Behind the Lies is the third Forensics level in Trauma Team.
Story[]
Opening[]
Naomi is doing some research when she hears somebody outside. She looks outside the window & sees that it's the little girl from the other day chasing a butterfly. Naomi goes to confront the girl for trespassing, but the girl informs her that Chloe, the cat she helped was better now. When Naomi tries to tell her to leave, the girl asks her what her name is before telling her name, Alyssa, & that she lives next door to the Institute. Naomi then tries to reason with Alyssa that the Institute is a restricted area, but she is soon interrupted by Chief Wayne. Chief Wayne kindly dismisses Alyssa so that he can speak with Naomi in private. After Alyssa leaves, Chief Wayne informs Naomi that a corpse was discovered.
In the exam room, Naomi & Navel are examining the corpse of an elderly woman. As Naomi talks about how the woman's husband called the police saying he killed her, her phone vibrates. She answers it & hears the victim's last words, apologizing to her husband for not being able to save him. After receiving this message, Naomi mentions how the FBI believes that the husband may not be telling the truth.
Investigation[]
We start with examining Alma Parker's body. Right away, we notice a suspiciously-shaped wound in her chest, shaped like a cross. A quiz will come up: "From looking at the stab wound, it's believed that the shape of the weapon is..." Answer: "Cross-shaped". Card obtained: "Chest Wound". On her back is the exit wound. Card obtained: "Back Wound". More can be learned from examining the corpse thoroughly. On her head is a peculiar bruise shaped like a star. Quiz: "There is a star-shaped bruise on the corpse's head. This would seem to indicate..." Answer: "The shape of the weapon". Card obtained: "Star-Shaped Bruise". On the palm of the left hand is a ring-shaped bruise. Card obtained: "Internal Bleeding - Left Palm". On the right palm is the strangest thing yet: a large black bruise shaped like an asterisk. Card obtained: "Black Bruise".
Next, check the effects. The bloodstains on the chest and back line up with the stab wounds, and the cuts to the clothing match the shapes of the wounds. There is also a bloodstain on the sleeve, though there was no wound beneath it. Card obtained: "Bloodstained Sleeve". Examining the left shoulder reveals the final, subtle clue: black hair. Quiz: "The black hair on the clothing seems odd, considering what we know of the scene. That's because..." Answer: "Alma and Joseph have white hair". Card obtained: "Black Hair?"
Now to examine the evidence. Start by lining up the chest wound and back wound cards. Quiz: "Similarly-shaped wounds appear on the corpse's chest and back, but they're different sizes. This means that..." Answer: "The weapon penetrated the body". Quiz 2: "The wounds on the front and back are from a single attack that went through the body. The weapon entered the body through..." Answer: "Her chest". Card obtained: "Murder Weapon Length". Give this card to Little Guy to identify the weapon. Quiz: "From the information at hand, we know the length of the murder weapon's blade is..." Answer: "Over 20 cm". Quiz 2: "The wounds on the corpse tell us that the murder weapon's cross-section is..." Answer: "Cross-shaped". The information from Little Guy reveals that the weapon isn't a normal cutting implement, but was designed for stabbing. Card obtained: "Murder Weapon Shape". Combine it with the card "Murder Weapon?" Quiz: "The knife that the victim's husband, Joseph, claimed to use wasn't the real murder weapon. This proves that..." Answer: "Joseph is lying". Now you already have your first piece of Solid Evidence: "Husband's Lie". Another card is obtained: "Weapon Inconsistency". Also ask Little Guy for an opinion on the suspicious bloodstains. Findings indicate that this blood is the same type as the suspect's, but does not prove his guilt. Card obtained: "Type O Blood". Next, ask Little Guy to analyze the black hair. His findings indicate that it is animal fur, but the victim and suspect didn't have any pets. What's more, it doesn't have any roots, indicating that it was cut. Quiz: "The black hair found on the personal effects had no roots. That means the hair was..." Answer: "Cut". Card obtained: "Animal Fur".
After this, Joseph's testimony will be sent to the recorder. He insists that he killed her, but refuses to explain an injury to his hand. Card obtained: "Joseph's Injury". Compare it with the blood found on the sleeve. Solid Evidence obtained: "Joseph's Bloodstain". Though, it doesn't prove he killed Alma. Leaving the computer will prompt a quiz: "The fact that doesn't fit if Joseph is the killer is that..." Answer: "He hid the real murder weapon". Quiz 2: "It would be difficult for Joseph to stab Alma all the way through her chest because..." Answer: "He can't stand". At this point, we wonder if he's lying to defend the real killer, or worse.
Now we examine the crime scene. The outline where Alma's body was found draws our attention to the fireplace, which has ashes in it. A white shard of something is also found in the fireplace. Card obtained: "Mysterious Ashes". A clump of black fur is also discovered. Card obtained: "Burned Hair". Examining the clock on the table will reveal that it has familiar designs on it. Quiz: "Regarding the clock found on the table... That star shape was also seen on..." Answer: "Bruise on corpse's head". Card obtained: "Clock". Below the table is a shard of glass. Quiz: "The shard of glass found at the scene was a piece of something, but what's odd about it is..." Answer: "There are no other pieces around". Card obtained: "Glass Shard".
Back at the computer, we compare the bruise on Alma's head with the clock. Card obtained: "Clock: Murder Weapon (?)" You'll have to ask Little Guy for help with this. Fuse the burned hair with the fur found on the effects. Card obtained: "Mysterious Fur". Analyzing the glass shard will reveal wine residue. Quiz: "Traces of wine were found on the piece of glass found on the floor. It's likely the glass was..." Answer: "Part of a wine glass". Card obtained: "Broken Wine Glass". Re-analyze the glass shard for further evidence. After this, you get a report that another corpse was found. Card obtained: "Two-Day-Old Corpse". The body is revealed to be that of Abigail Parker, Alma and Joseph's daughter. Naomi listens to her phone and gets a desperate message begging Alma to stay away.
Examine Abigail's body. Right away, we notice a wound on the chest, similar in shape to Alma's. However, it is much smaller, and shallower too, judging by the lack of an exit wound. Card obtained: "Abigail's Wound". Another wound is also on her right palm, shaped like an asterisk. Card obtained: "Wounded Right Palm".
We turn our attention to Abigail's personal effects. There is a large bloodstain on her dress, which lines up with the chest wound. More black hairs are found on her shoulder. Quiz: "The black hair that I noticed on Abigail's clothing was also seen..." Answer: "On Alma's clothes". Card obtained: "Familiar Hair". Her phone is nearby, but refuses to turn on. Card obtained: "Abigail's Phone".
Now we have a whole new collection of evidence to sift through. Ask Little Guy to check the wound on Abigail's chest. Quiz: "Alma and Abigail both have fatal stab wounds in the same shape. This indicates that..." Answer: "The murder weapon is the same". Quiz 2: "There was a difference between Alma's and Abigail's stab wounds, though. That difference was..." Answer: "Depth of wound". Card obtained: "Same Murder Weapon?" Compare the bruise found on Alma's hand to the cut on Abigail's, which is in the same shape. Card obtained: "Wound and Bruise". Analyze Abigail's phone to see what it contains. Next, compare the fur found on Abigail to the previous samples. Quiz: "The fur found in the fireplace was also found on the two victims. This leads to the conclusion that..." Answer: "The killer wore the fur". Card obtained: "Fur Coincidence". Combine the fur with the fact that the same weapon was used. Quiz: "What the two victims' corpses had in common was..." Answer: "Weapon that killed them". Quiz 2: "What the two victims' personal effects had in common was..." Answer: "Black animal hair". Card obtained: "Same Killer".
Now we have testimony of the person who found Abigail's body: Victor Padrini, who owned a restaurant she frequented. Abigail was apparently there three nights ago. Card obtained: "Abigail's Trail". We have a new interview with Joseph, too. Though he was shocked to hear of what happened to Abigail, he confessed to killing her, too. Now we can compare the time of Abigail's death to the last time she was seen alive. Quiz: "Abigail was last seen three days ago, and she had been dead two days before her body was found. That means she..." Answer: "Was seen hours before death". Card obtained: "Abigail's Time of Death". We find the man who was last seen with her: Sean Bowen, whose custom lighter was found at the crime scene. While it is initially believed that he killed her, he claims to have lost her trail that night at the restaurant, saying she received an urgent phone call and left, and denies carrying the lighter anywhere. Now we believe Sean to have been set up by his wife, Caroline Bowen. Quiz: "According to Sean's account, the victim's cellphone may have important information. That is..." Answer: "Record of calls received". Quiz 2: "The person we can ask in order to verify Sean's witness testimony is..." Answer: "The chef, Victor". Quiz 3: "The only other person who could've taken Sean's lighter from his home is..." Answer: "The wife, Caroline". We now listen to Caroline's side of the story. After hearing this, we believe that Caroline was previously aware of Sean's affair with Abigail. Listen to her interview one more time to make sure. Quiz: "The probable reason why Sean's wife Caroline called him a "cheating [expletive]" is she..." Answer: "Saw him with Abigail". Card obtained: "Woman Who Knew Too Much".
Analyze the lighter to see what you find. The only fingerprints on it are Caroline's. Quiz: "The fingerprints on the lighter belonged to Sean's wife, Caroline. In other words, the person that dropped this lighter was..." Answer: "Caroline Bowen". Card obtained: "Only Fingerprints". Compare that to Caroline's account. Quiz: "From what we know, is it possible that Caroline Bowen committed both murders...?" Answer: "We can't say for sure". Card obtained: "Suspect: Caroline Bowen". Ask Little Guy to analyze this. You will lose this card, but Abigail's cell phone will be finally fixed. The call that we believe lured her away came from a pay phone. Card obtained: "Payphone Call".
Interrogate Victor again. His testimony lines up with Sean's, but suggests they separated after the call. A new testimony from Caroline will then come in. While she does admit to planting the lighter, she claims Abigail was killed by a monster. A sketch is made of the alleged creature, but it doesn't match any animals in the area. We deduce that it's a person wearing a mask and a fur costume. Card obtained: "Crazy Monster".
Compare the phone call Abigail received with her time of death. Quiz: "How many days ago was the murder victim Abigail Parker last seen?" Answer: "3". Quiz 2: "Three days ago, Abigail was seen at the restaurant with..." Answer: "Sean Bowen". Quiz 3: "While Abigail was at the restaurant with Sean, she left by herself. This was because..." Answer: "She had a phone call". Quiz 4: "The phone call that Abigail received the night of her death was made from..." Answer: "A pay phone nearby". Card obtained: "Abigail's Last Night". Also, the one who killed her was wearing a mask, which resembles the one burned in her parents' fireplace. Solid Evidence obtained: "Masked Suspect". That raises questions on how the costume was burned at their house. Quiz: "The reason the costume the killer was wearing was destroyed in the Parkers' home was..." Answer: "To destroy the evidence". Quiz 2: "If Joseph is the killer, then he did something that conflicts with the destruction of evidence. That is..." Answer: "He confessed to the murders". Quiz 3: "Of the two victims, Alma and Abigail, which one was killed first?" Answer: "Abigail". We're on the killer's trail now. The killer took out Abigail first, and then Alma. It would also have to be someone the family knew. Quiz 4: "The reason why it appears Abigail knew her killer is because she..." Answer: "Responded to the phone call". Quiz 5: "It's likely that Alma's husband, Joseph, knows who the killer is. The reason for that is..." Answer: "He's lying to protect him".
Right after that, we get an alert from Little Guy. Right as he tries to deliver a message, Alyssa interrupts and tries to talk to Naomi. Naomi asks her to be quiet while she works. Little Guy explains that the clock could easily have fallen and struck Alma, but not killed her. The clock plays a tune, which Alyssa recognizes. She reports that one part sounds distorted, indicating that something is wrong with it. Naomi prompts Little Guy to look inside, which reveals a sharp, bloody, cross-shaped stake inside. The real murder weapon was hidden inside the clock all this time. Card obtained: "Sharp Stake". Analyze it and wait for results. It is revealed that the stake isn't a commercially available implement. It's a piece of steel sharpened by someone wanting to stab. Cards obtained: "Weapon - Blade" and "Weapon - Hilt". The blade is inconsistent with a knife wound. Card obtained: "Definite Weapon". The grip matches the bruise seen on Alma's hand. Quiz: "The bruise on Alma's left palm matches the shape of the murder weapon's hilt. This means that..." Answer: "Alma used the murder weapon". Card obtained: "Alma's Weapon?" Compare the weapon cards you have now. We now believe that it was Alma who killed Abigail. Quiz: "If Alma is the killer, why did Abigail's last words tell her mother to run...?" Answer: "She didn't know it was Alma". Card obtained: "Is Alma A Suspect?" Another alert from Little Guy interrupts Naomi's musings, reporting that benzodiazepine was found in the wine on the shattered glass. None of this substance was detected in Alma's body, indicating that she was killed without being drugged. Solid Evidence obtained: "Benzodiazepine in Wine". Now we have reason to believe Alma killed Abigail and drugged the wine. Quiz: "If Alma is behind the violence in these murders, then the benzodiazepine was given to..." Answer: "Joseph". Alma killed Abigail and intended to kill Joseph as well. Quiz 2: "The evidence that Alma and Joseph struggled is..." Answer: "The blood on Alma's sleeve". All we need now is our motive. To get that, we must revisit the crime scene.
Once you arrive, Joseph will instruct you to look behind the stones in the chimney for Alma's diary. Before we read it, we find out that Alma had a tumor in her prefrontal lobe. This might have caused hallucinations that resulted in her acting out. While reading the diary, we discover that Alma was experiencing headaches and had a bruise that grew in size. Quiz: "In Alma's diary, 'that bruise' probably refers to..." Answer: "Black bruise on right palm". We continue reading and discover that Alma was claiming to hear "the voice of God", adding that the bruise was some sort of holy sigil. Quiz 2: "When Alma claimed to hear 'the voice of God', she was really..." Answer: "Having auditory hallucinations". Carrying on, we learn that Alma believed her family to be straying from God's will and her pain was a warning of that. In order to save them, she became what she called the "Beast of the Lord" in order to save them. To this end, she planned to kill them and engrave them with the same "sigil" as had appeared on her hand. She planned to kill Abigail first. Now we know precisely who was wearing the fur costume. Adding on, Alma believed that she failed to save Abigail and the sigil had to be made before death. She planned to be more careful with Joseph, promising to make it painless. The diary ends there, but we have all the details we need now. Quiz 3: "The 'sigil' that Alma put on Abigail's body was..." Answer: "Wound on right palm". Quiz 4: "When Alma mentioned 'making it not hurt' in her journal, she was referring to..." Answer: "Sleeping pills". Solid Evidence obtained: "Two Sigils", "Details of Abigail's Murder", and "Alma's Symptoms". Alma definitely killed Abigail, but parts of the crime scene could not have been put there by Alma herself. Ask Little Guy for the final piece of evidence: the same killer? Quiz: "From what we know about the case, the death Alma could not be behind was..." Answer: "Alma's". Quiz 2: "One action that was taken to hide evidence after Alma's death was..." Answer: "Burning the mask and fur". Quiz 3: "The other action that was taken to hide the facts after Alma died was..." Answer: "Hiding the murder weapon". Solid Evidence obtained: "Other Killer".
The case has been solved. Alma had a tumor in her prefrontal lobe, causing hallucinations. This led her to believe that she was hearing the voice of God. An unknown pathological change caused the black bruise on her hand, which she believed to be a sigil. She was sure that killing her family and engraving the sigil onto them was the only way to save their souls. She went for Abigail first. While her daughter was dining at the restaurant, Alma lured her into an abandoned warehouse and wore a costume to ambush and stab her. She engraved the sigil in her hand, but believed she failed to save her because it had to be applied before death. Alma decided to put Joseph to sleep with drugged wine and carve the sign onto him, but he woke from the pain and, due to the costume, he failed to recognize the attacker as his own wife. They struggled and fell to the floor, the weapon accidentally impaling Alma. Joseph immediately decided to destroy the evidence to protect his wife.
Ending[]
After Naomi solves the case, a phone alarm goes off. Chief Wayne comes in, informing Naomi that she has a call from Mr. Parker, who wishes for Naomi to come over to his place, which Naomi had actually been thinking about doing. Chief Wayne asks Naomi if she'll be alright, & Naomi asks him for his opinion on what love is. With the Chief puzzled, Naomi explains about a true love in which one thought about the other to the very end, which may have been the integral part of the case.
At the Parker residence, Naomi looks at some pictures of the Parkers happy together as Mr. Parker gives her some coffee, though Joseph confesses that it may not be any good, as Alma always made coffee. Joseph then reminisces about Alma & her unconditional love towards him. Naomi tells Joseph that it's her duty to uncover the truth & that even if he'll be misunderstood & branded a killer, he wanted to hide the fact that Alma tried to kill him. Joseph then laments that he'd be better off if Alma did kill him, saying she wouldn't do it without a reason. In desperation, Joseph pleads for Naomi to find out what happened to Alma, or else she'll be known as a lunatic. The moment Naomi promises that she will, we start hearing the sound of police sirens, indicating that Joseph was possibly arrested soon after for manslaughter. Naomi then comments on how everyone dies in the end, & that makes her a little jealous.
Back at the Institute, Naomi is visited by Navel, who came to give a report on Alma Parker's autopsy. Navel explains that the tumor in Alma's prefrontal lobe was defined as "strange," as it was surrounded by blackened tissue. This surprises Naomi, who reminisces about how Veronica's bones were black as well.
Notes[]
- This episode occurs at the same time as Uninvited Guest (Surgery).