Poor book.
Famous historical writer Rosie Gatewood asks you to meet with her in the Pilgrim Museum, telling you her life could be in danger due to discovering a dark secret about the past of Grimsborough. However, before she can give you more details, a poisoned dart is shot at her, killing Rosie on the spot.
Tropes:
- Almost Dead Guy: Rosie manages to say "White Acres" just before she dies, providing you with a valuable yet cryptic clue as her parting words. Later, you learn she was referring to a painting linked to the Crimson Order.
- Attention Deficit... Ooh, Shiny!: Baxter Trask tricks Ramirez into letting him access a crime scene by showing him a shiny collectible card.
- Big "NO!": Harriet's last words just before she's stabbed to death by Geert De Haan.
- Big, Screwed-Up Family: In this case, it's revealed that the Kinglseys (basically Chief King's ancestors) have been in the law forces ever since the town was established, covering the Crimson Order's tracks for generations up to present times.
- Call-Back: Ashton Cooper reappears as a suspect.
- Cliffhanger: The case ends with Ramirez informing you that Tess Goodwin has escaped from prison.
- Collectible Card Game: You meet Baxter Trask, a card game maker who has created collectible cards which depicts previous murderers.
- Continuity Nod:
- Jones recalls how you've explored the past via Mental Time Travel in the previous two cases.
- You find a set of the Killer Cards game containing the profiles of Tony Marconi, Alden Greene, Tess Goodwin, and Samuel King.
- When Ramirez informs you that Tess Goodwin has escaped from prison, Jones tells him to get his frying pan ready.
- I Did What I Had to Do: In the flashback about how Geert De Haan became the pilgrim village's leader, he says this after stabbing Harriet to death, since he was the pilgrim's reverend and couldn't let his people know he had a baby with a prostitute.
- Fan Boy / Fangirl: You meet Kirk De Haan and Chantelle Limousin in this case, fans (though not members) of the Crimson Order who believe they've been doing good for the city and its history.
- Genre Savvy: When you talk to her for the last time, Jenny tells you she'll stop researching the Crimson Order, understanding how dangerous it is to get inside their radar.
- Ghostwriter: As you learn in this case, Rosie's books were actually being written by a ghostwriter named Jenny Quaid, who resented Rosie for having "the looks" necessary to become famous, though she's glad that Rosie left all her fortune to her in the end.
- He Knows Too Much: Rosie was killed by Ashton Cooper, a member of the Crimson Order, after she discovered an important link between the Order and the history of Grimsborough, specifically how the "miracle baby" idea from Geert De Haan that made him the village leader was planned by the Order itself.
- Killed Mid-Sentence: Rosie is killed just as she begins to tell you what she had discovered about Grimsborough's past.
- Mental Time Travel: Once again, one of the crime scenes has you "traveling" back in time, with Jones dressing as a pilgrim and making you look at the painting of an old pilgrim village whose objects have been left at the Pilgrim Museum.
- Oh, Crap!: Jones' reaction to hearing that Tess Goodwin has escaped from prison.
- Poisoned Weapons: Rosie is killed with a poisoned dart.
- Preacher Man: You learn about Geert De Haan, a reverend pilgrim who became the leader of the pilgrim village back in 1645. His backstory ends up playing a very important role during this case.
- Scary Black Man: Rare Female Example with Chantelle Limousin, a pilgrim groupie who had threatened Rosie multiple times against continuing writing her books, which according to her soiled the history of Grimsborough and its founders.
- Secret Underground Passage: Rosie had discovered one beneath the museum that belonged to the pilgrim Geert De Haan, where he murdered Harriet after she gave birth to his son.
- Shout-Out:
- In the Exhibition Room scene, Grumpy Cat is present.
- In the Showcase scene, the Eye of Providence can be seen as well as a portrait of René Descartes.
- In the Secret Cave scene, Hannibal Leceter's mask is seen.
- Son of a Whore: The "miracle baby" Geert De Haan found in the woods was actually the child he conceived with Harriet Gatewood, the town prostitute and an ancestor of Rosie.
- Til Murder Do Us Part: Downplayed since they actually weren't married, but Geert killed Harriet Gatewood, the town prostitute whom he was in love with, after she gave birth to his son.
- Wonder Child: As you learn in this case, this is how Geert De Haan tricked the people of the pilgrim village into making him his leader. To elaborate: he got Harriet Gatewood, the town's prostitute, pregnant with his child, so he made her hide in a cave until she gave birth. After she did, Geert stabbed her to death and then, by the Crimson Order's request, told the village God had sent him this baby as a signal that he should be the one leading the pilgrims, essentially transforming him into a puppet leader.
- You Have No Chance to Survive: After his trial is over, Ashton tells you the Order has sent a message to you: "Your days are numbered."
