Trial by Fire

Trial by Fire is the sixth case in the province of Rocksfellow, created by Tuxedo!. It is the last case of Bumberborough Bay.

Plot
Previously, Gary Richards sent the team a message that he found out something about Unsur, an organization seemingly responsible for at least four deaths in Bumberborough Bay. Gary had told the player to meet him in the abandoned Phoenix Warehouse so that he could give them the information. Phoebe Yates and the player were getting ready when Baxter McDonald and Chief Connie Tolentino came in the station, saying there was a massive fire near the dock. Phoebe and the player, remembered that fire was the last element and immediately left with the player to the scene of the fire. The two found that the Phoenix Warehouse was burning down. The police were informed that there was gasoline all over the warehouse so arson was the likeliest possibility. Furthermore, Gary was found burning near the doorstep of the warehouse. His body was sent to Ferdinand Amado for autopsy.

Ferdinand said that there was gasoline all over the victim’s body, indicating that the murder was also intentional. Ferdinand concluded that the killer probably used a lighter to ignite the flame.

Many of Unsur’s members were unmasked. These were fireman Justin Ira, stripper Kiki Wanda, food critic Allison Maximus, and event manager Erica Washington, who were all subsequently arrested. The latter three admitted to manipulating the killers of previous cases into thinking that their motives were reasonable. Meanwhile, Justin admitted that he was responsible for keeping all evidence of Unsur's existence unnoticed.

The investigation led the player to the victim’s recording studio and the cabin burned down weeks before. Phoebe and the player went to the recording room in the victim’s recording studio. Upon entering the room, Phoebe was knocked out by a gas in the room while the player was fast enough to gather some clues, only to succumb to the effects of the gas after exiting the room. Baxter said that the police were fast enough to grab the clues on the player’s person but Phoebe had to be hospitalized so he volunteered to take over the investigation.

Baxter was shot in the shoulder while the player was getting a last look at the warehouse. Chief Tolentino volunteered to accompany the player in the final tasks before the two finally arrested August Perkins, a pensioner.

Chief Tolentino immediately accused August of being the killer. August argued that an old man like him was too feeble to be so violent. Chief Tolentino said that August incapacitated Baxter and Phoebe so they would not find the clues that would incriminate him, and that he killed Gary to silence him. August said that he did kill Gary.

However, August claimed that Gary was Unsur’s leader, not him. August said that Gary felt like he was to be protected at all costs – if anyone in Unsur was accused of being the leader, they would agree as to keep Gary’s identity a secret. August felt like leaving the organization but Gary immediately ordered the assassination of June Perkins and May Perkins to keep him in check. After this, August's eyes were opened to the danger the organization was inflicting and resolved to stop it. August met up Gary in the Phoenix Warehouse, knowing he was waiting to stab the player to death as to stop them from investigating Unsur any further. August doused Gary in gasoline and set him on fire. In the adrenaline rush, he burned the whole warehouse down.

Chief Tolentino asked about the sabotage of the investigation and August said that Gary told the organization about all his plans and those were all traps he had set for them. Chief Tolentino shipped August to court.

Judge Exodus Allegri was surprised by the grandness of the murder and the number of police lives at critical condition. August pleaded guilty to Gary’s murder and nothing else, saying that the loss of all the lives – especially the loss of his daughter and his wife – was enough to justify the burning of the man who orchestrated it all. Judge Exodus was angry at all the lives put to danger by August’s arson and by Unsur in general, so he sentenced August to 50 years in prison.

After the trial, Chief Tolentino had three tasks in mind: to make sure that Richards Production Studios was safe, to know the reason behind the arson, and to stop any remaining members of Unsur.

Allison Maximus told the player how to neutralize the poison in Richards Production Studios. With the help of Chief Tolentino, the recording room was deemed safe.

Meanwhile, Justin Ira refused to talk about the arson but slipped up under Alden Holmes when he said that there was a safe in the room. The safe contained a corpse which was identified by Ferdinand to be Kallie Washington, Erica Washington’s little sister. Erica said that she was also thinking of leaving the organization but Kallie’s death scared her into continuing her work with the organization. Erica appreciated the closure, and said that it was alright if she was in jail.

August Perkins also offered help by saying that Gary entrusted Kiki Wanda with a list of all the people in Unsur. Alden was able to resist Kiki’s seduction and actually seduced her back into saying the location of the list in the warehouse. Chief Tolentino immediately ordered all the cops in her area to arrest the people, bringing an end to Unsur.

After everything was resolved, Chief Tolentino told the player that the team would go to Auxiliary Peak which had officially requested help from the police after some rest to allow Jackson, Baxter, and Phoebe to heal.

Victim

 * Gary Richards (found burning along with the Phoenix Warehouse)

Murder Weapon

 * Lighter

Killer

 * August Perkins

Suspects
'''Justin Ira (Fireman)''' '''Kiki Wanda (Stripper)''' '''Allison Maximus (Food critic)''' '''Erica Washington (Event Manager)''' '''August Perkins (Pensioner)'''

Killer's Profile

 * The killer smokes.
 * The killer is superstitious.
 * The killer is diabetic.
 * The killer has burn marks.
 * The killer is at least 140 lbs.

Chapter 1

 * Investigate Burning Warehouse. (Clues: Victim’s Body, Burned Bra, Key)
 * Autopsy Victim’s Body. (18:00:00; Attribute: Killer smokes)
 * Talk to Justin Ira about the fire. (Prerequisite: Burning Warehouse investigated)
 * Examine Burned Bra. (Result: Kiki Wanda’s Bra)
 * Ask Kiki Wanda what her bra was doing near the fire.
 * Examine Key. (Result: Key to Richards Recording Studio)
 * Investigate Richards Recording Studio. (Clues: Threatening Letter, Coffee Cup)
 * Analyze Threatening Letter. (06:00:00; Attribute: Killer is superstitious)
 * Examine Coffee Cup. (Result: Saliva)
 * Analyze Saliva. (09:00:00; New Suspect: Allison Maximus)
 * Ask Allison Maximus why she was in the victim’s recording studio. (Prerequisite: Saliva analyzed)
 * Go to Chapter 2. (No stars)

Chapter 2

 * Investigate Recording Room. (Available at start; Clues: Faded Paper, Trash Can)
 * Examine Faded Paper. (Result: Hit Order)
 * Analyze Hit Order. (06:00:00; New Suspect: Erica Washington)
 * Talk to Erica Washington about being ordered to kill Logan Knightley. (Prerequisite: Hit Order analyzed)
 * Examine Trash Can. (Result: Justin Ira’s Lighter)
 * Question Justin Ira about possibly causing the fire. (Prerequisite: Cigarette Butts found; New Crime Scene: Burned Cabin)
 * Investigate Burned Cabin. (Clues: Locked Tablet, Torn Costume, Gasoline Canister)
 * Examine Locked Tablet. (Result: Email)
 * Analyze Email. (03:00:00; New Suspect: August Perkins)
 * Ask August Perkins about Unsur purchasing The Reserve.
 * Examine Torn Costume. (Result: Fatima Grande Costume)
 * Examine Fatima Grande Costume. (Result: DNA)
 * Analyze DNA. (12:00:00)
 * Arrest Allison Maximus. (Prerequisite: DNA Analyzed)
 * Go to Chapter 3. (No stars)

Chapter 3

 * See what Erica Washington wants to give. (Available at start; Result: Torn Photo)
 * Examine Torn Photo. (Result: Photo of Woman)
 * Analyze Photo of Woman. (06:00:00)
 * Arrest Kiki Wanda. (Prerequisite: Photo of Members analyzed, New Crime Scene: Unburned Table)
 * Investigate Unburned Table. (Clues: Torn Paper, Matchbox)
 * Examine Torn Paper. (Result: Angry Message)
 * Talk to August Perkins about his message to the victim. (Prerequisite: Angry Message restored)
 * Examine Matchbox. (Result: Clear Substance)
 * Analyze Clear Substance. (03:00:00)
 * Arrest Justin Ira for burning the cabin near the dock. (Prerequisite: Clear Substance analyzed)
 * Investigate Warehouse Entrance. (All tasks must be done; Clues: Pile of Ashes, Weighing Scale)
 * Examine Pile of Ashes. (Result: Burned Fabric)
 * Analyze Burned Fabric. (09:00:00; Attribute: Killer has burn marks)
 * Examine Weighing Scale. (Result: Broken Weighing Scale)
 * Analyze Broken Weighing Scale. (12:00:00; Attribute: Killer is over 140 lbs)
 * Take care of the killer now!
 * Go to Elementary, My Dear: Part 6 (No stars)

Elementary, My Dear: Part 6

 * Investigate Richards Recording Studio. (Available at start; Clue: Vial)
 * Examine Vial. (Result: Fingerprints)
 * Examine Fingerprints. (Result: Allison Maximus’s fingerprints)
 * Talk to Allison Maximus about entering the recording room. (Prerequisite: Fingerprints identified)
 * Investigate Recording Room. (Clue: Flask)
 * Analyze Flask. (09:00:00; Reward: Burger)
 * Make Justin Ira spill the reason for the arson. (Available at start)
 * Investigate Unburned Table. (Prerequisite: Talk to Justin; Clue: Pile of Trash)
 * Examine Pile of Trash. (Result: Locked Safe)
 * Examine Locked Safe. (Result: Burned Corpse)
 * Analyze Burned Corpse. (06:00:00)
 * Ask Erica Washington about Kallie’s death. (Reward: 10000 Coins)
 * Ask for August Perkins’s help to stop Unsur. (Available at start)
 * Talk to Kiki Wanda about the list of Unsur members.
 * Investigate Warehouse Entrance. (Clue: Torn Paper)
 * Examine Torn Paper. (Result: List of People)
 * Analyze List of People. (03:00:00; Reward: 30 XP)
 * Move on to the next case (in Auxiliary Peak)! (No stars)

Trivia

 * The Recording Room is a special crime scene for the following reasons:
 * The first time it is played, the player can only focus on one specific quadrant of the scene at a time. This is to simulate the player’s supposed lightheadedness as the room is filled with a poison gas.
 * Before the flask in the additional investigation is analyzed, the player can only investigate the crime scene twice (both times are listed in the steps above). This is to simulate that the room is off-limits as it is unsafe for anyone.
 * This is the first case where more than one person is arrested. In this particular case, all the suspects are arrested for their involvement in Unsur.
 * Credits for the case image