So close and yet so far...
Just when I thought I had done everything right, I got rewarded with the electric chair.
You should go down, Ace.
...Down ?
Down below...
??
Death Count = 13
7. Ace Of Spades.
You're trying to do this by the book, that's why you're getting your ass kicked.
It's just that too much of this evidence incriminates me too...
And what should you do with evidence you don't like... ?
... ... Get rid of it !!
That's my boy.
I'll need to get rid some of this evidence for good. There's only one place I can think of that's filthy, dark and bottomless enough for this job...
General discussion ?
Close, but no.
...The heart of the sewers !
Now, I must choose which of the evidence to throw away.
You should Get rid of anything that can connect you to Siegel's murder.
That's right, especially those planted evidence in the Mercedes!
I throw both the map and the registration into the dark whirlpool.
The syringe and the drugs won't help as evidence since I've also used them myself. I throw them away.
Aren't you forgetting something important, Ace ?
Of course, the gun !
My gun was used to kill Siegel, I should throw it away. In fact I decide to throw away all my guns and ammo, just in case.
Oh fuck it. I'll just throw everything away except for the evidence that point to the real culprits.
Clean as a baby, I emerge from the sewers...
And guess who I bump into...
Uh-oh, this time he seems like he really means it, bud.
Hmm, and I don't even have a gun right now...
Maybe you should pay him.
Yeah maybe I should.
Quit stalling ! Give me my money !!
I've got your money right here, mac. A fistful of them !
I almost feel sorry for him.
...Almost.
After my usual morning exercise, I make my way to the police station, It's time to see this through...
Things seem to be going much better...
All right, something new to hang on my wall !
Well, that felt a bit underwhelming. After all this strife all we got was a diploma ? The NES port developers thought so too :
"Siegel lost his life for a mere 20 grand. So I'm off the hook."
"But crime will never cease here."
"Ace Harding's my moniker. The next case is just around the corner."
Recommended view:
Double Indemnity (1944)
EPILOGUE :
The Bum.
After nicking 20 dollars from Ace, the bum went on to buy some booze. On the road to the liquor store someone tried to mug him. The mugger didn't seem to be in a very good shape though, and the bum with a lucky punch managed to flatten him. This whole incident cleared his head and he decided to stop the drinking and invest his money to Japanese stocks, unaware of the Pearl Harbor business. He soon went back to drinking.
The Mugger.
Having his ass kicked by a drunken bum, destroyed his last delusions about a successful life in crime. He sold his gun to Pete's All Nite Gun Palace and decided to start a career as a bouncer. He had become pretty resilient after all this beating and his new motto was "Boss, do you want them to to beat me up ?". Unfortunately his boss answered "yes" when "them" was an angry mob of wrestlers. When he recovered after 6 months in a coma, he went back to Pete to get a gun and resume his mugging career.
Pete.
Guns were selling like warm muffins and business was good, but when Pete saw the mugger's battered face something broke inside him. He left the gun business and became a priest, but he always kept a shotgun close by. God has mercy but a shotgun is always handy, he preached in his sermon.
Marsha Vickers.
Marsha admitted in court that she murdered Joe Siegel but she claimed that she was blinded by love and that it was Sternwood that pushed her into it. Her teary eyes and Oscar-worthy performance moved the jury and she only got 5 years of prison time. When she got out she was still young and beautiful enough to make her dreams come true.
Mr. Sternwood.
Sternwood was pinpointed as the mastermind of this conspiracy and got the full sentence. It was revealed that he was also involved in a series of stock-market frauds. His assets were ceased by the government and got liquidated but they weren't much, since all the real wealth belonged to his wife.
Mrs. Sternwood.
Mrs. Sternwood was devastated by her husband's betrayal, but the butler helped her to recover with his devoted support and his chocolate cakes. Eventually she gained back her cheerfulness and her lost weight.
The Butler.
After the incident he offered his undivided support to Mrs. Sternwood and nurtured her back to her former self. Gradually their professional relationship became much more intimate. Six months after the trial they got married. The Butler was now the master of the mansion.
Ace.
Ace never went to the relaxing vacation he surely deserved after he managed to clear his name, since the publicity brought him a lot of new clients. Dames in distress, shifty macs and shady dudes paraded in his shabby office. He still did most of his talking with his fists. Occasionally he threw a punch to mugger for old-times sake. The next case is just around the corner, somebody had better look out.