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MuSR / Who is the most likely murderer?
Problem
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question
Who is the most likely murderer?
narrative
In the bustling mayhem of the city mall, a man falls fatally to the seldom-seen weapon of a sai; it's up to the cunning and relentless Detective Winston to interrogate his only leads, Peyton and Isolde. Winston adjusted his tie as he walked into the bustling shopping mall. It was like any other mall, a place where people came to shop, to dine, or just hang out. But this was also where Guy was murdered, during the night. The murder weapon was unusual, a sai. The image of the exotic weapon left at the crime scene kept flashing in Winston's mind as he strolled past the familiar storefronts. Among the shops, there was one Peyton frequented. Peyton, Guy's own niece, an avid shopper who worked daytime shifts, always made it a point to visit the mall at night, and a martial artist. As formal as it may seem, the shopping habits of a suspect was something Winston had to keep in mind. Talking to one of Peyton’s martial arts instructors, he confirmed that Peyton was proficient in sai handling. They certainly weren’t everyday weaponry, rather, they were often regarded as collectors’ items, a hobby that Peyton happened to pursue uncharacteristically. "Peyton works her daytime shifts and would be here in the evening, for her shopping sprees or fitness routines," the instructor said, recalling Peyton's routine. It made sense; the mall was a perfect place to balance work and a passionate interest in martial arts whilst enjoying a harmless love for shopping. "What about her character?" Winston probed, trying to learn more without leading. "Peyton always talks about protecting her family's reputation. She said she would do anything for them," the instructor said, a faint hint of admiration in his eyes. Studying the family history, Winston found that Guy was about to confess something, something so significant that it would inevitably ruin Peyton's family, specifically her father. Guy had unearthed evidence linking Peyton's father to numerous past criminal activities. If he'd gone public, it would have led to a scandal that would shake the foundations of the pedigreed family. At Peyton's home, every corner of the room was adorned with mementos of her passion, martial arts. Carefully preserved in glass cases were weapons of all sorts. Among these were sais; eyes identical to the one found at the crime scene. Payton loved collecting these. They were her treasures. While driving back, Winston repeatedly went over the facts in his head: Peyton’s profession with the sai, her uncovered collection, her father's looming scandal, and the murder scene that she frequented at night. His task was to detect, not deduce. The tapestry of facts was there. It was up to the jury and the readers to weave it into a verdict. Winston slumped into a barstool at "Isolde's Spirits", a pint-sized dive nested in the rougher end of town. The place was known for its assortment of DVDs showcasing a range of action films, expertly narrated by the bartender herself - Isolde. "Care for a drink, detective?" Isolde asked. Lined on the walls were rows of DVDs, each painstakingly organized by genre. Pointing to the DVDs, she said, "These here are some real masterpieces, detective. Exquisite plot twists, wouldn't you agree?" She was known to frequently reference these films in her speeches at the bar, sometimes mimicking the martial arts scenes with one of the sai daggers from her collection behind the counter. While directing Winston's attention to the action films, she wistfully added, "I often recommend these to my customers, especially the martial arts ones. Excellent stuff." "I'd imagine so. Mixing cocktails and quoting movies.. sounds like good business." Winston remarked, while casually glancing at a missing spot on the wall with a DVD of a popular martial arts film. "Must've lent it to someone, they love my recommendations." Isolde laughed, echoing lines from the films as she served her drinks. As the evening wore on, Winston noticed a distinct lack of regulars from Guy's ethnicity, and a sign posted behind the counter sternly clarifying a 'no people of Guy's ethnicity' policy. A replacer behind the bar informed him that Guy, a member of his community, was extremely distressed by the racially insensitive remarks Isolde had made at the bar, hence, her decision to implement this policy. "New policy?" Winston inquired, nodding towards the sign. "You could say that's been a longstanding rule around here," Isolde replied, a touch of steel underlying her voice. Taking a moment to reflect, Winston remembered an official complaint request he had received about a week ago. Guy had brought up a case against Isolde for her consistent racial insults. Her racism wasn't the only thing Winston was dissecting that night. High up on the wall, behind Isolde, the detective noticed a single sai dagger missing from a martial arts weapon set - the same set, he remembered, from which the murder weapon in Guy's case had been seized. He had seen Isolde at her martial arts school, not far from this spot. She held a high rank there - a black belt - and he specifically recalled seeing her practices involving a sai. "You train with a sai, black belt, right?" "Rank matters less than experience, detective," Isolde replied, her attention briefly flickering to the gap in her weapon collection. Suddenly, her recitation of lines from one of the martial arts dramas she played so often became chilling. Winston was reminded of the CCTV footage from the shopping mall where Guy was murdered. As the night aged and his senses became weighted with the notes of the narrative she wove drawn from the discourses of her beloved films, he became aware of the spider web that began to form around them - a delicate filigree wrought of details only a detective would fold in his case notebook.
choices
- Peyton
- Isolde
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