Chief Marquez: Jazz Town is a place of hope, where the music never stops playing. People quickly set out to rebuild their home after Hurricane Yves. And we're here to help them return to their peaceful lives!
The Pacific Bay Police Department arrive at Jazz Town, a neighborhood that has been recently struck by a devastating hurricane and is now trying to recover from its shambles. There, Amy, Yann, and the player encounter the body of jazz musician Elmer "Boogie" Buttons during a patrol, chopped into pieces and hung up on the tramway cables.
Tropes:
- Absurdly Sharp Blade: The victim was chopped into pieces with a turkey carver.
- The Alcoholic: Linda, Elmer's wife, became this after Elmer started neglecting her in favor of his career. When she found out Elmer wanted to put her into a rehab center, she killed him.
- Always Someone Better: Elmer was this for his rival Sid Montrose, which makes him a strong suspect during the investigation.
- Amazingly Embarrassing Parents: Louie, Dinah's son, thinks this about his mother since she works as a cabaret dancer.
- Awful Wedded Life: Elmer and his wife Linda were in a lovely marriage until he became a Workaholic who only cared about jazz music, which prompted Linda to become an alcoholic who slowly lost hope about going back to the old good days with his husband. She was finally pushed to her limit after she discovered Elmer wanted to put her in a rehab center.Linda: Elmer broke my heart every day for thirty years, by always choosing music over me! He got what he deserved!I turned into a drunken wreck because of him! And then, instead of keeping his word about retiring, he tried to get me locked up in rehab!
- The Bully: Freddie Alonzo, a fundraiser who likes to bully people to give him money to save Jazz Town. He's even proud of it.Freddie: I don't kill people. I much prefer emotional manipulation, begging, hassling and guilt-tripping. When people can't take it anymore... they reach into their pockets!
- Childhood Friends: Yann and Freddie have known each other since they were kids.
- Continuity Nod: Carly Lewis reappears during the Best Living Jazz Musician Award, with Amy recalling how her husband was killed by a shark.
- Creepy Jazz Music: While the music itself wasn't creepy, Elmer's remains are found near a radio playing his own songs as a form of mockery.
- Dead Guy on Display: You find the victim's body pieces on tramway cables, arranged like musical notes for everyone to see.
- Digging Yourself Deeper: Amy while talking with Elmer's wife.Amy: I understand, Mrs. Buttons. You were a beautiful young couple in that picture, and now your husband's dead and you're old, and...Uh... That didn't sound the way I intended it... I just meant that you looked so healthy compared to now and... Oh dear, I'm making things worse, aren't I?
- Five-Second Foreshadowing: Yann begins to tell you about who Elmer Buttons is seconds before you stumble onto his body.
- Fundraiser Carnival: You meet Freddie Alonzo in this case, a fundraiser who has been trying to collect enough money to help rebuild Jazz Town by selling concert tickets and is also revealed to be the organizer of the Jazz Town Carnival.
- In Memoriam: In-Universe example. Freddie decides to change the concert fundraiser from in honor of the victims of the hurricane to in honor of Elmer after he dies, hoping that would be enough to sell tickets.
- Irony: Elmer was struck with his own saxophone to render him unconscious before being killed, then his body parts were arranged like musical notes that mimicked his most famous song.Linda: Elmer was married to his music more than he was married to me... Turning him into musical notes was a fitting end for him!
- It's Always Mardi Gras in New Orleans: Jazz Town, which is primarily based on New Orleans, is very famous for its annual carnival, and you help Freddie Alonzo organize it during the Additional Investigation.
- Jive Turkey: Amy uses this while communicating with Sid.Amy: You mean Elmer wasn't the cat's whiskers like he thought he was? Not the big six? And his music was all wet?Sid: I have no idea what you're talking about, lady! Is this how young people speak these days?Amy: I don't get why Sid didn't understand my slang. I spent hours reading my book to get it right!
- My Parents Are Dead: As we learn in this case, both of Yann's parents have been dead ever since he was a teenager.
- Questionable Consent: Elmer keep making advances on Dinah against her own wishes, who was forced to accept them by her boss since Elmer was "a legend" in Jazz Town.
- The Rival: Sid Montrose, Elmer's rival who considered his music to be "what Hurricane Yves was to Jazz Town: a force of destruction."Amy: What? You're saying Sid was Elmer's rival? And he could only beat Elmer because he's dead? Oh! ... Then we should talk to Sid about this right away!
- Shout-Out:
- Struggling Single Mother: Dinah Cooper, who is forced to work as a cabaret dancer so she can give a good life to her 14-year old son.
- Til Murder Do Us Part: Elmer was killed by his own wife after she discovered he had planned to put her into a rehab center.
- Title Drop: "After the Storm" is the title of the victim's most famous song, which he composed to give the residents of Jazz Town hope after the destruction brought by Hurricane Yves.
- Tour Guide Gag: Ricky Hillingdon, a tram driver, tries to invoke this by transforming Elmer's crime scene into a touristic attraction, justifying himself with that Jazz Town needs tourists more than ever in the wake of its hurricane.
- Ungrateful Bastard: Freddie accuses Elmer of this, who refused to play during his fundraiser for rebuilding Jazz Town and, by consequence, made the event worthless.Freddie: But he refused, and I didn't sell a single ticket for the fundraiser! Selfish people deserve to die, <Player's Name>! I wouldn't pee on Elmer Buttons if he was on fire!
- Workaholic: Elmer paid more attention to his music career than his wife, to the point he refused to leave Jazz Town during a devastating hurricane if that meant he could keep playing.
