The Christmas Killer

**The Christmas Killer**, also known as Adventure Escape: Xmas Killer, is the 8th game by Haiku Games and the fourth Murder Mystery Game with Kate Grey.

## Synopsis

Detective Kate Gray is back in a new holiday murder mystery! A homicide victim is found downtown holding a familiar calling card - a snow globe. Kate realizes she is on the trail of the notoriously dangerous serial murderer, “The Christmas Killer.” Will the killer strike again in seven days? Or can Kate and her team solve this mystery in time for the holidays?

## Characters

* Detective Kate Gray
* Lieutenant Aaron Murphy
* Keiko
* Dan
* Sergeant Jacob
* Peggy Larson (✝)
* Misty Larson
* Antonio Larson
* Everett Kane
* Mr. Orson
* Frederick 'Freddie' Gaines

## Plot

Detective Kate hopes to have a relaxing holiday catching up on paperwork. While cleaning her desk to find a missing case file, Kate receives a call from Lieutenant Aaron Murphy. He needs Kate's help in a murder investigation.

Kate arrives at the crime scene, where Murphy is waiting for her. He believes the killer must have called in the tip because the upstairs bedroom where they suspect the victim, is still locked.

Kate searches the house for clues. The door to the bedroom is locked, like Murphy said. Kate manages to unlock the door and inside, they find the woman's body. Murphy reveals her name to be Peggy Larson. Examining the crime scene, Kate find enough evidence to confirm that the woman was murdered. But something stands out: a snowglobe that was placed in her hands. Kate is immediately reminded of a case a few ago, where the killer also left snow globes as his calling card. Murphy recalls that one victim back then was also killed seven days before Christmas, and then another one on Christmas Day!

Back at the police station, Kate finds out that Peggy has two living relatives, of whom she kept photos in a box under her bed: a daughter named Misty and a brother named Antonio.

In the lab, Kate collects the killer's finger prints from the pieces of evidence. She runs them through the data base, but no match. Murphy appears and reminds her that the previous murders were over a decade ago and the records haven't been digitized yet. Kate and Murphy take a trip to the records base.

After they have found the room where the old case files are stored, they discover that the finger prints are a match. The Christmas Killer is back!

Kate tracks down the daughter of the victim. Unfortunately, getting into the exclusive club where she works is more difficult than it seems. Kate needs to find a different set of clothes that are fitting for an exclusive night club, as well as 20$ to pay the bouncer. Inside the club, she tries to get into the VIP area to find Misty, but the same bouncer from before stops her again. He mentions to Kate that he could use a drink, and after Kate mixes him a Mojito, he agrees to let her in.

Kate runs into the owner of the club, Everett Kane, who refuses to talk unless Kate has a warrant. However, after Kate beats him in a card game, she is allowed to meet Misty. The young woman tells Kate that her mother was alcoholic and depressed. Misty had to work three jobs just for her mother's medical bills. Eventually, she gives Kate one half of a locket that she got from Peggy. It is one half of a heart with 'I'll forget' on it. Misty recalls that Peggy never told her where the other half was, but was acting very strange and quiet when she asked her about it.

Back at the police office, Kate views the clues that they have found yet, but it is not enough to figure out how the killer and Peggy are connected. Suddenly, Kate receives a package - It's from the Christmas Killer! Inside the package, she finds another snow globe along with a letter, in which the killer tells her to go to Woodley Orphanage.

Kate visits the orphanage and talks to the old caretaker, Mr. Orson. The orphanage is shut down, but Mr. Orson tells Kate about the children that him and his wife once had in care. One of them was Freddie, a boy that had been given up by his mother when he was a baby. Mr. Orson describes him as a difficult child. In the attic, Kate finds Freddie's diary, which reveals that Freddie and the other children were mistreated by Orson's late wife, and that Freddie was feeling very vengeful and bitter towards his mother who had abandoned him.

Now convinced that Freddie is the Christmas Killer, Kate and Murphy go and question the victim's brother, Antonio, who claims that a suspicious man had visited him the week before. The man had pretended to be an old friend of Peggy, who had lost contact, so Antonio gave him her address. By viewing the security tapes, Kate and Murphy find footage of the suspect, a young man presumably in his 30s. Antonio then hands them another snow globe which he got from the visitor.

Kate is at back at her desk when she receives a call from Everett Kane. Misty has been missing work for two days and it looks as though she has been abducted. Kate starts searching the FBI database for the killer's identity and finds a match. Their suspect is named Frederick Gaines, 35 years old, and allegedly lives in Christmas Lane, Brooklyn.

While Murphy moves out with his squad to catch the killer at his Brooklyn address, Kate suspects that the address might be a false lead. She takes another look at the snow globes and discovers the real address.

Kate goes to the address and finds Misty locked in a cell. Kate manages to free her and goes after Gaines. She finds him on the rooftop, and he admits to killing Mrs. Orson and his mother Peggy. He tries to make an escape by helicopter, but Kate thwarts the attempt by destroying the helicopter and then arrests Gaines for murder. She also takes one half of a locket, that Gaines had received from Peggy, as evidence.

On Christmas day, Kate and her team are celebrating Christmas. She reviews the evidence from the Christmas Killer case. It turns out that while Misty's locket was engraved with 'I'll Forget' and Gaines' read 'Never You' (which enraged him because he thought of it as proof of Peggy's rejection), put together, the two halves form a heart shaped locket that reads 'I'll Never Forget You'. The team then exchange Christmas gifts.

## Trivia

* The photograph that shows the Orsons and their foster kids is rather odd considering that it's in black and white and everybody is dressed like it's 1950 when it should have been the late 80s to early 90s.
* Kate calls Murphy by his first name Aaron while thanking him for her gift. This very rare as everyone usually calls him by his last name.

## Gallery

When a deadly serial killer strikes 7 days before Christmas......It's up to one detective to track him down.Investigate the city and search for clues.Follow the killer's trail and overcome his traps and puzzles.Solve the case before the killer strikes again!