Dead Man Running/Transcript

Main Article: Dead Man Running

Announcer: And we're back, folks. The Grimsborough Quails are facing the Wippeka Armadillos today in one of the toughest games this football season. Jones: GO QUAILS!Announcer: This game is particularly decisive. The winning team will have a real shot at the end-of-season bowl. Oh, here he is, Grim College's star quarterback: Troy Takiguchi! Announcer: First down for the Quails. And they're off! Wait! Takiguchi hasn't passed the ball! He's running straight for the end zone! Jones: Come on, Takiguchi! You're the best! Announcer: I can't believe what I'm seeing! Forty yards! Thirty! Takiguchi is actually getting close! Look at him go! Jones: Come ON! You can do it! Announcer: The Armadillos are all around, rushing to catch him before the touchdown... But wait! No! Troy Takiguchi has fallen, only five yards from the line! Jones: Ahhh, no! Announcer: He isn't even getting up... Nobody even touched him! The referees are calling a time-out. Medics are rushing to Takiguchi! Jones: What's going on here? , the crowd is going wild. Let's get down to the field, we need to make sure everyone is safe.

Moments later, down on the field... Jones: The stadium has been evacuated, . Regrettably, we have confirmation that Troy Takiguchi is dead! Jones: This is unbelievable. Someone of Troy's stamina and bulk... Some foul play is at work here! Let's gather some clues on the football field, !

Chapter 1
Investigate Football Field. Jones: This is terrible... Takiguchi was a hero for the students of Grimsborough University. He was too young to die. Jones: And have you seen his arm? It's completely swollen, about as wide around as a honey baked ham! Jones: This can't be natural! Let's send Takiguchi's body over to Nathan. Hopefully, he'll be able to explain everything. Jones: And in the meantime, we should have a look at the mouthguard you picked up next to the body. Whoever dropped it must have witnessed Troy's fall first-hand! Jones: We should also go talk to Franklin Caldwell. He's the Grimsborough Quails' coach. He may have valuable info about our victim.

Autopsy The Victim's Body. Nathan: Well, , one thing is clear: Troy Takiguchi's death on that football field was definitely NOT natural! Jones: No kidding. I didn't think a human arm could ever get this big! Nathan: Yes, that got me curious too, especially when I noticed a needle mark on Troy's arm. So I had a look at his medical file... Your victim was a type 1 diabetic. He injected himself with insulin daily. Nathan: Except today, there was a secret ingredient on top of the insulin... a massive dose of Erythropoietin, also known as EPO. Jones: EPO? You mean... Doping hormones? Nathan: Yes. But I'm positive Troy didn't know about the EPO. The tests are clear: he'd never taken EPO before, with good reason. Nathan: You see, EPO and insulin don't mix. The injection created a blood clot, which traveled through the victim's arm up to his heart, and the resulting heart attack was fatal. Jones: So our victim was killed by EPO... That's a bit ironic for a professional sportsman, don't you think, ?

Talk to Coach Franklin Caldwell about the victim. Franklin Caldwell: This is such a mess. Losing my quarterback at the height of the football season! Things couldn't get any worse. Jones: Coach, I understand this is bad for the team, but shouldn't the death of a player be more important than the loss of a football season? Franklin Caldwell: You'll have to excuse me,  . We all have our own way of dealing with grief. Of course, I'm deeply saddened about Troy's death. No man this young and so full of promise should have to die. Jones: Was there anything wrong with Troy? Anything that could explain what happened to him? Franklin Caldwell: Not that I know of. I don't think he did much besides training for the games. Entering the major league was his dream, he put everything to it. Franklin Caldwell: Now if you'll excuse me,  , I've got a team of traumatized players to get back to. (After talking to Franklin Caldwell) Jones: I know Coach Caldwell sounds pretty harsh, but he's a great coach, . He's always had his players' best interests at heart, and it's paid off. Jones: Now... Our victim was was a football player, but he was a student at Grimsborough University first and foremost, you're right. Jones: The football players are all housed in the same dorm, to enhance team-building. Let's go check our victim's room out!

Examine Mouthguard. Jones: Perfect as always, ! The DNA you collected from the mouthguard you found next to the victim will tell us exactly who it belongs to! Jones: Let's give this DNA to Grace straight away!

Analyze DNA. Grace: You almost never send me DNA, ! I feel like I should do a little celebration. Jones: Ha-ah, very funny. So, did you find the owner of the mouthguard  found next to our victim's body? Grace: Of course I did. Football players all have files, so recruiters can easily check that their records are clean. The mouthguard belongs to Thomas Boedeker. Jones: Thomas Boedeker? Wait, he's the quarterback for the Wippeka football team! Jones: They're the Quails' rival team, and Troy was playing against him on the field today! Let's go talk to him, !

Talk to Thomas Boedeker about witnessing the victim's death. Thomas Boedeker: So you found my mouthguard next to Takiguchi's body? That's because I was hot on his heels after he managed to slip by my entire team! Thomas Boedeker: He had more speed and energy than humanly possible. But something was obviously wrong: his arm was bulging like crazy! Thomas Boedeker: I rushed to him once he fell, but it was pretty obvious that he wasn't gonna make it. Huh, I don't think I'll ever forget the look on his face... Jones: You and Troy were rival quarterbacks: I'm guessing the antagonism between you two must have been pretty high... Jones: ... and having such a rival fall dead right during the biggest match of the season, it must have been like a blessing to you. Thomas Boedeker: Yeah, right! As if I would ever risk my career just to get rid of another player! I know what I'm worth: I could have crushed Troy without cheating! Thomas Boedeker: Listen man, I had respect for Takiguchi, he was my only equal. Killing him... where would be the glory in that?!

Investigate Troy's Dorm Room. Jones: Ah, an overloaded laundry basket... The staple of every student's room! If you want to have a look at it, you'd better plug your nose, ! Jones: And I see you've found the victim's laptop! Let's boot it up and see what we can find!

Examine Laundry Basket. Jones: This football jersey obviously can't belong to our victim, the name isn't the right one! How did it end up in Takiguchi's dorm room? Jones: The jersey's owner, Chad Baker, is also a member of the Grimsborough Quails... or to be more precise, he's their reserve quarterback! Jones: Takiguchi has been the star quarterback, always coming into play at key moments for the team. Jones: Which means Baker has spent a LOT of time sitting on a bench. Jones: You're right, <Name>. Being left on the sidelines for so long... that could drive a guy to extremes. Let's go have a talk with Chad!

Talk to Chad Baker about his relationship with the victim. Chad Baker: Well duh. Of course you're going to find one of my jerseys in Troy's room... We were roommates! Jones: Oh, so you must have been pretty close. Chad Baker: Nah, we weren't best buddies or anything. Coach just thought it'd be good for us two to bunk together. Jones: Takiguchi was way ahead of you, wasn't he? You're a substitute quarterback, and he was getting all the glory. This must have been pretty frustrating. Chad Baker: Rivalry's part of the game, don't you go seeing anything weird about that! Me and Troy always put the team first! Jones: But his tragic death means you'll finally be able to play quarterback in big games. Nice opportunity to finally shine...

Examine Victim's Laptop. (Before examining) Jones: Troy's laptop is asking for a password... Jones: Hold on, <Name>, I got this one! No, don't worry, just let me do my thing! A,B,C,D! No. How about 1,2,3,4... Jones: Okay, I am now officially fed up with this. <Name>, could you please have a go at cracking the password on this laptop, please? (After examining) Jones: Our victim's laptop had an extremely secure password, but you cracked it in an instant, <Name>! How do you it, seriously?! Jones: Let's send this laptop to the lab. I'm sure Alex will be happy to retrieve all that relevant data for us!

Analyze Victim's Laptop. Alex: The victim's laptop was a pretty boring bundle of information, unless you love football. Alex: Nothing illegal that I could see, no threatening messages in his mailbox... The most noteworthy things are the photo albums. Alex: There are a LOT of pictures of your victim hanging out with Madison Springer. At parties, on picnics, after matches... Jones: Madison? You're talking about the Head of the Psi Sigma Gamma sorority? Alex: Yup. She's also the leader of the Quails' cheerleaders, ain't that fitting? Jones: The cheerleader and the quarterback... How deliciously cliché. Let's go have a talk with Miss Madison, <Name>!

Talk to Madison about her relationship with the victim. Jones: Hello Madison. We were wondering if you could tell us more about all the pictures we have found of you and Troy Takiguchi? Madison Springer: It's pretty obvious, isn't it, <Rank> <Name>? Troy and I were dating. Jones: We're really sorry for your loss, Madison. Had you and Troy been dating long? Madison Springer: About six months, I guess. We hooked up after the last match of the season, last year. But I didn't see much of him during the summer. Madison Springer: With him it was always football before everything else. He spent his days training to be the best... and look where it's led him! Madison Springer: Worst of all, we were supposed to go to the Prom Ball together! We would have looked so dashing, and now I'm... I'm dateless! Jones: And THIS is what's bothering you the most? Madison Springer: I'm sorry, <Rank> <Name>, I'm still under the shock of it all. Troy was... he was a nice guy. I'll really miss him.

Later, at the Police Station...

Nathan: <Name>, I've got good news! You remember the needle mark I found on your victim's arm? Well, I had a closer look at it.

Nathan: The area was a bit redish, which didn't make sense. After all, your victim was used to injecting himself with insulin daily. Nathan: Turns out Troy's skin got red because of traces of capsaicin, the substance that makes chili peppers so deliciously spicy. Obviously, he was allergic to it.

Nathan: Which can only mean the killer left capsaicin on the syringe when they handled it... which means your killer eats spicy food!

Ramirez: <Rank> <Name>! Sorry to... interrupt but... something... has happened... at the University! Jones: Whoa, Ramirez, calm down! What's going on? Ramirez: I need... to catch... my breath... Ramirez: The University just called for you. There's been a break-in!

Chapter 2
Ramirez: <Rank> <Name>, the University just called. There's been a break-in in the infirmary!! Jones: A break-in... in the infirmary? What are the odds of such a thing happening right after a student dies of an EPO injection?! Jones: Troy only intended to inject himself with his daily insulin dose... Jones: ...but the killer added a lethal dose of EPO to the insulin! Jones: And where would Troy keep his medication... but in the University's infirmary! Let's go there, <Name>!

Grimsborough University

Jones: The infirmary's that way, according to the University's map. They put it near the football field because that's where students get injured the most. Jones: Hey, look, <Name>! Chad Baker's training on the football field! Jones: I can't believe he's back on the field so soon after his teammate's death... Maybe we should go have a chat with him once we've had a look at the infirmary, what do you think?

Talk to Chad about his new position on the team.

Jones: Back on the field already, Chad? You're not wasting any time, are you? Chad Baker: I've been sitting on that bloody bench for months. Of course I'm on the field! I'll have to train my ass off to be in shape for the next match! Chad Baker: Don't you go looking at me like that, copper. I deserve that break! It's not like Troy was a perfect angel, anyways. Chad Baker: Just because he was "famous", he treated everyone like crap, girlfriend included! Man, if I was dating a girl like Madison, you're damn sure I'd treat her right!

Chad Baker: That girl is sweet like sugar and hot like chili peppers... And I love me some spice, if you know what I mean! Jones: Oh, so you didn't JUST want Troy's position on the field, did you? You also wanted the girl. Jones: You know, Chad, you can still confess, get a reduced sentence.

Chad Baker: Yeah right. I didn't kill Troy. Now, I've got to get focused and get back to practice. Don't let the door hit you on the way out.

Investigate Infirmary. (Before investigating) Jones: Hm, well, the infirmary lock was clearly forced, <Name>. Jones: Let's have a look around. Look at this mess! I wonder if the burglar found what they were looking for... (After investigating)

Jones: A used syringe! <Name>, that's exactly what we're looking for. This could have been used for insulin injections! Jones: Which means Troy, our diabetic victim, might have used it... and his killer too! Let's send this to the lab immediately! Jones: I also wonder what's in this infirmary fridge... Maybe we should have a look at it?

Examine Fridge. Jones: I can't believe you found a vial of EPO inside the infirmary fridge, <Name>! Jones: Surely this can't be part of the regular prescriptions! What's more, there was only one single vial. Jones: We'd better ask the University Nurse, Mrs Karimah Breen, about this, you're right. Jones: And we also should take a closer look at the vial's label. I wonder what this black smudge is...

Examine EPO Vial. Jones: Great! Let's send this sample to analysis. I'll bet this will answer some questions about that EPO vial you found in the infirmary fridge!

Talk to Nurse Breen about the break-in. Karimah Breen: Thank you so much for investigating the break-in in my infirmary, <Rank> <Name>! I know how busy you must be. Jones: Mrs Breen, <Rank> <Name> found a bottle of EPO in your infirmary's fridge. Do you usually store such products? Karimah Breen: No, of course not! I only have the basics, and whatever the students need on prescription. Some hormones, sure, but EPO definitely isn't part of the list! Karimah Breen: Pretty much the strongest thing I store here is my extra-spicy Hell Sauce, and that's just for personal use! Jones: So you're telling us the burglar actually LEFT something behind? Karimah Breen: Obviously. Nothing's missing from my stocks. I'm used to stuff... disappearing, but this I've never had before! Jones: Wait, do you mean your infirmary was burglarized before?! Why didn't you report the theft? Karimah Breen: I assumed it had been one of the kids on the football team, looking for a little boost. I didn't want them to get into trouble! Karimah Breen: Look, we all know doping is wrong. But I'd rather have the kids steal drugs from my infirmary than get God-knows-what on the black market. (After talking to Karimah Breen) Jones: For someone who knows doping is wrong, Nurse Breen sure doesn't seem to mind it that much! Jones: You're right, <Name>, we'd better keep an eye on her.

Analyze Greasy Substance. Grace: That EPO vial you recovered from the infirmary was a great find, <Name>! Grace: The sample you gathered on the label is a mixture of paraffin wax, petroleum jelly, and black pigment. In short, black makeup! Grace: Football players wear it to reduce sun glare, and the supporters often wear it as a show of solidarity! Jones: So this means that the killer left the makeup behind when they spiked Troy's syringe? Grace: Exactly! Thanks to that vial you found, <Name>, I can tell you your killer wears black makeup!

Analyze Syringe. Nathan: <Name>, the syringe you found in the infirmary is Troy Takiguchi's last insulin syringe! Nathan: More precisely, this syringe is the one the killer used to administer EPO to Troy without his knowledge! But that's not all. Nathan: I found traces of some type of hydrating sports drink on the syringe plunger! Jones: Wait, how do we know those were left by the killer and not by Troy? Nathan: I'm glad you asked. The traces were left on the underside of the plunger's tip. The killer would have pulled it with his fingers to withdraw the EPO from the vial. Nathan: Your victim, on the other hand, would only need to push the TOP of the plunger to inject himself with the syringe's contents. Jones: Whoa that's... pretty clever, Nathan. So our killer had some kind of sports drinks before touching that syringe!

(After analysis) Jones: There are still a lot of blank spots in this investigation, <Name>... Jones: Hey, I know! While Chad Baker is still taking his time at football practice... Jones: Let's go have another look at the dorm room he shared with the victim! Are you in, <Name>?

Investigate Bunk Beds.

Jones: I know students are often careless with their stuff, but look at this cellphone! Did Chad and Troy use it as a football? Jones: This looks beyond repair... but I've said that in the past, and you've proved me wrong every time, <Name>! Jones: And this pile of papers looks like it'd be worth a look too, don't you think?

Examine Broken Smartphone. Jones: You never cease to amaze me, <Name>. This smartphone you found in Troy's room is completely functional again! Jones: It's also... REALLY pink. My super sleuthing senses tell me this phone doesn't belong to either of our roommates! Jones: Rats, the phone's data is encrypted. We're going to need Alex's input if we want to get ahead with this lead. Let's have him analyze it.

Analyze Smartphone. Alex: The smartphone you found in the victim's dorm room is Madison's. The encryption protocol on it was weak, so that didn't take long! Alex: What did take a while is browsing through Madison's photo library. She and her friends take a LOT of pictures. Alex: Worthy of note for you: there's a picture of her clubbing where she's seen pouring huge amounts of hot sauce in her Bloody Mary. Alex: Also, she's received text messages from her friends informing her that Troy Takiguchi was... messing around. Jones: Troy was cheating on her? We need to talk to Madison as soon as possible, <Name>!

Talk to Madison about the victim's infidelity. (Before interrogation) Jones: Madison's in the middle of cheer practice, but she looks about ready to take a break, <Name>. Shall we? (During interrogation) Jones: Madison, you were thi... Wait, is that a sports drink you're drinking? Madison Springer: Well, it'd be a shame not to, they're free! Simple Sports Drinks have a sponsoring partnership with the Quails. Madison Springer: Why? Is that suspicious, <Rank>? Most of the players drink these, including Chad. You might be happy to know that I've seen Nurse Breen knock back a few bottles, too. Jones: That's... very helpful, thank you. Now, Madison, you wanted to break up with Troy, is that right? Madison Springer: Oh. So you know about that, then. Well yes. When I realized that lying shmuck was cheating on me, I told him it was over. Madison Springer: And you know what? He had the gall to get mad at ME! As if his sleeping around had been all MY fault! Madison Springer: ... But anyway, that's all over now. I just want to move on, and let Troy rest in peace.

Examine Pile of Papers. Jones: The sports magazine you found in that pile of papers is one of the most influential in sports, <Name>! Jones: The cover is really eye-catching: "Boedeker vs. Takiguchi, the rivalry that's got us excited for this college football season". Jones: Let's see what the article says... Page 34... "While both are being considered for selection, Takiguchi is rumored to have a strong lead this season." Jones: This means Boedeker was in danger of being passed up for selection by his rival Troy Takiguchi... who also happens to be the victim. Jones: "Amid allegations of steroid use, Boedeker, in spite of his great record..." Doping? Jones: Well, I think Thomas, the Armadillos' quarterback, might need a good talking to about those allegations, don't you think, <Name>?

Talk to Thomas about the rumors of steroid use. Thomas Boedeker: You think I dope myself? All because you read it in some cheap rag?! C'mon <Rank> <Name>, I worked hard to be fit like this and I'm proud of it! There's no pride in taking steroids. Thomas Boedeker: It's illegal, it's cheating and it's low: it's everything I stand against! These rumors got spread round because it's the easiest way to destroy an honest player's career! Thomas Boedeker: If you're gonna play just to cheat, then it's no longer a sport you're playing: it's just make-believe! Thomas Boedeker: The most illegal thing I ever did was showing up at the Quails' pre-game cookout and stealing a couple hot wings... Thomas Boedeker: All in good fun, though. They had a great southern style hot sauce that they prepared their wings with. Not for the faint of heart, let me tell you!

A while later, at the Police Station... Franklin Caldwell: <Rank> <Name>! Could I have a word with you, please? Jones: We're kind of in the middle of a criminal investigation, Mr. Caldwell. This had better be important. Franklin Caldwell: But it is! It's about... It's about Karimah Breen. Jones: Nurse Breen? The woman in charge of the University's infirmary? Franklin Caldwell: The very same. The thing is... Nurse Breen has got a criminal record. Jones: What?!

Chapter 3
Franklin Caldwell: <Rank> <Name>, I'm not usually the kind to rat people out, but my team's reputation is at stake here, and I will make damn sure you get every relevant info! Jones: We already know that our victim didn't know there was EPO in his insulin syringe. What we need to figure out is... who could have tampered with that syringe! Franklin Caldwell: And that's what I want to talk to you about, <Rank> <Name>. Mrs Breen, the University nurse, has got a criminal record! Jones: What?! What do you mean, a criminal record? What kind of crime did she commit? Franklin Caldwell: I'd... rather not talk about it here, if it's all the same to you. Can you meet me back in the field, <Rank> <Name>? Jones: Well, then, have it your way. We'll meet you there as soon as we can, Mr. Caldwell.