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

[blackstache]

Yes! But sorry to say, my boy, I've never once made cookies.

[inforapenny]

But you could decorate them.

[solomonjihad]

Ah...!

[ITS ALL STARTING TO COME TOGETHER]

Billy, you don't think his syphilis would make him think...!!

[.....ok probably not but]

[blackstache]

As if I would've had time to even bake! Is the bakery not closed during certain hours?

[solomonjihad]

No, only the kitchen is.

[blackstache]

Certainly an indicator of what I know, then.

[solomonjihad]

...Or, you know and are lying. Or don't remember properly.

[S y p h i l i s Hook]

[blackstache]

Well, the captain's memory certainly has been faulty, hasn't it? Given his thoughts on Billy and all that.

[solomonjihad]

Then, couldn't you have forgotten what you did last night?

[inforapenny]

Hey, Captain. Did you like Darla?

[blackstache]

I hardly knew the child.

[inforapenny]

You say child like it's a bad word.

[blackstache]

Are you implying that because of her age, I had some sort of bias against the girl?

[inforapenny]

I dunno. Did you?

[blackstache]

Most certainly not! Those who Hook dislikes, he dislikes them equally.

[inforapenny]

Except for Peter Pan, right?

[bruh that's in your profile.]

[blackstache]

That wretched boy cut off me hand and fed it to a blasted crocodile!

[dontfeedplants]

And Darla willingly tried to murder animals, didn't she? She wasn't exactly a saint either.

[blackstache]

That doesn't concern me, now does it?

[dontfeedplants]

But if she wasn't a great guy maybe she did something to you that made you realize you had to kill her?

[inforapenny]

And you didn't like Mrs. Hamilton, either, did you?

[blackstache]

My grudge with Mrs. Hamilton is entirely unrelated to her death!

[inforapenny]

I just figured, you know, maybe you were too cowardly to come for me like you said you would last week, so you settled for someone you could easily overpower.

Like a woman and a child.

[blackstache]

Oh, but that would be bad form, wouldn't it?

[inforapenny]

Not if Mrs. Hamilton put up a fight.