fourth trial

[airlockedmods]

[As the last of the evidence is gathered, the voice chimes in with a call to come down to the courtroom.

In the slowly swindling podium circle McBurn and Shadow's portraits have been added and the green in their scrolling names replaced with red.

Jamie and Bolton are waiting on their floating platform, back in black and ready for a trial. Jamie still looks tired and his posture is a little more slouched than usual but he's here and there's not much else they can ask of him right now. Bolton's put on his usual showman's attitude despite the dark circles under his eyes, and he spreads his arms to make the announcement.]

Welcome, Champions, to the courtroom. Eleven of you have entered, but - in the best case scenario - only ten of you will leave. You all know the drill by now: compile your evidence and figure out who the killer is. If you vote correctly, the culprit will be executed and the rest of you will be allowed to go back upstairs.

Remember, there is no time limit but I'd advise you to keep things interesting.

Comments

[bylight]

But seeing as there was still ice in there, it wasn't safe to swim in... so he must have been taken out closer to seven.

[stitch_in_time]

So either the culprit came back later to drag him out or waited around to do it, or someone else was out at night and found him?

But none of that makes sense, someone just findin' the body wouldn't need to hide it, and either staying or coming back would just increase the risk of getting caught.

[bylight]

They could have panicked when they saw the body. Shock makes people do strange things.

[ratherdoweddings]

Even so, wouldn't they be more likely to call for help?

[cyan_maid]

Not if they thought we'd end up accusing them of murder. Wouldn't you be suspicious of someone who claimed to find someone else dead?

[ratherdoweddings]

We've been finding dead bodies the whole time we've been here.

[cyan_maid]

But usually it's a few of us at a time. If it was one person who ran over to everyone else, it'd look almost like they were covering up their own actions with false innocence - even if the person were sincere.

[stitch_in_time]

That could get tricky. Any evidence of them bein' at the crime scene would look even more incriminating, then.

[cyan_maid]

Exactly - so even if someone else had found him, they wouldn't be open about it.

[tasteslikesurvival]

What if Shadow wasn't dead yet?

[cyan_maid]

That's possible, too. Ricky found some other things in the bar that could have resulted in him being simply knocked out.

[imnotfat]

Of course not. If Shadow died that'd be as good as a confession.

[ratherdoweddings]

Just by finding him? What I'm saying is I don't think there was an accomplice complicating things.

[bylight]

Not necessarily. If the person was really close to him, they may have thought they'd be blamed. Wouldn't you?

[ratherdoweddings]

It's possible, but I just don't get it. We've been finding the dead every time they turn up anyway.

[bylight]

Yes... but the person may have had a reason to want to take him back to his room. They may be the guilty party.

[ratherdoweddings]

That makes sense to me, too. If it were the culprit who moved him instead of some scared third party. Unless Togami-san's traitor theory is true, that's the simplest explanation.

[bylight]

We'll have to wait and see about that.

Mods?

[refusedtoleave]

Wouldn't they have made an announcement if someone else had found him?

[She's just going to look up at the Overseers.]

[theoverseers]

We're not alerted to make an announcement until three people have found a body. [Jamie is already rubbing his eyes with his thumb and index finger.] So if someone else did find him there wouldn't have been an announcement.

[refusedtoleave]

So someone could have moved him then...

[stitch_in_time]

Is that any three people, or three people besides the culprit?

[He knows a loophole when he hears one. Usually.]

[theoverseers]

Three besides the culprit.

[stitch_in_time]

Thanks, that might help.

[Probably not in this case, since everyone was sort of swarming around Shadow's room anyway, but maybe.]