FIFTH TRIAL

[bathymetric]

Quite the spread of evidence, isn't it? You have all you need, make your way to the vault door at once.

[ Once you're all at the door, Angel lets you through and into the elevator as always. And speaking of that elevator... your space to roam inside has grown again as you head down. Four is a heavy number to lose in one week, isn't it, between Nova and the three bodies you've just found? Though the number of things to discuss might be weighing heavier on your mind, if you're one of the investigators. The elevator might seem bigger or smaller than usual, despite the increase in space.

The trial room is as it is most weeks, apart from the newly-red podiums, so at least that's not a surprise by now. The screens are lowered, the familiar spiral displayed as ever. ]

That's three down this week. Up to three parties can be found responsible, when all is said and done - so go forth and find whoever did this, won't you? And to whoever did this... as always, best of luck to you as well.

[ The screens raise.

Welcome to your fifth trial. ]

Comments

[bogwife]

They would have had to work fast but the note just says "tonight", no specifics. Unless they worked on it earlier in the week and we just didn't notice?

[archboxer]

There are many of us who visit the gym. I believe any of us would have noticed such changes.

[bogwife]

That's true...so the current theory is that they worked especially fast, which is possible if they knew what they were doing.

[archboxer]

Either that or, as Anna said, they planned this out. Someone who knew how they wanted to kill and wanted to make sure their presence was not there....

[bolderfell]

Wait. What about that shirt you found? Where was that in relation to everything else?

mods?

[archboxer]

It was folded up under one of the pieces of the equipment.

[But how close were the leg presses to Brian?]

[bathymetric]

[ certainly not close to him! ]

[bolderfell]

[He shakes his head.]

If it was folded, then someone put it away. Probably after the fact. They must have been there. Maybe it was part of luring Brian in? What did that note say again?

[bogwife]

"We need your help. We can only be here for a short while. Fitness room tonight." [She pauses, reading it over again silently.] "We need your help". What does that mean?

[ladygeryon]

...do you think it was meant to sound like a message from the dead? The "we can only be here for a short while" part seems to match with what we've seen of the other ghosts...

[bolderfell]

...No, the strangest part is "We can only be here for a short while." We're trapped here. So who isn't?

[archboxer]

The shirt... it looked like something Shelley wore, did it not?

[bolderfell]

[...]

Was it still in her room? Or... did she die wearing it? Who saw her body?

[archboxer]

I am unsure... though, I suppose we do have access to a sewing room. Though, I have to wonder...

Could someone have been pretending to be Shelley?

[bolderfell]

...I didn't know him well, so I can't say whether Brian would've been particularly close to Shelley. That is, if she would make good bait. But... we do know he would've wanted to hear from our dead.

PROFESSOR!

[nothingcanstop]

[ HM. You know-- ]

Hey, Prof! What happens to the bodies of the people who die here? You got some kind of sick morgue?

[bathymetric]

Bodies are sent back to the primary facility where I am when the cleaners restore the murder scenes, along with clothing and objects left on their immediate person.

[blackmass]

Perhaps the implication is that the note was left by someone not in this room.

[look he's not gonna come out and SAY 'ghosts' in front of the professor]

Obviously incorrect, but the deception seems an obvious one to me.

[mouflon]

Hey, what does the handwriting look like? It's not printed, or like... Made of cut up books or anything, is it?

Mods?

[bogwife]

[Dearest darlingest mods, do you have a answer for us? Handwritten, printed, serial killer cut up magazine font?]

[bathymetric]

[ It's definitely handwritten! ]

[mouflon]

I just thought... I don't know. What would any of us expect a note from a ghost to look like?

But... The only people whose handwriting everyone would have seen before are... Birkin, me, and whoever has written up notes for everyone after the trials. If the murderer isn't anyone from that pool of people, they wouldn't have had any reason to disguise their handwriting.

[bogwife]

Someone wrote it themselves. Did anyone bring a pen with them?

[bolderfell]

If the screws were loose, maybe we would've. If they were just replaced with the wrong ones? They might still hold until pulled.

[emberserker]

More likely, they only set it up last night and had it planned out in advance.