MuSR / Who is the most likely murderer?

question

Who is the most likely murderer?

narrative

In the daunting terrain of a mountain climbing site, Floyd meets his untimely demise through the barrel of a shotgun, leaving Detective Winston with a chilling whodunit mystery on his hands with prime suspects being Francis and Camille.

As Winston was driving to the mountain climbing site, he went over his notes on Camille. Camille, Floyd's daughter, seemed like the kind of young rich heiress that didn't need much but still desired more. She'd been seen shopping extravagantly and her credit card statements were full of high-ticket items, including a purchase from a local gun shop just a few days before Floyd's demise. 

On reaching the crime scene, he noticed a shotgun lying nearby. Was this the weapon used to kill Floyd? His experiences from the past suggested that you should never jump to conclusions.

In Winston's notes, it was mentioned that Camille was often spotted at the local shooting range, practicing with a shotgun during the summer. Camille had undertaken shooting classes the previous summer. She even held a valid shotgun permit. 

On his return to the office, Winston stopped by Camille's residence. She had large, empty display cases, which seemed odd for a girl who spends so much. Winston speculated about what she might be collecting.

Seeing his puzzled look, Camille casually mentioned, "I've always loved animals."

Despite her lavish spending habits, she's surprisingly not involved in crafts that require stuffing materials. She confirmed this when Winston inquired about it. Although, she was once spotted at a local craft store checkout line with bags of stuffing materials.

When Winston asked her about this, she said, "Oh, that wasn't for me. I was picking it up for a friend."

"It's a healthy hobby," said Camille when asked about her shotgun permit, while showing him the piece of identification. 

Winston was also informed of Floyd's plans to change his will by his attorney. Camille found the updated will in Floyd's study. She didn't seem perturbed by the changes. 

Before he could delve deeper, his phone rang. It was his lieutenant notifying him about a mysterious loan taken by Camille. "Interesting," thought Winston, as he adopted his signature poker face.

As Winston left Camille's property, he had more questions than answers. Camille's story had many sides and each was a step in a journey full of riddles. Winston knew he needed to investigate further. His virus scanner, gut instinct, was telling him this case was stranger than he thought.

Winston perused the local newspaper, his eyes momentarily pausing on an article announcing a lottery winner named Floyd. It was not the lottery part that grabbed his attention but a picture of Floyd on one of his many solo mountain climbs. He was known to love these solitary treks, stating often to those who asked that they offered him a much respected sense of tranquility. This time though, he had plans for another solitary mountain climb, despite a streak of lousy weather. "Guess he's celebrating," Winston mumbled to himself, seeing his long-time acquaintance's choice of celebration wasn't much of a surprise. 

He switched off his desk lamp, grabbed his hat, and left to interview his first pertinent individual: a local potter named Francis. Francis had also seen the news about Floyd's lottery win, although the celebration was bittersweet knowing his own financial strain.

Arriving at the location, Winston found Francis gently molding some clay on a wheel. "Francis?" he inquired.

Francis, a tall lanky figure, turned while still working with the pot. "That's me, detective."

"Busy doing some pottery?"

"Yes," the potter replied in a serious tone. "It's my bread and butter. Although, it hasn't been doing well lately. With declining sales, I couldn't even return that loan I took from a shark to keep the business afloat."

Winston continued probing, "Heard you were invited by Floyd on his mountain climbing trip."

Francis washed his hands and turned off the wheel, looking somewhat surprised. "Yes, that's right. But he said he wanted to go alone this time...said he needed the tranquillity. Floyd always prefered to climb alone."

"Interesting..." Winston responded under his breath. "So, you didn't go with Floyd?"

"Nah, I was going to go on a hunting trip of my own instead," Francis replied, reaching for his favorite shotgun leaning against a nearby wall. He almost always used shotguns on these trips. 

Detective Winston knew not to flinch at the sight of the weapon. "Oh, so, you do a lot of hunting, then."

Francis shrugged, laying the shotgun back against the wall. "Yeah, it's a hobby. And a chance to breathe fresh air; not much of it in here, you see."

Winston nodded, taking mental note of the situation. "Well, then, I suppose I'd best let you get back to it. We'll be in touch, Francis."

On his drive back to the precinct, Winston received a call about Francis taking a hefty loan from a shark to revive his sagging pottery business. Winston sighed, took off his hat, and mussed his hair. He knew Floyd, despite his undeniable love for his solitary mountain climbs, was blissfully unaware of Francis' financial situation. It was all just another lead unraveling in this ever-complicated mountain murder.

choices

• Francis
• Camille