To Drown Your Sorrows

**To Drown Your Sorrows** is the sixth case in Murderworlds: Crimson County. It takes place in Kendall Cove, and Skie assists in the investigation.

## To Drown Your Sorrows

### Partner(s)

Skie Blackwater  (Chapters 1-3)
 Joaquin Gomez  (4 Tasks In Just Like High School 1)
 Alyssa Santos  (4 Tasks In Just Like High School 1)

## Plot

Arriving in Kendall Cove for the funeral of Eduardo Gomez, Priya asks the player how they're doing as they check into a hotel room, as they discuss how distant Joaquin has been ever since his father died, as she admits that she plans on taking him mini golfing later to cheer him up. At the funeral, Joaquin is met with comfort from his mother, Susana Gomez, while Skie is met with vague hostility, confusing her, as the funeral procession begins. Following the funeral, Skie and the player decide to head to a local bar so Joaquin can be with Susana, as they enter the famed Sauvignon Slick Wine Bar, heading down to the wine cellar only to find the owner of the establishment, Jean-Claude Renault, drowned in a barrel of wine. Skie then decided to call Joaquin and Priya, as the rest of the team soon enough arrived to commence a murder investigation.

Mid-investigation, Skie and the player nearly arrested soccer mom Kimberly Duncan when she attempted to sneak into the wine bar while it was still under investigation, while also having to break up a physical altercation between househusband Jonathan Greene and the head of the neighbourhood watch association, Florence Norwood. In the end, however, Skie and the player found enough evidence to identify Renault's killer as none other than his landlord, Manfred Oakes.

Despite repeatedly denying committing the crime, Manfred eventually confessed to killing Jean-Claude so he could sell the establishment. He explained that he had recently come into possession of a hefty inheritance from his grandfather's death, and had decided to move to Saint-Tropez so he could finally have a business for tourists. However, this meant that he had to sell the wine bar, since he did not want to have to deal with the headache of being a landlord to an overseas building. Upon meeting Jean-Claude in the wine cellar to talk about it, he was shocked when Renault flat out refused to let him sell the place, believing that he could sue him to the ground for trying to put him out of work. Not wanting to face intense legal proceedings over something so important to him, Manfred hit Jean-Claude over the head and drowned him in a barrel of wine, killing him. Shocked by the nature of the act and displeased by the money-based motive, Judge Peake sentenced Oakes to fifteen years in prison for the crime.

Following the case, Joaquin approached the player, asking them for help in settling the rift between Susana and Skie, which stemmed from a time when Susana attempted to call Skie to inform her of their father's malady but received no response. Analysing the call records, Joaquin found that the calls were made to Skie while she was out at sea, meaning she couldn't pick them up because of the signal and the fact she was using her specialised work phone. Upon Susana being informed of this, she was shocked by Skie not telling her, as she wondered why her beautiful daughter would hide so many things from her, as Joaquin and the player then found Skie's pansexuality pride badge in a trash can outside the wine bar, as they returned it to her and asked if she had told Susana yet. Skie sighed and said she would, as Joaquin and the player left her at that.

Meanwhile, Kimberly Duncan arrived at the station, apologising for her earlier actions and asking for help with something important. With Alyssa and the player speaking to her, she informed them that she was running for neighbourhood watch president against Florence and needed proof that Florence was a "stone cold bitch" so she could beat her. Confused by this, Alyssa and the player looked about the local bake sale and discovered a sign with text written in Florence's script saying that all donations went to children in need, as Joaquin then confirmed this to be true. Alyssa and the player then spoke to Florence, who apologised for being rude to Jonathan Greene earlier, as she said that she would keep an eye on Kimberly in case she tried to sabotage her, offering Alyssa and the player cookies before leaving.

After the events, Chief Bane established that the neighbourhood watch election would be just one of many things that could set people off as the back to school season came along in Kendall Cove, suggesting that the team stay there a while so they could keep an eye on proceedings. Alessio then asked for permission to go back and forth between Kendall Cove and Los Coronas, since that's where Jackson was on his mental health leave, which Chief Bane permitted. Dee then informed the chief that she had heard of a competition for 'Kendall Cove's Best Housewife', which Alyssa deduced was bound to raise the stakes for the women of the town. The team then agreed to look out for sabotage and anxiety as the busiest season in Kendall Cove began.

## Summary

#### Victim

* **Jean-Claude Renault** (drowned in a barrel of wine)

## Suspects

* Dominique Taylor - Barmaid - The suspect knows anatomy and wears a waistcoat.
* Jonathan Greene - Househusband - The suspect knows anatomy, does cross stitch, is allergic to bees and has grey eyes.
* Manfred Oakes - Landlord - The suspect knows anatomy, does cross stitch, is allergic to bees, wears a waistcoat and has grey eyes.
* Kimberly Duncan - Soccer Mom - The suspect is allergic to bees.
* Florence Norwood - Head Of The NWA - The suspect does cross stitch, is allergic to bees, wears a waistcoat and has grey eyes.

## Quasi-Suspects

* Susana Gomez - Skie & Joaquin's Mother
* Dee Banbury - Lab Chief

## Killer's Profile

* The killer knows anatomy.
* The killer does cross stitch.
* The killer is allergic to bees.
* The killer wears a waistcoat.
* The killer has grey eyes.

## Crime Scenes

 Outdoor Patio
 School Gymnasium