The player has an in-game week to solve each mystery; the time ticks down when players do activities such as investigating, traveling, going to the Crime Lab, or even being inactive for too long. If the player takes too long, they are automatically sent back to the Chief, who will brief them on a new case. When following the thief's trail, the player investigates by receiving information on the current location and the next known whereabouts of the crook. (wikipedia.org)