theairlock | sixth victim

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sixth victim

[At 7 AM on Friday, the mini-maps that allow the teleporter to be used all turn back on. Like any other time that the status quo has been abruptly restored at the end of the week, there's something ominous about it all the same. Especially on the fourth floor.]

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[Congratulations, you have unlocked a gaping wound on the back of Bolton's neck, right at the base of the skull.]

-!

[A HAND FLIES TO COVER HER MOUTH okay okay. Okay breathe Jane, breathe. Is there anything about the shape and size of the wound that might indicate what made it?]

[It's messy and gross. There's still blood and clear spinal fluid leaking out, and it's clear that whatever made it wedged itself between the vertebrae and shredded the column of nerves that runs down the center.

Still, for however messy it is, there's something almost precise about it.]

[...Like a blade, or...something with a steady hand, let's suppose. She's still going to hold onto the idea that Bolton might have let something kill him, but the possibility that he was attacked too quickly to fight back also occurs to her.

Jane leans a little closer, pulling her cardigan sleeves down so she can cover her hands to get a better look at that wound. Specifically, we're checking if anything might be lodged in there.]

[Unfortunately, no, Sunshine.

However, there is something silver and shiny in the pool of blood a few feet away.]

[Okay. We're just going to gently place Bolton down and...and make sure his eyes are closed before Jane picks herself up to go to that shiny thing in the blood, plucking it out with her cardigan-wrapped hands. What did she win?]

[Well, first of all, something to note...

His eyes were already closed. There's a faint smudge of blood on his eyelids and across the bridge of his nose.]

[...Alright, duly noted. The killer had a modicum of respect for Bolton, or at least the dead. Let's say she did a double-take at that blood smear - anything identifiable as a fingerprint on there? Also, does he still have his glasses? Just out of curiosity.]

[There's no liftable fingerprints or anything, but judging by the size of the smears that does seem to be a good guess on what they're from.

His glasses are on his face, but not quite settled all the way up his nose, like they were put back by someone else.]

[Definitely noticing that as a fellow glasses-wearer. Guess the respect only went so far.

Okay, back to the shiny in the blood pool. What's the grand prize?]

[They tried.

The shiny is some kind of blade]

[Not enough.

We're going to examine the blade. Would it be from a knife, a pocket utility tool, an ice skate, what?]

[An ice skate.

You know the squares where the skate is normally bolted onto the bottom of the boot?]

[Suuuure let's say we do. Does it look like the skate blade was broken off? Perhaps on purpose, or in the heat of stabbing Bolton with prejudice?]

[Those squares are snapped right off, bent like great force was used. This is just the blade.]

[...Yeah, this was. This was something alright. Jane knows she couldn't have done this by virtue of her own strength, and Togami doesn't exactly look like he could benchpress a truck either. Jane hisses through her teeth.]

There's no way...

[But hey, let's be thorough and return to Bolton to check that head wound. Without sticking the blade in, would it be comparable enough to have been the murder weapon?]

[It would.]

[She sucks in a sharp breath.]

Togami...I think I found the murder weapon.

Hm.

[Really? Let's see...]

This seem to belong to an ice skate. Someone should go take a look.

[Good thing there are people they can count on for that!]

He must have been caught by surprise. I see nothing showing he tried to defend himself. He must have trusted the culprit enough to turn his back to them.

[Hmmmm...okay, maybe you're not the culprit, Jane? You're far from clear, but there are a couple people Togami is starting to think about, as impossible as it may be]

Edited 2017-03-24 20:22 (UTC)

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...why...?

[If Bolton died from suffocation, then there must have been dead by the time his neck was cut. Why'd the culprit do that?

While Jane analyzes the wound, Togami instead goes to the hands. Any signs of defense? Anyone being strangled or suffocated would try to stop it, he thinks]

[None.

However, the clue to his suffocation might well be linked to the foamy, bright red blood gathered at the corners of his lips and covering his teeth.]

Very strange...

[Is that so? Hm. Togami is not like Kirigiri, he actually has to take a moment to prepare himself to check a body that far, but yeah, he has to. Open your mouth, Bolton. Did you choke on a MRE or something?]

[For all intents and purposes, it looks (and smells) like he suffocated on his own blood.]

[Gross.

Anything indicating why there's so much blood, enough to suffocate him?]

[Um.

The hole in his neck? It didn't go all the way through the front, but it's not unbelievable that it punctured his trachea from behind.]

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