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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 serene isolation of a snow-draped chalet, Harry's life is abruptly ended by the vicious snap of a bear trap; now, it's up to the astute Detective Winston to unravel the deadly web spun by the questionable duo, Dexter and Gordon.

Winston was sitting in his car, gazing at the misty country road that led to Gordon's farm. Bad news was often paired with a country farm, but today was particularly grave - A death at the chalet, a bear trap, and a farmer named Gordon.

Winston slowly climbed out of the car as he neared the farmhouse - a large wooden structure isolated in the distant country land, adjacent to a somber cemetery. The only cemetery in town, he thought. Isolated, just like Gordon, its only neighbor who immigrated here with no known family. Gordon had landed there, growing crops, breeding animals, keeping up a farm.

He walked up the pathway onto the farm, noticing the creaking wooden sign that read 'Gordon's Hunting Supplies'. It was evident that Gordon was more than just a standard farmer. The sign was riddled with buckshot. 'Bear problems,' Winston thought to himself as he made his way to the front door. 

Gordon was sitting on a rickety wooden stool as Winston made his approach. He was weathered from years of outdoor work and his eyes carried an unmistakable lonesome pain. His fists were gripped around a wooden handle, tapping rhythmically onto the dry farm soil. He was tense.

"Gordon?" Winston quietly asked. The man nodded in response keeping his gaze fixed intently on the horizons towards the cemetery. 

Having heard about Gordon's regular evening walks towards the cemetery, Winston tried to carefully navigate the conversation towards Harry. 

"Heard you folks had quite a fuss at the farmer's market recently?" The old farmer barely reacted, still lost in his world. 

"Took away your best customer, did he?" added Winston, trying to draw Gordon out. He was referring to the fact that their recent altercation was born out of Harry winning an award for his agricultural products - a feat that Gordon declared was a result of favoritism and had led to his sales dropping.

Minutes of silence passed before Gordon finally spoke haltingly, "Harry cost me my sales, my livelihood... Those people chose his products over mine."

Then, as if realizing he'd said too much, Gordon hastily added, "But that's all he took. I got no hard feelings.”

Winston carefully listened but made no attempt to comfort Gordon or press the matter further. He took one final look at the brooding farmer, jotting down the conversation in his notepad.

Leaving the stoic and isolated farmer behind, Winston walked back to his car, the image of Gordon gazing over his desolate farm, framed by the town cemetery slowly fading away in the rearview mirror. His evening walk later would follow the usual path towards the cemetery. Gordon might be an immigrant here, but the cemetery and the isolation made him a local... and a person of interest.

Winston stood by the window in the chalet, gazing at the dense forest that surrounded the remote building. The last golden rays of the setting sun were piercing through the firs, illuminating the disturbingly peaceful crime scene where Harry met his end.

"Winston." His name was uttered by a bulky figure standing at the edge of the woods. He turned to see Dexter approaching him, his hulking silhouette cast in shadows by the setting sun.

"Evening." Winston greeted. "You're Dexter, right?"

"That's right." Dexter responded, a friendly smile replacing his creased frown. "I'm guessing you're here about Harry."

"We'll have to speak about that." Winston confessed. "Did you often hunt around these parts?"

"Every chance I get." Dexter nodded, glancing back at the woods. "The owner and I... we're close, see. Been hunting together for years. Learned a lot about traps and hunting methods in that time. He's generous too, lets me use the chalet pretty often."

"This a bear trap?" Winston gestured to the congealing pool of blood around the sprung trap. 

"Yeah, standard issue for anyone serious about hunting." Dexter confirmed, casting a wary glance at the gruesome sight. "I keep quite the collection actually."

"Did you and Harry have any bad blood?"

"He disrespected me... but that's public knowledge." Dexter replied, his smile not reaching his eyes this time. His hands clenched as he added, "Mocked my faith, right in front of everyone at a ceremony."

"Your faith is important to you?"

"Faith defines me, Winston." Dexter said emphatically, "It's everything to me."

"We'll be in touch." Winston assured, nodding before he turned to leave, leaving Dexter standing by the chalet, the scarlet sunset painting a vibrant backdrop to the grim crime scene.

choices

  • Dexter
  • Gordon

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Source and history

task_id
688374f5-cd84-5181-91a7-3132ec5b6f90
task_key
default--murder~5fmysteries--688374f5-cd84-5181-91a7-3132ec5b6f90
task_revision_id
1
config / split
default / murder_mysteries

Official source

initial import