MuSR / Who is the most likely murderer?

question

Who is the most likely murderer?

narrative

In the quiet seclusion of a chalet, Mackenzie met her untimely end by a sickle's cruel bite, leaving Detective Winston with two suspects and a chilling mystery to unravel.

Detective Winston froze to make sure there was no crunching beneath his boots as he treaded along the pine needle covered path to the chalet, hiding any indication of his presence. He was there to have a word with Julius, a Rabbi frequenting the chalet for religious gatherings, who'd been seen at the place not once, but twice on the day of the murder. It was, interestingly, the same day that Julius was seen carrying his sickle for religious rituals at his early morning visit.

The door of the chalet swung open on creaking hinges to reveal the tall figure of Julius, adorned in his traditional clothing. "Detective," Julius greeted him, the same sickle he had earlier in the day- used specifically in Jewish religious rituals- hung on the wall behind him; a twin to the one that had ended Mackenzie's life.

"Julius, I'm here to ask you a few questions," Winston began, his eyes drifting to the small blade hanging behind the man. Julius nodded in understanding, stepping aside to allow the detective to enter.

The inside of the chalet was immaculate, all looked as though it was in its appropriate place, nothing before the detective indicated any form of struggle. As they walked deeper into the chalet, Julius spoke to him, "I was wondering when you'd come around, detective. Yes, I was here in the morning with my sickle for a ritual, as well as later in the evening on the day of the incident."

A part of him listened to Julius, another part of him was inspecting the chalet. Mackenzie's time of death had been reported at late evening; though Julius was seen both with his sickle and without in the morning and evening, it deemed crucial considering Julius was next of kin, the man inheriting Mackenzie's assets.

Julius continued, "I won't withhold any information. I've always admired the company he led, you know." Indeed, Winston remembered that Julius had been quite vocal about his admiration for the business. "Not just the money, the dedication, and even as a part of the ritual ceremonies, I carry the ritualistic sickle admiring the power in the business world it represents for me..."

Winston nodded as he scribbled down his notes; he was a man of logic and facts, not assumptions. But it did compel him to raise an eyebrow at the information. Mackenzie didn't leave any heirs, and Julius could gain a lot from the man's passing. The facts were piling up, but he couldn't let it cloud his judgment. All he could do was seek the truth, and let the evidence bring the guilty party to justice.

Detective Winston was surveying the scene of the crime. Mackenzie, a wealthy businessman, had been found dead in his upscale chalet, an apparent victim of a gruesome sickle attack. A witness had mentioned a tour guide named Yolanda, and this had piqued Winston's curiosity.

He made his way to Yolanda's headquarters just on the outskirts of rural country. The rustic landscape spoke volumes about the kind of territory she worked in. She led tours, predominantly in rustic areas, where heavy duty farming tools weren't out of place. Winston was intrigued.

As he arrived at her office, he couldn't help but notice that Yolanda seemed to be quite comfortable with manual labor. She was shoveling manure and didn't even break a sweat from the exertion. 

He introduced himself and Yolanda immediately looked on edge. Their conversation was brief and educational. It seemed Yolanda had a penchant for adopting a new persona for every language group she hosted. Winston picked up that she was known as 'Sofia' to Greek groups, 'Isabel' to Spanish ones, and even adopted an Italian name with her Italian clients. With a sly hint of French slipping into her accent, he surmised she likely had a French persona too, although the name was unknown.

As he chatted with Yolanda, Winston couldn't help but notice a file cabinet, not unlike one found in a law firm, filled with documents. Yolanda caught his gaze and nervously mentioned that these files were a record of past tours she led, including information on the clients.

Winston switched gears and asked Yolanda about Mackenzie. There was a change in her demeanor and she admitted that he had gone on one of her tours. Apparently, during the tour, Mackenzie had found a folder dropped accidentally by Yolanda. This folder had old records, documents and evidence of her dark past full of fraudulent activities and scams against her tour clients.

On a hunch, Winston decided to pay Mackenzie's lawyer a visit. After a brief chat and revealing his interest in Yolanda, the lawyer handed over a similar folder. Inside were the exact allegations pertaining to Yolanda's past with similar documentation as the folder Mackenzie found. Clearly, Mackenzie had evidence of Yolanda's wrongdoings, and had been threatening to expose her unless she met his demands which seemed to include monetary extortion.

As he left the lawyer's office, Winston took a moment to lean against his car, lost in thought. A long day of investigation had left him staring at a tangling web of facts and he had a long road ahead to unravel the truth. But that was okay. Detective Winston was in his element. The game was afoot.

choices

• Julius
• Yolanda