Third Trial

[stagemanagers]

[Once again, the sound of opening doors echoes through the opera house as the investigation draws to a close.

Time for your third trial.

The courtroom looks the same as ever, save that Darla and Eliza's podiums are now arranged in the same funerary fashion as the other deceased cast members. The lights from the bulbs standing in their places seem to cast the rest of the house even more in shadow, even as the crystal chandeliers still glitter dimly above. The Balladeer is hidden backstage once more, somewhere behind the red curtain drawn shut across the stage. Once everyone's taken their places, he speaks up.]

Alright. Let's do this.

Comments

[dechagny]

[And Raoul running around yelling about death did not help matters. Sorry, Billy.]

Madame Hamilton...she was baking last evening in the kitchen. I was with her for a time, so that may be why she smells of vanilla. But, if there was vanilla on her shoulder, then...someone could have poured it on her, perhaps...to cover the smell of garlic?

[sunshineprincess]

[Tea buddy, you have a point.]

She would have had to leave the kitchen because it's closed at night. I went into the kitchen with the Pirate King and there was no sign of a struggle. She couldn't have been killed in there if that's what you're thinking. The vanilla extract would have left a puddle... so maybe it was tea because of the broken ceramic?

[solomonjihad]

Maybe she went to the bakery to finish?

[sunshineprincess]

But that would have meant carrying ingredients upstairs. If she had started baking already, or made the batter wouldn't there be flour and other things on her clothes? And who bakes in their nightgown in the first place?

[dechagny]

A tea...yes, it could have been some sort of vanilla tea. They do have many blends in there.

[sunshineprincess]

Exactly! And no one would have looked twice if someone was carrying a tea set to the bakery. They'd just think they were having tea and cookies. Which... actually sounds really good right now.

[ANNA, DON'T SAY STUFF LIKE THAT OUT LOUD]

[dechagny]

It sounds lovely, but...I think I will be quite turned off from tea and cookies for some time.

[sunshineprincess]

Raoul... just because tea was used in a murder doesn't mean you can't still enjoy it.

[Please. She needs you, tea buddy.]

Anyways. Why vanilla? It's such a soft scent. Unless they paired it the cookies on purpose. Wouldn't chocolate have been a better choice?

[dechagny]

I'm sure I can, but...separate, from the cookies, Anna.

[He's still tea buddy but please don't bring over any snickerdoodles]

I'm afraid I wouldn't know if that was the case. Depending on the type of cookies that were used, vanilla might have been a better pairing...and, perhaps, there was so much vanilla at the murderer's disposal, they felt it would be enough to overpower the smell of the poison?

[sunshineprincess]

Oh. Then we just have cake with it then.

[Stop talking about food.

She nods.]

Do you think maybe they didn't smell the garlic because it was fresh frosting and cookies at first? Maybe when everything cooled down the smell became noticeable? I know with some foods that they smell amazing when warm, but awful when cold.

[dechagny]

That could be possible too. I wonder, though, where in the world would someone obtain arsenic here? I cannot recall seeing anything like that bottle before. And...aren't some of the cleaning supplies already toxic? It might have made more sense to use something easier to find.

[sunshineprincess]

[Uhm...]

I know back home arsenic was used to dye clothes and preserve wood. Isn't there a workshop with wood in it?

[It's the only place that makes sense where it would be.]

[dechagny]

[...One of the few places he hasn't investigated. Of course.]

I suppose wood would be in a workshop, yes.

[sunshineprincess]

So it'd make sense then, right? But someone here had to know how poisonous it was. Billy the Lawyer said it was used as a tonic for skin.

[Which sounds gross and super dangerous.]

[dechagny]

[Yeah after today CHRISTINE WILL NEVER GO NEAR IT for her own goshdarned safety]

Yes...they would have to know what they were doing in order to successfully poison Darla and Madame Hamilton.

[sunshineprincess]

[But who would know...]

So someone who could bake knew how to make frosting and was familiar with tea... and knew how deadly arsenic is.

[dechagny]

And who wore enough stage makeup to leave smears of it on what they handled, perhaps?

[sunshineprincess]

[.......... quite a few people actually.]

I know Darla would have, and I think Winslow liked it, too.

[dechagny]

But then that would make Darla the culprit, if she handled the poison...but then why would she poison herself?

[As for Winslow...no, no, he wouldn't believe it was Winslow. Not now, not ever.]

[onthebusagain]

Unless they touched her before putting the poison away.

[dechagny]

That could be possible as well, if Darla was heavily made up at the time of...you know.

[sunshineprincess]

She was always made up. I don't think I've ever seen her without a ton of makeup on.

[dechagny]

I don't think I've ever looked that closely at her to tell.

[And now the little girl who tried to drown cats is dead.]

[sunshineprincess]

Well, you're not a girl. Only another girl or a guy who wears makeup can tell just by looking if someone is using it or not.

[dechagny]

[Huh! This is new information that Raoul has learned.]

Is it really so noticeable?