MuSR / Who is the most likely murderer?

question

Who is the most likely murderer?

narrative

When Wilhelmina is mysteriously slain by a crossbow in her own kitchen, Detective Winston steps in to question the two primary suspects, Isabelle and Nicole, in this chilling murder mystery.

Detective Winston had been studying Nicole for some time now. The art community was all abuzz when Wilhelmina, a renowned collector of medieval artifacts, was found dead in her kitchen. She'd been killed with a crossbow, of all things. It didn't quite fit the typical mold, and that's why Winston was on the case.

Nicole had the appearance of a comfortable art critic. She was fairly calm during their first meeting, not a trace of nervousness to be seen. She’d greet Winston at the entrance of her well-decorated abode, leading him through the extensive art collection adorning her vast living room.

“I remember Wilhelmina well," Nicole began, her voice a steady lull. "She came over on the day of the tragedy. I invited her for coffee and some snacks. I had been shopping recently and noticed they had her favorites. She loves-...loved my cookies," she said, correcting herself, swallowing hard.

Winston acknowledged her with a nod. "I see, Nicole, I see. I did happen across a grocery receipt, showing the purchase of snacks matching the preference of the victim, dated for earlier that day."

"Did you?” She replied but seemed to fiddle with her bracelet, her eyes avoiding his upon the mention of the grocery receipt. He noted her hesitation.

Throughout the day, Nicole didn’t leave her house for anything. She was alone until Wilhelmina came over, which made her prime suspect number one, especially given her past.

Just as Winston thought he’d collected all the essential pieces from Nicole, something strange occurred. He asked her about her computer, whether anyone else had used it recently. The mere mention of the device made her stutter and break out in beads of sweat.

"Oh, uhh. Well, yes... My friend, she was here... Umm, she was looking up some artist on my computer... I don't really remember the name... with all these artists I encounter, it's hard to keep up," she stuttered out the answer nervously, a stark contrast from before. Her awkwardness made Winston ponder.

Wilhelmina's case stacked on top of some disturbing history from the police department, that every person Nicole had been close to, had died under mysterious circumstances. These were especially disturbing as they all were art collectors, similar to Nicole, and their valuable pieces all ended up in Nicole's own extensive collection post mortem.

"What about medieval art auctions?" Winston asked, out of nowhere. He saw Nicole's eyes grow wide for a moment.

"Ah, yes. I frequent those quite often...,” she admitted.

"Interesting." Winston got up and offered her a polite smile. "Thank you for your cooperation, Nicole."

Detective Winston was studying the photos of the crime scene - the kitchen of the late Wilhelmina. Despite the violent nature of a murder usually committed with a crossbow, the scene was neat, a strangely peaceful sight.

Leaning back in his chair, Winston skimmed through recorded transcripts of interviews with the acquaintances, friends, and regular attendees of Wilhelmina's yoga sessions which were led by Isabelle. Reports stated that Wilhelmina had a knack for creating controversies with her words, as she used to openly criticize religious groups. One of these transcripts included a voice recording. From this recording, you could hear the voice of Wilhelmina openly criticizing a certain religious group that Isabelle, her yoga instructor, was associated with.

His eyes then moved to the witness statements his officers had collected for him. Notably, among many others, there was a statement from one of Wilhelmina's housemaids. She noted that she had seen Isabelle in the kitchen during one of the yoga sessions, which coincidentally occurred around the same time as the murder. The yoga sessions, under Isabelle's supervision, were attended by various regular attendees including Wilhelmina and took place in various locations within Wilhelmina's house. The kitchen where Wilhelmina was murdered was frequently one of these locations.

With a sigh, he set aside the paperwork and looked over at Isabelle's social media accounts on his department-issued laptop. She had posted multiple pictures demonstrating her skills with a crossbow and in fact, she even had a post flaunting her own crossbow. On top of that, she was part of an archery club which included the use of crossbows. 

Sitting upright, rubbing his eyes, he recalled the details of the meeting with Isabelle in her house, where they found literature that supported the ideas of religious extremism. The vigilant neighbors also reported Isabelle attending a series of meetings with known religious extremist groups.

The clock was now ticking near the end of his shift. Even as the day transformed into night, Winston was consumed by the intricacies of the case. Evidence was meticulously compiled for further discussions with his team. He took one last glance around his office before he finally decided to call it a day, ready to embark on the journey of solving the mystified death of Wilhelmina.

choices

• Isabelle
• Nicole