A Frozen Reception

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A Frozen Reception
General information
Season	2
City	Vienna, Austria
Region	Central Europe
Case #	11
Initial release date	19th February 2021
Partner(s)	Violetta Rose (All Chapters) Larissa Berger (Some Links Left Disconnected 4)
Case chronology
← Preceded by	Succeeded by →
Pushed Towards the Extreme	Forgotten Warnings from the Future

“	Having been flooded with more questions than ever, the EASD struggled to find a connection among Miles, Kevin, and Malcolm. However, now the team has to find a surgeon who's been supposedly dead for almost a year, and the only lead is pointing towards Austria. Be aware of potentially receiving a cold reception from the people there, just like a chemist already did. However, it's safe to say that you'll need to warm up with others to solve this particular murder case.	„
	—Case Teaser

A Frozen Reception is a case featured in Criminal Case as the eleventh case of Mysterious Secrets of Europe (Season 2) and the sixty-fourth case overall. It is the fourth case to take place in the Central Europe region.

Plot

After sending French-Japanese columnist Katelyn Seieki to Paris to avoid her getting arrested since it had been proved that she had known nothing about the falsity of her passport, the EASD went to Vienna, Austria and started an investigation into some people who were either dead or non-existent according to the database. Without leads, the investigation soon started to hit dead ends until Sav approached the team on a cold morning, informing them that local chemist Annika Riegler had been frozen to death at the local ski resort.

Chief Salminen delegated the case to Violetta and the player, who went to the resort and flagged its owner, Mikaela Schneider, as a suspect. During the interrogation, they learned about Annika's aptitude for visiting the Vienna State Opera and searched the place, finding two more suspects: marketing assistant Andreas Hofmann and Dutch stripper Sophia Ryder, whom they had met a while ago. It was revealed that the victim used to buy various products from Andreas frequently, and that she had been Sophia's regular client since the latter was also a prostitute. The autopsy result from Nicholas, however, confirmed that the killer had used liquid nitrogen as the murder weapon and that they knew chemistry.

Soon afterwards, Sav's girlfriend, EASD informant Larissa Berger, informed Violetta and the player that she had found an underground operation theater which could be connected to the murder. She then gave them the coordinates of the location, which had most likely been abandoned for a year, where the duo discovered that British surgeon Kyle Grey was alive and living in Vienna under an alias. The discovery was shocking, but they were happy to have a breakthrough that involved both of their ongoing investigations. They then quizzed the surgeon, who attempted to run away after slamming the door shut, but eventually was arrested as he confessed to having faked his death out of fear due to his connection with criminals after Kevin had died. Besides, they also discovered that Andreas had fallen in love with Annika and had proposed to her, only to get humiliated publicly, and that a drunk Annika had gone as far as to electrocute Sophia during their last hookup, which had left the latter enraged.

Later on, the duo found Larissa trying to break into the aforementioned operation theater while taking a stroll nearby. Violetta arched her eyebrows and asked the informant what she was up to, and she replied that she was just trying to get more clues for the team and progress the investigation. Violetta thanked her and explained that they wouldn't be able to allow her to do so given that she was a suspect. Larissa nodded, and left after saying she'd be at the headquarters if they needed her. The team continued their investigation by searching the OT and discovered that Mikaela had threatened the victim to drive her out of the resort due to her suspicious nature, that Annika had lured Larissa to a narrow alleyway where the former had confronted her with evidence of Larissa's following her for a while, and that the chemist had stolen a USB key from Kyle about Matrix Alliance, about which the surgeon remained silent when asked to explain what it was.

At the end, Mikaela was revealed to be the killer. The duo went to the ski resort and found her drinking wine with her eyes locked on the ceiling as she was lost in her thoughts. Violetta pushed her hands inside her pockets and took the seat beside her, whispering why she had murdered the chemist. She looked at Violetta with a confused look, muttering that she hadn't planned to tell them anything, but now that she had been marked for death, she didn't have any other option. Initially hesitating, Mikaela then started explaining that she and Annika were part of a criminal organization, Matrix Alliance, and that the chemist had gone rogue due to paranoia, which had been very dangerous for the organization. Recalling the USB key that the victim had stolen from Kyle, the team was intrigued and asked her to continue. Mikaela then stated that both of them were high-ranked members of it, but lately, Annika's imposter syndrome had increased, which had made her think that she had been an outcast and that she hadn't deserved her place in Matrix Alliance. Her finding out about Kyle being alive and a tunnel that connected the underground operation theater with Mikaela's ski resort had made things worse. So, she had collected evidence of Mikaela, as well as many other members of Matrix Alliance, knowing about it, and she had confronted the resort owner who had lied to her, causing Annika to choose the path of vigilance. She had even attempted to hand Kyle over to the Vienna PD, but had agreed to leave him alone after obtaining the USB key. The organization's leader, knowing she would be able to damage the organization, had ordered Mikaela earlier to silence Annika. But Mikaela had hesitated, and they had warned her that if she didn't murder Annika or got caught after doing so, she'd be murdered later as well for not being able to properly follow their orders. Understanding that the ski resort owner had been marked for death, Violetta stated that it was the right choice for her to tell them everything and asked her who was the leader, but she shook her head, saying that she didn't know. However, they then took Mikaela to the International Court, where Judge Martin considered her cooperation and sentenced her to 12 years in prison.

Post-trial, Violetta suggested they interrogate Kyle about why an apparently non-existent person had hired him, even though he had been announced dead worldwide, to transplant his heart. Meanwhile, Larissa decided to accompany them as they searched the ski resort for clues about Matrix Alliance and to determine whether or not it was the group that Chief Salminen had been concerned about.

First off, Violetta and the player met Kyle, and she drove him insane with questions until he broke down and revealed that he was Kevin's personal surgeon and one of the few people in the whole world capable of entirely changing someone's face. Violetta wondered how it was connected to their questions about Miles, but Kyle never answered. Rolling her eyes, Violetta said that they should leave the surgeon alone now that questioning him wouldn't help them anymore, and suddenly, her eyes beamed as she said that she had figured out something, but that they'd need to search the operation room to be sure. After doing so, the duo found an old patient file that lacked a lot of information, prompting them to send it to Kristoff. As his analysis was finished, he smirked and said that Kevin and Miles were the same person, and Violetta screamed in excitement, saying that her theory was correct. Nodding with a smile, Kristoff added that Kyle's final patient was Kevin, whose face he had changed via plastic surgery to give him a more youthful appearance, and that was how Miles Tyson had come into existence. After the surgery, Kevin had dyed his hair brown and started wearing green contact lenses, which had prevented MI6 agent Ivana Harper from apprehending him because the individual she had shot to death, thinking him to be Kevin, hadn't been him. He also went to state that he believed Malcolm was a real person related to Kevin, given that his DNA was similar to both Kevin and Julia Pryde. Violetta recalled how Julia had claimed not to know Malcolm, and Kristoff agreed, saying that he had thought that they could be siblings, but he had found no records of Kevin having a son. The lab chief then advised them to quiz Andreas since Kevin had frequented Vienna and had developed a good friendship with the marketing assistant. So, Andreas was questioned next, who admitted to being Kevin's friend, despite the latter's being a weapon dealer. Andreas clarified that he wasn't affiliated with Kevin's profession and stated that the weapon dealer had had a girlfriend before marrying Julia's mother, and that they had a son named Malcolm whom he had disowned for being gay. The team understood that Malcolm and Julia were half-siblings, and Andreas also revealed that Kevin had been disappointed in Julia as well, after she had come out as a lesbian. However, Kevin had tolerated Julia's being a lesbian, which was why he hadn't disowned her like Malcolm, but had tried hard to convert her into a heterosexual. Violetta speculated that Kevin had disguised himself as Malcolm the day he had murdered Lucy Nightingale, over which he had assumed the guise of his true self, after remembering how he had insulted her for having a girlfriend. Andreas scratched his head and said that it had been sad to see Kevin gone, but now that it was revealed he had faked his death to commit crimes more severe in nature, he didn't care about him anymore and was happy to help them. So, he then led them to the State Opera, where they found a blueprint featuring the detailed anatomies of two people: Kevin and an individual unknown to the team. According to the database, the unknown person was Duke Sawyer, a deceased small-time criminal who had served as a decoy for the weapon dealer. As it became clear that Duke had been the one to die by Ivana's bullets, the team wondered how to find Kevin, and Violetta spotted a phone number that had recently been written on the blueprint. Thinking it was worth a shot, Violetta then called the number, and the number rang for a few seconds before Miles himself took the call, saying that he was impressed to see how they had found his phone number. Violetta replied that they knew that he was Kevin, and Miles shouted, saying that he had been observing them for a while, which was why he knew everything and that his name was Miles. He then cut the call after remarking that they would never be able to catch him since he was the only one who had predicted an international law enforcement agency's (the MI6) every step and had saved himself from getting caught, no matter what their plan had been.

Elsewhere, Violetta and the player asked Larissa to give them all the information she had collected. The informant pulled out her notebook and handed it to Violetta, who found the majority of the information to be about Sophia. Larissa shrugged and explained that she had kept an eye on Sophia for having connections with the late Dutch music producer Espen van Vilet and Annika, both of whom were suspicious. She then blushed, saying that she would need to find the engagement ring she had brought for Sav, which she had most probably lost at the ski resort, since she had wanted to propose to her physically instead of virtually. Violetta giggled, and the trio then searched the said resort, where they found a surveillance camera and Larissa's ring. The informant was delighted to have her ring back, and showed it to the duo, who found it very beautiful. She then went to the EASD headquarters, where Sav was busy with the case files. The team coordinator apologized to Larissa for not being able to spend time with her despite being in the city where she lived, and Larissa smiled, caressing her cheek. After saying that she didn't mind it, she kneeled down and pulled out the ring, asking Sav if she would marry her. Tearing up in happiness, Sav nodded as Larissa stood up and kissed her, with Sav muttering that it was the happiest day of her life so far.

Meanwhile, the team unlocked the camera and sent it to Lena, who, after finishing her analysis, showed them a photo of Sophia putting something inside Larissa's bag. Seeing so, Larissa searched her bag thoroughly, but the only thing she found that matched the photo was a paper containing the coordinates of the underground operation theater. Violetta tilted her head and asked her where she had found the paper, but Larissa was unable to remember, strengthening the chance of Sophia leading her to the theater. The trio then questioned Sophia, who claimed to have seen the paper falling from Larissa's bag, which was why she had put it inside. Larissa asked why she hadn't told her about it, and she narrowed her eyes, asking her back if she had needed to. Crossing her hands, Larissa claimed that there had to be more to Sophia than it seemed, but she laughed, saying that they were being paranoid and that she was just a sex worker trying to earn money. However, they then checked her handwriting, which clearly didn't match with the one that they had found on the paper, and Sophia left the place after saying that she had a client waiting for her for a session.

A while later, Chief Salminen congratulated Violetta and Kristoff for figuring out the connection among Kevin, Miles, Malcolm, and Julia, and Lena remarked that it was stupid for Miles to leave his phone number, since she had already tracked him to Budapest. Sav speculated that it could be a trap, but Kristoff reminded her that they didn't have a choice because they'd also need to find Malcolm. Chief Salminen then stated that he believed the Matrix Alliance was a formidable organization and a potential enemy, given that it could be responsible for the anarchy in the British Isles and the cold war, and Miles could be a member of it. However, as the mist surrounding Miles and Kyle's cases cleared, Chief Salminen declared that their next destination would be Budapest, where they would look for the weapon dealer.

Summary

Victim

• Annika Riegler (Got frozen to death)

Murder Weapon

• Liquid Nitrogen

Killer

• Mikaela Schneider

Suspects

Mikaela Schneider

Andreas Hofmann

Sophia Ryder

Larissa Berger

Kyle Grey

Quasi-suspect(s)

Miles Tyson

Savannah Rodriguez

Killer's Profile

• The killer eats chocolate cake.
• The killer knows chemistry.
• The killer skis.
• The killer has plaid clothing.
• The killer sports lipstick.

Crime Scenes

Ski Resort	Victim's Cabin	Ski Resort Bonus
Vienna State Opera	Opera Audience	Vienna State Opera Bonus
Operation Room	Operation Table	Operation Room Bonus

Steps

Some Links Left Disconnected (4/6)