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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 mayhem of the city mall, a man falls fatally to the seldom-seen weapon of a sai; it's up to the cunning and relentless Detective Winston to interrogate his only leads, Peyton and Isolde.

Winston filed through his store of details related to the scene of the murder. Guy had been killed in a shopping mall, one particularly familiar to Winston's niece Peyton. Peyton was always there, in fact, she adored shopping. The unusual detail was that Guy's murder had taken place during the night. With a sigh, Winston pushed this aside for a moment and decided to pay Peyton a visit.

Upon reaching Peyton's apartment, Winston immediately noticed some sports equipment scattered haphazardly around the place. "Rugby practice, huh?" he asked, trying to seem casual. Peyton simply responded with a nod, "Yeah, I'm a member of the local club."

Winston noticed a pile of items displayed neatly in the apartment. They were shiny and spoke of a fine collection. To his surprise, it was a collection of weapons. Among them, a pair of sais immediately grasped his attention. He filed that information away for later.

"So, Peyton," Winston started, settling comfortably in the chair offered to him, "You been busy with work?"

Peyton nodded, "Yeah, just been swamped with the daytime shifts, Uncle Winston. It's why I have hardly any time for myself." 

"That's rough," Winston empathized, "Doesn't leave you much time for your martial arts class." 

Peyton's eyes widened a touch. "How do you know about that?" she asked, confusion striking her face.

"Just trying to keep up with you," Winston laughed, feeling a twitch of discomfort across her face. "Your instructor was touting your sai-handling skills the other day."

Changing the topic, Peyton stood up with a little wince. "Oh, sorry, I forgot my manners, Uncle Winston. Can I get you anything?"

Unavoidable, Winston had to ask, "Peyton, where did you get those injuries from?"

Immediately, Peyton's posture straightened up and she looked offended. Almost bravely, she responded, "I'd rather not discuss that if you don't mind."

While he did mind, Winston set the topic aside for the moment, taking in the day's findings. He'd come back to it with Peyton soon, he decided, once he had a better understanding of the pieces fit into the bigger picture. After a few minutes of casual chatter, Winston gave his niece a pat on her arm and excused himself from her apartment, another piece of the puzzle falling into place.

Winston rested his hands on the bar counter, glancing around the establishment briefly. The air hung heavy with the smell of alcohol and cigarette smoke. He turned his gaze back to Isolde, the bar's proprietor, who was polishing a glass nonchalantly behind the counter. 

"Isolde," Winston drawled, "I understand Guy was at your bar the day of his unfortunate incident."

Isolde didn't skip a beat responded, "Yes, Guy was here having a drink, and I was on shift that day," confirming not only Guy's presence that fateful day, but also her being on duty at the time of Guy's murder. As she spoke, Winston noticed her biceps strain and flex in a well-practiced rhythm, reminding him of her high-ranking position at her martial arts school. Trophies for accomplished martial artists, including several for the proficient use of sai, adorned a high shelf, a testament to Isolde's formidable skills.

With the confession out in the open, Isolde continued, her voice brazen, echoing across the room. Her racially charged statements towards Guy in the past were notorious, often a mainstay in her bar speeches. They were so intense that Guy had felt compelled to file a police report a week prior.

As the conversations in the bar continued, Winston caught snippets of racial slurs punctuating the noisy background, recalling the complaint report from local police that Guy had filed just a week before his death. Uncomfortably, he remembered it was this bar that the complaint had been filed against.

His mind shifted gears as he started examining the CCTV footage from the mall, showcasing Guy walking into Isolde's bar. Winston's gaze then moved to the sign above the bar door, 'No (Guy's ethnicity) Allowed', the same bigoted policy Isolde often repeated in her speeches.

As Winston inspected the items behind the counter, he noticed a vacant space, where a sai from Isolde's collection should have been. All eyes turned towards him as he pointed out the missing sai. The forensic team confirmed that this sai had unique, identifiable characteristics which matched the weapon used in Guy’s murder, indicating that this was the sai that took his life.

On Winston's list of places to visit was the town's martial arts school, run by none other than Isolde herself. Speaking to one of the students at Isolde's school, he confirmed that she was a high-ranking instructor, who had been seen many times practicing with a sai.

Before leaving the bar, he got a chance to speak to one of Guy’s closest acquaintances, who looked visibly distressed at the sound of Guy’s name. He confirmed Guy had felt upset by the racial slurs thrown at him by Isolde.

"That Isolde, she ain't right," he whispered, shooting a last glance at her still behind the bar. 

The night had grown dark, and the bar louder, but Isolde was still there working at the counter, her unfazed expression contradicting the brewing animosity. Her determined gaze remained even as the news about the identification of Guy's murder weapon spread.

choices

  • Peyton
  • Isolde

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Source and history

task_id
36c0453e-1852-5310-8bcf-2ab3c042c872
task_key
default--murder~5fmysteries--36c0453e-1852-5310-8bcf-2ab3c042c872
task_revision_id
1
config / split
default / murder_mysteries

Official source

initial import