MuSR / Who is the most likely murderer?

question

Who is the most likely murderer?

narrative

In the eerie glow of a laser tag arena, Nelson's life tragically ended with an axe, leaving Detective Winston to navigate a web of deception spun by suspects Mackenzie and Erika.

Winston had barely blinked since he started pouring over the case files. Nelson, the financial auditor, was found murdered at a laser tag arena of all places, and the murder weapon: an axe. This was far from the norm and even stranger was the timing of the murder, coinciding with a laser tag game Nelson had been participating in.

The local PD had brought in Mackenzie for questioning. Winston noted she wore an expensive watch, as did Nelson. Seems they had more in common than he had first thought.

Winston entered the interrogation room. Mackenzie didn't look up. He started off the conversation as casually as possible.

"Heard you and Nelson went to play laser tag that very day," Winston asked, with a neutral expression.

"Yeah," answered Mackenzie, "He wanted to blow off some steam after working all day."

"Work must've been tough. Big pressure in the audit department," said Winston, maintaining his tone.

"A lot of discrepancies for sure," Mackenzie replied, her voice a tad more serious this time.

Interesting. Winston remembered Nelson had filed a complaint about anomalies with the funds in the company. He had to change the course of the enquiry slightly.

"I've heard they have some pretty secluded areas in these laser tag arenas. You were spotted heading into one of them shortly before the game during which Nelson was murdered, Mackenzie," said Winston, watching her face closely. She took a deep breath before speaking again.

"I used to work as a lumberjack. I got used to the quiet, you know?" she responded, her eyes never leaving his. "Used to throw axes in college as part of a sport, so I also went into those areas to relax when I had time between games."

Taking a pause himself, Winston said, "And this axe you've recently been seen with?"

"I took it with me that day," she admitted without hesitation. "Thought some kids might like to see some tricks. Used to show 'em off back in my lumberjack days."

Winston nodded, "You certainly know how to handle one."

Suddenly, Winston's phone buzzed with a message. He skimmed through the contents and glanced up at Mackenzie again, now studying her expensive accessories.

"Mackenzie, you made several large cash deposits recently," Winston said, still casual, "Uncommon for your pay grade, no?"

A flash of a defensive posture wasn't lost on Winston. But the room remained silent except for his ensuing words.

"Well, we can get to that later," Winston said standing up and walking to the door, "Take care, Mackenzie."

She nodded, her eyes now transfixed at the solitary light bulb above her.

After leaving the room, Winston exhaled a deep breath. He felt a strange energy from Mackenzie...an air of danger and desperation. But he had to stick to the facts, and the facts alone. Destiny, it seemed, had led him down an unusual path indeed.

Winston studied the crime scene report from the laser tag arena. Nelson was the victim this time. His eyebrows narrowed as he looked at the weapon of question - an axe. Quite a strange telling for such a place.

The next part of Winston’s day led him to Erika, Nelson's travel companion and a former lumberjack champion by trade. Erika was neither surprised by the detective or the fact he wanted to discuss Nelson's demise.

"Erika and Nelson entered the arena together and you were with him the entire time...," he asked in a questioning manner.

"Yes detective, Nelson and I both arrived together and I never left his side until...," she replied in a collected voice.

"An axe in a laser tag arena...," Winston sighed under his breath. Erika's ears seemed to pick on this and she acknowledged the odd presence of the tool.

"Yes, Detective... I noticed that toolbox. I even commented to Nelson about the axe inside it". Her lumberjack past echoed slightly in her voice as she spoke.

She didn't hide that she exhibited high axe-wielding skills - a fact that was common knowledge in her home town. She won numerous lumberjack competitions, after all.

During his investigation, Winston also found that Erika had a habit of using a VPN when browsing the internet, and that she cleared her browsing history after each session. He had to smile at this. In an age when everyone displayed their lives on social media, Erika's avoidance of the platform was quite unique. It was something Winston astutely noticed.

Confirming this observation was Gerald, a companion on their recent travel. "Erika, she's rather private when it comes to the internet. She stays away from social media, and I've seen her clear her browser history after each use," he noted in his conversation with Winston.

He found that confirmed by her college roommate as well. She blushed, then sheepishly said, "Yeah, Erika never really cared for social media. She's always been a private person."

"Erika, I find it quite peculiar that Nelson was found dead just minutes after you two entered the laser tag arena and were together," Winston finally expressed.

Erika's gaze shifted slightly at Winston’s last comment but she remained silent, her face a calm mask.

choices

• Mackenzie
• Erika