MuSR / Who is the most likely murderer?

question

Who is the most likely murderer?

narrative

In the eerie silence of the swamp, Charlie's life was claimed by a crossbow, leaving Detective Winston in a murky world of deception, suspicion and the two possible culprits: Nathaniel and Bridget.

Winston sighed, coffee in hand, as he observed Nathaniel from across the yard. Nathaniel was methodically dissecting an entire neighborhood's refuse, picking valuable items that seemed to spark his interest from the detritus he sifted through. On Nathaniel’s trash run, he had picked up a wooden stick that sharply resembled a crossbow.

“Hey Nathaniel, are you a huntsman by any chance?” Winston asked walking up to him. Nathaniel replied, “Well, yes, as a matter of fact, I am. I have a hunting license, and I even won a few archery contests back in the day.” His eyes twinkled at the memories. Winston nodded, keeping any additional comments to himself. 

On the way back from their brief conversation, Winston noted something unusual for a garbage collector: an open novel, placed neatly beside Nathaniel’s bagged lunch. A genre-specific novel no less; its contents filled with murder and mayhem. Meeting Nathaniel's gaze, he nodded towards the book and asked, "Reading on duty?" Nathaniel chuckled and said, "Aye, there's no policy against it, and the higher-ups don't seem to mind. It often makes for good conversation with coworkers. I often bring these novels to work as well. They come in handy during those discussions ironically."

Intrigued, Winston checked with some of Nathaniel’s colleagues later that day. What he found was surprising - they all confirmed Nathaniel was quite the connoisseur when it came to discussing murder plots, often using his thriller novels as references. Oddly enough, he rarely brought any other type of books, always favoring murder and mayhem it seemed.

As Winston's day wore on, he remembered a report he had seen in the precinct earlier, filed by none other than Charlie. Charlie had reported missing valuables, specifically on the days Nathaniel would have his trash collection route.

Winston also recalled a secondhand report about a public confrontation between Nathaniel and Charlie. The report stated that Charlie had "called out" Nathaniel for stealing his valuables from his trash. Piecing it together, Winston realized that Charlie's accusations and the missing items correlated with Nathaniel's collection days. He sighed, wondering if the rumors held any weight.

Remembering another piece of information he picked up earlier, he roamed to the back alley adjacent to Charlie's house. Nathaniel was indeed seen sifting through Charlie's trash on multiple occasions, acquiring items of value. This linked well with what the confrontation and the report seemed to suggest. However, none of this established Nathaniel as Charlie's killer.

As Winston drove back to the precinct, he couldn’t shake off the circular puzzle that had begun to form in his mind, a puzzle as murky and enigmatic as the swamp that held Charlie's lifeless body. But his instincts had served him well before, and he was determined to see the case through, wherever it may lead.

Having a quick glance at his notes, Winston's eyes lingered on some key details about his prime suspect in this murder case. Bridget, the ex-wife of Charlie, who was without an evident alibi for the time of the murder. Charlie's life ended tragically in the heart of the swamp, a place where he loved to visit, quite often alone. He was taken down by a lethal crossbow bolt. Recalling that Charlie had changed his will last week without telling Bridget, Winston felt a twinge of unease. He shook his head, massaging his tired temples before heading off to where Bridget was staying.

He found Bridget in her backyard, busy practicing with her crossbow—an activity she was ardently committed to, despite varied environments. Her talented handling of the weapon suggested much experience, most likely from her hunting trips to the swamp with her ex-husband, Charlie. Lying next to her crossbow was a pack of new bolts, recently purchased, Winston pieced together. 

"Bridget?" Winston asked, stepping forward. 

"That would be me," she replied, setting her crossbow down on a nearby tree stump.

"Bridget, it seems like you knew Charlie would be at the swamp the day he was killed," he pointed, maintaining eye contact whilst pulling out his notepad.

"Yeah, we used to fish and hunt out there a lot. Charlie loved that place. Why?" she asked guardedly.

Ignoring her question, he inquired again. "It says you've been defaulting on your loan repayments lately and your business declared bankruptcy recently. What else aren't you telling me, Bridget?"

Looking both surprised and annoyed, she retorted by defending herself, "I have nothing to hide."

Winston merely nodded, scribbling a few notes down before leaving Bridget in the backyard next to her fresh set of crossbow bolts. The wheels of the investigation were starting to turn and Winston intended to ride the momentum until he found Charlie's killer.

choices

• Nathaniel
• Bridget