Hell Is Other People

Hell Is Other People is a case featured in Criminal Case as the second case of The Conspiracy (Season 5) and the two-hundred thirty-third case overall. It takes place in the Fairview district of Grimsborough.

Plot
Gloria and the player went to Elmwood Avenue in response to Aaron Seabrook's report of her wife's murder there. They then found Elaine Seabrook nailed onto her white picket fence.

Mid-investigation, Amir found the steakhouse where Elaine's killer last ate steak. Later, Rita shouted at Gabriel furiously because he saw that she was on a dating site. The team then found enough evidence to arrest Elaine's neighbor, Cynthia Lane, for the murder.

During the arrest, Cynthia admitted she killed Elaine for throwing up on her prized peonies. She said that she was tending to them well for Fairview's Best Kept Garden Competition and that she needed to win because of her obsessive perfectionism. Infuriated at Elaine sabotaging her chances of winning, Cynthia nailed her down to her fence with a nail gun. In court, Judge Powell sentenced Cynthia to 20 years in prison with access to psychological counseling.

Post-trial, Martine received a call of a dead body in the steakhouse. After she, Gloria, and the player collected the man's body, she performed an autopsy on him, revealing that he had overdosed on amlodipine. Previously, the team had discovered that a shipment of amlodipine had gone missing. Martine said that for the drug to be fatal, the victim must have ingested an activating agent that would enhance its potency.

Gloria and the player talked to Tyler Schultz, a waiter at the steakhouse. Tyler identified the victim as David O'Connell and said that he had brought in his own can of Rocket Cow as usual. He told the team that he had thrown the can into the trash. Gloria and the player then found the can, which (per Martine) proved that the caffeine in Rocket Cow would have boosted amlodipine's effects tenfold and cause cardiac arrest. However, Martine could not discern if the victim committed suicide or if he was murdered. She then said that Chief Parker had transferred the case to another precinct so they could continue the investigation.

Meanwhile, Amir's boyfriend, Jasper Everett, proposed that he and the player sneak into the satellite crash site in the forest. When they were near the site, however, they were caught by a security guard, who said that the site was off-limits. The guard explained that a nuclear reactor on-board the satellite broke during the crash, causing radiation leakage in the vicinity of the crash. The satellite operator then closed off the entire forest to clean up the radiation. The guard then gave Jasper and the player a flyer and told them to leave. After that, Jones asked the player to find something that he had lost, only to invite them (and Jasper) to a house party later in the night.

The player attended Jones's house party, where they made a toast to old friends and new beginnings. After a while, Gloria said that it would be good if they kept an eye on the missing shipment of amlodipine.

Victim

 * Elaine Seabrook (found nailed to her fence)

Murder Weapon

 * Nailgun

Killer

 * Cynthia Lane

Killer's Profile

 * The killer eats steak.
 * The killer drives an SUV.
 * The killer likes gardening.
 * The killer has green eyes.
 * The killer wears a watch.

Chapter 1

 * Investigate Suburban Street. (Clues: Victim's Body, White Jacket; New Suspect: Aaron Seabrook; Victim identified: Elaine Seabrook)
 * Autopsy Victim's Body. (18:00:00; Attribute: The killer eats steak)
 * Speak to Aaron Seabrook about his wife's murder. (Prerequisite: Suburban Street investigated; New Crime Scene Unlocked: Living Room)
 * Investigate Living Room. (Prerequisite: Aaron interrogated; Clues: Broken Porcelain, College Yearbook, Victim's Bag)
 * Examine Broken Porcelain. (Result: Commemorative Plate; New Suspect: Cynthia Lane)
 * Ask Cynthia Lane about her relationship with the victim. (Prerequisite: Commemorative Plate restored)
 * Examine College Yearbook. (New Suspect: Rosamund Wilcox)
 * Inform Rosamund Wilcox of Elaine's death. (Prerequisite: Rosamund Wilcox identified)
 * Examine Victim's Bag. (Result: Prescription)
 * Examine Prescription. (Result: G GIBBS M.D; New Suspect: Greg Gibbs)
 * Ask Dr Gibbs about the victim's appointment at his practice. (Prerequisite: G GIBBS M.D decoded)
 * Examine White Jacket. (Result: Tire Print)
 * Analyze Tire Print. (03:00:00; Attribute: The killer drives an SUV)
 * Go to Chapter 2. (No stars)

Chapter 2

 * Investigate Steakhouse. (Available after unlocking Chapter 2; Clues: Faded Receipt, Plastic Tray)
 * Examine Faded Receipt. (Result: Victim's Receipt; New Suspect: Tyler Schultz)
 * Speak to Tyler Schultz about Elaine's visit to the steakhouse. (Prerequisite: Victim's Receipt unraveled; Profile updated: Tyler eats steak)
 * Examine Plastic Tray. (Result: Bloody Sunglasses)
 * Analyze Bloody Sunglasses. (12:00:00; Attribute: The killer likes gardening; New Crime Scene Unlocked: Living Room Sofa; Profile updated: Cynthia likes gardening)
 * Investigate Living Room Sofa. (Prerequisite: Bloody Sunglasses analyzed; Clues: Cake, Safe)
 * Examine Cake. (Result: Brown Substance)
 * Examine Brown Substance. (Result: Dog Poop)
 * Ask Cynthia Lane why she gave Elaine a dog poop cake. (Prerequisite: Dog Poop identified under microscope; Profile updated: Cynthia eats steak and drives an SUV)
 * Examine Safe. (Result: Envelope)
 * Analyze Envelope. (12:00:00)
 * Talk to Aaron Seabrook about him wanting to divorce the victim. (Prerequisite: Envelope analyzed; Profiles updated: Aaron drives an SUV and likes gardening, Rosamund drives an SUV)
 * Go to Chapter 3. (1 star)

Chapter 3

 * Investigate Restaurant Grill. (Available after unlocking Chapter 3; Clues: Motel Room Key, Victim's Cellphone, Torn Document)
 * Examine Motel Room Key. (Result: Tyler's Message)
 * Ask Tyler Schultz if he had an affair with the victim. (Prerequisite: Tyler's Message unraveled)
 * Examine Victim's Cellphone. (Result: Victim's Cellphone)
 * Talk to Dr Gibbs about the voicemail on Elaine's cellphone. (Prerequisite: Victim's Cellphone unlocked; Profile updated: Aaron eats steak)
 * Examine Torn Document. (Result: Defaced Document)
 * Analyze Defaced Document. (09:00:00)
 * Confront Rosamund Wilcox about the legal document she sent the victim. (Prerequisite: Defaced Document analyzed; Profile updated: Rosamund eats steak and likes gardening)
 * Investigate Front Yard. (All tasks before must be done first; Clues: Toolbox, Nail Gun; Murder Weapon registered: Nail Gun)
 * Examine Toolbox. (Result: Bloody Handkerchief)
 * Analyze Bloody Handkerchief. (09:00:00 Attribute: The killer has green eyes)
 * Examine Nail Gun. (Result: Beige Fibers)
 * Analyze Beige Fibers. (15:00:00; Attribute: The killer wears a watch)
 * Take care of the killer now!
 * Go to Old Friends, New Beginnings (2/6). (No stars)

Old Friends, New Beginnings (2/6)

 * See what Martine wants. (Available after unlocking Old Friends, New Beginnings)
 * Investigate Steakhouse. (Prerequisite: Martine interrogated; Clue: Dead Body)
 * Autopsy Dead Body. (09:00:00)
 * Talk to Tyler Schultz about the dead body. (Prerequisite: Dead Body analyzed; Reward: Burger)
 * Investigate Restaurant Grill. (Prerequisite: Tyler interrogated; Clue: Trash Can)
 * Examine Trash Can. (Result: Rocket Cow Can)
 * Analyze Rocket Cow Can. (06:00:00)
 * Speak to Jasper. (Available after unlocking Old Friends, New Beginnings)
 * Ask the Security Guard why the forest is off-limits. (Prerequisite: Jasper interrogated; Reward: 20,000 Coins)
 * Investigate Suburban Street. (Prerequisite: Security Guard interrogated; Clue: Puzzle Pieces)
 * Examine Puzzle Pieces. (Result: Puzzle [Faded Message])
 * Examine Faded Message. (Result: Jones' Message)
 * Attend Jones' party. (All tasks before must be done first; Reward: VR Headset)
 * Move on to a new crime! (1 star)

Trivia

 * The case's title comes from a famous quote by existentialist philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre from his one-act play, No Exit.
 * This is the only case in The Conspiracy where Martine conducts more than one autopsy task.
 * Bucci is a parody of Gucci.
 * Timber is a parody of Tinder.