MuSR / Who is the most likely murderer?

question

Who is the most likely murderer?

narrative

In the tranquil vineyards, Terry's life was brutally snuffed out by a makeshift shiv, and now it's up to seasoned Detective Winston to unravel the truth from suspects Bella and Jose.

Winston's gaze riveted to the roughened edges of the shiv, incapable of focusing on anything else; it was a creepy reminder of the gruesome murder witnessed by the perfectly lined vineyards.

"Terry didn't deserve this," He muttered to himself, picturing the crime scene near the shed where the body was discovered.

The intern, Bella, had been a suspect from the start. Her thread of criminal activities had caught her in quite a controversy at the vineyard. It was impossible to miss her confrontational personality - as though she was daring someone to stop her when stealing exquisite, rare, and expensive wines for her personal collection.

Winston couldn't help but contemplate the strange occurrence in Bella's personal life. Young men entered her domain and exited as quickly as they had appeared, never to be seen again. With every month, a new face would hover around Bella and by the end of the month, he would be gone, replaced by someone new. Each of Bella's ex-boyfriends had immediately relocated after their breakups, disappearing from the local scene completely. It was a peculiar pattern; the complete absence of these ex-boyfriends aroused his curiosity.

What intrigued him further was Bella's striking composure amidst the turmoil of her fluctuating relationships. As impassive as the vineyard's stoic trellises after a heavy rainfall, she remained unfazed.

Winston glanced at his notes again. She had been working in the vineyard on that fated day. Scratched and scuffed, the details of her encounter with Terry taunted him. They were seen arguing earlier in the day in the very vicinity where Terry's lifeless body was discovered later on.

Terry confronted Bella about her escalating thefts. He even threatened to report her consistent wrongdoings to the management. Winston could still hear Terry's exasperated voice echoing through his memory, "I won't ignore your actions anymore, Bella."

He knew he had to remain as neutral as possible. He had an interview with Bella later that day. Still, he was haunted by the fact that Bella was spotted close to the murder shed minutes before Terry's untimely death. The evidence seemed to be tediously compiling against her, even if he couldn’t make a judgment yet.

As he left the confines of his office, he carried with him a myriad of unanswered questions stirred by Bella's questionable activities and peculiar patterns. He couldn't share his suspicions but had to continue peeling the layers off Bella's shrouded lifestyle to find the truth about Terry's unfortunate demise.

Winston pulled up to the vineyard. Terry had been found stabbed there with a shiv, a simple tool turned deadly in wrong hands. As a detective, he had seen a variety of murder weapons, but this was unusual for the calm and serene vineyard setting. A vineyard, that was owned by the very victim, Terry. 

He could see Jose, hard at work on a new structure. Not surprising, as the police records stated that Jose was a construction worker assigned to the vineyard project.

In a staccato rhythm, Winston released a volley of questions towards Jose. "You were working here when Terry was murdered?" Jose merely nodded, the mid-day heat not offering much conversation. 

The fact that Terry was also on the vineyard premises when his murder occurred wasn't sheer coincidence. He owned this place and had the habit of visiting regularly and checking on things. Like a suspicious owner, which might have driven him to suspect theft and falsify work hours.

Winston decided to indulge in those eve`s dropping senses and questioned Jose discreetly, "I heard Terry was saying something about someone stealing tools from the site. Also, there was a rumor that Terry had found out about some false time-sheets. What do you say, Jose?" 

"Well, sir, I won't lie," Jose said, after a moment of elaborated silence, "He did accuse me of theft and false time-sheet matters. It's true, Terry had discovered I was falsifying my work hours. But, I wouldn’t dare do such things." The accusation was serious enough that Terry had even threatened to dismiss Jose. 

And with dismissal came a perilous reality for Jose - complete shortfall of income. "Call it fate Sir, but I was really worried as this was solely my source of income."

This was common knowledge among construction workers that their job gave them access to a variety of tools, possibly even those that potentially could be turned into a simple weapon like a shiv. Many of the tools that could be found on a given construction site had sharp edges and could easily be fashioned into a homemade knife.

"Winston, the construction work often involves building and crafting things from a number of materials. It's just that, it's a hands-on job. But it doesn’t mean we all are knave, sir." 

Seeing the sun dipping into its sunset, Winston thanked Jose for his time before getting back into his car. As he mused over the case he was dealing with, he realized it was anything but simple... just as dark and complex as the ripe grapes in Terry's vineyard.

choices

• Bella
• Jose