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

[inthebones]

Perhaps I mean more than just 'motive', but rather... psychology. No two people, when given the same task, will carry it out in the same manner. The choices that are made may betray something about the person we seek.

I'm not sure I agree with your assessment of the crime. It was certainly well calculated, yes, but there's a sense of showmanship about the blocked door, which unnecessarily complicates what could have been a straightforward affair. The point of a locked room mystery is to remove yourself from any association with the crime, but it's hardly helpful when you're necessarily chosen as one of five to be put on trial. ...And I suppose I don't need to mention that several skills include things like 'good with clues' or 'good with mysteries'.

...Alternatively, it's possible that the door was blocked to necessitate a commotion. The murderer may have needed to be one of the first on the scene of the crime to alter something.

As for own memories, I realized what I was missing a few days ago, yes.

[allice]

It could be because of that hostess. A plain and simple murder would have been easy enough to conduct: they could have just slit Lydia's throat as she walked down the hall and there would probably be very little evidence as to who could have done it. The showmanship is probably just part of the "show" we're all supposedly part of.

As for your point about returning to the crime, it is plausible given two of the three suspects are people who discovered the body with me as the only absent one from the listing. However I have little reason to believe Bernkastel or Felicia were part of the crime. They have very good alibis for the frame of time given in the autopsy and Bernkastel in particular is shorter than Lydia Martin.

The memories one could gain are of course the greatest motivation and the psychology of the suspects. You, Bernkastel and Sharon strike me as very analytical people, while Clyde is more lax and Felicia is observant but not so strikingly stern. A crime like this would be better suited to an analytical person because of how much effort went into such a simple murder.

[inthebones]

That would imply, then, someone who cares about putting on a show, or someone who is likely to be entertained by such.

Bernkastel is also a witch that has lived for a millennium. Without making an accusation, I think there was a greater than 50% chance that she could have overpowered Lydia through some other means. ...Chloroform, perhaps. Miss Felicia's alibi is also not fully satisfactory; 'taking a nap' can hardly be accounted for unless she snores quite loudly.

I would agree that Clyde, in the manner he presents himself, seems unlikely to create such a scene. His crime would be the simple slit of the throat I would also mention that I disdain showmanship, but as one of the suspects, that's hardly worthwhile.