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MuSR / Who is the most likely murderer?
Problem
Answer published by the source. Consult the official source to check your work against its answer.
question
Who is the most likely murderer?
narrative
In a shocking twist of events, Charlotte is found lifeless in her kitchen, felled by a stun gun, and it's up to seasoned Detective Winston to unravel the mystery, with prime suspects being Letti and Deborah. Winston found himself standing in a secluded kitchen where a heinous crime had been committed. Charlotte's kitchen was spick and span, a stark contrast to what had transpired there not too long ago. The housekeeper had provided one striking piece of information: Charlotte and Letti had been alone in that kitchen. He had questioned Letti earlier that day. The woman was infamous around the local rock concerts as a persistent groupie, and that's how she had met Charlotte. Charlotte had invited Letti over for dinner, a friendly gesture, or perhaps something else. The surveillance footage of Letti entering Charlotte's house supported the claim of her attendance. As he started to piece together the information, he noticed something peculiar. Charlotte's body was found filled with sawdust, and posed in a lifelike position. An odd choice for a common murder. Going back to his interview with Letti, she had a discernable excitement to talk about her latest collection--taxidermy specimens. Even from the outside of her house, one could often spot new specimens being brought in for her collection. Within her house, she had a dedicated room just for displaying them. He delayed his visit to her house as he had to detour his investigation to a local pawn shop thanks to a timely tip from the precinct. The shop was known as a hotspot for those in need of quick personal protection items, stun guns being one of the favorites. The storekeeper was able to confirm that a woman fitting Letti's description had indeed been in the shop on the day of Charlotte's death and had bought a stun gun. Winston noted, during his conversation with her, that Letti had been seen effectively using a stun gun at a concert previously. Overtly confident, maybe due to the self-defense classes she had taken where they taught proper use of a stun gun. "Interesting hobby you've got, Letti, taxidermy isn't it?" Winston asked casually. "Never a dull moment with it that's for sure," Letti shared, "I just got a new badger a few days ago and been itching to stuff it." "... and you have personal security, with the stun gun, huh?" he questioned subtly. "Can't be too careful these days, detective," she replied with a smirk. "Seems prudent," he said, holding back any assumption of guilt, "Enjoy your new badger, Letti." Winston left the encounter replaying every response, every body language, every innocuous detail he gathered. Just another piece of a puzzle waiting to be solved. Time would reveal more, he reckoned and left for the precinct. Winston could feel the tension in the air as he pulled his vehicle into the driveway of Deborah's house. He knew that there was a lot of bad blood between the victim, Charlotte, and his current person of interest, Deborah. Charlotte had reportedly been continually harsh to Deborah in public, creating a hostile work environment and undermining Deborah's reputation both professionally and personally. Just a short time before the murder occurred, Deborah arrived at Charlotte's house in response to a job invite from Charlotte. This was confirmed by a neighbor who saw her pull up in her car. As he approached the door, he glanced down to see the only items of interest in the driveway - a collection of house keys and what looked like a self-defense weapon. An acquaintance of Deborah reportedly saw her purchasing a stun gun recently, and indeed saw her carrying it as she entered Charlotte's house, that was the last time she was seen with it. Yet it wasn’t necessarily an uncommon purchase considering Deborah's past as a security officer. "Detective Winston..." Deborah greeted him as she opened the door. "Deborah," he replied, holding up a warrant. She stepped back to let him in, confusion marking her face. Winston followed Deborah into the kitchen and instinctively glanced around. The kitchen utensils were put away, the counter was cleaned, everything seemed to be in place. Charlotte, the victim, had always been meticulous about her surroundings, perhaps an underlying reason for the rift between her and Deborah. "May I ask why you had keys to Charlotte's house?" Winston asked, turning his gaze onto Deborah. "Charlotte asked me over for a job, and she left the keys for me since she wouldn't be home," she replied, emotion slowly creeping up on her face. "And the stun gun on your belt..." he prompted, gesturing towards the weapon. "As a former security guard, I've got a permit," Deborah quickly replied, "I've had it for ages. I used it when I had to maintain order or defend myself." There was a short silence as Winston absorbed this information. "I understand Charlotte has been ill-treating you in public. Is this true, Deborah?" Deborah seemed to choke on her words before finding her voice, "Yeah, and it wasn't just in public. She just... she just didn't stop." "And the rumors? Did you try talking to her about them?" She nodded, "Several times, but she didn't stop." As Winston was leaving, he glanced back at the quiet house. Charlotte's house was found locked when the body was found... locked from the outside. "I'll be in touch," Winston told Deborah as he walked towards his car. Images of Deborah arriving to Charlotte’s house with her stun gun, moments before Charlotte’s murder, replayed in his mind. Deborah's figure in the doorway became smaller as he drove away, preparing for what was yet another knot in this unraveling mystery.
choices
- Letti
- Deborah
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