Juno Steel and the Case of the Murderous Mask (Part 1)

**Juno Steel and the Case of the Murderous Mask (Part 1)** is the first episode of the first season of The Penumbra Podcast. It was released March 18, 2016. As of February 28, 2017, it is considered non-canon.

## Overview

Juno Steel has had a lot of clients in his time: high-profile and low. But when he's called in to investigate the murder of Croesus Kanagawa, head of the Kanagawa crime-family-slash-enertainment-network, it’s not the client that interests him. It’s what Croesus was wearing when he died – and an ancient curse that hangs over that very strange mask.

## Episode Summary

Juno Steel, a private eye, receives a mysterious call from an old friend, Sasha Wire. Sasha, an agent at Dark Matters, calls to tell Juno about the recent murder of TV host, Croesus Kanagawa. During the call, it is revealed that Croesus was killed using the Death Mask of Grimpotheuthis, a mask known in Martian lore to carry a fatal curse. Aside from asking Juno to take on the case, Sasha also forces him to bring along a Dark Matters agent, Rex Glass, as well.

Rex Glass appears to be charismatic and flirty right off the bat. Juno describes Rex Glass's face as "*lean but soft, with a cherub's smile and a fox's teeth. He looked like he was happy to see me and he'd be just as happy to kill me if push came to shove.'*

Glass further explains the curse behind Grimm's Mask, stating that anyone who disturbed the mask would be killed by it. He also admits that Dark Matters only needed Juno on the case due to him being considered 'family' by the Kanagawas, who insist on only allowing people who are 'in the family' to investigate. Juno, in turn, explains that at one point in the past, he saved Cecil Kanagawa, Croesus's son, from rival TV group the Triad, although he was unable to prevent Cecil's arm from being cut off and eventually replaced with a cybernetic prosthesis. Juno saving Cecil's life contributes to why the Kanagawas have now asked for him personally.

Upon arriving at the Kanagawa house, Juno and Rex meet Cecil Kanagawa, who takes them to see Croesus's body in his art gallery where he was killed. While there, Cecil offers Juno and Rex contracts to sign to ensure they stay quiet about the crime in regards to the media. Rex initially refuses but ultimately gives in when Juno clarifies that it doesn't matter one way or another—they both signed a copy of the contract already when they signed the guest book.

The two make their way to the gruesome scene of the murder, where Croesus's body is hanging out of the cases where he had been keeping the mask. Juno describes Croesus' head as having been divided up by the mask and stuffed into three smaller portions of it.

During their investigation, Rex reveals that the glass case was smashed in from one side and the mask is the clear cause of death. However, the mask would have been unable to kill without the assistance of someone having pushed Croesus into it. Rex also states that the killer had written their name on the inside of the case. Juno confirms that the name inside the case, Shen Long, corresponds with the Triad's boss, who had most likely left it at the scene as a calling card.

As Juno continues to investigate the family's thoughts on the murder of their father, Juno goes to Cecil's twin sister Cassandra's room. When they arrive, Cassandra Kanagawa tells Juno that she's packing up to leave Mars. Tired of the constant cameras and lack of privacy, Cassandra wants nothing more than to get as far away from Mars and the Kanagawa clan as possible. In fact, Cassandra tells Juno that Croesus had finally promised to end her contract before he died, which would have allowed her to leave in the upcoming week. However, Croesus had given her a *verbal* promise to not renew her contract but nothing on paper, so she is still stuck. In the end, Cassandra is taken off the suspect list as her gun doesn't match what killed Croesus and Juno thinks she wouldn't have been likely to bother with using the mask as a murder weapon, anyway.

Juno and Rex go to investigate the Empire's Dragon, a Chinese restaurant owned by the Triad. Upon arrival, Juno finds out that they were tailed, not that that's unusual. The Empire's Dragon is empty aside from Rex and Juno, who take this time to get to know each other a little better. During their discussion, Rex repeatedly turns down every sample of wine handed to their table with a snarky remark and a request for their boss. The manager finally comes over just as it's revealed by Rex that all the wines had been poisoned by the waiter. They taunt the manger and they are finally taken further inside the restaurant to meet their boss. The episode ends with Juno and Rex being taken inside the Triad's 'inner sanctum'.

## Cast and Crew

### Cast

Starring

* Joshua Ilon as Juno Steel
* Noah Simes as Agent Rex Glass
* Sophie Kaner as Agent Sasha Wire, Cecil Kanagawa, and Cassandra Kanagawa
* Kate Jones as Rita

Additional Voice Work

* Kevin Vibert
* Ryan Meier

### Crew

* Kevin Vibert, Co-creator, Lead writer, Sound-effects designer
* Sophie Kaner, Co-creator, Director, Lead editor, Sound designer
* Ryan Meier, Recording engineer
* Ryan Vibert, Composer and performer of original music

## Quotes

>
>
>
>

>
>
>
>

>
>
> | JUNO: | He looked like he was happy to see me and like he'd be just as happy to kill me if push came to shove. It wasn't...an unpleasant look, all things considered.
>
>

>
>
> | JUNO: | Funny, you never cared about these forms before.
>
>

>
>
>
>

>
>
>
>

>
>
>
>

>
>
>
>

>
>
>
>

>
>
>
>

>
>
>
>

>
>
>
>

>
>
>
>

>
>
>
>

>
>
>
>

>
>
>
>

>
>
>
>

## Trivia

* This episode was re-released at the end of Season 1 with new voice actors and a new plot line--Juno Steel and the Case of the Murderous Mask Update (Part 1) and Juno Steel and the Case of the Murderous Mask Update (Part 2). This edition of the episode is no longer considered canon.
* Fans often shorthand this version of the story as "original Murderous Mask" or "ogmm."

## References

 One-Shots
 Bonus Episodes

 Other Episodes
 Live Shows