Simone Lemaitre was a suspect in the murder investigation of journalist Sébastien Lefebvre in Murder à la Mode (Case #2 of City of Romance) and the killer of fashion designer Charles Pilsnerfeld in Death by Design (Case #5 of City of Romance).
Profile
Simone is the 55-year-old CEO of Chior. She has blue eyes and short white hair. She wears a cardinal red office jacket, a matching dress with crimson lace trim, white-rimmed glasses and a pearl necklace. She also sports red lipstick and matching nail polish.
In her first appearance, it is known that Simone smokes Laval cigarettes, is left-handed and drinks Libertine cocktails.
In her second appearance, Simone wears a Chior brooch on her left lapel. It is discovered that she eats escargots, listens to Voyou Fou and lives on the left bank.
| Height | 5'7" |
|---|---|
| Age | 55 |
| Weight | 132 lbs |
| Eyes | blue |
| Blood | AB- |
Events of Criminal Case
Murder à la Mode
Simone became a suspect after Carrie and the player discovered (per Émile) that she had been negotiating with Sébastien for him to write a glowing article about Chior's new line, in exchange for a front-row seat at the upcoming fashion show. She asked the team if they believed that she had something to do with the murder, saying that despite being a powerful presence in the fashion world, one less journalist meant less coverage on Chior, which was disappointing to her.
Simone was spoken to again about the crazy suit jacket she had sent to Sébastien as a threat. After initially denying the accusation, she admitted that she had made the threat after Sébastien had written an article about her, describing her as "a woman of a certain age", implying that she was past her prime. Furious with Sébastien's antiquated thinking, she sewed the abomination in response to his horrendous misrepresentation of her.
Simone was found to be innocent after the team incarcerated Juliette Segal for Sébastien's murder.
Death by Design
After the Chior fashion show, Carrie, Hugo and the player gathered outside the after-party. There, Simone alerted the team to Charles' murder.
Simone became a suspect again after the team found Charles' body. Appearing shaken due to discovering the body, Simone told Hugo and the player that Charles was beloved by all. She then excused herself to go compose herself.
Simone was spoken to again about her revised Chior logo stamp which contained her initials. She claimed that the rebranding of Chior was years overdue as Charles had lost steam in his designs. After collaborating with Charles, Simone eventually became the sole designer for Chior. For the past few years, Charles' only contribution had been writing his signature on Simone's designs, so she decided to take ownership of what was rightfully hers by preparing to launch a revision of the Chior brand.
In the end, it was proven that Simone was Charles' killer. She admitted that after collaborating with her on the company for so long, Charles promised to give her total control over Chior in the event of his death. However, when Charles saw Simone change the logo to include her initials, he changed his mind, saying he would revise his will to leave the company to his cat, Chouquette. She then drowned him before he could do so. During the trial, Judge Lebrun informed her that the will had already been revised before Charles had died before sentencing Simone to 35 years in prison.
Later, Hugo and the player interrogated Simone about Chouquette's whereabouts as she had gone missing during the investigation. She claimed not to know where Chouquette was and proved it by saying that she had been unaware that Chouquette had already been made Charles' successor; had she known that, she would not have killed Charles. She told the team that she had last seen Chouquette at the fashion show, prompting Hugo and the player to re-investigate the show.
Trivia
- Simone is one of the characters to appear as a suspect twice.
- Simone is one of the killers who are interrogated once more during the Additional Investigation.
- Her fashion house, Chior, is also a portmanteau of Chanel and Dior.
- Simone appears to be heavily based on Miranda Priestly, a fashion editor portrayed by Meryl Streep on the 2006 American film The Devil Wears Prada.
Case appearances
- Murder à la Mode (Case #2 of City of Romance)
- Death by Design (Case #5 of City of Romance)
Gallery
