L.A. Noire/House of Sticks

This case will be played as Jack Kelso. It starts with Elsa Lichtmann coming to see you with her settlement check, demanding that you investigate her friend's death. Take a look through the case file and read the writeup on the death of Ms. Lichtmann's friend. To determine whether your new client is serious, ask her some questions about her involvement in the claim to make sure she's on the level.

She seems sincere, so you'll take the case. After she leaves you her number and takes off, the secretary will take you up to the boss' office. While he tests out his new putter, your boss, Curtis Benson, will ask you what Ms. Lichtmann wanted. He's not happy to be fielding questions about the case and anything involving his friends over at Elysian Fields. In fact, he gets pretty upset and tells you to just make Mrs. Lichtmann sign the documents, instead of investigating the case. You're not really cut out to just drop something like this, so it's time to check out what really happened on that job site.

Elysian Fields Site
No one's in the trailer at the site, so take a look around before they get back and see what you can turn up.

Outside, the site manager will confront you and refuses to answer questions. He's so belligerent he wants to fight, so knock him around a bit and get directions to the accident site from him.

Demolished House
Right around the corner is a big pile of rubble where the house once stood. Take a look around and see if you find out if there was any funny business with the way it all came down on Buchwalter's head.

While you're investigating the pile of lumber, the site manager will get on a bulldozer and chase you down a gully filled with platforms. As you run away, you'll need to climb the platforms, then turn around and aim at the driver to make him raise his plow and slow him down. When he does, jump down and run to the next obstacle. Keep up this tactic until you can climb out the other end. When you make it out, go down the street a bit and use the gamewell to get the address for the Keystone Film company.

Keystone Film Studios
There's a security guard at the gate to the film lot, and he tells you they've been closed for years. Apparently it's owned by the Suburban Redevelopment and for a couple bucks the guard can be convinced to take a walk. There are two gates outside the shack that you can jump (the ones without barbed wire on top). Hop the fence and look around the lot for clues.

In the "screening room" inside the southern building, you'll find a projector with a film reel in it. Adjust the knobs so you can watch the film by moving the top knob until the film is in focus, then flip the switch at the bottom to make the film play forward instead of backward. Lastly, use the second knob to adjust the speed until it's playing normally. On screen you'll watch a meeting between the city's rich and powerful discussing their plans to rip off the populace and perpetrate a fraud worth millions. Go back to the guard post and use the telephone to call your boss and ask him about the Suburban Redevelopment Fund. He refuses to talk about his involvement in the fraud, so ring up Ms. Lichtmann and set up a meeting at the Blue Room.

Elysian Fields Site Two
After trying to get Ms. Lichtmann to accept the insurance claim, you'll go check out the site the security guard mentioned earlier. Gate is locked, but you see a suspicious light across the street in one of the supposedly empty houses. Head across the street and check it out. Upstairs you'll be ambushed by three thugs with guns, although they'll happily fight you hand to hand if you want. No matter how well you do, they'll eventually overpower you and throw you in the trunk of their car. Back at the site office, they'll call their boss, Leland Monroe, and get the go ahead to rub you out as well as Ms. Lichtmann.

Back on the road you'll escape from the trunk and then you'll have to get into a vehicle and make your way to Ms. Lichtmann's apartment before the bad guys can get her. Stick to the back roads and alleyways to lose your pursuers, who come from all directions. First you'll want to head through the neighborhoods, then stay on the backroad up to her apartment complex. The bad guys won't follow you unless you're on the main road, and if you do destroy your car too much to drive, you can even pull them out of one of theirs and take it the rest of the way. When you make it to the apartment, Phelps and Lichtmann will take care of you for the end of the case.