MuSR / Who is the most likely murderer?

question

Who is the most likely murderer?

narrative

In the chilling silence of an abandoned hockey rink, Justin was found lifeless, strangled with a rope; Detective Winston now must dissect the truth from suspects, Yvette and Lillian.

Detective Winston was sipping his hot black coffee while flipping through the pages of Justin's file. While trying to gather his thoughts together, he rubbed his temples to get rid of the throbbing headache. The location was the local town's hockey rink. An odd location for sure, but it was where Justin had intended to give a speech criticizing Yvette during the show's intermission. 

Justin's attacker had used a rope to commit the brutal crime. 'A bit theatrical, perhaps?' Winston thought and headed toward Yvette's house for a routine chat. Upon reaching, he knocked the door and greeted Yvette with a smile.

"Hi, Yvette?" Detective Winston began, pulling out his own chair at her inviting patio. "I have a few questions to ask pertaining to the events of the last night."

His gaze drifted around her property. Ropes were strewn and coiled up in various places. As a choreographer, she often used ropes as props in her performances. It wasn't uncommon because they learned various forms of knot-tying for staging and safety purposes. Even a noose. 

"It was Justin's idea that I choreograph a sequence around hockey. Odd choice, but I ran with it." Yvette started talking while sipping her coffee.

"And were you at the rink when this all transpired?" He asked steering back to the line of questioning.

"Most of the day, yes." Yvette confirmed. "I was there for the initial setup and Justin was there too."

"Interesting," Winston quietly exclaimed to himself.

He knew Yvette’s reputation as a choreographer was critical to her. It was not just her source of income; it was her status, her life. The allegation that she had been plagiarizing her choreographies... it was a heavy burden. Justin’s impending confession would have been devastating. Yvette had seen an early draft of the revealing speech herself.

"Did the speech upset you, Yvette?" He asked, wrapping up his interrogation. 

"What can I say detective, people have opinions," Yvette defended, "I just try to focus on my work."

Engagements done for the day, detective Winston made his way back to the precinct. Another puzzle to solve, another murderer to catch; the game was beginning. He had a feeling it was going to be a long night.

Stacks of paperwork about the latest crime related to a high-profile hockey player, Justin, lay across Winston’s desk. Retirement had been just around the corner for Justin but his life was cut short and the hockey rink, ironically, had witnessed his curtain fall. His team had been under a dark cloud of continuous defeat recently. 

The local therapy center caught Winston's eye. They had a peculiar technique using ropes. He directed his steps towards the center, questions ricocheting throughout his mind.

As he arrived, he noticed a woman, seemingly absorbed in her own world. His scan quickly landed on the oddity clenched earnestly in her hands—a small locket. He introduced himself to her, "Hello...Lillian, right?"

Lillian looked up from her reverie, "Yes, that's correct," she responded, her gaze drifting back to the locket.

Winston’s eyes darted to the locket, noted, and quickly moved away. He dug out the files about Lillian's background. Lillian had frequently disclosed amongst her circle of friends that she passionately coveted the captain's position.

"Does the therapy center monitor use of rope?" Winston enquired casually.

"No sir, we don't have any set rules about rope usage here," Nurse Emma replied, "Otherwise we'd not be able to perform a lot of exercises."

Nurse Emma appeared aloof, "Trust me, I've tried to make a conversation with her. She mostly stays quiet, lost in her locket."

Winston turned back to Lillian. Mutual animosity could have easily settled between Lillian and the victim in such a competitive environment, given their circumstances.

Winston looked at Lillian, her head bowed low, avoiding any eye contact just like she did in her group sessions, according to the other patients.

Winston weighed his next words carefully, "Lillian... heard you've been wanting to be the team captain."

"Yes, I did want that..." her voice trailed away, "I believe I would have done a good job." Her tone dripped with contempt and displeasure towards Justin's power.

The detective felt like he had made some strides. Throughout his years, he had learned to carefully gather pieces to a seemingly unsolvable puzzle. The events of the day already earned a special notation in his mental files. Silently, Detective Winston drove back towards the precinct, a storm of thoughts racing as swiftly as his accelerating car. He knew this was just the beginning of a path penned with enigmas.

choices

• Yvette
• Lillian