Part 23: Episode 23: Love of the Beast

Brand new, not to mention it came out before the second DS game. There is less GUILT. Not none, but less. Anyway,





This update covers:

Naomi Kimishima 4 - Behind the Lies (part 3 of 3)



Naomi: My main concern right now is the costume worn by whoever killed the two women. How did it end up in the fireplace in the Parker residence, where Alma was murdered? The most logical reason that can be considered at this moment is that it was put in the fireplace to destroy the evidence. If that's the case, then Joseph was acting odd, in that he confessed to the murders. If he was willing to do that, why would he hide evidence? Let's assume for a moment that someone else is the real killer. Can we follow this hypothetical person's steps? This person would have killed both Alma and Abigail. The person killed first would have been Abigail. In other words, the killer wore a costume to kill Abigail, then killed Alma the next day, after which the costume was discarded in the fireplace. However, we haven't found the murder weapon yet. There were no traces of it in the fireplace. The killer would also have some connection to the victim's as well. We can assume Abigail knew her killer, since she responded to the phone call. She wouldn't have rushed out for someone she didn't know. Similarly, there's a good chance that Joseph knows the killer as well, since he's lying to protect him. So, is the killer someone that the entire family would be acquainted with?

In conclusion, we still have to sort out who actually did all this crap, and the events of Alma's killing. Luckily, the Little Guy calls at this point with some new information to report.

LG: Ah, Dr. Kimishima, sorry to keep you waiting. We've taken a look at the clock recovered from the Parker house, and-- Whoa!



Naomi: Alyssa? What are you doing here?

Alyssa: Wow, I can hear you! Um, this guy let me in.

LG: Um, this girl said that she really had to talk to you.

Naomi: Ugh... All right. Alyssa, can you hear me?

Alyssa: Yup, I can hear you!

Naomi: I need to do some work with the man you're with. Be a good girl and be quiet for a little bit.

Alyssa: Okay!

LG: So, uh, about that clock. As you mentioned, the decoration on the clock matches the wound on the corpse's head. It probably fell off the desk and struck the victim's head. This may have happened while she was struggling with her assailant.

Naomi: Is it possible for that wound to have been the cause of death?

LG: No, that's impossible. The impact wouldn't have been enough to kill someone. The exterior of the clock doesn't seem to be that damaged, either.

*music begins playing*

Naomi: What's that sound?

LG: Ah, sorry. Looks like this clock is the kind that plays a little tune.

Alyssa: Hey, Naomi?

Naomi: Alyssa, you said you would be quiet.

Alyssa: I'm sorry, but that clock is broken! I know how this song goes, but this one part sounds all weird!

Naomi: Little Guy, has anybody looked inside the clock?

LG: One second! What the--!? There's something inside!



Well, good to know the FBI is very nearly as competent as a child. Let's have this looked at.



LG: It's thinner at the tip, and it's shaped more like a stake that a knife. This isn't a commercially available weapon. This is just a piece of steel with sharpened edges.

Naomi: So, the killer made it?

LG: It seems that way. It's a poor cutting implement, but it could certainly be used for stabbing.

Naomi: This could be the weapon, then.

We now get separate cards for the blade and the hilt of this weapon. The logical first step is to compare the weapon's blade to the wounds.

Naomi: Both victims died from being stabbed in the chest by a weapon of the same shape. Their wounds match the shape of this weapon found in the clock. The two of them were killed with this handmade stake.

If you remember way back to the beginning, the shape of the hilt is the same as the internal bleeding in alma's hand.

Naomi: The shape on the end of the hilt appears to match the bruise on Alma's hand. The bruise could be from Alma pushing her hand on the hilt of the weapon. If that's the case, then the person who used this weapon would have to be Alma. What does that mean?

Uh oh... let's combine these two new pieces of information.

Naomi: Abigail was killed by a stab wound in her chest. The shape of her stab wound perfectly matches the shape of the weapon found in the clock. The bruise on Alma's palm indicates that she was using the weapon. If Abigail was murdered by Alma... It would make sense for Abigail to respond to a phone call from her mother. There's also Abigail's final words to consider.

(Abigail: Ahh! Mom! Stay away! Run!)

Naomi: Why would she say that? I think that she didn't know it was Alma. The killer was wearing a mask and covered in fur at the time. Even as Abigail lay dying, she had no idea that her killer was her own mother. That's why she called out. To warn her mother away. From the phone call, she would have assumed that Alma was somewhere nearby. ...But, if Alma is the murderer, then how did she end up killed by the weapon she had been using?

LG: Ah, Dr. Kimishima, the results of our analysis have come in.

Naomi: Good. Which one is this?

LG: The wine glass. Something else was detected in the residue. We detected traces of benzodiazepine in the wine.

Naomi: Isn't that used in sleeping pills and anti-anxiety medication?

LG: That's right. It seems to have been mixed in with the wine.

Naomi: Was there any benzodiazepine found in Alma's body?

LG: No, why?

Naomi: I just wanted to make sure she wasn't the one taking it.

This is another evidence card. We seem to have stumbled onto some rather disturbing facts all of a sudden. (This is why I said I liked the mysteries.)



Naomi: ...then Alma put the sleeping medication into the wine. The one who drank it was Joseph.

LG: Are you saying...

Naomi: Yes. Alma tried to kill Joseph as well.

LG: But... Dr. Kimishima, isn't that just...?

Naomi: The weapon left a bruise in her palm. That is proof that she used it.

LG: But she was killed by that same weapon.

Naomi: That's true. Let's stay calm and think this through. We have evidence that there was a struggle between Joseph and Alma, don't we? That is, the blood on Alma's sleeve. Those are quite likely from when Joseph was inured and grabbed Alma's wrist during the struggle.

LG: Then, did Joseph kill Alma during that fight?

Naomi: I'm just saying that this is one conjecture we could make.

LG: But there's no motive.

Naomi: ...Little Guy, where is Mr. Parker right now?

LG: He's still being detained.

Naomi: Good. Tell him we found the weapon Mrs. Parker was using inside the clock. I'm going back to the murder scene. I want to find Alma's motive.

Now's the time to return to the crime scene. There's just one more piece of investigation to do to crack this case.



LG: It seems Joseph Parker has a message for you. I'll send the recording over to you right now.



Joseph: I don't know who you are, but I'm impressed by your skills. Go to my house and check above the fireplace. My wife's diary should be behind the stones. You must already know that I can't stand. So that's the only thing I couldn't get rid of. If you read it, you might find out what m wife was truly feeling. Please, make use of that information.

So, we have to check above the fireplace, then.



Naomi: Here it is. I should go back to the office and go through it.



Naomi: I do if it's about the case.

LG: Of course it is. Alma Parker's autopsy is about to begin. Regarding the results from the auto-imaging scan... a tumor has been found in Alma Parker's prefrontal lobe. It's about five centimeters in diameter, and seems to have been causing CVD.

Naomi: Cerebral Vascular Disorder? If that's so, then...

LG: Yes, well... even if she hadn't been killed, she didn't have much time left.

Naomi: That's not the point. Tumors in the prefrontal lobe cause visual and auditory hallucinations. There's a chance this may explain her strange behavior. ...I found Alma's diary above the fireplace. Reading this may tell us more.



(Alma: My headaches continue today. That bruise seems to have gotten bigger, too. Should I see a doctor?)

Naomi: She must be referring to the bruise on her right palm. She was still alive when she got it.

(Alma: A Miracle happened today. I can barely believe it. I heard God's voice, beautiful and pure! The bruise on my hand is a sigil, passed on to me by God himself.)

Naomi: I'm no theologian, but I doubt this was a "revalation from God." What happened to her was caused by having auditory hallucinations.

(Alma: Today, I heard a shocking premonition. We were walking the path against God's divine Will. My pain was inflicted on me as a punishment and a warning to me and my family. I cannot let this be. I must save my family...)

Naomi: ......

(Alma: The preparations have been made. I will become the Beast of the Lord, and lead my loving family. I will sever them from this world, and engrave the sigil upon their bodies, too. Abby, my little girl... I willingly become the beast so I can save you.)

Naomi: That explains the fur.

(Alma: I learned a terrible truth today. My little Abby never reached His side! It's my fault. I severed her connection before engraving the sigil. My daughter... please forgive your mother for being so foolish! Joseph will be saved. I will engrave the sigil and save his soul. I'll make sure it won't hurt. Joseph, let us be reunited in His world.)

Naomi: The diary ends here. Alma died after writing this. The "sigil" that she says she engraved onto her daughter is the wound on her right palm. She thought the black bruise on her hand was a holy sign. That's why she thought she was saving her daughter's soul using the same pattern. She planned to do the same to her husband. When she said she'd "make sure it won't hurt," she meant the sleeping pills. This answers a number of questions we had regarding this case.

A bunch of evidence cards turn gold here. We have "Two sigils," the "Details of Abigail's Murder," and "Alma's Symptoms."

Naomi: Until this point, I thought Alma and Abigail had been killed by the same person, but now it's clear who killed Abigail. And yet, there are several things found at the crime scene that could not have been Alma's doing. I have to review the information one more time.

We still have a card called "Same Killer." We need to resolve this one last inconsistency by showing it to Little Guy.

Naomi: Alma wore the mask and fur when she killed Abigail, but she couldn't have done everything herself. For example, she could not be behind her own death. And there were obvious attempts to hide evidence after Alma's death: the burnt mask and fur and the hidden murder weapon.

LG: Only one person was able to do this.

Naomi: Yes, now we can finally see everything that happened in this case.

The card "Same Killer" becomes "Other Killer."



Note that this ending video is longer than normal: about 10 minutes. This time around, I ran it through a deinterlacing filter and stretched it to be what passes for widescreen on the Wii. The deinterlacing will not likely be noticable either way, but any feedback on the overall changes is welcome.

Behind the Lies: Ending


Next time: Maria Torres plays catch-up by doing another stage.