MuSR / Who is the most likely murderer?

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.

Engrossed in his case files, Winston took a sip of his cold coffee. A quick brushing of the autopsy report led him to understand the brutal nature of Guy's death... by way of a Sai.

Upon inquiring further into the murder weapon, he found out about a certain niece, Peyton, who was identified as a collector of such items. Weapons, all different kinds, were Peyton's obsession. Her fixation was so strong that it even crossed over to her recreational time, she took martial arts classes weekly. 

A thought popped into Winston's mind and he felt a sudden rush of adrenaline; Peyton was also proficient with the sai. The words of her martial arts instructor echoed in his mind, "Peyton is proficient with the sai and many other weapons. She almost scared me with her skill."

Winston moved on to Peyton's employment status. She worked daytime shifts. Interesting, he thought, as the mall murder had taken place at night. A leak about Peyton shopping frequently at the murder scene and her evident fondness for shopping only seemed to deepen the investigation.

Recalling a statement of one of Guy's friends, he said, 'Guy told me he was planning to expose Peyton's secret'. Guy was about to spill Peyton's secret, and she had reacted to this threat fearfully, as if something precious was at stake. Winston remembered hearing the intense words Peyton had uttered "I won't let you ruin me, Guy!" Her secret was something she was desperate to keep hidden.

He crumpled the empty coffee cup in his hand. Time to speak to Peyton.
 
As he drove off, he couldn't help but wonder. Just what was Peyton's secret? And what lengths did she go to, to keep it hidden? Winston knew he had to tread lightly, every piece of the puzzle mattered, even more so when everyone was a suspect.

The constant clinking of glasses and din of jovial voices filled the air as Winston idled near the polished oak bar. His eyes were focused on the bartender - a stern-looking woman named Isolde. He had heard the rumors about her refusing service to customers from Guy's ethnic background, and those claims had piqued his interest. Guy himself had complained to his family about this, and the distaste in their voices as they spewed recounts of the tales was a clear indicator of the gravity of the situation. Isolde was not just known for her reputation as a martinet bartender but was also notable for her martial arts prowess, evident when she was seen practicing with sai at her martial arts school. Her frequent sai practice sessions at the school held his attention tonight.
 
Leaning on the edge of the bar, he made eye contact with her. Isolde's expression was guarded as she glanced at him once, appearing hesitant because of the past. Guy's coworkers, who frequented the very bar, had shared stories of hearing racial slurs she had thrown at Guy. They had also relayed these offensive exchanges to Guy's family, fueling the flame that Winston was now looking into. He recognized her from those recounts, the complaints about the woman named Isolde vivid in his memory.

Meeting her gaze, he gestured to the collection of martial arts DVDs displayed at one corner of the bar. "Into martial arts movies, I see."

Isolde’s eyes lit up momentarily, "Absolutely. Their craft, the plot twist…nothing beats it!" She was known to vouch for these movies, frequently recommending them to curious customers, as she did now with him. Her deep love for these films was quite apparent as she quoted lines from them frequently, the quotes seamlessly merging into her bar-side conversations.

Observing the martial arts weapons mounted on the walls behind the bar, Winston's eyes landed on a wall-mounted sai set. Distinctively, a vacant slot stood in the otherwise complete collection. During the investigation in her bar, a sai from the set was found missing. The rumor circulating was that the sai reported as Guy's murder weapon had eerily similar markings as the ones in Isolde's set.

"Nice collection," Winston said, pushing his empty glass forward "I will have another. Do you also train with these?"

"Always," Isolde responded while working on his drink, pride apparent in her voice. "I hold a pretty high rank at my martial arts school."

Moving on to less savory topics, Winston treaded cautiously. He mentioned seeing a few of her offensive posts on social media. Public posts that specialized in racial slander, foul comments directed towards members of Guy's race. Guy had told him about these posts, how they pained him to see such a blatant display of disrespect. They had all heard these derogatory comments, remembered her posting them on that unusually loud megaphone of hers - the internet.

Isolde noticeably stiffened but kept her silence, surely aware that these open refusals to serve customers, based on their ethnic backgrounds, had led to a flurry of complaints. Her behavior gave him pause, her hostility towards Guy perceived in her demeanor. Winston sighed, thinking about Guy and his coworkers, who had overheard the hostile conversations during their visits.

Winston finished his drink, neatly placing a folded cash note on the table. As he stood up to leave, a sly smile curled up on his lips. This, above everything else, was just the beginning. He exited quietly, leaving Isolde to mull over their conversation and the consequences that might ensue.

choices

• Peyton
• Isolde