Part 27: Episode 2, Day 2, Investigation: Running Around

Part 27: Episode 2, Day 2, Investigation: Running Around



All right, Gatewater Hotel it is.

Gatewater first!



Let's see what the hotel has to offer us now, with Miss May safely out of the way.

Music: Silence





Oy, this guy.

Quite the performance today, if I dare say so myself.

Oh, um, thanks.

Sorry for putting you on the spot like that.

No, no, not at all, sir!



Huh? "Rep"?



That's one way to book rooms, I guess.



Whoa, whoa! Miss May hasn't been charged with murder.

I, too, will become famous!



This guy has totally flipped his script from just a few hours ago.

(Why do I feel like we're both stuck in the same bad dream...)



Music: Investigation - Opening



This guy is creeping me out, let's look around first before we have to talk to him.



The check marks are all cleared, but only about half of the stuff here really has new text.





That's the "Drawer of Terror, Hiding Place of the Murderer's Wiretap."



(This guy's serious! I don't believe it...)

I can't tell if this bellboy is running the hotel, has permission from the owners, or is just going full-hog with this murder-scene-tourism angle completely on his own.



Nice weather again today.





Just $5.00 will earn you three minutes of a "view to a kill"!

...



(By that look in his eyes I'd say he was more than serious...)

So creepy...



A bottle and two glasses rest on the table.



Because the background is static and they couldn't fit any space for a modified background on the tiny cartridge they had back then.



It's part of the decor. I call it: "The last drink... before murder!"

We'll be famous! The talk of the hotel industry!



Since this guy is going to butt in on us anyway, might as well talk to him directly now.

About Miss May...



"She'd do it!" I said!



Look on the bright side, at least we convinced one person that Maya is innocent.





Ah, yes...



I knew it from the moment I saw him, sir.





Phoenix makes for me all the comments I'd want to make.



Yeah, I'm sure that'll just drop into our lap. Can't you like tell me his name or something? Or did they both just check in under Miss May?

(A photo. Hmm...)



Could you tell me about this hotel?



Currently. this hotel is known as the "Gatewater."

I propose that we add a subtitle!

A subtitle!?

Music: Silence



I'm no marketing expert, but I think most places that host a murderer do not advertise that fact afterwards. On the other hand, Ford's Theatre is both a national historic site and still hosts plays and musicals.

Well? What do you think?



I think someone left this guy with too much power over the hotel.

Music: Investigation - Opening



Anything we present right now just gets the same reaction:

I'm sorry...



I wasn't paying much attention to the evidence.

Well that was a bust. Let's take a quick look at the crime scene again.

Music: Silence





Detective Gumshoe's nowhere in sight.

The police really gave this place a working over.

I doubt there are any valuable clues left.

Suppose it can't hurt to take a look around, though.



The game is literally telling us there's no point to being here, at least not yet. Maybe we'll find something that makes coming back here worthwhile later.



The checkmarks are gone, but all of the text is apparently the same. Except for this one...

You couldn't cram more legal books in here, even if you wanted to.

All the cases that the chief worked on are filed here.

Hmm. Are some of the files missing...?

Nah, I'm imagining things.

Turns out Grossberg was the right answer after all, so let's head over there.





Ugh, looks like he's missing until the plot mysteriously requires his presence again.

(Maybe he's avoiding me for some reason?)



We can look around again. Couple of differences here...



Wasn't there an expensive painting here yesterday?



Wasn't there a giant painting hanging on that wall...?

Yeah... yeah, it was a painting of...



There's no one even here to notice or correct us if we're wrong. But I'm pretty sure it was flowers.




Why would this guy sell the painting? He was practically in love with the thing.



He also said:

It's worth at least three million. I have no intention of parting with it, of course. No, I won't sell it! Not even to you!

Very suspicious...



We also have a photo conveniently left out on the desk.



Something's been written in pencil on the backs.



Sounds a lot like evidence. And we happen to have some missing evidence, that the killer stole from inside the statue-clock in Mia's office. Probably not a coincidence, but why would it end up here?



We'll start with "A"...



Random woman we haven't seen yet. Looks somewhat like Mia, maybe her mother?

I'm sure I've seen this person somewhere...

Perhaps I'll borrow this photo.

I'm sure no one will miss just one little photo.

And it might be a valuable clue... I'll take it for now.



Quietly added, ha!



Let's see the other photo!



Could be the killer? The colors and that swirl of hair on the upper-left all line up. We should probably show it to the bellboy.



Apparently we only get to keep one of the photos.



Less quietly this time, I guess.




Hopefully we're not locked out of switching the photos back and forth later. I'm betting that we'll need to use each one at different points in this phase of the investigation. Since we're looking for Miss May's partner, I keep the male photo for now. In fact, let's go see what she says about the photo.



Already, Miss May has a little more to say to us.



Oh, so it's MY fault now?

You don't just have spiky hair, you also have a spiky heart!



Here's my 10-minute pixel art attempt at Cueball Phoenix:



I've seen worse looks.

Music: Happy People



Looks like we can revisit this topic.

About the man who stayed with you in your hotel room...

Can you tell me about him? Where is he?

I'm not telling!



Hmm. Would you have sold out the late Ms. Fey to the cops?

No.

See?

(Damn!)





Okay, we've got this photo now, let's show it off!



Look, I've said several times, I'm not telling you...



Critical hit!

Music: Silence

Where did you...?



This is him, isn't it?



It IS him.



No! No, that's not right.

(Nice try, Miss Cooperative.)



Y-yeah! Proof! Show me proof!

(I'm so close!)



I think I know where we can get some proof...

Music: Investigation - Opening



The bellboy asked for a photo, let's give him one.



...

Music: Logic and Trick



Um... I'm the lawyer.

Oh, I know that!



(No. No I don't.)

Music: Silence



How about I write an affidavit swearing that that's him!



No reason not to, I guess.

Well, sure. Why not?

Yes!

I've always wanted to write an affidavit, sir.



Unless we meet another bellboy in this series, you're always going to be known as just "the bellboy".

Just hurry up and write it.



(Not even Miss May can play dumb to this!)


Music: Investigation - Opening



Before we go, let's turn that affidavit right around at the bellboy. We've hit the second page of evidence, here, too!



No no no, not at all, sir!





(His tea set is rattling!)



We get a little more dialogue showing the photo again, too.

Sorry to press the matter, but are you sure this is him?



Umm... thanks.



Before we shove that affidavit in Miss May's face, let's head back to Grossberg's office to switch photos, now that we're apparently done with this one.

Music: Silence



(Huh? No more photos on the desk...)

Well, that might be a problem. Guess we're off to the detention center again anyway.


Music: Happy People





What's that?



Such as the man you checked in with.



I guess that's why we couldn't change out the photos, we were still going to use it here.

...!



Looks like we have another decision to make. What should we do?