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MuSR / Who is the most likely murderer?
Problem
Answer published by the source. Consult the official source to check your work against its answer.
question
Who is the most likely murderer?
narrative
In the glitzy, high-stakes world of casinos, Jamal meets a deadly end by frog poison, leaving Detective Winston to weave through a web of deceit with two prime suspects - Kimberly and Lillian. Winston stood somberly over the roulette table, the stilled wheel now a chilling reminder of the danger that lay in the house's favor. Jamal's empty chair, a token of a dangerous gamble. Too high of a stake, with a godchild as your appointed dealer. "Lillian, was it?" Winston began, attempting to keep his tone as neutral as possible. The woman before him, a young biologist specializing in amphibians, nodded as she squirmed slightly under his gaze. "Jamal spoke highly of you," he said, casting an eye towards her drink. She gulped, but stayed silent. "He trusted you," Winston continued, surveying the crime scene with his trained eye. "Even was seen taking a sip from your very drink there." Lillian straightened in her chair. "Always giving him advice," Winston mused, a thought dancing at the edge of his vision. "And always willing to try something new." It wasn't hard to guess that Lillian had always desired more. The lust for power hung around her like an exotic perfume, intoxicating to those in her proximity. She wanted to be Jamal. Jamal, the casino mogul; his elusive empire tantalizingly within reach. Outside, the neon lights of the casino blinked erratically, casting an eerie greenish hue over the scene. A darting shadow caught Winston's attention - a strange silhouette of a rare species of frog in a glass tank, well-known amongst biologists for its lethal toxins, shimmered in the glow. An interesting pet for a woman so consumed with desire. "Lillian, you're a herpetologist, we gather?" Winston questioned, inclining his head towards the amphibian. She nodded, a glint appearing in her eyes. "And you've been studying the toxins of this frog for years..." Dismissing Lillian, Winston surveyed the casino once more. It was a den of decadence, a palace of transient prosperity run by Jamal, the giver of fortunes, who had no other known kin but a science-smitten child drawn to the perilous allure of her amphibian pets. One clear fact remained. Jamal had listened to Lillian and she... well, she was next in line for his throne. This was not a conjecture but a simple fact an observer might note, just as one might notice the inescapable presence of a rare poison frog in Lillian's possession. As Winston made his exit from the pulsating hub of the casino, his mind turned over the night's events. Lillian, pacing the casino floor, her eyes on Jamal, and Jamal's undying trust in his favored godchild. Pieces of a puzzle waiting to be fit together. But that, he left strictly for the reader to sort out. Winston straightened his tie, a habitual tick when he was nearing a suspect. Tonight, that meant paying a visit to one Kimberly, a spry octogenarian with a fascination for amphibians one wouldn't normally associate with a grandma. Walking up the porch, he could see through a dimly lit parlor. There, Kimberly was found, hunched over a substantial amount of research papers sprawled across the room. Winston noticed the frequency of articles related to the extraction and lethality of poison from a particular species of frog. Knocking gently on the open door, Kimberly straightened, stealthily slipping an exotic-looking frog back into its terrarium, before turning her attention toward the unexpected guest. "Detective Winston," she held out a hand. She was sprightly, yes, but he noted the careful, controlled movements as she moved. "I heard about your recent acquisition," Winston began, lowering himself onto a lumpen crochet-covered armchair. "Must be quite the conversation starter." He flicked a glance toward the rare frog, one known for having highly toxic qualities. "Oh, it causes quite the buzz amongst my grandkids," Kimberly chuckled, her eyes twinkling with mirth. "They're scattered in different cities, all of which I've been to at least once, you see. Every time I visit, they share stories about their friends also believing in these new identities I seem to be adopting. First a globetrotter, and now a herpetologist. Quite the adventurous granny I am!" Winston smiled politely, musing over Kimberly's statement and looking at a family picture, recalling his information about her visits to her grandkids' residences in the different cities. The conversation switched topics from frogs to Jamal, a man who Kimberly had a trusted relationship with, and the victim in this case. It was at the casino where Jamal choked on his all-time favorite gin and tonic, his body later identified as being laced with an unhealthy dose of poison. "I saw you there that night, Kimberly," Winston said with a neutral expression. Kimberly just nodded, neither denying nor admitting to more than was asked. Once finished, Winston excused himself, heading back to his car. He knew he had to tread lightly; Kimberly was a grandmother, but she was also a woman of interest in a murder case. As he started the ignition, his mind replayed the conversation and Kimberly's careful words. He knew he had to come back for another talk, but for now, he headed back to the station.
choices
- Lillian
- Kimberly
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