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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 vibrant, pulsing heart of Times Square, Ana's life was brutally cut short by a hunting knife, leaving Detective Winston with two enigmatic suspects, Marjorie and Cecilia, and a mystery to unravel. Winston perched at the edge of the playground, a distant figure amidst the flurry of children's laughter and the saccadic motions of swing sets. The Sands children were playing without Marjorie, their experienced nanny, conspicuously absent; the absence was unusual since Marjorie was well known for dicing up apples for the children to snack with her hunting knife. She had not taken the children for their usual afternoon jaunt to Times Square that day. Winston felt an unusual pit in his stomach. He decided to confront Marjorie at the Sands' new triplex in Times Square. He passed by a bodega, the small television in the corner flickered - CCTV footage showcased a figure that could only be Marjorie, strolling through Times Square at the suspected time of the murder. She lived close, only a block away. At the Sands' triplex, a crucial evidence was left untouched in the trash can. A letter, from Ana to Marjorie, lay crumpled bearing a sordid secret, Ana knew about Marjorie's fabricated immigration status. The letter bore Ana's threats too, stating clearly her intention to report Marjorie to the authorities. As Winston was scanning about, Marjorie opened her door to him. On the kitchen counter, he noticed stacks of fruits and an empty knife holder. Winston specifically remembered seeing her just the other day at the local general store, purchasing a hunting knife identical to the one used in the murder, for her daily fruit preparation routine. Curiously, the knife was missing. Timing of things did feel odd, given her employer's recollection of Marjorie sharpening a knife that very morning. He questioned Marjorie, "Why would you leave the children in Times Square by themselves?". Marjorie murmured a shaky defense, "They are grown enough to look after themselves". Time and again they used to visit Times Square, an easy walking distance from the triplex, so Winston knew her excuse was not completely unfounded, but today he wasn't buying it. As Winston left the triplex, his mind was hounded by continuous streams of 'what ifs'. All he could remember was the nervous countenance of Marjorie, in the view of a CCTV footage. She was seen leaving her employer's home at the exact time when Ana had warned about blowing her secret to the authorities. Her sudden nervousness and the hasty outing to Times Square without the nanny, all fell into an ominous sync, a sync he'd rather not confirm. Detective Winston shuffled through his papers, casting his gaze over the case notes related to Ana's murder. He sighed, glancing out the window to the bustling city of Time Square below. The place of interest? One unassuming vendor stand amongst the neon chaos that seemingly never switched off, a spectacle unto itself. This is where Cecilia spent all her days, standing by her table piled with knick-knacks, everything from flashy sunglasses to novelty t-shirts. On the floor beneath her overflowing table were stacks of books, each one a testament to her visits to the neighboring bookstore; Cecilia kept every book she bought, never lending or losing a single one. "Looks like this time, even Time Square couldn't quite keep its darkest secrets hidden," Winston muttered to himself, contemplating the murder that had unfolded in Time Square during the bustling evening hours. There was an alley near the bookstore, and Winston settled himself in the shadows, lighting up a smoke, waiting. As dusk ebbed into the square, Winston spotted Cecilia helping herself with a fresh book from the crime section of the bookstore. Winston found it intriguing; her peculiar fascination with crime seemed unsettling amongst her chats with her fellow street sellers. By the time Winston approached her stand, the crowds had thinned, and she had already packed up for the day. She was an impressive storyteller, weaving cautionary tales of infamous killers she had read about from her newly acquired books. As the story progressed, he spotted the glint of apprehension from a few fellow vendors. "Ana sure had an inquisitive spirit, didn't she?" Winston inquired casually, watching Cecilia carefully. Faces lost in an ocean of bustling bodies, Cecilia recalled noticing Ana with a pointed curiosity towards her stand. With her camera, Ana had been a constant presence, focused on the trinkets sold and the vendor before her. Ana had been snooping around, asking about legal vendor requirements. Cecilia, confused initially, shrugged it off as Ana's nosy nature. A tale of odd events unfurled as Cecilia recollected finding a message on Ana's forgotten phone, an anonymous tip to the police. A rush of tailored suits and impatient tourists occurred, even at these late hours on the square, as the mystery unraveled. Winston returned himself to the chaos of Time Square, leaving Cecilia to her own evening ritual. The curious, seemingly benign vendor with her penchant for crime lore and engaging storytelling was but one corner piece in the grand puzzle of Ana's untimely death.
choices
- Marjorie
- Cecilia
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