House of Sticks is an Arson case in L.A. Noire, although it does not involve the police. It is the first of three cases in the game in which you play as Jack Kelso rather than Cole Phelps.
Walkthrough
California Fire and Life
At the beginning of this case, a cutscene shows Elsa Lichtmann walking into the office of Jack Kelso. They have a conversation about a $20,000 insurance settlement that has been offered to Elsa Lichtmann, which she is declining and is requesting Jack to investigate possible insurance fraud. She claims that her friend, Lou Buchwalter's death was a result of foul play. You are now playing as Jack Kelso.
Jack gets a file about the investigation:
- Turn the pink slip over and scroll down the paper to reveal your first clue.
Close the file and Jack will begin questioning Elsa:
| Question | Response | Response (Remaster) | Evidence | Clue/Location/P.O.I/Lead/Objective |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Disputed Claim Payout | Doubt | Truth | ||
| Connection to Buchwalter | Doubt | Truth | ||
| Motive for Dispute | Truth | Truth |
After questioning Elsa, a cut scene will occur giving you another clue. As Elsa leaves, Jack flirts with her and obtains her phone number. Then a secretary enters your office, requesting you follow her upstairs to Curtis Benson's office. Once there, another cutscene will cue, directing you to visit the Elysian Fields Development.
Playing as Jack is similar to playing as Cole, with only two major differences: he doesn't have a partner and he does not get a change of outfits (which means Jack does not have access to the extra protection, ammo, or strength provided by Cole's various outfits). As Jack, the player can continue to search for film reels, landmarks, and other pickups, and has access to all the hidden vehicle garages available to Cole.
NOTE: The vehicle driven by Jack when he leaves the office is unique; if you have found all the other vehicles in the game, entering the car will award the Auto Fanatic achievement.
Elysian Fields
Once you arrive, walk into the construction trailer to the left. Examine the desks in the trailer to find three clues:
- Demolition Order
- Company Memo
- Cement Delivery Receipt
Now leave the trailer to reveal another cutscene. After the cutscene, beat up the foreman in a fight. He will then give you the address to the house where Lou Buchwalter died. Then, walk or drive to the house. The building has been demolished.
- Go to the rear of the rubble and examine the wood marked by a red flag. Select the bottom piece of wood and you place two broken pieces of wood together to form the words "Keystone Films."
Another cutscene will occur, when Jack realizes that Elysian Fields bought the lumber for the site from used film studio lumber, unsuitable for building with.
Then, the foreman whom you fought with will chase you through a large trench with a bulldozer.
This can be a very frustrating chase, and if the bulldozer so much as touches Jack, the case ends in failure. There are several methods for surviving the chase.
- First, it is not necessary to shoot and kill the driver. The chase route includes two wide platforms. If you stop on these platforms and turn and shoot at the bulldozer, the driver automatically slows down. This gives Jack enough time to reach the end of the course (once he jumps the pipes at the end and reaches the ladder, he's home free. This is the method used in one of the online video walkthrough here. The video walkthough at the bottom of this article follows a similar tactic, except Jack shoots at the bulldozer from ground level between obstacles).
- For players more skillful with the controls and gunplay, after you jump the first hurdle, aim at the bulldozer to slow him down. Continue to run and aim your gun again when you hear the bulldozer speeding up. If you are very quick, you can kill the driver.
- Alternately, a good tactic is to run to the third obstacle and aim at the middle of the bulldozer, just before the bulldozer demolishes this platform, the foreman's head will be visible and you can shoot him before he gets to you (stand on the end closest to the foreman, and make sure you've already slowed down the bulldozer).
- If the previous is too hard, go to the third obstacle again and do not climb it. Wait until the bulldozer is very close and, if timed right, without holding the run button, climb the obstacle. The bulldozer will go through you and destroy the obstacle; however, you will be alive and wind up behind it with a clear shot of the foreman.
Now use your mini-map to locate and use a gamewell. The operator will give you the address to your next location, Keystone Film Studios.
Keystone Film Studios
After you arrive at the studio and talk to the security guard there, jump the fence to the right and examine the wood pile closest to your car to find a clue: Inferior Quality Lumber. Turn around to examine another wood pile to reveal another clue: Lumber Delivery Receipt. Now jump the same fence you jumped earlier, look to the right, and jump that fence.
Run to the back and on the left, you will see a sign for the Screening Room. Enter and examine the projector in the center of the room. Adjust the knobs on the projector to play a movie and reveal a clue: Film. Turn around and examine the desk on the left to reveal another clue: Film Canister.
Once all the clues have been located, go back to the security shack to use the telephone to call Curtis Benson. He demands that you meet with Elsa that night and tell her to accept the $20,000 payout or else. After you use the phone, a cut scene cues, giving you more insight into the story. The cutscene will show Jack talking to Elsa at the Blue Room Jazz Club, then Elsa talking to Cole Phelps.
Then, drive to the second Elysian Fields construction site.
Elysian Fields Site Two
Once you arrive at the site, investigate the house under construction with the flickering lights. Once you go upstairs, a cutscene will trigger and you will be forced to fight three mobsters. You will ultimately lose and will be thrown into the trunk of their car. Another cutscene will follow where Jack manages to roll out of the trunk of the car.
Then, take the car stopped in the street in front of the Elysian Fields office and drive through back alleyways and side streets to get to Elsa's apartment to evade them. If they are still following you, disable their cars to successfully evade them.
You can also escape the mobsters easily by using the car you steal to run over the mobster shooting at you from the alleyway. Take his gun and kill the remaining mobsters. Jack will act like he lost them. Then drive to Elsa's apartment. You can use this and still get a 5 star rating.
If you have trouble taking them out or trying to lose them, take alleyways or shortcuts instead of main roads to aid your escape. Keep them behind your car so that you won't be shot.
Once you arive Elsa's apartment, a cutscene will trigger, showing Elsa and Cole after Jack passes out on the floor from being beaten by the mobsters. He is then taken to the medical clinic (not shown) featured in the next case.
Trivia
- Even if you have subdued all enemies after escaping from the trunk, the mobsters who knocked you out will still show up and try to kill you in the next case.
- Cole Phelps can be seen wearing the Hawkshaw outfit when Jack Kelso enters Elsa's apartment.
- You can steal any of the mobsters' cars to progress towards getting the Auto Fanatic achievement.
- Surprisingly, given that pedestrians on the street make reference to the Elsa/Cole Phelps affair being all over the newspapers, Jack appears to be totally unaware of the connection between Elsa and Phelps as the case begins, even to the point of flirting with her and asking for her address.
- You can enter the California Fire and Life building and fully explore it -- including Kelso and Benson's office -- during the Vice/Arson Desk Free Roam.
- While investigating on the building site where Lou Buchwalter died, you can hear a worker telling a joke : "Two peanuts walked in the street. One was assaulted."
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