This mission takes place while Cole Phelps is assigned to the Traffic Squad in L.A.P.D.’s Central Division and his partner is Stefan Bekowsky. Captain Gordon Leary explains the case.
A brand new Packard is reported abandoned in an empty lot off 2nd Street, between Olive and Grand. Local Resident Oswald Jacobs maintains that the vehicle was dumped in his backyard.
Key Clue Checklist: Station Briefing
- Abandoned vehicle
Objectives
- Investigate Jacob’s Backyard.
- Interview Oswald Jacobs.
- Trace Address for “Dewey Brothers”.
- Investigate Dewey Brothers Dealership.
- Interview William Dewey.
- Return to Central Station.
- Interrogate Juan Valdez.
- Investigate Del Gado’s Residence.
- Interview Anna Rodriguez.
- Attend Santa Fe Avenue Street Race.
- Apprehend Gabriel Del Gado.
Case Report
Total Number of Key Clues 17
Total Number of Interview Questions 13
Fail Conditions
- Phelps, Bekowsky, or suspect dies.
- Lose Del Gado.
- Crime Scene is Contaminated.
- Phelps is spotted tailing or loses Anna
- (if you do not learn of Del Gado’s
- location from her).
Location: Jacob’s Backyard
Travel to Jacob’s Backyard Crime Scene.
The mission begins at the Central Police Station 
. Open your notebook to locations. Jacob’s Backyard is already selected as your current destination in a residential area in Central L.A. Exit the station, hop into the detective car parked out front, and wait for Bekowsky to join you. Follow the yellow flag blip on the mini-map to the crime scene 
.
Investigate the crime scene.
Your arrival at the crime scene triggers a brief cut-scene: a patrol cop, Officer Houlihan, directs you to the abandoned car in the alleyway. A second officer greets you and explains that this is probably a diplomatic vehicle, indicated by the presence of flag ornaments. He also points out Mr. Jacobs on his porch, reporting that he was first on the scene.
Examine the car.
All the evidence is found within the crime scene barricade. Approach the abandoned vehicle and head for the open driver’s side door. Notice the yellow crime scene evidence marker labeled “A”: the Registration Slip clue is added to your notebook. You learn the Argentinean Embassy owns the vehicle and get the license plate number. This info is added to the marker “B” clue, once you investigate the missing license plate.
Now investigate the front of the vehicle, focusing on evidence marker “B”: the Missing License Plates. If you do not investigate maker “A”, you will never have the actual license number added to this clue in your notebook.
Work your way around the vehicle to the front passenger-side wheel and investigate evidence marker “C”: the Missing Wheel. Cole claims that stealing wheels is for amateurs; a professional car ring would have stripped it in a warehouse.
You can open the vehicle’s trunk, but it’s empty. Work your way around the car again to the front driver’s side wheel. Cole will take a close look at the flag ornament and compare it to the broken flagpole on the passenger side. This adds the clue Missing Argentinean Flag to your notebook.
Examine the surrounding area.
Find evidence marker “D” in the gravel just beyond the vehicle: a Dewey Bros Wrench used to remove the wheel lugs. Turn the wrench until you enter a closer view of the inscription on it: “property of Dewey Bros”. This adds a new objective: Trace Address for Dewey Brothers. Once you make a phone call, the Dewey Bros location is added to your notebook, but wait to use the gamewell until after your interview with Oswald Jacobs since more phone requests will arise.
Interview the witness.
If you’ve followed our directions, the investigation music stops here, indicating you’ve gathered all of the key clues at this location. Now it’s time to interview Oswald Jacobs. Find him on the porch that the abandoned vehicle is facing to trigger the interview sequence. After Oswald gives you some preliminary information (which adds the “StolenPackard” clue to your Evidence page), the Questions page of your notebook pops up.
Key Clue Checklist: Jacob’s Backyard
- Stolen Packard
- Registration slip
- Missing license plates
- Missing wheel
- Missing Argentinean flag
- Dewey Bros wrench
Interview: Oswald Jacobs
Topic: Witness report
When Phelps asks the witness: “Who stole the Packard?” Oswald explains that he was looking out his window last night and saw three Mexicans going to work on the abandoned vehicle. He looks you dead in the eye. He’s telling the truth.
Correct Assessment: Good Cop
Select Good Cop and Cole follows up by asking about the Mexicans. Oswald says they were using headlights of an old Ford to strip the Packard. They left “tooting and hollering” after Jacobs threatened to call the
cops. This adds the clue: Old Ford to your notebook.
Topic: Hispanic suspects
Detective Phelps asks Oswald if he went anywhere near the car after the Mexicans left. Jacobs proclaims he didn’t go anywhere near the car, uttering this with squinty eyes.
Correct Assessment: Bad Cop
He’s stretching the truth, but you don’t have any evidence to call him a liar. Select Bad Cop to force Oswald to admit he had a look around. That’s evidently all he did, though.
Topic: Possible suspect vehicle
Finally, Phelps asks Oswald to try to identify the Mexicans’ vehicle. Oswald tells you that it was an Old Ford and that he failed to catch the license number. He looks you directly in the eyes with no fidgeting.
Correct Assessment: Good Cop
Selecting Good Cop pulls a little more info out of Jacobs as he announces that the car was old, but looked brand new. Candy apple red paint job.
Topic: Vehicle stripped of parts
When Phelps asks Oslwald what the Mexicans took from the scene, he replies that they were working on the tires and that’s all they took. The old man gives you a stinky grin, again with the squinty eyes. You recognize it as another lie, but you still don’t have the evidence to back it up.
Correct Assessment: Bad Cop
Phelps threatens to have his partner pat down the witness if he doesn’t come clean about what he took from the crime scene. With that, Oswald Jacobs admits to taking a notebook from the glove compartment and points to the chair on his porch.
When the interview ends, walk up onto the porch and take the stolen notebook from Oswald’s chair. This adds the new P.O.I: Juan Francisco Valdez. Open the notebook to add the clue: Valdez’snotebook.
Turn the page in Valdez’s notebook to discover a new P.O.I: William Dewey, a name similar to the one on the wrench.
Use the gamewell
Follow the blue phone icon on the mini-map to locate the gamewell, which is fixed to a nearby telephone pole. Use the phone to run the name “Dewey Bros”. The operator comes back with an address and the business name: Dewey Bros Packard Dealership. This adds the new objective “Investigate Dewey Brothers Dealership” and updates the location: Dewey Bros Dealership.
Next, Phelps has the operator connect John Madsen’s number. His mother answers and says her 16-year-old boy is currently at school. Finally, Cole checks his messages and discovers that a four-door Packard with the matching license plate was reported missing this morning by a Juan Francisco Valdez, who is at Central demanding an audience. This adds the new objective: Interview Juan Valdez. It also sets Central Police Station as a new location in your notebook.
Key Clue Checklist: Jacob’s Backyard Continued
- Valdez’s notebook
Drive to Dewey Bros Dealership.
After interviewing Oswald Jacobs and using the gamewell to gain additional leads, you have the choice of going to Dewey’s Packard Dealership or Central to interview Juan Valdez. We suggest heading to Dewey’s Dealership 
first. It’s just a few blocks southwest of your location.
Location: Dewey Bros Dealership
When you reach the dealership, William Dewey, the proprietor of the business, greets you. Phelps announces that he and his partner are investigating the theft of a Packard belonging to the Argentine Embassy. Cole starts in with the missing wrench from Dewey’s garage.
Follow William Dewey
After asking Dewey about the missing wrench belonging to the dealership, he asks you to follow him. Walk behind Mr. Dewey inside the nearby garage. He stops and faces a workbench along the left wall.
Investigate the garage.
Face the tool rack on the left wall of the garage; investigate further when you hear the chime. Phelps observes the scattered wrenches on the bench that have not been replaced on the pegboard.
Select each tool individually and place the correct wrench in its corresponding pegboard space. There are three wrenches marked in yellow, and two red ones. Once all of them are in the correct spaces, you learn that the missing red wrench space should contain a 3/4-inch variety—the same wrench found at the crime scene. The mechanic assigned to this wrench is Gabriel Del Gado.
This discovery earns you the new objective: Locate Gabriel Del Gado (the mechanic’s name is at the top of the red marked wrenches). Gabriel Del Gado becomes a new P.O.I. and the Stolen Wrench clue is updated.
The investigation music continues to play after completing the wrench mini-game. There are various tools and license plates throughout the garage, but you must investigate the line of plates hanging on the wall to the left of the wrench pegboard mini-game to find all the clues and stop the investigation music. Upon close inspection, Cole learns that none of the plates hanging there is the diplomatic type.
Speak with William Dewey.
The investigation music stops, indicating that you’ve found all key clues. Time to talk to William Dewey. Exit the garage and walk toward the showroom to begin the interview sequence.
Key Clue Checklist: Dewey Bros Dealership
- Stolen Wrench
Interview: William Dewey
Topic: Association with Valdez
When Phelps asks about Dewey’s association with Valdez, Dewey denies knowing the man and says the Embassy purchased the vehicle. He shifts his eyes, swallows, and nervously sways. He’s lying and you have proof.
Correct Assessment: Accuse
Evidence: Valdez’s notebook
You can show proof of their acquaintance by producing the Valdez’s notebook evidence collected from a successful Oswald Jacobs interview. William admits meeting Valdez in a bar and cutting him a deal on the vehicle.
Topic: Whereabouts of Del Gado
Phelps asks if he knows where they can find Del Gado. William Dewey throws his arms up in the air and proclaims he has no idea while conveying that same doubtful look you’ve seen before.
Correct Assessment: Bad Cop
With the correct response selection, Phelps presses the question with a threat of violence and William produces an address: Apartment 3, 103 Hill Street. This adds the new objective: Investigate Del Gado’s Residence. It also adds Del Gado’s Residence as a new location in your notebook.
Topic: Wrench used in auto theft
Phelps asks about the wrench from his dealership being used to strip the wheels from the abandoned vehicle. Dewey claims the tool was stolen from his business in a spate of thefts. The salesman is a pretty good liar; he looks you in the eye, but his lips tighten too much to force an expressionless face. You have no proof that he is lying.
Correct Assessment: Bad Cop
Selecting Bad Cop causes Phelps to press the question with more force. Dewey admits to hiring a few illegals that have a tendency to lift things from the shop.
Drive back to Central Police Station
To attain all the clues in this case, you must return to Central Station 
to interrogate Juan Valdez, who has walked into the station on his own accord. When you arrive, a conversation is triggered with the watch commander at the front desk. He tells Phelps that Valdez is in Interview Room 2.
Interview the witness.
Walk into the hallway to the right of the front desk to find the witness. Enter the room and approach the table to interview Juan Valdez. Juan asks if you are the senior officer he requested. You introduce yourself and your partner. Valdez displays his impatience and expresses his dissatisfaction with being treated like a criminal.
Interview: Juan Francisco Valdez
Topic: Packard purchase history
Cole asks Valdez where he purchased the car. He responds, “My secretary and driver arranged the purchase…” He squints his eyes and fidgets in his seat.
Correct Assessment: Bad Cop
Choose Bad Cop and Phelps questions Valdez’s frugal purchase, then threatens violence. Juan offers Dewey’s bribe to pacify your need for a straight answer. This adds “Alleged Bribery” to the clues in your notebook.
Topic: Theft of consular vehicle.
Cole tells the consul general that he has found his vehicle and wants to know how it was stolen. Juan suggests that it could have been stolen from the consular garage. He gives you the same look you detected after the first answer.
Correct Assessment: Bad Cop
Cole sees through the consul’s white lie, but has no evidence to back up his suspicion. Choosing Bad Cop is the correct response and Juan coughs up the name “Gabriel”, a disgruntled boy from the dealership.
Topic: Association with “Gabriel”.
Cole asks about Juan’s run in with Gabriel. Juan identifies him as a presumptuous young mechanic and offers no further information. This time, Juan looks down at the table and fidgets more nervously in his seat. He’s lying.
Correct Assessment: Accuse
Evidence: Valdez’s notebook
Choose Valdez’s notebook to back up your accusation. Cole reads off the names from the notebook labeled “full lips”. Caught red-handed, Juan describes their not-so-romantic encounter. This ends the interrogation successfully.
Drive to Gabriel Del Gado’s Residence
Proceed to Gabriel Del Gado’s Residence 
to continue your pursuit of the wrench thief.
Key Clue Checklist: Police Station
- Alleged bribery
Location: Gabriel Del Gado’s Residence
Del Gado’s apartment is only a block north from the crime scene. Enter the blue apartment building (looks like a large house), check the mail piled up on the floor to the left (verifying that Del Gado lives there), and walk up two flights of stairs to reach the first floor. Del Gado’s apartment (#3) is the first door on the right, at the top of the stairs.
His girlfriend, Anna Rodriguez, answers the door and says that Gabriel is not home. Her name is added as a P.O.I. Bekowsky escorts her to the sofa and sits with her while you have a look around the apartment.
Investigate the living area.
Approach the dining area to the left of the couch. On the table you can find the Stolen Argentinean Flag in a small vase. Now work your way down the hallway to the bedrooms. Along the way, you can pick up and inspect the picture on the cabinet. It’s a photo of Del Gado with his car. This is not a major clue, however.
Investigate the kitchen.
Find the kitchen at the end of the hallway. Investigate the Breakfast Plates on the table. There are plenty of signs here that two people have recently eaten a meal together.
Investigate the tool shed.
Exit the apartment through the back door in the kitchen and follow the balcony stairs down to the backyard. You find a small tool shed with a golden doorknob. Open the door and enter. Inside is the diplomatic Stolen Plates: PR706 in a crate, along the right wall as you enter. On the left wall, you can easily find the Stolen Wheels leaning against a shelf.
Interview the de facto partner of Del Gado.
After finding all the clues, the investigation music ends. Return to the apartment living room to interview Anna.
Key Clue Checklist: Del Gado Residence
- Stolen Argentinean flag
- Breakfast plates
- Stolen plates: PR706
- Stolen Wheels
Interview: Anna Rodriguez
Topic: Last Contact with Gabriel
Phelps asks for the truth, “Has Gabriel been here?” She responds she hasn’t seen him for at least three nights, but makes this statement with a sideways, squinty-eyed glance and smirk. You know she’s lying and you have proof.
Correct Assessment: Accuse
Evidence: Stolen Argentinean flag or Breakfast plates
Select the Stolen flag or the Breakfast plates to prove that Gabriel, in fact, has recently been at his residence. Cole claims that there are signs all over the place proving he’s been back. Anna admits that he was home last night. He was very angry and put some stuff in the shed.
Topic: Motive for auto theft
Phelps asks Anna why Gabriel stole the car. She says the customer insulted him and honor persuaded his actions. She angrily looks you in the eye, showing no signs of hiding feelings.
Correct Assessment: Good Cop
Selecting Good Cop draws more information out of Anna. She says that Gabriel’s manliness was questioned and to prove otherwise, he stole the vehicle.
Topic: Diplomatic plates recovered
Cole asks Anna about the stolen diplomatic license plate and other evidence found in the shed. She claims to know nothing about those items and that you should take that up with Gabriel.
Correct Assessment: Bad Cop
Select Bad Cop to threaten her with jail time for obstruction of justice. This provokes Anna to tell you the location of the street race starting line. You can find Gabriel there. This adds the new objective: Attend Santa Fe Avenue Street Race. It also adds the Illegal Street Race to the location section of your notebook.
Topic: Whereabouts of Gabriel
If your previous questioning goes badly, this fourth interview question appears. Cole tells Anna that Gabriel was not at work and asks where they can find him. She says he’s out driving around.
Correct Assessment: Good Cop
Select Good Cop and Anna admits that he is out with his friends, Julian and Enrique, and reveals the location of the street race.
Drive to the Illegal Street Race.
Follow the yellow blip on the mini-map to the Illegal Street Race on Santa Fe Avenue 
. When you near the location, Bekowsky spots Del Gado’s red Ford just as the flag is waved, signaling the start of the street race.
You gain control of your vehicle just behind the pack of racers heading south on Santa Fe Ave. The red vehicle icons on the mini-map represent all the illegal racers, including Gabriel. Smash the competitors in the rear side panels to spin them out of the way and approach the lead car—Del Gado.
If you lag too far behind, a train will cross your path at 4th Street, cutting you off from Del Gado. Catching up to him at that point will be nearly impossible. The lesson learned: attack the competitors without slowing your progress toward Gabriel. If you fail, the challenge begins again at the start of the race.
At the police roadblock, Gabriel veers left under the 6th Street bridge and heads directly for the flood control channel. He veers left when he reaches the channel and drives through bumper-high water. Get on his tail and follow him as he drives along the slanted channel wall. Avoid the doorway openings; falling in the doorway cutouts could put a sudden halt to your pursuit.
Follow him up the off-ramp on the left. This sends you sailing through the air and over a moving train. Slam into his vehicle as you land the jump.
Arrest Gabriel Del Gado.
This stunt over the train ends Gabriel’s run. Get out of the vehicle and apprehend Del Gado. You can shoot Del Gado dead here, but a lower star rating is received as a result of this.
Afterward, watch the cut-scene as Captain Gordon Leary commends Phelps on his textbook policing.