Snake in the Grass

Snake in the Grass is a case featured in Criminal Case as the first case of The Conspiracy (Season 5) and the two-hundred thirty-second case overall. It takes place in the Fairview district of Grimsborough.

Plot
One year prior, something fell from the sky into the Grimsborough forest. In the present, the player reunited with Jones in the Grimsborough Police Department headquarters. He said that there were a few changes to the department and to the city, but hoped the player still liked it. Jones then asked Chief Parker for permission to take the player to the zoo (where former coroner Nathan Pandit was working as a veterinarian) while it was still early in the day. There, they found Nathan tied up and dead, covered in snake bites.

Mid-investigation, the Eastern coral snake that was used to kill Nathan slithered onto Jones before the player grabbed the snake away from him. Later, Ramirez—now a consultant for the department—showed up while Jones and the player were talking at the zoo. The team eventually found enough evidence to arrest Kit Partridge for the murder.

Upon admitting to the murder, Kit said that his son, Zachary, became a suspect in a drug bust when he and Nathan were still coroners ten years prior. He asked Nathan to doctor the evidence to relieve Zachary of suspicion. However, Nathan refused to sacrifice his ethical code, leading to Zachary's arrest. Still holding a grudge against Nathan, Kit saw him working at the zoo in the present day. He then studied Nathan's routine daily before the day of the murder, when he stole an Eastern coral snake from the terrarium and coaxed it to kill Nathan. Judge Powell sentenced Kit to 27 years in prison.

Post-trial, the player met up with Gloria, who was also on her first day in the police force. She asked the player if they could accompany her in finding a birthday gift for her son Carter in the zoo shop. In the shop, the player found a DVD of CCN's "Grimsborough: A Year in Review". From the DVD, Gloria and the player found out that a satellite had crashed into Grimsborough a year ago, but fortunately, nobody was harmed. Jones then elaborated, saying that a commercial satellite suffered a technical difficulty and crashed into the empty forest. He also said that people had mostly forgotten about it.

Meanwhile, Jones and the player arrested zoo owner Jackson Peacock after finding proof of him selling baby pandas with help from zookeeper Vince Moon and zoo consultant Harper Stone. While investigating, they also found out from Nathan's diary that a recent shipment of amlodipine, a high blood pressure medication, had gone missing. After all the events, the department decided to celebrate Kit's and Jackson's arrests while promising to look out for the shipment of amlodipine.

Victim

 * Nathan Pandit (found dead at the zoo)

Murder Weapon

 * Eastern Coral Snake

Killer

 * Kit Partridge

Killer's Profile

 * The killer can handle snakes.
 * The killer reads The Jungle Book.
 * The killer wears Eau de Wild.
 * The killer has brown hair.
 * The killer wears green.

Chapter 1

 * Investigate Zoo. (Clues: Torn Card, Locked Smartwatch, Victim's Body; Victim identified: Nathan Pandit)
 * Examine Torn Card. (Result: Note to Victim; New Suspect: Jackson Peacock)
 * Ask Jackson Peacock to explain his aggressive message to Nathan. (Prerequisite: Note to Victim unraveled; New Crime Scene Unlocked: Terrarium)
 * Investigate Terrarium. (Prerequisite: Jackson interrogated; Clues: Handbag, Locket [Mystery Woman])
 * Examine Handbag. (Result: Travel Flask [Faded Words])
 * Examine Faded Words. (Result: Inscription on Flask; New Suspect: Pippa Goldfinch)
 * Ask Pippa Goldfinch what she's doing in the zoo so early. (Prerequisite: Inscription on Flask unraveled)
 * Examine Mystery Woman. (New Suspect: Harper Stone)
 * Inform Harper Stone of Nathan's murder. (Prerequisite: Harper Stone identified)
 * Examine Locked Smartwatch. (Result: Smartwatch)
 * Analyze Smartwatch. (03:00:00; Attribute: The killer reads The Jungle Book)
 * Autopsy Victim's Body. (18:00:00; Murder Weapon registered: Eastern Coral Snake; Attribute: The killer can handle snakes)
 * Go to Chapter 2. (No stars)

Chapter 2

 * Investigate Zoo Candy Store. (Available after unlocking Chapter 2; Clues: Toy Bin, Comments Book; New Suspect: Vince Moon; Profile updated: Vince can handle snakes)
 * Examine Toy Bin. (Result: Sleeping Snake)
 * Analyze Sleeping Snake. (12:00:00; Attribute: The killer wears Eau de Wild; New Crime Scene Unlocked: Reptile Area)
 * Investigate Reptile Area. (Prerequisite: Sleeping Snake analyzed; Clues: CCTV Camera, Wooden Pieces)
 * Examine CCTV Camera. (Result: CCTV Footage)
 * Analyze CCTV Footage. (12:00:00)
 * Demand answers from Jackson Peacock about his argument with Nathan. (Prerequisite: CCTV Footage analyzed; Profile updated: Jackson reads The Jungle Book and wears Eau de Wild)
 * Examine Wooden Pieces. (Result: Trophy; New Suspect: Kit Partridge)
 * Ask Kit Partridge if he knew Nathan. (Prerequisite: Trophy unraveled; Profile updated: Kit can handle snakes and reads The Jungle Book)
 * Examine Comments Book. (Result: Multicolored Particles)
 * Examine Multicolored Particles. (Result: Chalk)
 * Ask Pippa Goldfinch why she wanted Nathan fired. (Prerequisite: Chalk identified under microscope; Profiles updated: Pippa reads The Jungle Book, Harper can handle snakes)
 * Ask Vince Moon about the snake. (Prerequisite: Zoo Candy Store investigated; Profile updated: Jackson can handle snakes)
 * Go to Chapter 3. (1 star)

Chapter 3

 * Investigate Display Stand. (Available after unlocking Chapter 3; Clues: Victim's Wallet, Cuddly Toy, Broken Badge)
 * Examine Victim's Wallet. (Result: Old Photo)
 * Analyze Old Photo. (09:00:00)
 * Question Kit Partridge about his true relationship with Nathan. (Prerequisite: Old Photo analyzed; Profile updated: Kit wears Eau de Wild)
 * Examine Cuddly Toy. (Result: Message)
 * Confront Harper Stone about rejecting Nathan's gift. (Prerequisite: Message unraveled; Profile updated: Harper reads The Jungle Book)
 * Examine Broken Badge. (Result: Badge)
 * Confront Vince Moon about the "Down With Nathan" badge. (Prerequisite: Badge unraveled; Profiles updated: Vince wears Eau de Wild, Harper wears Eau de Wild)
 * Investigate Zoo Cart. (All tasks before must be done first; Clues: Blue Rope, Birdhouse)
 * Examine Blue Rope. (Result: Strange Flakes)
 * Analyze Strange Flakes. (09:00:00; Attribute: The killer has brown hair)
 * Examine Birdhouse. (Result: Strange Stick)
 * Analyze Strange Stick. (15:00:00; Attribute: The killer wears green)
 * Take care of the killer now!
 * Go to Old Friends, New Beginnings (1/6). (No stars)

Old Friends, New Beginnings (1/6)

 * Meet Gloria Hayes, your new partner. (Available after unlocking Old Friends, New Beginnings)
 * Investigate Zoo Candy Store. (Prerequisite: Gloria interrogated; Clue: DVD [DVD Cover])
 * Examine DVD Cover. (Result: DVD Label)
 * Ask Jones to tell us more about the satellite. (Prerequisite: DVD Label unraveled; Reward: Leather Police Jacket)
 * See what Vince Moon wants. (Available after unlocking Old Friends, New Beginnings)
 * Investigate Terrarium. (Prerequisite: Vince interrogated; Clue: Terrarium Decorations)
 * Examine Terrarium Decorations. (Result: Smartphone)
 * Analyze Smartphone. (06:00:00)
 * Ask Harper Stone what she knows about the illegal baby panda trafficking. (Prerequisite: Smartphone analyzed; Reward: Burger)
 * Investigate Zoo. (Prerequisite: Harper interrogated; Clue: Locked Diary)
 * Examine Locked Diary. (Result: Nathan's Diary)
 * Analyze Nathan's Diary. (06:00:00)
 * Arrest Jackson Peacock. (Prerequisite: Nathan's Diary analyzed; Reward: 20,000 Coins)
 * Move on to a new crime! (1 star)

Trivia

 * The case's title comes from the idiom "snake in the grass," which is used to describe a treacherous person.
 * This is one of the cases where more than one suspect is arrested.
 * This is one of the cases in which Jones and Gloria interact with each other.