MuSR / Who is the most likely murderer?

question

Who is the most likely murderer?

narrative

In the isolated serenity of a mountain cabin, tragedy strikes when Russell is discovered lifelessly slain, a shovel being the weapon of choice, prompting the seasoned Detective Winston to investigate the surrounding suspects, Naomi and Lloyd.

Winston let the cabin door creak open. It was a modest mountain retreat, now stained with the unfortunate memory of Russell’s demise. Lloyd was sitting on the dusty sofa, a faraway look in his eyes and a heavy book about the occult in his lap. Lloyd was known to read such books often, his bandmates even joking that it contributed to their lyrical themes. As Winston looked at him, the air surrounding Lloyd stirred with tension, a kind one would expect from a man who had just tragically lost his bandmate.

Lloyd and Russell... Band members for the past few years, and their music wasn’t what you’d call the uplifting kind. His band was popular in the death metal genre, filled with Lloyd's often mentioned themes of death and beyond. It sits quite well with Lloyd who, per his bandmates, always had a knack for such dark subject matters and the occult.

“What brings you up here Lloyd?” Winston asked, his gaze surveying the quiet tension in the room.

“Russ invited me,” Lloyd cleared his throat. “We were supposed to spend the weekend here, just chillin’, you know?”

The realization crept up on Winston that Lloyd had been the only guest of the cabin. No one else was present at the time of the murder.

“Russell had…had something to discuss,” Lloyd continued, his voice wavering.

Winston recalled that Russell was apparently threatening to disclose some letters containing information of Lloyd’s past drug addiction. Furthermore, the letters were companioned with an ultimatum. If Lloyd didn't step down from the band, Russell would reveal his secret. Lloyd had confided in Winston once before, worried Russell would spill everything to the band.

"Russell knew about your past... about your struggles?” Winston asked, without directly hinting at the letters.

Lloyd hesitated, "Yeah...he did."

Perhaps sensing a pinch of confrontation, Lloyd was quick to confirm his acceptance of the invitation and his purpose of being in the cabin.

“Look, I am not hiding anything. I was right here,” Lloyd admitted, his face pale in the stark cabin light.

Winston listened to Lloyd's confession, his mind quietly synchronizing the timelines.

As Winston walked away from the cabin, he came across the morgue. The snowy mountains encased the building. Like the cabin, it was isolated, yet unique in its way. Its excellent acoustics, a common rumor among locals, made it an odd, yet curious spot to echo death metal tracks, much like the ones made by Lloyd and Russell.

The morgue assistant, however, had an odd compliment attached to it. "Did you know, this place has amazing acoustics,” he called out to Winston, “people often say it's just perfect for music.” 

Winston merely nodded, saying nothing, his mind racing to connect the dots.

Detective Winston, fresh off a long shift, pulled up to the cabin site. The cool mountain air was a welcome respite from the city grime. The cabin had belonged to Naomi's parents, Winston had learned, and he could see why they'd chosen this spot. An idyllic view of alpine tranquillity, now marred by a heinous act.

He'd met with Naomi earlier that day - a small-framed woman with a practiced smile that didn't quite reach her wary eyes. She had been seen digging in her garden on the very day before the murder, commencing a new gardening project at her home. Winston mused that it must be therapeutic, gardening. He contemplated this as he eyed the various tools casually strewn about her property - a shovel, now identified as the murder weapon, amongst them.

When he asked her about the murder of Russell, her lips had become thin. "'Course I saw him," she admitted. "I invited him up here for the weekend, we spent the very day of the murder together. Couldn't very well ignore my own son, could I?" There was something somber about her tone. Something layered with sorrow and maybe regret. 

Winston pressed on. "I heard Russell had found something in your possession. Something... illegal?"

Naomi dropped her gaze momentarily. "Spent a lot of idle chatter, doesn't it?" 

Later, Winston visited the site of the garden patch Naomi had mentioned. It was new indeed. Thorough, too. Naomi knew her stuff. When he asked the neighbors, they confirmed that Naomi had been at the cabin alone that weekend, until Russell visited her on the exact day of the murder.

Winston tried not to think about why Naomi was so desperate to avoid prison. Russell had known about her criminal activity, he remembered. And Russell didn't just suspect her, he had documented evidence that could've incriminated his mother. Something he couldn't ignore. All Winston could hope to do now was find it.

Murder weapon, a shovel. Mother as a suspect. A garden, a cabin, and a son who potentially knew too much. Winston turned these facts over in his mind, the cool mountain air chilling his senses, making his next moves all too clear.

choices

• Naomi
• Lloyd