Never let it be said I don't love you guys. Here's a second new chapter today! Pacific Bay and World Edition letters will most likely be divided into two Chapters each (maybe other season letters will be that way as well? Not sure!) Still working out how/if I want to do a letter-style Chapter for MOTP, I'm open to any ideas (can't do the MC's sister for that one though because, as he says to Maddie in Sharing Memories, she was shot and died during his time in London pre-canon)
Pacific Bay, 27th March 2014:
Dear Ari,
Roxie took Amy and me scuba diving today. It was rather pleasant, or at least it was up until we found the murdered body of another diver, a woman by the name of Valerie Green. At first, we assumed she'd simply drowned due to inexperience, or otherwise to some sort of nasty accident, but we soon found out that someone sabotaged her oxygen tank to make it look full when it was running out of air. Poor Valerie never realized what was going on, or at least not until it was too late…
Her killer turned out to be a local yacht owner, and a well-known party organizer named Mighty Pete. He confessed that he was paying Ms. Green to be eye candy at his parties, but had to keep paying her more and more money each time as she kept playing hard to get. Eventually, after she decided that she'd made enough money and was planning to leave both him and Pacific Bay, he killed her.
Judge Dante, the eccentric chief judge of Pacific Bay sentenced him to 30 years in prison for his despicable crime, as well as an extra 15 years for the (slightly-less) despicable crime of referring to himself in the third person.
The only conclusion that I can draw so far is that the people of Pacific Bay are very, very, weird.
On a more positive note, Yann and I went scuba diving after solving the case, since we haven't had a chance to talk much since I joined the team, and I found a new species of mantis shrimp in a fishing net that we picked up off the seafloor! I've enclosed a picture of the newly-discovered 'Rainbow Star' shrimp with this letter.
I wish you could see the coral reefs out here, sis. They're breathtaking. And the water is crystal-clear, so you can see everything down there. I'll have to show you one day.
Anyway, I'd best go. Crimes to solve, murderers to catch. Never a dull day, I suppose.
Love you, sis.
Josh.
Pacific Bay, 10th April 2014:
Ari,
Chief Marquez assigned Frank and me to the night shift tonight. Probably a good thing, since we found the frozen body of blogger Becky Walden, who we met during our first case working together (my second case in Pacific Bay, in other words), by a bonfire on the beach.
It seems she had made herself no shortage of enemies, managing to annoy: 1) A party hustler & drug dealer, 2) A street performer, 3) A lifeguard who also happened to be her best friend, 4) A diver that Amy and I met during our investigation of Valerie Green's murder, and 5) a cocktail waitress.
Of course, Frank complained about having to work, but even he couldn't hide his smile once we arrested party hustler/drug dealer Derek Stone, who also just so happened to be Frank's archenemy, for Becky's murder.
When questioned, Derek revealed to us that Becky was the only local of the Ocean Shore district who refused to turn a blind eye to his lucrative drug-dealing business. He decided that she didn't fit in with everyone else, because she was always taking pictures of everything she saw (I would assume because she had principles unlike most of the people here) and so he took matters into his own hands, and he killed her. Talk about a cold-blooded killer…
Judge Dante gave him life in prison for the murder. I can't say I'm not surprised, honestly. I would have given him the same sentence myself if I had been in the judge's place.
After we solved the case, Chief Marquez announced that we'd been reassigned to patrol a new region of the city, known as Bayou Bleu. I have a bad feeling about this…
Love you and miss you, sis. Say hi to mom and dad for me?
Josh.
Pacific Bay, 24th April 2014:
Ari,
Two weeks without a murder. That's got to be a new record, right? Unfortunately, it was too good to last.
While patrolling the swamps of Bayou Bleu with Frank, we came across the body of Lee Dupree, a local teen, and waiter at a gumbo restaurant, pinned to a tree with cocktail skewers.
Many hours of investigation later, we discovered that the killer was Shawna Knox, the victim's co-worker. She confessed that she was tired of the way that Lee would constantly flirt with her, even after she told him she had no interest in him whatsoever, and so she armed herself with cocktail skewers. One day, when he tried to sexually assault her outside the restaurant, she killed him with a skewer to the heart and then pinned him to a tree with a skewer in each shoulder so that she could pin (sorry) the murder on Bill Farnham, a local voodoo shop owner who had made a voodoo doll of our victim that just so happened to have wounds in the same places.
Judge Dante accepted her plea of manslaughter but sentenced her to an institution for violent minors. As much as I pity her for what Lee Dupree did to her, the fact that she tried to cover up the murder and frame others for her crime shows a blatant disregard for other people and hints at a much deeper and darker personality. Hopefully, the institution for violent minors that Judge Dante sent her to will be good for her.
After we closed the case, Yann asked me and Frank to join him at the Gumbo Jumbo, which was the restaurant that both Shawna and our victim worked for. Frank was not exactly eager to do so, having woken up with a splitting headache, but Yann talked him into it. Yann was interested in the restaurant because his wife Jessica loves gumbo. Their anniversary is coming up and he wanted to surprise her, so Yann was hoping that Lee's uncle, the restaurant owner, and chef, would be willing to give him the recipe for the gumbo offered at the restaurant. Delighted and touched by the request, the chef agreed almost right away after we brought him some persimmon seeds (which were an ingredient he needed), although not before he made sure we tried it ourselves.
Once that was done, Frank and I found a small paper bag with a voodoo doll of Frank himself in it. The doll had a pin in its head, which Frank somehow convinced himself had caused his headache. We took the doll to Russell, and he was able to point us in the direction of voodoo priestess Erikah Mabayo, who admitted to making the doll but refused to remove her 'curse', saying that if Frank didn't believe in it, it wouldn't hurt him (because that's how voodoo works).
We then visited Bill Farnham at his shop, and, after much persuasion, he agreed to perform a ritual to 'un-curse' Frank. Of course, it turned out that Frank was never cursed and the only reason for his headache was a hangover from too much alcohol at the bar in celebration of solving the case, so the whole thing was just a huge waste of time.
Anyway, I'm rambling (again). I'd better wrap this up and get some sleep. Can't catch killers if I'm tired, after all.
Love you and miss you every day, sis. Say hi to mom and dad for me, and tell them I love and miss them too. Please.
Josh.
Pacific Bay, 7th May 2014:
Ari,
After another two peaceful weeks, Amy and I caught another case today. After we got lost while patrolling the forest, we came across an abandoned theme park called Gator Land, where we found the body of Coleen Truman, a banker from Ocean Shore. As Roxie confirmed, the cause of death was a bullet to the liver from a hunting rifle.
During the case, our efforts were slightly impeded by local cop Harvey Fitchner when he confronted us with his gun drawn in an attempt to take over our investigation. After we convinced him to stand down, he vowed that he was going to be the one to solve the case first. We eventually discovered that the victim had been paying Harvey to protect her from the people of the Bayou that she had angered through her business practices or just through her nasty attitude.
It turns out that Bay Area Bank, the company Ms. Truman was working for, had sent her to the Bayou with the task of buying Gator Land from its owner, a man named Alec Howard, with the pretense of restoring it to its former glory. However, the bank's real motive for purchasing the old amusement park was, in reality, to demolish it and build a shopping mall. When local construction worker Steve Bundy, who had been hired by Ms. Truman as a construction advisor, found out about the truth, he confronted Coleen at the abandoned theme park. He tried to convince her to leave the Bayou as it was, she attacked him with her stun gun, and then he lost his temper and shot her with his hunting rifle. Judge Dante gave him life in prison.
After the trial, Frank and I confronted Harvey Fitchner, who it turns out, Frank previously worked with. After we showed Harvey a picture we repaired of their glory days, back when they were partners, he started an argument with Frank where they pointed out each other's flaws.
I don't like this district, sis. The swamps give me the creeps, and even though I don't believe in voodoo (never have, never will) there's something very weird about that 'priestess' Erikah Mabayo. Plus the people here are just so horrible to each other! But I'm here to do a job and do my job I will, regardless of how I feel about the place.
Please say hi to mom and dad for me, and give my love to them as well.
Josh.
Pacific Bay, 22nd May 2014:
Ari,
Frank was assigned community service for drinking in court, so of course, Chief Marquez assigned me to join him in cleaning up the swamp forest. Although to be fair she mostly just wanted me to watch him and make sure he did the job properly. In a way, I'm glad she sent me with him since we found the body of Nora Lewis, a Lieutenant in the US Army stationed at a local fort here in the Bayou, who had been knocked out and fed to a giant carnivorous plant.
Mid-investigation, Hannah revealed that she'd been able to discover what the Lieutenant was up to in the area. Lieutenant Nora was investigating Project A.U.D.R.E.Y., a top-secret scientific project involving plants. Unfortunately, later in the case, she was arrested by Nelson Spangler, a US Army Colonel stationed at the same fort Lieutenant Nora had been stationed at, on charges of treason. Of course, Chief Marquez was able to use the information we already have to threaten to expose Project A.U.D.R.E.Y. to the press if Hannah wasn't released right away.
Eventually, we were able to find enough evidence to arrest a gardener by the name of Ray Westman, who had originally grown the plant that was used as the murder weapon. After initially denying any involvement in the crime, he confessed once we revealed all of the evidence that we had against him which proved him guilty, admitting that he had been worried for his plant's safety. Nora had threatened to kill the plant and Ray had grabbed her (Nora's) gun, knocking her unconscious with it. Worried that she would call the Army as soon as she could after waking up, he did the only thing he could think of and fed her to his plant… Judge Dante sentenced him to 40 years in jail.
After helping Hannah get her laptop back from the US Army, and convincing Colonel Spangler that reopening Project A.U.D.R.E.Y. could only lead to disaster, Frank and I returned to the forest to continue Frank's community service sentence, and we found a broken skull belonging to a Brown Spider monkey, an endangered species of monkey (thankfully this particular monkey had been long dead by the time we found its skull). Thanks to Roxie we were able to learn that it had been painted with symbols and left in the forest as part of a so-called 'voodoo ritual', and of course the one who left it there was none other than the self-proclaimed voodoo priestess herself, Erikah Mabayo. After we confronted her and gave her a fine for using the skull of an endangered species in one of her 'rituals', she made a point of threatening us and reminding us that we're not welcome here in Bayou Bleu.
It's been three cases since I came here, and I'm already certain that she's a phony. I'm certain the self-proclaimed 'voodoo priestess of Bayou Bleu' is hiding something, but unfortunately, I'm not sure what that something is yet.
By the way, sis, in case you're keeping track at home, this is my 8th case since joining the Pacific Bay Police Department and my 64th case in total.
Anyway, I should go. Frank and I are grabbing lunch to celebrate the fact that he's finally done with his community service, and I want to get this letter posted while I'm out.
Love you, sis. Give my love to Mom and Dad as well, please?
Josh.
Pacific Bay, 28th May 2014:
Ari,
6 days between murder cases this time. Frank and I were patrolling the forests (this is starting to become a habit, honestly) and our car ran out of fuel. We went back to the nearby bar to see if anyone there could supply us with gas to get it going again and found a human head mounted as one of the decorations on the wall.
The bar owner identified the victim as a man named Sammy Duncan, also known as Sammy the Swindler. He was a local swindler and troublemaker who frequented the bar. And eventually, we discovered that Sammy was a moonshine distiller as well. He ran a distillery in the swamp with the help of a local poacher named Joe Littlehat.
Eventually, we were able to prove Joe was the killer. He admitted that he supplied the ingredients for all of the moonshine Sammy made but was angry about Sammy keeping most of the money and recognition for himself. Feeling cheated, he killed the victim and hung his head in the bar because he was angry about how the bar owner always spat on his beer.
We were investigating Sammy's distillery after solving the case and found a bottle of liquor with a snake in it, which is a tradition here. Naturally, Frank was curious enough to drink it… Predictably, this turned out to be a mistake as the snake turned out to still be alive and it bit him. With the help of Padre Rafael, a local priest who was one of our suspects in Sammy's death, we were able to find the right plants for an anti-venom, which Yann was able to make for Frank just in time.
We also discovered that one of our other suspects, a local girl named Vanessa Kimmel (who was in a relationship with Sammy and was also a suspect in several other cases in the district) was a prostitute. She had also formerly worked in the bar where our victim's head was found.
She left us a message on a coaster with a time to meet her in the Bayou's graveyard. She wants to tell us about the district's dark secrets and history. I think going in expecting trouble is going to be a very good idea here.
I have a bad feeling about this, sis…
Love you and think about you every day, sis.
Josh.
Pacific Bay, 5th June 2014:
Ari,
We went to the graveyard to meet Vanessa Kimmel as she had asked, only to find her murdered body. She'd been strangled and turned into a human voodoo doll, and we very quickly discovered that she was investigating the murders of at least three other girls. All had gone missing in the Bayou over the years, all at the age of 24 (the same age as Vanessa). And, as Hannah was able to confirm for us, all of them were prostitutes. And the reason Vanessa was looking into their deaths? Harvey Fitchner, the local cop we met on my second case in the District, never closed the case.
In other words, sis, we found proof that there was a serial killer on the loose in the district and they were using voodoo as a cover for their crimes as well as a forensic countermeasure. Of course, they never counted on having to tangle with me and the rest of my team…
Frank had been working the case with me at first, but Amy took his place after we were forced to flag Harvey as a suspect. It took us several hours of hard work, but eventually, we were able to arrest Erikah Mabayo, the so-called voodoo priestess herself, for the murders. Of course, she denied it at first, but she quickly confessed once we laid out all the evidence against her.
It turns out that she owned the brothel where the victims had worked and had easily enslaved the cash-stricken girls. When they had had enough and tried to leave her service, she killed them. She had forced Vanessa to work for her as a replacement for the murdered girls, killing her as well after the poor girl fell pregnant to one of her clients and tried to leave the Bayou to take care of the child.
I knew there was something off about Erikah. If I'm honest, something's been bugging me about her ever since we first spoke to her. I just could never put my finger on what it was until now. Anyway… she knew that if she allowed Vanessa to leave the Bayou she'd be ruined, so she strangled Vanessa and used the (fake) voodoo to keep control over the Bayou and to avoid being investigated for her crimes.
After solving the case, and talking to Vanessa's former client who we eventually arrested for obstructing the cause of justice after we discovered he had seen Erikah burying a corpse years ago but never said anything, we were able to find the remains of the missing girls, thus allowing Harvey to close the case and give the victims' families the closure they deserve.
Since that's another district full of problems solved. Chief Marquez has declared that we're moving to a new district. Inner City, which is a beacon of hope for people of all cultures and races. There have been tensions between the Russian and Chinese communities in the district for some time, and Chief Marquez wants us to be there and ready in case of trouble breaks out.
I'm glad you're safe in Missouri, sis. This was a particularly nasty case, and… I miss you. So much. Love you and our parents to the moon and back, sis. Always have, always will.
Josh.
Pacific Bay, 12th June 2014:
Ari,
Hannah took Amy and me exploring Inner City. Given that the district is her hometown, she was more familiar with the area than any of the rest of us. Unfortunately for us, the tour was cut short when we found the body of a young Chinese woman suspended from a street banner, forcing us to start yet another murder investigation.
Our victim's name was Ling Zhang. She was 22 years old and worked as a shopkeeper in a local herbal shop. She was also being threatened with deportation by an overzealous customs agent from the country of Sultanistan (hey, there's a name I haven't said or written for… 18 letters?) because she was staying in the country illegally.
While working on the case, we discovered that not only was Ling Zhang in an arranged marriage to a member of a Chinese gang, but she was also married to Piotr Golovanov, the brother of a prominent anti-Chinese political activist. This also happened to be the same activist who we were able to eventually arrest for Ling's murder.
After her arrest, Ivana (the politician in question) revealed herself to be an ultra-racist, domineering, bully. Believing that people should only marry those of their race, and imposing a radical Russian lifestyle upon her own family to the point where her brother developed hepatitis from excessive vodka consumption, she killed Ling when she found out that the girl had fallen in love with Piotr.
She ended an innocent girl's life simply because she was a racist and couldn't stand the thought of Russian and Chinese blood mixing. I try my best to understand people, Ari, I sincerely do. But in this case… I just don't get how cruel people can be.
Anyway, after solving the case, Chief Marquez asked us to keep an eye on Tao Wei, the gangster Ling was engaged to, in case he tried to retaliate against the Russians. He told us that the Russians had been papering the street with propaganda posters to support their side of the fight and, after we investigated, we discovered that the posters were not for the Russians as he had believed. Instead, they were for an organization calling itself Inner Chaos, urging people to join them and stop the fight.
After we talked to Tao about it, he told us that Inner Chaos was an anarchist organization that was extremely active for a few years before ceasing to run and that the fact they were back was not a good thing at all.
Chief Marquez has ordered us to be on the watch for Inner Chaos in case they try something. I get the feeling there's more to the story than she's telling us, but I'll go along with it for the time being.
Miss you, sis.
Josh.
Pacific Bay, 19th June 2014:
Ari,
No case this week, thank God. I know I don't usually write if I don't have a case, but I've been thinking back on my experiences so far. In particular, my experiences from Grimsborough, and specifically the people I was lucky enough to meet and work with. I had feelings for Grace Delaney, little sis. I just never allowed myself to acknowledge them because I knew how massively unfair that would be to both her and me. As long as she was with Luke Harris, there was no way I was going to say anything. Not even to myself.
I'll be honest, it feels liberating to write these things down, sis. Even if I never see Grace again, now at least I can go about my life knowing that I allowed myself to admit my feelings for her.
In other news, I went out and explored Inner City today. When not focusing on the threats of violence between the Russian and Chinese gangs, it's a beautiful district. It's like San Francisco or New York. A melting pot of various cultures, diverse beyond belief. Aside from all the murders, sis, I think you'd like it here.
I found a couple of souvenirs I think you might like, so definitely check the mail a couple of days after this arrives. Give my love to mom and dad too.
Miss you, sis.
Josh.
Pacific Bay, 26th June 2014:
Ari,
Another week, another murder. Chief Marquez sent Amy and me to investigate a murder in a Jewish delicatessen, where we found the body of ex-convict David Breitman. His face had been scalded after something hot (which Roxie confirmed was tea after the autopsy) had been thrown into it and his throat had been slit.
Mr. Breitman had only recently been released from prison after serving a 25-year sentence. He was staying in the local synagogue while looking for a place to live, and he was trying to turn his life around and reconnect with his estranged daughter. By all accounts, he was a good man.
Of course, the truth is never really as simple as it first appears… During the investigation, we discovered that Yuan Wong, the herbalist we met during our investigation into Ling Zhang's death two weeks ago, previously worked with our victim as a professional thief before his arrest. And, as it turns out, she was also the one who killed him.
After initially denying the accusation, Yuan confessed to murdering the victim once we laid out all the evidence that we had against her. After David's arrest 25 years ago, Yuan used the money from their last robbery to open her herb store and to get her family out of dire times. David went looking for her when he got out of prison and demanded his share of the money, and she killed him to protect herself and her family. Judge Dante sentenced her to 25 years in jail. It's kind of poetic in a way, I suppose. She had 25 easy years free while David rotted in jail, and now she's going to be in prison for the same length of time.
After closing the case, our victim's daughter asked us for help, telling us that she'd spotted suspicious people around the synagogue. We investigated the area and found a gas mask, which Yann confirmed was used by Inner Chaos's former leader, a man named Fredo Mancini. Andrea Marquez then warned us that if he was still leading Inner Chaos then it was bad news, and requested that we not tell Hannah what we had discovered.
Speaking of Hannah… We met her girlfriend, a fashion columnist named Heather Valentine, as well. Chief Marquez sent us to the train station to investigate reports of a fight, but all we found was a broken camera.
We fixed it and sent it to Hannah, who was able to confirm that the camera had been broken during the confrontation and that it had captured a picture of her girlfriend, who had been one of the two involved in the argument. Unfortunately, it hadn't been able to capture who she'd been arguing with. We found Heather's bag at the delicatessen where we'd found David Breitman's body at the start of the investigation, and we found a restraining order inside it from Chris and Ivy Valentine. Heather's parents took a restraining order out on their daughter because they're homophobic jerks and she refused to break up with Hannah. That's what the argument was about.
I just… I can't believe it. What kind of horrible person would do that, let alone to their daughter? What kind of world do we live in where people think that that kind of behavior is anywhere near acceptable? I just don't get it, Ari. It's times like today I thank God that our parents were so accepting when you came out a few days before your 15th birthday.
Anyway… I guess I'd better get some sleep. I get the feeling things are going to get intense around here pretty soon and I'm gonna need all the rest I can get.
I love you, sis.
Josh.
Pacific Bay, 3rd July 2014:
Ari,
Andrea sent Frank and me to represent the Pacific Bay Police Department at a wedding here in Inner City. The father of the bride, a man named Radovan Radich, owned a shisha pipe shop in the local bazaar and was well-known in the community, so had invited many influential people to the event. And as the happy couple were both Serbian, and thus affiliated with the Russian families in the district, the chief felt it was important for us to be there in case any fights sprung up between the communities.
The wedding itself went perfectly, but after the wedding, the bride asked us to look for her father. From what she told us, he disappeared after walking her down the aisle. You've probably guessed where this was going by now, but… we found her father's body in the reception room, impaled on a wedding decoration. Roxie confirmed after the autopsy that his lungs had been stolen post-mortem.
Weird… The murder was committed in such a hasty manner, but the calm, almost surgical, way in which the lungs were removed is completely at odds with that. I don't know if it means anything, but I'm going to do my best to figure it out if it is.
We also discovered during the case that our victim had changed his will at the last moment so that his shop would not go to his daughter. We eventually learned that this was because the store had been sold to Chinese community leader and marketplace leader Sue Xiong, one of the central figureheads of the district.
Eventually, we discovered that local masseur Tom Zhang, who our victim had been going to for years, was the killer. Though he originally denied committing the crime, he quickly confessed, admitting that he was sick and tired of nobody paying attention to him. He wanted to belong somewhere. To prove his toughness to the Chinese community, and gain their acceptance, Tom decided to kill someone of another race, settling on the victim. Chief Dante sentenced him to 20 years in jail.
After Tom Zhang's arrest, Frank and I encountered an old friend of mine from Grimsborough. Officer Ramirez had left the Grimsborough Police Department and moved to Pacific Bay, where he was working as a private investigator. He'd been hired by our victim before his death to follow a local pickpocket named Ahmet and get him to go to school. And for some reason that meant wearing a giant pineapple costume… Honestly, it was weird, but I was just so glad to see Ramirez again that I decided not to question it.
Sue Xiong asked us to investigate misleading messages posted in her new shop and we did so, discovering the messages to be misleading banners claiming that the victim's murder had been performed by the Chinese in retaliation to Ling Zhang's murder several weeks ago. We sent the banners to Hannah, who was able to discover that the number at the bottom of them led to a website for Inner Chaos, with the words "We miss you, Hannah".
After Hannah had had a chance to talk to Chief Marquez, the boss confirmed to us that our tech expert had previously been a member of the anarchist organization during their previous activity, though got caught during a major hacking operation. She was offered the choice between joining the Pacific Bay Police Department or going to prison, and I think she made the right choice.
I can't honestly say I'm surprised, given how the Chief asked us not to say anything to Hannah when they cropped up during our last case.
Anyway… I'd better wrap this letter up… I love you so much, sis. Say hi to our parents for me and please give them my love too.
Josh.
Pacific Bay, 10th July 2014
Ari,
There was another murder during the Saint Patrick's Day parade this week (yeah, sis, I know St Patrick's Day is in March and not July. But these people seem to need the excuse to party with all the tensions between the Russian and Chinese communities, and celebrations always seem to be a little wonky date-wise around here, so why not just go with it?). The body of local Irish priest Angus O'Brian was found strung up with helium balloons and floating in the air with his spine missing.
I'm starting to see a pattern here, sis. And it's not one that I particularly like. Ling Zhang's heart (from my first case in the district), Radovan Radich's lungs (from the last case), and now Angus O'Brian's spine? There's something rotten going on around here. I guess we'll just have to wait and see if future cases continue the theme.
Later in the case, we discovered that our victim was a bare-knuckle boxer as well as a priest, as well as the fact that he was blackmailing a local doctor to obtain steroids. We also had to treat the leader of the local Russian community, Nikolai Kamarov, as a suspect after we found his coat of arms in the fight club where our victim fought. And… we finally came face to face with Inner Chaos's leader, Fredo Mancini, after he attempted to burn down the victim's church. Thank God we were able to stop him in time!
Eventually, we were able to find enough evidence to arrest bare-knuckle fighter Shelly Dulard, who we'd previously met during our time in Bayou Bleu, as the killer. Although she initially denied any involvement, she quickly confessed to the crime, admitting that she'd killed the victim because he'd ruined her career and broken her heart.
Shelly confessed that she and the victim had fallen in love while training at the fight club, and she had given him a… rather intimate… photo of herself. Unfortunately for her, Angus betrayed her and showed the photo to everyone at the fight club, breaking both her trust and her heart as well as rigging the fight in his favor. She strangled him with a jump rope and filled him up with helium before leaving him to be discovered… Judge Dante sentenced her to 20 years in prison. She's lucky he didn't sentence her to spend those years in solitary confinement, honestly.
After the case, Ramirez asked Frank and me to help him find his notebook at the parade site, telling us that it contained all his notes into the surgeon Mark McKenzie, who he'd been hired to look into on behalf of a local hospital. There was a rather interesting account number in the notebook… Hannah looked into it and discovered that the account number belonged to an old account that the surgeon opened more than 20 years ago before he even received his diploma. Looking into some of the suspiciously-high amounts of money that had been paid into the account, Hannah found that they were all from shady blacklist accounts belonging to people accused of crimes such as money laundering or scams. We questioned Dr. McKenzie about what we'd found, and he claimed that in the past he'd been paid well to perform surgeries on questionable people, but that was all in his past and he'd made amends since then. I don't know if I believe him, Ari.
We also went and investigated the victim's church after receiving an ominous warning from Fredo Mancini. We found an old Inner Chaos manifesto with Hannah's signature on the wall of the church. After talking to Hannah about it, during which she confirmed that they'd used the only manifesto she'd ever signed during her time with them in an attempt to draw her back, we confronted the Inner Chaos leader and she made sure he knew that she was never going to work with him again.
Anyway… I had best go. Love you, sis.
Josh.
Pacific Bay, 24th July 2014:
Ari,
I went to the Grand Central Station train terminal with Amy this week to see her off, since she was planning to go back to White Peaks for a few days to celebrate her older brother's birthday. Unfortunately… We found the body of Vito Pioni, editor-in-chief of the Daily Dawn newspaper, tied to the clock in the center of the station. Even more unfortunately, we were forced to flag Hannah's girlfriend Heather as a suspect after we discovered that Vito was planning to fire her.
This was… a hectic case. Hannah left the station mid-investigation to conduct her own research into Inner Chaos, and Heather released an old computer virus of Hannah's that ended up infecting almost every computer and other pieces of technology in the district (though she wasn't intending for it to end up as bad as it did, her intention being only to delete the article her boss was intending to publish about Hannah). Eventually, we were able to find out the truth of what happened and arrest Inner Chaos leader Fredo Mancini for the murder.
Although he initially denied any involvement, he eventually confessed that he killed the newspaper editor to start the revolution he'd been fighting for. Once in court, he revealed that the murder had been part of a plot to attract all of his enemies (politicians, media, police) to one place. The courthouse. After he revealed a bomb vest under his shirt and threatened to blow everyone up, Hannah was forced to take Amy's gun and shoot him dead.
… I watched someone die in front of me, Ari. I watched a violent anarchist get shot dead in front of me by someone I care about, and I know I should be horrified but honestly, I just can't bring myself to care. Fredo deserved what he got. I'll admit that I would rather have put him in prison for the rest of his life, but at least this way Inner Chaos can finally be taken down for good. Hannah closed a huge chapter of her life and saved many other innocent lives when she shot Fredo dead today. It's not going to be easy for her to get over what happened, but you know what? I'm damn proud of her.
In the aftermath of Fredo's death, Hannah and I went to Inner Chaos's base to find a way to shut the virus down. We found an old floppy disk of Hannah's labeled 'hack tools' from her time in the group, which she confirmed was exactly what she needed to reverse the damage the virus had caused. After she had fixed everything, we went and spoke to Inner Chaos's most influential member after Fredo, a man named Johnny Crossman (who Hannah had also worked with during her time with them). Johnny agreed that the organization had served its purpose and needed to be disbanded.
Amy and I helped Heather to prepare a romantic dinner for Hannah. We also managed to win the two of them a free trip to the White Peaks district, which just so happens to be Amy's hometown. Heather and Hannah were both overjoyed, and… honestly, they deserve it. I'm glad they're both happy.
Andrea… Chief Marquez has reminded us to keep an eye out for the stolen organs and the community feud. Things are ramping up, Ari. Something big is about to happen here, I can feel it in the air.
Love you and miss you every day, little sister. Talk to you soon, I hope.
Josh.
Pacific Bay, 31st July 2014:
Ari,
Russian community leader Nikolai Kamarov was found murdered today, tied to a parade float at the Chinese Festival. I… won't go into too much detail about the murder itself, but it was rather nasty. This is looking like one of the nastier cases I've seen during my time in Pacific Bay if I'm being entirely honest.
Midway through the investigation, Ramirez stumbled across the secret operating room where Nikolai was killed and found the missing organs, which allowed us to conclude that Nikolai's murder and the organ-stealing scheme were linked. Not long afterward, we were able to find enough evidence to arrest Mark McKenzie, the surgeon I mentioned Ramirez was looking into during the St Patrick's Day parade a few weeks ago, for his part in said organ-stealing plot. He confirmed that he was responsible for stealing the organs, but that he had no idea who the person who hired him to do so was.
All he knew was that they would leave him messages in Chinese asking for specific organs, and the people were dead when he found them. He was being paid too much money to question what motives were behind the scheme. He claims his motives were mostly altruistic, wanting to help people who need organ transplants since he had a heart transplant in his youth, and that he was not involved in Nikolai Kamarov's murder.
Several excruciating hours later, during which Sue Xiong was abducted and almost killed by the same person who killed Nikolai, we were able to arrest businessman Rupert Snow for both Nikolai's murder and for being the mastermind behind the entire organ-stealing scheme in the first place. He confessed to both, admitting that he was the illegitimate son of both Nikolai and Sue, who were high school sweethearts at the time that he was born. His parents bowed to familial pressure as the feud between the Russians and the Chinese started, and abandoned him.
His master plan involved hiring Mark McKenzie to collect specific organs for him, then transplanting them all into himself, believing that the collection of organs would make him the so-called 'ultimate citizen of Inner City' and cause the communities to seek peace instead of war. I'm just glad we caught him before his mother became his next victim. Judge Dante sentenced him to life in prison, and I can honestly say I don't disagree with him.
After Rupert's arrest and subsequent imprisonment, we confirmed that the organs Ramirez found in the operating room were the ones that had been stolen during several of our other cases in the district and Roxie sent them to reputable hospitals, ensuring that people who need the transplants will be able to get them. We also confiscated the money that Dr. McKenzie had received for the organs. Sergei Yablokov (formerly Nikolai's second-in-command, now Russian community leader) and Sue have agreed to attend Nikolai's funeral as a sign of goodwill and to end the feud between the communities, and my team has been promoted once again. Our next stop is Jazz Town, Yann's hometown, which has recently been struck by a hurricane. I'm looking forward to it!
Love you and miss you all every day, sis.
Josh.
Pacific Bay, 14th August 2014:
Ari,
Our first case in Jazz Town was… interesting, to say the least. Local jazz legend Elmer 'Boogie' Buttons was found murdered. His body was hung up on tram wires and made to resemble the notes of a song called 'After the Storm', which he wrote after Jazz Town was hit by a recent hurricane. We immediately told local tram driver Ricky Hillingdon to stop trying to use Elmer's death as a way to sell tickets. Honestly, some people just have no respect for the dead whatsoever!
During our investigation, we discovered that, despite being a local jazz legend, Elmer was not a very well-liked person. His fellow jazz musician, a man named Sid Montrose, hated Elmer's music and despised the fact that Elmer was always more popular than him. Dinah Cooper, a local cabaret dancer, was bitter about the fact that Elmer was constantly flirting with her and the other girls, and eventually bought a taser to defend herself. Freddie Alonzo, the organizer of the Play For Hope fundraiser concert, told us that Elmer had refused to perform at the event. Linda Buttons, the victim's wife, told us that the victim had originally promised to retire from music to spend time with her, though soon discovered that he had changed his mind and that he was planning to send her to a rehab center for her alcoholism.
Of course, with a motive like that, it wasn't long before we were able to arrest Linda Buttons for her husband's murder. Although she initially tried to deny involvement, she soon confessed. As she had told us earlier, once she discovered that Elmer had lied about retiring from music and that he was planning to send her to a rehab center, she lost her temper and killed him. Judge Dante sentenced her to 20 years in prison.
After the sentencing, Dinah Cooper asked us for help saving her job. Her son, Louie, wanted her to stop dancing, so he had hidden her outfit for that night's show. Yann and I found and repaired the torn outfit and talked to Louie, who originally asked us not to give the dress back, although he reluctantly agreed once it was pointed out to him that his mom needed the job in order to provide for both of them. We were also able to help Freddie Alonzo, who turned out to be a childhood friend of Yann's, to find the 'Carnival Proposal' form he needed to give Chief Marquez in order for the yearly Jazz Town Carnival to go ahead. Mr. Alonzo was kind enough to treat us to burgers afterwards, which was nice of him.
Jazz Town seems nice so far, sis. There don't seem to be any overarching mysteries yet. I know it's only been one case so I'm probably going to be wrong, but it would be nice to have a few cases that aren't necessarily connected for once.
Anyway, saving the world waits for no man. Love you, sis. Say hi to mom and dad for me.
Josh.
Pacific Bay, 21st August 2014:
Ari,
Another week, another murder. This week Amy and I went to a ruined neighborhood in Jazz Town to offer assistance in clearing up three months after the disaster that was Hurricane Yves. Unfortunately, we found the body of weatherman Clifford Grady on a couch, forcing us to start another murder investigation.
It turns out he was not well-liked. Because he had failed to predict Hurricane Yves, which had caused widespread damage to the district, many of the inhabitants of Jazz Town considered him to be completely useless at his job. His therapist also told us that Clifford felt no guilt about his failure whatsoever, and she admitted to prescribing him high doses of medication in the hopes that he would eventually be driven to kill himself. However, in the end, the murderer turned out to be our victim's sister, a woman named Maria Bordeaux.
Maria told us that her daughter Colette had been killed when Hurricane Yves hit Jazz Town. She had entrusted Clifford with protecting Colette during the storm, and he had failed to do so. After his refusal to attend his niece's funeral, as well as his refusal to take guilt for either her death or his failure to predict the hurricane, Maria decided she couldn't take any more and killed her brother. Judge Dante sentenced her to 10 years in prison with a chance of parole in 5 years, which is honestly a lot more lenient than I expected him to be, even considering that her reasons for committing the crime were understandable.
After sentencing, Amy and I helped Clifford's landlady, a woman named Agatha Christmas, secure her property. There we found a newspaper about a serial killer who struck Jazz Town years ago called the Puppeteer. Apparently they killed the parents of numerous teens, and then for some reason just stopped killing. Clifford's therapist admitted that she was investigating the murders, and had in fact talked with one of those teens, who turned out to be Yann. He confirmed that his parents had been killed by the Puppeteer when he was a teenager.
Meanwhile, Hannah and I talked to a local stormchaser called Peggy Pascal, who had come to us with a theory about why Clifford had failed to predict Hurricane Yves's arrival. She claimed that the hurricane had been man-made. Investigating the weather station, we found readings that showed Hurricane Yves had formed spontaneously instead of gradually like other hurricanes. Peggy claimed that Hurricane Yves had been created with the help of a weather-controlling machine, which is why it had been undetectable. We then gave her back the hurricane detector she had lost in the destroyed neighborhood where we had found Clifford Grady's body in the first place.
A weather-controlling machine? God, it sounds like something out of a bad science-fiction movie. But I guess it would make sense. I've got a gut feeling that I'm not going to be getting my wish any time soon, little sis.
I'm going to keep looking into the Puppeteer serial killer, just in case something turns up. Anyway, I guess I'd better get back to work. Love you so much, sis. Give Mom and Dad hugs from me please and tell them I love them.
I miss you all so much.
Josh.
Pacific Bay, 28th August 2014:
Ari,
Frank and I were on patrol when we ran out of gas near a Civil War reenactment battlefield (completely Frank's fault, the idiot went to buy whiskey to fuel his alcoholism but completely forgot to fill up the car with gas). After reenactor Joe Stanford, who was playing Colonel Dexter Blade (the leader of the Union forces in the area), was killed by a cannonball right in front of us, we knew it could only be a murder.
After hours of investigation, we were able to prove that the murderer was Harriet Davis, a local school teacher. After she confessed, she admitted that she hated violence and was worried that the war reenactment would only encourage more of it in society. When our victim dared to post a flier for a rifle shooting practice near her school, where all the students could see it, she decided that was enough. She saw her chance to get rid of the man she called 'that rat-faced dunce' and shot him with a cannon.
For someone who claimed to be against violence, she certainly chose a violent method of dealing with her problems. In court, she claimed that our fascination with violence and weapons was causing us to forget the real reason that the Civil War broke out in the first place, which she said was preserving the Union and bringing freedom to slaves. While she definitely raised a valid point… going about it the way she did was entirely wrong. As Martin Luther King said, "Hate begets hate; violence begets violence; toughness begets a greater toughness". Judge Dante sentenced her to 20 years in jail. Frank commented after the trial that "One could argue that history is always written by the victors, or that peace was paid at a high price, but at least the Civil War helped us stand as one united nation!" My partner may be an alcoholic a lot of the time, and he may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I guess he can be profound sometimes.
After closing the case, Frank and I offered to help Veronica Blade, the descendant of Colonel Dexter Blade, with the remainder of the reenactment. Truth be told, I think Frank has a crush on her (wouldn't be the first time that one of my partners developed a crush on someone who turned out to later have a critical part in a case, as we both know from Grimsborough). She seems nice enough, sis, but there's a steeliness to her that makes me wonder.
Chief Marquez and I also talked to Stanley Bullock, another actor in the reenactment, after Yann questioned him about the Puppeteer killings. Apparently Mr. Bullock had been a suspect in the original murders but had been proven innocent, and Yann had questioned him in an attempt to find a new lead. He's determined to solve the mystery and take down the person who killed his parents. Chief Marquez has allowed the investigation into the Puppeteer murders to reopen, on the condition that Yann not get so carried away this time.
I miss Grimsborough. As much as I complained about it, things were definitely… simpler. No-one got shot with cannons in Grimsborough. They got shot with other things, yes, but never with cannons. I miss my team too (especially Grace and Jones).
And I miss you and our family most of all, sis.
Josh.
Pacific Bay, 11th September 2014:
Ari,
One thing I forgot to mention in my letter last time. We discovered that a new hurricane, Hurricane Zelda, had formed and was heading straight for Jazz Town. It formed so suddenly that it couldn't be detected until right before we found out, which certainly gives credit to Peggy Pascal's claim about man-made hurricanes from a few cases ago. Chief Marquez ordered Amy and myself to go to the evacuation center that had been set up at Jazz Town's Thunderdome stadium to help Colonel Spangler, who we last saw in Bayou Bleu when the soldier was killed by that giant plant (see my letter from the 22nd of May). I get the feeling there's a reason why she doesn't like the Colonel, but I'm not going to pry too much into it unless I don't have a choice.
Colonel Spangler was not overly pleased with our presence, though he did eventually agree to cooperate once Amy reminded him how quickly storm evacuations can derail and that he'd need everyone who was willing to help if that happened. After he noticed a crate had been opened without any authorization, we discovered that the crate contained the dead body of a man that Colonel Spangler identified as a thief known as Theo Mercier. The Colonel told us that Theo Mercier was a man with a bad reputation in the district, and the army had had reports of things going missing from the moment that Theo got into the evacuation center. Apparently the victim was a real troublemaker and seemed to delight in causing other people misery. Spangler asked Amy and myself to investigate his murder while his team did the best they could at the stadium.
Midway through the case, we received a report of a break-in at a local pharmacy. Worried that lowlives might be taking advantage of the hurricane and the evacuation to steal medicine, we went to investigate, learning from security camera footage taken from the pharmacy that our victim had been the thief. That definitely makes our jobs slightly easier, I suppose. We questioned the owner, a man named Claude Lamothe, who told us that he'd caught Theo shoplifting several times but would never have expected him to go as far as stealing prescription medication. He said that Theo was a threat to the general public and that Theo's death was probably for the best.
No prizes for guessing who turned out to be the killer. Claude later confessed to us that he confronted Theo after finding out he was stealing medication from the pharmacy, since that medication was supposed to go to the evacuees. When Clade begged him to reconsider, Theo laughed in his face. Claude picked up the nearest thing to hand, a broken windvane, and… well, killed Theo in a fit of anger.
Later, Yann discovered that the previous inhabitants of Theo's house had been killed by the Puppeteer. After talking to Theo's father, and jogging his memory with a photo album, we learned that the two of them had died shortly after the 14th birthday of their surviving daughter. Theo's father also told us that they had had a big fight with their daughter shortly before their deaths, which Yann told us was a similarity with how his parents died as well. Apparently they'd had a huge fight the day of the Jazz Town Carnival where Yann had called them bad parents, and then the next day they were dead. I'm not liking this pattern, sis.
Other than that, we helped Colonel Spangler to locate his laptop after it had been stolen at the evacuation site. We discovered that it had been stolen by Peggy Pascal, the stormchaser we met in our second investigation in the district, in an attempt to prove the existence of the weather-controlling machine she believed existed. We found a picture that had been taken of the machine and were able to prove that it did exist after talking to Colonel Spangler, although he claimed that it could only create a little rain. Either he's a better liar than he looks, sis, or he's not as much in the loop as he likes to think he is, because there is something very strange going on here. I'll work out what it is sooner or later.
Until then, you and our family stay safe in Missouri and I'll do the same here, I promise. I miss you, sis.
Josh.
Pacific Bay, 18th September 2014:
Ari,
Riots started breaking out on the streets of Jazz Town as panicked citizens resorted to looting in order to get supplies to last them through the storm. We also received word that a prisoner named Scott Lee Allan had escaped prison using the chaos as a cover, and was hiding somewhere in town. Chief Marquez assigned Frank and I to patrol the streets and watch out in case of trouble. Which of course, because you know we can't go more than two weeks without another murder popping up… We followed the sound of screaming and met a drag queen who led us to an abandoned theatre where we found our escaped convict tied up to a chair and… covered in rats.
I won't describe the details, Ari. I wish I could unsee them myself. Even with all the crazy things I've seen in my job, this was… pretty bad. Needless to say, Scott Lee Allan won't be going back to prison. Roxie was able to tell us that the victim had been tied up with a specific knot taught only in the military, thoiugh.
We talked to the drag queen, whose name was Kitty LaBombe, and we were told that our victim had been seen with the looters on nearby DuBois Avenue. We later discovered that the drag queen was really a man named Daniel Allan and that he was the victim's son. Daniel did not feel bad for his father's death, however, as the two of them absolutely hated each other.
Mid-case, the police station was attacked by the looters. We were able to escape, though we were all shaken by the experience. When Frank and I went back to investigate, we found the place ransacked (they even broke open Frank's locker and stole his whiskey, much to my partner's horror), with an injured Freddie Alonzo curled in a corner. He told us that he'd come to the police station to escape the riots, though had been attacked and beaten up by the rioters who were already in the building. Later, Amy was patrolling the police station when she was attacked by someone wearing a mask. Frank and I were able to find the mask nearby, and Russell was able to help use it to jog Amy's memory of the attack, giving us a crucial piece of information we needed to find the killer.
The killer turned out to be our victim's former cellmate, a man named Andre Roche. Andre had served time for several minor burglaries and had not gotten along with Scott Lee Allan, who he described as a brute and a bully. Our victim had stolen money and valuables from the estate of Veronica Blade and hidden it somewhere in Jazz Town. He'd kept the location a closely guarded secret for years, and when they were in jail together, Andre hoped that Scott would eventually crack and reveal the treasure's location. Eventually, Andre was released from prison, and when he saw the victim walking the streets of Jazz Town again… he just snapped. He caught all the rats he could and lured Scott to the abandoned theatre, where he tied the escaped convict to a chair and covered him with rats before torturing him. When Scott finally gave up the treasure's location, Andre tried to get the rats off of him, but… well, the less said, the better.
Judge Dante gave him 40 years in jail for the torture and murder of Scott Lee Allan and the endangerment of Pacific Bay rats (apparently a protected species). Annoyingly, he seemed more annoyed about the fact some rats would be going back to their holes with upset tummies than the actual crimes that had been committed, but… I guess what can you do?
Post trial, after investigating it at the behest of Veronica Blade, Frank and I were able to find a clue in Andre's possession that led us to the treasure. He'd bought a lottery ticket and circled more numbers than usual, which led us to realise that they were geographic coordinates leading right to the abandoned theatre where our victim had been found. After uncovering the treasure and going through it, we discovered that the rats released by Andre earlier had chewed through almost everything Scott Lee Allan had stolen, leaving the bills and bearer bonds almost destroyed. All that was left was a small brooch. Veronica Blade was not… entirely happy. It seems the Blade estate was badly damaged by Hurricane Yves and it took most of her money to fix it. She was counting on the treasure to save her from bankruptcy. Needless to say that I don't think that's going to happen, sis…
We also helped Yann to fix up an old hard drive that contained details on the Puppeteer's victims, causing us to discover that the serial killer's first victims were Freddie Alonzo's parents. He told us that, like Yann and the children of the other victims, he had also had an argument with his parents, who it also turned out had been murdered on the day of the Jazz Town Carnival. He told us the killer had been quiet for ten years, but… the carnival's in just a few weeks, sis, I'm not sure I like this…
Chief Marquez later asked Yann to stop investigating the Puppeteer, since all it seemed to be doing was bringing up bad memories. Hannah's warned us that the hurricane is getting closer and seems to be picking up speed, I'm not sure how much longer we have before it hits us.
Stay safe, sis.
Josh.
Pacific Bay, 25 September 2014:
Ari,
Apparently the answer to my question about how long we'd have before the hurricane hit Jazz Town is 'one week'. Hannah detected a signal coming from a nearby weather tower. Suspecting that it controlled the hurricane, Amy and I rushed to the top of the tower, where we found stormchaser Peggy Pascal tied to the top of the tower and electrocuted to death by lightning. A taunting note left on a kite next to Peggy's body warned us that we'd 'never stop the storm', allowing us to deduce that Hurricane Zelda was indeed an artificially created hurricane, and that it was almost definitely created by the exact same person who killed Peggy.
Mid-investigation, Hannah was able to finally pinpoint where the signal had originated, allowing us to track the weather machine down to a remote, derelict bunker on the outskirts of Jazz Town. Not too long afterwards, the hurricane finally hit Jazz Town. Chief Marquez ordered us to evacuate, but I knew I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I let the person behind Peggy's death and the creation of Hurricane Zelda get away with what they'd done and refused to leave. After the rest of the team refused to leave either, Amy and I went back to the bunker, where we discovered that Colonel Spangler, despite claiming earlier in the case that he had no idea where the machine was, had known about it being in the bunker all along, and in fact had been watching it through a military-grade camera until that got smashed. However, he was soon proven innocent when we arrested Veronica Blade for the murder and for the creation of the hurricane.
Have you ever had a dramatic confrontation with a villain on a tower in the middle of a storm, Ari? I wouldn't recommend it. Amy and I had to yell to make ourselves heard over the howling wind and driving rain. Once the storm blew the remote Veronica was holding out of her hands and into Amy's, and we were able to use it to stop the storm, Veronica confessed that she was bitter about how people seemed to have forgotten the legacy of the Blade family and how they helped found Jazz Town. She complained that the family house was in ruins and none of the people of Jazz Town would help, and she felt trapped there. She couldn't sell the land the estate was on because it was protected, so she couldn't leave. She found the machine and decided to create Hurricane Yves to destroy the Blade estate so she could take advantage of the insurance money.
Peggy Pascal 'interfered' with her attempt at making money when she proved in court that Hurricane Yves couldn't have done the amount of damage to the estate that Veronica claimed it had and the claim was denied. Bitter, Veronica decided to create Hurricane Zelda in order to fully destroy Jazz Town, taking it back to the swamp that it was when her ancestors found it, and killed Peggy in revenge.
For the murder of Peggy Pascal, as well as for the death and destruction caused by both Hurricane Yves and Hurricane Zelda, Judge Dante sentenced Veronica Blade to life in prison. I sincerely hope that's the last we've seen of her, though I doubt I'll be that lucky.
After the trial, since the hurricane had died down, Chief Marquez sent Amy and I back to the bunker where we'd found the machine, saying there had been reports of a break-in. We found clues at the bunker that allowed us to figure out that the person behind the break in was a rescue worker named Susanna Towers, who admitted that the reason she had broken in was because she wanted to use the weather machine to clear the skies up quicker for the Jazz Town Carnival, saying that it would be exactly what was needed after everything Jazz Town had been through recently. Once we returned the machine and helped to fix the radio tower where we'd initially found Peggy's body, Colonel Spangler agreed to help us. Later on, Peggy's uncle asked us to help him go through his niece's possessions. In her things, we came across a newspaper from a couple of days ago with an open letter to the Puppeteer written by Yann, who admitted that he'd written the letter as a way to force the Puppeteer out into the open. Coming back to Jazz Town hasn't been good for the poor guy, I hope he can find some peace soon.
Unfortunately, the Puppeteer responded to his letter. They've promised a face to face meeting soon, but also threatened to start killing again at the Jazz Town Carnival… This can't be good.
I miss you, sis.
Josh.
Pacific Bay, 2nd October 2014:
Ari,
Unfortunately, my gut feeling was correct. Worried about the Puppeteer's message that they would kill again at the Jazz Town Carnival, Chief Marquez sent Frank and I to perform a security check on the storage rooms. Sadly, in one of the rooms we found the body of cabaret dancer Dinah Cooper strung up like chains and hanging like a marionette.
Yann had yet to come into work at this point, much to my concern and Chief Marquez's irritation. Yann's a good guy, but the recent cases have definitely been taking a toll on him. Looking into all of these old cold cases, including the murder of his parents, can't be easy.
Mid-investigation, Yann's wife Jessica told us there had been a break in at their house. We went to investigate and found one of our victim's shoes, which had been missing when we found the body, in the basement. Unfortunately, Roxie found Yann's DNA on the shoe, forcing us to add him to our list of suspects. Chief Marquez later decided to take Frank off of the case and have Russell work with me instead so we could take advantage of his expertise on the workings of the criminal mind.
With Russell's help, though we did have to question Yann again (poor guy didn't deserve this), we were able to solve the case and arrest Freddie Alonzo, the Carnival planner as well as Yann's childhood friend, for the murders. Though he originally denied it, Russell was able to provoke him into confessing that he killed his own parents because he was feeling too 'controlled' by them. Freddie confessed that he felt 'liberated' after killing his parents and decided to kill the parents of other children in order to allow those children to feel the 'glorious joy of freedom' as well.
For all the murders he had committed, including both his and Yann's parents, Judge Dante gave him life in prison. Freddie refused to apologise or show even the slightest remorse for his crimes, telling us that he'd go down in Jazz Town history as a legend, as an ideal for all children to strive towards. Frankly, I believe he'll go down in history as the exact opposite: a bad dream. I'm just glad that it's finally over, for Yann's sake. The last few cases have been incredibly stressful for him and his family.
After Freddie's trial, we were able to help Yann get further closure by finding an old picture of his parents that he could take to their grave. He must have made the frame himself in school because it was exactly like the ones we used to make when we were kids. It was all covered in shells and everything. Absolutely gorgeous. Frank and I visited the gravesite with him. I think he was grateful for the company. Poor guy's been through so much lately.
Frank and I decided to do something nice for him. We went back to look around his basement and found a box of pictures he'd taken during his travels. One of the items was a promotional flyer for the White Peaks district. We talked to the rest of the team and everyone was happy to help, so we each put in some money and organised a trip for Yann, Jessica and their kids to the district. Yann was over the moon when we told him. He thanked us profusely and told us that he'd always wanted to take Jessica and the kids there, and also agreed that he definitely needed the vacation.
We were also able to help Dinah's father, Blake Cooper, get custody of his grandson Louie (Dinah's son) so that Louie wouldn't have to go into foster care or to an orphanage. Luckily, Amy and I were able to find Louie's birth certificate for Blake, as well as a poster of Dinah to ensure that Louie would never forget her. With Hannah's help, we were able to ensure the validity of the birth certificate and the custody file. Another happy ending!
After everything had finally calmed down slightly, Chief Marquez told us that she was extremely proud of us for everything we'd managed to accomplish in Jazz Town (stopping both Hurricane Zelda and the Puppeteer) and that we were being transferred to a new district.
Next stop, White Peaks! Amy was overjoyed because it's her home district and she couldn't wait for us to meet her family, but Chief Marquez told us that there's been a resurgence in crime out there lately.
Amy says that it's usually a nice, quiet place though… So what could be causing the increased crime rates? I guess we'll find out soon enough!
I miss you, sis.
Josh.