MuSR / Who is the most likely murderer?

question

Who is the most likely murderer?

narrative

In the chilling silence of a hockey rink, Marvin's life was brutally ended with a machete, leaving Detective Winston with two elusive suspects: Justin and Frederick.

Winston sifted through the reports on his desk: the hockey rink homicide, the outlandish murder weapon, the victim known as Marvin who was scheduled to play a hockey game that fateful day. His attention fell onto a single name: Justin.

Leaning back in his chair, Winston found his thoughts weaving around Justin's profession—a piercer; an occupation requiring specific tools like needles and, in Justin's unique case, machetes.

He recalled his past dealings with Justin, particularly how he demonstrated a morose disposition after his proposal got rejected. Winston recalled the desperation in Justin's eyes as he recounted his romantic proposal to Marvin's fiancé. Unfortunately for him, the lady chose Marvin over him.

Justin, who had been frequenting Marvin's hockey games, was there again for the scheduled match. When he arrived, he found Justin waiting amidst the empty seats.

"You watched Marvin's hockey game frequently, yeah?" Winston began, staring up at Justin with a curiosity that was intense. Justin's face distorted with pain as he gave a nod in affirmation, silently communicating his reasons for being there the day of the murder.

Winston shifted on his feet and continued, "You were here that day, weren’t you? To watch Marvin play?"

"I came to watch the game, like always. It was just unfortunate what happened," Justin replied, his voice empty of any emotion.

Winston took a moment before continuing, "I have full CCTV footage of you entering the rink at the time of Marvin's scheduled game, and not leaving until an hour after the murder was supposedly committed." 

Pulling out a photo of a distinct, ornate machete from his coat pocket, he asked: "Recognize this? CCTV also shows you carrying a bag into the rink of such size and shape, which could've carried this. And forensics confirmed that this machete, with your piercing studio's distinct engravings, was the murder weapon."

Justin's eyes widened as truthful recognition flashed in them. Winston's next visit would be Justin's piercing parlor.

Justin's piercing studio was like an alternate world. Display cases filled with shiny replicas of machetes were fixed on the walls; a reminder of his unique craft. An odd weapon for a piercer, but it seems it had become Justin's tool of choice. Upon inquiring the staff, he found that only Justin handled these machetes. Furthermore, no other employee had access to them.

His next stop was to Marvin's fiancé, a delicate woman, embodying sorrow and distraught. 

"Justin approached you about not marrying Marvin, didn’t he?" Winston struck a direct chord, to which she only nodded, tears welling up in her eyes.

Following the tiring day of investigation, Winston drove back to the precinct. Entering the rink at the time Marvin was scheduled to play, Justin's presence at the murder site, his connection with the weapon, his relations with the victim and Marvin's fiancé - all confirmed by CCTV and forensic evidence, he had gathered ample information. Now, it was time to piece it all together.

The biting chill at the crime scene did nothing to alleviate the morbid spectacle in front of Winston. Marvin's body, brutally murdered with a machete and left on the icy, hockey rink made for an astonishing scene. 

Marvin was no saint though. Rumors of his volatile behavior had circulated around town for quite some time.

Having gone through the initial inspection of the crime scene, Winston decided to pay Frederick a visit at his spacious residence next to the cemetery. The presence of Frederick's numerous antique machetes at the crime scene was too much of a coincidence to ignore. The man had far too many in his collection for it to go unnoticed. Frederick, in his role as the curator of the local weapons museum, had unrestricted access to a range of armaments. And curiously, Marvin had been killed with a weapon from Frederick's extensive collection.

Upon reaching the house, Winston noticed Frederick fitting the key into the lock of the cemetery gate, signifying his unrestricted access to the nearby graveyard. 

As he walked up to the front porch, he noticed an ominous array of mourning books displayed on a nearby table. He asked about them and Frederick proudly claimed them to be a part of his vast collection documenting rituals from many different cultures.

Upon greeting Frederick, he was immediately shown inside by Frederick's anxious daughter. She was noticeably shaken up from hearing of Marvin's murder, considering that Marvin had recently publicly threatened her. 

Upon hearing that, Frederick's reaction was expected. He was an incredibly protective father and the news visibly upset him. 

Frederick, seeming desperate to change the topic started talking about his travels, elaborating how he was tasked with visiting and studying the weapons and tombs of ancient cultures.

Sensing Frederick's discomfort, Winston decided to leave the conversation there. He observed his surroundings one final time before thanking them for their hospitality and reminding them to stay safe.

As he strolled back to his car, he noted the machete from Frederick's collection stationed in the museum, something he had been specifically overseeing.

choices

• Justin
• Frederick