week 1 - trial

[productions]

week one trial



[At 9 AM precisely, the old grandfather clock chimes once again, and the doors to the drawing room are opened. They will remain open until everyone has come inside, after which they will shut behind them. It is not possible to leave on your own, although perhaps if you have a specific purpose the hostess will allow you to go. The room is set up comfortably, with several tables by the fireplace set out to assist with the trial. The Hostess will also remain in a seat near the fireplace, next to the scales on the mantle. At lunch, the doors will open to bring in a large meal on an automatically rolling buffet, and at 3 PM, tea and finger sandwiches will be served. You'll be able to enjoy the trial in comfort, of course, but the information cards set out on tables will not allow you to forget your true purpose here.]

victim



suspects



Character Statuses
Setting
Manor Rules
Voting

Comments

Autopsy

[productions]

The following document will be laid out on a table in the drawing room:

Autopsy Report - Lydia Martin

Cause of Death - Drowning

Location of Body - Emerald wing bathroom, floating face town in an overflowing tub.

Time of Death - Between 2PM and 3PM

Condition of Body - Drowned. Lipstick marking on left hand. Back of head dry. Slightly sticky residue behind left ear. Smudged lipstick and raw skin around mouth. No other unusual markings.

Condition of Scene - Chair pushed against bathroom door handle blocking entrance; top of chair was broken upon entry to room. Wadded paper and strips of paper found in bottom of tub blocking drain.

There is room at the bottom of the page for others to add notes. Lydia's information card is laid out next to it.

Body

[mostlymarried]

[Belarus has also brought in Lydia's body and set it down on this table, should it be needed again later in the trial]

Suspects

[productions]

On another table, the information cards of the suspects are laid out. There is a blank sheet of paper below each card, labeled:

Whereabouts - Wednesday, Week 1

[inthebones]

[If Susan is surprised to see herself listed as one of the suspects, she doesn't say as much. Upon seeing her information card, she simply takes a pen and begins to write.]

8AM - 9AM: Ballroom, taking breakfast
9AM - 10AM: Parlor, updating notes and information cards.
10AM - 12PM: Library, reading Dr. Chase's Recipes or Information For Everybody
12PM - 12:30PM: Ballroom, taking lunch
12:30PM - 1:30PM: Courtyard, finishing the medical remedy book
1:30PM - 2:00PM: Manor Grounds, taking a walk
2:00PM - 2:10PM: Pantry
2:10PM - 2:30PM: Kitchen, preparing an afternoon snack
2:30PM - 3:20PM: Topaz Wing Room 1, taking an afternoon repose
3:20PM: Western staircase, informed by Alice of the murder

I expect my time up until 1:30 will be largely accounted for as the ballroom and library were occupied. During the walk in the grounds, I passed the woman digging, Belarus, but did not approach. After leaving the kitchen at 2:30, I met Bernkastel as she exited the manor through the front door.

Findings

[productions]

Finally, one table is nearly empty. There are 10 boxes labeled Exhibit A through Exhibit J, as well as paper and pens for writing. The boxes are empty.

Exhibit A

[inthebones]

[When Susan returns with Kaoru to the Smoking Room, she bears a nondescript box marked 'Magic Supplies'. As it is likely too large for the exhibit boxes, she sets it on top.]

This box contained a roll of 'water-soluble adhesive tape' on Saturday evening, when I first examined it. As of this morning, it is missing.

It seems likely to be the explanation for the 'sticky residue'.

-Susan Sto Helit

Hostess

[productions]

[Once everyone has been ushered in and the doors to the drawing room have been shut, the doors to the smoking room open and remain open. The Hostess steps out of the room, today dressed in a deep purple gown with black gloves and a white stole. As always, a dark veil partially obscures her face.]

Good morning, everyone, and how wonderful to see most of you again! Welcome to our first trial. Our dearly departed victim this week was the lovely Lydia Martin, who will be sorely missed. Now, one amongst our number is responsible for Lydia's death. Please do review the autopsy that has been provided for you, become familiar with this week's suspects, chosen by our viewers at home, and label your findings by Exhibit.

Suspects, we would be most obliged if you would fill out the documents near your name cards, accounting for your whereabouts yesterday. If there is anyone available to corroborate your account, we would be especially tickled.

[Having made her announcements, the Hostess pours herself a cup of tea, and takes a seat near the fireplace.]

Best of luck to all, and do let me know if there's any other way I may be of help.

[mostlymarried]

Does this autopsy report cover everything regarding the state of the body or only what has already been discovered?

[pandacea]

[time for May Chang, ace attorney, to make her debut]

There is no way the killer is Miss Susan! She would never kill an innocent girl, much less for something that stupid! [FLAWLESS ARGUMENT THERE ARE NO CONTRADICTIONS HERE]

[inthebones]

...Remember what we spoke of, May.

[A slight smile comes to her lips, nonetheless.]

Character testimony will have its place, but the most important consideration are objective facts. We can't allow ourselves to be swayed by feelings.

[susan abhors stupidity therefore she would never do anything stupid q.e.d.]

If nothing else, we owe it to Lydia to discover the truth.

[balzams]

[Latvia speaks up, albeit very quietly. Unless they're paying attention it might be hard to hear]

A-are we sure it's a murder and not a suicide? There aren't any other exits, so... so if there was a murderer they couldn't have set up the chair to block the door and then escape.

M-Maybe she was trying to murder someone by proxy? S-someone's going to be executed whether they're guilty or not so...

[vytis]

But it's not as if she'd be able to get a reward when she's dead. That's--a bit extreme.

[Not that the chair isn't bothering him, too...]

[scratched]

So who on the list has "phase through doors" on their baseball card?

[inthebones]

For the record, I'd like to clarify that I open doors. I don't make chairs materialize behind them.

[agentx13]

[ Sharon is fairly certain that no one will be able to corroborate anything she's done today. Even now, she merely sits to the side, watching the others as if waiting for one of them to reveal themselves as the killer. ]

Well, shit.

[ And then, louder: ]

Does anyone know how these suspects were decided?

Also, if anyone has any questions to ask me, I'd be happy to answer them.

[souredsweet]

[from a little off to the side:] Chosen by the viewers at home, miss, though I'm afraid I do not understand entirely what that means.

[coming from a time period without tv or even electricity, Kaoru's mental picture of what a viewer at home means is way off... as for questions:] May I please ask which room you are staying in?

[terriblesister]

Um...

[Yuzu is... bad at this whole investigation stuff and she knows it; there's only one real line of thinking she can think of:]

...What reasons would anyone have to kill her? Like... the motive.

[-oh wait-]

-Or why Lydia?

[throe]

[ Rapture crosses her arms and shrugs, still sticking to her usual explanation. It seems to make the most sense to her. ]

Think about the information cards. Her role was a banshee that detects supernatural deaths.

Even if her killer doesn't intent to kill again, it doesn't mean there's no point to taking out someone that could pose as a future problem in the first place. Especially because there are plenty others here with "supernatural" powers listed on their cards.

[obsideo]

(Marlow fills out her information card, and then goes to sit down, arms crossed.)

So...looks like I'm a suspect. For what it's worth, I didn't kill her. Wouldn't kill her. But I don't expect you to believe me without proof.

But I was doing a lot of investigating, too, so if anybody has questions about the scene, I can answer or back up what the others say.

[humanic]

Hey - I know there weren't any marks on her body, but were there any signs that she put up a fight at all in the bathroom? Things knocked over or whatever?

And the sink - did you notice if it was wet at all?

[throe]

[ As such a presence lends itself to both a rockstar and professional con-artist, Rapture attempts to ensnare both the audience, the suspects, and all those present in the trial. All the limelight seems to gravitate toward her and her aura of effervescence. ]

I'd like to take a moment to focus on the theory that the chair was placed in front of the door by the piano wire. Mostly on the removal of piano wire itself. I'm not familiar with pianos, but I am familiar with stringed instruments. Specific tools are usually needed to remove strings from guitars and, similarly, pianos, but someone with the right kind of strength can easily remove both by bare hands alone.

That same strength could have been used to pull the chair to the door and then harshly tugged so that it would be strongly put into place, which is why we have yet to find the piano wire! It isn't the motive we should be focusing on, but how the culprit was able to escape the crime scene in the first place.

If the theory is proven to be right, then... I may know who committed the crime!

[ With that, she gives her best smile, chin held high in her deduction skills. It's almost as if this is less a serious murder to her and more of a show. Director, take note, this is where you play a certain proper song after her revelation. ]

[productions]

[So this time, the music and lights actually do cue up. Go ahead and sing your song, Rapture.]

[humanic]

Hey, suspects. Mind tossing me your keys so we can go search your rooms?

And if anyone wants to come with me to make sure I don't miss anything or try any funny business, that'd be cool.

[speakveryclearly]

[Chiming in] I was investigating with Stilinski before. We saw that the chair had been taken from Lydia's room.

[inthebones]

Would someone accompany me to retrieve a piece of evidence?

It should only take a minute or two.

[souredsweet]

If you will allow me, I will gladly accompany you.

[godwhisperer]

[Gundam will stay to himself at the beginning of trial, but finally he'll step forward.]

Attention. There is a matter of grave importance, an inaccuracy that must be dispelled. Fortunately, I was not targeted this week by culprit or by those who name the suspects, so the insult to my person will not translate to an advantage on my part. However, it is not in my nature to face danger openly, so I will lay the truth bare.

[He turns on the hostess, casting a fierce expression in her direction.]

I do possess ability arcane. I do. I know things of which you mortals could not bear to comprehend. The politics of the plane beyond this one are of no relevance to your mundane lives, and for this reason I could let you stew in ignorance except to allow this to fly in the face of my values. And to inform you that the information cards cannot be trusted.

That is all.

[mostlymarried]

[...most of that went over her head but-]

I can verify the information cards are inaccurate. My age is wrong on mine, with other inaccuracies.

[she's not mentioning the part where she is also physically older than she should be. Obviously that can't be relevant]

[obsideo]

The only way we're going to get anything done about the wire theory is to test it. Yuzu and I are going to try to recreate the locked door. We'll need someone else at least to help us get it open again. Who's with us?

[balzams]

I'll go!

I-I'm not very smart, but I still want to be useful at least...

[tsarcasm]

So, I know there's still a lot of important stuff we don't know, like how the killer closed the door or why her head was dry or whatever... And maybe it's just because I was watching her put it on, the other day in the ballroom... [ Anastasia trails off for a moment, biting her lip before continuing— ] but this whole lipstick thing is bothering me.

It was found floating in the tub next to her, right? But what I want to know is, well, if the cap was on. Because maybe a drowning person would have time to write a quick 'S' — or whatever that symbol is — but putting the cap back on? Really?

The other question I have is, how did it get crushed? The symbol on her hand wasn't drawn with such a thick line, was it? So in that case... the lipstick got crushed after that happened. But how'd that happen? I guess it's possible the killer used it to color on her face, or the tape, though I don't know why you'd do that...

[humanic]

Huh, I hadn't thought about the cap, good point. If she had time to put the cap back on, then she should have had time to write out the whole name. Plus, why write something at all if she was awake enough to do it instead of working on not drowning? It's really looking like the killer's trying to frame someone here.

I dunno about the whole crushing thing either. Maybe it was already like that before? [how do girls put on lipstick they just smash it on their mouths right]

[coca_cola]

[ I'm just going to assume that Clyde has been observing for what's happened so far to account for me not being here, but! After a while of that, he pipes up from where he'd been leaning against the wall. ]

Well, seein' as I'm a suspect, go ahead and ask me any questions you want. I'm doubtin' that my word'll be worth much considerin' the circumstances, but for the record anyways? I didn't kill her.

But other than my word, there's somethin' missin' from the bathroom that would have been obvious if it were me. There wasn't any of my pomade anywhere, was there? That stuff has a strong smell and it's greasy, so it would have been somewhere in there, even if I'd washed it out beforehand. That stuff don't come out easy.

[godwhisperer]

I see, "pomade." I have heard tales of such substance...

[He says as though his hair looks like this naturally.]

But why are you so confident it would have left a trace? Surely you could have drowned the girl without touching your hair to her?

[inthebones]

[Susan waits for a lull in the conversation before she speaks once more to the crowd.]

I am, of course, a suspect, and as with the others, if you have any questions concerning my whereabouts, I would be happy to answer.

But until the others have returned with their findings concerning the wire and the chair, it may be worthwhile to consider another aspect of the crime. That is to say, motive. As I see it, we need to account for two aspects: the motive for choosing to kill and the motive for choosing the victim specifically. Concerning the former, there are several possibilities - a desire to obtain early immunity before the house is fully on guard, a fear of the loss of the memory they threaten us with, or perhaps even simply out of enjoyment of the game.

As for Lydia, there have been concerns that her abilities as a banshee may come into play, but I'm inclined to believe it was a crime of opportunity. Even this, then, would reveal something about the personality of the murderer.

In any case, we should at least speak a few words about the memory that was lost. We'll doubtlessly be lying out of our teeth, but that is, after all, what trials are for. I believe the term is 'cross-examination'.

[allice]

I have a feeling the way the murder was conducted is connected to the motive. The crime seemed very...calculated and quick. The clear sign of someone who wanted to get the job done and didn't care for anything fancy.

Honestly, the chair against the door is odd: the doors automatically lock and given the state of the crime it's likely Lydia was already dead by the time Felicia Marlow attempted to enter the bathroom. If Felicia didn't feel the need to forcibly enter the bathroom, then we would have gone for a while without finding Lydia and it doesn't take more than a couple minutes to drown a person. If the criminal was trying to make it look like a suicide, then the job is sloppy. I honestly don't believe motive plays any large role into this - this was a murder done for the sake of committing a murder, from my perspective.

As for the memories...well, I think the suspects should mention if they feel as though there are any blanks in their minds. If one of the listed suspects is absolutely the culprit, then there's no need for everyone else but them to speak on it.

[Honestly, Susan and Felicia are the two people Alice least suspects of the five.]

SEARCHING SUSPECT ROOMS

[humanic]

[After Stiles has gotten all sets of keys from the suspects, he'll be going to search their rooms with permission from the hostess. Anyone he talked to who wanted to join him is free to do so; he's going to be mainly focused on opening the desk drawers in each room and examining what's inside. He won't be entering the rooms alone or letting anyone else do it, but you can assume your character followed him in or something.]

((OOC: Suspects, if you can respond with what they'll find in your rooms, that would be great!))

Topaz Wing Room 1: Susan Sto Helit

[inthebones]

[The door unlocks easily enough and Stiles and Kanaya are free to enter the room and explore to their heart's content.

Notice the two very specific people mentioned in the narration because you bet your boots Susan will know. There is the sense as you enter the room that the stern schoolteacher stands over your shoulder watching your every move.]

[respecting]

Yo, ain't we gonna talk about alibis at all? We all lookin' for clues, but this one's right here in front of our faces. The murder was between 2 and 3.

So accordin' to this, Susan, Marlow and Sharon were all in their rooms. And Bernie and Clyde were s'posed to be in the library at the same time... izzat right?

[godwhisperer]

Hm. A most astute observation.

[balzams]

[That symbol on the back of her hand has been bothering him for a bit. For a while he's been sitting out of the main conversations and trying to consider what it might all mean. Eventually he comes to some kind of realization, it's a long shot but it's all he has]

H-hey, has anyone figured out what the symbol on her hand might be? I-I have a theory but... I'm sure it doesn't mean anything but please hear me out!

I think I've seen a similar symbol before, it's used in the phonetic alphabet and usually represents a 'sh' sound. I-I'm not sure if Lydia would have known it herself, but if she did and if she did indeed write it I think it might have been a clue to the culprit.

Out of all the suspects... Susan Sto Helit, her initials kind of make a 'sh' sound don't they?

B-but I'm sure she has an alibi, haven't really been paying attention. It was a stupid suggestion, don't mind me.

Sorry...

[godwhisperer]

It is obvious what the symbol means. Therefore, it has gone unremarked upon. You are very late to this conclusion.

[inthebones]

[It is time now to introduce another topic of conversation. Susan is talking quite a lot, but then, her life is on the line here.]

I've just examined the tape we assume was used to gag Lydia. There's a lot of it. Quite a lot of it. Judging from the coloration, only one strip was placed over her mouth, meaning the rest must have been used elsewhere.

[A slight pause now.]

Many of us have been examining the reasoning behind the slow filling of the bathtub. The evidence given by Miss Marlow suggests it was running on a relatively low power; her words have been collaborated by the others who first stumbled upon the body. If this is the case, then the bath had been continually filling until somewhere around the area of 12:45 to 1:15 as Alice has tested. While it's possible that the killer might have turned the tap to low at some point after drowning Lydia, let's first examine this possibility in full.

That is to say, let's examine the possibility that the time of death came at 2 o'clock - but the actual crime came much earlier. I said to Miss Ashe at the beginning of the trial that we ought to consider ways in which the murderer might have killed without actually being in the same room. While I was thinking of something else at the time, those words have become relevant once more.

Consider the following proposition:

Between 12:45 and 1:15, the killer began to run the tap at low power. The killer drugs Lydia and covers her mouth with a single strip of tape to ensure that she can't scream if she awakens. They take her to the bathroom, bind her with the tape so she can't move, then position her head at a certain point in the bathtub, again using tape to secure her head - there was a small strip behind her ear. Then, they exit the room and having either practiced beforehand or simply being quite skilled, they use the piano wires to manipulate the chair into place.

Then, they simply had to wait until she drowned. The sound of the running tap would cover any of Lydia's struggles if she awoke.

...You will also notice that the vast majority of us were taking lunch at that time, increasing the probability that the killer's actions would go unseen.

If this theory is true, the alibis we've most closely examined have become worthless, and we need to go through the timetables once again. I think many of the clues are adequately explained as well - The toilet paper was to absolutely ensure that the stopper wouldn't come loose. The unnecessarily long strips of tape were used to bind Lydia in place. The mystery of why the bathtub needed to be on and flowing slowly is also explained.

The lipstick, I'm afraid, doesn't come into this, but perhaps someone else can provide an explanation at this point.

...The prospect is, of course, horrible, if Lydia did indeed awaken at any point in time. If this theory is correct, our killer is... well. Certainly deserving of execution.

[terriblesister]

Then... she really was taped to the...

[it's lucky she had no stomach to eat; now she just wants to be sick]

[speakveryclearly]

[Kanaya has reappropriated the mantletop scale and a few glasses of water intended to be drunk with the food, all set up on a table near the Exhibits table. She has also taken over for this purpose the box labeled Exhibit F - the box full of the suspects' chloroform bottles with corresponding notecards underneath.]

There's an interesting conjecture being discussed about the dilution of chloroform to provide the illusion of a full, unused bottle, and I'm pretty sure this substance is at least a little denser than water so we might as well compare the mass. Belarus, if you would be so kind as to provide an empty chloroform bottle? There's water to fill it with over here.

[pandacea]

[oh hey something she can actually offer input on SCIENCE]

Trichloromethane...I believe its chemical make-up would indeed cause it to be slightly denser than water. However, I don't know if it would be significant enough that we could tell the difference on this scale, especially with the small amount of liquid we've been given. There is also the weight of the bottles we must consider - it's entirely possible that they differ in mass enough to throw off our calculations.

There may still be a way we can tell if one of them has been tampered with though. Trichloromethane has a much lower freezing and boiling point than water does. Boiling it would be dangerous, but as for freezing...there should be an ice box in the kitchen, is there not? Trichloromethane is not very soluble in water - the water would float on top of it, being the less dense liquid. In other words, if one of these bottles has indeed been diluted with water, we should see a frozen chunk of ice floating on top within half an hour given how small the volume would be.

[obsideo]

Just in case the chloroform freezing doesn't give us our guy...or girl, I guess. Let's talk about alibis.

With Susan's theory, we think the crime actually happened probably between 12:45 and 1:15, maybe as late as 1:30. And I think Susan also said at least twenty minutes. I would say even more. It took us like ten just to get the door to work, but let's start with twenty.

So...if Susan's theory is right, and I'm not saying that's a sure bet, it seems like me and probably Clyde are both off the hook. I went straight from lunch to the library, that only gives me like a minute in that time frame no one saw me. Also seems like Clyde was at lunch the whole time the crime could've happened, so that would be him off the hook too if people saw him.

Okay, so then you have Bernkastel, who has a fifteen minute window, but otherwise, she's covered. And Sharon, if people saw her at lunch, also has only like a fifteen minute window.

That leaves Susan. If no one saw her in the courtyard, that seems like a wrap, right?

So...is anyone seeing the huge problem with this? The way the times are written out, it doesn't seem like anyone could've done it except Susan, and, uh, if it was Susan, laying at the theory that implicates her was probably not the smartest move she could've made.

Which makes me think there's either a problem with the theory, or a problem with the alibis people gave.

[inthebones]

If no one actually saw me in the courtyard, I'll eat my cloak. Every window in the ballroom faces that way; you'd have to be purposefully staring at your plate for an hour to not notice.

I would suggest that a fifteen minute gap is sufficient. No one would notice if, for example, Bernkastel or Miss Carter left lunch 5 minutes earlier than they said. 12:55 is the same as 1:00 in most people's minds; 12:40 close enough to 12:45. No one would be able to vouch for the time that precisely.

If you think the time period is tight, I would ask you what else the murderer would do following the crime. It would be stranger if they dawdled for ten minutes before appearing in the place they want to establish an alibi.

[pandacea]

[After their experiment, Beat and May will come running back into the room.]

Everyone! The experiment worked! Never underestimate the power of science!

[She holds up the five bottles as proof, one of which does indeed have a chunk of ice floating in it.]

Bernkastel! Your bottle is the only one that has been tampered with! Your crimes shall not go unpunished!

[miraculous]

[Bernkastel raises an eyebrow--her generally apathetic state gives way to surprise.]

I did not have the time to commit such an elaborate murder.