown, it was clear Eric was corrupt and had no issues with working with the gang. Going back to the events of the murder, Jonathan revealed that he overheard Eric stating that he was there to take care of unresolved matters that Dustin had with the gang, and he was going to take him in and ruin his life as revenge for trying to sneak his way out of the gang. And after he had taken care of Dustin, he and the others would go for the “prostitute bitch” and make her disappear, as no one would care for a whore such as her.
Eric faked a ruse of arresting Dustin, who had been seemingly scared, and Jonathan observed from afar, until he had noticed that Dustin was putting up a fight. This had caused Eric to draw his gun and conclude that the better solution was to shoot Dustin and kill him right then and there, as he would just always be a pathetic piece of trash from the lowly neighborhood that no one would care about, and he’d just be written off as another boy who turned to substances because he knew he’d be nothing but scum– him and hundreds of other boys. This angered Jonathan as he had remembered those exact words being told to him, and how powerless and scared they made him feel, which he could see in Dustin, who tried to play it off and act like he wasn’t, but Jonathan could tell he was trembling with fear. It even came to the point where Eric had been taunting Dustin and doing things that would make him more scared, where Dustin had to beg for Eric to just let him go, and he’d go back to the gang and do anything to make things right.
Unable to watch any more of the scene unfold, Jonathan had grabbed one of the shotguns he had found, given it wasn’t an odd thing to find in a neighborhood such as this one, and stepped behind Eric, confronting him. Eric had been shocked at Jonathan’s sudden courage and told him that it wouldn’t matter what would happen in the next following moments, as someone, or rather, all of them, would lose anyway. He then pointed his gun at Dustin and placed his finger over the trigger, a split second away from shooting, but all of that was drowned by a loud bang of Jonathan’s shotgun. The corrupt police officer had been completely stunned, and for the longest time, the three stared in silence, before Eric gurgled a load of blood and fell to the floor. Jonathan dropped the shotgun and kicked it away, before he got a trembling Dustin away from the scene and told him to run and never look back, as he deserved to get away after everything he had been through, and they may send others after him again, and the entire fallout would be on him. Finishing retelling the events, Jonathan himself knew that lying to them would only have made it worse, but he feared what would happen, as even if he was scared, even if he didn’t show it. Kessie couldn’t believe what she had been told, completely stunned to silence, before she had given Jonathan a tight hug and told him he had been brave for risking everything to save a kid’s life. It was then where Jonathan had finally cried in her embrace, and he told them he was finally ready to face what he had done. At trial, Jonathan had confessed to everything, but only asked that Dustin be left out of it, and the guilt was solely on him. There, they had told him that Dustin was nowhere to be found either way, as he suddenly had seemed to have disappeared, and Jonathan had shot the investigators a worried glance. Taking in the circumstances, Judge Malik had been upset at the entire case, especially at the fact that a supposed enforcer of the law had abused their power. Regardless, she knew that someone had to be punished here for the entire thing, and had told Jonathan that she would go easy on him, sentencing him to six years with a possibility of parole after three.
Post-trial, Kessie was visibly upset, as she believed that people in power should use said power to protect others, but she had accepted now that there are some who want to do nothing more but abuse it. Regardless, she had felt bad for what happened to Jonathan, but wanted to focus on Dustin now, as Jonathan mentioned he may be in danger, and now he was nowhere to be found. As she pulled out her phone and powered it on, however, she gasped, seeing five missed calls from Eveline’s number around the time of the arrest, recalling that she was also a target...
After many failed attempts to contact Eveline, Kessie thought it was safe to assume that either she had officially gone off the radar, or that the gang had already gotten to her, which would explain the missed calls, and the same went for Dustin, who was also AWOL. She didn’t want to assume the worst yet, and wanted to speak to Jonathan to see if he had known where they possibly could have gone or if the gang had a hideout of sorts. They spoke to Jonathan in prison, and they had found him both bloody and bruised from all sides. Kessie worriedly asked him what happened, and he revealed that it was the price for taking one of their own from the gang, but he could handle himself. He also told them that admittedly did not know much, and he preferred to keep it that way for the safety of those two. What he did know, though, was that if Eric was in direct contact with the gang and had done his best to sabotage the police, then he must’ve left trace of it in his desk. Before they had left, Kessie told Jonathan to take care of himself, before regretfully leaving. Upon searching through Eric’s desk, they had discovered a certain file on suspected gang members, which they had Christopher analyze with Mauricio’s help. After meeting him in his lab, he had seemingly been nervous and had immediately thrown some blonde and brown hair dye into the trash can and had hidden a camera in his desk, though again, the investigators thought not much of it. Suspiciously, Christopher revealed that one of the files contained a picture of a man strongly resembling Albert. They questioned the model, who was just as confused as them, denying that being him in the photo, as he certainly would’ve remembered it. After further inspection of the photo, the background seemed to be of the docks, so they had gone there to look around and found a capsule of sorts. While unlocking it, right before they got the chance to open it, the voice of a man shouted behind them, and the two investigators whipped around to see an older man pointing their gun at them. Kessie wasted no time in drawing her own weapon, telling the man to drop his. The man then revealed himself to be an FBI Agent by the name of Brock Harrison, and the situation seemed to defuse itself, Kessie apologizing for the mix-up. Brock himself did not care, however, and instead walked up to Kessie and snatched the capsule out of her hands before she even got a chance to look of it, and he labeled it as classified evidence now. Kessie asked for him to explain, and he sighed in annoyance, telling them that their band of rookie’s no longer needed to worry about the gang issue, as he and his team would have it handled, before he excused himself, as someone had to take care of the problem since no one else seemed capable enough of doing it. Fuming, Kessie had let him go, and told the player defeatedly that there was now nothing they could do but let them handle it, but that doesn’t mean they still won’t be able to help in ensuring the safety of Eveline and Dustin.
Meanwhile, Renée had entered the precinct, laughing with a woman by her side, both laughing and poking fun at each other. Kauri had greeted Renée with a genuine smile, something that seemed rare from him at least, and he eyed the woman beside her up and down, asking who she was. The woman introduced herself as famous fashion designer Trina Armani, and joked about being offended that he didn’t know her name, as the two best friends laughed at how embarrassed Kauri seemed after. Renée then reminded Kauri of the gathering her mother had been hosting in two weeks, wondering if the team would go. He actually said that they would all certainly be there to show support for her, but the player knew that he had yet to discuss it with the rest of the team. Excitedly, Renée hugged Kauri, thanking him for it, but had one more favor to ask of him. She had noticed that Blaine Jefferson had been in town, a man she had heard of but never had the pleasure of knowing, but she wanted to change that and invite him to the gala. She wanted to bring him a gift from the airport gift shop, as it wasn’t every day he could make time to visit a place such as this one. Kauri and the player helped Renée gather a gift and talk to Blaine, who thanked her for her kindness and thought of her offer. He would have a few things to work out with his company and have to let his husband know, but he’s almost certain it could be arranged. A cheerful Renée was happy that things seemed to be going well and that the gala would be a blast, and all that was left now was to wait for the day to come.
Approximately two weeks later, the team had been cleaning up their looks for the gala, as Roza complained of her dress, blaming Kauri for getting them roped into something without even consulting the others. Christopher, who had been glancing at his phone occasionally, as if he were waiting for something, had reminded them that this was a nice chance to warm up to those from the richer neighborhoods and get them on their side, and perhaps they’d actually do something about the problems those not-so-privileged were facing. Either way, the fact was that they needed support and it was a good chance to gain connections, so the party wasn’t such a bad idea. Although the team had mixed thoughts themselves, Safiya herself was happy to go and finally get a proper break, as all the stress from the past few weeks had not been doing her skin justice, and it was good to be able to unwind. Upon arriving at the gala, they had checked in with Renée, who seemed to be having the time of her life, telling them to join in and let themselves enjoy being away from the job for one night. Most of the team by now had gone their separate ways and had done their own things, except for Carlos and of course Kauri, who had been keeping to himself and simply observing the crowd. Surprisingly, a familiar man had approached him, Alistair Kersey, and asked Kauri if he wanted to dance. Although Kauri had initially refused, Alistair continued to insist until a small smile formed on Kauri’s face, and the two had gone off together. It had just been Carlos, the player, and Christopher by themselves, until Christopher’s phone had gone off, and his eyes widened, the interim chief excusing himself and saying he needed to go, before rushing out of the gala. Carlos wasn’t quite sure what was up with him, and he also pointed out that he noticed Blaine from afar sneaking out the back entrance while angrily talking to someone on the phone. He didn’t know what to make of it all, and was starting to regret coming in the first place. The night had gone on, people danced, conversed, enjoyed themselves for the rest of the night, even as the clock struck midnight, and no one seemed to care. Eventually, Kauri had returned to Carlos and the player, his hair a bit of a mess (more than it usually was) and a flush on his cheeks, and Carlos had asked him what had happened with Alistair, a smirk on his face. However, the moment was soon interrupted as Dylan had run up to them, panting and trying to catch their breath, muttering audible words in panic and speaking too fast to be able to be understood. Kauri had helped them calm down and asked them what happened, but all they were able to mutter was the name Eveline, and that someone was dead…
The night of the gala, the culprit had now bound their kidnapped victim and prepared them for injection, and they had approached their scared form, who had been pleading for help. The culprit calmed their victim down and finally were able to inject the dose of whatever it had inside, running their gloved hands across the victim’s smooth skin, chuckling to themselves. At first, the victim had seemed calm, until the drug had set in and they let out muffled screams of pure pain and agony, their cold and bitter death soon setting in. The worst of it all was the culprit taking their camera and flashing pictures of the victim in their bitter death, every second of their reaction, until the light in their eyes had flickered out, and they sat there, head slumped over, the cold feel of death being the only thing to fill the room...
Summary[]
Victim[]
- Eric Lawson (found shot in the torso, a hole in his chest)
Murder Weapon[]
- Shotgun
Killer[]
Suspects[]
Quasi-Suspects[]
Killer's Profile[]
- The killer eats tomato soup.
- The killer goes to dog races.
- The killer knows lock-picking.
- The killer wears nail polish.
- The killer has a soot stain.
Crime Scenes[]
| Airport Docks | Dockside Quay | Airport Docks Bonus |
| Airport Lobby | Lobby Seats | Airport Lobby Bonus |
| Victim's Police Desk | Filing Cabinet | Victim's Police Desk Bonus |
Steps[]
Chapter 1[]
Chapter 2[]
Chapter 3[]
At Square One (5/6)[]
- Reward: Stylish Hair
[]
| Cases in Anbrusia | |
|---|---|
| Aeropolis Airport | Flying Colors • Beaten Black and Blue • Burning Daylight • Flying the Coop • In the Doghouse • Drug on the Market |
| Chorus Carnival | The Curtain Falls • False Note • Sharp Wit • Music to My Ears • Two Can Play at That Game • The Night the Clown Cried |
| Alluring Avenue | Drop Dead Handsome • Between Your Heart and Mine • A Kiss Goodbye • The Apple of My Eyes • Light Up the Night • An Affair to Remember |
| Cedarwood Cinemas | Flash a Smile • Through Your Looking Glass • Beyond Wildest Dreams • In Black and White • Run a Tight Ship • A Dark Horse |
| Utopian University | School of Thought • Lessons Learned • Spoilsport • Curve Ball • As the Sun Rises • The Queen Has Fallen |
| Frosty Forest | Hit the Mountain Trail • Shivering With Fear • Bearly Alive • Forever Frozen in Time • Saw You in the Flesh • Monster of Them All |
| Innovation Isle | In For a Shock • Blinded with Science • Not Science Fiction • Brain Power • No One Lives Forever • Game Plan |
| Cassiopeia Canyon | Trained to Kill • My Way or the Highway • In Space and Beyond • Alien Territory • Laser Precision • Murder Sixty One |
| Crescent Capital | Tip the Balance • Locked and Loaded • Dead Eagle Eye • Riot Act • Venom in Our Veins • A Stab in the Dark |
| Poshley Place | At Death's Doorstep • The View From the Balcony • Lost in the Stars • A Reign of Terror • The Last Goodbye • To the Stars |