Muddled Mediterranean Madness Part 7

Day 6, Deadly LifeClass Trial, Part 1

Truth Bullets:

Monomouse File #1

Gondola Queue Times

Gondola Route

Gondola Component

Modified Skateboard

Shelf

Photo Booth props in Box

Puddles of Water

Ghost Host and Aladdin's account

Ghost Host's autopsy report

Headwear

Photo Booth Props in Gondola

Camilla, Evie, Justin, and Wendy's account

Rapunzel, Max, Susan, Chyna, and Adam's account

Thalia's Account

Stanley and Ivy's account

Screen on Gondola

Jessica's Account

Maps of Gondola Route

Time Spent Running

Monomouse Case File #1

Victim #1: Tara Adams

Cause of death: Strangulation

Injuries: Scratches on her wrist. Bruise above eyes on face. Slight scratches on exposed skin.

The time of death took place in the window of 1:28 PM.

The body was discovered on the beach at 1:50 PM.

"Listen up everyone!" Monomouse directed his attention. "Let's begin with a simple explanation of the conference trial! During this trial you will present your arguments for who the killer is and vote for whodunnit. If you vote correctly only the Blackened will receive punishment. But if you pick the wrong one, I'll punish everyone besides the blackened and whoever they pick and they will have the right to leave this conference site!'

"Punishment means…" Tanner hesitated.

"Execution," Wendy filled in the blank.

"So, let's not mess this up," Thalia started.

"Mess this up? We won't mess this up! We have to bring Tara's killer to justice!" Chyna shouted the loudest.

"I have a question," Adam spoke up. "What's with all of these buttons on the front of our podiums?"

"Oh those? That'll be explained later. But you'll notice the screen. If you're willing to tap it you'll see the live transcript of the discussion currently going on. And pay no mind to the different colored texts, that's just a quirk of the transcription," Monomouse explained.

"Bawk baw-caw?" Camilla interjected.

"I don't think that's important now," Evie started. "I'm sure Tara would want us to focus on her murder now."

"But where exactly do we begin?" Lizzie asked. "We have the how they died but we still need the where, who, and why."

"Could it really be that simple?" Aladdin spoke up.

"Bruises are consistent with some form of strangulation," Basil grimly replied.

"Alright she died by being choked," Chyna shook. "I don't really wanna think about it…"

"But we have to, so let's see if we can paint the scene from there," Jessica took in a deep breath.

Nonstop Debate Start!

"So whoever killed Tara was somehow able to get to her neck?" Adam seemed to grimace at the thought.

"Maybe she took a nap and wound up in a place where they choked her from above," Max started.

"What a horrendous way to die," Lizzie mentioned as her familiar agreed with her.

"If she was in the gondola someone could easily reach into the boat and splash her," Ivy closed her eyes.

"Or they found her while she was napping in her room, which is probably a scarier point," Wendy

"ON THE CONTRARY!" The Ghost Host suddenly shouted.

Nonstop Debate End!

Ghost Host's Autopsy Report - Choked her from above

"Max," The Ghost Host stated. "I took a look at her bruises. They were more or less level with her as opposed to angling down from above."

"Oh…" Max sighed. "So what do you think happened?"

"My best bet is that Tara was off doing her thing when someone just snuck up on her and throttled her. The entire thing should have lasted… no more than ten minutes…" The Ghost Host said as respectfully as he could.

"So they couldn't even fight her head on," Aladdin hung his head.

"Maybe the target was supposed to be someone who could fight and then they changed their mind to someone easier?" Will asked.

"That's horrible!" Susan gasped. "But if they came up behind her how did Tara not see it coming?"

"Well maybe they did it somewhere dark?" Justin offered.

"Or they used something to hide?" Thalia mentioned.

"Most likely some combination of the above," Basil interjected. "But Tara did not just have the sense of sight. In fact, she possessed sense, touch, smell, and hearing. Yet I would say that I think that the most lacking sense she had was.."

What sense is Basil Referring to?

Taste

Touch

Smell

Hearing

Answer: Hearing

"You're talking about her hearing?" Tanner spoke up.

"Yeah that makes sense!" Evie agreed. "When we saw her she looked like she had her headphones on. And she was probably humming something to herself."

"Cluck caw caw, cluck cluck cluck caw caw… cluck cluck cluck… caw caw caw…" Camilla shivered.

"That's the recap as best we can put it," Goliath said. "But there are not many places here that one can be alone with easy access to the gondola."

"Since the gondola was where the body was found, can we talk about how the body got in it?" Aladdin asked.

"That sounds like a good idea," Basil concurred.

Nonstop Debate Start!

"Basil, Sally, and Tanner found her body in the middle of a Gondola in the middle of the sea," Wendy recapped.

"That means wherever the murder occurred it would have had to have been Close to water," KEvin pointed out.

"Is there anywhere here that has access to the gondolas?" Rapunzel asked.

"Rapunzel you, me, susan, and basil went on the gondolas on the first day. The murder likely started at the gondola queue line," Adam interjected.

"Oh right, that makes sense," Rapunzel agreed.

"So that's the story then, without a doubt," the ghost host began.

"Makes sense to me," Wendy said. "Nowhere else it could have happened."

"THAT CAN'T BE IT!" Jessica shouted

Nonstop Debate End!

Maps on Gondola Route - Nowhere else it could have happened

"Wendy," Jessica started. "You were with me when Kevin and Ivy showed us, Evie, Adam, and Susan how the gondolas traveled on our map."

"The map?" inquired Mike.

"Yes," Jessica explained. She sent the photo of the map to her compatriots as she started to explain. "Kevin and Ivy were able to explain that the gondola Tara was found in actually started closer to the storage."

"Hmm, I see," Mike echoed. "So maybe Tara was lured over to that location."

"For what reason I cannot explain," Jessica shrugged. "But ultimately that seems to be the case that she was put in the gondola at the storage and it was there she met her untimely end."

"FOOLISH MORTAL!"

Jessica turned with a start towards the ghost host. "Are we to believe the words of two individuals who split up on their own? That sounds mighty suspect and I know my way around foul play."

"Your grievance is clearly with me," Kevin spoke up. "You might as well argue with me," he took a deep breath. "But I can prove that we have evidence that shows where the gondolas were."

Rebuttal Showdown Start!

"I am aw/are of the efforts"

"That people will/take"

"In or/der to conceal their crimes"

"So we very much should/not"

"Take the word of the on/ly one knowledgeable with technology."

"I am not the only one capable with technology, and Ivy was the one to first discover it."

"E/ven so"

"That means accor/ding to the rules"

"She could have bribed/you"

"With the pro/mise of escape"

"IF YOU FABRICATED THE EVIDENCE!"

"And we/don't have the proof."

"YOU'RE WRONG!" Kevin shouted

Rebuttal Showdown End!

Gondola Screen - If You fabricated the Evidence

"Dear Ghost Host," Kevin mediated his breath. "The thing with that is that we have photos of the electronic components of the gondolas. Ivy has one from the brief trip she took with her group and I have one from the gondola Tara wound up in."

The Ghost Host raised a pale eyebrow. "So this electronic component is the one that proves that Tara was murdered in the gondola storage?"

"Yes," Kevin said simply. "The gondola started closer to the hotel. Going by the map the gondola would have had to have started close to the hotel. There is a waterway on the side closest to the library and the cafeteria."

"So Tara was murdered in the gondola storage?" Thalia asked.

"It would seem to be the case," Mike echoed. "Unless she was murdered somewhere else and carried over."

"That would take a long while. But not impossible based on the timing if the killer happened to be in the hotel," Susan thought. "But I can vouch for several of us. And others can vouch for me…"

"We, like, didn't get your alibi Mike," Tanner spoke up.

"I was in the hotel and took the elevator down as quickly as I could," Mike explained. "I am not very mobile so it took me awhile to get there. But if I may be honest I recall Lizzie and Thalia taking a long time to get to the body discovery site."

"Wait why are you talking about me?!" Lizzie panicked. "I was alone in the library and trying to read a book!"

"YEah, and I was in the gym trying to lift some weights! If anything Goliath is also weird," Thalia pointed to the grotesque.

"That is a blase reaction," Goliath stuttered. "But I didn't do it, I made a purchase at the store before the murder took place."

"How long before?" little Lizzie spoke up. "Because you're strong enough to throw Tara into the gondola!"

"Hey, Lizzie, you're also small enough to dive through and get rid of Tara!" Tanner objected.

"What are you yelling at me for?!" Lizzie shouted.

"I CAN'T BE THE CULPRIT!/THERE'S NO WAY I COULD HAVE DONE IT!/IT WASN'T ME" Lizzie, Goliath, and Thalia shouted all at once.

Mass Panic Debate Start!

The dialogue across the trial room became chaotic. Many voices started to overlap as they struggled to be heard. The transcripts on the podiums started to buzz as they started the dialogue.

"So the thing is I was in the gym/I was buying a notepad in order to keep track/I was in the bathroom Ivy can vouch." Thalia, Goliath, and Lizzie started.

"I went up to my room to have some water/I think I saw you there heading through the conference room/Girl I don't remember so you have to be on your own." Thalia, Susan, and Ivy interjected.

"Well that doesn't make sense/Thank you Susan, I recall you in the conference room as well/PLEASE YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER!" Wendy, Goliath, and Lizzie shouted.

"I was on the gondola but that doesn't prove anything!/ If we can't trust goliath why can we trust susan?/Lizzie please hold it together!" Thalia, Adam, and Max shouted.

"Can we really trust that?/Buck baw caw/ Sorry, I'll try…" Max, camilla, and Lizzie mentioned.

"THAT'S WRONG!" Will shouted.

Mass Panic Debate End!

–that was way before the murder happened!- Gondola Queue Times

"Thalia," Will started, all eyes on him. "We investigated the gondola queue times."

"No we didn't," Thalia stared at Will.

"What?" Chyna interjected. "No, Will, me, Lizzie, and Ivy did."

"Yeah, that," Will blinked. "You were the last person to use the gondolas. And that was at 12:56 PM. That's more than enough time to go with Tara to the gondola storage, kill her there, and then show up in time for the body discovery."

"That's just a guess!" Thalia shouted back.

Will tapped his railing screen and showed the image to the others. "I don't know where to go from this but if you were in the gondolas for about fifteen minutes you could have easily gotten off, chased Tara to the storage, and then strangled her."

"But– But…" Thalia stammered.

"Thalia come to think of it you were one of the last people to show up to the body discovery site," Mike chimed in.

"And so was Goliath, but why am I the person of interest?!" Thalia slammed her fist against the podium.

"Because you're lying!" Chyna pointed an accusing finger.

"WAit, before any judgment, let's hear her out," Justin offered. "There could be a reason…."

"Actually yes," The Ghost host echoed. "I'm keen on hearing her evidence if it does exist."

"Thalia, the floor is yours," Kevin ceded the conversation to her.

Nonstop Debate Start!

Thalia's podium moved to the center of the group as she tried to steady herself. "I took the gondola, but that doesn't mean anything!"

"What that means is that you lied," Lizzie pointed an accusing finger.

"To be fair you could have asked her about it," Basil defended.

"But why did she have to lie about going to the gym? Maybe she lied about everything else," Tanner pointed out.

"No, I didn't kill Tara!" Thalia grabbed her head frantically. "There's no proof that I could have been in the same place with her!"

"If this conversation is goign in circles," Jessica took a deep breath.

"Bawk bawk caw buck buck?" Camilla suggested.

"But who remembers what we looked like?" Stanley interjected.

"I didn't kill Tara!" Thalia shouted.

"This is actually pretty sad to see," Mike opined.

"THAT DOESN'T ADD UP!" Sally shouted.

Nonstop Debate End!

Bawk bawk caw buck buck - There's no proof that I could have been in the same place with her

"Camilla, what did you say?" Sally asked.

"Bawk bawk caw buck buck?" Camilla raised her eyebrow.

"Yeah, there's something I remember when we were around Tara's body…" Sally tapped her fingers together.

'She was dead before you swam out if my calculations are right. Assuming she died at 1:28 PM though….' Thalia tugged on her pants, a drop of water coming out

"Why were your pants wet?" Sally interrogated. "Tanner was wet because he was in the water."

"I was at the beach?" Thalia replied.

"But where we were was on the sand," Tanner thought aloud. "And what I remember was that Sally turned to look at you so you had to come at us from an angle…"

"Really you're going to rely on where I walked up to you from?" Thalia questioned.

"I remember you pushing me and Jessica as you tried to go forward into the crowd," Aladdin chimed in. "The Ghost Host was nearby and Jessica–"

"Yes I remember that, you distinctly came from behind me and I approached from the side closest to the gondolas initially," Jessica explained. "Thalia, is there something you're not telling us?"

Thalia gripped her podium railing tightly. "Fine," she snapped. "I saw Tara before she died…"

"Saw?" Mike raised a black eyebrow. "That's quite different from killed."

"THAT'S BECAUSE I DIDN'T!" Thalia slammed her first against the podium. "I finished the gondola ride and I saw Tara going into the storage. She waved me over and I joined her. I don't remember much of what happened but I took a step into the storage just behind Tara. I tripped over something and fell into the water."

"And how did you get out? You're not that good of a swimmer," Little Lizzie spoke up.

"I had to scramble along the wall trying to breathe. I found a ladder and I escaped from the canal. That's how I got wet. I don't know what happened to Tara in that place, it was dark and it happened through like… five minutes I don't know."

"That place is dark," Justin started.

"It seems plausible," Basil hesitated. "And regarding your emotions I have a hunch you're telling the truth. Could be wrong though."

"I want to believe you, I don't want to believe anyone killed Tara," Lizzie sighed. "But what can I believe?"

"Maybe we need more facts?" Mike offered. "That can either debunk or verify what Thalia did."

"Do you think it'll be easier to believe her?" Max suggested. "We can move on with that and if not we can always go back."

"That might be the best recourse right now," Jessica said. "But I don't really believe Thalia."

"I mean I do," Stanley said. "And I think we have a lot to go over so we should just move on."

"So wait, we're going to just agree with her?" Aladdin spoke up. "Tara is dead and the most likely suspect can get off because of a story they came up with?"

"It seems believable to me, and if she did fall in the water then we can keep moving towards a solution," Rapunzel interjected.

"Bawk bawk caw," Camilla agreed with Rapunzel.

"That's not something I want to put my faith in, especially considering that her alibi is by far the weakest out of all of those we discussed," Mike continued.

"Everyone who paired up is equally suspicious," Justin chimed in. "Well we need to–"

"Justin you're smarter than this," Evie interjected. "It seems like the leads are pointing to one person and that's Thalia."

"I don't think we should divide ourselves over this, but the longer we spend on this the less time we can figure out how the killer actually killed them," Basil offered a neutral stance.

"But it's clear. Thalia snuck up behind Tara and choked her with the scarf!" Mike shouted. "That's how it went down!"

"It can't be that simple, otherwise we would have solved this a long time ago," Kevin offered in a calm voice.

"Upupupupu!" Monomouse's voice suddenly cut through everyone as they chattered. "Did someone here say split?!"

"No?" Lizzie responded.

"Well you said divided, and that's good enough for me!" Monomouse said from his throne. "In case of split decisions like this, I have the perfect solution! This courtroom is perfectly equipped with morphenomenal technology that'll allow for a perfect debate! All you need to do is to pick a side in this little Debate Scrum."

On the podium railing a glittery ribbon appeared. On that ribbon were two sides – Vote now or Vote later. The conference attendees made their decisions as Monomouse hit a button that suddenly appeared in front. The podiums began to rise as some, like Goliath, remained steady while others, like Thalia, started screaming.

"This is really high up!" Thalia tried to steady her breath.

"How are we floating?" Adam asked.

"Just buy into it, and focus on the task at hand!" Monomouse shouted.

Two parallel lines formed. On one line was Thalia, Justin, Rapunzel, Camilla, Max, Goliath, Adam, Basil, Ivy, Stanley, Kevin and the Ghost Host were on the side that suggested they hold off the vote. The opposing line was Aladdin, Evie, Wendy, Sally, Mike, Tanner, Will, Jessica, Chyna, Lizzie, and Susan. Closest to Monomouse was the podium that held the photo of Tara crossed out with headphones. "It's always a little lopsided but one will emerge victorious and that's the side with the greatest conviction!"

Debate Scrum Start!

"She was on the gondola, that means she was the closest to Tara out of all of us!" Evie started.

"Susan also took the gondola, and we're not suspecting her," Ivy retorted.

"But I have an alibi since I was in the hotel, not outdoors," Susan countered.

"The hotel is close enough to the storage that people could go back and forth," Justin pointed out.

"Everyone in the hotel wouldn't have a reason to go outside," Chyna suggested.

"Having a reason isn't necessary to go outside," Adam fired back.

"Thalia arrived last to the body discovery," Wendy brought up.

"Lizzie arrived last so by that logic she can't be trusted," the ghost Host verified.

"I haven't lied through the entire trial," Lizzie countered.

"But you weren't the center of the trial at any point," Stanley said.

"Do we want to waste time with this subject?" Sally inquired.

"It's not wasting time if we can find a solution this way," Goliath declared.

"Can we even find anything if we believe Thalia?" Mike asked.

"It'll be more than we can find if we don't follow this line of logic," Basil advocated.

"What logic can we use to move on from this?" Aladdin questioned.

"Bawk bawk buh caw, buck buck," Camilla clucked.

"I still don't think this makes any sense," Will admitted.

"Then you'll have to trust Thalia in order to make this make sense!" Max exclaimed.

"Even if we do she could still steer us wrong," Jessica said.

"I won't steer you wrong anymore, I told my whole story," Thalia boldly stated.

"Is there even a way to prove that you didn't kill Tara?" Tanner clenched his fist.

"We have to trust that eventually we can prove it!" Rapunzel shouted.

THIS IS OUR ANSWER!

"I'm going to let the trial continue on this train of thought, so you now have an extra fifteen minutes to discuss the matter of Thalia!" Monomouse chittered. "ANd you better prove her correct otherwise I'll get bored and end this trial and start the voting prematurely."

Debate Scrum End!