Mouse: P.I. For Hire packs 14 optional side jobs into its main campaign, and clearing all of them unlocks the Real Deal Gumshoe trophy and achievement. Every one of them is missable, which is what makes them a problem for completionists. Skip the quest giver, rush through the associated main job, and you lock yourself out until a fresh playthrough.
Quick answer: Accept each side job from the P.I. Office before starting its linked main job, finish the optional objective during that mission, and turn it in afterward. Two side jobs (Between Alpha and Omega, Mouseburg Confidential) are the exceptions — both start during "To Catch a Mockingmouse" aboard the River Fever Line.
How side jobs work in Mouse: P.I. For Hire
Side jobs are accepted from NPCs hanging around the P.I. Office hub. When one becomes available, the quest giver's portrait appears on the compass at the top of the screen, pointing you straight to them. The two River Fever Line jobs only appear on the compass after you talk to the relevant NPCs mid-mission.
Each job ties to a single main mission. You can only complete the optional objective while that main job is active, and once you finish the main mission, any unclaimed side job is gone for that save. Tammy Tumbler is the easiest to miss, since her portrait doesn't always surface on the compass when she has work. If you're chasing the achievement, swing by the P.I. Office after every major story beat.
All 14 side jobs, quest givers, and rewards
| # | Side Job | Main Job | Quest Giver | Reward |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Show Some Culture, Jack | Gumshoe in the Opera | Tammy Tumbler | 100 Coins |
| 2 | Blueprints, Please | Cheeseball Sub | Tammy Tumbler | 2 Schematics |
| 3 | The Things We Keep | "Once Upon a Time..." By Tinsel Bros | Wanda Fuller | 150 Coins |
| 4 | They Call it "Azurro Burgerro" | A Bit of Curd and Pepper | John Brown | 2 Tokens |
| 5 | Fishy Business | Saltwater Cambozo | John Brown | 1 Token |
| 6 | Imported Goods | Saltwater Cambozo | Cornelius Stilton | 400 Coins |
| 7 | Perfect Bog Fondue | Damp Evidence | John Brown | 2 Tokens |
| 8 | Oh Yes... They Float | It All Points Here, Right? | Millie Curd | Jeremiah Curd Baseball Card |
| 9 | Between Alpha and Omega | To Catch a Mockingmouse | BMP Yes-Man (Cigar Room II) | 50 Coins |
| 10 | Mouseburg Confidential | To Catch a Mockingmouse | Undercover Agent (Deck II) | 2 Coins |
| 11 | Poster Girl | "The Bookkeeper" By Tinsel Bros | Tammy Tumbler | 3 Schematics |
| 12 | Behind the Nuts | One Flew | Tammy Tumbler | 3 Schematics |
| 13 | Slugs in the Shell | Glugging from the Deep | John Brown | 1 Token |
| 14 | Friends in Deep Places | Glugging from the Deep | Cameron Bozo | Jacob "Cheesehead" McQueen Baseball Card |
Side Job 1: Show Some Culture, Jack
Pick this up from Tammy Tumbler after unlocking Gumshoe in the Opera. The objective is a single photo during the fiery escape from the opera house. Beat the boss, follow the main corridor, and stop at the balcony when the prompt to photograph the audience below appears. Return to Tammy for 100 coins.
Side Job 2: Blueprints, Please
Accept from Tammy at Tammy's Bearings once Cheeseball Sub opens up. Near the end of the level, after the final typewriter and a vent crawl, you'll see a locked door. Tailpick it, flip the lever inside to activate an updraft, and glide up using Tail-a-Choppa. Hop across to the suspended train car and grab the Interesting Blueprint. Tammy gives you 2 Schematics.
Side Job 3: The Things We Keep
Wanda Fuller, inside Little & Big, hands this one out during "Once Upon a Time..." By Tinsel Bros. Push through the movie set shootout until you reach the family show set — kitchen, seating area, and tables. Wanda's Letter sits on a pile of rope near the exit (on a bookshelf in the southwest corner). Deliver it for 150 coins.
Side Job 4: They Call it "Azurro Burgerro"
John Brown offers this during A Bit of Curd and Pepper. At the Opera Ruins' entrance staircase, ignore the locked door straight ahead. Turn left and use Grapple Tail to swing across hooks to a wooden platform, then hop through the hole in the wall. Down the stairs is a bone pile hot enough to cook John's patty — hold the interact input on the fire. Two Tokens for the delivery.
Side Job 5: Fishy Business
Also from John, tied to Saltwater Cambozo. After blowing up the water tower, follow the main path past the large anchor and through the building. Jack will comment on a stench. Look down into the chasm with the destroyed floor for the Marina 8-ED Herring. You'll take damage while retrieving it, so be quick. One Token.
Side Job 6: Imported Goods
Cornelius Stilton, same main mission as Fishy Business. After speaking with Cameron Bozo and dropping into the enemy-filled yard, look to the upper-left corner for a door hidden behind breakable crates. Tailpick it, and the Herbal Cheese Sticks are waiting on a desk inside. Reward: 400 coins.
Side Job 7: Perfect Bog Fondue
This is the most involved side job in the game. John Brown starts it during Damp Evidence. Enter the shack left of the mine exit and speak with the Old Cheeselegger — he wants three "thingies" collected across the level.
| Thingie | Location |
|---|---|
| 1 | Second mine section, on the lower platform near the elevator, in front of a stack of boxes |
| 2 | Inside the mansion, same room where you blow up a wall to progress (on a cheese wheel stack) |
| 3 | Swamp area, on top of the crashed boat near the smokestacks |
After gathering all three, continue until you escape the Cheeselegger's hideout. Near the pier, turn around — the Old Cheeselegger is sitting on a pile of cheese tucked behind the building. Hand over the thingies, take the recipe back to John, and pocket 2 Tokens.
Side Job 8: Oh Yes... They Float
Millie Curd's only side job. Accept it during It All Points Here, Right? Inside the Secret Show area, open the door that requires 4 Secret Show tickets, then head to the far-left side of the next area. A booth sells the Pack of Deflated Balloons for 25 coins. Millie rewards the Jeremiah Curd Baseball Card.
Side Job 9: Between Alpha and Omega
This one doesn't start at the P.I. Office. During To Catch a Mockingmouse, you'll enter Cigar Room II through a vent in Cabin IV. The BMP Yes-Man inside hands you the job. Once you have the Membership Card, the double door in Cigar Room II opens — head down to Deck I. Near the shortcut back to the start of the area, photograph the wife through the window next to it. Return for 50 coins.
Side Job 10: Mouseburg Confidential
Also a River Fever Line job, picked up from the Undercover Agent on Deck II. Climb to Deck III, enter the area with the band playing, and take a picture of the BMP agents huddled in the left corner. Reward is a meager 2 coins, but it's one of the 14 you need.
Side Job 11: Poster Girl
Tammy Tumbler again, during "The Bookkeeper" By Tinsel Bros. The Western Backlot level has a parkour section in the bottomless film set — after it, you'll run into an extra wearing a hat, glasses, and trench coat. The "Triumph of Willie" movie poster is on the brick wall by the staircase just past them. 3 Schematics from Tammy.
Side Job 12: Behind the Nuts
Start this with Tammy before beginning One Flew. Inside the Curdsville Nuthouse, a letter near the Jar-Head gun spells out the musical notes C-A-G-E. On the second floor of the main area, past Millie, cross the bridge and look left for a piano. Play C, A, G, E in order — a bridge lowers, opening a cell wing. Photograph Gloria in one of the cells and head back to Tammy for 3 Schematics.
Side Job 13: Slugs in the Shell
John Brown, during Glugging from the Deep. Early in Fart Harbor, after clearing the first alley and passing through the gate, look forward and left for a shipping container. The Can of Sea Slugs is inside. Hand it to John for 1 Token.
Side Job 14: Friends in Deep Places
Cameron Bozo's only side job, also tied to Glugging from the Deep. Once you assemble the full diving suit and head underwater, continue until you reach a large open area with a submarine visible on the right. Climb the nearby ladder and follow the path to its end to find Sleeps with the Fishes. Talk to him, then return to Cameron for the Jacob "Cheesehead" McQueen Baseball Card.
How to know the achievement tracks correctly
Each completed side job is logged on your case board, and the quest giver's portrait disappears from the compass after turn-in. If you finish the final main mission without all 14 checked off, Real Deal Gumshoe won't pop, and there's no way to revisit a completed level from the same save. The safest workflow is to stop at the P.I. Office between every main mission, talk to every NPC standing near Soup to Nuts and Little & Big, and confirm no portraits are still visible before starting the next story beat.
Tammy Tumbler is the single biggest trap here — four of her jobs are tied to different main missions, and her compass portrait is inconsistent. Treat Tammy's Bearings as a mandatory pitstop whenever a new main job unlocks.