Trial 2

[jinglehellmods]

WHO KILLED CHRISTMAS?

Four hours pass yet again. Thug Dangerzone and Brasco move all the tables together (with no help from Starshine), and once again the dining room becomes a makeshift trial center. Poor Diana's body is carefully laid out on one of the tables. She's covered by a sheet, because frankly her corpse looks a little nauseating, but she's there if anyone needs to look at her.

On each spot at the table is a some cookies and apple cider, and that basket sits remains cheery and present at the center of the tavle. Next to the food is a pen and a small notebook, like the kind they use on police procedural.

After everyone is seated, or at least standing awkwardly around, Brasco stands up on a chair. "I gotta say, I'm pretty disappointed in you all," he says, and you get the sense he honestly means it. "This is way, way more murders than we wanted here! By a significant margin! But at least justice can be served a little. Me and Princess and Thug were looking around some after you guys finished, and we narrowed it down to five different suspects. So figure it out! You've got all day. Go vote when you're sure, and remember: this isn't a joke. Make sure you get it right. When we've got a majority vote, or when it gets too late, we'll decide.

Ready? Start!"

 

19 GUESTS REMAIN

ic profiles | locations | voting

Comments

[originallutece]

Two weeks in a row? For god's sake, there's a dozen other people here, pick someone new.

[thatdarkmage]

Maybe our hosts just don't like you.

[ How nice! ]

[doublesmall]

I guess redheads are naturally suspicious, or something.

[letstrythatagain]

I think it's the hair.

[thedifferencebetween]

Somebody doesn't like you, apparently.

But gotta say...not really sure where you'd be finding the time to run around murdering people.

[codeofmisconduct]

[You know. He's tired.]

I'd like to know exactly what reason they have for choosing five individuals when they have admitted they don't know who is responsible when these things happen.

[He'd like to just rest.]

[transparentanswer]

["We narrowed it down to five different suspects."

He covers his mouth, hands shaking in disbelief. He's actually there. There's no way. Theres' no way he could be voted guilty for this, right?

Diana...]

...You can't be serious.

It was not me.

[commemoration]

They must be mistaken, as I do not believe that you would do something like this.

[especially given his reaction to when Hans died...]

[codeofmisconduct]

Only one is our actual murderer, so naturally there are four innocent suspects as well. I understand it's trying-- I have been here before. But try not to take it too personally. For your own sake.

[doublesmall]

Honestly, you seem too squeamish for it, if you ask me.

[he pauses there, though, adding-]

People can be good actors, though, and someone in a panic can do a pretty respectable amount of damage.

[doublesmall]

Seriously? I wasn't even upstairs last night, there's no way it was me.

[he huffs out a breath, gesturing at his apple cider-]

You mind spiking this? I feel like I'm going to need it. Thanks.

[letstrythatagain]

You weren't? Where were you?

[ahkas]

[ in case he's serious about the spiking, he'll move it away. ]

Don't do that, you won't be able to talk and think properly otherwise.

[princesstarshine]

[ starshine produces a flask from somewhere on her person and just walks on by to slowly drop some vodka in there. ask and ye shall receive, chuuya! ]

[ahkas]

I didn't kill her.

More importantly - there's been a couple of murders already and it's showing no signs of stopping! That's pretty serious when all we've done is to try and live in this holiday house.

[transparentanswer]

...Where were you, the night it happened?

[thedifferencebetween]

Hey, here's a suggestion....you don't want murders happening, maybe take some actual steps to prevent it. 'Cause this is a real ass backwards way of dealing with it.

[theothermrgray]

Agreed.

[theothermrgray]

[Dorian's up. Finally. But he's going to be a bit disgruntled because apparently he missed something important when it happened.]

Look, I don't know who it was, but I thought I heard something rustling about in my room. I thought it might have been the snow at first, so I disregarded it, but now I think I ought to barricade the door from now on.

Honestly, do we have no privacy here at all?

[thatdarkmage]

You did? Hmm, mysterious.

[ Saying this, while smiling. ]

[viperess]

So there will be no justice for the others who died?

[theothermrgray]

I'm beginning to wonder if the true purpose for our stay is to get slaughtered like sheep. I could be wrong.

[happydreamed]

[After sipping a little cider, Kantera will start with his report.]

Diana suffered a large amount of bruising, the worst of which was on her head, which was caved in from the back by a large blunt object - the other bruises match a similar object. Her throat was slit, but that wound had been cleaned up.

She had defensive wounds and blood on her nails, suggesting that she was able to scratch her attacker.

The stall had blood on the walls and on her head, and the towel also had blood on it, but was otherwise dry.

[transparentanswer]

...Why bother cleaning up her throat? She was dead either way, no sense in trying to hide it, right?

[He says, starting down at the table instead of making eye contact with anyone.]

LET'S JUST GET THE STRIP SEARCH OUT OF THE WAY

[happydreamed]

[Kantera clears his throat.]

Since 'tis apparent that the attacker may well be scratched, we may as well proceed with the strip search, if only to have it done and over with. Rider and one other female volunteer will have a look at Rosalind in the next room, while I and one other, non-suspect volunteer will have a look at the men.

[There's more than a few who could qualify.]

Be assured that my examination is purely professional.

[codeofmisconduct]

I can confirm that much, seeing as I've been through this before.

[Hi Kantera. Here they are again. The least he can do is vouch for your professional work.]

some murder weapons?

[transparentanswer]

Oh...Uh...I...

[Right, right. Evidence. With shaky hands, Shintaro places a heavy, wooden nutcracker onto the table. The nutcracker is partly burned and has remnants of blood around the burned portion.

Next, he places down next to it a Half-melted knife.]

For her head...and her throat, I'd guess. They tried to hide the evidence by burning it. Whoever did this was trying really hard to cover up their tracks. Everything was so clean aside from the sink in Room 1 and...

[Third up, he places down a cloth, a piece of what was once a shirt. The cloth has been drenched in blood and ash to the point where you cannot make out what color it was originally.]

They used this. Which they also tried to destroy. And given that I found all of this stuff, I'm certainly not guilty of trying to hide anything.

The nutcracker is from Room 9 which belongs to Sugimoto and Chuuya. The knife must be from the kitchen.

Diana was good to me. I would never hurt her.

[doublesmall]

Or, you knew where to find it and thought discovering it would make you look less suspicious. That doesn't automatically make you innocent.

[acherontiastyx]

Uh. So.

There was blood on the steps, actually. Like, it kind of went halfway down the stairs, pooled there, and then went back up? So I'm thinking maybe Diana was killed on the stairs. Maybe. I mean. I'm not sure.

[letstrythatagain]

Well the showers are on the second floor, so maybe she tried to run away?