Dead Carpet

Dead Carpet is a case featured in Criminal Case, appearing as the ninety-third case of the game and the thirty-eighty case of Pacific Bay. It is also the final case of Pacific Bay's Ivywood Hills district.

Case Background
All Roxie Sparks and Frank Knight were looking forward to is the Ivywood Movie Awards occurring in a few hours, but Amy Young and the player are concerned about the Utopians' plans to brainwash Ivywood with a brainwashing film even without Holly Hopper in the picture. Frank thought that the Utopians can't function without Holly, but Russell Crane made it clear that the police force can't let their guard down under any circumstances. With Chief Marquez on sick leave (due to what happened to her previously on Criminal Case, Amy and the player went to the red carpet of the Ivywood Awards Theater to ensure nothing funny is going on.

Amy and the player found a movie producer named Tyler Snakes dead on the red carpet, in which Amy thought he suffocated. Ironically, Tyler was in charge of organizing the awards ceremony per Amy. No human being would drop dead as Amy was serious in her endeavor--the player shipped the body to Roxie as it was determined to be a premeditated act of murder in spite of a bloodless death. Amy and the player had to subdue a television room where the Utopians reserved for their brainwashing agenda. With the help of Hannah Choi, the location of the Utopians' temple was exposed for investigation.

During the investigation, Holly Hopper was discovered to have faked her suicide due to text messages sent to Tyler stating that she came back from the dead. Hannah intercepted Holly's call from the Ivywood Heights Hotel only to find the gossip columnist dressed up as a socialite to keep a low profile. The cover didn't work as Amy was wise enough to expose Holly right on the spot and sent her to the interrogation room spot-on.

In the middle of the investigation, Amy was brainwashed by the Utopians, prompting Russell to take over Amy's place for the remainder of the investigation. Russell had a lot to prove since he was flagged as a suspect in Roberto's murder investigation and the false arrest he made during the early days of Ivywood. Russell proved that he was still worth his weight when he helped the player find the poison cigarettes in the TV room, allowing Yann Toussaint to identify the murder weapon required to secure the killer's guilt. In spite of Amy's incapacitation and in a surprise twist of events, the killer happened to be a femme fatale named Velma Bannister.

Velma offered a smoke to the player as a condition to remain silent and have her rights read while she was waiting for her husband's lawyers to arrive, but Russell hated the idea of offering cigarettes given that they were the murder weapon used to poison Tyler. Velma believed that the team had nothing against her, but what she didn't like was that Tyler was mentally strong to resist a femme fatale like herself--although Russell admired Velma's persistence. Velma took Tyler's rejection personally, so she pleaded with Frank to meet her at the Utopian Temple to wash her sorrows away, but she had enough with Russell's manipulative demeanor, so she admitted to poisoning Tyler to death so that she could access the TV room. Velma believed that she saved Ivywood from the brainwashing plan even though she knows this would contradict what her cult wanted, but with good reason--she wanted to use her recording instead of the intended one the Utopians wanted. Russell had enough of Velma, so the player shipped the femme fatale to trial.

In court Velma had to use her charm all her life to seduce people to get what she wants, and the older she becomes, the more difficult it gets, and Ivywood is no exception. Ever since running into Tyler, Velma felt that there's going to be someone younger and more beautiful than herself, and her powers fade with age. Velma refused to be uglier than someone else, so she wanted to take the Utopians' brainwashing plan to her own hands by poisoning Tyler to death, replacing the Utopian standard brainwashing tape with a brainwashing tape of her own so that people would have to obey Velma, worship her as the most beautiful woman in Ivywood, and to love her forever. Fame is what Velma yearned for, although she knows that the brainwashing effect can be nullified by a cure not to mention that fame doesn't last forever. Judge Dante has heard enough, so he gives Velma 18 years of hard time for the premeditated murder of Tyler Snakes not to mention forcing the Judge and the court members miss the Ivywood Movie Awards.

Even with Velma's arrest, the team's work isn't done. Russell had to interrogate Trevor Neuman since that psychiatrist was liable for inventing the Utopians' method of brainwashing, which was passed onto other Utopians. Trevor admitted that he created the brainwashing method, but felt that there was no way to cure the brainwashing, in which Russell refused to accept. So the player had Trevor arrested for the brainwashing scheme prior to checking the TV room for the brainwashing tape. The player succeeded in finding the brainwashing tape and Hannah had to give her all to deliver the psychological cure. Hannah cured Chief Marquez and Amy by fluke and luck, and with Ivywood psychologically cured, Holly was arrested for good.

With the Utopian threat gone, Chief Marquez praised the player's skills but requested the player to check the Utopian Temple for one final time to ensure no additional threats ensued. There were no more threats, but Russell and Jupiter Crane finally settled their differences after all the years of separation and hatred. The Chief was impressed by the player's leadership in her absence (per Amy's reports) so as a reward, the team will report to Rhine Canyon.

Victim

 * Tyler Snakes (murdered on the red carpet on Awards night)

Murder Weapon

 * Poisonous Cigarettes

Killer

 * Velma Bannister

Killer's Profile

 * The killer has seen A Puff of Death.
 * The killer takes Nevrax.
 * The killer is a Capricorn.
 * The killer has blonde hair.
 * The killer's blood type is A+.

Chapter 1

 * Investigate Red Carpet. (Clues: Victim's Body, Envelope, Photo of Velma)
 * Examine Photo of Velma. (Result: Velma's Message to Tyler)
 * Ask Velma Bannister about the photo she gave to the victim. (Prerequisite: Message on Velma's Photo unraveled)
 * Examine Envelope. (Result: Awards Building Plan; New Crime Scene: TV Room)
 * Investigate TV Room. (Clues: CCTV Terminal, Torn Poster, Victim's Badge)
 * Examine Torn Poster. (Result: Utopian Prophecy Poster)
 * Ask Brett Nolan about the Utopian Prophecy. (Prerequisite: Poster restored)
 * Examine CCTV Terminal. (Result: CCTV Control)
 * Analyze CCTV Control. (12:00:00)
 * Ask Jupiter Crane why he was kicked out of the Awards Theater. (Prerequisite: CCTV Control analyzed)
 * Analyze Victim's Badge. (06:00:00; Clue given: Molecule)
 * Examine Molecule. (Attribute: The killer takes Nevrax)
 * Autopsy Victim's Body. (18:00:00; Attribute: The killer has seen A Puff of Death)
 * Go to Chapter 2. (No stars)

Chapter 2

 * Investigate Utopian Temple. (Available after unlocking Chapter 2; Clues: Shrine, Nevrax Box, Torn Photo)
 * Examine Shrine. (Result: Card)
 * Analyze Card. (06:00:00; Attribute: The killer is a Capricorn)
 * Examine Torn Photo. (Result: Photo of a verbal argument)
 * Ask Brett about his row with the victim. (Prerequisite: Photo restored)
 * Examine Nevrax Box. (Result: Doctor's ID)
 * Analyze Doctor's ID. (12:00:00)
 * Ask Dr. Neuman about the Nevrax box found in the Utopian Temple. (Prerequisite: Doctor's ID analyzed)
 * Investigate Theater Front Desk. (Prerequisite: Talk to Dr. Neuman; Clues: Faded Photo, Locked Phone)
 * Examine Faded Photo. (Result: Photograph)
 * Ask Jupiter Crane about his wife's photograph. (Prerequisite: Photograph unraveled)
 * Examine Locked Phone. (Result: Victim's Phone)
 * Analyze Victim's Phone. (12:00:00)
 * Ask Holly Hopper how she came back from the dead. (Prerequisite: Victim's Phone analyzed)
 * Go to Chapter 3. (No stars)

Chapter 3

 * Investigate Utopian Altar. (Available after unlocking Chapter 3; Clues: Torn Page, Faded Note, Holly's Purse)
 * Examine Torn Page. (Result: Experiments)
 * Analyze Experiments. (09:00:00)
 * Ask Dr. Neuman about the document found in the Utopian Temple. (Prerequisite: Experiments analyzed)
 * Examine Faded Note. (Result: Velma's Note)
 * Ask Velma about her argument with the victim. (Prerequisite: Velma's Note unraveled)
 * Examine Holly's Purse. (Result: Newspaper)
 * Ask Holly Hopper about her rivalry with the victim. (Prerequisite: Newspaper found)
 * Investigate Control Panels. (All tasks prior to this must be done first; Clues: Broadcasting Equipment, Capricorn Brooch)
 * Examine Broadcasting Equipment. (Result: Cigarette Case)
 * Analyze Cigarette Case. (09:00:00; Attribute: The killer has blonde hair; Murder Weapon registered: Poisonous Cigarettes)
 * Examine Capricorn Brooch. (Result: Blood Sample)
 * Analyze Blood Sample. (15:00:00; Attribute: The killer's blood type is A+)
 * Arrest Killer.
 * Go to Ivywood Confidential 7. (No stars)

Ivywood Confidential 7

 * Ask Dr. Neuman to reverse the brainwashing. (Available after unlocking Ivywood Confidential)
 * Investigate TV Room. (Prerequisite: Talk to Trevor; Clues: Locked Chest)
 * Examine Locked Chest. (Result: Videotape)
 * Examine Videotape. (Result: Brainwashing Movie)
 * Analyze Brainwashing Movie. (09:00:00)
 * Arrest Holly Hopper once and for all. (Prerequisite: Brainwashing Movie analyzed; Reward: Burger)
 * Investigate Red Carpet. (Prerequisite: Arrest Holly; Clues: Faded Script)
 * Examine Faded Script. (Result: Script Title)
 * Ask Brett about the script. (Prerequisite: Script Title unraveled; Reward: 20,000 Coins)
 * Investigate Utopian Temple. (Prerequisite: Arrest Holly; Clues: Holly's Belongings)
 * Examine Holly's Belongings. (Result: Letters)
 * Examine Letters. (Result: Letters to Russell)
 * Analyze Letters to Russell. (06:00:00)
 * Bring Jupiter and Russell back together. (Prerequisite: Letters analyzed; Reward: Red Carpet Suit)
 * Investigate Next Case. (1 star)

Trivia

 * This is one of the cases in which Amy and Frank interact with each other.
 * This is one of the cases in Pacific Bay in which more than one suspect is arrested.
 * This is one of the final cases of a district which feature familiar suspects.
 * The Additional Investigation chapter is named differently in this case, as with all other cases of Ivywood Hills. In this case, the chapter is dubbed "Ivywood Confidential 8".
 * This case is currently unavailable for play on the iOS version of the game.