[ WEEK TWO – TRIAL ]

[sheriffexe]

TRIAL

In the morning, the town comes back to life. Birds crow overhead, a snake nearby hisses, a lingering coyote dips behind a shop before disappearing into the wild. It's a frightening contrast to the stillness of yesterday but it doesn't mean it's over yet. After all, today is the trial. The Sheriff stands on the porch of the Town Hall and brings his hand up to his mouth to let out a whistle. He'll thumb back to the Hall behind him and very clearly state -- "Trial time, folks. Get in here and figure out who did it." And then he'll turn to leave before pausing and adding on, "Bring a snack or somethin' too. The Town Hall is set up more like a court house, a Judge's bench at the front but instead of at center, it's off to the side as if more for observation than participation. There's a table at the front of the room already holding a small box and a pad of papers and pen, for voting apparently. A side room containing only a metal gurney is next and today it's obvious why there's a gurney there at all with the corpse, resting right on top of it. Aside from that, there are rows for everyone to take a seat and it's only after everyone is inside and settled, that the doors close and the Sheriff speaks. "Well, have at it. You've got till nine." And then, he points to a clock on the wall that reads 12:00. Good luck. Welcome to the trial post! Characters are free to discuss everything related to the trial here. They won't be let out of the room until 9PM when voting ends. Every character must vote and the voting post can be found here. If there are any questions, please shoot a message to this journal or to robowest.

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Comments

[tightly]

... [ Well, there's that, and... Chane's brow furrows as she works through her thought before writing it down. ]

What if the note concerned Manfred but was not for him?

[hydrokinetics]

[Hi Chane. Percy looks surprised as he reads her message because it's clear that didn't occur to him either.]

You mean like someone was warning somebody else about Manfred and he intercepted? Maybe that's why Manfred was the victim. Our murderer wanted to kill a witness. [But don't murders have to be pre-planned? He's unsure of that.]

[tightly]

It is only a thought. But the note... It mentioned him by name, and he had it in his possession. Those facts alone suggest the note was meant for him, but certainty is not absolute.

[ Figuring out who wrote it should be a higher priority, she feels, but she's not about to push the matter. ]

[hydrokinetics]

Some of us also thought it's not even clear that Manfred himself didn't write it to act as a decoy of some kind. Without being able to tell whose handwriting it is we're having a hard time figuring it out. I guess we'd need to know who else besides Higekiri knows anything about the guy that would be worth mentioning.

[A pause as he seems to realize something.] If we go with the theory that it was a note about him, somebody else could have actually given the note to Higekiri, he left it somewhere, Manfred also left to go confront whoever, got himself killed to get him out of the way and then Higekiri fought with our murderer. There's no saying that Higekiri wasn't the original intended victim.

[Please stop him, this is way too elaborate and this happens when he's just talking out loud.]