The First Steps

The First Steps is a case featured in Criminal Case as the introductory case of the game. It is the first case set in the Historical Avenue district of Havenbridge.

Plot
As the player stepped in the airport of Historical Avenue, Havenbridge, ready to start their adventure, they were immediately greeted by the junior detective of the Havenbridge Police Department, Bullet McKenzie, and the chief of the department, Thomas Zachary. After Thomas told Bullet to take the day off and show the player around the district, Bullet took the player to visit the botanical garden first. But, as they were getting out of the car, an explosion was heard from the inside of the botanical garden. There, they found the exploded body of Edward Family heir, Christopher Edward. Just as they were collecting the body, victim's brother, Samuel Edward, came panicked asking what happened when he saw his brother's body and broke down in tears. He became a suspect along with cafe owner Lavinia Caldwell and librarian Rachel Emerson. Coroner Odysseus Torres deduced that the victim died because of the injuries he suffered from the explosion and also that, by the angle and the depth of his injuries, he was actually wearing the explosive, most probably being a rigged brooch. From that, it was easy for the duo to came to the conclusion that the killer knows electronics. While discussing what they have discovered so far, beat cop Salomao Karaca rushed in the station and told the detectives that the victim's aunt, Veronica Edward, raving in the town center.

After calming down Veronica, the two detectives investigated the town center and found clues to suspect volunteer Ethel Perry in the homicide. A notebook with the victim's itinerary was also found, revealing that the killer was stalking Christopher and that the killer drinks black coffee. They then continued the investigation and discovered that Christopher wanted to sue Lavinia for physical assault after she kicked him out for hitting on high school girls and that Samuel was mad at his brother because he saw him beating a maid so hard that he had to take her to the hospital, Christopher justifying his act by saying that the maid spilled coffee on him, so she deserved her punishment. With no leads left to follow, Bullet and the player were thinking what to do next, when tech expert Kristine Belleneger told them that she discovered that Veronica wanted to disown Christopher.

Asked about this, Veronica admitted that she was planning to disown her nephew because he was an embarrassment to the Edward family with the so many scandals of sexual aggression that he was involved in. Ethel was in rage with the victim too after she saw a video of the victim humiliating a homeless person after he asked for money for food and Rachel was angry at him after he crashed in one of her book club meeting in the library while being drunk and humiliated her. Despite all of the motives, the correct evidence was put together to determine the killer to be Ethel Perry.

At first, she tried to deny the accusation, but when the two detectives showed her all the evidence against her, she angrily confessed, saying that she only made true justice. She went further explaining that, while she was helping the beggars and the homeless people, from their stories she discovered that many of them had been maids and butlers of Christopher and that, after he fired them with no reason, he also made sure that they would never be hired by anyone else by spreading bad rumors about them. Angry about his behavior, she confronted Christopher a few days before about this, he only saying that he doesn't have to care about anyone else because he is rich and he can do whatever he wants. Seeing his cruelty in his eyes, Ethel decided that she has to make justice for all the people that suffered because of him, so she made an explosive brooch identical with the one that he always wore and switched them in the botanical garden just a few minutes before killing him. While agreeing that the victim was a horrible man, he criticized her way of making justice. For showing no remorse toward the murder, Judge Torin Heffernan sentenced her to 30 years in prison. After the trial, Bullet and the player were ready to continue exploring the district when Rachel came in the station looking mortified, saying that she found a book filled with mysterious drugs in her library.

Rachel explained to them that she was organizing the books when she found a suspicious book on one of the shelves. When she opened it, she found a plastic bag filled with white powder. Thinking the worst, she run to the police station to give them the bag, but she lost it in the town center. There, Bullet and the player found a locked book with the plastic bag mentioned by Rachel in it. They sent the white powder to their lab chief Demetra Alessandro and her lab assistant Mandi Hjartasdottir, who told them that they couldn't identify what drug was this, thinking that it was a newly created drug and that it was highly dangerous and even lethal.

Meanwhile, the player and senior detective Tris Dimon helped Samuel Edwards to find his briefcase full of letters of recommendation for all of the butlers and maids Christopher has fired to use them to get jobs and have a decent life again.

After all of this, Bullet and the player were discussing about the drug when the team consultant, Branko Drenovic, came to them and told them that he found out from one of his contacts that a guy was seen consuming the said drug near Lavinia's Cafe. There, a used syringe was found with the fingertips of drug addict Paschal Eneko on it. Asked about the drug, he only said that he usually bought the drug from a guy at the local history museum, refusing to say from who he bought it.

In the Chief's office, the pair reported their findings to Thomas who, after congratulating the player for his first solved case, told them that they will monitor the museum to catch the mysterious drug dealer.

Victim

 * Christopher Edward (killed with an explosion inside the botanical garden)

Murder weapon

 * Explosive Brooch

Killer

 * Ethel Perry

Killer's Profile

 * The killer knows electronics
 * The killer is a vegan
 * The killer drinks black coffee
 * The killer has brown eyes
 * The killer wears a rose

Chapter 1

 * Investigate Botanical Garden. (Clues: Victim's Body, Broken Pieces; Victim Identified: Christopher Edward; New Suspect: Samuel Edward)
 * Ask Samuel where was he in the moment of the murder. (Prerequisite: Botanical Garden Investigated; New Crime Scene Unlocked: Lavinia's Cafe)
 * Investigate Lavinia's Cafe. (Prerequisite: Samuel interrogated; Clues: Broken Photo, Victim's Phone)
 * Examine Broken Photo. (Result: Woman's Face Revealed)
 * Examine Woman's Face. (Result: Face Identified; New Suspect: Lavinia Caldwell)
 * Ask Lavinia about her relationship with the victim. (Prerequisite: Woman's Face identified)
 * Examine Victim's Phone. (Result: Phone Unlocked; New Suspect: Rachel Emerson)
 * Question Rachel about her messages to the victim. (Prerequisite: Victim's Phone unlocked)
 * Examine Broken Pieces. (Result: Edward Family Brooch)
 * Examine Edwaed Family Brooch. (Result: White Substance)
 * Analyze White Substance. (06:00:00; Attribute: The killer is a vegan)
 * Analyze Victim's Body. (18:00:00; Murder weapon registered: Explosive Brooch; Attribute: The killer knows electronics)
 * Go to Chapter 2. (No stars)

Chapter 2

 * Speak with Veronica about her nephew. (Available after unlocking Chapter 2; New Crime Scene Unlocked: Town Center; Profile updated: Veronica is a vegan)
 * Investigate Town Center. (Prerequisite: Veronica interrogated; Clues: Trash Can, Notebook)
 * Examine Trash Can. (Result: Lawsuit)
 * Interrogate Lavinia bout the victim's lawsuit against her. (Prerequisite: Lawsuit found; Profile updated: Lavinia knows electronics and is a vegan)
 * Examine Notebook. (Result: Brown Substance)
 * Analyze Brown Substance. (03:00:00; Attribute: The killer drinks black coffee; Profile updated: Lavinia drinks black coffee)
 * Investigate Cafe Tables. (Prerequisite: Brown Substance analyzed; Clues: Charity Box, Folder)
 * Examine Charity Box. (Result: Logo Revealed)
 * Examine Logo. (Result: Logo identified; New Suspect: Ethel Perry)
 * Ask Ethel is she knew anything about the victim. (Prerequisite: Logo identified; Profile updated: Ethel knows electronics and is a vegan)
 * Examine Folder. (Result: X-Ray Photo)
 * Analyze X-Ray Photo. (09:00:00)
 * Question Samuel about his angry message on the X-Ray for his brother. (Prerequisite: X-Ray Photo analyzed; Profile updated: Samuel knows electronics and drinks black coffee)
 * Go to Chapter 3 (1 star)

Chapter 3

 * Confront Veronica about her decision on disowning her nephew, (Available after unlocking Chapter 3; New Crime Scene Unlocked: Founder Statue; Profile updated: Veronica drinks black coffee)
 * Investigate Founder Statue. (Prerequisite: Veronica interrogated; Clues: Faded Videotape, Victim's Wallet)
 * Examine Faded Videotape. (Result: Videotape)
 * Analyze Videotape. (09:00:00)
 * Interrogate Ethel about her videotape of the victim. (Prerequisite: Videotape analyzed; Profile updated: Ethel drinks black coffee)
 * Examine Victim's Wallet. (Result: Book Page)
 * Examine Book Page. (Result: Red Substance)
 * Examine Red Substance. (Result: Dark Red Lipstick)
 * Confront Rachel about the threat she sent to Christopher. (Prerequisite: Red Substance examined; Profile updated: Rachel knows electronics and is a vegan)
 * Investigate Flower Shelves. (All tasks must be done first; Clues: Bomb Blueprint, Wreckage)
 * Examine Bomb Blueprint. (Result: Yellow Dust)
 * Analyze Yellow Dust. (06:00:00' Attribute: The Killer wears a rose)
 * Examine Wreckage. (Result: Bloody Pot Pieces)
 * Analyze Bloody Pot Pieces. (12:00:00; Attribute: The killer has brown eyes)
 * Take care of the killer now!


 * Go to Behind Pretty Smiles and Beautiful Lies (1/6). (No stars)

Behind Pretty Smiles and Beautiful Lies (1/6)

 * Talk with Rachel about what's wrong. (Available after unlocking Behind Pretty Smiles and Beautiful Lies)
 * Investigate Town Center. (Prerequisite: Rachel interrogated; Clue: Locked Book)
 * Examine Looked Book. (Result: White Powder Drug)
 * Analyze White Powder Drug. (12:00:00)
 * Ask Samuel why he needs our assistance. (Available after unlocking Behind Pretty Smiles and Beautiful Lies)
 * Investigate Botanical Garden. (Prerequisite: Samuel interrogated; Clue: Briefcase)
 * Examine Briefcase. (Result: Opened Briefcase)
 * Give back Samuel his briefcase. (Prerequisite: Briefcase unlocked)
 * Investigate Lavinia's Cafe. (All tasks must be done first; Clue: Used Syringe)
 * Examine Used Syringe. (Result: Fingertips)
 * Examine Fingertips. (Result: Fingertips Identified)
 * Interrogate Paschal Eneko about the drug. (Prerequisite: Fingertips identified)
 * Move on to a new crime! (No stars)