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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 the bustling labyrinth of a city mall, a grisly murder sends shockwaves as Xenia is killed with a nail gun, leaving Detective Winston with two perplexing suspects: Van and Wilfred. In the gritty city detective office, Winston repeatedly reviewed the security footage from the shopping mall for what seemed like the hundredth time. There was Xenia; dead in the middle of the bustling shoppers. The sight of it was nauseating, but he needed to make his case. "Wilfred, was that his name?" Winston murmured to himself as the figure can be seen entering the mall, donning polished shoes speckled with a fine white powder, now known to be bakery flour... an overlooked piece of evidence that would probably be overlooked in the courtroom. On the tape, there was a twenty-five minute period when Wilfred was inexplicably out of the view of any mall security cameras. It was exactly during this window that Xenia fatal incident occurred. Sighing, Winston arose from his desk and set out for an encounter with Wilfred. On reaching the law firm, Wilfred's assistant informed him that he was unavailable due to a meeting. Winston took this as an opportunity to observe and wait for him. After emerging from a grueling two-hour court session filled with hair-raising moments that would make anyone sweat profusely, there was Wilfred. Despite the intense pressure court sessions usually bring, causing attendees to drench in sweat, the man appeared neither repulsed nor worn out. Shockingly, instead of the typical stench of hard work and nervousness, he exuded a fresh, clean scent. Curious about it later, Winston discovered off-the-record, there was a good explanation for Wilfred's mysteriously maintained freshness. Tucked away in his office was a bathroom equipped with a shower. An odd office setup, no doubt, but useful for freshening up after strenuous court sessions, Winston figured. "Wilfred," Winston introduced himself as they settled onto the plush leather armchairs of Wilfred's quirky office. "Winston, homicide, right?" Wilfred responded, his voice steady, unruffled. "Construction project of yours," Winston probed, "is it on track?" Wilfred shrugged, "Had some tools go missing yesterday, but nothing we haven't dealt before – just routine construction site hiccups." Winston nodded before dropping his inquiry, "Among the missing, was the nail gun?" Wilfred flinched, "How did you find out?" "Part of my job," Winston shrugged, "You know how to use one of those, don't you?" "Yes, we use it all the time on the site. I was the one who taught the crew how to use it." Wilfred responded a bit defensively. This was the confirmation Winston needed about Wilfred's experience with using nail guns for his construction projects. "And your whereabouts during this pilferage incident, can you account for them?" "No, I can't... wasn’t on site at the time.” Winston paused, locking his gaze on Wilfred, "And you know the missing tools incident happened around Xenia's time of death, right?" Wilfred held his silence, his eyes momentarily betraying his composure. "I wouldn't know about that, detective." Winston got up from the chair, "Thanks for your time, Wilfred." As he exited the office, his glance fell on the CCTV footage still playing on his laptop. No definitive conclusions yet, just mounting evidence. Only time would be the judge. Winston swept through the shopping mall like water, eyes scanning, earpiece transmitting information straight to the station. He was looking for Van, who had been on shift when Xenia was killed. He spotted a muscular man with a nametag was unloading boxes from a service entrance, huffing and puffing as he went. "Looks like our guy," he mumbled into his headset. "I've been expecting you," said Van, the bodybuilder, wiping his sweat-drenched forehead with a well-charred sleeve. He pointed to a chair across the table, "Have a seat, will you?" Winston did, and before he even opened his mouth, Van was speaking, "You know, Xenia was here almost every day. She loved this place, loved shopping. Sad thing what happened." Winston, not one for small talk, started grilling Van, "You were on shift when she was killed, right Van?" "Yeah, I was," he replied. "I ain't seen nothing though." "What does your job entail?" Winston asked, changing the subject. "I've got free run of this place. Lock, stock and barrel, I can move about as I please,” Van said, directing an intense look at Winston's face. "Your hobbies, Van?" "Used to build furniture for a living," He admitted, "It was a bit of an obsession for a while. Even took a safety course from the local construction company." "Did you now," Winston nodded, “Do you happen to own a nail gun?” “Bought one recently, yes,” Van said, as casually as if he were talking about the weather. “Receipt’s right here in my wallet.” "Thanks for sharing. Are you aware that Xenia recently updated her will?” The detective shifted the conversation back onto Xenia. “Heard about it, yes," Van answered, Winston could see him struggling with the weight of his own words. "She made me the sole beneficiary. At the same time, she also had me change her life insurance policy.” Winston got a call that disturbed him, "Excuse me, I must go.” He remembered the mail they found at Van’s house: confirmation from the hardware store of buying a nail gun the same model as the murder weapon. It added up. Before leaving, Winston couldn't help but casually ask, "The insurance payout, that a large sum?" "God-awful massive," Van answered after a moment of hesitation, "And here I am buried under... well, a heap of bills, I'd rather not disclose." With that, the detective left, collecting the pieces as he went.
choices
- Van
- Wilfred
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