Recap / Criminal Case: Grimsborough - Case 55: Ashes to Ashes

At least she continued with her studies.

After a city-wide manhunt for escaped convict Tess Goodwin, you finally manage to encounter her in the nautical museum, burned at the stake by a bonfire.

Tropes:

• Alas, Poor Villain: Despite being a crazy Serial Killer who committed many atrocities, many people, including Jones and Judge Hall, think Tess didn't deserve to die.
  Luna: She was a serial killer, your honor, I did you a favor! I did the whole town a favor!
  Judge Hall: As guilty as Miss Goodwin was, she was still a human being! You had no right to murder her, you're no better than she was!
• Back for the Dead: Tess Goodwin is brought back after her arrest only to be killed at the start of the case.
• Blackmail: You learn in this case that the Crimson Order had been blackmailing Chief King into staying with them, killing his wife as a warning and threatening Cathy if he didn't obey their rules.
• Burn the Witch!:
  • How Tess is killed. Ironically, her killer turns out to be a witch herself.
  • You also learn about Tess' ancestor, Mary Goodwin, who was burned at the stake in 1649 for witchcraft. However, this was only an excuse, as she was actually killed by the Crimson Order.
    Jones: According to the 400 year old records you restored, Mary Goodwin was arrested for witchcraft, judged and killed within 48 hours!
    Even for the times, it seems more than strange... Like someone was trying to get rid of her! Do you think the Crimson Order really wanted Mary dead?
• Call-Back: Constance Bell, the Scary Librarian from the Historical Center, reappears as a suspect.
• Continuity Nod:
  • Astrid, Margaret Littlewood's dog, appears by Jones side, confirming that he adopted her after the events of Case 31.
  • Naturally, Case 32, Case 35, and Case 38, and Case 41 are mentioned, being related to the events regarding The Rorschach Reaper.
  • You meet Milton Grimmes in this case, the warden of Grimsborough's prison and descendant of Solomon Grimmes.
• Cope by Pretending: Despite Morgan telling you she doesn't care about her sister Tess, it's clear that she is shaken up by her death.
• Dead Man Writing: Twice.
  • During the investigation, you receive a letter from a posthumous Tess asking you to help her.
    "<Player's Name>, you're the only one I can trust. And I know a seeker of truth and justice such as yourself will help me.
    During my time in prison, I delved into the Pilgrims' history and, in particular, that of my ancestor Mary Goodwin.
    In the winter of 1649, Mary Goodwin was tried and burned for witchcraft on the Pilgrim docks...
    ...But really she was killed because of what she had discovered on the Crimson Order! And now, I fear they will kill me too.
    <Player's Name>, what happened on the Pilgrim Docks 400 years ago was a despicable crime... You need to understand what really happened that day.
    Go to Constance Bell, the librarian. She's the only one with access to the city archives, she'll find the records you need to access the past."
  • Then during the Additional Investigation, you encounter a letter left behind by Chief King addressed to his late wife in her nautical museum, which helps you learn his motivations for committing suicide.
    "To my Donna... I know you cannot read this, but putting it down on paper helps me. I knew I couldn't stop Kolinsky from taking you...
    ...But I will do anything to protect Cathy from the Crimson Order!
    I know what I have to do: <Player's Name> is on to me, and if they catch me alive, the Crimson Order will kill Cathy before killing me. It is their way.
    I just wanted to say goodbye to this place, your masterpiece, as you used to name it.
    I'll join you soon my dear, I love you."
• Eviler than Thou: With Tess' death at their hands, it's clear that the Crimson Order definitely doesn't screw around, establishing themselves as the most dangerous villain(s) you'll have to face in Grimsborough.
• Fangirl: Rebecca Moire, a Nightmare Fetishist photographer obsessed with Tess and her killing spree.
• Great Escape: Tess managed to escape from prison by hypnotizing a guard just like how she did during the University. You later learn it was her killer who sent her the necessary pendulum to do it too.
• Hanging Judge: Solomon Grimmes, the pilgrim you learned about in Case 53, became the judge of the pilgrims and was also in charge of executing the supposed witches that inhabited Grimsborough.
• He Knows Too Much: Tess is killed by a member of the Crimson Order due to her findings about the secret society and how they killed her ancestor, Mary Goodwin.
• Heel–Face Door-Slam: Just as Tess was starting to do something for the well-being of Grimsborough, she gets killed.
  Morgan: That her one attempt at redemption was cut short like that... It's unfair. It could have changed some things. Now the only things I have left of my sister are memories and a black cat.
• I Have No Sister!: Morgan, Tess' sister, tells you this about her.
  Morgan: DON'T TALK ABOUT HER! Don't say her name, don't mention her! I have no more sister, she's dead to me!
  Jones: Well, now she's dead to everyone. She was murdered tonight.
  Morgan: ...She's dead? But why, how...
  Nevermind, I don't care! She killed all those girls, she killed Madison! Everyone in town wanted revenge!
  My life has been hell since she was arrested! No one wants to deal with my family, everyone insults me as if I should have stopped her or something!
  Maybe it's better for everyone that she died! Maybe people will calm down, maybe they will leave me alone!
• In Love with Your Carnage: You meet Rebecca Moire, a photographer who was obsessed with Tess due to her Serial Killer traits.
  Jones: Rebecca, we've found fan letters you sent to Tess Goodwin! Could you explain yourself?
  Rebecca: Tess was an inspiration for me! She was so strong, so competent, she killed all those people with so much confidence!
• Ironic Echo: During her trial, Luna says she "did the right thing" by killing Tess, which is the Arc Words Tess' puppets said of their murders during the University arc.
• Kill It with Fire: Tess is killed by being burned at a stake just like her ancestor Mary Goodwin was, though it's the smoke that manages to kill her first before the flames.
• Magical Camera: Rebecca certainly thinks her camera is this, hence why she takes photos of the crime scene to "capture" Tess' soul.
• Mental Time Travel: This time, you go back in time to the pilgrim docks in 1649 with a little help from Constance's storytelling, helping you solve the case thanks to the objects she's been keeping in the library's archives.
• The Reveal: You finally learn the motivations behind Chief King's implication with the Crimson Order and his suicide: he had wanted to leave the Crimson Order for a long time, but the Order was blackmailing him with Cathy's life if he tried to leave them, just like how they killed his wife the first time he attempted to do so. So after he murdered Adam Bentley for still unknown reasons, he had to kill himself or else his granddaughter would die, since his arrest would be a huge loose end for the Order.
• Rhyming Names: Tess' sister, Morgan Goodwin.
• Shout-Out:
  • Luna Hecate's surname comes from the Greek goddess of witchcraft, Hecate.
  • In the Ship Replica scene, there is a portrait of Blackbeard.
  • In the Warden Office scene, there is V's mask, as well as The Raft of the Medusa by Théodore Géricault. The painting is also seen in the Desk scene.
• Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: Ever since she was arrested, Tess' family has been suffering harassment both from the media and the public, which is something that tends to happen with the families of Serial Killers that become famous.
• Trapped in Villainy: We finally learn that Chief King had wanted to leave the Crimson Order years ago, but he was forced to stay with them or else they would kill Cathy just like they killed his wife Donna. It's the reason why he was Driven to Suicide after you tried to arrest him, since the Order would kill Cathy and then him if he was arrested since he would be a loose end to tie.
  Jones: I knew it, I knew King wasn't pure evil: he killed himself to protect Cathy from the Crimson Order!
• Wham Episode: Tess Goodwin, the dangerous Serial Killer you managed to arrest many cases ago, is killed by none other than the Crimson Order itself, solidifying their status as Eviler than Thou and the main antagonists of Grimsborough. You also learn that the Order has a leader, which means that if you stop them, then you'll win.
• Wicked Witch: Luna Hecate, a Solitary Sorceress that lives in the forests of Grimsborough and always speaks in a very calm and peaceful manner. She's also revealed to be Tess' killer and a member of the Crimson Order.
  Jones: First witchcraft, now a black cat? Our killer is a walking cliché! But now we know that they have a black cat. Great job!