fourth trial

[stagemanagers]

[When the investigation finishes, the lights begin to flicker on and off as that low, gentle rumble echoes through the opera house. Again for those investigating the grounds the outdoor lights illuminating the still night flicker to get their attention.

Your intermission is ending. Please return to your trial room.

The court room looks just as it did before: the grand chandelier glittering above your heads, the dusty red velvet seats. In the orchestra pit your circle of wooden podiums are waiting. Angus, Riley and Shilo's podiums are draped in black crepe with their greyscale funerary portraits, just like your friends before them. The ghost light glows softly behind the podiums.

The curtain is closed, waiting to open when a decision has been reached and the execution can commence.

When everyone is in their places, the Phantom's voice echoes loud and clear through the theatre from his place in box 5. He still sounds distracted, just as he was for his other public appearance this week, like there are other things weighing on his mind.]

You must now determine who was responsible for the death of Shilo Wallace. Submit your vote on the podiums when you are certain of your choice.

[Gather your evidence and let's begin.]

Comments

[heathencall]

If we use her, though, we get a far better look at the exact trajectory of a full strike. To pierce her deeply enough for a mortal wound would take a lot of force to generate, I would think.

Less guesswork.

[37773972]

[Just...looks at Christine...to see if she's okay with it...]

[madgiganticfeelings]

[Honestly, being in that position seems a bit easier to her. Only problem is a dramatic death scene would be in poor taste. She hands over the tool.]

I'm fine with that too. Just uh, don't make us do a trial inside a trial.

[37773972]

There's a reason I asked you to turn it over. [Blunt edge only!

...now it's his turn to feel creeped out. He looks at it, takes a breath, and then- ok, if he was gonna stab someone- he'd do it like this, maybe?

Tap.]

[garbageface]

So do we all take a turn to see if we’re the right height to stab someone?

[ ugh what a weird sentence ]

[heathencall]

It can't hurt.

[Unless someone uses the wrong end.

... Maybe it can hurt a little.]

[madgiganticfeelings]

Do you think I'm close enough to her height to be a good match?

[37773972]

I don't know. The fact this thing's so big- it's hard to get an idea on how they held it. I'm not sure this was such a useful idea, after all.

[madgiganticfeelings]

...I'm sorry, Stephen. I wish I could have thought of something.

[37773972]

It's fine, it's not your fault. [He can't see Christine attacking anyone, anyway. Then again, he couldn't see Riley, either.]

[madgiganticfeelings]

It's not, but... but we have to solve this. The threat of us dying apparently isn't going to make whoever did this confess...

[Forgive her, she's trying to talk through what she knows.]

They planned this out, planned to attack Shilo from the start. They attacked her in the barn... using that weeder, and a cloth to maybe catch the blood or clean it up. They moved her to another spot to... display her? And then went to clean up.

Then they lit the candles for us. Is that all we know? Or am I getting something wrong?

[justmeheere]

Okay, but like. I still think that's. That's making a really weird assumption about how, uh. [He gestures vaguely.] How you even make wounds with that thing.

[garbageface]

Well, how would you make a wound with that thing?

[justmeheere]

It's bent. You'd have to swing it sideways to make. To hit someone's back? And it's so long, like. They would absolutely see you? Even from behind?

[37773972]

Not if you're occupied with a horse.

[justmeheere]

No, but. That's why? Like horses. Horses freak out if you. You sneeze? They're big. Big anxious.

[It's very relateable.]

[garbageface]

Well, the killer also had a hammer, at one point. Maybe they knocked her out first, then stabbed her?

[37773972]

Did she have any other injuries?

[musacal]

It is a rather strange murder weapon, isn't it?

[ Hmmm... ]

Wait, there was an area in the barn cleaned right? Meaning the murder probably happened there, yes?

[madgiganticfeelings]

I'd assume that that would have been where the murder was... what with them cleaning up the blood.

[musacal]

Mmm...

The barn is multi-level, with hay on the upper level... and that thing looks like it could be useful for getting hay if you had a hard time getting some.

Is it possible... that it fell or was dropped on her?

[heathencall]

And here I thought you were going to suggest that the killer encouraged the horse to press the fork into her back

[holyspit]

Oh. Or- she fell on it?

[Or was pushed.]

[heathencall]

You are correct, yes.

[He has a horrible feeling he knows where this is going]

[musacal]

[ well here she goes with a possibility ]