MuSR / Who is the most likely murderer?

In the ominous arena of a wrestling ring, Sophie's life was unexpected cut short by the deadly crack of a pistol; now it's up to grizzled Detective Winston to interrogate suspects Willard and Miles, unmasking the murderer among them.

Winston tapped his finger gently on the folder marked 'Sophie,' his deep-set eyes brooding over the troubling police files. The latest files had pointed him towards the infamous chiropractor suspect, Willard.

His first priority was a discussion with Willard's family. Winston sensed a tension within the household, their nervous smiles barely managing to disguise the concern emanating from their eyes. Their excessive cordiality did not help to ease Winston’s suspicions either. 

"One moment he is here, the next, he's disappeared... Always been a man of mystery, our Willard," said one of the family members, echoing the general sentiment. Winston committed to memory the statement about Willard's irregular attendance and early departures from family events.

In one conversation, the family mentioned an episode from Willard's past serving in the military. The proud march, the calling to arms and patriotic chants echoed with a fleeting gleam in their eyes, tracing back the glory days when Willard underwent firearm training. A chill began to creep into Winston, but he pushed it back, refusing to draw any conclusions just yet.

The family shared how they were constantly trying to get in touch with Willard, their frantic attempts being met with obstinate silence and evasions. A phone filled with incoming calls from various family members had apparently been a common sight for Willard, but he purposefully avoided their calls.

Irrefutable evidence was uncovered in the case file: Sophie had falsely accused Willard of malpractice. Despite this, Sophie's persistence won her the court case against Willard. The court controversially ratified the baseless malpractice accusations, resulting in the termination of Willard's work license.

Life had not been kind to Willard post that trial. Once a cherished medical professional of the town, he now used robust protective tools in his new, mundane job. The heavy, clinical gloves sparkling immaculately under the sterile clinic lights were perhaps the last vestiges of his once illustrious career.

One of Willard’s former military buddies had noted his self-protection apparatus, a gun safely secured away in accordance with the local laws. No one could fault a man, especially one trained in the military, for taking the necessary precautions to secure the safety of his own home, could they?

With the stage set precisely as Sophie desired, she dug Willard's downfall deep and mercurial. However, it was clear to Winston that Sophie's claims in court were indeed more hype than truth. It was a meticulously orchestrated theatre for public consumption and Sophie was the skilled puppeteer.

As he navigated through the complicated tales of Willard's case, he couldn’t shake off the eerie feeling that Willard's peripheral existence carried more depth than what met the eye. But jumping to conclusions was never Winston's style. For now, all the facts and tales added another layer to the mysterious puzzle that is Willard.

In the aftermath of a wrestling event, Winston was analyzing the chaos that had unraveled. The area, now void of its once fervent spectators, was shrouded in silence broken only by the solemn presence of Sophie's lifeless body.

Sophie, ever the ambitious woman, had divided her time between her political career where she was pitted against the likes of Miles, and other interests - in this case, wrestling. Her body in the wrestling ring lay in stark contrast to her living self in Winston's memory, where he last saw her in a bustling car dealership owned by Miles. This same dealership was now part of a growing crime scene.

Miles was known as the dealer that could talk anyone into buying anything. His charm had woven him into all sorts of events and situations, some more suspect than others. One such situation led to a wrestling match between him and Sophie, his main political opponent. The high energy from the crowd that night still hung in the air, their wild cheers a testament to the fierce competition that had just taken place.

When Winston visited Miles's car dealership, he was greeted with the sight of glossy sportscars, family sedans, and even a few police issue vehicles. The latter was part of Miles's specialty - police vehicles equipped with pistols, ready to serve the needs of law enforcement.

Winston turned a critical eye to Miles's inventory, prompting him to say, "Quite the setup you got here," as he made his way into Miles’s office for a meeting. The layers of obfuscation that Miles attempted with his cheerful demeanor did nothing to dissuade Winston from the degree of Miles's unease.

"Oh, you know, business has been good," Miles deflected.

"I'm sure," Winston returned, "Especially when you're financing a competing candidate behind Sophie's political campaign." Surprised by Winston's directness, Miles stuttered momentarily before feigning indifference.

Struggling to move on, Miles attempted a change of topic by focussing on Sophie's ability to wrestle both physically and politically. "You must have seen her wrestle, right?"

"I did, indeed," Winston replied, catching the guilt that attempted to hide behind Miles' uneasy laughter.

Winston knew that while Sophie occasionally wrestled for sport, she also wrestled with the truth. The evidence she collected was slowly uncovering illegal activities linked back to Miles's car dealership; specifically, money laundering. Despite the recent tragic events, she still had plans to publicly expose his crimes.

The occurrences at the wrestling ring and the car lot were definitely cause for speculation, considering the complex relationship between Miles and Sophie. Sophie's bodyguard had recently bought a police vehicle from Miles's dealership, a purchase that led him to discover a pistol, identical to the one found at the scene of Sophie's death. A question hung in the air - did Miles know about it?

As Winston excused himself from the meeting, he reflected upon Miles’s desperation to protect his reputation and livelihood. A formidable adversary like Sophie was certainly not a threat Miles could simply ignore. With each passing moment, it was becoming increasingly clear that this was just the beginning of their investigation.