Recap / Criminal Case: Mysteries of the Past - Case 48: Unsafe Haven

Isaac: From the moment we arrived in Grim Chapel, we've had our suspicions about Gryphon Sanctuary. Not only do they have dubious practices to "treat" their patients... But now we have proof that a member of their staff is accepting money to forcefully commit individuals of sound mind!

Holding irrefutable evidence that someone inside the Gryphon Sanctuary staff has been accepting bribes to commit healthy individuals into the asylum, Isaac and the player rush to the mental hospital to conduct an investigation and shut down this illicit operation once and for all. However, things get a little bit tricky when both officers find the body of Patricia Rochester inside the asylum's basement, dead after getting shot in the head.

Tropes:

• Admiring the Abomination: Dick does this regarding the killer during the autopsy report, something that Isaac finds less appealing.
  Dick: <Player's Name>, it is a curious thing, the mind of a killer!
  Isaac: I usually find it more distasteful than curious, but do go on.
• Back for the Finale: Sylvia May, Horatio Rochester, and Gregory Stravinsky all return as suspects in this case, which is the last one set in Grim Chapel. Commissioner Thaddeus Mulroney also reappears during the Additional Investigation.
• Blame Game:
  • When you inform Gregory that yet another person has died at Gryphon Sanctuary while on his watch, he immediately blames you for Patricia's murder by saying that your arrival was what triggered her death.
  • Later, you discover that Viola blamed Patricia for Horatio not accepting her as his daughter, since apparently Patricia prohibited Horatio from doing so. Though judging by how much power Patricia had over Horatio, it's clear that this is a lie on his part.
• Boom, Headshot!: How Patricia was killed.
• Call-Back: This case features the return of many people that didn't appear in Grim Chapel before, namely Dr. Ezekiel Jones, Katherine Woolf, Lady Highmore, and Mayor Cornelius Castletown.
• The Climax: For Grim Chapel.
• Demoted to Extra: At the end of the case, Justin Lawson is officially appointed by Mayor Castletown as the new Deputy Mayor, meaning that you won't be working with him as closely anymore.
• Evil All Along: Nurse Sylvia May is revealed to be yet another cog in the Rochester's corruption machine, being the Gryphon Sanctuary employee helping them commit sane individuals into the asylum to dispose of them.
• Fiery Cover-Up: Before her imminent arrest, Sylvia decided to burn every document incriminating the Rochesters and their schemes in Grim Chapel and Gryphon Sanctuary, although Evie manages to salvage some information from them.
• Firing Day: Gregory gets fired by Judge Lawson at the end of the case as a punishment for failing to see a member of his staff had been admitting sane individuals into the asylum.
• Fuzz Therapy: When Dr. Jones gets hired as the new Gryphon Sanctuary director, he claims that his psychology studies made him conclude that this sort of therapy is far more beneficial than the electroshock and lobotomies performed at the asylum, and that he's planning to replace them with bunnies and dogs.
• Good All Along: While "good" is a dubious word for him, Gregory genuinely had no idea that Sylvia had been accepting bribes to force sane individuals into Gryphon Sanctuary, and said incompetence gets him fired at the end.
• He Knows Too Much: Sylvia murdered Patricia because she was starting to remember that Sylvia and William AKA The Devil were working together for the Rochesters.
• Lack of Empathy: Horatio shows absolutely no sympathy or grief for his wife's death, claiming that she was already dead when she entered Gryphon Sanctuary and that the killer only disposed of an empty shell.
• Last Episode, New Character: Clarence Watts, Patricia's brother, is introduced in this case as a suspect.
• Never My Fault:
  • During her arrest, Sylvia blames you for Patricia's death, as interrogating her about The Devil jogged her memory and made her remember Sylvia and William were working together for the Rochesters this whole time, forcing her to kill Patricia.
  • Later, Gregory claims it's not his fault Sylvia committed sane patients to Gryphon Sanctuary without him knowing, as he compares it to the criminals you arrest and claim to be innocent when in fact they're guilty.
• New Job Episode: Dr. Ezekiel Jones becomes the new director for Gryphon Sanctuary during the Additional Investigation, being recruited by Justin Lawson for the job due to his astounding curriculum.
• One of Our Own: Viola becomes a suspect in this case after you find out she had been in contact with Patricia for the past few days, as Viola wanted to interrogate her about Horatio and whether he was a good man or not.
• Outlaw Couple: During her arrest, Sylvia reveals that William Oland AKA The Devil is not only her husband, but also her partner in crime and they're the ones aiding the Rochesters in Grim Chapel by taking care of their enemies together.
• Parting-Words Regret: After you find an article in Patricia's hideout detailing how her brother broke his arm and couldn't participate in a violin contest, Clarence recalls it was Patricia the one who accidentally hurt him, which led to a rift between them that Clarence laments never managed to be solved before her death.
• Properly Paranoid: When you interrogate Sylvia about her conflict with Patricia, she tells you that Patricia was paranoid about a conspiracy going on against her, and even drugged Sylvia's porridge to escape Gryphon Sanctuary. Of course, this paranoia is proven to be entirely justified when you find Patricia had been Wrongfully Committed by her husband with the help of Sylvia herself.
• Regained Memories Sequence: Is implied that Patricia had one of these off-screen before her death, as she remembered Sylvia was in cahoots with The Devil due to you interrogating her about him, which prompted Sylvia to kill Patricia.
• Shout-Out:
  • Clarence Watts is a parody of Count Olaf.
  • Antonio Vivaldi is mentioned.
• There Are No Coincidences: When you find Patricia's body, Isaac says it can hardly be a coincidence that she was killed shortly after telling you who The Devil was, which ends up being true when you discover Sylvia murdered her for this reason.
• Tragic Keepsake: Patricia kept a photo of her brother in her secret hideout as a memory of him.
  Isaac: What a bittersweet display of sisterly affection, <Name>! Despite her grave illness, Patricia clearly still remembered her brother, if she kept this photograph!
• Treehouse of Fun: Though not exactly "fun", Patricia had a secret hideout in the form of a treehouse at the forest behind Gryphon Sanctuary, which serves as a crime scene.
• What the Hell, Hero?: Viola berates you for reading her diary during the investigation despite the fact she's a suspect in the murder investigation and you have every right to do so.
• Wounded Gazelle Gambit: When you interrogate Sylvia for the first time, she seems distraught and scared about the fact that another person has died at Gryphon Sanctuary, which is just a facade as she's the one who murdered Patricia.
• Wrongfully Committed: As this case reveals, not only Patricia was admitted to Gryphon Sanctuary for not being a submissive wife towards Horatio, but the burned documents you find also show that the Rochesters have been disposing of their enemies the same way: by paying Sylvia so they get "diagnosed" with mental illnesses that require them to be put into the asylum. These include a banker who criticized the stronghold the Rochesters had over Wolf Street, a journalist who published an article about them, and a senator candidate who was competing against another Rochester for the job.