Part 67: Episode 3, Day 3, Investigation: Murder at Studio Two
Part 67: Episode 3, Day 3, Investigation: Murder at Studio Two
We're off to ask Oldbag about what happened five years ago. When her idol fell from grace. This'll go great.
Music: Silence
If you like the place so much, why don't you take over for me?
E-everybody's doing their darnedest to forget Hammer.
Hammer! It's all due to Hammer!
Sound: Realization
Maybe we should keep a safe distance?Music: Investigation - Core
Let's start off with our fresh new evidence!
Sorry...
Fair enough. She has that reaction to all our evidence now.
I also tried showing our new evidence to everyone else I could find, and nobody cared. So I guess we're just here to talk.
Umm... I wanted to ask you about five years ago...Music: Silence
!Sound: Drama Pound
Sound: Whack
I, uh... huh? Nichols!Sound: Whack
N-nickels?
Phoenix it's been like five seconds, keep your name-pun-people straight.
Music: Investigation - Core
O-oh, right. Anyway, we heard about the accident. It was during filming with Jack Hammer...
Wh-whippersnappers!
I suppose you think this is fun!?Sound: Objection
N-no, I'm just doing my job to protect Mr. Powers...Sound: Stab
You expect me to believe that rubbish!?Sound: Whack
Or do you have some kind of proof?
Thanks to Gumshoe, we do have proof!
I'm sorry Ms. Oldbag, but I do have proof.quote:
You can actually trigger this conversation by just showing Penny the album in her talks, bypassing Gumshoe. But then you won't have the proof. If we admit it here...
Sound: Light Bulb
Once we do have proof, we have to go back through the whole conversation again to get back to that prompt (including Phoenix not remembering who Penny is), but otherwise don't miss out on anything.
The only hard part about this choice is whether to use the plate or the bottle. One proves Powers was drugged but not by whom, the other proves Hammer had the pills but not what he did with them. Maybe both will work here?
Mr. Powers ate a t-bone steak for lunch, correct? W-well... yes. So?
There are traces of sleeping pill powder on the plate! Mmmph? Hah!Sound: Whack
I-I bet Powers put it in there himself!Oh, we're just going to have to use both pieces of evidence here, aren't we?
Wouldn't Powers just take the pills directly in that case, rather than drugging his own food?
Whatever, let's just use the bottle now.
This bottle contained sleeping pills.
quote:
You can actually present the bottle and the plate in the opposite order, and it still works:
Sound: Realization
Sound: Whack
Here's where we present the plate...
Sound: Realization
quote:
Presenting anything else, at either prompt, just sends us back to the beginning again.
This route is also how you get back to investigating if you bluff about having proof and have nothing to back it up.
Music: Silence
...!Sound: Stab 2
... ... I see.Sound: Realization
Poor, poor Hammer.
I think calm Oldbag scares me more than angry Oldbag.
Music: Recollection ~ Light and Shadow of the Film Studio
Wow, a new track! It's been awhile. Guess we are close to wrapping up here.
I'm tired, see... Tired of holding it all in. Ms. Oldbag...
What's worse, a paparazzi took a photo of it. That photo, well, it caused quite a stir.
She has ties to the mafia... She silenced that paparazzi. That was the beginning.
I see...! But, you have to understand... Poor old Hammer never meant any harm to anyone! Ms. Oldbag... Hold on a minute.
Poor Ms. Oldbag...
Sound: Realization
...? A photograph?Sound: Light Bulb
Music: Silence
...I guess that fence outside the trailer at Studio Two really is dangerous.
W-wait a second!Sound: Realization
This is the picture. Is... this the trailer in Studio Two?
With a tennis racket, apparently. Those samurai just use whatever's handy I guess.
He pushed the other actor, and the man fell onto the flowerbox fence. B-but how did you get this?
I understand...
Sound: Select Jingle
...This is going to end just like last episode, isn't it? We take our incriminating evidence about the past straight to the killer and get our butts kicked?
Music: Investigation - Core
Ms. Oldbag has a little more to say if you show her the photo.
Poor old Hammer. He was a big star. The biggest.
He wanted to hide it. He didn't want anyone to know.
Then Vasquez wouldn't have gotten her claws into him!
This photo is pretty interesting, let's see what the others have to say about it. I'll start with Gumshoe.
Music: Silence
He's probably thinking about what to do in tomorrow's trial. I bet Edgeworth is pretty angry with him.He had to go do those more detailed tests on the plate back at the station, anyway.
Let's try Penny then.
That stuff about Mr. Hammer must have come as a shock to her.No luck here, either. Maya and Will are still at their respective locations for questioning, but don't have anything to say to us.
We can poke at a couple things for some different dialogue, though.
Looks like someone was sleeping here.
I'm not sure being drugged counts as taking a "nap"...
Mr. Powers's bag.
Soon, soon.That seems to be all I can find. Off to Studio Two!
Before we confront Ms. Vasquez, did you notice that one of the spikes on this fence is bent? That's the one the guy landed on five years ago, I guess? They didn't bother to straighten it out, or replace the fence entirely? Effective foreshadowing, anyway.
Just a quick refresher on what Phoenix says when examining that fence. This line hasn't changed since the first time we could access Studio Two. Actually, it has changed slightly; the typo is gone somehow (yesterday, it said "Don't get to close").
Anyway, our only way to continue is to confront Ms. Vasquez with the photo of the accident five years ago.
...
At first, it looks like she's ignoring us, like she did for all our other evidence. But then...
Where.Sound: Realization
Wh-what?Sound: Light Bulb
I, well... Oldbag. O-Old...?
Phoenix seems a little off-balance this afternoon.
Right... anyway... Ms. Vasquez. You hid this incident from the press, didn't you? And you used it to control Mr. Hammer! ...
The... huh?
... Your conversation interests me.
Nick. She went inside the trailer.
Just in case we somehow forgot what the trailer was, the game pans us over to it. Also showing us the fence with the bent spike again. Are we going to be the fence's next victim here?
I dislike it when the game forces me to do stupid things. I feel like taking the photo to Gumshoe (or just going home and waiting for court tomorrow, even) would be a better idea here. Oh well, let's go into the murder trailer.
Without giving too much away, here's a video of the following scene if you'd rather watch it like that.
Well then, what was that you were talking about?Music: Investigation - Core
Ms. Vasquez. You were using that accident!
That's why he was doing kids' shows for petty change! Hmph...
Well, that's what it was, wasn't it!Sound: Whack
I mean, sure, it was an accident...
Sound: Whack
Wouldn't it make more sense to keep using his fame to sell your movies and just pay him peanuts for it? I don't get the whole exiling him to a kids' show villain angle.
Oh...?
Mr. Hammer's career went sour of its own accord.
B-but!
And to think it was just an accident...!Music: Silence
Sound: Objection
What is this all about?
Oh, new sprite, we're making progress. I'm not sure it's the good kind, though.
What do you mean?
Must I spell everything out for you?
Eh, maybe Hammer pushed the guy, but there's no way he planned for him to flip around and impale himself on the spiked fence.
...! No... No way!
Sound: Realization
Music: Investigation - Core
Now that's a mean look.
Wh-where's your proof! Can you prove it!? Hmph! Just think!
Sound: Realization
And I ran him hard, believe you me!
Sound: Whack
Oh. Well, she was a big fan of Hammer's, you see.
She wrenched it out of his hands, she did. Gave him a few bruises, too. (...) (So that's why she had the photo...) She's an old fool.
But he didn't. The only copy of that photo is the one you hold.Music: Silence
W-what? This is valuable evidence!Sound: Whack
Oh. She's been stalling us until her mafia goons could show up.
Music: Suspense
... U-umm...
Sound: Realization
Phoenix I'm going to put down that dumb question to the shock and agree to ignore it.
Professionals. They're good at erasing... various things.
Wh-what!? The trial ends tomorrow? How unfortunate.
... Tell me why.
This is Mr. Hammer's "dirt"... no? Why should Dee Vasquez care about it at all? ...Music: Silence
I think I prefer Redd White throwing us in jail to this scenario.
So long, friends. Boys, erase away.
Sound: Guilty
Sound: Objection
Oh thank god. Gumshoe to the rescue!
Music: Pressing Pursuit - Cornered
Sound: Drama Pound
I don't care how dopey you are, you're my best friend for life right now.
Dee Vasquez!Sound: Super Shock
Hmph. Not bad. ... Very well.
Frankly, I'm much more comfortable battling in that arena.
I'll be looking forward to it.Music: Silence
I'm just going to watch this guy breathe for a minute while I catch my own breath.
Music: Dick Gumshoe - Detective Gumshoe, Pal
H-hey, you okay, pal?Sound: Whack
Sorry I was a little late with my entrance.
Dude I could kiss you right now, save the apologies.
Detective Gumshoe...
I was really scared...Sound: Realization
I feel like words and portraits are insufficient for the emotions of this scene, even while playing the game rather than reading this LP, but here's another link to the video so you can experience it a little more directly if you prefer.
... ... Detective Gumshoe?
There's my big dope.
...
Okay. I've got one more job to do today.
And he's gone.
Well, Nick.
(And who's at the bottom...?) (Dee Vasquez!)
Music: Jingle - It Can't End Here
We've reached the end of Day 3. Tomorrow - the final day! (Literally, the save file says "Final Day - Trial" instead of Day 4.)