MuSR / Who is the most likely murderer?

question

Who is the most likely murderer?

narrative

In the quiet tranquility of the city park, Bria's life was abruptly ended with a hatchet, leaving Detective Winston with two prime suspects - Serenity and Naomi.

Winston never loved parks, even when he was a kid. But nevertheless he walked through the city park, talking with some locals there on their morning strolls. He was investigating the death of a young woman, Bria, found dead—yes, here—in these park grounds days before.

His steps took him to the park’s community center, a hub that also served as a point of supply for the various camps around the city. The center stored tools such as hatchets for outdoor activities, usually deployed during camping. He made his way to the office of Naomi, an intern there working specifically with these tools. Naomi taught camping skills not only at the center but also at the camps. She taught how to swing a hatchet, how to build a fire, and overall, how to survive in the wilderness.

Winston knocked, and Naomi opened the door. Winston noticed bandages on her hands.

“Hello, Naomi,” Winston said, “I understand that you knew Bria?”

“Yes,” she said, “We knew each other. She… she was very violent towards me.”

“Violent how?”

“She, uhm… she assaulted me. Several times. I reported her violent behavior multiple times to the police. I was even granted a restraining order against her... at least I had…”

The words hung in the air. “I was even hospitalized once because of her. All the time, I felt jeopardized by her continuous attacks” 

“And Bria, she was here the day she was murdered?”

“I was told she was planning to be here that day, yes. On the same day, I was leading an outdoor skills class. And it was indeed a strange coincidence, I was teaching people how to use a hatchet for chopping wood.”

“A coincidence,” Winston repeated, looking at the bandages on Naomi’s hands again. Then, without a word more, Winston turned and left. He had more people to talk to, and more questions to ask.

Winston flicked his cigarette lighter close, producing a small gust of smoke. The case was still in its initial stages, but he had already pieced together some revealing tidbits. He scrawled on the desk all he knew about a woman named Serenity - the prime suspect.

He'd first heard about her from a group who camped locally. It was their regular outing spot, they'd told him. "Serenity is always with us.. always got her hatchet in tow. We've seen her use it - she knows what she's doing," they'd mentioned while sharing tales of their outings.

Winston had kept the group to the side and decided to pay a visit to Serenity's home. As he'd approached her home, he'd noticed something unusual about her - her fascination with bugs. Every room was filled with display cases containing various insects, some of them rarely seen in their town. He'd even observed several of those he recognized to be rare and expensive. From what he could see, she had made significant investments to procure and preserve her insect collection, hinting at her large expenses in preserving the rare insects.

Her routine was also centered around these creatures. Apparently, she frequented the library often, particularly the entomology section. In fact, the library's records showed that she had checked out several books on insects.

What added to all this was a piece of evidence that Winston couldn't shake off - a letter from the victim. It had been addressed to Serenity, with Bria explicitly mentioning her intentions to testify. The letter revealed Bria's possession of damaging information regarding Serenity's singular, and highly illegal, practices in insect collection and preservation.

As he visited the library for some more information, a clerk had passed him an interesting insight. "That girl Serenity? Always in the insect section – with her hatchet, too. Sharpens it while reading, she does."

Winston returned to his table with his thoughts. As he flipped through the pages of notes, he came upon a second revelation about Serenity's newfound predicament. After corroborating with several of Bria's friends, Winston learned that Bria had confided in them about her decision to testify against Serenity. The information Bria had was extremely serious, which could lead to dire consequences for Serenity.

Strengthening his suspicion was one piece of evidence echoing in his mind – a hatchet, freshly used and confiscated from Serenity that eerily matched the deadly weapon at the crime scene. Forensic reports confirmed that the blood and ridges of the hatchet were an exact match to the murder weapon at park, tightening his grip on Serenity. Winston could see the connecting dots, but the fear of jumping to conclusions had his caution wobbling on a thin thread.

The day may have ended, but the case had only just begun.

choices

• Serenity
• Naomi