murdermanor | WEEK 3

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trial,
week 3

WEEK 3 - TRIAL

week three 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, as long as you are accompanied by a partner.

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.

At 7 PM, the trial will adjourn for the day. Players will be escorted by the Hostess to the ballroom, where dinner and wine will be served until 10 PM, at which point players will be required to return to their wings in groups with their wingmates and will be locked in their bedrooms until 8:30 AM the following morning.]

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Oh snap! Then that's gotta be what happened!

...So the theory goes as follows.

The killer enters Dave's room with the skeleton key and strikes him on the back of his head while he's bent over his drawing. This leaves a small spray of blood and a bloodstain on his desk. The killer then takes an unconscious Dave out of the room to the second or third floor, stabs him repeatedly and severely, and pushes him down the elevator shaft, where he lands face-down.

I see a few points of contention, still - first, that he was so absorbed in his work that he failed to notice anyone coming into his room. Second, there are still no blood stains where they ought to be.

What if he was asleep at his desk? Though I'm not sure how the killer would have known to enter, unless he snores...?

...Or perhaps they weren't expecting him to be at his desk and alert at all. The deed could have been done at around 3 in the morning - they expected him to be asleep and simply entered as quietly as they could. If he were in bed, they could have done the exact same thing.

Happenstance saw it that he had fallen asleep at his desk.

Edited 2013-10-11 05:08 (UTC)

Wait, if the killer clobbered him over the his head while he was at the desk, how did they not notice the blood? I mean, you'd think it'd be one of the things to look out for.

...It's possible they didn't expect this type of injury would leave a bloodstain. It's also possible Dave turned off his lamp before taking a nap, making it very difficult to see.

It's true, though; it seems strange not to have noticed it, particularly if Dave was already unconscious. There would have been time to ensure the scene was set up correctly.

It was found on the drawing and at the corner of the desk it was on, right? Maybe there used to be more, and they cleaned it up, but missed that blood because of the paper?

It does blend in a bit with the rest of the... art, that's true. In a rush, I think it's feasible the murderer wouldn't have noticed it if the drawing had shifted to cover it up.

It's also possible there was more blood on other papers and the papers were disposed of except for one that they missed, I suppose.

...If it were me, I'd have simply gotten rid of them all. Why would the murderer leave a single sheet of paper behind?

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vytis - 2013-10-12 00:27 (UTC) - Expand

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inthebones - 2013-10-12 02:17 (UTC) - Expand

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vytis - 2013-10-12 02:20 (UTC) - Expand

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inthebones - 2013-10-12 02:24 (UTC) - Expand

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respecting - 2013-10-12 03:53 (UTC) - Expand

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vytis - 2013-10-12 04:13 (UTC) - Expand

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respecting - 2013-10-12 04:37 (UTC) - Expand

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vytis - 2013-10-12 19:35 (UTC) - Expand

No one would have heard anything that late either, considering everyone's usually asleep. It would make it a great time to throw one-hundred and forty pounds down an elevator shaft without anyone hearing.

Edited 2013-10-11 11:42 (UTC)

It could be risky, but yes, it would certainly be the best time for a murder. It matches the evidence from the body as well. The blood was still slightly sticky, but tacky, I believe, was the way it was described. That would place it about eight hours before the discovery of the body - around 2.

It would make a lot of sense. If the victim was unconscious, it would be easier to at least drag him from the Ruby Wing into the kitchen, then perform the murder without anyone hearing. There doesn't seem to have been a struggle either, which probably made it easier for them.

They finish, they clean themselves up, dispose what they have to, and seemingly act like everything is normal come morning.

It would actually be safer to wait until the next morning to was off as you suggested. They'd simply have to bide a few hours until it was a natural time to awake, then quickly steal down the hall to the bathroom.

...Perhaps we can check which of our suspects is the most sleep-deprived.

By checking for bags underneath their eyes? [ She points to the finely concealed space underneath her eye with a smirk. ] It could work... especially for those who claim they awoke early. Too bad there isn't a more effective way of figuring it out.

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inthebones - 2013-10-12 00:01 (UTC) - Expand

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throe - 2013-10-12 00:15 (UTC) - Expand

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inthebones - 2013-10-12 02:14 (UTC) - Expand

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throe - 2013-10-12 13:39 (UTC) - Expand

That's going to be me. [ Although he's looked like shit since he arrived in the manor, to be fair. ]

I don't sleep well. I haven't for months. I never leave my room at night, though. When I wake up I write or read for a bit, then go back to sleep.

Aight... I don't know about the bloodstains yet, but what about this! That drawing looks finished - um, probably - [hard to tell with how crappy it is] - so he wasn't still workin' on it. Maybe the killer just jumped him after hidin' in his room. You said he went to bed at like midnight or something, right? Then if one of the people who went to bed early was really in his room... maybe they hid under a pile of clothes and waited for him to turn around!

That'd have to be...a really large pile of clothes, man....

I KNOW I read somethin' about a pile of clothes, though. Someone who saw the clothes could tell you if it was big enough.

Sadly, the suggestion that someone hid under a pile of clothing is actually perfectly reasonable.

But even in the mess, it would have been difficult to evade detection so long. Surely Dave couldn't have failed to notice someone else in the room - and the first thing he would have done is cry out, attracting attention.

That's why they waited for him to turn his back... otherwise, I dunno... maybe nobody heard him?

...If the rooms were soundproofed, you mean?

It should be easily tested. Just have two people in adjacent rooms listen to hear if they can hear each other yell.

[he hadn't thought of that but that is a great idea and he's running with it]

Yeah! They could be soundproof, yo! Le's go, I'll holler as loud as anything!

I don't actually live next to you. ...Although I suppose we could just use the skeleton key.

[susan's abilities notwithstanding.]

It don't matter who's in the rooms, does it? Just as long as you can tell if they screamin' or not.

[Though, if they need adjacent rooms, Ukraine and Minatsuki lived next to each other.]