Game, Set, Murder

Game, Set, Murder is a case featured in Criminal Case as the fortieth case of The Conspiracy (Season 5) and the two-hundred seventy-first case overall. It takes place in the University district of Grimsborough.

Plot
Amidst the heavy rains during the night, Jones and the player rushed to the university workshop after receiving reports of a murder there. They then collected the body of athlete Stephanie Griff, whose head was crushed in a vise.

Mid-investigation, Dean Donna Walker, who was on night patrol, told the team that she saw Stephanie in the library the morning of that day. Later, Jones was pelted by tennis balls from a malfunctioning tennis ball machine. The team then found enough evidence to arrest groundskeeper Gunnar Burns for the murder.

Upon admitting to the murder, Gunnar said that he killed Stephanie while torturing her by knocking her unconscious and slowly crushing her head with the vise to reveal "what she knew." However, he stopped himself from giving any more information. Judge Powell then sentenced him to life in prison without possibility of parole.

Post-trial, Stephanie's girlfriend, Miranda Cohen, told Jones and the player to find Stephanie's camera for any information about why Gunnar killed her. They found the camera in the tennis court, which (per Cathy) contained a picture of Gunnar digging up at the court late at night. After getting authorized by the dean to dig up the court, the team found a broken skull, which (per Martine) belonged to Clara Burns, Gunnar's ex-wife, who was killed by blunt force trauma to head over 20 years ago. They then interrogated Gunnar, who said that he had bashed Clara's head in after she took everything from him during the divorce and that he had buried her in his backyard. However, he had to relocate her body after the local council asked to dig up his backyard to install some Internet cables. He then buried her at the court under the guise of resurfacing but was caught in the act by Stephanie.

Meanwhile, Gloria and the player searched the library for more information on Ad Astra and found an entire volume on the secret society. Per Gabriel, the volume was an Ad Astra manifesto stating that those who were physically and intellectually superior deserved to control the rest of society who were better off without the burden of decision-making, a philosophy reflected in Rozetta Pierre's actions with DreamLife. After finding out that Professor Kevin Charles had introduced the concept of "selective superiority" to Rozetta, the team grilled him about Ad Astra. Kevin said that Ad Astra started as a group consisting of Rozetta and her like-minded peers talking about the future of humanity, which she started per his encouragement. However, he became uncomfortable with how they wanted to put the theory of selective superiority into practice. The team then asked for his help in identifying the society's current members, but Kevin said that he had been done associating with the group years ago.

After all the events, the team began suspecting that the new Ad Astra had something to do with Rozetta's plans, making the team resolve to investigate further into the matter.

Victim

 * Stephanie Griff (found with her head crushed in a vise)

Murder Weapon

 * Vise

Killer

 * Gunnar Burns

Killer's Profile

 * The killer uses heat cream.
 * The killer believes in astrology.
 * The killer orders Kangaroo.
 * The killer has a bruise.
 * The killer wears a watch.

Chapter 1

 * Investigate Workshop. (Clues: Broken Wood, Victim's Body)
 * Examine Broken Wood. (Prerequisite: Workshop investigated; Result: Wooden Plaque; New Suspect: Bradley Fields)
 * Ask whether Mr Fields knows the victim. (Prerequisite: Broken Wood restored; New Crime Scene Unlocked: Tennis Stands; Victim identified: Stephanie Griff)
 * Investigate Tennis Stands. (Prerequisite: Bradley interrogated; Clues: Tool Belt, Victim's Wallet)
 * Examine Tool Belt. (Result: Cut-Rite Tool Belt; New Suspect: Gunnar Burns)
 * Find out if Gunnar Burns saw the victim at the tennis stands. (Prerequisite: Tool Belt unraveled; Clue: Suspect's Description)
 * Examine Suspect's Description. (New Suspect: John McKenzie)
 * Question John McKenzie about the victim. (Prerequisite: John McKenzie identified)
 * Examine Victim's Wallet. (Result: Ominous Message)
 * Analyze Ominous Message. (03:00:00; Attribute: The killer believes in astrology)
 * Autopsy Victim's Body. (18:00:00; Murder Weapon registered: Vise; Attribute: The killer uses heat cream)
 * Go to Chapter 2. (1 star)

Chapter 2

 * Investigate Library. (Available after unlocking Chapter 2; Clues: Broken Tablet, Voice Recorder)
 * Examine Broken Tablet. (Result: Victim's Tablet)
 * Analyze Victim's Tablet. (12:00:00; New Suspect: Miranda Cohen)
 * Ask Miranda Cohen if she was involved with the victim. (Prerequisite: Victim's Tablet analyzed; New Crime Scene Unlocked: Tennis Court; Profile updated: Miranda uses heat cream and believes in astrology)
 * Investigate Tennis Court. (Prerequisite: Miranda interrogated; Clues: University Newsletter, Tennis Ball Box, Trash Can)
 * Examine University Newsletter. (Result: Newsletter Message)
 * Ask Gunnar Burns about his message on the newsletter. (Prerequisite: Newsletter Message unraveled; Profile updated: Gunnar uses heat cream and believes in astrology)
 * Examine Tennis Ball Box. (Result: Open Box [Pill Capsules])
 * Examine Pill Capsules. (Result: Steroids)
 * Interrogate John McKenzie about the steriods. (Prerequisite: Steroids identified under microscope; Profile updated: John uses heat cream and believes in astrology)
 * Examine Trash Can. (Result: Bloody Receipt)
 * Analyze Bloody Receipt. (09:00:00; Attribute: The killer orders Kangaroo)
 * Examine Voice Recorder. (Result: Unlocked Voice Recorder; New Suspect: Lucius Roth)
 * Question Lucius Roth about his interview with the victim. (Prerequisite: Voice Recorder unlocked)
 * Go to Chapter 3. (1 star)

Chapter 3

 * Investigate Library Desk. (Available after unlocking Chapter 3; Clues: X-Ray, Manuscript, Victim's Tennis Bag)
 * Examine X-Ray. (Result: Brown Powder)
 * Analyze Brown Powder. (09:00:00)
 * Ask Mr Fields what happened to his hand. (Prerequisite: Brown Powder analyzed; Profiles updated: Bradley uses heat cream and orders Kangaroo, Gunnar orders Kangaroo)
 * Examine Manuscript. (Result: Lucius Roth's Thesis)
 * Confront Lucius Roth about his thesis on torture. (Prerequisite: Lucius Roth's Thesis unraveled; Profile updated: Lucius believes in astrology)
 * Examine Victim's Tennis Bag. (Result: Stun Gun)
 * Question why Miranda Cohen threatened the victim. (Prerequisite: Stun Gun found; Profile updated: Miranda orders Kangaroo, John orders Kangaroo)
 * Investigate Workshop Tables. (All tasks before must be done first; Clues: Locked Toolbox, Tennis Racket)
 * Examine Locked Toolbox. (Result: Zip Ties)
 * Analyze Zip Ties. (15:00:00; Attribute: The killer has a bruise)
 * Examine Tennis Racket. (Result: Fibers)
 * Analyze Fibers. (09:00:00; Attribute: The killer wears a watch)
 * Take care of the killer now!
 * Go to Original Sin (4/6). (No stars)

Original Sin (4/6)

 * Ask whether Miranda Cohen knows anything. (Available after unlocking Original Sin; Reward: Tennis Player Hair)
 * Investigate Tennis Stands. (Prerequisite: Miranda interrogated; Clue: Digital Camera)
 * Examine Digital Camera. (Result: Stephanie's Camera)
 * Analyze Stephanie's Camera. (03:00:00)
 * Investigate Library. (Available after unlocking Original Sin; Clue: Wooden Chest)
 * Examine Wooden Chest. (Result: Ad Astra Volume)
 * Analyze Ad Astra Volume. (06:00:00)

Trivia

 * The case title is a reference to "game, set, match", a phrase used to declare the end of tennis matches.
 * It could also be a reference to the Murder, She Wrote episode with the same name.
 * This is one of the cases in which the killer has to be interrogated once again during the Additional Investigation.
 * Kangaroo is a parody of Deliveroo.
 * In the "Library" crime scene, a statue of The Birth of Venus can be seen.