The Omacase

You're not greeted by an "Irrashaimase!" as you walk in to Sushi Liu - the fanciest sushi spot in Chinatown - and you know why: the chef is famously the only member of staff in the whole place. It's just the six diners, and him, and he seems to be in the back. You're a little late for the single lunch sitting they run per week, and the other five guests are seated already. They watch you, as people do, as you walk to your seat at the end of the bar. The chef isn't present yet. [[Sit down and look around->Seat]]

Annoyingly, you're served last; he's serving clockwise. You've not had Opah before: it's a beautiful red meat from a strange red fish. In English, it's called both moonfish and sunfish depending on who you ask, and no, it's not *that* sunfish. White people suck at naming things. But this Chinese dude is damn good at making sushi. You finish your bite, and [[take a look around at the other diners->First course look]].

As you take your first sip of water, Chef Yi walks out the back. "Ah, I see we're all here. Welcome to Sushi Liu. I like to be straightforward: sake is provided. If you need your water refilled, please ask. We do not modify the dishes. We do not accomodate allergies." "Ms. Zhi, I noticed you did not sign the waiver." You've already signed it: it's a formality, but he uses some unique, sometimes venomous fish, so actually needs an escape-room-esque waiver to run the business legally... "I'm sorry, I'm so bad at filling in forms", the young lady at the end of the bar says, pulling out her phone. "Not to worry, I don't like that San Francisco makes you do this either. But that phone won't work, I made this place essentially a faraday cage." He hands over a physical form and a pen. "Now let's get started. Our first course will be Opah." [[Wait excitedly->First Course]]

The second course contrasts strongly with the first. It's a cured white fish, with some bite to it. Probably not Tom's favorite if he were here, but you love it. You realize the reason you were caught off guard: he is still serving clockwise, but this time you were served first. Is that a politeness thing? The man next to you is taking notes in a notebook. He sees you glancing over, and strikes up a conversation: "You also here by yourself?" [[Second course convo<-Explain your boyfriend is in London for work right now]].

"Mine too! What a coincidence!" he says. You're not sure if he's implying if he's gay, but luckily he keeps talking. "Yeah, it's much easier to get seats for one here, so I have been given //permission// to come by myself. I'll try to bring the wife later. I'm Edward, by the way." Not gay, just confusing wording. The chef pulls out a big box, and opens it undramatically. It's a deep orange-pink. He sees you and Edward looking, and says: "Sujiko. Salted salmon roe in the sack." You salivate for the [[third course->Third course]].

Unsurprisingly, you like the roe. Edward and his notebook do too. And yes, the chef is changing where he starts. This time Edward is served first. Interesting. Edward excuses himself to go the bathroom after he finishes his roe. He pauses by the door for more than a few seconds, and eventually the chef looks up from his sushi. There's an keyed lock of some sort. The chef mumbles something you don't make out, and Edward keys it in. With Edward gone, you tune into the [[conversation of the couple next to you->Third course convo]].

The room is black as squid's ink. You hear a loud shuffle across the bar. "Please remain seated, I'm sure it's just a bl..." the chef says. He stops mid sentence. [[Wait->Dark 2]]

More shuffling, then one, no two people pushing back a seat to stand. It's been almost 30 seconds. [[Wait->Dark 3]]

The lights flash back on, leaving you momentarily blinded. [[Blink in the light->Murder]]

James and the man next to him are both standing. Edward walks out the bathroom. "The lights broke in there... was there a blackout out here?" Dolores screams. The chef is lying on the middle of the counter, his sushi knife sticking out his back. [[Stand up->Badge]]

You stand calmly, and pull your badge. "Detective Liang. Edward, call 911. I'll try first aid. But this is now a crime scene, the rest of you are not to leave your seats. The first crime is attempted homicide. The second is... robbing me of my fucking lunch break." You radio in back-up before you try resuscitating. You want sushi, but that'll have to wait until the crime is solved. [[Wait for back-up->Street]]

20 minutes later, and the suspects are in the cop station on the corner. You're lucky it's so nearby. Chef Yi was as dead as he looked: the knife went straight through his heart. You're pretty sure your boss isn't gonna let you lead this one, given you were there, but he's out right now, and you've never played by the rules. You get to work. [[Investigate the sushi bar->Bar]] [[Talk to the suspects->Suspects]] [[Accuse someone->Accuse]] [[Remember the murder->Arrival]]

The sushi bar itself feels eerily quiet now, even though it never had music in the first place. The chef's body is being bagged and removed as you first walk in, but otherwise everything has been left as it was, with the knife in place. [[Investigate the murder scene->Murder scene]] [[Investigate the toilet->Toilet door]] [[Investigate the kitchen->Kitchen]] [[Investigate the seating->Seating]] [[Return to street->Street]]

The Chinatown police station is cold inside. A deputy walks up to you. "They're all in separate rooms, and most of them are talking. There's one exception: that Eleanor lady is pleading the fifth. Well, specifically, she said: "I'm pleading the fifth, but I'll say one thing, and it's that I didn't kill that fucking Chef." We probably can't ask her anything more without endangering the investigation." "Fuck, the fact I'm letting you talk to any of them is endangering the investigation, you're a fucking suspect." he mutters. "You gotta keep these questions light, you hear me, Detective?" "I'm a professional", you tell him. "I can keep it light." [[Talk to Edward Park->Edward]] [[Talk to Rob Heinlen->Rob]] [[Talk to James Moore->James]] [[Talk to Dolores Zhi->Dolores]] [[Return to street->Street]]

Who killed Chef Yi? (input: bind _password) (link-replace: "Submit")[ (if: _password is "Dolores Park")[ You know who it was. It's time to [[make an arrest->Conclusion start]]] (else-if: _password is "Dolores Zhi")[ Almost! But she actually took her husband's name... [[Try again?->Accuse]]] (else:)[ That's not right... Make sure to put their full name with caps and spaces. [[Try again?->Accuse]] ]] [[Return to street->Street]]

(if: $toiletopen) [ It's open. [[Enter->Toilet]]] (else:)[ The toilet door is locked. There is a key-pad, with a four number input: (input: bind _password) (link-replace: "Submit")[ (if: _password is "6961")[ (set:$toiletopen to True) It opens! [[ Enter->Toilet]]] (if: _password is not "6961")[ Wrong! [[Try again?->Toilet door]]]] ] [[Return to the bar->Bar]]

The restaurant is beautiful. It's totally secluded from the Chinatown street outside, with panelled wooden walls, and no windows. You look along the bar. There's's a chatty WMAF couple at the far end, who quickly got back to talking after your brief interruption. Next to them is a WMWF couple, who are much quieter, but clearly know each other: it's not clear if they're dating. And then next to you there is what you assume is another solo diner: a younger Asian guy. You pick up the lemon-scented cloth, and wash your hands. You hope this is going to be good, it's costing a pretty penny. [[Take a sip of water->Chef Intro]]

Suddenly, the lights go out. It's pitch black. A woman yelps in shock. [[Wait for them to come back->Dark]]

You're surprised to find your assistant, Tim Kniwles, sitting on the toilet. He's messing around with a laptop which he's somehow plugged into the door lock. Couldn't he have opened the door for you...? He looks up: "Ah, Detective Liang! I managed to pull the logs on this door lock. Only one entrance and exit since your arrival, and it lines up with the time of the murder! So James was in here the whole blackout! Think he's in the clear." You look around. It's a heated toilet, and an elegant setting. The only things that stand out are a metal box inlayed into the wall, and a toilet inspection rota on the back of the door. Or, if you have any questions for Tim, you could always ask him, while in this room... [[Investigate the box->Breaker lock]] [[Investigate the inspection rota->Toilet rota]] [[Go back to the bar->Bar]]

(set:$toiletopen to false) (set:$boxopen to false) (set:$bagopen to false) (set:$phoneopen to false) (set:$rotaseen to false)

The bag is a small woman's handbag, sitting by Eleanor's seat. This will be physically provided, and the physical puzzle is recreated below for reference. (if: $bagopen) [ The bag is open. [[Look inside->Bag interior]]] (else:)[ The bag has a padlock on it. It has a four letter ALL CAPS answer. The lock has a //cryptic// tag on it saying: "The medium is the message", a philosopher said. (input: bind _password) (link-replace: "Submit")[ (if: _password is "LOCK")[ (set:$bagopen to True) It opens! [[ Look inside->Bag interior]]] (if: _password is not "LOCK")[ Wrong! [[Try again?->Bag lock]]]] ] [[Return to seating->Seating]]

You go behind the bar. The knife is sticking out the wood, at a perfect right angle. Whoever stabbed Chef Shi stabbed him hard enough to go right into the counter too, and the forensics team have dutifully replaced the knife. It has also stabbed through is a small piece of paper. Edward's notebook has also been left on the counter. [[Investigate the knife->Knife]] [[Investigate the piece of paper->Menu]] [[Investigate the fish on the bar->Bar Fish]] [[Return to the bar->Bar]]

The kitchen is larger than you'd expect, but you don't find a great deal of interest as you look around. There are some fish spread-around for the coming meal, and a whiteboard. A beautiful tamagoyaki is sitting under cling wrap. It's still warm. There is a point-of-service payment tablet sitting on the counter. [[Investigate the fish->Kitchen fish]] [[Investigate the whiteboard]] [[Investigate the point-of-service system]] [[Return to the bar->Bar]]

The knife has been checked for fingerprints and was totally free, but was slightly wet. On a whim, you sniff it. It's smells slightly lemony. Ah, that explains that then. [[Return to the murder scene->Murder scene]]

The paper is a neatly printed menu, in the sort of serif font you find on Michelin star restaurant menus. You saw a variant of this menu on Instagram yesterday, while stalking the tags. You wonder why you weren't given it at the start of the meal. (The menu will be provided as a physical object.) Looks like you missed out on some favorites. The knife cut is barely visible: must have been damned sharp. [[Return to the murder scene->Murder scene]]

The fish in the kitchen are: - a medium-sized fish, with a red-tinge on its skin. It has been filleted. - six livers, spread out in a line - there also seven or eight small gray fish, roughly the size of your hand. [[Snack on a liver->Liver 1]] [[Return to the kitchen->Kitchen]]

Behind the sushi bar, you see: - A dark crimson cut of meat, with a dark grey skin on. It's near a blowtorch. - A fatty red slab of meat. [[Return to the murder scene->Murder scene]]

The whiteboard has some notes on it, mostly random things for the chef, but a few things stick out. On the right you see: ''Toilet keycode: 1. Diner count 2. Course count (lunch) 3. Door 4. Last name'' Near the bottom is written: ''1/10/26: *Remove substituted course from today's fish order. Menu is just wrong, don't give out.*'' That's today's date. [[Return to the kitchen->Kitchen]]

You examine where the diners were sitting. It's all as you expect, though you notice Rob didn't wash his hands with the cloth: it's totally untouched. That's kinda gross. Edward also left his notebook. Lastly, you notice a small green handbag, by Eleanor's seat. [[Investigate Edward's notebook->Notebook]] [[Investigate the bag->Bag lock]] [[Return to the bar->Bar]]

You eat the leftmost liver. It's good! [[Have another->Liver 2]] [[Stop->Kitchen]]

Delicious... [[Have a third->Liver 3]] [[Stop->Kitchen]]

So good! [[Have a fourth->Liver 4]] [[Stop->Kitchen]]

You're getting a bit full. The fifth one looks a little darker in colour.. [[Have a fifth->Death]] [[Maybe just a nibble is enough->Liver 5]] [[Stop->Kitchen]]

You feel a tingle in your mouth immediately on nibbling it. This one's a fugu liver! But if these were all fugu livers... You'd be dead by now. Who was this fifth liver for? [[Return to kitchen->Kitchen]]

The paralysis sets in fast. And you realize your mistake too late. You die in the kitchen, before the officers can reach you. [[Let's try again...->Kitchen]]

You pull at the box door, but soon realize it's locked shut. (A code-locked box will be physically provided, but you should also do the below.) (if: $boxopen) [ The box is open. [[Look inside->Breaker lock]]] (else:)[ There is a small label on the box: "The day I shut down this fucking hellhole." The lock accepts 3 digits. (input: bind _password) (link-replace: "Submit")[ (if: _password is "214")[ (set:$bagopen to True) It opens! [[ Enter->Breaker box]]] (if: _password is not "214")[ Wrong! [[Try again?->Breaker lock]]]] ] [[Return to the toilet->Toilet]]

Edward seems calmer than the other younger folks. You guess he knows he's less at risk of being accused of this crime. He's about 27, and identifiably Korean in the bright lights of the station. [[Ask if he knew the other diners->Edward diners]] [[Ask if he knew the victim->Edward chef]] [[Ask why he was eating at the restaurant that day->Edward why]] [[Ask for the toilet code->Edward code]] [[Return to station->Suspects]]

Rob is nervous and quiet as you walk in. He's white, maybe 32, and doesn't look like he goes to fancy restaurants all that often. He's dressed neatly, but much less *expensive* than most of the other diners. [[Ask if he knew the other diners->Rob diners]] [[Ask if he knew the victim->Rob chef]] [[Ask why he was eating at the restaurant that day->Rob why]] [[Return to station->Suspects]]

"Ah, Detective Liang. When can Dolores and I leave? I'm a busy man, if you didn't know..." James is maybe 45, maybe Wasian, and definitely seems the least phased of anyone involved. You googled him before you came in. He is the cofounder of the poorly named BuildMoore... which is worth around $50 billion. Even you've heard of it. Otherwise, there is very little on him online. Seems he keeps to himself more than other billionaires. [[Ask if he knew the other diners->James diners]] [[Ask if he knew the victim->James chef]] [[Ask why he was eating at the restaurant that day->James why]] [[Return to station->Suspects]]

"Oh, hi Detective Liang." Dolores is maybe 25, and an attractive Asian-American girl. You found her Instagram: public, and mostly old posts of AKDPhi. Her LinkedIn shows she works at BuildMoore, and tweets about it a fair amount. Her online profile is the sort of extroverted and motivated person that makes their way in San Francisco, despite maybe not being the sharpest tool in the shed. And she's dressed well today: you notice a Celine belt. But she definitely seems upset about what has happened. [[Ask if she knew the other diners->Dolores diners]] [[Ask if she knew the victim->Dolores chef]] [[Ask why she was eating at the restaurant that day->Dolores why]] [[Return to station->Suspects]]

Inside the bag, there is a credit card, with the name "Eleanor Moore" and a credit card number: 0225 0510 0113 0519. There are also some crumpled, unsigned divorce papers in the bag, but it looks like the owner has blacked out all the names. Almost... violently. You send them to forensics. They'll be able to figure out what's under there, but you won't hear back until you're off the case... Whatever these papers are though, they are *definitely* not signed. Oh, I also forgot to mention a large wad of cash. It's not a puzzle though. [[Return to seating->Seating]]

It doesn't take you long to figure out how to use the tablet PoS payment system. "I could be a waitress..." you mumble to yourself. As with every meal here, today's lunch was prepaid by everyone with a 20% tip. No SF surcharge, given there's only one staff member. There are four payments associated with today's meal: - The first reservation is recognizably yours. - The second reservation was made for two. - The third reservation was made 10 minutes later for one, using the same credit card as the second reservation. - The final reservation was made the next day, for two. [[Keep looking->PoS deepdive]] [[Return to kitchen->Kitchen]]

"No! I knew nobody!" He says, a bit too quickly. "Except Eleanor, obviously. We just started dating a couple months ago. She's a bit older than me, but she can afford to go to these kinda places... somehow. Which is nice." You get the impression he's hiding something. [[Push about Edward->Rob Edward]] [[Push about James->Rob James]] [[Push about Dolores->Rob Dolores]] [[Back to questions->Rob]]

"Eleanor brought me. I certainly can't afford to come to this place myself.." [[Back to Rob->Rob]]

I don't hang in this kind of circle, I don't know him. (if:$rotaseen)[ [[Then why is your name on the toilet rota...?->Rob rota]] ] [[Back to Rob->Rob]]

"Was he the guy you were chatting with? I fully have never seen that man in my life." [[Back to Rob->Rob]]

Rob looks hesitant. "Come on, Rob, I'm on your side here but you've gotta tell me things." "Ugh." he replies. "I worked for James. Well, the guy under the guy under James. He fired my team. That's how I ended up working for... I don't wanna talk about this anymore. I don't think it's relevant. I'd definitely have a motive to murder James, but no-one has murdered James." You decide to leave it. You need these people to keep talking even after you're taken off the case. [[Back to Rob->Rob]]

Is she James Moore's girlfriend? I don't know about her, and I don't wanna know. [[Back to Rob->Rob]]

You glance at the rota. Boring. You flip it over. Suddenly, an entry from months ago catches your eye. Rob Heinlen cleaned this toilet. The last time was three months ago. (New dialogue with Rob Heinlen unlocked!) (set:$rotaseen to true) [[Return to toilet->Toilet]]

Rob looks panicked. "Yes, I knew him. Sorry. I'm really sorry. I worked for him after I got fired from my sales job at BuildMoore. He works *mostly* solo, but he needs someone to do the janitorial stuff, clean the toilets. But he fired me too." You let him keep talking... "And before you go looking, he gave me a scathing reference online. I turned off a fridge and cost him a lot of money in high-quality fish, and in bookings. It's been... tough to get a job since. But I didn't kill him, for god's sake." "Eleanor knew about this, obviously. I think that's why she invited me. To show him that I have rich people in my corner too." "I didn't kill him. I promise. Sorry." [[Back to Rob->Rob]]

"Now, that, I can't comment on without my lawyer! Who is currently on a plane coming from San Diego. Let's just say there is an... ongoing legal situation involved." This guy knows his rights. You leave it. "Dolores was my invite though! She's a lovely girl, I've been enjoying... getting to know her better. Shame this lunch went so poorly. Is that distasteful? Sorry." [[Back to James->James]]

"Do I know the chef?" He chuckles. "Of course I do, I eat here frequently. Normally I'd shut down the place to eat here, but Dolores wanted a more down-to-earth, regular experience." [[Back to James->James]]

"Best sushi in town. And Dolores had never been herself. I'm just here for the fish, not for murder, Ms Liang. Sorry, Detective Liang." [[Back to James->James]]

"Yes! I work for James. I am also... dating James. You know how it is." You ask what she does for James. "I'm his secretary. You know, I do his calendar, book flights, restaurants, hotels... Basically I run his life." You ask how long they've been dating. "6 months." You're not sure you totally believe the timeline. She's been working for him for 2 years, according to her LinkedIn. "Do you know anyone else?" you ask. "Nobody." [[Back to Dolores->Dolores]]

"I've called to book him quite a few times - but no, never met him before. I was excited to come today! But now... he's gone." [[Back to Dolores->Dolores]]

She looks at you confused: "...why are //you// at Sushi Liu? Probably same reason, right? I like fish... and I'm dating a billionaire." [[Back to Dolores->Dolores]]

It's a breaker box. You decide to flip a switch. The lights go out. Tim gasps. Well, there's our blackout... You flip it back on. In the bottom, there is a crumpled up napkin. Someone didn't want you to find this. "I'll make a distraction. You stop the meal. Do whatever it takes." Below is scribbled in different handwriting: "Delete my texts." Under the napkin, there's a phone. How were you not told about a missing phone...? The department is going to hear about this one. It's locked. That handwriting... You've seen it before. But where? (if: $phoneopen) [ [[The phone is unlocked->Phone messages]]] (else:)[ The phone is locked. It wants a numerical pin code... (The phone itself is off, put the pin code here.) (input: bind _password) (link-replace: "Submit")[ (if: _password is "5902")[ (set:$phoneopen to true) It opens! [[ Look inside->Phone messages]]] (if: _password is not "5902")[ Wrong! [[Try again?->Breaker box]]]] ] [[Return to toilet->Toilet]]

"You didn't mean to kill him, did you Ms. Park?" It's just you and Dolores in the interview room, you've shut off the microphones. [[Continue->Conclusion 1]]

"What? Oh, I really don't remember. I think it started with 6?" [[Back to Edward->Edward]]

"No, I know no-one but you", he answers resolutely. [[Back to Edward->Edward]]

"Well, obviously I knew his persona... he's famous among us sushi afficionados. One does not simply walk into Sushi Liu. But other than that I don't know anything about him, beyond food. Well... I talked with him briefly before the diners arrived. I definitely don't have a reason to kill him. " "What did you talk about?" "Not much. He was busy preparing fish. He did say he was planning to close the restaurant soon though. He seemed happy about it." "Close the restaurant?" you ask, shocked for perhaps the first time today.. "Yeah, he said not to book after next month: the last day was Valentine's day. I guess he's a month early to that now..." [[Back to Edward->Edward]]

He seems a little more taken off guard by this simple question than you'd expect... "Didn't we talk about this earlier? My wife is in New York. I'm here for Sushi." [[Back to Edward->Edward]]

You spend several minutes scrolling through the PoS. There is only one other abnormality you notice. On a pre-booking, early next month, there is a tip of $2,500,000. You note the last four digits: 0519. [[Return to kitchen->Kitchen]]

The notebook contains nothing but notes on Sushi. This man knows what he is talking about, he's eaten at a lot of places. (A notebook will be provided.) (if: $boxopen)[[[You recognize the handwriting...->Notebook deep dive]]] [[Go back to the seating->Seating]]

The bar is quite quiet, other than the WMAF couple seated at the end, who are exchanging slightly obnoxious remarks in lowered voices: he's obviously wealthy, and by the sounds of it, she's spoiled. She's notably younger than him, and it definitely feels like the other diners have noticed: you certainly have. You've also learnt their names: James and Dolores. You notice James glancing at the woman two seats down more than once. You feel like he knows her, but if she knows him, she's not showing it. Dolores seems to prefer glancing at her apparently functionless phone. "How did you like the Opah, Ms Liang?" You look up to see Chef Yi looking at you. You're a bit embarassed the chef caught you people-watching, but you exclaim your compliments appropriately. He hands you another piece of sushi: "Our second course: aka yagara, or red trumpet fish." [[Eat it->Second course]].

You've grasped she's called Eleanor. Well, the man next to her specifically says Eleanori; you are not sure if this is a deliberate pun, or just a pet name, but you guess they are dating after all. His name placard is tilted towards you, and you can make out "Robert" on it. And //apparently// he doesn't like how salty the roe is, and he offers it over. She takes it, and you're both jealous and disappointed. Their conversation seems... one-sided. Eleanor seems focused on something that is not Rob: probably the sushi she's eating. "Our next dish will be..." - [[you listen as the chef starts talking.->Goes Dark]]

You compare with the napkin. It's the first person's handwriting, 100%. You flip through the book again. There is nothing in it of any interest... [[Return to murder scene->Murder scene]]

The phone is curiously anonymised.... There's no photos on it, no emails, no ID. You could probably trace the SIM back. This is a burner phone of some sort: most likely everyone *did* have their actual phones on them... But why would anyone need a phone like this? There is only one text conversation on the phone. A lot of the messages have been deleted, but they haven't got to the end yet... Here's what you have: Gray: I just got here. No phne service inside. He was cutting a fugu fish when I came in! Did James request fugu? Blue: ??? no ??? Gray: Odd Gray: Didn't you set the menu? Gray: Wtf she's here. Fuck. Do you think she's gonna try to end this? Gray: Jesus is that what the Fugu is for? Blue: *message deleted* Blue: sushi chef defs doesn't like j Gray: *message deleted* Blue: we gotta stop her but also j can't find out about us Blue: we're arriving Gray: We'll figure it out. Love you D.P. I'll go back inside. [[Return to toilet->Toilet]]

"... Of course not, I had nothing against him. Well, not much." "You records don't mention your marriage. I pulled them. You're officially Dolores Zhi in the U.S. But I see you went to Korea for... two years? I'm guessing if I pulled their records I'd find a marriage somewhere." "You're quick." [[Continue->Conclusion 2]]

"Of course, Mr. James Moore didn't know about any of this." "No." Dolores replies. "But you figured, you date him a few years, you can get his cash and run back to the real husband." Dolores is silent. "Did you know he was still married when you started dating him?" "... No. She was a bitch. She wouldn't sign the papers. She wanted everything." [[Continue->Conclusion 3]]

"And today was the day she took everything, wasn't it?" "We didn't know", she replies. "I only invited Edward because he was around, and he could sneak sushi on James' credit card. It was a fun risk, he genuinely loves sushi. But then she came, and... we knew she wanted James dead." "We had to stop it, but also couldn't have James find out about... us. We need James' money We panicked. I panicked. James hit the lights, and I... I wanted to cause an injury. Something that would guaranteed stop them from one more course. But I guess... sometimes you miss." She stops talking. [[Continue->Conclusion 4]]

"...Don't be. I deserve this." "You deserve a fraud charge, and a unintentional manslaughter charge, and you'll probably get those. Don't delete more texts. Your boss was about to be poisoned - I have the numb lips to prove it - and you acted to protect him. Hell, for all you know you were about to be poisoned too, by the man you accidentally stabbed. You have a pretty good shot at self-defence." "What?" Dolores asks? "Eleanor on the other hand: well, she left a blatant trail of conspiracy to commit homicide. I wouldn't be surprised if she planned to kill the chef too. Obviously, we'll be booking both of you, but I'd be more worried if I were her. Juries don't like her type. They like the heroes, the young couples... And she won't get a penny of James now." A hint of a smile appears on Dolores' face. "You're not out of the woods yet, kids. But I gotta bail. I want my fucking sushi."

You look around at the station interview room around you. "A genius chef who hated his clientele, and needed a couple million dollars to shut up shop..." "...A selfish asshole billionaire..." "...His even-worse ex-wife..." "...And a Red Herring whom you could pin //either// murder on." "They really stitched you two up." [["I'm sorry, Dolores.", you say.->Conclusion 5]]