MuSR / Who is the most likely murderer?

question

Who is the most likely murderer?

narrative

When Howard was found dead in his home office, strangled by a coil of barbed wire, it fell to Detective Winston to sift through lies of the prime suspects: Eric and Priscilla.

Winston sighed as he glanced at the report of the latest murder. Howard, killed in his home office, and with barbed wire of all things. Admittedly, he wasn't an animal lover, but the fact the murderer was brazen enough to use something like that was unnerving.

Getting out of his car, he approached the home of his latest suspect, Eric. A pet groomer by trade, who Howard had hired frequently to look after his pets. The peculiar thing about Eric was not only that he used barbed wire to fence the more adventurous pets in check, but that he always carried his work tools, barbed wire included, to his clients' homes. 

A neighbor had once mentioned how often he'd seen Eric hauling his grooming tools to his van, barbed wire coils included, and he frequently overheard the sound of water running from Eric's place, leading to reports of an unusually high water bill for Eric last month. The bill was discussed by the locals, and how this pet groomer used a lot of water in his duties wasn't lost on them.

Winston knocked on the door, greeted by a man with sincere eyes and the faint smell of animal shampoo.

“You're Eric, right?” said Winston.

“That’s correct” the man replied with a friendly smile.

"And you groom pets, correct?" Winston continued.

"That's right. I love animals. Even work with barbed wire to keep the more... adventurous ones in check. People in the neighborhood could tell you that. My next-door neighbor always sees me taking my work tools, including the wire, to my clients' homes and he hears the water running as well. You know, cause of bathing and grooming."

“Hmm,..." Winston hummed, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "You ever work at Howard's place?"

“Of course!" Eric exclaimed quickly. "Known him, his fiancee Gloria, and his pets for a while now. Have them on top of my customer list, along with a large number of other cat and dog owners.”

“Gloria?” Winston probed.

Eric's face flushed, “Yes, I've known her for years, almost ten now. I visit her often for work, and...”

"Anything else about Gloria?" Winston interrupted.

Eric paused for a moment before responding, “She’s special, Gloria. Kind to everything and everyone, she often showed me signs of warmth and kindness."

As Winston observed Eric, he noticed a notebook lying open on a nearby table. Flipping to the appointments section, he found a number of entries for cat and dog owners, confirming Eric's busy schedule. One page, however, caught his attention: a diary page with 'I love Gloria' written numerous times, speaking volumes about Eric's feelings for her.

"Thank you for your time, Eric," Winston finally said. As he headed towards the door, he turned and asked, "Howard's office, fur on the barbed wire used?"

Eric nodded. "Yes, found it quite odd. Normally, I only groom pets in their homes."

Exiting the home, he made his way back to his car, a new collection of information swirling in his head. Winston had an uneasy feeling about this Eric. He made a mental note to have Eric’s diary and customer list with a number of cat and dog owners entered into evidence. There were a lot of dots to connect and they seemed to be dancing around in his head.

The blaring sirens came to a halt as Winston arrived at where the latest gruesome killing had taken place. Howard, a man who liked his quiet and often threw himself into work, found dead in his home office. According to initial reports, the murder weapon seemed to be a strand of barbed wire. Winston proceeded towards the crime scene, trying to keep his senses sharp to any clues he might find.

Priscilla was a person of interest in the case. Tied to a string of crimes that included the use of barbed wire, she seemed more suspicious with every detail. Winston would be remiss if he didn't get all the facts about her lined up and ready. Priscilla, an ex-military personnel, stood out for her lack of an alibi during the time of murder. Winston made a note to conduct a thorough interrogation.

While going over the diagrams and photos of the scene, Winston found that Howard's property was surrounded by barbed wire fences. An odd detail to his suburban house. Witnesses - the neighbors- reported seeing Priscilla's car on multiple occasions, and explicitly during the time of the murder, at the fenced property. A regular visitor, it seemed. Priscilla had no alibi, and knew the layout of the house well.

Howard, always a reserved man, chose to spend lengthy hours alone in his home office. The numerous sightings of Priscilla at his house during these late work hours, and decisively at the time of murder, intrigued Winston. These were little crumbs, but they pointed Winston in a strong direction.

Winston pulled Priscilla in for questioning; she was not an easy nut to crack. She had a history, pervasions into criminal activities that increased her confidence in her ability to avoid capture. Murmurings of previous killings involving barbed wire whirled around her, and each successful kill reportedly fed her sense of power and precision.

Winston’s revelations grew more unnerving when he discovered that Howard, knowing too much, had threatened to turn her in to the authorities. A direct threat, a motive. Could she have killed Howard to protect her dark secrets? Unraveling Priscilla's role in this was going to be a daunting task that Winston had to muster the strength to undertake. Hidden somewhere amidst these scattered pieces of evidence was the truth, waiting to be pieced together.

choices

• Eric
• Priscilla