[ WEEK FIVE – 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

[thatsthespirit]

[. . .]

[she isn't certain about this, but. . . she feels like she should bring it up]

Week three. Chane said she was reading in the hotel alone at midnight, when Yuna, Natalie and I heard the gunshot.

Will made her story more believable by saying that Chane talked to him about reading that night earlier in the week.

If she was definitely a Bandit, then I think it's likely she was one in week three.

[impulsiveness]

I remember finding it weird she didn't come back to our room that night. We tried grilling her husband, too.
Their stories were off.

[And he felt so bad, thinking he almost incriminated them for nothing. Ah.]

[thatsthespirit]

I remember that as well. But that made Felix more suspicious in my eyes, not Chane.

[BUT MAYBE. . . THE HUSBAND WAS COVERING FOR HIS WIFE. . .]

[hitsitoff]

So a simple matter of looking at it from the wrong angle.

Things were chaotic, so. That's not surprising.

[thatsthespirit]

[haha it's really coming to light how much they really SUCK at this]

. . . regardless, it doesn't matter now. We have four more murders from last night to focus on.

[hitsitoff]

True. Looking back's not gonna do that much good right now, we can't do much with those murders anymore.

[thatsthespirit]

If anything, it just shows us exactly how sloppy our investigations and questioning has been up until this point.

[hitsitoff]

Only solution to that is to be better moving forward.

So I say we focus on that.

[thatsthespirit]

That I can, at least, agree with.

[she nods at him firmly. determinedly]

[uraniumnumnum]

They were both suspicious. It would be stupid not to consider him a suspect, as well, knowing what we do now.

[thatsthespirit]

For the killings that occurred a few weeks ago, perhaps. But what about this week?

[uraniumnumnum]

Why not this week? Perhaps he felt sympathy towards the boy who had lost his lover and exacted revenge for him. Although... those feelings would be more appropriate now.

[thatsthespirit]

Is there a reason you're so intent on pinning these crimes on Barnham?

[sweats]

I didn't "make it more believable". I was just saying what happened. We talked about books. I suggested she read Thursday to keep her mind of things. She said she would.

[thatsthespirit]

You may not have said it with the intention of making it more believable, but for me, it gave credit to her story.

[. . . frowns]

But perhaps that was a mistake on my part.

[sweats]

[ A shrug. He looks more tired than normal, eyes all sunken and scruff pretty thick. You probably don't want to talk to him, Milla.

But thankfully, he doesn't say anything else for once. ]

[thatsthespirit]

[no actually she DOES want to talk to him, and she'll be giving him a bit of a sideways glance before she speaks again]

Are you all right, Will?

[sweats]

[ He just gives her a flat look, eyes off to the side and not meeting hers like usual. Then he grins and shrugs. ]

Feeling a little... frayed. Grasping for stability and having it melt at your fingertips. Chane was my friend.

[thatsthespirit]

[ah. . . yeah, she gets that much. her expression softens]

She was mine, too. Regardless of her actions as a Bandit.

[there's visible hesitation in her demeanor, like she wants to ask him something else, but in the end. she doesn't]

[sweats]

[ Empathy man sure does know it but he's not going to ask if she doesn't. God, he hates when people hold back. It makes him sick. ]

... Killing doesn't make someone less than.

[ She's still a good bean even if she was a Bandit. ]

[thatsthespirit]

[poor Will. she is guessing that this particular trial, with everyone's emotions running even higher than usual, is even worse on him than past ones]

I agree.

[that's sincere]

Since Chane was your friend, do you have any thoughts on who might have gone after her?

[sweats]

[ Yeah, poor Will indeed. ]

I know exactly who went after her. And because of it, they're not surviving this trial.

[ Except seriously Will, why are you like this. ]

[thatsthespirit]

[WILL. . . YOU NEED A JUICE BOX]

Are you saying that because you intend to out this person during the trial?

Or because you intend to take their life yourself?

[sweats]

[ Another box really. A box of wine. ]

As if I have the right when Felix is right there? Please. I'm just going to out them to the public.

[thatsthespirit]

[ten boxes of wine someone get this man a drink]

All right.

[she won't ask when he plans on doing the thing, but she'll be keeping an eye on him until then]

How do you know who her killer is?