A Killer Among Us

A Killer Among Us is a case featured in Criminal Case, appearing as the one-hundred twelfth case of the game and the fifty-sixth case of Pacific Bay. It is the final case to take place in Paradise City, a district based in Pacific Bay.

Plot
Previously on Criminal Case, Frank Knight interrogated Danny Moto, who was guilty of the premeditated poisoning of Louis De Rico, about a "sixth person", the supposed mastermind behind the Mennagio Casino heist. Frank ordered the player to tell Chief Marquez about what Frank and the player heard from Danny while he escorts Danny to the police station for information about the sixth person. Chief Marquez did not trust Frank. After hearing that Frank crashed in a nearby dam, she ordered the player to take Amy Young to go to the site of the crash.

Frank survived, but Danny was found dead. Due to Frank being near the convict, he was officially treated as a suspect. The player and Amy found Hannah Choi's plutonium container sketch at the Casino Mausoleum, prompting Hannah to be treated as a suspect. Russell Crane's fingerprints were found on a wooden magic cube, forcing Amy and the player to flag Russell as a suspect.

Chief Marquez told Amy and the player to check the police armory, as the killer stole a spike strip and a stun gun there. Since the spike strip was found on the crime scene and the body showed signs of death by electrocution, this would mean that the killer was from the Pacific Bay Police Department, as only they had access to the armory. Things did not look good for the player and Amy as they had to mark Roxie Sparks as a suspect only because her necklace was found broken in the armory. Yann Toussaint remained as the only team member who was not suspected of Danny's murder, so he ended up having to administer all laboratory analyses. Even though he was not that useful during digital and psychological lab tests, Yann proved to be trusted in a time when a good chunk of the team were suspects. In a surprise twist, Frank was discovered to be reunited with his ex-wife, Karen Knight, and she was immediately flagged a suspect as well. Hannah then admitted to being the sixth person, believing that her cracking a casino security code to an anonymous person made her accidentally help the heist. This prompted Amy and the player to lock her up until she was proven innocent.

Soon, Amy and the player found the stolen stun gun after another look at the crime scene, and Yann registered the object as the murder weapon. In an unexpected turn of events, the killer, and as a result, traitor, turned out to be the senior detective of the Pacific Bay Police Department and one of the player's partners, Frank Knight.

Frank was stunned when the player accused him of homicide after what he and the player went through, but Amy snapped at the senior detective for treason. Frank did not plan the heist, but he cooperated with the heist squad by leaking information about the player's investigations. When the team arrived at Paradise City, Louis bribed Frank for information regarding the player's investigation of the Mennagio Casino heist in exchange for money. Louis felt the player was getting persistent, so he told Frank to get more information, or he would tell the player about his actions. Frank was relieved about Louis's death, but the instant Danny mentioned Frank that the sixth person was "someone you know well", Frank panicked. Frank stole a spike strip and a stun gun from the armory before escorting Danny to the police station for information regarding the sixth person. When Chief Marquez contacted Frank by radio, he had to fake the crash to prematurely end the communication. Frank took the opportunity to adjust the stun gun's voltage to electrocute Danny to death. He stated that the screams had haunted him ever since. Frank knocked himself out with his Gold Stag whiskey bottle to avoid suspicion. Amy told Frank that he framed his fellow team members to protect himself. Amy was disgusted by Frank's betrayal, so she and the player took the dirty cop for murder and conspiracy.

Judge Dante told Frank that he was supposed to uphold the law, but instead chose to break it. When asked what he had to say, Frank admitted guilt, prompting a 40-year jail sentence (without parole) onto him, subsequently removing him from the Pacific Bay Police Force. Karen then arrived in the courtroom with Chief Marquez hostage, pointing a gun at Andrea's head, demanding Frank's release. Amy threatened to shoot Karen, but Andrea painstakingly ordered Amy and the player to let Frank go, believing that both Frank and Karen could be put to justice in a more favorable time to avoid a Pyrrhic victory. During the turbulent fiasco, Karen revealed herself to be the sixth person, the mastermind behind the plutonium theft at the Mennagio Casino.

Chief Marquez thanked Amy and the player for all they did even though they were forced to let Frank go. Russell felt Amy handled herself bravely in the courtroom. After admitting their love for each other, the profiler and the junior officer then shared their first kiss, and asked the player to meet them back at the police station.

Hours after Frank's trial, Amy, under orders by Chief Marquez, scoured previous crime scenes to see if Frank and Karen left valuable evidence in a quest to catch the two fugitives. Hannah suggested that they sought refuge at a desolate area called the Wastes. Roxie gave Amy and the player advice on how to survive, because she used to study the district for her pathology studies for her position as a coroner. Chief Marquez started to worry about the safety of Amy and the player as she felt that the task will be more dangerous than ever, given that the pursuit must continue at the Wastes. Amy and the player vowed to investigate as a vehicle to put Frank and Karen to justice once and for all.

Victim

 * Danny Moto (killed during his transfer to the police station)

Murder Weapon

 * Stun Gun

Killer

 * Frank Knight

Killer's Profile

 * The killer knows electronics.
 * The killer drinks whiskey.
 * The killer is a gambler.
 * The killer is a male.
 * The killer's blood type is A+.

Chapter 1

 * Investigate Hydroelectric Dam. (Clues: Victim's Body, Spike Strip; New Suspect: Frank Knight)
 * Talk to Frank Knight about the attack and car crash. (New Crime Scene Unlocked: Junkyard)
 * Investigate Junkyard. (Prerequisite: Talk to Frank Knight; Clues: Danny’s Briefcase, Puzzle)
 * Examine Danny’s Briefcase. (Result: Faded Plan)
 * Examine Faded Plan. (Result: Drawing Details)
 * Analyze Drawing Details. (09:00:00; New Suspect: Hannah Choi)
 * Ask Hannah Choi about her secret project. (Prerequisite: Drawing Details analyzed)
 * Examine Puzzle. (Result: Fingerprint)
 * Examine Fingerprint. (New Suspect: Russell Crane)
 * Ask Russell Crane about his fingerprints on the puzzle. (Prerequisite: Fingerprint identified)
 * Examine Spike Strip. (Result: Unknown Substance)
 * Analyze Unknown Substance. (03:00:00; Attribute: The killer drinks whiskey)
 * Autopsy Victim's Body. (18:00:00; Attribute: The killer knows electronics)
 * Go to Chapter 2. (No stars)

Chapter 2

 * Investigate Police Arsenal. (Available after unlocking Chapter 2; Clues: Broken Pieces, Arms Locker)
 * Examine Broken Pieces. (Result: Necklace; New Suspect: Roxie Sparks)
 * Ask Roxie Sparks what her necklace was doing in the armory. (Prerequisite: Necklace restored)
 * Examine Arms Locker. (Result: Gold Coin)
 * Analyze Gold Coin. (12:00:00; Attribute: The killer is a gambler)
 * Investigate Broken Casino Signs. (Prerequisite: Gold Coin analyzed; Clues: Rap Sheet, Heist Equipment)
 * Examine Rap Sheet. (Result: Threat)
 * Ask Frank about the threat he wrote to Danny. (Prerequisite: Threat unraveled; New Suspect: Karen Knight)
 * Talk to Karen Knight about what she was doing in the armory. (Prerequisite: Talk to Frank Knight)
 * Examine Heist Equipment. (Result: Graph)
 * Examine Graph. (Result: Graph Annotations)
 * Analyze Graph Annotations. (12:00:00)
 * Ask Russell about his strange graph. (Prerequisite: Graph Annotations analyzed)
 * Go to Chapter 3. (No stars)

Chapter 3

 * Interrogate Hannah about how she helped the heist gang. (Available after unlocking Chapter 3)
 * Investigate Weapons Locker. (Available after unlocking Chapter 3; Clues: Filing Cabinet, Menu)
 * Examine Filing Cabinet. (Result: Torn Paper)
 * Examine Torn Paper. (Result: Court Sketch)
 * Question Karen about attending Danny’s trial. (Prerequisite: Court Sketch restored)
 * Examine Menu. (Result: Lipstick)
 * Analyze Lipstick. (09:00:00)
 * Talk to Roxie about her relationship with Louis De Rico. (Prerequisite: Lipstick analyzed)
 * Investigate Crashed Cop Car. (All tasks before must be done first; Clues: Fishing Box, Smashed Pieces)
 * Examine Fishing Box. (Result: Stun Gun; Murder Weapon Registered: Stun Gun)
 * Examine Stun Gun. (Result: Blood)
 * Analyze Blood. (15:00:00; Attribute: The killer’s blood type is A+)
 * Examine Smashed Pieces. (Result: Whiskey Bottle)
 * Analyze Whiskey Bottle. (09:00:00; Attribute: The killer is a man)
 * Take care of the killer now!
 * Go to The Big Heist: Part 6. (No stars)

The Big Heist: Part 6

 * Investigate Hydroelectric Dam. (Available after unlocking The Big Heist; Clues: Locked Tablet)
 * Examine Locked Tablet. (Result: Karen’s Tablet)
 * Analyze Karen’s Tablet. (06:00:00)
 * Ask Roxie for more information about the Wastes. (Prerequisite: Karen’s Tablet analyzed; Reward:  20,000 Coins)
 * Investigate Junkyard. (Available after unlocking The Big Heist; Clues: Box of Electronics)
 * Examine Box of Electronics. (Result: Faded Folder)
 * Examine Faded Folder. (Result: Folder Contents)
 * Analyze Folder Contents. (09:00:00)
 * Ask Russell about Frank. (Prerequisite: Folder Contents analyzed; Reward: Burger)
 * Ask Hannah for help. (All tasks before must be done first)
 * Investigate Police Arsenal. (Prerequisite: Talk to Hannah Choi; Clues: Broken Accessory)
 * Examine Broken Accessory. (Result: Helmet)
 * Ask Roxie for help to prepare your chase in the Wastes. (Prerequisite: Helmet restored; Reward: Biohazard Helmet)
 * Move on to the next case (in The Wastes)! (1 star)

Trivia

 * All Additional Investigation legs of Paradise City, this case included, are named differently to ensure continuity with the district's plot. Hence, The Big Heist: Part 6.
 * This is one of the only final cases of a district in which the killer does not appear as a suspect previously.
 * As the case's name implies, all suspects, with the exception of Karen Knight, are main characters.
 * Moreso, all characters appeared previously before the events of this case.
 * In addition, a main character turned out to be the killer in the climax, but as opposed to It All Ends Here, the killer escaped custody before being impounded by the bailiff.
 * Due to content canon to the story, Amy started to experience nerve-wrecking moments, causing her to shake while holding her gun, causing her to animate during gameplay.
 * This case is one of the several cases containing LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) suspects.
 * This is one of the cases in which both Amy and Frank interact with each other.