Down to the Wire

Down to the Wire is a case featured in Criminal Case as the one-hundred seventieth case of the game. It is the fifty-fifth case of the game's World Edition (Season 3) and also the seventh case to take place in North America.

Plot
Carmen, Jonah, and the player went to a peace hockey match between Canada and the United Kingdom to meet with Canadian prime minister Jason Stone. After the prime minister requested that they talk after the game, Jonah reported that he had collapsed in his sky box.

During the investigation, Jonah was labeled as a suspect for not paying attention during the job. Later, Elliot received a transmission saying El Rey killed Stone. Even later, the press got wind of the murder and released the news, which made other countries start mobilizing their respective armies. The player found enough evidence to arrest Hector Montoya for the murder as well as for being El Rey, the leader of SOMBRA.

Hector admitted quickly that he was El Rey. He said that his parents had been killed by a fire when he was a child, saying that they were weak and that he was strong. That mindset made him believe in SOMBRA's ideology, and Arsenio Castillo had given him the position of El Rey when he stepped down. The team concluded that Hector strangled Jason with a a garrote watch to stop him from discussing with the Bureau. After Carmen said that SOMBRA was over, Hector said that Chief Ripley was helping SOMBRA since the beginning.

Hector was put in custody while the team investigated his claim. Ripley said they had to find the truth out on their own and that she would step down from the Bureau and let Ingrid take her duties. Carmen and the player talked to Hector, who directed them to the sky box for clues. Jonah then offered to help the player search for the prime minister's stolen files in his apartment.

In the sky box, they found a paper labeled "Operation: SOMBRA" which (per Elliot) proved that a young Ripley had met with a "P. Molina", who turned out to be Arsenio. They then talked to Castillo, who said that Ripley offered to fund SOMBRA. In exchange, they would threaten the small kingdom of Grenadia on the southern border of Colombia, which had struck oil at the time. With the excuse of saving Grenadia, the US took part in the conflict and seized the oil fields. After that, the CIA tried to wipe SOMBRA out entirely. However, Castillo faked his death and transferred SOMBRA's funds and the title of El Rey to Hector.

Afterwards, Jack reported Asal Hawaa running to the Hockey Hall of Fame, where Carmen and the player found her USB key, which contained a video of Ripley telling Director Nahum Meir of Mossad that she was assembling a team of investigators (the Bureau) to stop a resurfaced SOMBRA. However, Nahum told her not to tell anyone in the team about SOMBRA.

Jack and the player talked to Asal about the video. Asal explained that after her boss told her to stay away from the Bureau, she did some digging and found the video. She then assumed that the team knew about and were covering up Ripley's secret, causing her to treat the hunt for El Rey like a game. Asal then thanked the Bureau for bringing down El Rey and wished Jack luck with Lars.

Meanwhile in the apartment, Jonah and the player found a CD which mentioned an inmate named Peter Walker. Elliot said that Peter was a psychiatric patient who claimed to be part of "a powerful order hell-bent on world domination" before he was found murdered the next morning. They talked to Ronin Ozawa, who said that Peter was a SOMBRA recruit gone mad. Jonah and the player then figured out that after SOMBRA pushed the US into isolation, Hector would kill President James Hewett to create a power vacuum and seize control.

After all of that, Ingrid said that Ripley's office was empty except for a message on her computer wherein Ripley apologized for accidentally creating SOMBRA and thanked her team for bringing down El Rey, officially stepping down as chief. Afterwards, Judge Adaku sentenced Hector Montoya to life in prison for the murder and SOMBRA's crimes.

As the team was celebrating bringing down SOMBRA, Elliot informed everyone that President Hewett had been kidnapped.

Victim

 * Jason Stone (choked to death)

Murder Weapon

 * Garrote Watch

Killer

 * Hector Montoya

Killer's Profile

 * The killer eats poutine.
 * The killer uses eye drops.
 * The killer knows lock picking.
 * The killer has green eyes.
 * The killer has a scar.

Trivia

 * The case's title comes from the expression "down to the wire", which is used to describe a situation whose outcome is not decided until the very last minute.
 * This is one of the cases where all suspects have appeared previously.
 * This case is one of the few where a main character is flagged as a suspect for plausible reasons.
 * This is one of the few cases wherein the trial takes place during the Additional Investigation instead of the final chapter of the main leg.
 * In the "Rooftop Terrace" crime scene, David, a statue by Michelangelo, can be spotted.
 * In the "Hockey Showcases" crime scene, Kelly Purnell can be seen on a TV screen.