MuSR / Who is the most likely murderer?

question

Who is the most likely murderer?

narrative

When a friendly game of paintball turns fatal with the shocking grenade murder of Ana, seasoned Detective Winston sets out to uncover the hidden truths that lie behind the friendly faces of Troy and Bethany.

Detective Winston counted his steps as he moved between the splattered remains of what was once a thriving paintball field. His thoughts lingered on Ana’s abrupt violence.

Official reports had solidified that aside from the victim, only one other person had been present that tragic night. Troy- the community’s spearheading missionary and the contender in that ill-fated paintball match, was reported to make an unusually early exit, shortly after the deafening explosion that had claimed Ana's life.

Winston knew that Troy had been a missionary in war-torn areas, potentially having rich network of contacts from his time spent abroad. He decided that his next course of action was to pay Troy a visit. He found the man at the local church; brows furrowed and eyes distant, clearly lost in thought. The detective approached slowly, carefully observing the suspect.

Troy looked up, noticing the detective for the first time. “Can I help you, officer?” He asked with an accent Winston could tell came from years spent abroad.

“I believe you can, Troy.” Winston replied, deciding to keep the conversation light. “Must be tough work, serving in war-torn areas.”

Troy shot him a surprised look before relaxing. “It is. But it equips you with skills you never imagined having. Back then, often due to shortage of help, I found myself offering assistance in handling explosives, in case of emergencies.”

Winston made sure to keep his expression neutral; the statement held more weight than Troy probably intended to share. “I understand you were quite involved in the community.”

“Aye, I was. And I hoped to get more involved,” Troy said, a touch of bitterness seeped into his tone, "Ana was unfortunately not supportive of that.”

Detective Winston made a mental note of this as Troy continued, “She was the head, I guess you can say - the ultimate authority in our community. But I feel like, after all my experiences, I could be of more use.”

The church bell chimed, indicating the start of the evening prayer. The detective decided it was a good time to bring up the incident. “You were at the field the day Ana was murdered, weren't you?”

Troy paused for a moment before nodding. "Yes. I was participating in that game. It's heartbreaking what happened to Ana." 

Their conversation wrapped up shortly after with a quiet acknowledgment. Winston knew he was far from solving the case yet, but he knew where to dig deeper. As he left the church, he pondered what lay omitted from Troy’s words.

Perhaps it was due to the prophetic dreams Troy spoke about before Winston left or the rumors he’d heard of Troy being seen browsing black-market weaponry on a clandestine site. Neither fact sat well with the detective.

Winston scanned the kaleidoscope of colored splatters that patterned the paintball field where Ana was last seen alive. The eerie feeling of standing on the same field where his friend lost her life was strange. Ana had been lost here among the harmless shots and splashes of color, in the same tragic game where a crime took place. The same game Bethany had registered for - the same game Bethany played with Ana.

Bethany, Ana’s best friend, was not only well known in this paintball field but also at the military base where she was regularly on duty. Her job there entailed around-the-clock surveillance of the site, ensuring the safe handling of heavy-duty weapons and explosives, including grenades. Bethany's upbringing in the military honed her toughness and her reputation of handling grenades or any other heavy-duty weapons was well taken in the base.

Winston found Bethany near the edge of the paintball field, casually disassembling her marker. He wasn't the only one ever to talk to her, and he also took notice of the accounts of her fellow staff members about her behavior when personal questions arose. They mentioned that she'd often dart her gaze around nervously, avoiding direct eye contact.

"Mhmm," She said, looking away from him.

"We heard you were good friends with Ana," Winston said, watching as her eyes darted around again. "You were both registered under the same number, you played the same games together. The same game that happened here?"

Her gaze uncomfortably shifted away, "Yes, we were."

Bethany seemed to grow more relaxed as Winston steered the conversation towards light-hearted and non-intrusive topics about paintball games and strategies. Just like others had noticed, her guard would drop a bit, revealing her easy laughter and shared anecdotes from past games. But, every time the conversation tips towards personal matters, there was a discernible change in her demeanor, almost a physical reaction, and her eyes darted elsewhere.

"There's something going on that you'd like not to talk about, isn't there Beth?" Winston prodded gently. She quickly shielded herself, and resumed her evasive behavior, eyes avoiding direct contact. Her behavior reminded Winston of the previous accounts of her tendency to change the subject when personal topics arose.

"Paintball, huh? Heard you were trained in the military before you got into this. How to use grenades, and such?" Winston asked, attempting to dig deeper. Just as he expected, she shifted uncomfortably in her seat, and eventually announced that she had to leave for some duty at the base.

For the second time during their discussion, Winston watched as she quickly exited - this wasn't the first time, others had mentioned instances of Bethany walking away whenever the conversation dug too deep into her personal life. He jotted a mental note of her departures during personal topics, her discomfort with emotional depth and her habit of avoiding eye contact on personal questions. He wondered if he would ever get the full story.

choices

• Troy
• Bethany