MuSR / Who is the most likely murderer?

question

Who is the most likely murderer?

narrative

In the grim underbelly of the wrestling world, Eleanor meets her shocking end by a halberd, leaving Detective Winston to untangle a web of deception spun by Elizabeth and Freya.

Eleanor was to be the star of the show. After all, she was is in high demand, even other directors wanted her, luring her with offers. Yet with loss and betrayal, her world was cut short in a wrestling ring of all places. By a halberd, an ancient weapon, now primarily a theatrical prop.

Taking a deep breath, Detective Winston perused his notes. It highlighted a complex web of deceit and jealousy, one that placed Elizabeth, the director of the play, at its center. As director, she possessed keys to every corner of the premises, from mundane storage rooms to the wrestling stage utilized for rehearsals. He noted that the wrestling ring was near the storage, where the halberd used in rehearsals was kept. Throughout the rehearsal process, Elizabeth personally supervised the handling and usage of the props. The halberd, in particular, was a focal point of the performance.

His mind swarmed back to the crime scene, the wrestling ring...currently cordoned off with police tape. Eleanor's lifeless body sprawled under the unforgiving ring lights.

Earlier, Elizabeth was overseeing the wrestling rehearsals. At one point, she had asked everyone else to leave the wrestling ring area. Not long after, Eleanor was found dead. It was a shocking scene, a terrible ending to a tense day.

Recalling his earlier conversation with Elizabeth, he remembered her mentioning a confrontation with Eleanor. She was upset, angry that Eleanor was having an affair with her husband. Yet Eleanor merely smirked, mocking her in front of the entire cast. It was her last act of defiance before her demise.

Detective Winston looked over his notepad. There was tension, anger and the revelation of betrayal. It wasn't lost on him that Elizabeth had not only lost her star actress but was facing a personal betrayal of unforgettable proportions. He had the facts, now his job was to uncover the truth. No matter how dark or sad it may be.

Detective Winston stroked his chin, hunched over the photos sprawled across his desk. The halberd lodged into Eleanor's chest had sent a chill through his spine. It wasn't every day that a wrestling ring turned murder scene with a halberd as the choice of weapon. The uniquely crafted design on the blade matched another one that he had seen before.

Lighting a cigarette, he recalls his conversation with the ex-husband. "I've never seen Freya without her sunglasses, man, not since we got hitched. She was always oddly sensitive to light."

"But let me tell you," the ex-husband continued, "when she did want to talk, she'd always insist on meeting at the park, on that bench overlooking the water. That's her style."

Winston had been waiting to talk to Freya at her usual spot, a park bench overlooking the water, when she finally approached. She sat down gingerly, sunglasses firmly over her eyes. True to her habit, she started the conversation.

"How can I help, Detective?" Freya kicked off the conversation, interrupting the peace offered by the chirping of birds nearby. 

"No pleasantries, huh?" Winston retorted, smoke billowing from the corner of his lips.

"What can I say, Winston? Let's get the ball rolling," Freya responded, avoiding his eyes. She seemed to shift uncomfortably, her gaze fixed on the passing ducks. Winston found it odd that she wouldn't make eye contact - a classic nervous trait - reminding him painfully of the ex-husband's remarks about her light sensitivity.

"You know about Eleanor's debt, right?"

Freya didn't bat an eyelid, just a sharp exhalation as she responded, "Yeah, I loaned her money for my historical artifact collection. She knew about my illegal artifact ventures... threatened to expose me if I didn't pay her back."

Winston blinked in surprise as he processed this information. Freya's bankruptcy declaration just last month floating to the front of his mind.

"Ahh, your historical artifacts... they wouldn't happen to include medieval weapons, would they? Like a halberd, with a similar design identical to the one used in Eleanor's murder?"

Freya's expression wrinkles as she nods, "Yeah, I take it every fortnight for maintenance... helps keep my combat training sharp too."

There it was, the fact he was waiting to unravel - the halberd used in the murder was indeed identical to the one in Freya's collection.

With that, he stands, dropping his cigarette butt into a nearby bin, leaving Freya on her usual park bench, hiding behind her sunglasses.

choices

• Elizabeth
• Freya